Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel
The only really hard name for me was a soaper star but C.C. gave me every letter I needed. C.C.'s penchant for clever word play definitely was part of this fun puzzle.As you can see in the grid, the center of the puzzle was dense with unique fill. Very impressive! C.C. told me this is his lowest themeless word count she has ever achieved. She aims to have only 70 - 72 words and this one only has 62!! WOW!
Across:
1. Dress to impress: GLAM UP - We've seen GLAMPING and GLAM ROCK and this phrase fits that pattern.
7. Hit up quickly: PINGED.
13. Muralist on some Mexican 500-peso notes: RIVERA - $26.74 in Nebraska! The Rivera mural shown hangs in The Mexican National Palace.
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15. Track unit: ONE LAP.
16. Left out words?: WHY NOT ME.
16. Left out words?: WHY NOT ME.
17. Place to go for a drive?: TEE. 😀
18. Mosslike organisms: LICHENS.
20. Only Canadian NBA city, for short: TOR.
21. Something that may be a little fishy: TANK 😀
23. Valley known as the "Garden of France": LOIRE.
24. Tricks: CONS.
25. Montana motto: ORO Y PLATA - I learned here that this is "gold and silver"
27. Fighting chance?: BOUT - Over 70,000- people filled the Alegiant Stadium last week to see Terence "Bud" Crawford of Omaha become the first boxer to hold undisputed crowns in three different weight classes. Some say he is the best "pound for pound" boxer in history.
28. Pocket money: LOOSE CHANGE.
30. Dis-illusioned?: DOWN TO EARTH - All that glitters is not gold.
31. "Something just occurred to me": HERE'S AN IDEA.
32. At any time: EVER.
33. "Days of Our Lives" actress on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills": LISA RINNA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Talk about GLAMED UP!
37. Put on a happy face: GRIN.
38. Small porch: STOOP - From the Dutch word stoep meaning step or platform brought to America by Dutch settling in the Hudson Valley. You're welcome. 😀
39. Grant consideration: NEED.
40. "Details later" letters: TBA.
41. "I'm not buying it": C'MON NOW.
43. Tom yum __ soup: GAI - Thai dish: Tom (to boil), Yum (to mix) and Gai (chicken)
44. Judged events for pedigreed and companion animals: CAT SHOWS - Yeah, even I put DOG first
46. Start of a rumor: I HEARD - When I first HEARD this, it became a mission of mine to take on anyone who believed it.
48. Ravaged by time: AGE WORN - My old Chucks had to be falling apart before I pitched them
50. Fly-by-night operation?: RED EYE 😀 We left Honolulu at 11 pm to arrive in LA at 5 am. It was New Year's Eve and so they turned on the cabin lights for ten seconds over the Pacific where it was midnight and wished us a Happy New Year.
51. Sturdy woolens: TWEEDS - Professor Henry (Indiana) Jones wore TWEED
Down:
1. Spelunking site: GROTTO.
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| In the Timberline GROTTO in Colorado |
2. Flat, in a way: LINEAR - Well known for us math peeps
3. Active Naturals brand: AVEENO.
4. Airport code in Victoria: MEL.
5. Eurasian border range: URAL.
6. Toy spaniels: PAPILLONS - Also know as Continental Toys
7. Stewart who won the U.S. Open twice in the 1990s: PAYNE - He was very popular, known for his colorful outfits and died far too young at 42.
8. Trip stops: INNS.
9. Many a charitable gp.: NGO.
10. Bring the hammer down: GET TOUGH - Mahler also called for this during his sixth symphony
11. Los Angeles suburb: EL MONTE - A 19 minute drive.
12. Busy bodies: DOERS.
14. "And they're off!": THE RACE IS ON.
16. Hot dog option: WHITE ONIONS.
19. Beach resort locale: COASTAL TOWN.
22. Padmé Amidala's grandson: KYLO REN - Halloween is just around the corner
24. Hold: CONTAIN.
26. It might be lost in a storm: POWER - It happened to us for three days in March.
27. More minimalist: BARER - Most of us can remember our dorm room
29. Wasn't talking nonsense: HAD A POINT.
30. Strayed: DEVIATED.
31. Grass and such: HERBAGE.
35. Closed in on: NEARED.
36. Athletic brand based in Bavaria: ADIDAS - Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. They have supplied Husker gear for years
37. Aston Martin DB12, for one: GT CAR - Grand Touring. Those Europeans always get their abbreviations backwards. 😀
38. Three-ingredient treat: SMORE.
41. Baby bok __: CHOY.
42. Cry of relief: WHEW.
45. Nor. neighbor: SWE.
47. Tip of the tongue?: ESE - Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Maltese, Burmese, Sudanese...
With cavern/GROTTO, tINEAR/LINEAR, and TuNa/TANK all piled up in the NW, that area turned into a slog. Thought KY LOREN might be the grandson. Wanted "judged" to be a verb rather than an adjective. Those three staggered 11s sandwiched between a pair of 9s was an impressive feat. Excellent construction, C.C. Enjoyed your expo, Husker.
ReplyDeleteTypical Saturday tough one for me, had most of the grid filled in 25 minutes, but like SubG, the NW had me baffled. PAPPILONS, EL MONTE, LISA RINNA, GT CAR, all perps. Would take a true Trekkie to know who Padme Amidala is, crossed with the unknown state motto, last fill was an a-run to get the Y in KYLO REN. Tale and tuna eventually gave way to TANK, lineal became LINEAR. Thought Victoria was referring to B.C. but perps made me realize it was referencing Australia. Grass and HERBAGE, in some circles also known as “weed”. Once I had RIVERA I did remember his first name Diego. FIR w/out help (except the a-run) in 44:14. Thank you Zhouqin for the challenge, the low word count very impressive! Also to HG, another superb write-up, and thank you for the lesson in Thai, will try to remember for future puzzles. Payne Stewart was a crowd favorite for sure, with his colorful attire resembling knickers. Tragically he was on a Lear Jet that lost cabin pressure minutes after takeoff from Orlando, a lack of oxygen asphyxiated the six people on board and the plane flew aimlessly across country before crashing hours later in South Dakota, I remember it well.
ReplyDeleteOops, I just assumed the first post was by SubG, now I see it was d-o.
DeleteHelp. I don't get the connection between "dis-illusioned" and "down to earth". 'Splain please. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteA number of things I
ReplyDeletedidn’t know kept C.C.’s offering pretty challenging, such as the dog breed and the television star’s name. However, through
P&P I got ‘er done. FIR, so I’m happy.
Took 13:57 today.
ReplyDeleteTop-left was the toughest area for me too as I didn't know the Latin motto or "papillons". I didn't know the Actress of the Day (Lisa Rinna) or the usual Saturday foreign food clue(s) (gai & choy). I don't quite get how "dis-illusioned" is "down to earth," but overall it was an enjoyable Saturday challenge.