Theme: PV & DP
Words: 70 (missing K,Q)
Blocks: 30
Our
third installment from this duo to close out 2016, and this time Patti
gets 'top billing'. A smattering of fills on my first pass, a few
gaffes, a few WAGs, and I called it done - but no ta-DA~! So I had
to go back and check where I went wrong, though I was fairly certain it was
in the spanner at 34a.; turned out I had another mistake at the proper
name for 42a. Oh well. Finished within my personal allotted time, and
now I am freezing as I compose the write-up; see 31a. One 15-letter
spanner, one 15-letter climber, two 12-letter fills, and paired 10s in
the down corners;
34. First volume of a Beverly Cleary series : BEEZUS AND RAMONA - I recognized the author's name, but only the "Ramona" part from any titles
8. "You're skating on thin ice" : DON'T EVEN GO THERE - I had "eveR", since I had no idea about the 15-letter spanner crossing here
23. They're hard to put down : PAGE TURNERS - nailed it. The last Page Turner I read was "The Racketeer" from John Grisham - now I am on to "The Broker". I was reluctant to read his stuff because I knew the books revolved around lawyers (and frequently jails/prisons, too) the way Crichton's revolves around genetics, Patterson & Kellerman around murder mystery, etc. - but I am glad I started with "The Litigators", which was quite humorous
43. Comedy team staples : STRAIGHT MEN - I have heard this phrase, but couldn't think of an example - and then I read the list here at the Wiki, and I see quite a few I recognize - which includes James May from the British Top Gear series
2O1seveNWARD~!
ACROSS:
1. Not much : JUST A TAD
9. "__ Weeks": classic Van Morrison album : ASTRAL
15. Caravaggio masterpiece that pictures Pontius Pilate with Jesus : ECCE HOMO - the painting
16. Raise : PARENT
17. Iconic building with "point" offices : FLATIRON - dah~! Not PENTAGON, tho I realize there would need to be the phrase "with THE" in the clue
18. Market array : BRANDS
19. What stars have : FAME - I tried EGOS
20. Specialty docs : ENTs
22. In order : TIDY
26. Dauntless : STOUT
29. Spray holder : VASE - ah - I forgot that a "spray" is kind of floral arrangement
30. Site of monkey business : ZOO
31. Get a winter coat? : ICE UP - I am afraid my apartment will ICE UP this weekend - we lost the furnace, which includes the hot water, and won't get repaired until Tuesday. Always on a holiday weekend....
32. Part of an inheritance : GENE - ah, that kind of inheritance
33. River to the Severn : AVON - another good WAG
37. Cornerstone word : ANNO - I figured EST'D was not going to last
38. Hauls : LUGS - I had TOWS to start
39. 2009 A.L. MVP Joe : MAUER - filled via perps
40. Spectrum band : RED
41. 1969-'70 Broadway musical that ends with a fashion show : COCO
42. Brandt of "Breaking Bad" : BETSY - beSsy seemed just as likely - I have not watched a single episode of this show, but I got a Firestick for Christmas from my landlord, so I can watch everything now - but first I am making my way through "Burn Notice"
46. Benjamin portrayer : HAWN - Goldie, as in Private Benjamin; I was thinking BRAD or PITT, for Benjamin Button
47. Cries of surprise : O-HOs - oops, went with A-HAs
48. John follower : ACTS - Bible chapters
52. Fleet destroyed by the Protestant Wind : ARMADA
54. Ovid, for one : EPIC POET
56. More expensive : DEARER - started as DEEPER
57. Bought back : REDEEMED - Blue Öyster Cult song, too
58. Joshua tree habitat : DESERT - as for what got filled in first, I WILL NOT EVEN GO THERE
59. Tests using Snellen charts : EYE EXAMS
DOWN:
1. Bridges of Los Angeles County : JEFF - once I changed my "building", this actor's name (and not a structure) occurred to me
2. Home of the Herb Alpert Sch. of Music : UCLA - I had the U and A
3. Hustle : SCAM - ah, the noun, not the verb
4. Head of the Sorbonne? : TÊTE - Frawnche
5. Sushi choice : AHI - made my PENTAGON wrong
6. Eagerly unwrapped : TORE AT - Not even a week ago - I got a Millennium Falcon Bluetooth music player
7. In with : AMONG
9. SFPD alert : APB
10. "Nausea" novelist : SARTRE - I recognize the name, but not much else - the Wiki
11. Express, say : TRAIN
12. Orbital maneuver : RENDEZVOUS - learned this word from reading the 'adapted' novel of The Empire Strikes Back - but I was about 9, and read it literally as ren-dez-vows
13. "Years of Minutes" author : ANDY ROONEY - good WAG with the "OO" in place
14. SFPD ranks : LTs
21. Resolute policies : STANDS
23. __ platter : PU PU
24. One working on keys : USER - computer keys
25. Wreck locator : SONAR - shipwrecks
26. When, in Act IV, Juliet drinks the potion : SCENE THREE
27. "The O.C." and "Gossip Girl" : TEEN DRAMAS - never watched any of them
28. Taverna liqueur : OUZO
31. Structural pieces : I-BARS
32. Riata twirler : GAUCHO
33. Basic Latin word : AMAT - ah. I had AMAS
35. Rough going : SLOG - popular Saturday Crossword descriptor
36. "Yes!" : AMEN
41. __ block : CINDER
42. Next to : BESIDE - the blue-eyed girl from some time back sat BESIDE me yesterday - my heart was galloping in my chest....
44. Clued in : AWARE
45. Glum : MOPEY
48. Crown : APEX
49. Food __: after-eating drowsiness : COMA - did not suffer this on either holiday this year
50. Come down hard : TEEM - like rain
51. FDA output : STDs - Tried RDAs first
52. Throw into the mix : ADD
53. "The lie that enables us to realize the truth": Picasso : ART - I think I just read this in a book on novel writing
55. Volcano center? : CEE - VolCano
9. "__ Weeks": classic Van Morrison album : ASTRAL
15. Caravaggio masterpiece that pictures Pontius Pilate with Jesus : ECCE HOMO - the painting
16. Raise : PARENT
17. Iconic building with "point" offices : FLATIRON - dah~! Not PENTAGON, tho I realize there would need to be the phrase "with THE" in the clue
19. What stars have : FAME - I tried EGOS
20. Specialty docs : ENTs
22. In order : TIDY
26. Dauntless : STOUT
29. Spray holder : VASE - ah - I forgot that a "spray" is kind of floral arrangement
30. Site of monkey business : ZOO
31. Get a winter coat? : ICE UP - I am afraid my apartment will ICE UP this weekend - we lost the furnace, which includes the hot water, and won't get repaired until Tuesday. Always on a holiday weekend....
32. Part of an inheritance : GENE - ah, that kind of inheritance
33. River to the Severn : AVON - another good WAG
37. Cornerstone word : ANNO - I figured EST'D was not going to last
38. Hauls : LUGS - I had TOWS to start
39. 2009 A.L. MVP Joe : MAUER - filled via perps
40. Spectrum band : RED
42. Brandt of "Breaking Bad" : BETSY - beSsy seemed just as likely - I have not watched a single episode of this show, but I got a Firestick for Christmas from my landlord, so I can watch everything now - but first I am making my way through "Burn Notice"
46. Benjamin portrayer : HAWN - Goldie, as in Private Benjamin; I was thinking BRAD or PITT, for Benjamin Button
47. Cries of surprise : O-HOs - oops, went with A-HAs
48. John follower : ACTS - Bible chapters
52. Fleet destroyed by the Protestant Wind : ARMADA
54. Ovid, for one : EPIC POET
56. More expensive : DEARER - started as DEEPER
57. Bought back : REDEEMED - Blue Öyster Cult song, too
Redeemed
59. Tests using Snellen charts : EYE EXAMS
I can read line 7
1. Bridges of Los Angeles County : JEFF - once I changed my "building", this actor's name (and not a structure) occurred to me
2. Home of the Herb Alpert Sch. of Music : UCLA - I had the U and A
3. Hustle : SCAM - ah, the noun, not the verb
4. Head of the Sorbonne? : TÊTE - Frawnche
5. Sushi choice : AHI - made my PENTAGON wrong
6. Eagerly unwrapped : TORE AT - Not even a week ago - I got a Millennium Falcon Bluetooth music player
9. SFPD alert : APB
10. "Nausea" novelist : SARTRE - I recognize the name, but not much else - the Wiki
11. Express, say : TRAIN
12. Orbital maneuver : RENDEZVOUS - learned this word from reading the 'adapted' novel of The Empire Strikes Back - but I was about 9, and read it literally as ren-dez-vows
13. "Years of Minutes" author : ANDY ROONEY - good WAG with the "OO" in place
14. SFPD ranks : LTs
21. Resolute policies : STANDS
23. __ platter : PU PU
25. Wreck locator : SONAR - shipwrecks
26. When, in Act IV, Juliet drinks the potion : SCENE THREE
27. "The O.C." and "Gossip Girl" : TEEN DRAMAS - never watched any of them
28. Taverna liqueur : OUZO
31. Structural pieces : I-BARS
32. Riata twirler : GAUCHO
33. Basic Latin word : AMAT - ah. I had AMAS
35. Rough going : SLOG - popular Saturday Crossword descriptor
36. "Yes!" : AMEN
41. __ block : CINDER
42. Next to : BESIDE - the blue-eyed girl from some time back sat BESIDE me yesterday - my heart was galloping in my chest....
44. Clued in : AWARE
45. Glum : MOPEY
48. Crown : APEX
49. Food __: after-eating drowsiness : COMA - did not suffer this on either holiday this year
50. Come down hard : TEEM - like rain
51. FDA output : STDs - Tried RDAs first
52. Throw into the mix : ADD
53. "The lie that enables us to realize the truth": Picasso : ART - I think I just read this in a book on novel writing
Cubism, get it~?
Splynter
