Words: 70 (missing Q,X,Z)
Blocks: 40
Today's grid is a bit of a departure from our normal layout, and I
liked that. High block count with 12 in the corners alone, giving us a
"circular" pattern. Brad last stopped in April 26th this year with a
Home Improvement mini-theme crossing in the center; today you could say
the theme was "brought to us by the letter 'V'" - I count seven. The
first pass did not bode well, but I ended up cruising though to the end -
despite drawing a complete blank in the center with the crossing of
four proper names. Top and bottom stacks of 11-, 13- and 15 letter
spanners:
14a. Fiction involving letters : EPISTOLARY NOVEL
- written in the form of correspondence letters, newspaper clippings, diary entries; examples that I know
are "Dracula" ( Bram Stoker ) and "Carrie" from Stephen King
55a. Read lots of travelogues, say : LIVE VICARIOUSLY - I like this phrase
RAD, now~!
ACROSS:
1. Cubicle sight : SWIVEL CHAIR
12. 1961 Ben E. King hit : SPANISH HARLEM - link away
16. Hipster persona : MR. COOL
17. Fair : SO-SO
18. Frequent co-producer of U2 albums : ENO - Put it in, took it out, put it back
19. Comportment : MIEN
20. Impact sound : "BAM~!"
21. By and by : ANON - not the ANON we are all too familiar with
22. Pay stub abbr. : YTD - Year-To-Date
23. MIT Sloan degree : MBA - The "Sloan" part had me thinking along the lines of Cancer Doctor ( and part of the proper name block where I drew a blank )
25. Striking action? : ERASURE -Like this
28. Jack-in-the-pulpit family : ARUM - Name #2 in the core of WTF?
30. Entreaty : APPEAL
31. Onetime Bell Atlantic rival : GTE - DAH~! I went with MCI - that's zero % correct
34. 1995 film with the line "Alan, please, last time I played this game, it ruined my life" : JUMANJI - never saw the whole thing - IMDb
36. Not forward : SHY - that's me; I was going nautical first with "AFT"
37. 1994 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : LENNON - apart from his induction as a Beatle
39. "The Whiffenpoof Song" repetitions : BAAs - link away
40. Veterans : OLD PROS
42. Gag order? : "SHH~!" - Cute
43. Owed : DUE
46. Schmeling rival : BAER - Boxing "Maxes"
47. Wanamaker Trophy org. : PGA - Awarded to the winner of the fourth and final tournament championship; a little history here
49. Reason for an R : GORE - Movie rating
50. Gardner of film : AVA
51. Admitting a draft, perhaps : AJAR - Fresh clue for a crossword staple
53. Like some wallpaper motifs : FLORAL - Actual wallpaper, not that which can be found on one's smart phone - tho you may have a floral motif there, too
58. Altar burners : VOTIVE CANDLES - My first thought, but I was too 36a. to throw it in
59. Political matriarch who lived to 104 : ROSE KENNEDY - I was on the right wavelength, but for some reason, I wanted ETHEL, not Rose
DOWN:
1. Like some rum : SPICED - I just mentioned a "Gilligan's Island", made with spiced rum, last week
2. Got shown : WAS ON
3. Not apathetic about : INTO
4. Baroque instrument : VIOL - I always wanted to know what the difference between a Violin and a Viol was
5. Ex-pat's subj. : ESL - Again, different cluing for a crossword staple; I'm a bit 'meh' about this though
6. Capital where trains provide oxygen masks : LHASA - I knew we were looking for a high altitude city - more here
7. Hog trim : CHROME - "Hog" as in Harley Davidson motorcycles; their stock ticker is "HOG"
8. Robert of "Airplane!" : HAYS - One of my favoritest movies ever; he had a "drinking problem"
9. River through Pisa : ARNO - WAGed it
10. 1969 Peace Prize-winning agcy. : ILO - International Labour Organization
11. Proceeds : REVENUES - the noun, not the verb
12. Nautical pole : SPRIT - MAST, SPAR, YARD, GAFF and BOOM were all a letter short
12. 1961 Ben E. King hit : SPANISH HARLEM - link away
16. Hipster persona : MR. COOL
17. Fair : SO-SO
18. Frequent co-producer of U2 albums : ENO - Put it in, took it out, put it back
19. Comportment : MIEN
20. Impact sound : "BAM~!"
21. By and by : ANON - not the ANON we are all too familiar with
22. Pay stub abbr. : YTD - Year-To-Date
23. MIT Sloan degree : MBA - The "Sloan" part had me thinking along the lines of Cancer Doctor ( and part of the proper name block where I drew a blank )
25. Striking action? : ERASURE -
28. Jack-in-the-pulpit family : ARUM - Name #2 in the core of WTF?
30. Entreaty : APPEAL
31. Onetime Bell Atlantic rival : GTE - DAH~! I went with MCI - that's zero % correct
34. 1995 film with the line "Alan, please, last time I played this game, it ruined my life" : JUMANJI - never saw the whole thing - IMDb
36. Not forward : SHY - that's me; I was going nautical first with "AFT"
37. 1994 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : LENNON - apart from his induction as a Beatle
39. "The Whiffenpoof Song" repetitions : BAAs - link away
40. Veterans : OLD PROS
42. Gag order? : "SHH~!" - Cute
43. Owed : DUE
46. Schmeling rival : BAER - Boxing "Maxes"
47. Wanamaker Trophy org. : PGA - Awarded to the winner of the fourth and final tournament championship; a little history here
49. Reason for an R : GORE - Movie rating
50. Gardner of film : AVA
51. Admitting a draft, perhaps : AJAR - Fresh clue for a crossword staple
53. Like some wallpaper motifs : FLORAL - Actual wallpaper, not that which can be found on one's smart phone - tho you may have a floral motif there, too
58. Altar burners : VOTIVE CANDLES - My first thought, but I was too 36a. to throw it in
59. Political matriarch who lived to 104 : ROSE KENNEDY - I was on the right wavelength, but for some reason, I wanted ETHEL, not Rose
DOWN:
1. Like some rum : SPICED - I just mentioned a "Gilligan's Island", made with spiced rum, last week
2. Got shown : WAS ON
3. Not apathetic about : INTO
4. Baroque instrument : VIOL - I always wanted to know what the difference between a Violin and a Viol was
5. Ex-pat's subj. : ESL - Again, different cluing for a crossword staple; I'm a bit 'meh' about this though
6. Capital where trains provide oxygen masks : LHASA - I knew we were looking for a high altitude city - more here
7. Hog trim : CHROME - "Hog" as in Harley Davidson motorcycles; their stock ticker is "HOG"
8. Robert of "Airplane!" : HAYS - One of my favoritest movies ever; he had a "drinking problem"
10. 1969 Peace Prize-winning agcy. : ILO - International Labour Organization
11. Proceeds : REVENUES - the noun, not the verb
12. Nautical pole : SPRIT - MAST, SPAR, YARD, GAFF and BOOM were all a letter short
13. Image on Israel's state emblem : MENORAH
14. Winged statuette : EMMY - Dah, went with EROS - Bzzzt
15. Uninhabited : LONELY
20. "John Dough and the Cherub" author, 1906 : BAUM - #3 in the crossing of obscure names
21. Well of Souls guardian, in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" : ASP - Great way to clue another crossword staple
15. Uninhabited : LONELY
20. "John Dough and the Cherub" author, 1906 : BAUM - #3 in the crossing of obscure names
21. Well of Souls guardian, in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" : ASP - Great way to clue another crossword staple
23. Sizable : MAJOR - Not LARGE
24. 20th-century maestro __ Walter : BRUNO - Name #4
26. Indian bigwig : RAJAH
27. Imitative : APISH
29. Fairy queen who carried a "whip of cricket's bone," in Shakespeare : MAB - Only 3-letter Fairy Queen I can think of
31. Far-reaching : GLOBAL
32. City with prevalent Bauhaus architecture : TEL AVIV - Some architectural reading
33. Attempt : ENDEAVOR
35. Magellan sponsor : NASA - Magellan, the mission to Venus, ended in 1994 - not the "original" Explorer
38. "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" network : NPR
41. "In the Bedroom" Oscar nominee : SPACEK
43. Hirer of Sinatra in 1940 : DORSEY
44. Mount Narodnaya's range : URALS
45. Hard to capture : EELY
48. Adorn : GRACE
49. Pianist Glenn known for his Bach interpretations : GOULD
51. Alamo rival : AVIS
52. Balderdash : JIVE - another great set of lines from "Airplane~!"
53. Fictional rafter : FINN - Huh - I re-read this during my write-up, and the first thought that came to me is that one of the UPS trucks I load is labeled "FINN", and I wondered how that ever got into a crossword....oh, never mind
54. Underground band? : LODE - Didn't fool me, I knew we were looking for "STRIA" or something of that nature
56. Maginot Line arena: abbr. : ETO - again, a detailed clue for a crossword staple
57. Published : RAN
24. 20th-century maestro __ Walter : BRUNO - Name #4
26. Indian bigwig : RAJAH
27. Imitative : APISH
29. Fairy queen who carried a "whip of cricket's bone," in Shakespeare : MAB - Only 3-letter Fairy Queen I can think of
31. Far-reaching : GLOBAL
32. City with prevalent Bauhaus architecture : TEL AVIV - Some architectural reading
33. Attempt : ENDEAVOR
35. Magellan sponsor : NASA - Magellan, the mission to Venus, ended in 1994 - not the "original" Explorer
38. "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" network : NPR
41. "In the Bedroom" Oscar nominee : SPACEK
43. Hirer of Sinatra in 1940 : DORSEY
44. Mount Narodnaya's range : URALS
45. Hard to capture : EELY
48. Adorn : GRACE
49. Pianist Glenn known for his Bach interpretations : GOULD
51. Alamo rival : AVIS
52. Balderdash : JIVE - another great set of lines from "Airplane~!"
53. Fictional rafter : FINN - Huh - I re-read this during my write-up, and the first thought that came to me is that one of the UPS trucks I load is labeled "FINN", and I wondered how that ever got into a crossword....oh, never mind
54. Underground band? : LODE - Didn't fool me, I knew we were looking for "STRIA" or something of that nature
56. Maginot Line arena: abbr. : ETO - again, a detailed clue for a crossword staple
57. Published : RAN
Splynter
