Theme: None
Words: 68
Blocks: 37
Well, I have to say, yesterday's puzzle took longer than today's - two Bruce constructors in a row, and I guess I was on Bruce Venzke's wavelength, even at this hour of the morning. Truly, my only hang ups were at a couple of DOWN clues. I hope your Saturday solve was just as inspiring, and for those persons who dared try a Saturday for the first time, this grid was a good jumping off point~!
Double symmetry, which I don't often see, with corners of triple sevens, and;
Two grid spanners -
29. First of an old film septet : ROAD TO SINGAPORE - A comedy series that included six other locations, and three main stars - Bing Crosby (who will be crooning in my parent's house for the holidays), Dorothy Lamour (who I don't know), and Bob Hope, who was more a comedian for me than a movie star - never saw any of his films
38. Hold back : KEEP AT A DISTANCE
and two of 13-letters -
19. Obviously fearful : WHITE AS A SHEET - not that I had GHOST to start, but I did the DOWN clues to begin, which gave me "H" from ROTHS at 10D - but I also had the "E" from ULEES at 11D.
51. Howls skyward : BAYS AT THE MOON - which makes me think of this classic song from Ozzy Osbourne, and the number of letters is the same, but...."Listen in awe, and you'll hear him - link to the song"
Half a dozen abbreviations in the three-letter answers, and quite a bit of musical variety, as well
Yes, No, Maybe, Not ???
ACROSS:
1. Quinine target : MALARIA - well, I wanted "LEG ache" or something like that, since we had this in the Jeff Chen "Q" puzzle from Sunday....
8. Smartened (up) : SPRUCED - right before your date gets to the door, one would "spruce up" the place - I haven't had to do much sprucing, lately....
15. Hard to nail down : EVASIVE
16. When parents don't want a teen to be home? : TOO LATE
17. Equity complaint : "NOT FAIR~!"
18. "Don't Wanna Lose You" singer : ESTEFAN - Gloria, and I will link this one to offset my Ozzy indulgence
21. Like some jokes : TASTELESS - I just used this word in last Saturday's blog
22. Red Ryder ammo : BBs - oh, we are getting close to that classic seasonal movie (clip) - always brings a smile~!! Also - 35D. Shooter insert : PEA
25. Richard Marx label : EMI
26. Crude amt. : BBL - short for Barrel, and I know this corner has had a long discussion on why this is so in the past
36. Drawer : ARTIST - nice misdirection, but I has some letters from the DOWN clues, including the ending -ST, so I was not fooled.
37. Freezes over : ICES UP
42. "Merv Griffin's Crosswords" announcer Hall : EDD
43. Spring sign : BUD - Not LEO,
that's a summer sign, but a flower bud - got me for a second; over-thinking on Saturday is usually the norm (and I just learned that
44. Do some needling : SEW
45. Doughnut-shaped treat : LIFESAVER - candy, and a corporate plug - not that I like them
55. Rolling service station? : TEA CART
56. They were the Browns before they moved from St. Louis : ORIOLES - this was once my favorite baseball team, because I liked their old logo
58. High-speed contest : AIR-RACE - tragic incident in Reno on Sept. 16th
59. More restless : ANTSIER
60. Crept : SNEAKED, and 8D. Enter stealthily : STEAL IN
61. Sages : NESTORS - a reference to the wisest Greek of the Trojan War
DOWN:
1. "So many __, so little time": Mae West : MEN
2. Declare : AVOW - start with AV_ _, wait on the perps
3. Stucco strip : LATH
4. Comparable to a fiddle : "AS FIT as a fiddle"
5. Gaucho gear : RIATA
6. Wrigley Field features : IVIES - Baseball
7. Does some lawn maintenance : AERATES
9. Western group : POSSE
10. Some IRAs : ROTHS
11. "__ Gold": 1997 film : ULEE'S - becoming a crossword staple
12. Bookstore area, often : CAFE
13. French political division : ETAT - French for state - Lemonade is Mr. French around here
14. Outdoor shelter : DEN - I had HUT, thinking of this crew
20. Event before finals : SEMI - meh, it's a bit off for me
22. Gas neighbor : BRAKE - ah, the pedals on the floor of your car, truck, van, etc. - again, I was over-thinking it
23. Made holes : BORED
24. Full : SATED
26. Some crew members, casually : BO'S'NS - nautical term Boatswains
27. Giants manager Bochy : BRUCE - More baseball, and a self-shout-out for Mr. Venzke - hey, I try and do the same in every puzzle I have constructed....SPY and RICH work so well
28. Romantic toon mammal : LEPEW - doesn't this clue sound like it's asking for "SKUNK" ???
30. Roller coaster element : DIP - not CAR
31. Defense agency since Nov. 2001 : TSA - I am sure they're hiring for the holiday season
32. Baseball's Little Giant : OTT - and yet more baseball - do we long for April already ???
33. They're often in a mess : GIs - General Infantry - OOPS, totally wrong my whole life - the soldiers that eat in the mess tent
34. Patriot __ : ACT
39. Looked out for? : ABETTED - the "lookout" is charged with aiding and abetting during a crime
40. Attic collection : DUST - no need to over-think again
41. Gem State native : IDAHOAN - The Gem State - good site to know for future puzzles - bookmark the link now ~!
45. Wet suit material : LYCRA
46. "Wicked Game" singer Chris : ISAAK - and another musical link, this one is raunchy - at least it was when it came out
47. Burlesque : FARCE
48. Sci-fi pioneer : VERNE - Jules, who some believe had visions of the future, and could see the things he wrote about long before they were invented - or did he just inspire them?
49. Gives forth : EMITS
50. Nocturnal resting spot : ROOST
51. "__ Green": Kermit's song : BEIN' - OK, here's Kermit, but this one is my favorite
52. Bern's river : AARE - map
53. Variety : OLIO
54. Start to do well? : NE'ER-Do-Well
55. Jobs for grad students : TAs - Teaching Assistants
57. Many SAT takers : SRs - Seniors
Answer grid.
Movin' Right Along ~!!
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our sweet Creature. Thanks for the kindness and caring you've shown to all of us in the past year.
Words: 68
Blocks: 37
Well, I have to say, yesterday's puzzle took longer than today's - two Bruce constructors in a row, and I guess I was on Bruce Venzke's wavelength, even at this hour of the morning. Truly, my only hang ups were at a couple of DOWN clues. I hope your Saturday solve was just as inspiring, and for those persons who dared try a Saturday for the first time, this grid was a good jumping off point~!
Double symmetry, which I don't often see, with corners of triple sevens, and;
Two grid spanners -
29. First of an old film septet : ROAD TO SINGAPORE - A comedy series that included six other locations, and three main stars - Bing Crosby (who will be crooning in my parent's house for the holidays), Dorothy Lamour (who I don't know), and Bob Hope, who was more a comedian for me than a movie star - never saw any of his films
38. Hold back : KEEP AT A DISTANCE
and two of 13-letters -
19. Obviously fearful : WHITE AS A SHEET - not that I had GHOST to start, but I did the DOWN clues to begin, which gave me "H" from ROTHS at 10D - but I also had the "E" from ULEES at 11D.
51. Howls skyward : BAYS AT THE MOON - which makes me think of this classic song from Ozzy Osbourne, and the number of letters is the same, but...."Listen in awe, and you'll hear him - link to the song"
Half a dozen abbreviations in the three-letter answers, and quite a bit of musical variety, as well
Yes, No, Maybe, Not ???
ACROSS:
1. Quinine target : MALARIA - well, I wanted "LEG ache" or something like that, since we had this in the Jeff Chen "Q" puzzle from Sunday....
8. Smartened (up) : SPRUCED - right before your date gets to the door, one would "spruce up" the place - I haven't had to do much sprucing, lately....
15. Hard to nail down : EVASIVE
16. When parents don't want a teen to be home? : TOO LATE
17. Equity complaint : "NOT FAIR~!"
18. "Don't Wanna Lose You" singer : ESTEFAN - Gloria, and I will link this one to offset my Ozzy indulgence
21. Like some jokes : TASTELESS - I just used this word in last Saturday's blog
22. Red Ryder ammo : BBs - oh, we are getting close to that classic seasonal movie (clip) - always brings a smile~!! Also - 35D. Shooter insert : PEA
25. Richard Marx label : EMI
26. Crude amt. : BBL - short for Barrel, and I know this corner has had a long discussion on why this is so in the past
36. Drawer : ARTIST - nice misdirection, but I has some letters from the DOWN clues, including the ending -ST, so I was not fooled.
37. Freezes over : ICES UP
42. "Merv Griffin's Crosswords" announcer Hall : EDD
43. Spring sign : BUD - Not LEO,
that's a summer sign, but a flower bud - got me for a second; over-thinking on Saturday is usually the norm (and I just learned that
44. Do some needling : SEW
45. Doughnut-shaped treat : LIFESAVER - candy, and a corporate plug - not that I like them
55. Rolling service station? : TEA CART
56. They were the Browns before they moved from St. Louis : ORIOLES - this was once my favorite baseball team, because I liked their old logo
58. High-speed contest : AIR-RACE - tragic incident in Reno on Sept. 16th
59. More restless : ANTSIER
60. Crept : SNEAKED, and 8D. Enter stealthily : STEAL IN
61. Sages : NESTORS - a reference to the wisest Greek of the Trojan War
DOWN:
1. "So many __, so little time": Mae West : MEN
2. Declare : AVOW - start with AV_ _, wait on the perps
3. Stucco strip : LATH
4. Comparable to a fiddle : "AS FIT as a fiddle"
5. Gaucho gear : RIATA
6. Wrigley Field features : IVIES - Baseball
7. Does some lawn maintenance : AERATES
9. Western group : POSSE
10. Some IRAs : ROTHS
11. "__ Gold": 1997 film : ULEE'S - becoming a crossword staple
12. Bookstore area, often : CAFE
13. French political division : ETAT - French for state - Lemonade is Mr. French around here
14. Outdoor shelter : DEN - I had HUT, thinking of this crew
20. Event before finals : SEMI - meh, it's a bit off for me
22. Gas neighbor : BRAKE - ah, the pedals on the floor of your car, truck, van, etc. - again, I was over-thinking it
23. Made holes : BORED
24. Full : SATED
26. Some crew members, casually : BO'S'NS - nautical term Boatswains
27. Giants manager Bochy : BRUCE - More baseball, and a self-shout-out for Mr. Venzke - hey, I try and do the same in every puzzle I have constructed....SPY and RICH work so well
28. Romantic toon mammal : LEPEW - doesn't this clue sound like it's asking for "SKUNK" ???
30. Roller coaster element : DIP - not CAR
31. Defense agency since Nov. 2001 : TSA - I am sure they're hiring for the holiday season
32. Baseball's Little Giant : OTT - and yet more baseball - do we long for April already ???
33. They're often in a mess : GIs - General Infantry - OOPS, totally wrong my whole life - the soldiers that eat in the mess tent
34. Patriot __ : ACT
39. Looked out for? : ABETTED - the "lookout" is charged with aiding and abetting during a crime
40. Attic collection : DUST - no need to over-think again
41. Gem State native : IDAHOAN - The Gem State - good site to know for future puzzles - bookmark the link now ~!
45. Wet suit material : LYCRA
46. "Wicked Game" singer Chris : ISAAK - and another musical link, this one is raunchy - at least it was when it came out
47. Burlesque : FARCE
48. Sci-fi pioneer : VERNE - Jules, who some believe had visions of the future, and could see the things he wrote about long before they were invented - or did he just inspire them?
49. Gives forth : EMITS
50. Nocturnal resting spot : ROOST
51. "__ Green": Kermit's song : BEIN' - OK, here's Kermit, but this one is my favorite
52. Bern's river : AARE - map
53. Variety : OLIO
54. Start to do well? : NE'ER-Do-Well
55. Jobs for grad students : TAs - Teaching Assistants
57. Many SAT takers : SRs - Seniors
Answer grid.
Movin' Right Along ~!!
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our sweet Creature. Thanks for the kindness and caring you've shown to all of us in the past year.
