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

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Jul 21, 2012

Saturday, Jul 21st, 2012, Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Words: 66

Blocks: 35

PHEW~! - Thank God for DWEEBS~! It's the word that gave me a chance....then, one letter at a time, I had just enough to go back and literally piece together this challenge from Mr. Venzke - and I had a premonition we were due for one from Bruce. Two brilliant sets of triple-stacked grid spanners today, which is visually intimidating, to say the least ~!

1A. Steve Irwin wildlife documentary series, with "The" : CROCODILE HUNTER - Crikey~! Just could not recall the name of the show - all I remembered was his shocking death from a stingray barb

16A. It may involve a step : AEROBIC EXERCISE - I had SPIRAL STAIRCASE here, and the -C-SE at the end was good enough to get going....



17A. Senator, perhaps : STATE LEGISLATOR - considered --- ORATOR early on

54A. Valuable floor coverings? : SUNKEN TREASURES - The floor of the sea, that is; wooden ships run aground (or "a-reef"), spilling their treasure all over the bottom so that future vacationing divers have something to look for....

57A. Questionable prospects : UNCERTAIN FUTURE - can I get rich finding sunken treasure~?

58A. Some evaluations : PEER ASSESSMENTS - it's how we graded our Home Inspection tests this past winter

Onward, my lexeme liberators~!

ACROSS:

18. Hoppers : BINS - Ah, not ROOs or Rabbits; the container-type "bin"

19. Lummoxes : LOUTS

20. You might encounter a jam in one : AUTO

21. Luanda is its cap. : ANGola, Africa - map

22. The Keydets of the Big South Conf. : VMI - Virginia Military Institute - more here

23. Constellation near Virgo : LEO - image - one of those "can't be, too easy, but I'll try it" clue/ answers; considered ARA, but that constellation is near Scorpio

24. Rainbow features : HUES - I didn't think it would be ARCs, so after some pondering....

26. "Glee" extras : TEENS - never watched the show, but I know the premise - and TEENS was not my first thought....

28. Old Dodge : DART - Not OMNI, or NEON

29. Williams of "Bathing Beauty" : ESTHER

31. Get fouled up : GO AWRY

33. Addl. : AUXiliary

34. Blow smoke : LIE - and it's usually directed here

35. Pet store swimmers : TETRAS

38. Cab Calloway's signature line : HI-DE-HO - I know this from the "Blues Brothers"

41. 1891 title mother of an infant named Sorrow : TESS - a summary, here

42. One who doesn't stay put : NOMAD

44. Investor's purchase : BOND

46. Scrub sites, briefly : ORs - Operating Rooms

47. Kids usually don't want to hear them : NOs - Growing up in my house it was "We'll see...", and my mother would hope my brother and I would "forget" what we wanted

48. Month after avril : MAI - Le Freunche

49. Butter-yielding tree : SHEA - ah, I know of shea butter, did not know it was from a tree

51. Keep an __ the ground : EAR TO - "one eye on the road/price upon his head/one ear to the ground/he's listening to the dead" - song; @ 0:51

53. Items from drawers? : CELS - draw-ers, those who draw cels, animation elements

DOWN:

1. African landmark near the Mediterranean : CASBAH - someone else can link the song - not my thing

2. Entourage : RETINUE

3. Juicy fruit : ORANGES - well, that they are~!

4. Barracks lineup : COTS - not Barrack's line up

5. Brit. award : OBE - Order of the British Empire - my aunt and cousin are visiting from Nottingham, England this week - they spent quite a lot of time helping clean up the yard - then again, were I to go there, I would love to build them a deck~!

6. Parsley family herb : DILL

7. Freeze : ICE OVER

8. Lentil, for one : LEGUME - had it, took it out for my "staircase", brought it back with the 'crocodile hunter'

9. Like some traffic : EXITING - if only it was ALL exiting....

10. British pianist Dame Myra __ : HESS

11. Address letters : URL

12. Bracketology org. : NCAA - College hoops, basketball - more on 'bracketology' here

13. Like figureheads : TITULAR - as in title, only - but hey, go ahead and get DF, my friends~! Dennis, Lois, anyone? Bueller? DF for the guys

14. Abstruse stuff : ESOTERY - good words; try working one into your day today....

15. Establish a fresh foothold : RE-ROOT - several times this puzzle, I would say

25. Ballpark figures : STATS

26. Janis Joplin or Scott Joplin : TEXAN - a WAG from -E-AN; Janis you might know; Scott was a ragtime composer - there's a link to "Maple Leaf" on the right, here

27. All muscle : SOLID

28. Social misfit : DWEEB - well, I suppose I am a dweeb, by this definition

30. Ben-__ : HUR - Classic Hollywood - what year? (before my time) - IMDb

32. Developing country's need : AID

35. Founder of Sunnybank Kennels : TERHUNE - Albert Payson - learning moment for me; I was watching a science show that said Collies are the smartest of all dogs (training-wise, I think)

36. Scent : ESSENCE

37. Recital pieces : SONATAS

38. Gets a move on : HASTENS

39. Big hit : HOME RUN

40. Ready : ON ALERT

41. Tough decision for a bettor : TOSS-UP

43. Title professor in a Mitch Albom best-seller : MORRIE - the Wiki - another learning moment

45. Puts down : DISSES - Slang; to "dis" someone is to show them disrespect

50. Oslo's river : AKER - huh - all I could find was Akerselva, and not much luck finding a map that called it that

51. Middle-earth creatures : ENTs - "Even the %^&*~! trees walked" - LOTR "dis" - strong language from Clerks II

52. Lummoxes : OAFS

53. Like a button? : CUTE - as in "Cute as a Button"

55. Internet __ : ERA

56. Cartesian conclusion : SUM - Latin, "I am", and some philosophy here

Answer grid.

Splynter