For the younger generation, a sawbuck is a ten dollar bill. This derived from the Roman Numeral X meaning ten, which looks like one end of a sawhorse. C-note meaning a hundred is also from the Latin. Anyway, marti has taken the word TEN and broken between two adjacent fill which are all clued by the first clue, cross-referentially. There is a double symmetry of 1/3 having t/en and 2/4 te/n. with 1/4 10 letters and 2/3 9 letters. The reveal is a central gridspanning 15. The fill is heavy on 5 letter words, some of which are tough like ERISA, ICAHN and TABOR and there are some nice 7-8 letter fill such as AMNESIA, CD RATES, EERIEST, HASTIER, NICE DOG, ROB ROYS, BREAD BIN, STAY HERE, many of which required work. Pinch hitting for marti, so let's get to work.
14A. With 15-Across, accounting unit : DEBIT. 15A. See 14-Across : ENTRY. Our system of mathematics, and accounting are based on the base 10. (10 in the theme).
29A. With 31-Across, anathema : BETE. 31A. See 29-Across : NOIRE. We have had bete noire before clued before as bete___?(8/12/14) and _____noire?(9/30/14). (9 in the theme). Aren't you all glad we had this word Tuesday?
44A. With 47-Across, some receivers : TIGHT. 47A. See 44-Across : ENDS. Rob Gronkowski is the New England Patriots star receiver. LINK. (0:29)(9 in the theme).
65A. With 66-Across, National Book Award-winning novel by Don DeLillo : WHITE. 66A. See 65-Across : NOISE. I did not know the book, but I knew the theme. (10 in the theme).
and the reveal
37A. Question about change, which hints at the hidden feature of four two-part puzzle answers : CAN YOU BREAK A TEN? (15).
Across:
1. Some portrait frames : OVALS. I had some trouble with this bginning even though I have a big oval frame of my mother with her brothers when she was little in my living room.
6. Noble __ : GASES. Back on track.
11. Singsong syllable : TRA. Well, Lah di dah!
16. Like some aces : RED. Some?
17. Manage : SEE TO. I always think of,,,
xxxxx
18. Walking __ : ON AIR.
19. Sound after a satisfying swig : AAH. How cool that this is next to...
20. Scotch cocktails : ROB ROYS. The Scotch version od a Manhattan, it was named by a bartendere at the Waldorf for a p[lay about the Scottish hero, RECIPE.
22. Zenith : ACME.
23. "I won't hurt you" : NICE DOG. This was all perps,
26. Not as deliberate : HASTIER.
28. Toothbrush-endorsing org. : ADA.
32. Worlds : REALMS.
35. __ legend : URBAN. We have urban legends, dictionaries, even cowboys; where is the love for suburbia?
42. Blue Grotto locale : CAPRI.
43. "Ramona and Beezus" co-star Gomez : SELENA.
49. Set-__ : TOS.
50. Malady in the 2000 film "Memento" : AMNESIA. I could not remember what this movie was about.
XXXX
52. Like the best occult films : EERIEST.
55. It's about a foot : SHOE. Sock fits this misdirection as well.
56. Yield figures : CD RATES.
58. Figure under a line : SUM.
59. Fife-and-drum drum : TABOR. From the same Latin root where we get Tambourine.
60. Two cents : IN PUT. Cute clue/fill.
64. Bardic before : ERE. The Bard?
67. "M*A*S*H" titles : LTS. Lieutenants. Actually they had lots of majors and captains there.
68. Private : INNER.
69. Mount : STEED.
Down:
1. Pigs out (on) : OD'S.
2. Center of gravity? : VEE. Tricky.
3. Presidential nickname : ABE.
4. Petrol unit : LITRE. You see, they do not say gasoline, so...
5. Gave up a seat : STOOD. So simple, but the political aspect slowed me. In the UK, the stand for Parliament, I think, even more confusing.
6. One of six British kings : GEORGE. I am still waiting for King Ringo.
7. Year in Tuscany : ANNO. Year in Italian, the same word as Latin.
8. "Wait for me" : STAY HERE.
9. Pension law signed by Ford, briefly : ERISA.
10. Jordan neighbor: Abbr. : SYRia.
11. Gillette razor : TRAC II.
12. Hole enlarger : REAMER. hard to remain pc with this clue/fill.
13. Cleave : ADHERE.
21. Comes to the surface : BOBS UP.
22. Harsh-sounding, to some : ATONAL.
23. Traffic stopper? : NARC. Drug traffic.
24. Notion : IDEA.
25. "Elf" actor : CAAN. ACTOR James, not to be confused with 51D. Corporate raider Carl : ICAHN. This was easy for me, but this MAN may not be as well known unless you have worked in the investment world. Both names are variations of the Hebrew family name Cohen.
27. Shoshone Falls river : SNAKE.
30. Shroud city : TURIN.
33. Chinese evergreen : LYCHEE. Nuts ot these obscure clues.
34. Zoo security features : MOATS.
36. Droopy-eared hound : BASSET. Do you all remember this early TV star?
XXXX
38. Wonderful container? : BREAD BIN.
39. Bordeaux bean? : TETE. A french reminder, but still no answer to why the head /brain is called 'bean.'
40. "The Dukes of Hazzard" officer : ENOS. A break from the biblical reference, played by Sonny Shroyer, a former FSU football player like Burt Reynolds. His character became so popular they had a spin-off called Enos.
41. Tammany Hall caricaturist : NAST. Perhaps the most famous political cartoonist in America.
44. Mortarboard frill : TASSEL.
45. "That upset me!" : I'M HURT.
46. Speakers of Tolkien's Noldorin language : GNOMES. I very much enjoed both the Hobbit and the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but was completely unaware that the Noldorin Elves were orignally called Gnomes, but what elese starts GN? READ?
48. Costing more : DEARER. "Oh, dear, that's too dear, dear."
53. Jockey's handful : REINS. Cute, evocative clue.
54. "This __ a drill!" : IS NOT. A scary set of words.
57. Mechanical repetition : ROTE.
59. Prefix with light or night : TWI. Rhymes with...
61. "Easy as __!" : PIE. No, but a doable Thursday, don't you think?
62. Wear and tear : USE.
63. Former Ohio governor Strickland : TED. I am not sure what is special about this one term GOVERNOR, but it is time to go anyway.
As always it is great to blog a marti puzzle and once I remembered to not write Friday in the title, it all went well. Thanks for reading and enjoy a mareti Friday tomorrow. Lemonade out.
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