Saturday Themeless by Kyle Dolan
This is the 19th Saturday puzzle by Dr. Dolan I have blogged. My first one was on May 26, 2018 and every one of his constructions has been a delight. This one was no exception as even Thimmamma Marrimanu in Anantapur was only a minor annoyance. 😀
As you can tell by the colorful graphic, Kyle had a great many unique or nearly unique fills!
Across:
1. "Hold on to that one": IT'S A KEEPER - This occurred to me right off the bat and I was so 16. Confident: SURE I immediately put it in.11. Periods: ERAS.
15. Have a heart-to-heart exchange?: FALL IN LOVE - Awww...❤️
17. Healthy dessert option: FRUIT SALAD.
18. "Whatcha waitin' for?": CMON.
19. Purple __: YAM.
20. Magnate: TITAN.
21. Rodeo circuit?: LASSO 😀
22. Second-largest landlocked country in Africa: NIGER - Yup, Chad is the largest
23. Jay-Z or Cardi B: RAPPER.
24. Glossy fabric: SATEEN.
27. German car, informally: BEEMER.
29. Hybrid since 1997: PRIUS.
30. Sense of achievement: SELF PRIDE.
33. Slangy contraction: AIN'T - Top 11 songs with AIN'T in the title. Bill Wither's song is my fav.
34. Dockers fabric: KHAKI.
35. "Can do!": ON IT.
36. Weak six-packs?: NEAR BEERS - LITE BEERS fit first.
38. Forum garb: TOGAS.
39. Line dance movement: TOE TAP - We all did it, didn't we?
40. Numerous: SO MANY.
41. Verbal shrug: I DUNNO.
43. Secret spots: LAIRS.
45. Ancient seafaring people: NORSE - Seeing them on the horizon did not usually engender joy!
46. Zest: GUSTO.
47. Closest one, briefly: BFF.
50. Family member: AUNT - I had four AUNTS I never got to meet.
51. Thimmamma Marrimanu in Anantapur, notably: BANYAN TREE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Thimmamma Marrimanu is a BANYAN TREE in Anantapur, India. I filled it in and then looked it up.
53. Subject of a deal, say: PLEA.
54. Ad hoc groups of specialists: TIGER TEAMS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A tiger team is a specialized, cross-functional team brought together to solve or investigate a specific problem or critical issue.
55. Catherine who outlived Henry VIII: PARR.
56. Some ranch dressing: STETSON HAT 😀 Yes, I suppose someone dressing in ranch attire might wear a STETSON HAT.
Down:
1. Touch and go: IFFY.
2. Hill of __: historical site associated with the High Kings of Ireland: TARA More
3. Neglected area: SLUM.
4. Arabic name that means "elevated": ALI.
7. Fill with joy: ELATE.
8. One way to break the ice?: POLAR BEAR PLUNGE - When a blizzard knocked out our power for three days in March, I couldn't even take a cold shower! 🥶
8. One way to break the ice?: POLAR BEAR PLUNGE - When a blizzard knocked out our power for three days in March, I couldn't even take a cold shower! 🥶
9. __ Rachel Wood of "Mildred Pierce": EVAN ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
10. Color of diamonds: RED - I overthought this for a while
11. Activities that require exit strategies?: ESCAPE ROOMS.
12. Amish rite of passage: RUMSPRINGA - Rumspringa is a rite of passage in some Amish communities where teenagers, typically around 16, experience a period of relative freedom from traditional Amish restrictions before committing to that life as an adult.
13. Got up: AROSE.
14. Caballero title: SENOR.
21. Prize in "A Christmas Story": LAMP.
22. Supernova remnant: NEUTRON STAR.
23. APR adjustment: REFI - REFInancing a loan.
24. Go over: SPAN - After you...
26. Aunty Entity player in "Mad Max 3": TINA TURNER - TINA was 45 when she did this film in 1985.
28. Edmonton CFL team: ELKS.
30. __ butter: SHEA.
31. Primatologist Fossey: DIAN.
32. Creative outlet?: ETSY.
34. Atkins variant: KETO.
37. Nota __: BENE - or N.B. which means "note well"
38. City founded as York in 1793: TORONTO - Look closely and you can see York which has been incorporated into the greater TORONTO municipality
40. Instruments that date to the Mughal Empire: SITARS - The empire ran from 1525 - 1857.
41. Like some purchases made on a phone: IN APP.
42. Help for a new mother: DOULA - New to me
46. Run, e.g.: GAIT.
47. "My guy!": BRAH.
48. Storm recovery org.: FEMA.
49. Big do: FEST.
51. J-Hope's K-pop band: BTS.
52. Carl Lewis's Olympic medal count: TEN.
