Friday, February 8, 2019, Andy Morrison

Title: Have you ever met a meta?

Along with REBUS CROSSWORD PUZZLES, I do not believe Rich accepts META PUZZLES. But if you like this concept, you will like this debut puzzle from Andy Morrison. The META is revealed at 37A. Literal and figurative hint to four puzzle answers: MISSING LINK (11) which defeats the meta aspect but gives you a taste of the challenge. We get there with:

18A. Boxing academy?: FLIGHT SCHOOL (11). FIGHT CLUB was a successful movie, but FLIGHT School is where you go to learn to fly an airplane. Here we remove the "L".

30. Optimist's hopeful list?: GREAT PLAINS. We have many here who live in the GREAT PLAINS, but how many make Great PLANS? The "I".

48A. Wild party in Dallas?: TEXAS RANGER. We may be too old to know the Urban Dictionary Definition of RAGER : A larger gathering usually of high school or college students where massive amounts of alcohol are consumed, but with many in the Corner from Texas, we know about all kinds of TEXAS RANGERS.

58A. Literary alliance?: WRITER'S BLOCK (11). A BLOC is defined as a combination of countries, parties, or groups sharing a common purpose.

A Writer's Block is the bane of all authors.

And there you have the four letters which make up the MISSING LINK. But you will not be missing any links here. You also were treated lots of sparkle with ARSENIO, GARBAGE, GENUINE, IN A SPIN, MACABRE, MIDWEEK, EPHESIAN, ICE WATER, CHAMBERMAID and  PACKAGE DEAL

Very impressive Andy.


Across:

1. Yukon supplier: GMC. General Motors makes this full-sized or bigger SUV.

4. __ pants: HAREM. Didn't every one of my age think of this image?

9. Scorned lover of Jason: MEDEA. Thank you
for the shout out Andy, but she was my wife and
killed our children just because I was dumping
her for a Corinthian princess.
If you believe Euripides.

14. Aptly, it rhymes with "spa": AAH. Feels so goood.

15. CNN correspondent Hill: ERICA. never watched her. She is on the right.


16. Big period: EPOCH. Is a period of time in history or a person's life, typically one marked by notable events or particular characteristics. Often the backdrop of 43A. Sword-and-sandal feature, e.g.: EPIC.

17. TV trailblazer: RCA.

20. Loud noises: BAMS.

22. "There, there," e.g.: SOLACE. A Quantum?

23. One at the top of the order: ABBESS.  This is a woman who is the head of an abbey of nuns. They are an order.



26. Whirling: IN A SPIN. Perhaps this MUSIC. My granddaughter and her class sang this along with a Christmas carol at her winter show.

33. "Othello" role: IAGO. The epitome of a bad man.

34. Pamphlet ending: EER.

35. Have __ for: A YEN.

36. Colorful bird: MACAW.

41. Field supervisor: COACH.

44. Turkish title: AGA.

47. Award using spelled-out initials: OBIE. Off Broadway.

51. Wednesday, to be exact: MIDWEEK. In German it is Mittwoch.

53. Souvenirs: TOKENS.

54. Plays ball: AGREES.

57. Musical collaboration instruction: A DUE. An Italian misdirection. LINK.

63. A, in Aachen: EIN. I knew there was German coming.

64. Senate staffers: AIDES. No politics, but a quick look at Senate staff JOBS.

65. Coke or Pepsi: BRAND. I stopped drinking soda long ago but was always a Coke person.

66. Young Darth's nickname: ANI. Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader when he gave in to the dark side, but he was a nice boy.

67. Bright: SMART.

68. Hindu mystics: YOGIS. My most recent Lyft driver was a self-proclaimed "Yogi Guru."

69. Ballet composer Delibes: LEO. I had never heard this NAME. Of course, he died 128 years ago so he has not been in the news much. Maybe he was very good.

Down:

1. Refuse: GARBAGE. The classic refuse/refuse heteronym clue.

2. Poe genre: MACABRE.

3. Title servant in a 1946 Paulette Goddard film: CHAMBERMAID. This screenplay was written by the incomparable BURGESS MEREDITH who later married Paulette.

4. Mag mogul: HEF. The late Hugh Hefner, the ultimate playboy.

5. Home of the 2001 World Series champs, on scoreboards: ARIzona. The SERIES.

6. Eighteen-wheelers: RIGS. My brother-in-law was a truck driver for years following in his father's footsteps.

7. Call back?: ECHO. Nice clue.

8. Only deaf performer to win an Oscar: MATLIN.

9. Waikiki, to surfers: MECCA.

10. Recipient of a New Testament epistle attributed to Saint Paul: EPHESIAN.

11. __-wop: DOO. Two songs in particular may lay claim to being the "first" to contain the syllables "doo wop" in the refrain: the 1955 hit, "When You Dance" by The Turbans, in which the chant "doo wop" can be plainly heard; and the 1956 classic "In the Still of the Night" by The Five Satins, with the plaintive "doo wop, doo wah" refrain in the bridge.

12. Prefix with conscious: ECO.

13. Calder Cup org.: AHL.  It is Hockey, Eh! LINK.

19. Without: SANS. This is one of the French words we have taken over.

21. Vast expanse: SEA.

24. Tuck away: STASH.

25. 1974 CIA spoof: S*P*Y*S. I have had this Donald Sutherland - Eliot Gould attempt to capitalize and the success of M*A*S*H.

27. Discounted combo: PACKAGE DEAL.

28. Supermarket chain: IGA.

29. "__ is the winter of our discontent": Shak.: NOW. Our Friday Will quote, this one from Richard III, Act I, Scene 1.
Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

31. Luau ring: LEI.

32. Architect's addition: ANNEX. Why an architect?

36. Start to manage?: MICRO.

38. Summer refresher: ICE WATER. Sorry Tin.

39. College admissions fig.: GPA. Grade Point Average.

40. Document with bullets: LIST. My boss loves bullets in lists, me- not so much.

41. Cousin of org: COM.

42. Band of Tokyo?: OBI. Obi-Wan Kenobi?

45. Sincere: GENUINE.

46. Hall of fame: ARSENIO. He faded since he took on Johnny.

48. Puerto Rico, e.g.: Abbr.: TERRitory.

49. Barely makes it: EKES BY.

50. Handle preceder: AKA. "Also known as," usually listed as a/k/a.

52. Discharge: EGEST. An obvious anytonym of INGEST if you know Latin, but still an unpleasnat wor.

55. Iberian river: EBRO. Memorize the European rivers!

56. Metallic waste: SLAG.

58. Lived: WAS.

59. Basket border: RIM. Why a basket?

60. Early civil rights activist __ B. Wells: IDA. It is a sad statement for the US that she is known for opposing lynching of black men in the 1890's. LINK.

61. Covert maritime gp.: ONI. Office of Naval Intelligence.

62. Cred. union offerings: CDS.

I thought this was a really fine debut puzzle with some challenge, some fun and some learning experience for both solver and constructor. Thank you Andy and all of you who read and especially those who comment. Lemonade out.

Friday, February 1, 2019, David Alfred Bywaters

Title:  Want a fun night? You can bet on Texas hold'em.

DAB is back for his first Friday of the New Year on the first one in February. White Rabbit White Rabbit. Today we are presented with the addition of the word/trigram "ALL" to some common phrases.  Once again symmetry and 1/4 with ALL added to the first part and 2/3 added to the second. Two are grid-spanners. We are also given a Friday gift of a reveal. With a passel of 3 and 4 letter fill, you had to expect some very challenging cluing which for me started with 1 Across. The entire North took me much more time and I needed some perps and some educated guesses to get going. The fill was not obscure, but the cluing was difficult to parse. He worked AGENDAS, DELIGHT, RANCHES, RIPENED, MELANGES, and TIDE POOL into the puzzle to give some sparkle. Lots of excuses to link music so enjoy.

17A. Up-tempo music lover's aversion?: BALLAD INFLUENCE (15). If you just read the black letters you see BAD INFLUENCE is the base phrase, with ALL added to create an amusing picture of someone changing the station on the radio when a ballad comes on. Cool.

30A. Large garlic relative?: BIG SHALLOT (10). The shallot is a type of onion with its close relatives - garlic, leek, chive, and Chinese onion. Nero Wolfe was a fictional BIG SHOT who used shallots with his chef Fritz Brenner.

48A. Classical dance minus the lifting, throwing, and such?: SAFE BALLET (10). This is pretty funny picturing old people doing ballet. It's a SAFE BET not many would watch. I wonder if the connection to the "ALL IN"  bet got this puzzle started?

62A. Genetic determinants of Southern linguistic variations?: Y'ALL CHROMOSOMES (15). This is also very cute - morphing Y CHROMOSOMES into a Southern accent.

and the reveal:

73A. Totally committed, and a hint to four puzzle answers: ALL IN (5).

On to the rest

Across:

1. They may be scraped off in bars: FOAMS. The one below promotes Guinness. I had to work my way back to get this.

6. Hamlet's "A little more than kin, and less than kind," e.g.: ASIDE. It is Friday so we must have Shakespeare. Today, it is not so much a quotation as it is a convention which Will used extensively where the characters speak directly to the audience.

11. Cut short: BOB. You have to first understand he is referencing HAIRSTYLES.


14. Atlas box: INSET. This also was not difficult except it hid from me for too long, as atlases all have those insets showing cities etc. I was looking for some device called an "atlas box."

15. Got a lode of: MINED. Notice the spelling - it is not "load" but "lode."

16. Half a pair: ONE. Reminiscent of Monday's Half and half: ONE

20. Tune: AIR. I had forgotten this meaning. Thank you blog mates for all your help. I guess it comes from an anglicization of ARIA.

21. Pond fish: KOI. Koi (鯉, English: /ˈkɔɪ/, Japanese: [koꜜi]) or more specifically Nishikigoi (錦鯉, [ɲiɕi̥kiꜜɡoi], literally "brocaded carp"), are colored varieties of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens

22. Sticks in: ADDS. Your two cents?

23. Meeting organizers: AGENDAS. Not the people but the program.

27. Belg. neighbor: GER.

29. Oil-yielding Asian tree: TUNG. Tung oil, also known as China Wood Oil, Lumbang oil, Noix d'abrasin (fr.) or simply wood oil, is made from the seed kernels of the Tung tree (Aleurites fordii and Aleurites montana, family Euphorbiaceae). (woodwork details). FRIDAY HARD.

36. Striped animal: TIGER.

38. South side?: GRITS. A very cute Friday misdirection. I recall my first breakfast in Gainesville.

39. Time to mark: ERA.

40. Employed: IN USE.

41. Negative prefix: NON. Essential?

42. Amazon business: E-TAIL.

44. Disney Store collectible: CEL. It is back with no clue controversy.

45. Weakling's lack: BRAWN.

47. Performed well enough: DID OK. An odd string of letters at first glance.

51. Sign of elimination: DELE.

52. Wise __: MEN.

53. Matured: RIPENED.

55. Siamese, nowadays: THAI. A CSO to my sweet bride. I also have had only one cat and it was a Siamese.

58. One seen on most 46-Down: COW. 46A. 58-Across homes: RANCHES. Not on the farms.

61. Bar valve: TAP.

68. Vietnamese soup: PHO. Phở or pho (UK: /fɜː/, US: /fʌ, foʊ/, Canada: /fɒ/; Vietnamese: [fəː˧˩˧] (listen)) is a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and meat, primarily made with either beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). Chicken is GAI in Thai.

69. Irritant: PEEVE. Often kept as a pet.

70. Drudges: TOILS.

71. Polish off: EAT.

72. Good thing to have: ASSET.



Down:

1. It's petty but misleading: FIB.

2. Brahms' "Variations __ Theme of Paganini": ON A. Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35, is a work for piano composed in 1863 by Johannes Brahms, based on the Caprice No. 24 in A minor by Niccolò Paganini. wiki.

3. Comm. system with hand motions: ASL. American Sign Language.

4. Mixtures: MELANGES. I know that definition, but I also know that Melange, often referred to as simply "the spice", is the name of the fictional drug central to the Dune series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert, and derivative works. In the series, the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe is melange, a drug that gives the user a longer life span, greater vitality, and heightened awareness;

5. Serious: STAID.

6. "Moi?": AMI. Again, while they are both French words (Me and Male Friend) I cannot say I understand.

7. Set, as the sun: SINK. A personal CSO to our Gulf of Mexico Cornerites.

8. Collection of spies?: INFO. They collect it.

9. Make happy: DELIGHT.

10. Email suffix: EDU.

11. Investor's alternative: BOND. Stocks or...

12. Like most '80s-'90s commercial music: ON CD.

13. Winged collectors: BEES. They collect pollen.

18. Uninteresting: DRAB.

19. Countess' spouse, perhaps: EARL. The wife of a substantive peer is legally entitled to the privileges of peerage: she is said to have a "life estate" in her husband's dignity. Thus a Duke's wife is titled a "Duchess", a marquess's wife a "marchioness", an earl's wife a "countess", a Viscount's wife a "Viscountess" and a Baron's wife a "Baroness." England does not have Counts.

23. Storage areas: ATTICS.

24. Old U.K. coin worth 21 shillings: GUINEA. Learn about British CURRENCY.

25. Swallow up: ENGULF.

26. Lighthouse output: SIGNAL. We have some nice ones in Florida including one we toured. LINK.

28. Facilitated: EASED.

31. Unhappy utterance: GROWL.

32. Everyone, to some believers: SINNER.

33. Oppressively heavy: LEADEN.


34. Colorful songbird: ORIOLE. I always looked forward to seeing these beauties return in the spring.

35. Rapped: TALKED.

37. Hasidic teacher: REBBE. This is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word rabbi, which means "master, teacher, or mentor". Like the title "rabbi" it refers to teachers of Torah or leaders of Jewry.

43. Quahog's quarters: TIDEPOOL. A quahog is a clam but a clam isn’t necessarily a quahog. Steamers are clams but they aren’t always steamed, in fact, fried clam strips can be made from steamers. Cherrystones are bigger than little necks but smaller than quahogs and they are all clams.

49. Oscar winner Jannings: EMIL. He won the first Oscar in 1929. LINK.

50. Puente of mambo fame: TITO. This PERFORMER.

54. Noodles: PASTA.

55. Class: TYPE.

56. "Yeah, that's funny": HA HA.

57. Tons: A LOT.

59. Tram loads: ORES. That is how they transport the ores from the mine.

60. Masterminded, as a complex plan: WOVE. "What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."  Sir Walter Scott.

63. Many an IRS employee: CPA.

64. Made the acquaintance of: MET.

65. Thickness measure: MIL. This is one-thousandth of an inch.

66. __ Gold, Alan Cumming's "The Good Wife" role: ELI.

67. U.S. ID: SSN. Social Security Number.

February 1, 1945, was the day my parents married - here they are on their 25th anniversary. Love them.

February is here and we have 5 Fridays done and David has joined the ranks of the 2019 entertainers. There was some serious difficulty in the solve, but it all came out in the end. Thank you, DAB and all who read.

Friday, January 18, 2019, Bruce Haight

Title: Letter sounds

One of our regular Friday contributors is back with a puzzle, which I expect will be debated. The clues give you a hint of what is going. For example, the "B" in 17 A is read as "BE" which makes "EZR" the interpretation "EASIER." Once you get the idea then the puzzle is not too difficult for a Friday. But you need to get the push from the crosses. We have had various letter sound puzzles before, but none quite like this one. I related to 4 of the themers, but I struggled with sounding out JQZ. Which is a significant fill because it was the cornerstone of making this puzzle a pangram using three of the least used letters. Of course, once I sussed the sound, it was one so obvious. There really are so many types of HOT TUBS, I like the fact that the clue with a letter/word let us know the fill will also need the same. With two grid-spanners and 29 other blocks used in the theme, it is awesome to also get  COZUMEL, ERITREA, HURTLED, I LOST IT, MENORAH, ONEONTA, PETTILY, PLATOON, SENEGAL, and SILENT C. Heavy on geography again. Damn, I wish I had studied harder.

17A. Likely to B surprisingly difficult: EZR SAID THAN DONE (15). Easier said than done is something that is easy to suggest, but much more difficult to make happen. Like keeping CED's cats of the furniture.

23A. One might Q Shamu: NML TRAINER (10). Q - cue. An animal trainer worked with Shamu who was the first killer whale (orca) which appeared in shows at SeaWorld San Diego in the mid/late 1960s.

38A. U can soak in one: JQZ HOT TUB (9). Jacuzzi jets provide serious therapeutic benefits. 

54A. Something to C at Carnegie Hall: PNO RECITAL (10). "Piano" was only easy to grok because of the word recital. Of course, there is only one way to get to Carnegie Hall for a PIANO RECITAL.  Practice!

61A. Possible reason Y lights get turned off: NRG CONSERVATION (15). Energy conservation is a political subject these days. I pass.

Across:

1. Figura de __: Spanish skating move: OCHO. The figure eight which is a skating move translated to Spanish. A CSO to our dear departed Clear Ayes and a winsome friend Robin.

5. Besides: ALSO.

9. Cut back a lot: SKIMP. Skimp and save. No comment considering the times.

14. It might not be proper: NOUN. An oldie but goodie clue/fill combo.

15. Secular: LAIC. Adjective for the lay = non-cleric.

16. Edmonton athlete: OILER. The greatest, Wayne Gretsky, started there.

20. __ space: OUTER. Could be inner, also.

21. Spring bloom: IRIS. The iris family is closely related to the lily and amaryllis families, differing from them in having three stamens rather than six. A shout out to our representative from Delaware.
A repeat from yesterday - clued differently.                                                   
22. __-fa: set of musical syllables: SOL. Do re mi ...

26. Cycle starter: TRI. Here in So.Fla. the look like this...

27. Place to drive from: TEE. A CSO to Gary and George and more.

28. Not irr.: STD. A standard clue/fill.

29. Affirmative reply: YES I AM. No, I am not.

32. "The Aviator" (2004) Oscar nominee: ALDA.

34. Buffoons: OAFS.

37. "The fool __ think he is wise ...": "As You Like It": DOTH.  Will S. two days in a row.
As You Like It, Act 5, Scene 2: "The fool doth think he is wise but the wise man knows himself to be a fool"

41. Biblical hunter: ESAU. As Jacob and Esau grew older, Esau liked the outdoors and became a good hunter, while Jacob lived the quiet life of a shepherd.

43. It was originally called a "Biscuit": OREO. Since its maker was the NAtional BIScuit CO., this should not be a surprise. When the cookie was first introduced in 1912, it appeared as an Oreo Biscuit, which changed in 1921 to Oreo Sandwich.

44. They're mostly on the phone: APPS. I like this clue/fill though no hint to it maybe being an abbreviation.

48. Bygone predators: T-REXES. I still find this scene captivatingly frightening.

50. Long-legged runner: EMU.

52. Bulldog booster: ELI. Yalie from Jeopardy Thursday night.

53. Component of a sweep, maybe: WIN.

58. Downed: ATE.

59. Countenance: MIEN.

60. Lenya of "From Russia With Love": LOTTE. Quite a lady.

65. They're changed on the road: GEARS. Like 44A, I loved this very nice clue for simple fill.

66. Sandwich staple: TUNA. I am a fan.

67. Frequently: A LOT.

68. French greeting: SALUT. A French shalom.

69. Reach: SPAN. Fighters have their's measured.

70. Out of __: SYNC.

Down:

1. College town WSW of Albany: ONEONTA. Another shout out to upstate New York contingent.
The COLLEGES. Geography 1.

2. Island resort near Cancún: COZUMEL. Cozumel is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. G 2.

3. Went like a runaway train: HURTLED.

4. It's a start: ONSET. Again, simple but tricky.

5. Lord of the ring?: ALI.

6. Brit's bud: LAD. Steve, still used?

7. Sub (for): SIT IN. A CSO to Gary.

8. Earthy tone: OCHRE. This is an earthy pigment containing ferric oxide, typically with clay, varying from light yellow to brown or red. Also, OCHER is acceptable.

9. Juniors, maybe: SONS. In families, not schools.

10. Razz: KID.

11. "My temper got the best of me": I LOST IT.

12. Holiday candle holder: MENORAH. It is much more than that. LINK.

13. Heat at a meet, for short: PRELIM. Preliminary round.

18. LAX landings: ARRS.

19. Opposite of stuffy: AIRY.

24. Entire range: A-TO-Z.

25. Shoshone Falls state: IDAHO. They are higher than Niagara. LINK. G 3.

30. Academic address ending: EDU. EDUcation.

31. Nagano noodle: SOBA. Soba noodles are Japanese noodles that are made from buckwheat flour.  Their nutty flavor works well as a base for stir-fries and salads. Oo like them in soup.

33. "Iliad" warrior: AJAX. I had one red betta and I named him Ajax. See above.

35. Behind: FOR.

36. Handle the wheel: STEER.

39. Ont. neighbor: QUE. Ontario - Quebec. G 4.

40. Heavy reading?: TOME.

41. Coastal East African country: ERITREA. G 5.             

  ↢ West Africa                                                    East Africa  ↣

42. Coastal West African country: SENEGAL. G 6.

45. In a small-minded way: PETTILY.

46. Army outfit: PLATOON.

47. Bit of obscenity?: SILENT C. A witty way to hide the answer. No controversy here from me.

48. Musical saw sounds: TWANGS. You decide.

49. Bias: SPIN. Doctor?

51. Pauley Pavilion Pac-12 team: UCLA. Where the basketball team plays.

55. Fits one within another: NESTS. Nesting dolls are back.

56. Best: ONE UP.

57. Frat letters: IOTAS.

59. Guinness book adjective: MOST.

62. French vineyard: CRU.  A vineyard or wine-producing region in France. 2. A grade or class of wine: premier cru.

63. Biological chain letters: RNA. Ribonucleic acid is a polymeric molecule implicated in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes. RNA and DNA are nucleic acids, and, along with proteins and carbohydrates, constitute the three major macromolecules essential for all known forms of life.

64. Moving aid: VAN.

Speaking of moving, it is time for me to be moving on. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Thanks, Bruce and all of you who read our words.

                                                   Bonus geography from our trip.

Friday, January 11, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Y?

Jeffrey gives us a substitution puzzle, where LE is replaced by Y. Which seems like a random concept, until you see the wit that inspired the choice. Each of the fill is a very funny play on words. Once again he uses the expedient of adding a column to create a 15 x 16 grid. The seed entry is likely one of the grid-spanning fill; my guess is  NEEDY IN A HAYSTACK, but that is just a guess. 66 theme squares are a challenge and limit some of the fill, but we still get  ASKED OF, THEATRE, AQUARIAN, COAT TREE, TICKETED and TRAINS IN.

18A. Indigent ones hiding among bales?: NEEDY IN A HAYSTACK (16). You are more likely to have an indigent person hide in your haystack than a needle anyway.

29A. Holders of poor-taste gifts?: TACKY BOXES (10). For all the fisher people a tackle box is needed. I think a bad gift can come in a nice box. 

35A. Result of smashing a piñata during a hurricane?: CANDY IN THE WIND (14). A very amusing image of candy flying everywhere with Elton JOHN in the background.

44A. Script for an absurdist play?: BATTY LINES (10). Battle lines are drawn but hopefully not quartered.

59A. Concept for creating difficult crossword puzzles?: TRICKY DOWN THEORY (16).  Trickle Down Theory of economics is a political hot topic. So no COMMENT.

Across:

1. Old gas station freebie: MAP. It has been a long time since free maps were given out. In fact, there are MANY things no longer at gas stations.

4. One holding all the cards?: WALLET. A wonderfully deceptive clue.

10. "__ run!": GOTTA.

15. Texter's cautioning letters: IMO. In My Opinion.

16. Take to the skies: AVIATE. We had this clued last August by Paul Coulter, as Do the Wright thing?

17. "The Phantom of the Opera" setting: PARIS. The Paris Opera (French: Opéra de Paris; French) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra.

21. Like much ordinary history: UNTOLD. Who cares what people ate for lunch on October 10, 1975.

22. Japanese volcano: ASO. Nice to see a fill other than LOA or KEA. Aso volcano has produced more explosive eruptions than any other volcano in the world. Aso is a caldera about 12 miles (20 km) in diameter. The first documented eruption in Japan was at Naka-dake in 553.

23. Long walk: HIKE. To get to the top of the volcano, I guess. Ask JOE.

24. Author Jong: ERICA.

25. Ascended: GONE UP.

28. Stark in "Game of Thrones": NED. Birth name Eddard played brilliantly by Sean Bean, I liked him also in the Frankenstein Chronicles.



31. Must: HAS TO.

33. Presidential nickname: ABE.

34. Type of pitcher: RELIEF. Not to drink from but for baseball.

41. Food industry headgear: TOQUES. We have seen many clues for this chef's hat.

42. Barrel contents: OIL. Sometimes.

43. __ cuisine: HAUTE. From the French for high dinging. For years the French chefs (many of whom wore toques) were considered the world's best and their culinary schools as well. Not so much anymore.

51. PHL stat: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival. Crossword glue.

52. Calls: PHONES. Verb, not noun.

54. Lavender asset: AROMA. Do you like the SMELL?

55. Gillette brand: ATRA.

57. Like Dorothy Parker's humor: WRY. The original use for the adjective wry was to describe something that was bent or twisted, so a sprained ankle could be described as "a wry ankle." Wry humor and wry wit both describe a sense of humor that is a little twisted from the norm. JW?

58. Pollen site: STAMEN.

63. Gaucho's tool: REATA.

64. Gift to an audience: ENCORE. An odd concept when the crowd is demanding it.

65. "Road to __": Hope/Crosby film: RIO.

66. Wee, jocularly: EENSY. The eensy weensy spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. Then the eensy weensy spider went up the spout again.

67. Ancient eponymous advisor: NESTOR. Eponymous because the word has become, like kleenex a generic term for a wise man. He was a Greek leader who appeared in the Iliad, now noted for his wisdom and his talkativeness, both of which increased as he aged. These days, a nestor is not necessarily long-winded, but merely wise and generous with his advice.

68. Ernie with irons: ELS. Golf.

Down:

1. Stately dance: MINUET.

2. Ancient Egyptian deity: AMEN-RA. He was a god in whom Amen and Ra were combined: the god of the universe and the supreme Egyptian god during the period of Theban political supremacy.

3. How one might wax, but not wane: POETIC. 32D. 3-Down pugilist: ALI.
There live a great man named Joe
who was belittled by a loudmouth foe.
While his rival would taunt and tease
Joe silently bore the stings.
And then fought like gladiator in the ring.

4. Ambush: WAYLAY.

5. Passionate: AVID. Like Gary and his golf, or Picard his picture taking.

6. Architect Maya __: LIN. American architect and sculptor concerned with environmental themes who is best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed when she was only 21 and at Yale. The daughter of intellectuals who had fled China in 1948,

7. 2002 W.S. champs, nowadays: LAA. Los Angeles Angels.

8. Hydrocarbon gas: ETHANE.

9. Kids: TEASES.

10. Traveler's aid, briefly: GPS. Global Positioning System.

11. Censor's target: OATH. Bad words, not hand on the bible. Swearing not swearing.

12. Prepares for, as a profession: TRAINS IN. I miss the old days with apprentices.

13. Cited on the road: TICKETED. Always a bad feeling getting stopped.

14. Required from: ASKED OF.

19. Harbor sight: DOCK.

20. The Gershwins' "Embraceable __": YOU. One of the most recorded songs of all time by so many different artists. I picked...

25. Arid Asian region: GOBI. In the desert,  you do not see many...

26. Pair in a field: OXEN. But you do hear ...

27. "Is it ever hot today!": PHEW.

30. Hudson and James: BAYS.

34. Count (on): RELY.

35. Foyer convenience: COAT TREE.

36. Winter birth, perhaps: AQUARIAN.

37. Commonly hexagonal hardware: NUT. A hexagonal nut is a type of metal fastener that has six sides. Most nuts are cut in a hexagonal shape since it seems to be the easiest shape to grasp.

38. Not superficial: DEEP.

39. Purse relative: TOTE.

40. Pop radio fodder: HITS.



41. London's Old Vic, for one: THEATRE. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre, in 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Victoria Palace. It was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 and formally named the Royal Victoria Hall, although by that time it was already known as the "Old Vic". wiki.

44. Corporate source of the Elmer's Glue logo: BORDEN.  It has been 80 years since 1939 when Borden introduces the iconic bull, Elmer, as the husband of their spokes cow, Elsie. The pair spends their first few years of marriage appearing in print ads espousing the many virtues of Borden dairy products.

45. Random individual: ANYONE.

46. Agitation metaphor: LATHER. Working up a...

47. Wrath, in a hymn: IRAE. Dies Irae.

48. "When!": NO MORE. From the concept of, "say when" to stop.

49. "Bam!" chef: EMERIL. I do not see Mr. Lagasse much these days.

50. Some HDTVs: SANYOS. On December 21, 2009, Panasonic completed a 400 billion yen ($4.5 billion) acquisition of a 50.2% stake in Sanyo, making Sanyo a subsidiary of Panasonic. Then, in 2011, Sanyo became a wholly owned subsidiary of Panasonic.

53. 1-Acr. marking: HWY. On the free map, you no longer get.

56. Book after John: ACTS. I do not have the books of the New Testament memorized but the King James version lists these in ORDER.

58. Minute Maid Park player, to fans: STRO. A Houston Astro.

60. Jewelry giant: KAY. They are owned by the British Company Signet Jewelers Kay Jewelers, Jared The Galleria of Jewelry and Zales.

61. Lavs: WCS. Water Closets. The famous Jack Paar joke that caused him to walk off his show. The STORY.

62. "Just kidding!": NOT. I really loved when this was popular. Not!

It is time to say goodbye after another wonderful Wechsler window into the wild world of words. It was nice to have JW back on Friday. Look forward to all of your comments and coming back next week. Lemonade out.

Friday, January 4, 2019, Brian Herrick

Title: This debut is his BEST effort.

Happy New year from Friday and we begin 2019 with a new constructor. We are back to themes with the maiden effort from our fourth constructor named Brian. I guess I should welcome him with this Link. Welcome, Brian. Today we have three themers and a two-part reveal. It is another missing word puzzle, as close to a rebus as Rich Norris allows -so far. With 49 theme squares, we are given lots of longer fill. ADD ONTO, AMOROUS, ASSUMES, DRUNKEN, EGOLESS, EMERALD, LEONARD, MAGENTA, PIE SHOP, RIHANNA, SENDERS, SORROWS, and STRIPES which I like better than Sunday's stipes. Nice triple-stacked 7s in each corner, but some very challenging fill. I await your reaction.

17A. Give it the old college try: DO ONE'S LEVEL BEST (11).

27A. Benchmarks on the way to mastery: GOOD BETTER BEST. (10).

41A. "Please don't expect any more from me": I'M TRYING MY BEST. (10).

40D. With 51-Across, Sinatra classic, and a hint to completing three puzzle answers: THE BEST. (7)

51A. See 40-Down: IS YET TO COME (11). Time to let Frank sing us into the solve. 

Across:

1. Logician Turing: ALAN. A very important figure in the birth of computers and computers science who sadly was driven to suicide for the way he was treated as a gay. LINK.

5. 15-Across protagonist: RIPLEY. Sigourney Weaver was this character in  15A. 1986 sci-fi sequel: ALIENS.

11. HMO group: MDS.

14. Try out, briefly: DEMO.

16. Exist: ARE.

19. Spray __: GUN. Not my first or second thought but real. They have changed from when I was spraying the roses in my father's garden to keep the aphids away.

20. It's no exit: ON RAMP.

21. Start of a cheer: SIS. Boom bah- cheerleading chant, originally (1867) an echoic phrase imitating the sound of a skyrocket flight ( sis ), the burst of the fireworks ( boom ), and the reaction of the crowd (bah). Dictionary.com.


22. Await judgment: PEND. Judges wait all the time.

23. Woman in the Book of Ruth: NAOMI. She was the mother-in-law to whom Ruth, the Moabite,  pledged her life after her husband died. "And Ruth said: 'Entreat me not to leave thee and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Another puzzle coincidence after early week comments.

24. Sailing pronoun: SHE.

25. "Much appreciated," in Munich: DANKE. Thanks in German.

26. Aligned: TRUE. Carpentry term.

29. Pigs out (on): ODS.

30. One may be rolled out in a stadium: TARP.

31. Plenty: OCEANS. Very vague, if ultimately correct. I was oodles for tow long.

32. Lip-thrusting look: POUT.

33. N.Y.C. part: YORK.

34. Make even smoother: RESAND.

37. N.W.A rapper __-E: EAZY. This PERFORMER died young, after starting out with ICE CUBE and Dr. Dre, from Compton, California.

38. Posed: SAT.

43. Comedian Daniel: TOSH.

44. Start of an old late-night intro: HERE'S.

45. Daybreak deity: EOS. I used to get this fill regularly.

46. "It's __ than I thought": WORSE.

47. Nothing like wetlands: ARID.

48. Screech __: OWL.

49. Garden of Eden protector: CHERUB. The first mention of cherubs is found in Genesis 3:24: "He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life." Var.

50. Carpet feature: NAP.

53. Phillies' div.: NLE. What a convenient set of letters.

54. Effective deal maker: CLOSER. No politics.

55. Amazes: AWES.

56. Eight minutes of the average sitcom: ADS. Out of a 30-minute show.

57. Puts up: HOUSES.

58. "Hey, you!": PSST.

Down:

1. Expand, as a residence: ADD ON TO. My father built an addition to our house in the late 50s to have a larger kitchen and a family room with a pool table.

2. Conductor Bernstein: LEONARD. One of the first American born conductors to achieve worldwide fame, 2018 was his centennial year.

                                                                 LINK

3. Lovey-dovey: AMOROUS.

4. Generic: NONAME.

5. Filing aid: RASP. A coarse file, or a hoarse voice, which could mean you are...

6. Down with something: ILL.

7. Mrs. Lovett's business in Broadway's "Sweeney Todd": PIE SHOP. It was the filling that was so filling. The PLOT.

8. Imposed: LEVIED. Like a fine or taxes.

9. NBA center __ Kanter: ENES. I understand liking the letters but a  center for a bad team who is no longer a STARTER?

10. Fashion initials: YSL. Yves is back.

11. Purple shade: MAGENTA. The queen wears this color.

12. Like a bar free-for-all: DRUNKEN. Or noodles.

13. Emailers: SENDERS.

18. Old U.K. record label: EMI.

22. Luxury watch brand __ Philippe: PATEK.

24. Database function: SORT.

25. Rail against: DECRY.

27. Catalonian architect Antoni __: GAUDI. Catalan architect, whose distinctive style is characterized by freedom of form, voluptuous color and texture, and organic unity. Gaudí worked almost entirely in or near Barcelona.  LINK. A total learning moment.

28. See 12-Down: BOOZY.

30. "Hamilton" got 11: TONYS.

32. Trimmed: PARED.

33. Orange tubers: YAMS.

34. "Rude Boy" singer: RIHANNA. Performed at a concert in RIO one of my old law partners is involved in setting up. LINK. Some profanity.

35. May birthstone: EMERALD.

36. 1981 Bill Murray military comedy: STRIPES. One of the many hilarious comedies which Harold Ramis wrote in which Bill Murray appeared. How many can you name?

37. Small-headed?: EGOLESS. An odd clue/fill combination.

38. Sad subjects: SORROWS.

39. Takes over the duties of: ASSUMES. Responsibility.

42. What diets and beauticians may promise, with "a": NEW YOU.

43. It covers the end of the foot: TOE CAP. I guess you can buy a piece of material (such as leather) covering the toe of a shoe and reinforcing or decorating it

46. "__ cares!": WHO. I do.

48. Nobel Peace Prize city: OSLO.

49. Hubs: Abbr.: CTRS. Centers.

51. German I: ICH. An excuse to link the outrageous EDDIE IZZARD. The link is obscene and filled with controversy but damn funny.

52. Fore site?: TEE. A golfing pun to end our journey.


A new year, a new constructor and your same old Friday sherpa. It was a challenging puzzle; the theme was easy but it was still lots of work. I hope you enjoyed the puzzling puzzle. Lemonade out.

Friday, December 28, 2018, Tracy Bennett and Victor Fleming

Title: Themeless Friday with a Mini-Theme

I have been doing puzzle blogging here for close to nine years, Friday for 7 years, I think. I have never been faced with a themeless puzzle, so I have spent a very long time looking for a theme in this cooperative effort from Tracy Bennett and Victor Fleming. We had our debut for TRACY on a Wednesday blogged by Steve. He commented she was getting into themeless puzzles. She had one here on a Saturday with Erik Agard recently. In a comment on xwordinfo, she mentioned that Victor Fleming was her "mentor." I really do not know how to write-up a themeless. There are lots of long, sparkly fill FINITUDE,  IT CAN'T BE, NOT A HOPE, TRAWL NET,  PULLAPART, SATIN DOLL, BULL MARKET FAIR ENOUGH and the mini-theme ALMOST HEAVEN /WEST VIRGINIA. Splynter, where are you when I need you? Here he is suggesting that concept in a C.C. SATURDAY.  So here I go...

5. Like 22-Down, according to a song by John Denver (born 12/31/1943): ALMOST HEAVEN. 22D. See 5-Down: WEST VIRGINIA.

Across:

1. Caesar's fault: CULPA. In the incomparable luck of the puzzle, hopefully you all saw IM's mea culpa in yesterdays comments.

6. Big box office success, slangily: BOFF. I do not like this fill, as I always thought it was BOFFO, but dictionary.com says "Theater. a box-office hit.; a joke or humorous line producing hearty laughter. a loud hearty laugh; belly laugh."

10. PC scroll key: PGUP. Page up.

14. Rental brand with a hyphen: U-HAUL. Rental was so unhelpful.

15. Like the 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card: RARE. There’s an old saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” and this card sold at auction in 2016 for more than FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.

16. Source of fizz: SODA. That is backasswards to me.

17. Stock up time?: BULL MARKET. When stocks are going up it is considered a bull marker; when down a bear market.

19. Does sum work: ADDS. A tiny pun.

20. Hebrew wishing well?: SHALOM. שלום is such an important word in Hebrew, and the pun here is wonderful, worth the 25 cents you need to throw in.

21. Shrimper's catcher: TRAWL NET.

23. More than dream: ASPIRE. To direct one's hopes or ambitions toward achieving something

25. Atlanta campus: EMORY. The University.

26. Dreamt, perchance: SLEPT. Shakespeare.

29. Monument Valley features: MESAS. A natural wonder in Utah.  and the clecho 53A. Hilly terrain features: RIDGES.

31. Zero chance: NOT A HOPE.

33. Starfleet Acad. grad at the helm: LT. SULU. Our friend...

38. Woman in the picture: ACTRESS. A tricky generic clue.

39. Old duple-time dances: PAVANES. Duple meter (or duple metre, also known as duple-time) is a musical metre characterized by a primary division of 2 beats to the bar.

40. Some religious sculptures: PIETAS.

41. Limited state: FINITUDE. A finite state or quality. For example, one quickly senses the finitude of his patience.

42. Event with a horse: VAULT. Actually, this is no longer true, as it has been replaced with the vault TABLE.

44. "How Do I Live" singer: RIMES. LeAnn

45. Binary pronoun: HESHE. Is this now an accepted unique pronoun?

49. Quit: RESIGN.

51. "Unbelievable!": IT CAN'T BE. It reminds me of a commercial but I can't remember the product.

57. Retreat: LAIR.

58. Negotiation-ending words: FAIR ENOUGH. This is ridiculously hard, as I have never seen a negotiation end this way.

60. __ hack: LIFE.

61. Hathaway of "Rachel Getting Married": ANNE. Very popular actress, not so much the MOVIE.

62. Willing offer: I'LL GO. Also not easy. But with 64A...

63. Not likely: SLIM. And none.

64. Big name in little bricks: LEGO. We see GO often in this puzzle;  55D. "Too good not to share" breakfast brand: EGGO.

65. Permit: ALLOW.


Down:

1. Chicago's "North Siders": CUBS. Baseball- CUBS to the North, WHITE SOX to the South.

2. "Don't think so": UH UH.

3. __ land: LA LA. A CSO to our friend Linda who I hope is doing well now.

4. Separate: PULL APART.


6. Cold reaction: BRR.

7. Symbol of might: OAK TREE. There have been many POEMS extolling the Oak.

8. Famille members: FRERES. Brother, in French families.

9. Cheese served with kalamata olives: FETA. Made from sheep and goat milk. READ.

10. One of a Biblical 150: PSALM. These are poems of praise originated in Hebrew literature and revered also by Christians.

11. "What terrible news!": GOD NO. Oddly placed.-

12. Whence milk: UDDER. A very literal answer.

13. Irish pub pie: PASTY. A pie or turnover, especially one with a savory filling including seasoned meat, fish, or vegetables. These are popular in more places than Irish pubs.

18. Energize: AMP. If you think of being "amped" this makes sense.

24. Provocative little ones: IMPS. Next to amp, this is a cute use of a common fill.

26. __ bean: SNAP.

27. Math points: LOCI.

28. Marion's conclusion: ETTE.

30. Actor Thicke on Canada's Walk of Fame: ALAN. Alan Thicke was born on March 1, 1947, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada as Alan Willis Jeffrey. He died in 2016.

32. Mountain near Pelion: OSSA.  Tough unless you are up on your Greek geography or mythology. Pelion a wooded mountain in Greece, near the coast of SE Thessaly, which in Greek mythology was held to be the home of the centaurs, and the giants were said to have piled Mounts Olympus and Ossa on its summit in their attempt to reach heaven and destroy the gods. This story has given rise to the phrase pile Pelion on Ossa, meaning to add an extra difficulty or task to something which is already difficult or onerous.

34. Ellington classic: SATIN DOLL.

35. Coined word?: UNUM. E Pluribus...cute clue.

36. News article intro: LEDE. Often mistaken for "lead"

37. Avails oneself of: USES.

39. Drupe remains: PITS. A drupe is any fruit, such as a peach, cherry, plum, etc., consisting of an outer skin, a usually pulpy and succulent middle layer, and a hard and woody inner shell usually enclosing a single seed, or pit.

41. Hardly turning oneself in: FLEEING. The fleeing felon.

43. Polished: URBANE. Thin David Niven.

45. Roman septet: HILLS. Septet = 7. Seven Hills of Rome, the group of hills on or about which the ancient city of Rome was built. The original city of Romulus was built upon Palatine Hill (Latin: Mons Palatinus). The other hills are the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, and Aventine (known respectively in Latin as the Mons Capitolinus, Mons Quirinalis, Mons Viminalis, Mons Esquilinus, Mons Caelius, and Mons Aventinus).

46. Much cashless commerce: E-TAIL.

47. Ursula K. Le Guin's genre: SCI-FI. This acclaimed AUTHOR died in 2018.

48. Polyamorous anime subgenre: HAREM. I understand the words but knew nothing about this graphic genre of anime where there is a possibility of a polygamous romantic relationship. It is a reverse harem when it is more than one boy involved. You can look it up yourselves.

50. Wrath: IRE. Maybe the most common fill in crosswords.

52. Pan name: T-FAL. Also very common fill. Lots of hyphens today.

54. Seaside soarer: GULL.

56. Take third: SHOW. WIN/PLACE/SHOW. Easy if you bet on horses.

59. __ Speedwagon: REO. I will leave you with some music and a sincere thanks to Tracy and Victor providing my first themeless review, C.C. and the rest of our bloggers for help and reassurance in my efforts and to all of you I wish healthy, happy, successful 2019.

Friday, December 21, 2018, Paul Coulter

Title: Where the 'ell is the L? There is no end to it!

I continue in pig heaven with today's fun, challenging puzzle from one of Rich's stable of consistent Friday winners. Very simple theme but it took unraveling HELIOSTAT to get me going in the right direction. I love that the reveal was both tricky and very helpful. It also was a parsing of words that took a skilled eye. I so admire the minds that spot these opportunities and make them into crossword puzzles.  Paul also includes FITNESS,  NEWAGER,  ONESHOT,  SHINDIG, the aforementioned HELIOSTAT, and MISS ELLIE.  I know you are anxious to finish wrapping presents, so-on with the show.

17A. Cartoon drawing of Rip Van Winkle?: SLEEPER CELL (10). Cartoons are made up of cels, very different from a terrorist cell whose members work undercover in an area until sent into action, as featured in this TV SHOW. I never heard of it, but I do know this ACTOR from NCIS. Since he has lots of credits, maybe he can replace the awful OD'ed in puzzledom. He really was born in Tel Aviv.

24A. Decoration for a Tinseltown party gift?: HOLLYWOOD BOWL (12). A Bow is a common part of packaging a gift. Since its opening in 1922, the Hollywood Bowl has been the premier destination for live music in Southern California, hosting everyone from Billie Holiday to The Beatles to Yo-Yo Ma under the iconic silhouette of its concentric-arched band shell. It was renovated in 2000. Wiki I think.

39A. Dismiss a disobedient film computer?: FIRE HALL (7). In the US and Canada, this is more commonly called a fire station, but they are the same thing. I like the image of firing the out of control 2001 Space Odessey whose full name is HAL Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer9000. 

51A. Dixie hospitality, e.g.?: SOUTHERN DRAWL (12). This is fun, I guess it means that hospitality is the reason why people are Drawn to visit the South. Whenever I would go to Alabama to visit my then wife's family I morphed into a Southern boy with a draw, y'all.

64A. Allowing use of, as a library does ... or, in three parts, a hint to four puzzle answers:  L ENDING OUT (10). They often are called  Lending libraries; here, however, it the "L" as the ending of each of the theme phrase that comes out. Brilliant!

Across:

1. Spite: VENOM. Isn't there a movie? I still can't believe Stan Lee is gone.

6. Don't believe it: MYTH. Is as good as a mile?

10. Lying lion in "The Lion King": SCAR.

14. Colleague of Samuel and Sonia: ELENA.
Alito, Sotomayor, and Kagan of the  SUPREMES. The clecho, 12D. Colleague of Kagan and Kavanaugh: ALITO. 1st names, then last names.

15. Yorkshire river: OUSE. A CSO to Steve and a challenge as there are 4 rivers in the UK with this name.

16. In fine fettle: HALE. And often hearty unless you are a golfer, then you are just HALE.

19. Camera part: IRIS. Like any eye, it opens and closes. LINK.

20. Blackens: TARS. Meh.

21. "We need to get a cat!": EEK. A very cute clue for a mouse.

22. Set off: IGNITE. From Latin ignitus, past participle of igniō, ignire (“to set on fire, ignite”); we also get ignition for our automobile.

27. Seat for a shot: STOOL. In the doctor's office? Sounds dirty.

30. Piedmont province: ASTI. Spumante.

31. Orchestral gong: TAM-TAM. I see it written both with and without the hyphen, Chau gong (Tam-tam) The familiar "Chinese" gong is the Chau gong or bullseye gong. Large Chau gongs, called tam-tams have become part of the symphony orchestra. Wiki. This one is made by the same people who make the best cymbals.

33. Salem winter hrs.: PST.

34. Hat-removing event: GUST. We are having 50 mph gusts today.

38. Be off base: ERR. But it is human.

42. Future fish: ROE. Do roe row?

43. "Oliver Twist" type: WAIF. Words change; it began as meaning
"person (especially a child) without home or friends" first attested 1784, from legal phrase waif and stray (1620s), from the adjective in the sense "lost, strayed, homeless." Neglected children being uncommonly thin, the word tended toward this sense. Connotations of "fashionable, small, slender woman" began 1991 with application to childishly slim supermodels such as Kate Moss. oed.

45. Farm mom: SOW.

46. It may be held or bitten: TONGUE. Generally a good idea.

48. "Insecure" Emmy nominee __ Rae: ISSA. I was not aware of this TV series which she created, produces, writes and stars in much like a modern-day George Burns. She did change the character name from Issa Rae to Issa Dee.

50. Bad looks: LEERS. Deceptive.

57. Dig: TUNNEL. This took a minute to see.

58. Macabre monogram: EAP. Edgar Allan Poe.

59. Name of two of Henry VIII's wives: ANNE. Which is Boleyn and which Cleves? *



63. Massachusetts motto opener: ENSE.  This has appeared very often. "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty." "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem."

67. First-rate: ACES.

68. Angry: IRED. I am tired of ired; nobody says this.

69. Busybody: YENTA. Yenta or Yente (Yiddish: יענטאַ‎) is a woman who is a gentlewoman or noblewoman - genteel/gentle. But because the matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof was named Yenta, the idea of it meaning gossip or busybody took control.

70. Two-time World Series champs: METS. 1986 World Series vs Boston Red Sox; 1969 World Series vs. Baltimore Orioles.

71. Like falling off a log?: EASY.

72. Boorish: CRASS.

Down:

1. Protective wear, often: VEST. Bulletproof hopefully.

2. Self-titled 1969 jazz album: ELLA.

3. Poetic negative: NE'ER.  I never use this in my poetry.

4. Not to be repeated: ONESHOT. This was a Friday clue/fill.

5. Blueprint: MAP.

6. Culinary mushroom: MOREL. The old picture for the Corner.

7. Foul: YUCKY. Eventually, C.C. decided it was.

8. "Ash Wednesday" poet's monogram: TSE. T.S. Eliot comes to us in so many ways.

9. Device that generates solar power: HELIOSTAT. An instrument in which a mirror is automatically moved so that it reflects sunlight in a constant direction. It is used with a pyrheliometer to make continuous measurements of solar radiation. It is from helios, the Greek word for sun, and stat, as in stationary. various.

10. Bash: SHINDIG. Or old TV

11. West Indies native: CARIB. This very misleading. They are members of an indigenous South American people living mainly in coastal regions of French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela. Island Caribs, are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.

13. Alter with thread: RESEW.

18. Unagi, e.g.: EEL. C.C. shout out.

23. Nabbed: GOT.

25. Kiddie lit count: OLAF. Count Olaf is the main antagonist of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

26. Clean with soap: WASH.

27. Brood: STEW.

28. Twelve Oaks neighbor: TARA. GWTW home. next to Southfork. I got to play on the set one night; what a great party, but I did not take pictures to show you all. Drat. It was before camera phones.

29. Katz of "Dallas": OMRI. He played John Ross III. It is an adjoining clecho to help parse...32D. Mother of J.R. and Bobby: MISS ELLIE.

33. Row of seats: PEW.

35. Advocate: URGE.

36. Whiskey __: SOUR.

37. Cafepress.com offerings: TEES. And so much more. Look them up.

40. Big laugh: ROAR.

41. 1970 Kinks hit: LOLA. First the Animals now the KINKS. Timely link.

44. Gym goal: FITNESS.



47. Hard-to-define spiritualist: NEW AGER. I disagree the world wide web says DEFINITION.

49. Cow, for one: SHE.

51. Cook, as clams: STEAM. So many choices. LINK.

52. Not a heavy weight: OUNCE. I like the cadence of this clue.

53. Up in the air: UNSET. Literal.

54. Bogotá babies: NENES.

55. Family nickname: DADDY. Warbucks?

56. N.Y. engineering sch.: RPI. Back again for another CSO.

60. Actress Gaye of "Ali": NONA. Daughter of Marvin.

61. Bar freebies: NUTS.

62. Itinerary info: ETAS.

65. Victorian __: ERA.

66. 9/11 Memorial site: Abbr.: NYC.

My next to the last blog of 2018, and a wonderful way to go. Paul is not only prolific but he has so many styles and so much wit. Thank you, Paul and all. One more and on to 2019. Lemonade out.

* Speaking of Henry VIII and his six wives; today is the 4 year anniversary of my marriage to my sweetheart Oo. It has been very good.