Here's a nice note from Greg:
Bio: I am a dad with 3 small kids and am an Assistant Controller at a hedge fund in NYC.
Notes: I'm a big fan of Amie's puzzles, so when I found myself on a mission to make a 68-word themeless with clean fill, I approached Amie who graciously joined the cause. When she suggested this fun grid layout with diagonal symmetry I knew I asked the right person! Fun fact - back in 2012 I may have bought a bunch of TWINKIES when I heard Hostess was filing for bankruptcy.Amie, who is an attorney in Chandler, AZ, added: It's always a delight making grids with Greg, one of the nicest folks in puzzles. I really enjoyed his wordplay clues in this one. Fun fact: I have never actually had a Twinkie!
Across:
1. Award for Attica Locke's "Bluebird, Bluebird": EDGAR - Attica Locke's "Bluebird, Bluebird" won the prestigious 2018 Edgar Award for Best Novel
6. Gala portion: APPLE CHIP 😀- APPLE computers contain many CHIPS but that was not relevant here
15. Duane __: NYC chain owned by Walgreens: READE.
16. Personal compass: MORAL CODE.
17. "Precision Crafted Performance" sloganeer: ACURA.
18. One who really gets people?: PRANKSTER - They might yell, Gotcha! 😀
19. Like a wise guy: SAGELY.
21. Draws: TIES - This game has ended in a draw or TIE because it is black's move and his King can not move into check
22. Apt name for a cinematographer: CAM 😀
23. Visual aids: EYEPIECES - Different EYEPIECES can give different telescope images
25. Soccer great called "O Rei": PELE - Any four-letter soccer player, hmmm...
26. Had the conn: STEERED - Captain Kirk leaves and turns STEERING over to Mr. Sulu. Derived from "conduire" (to conduct) or a "conning tower," the "conn" is not an abbreviation but a nautical term for the station controlling ship maneuvers, separate from commanding the entire vessel. You're welcome!
28. Gospel-singing sister of Aretha: ERMA - The Franklin sisters
29. Degree of difficulty?: PHD - 😀 Yes, obtaining that degree is difficult.
32. Couture letters: YSL.
33. "How fun!": OH NEAT.
35. Features of some cold cases?: EAR ACHES 😀
38. Mark up: NOTATE.
39. Fabric: CLOTH.
40. Part of a Cuban combo: BONGO.
42. Went first: LED.
43. The hills of Rome, e.g.: SEPTET.
45. Parents: FOLKS.
47. Hidden assets: SECRET WEAPONS.
52. Hostess treats: TWINKIES - If kept in their air tight wrapping, they will last 45 days, not forever.
54. First name in country pop: SHANIA.
55. Voice-activated, say: HANDS FREE - I say, "Siri, call Joann" and she does!
57. Bucks: BREAD - BREAD as slang for money is a frequent Saturday visitor
58. Chiwere speaker: OTOE.
59. Cheerful tune: LILT.
60. One bit: AT ALL.
61. __ Reader: UTNE. The Current edition
62. Serpentine fish: EELS.
63. Bounce back: RALLY - The Vikings were down by 33 points at halftime.
1. Wipe: ERASE.
2. Get on with one's half-life?: DECAY 😀
3. Get a feel for: GAUGE.
4. Campaign managers?: AD REPS.
5. Wake-up calls: REALITY CHECKS.
6. Rock blaster: AMP - I abandoned TNT after some crossers appeared
7. Billy who wore a velvet tuxedo jacket and ball gown to the Oscars in 2019:
8. Speak highly of: PRAISE.
9. Kent co-worker: LANE - In the English County of Kent, a co-worker might be a MATE, but Lois LANE worked in Metropolis with Clark Kent. Somehow Clark's (George Reeves') glasses hid his super identity from Lois Lane (Noel Neill).
10. __ Club: ELKS.
11. Loops into a chain: CCS - Much easier today rather than using Carbon CopieS
12. Breakfast option: HOT CEREAL - Mom always said they would "stick to my ribs".
13. The one, so to speak: IDEAL MATE - As we approach 60 years of marriage, I think we've got this covered.
14. Spread throughout: PERMEATED - Last year, wildfires in Canada PERMEATED the air in several states
20. "Big yikes": YEESH.
24. People person?: CELEB - CELEBS do appear in People Magazine
25. Bottled (up): PENT.
27. Useful connections for networking?: DONGLES - For some reason, Apple did not put in any USB or HDMI ports in my last MacBook and so I had to buy a DONGLE. They have since put them back. My old MacBook ports are shown on the bottom below.
29. Chest day targets, for short: PECS.
30. Lucy of "Pretty Little Liars": HALE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think Lucy is second from the left
31. Surprises with a call: DROPS IN ON - Nobody did it like Cosmo Kramer
34. Place to blow off smoke?: HOOKAH BAR - We love the Rick Steves Travelogues on PBS. While in Turkey he did visit a HOOKAH BAR but said he only "smoked" dried apples.
46. City-state documented by Herodotus: SPARTA.
48. Inducing the heebie-jeebies: EERIE - Our favorite cwd lake takes on another vowel
49. "Inside the NBA" analyst since 2011: O'NEAL - Shaq and his girlfriend at an NBA event
50. Horan of One Direction: NIALL - On the left
51. "I hate to say it ... ": SADLY.
52. The old you?: THOU 😀 How Great THOU Art might be the greatest hymn of all time
53. Inventor who coined the term "horsepower": WATT - WATT, you want more?
56. "Arrival" arrivals, briefly: ETS - This interesting movie had the ETS arriving in an upright craft.
1. Award for Attica Locke's "Bluebird, Bluebird": EDGAR - Attica Locke's "Bluebird, Bluebird" won the prestigious 2018 Edgar Award for Best Novel
6. Gala portion: APPLE CHIP 😀- APPLE computers contain many CHIPS but that was not relevant here
16. Personal compass: MORAL CODE.
17. "Precision Crafted Performance" sloganeer: ACURA.
18. One who really gets people?: PRANKSTER - They might yell, Gotcha! 😀
19. Like a wise guy: SAGELY.
21. Draws: TIES - This game has ended in a draw or TIE because it is black's move and his King can not move into check
22. Apt name for a cinematographer: CAM 😀
23. Visual aids: EYEPIECES - Different EYEPIECES can give different telescope images
25. Soccer great called "O Rei": PELE - Any four-letter soccer player, hmmm...
26. Had the conn: STEERED - Captain Kirk leaves and turns STEERING over to Mr. Sulu. Derived from "conduire" (to conduct) or a "conning tower," the "conn" is not an abbreviation but a nautical term for the station controlling ship maneuvers, separate from commanding the entire vessel. You're welcome!
28. Gospel-singing sister of Aretha: ERMA - The Franklin sisters
 |
| ERMA Aretha Carolyn |
29. Degree of difficulty?: PHD - 😀 Yes, obtaining that degree is difficult.
32. Couture letters: YSL.
33. "How fun!": OH NEAT.
35. Features of some cold cases?: EAR ACHES 😀
38. Mark up: NOTATE.
39. Fabric: CLOTH.
40. Part of a Cuban combo: BONGO.
42. Went first: LED.
43. The hills of Rome, e.g.: SEPTET.
45. Parents: FOLKS.
47. Hidden assets: SECRET WEAPONS.
52. Hostess treats: TWINKIES - If kept in their air tight wrapping, they will last 45 days, not forever.
54. First name in country pop: SHANIA.
55. Voice-activated, say: HANDS FREE - I say, "Siri, call Joann" and she does!
57. Bucks: BREAD - BREAD as slang for money is a frequent Saturday visitor
58. Chiwere speaker: OTOE.
59. Cheerful tune: LILT.
60. One bit: AT ALL.
61. __ Reader: UTNE. The Current edition
62. Serpentine fish: EELS.
63. Bounce back: RALLY - The Vikings were down by 33 points at halftime.
Down:
1. Wipe: ERASE.
2. Get on with one's half-life?: DECAY 😀
3. Get a feel for: GAUGE.
4. Campaign managers?: AD REPS.
5. Wake-up calls: REALITY CHECKS.
7. Billy who wore a velvet tuxedo jacket and ball gown to the Oscars in 2019:
PORTER ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
8. Speak highly of: PRAISE.
9. Kent co-worker: LANE - In the English County of Kent, a co-worker might be a MATE, but Lois LANE worked in Metropolis with Clark Kent. Somehow Clark's (George Reeves') glasses hid his super identity from Lois Lane (Noel Neill).
10. __ Club: ELKS.
11. Loops into a chain: CCS - Much easier today rather than using Carbon CopieS
12. Breakfast option: HOT CEREAL - Mom always said they would "stick to my ribs".
13. The one, so to speak: IDEAL MATE - As we approach 60 years of marriage, I think we've got this covered.
14. Spread throughout: PERMEATED - Last year, wildfires in Canada PERMEATED the air in several states
20. "Big yikes": YEESH.
24. People person?: CELEB - CELEBS do appear in People Magazine
25. Bottled (up): PENT.
27. Useful connections for networking?: DONGLES - For some reason, Apple did not put in any USB or HDMI ports in my last MacBook and so I had to buy a DONGLE. They have since put them back. My old MacBook ports are shown on the bottom below.
29. Chest day targets, for short: PECS.
30. Lucy of "Pretty Little Liars": HALE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think Lucy is second from the left
31. Surprises with a call: DROPS IN ON - Nobody did it like Cosmo Kramer
34. Place to blow off smoke?: HOOKAH BAR - We love the Rick Steves Travelogues on PBS. While in Turkey he did visit a HOOKAH BAR but said he only "smoked" dried apples.
36. One who shows up: ATTENDEE.
37. Low-pressure approach: SOFT SELL - We've left dealerships when getting the hard sell
41. As we speak: NOW.
44. Layered dessert often topped with syllabub: TRIFLE - A TRIFLE is a classic English layered dessert typically composed of sponge cake shake in sherry, fruit, custard and topped with whipped cream, or, historically, a whipped cream, wine and lemon mixture know as a syllabub. You're welcome.
37. Low-pressure approach: SOFT SELL - We've left dealerships when getting the hard sell
41. As we speak: NOW.
44. Layered dessert often topped with syllabub: TRIFLE - A TRIFLE is a classic English layered dessert typically composed of sponge cake shake in sherry, fruit, custard and topped with whipped cream, or, historically, a whipped cream, wine and lemon mixture know as a syllabub. You're welcome.
46. City-state documented by Herodotus: SPARTA.
48. Inducing the heebie-jeebies: EERIE - Our favorite cwd lake takes on another vowel
49. "Inside the NBA" analyst since 2011: O'NEAL - Shaq and his girlfriend at an NBA event
50. Horan of One Direction: NIALL - On the left
51. "I hate to say it ... ": SADLY.
52. The old you?: THOU 😀 How Great THOU Art might be the greatest hymn of all time
53. Inventor who coined the term "horsepower": WATT - WATT, you want more?
56. "Arrival" arrivals, briefly: ETS - This interesting movie had the ETS arriving in an upright craft.
Notes from C.C.:
Here's a thoughtful initiative from the Minnesota-based constructors Will Eisenberg and Hannah Slovut-Einertson: Midis for Minnesota, a pack of 13 midi puzzles tied to donations supporting immigrant families in need. The puzzles are edited by Will. Contribute
to a mutual aid organization, send in proof, and the puzzles are yours.
I made the preview puzzle. Give it a solve.
