Saturday, December 30, 2017, C.C. Burnikel

THEMELESS SATURDAY

Husker Gary here to review a puzzle submitted by our "Swiss Army Knife" leader C.C. She runs this blog, blogs Sunday puzzles, mediates contentious issues, partners with many of us on constructing and produces puzzles for every day of the week at all levels of difficulty! Wow!

Let's see what our mistress has for us on this day before the last day of 2017 and our final Saturday of the year:


Across


1. On-the-go frozen breakfast : EGGO BITES - Just another good reason to enjoy syrup!

10. "Love, all alike, no season knows, nor __": Donne : CLIME - DONNE did "Git 'er done" would have two homophones

15. Sinatra's wife after Ava Gardner : MIA FARROW - Ava on Mia - "I always knew Frank would wind up in bed with a boy"

16. "Breaking Bad" toxin : RICIN - Chemistry teacher Walt cooked meth but used this deadly product of the castor bean to kill a rival

17. Exercise for the lower leg : CALF RAISE - This is called a Donkey CALF RAISE

18. In the presence of : AMONG

19. Creator of the album "Reflection," which consists of one 54-minute track : ENO

20. Tijuana pronoun : ESA - Me gusta ESA música ENO (I like that ENO music)

21. Gulf of Finland republic : ESTONIA

23. 2001 bankruptcy headliner : ENRON - Their bankruptcy cost my uncle his retirement and dignity and here is their CEO Ken Lay doing one of his 34. Controversial police procedure practices : PERP WALKS

25. Shaper in a shop : LATHE and 64. "My bad" : OOPS SORRY

27. Minor player : COG - That describes me here

28. Tuscany city : SIENA - We walked in SIENA where bareback horse races around the town square have been run twice a year for hundreds of years

29. Kind of butter used in skin care : SHEA - Is that why the Mets are "butter fingered"? Yeah, I'll keep my day job!

30. Pop, in Paris : PERE

31. __ jump : SKI -  Remember the show where the tagline for this mishap was, "The agony of defeat"?

33. To a large degree : IN SPADES - Highest Rank suit in Contract Bridge

35. Most likely : APTEST

38. Car system : STEREO

39. Homemade crystal products : AM RADIOS - I first listened to Husker football on an AM CRYSTAL RADIO over 60 years ago

41. "Entourage" agent Gold : ARI - Played by Jeremy Pivens who I really like


42. Driving force? : UBER - Worked well for us. The app shows you the nearest UBER driver and displays her progress as she drives toward you

43. Twin Cities daily, familiarly : TRIB - Our constructors hometown paper

45. Historic times : PASTS

49. Address-ending word : NET 

50. Overplay : EMOTE


51. Tabbouleh grain : WHEAT - A Levantine (from the Levant) grain and herb salad

52. Walked-over : TRODDEN

54. Energy Star co-mgr. : EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

56. Modern art? : ARE - How Great Thou ART! vs. How Great You ARE!

57. Decluttering maven Kondo : MARIE - MARIE, thy name ART a mystery to me!

58. Branch : AFFILIATE

61. Strange : ALIEN

62. Wasted call? : DRUNK DIAL - The call isn't wasted, the caller is!

63. Literature Nobelist who served in the Irish Senate : YEATS - and now a  tourist attraction

Down

1. Runs the show : EMCEES - Remember Bert Parks and his famous song?

2. Designer Versace : GIANNI - His murder in his Miami mansion will lead off FX's America's Crime Story next month

 3. See 33-Across : GALORE - Did anyone else think of a Bond Girl?

4. Inaccurate : OFF 

5. Completely uncovered : BARE NAKED - I only know of the group called BARE NAKED LADIES because they wrote and recorded the theme song to this fabulously successful TV show

6. Nest egg accts. : IRAS

7. Court affairs : TRIALS

8. Sister of Helios : EOS - We usually see her and her friendly letters as the goddess of dawn

9. Improves, as an offer : SWEETENS

10. Box : CRATE

11. Long ride? : LIMO

12. "You win" : I CONCEDE - Rhoda says "I give up!"

13. Cookie in Snak Saks : MINI OREO - There's no where to hide from OREOS of any size in crossword puzzles

14. Keeps occupied : ENGAGES - A teacher who ENGAGES an angry student in an argument can't win

22. View from Yreka : SHASTA - A Cascade Range Mountain as seen from Yreka, CA

24. GM security system : ONSTAR - We have it at no cost for 3 years with our car but have never used it

26. Often-grilled tuna : AHI

30. Outcast : PARIAH - Can you say Harvey Weinstein?

32. "Am I off-base here?" : IS IT ME - "Yeah, it's you Harvey! You're a creep!"

35. Light-brown brew : AMBER ALE

36. Seat of South Africa's executive branch : PRETORIA

37. Olds luxury car : TORONADO - Also the name of Zorro's horse

39. Peter Parker's adoptive mother : AUNT MAY - Some Spiderman purists thought Marisa Tomei was "too hot" to play this role compared to her predecessors Rosemary Harris and Sally Field.

40. Parking order? : SIT - "Park It!"

44. Strengthen : BEEF UP

46. Oceanside home asset : SEA AIR

47. Fried shrimp sauce : TARTAR

48. Unwavering : STEELY - Calling someone this is very high praise in NASA parlance

50. Wonderlands : EDENS

53. Losing effort : DIET - What is the world's record for getting off of these after New Year's Day?

55. Flagsticks, to many golfers : PINS

59. To and __ : FRO

60. Veiled reply, perhaps : I DO

Rail away about this Saturday puzzle:

DA GRID: