Saturday August 2, 2025 by Adrian Johnson & Will Nediger
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Adrian
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I had a collaborative puzzle from these two constructors back in February. As you can see by the colorful grid, there was a lot of "Unique" fill in this one! I had to work around some alternate fills that I love to do and, of course, the long horizontal and vertical fills were the real key. This was about a 40-minute excursion to get to an unassisted "got 'er done"
Across:
1. Strategic chess move, casually: SAC - SACrificing a piece so that you can gain an advantage
8. 41-Across developer: SALK and 41. Major medical breakthrough of the 1950s: POLIO
VACCINE - Some of us stood in lines just like this
12. Thin reed: OBOE.
14. Each: A POP.
15. Home of the Nubian Pyramids: SUDAN.
16. Handy navigational aids: ARROW KEYS π
18. Came to the surface: AROSE.
19. Chap with chaps, perhaps: RANCHER π - RODEOER? seemed right to me in this part of the world. Yeah, spell checker didn't think much of it either.
20. "Let's meet up then": I'M FREE.
21. Cold draft in the winter, say: SEASONAL BEER.
24. Not altogether in the altogether: SCANTILY CLAD π Not quite naked!
26. Least sanguine: PALEST.
27. Niger neighbor: CHAD - It's a 26-hr drive between their capital cities
28. Opposite of fore: AFT.
31. Org. that accepts returns: IRS π - Amazon does a good job too.
32. Ballpark souvenir: CAP - When we were in D.C. this hat was $29.95 at the Pentagon Mall. I got it for $9.95 from a kiosk across the street from Ford's Theater.
35. Opposing vote: NAY.
36. Brew that might have ice or spice in it: TEA.
37. "Glad and big" protagonist of an e.e. cummings poem: OLAF.
Sunday Sermon: "i sing of Olaf, glad and big"
XXX (by E.E. Cummings)
i sing of OLAF glad and big
whose warmest heart recoiled at war:
a conscientious object-or
43. Places for puffers: SMOKING AREAS - Here's one at Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. I can't imagine...
45. Shell casing?: PIE TIN π
46. Tidbits: MORSELS.
49. City west of the Wasatch Mountains: OGDEN.
50. Salvadoran eatery: PUPUSERIA - I had my first PUPUSA in a great El Salvadoran restaurant here in town. PUPUSARIA made sense to me at first.
52. Area of expertise, casually: THING.
53. Brownie point?: OVEN.
54. Home of many a steppe family: YURT π - Home, home on the steppe
55. Fantasy football datum: STAT - Top 10 Fantasy Football Points for running backs for 2024
56. "Charlie's Angels" star Cheryl: LADD.
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| Cheryl Farrah Kate |
Down:
1. Reach great heights: SOAR.
2. PokΓ©mon that ultimately evolves into Alakazam: ABRA ¯\_(γ)_/¯
3. Summery dip: CORN SALSA.
4. Savors the moment: TAKES IT ALL IN.
5. Liqueur similar to Campari: APEROL ¯\_(γ)_/¯
6. Dodgers legend Campanella: ROY - A man discovered this decades old program in his basement. It was signed by Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella. Branch made Jackie and ROY the first and sixth black men to play MLB baseball in 1948.
7. Covert __: OPS.
8. Enjoyed the motion of the ocean: SURFED.
9. Crush on: ADORE - Modern slang for "have a crush on"
10. Element of a security grid in many an action film: LASER.
11. Arthroscopy target: KNEE - I have many friends who have gotten relief with this procedure
13. Epoch that produced the earliest primate fossils: EOCENE.
15. Carnival performers: SAMBA DANCERS - I felt so comfortable with GANDY DANCERS but I needed to think of Rio de Janeiro!
17. "Something smells good in here!": WHAT'S COOKING.
20. "Someone in my circle probably knows the answer": I'LL ASK AROUND.
22. Loc. of an annual November marathon: NYC
23. Need kneading, maybe: ACHE π
24. Bar tended to at a cookout: SPIT.
25. __ package: CARE. They were a vital operation just after WWII. It is what we used to call "stuff" we sent to our girls when they were in college.
28. Source of immunity: ANTISERUM.
30. "Just My __: A Book About Fonts": TYPE π
33. Annoyance: PAIN.
38. Concert stage effect: FOG or other occasions
40. "Juno and the Paycock" playwright: O'CASEY - Set in the 1922 Irish Civil War. Juno is the wife of Captain Boyle who she calls a paycock (Irish for peacock) because he struts around all day.
41. Heady: POTENT - The early 1970's and middle 1990's were heady days for Husker FB
42. Took off at a jazz club: VAMPED - Herbie Hancock's piece to use an intro or to fill time (left, then right and then both hands)
43. Spectacle: SIGHT.
44. __ fast: MEDIA - I could not give up all my media for 21 days.
45. Kitchen stack: POTS.
47. Source of some Turkish delight?: LIRA.
50. D.C. insider: POL.
51. Cavaliers sch.: UVA.
Notes from C. C.:
Today we celebrate the 71st Birthday of Subgenius (Darryl), who is often the very first to post on the blog each morning. Wishing you a beautiful day, Darryl!
