Words: 70
Blocks 29
What a bruiser~! Most definitely had to resort to red-letter today, but upon review, I probably could have avoided doing so if I had not been in a hurry. Lots of vague clues, misdirection, and obscurity make this offering from Mr. Lim truly difficult. 8- and 6-letter stacks top and bottom, with a stair-step middle of 6-, 7-, 8-, and these 11-letters;
26A. Discount shopper's buy : NO-NAME BRAND
41A. Book also known as Canticles : SONG OF SONGS - the Wiki
with 2 pairings of 9-letters in the DOWN;
11D. Super-successful program, in high-tech slang : KILLER APP(lication) - like Angry Birds~?
12D. They're in feet : METATARSI - plural of metatarsus
32D. Coercing : LEANING ON
33D. Opera glasses on a handle : LORGNETTE - new word for me; these glasses
So let's see where I dropped the ball - maybe you did better....
Onward ~!
ACROSS:
1. One may be cut before a fight : ARMS DEAL - well, let's hope so....
9. Cowboy Hall of Famer : AIKMAN - Troy, and I had A---AN, so a semi-WAG
15. Examined : LOOKED AT
16. Lament : GRIEVE
17. Woman on your side, ideally : LADY LUCK - I am not going to Vegas to gamble; the trip itself is going to be my biggest gamble
18. Summer top : HALTER - part of my problem today was hesitating; I was going for this right away, then said "nah, not on a Saturday"....
19. Like Wile E. Coyote : INEPT
20. Spanish greeting : HOLA
22. It makes pie crusts flakier : LARD
23. Salinger title girl : ESME - crossword friendly answer
24. __ vu : DÉJÀ
25. Invite to call : BET - I had "SEE" first, but what's SBGUNS~? (25D.)
30. "Cat __": Jane Fonda film : BALLOU - never heard of it - then again, I was 6 years off....
34. Hopper : KANGAROO - eh, my train brain was thinking of this hopper
35. Grand venue : OLE OPRY - again, I hesitated, not sure why
37. "Chow time!" : "SOUP'S ON~!"
38. More twinkly : STARRIER - my first thought, but just refused to accept this answer
40. Detaches, in a way : UNPINS
43. Bach's "Mass __ Minor" : IN B
44. Name associated with animal rescue : NOAH - not PETA, thank you
45. Speed : RACE
49. Troubling spots : ACNE
51. Asian soldiers : ROKs - Republic of Korea - Image
52. Old Turkish title : PASHA
53. Restrict : HOGTIE
55. "Not likely" : "I DOUBT IT"
57. Many : A LOT OF - I finally decided I better try SOME things, and this was one of them
58. Spy's aid : EARPIECE
59. Locum __: temporary substitute : TENENS - this is part of what comes up on a web search - job postings for metatarsi doctors~?
60. Fleet part : SQUADRON
DOWN:
1. "The Notebook" heroine : ALLIE - chick flick (IMHO) - haven't seen it
2. Cocker spaniel colors : ROANS - Image
3. Netizen's need : MODEM
4. Apple FaceTime alternative : SKYPE - I do neither, so....
5. Scapula neighbor, for short : DELToid, muscle
6. Bursar's address ending : EDU
7. German spa city : AACHEN - A place with "ACHE" in the name, and a Spa in the town? coincidence? Geography
8. Capt. McNeil's favorite underling : Lt. KOJAK
9. Muslim title : AGHA
10. Billionaire Rennert : IRA
13. Allege as fact : AVER
14. Oddball of a sort : NERD
21. Asian teachers : LAMAS
24. Brad of "Deadwood" : DOURIF - one of those names constructors are probably happy to discover
25. Red Ryders, e.g. : B.B. GUNS - "You'll shoot your eye out~!"
26. "Can do" : "NO PROB(lem)~!"
27. "Desist!" : ENOUGH~!
28. One preceder : NOON - agrh~! not ZERO
29. Family heads : DONS - not DADS, and not "EFFS" (yeah, no "?" at the end - but a good crossword clue, right?)
30. Head : BOSS
31. Toni Braxton, for one : ALTO - if you say so
36. Having no gray area : YES/NO
39. Green players : ROOKIES
42. Where to find EBAY : NASDAQ - I was pretty sure it was not ONLINE, since EBAY was all capitals - another good misdirection - and ending with "Q", to boot
45. Zealous : RABID
46. Oxeye relative : ASTER - flowers, not flow-ers
47. Sacramento Valley's "City of Roses" : CHICO - WAGed from the clue I had two puzzles ago
48. Off one's plate : EATEN - argh, not ENDED - there are some things I need to get off my plate
49. "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for __": Oliver Sacks book : A HAT - tried "A MAN" - hey now, it's early....
50. Fictional king : COLE
51. Fight controllers : REFS - Boxing matches
52. Insect stage : PUPA - just had this answer
54. __ Television : ION - Ch3 around here (Cablevision, Long Island)
56. Okla. campus with a Prayer Tower : ORU - Oral Roberts University, with a .EDU address
Answer grid.
Splynter
