Theme: GG double double spanners
Words: 68 (missing J,K,Q,V,Z)
Blocks: 25
This
one from Gail was a bear - and I am better off for the challenge. While
I did find some of the clues to be a bit of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h, all in
all, it was a healthy brain buster that took me over my personal
allotted time and into red-letter cheating, but I did manage to stay
away from Google. Lowest block count I have ever seen, 26 being the
previous low, and the structure of the puzzle lent itself to that most
cruel feature of all crosswords, the "I can't get there from here"
dilemma; I could not get into the mid-east section from "-FRIEND" to
"REPOT" without some real Wild-Ass Guesses. Two double-stack spanners;
15. Classic dessert : COCONUT CREAM PIE
- I was looking to get ICE cream in there and then chocolate, since I
am not a fan of coconut (don't like the texture) - but this is what fit
17. Childhood playmate, perhaps : IMAGINARY FRIEND - my first guess, but I can't say why I didn't fill it in
46. Find another way : ALTER ONE'S COURSE - I had LEAVE - -, which screwed that corner up until I went red-letter, and the SW lit up like we were on high alert
50. Least accessible areas : DEEPEST RECESSES - I had DARKEST - that's 4/7ths correct
Get it~?
ACROSS:
1. Chaotic : IN A MESS - tough way to start the puzzle, with a phrase, and one that just didn't quite 'click' for me with the clue
8. Wunderkinds : PHENOMS
18. Gave up : CEDED
19. Carnival follower : LENT - Mardi Gras and the religious period after - I did not know the celebration was referred to as a "carnival"
20. Long of "In Too Deep" : NIA - perps
21. Rested : LAIN - I had laiD
22. First AFL-CIO president : MEANY - had MEA--, tried MEADE
23. Beat : BEST
24. Projection in the sky, briefly : ETA - dah~! Not etS, as in aliens - I can't wait to see the new Alien movie, "Covenant", even though I think it's going to be nothing more than a "remake" of the 1979 classic
25. Contractual arrangement : LEASE
26. One of the Visayan Islands : LEYTE - filled via perps; the "Y" was my last fill
27. Fields with multiple "Ed Sullivan Show" appearances : TOTIE - figured it was not "SALLY", and the crossings took care of most of it; her Wiki
28. Sushi fish : SEA EEL - total WAG, and a total cringe moment
29. Household current : AC POWER - meh. Never "called" it that.
32. Becomes unproductive : RUNS DRY
33. Body shop convenience : LOANER
34. Provide room for growth, in a way : REPOT - if you have to send another message over the telegraph, is that remorse~?
35. Vaulted alcoves : APSES - NOOKS~? bzzt. NAVES~? bzzt. Eventually....
36. Its site has tracking tools : FedEx - the "other" guys. Self-promoting advertisement
37. "So there!" : HAH - DAH~!! Not A-HA; is that 100% zero correct~? I had the right letters....
40. Cons : NAYS - ah, the votes, not the artists
41. Families : CLANS
42. It was founded to build engines for The Bull Tractor Company : TORO - learning moment. And then when I read it again, "duh." Toro = bull....
43. Garage sale buys : LPs
44. Adriatic resort : LIDO
45. Express __ : TRAIN - too easy, I left it out the first few passes
51. Suit goal : DAMAGES
52. Minority legal filing : DISSENT
8. Wunderkinds : PHENOMS
18. Gave up : CEDED
19. Carnival follower : LENT - Mardi Gras and the religious period after - I did not know the celebration was referred to as a "carnival"
20. Long of "In Too Deep" : NIA - perps
21. Rested : LAIN - I had laiD
22. First AFL-CIO president : MEANY - had MEA--, tried MEADE
23. Beat : BEST
24. Projection in the sky, briefly : ETA - dah~! Not etS, as in aliens - I can't wait to see the new Alien movie, "Covenant", even though I think it's going to be nothing more than a "remake" of the 1979 classic
26. One of the Visayan Islands : LEYTE - filled via perps; the "Y" was my last fill
27. Fields with multiple "Ed Sullivan Show" appearances : TOTIE - figured it was not "SALLY", and the crossings took care of most of it; her Wiki
28. Sushi fish : SEA EEL - total WAG, and a total cringe moment
29. Household current : AC POWER - meh. Never "called" it that.
32. Becomes unproductive : RUNS DRY
33. Body shop convenience : LOANER
34. Provide room for growth, in a way : REPOT - if you have to send another message over the telegraph, is that remorse~?
35. Vaulted alcoves : APSES - NOOKS~? bzzt. NAVES~? bzzt. Eventually....
36. Its site has tracking tools : FedEx - the "other" guys. Self-promoting advertisement
In my case, UPS is usually the 'down' side....
40. Cons : NAYS - ah, the votes, not the artists
41. Families : CLANS
42. It was founded to build engines for The Bull Tractor Company : TORO - learning moment. And then when I read it again, "duh." Toro = bull....
43. Garage sale buys : LPs
44. Adriatic resort : LIDO
45. Express __ : TRAIN - too easy, I left it out the first few passes
51. Suit goal : DAMAGES
52. Minority legal filing : DISSENT
DOWN:
1. Frozen formation : ICICLE - ugh, I put in ice CAP
2. Dietary restriction : NO MEAT
3. National park SE of Bangor : ACADIA
4. Jewish star : MOGEN - I knew it as the Star of David; more from Wiki
5. City near Vance Air Force Base : ENID - a WAG
6. Word with block or screen : SUN - sunblock, sunscreen
7. Result of poor ventilation : STALE AIR
8. Hawthorne heroine : PRYNNE - dammit - I went with HESTER, and was right, but totally wrong
9. Substantial : HEFTY
10. Stirrup site : EAR - the little bones....
11. Feature of a two-ltr. monogram : NMI - No Middle Initial
12. Alert : OPEN-EYED - ah. Not sure if it was the noun, or the verb - turned out to be the adjective
13. Service provider : MINISTER - ah. That kind of service
14. With equanimity : SEDATELY
16. Pleat feature : CREASE
22. Monthly reading : METER
23. Brute : BEAST
25. The Home Depot rival : LOWES - I avoid shopping there at all costs - I'm a Home Depot guy
26. Service provider? : LENOX - got me. That kind of service
27. Shades : TONES
28. Some caretakers, for short : SUPES - like building superintendents
29. "Two Years Before the Mast" star : ALAN LADD - oh man....I tried ALAN ALDA, and was again so right, with all the letters in the wrong places....
30. Get off easy, perhaps : COP A PLEA
31. Message medium : P.A. SYSTEM - I so could not parse this in the down - I had PA-T ST--, and could not make anything out of it
32. Descriptor akin to shiny, in song : RED-NOSED - that reindeer with the shiny nose
34. One involved in a plot? : READER - my latest book is 'Prague Fatale' from Philip Kerr; I found him through a book called "The Grid", which had a totally different writing style and feel
36. Spark producers : FLINTS
37. Husky : HOARSE
38. Off one's rocker? : ARISEN - har-har
39. Frank : HONEST
41. Confined, as quarters : CLOSE
42. Bind : TRUSS
45. Ring sites : TOES
47. Org. concerned with climate change : EPA
48. Short rule? : REGency - I learned more here
49. LXVII x III : CCI - Roman 67 x 3 = 201
2. Dietary restriction : NO MEAT
3. National park SE of Bangor : ACADIA
4. Jewish star : MOGEN - I knew it as the Star of David; more from Wiki
5. City near Vance Air Force Base : ENID - a WAG
6. Word with block or screen : SUN - sunblock, sunscreen
7. Result of poor ventilation : STALE AIR
8. Hawthorne heroine : PRYNNE - dammit - I went with HESTER, and was right, but totally wrong
9. Substantial : HEFTY
10. Stirrup site : EAR - the little bones....
11. Feature of a two-ltr. monogram : NMI - No Middle Initial
12. Alert : OPEN-EYED - ah. Not sure if it was the noun, or the verb - turned out to be the adjective
13. Service provider : MINISTER - ah. That kind of service
14. With equanimity : SEDATELY
16. Pleat feature : CREASE
23. Brute : BEAST
25. The Home Depot rival : LOWES - I avoid shopping there at all costs - I'm a Home Depot guy
26. Service provider? : LENOX - got me. That kind of service
28. Some caretakers, for short : SUPES - like building superintendents
29. "Two Years Before the Mast" star : ALAN LADD - oh man....I tried ALAN ALDA, and was again so right, with all the letters in the wrong places....
30. Get off easy, perhaps : COP A PLEA
31. Message medium : P.A. SYSTEM - I so could not parse this in the down - I had PA-T ST--, and could not make anything out of it
32. Descriptor akin to shiny, in song : RED-NOSED - that reindeer with the shiny nose
34. One involved in a plot? : READER - my latest book is 'Prague Fatale' from Philip Kerr; I found him through a book called "The Grid", which had a totally different writing style and feel
36. Spark producers : FLINTS
37. Husky : HOARSE
38. Off one's rocker? : ARISEN - har-har
39. Frank : HONEST
41. Confined, as quarters : CLOSE
42. Bind : TRUSS
45. Ring sites : TOES
47. Org. concerned with climate change : EPA
48. Short rule? : REGency - I learned more here
49. LXVII x III : CCI - Roman 67 x 3 = 201
Splynter
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