17A. *Source of chips and 6-Across : IDAHO POTATO. Ah, the humble spud. I read somewhere that the rich Idaho loam which nurtures these delicious tubers came from Yosemite when the caldera exploded c. 55,000 years ago. Apparently this happens about once every 50,000 years, so the potato farmers should be expecting another gazillion tons of topsoil coming their way sometime soon.
51A. *Cervantes creation : SANCHO PANZA. Equerry to the chivalry-reviving, windmill-tilting Don Quixote, and a Picasso subject.
11D. *Wide-legged fashion : GAUCHO PANTS. Not gauche pants, those would be sequined disco-trousers from the 70's. According to Target's fashion page, gaucho pants are "flowy and fab". Just the thing for Don Q. and Sancho.
25D. *Rory McIlroy won it in 2014 : BRITISH OPEN. The oldest of golf's four majors, and properly called "The Open Championship".
37A. Words to a hitchhiker, and a literal hint to what spans both words of the answers to starred clues : HOP IN
Buenos dias, muchachos y muchachas. Steve here hitching a ride with Fred's latest. The theme ended on little bit of a flat note for me - the fourth theme entry had the odd-man-out feel with Idaho/Sancho/Gaucho tripping rhymily off the tongue, then "British" coming in as something of a clanger. Wedded to the fact that the tournament isn't actually called that, it all just seemed a little clumsy. Maybe I should go and change out of my grumpy pants.
That aside, I enjoyed this one - a few missteps left me with a couple of head-scratchers and that's always a good thing. Let's check out the rest.
Across:
1. Crockpot concoctions : STEWS. Food! I'm happy, right off the bat.
6. Bar snack made from 17-Acrosses : SKINS. Let's see - fried potato, bacon, cheese, sour cream and salt. I'm not sure your cardiologist would call this a snack, more a heart attack on a plate.
11. USO show attendees : GIs. Here are some very happy ones:
14. Purity measure : KARAT. Karat vs. Carat. Discuss.
15. Card for a seer : TAROT
16. Hibachi residue : ASH
19. Draw upon : USE
20. Two-thumbs-up review : RAVE
21. When directed : ON CUE
23. Drop in the ocean : EBB TIDE. Starting out with LOW TIDE had me looking at some odd downs later.
27. Certain female grouse : SAGE HEN. They taste great with sage stuffing, how apt.
29. Round numbers : ZEROES
30. Lake Erie port : TOLEDO. Home of the AAA Mud Hens. They don't sound as tasty as 27A's.
31. Like Wrigley Field's walls : IVIED. It's a ground-rule double if a ball gets lost in it.
32. Baby spoilers, perhaps : NANAS
33. Play with, cat-style : PAW
36. Brings home : NETS
38. Anti-art movement : DADA
39. One of football's Mannings : ELI. Your other options are Archie or Peyton, neither of which fit.
40. Like 101 courses : BASIC
41. Not as loopy : SANER
42. "Heathers" actor Christian : SLATER. Fortunately for my lack of knowledge of actors and movies, there are not many "Christians" in the business. I've never heard of the movie. Did it garner 20A reviews?
44. Terrarium pet : TURTLE
45. Siri speaks on them : iPHONES. Pretty much the only thing she says on mine is "I'm sorry, I didn't get that". I don't think she speaks British English.
47. Idiomatic trendsetters : JONESES
48. Trembled : SHOOK
49. They're usually loaded : SOTS
50. Cut back : LOP
58. Wolfed down : ATE
59. Poseidon's realm : OCEAN
60. Hunter of myth : ORION
61. Jamaican "mister" : MON
62. Grown-up efts : NEWTS
63. Wyoming's __ Range : TETON. I read somewhere that the French explorer who first encountered the Grand Tetons named them for a couple of the physical attributes belonging to his wife back home. I can't comment on that.
Down:
1. Schuss, say : SKI. Straight downhill. The first and easiest skiing maneuver you learn. Then you discover you need to stop or turn, when all your problems start. I once had a T-shirt that read "To turn is to admit defeat". I might get some of those made again.
2. Tiny bit : TAD
3. Procter & Gamble detergent : ERA. I don't recall seeing this in my local market.
4. Sob syllable : WAH
5. Legendary : STORIED. Is a legendary high-rise many-storied?
6. Housewarming buy? : STOVE
7. Designer Spade : KATE
8. Tax-deferred plan, for short : IRA. Individual Retirement Account, for long.
9. "__ funny!" : NOT
10. Trio in funny shorts : STOOGES
12. Campaign topic : ISSUE
13. Gold lamé quality : SHEEN. I had SHEER first which made SAGE HER an odd-looking bird.
18. Inflates, as an expense account : PADS
22. Writer Buntline : NED. Who? Perps all the way.
23. Newsstand app download : E-ZINE
24. Slanted edge : BEVEL
26. Little piggies : TOES.
27. __ boom : SONIC. We used to hear them occasionally in Los Angeles when the Space Shuttle went over en route to touchdown. The first one I heard was back in England when the Concorde was being test-flown - it caused much consternation.
28. Arkin of "Argo" : ALAN
30. Fleshy-snouted beast : TAPIR
32. Snouts : NOSES. Fun proximity to the anteater above.
34. Singer with the albums "19" and "21" : ADELE. Named for her age when the albums were recorded. Quite a talent.
35. Stuff to hawk : WARES
37. Can't stomach : HATE
38. Chance it : DARE
40. Trusts : BANKS ON
41. Solar event caused by magnetic activity : SUNSPOT
43. London lav : LOO
44. Oz visitor : TOTO
45. Major religion of Indonesia : ISLAM
46. ID component : PHOTO
47. "Flag" artist Jasper : JOHNS. I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of him. He's a Presidential Medal of Freedom winner too.
49. Ella's style : SCAT
52. Complete perfectly : ACE
53. Improved partner? : NEW
54. "__ you serious?" : ARE
55. Minor objection : NIT
56. Bronx tourist attraction : ZOO
57. New England cape : ANN. I learned this from crosswords. I think I should make a bucket list of "cruci-places" to visit - Cape Ann, the Aral Sea, Mt. Etna, Laos, the River Yser, the Soo locks - there's quite a world tour!
Here's the grid - see you all next time!
Steve
Note from C.C.:
I've been missing posts from Yellowrocks (Kathy), who is going to have knee surgery on January 12, 2015. Then she can dance to her heart's content. Below is a picture of Kathy from their church's Cookies and Creches event. She also told me:
"This month I am deep in the clutches of the medical system, working on pre-surgery and preparation for Alan's stay at respite while I am in the hospital in January. The govt. regs are time consuming.. Also my weak knees are slowing me down quite a bit.
On the bright side, I am beginning to see the "light at the end of the tunnel" (thanks, Argyle). Only two more appointments, today and Thursday. Also, I am miraculously on track with my Christmas preparations."
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| Yellowrocks (Kathy) |
