Saturday Themeless by Kyle Dolan
As you have probably noticed, Dr. Dolan works at the British Consulate-General in Chicago. He said he will get Boxing Day off on Monday as it comes on Saturday this year. Kyle is from Boston but says he is one of the "local hires" at the consulate in Chicago. He was kind enough to share this with us:Dear Gary,
Thanks for your note, and I hope you're keeping safe and in good health. Looking forward to reading your writeup of the puzzle.
I made this puzzle over a year ago, and it was accepted by Rich Norris in June of this year. The seed entry was SMART WATCH, which I thought would make a good 1-Across. Overall I'm pleased with how the grid turned out, particularly getting full names EVE ENSLER and ROSA PARKS in opposite corners, as well as the stacked duo of ALL-NIGHTER and SLEEPS EASY--an irony that won't be lost on anyone who's ever crammed for a final exam (raises hand). Rich did make one grid change at the crossing of GLUERS/GAR, which was originally CLUERS/CAR (he wouldn't accept CLUERS).
The published puzzle has 53 clues that are originals or bear a close resemblance to what I submitted, including 14-A, 45-A, 61-A, 30-D, 47-D and 49-D. Interestingly, the clue at 35-Down is Rich's and has a very different connotation compared to my submission, which was [Action film effect].
Best regards,
Kyle
1. Apple product: SMART WATCH - Dick Tracy's imagined device of my 1950's comics has come to be a real device
11. Collector's frame: CEL.
14. Mozart's Queen of the Night, for one: COLORATURA - COLORATURA the ornamentation of a vocal piece of singing in opera with runs, trills and leaps usually performed by a soprano. If a soprano is as 28. Virtuoso: ADROIT as the fabulous Kathleen Battle, it sounds like this
15. Cover on the road: PAVE.
16. Guacamole, e.g.: AVOCADO DIP.
17. "Agreed!": AMEN.
18. Tiny and unimportant: DINKY - Some DINKY toys of my childhood
16. Guacamole, e.g.: AVOCADO DIP.
17. "Agreed!": AMEN.
18. Tiny and unimportant: DINKY - Some DINKY toys of my childhood
19. "The First __": NOEL - Tunes such as these have been put away until around October 1. 2021.
20. Must: NEED.
21. Make a narrow escape?: SEEP
26. Field pair: OSCARS - Sally has won two OSCARS (Norma Rae and Places In The Heart) but ya gotta love someone who wears high heels to the ceremony and then 23. Slips into: DONS tennis shoes for the rest of the night.
32. La Liga cheer: OLE - I don't remember when this shout of bullfighting ring moved over to soccer (futball) fields as well
34. Like Dorothy Parker's humor: DROLL
39. Cut out: OMIT.
41. Model builders, at times: GLUERS.
42. Bauhaus founder Gropius: WALTER - What is Bauhaus?
41. Model builders, at times: GLUERS.
42. Bauhaus founder Gropius: WALTER - What is Bauhaus?
44. Not peripheral: MAIN.
45. Chateau Montelena's home: NAPA - Just northwest of NAPA, CA near Calistoga, CA
46. Ban from practice: DEBAR - My EMBAR fill got banned
48. Spring break destination, briefly: BAJA - BOCA didn't make the cut here
52. Word of resignation: ALAS.
53. __ Eats: UBER - Have bike, will deliver
48. Spring break destination, briefly: BAJA - BOCA didn't make the cut here
52. Word of resignation: ALAS.
53. __ Eats: UBER - Have bike, will deliver
58. Art store supply: INKS.
59. It may be pulled before a final: ALL NIGHTER, you thought you had 1. Gobs: SCADS of time
60. Thing in the Roman Senate: RES - RES Nullius means "thing no one owns". Like a wild animal
61. Has a clear conscience, maybe: SLEEPS EASY.
Down:
2. Oddly, trailers may precede one: MOVIE - Show time is 7:00 and you're still in the parking lot? No problem, trailers and ad will push that curtain to 7:20.
3. Like many a horror film victim: ALONE. - Jamie Lee Curtis recreates her mother Janet Leigh's ALONE scene in the shower scene from Psycho
5. A server may carry one: TRAY.
6. Gum, after use: WAD
7. Makes up: ATONES.
8. Elizabeth I was the last one: TUDOR - Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth II is a first cousin 13 times removed to Elizabeth I.
9. Really could use, with "for": CRIES OUT.
10. Unfortunate: HAPLESS.
11. Diner patron played by Stephen King in "Mr. Mercedes," e.g.: CAMEO ROLE - Here he is as the scene is being setup where he plays a chef that gets killed.
13. Takes interest, maybe: LENDS.
15. Bear that can bark: PANDA - Rough translation, "Hey Mom, get off me!"
22. Call counterpart: PUT
30. First woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol: ROSA PARKS - A sterling example of DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND
35. Highly energetic sort: FIREBALL - LIVE WIRE was my first choice
37. What a city dweller may do on a building roof: SUN BATHE - Of course I'm going to link to the Drifters's version of the song Carole King co-wrote
40. Jellyfish: MEDUSAS - Hey, I'm not allergic to learning!
43. Burns with a light touch?: LASES - Progressive steps of LASER tattoo removal
44. Oceanic: MARINE.
45. Point from which a recovery can begin: NADIR - I hope Husker FB is there
47. Animated Disney bibliophile: BELLE - from Beauty And The Beast
50. Slangy craving: JONES - Derivation