Saturday, August 31, 2024, Samuel A. Donaldson & Doug Peterson

 Saturday Themeless by Samuel A. Donaldson & Doug Peterson 

Wow! Quad stacks of 10's! That's 120 cells filled. Samuel and Doug used only 28 blocks and had 99 open squares. 

The Manga heroine (yeah, right!), the correct vowel for pasta and a pop singer gave me two bad cells but, in the words of Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive. 

Sam Donaldson

Doug Peterson

Across:

1. Opportunity for late-night stargazing: AFTER PARTY - I told Vanity Fair I just couldn't make it.

11. March 1 : lion :: March 31 : __: LAMB - In Nebraska, March 1st had a high of 50⁰F and March 31st had a high of 54⁰F, so...

15. Manga heroine romantically linked to Tuxedo Mask: SAILOR MOON - Okay...

16. "Queen Sugar" actor Dorsey: OMAR - Two in a row where I had no chance

17. Element of the Pythagorean theorem: HYPOTENUSE - A piece 'o cake for us math peeps! Bonus: Carpenters know, if you measure 3' on one side of a frame and 4' on the other side. If the HYPOTENUSE measures 5', you've got a right angle. 

18. Museum piece: VASE and 33. Museum piece: URN.

19. Triumphant shout: YES.

20. Actress Mireille: ENOS.

21. Gabor sister whose given name was Sári: ZSA ZSA - The Kardashians of many years ago. Between them they had 19 marriages. 

For no particular reason: In 1941, Gabor left Hungary for the United States. During a layover at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska en route to Hollywood, she made headlines by telling the Associated Press that she had danced with Adolf Hitler twice.

Zsa Zsa, Eva and Magda Gabor

23. Wheat protein: GLUTEN.

25. Objects: ITEMS.

26. Utterly unavailing: NO HELP.

29. Performer in a cloud swing: ACROBAT - Our constructor/circus trainer friend Carly Schuna did not have a picture of her in this device but she prevailed on her friend Karen Nellessen to send me one. Thanks Carly and Karen!

Karen Nellessen

 
31. Comforting words: I CARE.

32. Small pile of leaves: QUIRE - Oh, those leaves!

34. Wall St. whiz: ARB.

35. Give up: CEDE.

36. Like a road with many blind spots: CURVY - Twisty had too many letters.

37. Northern Nevada county: ELKO and city that is the county seat

Elko, Nevada

38. Ryssdal who hosts NPR's "Marketplace": KAI.

39. Clan title: THANE.

40. "The Bear" Emmy winner Jeremy __ White: ALLEN - These strangers-to-me continue to populate the puzzle.

41. Being heard: ON TRIAL.

43. Most dot matrix printers and flip phones, now: E-WASTE.

44. Handout: FLIER.

45. Emmy-winning show about Clio-winning execs: MADMEN.

48. Strands in the winter?: TINSEL - Nothing says traditional like these

50. Runs away in haste: LAMS.

51. In: HIP.

54. Deets: INFO - Really good INFOrmation needs deets (details)

55. Big fan: AFICIONADO.

58. Dull roar?: MEOW.

59. Bob Seger hit about "trying to lose the awkward teenage blues": NIGHT MOVES - An ear worm song with lyrics shown in a very unique way.

60. Misses the mark: ERRS.

61. Booker prize?: SENATE SEAT.

Down:

1. Like terrain downwind of an erupting volcano: ASHY - The eruption of Mt. St Helens in 1980

2. "Atlanta Millionaires Club" singer Webster: FAYE.

3. Word in Box 1 of a Form W-2: TIPS - Wages, TIPS and other compensation 

4. Jeff Lynne's gp.: ELO.

5. Pasta similar to fiori: ROTELLE.

6. Union contract: PRENUP - Michael Jordan's new wife Yvette Prieto signed a PRE-NUP giving her $1M/year if they stay married up to ten years and $5M/year beyond that.

7. Terse denial: AM NOT.

8. Prod: ROUSE - Sergeant Hulka's method in Stripes

9. Game breaks, for short: TO'S - Time Outs

10. California's Santa __ Valley: YNEZ.

11. "Sorry Not Sorry" singer: LOVATO 

12. "Epic!": AMAZEBALLS - I think you can translate this:

13. Publishing option: MASS MARKET.

14. Body part that includes the xiphoid process: BREAST BONE.

22. Father: SIRE.

23. Two-time Roberts co-star: GERE - A pretty easy translation 

24. Credulous: NAIVE.

26. Last-second: NICK OF TIME.

27. Vacation venue with cabins: OCEAN LINER - The Titanic compared to a modern cruise ship

28. Plotted against: HAD IT IN FOR.

30. Tear up: CRY.

32. Reservation: QUALM.

36. "__-ching!": CHA.

37. Flair: ELAN.

39. Semi circle?: TIRE - 😀 This semi has 18 TIRE semi circles.

40. "Epic!": AWESOME - A very overused word!

42. Makes seedier?: RESOWS 😀 

43. Cowboy legend Smith: EMMITT.

 

46. Join forces (with): ALIGN.

47. Georgia retreat: DACHA - When I saw Warm Springs would not fit, I figured I should be thinking Russia

49. Brief hookups at the office?: LANS - Uh, not what you might think...

51. Host: HAVE - LA does HAVE the 2028 Olympics

52. Hunch: IDEA.

53. Denver daily: POST - Do you notice any pattern in my posts? 😀 🚀

56. "King Lear" curse: FIE.

Lear: FIE, FIE, FIE, pah, pah!—Give me an ounce of civet, good apothecary, to sweeten my imagination. There’s money for thee.

Translation: Shame, shame, shame, ah, ah! Give me a strong perfume to sweeten my imagination, good pharmacist. There's some money for you.

57. Sudoku figs.: NOS.