23A: "How's your Ticonderoga stock?" answer? (PENCILS HAVE LOST POINTS).
42A: "How's your Johnson & Johnson stock?" answer? (TALCUM HIT BOTTOM).
65A: "How's your Ginsu stock?" answer? (KNIVES ARE SHARPLY LOWER).
88A: "How's your Moët & Chandon stock?" answer? (CHAMPAGNE IS FLAT).
109A: "How's your Aqua Lung stock?" answer? (SCUBA GEAR IS GOING UNDER).
Hey, puzzle fans. It's Sunday, so this is Doug again. Before we get started, I'd like to do one last plug for the puzzles from the Crosswords L.A. Tournament. If you're interested, you can buy eight fabulous puzzles for $5. Five of the puzzles were solved by competitors in last week's tournament, and the other three are bonus warm-up puzzles. Click here if you want to purchase them. Constructors include Andrea Carla Michaels, Alex Boisvert, Elizabeth Gorski, Tyler Hinman, and many more. And all proceeds go to the charity Reading to Kids.
Today's puzzle has a theme that would be right at home in the weekly Wall Street Journal crossword. It might have been fun to do some positive entries too, like BALLOONS REACH NEW HIGHS. Anyway, onward to bullets.
Bullets:
1A: Do what Michelle Wie did before age 16 (GO PRO). She's a golfer who was once dubbed "the female Tiger Woods." Yeah, back when that was a compliment.
34A: Deliverer of text messages? (APOSTLE). I think I like this clue. I assume it refers to the epistles of the Apostles.
47A: Old frosh topper (BEANIE). According the Wikipedia, "in the 1950s and possibly beyond, beanies were worn by college freshmen and various fraternities as a form of mild hazing." Doesn't get much milder than that.
72A: Janvier, across the Pyrenees (ENERO). January in French & Spanish.
15D: Kvbrick opvs? (MMI). The movie "2001" in Roman numerals. Awesome clue.
55D: Surrey town in which George Harrison lived in the '60s (ESHER). Weirdest answer of the day for me, but I'm not a big Beatles fan. Do Beatles experts know this?
61D: Actress Sarah Michelle ___ (GELLAR). Star of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It seems like a show I'd be into, but I never watched it.
77D: Two seater, maybe? (USHER). Great clue.
101D: Hall of Fame slugger Ralph (KINER). He's also an announcer known for his malapropisms. "All of the Mets road wins against the Dodgers this year occurred at Dodger Stadium."
I wish I had a little more to say about this puzzle, but I'm done. I'm off to see "Thor" in IMAX 3-D. Mjolnir!
[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]
Theme:"How to Read the Personal Ads"— Tongue-in-cheek translations of statements found in personal ads.
Theme Entries:
23A: "Free spirit" means ... (I LOST EVERY JOB I EVER HAD).
31A: "Enjoys long conversations" means ... (I DIDN'T PAY MY CABLE BILL).
49A: "Likes home cooking" means ... (I'M TOO CHEAP TO EAT OUT).
67A: "Adventurous" means ... (I HAVE BEEN TO THE ZOO ONCE).
85A: "Enjoys the beach" means ... (I OWN A METAL DETECTOR).
103A: "Likes to cuddle" means ... (MY APARTMENT HAS NO HEAT).
112A: "Takes long walks" means ... (MY CAR'S BEEN REPOSSESSED).
Hey, puzzle peeps. This is Doug, back for another Sunday extravaganza.
This theme reminded me of "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes. That's all about personal ads, right? I haven't heard it recently (thank goodness), but I remember the general idea. Some creepy guy likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain. Seems a little weird to me, but maybe that's what women liked in the '70s. I was alive during the '70s, but fortunately I was too young to realize how weird everything was.
Bullets:
15A: Story morals, e.g. (TAGS). This one made no sense to me. But I checked the dictionary, and a tag can be defined as "an epithet or verbal appendage, the refrain of a song, the moral of a fable, etc." In L.A., tags are spray-painted on freeway overpasses.
55A: Solfeggio syllables (FAS). "Solfeggio" is a fancy name for the musical notes do, re, mi, etc.
58A: Syr. and Eg., once (UAR). Not to be confused with UAE. Actually they are pretty confusing. Try to remember that the UAR (United Arab Republic) no longer exists, so its clues will usually include "former" or "old" or "once." The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is still around and includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi. If you're not sure, just fill in the UA and get the last letter from the crossing entry. (On a side note, who abbreviates Egypt as Eg.?)
109A: Ending for ranch (ERO) / 33D: Buck suffix (AROO). One of these should have been left out.
112A: "La ___ Breve": de Falla opera (VIDA). "Livin' la Vida Breve" is one of my favorite arias.
5D: Windup toy device (DETENT). It's a little gear or something. Tough word.
25D: Rogers Centre team, familiarly (JAYS). The Toronto Blue Jays play in Rogers Centre, which used to be called the SkyDome.
46D: "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" author (ROSSNER). Another '70s flashback. I vaguely remember this being a very scandalous movie (I was 8 when it came out), and of course I thought it had something to do with candy bars.
50D: "La Boheme" waltzer (MUSETTA). I tried SUSETTE at first, which is a more normal-looking name. Does Musetta just waltz, or does she have lines too? I'm baffled.
63D: Research assoc.? (DEV). Research and development or R&D.
98D: "Key Largo" co-star (BACALL). I tried BOGART first. They're both awesome. "The Big Sleep" is one of my all-time favorite films.
108D: Right-hook man in "Peter Pan"? (SMEE). Best clue for SMEE I can remember. If you need a SMEE refresher, check out the entry in our Crosswordese Round-up below.
OK, it's way late on Saturday night, so I'm going to wrap it up. Be sure to tune in Monday for a full helping of PuzzleGirl.
Everything Else — 1A: Like electric basses (AMPED); 6A: Chorister's cover (ROBE); 10A: One of the Wayans brothers (SHAWN); 19A: Rouen room (SALLE); 21A: Chevy model (TAHOE); 22A: Another, in Ávila (OTRA); 27A: Without delay (NOW); 29A: Have something (AIL); 30A: Sarge's boss (LOOIE); 39A: Spohr's Opus 31 and others (NONETS); 40A: Flying Clouds, e.g. (REO'S); 41A: Came to the rescue (AIDED); 42A: Fractions of a joule (ERGS); 43A: They don't skip 48-Downs (LOCS); 44A: "Otello" composer (VERDI); 46A: They may be dirt: Abbr. (RDS.); 59A: "Wassup," formally ("HELLO"); 60A: Big name in vacuums (DYSON); 61A: Word of exhortation (RAH); 62A: E-mail button (SEND); 64A: Call's partner (BECK); 66A: Writable storage media, briefly (CDR'S); 74A: Daughter of Phoebe (LETO); 75A: Seaside cottage asset (VIEW); 76A: Describe in detail (LIMN); 77A: Canon camera named for a goddess (EOS); 78A: Alley "oops" (SPLIT); 80A: Common people (PLEBS); 83A: Rented (LET); 84A: Must-take coll. course (REQ.); 91A: Slapstick prop (PIE); 92A: Cuts, say (EDITS); 93A: Big cut (GASH); 94A: Terrier of film (ASTA); 98A: Ring for breakfast (BAGEL); 101A: Sans contractual buyers (ON SPEC); 108A: Pesto or aioli (SAUCE); 110A: British ref. (OED); 111A: Compass dir. (NNE); 120A: Env. stuffer (ENCL.); 121A: "History of the World: __": Brooks film (PART I); 122A: "La __ Breve": de Falla opera (VIDA); 123A: Tropical palm (ARECA); 124A: Handy abbr. (ET AL.); 125A: Liqueur herb (ANISE); 126A: Struck (out) (EXED); 127A: Small songbirds (LARKS); 1D: Just plain silly (ASININE); 2D: Stink (MALODOR); 3D: Digging up some dirt (PLOWING); 6D: Excite (REV UP); 7D: Opry adjective (OLE); 8D: Piano or roll follower (BAR); 9D: Bridge guru Culbertson (ELY); 10D: Impassive (STOIC); 11D: "Aquí se __ español" (HABLA); 12D: Some sushi tuna (AHI); 13D: Distressed state (WOE); 14D: Ariz. neighbor (NEV.); 15D: Doughnut-shaped (TOROID); 16D: Playwright Fugard (ATHOL); 17D: Chalice's cousin (GRAIL); 18D: "Smooth Operator" singer (SADE); 24D: Paramedics, briefly (EMT'S); 26D: North Sea feeder (ELBE); 32D: Lucie's dad (DESI); 33D: Buck suffix (-AROO); 34D: "Guh-ross!" ("YECCH!"); 35D: Six-Day War figure Dayan (MOSHE); 36D: Milhouse's pal (BART); 37D: Venice Film Festival site (LIDO); 38D: Warhol "superstar" Sedgwick (EDIE); 43D: "SNL" producer Michaels (LORNE); 44D: Restaurant worker who's rarely in the restaurant (VALET); 45D: Historic period (EPOCH); 47D: One may be an item (DUO); 48D: Stop: Abbr. (STN.); 51D: Exercise portmanteau (TAE BO); 52D: Jostled (ELBOWED); 53D: Enlarge, in a way (ADD ONTO); 54D: Rookie (TYRO); 55D: Calendar col. (FRI.); 56D: "That feels go-o-o-od" ("AAH"); 57D: "Let's" evoker (SHALL WE); 65D: Kenan's TV pal (KEL); 66D: Tailed orbiter (COMET); 68D: Ore source (VEIN); 69D: Bug like a pup (NIP AT); 70D: Doesn't hold back (TELLS); 71D: Zip (ZILCH); 72D: Cedar Rapids college (COE); 73D: Litigator's letters (ESQ.); 78D: Just a taste (SIP); 79D: Luau dish (POI); 81D: Had, in the Bible (BEGAT); 82D: Hidden supply (STASH); 86D: Big opening? (MEGA-); 88D: Arcade foul (TILT); 89D: "¿Cómo __?" (ESTÁ); 90D: Hardly thoughtful (RASH); 95D: "The Faerie Queene" poet (SPENSER); 96D: New Jersey town near the George Washington Bridge (TEANECK); 97D: Substituted for (ACTED AS); 99D: Me-tooer (APER); 100D: __ about (ON OR); 101D: Till bills (ONES); 102D: "I won't sign" ("NO DEAL"); 103D: Is forbidden to, quaintly (MAYN'T); 104D: New Mexico state flower (YUCCA); 105D: Bumps into (MEETS); 106D: Banks called "Mr. Cub" (ERNIE); 107D: "Such a pity" ("SO SAD"); 113D: Mud bath venue (SPA); 114D: Block (BAN); 115D: "__ tu": 44-Across aria (ERI); 116D: Apple pioneer? (EVE); 117D: Thumbnails, nowadays (PIX); 118D: Poetic praise (ODE); 119D: Málaga Mrs. (SRA).
Why, this puzzle was so easy, the Friday NYT crossword took me almost three times as long! While the multiplication factor is truthful, it's just because yesterday's NYT puzzle chewed me up and spit me out and then ate me again. This here puzzle took me a flat 4:00, so yes, Rich Norris really does calibrate these things to a consistent level nearly all the time. Mind you, before the influx of the old Tribune/TMS solvers, I think the Saturday puzzle usually took me between 5 and 7 minutes, so it's still a good bit easier than it used to be. (Sigh.)
Nothing in this grid really grabbed me. (Wouldn't it be awesome if PAIR OF TONGS was in there so I could say that was the only thing that grabbed me?) One of the two 15s is a fairly mundane noun—32A: [Text necessity, often] (TELEPHONE NUMBER). And the other has one of those "sheesh, not another Broadway musical" clues. I know there are millions who revere musicals, who know all the songs, who've seen the shows and bought the original cast albums. I am not among them. And Rex, he loves Broadway musicals just as little as I do. (PuzzleGirl, where do you land on the Broadway spectrum?) So when it came to 8D: ["The King and I" song about illicit romance] (WE KISS IN A SHADOW), I had absolutely no idea what the answer was. Wikipedia tells me "In this song, Tuptim and Lun Tha declare their love for each other, even though they fear that the King of Siam would know about it." Say what? It's not even a song that involves Anna and/or the King? Boo!
For years, I've been seeing AL HIRT's "Java" in clues for HIRT, but I'd never heard the piece. Here is a Muppet Show bit featuring the song. 16A: [Friend of Pete Fountain] clues AL HIRT because, uh, they were friends in jazz circles?
What else?
1A: [Act in the Senate] is a verb phrase clueing PASS A LAW. I do not like this answer at all. It feels like an arbitrary verb + noun combo.
I like the sci-fi crossing of 17A: [TV show that has spawned 11 movies] (STAR TREK) with 2D: [Features of some alien costumes] (ANTENNAE). If you like to poke fun at sci-fi movie tropes (especially of the Trek variety), you should watch Galaxy Quest some time.
19A: [Mega- squared] (TERA-). Ooh, I like this approach to clueing a metric prefix. Mega- means a million and a million squared is, uh, whatever number is associated with tera-. Is it a quadrillion?
20A: [Fire department practice structure] (DRILL TOWER). There's one of these near my mom's, but I never knew there was a name for it.
39A: [Held up] (BORNE). I like a Saturday clue that can mean many different things (though not necessarily a whole puzzle filled with oblique, one- or two-word clues—that's often the experience with the Saturday Newsday crossword). First I thought "held up" = delayed. Then I thought it referred to a robbery. The "carrying things" aspect? That was third...with the help of crossings pointing the way to the right answer.
44A: [Sound from a wok] (SSS). Oh, nobody likes an answer like SSS, do they? There are a lot of Ss in this puzzle but even more Es.
Never heard of 52A: [Former NBA star Dave __, now mayor of Detroit] (BING), but just as glad to avoid a reference to the Microsoft search engine. Has anyone forsaken Google for Bing? Anyone?
Meh, I don't like this one. 57A: [Bath unit?] clues ONE METER because Bath (with that obscured yes-it's-a-capital-B Saturday clueing trick) is in England and they use meters instead of yards. But the ONE part is arbitrary. What's to keep NINEFEET or EIGHTPOUNDS out of the puzzle?
9D: [Joined a talk show, perhaps] (CALLED IN). I was on the radio once. WGN Radio's late-night show had me and Tyler Hinman in the studio a couple years ago to talk about crosswords and the ACPT. It was a blast. Someone needs to put me back on the radio, dammit! I am ready for the callers and their questions!
30D: [Curve enhancer] (CORSET)?? Really? I dispute this clue. I think it's more of a "curve torturer."
31D: [Like kabobs] (CUBED). I mention this one only because there is a neighborhood restaurant in Chicago that purports to be a kabob/kebab joint but also sells the Polish dumplings known as pierogies. I suspect a marriage between a Middle Easterner and a Pole, but who the hell knows what's going on at a kebab/pierogi restaurant? Skokie used to have a Filipino/Ukrainian restaurant called Makati Kiev. What's the weirdest cuisine mash-up you've encountered in a restaurant?
35D: [Nielsen of "Rocky IV"] (BRIGITTE). Not a great name for crosswords because if she's probably not as well-known as Bardot, but I appreciate the justification for including a photo. (It's from when she and Flavor Flav were a couple.)
42D: [Big name in convertible sofas] (CASTRO). A Castro convertible...is that a brand name of sofa bed, or a generic variety? I can't help feeling that it's a term most familiar to those who were alive in the 1940s or 1950s. It's not something I've encountered outside of crosswords.
Crosswordese 101: BREL is clued as [Belgian composer Jacques]. I don't know anything about his musical career. All I know is that if the clue is looking for a Jacques musician, the answer is BREL. He's not French but Belgian? I don't recall that at all. Is he big-time famous outside of crosswords? Do music fans know exactly who he is? Is it just me who considers him more "crosswordese" than "famous name"?
Everything Else — 1A: Act in the Senate (PASS A LAW); 9A: Trees yielding beans (CACAOS); 15A: Pride's prey (ANTELOPE); 16A: Friend of Pete Fountain (AL HIRT); 17A: TV show that has spawned 11 movies (STAR TREK); 18A: C&W singer Morgan (LORRIE); 19A: Mega- squared (TERA-); 20A: Fire department practice structure (DRILL TOWER); 22A: Like Dvorák's Symphony No. 8 (ING); 23A: Palace overseas (ÉLYSÉE); 24A: "Buddenbrooks" Nobel Prize winner (MANN); 25A: Zip (ENERGY); 27A: Unlike a good excuse (SAD); 28A: Artist who rejuvenated his career with 1960s serigraphs (ERTÉ); 29A: Not fresh, in a way (SALTY); 30A: Municipal (CIVIC); 32A: Text necessity, often (TELEPHONE NUMBER); 38A: "__ Bulba": 1962 epic (TARAS); 39A: Held up (BORNE); 40A: Simple stuff (ABCS); 44A: Sound from a wok (SSS); 45A: Abdicate (RESIGN); 46A: Certain sausage, for short (BRAT); 47A: Execute, in old France (BEHEAD); 49A: "__ me ae spark o' Nature's fire": Burns (GIE); 50A: Alloys' principal components (BASE METALS); 52A: Former NBA star Dave __, now mayor of Detroit (BING); 53A: Menu choice (ENTREE); 54A: Involuntary exile (DEPORTEE); 56A: Listen to before answering (SCREEN); 57A: Bath unit? (ONE METER); 58A: Photographs (SHOOTS); 59A: Singing birds (WARBLERS); 1D: Most ashen (PASTIEST); 2D: Features of some alien costumes (ANTENNAE); 3D: 1979 N.L. co-MVP Willie (STARGELL); 4D: Word sung by Day (SERÁ); 5D: Letters on a PC key (ALT); 6D: Grand and noble (LORDLY); 7D: Copycat's activity (APERY); 8D: "The King and I" song about illicit romance (WE KISS IN A SHADOW); 9D: Joined a talk show, perhaps (CALLED IN); 10D: Bushels (A LOT); 11D: Trim in Detroit (CHROME); 12D: High-flying action (AIR WAR); 13D: Familiarize (ORIENT); 14D: "Tristram Shandy" author Laurence (STERNE); 21D: Fall collection? (LEAVES); 23D: "Aida" setting (EGYPT); 26D: MapQuest.com abbr. (RTE.); 30D: Curve enhancer (CORSET); 31D: Like kabobs (CUBED); 33D: Over-the-hill gang? (HAS-BEENS); 34D: Wks. on end (MOS.); 35D: Nielsen of "Rocky IV" (BRIGITTE); 36D: Driver who's on track? (ENGINEER); 37D: Promise breakers (RENEGERS); 40D: Big sister? (ABBESS); 41D: Bank outlet (BRANCH); 42D: Big name in convertible sofas (CASTRO); 43D: Sound buy? (STEREO); 45D: Gravelly voiced speaker (RASPER); 48D: Dementieva of women's tennis (ELENA); 51D: Intersect (MEET); 52D: Belgian composer Jacques (BREL); 55D: White House fiscal planning gp. (OMB).
THEME: UP, UP, AND AWAY — three theme answers begin with "UP," "UP," and "AND AWAY," respectively.
Not much to this one. I expected somewhat spicier / interesting fill given how little theme coverage there is, but it's Monday, so I don't know why I get hopes up. It's always disappointing to me when the long Downs in an unrestricted grid like this don't pop and dance. Today, I love ON THE LAM (9D: Like an escapee), but the long Downs are blah. Oh, unless you count ODE TO JOY as a long Down (which at 8, I guess it is) (39D: Poem used in Beethoven's "Choral Symphony"). That answer is aces. That's how you handle a "J" — block it at the front end so it starts an answer. Otherwise you can get very screwed very fast, and will likely have to rely on foreign words or abbrevs. "J"s are always happiest at the beginnings of words. Scrabbly letters are divas and you have to manage them, because they will bring down the whole show in a hurry if you don't. Your options for moving forward with a grid often narrow down quickly when you bring the Xs, Qs, and Zs of this world out to play. Can you tell I spent the entire weekend constructing? I am dreaming in grids now. It's not the greatest feeling. But I did get two puzzles done and I'm half way thru a Sunday-sized one, so though I feel a bit strung out, at least I was productive.
Theme answers:
21A: Capable of doing a job (UP TO THE TASK)
37A: Next in line to advance at work (UP FOR A PROMOTION) — this answer bugged me the most, as the phrase, as I hear it in my head, is UP FOR PROMOTION. "I'm UP FOR PROMOTION." The "A" tripped me, as I typed out my answer and still had one letter left over and couldn't figure out what I did wrong.
48A: Jackie Gleason catchprase ("AND AWAY we go!")
Crosswordese 101: ELKO (61A: Northern Nevada town) — I have great affection for said town, as I drove through it once on a cross-country trip with my sister twenty years ago. I've told the story of our misadventures elsewhere. We ended up in WELLS, NV, which you will never, ever see clued as a [Northern Nevada town]. I used ELKO in the first puzzle I ever showed to the public — last year's Vice Presidential debate-themed puzzle "Don't Blink" (which you can get at my NYT website, co-written with PG, edited by Orange). We actually clued it as "city." Well, insofar as any place with just 16K inhabitants can be called a "city," sure, it's a city. ELKO is important in the history of railroads and the mail system (read here), and is the site of the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, according to Wikipedia. Most of the time, it's a place for people to gamble and sleep with hookers (legal prostitutes, "active brothels").
1A: Skills-sharpening piano piece (ETUDE); 6A: El __, Texas (PASO); 10A: SoCal cop force (LAPD); 14A: Bolshevik leader (LENIN); 15A: "Baseball Tonight" station (ESPN); 16A: Prefix meaning "same" (EQUI-); 17A: Elementary (BASIC); 18A: Bit of sports info (STAT); 19A: To-do (FUSS); 20A: Pose a question (ASK); 21A: Capable of doing a job (UP TO THE TASK); 24A: "To whom __ concern" (IT MAY); 26A: Tarzan actor Ron (ELY); 27A: Improvises lines (AD LIBS); 29A: Solidify (JELL); 31A: La __, Bolivia (PAZ); 34A: Group fight (MELEE); 35A: Pervasive quality (AURA); 36A: Yard event (SALE); 37A: Next in line to advance at work (UP FOR A PROMOTION); 40A: Astound (STUN); 41A: Corp. leaders (CEOS); 42A: Acted boldly (DARED); 43A: Subj. for some immigrants (ESL); 44A: Berlin "Mister" (HERR); 45A: Mother with a Nobel prize (TERESA); 46A: More than damp (WET); 47A: With __ breath: tensely anticipatory (BATED); 48A: Jackie Gleason catchphrase (AND AWAY WE GO); 53A: Sorrow (WOE); 56A: Sweet-talk (COAX); 57A: Dabbling duck (TEAL); 58A: Puts behind bars (JAILS); 60A: Roof overhang (EAVE); 61A: Northern Nevada town (ELKO); 62A: Pop music's Hall & __ (OATES); 63A: Lose, as skin (SHED); 64A: Eject, geyser-style (SPEW); 65A: Internet giant with an exclamation point in its name (YAHOO); 1D: Napoleon's exile isle (ELBA); 2D: Oolong and pekoe (TEAS); 3D: Not practiced (UNSKILLFUL); 4D: 502, to Nero (DII); 5D: Burden (ENCUMBER); 6D: Annoying, like a kid brother (PESTY); 7D: Concerning (AS TO); 8D: Minor quarrel (SPAT); 9D: Like an escapee (ON THE LAM); 10D: Southpaw's nickname (LEFTY); 11D: Greenish-blue (AQUA); 12D: Kitty or kisser (PUSS); 13D: Floppy with data (DISK); 22D: Daddies (PAS); 23D: Building wing (ELL); 25D: Attach with rope (TIE ON); 27D: Cause to chuckle (AMUSE); 28D: U.S. Cabinet divisions (DEPTS.); 29D: Foreman in court, e.g. (JUROR); 30D: Bow-toting god (EROS); 31D: Assigned as the partner of, as in dance class (PAIRED WITH); 32D: Medicinal plants (ALOES); 33D: "The Prisoner of __": 1937 Fairbanks film (ZENDA); 35D: Imitator (APER); 36D: Unwavering look (STARE); 38D: Plastic overlays for artwork (ACETATES); 39D: Poem used in Beethoven's "Choral Symphony" (ODE TO JOY); 44D: Fell with an axe (HEW); 45D: Playground game (TAG); 46D: Applied Simoniz to (WAXED); 47D: Underneath (BELOW); 48D: Unreturnable serves (ACES); 49D: Ark builder (NOAH); 50D: Pianist Brubeck (DAVE); 51D: Shrill bark (YELP); 52D: Open one's eyes (WAKE); 54D: Butterlike spread (OLEO); 55D: Exxon, once (ESSO); 59D: Small battery (AAA).
