Theme: None
Words: 70
Blocks: 34
Well I just love a Saturday that moves along this smoothly - I hope you all felt the same way ~! Constructor Kyle had one other offering back in Dec. '09; this time, we have triple stacks of eight, one grid spanner, one grid climber:
34A. Calls at home : BALLS AND STRIKES - I am sure this one was a real pleaser for C.C. - I knew it was "home" in the sense of baseball, but was thinking "safe!" and "out!" until I had '_ALLS_ _ '.
7D. Could choose : HAD ONE'S DRUTHERS - not a phrase I am familiar with, and the section surrounding the "TH" ate up all my time on this puzzle. Druthers is a colloquialism, an age-old contraction of (I)'d rather....
and two other 10-letter entries:
4D. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," e.g. : ROCK BALLAD - ah, my youth, spent emulating the "hair bands" of the '80's, and every single one of them was REQUIRED to write the next "Stairway" - personally, it got overplayed; my favorite is Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" - what about you?
27D. Highfalutin : HOITY-TOITY - putting on 'airs', snobby - based on the defunct word "hoit"
Onward~!
ACROSS:
1. Gum with a jingle that began, "So kiss a little longer" : BIG RED - Cinnamon flavored, but the Trident version is much hotter - love a Saturday with a 'gimme' 1A
7. Seconds in the air, to punters : HANG-TIME - and followed with a 'gimme' second across; literally, the time a football is airborne, so that the kicking team has a chance to get on the receiving team - I love the "chess match" tactics of the game, but not into the fantasy aspect or players as much
15. Wicked : UNHOLY
16. Penance component : AVE MARIA - Hail Marys (another football term, too)
17. Poker chips are often seen in them : STACKS - was thinking antes, and pots
18. Chocolaty treats : DOVE BARS - ice cream
19. Some charity races : TEN-Ks - ugh, this got me today; I am usually wise to this
20. Second crop of a growing season : ROWEN - new word for me - exactly what it means
21. Reason for a prep course : S.A.T. - Standard Aptitude Test
22. Healthy piece : SLAB - but not really healthy, if you think in terms of cake
23. Picky person? : MINER - a slight misdirection, I had to wait on perps
24. Brought down : ABASED
26. Bangladesh capital : DHAKA - map
31. Guiding light : POLARIS - a bit vague, but I know my astronomy; the North Star, in the Little Dipper, is presently aligned with the Earth's pole, and therefore stays "fixed", allowing for sailing at night. In about 11,700 years, Vega will be the new North Pole
33. Longhorn rival : SOONER - a WAG. College football - I am guessing Kyle (and others) can't wait for football season
36. Etta James classic : AT LAST - ah, the memories - this was the song my wife picked out for our wedding - I had no choice in the matter, but I didn't care - she was happy - too bad it LASTed only 2 years....
37. New Jersey river : RARITAN - I was born in New Jersey (hey now), but don't recall this name - map - sort of in the middle
38. Exhilarating : HEADY
39. Folly : LUNACY
40. Threadbare : RATTY
41. Words spoken after Polonius says, "I hear him coming: let's withdraw, my lord" : TO BE - a WAG, I just tried TO BE, as it was "words", and only 4 letters
45. Tie up loose ends? : SEW
48. Air Force pilot who became a pop star : DON HO - I did not know this
49. Right to play first, in golf : HONOR
50. Grace : ELEGANCE
52. One of Penelope's 108 in the "Odyssey" : SUITOR - those horndogs - she must have been a subject of ogling, too ( 49D )
53. Disdainful : CAVALIER
54. Chant : INTONE
55. Diving concern : THE BENDS - Nitrogen, boiling in the blood after coming to the surface from great depths too soon.
56. Phoned on a computer, in technospeak : SKYPED - not really technospeak, since Googled is now a word, too.
DOWN:
1. Marble works : BUSTS
2. Espionage aid, for short : INTEL- INTELligence, knowledge of what the "other side" is doing
3. Country that eliminated the United States at the last two World Cups : GHANA
5. FDR and Truman, fraternally : ELKS - the benevolent order of elks
6. Bad opening? : DYS - as in DYSfunctional
8. Swore : AVOWED
9. Word heard before and after "say" : NEVER - James Bond again; this movie
10. Fed personnel : G-MEN
11. Someone has to pick it up : TAB
12. Savings choices, briefly : IRAs
13. Sorvino of "Mighty Aphrodite" : MIRA - Image
14. Rose point : EAST - Compass Rose
20. "__ to the Top": Keni Burke song : RISIN' - I'll leave the links to you
23. French Revolution figure : MARAT - I had this guy before, not too long ago
25. Having strong low tones, as headphones : BASSY
26. Column style : DORIC
28. Co-composer of "Johnny's Theme" : ANKA - Paul Anka, prolific songwriter.
29. Not dull : KEEN
30. Married couple? : ARS - the "R's" in maRRied, like I used to be
31. Spread with drinks : PATÉ
32. Cantina cooker : OLLA - Ceramic pot
33. Pickup for a pound : STRAY - Dog pound
34. "Nuts!" : BAH - Humbug....
35. Pedro o Pablo : SANTO - ah - I had SENOR first
39. Pierced surgically : LANCED
40. 1998 De Niro thriller : RONIN - another movie link
42. Leading : ON TOP - yeah, in football standings, too
43. Cumberland Gap explorer : BOONE - Daniel
44. Stumbled : ERRED
45. Branch : SECT
46. Valley where David fought Goliath : ELAH - total WAG
47. Bob Seger's "__ Got Tonight" : WE'VE
48. Low area : DALE
49. Object of ogling : HUNK - Ogle, ladies, ogle - I had the guys covered last week with Bond Girls - and I had a UPS package go to Carey Lowell yesterday - one of my top three
51. Speak idly : GAB
52. Cheer syllable : SIS - um, this one I am not sure; SIS BOOM BAH ~!?!?!?
Answer grid.
Well, for those in the path of Irene, like me, stay safe, above water, and below deadly winds....
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our Friday Sherpa Lemonade. Thanks for the consistently informative and entertaining write-up every week.
Words: 70
Blocks: 34
Well I just love a Saturday that moves along this smoothly - I hope you all felt the same way ~! Constructor Kyle had one other offering back in Dec. '09; this time, we have triple stacks of eight, one grid spanner, one grid climber:
34A. Calls at home : BALLS AND STRIKES - I am sure this one was a real pleaser for C.C. - I knew it was "home" in the sense of baseball, but was thinking "safe!" and "out!" until I had '_ALLS_ _ '.
7D. Could choose : HAD ONE'S DRUTHERS - not a phrase I am familiar with, and the section surrounding the "TH" ate up all my time on this puzzle. Druthers is a colloquialism, an age-old contraction of (I)'d rather....
and two other 10-letter entries:
4D. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," e.g. : ROCK BALLAD - ah, my youth, spent emulating the "hair bands" of the '80's, and every single one of them was REQUIRED to write the next "Stairway" - personally, it got overplayed; my favorite is Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" - what about you?
27D. Highfalutin : HOITY-TOITY - putting on 'airs', snobby - based on the defunct word "hoit"
Onward~!
ACROSS:
1. Gum with a jingle that began, "So kiss a little longer" : BIG RED - Cinnamon flavored, but the Trident version is much hotter - love a Saturday with a 'gimme' 1A
7. Seconds in the air, to punters : HANG-TIME - and followed with a 'gimme' second across; literally, the time a football is airborne, so that the kicking team has a chance to get on the receiving team - I love the "chess match" tactics of the game, but not into the fantasy aspect or players as much
15. Wicked : UNHOLY
16. Penance component : AVE MARIA - Hail Marys (another football term, too)
17. Poker chips are often seen in them : STACKS - was thinking antes, and pots
18. Chocolaty treats : DOVE BARS - ice cream
19. Some charity races : TEN-Ks - ugh, this got me today; I am usually wise to this
20. Second crop of a growing season : ROWEN - new word for me - exactly what it means
21. Reason for a prep course : S.A.T. - Standard Aptitude Test
22. Healthy piece : SLAB - but not really healthy, if you think in terms of cake
23. Picky person? : MINER - a slight misdirection, I had to wait on perps
24. Brought down : ABASED
26. Bangladesh capital : DHAKA - map
31. Guiding light : POLARIS - a bit vague, but I know my astronomy; the North Star, in the Little Dipper, is presently aligned with the Earth's pole, and therefore stays "fixed", allowing for sailing at night. In about 11,700 years, Vega will be the new North Pole
33. Longhorn rival : SOONER - a WAG. College football - I am guessing Kyle (and others) can't wait for football season
36. Etta James classic : AT LAST - ah, the memories - this was the song my wife picked out for our wedding - I had no choice in the matter, but I didn't care - she was happy - too bad it LASTed only 2 years....
37. New Jersey river : RARITAN - I was born in New Jersey (hey now), but don't recall this name - map - sort of in the middle
38. Exhilarating : HEADY
39. Folly : LUNACY
40. Threadbare : RATTY
41. Words spoken after Polonius says, "I hear him coming: let's withdraw, my lord" : TO BE - a WAG, I just tried TO BE, as it was "words", and only 4 letters
45. Tie up loose ends? : SEW
48. Air Force pilot who became a pop star : DON HO - I did not know this
49. Right to play first, in golf : HONOR
50. Grace : ELEGANCE
52. One of Penelope's 108 in the "Odyssey" : SUITOR - those horndogs - she must have been a subject of ogling, too ( 49D )
53. Disdainful : CAVALIER
54. Chant : INTONE
55. Diving concern : THE BENDS - Nitrogen, boiling in the blood after coming to the surface from great depths too soon.
56. Phoned on a computer, in technospeak : SKYPED - not really technospeak, since Googled is now a word, too.
DOWN:
1. Marble works : BUSTS
2. Espionage aid, for short : INTEL- INTELligence, knowledge of what the "other side" is doing
3. Country that eliminated the United States at the last two World Cups : GHANA
5. FDR and Truman, fraternally : ELKS - the benevolent order of elks
6. Bad opening? : DYS - as in DYSfunctional
8. Swore : AVOWED
9. Word heard before and after "say" : NEVER - James Bond again; this movie
10. Fed personnel : G-MEN
11. Someone has to pick it up : TAB
12. Savings choices, briefly : IRAs
13. Sorvino of "Mighty Aphrodite" : MIRA - Image
14. Rose point : EAST - Compass Rose
20. "__ to the Top": Keni Burke song : RISIN' - I'll leave the links to you
23. French Revolution figure : MARAT - I had this guy before, not too long ago
25. Having strong low tones, as headphones : BASSY
26. Column style : DORIC
28. Co-composer of "Johnny's Theme" : ANKA - Paul Anka, prolific songwriter.
29. Not dull : KEEN
30. Married couple? : ARS - the "R's" in maRRied, like I used to be
31. Spread with drinks : PATÉ
32. Cantina cooker : OLLA - Ceramic pot
33. Pickup for a pound : STRAY - Dog pound
34. "Nuts!" : BAH - Humbug....
35. Pedro o Pablo : SANTO - ah - I had SENOR first
39. Pierced surgically : LANCED
40. 1998 De Niro thriller : RONIN - another movie link
42. Leading : ON TOP - yeah, in football standings, too
43. Cumberland Gap explorer : BOONE - Daniel
44. Stumbled : ERRED
45. Branch : SECT
46. Valley where David fought Goliath : ELAH - total WAG
47. Bob Seger's "__ Got Tonight" : WE'VE
48. Low area : DALE
49. Object of ogling : HUNK - Ogle, ladies, ogle - I had the guys covered last week with Bond Girls - and I had a UPS package go to Carey Lowell yesterday - one of my top three
51. Speak idly : GAB
52. Cheer syllable : SIS - um, this one I am not sure; SIS BOOM BAH ~!?!?!?
Answer grid.
Well, for those in the path of Irene, like me, stay safe, above water, and below deadly winds....
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our Friday Sherpa Lemonade. Thanks for the consistently informative and entertaining write-up every week.
