Saturday Themeless by David Karp
After a Christmas Day debut, our provincial policy advisor from Victoria, B.C. returns from north of the 49th parallel with another fun entry. Here are his notes:
Hi Gary,
It's always interesting to see how the editors change the clues. One of my favorites that made the cut (with some improved phrasing by the editors) was clueing RELIGIOUS ORDERS in relation to sisters. A couple that didn't survive were clueing HAIRCUTS in an investment context (interesting to me as an economist, but perhaps not to a wider audience), and WALKING DISTANCE (I really like the fun quote the editors found for this one; my attempt was the more minimalist "Two-foot reach?").
Happy new year! I'm excited to have my second Saturday themeless in as many weeks.
This puzzle started with BLACK FRIDAY SALE — I'm always on the lookout for interesting 15-letter grid spanners that haven't (at least to the best of my knowledge) been used in a crossword before. A few other personal favorites are BAR BRAWL (I pulled it from a word list, but it feels like a fun answer), OTTAWA (I'm Canadian and lived in Ottawa for four years, and I always look for an opportunity to slip Canadian clues or answers into my crosswords if I can get away with it), KITING (I used to work in anti-money laundering) and ELAINE (I'm a Seinfeld fan).
BOOSTER didn't stand out for me when I made the puzzle many months ago, but looking at the puzzle again now, it feels much more timely with the push on for people to get their COVID booster shots. It's funny how the relevance of some words can ebb and flow over time like that.
Thanks again for the opportunity to share my thoughts! I hope folks enjoyed the puzzle.
Cheers,
David
1. Brews-to-bruises event?: BAR BRAWL - A bit more than a BAR FIGHT
9. Rubberneck, at times: GAWKER.
15. Epitome of Americanism?: APPLE PIE - Part of a Chevy ad campaign
16. "Seinfeld" character who dated baseball's Keith Hernandez: ELAINE.
17. Vitamin intake for some: MEGADOSE - Sheldon's opinion of the use of vitamins
18. Screenwriter __ Trumbo: DALTON - DALTON was a Hollywood screenwriter and communist sympathizer but refused to testify in front of the HUAC committee in the 50's. He went to jail for "contempt of Congress" and said, yes, that he certainly had that. More
19. Events in a crime film subgenre: CAPERS.
21. Bypass: SKIRT - If you SKIRT sensitive issues you might avoid catching 22. Criticism: FLAK.
25. Doesn't squander: USES.
28. Winter hat feature: EAR FLAP - A Johnny Carson original
31. Got into a new outfit: CHANGED.
33. Godfather cocktail ingredient: AMARETTO and scotch whiskey
35. KFC bucket piece: LEG.
36. Many of them have sisters: RELIGIOUS ORDERS - Here is my daughter with a teacher colleague Sister Peter Marie who is in the ORDER of Christ The King
42. "Pens down": TIME IS UP - After 30 seconds your Final Jeopardy pen quits working (*Final Jeopardy correct question at the bottom)
43. Put drinks on plastic?: RAN A TAB - Liquor on a credit card. What could possibly go wrong?
47. Source of added protection: BOOSTER - I got BOOSTED on October 27
48. Two-time Tony winner Judith: IVEY - Her IMDB
49. Appoint: NAME - A president can NAME anyone he wants to his cabinet but the Senate has the final say
51. Boris Johnson, e.g.: TORY.
52. So yesterday: PASSÉ.
54. "Aha!": EUREKA.
57. Capital north of Washington, D.C.: OTTAWA - A shoutout to Canada's capital which is on the opposite side of Canada from David
59. Salsa roja ingredient: CILANTRO - Here CILANTRO is being added to the blender
63. Defeated: FALLEN.
64. Tonsorial work: HAIRCUTS - The guy who has cut my hair for 30 years would give me a quizzical look if I called him a "tonsorial artist".
65. Least constrained: FREEST - Janis Joplin sang:
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', it ain't nothin' honey, if it ain't free
66. Restrained: ON A LEASH - Lily never cared for it
Down:
1. "Batman" sound: BAM.
2. Make fun of: APE.
3. Final Fantasy, e.g., briefly: RPG - I'm told it's a Role Playing Game
4. Christmas shopping draw: BLACK FRIDAY SALE - They never drew us
5. "The Scarlet Letter" letter: RED A.
6. Per unit: A POP.
7. Figure out: WISE UP TO.
8. Looks lasciviously: LEERS.
9. H.S. dropout's test: GED.
10. "__, I am not coop'd here for defence!": Shak.: ALAS - Omitting it here was probably too easy for a Saturday
11. Everywhere, "if you have the time": Steven Wright: WALKING DISTANCE - Now that's funny!
12. Fraud with checks: KITING - What is this?
13. Massive, in Montréal: ENORME - Les diplômés universitaires peuvent avoir une dette ÉNORME (College graduates can have enormous debt)
14. Let: RENTED - "Trailers for sale or RENT, rooms to LET fifty cents"
20. Jiff: SEC.
22. __ Street: R.L. Stine series: FEAR - My girls read Stine's Goosebumps series
23. Like dad jokes, to kids: LAME - E.g, I gave away all my dead batteries today, free of charge!
24. Depleted sea: ARAL.
26. Israeli violinist Mintz: SHLOMO.
29. For real: LEGIT.
30. Lorazepam brand: ATIVAN - For anxiety
32. Word on Spanish mail: AEREO.
34. Open about one's sexuality: OUT.
37. __ tiger: SIBERIAN.
38. This, in Tenerife: ESTO - Esto es Tenerife en el mapa
40. Lissome: SPRY - I associate SPRY with people of my advanced years and Lissome with younger, very flexible people
43. Bargain antithesis: RIPOFF.
45. Food giant: NESTLE.
46. Main squeeze, in modern lingo: BAE.
50. Lotsa: MUCHO.
53. Lambs' moms: EWES and 55. Lamb pen name: ELIA - A frequent four-legged and two-legged cwd fill
56. Marx not seen in films: KARL - Groucho's socialist brother? Nein!
58. Creature that can carry many times its body weight: ANT.
60. Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa: TUA - Most announcers just use his first name
61. Shares again, on Twitter: RT'S - All those ReTweetS can spread information or disinformation in a hurry
62. __Kosh B'gosh: OSH.
*Final Jeopardy Question: "What is Charleston, S.C.?"
