google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Mar 21, 2015

Saturday, Mar 21st, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing F,K,Q,Y)

Blocks: 29

  Well, I am feeling better about myself with regard to Saturday puzzles after this one - I needed a successful solve, otherwise, I'd be on a month-long 'fail'.  My first-pass guesses - and quite a few throughout - turned out to be great choices, as my crossings seemed to agree; that doesn't happen very often.  Still, I was stuck on the final bottom three letters, but got my "Ta-DA~!", and breathed a sigh of relief.  Triple 11-letter Across corners, and nearly triple 9s in the Downs:

17a. Factor in cold waves : POLAR VORTEX - ugh - one more time with the white stuff last night....


12d. Like churches, as a rule : TAX EXEMPT - answer #2 with "X".  The "X"s from 'xer' & 'axle' and didn't look promising, until I got to this clue

64a. Outlet worker : ELECTRICIAN - here I thought this first, then said "no, can't be"

Here's one for the DF - warning~!

31. Meaning : SEMANTICS - I like playing 'semantics' with people

ARD~! Snow~!

ACROSS:

1. City on the South Saskatchewan River : MEDICINE HAT - not a clue, but then with some spotty perps, I recalled this odd name - birthplace of hockey player Trevor Linden - now a president with the Vancouver Canucks, and one-time NY Islander

12. It's about 5 mL : TSP

15. Over : ONE MORE TIME - like a mulligan in golf

16. Cut (into) : ATE - think acids

18. Boomer's offspring : X-ER - Generation X - typically, people born in the 60s - 80s - that makes me one

19. Put in : ELECT - didn't have enough letters for INject, and it took a minute for this one to dawn on me

20. Senseless : NUMB

21. Jazz duo? : ZEES - jaZZ - clever

22. Answered back : SASSED

24. Drivetrain component, perhaps : REAR AXLE - complete W.A.G. - and wow, it was correct~!  Go figure

26. Southwestern language : ZUNI

28. Brawn : SINEW

29. Sign of shock : GASP

33. Diamond shape : PEAR - I never considered the "shape" of an engagement ring - is there some rule of thumb
(or finger, as it were)~?

 I like the nail polish color

35. Star movers : LIMOS

37. Runs through : PIERCES - think swords; especially sitting atop 41a.

39. Take time to answer : SLEEP ON - like the song "Paradise by the Dashboard Light"

41. Mail : ARMOR - this one always gets me - trying to think of synonyms for "send"

42. Save for later, in a way : TiVO

44. City southwest of Bayeux : St. LÔ

45. Woodstock performer before Sly : JANIS - For those who were too young to know, here's a list of the performers - there were three acts that I was unaware actually played the show

47. Ecua. rejoined it in 2007 : OPEC - sensible WAG, and an abbr to help

49. Hail Mary : LONG BOMB - I had LONG PASS - and that's 50%

51. Charges for rounds : BAR TAB

56. Newspaper section : ARTS - OK, I went with OPED

57. Goya's "La __ vestida" : MAJA - The "clothed" one; there was also the "La Maja Desnuda"


59. Washington portraitist : PEALE - more art I did not know - his Wiki

60. Star Wars letters : SDI - the "Strategic Defense Initiative", which, I have stated before, is an insult to Star Wars

61. December-to-May fruit : NAVEL ORANGE - I WAGed ALGAE at 54d., and that "G" was enough to get me the Orange part, but I had "TOO" instead of "NEW" at 61d., and that slowed me down

63. RBI producer, perhaps : SACrifice Fly - Baseball tactic

65. Stick-__ : ONS - I was thinking of this instead


66. 1623 Shakespeare work, with "The" : WINTERS TALE - if you don't know it, here's the "38d." on it

DOWN:

1. Blues : MOPES - if it helps, try "The" in front

2. "Waterworld" orphan girl : ENOLA - didn't see the movie; it was a dud.  All perps

3. Strikes out : DELES - this "struck out" my 'ENTER' for 19a.

4. Apple purchases : iMACS - did you hear Apple is coming out with a diet pill~?
It's designated the i8....

5. Mexico's Sea of __ : CORTEZ - nailed it

6. Journalist Kupcinet : IRV - perps

7. Krypton relative : NEON

8. Ancient Italian region : ETRURIA - dredged this up from the depths with '-RUR-' in place

9. Opposite of "stand" : "HIT ME~!" - Blackjack

10. They multiply by dividing : AMEBAS

11. Drive handle : TEX - cattle drive, that is.  Reminds me of this scene


13. Common abrasive : STEEL WOOL

14. Intrinsically : PER SE

21. The Marx Brothers, e.g. : ZANIES

23. Deceive : DUPE

25. Bug but good : RILE

27. Home in the woods : NEST - "home in the tree" would have been too easy for Saturday

29. Meas. of course performance : GPA - Grade Point Average.  Funny, but it was such a big deal when I was in high school - now it's meaningless - until I have kids of my own, I presume....

30. Brand with a Jumpman logo : AIR JORDAN - I knew this was Michael Jordan, but it took a moment; my OPED didn't help

32. Fine points : PRONGS - Har-Har~!

34. Letters sometimes seen before a phone no. : RSVP

36. Nestlé's __-Caps : SNO

38. Cheat : CRIB

40. 1924 co-defendant : LOEB - could not recall if it was loeW or loeB

43. Court complaint : "I OBJECT~!"

46. Horn of Africa native : SOMALI

48. Cousins of clam diggers : CAPRIs


49. Western ring : LASSO - ah, Western as in the movie genre

50. Expert : MAVEN

52. Jerk, say : REACT

53. Patty Hearst alias : TANIA

54. __ bloom: pond vegetation : ALGAL

55. __ Bag: eponymous '70s designer label : BEENE

 
58. Old, in Oldenburg : ALTE - not AULD; I knew that was wrong

61. Additional : NEW

62. Legend on ice : ORR - first clue, NHL; last clue, NHL....I like it, Mr. Silk~!

Splynter