(Please click here to solve the LA Times Daily Crossword in old format.)
Theme: Saturday Silk
Words: 72
Blocks: 28
Well I just smoked through this puzzle today ~! A Saturday Silkie, with some answers made specially for us here at the corner ~! A smattering of single blocks in the center of a pinwheel of triple 9's and 10's. No spanners or climbers, and not too many obscure clues, I thought....how did you fare ???
Yes, No, Maybe, Not ??
Onward ~!
ACROSS:
1. Cause of a run, perhaps : WILD PITCH - Let's just start with a baseball answer for our host, C.C. - not a baseball fan myself: scoring a run on a WILD PITCH usually means it got a long way from the catcher, and the man on third was able to cross the plate
10. Benjamin : C-SPOT - I had C-NOTE to start, C designating 100, with Ben's mug on it
15. Two-time Best Situation Comedy Emmy winner : I LOVE LUCY - I did not know how many awards it did win; honestly, not a big fan - but I grew up with Tom & Jerry cartoons, so go figure
16. Still in contention : ALIVE
17. Scorned : DISDAINED
18. Oysterquartz maker : ROLEX - a WAG - makes me think of this line, @ 1:23
19. Agitates, with "at" : EATS
20. Physicist Ampère : ANDRE - the info on this man, who gave us the electrical term defining a unit of current in a circuit
22. New York Giants ownership family name : MARA - ah, I knew it was an "M" at the beginning, but even being from LI, NY, I am not that big of a fan to remember the name
23. Drink suffix : ADE - funny, but I went out with "the guys" tonight, and I don't drink, but when I read this, I was thinking Martini, Mai Tai, etc., - oh, yeah, like LEMONADE - get well, Mr. Friday ~!
24. Obstructs : OPPOSES - started with IMPEDES, was real proud of myself - but SLO-MO had to be right
26. Dilutes : THINS - as a painter, this one came easy
30. Locking blocks : LEGOs - Love this toy - I STILL have my collection, mostly the high-end kits that had some 'working' part, like the steering of the Go-Kart, the rotors of the helicopter....
32. Work with a shuttle : TAT - Dah~! I had SEW to start
33. Order of the British Empire, e.g. : HONOUR - knew this was an 'award', a 'medal', but ah, the British spelling of Honor
35. Butter up, perhaps : BE NICE TO - who are you BEING NICE TO now that Christmas is a week away ~!?!?
37. Film feline : ELSA - Lion King, right? Never saw it. (Correction: It's "Born Free".)
38. Key color : EBONY 50/50, EBONY or IVORY
40. Region : AREA
41. Antifreeze compound : METHANOL - again, all proud of myself for having ETHYLENE here
43. Some runners : MILERS
45. Result preceder : AS A - Never cut my finger off with a circular saw; AS A result, I still have ten digits
46. Like some waste : TOXIC
48. Center : MIDST - I was in the MIDST of some booty dancers tonight....
49. Something to use on leftovers : TIN FOIL - not that it's TIN, but the common phrase for aluminum wrap
51. Old dance : HOP - I had TAP to start
53. Fixed stake : ANTE - yeah, I was thinking TENT, but this is the betting, better version
54. Emphasize to excess : RUB IN - funny, I was doing the blog, and thought "Hey, I don't remember seeing the NAME "Rubin" in the grid..."
56. Composed : CALM - not WROTE, PENNED, or MADE
60. Fluffy : DOWNY
62. It "isn't what it used to be": Peter De Vries : NOSTALGIA - Har, har
64. In reserve : ON ICE - I had ON TAP here, not at 52D - what's On Ice, Tinbeni ??
65. Horror movie staples : CREATURES - And here's one directly for our own CREATURE
66. Get Mad again : RE-NEW - Ah, very good, the magazine, not the emotion
67. "I need a hand!" : "HELP ME OUT!"
DOWN:
1. Sweeping : WIDE
2. Pelvic parts : ILIA
3. Drama that began with a plane crash : LOST - was great to start, but I just couldn't stay with it
4. TCM merchandise : DVDs
5. Shell game need : PEA
6. Epic featuring Agamemnon : ILIAD - and ILIA in the same grid
7. Dig : TUNNEL - moles tunnel under the lawn
8. Kept in the loop, briefly : CCed - a little host hint again
9. It's always number one : HYDROGEN - on the periodic chart - I love this version
10. Ride : CAR
11. NFL review technique : SLO-MO
12. Featuring built-in columns : PILASTERED - tired BALUSTERED first
13. Jenny Craig targets : OVER-EATERS
14. Southern side : TEXAS TOAST - yeah, it's a Northern one, as well - I usually have it with a pasta dish
21. Karl Benz or Henry Ford : EPONYM - the 10D's are named after their makers, Ford, and Benz.
23. Grand Canyon State sch. : ASU - the "S" was in place, figured it was Arizona _ University
25. Chi follower : PSI
26. 2005 Brosnan/Kinnear film with a bullfight scene : THE MATADOR - never saw it - more here
27. Aces : HOLES IN ONE - I know Husker is a Duffer; anyone ever get a hole in one? I had a friend of mine who played every day ( retired, of course ) and his hole in one came on a day that he played alone - I believed him
28. Lottery draw : INSTANT WIN - I think more of the scratch-offs when I think of instant wins and lottery
29. Genesis builder : NOAH - a man and his Ark; Ancient Alien theorists believe this is a parable to some storage device for the DNA of every living thing on Earth - I am fascinated by these kinds of things
31. Town in Salerno : EBOLI - Do you think American tourism is down due to E. Coli, or Ebola?
34. "The Bathers" artist : RENOIR - here it is; such frolicking
36. Avianca airlines destination : CALI - oh, Columbia, South America map
39. Construction site sight : BOX LUNCH - yeah, OK, I was thinking BOOM CRANE
42. Words on some initial volumes : A TO - - like Encyclopaedia, "A to Amer", e.g.
44. Rap sca lli on : IMP - 3-2/3 times the letters, 4 times the syllables
47. Cheat : CHISEL - as in "he chiseled me out of a fiver"
50. One handling hot things? : FENCE - stolen items are "hot" - the fence takes it off your hands, at a discount, and puts it back in/on the market - here's my favorite fence
52. Ready : ON-TAP
55. Yawn inducer : BORE
56. Footprint, e.g. : CLUE
57. Field: Pref. : AGRO
58. Stead : LIEU
59. Clipper part : MAST - thought maybe SAIL - here's a Clipper - so named because it moved at a "clip", sez Wiki; Spitzboov was a sailor at one time, right?
61. Fine-grained wood : YEW - alternate to "bow-making wood"
63. Short-term funding source : ATM - ah, got me - took the AT_ before I figured out we were talking about our old favorite, the Automatic Teller Machine
Answer grid.
Splynter
Theme: Saturday Silk
Words: 72
Blocks: 28
Well I just smoked through this puzzle today ~! A Saturday Silkie, with some answers made specially for us here at the corner ~! A smattering of single blocks in the center of a pinwheel of triple 9's and 10's. No spanners or climbers, and not too many obscure clues, I thought....how did you fare ???
Yes, No, Maybe, Not ??
Onward ~!
ACROSS:
1. Cause of a run, perhaps : WILD PITCH - Let's just start with a baseball answer for our host, C.C. - not a baseball fan myself: scoring a run on a WILD PITCH usually means it got a long way from the catcher, and the man on third was able to cross the plate
10. Benjamin : C-SPOT - I had C-NOTE to start, C designating 100, with Ben's mug on it
15. Two-time Best Situation Comedy Emmy winner : I LOVE LUCY - I did not know how many awards it did win; honestly, not a big fan - but I grew up with Tom & Jerry cartoons, so go figure
16. Still in contention : ALIVE
17. Scorned : DISDAINED
18. Oysterquartz maker : ROLEX - a WAG - makes me think of this line, @ 1:23
19. Agitates, with "at" : EATS
20. Physicist Ampère : ANDRE - the info on this man, who gave us the electrical term defining a unit of current in a circuit
22. New York Giants ownership family name : MARA - ah, I knew it was an "M" at the beginning, but even being from LI, NY, I am not that big of a fan to remember the name
23. Drink suffix : ADE - funny, but I went out with "the guys" tonight, and I don't drink, but when I read this, I was thinking Martini, Mai Tai, etc., - oh, yeah, like LEMONADE - get well, Mr. Friday ~!
24. Obstructs : OPPOSES - started with IMPEDES, was real proud of myself - but SLO-MO had to be right
26. Dilutes : THINS - as a painter, this one came easy
30. Locking blocks : LEGOs - Love this toy - I STILL have my collection, mostly the high-end kits that had some 'working' part, like the steering of the Go-Kart, the rotors of the helicopter....
32. Work with a shuttle : TAT - Dah~! I had SEW to start
33. Order of the British Empire, e.g. : HONOUR - knew this was an 'award', a 'medal', but ah, the British spelling of Honor
35. Butter up, perhaps : BE NICE TO - who are you BEING NICE TO now that Christmas is a week away ~!?!?
37. Film feline : ELSA - Lion King, right? Never saw it. (Correction: It's "Born Free".)
38. Key color : EBONY 50/50, EBONY or IVORY
40. Region : AREA
41. Antifreeze compound : METHANOL - again, all proud of myself for having ETHYLENE here
43. Some runners : MILERS
45. Result preceder : AS A - Never cut my finger off with a circular saw; AS A result, I still have ten digits
46. Like some waste : TOXIC
48. Center : MIDST - I was in the MIDST of some booty dancers tonight....
49. Something to use on leftovers : TIN FOIL - not that it's TIN, but the common phrase for aluminum wrap
51. Old dance : HOP - I had TAP to start
53. Fixed stake : ANTE - yeah, I was thinking TENT, but this is the betting, better version
54. Emphasize to excess : RUB IN - funny, I was doing the blog, and thought "Hey, I don't remember seeing the NAME "Rubin" in the grid..."
56. Composed : CALM - not WROTE, PENNED, or MADE
60. Fluffy : DOWNY
62. It "isn't what it used to be": Peter De Vries : NOSTALGIA - Har, har
64. In reserve : ON ICE - I had ON TAP here, not at 52D - what's On Ice, Tinbeni ??
65. Horror movie staples : CREATURES - And here's one directly for our own CREATURE
66. Get Mad again : RE-NEW - Ah, very good, the magazine, not the emotion
67. "I need a hand!" : "HELP ME OUT!"
DOWN:
1. Sweeping : WIDE
2. Pelvic parts : ILIA
3. Drama that began with a plane crash : LOST - was great to start, but I just couldn't stay with it
4. TCM merchandise : DVDs
5. Shell game need : PEA
6. Epic featuring Agamemnon : ILIAD - and ILIA in the same grid
7. Dig : TUNNEL - moles tunnel under the lawn
8. Kept in the loop, briefly : CCed - a little host hint again
9. It's always number one : HYDROGEN - on the periodic chart - I love this version
10. Ride : CAR
11. NFL review technique : SLO-MO
12. Featuring built-in columns : PILASTERED - tired BALUSTERED first
13. Jenny Craig targets : OVER-EATERS
14. Southern side : TEXAS TOAST - yeah, it's a Northern one, as well - I usually have it with a pasta dish
21. Karl Benz or Henry Ford : EPONYM - the 10D's are named after their makers, Ford, and Benz.
23. Grand Canyon State sch. : ASU - the "S" was in place, figured it was Arizona _ University
25. Chi follower : PSI
26. 2005 Brosnan/Kinnear film with a bullfight scene : THE MATADOR - never saw it - more here
27. Aces : HOLES IN ONE - I know Husker is a Duffer; anyone ever get a hole in one? I had a friend of mine who played every day ( retired, of course ) and his hole in one came on a day that he played alone - I believed him
28. Lottery draw : INSTANT WIN - I think more of the scratch-offs when I think of instant wins and lottery
29. Genesis builder : NOAH - a man and his Ark; Ancient Alien theorists believe this is a parable to some storage device for the DNA of every living thing on Earth - I am fascinated by these kinds of things
31. Town in Salerno : EBOLI - Do you think American tourism is down due to E. Coli, or Ebola?
34. "The Bathers" artist : RENOIR - here it is; such frolicking
36. Avianca airlines destination : CALI - oh, Columbia, South America map
39. Construction site sight : BOX LUNCH - yeah, OK, I was thinking BOOM CRANE
42. Words on some initial volumes : A TO - - like Encyclopaedia, "A to Amer", e.g.
44. Rap sca lli on : IMP - 3-2/3 times the letters, 4 times the syllables
47. Cheat : CHISEL - as in "he chiseled me out of a fiver"
50. One handling hot things? : FENCE - stolen items are "hot" - the fence takes it off your hands, at a discount, and puts it back in/on the market - here's my favorite fence
52. Ready : ON-TAP
55. Yawn inducer : BORE
56. Footprint, e.g. : CLUE
57. Field: Pref. : AGRO
58. Stead : LIEU
59. Clipper part : MAST - thought maybe SAIL - here's a Clipper - so named because it moved at a "clip", sez Wiki; Spitzboov was a sailor at one time, right?
61. Fine-grained wood : YEW - alternate to "bow-making wood"
63. Short-term funding source : ATM - ah, got me - took the AT_ before I figured out we were talking about our old favorite, the Automatic Teller Machine
Answer grid.
Splynter
