Saturday, April 3, 2021 Ryan McCarty

 Saturday Themeless by Ryan McCarty

Today I am happy to blog my third Saturday puzzle by 2014 Princeton grad, Ryan McCarty who is currently a senior federal consulting manager in D.C. He supplies us a real challenge with quad stacks that he references in his gracious note:

Hi Gary,

Thanks for reaching out! My write-up below 

Ryan

I was interested in making a grid design with quad stacks that were very connected to the rest of the grid, as often they are relegated to more closed-off corners.  I got the NE stack first, and then spent a very long time trying to find a corresponding SW stack that would work with it. I'm used to working with open middles, but I find open corners even harder because you have to find a matching pair for the other side.

After a lot of iterating I came up with the SW stack you see here, which I actually like better than my initial stack.  From there I filled in the SE and NW.  I'm happy to be able to feature some colorful entries despite the inherent challenges in the grid design, and thanks to the editing team for their work here. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. - I recently launched my indie puzzle blog McGrids if you are interested in seeing more of my puzzles

Across:

1. One may be planted on a cheek: PECK - A euphemism for my first entry of KISS

5. One who gets famous just for kicks?: SOCCER STAR - Lots of dekes below.

15. Volunteer's words: I CAN.

16. Use sound to get around: ECHO LOCATE.

17. Large volume: TOME.

18. Reaction that can be grateful or sarcastic: THANKS A LOT.

19. Call from a brooder: CHEEP - A staple of my grade school classroom once a year

21. Getting better: ON THE MEND

22. Arrive by car, say: ROLL UP - Can you spot "the crappy blue Chevy Nova" Axel Foley used to ROLL UP to "The Beverly Palms Hotel"? Bonus: Name that movie.

24. Perception: GRASP.

25. Make a typo ... or miss one: ERR - D-Otto always calls them misteaks.

26. Surprising sound: BOO.

28. Setting of van Gogh's "Café Terrace at Night" - ARLES - Here's the picture and the actual cafe today in ARLES, France.

30. Stop shooting: WRAP - Humphrey Bogart, "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Michael Curtiz (who 45. Directed: RAN Casablanca), "That's a WRAP."

32. Let the air out of: PUNCTURED.

35. Area where skateboarding likely originated, briefly: SO CAL - SOuthern CALifornia

37. Activity cube user: TOT.

38. One may get rubbed out: GENIE - Not the Barbra Eden Jeannie

40. Failed to uphold: RENEGED ON - Lenten promises?

43. Gorilla researcher Fossey: DIAN - Dian and the gang

44. Turning part: ROTOR - Part of car brakes

47. With 42-Down, unlikely racetrack pick: OLD 42. See 47-Across: NAG.

48. Milwaukee draft pick?: PABST.

50. One obsessed with guns?: GYM RAT - Oh, those guns.

52. Utensil in Valencian cooking: PAELLA PAN.

56. Isle off the Sorrento Peninsula: CAPRI - The ferry we took takes about 50 minutes between Sorrento and Capri and costs about $20 each way

57. Captured soundly?: AUDIO TAPED.

59. Hardly promising: GRIM - Husker FB prospects for this fall

60. Walk-in clinic focus: URGENT CARE - If you're in my town and need help...

61. Fashion: MODE.

62. Espies: LAYS EYES ON.

63. City on the Skunk: AMES - 1911

Down:

1. Retiring groups?: PIT CREWS - Cute re-tire clue!

2. Film genre for Shyamalan's "The Happening": ECO HORROR - Looks like it was a HORROR on an artistic level as well

3. Competitor who's over the hump?: CAMEL RACER - Humans riders have mostly been outlawed and now the jockeys are usually robots manipulated by remote control.

4. Prepare to talk to a tyke, maybe: KNEEL.

5. Prepared: SET.

6. Figure eight, in tango parlance: OCHO - How do you do that, Gary?

7. Harry Potter love interest Cho __: CHANG - If you're going for a partial, how 'bout P.F.___

8. Independent __: CONTRACTOR 

9. South Bend suburb: ELKHART - Just upstream on the St. Joseph River as it flows to Lake Michigan.

10. Larva that attacks Valentine's Day plants: ROSE SLUG - Cause and effect

11. Ran playfully: SCAMPERED.

12. Fabulist's work: TALE.

13. Buckets or barrels: A TON.

14. Out of a job, perhaps?: Abbr.: RETD - Me - B.S., M.S., RETD.

20. Trivia site: PUB - Playing Trivia at Clancy's PUB in Omaha

23. __ fly: POP - Oops!

27. Arena for the stars: OUTER SPACE.

29. Annual coronation event: SENIOR PROM - Our hometown is having one this year no matter what. Okay, it's going to be outside but still...

31. Impressive displays: PANOPLIES - Historically a PANOPLY is a complete set of armor but now can refer to any collection or display

33. Rest for a bit: NOD.

34. Transport service for the disabled: DIAL-A-RIDE.

36. Much less: LET ALONE 

39. Armageddons: END TIMES.

41. Lose it: GO BATTY.

46. Site of the HQ of five major sports: NYC - The NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and WNBA

49. Croquetas or caracoles: TAPAS - This clue from editor Rich generated a nice conversation between me, Kathy (YR), Lucina and Ryan. Croquetas can be made with snails as Croqueta de Caracole or as stand alone TAPAS like you see below.

51. It forms igneous rock: MAGMA - Once that MAGMA emerges onto the surface it becomes lava and forms igneous rocks upon cooling where brave/stupid tourists can walk

52. Microsoft co-founder Allen: PAUL - Bill Gates' regrets about PAUL Allen

53. Intangible quality: AURA.

54. Norm-challenging: EDGY - You know you've aged when you hear the EDGY music of your ute playing on the elevator.

55. Role in the Monteverdi opera "The Coronation of Poppaea": NERO - Talk about yer Saturday cluing for NERO! Poppaea Sabina was NERO's second wife and she led an intrigue-filled life

Can you make out her name?

58. Big-screen TV site: DEN.