Theme: None
Words: 72 (missing Q)
Blocks: 28
I
had to cave in to red-letters to solve the NE corner, and even then I
was not able to come up with any logical answers, so I resorted to
alphabet runs, and once the ta-DA~! came, I was really disappointed
with the results. I don't care if they are acceptable answers, even for
a Saturday. A couple were just too much of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h, and
therefore "fun-sponge" gets called on this puzzle. Too bad,
really; other than in the NE, I did well (OK, there were some
groaners in other places, too) and I am usually not very successful with Mark's constructions. Oh, and did I mention the
circumreferential clues~? Triple 10s and paired 10s in the
corners, with two 9s and four 8s;
17a. Where the Walking Piano scene in "Big" was filmed : FAO SCHWARZ - Nailed it; great scene, fun movie, can always watch it when it's on regular TV - from 1988, same as 12d.
64a. Wait follower : "...THERE'S MORE~!"
27d. Classic film words of self-revelation : I'M A REAL BOY
NO WRD Answer
ACROSS:
1. "Star Wars" High Council member : JEDI MASTER
11. Co. leaders : MGTS - ??? What~? Say again~? Managements~? Really~? NOT.
15. Writing desk : ESCRITOIRE - Le Frawnche
16. Realize : REAP - Argh~! Too much of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h
18. Toy since ancient times : PEKE - ugh. The Dog, not YO-YO or KITE
11. Co. leaders : MGTS - ??? What~? Say again~? Managements~? Really~? NOT.
15. Writing desk : ESCRITOIRE - Le Frawnche
16. Realize : REAP - Argh~! Too much of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h
18. Toy since ancient times : PEKE - ugh. The Dog, not YO-YO or KITE
19. Laughs : FUN
20. Text giggle : HEE - ugh, not LOL
21. ZzzQuil competitor : SOMINEX
23. Military actions : RAIDS - police actions, too
25. Spanish uncle? : NO MAS - cry uncle~! No more~! Leave out the fun-sponge answers~!
26. Toys since 1964 : G.I. JOEs - I have part of the 80's collection of "action figures" that were about 4" tall; including the Hovercraft and a few other vehicles
31. Single dose? : DAT - ugh. Not HIT
33. It's often made at parties : SMALL TALK - I'd like to talk with this girl at a party
37. Unlikely to bite : TAME
38. Join for a session : SIT IN - musical jam session
40. Base path? : EVIL
41. Proper 53-Down : AREN'T - circumreferential with; 53. Improper 41-Across : AIN'T - if you Ain't got a clue, you Aren't solving this without perps
43. Many a single : LINE DRIVE - baseball, not lonely guys/girls
45. Ds, in the key of C : REs - the key of C is C - D - E - f - G - A - b, so "D" corresponds to the Re of Do - Re - Mi....I play guitar, so I got it, but I can see this one being a fun-sponge, too
46. Sum is a form of it : ESSE - similar to "SERA" being part of ÊTRE from a few weeks ago, "I am" in Latin from the verb "To be"
48. Like many salons : UNISEX
49. Chance to hit : AT BAT - ah. baseball, not blackjack
51. Country : RURAL - dah~! Totally in "REALM", not "bumpkin/backwoods" mode
53. Chemical bases : ALKALIS - for some reason I kept telling myself this is the answer, but swore it wouldn't fit, even with --K-LI- filled....I can't explain it
55. Word with wire or water : HOT - you get caught doing a hot wire, you'd be in hot water
56. Gambling initials : OTB - Off-Track Betting
59. Once-venerated bird : IBIS - popular with the Egyptians
63. Agreement with a refusal : NOR I
65. Kid : TYKE - oops, not JOke
66. No longer fashionable : "SO LAST YEAR"
DOWN:
1. Buckley who covered Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" : JEFF - WAG
2. Son of Rebecca : ESAU
3. Anti-rodent brand : d-CON
4. Return letters : IRS - tax return, that is
5. Most popular boy's name in 44 of the last 100 years : MICHAEL - mine was 11th in NJ for the year I was born - the site
6. Foxhole absentees, so it's said : ATHEISTS - as a "Friend of Bill W.", I am familiar with "foxhole prayers"
7. Scattered : SOWED - STREWN and SOWN were not working
8. __ Maria : TIA
9. Goes thataway instead of thisaway : ERRS
10. Do a city planner's job : RE-ZONE
11. Absent-minded A.A. Milne title character : Mr. PIM - Don't know this character, so I was totally "ASEA"
13. Goes down as planned : TAKES A DIVE
14. Informal glasses : SPEX - meh.
22. Extinct birds : MOAs
23. Seven-time All-Star third baseman Scott __ : ROLEN - more baseball
24. More thirst-inducing : SALTIER
26. The sun, for one : G-STAR
28. TV hero who famously kissed 52-Down : JAMES T. KIRK - paired to; 52. See 28-Down : UHURA - if you didn't know it, this was fun-sponge, too. I am a big fan of the "Next Generation" version; the original was too boring for me, but I did like the movies - I liked Shatner; can't get into the "latest" re-re-version.
32. Bygone messager : TELEX
34. Feels off : AILS
36. "__ at End House": Christie mystery : PERIL - perps
39. Complex parts : NEUROSES
42. Color on San Jose Shark uniforms : TEAL - San Jose lives~! At least one more game, tho I'd like to see them go two more and take it all
47. Circus equipment : STILTS - drywall mudding, too
54. NYC gallery district : SOHO - SOuth of HOuston Street; the Wiki
56. Plains tribe : OTOE
57. Trillion: Pref. : TERA
58. Fictional rabbit's title : BR'ER
61. Address bk. info : TELephone
62. Pulitzer poet Lowell : AMY
Splynter
