Theme: None
Total blocks: 29
Total words: 70
Our average black square count on Saturday seems to be 31.
Hard puzzle for me. I just froze at seeing Brad Wilber's name. He's well-known for his tough themeless. Now looking at the finished grid, I wonder why I struggled since there were only a few unknowns. Tricky clues and wicked wordplay! For example:
1A. One making a brief contribution?: PARALEGAL. Legal "brief". Noun.
28A. One who refuses to take an oath?: CENSOR. "Curse" oath.
30A. Sub builder?: DELI. Sub sandwich. I nailed this one though.
62A. Where you might see a cop aim a gun: SPEED TRAP. Radar gun.
14D. Something a Parisian might get stuck on?: IDEE FIXE. Nailed this one also.
31D. Big-headed?: SUDSY. "Head" here refers to the foam at the top of beer. Put a head on the beer.
Quite a few lively multi-word entries. My favorite is GO ROGUE (21D. Deviate from team strategy). Can never understand Sarah Palin's appeal.
Across:
10. Missile Command game company: ATARI. The answer for "game" company is always Atari.
15. Writer painted by Manet: EMILE ZOLA. OK. Here is the painting. I was thinking of Gertrude Stein. But she's painted by Picasso.
16. Went wild: RAVED
17. Family racing enthusiast: NASCAR DAD. Would be nice to pair it up with Soccer Mom.
18. Island where Icarus was imprisoned: CRETE. He did escape from Crete, but his wings melted when he flew too close to the sun.
19. The Jonas Brothers, e.g.: TRIO. Nice contemporary reference.
20. Panini cheese: ASIAGO. Named after the Italian town.
22. Northwest Passage explorer: RAE (John)
23. Actress Paquin et al.: ANNAS
25. Prefix with skeleton: ENDO. Meaning "within". Have yet to see its opposite ECTO.
26. "You wish!": AS IF
27. Nobelist Hammarskjöld: DAG. The second UN Secretary General. U Thant is the third.
31. Examine closely: SIFT. Sift through data/evidence.
32. Parka material: GORE-TEX
34. Place to pick up a cat: SCRUFF. Oh, I had the wrong understanding of "pick up".
37. Aplenty: GALORE
38. Fawners: TOADIES
40. Madrigalist's accompaniment: LUTE. Did not know the meaning of madrigalist, singer of madrigal, which is defined as "A song for two or three unaccompanied voices, developed in Italy in the late 13th and early 14th centuries".
41. Items in a modern bibliog.: URLS
42. Charmers: CUTIES
44. Clock-setting std.: GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
47. Tim of "Private Practice": DALY. No idea. He's the younger brother of Tyne Daly.
48. Steady: TRUE
49. West Indian sorcery: OBEAH. Surprised to see it can also be spelled as Obi.
51. It may be at the end of the line: FLY. Fishing line end.
52. Vivacious wit: ESPRIT (e-SPREE). I love Esprit clothing brand. It's huge in Asia.
54. Erato's instrument, in some depictions: LYRE
55. "My Fair Lady" race site: ASCOT. The British racetrack.
57. Cádiz's region: ANDALUSIA. A region of southern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. New name to me.
59. Put on again: RE-AIR. Very few RE, or ING, NESS affixes in this grid.
60. Smooth, lustrous quality: SILKINESS. Gimme for any Barry Silk fan.
61. Bowling pin wood: MAPLE. Yep!
Down:
1. Group of five: PENTAD
2. Historic Nile excavation site: AMARNA. Should I know this? I've only heard of Luxor.
3. Heading up: RISING
4. Metal industry acronym: ALCOA (ALuminum Company Of America)
5. Grazing ground: LEA
6. Book after II Chronicles: EZRA. Drew a blank.
7. Miraculous: GODSENT. Wow, I had no idea that "godsend" has an adjective form.
8. Delon and Resnais of French film: ALAINS. Only familiar with Alain Delon.
9. Classic man's-best-friend novel: LAD: A DOG. Man, I've never heard of the novel.
10. Chevron competitor: ARCO
11. Seaman: TAR. Slang for sailor.
12. Against: AVERSE TO
13. Mall tenant: RETAILER
24. Netflix genre: SCI-FI. Not my type.
26. Jane Eyre's charge __ Varens: ADELE. Got the answer from crosses.
29. Personal or special things: EFFECTS. Nice clue.
33. Joe Buck's friend: RATSO. From "Midnight Cowboy". I was picturing the sportscaster Joe Buck. Adore his voice.
34. Breeding center: STUD FARM
35. The Great Barrier Reef borders it: CORAL SEA. Adjacent to Kazie's Australia.
36. It's usually a regular one worn backwards: RALLY CAP. Silly.
39. Outdo: SURPASS
40. Get no use: LIE IDLE
43. Root crop high in vitamin C: TURNIP. Gimme for Frank/DCannon, I hope.
Total blocks: 29
Total words: 70
Our average black square count on Saturday seems to be 31.
Hard puzzle for me. I just froze at seeing Brad Wilber's name. He's well-known for his tough themeless. Now looking at the finished grid, I wonder why I struggled since there were only a few unknowns. Tricky clues and wicked wordplay! For example:
1A. One making a brief contribution?: PARALEGAL. Legal "brief". Noun.
28A. One who refuses to take an oath?: CENSOR. "Curse" oath.
30A. Sub builder?: DELI. Sub sandwich. I nailed this one though.
62A. Where you might see a cop aim a gun: SPEED TRAP. Radar gun.
14D. Something a Parisian might get stuck on?: IDEE FIXE. Nailed this one also.
31D. Big-headed?: SUDSY. "Head" here refers to the foam at the top of beer. Put a head on the beer.
Quite a few lively multi-word entries. My favorite is GO ROGUE (21D. Deviate from team strategy). Can never understand Sarah Palin's appeal.
Across:
10. Missile Command game company: ATARI. The answer for "game" company is always Atari.
15. Writer painted by Manet: EMILE ZOLA. OK. Here is the painting. I was thinking of Gertrude Stein. But she's painted by Picasso.
16. Went wild: RAVED
17. Family racing enthusiast: NASCAR DAD. Would be nice to pair it up with Soccer Mom.
18. Island where Icarus was imprisoned: CRETE. He did escape from Crete, but his wings melted when he flew too close to the sun.
19. The Jonas Brothers, e.g.: TRIO. Nice contemporary reference.
20. Panini cheese: ASIAGO. Named after the Italian town.
22. Northwest Passage explorer: RAE (John)
23. Actress Paquin et al.: ANNAS
25. Prefix with skeleton: ENDO. Meaning "within". Have yet to see its opposite ECTO.
26. "You wish!": AS IF
27. Nobelist Hammarskjöld: DAG. The second UN Secretary General. U Thant is the third.
31. Examine closely: SIFT. Sift through data/evidence.
32. Parka material: GORE-TEX
34. Place to pick up a cat: SCRUFF. Oh, I had the wrong understanding of "pick up".
37. Aplenty: GALORE
38. Fawners: TOADIES
40. Madrigalist's accompaniment: LUTE. Did not know the meaning of madrigalist, singer of madrigal, which is defined as "A song for two or three unaccompanied voices, developed in Italy in the late 13th and early 14th centuries".
41. Items in a modern bibliog.: URLS
42. Charmers: CUTIES
44. Clock-setting std.: GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
47. Tim of "Private Practice": DALY. No idea. He's the younger brother of Tyne Daly.
48. Steady: TRUE
49. West Indian sorcery: OBEAH. Surprised to see it can also be spelled as Obi.
51. It may be at the end of the line: FLY. Fishing line end.
52. Vivacious wit: ESPRIT (e-SPREE). I love Esprit clothing brand. It's huge in Asia.
54. Erato's instrument, in some depictions: LYRE
55. "My Fair Lady" race site: ASCOT. The British racetrack.
57. Cádiz's region: ANDALUSIA. A region of southern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. New name to me.
59. Put on again: RE-AIR. Very few RE, or ING, NESS affixes in this grid.
60. Smooth, lustrous quality: SILKINESS. Gimme for any Barry Silk fan.
61. Bowling pin wood: MAPLE. Yep!
Down:
1. Group of five: PENTAD
2. Historic Nile excavation site: AMARNA. Should I know this? I've only heard of Luxor.
3. Heading up: RISING
4. Metal industry acronym: ALCOA (ALuminum Company Of America)
5. Grazing ground: LEA
6. Book after II Chronicles: EZRA. Drew a blank.
7. Miraculous: GODSENT. Wow, I had no idea that "godsend" has an adjective form.
8. Delon and Resnais of French film: ALAINS. Only familiar with Alain Delon.
9. Classic man's-best-friend novel: LAD: A DOG. Man, I've never heard of the novel.
10. Chevron competitor: ARCO
11. Seaman: TAR. Slang for sailor.
12. Against: AVERSE TO
13. Mall tenant: RETAILER
24. Netflix genre: SCI-FI. Not my type.
26. Jane Eyre's charge __ Varens: ADELE. Got the answer from crosses.
29. Personal or special things: EFFECTS. Nice clue.
33. Joe Buck's friend: RATSO. From "Midnight Cowboy". I was picturing the sportscaster Joe Buck. Adore his voice.
34. Breeding center: STUD FARM
35. The Great Barrier Reef borders it: CORAL SEA. Adjacent to Kazie's Australia.
36. It's usually a regular one worn backwards: RALLY CAP. Silly.
39. Outdo: SURPASS
40. Get no use: LIE IDLE
43. Root crop high in vitamin C: TURNIP. Gimme for Frank/DCannon, I hope.
44. Yellowstone attraction: GEYSER
45. Actress Tomei: MARISA
46. Daddy Warbucks's hired muscle: THE ASP. The henchman in the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie". Got me, Argyle!
50. Not pulling any punches: BLUNT
52. Infinitive with a circumflex: ÊTRE. Circumflex above E. Somehow I am not fond of the clue.
53. Receipts: TAKE. Wanted a word ending in S.
56. Drum filler: OIL. Drum can mean "barrel"?
58. Soup-to-go need: LID. I wanted CUP.
Answer grid.
C.C.
45. Actress Tomei: MARISA
46. Daddy Warbucks's hired muscle: THE ASP. The henchman in the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie". Got me, Argyle!
50. Not pulling any punches: BLUNT
52. Infinitive with a circumflex: ÊTRE. Circumflex above E. Somehow I am not fond of the clue.
53. Receipts: TAKE. Wanted a word ending in S.
56. Drum filler: OIL. Drum can mean "barrel"?
58. Soup-to-go need: LID. I wanted CUP.
Answer grid.
C.C.
