Saturday July 30, 2016 Kevin Christian

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing Q)

Blocks: 29

C.C. here. The tool we use to analyze & write each puzzle is broken and Splynter needs to work this morning. I'll just publish the skeletal entries now. Will be back later with detailed writeup.

(Updated now. Thanks for the patience.)

Kevin's puzzle features a pair of double-stacked 15's, which are his seed entries. Constructors plant seed entries at the very start of each themeless grid. Sometimes secondary seeds are sowed if the grid allows.

The four spanners are:

15A. "Be right with you": HOLD ON ONE MINUTE

17A. Serious request for help: I NEED A HUGE FAVOR. Both of the top 15's are debut entries, never used in any puzzle before.

 

54A. Parker or Getz: JAZZ SAXOPHONIST. Look at the crossing words of  J, Two Z's and X, all solid words. You rock, Kevin!

Kevin Christian, XWord Info

58A. Ancient: OLD AS METHUSELAH 

Once the four sparkly spanners are placed, Kevin's primary goal is to have clean fill. He was also  able to give us two nice 11's:

28A. Suzanne Collins trilogy, with "The": HUNGER GAMES 

39A. Loreena McKennitt genre: CELTIC MUSIC

Across:

1. Like some glass: STAINED

8. Black Friday store opening event? MAD DASH. Great clue/fill.

18. Island where Dionysus discovered Ariadne: NAXOS. Oh, I did not know that. So pretty.

19. Burden: TAX

20. Disney’s "__ & Stitch": LILO

21. Hebrew for "skyward": EL AL

22, __ owl: BARN

24. "At Seventeen" Grammy winner __ Ian: JANIS

25. Spender of rials: OMANI

27. Name: DUB

32.Rebus pronoun: EWE. You.

35. Waste management word: RECYCLE

36. Beats: OUTDOES

38. Isr. neighbor: SYR

41. Big name in jewelry: KAY. Our Kazie's real name.

42. Dizzy: AREEL. Not a word I use.

43. Half a '60s pop group: MAMAS. And Papas.

46. Lesage hero Gil __: BLAS. Easy fill-in-the-blanks.

47. Pad: CRIB

51 __ I: Jewish month added in leap years: ADAR. New to me. I know ADAR is the 6th month in Jewish calendar.

52. Watch chain: FOB

53. See 45-Down: MIATA. And 45. With 53-Across, Japanese roadster: MAZDA 

59. Put on again: RE-AIRED

60. Usually not the best way to marry: IN HASTE 
 

Down:

1. Excel: SHINE

2. Like Romantic music: TONAL

3. Singer/songwriter __ Ray Joel: ALEXA. Here with her parents.

4. Belief system: IDEOLOGY

5. Acceptances: NODS

6. Commercial suffix with wheat: -ENA. Not familiar with Wheatena.

7. Word from Homer: D'OH! Homer Simpson.

8. Mullally of "Will & Grace": MEGAN

9. Blue Cash Everyday card co: AMEX

10. "What’s the __?": DIF

11. "CSI" facility: DNA LAB. Both DNA LAB and DNA TEST are grid-friendly, hence their frequent appearances in crossword.

12. How coq may be cooked: AU VIN. I recall this was the specialty of Misty's husband Rowland.

13. Absolut alternative, familiarly: STOLI

14. __ welcome: HERO'S

16. Semiaquatic rodent: NUTRIA. I learned this rodent in the old Tribute Media Daily puzzle days.

22. Brewer’s supply: BARLEY

23. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spin-off: ANGEL. Learning moment to me also.

24. "I’m alone": JUST ME

26. Big attractions: MECCAS. Zara is finally coming to Mall of America in December. I visited their store in Vegas last Feb. So many shopping meccas in the desert.

27. Wild things?: DEUCES. Oh, Deuces Wild.

28. Some game enders: Abb,: HRS (Home Runs)

29. Pike no-no: UEY

30. ATM giant: NCR

31. Actress Kelly: MOIRA. I forgot. We had her before.

32. Aurora’s counterpart: EOS

33. Either of two Chinese dynasties: WEI. The second is actually called Bei Wei.

34. Bailout key: ESC

37. Don Quixote’s unseen love: DULCINEA

40. Screen Actors Guild co-founder Lyle __: TALBOT. Stranger to me.

41. 2000s-’10s Afghan president: KARZAI (Hamid).

43. Not at all trivial: MAJOR

44. Allan-__: Robin Hood cohort: A-DALE. Partial.

46. Ready to be shipped: BOXED 

48. Tracks: RAILS

49. Where __: IT'S AT. Partial. Two partials are allowed in each grid.

50. Come clean?: BATHE. Another nice clue.

52. Notability: FAME 

53. __ pit: MOSH

55. Georgia, once: Abbr.: SSR

56. Upsilon follower: PHI 

57. Fifth-century invader: HUN 

Alright, Splynter and his legs will be back next Saturday.

C.C.