Words: 70 (missing W)
Blocks: 35
Well, I saw Mark Bickham's name on this one, and figured I was in for the long haul, but then I noticed that the grid was not so daunting, and as a result, I have to say I just smoked through this puzzle. Lots of "Z"s, and we got the "Q" and "J", but alas, no place for the "W". Oh well. Two spanners, and two 11-letter climbers, and not much else lengthwise. Splynter is suffering from a prolonged head cold, and a stiff back from hockey, so it's going to be a short one today;
4. Pioneers : TRAILBLAZES - The verb, not the noun - I couldn't get blazERS to fit
27. "Chicago" song : ALL THAT JAZZ - I had the "Z" from OZONE, and that helped
OW, darn~!
ACROSS:
1. Early 20th-century Met baritone Pasquale : AMATO - With -M-TO in place, I went Italian....
6. City on the Nile : GIZA - ah, I forget it happens to be a city, and not just a plateau
14. Three-time Oscar-winning director : CAPRA
15. OS X basis : UNIX
16. Scholarly Islamic title : IMAM
17. Rasp : CROAK
18. Place to pick up some pets : NAPE - Dah~! Went with SPCA, knowing there was no abbr. in the clue - nice misdirection
19. Yankees coach Tony : PEÑA
20. 10% of MDX : CLI - I needed Husker's calculator again; 1510 x .1 = 151
21. Common file folder abbr. : MISCellaneous
22. Reno and others: Abbr. : AGs
28. Thick-trunked tree : BAOBAB
30. Bee product : QUILT - Dah~! Not HONEY, but I know better on Saturday
31. Followed : RESULTED
32. Makes a decision : ACTS - Not OPTS, but I was 50% correct
35. Word with lake or lick : SALT - Salt Lake, and salt lick - I had a bunny growing up
36. World's largest user of cheese, according to its website : PIZZA HUT - DOMINO'S was too short, but I bet they could give them a run for the title
40. Goes after, as flies : SHAGS - Yeah, baby, yeah~!!!!
44. Alternative-medicine staple : ALOE VERA - Fresh clue for a crossword staple - and the full answer, too
45. Fastball, in slang : HEATER - the season is running out, and the hockey is coming in~!
48. Airline with headquarters in Amstelveen : KLM
49. Energy source : ATOM - I tried WIND first
50. Improv session : JAM
51. Premium factor : RISK - like for your 17yr-old son's car insurance payment
53. Two-band : AM/FM
54. Bashes : GALAs
56. Etonic competitor : AVIA - Sneakers
57. Extend one's service : RE-UP - Military
58. __ layer : OZONE - Nailed it
59. One might be staked : TENT - Vampire did not fit....
60. Mallorca, e.g. : ISLA
61. Quetzalcoatl worshiper : AZTEC
DOWN:
1. Clemson Univ. is in it : ACC
2. Only actor to speak in Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie" : MARCEAU - The mime, and his only word is "No."
3. Ill-fated 1967 mission : APOLLO I - Capsule fire took the lives of three astronuats; Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee
5. Poison __ : OAK - OAK or IVY~? IVY or OAK~?
6. Hit the gas : GUN IT
7. Agitated : IN A STIR
8. Routing aids : ZIP CODES - Yesterday I caught a package bound for Southold, but with a Brooklyn address - bad zip code
9. Send packing : AXE - Dah~! Not CAN
10. Not square : HIP
11. "Seriously" : "I MEAN IT"
12. Asia's longest river : YANGTZE - got it with the "A" and "T" in place; the Three Gorges Dam displaced 1.3 million people; more facts here
13. Got a lot of : AMASSED
21. __ mentality : MOB
23. Summer party invitation letters : BBQ - DAH~! Not BYO....
24. Part of Wayne's world : BATCAVE - Clever misdirection, and I did not fall prey to it; BRUCE Wayne, not Wayne & Garth
25. Neighbor of Tempe : MESA - Cities in Arizona
26. Eponymous skater Axel : PAULSEN - The Wiki
33. What you once were? : THEE - Cute - "...but I wish I could wrap myself / in thee"
36. Super saver? : PACK RAT
37. "No harm done" : "I'LL LIVE"
38. Enhances the details : ZOOMS IN
39. Considerate : TACTFUL
41. Got stuffed, maybe : ATE A LOT
42. Material : GERMANE - by definition, relevant; pertinent
43. Yearbook sect. : SRs
45. Buzz : HUM
47. __-Loompas: Dahl characters : OOMPA - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - from the original movie;
53. NPR journalist Shapiro : ARI
54. __ long way : GO A
55. Hardly a long time : SEC
Splynter
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