Saturday, October 29, 2011

Saturday, Oct 29th, Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 68

Blocks: 33

Another Brad Wilber in the month of October (the 8th), this one with the lowest word count I think I have had for a Saturday, and four "cheater" squares, a term I am not thrilled about; it refers to the black squares in the two corners and the symmetrical ones below 26A, and above 43D. This grid, with its "plus" pattern has spawned some interesting non-Saturday themes - specifically, one where the theme tie-in was Plus Sign, and Positive - I just can't remember who it was - my guess is yesterday's constructor, John Lampkin. Anyway, Brad's puzzle was pretty smooth today, just a few changes and one or two learning moments - or maybe I am just getting better at Saturdays....

ONWARD ~!

ACROSS:

1. In secret : ON THE QT - nice - starting with a "Q" in an abbreviation, QT meaning "quiet", and discussed here

8. Picks up slowly : GLEANS

14. Staunch : TRUE BLUE

15. Tank top? : TURRET - didn't fool me

16. Divine dinner : AMBROSIA - had _ _ _ ROAST to start, but wasn't working

17. Bergman of film : INGMAR

18. Pricey order from a butcher : LOIN

19. Caldecott Medal winner __ Jack Keats : EZRA

21. Tropical cousin of the raccoon : COATI - Image

22. Capital of Lithuania? : ELL - Put this in right away, then thought it might be a reference to the "money" capital of the country, but nope, I was spot-on

23. 1971 Matthau film directed by Jack Lemmon : KOTCH - more here

25. "__War": Shatner series : TEK - never watched it; but I am a huge TREKKIE

26. One involved in litigation : SUER

28. Hard times : MISFORTUNE - meh, this doesn't quite fit, like "I fell on hard times, I fell on misfortune"....meh

30. Parenthetical passage : ASIDE - I like saying the word PA-ren-THEH-ti-cal

32. Sommelier, often : POURER - Sommelier, a wine specialist at a restaurant

33. Pitchman's pitches : SPIELS

35. Became less ardent : COOLED

36. Aesop character, usually : ANIMAL

37. Skunk cabbage and jack-in-the-pulpit, e.g. : ARUMs - I could not figure out exactly what the correlation of these words were; they are all plants, that much I know....

38. Much-devalued holding, in modern lingo : TOXIC ASSET - sub-prime mortgage homes are a pretty good example that I can think of....

40. Yorkshire river : AIRE - Map (boy was this HARD to find ~!)


44. Rule, in Rouen : LOI - Ah, French, my guess is it's "LAW"

45. Overpromoted : HYPED

46. Common URL finish : COM - as in "Dot Com"

47. Cub Scouts pack leader : AKELA - this was new to me

49. Stem-to-branch angle : AXIL

51. Radiohead frontman Yorke : THOM - Cool video

52. Eat one's words : RECANT

54. Pervasiveness : UBIQUITY - I like using "Ubiquitous", so this one came to me easy

56. '90s Seattle-born music style : GRUNGE - Not a fan of the style, but I did love Nirvana

57. Lively musical passages : ALLEGROs

58. Regard : ESTEEM

59. Plays for a fool : LEADS ON

DOWN:

1. Ornamental gilded bronze : ORMOLU - a WAG from knowing OROBLU, and this is what the clue is referring

2. Developed, in a way : NUBILE - oh, this is developed

3. Fork-tailed bird : TERN

4. Original network of "Fraggle Rock" : HBO - I remember when HBO was "exotic"

5. Unnamed alternative : ELSE

6. Radio game show with a panel of gifted children : QUIZ KIDS

7. Apricot-like shade : TEAROSE

8. Hatchback with a TSI engine : GTI

9. Home of counterculture? : LUNCHROOM

10. Logical term : ERGO

11. Sculptor's framework : ARMATURE - also in Stop-motion animation

12. Put in order : NEATENED

13. Person in a picket line : STRIKER

14. Raconteur's repertoire : TALES

20. Justice Dept. bureau : ATF - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms

24. Lame excuse : COP OUT

27. "Spider-Man" director Sam : RAIMI

28. Female poet known to friends as "Vincent" : MILLAY

29. Oral Roberts University site : TULSA

31. Dramatic transformation : SEA CHANGE

33. Plays for a fool : SNOOKERS - I have yet to play a game of Snooker

34. Halle Berry's hairstyle : PIXIE CUT - not a fan of Halle, but this style does look good

35. Like a good witness : CREDIBLE

36. Not in custody : AT LARGE

37. Like some spore reproduction : ASEXUAL

39. Place for a rest cure : SPA

41. Suzuki of the Mariners : ICHIRO - I defer to our baseball expert, C.C.

42. Act the cheerleader : ROOT ON

43. Winged statuettes : EMMYs



48. Swim meet division : LANE

50. Reader's Digest co-founder Wallace : LILA

51. Harbor vessels : TUGS

53. President pro __ : TEM

55. Logical letters : QED - and wrapping it up with another "Q" abbreviation ~!

Answer grid.

Splynter

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