Words: 68 (missing F,J,Q,Y)
Blocks: 38
I
am always fascinated when I see spanners grouped in threes (and fours)
with crossings (perpendiculars) that are not such a stretch that the
puzzle seems forced; and then I get that feeling that it's going to be a
tough grid to solve. Today, however, I seemed to breeze through with
very little trouble - but I had some incredible WAGs that were solid
from the get go. Our regulars here at the blog will be quick to point
out that big groups of 15-letters usually leads to shorter Downs. Not
so much today, though we did have a high block count - and a
good-looking grid, at that. The spanners;
1. Where to see pop-ups : ELECTRIC TOASTER
16. Holding capacity : SATURATION POINT
17. Doesn't do anything : SITS ON ONE'S HANDS
16. Holding capacity : SATURATION POINT
17. Doesn't do anything : SITS ON ONE'S HANDS
57. Security employees : STORE DETECTIVES
60. Doesn't care for : TAKES A DISLIKE TO - slightly 'meh'
61. Prepare for a ball : DRESS TO THE NINES - the origin~?
60. Doesn't care for : TAKES A DISLIKE TO - slightly 'meh'
61. Prepare for a ball : DRESS TO THE NINES - the origin~?
O N W A R D ~ !
ACROSS:
18. Caning material : RATTAN - oops, not WICKER
19. Shows frugality : STINTS
20. N.S. setting : AST - Nova Scotia, and Atlantic Standard Time; I happen to know they are 1 hour ahead of my time zone, EST
21. Word on some dipsticks : ADD - just looked at the one in my van yesterday - and it was at the "ADD" mark
22. Thickening agent : AGAR
25. '70s congresswoman known for wearing wide-brimmed hats : ABZUG - 3 perps and 2 WAGs
29. 15th-century golfer, probably : SCOT - ah, a 'generic' answer
33. Likely to skid : BALD - tires
34. Train puller : BRIDE - bang~! Nailed it
35. Iolani Palace locale : OAHU - seen before in crosswords
36. Search result : URL - dah~! Not HIT
37. Org. with a WaterSense program : EPA - sensible WAG
38. Mad man of film : MAX - I have yet to see the 2015 remake of the 1979 film
39. Letter-shaped beam : Z-BAR - went with I-bar first; a genuine 75% correct
41. Early 17th-century pope : PAUL V - I tried 'PIUS -' with early crossings
43. "If wishes __ horses ... " : WERE
44. Sector : ZONE - not AREA
45. Liberal : AMPLE
46. They're frequently tapped : ALES - not KEGS
47. Incidentally, briefly : BTW - texting shorthand for "By The Way"
49. __ Karate: old aftershave : HAI
51. Cricket official : SCORER - I tried UMPIRE; then I had to look to see if this was an actual 'official'
54. Certain summons : TICKET
DOWN:
1. First of September? : ESS - September
2. Cave, say : LAIR
3. Kett of old comics : ETTA
4. Crème brûlée preparation : CUSTARD
5. Hambletonian events : TROTS
6. Deferred payment : RAN A TAB
7. Get __ the record : IT ON -
8. Rose team, on scoreboards : CINcinnati; Pete Rose of the Reds - C.C. must be thrilled we are at Spring Training - just means we are close to the Stanley Cup playoffs for me....
9. Word in a readiness metaphor : TOES - "be on one's toes"....eh
10. Performing : ON STAGE - sometimes on your toes here, too
11. Orchard pest : APHID
12. Dirty rat : SO-AND-SO
13. Glare reducer : TINT
14. Circle's lack : ENDS - I was close with EDGE
15. NFL linemen : RTs
22. Talking excitedly : ABUZZ
23. "The Kiss" was her last silent film : GARBO
24. Historian Nevins : ALLAN - I guessed the two "L"s
26. Another name for bluegill : BREAM
27. Close, as a parka : ZIP-UP - how about 'close, as heels' for Saturday cluing~?
30. Alpaca relative : CAMEL - I like camels
I found so many other funny ones (add 9d.), but....
32. Spiffy attire : TUXES - sort of a mini-theme going on
40. Engine rebuilding jobs : REBORES
41. Checked out, feline-style : PAWED AT
42. Jam component : VEHICLE - nice misdirection, if you tried some sort of fruit
43. Surfing mecca : WAIKIKI - great fill
48. Bun element : TRESS
51. Beverly Hills sighting : STAR
52. Old beehive oven product : COKE - new to me; the Wiki
53. Change in appearance : RE-DO
54. Sellecca's "Intelligence for Your Life TV" co-host : TESH - didn't see this filled in until I came to write the blog
55. Still : EVEN
56. Toque spot : TÊTE - I knew a toque was chef headware, and that it was Frawnche
57. Benchmark: Abbr. : STD - standard
58. "__-Willow": "The Mikado" song : TIT
obdurate definition
Splynter
