Saturday, September 18, 2021, Matthew Sewell
Saturday Themeless by Matthew Sewell
Today we get another Saturday themeless from one of our regulars, Dr. Matt Sewell. I had to waltz around until his pinwheel 9's and 8's showed the way. PATRIA, Hephaestus and VILLAIN EDIT were new for me. Here are some comments from Matt:
Hello Gary,
Thanks for your note. I recall feeling good about this puzzle's range; whenever possible, I try to get a mix of classical/historical stuff with contemporary references, and that seemed to work out here. I also remember fussing with the NE corner of this puzzle a fair bit -- should it be SIX-SIDED? TEN-SIDED? I had a full corner using TEN-SIDED, but ultimately the most appealing clue options seemed to rest with TWO SIDES. The clue for DOOM is a tribute to my (much) younger self -- I certainly didn't need to do any research to know that that game ran on MS-DOS! I hope solvers enjoy the puzzle, and I'm grateful to Rich and the LAT team for their improvements to the final product.
Matt
1. Dispute over intellectual property: PATENT WAR - It is said only the lawyers made big money in this seven-year iPhone vs Samsung PATENT WAR
10. Little help?: ASST.
14. Consort of Hephaestus: APHRODITE - She was not a faithful wife to this God Of Blacksmiths
15. "Don't give me that!": PSHAW - McKayla Maroney's reaction to a silver medal in the London Olympics
16. Boarding site: TRAIN STOP - During the Chicago Cubs baseball season, this is a very busy TRAIN STOP on the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line
17. "__ is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom": Dylan: A HERO - Wise words from Bob Dylan
18. Drilling gp.: ROTC - Yeah, I'm the only the only one who put OPEC 😏
19. Metalworker's joints: SPOT WELDS - This SPOT WELDER is a machine
21. Like shouts in texts: IN CAPS.
24. "Interview With the Vampire" actor: REA - Stephen
25. Metz pronoun: TOI - J'ai entendu une rumeur sur TOI (I heard a rumor about you)
26. Wood used for electric guitar bodies: ASH - Fender now uses mostly alder wood but this is one of their ASH body instruments which they still manufacture
27. Catch on: START A TREND.
31. Storage shed securer: PADLOCK.
32. Singer India.__: ARIE - I have never heard her sing but with all those vowels in her name, she can have a long career in crosswords
33. Snacks with a pinwheel design: HOHOS.
36. Org. for those putting it nicely?: PGA - A made putt is, uh, "Putting it nicely"
37. Golfer's alternative to balls: DISCS - That clue went from "Huh?" to "Oh, now I get it!"
38. Largely dried-up sea: ARAL - That sea and its vowels live on here
39. Active by day: DIURNAL.
41. Slant given to a reality TV antagonist: VILLAIN EDIT - What is done on some productions to produce a villain which can help ratings. New to me.
43. Some NFL linemen: RGS - [Right/Left] [Guard/Tackle]
46. Brass source: EGO - Egotistical people can be said to be have a lot of brass
47. "Take __": ONE.
48. "Just say the word": NAME IT
50. Winning four consecutive majors over a two-year span, as named for the first to do it: TIGER SLAM - Golf's Grand Slam is winning all four "major" championships in one calendar year. Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open, the British Open and The PGA Tournament in 2000 and then the Master's in 2001.
54. Union underminer: SCAB - My neighbor was a SCAB lineman for the 1987 Dallas Cowboys during an NFL strike
55. Sluggish: INERT.
56. "Is that all?": ARE WE DONE and 61. "What __?": ELSE.
59. More than passion: MANIA.
60. Crack wise: KID AROUND.
62. "A snap!": EASY AS PIE.
Down:
1. Nero's country: PATRIA - Latin for "Fatherland". Nero's PATRIA was Rome. Matt wrote me that his original clue was to use a Spanish name because PATRIA is also fatherland in Spanish. He thinks Rich must have chosen Nero in the clue to hint at PATRIA's Latin origin.
2. Spatter collectors: APRONS.
3. Organic roof choice: THATCH - Gilligan and The Skipper work on theirs
4. Durance of "Smallville": ERICA - She played a young Lois Lane
5. The "N" in NDA: NON - Taylor Swift made her boyfriend Calvin Harris sign a NON Disclosure Agreement so their activities would stay private
6. Jerry Rice's record 208, briefly: TDS.
7. Roasters, say: WITS - WITS lined up to roast Justin Bieber
8. Crowning: ATOP - Putting a crowning glory ATOP a church
9. Place for marks: REPORT CARD - I'd love to have a dime for every mark I ever put on a REPORT CARD
10. Connors rival: ASHE - Jimmy and Arthur in tennis
11. Tax pro's suggestions: SHELTERS - Such as...
12. Biting: SARDONIC.
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| Dr. Greg House |
13. Feature of every story, it's said: TWO SIDES - Custer and Crazy Horse saw it very differently
15. Grab for clumsily: PAW AT - Not a good date move
20. Deck wood: TEAK - It contains oils that are beautiful and durable in marine environments
22. Free TV spots: PSAS - Public Service Announcements
23. Convention: Abbr.: STD.
28. Body of water often defined as above the tree line: ALPINE LAKE.
29. Aberrant way to go: ROGUE.
30. Bit of fencing: RAIL.
31. Request votes from: POLL - One of your Who Wants To Be A Millionaire lifelines is to POLL the audience. (*The answer is at the bottom of the page - hg)
33. Be available: HAVE TIME.
34. Not seen before: ORIGINAL.
35. Chlorine and iodine: HALOGENS - Here ya go.
37. Big __: DATA - Controlling information is the true power
39. Rackets: DINS.
40. "Fire" diarist Anaïs: NIN - Her diaries were erotic to say the least
42. Circulatory passage: AORTA - Body parts with three vowels get a lot of use
43. Make back, as initial costs: RECOUP - This movie's gross revenue of $7M came up $93M short of RECOUPING its cost
44. Donatella's designer brother: GIANNI - GIANNI Versace and his 8-yrs-younger sister Donatella are in the middle picture. The people who played them in a TV series are shown on the outside.
45. "Venerable" Eng. monk: ST BEDE - This is the visual I used on Craig Stowe's August 28, 2021 puzzle
49. Original platform for Doom: MS DOS.
51. City at the intersection of I-90 and I-79: ERIE - Here's the map
52. Stage solo, perhaps: ARIA - "Don't judge a book by its cover" is a secondary conclusion to this video of my favorite ARIA. Paul brings judges and the audience to tears.
53. Scrips: MEDS - preSCRIPtionS
57. "__ cool!": WAY.
58. Detergent brand: ERA.
*The school with the "eating clubs" is Princeton