Saturday Silkie
Theme: None
Words: 72
Blocks: 28
Well, now, what a stark change from last week's offering - IMHO. I seemed to sail through this one, with a LOT of WAGs, and just a few gaffes. Yet another Barry Silk Saturday - I think he might have more than any other constructor. Triple stacks in a pinwheel fashion again, with a grouping of unique answers in the NE corner -
5. They're waved : MAGIC WANDS - I am in no hurry to see the final installment of Harry Potter, despite having read all the books, and being a huge fan
16. Much of it is shipped via the Strait of Hormuz : IRANIAN OIL - map, here - top right
18. Critical period : CRUNCH TIME - the Eleventh hour, the Two-minute warning, etc.; for me, Crunch Time is 9am, trying to get 30+ trucks rolling for "timely" parcel delivery
ACROSS:
1. __ Cup: Canadian football trophy : GREY - I prefer the Stanley Cup
15. Sound detected with a stethoscope : RALE - BEAT, no, RASP, no....
17. What injured parties may try to get : EVEN
19. Gumshoe : TEC - DeTECtive
20. Walked : TROD
21. "It will be fair weather: for the sky __": Matthew : IS RED
22. Gallery event : ART SHOW - nailed it
24. Like some candle scents : PINY - looks funny, to me
26. Bach, e.g. : GERMAN
27. Reasonable : SANE - I had FINE first, as in "Gimme $10 for it? - that's FINE"
28. Dave Matthews Band label : RCA
31. Lander at Orly : AVION - French for aeroplane, found this in my search
32. Library supporter? : BOOKSHELF - nailed it, great clue/ans
34. "Little Caesar" gangster : RICO - been in a few puzzles recently, right?
35. They extract oxygen from water : GILLS
36. With 40-Across, nocturnal noisemaker : HOOT ; 40. See 36-Across : OWL - can't help it - I'll take #3, keep the beer....
37. "Help!" predecessor : BEATLES VI - Contained "Eight Days a Week", the only song I recognize
39. Viking language : NORSE
41. Fleshy-leaved plant : ALOE - WAG, but a four-letter plant in a CW?
42. Blackmailer : GOUGER
43. Part of NBA: Abbr. : ASSN - had NAT'L to start
44. Bridge units : TETRADS - group of four, not necessarily in bridge
45. Unalaska denizen : ALEUT - WAG - map - bottom left
48. See : DATE
49. Govt.'s Laboratory of Hygiene, now : NIH - National Institute of Health - also been popular lately
50. Ancient rock engraving : PETROGLYPH - nailed it, but I am a big fan of "Ancient Aliens" on the History Channel, and they talk about these all the time
53. Gershon of film : GINA - this fine lady
54. City near Randolph Air Force Base : SAN ANTONIO, Texas
55. Sea of __, shallowest in the world : AZOV - still, at 46ft, it's pretty deep - map
56. Colorful : OPALESCENT
57. Pool member : GENE
DOWN:
1. "Ninotchka" star : GRETA GARBO - All "guy" links today, so I will add some balance
2. Pan's opposite : RAVE REVIEW - how does my hunk pic do?
3. Outlet type : ELECTRICAL
4. Itch : YEN
5. .000001 meters : MICRON
6. Mall map symbol : ARROW - as in "You Are Here"
7. Showy trinket : GAUD - and hence, "GAUDy"
8. Place to retire : INN
9. Title spelled out in Art. 2 of the U.S. Constitution : C.I.C. - Commander In Chief, the POTUS - President of the United States
10. Surfer girls : WAHINES - pronounced "wah-hee-nee", it's a Hawaiian boy or girl; slang it's a surfer girl - I would guess the equivalent of a "Tom Boy"
11. Restless : ANTSY
12. Film __ : NOIR
13. Olive branch site : DIME - Drinks are $1.10 in the vending machines as UPS, so I bring a pocketful of dimes with me to work
14. Winter scene staple : SLED
20. Comparison word : THAN
23. 1930 tariff act co-sponsor : SMOOT - and some interesting history here
24. Philadelphia suburb : PAOLI - Pennsylvania - map
25. Pens' contents : INKS - had the K from "Bookshelf", so it wasn't "PIGS"
27. Unravel : SOLVE - the 'good' kind of unravel - this puzzle, not your sweater
28. Overhaul : REORGANIZE
29. Got ready to trap : CLOSED IN ON
30. Occasional stinger : AFTERSHAVE - not gonna link it....
32. Nomadic grazers : BISON
33. Time to attack : H-HOUR - like D-Day
35. Stylist's stock : GELS
38. Warning to an overindulgent bar customer : LAST ONE - or it can lead to drunken bar brawls
39. Bank robber's aid : NOTE - a .45 comes in handy, too
42. Break 90, say : GET HOT - despite hitting 100° here yesterday, I was thinking about a low golf score, aided by 44D
43. Acoustic : AURAL - I have an article that describes Blue Öyster Cult as "Aural Liquid Plumbr"
44. Green stroke : TAP-IN - Putting green
45. Lhasa __ : APSO - cute
46. Spring : LEAP
47. 1928 destroyer of the village of Mascali : ETNA - WAG
48. Physics unit : DYNE
51. Sporty cars : GTs
52. __ cit. : LOC - Legal term; I defer to the Legal Firm of "Dewey, Cheatem & Howe"
53. __ order : GAG - more legalese
Answer grid.
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Here is another mysterious "Hard to Believe" picture from a blog regular. One hint: Egypt 1993.
Theme: None
Words: 72
Blocks: 28
Well, now, what a stark change from last week's offering - IMHO. I seemed to sail through this one, with a LOT of WAGs, and just a few gaffes. Yet another Barry Silk Saturday - I think he might have more than any other constructor. Triple stacks in a pinwheel fashion again, with a grouping of unique answers in the NE corner -
5. They're waved : MAGIC WANDS - I am in no hurry to see the final installment of Harry Potter, despite having read all the books, and being a huge fan
16. Much of it is shipped via the Strait of Hormuz : IRANIAN OIL - map, here - top right
18. Critical period : CRUNCH TIME - the Eleventh hour, the Two-minute warning, etc.; for me, Crunch Time is 9am, trying to get 30+ trucks rolling for "timely" parcel delivery
ACROSS:
1. __ Cup: Canadian football trophy : GREY - I prefer the Stanley Cup
15. Sound detected with a stethoscope : RALE - BEAT, no, RASP, no....
17. What injured parties may try to get : EVEN
19. Gumshoe : TEC - DeTECtive
20. Walked : TROD
21. "It will be fair weather: for the sky __": Matthew : IS RED
22. Gallery event : ART SHOW - nailed it
24. Like some candle scents : PINY - looks funny, to me
26. Bach, e.g. : GERMAN
27. Reasonable : SANE - I had FINE first, as in "Gimme $10 for it? - that's FINE"
28. Dave Matthews Band label : RCA
31. Lander at Orly : AVION - French for aeroplane, found this in my search
32. Library supporter? : BOOKSHELF - nailed it, great clue/ans
34. "Little Caesar" gangster : RICO - been in a few puzzles recently, right?
35. They extract oxygen from water : GILLS
36. With 40-Across, nocturnal noisemaker : HOOT ; 40. See 36-Across : OWL - can't help it - I'll take #3, keep the beer....
37. "Help!" predecessor : BEATLES VI - Contained "Eight Days a Week", the only song I recognize
39. Viking language : NORSE
41. Fleshy-leaved plant : ALOE - WAG, but a four-letter plant in a CW?
42. Blackmailer : GOUGER
43. Part of NBA: Abbr. : ASSN - had NAT'L to start
44. Bridge units : TETRADS - group of four, not necessarily in bridge
45. Unalaska denizen : ALEUT - WAG - map - bottom left
48. See : DATE
49. Govt.'s Laboratory of Hygiene, now : NIH - National Institute of Health - also been popular lately
50. Ancient rock engraving : PETROGLYPH - nailed it, but I am a big fan of "Ancient Aliens" on the History Channel, and they talk about these all the time
53. Gershon of film : GINA - this fine lady
54. City near Randolph Air Force Base : SAN ANTONIO, Texas
55. Sea of __, shallowest in the world : AZOV - still, at 46ft, it's pretty deep - map
56. Colorful : OPALESCENT
57. Pool member : GENE
DOWN:
1. "Ninotchka" star : GRETA GARBO - All "guy" links today, so I will add some balance
2. Pan's opposite : RAVE REVIEW - how does my hunk pic do?
3. Outlet type : ELECTRICAL
4. Itch : YEN
5. .000001 meters : MICRON
6. Mall map symbol : ARROW - as in "You Are Here"
7. Showy trinket : GAUD - and hence, "GAUDy"
8. Place to retire : INN
9. Title spelled out in Art. 2 of the U.S. Constitution : C.I.C. - Commander In Chief, the POTUS - President of the United States
10. Surfer girls : WAHINES - pronounced "wah-hee-nee", it's a Hawaiian boy or girl; slang it's a surfer girl - I would guess the equivalent of a "Tom Boy"
11. Restless : ANTSY
12. Film __ : NOIR
13. Olive branch site : DIME - Drinks are $1.10 in the vending machines as UPS, so I bring a pocketful of dimes with me to work
14. Winter scene staple : SLED
20. Comparison word : THAN
23. 1930 tariff act co-sponsor : SMOOT - and some interesting history here
24. Philadelphia suburb : PAOLI - Pennsylvania - map
25. Pens' contents : INKS - had the K from "Bookshelf", so it wasn't "PIGS"
27. Unravel : SOLVE - the 'good' kind of unravel - this puzzle, not your sweater
28. Overhaul : REORGANIZE
29. Got ready to trap : CLOSED IN ON
30. Occasional stinger : AFTERSHAVE - not gonna link it....
32. Nomadic grazers : BISON
33. Time to attack : H-HOUR - like D-Day
35. Stylist's stock : GELS
38. Warning to an overindulgent bar customer : LAST ONE - or it can lead to drunken bar brawls
39. Bank robber's aid : NOTE - a .45 comes in handy, too
42. Break 90, say : GET HOT - despite hitting 100° here yesterday, I was thinking about a low golf score, aided by 44D
43. Acoustic : AURAL - I have an article that describes Blue Öyster Cult as "Aural Liquid Plumbr"
44. Green stroke : TAP-IN - Putting green
45. Lhasa __ : APSO - cute
46. Spring : LEAP
47. 1928 destroyer of the village of Mascali : ETNA - WAG
48. Physics unit : DYNE
51. Sporty cars : GTs
52. __ cit. : LOC - Legal term; I defer to the Legal Firm of "Dewey, Cheatem & Howe"
53. __ order : GAG - more legalese
Answer grid.
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Here is another mysterious "Hard to Believe" picture from a blog regular. One hint: Egypt 1993.