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
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