Saturday, May 12, 2018, Greg Johnson

THEMELESS SATUDAY PUZZLE BY GREG JOHNSON ON NATIONAL DOG MOM'S DAY

Greg Johnson has a very nice puzzle for us on this holiday that is celebrated on the day before, well, you know...

The NW corner was a bugger and while all the down fills were tough and looked solid, LIFO mocked me and I just had to go with it. Consequently, I now know 14. Inventory evaluation acronym: LIFO  which means Last In First Out shown here with its opposite

Hoping that you remembered to get a card (or at least a treat) for your four-footed mom in the house, let's see what Greg has given us on this "anything but a dog" exercise.

Across:

1. Bubbly stuff: FOAM - SOAP and WINE - not so much!

5. Skiing venue: LAKE - A Husker Gary blog without a kitty? Never happenin'!

15. Very top: APEX - Also can mean high

16. Babysitter, maybe: NIECE 

17. Mtn. stats: ALTS - HGTS and ELEV were candidates

18. Superstitious warning: DON'T JINX IT 9. "Got it, man!": I'M HIP

20. Quick: SPEEDY - A 1951 character produced by the Wade Ad Agency in 1951

22. Word in Montana's motto: ORO - ORO y Plata (Gold and Silver)

23. Pre-Columbian stoneworker: INCA

24. Apollo's place: HARLEM - This NASA guy wanted Apollo on the Moon but of course Greg was referencing this HARLEM institution 

25. Word with window or rum: BAY - This BAY Rum is clearly labeled "For External Use Only" but during prohibition, its 58% grain alcohol content made this Rexall product popular for other reasons

26. Beach bird: GULL - At the beach you might see a GULL on a buoy 

27. One with secrets to tell: SPY - A Mad Magazine staple for years. Each seems to have a secret

28. Some judicial officials: MAGISTRATES - In Mayberry, Andy Taylor performed this function under the title of Justice Of The Peace 

31. Want-ad letters: EEO - As opposed to this Want-Ad

32. Get one's signals crossed, say: ERR - Last week I found out what happens when you ERR and forget to put a cup under the spout 

33. Creative writing assignment: POEM - Our resident laureate Owen regales us most every day

34. Assurance of honesty: TRUST ME and 50. Sneak: WEASEL.

36. "That's a little better": IT HELPS.

40. Forced-air system output: HEAT - Did your schoolroom from ages past have radiators instead forced-air? I can still smell the drying mittens

41. Phi-psi link: CHI - Phi precedes these last three letters of the Greek alphabet

42. Astounded reaction: OOH.

43. Workplace dispute negotiator: LABOR LAWYER - During my teaching career, our LABOR LAWYERS negotiated with the school board's LABOR LAWYERS

47. When repeated, a football chant: OLE.

48. Cry of dismay: ALAS - The correct quote is "ALAS, poor Yorick! I knew him, well Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest..." and 29. Mata Hari portrayer: GRETA GARBO 

49. What candles may represent: AGE- My youngest granddaughter Elise has just joined the ranks of teenagers  last week (our daughter is on the left) and 54. Most unusual: ODDEST - Granddaughter requested a llama cake

52. Phnom __: PENH.

53. Single dose?: DAT - I want DAT one and some of DOSE too

55. Bush 43, for one: EX-GOVERNOR - Guess where four of seven EX-GOVERNORS of Illinois wound up

58. Kitchen addition?: ETTE - This is all ya need!

59. Spaghetti Western director Sergio: LEONE - These were a star vehicle for Clint Eastwood after Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson turned down the role 

60. Cry out loud: BAWL.

61. An earring may be shaped like one: PEAR

62. Vicks brand: SINEX

63. Page with views: OPED - Newspaper page OPposite the EDitorial page

64. Sailing group: TARS.


Down:

1. Undesirably rapid hardening of concrete: FLASH SET - Sulphates  are added to cement to prevent  this phenomenon. See last ingredient for cement below. New to me after eight summers puddling concrete

2. Specialized painting surface: OIL PAPER - "It features a powerful, efficient oil barrier that absorbs water, solvents and binders evenly while allowing the paint and pigment to remain on the surface"

3. Words spoken with a gentle hand gesture: AFTER YOU - Are women offended by this offer by a man these days?

4. German wine valley: MOSEL - It would appear you'd have to be a mountain goat to harvest these grapes in the beautiful MOSEL Valley

5. Billboard #1 song in 1975 and 2001: LADY MARMALADE - I missed it both times. Correction, I didn't hear it either time

6. Mil. address: APO - Army Post Office

7. Vader enemy: KENOBI - Here is Darth Vader squaring off with Obi-Wan KENOBI 

8. Loaded with heat: EXTRA SPICY - No thanks!

9. Pasta ending: INI

10. Lesser component of "The Legend of Zelda," say: MINI GAME - Inside the larger Zelda game, their are various smaller MINI GAMES one can/must play while on a quest, I read. I'm not likely to push that button.

11. Six-sided fastener: HEX NUT.

12. Winter hangover?: ICICLE.

13. Flower girl's tossings: PETALS - Or not...

19. "Let every heart prepare him room" song: JOY TO THE WORLD - Greg could have gone for "Jeremiah was a bull frog..."

21. Greek goddess of the harvest: DEMETER - For some reason I knew this

30. Brought back to work: REHIRED - George Steinbrenner famously fired and REHIRED Billy Martin many times

35. Tribe that sold horses to Lewis and Clark: SHOSHONE - The SHOSHONE had the horses that the expedition needed to get over the mountains and as luck would have it, Sacajawea was the long, lost sister of chief Cameahwait (He who never walks)

37. Leaves in a chest: LOOSE TEA.

38. Nocturnal travel guide: POLE STAR - It is the one point in the northern sky that never moves 

39. Stray protection: SHELTERS - This is where we got our kitty

43. Places for pins: LAPELS.

44. Former Soviet premier Kosygin: ALEXEI - A familiar apparatchik name to this child of the 60's

45. Hit hard: BANG ON.


46. Hand-wiping item: WETNAP.

51. Well-rehearsed: ADEPT.

56. Bug: VEX.

57. Be behind: OWE.





Just so you know, Joann is getting a lovely card from her third daughter tomorrow!

Comment at will:


DA GRID:

Saturday, Nov 25th, 2017, Greg Johnson

Theme: None

Words: 64 (missing Q,X)

Blocks: 37

Some nice cluing deception today, with about a half dozen of them fooling me.  We last heard from Mr. Johnson in July, and this is #5 for his LA Times Saturday constructions.  No Google, no red-letters, and I wrapped this one up in half of my personal allotted time.  Today's grid reminds me of a Christmas package bow, with two pairs of central 11-letter spanners and climbers, with a pinwheel of four 10-letter fills surrounding;

7. Engine part often connected to a flywheel : CRANKSHAFT - I was thinking the other end, as in CLUTCH PLATE, which didn't fit

38. Shaking one's head, maybe : FRUSTRATED - This is me; I was hoping to get a head start on saving for a house now that I make better money with the new job, and then my landlord tells me two weeks ago that he's selling the house; now I am under the gun to get a place to live.  I did find the perfect "fixer-upper", so say a prayer that I can find the money to afford it. 

27. Desk accessories : NAMEPLATES

29. Some partners' workplaces : LAW OFFICES - NEWS CHAIRS fit, but I didn't think that was right; still, most broadcasts featured two people bringing the nightly news; growing up, I remember Roger Grimsby and Bill Beutel on Ch. 7 

 Hoping your news is good news....

ChO7NeWsARD~!

ACROSS:

1. __ cord : SPINAL - extension and umbilical cord did not fit.  SPINAL Tap~!

7. Considered, with "on" : CHEWED - oops, not STewed

13. Leader of the track : PACE CAR - my mind was on foot race to start

15. "To the end of the block! C'mon!" : "RACE ME~!"

16. Immediate slap shot after receiving a pass, in hockey : ONE-TIMER - this one was right in my wheelhouse, and a great play to see in any hockey game

Alex Ovechkin may be the best at this

18. Biology notebook doodle : AMOEBA - good WAG, but then again, most doodles look like amoebae

19. __ Mahal : TAJ

20. Parsons School sketches : DESIGNS - "parson" made me think "deacon", and it fit - I even tried to find a "sketch" of a "deacon"

22. __ Kan: Alpo rival : KAL

23. "A Jug of Wine ... " poet : OMAR - filled via perps

25. Brought along : TOOK

26. Plural contraction : WE'RE - not gonna take it~?

30. Blue ghost in Pac-Man : INKY - the others were Blinky, Pinky and Clyde

31. Recycling center debris : GLASS SHARDS - Sssss - and the new job contributes mightily towards this

33. Opposite of hastens : SLOWS - had it, took it out, put it back in

34. Gets under control : TAMES

35. "This doesn't concern you" : STAY OUT OF IT

37. Order of encyclopedias : A TO Z - oh, well, duh - So easy, it was hard for me to see

42. Cook seen on TV specials : DANE - ah, not a 'cook', but Dane Cook, the comedian

43. Cut down : FELL - not HEWN

44. Cover on the street : PAVE - another deception; I was thinking news team, again

45. GI grub : MRE - Meals, Ready-to-Eat

46. Like the most substantial sum : TIDIEST - I didn't think LARGEST was going to stay, but maybe the "-EST" would

49. Social post : PICture

50. Leaning to the right, in a way : ITALIC - ah, nothing political, just political

52. Cheese from the Italian for "sheep" : PECORINO - Italian 'sheep' is pecora; I thought it might be something "ovine"; Bzzzt

54. Entertain lavishly : REGALE

55. Strength : POTENCY

56. Puts up : ERECTS - curious that potency should be followed by erects....

57. Golfer's short irons : WEDGES - OK, I tried EIGHTS

DOWN:

1. 100% correct : SPOT ON - only if it's 100% 100% correct, right D-otto~?

2. Southernmost location in continental North America : PANAMA - ah, NORTH America, not US America; I tried to figure out what is the last place you can visit in Florida before you hit the Keys - and isn't Panama in central America~?  Meso-America~?  Doesn't matter, here's Van Halen~!!!

Panama

3. It may delay river traffic : ICE JAM - LOG was not going to work with my hockey one-timer

4. Realize : NET - dah~! not GET

5. Sour : ACID

6. "That's so weak!" : LAME - I find "Sour" for "Acid" a bit lame

8. Stage embarrassments : HAMS

9. Prefix with tourist : ECO

10. Time off for many : WEEKENDS

11. Boards a ship : EMBARKS

12. Dallas plaza in 1963 headlines : DEALEY - I did not know this; the website

14. Lead-in to a promise : REST ASSURED

17. Gets out of control : RIOTS

21. Calls it a night : GOES TO SLEEP

24. Do some window maintenance : REGLAZE

26. Evidence-gathering device : WIRETAP

28. Tactic : PLOY

32. "The Kite Runner" boy : AMIR - filled via perps

33. Pre-metalworking period : STONE AGE

35. First course : STARTER

36. Spring festival focus : TULIP - couldn't see this with HEWN in the way

37. Esteem : ADMIRE

39. Recording : TAPING - I still refer to my DVR shows as ones that I "taped"

40. Show clearly : EVINCE

41. Red herrings, perhaps : DECOYS

46. Arcade game ender : TILT - pinball, not Pac-Man

47. Harbor hauler : SCOW - made me change my golf club; from an 8-iron to a wedge

48. Handy bag : TOTE

51. "Hotel du __": Anita Brookner novel : LAC

53. Light color : RED - traffic light, clever; not the 'tone' or intensity of the color

Splynter

Saturday, Jul 1, 2017, Greg Johnson

Theme: None

Words: 64 (missing J,Q,W,X,Z)

Blocks: 44~!

Second Saturday in 2017 for Mr. Johnson - and despite a slow start, I ended up breezing through today's offering.  I reviewed his puzzle from March 25th, and also his debut back in 2013, just to see if there was any reference to him being Australian - which has been a topic of his clues/answers these last two constructions.  None that I could see.  Unusual grid design, sort of a backwards "S" ( or is that "Z"~? ), which again strands us in corners and little to work with getting into the others.  Lots of long across answers, which leaves us with nearly 60% more down clues and answers;

14a. Elaborate sci-fi costume component : FULL BODY MAKE-UP - big fan of the show "Face Off" on SyFy, and much as I like making movies, make up was not one of my strong points - but I certainly would like to try

46a. Spicy meatless dish : VEGETABLE CHILI

24a. Australian Stock Horses, perhaps : POLO PONIES - enough downs to figure this out

36a. They may be excuses : SOB STORIES

ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Annual July 1 celebration marking the 1867 signing of the British North America Act : CANADA DAY - the "DAY" part appeared via crossings, and then it was a sensible WAG being that it was North America

10. Some Australian carvings : ABORIGINAL ART - "ART" showed, so I figured this was another sensible WAG

16. Supermarket count : AISLES - ITEMS was too short - and appears at 21d.

17. Old Andorran currency : PESETA

18. Arrive : GET IN - first thought, but hesitated

19. Dickensian denouncement : BAH~!

22. Guided : LED

23. Get out of Dodge : FLEE - in my case, I have to get IN the Dodge to get out of Dodge - my Grand Caravan, that is

28. Annex : ADD - oops, not ELL

29. Yusufislam.com musician : CAT STEVENS

30. Having a short cut : BOB-HAIRED

31. Like home, say : FOUR-LETTER - yes, but it's such a pleasant four letter word

33. Hang (around) : PAL

37. Didn't miss, as a bus : MADE - I didn't miss my putt on the 3rd hole last Wednesday, and as a result, had my first birdie - yay~!

38. "Gr8 joke!" : LOL

39. Unisex nickname : SAM - I tried "PAT"

40. 4/8/74 record breaker : AARON - half perps, half WAG

41. Brie who played Trudy on "Mad Men" : ALISON - half perps, half WAG

45. Home Depot work apparel : APRONS - I used to don one (Don Juan~?) when I was a kitchen designer back in 2002

50. Legacy Hartsfield-Jackson tenant : DELTA AIRLINES - looked like one of those "huh??" clues until I had half the crossings, again

51. Thinking indicator : LONG PAUSE - ah, not LIGHT BULB (which connotes "idea"), not HOUR GLASS (like the Microsoft icon)

DOWN:

1. Beardie, for one : COLLIE

2. Former senator Specter : ARLEN

3. Twizzlers pieces : NIBS

4. Ancient history adjective : AGO

5. Completed : DID

6. This, that or the other : ANY

7. Not soaked yet : DAMP

8. Winglike parts : ALAE - first of a couple 'plural' misdirections (no "S" ending)

9. Centuries-old Asian wool sources : YAKS

or this one~?

10. Off-topic : AFIELD

11. Out of order : BUSTED

12. Catch from the pier : REEL IN

13. Learners, hopefully : TUTEES

15. Shoulder protection : PADS - "singular" clue with a plural answer

16. Imaging company once big in film : AGFA - the Wiki

19. Bugs : BOTHERS

20. Ancient French region : ALSATIA

21. It flies off store shelves : HOT ITEM

24. Artist Picasso : PABLO

25. Netanyahu's predecessor : PERES

26. CBer's punctuation : OVER - always reminds me of the movie "Airplane!"

27. Friend of Homer : NED - Flanders~!

29. "Harold and Maude" co-star Bud : CORT - perps

30. Mover of many : BUS - ah, not "ARK"

31. Misled : FOOLED

32. Do a favor for : OBLIGE

33. Sentence ender : PAROLE - good one - not PERIOD

34. Head turner : ADONIS

35. It helps you focus : LENS - ah, a singular noun with an "S" ending~!

36. Many a Balkan : SLAV

37. Nautical : MARINE

40. Plant-ruining genus : APHIS

42. Make believable : SELL

43. Palindromic fellow : OTTO - and a clecho;

44. Palindromic bread : NAAN

45. Rights org. : ACLU

47. Lunch holder : BAG

48. In most mammals, the upper one has a groove called a philtrum : LIP - ha~! I knew this

49. Memorable time : ERA

Splynter

Saturday, Mar 25th, 2017, Greg Johnson

Theme: None

Words: 66 (missing J,Q,U,X)

Blocks: 32

   This is Saturday puzzle number three from Constructor Greg, and I looked at my review from his last contribution, and fared better this week than on that one back in Oct of last year.  As usual, it did not look good on the first Across pass, but there were some winning moments in the Down run, and then little by slowly the rest filled in, with a few missteps, and a few WAGs.  Though I did notice a healthy lack of proper names - the ones that were in the crossword I knew.  Odd looking grid with a low word count, crossing 11- and 9-letter words with two 10-letter words in there, too;

10d. Conventional : STEREOTYPIC - I'm looking for the "-AL" on the end, still

28a. Firebrick cooker : PIZZA OVEN - there's a stack of  two sitting out back of the restaurant waiting to get cleaned up for sale

24d. When needed : AS NECESSARY

40a. Points at and yells, perhaps : THREATENS

O N (W) bo A R D game S ~ !

ACROSS:

1. Hot-button subject in journalism : MEDIA BIAS - it's all biased, as far as I can tell - I don't watch the news

10. It may be on a dog : SLAW

14. Sacred Aboriginal landmark : AYERS ROCK - knew what we were looking for, took a moment to remember the name of the "rock"

15. Tendency : TIDE

16. Like a meeting of the minds? : TELEPATHIC - har-har

18. "__ so ... " : EVEN

19. Jefferson Davis' org. : CSA

20. "Barefoot Contessa" host Garten : INA

21. Still : AT REST - I got caught in a "still....(and yet....)" loop, so I went with "AT BEST"

23. Best Director between Soderbergh and Polanski : HOWARD - once "-OW---" filled in, I took a guess;  he won for "A Beautiful Mind" in 2001 (or 2002, depending on the source)

25. Unnatural register : FALSETTO - the Bee Gees, and this group's lead singer....caution; "raunchy~!"

 I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness

27. Remove : ERASE - I hesitated, thought this was too easy
 
29. "Nebraska" star : DERN - filled via perps

30. Become twisted : CONTORT

31. "Told you" : "SEE~?"

32. Bygone : OLDEN

33. Congressional approval : YEA

36. Ceremonial cup : CHALICE - Stanley fit, too

38. Settled : PAID

43. Petrol purchase : LITRE

44. White wine grape : RIESLING - dah~!  I see this enough at the restaurants to have gotten it without crossings, you'd think

45. Looked good on : BECAME - yes, the sweater  looks good on her

very becoming

46. Attaches, as a new deck : ADDS ON
 

47. Costumer's suggestion : WIG

48. Edge : LIP - or RIM~?

49. Land shaped by erosion : MESA

50. Fall behind : GET IN A HOLE

54. It sticks out in the water : PIER - FIN was too short

I can hear the music....

55. Model rocket components : NOSECONES

56. Order to stop : STAY - not HALT

57. Common college consequence : EMPTY NEST

DOWN:       

1. __ set : MATCHED - the "C" was in there from CSA, and so I proudly entered ereCtor.  Bzzzt~!

2. Demolition candidates : EYESORES

3. Its only counties are Kent, New Castle and Sussex : DELAWARE - well, this is embarrassing - I was thinking somewhere in Britain, and it turns out to be the US state I just visited last weekend....I was, uh, in, uh, New Castle, I think....

4. Steaming state : IRE - ah, state of mind, not US state

5. Hopeful's term : ASPIRE

6. Ford or Chevy : BRAND - SEDAN~?  Too many "wait and see" clues today

7. Ninth in a series : IOTA - figured it was Greek, good WAG

8. Cry over spilled Milch? : ACH - Das German for milk

9. Waxed sports equipment : SKI - equipment and singular 'ski' doesn't quite jibe for me

11. NFL games, e.g. : LIVE TV

12. Holiday hymn opener : ADESTE - Fidelis

13. Took place : WENT ON - as a show/performance

17. Folded Italian fare : CALZONE - spell check does not like this word....

22. Pre-revolution bigwig : TSAR - oddly, this one, too

25. Bit of successful research : FINDING - used as a noun in this case - I believe that's called a gerund

26. Ancient pyramid builders : AZTECS

28. Wind-borne grains : POLLEN

30. An inch of snow, e.g. : COATING - oops, not DUSTING - that's being from NY, I think

34. What one might do after a broken date : EAT ALONE - I always eat alone - don't need a broken date for that

35. Credit card bonus : AIR MILES - I drove to Delaware - 239 miles, and at one point was getting 26.1mpg in the Dodge Grand Caravan - I didn't think the computer could calibrate that high....

37. Light ring : HALO

39. Superior, of all five : DEEPEST - I had one of the "E"s, so a good WAG

40. Walks heavily : TRAMPS

41. "Quick, get that out of sight!" : "HIDE IT~!"

42. Indian Ocean arm : RED SEA

43. What's left : LEGACY

45. Stanford-__ test : BINET - the Wiki

47. Fleeting puff : WISP

51. Storm dir. : ENE - healthy WAG - can only be a certain grouping of N,E,S,W

52. Pig thief of rhyme : TOM

53. Sweetie : HON

Splynter 

Saturday, Oct 8th, 2016, Greg Johnson

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 30

This is the second Saturday puzzle I have blogged from today's constructor, and upon reviewing that last one (back in Nov. 2015), I read that my solving experience was much the same today - and I recognize this as a pattern with all crossword authors; no matter whose name is at the top of the grid, I seem to have the same struggles and successes with their contribution.  Like that puzzle a little under a year ago, I was able to get through 75% of the puzzle clue-by-clue, but then I ran into self-inflicted spelling/WAG mistakes, and did myself in - no ta-DA - so it was red-letter to the rescue.  Oh well.  Triple 9-letter Across corners, and stacked 9's and 10's crossing a pair of 10-letter climbers;

9. Not woody, to a botanist : HERBACEOUS - I had HE-B---- and just filled this in, not that I knew it was right, but it sounded right

26. Jefferson and others : VIRGINIANS - my first thought, but I waited on perps

1a. Decorative border : HEMSTITCH - too many thoughts to start; clothing, home decor, gardening~?....so I waited

55a. Formal choice : SILK DRESS - add a 44d., and you get this....

33a. One of ten in the Kentucky Derby : FURLONG - I took surveying as part of my construction technology classes in college, and I am always fascinated by the origin of distances and lengths - the Wiki

22d. Black arts practitioner : WARLOCK - "Crowley" fit, but didn't work with the crossings

O.M.G-ward~!

(see below)

ACROSS:

10. Business investment? : SUIT

14. Regardless : IN ANY CASE

15. Black-and-white vegetarian : PANDA - and a semi-clecho with....

16. Black-and-white : POLICE CAR

17. One putting two and two together : ADDER

18. Exit discreetly : SLIP OUT

19. Ivory, e.g. : BAR SOAP

21. Unannounced, as a quiz : POP

22. Beyond silly : WACKO - I tried INANE

23. Corroded : EATEN

26. Protect against harm, in a way : VACCINATE

30. It's about 40.5 for Pittsburgh, Pa. : N.Lat - I got it,  but only because I am aware that LI is roughly on the 42nd North Latitude

31. Inspiration for a red shade : FIRE ENGINE

32. Tirana is its cap. : ALBania

34. "Gr8 joke!" : LOL - at first I didn't get the G-R-8 hint, but then the V-8 can flew....

35. Classroom no-no : CALLING OUT - I pondered CLASS CLOWN, but class can't be in both clue & answer

37. Where le nez is : TÊTE - Frawnche, nose and head

38. Typical ham feature : THEATRICS - ah, the CLASS CLOWN kind of 'ham'

39. More twisted : WRYER

40. Cleared the room, perhaps : STUNK - here's where the problems began; stAnk, stInk - and I don't care for "stunk", so it didn't occur to me

41. Inc. magazine subject : CEO - I tried BUS.  first

42. A museum in Pesaro, Italy, marks his birthplace : ROSSINI - my DOWN crossings had me change this from GALILEO to GALILEI to CASSINI - and I was really pleased with my first 42d. fill

45. Alternative histories : "WHAT IFS"

49. Possible response to "I raise" : ALL IN - I got into a card game with some AA friends last Saturday night, and I am back at it tonight.  The buy-in was $20, and I took one pot that was fairly decent, then lost paired 10s and 8s to 3 threes....I went "all in" and ended up "all out" of money - but I had something to do on a Saturday night for a change - worth every penny of $20

50. Words seen before a dollar sign : AMOUNT DUE - all my bills are paid online

52. Filmmaker's __ light : KLIEG - I am ashamed to admit this did not come to me, but then again, we used softbox lighting on the movie set I worked on, not these

53. Only you : NO ONE ELSE - O.M.G. - the blue-eyed girl has re-entered my life - in the most bizarre way possible.  If you are curious, email me - I can't divulge the details here....

54. Casual food : EATS - as in diner signs and such

DOWN:

1. Swinging joints? : HIPS - har-har

2. Organic compound : ENOL - we had this recently

3. Landlocked African country : MALI

about 23 N Lat

4. Fragment : SNIPPET

5. Business VIP : TYCOON

6. Freeze : ICE UP - Look away, Tin - two weeks in a row~!

7. Careful handling : TACT

8. Union foe in the 19th cen. : CSA

10. Tearjerker : SAD SONG

11. Command following "Oops!" : UNDO - think computers; I have frequent "oops" moments with AutoCAD and Photoshop

12. Flash, maybe : IDEA

13. Weather protection : TARP - baseball winds down as hockey starts up

15. Downtown challenge : PARKING

20. Reason for a misunderstanding : ACCENT

23. Make law : ENACT

24. Quran deity : ALLAH - makes me think of this song from Van Halen, with Dave's "religious" philosophy (@2:40)

25. Stand with a leaf : TABLE - clever way to misdirect, but I did not fall prey, since I have been regularly refinishing leaf tables

27. Dancer posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 : AILEY - did not know this one - filled via perps

28. Govt. issue : T-NOTE

29. Pot-using sportsman : EELER - learned doing crosswords

31. 2K, say : FUN RUN - meh.  I had FUNRA- from my stAnk fill, and just couldn't see what we were looking for

33. Tailor's service : FITTING - ...but then this made sense, so GALILEO had to go

36. Many Aberdeen residents : LASSIES - for some reason, I was thinking Texas, but that's Abilene ( though there IS an Aberdeen in Texas ) - we're talking Ireland instead

37. Harness racer : TROTTER - another good WAG on my pert

39. Withdrew gradually : WEANED

41. Piece : CHUNK

42. Casino tool : RAKE - well, Cassini gave me "CAGE", and that seemed reasonable

43. Paella cooker : OLLA

44. Clothing opening : SLIT

45. Clothing material : WOOL - bonus image this week

46. Off : IDLE

47. Bellyache : FUSS

48. Gets it : SEES

51. "Excusez-__" : MOI - and finish avec les Frawnche

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Jayce, my patient puzzle collaborator and friend. Thanks for understanding me the way you do, Jayce! Thanks for being here for all of us. Cooking Trader Joe's Chicken Gyoza in your honor today, but no miso for broth.

Jayce, June 2013, Santa Barbara