Words: 70 (missing W)
Blocks: 35
Well, I saw Mark Bickham's name on this one, and figured I was in for
the long haul, but then I noticed that the grid was not so daunting, and
as a result, I have to say I just smoked through this puzzle. Lots of
"Z"s, and we got the "Q" and "J", but alas, no place for the "W". Oh
well. Two spanners, and two 11-letter climbers, and not much else
lengthwise. Splynter is suffering from a prolonged head cold, and a
stiff back from hockey, so it's going to be a short one today;
27. "Chicago" song : ALL THAT JAZZ - I had the "Z" from OZONE, and that helped
OW, darn~!
ACROSS:
1. Early 20th-century Met baritone Pasquale : AMATO - With -M-TO in place, I went Italian....
6. City on the Nile : GIZA - ah, I forget it happens to be a city, and not just a plateau
10. "'Sup" : "HI YA" - I have a UPS logo shirt, but the letters are S'UP
14. Three-time Oscar-winning director : CAPRA
15. OS X basis : UNIX
16. Scholarly Islamic title : IMAM
17. Rasp : CROAK
18. Place to pick up some pets : NAPE - Dah~! Went with SPCA, knowing there was no abbr. in the clue - nice misdirection
19. Yankees coach Tony : PEÑA
20. 10% of MDX : CLI - I needed Husker's calculator again; 1510 x .1 = 151
21. Common file folder abbr. : MISCellaneous
22. Reno and others: Abbr. : AGs
28. Thick-trunked tree : BAOBAB
30. Bee product : QUILT - Dah~! Not HONEY, but I know better on Saturday
31. Followed : RESULTED
32. Makes a decision : ACTS - Not OPTS, but I was 50% correct
35. Word with lake or lick : SALT - Salt Lake, and salt lick - I had a bunny growing up
36. World's largest user of cheese, according to its website : PIZZA HUT - DOMINO'S was too short, but I bet they could give them a run for the title
40. Goes after, as flies : SHAGS - Yeah, baby, yeah~!!!!
44. Alternative-medicine staple : ALOE VERA - Fresh clue for a crossword staple - and the full answer, too
45. Fastball, in slang : HEATER - the season is running out, and the hockey is coming in~!
48. Airline with headquarters in Amstelveen : KLM
49. Energy source : ATOM - I tried WIND first
50. Improv session : JAM
51. Premium factor : RISK - like for your 17yr-old son's car insurance payment
53. Two-band : AM/FM
54. Bashes : GALAs
56. Etonic competitor : AVIA - Sneakers
57. Extend one's service : RE-UP - Military
58. __ layer : OZONE - Nailed it
59. One might be staked : TENT - Vampire did not fit....
60. Mallorca, e.g. : ISLA
61. Quetzalcoatl worshiper : AZTEC
DOWN:
1. Clemson Univ. is in it : ACC - All perps
2. Only actor to speak in Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie" : MARCEAU - The mime, and his only word is "No."
3. Ill-fated 1967 mission : APOLLO I - Capsule fire took the lives of three astronuats; Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee
5. Poison __ : OAK - OAK or IVY~? IVY or OAK~?
6. Hit the gas : GUN IT
7. Agitated : IN A STIR
8. Routing aids : ZIP CODES - Yesterday I caught a package bound for Southold, but with a Brooklyn address - bad zip code
9. Send packing : AXE - Dah~! Not CAN
10. Not square : HIP
11. "Seriously" : "I MEAN IT"
12. Asia's longest river : YANGTZE - got it with the "A" and "T" in place; the Three Gorges Dam displaced 1.3 million people; more facts here
13. Got a lot of : AMASSED
21. __ mentality : MOB
23. Summer party invitation letters : BBQ - DAH~! Not BYO....
24. Part of Wayne's world : BATCAVE - Clever misdirection, and I did not fall prey to it; BRUCE Wayne, not Wayne & Garth
25. Neighbor of Tempe : MESA - Cities in Arizona
26. Eponymous skater Axel : PAULSEN - The Wiki
33. What you once were? : THEE - Cute - "...but I wish I could wrap myself / in thee"
36. Super saver? : PACK RAT
37. "No harm done" : "I'LL LIVE"
38. Enhances the details : ZOOMS IN
39. Considerate : TACTFUL
41. Got stuffed, maybe : ATE A LOT
42. Material : GERMANE - by definition, relevant; pertinent
43. Yearbook sect. : SRs
45. Buzz : HUM
47. __-Loompas: Dahl characters : OOMPA - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
53. NPR journalist Shapiro : ARI
54. __ long way : GO A
55. Hardly a long time : SEC
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
I got below sweet note & picture from Irish Miss last night. Never saw Ruth or Mantle play in person, I have to agree with what Jorge Posada said about Jeter. To me, he is the #1 Yankee, on and off the field.
"My great (grand?) nephew and his wife went to see the Yankees vs
the Red Sox game tonight. They first had dinner in the Italian North
End of Boston and who was there, dining alone, but Derek Jeter. Since
the main reason for them attending this game was to see Jeter, this was
an added plus, more so because he didn't play tonight. However, being
the class act that he is, he very graciously posed with my g-nephew's
wife."
