Words: 72 (missing F, Q, V, X)
Blocks: 28
My brain hurts.
I
simply would not let this one get the better of me, but in the end, I
had to succumb to the dreadful "red-letter" cheat....but I am smarter (
and smarting ) for the effort. Some of the cluing was just sooo good,
it was "bad". A few examples, taken from this pinwheel grid of triple-10's
include:
17A. Bit of paste : RHINESTONE
- GAH~!!! I was so flummoxed by paste, thinking of kindergarteners
eating non-toxic Elmer's that I neglected to consider the classic term
for faux gems; I did not know that a rhinestone was 'fake'; I had always considered it to be similar to quartz....the things you learn....
67A. Peripheral connection : SERIAL PORT - towards the end I had ---PORT, and was thinking AIR, CAR, BUS, TRAM, EL - some sort of transportation that would get you from the terminal to where ever....oh, the computer peripherals, like printers, etc. Duh.
14D. Lack of pies, say : SPOONERISM - if you are not familiar with this term, then the clue made absolutely no sense at all; a slip of the tongue, from Pack of Lies to Lack of Pies; the first one I ever heard was "Sew you to your Sheet"
30D. Target opening : BULLET HOLE - this image evokes such a feeling for me....can't explain it, but....and here's a Rob Dougan link of music, too.
AwDNoR~!
ACROSS:
1. Its two halves can't run simultaneously : CHESS CLOCK
- ARGH~!!! I was not giving up on this; I needed to figure out what
device we were looking for, but did myself in with A-B-C at 6D.; when I
changed it, TA - DA~!
11. Seasonal poem lead-in : 'TWAS - the night before Christmas....
15. View from the Jefferson Memorial : TIDAL BASIN - CHERRY TREE fit, too
16. 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Warren : SAPP - I knew him, but needed a letter to help me along
18. "Steakhouse inspired" food company : ALPO - oh, uh, dog food; I was thinking A.1.'s maker (Kraft)
19. Gene Vincent's "__ Lovin'" : LOTTA - link away ~!!
20. One objecting to a called strike : SCAB - D'oh~!! C.C., didya get fooled? (Yes, I was picturing a ball player!) This strike is the one I plan to go on if UPS expects me to pay for my benefits this coming contract; a person objecting to a union strike is a 'scab'
22. Regulus is in it : LEO - Nailed it; so did Husker Gary, right~? - I have me an 8" telescope, but stars are not as exciting for me as the planets
23. '80s-'90s Mormon leader __ Taft Benson : EZRA
26. Black Sea resident : ODESSAN - one from Odessa
28. Position : JOB - I was given a higher position at UPS today; I was the high-volume sorter, which happens to be 12 feet above the trucks....
31. Many millennia : EONS
33. Alight : SETTLE
34. Certain leg : DRUMSTICK - well, that is a certain kind of leg
37. Less likely to be seen : RARER
38. Rural landmark : SILO - dropped it in, and it never went away
39. ASCAP charter member : COHAN
41. Time-saving, commercially : REDI- - commercialization of "ready"
42. Bright : AGLOW
44. Retirement planning consideration : NET ASSETS - Don't know why, but I had NON- to start with
46. Avoid detection : LIE LOW
48. Part of a spread : DISH
49. Many a turkey : TOM - we met him on Thursday
50. Consumed amounts : INTAKES
52. Abbr. that usually refers to people : ET AL. - ALIA, or ALII, the Latin for other(s); and 55A. Israir alternative : EL AL - Planes to/from Israel
54. "Uh-uh" : NAH - not NOT
57. 2011 civil war setting : LIBYA - hey, I was paying attention to current events ~!
61. Whipped cream amount : GLOB - I really wanted DOLLOP, but....
63. Once in a while : ON OCCASION
66. Self-titled 1969 jazz album : ELLA - DAR~!!! I was stuck in instrument mode, like our JazzB on trombone; forgot all about vocals....
68. Bar lineup : RYES - um, SOTS fit, too - days of YORE when I would have a beer ( or 6 ) at Happy Hour; ended up "billing a lot of spear"
69. Intrusions : TRESPASSES
DOWN:
1. PC feature that doesn't do anything by itself : CTRL - my (left) Control Key is loose; threatening to abandon keyboard
2. Ritz alternative : HI-HO - the 'other' cracker
11. Seasonal poem lead-in : 'TWAS - the night before Christmas....
15. View from the Jefferson Memorial : TIDAL BASIN - CHERRY TREE fit, too
16. 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Warren : SAPP - I knew him, but needed a letter to help me along
18. "Steakhouse inspired" food company : ALPO - oh, uh, dog food; I was thinking A.1.'s maker (Kraft)
19. Gene Vincent's "__ Lovin'" : LOTTA - link away ~!!
20. One objecting to a called strike : SCAB - D'oh~!! C.C., didya get fooled? (Yes, I was picturing a ball player!) This strike is the one I plan to go on if UPS expects me to pay for my benefits this coming contract; a person objecting to a union strike is a 'scab'
22. Regulus is in it : LEO - Nailed it; so did Husker Gary, right~? - I have me an 8" telescope, but stars are not as exciting for me as the planets
23. '80s-'90s Mormon leader __ Taft Benson : EZRA
26. Black Sea resident : ODESSAN - one from Odessa
28. Position : JOB - I was given a higher position at UPS today; I was the high-volume sorter, which happens to be 12 feet above the trucks....
31. Many millennia : EONS
33. Alight : SETTLE
34. Certain leg : DRUMSTICK - well, that is a certain kind of leg
37. Less likely to be seen : RARER
38. Rural landmark : SILO - dropped it in, and it never went away
39. ASCAP charter member : COHAN
41. Time-saving, commercially : REDI- - commercialization of "ready"
42. Bright : AGLOW
44. Retirement planning consideration : NET ASSETS - Don't know why, but I had NON- to start with
46. Avoid detection : LIE LOW
48. Part of a spread : DISH
49. Many a turkey : TOM - we met him on Thursday
50. Consumed amounts : INTAKES
52. Abbr. that usually refers to people : ET AL. - ALIA, or ALII, the Latin for other(s); and 55A. Israir alternative : EL AL - Planes to/from Israel
54. "Uh-uh" : NAH - not NOT
57. 2011 civil war setting : LIBYA - hey, I was paying attention to current events ~!
61. Whipped cream amount : GLOB - I really wanted DOLLOP, but....
63. Once in a while : ON OCCASION
66. Self-titled 1969 jazz album : ELLA - DAR~!!! I was stuck in instrument mode, like our JazzB on trombone; forgot all about vocals....
68. Bar lineup : RYES - um, SOTS fit, too - days of YORE when I would have a beer ( or 6 ) at Happy Hour; ended up "billing a lot of spear"
69. Intrusions : TRESPASSES
DOWN:
1. PC feature that doesn't do anything by itself : CTRL - my (left) Control Key is loose; threatening to abandon keyboard
2. Ritz alternative : HI-HO - the 'other' cracker
3. Polish, in a way : EDIT - I am remodeling a kitchen next week, so I was thinking about EDGE detail of a countertop; well, it's sort of right
4. Part of a French toast : SANTE - liked the slight misdirection here from French Toast to "a" French toast
5. Dirtbags : SLEAZES - I was referred to as a Dirtbag in high school, only then it meant anyone with long hair who was into Heavy Metal music
6. "Mike & Molly" network : CBS - Good thing is, the "B" part was good to go for all three major networks~!!!
7. Parallel meas. : LAT - itude, the measure about the globe East/West
8. Chicago team, on Spanish radio : OSOs - Chicago Cubs, or Bears, in Spanish
9. Quince factor : CINCO - More Spanish, this time 20 (50?) and 5
10. Works with one's hands : KNEADS
11. Defense org. since November 2001 : TSA - Transportation Safety Administration; big news around here
12. Financial metonym : WALL STREET - I like to check out the "skirts", and sometimes the garment is pretty, too~!
13. Interested : APPEALED TO
21. Sierra Nevada, e.g. : BEER - brand name
24. Drillers' org. : ROTC - Reserve Officer's Training Corps
25. Electrolysis particle : ANION
27. Presidential Seal's 50 : STARS
28. "I almost always write about very young people" speaker : J.D. SALINGER - solid fill
29. In the beginning : ORIGINALLY
32. CPA's work : SCHEDule - part of a tax return
35. Cabbage : MOOLA - I had money slang last week
36. Show on which Notre Dame's Manti Te'o was interviewed : KATIE - missed some
40. Tweed lampooner : NAST - the Wiki
43. Roused : WOKE
45. Clinton cabinet member : SHALALA - Donna - more from Wiki
47. Brief post-game summary : WE LOST - ARGH~!!! More of that deep thought trying to figure out WEBLOG, no wait, REPORT, no, WEL--T....
51. Less bananas? : SANER - I am not sure if I gained or lost bananas on this puzzle
53. Speech troubles : LISPS
56. It's retold often : LORE and a little rhyme; 59D. "To show false Art what beauty was of __": Shakespeare : YORE
58. Who's who entries : BIOS
60. They're sometimes seen in columns : ANTS - ants in cartoons are industrious, make me think of this jazz piece ( @1:25)
62. Some coll. degrees : BAs
64. USSR successor : CIS -Commonwealth of Independent States; more learning, more Wiki
65. Keep from going higher : CAP - like in hockey, the limit a team can spend on players, renegotiated this past lockout because of a loophole that allowed clubs to spend $100mil+ on a player by spreading it out surreptitiously
Good luck to Marti at the ACPT~!!!
