02.12 Sat

S A T U R D A Y February 12, 2011
Barry C. Silk

Theme: None

Oh man, I flew through this puzzle. I was dropping in answers that were just fleeting glimpses in my brain. But they just seemed right and it turns out they were. It really is fun to have a puzzle like this once in a while that's not, ya know, a Monday. It's kinda giving my confidence a boost which is awesome with the big tournament just a little more than a month away.

Bullets:

• 1A: Breakfast-on-the-run choice for some (COLD PIZZA). This was actually the last section I filled in. And even with the C and the Zs in place, I still couldn't come up with this one. I don't know. I guess I don't think of COLD PIZZA as breakfast "on-the-run" necessarily. More like breakfast "for-the-lazy."
• 22A: Four-time Daytona 500 champ Yarborough (CALE). Learned of his existence from crosswords.
• 23A: Resident on the Arno (PISAN). European rivers have never been my strong suit but it apparently has finally sunk into my hard head that the Arno is in Italy.

• 33A: Parades (SASHAYS). I think I'm going to start SASHAYing around the PuzzleHouse more frequently.
• 39A: Designer of Dulles Airport's main terminal (SAARINEN). This is really the only place I got stuck. I was all, "It's a really, really famous architect. He's in the puzzle all the time! What the f*** is his name?? It's not Frank Lloyd Wright. It's not I.M. Pei." And from I.M. Pei, I actually took a tangent over to Ang Lee. For some reason, they inhabit the same part of my brain. So then I got disgusted with myself, "No, no, no, Ang Lee is the director, not the architect, what is wrong with you?!" I needed see the two As right next to each other before I had my D'OH moment.
• 58A: Colorado's __ Park (ESTES). You might recall that the PuzzleFamily spent their summer vacation in ESTES Park this past summer, so this one came easy.

• 1D: Will supplements (CODICILS). Is this one of those words that everybody knows, or is it just something I've picked up from working around lawyers pretty much my whole life?
• 4D: Titled rapper (DR. DRE). We don't usually see his whole name in the grid, and it looks pretty cool!
• 5D: "El Condor __": Simon & Garfunkel song (PASA).



• 11D: Album before "Help!" (BEATLES VI). It wouldn't be a Barry Silk puzzle without an oldies reference.

• 23D: Clipped style (PONYTAIL). I'm not crazy about this clue. I don't think you need clips for a PONYTAIL. The letters kept filling themselves in and I resisted the whole way.
• 39D: It means "traveling companion" in Russian (SPUTNIK). I did not know that.

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Everything Else — 10A: Put to shame (ABASH); 15A: Work on a table (OPERATION); 16A: Martinique volcano (PELEE); 17A: Driven to have (DEAD SET ON); 18A: Not as bright (PALER); 19A: Structural opening? (INFRA-); 20A: When parents may need to call their kids (MEAL TIME); 25A: Sediment (LEES); 26A: Hot feeling (IRE); 27A: Corporeal (BODILY); 28A: Fluid dynamics phenomenon (EDDY); 29A: Makes privy to (LETS IN ON); 31A: Arcade game nos. (PTS.); 34A: Croat's neighbor (SLOVENE); 38A: München-to-Wien heading (OST); 40A: Service expert (ACER); 43A: Meat garnishes (ASPICS); 45A: GPS determination (LAT.); 46A: Encircled (GIRT); 47A: Busy (IN USE); 48A: Entangle (MIRE); 49A: Knighted son of King Ban (LANCELOT); 51A: Speleologist (CAVER); 52A: Words after follow or blow (A LEAD); 53A: Sitcom array (ONE-LINERS); 56A: Like some investments (RISKY); 57A: Boarded en masse (PILED INTO); 59A: Up-and-down time? (SKI SEASON); 2D: Place to set up camp (OPEN AREA); 3D: Ads, perhaps (LEAFLETS); 6D: Mineral suffix (-ITE); 7D: ZENMED target (ZIT); 8D: Enhances the details (ZOOMS IN); 9D: Temper (ANNEAL); 10D: Range, e.g.: Abbr. (APPL.); 12D: Teamed up (ALLIED); 13D: Looked (SEEMED); 14D: Joan of Arc's crime (HERESY); 21D: Wherever (ANYPLACE); 24D: Lifetime exchange for many (I DO'S); 27D: Fairness obstacle (BIAS); 30D: Strawberry dessert (SHORTCAKE); 32D: Rocky crests (TORS); 34D: Je ne __ quoi (SAIS); 35D: Invigorates (ENLIVENS); 36D: Having a better chance of recognizing (NEARER TO); 37D: Begins (ENTERS ON); 40D: Blazing (AGLARE); 41D: Tadalafil brand (CIALIS); 42D: __ Evans, Chubby Checker's birth name (ERNEST); 44D: Peepers (SNOOPS); 48D: Crosswords in the 1920s, e.g. (MANIA); 50D: Slow Churned ice cream (EDY'S); 51D: Fungi ending (-CIDE); 54D: "The Book of __": 2010 Denzel Washington film (ELI); 55D: "__ Troyens": Berlioz opera (LES).