Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel
Our gracious blogmistress offers us a challenging and clever puzzle on this last Saturday of 2023. Her long fills in the pinwheel pattern were very helpful but SAPOR and DULE along with some alternate fills were speed bumps for me. However, I persisted and earned a "got 'er done!"
Across:
1. Carne __: ASADA - I was all over Roast Meat even with the Spanish adjectives following the noun.
6. Pull: SWAY - Sometimes you need someone with real pull or SWAY
10. __-relief: BAS - This is one of many on the capitol building in Lincoln, NE
10. __-relief: BAS - This is one of many on the capitol building in Lincoln, NE
13. Short-lived business: POP UP STORE - Hickory Farms has had these for years at Christmas time
15. Minesweeper unit: CELL - Haven't we all played this addictive game?
16. Delicious desserts?: APPLE TARTS.
17. Della Warrior's heritage: OTOE - the first and only woman to date to serve as the chairperson and chief executive officer for the Otoe-Missouria Tribe
18. Romeo or Juliet: ROLE - TEEN and NAME came and went
19. Group originally called the "Jolly Corks": ELKS - Here ya go
20. Magnificent: GRAND.
21. Rugby score: TRY.
22. Orange coat: PEEL 😀
23. One paying a flat rate: RENTER 😀
24. Sings again: REPRISES - 76 Trombones is REPRISED for the big finale in Music Man
26. Fig. affected by traffic: ETA.
27. Word with ring or swing: MOOD.
29. Achievement: FEAT.
30. [I know this is wrong]: SIC - This was a grate [SIC] puzzle by our lovely hostess
31. "I have more to say": DON'T INTERRUPT ME.
35. Short chats?: IMS.
36. 1936 Cooperstown inductee: COBB
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| This ball signed in 1939 by the first 11 members 3 years after the original 6 sold for over $600,000 |
37. Obeyed a court order: ROSE - "All RISE" - Name this movie. (* answer below)
38. Place with soothing music: SPA.
39. Like some potential: UNTAPPED.
42. Magnetism: ALLURE.
44. Rough positions: LIES - Good luck in this rough
45. Punch sound: POW.
48. Witherspoon of "The Morning Show": REESE - An Apple+ series
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| Reese Jennifer Anniston |
49. Dough for pupusas: MASA - A wonderful Guatemalan restaurant makes them here in our town. I told the owner to give me something good and she got me some tasty pupusas!
50. Background for a portrait: BLUR - As seen here in this painting of Mona (Lady) Lisa Gherdinini, the wife of Francesco Del Giocondo.
51. Locks in the zoo?: MANE 😀 - Here's one in Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo with the tram going overhead.
52. "Never been in that situation myself": CAN'T RELATE.
54. Those, in Toledo: ESOS.
55. Shell stations?: TACO STANDS ¿A quién pertenecen ESOS puestos de tacos? (Who owns those TACO STANDS?)
56. Drops in the morning: DEW 😀
57. Eclipse, in the ancient world: OMEN.
58. Gig for a model: SHOOT.
Down:
1. Split up: APART.
2. Lethargy: SOPOR - I never have seen this word and so I first had SLOTH
3. Put on: APPLY.
4. Hill of "The Wonder Years": DULE - He plays the father in the updated version of the 1988 original.
5. Dr. Zaius, for one: APE - From 1968 movie
6. Not as newsworthy: STALER.
7. Professional challenge?: WORK LIFE BALANCE.
8. Part of STEAM: ARTS.
10. Trials for errors: BETA TESTS - Hopefully all the bugs will appear to be fixed
11. Solo stretch: ALONE TIME.
12. The American Dog Derby, for one: SLED RACE - Started in 1917, it is the oldest dog SLED RACE in the lower 48. It is run in Ashton, ID in the shadow of the Tetons
14. Brew: STEEP - Zhoquin is also a tea connoisseur
15. Ear pieces?: CORN 😀
20. Waves, say: GESTURES.
22. Digital service: PEDICURE 😀
23. Nurture: REAR.
24. Spoil: ROT.
25. Spanish infinitive: SER.
27. "Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?": MOM PLEASE 😀
28. Spot line: ON SALE NOW.
31. Turned off, in a way: DISARMED 😀
32. Zip: NONE.
33. Hashtag for retro pics: TBT - I could use this retro pic for Throw Back Thursday
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| Jim Linda Gary circa 1956 |
40. Slide whistle part: PISTON.
41. Sliced pieces on top of bibim naengmyeon: PEARS - A Korean PEAR on top.
43. Purposes: USES.
45. Texas home of Frito-Lay: PLANO.
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| 7701 Legacy Dr., PLANO, TX |
46. Better or best: OUTDO - Verbs
47. Seize by force: WREST.
49. Address with an apostrophe: MA'AM.
50. Vanilla: BLAH - Plain label unlike 49. "Eww!": BLEH we had recently
52. Exec concerned with network security: CTO - Chief Technology Officer
53. Nonprofit that administers Praxis assessments: ETS - Educational Testing Service. I had never heard of this test.
*If you can handle the truth, that is a scene from the great movie A Few Good Men
