Saturday Themeless by Grace and Greg Warrington
What a lovely Saturday puzzle by high school student Grace Warrington and her University of Vermont math professor father Greg. I zoomed through this one and really enjoyed the clever cluing and the very helpful long and "gettable" fills. Here is a very nice article about Grace, her dad and getting their first puzzles published.Across:
15. Move, informally: RELO.
16. Athletic brand that makes Scoot Zeros: PUMA.
17. "So ... you're not saying no ... ?": IS THAT A YES?
19. Conditionally give: LEND.
21. Contamination process: OSMOSIS.
23. Drab shade: OLIVE
26. "Rock'n Me" group: STEVE MILLER BAND - A very worthy musical interlude. Rock on!
32. Worked on the road: PAVED or tarred like they did in Cool Hand Luke
33. "Good thinking!": SMART.
34. Congressional auditing org.: GAO - Their charge is to monitor and limit government spending. No, really!
35. Squeezes (out): EKES.
36. Devout: PIOUS.
37. Some recyclables: CANS.
39. For company: ALONG.
40. Actress Tazel of "Justified": ERICA.
41. Correct: RIGHT ON THE MONEY - It had to do with surveyors placing a shiny coin on top of a time aged marker to help them view their target. When the coin was centered in their sights, they knew they were on target - or “right on the money”. You're welcome.
44. Thé addition: LAIT - Thé indicates the French word for tea, LAIT is French for milk and so we get tea with milk. (correction - hg)
45. Singer who never toured outside North America: ELVIS - "Colonel" Tom Parker was the reason Elvis never toured
46. Spots for fireside chats: HEARTHS.
49. "You must let me": I INSIST - The initial two "I's" took some parsing
53. Actor who hosted "Scientific American Frontiers" from 1993 to 2005: ALDA.
54. Editorial piece, perhaps: OPEN LETTER.
56. Side hustle option: UBER.
57. Peignoir frill: LACE.
58. __ wafers: NILLA.
59. Hit with an intense beam: LASE - Name
60. First asteroid landed on by a NASA craft: EROS - NASA's NEAR Shoemaker vehicle traveled the 160 million miles to EROS and landed within three feet of its target. It has remained there in the dark and cold for over twenty years.
61. Wimbledon set?: TELLY - British television. I did not bite on the red herring of Wimbledon tennis.
Down:
1. Con __: with vigor, in music: BRIO - Allegro also means cheerfully
8. Jazz singer Laine: CLEO - Name the 1940 Disney cartoon that had a character named CLEO (*answer below)
31. "If I __ so myself": DO SAY.
36. Glitch in "The Matrix," maybe?: PLOT HOLE.
39. Busy, busy, busy: AT IT.
40. Celebrated: EMINENT - It is not necessarily imminent that you will become EMINENT
50. "__ come to me ... ": IT'LL - Wait a minute, IT'LL come to me.
51. Pitch well?: SELL 😀
52. Buffet surface: TRAY.
55. Prefix with footprint: ECO.
1. Tells: BLABS.
6. Randall Munroe webcomic: XKCD - I had no idea but this looks really fun! XKID made more sense to me at first.
6. Randall Munroe webcomic: XKCD - I had no idea but this looks really fun! XKID made more sense to me at first.
10. In a tizzy: AGOG.
14. Instant success?: RAMEN - I don't remember these being popular when I was a struggling college student.
14. Instant success?: RAMEN - I don't remember these being popular when I was a struggling college student.
15. Move, informally: RELO.
16. Athletic brand that makes Scoot Zeros: PUMA.
17. "So ... you're not saying no ... ?": IS THAT A YES?
19. Conditionally give: LEND.
20. "My mistake": OH SORRY - Not always sincere...
21. Contamination process: OSMOSIS.
23. Drab shade: OLIVE
26. "Rock'n Me" group: STEVE MILLER BAND - A very worthy musical interlude. Rock on!
32. Worked on the road: PAVED or tarred like they did in Cool Hand Luke
33. "Good thinking!": SMART.
34. Congressional auditing org.: GAO - Their charge is to monitor and limit government spending. No, really!
35. Squeezes (out): EKES.
36. Devout: PIOUS.
37. Some recyclables: CANS.
38. __ Lingus: AER - There appears to be a dominant color inside and out
39. For company: ALONG.
40. Actress Tazel of "Justified": ERICA.
41. Correct: RIGHT ON THE MONEY - It had to do with surveyors placing a shiny coin on top of a time aged marker to help them view their target. When the coin was centered in their sights, they knew they were on target - or “right on the money”. You're welcome.
44. Thé addition: LAIT - Thé indicates the French word for tea, LAIT is French for milk and so we get tea with milk. (correction - hg)
45. Singer who never toured outside North America: ELVIS - "Colonel" Tom Parker was the reason Elvis never toured
46. Spots for fireside chats: HEARTHS.
49. "You must let me": I INSIST - The initial two "I's" took some parsing
53. Actor who hosted "Scientific American Frontiers" from 1993 to 2005: ALDA.
54. Editorial piece, perhaps: OPEN LETTER.
56. Side hustle option: UBER.
57. Peignoir frill: LACE.
58. __ wafers: NILLA.
59. Hit with an intense beam: LASE - Name
Bond: Do you expect me to talk? Goldfinger: No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die! |
60. First asteroid landed on by a NASA craft: EROS - NASA's NEAR Shoemaker vehicle traveled the 160 million miles to EROS and landed within three feet of its target. It has remained there in the dark and cold for over twenty years.
61. Wimbledon set?: TELLY - British television. I did not bite on the red herring of Wimbledon tennis.
Down:
1. Con __: with vigor, in music: BRIO - Allegro also means cheerfully
8. Jazz singer Laine: CLEO - Name the 1940 Disney cartoon that had a character named CLEO (*answer below)
11. "Still wrong": GUESS AGAIN.
12. Hotel chain headquartered in Dallas: OMNI - A pretty good guess for a 4-letter hotel chain
13. __ about: GADS - What my wife says I do at parties
18. Short cut: TRIM.
22. Outlet: MART.
24. San Gabriel Valley city north of Whittier: EL MONTE - It's about a 23 minute drive from EL MONTE to Pasadena for the Rose Parade
12. Hotel chain headquartered in Dallas: OMNI - A pretty good guess for a 4-letter hotel chain
13. __ about: GADS - What my wife says I do at parties
18. Short cut: TRIM.
22. Outlet: MART.
24. San Gabriel Valley city north of Whittier: EL MONTE - It's about a 23 minute drive from EL MONTE to Pasadena for the Rose Parade
28. Largest subtropical wilderness reserve in North America: EVERGLADES.
29. Wrinkles in time?: LAUGH LINES - Getting rid of them
29. Wrinkles in time?: LAUGH LINES - Getting rid of them
30. Actor Jack who often collaborated with David Lynch: NANCE.
Lynch (director) NANCE (actor) |
31. "If I __ so myself": DO SAY.
36. Glitch in "The Matrix," maybe?: PLOT HOLE.
39. Busy, busy, busy: AT IT.
40. Celebrated: EMINENT - It is not necessarily imminent that you will become EMINENT
50. "__ come to me ... ": IT'LL - Wait a minute, IT'LL come to me.
51. Pitch well?: SELL 😀
52. Buffet surface: TRAY.
55. Prefix with footprint: ECO.
*Cleo was Gepetto's goldfish in 1940's Pinocchio