Saturday Themeless by Grant Conley
- This is only my second puzzle published, with the first being in the WSJ. (I'm currently waiting to see if the same paper will accept my latest themed puzzle.)
- Outside of work and crosswords, I enjoy reading, bouldering (new to me hg), and participating in local trivia nights. I also bake a pretty good sourdough.
As for seed entries, DRUMROLLPLEASE and LANDSPEEDRECORD were the first set in this puzzle, though I originally had them in the opposite order; I thought it would make for a snappy solve with the "drum roll" leading into the big stunt. This was eventually sacrificed for a better grid flow and some easier letter pairings. Aside from these, I enjoyed creating the puzzle's few parallel entries, like DOODAD/NOODLE, since such a late-week grid really asked for a little playfulness to lighten it up.
Grant said he did not see the connection I made with the first three clues but for some reason they just came together.
Across:
1. Stratagem: ARTIFICE - Devices used to trick or deceive. One ARTIFICE used by the allies just before D-Day was Operation Fortitude. They assembled to be what appeared to be an actual army "commanded" by General George Patton to fool Hitler into thinking the invasion would take place further east near Calais and not Normandy. Interesting reading
9. Farce: SHAM - Operation Fortitude was a SHAM but it made Hitler divert a lot of firepower away from the Normandy beaches.
13. Phrase shouted after some extras?: READ ALL ABOUT IT - People selling newspapers the next day might be shouting, "Extra, Extra READ ALL ABOUT IT"
16. Critical component of fast response times: CAT LIKE REFLEXES.
18. Fall bloom: ASTER.
19. Chronicle: ANNAL - D-Day was one of the major events in all of the ANNALS of history.
20. Polo alternative: TEE - Better golf courses require players to wear collared shirts.
21. Common feature of a grandfather clock: DOOR.
22. Astaire and Rogers: FREDS - It was fun when I realized Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were really Fred Astaire and Fred Rogers! 😀
23. Hamlet, for one: DANE.
24. Capital One's virtual assistant: ENO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
25. Western outfit: POSSE.
26. Fatty compound: LIPID - Liposuction physically removes adipose tissue (fat cells/lipids)
27. Place for pints: BAR - PUB seemed to be more likely
28. Intern, often: TRAINEE - We educators call them student teachers or cadets
30. Closely affiliated with: WED TO.
32. Drops: SINKS.
33. Location without an outlet: DEAD END.
35. "L.A. Law" actress: DEY.
36. Like cappuccino: FOAMY.
37. Wind farm structures: VANES.
39. Tune paired with a silent movie, often: RAG.
42. "My bad!": OOPS.
43. Raptors, e.g.: DINOS.
44. "If This Is a Man" author Primo: LEVI.
45. Turmoil: ADO.
46. Podcast medium: AUDIO - Add two more vowels to previous fill
47. Gainbridge Fieldhouse player: PACER - It is home to the NBA Indiana PACERS and the WNBA Indiana Fever.
48. Achievement last set in 1997 in Nevada's Black Rock Desert: LAND SPEED RECORD.
51. Dramatic introduction: DRUMROLL PLEASE 😀 - One of Grant's seed entries
52. Olden days: YORE.
53. Two quarters, perhaps: SEMESTER - I got my B.A. from Wayne State College that was on a trimester schedule.
Down:
1. Location with an array of cabinets: ARCADE. 😀
2. Work (out): REASON - We solvers have to use REASON to work out tricky fill
3. Heart on one's sleeve, perhaps: TATTOO - I loved this when I finally worked out what Grant was going for.
4. One unlikely to have long to-do lists: IDLER - I was first looking for the opposite: Someone who had mostly already done the chores.
5. "Good point": FAIR 🤔
6. Kind: ILK.
7. Busses: CLEARS - The dent in my forehead will heal from when it got hit after I had my DOH moment. I thought I was being so clever with KISSES, then I tried to think what transport vehicle it might be and then the right answer jumped up.
8. From the heart: EARNEST.
9. Places to lounge: SOFAS.
10. Naval base: HULL 😀
11. Consumed: ATE.
12. Cassettes that may spark nostalgia: MIX TAPES 😀
14. Binges: BENDERS.
15. Adjective for a bikini, in a 1960s hit song: TEENIE - Chant it with me - "One, two, three, four, tell the people what she wore..." I love 60's music but this would not make it onto my MIX TAPE.
12. Cassettes that may spark nostalgia: MIX TAPES 😀
14. Binges: BENDERS.
15. Adjective for a bikini, in a 1960s hit song: TEENIE - Chant it with me - "One, two, three, four, tell the people what she wore..." I love 60's music but this would not make it onto my MIX TAPE.
17. Growing need?: SEED - My radish SEEDS are already sprouting in this record hot Nebraska weather.
22. Specialty: FORTE.
23. Less than impressive: DINKY - The aforementioned bikini might also add this adjective
25. Rice field: PADDY.
26. Most of a stick figure: LINES.
23. Less than impressive: DINKY - The aforementioned bikini might also add this adjective
25. Rice field: PADDY.
26. Most of a stick figure: LINES.
27. Part of a support system: BEAMS - This past Wednesday, Mutual of Omaha celebrated the "topping out of its new 44-story headquarters in downtown Omaha by placing the last BEAM.
29. Interns, often: AIDES - I suspect you can name this intern who started as an unpaid AIDE for Universal Studios in 1969.
30. Phaser banks on the Enterprise, e.g.: WEAPONRY.
31. Captured, in a way: ON VIDEO.
33. Whatsit: DOO DAD.
34. "Dumb & Dumber" co-star: DANIELS.
36. Little horse: FOAL.
38. Noggin: NOODLE.
39. Apply again, as paint: RECOAT.
40. Disinclined (to): AVERSE.
41. Part of a support system: GIRDER - A lovely spot for lunch in 1932
43. British cellist Jacqueline: DUPRE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
44. Corset tighteners: LACES.
46. Whispery genre, for short: ASMR -
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response
(ASMR) is a calming, static-like tingling sensation triggered by soft sound like whispering, tapping or gentle visuals. It has become a frequent fill in our puzzles.
47. Brazilian soccer legend: PELE.
49. Pair: DUO.
50. Dashboard stat: RPM.
25 comments:
I got it!
But will I ever remember “ASMR”? Maybe if it comes up as many times as “ Oreo” or “ Erie” but then again, maybe not.
The long fills made a lot of sense this time around, though, so that helped.
Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
I got 3/4 of this one, but ARTIFICE and ARCADE (my cabinets were in the GARAGE) never occurred to me. That top left corner is mostly blank. The long entries were well-clued -- not obvious, but gettable. Thanx, Grant and Husker.
DNF, filling 53, 50 correctly. Well above my average, whatever that might be. This crossword mirrors my life - I did just fine down south, but faltered whenever I ventured north. I got everything from POSSE southward, but only got EARNEST, ILK, ATE, TEE ,FREDS, and DANE above that.
One of my mistakes was with weenie instead of TEENIE. Just as well - I prefer my bikinis to be weenie-free.
I had "type A" for the guy with a short to-do list, and old TAPES. MIX TAPES weren't a thing when I had cassettes, at least with the crowd I ran with.
The recently incarcerated (again) Tiger Woods made "fashion TEEs" acceptable on better golf courses, at least if they are his "TW" brand. If I live to be 100, I will still never understand why someone with untold riches and a substance abuse history doesn't rely on a professional driver to squire him around. (Tiger isn't the only one, just the latest one.)
Thanks to Grant for the stretch objective. I had fun trying. And thanks to H.Gary for another fun tour.
I think I just understood another one. Today's ARCADEs are video game emporia, not home to Skee ball, pinballs, basketball, shuffleboard bowling, claw machines and pool tables of my ute. And commercial video games are housed in cabinets. Right? (I was old enough to drink when Pong debuted in bars.)
A finely constructed Saturday puzzle with some really good cluing and fill IMO. As is typical in a themeless I had to seek out the gimmes and go from there, worked from south to north, walked away for a bit with the clock running, returned to complete the NW for a FIR in 43:39. Had to change ‘radio’ to AUDIO to get the congratulatory message. Not a lot of names, and I knew all except ENO (any other day it would be musician Brian), LEVI, and (who actually knew the British cellist?) DUPRE. Lots of pairings with VIDEO/AUDIO, TEENIE/DINKY, BEAMS/GIRDER, and TRAINEE, AIDES. Like SubG, I don’t think I’ll ever remember ASMR. All in all, a very enjoyable solve, thanks Grant and congrats on your LAT debut. Also thanks to HG for your ongoing contribution to the Corner, always look forward to your blog!
My ONLY bank is Capital One and I've never heard of ENO. But I've been online with them before they were Capital One (Hibernia Bank) and virtual assts. were even invented. I know how to navigate their system. It's still a ridiculous clue.
Very close to a FIR but no cigar. I've never watched Star Trek, and the cross or WEAPONRY & WED TO was left blank. I kept thinking LEAP ON but YORE wouldn't allow it. In the NW, my mistake of HEAR instead of READ ALL ABOUT IT stymied the rest.
KISSES, CLEANS, and finally CLEARS FOR "Busses".
PORT, KEEL, and finally HULL FOR "Naval base"
WEENIE or TEENIE for the "Bikini"
PONY, COLT, or FOAL was a a toss-up for a while.
LEVI, DANIELS, DUPRE, ASMR- all perps for those unknowns
When I filled the X above tapes, my first thought was SEX Tapes..
Arcade for cabinents? I think not
Good Morning:
I finished w/o help in a few minutes shy of an hour, the NW corner being the last to fall. Artifice and Arcade were tough to crack, not to mention Reason, Fair, and Clears, all clued somewhat misleadingly, but not deviously. This is an example, IMO, of an old-school Saturday offering: Difficult, but solvable, with great clueing and lots of exciting and fresh fill. Most importantly, it provided a satisfying and enjoyable solve.
Well done, Grant, and congrats on your debut; come back soon! Thanks, HG, for the inside info on Grant and your always entertaining and enlightening commentary. I shared your amusement at the two Freds and no Ginger!
Have a great day.
Took 15:53 today, despite having no catlike reflexes.
I knew the Actress of the "Dey," but only from crossword puzzles.
I only needed five perps to get the British cellist (Dupre). I also didn't know the writer (Levi) or the virtual assistant (Eno), and Like HG/Jinx, I was thinking "TypeA" first. Still not happy with "idler" as the answer. I also briefly had "helm" before "hull" forced its way in.
Isn't a stick figure comprised of segments, not lines? Regardless, I was thinking "limbs" before "lines."
I thought land speed records were attempted at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, so the Black Rock Desert was a learning moment for me.
Looks like Ms. Irish Miss and I posted within a couple minutes of each other. From now on, when I see "IMO," I am going to think "Irish Miss Opinion."
FIR. Last to fall was the NW, and then tattoo showed up and I got the win at last.
For a Saturday I did not find this all to difficult. Perhaps I was just on the constructor's wavelength.
So overall a very enjoyable puzzle.
Well, Grant won at Appomattox, and I believe another Grant prevailed here today. This Grant finds crossword construction mere child's play--such as offhandedly putting two sets of 14's and 15's atop each other.
I love misdirection, and this puzzle came close to misdirection overload. My favorite was probably "Astaire and Rogers."
Grant provided us with identical clues at 27D and 41D. And two nearly identical clues, at 28A and and 29 D, deftly crossed each other!
It was great to see the late Jacqueline du Pre make an appearance. [Hey, how the heck do I type an accent aigu on my dumb little phone?]
Any time I see "catlike" I think of the rousing chorus from "Pirates of Penzance," "With catlike tread." This is the tune that is sung for "Hail hail the gang's all here."
Thanks, Gary, for your usual capable and amusing recap. And Grant, I think it is fitting that your DRUMROLLPLEASE comes at the end. You may take a bow.
Super Saturday puzzle. I had to work hard, but FIR. Somehow this CW fit my capabilities. Very few names of people I’ve never heard of. I needed perps for PACER and ASMR.
I loved the tricky FREDS clueing. A few years ago the city of Lake Charles replaced the DEAD END signs with No Outlet signs. They must have figured the word DEAD was a downer.
Thank you HG for the nice recap and seeking out Grant’s comments.
Grant’s puzzle was challenging enough to be enjoyable, but it wasn’t memorable. On a Saturday, maybe that’s good.
Almost FIW’d. For a long time I had DINgY and SINgs but didn’t feel secure about it, so I did a last-minute alphabet run and realized DINKY and SINKS were probably right. Problems caused by clues included ENO and the 1A/1D tandem of ARTIFICE and ARCADE.
Looking back, I can see that proper names gave me a big boost. The FREDS, Susan DEY, Jeff DANIELS, PELE, and, especially, Jacqueline duPRE. It took me too long to come up with RAG. The Scott Joplin craze of 1974 has stayed with me. MIX TAPES helped a lot.
But READ ALL ABOUT IT was my favorite entry. Although I never sold newspapers by hawking them that way, the 7-year-old me was always jealous of the kids selling papers at the Portland Rose Festival’s Grand Floral Parade. I can see, in hindsight, that newspapers themselves attracted me to journalism before I cared about finding stuff out and writing creatively. That didn’t hit me until I was 10. I had already become a paperboy by then, or as The Oregonian labeled us, “junior executives.”
12:01. Really good puzzle. Lots of great long marquee answers.
That was fun
Challenging Saturday puzzle, many thanks, Grant. And, of course, I always enjoy your commentary and pictures, thanks for those too, Gary.
So, is an ARTIFICE possibly a SHAM? I guess I'll have to look that up and READ ALL ABOUT IT. But I'm sure readers won't have CAT-LIKE REFLEXES to this kind of challenge. We all just have to deal with things the way they are, in the best way we can. I liked the idea of going to an ARCADE and getting a TATTOO. No, I'm kidding--I'm 81 and hardly ever get out of the house, and I sure don't need a tattoo, if I'm EARNEST about my situation.
Think I'll just go and stay on the SOFA and maybe MIX some TAPES, if I can ever figure out how to do that. I could probably use the help of some AIDES since I'm still pretty much of a TRAINEE. I bet I can listen to an AUDIO. Would I get a DRUM ROLL for that? I don't think so, but I'll still have a good time on this lovely, sunny Saturday.
I wish you all a lovely weekend, too.
DNF. Some really clever clues, and a nice theme, but mostly off my frequency. I've never ordered a "pint" in a bar, only a pub. Boats are built.on keels, not hulls. Was that point GOOD? Or only FAIR? ASMR? Huh? Not everything dropped into water SINKS. As a kid, I always thought my collection of DINKY toys was mighty impressive. Nice try, Grant, but keep working on it.
So much fun! Especially the clues for CATLIKE REFLEXES, FREDS, TATTOO! Thank you, Grant. We look forward to seeing your work again soon!
To get accent marks, press and hold the key, then choose. Recently learned this myself.
When my first pass yielded just scattered fill, I thought I was in trouble. But I eventually got a toehold and things began to flow. All and all, a very good Saturday debut from Grant.
Gary, you hit all my highlights in you review, questioning the same clues and answers. Were you peeking at my paper?
I loved this puzzle! Savoring the grid with so much white in it was my way of starting this satisfying puzzle. Grant Conley really nailed it.
Arcade game enclosures are called cabinets 😎
====> Darren
As with many Saturday puzzles for me, this was a build-it-from-the-bottom process — and luckily I nailed the two big 15-letter support BEAMS as I added floors in my “building”. Like D-Otto, I had “Garage” in mind until the V8 can hit. Took me a while, but finally the FIR light lit up 🤙🏽😎
I think Irish Miss nailed this one: a Goldilocks puzzle with just the right amount of challenge and misdirection. Kudos to Mssr. Conley on an exemplary debut — I’ll be looking forward to your next offering, sir!
Thanks too to H.G. for another of your comprehensive recaps; got a great laugh out of the “I’ve got your back” cartoon. 👍🏽
====> Darren / L.A.
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