X(word)-RAY
EYES
Blue Oyster Cult - X-ray Eyes, from Heaven Forbid, 1998
which refernces the movie starring RAY Milland
This is the fourth collaboration between "Ironman" Dan ( see here - thanks HuskerG~! ) and our lovely hostess, C.C., plus their second crossword this month for the LA Times. A simple but enjoyable puzzle featuring four unique and different "Rays", with two 10-letter Down fills as well. Twenty 3LWs, Twenty-six 4LWs, a handful of names, and no circles. Yay~! The themers, with no reveal;
17. Place to catch some rays: SCI-FI MOVIE - classic "laser guns" type of "RAY" - I loved the original 1953 War of the Worlds movie - and despite being a huge fan of Speilberg's work and the stunning visuals, his remake was awful
Based on the H.G. Wells book
62. Place to catch a ray: OCEAN FLOOR
And A-Ray We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Like just-cut radish slices: CRISP
6. Butter used in pantua: GHEE - Learned from doing crosswords
10. Lack of objectivity: BIAS
14. Wood that repels moths: CEDAR - I currently have a cedar bench in my kitchen, but I have plans to build a foyer on the front stoop of my house - the bench will move in there; item #28 on my self-inflicted "to-do" list . . . .
15. Covered with grease: OILY - I got covered in grease last week when I discovered the trailer ball on my minivan was rusted into the hitch bar; it took 70A. of penetrating oil, lying on the garage floor, and a sledgehammer to get the thing loose and free, dammit.
16. "Do __ others ... ": "UNTO" - The Golden Rule
19. Nose-in-the-air sort: SNOB
20. Set of the rosary: DECADE - I have it on good authority that this was the editor's clue; not familiar with a 'decade of the rosary' ( I'm not Catholic, just spiritual ), a "set" of ten Hail Marys - more here
21. Scavenging carnivore: HYENA
22. [This isn't my typo]: SIC
23. Like a locked door: SHUT
26. Visibly embarrassed: RED - or like lethal alien "Death rays"
27. Traffic report vehicles, briefly: COPTERS - Ironic when it creates the traffic and can't report it . . . .
I found this shocking and incedible Wiki article
31. Readily available: ON TAP
33. Guatemala gold: ORO - Espaniol lesson #1
38. __ of Skye: ISLE
40. Not 'neath: O'ER - poetic contractions
47. Pepsi holder: CAN
48. Hide from prying eyes: STASH
49. Pool section with diving boards: DEEP END - falls between DEPEND and DEEPENED when unparsed
51. Residue in a fire pit: ASH
53. Desperate request: PLEA
55. Jellyfish home: SEA
56. Midnight fridge visits: RAIDS - If I raid the fridge now, it's for a handful of air-fried shrimp
58. Petty complaints: GRIPES
61. Coin in the Trevi Fountain: EURO - one day I hope to toss a coin . . . .
66. Penny-__: ANTE - low-cost poker
67. "What __ wrong?": "WENT"
68. "Broad City" star Glazer: ILANA - only name I did not know; filled via perps
69. Bratty back talk: SASS
70. Tons: LOTS
71. Like reserved seats: TAKEN
DOWN:
1. Loops in on an email thread: CCs - a self-shout-out~?
2. Remote button with a red dot: RECord - or the "Death ray" button 😜
3. Response to "Anyone see that?": "I DID~!" - unparsed, it's "IDID"; looks Latin
4. Least dangerous: SAFEST - "don't push the button with the red dot~!"
5. More expensive: PRICIER
6. "No news is __ news": GOOD
7. Spots for queens: HIVES - oh, that kind of queen - bees; I was thinking chess board
8. "Hostel" director Roth: ELI - I was going to add a link, but it's horror, and NSFW - or me, really
9. Calm part of a storm: EYE
10. Unable to hang out: BUSY
11. State sought in meditation: INNER PEACE - OM - our first 10-letter Down fill
12. Right wrongs: ATONE - Dah~! Not AMEND; 40% correct, plus an "E"
13. Just terrible: SO BAD - like my War of the Worlds 2005 review
18. "Large" prefix: MACRO - Don McMillan, Technically Funny
Better than "Microsoft"
21. URL opener: HTTP - HyperText Transfer Protocol
24. Souped-up car: HOT ROD
25. __, dos, tres: UNO - Espaniol lesson dos
27. Hairdo: COIF - had it, took it out; my 29D was GOLF shirts, so the Across answers were not making any sense
28. Approximately: OR SO
29. Top choices for golfers: POLO SHIRTS - 'top' as in clothing; by default could NOT be "GOLF shirts", Duh. The second 10-letter Down fill.
30. Provide comfort to: SOOTHE
32. Say further: ADD
35. __ and far between: FEW
36. Family group: CLAN
37. Warmhearted: KIND
39. Toronto summer hrs.: EDT - Eastern Daylight Time - we need to scrap this nonsense
43. Catches a few z's: NAPS - I am up at 3 or 4am every day, and take a nap every day - I like this way of living
44. Adult ed class: ESL - Crosswordese, English as Second Language
45. Sticky pine secretion: RESIN
46. Stay in shape: KEEP FIT - Dah~! Not WORK OUT - I have grown to enjoy my workout at the gym - this past Saturday, my trainer was out ( he went to the ball game the night before ) and I had the opportunity to "play hookey", but I went in anyway; he sent me a text of what exercises I could do that morning
50. Spanish dish with rice and saffron: PAELLA - I enjoy this dish, but over the past few weeks, I have been perfecting my "chicken crust" pizza, where I use ground chicken, 93% lean, to make a 'pie' - it is so good, and good for me
51. Calculus calculations: AREAS - specifically the area under a curve
I prefer L x W . . . . 😁
52. Bathhouse hot spot: SAUNA
54. Singer's representative: AGENT - I'd like to be just famous enough to require an agent, whether for my music, games, or publications - I am still working on my Sci-Fi novel
57. "What __ it matter?": "DOES"
59. "Well, darn!": "RATS~!"
60. Enjoy a bubble bath: SOAK - I came home to soak last Saturday, partially due to being sore, and also due to the poison ivy - which I get every F*&%ing summer - aaah, Aveeno~!
62. Bird with piercing eyes: OWL - "WHO" has piercing eyes~?
Are you lookin' at me~?
63. Jensen Huang of Nvidia, e.g.: CEO - didn't recognize him, but it was easy enough to suss
64. Atomic number of hydrogen: ONE - the first, and most abundant element in the universe
65. Competed in a relay, say: RAN - I like to walk my neighborhood; I don't "get" running - JMHO
Splynter
