Saturday Themeless by Adrian Johnson
Our Wyoming native who went to college in Minnesota is now doing great work for a startup group called BetterFi, a nonprofit working to end predatory lending in Tennessee.
This face below represents how surprised I was when DOLMA and ANARCH turned out to be correct and I got the congratulations message!
Across:
1. Longtime Harmon role: GIBBS - Watching Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon as GIBBS on the left below) on NCIS is a guilty pleasure of mine. The good guys always win, there is a lot of technology and some very quirky but attractive characters.
6. Solutions-oriented support group?: LAB TECHS - They prepare chemical solutions and can provide solutions to problems.
14. "The Misfits" star: MONROE - Her husband Arthur Miller wrote the screenplay for his wife Marilyn but her marriage and life fell apart during the shooting of this last film for her and Gable. More about this troubled film
15. Emphatic phrase in an accusation: I MEAN YOU.
16. Raise, in a way: UPTILT - An unfamiliar word to me whose meaning is obvious
17. Course layout: SYLLABUS.
20. Reach: ACCESS.
21. Pandora selection: SONG.
22. Opposite of pos.: NEG - Does anyone remember Erik Agard's "Negative post/PRE" from a few Saturdays ago?
24. Image on the Lebanese flag: TREE.
25. Showing gumption: FEISTY.
28. "The Low __ Theory": A Tribe Called Quest album: END ¯\_(ใ)_/¯
31. Bankroll: WAD.
32. "Shame": THAT'S TOO BAD - Standard sarcasm on Seinfeld
35. Banker who fills and empties pockets?: POOL HUSTLER - Oh, those pockets that can be targets of banked shots! A classic, gritty b/w 1961 film that got 94% on the Tomatometer!
36. "Tell the truth": DON'T LIE TO ME.
37. Clear dishes: BUS.
38. Brief, for short: Abbr.: SYN - Meta clues are always a challenge. Brief is a SYNONYM for short
39. Disorder organizer: ANARCH - From Greek an- "not" + arkhon "ruler," meaning "leader of leaderlessness," a paradoxical term used since the 1660s for "anarchist"
42. Source of some plant-based milk: OATS.
44. Shock-absorbing component of some running shoes: GEL.
46. Branch of Islam: SHIA.
48. High winds: FLUTES.
51. Disorder organizers: NEATNIKS - A Hawkeye line from M*A*S*H
56. Some bees: DRONES.
57. Family time at the Y: OPEN SWIM.
58. Chestnut kin: AUBURN.
59. "Alas ... ": SAD TO SAY.
60. Outdoor tables?: MESAS ๐
Down:
1. Disappear suddenly: GO POOF.
2. Chant: INTONE.
3. "Challenge accepted!": BRING IT ON - You can be pretty 4. Willing to accept a challenge, perhaps: BOLD from the balcony.
5. "Are we alone?" org.: SETI - A trailer for a fav movie of mine, Contact, about the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence
6. Hosiery thread: LISLE - LISLE is a type of finish that was applied to obtain smooth and even yarns. More
7. "The Backyard Bird Chronicles" writer/illustrator Tan: AMY.
8. New Grass Revival icon Fleck: BELA ¯\_(ใ)_/¯
9. One on the Mohs scale: TALC.
10. Put into law: ENACT.
11. Offensive actions online: CYBER WAR.
12. Promotion from within: HOUSE AD - A HOUSE AD refers to advertising content that a website or media outlet uses to promote itself for its own offering rather than external products or services.
13. Figured (out): SUSSED - A skill we solvers must have
14. "__ the word": MUM'S.
19. "Updates to share?": ANYTHING.
23. Age poorly: GET STALE.
26. Takes on set: SHOTS.
27. Running figure: TALLY.
30. Stuffed dish from Turkey: DOLMA ¯\_(ใ)_/¯ Stuffed grape leaves
33. Perkins who co-hosted "The Great British Baking Show": SUE - Not only had I never heard of Ms. Perkins, she is no longer with the show. In the picture below, SUE is on the left.
34. People with strong opinions on draft picks?: BEER SNOBS.
35. Copped an attitude: POSTURED.
36. "Radical Optimism" singer: DUA LIPA - She, and her helpful vowels, have been on our cwd playlist for quite a while now.
37. West End smashes: BOFFOS - Indicates a big hit in London's West End theatre district
40. "Things Fall Apart" novelist Achebe: CHINUA ¯\_(ใ)_/¯
43. Surgical tube: STENT.
45. Foe: ENEMY.
47. Professional gp.: ASSN.
49. Petro-Canada rival: ESSO.
52. DeVine of "The Righteous Gemstones": ADAM - ¯\_(ใ)_/¯
53. "Can't argue with that": TRUE.
55. "Weetzie Bat" writer Francesca __ Block: LIA - ¯\_(ใ)_/¯
Well, I solved it in less
ReplyDeletethan half an hour, which is darn good for a Saturday. Those three longish phrases in the middle helped, as did knowing “Dua Lipa” from many cw puzzles before. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThe top section filled quickly. Thus endeth the "quickly." DOLMA, ANARCH, CHINUA, and LIA kept d-o from seeing the train at the end of the tunnel. [Sigh.] Thanx, Adrian and Husker.
DNF, filling 35 with two errors. As in life, I did fine in the south but flailed as I headed north. Erased nylon for LISLE and andy for ADAM.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet that Adrian isn't familiar with Andy Devine, the oater sidekick of Roy Rogers and John Wayne.
Thanks to H.Gary for explaining it all. The only thing I remember about Erik Agard's most recent puzzle is that it was the last of his I'll attempt. Adrian's offering had a degree of fun, even though there were far too many A&E entries for my taste.
My memory is Wild Bill Hickok sidekick on TV
DeleteThe corners filled in quickly, despite the unknown names (at least one per corner). Then I hit a brick wall and couldn’t get anything in the middle, all because I was convinced of TOTAL (instead of TALLY). Once I erased it and realized that SHOTS/DON’T LIE TO ME were more straightforward than I thought, I finished with no more hiccups.
ReplyDeleteTook 14:02 today, although it felt longer based on all the unknowns (mostly names).
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the writers (Chinua, Lia, & Amy), the actress of the day (Monroe or her movie), or the tv show character (Gibbs). And, it's not a LAT Saturday puzzle without an obscure foreign food (dolma).
It helped that this may be the first puzzle that I got the "syn" type of clue somewhat quickly, and I entered "beer snobs" with no perps showing.
Merry Flag Day to all who celebrate!
FIR. Way too many proper names for my liking. Ironically the long middle answers came quickly for me and that helped a lot.
ReplyDeleteThere were so many learning moments for me, too many to enumerate.
But overall an enjoyable Saturday outing.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this solve. Thank you, Adrian. Nailed it, but I typed a J instead of an H when spelling ANYTHING.
Thank you, Husker Gary.
I guessed Monroe when I had enough perps. I thought "The Misfits" must have been one of those animated superhero cartoons for the young children.
Uplift to UPTILT.
POOL HUSTLER caught me by surprise, and it was my fav.
One of my first jobs was as a dishwasher, BUSboy and popcorn maker at No. 10 Downing Street when I was 15 or 16.
Merle had a song with a lyric about, "With that red bandana tied around your AUBURN hair, you look like you oughta be somebody's wife somewhere." I just looked. The name of the song was "Red Bandana."
HG, you should try DOLMA the next time you go to a Greek restaurant.
CHINUA, no clue. Perps. Ditto ADAM and LIA.
SUE Perkins was a gimme. DW is an accomplished baker, and the Great British Baking Show was "must see" TV for her. So we watched and she got me hooked. It was quite entertaining. Sue was one of the two comediennes that would chat with the bakers and make witty banter to get them to open up so the audiences would get to know them, and also to be a little more relaxed in front of the cameras. I think it was three or four seasons in when Sue caused quite the stir with her comments for one of the bakers and fan favorites (Ian iirc). The details are a bit fuzzy now, but he was clearly not happy with his bake of a recipe challenge. I think she made fun of it. Ian reacted by throwing it in the trash bin, and was eliminated from the competition. Fans of the show were not happy. Sue was not on the program the following season.
FLN Happy Grand Dad, Cross Eyed Dave. Nice job yesterday, Malman. Didn't get to it until late.
Dan Kammann & Zhouqin Burnikel have today's USA Today crossword,"Doesn't Hold Water".
Gotta run. See all y'all later n'at!
Had "Too bad so sad" and "Total".
ReplyDeleteWanted to make a baseball answer for "Walk on the wild side"
Fun puzzle.
I thought I would have to throw in the towel, but I managed to FIR.
ReplyDeleteThis could have been รก great CW, but the number of names made it just good.
I knew MONROE, AMY, CHINUA. Unknowns were BELA, SUE, ADAM, END, LIA.
The center long answers did help fill some of the unknowns. I really liked the HIKERS clue and the ANARCH/NEATNIKS contrast.
Thank you HG for your usual fine review.
Nice Trivia Test today. Jeez, could you possibly squeeze more proper names into a regular sized grid? Unbelievable. Such a terrible habit at the LaT. Either get more proficient at creating difficult puzzles, or run a Friday reject on a Saturday. This happens too frequently to be a coincidence.
ReplyDeleteNote, I’m not the same Big Easy that posted above. I’ll bet we both make a mean jambalaya though. NOLA Ricks!
DeleteC.C. is currently sheltering in place in Brooklyn Park, MN where the hunt is going on for the killers in her neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteGary, thanks. I wasn't aware, but have turned on the news.
DeleteHorrible news. I heard about it while standing with a sign this morning.
DeleteI thought this was a Saturday-worthy challenge, but some of the cluing crossed my personal too-cutesy line. Another nit that I have is the plethora of multi-word random phrases, such as :
ReplyDeleteI mean you
That’s too bad
Don’t lie to me
Bring it on
The cluing for such phrases is as vague as the answer and, IMO, detracts from the solving experience.
That said, there was some lively fill, the grid was clean, and the TLW count of only 9 was noted and appreciated.
Thanks, Adrian, and thanks, HG, for the recap and all of the bright and sparkling illustrations.
Have a great day.
I was going to mention that those phrases, plus "sad to say," could be arranged into a short story.
DeleteYou’re right, Rusty. Thanks for adding the one I missed.
DeleteI like puzzles that seem impossible to solve during the first 10 minutes but gradually fall into place, and this one didn’t disappoint as I persevered to FIR without help. And there were only 15 annoyances, low for a difficult Saturday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteBut some of the annoyances were doozies. I’ve never seen BOFFO as a noun; that word occurred to me immediately, but I resisted as long as possible because of the S. ANARCH seemed more like ANARCHist as defined. I’ve never heard of the shorter version. I’ve never heard a synopsis called simply a SYN. The corners were easier than the interior, where the key to solving the puzzle was the crossing of “ANYTHING?” and “THAT’S TOO BAD.”
There also were a lot of unknowns, including, for me, GIBBS, but also ADAM DeVine, Francesca LIA Block, and SUE Perkins. I did know AMY Tan, DUA LIPA, and BELA Fleck, but the clues weren’t helpful. I also resisted DOLMA as a singular, but it wasn’t awful like BOFFOS. I resisted AUBURN, because it’s so much redder than chestnut, which is even darker than my brown hair ever was. MESAS was my last fill because the “outdoor table” clue was too much of a stretch.
My favorite entries: GO POOF, SYLLABUS as clued, HOUSE AD (a concept that helped me make many a first-edition deadline), and DRAFT PICKS. I can’t say I’m a beer snob, because I’ve never been a big beer-drinker – but that’s partly because all the beer I came across before I turned 40 was mass-produced swill. I prefer dark beers and recently have appreciated IPAs, but when I was at Mizzou, Budweiser, and even Falstaff, were what everyone drank unless they splurged and drank Michelob (the most un-deluxe version of deluxe beer ever). They made me gag.
Obscure names+A&E+annoying paraphrase non-clues=DNF.
ReplyDeletePleasant Saturday puzzle, many thanks, Adrian. And your comments and pictures are always a delightful help, thanks for those too, Husker Gary.
ReplyDeleteLots of interesting conversation in this puzzle, both positive and negative. One encouraging voice says BRING IT ON, maybe to energize someone to ENACT a role they might be able to ACCESS. Someone did INTONE some nice sounds that ended up producing a lovely SONG that was soon accompanied by the melody of FLUTES. That quieted down much of the negativity, didn't it, and made this puzzle a bit of a treat for us NEATNIKS, don't you think?
Best wishes for a sunny weekend, everybody!
Just got back from baking in the sun, so I'll simply say nice job Adrian and Gary.
ReplyDeleteSlow going today with only a handful of gimmes, and fill such as BOFFOS, CHINUA, and the unknown LIA, etc etc, but I was able to piece it together w/out help for a FIR in 39:14. I did need a break though, after about 20 minutes and not a lot to show for it, walking away I invariably get something I didn’t get on the first pass. Thanks to Adrian for the challenge and to HG for the excellent review!
ReplyDeleteI had to look up the names, which otherwise I would not have been able to fill, even with some perps that were of no help.
ReplyDeleteI am happy for you and your family, Grandpa Dave.
Nice write-up, as usual, Gary.
Hola! GIBBS was easily filled as I am an avid fan of NCIS even though he is no longer in the show, he is a producer.
ReplyDeleteDrat! I could not let go of SYNOPSIS and so missed SYLLABUS, something with which I am very familiar.
I used to be one of those NEATNIKS but have slacked as I grow older. It's a family trait.
"Disorder organizer" seems contradictory for ANARCH.
MESAS are a common sight in this area as I've often mentioned.
I hope all are enjoying a great day today. It's 103 degrees here so I have not ventured outside.
Thanks Husker Gary. Your recap brought back memories of reading The Shining while on avalanche lock down at a ski lodge. That was weird. Also memories of the first time I heard the New Grass Revival cover Great Balls of Fire - it was a long way from Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys.
ReplyDeleteHadn't thought of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys in a long time. A girlfriend took me to his Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival years ago. We only stayed one day, but had a great time. This year's Festival wrapped up today. I'll have to add a return engagement to my "must do" list.
DeleteBit of a slog, but FIR. Agree with most of the criticisms. Crosswords should be challenging but not tedious.
ReplyDeleteYep yep yep, too much on the A&E names (as Saturdays seem to contain) but the long fills did help on a couple of those.
ReplyDeleteI remember the “open swim” bit from my YMCA days as a kid; it was almost as good as the “boys’ swim” but less freedom to horse around.
Good stuff in your review, H. Gary!
====> Darren / L.A.