google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Mar 24, 2012

Saturday, March 24th, 2012, Steve Salitan

Theme: None (well, a bit Indian, I think)

Words: 70

Blocks: 28

A little mix of everything today for me - some gimmes, some WAGs; some right-ons and some write-overs. A pinwheel of nines with two more climbers inside; got one by pure logic, the other pure luck -

9D. Hosp. staffers : E.R. DOCTORS - Had the first letter, "E", and the "-ORS", so....

31D. Mount high above Delphi : PARNASSUS - ah~! Greece~! Too early in the AM, I guess, and confused my DelPHi with DelHi (as in 44D). Had to WAG the second "S"; the rest was all perps; here's a map for you

Compared to last week's pummeling, I am pleased with how I did on this puzzle ~! I'd like to hear how you fared.

ONWARD ~!

ACROSS:

1. Diamond protector : GLASS CASE - Not Tarpaulin, so, sorry C.C., no baseball to start

10. Agra wrap : SAREE - Indian (Asian, like 44D.) garment; Agra is the site of the Taj Mahal - a crossword staple

15. A job ticket often accompanies one : WORK ORDER - seen my share of these; all my job tickets are numbered by my sobriety date; today is 80216

16. Southeastern town dubbed "Brick City" in the 1880s : OCALA - goofed here, too, thinking this was "ADOBE", but that's the South WEST; map

17. Deceptive football play : END-AROUND - I am not too familiar with football plays; the only ones I know are quarterback sneak, flea-flicker, and BLITZ~!!!

18. Inveigles : LURES - new word for me

19. Like arbitrators : NEUTRAL

20. Not straight up : OVER ICE - WHOA ~!!! Easy, Tin....

22. Packing gp.? : NRA - National Rifle Association, packing 'heat' - makes me think of this Blue Öyster Cult song.

23. Hairy TV cousin : ITT - the "Addams Family"

24. Bonds, in a way : CEMENTS - new this, but it took "DOCTOR" to give me the "C", and that altered my 10D.

25. Lawyer's thing : RES

26. Old gun across the pond : STEN - Image

27. Nice way to refer to you? : TOI - Nice the French city. As you know, meh, French for me (Nice, the city in France)

28. Some plants : SPIES - not this plant; mis-direction here

31. Sit (down) undaintily : PLOP

32. Blue genre : PORN - I hear one of the Republican candidates plans to "ban" pornography; good luck to him; he will NOT get my vote - any comments, lois?

33. Something to believe in : TENET - nailed it

34. __ ball: bad miss in hoops : AIR

35. Had, biblically : BEGAT

36. Disappearing sea : ARAL

37. Places for icons, briefly : CRTs - Cathode Ray Tubes, yeah I get it, but a bit of a stretch

38. Olympic speed skater __ Anton Ohno : APOLO - for the ladies

39. Some MDs : GPs - a WAG, but not too hard to guess - General Practitioners

40. Business word after "&," maybe : SONS - like P.C. Richard & SON (S)

41. It can lead to fisticuffs : IRE

42. Sister of Orestes : ELECTRA - a little mythology, if you care

44. Formicidae family member : ANT - I always wanted to have a whole wall of my house to be like 1A so I could have a really huge any farm

45. S.A.'s second-largest country : ARGentina

48. Sea nymphs : NEREIDS

49. Shooting marble : STEELIE - I put this in right away, tho I thought it was the ball from pinball....

51. Like a Frisbee's symmetry : AXIAL - not CONIC, and RADIAL didn't fit

52. Christian __ : SCIENTIST - not familiar with this one

54. Reagan attorney general : MEESE - The Wiki

55. "Rise 'n' shine!" : UP AND AT 'EM - crossing 46D. Out of the sack : RISEN

56. Blessed duo? : ESSES - bleSSed, very good

57. Common sedimentary rock : SANDSTONE

DOWN:

1. "Miracle on 34th Street" Oscar winner : GWENN - Ed #2, here - I have not seen this movie, go figure - but then again, I am "young"....

2. One unlikely to collaborate : LONER

3. Per __ ad Astra: RAF motto : ARDUA

4. Card game for three : SKAT

5. Most pathetic : SORRIEST

6. Certain Balkans : CROATS

7. __ education : ADULT

8. RFK, for three-plus yrs. : SENator - NYC renamed the Triboro bridge for him

10. Mirthless : SOLEMN - Had SULLEN to start

11. Words after seek or find : A CURE - find, yes, seek, meh

12. Champing at the bit : RARIN' TO GO

13. Kind of college : ELECTORAL

14. Gradually enters : EASES INTO

21. White House colloquialism : VEEP - VP, Vice President

25. Stagger : REEL

26. Thin apertures : SLITS

28. Acting handle : STAGE NAME - Splynter is my "stage name"

29. Baffles : PERPLEXES - Great fill, with an "X", too

30. Sequentially : IN A SERIES

32. Classical guitarist Romero : PEPE

35. Mixes well with others? : BARTENDS - another cute clue/ans.

37. Quantity destined to be burned : CORD - of wood, that is

40. Metro gates : STILES



41. Mean : INTEND - ah, the other meaning of mean

43. Cut out : CEASE

44. Indian, say : ASIAN - my my my ~!! Image

45. O'Connor's successor : ALITO - Supreme Court associate justice

47. "Understand?" : GET ME ???

50. Non-stateside state : ETAT - meh, French

53. Balancing pro : CPA - Busy busy busy; Certified Public Accountant

Answer grid.

For those who care to know, this was my first full week doing different trucks for UPS - I stayed union, and did not fall to the "DARK SIDE".... I am very happy with my new supervisor, assignment and drivers - and I had no mis-loaded packages for the first time in a long time - proof that I needed to change. Thanks for asking ~!!

Splynter (stage name)