Words: 72 (missing F,K,Q,Y)
Blocks: 29
Well, I am feeling better about myself with regard to Saturday puzzles
after this one - I needed a successful solve, otherwise, I'd be on a
month-long 'fail'. My first-pass guesses - and quite a few throughout -
turned out to be great choices, as my crossings seemed to agree; that
doesn't happen very often. Still, I was stuck on the final bottom three
letters, but got my "Ta-DA~!", and breathed a sigh of relief. Triple
11-letter Across corners, and nearly triple 9s in the Downs:
17a. Factor in cold waves : POLAR VORTEX - ugh - one more time with the white stuff last night....
12d. Like churches, as a rule : TAX EXEMPT - answer #2 with "X". The "X"s from 'xer' & 'axle' and didn't look promising, until I got to this clue
64a. Outlet worker : ELECTRICIAN - here I thought this first, then said "no, can't be"
Here's one for the DF - warning~!
ARD~! Snow~!
ACROSS:
1. City on the South Saskatchewan River : MEDICINE HAT - not a clue, but then with some spotty perps, I recalled this odd name - birthplace of hockey player Trevor Linden - now a president with the Vancouver Canucks, and one-time NY Islander
12. It's about 5 mL : TSP
15. Over : ONE MORE TIME - like a mulligan in golf
16. Cut (into) : ATE - think acids
18. Boomer's offspring : X-ER - Generation X - typically, people born in the 60s - 80s - that makes me one
19. Put in : ELECT - didn't have enough letters for INject, and it took a minute for this one to dawn on me
20. Senseless : NUMB
21. Jazz duo? : ZEES - jaZZ - clever
22. Answered back : SASSED
24. Drivetrain component, perhaps : REAR AXLE - complete W.A.G. - and wow, it was correct~! Go figure
26. Southwestern language : ZUNI
28. Brawn : SINEW
29. Sign of shock : GASP
33. Diamond shape : PEAR - I never considered the "shape" of an engagement ring - is there some rule of thumb
(or finger, as it were)~?
35. Star movers : LIMOS
37. Runs through : PIERCES - think swords; especially sitting atop 41a.
39. Take time to answer : SLEEP ON - like the song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"
41. Mail : ARMOR - this one always gets me - trying to think of synonyms for "send"
42. Save for later, in a way : TiVO
44. City southwest of Bayeux : St. LÔ
45. Woodstock performer before Sly : JANIS - For those who were too young to know, here's a list of the performers - there were three acts that I was unaware actually played the show
47. Ecua. rejoined it in 2007 : OPEC - sensible WAG, and an abbr to help
49. Hail Mary : LONG BOMB - I had LONG PASS - and that's 50%
51. Charges for rounds : BAR TAB
56. Newspaper section : ARTS - OK, I went with OPED
57. Goya's "La __ vestida" : MAJA - The "clothed" one; there was also the "La Maja Desnuda"
59. Washington portraitist : PEALE - more art I did not know - his Wiki
60. Star Wars letters : SDI - the "Strategic Defense Initiative", which, I have stated before, is an insult to Star Wars
61. December-to-May fruit : NAVEL ORANGE - I WAGed ALGAE at 54d., and that "G" was enough to get me the Orange part, but I had "TOO" instead of "NEW" at 61d., and that slowed me down
63. RBI producer, perhaps : SACrifice Fly - Baseball tactic
65. Stick-__ : ONS - I was thinking of this instead
66. 1623 Shakespeare work, with "The" : WINTERS TALE - if you don't know it, here's the "38d." on it
DOWN:
1. Blues : MOPES - if it helps, try "The" in front
2. "Waterworld" orphan girl : ENOLA - didn't see the movie; it was a dud. All perps
3. Strikes out : DELES - this "struck out" my 'ENTER' for 19a.
4. Apple purchases : iMACS - did you hear Apple is coming out with a diet pill~?
It's designated the i8....
5. Mexico's Sea of __ : CORTEZ - nailed it
6. Journalist Kupcinet : IRV - perps
7. Krypton relative : NEON
8. Ancient Italian region : ETRURIA - dredged this up from the depths with '-RUR-' in place
9. Opposite of "stand" : "HIT ME~!" - Blackjack
10. They multiply by dividing : AMEBAS
11. Drive handle : TEX - cattle drive, that is. Reminds me of this scene
13. Common abrasive : STEEL WOOL
14. Intrinsically : PER SE
21. The Marx Brothers, e.g. : ZANIES
23. Deceive : DUPE
25. Bug but good : RILE
27. Home in the woods : NEST - "home in the tree" would have been too easy for Saturday
29. Meas. of course performance : GPA - Grade Point Average. Funny, but it was such a big deal when I was in high school - now it's meaningless - until I have kids of my own, I presume....
30. Brand with a Jumpman logo : AIR JORDAN - I knew this was Michael Jordan, but it took a moment; my OPED didn't help
32. Fine points : PRONGS - Har-Har~!
34. Letters sometimes seen before a phone no. : RSVP
36. Nestlé's __-Caps : SNO
38. Cheat : CRIB
40. 1924 co-defendant : LOEB - could not recall if it was loeW or loeB
43. Court complaint : "I OBJECT~!"
46. Horn of Africa native : SOMALI
48. Cousins of clam diggers : CAPRIs
49. Western ring : LASSO - ah, Western as in the movie genre
50. Expert : MAVEN
52. Jerk, say : REACT
53. Patty Hearst alias : TANIA
54. __ bloom: pond vegetation : ALGAL
55. __ Bag: eponymous '70s designer label : BEENE
58. Old, in Oldenburg : ALTE - not AULD; I knew that was wrong
61. Additional : NEW
62. Legend on ice : ORR - first clue, NHL; last clue, NHL....I like it, Mr. Silk~!
12. It's about 5 mL : TSP
15. Over : ONE MORE TIME - like a mulligan in golf
16. Cut (into) : ATE - think acids
18. Boomer's offspring : X-ER - Generation X - typically, people born in the 60s - 80s - that makes me one
19. Put in : ELECT - didn't have enough letters for INject, and it took a minute for this one to dawn on me
20. Senseless : NUMB
21. Jazz duo? : ZEES - jaZZ - clever
22. Answered back : SASSED
24. Drivetrain component, perhaps : REAR AXLE - complete W.A.G. - and wow, it was correct~! Go figure
26. Southwestern language : ZUNI
28. Brawn : SINEW
29. Sign of shock : GASP
33. Diamond shape : PEAR - I never considered the "shape" of an engagement ring - is there some rule of thumb
(or finger, as it were)~?
I like the nail polish color
35. Star movers : LIMOS
37. Runs through : PIERCES - think swords; especially sitting atop 41a.
39. Take time to answer : SLEEP ON - like the song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"
41. Mail : ARMOR - this one always gets me - trying to think of synonyms for "send"
42. Save for later, in a way : TiVO
44. City southwest of Bayeux : St. LÔ
45. Woodstock performer before Sly : JANIS - For those who were too young to know, here's a list of the performers - there were three acts that I was unaware actually played the show
47. Ecua. rejoined it in 2007 : OPEC - sensible WAG, and an abbr to help
49. Hail Mary : LONG BOMB - I had LONG PASS - and that's 50%
51. Charges for rounds : BAR TAB
56. Newspaper section : ARTS - OK, I went with OPED
57. Goya's "La __ vestida" : MAJA - The "clothed" one; there was also the "La Maja Desnuda"
60. Star Wars letters : SDI - the "Strategic Defense Initiative", which, I have stated before, is an insult to Star Wars
61. December-to-May fruit : NAVEL ORANGE - I WAGed ALGAE at 54d., and that "G" was enough to get me the Orange part, but I had "TOO" instead of "NEW" at 61d., and that slowed me down
63. RBI producer, perhaps : SACrifice Fly - Baseball tactic
65. Stick-__ : ONS - I was thinking of this instead
DOWN:
1. Blues : MOPES - if it helps, try "The" in front
2. "Waterworld" orphan girl : ENOLA - didn't see the movie; it was a dud. All perps
3. Strikes out : DELES - this "struck out" my 'ENTER' for 19a.
4. Apple purchases : iMACS - did you hear Apple is coming out with a diet pill~?
It's designated the i8....
5. Mexico's Sea of __ : CORTEZ - nailed it
6. Journalist Kupcinet : IRV - perps
7. Krypton relative : NEON
8. Ancient Italian region : ETRURIA - dredged this up from the depths with '-RUR-' in place
9. Opposite of "stand" : "HIT ME~!" - Blackjack
10. They multiply by dividing : AMEBAS
11. Drive handle : TEX - cattle drive, that is. Reminds me of this scene
14. Intrinsically : PER SE
21. The Marx Brothers, e.g. : ZANIES
23. Deceive : DUPE
25. Bug but good : RILE
27. Home in the woods : NEST - "home in the tree" would have been too easy for Saturday
29. Meas. of course performance : GPA - Grade Point Average. Funny, but it was such a big deal when I was in high school - now it's meaningless - until I have kids of my own, I presume....
30. Brand with a Jumpman logo : AIR JORDAN - I knew this was Michael Jordan, but it took a moment; my OPED didn't help
32. Fine points : PRONGS - Har-Har~!
34. Letters sometimes seen before a phone no. : RSVP
36. Nestlé's __-Caps : SNO
38. Cheat : CRIB
40. 1924 co-defendant : LOEB - could not recall if it was loeW or loeB
43. Court complaint : "I OBJECT~!"
46. Horn of Africa native : SOMALI
48. Cousins of clam diggers : CAPRIs
50. Expert : MAVEN
52. Jerk, say : REACT
53. Patty Hearst alias : TANIA
54. __ bloom: pond vegetation : ALGAL
55. __ Bag: eponymous '70s designer label : BEENE
58. Old, in Oldenburg : ALTE - not AULD; I knew that was wrong
61. Additional : NEW
62. Legend on ice : ORR - first clue, NHL; last clue, NHL....I like it, Mr. Silk~!