Saturday Themeless by Evan Mulvihil
Evan told me, "I am a clinical pharmacist at Zuckerberg, San Francisco General, a crossword constructor and lover or all things word-play related."
1. Fold: ACCEDE.
7. Pen: ENCAGE.
13. Polo player?: LAUREN.
14. Opposite of "Nothin' but net": AIRBALL - When shooters miss everything.
16. Words of resignation: I TRIED.
17. "Elmo's World" character played by Bill Irwin: MR NOODLE. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
18. Quaint contraction: SHANT.
19. Comedian Wyatt: CENAC - Wyatt worked with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show until they had a falling out
20. Cab alternative: ZIN - You might have a ZINfandel rather than a CABernet
21. Tic-__-toe: TAC - We had this in a Saturday puzzle two weeks ago.
22. Have in common: SHARE.
24. Slams the door on: STOPS.
26. India's neighbor on a Risk board: SIAM - SIAM on this board game encompasses several modern countries.
28. Just __ by: EKED.
29. Went up: ROSE.
30. Abundance during amateur hour?: ROOKIE MISTAKES.
34. Orchestra known for an annual Fourth of July concert: BOSTON POPS.
35. Some unicorns: TECH STARTUPS - Unicorn companies are those that reach a valuation of $1 billion without being listed on the stock market and are the dream of any tech startup.
38. Fruit with wrinkled skin: UGLI.
39. Court pro: STENO - Old and new machines
43. Breaks open chests in Fortnite: LOOTS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
45. Pitch: TAR.
46. Baby: SPOIL - A verb
48. Oft-mispunctuated word: ITS - IT'S (contraction) very common to misuse the word ITS (possessive)
49. One hoping for a refund from an online return: E-FILER - I'm one of those hoping
52. Crime novelist Buchanan: EDNA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
53. "Elsbeth" star Carrie: PRESTON. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
55. Good standing with sailors?: SEALEGS 😀
57. Idle: SITTING.
58. Sir Ken Robinson's "Do Schools Kill Creativity?," notably: TED TALK.
59. Hammers: POUNDS.
60. "Heather Has Two Mommies" writer Newman: LESLEA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Down:
1. Groups of celebs who might bypass the line: A-LISTS.
2. Persian rugs?: CAT HAIR 😀
3. Place to enjoy krioyo cuisine: CURACAO.
5. 411: DEETS - I need the details
6. Demise: END.
7. Got a bit extra, in a way: EARNED INTEREST 😀
8. "High Priestess of Soul" Simone: NINA.
9. Some restaurant clogs: CROCS - I've never owned or worn this footwear.
11. "Zounds!": GADZOOKS.
12. Figure in Kepler's first law: ELLIPSE - Piece 'o cake for me.
17. One unsuited to battle a god?: MERE MORTAL.
19. Pre-wedding trials: CAKE TASTINGS.
23. Job at a bank: HEIST 😀
25. Yappers: TRAPS - Rude
27. Finale of "The Sopranos," maybe: MOB HIT - Creator David Chase's decision to fade to black rather than show what did or didn't happen was brilliant. He compared it to Schrödinger's cat. Tony is both alive and dead.
23. Job at a bank: HEIST 😀
25. Yappers: TRAPS - Rude
27. Finale of "The Sopranos," maybe: MOB HIT - Creator David Chase's decision to fade to black rather than show what did or didn't happen was brilliant. He compared it to Schrödinger's cat. Tony is both alive and dead.
31. Heavy socks?: KO'S 😀
32. Did some politicking, say: SPUN - "Oh no, that is NOT what the candidate meant."
33. Traditional literary motif: TOPOS - TOPOS are stories from classical tradition weaved into modern American drama. Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under The Elms has been referred to as a modern retelling of Euripides' myth of Hippolytus and Phaedra. (Raise your hand if you thought I already knew that!)
35. Bulbs that may not need to be replaced: TULIPS 😀
36. Delusion of grandeur: EGO TRIP
37. Friendly with: CLOSE TO.
40. "Your terms are a joke": NO DEAL
41. Individual: SINGLE.
42. "The Great North" setting: ALASKA.
44. Become real: SET IN - It has finally SET IN that Husker FB has come to be mediocre at best.
47. Attacks, as with questions: PELTS - Despite the less than optimal video quality, this is a fabulous example:
50. Residue used to make pan sauces: FOND - I love these little "leftovers" but never knew there was a name for them
51. Instagram video: REEL - Make your own series of videos
54. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU.
56. Slangy ending with hater: ADE 😀
4 comments:
There are some words I only got through perps, such as
“fond” (as clued) and “topos.” And some names, ditto, such as “Cenac” and “Leslea.” But somehow, through P&P, I managed to solve this challenging puzzle without turning on the red letters or using any “outside” help. FIR, so I’m happy.
Easy enough, but I'm usually not a fan of puzzles with so many "?" clues. Usually some of them don't land at all. I don't get what the surface for 17D is supposed to mean (I assumed "unsuited" = "naked" but no) and I also don't see how "player" works in the LAUREN clue. I thought the answer would be an actor known for playing Marco Polo in a movie. Can anyone enlighten me?
FIR by perps and WAGs. Too many unknowns to bother listing, and the ones I *did* know were heavily masked by tricky clues. My *first* fill was ZIN, so at least all the wine I've consumed has done me some good. Tough one, Evan! Thanks for the tour, Gary!
Welp, that pretty much sucked out what little joy there is in my life.
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