Themeless Saturday by Peter A. Collins
Today's puzzle is from Pete Collins who told us this about himself on 8/8/20:
I'm still a high school math teacher in Ann Arbor, about to start my 41st year (albeit virtually). I also still teach at the University of Michigan in the summer. I'm still married with four daughters, but now we have two grandsons as well. We're fortunate that everyone is still local, so we get to see the family a lot.
Here is what he had to say about this puzzle:
Hi Gary,It was good to hear from you! Yeah, Michigan football has been a disappointment for years (Same for Husker FB - hg), but our basketball team is doing well.
I'm still teaching, but it's all virtual. The struggle is real...
As for the puzzle, the seeds were STAY IN YOUR LANE and FIVE SECOND RULE - a couple of 14-letter entries. Other than IER, the fill isn't too ugly, methinks. I think Rich kept about half my clues. I'm glad he kept my clue for FIVE SECOND RULE, but he nixed my clue for ANNUM [MIX, for one] Bummer! (hg - Maybe you get this, but I had to contact Pete to get an explanation for this clue/fill and I posted his reply at the bottom of this write-up*)
- Pete
1. "__ Secretary": MADAM - I like Téa Leoni and will have to check out this series
6. First Negro League electee to Cooperstown: PAIGE - In 1965 Satchel pitched three scoreless innings for the KC Athletics at age 59 to become the oldest man to pitch in an MLB game. What a pity he had to wait that long.
11. Radical '70s org.: SLA and 13. Warnings, perhaps: ARFS - Our usual 3-letter radicals are the SDS not the group that took Patty Hearst
14. Durance who plays Lois on "Smallville": ERICA - Her IMDB
15. Per __: ANNUM - My first teaching job was at $5,800 per ANNUM
16. Comparative suffix: IER.
17. Grim: STARK - Neil's words: "[The Moon] has a STARK beauty all its own. It's like much of the high desert of the United States."
18. Removes with a putty knife: STRIPS OFF
22. Where hauls may be divided: HIDEOUTS - This trail allows you to hike to one of Butch Cassidy's purported Utah HIDEOUTS
22. Where hauls may be divided: HIDEOUTS - This trail allows you to hike to one of Butch Cassidy's purported Utah HIDEOUTS
23. Pouchlike shoulder bag: HOBO and 50. __-Picone: fashion house: EVAN
26. Going up: SCALING 20. Out: ASLEEP - This climber is ASLEEP on on a cliff face she is SCALING
29. Tender: OFFER.
32. Warning to a meddler: STAY IN YOUR LANE - My mother used to say, "Tend to your own knitting"
34. Cote sounds: COOS - Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint visit his cote on the roof in On The Waterfront
35. Pilot's place: CABIN - Behind the pilot's CABIN in the new Boeing 787 the crew now has Crew Rest Compartments
37. Guideline when something is dropped from one's diet?: FIVE SECOND RULE - Very clever, Pete! Uh, no, it isn't valid
40. Eclair filling: CREME.
41. Stylish filmmakers: AUTEURS - Their fingerprints are on every aspect of their movies
44. Poet's rhyme for "home": ROAM - "Oh, give me a home..."
45. Important artery: MAIN ROAD 48. Construction equipment: DOZERS - Even the DOZERS had trouble making the MAIN ROAD for the Alcan Highway
53. Coldly devious: REPTILIAN.
55. Vaudeville production: REVUE.
57. Name in 1976 Olympic news: NADIA - The scoreboard maker for the 1976 Olympics was assured there would be no scores higher than 9.99. So when NADIA got a perfect 10/10 the display only showed 1.00
58. Totally remove: ERASE.
59. Palindromic song from a palindromic band: SOS - I never miss a chance to post an ABBA video!
60. Funding source: GRANT.
61. Prohibition details: DONT'S.
Down:
1. Most populous U.S. city that isn't a county seat: MESA - MESA has a population of 528,000 and is in Maricopa County with Phoenix
2. Fine things?: ARTS - Fine ARTS
3. Tuner, sometimes: DIAL - "Papa, you had to turn the DIAL on the radio?"
4. One of Yellowstone's two million-plus: ACRE.
5. Be opportunistic, metaphorically: MAKE HAY - Apropos here in farm country
6. Dance step: PAS.
7. "A Cook's Tour" host: ANTHONY BOURDAIN.
8. Cross letters: INRI - Latin - IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDÆORVM (Mocking sign for "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews") J and I were not distinguished in Latin until the 17th century
9. Forklift truck friend of Luigi in "Cars" films: GUIDO.
10. Largest penguin: EMPEROR.
11. Seat of South Dakota's Minnehaha County: SIOUX FALLS - It would be about a 2.5 hr drive for both C.C. and me to meet in Sioux Falls (pop. 183,000)
12. Bailed: LEFT.
19. Alternative baking staple: SOY FLOUR - This is from Korea
24. Breath spray brand: BINACA.
26. Lincoln wore them: STOVE PIPES - The Welsh hat is also called a STOVE PIPE hat. It first appeared in the 1830's in Wales
27. Window with a crank, often: CASEMENT - Part of Lily's domain
28. Pursue: GO INTO - I decided to GO INTO teaching when I was 12.
30. Köln closing: ENDE - Dies ist das ENDE der Straße. (This is the end of the road)
31. Lo-__: RES.
33. Foes of Buffy: UNDEAD.
34. Phased-out propellant: CFC - Chlorofluorocarbons were thought to be ozone depleters
39. Spread by moving dirt?: RUMORED - Dish the dirt
43. __ energy: SOLAR - Toyota is building a car that recharges itself with its own SOLAR panels and is 46. Dynamic start?: AEROdynamic
45. Field food, briefly: MRES - Just add water and you've got a hot meal in a big hurry
51. Sign of age, maybe: RUST - The melancholy song The City Of New Orleans tells of riding by "graveyards of the RUSTED automobiles" A cwd friend singing it
52. Dates: SEES - Facilitated by online dating services
54. N.L. East player: NATionals
* MIX cluing for ANNUM explanation from Pete - "ANNUM is Latin for year. MIX would be the year 1009. Maybe it's a bit of a reach. That's probably why Rich nixed it. Yeah, I thought having it be a real word added to the misdirection. I figured the all caps might be a subtle clue."
