Words: 68 (missing all the "good" tiles, J,Q,X,Z)
Blocks: 27
Man, I got nuthin'....and yet, after turning on red-letter help, the answers seemed to be much more obvious - I was just not on the constructors' wavelength this week - I'm distracted by my latest carpentry project. Four grid spanners;
15A. Major influence in '60s music : BRITISH INVASION - Man, I wouldn't say this was an "influence" of 60's music, I would say it IS 60's music; my parents were born and raised in England, and I would listen to their collection of "Invasion" music on LP.
17A. Is subjected to a series of attacks : RUNS THE GAUNTLET
17A. Is subjected to a series of attacks : RUNS THE GAUNTLET
48A. Mideast pearl-shaped pasta : ISRAELI COUSCOUS - I had the couscous part, but the region it was from did not come to me; don't quite see the shape, tho
51A. Out of character : NOT IN ONE'S NATURE
Oh well -
No draw....
ACROSS:
1. Relinquish power : ABDICATE - got it
9. It'll knock you out : OPIATE - ETHER was too short, ANESTHESIA too long
18. Disturb : ANNOY
19. Even though : WHILE
20. Be off : ERR - not AIL
21. Like Walter Mitty : MEEK - not in my wheelhouse; more here
22. Spinal column? : TITLE - the spine of a book, that is - I was stuck in "Spinal Tap" thinking
23. __-dieu : PRIE
24. Base address : SIR - not APO, good misdirection
25. To the point : TERSE
26. "In bad company," to Bierce : ALONE - alas, I am still in that company
27. Right triangle ratio : SINE
28. Renders less dangerous, in a way : DEFANGS - yeah, that would be less dangerous - you wanna try doing it?
30. Brightly colored silica : AGATE - alternative, Saturday cluing to "playing marble"
32. No mere joy : BLISS - oh, it's much more than
33. Antarctic expedition vehicles : SNO-CATS
35. Three-sect. exam : PSAT - I thought it could be SATS, and I was close; math, reading and writing an essay
36. Deck out : ADORN
37. "Cattle" or "Reddish" wader : EGRET - reddish? That's the best they could come up with?
39. Lulu : PIP
42. River to the Gulf of Finland : NEVA - map
43. Bigwig in big oil : BARON - the person, not the company, like EXXON - but so close....
44. San Francisco Giants closer Sergio : ROMO - I am sure C.C. "16D-ed" this one; I was clueless
45. Onetime cohort of Eazy-E : DRE - Rappers; I tried B.I.G. first - BZZZT~!
46. Dance named for a horse's gait : GALOP - Hmmm, I wonder if the same person who named the egrets....
47. ACC team with a turtle mascot : TERPS
52. "__ & Juliet": 2011 animated film : GNOMEO - IMDb
53. Kentucky Derby wreath : RED ROSES
DOWN:
1. "Fringe" co-creator J.J. : ABRAMS - I knew him from his Star Trek: TNG work; this show, however, I just couldn't get into - I know we have some fans here
2. Sultanate on the South China Sea : BRUNEI - map#2
3. Many dates involve one : DINNER - only if you 31D them first
4. Words of consolation : IT'S OK - Dah!! I was looking at I'M....uh
5. Irving or Norman, e.g. : CITY - Fooled me, and I thought I was clever with NAME to start
6. Silent butler contents : ASH - never heard the term; I thought ALE would be a good thing to keep in a silent butler, next to the 'avatar'
7. It can be exciting to get down to it : THE WIRE - that makes more sense; my brain tried THE CORE
8. Round numbers : EIGHTS - I had ZEROES to start; the right idea....
9. Elementary seed : OVULE
10. Philatelist's purchase : PANE - jargon for stamp, as a philatelist collects them; I thought they also collect COIN - but that's a numismatist
11. Lobby extension? : IST - LobbyIST
12. Banking aids : AILERONS - ARGH~!!! the banking done by planes; I have been in a small prop plane; the rudder alters "yaw", the ailerons "pitch" and "roll".
13. Worn-down jewelry? : TOE RINGS - Well, I had EAR RINGS, since they hang "down"
14. Steaks and chops, say : ENTREES - ugh, not some type of "cut"
16. Threw out on the basepaths, in baseball lingo : NAILED
22. Precept : TENET
23. Braid : PLAIT
25. Colossus : TITAN
26. Key of Chopin's "Heroic Polonaise" : A FLAT - fill in the FLAT, and wait....
27. Pelvic bones : SACRA
29. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" co-star : EBSEN
30. "Anne of the Thousand Days" playwright Maxwell : ANDERSON
31. Approach : GO OVER TO
33. Carpenter's activity : SANDING - I am remodeling the apartment at my mother's house; I will also be doing some wood CUTTing,cabinet HANGing....
34. Keep from escaping : SEAL IN
35. Suggest : PROPOSE
38. Apron wearer : GROCER - got it, so proud of myself
39. Like sponges : POROUS
40. Sullied : IMPURE
41. Western outfits : POSSES - the "outfit" in terms of a group
43. One of Mowgli's mentors in "The Jungle Book" : BALOO - I knew he was "---OO", and not NABOO - that's from Star Wars
44. Page 5, say, usually : RECTO - odd pages of a book/page; VERSO the other - but the online dictionary says it's the reverse
46. Modern map element : GENE
47. Member of an old Russian line : TSAR - WAG
49. Goal : AIM
50. __ so weiter: Berliner's "et cetera" : UND
Splynter
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