Words: 72
Blocks: 30
A
very solvable and not-so-intimidating puzzle from one of our
getting-to-be very regular Saturday contributors, Brad Wilber. With the nice
run of "XYZ", this is also a pangram, which we haven't had in some time
on a Saturday. 4 corners of triple-stacked 7's, and one grid spanner
today;
35. Garden blooms named for medieval music makers : CANTERBURY BELLS
Only
8 3-letter words, and not much in the way of proper nouns/names or
foreign words, too, at least the ones here were 'gettable' for me~!
OnwarD~!
ACROSS:
1. Cup holder site : ARMREST - ah, not CONSOLE, like the center one in your car
8. Pedestrian : PROSAIC - this word always makes me think of "Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz" from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - dangerous poetry ~!
15. New Jersey City across from Staten Island : BAYONNE - map
16. Play that inspired Puccini : LA TOSCA
17. 19th-century literary trio : BRONTËS - some Wiki for the curious
18. Not 26-Down : UNIFIED - and 26D. Like exes : APART - uh, that's where I'm at; the latter
19. Pickett's Charge soldier : REB - The South, in the Civil War
20. Some moves, briefly : RELOs - Re-locations, as in moving house, right Dennis?
22. First family when D.C.'s earliest cherry trees were planted : TAFTS - William Howard Taft was president from 1909-1913; I was surprised it was in the 20th century
23. 1790s diplomatic powder keg : XYZ AFFAIR - Involving the newly formed US of A and France - funny, but I had ADAMS as the first family at 22A - or is that ADAMSES???
25. Chianti container : CARAFE
28. Takes off the shoulder, perhaps : TOWS - oh, could have been DF, but this is just a car needing a ride to the mechanic
29. La Paz-to-Montevideo dir. : SSE - just like I was talking about last week....
32. Expeditiously : APACE - OK, so an "A" word....
33. Miami Dolphins uniform color : AQUA - ah, not teal
34. Fluff pieces? : BOAS
38. Ship with a prophetic prow : ARGO - Jason, and his Argonauts; strange this was not clued as the new movie. I have not seen it - I saw Skyfall, tho.
39. Mythical bowman : EROS
40. Motrin competitor : ALEVE - OTC medications
41. Oklahoma tribe : OTO - sometimes spelled OTOE
42. Barrel of laughs : RIOT
43. Flavor, in a way : SEASON
44. Highly rated court figure : JUDGE JUDY - TV ratings, that is
46. Claptrap : HOKUM - "that's a lot of ___~!"
49. Clay + straw + water + sunshine : ADOBE - excellent clue; I gave this one some extra thought, and then "A-HA~!" it was there - more here
50. Recipe meas. : TeaSPoon; see 1D.
53. Type of mining used for near-the-surface minerals : OPEN PIT
55. Sample tray sign : TAKE ONE
57. Ecstasy : RAPTURE - not ELATION
58. Walk all over : TREAD ON
59. What con men may assume : ALIASES
60. "Act I: Daily Life" play : OUR TOWN
DOWN:
1. 50-Across, e.g. : ABBReviation
2. Infrequent : RARE
3. Initial warning to an intruder? : MYOB - "Mind Your Own Business~!"
4. Longtime Cub Santo : RON - to you, C.C.
5. Contestant's payment : ENTRY FEE
6. Reaction to a tickle, maybe : SNEEZE - not GIGGLE, not TEE-HEE
7. Inventor hired by Westinghouse : TESLA
8. Golfer's knickers : PLUS FOURS - I just learned that the name comes from being "+4 inches below the knee", like this
9. Operated : RAN
10. Canal malady : OTITIS - the canal of the EAR, that is
11. To date : SO FAR
12. "Never gonna happen!" : "AS IF~!" - I was looking for a Wayne's World clip
13. "Johnny Mnemonic" actor : ICE-T
14. Heels : CADS
21. Like an old saw : OFT QUOTED - of course, I was thinking about DULLED, RUSTED, etc.
23. Maker of the Vortex electric pencil sharpener : X-ACTO - hobbyists' knives company
24. Off : AWAY
25. Evergreen bean : CACAO
27. Movie chameleon voiced by Johnny Depp : RANGO
29. Clog bottoms : SOLES
30. Volley : SALVO
31. Ruhr valley city : ESSEN - crossword staple; look for it on the Right/East side with its friendly "E's" and "S's"
33. Repeals : ABROGATES - nice word; I'm gonna try and use it today
34. Anchor, as a nautical rope : BELAY
36. Senate Majority Leader after Frist : REID
37. Tourist guidebook publisher : BAEDEKER - and now online~!
42. Clamor : RUMPUS - not RUCKUS
43. Legacy producer : SUBARU - nice misdirection
44. Coup group : JUNTA
45. Game with five-letter words : JOTTO - We've seen this link before; addicting
46. Traditional dance : HORA
47. Australian export : OPAL - getting to be a crossword staple
48. Foreign Legion cap : KEPI - this thingy
50. Clamor : TO-DO
51. Bamboozle : SNOW
52. School in the Quaker Consortium : PENN
54. Haranguer's fuel : IRE
56. Absorb, as costs : EAT
Splynter
