Saturday, Dec. 10th, 2011, Robert A. Doll

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 38

I did the research and found that Mr. Doll has done a Saturday puzzle for the LAT once in 2010, and 2009. I don't keep up with the other paper's grids. Robert's last puzzle was Sunday's "Fish Heads", during the Hurricane Irene days - seems so long ago, now that we are two weeks from Christmas Eve.

Anyway, a sort of 'sideways' grid, with two 12-letter down fills;

8. Feature of many a monster movie : MASS HYSTERIA - Mob mentality, like in the movie Frankenstein, but it reminds me more of this scene, from my generation

20. Called for : NECESSITATED - a rare occurrence for me, a 12-letter fill that is one word, and not underlined in red because spell-check is having a problem with it

 Well, when it comes to tough puzzles, these that have one-word clues that define synonyms are the ones that really thwart me, and it gets worse when it's more than one word - for example;

17A. Try : BID - STAB, TEST, ATTEMPT, ugh - what's another three-letter word for this???

18A. Saw : ESPIED - and then there's the 'stuck in carpenter' problem, so it's not the tool, it's the verb that is echoed in 59A

27A. Entered : KEYED IN - well, I was fairly certain that it was  -- IN, so I tried WALKED, WENT, AMBLED, nope, nuh-uh, not it....

13A. Miss __ : A CUE - Ah....not AMERICA, U.S.A., MANNERS, but a stage flub

6D. Inconsequential : FRILLY - YEEEACHT ~!!!  OK, I get it, but I was looking for that juicy fill, like MINOR, EFFETE, FAILED - oh, I do love that tingle in the brain at the final letter ~!

ANY way, for me, BURSTING was was burst this puzzle open for me.

Onward ~!

ACROSS:

1. Engage in logrolling : BIRL - been in Crosswords before, but I couldn't recall it

5. Not quite right : OFF

8. Life Savers, e.g. : MINTS - again, not CANDY, or RINGS

14. Depression era prog. : NRA

15. 1983 World Cup skiing champ McKinney : TAMARA

16. Abel, vis-à-vis Adam: Abbr. : DESCendant

19. Controversial fuel : ETHANOL

21. Annoys : HASSLES

22. "No way!" : "GET REAL~!"

23. Kyrgyzstan border town : OSH

24. Birmingham band, briefly : ELO - Black Sabbath didn't fit

25. Fed. auditing agency : GAO - we just had this, too

26. Shout : CRY

29. But, to Brutus : SED - yeah, I took Latin for 4 years, and it didn't come to me

30. Replete : BURSTING - and this is where I '10.D' it

31. Divisions politiques : ETATS - French for state, becoming a standard

34. Pig thief of rhyme : TOM - Don't know this - filled in via perps

35. Waterproof boots brand : TOTES - Used to be a popular commercial at Christmas when I was growing up - they had slippers and umbrellas, too

36. One arriving during the overture, say : LATE SHOW - as in, "how rude, he was a late show and interrupted my view"

38. Literary contraction : EEN - Evening

39. Platoon provender : K-RATION

40. Lending letters : APR - not IOU, but Annual Percentage Rate

41. Small trip : HOP - not a JOG


44. Words With Friends, e.g. : APPlication, for one's smart phone - I don't have this particular one


45. Macavity creator's monogram : TSE - total WAG, but what can I say?


46. Idle fancy : CHIMERA - more familiar with the "animal" than this definition


48. Tray carrier, perhaps : BARMAID

50. Series of clips : TRAILER

51. Sleep inducer : OPIATE - well, sure, but so is beer, if you take enough of it - I would know....

52. Airport screening org. : TSA

53. They're above pvts. : CPLs - corporals

54. Kisser : NECKER - in this case, it's not the mouth, it's the person - and he's getting frisky

55. Overseas assent : OUI

56. Playground rejoinder : AM SO

57. Corporate __ : GREED

58. 45, say: Abbr. : RPM

59. No longer hidden : SEEN

DOWN:

1. No-goodnik : BAD EGG

2. Summer cooler : ICETEA - oh I am so not going to say it, but ARGH~!

3. Form hastily, as judgment : RUSH TO

4. Old Renault : LeCAR - Image

5. In agreement : ON BOARD

7. It doesn't last : FAD

9. Troublemakers : IMPS


10. Passed the test in a big way : NAILED IT - This is C.C.'s phrase - I learned it from her blog here

11. Mountain demarcation : TREELINE - not ALTITUDE, but it sounded right - treeline makes much more sense

12. "Teen Angel" et al. : SAD SONGS - et. al. means "and others', but I goofed by filling in _ _ SONG, and it wasn't working

15. Enticing ad : TEASER

21. Nonsense : HOKUM

28. Harrow rival : ETON

29. Leave be : STET

30. Stem at sea : BOW - the front of a ship

31. Quick Draw McGraw alter ego with a guitar for a weapon : EL KABONG - never heard of him - here he is

32. Roofer's material : TAR PAPER - well, now you're talkin' - Tar Paper is just that - paper saturated in tar, and used as an underlayment for roofing, siding, and decking applications

33. With consequences : AT A PRICE

34. In shape : TONED

37. Sock seller : HOSIER - my kind of hosiery

38. Joseph's second son : EPHRAIM - I was curious

40. Elicits a scolding : ACTS UP

41. Distressed request : HELP ME - I had J from JOG at 41A - leaving me J_ _P ME - and, well, JUMP ME is a request, but I swear, I was thinking about the car battery ~!!! (lol)

42. Ultimatum words : OR ELSE

43. Protestant cleric : PARSON

47. Layered minerals : MICAS

49. Auto title datum : MAKE - Make, model, year, mileage

52. Perch for a puma : TOR - rock ledge - here he is leaving

Splynter