google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Doug Peterson and Brad Wilber

Advertisements

Showing posts with label Doug Peterson and Brad Wilber. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doug Peterson and Brad Wilber. Show all posts

Dec 31, 2011

Saturday, Dec 31, 2011, Doug Peterson & Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 68

Blocks: 34

PHEW ~! This offering from two of our regular constructors really forced me to dig down deep, and there was a point when I thought "I'd better give in", but I held my ground and got my "Ta-Da", and under my personal allotted time, too. Doug Peterson has contributed several times to other Saturday 'gridsmiths', and has possibly set a record for having his name associated with 4 (LAT) puzzles in a month - this month. Of course, Brad is no slouch, either, with 8 Saturday puzzles this year, and one other Saturday contribution from both guys, Feb 5th this year.

So we had FIVE (5!) grid spanners in this one:

14A. Flock tender : RELIGIOUS LEADER - Well, I knew it was something like this, but I was also thinking it might just be a reeeeally long version of "shepherd"

17A. Style eschewing heavy sauces : NOUVELLE CUISINE - Never heard of this style, but I do know our group here at the blog has shared many a recipe over the time I have been visiting.

35A. Brain cramp, so to speak : LAPSE IN JUDGMENT - More commonly known around here as a Brain "Fart"

55A. 1926 novel set in Pamplona : THE SUN ALSO RISES - One of those "oh, I know this, I just need some letters to suss it out" - and I think I had T--SU------IS-S, and I ducked before the V-8 can bonked me

57A. 1970s Patrick Duffy title character who can breathe underwater : MAN FROM ATLANTIS - I know who he is, in terms of "Dallas", but never heard of this show - here you go, ladies

Onward ~!

ACROSS:

1. Removes, as a backpack from one's shoulder : UNSLINGS - Well, I figured it was UN-, so I tried SLINGS, and didn't look back

9. Described in letters : SPELT - Shall we start a dispute over SPELLED? I thought it was "written on paper" letters, so I tried WROTE first.

18. Was Grinch-like, in a way : SNEERED - Timely, but I only like the cartoon version of this classic

19. Trattoria offering : RISOTTO - Makes me think of Chef Gordon Ramsay from "Hell's Kitchen"

20. Pros with schedules : CPAs - Certified Public Accountants

22. Assemblage : BODY

26. Pillow stuff : FOAM - Not Down (the other down is further down, uh, lower)

27. Fab : BOFFO

32. 1840s-'50s antislavery party : FREE SOIL - The Wiki, I do not recall discussing this in American History

34. Symbol of Middle America : PEORIA -


37. Like Schoenberg's "Moses und Aron" : ATONAL - Well now, we just talked about this yesterday - and another link - Egad ~!!!

38. Enjoying the mall, say : ON A SPREE - SHOPPING fit, too, but then I knew one "E" was right, so I WAGed this, and ha ~!

39. Wyoming's __ Range : TETON - Again, one of those "oh~! I know this...."

40. Pride of the pumped-up : PECtoralS - and another for the ladies

41. Wagnerian title? : HERR - German title

42. Indiana senator who retired in 2011 : BAYH

43. Do something about : ACT UPON - Funny, this my first thought, and yet I didn't try it

48. Island classic : ALOHA 'OE - Total and undeserved WAG, I stuck the "O" & "E" at the end because I had no clue otherwise

58. Move sneakily : SIDLE - Not SLINK

59. Revealing : TELL-TALE

DOWN:

1. Some museum pieces : URNS - Why not? The "U" of which I was fairly certain

2. Its atomic number is 10 : NEON - Again, the "N" was good, what else could it be~?

3. Turn about : SLUE - OK, now my SLINGS is starting to work....

4. Glowing, as coals : LIVE - Ah, but then again, I could not think of an "L" word that meant 'hot' or 'afire' - LIVE is good, but....

5. Eisner's Disney successor : IGER - Don't know this guy

6. Livingstone explored it : NILE

7. Crown in the Henry VIII era, e.g. : GOLD COIN - Crown as in money

8. Only non-rhyming ghost in Ms. Pac-Man : SUE - Blinky, Pinky, Inky and "Mr." Pac-Man's fourth, do you know~? I do, I do ~!

9. Dos into doce : SEIS - Well my foreign math is completely OFF - I was very proud I got 10 ÷ 2 = 5, and that's CINC, no, SEIS - HA~! I SO know my Italian ~!!!! (Spanish, 12/2=6)

10. __ Robles, California : PASO - Map

11. Drop a line, maybe : EDIT - I had OMIT, and in a play, this is totally reasonable

12. Advanced : LENT

13. Big name in 34-Down : TREO - Have to admit, this cyclic clue actually HELPED me today - I had --EO, and --AS, and I threw in TREO, and the light bulb gave me 34D. Some email receivers : PDAs - Personal Data Assistants, which I think I had last Saturday, too

15. "Bug off!" : SCRAM

16. Aparicio of Cooperstown : LUIS - as always, I defer to our most highly appreciated host (From C.C.: Every year we splurge on Topps Heritage cards. One of our best pulls is an autographed Luis Aparicio card (in limited number).

21. Musical based on an O'Hara novel : PAL JOEY

22. Key of the last Brandenburg concerto : B FLAT - don't be flat, be positive~! - no that's blood type - oh well, if you knew that you would be "A SHARP" person....

23. Declaim : ORATE - nah, I wanted STATE here

24. Stop on a line : DEPOT - a Clecho of 11D, this 'line' is a railroad; took me a while

25. Not open-ended, as a question : YES/NO

26. Flexible weapon : FOIL - the recently in hiding "EPEE" of crossword fame

27. Appeals : BEGS

28. Brio : OOMPH

29. Nice sibling : FRÈRE - Nice the French city. Earworm ~!

30. More luxuriant : FINER

31. Film that often includes drawings : OATER - ugh ~! Drawing, as six-shooters at high noon in a gun-slinging (hey~!) western

33. Dramatist O'Casey : SEAN

36. Opposite of 47-Down : UNCHASTE & 47D. Immaculate : PURE

40. Clipper airlines : PAN AM

42. Pro follower : BONO - Legal Lemonade

43. Casino conveniences : ATMs - an alteration on our CW staple - Casinos love 'em~!

44. Indian tea : CHAI

45. Look after : TEND

46. QB Jim Kelly was its 1984 MVP : USFL - Yeah, I remember this, but at first I thought BOWL, but knew it was an abbr.

49. Use the hammock : LOLL

50. Like some traditions : ORAL

51. Trace : HINT

52. 1930s-'40s mystery film scene stealer : ASTA

53. Part of le visage : OEIL - meh, French

54. To be, to Tiberius : ESSE - I took Latin for four years - helps my English and crossword skills

56. GPS determination : LATitiude

Answer grid.

AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR (earworm)

(OK, one for the guys before the end of the year....)

Splynter