Words: 72 (missing J,K,Q,X,Z)
Blocks: 31
So
nice to see our own blog host as the constructor of the 'Saturday
Struggle'. I was a little miffed by the SE corner, with just a few too
many proper names, but a WAG here and there and I prevailed - within my
personal allotted time AND without Google or red-letter help, no less~!
Yay~! Triple 9x6 corners, almost triple 8-letter corners in the Down, and two
8-letter fills round out today's long answers;
32. Chain with day care : PETSMART - I take it they have a pet-sitting service. Also, we have a referential clue at 42a. Brand at 32-Across : IAMS
38. Refreshing ice cream with blended cookies : MINT OREO
58. Step out : GO ON A DATE - this phrase is rather unfamiliar to me.... :7((
63. Tom Jones hit written by Paul Anka : SHE'S A LADY - I am a
huge fan of Tom Jones; I grew up listening to his records because my parents are from England. I bought his
"Rescue Me" album, long out of date, on CD from a guy in Russia through
eBay - imagine that
DiscO-NWARD~!
ACROSS:
1. Siri counterpart : GOOGLE NOW
- I have an Android cel phone, but not this feature/ app. I do know
about Siri, as a friend of mine was telling us how her kids were able to
get "her" to find "your momma" jokes
10. Inst. with a weekly "Big Picture Science" radio program : SETI - seemed like a good WAG, but I had to have the "S" first
14. Short-term hospital service : ACUTE CARE
15. Demonym that may have a second "a" : UTAHN - strangely, I did not know exactly what "demonym" meant (tho I knew
"-nym" meant 'name'); then it showed up on Dictionary.com
16. Ignores : LETS SLIDE
17. Wise guys : SAGES
18. One of the Noldor, in Tolkien : ELF - ooops, not ENT
19. Pitcher's goal : SALE - about as close as we got to baseball today; that's a different kind of pitcher
20. Kind of red : MERLOT - not GARNET - but that's 33.3% correct 100%ly
21. Dark genre : NOIR - seemed to easy, so I left it blank at first
23. Holy __ : TERROR
25. Child expert LeShan : EDA
26. When many take breaks : AT TEN - I had TEN AM to start - right idea, wrong order
28. Work with a partner : DUET
29. Dropbox's blue box, for one : ICON
30. More, to Nadal : MAS
34. Lollygag : LOITER
37. Stay in the cooler : DO TIME - I knew this was jail related, but "sentence" didn't fit
40. Mattress problem : SAG
41. First name in couture : YVES
44. "Pipe down!" : SHUSH - I tried QUIET, but the "Q" was just not going to work
48. Child support org. : PTA
49. Road safety feature : MEDIAN - unless, of course, you drive over it; I have seen and heard people do so
51. Family __ : TREE
52. Schools abroad : LYCEES - oops, not ECOLES; that's Frawnche for school; this word translates to High School
54. Genre of the late David Bowie : GLAM - R.I.P. Ziggy Stardust
56. Dove shape : BAR - the soap, not the bird; I was onto the clue, but I was trying "EGG" or "OVA" to describe the shape of the soap bar....
57. "Iron Chef America" host Brown : ALTON
60. Hunger Games competitors : TEENS
- I am in the middle of reading "Catching Fire", book 2; I have the
third one waiting....and I am not going to see the movie until I am done
61. "We don't promise you a rose garden" sloganeer : U.S. MARINES
62. Transposes letters, say : ERRS
ODWN:
1. Lead source : GALENA
- Galena is the ore that lead is derived from; Galina is the Russian
name for "Helen"; I knew one when I lived in Jacksonville, FL
2. Spotted cat : OCELOT
3. Company : OUTFIT
- There's a running joke in the movie "Payback" (starring Mel Gibson)
about the criminal organization's name the "syndicate" being changed to
the "outfit"
4. Alfa Romeo sports cars : GTs
5. More, to minimalists : LESS
6. Flash : ECLAT - and a clecho at; 13d. Flash : INSTANT - two different definitions
7. Got down pat : NAILED - C.C.'s turn of phrase when getting a longer fill in a crossword puzzle with no crossings is "Nailed It", and I like to use it, too
8. Diner kitchen shout : "ORDER UP~!"
9. Minute : WEE - now that's a "wee" mini-skirt~!
11. It's trained on a nest : EAGLE-CAM
12. Name meaning "God's gift" : THEODORE
15. Tweeter, say : USER
20. Phrases on seals : MOTTOS
22. Sends in : REMITS
24. Musical piece : REED - dah~! Not reST
27. Icel. is its only member without a standing army : NATO
29. "Perhaps" : "I MIGHT."
31. Soap, for example : SERIES
33. Short stops? : STAs - StaTIONs
34. She played Arwen Undómiel in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy : LIV TYLER
35. Albee's "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?," e.g. : ONE-ACTER
36. Enjoy The Atlantic : READ - Argh~! Not SAIL - as in the Atlantic, not THE Atlantic
Ghostbusters (1984)
38. Government nutrition guide : MY PLATE - the website
39. "Holy cow!" : "OMIGOSH~!" - interesting fill
43. Wilde tragedy : SALOME - here's where I started running into trouble
45. Roger Ebert's Illinois birthplace : URBANA - proper name #2
46. Ready for dinner : SEATED
47. Reason for Luther's excommunication : HERESY
49. Target section : MEN'S
50. Family matriarchs : NANAs
53. Ages : EONS
55. "The Social Network" actress Rooney __ : MARA - #3
58. Gloomy one : GUS - "Gloomy Gus"
59. Pickles on "Rugrats" : DIL- #4
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Argyle our sweet Santa, who has guided us through over 660 puzzles. Argyle always keeps a close eye on the blog so no comment is accidentally junked by Blogger. He also replies to each question posted on an old post. Off the blog, he's my close friend & trusted adviser. Thanks for all you do for me and this blog, Santa!
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Argyle our sweet Santa, who has guided us through over 660 puzzles. Argyle always keeps a close eye on the blog so no comment is accidentally junked by Blogger. He also replies to each question posted on an old post. Off the blog, he's my close friend & trusted adviser. Thanks for all you do for me and this blog, Santa!