PUPPY LOVE

by Potter Stern on February 22, 2012
Puzzle time: 10:34
Score: 100%
Difficulty: 6 / 10
Quality: 4 / 10

Theme: PUPPY LOVE - The first word of the theme clue involves a pet.
Theme entries:

• 17A: Diagonally (KITTY-CORNER)
• 36A: Easy-maintenance hairstyles (PONYTAIL)
• 59A: Chicago ballplayer’s interviewer (CUB REPORTER)

Word of the Puzzle: GAMINE (13D: Mischievous girl)
A gamine is a slim, often boyish, wide-eyed young woman who is, or is perceived to be, mischievous, teasing or sexually appealing.
The word gamine is a French word, the feminine form of gamin, originally meaning urchin, waif or playful, naughty child. It was used in English from about the mid-19th century (for example, by William Makepeace Thackeray in 1840 in one of his Parisian sketches), but in the 20th century, came to be applied in its more modern sense.

Thank you, Wikipedia

An OK Wednesday puzzle which I didn’t play in Wednesday, which is weird...... because the Tuesday puzzle didn’t appear in Tuesday, so I got a day off from crosswords. And who knew that Wednesday had 2? That, my friend, is a computer problem.

Let’s start from theeeeeeeeeeeme! Puppy love, even though I don’t have a dog, but I love pets such as dogs and cats. I can understand kitty and pony as a pet, but what about Cub? A bear for a pet???? Seriously, a bear? Who in the world would want a bear as a pet? Except for animal trainers of course. I give it a quality of 4 just because of this answer. Although I solved it easy, but not a great clue construction.

Now it’s time for the clues! First our word of the puzzle of the day, gamine, a mischievous girl. Never heard of that word, but at least I got it through the across clues.
Good geographical entries such as DELHI (31D: Territory of India) and SIERRA (9D: Jagged mountain chain),  good currencial entries like LEK (1D: Albanian monetary unit) and EURO (53A: Coin in circulation since 2002). And if nobody have found it, there are 2 entries associated with the Poles and cuisines. If you didn’t found it, the answer is ICECAP (38D: Polar sight) and BERGS (7D: Frozen floaters) with chicken CORDON bleu and PATE foie de gras. So in conclusion, great puzzle!
Bullets:

• 1A: “Star Wars” creator George (LUCAS) You don’t say?
• 23A: Good name for a gemologist? (OPAL) I got it by guessing.
• 33A: 53rd St. landmark (MOMA) I tried STTC as St. Thomas Church, EDST as Ed Sullivan Theater. Even though Museum of Modern Arts are more famous than those two above, I still haven’t got it until I had finished the puzzle.
• 63A: Betting pool (POT) Ante is more crosswordese than pot is.
• 29D: Words before “roll” and “budget” (I’M ON A) Not a prefix. That was depressing! Because almost all of the clues with this pattern are either prefixes or suffixes.
• 38D: Polar sight (ICECAP) I filled AURORA in in the first try, then I realized it was ICE- and figured that out for like 4 minutes which is a long time for crosswords. And speaking of icecaps, global warming isn’t true. It is just a misconception, a hoax.
• 57D: Word with “straw” or “trail” (BOSS) Fill this clue LIKE A BOSS!!