PAY UP

by Paul Jenn on February 26, 2012
Puzzle time: 13:54
Score: 100%
Difficulty: 4 / 10
Quality: 6 / 10
 
Theme: PAY UP - The theme answers include words that are a type of paying.
Theme entries:

• 17A: They may be next to correct answers (CHECK MARKS)
• 39A: Bad rap (TRUMPED UP CHARGE)
• 64A: Obviously ready to make a purchase (CASH IN HAND)

Word of the Puzzle: ANATHEMA (10D: Greatly detested thing)
Anathema (from Koine Greek ἀνάθεμα[1] "something dedicated, especially dedicated to evil” from ἀνατίθημι anatithēmi, "I set upon, offer as a votive gift") originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; it later evolved to mean:

1. to be formally set apart;
2. banished, exiled, excommunicated;
3. denounced, sometimes accursed

In the Bible, it appears in conjunction with the word "maranatha".

It’s a long day without crosswords, huh? I have work to do today, so let’s get started right now!

Pay up, this let me remember the “Seatbelt buckling” rule. That part of my memory is pretty unpleasant to me until now. Ok it is pretty obvious that 17A should be CHECK MARKS. What I fill? CHECK POINT. I think slangs are more common in crosswords than in daily life, you wouldn’t use...... uh..... I can’t think of one right now, maybe later.

The word of the puzzle is originally JAFFA (1A: Port of Israel), but ANATHEMA won by 1 million results. That’s small for results on Google. And yes that is not number. I would call this puzzle a little bit slangy, but also contains some mind-blowing clues. Such as 31A: Jigsaw puzzle parts, I inserted IMAGES but that doesn’t work, how easy is that, huh?

The MACARONI MASSACRE always makes me laugh. It’s like every part of the spaghetti family doesn’t accept the macaroni and they started a holocaust. Well, at least that hasn’t happened before. Or has it?

Bullets:

• 20A: It may whistle in the kitchen (KETTLE) Even though I got it right in th e first time, I was still surprised. Because most of the clues were pure guessing (and most of them were wrong)
• 55A: Feeding tubes? (MACARONI) This picture is disgusting.

• 67A: 1,000 grams (KILO) I’m still wondering why most of the people in the US use the customary system, not the metric. Co’mon, there’s only like 3 countries that doesn’t use metric. Liberia, Myanmar and … United States?
• 12D: Ancient Roman greeting (AVES) Aves is also a bird class, actually all of the birds are in the class of Aves, if you’ve been in high school biology classes.
• 32D: High-altitude clouds (CIRRI) Talkin’ about Cirri, how ‘bout its cousin - Siri? Speakin’ of Siri, does anyone use Siri to solve crossword puzzle?