Title: “Feminine Endings”
Prompt: The meta for this puzzle is a famous singer.
Answer: Roberta Flack
Another of the early, gentler months of the Muller Meta is upon us. I didn’t ponder too much on 17a. [Body part called a “goozle” in the South], ADAMS APPLE when it first came up but when the next one was 24.a [Los Angeles community whose name translates to “King’s Beach”], PLAYA DEL REY, I looked back up and noticed Fiona APPLE and Lana DEL REY. Using the first letters of their first names we have FL??? for presumably the surname of a famous singer. Figured if the next one was an A it was probably Robert FLACK. Sure enough, next up was 38.a [Small wrenches used to adjust some retro footwear (one was the subject of a Melanie song)], ROLLERSKATE KEYS, so Alicia Keys and we indeed have FLA??.
Wasn’t sure enough to submit without checking so the last two are:
48.a [Subtitle of “Star Trek II,” with “The”], WRATH OF KHAN. Not to be confused with this, perhaps the best-titled crossword book of all time (referencing that it contains extremely difficult puzzles). Chaka Khan, so FLAC? and then
60.a [Deciduous plant in the heath family], AZALEA BUSH. Kate Bush, so Roberta it is.
https://youtu.be/r9jmusgMgro
Clues I liked:
14.a [Band name inspired by the concept that mankind has started to regress], DEVO. I did not know that.
56.a [DC Comics character with the simplest possible name you could imagine giving a cyborg superhero], ROBOT MAN. “OK, if we can’t come up with anything better we’re going with ‘Robotman’.”
67.a [www.pmxwords.com, e.g., since 2012], SITE. So meta.
So an easy and fun one, as March should be. I’m 3-for-3 and you might well be, too. We’ll reconvene here in four week and compare notes on April. Until then.
Thanks Matt!
We are starting on the easy side this year (next month isn’t that hard either).
400 correct answers on the nose.
My kids couldn’t stop laughing at this month’s cover video of “Killing Me Softly” – hope you do too!
Pete
Aargh! Classic case of overanalyzing for me. I googled all of the singers and paid attention to the artists that they did duets with… and all had worked with Elvis Costello. Bingo! *not*. Next time I’ll look for a simpler connection…LOL
Thinking Iggy Azalea Kate Bush was somehow the oblique inspiration for this one.
Actually, AZALEA BUSH was the best 10 letter BUSH I could find that fit in the grid.
(Oleta) ADAMS APPLE as the first entry made things symmetric and added just enough difficulty for a month 3.
Ha. I mentioned Iggy and Oleta along with my submission!
I love the clue for 56A, but I think DC Comics regular Cyborg has an even lazier name. :)
Tough to argue with that :)
Great as always Pete!