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

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Jan 4, 2014

Saturday, Jan 4th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing F,J; see below)

Blocks: 35

   This was the most arduous Saturday Silkie I have had the pleasure of working in a long time~!  The answers came slowly, and the proper name crossings did not speed things up at all.  Very unusual grid design, with a set of overlapping 'rings';   I wonder if the blocks preceding 29a and 45a were not there originally.  Either way, we have triple 10-letter stacks and two 11-letter climbers:

11d. Orderly traffic pattern : ZIPPER MERGE - This just doesn't work; at least not here on Long Island - if Long Islanders (typically) could comprehend this, there would be no such thing as "rush hour" traffic - and I don't just mean work zones, either.

23d. Phone book feature : AREA CODE MAP - our local phone books actually have an area map that is folded up in the back

55. Weather vane : ANEMOSCOPE - from the Greek for 'wind', we also have the wind speed device, the anemometer - that's hard to say~!   Now try sphygmomanometer

sfig-mow, uh, sfig-man-a, sfig-mumble-mumble, DAH~! - ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. End of a descent : SPLASHDOWN - astronauts and re-entry

11. Alternate courses : ZAGS - a WAG, but I did have -A-S

15. Gwadar Bay is an inlet of it : ARABIAN SEA - there was -R---N--A after some crosses, so "SEA" felt right; the ARABIAN part seemed like a good WAG, too

16. Fertile Crescent land : IRAQ

17. Commit, in a way : GET ENGAGED - some say you might need to be committed if you decide to get engaged

18. Indiana city where the International Circus Hall of Fame is located : PERU

19. Take up : USE - Meh

20. Dedicated lines : ODE

21. Telephone __ : POLE - a little history here; I also heard that Morse was under pressure to deliever his proposal to go country-wide to the US government, and having failed to bury his telegraph line, stuck ceramic wire supports in trees to carry the line from Baltimore to D.C. - now we're stuck with the system.   How many of our bloggers live in an area where there are NO telephone poles? 

22. Big name in shaving : ATRA

24. French 101 verb : AVOIR - I don't speak Frawnch, but I believe this is "to have"

26. "Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist" essayist : ELIA

27. Sound of waves : ROAR - neat little play on words

28. Uncovered : NUDE

29. Delay cause : WRECK - yeah, that and weather


30. How some equipment is acquired : ON LEASE

32. Drift : ROAM

34. Oil source : SESAME - canola, corn, shale, and dinosaur are some other sources

35. "Long-lasting" chocolate brand : RIESEN


39. Collectible sheets : CELS - I thought they were individual frames; I wouldn't call them 'sheets'

41. Routine that's not funny : RAT RACE

42. Colorful flowers : PHLOX - any one else throw in a plural "S" at first?


45. Not procrastinating : ON IT

47. Wax : GROW - a 'waxing gibbous' moon is one that is growing from first quarter to full

48. Crucifix : ROOD - learned this because I had an American history teacher, Mr. David Rood

49. Nitrogen compound : AMIDE

50. Downs : EATS

51. At a previous time : ONCE

52. Jack insert, briefly : MIC - this "M" was the last letter to fill, and I had to duck for the flying V-8 can; I should have guessed this immediately, as I have discovered not one, but TWO open-mic nites this past New Year's Eve - I can't wait to get up and jam~!

53. Barrett of Pink Floyd : SYD - one of the founding members; for those who do not know his story

54. Support piece : BEAM

60. __ noche: tonight : ESTA

61. Traces : DELINEATES - the 'outline' definition, not the 'last vestiges' one

62. Put one's foot down : STEP

63. Drop-down item that hopefully doesn't have to : OXYGEN MASK - I was stuck in computer mode, and kept thinking of some drop-down menu item

DOWN:

1. Sonoran Desert natives : SAGUAROS

2. Coolant giant : PRESTONE

3. Some gridiron passes : LATERALS

4. See 43-Down : ABE;  43D. With 4-Down, one-time White House nickname : HONEST

5. It's not a good thing : SIN

6. Witchy woman : HAG

7. Evidence of descent : DNA - semi-clecho, but this has a different 'descent' meaning

8. James whose company published the first U.S. edition of "The Prince and the Pauper" : OSGOOD

9. More unkempt, lawn-wise : WEEDIER

10. "Unsafe at Any Speed" author : NADER

12. Ring of color : AREOLE - it's been a while since we saw this one [C.C., can you find that classic link?] (From C.C.: Sure thing. And it's not copyrighted. What a big relief! The second one is for D-Otto!)






13. Bruschetta ingredient : GARLIC

14. Barely get (by) : SQUEAK

24. Adams of filmdom? : ANSEL - black and white film, that is

25. Saturn SUV : VUE - I had ION at first - which is their 4-door sedan

29. Take no action : WAIT

31. Former Food & Wine publisher, familiarly : AMEX - the Wiki

33. Make a delivery : ORATE - ah, not drive-brown-truck....

36. City south of Tampa : SARASOTA

37. Adaptable subspecies : ECOTYPES

38. Paper department : NEWS DESK

40. Aid for the restless : SOMINEX

41. Divest : RID

42. Examines closely : PROBES - not SCOPES - that showed up in 55a.

44. Pinpoint : LOCATE

46. Well : NICELY - such as saying "That will do well (nicely)"

49. "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands" author : AMADO

56. Eurasian aircraft acronym : MiG - more Wiki

57. Unified : ONE

58. Hill fig. : SEN - REP, POL, which one?

59. Carolina quarterback Newton : CAM - the only sports figure I know named CAM is the former player and now preisdent of the Boston Bruins, Cam Neely

Splynter

Here's your F & J ~!  (one block from my UPS route)