Saturday, December 22, 2018, C.C. Burnikel

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by C.C. Burnikel

Since 1999, December 22nd has been the day to celebrate Abilities Day. The school where I sub has a girl who lost her right forearm in a ATV accident. Here you can see her as she is competing in a recent swim meet where she won two events. If you need a hero, she would be someone you should consider.

C.C. has a Saturday themeless for the third time in two months and made me feel like I had limited abilities! It took me only 15 minutes to get to this NE corner and then I took a detour on the Natick Turnpike.  I had no shot on 10, 11 and 12 Down and 14 Across and had wrong answers on 20 and 24 Across. After another fifteen minutes, I threw in the towel and got help from the U.S.S. Google! I still had fun and humble pie is not fattening!

Personal note - It has been one year since I became the regular Saturday blogger and I appreciate C.C. giving me the chance and for you to not giving me the boot.

And now let's see C.C.'s many abilities on this wonderful Weekend puzzle:

Across:

1. Hypoallergenic wool: ALPACA While similar to sheep’s wool, ALPACA fiber  is warmer, not prickly, and has no lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic (unlikely to cause an allergic reaction)

7. Chinese way of life: TAOISM 

13. Be the victim of a slaying?: ROAR AT - Good comedians are said to "slay" the audience who are probably ROARing AT them

14. Taiwanese drink originally made with milk and tapioca pearls: BOBA TEA - I had no idea but here is the finished product and a kit to make said beverage

15. Sports cheaters: DOPERS - Jose Canseco's book blew the whistle on this practice

16. Series of celebratory visits: PUB CRAWL - This ritual seems to be de rigueur for some 21st birthdays

17. Squeeze (out): EKE.

18. Fixes, as a pump: RESOLES - C.C. loves shoes and I'm sure has many pairs of pumps

20. Green span: LEA - A wonderful play on Alan Greenspan for an old cwd friend

21. Convention: NORM - The NORM at this site is educated discourse 23. Because it fits: APTLY to the subjects at hand

24. Cat's hangout: SILL - Not the cat in its LAIR but the kitty on the window SILL

25. Prominent parade brass: TUBAS - If you're a musician you probably already know which of the below is a TUBA and which is a Sousaphone. If you aren't you probably don't care. Here's the difference

27. The Cuban?: LAS - A Cuban speaking Spanish would know LAS Vegas literally means "THE Meadows"

28. Wolf in "The Jungle Book": AKELA - The Disney Wolf was voiced by this gentleman. AKELA was also the name of the leader in our cub scout pack.

29. Kicks back: TAKES IT EASY

32. Place for a frozen treat: GELATO STAND - A ubiquity in Rome

34. Response to a welcome return: WE MISSED YOU - A common sentiment when a former blogger returns to our fold 

36. Apps with errors: BETAS - Fortunately, now they've got all the bugs out 😅

39. Avril follower: MAI - Les averses d'avril apportent des fleurs de MAI (April showers bring May Flowers)

40. Stopped lying: AROSE - As opposed to started telling the truth

42. Drained of color: ASHY.

43. Sharp picker-upper: TALON.

45. Put under: DRUG.

46. Early Melotone Records competitor: RCA -Melotone

47. Produce aisle option: ORGANIC - Is it really better?

49. Turn sharply: ZAG - After a zig

50. Factor in exit velocity, in baseball: BAT SPEED

52. Wore thin: GOT OLD - Remember the political ads this fall?

54. Life-saving devices, at times: EPIPENS 

55. In a calm manner: EVENLY.

56. Make drinkable, in a way: DESALT - This Carlsbad DESAL(T) plant will provide 7% of San Diego's water from the ocean

57. Two-day trip, often: RED EYE - Guide to conquering Red Eye Flights


Down:

1. Deeply devoted: ARDENT.

2. Guard: LOOKOUT - Bikers must LOOKOUT in the 33. Hazardous area for a bicyclist passing a parked car: DOOR ZONE 

3. Checkout choice: PAPER BAG - Or in the Dr.'s office

4. Equal: ARE.

5. __ Fire: 230,000-acre Northern California conflagration of 2018: CARR.

6. Bewildered: AT SEA.

7. Maguire of "Spider-Man": TOBEY.

8. Early lesson: ABC'S - Here's where you can begin!

9. Boat mover: OAR.

10. Ballet's birthplace, to Parisians: ITALIE - The word ballet comes from the country of ITALIE (French for Italy) where the Italian word ballade meaning to dance. C.C. at her best!

11. "Black Beauty" author: SEWELL - My Dad said, "That is the only book I ever remember reading"

12. __ Fund: org. supporting girls' education founded by a 2014 Nobelist: MALALA - Another hero!

14. Informal discussion: BULL SESSION.

16. Side with a dog: POTATO SALAD - Substitute CHIPS for SALAD for me










19. Elmore Leonard novel whose title overlaps itself on some covers: SPLIT IMAGES - Yup.

22. Step aside: MAKE WAY.

24. "Sweet Home Alabama" band, familiarly: SKYNYRD - (Lynyrd SKYNRD). That and Georgia On My Mind are two great songs about states

26. Four-time Australian Open champ: SELES - Monica the tennis player

28. Carne __: ASADA - Literally "meat grilled" because those pesky Spanish have the adjective follow the noun

30. Finger-pointing uncle: SAM  - Now 101 years old

31. Enjoyed a roll: ATE.

35. By and large: USUALLY.

36. Like fishhooks, as a rule: BARBED.

37. Pen pals' plan?: ESCAPE - Debate continues whether these penitentiary pals make it

38. "In other words ... ": THAT IS - Fourscore and seven, THAT IS, eighty seven years ago

41. Dip popular at Easter: EGG DYE.

43. 16th-century council site: TRENT - An 18 year series of meetings in TRENTo, Italy where Pope Paul III tried to end corrupt practices in the Catholic Church. Hmmm... 

44. African country with rich uranium deposits: NIGER - So far this month we have had Gabon, Burkina Faso and now NIGER

47. German auto: OPEL - 1964 Opel Ad. I wonder what the words Economisch, Rulm, Pitting and Handig below the picture mean

48. Dock setting: COVE.

51. Mother's Day destination: SPA.

53. Talk acronym: TED - Are you up to a 12 minute M.I.T.  TED talk about puzzles and constructors?