Saturday, July 22, 2023, Ed Sessa

 Saturday Themeless by Dr. Ed Sessa

It has been over two years since I have had the privilege blogging one of Dr. Sessa's Saturday themeless puzzles. He is a master constructor and even the obscure fill of today had plenty of help to complete. Here we see him with his late puppy Tug. 

As you know, Dr. Ed was displaced from his idyllic Sanibel Island by Hurricane Ian and after searching for new quarters wound up on the Florida mainland just across from his old digs on Sanibel. 

Across:

1. Bee team: SWARM 😀

6. One who handles liner notes?: 😀 PURSER  - One of many jobs a PURSER handles on a cruise liner.

            

12. Gorillagram get-up: APE SUIT.

14. Individually: APIECE.

15. [yawn]: BLAH BLAH - Read the room!

17. Northernmost capital on the Mississippi: ST. PAUL - Just across the river from C.C.

 
18. Need for some kiddie pools: AIR.

19. Bit of Springfield graffiti: EL BARTO.

21. Actress Wray: FAY - She'll always be remembered for this role

22. Orhan Pamuk novel featuring a blizzard in Turkey: SNOW - All you'd ever want to know

24. Choir section: ALTOS.

25. Carpentry joint: DADO.

26. Lab burners of old: ETNAS - I wasn't teaching when they were called this: in my lab we called them Bunsen burners

28. When day is done, to Donne: EEN - Poetic contraction for evening

29. "The Newsroom" creator Sorkin: AARON - AARON is on the front right

30. Wielder of a Neutrona Wand: GHOSTBUSTER - A model of Peter Venkman with one. "Who ya gonna call?"

33. Number cruncher: BEAN COUNTER.    

34. Fine and dandy: RIGHT AS RAIN - A very appropriate sentiment for summer in Nebraska

35. Some consoles: SEGAS.

36. Tent stake: PEG.

37. Lives like a queen?: RULES - We have one at our house.

41. Footlocker clasp: HASP.

42. Get ready, in a way: TEE UP - Fore!

44. Slow roller from first to third?: TARP - Yes, it rolls out slowly and covers first base to third base, but don't be too slow and get caught under it.

45. High point of a Ricola commercial: ALP.

46. Places with some good deals: CASINOS - 😀 After years of resistance, Nebraska has finally legalized CASINOS.  Temporary ones have already generated millions in tax revenues while big new facilities are being constructed like this one in Lincoln.

48. Orange County airport, on luggage tags: SNA - SNA is the airport code for this airport in Santa Ana, CA.

49. Plug: STOP UP 

51. QB stat: TD PASSES.

53. Blow one's horn: TOOTLE - This sounds like something Jeffrey Wechsler might author.

54. "Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical," for one: YOGIISM - Ya gotta love #8, YOGI Berra!

55. Name of the pig on "Green Acres": ARNOLD - ARNOLD Ziffel to be exact

56. Parking ticket issuer: VALET - 😀 You get a ticket so your VALET can retrieve your car

Down:

1. Support after a break, perhaps: SPLINT 😀

2. Start to aggravate: WEAR ON.

3. Volcanic fallout: ASH - From the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens

4. Unsophisticated sort: RUBE - Lil Abner leapt to my mind

5. Jovovich of the "Resident Evil" films: MILLA - Hollywood has a penchant for scantily attired, young women toting weapons

6. Personal histories: PASTS.

7. Until: UP TO.

8. Letters set in stone: RIP - Rest In Peace

9. Plymouth voyager?: SEAFARER - Puritan was one letter short. Those who did make the 66-day trip in 1620 were indeed SEAFARERS.

10. Country named for its location: ECUADOR - ECUADOR is Spanish for equator. ECUADOR is one of the few places on Earth where the 0^o line of latitude goes through Ciuad Mitad del Mundo, which is a few miles north of Quito.  Some say it is off by 250 yds but on March 21 and September 21 they have no shadow there.

11. Need: RELY ON.

12. Put down: ABASE.

13. Artistic settings?: TABLESCAPES - Probably too fancy for a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.

16. "Such a shame": HATE TO SEE IT - An instate boy was a huge disappointment!

20. Fictional news anchor who ended broadcasts with "You stay classy, San Diego!": RON BURGUNDY.

23. Equal Pay Day issue: WAGE GAP - I've never taught at a school where there was a WAGE GAP between men and women teachers. Nor was there one between great and mediocre ones. 

25. Bread sold in cans: DATE NUT.

27. Pahlavi dynasts: SHAHS - The SHAH had his shortcomings but after he left...

29. Up: ASTIR.

31. Maple Leafs prov.: ONT - The Maple Leafs play in the Scotiabank Arena, 40 Bay St., Toronto, ONT M5J 2X2, Canada

32. "__ cerveza, por favor": UNA - One beer please in Español 

33. Hip hugger?: BIG SPOON - 😀

34. One who moves a lot?: REALTOR - REALTORS in our neighborhood are trying to move building lots for $75,000 apiece

35. Peak in the Cascade Range: SHASTA - C.C. and I did a puzzle 9 years ago that had the names of peaks in The Cascade Range differently clued.

38. Dog star: LASSIE.  Not Sirius

39. "A Lesson Before Dying" writer __ J. Gaines: ERNEST.

40. Unavoidable jerk: SPASM - We have an unavoidable jerk in our golf league. 

42. Cordoned (off): TAPED.

43. American vodka brand with a Russian name: POPOV.

46. Gather selectively: CULL - My MIL had to periodically CULL the non-laying hens out of her flock 

47. Extensive account: SAGA.

50. Sick days, personal days, etc.: Abbr.: PTO - Paid Time Off

52. Part of RSVP: SIL - Voulez-vous S'IL vous plaît commenter l'énigme du Docteur Sessa? (Will you please comment on Doctor Sessa's puzzle?)