Theme: Two Double Stacks
Words 68 (missing J,Q,X,Z)
Blocks: 27
Phew~! This one was a toughie, yet upon reviewing it, there really wasn't
a lot that couldn't be worked out - but I have to admit to one Google -
the crossing of two proper names and some other vagueness in the SW slowed me down
tremendously. Nearly blank on the first passes, but a few educated WAGs at some longer fills gave me some toe-holds, and I was able to hammer
out the remainder. Two double stack spanners, tied to 11-letter fills, and a couple of paired 8's in the Down;
15. Like many a Beverly Hills party-goer :
FASHIONABLY LATE - I think she's going to be fashionably late
17. Heeds sound advice : LISTENS TO REASON
46. Bird named for its large-scale migrations :
PASSENGER PIGEON - I was curious, so I looked it up; I did not know they were extinct
49. DVD special feature, perhaps : ALTERNATE ENDING - I wanted alternatIVe, but the double "E" was messing me up; I couldn't see it for a while
~!
ACROSS:
1. Law school accrediting org. : ABA - looking back, this should have been a gimme (American Bar Association)
4. Current information source : TWITTER FEED - I am not on Twitter, nor Facebook - I get my news the old-fashioned way; rumor
18. Former seniors : ALUMS
19. Points for a piano tuner? : TINES - ugh. The tool, not the person
20. "Murder in the First" airer : TNT
21. Crossword legend Reagle : MERL - should have gotten this on the first pass
22. Primed : READY
23. "Hogan's Heroes" setting, briefly : WWII - the show was before my time; I have been watching some "World War II in color" history on the AHC channel
24. Word with wash or wear : EYE - eyewash, eye wear
25. Zen teaching techniques : KOANS - I WAGed the "K"
26. "Aw, mom!" sound : GROAN
27. Zsa Zsa's older sister : MAGDA
28. "I think you'll like it!" : "TRY ONE~!"
29. Sweat inducer : SCARE
31. Desolate tract : WILDS
32. One good at figures? : SKATER - figure skater; I was on that wavelength
nice figure
33. Sea : BRINY - nope, not OCEAN
35. Mirren of "The Hundred-Foot Journey" : HELEN - this was my only ACROSS fill on the first pass
36. Thugs : GOONS - hockey players, in some instances
37. BART stop : SFO - OK, I took a stab at this one on the first pass, too; San Fransisco Airport on the Bay Area Rapid Transit
40. Hard to grasp : EELY - I went with this, then OILY came to mind
41. Complex : DENSE - I had TENSE; that's 100% 80% correct
42. Dutch word meaning "farmer" : BOER
43. Triple Crown stat : RBI - ooops, I was thinking horse racing, not baseball
44. "Tequila Sunrise" writer/director Robert : TOWNE - no clue, and the "W" was my last fill - but the "ta-DA~!" was there~!
45. Beverly Hills retreat : VILLA
50. Time for fluff pieces : SLOW NEWS DAY
- I always find it a little contradictory when the 6 o'clock news
spends 22 minutes talking about terrorist attacks, floods, riots, wages
going down, taxes and gas prices going up, and then 2 minutes on the
cute puppy that chases its own tail....
51. Soapmaker's supply : LYE - OK, I got this one on the first pass, too
DOWN:
1. Lit : AFLAME
2. Castle wall : BAILEY - So glad I am a huge castle person; I knew this
It's hiding - think courtyard
3. Promise : ASSURE
4. All scores? : TIES
5. Wooed successfully : WON
6. Rather : INSTEAD
7. "Orphan Black" star Maslany : TATIANA - I really wanted to try this show out, but never got a chance to watch
nice figure
8. Govt. obligations : T-BONDS - another good guess
9. __ de los Timbales: Tito Puente's nickname : EL REY - I figured it was "king", but forgot the "El" part
10. Bakery output : RYES
11. Where Hollywood is: Abbr. : FLA - oh, that one - I'm sure a lot of our regulars got it
12. "American Sniper" director : EASTWOOD - I did not remember Clint did this one as well
13. Many British prime ministers : ETONIANS - graduates of Eton school
14. Tooth layer : DENTINE - ENAMEL was too short
16. Web page standard : HTML
22. "I copy" : "ROGER." - we were just talking about "Airplane~!" at the restaurant yesterday
23. Not straight, in a way : WRYLY - like some humor
25. Black on screen : KAREN - Before my time; I would have known Karen ALLEN
"We...are...not...thirsty"
26. They can be silly : GRINS
27. Bristol bro : MATEY - I am reading P.G. Wodehouse, a prolific writer his whole life, with a focus on English life - so this word pops up frequently. I love his writing.
28. Interlace : TWINE - dah~! Not WEAVE
29. Its first national tournament was held in 1932 in Atlantic City : SKEE-BALL - I did not know this, but I tried "-BALL" at the end, and that helped hugely
30. Nymph who ultimately became the stars of Ursa Major : CALLISTO - I had an A - INSTEAD (6d.) - of O at the end; also a moon of Jupiter
32. Hillary aides : SHERPAS - oh. that Hillary. The explorer, not the candidate - my housemate is tuned in to CNN 24/7 right now, and it's a bit much
33. Tied hats : BONNETS
34. Snow-White's sister, in Grimm : ROSE RED - found this; Disney making a movie
36. Trifle : GEWGAW - this has appeared in crosswords before, but it was just not coming to me
37. Été blazer : SOLEIL - Le Frawnche sun
38. Grand theft auto, e.g. : FELONY - since it's not capitalized, it's not the video game
39. Santa Ana's county : ORANGE
41. "Holy Sonnets" poet : DONNE - my Google - the Wiki
42. City NNE of San Antone : BIG D - Dallas, TX (colloquial names) Hi there, D-Otto~!
44. Arctic-to-Antarctica migrating bird : TERN - good guess off the "R"
45. Like clematis : VINY - I knew this was going to be something like "VINED"
47. Needle : SEW
48. Gravel designation : PEA - sizing
Splynter
