Theme: None
Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X,Z)
Blocks: 26
Mr
Agard has yet another Saturday grid for us, his last one on May 20th.
Not as quick as the last puzzle, it took nearly all of my personal
allotted time - however, I did not have cheat (much). Just a quick
red-letter check about a proper name I didn't think was correct, and the
rest of the proper names filled themselves in, although we are looking
at some rather vague answers today - hey, it's Saturday. One spanner,
two 10s and no corner blocks this week, thus chunky 8x6 crossings. Some
of the longer fill;
35. Modern pizza option : GLUTEN-FREE CRUST - I thought it would be something about online ordering or cel phone apps
6. Break bread? : MAKE CHANGE - I had some crossings from the first pass, but still feel pretty good for getting this one right away
31. "That wasn't exactly honorable of me, was it" : "I FEEL DIRTY" - started out as "i feel SILLY, and GUILTY did not fit
(see 24d.)
ACROSS:
1. Where regular payments are made : GAS PUMPS
- I make payments 3-4 times a week at this debit drain; I bought my new
used Grand Caravan in October with 76K miles on it, and I'm already at
97K. What do you call a guy who works at a gas station~?
Philip
9. Arena cannon fodder? : T-SHIRT - nailed it - the "ice girls" at hockey games and such will come out and launch one with something like the home team's logo on it
15. Agent : EMISSARY
16. Weighs in : OPINES
17. Soybean product also called yuba : TOFU SKIN - ugh. To each his own
18. "__ Butterfly" : MADAMA - got me with the "A" and not the "E"
19. Stint for Björn Borg or Björk : SET - nice pairing - one for a tennis (set), one for a musical (set)
20. Get back : RECOVER - so when do I get back my 'life', WC~?
22. Messenger substance : RNA
23. Its services include water taxis : UBER - I tried BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) - figured some municipality had to offer them
25. Give up : CEDE
26. Skinny one : SCRAG
28. Shunned ones : PARIAHS
30. Private phone connection : TIE LINE - I had tiP line
32. In vitro cells : OVA
33. Govt. bureau dealing with explosives : ATF - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
34. Memo abbr. : ATTN
40. Collateral takeback, for short : REPOssession - Mississippi S's in there
41. You can still blow it up after you pop it : GUM - har-har
42. Loafer letters : EEE
43. Certain radio receiver : AM TUNER
45. Debate-ending procedure : CLOTURE - I wanted cloSure, but it was not working with my downs - yet it stems from the Frawnche for closure
49. Lasso feature : NOOSE
50. __ trip : ROAD
52. Pet reindeer in "Frozen" : SVEN
9. Arena cannon fodder? : T-SHIRT - nailed it - the "ice girls" at hockey games and such will come out and launch one with something like the home team's logo on it
15. Agent : EMISSARY
16. Weighs in : OPINES
17. Soybean product also called yuba : TOFU SKIN - ugh. To each his own
18. "__ Butterfly" : MADAMA - got me with the "A" and not the "E"
19. Stint for Björn Borg or Björk : SET - nice pairing - one for a tennis (set), one for a musical (set)
20. Get back : RECOVER - so when do I get back my 'life', WC~?
22. Messenger substance : RNA
23. Its services include water taxis : UBER - I tried BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) - figured some municipality had to offer them
25. Give up : CEDE
26. Skinny one : SCRAG
28. Shunned ones : PARIAHS
30. Private phone connection : TIE LINE - I had tiP line
32. In vitro cells : OVA
33. Govt. bureau dealing with explosives : ATF - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
34. Memo abbr. : ATTN
40. Collateral takeback, for short : REPOssession - Mississippi S's in there
41. You can still blow it up after you pop it : GUM - har-har
42. Loafer letters : EEE
43. Certain radio receiver : AM TUNER
45. Debate-ending procedure : CLOTURE - I wanted cloSure, but it was not working with my downs - yet it stems from the Frawnche for closure
49. Lasso feature : NOOSE
50. __ trip : ROAD
52. Pet reindeer in "Frozen" : SVEN
53. Chapel Hill inst. : UNC
54. It stops the bleeding : STYPTIC - uh, well Band-Aid did fit...I thought this was a medical device, not a medical 'agent'
57. Post-Civil War pres. : USG - Ulysses S. Grant - I pondered Andrew - - Johnson, couldn't recall his middle initial, turns out he doesn't have one (that I could find)
58. Chinese philosophy mainstay : LAO TSE
60. Mongo Santamaria jazz standard whose title is rhymed with "cocoa hue" in Oscar Brown Jr.'s lyrics : AFRO BLUE - long way to go for a very vague clue - I had aLTo blue
62. Introduces : ADDS IN
63. Reach the limit : HIT A WALL
64. Stank up a storm : REEKED
65. They do dos : STYLISTS
DOWN:
1. Rises : GETS UP
2. Protozoan genus : AMOEBA
3. Baker's tool : SIFTER
4. Nittany Lions' sch. : PSU
5. Foe in a four-plus-decade "war" : USSR - that would be the "cold" war
7. Consumer Reports data : PRICES
8. Church council : SYNOD
9. "As I see it ... " : TO ME... - to me, this is just a little bit of levity each week
54. It stops the bleeding : STYPTIC - uh, well Band-Aid did fit...I thought this was a medical device, not a medical 'agent'
57. Post-Civil War pres. : USG - Ulysses S. Grant - I pondered Andrew - - Johnson, couldn't recall his middle initial, turns out he doesn't have one (that I could find)
58. Chinese philosophy mainstay : LAO TSE
60. Mongo Santamaria jazz standard whose title is rhymed with "cocoa hue" in Oscar Brown Jr.'s lyrics : AFRO BLUE - long way to go for a very vague clue - I had aLTo blue
62. Introduces : ADDS IN
63. Reach the limit : HIT A WALL
64. Stank up a storm : REEKED
65. They do dos : STYLISTS
DOWN:
1. Rises : GETS UP
2. Protozoan genus : AMOEBA
3. Baker's tool : SIFTER
4. Nittany Lions' sch. : PSU
5. Foe in a four-plus-decade "war" : USSR - that would be the "cold" war
7. Consumer Reports data : PRICES
8. Church council : SYNOD
9. "As I see it ... " : TO ME... - to me, this is just a little bit of levity each week
and that's a Viper, not a 'Vette
10. Not at all all over : SPARSE - missed the second "all" in the clue for a while
11. Secreted : HID
12. First director to win back-to-back Oscars since Mankiewicz : INARRITU - not a clue, but the perps filled it all in - his Wiki - I liked the reference to 'the three amigos of cinema'
13. Left things : REMNANTS - or things left
14. One screening fliers : TSA AGENT
21. Chevy sportster : 'VETTE
24. Unrestrained : RIOTOUS - Went golfing for the first time in 11 years at a local par 3 nine hole course, and I'm glad I did not bother with a score card - my swing count was "unrestrained", but I did do really well on the 8th; a solid drive, a good chip, and nearly holed the putt. Now the urge to play won't go away....
27. Some reds : CLARETS
29. "__ Maria" : AVE
33. Branch : ARM
35. Finely detailed : GRANULAR
36. Drink from a stand : LEMONADE - shout out~!
37. In line with safety regulations : UP TO CODE - great fill; a lot of what I have to do with my second job requires being up to code
38. Like a fox : FURRY
39. Boardroom cheese? : CEO - guess you'd say they were the BIG cheese
44. Mythical Highlander : NESSIE - and here I thought they finally caught the beast a few weeks ago....(15a.)
45. Conniption : CAT FIT
46. Palate protrusions : UVULAS - if you must see, there's an image here
47. Spring (from) : RESULT
48. Editor of two "Das Kapital" volumes : ENGELS - via perps
51. Warm-blooded fish : OPAHS - oops, not ORCAS - what 3/5ths correct, but only 20%~???
55. Take care of : TEND
56. Holiday stocking bummer : COAL - I received some coal as a gag gift last year
59. "You messed up" : TSK tsk, tsk
61. MD airport : BWI