Saturday, April 30, 2016

Saturday, Apr 30th, 2016, Derek Bowman

Theme: 15x16 Triple-stack Debut~!(?)

Words: 75 (Pangram~!)

Blocks: 38

  Quite an effort for a debut (at least a debut for the LA Times).  I did not recognize the author's name, and I do not see his name on the blog list of constructors.  I dove right in and didn't see the triple-stack in the center, but I did sense that the grid was slightly w-i-d-e-r than our normal fare.  And a pangram, to boot~!  I finished under my personal time, but I have to confess two Google look-ups; both proper names.  Oh well, still a good solve, and a fun puzzle as well.  Just a tad too many proper names, I thought.  The triple-stack;

34. Capital near Las Vegas : SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO - it fit, so I went with it, and it was a good guess

41. Popular software for gamers : ADOBE FLASH PLAYER - a bit deceptive, since I am not a gamer, but I need the software to view certain YouTube videos

42. Variety show on which "The Honeymooners" began as a skit : CAVALCADE OF STARS - my house mate Garry was standing over my shoulder while I was solving, and at 69 years old, didn't know this one - until I told him the answer later.  It filled via perp(endicular)s

ACROSS:

1. Protests by not taking any courses? : FASTS - I tried SIT IN, as in students who audit classes, but don't "take" them

6. Floorboard hardware item : BRAD - as a carpenter, I end up using brads in most finishing work

10. Cloaks : VEILS

15. Top dog : ALPHA - my supervisor at UPS is a mere 21 years old, but he's got a need to prove he's the "alpha" male on the line; it's not working for him

16. Western city with an annual balloon race : RENO - filled via perps

17. She slugged a sheriff in "Selma" : OPRAH

18. Pick up : LEARN

19. Big story : EPIC - dah~! Not SAGA

20. With 13-Down, "Unfaithful" Oscar nominee : DIANE; 13. See 20-Across : LANE


21. Waits on hand and foot : CATERS TO - I pondered this, but waited

23. "Pity" : TSK

25. Proof letters : Q.E.D.

26. Not much power : ONE WATT - Garry owned "Go Solar" before retiring; everything is about watts and volts in his business

27. "Never Cry Wolf" author Farley __ : MOWAT - cheat #1; I had MO_AT

29. "__ tree falls ... " : IF A - if a man speaks, and there's no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong~?

30. Significant period : ERA

31. __ moment : A-HA

43. Buddy : MAC - argh~! Not PAL

44. Former court gp. : ABA - American Bar Association; I looked on Wiki, but couldn't find out why it is "former"

45. Big name in outdoor gear : REI - this has become a popular crossword clue/answer

46. Pope John Paul II's given name : KAROL

48. "Ready for business" sign : NOW OPEN

52. Toon that debuted in the 1954 cartoon "Devil May Hare" : TAZmanian Devil


55. "Hyde Park on Hudson" subj. : FDR - the movie starred Bill Murray

56. Peak : HIGH NOTE

57. Hardly warm : ALOOF

59. Comet competitor : AJAX

61. Secretary of war under Teddy : ELIHU - look up #2

62. Language that gives us "mako" : MAORI

63. Accept : TAKE

64. Tears down, in 65-Across : RASES - the British version of RaZes

65. North Sea county : ESSEX - when it's at the bottom of the grid, it's a safe guess to go with ESSEX, which is letter-friendly

66. Inspected : EYED - I'm a licensed Home Inspector, and a free-lance leg inspector....


67. Decorative pitchers : EWERS - another letter-friendly bottom answer

DOWN:

1. Gandolfini's TV wife : FALCO - "The Sopranos", which I didn't watch, but I knew the stars; made me change my NW across answers

2. "Yond Cassius has __ and hungry look" : A LEAN

3. Sudden rush : SPATE

4. Obeyed a fishing regulation : THREW IT BACK

5. Marin County seat : SAN RAFAEL

6. Football's Favre : BRETT

7. Tow job, for short : REPO

8. Singer DiFranco : ANI

9. BBC hero since 1963 : DOCTOR WHO

10. Screwdriver part : VODKA - I went with "BLADE" - the tool, not the drink. 

11. Commercial prefix with Pen : EPI - EPIpen


12. Big oil exporter : IRAQ

14. Lose : SHED - like pounds; today I'm at 180, about the lowest I've been in 25 years - lost the long hair, too

22. It may be swiped at work : STAFF CARD - I have an ID card to get on the UPS property, but I don't swipe it

24. Lowland amphibian : SWAMP FROG

27. 1980s attorney general : MEESE

28. Attorney's specialty : TAXATION LAW

32. Simple greeting : "HI-YA~!"

33. Big name in PCs : ACER

34. Ink __ : SAC - took too long to dawn on me

35. Actor Driver of "Girls" : ADAM - my mind was stuck on Minnie

36. Salmon choice : NOVA

37. Involved : ELABORATE - the adjective; this is an involved construction

38. Athlete known as "The King of Clay" : NADAL - I knew we were looking for a tennis star, but I don't watch enough to know which one is the 'king of clay'

39. Absent : ELSEWHERE

40. Logical operators : ORs

47. Pin, say : AFFIX - the verb

48. Rejected : NIXED

49. Self-confidence : POISE

50. Wild blue yonder : ETHER

51. City across the Rhine from Düsseldorf : NEUSS

52. Hardly boundary-pushing : TAME

53. "Poor me!" : ALAS

54. Places with exhibits : ZOOS

56. Cod relative : HAKE

58. Mt. Hood setting : OREgon


60. Colorful flier : JAY

Splynter

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