Monday, June 16, 2008

Tuesday, June 17 - Steven Ginzburg

Thanks to Steven Ginzburg for a straightforward theme and an enjoyable solving experience for my birthday puzzle.

Three theme answers...

18A: Furniture within easy walking distance of the kitchen (dinner table)

10D: Popular Sony product (Play Station)

24D: Spy who lives dangerously (double agent)

...join with with 65A: Invitation info...or two alternate endings for the starts of the answers to 18-Across, 10-Down and 24-Down (date and time).

In case you're confused by that...dinner date, dinner time...and so on.

The puzzle had its share of standard crossword fill, including 9A: Sudden influx (spate), 15A: Express one's point of view (opine), 22A: Jabbers (yaks), 51A: Throb (ache), 64A: Consumed (ate), 70A: Feedbag bit (oat), 5D: Early Ron Howard role (Opie), 36D: Brand of blocks (Lego), 38D: Done without due consideration (rash), 42D: Island garland (lei) and 58D: Trio in a Christmas story (Magi)...

...but there were at least as many good ones...20A: Actor Mos __ (Def), 31A: Show of lowbrow taste (kitsch), 39A: Chevy S.U.V. (Tahoe), 40A: Pimpernel or prairie clover (herb)...that's scarlet pimpernel on the right, 41A: __ colony (penal), 46A: Headed straight down (nosedived), 50A: African heavyweight, for short (rhino), 53A: Perennial teenage feeling (angst), 69A: Paradise for the parched (oasis), 71A: Some tartan garments (kilts), 1D: Union general at Gettysburg (Meade), 2D: Geneva-based watchmaker (Rolex), 3D: Major muddle (snafu), 4D: Much-needed help (godsend), 32D: Weapon in a gang fight (shiv) and 47D: Procedure in a paternity suit (DNA test).

Several of my high school friends (and their children) would be distressed if I didn't point out 54D: University of Florida mascot (Gator).

One of our favorite family vacation spots made it to the puzzle...57D: Mt. Rushmore's locale: Abbr. (S. Dak.).

I haven't completely recovered from working such long hours the past two weeks, so I'm still trying for a minimum of eight hours of sleep each night. I don't know how long it takes to completely undo the effects of sleep deprivation, but I plan to keep this up until I feel totally rested in the morning.

Here's the grid...



...and I'll see you tomorrow.

Linda G

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi...Linda..
I like like puzzle and sudoku..but i never really finished.
Sudoku is fun...
I love it...
but..if too much see the grid....
everything i see just...like..grid...
ha..ha.. but really is fun
i ve blogging also... but just about the gardening....
c u...maybe...next time

MBG said...

Linda, glad to see you back. Missed you. Congratulations on completing your project. You may be tired, but you must feel very satisfied. A very worthy accomplishment.

Happy Birthday!

Nice easy puzzle today. Good to have a few easy ones after getting beaten up on Saturday. BEQ and I don't see eye to eye.

Love the picture of little Ron as Opie. What a cutie.


Annielee

DONALD said...

Climbed Mt. Rushmore (the backside)as a wayward teen and standing on top of Jefferson's head while the ranger megaphoned to "come down off the mountain" -- lost my shoes and almost my life when I slipped during the climb, kicked off my loafers to dig my toes into the granite crevices -- my friend and accomplice was horrified and petrified with his hands to his head some twenty feet above me! Oh well, that's a story for another day!

Anonymous said...

Opie: so young, so unbald.