google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Apr 1, 2010

Thursday April 1, 2010 Alex Boisvert

Theme: Location, Location, Location - The "Living on the Edge" mantra is placed around the edges of the grid, clockwise.

1A. Start of a thrill-seeker's mantra: IF YOU AR(E)

8A. More of the mantra: (AR)E NOT LIV(ING)

14D. More of the mantra: (LI)VING ON T(HE)

45D. More of the mantra: (T)HE EDGE Y(OU)

67A. More of the mantra: YOU A(RE) - My answers here are in clockwise sequence, same with the remaining theme answers.

66A. More of the mantra: (A)RE TAK(ING)

65A. More of the mantra: (TAK)ING U(P)

38D. More of the mantra: UP TOO MU(CH)

1D. More of the mantra: (MU)CH ROOM I(F). Letter I overlaps with the starting I in "IF YOU AR(E) and closes the quote.

"If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much room", from Jayne Howard, a name I am not familiar with.

Very inventive rendition of an otherwise ordinary quote/quip puzzle. Edgy indeed. When did you glom onto the theme? It took me quite some time to figure out the gimmick due to to its unusual circular theme answer placements and some non-recognizable letter string breaks.

I also did not notice the left to right symmetry until I read Alex's Interview.

Across:

15. Conductor's nickname: MAESTRO. And ALLEGRO (44D. Fast, to a 15-Across). Italian for "cheerful".

16. European car company with a prancing horse logo: FERRARI. Fiat. Sometimes we see its founder ENZO Ferrari in a puzzle.

17. Government heave-hos: OUSTERS

18. "Million Dollar Baby" Oscar winner: FREEMAN (Morgan). Loved the movie. With Hilary Swank.

19. Shoppe sign adjective: OLDE

20. Set one's sights on, with "at": AIMED. The tense of "Set" can be tricky, not today though.

22. Big ape: KONG. King Kong.

23. Artery: Abbr.: RTE. Was thinking of blood vessel artery, not road.

24. Poet who won the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature: YEATS. Irish. I tend to confuse him with Keats, who's English.

25. Juan's uncle: TIO

26. Piles: HEAPS

32. Percentage on a bank sign: CD RATE. Can't fit in INTEREST.

34. 2007-'08 NBA Rookie of the Year Kevin: DURANT. With the Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly Seattle SuperSonics). Total stranger to me. I can only think of Kevin Garnett.

35. Trig, e.g.: MATH

37. Letter opening: SIRS. Oh, DEAR.

38. Sounds of hesitation: UHS

42. Rotate, as a camera: PAN

43. Casual "I'll pass": NAH

46. Floor exercise surface: MAT. Any Pilates/Yoga fans?

48. "Star Wars" saga nickname: ANI. Darth Vader's boyhood nickname. Mystery name to me.

49. Corrida shout: OLE

50. At the ready: ON ALERT

52. Tablet alternative: CAPSULE

54. Dungeons & Dragons creatures: OGRES

55. Farmyard female: EWE. And 64. Farmyard female: MARE. Alliteration.

57. Kept: SAVED. Didn't Tiger expect his text messages to be saved?

58. Bandleader Puente: TITO

59. Step: TREAD

61. __ Mason: asset management giant: LEGG. Our local paper just profiled one of their star investors a few weeks ago. Alex also gave us TITAN (30A. Giant). Giant echo.

62. Nabokov's title professor: PNIN. Here is the book cover. Is P silent?

63. Scorch slightly: SINGE. Alliteration again.

Down:

2. Blamed: FAULTED

3. "Whatever you say, honey": YES DEAR. Sweet clue and answer.

4. Bone: Pref.: OSTE. As in Osteoarthritis.

5. Mountain West Conference athlete: UTE. Utah Utes. Sports team of the University of Utah.

6. Deck out: ARRAY

7. More optimistic: ROSIER

8. Decadent: EFFETE. Like the ELOI in "The Time Machine".

9. Unlikely class presidents: NERDS

10. Mine find: ORE. Assonance in the clue.

11. Hike: TREK

12. "Raging Bull" boxer: LAMOTTA. What's your favorite De Niro movie? My husbands loves "Casino".

13. Shiraz resident: IRANIAN. Shiraz is a city in southwest Iran. I forget what it's famous for.

21. Might: MAY. Would've preferred the season May clue. We are having beautiful spring weather here in MN.

27. Kitchen spray: PAM

28. Hoards: STASHES

30. Root vegetables: TURNIPS. Not my type. I do like thinly sliced daikon though. You?

31. Collection agcy.?: IRS. Nailed it.

33. Bygone anesthetic: ETHER

34. Roman goddess of the hunt: DIANA. The Greek counterpart is Artemis.

36. Mass reaction, perhaps: HYSTERIA. Good clue.

37. Era that began in 1957: SPACE AGE. Started with the Sputnik.

39. Like some drying clothes: HANGING

40. Commence: START IN

43. __ riche: NOUVEAU. Literally "new". Same root as novelty, isn't it?

51. Téa of "Ghost Town": LEONI. Know her. Not the movie.

53. Actress Hayek: SALMA. Here she is.

56. Left: WENT

59. Sound of disapproval: TSK. What's the difference between TSK and TUT?

60. German article: DER. So are DAS and DIE.

Answer grid.

Happy Wedding Anniversary, Windhover & Irish!

C.C.