Theme: KISS (55D. Popular version of a design principle acronym spelled out by the starts of this puzzle's four longest answers) - KISS is an acronym for the design principle "Keep It Simple, Stupid".
20A. Park warning: KEEP OFF THE GRASS
25A. 1971 hit for Ringo: IT DON'T COME EASY. Have never heard of this song.
43A. Bone injury in which the skin is intact: SIMPLE FRACTURE. Great crossing with both SCAR (42D. Battle reminder) & SPLINTS (41D. Limb immobilizers), fantastic string of consonants.
48A. Regular Letterman show segment: STUPID PET TRICKS
I learned the KISS principle when Occam's Razor appeared in our old TMS Daily puzzle sometime in 2008. Law of succinctness: the simpler, the better.
Donna seems to always apply this principle to her puzzles (at least the LAT ones). Her themes are often simple yet creative, fill smooth and "in the language". You can always count on her for friendly crossings when an obscure entry comes up.
Across:
1. Relatives of odds: ENDS. Odds and ends. And EVEN (22D. Alternative to odds). Nice "odds" echo.
5. Presently: ANON. Poetically. Same with CLIME (28. Weather, in poems)
14. Marjorie Morningstar's creater: WOUK (Herman). Not familiar with this book.
15. San __: REMO. The Italian Riviera city.
16. Fortuneteller's deck: TAROT
17. Old Dodge: OMNI. Is this your first car, Jeannie?
18. Diva's moment: ARIA. I love this new clue.
23. Flier that had a St. Louis hub: TWA (Trans World Airlines)
33. Sticking places?: CRAWS. Idiom: stick in one's craw.
34. Ford Field team: LIONS. Detroit Lions. Can Ford still afford to pay the naming rights fee?
37. Firing chamber: KILN. Hot!
38. First professional musician to become Chairman of the Board of Lincoln Center: SILLS (Beverly). Was unaware of this trivia.
39. Galileo's patron: NASA. The spacecraft Galileo. Awesome new clue.
40. Sumac of song: YMA
41. 2009 "Survivor" setting: SAMOA. No idea. Not a "Survivor" fan.
42. Muslim mystics: SUFIS. Arabic for "wool", referring to the garb those fellows wore.
46. Like: A LA
57. Biker's invitation: HOP ON
58. Pale tan: ECRU
60. Concerned with: ABOUT
62. Freelancer's encl.: SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)
62. Word that may appear above a silhouette of a man: GENTS. The rest room sign. Felt stupid struggling with the answer.
65. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP. Obtained the answer from crosses.
Down:
1. Hirsute "Star Wars" creature: EWOK. The furry figure. Hirsute = hairy.
2. Seward Peninsula city: NOME. The Iditarod terminus. Seward Peninsula is named after William Seward, the Secretary of State who negotiated the Purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. Learning moment for me.
3. Shore thing: DUNE. Nice play on "Sure thing".
4. Take a powder: SKIP TOWN. New idiom to me also.
5. See 32-Down: ARAFAT. And YASIR (32. With 5-Down, former PLO Chairman). What a mess he left behind.
6. Big name in spongy toy: NERF
7. Drop: OMIT
8. Genesis builder: NOAH. Noah's Ark.
9. Cheroot relatives: STOGIES. The cheap cigars.
10. Literally, Spanish for "the tar": LA BREA. Hence the redundancy in La Brea Tar Pits.
12. Some spores, all grown up: MOSS
13. Jeanne d'Arc et al, Abbr.: STES (Saintes). Jeanne d'Arc is French for Joan of Arc.
26. Takes a little off: TRIMS
29. __ Olay: OIL OF. I love Olay brand.
30. Back biter?: MOLAR. My favorite clue today.
31. Glitch: SNAFU
36. Low: BASE
38. Word with bar or days: SALAD
44. Chart: MAP OUT
48. Go after, as flies: SHAG. D'oh, fly balls.
49. Choice for Hamlet: TO BE. To be, or not to be.
51. Mass seating: PEWS
52. Repeat: ECHO
53. Monorail unit: TRAM
54. Grouch: CRAB. No kvetch from me today.
Answer grid.
C.C.
20A. Park warning: KEEP OFF THE GRASS
25A. 1971 hit for Ringo: IT DON'T COME EASY. Have never heard of this song.
43A. Bone injury in which the skin is intact: SIMPLE FRACTURE. Great crossing with both SCAR (42D. Battle reminder) & SPLINTS (41D. Limb immobilizers), fantastic string of consonants.
48A. Regular Letterman show segment: STUPID PET TRICKS
I learned the KISS principle when Occam's Razor appeared in our old TMS Daily puzzle sometime in 2008. Law of succinctness: the simpler, the better.
Donna seems to always apply this principle to her puzzles (at least the LAT ones). Her themes are often simple yet creative, fill smooth and "in the language". You can always count on her for friendly crossings when an obscure entry comes up.
Across:
1. Relatives of odds: ENDS. Odds and ends. And EVEN (22D. Alternative to odds). Nice "odds" echo.
5. Presently: ANON. Poetically. Same with CLIME (28. Weather, in poems)
14. Marjorie Morningstar's creater: WOUK (Herman). Not familiar with this book.
15. San __: REMO. The Italian Riviera city.
16. Fortuneteller's deck: TAROT
17. Old Dodge: OMNI. Is this your first car, Jeannie?
18. Diva's moment: ARIA. I love this new clue.
23. Flier that had a St. Louis hub: TWA (Trans World Airlines)
33. Sticking places?: CRAWS. Idiom: stick in one's craw.
34. Ford Field team: LIONS. Detroit Lions. Can Ford still afford to pay the naming rights fee?
37. Firing chamber: KILN. Hot!
38. First professional musician to become Chairman of the Board of Lincoln Center: SILLS (Beverly). Was unaware of this trivia.
39. Galileo's patron: NASA. The spacecraft Galileo. Awesome new clue.
40. Sumac of song: YMA
41. 2009 "Survivor" setting: SAMOA. No idea. Not a "Survivor" fan.
42. Muslim mystics: SUFIS. Arabic for "wool", referring to the garb those fellows wore.
46. Like: A LA
57. Biker's invitation: HOP ON
58. Pale tan: ECRU
60. Concerned with: ABOUT
62. Freelancer's encl.: SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)
62. Word that may appear above a silhouette of a man: GENTS. The rest room sign. Felt stupid struggling with the answer.
65. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP. Obtained the answer from crosses.
Down:
1. Hirsute "Star Wars" creature: EWOK. The furry figure. Hirsute = hairy.
2. Seward Peninsula city: NOME. The Iditarod terminus. Seward Peninsula is named after William Seward, the Secretary of State who negotiated the Purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. Learning moment for me.
3. Shore thing: DUNE. Nice play on "Sure thing".
4. Take a powder: SKIP TOWN. New idiom to me also.
5. See 32-Down: ARAFAT. And YASIR (32. With 5-Down, former PLO Chairman). What a mess he left behind.
6. Big name in spongy toy: NERF
7. Drop: OMIT
8. Genesis builder: NOAH. Noah's Ark.
9. Cheroot relatives: STOGIES. The cheap cigars.
10. Literally, Spanish for "the tar": LA BREA. Hence the redundancy in La Brea Tar Pits.
12. Some spores, all grown up: MOSS
13. Jeanne d'Arc et al, Abbr.: STES (Saintes). Jeanne d'Arc is French for Joan of Arc.
26. Takes a little off: TRIMS
29. __ Olay: OIL OF. I love Olay brand.
30. Back biter?: MOLAR. My favorite clue today.
31. Glitch: SNAFU
36. Low: BASE
38. Word with bar or days: SALAD
44. Chart: MAP OUT
48. Go after, as flies: SHAG. D'oh, fly balls.
49. Choice for Hamlet: TO BE. To be, or not to be.
51. Mass seating: PEWS
52. Repeat: ECHO
53. Monorail unit: TRAM
54. Grouch: CRAB. No kvetch from me today.
Answer grid.
C.C.
