Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here, trying to come up with a suitable title for this Harry Doernberg puzzle. While seeing the theme came easy to me, giving it a title did not. Please bear with me on this one. A slang definition for flame is to insult someone over the internet. Harry's puzzle is so fantastic that it leaves no opening for such behavior. Therefore, my title is
FlameprooF
Perhaps it is best to leave it at that and move on to the puzzle's four themed clues....
17 Across. Closely held conviction: FIRM BELIEF. 
23 Across. Sport with flying saucers: FRISBEE GOLF.
46 Across. Blue toon in green overalls and a straw hat: FARMER SMURF. I was unfamiliar with this character but "blue toon" and "overalls" got me there. Cute!
57. Formal sleeve style: FRENCH CUFF. This is a soft double cuff that is made by turning back half of a wide cuff band and fastening with a cuff link. more on French cuffs
Here is the reveal:
46 Down. Camera lens setting, and a feature of both ends of 17-, 23-, 46-, and 57- Across?: F-STOP. more on F-stop
All of the themed clues begin and end with the letter F. The Fs act as STOPS. In this case STOP is a noun much like a bus STOP is the beginning or end of a bus route. 
We solvers often see F-STOP and SLR as fill clues and answers. It was fun to see F-STOP functioning as the reveal today. I noticed the initial F's early on but overlooked the final F's. The grid contains only one other F that is not a STOP. It is the second F in FRENCH CUFF. An interesting feature of this grid is how the reveal is placed vertically, growing off of one of the themed clues. I will insert the grid here so you can see what I mean.
1. SUV alternative: SEDAN. A SEDAN is a closed automobile having two or four doors and a front and rear seat. SUVs add a rear door, along with other features. Here is a Car and Driver comparison.
6. Say "I do": WED. Have you heard that some people are using ChatGPT to write their wedding vows? Who Says Romance Is Dead?
9. Tire speed stats: RPMS. Revolutions Per Minute
13. Speaker on a dais: ORATOR. A dais is a raised platform, as in a lecture hall, for speakers or honored guests.
15. Rd. crosser: AVE. Road and AVEnue
"Chicken" did not fit. 
16. "Pick me! Pick me!": OH OH. Does this make anyone else think of Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979)?
19. Peeved: SORE.
20. Top combat pilots: ACES.
21. Yahoo! alternative: AOL. America Online
22. Nickel or copper: METAL. and 28 Down. Nickel or copper: COIN.
16. "Pick me! Pick me!": OH OH. Does this make anyone else think of Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979)?
20. Top combat pilots: ACES.
21. Yahoo! alternative: AOL. America Online
22. Nickel or copper: METAL. and 28 Down. Nickel or copper: COIN.
"Copper" is a nickname for a U.S. penny and also some British coins. It might have helped to see something in the clue that hinted at a nickname, but that would have foiled the clever clecho.
26. College level HS course: AP CLASS. "High school" is abbreviated, so is Advanced Placement.
30. Novel thought: IDEA. Author Danielle Steel has turned over 140 IDEAs into novels.
31. For all to hear: ALOUD.
32. Reward for giving a pawshake, perhaps: DOG TREAT. Meadow does high fives.
36. Limit, with "in": REIN.
37. Gem State capital: BOISE. The Star Garnet is the state gem of Idaho. We Januarians recognize the garnet as our birthstone.
39. Wide valley: DALE. Also ... Dale Evans (b. Frances Octavia Smith; 1912-2001) was Roy Roger's on- and off-screen partner. She became influential in changing public perceptions of children with developmental disabilities when she wrote Angel Unaware (1953) about her daughter, Robin.
40. Organ that produces insulin: PANCREAS.
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| So much for being "pretty on the inside". |
42. Classic breath mint: CERTS. They were officially discontinued in 2018. If you find a roll in your glovebox or at the bottom of an old purse, you might want to throw them out.
43. Microwave: HEAT. verbs
44. Ceramic cooker for a classic Boston dish: BEAN POT. This one is new to me. Has anyone cooked beans this way?
51. "__ you happy now?": ARE. This 2003 Michelle Branch song falls into the Break-up Revenge Song category.
52. "Poor Things" Oscar winner Stone: EMMA. Here she is winning her second Oscar this past March. I have not seen this movie but I generally like her so I just now put it on my library queue.
60. Fail to include: OMIT.
61. Sweets: LUV. not candies
62. __ sauce: seafood condiment: TARTAR. I thought the second A was an E.
63. Pea homes: PODS.
65. Bonkers: NUTSO. Merriam-Webster says this word is "sometimes offensive".
Down:
1. Furniture to crash on: SOFA. I liked this clue! Crash is slang for "to sleep" or "to collapse exhausted".
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| Do you see the U.S. Army soldier crashing on this SOFA? |
2. Rapper Eazy-E's given name: ERIC. I guess that makes sense.
3. Truth alternative, in a party game: DARE.
5. Noodle: NOB. NOB is slang for the human head.
6. Cries and cries: WAILS.
7. Genesis figure: EVE. Last Monday we had "Genesis man: ADAM".
8. Rock's __ Leppard: DEF. Def Leppard is an English rock band formed in 1976. On April 20, 2024, they released a vinyl recording of a live show they performed last year.
9. Site of many outdoor presidential press conferences: ROSE GARDEN. National Park Service link
10. Shutterstock image: PHOTO. Shutterstock, Inc. is an American company founded in 2003. It listed 1,274 employees in 2023. They provide stock photography, footage, music, and editing tools. Here is an example of a Shutterstock image:
11. "Little Bunny Foo Foo" lesson, e.g.: MORAL. Little Bunny Foo Foo is a preschoolers' song about a rabbit who liked to hop through the forest, pick up filed mice, and bop them on the head. The Good Fairy gave him three chances to change his ways before turning him into a goon.
Spoiler alert: The MORAL of this story is, "Hare today, goon tomorrow."
(I did not make that up.)
12. Tchotchke holder: SHELF. A tchotchke is a small trinket that is more decorative than functional. Its etymology is Polish.
14. Guides into adulthood: REARS. Guides is a verb here.
18. Daily Planet reporter Lane: LOIS.
23. Short-term trend: FAD. Maybe this blending-in-with-your-sofa thing could become a FAD.
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| Notice he is in a furniture store so he probably did not plan this. |
24. Short get-to-know-you pieces: BIOS.
25. Precipice: EDGE.
26. Group with a Staying Sharp program: AARP. American Association of Retired Persons
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| Visiting The Corner everyday checks the first two boxes. (Click to enlarge.) |
27. Impassioned cry: PLEA.
29. Cold cuts: LUNCHMEATS.
33. Old West icon Wyatt: EARP. Kurt Russel played him in Tombstone (1993). Do you recognize the other guy? (See below.*) 34. Midrange voice: ALTO.
35. Experiment: TEST.
37. Fozzie, for one: BEAR. He is one of Kermit's buddies.
38. Horse feed grains: OATS.
41. Stink to high heaven: REEK.
42. Half-__: coffee blend: CAF. Half-Caf coffee is made with a blend of regular and decaffeinated beans, usually in a 1:1 ratio. I have also seen it spelled with two Fs.
44. Insult: BURN. Kelso on That '70s Show (1998-2006) used this slang a lot.
47. San Antonio field trip site: ALAMO. I liked this angle for clueing the site of the 1836 battle between Mexican and Texan forces. These days, 2.5 million people a year visit the ALAMO. I would guess that a substantial number of those are students on field trips.
48. Tried again: REDID.
49. Irish novelist Binchy: MAEVE. Maeve was born May 28, 1939 in Dublin, Ireland. She passed away there 73 years later. Her stories are described as "delightful, charming, and a joy to read".
52. Eggshell shade: ECRU. Both are off-white.
53. Pup of unknown origin: MUTT. The word MUTT is derived from muttonhead. It has come a long way from being an insult to today's connection as man's best friend.
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| National Mutt Day is July 31. |
54. Some drama degs.: MFAS. "Degrees" is abbreviated, so is Master of Fine Arts.
55. Questlove's hairstyle: AFRO. Ahmir K. Thompson (b. January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove, is an American musician, record producer, and music journalist. You might recognize him as the drummer for The Roots (Jimmy Fallon's house band).
58. Dull routine: RUT.
59. Solo of "Star Wars": HAN.
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| Farewell GIF Have a great week, everyone! |
*33-Down. Billy Bob Thornton played the crooked dealer in Tombstone.
