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

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Feb 16, 2013

Saturday, Feb 16th, 2013, Brad Wilber & Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 33

   Our "other" dynamic duo does it again with a do-able themeless thrasher.   A rather odd grid having a block (6 cheater squares) in the 1 across and 1 down position, but with the highest freshness factor I have seen, and no fill longer than 9 letters. Some answers that will grab this group's attention;

18A. Lady Violet in "Downton Abbey," e.g. : DOWAGER - I do not watch, but I have lurked here on those days when *Spoiler Alert~!* would have been appreciated....so SHH~!!! And - symmetrically, the other 7-letter fill in the lower spot starts with D-O-W-, too;

45A. Command to Fido : DOWN BOY

29A. Familiar title of Beethoven's "Bagatelle No. 25" : FÜR ELISE - It's so recognizable, but I thought I would link a version for those of us who "fret" rather than tickle the ivories

48A. Anteater's slurp in the comic "B.C." : ZOT

 

36D. Over-90 day, say : SIZZLER - Over 90°, that is - and I am sure there are those in the upstate NY and the New England area that can't wait for those days to return; me, I spent my Birthday weekend digging out, and I don't mind; I'm a winter baby

Onward~!!

ACROSS:

1. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, familiarly—he holds the NCAA Division I men's basketball record for most wins : COACH K - not a Basketball kind of guy, but once I had "C-O-A-", I guessed the rest

7. Gets stuffed : FEASTS

13. Mawkish : MAUDLIN - sometimes I think this word seems like it's missing a final "G"

14. Many Civil War mess kits : TINWARE

15. Gallery event : ART SALE - ack~!, not ART SHOW

16. Arab League member since 1962 : ALGERIA

17. Pulled off : DID

20. GI assignments : KPs - Kitchen Patrol, working in the mess unit

21. Nash's "ill wind that no one blows good" : OBOE

23. Run together : BLUR - ack~!, not BLED

24. Hershey's candy : ROLO - ack~!, not KISS

25. Karate takedown maneuver : FOOT SWEEP

28. Bagel order, maybe : DOZEN

30. 2003-'04 OutKast chart-topper : HEY YA

31. Monopoly deed word : RENT - filled it, thought it was "too easy", took it out - and then it was back in again

32. Vitamin starter? : MEGA - mega-vitamin

33. Got the lead out? : MINED - or the ore of any metal, for that matter

35. WWII Pacific Theater battle site : CORAL SEA

39. Without any aptitude for : BAD AT - I'm BAD AT witty lines; I always think of the perfect one about 10 minutes after the cutie I was talking to is long gone....

40. Emotional one-eighty : MOOD SWING - crossing MOON BASE

41. Turgenev's birthplace : OREL - Ivan the Turgenev, playwright, born in Oryol, according to Wiki

42. Bingo call : B TEN - let's see; it could be B-one and B-two as well; the numbers associated with BINGO cards are astounding

43. Fitch who partnered with Abercrombie : EZRA

44. Broadway legend Hagen : UTA - learned from doing crosswords, and one of my first pass fills which meant it was not a complete white-wash

49. The "G" in G.K. Chesterton : GILBERT - mostly perps, and sensible WAGs for the other couple of letters

51. Ethel Waters title line following "Now he's gone, and we're through" : "AM I BLUE?"

53. Latte option : HALF-CAF - I only "do" my own coffee, and maybe 7-11 or Dunkin' Donuts; and it's coffee-flavored coffee with "fake sugar" and creamer

54. Lucky groups? : SEPTETS - C.C. said my lucky numbers are 2, 5, and 8

55. Schemer : SLY FOX

56. Sew up : ENSURE - HA~! Not STITCH, which fit, and SUTURE, too

DOWN:


1. Arctic game : CARIBOU - oh, DUH - that kind of "game"

2. Unprotected, in a way : OUTDOOR

3. Much spam : ADvertisementS

4. Decent, so to speak : CLAD - She's clad, but is she decent?  What about him?

5. American port below the 20th parallel : HILO - Considered "GUAM", but waited to see what crossed; Hawaiian port

6. Emulated a '50s TV father? : KNEW BEST - before my time



7. One doing cabinet work? : FILER - one who FILES, in that kind of cabinet; I prefer the wood-working version....

8. IBM hire, maybe : ENGR - eh, not TECH

9. Floor : AWE - it was in, then ECUADOR fit @ 16A, messed me up

10. Chirac's successor : SARKOZY - ah, French presidents; I didn't even know they HAD one; I thought it was some sort of "prime minister"

11. Like the least risky bonds : TRIPLE A - Market references in a puzzle containing MADOFF might get some people's blood in a boil

12. __ pass : SEASON - I was looking for CARSON, DODSON, etc., not the "admission ticket" to an amusement park; we have "Splish-Splash" in Riverhead, they offer a season pass

13. Bernie __, subject of the 2011 book "The Wizard of Lies" : MADOFF - Yeah, he "MADE OFF" with a lot of people's money; if you ask me, prison was too easy; he needed to be put to work at UPS for $8/hr, and forced to earn a living like most of us have/had to

14. Run after a fly? : TAG UP - hey, baseball - what, about 7 weeks away, C.C.? (The season starts on April 1 Monday.)

19. Not being buffeted as much : ALEE - healthy Saturday cluing for "away from the wind"

22. Enduring : ETERNAL

24. Majestic euphemism : ROYAL WE

26. Nasty fall : SLEET

27. Empty talk : WIND

28. "Fin d'Arabesque" painter : DEGAS
 
 30. Wrangler's charge : HERD

32. Sci-fi destination : MOON BASE - If you're a Sci-Fi kind of person, check out this movie; essentially a one-man cast, and really fascinating; more at IMDb

33. __ arts : MARTIAL

34. "If everything works out ..." : IDEALLY

35. Either "A Serious Man" director : COEN - Joel and Ethan, who have given us some great movies; here's the clued one; sounds like "Falling Down"

37. Getting there : EN ROUTE

38. Striped marbles : AGATES - Learned this one from crosswords, too

39. Large branches : BOUGHS

40. Appt. book sequence : MTWTF - the days of the week in an appointment book; I love this fill - very cool

42. Cleansing agent : BORAX - nailed it

45. Geometric art style : DECO - Art Deco, like the Chrysler Building; I happen to like the style, but then again, I am fond of straight lines (in art, that is - I like curves, too - see 4D) more here



46. Augur's reading : OMEN - Pondered PALM, but glad I waited

47. Litter sounds : YIPS - ack~!, not MEWS

50. Texter's soul mate : BFF - Best Friend Forever - I don't have one :7(

52. HVAC measure : BTU - British Thermal Unit

Splynter




Note from C.C.

Happy Birthday to Crazy Cat! Are you still reading us?