google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Mar 17, 2012

Saturday, March 17th, 2012, John Farmer

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 34

I am very disappointed with my performance on this puzzle - I had to cheat and look up four answers, all proper names, so I could give myself a fighting chance on any solution at all; even then I was not thrilled with my lack of ability - I was just not on Mr. Farmer's wavelength. I looked, and his only blogged puzzle was back in 2009 - that one had lots of full-length proper names, too; today we have:

16A. The Bucharest Buffoon of '70s-'80s tennis : ILIE NÄ‚STASE - which I had to look up, along with 24A, 45A and 9D

Triple 11's(!) and triple 8's, which deceived me into thinking I would get a hold early with the resulting series of 3-letter words, but NOPE (BTW, I had this for UH-UH, 50A) - I have added a "*" to the clues where I smacked myself for missing the point; e.g.;

8D. Made 60-Across for technocrats? : ANAGRAMMED - * "technocrats" threw me, since I did not know this was a group of people, but all we needed was the 10 letters rearranged into "trench coats" - which I nailed, and thought I was doing pretty good - I had the whole SW corner done....

Oh well, Happy "STPAT" day - On-ward~!

ACROSS:

1. Outlying expanse : LEA

4. Fay Wray in "King Kong," to movie buffs : SCREAM QUEEN

15. The Giants retired his #4 : OTT (Mel) - standard CW, and

17. Unit whose symbol is an omega : OHM - heck "OH" is part of the word "OH-mega"

18. Military communications branch : SIGNAL CORPS

19. Site of Cretan ruins : KNOSSOS

21. Shine, in ads : GLO - Like "Mop N Glo"



22. Blofeld's constant companion, in Bond films : CAT - * I was looking for a proper name here, like "Mr. E", or something like that

23. Goes unhurriedly : MOSEYS - * spelled it wrong, MOSIES

24. Joel Chandler Harris's brother? : B'RER - * didn't recognize the name, and so this was harder than it had to be

25. Tennis score word : ALL - not ACE, LET, ADN (yeah, I know, ADIN)

26. Take __ at : A STAB - not "A LOOK"

27. Dock bloc, briefly : ILA - International Longshoreman Association

28. Ford from Tennessee : ERNIE - before my time; someone can link "16 tons"

30. Big party bottles : MAGNUMS - Champagne size

33. River through Hesse : EDER - Not RUHR, SAAR, etc. - Map; high in the middle

34. Calls the game : UMPIRES - Did you nail this, C.C.? (From C.C.: No, I'm stupid! I did nail 15-Across OTT.)

37. Some saints : MARTYRS

39. Mates : PALS

40. Doesn't come through : RENEGES

42. Glide : SKATE

44. Proof abbr. : QED

45. El __: Peruvian volcano : MISTI - * Had to Google

49. Ahem relative : HEY

50. Curt turndown : UH-UH

52. "You've done enough" : NO NEED

53. Bar order, initally : IPA - Beer? I guess....take a look (From C.C.: IPA = India Pale Ale)

54. Cologne "never" : NIE

55. Took a vacation : GOT AWAY

56. Colonialism : FOREIGN RULE

59. Manual transmissions?: Abbr. : ASL - * D'oh~! American Sign Language

60. Garb for Columbo and Clouseau : TRENCH COATS

61. Coalesce : GEL

62. It's highly classified : STATE SECRET

63. Sounds omitted in transcription : ERs...

DOWN:

1. Showing-off expression : LOOK MA~!! "No hands~! - OW ~!!!"

2. Cultural group : ETHNOS

3. Tops : AT MOST

4. Bike passenger's support, facetiously : SISSY BAR - growing up, we had a different meaning for "sissy bar" - this is what you'll find at Google

5. Campaign rewards : CLIOS - * Ad campaigns, ugh - not "SEATS", as in politics

6. Fixes : RIGS

7. Gloaming, in verse : EEN - Evening, as the word is not so much a verb as a noun; = twilight

9. "Atlantic City" director : MALLE - * Googled, this movie

10. Familiarity/appeal measurement used in marketing : Q-SCORE - never heard of it

11. __-Aztecan languages : UTO - The Wiki

12. Sweet pop music : EAR CANDY

13. Trellis for training fruit trees : ESPALIER

14. Sleeping kittens, e.g. : NESTLERS

20. Marine layer : SEA MIST

24. __-ray Discs : BLU

27. Ordered : IN SEQUENCE - * UGH~!, not insisted, or something like that

29. Wine flavored by pine resin-sealed barrels : RETSINA

31. North Sea country: Abbr. : GER.many

32. Give a little : SAG

34. Goes from second to third, say : UPSHIFTS

35. Arrive after a long sail : MAKE PORT

36. Tot lot : PLAY AREA

38. Most aloof : REMOTEST

41. Bk. after Ezra : NEH

43. Joseph Kennedy's middle daughter : EUNICE

46. Underground waste : SEWAGE

47. News opening, often : TEASER

48. Rustic poems : IDYLLS

51. Weather forecast components : HIGHS

52. "Tropic Thunder" actor : NOLTE - Nick, played the "fake" veteran who lost his hands - Robert Downey Jr. as a "brother" steals this show

55. __ gum: food thickener : GUAR

57. Tolkien creature : ENT

58. Bird in a fable : ROC

Answer grid.

Splynter, who will not be consuming any green IPA today....