Saturday, October 9, 2021, Kyle Dolan

 Saturday Themeless by Kyle Dolan

After a month's crossword absence, Dr. Dolan returns with this very nice puzzle. I found an abundance of cleverness and the clue/fill: Passing comment: HERE YOU GO was fabulous. Here are Kyle's remarks for us:

Hi Gary,

Thanks for your note. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the puzzle!

Rich accepted this grid as-is, and adjusted several of the clues. I'm happy to see that my clues for HERE YOU GO and AIR GUITAR made the cut. From a construction standpoint, there's little to say--I recall this one coming together pretty easily during filling, helped in part by the grid design, which keeps the four corners largely independent of one another, and limits the largest area of white space to 4x5 (NW and SE corners).

Best, Kyle

I really doubt anyone says this in Kyle's British office, but I will send you on to the write-up by bidding you

 

Across:

1. Feat rarely but only accomplished from home: GRAND SLAM - GRAND SLAM home runs are rare and so is any home run hit by a pitcher, but Atlanta BravedHuascar Ynoa did both.

10. Divisive element: WEDGE - Politics is full of WEDGE issues that candidates must skillfully manage.

15. Passing comment?: HERE YOU GO - Oh so clever! We have abandoned this practice and use buffet style

16. Ancient public space: AGORA - How 'bout a LEGO version?

17. Uniform tone: OLIVE DRAB.

18. "Gotcha": ROGER - Can't post this enough: Kareem Abdul Jabbar plays ROGER Murdock and hilarity ensues

19. Assent in Asturias: SI SI - Englebert, et al sang: "Please say, SI SI. Say you and your Spanish Eyes will wait for me."

20. Ape: SIMIAN - relating to, resembling, or affecting apes or monkeys.

22. Shooting technique: PAN - This PAN shot nearly took my breath away!

 
23. Immune system agent: T CELL - Here ya go

25. Low spot: DELL - There's this farmer who lives there...

26. "I __ a traveller ... ": Shelley's "Ozymandias": MET - One poem that really rocked my 17-yr-old perspective

27. Equivalent of some crying emojis: LOL - A tad overused these days

29. Cold front sites?: IGLOOS - I suspect when they are done, all the sides will be cold. I read that a 57. Wet blanket: SNOW makes a longer lasting IGLOO than dry powdery snow

31. Claim: ALLEGE - I ALLEGE Colonel Mustard killed him in the Conservatory with a Wrench.

34. Low on cash, say: STRAPPED - Derivation

36. Penn of "Harold & Kumar" films: KAL - Along with his costar John Cho. 

37. Like basset hounds: SADEYED.

39. Thai language: LAO.

40. Without question: AS A GIVEN.

42. Eisenhower Era bombs?: EDSELS - No nukes here, just an expensive Ford mistake.

44. He collaborated with Rihanna in "Love the Way You Lie": EMINEM - A mix of her ballad and his rap. Google this violent video if you must.

45. Called before: NEE - When my colleague's wife died I went to the mortuary online site I knew they would use for the obit. I did not know she had kept her maiden name.

46. Directed: RAN.

47. Anjou relative: BOSC.

50. Jump, maybe: REACT.

54. Big name in luxury cars: BMW - Let's see, how old was I when I learned the B stood for Bavarian and not British?

55. Flower flow: NECTAR - My cwd radar went up to see "flower" as a noun for something that "flows" but, no, it was simple than that.

58. Remoulade cousin: AIOLI.

60. In quick succession: RAPID FIRE - Nobody does it better

62. Move quickly: SCOOT.

63. Imaginary axe: AIR GUITAR - FWIW, axe is a euphemism for guitar

64. Makes it better: HELPS.

65. Shade on a field: TRASH TALK.

Fine, and how are you?

Down:

1. Suddenly stop returning texts, say: GHOST.

2. Car phone, for one: RELIC.

3. Come up: ARISE.

4. Renowned English conductor Sir __ Marriner: NEVILLE - Here ya go

5. Vat contents: DYE.

6. Rolls out the green carpet on?: SODS.

7. Sensational: LURID - Sex sells

8. Best effort: A GAME.

9. Upward __: MOBILITY.

10. Bark or bite: WARN.

11. __ massage: EGO.

12. Lab lovers, e.g.: DOG PEOPLE.

13. Image on a dollar bill: GREAT SEAL.

14. Bring in: EARN.

21. Soul singer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995: AL GREEN - How 'bout a mellow break?

24. Uses a password: LOGS IN.

26. Cleaning tool: MOP.

28. Do not disturb: LEAVE BE.

30. Roofer's need: LADDER - In a list of 35. How-to list heading: DO'S  and Don't's, this would fall in the latter (get it, latter/ladder) category.

31. Wanted letters: AKA.

32. Logitech products: LASER MICE.

33. Material for Quechua weavers: LLAMA WOOL.

34. One out of 100: Abbr.: SEN - It's 50/50 these days.

38. Among presidents, Jackson was the first: DEMOCRAT - Old Hickory

41. Boodles or Booth's: GIN.

                        

43. Deems proper: SEES FIT.

48. Help in getting to the next level?: STAIR - Our kitty is getting up in years 

49. "It Happened One Night" director: CAPRA - His name is featured prominently in this poster

51. Indian novelist Desai: ANITA - Her autograph in a first edition

52. Reddish pink: CORAL.

53. Dance provocatively: TWERK - "If you can't sing..."

54. Big party: BASH.

55. Pedants' pickings: NITS - Some are harvested here 

56. Some convoys have big ones: RIGS.

59. Hack: LOP.

61. [Facepalm]: DUH.