Theme: None
Words: 70
Blocks: 31
My second Brad WilbEr in a month (August 6th), which offered us "This Is Spinal Tap"; this puzzle's movie is-
62A. 1988 film set in a New England pie maker's shop : MYSTIC PIZZA - which I know stars what's-her-name, but not one I have seen;
moving around our 11-letter pinwheel grid, we have -
Words: 70
Blocks: 31
My second Brad WilbEr in a month (August 6th), which offered us "This Is Spinal Tap"; this puzzle's movie is-
62A. 1988 film set in a New England pie maker's shop : MYSTIC PIZZA - which I know stars what's-her-name, but not one I have seen;
moving around our 11-letter pinwheel grid, we have -
15A. Pompous : OVERWEENING - a new word for me - I had over-BEARing to start
18A. Risky telecast : LIVE EPISODE - like much of early TV, but before my time
58A. Tenant, say : LEASE HOLDER - this whole block came easily for me, but I did have to dip into Red-letter for the first time in a while to get this one done - PHEW~!
Onward~!
18A. Risky telecast : LIVE EPISODE - like much of early TV, but before my time
58A. Tenant, say : LEASE HOLDER - this whole block came easily for me, but I did have to dip into Red-letter for the first time in a while to get this one done - PHEW~!
Onward~!
ACROSS:
1. Charade : ACT - don't get the opening three-letter word right away? Not a good sign....
4. Range barrier : BARBED WIRE - at one point, I thought this might be a firing range clue; looking for "cement wall"
14. Roller coaster part : CAR
17. Link between handles? : A.K.A. - "Also Known As" from police reports, a very misleading clue. I had CBs
19. Reduced in status : DECLASSE
21. Gave away : LET ON
22. Some Olympians' tools : EPEES - not Fencing blade
23. Movement traced to an ancient flower sermon : ZEN
26. Dean's reality TV partner : TORI - complete unknown to me; this show
27. Hall of Fame NFL owner Wellington __ : MARA
28. Natural history museum attractions : T-REXES - had the "X" from eXcuses
31. Divided country : USA - believe it or not, this was my first guess at a three-letter country, but I couldn't commit to it; divided into states, that is, not 'Nam (N & S Vietnam)
32. Sucker : ENSNARE - ah, the verb
34. Court address : COUNSEL
36. 1998 Apple rollout : IMAC - not a Mac person, and I am disappointed with my iPhone, too - only my iPod still works, and that was my first fill
37. Sch. whose students have won more than 200 Olympic medals : UCLA
38. Reach equilibrium : EVEN OUT
41. Steamy container : SOUP POT
45. When the French Open starts : MAY
46. Cymbeline's daughter, in Shakespeare : IMOGEN
48. Japanese script : KANA
49. Botched : BLEW
51. Palindromic Altar : ARA
52. 2008 Palin counterpart : BIDEN - as in "potential" VP status
53. Mystery middle name : ALLAN - Edgar ALLEN Poe
55. "Dead Man Walking" Oscar winner : SARANDON - Spelled it wrong, had -AN, and One-a-Cat sounded good enough for me
61. Yegg's haul : ICE - as in diamonds
63. Hammer site : EAR - misdirection to the three little bones in the ear
64. Cut with the tenderloin removed : SHELL STEAK
65. Oink spot : STY - cute clue for the day
DOWN:
1. Egghead's environs : ACADEME - WAGed at AV ROOMS, and left the "S" in place; didn't help
2. Where the batter goes : CAKE PAN - I know C.C. was not thinking this batter
3. Shipping inquiries : TRACERS - tracking number was too long
4. Corded weapons : BOLAs - this weapon
5. Alamo rival : AVIS - they try harder
6. Tach count : REVs
7. Succeed without difficulty, with "in" : BREEZE
8. Romano source, usually : EWE - sheep's milk cheese?
9. ATM transaction : DEPosit
10. "Gravity and Grace" writer Simone : WEIL
11. Cartographic closeup : INSET - like this
12. Uninhibited : RIOTOUS
13. Stand behind : ENDORSE
16. Good-natured : GENIAL
20. Sit angularly, as a wall : LEAN IN - if your wall is starting to "lean in", better call someone fast; I had Bend in, which seems to make a more artistic impression
24. "My alarm didn't go off," e.g. : EXCUSE
25. One who's now right-brained? : NEOCON - extremist political term - more here
28. Therapist's concern : TRAUMA
29. Parish leader : RECTOR
30. Sci-fi character named for an Asian sea : SULU - of Star Trek fame; still riding the popularity wave after having come out of the closet
33. Mine, in Metz : A MOI - this would be French, non?
35. You'll need more than one in a rib joint : NAPKIN - the ones around here leave you a roll of paper towel
38. Insulate from change : EMBALM - oh, so cool for a clue
39. Big dips : VALLEYS - had plunges at first
40. Very slim margin : EYELASH
42. Rice fields : PADDIES
43. Baseball-like game with two bases : ONE O'CAT - Origins of Baseball
44. Leather maker : TANNERY - the shop, not the person
47. Like many Sherlock Holmes settings : GAS-LIT
50. Profligacy : WASTE
52. 2000 Camp David summit attendee : BARAK
54. Diamond in music : NEIL
56. Bladed tool : ADZE
57. Two-time Tony-winning playwright Yasmina __ : REZA
59. Strong acid, chemically : HCL - HydroChLoric Acid
60. Black __: spy doings : OPs - this and OXO are getting to be popular
Well, not much for me to link today, mostly words of a self-explaining nature - and the blog site was giving me trouble tonight,too....see you next Saturday~!
Answer grid.
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
A belated Happy 39th Wedding Anniversary to Kazie. Today, we celebrate the 46th Wedding Anniversary of Jayce and his beautiful wife, who was born & grew up in Hongkong. Look at these sweet "Then and Now" pictures.
Note from C.C.:
A belated Happy 39th Wedding Anniversary to Kazie. Today, we celebrate the 46th Wedding Anniversary of Jayce and his beautiful wife, who was born & grew up in Hongkong. Look at these sweet "Then and Now" pictures.
