Saturday Themeless by Doug Peterson and Sam Donaldson
Two veteran constructors give us this very nice puzzle on this very special Fourth of July! The two song references were not in my knowledge bank but they did come to heel eventually. I will mention all the devious cluing in my write-up.
Across:
1. Scratch pads?: CAT TREES - Here's a deluxe model. Our lily has CAT TREES but none this elaborate.
9. Coastal region along the Santa Lucia Mountains: BIG SUR.
15. Backspin producer?: REAR AXLE 😀 A car's REAR AXLE does make its back wheels spin
16. Coffee drink made with a frother: FRAPPE.
17. Coldplay hit co-produced by Avicii: A SKY FULL OF STARS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I had to nurse this answer along as the cells filled. Avicii??
19. Low digit?: TOE.
20. Brand whose logo adorns Argentine soccer jerseys: ADIDAS.
21. Lake just south of London: ERIE - Oh, London, Ontario! An old cwd fill dressed up in fun new cluing!
22. Market openings, briefly: IPOS.
24. Heroic poetry: EPOS. - Yeah, I stayed with EPIC for a long time. The difference
25. Fig. in a background check: SSN.
26. Like Pluto, once: NINTH.
28. Hook's boatswain: SMEE.
30. Germ: SEED.
31. Series opener: GAME ONE - This 1903 World Series ticket to GAME ONE between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates is worth $270,000 today.
33. School zone sign: SLOW.
35. For the first time: NEWLY - Some NEWLY hired teachers feel they must be very 36. No-nonsense: STERN.
39. Socket set: EYES 😀
41. Platform for content creators: PATREON - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Patreon is a media and community platform where creators give their biggest fans access to exclusive work and experiences. More
49. NYC setting: EST.
50. Football coach Pederson: DOUG - Coaching has its highs and lows
52. Gouda alternative: EDAM.
53. Alexa device: ECHO.
55. Like 56-Down: FANGED and 56. "Hotel Transylvania" protagonist: DRAC.
57. Purple yam used in desserts: UBE.
58. "Seven Nation Army" band: THE WHITE STRIPES - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Jack White has stated that the song's lyrics tell the story of a man who discovers people gossiping about him in his hometown, which forces him to leave, only to return later out of loneliness
61. "Vacancy" singer Ari: LENNOX ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
62. Trattoria tubes: RIGATONI - The third item down on this Trattoria lunch menu.
63. Apples in the trash, e.g.: E-WASTE - After using Apple products for over 30 years, I'd have a big pile of E-WASTE. I wish I still had my old AppleII+
64. Fourth of July treats: SNO CONES 😀
Down:
1. Packing: CRATING - Packing can involve using a crate
2. Using coded language: AESOPIAN.
3. 1980s hit whose video drew a lot of attention?: TAKE ON ME - Very unique use of live performances and pencil drawings.
4. Tax: TRY - Hard times can be said to be very taxing or TRYING
5. Rival of The Djoker and Fed Express: RAFA - Tennis great Novak Djokovic has the nickname of The Joker and another great, Roger Federer has the nickname of The Fed Express. They both had great matches against Rafael Nadl whose nickname is RAFA.
6. Ooze: EXUDE.
7. Shape with minor and major axes: ELLIPSE.
8. Hardly ever: SELDOM.
9. Ride-or-dies, for short: BFFS. 😀
10. Org. whose first commissioner was former treasury secretary George S. Boutwell: IRS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ He was appointed by Abraham Lincoln in 1862 to establish the Office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, which was renamed the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, in 1918.
11. Flight board info: GATE.
12. Few and far between: SPARSE.
13. Revolt: UPRISE.
14. Email again: RESEND.
18. Palm springs?: OASES.
23. Worried: STEWED.
27. "__ guacamole!": HOLY.
29. Queen who appears at Epcot's Royal Sommerhus: ELSA.
30. Sharp turn: SWERVE.
32. Russian refusal: NYET.
34. 2022 title role for Tom Hanks: OTTO - A premise that is very similar to Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino
37. Learn by the book?: READ UP ON - Maybe you should do some more reading.
38. Latin attention-getter: NOTA BENE - "Note well" in Italiano. abbreviated N.B. "N.B. All applications must be submitted by Friday at 5:00 PM.
40. Anwar who wrote "Revolt on the Nile": SADAT.
41. Connects: PLUGS IN.
42. Itchy, to Scratchy: NEMESIS.
43. Grown-up grub: BEETLE - Not food for adults 😀
44. Refrain from: ESCHEW.
45. Zeus's brain child?: ATHENA - According to the myth, she literally burst forth fully grown and armed from Zeus's forehead (or skull).
55. Prix __: FIXE - A fixed or set price for the entire meal
59. Mild alternative: HOT 😀
60. Olympian Midori: ITO.
1. Scratch pads?: CAT TREES - Here's a deluxe model. Our lily has CAT TREES but none this elaborate.
9. Coastal region along the Santa Lucia Mountains: BIG SUR.
15. Backspin producer?: REAR AXLE 😀 A car's REAR AXLE does make its back wheels spin
16. Coffee drink made with a frother: FRAPPE.
17. Coldplay hit co-produced by Avicii: A SKY FULL OF STARS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I had to nurse this answer along as the cells filled. Avicii??
19. Low digit?: TOE.
20. Brand whose logo adorns Argentine soccer jerseys: ADIDAS.
21. Lake just south of London: ERIE - Oh, London, Ontario! An old cwd fill dressed up in fun new cluing!
22. Market openings, briefly: IPOS.
24. Heroic poetry: EPOS. - Yeah, I stayed with EPIC for a long time. The difference
25. Fig. in a background check: SSN.
26. Like Pluto, once: NINTH.
28. Hook's boatswain: SMEE.
30. Germ: SEED.
31. Series opener: GAME ONE - This 1903 World Series ticket to GAME ONE between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates is worth $270,000 today.
35. For the first time: NEWLY - Some NEWLY hired teachers feel they must be very 36. No-nonsense: STERN.
39. Socket set: EYES 😀
41. Platform for content creators: PATREON - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Patreon is a media and community platform where creators give their biggest fans access to exclusive work and experiences. More
43. Bracelet component: BEAD.
46. Towering: TALL.
48. Not perfectly round: OVATE - Pluto's extremely OVATE orbit is one of the reasons it is not considered to be a true planet.
46. Towering: TALL.
48. Not perfectly round: OVATE - Pluto's extremely OVATE orbit is one of the reasons it is not considered to be a true planet.
49. NYC setting: EST.
50. Football coach Pederson: DOUG - Coaching has its highs and lows
52. Gouda alternative: EDAM.
53. Alexa device: ECHO.
55. Like 56-Down: FANGED and 56. "Hotel Transylvania" protagonist: DRAC.
57. Purple yam used in desserts: UBE.
58. "Seven Nation Army" band: THE WHITE STRIPES - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Jack White has stated that the song's lyrics tell the story of a man who discovers people gossiping about him in his hometown, which forces him to leave, only to return later out of loneliness
61. "Vacancy" singer Ari: LENNOX ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
62. Trattoria tubes: RIGATONI - The third item down on this Trattoria lunch menu.
63. Apples in the trash, e.g.: E-WASTE - After using Apple products for over 30 years, I'd have a big pile of E-WASTE. I wish I still had my old AppleII+
64. Fourth of July treats: SNO CONES 😀
Down:
1. Packing: CRATING - Packing can involve using a crate
2. Using coded language: AESOPIAN.
5. Rival of The Djoker and Fed Express: RAFA - Tennis great Novak Djokovic has the nickname of The Joker and another great, Roger Federer has the nickname of The Fed Express. They both had great matches against Rafael Nadl whose nickname is RAFA.
 |
| Federer Nadal Djokovic |
7. Shape with minor and major axes: ELLIPSE.
8. Hardly ever: SELDOM.
9. Ride-or-dies, for short: BFFS. 😀
10. Org. whose first commissioner was former treasury secretary George S. Boutwell: IRS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ He was appointed by Abraham Lincoln in 1862 to establish the Office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, which was renamed the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, in 1918.
11. Flight board info: GATE.
12. Few and far between: SPARSE.
13. Revolt: UPRISE.
14. Email again: RESEND.
18. Palm springs?: OASES.
23. Worried: STEWED.
27. "__ guacamole!": HOLY.
29. Queen who appears at Epcot's Royal Sommerhus: ELSA.
 |
| Anna ELSA |
30. Sharp turn: SWERVE.
32. Russian refusal: NYET.
34. 2022 title role for Tom Hanks: OTTO - A premise that is very similar to Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino
37. Learn by the book?: READ UP ON - Maybe you should do some more reading.
38. Latin attention-getter: NOTA BENE - "Note well" in Italiano. abbreviated N.B. "N.B. All applications must be submitted by Friday at 5:00 PM.
40. Anwar who wrote "Revolt on the Nile": SADAT.
41. Connects: PLUGS IN.
42. Itchy, to Scratchy: NEMESIS.
43. Grown-up grub: BEETLE - Not food for adults 😀
44. Refrain from: ESCHEW.
45. Zeus's brain child?: ATHENA - According to the myth, she literally burst forth fully grown and armed from Zeus's forehead (or skull).
47. Solitary sorts: LONERS.
51. Onset: GET GO.
54. __ up to: OWNS.
51. Onset: GET GO.
54. __ up to: OWNS.
55. Prix __: FIXE - A fixed or set price for the entire meal
59. Mild alternative: HOT 😀
60. Olympian Midori: ITO.
