Theme: Debut~!
Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q,Z)
Blocks: 31
This is Debbie Ellerin's debut Saturday puzzle for the LA Times, as far
as I can tell. She has had two other puzzles, one duo with Jeff Chen
on a Sunday, and a solo effort on a Monday - which to me seems to be the
hardest day to construct a puzzle; there has to be a simple theme,
simple answers, and simple clues. I have tried my hand at construction;
it's a lot harder than you think earlier in the week. This one looked a bit
daunting at the outset, but then a few solid fills led me to finish in
half my personal allotted time. A pretty pinwheel grid today with
triple 9's and almost triple 9's - and nothing longer than that. And a
gratuitous shout-out to yours truly at 46d.~! Debbie is already in my
good books~!
17a. Agitated : STIRRED UP - I had stEAMed up at first
13d. They're turnoffs : EXIT LANES - oooh, so close with EXIT RAMPS
52a. Vanity case? : EGOMANIAC
oNEW-WARD~!
ACROSS:
1. Ring pairs : TAG TEAMS - on the first pass, I was not sure if this was wedding rings or boxing rings - turned out to be wrestling
9. Result of hitting the bar? : SPACE - I thought we might be looking for something like DRUNK
14. Some strays : ALLEY CATS
16. Plant from the Greek for "flame" : PHLOX - the clue led me to discover this interesting reading
18. Garlicky sauce : AIOLI - my first fill; crossword staple
19. Present, say : TENSE - ah. Took too long to see this definition of "present"
20. One to keep closer? : ENEMY - one only keeps the friends "close"
22. Setting for a Det. Tigers game : EDT - Went with CST - central standard time; of course, the baseball season is only during Daylight time, and Detroit is not that far from the east coast, really
23. Designer of many Harper's Bazaar covers : ERTE
24. Golden Horde members : TATARS - learning moment for me
25. Dancer Chmerkovskiy of "Dancing With the Stars" : VAL
26. Rutabagas, e.g. : TUBERS - nailed it
27. Chicago Cubs' spring training city : MESA - filled via perps
28. Squired : ESCORTED
32. Lethal phosphorus compound : SARIN
33. Lose control, in a way : SPIN OUT
34. Grind : RAT RACE
36. Evasive : CAGEY
37. Epitome of slowness : MOLASSES - "AS A SNAIL" did cross my mind
38. Parted sea : ARAL - I thought it was the "RED" sea, but in today's geography, this sea has split
9. Result of hitting the bar? : SPACE - I thought we might be looking for something like DRUNK
16. Plant from the Greek for "flame" : PHLOX - the clue led me to discover this interesting reading
19. Present, say : TENSE - ah. Took too long to see this definition of "present"
20. One to keep closer? : ENEMY - one only keeps the friends "close"
22. Setting for a Det. Tigers game : EDT - Went with CST - central standard time; of course, the baseball season is only during Daylight time, and Detroit is not that far from the east coast, really
23. Designer of many Harper's Bazaar covers : ERTE
24. Golden Horde members : TATARS - learning moment for me
25. Dancer Chmerkovskiy of "Dancing With the Stars" : VAL
26. Rutabagas, e.g. : TUBERS - nailed it
27. Chicago Cubs' spring training city : MESA - filled via perps
28. Squired : ESCORTED
32. Lethal phosphorus compound : SARIN
one can just look this up these days
34. Grind : RAT RACE
36. Evasive : CAGEY
37. Epitome of slowness : MOLASSES - "AS A SNAIL" did cross my mind
38. Parted sea : ARAL - I thought it was the "RED" sea, but in today's geography, this sea has split
39. "Rent" Pulitzer-winning dramatist : LARSON - half crossings, half WAG
41. __ se : PER
41. __ se : PER
42. Fortune : KISMET - ah, fate, not riches
43. Private dining room? : MESS - clever
47. "Yada yada yada" letters : etc.
48. Place to get clean : REHAB - BT, DT.
49. "Affliction" Oscar nominee : NOLTE - did not see the movie
50. Key location : PIANO - I was trying to be overly clever and pondered Florida; it was only after I came here that I see the answer filled itself in
54. Bean seen on-screen : ORSON
55. "Aha!" : "NOW I GET IT~!"
56. Many a combine model : DEERE
57. Some seniors : OLDSTERS
DOWN:
1. Kind of buds? : TASTE - I tried BOSOM to start
2. Size up, maybe? : ALTER - tailoring humor
3. Sparkle : GLINT
5. Title narrator in an 1847 novel : EYRE
6. Deck top : ACE - ah. Cards, not carpentry
7. Entered the pool? : MADE A BET
8. Hindered the development of : STUNTED
9. Fixes : SPAYS
10. Golden ratio symbol : PHI - φ
11. Some succulents : ALOE VERAS
12. Frigid : COLD AS ICE - look away Tin~! Look away~!
15. Stick a fork in : SPEAR - "me...I'm done"
21. "__ Robinson" : MRS.
24. Peace Nobelist of 1984 : TUTU - Desmond
26. Metal-measure word : TROY - precious metals; the Wiki
12. Frigid : COLD AS ICE - look away Tin~! Look away~!
15. Stick a fork in : SPEAR - "me...I'm done"
21. "__ Robinson" : MRS.
24. Peace Nobelist of 1984 : TUTU - Desmond
26. Metal-measure word : TROY - precious metals; the Wiki
27. Men's home? : MARS - the women from Venus
29. Fifth wheel : SPARE TIRE - ah, the actual definition, not the guy who tags along on a double date
30. Cuban home? : CIGAR CASE - I'm a cigar smoker (not Cubans, mind you ), and so this one was sort of a gimme
31. Law school newbie : ONE-L
32. Kenton of jazz : STAN - filled via perps
34. Bruins' home : ROSE BOWL - I was of course, in an NHL Boston Bruin's mindset - this is UCLA
35. Beaucoup, with "of" : A LOT - "I made beaucoup bucks betting on the game last night"
37. Onetime Sterling Optical spokesman : Mr. MAGOO - seemed logical to me
39. Piece of fiction : LIE
40. Beyond the pale? : ASHEN - cute. Skin tone
42. Scandinavian capital : KRONE - dah~! Fell into the trap; not Oslo, Stockholm, nor Helsinki - the money kind of capital
43. "Bouquet of Sunflowers" painter : MONET - I had the "M", so it was an "A" or "O" WAG for the artist - I got it
44. Choice : ELITE
45. Flight segment : STAIR - my lovely Siberian friend got sticker shock when she discovered how much it would cost to come to America
46. Splinter groups : SECTS - I am a part of a lot of groups; this blog is one (LOL)
49. Badgers or hounds : NAGS
51. Negative link : NOR
53. Prefix with life or wife : MID - mid-life, midwife
30. Cuban home? : CIGAR CASE - I'm a cigar smoker (not Cubans, mind you ), and so this one was sort of a gimme
31. Law school newbie : ONE-L
32. Kenton of jazz : STAN - filled via perps
34. Bruins' home : ROSE BOWL - I was of course, in an NHL Boston Bruin's mindset - this is UCLA
35. Beaucoup, with "of" : A LOT - "I made beaucoup bucks betting on the game last night"
37. Onetime Sterling Optical spokesman : Mr. MAGOO - seemed logical to me
40. Beyond the pale? : ASHEN - cute. Skin tone
42. Scandinavian capital : KRONE - dah~! Fell into the trap; not Oslo, Stockholm, nor Helsinki - the money kind of capital
43. "Bouquet of Sunflowers" painter : MONET - I had the "M", so it was an "A" or "O" WAG for the artist - I got it
44. Choice : ELITE
45. Flight segment : STAIR - my lovely Siberian friend got sticker shock when she discovered how much it would cost to come to America
46. Splinter groups : SECTS - I am a part of a lot of groups; this blog is one (LOL)
49. Badgers or hounds : NAGS
51. Negative link : NOR
53. Prefix with life or wife : MID - mid-life, midwife
Splynter
