Saturday, Jan 2nd, 2016, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing J)

Blocks: 27

A tragic start to the New Year, in terms of crossword solving for this blogger.  Too many proper names turned this into a fun sponge for me (*, I count 16).  I skipped red-letters and went straight to Google for one-off answers in an effort to solve the NE and SW corners, but even then I struggled up top.  I blame brain-lock, and doing the puzzle much too late to stay open- minded.  Can't even blame UPS - that's all over now, and I'm on a 3-day weekend....Triple 9-letter corners in the 'recto', triple 7's in the down on the 'verso' (trying to use what I have learned doing crosswords, uh, sort of), and two 10-letter spanners;

23. eBay feature : UPPER CASE B - and I got this one, but it was in a corner I solved

46. Silk Road component : KHYBER PASS - did not know the exact spelling

O       N      W    A   R  D~!

ACROSS:

1. Diamond surprise : UPSET - yeah, and just about any sport, really

6. Change keys often? : ISLAND-HOP - I was just plain stuck in a musical frame of mind - USE A CAPO was clever, but too short.  Florida Keys never crossed my mind

15.* "You've got me on my knees" woman in a 1971 hit : LAYLA - I 51-acrossed this one; I happen to prefer the acoustic version to the original

16. Competition covering many miles : SPACE RACE - again, stuck in a sporting frame of mind, so TRIATHLON, IDITAROD (too short), etc.

17. Wing : ANNEX

18. Unix guru, e.g. : POWER USER - I just don't get this; are we talking "power" user as in a computer maven, sort of like wearing a "power" tie to the big business meeting~?

19. Biblical miracle component : LOAVES - the other part being fishes, specifically 5 barley loaves and two "small" fish - the Wiki

21.* ''Wedding Bell Blues'' songwriter : NYRO - no clue

22. Last Hebrew letter : TAV - no clue

25.* Designer Ricci : NINA - no clue

26. D.C. United's org. : MLS - I did know this was soccer

27. King ratsnake's defense : ODOR - I tried FANG to start - that's 0.0% any way you slice it

28. Arctic : GELID - and strangely, I 51-acrossed this one

29. Pencil contents, perhaps : EYELINER

 

32.* "Particularly small and particularly wicked-looking" villain : Mr. HYDE - I had MRH---, which led me to parse it as "Mr.----", and that helped.  Reminds me of a song I just downloaded;

Men At Work

33. Fateful day : IDES

34. Pick up : HEAR

35. Neighbors of Frauen : FEMMES - German & Frawnche women

38.* "The Roosevelts" documentarian : KEN BURNS - total perp and WAG

42.* Jordan's only port : AQABA - Google #1 - the "Q" was not happening

43. Benefit from work : PERK

44. Classified initials : EOE

45.* Tamblyn of "West Side Story" : RUSS - not AMBER, seen here in House, M.D.

 

I liked the way her character dressed....

49. Down : EAT - dah~! Not SAD

50. Bug : FLAW

51. Ace the test : NAIL IT

52. Dogfish Head sellers : ALE HOUSES

55.* Mobutu's land : ZAIRE

56. Most unforgiving : STRICTEST

57. Inception : ONSET

58. Slinky spots : TOY CHESTS - I figured this was the toy, and not the gentleman's club

59. Learning methods : ROTES

DOWN:
1.* Poe title answer to " ... 'What is written ... / On the door of this legended tomb?'" : ULALUME - got it via perps, but had to look this up to see if it was one word/name, so here's the Wiki

2. Impressive array : PANOPLY - again, I 51-acrossed it

3. Neural junction : SYNAPSE

4. Professeur's charge : ELEVE

5. Government, often : TAXER

6.* Juno, e.g.: Abbr. : ISP - Internet Service Provider; I was stuck on Roman God/2007 movie

7. Back : SPONSOR - ugh, my sponsor will never forgive me for missing this one

8. Many a president : LAWYER

9. Having a bite : ACERB

10.* 50s-60s emperor : NERO - ugh - literally, from the years 54 - 68

11.* R&B group __ Hill : DRU - no clue

12. With urgency : HASTILY

13. Mythological sea nymph : OCEANID - all I knew was that it most likely ended with "-ID"

14. Fill : PERVADE - such as conversation in crowded restaurant

20. Tea cart items : SCONES

24. Vitamin C sources : ADES - oh, I didn't know you were a source of vitamin C, LemonADE....

25.* Prime minister sworn in by Mountbatten : NEHRU

28. Land __ : GRAB - I'd heard the term, but wanted to read more

30. An arm and a leg : LIMBS - har-har

31. Bean product? : IDEA

32.* "The Little Mermaid" composer Alan : MENKEN - more no clue

34. Wormwood, e.g. : HERB

35. China setting : FAR EAST

36. On a par with : EQUAL TO

37. Domination : MASTERY

38. Site of Truman's winter White House : KEY WEST - semi-clecho~???

39. Dreamer's opposite : REALIST - if I said this is my girlfriend - am I a dreamer or realist~?

Yep, her name is Gabriella, er, I mean Cora

40. "Ain't happening!" : "NO SIREE~!" - right, the clue just after my posted pic

41. Sonnet parts : SESTETS - I had SEPTETS, and 46a. ending in "-SP" seemed unlikely

43. Stages : PHASES

46.* 1971 title detective : KLUTE - heard of it, but never saw it

47. Carry-on no-no : RAZOR

48. Schroeder's love : PIANO - no clue - not a "Peanuts" fan at all

50.* WWI French marshal : FOCH - les Frawnche

53. It's heard at 52-Across : [hic]

54. D and C, in D.C. : STs

Splynter