google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Friday, October 14, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

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Oct 14, 2016

Friday, October 14, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler



Title: BY THE OUNCE (as proclaimed by the clue for 57A).



This week, JW is the Wizard of OZ, giving us four phrases which add the abbreviation for Ounce (OZ), creating new and humorously clued expressions. I find it interesting he chose the ounce abbreviation which I think is a more revealing hint, as the wizard might have led people to look for the AAHS sound when the letters are added. Like last week where JACK was added, coming up with 4 phrases which have room for OZ is a challenge, and having two added to the first word and two to the second adds a level of consistency. There also is left room for many fresh fill like TRIODES, OTTOMAN, RICE BAR, ONE MAN ON, FEMININE, TOPOLOGY, AMAZONIA. Also a real undercurrent of the 50's.






Okay, time is a wastin'



17A. Doughnut order from a king? : LION'S DOZEN (10). The king part was tricky, though we all know the Lion is King of the Jungle whether or not in its den.



25A. Musicians given to tippling? : BOOZY BAND (9). Many boy bands do face problems with alcohol and drugs. LINK.



34A. Set of data within an atmospheric analysis? : TABLE FOR OZONE (13). A nice layered clue with a really fun base phrase, that is often a bit sad.



48A. Occupants of a well-insulated nest? : COZY YOUNG (9). CY YOUNG was statistically the greatest pitcher of all time and the man for whom the pitching award is named.



57A. How perfume is sold ... and this puzzle's title : BY THE OUNCE (10)


Across:


1. Talked into, with "on" : SOLD.


5. Calyx part : SEPAL. So a calyx is the sepals of a flower, typically forming a whorl that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower in bud.




10. Typical artist's apartment : LOFT.


14. Samoan capital : APIA. Apia is the capital and the largest city of Samoa.




15. Amtrak option : ACELA. *


16. Cabinet dept. formed under Carter : ENER.


19. Fifty percent up front? : DEMI. Brilliant, the prefix (up front) like demitasse. *


20. Recorded : ON TAPE. Reel to reel?


21. GPS info : RTE.


23. Pisa possessive : MIO. Italian for my.


24. Recording device : METER. Okay, like your electric meter?


28. Writer LeShan : EDA. A CW regular.




29. Is next to : ABUTS.


31. Sergeant Bilko, to friends : ERNIE. Very popular when we first got a tv.




32. Tapestry thread : WEFT. My first thought was WTF!?! I am not much of a weaver and missed the APRIL 12, 2015 puzzle where it last surfaced. I note that both ACELA and DEMI are in that one. I thought it a bit cruel to have Demi Moore and Mila Kunis in the same grid. *


33. Saturn models : IONS. I owned a black one, with the odd doors.


40. Quarterback Tony : ROMO. Has his career been Dakked? LINK. Drew Bledsoe who lost his job first to Tom Brady and then to Tony Romo knows all about it.


41. Swamplike : MIRY.


42. Protection against Mr. Decay Germ, in old ads : IPANA. More from the 50's.




44. Continued violently : RAGED.


45. MDX ÷ X : CLI. Roman math not myth.


50. One of the Coen brothers : ETHAN. Movie making brothers.


52. "10538 Overture" gp. : ELO.




53. Ocean bird : ERN.


54. Gets rid of : SCRAPS. Plans, ideas etc.


55. M's favorite agent : BOND. Is Daniel Craig out C.C. ? NEW?


60. Commercial exchange fee : AGIO. Way beyond me. LEARN.


61. Ames native : IOWAN.


62. Future ENT's exam : MCAT. Medical College Admission Test.


63. "You've Got Mail" co-star : RYAN. Meg.


64. Grabs : SNAGS. I snagged the last piece of pizza.


65. Turtles, sometimes : PETS. We had one stay with us recently. He was quiet.


Down:


1. Biblical seductress : SALOME. OLD FASHIONED.


2. Offered a view : OPINED.


3. Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in "Field of Dreams" : LIOTTA.







4. Mother of Perseus : DANAE. The sad story of a slipped DISCUS.


5. Marquis de __ : SADE. Breakfast anyone?


6. Prefix with friendly : ECO.


7. Product with a Simpsons set : PEZ.




8. Last Olds models : ALEROS.


9. Andy Panda creator : LANTZ. After Woody Woodpecker yesterday you should know Walter Lantz who became well known to me narrating the TV version of his Woody Woodpecker cartoons. They took over the first half hour time slot of the Mickey Mouse Club in 1957. ANDY was one of the cartoons that ran on the show. I learned today that Lantz' first hit cartoon character was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a creation stolen from Walt Disney.


10. Took charge : LED.


11. Two-run homer situation : ONE MAN ON. Simple phrase, but maybe not for non-baseball fans.


12. Like "executrix," e.g. : FEMININE. Testatrix...there are many.


13. Old TV parts : TRIODES. The old three pronged vacuum tubes. Triodes were widely used in consumer electronics devices such as radios and televisions until the 1970s, when transistors replaced them.


18. Urban __ : SPRAWL.


22. "Beauty is bought by judgement of the __": Shakespeare : EYE. Love's Labour's Lost | Act 2, Scene 1

PRINCESS

"Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean,

Needs not the painted flourish of your praise:

Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye,

Not utter'd by base sale of chapmen's tongues:"


25. Fit and muscular : BUFF. I should let someone else pick




26. Certain footrest : OTTOMAN. They must be good. They named an empire after them.


27. Verve : BRIO. Maybe for Steve. LINK.


30. Quilting party : BEE.


34. Math branch concerned with surfaces : TOPOLOGY. It is the study of geometric properties and spatial relations unaffected by the continuous change of shape or size of figures. Please explain math people.


35. Rain forest region : AMAZONIA. Not a documentary?...LINK.




36. Beyond slender : BONY.Maronie?




37. Former PBS "Mystery!" host : RIGG. The woman I have linked the most often.


38. Extractable natural resource : ORE.


39. Louisiana genre featuring the accordion : ZYDECO. We have enough cornerites to do this justice without me.


40. Grain-based treat : RICE BAR.




43. "Understood, Cap'n" : AYE.


44. His stories inspired "Guys and Dolls" : RUNYON. I have always had an appreciation for this transplanted Kansas REPORTER.


45. Luck : CHANCE. The French word.


46. Pet that needs a sitter? : LAP CAT. A CSO to all of our cat lovers (CED!) and a well crafted Friday clue. Apparently this can be TAUGHT.


47. Many Alaska maps : INSETS.


49. "__ non sufficit": the world is not enough : ORBIS. LINK.


51. Outdo : TRUMP. No doubt a tongue-in-cheek non-political choice by our New Jersey constructor.


54. Beltway VIPs : SENS.


56. Put on : DON. Our gay apparel....


58. BOAC competitor : TWA. Now both gone.


59. Storied cauldron stirrer : HAG. Despite the contribution of Elizabeth Montgomery, witches are still generally depicted as old crones. This seems silly since they can (in that magical world) make themselves look like whatever they want. So why Aunt Clara?


Well JW does it again, providing a simple tight theme and a whole bunch of interesting things to challenge and amuse. What a week of holidays, hurricanes and holy days but we are done again. Thanks all. Lemonade out.








Note from C.C.:


Big Easy asked me to include this comic strip (Drabble, October 7, 2016) in today's writeup.




49 comments:

  1. Greetings!

    Thanks to Jeff and Lemon! Another monster from Jeff!

    Got the theme part way down.

    Several WAGs and perps, but it all came out in the end!

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. FIR, although the NW corner nearly stumped me! I caught the theme early with the first one I got, BOY BAND, which helped with all of the rest of the theme entries! A few of my missteps: DELILA > SALOME, GRANOLA > RICE BAR, CDs > PEZ

    {A-, A, A-, A.}

    Dorothy was blown to the hood of OZ
    Killed a woman as soon as she was!
    A gang she raised,
    Thru OZ they RAGED,
    Dealt with opium poppies despite any laws!

    A bundle of SEPALS form a calyx
    Surrounding a bud like a bunch of italics
    They're slanted like this
    And give emphasis
    To tips of petals sticking up like cowlicks!

    On the bridge on Star Trek was the Klingon, Worf,
    Who wore the sash of a warrior corp.!
    BOY to man
    He wore that BAND,
    With chain-mail threads both WEFT and warp!

    Inflatable castles, OUNCE for OUNCE,
    Are rated for fun BY THE bOUNCE!
    LAP CAT or LION,
    PETS claws are dyin'
    To pop that balloon-DEN BY THE pOUNCE!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning!

    Skipped merrily through this one. Figured the theme was "meaningless phrases containing a Z. Then the reveal set me straight. Was thinking Delilah -- too long. Was thinking Elan -- over-used. Otherwise, this was a romp. Thanx, JW.

    Interesting that AGIO, a one-time cw staple, suddenly appears for a second time in as many weeks. LANTZ also showed up for his encore.

    When I was a lad, there was a Damon Runyon Theater on TV. In my infinite wisdom, I assumed they were two different people, like Lerner and Loewe or Rodgers and Hammerstein.

    I remember Bucky Beaver, but did not recall Mr. Decay Germ. Thanx for linking, Lemon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yeah, there should've been another quotation mark in that one. Couldn't decide if it should go before or after the period, so I left it out so you can mentally put it where it belongs. That's my story....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. Fun Friday puzzle and I actually figured out the theme on the first pass. It took a few other passes, however, before I finished the puzzle.

    Walter LANTZ (1899 ~ 1994) must be the man of the week. Since he appeared recently, I could immediately fill in his name despite not being familiar with Andy Panda.

    My hubby is a Topologist, so TOPOLOGY came easily to me.

    My favorite clue was Pet that Needs a Sitter = LAP CAT.

    Just an observation: A clue for Grabs near an answer that is TRUMP.

    QOD: Nothing we use or hear or touch can be expressed in words that equal what is given by the senses. ~ Hannah Arendt (Oct. 14, 1906 ~ Dec. 4, 1975)

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  6. My PhD thesis was on Topology, but I DNFed with "mire" instead of MIRY. Anyone caring to see some topology can look here: http://cms.math.ca/openaccess/cjm/v22/cjm1970v22.0645-0656.pdf

    ReplyDelete
  7. "The World is Not Enough" was the 19th BOND film (with Pierce Brosnan).

    Time for new glasses, I thought that was a minus sign, not divide.

    ReplyDelete
  8. My online puzzle didn't have the ÷ sign, and I couldn't figure out what to do with MDX X. Should have guessed there was a missing ÷.

    After first 2 passes, I still had nada in the NE corner. Rare to have a completely blank section for me! I broke into it by trying to find a king in a den (having gotten the theme) and then it fell for me, with a couple "d'oh" moments.

    Guessed ELO because it was in my mind from yesterday, and once I had a couple letters LANTZ was obvious having seen it yesterday too. Weird how that happens.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lemon: Nice, informative write-up & links.

    Jeffrey: Thank You for a FUN Friday puzzle.

    Fave today, of course, was the theme BOOZY BAND, go figure ... LOL

    Least favorite was TRUMP ... but that is being political.

    Gal-Pal and I are celebrating 30 years tomorrow ... probably since we never got married ...
    ... to each other. LOL

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good day to all!

    Well, after many trips to Google, I still FIW, with an "a" at the crossing of MIO and TRIODES instead of the "O". But it was, never the less, a very clever, well executed theme. "Pet that needs a sitter" for LAPCAT was my favorite clue. Thanks, Jeffrey.

    Thanks for the expert expo today, Lemonade.

    Enjoy the day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. JW got the better of me again today. Gave up and Googled for SALOME, LIOTTA, and RIGG. I knew Liotta mainly from his evil-guy roles, and RIGG from my boyhood fantasies after watching The Avengers. I think we've seen SALOME before, but it didn't sink in. I still had MIRe for MIRY. Never heard of MIRY. Too many other unknowns to list.

    I wonder how long the word "tape" will be used in reference to a recording medium. I cringe when TV personalities say they have SOT (sound on tape), when they haven't used it in years. Once upon a time I wondered the same about "clockwise", until analog displays for digital timepieces became prominent.

    I still enjoyed struggling through Jeffrey's puzzle, and Lemon's narrative was terrific as usual.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great puzzle. I didn't notice the OZ as much as the Zs and ZY. I filled all the theme answers but the revealing word missing the OZ were not noticed because I was concerned with finishing, which I did not accomplish. But I was with Drabble today because the NW was a non-starter. I didn't know SALOME, LIOTTA, OR DANAE and could only think of GOAD on for SOLD on.

    ZYDECO was a gimme, and Stan Dural, aka BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO died last week from cancer. The accordions used in zydeco are really strange, not a standard instrument.

    APIA and AGIO are X-word visitors from the past. MIRY doesn't even sound like a word but it had to fit. I had the same thought as Lemonade of WEFT- WTF. And ORBIS was just 'orbis'- never heard of it but the perps were solid. As far as IPANA, it was a WAG. When I played the video my wife started singing. She actually knew all the words.

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  13. One more thing - TRIODES were the heart and soul of early computers, and they are the closest relatives to transistors, which are the heart and soul of modern computers. Triodes have a cathode, an anode, and between them a grid. Changing the voltage applied to the grid causes electrons to either flow from the cathode to the anode, or not to flow. Flowing or not flowing electron streams became the 1 or 0 of the early computers, like the ENIAC machine that we see often in crosswords. Unfortunately, these old computers were as easy to use as a nuclear power plant, as reliable as an appointment with the cable TV guy, and as convenient as an iron lung.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi gang -

    Thought this would be a DNF, but it all came together slowly.

    Tough theme to suss. The reveal helped.

    Got a call last night from one of my trombone buddies form high school. He's been in CA for decades, but is in the area for a few days. We're going to meet him and his wife for lunch. Good times!

    Happy weekend, everyone.

    Red Wings are picking up right where they left off last year, turning a 2-0 lead into a 6-4 loss.

    Dodgers took out the Nats, I'm happy to say.

    Looking forward to a Cleveland - Chicago series.

    Cool regards!
    JzB

    ReplyDelete
  15. Musings
    -Finally a day off! Who needs $140/day anyway?
    -Learning APIA, ZYDECO and AGIO here over the years was very helpful in Jeff’s always excellent exercise. Now I have to add DANAE
    -My band was WOOZY first but WU_ _ didn’t cut it
    -The UN says gasses replacing CFC’s are letting the OZONE layer heal but aid global warming. Sigh…
    -I’ve never been SOLD ON anything over the phone
    -The current trend of tiny houses usually feature this LOFT. Work for you?
    -We, uh, veteran teachers remember advancing a film strip when we heard a beep on the accompanying TAPE
    -Wonderful comparison/conversion of O Sole MIO by the King (3:54)
    -Dang! M_RY/R_GG cost me my de rigueur one bad cell
    -Alternative for IOWAN
    -Major General George E. Pickett LED his doomed Charge
    -With ONE MAN ON, Earl Weaver usually went for the two run homer rather than bunt a man over
    -After Bony Maronie Larry had a hit with Short, Fat Fannie
    -Hercule Poirot often wishes someone good luck with “Bon CHANCE”
    -Jinx, love your computer similies!

    ReplyDelete

  16. Thanks JW and Lemon for a Friday adventure. I got the theme about halfway through the first across pass. But I did have to use Red Letter help, but no Google or other look-ups. Officially a DNF.

    I had WARP and WOOF before WEFT became apparent. I didn't understand DEMI at all, I thought it just meant LESSER. WOS about LANTZ, ELO, MIRY and EDA.

    I don't want Lemon to be disappointed, so here is Zydeco Dancing at its best.

    Today is National Desert Day, so forget about calories and fat and just have a desert or two. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  17. JW strikes again! It's a pleasure to solve one of his puzzles as they are so challenging. The theme dawned on me after the reveal. Clever!

    However, a DIW. I had OPENED not OPINED and TRIADES instead of TRIODES. Drat! That did not diminish the fun, though. Peter Gordon used Buckwheat ZYDECO recently and DANAE is familiar to me from the Non Sequitur comic. And LANTZ visited again today. BONY was held up for a long while because I wouldn't give up ROMA then realized that Tony Roma's was a restaurant and ROMO the athlete.

    Great Friday fun! Thank you, JW and Lemonade!

    Have a joyful day, everyone!

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  18. That's great oc.

    I'll take the Mojave and the Gobi with a glass of milk. Thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
  19. oc4beach:
    Here in AZ I have desert every day but today I shall also have dessert for dinner! LOL Don't worry, it's a common error.

    ReplyDelete

  20. Lucina @ 10:50 Just a slip of the digit missing the second S. I guess dessert would taste better than desert. I do like Pecan Sandies cookies.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Good Morning,

    Running late--emptying files for my bank's last shredding event of the season. Who saved all that paperwork??!! AND much of my billing comes online!!! I quickly developed decision fatigue. The rest will have to wait.

    Great puzzle. Thanks, Jeff. I like the aforementioned fresh entries. Fun! Thanks, Lemonade for your tour and the fine links.

    Thanks, Owen, for last night's Walgreens-Nats logo link. Don't see the Wegman's issue. Fun. Looks like the Dodgers beat Walgreens. I have rooted for the Dodgers or the Giants since I was a kid. No disloyalty--the Cubs were never "in it." No more! As Splynter says: Onward!

    Have a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks, JW, for a fun puzzle. Took a while to figure out the theme answers, but eventually got-er-done. I also loved the clue "50% up front?"

    Lemonade - Loved the cartoon at the bottom! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi everybody. Thanks to Jeffrey, Rich and Lemon for a fun Friday, better than Drabble's day. (Other than old Calvin and Hobbes, Drabble is my favorite daily comic.)

    D-O, the quotation marks should go after the period.

    Things are mostly OK around our household though Barbara is often nauseated and sleepy.

    I love Zydeco music and dancing.

    Go Dodgers!

    I thought LAP CAT was good though I had lap dog at first.

    I hope he gets his just desserts/deserts?

    Count me in for lusting after Mrs. Peel...

    I like seeing TRIODE in a puzzle. It reminded me of pulling out all the tubes in an old inoperative radio and taking them to the store to run them through a tube tester.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I had a roommate in high school who had worked a summer job with a television repair man, and we ended up with an old TV that he practiced on. We kept waiting for Charlie to electrocute himself. He did not, but he taught us about the 'odes that were not from English class.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Lucina- I also knew DANAE for the comic strip but didn't know she was a Greek god.

    oc4beach- Rockin' Doopsie, Jr., and the Zydeco Twisters, one of the most successful ZYDECO performers, lives next door to my insurance agent. Played at his 50th anniversary party. Made my knees hurt just watching him dance and hit the floor while doing the splits.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Good Afternoon:

    Another enjoyable challenge from JW with the usual clever theme and fun solve. Learning moment was Rice Bar as I was only familiar with Rice Cake, although I have never eaten one. Lap Cat was a big CSO to CED, for me, anyway. Lantz came easy after yesterday but I didn't care for miry.

    Many thanks, Jeffrey, for a fine Friday finale and thanks, Lemony, for the super summary.

    This morning, I was scheduled for the procedure that everyone hates to prepare for the day before and, unfortunately, due to complications that caused severe pain and discomfort, It could not be completed. Therefore, I must go through another prep and have it performed under general anesthesia. Needless to say, I am not too happy about this. ☹️

    Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Dear IrishMiss:

    Out here, we just call it the "RotoRooter procedure" ... I would say that "hates to prepare for" is a mild understatement.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Only since you asked: There are many branches of topology. Surfaces are analyzed by looking at paths that begin and end at the same point. If you can continuously morph one path to be equal to another, the paths are equivalent. They won't be equivalent when they wind around some holes differently. So the set of paths will depend on how many holes there are, among other things. The joke is that topologists can't tell the difference between a donut and a coffee cup. That's because the set of paths for both looks the same, and you can morph one to look like the other. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mug_and_Torus_morph.gif

    ReplyDelete
  29. I made Barbara and me Cream of Wheat this morning. I really like that stuff; both with a blob of melting butter in the middle or more typically, with brown sugar and half-and-half.

    oc4beach: That zydeco dancing link was so much fun. I'll bet they had sex afterward! (Maybe even during...!)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Well, a Friday Jeffrey Wechsler is always a toughie for me, and this one was no exception. So I was happy that I got about 4/5 before I had to start cheating. Didn't know ACELA, APIA, or AGIO, for example, or ZYDECO. And so didn't get the theme until I came to the blog. But it was still fun--thanks, Jeffrey and Steve. Am bracing myself for tomorrow's Saturday monster.

    Irish Miss, so sorry to hear about the complications with the procedure. Very disappointing. I'll keep my fingers crossed that all goes well for you the next time around.

    Have a great end of the week, everybody!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Good afternoon everyone.

    Gradually got a scattering of fill, but then finally sussed the theme; so completing the long acrosses gave me the critical mass to mostly finish. Got hung up in the SW because I had geometry before TOPOLOGY. AGIO came to the rescue! Tinkered with spaces before SPRAWL, too.
    Lemon's comment about DEMI was apt.
    Enjoyed this one as I do most of Jeff's puzzles.

    ReplyDelete
  32. This was an unusually swift solve for a Jeff Wex. I got all of the theme clues but still didn't suss the theme until Lemony 'splained it. Thanks Jeff and Lemony. Very enjoyable from both of you.

    Owen, you outdid yourself today. Excellent!

    Irish Miss, in regards to that procedure: being of a certain age, I have had to undergo that demoralizing procedure several times. ("Gently. Doctor. You're about to boldly go where no man has gone before.") The last time, I think it was two years ago, was a breeze. I was prescribed a new "drain cleaner" that was not only very thorough but pain and stress free as well. I wish I could remember the name of it for you. The procedure was the first I had under general anesthesia, but the experience was great. I fell asleep and when it was over I woke up in the middle of a great dream. Absolutely hassle free. And this from a guy who absolutely hates to be rendered unconscious and helpless. My only disappointment was that the doctor wouldn't give me a note that I could present to my adult-children-living-at-home that he did not find my head up there. I think you will like the general anesthesia. Ask your doctor about alternative cleanouts and "bon chance".

    Cya!

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  33. Big Easy:
    My meaning about DANAE was that I am reminded of her name every time it appears in the comic strip but knew she was a goddess from other sources.

    Bill G:
    Your mention of Cream of Wheat called to mind why I never eat it. During the first three months of my pregnancy that is the only food I could eat because the nausea lasted that long. Cream of Wheat is the only solid food that I didn't upchuck. TMI, I'm sorry.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi All!

    JW got me again. Almost done but, like gespenst said, NW had 'nuttin'. I finally turned to the Google for 3 and 4d to break it up and confirm LION.

    Thanks Jeff - the theme ans helped me, like, a lot! (The SE was the first to break). Thanks Lem for the informative writeup - I've heard AGIO but forgot why :-)

    12d confused me for too long - I kept thinking of that vacuum Electrolux and wanted Ad something. 11d wasn't as bad - I had ONE aboard in mind but there wern't enough squares.

    WOs: MIa b/f MIO and POLS b/f SENS.
    ESPs: RIGG, WEFT (you have a lisp?) and others I'm sure (at least it took ESP + WAG)
    Near-fav: ZYDECO. I always enjoy S. LA dive bars and diners [one N or two Lucina? :-)]

    Fav: Hand up LAP CAT is great xing PETS (wait, in former's clue?) was cute.

    {A, B+, A, A+} Last + for nice use of theme

    Froend's TOPOLOGY link. I enjoyed learning Topology & graph theory in CS.

    IM - Oh, no! 2x?!? I've not had to do that yet but I dread it already.

    Hahtoola - LOL observation.

    Jinx - I'll pile on w/ HG - LOL tube-computer similes.

    Tin - Congrats on 30. & LOL... I've been married longer than my dad - at least in a row :-)

    For lunch's dessert - a Victory IPA.

    Cheers, -T

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  35. Of the things in the world I am sure of, the diverse knowledge of the creatures of the Corner. Who knew topology would yield so much from so many.

    My nephew worked for Victory before he joined the service.

    My desert of choice is the Sahara with crackers.

    ReplyDelete
  36. JW forced me to be on my mettle today.
    It seemed one of those impossible pzls - until I got a toehold with 44 (across-and-down). I knew RUNYON, and he supported the "R" I wanted for RAGED, and isn't that enough, folks? That's how we get our mental fluency started and crank up confidence at the same time.
    In the end I missed only TRIODES, having settled for some aberration called TROODES because I went with DEMO instead of DEMI. Aren't there all sorts of commercial offers that start with "50% (not to mention Free) up front"? And while we're on that subject, hands up for those who started 19-A with DOWN? "Just half down, and she's yours!"
    The NW corner was the last to go, and I admit to a lookup or two in that sector alone. No, I don't consider it cheating when it's a Wechsler. C'mon, a guy's gotta have something to level the field...

    ReplyDelete
  37. I too like Jeff's work, and usually find them harder than today's. I winced at MIRY, chuckled at DON and TRUMP, and wondered about "pet" in the 46d clue and PETS as the 65a answer. Good write-up, Lemonade, thank you.

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  38. Since TOPOLOGY turned out to be so popular, I must mention that I once dated a girl who had lived previously with a topologist.
    (Well, it was enough to convince me I was the only one who knew the answer to 34-D.)

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anon T:
    You got it. Maybe this will help: do you eat dinner at the diner?

    BillG:
    Have you read Drabble today? It is laugh out loud funny!

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  40. OMK - So.... I wasn't cheating; it was just research :-). BTW, your phrasing made me think of Norwegian Wood from The Beatles. "I once had a girl, or should I say she once had [a TOPOLOGIST]"... I tried to find a "live" link but they were all cover BANDS... Hum it to yourself - I still am.

    Lucina: I learned a long time ago - if you want to eat twice - put two into it: Dinner/Diner, Dessert/Desert, Supper/Super. I found some examples that break the "two-rule" but I can't think of 'em now. Corner help?

    Cheers, -T

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  41. Anon-T,
    Thanks. I tried it. Nice to hum along with you...
    It's entirely subjective, but I think I'm not alone in making the distinction (between outright cheating & a bit of scholarly support). I suspect we've all been there, knowing when we have carried the battle alone so far we deserve to call the final few yards (or feet or inches) already ours.
    Truth to tell, I checked on APIA and LIOTTA. APIA I should have remembered from previous pzls. LIOTTA I could "see" in the movie replaying in my mind's eye, and his baby sister was in our department only a couple of years ago, but my ol' brain just couldn't reclaim the name...

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  42. Like Big Easy said there are different accordions in Zydeco music. 3 actually.

    Three row accordian, piano accordian and the dtandard Cajun french accordian like this in this link....
    https://youtu.be/pI5HmghXNXg

    Geno is my neighbor. I do all his small engine repair.

    Had to turn on red letters when I didn't get a TADA.

    I liked the double theme. OZ for OUNCE and when OZ was taken out a phrase was there and that helped me a lot. LOL

    Vendredi Enfin!!!! Plus Tard from Cajun Country ~!~!

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  43. OMK - I agree. Crosswords are for fun and a personal challenge. What do I know I know and what am I totally clueless about? It's very much unlike golf - I know I suck but where's the beer cart again when I finally get to the second tee? No fun in that!

    MIL sometimes consults a dictionary sometimes... Personally, I Google my way out of "I ain't got 'nuthin' down nor across" just so I can continue to play [Mulligan!]. Like you, I wait 'till I have no choice - Google or play. The former leads to learn - and, what I'll be doing w/ tomorrow's Sat :-)

    For the record - My hand's up for 50% "Down" thought - though TRN (@13d) would mean somet'in's wrong so held off the ink.

    For ease, Boo L's link. I knew I could count on Boo to cue more great ZYDECO.

    Cheers, -T

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  44. Lucina, thanks, I just checked out Drabble online. The cartoonist, Kevin Fagan, was doing a booksigning locally a few years back. He was a very pleasant ordinary kind of guy. I guess I was expecting a little more of a crazy person.

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  45. Hmm, tough one today.
    but it did give me lots of leads for silly links.

    Then I got distracted by the LapCat entry
    & looked up lots of cat links to share...
    (With a side trip, to Samoa...)

    (quite honestly, all these links tired me out,
    & if I couldn't handle it, I guess I shouldn't dump them on you...)

    So,

    If you want dozens of links to todays topics, just ask for them.

    But in the meantime...

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  46. Good Saturday morning, folks. Thank you, Jeffrey Wechsler, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for a fine review.

    Well, I tried to get this done on Friday, but no cigar. Too tough. I finished Saturday morning, but had to look a couple up. I just ran out of time and brains.

    Very clever theme. OZ.

    TOPOLOGY was a tough one, but I got it.

    BONY and COZY YOUNG were a couple I needed help with.

    Liked BOOZY BAND.

    Tried LAP DOG before LAP CAT.

    Anyhow, I have to run. See you later today, maybe.

    Abejo
    ( )

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  47. Wow, nothing after 630pm and here I finally am and I'm sure the Sat posts are already flying.
    But...
    I have to thank Jeffrey for a tricky,slicky but finally finishy truly Friday Fri. And a great expo from the always entertaining Lemonade, Owen's likewise and finally.finally great,great posts from a great community.

    Can we call the great unnameable 'The C.O.Y". Much like the pet you'd never want sitting in your lap. Nor, singing across the river up in Jefferson.

    I-M-O and Anon-T I'm on your wavelength. I was unusually tired yesterday and looked at the NW and quoted the eponymous POEt: Nevermore!!! I persevered and only missed The EDA and MIO. OK. I was still tired this morning. But, I got a nap in yesterday.

    My style of 'cheating' is to text someone who hates xwords but may know a 4ltr soap or a Beyonce lyric. ETCETERA.

    We had a merger of newspapers down in Tampa but still no DRABBLE. I confess to liking LuAnn. And, and n the old days we had a REX Morgan and a Judge PARKER. Get it, nudge,nudge.

    Gotta go. iTER or whatever was the ?? Ethereal Ranter. You sane people need a break.

    WC

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  48. Fun theme. Finished it all correct... But the NW corner was a bit unfair, gotten only with very lucky WAGs.

    LIOTTA an unknown to me. APIA and EDA only seen in puzzles. Crossing them and adding the bizarre clue for METER was really a bit too much.

    Thanks to Jinx in Norfolk for the TRIODE piece so I didn't have to write it! Growing up in the 70s I built mostly with transistors and the exciting new integrated circuits. All salvaged from discarded circuit boards.

    But when I built a high voltage generator with discarded TV parts, I needed a vacuum tube dIODE because the high voltage solid state ones were too expensive for my budget!

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