CROSSWORD SOLVER PUZZLE:
[ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Crossword Solver]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ THEMELESS MONDAY]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
Due to my insane life as a crossword rock star, super dad, husband extraordinaire, gourmet cook-in-training, and militant typewriter banger, my day-to-day schedule of what would have been previously described as “normal” has been thrown out the window. Not that that’s a bad thing at all. In fact, I’m very pro-defenestration. Throwing things out the window is never a bad thing. For starters: it eliminates the clutter.
Lately I’ve been cluing my Themeless Monday puzzles on Saturday mornings. It’s the one time of the week that I can guarantee I won’t be distracted and can concentrate on the work at hand. What I’ve noticed is that I’ve been cramming so much work into the tiniest allotments of minutes that my day allows (typically in 15-30 minute chunks), that three whole uninterrupted hours to (gasp) catch up on work seems almost like an eternity. So, in short, I’ve been having a little more fun with cluing these themeless puzzles. I hope that shows up in the work.
Share the puzzle. New on Thursday.
Coincidentally, a track from that particular live album by the Clash showed up in my Pandora feed yesterday (I had seeded it with jams from The Jam).
I like the two connections in the NW with Ernie Banks – the Chicago reference to the Bears crossing the 2D clue referring to a shortstop. Good timing also with the start of spring training games.
This was an easier one for me because I was able to get the longer entries quickly.
@37 across
Thank you!!
One quibble on 34-Down: “Built how you like it” means built TO SPEC (i.e. to your specifications). Built ON SPEC (i.e. on speculation), like a house, means built how the builder THINKS someone will like it enough to buy it.
I flew through this one until the Jonson/Spenser thingy….didn’t know what that was all about and so DROLLER sat there for way too long.
And I think Kent is right about “ON SPEC”…but hey…even BEQ is capable of missing one…maybe…
Took me much longer to get the last letter in (at index 65) than it should’ve. Don’t know why neither of those words occurred to me without heavy head scratching.
If I hadn’t already done 37A first, 34D would’ve tripped me up as well.
Loved the cluing on 20a, 41d, 50d and 51d, among others.
It’s been a very long time since I played baseball — and the clue (44a) may not have anything to do with basebal — but I thought the phrase was “let’s get two” as in play the grounder to get a double play. If that’s not the reference, then I missed it altogether.
Otherwise, another great — if somewhat easier “HARD” — puzzle.
Really nice mix of high and low culture references in this one BEQ. Love that about your puzzles in general and this one does it particularly smoothly. Though I’m not a fan of 8D–your image for this post had me expecting a Joe Strummer or Mick Jones reference, which would be much more to my taste. Nevertheless (with the bit of a pothole at 34D), bravo!
Lon,
The quote is from “It’s a great day for a ball game…let’s play two!”.
It’s also been appropriated by Neal Conan & Merl Reagle at the start of their “play-by-play” coverage of the ACPT final rounds.
it’s amazing the big effect one very small person has on your schedule.
Huh, I always thought it was ‘Let’s play too!’ That makes more sense though.
It’s a good entry, but SPATUB looks all kinda of wrong!