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 attack (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).
19 comments:
Apparently, everyone is sleeping in today.
Sorry you're feeling unwell PG, hope you feel better!
This was tough but ultimately satisfying for me. One of those Saturdays where after the first couple passes through the clues I still only had scattered answers. TROD/THAN, GILLS/GELS, APSO, NOIR, GINA, and SMOOT (the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, yes I'm a history nerd). But with continued worrying over it, it eventually all came together.
I really liked PETROGLYPH and OPALESCENT and surrounding.
Have no idea what (Time to attack): H-HOUR means, can anyone explain that?
Also I recognize that GAUD is probably of the same root as gaudy, but have never heard of it before.
The answer that really got me in the rhythm of filling out the grid was GRETA GARBO, and since PG was unable to give us her usual visual/video commentary today, I'll share my own (actually, I would have shared it anyway): Just Like Greta by Van Morrison
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Aa3MJf9JwI
I really like that tune. The whole record's pretty good, but that's my favorite tune off it. It might even, and this is saying a lot, be my favorite Van Morrison tune of all time, even though I usually prefer the songs from his youthful days.
Oh, and RALE is an entirely new word to me as well.
a RALE is, according to Merriam-Webster: "an abnormal sound heard accompanying the normal respiratory sounds on auscultation of the chest"
So glad to see we got a Barry Silk today, and he did not disappoint!
Wonderful puzzle. Amazing Norse showed up. So awful, those killings in Norway.
Feel better and stay cool, PG!
Strangely easy for me today (very unusual for a Barry Silk). I had no pauses until PAOLI - none! Jumped down to the SW and rolled through the rest.
Thanks Barry, for a nice puzzle, and if memory serves, my first ever sub-10 Silk themeless.
Onward and upward to Lollapuzzoola!
Really enjoyed this puzzle, great stacks. Awesome. Puzzle going great until hit SE corner. At 55A Had ARAL, ADEN before AZOV and then it all fell into place. At49A had CDC and not NIH at first. Thought NINA gershon instead of GINA (mind playing tricks). Thought 30D ended with ants, bees, wasps or some other stinging insect. Best answers: OPALESCENT, WAHINES, AFTERSHAVE.
This blog is great. I've been reading it daily for 4 mos. and can now tackle Friday and Saturday puzzles and finish or come very close to finishing. Thanks to all the bloggers and PG!!!
H-Hour is the exact time on D-Day when we attack.
Norse shows up in both here and in today's NYT puzzle. Feels a bit eerie. So very sad, and every parent's worst nightmare.
Just now finally out together CIC = Commander in Chief
Hope the rest helps, PG.
I too loved this puzzle and got everything except the SE bottom corner ("aftershock" in place of "aftershave" and don't know "Gershon"). It helped to come from Pennsylvania and therefore know "Paoli."
Since I'm still relatively new to the blog, what does DNF mean?
PG, heroic for you to do this when you're not feeling great. Take care of yourself.
MN
@MN
DNF is a very sad acronym. It means Did Not Finish.
Yesterday was my last DNF, still broken up about it.
Hope you feel better soon, PG! Since no one else mentioned it so far, may I bring up Little Caesar gangster RICO? RICO two days in a row??!? Hmm, I'm not sure if he wore a diamond, or got escorted to his chair... (hey, someone had to do it...)
My favorites were MAGIC WANDS and CRUNCH TIME. Yay for PAOLI and BEATLES VI, reminders of my communion with Barry Silk.
I feel a need to offer a (day-old) correction: it was Tony, not Rico, who was her love interest.
There, I feel better now that I've gotten that off my chest.
This one was a slow and steady, just like I like on Saturday. It was nice to have a success after yesterday, where I needed about 12 googles to solve. Liked CRUNCH TIME, RAVE REVIEW, CLOSED IN ON, AFTERSHAVE, PETROGLYPH & BOOKSHELF. In other words, great long answers! I'm used to seeing RALEs, not the singular.
i cant believe you do all this for the public, thank you. my grandmother appreciates it.
Military orders for future events (like an attack) are written to be executed on H-hour D-day because the exact time and date are unkown and/or secret.
Sorry to hear you're under the weather, PG. Today was almost a DNF for me, as well. I had "barn" for 36A for the longest time (barn OWL). Then I was sure that 32A must be BOOKSHELF, but they couldn't both be right. Once I figured out H-HOUR, I got HOOT. Had to get TETRADS mostly through crosses, as I was sure "bridge" was a reference to the card game. ("Rubbers" fit nicely.) Music never occurred to me, and I'm horrible with musical terminology.
I had _AOLI and _INY at the end and just started running through letters in my head. When I got to p (PINY), I kind of groaned. It doesn't really look like a word for some reason, even though it obviously is. Good tough puzzle for a Saturday, if you have the time to struggle with it.
PAOLI was a blast from the past for me. That was the end of the line for the Mainline train from downtown Philly. I used to take that train from Paoli as a kid when I'd go downtown to watch a movie or visit the library or the Franklin Institute. I grew up five miles from Paoli. Happy days.
Did this puzzle in the car with two dogs on the way to the Central Coast. No, I was not the driver. Flew through most of it but got totally messed up in the SE. I also had AFTERSHOCK, which created a mess. I think I knew it was wrong to begin with.
Hooray for PAOLI. It's my former neck of the woods too!
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