Author: Sarah Keller
Theme: Phrases that end in names of Manhattan streets.
- 17a: Endodontist's treatment (ROOT CANAL).
- 22a: Largest piano (CONCERT GRAND). I have an 1863, 7 1/2' Chickering concert grand in my living room, almost identical to this one shown.
- 36a: 1913 Igor Stravinsky ballet (THE RITE OF SPRING).
- 47a: Some recording studios (ECHO CHAMBERS).
- 55a: Unconquerable obstacle (BRICK WALL).
Admission #1: I never would have figured out this theme without the title. Not being from NYC, I know of Wall Street and Canal Street. Grand Street sounds vaguely familiar. There are probably Spring Streets in most cities; I know Concord, NH has one. I've never heard of Chambers Street.
Admission #2: I double-checked to see if there was a Dip Street and a Cream Street, which seemed no less likely than a Chambers Street.
Admission #3: My lack of understanding the theme didn't detract much from my overall solving experience. The theme entries were solid Monday fare.
Sunny Spots:
- 45a: Small piece of food (NIBLET). Especially corn, which counts as a starch.
- 9d: Potato chip go-with (ONION DIP).
- 21d: Fountain drinks (MALTS). Mmmm... nothing like a good chocolate malt.
- 37d: Banana split ingredient (ICE CREAM).
Can you tell I'm on a diet? These are all things I've not seen much of in the last month. On the bright side, I've dropped 15 pounds since the beginning of July.
Sundries:
- 14a: "The thrill of victory and the ___ of defeat" (AGONY). The famous "agony of defeat" skier from "Wide World of Sports" was Vinko Bogataj (how's that for crossword fodder). Here's a clip about him.
- 16a: Like a babe in the woods (NAIVE).
- 27a: Secret love affairs (AMOURS).
- 33a: Gandhi's wear (DHOTI). I hesitated on the first letter for a second, but it felt right.
- 42a: Annual theater award (OBIE). As I understand it, the Tony awards are for Broadway shows, while the OBIE awards are for Off-Broadway (O.B.) shows. I'm sure someone out there will correct me if I've oversimplified this.
- 44a: DDE's command in WWII (ETO). There was a time that this would not have been obvious to me, but it shows up all the time. It stands for European Theater of Operations.
- 53a: Guitar ___ (video game) (HERO). Aptly skewered by a recent South Park episode.
- 60a: Bewildered (AT SEA).
- 65a: Irish poet William Butler ___ (YEATS). "All empty souls tend toward extreme positions." Wonderful.
- 2d: It can be bruised or massaged (EGO).
- 3d: Scooby-___ (cartoon dog) (DOO). I like that this puzzle includes both this and 33d: Artoo-___ (DETOO).
- 5d: Tour de France competitor (CYCLER). And this is different than a cyclist how?
- 6d: "At the Center of the Storm" author George (TENET).
- 7d: Long-armed ape, for short (ORANG).
- 10d: Corp. division (R AND D). These kinds of fill can be tricky if you're not expecting them.
- 22d: Religious official who sings in Hebrew (CANTOR).
- 23d: Resident of Nebraska's most populous city (OMAHAN).
- 25d: Round dance leader (CUER).
- 38d: Worshiper's contribution (TITHE). Not all worshippers tithe (give 10% to the church). In fact, I bet a very low percentage do.
- 46d: Possible response to "How are you?" (I'M OKAY). My first stab was I'M FINE, but it dropped quickly.
- 47d: Swiss math great who solved the Königsberg bridge problem (EULER). I remember this from discrete math. Here's a description of the problem and solution.
- 48d: "Everybody Hates ___" (CHRIS). Chris Rock show.
- 50d: Culture medium gelatin (AGAR).
- 52d: "Stay" singer Loeb (LISA). Here's a link.
Suns of Bitches:
- 39d: AnnaSophia of "Bridge to Terabithia" (ROBB). This is the only clue that I got from crossings. Not a name I'm familiar with.
Fast and easy, with no cringing. That's what I like in a Monday puzzle. Of course, I'm not a speed solver, so "fast" for me is in the 5-minute range. I wouldn't be much faster than that with the answers in front of me.
Thanks for listening.
- Pete M.
