Theme: "IN THE BEGINNING...."
So, I was born February, 1971....oh wait, that's a long story. This is
my first time blogging a "themed" puzzle for C.C. and the LA Times, as I
was the regular Saturday themeless guy for about five years. I still
work the puzzles everyday, and I read the write-ups every day. Since I
last blogged, I changed my solving style and prefer to do all the DOWN
clues first, then when I switch to ACROSS, most of the perps are in
place, and the theme answers a little easier to solve. We had two nine-
and two eight-letter words in the downs today, which is unusual for a
Monday puzzle. C.C. had asked me to "guest" blog, and I had the
opportunity last month, but was way out of practice, and thus had my own
"EPIC FAIL". But enough of my long story, here are the theme answers
for today;
20. Bank customer, e.g.: ACCOUNT HOLDER
28. Colorful and fuzzy street art: YARN BOMB - Never heard this term before; here's an image
36. Innovative concept: NOVEL IDEA
49. Big-time letdown: EPIC FAIL
57. "I'll tell you the rest another time," and what can be said about the starts of 20-, 28-, 36-, and 49-Across: IT'S A LONG STORY
And away we go~!
ACROSS:
1. Matriarch of the Three Bears: MAMA
5. Grocery shopper's aid: LIST
- I have mine on my phone, listed by aisle, and my new favorite store
since I moved to CT is "Big Y" because I can scan the barcodes with my
phone camera, pay via credit card, and walk right out.
9. Private supply: CACHE
14. "Right away" letters: ASAP - As Soon As Possible
15. Mideast leader: EMIR
16. Catchall option on a survey: OTHER
17. At a __ for words: LOSS
18. Regarding: AS TO
19. With 4-Down, small dog from Tibet: LHASA and 4D. See 19-Across: APSO
23. 24 horas: DIA - Spanish
24. Disco __ of "The Simpsons": STU - Crossword regular now
25. Has lunch on a blanket, say: PICNICS
31. More expansive: VASTER - meh.
32. Southeast Asian language: LAO
33. Mani-__: spa treatments: PEDIs
35. "For sure": "YES"
40. Cat coat: FUR - clever clue
43. Calf-length skirts: MIDIs - I cannot resist....
44. Raspberry shade: RED
47. "The way things are ... ": AS IT IS
53. Shares a tweet on Instagram, say: REPOSTS - Spell-check doesn't like this
55. Pull the plug on: END - Sadly, I pulled the plug on my career
as a Pipe Organ technician - at least for now. I had tried to bargain
for a pay increase, but the company could not come up to the offer I got
from a local millwork company that needed a CAD drafter; so my
three-week trip to Lynchburg VA in July was my "Swan Song"; here's me at
the Washington National Cathedral; it was howling windy and raining as
we unloaded.
56. Ode title words: TO A....
60. Vietnam's capital: HANOI.
62. Comfort: EASE.
63. Shape of many a car logo: OVAL - Ford, Subaru, Toyota and others
64. Houston MLB player: ASTRO - Spellcheck doesn't like this one, either65. Squeezes (out): EKES - Crossword staple
66. How-to presentation: DEMO
67. Cereal eater's utensil: SPOON
68. Hissed "Hey!": "PSST~!"
69. Etch or sketch: DRAW
DOWN:
1. Affliction: MALADY
2. Preferring to be alone: ASOCIAL - My ex-wife is/was a
counselor, and she 'diagnosed' me as being anti-social; I told her
"good, that lets me off the hook" - not the answer she wanted to
hear....
3. Cosmetic applied with a wand: MASCARA
5. Makeshift shelter: LEAN-TO.
6. "Haven't the foggiest": "I'M STUMPED"
7. Lightsaber wielders who are enemies of the Jedi: SITH
8. Scout unit selling cookies: TROOP
9. Unsolved crime: COLD CASE
10. Home of the Acropolis and the Parthenon: ATHENS - GREECE fit, too
11. Donation recipient: CHARITY - On my way back from Lynchburg, I saw billboards reading Mega Millions was up to $940mil - I would have to donate to more than one CHARITY if I walked away with that kind of money
12. Father and son: HEs - Meh. True, but I'm not a fan of this kind of answer
13. Time studied in history class: ERA
21. PC connection port: USB
22. Really steamed: LIVID - I had IRATE to start
26. Average grade: CEE
27. Graduating gp.: SRs - Abbreviated group, abbreviated SenioRs
29. Persona __ grata: NON - Latin
30. Represent inaccurately: BELIE
34. Hands out: DISPENSES - ATMs and vending machines "dispense", which I think is not quite the same as "hand out"
37. Something left out: OMISSION - $2 Monday 8-letter word
38. Photogenic expanse: VISTA
If you zoom in, this is Washington DC from the cathedral
39. "Woof!": "ARF~!" - Dogspeak
40. Few and __ between: FAR
41. Function: USE - as a designer, I am of the thought that FORM follows FUNCTION
42. Verbally attack: RIP INTO - We stayed at a popular, long-term
hotel with in-room kitchens for the trip to VA - there were several
issues in my room that never got resolved during my 19-day stay - so
when they sent me a survey, I had to RIP INTO the chain's poor service.
45. Dine at a friend's: EAT OVER
46. Elementary school shoebox project: DIORAMA - I helped my buddy's seven-year-old son build a "Leprechaun trap" for a school project - quite enjoyable
48. "My Neighbor __": Studio Ghibli film: TOTORO - The Wiki;
I've been solving the LA Times crossword daily for the past year, and I
can tell that the new editor has changed the rules - I doubt this
clue/answer would fly on a Monday in the past
50. Consume: INGEST
51. Insured investments: Abbr.: CDs - I have one through my Discover card, and a savings account now getting 4.30%
52. "Stay out of trouble": LAY LOW - I had BEHAVE
54. Dream state: SLEEP
58. Thousand __: Ventura County city: OAKS - filled via perps
59. Sondheim's "Sweeney __": TODD
60. Gives birth to: HAS.
61. Egyptian snake: ASP - My #1 movie of all-time, Raiders of the Lost Ark
Well, I'm back,
da-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na
Fix your bent antenna, tune it in, and then I'm gonna
Enter in and up under your skin like a....
Splynter
Notes from C.C.:
Welcome back, Splynter! We missed you.
Splynter will blog next Monday's puzzle also. Sumdaze will be back on August 14th.
