Theme: 100 Years of Puzzling
16-Across. How to start working on a 35-Across : EXAMINE ALL CLUES.
35-Across. Pastime that will celebrate its 100th anniversary on 12/21/2013 : CROSSWORD PUZZLE.
54-Across. How to finish working on a 35-Across : WRITE THE ANSWERS.
17-Down. Inventor of the 35-Across : ARTHUR WYNNE.
Of course, I am well aware of the impending anniversary, and when I saw the clue for 16-A, I immediately checked the letter count at 35-Across. I filled that one and 17-Down immediately, which gave me wide swaths that were filled in seconds, and prevented a lot of mis-steps that I would otherwise have had with the tricky clueing on this one.
Across:
1. Keyless : ATONAL. Not like "keyless lock," but lacking a key, musically.
7. Top : BLOUSE.
13. Crude dudes : CAVEMEN. Cute misdirection with 7-Down. Crude meas. : BBL. and 9-Down. Crude fleet : OILERS.
15. Some woodwind players : OBOISTS.
18. Missile spot : SILO.
19. Socially awkward type : NERD.
20. Fish-eating eagle : ERNE.
21. Talking Trans Am of classic TV : KITT. From the '80s TV show.
22. Speak incessantly about : HARP ON. Waffled between "carp on" and "harp on."
24. Spenser's "The __ Queene" : FAERIE.
28. Some elimination rounds : HEATS.
30. Quite a lot : OFTEN.
31. Kirsten of "Melancholia" : DUNST. Never saw the movie. You?
32. Otologist's concern : EAR.
38. Saturn model until 2007 : ION.
39. Pet sounds : MEOWS. I bet dog lovers entered "woofs," right?
40. Nostrils : NARES.
41. Name of eight English kings : HENRY. And who didn't think of this song?
42. Lunch, say : REPAST.
43. It may be used after a break : SPLINT.
46. Requisite : NEED.
48. Quite a while : AEON.
49. Not even semi-pro? : ANTI. Favorite clue of the day!
50. Vocalist James : ETTA. At last...a clue I can relate to!
58. Corrida figures : TOREROS.
59. Gets in order : LINES UP. (As ducks in a row.)
60. Tense : ON EDGE.
61. Satisfies the munchies : NOSHES.
Down:
1. Nails, as a test : ACES.
2. Doorman's cry : TAXI.
3. Roundish : OVAL.
4. Literary sea captain : NEMO.
5. Porthos, to Aramis : AMI. French for male friend.
6. Gentle giant in "Of Mice and Men" : LENNIE.
8. __ cit. : LOC. Latin abbr. for "loco citato," or "in the place cited."
10. Seize : USURP.
11. Pool worker : STENO. Are there really still stenos out there?
12. Chief Ruhr River valley city : ESSEN. Our favorite German city makes an appearance.
14. Discontinued depilatory : NEET.
15. Long-established : OLD. I guess I must be long-established.
21. Branches on some trees : KINSMEN. Family trees, that is.
22. Metal fastener : HASP.
23. Adjusted (to) : ATTUNED.
24. Central points : FOCI.
25. High style : AFRO. Nice misdirection.
26. Avenger John Steed's alma mater : ETON. (He's the one on the left…)
27. Thing in court? : RES. Latin for "thing."
29. Limits : ENDS.
31. __ prize : DOOR.
32. Biblical reformer : EZRA.
33. Brown or golden drinks : ALES.
34. Take ten : REST.
36. Made an exit : WENT.
37. Microwave : ZAP.
41. Was indirect : HINTED.
42. Keep from getting out of control : REIN IN.
43. Took care of : SAW TO.
44. Former Argentine ruler : PERON.
45. Longest river in France : LOIRE.
47. Catchall abbr. : ET. AL. More Latin abbr. for "et alia," meaning "and others." And, how I usually include everyone in my morning greeting.
49. Sounds of contentment : AHS.
50. Woolly females : EWES.
51. Composer who was a CBS reporter : TESH (John). Prolific composer and award-winning broadcaster. I couldn't decide which of his works to link, so I'll let you choose your own.
52. Veracious : TRUE. I read this as "voracious" at first.
53. Threatening slitherers : ASPS.
55. Centimeter-gram-second unit : ERG.
56. Shoe part : TOE.
57. __ Balls: Hostess snack food : SNO. They did a tie-in with "Green Lantern" movie by putting these on shelves. I wouldn't even think about eating one.
And for all our contractors on the blog, this should make you smile. It is what we found underneath the ugly ceramic tiles in the living room next door, woo-hoo!!!:
That's all for today. See you next week!
Marti
Note from C.C.:
I failed to mention an important step in yesterday's Big Avatar Picture instruction. Here it is again:
Click on your Blue Name, then "Edit Profile" on the upper right, then scroll down to "Profile Picture", then click on "From the web. Paste an image URL below". Then paste. Then hit the Right Arrow button on your keyboard. Then wait for your picture to appear. Once it does, click on "Save Profile".
I'm eager to see if any of you can succeed today.
