Saturday, October 28, 2017

My time: 25:57.

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Roland Huget is the author of this white-square monstrosity (only 23 black squares in the entire 15x15 grid) that looks just like a backward swastika and I'm kind of surprised that was considered fine.

"Wrist bones:" CARPI.  The carpus is the collective name for the wrist bones between the hands and the radius, and of course related is carpal tunnel syndrome.  Shame on me for not getting this faster.

"Crosswise, on a ship:" ABEAM.  At right angles to the fore-and-aft line.  This term did not occur to me as I struggled with the NE corner.

"The Sound of Music name" is sometimes *MARIA and, if the puzzler is devious, *MARTA, but this time it's TRAPP.  Another reason for the struggle.

BOWER is "jack of the trump suit, in euchre."  I know nothing about this game and I don't know what "trump suit" even means.  So you can see why this NE corner was tough for me.

"Type of type:" AGATE.  Agate is, of course, silica crystal, but in type it is a small size of printing, 5.5 typographical points, or about 1/14 inch.  In the UK it's called ruby.  We're still in the NE corner.  Yikes.

For "devices for clearing winter sidewalks" I had *SHOVELS for the longest time, even knowing that it was too easy for a Saturday; it's SALTERS.

UGO Tognazzi is an Italian actor known mostly for his clued role in La Cage aux Folles.

Did you know Ford made the Mercury, or MERCS as their close buddies call them?

ESTES Kefauver was a US Senator from Tennessee from 1949 to 1963.  He is best known for his investigations into organized crime.  He also was behind a 1950 anti-merger act. 

I have never heard of a TENT DRESS and neither has my girlfriend.  Per Wikipedia they were a 2007 trend.

"Containing element #56:" BARIC.  Barium is a soft silvery earth metal not found in nature. 

In CAT BALLOU, a favorite of my father's, Lee Marvin plays both the killer hired to gun down Jane Fonda's title character's father, and the drunken washed-up gunslinger she in turn hires to protect them.

The downs of the NE corner gave just as much trouble as the acrosses.  ABROGATOR is strictly crosswordese, and for "stirs, as old feelings" I tried to make *REKINDLES work when it's REAWAKENS, but the one that was last to fall into place was PAPETERIE, "container for writing materials, such as fancy stationery."  I have a pretty expansive vocabulary bit I'm not sure I've seen that word before.  Even looking at it now it seems wrong.  Why is there a T in there?

I know what LYE is, but I couldn't have told you it was NaOH.  It is a lie?  Nah... oh.

"Architectural features of Greco-Roman temples" is ANTAE.  That's the plural of anta, of course, which is a pilaster attached to either side of a doorway.  What is this??  A Greco-Roman temple for ants??

Oh, how "awards for Best Play and others" got me.  Oh, how foolish I feel and yet how righteously aggrieved.  First I had *TONYS which is wrong because that's for musicals.  Then I had *OBIES which is just what Roland wanted me to do.  Because it's actually ESPYS and the plays are sports plays.  You got me this time Roland, but I feel cheated.

Clever clue: "it can get the blood flowing" is STENT.

That's it for me. I don't have that much SPARE TIME.