Saturday, May 30th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing J)

Blocks: 30

   This was a great puzzle - I could have been done in 5 minutes if I had gone with my original thoughts, but there were so many places where I hesitated and did the 'in-and-out' routine that I ended up closer to 25mins.  In fact, I was cruising so well at the end that I got the "Ta-DA~!" and wasn't expecting it.  No intimidating corners, and just two 13-letter spanners with two 14-letter climbers.  The longer fill:

25a. Assigning responsibility by committee, in modern lingo : BLAMESTORMING - I had the BLAME part, then the ST---, and this just seemed "logical"

40a. Where Langley is : FAIRFAX COUNTY - I tried "--- VIRGINIA" to start; Bzzzt. 

9d. Zinc compound : CALAMINE LOTION - I had "---LOTION", but SUNSCREEN didn't fit

15d. Many wallets contain one : DRIVER'S LICENSE

Down Jar~! ( there's the "J" )

ACROSS:

1. Org. whose website has a Track & Manage option : USPS - because neither UPS nor FedEx would fit

5. Ending sound : Pfft - usually associated with a 'lame' ending

9. Checked out : CASED - Think Private Eye

14. Copper mine? : SQUAD ROOM - Har-har.  Policemen cop-pers

16. Floral perfume : ATTAR - thought it, put it in, took it out

17. Predictable patterns : SYNDROMES - I always think of this word as medical related

18. Imprecise : LOOSE - like, say, an interpretation

19. Map lines: Abbr. : RDs

20. Clinches : ICES - The Rangers could not ice their run to the Stanley Cup

21. Some Buffalo wings : SABRES - DAH~!  I totally should have known this - NHL hockey clue about the 'other' NY team

Lindy Ruff, player and former coach

22. Subway device : OVEN - Subway, the sa'mich restaurant, that is

23. Like bodegas, to Span. speakers : FEMinine - I believe the term is 'declension'

24. Pitches : ADS

30. Facial cosmetics : LINERS - I like make-up on a girl, but it needs to be subtle

31. Like the Southeast, vis-à-vis other U.S. regions : RAINIEST - Odd; I would have thought the NW was the rainiest

34. Assume the role of : ACT AS

35. Put down : LAY

36. Camp sight : EMBER

37. Thing handed down : HEIRLOOM

39. Moby-Dick, e.g. : ALBINO - ah, not a drum solo reference; John Bonham was melodic and dynamic, which you don't hear in a lot of drum solos that followed - I tried to find a clip that was under 11+ minutes....

John Bonham - Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick

42. Jug part : EAR

44. Critter in a clowder : CAT

45. Small songbirds : TITS - Mr. Silk, did Mr. Norris change your original clue~?

46. Title heroine in a Humperdinck opera : GRETEL

48. Start to cure? : PEDI - had MANI, and that worked with "Avalon" at 41d. - but that's a Toyota model

49. Marker, e.g. : PEN - yup, first thought, but seemed too simple

52. Inexperienced : GREEN - not NAIVE

53. Two-time winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar : MARIO PUZO

55. Runs slowly : OOZES

56. Allied : PARTNERED

57. Angström, e.g. : SWEDE

58. Aptly named Civil War general Henry : GRAY - yes, that is convenient; would have taken a drubbing being on the blue North side

59. Fake : DEKE - DAH~!  My first thought, and I hesitated.  Another hockey reference, as in feint

DOWN:   

1. BOAC flier's destination in a 1968 song : USSR - The Beatles - The Wiki

2. Carpeting unit: Abbr. : SQ. YD. - Square Yard

3. "Alice in Wonderland" features : PUNS

4. Blue : SAD

5. Work through : PROCESS

6. Incite : FOMENT

7. They aren't behind you : FOES

8. Corp. symbols : TMs - like this one

10. Narrow range : A TO B

11. Flier's convenience : STORAGE BIN

12. Let up : EASED

13. Adorn : DRESS

21. Rig : SEMI - the truck.  I was thinking "fix",  as in temporarily

22. 1998 Masters champion : O'MEARA - total WAG

23. Wear : FRAY

25. Lackluster : BLAH - ah, not DULL

26. Tiny parasites : LICE

27. Engine protector : ANTI-FREEZE

28. Slangy event suffix : O-RAMA - like, say, a "Sale-O-Rama"

29. Halo : NIMBUS - not "AREOLA", and crossing 45a.....

32. On the way : SENT

33. Home to Paris : TROY - the epic story character Paris

35. Tall story? : LOFT - not "TALE" - a story, as in a building

38. Like some history : ORAL

39. Bite : ACIDITY

41. Nissan whose last model year is 2015 : XTERRA - as far as SUVs go, this was probably my favorite style

42. "Some things are too delicious to share" food : EGGOs - I noticed they've moved away from "Leggo my Eggo"

43. Hood defense : ARROW - Robin Hood, that is

47. Started a hole : TEED - golf

48. Allen's successor : PAAR - TV's 'The Tonight Show' hosts

49. Sheer : PURE - aw, you know what I was thinking when I saw "sheer"

(God, she is stunning)

50. O.T. book : EZEKiel - well, I have to add my favorite reading of "25:17"

51. Networking connection point : NODE

53. Odometer stat. : MPG - meh.  My odometer tells me I have 267,200 "MIs" on the car; I suppose some newer cars have a odometer that features a Miles Per Gallon calculator

54. Crossing party, briefly : PED(estrian) - I am thinking Mr. Silk was not happy with PEDI and PED and PEN together in one grid

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:
 
1) I got this from Renèe Harvey of Mensa: "I am sorry the games and puzzles are not working, we are having syndication issues. We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible."
 
I don't know when they'll solve this issue. It's been a week. I encourage those Mensa users to download free Across Lite from NY Time's website. Then you can have LA Times puzzle at Cruciverb, which has a one-month archive. Plus the puzzle is always available at 10:00pm the previous night.
  
2) Happy Birthday to Splynter's mom! Hope Splynter makes it special for you.

Baby Splynter and his parents

Saturday, May 9th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing J,X)

Blocks: 30

Dammit~!  I was doing so well with this one, but the NE corner had too many proper names for me to get any kind of start, and therefore, I had to cheat - and still struggled.  Oh well.  What a shame, too, because the SW corner had such a warm, fuzzy* feel to it.  I was feeling pretty sure we were getting a Silkie, and I did well on the last one, so I was overly confident today.  Triple 10-letter corners across, and triple 8-letter downs.  Two 12-letter spanners;

30a. Character in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" : QUESTION MARK - I got this via perps, but I got fooled by the "?" in the title - not the name of a person from the film....

39a*. Pie order : ANCHOVY PIZZA - I do love pizza, but have to admit, I have not had anchovy

Delaward~!

ACROSS:

1. Grooming tool : RAZOR BLADE - I let this one go to start; my friend Heather is a very popular dog groomer here on the North Fork of L.I., and so I was "sorta" stuck in that frame of mind

11. Holding pattern nos. : ALTs - Altitudes, the height in feet that a plane 'holds' over an airport - who else went with "ETAs"~?

15. Disappears : EVAPORATES - like my confidence in finishing without a cheat

16. 1974 N.L. batting champ Ralph : GARR - baseball for C.C.

17. Huge success : MONSTER HIT - Everything seems to be a 'monster hit' today

18. Morales of "Criminal Minds" : ESAI - doubled up from yesterday

19. In Paris, in Paris : ICI - Frawnche for "here"

20. For whom New York's Queensboro Bridge was renamed : ED KOCH - took me a second to remember this

21. Diamond discovered in the '60s : NEIL - ugh.  duped.  big time. 

22. Tight ends? : TEES - T ighT, get it~?

24. Weather report abbr. : SSE

25. Casual qualifier : SORTA

26. Child player : STREEP - oh.  JULIA Child, got it.  IMDb

29. "Camelot" Tony winner, 1961 : BURTON - OK, I cheated.  Shoulda known this

34*. Try to win : WOO - I tried to win the blue-eyed beauty who worked at the 39a. restaurant

37. Do a fixer-upper job : REPAINT - I am done with the repaint job at aMano restaurant, but there's more to be done at A Lure

38. Fed. property overseer : GSA - General Services Administration - the Wiki - I was thinking "HUD", but was pretty sure the "U" was not going to work

42. Family secret, perhaps : RECIPE

43. Best in a restaurant : OUTEAT

47. Creator of Heffalumps : MILNE - Winnie the Pooh

48. Fighter acronym : MIG - and more Cold War initials at 53d. Sputnik letters : CCCP

51. "M*A*S*H" actor : FARR - I think HuskerG is a big fan of "Klinger"

52. Surfeit : GLUT

53. Warning : CAVEAT - Latin "let him beware"

56. Realize : SEE

57. Bonanza : LODE

58. Capital on I-77 : CHARLESTON - West Virginia; takes me about 7mins to do the I-70 thru Wheeling on my way to Cincinnati

60. Through : OVER

61. Term coined by Hugh Hefner : CENTERFOLD - I did not know this

62*. Bonds : WEDS

63. Winnings : PRIZE MONEY

DOWN:

1. Pays : REMITS

2. Relative of a stilt : AVOCET - this bird has legs; and this one; and this one

3. Comparatively kooky : ZANIER

4. Photo __ : OPs - "opportunities"; I so hesitated to put this in, but it was correct

5. Learning method : ROTE

6. Gave rise to : BRED

7. Literary symbols of daybreak : LARKS - ah, not "COCKS"

8. One of a literary trio : ATHOS - The Three Musketeers

9. Prepare for takeoff, maybe : DE-ICE

10. O.T. book : ESTHer

11. 18 for graduating high school, e.g. : AGE NORM - today's "fun sponge"; I get it, but it just would not come to me, being in the 'down'

12. Combat game : LASER TAG - I have played the game in a local arena, played it in the woods with friends, but I find paintball to be a lot more exciting

13. Quislings : TRAITORS - Cheated.  I did, however, use the actual dictionary, and not Google

14. Colombo's country : SRI LANKA - Dah~!  I was stuck in South America for too long

23. Et __ : SEQ - more Latin, used in law, "and the following"

25. "Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak" writer : SUN-TZU

27. Atlas section : EUROPE

28. Bug : PEEVE

29. 1951 Reagan co-star : BONZO

31. Mole, maybe : SPY

32. 31-Down strategy : TAP - Wiretap, e.g.

33. Only Super Bowl won by the Jets : III

34*. Virtuous feeling : WARM GLOW

35*. R.E.M. hit, with "The" : "ONE I LOVE"

36. Blocked : OCCLUDED - like clouds

40. Ones saying "warmer," perhaps : HINTERS - "you're getting cold, colder, ice cold, warm, warmer, warmer...."

41. Justice Dept. agency : ATF

44. City near Bethlehem : EASTON

45. Specialized cactus branch : AREOLE

46. In : TRENDY

48. "Real Time" host : MAHER

49. 14th-century Russian prince : IVAN I

50. "Still Standing" co-star Jami : GERTZ

54. Sailor's direction : ALEE

55. Time spent in one's seat : TERM - political term

59. It's nearly 700 mi. south of Sea-Tac : SFO - Nailed it, but I knew Sea-Tac is the airport in Washington state

Splynter

Saturday, Apr 18th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q,X)

Blocks: 27

  I have to say, I was much in the mood for a Silkie today, having been roughed up over the past few weeks.  Really looking forward to finishing without a cheat, but alas, it was not to be - again.  Had just one, a proper name, but it cleared up the otherwise locked-up, poorly WAGed NW corner.  There's always next Saturday....Bit of a change in our usual grid, having triple 7-letter stacks in the down to start, and the longer, triple 9-letter acrosses over to the right.  Always seems "easier" when the first clue is not a huge span of white.  Some 8-letter circumferential fills in the center, too;

29a. Citizens Bank Park team : PHILLIES - I had the --LIES, and that was enough, considering I am not a big baseball fan.  I was over my buddy Mike's house last night, and he tuned into the Yankee game; sorry, C.C., it just doesn't hold my attention....  :7(  The NY Rangers of hockey are up 1-0 in their series against another Pennsylvania team, the hated Penguins; the Islanders are tied 1-1 with the Washington Capitals.  I plan to play hockey this coming week; the head feels better

37a. Youthful nickname for the 1950 29-Across : WHIZ KIDS - before my time

ACROSS:

1. Chaps : LADS - I sensed this was a 'male buddy' clue, not the leather pants type; went with GUYS, as I was trying some GUN fills for 1d.

5. Measure up : PASS MUSTER

15. "My Country" author : EBAN - dah~!  dah~!! DAH~!!!  Had to look this up; should have rung a bell, it's been a standard crossword clue for some time

16. Busy, in a way : ON THE PHONE - but you don't get a "busy" signal much these days

17. Stellar phenomenon : NOVA

18. Wheel of Fortune and others : TAROT CARDS - I was going to put this in, and thought, no, it's a TV game show thing.  Dang~!  I own a deck of tarot cards; keep them wrapped in silk ( hi, there, constructor~! ) per the book I bought on how to maintain and read the cards

19. Error : SLIP - had FLUB.  That's an error.

20. Oil sources : OLIVES - had O----ES,  so it was not "SHALES"

21. Airport NW of PIT : CLEveland

22. 1975-'76 World Series champs, on scoreboards : CINcinnati; I lived there from '97 to 2000; worked on my first movie set there - as for the baseball team, I recall the Big Red Machine, and I went and looked for my old baseball sticker album - I hope I can redeem myself, C.C.

23. Called, nowadays : SKYPED - my other buddy Mike regularly Skypes with China as he continues to do well with his game company; I present my game to him tonight when we get together for a long overdue bonfire

24. Not abundant : THIN - (sigh) like my hair

25. Recording acronym : ASCAP

27. Piece of Plymouth pizza? : ZED - P-I-Zed-Zed-A

28. Former National Security Advisor Scowcroft : BRENT - I WAGed tRENT

31. Picks up : RAISES

32. Alley group : PINS - Bowling

33. Barber's supply : TALC - Nailed it, but that's not saying much

34. Emotional : MOVING

41. Opposite of après : AVANT - Frawnche after and before

42. Monopoly item : DIE - not HAT; I always played the wheelbarrow, so I had something to carry my "cash" around

43. '30s-'40s Kildare portrayer : AYRES

44. Canada goose relative : NENE
 

45. Kind of acid in red wine : TANNIC - Ha~! I knew this one

47. Canadian sign letters : KPH - Kilometres/hour

48. Indian address : SRI

49. Cleaned up : DUSTED

50. Symbolic dance : HULA - or HORA~? I guessed wrong

51. Jackson 5 song covered by Mariah Carey : "I'LL BE THERE"

53. Sch. whose mascot is Paydirt Pete : UTEP - got this one, too - I can remember some past clues

54. Canadian asset : OIL RESERVE

55. Town near Padua : ESTE

56. Some lucky breaks : NEAR MISSES

57. Slate, briefly : SKED - quick way to schedule

DOWN:   

1. Shooter's protection : LENS CAP - got me; not thinking photography

2. Wipe out : ABOLISH

3. Fictional code name : Da VINCI - I liked the book and the movie

4. Piece of cake : SNAP - Dah~!  SLAB worked with my FLUB

5. "The Chosen" author : POTOK - I knew this one, too, because my friend Ibby gave me the book

6. Breaks down : ANALYZES

7. Road markings : STRIPES - I noticed yesterday that one of the local roads had fresh stripes painted - you'd think the potholes would have been the priority....

8. Left, with "off" : SHOVED

9. Doled (out) : METED

10. Bar IDs : UPCs

11. Oldies syllable : SHA

12. Flashlights, across the pond : TORCHES - parents are English, knew this

13. Court boundary : END LINE

14. Is in high dudgeon : RESENTS - this is the "#1 killer" of AA members; I harbor some resentments, still, even after a decade

23. Support piece : SPLINT - almost a gratuitous self shout-out

24. Requiring delicate handling : TRICKY

26. Skiing category : ALPINE

28. "The Human Comedy" author : BALZAC - the Wiki

30. Big initials in banking : ING - my IRA started out in ING; it's now Capital One 360

31. Italian counterpart of the BBC : RAI

33. Offended outburst : "THE NERVE~!"

34. Kennedy Compound component : MANSION

35. Blanket : OVERLIE

36. Plain-__ : VANILLA

37. Mearth portrayer in "Mork & Mindy" : WINTERS

38. Siberian metropolis : IRKUTSK - got it because I played a lot of RISK when I was a kid

39. Exhaust : DEPLETE

40. Like some curves : S-SHAPED - nice fill

42. Causes for pauses : DASHES

45. Rwandan ethnic group : TUTSI - all perps

46. Inventeur's notes : IDEES - more Frawnche; ideas

49. Judge : DEEM

50. Shades : HUES - I read your warning, Argyle, but couldn't resist; thankfully, HEartRx did not actually post a "hosiery" pic; I was going to go with a hunky guy for the ladies this week, but I have to make up for Thursday's 'tragedy'

52. Hardly a warm reaction : Brr - I officially put my gloves, car window scraper and winter coats away for the season

Splynter

Saturday, Mar 21st, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing F,K,Q,Y)

Blocks: 29

  Well, I am feeling better about myself with regard to Saturday puzzles after this one - I needed a successful solve, otherwise, I'd be on a month-long 'fail'.  My first-pass guesses - and quite a few throughout - turned out to be great choices, as my crossings seemed to agree; that doesn't happen very often.  Still, I was stuck on the final bottom three letters, but got my "Ta-DA~!", and breathed a sigh of relief.  Triple 11-letter Across corners, and nearly triple 9s in the Downs:

17a. Factor in cold waves : POLAR VORTEX - ugh - one more time with the white stuff last night....

12d. Like churches, as a rule : TAX EXEMPT - answer #2 with "X".  The "X"s from 'xer' & 'axle' and didn't look promising, until I got to this clue

64a. Outlet worker : ELECTRICIAN - here I thought this first, then said "no, can't be"

Here's one for the DF - warning~!

31. Meaning : SEMANTICS - I like playing 'semantics' with people

ARD~! Snow~!

ACROSS:

1. City on the South Saskatchewan River : MEDICINE HAT - not a clue, but then with some spotty perps, I recalled this odd name - birthplace of hockey player Trevor Linden - now a president with the Vancouver Canucks, and one-time NY Islander

12. It's about 5 mL : TSP

15. Over : ONE MORE TIME - like a mulligan in golf

16. Cut (into) : ATE - think acids

18. Boomer's offspring : X-ER - Generation X - typically, people born in the 60s - 80s - that makes me one

19. Put in : ELECT - didn't have enough letters for INject, and it took a minute for this one to dawn on me

20. Senseless : NUMB

21. Jazz duo? : ZEES - jaZZ - clever

22. Answered back : SASSED

24. Drivetrain component, perhaps : REAR AXLE - complete W.A.G. - and wow, it was correct~!  Go figure

26. Southwestern language : ZUNI

28. Brawn : SINEW

29. Sign of shock : GASP

33. Diamond shape : PEAR - I never considered the "shape" of an engagement ring - is there some rule of thumb
(or finger, as it were)~?

 I like the nail polish color

35. Star movers : LIMOS

37. Runs through : PIERCES - think swords; especially sitting atop 41a.

39. Take time to answer : SLEEP ON - like the song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"

41. Mail : ARMOR - this one always gets me - trying to think of synonyms for "send"

42. Save for later, in a way : TiVO

44. City southwest of Bayeux : St. LÔ

45. Woodstock performer before Sly : JANIS - For those who were too young to know, here's a list of the performers - there were three acts that I was unaware actually played the show

47. Ecua. rejoined it in 2007 : OPEC - sensible WAG, and an abbr to help

49. Hail Mary : LONG BOMB - I had LONG PASS - and that's 50%

51. Charges for rounds : BAR TAB

56. Newspaper section : ARTS - OK, I went with OPED

57. Goya's "La __ vestida" : MAJA - The "clothed" one; there was also the "La Maja Desnuda"

59. Washington portraitist : PEALE - more art I did not know - his Wiki

60. Star Wars letters : SDI - the "Strategic Defense Initiative", which, I have stated before, is an insult to Star Wars

61. December-to-May fruit : NAVEL ORANGE - I WAGed ALGAE at 54d., and that "G" was enough to get me the Orange part, but I had "TOO" instead of "NEW" at 61d., and that slowed me down

63. RBI producer, perhaps : SACrifice Fly - Baseball tactic

65. Stick-__ : ONS - I was thinking of this instead

66. 1623 Shakespeare work, with "The" : WINTERS TALE - if you don't know it, here's the "38d." on it

DOWN:

1. Blues : MOPES - if it helps, try "The" in front

2. "Waterworld" orphan girl : ENOLA - didn't see the movie; it was a dud.  All perps

3. Strikes out : DELES - this "struck out" my 'ENTER' for 19a.

4. Apple purchases : iMACS - did you hear Apple is coming out with a diet pill~?
It's designated the i8....

5. Mexico's Sea of __ : CORTEZ - nailed it

6. Journalist Kupcinet : IRV - perps

7. Krypton relative : NEON

8. Ancient Italian region : ETRURIA - dredged this up from the depths with '-RUR-' in place

9. Opposite of "stand" : "HIT ME~!" - Blackjack

10. They multiply by dividing : AMEBAS

11. Drive handle : TEX - cattle drive, that is.  Reminds me of this scene

13. Common abrasive : STEEL WOOL

14. Intrinsically : PER SE

21. The Marx Brothers, e.g. : ZANIES

23. Deceive : DUPE

25. Bug but good : RILE

27. Home in the woods : NEST - "home in the tree" would have been too easy for Saturday

29. Meas. of course performance : GPA - Grade Point Average.  Funny, but it was such a big deal when I was in high school - now it's meaningless - until I have kids of my own, I presume....

30. Brand with a Jumpman logo : AIR JORDAN - I knew this was Michael Jordan, but it took a moment; my OPED didn't help

32. Fine points : PRONGS - Har-Har~!

34. Letters sometimes seen before a phone no. : RSVP

36. Nestlé's __-Caps : SNO

38. Cheat : CRIB

40. 1924 co-defendant : LOEB - could not recall if it was loeW or loeB

43. Court complaint : "I OBJECT~!"

46. Horn of Africa native : SOMALI

48. Cousins of clam diggers : CAPRIs

49. Western ring : LASSO - ah, Western as in the movie genre

50. Expert : MAVEN

52. Jerk, say : REACT

53. Patty Hearst alias : TANIA

54. __ bloom: pond vegetation : ALGAL

55. __ Bag: eponymous '70s designer label : BEENE

 

58. Old, in Oldenburg : ALTE - not AULD; I knew that was wrong

61. Additional : NEW

62. Legend on ice : ORR - first clue, NHL; last clue, NHL....I like it, Mr. Silk~!

Splynter

Saturday, Feb 28th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 72 (missing F, J, Q)

Blocks: 30

This one just plain gave me a genuine headache - and it's all my fault.  My WAGs were spot on, but my "I know this" answers were completely, utterly wrong, and that made for some really difficult solving.  Oh well.  The NE was a shambles, and it took w-a-a-a-y too long to see some really obvious fills.  Add to that the proper name vagueness, and....Triple 10's in the across corners, and paired 10- and 11-letter climbers on the inside, with a couple of 9's thrown in, to boot;

17a. Correct : ON THE MONEY - can't say I was this today

12d. Metal-bending aid : ANVIL BLOCK - Does anyone else consider this Duran Duran~? That is, redundant~? I proudly filled in PRESS BRAKE - seen here - and just could not get this corner to co-operate.  Guess I'll go stick my head under the "water faucet"

56a. What "D" may mean, monetarily : DENVER MINT - nailed it - rare coins

36a. Square shooter? : BOX CAMERA - once the last "A" popped in, I got the CAMERA part; the rest~?  Nothing.

OW~! DARN~!

ACROSS:

1. Shower alternative : SPONGE BATH - went with ---BATH, but the rest would NOT come to me, even when the "P" showed up

11. Hollow : DALE - Sleepy Hollow, e.g.

15. "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1934) actor : PETER LORRE - before my time, so semi-vague

16. NASA unit : ONE G - I considered LT YR at first

18. Pigmented layer : UVEA - skin seemed too easy

19. Takeout menu eponym : TSO - The General, of American Chinese food

20. Smartens (up) : WISES - ah, I was in a "primp" & "tidy" frame of mind, not an intellectual one

21. 1954 Detroit Auto Show unveiling : T-BIRD - eh.  I went with EDSEL, knew it was wrong because I read up on it recently; I felt like an "abbr." was needed here

22. Battery, e.g. : TORT - I knew this was a legal term "battery"; Metallica's take

Metallica - Battery

23. Ride and Brown : SALLYS - knew this, filled it in, then 12d. made me change it - and it was all downhill from there ( or is that uphill~? )

24. Maker of Neo soft drinks : RC COLA - Cheated.  Had to Google.

27. Capital NNE of Rome : ZAGREB - Had the "G" and the "B", but took too long to fill in the rest.

29. Prayer opening : O LORD - "please help me find my mistakes~!"

30. Feelers : TENTACLES - I was on the right wavelength with "antennae", but was short a letter

33. Noggin : BEAN

34. Chain with a red cowboy hat logo : ARBY'S

35. __ Raven: Baltimore neighborhood : LOCH - ah, so that's why the football team is the Ravens~?

38. Very small : MICRO

39. Sequoia Park Zoo home : EUREKA - California - link

40. Teaching model : MOCK-UP - meh.  I know very well what mock-up means, but a teaching model~? Ugh.  When I worked at G&K architects, they had to do a mock-up of this structure to get the aluminum framework cuts correct

41. Actress who starred in two Hitchcock films : HEDREN - Tippi~! From MN~! Semi-clecho with;

22d. Hitchcock thriller set in East Germany : TORN CURTAIN  - her IMDb

43. Jerk : YANK - Noun or verb?  Needed the "K" first

44. Garibaldi's wife : ANITA - Ugh.  Who?  Vague.  Her Wiki

45. Tons : SCADS

47. "Criminal Minds" network : CBS

50. Spanish address : DONA

51. Pointer's cry : "LOOK AT THAT~!" - Look at this~! My buddy Mike, the one with the games company, took home a Family Choice Award~!

53. When the ghost of Hamlet's father first appears : ACT I - I like these clues; it's usually "ACT", followed by "I" or "V"

54. Nanny's service : IN-HOME CARE

55. Fund-raising suffix : THON - like tele-thon

DOWN:

1. Tough __ : SPOT - this clue was a "tough spot" for me; "S**T" was a real possibility

2. They may be filled from wells : PENS - took way too long to dawn on me

3. Mort Walker dog : OTTO

4. Bk. about the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls : NEHemiah - I have a link to these

5. Aged : GREW OLD - Dah~!  The verb; I was thinking of wines

6. Where Mark Twain married Olivia Langdon : ELMIRA - Vague

7. Amplify : BOOST

8. "A-Hunting We Will Go" songwriter : ARNE - Ugh, vague.

9. Marne modifier : TRES - Frawnche for "very"

10. "Yo!" : HEY

11. Mouse action : DOUBLE CLICK

13. Distrustful : LEERY

14. "Tarnation!" : EGADS~!

21. Fictional house "built according to no architectural plan whatever" : TARA - seemed like a good fictional house WAG

23. Friday et al.: Abbr. : SGTs

24. Name in Virginia politics : ROBB - more vagueness - Wiki

25. Singer Laine : CLEO - even more vagueness

26. Gently convinced about : COAXED INTO

27. Barking horse relative : ZEBRA - once I finally got the "Z", it was obvious - but I had not heard of a 'barking' horse; I found some interesting reading on zebras

28. "The Cherry Orchard" daughter : ANYA - ugh, ugh, ugh.  Vague

30. Go a long way : TREK - not "LAST"

31. Neutral color : ECRU

32. Look for a good deal : SHOP

34. "Yes!" : AMEN

37. Region : AREA

38. Ginormous : MONSTER - nailed it

40. "___ X" : MADAME - took some perps

41. Charged : HAD AT - DAH~! I had RAN AT, and that makes MUCH more sense

42. Methuselah's father : ENOCH - WAG from the "H"

43. Comedian Smirnoff : YAKOV - Hey~!  I know this one~!

45. Acoustical unit : SONE

46. Columbia Pictures co-founder Harry : COHN - and back to vague.

47. Masala __: Indian beverage : CHAI - perps

48. Building with big doors : BARN - look at how big those...doors are...

49. Proof mark : STET

51. Top : LID

52. "__ Underground": cult film showcase : TCM

Splynter

Saturday, Feb 7th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing K,Q,W,Y,Z)

Blocks: 27

  Ah, a Silkie, and since I unofficially call his puzzles a "theme", that's two in a row for me~!  Pretty blank on the first pass, with triple 11-letter stacks in the Across, and then triple 8's in the Down corners to work with.  Slowed down by the proper names again, but I seem to be getting more open-minded about how I go about the solve (*); guess I've done my share of Saturday crosswords, and a good number of Mr. Silk's at that....all in all, a fairly fun solve.  Some of the longer fill;

15a. Reversible chemical process : ION EXCHANGE - I had the "X" from 5d., and not that I've heard of this process, but it sounded pretty good; think water softeners

14d. Followers : APOSTLES - pondered BOOSTERS ( had the --OST--S), then GNOSTICS; I got there eventually

67a. Bank counter convenience : DEPOSIT SLIP - becoming obsolete in my world; I can now run my checks thru the ATM ( in a stack of up to 30, not that I would ever have that many ) and get a print-out of the check on my receipt - no deposit slip required

37. Loiters : HANGS OUT

ONvacationWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Three-volume biography of Winston Churchill : THE LAST LION - no clue to start, but that rarely fazes me anymore

12*. Summer, at times : CPA - open-minded; a "sum-mer", like my friend Ed, who does my taxes

16. Material flaw : RIP - I went with "RUN", but you know where my mind usually is....

17. Collectible late-'50s auto : EDSEL RANGER - I took time to read over some of the reasons for this epic failure, and found some of it quite fascinating

18. Mattel game since 1992 : UNO - I am working on a board/card game of my own right now, with the hope of selling it through my buddy Mike's company, Kid Agains - he's really taking off with the brand; in fact, he's in China now working out the details of the next 3 games they're producing for him this year.  I have a lot of work to do at the restaurant, and with the threat of more snow, I decided to take a week of vacation from UPS.  Any free time next week will be spent working on the game.

19. Inventing initials : TAE - Thomas Alva Edison

20. Almost null? : EINS - cute.  Zero and one in German

21. Dodges : EVADES - I went with AVOIDS; that's 67% technically, but the key was having the "V" in the right place

23. Four-time All-Star Oriole outfielder Jones : ADAM - C.C. would know more

25*. Former prime minister who grew up in Milwaukee : MEIR - WAG

27. Raise : ERECT

28*. Certain red giant : C STAR - here's what I mean; in past puzzles, we've seen "-"STAR, so I filled that part in, and WAGed a "G" to start

30. One often looking down : SNOB

32. File, for one : TOOL - Tried MENU.   Was 100%.   Wrong.

33. 54-Across holder : TUB - ah, didn't get enough circumreferential yesterday~?

35. Lucrative venture : GOLD MINE

37. They don't sound as welcoming as they are : HOSTELS - One would hope the environment is not "Hostile"

41. Bolivian president Evo : MORALES - mostly perps

42. Net : AFTER TAX

44*. Blues musician Mahal : TAJ - sensible WAG, but then I wondered if it might be "Raj", or something like that

45. NASCAR Hall of Fame locale: Abbr. : N. CARolina

46. Go (through) : SIFT - I tried PASS

48. Goes for : COSTS - picking up my new phone tomorrow.  There was nothing wrong with my old one, but I am really excited to start using the new Ryobi Phone Works tools - I have the scope, the moisture meter, and will probably buy the stud finder ( yes, it might just be a metal detector, HeartRx~! ) as well.  My new plan COSTS more than the last one because I added a 'hot-spot' device so I can print Home Inspection reports in the field - that is, from the trunk of my car.

52. Capturer's triumphant words : GOT 'EM

54. 33-Across filler : LARD - uh, see 33a?

56. Cheer : ROOT - not RAVE, not RANT

57. Tannery output : SUEDES

59. Smoke, perhaps : CURE - ah, like meat; think Beef Jerky

61. Fr. title : MME

62. "... and the __ below / As hush as death": "Hamlet" : ORB

63. Asset disposal option : AUCTION SALE

66. Original "Burn Notice" airer : USA - I tried the show; I liked it, but couldn't stay with it.  I am happy to see "Sirens" is back - more Denis Leary

68. Rx notation : TER - Dah.  Went with TID

69. Runoff facilitators : STORM DRAINS - went with GRATES to start

DOWN:      

1. Haberdashery item : TIE-TAC

2. Beginners with boards : HO-DADS - Dictionary.com calls this person a "non-surfer who spends time at the beach masquerading as a surfer"

3. Put on a throne : ENSEAT

4. Author Harper : LEE

5*. Wheelbarrow feature : AXLE - did my share of assembling these last summer ( not sum-mer ); how many 4-letter parts does one of these have, anyway~?

6. Open-weave fabric : SCRIM - new word for me; frequently used as a lighting filter and stage backdrop

7. Old Scottish officials : THANES - half perps, half WAG

8. Capital on the Grand River : LANSING - JazzB nailed it, right?

9*. Like Dvorák's Symphony No. 8 : IN G - more of that crossword intuition; it's going to be "IN" A,B,C,D,E,F, or G....

10. Fancy molding : OGEE - messed up my AVOIDS, but I am working on a new project at the restaurant - they're looking for some "wow" when they re-open for Valentine's Day, so the owner opted for a true 'fish house' look; chalkboards and subway tile - I like the contrast, and I love doing the work - the split between the two is the height of the chairs.  Hence, I am installing chair rail.  When I primed the wall, you could really see the dings from the backs of the seats

11. Audacity : NERVE

12. Well target : CRUDE OIL

13. Organ with scales : PINE CONE - well, uh, that's one way to describe it

22. Would-be designer, perhaps : ART MAJOR - the "J" from 44a. helped immensely

24. Had an impact : MATTERED

26. Basic rental : ROOM - Ah.  Not AUTO

29. Who's sorry now : RUER

31. Smudge : BLOT - not SPOT, so I took it all out - but was half right in the first place

34. Alphabetical orders? : BLTs - Odd, but I went with RSVP

36. Literary count, familiarly : DRAC - or VLAD~?  All I had was the "A"

38. "For certain" : "OF COURSE~!"

39. Regulatory legal association : STATE BAR

40. Breeze (through) : SAIL

43. Hard-to-define influence : X FACTOR

47. Platitude : TRUISM

49. Shilling spender : SOMALI

50. 2003 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recipient : TOMLIN

51. Marinates : STEEPS

53. Honey beverages : MEADS

55. Sci-fi figure : DROID - my "GRATES" led me to try ZERO G - hey, that's sort of a "figure"

58. Haggis ingredient : SUET

60*. Start of an intermission? : ENT'R - ACTE; seen this in enough crosswords, so I was not fooled

64. USCG rank : CPO

65. Federal benefits org. : SSA

Splynter

Saturday, Jan 17th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing J,Q)

Blocks: 26

  Welcome to another edition of Splynter 'splains Saturday's Silkie~!  This one was a bear, at least on the first pass - then, little by slowly, with a few sensible W.A.G.s, followed by a dredging of the depths of the dark corners of my mind, I finished - and within my personal time, too.  Quite a satisfying solve.  Intimidating triple 10-letter corners tied together with crossing 8's - add to that a boat-load of proper names and some uncommon items and you get what we have today.  Some of the longer answers;

1a. One is featured in the 1962 Ventures instrumental "The 2,000 Pound Bee" : FUZZ GUITAR - I am a huge fan of the guitar, and I am familiar with Jimmy Page's use of the "fuzz" sound.

13d. Sandusky locale : ERIE COUNTY - knew it was in PA, but didn't get it 'til I had ---UNTY

57a. South side : TEXAS TOAST - clever; I was trying to squeeze "CONFEDERATES" in

26d. Power source : SOLAR PANEL - Two weekends ago I was up in a little, and I mean little, place called South Otselic - it's east of Cortland, NY, and the little cabin we stayed in was totally powered by a wind turbine and solar panels.  My friend Garry owns the land, and did the work; in fact, he owned "Go Solar" down here on L.I., and that's how we met.  Here's pics of the cabin, the wind turbine, and me standing in one of the blades that are part of the real wind turbines up at the Fenner Wind Farm; 80 feet long~!

 

ONWIND~!

ACROSS:

11. Bass output : ALES - Bass - the beer brand; toyed with "LOWS" at first

15. He played the bandit Calvera in "The Magnificent Seven" : ELI WALLACH

16. __ Maar, mistress of Picasso : DORA - all perps

17. Qualified for : ENTITLED TO

18. "The Enemy Below" setting, briefly : WW II - Waaaay before my time; IMDb

19. Zap : LASE

20. Kid's cry : Maa~!

21. Overpower with noise : DEAFEN

23. Airline created by an Act of Parliament : BOAC - British Overseas Airways Corporation

25. Take away : DETRACT - I went with DEPRIVE to start; only 42.8% correct

26. "The Love Machine" author : SUSANN - Since I do not know this person, I was curious about whether this was a first/last name - her Wiki

29. Place to stretch : REST STOP - They're called REST AREAS around here, but I was pretty sure about that second "S" from 11d.

30. In abeyance : ON ICE

31. "Michael" co-screenwriter Ephron : DELIA - I put in NORAH - Bzzzt~! (spelled wrong, to boot); her movie bio page

32. Expected : DUE

33. Tie : LINK - Dah~!  My only bad cell; I had LINE, and since it crossed a "foreign" word....

34. "Hot House" Grammy-winning pianist : COREA - Did not think of Chick until I had C-R-A in place

35. Philadelphia tourist attraction : MINT - ah, not BELL; look for the "P" on dimes, etc.

36. DJIA part: Abbr. : AVG - I thought "DOW" was too simple, but it's what I went with until SOLAR PANEL 'enlightened' me

37. Massenet opera : THAÏS - the Wiki

38. Heraklion's island : CRETE - the clue looked Greek, turned out to be Greek -ish

39. Chimney repair job : RELINING - REPOINTING did not fit

41. 14-Down, for one : MARTYR - I did not know this about St. Pete

42. Some property safeguards : PRE-NUPS

43. "Alice in Wonderland" bird : DO-DO

44. They may be frozen or liquid : ASSETS - this was, like, one of my only fills on the first pass (OK, I had MAA & TASE to start, and that was wrong)

45. Ideal figure : TEN - Mr. Silk is probably referring to Olympic scoring; a woman's figure is ideal if she were, say, a "two" - IMHO   ;7))

46. School with the mascot Big Al : 'BAMA - mostly perps, but makes sense - my mom loves elephants

50. Quill parts : NIBS

51. Food chain group : HERBIVORES - anyone else think something like "IHOP" first?

54. Greek letters : ETAs

55. Gourmands : OVER-EATERS

56. Erato's instrument : LYRE

DOWN:       

1. Sense : FEEL

2. Radius neighbor : ULNA - 'dem bones

3. Unpopular spots : ZITS - I knew ACNE was what we were looking for, but I had TASE and felt pretty confident about the "S"

4. Literally, "twice-baked" : ZWIEBACK - I thought it was a cookie (and the last name of a kid I went to high school with); after reading up on it, I prefer Biscotti

5. Rod : GAT - gangsta talk for a gun

6. "Tracey Takes On" author : ULLMAN - and her TV show spawned "The Simpsons" - its first airing was Dec 17th, 1989, and has since surpassed all other TV shows for longevity

7. Intestinal : ILEAC - DaH~! Spelled it with two "I"s

8. Cry of achievement : "Ta-DA~!"

9. Routine : ACT - ah, that kind of routine; I guess UPS has got me thinking "RUT"

10. Botswana neighbor, formerly : RHODESIA - a WAG with half the letters via perps

11. Some October campaigns : AD WARS - we're getting close to another "AD" high point - the Superbowl

12. Fare reduction option : LOW-FAT DIET

14. Keys holder in a Rubens portrait : SAINT PETER - Total WAG with only the two "E"s in place; I'm proud of myself~!

22. Singer James : ETTA

24. Person : ONE

25. Strikes out : DELES - DAH~! Was in baseball, not editing, mode

27. Brown, e.g. : UNIVERSITY

28. Business where lines are short? : SINGLES BAR

29. Equip anew : RERIG

31. Pain relief pill brand : DOAN'S

34. Greenside stroke : CHIP SHOT - then there's the stroke below the belt - that's a chEAp shot

35. 1983 Styx hit that begins in Japanese : Mr. ROBOTO - I liked it when it first came out; now, not so much

37. Flanged fastener : T-NUT

38. Rogue : CAD

40. Existing: Lat. : IN ESSE

41. Francs and beans? : MONIES - Plural of money; clever - loved the clue

43. Winger of "Black Widow" : DEBRA

45. Cretaceous giant : T-REX

47. Stretch : AREA - I get it, but this was the 's-t-r-e-t-c-h' clue for the day

48. Seas overseas : MERS

49. Part of PDA: Abbr. : ASST - Personal Data Assistant, now referred to as a Smartphone

52. Certain threshold : EVE - the next "eve" on my calendar is Feb 8th

53. Brewery sight : VAT

Splynter