A THEMELESS SATURDAY PUZZLE BY ROBYN WEINTRAUB
The warm temps have finally come to the Great Plains and so it appears that spring is finally here. So let's celebrate with a lovely Saturday puzzle from Robyn Weintraub on National Reach As High As You Can Day. For some of us, a clever Saturday puzzle can be just that.
Robyn's four pinwheel stacks of nine-letter fills were very impressive and helpful. Coupled with new learning and clever cluing made for a fun solve. Now let's see if we have reached as high as we can today.
1. Many a tax filer's need: Abbr.: SSN - Most everyone around here has a SSN starting with 507 or 506
4. It's a lock: HASP
8. Half-Blood Prince of fiction: SNAPE and 38. Rickman who played 8-Across: ALAN - My Harry Potter knowledge is seriously lacking
13. Showed emotion: SHED A TEAR
16. Fifth canonical hour: NONES - Divisions of the day. NONES is about 3 pm when it is said Christ was crucified
17. Try: GIVE IT A GO
18. Rarely a problem for happy-go-lucky types: ANGST
19. Clematis supports: TRELLISES - here's Joann's in our backyard
20. Roger who played the U.K. ambassador on "The West Wing": REES - I mostly remember Roger as the priggish Roger Colcort in Cheers
21. Published in installments: SERIAL - A movie version of this format
22. Impressive dismount: BACK FLIP - Looks like she stuck it!
25. Pacific resort, popularly: CABO - CABO San Lucas
27. "Good heavens!": MY OH MY
28. Typographic measure: PICA - In high school we had mostly manual PICA typewriters and a few with elite type and one, count it, one electric
31. Had in view: EYED
33. Guard attachment?: RAIL - It appears this Guard RAIL did its job
34. Endangered chimpanzees: BONOBOS
36. Potential: PROMISE - Spring training is when teams try to see what players show the most PROMISE
39. Letters at the top of a window: HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. HTTP://www.usatoday.com is no longer necessary. usatoday.com or even usatoday will suffice
41. Grenoble green: VERT - This wall hanging is entitled Deux autruches dans une voiture française VERT. Did you deduce it as Two ostriches in a green, French car?
42. Many an Egyptian pharaoh: RAMSES - There were 11 of them from Ramses I in 1292 B.C. to Ramses XI in 1075 B.C.
44. Historic Italian family: ESTE - They gave the world the Hanoverian Kings as well as Ivan VI of Russia among other royalty
46. Menu type: DROP DOWN
48. Spaced: IN A FOG - I experience this sensation less post-CPAP
53. Bad salt container?: BRIG - I doubt she is bad salt (sailor) but she is in the BRIG
54. Medium access?: AFTER LIFE - Mary Todd Lincoln held at least eight seances in the White House trying to contact her dead sons Eddie and Willie
56. Half a comedy duo: MEARA - Anne MEARA, husband and comedy partner Jerry Stiller, their famous son and his wife
57. Waze forerunner: ROAD ATLAS - I had never heard of this site but here it shows my short, daily route to sub where I have to cross the mighty Elkhorn River
58. One might be picky: EATER - My new SIL's boys are the pickiest eaters I have ever known. We load up with mac and cheese for them even on Thanksgiving
59. "Okay, back to work": DUTY CALLS
60. Reunion attendees: GRADS - When I sub, I can see the ones that probably aren't coming back for the reunions
61. Offend, in a way: REEK - Non-verbal offense!
62. Terse street sign: SLO - They couldn't spring for the W?
Down:
1. Certain NCOs: SSGTS
2. English subdivision: SHIRE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca5P_WvEMB8
3. When some things will change?: NEVER4. How to get to Carnegie Hall, perhaps: HAIL A CAB - Yup, I put this SNARKY 8-letter word of advice first
5. Fifth-century Roman Empire enemy: ATTILA
6. Black and Red: SEAS
7. Shoulder-length do: PAGEBOY - Named for the the "porridge bowl" haircuts sported by medieval pages
8. Like a comment that may elicit "Oh, snap!": SNARKY
9. "I'm good, thanks": NONE FOR ME - My very educated friend insisted on saying NONE FOR I. Me didn't never correct he. 😑
10. Bow tie alternative: ANGEL HAIR - Pasta
11. Eeyore, for one: PESSIMIST
12. Contractor's no.: ESTimate
14. Brat's place: DELI
15. Sub or Santa follower: ROSA - Done in secret (literally "under the rose") and of course St. Rose (county seat of Sonoma Co. California)
23. Nav. rank: CMDR
24. TV Marine: PYLE - If you look closely you can see that Gomer PYLE's job at Wally's Service Station was right across the street from his Gomer Pyle M.C. barracks on the Desilu backlot
26. With 51-Down, tops: BEST and 51. See 26-Down: OF ALL
28. Focus of some climate change concerns: POLAR BEAR
29. Female lover: INAMORATA
30. Plotted together: CONSPIRED
32. "House" actor: EPPS
34. Avon product?: BARD - Stratford on Avon more precisely
35. Extremely: OH SO
37. Viking accessory: OVEN RACK - Oh yeah, that's those expensive appliances located way away from what we can afford! Hey, heat's heat!
40. "Got it" on the radio: TEN-FOUR - Chief Dan Matthews made this phrase a national phenomenon on Highway Patrol. (TUNED IN didn't make the cut)
43. Ellery Queen and Raven awards, e.g.: EDGARS - The clue words are categories of the EDGARS Awards that are judged by the Mystery Writers of America
45. Camp craft: TIE DYE
47. District: WARD - Chicago WARDS are famous for being for sale
49. Resort near Snowbird: ALTA - They are connected by Sugarloaf Pass
50. Gases (up): FILLS
52. Canvas primer: GESSO - I remembered this word from a Sunday puzzle I blogged a few years ago for C.C. and Hard G
55. Thames gallery: TATE
56. Eldest March sister: MEG - Here she is being played by Trini Alvarado in the 1994 movie. (Third from the left) Do you recognize the famous actress at the left who played the mother?
What say you?
DA GRID
