Saturday Themeless by Ricky Sirois
Ricky provided me with a very pleasant 29-minute solve that evolved from the bottom up with long fills emerging and becoming the seeds from which the rest of the fill emerged.When this picture was taken in 2022, Ricky was the Assistant Director of the Concord, MA Public Library and a participant in The National Scrabble Players Championships.
1. Doctrines: DOGMATA - Dogma leapt to my mind and so its plural filled the bill.
8. Incomplete Wikipedia article: STUB - ¯\_(ใ)_/¯ A stub is an article that is deemed too short and incomplete to provide in-depth encyclopedic coverage of a subject.
12. 1990s sketch comedy show: IN LIVING COLOR - This show ran on the then-new Fox Network and launched some very famous careers such as Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Lopez.
15. PBS series hosted by librarian Mychal Threets: READING RAINBOW - I fondly remember when this show first appeared in 1983 with LeVar Burton as the host.
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| LeVar Mychal |
17. Lemon juice?: GAS ๐
18. Javelin: SPEAR.
19. Strong suit: ASSET.
21. Conditional word: ELSE - If you issue a threat that ends in "OR ELSE", you'd better have an idea what that ELSE might be.
23. Senior: OLDER.
25. Mother of Apollo and Artemis: LETO.
26. Shaping tool: LATHE.
28. Tillamook's state: OREGON - Where you can find the home of great cheese and ice cream
30. Blast: BALL.
32. "Am I free to go?": ARE WE DONE - AREWE _ O _ _ first gave me ARE WE GOOD?
34. Complex trap: WEB.
35. Nail salon brand: OPI - A frequent cwd polish brand
37. Gen __: XER - We two Boomers raised two Gen-XERS, born 1967 and 1971
38. __ รtats-Unis: LES - lez-ay-taz-yoo-nee
32. "Am I free to go?": ARE WE DONE - AREWE _ O _ _ first gave me ARE WE GOOD?
34. Complex trap: WEB.
35. Nail salon brand: OPI - A frequent cwd polish brand
37. Gen __: XER - We two Boomers raised two Gen-XERS, born 1967 and 1971
38. __ รtats-Unis: LES - lez-ay-taz-yoo-nee
39. Recklessly: HEAD FIRST.
42. Has a summer job?: ADDS - ๐ We crossword peeps always suspect that a flower might be a river and a summer might be someone finds sums by adding.
44. Recently: OF LATE.
45. Birds paraded on Saint Stephen's Day in Ireland: WRENS - No, they don't get those little birds to line up ๐ More
47. Pressing need: IRON.
48. Hardship: TRIAL - PP&M sing that TRIALS don't last forever.
50. Grow friendlier: THAW.
54. Squeals: SINGS - Or rats or tells or narcs
56. __ nerve: OPTIC.
58. Like: ALA.
59. "Regardless of what you think ... ": BELIEVE IT OR NOT - A vintage 1930 version. Wow, power steering forecast almost 100 years ago!
62. "I deserved that": SERVES ME RIGHT.
63. "Do-Re-Mi" figure: DEER a female deer...
64. Spanish wives: ESPOSAS - Hmmm...
Down:
1. Expression of grief: DIRGE.
2. Youngest Oscar winner: O'NEAL.
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| 1974 Candidates |
3. Part of a frame job?: GLASS ๐ - Could be used for art
4. Just OK: MID.๐ Meh...
5. Dollar alternative: AVIS.
6. Second-rate: TINPOT - This TINPOT leaped to my mind
8. Alarm: SCARE.
9. French pronoun: TOI.
10. Pinkie-side bone: ULNA.
11. Gravity-powered racer: BOBSLED - SOAPBOX fit so nicely but...
13. Equipment that may level the playing field: GRADER.
14. Copper alloy popularized by its use in Fabergรฉ eggs: ROSE GOLD.
16. Wipes brand: WET ONES.
22. Lens opening?: ELL - A meta clue we see often here
24. Sports reporter Holly: ROWE - Holly is a proud cancer survivor and sometimes works with no or very little hair.
27. Up in the air: ALOFT.
29. Played over: RERAN.
30. Barbecue option: BEEF RIB.
31. Snacks for sea otters: ABALONES.
33. Leeway for a test-taker: EXTRA TIME - Standardized tests forbid this
34. Start of some "Jeopardy!" responses: WHO IS - The correct question is at the bottom of this write-up.
36. Neoplasticism pioneer Mondrian: PIET - Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue' (1939-41). Experts say the original would sell for $20M or more today.
40. Offered as an inducement: DANGLED.
41. App gestures: SWIPES.
43. Setting not observed by most of Arizona: Abbr.: DST.
46. Ruling classes: ELITES.
49. Opportunity on Mars, e.g.: ROVER ๐
51. Chills: HANGS - Derived from "hang out"
52. Word in many Polynesian languages: ALOHA.
53. Los Angeles neighborhood where many Walter Mosley novels are set: WATTS ¯\_(ใ)_/¯
55. Royal address: SIRE.
57. Business org.: CORP.
60. Anticipatory period: EVE.
61. Duran Duran album with the hit "Hungry Like the Wolf": RIO - Some serious Saturday cluing for RIO
Correct Jeopardy question is: WHO IS Celine Dion?
I got it!
ReplyDeleteIt helped that a lot of the longer answers were well known, either from television or simply in-the-language phrases.
It took me less than half an hour, and I enjoyed it.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Took me a long time, but I got it. FIR.
ReplyDeleteFavorite clue: “Has a summer job?”
(I’m missing Misty.)
Thank you, Ricky and Husker Gary
ReplyDeleteAnswers flowed quickly, and I was done in just under 15, but I didn't get the expected TA DA. It took another 4 minutes of reading the clues and checking answers to find the error. It was DANGLEs / sEER rather than DANGLED / DEER.
That SERVES ME RIGHT, for not reading every clue, and for not paying attention to the tense of the verb in the clue. D'OH!
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, despite that error, I enjoyed the solve. The shortest answer, GAS for Lemon juice? may have been my favorite.
The DST image HG embedded at 43D is good example of illustrating the difference between an enclave and an exclave. Hopi is in enclave within the Navajo Nation, and Hopi (Again) is an exclave. Navajo Nation (Again) is also an exclave within the Hopi nation. And for HG, the Hopi tribe also has a unicameral government system.
Time to get back to The Open.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteI often pass on the Saturday offerings, but I gave it a shot today, and it turned out quicker than last Monday's. Zip, zip, done. Wite-Out need not apply. PP&M sang All My Trials. The Kingston Trio sang it four years earlier as All My Sorrows. Thanx, Ricky and Husker.
No river flooding and no forest fire smoke around here. Yay. But we can look forward to ten days of 98° temps -- real temps, the "feels like" will be even higher. Boo. We'll have to pedal or walk early in the mornings to avoid the heat of the day.
Lost my "blue" again this morning. I hope I can figure out what went south.
In my 17 years posting here at the Corner I think I may have 2 or 3 Saturdays done in 15 minutes. Well done TTP. I enjoyed the puzzle but need coffee STAT
ReplyDeleteLemonade, thanks! It actually became 18:54 total with the EXTRA TIME needed to find my error. It would have been a FIW on paper. I've taken to solving much harder puzzle than the LAT typically offers. I especially like the Friday and Saturday NYT puzzles now.
DeleteAs you know, The New Yorker can serve up some real beauts. To wit, it took me 47:18 to solve a puzzle they published last Monday. It's by Paolo Pasco, back to back ACPT champ in 2024 and 2025. Here's the link if you want to take a shot:
https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2026/07/13
Yay, blue problem solved.
ReplyDeleteFIW, missing with eLDER x TIN PeT. A little careless, since I shrugged at TIN PeT but didn't analyze it. SERVES ME RIGHT. Only three erasures: ledo->LETO, hurl->BALL, and slr->ELL.
ReplyDeleteI noticed THAW crossing the fill for "chills" (HANGS.)
I can never hear folk music without thinking of this classic bit from Animal House.
Thanks to Ricky for allowing me to achieve a participation trophy for today's puzzle. And thanks to H.Gary for another fine review.
Took a palindromic 13:31 today.
ReplyDelete"Gas" was my last fill, as I was thrown by the "lemon" and I struggle to remember the spelling of the Actress of the Day (Oneal, not Oneil).
It helped that I knew "Rio" and "In Living Color" from my youth, and Piet Mondrian. It didn't help that I don't speak French (toi and les) or Spanish (esposas). "Tinpot" was a guess, which the perps seemed to like.
FIR. There were a lot of questionable clues in today's presentation, like "just OK" being "mid" or "conditional word" being "else". But in most cases there were perps there to help.
ReplyDeleteFortunately most of the long answers were easily sussed out and that helped a lot.
Overall a so-so puzzle.
I had the same reaction to MID at first. Then I remembered an expression from my ute - "fair to middlin'" - and it didn't feel like so much of a stretch.
DeleteDid anyone else go with ARMOR for [Strong suit] off the A?
ReplyDeleteI almost wrote SPADE, the highest suit in Bridge.
DeleteThe whole N area gave me fits. I DNK IN LIVING COLOR nor READING RAINBOW, MID looked weird, the young Oscar winner was not Shirley Temple and I.was stumped by STUB. So I moseyed on S and no problem. That filled very quickly with no hesitations. I went back N and after lots of erasures, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I finally had a tada.
ReplyDeleteI like capellini. And only once in my life, many years ago I had an ABALONE sandwich.
Thank you HG for another fine review. I hope that’s not you falling in the river after that golf ball. ๐
Thanks for you concern, Monkey! Golf is a game of risk/reward and I ain't takin' that risk! The guys I play with would just fetch the ball and throw it back out where it went down that embankment, take a penalty and move on with their life. As we say here, "It's only a game!"
DeleteWEES about this being a fast solve for a Saturday
ReplyDeleteA few gimmes: my DH is from Tillamook, OREGON and we are often there in early August escaping the heat, humidity and mosquitoes of the Midwest then.
We were very happy when we could get the cheese (even the 2 lb baby loaf of cheddar) and the ice cream at our local grocery store in Missouri. Favorite flavor Udderly Chocolate for me, Marionberry Pie or Vanilla Bean for him.
If you're touring the Oregon Coast - stop at the Tillamook Creamery visitor center - amazing grilled cheese sandwiches , ice cream, and free samples - Go hungry!
PIET Mondrian is a favorite artist
Thanks HG for another fun blog and Ricky for the puzzle
Belated birthday greetings to NaomiZ and Phil!
ReplyDeleteBELIEVE IT OR NOT!! Two Friday finishes in a row. Yikes. WEES…today, owing to the gettable long horizontal clues. Only a few “gotcha” clues.
Inkovers: armor/ASSET, elder/OLDER, Hera,Leda/LETO
Jim Carrey “Fire Marshal Bill”
๐MATA (like “stigmata”), need to brush up on my Greek plurals. “Etats” ESPOSAS (spouses): apparently no words start with S followed by a consonant in French or Spanish (but in Italian: stati, sposa)
Remembered the Duran ditto song “Rio”… Didn’t realize it was the album title
The usual tricks with “Lens Opening”.. “Summer” as in ADD sums. Not familiar with TINPOT
MID for “just OK” (meh I agree)
Starts of some “Jeopardy” responses… WATTS.
Teaching job … GRADER.
“Up in the air” bedroom …. ALOFT.
Busy weekend: grad parties and out-of-towners visiting.
The $20 million price tag on the work by Mondrian is a perfect illustration of why I will never understand art.
ReplyDeleteIf sea otters knew the retail price of wild-caught abalone they would be mortified.
Tillamook makes the greatest ice cream in the world.
FIR in 16:12. I might have finished in 16:07 if I hadn't paused to scoff at "Lemon juice/GAS."
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI’m a big fan of Ricky’s puzzles and today’s offering is an example of why. His cluing is clever without being “cutesy”, his fill is fresh and lively, and his grid is clean and free of obscurities and excessive pop culture references. Unlike some other solvers, I wasn’t aware of In Living Color or Reading Rainbow, so that area definitely needed perps. Those long entries plus the equally long Believe It Or Not and Serves Me Right were helpful stepping stones to many other entries, and led to a successful and very enjoyable solve.
Thanks, Ricky, for the satisfying challenge and thanks, HG, for the great review and mini-bio on Ricky, not to mention the fine photo array, especially the goofy golfer!
Have a great day.
10:23. A little on the easy side. Nothing great but nothing bad.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I’d like to thank everyone who acknowledged my birthday with well wishes, and I was delighted to share celebrity status for the day with b/day buddy NaomiZ! We’re not b/day “twins”, the term used to describe those born on the exact same day, as I am two years OLDER ๐. Was also nice to see sumdaze pop in the Corner and give us her regards, always enjoyed her blogs and comments, she seems to have a lot going on these days.
ReplyDeleteAs for today’s puzzle, I thought it was a very fine creation with good clues and fill. Lots of unknowns overcome with perp help, TIN POT, ROSE GOLD, PIET among others. And I didn’t know that capellini was ANGEL HAIR pasta. FIR in just over 20. I tend to get my Greek mothers mixed up. Almost put ‘swans’ instead of WRENS, as I had _ _ _ NS, but I held off. BELIEVE IT OR NOT used to publish paperback books with all sorts of oddities, which I ate up as a kid. I always think of Lucina when I see OPI in a grid. Not sure if Tlllamook is available country wide, but we get their products here in the UP and in SW Florida, good stuff! Thank you Ricky for your fine work, and to HG for your thorough follow up!
Inanehiker ~ thank you for today’s belated birthday wish!
CanadianEh! ~ I in no way blame Canada for the wildfire smoke as some politicians are tending to do, there are many fires burning in this country too, a bunch of new ones just yesterday in the Pacific NW. Lightning strikes cause the majority, and that’s pretty much out of anybody’s control.
Pretty discouraging to see how many found this CW easy. I took 28 minutes to correctly fill every cell, but had to cheat along the way, looking up a couple of names and doing a couple alpha runs. So I give myself yet another DNF.
ReplyDeleteBUT...there were many great clues, and some I didn't get till I came to the blog. "GAS" for "lemon juice" left me scratching my head, for instance.
Anyway, good CW RJS, thanx. Just over my head.
Thanx too to HG for the fine write-up and for answering the questions left dangling in my head after filling.
Excellent offering from Ricky this Saturday. I liked the long fills and the perps were kind.
ReplyDeleteWe went to the Ripley's Museum in Orlando many years ago. Our take: "BELIEVE IT OR NOT we paid $20 to see this crap."
The review was up to Gary's usual high standard. Thanks!
Someone should have told the constructor today is SATURDAY.
ReplyDelete