Theme: None (well, a bit Indian, I think)
Words: 70
Blocks: 28
Words: 70
Blocks: 28
A little mix of everything today for me - some gimmes, some WAGs; some right-ons and some write-overs. A pinwheel of nines with two more climbers inside; got one by pure logic, the other pure luck -
9D. Hosp. staffers : E.R. DOCTORS - Had the first letter, "E", and the "-ORS", so....
31D. Mount high above Delphi : PARNASSUS - ah~! Greece~! Too early in the AM, I guess, and confused my DelPHi with DelHi (as in 44D). Had to WAG the second "S"; the rest was all perps; here's a map for you
Compared to last week's pummeling, I am pleased with how I did on this puzzle ~! I'd like to hear how you fared.
ONWARD ~!
ACROSS:
1. Diamond protector : GLASS CASE - Not Tarpaulin, so, sorry C.C., no baseball to start
10. Agra wrap : SAREE - Indian (Asian, like 44D.) garment; Agra is the site of the Taj Mahal - a crossword staple
15. A job ticket often accompanies one : WORK ORDER - seen my share of these; all my job tickets are numbered by my sobriety date; today is 80216
16. Southeastern town dubbed "Brick City" in the 1880s : OCALA - goofed here, too, thinking this was "ADOBE", but that's the South WEST; map
17. Deceptive football play : END-AROUND - I am not too familiar with football plays; the only ones I know are quarterback sneak, flea-flicker, and BLITZ~!!!
18. Inveigles : LURES - new word for me
19. Like arbitrators : NEUTRAL
20. Not straight up : OVER ICE - WHOA ~!!! Easy, Tin....
22. Packing gp.? : NRA - National Rifle Association, packing 'heat' - makes me think of this Blue Öyster Cult song.
23. Hairy TV cousin : ITT - the "Addams Family"
24. Bonds, in a way : CEMENTS - new this, but it took "DOCTOR" to give me the "C", and that altered my 10D.
25. Lawyer's thing : RES
26. Old gun across the pond : STEN - Image
27. Nice way to refer to you? : TOI - Nice the French city. As you know, meh, French for me (Nice, the city in France)
28. Some plants : SPIES - not this plant; mis-direction here
31. Sit (down) undaintily : PLOP
32. Blue genre : PORN - I hear one of the Republican candidates plans to "ban" pornography; good luck to him; he will NOT get my vote - any comments, lois?
33. Something to believe in : TENET - nailed it
34. __ ball: bad miss in hoops : AIR
35. Had, biblically : BEGAT
36. Disappearing sea : ARAL
37. Places for icons, briefly : CRTs - Cathode Ray Tubes, yeah I get it, but a bit of a stretch
38. Olympic speed skater __ Anton Ohno : APOLO - for the ladies
39. Some MDs : GPs - a WAG, but not too hard to guess - General Practitioners
40. Business word after "&," maybe : SONS - like P.C. Richard & SON (S)
41. It can lead to fisticuffs : IRE
42. Sister of Orestes : ELECTRA - a little mythology, if you care
44. Formicidae family member : ANT - I always wanted to have a whole wall of my house to be like 1A so I could have a really huge any farm
45. S.A.'s second-largest country : ARGentina
48. Sea nymphs : NEREIDS
49. Shooting marble : STEELIE - I put this in right away, tho I thought it was the ball from pinball....
51. Like a Frisbee's symmetry : AXIAL - not CONIC, and RADIAL didn't fit
52. Christian __ : SCIENTIST - not familiar with this one
54. Reagan attorney general : MEESE - The Wiki
55. "Rise 'n' shine!" : UP AND AT 'EM - crossing 46D. Out of the sack : RISEN
56. Blessed duo? : ESSES - bleSSed, very good
57. Common sedimentary rock : SANDSTONE
DOWN:
1. "Miracle on 34th Street" Oscar winner : GWENN - Ed #2, here - I have not seen this movie, go figure - but then again, I am "young"....
2. One unlikely to collaborate : LONER
3. Per __ ad Astra: RAF motto : ARDUA
4. Card game for three : SKAT
5. Most pathetic : SORRIEST
6. Certain Balkans : CROATS
7. __ education : ADULT
8. RFK, for three-plus yrs. : SENator - NYC renamed the Triboro bridge for him
10. Mirthless : SOLEMN - Had SULLEN to start
11. Words after seek or find : A CURE - find, yes, seek, meh
12. Champing at the bit : RARIN' TO GO
13. Kind of college : ELECTORAL
14. Gradually enters : EASES INTO
21. White House colloquialism : VEEP - VP, Vice President
25. Stagger : REEL
26. Thin apertures : SLITS
28. Acting handle : STAGE NAME - Splynter is my "stage name"
29. Baffles : PERPLEXES - Great fill, with an "X", too
30. Sequentially : IN A SERIES
32. Classical guitarist Romero : PEPE
35. Mixes well with others? : BARTENDS - another cute clue/ans.
37. Quantity destined to be burned : CORD - of wood, that is
40. Metro gates : STILES
41. Mean : INTEND - ah, the other meaning of mean
43. Cut out : CEASE
44. Indian, say : ASIAN - my my my ~!! Image
45. O'Connor's successor : ALITO - Supreme Court associate justice
47. "Understand?" : GET ME ???
50. Non-stateside state : ETAT - meh, French
53. Balancing pro : CPA - Busy busy busy; Certified Public Accountant
Answer grid.
For those who care to know, this was my first full week doing different trucks for UPS - I stayed union, and did not fall to the "DARK SIDE".... I am very happy with my new supervisor, assignment and drivers - and I had no mis-loaded packages for the first time in a long time - proof that I needed to change. Thanks for asking ~!!
Splynter (stage name)
