Friday, September 30, 2016 Joseph Groat

Theme: Common Sense(s)

It was in 2015 when Joseph Groat first appeared in the L.A.T., and that was also my first attempt at blogging.  This is his third appearance.  For this outing, the theme is in the clues rather than the answers – no reveal required.  The theme answers include three grid-spanners and two twelves.  Impressive. Plus, it’s a pangram!  For any newbies in the audience, a pangram contains all 26 letters of the alphabet. But like many puzzles with heavy themage, this one requires lots of gluey 3-letter abbreviations to make things work.  Still, it was a fun solve.

17A. Sight : POINT OF INTEREST. A stopping point along the highway.

23A. Hearing : COURT INQUIRY.   Law, not tennis.

39A. Smell : MINUSCULE AMOUNT.   A tinge, a hint, a soupçon (always wanted to find a use for that word).

51A. Touch : I-POD COMPUTER. Apple model.  I think of it as a tiny jukebox rather than a computer.  Probably just me.

61A. Taste : ART CRITIC'S ASSET.  At least the good ones.

Across:

1. __ salad : COBB.  A WAG right off the bat, but a good one.

5. Maddux who won four consecutive Cy Young Awards : GREG. All perps.  I remember Lester, but he spelled it with an O, not a U.  So did my former BIL.

9. Prominent feature of toondom's Droopy Dog : JOWLS.  That word evokes images of Leo G. Carroll.  Remember him from Topper and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.?  Don’t you think Thomas Gibson of Criminal Minds is starting to look a lot like him?

 

14.  Efficient : ABLE. If you say so.  Very loose equivalency.

15. Dunkirk dream : REVE. Sounds like “rev” as in reverend or engine.  Dunkirk is in France.

16. 2003 LPGA Rookie of the Year : OCHOA, Lorena  No idea, but there was an Ochoa in my boot camp company, so once the name appeared, I let it stand.

 

        

20. Cuttlefish pigment : SEPIA.  “Sepia-toned” does have a better ring to it than “cuttlefish-toned.”

21. "Homeland" org. : CIA.  A couple of years ago I received a free year of SHO as a loyalty reward from DirecTV.  I chose SHO over another premium channel so I could watch  “Homeland.”  Turned out to be the show’s final season, and a short season at that.  Bzzzzt!



  
Claire Danes (Carrie Mathison) and Mandy Patinkin (Saul Berenson)  in “Homeland”

22. Wyo. neighbor : NEBraska  I tried ORE and IDA first.  Note the proximity to 9d.

28. Acting sister of Lynn : VANESSA . The British Redgrave sisters.  She’s set to receive the  Gielgud Award for her lifetime achievement.
 

31. Big biceps, at the gym : GUNS.  Mine are more like pea-shooters.

32. Form 1040 calc. : AGI.  Adjusted Gross Income – the number that appears at the bottom of Page 1 of Form 1040.  You want it to be as low as you can get it.  This is your gross income minus adjustments, but before deductions and credits.  Got that?



 

33. Like law school trials : MOCK.  Thought of Moot Court first, a la The Paper Chase.

36. Befuddled : AT SEA.  Better than the frowned-upon ASEA.

43. Burns art? : POESY.  Wasn’t fooled, but I did try POEMS first.  You?

44. Omission in logic : LEAP. Faith, too.

45. Ltr. holder : ENV for the USPS

46. Macy's department : MEN'S

48. Sierra __ : NEVADAS.  Home to Mount Whitney and Yosemite.

55. Led : RAN.  Hmmm, that could be clued as “Led or bled.”

56. __ Park Lincoln of "Knots Landing" : LAR (short for Laurie, methinks).  She played Linda Fairgate.  I recall the title, but don’t think I ever saw an episode.  Without the TV reference, I would’ve guessed that Lar Park Lincoln was a recreational area in Nebraska’s capital.


      
Her name reminds me of this song in a Virginia Woolf stream-of-consciousness sort of way.

57. Playgroup demand : GIMME.  Was this a gimme for you?

66. Reno-__ Intl. Airport : TAHOE. Reno is near Lake Tahoe on the Nevada-California border.

67. Magnate : CZAR. That was my first thought; I was surprised when it turned out to be right.

68. Goddess of discord : ERIS. Evokes memories of the Mirror of Erised from the Harry Potter books.  Erised is desire spelled backwards.  You see in the mirror what you want to see.

69. Cape Ann's county : ESSEX. Perps to the rescue.  My knowledge of New England geography is sketchy, at best.  But I still remember, “Maine – Augusta, New Hampshire – Concord, Vermont – Montpelier, Massachusetts – Boston, Connecticut – Hartford, Rhode Island – Providence” from my grade school days.  I could do all 50 back then...well, ok, 48.  South Carolina’s capital was the toughest to remember.  Do you know it without looking it up?

70. Bottom lines : HEMS. Inked it right in – didn’t even consider NETS.

71. Energetic : SPRY. Not so much as I used to be.

Down:

1. Crosswords are often solved in them : CAPS.  Tried CARS first, but ROINT__ wasn’t going anywhere.

2. Black wind : OBOE.  Another first guess that turned out to be correct.

3. Observation in a tower : BLIP.  And another.

4. Playgroup warning : BE NICE.  Usually an admonishment to a cat at our house.

5. Garden product word : GRO.

6. Call the game : REF. Crossword-friendlier letters than UMP.

7. Throw out : EVICT

8. Powerful lamp contents : GENII.  We usually see it as Genie.  She can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, but she can open garage doors with a single click.



9. Average beverage? : JOE.  Wow, SO if I ever saw one!

10. Text-scanning technology, briefly : OCR.  Optical Character Recognition.

11. Like some conditionally ordered stock : WHEN ISSUED. Got it, but not sure I understand it.  The “stock” is apparently company stock, not merchandise, and it’s not yet for sale.

12. Mr. Wrong? : LOSER

13. Didn't act : SAT BY. This was my keyway to New England.

18. __ Ski Valley, site of Kachina Peak : TAOS.  Another fortuitous WAG.  I knew that a kachina is a Hopi doll – the Heard Museum in Phoenix has a large collection.

  
 
19. Sharpness : TANG

24. Camp Pendleton letters : USMC.  Main West Coast base of the Marine Corps, not far from San Diego.

25. "The Phantom of the Opera" role : RAOUL.  I knew Erik and Christine, but not Raoul.  Vowel-friendly, though.

26. Esse __ videri: North Carolina motto : QUAM.  “To be, rather than to seem” (to be). Yeah, I had to look it up.  Interesting fact:  Although North Carolina was one of the original 13 states, it didn’t adopt a motto until 1893 – 118 years later. 

27. Biblical preposition : UNTO
 


28. Siren : VAMP. Theda was the original.



29. Currency exchange fee : AGIO.  Hello, old cw friend.  Long time, no see.

30. Three quarters : NINE MONTHS .Not 75 cents.

34. A.L. Central team : CLE.  Cleveland, I’m guessin’.  This from the guy who thought S.D. in baseball was South Dakota.

35. He played Kevin in "The Devil's Advocate" : KEANU Reeves. Al Pacino played a great Satan.

 

 37. Lombardy Castle city : ENNA. Perps, four in all.
 


38. Off-rd. rides : ATVS. All-Terrain Vehicles.

40. Discounted, perhaps : USED.  You bet it’s discounted, if I’m gonna buy it.

41. Four-fifths of a pop band? : SYNC.  Missing the initial N.  I was gonna link a song, but suddenly realized I didn’t recognize any of them.

42. Adopt-__.com: humane online gp. : A PET.  Inferable.

47. Songs for singles : SOLI. Sorta grates, doesn’t it?  Or is that just my east Texas redneck mentality?

49. Chevy named for a star : VEGA.  Also the NOVA, affectionately known as the “no-go.”

50. Pops up : ARISES

51. Steamed : IRATE

52. Law office workers : PARAS.  Merriam-Webster doesn’t recognize this as a stand-alone word, except as a unit of Turkish currency.

MedicineNet says, “Para- (prefix): A prefix with many meanings, including: alongside of, beside, near, resembling, beyond, apart from, and abnormal.”

The workers are paralegals – you pick which of those meanings fits.

53. Contest : MATCH

54. Contest lure : PRIZE

58. Car sticker letters : MSRP.  Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price – always dicker up from dealer cost, never down from MSRP.

59. Prime minister before Rabin : MEIR. Interesting woman.  Born in Kiev, but lived in Milwaukee.  She was the third woman in history to be named a Prime Minister.

60. "Whoever you are, find whatever you're into" website : ETSY. Had to double-check to make certain this wasn’t a C.C. puzzle.

62. Iowa campus : COE.  As I’ve mentioned before, I used to work just up the street from the campus.  Could’ve been bad, but the sandbags held in Cedar Rapids this week.  City hall is on an island in the middle of the river.  Normally, the island resembles a ship.

63. T. __ : REX

64. Pic taker : CAM

65. Jun. gown wearers : SRS.  In these parts graduation is held in May, and the gowns are back in the rental house by June.

As you’ve surely guessed by now, Lemonade took today off – his firm has been switching offices this week, so I got a chance to sub.  It’s been fun.  You’ll find him back next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel.

desper-otto

 

 

Note from C.C.:

 

Happy Birthday to Pje (Pat) and her husband! They were born in the same day and same year. Pat was born in the morning, her husband in the afternoon. Have a fantastic birthday celebration, Pat!

Friday, September 23, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title M M M M M good.

JW is back and it seems almost as if he and Mark McClain collaborated on the last two offerings. Instead of removing a "T" like we did last week, we add an "M" to each phrase to create a new and entertaining entry. 1/3/5 have the M added at the end, with a complete change in spelling. 2/4 add the M before a final E. The Ms also change all five vowels, E, O, U, I(Y) and A. Using each and every vowel is a cool addition.  The rest is vintage JW with ARCADIA,  DAEMONS,  SPACIER, SINATRA, YOU HEAR ME, WORK FORCE, TOM SWIFTY,  I THINK NOT, FOREIGN MAIL, SCIENCE SHOW all fun longish fill. With so many spaces filled by the theme and the long fill, there are some 3/4 letter fillers but all in all a fun Friday.

20A. Seminal discovery by sports historians? : THE FIRST TEAM (12). The first tee.  This is an organization that uses golf to inspire the young. LINK.

27A. Comprehensive text on mints? : TIC TAC TOME (10). Tic tac toe. The Xs and Os GAME.
LINK before they found Kelly Harmon.

37A. Reaction to Bugs' continued evasiveness? : ELMER'S GLOOM (11). Elmer's Glue. Poor Elmer Fudd, poor COW. Which leads perfectly to...

48A. How a snail moves? : ON THE SLIME (10). On the sly. LINK.

56A. "I plotted against Caesar completely on my own!"? : CASSIUS' CLAIM (12). Cassius Clay. JW slips a little hint of Shakespeare within a Muhammad Ali reference

Across:

1. Out of practice : RUSTY. I like this clue/fill  but it actually took me a moment, which suggests that maybe I am....

6. Blue stone : LAPIS. I always think of Lapis Lazuli.

11. It doesn't last long : FAD.

14. Casual opening : INTRO. I was looking for a prefix for casual all too long.

15. Saudi neighbor : OMANI.

16. Part of un giorno : ORA. Italian for a day and an hour.

17. Crayfish habitat : BAYOU. A CSO to all of our Louisiana contingent.

18. Employees : WORK FORCE.

22. Newspaper supporters : ADS. A tricky way to clue a simple one- ads do pay for the newspaper to exist, but...

25. LAX stat : ETA.

26. "You got me there" : SO I DO. This is a bit of confusion for me, though it turns out ok.
So do I is simply "I agree", or "I feel exactly the same" (me too).

"So I do" can mean several similar things. It is a way of agreeing about something you did not realize, as in "well, how about that, what you say is true." (meaning "I do in fact do that, what you say). For example- "Joe Isuzu, you raise your eyebrow when you are lying." Joe responds, "So I do; I never realized that before."
.
It also is a way of agreeing with something fairly obvious, that you have known for some time. "Joe, you raise your eyebrow when you are lying." "So I do (yes, and you are just noticing that?)"

32. Card game : GIN. I have played many hours, including knock gin and all the rummy cousins.

33. Certain cross-country traveler : SKIER. Hey marti.

34. Crane's construction : NEST. Tricky, the bird not the heavy equipment.

36. "One Mic" rapper : NAS. I will NOT link this song.

41. Common ID : SSN.

43. Soaps actress Rylan : EMME. This diminutive actress appears on soaps mostly and changed her name legally from Marcy.

44. Some kissing sounds : MWAHS. Back at you. I am sure this was the work of the cell phone generation.

47. Snap : PIC.

51. Lend __ : AN EAR. Friends, Romans....

54. "That's so cute!" : AWW. Two weeks in a row. Did not help the Dolphins.

55. Brine-cured delicacy : LOX. When I was a kid, there was LOX (salty) and Nova, not salty.Now I know Why.                                                                                                                                                

61. "Doubtful" : I THINK NOT. A classic JW multi-word fill.

62. Be enamored of : FANCY. I can almost hear this in a British accent.

66. Relative of -ista : ERO. Spanish that has invaded US speak. LINK.

67. View from the Eiffel Tower : SEINE.

68. Traction aid : TREAD.

69. Cold and wet : RAW. The night was...

70. Fragrant compound : ESTER. Not Esther Lessner...oh the other ONE.

71. Quite a while : YEARS.

Down:

1. Kid : RIB. I was slow getting this and 1-across, sad; especially for a kidder like me.

2. A, in Acapulco : UNA.

3. Mess metaphor : STY. Rhymes with Sly.

4. Canter cousin : TROT. Many kinds of GAITS for horses. 49D. Bit of equestrian gear : HALTER.

5. "Am I clear?" : YOU HEAR ME? Another classic JW multi-word fill; words a child does not want to hear from a parent.

6. Dieter's choice : LOW FAT. There are high fat diets as well.

7. Milwaukee : mine :: Marseilles : __ : A MOI. Just French.

8. Last of three Catherines : PARR. 37.5% of Henry VIII wives.

9. Calligrapher's array : INKS.

10. Searches (through) : SIFTS. Even works for emails.

11. Philatelist's source : FOREIGN MAIL. It was always so exciting to get a letter from a foreign country, and look at the stamp.

12. Peloponnesian region : ARCADIA.  A reference to both old and new GREECE. Next to....

13. Nature spirits of Greek myth : DAEMONS. BZZZT! That is the Latin term for the GREEK. This  is like cluing JUPITER as a Greek god.

19. Plains tribe : OTO.

21. List substitute: Abbr. : ETC.

22. Cadillac model : ATS. A car- whoopee!

23. Hägar creator Browne : DIK. Gone 27 years, his son Chris now produces the strip.

24. TV's "Through the Wormhole," e.g. : SCIENCE SHOW. Available on Netflix. EXAMPLE.

28. Invoice heading no. : TEL.

29. Initiation : ONSET.

30. Ryan of "Sleepless in Seattle" : MEG. Another victim of plastic surgery.

31. Night sch. staple : ESL. It  helped Oo and I become a couple.

35. Bit of adverbial wordplay : TOM SWIFTY. "I need a pencil sharpener," said Tom bluntly.

38. Confessional music genre : EMO.

39. LBJ's successor : RMN. Tricky Dicky.

40. Real head-turner in the animal kingdom : OWL.

41. Deeper into la-la land : SPACIER.

42. "From Here to Eternity" Oscar winner : SINATRA.

45. Coverage-providing org. : HMO.

46. __ symbol : SEX. Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Paul Newman...who are they now: Brangelina? Mr. and Mrs. Clooney? Link your favorites.

50. __ Beach, Hawaii, home of the 2005 Little League World Series champs : EWA. I can sense some serious grumbling about this fill unless you all know Hawaii much better than I do. It was filled before I got here, but this is obscure. How about, Adam and Ewa?

52. "__ suspected!" : AS I.

53. Salon procedure : RINSE. As a child when my grandmother would go to the beauty parlor for a rinse and set, I though 'how stupid' it was, since we had a perfectly serviceable sink and shower. I did not know about THIS.

57. Hawaiian strings : UKES. More Hawaii.

58. Agitated state : SNIT. I hope no reader got in a snit over any of the fill.

59. Pothole warning : CONE. Or barrels? ORANGE.

60. Farm female : MARE.

63. Org. assisting museums : NEA. I always get this wrong.

64. Amtrak unit : CAR. How simple.

65. QB's stat : YDS.

Well, fall has fallen, I get home after dark and another Jeffrey Wechsler is in the record books. It fit together nicely and  I had a good time unraveling the mysteries and picking the links.. You all have a great weekend. Lemonade out.

Friday, September 16, 2016, Mark McClain

Title: Has anybody seen my T?

Mark is back for his eighth LAT of the year and second this month. I have not had him on a Friday since August 2015. This time we have four starter words in phrases all containing the sound o͞ot derived from the letters "UTE" and Mark then removes the "T" and uses the resulting o͞o sound to select words which will combine with the rest of the phrase to make a new phrase clued wackily. Easier to see than explain. Two are the first word, two are the last word, the only outlier is MAGIC LUTE which maintains the spelling "ute"unlike the other three. We also have no hint or reveal, so you have to 'hear' the gimmick to find the theme. We do have some fresh fill like BLOW BY,  SAY BOO (BUTE?),  RED CAP,  DEUCES, DAYTONA, WHITNEY,  ORCHARD and TIDIEST. On with the show...

20A. Number on some beer bottles? : BREW STRENGTH (12). Brute strength. Craft beer tends to be very strong.

35A. Washateria wear? : LAUNDRY SHOE (11). Laundry chute. We have garbage chutes here.

42A. Musical work played where Brits go? : LOO CONCERTO (11). Lute concerto.

59A. Smokeless chimney duct? : THE MAGIC FLUE (12). The magic flute.

Across:

1. Shot in the dark : STAB. My favorite Shot In The Dark

5. Mild expletive : DANG.

9. Contraction used with "up" : WHAT'S. Doc.

14. Confining room : CELL.

15. River originating in Manchuria : AMUR. I wonder how many remember this river from the Wednesday the 7th puzzle.

16. Assails : HAS AT.

17. Woodstock performer before Joan : ARLO. I will not repeat my comments about this performance. Joan Baez was awesome.

18. Sci-fi guru : YODA. And  47A. Sci-fi craft : POD.

19. Rodeo maker : ISUZU. I still miss Joe.

23. Make even the slightest comment : SAY BOO. I do not want to hear a word, not even Boo!

24. Hall of Famer Musial : STAN. Stan the man; I was lucky enough to have watched him and Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and so many more.

25. Some suits, briefly : VPS.

28. Egg foo __ : YUNG. Some HISTORY.

30. Depot worker : REDCAP. Train depot; bus depot?

32. Flight regulatory org. : FAA.

38. "__ turca: allegretto": Mozart rondo : ALLA. A second helping of Mozart.

40. "Is that __?" : A NO. Yes.

41. Floor option : TILE.

48. Exotic journey : SAFARI. Zambia.

49. Kennel calls : YIPS.

51. Terrestrial wiggler : EFT. The clue is open, but it is the juvenile stage of a newt.

52. Storm sound : CLAP. Of thunder.

55. Jefferson bills, slangily : DEUCES. LINK.

61. Courts in some hotels : ATRIA.

64. Bend for a swan, maybe : PLIE.

65. Woodworking tool : FILE. Last week I had rasp.

66. Contemporary of Beethoven : WEBER. This MAN.

67. Trouser parts : LEGS.

68. Chatted with online : IM-ED.

69. Quirky : WEIRD.

70. 2015 World Series-winning manager Ned : YOST. No relation to 1960's Tiger third baseman Eddie Yost.

71. Much of the MTV generation : XERS.

Down:

1. Natural skin protection : SCABS. Protection?

2. __ firma : TERRA.  The dry land on Earth. Latin.

3. Way in the back, often : ALLEY.

4. Pass easily : BLOW BY. Appropriate next to...

5. Prestigious NASCAR venue : DAYTONA.

6. Lima love : AMOR.

7. Many Renoirs : NUDES.

8. Foster __: sunglasses brand : GRANT.

9. Self-titled 1987 pop album : WHITNEY.

10. Diner concoction : HASH.

11. Phil Mickelson's alma mater: Abbr. : ASU. Arizona State University. Phil won a PGA tournament while still a student. The STORY. 25 years ago.

12. Toon devil : TAZ.

13. "The Simpsons" disco guy : STU.

21. Subject of an evil negotiation : SOUL.

22. "Dumb and Dumber" actress : GARR. No recollection of her in that movie.

25. Parental control device : V-CHIP.

26. Italian soccer great Rossi : PAOLO. This football STAR.

27. Dash datum : SPEED.

29. Tortilla chip topper, informally : GUACamole.

31. It's not observed in P.R. : DST. Daylight Savings Time.

32. Pseudo : FALSE.

33. "Half __ is ... " : A LOAF. Is better than a single croissant. Not to be confused with....

34. On high : ALOFT.

36. San Antonio-to-Dallas dir. : NNE.

37. Small craft : DORY. All you need to KNOW.

39. Picasso's here : ACA.

43. Picking site : ORCHARD.Not your nose.

44. Giza's river : NILE.

45. Like the maximum sum : TIDIEST. Odd clue/fill but we all have heard of having a tidy sum.

46. Multinational energy gp. : OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

50. Less, when added? : SUFFIX. My favorite clue.

53. To an adequate degree : AMPLY.

54. __ diet : PALEO. A diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food. wiki.

56. Versifier's weather : CLIME. This is used to rhyme with time and sublime in the psalms.

57. Calculus pioneer : EULER. Do you math wizzes find Euler fun? Here is a LINK that I found amusing.

58. Origins : SEEDS. Nice clue/fill.

59. Echelon : TIER.

60. Touring jobs : GIGS.

61. "What a darling baby!" : AWW. My girls, Harper will be one year old in 12 days...amazing.

62. Golfer's support : TEE.

63. Cred for bringing someone home : RBI. Cred tells you this is going to be an abbreviation.

Mark is one of the constructors who does stop by so let him know what you think. He made my mind jump all over the place and slid in a few really hard combinations, but  in the end it felt smooth, now if I could only think of a phrase that works with CUTE/COO. Loved the Mozart. Thanks all, Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our witty D-Otto (Tom)! Like Argyle, Tom never failed to give me quick and reliable feedback on an iffy crossword entry or clear up a confusing Podcast reference. I can't imagine where this blog would be without his and TTP's guidance a few years ago. Thanks for always being here, Tom!

 

Friday, September 9, 2016, Patti Varol

Title: Beer today, song tomorrow.

Almost exactly one year ago, I blogged a Friday effort from Patti, who as all the regulars know is Rich Norris' assistant. I did have the thrill again of getting an email from her when the puzzle that JW and I did together was accepted. Anyway, we have something different, a sound-alike where phrases are re-imagined as being related to beer. Since both of my sons and my nephew have all worked in the beer business this was right up my alley. We have some nice fill like SCHOLAR,  MONIKER, RESENTS,  H. G. WELLS, AL PACINO, and  EGG SALAD. Let's see where she leads us.

20A. Beer made in Johannesburg? : STOUT OF AFRICA (13). OUT OF AFRICA is a well received book and movie and used as a clue for Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen).

33A. One who aspires to be the king of beers? : PORTER PRINCE (12). Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti.

41A. Sounds from a brewery? : LAGER RHYTHMS (12). Logarithms brings back memories of college and slide rules.

57A. Toast said while hoisting presidential beer? : ALE TO THE CHIEF (13). HAIL TO THE CHIEF  is the official anthem of POTUS.

Across:

1. Crudités enhancers : DIPS. A vegetable tray for you French haters.

5. __ puppet : SOCK. Hand fits as well. Make your OWN.

9. Hot dogs and hams : MEATS. Tried to fool you with the other meaning.

14. With, on la carte : AVEC. Straight French.

15. Tartan wearers : CLAN. How better than with a single malt.

16. Lowest deck on a ship : ORLOP. I hit a rough patch here. This is just a word you need to remember.

17. Gadget that exercises the wrist : YOYO. I also never thought of a yoyo as a gadget.

18. Spydom name : HARI. Hello Mata, Hello Fata.

19. Crisp : NIPPY. New England evenings this time of year.

23. Lorry supply : PETROL. British trucks also run on gasoline.

24. Deck wood : TEAK. But not the orlop.

25. Chi. setting : CDT. Central Daylight Time.

28. Citrus suffix : ADE. Nothing like a shout out to get my attention. Thanks PV.

29. Letter before upsilon : TAU. Tau was derived from the Phoenician letter taw Phoenician taw.svg (𐤕). Letters that arose from tau include Roman T and Cyrillic Te (Т, т).

31. Ranking : SENIOR. Who is the senior office on duty?

36. Run out : FLEE. I was thinking using up something and having no more.

39. Larter of TV's "Heroes" : ALI. My thanks and apologies to Splynter and HG.

40. Tip for a dealer : TOKE.You ask WHY?

46. "Life of Pi" Oscar winner : ANG LEE.

47. Justice dept. heads : AGS. Attorney Generals.

48. Form 1040 fig. : AGI. Ajdjusted Gross Income.

51. Welker of the NFL : WES. The Dolphins had him, traded him and he became Tom Brady's favorite target. CAREER.

52. Highbrow : SNOB.

55. Oil once touted by Florence Henderson : WESSON.

60. Gourd fruit : MELON.

62. Happy __ : MEAL. Mickey D's.

63. Fluency : EASE.

64. Mesmerizing designs : OP ART.

65. Dark cloud : PALL.

66. They may not be quiet on the set : EGOS.

67. Fords a stream : WADES.

68. Gps. with copays : HMOS. Health Maintenance Organizations.

69. Paris' __ Neuf : PONT. The Pont Neuf (French pronunciation: ​[pɔ̃ nœf], "New Bridge") is the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. Remind you of  Ponte Vecchio?


Down:

1. Place for pampering : DAY SPA.

2. Polling place sticker words : I VOTED.

3. Desert hallucinogen : PEYOTE. You can make a mess of MESCALINE.

4. Use a Brillo pad : SCOUR. Next to...

5. Learned one : SCHOLAR.

6. Evil count of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" : OLAF. Did you watch the Movie?

7. Stone measure : CARAT.

8. Word with bread and butter : KNIFE. My bread and butter response.

9. Sobriquet : MONIKER. So many names for names.

10. Los Angeles mayor Garcetti : ERIC. An impressive sounding MAN.

11. Actor with eight Oscar nominations (and one win) : AL PACINO.
Academy Awards
Year         Film            Category                 Result
1973 The Godfather   Best Supporting Actor Nominated
1974 Serpico           Best Leading Actor Nominated
1975 The Godfather Part II                         Nominated
1976 Dog Day Afternoon                                 Nominated
1980 ...And Justice for All                         Nominated
1991 Dick Tracy Best Supporting Actor Nominated
1993 Glengarry Glen Ross                         Nominated
                Scent of a Woman Best Leading Actor Won

12. Cover : TOP.

13. Many a character in "The Americans" : SPY. The story a a soviet couple in the US as spies for Russia. It  was created by Joe Weisberg, a former CIA officer.

21. Wizard revealer : TOTO. Cannot fool a dog.

22. Coarse file : RASP.

26. Put in : DOCK. Put in port.

27. One on a cartoon desert island : TREE. For those special emails so many get...

30. State with five national parks : UTAH. extra credit id you can name them.

32. Trifles : NITS. The lifeblood of many blogs.

33. Marmalade ingredient : PEEL. Emma, we miss you.

34. Nevada copper town : ELY.  Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. Ely's mining boom came later than the other towns along US 50, with the discovery of copper in 1906. Wiki

35. Beatles girl with a "little white book" : RITA.

36. Weak spot : FLAW.

37. Hatcher's "Lois & Clark" role : LANE.

38. Sandwich spread : EGG SALAD. Spread?

42. Feels sore about : RESENTS.

43. Monopoly deed word : RENT.

44. Sinclair Lewis nominated him for the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature : H. G. WELLS.

45. Tiny time meas. : M-SEC. Millisecond, 1/1000.

48. Italian cheese : ASIAGO. I like an asiago bagel now and then.

49. Takes the stage : GOES ON. Literally.

50. Overrun : INFEST.

53. Energy : OOMPH. Pah pah?

54. Players riding the pine : B-TEAM. A-team's spin off?

56. Docile sorts : SHEEP.

58. Mythology : LORE.

59. Circle overhead? : HALO. Love the simpleness of this clue.

60. Do the lawn : MOW.

61. AQI monitor : EPA. Air Quality Index : Environmental Protection Agency.

Well, we have done it again and I am mostly recovered from my bronchitis. I hope you all have been safe from the weather and are ready for fall (we have to wait another 2-3 months). Thanks Patti, Lemonade out. NFL is back!

Friday, September 2, 2016, Mark Feldman

Title: A spoonful of spoonerisms.

Mark Feldman returns to the LAT for his 10th puzzle and first since 2014. He also has 11 NYTs published but has been away there also. Mark gives us a classic puzzle to make you laugh taking two word phrases and reversing their beginnings to be clued with wit. If you are unfamiliar with Spoonerism, wiki says it is  an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words in a phrase. An example is saying "The Lord is a shoving leopard" instead of "The Lord is a loving shepherd." In addition to laughs, Mark includes OCTAVOS,  SKI POLE, LITHELY,  PLIABLE,  ICE BAGS, DISCERN, LIPSYNC, TORTILLAS and NEED A HAND as sparkly fill.

17A. Politically active fowl? : TRUMP DUCK (9). Dump Truck. Made me think of Donald Duck, but we make no political comments.

28A. Clever insect? : CUNNING ROACH (12). Running Coach. Made me thing of my old linguistics teacher but we make no obscene comments.

45A. Embarrassed avian? : BLUSHING CROW (12). Crushing blow. Made me think of Jon Snow, but he is everywhere these days.

59A. Street-wise amphibian? : ROUGH TOAD (9). Tough Road. Made me think of wild ride but on with the show.
And the reveal,
66A. Oxford don associated with slips similar to 17-, 28-, 45-, and 59-Across : SPOONER. The MAN.

Across:

1. Books in which each sheet of paper is folded into eight leaves : OCTAVOS. Latin for 8.

8. Factions : SECTS.

13. See 2-Down : TORTILLAS. 2D. With 13-Across, Mexican restaurant choices : CORN. When I was young and first exposed to Mexican food in New England, corn tortillas were the only choice. They were crunchy and messy- great for a kid.

16. Not likely to miss much : ALERT.

18. Eyelashes : CILIA. The Latin plural of cilium- 1. the eyelids or eyelashes.
2. small, hairlike processes projecting from epithelial cells on the outer surfaces of some cells, aiding metabolism by producing motion, eddies, or current in a fluid. In the lung, cilia wave mucus, pus, and dust upward. In the Fallopian Tube, they are an integral part of getting pregnant.

19. "A Chorus Line" number : ONE. The Finale.

20. Goddess with a throne headdress : ISIS.

22. Become clear : JELL. Thoughts can jell. They also can be discarded. 57A. Get rid of : SCRAP.

23. Flair : ELAN.

26. Easily bent : PLIABLE.  My latest mental picture...

32. Comfortable with : USED TO.

33. Dresden's river : ELBE.

34. Takes in : HAS.

37. Big hit : SMASH. Broadway.

38. Subside, with "down" : DIE.

39. Doozy : BEAUT.

41. Loan fig. : PCT. Percent.

42. "The Little Mermaid" prince : ERIC.

                                                                        The Story

44. The kiwi is the smallest one : RATITE. Any of the mostly large birds with a flat breastbone without a keel, therefore unable to fly, i.e., the ostrich, rhea, emu, cassowary, and kiwi, together with the extinct moa and elephant bird.

47. Fake it, in a way : LIPSYNC. I really like seeing this Friday worthy fill.

50. Pageant accessory : SASH. I have had this and Obi very often this year.

51. Sandy's home : UTAH. I had/have no idea; there is a Sandy City Utah? Not the dog....

52. Puts in place : SETS. Like a dinner table.

54. Achievement of many a CEO : MBA.

63. Birch of "American Beauty" : THORA. Birch was born in Los Angeles, the eldest child of Jack Birch and Carol Connors. Her parents, who have been her business managers throughout her acting career, are former adult film actors; both appeared in the film Deep Throat.

64. Require help : NEED A HAND.

65. Slender woman : SYLPH. Another wonderful word. One would move 24D. In a supple manner : LITHELY. Which is related to pliable; a mini-theme?


Down:

1. Anne Frank's father : OTTO. Somehow I remembered his NAME.

3. Loyal : TRUE. Be true to your love.

4. 20s dispenser : ATM.

5. Bigwig : VIP.

6. Dated : OLD.

7. Swinging about : SLUING. Not high on my list: verb (used with object), slued, sluing. 1. to turn (a mast or other spar) around on its own axis, or without removing it from its place. 2.to swing around.
verb (used without object), slued, sluing. 3. to turn about; swing around.

8. __ fly: productive MLB out : SACrifice.

9. Hebrew prophet : ELIJAH. A most important PROPHET.

10. Star : CELEB.

11. Operatic vocal effect : TRILL. When he retired in 2012, Bass Paul Plishka said, he could not do it any more. "The trill is gone."

12. Dated : STALE. Liker some humor!

14. Coolers, briefly : ACS.

15. Balancing aid on the slopes : SKI POLE. They never helped me to balance, but I was never a great skier like marti.

21. Piece at the butcher shop : SLAB. The sound is almost enough to make one a vegetarian.

23. Goals : ENDS.

25. Mayo is in it : ANO. The old Spanish pun- May is a month in the Year.

27. Swell applications : ICE BAGS. Swell literally, not like Archie.

28. Edge : CUSP.

29. Letters at N.C.'s Camp Lejeune : USMC.

30. Drink order : NEAT. Tinbeni CSO!

31. Clinton's first Labor secretary : REICH. A very interesting MAN, only 4'11."

34. Locks often gray : HAIR.

35. Aries or Taurus : AUTO.The K Car is long gone, but Ford Taurus is back.

36. Brood : STEW.

38. Make out : DISCERN. Simple, but took me a very long time to discern.

40. Make an impression : ETCH. Again, deception with a literal clue.

43. Hose problems : RUNS. Yes, White Sox cannot get enough runs this year, unlike their Boston counterparts. LINK. Or for Splynter

44. Stranded messenger : RNA.

45. C equivalent : B SHARP. I let those who speak music explain, I cannot.

46. Time units : ISSUES. The magazine, silly.

47. Hungers (for) : LUSTS.

48. Raring to go : ITCHY.

49. Given orally, as evidence : PAROL.

53. Golf club part : TOE.

54. Complain : MOAN. Stop your moaning and groaning; I guess more appropriate than any other definition. I have an acquaintance who made a living moaning for  porn movies.

55. Thorn in one's side : BANE.

56. Dely. destination : ADDRess.

58. Half a tuba sound : PAH. really, isn't it 1/3- oom pah pah?

60. Econ. yardstick : GDP. D or N? Domestic or national.

61. One-tenth of a Vietnamese dong, formerly : HAO. A very obscure clue, even with the formerly hint. A Vietnamese currency previously issued by the Vietnam National Bank. The hao, or hào, is one-tenth of a Vietnamese dong and can be subdivided into 10 xu. Neither the xu or the hao are currently in use in Vietnam.

62. E'en if : THO.

A slightly abridged version as I recover from a summer cold. Which is great because all of you can practice making comments on what I left out and linking all kinds of exciting stuff. Welcome back Mark and enjoy September; Lemonade out.

Friday, August 26, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Oh U! Where did U go now?

Rich really is making my life easy with JW and Bruce dominating the Friday landscape. They have many stylistic similarities which makes sussing the theme easy. The first themer jumped out at me, I saw the gimmick of removing the letter "U" to create a new fill with a witty clue. JW has put together a consistent theme with each two word fill having a second word which is a five letters with the "U" in the middle that is removed (missing). That took extra effort. We on the other hand  get a bonus Friday reveal. We have lots of foreign languages, multi-word fill and Friday trickery. All in all, a good time. We have some very sparkly fill: CARHOPS, AREOLAE, A TAD OFF, ARM BONE, BEVELED, BOASTED, CASUAL SMILE and GET A SHOT OFF. (Were you put off by the two offs?)

17A. Fishing spot for vacationing Londoners? : BRITISH POUND (11). What is the difference between a Pond and a Lake?

20A. Legwear for air travelers? : BOARDING HOUSE (12). Like this imagery...Splynter, ok?

54A. 007 returning from assignment? : HOMEWARD BOUND (12). Bond, James Bond.

60A. Vacant look? : STERILE GAUZE (11). A very Sterile clue.

And the centrally placed grid-spanning reveal...
39A. Retirement party remark ... or a homophonic hint to four long Across answers : YOU WILL BE MISSED (15).

Across:

1. Sonic employees : CARHOPS.

8. Shrinking section at Barnes & Noble : CDS. I have not bought one in years.

11. Bit of wit : GAG. Palindrome.

14. Anatomical rings in irises : AREOLAE. I cannot find our seminal picture that C.C. links. Latin.

15. Earth-moving tool : HOE. No Don Imus humor here, please; especially not next to Areolae and...

16. Reproductive cells : OVA. Latin.

19. Upset, with "over" : TIP. Think apple cart...verb not adjective.

22. Ruff stuff : LACE. Think ruffle..

New                                                                         Old

25. Lacking : FREE OF.

26. Not quite right : A TAD OFF.

30. Until now : SO FAR.

33. P replacers, in some lineups : DHS. This clue is just a tad off, as the Designated Hitter only replaces the Pitcher in the batting order, not the lineup. But then again the lineup is the batting order. I have successfully confused myself.

34. Woman's name meaning "white" : BIANCA. Shakespeare anyone?
"I am no strumpet; but of life as honest
As you that thus abuse me."

38. Smooth, perhaps : PAVE.

42. Epps of "House" : OMAR.

43. Computer conveniences : MACROS. We use word perfect for legal docs and macros are a necessity.

44. [That's kinda funny] : HEH. Heh...

45. Sylvester's genus : FELIS. Latin: Felis catus.

47. Radius, e.g. : ARMBONE. A subtle shout out to me, as that is the bone which has the oblique fracture.

49. "The Great Escape" setting : STALAG. A classic movie, which inspired the music and perhaps Hogan's Heroes. POW camp. German short for Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager.

53. Lots : A TON.

59. "... __ quit!" : OR I!

64. Toondom's Phineas, to Ferb : PAL. I never have seen this SHOW.

65. Strauss' "__ Heldenleben" : EIN. Strauss was also a very famous conductor, but he does not seem very happy.

66. Like the edges of some mirrors : BEVELED.

67. Dodge City-to-Topeka dir. : ENE.

68. Mining supply : TNT. Explosive idea.

69. Talked big : BOASTED.

Down:

1. Waiter at a stand : CAB. Trickeration.

2. LAX stat : ARRival.

3. Bonn : König :: Lisbon : __ : REI. German : Portugese: KING

4. Place of rapid growth : HOTBED.

5. Miscellany : OLIO. The word of the Corner. And, 57D. Muffin go-with : OLEO.

6. "¿Qué __?" : PASA. Spanish.

7. Very, in Vienna : SEHR.  I grew up hearing, "sehr gut."

8. "Carmina Burana" performers : CHOIR.

9. "It tolls for thee" poet : DONNE. To CA and all of you...
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

10. Wetlands grasses : SEDGES.

11. Beat the buzzer, say : GOT OFF A SHOT. JW loves his multi-word fill. And basketball? 21D. Court action : HOOPS.

12. National alternative : AVIS. Rental car companies, not airports.

13. Show wonder : GAPE.

18. Email attachment : PDF. While we create in word perfect, we send out Portable Document Format.

22. After "Our" and with 54-Down, title for the Virgin Mary based on an 1871 apparition : LADY OF. 54D. See 22-Down : HOPE. Between the politics and the religion this is a hard one to blog. LINK.

23. Where many strikes are called : AT HOME. Baseball.

24. Subtle come-on, perhaps : CASUAL SMILE. Like below.

27. Geisha accessory : OBI. Sash, like above.

28. Thin coating : FILM.

29. WWII White House dog : FALA. FDR's dog.

31. Johnson & Johnson brand : AVEENO. They make nice products but the name reminds me of the haunting Hebrew prayer, "Our Father, Our King."

32. Hard-working "little" folk tale critter : RED HEN. A LINK for all of our teachers.

35. "30 Rock" network : NBC.

36. Michael of "Arrested Development" : CERA.  A very busy career, I loved JUNO and SUPERBAD.

37. __ vincit omnia : AMOR. If you know Latin, then you know love conquers all. 50D. Forum language : LATIN.

40. Work on a novel : WRITE. Sounds like fun....

41. System of thought : ISM.

46. Carpenter's array : SAW SET. I was not impressed with this fill until after I was done. I checked and found 492 million links! I will those let who can, explain it all.

48. Access requirements : BADGES. I used to have many of these. LINK.

51. "__ you done yet?" : AREN'T.

52. E. Berlin's land : GDR. German Democratic Republic.

55. African city on the Mediterranean : ORAN. In Algeria and more geography I do not know.

56. Romaine relative : BIBB. Lettuce pray, or is that religion.

58. St. Petersburg's river : NEVA. New to me. READ?

61. Space bar neighbor : ALT.

62. What's found in central Arizona? : ZEE.

63. Byrnes of '50s-'60s TV : EDD. An early TV heart throb.

Then    Now

Speaking of now, it is time for me to post and await your pleasure. Thanks again for the show Jeffrey, and thank you all for watching. Lemonade out.