Dell Crosswords, October 2005

What's That Up A Head? (p. 40-41) ***

It ain't the NYT, but what the hey. Big puzzle, only missed one square.

• 23A Versatile Coppola = SOFIA (Daughter of Francis Ford Coppola)
• 37A French military hat = KEPI (Oh, that's what those are called!)
• 59A Cofounder of GE = TAE (i.e. Thomas Alva Edison; I think we should get a better hint that they want his initials)
• 63A Capital of Yemen = SANA (I should really know this)
• 73A Composer Satie = ERIK (From his Wikipedia page, he was an artist too - NOT!)
• 98A Connected to the ear = OTIC (I kept wanting a Latin derivate, but it was Greek)
• 126 A Journal end = ESE (In today's world, how do you know if someone is using journalese or just the common bad grammar our society so adores - or whether they even know the difference?)
• 168A Saw = ADAGE (I had no idea there was a definition #3 for 'saw' akin to adage)
• 7D M director = LANG (Ol' Fritz Lang... whatever!)
• 13D Red Bordeaux = MEDOC (The real question was, what is an AOC?)
• 30D Dark-green lettuce = COS (Since Romaine wouldn't fit. These three letters pack a lot of meaning.)
• 35D Journalist Alexander = SHANA (Born in 1925 - I guess she'd be famous to old geezers.)
• 38D Nevada State Tree = PINON (Some one needs to add this precious piece of information to the Wikipedia page. I never could get into this "state" thing - the state bird, the state tree, the state pancake, whatever...)
• 53D Sun helmet = TOPI (I like the sound of 'pith helmet' better)
• 68D Urchin = GAMIN (I've heard this word in French, but it didn't mean 'urchin')
• 105D It comes in yards = ALE (Looks like 'beer' would be a better answer, but my real question is, can I get a yard of Dr. Pepper?)
• 113D Like some skirts = GORED (My first thought was ALINE, a common crossword answer, since I'm thinking 'hole by horn' when I see 'gored', which brings a frightening image when connected to a skirt.)
• 118D Painter Dufy = RAOUL (I sure like the way that name rolls off your tongue, definitely more than I care for his painting style.)
• 154D Diamond of old TV = SELMA (It's sad that the only role of hers I recognize is the old grouchy lady on Night Court)
• 162D ___ Bayou (1997 Film) = EVES (Never heard of it)