An even tougher crossword solve this week (as expected from the monthly ramp up in difficulty). I wound up leaving 4 or 6 squares empty (I could have gone back and gotten them if needed for the meta.)  Since the puzzle itself warned me that the meta was easy, I wasn’t too worried about them.

I “finished” with the crossword in 35 minutes, and had the meta 2 minutes later. The puzzle is here: http://crosswordcontest.blogspot.com/2010/12/mgwcc-134-friday-dec-24th-2010-chorus.html and my answer checker above should be working.

My solving log is after the cut.

0:00:00

Opening puzzle

0:00:13

Printing while I read the instructions

0:00:59

Got printout. starting

0:01:34

31A CAL?

0:04:04

got a bunch of answers in the middle, but not enough to get 33A

0:07:11

POKEMON/KEN/MINIMA pretty easy in the top. looks like NINES to end 17A

0:08:54

Wow, took me a while to get 24A even with R?M?R?IL?

0:10:27

46A META isn’t very tough this week? Darn. That’s the half I’m good at.

0:11:06

even with 36D and 37D filled in (with only 59A crossing them)… the bottom right still is too tough. A bunch I have no idea on. hmm

0:12:24

wow, how did 30A take so long (I had the D and T)… DITS and DOTS were there first, confusing me, I guess.

0:14:05

33A ???PKIN?UTTER… A NAPKIN BUTTER? Maybe the P is wrong… the P stands for “play” which is in the clue…

0:14:58

oh, PUMPKIN, probably

0:15:29

2D and 3D end UP and YOU, making DUO in 29A…

0:17:11

if 4D is PEONY, 5D needs an F 3rd, making OMFG. heh.

0:17:53

stuck on top left, don’t have 1,2,3,18 D, 1,14,17,20,23 A…

0:18:48

guessing 17A PAIR… and 3D ILIKE…

0:20:13

got everything but first 2 squares in 1D. hmm/grr

0:23:16

45A “blades” was suspicious, but it still took me forever (and 3 letters) to get OARS

0:23:48

Status check: I have the top half (except two letters in each top corner). Only across answers I have after 40 are 45,46,59,60 

0:25:59

50A LORAX? heh

0:27:14

45D OILMAN? also heh

0:28:45

SE and S sections done.

0:29:56

42A is clever

0:30:38

stuck on 2 letters in SW now too (53A,57A) x 43D. Looking at meta, I guess.

0:32:25

got those two letters in SW (RUEFUL)

0:32:51

So, the long answers we have are PAIROFNINES, RUMORMILL, PUMPKINBUTTER, PUMMELING, and PUMICESTONE…

0:33:14

3 PUMs… and a RUM… maybe 17A isn’t PAIR? that corner is still dodgy

0:34:48

Done with crossword fail, googled Tell. I didn’t even know he was Swiss.

0:35:42

Aha, I had 23A as NEEDY, which made 1D tough. (I googled 14A to fix things)

0:36:36

PA RUM PUM PUM PUM… little drummer boy…

0:36:56

Duh, “A CHORUS LINE” had me thinking the answer was a musical. but it’s a carol. I’m done. Submitted THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY