Saturday, September 3, 2016

Saturday, Sep 3rd, 2016, Mary Lou Guizzo & Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,V,X,Z)

Blocks: 26

 Second time this duo has connected on a Saturday (1/9/16), and reviewing the last puzzle, I had my doubts on today's success.  Yet once again there were just enough "I got it" answers to allow me to finish, in good time, and a "ta-DA~!" that came without searching for a bad cell.  Triple 11's in the Across and triple 10's in the Down and a classic pinwheel design with some other chunky fill;

15. "Tristes apprets" from "Castor et Pollux," e.g. : SOPRANO ARIA - I sensed it was going to be "OPERA---" or "---VOCAL" but let it "go to the Downs" before trying something; see the crossing 6d.

13. It has its kinks : GARDEN HOSE - Oh, I so wanted PANTYHOSE to make the puzzle; Lemonade has been spot-on two weeks running now


55. Al Jazeera and Yomiuri Shimbun : NEWS OUTLETS - I know the name Al Jazeera, so I threw in "NEWS---" and waited

25. Betty Crocker brand of instant mashed : POTATO BUDS

HAWKWARD~?













ACROSS:

1. Subject of the 1998 Supreme Court case New Jersey v. New York : ELLIS ISLAND

12. Information __ : AGE

16. Billy's reply? : MAA - dah~!  Sheep go BAA, goats go "MAA"~? - tho we could be talking about a human kid named Billy

17. Group sharing a name with a cranberry cocktail : PINK MARTINI - never heard of the group or the drink

18. Docs' work areas : ERS - "to "E" or not to "E"; that is the question; I went with "O"RS

19. Slip or clip follower : ONS - nice misdirection; needing the plural for a singular clue - slip-ons, clip-ons

20. Rich rocks : ORES - Diamond didn't fit

21. Hot : TRENDY - unsure if this was the "IRATE" or "HIP" definition

23. Satyr's kin : FAUN - one of those "I got it" clues

24. Rear : KEISTER - spelled it wrong; I before E, right~?  wEird....

25. Obvious : PATENT

28. Holiday decor item : PINE CONE - check this out

About $1mil - the site

29. Final announcements : OBITS - eh, could have used an abbr here

30. Comes across : FINDS - dah~! Not MEETS

31. "__ Crossroads": Bone Thugs-n-Harmony song : THA - shoulda known it was not "AT A"

32. Hue : TONE

33. Game with a varying number of cards : BINGO - ah, those cards

34. Like many horses : SHOD

35. __ Nova : ARS - the Wiki

36. Turkestan tents : YURTS - another "I got it"

37. Full moon, e.g. : PHASE - there was a solar eclipse on Thursday, but couldn't see it from my house; the lunar semi-eclipse in two weeks can't be seen from here, either

38. Sports nail-biters : TIE GAMES - OVERTIMES didn't fit

40. Felix __, CIA friend of Bond : LEITER - "I got it" clue - if you get the chance, try this book, a history of the making of the Bond films - great read


41. Siouan tribe : OGLALAS - mostly perps

42. Portrayer of Buddy's father in "Elf" : CAAN - I just can't sit through this seasonal movie; I'm more of "A Christmas Story" buff

43. Acrimonious : BITTER - My high school Latin teacher had this T-shirt;
MELIOR
NON
ACRIOR

44. Prince in "Frozen" : HANS - just saw it on TV; I find most of the CGI animation movies do an excellent job of re-telling classic stories; I'm tired of the endless "superhero" films that have been popular over the last decade

45. Wise chip flavor : BBQ

48. Low número : UNO

49. Actress in "Spy" (2015) : MIRANDA HART - perps and a WAG

52. Wet blanket : DEW - ah.  Not the metaphoric "DUD"

53. "Grown Ups" star : ADAM SANDLER

54. Loan application fig. : SSN

DOWN:

1. 1960s-'70s Orr teammate, to fans : ESPO - Phil Esposito; hockey players on the Boston Bruins - we are almost to the new season~!

2. Prime cut : LOIN

3. OR teammates : LPNs

4. Needle : IRK - Dah~!  Not RIB

5. Apia natives : SAMOANS


6. Suffering from ennui : IN A RUT - reminds me of this song - talk about soprano

Stuck In A Rut

7. "Either/Or" author Kierkegaard : SØREN - another "I know it" clue, as I like to 'dabble' in personality types

8. Muscles strengthened by muscle-ups : LATS - better fit than PECS, which was my other WAG for this clue

9. Shipping nickname : ARI

10. Longtime Seattle Mariners' majority owner : NINTENDO - I did not know this

11. Jersey homes : DAIRIES - clever; cows - not dose guys across the bridge

Local (NY) humor

12. "Couldn't agree with you more!" : "AMEN TO THAT~!"

14. Basic kids' book : EASY READER

22. Key to backing up? : ESCape - that kind of 'key'

23. Regale : FÊTE

24. Some royals : KINGS

26. Indigenous Tasmanians : ABORIGINES

27. Show biz nickname : TINSELTOWN - ah.  A general name; thought it was going to be a proper name

28. Gelato units : PINTS

30. Kindles : FIRES - TABLETS didn't fit

33. Hitchhike : BUM A RIDE - I know two guys who bummed a ride from the Vogons

 Arthur and Ford from HHGG

34. __ splints : SHIN

36. Every Skull and Bones member, until 1991 : YALE MAN

37. Serf : PEASANT

39. Hood's weapon : GAT - I had the "T", so I knew it was that hood, not Robin Hood, and "BOW"

40. Convertible carriage : LANDAU


42. "I'll show you!" : "CAN SO~!"

44. Acting coach's banes : HAMS

45. Bundle in a field : BALE

46. Maverick on TV : BRET - another "I knew it"

47. Game divs. : QTRs

50. Unembellished : RAW

51. Med. number that's better when it's higher : HDL

Splynter

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