Friday, July 13, 2018, Jim Quinlan

Title: Is that Splynter I see back in brown? No, it is just UPS.

Happy Friday the 13th.

Mr. Quinlan is back for his 4th LAT and second Friday. I had the pleasure of blogging the debut of this middle-school teacher here in April 2015. He quickly had his first NYT that May. His most recent here was last October which featured controversy about his fill FIVE-O and the introduction of a celebrity solver RB. Jim who has been kind enough to stop by and clarify his work, uses a Friday staple - add letters. Today the trigram UPS, which is confirmed in a reveal. With 63 letters in the theme, there was not much room for long sparkly fill but I SAY SO, IT IS SO (?), ODD LOT, TEE HEE, BEER CANS  and UNLISTED added to the challenge.
I hope none of you all (Y'awl?) have ever had a package stolen from your porch; as Splynter was wont to say, ON*WARD*

18A. Calendar model's argument?: PINUPS POINT (11). I doubt that it is easy to pinpoint an argument a calendar model was putting forth.

24A. Ones who curry favor in Cannes?: FRENCH KISS-UPS (13). French kissing is nice, but ass kissers are not. 

41A. Booms in the poultry industry?: CHICKEN UPSWINGS (15). Thank Buffalo for the modern importance of the lowly chicken wing. 

51A. Northern New York gallery, say?: UPSTATE MUSEUM (13). The TATE is a CSO to our British brethern. 

And the reveal:

61A. Package on the porch ... or what's been brought to 18-, 24-, 41- and 51-Across: UPS DELIVERY.

Across:

1. Adobe extension: PDF. Portable Document Format is a keystone to all modern law work, for saving, transmitting,  and studying documents, eliminating the incompatibility of word perfect (the favorite of legal writers) and word.

4. Food: EATS.

8. Formal affirmation: IT IS SO. This must be the appropriate response to Captain Jean Luc Picard.

14. Amazement: AWE.

15. "Logan" superheroes: X-MEN.

16. Bib, essentially: NAPKIN. One I would not have thought of, but it is true.

17. Cooking acronym: PAM. Learning moment! PAM is a cooking spray currently owned and distributed by ConAgra Foods. Its main ingredient is canola oil. The name PAM is an acronym for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff. Wiki.

20. First word of The Beach Boys' "Kokomo": ARUBA. The first stanza.
Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go, Jamaica...

22. David Caruso starred in the Miami version: CSI. It crashed and burned after 10 seasons and 232 episodes. Before that, in 2006, BBC News published an article stating that CSI: Miami was the world's most popular television series, featuring in more countries' top ten rankings for 2005 than any other series. BBC online.

23. __ periculo: at my own risk: MEO. This is inferable from the clue, sort of. Just Latin- periculum = danger. Friday challenge.

29. Jackie portrayer on "Nurse Jackie": EDIE.

30. Spike TV, once: TNN. The Nashville Network.

31. He finished hosting "The Tonight Show" 12 years before Fallon was born: PAAR. Jack.

34. Tool points: NIBS. I think of pens not tools.

37. Long past: OLDEN.

44. Wrap label: SARAN. When we were kids we had Alcoa Aluminum foil, Cut-rite wax paper and Saran. In 1949, it became the first cling wrap designed for commercial use. It was sold for household use in 1953. SC Johnson acquired Saran from Dow in 1998. SC Johnson had some concerns about the safety of PVDC and subsequently took steps to eliminate it from Saran's composition. The popularity of the product, as well as sales, suffered as a result. If you’ve noticed recently that Saran isn't much different than Glad or Reynolds products, that’s why.

45. Isaac's eldest: ESAU.

46. Extended tale: SAGA.

47. "Just joking!": NOT. Popular response for  while.

49. Narrow cut: SLIT.

57. Latin lover's word: AMO. I love you.

58. Cup holder?: BRA. Cute, and then 66A. Main man: BRO.

59. Seller of spots: ADREP. Advertising Representative.  Like Mad Men.

67. Snicker: TEE HEE.

68. Anticipatory times: EVES.

69. Beauty preceder?: AGE. Age before beauty. The phrase is often given as part of a supposed exchange between the U.S. writer, politician and diplomat Clare Booth Brokow, who later became Clare Boothe Luce, and Dorothy Parker. It is said that, in the archetypal circumstances for uttering the phrase, that is, while holding a door open for Parker, Brokow said "Age before beauty". Parker's reply was "Pearls before swine".

70. Small stock purchase: ODD LOT.  Mulitples of 100 shares of stock is the normal lot.

71. Pudding starch: SAGO.

72. Amount realized: NET.

Down:

1. Smurf with a red hat: PAPA.  I think he was a derivative from the seven...

2. Fictional miner: DWARF.

3. Longest human bone: FEMUR.

4. Open a satellite shop, say: EXPAND.

5. Bizet's buddy: AMI.

6. Base __: TEN.

7. Moved furtively: SNUCK.

8. Demand: INSIST.

9. One in a pub lineup: TAP.                                                      21D. Six-pack makeup: BEER CANS.

10. Google's was in 2004, briefly: IPO. Initial Public Offering.

11. Be very thrifty: SKIMP. Skimp and save or is it SCRIMP?

12. Trig functions: SINES. So many and so far in the past in my life.

13. In the know about: ON TO.

19. Penultimate Greek letter: PSI. Which leads me to...

25. Picture at Cannes: CINÉ. From the Greek κῑ́νημα (kī́nēma) which means movement from which we also got kinetic.

26. "Die Lorelei" poet: HEINE. Heinrich - born Harry.  The first stanza-
Ich weiss nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Dass ich so traurig bin;
Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten,
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.

27. __ day: school contingency: SNOW.

28. Not in the book: UNLISTED.

31. Cubicle fixtures: PCS.

32. "I got it!": AHA.

33. It's all around you: AIR. I always say money is like air, it really only is important when you have none. I am not sure who I stole that from.

35. School __: BUS.

36. Unavoidable jerk: SPASM. I always wondered what that guy's name was.

38. What might reveal the answer to "Who's your daddy?": DNA.

39. Custard base: EGG.

40. Org. that abhors leaks: NSA.

42. Windsor, for one: KNOT.  I learned this STYLE before my teens.

43. "Star Trek" lieutenant: SULU.

48. Smartphone alternative: TABLET. We are a two tablet family; Oo seldom leaves home without hers.

50. Parental words of finality: I SAY SO. But why? Because...

51. Decided on a diamond: UMPED. A baseball clue for C.C.

52. Sat: POSED.

53. Start to cycle?: TRI.

54. Wasp nest sites: EAVES. I am allergic to bees but I was more afraid of the damn wasps.

55. __ Dictionary: URBAN.

56. Road sign with a double-tailed arrow: MERGE.

57. One on a driveway: AUTO.

60. One who works with feet: POET. I am an Iambic pentameter fan.

62. FedEx alternative: DHL.

63. Want ad abbr.: EEO. Equal Employment Opportunity.

64. Actress Gabor: EVA. Green Acress is the place to be...

65. Gas pump spec.: REG.

Tough day at work yesterday; I hope you enjoy this effort and have a great weekend. Thank you JQ and all of you. Lemonade out. 

Friday, July 6, 2018, Susan Gelfand

Title: Dress your automobile for success.

Susan returns for her second 2018 puzzle, 6th LAT, and first Friday. She found four standard automobile components with the second word being a type of apparel. Then she clued them to reflect the clothing, not the part. Her definition of TIMING BELT is pretty funny and the others witty. She then packages it all in a pinwheel grid loaded with some nice 7/8 letter fill - ANALYST, HOKIEST, LOSES TO, PIGS OUT, STRIPES,  ZIPPERS, ARBITRATE and  SNEEZED AT. Oddly, neither ZIPPERS nor RUBBED has ever appeared in a LAT puzzle. On the other hand, there was a slew of very obscure clue/fill combinations which made this work.

17A. *Footwear that slows you down?: BRAKE SHOES (10). We start with a part that gets 70,900,000  HITS.

38A. *Satchels with vents?: AIR BAGS (4). Can you believe 771,000,000 hits for THESE?

60A. *Headwear with a power supply?: BATTERY CAP (10). There were 170 million hits for THIS.

11D. *Leg covering with a warmer?: HEATER HOSE (10) There were 42 million hits for this part. LINK.

29D. *Trouser support with rhythm?: TIMING BELT (10). 81,700,000 hits HERE.

And the reveal which seemed unnecessary:

57D. What the answers to starred clues are part of: CARS.(4)

Across:

1. Kid: JOSH. Not your nephew Josh, but "to make fun of, to banter," 1845 (intransitive), 1852 (transitive), American English; according to "Dictionary of American Slang.

5. Affected: ARTSY. It is interesting how culturally an appreciation for the fine arts has some negative connotation.

10. Layered hairstyle: SHAG. Speaking of connotations, Austin Powers, where are you? LINK.

14. Germany's von Bismarck: OTTO. This man was the most important figure in 19th century Europe.

15. Capital on the Aar: BERNE.  An Old CITY.

16. Relate: TELL. Okay, this is easy.

19. Pro __: RATA.

20. Fancy pillow material: SATIN. Pillowcases? LINK.

21. Takes a gander at: EYES. Always will remind me of Splynter and legs.

LINK

22. Urban extensions?: ITES.

23. Dutch export: EDAM. A repeat from last Friday. Cheesy!

25. Backpack features: ZIPPERS. Why backpacks?

27. Prepare: GET SET. On your mark...

30. Clipped to a greater extent: TERSER. This first-time clue was very hard to parse

31. Ramp sign: EXIT.

32. Glorify: LAUD. Praise (a person or their achievements) highly, especially in a public context.

34. Virtually can't be beaten: IS HOT. Erm.

37. Flee: LAM. Not used to this as a verb: 3rd person present: lams; past tense: lammed; past participle: lammed; gerund or present participle: lamming

40. Big Ten sch. with eight national football championships: OSU. This the other one JzB mentioned on Wednesday- the Ohio State University.

41. Request before a shot: SMILE. Photoshoot.

43. Diminish: BATE. This also was slow, as I did not think of the definition to reduce the force or intensity of - e.g. waited with bated breath

44. "In your dreams!": AS IF. YEAH RIGHT! Made popular by the movie CLUELESS staring Alicia Silverstone.

45. "Walker, Texas Ranger" star: NORRIS. Chuck, not our editor Rich.

47. Name on the cover of "Death in the Afternoon": ERNEST. Hemingway by the way.

49. Goes overboard, in a way: PIGS OUT. Not o'ded.

51. Furniture giant: IKEA. You recall the acronym?

52. Jewelry location: LOBE. Ear, ear...

53. Muffin choice: BRAN. Not so much

55. "But I don't want to go among mad people" speaker: ALICE.
“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
                                 "How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
                                 "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”

59. Singles: ONES. Money, honey.

62. What flowers may do: WILT.

63. Kitchen additions?: ETTES. We have a nice Italian restaurant called Kitchenetta in town. And, 38D. Space beginning: AERO.

64. LPGA golfer __ Pak: SE RI. The single most influential golfer in the history of women's golf, who paved the way for all the Korean stars who took up Athe game. LINK.
AA
65. 1974 Peace Nobelist from Japan: SATO. His STORY.

66. Passes out cards: DEALS.

67. Hardy title teenager: TESS. d'Ubervilles.


Down:

1. Positions: JOBS.

2. Other, in Oviedo: OTRA. Just Spanish.

3. Stolen bases, e.g.: STATistic.

4. Most contrived: HOKIEST. Dictionary  (2) noticeably contrived. "a hokey country-western accent"

5. Hunk's pride: ABS.

6. Bring up again?: RE-HEM. More misdirection.

7. Horse victim?: TROY. Speaking of contrived...

8. Treated as unimportant: SNEEZED AT. My mother was big on using this phrase- " that $2.85 an hour is nothing to be sneezed at."

9. Polite affirmation: YES SIR.

10. Highway markings: STRIPES. So simple, yet elusive.

12. Make changes to: ALTER.

13. Wine __: GLASS. A toast-

18. Köln closing: ENDE. We call this city Cologne.

24. Hun king, in Norse legend: ATLI. Maybe you will want to read this VERSION.

26. Pitchfork-shaped letters: PSIS. ΨΨΨ

27. Some goop: GELS. Hair?

28. Knowledge determinant: EXAM. Not necessarily an accurate measure.

30. Big brass: TUBAS.

33. Resolve, in a way: ARBITRATE. Mediation and arbitration have replaced the need for so many trials, judges and juries.

35. Medical suffix: OSIS. E.G. denoting a pathological state.  "stenosis" "psychosis" or
"neurosis"

36. Clump: TUFT. The difference between clump and tuft is that clump is a cluster or lump; an unshaped piece or mass while tuft is a bunch of feathers, grass or hair, etc, held together at the base.

39. Computer whiz: GEEK. This site is proof this is not so any longer.

42. Finishes behind: LOSES TO.

44. Wall Street figure: ANALYST.

46. Massaged: RUBBED. Just do not do it the wrong way.

48. Tail: REAR.

49. Farm equipment: PLOWS.

50. Ancient Greek region: IONIA. More Greek rhymes with geek.

51. Debriefing info: INTEL.

54. "__ girl!": ATTA.

56. Cold drink brand: ICEE.

58. Christian denom.: EPIScopalian.

61. Curved shape: ESS.

I am not sure if my brain was scrambled by all the fireworks explosions this week, but this puzzle took me a long time and much second-guessing. That was after I got the theme early on. Made for a Friday challenge, which is what is supposed to happen. YMMV. Hope you all had a safe holiday, I am enjoying the renewed enthusiasm here with all your comments. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.: 

I've opened a thread for Jumble talk. Please mark this page. Just give a hint on the Corner blog that you need Jumble chat, then move the further discussions to that Comments section. 

Thanks for the understanding.

Friday, June 29, 2018, Morton J. Mendelsohn

Title: Somewhere Under the Rainbow.

This is puzzle number 6 here at the LAT for retired PROFESSOR MENDELSOHN a well-published Psychology researcher from McGill University in Montreal. He first published twice in the NYT followed by 5 LATs last year with one being a Friday. MJM uses a theme which we have seen before, where words in the down fill are clued to represent B(under)A phrases. He makes it his own by locating 4 unique to the puzzle world phrases that work. He adds triple stacks of 6 letter words in the NW and SE corners, with doubled up 8 letter fill in the NE and SW which include the sparkly LOOKED IN, MERE HINT and USO SHOWS. He sprinkles some amusing word combos and some geography.  There are included stuff from other puzzles for the week. See how many you recognize. we have:

4D. Carefully consider, literally: ADVISEMENT TAKE (14).  Take UNDER Advisement.

8D. Add to the list of possible perps, literally: SUSPICION PUT (12). Put UNDER Suspicion.

16D. Ail, literally: THE WEATHER FEEL (14). Feel UNDER the Weather.

20D. Rein in, literally: CONTROL BRING (12). Bring UNDER Control.

Across:

1. Fix: ATTACH. Not an easy start for me.

7. Egyptian symbols of royalty: ASPS. All you need to know about these SNAKES.

11. Fitness stat.: BMI. Body Mass Index. Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson (6'5" 262 pounds)  comes in as "obese" with a reading of 31.1. Yeah, right.

14. Greeted casually, with "to": SAID HI. I did not need the "to."

15. Grill: QUESTION.

17. Classic London theatre: OLD VIC. The Old Vic, originally named the Royal Coburg Theatre, was designed in 1818 by Rudolph Cabanel, where it stands now south-east of Waterloo Station. various.

18. They raise camp spirit: USO SHOWS. SO? Hmm.

19. Arrive on an air taxi: FLY IN. Air Taxi?

20. Cereal box rank: CAP'N. I guess this makes this puzzle crunchy.

21. North-of-the-border gas: ESSO. An example?

22. "Could be better": SO SO. Cute next to ESSO.

24. Second of a Caesarean three: I SAW. VIDI.

26. Undressed: BARE.

29. "Squawk Box" channel: CNBC.

31. Feinted: DEKED. We hockey fans know this term,

35. Cheese town: EDAM. Edam is a semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands and is named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland. Packed in red.

36. Abruzzi bell town: ATRI. Long ago there was a king in Italy who was known for his goodness and wisdom. King John of Atri believed in justice, and so one day he purchased a great bell to hang in a tower in the village square...

37. The Congo, formerly: ZAIRE.

38. Tune (out): ZONE.  Not related to 33D. White out: ERASE.

39. Agonize (over): BROOD. This verb was originally used with an object, i.e., ‘to nurse (feelings) in the mind’ (late 16th century), a figurative use of the notion of a hen nursing chicks under her wings.

41. Catching strategy: TRAP. For C.C. What is Trapped? A baseball term that describes the state of a fly ball or line drive that touches the ground just prior to being concealed and secured by a player's glove.

42. Key wood: EBONY. It took a moment too long for me to see this LINK.

44. Hyatt competitor: OMNI. The one in Miami closed but THESE are still open.

45. Horde: HOST.

46. Slow movement: LENTO. In music. 58A. Major relative to F minor: A-FLAT. JzB, help me!

47. Canter: LOPE.

48. Pre-event periods: EVES.

49. Pyramid, to Tut: TOMB.

51. Kindle reader, say: USER. One who uses the Kindle not the device.

53. Quartet named for its members: ABBA. Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

56. Q.E.D. word: ERAT. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

62. Checked (on): LOOKED IN. With so many oldsters living here, we look in and bring homecooked treats to them.

64. Mock: PSEUDO.

65. Barely a trace: MERE HINT. Like good perfume.

66. Party to a search: SEEKER.

67. Is for some: ARE. Cute, think about it.

68. Declines: SAGS. nothing but un-pc comes to mind.

69. Least well: ILLEST. Not a favorite.

Down:

1. Dating from: AS OF.

2. Hard to believe: TALL. Tale. The HISTORY?

3. Not like a sty: TIDY.

5. Slacks material: CHINO.  Versus KHAKI?

6. Kool-Aid alternative: HI-C.

7. Marine opening?: AQUA.

9. Lowly laborers: PEONS. Not since the serf days?

10. Cooking-burger sound: SSS.



11. Dust jacket blurbs: BIOS.

12. Manicures, in a way: MOWS. The lawn, or for Steve and NC and others, the garden.

13. __ many words: IN SO.

23. One who crosses the line: SCAB. From blemish … to strikebreaker, the history of the word scab … shows a displacement of meaning from the visceral or physical to the moral register … Just as a scab is a physical lesion, the strikebreaking scab disfigures the social body of labor—both the solidarity of workers and the dignity of work.

25. Wood dresser: ADZ.

26. Gem mounting: BEZEL. Bezel settings use a type of elevated collar which wraps the rim of the diamond in a complete metal edging

27. Pueblo building material: ADOBE.

28. Talked nonstop: RAN ON. Like many of my sentences.

30. Stomach relief, briefly: BROMO.

32. Bolshoi rival: KIROV.

34. Firm parts: Abbr.: DEPTS.

40. Runs out of juice: DIES.

43. Hoo's first?: YOO. Chocolate drink.

50. Social __: MEDIA.

52. Brainstorming staple: EASEL. Whiteboard these days.

53. Operatic Gluck: ALMA.

54. Dutch colonist: BOER. More cute pairing with...

55. Put to sleep: BORE.

57. Unwanted workers: ANTS.

59. Uncle to Ben Solo: LUKE. Ben Solo, Princess Leia's son. A dark warrior strong with the Force, Kylo Ren commands First Order missions with a temper as fiery as his unconventional lightsaber.

60. Vitamin C sources: ADES. Yay! CSO for me!!!!!

61. Libel or slander: TORT.   A civil wrong.

63. Doubtful interjections: EHS.

64. Tire shop meas.: PSI. Pounds per Square Inch.

We have almost put another month in the corner record books, with HG closing the deal tomorrow with one of his exhaustive explications. I hope to see you all back here next month. Thank you, Morton and cornerites, Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Barry G, a regular on our blog for many years. How's work, Barry? Do you still have to drive a long way to work? How's Joshua?

July 2, 2016

Friday, June 22, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Duck, Duck GOOSE?

Jeffrey is back again with a pre-tribute to a new MOVIE that comes out in August. Okay, probably not, but this is a really impressive creation as we have a 15 x 16 grid (to leave room for 59 across) with only one cheater square in the grid! We have the word "DUCK" implied but not written in eight (8) answers, and they are set up in lines (rows) 1, 6 and 9 with a two-part reveal in 12 and 14. Again pushing the no rebus envelope at the LAT we are presented with a pretty easy Friday that glows with its originality. I think this may be a combination that appeals to many, but YMMV. I loved the visual appeal of the grid, which reminds me of the old Atari game SPACE INVADERS. As always, we have a goodly mix of sparkly fill, this time BEATLES, DIGNIFY, LONG RUN, NO RULES, OREGANO, SONNETS, CANARY CAGE and  FAT-BUSTING.

1A. *Sparkling wine: COLD DUCK. (4). Red wine and sparkling wine mixed. LINK.

5A. *Classic Chinese dish: PEKING DUCK. (6). Never Beijing LINK.

11A. *Defeated incumbent: LAME DUCK. (4) No politics  LINK.

27A. *Toon with a speech problem: DAFFY DUCK (5) Daffy first appeared in Porky's Duck Hunt, released on April 17, 1937. The cartoon was directed by Tex Avery and animated by Bob Clampett. Porky's Duck Hunt is a standard hunter/prey pairing for which Leon Schlesinger's studio was famous, but Daffy (barely more than an unnamed bit player in this short) was something new to moviegoers: an assertive, completely unrestrained, combative protagonist.

30A. *Goner: DEAD DUCK. (4). This phrase is very similar to Lame Duck. The phrase “dead duck” is an Americanism from the 1830s. Originally it was political slang referring to a person who has lost influence or power and was therefore useless. 

34A. *Charmed one: LUCKY DUCK. (5) Lucky duck is a saying meaning someone has good fortune. It likely was derived solely from the rhyme. 

46A. *Bath toy: RUBBER DUCK (6) Perhaps the most famous ONE.

48A. *Fictional uncle of triplets: DONALD DUCK (6) Donald Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is most famous for his semi-intelligible speech and his mischievous and temperamental personality.

59A. With 69-Across, organizational process implied by eight answers in this puzzle: GETTING ONE'S DUCKS (16) 69A. See 59-Across: IN A ROW(6).

62 theme squares!

Across:

15. Trendy berry: ACAI. I think the bloom is off this berry.

16. Critter: ANIMAL. Daffy and Donald are both anthropomorphic critters.

17. Natural resources: ORES.

18. Fillmore's party: WHIG. Lucky 13, Millard Fillmore was the last Whig President. When my son and d-i-l were in graduate school in Buffalo we went to the cemetery where he is buried. Interestingly, both of his wives are buried there. I include a nice SUMMARY of the WHIG Party.

19. Hyundai sedan: SONATA. Hmm. Etymology: past participle of sonare "to sound," from Latin sonare "to sound," 21A. Browning works: SONNETS.  Etymology: directly from Italian sonetto, literally "little song," from Old Provençal sonet "song," diminutive of son "song, sound," from Latin sonus "sound"

20. Tide table term: NEAP. This is a tide just after the first or third quarters of the moon when there is the least difference between high and low water.

23. Pizzeria jarful: OREGANO. And parmagianno.

25. Martinique, e.g.: ILE. Our regular French for Island. If you have not been, it is a wonderful place to visit. The food is great and you can get Paris fashions for reasonable prices. But it is not designed for a long vacation.

26. Always, in 21-Across: E'ER.

38. Former Half.com owner: eBAY. Half.com was a subsidiary of eBay. eBay shut down the service on September 1, 2017. It was a website where sellers offered items for sale at fixed prices. The items available on half.com were limited to books, textbooks, music, movies, video games, and video game consoles.

39. "Not guilty," e.g.: DENIAL.

41. Second start?: NANO.

42. Home security giant: ADT. The company started as American District Telegraph and has a very diverse HISTORY.

43. Take into account: REMEMBER.

45. Just issued, in Innsbruck: NEU. Kazie,  Spitzboov-what are the differences between Austrian/German?

50. Swung about: SLUED. slew verb: past tense: slued; past participle: slued turn or slide violently or uncontrollably in a particular direction. "the Chevy slued from side to side in the snow"

51. Places for notes: PADS. Not music.

55. Iberian Peninsula city: PORTO. A new tourist destination in PORTUGAL.

56. Blue: SAD.

57. Fit to __: A TEE.

58. Mock conclusion?: ERY.

65. Either of two Monopoly sqs.: UTIL.

66. Like boxers: CANINE. Doggies.

67. Parrilla of "Once Upon a Time": LANA. Never heard of this actress, but then again I do not watch the show. She actually has been very BUSY.

68. Debussy subject: LUNE. I love good PIANO.

70. Self-images: EGOS.

71. Overdoes it, with "out": PIGS.

72. Lawgivers: SOLONS. A fun Friday fill. Solon, (born c. 630 BCE—died c. 560 BCE), Athenian statesman, known as one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece (the others were Chilon of Sparta, Thales of Miletus, Bias of Priene, Cleobulus of Lindos, Pittacus of Mytilene, and Periander of Corinth).


73. Son of Eve: SETH. The third son, but The Works of Josephus states: "The number of Adam's children, as says the old tradition, was 33 sons and 23 daughters." TITUS FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS was a prolific scholar. Historic reading, no religion.

Down:

1. Cornfield calls: CAWS. Cute continued alliteration.

2. Tres y cinco: OCHO. Spanish math.

3. Placed: LAIN.

4. Give due respect: DIGNIFY.

5. Scrapbooker's supply: PASTE.

6. Son of 73-Across: ENOS. Or Enosh is a link in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but that would be religion.

7. Holiday guests, often: KIN.

8. Bread's "Baby __ Want You": I'M A. A forgotten band from the early 70's? The song lives on.

9. Org. led by Jens Stoltenberg: NATO. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Now led by this MAN.

10. Driving hazard: GLARE.

11. Broadway producer's desire: LONG RUN.

12. Region: AREA.

13. Nasty: MEAN.

14. Hockey's Phil, to fans: ESPO. Phil and Tony Esposito were both very successful.

22. Historic Nevada city: ELY. Rhymes with eely.

24. Sushi roll fish: EEL. A C.C. favorite.

27. Darlings: DEARS.

28. Former "Idol" judge: ABDUL. A successful dancer who has fought bulimia.

29. Adjective in some diet ads: FAT-BUSTING. These ads probably cause the onset of bulimia.

30. JFK or LBJ: DEMocrat.

31. Chemical suffix: ENE.

32. Intention: AIM.

33. Apply carefully: DAB.

35. Pet bird's home: CANARY CAGE.

36. Lowered oneself?: KNELT. “No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.”
--Danny Thomas founder of St. Jude's children's hospital.


37. "Really?": YOU DO?

39. German article: DER.

40. Was first: LED.

43. __-wip: REDDI.

44. Cordoned (off): ROPED.

47. '60s pop group: BEATLES.

49. Free-for-all situation: NO RULES.

51. 2010s Colts head coach Chuck: PAGANO. The first use of this clue/fill combo.

52. Without a key: ATONAL.

53. Hathaway's "The Intern" co-star: DE NIRO.

54. "As __ TV": SEEN ON. So many stores have their sections devoted to the variety of products sold 'only' on TV.

59. [Yikes!]: GULP.

60. Notions case: ETUI. This was a common fill because of the vowels.

61. CBS maritime drama: NCIS. Oo and I watched the first few seasons on Netflix. They were really good.

62. Finishes (up): SEWS.

63. Celtic __: KNOT. This is not as simple as it sounds. LINK.

64. Merit badge site: SASH.

Well, I am back in the saddle again, riding to the finish of another Friday frolic. Jeffrey's wide variety of puzzles continue to please and I leave it to you all to let me know if you agree. Lemonade out.

Friday, June 15, 2018, Ethan Cooper

Title: I'm bored and from the 50's. Are there any magazines around here?

This looks like another Friday debut puzzle, and I do not have any info on the constructor. This is the only  ETHAN COOPER of whom I have heard. I hope Ethan stops by. We have a consistent placement of the magazine- the first two in the first word, the last two in the second word. And the joy of a grid spanning reveal which is cute if you do not think about how annoying those stupid inserts that keep falling out of the magazines are. I find some real wit in the ROYAL WINCE. Ethan was limited in his magazine choices because they had to be 3 or 4 letters. Life, Jet, Mad and Teen the only others that came to mind.  The best part of this debut shows in the glittery fill like AT ISSUE, CARED TO, EURASIA, MEMO PAD, SILENT N, AGE LIMITS and NERD ALERT. Well done. We also continue with Steve's critical chase for diacriticals.

17A. Literary agents who sold "Catch-22"?: HELLER REPS (10). Joseph Heller wrote the book, and Mike Nichols (we had Elaine May last week) wrote the MOVIE. Both were excellent.  ELLE magazine is inserted into the phrase HR REPS.

27A. Defective Chatty Cathys?: RASPING DOLLS (11). RAGDOLLS incorporates SPIN into that phrase.

45A. Hanging out by the lockers, etc.?: HALL PASTIMES (11). HALL PASS is needed in many high schools to explain their absence from the classroom. TIME  in its 95th year is added. 

62A. Uncomfortable look from the queen?: ROYAL WINCE (10). The ROYAL WE = an accepted tradition, and adding INC leads to this bizarre but fun fill. 

The reveal:

37A. Perfume samples, maybe ... or what this puzzle's circles are: MAGAZINE INSERTS (15).

on to the rest...

Across:

1. "__ talks!": "Anna Christie" tagline: GARBO.

6. Pond floater: SCUM.

10. Fox Business competitor: CNBC.

14. 2015 boxing film: CREED.  The sequel is coming soon.

15. Ditty: TUNE.

16. Total: REAL.

19. Cuyahoga River outlet: ERIE. A CSO to our own.

20. Still unresolved: AT ISSUE. Lawyers and Judges use this all the time.

21. Were so inclined: CARED TO. Interesting definition.

23. Gumshoe: TEC.

24. Dates: SEES.

26. They test the waters: Abbr.: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

32. "Six Feet Under" creator Ball: ALAN. He also wrote TRUE BLOOD and the movie American Beauty.

35. Like metal concerts: LOUD.

36. ___ de parfum: EAU. A bit of a dupe with 37A.

42. NYC's Lex, e.g.: AVE.

43. Steam producer: IRON.

44. 42-Across et al.: RTES.

50. Note from someone in a hole: IOU.

51. Gerald R. Ford Award org.: NCAA. Last January it went to ROBIN ROBERTS, but not the old Phillies pitcher.

52. Dadaist Jean: ARP.

55. Note taker's need: MEMO PAD.

59. Home to Iberia and Siberia: EURASIA. Eurasia is a combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia. The term is a portmanteau of its constituent continents (Europe and Asia).

61. "Oh, ri-i-ight": AS IF.

64. Casual farewell: TATA. TTFN.

65. Party mix staple: CHEX. Cereal.

66. Sorbonne concepts: IDÉES. French for ideas, idées. And, 2D. Glacial ridge: ARÊTE.  A semi-regular Friday word from the French a·rête. 69. Swashbuckler's word: GARDE. When paired with EN, French: on guard.

67. "Can it!": HUSH.

68. "My only love sprung from my only __!": Juliet: HATE. Act 1, Scene V. Our Friday Will S.
My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me
That I must love a loathèd enemy.

Down:

1. Popular IM service: G-CHAT. Not to be confused with the g-spot.

3. Museum piece: RELIC.

4. Units named for ATT founder: BELS. You are probably more familiar with the decibel. LINK.

5. Ukrainian port: ODESSA.

6. "The Deer Hunter" actress: STREEP. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Michael Cimino, and Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Walken, and marked Meryl Streep's first Academy Award nomination (for Best Supporting Actress) (imdb).

7. Reminder: CUE.

8. Insensitive, briefly: UN-PC.

9. Erosion formation: MESA.

10. Shudder-inducing sort, slangily: CREEPO. Like

11. "Check out the brain over here!": NERD ALERT. Big Bang has made Nerd popular.

12. Part of a sting: BAIT.

13. 1963 Liz Taylor role: CLEO. Elizabeth/Cleopatra.

18. Is sorry about: RUES.

22. Fruity ale brand: REDDS.

25. Column part that's strictly ornamental?: SILENT N. Really well thought out and structured deceptive clue/fill as there ornamental columns, but it is the letter "N" that has no purpose in the word column.

27. Genetics lab subject: RNA.







28. "__ won't back down": Tom Petty lyric: NO I. Verse 1. May he rest in peace.
Well, I won't back down
No, I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down

29. __-shy: GUN.

30. Rushing, perhaps: LATE.

31. Work (out): SUSS. I critically important word for all solvers.

32. Indian nanny: AMAH. Not to be confused with amas or amat.

33. Volcanic flower: LAVA. Too timely with all that is flowing in Hawaii.

34. Features of many kids' menus: AGE LIMITS. Tuesdays kids eat free.

38. Close, as a duffel: ZIP UP.

39. Glass of "This American Life": IRA. He gets paid to talk.

40. Primes, e.g.: Abbr.: NOS. Numbers.

41. Hectic hosp. zones: ERS. Emergency Rooms.

46. Shower tool: LOOFAH. If you use a loofah to get clean, it may be time to rethink your shower routine. That spongy, handheld scrubber meant to exfoliate and lather suds around your naked body is actually the perfect home for bacteria.

47. Mountaineering tool: ICE AXE. Some violence with this image, and the next.

48. Hammering tool: MAUL. 
This tool which appeared yesterday in Steve's write up is one with a heavy head and a handle, used for tasks such as ramming, crushing, and driving wedges; a beetle.




49. Crop-eating insect: EARWIG. This EPISODE od Rod Serling's NIGHT GALLERY is one of the most frightening things ever shown on television.

52. He played a TV newsroom boss: ASNER. A rare double, playing the same character (Lou Grant on the Mary Tyler Moore Show - a comedy, and then on LOU GRANT where he returns to his newspaper roots in a drama.

53. Cut to bits: RICED. This sounds much less dramatic than cut to bits.

54. Country, in Italy: PAESE. Paesan, countryman. Yiddish, landsman, pronounced "londsman" rhyming with bondman. Thank you Barry T.

55. Course where kids check products?: MATH. Nice trickery and CSO to Bill G. and others; in mathematics, a product is a result of multiplying.

56. Old Testament redhead: ESAU. With a substantial beard.

57. Prefix with rival: ARCH.

58. City where Al Jazeera is headquartered: DOHA. We had our own DOHA Doc as a regular for a while. He moved around but apparently has moved on.

60. Verdi princess: AIDA. Aida is actually the Ethiopian slave of Princess Amneris, the king’s daughter. However, she is the daughter of the King of Ethiopia.

63. To this time: YET.


I cannot blog a puzzle with circles without thinking of our longtime early poster, Barry G. who hated them as the Mensa site does not have them. Well, I had them and this was easier than yesterday for me. Welcome Ethan, come to hang out at the Corner. Thank you all. Lemonade out.

Friday, June 8, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: JW is back on Friday and he is switching letters again!

Hey; in this case, he is replacing "S" before "H" with "TC" resulting in similar sounding, but witty fill, clued appropriately. Two grid-spanners in the classic 3 and 13 rows, with 12s in the 7/9 slots make for a classic look. There are 43 words which are 5 letters or longer which means if you get some things solved you get much help from the perps. As with all Friday puzzles, it was not easy, but it was doable and fun. It featured many sparkly 7 and 8 letter fill like BAHAMAS, ENEMIES, GOT SORE, SEEMS OK, AUTOSAVE,  BY NATURE, GAINED ON and STAMP TAX. So let us solve this puppy.

17A. Surveillance camera?: WATCHING MACHINE (15). WASHING machine.

31A. Interconnected irrigation channels?: DITCH NETWORK (12). DISH Network is one of the early satellite TV providers.  

39A. Member of Cassidy's baseball team?: BUTCH LEAGUER (12).  A BUSH leaguer is a player not of the highest quality or sophistication; second-rate.  This was the stretch for me. 

56A. Obsessively uniform French fries?: MATCHED POTATOES.(15). By far my favorite of the themers. I also like good MASHED potatoes. I like potatoes, which can be a challenge living with my rice addicted wife.

Across:

1. Trap: HEM IN. The first of the many sparkly multi-word fill that Jeffrey uses this week.

6. Leaps in tutus: JETES. Defines as jumps in which a dancer springs from one foot to land on the other with one leg extended outward from the body while in the air. They can be GRAND.

11. "Major Barbara" monogram: GBS. George Bernard Shaw wrote this PLAY in 1907.

14. Dress style: A-LINE. The term was first used by the French couture designer Christian Dior as the label for his collection of spring 1955 (wiki).

15. Think the world of: ADORE.

16. Roger's relative?: AYE. Yessir!

20. Set of pieces: KIT.

21. They're for members only: DUES. A nice Friday, tricky clue/fill.

22. When the break rm. gets busy, perhaps: TEN AM. Eleven where I am, but people eat lunch late at our office.


23. Opposite sides: ENEMIES. A bit strong.

26. Fine art and antiques, say: ASSETS.

27. Desires more from Us?: RENEWS.  The magazine subscription, notice the capital "U."

28. Slithery danger: ASP. A very popular crossword snake.

30. Holmes and Watson, e.g.: DUO. I have never thought of them as a duo since Watson was mostly comic relief.

35. Garage sale term: AS IS.

37. Actor Stephen: REA. Will he always be most famous for THE CRYING GAME?

38. Lose impact: WANE.

42. One-time connection: AT A.  I actually usually solve looking at across/ down clues together.

43. Put in: ADD.

44. Signal on the road: BEEP AT. In many states, Florida included,

48. Religious discourse: HOMILY. I will let you consider HOMILY VS SERMON but no religion.

51. Had it up to here: GOT SORE.

52. Org. offering puppy love?: ASPCA. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

53. Tenerife, por ejemplo: ISLA. Spanish- for example.

55. Nutritional fig.: RDA.  I think this is being swallowed up by the new term DRI.

60. Gardner on screen: AVA. It was not easy to be HER. She was quite striking.

61. Ahi et al.: TUNAS.

62. Take a little off: PRUNE. A tree or bush, not a diet.

63. "Think you I am no stronger than my __": Portia: SEX. It is good to see JW and his Shakespeare quote; this is from JULIUS CAESAR, Act II, Scene 1.

64. Part of a caddie's burden: IRONS. Woods are not wooden, and irons are not iron, and golf is just a game.  I am not sure if HG and Big Easy agree.

65. Unwelcome company: PESTS. The reveal two weeks ago.

Down:

1. Bazaar figure: HAWKER. Defined as a person who travels around selling goods, typically advertising them by shouting. Clecho - 34D. Bazaar array: WARES.

2. "Primary Colors" screenwriter May: ELAINE. This talented writer-performer had much of her success partnered with Mike Nichols. BIOGRAPHY.

3. Bit of winter wear: MITTEN.

4. Business end?: INC. Cute and better than Ltd. reference.

5. Bk. after Ezra: NEHemiah. This person and BOOK are intertwined with the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. No religion.

6. Two-faced god: JANUS. He gave us January. No religion.

7. Verge: EDGE.

8. Barnyard males: TOMS. I can only think of two- turkey and cat - neither of which are in every barnyard. Also, 19D. 8-Down, for instance: HES.

9. Diamond stat: ERA. Baseball diamond, Earned Run Average.

10. Groups breaking away: SECTS. I said, NO RELIGION!

11. Began to overtake: GAINED ON. One of the two-word fill.

12. Inherently: BY NATURE. And another...

13. "Nothing wrong that I can find": SEEMS OK. and...

18. Clarifying words: ID EST. Now two Latin words, more commonly known as i.e. and Steve should be happy two days in a row.

24. "M*A*S*H" figure: MEDIC. A medic is an umbrella term for a person involved in medicine. The following fall under this term: a medical doctor, medical student and sometimes a medically-trained individual participating in an emergency such as a paramedic, army medic or an emergency medical responder. In M*A*S*H they were mostly surgeons.

25. "Would that it were true!": I WISH.

26. Dian Fossey subject: APE. Actually, she studied gorillas which are a subgroup of the family of great apes. Louis Leakey sent her along with Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas to study great apes in their native habitat.

28. Down the road: AHEAD.

29. Complication: SNAG. There often are when you go down the road.

32. Street __: CREDibility.

33. Occasionally newsworthy comment: TWEET. No politics either.

35. Crash insurance?: AUTOSAVE. The interesting divergence of automatic from the Greek automatos of persons "acting of one's own will;" of things "self-moving, self-acting," Thus the fun play on words here as crash relates both to cars and computers.

36. Short-lived 1760s levy: STAMP TAX. The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. The Act was repealed on 18 March 1766.(various).

39. Commonwealth off Florida: BAHAMAS. The Bahamas comprises 700 islands and over 2,000 rocks and cays, sprinkled over 100,000 square miles of ocean. The archipelago is an ecological oasis, boasting the clearest water on the planet. Brochures.

40. Big name in chips: LAY. In 1932, salesman Herman Lay opened a snack food operation in Dorset, Ohio; and, in 1938, he purchased the Atlanta, Georgia, potato chip manufacturer "Barrett Food Company", renaming it "H.W. Lay Lingo and Company." Lay crisscrossed the southern United States, selling the product from the trunk of his car.

41. WWII peril: U-BOAT. U-boat, German U-boot - the abbreviation of Unterseeboot -  (“undersea boat”), a German submarine. LINK.

45. Like much sandstone: POROUS. I have a nephew who works as a geologist for the government, but I know almost nothing about these ROCKS.

46. Gung-ho: ARDENT.

47. Toys with: TEASES. Like CED's cats and their mouse playthings.

49. Global sports org. concerned with wickets: ICC. The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909.

50. "Chicago Hope" Emmy winner: LAHTI. Lahti, 67, writes about her infamous appearance at the Golden Globes in 1998 when she won best actress in a television drama for "Chicago Hope" but was in the bathroom when her name was announced.

51. Give short shrift to, with "over": GLOSS.

53. Access-providing fig.: ID NO.

54. Go across: SPAN. A bridge.

57. NATO HQ locale: EURope.

58. Handy program: APPlication.

59. Half of sei: TRE. We finish with a bit of division in Italian. 6/3.

I had a really fine time working on this puzzle, and welcoming JW back to Friday. Thanks, Jeffrey and all who read and all who write. Lemonade out.

Friday, June 1, 2018, John Lampkin

Title: Now where did I hide that body? White rabbit, white rabbit all, welcome to June and hurricane season.

John is back following up last week's insect infested puzzle with a challenging and very creative entry in the LA Times not quite a REBUS puzzle type. Rich Norris does not accept classic multi-letters in a single square in puzzles, but here the word BODY is actually crammed into a black square, so it is hidden. Even if you do not like that explanation, this was a very fun puzzle to solve and a wondrous bit of construction. The special twist that makes it shine is the BODY missing at the front of the theme is placed on the left and the BODY missing at the end is on the right. He then puts a big bow on the puzzle by alternating the left-right march. WOW. With 66 squares committed to the theme, John still features some nice fill such as EVEREST, LOCALES, RUBS RAW, SLEEP IN, SPATULA, STOP HIM, PUHLEASE and TRAVIATA. We are given the extra hint of the * so you all knew which were theme related, and if you did not catch on to the gimmick, the two-part reveal should have made the puzzle very doable.  I will begin with the very clever movie reference that inspired this effort. Considered one of the 50 best Sci-Fi movies of all time with Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy

27A. With 44-Across, classic 1956 film ... and why the answers to starred clues aren't quite themselves?: INVASION OF THE (13). 44A. See 27-Across: BODY SNATCHERS.(13).

Now let us find those bodies.

1A. *Tattoos: ART (3) BODY  ART. I think this form of expression has been made most popular by the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues. Is it NUDITY?

8A. *Hypothetical object that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation: BLACKBODY (5).
A blackbody (sometimes spelled "black body") is a theoretically ideal radiator and absorber of energy at all electromagnetic wavelength s. (various). This is an unknown term for me.

16A. *Nonverbal communication: BODY LANGUAGE (8). A key to understanding other people, this is very important in business but may be most important for a COUPLE.

22A. *Snoop: BUSY BODY (4). I think of Samantha Stevens' next-door neighbor, MRS.  KRAVITZ.

50A. *Bumper repair site: BODY SHOP (4). Automobiles are always vulnerable and you need a good mechanic and good body shop.

62A. *Star or nebula: HEAVENLY BODY(8). A CSO to our NASA rep HG. There are so many TYPES. 

67A. *Circadian rhythm: BODY CLOCK. (5). Steve could give us his interesting perspective on this BIOLOGICAL  phenomenon. Meanwhile, I have commented first like three times recently, what's that all about?

69A. *Coveted journalism award: PEABODY. (3). The George Foster Peabody Awards program, named for American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and now, online media. Some past WINNERS. (various)

Well, I am worn out already and we must move on to the rest of the puzzle...

Across:

4. They churn out dough: ATMS. I have not used an Automated Teller Machine for some time.

13. Sign of summer: LEO. That kind of sign.

14. Ecologically challenged Asian sea: ARAL.

15. Ovine output: BAA BAA. Black sheep, have you any wool. CONTROVERSY?  Also, we have 9D. Ewe's output: LAMB. No double BAA, but a shameless self SO by John.

18. Deepest, as feelings: INMOST.

19. Realm: AREA.

20. Op-ed takes: VIEWS.

23. Outdoor gear giant: REI. Recreational Equipment, Inc., commonly known as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation. It is organized as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells sporting goods, camping gear, travel equipment, and clothing. (wiki) I never heard of it.

25. Game that may involve bumpers: POOL. The second reference to bumpers, one for a car and this one.

33. Dose people?: DEM. I bet DIS clue/fill did not please some.

35. Elite prep school: ETON. We started the week with this institution.

36. Dominica native: CARIB. I went to school with two brothers from this small island, and now I work on various projects there.

37. Abrades painfully: RUBS RAW. Alliterative fill, followed by...

39. Flay's flipper: SPATULA. Alliterative clue. Professionals do not need ONE. My wife just uses her wrist.

41. Furious: IRATE.

42. "Better Call __": SAUL. Part of the BREAKING BAD franchise.

43. Foxy: SLY. Saul must be.
.
48. Chihuahua chow: TACO.  Cute JL, but ridiculous- they can't fold or hold them.

49. The SEC's Tigers: LSU. A CSO to our many Louisiana friends here at the Corner.

54. First course in German?: SUPPE. Soup, at a meal, not a school.

56. Thailand, once: SIAM. A  CSO to my sweet wife, thank you JL.

60. Watch a neighbor's pooch, say: PET SIT.

64. Café: EATERY.

65. Ingrid, in "Casablanca": ILSA. So classic.

66. Tell's apple support: SON.

68. Face: MEET.

Down:

1. Penne __ vodka: ALLA. One RECIPE.

2. Caboose: REAR.

3. Text alert, often: TONE.

4. Nonpro sports org.: AAU.

5. "Fallen woman," in a Verdi title: TRAVIATA. A translation,  this was an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La Dame aux Camélias (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. (wiki)

6. Star followers: MAGI.

7. Take advantage of a day off, maybe: SLEEP IN.

8. Bar: BAN.

10. "__ Ben Adhem": ABOU. Funny, I would not have known this poem unless YR had printed it when it was fill in a January BAG puzzle. Then again, it was already filled by the perps.

11. Mama with two Papas: CASS.

12. Pop's Perry: KATY. Did any of you watch the new AMERICAN IDOL?

15. Bearded bovine: BISON.

17. Jake __, first Congressman to fly in space: GARN. They named a SCALE after him.

21. Court: WOO.

24. Hillary's peak: EVEREST. An interesting MAN.

26. Neighborhoods: LOCALES.

27. "Don't mess with me": I'M BAD.  Are you LEROY?  I wonder if that is where they got Gibbs' name.

28. Spread: SOW. This would have been one of the harder three-letter fills ever but the perps were there.

29. Generous, as a contract: FAT.

30. Bind: TRUSS.

31. Jack and Jill's Waterloo?: HILL. Very cerebral clue.

32. AuctionWeb, since 1997: eBAY.

33. Little bit: DRIB. Not drab

34. French bread: EURO.

38. Pen with oink, not ink: STY. Cute.

39. Anatomical pouch: SAC. John, you trying my DF nature.

40. Eye-rolling word: PUH-LEASE. Exaggerated form of please, short for if you please, an intransitive, ergative form taken from if it pleases you, which replaced pray. (dictionary)

42. Cry after a holdup: STOP HIM. Stop thief probably jumps to mind

45. Awful: NASTY.

46. Pressure prefix: ACU. sharp-acute, acupuncture, accurate

47. Ploy: RUSE.

50. What a crossword is often constructed on: SPEC. 90% of them I imagine.

51. Mend: HEAL.

52. "Beetle Bailey" hound: OTTO.

53. One 60-trillionth of a min.: PSEC.

55. Brazilian hero: PELE. Soccer (football) legend.

57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr.: INSPector.

58. Bug bite soother: ALOE.  Okay, an insect but one that bit.

59. Feathered mimic: MYNA. How do I get this bird two weeks in a row?

61. Bug: IRK. Not really an insect reference.

63. Dye holder: VAT. A change from the normal beer or wine reference.

Always fun to be taken on a ride by John who often bedevils with his vast and varied knowledge on little critters and music but presented a very fun Friday. After two weeks of almost steady rain, today starts Hurricane season here. Yay. Be safe all, my Charlotte graduated preschool last night. See below. Have a  great month, Lemonade out.