Words 70 (missing J,Q,X,Z)
Blocks: 26
Boy
was I excited to see a DonG Saturday puzzle. The chunky corners look
made me think it was going to be a tough one, but ultimately, it was
do-able. We have a boat-load of proper names, and a few "Meh"
clues/answers, so my expectation caused a bit of a let down. Oh well.
Mini-theme of corner crossings related to science fact & fiction,
and a central crossing;
21d. "The Dragons of Eden" Pulitzer winner : CARL SAGAN - I have not read the book
37a. What we're made of, per 21-Down : STAR STUFF
- I like shows on Astronomy and Cosmology; I understood that when
massive stars start creating iron in their cores, the beginning of the
end occurs - they go supernova, spewing all the elements out into space
16. With 12-Down, 1995 Hugo Award winner for Best Related Work : I. ASIMOV
12. See 16-Across : A MEMOIR
60. Discoverer of Jupiter's four largest moons : GALILEO
48. Shower component : METEOR - not symmetrical, but just to balance the corners
ONWARD to a Star Trek: TNG universe~!
ACROSS:
1. Probably will : IS APT TO
8. Come before : PREDATE - not PRECEDE
15. Like many a protest : ANTI-WAR
17. Going on, slangily : COOKING
18. Stand for things : ETAGERE - literally, a physical stand, for knick-knacks
19*. "The Road to Wealth" author : ORMAN
20. Opening segment : ACT I - we had this answer last week
22. Deity skilled at archery : AMOR - oops, not EROS
23. It has rail service to ORD and MDW : CTA - Chicago Transit Authority; ORD being the airport code of O'Hare, and MDW for Midway
24. Hawaii's __ Coast : KONA
26. Zippo : NOT ONE
28. Amsterdam features : CANALS - not LEVEES
30. Meat-based sauce : RAGU
32. Shades-wearing TV cousin : ITT - duh-duh-duh dum~! The Addams Family
33. Score update phrase : AT THE HALF - but not in hockey
35. Deck used for readings : TAROT - a deck of cards
39. Place for an ice bed : IGLOO - O, ice E
42. Idylls : PASTORALS - again, we had this last week, but it was pastoralEs
46. Egg __ yung : FOO
47. Salon, for one : eMAG - eh, don't see an abbr. in the clue
49. Like some transfers : IRON-ON
50. Threatening to steal, perhaps : ON BASE - baseball for C.C.; DonG would never live it down had he forgotten
52*. Heroine in Auel's "Earth's Children" books : AYLA - crossing YAP AT irritated me
54. Cpl., for one : NCO
55. Cause some nose-holding : REEK - not ODOR
56*. Brown of publishing : TINA
58. Clip : SHEAR
62. Lab tube : PIPETTE
64. View : OPINION
65. Flighty sort? : AVIATOR
66. Some film clips : TEASERS
67. Submits : TENDERS - as in one's resignation
DOWN:
1*. 1970s Ford president : IACOCCA - of course, he went on to save Chrysler
2. Show contempt for : SNORT AT
3*. Ferocious Flea foe : ATOM ANT
4. Tailless rabbit relative : PIKA
5. Sparkly Skechers style for girls : TWINKLE TOES
6. Salon acquisition : TAN - went with DYE first
7. Reed site : ORGAN - not SWAMP; the other kind of reed
8*. Neoplasticism artist Mondrian : PIET - never heard of this, so I had to do a search - turns out, I consider my style to be of the neoplastic type.
9. Assessment : RATING
10. Spanish pronoun : ESA - hey - guess what~? no Frawnche (OK, etagere)
11. Make cutting remarks about : DIG AT - lots of two-word answers today, too
13. Hockey Hall of Fame city : TORONTO - we are oh so close to the new season
14*. Former surgeon general C. __ Koop : EVERETT
25. DOL division : OSHA - Dept. of Labor, and the Occupational Safety and Health Admin.
27. Cruising : OUT FOR A SPIN
29. "Yes, of course" : AH, SO
31. Classified times : AFTs - I did not get this at first; I had AGES. Now I understand it's AFTernoons, in classified ads
34. Plucked instrument, to Vivaldi : ARPA - Harp
36. Picked style : AFRO
38. Gas co., e.g. : UTILity
39. Excuse for lateness : I FORGOT - eh. what, you forgot what time to come in~?
40. Lost it : GONE APE
41. Popular hanging-basket flower : LOBELIA
43*. One of the original Mouseketeers : ANNETTE
44. Google map, say : LOCATOR
45. Not always the best roommates : SNORERS
51*. Pulitzer playwright Zoë : AKINS
53. Pester, puppy-style : YAP AT - NIP AT, LAP AT....even after an alphabet run, I did not see this.
57. Cyclotron bits : IONS
59. Lead : HEAD - non-rhyming
61. Be supine : LIE - here's my contribution to "the stars"
63. "__ seen the light!" : I'VE
Splynter
