Saturday Themeless by Robyn Weintraub
I’m excited to have a puzzle in the L.A. Times again, and particularly honored that my puzzle is running in the first week of Patti Varol’s new tenure as editor. Congratulations to Patti— and Christina-- on their new assignments. I was lucky enough to meet both of these talented women at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford CT earlier this month. Not that you need me to confirm what is plainly obvious, but the LAT puzzle is in very capable hands going forward.
I’m a fairly regular contributor for my hometown (okay, home state) paper The New York Times, and a member of the in-house constructing team at The New Yorker. For those who may not be aware, The New Yorker recently upgraded their puzzle offerings to 5 puzzles per week (four themeless and one themed) and I contribute 2 each month, typically of the ‘easy’ themeless variety. Those two venues keep me pretty busy. And once spring finally decides to stick around on the east coast (temps here are currently in the 30s as I write this) you can usually find me playing in my garden.
Robyn
I’m a fairly regular contributor for my hometown (okay, home state) paper The New York Times, and a member of the in-house constructing team at The New Yorker. For those who may not be aware, The New Yorker recently upgraded their puzzle offerings to 5 puzzles per week (four themeless and one themed) and I contribute 2 each month, typically of the ‘easy’ themeless variety. Those two venues keep me pretty busy. And once spring finally decides to stick around on the east coast (temps here are currently in the 30s as I write this) you can usually find me playing in my garden.As for today’s grid, I made it a few years ago, so looking at it with older and wiser eyes there are a few entries in there I’d like to take back if I could. But the long stuff is all pretty fun—perhaps one might be so bold as to say a CROWDPLEASER—so hopefully that’s the part of the puzzle that solvers will enjoy and remember.
Happy solving,
RobynI am very grateful for Robyn's lovely response and since it's spring time, I hope Robyn will give me license for this image with an alternate spelling.
Across:
1. Cutting-edge name?: ATRA - Ginsu wouldn't work for this cwd regular
5. Scenery in Road Runner cartoons: MESAS.
5. Scenery in Road Runner cartoons: MESAS.
10. Polite address: MAAM.
14. "Sorry, my hands are tied ... ": WHAT CAN I DO - Probably said by constructors when they have to settle for fill they don't like.
16. Price for hand delivery?: ANTE - Oh, a poker hand!
17. Musical arrangement?: RECORD DEAL - This shows a young truck driver from Memphis signing his first RECORD DEAL with RCA. How did that work out?
18. Revolution: GYRE - Same root for Elvis' GYRATIONS
19. "I rock!": YAY ME.
20. Class stat: GPA - Did kids suddenly get smarter?
21. "Can confirm": IT IS.
22. Mystery that may have a stirring message?: SECRET RECIPE - 23 products with SECRET RECIPES
26. Bon __: MOT - Example: ''I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.'' Clarence Darrow
29. Place: PUT.
30. Unpredictable jerk: SPASM.
31. Checked: ARRESTED - Synonyms for stopped
34. Aegean capital: ATHENS - The preferred capital in this capital is the Euro
54. Bread machine: ATM - Here's one dispensing EURO "bread"
38. Like all tigers: ASIAN - What could possibly go wrong here?
40. Draft status: ONE-A - In the 60's: Next stop - Vietnam
41. Continues: GOES ON.
43. Run ragged: OVERWORK - Competence is often punished
45. "__ Gabler": HEDDA - One critic wrote: "Fans of Diana Rigg will enjoy a jackpot in her remarkable performance as Ibsen's icy, manipulating, despairing bitch."
49. Popular performer: CROWD PLEASER - Tiger Woods had no chance of winning the Masters this year but his gallery in person and on TV were very large
53. "Yeah, no": UH UH.
55. Source of some lumber: PINES.
59. Audio brand: BOSE.
60. Bridal store event: SAMPLE SALE.
63. Central German river: EDER - In red below
64. "Deep breaths ... ": TRY TO RELAX.
65. Ms. enclosure: SASE - Viking Press probably stuffed this rejection letter into a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope to Alice Walker when they rejected The Color Purple. Oops!
66. Unlikely assignment from a math teacher: ESSAY.
67. Pinch at the table: SALT.
Down:
1. A bit off: AWRY.
2. Australian novelist Astley: THEA - Wikipedia's take on her
3. Somewhat blue: RACY and 58. Have a heated exchange?: SEXT - Be careful...
4. Cyclotron units: ATOMS - This cyclotron at Cal Berkley was used to discover Plutonium, Neptunium and other transuranium ATOMS. in the 1950's
5. Publication credited to the "Usual Gang of Idiots": MAD - Mad Magazine Archive
6. Wrap: END.
7. Military blockade: SIEGE - The 47-day SIEGE at Vicksburg, MS gave the Union control of the Mississippi River
8. Makes fit: ADAPTS.
9. Array for catching rays: SOLAR PANELS.
10. Disappearing act?: MAGIC SHOW - I don't think he fooled the kitty
11. "I'm waiting ... ": ANYTIME NOW.
12. Aweigh: ATRIP - ATRIP is an obscure (to me) synonym for aweigh which both describe when the anchor is no longer touching the bottom.
13. "With Reagan" memoirist: MEESE - He held high positions in Governor and President Reagan's administrations
15. Advances slowly: CREEPS.
23. Relocation option: CUT AND PASTE - I type my daily musings in Word and then CUT AND PASTE them into the blog.
24. USPS assignments: RTES.
25. "Have some": EAT.
26. Helgenberger of "CSI": MARG - A mile from my golf course
27. Cookie with the same colors as a crossword: OREO.
28. Construction projects guaranteed to get off the ground: TREE HOUSES - Wow!
32. Neither here nor there: ELSEWHERE.
33. "Rainbow in the Dark" metal band: DIO - Here ya go
35. Fictional Wolfe: NERO - The author's name dominated this early novel
36. Drink that may be served warm: SAKE.
42. Like 2021: ODD - Not just numerically
44. Educator Annemarie who co-founded a school in Greater Detroit: ROEPER.
46. Sites for some rites: ALTARS.
49. Products with triple the power?: CUBES - 43 = 64
50. Sitcom whose 1974 pilot episode was titled "Joe": RHODA - Where RHODA meets Joe
51. Awards won by 50-Down: EMMYS.
52. Climbs: RISES.
56. Beyoncé voice role: NALA.
57. Airline whose first flight was from Geneva to Tel Aviv: EL AL - A frequent cwd flier
61. School org.: PTA.
62. "The Thin Man" star: LOY - Myrna LOY poses with Thin Man costar William Powell and a dog whose name appears here quite often too.
