Saturday, January 23, 2016

Saturday, Jan 23rd, 2016, Martin Ashwood-Smith & George Barany

Theme: None (16 X 15)

Words: 69 (pangram)

Blocks: 38

I was glad when this one was over.  The quad stack was not the problem - everything else was.  Too bad, really.  Just some way-too-obscure fill - if you don't know it, it makes no difference how the clue reads.  A bit of a choppy grid, with 16 rows and the standard 15 columns.  Two 11-letter climbers, and the big 6; the quad stack and other two;

16. "A London Symphony" composer : VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - mostly perps and WAG

28. Minimal complications : LEAST RESISTANCE - the clue is a bet "eh"

36. Landscape brighteners : ORNAMENTAL TREES - my idea of ornamental;

Or how about this~?

37. "West Side Story" duet : ONE HAND, ONE HEART - I had one LOVE - can you tell I have no interest in musicals~?

38. Failed big-time : MET ONE'S WATERLOO - like this puzzle

54. Publication known for rankings : FORTUNE MAGAZINE - CONSUMER REPORTS fit, and that just did me in

ONWARD~

ACROSS:

1. Actor in four "Planet of the Apes" films : McDOWALL - did not help that I spelled his name with an "E", not an "A"

9. Antenna support : MAST

13. Traffic report source : CAR RADIO - I no longer listen to the "radio" of my car radio; I run Pandora on my phone thru the MP3 jack

14. Farm report? : BAA-BAA - I figured this was where we were headed....Moo-moo, etc.

18. Dutch banking giant : ING - their US portion was bought out by Capital One, and my retirement was there - and I despise Capital One.  The ING Wiki

19. It may be deviated : SEPTUM - There's a line in a Megadeth song that includes this phrase

20. London-born miler : COE - filled via perps, but I recall the name from crosswords

21. "That's a riot" : HA-HA-HA - I almost filled this in, but waited on perps

23. __ Werner, Best Actor nominee for "Ship of Fools" : OSKAR - a WAG on the "S", the rest was perps

25. Tokyo-based carrier : JAL - the "L" was not happening for me

26. Struggle with assessments? : LISP - cute

39. Whimper : MEWL - I was just not going to get this because of my LOVE over HAND; all the Down crossings were making no sense to me, and the domino effect....

40. __ de veau: sweetbread : RIS - eeeew~!  Not what I thought it was, and this marks the return of Frawnche after a very long absence....c'est la vie

41. Turning points : AXLES - meh.  period.  meh.  Axles are shafts, not points

44. Stein's "The Autobiography of __ Toklas" : ALICE B. - her Wiki

48. Word that sounds like its last letter : WHY - I C Y, D U?

49. Saudi neighbor : QATARI - the "Q" was a WAG, and that helped

51. Remove : LOP - think ornamental trees

58. Early online forum : USENET

59. Turkey, mostly : ANATOLIA - and I gotta link the "Istanbul (not Constantinople)" song

60. Wear well : LAST - this was like my first, and only, across fill on pass #1

61. Cuts from the back : SIRLOINS - ah.  I was thinking someone who "cuts" in line


DOWN:

1. Year in the reign of England's Henry I : MCVI - we had an English history lesson last week

2. Scott of "Hawaii Five-0" : CAAN - I like his acting style, so I liked this version of "Five-O" as much as the original; he plays Turk in the Ocean's movies, too


3. Tranquilize : DRUG

4. URL ending : .org

5. Distressed cry : WAH - pretty cool guitar effect, too

6. Recipe phrase : A DASH - "A" clue

7. Form opener : LINE A - clue "A"

8. Acidic : LOW pH - nice

9. Printemps period : MAI - more Frawnche

10. Taken __ : ABACK  - tsszzz - one too many "A" answers~?

11. Its capital is Apia : SAMOA - HA~! Nailed it

12. Law enforcement tool : TASER

14. __-ray Disc : BLU

15. "It won't be long now" : ALMOST THERE

17. Repubblica __: European country : ITALIANA - um, OK.  Perps.

21. Lives : HAS A HOME - gee, I think I liked the original version - see the interview

22. In the style of the 1975 film "Nashville," say : ALTMANESQUE - never heard the phrase, and in the 'down', was not going to fill for me - but a learning experience after the fact - his Wiki

24. Barbecue fare : SPARE RIB - PORK RIBS~? SHORT RIB~? I tried too many, and missed the obvious

25. One of the Jacksons : JANET

27. Minor key? : ISLET - since I got burned a few weeks ago, I did not fall for this again

28. Device with shuttles and treadles : LOOM

29. Shore raptor : ERNE

30. Freshen : RENEW

31. Runs over : ENDS LATE - my landlord is in Florida, and we're expecting to get hammered with a blizzard today.  High winds combined with the high tide/full moon, he's worried the property will flood - it's on Peconic Bay; that's the kind of "runs over" that was on my mind....

32. Put away : STOW

33. Actress Patricia and drummer Jeff : NEALS - I knew neither person - and I know a few drummers, as I play myself; she was before my time.  His Wiki / Her Wiki

34. Dos minus dos : CERO

35. __ perpetua: Idaho's motto : ESTO

41. Very bad : AWFUL - like the next clue/answer

42. Bantu language : XHOSA

43. Strummed instruments : LYRES

45. Dharma teachers : LAMAS

46. Mashhad native : IRANI

47. Symbol of victory for immortal Celtics coach Red Auerbach : CIGAR

50. Formic acid source : ANT

51. Actress Taylor : LILI

52. From here __: henceforth : ON IN - 'round here, it's "on OUT", so I tried "UP".  Bzzzt

53. Mendel research subject : PEAS - at first, I didn't understand, but then I realized I had this man confused with this man, so I had tried "ATOM"

55. It may be activated by a plunger : TNT

56. View from Kennebunkport, Me. : ATLantic - I tried PEI - Prince Edward Island, but Nova Scotia is in the way....


57. Confusing scene : ZOO

Splynter

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