Saturday, April 6, 2019, Brian E. Paquin

Themeless Saturday by Brian E. Paquin

Today we celebrate National Birding Day. If you ever have an opportunity to be in my part of the country this time of year, you should make an effort to see the annual migration of Sandhill Cranes as they rest in the Platte River on their way north. This picture on the front page of the Omaha World Herald last Saturday shows over 600,000 cranes as they roosted last week in central Nebraska. I personally dislike the overuse of the word awesome, but I will tell you the incredible sight and deafening sound of these majestic birds is awesome and will make a lasting impression on you.

Brian Paquin

Today's constructor is Brian E. Paquin. I have blogged three of his previous Saturday themeless puzzles and always find them to be challenge. 


Let's take wing and see what Brian has for us today.

Across:

1. Risk evaluation: ODDS - So don't risk too many $$ on that Mega Millions  Jackpot

5. High points on a European itinerary: ALPS.

9. Tennis stroke: LOB - A beautiful LOB against an aggressive opponent 

12. The Platters' genre: DOO WOP - Their best?

15. "Don't tell anyone!": NOT A SOUL 

17. Creator of the language Newspeak: ORWELL - Don't say taxes, say revenue enhancements

18. Act sycophantically with: KISS UP TO - On the first episode of Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Bailey said, "Don't bother sucking up to me, I hate you already!"

19. Psychological attempts at one-upmanship: MIND GAMES.

21. Chicago critic: EBERT - He called The Da Vinci Code book preposterous and the movie preposterously entertaining. 

22. Sailor's bit of obedience: AYE AYE - Do Hispanic sailors say this?

23. JFK but not LAX: PRES - This airport became JFK International 15 years later

24. Internet initialism: IMO - "Reporters" often omit that this is In My Opinion

26. Head of Britain?: LOO - Can't fool a cwd veteran

28. Part of a flooring metaphor: PEDAL TO THE METAL - CB lingo also includes "Put the hammer down"


37. Good way to wrap things up: ON A POSITIVE NOTE - For our just past winter

38. Reasons for Word getting around?: SOFTWARE PIRATES - Microsoft Word has seen more pirates than the Barbary Coast or Penzance 

39. Belief system: ISM.

40. Sch. paper: RPT - Reading/grading 8th grade RePorTs can be agonizing

41. Naval post: MAST - I had to get off the HELM first

44. Stands for meetings: EASELS - Many have been replaced by screens that display Power Point Presentations. Pirated versions of PPT?

49. Opposite of mouthed: ALOUD.


51. "Six Feet Under" occupation: MORTICIAN - An HBO series

54. #80 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes: YO ADRIAN

56. Make possible: ENABLE -

57. With a #2, say: IN PENCIL - Last Saturday was National Pencil Day!

58. "Feel So High" R&B artist: DES'REE - Here 'ya go

59. Classic two-seated roadsters: MGS.

60. "That's a surprise!": OH MY - His famous catch phrase

61. Dost own: HAST - Thou shalt not, but if thou already HAST, we forgiveth you


Down:

1. Tony winner Leslie __ Jr.: ODOM - Here 'ya go

2. Andrea __: ill-fated vessel: DORIA.

3. Snuggle competitor: DOWNY.

4. Nobel, for one: SWEDE 

5. Huber of tennis: ANKE  - Here 'ya go

6. Perry's ambitious reporter: LOIS - Even I'm too young to remember these 1948 Superman movie serials featuring Perry White, Clark Kent/Superman, LOIS Lane and Jimmy Olson. Noel Neil who played LOIS here would reprise that role on the TV Superman series

7. Scoring nos.: PTS- Wilt Chamberlain is the only NBA player to score 100 PTS in one game

8. Mailer in a mailer, briefly: SASE - You can facilitate an RSVP by enclosing an SASE

9. Graceful runner: LOPER - The University Of Nebraska at Kearney shortened its Antelope mascot to get this

10. Eccentric: OUTRE.

11. Record spoilers: BLOTS - A single BLOT on their record can doom a politician 

13. Contemporary of Nadia: OLGA - Nadi Comăneci's contemporary OLGA (Korbut) invented the OLGA Flip and it has been outlawed because it is so dangerous

14. Start of #28 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes: PLAY IT SAM - Our cwd friend Ilsa did say, "PLAY IT ONCE, SAM" but nobody said AGAIN in this phrase

16. Order in the court: SUBPOENA -  A fun one

20. Work involving recall: MEMOIR 

25. Badger relative: OTTER.

26. Rose magically: LEVITATED - The secret to LEVITATED street performers 

27. Seven-week period in Judaism that begins during Passover: OMER - More

28. Terminal type: Abbr.: POS - When jump starting a car, the red cable is usually connected from the POSitive terminal of one battery to the POSitve terminal of the other

29. Antacid brand since the 1800s: ENO - New to me. 

30. Agency under the Secy. of Defense: DAF - Department of the Air Force

31. Talent: APTITUDE 

32. Tough times: LOWS - True love is sticking with each other during these

33. More with it: HIPPER - Dads can fail miserably at trying to be this

34. Deep-fried snack, familiarly: TOT 35. Polished off: ATE - No problem!

36. Argonne article: LES - LES filles sont belles (* translation at the bottom)

41. Actress __ Bialik of "The Big Bang Theory": MAYIM 42. During: ALONG - ALONG with playing a scientist she actually is one

47. Heavenly scales: LIBRA - Now abandoning science...

43. Serial guilty pleasures for many: SOAPS 

45. __ wave: SINE - For us math/science peeps

46. Bitcoin, e.g.: E-CASH - A 2-minute video 

48. Retail draws: SALES 

50. First in a long series of movies: DR NO - The producers cast relatively unknown Sean Connery as James Bond because Cary Grant would not commit to a series of these films

51. Severely injure: MAIM - MAIM and MYIAM in the same puzzle

52. __ child: ONLY

53. Former Nair competitor: NEET - Cwd coin flips 

55. I, in Erfurt: ICH - For some reason, this phrase has stuck with me since I learned it

Before you move on to comment on National Birding Day, I'd love it if you could tell me some way to get rid of grackles that clutter up our feeders from now until July 4th.

* Translation: The girls are beautiful (supplied by my granddaughter who is getting a double major, one of which is in French)