10.01 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
October 1, 2011
Barry C. Silk

Theme: None

This puzzle put up a pretty good fight, but in the end I was victorious. A couple things I didn't know, a couple bad guesses, some misdirection here and there … good stuff for a Saturday.

Bullets:

• 5A: ___ Sea, off Siberia (KARA). Never heard of it.
• 22A: "1-2-3" singer Barry (LEN). Wow. I haven't heard this guy's name since … Barry Silk's last puzzle. :-)
• 23A: Tracker or Canyon (GMC). I tried SUV first, then thought it might be UTE, but GMC eventually appeared.
• 27A: Brand for which Garfield was once spokescat (ALPO). Okay, I laughed at myself here. I actually thought it might be RAGU.
• 30A: They fall in war films (PARATROOPS). Anyone else try PARACHUTES first?

• 55A: Deadpan features (MONOTONES).
• 2D: London's setting (ONTARIO). Ha! You can't fool me! I've seen this trick too many times!
• 20D: Hockey game clincher (EMPTY NET GOAL). I've never heard this phrase, but I'm not much of a hockey fan. Luckily, it was easy enough to piece together through crosses.
• 23D: Driving problem (GLARE). I thought this was going to be golf-related.
• 41D: Many Suffragette opponents (SEXISTS). At one point, I had penciled in a D at the end of 44A and already had the I and the ending TS in place and, even though it's obviously not the right number of letters, the first word that popped into my head was IDIOTS.
• 45D: Half a legendary bluegrass duo (FLATT).

Everything — 1A: Party leader (HOST); 5A: ___ Sea, off Siberia (KARA); 9A: Short-necked European fruit (ANJOU); 14A: Neutralizer of a sort (ANTI-TOXIN); 16A: Theater name (LOEWS); 17A: Ben Franklin, e.g. (STATESMAN); 18A: City on the Aar (BERNE); 19A: Solutions for unfair situations? (GALOSHES); 20A: Not so tough (EASIER); 21A: Modern address (URL); 22A: "1-2-3" singer Barry (LEN); 23A: Tracker or Canyon (GMC); 24A: Fifth-century date (CDI); 25A: Haberdashery item (TIE BAR); 27A: Brand for which Garfield was once spokescat (ALPO); 28A: Patricia Neal's Oscar film (HUD); 29A: Fountain output (SODA); 30A: They fall in war films (PARATROOPS); 33A: One may go over your head (HAIR DRYER); 35A: Space-saving display (FLAT SCREEN); 38A: Brothers (FRAS.); 42A: Lucy of "Kill Bill" (LIU); 43A: Body protector (SKIN); 44A: Worn out (EFFETE); 46A: Gives a thumbs-up (OK'S); 47A: Antiquity, quaintly (ELD); 48A: Old televangelism letters (PTL); 49A: Burden (TAX); 50A: Adjust at the garage, perhaps (RETUNE); 52A: Composer for whom an annual violin competition is named (PAGANINI); 54A: Nonreactive (INERT); 55A: Deadpan features (MONOTONES); 56A: Suit material (SERGE); 57A: Woman in a tree? (GREAT AUNT); 58A: Suit material (TWEED); 59A: Give away (TELL); 60A: Tablets from docs (MEDS); 1D: Shows nerve (HAS GUTS); 2D: London's setting (ONTARIO); 3D: Conked out (STALLED); 4D: One of the Jacksons (TITO); 5D: Carnegie Deli offering (KOSHER PICKLE); 6D: Dismissive sorts? (AXMEN); 7D: Narrow inlets (RIAS); 8D: "Barbara __": Beach Boys hit (ANN); 9D: White meat source (ALBACORE); 10D: Rejections (NOES); 11D: Bible's City of Palm Trees (JERICHO); 12D: Confessed (OWNED UP); 13D: They get you in (USER ID'S); 15D: Magnetic induction unit (TESLA); 20D: Hockey game clincher (EMPTY NET GOAL); 23D: Driving problem (GLARE); 26D: Currency with King Mongkut on the fifty (BAHT); 27D: "As You Like It" forest (ARDEN); 31D: Secret rival (ARRID); 32D: "O Fortuna" composer (ORFF); 34D: Agreed (ASSENTED); 35D: Wedding arranger? (FLORIST); 36D: Perfectly restored (LIKE NEW); 37D: Stark (AUSTERE); 39D: Attendants (RETINUE); 40D: Done (AT AN END); 41D: Many Suffragette opponents (SEXISTS); 45D: Half a legendary bluegrass duo (FLATT); 48D: Advisory group (PANEL); 51D: Press (URGE); 52D: Minute opening (PORE); 53D: First name in linguistics (NOAM); 55D: Co. heads (MGT.).

09.03 Sat

S A T U R D A Y

September 3, 2011

Barry C. Silk

Theme: None



Super quick write-up today. It's almost 10:00 (Eastern) and I just finished the puzzle. Took a stab at it last night after watching some of the tennis, but couldn't get far. Decided I must be too tired and figured I'd finish up in the morning. Well, I chipped away at it in fits and starts for quite a while this morning. Finally had everything except the dreaded northeast corner. I think that corner took me as long as the whole rest of the puzzle. Once I got it pieced together, the only thing that looks completely out of place is that SCARNE character (13D: "The Odds Against Me" autobiographer John). Apparently, he's a magician. Anybody heard of him? I sure haven't.



Other problems for me included the vague clue for DRS. (60D: J et al.) since it was crossing ELEAZAR (62A: Son of Aaron), a biblical reference (not exactly my strong suit). I had to run the alphabet there. BEATLES CONCERT took me a long time to see. With the O,N and T in place I faintly penciled in "ONE HIT," thinking that seemed like a reasonable ending for an answer having something to do with baseball. I had OHMS for RHOS (32D: Density symbols, in physics) for quite a while. Also HAIR for HEAT (5D: Wave makeup) and MADE IT for MADE DO (7D: Squeaked by). I'm gonna call this one tough but fair although I'm pretty sure there will be some disagreement about the fair part in the comments. Let's hear it!







Everything — 1A: Name thought to mean "father of many" (ABRAHAM); 8A: Like Rubens (FLEMISH); 15A: Song title words after "The future's not ours to see" (QUE SERA); 16A: Novel genre (ROMANCE); 17A: 20th-century Riyadh-born ruler (IBN SAUD); 18A: Axes to grind (AGENDAS); 19A: 1966 Candlestick Park highlight (BEATLES CONCERT); 21A: Pier gp. (ILWU); 22A: Correct (EDIT); 23A: "I give up!" ("DUNNO!"); 24A: Inclement weather sounds (PEALS); 26A: Early L.A. Times publisher Harrison Gray __ (OTIS); 28A: Acronymous gun (STEN); 29A: Old Turkish leader (SULTAN); 31A: "The Curse of Capistrano" hero (ZORRO); 33A: Small missions? (OPS); 34A: Baseball glove part (WEB); 36A: Theoretical extreme (NTH); 37A: Health facility (SPA); 40A: Not at all active (INERT); 42A: Mainline? (AORTAL); 44A: Ride (SPIN); 47A: Stiff (TAUT); 49A: Close call (SCARE); 50A: They're involved in joints (ULNAS); 52A: Old pol. divisions (SSR'S); 54A: Emmy-winning NFL analyst Collinsworth (CRIS); 55A: Subject of an annual contest held in Brooklyn (NATHAN'S HOT DOGS); 58A: Suppress (SQUELCH); 59A: Ambushed (WAYLAID); 61A: "1984" superstate (EURASIA); 62A: Son of Aaron (ELEAZAR); 63A: Arrival time for the fashionably late? (TEN PAST); 64A: Diminishes (LESSENS); 1D: EPA stat (AQI); 2D: Aptly named soda brand (BUBBLE UP); 3D: Circulation measure (RENEWALS); 4D: Charge (ASSAULT); 5D: Wave makeup (HEAT); 6D: "Any fool can make __": Thoreau (A RULE); 7D: Squeaked by (MADE DO); 8D: Small part (FRACTION); 9D: Wikipedia's globe, e.g. (LOGO); 10D: Correct (EMEND); 11D: Nick of "Heartbreakers" (MANCUSO); 12D: Move from the edge (INDENT); 13D: "The Odds Against Me" autobiographer John (SCARNE); 14D: 1956 Moses player (HESTON); 20D: __ bath (SITZ); 21D: __ facto (IPSO); 25D: Shortened, in a way (SAWN); 27D: Certain Eur. miss (SRTA.); 30D: Old Nair alternative (NEET); 32D: Density symbols, in physics (RHOS); 35D: Military bigwig (BRASS HAT); 37D: Daydream (STARGAZE); 38D: Sartre, for one (PARISIAN); 39D: They may be brown or pale (ALES); 40D: Not stacked (IN A HEAP); 41D: Rear (TUSH); 43D: Pops since 1905 (R.C. COLAS); 44D: Final stage, as of a career (SUNSET); 45D: Memorial tablet (PLAQUE); 46D: How batters must bat (IN TURN); 48D: Gardening gadget (TROWEL); 51D: Hot stuff (SALSA); 53D: Old (STALE); 56D: CBS maritime drama (NCIS); 57D: Hair treatments (DYES); 60D: J et al. (DRS.).

08.13 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
August 13, 2011
Barry C. Silk
 

Theme: None

Tough Saturday, right? We've got interesting entries, tough cluing, not much crosswordese …what more could we ask for in a late-week puzzle? There weren't too many things today that I just flat-out didn't know:

• 65A: Goalie Dominik who won the Vezina Trophy six times (HASEK). I'm not much of a hockey fan (nothing against it, just never got into it). So if it's not ORR or ESPO it's pretty much beyond my knowledge base.


• 66A: He came out of retirement to play Winston Churchill in "Inglorious Basterds" (ROD TAYLOR). From the clue, I thought for sure this would be someone I've heard of. But no.


• 39D: Singer with the 1965 hit "1-2-3" (LEN BARRY). This entry has Barry Silk written all over it. He's a big fan of 1950s-60s music and LEN BARRY is from Philadelphia. (You can pretty much bet on something from Philly in Barry's puzzles.) The name didn't ring any bells for me at all, but I'm pretty sure I've heard this song before.

Bullets:
• 10A: Group whose name contains a deliberate misspelling inspired by the Beatles, whom they ardently admired (BYRDS). Awesome trivia.


• 16A: Web search option (YAHOO). Most of the time I forget that alternatives to Google even exist.



• 17A: Augustine St. Clare's daughter, in an 1852 novel (LITTLE EVA). Okay, this is funny. This clue refers to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. But the woman who sang "Locomotion" is also called LITTLE EVA. So when I was trying to think of a good guess for the "1-2-3" singer, with the L in place I thought it might be LITTLE EVA. It wasn't. But here she is! Andrea Carla Michael's calls that a "malapop." Love it when that happens.


• 22A: Strategic math game (NIM). I hope you were paying attention to Crosswordese 101 this week!!


• 53A: Windows icon (MY COMPUTER). This is a great entry, and I don't see it in the Cruciverb.com data base as having been used before. Awesome.


• 61A: Place for pitchers? (SALESROOM). Okay, I knew this clue couldn't be about baseball — that would be too obvious and wouldn't require a question mark. My first thought was that "pitchers" must mean, like, "ewers" (ha!), but when nothing came to me I did eventually figured it must be referring to a sales pitch.



• 29D: Keyboardist's support (PIANO STOOL). This entry caused my only real problem in the puzzle. I started with PIANO BENCH. Then when the ST became clear, I thought PIANO STAND(?) which, well, sure I've played piano since I was four and never heard of this but, hey, it's Saturday. It eventually worked itself out.


• 34D: High air? (YODEL). "Air" in this clue means "tune" or "melody."


• 43D: Beefy hybrid (CATTALO). Never heard of it but okay.


• 47D: __ Brothers, who sang "Black Water" (DOOBIE).



• 53D: Speed-of-sound name (MACH). Yep, the measure of speed known as the MACH is named for a person. Ernst Mach to be exact. I learned this fun fact from crossword puzzles.


Crosswordese 101 Round-up:

• 22A: Strategic math game (NIM).


• 48A: "My Country" author (EBAN).


• 57A: "__ girl!" (ATTA).


• 12D: Three-toed bird (RHEA).


• 62D: Place to get a tkt. (STA.).


Everything — 1A: Way to measure brightness (I.Q. TESTING); 10A: Group whose name contains a deliberate misspelling inspired by the Beatles, whom they ardently admired (BYRDS); 15A: Pressing need (STEAM IRON); 16A: Web search option (YAHOO); 17A: Augustine St. Clare's daughter, in an 1852 novel (LITTLE EVA); 18A: Immune system component (T-CELL); 19A: Grand-scale poetry (EPOS); 20A: Largest living toothed animal (SPERM WHALE); 22A: Strategic math game (NIM); 24A: Nixon attorney general Richardson (ELLIOT); 25A: __ asada (CARNE); 27A: Black-and-tan tans (ALES); 28A: Tuber with eyes (SPUD); 32A: Schedule (SLATE); 33A: Tot's tea party guest (TEDDY); 35A: Like Brahms's Piano Trio No. 1 (IN B); 36A: Some reds (PINOTS); 38A: "Hubba hubba!" ("OO LA LA!"); 40A: Fielder's fig. (AVG.); 41A: Render speechless (SHOCK); 45A: Thinker Diderot (DENIS); 46A: Aid criterion (NEED); 48A: "My Country" author (EBAN); 49A: Cybermemo (-NOTE); 50A: "Swan Lake" princess (ODETTE); 52A: Abbr. for dumbbells (LBS.); 53A: Windows icon (MY COMPUTER); 57A: "__ girl!" (ATTA); 60A: Slide presentation (AMEBA); 61A: Place for pitchers? (SALESROOM); 63A: Mormon Tabernacle feature (CHOIR); 64A: Conductor in a circuit (ELECTRODE); 65A: Goalie Dominik who won the Vezina Trophy six times (HASEK); 66A: He came out of retirement to play Winston Churchill in "Inglorious Basterds" (ROD TAYLOR); 1D: Archipelago part (ISLE); 2D: Stick in a medicine cabinet (Q-TIP); 3D: Mountains containing the Cathedral Group (TETON RANGE); 4D: Erodes (EATS INTO); 5D: T selection (SML.); 6D: Pairs of even numbers? (TIES); 7D: "Once more ..." ("I REPEAT …"); 8D: It's longer than a Kurzgeschichte (short story) (NOVELLE); 9D: Knotted up (GNARLED); 10D: How one must sometimes win (BY TWO); 11D: Blue blood vessels? (YACHTS); 12D: Three-toed bird (RHEA); 13D: Tot's tea party guest (DOLL); 14D: Seafood selection (SOLE); 21D: Bungle (MISDO); 23D: Sits (MEETS); 25D: Political junkies watch it (C-SPAN); 26D: Breathing (ALIVE); 29D: Keyboardist's support (PIANO STOOL); 30D: Off (UNLIT); 31D: Early statistical software (DBASE); 34D: High air? (YODEL); 37D: They may be counted (SHEEP); 39D: Singer with the 1965 hit "1-2-3" (LEN BARRY); 42D: Not as quick on the uptake (OBTUSER); 43D: Beefy hybrid (CATTALO); 44D: Used a prayer rug (KNEELED); 47D: __ Brothers, who sang "Black Water" (DOOBIE); 51D: 100 pfennigs, briefly (D-MARK); 53D: Speed-of-sound name (MACH); 54D: Jewish youth org. (YMHA); 55D: Corp. bigwigs (CEO'S); 56D: A sq. is one (RECT.); 58D: List heading (TO DO); 59D: NAFTA part: Abbr. (AMER.); 62D: Place to get a tkt. (STA.).

07.23 Sat

S A T U R D A Y
July 23, 2011
Barry C. Silk

Theme: None

I was really afraid this was going to be a DNF for me today. That southeast corner gave me fits. But it eventually came together. I really enjoyed this challenge today. I'm late posting because I'm really not feeling very well today. So I'm going to go back to bed and you all can chat it up in the comments.

Everything Else — 1A: __ Cup: Canadian football trophy (GREY); 5A: They're waved (MAGIC WANDS); 15A: Sound detected with a stethoscope (RALE); 16A: Much of it is shipped via the Strait of Hormuz (IRANIAN OIL); 17A: What injured parties may try to get (EVEN); 18A: Critical period (CRUNCH TIME); 19A: Gumshoe (TEC); 20A: Walked (TROD); 21A: "It will be fair weather: for the sky __": Matthew (IS RED); 22A: Gallery event (ART SHOW); 24A: Like some candle scents (PINY); 26A: Bach, e.g. (GERMAN); 27A: Reasonable (SANE); 28A: Dave Matthews Band label (RCA); 31A: Lander at Orly (AVION); 32A: Library supporter? (BOOKSHELF); 34A: "Little Caesar" gangster (RICO); 35A: They extract oxygen from water (GILLS); 36A: With 40-Across, nocturnal noisemaker (HOOT); 37A: "Help!" predecessor (BEATLES VI); 39A: Viking language (NORSE); 40A: See 36-Across (OWL); 41A: Fleshy-leaved plant (ALOE); 42A: Blackmailer (GOUGER); 43A: Part of NBA: Abbr. (ASSN.); 44A: Bridge units (TETRADS); 45A: Unalaska denizen (ALEUT); 48A: See (DATE); 49A: Govt.'s Laboratory of Hygiene, now (NIH); 50A: Ancient rock engraving (PETROGLYPH); 53A: Gershon of film (GINA); 54A: City near Randolph Air Force Base (SAN ANTONIO); 55A: Sea of __, shallowest in the world (AZOV); 56A: Colorful (OPALESCENT); 57A: Pool member (GENE); 1D: "Ninotchka" star (GRETA GARBO); 2D: Pan's opposite (RAVE REVIEW); 3D: Outlet type (ELECTRICAL); 4D: Itch (YEN); 5D: .000001 meters (MICRON); 6D: Mall map symbol (ARROW); 7D: Showy trinket (GAUD); 8D: Place to retire (INN); 9D: Title spelled out in Art. 2 of the U.S. Constitution (CIC); 10D: Surfer girls (WAHINES); 11D: Restless (ANTSY); 12D: Film __ (NOIR); 13D: Olive branch site (DIME); 14D: Winter scene staple (SLED); 20D: Comparison word (THAN); 23D: 1930 tariff act co-sponsor (SMOOT); 24D: Philadelphia suburb (PAOLI); 25D: Pens' contents (INKS); 27D: Unravel (SOLVE); 28D: Overhaul (REORGANIZE); 29D: Got ready to trap (CLOSED IN ON); 30D: Occasional stinger (AFTERSHAVE); 32D: Nomadic grazers (BISON); 33D: Time to `ttack (H-HOUR); 35D: Stylist's stock (GELS); 38D: Warning to an overindulgent bar customer (LAST ONE); 39D: Bank robber's aid (NOTE); 42D: Break 90, say (GET HOT); 43D: Acoustic (AURAL); 44D: Green stroke (TAP-IN); 45D: Lhasa __ (APSO); 46D: Spring (LEAP); 47D: 1928 destroyer of the village of Mascali (ETNA); 48D: Physics unit (DYNE); 51D: Sporty cars (GT'S); 52D: __ cit. (LOC.); 53D: __ order (GAG).