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

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Jul 18, 2015

Saturday, Jul 18th, 2015, Roland Huget

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,W,X,Z)

Blocks: 32

  Ta-DA~!!!  I can once again claim success on a Saturday, with no cheating, no Googling, and no red-letters~!  It was not looking that way to start, though, and then I hit the center, with the triple-stack spanners, and thought - ugh.  However, triple-stacks usually mean shorter crossings, and so I was hoping to catch a break there [not].  Way too many proper names*, and one or two fun-sponges, but ultimately a satisfying solve - even if I'm biased just for finishing it~!  The triple stack spanners;

33. Best Picture of 1965 : THE SOUND OF MUSIC - the hills are alive....

40*. Mario Lanza classic : ARRIVEDERCI ROMA - with about half the perps, this made as much sense as anything else - despite not knowing the artist nor the song

41. Winner : LAST ONE STANDING

Aaaaaahn - ward~!

ACROSS:

1. Hot tub feature : EDDY - I can personally verify this, because I'm in my hot tub right now~!  Having this as the first clue of the day - on my vacation - seemed so appropriate~!

5. Air carrier : DUCT - I was thinking airplanes first

9. Bargain : STEAL

14. Clamors : BROUHAHAS

16*. Eponymous WWII flying ace Edward : O'HARE - more airplanes

17. High muck-a-muck : BIG KAHUNA - I'll refrain from a video clip; just an image


18*. One of Johnny's two final "Tonight Show" guests : BETTE - Midler; his other guest was the late Robin Williams

19. Reel kin : SPOOL - think movies, not fishing

20. Garden grower : HERB - we made an herb garden at the front of restaurant aMano

22. In the thick of : AMID - my first fill, 10 clues in

23. Spoiler of a perfect GPA : ONE B - I got "one B" in manual drafting, which annoyed me

25. Military group with an insect in its logo : SEABEES - "CBs"; Construction Battalions


27. Swing voter: Abbr. : INDependent - eh

29. Pacific landing handout : LEI

32. Mag wheels? : EDs - I was going to throw this in - editors - because we've seen it before; but I was thinking it might be something a little more clever

42. Familia member : TIO - OK, no immediate ta-DA~!, because I had tiA

43. Disdainful click : TSK

44. Golf club part : TOE



45. "Yup, sorry to say" : " 'FRAID SO" - did you hear the one about the rope that went into the bar~?

49. Some Ivy Leaguers : ELIs

52. "... where was __ Urania / When Adonais died?": Shelley : LORN - perps & WAG

53. Additions, perhaps : ELLS - elis and ells

56. __ directed : USE AS


59. As much as you like, '60s-style : A GO-GO

61*. Augustine St. Clare's daughter, in an 1852 classic : LITTLE EVA - not that I knew this proper noun, but it has appeared in a Saturday puzzle before

63*. Prince Ramiro in Rossini's "La Cenerentola," e.g. : TENOR - um, OK

64. Volunteer's declaration : "I'M YOUR MAN~!"

65*. "Goosebumps" series author : STINE - hey, I knew this name~!

66*. Irving Bacheller's "__ Holden" : EBEN - but not this one

67. Latin 101 verb : ESSE - dah~! not AMAS

DOWN:

1. Subsides : EBBS - crossing EDDY is quaint

2. __-dry : DRIP

3. Many social reformers : DO-GOODERS

4. 3,185-kilometer river : YUKON - no guess until --K-N

5. Code word : DAH - I filled in the "D", and waited; this is MY code word for the head-slap V-8 can moment

6. "No way!" : "UH-UH~!"

7. Raspberry stem : CANE - new one to me

8. Medieval Bulgarian rulers : TSARs

9. Blubber : SOB - dah - not "FAT"

10*. Theater for Beckett? : "THE ABSURD" - "The Wiki"

11. Invitation Alice accepted : EAT ME

12*. Wheelchair-bound "Glee" character : ARTIE - never seen it

13. West Yorkshire city : LEEDS

15. Sound : HALE

21. Some pinups : BEEFCAKE - one for the ladies; or is this more to your liking~?


24. Prude : BLUENOSE - I knew it was BLUE - something

26. Running group, informally : ADMINistration

27. Underlining alternative: Abbr. : ITALics; don't know why I was thinking underWIRE


28. Funny Car org. : NHRA - Hot Rods ; I'm starting the NHTA - the National HOT TUB Association

30*. "The Neverending Story" author : ENDE

31. Words usually abbreviated : ID EST - that is, i.e.

34. Withholding : SITTING ON

35. Roundish : OVOID

36. Remnants : ORTS - ah, not LEES

37. "By all appearances" : "SO IT SEEMS"

38. Mae West's "__ Angel" : I'M NO

39. Imprison : CAGE - nailed it

45. Broken glass dangers : FLATS - meh.  I wanted SHARDS, but not enough space.  Glass doesn't threaten my tires, nails and screws are the real problem

46. Wordsmith's reference : ROGET - his thesaurus, that is

47. "The San Francisco Treat" suffix : A-RONI

48. One-toothed dragon of '50s TV : OLLIE - I thought it was this guy
Gumby & Prickle

50. Beaut : LULU

51. Grenoble's river : ISERE

54. Danger metaphor : LIMB - as in "out on one"

55. Bump on a lid : STYE - dah~! I went with SEAL; hey, it's the bump on a lid of jelly

57. Audio/visual production awards : AVAs - BTW, not the Adult Video Awards


58. Levelheaded : SANE - made me change my "AMAS" @ 67a.

60. Celestite, e.g. : ORE

62. Workload hyperbole : TON - these days, it's a s**t-load

Splynter