Themeless Saturday by Jamey Smith
From the last puzzle I blogged for Jamey on 3/6/21: 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.
Here's Jamey's note about this puzzle:
Hello again, Gary, and everyone else!
As a constructor I’m happy when I can find room for a couple of evocative entries like DRAGON BOAT and DOO-WOP GROUP. (Even if they require a dab of crossword glue to hold them in place … lookin’ at you, APERCU.) Clue-wise, I’m in debt to Rich for bringing in more splashes of color throughout. I like what he did with ELEPHANT EARS, for one example.
By the way, to me elephant ears are ornamental plants with oversized heart-shaped leaves. But as the clue indicates, they’re also apparently a fairground treat akin to what we call funnel cakes in Texas. Let’s open it to the floor — what do you call these fried dough snacks where you live? (Besides “heart attack on a plate.”)
Jamey
Across:
1. Signs of a sale: RED TAGS.
8. "Gimme a sec ... ": HOLD IT.
14. "Yowza!": BOY OH BOY.
15. Brief outline: APERCU - Jamey calls this gluey fill but it's what we bloggers attempt to provide
16. One on a binge: CAROUSER.
17. Get back: REGAIN - Wars have caused Germany and France to lose and REGAIN Alsace-Lorraine several times
17. Get back: REGAIN - Wars have caused Germany and France to lose and REGAIN Alsace-Lorraine several times
18. Serves on a sailing vessel: CREWS - Sometimes those CREWS have to really lean into their work
19. Coach in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: SABAN.
21. "Whaddya know": GEE.
22. "This goes no further ... ": OFF THE RECORD - A patriotic song and dance
25. Lifelong chum: OLD PAL.
28. Went with again, editorially: RERAN.
29. It drains the east side of the San Juan Mountains: RIO GRANDE.
32. In the box: AT BAT - Late in the game that box is just a 35. Obfuscate: BLUR (noun)
36. "Wolves of the Calla," vis-à-vis Stephen King's "The Dark Tower": PART V - It was PART V of "The Dark Tower" series
38. Soft drink choice: COLA.
39. Clog cousin: SABOT - This company simply calls this footwear a SABOT clog. Some say the word sabotage comes from when Luddites threw their SABOTS into new machinery they wanted to stop from functioning.
41. Radio City, for one: MUSIC HALL.
43. Soap star Susan: LUCCI - She played Erica Kane from 1971 to 2011. She had good genes and good doctors
45. Stickpin kin: TIE TAC.
46. Organ-shaped treats that David Foster Wallace dubbed "cinnamon toast from hell": ELEPHANT EARS - Not all that negative: "An ELEPHANT EAR is an album-sized expanse of oil-fried dough slathered with butter and cinnamon-sugar, sort of cinnamon toast from hell, really and truly shaped like an ear, surprisingly yummy, it turns out, and undeniably elephant-sized"— David Foster Wallace, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, 1997.50. :-D: LOL - Inventor of the emoticon
51. Outrage: ANGER.
52. Ante matter?: CHIPS - Poker chips that you must ANTE to play a hand
56. S.O.S alternative: BRILLO.
58. Confucian text, with "The": ANALECTS - Not on the tip of my tongue. All you'd wanna know
52. Ante matter?: CHIPS - Poker chips that you must ANTE to play a hand
56. S.O.S alternative: BRILLO.
58. Confucian text, with "The": ANALECTS - Not on the tip of my tongue. All you'd wanna know
61. Indefatigable: TIRELESS.
62. Scottish sprout: WEE LAD.
63. Put to rest: SETTLED - Not for some as you see below
Down:
1. Niagara constant: ROAR.
2. Thornfield Hall governess: EYRE.
3. The Del-Satins or the Shirelles: DOO WOP GROUP - Gotta love it!
4. Until now: THUS FAR.
5. Exerciser's target: ABS.
6. "Whither __ thou, America, in thy shiny car in the night?": Kerouac: GOEST - A lovely essay on his book, On The Road
7. Red wine grape: SYRAH - Interchangeable names for wines from the same SYRAH grape
8. Zimbabwe's capital: HARARE - The currency is HARARE can be very volatile. Some places accept American dollars and some don't. Next week they might again
10. KFC selection: LEG - Harare (pop. 1.3M) has four very successful KFC's and in this ad peg their prices to American dollars
9. 1968 to now, in pro tennis: OPEN ERA - This was when the big tournaments started to allow pros to participate
11. Traditional Chinese racing craft with a namesake festival: DRAGON BOAT - A tradition that is over 2,000 yrs old. The boats are human powered and have DRAGON decorations.
12. Not so affable: ICIER.
13. Well-pitched?: TUNED - On my iPhone
14. Secret message letters: BCC.
20. Some tête toppers: BERETS - Ce soldat de la Légion étrangère française a un BÉRET vert sur la TÊTE. (This French Foreign Legion soldier has a green BERET on his head)
20. Some tête toppers: BERETS - Ce soldat de la Légion étrangère française a un BÉRET vert sur la TÊTE. (This French Foreign Legion soldier has a green BERET on his head)
23. To-do: FLAP.
24. Gets a good scolding: CATCHES HELL.
25. Regal regalia: ORBS
26. Mexican singer Downs: LILA - Her IMDB
27. Secret agent's onus: DOUBLE LIFE - Let's sing - "Secret agent man, secret agent man. They've given you a number and taken away your name."
30. T.S. Eliot's "The __ of Cats": NAMING - This poem became a musical number in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical Cats which was based on T.S. Eliot's Book Of Practical Cats.
27. Secret agent's onus: DOUBLE LIFE - Let's sing - "Secret agent man, secret agent man. They've given you a number and taken away your name."
30. T.S. Eliot's "The __ of Cats": NAMING - This poem became a musical number in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical Cats which was based on T.S. Eliot's Book Of Practical Cats.
31. R&B group __ Hill: DRU - Google his lyrics if must. I can't/won't print them
33. Ristorante menu preposition: ALLA - Salmone ALLA Grilica - Well-seasoned Salmon on the grill
37. Résumé, briefly: VITA - We see it here often but usually as Curriculum VITA
40. Real name of superhero Black Panther: T'CHALLA.
42. Small round ornament: CIRCLET.
44. Probably didn't go up the river: CANOED - If Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty wanted to go up the river, they'd have to paddle faster than the current. But they had bigger problems
ahead.
46. Arm-wrestling support: ELBOW - WAL (World Arm Wrestling) completion
47. TV producer Michaels: LORNE - SNL
48. Natural dairy sources: TEATS - Yup, I've been to many dairies.
49. Actor Hudson who played Winston Zeddemore in "Ghostbusters" films: ERNIE.
 |
| ERNIE, Harold, Bill, Dan |
53. Frozen treat brand: ICEE.
54. VA concern: PTSD - A problem that can be exacerbated around the Fourth Of July
55. Snake's sound: SSS.
57. Hip word in hip-hop handles: LIL - There's a bunch 'em and most of their lyrics are not printable in this venue either.
59. Forger's focus, maybe: ART - This firm in NYC is famous for making very high quality reproductions of art work but the owner must never represent it as an original. Why replicate?
