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

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Mar 16, 2013

Saturday, Mar 16th, 2013 Doug Peterson & Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing all the "good" tiles, J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 27

Man, I got nuthin'....and yet, after turning on red-letter help, the answers seemed to be much more obvious - I was just not on the constructors' wavelength this week - I'm distracted by my latest carpentry project.  Four grid spanners, all great fill;

15A. Major influence in '60s music : BRITISH INVASION - Man, I wouldn't say this was an "influence" of 60's music, I would say it IS 60's music; my parents were born and raised in England, and I would listen to their collection of "Invasion" music on LP.

17A. Is subjected to a series of attacks : RUNS THE GAUNTLET

48A. Mideast pearl-shaped pasta : ISRAELI COUSCOUS - I had the couscous part, but the region it was from did not come to me; don't quite see the shape, tho



51A. Out of character : NOT IN ONE'S NATURE


Oh well - 

No draw....

ACROSS:

1. Relinquish power : ABDICATE - got it

9. It'll knock you out : OPIATE - ETHER was too short, ANESTHESIA too long

18. Disturb : ANNOY

19. Even though : WHILE

20. Be off : ERR - not AIL

21. Like Walter Mitty : MEEK - not in my wheelhouse; more here

22. Spinal column? : TITLE - the spine of a book, that is - I was stuck in "Spinal Tap" thinking

23. __-dieu : PRIE

24. Base address : SIR - not APO, good misdirection

25. To the point : TERSE

26. "In bad company," to Bierce : ALONE - alas, I am still in that company

27. Right triangle ratio : SINE

28. Renders less dangerous, in a way : DEFANGS - yeah, that would be less dangerous - you wanna try doing it?

30. Brightly colored silica : AGATE - alternative, Saturday cluing to "playing marble"

32. No mere joy : BLISS - oh, it's much more than

33. Antarctic expedition vehicles : SNO-CATS

35. Three-sect. exam : PSAT - I thought it could be SATS, and I was close; math, reading and writing an essay

36. Deck out : ADORN

37. "Cattle" or "Reddish" wader : EGRET - reddish?  That's the best they could come up with? 

39. Lulu : PIP

42. River to the Gulf of Finland : NEVA - map

43. Bigwig in big oil : BARON - the person, not the company, like EXXON - but so close....

44. San Francisco Giants closer Sergio : ROMO - I am sure C.C. "16D-ed" this one; I was clueless

45. Onetime cohort of Eazy-E : DRE - Rappers; I tried B.I.G. first - BZZZT~!

46. Dance named for a horse's gait : GALOP - Hmmm, I wonder if the same person who named the egrets....

47. ACC team with a turtle mascot : TERPS

52. "__ & Juliet": 2011 animated film : GNOMEO - IMDb

53. Kentucky Derby wreath : RED ROSES

DOWN:

1. "Fringe" co-creator J.J. : ABRAMS - I knew him from his Star Trek: TNG work; this show, however, I just couldn't get into - I know we have some fans here

2. Sultanate on the South China Sea : BRUNEI - map#2

3. Many dates involve one : DINNER - only if you 31D them first

4. Words of consolation : IT'S OK - Dah!!  I was looking at I'M....uh

5. Irving or Norman, e.g. : CITY - Fooled me, and I thought I was clever with NAME to start

6. Silent butler contents : ASH - never heard the term; I thought ALE would be a good thing to keep in a silent butler, next to the 'avatar'

7. It can be exciting to get down to it : THE WIRE - that makes more sense; my brain tried THE CORE

8. Round numbers : EIGHTS - I had ZEROES to start; the right idea....


9. Elementary seed : OVULE

10. Philatelist's purchase : PANE - jargon for stamp, as a philatelist collects them; I thought they also collect COIN - but that's a numismatist

11. Lobby extension? : IST - LobbyIST

12. Banking aids : AILERONS - ARGH~!!! the banking done by planes; I have been in a small prop plane; the rudder alters "yaw", the ailerons "pitch" and "roll". 

13. Worn-down jewelry? : TOE RINGS - Well, I had EAR RINGS, since they hang "down"

14. Steaks and chops, say : ENTREES - ugh, not some type of "cut"

16. Threw out on the basepaths, in baseball lingo : NAILED

22. Precept : TENET

23. Braid : PLAIT

25. Colossus : TITAN

26. Key of Chopin's "Heroic Polonaise" : A FLAT - fill in the FLAT and wait....

27. Pelvic bones : SACRA

29. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" co-star : EBSEN

30. "Anne of the Thousand Days" playwright Maxwell : ANDERSON

31. Approach : GO OVER TO

33. Carpenter's activity : SANDING - I am remodeling the apartment at my mother's house; I will also be doing some wood CUTTing, cabinet HANGing....

34. Keep from escaping : SEAL IN - yeah, like the water in the kitchen pipes....

35. Suggest : PROPOSE

38. Apron wearer : GROCER - got it, so proud of myself

39. Like sponges : POROUS

40. Sullied : IMPURE

41. Western outfits : POSSES - the "outfit" in terms of a group

43. One of Mowgli's mentors in "The Jungle Book" : BALOO - I knew he was "---OO", and not NABOO - that's from Star Wars

44. Page 5, say, usually : RECTO - odd pages of a book/page; VERSO the other - but the online dictionary says it's the reverse

46. Modern map element : GENE - DNA mapping, a-ha~!

47. Member of an old Russian line : TSAR - WAG

49. Goal : AIM

50. __ so weiter: Berliner's "et cetera" : UND

Splynter