Saturday Themeless by Jeff Chen and Christina Iverson
Jeff Chen, our frequent puzzle collaborator/constructor from Seattle co-authors a fun Saturday themeless with Christina Iverson who is the LA Times editor Patti Varol's assistant. Christina lives here in the heartland, 2 1/2 hours east of me in the familiar cwd town of Ames, Iowa. Here is her note to us:
Hi Gary,Jeff forwarded me your email and here are a few notes on my themeless collaboration with him...
Jeff helped me get started in constructing a few years ago, and we made several themed puzzles together that have been in various outlets. This is our only themeless collaboration (so far!). I've been making quite a few themeless puzzles the last year and a half, but this is the first to see print. I have another coming out next week in AVCX as well, so it's fun to have two themeless puzzles that I made at very different times come out within a week.
Our seed entry for this puzzle was YOUR OTHER RIGHT. I'm not great at lefts and rights, and when I suggested YOUR OTHER RIGHT to Jeff as a seed, I pitched the clue "Left, rather rudely." I was really proud of the clue, until I told it to my husband and he pointed out that YOUR OTHER RIGHT still means RIGHT, not LEFT. Of course. I'm pretty sure Jeff was politely not mentioning this nonsensical clue, and was planning on gently suggesting other clues when we got to the clue-writing stage. Thanks :)
Christina Iverson
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| Here are Christina and Patti Varol |
Across:
1. Support that's often rigged: MAST - It's great to get 1 Across.
5. Role, metaphorically: HAT - Others wear mom's hats for a day
8. Pair sharing a <3 b="" necklace="" probably:="">BFFS - Here's a bunch more
12. Instruments in some Gershwin works: ALTO SAXES - Anyone else think of CLARINETS featured in Rhapsody In Blue?
15. "I don't mind __ / Except as meals. / And the way they feels": Nash: EELS - Ogden Nash
16. Tabula rasa: CLEAN SLATE - I first went BLANK for _ L _ _ _ SLATE
12. Instruments in some Gershwin works: ALTO SAXES - Anyone else think of CLARINETS featured in Rhapsody In Blue?
15. "I don't mind __ / Except as meals. / And the way they feels": Nash: EELS - Ogden Nash
16. Tabula rasa: CLEAN SLATE - I first went BLANK for _ L _ _ _ SLATE
18. Joie de vivre: ELAN - A familiar French phrase follows a familiar Latin one above
19. Susan who wrote, "The writer's first job is not to have opinions but to tell the truth": SONTAG - Susan's admonition is violated constantly today
20. Sources of fleeting joy?: YACHTS - Fun cluing! Here's a fleet of YACHTS
19. Susan who wrote, "The writer's first job is not to have opinions but to tell the truth": SONTAG - Susan's admonition is violated constantly today
20. Sources of fleeting joy?: YACHTS - Fun cluing! Here's a fleet of YACHTS
22. "Wrong hand, silly": YOUR OTHER RIGHT - See Christina's fun exchange with Jeff and her husband in her notes above
26. Active front?: RETRO. RETROACTIVE
27. Postulant: NOVICE - From Sisters Of Life
28. Grace period?: AMEN - What these novices proclaim after saying Grace. Fun clue!
31. "Toodles!": TATA.
33. Tree on the Lebanese flag: CEDAR - Fatima Dryad was the first Lebanese woman to scale Everest
34. Latin law: LEX - LEX Orandi, LEX Credendi (the law of prayer [is] the law of belief)
35. Place to get high and pass out?: TOP BUNK - Fun
37. Rx writers, often: DRS and 46. Line on a handwriting test: NEATNESS COUNTS - Digital prescription writing have significantly reduced errors
38. Device that requires spin control: LATHE.
40. Inoculation fluids: SERA.
41. Literary alter ego: HYDE - $9,000 will get you an 1886 first edition with the author's signature inside
44. Animal in Aboriginal cave paintings: DINGO.
50. One of two tarot card groups: ARCANA - There are 22 cards in the Major ARCANA group and 56 in the Minor ARCANA group
51. Went viral: BLEW UP - Will Smith's slapping of Chris Rock went viral on social media instantly
53. State whose road signs feature 8-Downs: UTAH and 8. Symbol of 53-Across: BEEHIVE - Why the BEEHIVE?
54. Academic term: SCHOOL YEAR - It's over. No subbing for three months.
57. Nice parent: MERE - Cwd peeps see the French city first and knew of a French mom!
58. Dessert with a high point: SOFT SERVE.
59. Son of Hera: ARES - Here ya go
60. GRE org.: ETS.
61. Like a fly ball to the warning track: DEEP - As they say in baseball, "Just a long out."
Down:
1. Safari runners: MACS - Can you see the word Safari in this screen shot of my MACBook doing this blog?
2. Heterogenous union: ALLOY.
3. One working with a dictator: STENO.
4. Perfectly: TO A TURN - Getting a steak grilled TO A TURN takes some real monitoring.
5. Lacks options: HAS GOT TO - This golfer HAS GOT TO play the ball where it lies if he does not want to incur a penalty. He 9. Was awash in euphoria: FELT GIDDY if the ball went in the hole
6. Rose up on stage: AXL - AXL Rose of the band Guns 'N Roses. Cute clue!
7. Leaves in a pot: TEA.
10. Study aid: FLASHCARD - I generated a slew of them online
11. Three-part fig.: SSN.
13. Bag: SNARE and 23. Bags: TRAPS.
14. Eyelid issue: STYE.
17. Make dough or bread: EARN - 100 Slang words for money
21. Earthenware vessel: CROCK - My lovely wife remembers taking her turn going to the well to fill the water CROCK at her one-room school.
24. Breeding grounds: HOTBEDS - Boston in the 1770's was a HOTBED of revolution
25. Clipped: TERSE - THERE. SHOULD. BE. NO. POLITICS. HERE.
28. Wiped out: ALL IN.
29. One having a cow?: MEAT EATER and 30. Not well-done in the least: EXTRA RARE.
32. Derived from gold: AURIC - The latin word for gold is AURUM and its chemical symbol is Au, so...
35. Brandon __: Hilary Swank's "Boys Don't Cry" role: TEENA - Based on true events in Humboldt, NE
36. Tiny tech powering Iron Man and Black Panther's suits: NANOBOTS - Here ya go
39. Tours of duty: HITCHES.
41. Sweet: HONEYED.
43. Fox holes: DENS.
45. "Mine! Mine! Mine!" criers in "Finding Nemo": GULLS.
39. Tours of duty: HITCHES.
41. Sweet: HONEYED.
43. Fox holes: DENS.
45. "Mine! Mine! Mine!" criers in "Finding Nemo": GULLS.
47. Small pouches: SACS.
48. Poetic contraction: TWERE - Can't go wrong with Tennyson
49. Polished: SUAVE.
52. Get set: PREP.
53. Actress Thurman: UMA.
55. Rowing implement?: HOE - Oh that kind of row. Yeah right, I was the only one who put OAR! 😉
56. Many times o'er: OFT.
More from Christina:
I was so lucky to get to be judging at the ACPT (American Crossword Puzzle Tournament). I was welcomed into the community with open arms by constructors, editors, and solvers alike. I got to watch 500 people solve a puzzle that I made, which was quite an experience... as WSJ editor and fellow constructor Mike Shenk said, it felt like spending hours and hours making a gourmet meal, and then watching people eat it in a speed-eating contest. Thank you to everyone who went out of their way to welcome me and make me feel at home! Already can't wait for ACPT 2023 
