Theme: None
Total words: 68
Total blocks: 32
Bruce Venzke often has grid-spanners in his puzzles, themed & themeless. Today we have:
17A. Like versatile antennas : OMNIDIRECTIONAL. New word to me.
20A. More important matters : BIGGER FISH TO FRY. Nice answer.
50A. 1890s warning song for sailors : ASLEEP IN THE DEEP. No idea. Maybe Spitzboov is familiar with the song. Such a deep voice.
54A. Avon work, say : DOOR-TO-DOOR SALES. This could be the seed entry. Sparkling.
Triple columns of 7s are then stacked in each corner. Very choppy solving for me. Some of the clues are way out of my league.
Across:
1. Big event : GALA. Easy start.
5. Acid-tongued : ACERB
10. Soyuz letters : CCCP. Cyrillic for USSR.
14. Lakers forward Lamar : ODOM. The guy on the right. The only Laker I recognize is Kobe Bryant.
15. Kentucky college town with an annual Spoonbread Festival : BEREA. What is Spoonbread?
16. Ding Dong relative : HO HO. What, no shout out to our sweet Santa?
21. Picking up a prescription, say : ERRAND
22. Atelier items : EASELS
23. Go green, in a way : REUSE
24. PETA concern : FUR
27. Karaoke essential : LYRIC. Boomer loves Karaoke.
28. ID theft item : SSN
29. Compound cry of displeasure : BOO! HISS!. Well, I sure hear "Boo!" and the hissing sound. Never "Hiss!".
32. Protected whale : SEI. Not familiar with sei whale, Wikipedia says "sei" is the Norwegian word for pollock.
33. Jalopy : CRATE. Did not know crate can mean "old car".
34. Primatologist's subject : APE
37. Spa fixture : JACUZZI. Scrabbly.
39. Scale notes : FAs. Musical scale.
42. Bit of rodeo gear : REATA
44. Ron who played Tarzan : ELY
45. Memorable WWII gesture : V-SIGN
47. Boat ramp site : MARINA
49. Saw-toothed formation : SIERRA
55. Seine feeder : AUBE. No idea. It's pronounced like OH-b.
56. TV exec Arledge : ROONE. Learned his name from doing Xword. Longtime chairman of ABC News.
57. Longtime Balkan leader : TITO. A Heroic figure in our history book.
58. Got the lead out : SPED. "Get the lead out" is new idiom to me.
59. Expressed reproval of : TSKED
60. Orwell's alma mater : ETON. Guessed.
Down:
1. Nestlé peanut snack : GOOBERS. Why peanuts are called goobers is beyond me.
2. Finds appealing : ADMIRES
3. Words signifying commitment : LONG RUN. I don't get this clue.
4. Juanita's friends : AMIGAS
5. "__ Without Wings": Celtic Thunder song : A BIRD. First encounter with the song. Oh God, it sounds so good.
6. "What's My Line?" panelist : CERF (Bennett). I can never remember his name.
7. "... kissed thee __ killed thee": Othello : ERE I. Could only get the answer if it were Elba related.
8. LPs : RECS (Records)
9. Soak : BATHE
10. Particular : CHOOSY
11. Gives : CONFERS
12. Commercial tuna : CHARLIE. This refers to StarKist's Charlie the Tuna I presume?
13. Study of govt. : POLY-SCI. Political Science?
18. Bright star in Cygnus : DENEB
19. Tilted type: Abbr. : ITALS (Italics)
24. Compel : FORCE
25. Ryder rival : U-HAUL
26. Like five-diamond hotels : RITZY
30. Andean staple : OCA. Xword staple.
31. Slangy word before or after "who" : SEZ
34. Ill-fated attackers of 1588 and 1589 : ARMADAS. The Spanish Armada.
35. Meteorological metaphor : PEA SOUP. Dense fog.
36. Spot for a stud : EARLOBE. Stud earrings.
37. Critic Maslin : JANET. Film/Literary critic for the NY Times. Foreign to me.
38. Penn and others : IVIES. Was thinking of Sean Penn rather than the University of Pennsylvania.
39. Like s'more-makers' faces : FIRE-LIT
40. Accept : AGREE TO
41. Attaches with a click : SNAPS ON. What click?
43. Like most stadiums : TIERED
46. Calm : SEDATE
48. Left on the boat : APORT
49. Tear up : SHRED
51. Church exchange, perhaps : I DOs. See, this is the commitment I was thinking for the 3D clue.
52. Breakfast spot : NOOK
53. Muscle quality : TONE. I want her arms. Super-toned.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total words: 68
Total blocks: 32
Bruce Venzke often has grid-spanners in his puzzles, themed & themeless. Today we have:
17A. Like versatile antennas : OMNIDIRECTIONAL. New word to me.
20A. More important matters : BIGGER FISH TO FRY. Nice answer.
50A. 1890s warning song for sailors : ASLEEP IN THE DEEP. No idea. Maybe Spitzboov is familiar with the song. Such a deep voice.
54A. Avon work, say : DOOR-TO-DOOR SALES. This could be the seed entry. Sparkling.
Triple columns of 7s are then stacked in each corner. Very choppy solving for me. Some of the clues are way out of my league.
Across:
1. Big event : GALA. Easy start.
5. Acid-tongued : ACERB
10. Soyuz letters : CCCP. Cyrillic for USSR.
14. Lakers forward Lamar : ODOM. The guy on the right. The only Laker I recognize is Kobe Bryant.
15. Kentucky college town with an annual Spoonbread Festival : BEREA. What is Spoonbread?
16. Ding Dong relative : HO HO. What, no shout out to our sweet Santa?
21. Picking up a prescription, say : ERRAND
22. Atelier items : EASELS
23. Go green, in a way : REUSE
24. PETA concern : FUR
27. Karaoke essential : LYRIC. Boomer loves Karaoke.
28. ID theft item : SSN
29. Compound cry of displeasure : BOO! HISS!. Well, I sure hear "Boo!" and the hissing sound. Never "Hiss!".
32. Protected whale : SEI. Not familiar with sei whale, Wikipedia says "sei" is the Norwegian word for pollock.
33. Jalopy : CRATE. Did not know crate can mean "old car".
34. Primatologist's subject : APE
37. Spa fixture : JACUZZI. Scrabbly.
39. Scale notes : FAs. Musical scale.
42. Bit of rodeo gear : REATA
44. Ron who played Tarzan : ELY
45. Memorable WWII gesture : V-SIGN
47. Boat ramp site : MARINA
49. Saw-toothed formation : SIERRA
55. Seine feeder : AUBE. No idea. It's pronounced like OH-b.
56. TV exec Arledge : ROONE. Learned his name from doing Xword. Longtime chairman of ABC News.
57. Longtime Balkan leader : TITO. A Heroic figure in our history book.
58. Got the lead out : SPED. "Get the lead out" is new idiom to me.
59. Expressed reproval of : TSKED
60. Orwell's alma mater : ETON. Guessed.
Down:
1. Nestlé peanut snack : GOOBERS. Why peanuts are called goobers is beyond me.
2. Finds appealing : ADMIRES
3. Words signifying commitment : LONG RUN. I don't get this clue.
4. Juanita's friends : AMIGAS
5. "__ Without Wings": Celtic Thunder song : A BIRD. First encounter with the song. Oh God, it sounds so good.
6. "What's My Line?" panelist : CERF (Bennett). I can never remember his name.
7. "... kissed thee __ killed thee": Othello : ERE I. Could only get the answer if it were Elba related.
8. LPs : RECS (Records)
9. Soak : BATHE
10. Particular : CHOOSY
11. Gives : CONFERS
12. Commercial tuna : CHARLIE. This refers to StarKist's Charlie the Tuna I presume?
13. Study of govt. : POLY-SCI. Political Science?
18. Bright star in Cygnus : DENEB
19. Tilted type: Abbr. : ITALS (Italics)
24. Compel : FORCE
25. Ryder rival : U-HAUL
26. Like five-diamond hotels : RITZY
30. Andean staple : OCA. Xword staple.
31. Slangy word before or after "who" : SEZ
34. Ill-fated attackers of 1588 and 1589 : ARMADAS. The Spanish Armada.
35. Meteorological metaphor : PEA SOUP. Dense fog.
36. Spot for a stud : EARLOBE. Stud earrings.
37. Critic Maslin : JANET. Film/Literary critic for the NY Times. Foreign to me.
38. Penn and others : IVIES. Was thinking of Sean Penn rather than the University of Pennsylvania.
39. Like s'more-makers' faces : FIRE-LIT
40. Accept : AGREE TO
41. Attaches with a click : SNAPS ON. What click?
43. Like most stadiums : TIERED
46. Calm : SEDATE
48. Left on the boat : APORT
49. Tear up : SHRED
51. Church exchange, perhaps : I DOs. See, this is the commitment I was thinking for the 3D clue.
52. Breakfast spot : NOOK
53. Muscle quality : TONE. I want her arms. Super-toned.
Answer grid.
C.C.
