Saturday Themeless by Jamey Smith
Today we hear from Jamey Smith and his puzzle was a real challenge for this word cowboy. I told Jamey it was a "delightful struggle" and he replied that was exactly what he was going for! Here is a nice note from him that includes some fun references to his contemporary fills:
Hi Gary,
Many thanks for your fun illustrated write-ups and for giving those of us who make puzzles an opportunity to talk about them. I appreciate all the Crossword Corner bloggers and the solvers who take the time to weigh in.
I’m a native Texan and worked at the University of Texas at Austin, my alma mater, for many years. While there, I moonlighted as a freelance writer for local nonprofits. Now semi-retired, I can devote more time to my real passion: taking it easy. :-) A few years ago, in the mood for a new hobby, I blithely plunged into crossword construction. How hard can it be, I remember thinking. Well, dozens of humbling rejections later, it somehow continues to be an enjoyable and stimulating diversion. That’s been especially true this past year.I’m finding the LA Times and I are a pretty good editorial match. That’s not to say by any stretch that Rich keeps all my clues. I probably go overboard on pop culture. My clue for CLOUD ATLAS referenced the novel/film by that name (author David Mitchell is a favorite of mine), while GUANTANAMO alluded to a Harold & Kumar movie.
Those who appreciate 80s nostalgia may be glad that my “Dynasty” clue for FOES survived. But [80s brand touted as “The world’s best-fitting jeans”] was evidently a bridge too far for CHIC. Or maybe just too long.
Until next time!
Jamey
1. Arrest: HALT.
5. Dwarf planet named for a goddess: ERIS - Hey,Pluto, you're on our team now!
9. Places to relax: BATHS.
14. Prefix meaning "personal": IDIO - We all have our IDIOsyncracies
15. Caribbean isle seriously damaged by a 1995 volcanic eruption: MONTSERRAT - A minor eruption as seen from the International Space Station in 2009
17. Threshold adjoiner: JAMB - Door JAMB
18. Law enforcement tool that may be triggered by a siren: BODY CAMERA
19. Natural healer: ALOE.
20. First-class freebie on long-haul flights: AMENITY KIT - I never saw one back in seat 43D
20. First-class freebie on long-haul flights: AMENITY KIT - I never saw one back in seat 43D
21. 1959 winner of 11 Oscars: BEN HUR - Charlton Heston did drive the chariot for some closeups
23. Alfred of coffee fame: PEET
24. Mollycoddle: COSSET - The verb COSSET “to treat as a pet, pamper, coddle” is a derivative verb use of the noun COSSET “a lamb raised as a pet.
26. Jocular headlock accompaniment: NOOGIE - My uncles called these "dutch rubs" and they bordered on abuse
26. Jocular headlock accompaniment: NOOGIE - My uncles called these "dutch rubs" and they bordered on abuse
32. Flip out: SNAP
35. Head makeup: SUDS - Beer talk
36. Loose: UNLEASH - Seen more often as an adjective, here it is a verb. as in "He has LOOSED the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword"
38. Some holy city dwellers: MECCANS - MECCA, Saudi Arabia is Islam's holiest city. A hajj to MECCA by an 11-yr-old girl
40. They go with guys: GALS - not
41. Ithaca opening: IOTA - Ιθάκη - Ithaca in Greek letters
43. Pirogue, e.g.: CANOE - Great for huntin' gators
44. Campaign buy: SPOT AD - Some broadcasts are now showing them in split screen mode while there is a break in the action
46. Reply card, say: INSERT.
48. Viral internet item: MEME - You can generate your own at this site
50. NFL highlight reel clip: TD PASS.
53. Barista's concoction: CAFFE MOCHA - CAFE AU LAIT fit beautifully but...
58. Get in the game: ANTE - Ya gotta pay to play!
59. Reference for budding meteorologists: CLOUD ATLAS - The cover of the 1956 edition with a page. Not the movie Jamey was thinking of
60. Acid __: RAIN.
61. Sara Pennypacker kid-lit heroine: CLEMENTINE.
62. Capone capturers: T MEN - Eliot Ness worked for the treasury department and was not a g-man (FBI)
63. Evening stroll: PASEO - Also a boulevard in K.C.
64. Stone massage sites: SPAS.
65. Class with poses: YOGA - Here's a bunch of 'em
Down:
1. Muslim veil: HIJAB - Generally, they can't be worn for passport or driver's license pictures
2. Allan-__: Robin Hood cohort: ADALE.
3. Citrus liqueur: LIMONCELLO - Ubiquitous in southern Italy. We sampled some at a concession stand near Pompeii.
4. "Truth is ... ": TO BE HONEST
5. Imprisons: EMBARS - EMBAR, debar, disbar
6. Leeway: ROOM.
7. Thorough: IN DEPTH
8. Composer Jule: STYNE - His song (lyrics by Bob Merrill) People, was almost cut from Funny Girl
9. Reach ahead of: BEAT TO.
10. Private employer: ARMY - Also a general employer
11. Wisconsin-based bike brand: TREK - Headquarters in Waterloo, WI
8. Composer Jule: STYNE - His song (lyrics by Bob Merrill) People, was almost cut from Funny Girl
9. Reach ahead of: BEAT TO.
10. Private employer: ARMY - Also a general employer
11. Wisconsin-based bike brand: TREK - Headquarters in Waterloo, WI
12. Spydom name: HARI - Myth?
13. Actuarial datum, e.g.: STAT.
 |
| Buzz Aldrin |
22. Bob Jones Award org.: USGA - He never turned pro and so Yani Tseng a lot more money
25. Parrot: ECHO.
27. Prime spot for stargazing?: OSCAR PARTY - Hey, this meme generator stuff is fun!
28. Cuban city with a U.S. Navy base: GUANTANAMO - Not the movie Jamey wanted
29. SSN, e.g.: ID NO.
30. To be, in Latin: ESSE - You don't have to be a rocket scientist to translate this: "ESSE aut non ESSE"
31. Harbor sights: TUGS.
32. Flip out: SNAP.
34. Mononymous supermodel: IMAN - She walks our cwd runway frequently
37. Jazz group guy: SIDEMAN - Backup players for featured artists like Louis Armstrong
39. In the loop: CCED.
42. Accessory with a suit: TIE CLIP - I don't see TIES or TIE CLIPS much anymore
45. Artist Modigliani: AMEDEO - Painter, sculptor noted for elongation. Yeah, I knew that 😏
47. Equilibria: STASES - Achieving this state might be the key to long space flights
49. Big name in apple products: MOTTS - Small "a"
51. "The Girl Who Played With Fire" author Larsson: STIEG - Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden in his native Swedish. More
52. Medicinal shrub: SENNA - This plant produces sennosides which are the active ingredients in many laxatives. I wonder who first discovered this?
52. Medicinal shrub: SENNA - This plant produces sennosides which are the active ingredients in many laxatives. I wonder who first discovered this?
53. Cosmonaut's insignia, once: CCCP - Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space
54. Spaghetti __ puttanesca: ALLA.
55. Krystle and Alexis on the 1980s "Dynasty," e.g.: FOES - Yeah, I'd say...
56. Stew: FUME - Krystle appears to be FUMING above
57. Maui's famously twisty Road to __: HANA - One of the stops on this twisty highway is Charles Lindberg's gravesite.
