Saturday, December 4, 2021, Matthew Sewell

 Saturday Themeless by Matthew Sewell

Today we have yet another fun entry from our literature and film instructor at Mankato State University.

Here are Matt's comments:

Hello Gary,

Thanks for asking me to comment. I tend to like themeless grid shapes with a low number of Across entries (31 in this case). I also tend to like puzzles that mix challenging entries (like 40A), which usually need fairly direct clues, with straightforward entries (like 51A) that can be livened up via cluing. To me, a good themeless is all about that balance! I hope solvers enjoy this one, and I appreciate the work you do on your blog.

Matt

Lights, Camera, Matt!

Across:

1. Applies sustained effort: WORKS AT IT 

10. Caution: ALERT.

15. HS course that may be lit?: AP ENGLISH How appropriate that Matt would choose this clue/fill. Here are some lit(erature) that might be read in an AP English Course.

16. Ambitious sort: TYPE-A.

17. Bean, e.g.: VEGETABLE.

18. Twist: WRING - When done in the weightlessness of the International Space Station. Cohesion reigns when gravity is eliminated. 

19. City on Presque Isle Bay: ERIE - Presque Island Bay is the body of water that is bordered by ERIE, PA on the left and Presque Island on the right. Saturday cluing.

20. Audio engineer's accoutrements: EAR PIECES.

22. Hold back: DAM.

23. Low-carb alternative to oats: NUT MEAL.

25. Princess Margaret portrayer in "The Crown": HELENA 

  Princess Margaret            HELENA Bonham Carter

27. __ act: CLASS.

31. Anticlimactic happenings: NONEVENTS - Anybody remember when Geraldo opened Al Capone's safe on live TV? Thirty million people tuned in to see an empty space.

34. Bob Odenkirk title role: SAUL.

36. Umbilicus formation: OUTIE - Innie was, uh, out

37. __ the People: razor brand: OUI - New to me

38. Gulf of Guinea capital: ACCRA - Suppose Rick and Ilsa wanted to get from Casablanca to ACCRA

39. Neuron speed unit: Abbr.: MSEC - The speed of a neurons response is usually measured over time periods of MSEC (milliseconds)

40. Movie monster term meaning "alien form": XENOMORPH - Sigourney Weaver and her XENOMORPH co-star from Aliens 

42. Zoom sesh, e.g.: E-DATE - I suppose

45. Protective legwear: GAITER - We've also become aware of face GAITERS lately 

Face GAITER                 Leg GAITERS

46. Atsukan, at a sushi bar: HOT SAKE.

49. Quick swim: DIP.

51. Idaho has the only one designed by a woman: STATE SEAL.

55. Italian university city: PISA - I wonder if Galileo ever went back for reunions  

56. Old orange-roofed eateries, for short: HO JOS - HOward JOhnsons

57. Reggie Jackson nickname: MR. OCTOBER - He got the big hits when they really counted

60. Big name in gaming: ATARI.

61. Charades skill: PANTOMIME - Ten minutes of a 67-yr-old TV game show replete with elegance, commercials, movie plugs and good players.

62. Whammies: HEXES.

63. Rapt: ENGROSSED.


Down:

1. Shook one's hand?: WAVED.

2. Sydney attraction: OPERA HOUSE - Look carefully

3. Strictly organized: REGIMENTED - Do you have a set bedtime routine?

4. Hacky Sacker's option: KNEE.

5. Ice-T's "SVU" rank: SGT.

6. Following: ALA - This puzzle is ALA Sewell  

7. Yak: TIBETAN OX.

8. Major religion of Indonesia: ISLAM.

9. "Finished!": THERE - Nope, just over halfway

10. Whenever one wants: AT WILL 

11. Instrument depicted on Keats' gravestone: LYRE - Keats' requested that his name not be on his tombstone

12. Sprawling tale: EPIC.

13. Nobelist Cassin: RENE - Here ya go

14. Handles: TAGS - What's your CB Handle?

21. __-12: PAC - West Coast Athletic Conference

23. "The Craft" actress Campbell: NEVE.

24. Paris article: UNE - C.C. est UNE personne merveilleuse (translation is left to you)

26. German camera brand: LEICA.

28. Dandy accessory: ASCOT.

29. Bird mummified by ancient Egyptians: SACRED IBIS - This 2,000+ year old bundle has been partially cut to show the mummified IBIS inside

30. "You pick": SURPRISE ME - I said that to a waiter in our new Guatemalan restaurant and thus I got to eat my first pupusa 

31. Nice handle?: NOM - Samuel Clemens' NOM de plume in Nice, France was also Mark Twain

32. Col. on a planner: TUE.

33. Folk music gathering, often: SING ALONG.

35. "Well, __-di-dah!": LAH.

38. BFF of Brittany: AMIE - Your female BFF in the Brittany region of NW France is your AMIE

41. Whiskey barrel wood: OAK.

43. Grad school hurdle: THESIS - They are usually read by the student, the advisor, the committee and then...

44. Aurora counterpart: EOS - Both goddesses of Dawn

47. Home of Arizona State: TEMPE.

48. That's a wrap: SARAN.

50. Clipped: PARED.

51. Persian for "king": SHAH.

52. Subscriber's bonus: TOTE bag

53. Mighty warrior of myth: AJAX - A great warrior in Homer's Iliad 

54. Bolted: TORE.

55. Little dogs, briefly: POMS - Pomeranians of course 

58. Lisa Leslie's WNBA position: CTR.

59. Moreover: TOO.