Saturday Themeless by August Miller
August is a constructor we have seen very often here in the last 12 months and having a puzzle by August in August just seems right. I blogged his first LA Times themeless just last year and now this is the 8th one I've solved/blogged. He is a former physics Ph.D. candidate turned farmer who lives in Berkshire County, MA.
Here is part of a very nice interview with August:
Once upon a time I was going to be a physics PhD. I studied physics in undergrad and tried graduate school (twice), but ultimately that environment just didn’t work for me. And now I come home at night smelling of cows and hay, and it feels so much better.
As you can see by the grid below, August's puzzle is full of unique fill.
1. Camera setting with a moon icon: NIGHT MODE - Earlier this year, I used the NIGHT MODE on my iPhone which enabled me to photograph northern lights from our deck. They were not visible with the naked eye.
10. Makes a run for it: BOLTS.
15. Like rocks and minerals: INORGANIC.
16. "Farewell, mon amie": ADIEU.
17. Literary figure who rings a bell: QUASIMODO.
18. Remote spots?: SOFAS π My remote always winds up down in the cushions.
19. Finesse: ART.
20. Beach Soccer World Cup org.: FIFA.
22. Nancy Drew chum: BESS - Bess Marvin is one of Nancy Drew's closest friends and a core member of her sleuthing circle.
24. Lab infestation: FLEAS - A canine issue
26. "Foxy Brown" do: FRO.
28. Middle set: ABS π Muscles of your midsection
31. Cousin with floor-length hair: ITT.
32. Heads out: GOES.
33. "Ugh, I'm so sorry!": THAT'S THE WORST.
36. Some transformations: CHARACTER ARCS.
37. "I know, right?!": YOU'RE TELLIN' ME - An elided version of a familiar phrase
38. Mackey of "Ella McCay": EMMA.
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| Jamie Lee Curtis Emma Mackey |
39. "Ceci n'est pas __ pipe": UNE - Crosswords have taught me of Rene Magritte's This Is Not A Pipe but is just a picture of a pipe.
40. Confidentiality doc: NDA.
41. One bro to another?: SIB π
42. Takes to heart: HEEDS.
44. Some "Call the Midwife" figures: NUNS ¯\_(γ)_/¯
48. Exclaims: CRIES.
50. Crushed: ACED - I had finished my physics minor but had to take a class called Electricity For Industrial Arts Teachers to get my hours for my diploma. I ACED those tests.
53. Pause to catch up?: NAP.
54. Essential fatty __: ACIDS - Some of the sources
55. Avoid having to hoof it: SNAG A RIDE.
57. Things to avoid: NONOS.
58. Like some high-flying performers: ACROBATIC.
59. Point of view: ANGLE.
60. Jargon in a video game chat, maybe: LEET SPEAK - ¯\_(γ)_/¯ Substituting numbers for similarly shaped numbers
Down:
1. Muslim face covering: NIQAB.
2. Harden: INURE.
3. Nannies and kids: GOATS π
4. Work wk. units: HRS - My teacher work was for a year but my summer jobs were by the hour
5. Work wk. conclusion: TGIF.
6. Term of affection para una chica: MAMI - HarΓa cualquier cosa POR UNA CHICA como tΓΊ (I'd do anything FOR A GIRL like you)
7. Switch positions: ON OFF.
8. Celebrated, perhaps: DID A LITTLE DANCE.
9. Italian scholar Umberto: ECO.
10. "On the __ of Sex": 2018 biopic: BASIS - A bio of RBG
11. Baking soda target: ODOR.
12. Chi: LIFE FORCE.
13. Cocktail party attire: TEA DRESS.
14. Kinda sketch: SUS - ¯\_(γ)_/¯ "Kinda sus sketch" is a casual slang phrase meaning a person, place or situation feels slightly suspicious, shady or untrustworthy. It combines kinda sus (a bit suspicious) with sketch (short for sketchy), doubling down on the idea that something is off.
21. Hydrate right after planting, as seedlings: WATER IN.
23. Source of siroccos: SAHARA.
25. Journalist Payne known as the "First Lady of the Black Press": ETHEL.
27. German "east": OST.
29. Uncovered: BARE.
30. Hall of Fame figures: STATUES - Next year, Pete Rose will be eligible for the MLB Hall Of Fame (probably with an asterisk for his gambling). Until then, he has a very unique STATUE outside of the ballpark in Cincinnati.
32. First poet to perform at the Super Bowl: GORMAN ¯\_(γ)_/¯ Here she is presenting it before Super Bowl LV (1:34).
33. Comparatively large band: THUMB RING π
34. Theater section: SCENE - Seems like it's more of a play section...
35. Mascara applicator: WAND.
36. Gathering that celebrates DC icons: COMIC CON - It took me a while to abandon our national capital for Detective Comics.
37. "Love that!": YES.
42. "Siddhartha" novelist: HESSE - Siddhartha is a Sanskrit name meaning "one who has attained his goals" or "he who has accomplished his aim"
“Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom." Herman Hesse, Siddhartha
43. "We __ because we care": Monsters, Inc. motto: SCARE.
45. Bring together: UNITE.
46. "Russian Doll" protagonist: NADIA ¯\_(γ)_/¯
47. Mote: SPECK.
49. Object of reverence: IDOL.
51. Spielberg quartet: EGOT.
52. Tends to a stain, maybe: DABS.
54. De Armas of "Ballerina": ANA. ¯\_(γ)_/¯
55. Actor Mineo: SAL - His most famous role was as James Dean's best friend in Rebel Without A Cause.
 |
| Sal James |
I got it!
ReplyDeleteThe longer entries, with one exception, were normal, in-the-language phrases, so that helped. And the exception “leet speak” was easily perped.
Not that this was an easy puzzle by any means, but it was doable.
FIR, so I’m happy.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteThings were going swimmingly with 1a. HIGH_____ and 1d. HIJAB. Bzzzzzzt. Thanx, August and Husker.
I finished this A&E-riddled thing. Finished it wrong, but finished. Missed with NIQAt x tESS, and MAMa x FiFA. Erased hijab for the equally wrong NIQAt, and share-gave way to SCARE.
ReplyDeleteI my experience, "love that" is frequently accompanied by "love those." (Borrowed from Allison Janney in the sitcom Mom. )
Thanks to H.Gary for the fun write-up.
A challenging August Saturday, but managed to FIR somehow. I got hung up on the missing G in YOU'RE TELLIN' ME.
ReplyDeleteRene Magritte's 1929 painting is a brilliant think piece. What is real?
Natasha Lyonne was a child actress who made a comeback in Orange is the New Black. Her series Russian Doll features an interesting time-loop conceit ala "Groundhog Day.
At first, I wanted the Spielberg quartet to be JAWS, even though he didn't direct all four.
Masterful job as usual, HG.
FIR. This was of course a workout as befits a Saturday. But persistence and a few WAG's, especially with the proper names and whatever "leet speak" is, got me the win.
ReplyDeleteOverall, although tough, it was an enjoyable puzzle.
I FIR. YES. The three center long answers were the last to fill. I needed perps or WAGS for EMMA, BASIS, as clued, ETHEL, NADIA, ANA, and LEET, which looked wrong but had to be. Oh, and SUS. I had hyper before WIRED. I laughed at remote spots: SOFAS.
ReplyDeleteOnce I finished, I DID A LITTLE DANCE.
Thank you HG for the colorful grid and the good info.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteI think there was a nice balance between difficult and easy C/As which made the solve challenging yet doable. I wasn’t keen on some of the entries, e.g. Water In, Leet Speak, That’s The Worst but, overall, the fill was fresh and lively. Several unknowns (Ethel, Emma, Mami, Nadia, Life Force, etc.) were successfully perp dependent or WAGs which resulted in a FIR In below average Saturday time.
Thanks, August, for an enjoyable solve and thanks, HG, for an enjoyable and informative review. As always, your mini bio of the author is always appreciated.
Have a great day.