Theme: None
Words: 70
Blocks: 29
Yes, I believe this is my first Peter Wentz puzzle, and according to my search, his last Saturday LAT grid was Aug 2009 - before my time. Scrabbly, with just the "X" absent. A nearly perfect spiral of a layout, with a "+" in the middle, only six 3-letter entries, and triple 9/5 and 8/7 stacks going around. Heavy on the music, and sports, too, with;
34A. Five-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner : GRETZKY - Wayne, one of the best forwards to ever play hockey; this is the award for best sportsman - I am not up to speed on my trophies; I know that the best goalie gets the "Vezina" trophy; also 31A. 34-Across's realm : ICE
19A. Hoops legend : DR J - Julius Erving, but I do not care for basketball
39A. Only Dolphin quarterback to win a Super Bowl : GRIESE - Not Marino, this guy
33D. Common Sunday NFL game time : ONE PM
36D. Events after coin tosses : KICKOFFS - and now it's all over, until September
So ONWARD~! to the rest of today's fill~!
ACROSS:
1. 2001 OutKast chart-topper whose title refers to Erykah Badu's mother : MS. JACKSON - I like "Roses" better
10. Dover souls : BRITs - slang for British; Dover is on the channel - has a CASTLE, awesome
15. High seas shout : AHOY THERE
16. __ acid : BORIC - not AMINO, not FOLIC
17. Dogs first bred in Thuringia : DOBERMANS - nice fill; these "1D's"
18. Out of place : QUEER
20. Allow to go after : LET AT
21. It may be fixed : STARE
22. Buckwheat's "You betcha!" : "OTAY~!" - Eddie Murphy did a pretty good Buckwheat
24. Holy orders and extreme unction, e.g. : RITES
27. Ashram leaders : GURUs - some more here about Ashram
29. Geographical name from the Hebrew for "dry" : NEGEV - as in the desert
32. Choke up : CLOG - I don't think sinks "choke up", people do - either crying or batting
36. Original name of Whiskas cat food : KAL-KAN
40. Words after a rhetorical "Is this a good idea?" : I SAY YES
42. "Just the facts" Jack : WEBB
43. Hack : CAB - #3 of the 3-letter words across
44. Reckon : S'POSE - bit of Southern, Redneck speak
46. "Like a Rock" singer : SEGER
50. Tae __ do : KWON
52. "Dude, Where's __?": 2000 film : MY CAR
54. Wander : ROVE
55. Laura's classic cry on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" : "OH ROB~!"
57. Peabrain : MORON
59. Shared ride to wk. : H.O.V. - High-Occupancy Vehicle - a colossal waste here on Long Island; the problem? No Long Islander cares to let someone else drive, and no one is ever going back to "Levittown" the same time as you are....
60. Four-page sheet : FOLIO
61. "I'm serious" : IT'S NO JOKE
63. Instant : FLASH
64. Circus chairperson? : LION TAMER
65. Culvert : SEWER
66. Rapper with the multi-platinum debut album "The College Dropout" : KANYE WEST - not a fan to begin with, and just an ass after his video awards obnoxiousness
DOWN:
1. Rabies victim : MAD DOG - liquor, too, in the same category as "Nighttrain", and "Thunderbird"; while I did drink to get drunk, I never "sank" this low
2. Puzzling sound? : SHORT u - nice mis-direction; the "uh" in pUzzling
3. Chore assignment simplifier : JOB JAR - never heard of it - but a great idea
4. High seas okay : AYE - this is #5 of the three-letter words; two were up top
5. PC key : CTRL
6. Cambodia's official language : KHMER
7. Theater arrangement : SEATING
8. Showy : ORNATE
9. Retirement fund : NEST EGG
10. Smoking parties, briefly? : BBQs - and 26A. Side at 10-Down : SLAW
11. Beats the pants off : ROUTS
12. "It's clear to me ..." : I REALIZE...
13. Closet organizers : TIE RACKS
14. Fastener with a loop : SCREW-EYE - popular on gates; this thingy
23. Gross : YUCKY - I had the "Y", so I tried "YIELD", which works, too, in economic terms
25. Twilled fabric : SERGE
28. More than amuses : SLAYS
30. Hide and seek, e.g. : VERBS
35. Vatican City's river : TIBER
37. Taken together : AS A WHOLE
38. Attorney's specialty : LABOR LAW
41. Coffee additive for vegans : SOY MILK
42. Starts to get to : WEARS ON
45. Nova __ : SCOTIA - Off Canada's East coast - image
47. Yankee follower? : GO HOME - Anti-American; some more here
48. Conjures up : EVOKES
49. Go back : REVERT
51. Electric interference : NOISE
53. Cox of "Deliverance" : RONNY
56. Father or son physics Nobelist : BOHR
58. Quick reminder : NOTE
62. Argue : JAW - and we end on the last of the 3-letter words
Answer grid.
Splynter
Words: 70
Blocks: 29
Yes, I believe this is my first Peter Wentz puzzle, and according to my search, his last Saturday LAT grid was Aug 2009 - before my time. Scrabbly, with just the "X" absent. A nearly perfect spiral of a layout, with a "+" in the middle, only six 3-letter entries, and triple 9/5 and 8/7 stacks going around. Heavy on the music, and sports, too, with;
34A. Five-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner : GRETZKY - Wayne, one of the best forwards to ever play hockey; this is the award for best sportsman - I am not up to speed on my trophies; I know that the best goalie gets the "Vezina" trophy; also 31A. 34-Across's realm : ICE
19A. Hoops legend : DR J - Julius Erving, but I do not care for basketball
39A. Only Dolphin quarterback to win a Super Bowl : GRIESE - Not Marino, this guy
33D. Common Sunday NFL game time : ONE PM
36D. Events after coin tosses : KICKOFFS - and now it's all over, until September
So ONWARD~! to the rest of today's fill~!
ACROSS:
1. 2001 OutKast chart-topper whose title refers to Erykah Badu's mother : MS. JACKSON - I like "Roses" better
10. Dover souls : BRITs - slang for British; Dover is on the channel - has a CASTLE, awesome
15. High seas shout : AHOY THERE
16. __ acid : BORIC - not AMINO, not FOLIC
17. Dogs first bred in Thuringia : DOBERMANS - nice fill; these "1D's"
18. Out of place : QUEER
20. Allow to go after : LET AT
21. It may be fixed : STARE
22. Buckwheat's "You betcha!" : "OTAY~!" - Eddie Murphy did a pretty good Buckwheat
24. Holy orders and extreme unction, e.g. : RITES
27. Ashram leaders : GURUs - some more here about Ashram
29. Geographical name from the Hebrew for "dry" : NEGEV - as in the desert
32. Choke up : CLOG - I don't think sinks "choke up", people do - either crying or batting
36. Original name of Whiskas cat food : KAL-KAN
40. Words after a rhetorical "Is this a good idea?" : I SAY YES
42. "Just the facts" Jack : WEBB
43. Hack : CAB - #3 of the 3-letter words across
44. Reckon : S'POSE - bit of Southern, Redneck speak
46. "Like a Rock" singer : SEGER
50. Tae __ do : KWON
52. "Dude, Where's __?": 2000 film : MY CAR
54. Wander : ROVE
55. Laura's classic cry on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" : "OH ROB~!"
57. Peabrain : MORON
59. Shared ride to wk. : H.O.V. - High-Occupancy Vehicle - a colossal waste here on Long Island; the problem? No Long Islander cares to let someone else drive, and no one is ever going back to "Levittown" the same time as you are....
60. Four-page sheet : FOLIO
61. "I'm serious" : IT'S NO JOKE
63. Instant : FLASH
64. Circus chairperson? : LION TAMER
65. Culvert : SEWER
66. Rapper with the multi-platinum debut album "The College Dropout" : KANYE WEST - not a fan to begin with, and just an ass after his video awards obnoxiousness
DOWN:
1. Rabies victim : MAD DOG - liquor, too, in the same category as "Nighttrain", and "Thunderbird"; while I did drink to get drunk, I never "sank" this low
2. Puzzling sound? : SHORT u - nice mis-direction; the "uh" in pUzzling
3. Chore assignment simplifier : JOB JAR - never heard of it - but a great idea
4. High seas okay : AYE - this is #5 of the three-letter words; two were up top
5. PC key : CTRL
6. Cambodia's official language : KHMER
7. Theater arrangement : SEATING
8. Showy : ORNATE
9. Retirement fund : NEST EGG
10. Smoking parties, briefly? : BBQs - and 26A. Side at 10-Down : SLAW
11. Beats the pants off : ROUTS
12. "It's clear to me ..." : I REALIZE...
13. Closet organizers : TIE RACKS
14. Fastener with a loop : SCREW-EYE - popular on gates; this thingy
23. Gross : YUCKY - I had the "Y", so I tried "YIELD", which works, too, in economic terms
25. Twilled fabric : SERGE
28. More than amuses : SLAYS
30. Hide and seek, e.g. : VERBS
35. Vatican City's river : TIBER
37. Taken together : AS A WHOLE
38. Attorney's specialty : LABOR LAW
41. Coffee additive for vegans : SOY MILK
42. Starts to get to : WEARS ON
45. Nova __ : SCOTIA - Off Canada's East coast - image
47. Yankee follower? : GO HOME - Anti-American; some more here
48. Conjures up : EVOKES
49. Go back : REVERT
51. Electric interference : NOISE
53. Cox of "Deliverance" : RONNY
56. Father or son physics Nobelist : BOHR
58. Quick reminder : NOTE
62. Argue : JAW - and we end on the last of the 3-letter words
Answer grid.
Splynter
