Words: 68
Blocks: 34
PHEW ~! This offering from two of our regular constructors really forced me to dig down deep, and there was a point when I thought "I'd better give in", but I held my ground and got my "Ta-Da", and under my personal allotted time, too. Doug Peterson has contributed several times to other Saturday 'gridsmiths', and has possibly set a record for having his name associated with 4 puzzles in a month - this month. Of course, Brad is no slouch, either, with 8 Saturday puzzles this year, and one other Saturday contribution from both guys, Feb 5th this year.
So we had FIVE (5!) grid spanners in this one:
14. Flock tender : RELIGIOUS LEADER - Well, I knew it was something like this, but I was also thinking it might just be a reeeeally long version of "shepherd"
17. Style eschewing heavy sauces : NOUVELLE CUISINE - Never heard of this style, but I do know our group here at the blog has shared many a recipe over the time I have been visiting.
35. Brain cramp, so to speak : LAPSE IN JUDGMENT - More commonly known around here as a Brain "Fart"
55. 1926 novel set in Pamplona : THE SUN ALSO RISES - One of those "oh, I know this, I just need some letters to suss it out" - and I think I had T--SU------IS-S, and I ducked before the V-8 can bonked me
57. 1970s Patrick Duffy title character who can breathe underwater : MAN FROM ATLANTIS - I know who he is, in terms of "Dallas", but never heard of this show - here you go, ladies
Onward ~!
ACROSS:
1. Removes, as a backpack from one's shoulder : UNSLINGS - Well, I figured it was UN-, so I tried SLINGS, and didn't look back
9. Described in letters : SPELT - Shall we start a dispute over SPELLED? I thought it was "written on paper" letters, so I tried WROTE first.
18. Was Grinch-like, in a way : SNEERED - Timely, but I only like the cartoon version of this classic
19. Trattoria offering : RISOTTO - Makes me think of Chef Gordon Ramsay from "Hell's Kitchen"
20. Pros with schedules : CPAs - Certified Public Accountants
22. Assemblage : BODY
26. Pillow stuff : FOAM - Not Down (the other down is further down, uh, lower)
27. Fab : BOFFO
32. 1840s-'50s antislavery party : FREE SOIL - The WIki, I do not recall discussing this in American History
34. Symbol of Middle America : PEORIA -
37. Like Schoenberg's "Moses und Aron" : ATONAL - Well now, we just talked about this yesterday - and another link - Egad ~!!!
38. Enjoying the mall, say : ON A SPREE - SHOPPING fit, too, but then I knew one "E" was right, so I WAGed this, and ha ~!
39. Wyoming's __ Range : TETON - Again, one of those "oh~! I know this...."
40. Pride of the pumped-up : PECtoralS - and another for the ladies
41. Wagnerian title? : HERR - German title
42. Indiana senator who retired in 2011 : BAYH
43. Do something about : ACT UPON - Funny, this my first thought, and yet I didn't try it
48. Island classic : ALOHA 'OE - Total and undeserved WAG, I stuck the "O" & "E" at the end because I had no clue otherwise
58. Move sneakily : SIDLE - Not SLINK
59. Revealing : TELL-TALE
DOWN:
1. Some museum pieces : URNS - Why not? The "U" of which I was fairly certain
2. Its atomic number is 10 : NEON - Again, the "N" was good, what else could it be~?
3. Turn about : SLUE - OK, now my SLINGS is starting to work....
4. Glowing, as coals : LIVE - Ah, but then again, I could not think of an "L" word that meant 'hot' or 'afire' - LIVE is good, but....
5. Eisner's Disney successor : IGER - Don't know this guy
6. Livingstone explored it : NILE
7. Crown in the Henry VIII era, e.g. : GOLD COIN - Crown as in money
8. Only non-rhyming ghost in Ms. Pac-Man : SUE - Blinky, Pinky, Inky and "Mr." Pac-Man's fourth, do you know~? I do, I do ~!
9. Dos into doce : SEIS - Well my foreign math is completely OFF - I was very proud I got 10 ÷ 2 = 5, and that's CINC, no, SEIS - HA~! I SO know my Italian ~!!!! (Spanish, 12/2=6)
10. __ Robles, California : PASO - Map
11. Drop a line, maybe : EDIT - I had OMIT, and in a play, this is totally reasonable
12. Advanced : LENT
13. Big name in 34-Down : TREO - Have to admit, this cyclic clue actually HELPED me today - I had --EO, and --AS, and I threw in TREO, and the light bulb gave me 34D. Some email receivers : PDAs - Personal Data Assistants, which I think I had last Saturday, too
15. "Bug off!" : SCRAM
16. Aparicio of Cooperstown : LUIS - as always, I defer to our most highly appreciated host
21. Musical based on an O'Hara novel : PAL JOEY
22. Key of the last Brandenburg concerto : B FLAT - don't be flat, be positive~! - no that's blood type - oh well, if you knew that you would be "A SHARP" person....
23. Declaim : ORATE - nah, I wanted STATE here
24. Stop on a line : DEPOT - a Clecho of 11D, this 'line' is a railroad; took me a while
25. Not open-ended, as a question : YES/NO
26. Flexible weapon : FOIL - the recently in hiding "EPEE" of crossword fame
27. Appeals : BEGS
28. Brio : OOMPH
29. Nice sibling : FRÈRE - Earworm ~!
30. More luxuriant : FINER
31. Film that often includes drawings : OATER - ugh ~! Drawing, as six-shooters at high noon in a gun-slinging (hey~!) western
33. Dramatist O'Casey : SEAN
36. Opposite of 47-Down : UNCHASTE & 47D. Immaculate : PURE
40. Clipper airlines : PAN AM
42. Pro follower : BONO - Legal Lemonade
43. Casino conveniences : ATMs - an alteration on our CW staple - Casinos love 'em~!
44. Indian tea : CHAI
45. Look after : TEND
46. QB Jim Kelly was its 1984 MVP : USFL - Yeah, I remember this, but at first I thought BOWL, but knew it was an abbr.
49. Use the hammock : LOLL
50. Like some traditions : ORAL
51. Trace : HINT
52. 1930s-'40s mystery film scene stealer : ASTA
53. Part of le visage : OEIL - meh, French
54. To be, to Tiberius : ESSE - I took Latin for four years - helps my English and crossword skills
56. GPS determination : LATitiude
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR (earworm)
(OK, one for the guys before the end of the year....)
Splynter
