Themeless by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano
I’m a data scientist from Oakland, CA, with a background in computational linguistics. In this picture I am eating a Voodoo Donut in Portland, OR.
I had a very pleasant solving experience and here is what Enrique was kind enough to share with us when I asked him about the genesis of this puzzle:
Hey Gary,
Sure thing! Here are the notes:
This puzzle was seeded with the pair DRAG QUEEN and SHORT KING to bookend the grid. I love going to see drag cabaret shows at the Oasis in San Francisco, and I’m right on the cusp of short king status at 5’8”! 
1. Performer often found with big wigs: DRAG QUEEN and 60. Cute nickname for a dachshund: SHORT KING - Enrique's two "royal" seed entries. (FWIW, my sister-in-law has had doxies for decades and has never hear that phrase).
10. Golf kin: JETTA - The VW models came to my mind very quickly.
15. Soft rock duo from Australia: AIR SUPPLY - A wonderful song
16. Oohed and __: AAHED.
17. Like a watered-down event?: RAINED OUT 😀
18. Dough, or what dough becomes: BREAD 😀 and 44. Campus figure: BURSAR - Almost one year ago today, Enrique partnered with Erik Agard and came up with this clue/fill:
36. Brown bread specialist: BURSAR.
Brown was a college and BREAD is slang for money. I might blame Erik for that one.
19. Wrap up: END.
20. Some ink vessels: SACS.
19. Wrap up: END.
20. Some ink vessels: SACS.
21. Trust subject: ESTATE.
22. In the tub: BATHING.
24. Minorly: A TAD.
25. Tone: SHADE.
27. Trips: VOYAGES.
29. Crepes eaten during Maslenitsa: BLINI - A thin, golden crusted pancake eaten during this Salvic festival
31. Rec from GPS: RTE - If I want to visit C.C. in Minneapolis again, my GPS will give me a very nice RTE Rec(ommendation).
33. Lists on Poshmark, say: RESELLS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
36. Scannable pass: E-TICKET - All concessions are also digital at Husker events.
38. One curl, e.g.: REP.
39. Midsummer arrivals: LEOS.
41. "Schitt's Creek" character with an impressive wig collection: MOIRA.
42. Flatbread cooked on a tawa: PARATHA - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Plain Tawa Paratha is a popular, flaky North Indian flatbread made from whole wheat flour (atta) cooked in ghee or oil on a hot skillet called a tawa.
44. The Black Keys and the White Stripes: BANDS - BANDS made quick sense to me although I had no idea they were duos like Air Supply above at 15 Across.
46. Total anarchy: MOB RULE.
48. Bird that weaves pouchlike hanging nests: ORIOLE - They are our favorite backyard visitors
50. Sound from a peat bog: BURP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A "peat bog BURP" is a natural phenomenon where methane or other gases, trapped by decomposing organic matter, are released in a sudden, loud bubble
. 
51. Car sticker stat: MPG.
54. "From your lips to God's ears": I HOPE - An idiom saying you hope something comes true
54. "From your lips to God's ears": I HOPE - An idiom saying you hope something comes true
Person A: "I hope the weather is good for the wedding."
Person B: "From your lips to God's ears"
55. Blast that's often annoying: MASS E-MAIL - Every few days I get a message from my governor, senator or representative.
57. Gets worked up: RILES.
58. "I can't take any credit": IT'S ALL YOU.
59. Members of the BTS ARMY, e.g.: STANS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The dedicated fans of the Korean Group BTS are called STANS.
.
55. Blast that's often annoying: MASS E-MAIL - Every few days I get a message from my governor, senator or representative.
57. Gets worked up: RILES.
58. "I can't take any credit": IT'S ALL YOU.
59. Members of the BTS ARMY, e.g.: STANS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The dedicated fans of the Korean Group BTS are called STANS.
Down:
1. Find the courage: DARE.
2. "Wake Up Dead Man" filmmaker Johnson: RIAN ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
3. Saharan: ARID.
4. "The $100,000 Pyramid" airer: GSN.
5. Snack that may be made with Oaxaca cheese: QUESADILLA.
6. Keep current: UPDATE.
7. Geologic time: EPOCH.
8. Hard to pin down: ELUSIVE.
9. Crossplay owner, familiarly: NYT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
8. Hard to pin down: ELUSIVE.
9. Crossplay owner, familiarly: NYT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
10. Some low blows: JABS - Some can take place in a boxing ring and some in a political campaign
11. Wildlife tracker: EAR TAG.
13. Experts who use cupping sets: TEA TASTERS.
21. Mo Salah's home country: EGYPT - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Soccer player
22. Curse: BANE.
23. Pore strip target: NOSE.
25. Box office surprise: SLEEPER HIT - One of the biggest of all time
26. Most populous island in the West Indies: HISPANIOLA.
28. Hide outside: ANIMAL PELT 😀
29. Sound that may accompany goosebumps: BRR.
32. "What's the GPS telling you?": ETA.
34. Offer of assistance: LET ME.
35. Carnaby Street's neighborhood: SO HO - In NYC, SOHO means South of Houston St. but in London, it's named after an old hunting cry in the 17th century.
37. Convalescent wear for some pets: CONE.
40. Day of rest: SABBATH.
43. Investigate anew: REOPEN.
44. [BURSAR - See explanation at 18 Across above]
45. "The Third Man" and others: NOIRS.
47. Shared surname in Marvel films: RUSSO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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| Directors and brothers Joe and Anthony Russo |
49. What's more?: LESS.
53. Pouring sound: GLUG 😀
55. Start to trial or fire: MIS.
56. Jan. honoree: MLK.
3 comments:
I got it!
There were no real obscurities, except ( for me ) that “flat bread”, but it was easily perped.
Everything else fell neatly into place.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Hi there~!
I loved the crossing of MOB RULE(s) with (Black) SABBATH - have to add this link for that~! I wonder if the author knew . . .
Thanks for the write-up, as always, HuskerG~!
Splynter
Good morning!
So close, yet so far. Figured it had to be SHAPE -- SHADE never came to mind. And the PAR_THA bread never rose. As a result, QUESADILLA never appeared. Bzzzzzt. Still, it was an enjoyable defeat. Thanx, Enrique and Husker.
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