Themeless Saturday
C.C. here. Gary will be back tomorrow.
Our Saturday puzzles often feature stacked 9, 10 or 11s on each side. Or a few sparkling 15's intersecting one another. Sometimes it's like today's grid. The key is in the middle (I so want to flip this grid over):
7D. Stay the heck away from: AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
8D. Time to throw in the towel, perhaps: LAUNDRY NIGHT.
20D. Elixirs: MAGIC POTIONS.
Once this stack was set, then the constructor branched out in 19A, 32A, 41A and 52A. He had more flexibility on the outside.
XWord Info shows that August Miller lived on a dairy farm in Western MA.
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| XWord Info |
1. Conventional leader?: ABBESS. Convent-tional. A few more brilliant clues fitting Saturday: 17. Light show?: SITCOM.
19. Line of ownership?: THAT'S MINE. 34. Eat down by the river?: ERODE. 49. Event in which the best competitors are untouchable?: EPEE. 4. Breakout performer?: ESCAPEE. 11. Private performances?: USO TOUR. And 24. Something left on the cutting room floor?: TRESS.
7. Option for table service: A LA RUSSE. Unfamiliar to me.
Wikipedia says it's "a style of serving food in which dishes are brought
to the table sequentially and served separately to each guest." Russian
style.
15. Pops in: SAYS HI. Not VISITS.
16. Went up in smoke: VANISHED.
18. Not shy: OUTGOING.
21. Art patron Henry: TATE. Founded Tate Gallery.
22. Some concert merch: EPS. Not TEE.
23. Supplements: ADDS TO.
25. Besides: ELSE.
27. Foundation of many cultures: AGAR.
28. Altercation: RUN-IN.
32. Big name: CELEBRITY.
35. Plumeria arrangement: LEI.
36. Takes back: RECANTS.
38. Hem, for instance: SEW. And 14. Hem, for instance: EDGE. Clue echo.
39. African capital served by Kotoka International Airport: ACCRA.
According to Wikipedia, the airport is named after "Named after
Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka (1926–1967), a member of the
National Liberation Council. Kotoka was killed in an abortive coup
attempt at a location that is now the forecourt of the airport."
41. Leg exercise that mimics a ballet step: PLIE SQUAT.
43. "Moneyball" squad: THE A'S. Oakland Athletics,
44. "Flights" novelist Tokarczuk: OLGA. She won Nobel prize in literature in 2018. "Flights" won Man Booker in 2018.
45. Some links: URLS.
46. Use leaves for eaves, say: THATCH.
48. Big name in sealant: DAP. Still one or two tubes in our garage.
52. Underground feminist punk movement: RIOT GRRRL.
55. Selena y __: American Tejano band: LOS DINOS. Unknown to me.
.webp)
57. Beach bottle: LOTION.
59. Critical moment at Wimbledon: SET POINT.
60. Layette piece: ONESIE.
61. "Off the top of my head ... ": AT A GUESS.
62. Least: MEREST.
Down:
2. Chum, e.g.: BAIT.
3. Divisive way to sell pizza?: BY THE SLICE. Masterful use of "divisive".
5. Vaccinations: SHOTS.
6. Members of a virtual community: SIMS.
9. Poker offerings: ANTES.
10. Gulf structure: RIG.
12. Second-largest branch of the second-largest religion: SHIA. A few precious gimmes.
13. In transit: SENT.
25. Showiness: ECLAT.
26. Freeloader: LEECH.
27. "The Land Is Inhospitable and So __ We": 2023 Mitski album: ARE. You don't need to know the album to get the answer.
29. Expected: NO SURPRISE.
30. Just perfect: IDEAL. Yes, Renee, I use kabocha for my soup. Perfect texture and sweetness. Going to try this next.
31. Terrarium pets: NEWTS.
33. Irreverent: BRASH.
37. Assam export: TEA.
40. Fairly tame, per the MPA: RATED PG. Motion Picture Association.
42. One of four in the WNBA: QUARTER.
47. Golfer Palmer, to fans: ARNIE.
48. Bee that doesn't sting: DRONE. Drone bees don't work. All they do is mate with the queen.
49. Animated ice queen: ELSA.
50. Ada Limón, for one: POET.
51. "__ bien!": ESTA. Not TRES.
53. Latch (onto): GLOM.
54. Lane in Metropolis: LOIS.
56. Debtor's note: IOU.
58. Lets hit it: NET.
Happy birthday to Kelly Thatcher, our caring blog regular and constructor friend. Have a beautiful day, Kelly!
Happy birthday to AnonymousPVX also.
C.C.
