Words: 64 (missing J,Q,Z)
Blocks: 25
YES~!!!
This one looked daunting, to say the least, but I did manage to solve
it - though I have to admit to two red-letter checks. :>( I did some
research, and it looks like Mitch is new to the LAT scene - he has had 6
NYT puzzles, the last one dating back to 2004. His grid today has a
truly symmetrical pinwheel design which boasts the lowest block count I
can recall, and I think the fewest words, too. This led to monster 8 X 6
chunks in the corners, plus 4 crossing 11-letter words on the inside;
24a. Opportunity seeker's words : GIVE ME A SHOT - that's all I'm asking....
42a. Began chastising : STARTED IN ON
9d. Visibly awestruck : OPEN-MOUTHED - if certain events played out smoothly last night, I invited someone to stop here at the blog and take a peek at what I do; I am 'visibly awestruck' when I see her....
ONWAAARD~!!!
ACROSS:
1. Name : ACCUSE - Dah~!! Went with HANDLE first - I did know the "E" was correct
7. On-again, off-again : SPORADIC
15. Allure maker : CHANEL - ah, I was thinking cars; so, Toyota does not make the Allure....my friend Adam owns a restaurant out here on L.I. called "A lure", which is a pretty clever name for its location on the Sound and the Bay
16. First of August? : CAPITAL A - It's the first letter of a name, too....I knew that the last letter of the answer would be an "A" from the question mark, but I wondered if there was another word to describe double vowels because "diphthong" wouldn't fit
17. Soup choice : TOMATO - Dah~! I had the "O", but stared at this one way too long
18. Metal seeker : ORE MINER - DETECTOR fit, too
19. 1936 Olympics standout : OWENS - had to wait on a few perps to recall this name
..
20. Band with an umlaut on the "n" in its name : SPINAL TAP - Oh, I am all over this clue - so many umlauts to choose from.... (Note from C.C.: I screwed up Splynter's N mark earlier. Click here see how it's stylized. If you know how to put the umlaut above capital letter N, please let me know.)
22. It's all in your head : DREAM - technically speaking, so is your BRAIN
23. "Jabberwocky" creature : TOVE - complete W.A.G. - the Wiki on the poem
27. Lifesaver, at times : NET
28. Not quite as many : ONE LESS - How ironic that I had "CALAMITY" at 1d, and so I tried TWO LESS at first, and thought "there's no way that got in the puzzle"
29. "You betcha!" : "SURE~!"
31. Sneer at : DERIDE
32. Conducted a trial : TESTED
36. Like some U.S. mail : CERTified - the only thing certified at UPS is the insanity
39. Taft became its president after his term as U.S. president : ABA
44. __ salad : COBB
46. Scandinavian bard of yore : SKALD - the straight up word for "poet" in the language
47. __ Harker, heroine in Stoker's "Dracula" : MINA - I just saw this for the first time about a month ago - not that great, seemed to drag on a bit, but - Gary Oldman is one of my favorite actors; Commissioner Gordon, Sirius Black, and "Zorg"; what movie is this last character from?
48. Heading for : EN ROUTE TO
50. Big Ben sounds : BONGS
51. It's unpleasant to end on one : SOUR NOTE - This clip contains one of the best sour notes I can recall - and it set the tone for the movie
52. Word often seen after rinse : REPEAT- and preceded by "Lather" on your shampoo bottle
53. Not 100 per cent : IMPAIRED
54. She beat Midori for the 1992 Olympic gold medal : KRISTI - Yamaguchi
55. Without holding back : TO THE MAX
56. "Wait a minute" : "ONE SEC"
DOWN:
1. Unforeseeable event : ACT OF GOD - the one NOT covered by your insurance
2. Order at a mess : CHOW LINE
3. Dropped by : CAME OVER
4. Devilish : UNANGELIC - I had the "U", "A" and "L", so this was a complete W.A.G. - it's only when I came to do the write-up that I said "Hey, that was right?!?"
5. Gig arrangements : SETS - Musical gigs, and what the band plays in between drinking binges
6. "Don't Bring Me Down" gp. : ELO
7. Checks (out) : SCOPES
8. Outcasts : PARIAHS
10. Device for un poeta : RIMA - I'm guessing this is Spanish (or Italian?) for poetry and rhyme
11. Leaning : ATILT
12. Robespierre foe : DANTON - Notables from the Frawnche Revolution
13. Start of a bequest : I LEAVE - "to my son, I LEAVE the Porsche 918..."
14. Shag, e.g. : CARPET - Yeah, baby, Yeah~!
20. Mmes., in Mexico : SRAs
25. Ancient Iranians : MEDEs
26. __ water : TREAD
30. Treat once known as an I-Scream Bar : ESKIMO PIE - Nailed it
33. Lilliputian quality : TININESS
34. String out : ELONGATE - a bit 'meh' for me; I wouldn't say addicts get "elongated"....
35. Like the New York Yankees, historically : DYNASTIC - Screw the Yankees - and I'm from NY
37. Break, in Bath : TAKE TEA - Bath, the city in England
38. WWII battle site : St.LO - more Frawnche
39. Nails the exam : ACES IT
40. Turkish Taffy maker : BONOMO - the "B" was my last fill, and it was a W.A.G.
41. Short : ABRUPT
43. Like "Midnight Cowboy," originally : RATED X - I remembered this, and went with "X-RATED" first, but the letter combinations weren't working
45. __ Peak, highest mountain in Idaho : BORAH
49. Combined, in Chartres : UNIE - more Frawnche
50. Swiss capital : BERN
52. "The Body Snatcher" studio : RKO - Here's the Wiki on this one; not to be confused with "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", which terrorized me as a child....I didn't sleep comfortably for a year - that's when they come and GET you~!
7. On-again, off-again : SPORADIC
15. Allure maker : CHANEL - ah, I was thinking cars; so, Toyota does not make the Allure....my friend Adam owns a restaurant out here on L.I. called "A lure", which is a pretty clever name for its location on the Sound and the Bay
16. First of August? : CAPITAL A - It's the first letter of a name, too....I knew that the last letter of the answer would be an "A" from the question mark, but I wondered if there was another word to describe double vowels because "diphthong" wouldn't fit
17. Soup choice : TOMATO - Dah~! I had the "O", but stared at this one way too long
18. Metal seeker : ORE MINER - DETECTOR fit, too
19. 1936 Olympics standout : OWENS - had to wait on a few perps to recall this name
..
20. Band with an umlaut on the "n" in its name : SPINAL TAP - Oh, I am all over this clue - so many umlauts to choose from.... (Note from C.C.: I screwed up Splynter's N mark earlier. Click here see how it's stylized. If you know how to put the umlaut above capital letter N, please let me know.)
21. Aggressively promote : FLOG
22. It's all in your head : DREAM - technically speaking, so is your BRAIN
23. "Jabberwocky" creature : TOVE - complete W.A.G. - the Wiki on the poem
27. Lifesaver, at times : NET
28. Not quite as many : ONE LESS - How ironic that I had "CALAMITY" at 1d, and so I tried TWO LESS at first, and thought "there's no way that got in the puzzle"
29. "You betcha!" : "SURE~!"
31. Sneer at : DERIDE
32. Conducted a trial : TESTED
36. Like some U.S. mail : CERTified - the only thing certified at UPS is the insanity
38. With a quiver : SHAKILY - because 'crossbow' didn't fit (Har-har~!)
39. Taft became its president after his term as U.S. president : ABA
44. __ salad : COBB
46. Scandinavian bard of yore : SKALD - the straight up word for "poet" in the language
47. __ Harker, heroine in Stoker's "Dracula" : MINA - I just saw this for the first time about a month ago - not that great, seemed to drag on a bit, but - Gary Oldman is one of my favorite actors; Commissioner Gordon, Sirius Black, and "Zorg"; what movie is this last character from?
48. Heading for : EN ROUTE TO
50. Big Ben sounds : BONGS
51. It's unpleasant to end on one : SOUR NOTE - This clip contains one of the best sour notes I can recall - and it set the tone for the movie
52. Word often seen after rinse : REPEAT- and preceded by "Lather" on your shampoo bottle
53. Not 100 per cent : IMPAIRED
54. She beat Midori for the 1992 Olympic gold medal : KRISTI - Yamaguchi
55. Without holding back : TO THE MAX
56. "Wait a minute" : "ONE SEC"
DOWN:
1. Unforeseeable event : ACT OF GOD - the one NOT covered by your insurance
3. Dropped by : CAME OVER
4. Devilish : UNANGELIC - I had the "U", "A" and "L", so this was a complete W.A.G. - it's only when I came to do the write-up that I said "Hey, that was right?!?"
5. Gig arrangements : SETS - Musical gigs, and what the band plays in between drinking binges
6. "Don't Bring Me Down" gp. : ELO
7. Checks (out) : SCOPES
8. Outcasts : PARIAHS
10. Device for un poeta : RIMA - I'm guessing this is Spanish (or Italian?) for poetry and rhyme
11. Leaning : ATILT
12. Robespierre foe : DANTON - Notables from the Frawnche Revolution
13. Start of a bequest : I LEAVE - "to my son, I LEAVE the Porsche 918..."
20. Mmes., in Mexico : SRAs
25. Ancient Iranians : MEDEs
26. __ water : TREAD
30. Treat once known as an I-Scream Bar : ESKIMO PIE - Nailed it
33. Lilliputian quality : TININESS
34. String out : ELONGATE - a bit 'meh' for me; I wouldn't say addicts get "elongated"....
35. Like the New York Yankees, historically : DYNASTIC - Screw the Yankees - and I'm from NY
37. Break, in Bath : TAKE TEA - Bath, the city in England
38. WWII battle site : St.LO - more Frawnche
39. Nails the exam : ACES IT
40. Turkish Taffy maker : BONOMO - the "B" was my last fill, and it was a W.A.G.
41. Short : ABRUPT
43. Like "Midnight Cowboy," originally : RATED X - I remembered this, and went with "X-RATED" first, but the letter combinations weren't working
45. __ Peak, highest mountain in Idaho : BORAH
49. Combined, in Chartres : UNIE - more Frawnche
50. Swiss capital : BERN
52. "The Body Snatcher" studio : RKO - Here's the Wiki on this one; not to be confused with "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", which terrorized me as a child....I didn't sleep comfortably for a year - that's when they come and GET you~!
Splynter
