Monday June 20, 2016 — NYTimes Crossword No. 0516
Monday puzzles are the easiest of the week. My average time on a Monday is 12 minutes. Today was eleven — not really easier than normal, I just was being quick this morning.
Happy Birthday today to my good friend Joshua Bryant!! I only remember his birthday because he was born the same day “JAWS” was released in theaters. But hey.
Cute theme today, with the reveal at 59A: WEREALLSET (“Ready to go!” … or a description of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 48-Across?) [We’re all set]. Other themed clues include: 17A: BROKENBONE (Reason for a cast); 25A: VOLLEYBALL (Piece of sports equipment that’s spiked); 37A: DINNERTABLE (Family gathering place), I started filling as “Kitchen Table,” before I realized it didn’t fit; and 48A: ALARMCLOCK (Device with a snooze button).
There were a couple long-ish verticals at: 11D: AMENABLE (Willing to go along); and 37D: DONATION (Gift to a nonprofit). And a couple longer horizontals: 32A: TEAPOTS (Cozies keep them hot); and 41A: TAKESTO (Starts liking).
Also: 12D: LIBELED (Defamed in print) [Bibles full of Libels]; 13D: BEETLES (Small VWs); 39D: SPAMMED (Sent millions of emails, say); 40D: PALEALE (Brew with a rhyming name).
In the six-lettered category: 1D: IMBEAT (“Man, what a day!”) [I’m Beat]; 2D: DAREME (Comment after “You think I’m chicken?”) [Dare Me]; 3D: INONIT (Part of a prank, say) [In on it]; 45D: BOOSTS (Raises); 46D: APPEAL (Take to a higher court); and 47D: NESTLE (Snuggle).
Love seeing 52D: KEA (Mauna ___ (Hawaiian peak) [One never knows going in if it’s Mauna Loa or Mauna Kea — bringing you up on a little game early this week].
Also cute was 35D: ORK (Mork’s birthplace, on TV). Love Robin Williams, and Mork from Ork is the character that really introduced him to the world.
Sipping my cuppa Joe early on this Monday, answering 26D: LATTE (Foamy coffee order).
Visit Idaho often, and been through many times 28A: TETON (Grand ___ National Park). Also I remember in the 1970’s when the dam broke and flooded Rexburg, Idaho. That was an amazing site to see [the aftermath].
Also loved seeing 22A: MONET (Impressionist Claude), one of my favorite painters.
Finally a shout out to 62A: ELON (Tesla co-founder Musk), who is becoming of late a fixture in the NYT crossword puzzle.
Worthy Monday morning fare. Altogether not a bad way to start the week.
aaronswickard 