Friday, October 7, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Jack's are wild!

Once again a big thanks to Tom for taking you through Joseph Groat last week.  I am back and our Friday phenom JW is back as well. We have an add-a-letter theme BUT it is not 1 letter; no, not 2 letters; not even 3; BUT a four letter word -JACK- is added to a two-word phrase. Two are tacked on the first word, two added to the second. I love some of the new phrases with Seventh Jackson and Jackal Fresco my favorites. As always with JW we have some fun fill like MIDLAND,  ONE ACRE, ANTOINE,  YEARNED, LINGER AT,  EDGINESS,  CAROUSES and OCCIDENT. Not easy, lots of fresh fill, but a fun ride. Let's go!

16A. Item on a certain thief's rap sheet? : PAST CARJACKING (14). Past caring.

32A. Dinner for a lottery winner? : JACKPOT ROAST (12). Pot roast. This gave it away to me.

39A. Mural of a wild canine? : JACKAL FRESCO (12). Al fresco. Jackal was hard to parse but the most creative fill.

56A. Last of a $140 stack? : SEVENTH JACKSON (14). Seventh son. If you can divide 140 by 7...


Across:

1. City NE of Odessa : MIDLAND. Texas. When you work your way west from Dallas through Abilene on you way to El Paso.  They are only about 20 miles apart.

8. American Pharoah accoutrement : BRIDLE. Some of you may bridle at the use of the French based accoutrement, or the need to know the HORSE that won the Triple Crown in 2015, but it is a very apt clue/fill.

14. Like many lots : ONE ACRE. Not down here.

15. Like bad butter : RANCID. From Latin meaning smelling bad.

18. Party planner's compilation : E-LIST. We must learn to accept these made up words for our electronic world.

19. Big Island entertainment : UKES.

20. Tour stop : GIG.

22. Put down : DIS. I see it more spelled DISS, but since the word comes from DISrespect, this makes sense.

23. Sequential exercise : SCALES. While I have never played, I have worked with many guitarists and they explained to  me this CONCEPT.

26. Name on the 1983 album "More Music for Films" : ENO.

27. Long-distance calling org.? : SETI. Complain, complain.

29. Linguistic ending : ESE. This is so easy after Splynter's comment about languages last Saturday.

30. Graceful wader : EGRET. Here  is a snowy one.

36. "C U When U Get There" rapper : COOLIO. I do not care much for rap, but this interesting.

38. Cans on a Lowe's shelf : PAINTS.

41. Flew like a birdie : ARCED.

42. Minn. neighbor : ONTario, Canada.

43. Zachary Taylor, e.g. : WHIG.
The Whig Party was a political party active in the middle of the 19th century in the United States. Four Presidents belonged to the Party while in office. Along with the rival Democratic Party, it was central to the Second Party System from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s.

47. Affected denial : MOI.

48. Held up : PAUSED.

51. With 48-Down, judging with others : ON A. 48D. See 51-Across : PANEL. This seems like much work for two simple fill. E.g. _____wing and a prayer, but I guess that might be the dreaded partial. I do get confused about CW constructing rules.

52. Sign of spring : BUD. In the south people drink Bud year round.

53. Prominent feature of "Twilight" films? : FANG. Funny, I wonder if any would have answered this to "Phyllis Diller's husband."

54. Query in Matthew : IS IT I? Matthew 26:22...
King James Bible
And they were exceeding sorrowful, 
and began every one of them to say unto him, 
Lord, is it I?

60. Follows : ENSUES.

61. "The Little Prince" author Saint-Exupéry : ANTOINE. I will always have a soft spot for this MAN as it was his Vol de Nuit that I read with my father (who did not speak great French). My father would quote random and incomprehensible lines from the book. It was fun.

62. Like hunks : STUDLY. gratuitous pic. Loved him in True Blood.

63. Ached (for) : YEARNED. Any yearning PK, Yellowrocks?

Down:

1. Economical bikes : MOPEDS. This should have been easy, I forgot about them..

2. Not a good way to be caught : IN A LIE. A fun multi-word fill.

3. Call it off : DESIST.

4. Pullover beneficiaries : LATS. Latissimi dorsi.

5. Bookkeeper's concerns: Abbr. : ACCTS.

6. Gp. with many arms : NRA.

7. Strauss' "__ Rosenkavalier" : DER. The rose knight (or something like that in German, whence our word cavalier)

8. Slow down : BRAKE. We all like cute. HELP!

9. Hurries : RACES.

10. Tattoo parlor supplies : INKS.

11. Roman 601 : DCI.

12. Not hurry home from : LINGER AT. JW like his multi-word fill.

13. Avant-garde quality : EDGINESS. Nice fill.

17. Aromatic cocktail : JULEP. From the Mint. RECIPE.

21. Düsseldorf deity : GOTT. More German.

24. Director DeMille : CECIL. B.

25. "I'll kneel down / And ___ thee forgiveness": King Lear : ASK OF. Our drop of Will words from JW. Speaking to Cordelia Act V, Scene III
LEAR
No, no, no, no! Come, let’s away to prison.
We two alone will sing like birds i' th' cage.
When thou dost ask me blessing, I’ll kneel down
And ask of thee forgiveness. So we’ll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues...

28. "Kidding" : I JOKE.

30. Former attorney general Holder : ERIC.

31. Moody Blues hit with an exclamation point in its title : GO NOW!

33. "When I was __ ... ": "H.M.S. Pinafore" lyric : A LAD.

34. Starts the day : OPENS. really vague...one's eyes? the mail? the bathroom door?

35. Sample : TASTE.

36. Whoops it up : CAROUSES.

37. West : OCCIDENT. Orient.

39. Hinge holder : JAMB.

40. Like stormy seas : ROUGH. Damn you Matthew!!

44. Sauce served with mu shu pork : HOISIN. Popular all over Asia. The Thai add crushed peanuts.
4 tablespoons soy sauce.
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter.
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar.
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar.
1 garlic clove, finely minced.
2 teaspoons sesame seed oil.
1 teaspoon hot sauce (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper.

45. Chant : INTONE.Good Friday fill.

46. Profited : GAINED.

49. Not at all calm : ANTSY. Ants in your pants.

50. Judge's decrees : DICTA. Hmm, what do you mean by decree? Dicta are the opinion(s) of a judge that do not embody the resolution or determination of the specific case before the court.

53. It might be resolved through mediation : FEUD. Not likely, many lawyers including the one I work with are licensed and skilled mediators. Much faster and cheaper than litigation.

55. Candy bar with a Nordic name : SKOR.

57. Sch. near the Appomattox River : VSU. Virginia State, home of much joy and tragedy.

58. Noisy bird : JAY.

59. Chemical suffix : ANE.

With our hurricane howling I may not be able to read your comments for a while.  Be safe all in the path and see you next time. Lemonade out.

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.

Thursday, September 8th, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme. ¿Hablas Español? Seven Spanish-language entries stepping across and down the grid as neatly explained by the grid-spanning reveal.

13A. Common refreshment : AGUA. I knew right away that something was afoot when this had no indication of "in Spanish" in the clue.

14D. "I'm outta here" : ADIOS. I like how "Amigo" is another of the seven themers.

28A. Chef's creation : SALSA. Once I saw this I was off to the races. I've never solved a puzzle diagonally before but the other four theme entries went in one after the other.

30D. Buddy : AMIGO

48A. Not us : OTROS. The others.

50D. Figure of veneration : SANTA. All females. The men are "San". When I can't sleep I sometimes try an alphabet run of place names, one for each San/Santa. I haven't been able to come up with a Santa "Z" yet, but there is a San Zaccaria church in Venice.

68A. Museum contents : ARTE. The Keats-Shelley memorial museum is in the house where Keats lived at the top of the Spanish Steps.

and the reveal:

39A. Roman landmark graphically portrayed by this puzzle's circles : THE SPANISH STEPS. Either "Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti" or "Scalina Spagna" in Italian depending on who you ask. You need to get up early to see them this devoid of people:

Buenos dias amigos y amigas! Steve here with Jeffrey's quick Spanish 101 quiz. A neat theme and a tidy grid with only one entry I wished wasn't there (I'm looking at you, S.F. FAN). There's a lot of unusual or unique fill; the whole puzzle feels very fresh. ¡Bravo!

Right then, let's see what else we've got. Ándale!

Across:

1. The 1% in 1% milk : FAT

4. Court activity : HOOPS

9. Baseball's "Georgia Peach" : COBB. Nailed it! Getting better at baseball icons.

15. TV comic Kovacs : ERNIE. I knew the name, but I never saw the show. He died in a car crash here in Los Angeles when I was three.

16. Campers' gathering place : FIRE. Not SITE as I had first.

17. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's forte : TAP-DANCING

19. Actress Lena : OLIN. I always forget her. Thank you, crosses!

20. Amazon's biz : E-TAIL

21. Really dug : ATE UP

23. One may be tipped : HAT

24. Translate, in a way : DECODE

26. Landscaper's contraption : SEEDER. This one is not messing around:

31. Heavenly figure : SERAPH. Top of the heap of the celestial hierarchy. That's one boss angel.

33. Cadillac compact : ATS. It's the smallest of the brand's model line.

36. Soup bean : LIMA

38. Cookout spot : PATIO

43. Big fight : MELEE

44. Elegant molding : OGEE. Comes from "Oh gee, that's some nice molding you've got there".

45. Collecting Soc. Sec. : RET. Not RTD, which I tried first.

46. Claim in a tissue ad : SOFTER

51. Brand in a B-52 cocktail : KAHLÚA. Comes from Mexico, appropriately enough for this puzzle's theme. Kahlúa, Baileys Irish Cream and triple sec, layered.

53. Jerks : SPASMS

57. Promise : VOW

58. One rooting for the Niners, briefly : S.F. FAN. Not my favorite.

61. Open, in a way : UNCAP

62. "Iliad" warrior : AJAX. Also a Dutch soccer team. I saw them play in Amsterdam and have a souvenir jersey.

64. Chaucer narrative told by Huberd, with "The" : FRIAR'S TALE. He was mean about a summoner, and so the summoner told a mean tale about a Friar in turn. We read the Canterbury Tales at school, and to the credit of all concerned, our textbook was unexpurgated. It was a lot of fun translating the rude bits.

66. Trim : PARE

67. "__ Doone" : LORNA

69. Produced with effort, with "out" : EKED

70. English assignment : ESSAY

71. Transitory passion : FAD

Down:

1. Destined : FATED

2. Striped stone : AGATE

3. Rapper __ Shakur : TUPAC. A controversial figure; he was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996, aged 25.

4. Coop occupant : HEN

5. Sea predator : ORCA

6. "Will do!" :  ON IT!

7. Cone makers : PINES. Nicely obscure - I wanted something ice-cream related.

8. Smooth transitions : SEGUES

9. One who might be a CPA : CFO. Because Chief Financial Officer is too long to fit in three squares.

10. Winter warmer : OIL HEATER

11. Holmes accessory : BRIAR PIPE.  He also never said "Elementary, my dear Watson".

12. Like a crowbar : BENT

18. Six-time Emmy winner : ALDA. Five for writing, directing and acting in M*A*S*H and one for Best Supporting Actor in The West Wing. His real name is Alphonso D'Abruzzo.

22. Chums, slangily : PEEPS

25. First name in jazz : ELLA

27. "Well, shoot" : DRAT

29. Chinese: Pref. : SINO-. As in the "Sino-Soviet Split" during the Cold War.

32. Colbert, for one : HOST. Currently with The Late Show on CBS. Funny guy.

33. Devices with security cameras : ATMS

34. TV cop with a Tootsie Pop : THEO KOJAK. Didn't even hesitate with this one. I'm not sure how I knew he was called "Theo" but somehow I did.

35. Mindful of one's own needs : SELF-AWARE

37. As __: grouped together : A SET. I tried A LOT at first. Didn't stay in there long.

40. MacFarlane of "Family Guy" : SETH

41. Juicing discards : PEELS

42. "If she did play false, the fault was __": Shak. : HERS. From King John, Act I scene i in which John converses with a character charmingly called "the Bastard".

47. Dust __ : RUFFLE

49. Work : OPUS

52. Fluffed-up dos : AFROS

54. Winter accessory : SCARF

55. Island near Sicily : MALTA. The British Navy used to have a base close to the capital, Valetta. This street, nicknamed "The Gut" was infamous (or famous, depending on your point of view!)

56. Clip : SPEED

57. Enjoy an e-cig : VAPE. E-cigs are getting to have as bad a name as the real things.

59. Pretensions : AIRS

60. Family nickname : NANA

63. Struck (out) : X'ED

65. Slight manifestation, as of hope : RAY

I think that does it for me. Con rapida ... here's the grid!

Steve

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.

Thursday, August 11th, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: A bunch of crazies - Five mad synonyms begin each theme entry:

20A. Toon with the catchphrase "You're despicable!" : DAFFY DUCK. He's evolved a little since 1937:

27A. With "The," Julius Kelp, in a 1963 movie : NUTTY PROFESSOR. Written by, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. I'm guessing there wasn't a lot of argument on the set.

34A. Alfred E. Neuman trademark : SILLY GRIN. Mad Magazine gap-toothed "cover boy".

46A. Dr. Seuss book about an odd time of the week : WACKY WEDNESDAY

56A. Riding crop relative : BUGGY WHIP. Or what you get when you take dessert cream in a can on a picnic?

Morning! A quintet of themers - all adjectives, all five letters and all synonyms. The final BUGGY was new to me, I'd never heard the term used in that context. I'm more familiar with the creaky computer code meaning.

It did cross my mind that a CRAZY entry might be a little more mainstream, but I'm guessing BUGGY must be more in-the-language than I thought.

The NE corner had me stumped for the longest time. I eventually stared it down, but it took way longer than is normal for me; it's  always nice to be challenged. Tricky cluing for TEAM USA, APRICOT and SETTERS; indecision between CREEDS and CREDOS and not seeing any of the cross entries had me sweating.

Let's see what else we've got today:

Across:

1. They don't last long : FADS

5. Little biter : GNAT

9. Take the role of : ACT AS. With ACH already in place, I started with ADOPT, which contributed to my NE corner travails.

14. Introductory French infinitive : ÊTRE. To Be. Hamlet's favorite French verb.

15. Girl in a Manilow song with "a dress cut down to there" : LOLA. From the Copacabana Club in New York City, named for the beach in Rio.

16. Left Bank lunch choice : CRÊPE. More uncertainty here. I was ruminating whether another city had a Left Bank (I'm more familiar with the Parisian "Rive Gauche") and if we were in France why neither "soupe" nor "salade" worked with my "ACH". A geographical oddity, the Left Bank is actually on the south side of the river in central Paris.

17. Gas, for one: Abbr. : UTIL

18. Fossey subjects : APES

19. Crux : HEART.

22. Send out : EMIT.

23. Trainer's command : SIT

24. Wing, perhaps : ELL

25. Offer as proof : ADDUCE. I don't think I knew this. The word looks familiar now I see it, but it was my final fill.

31. Restful place : SPA

32. Struggling sea : ARAL. Struggling in the sense that it's disappearing. The same is happening with a number of lakes here in California. Just yesterday, the British "Guardian" newspaper carried this story about Eagle Lake.

33. Cadillac model : ATS. Not STS then.

39. "Shameless" network, in TV listings : SHO. Showtime. I don't think about this any more, it just goes straight in.

42. Old Venetian judge : DOGE. He had a nice, modest abode, the old judge. No over-indulgence here. Two beds, 1 1/2 baths.

43. Special __ : OPS

51. Is of use to : AVAILS

52. Source of confidence : EGO

53. Copyright data: Abbr. : YRS. As in © 2015, 2016

55. Shore bird : TERN. Oh, so not TEAL.

59. "Granted" : SO I DO. "So you think I blog every Thursday? Granted, but I might need a stand-in every now and again".

61. Algerian coastal city : ORAN. Nice looking place. Second largest city after the capital Algiers.

62. __-Tahoe Airport : RENO. I got delayed here on the way back from a meeting in Reno with the manufacturers of most of the video gaming machines you find in Reno, Las Vegas and other gambling resorts. To kill some time I played a few hands of video poker on one of their machines, and before I knew what was happening I'd lost $100. I didn't get the business either, just to add insult to injury.

63. Wing, perhaps : ANNEX

64. Gp. joined by Croatia in 2009 : N.A.T.O.

65. 2012 Best Picture : ARGO

66. Welling up : TEARY

67. Cassini of fashion : OLEG. He created the "Jackie Look" for the First Lady.

68. Glimpse : PEEK

Down:

1. Extended conflicts : FEUDS

2. Gets : ATTAINS

3. Rise slowly, as smoke : DRIFT UP

4. Lifestyle magazine : SELF. I'd never heard of this publication, but then I don't think I'm exactly the target demographic.

5. "With pleasure!" : GLADLY

6. Tropicana option : NO PULP. I like the pulpy grapefruit juice personally.

7. Guinness on screen : ALEC

8. Job : TASK

9. "__ du lieber!" : ACH. My only entry in the NE for some considerable time.

10. Doctrines : CREEDS

11. Stars and Stripes squad : TEAM USA. Tricky.

12. Nectar source : APRICOT. Tricky.


13. British cruciverbalists : SETTERS. Tricky! Usually called "constructors" here in the US. The marquee London Times cryptic puzzle appears anonymously, others newspapers use pseudonyms for the setters.

21. "__ Brutus says he was ambitious": Antony : YET

25. Way off : AFAR

26. Section with a slicer : DELI. I was thinking along the lines of a kitchen tool before the penny dropped.

28. Positions for Ph.D. students : T.A.S

29. Like daisies : RAYED. Crosses filled this in for me. Here's a bee visiting:

30. Cousin of edu : ORG. URL suffix.

35. Pastoral poem : IDYL

      But when that moan had past for evermore,

The stillness of the dead world's winter dawn

Amazed him, and he groan'd, "The King is gone.''

And therewithal came on him the weird rhyme,

"From the great deep to the great deep he goes."

 

From "Idyls of the King: The Passing of Arthur" - Alfred, Lord Tennyson

36. Some temperature extremes : LOWS

37. Soft drink ord. : LGE.

38. Subtle assent : NOD

39. Goes after, as a fly : SWATS AT

40. Hors d'oeuvres server's suggestion : HAVE ONE! I put in HAVE TWO! initially, I guess a reflection of what I'd like to hear!

41. Ancient instrument with finger holes : OCARINA. I had no idea that this was a thing:

44. Sign at the register : PAY HERE

45. Shot source : SYRINGE

47. More comforting : KINDER. I can't stop seeing the German "child" with this word. It's like the candelabra/kissing picture - once you see one, it's hard to see the other.

48. Void : NEGATE

49. Seasonal quaff : EGG NOG

50. Vegan staple : SOY

54. Frighten, as a horse : SPOOK

56. U2 frontman : BONO. A little late for a musical link, but here's one of my favorite ballads from "The Joshua Tree" album.

57. Russia's __ Mountains : URAL

58. Food truck offering : WRAP

60. Oil giant, on the NYSE : OXY. Occidental Petroleum Corp.

I think that should do it for me today. It's a 56D.

Steve

Oh - and heeeeeere's the grid!

Friday, August 5, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Music please JzB, use your

JW returns quickly and gives us another CSO puzzle, this one for our own Ron and his talented trombone. The use of a single clue for all theme answers is not uncommon, but Jeffrey brings it home with 4 themers that are all grid-spanners! He injects some nice 8 letter fill in the corner with two stacked long ones crossing a single down fill.  APPRISED,  SHUT OUTS, PARISHES,  RING TOSS,  IN SPIRIT and CASSETTE are the 8s, with triple 6s intersecting double 6s in the other corners. A very nice grid with very few short fill.

17A. Slide : MICROSCOPE MOUNT (15). Obviously sussing the theme is not an issue, but how the fill was going to become four different types of slides was the fun. We begin in the lab.

30A. Slide : PLAYGROUND CHUTE (15). Next we go back to our childhood.

45A. Slide : RUNNER'S MANEUVER (15). Of course the slide in baseball is an integral part of the game, reminding me of Dizzy Dean who said of Phil Rizzuto in the 1938 world series, "He slud into third."

59A. Slide : TROMBONE SECTION (15). How about the entire orchestra.

Across:

1. Without markup : AT COST. The big lie in the car business.

7. Informed : APPRISED. A big word in the law, as judges are fully apprised of the premises.

15. Like the Godhead : TRIUNE. Definition: consisting of three in one (used especially with reference to the Trinity).

16. Where flocks assemble : PARISHES. Parishes are flocks, or they are part of a parish, but they assemble in churches, chapels...

19. "Defending Liberty Pursuing Justice" org. : ABA. American Bar Association.

20. Org. for Sharapova and Kournikova : WTA. Women's Tennis Association...a dupe for you purists? Tricky using two Russian Tennis Pros.

21. Base or case closer : MENT. A suffix clue.

22. Exaggerates, as a résumé : PADS.

24. Follow : ENSUE.

27. Ref. with quarterly online updates : OED. Oxford English Dictionary.

34. Respond to a failed delivery : RESEND. A Friday tortured clue.

35. Not your average joe? : LATTE. A really fun clue, especially if you know coffee is know as joe, as in a really good cup of joe. You ask WHY?

36. Video game hero with a kart : MARIO. I played and lost often when my boys were growing up.

39. "To wrap up ... " : IN SUMmation.

40. Epic including the Catalogue of Ships : ILIAD. The Catalogue of Ships (Ancient Greek: νεῶν κατάλογος, neōn katalogos) is an epic catalogue in Book 2 of Homer's Iliad (2.494-759), which lists the contingents of the Achaean army that sailed to Troy. WIKI.

41. Willing to take risks : DARING.

50. Shocked letters : OMG.

51. Colleague of Ruth and Sonia : ELENA. The three lady justices, again!

52. Trillionth: Pref. : PICO. Learn the history of the nomenclature. International System of Units

53. Kit Carson House site : TAOS.

                                                                          LINK.

56. Texter's "Keep the rest to yourself" : TMI. Too Much Information.

58. Moo __ pork : SHU. The dicitionary says the name comes from the Mandarin mùxū, the fragrant flowering shrub Osmanthus fragrans (because the scrambled eggs in the dish resemble the shrub's blossoms in shape and color. It is a Northern Chinese dish, how about this RECIPE C.C., Barry G.?

64. Way to be there when you can't be there : IN SPIRIT.

65. Looked for a school, perhaps : SEINED. What a break that this word appeared in yesterday's puzzle; of course with a Friday twist in the clue.

66. Tape container : CASSETTE.

67. Jousting mounts : STEEDS. Not...

Down:

1. Bank smartphone offering : ATM APP. I had no idea there was an APP to find ATMs....

2. Type of chief or custom : TRIBAL.

3. Noisy bug : CICADA.

4. "In __ Time": Hemingway story collection : OUR.  An interesting HISTORY for Papa.

5. White fall : SNOW.

6. Quality control personnel : TESTERS.

7. Mil. mail drop : APO. One of three special Postal Addresses Army/Air Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO), Diplomatic Post Office (DPO).

8. Unchallenging reading material : PAP. Comes from bland soft or semiliquid food such as that suitable for babies or invalids. This led to "reading matter or entertainment that is worthless or lacking in substance."

9. Specialized undergrad track : PREMED.

10. Frosty film : RIME.

11. Will go ahead as planned : IS ON.

12. Walter Johnson's career-leading 110 : SHUTOUTS. More baseball.

13. Yet, poetically : EEN. I am also confused by this meaning. Yet higher - even higher? I guess.

14. Summer hrs. : DST. Daylight Savings Time.

18. Boat better not rocked : CANOE.

23. Many a recent refugee : SYRIAN. No politics.

25. "Arise, fair __, and kill the envious moon": Romeo : SUN. Shakespeare is back with JW with one of my favorite scenes...
"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she."

26. Sturm __ Drang : UND. And in German, It was a literary MOVEMENT.

28. Incredulous rebuke : ET TU. And you too, Brutus?

29. Believe : DEEM. Another favorite word in judicial orders.

31. Amethyst source : GEODE, The inspiration (maybe?) for geodesic dome made famous by Buckminster FULLER.

32. "I Fall to Pieces" singer : CLINE.

33. Inhibition : HANG UP.

36. Catalan surrealist : MIRO. When I was little my uncle had a Miro print in his office. I thought it was silly.

37. Fund-raising target, often : ALUM. Go for it nitpickers, I know you want to be told to look for an abbreviation, rather than an accepted expression.

38. Fair game : RING TOSS. An unfair game at the fair. "The Ring Toss: The rings are just a hair wider than the neck of the target bottle or spike, ...and are made of hard plastic to facilitate extra bouncing. If the carny shows it can be done, you should suspect he's using a larger ring than you're given or that he scores by dropping it from directly overhead, a move that, like the Basketball Shoot, is virtually impossible from the player's position." LINK.

41. Broadband letters : DSL.

42. Gallic soul : AME. It would be better if you saw ÂME. 62D. Août season : ETE. We are in August, and it is summer. See how much easier it is with the accent.

43. Agitated blog posts : RANTS.

44. Muddled : IN A MESS.

46. One often has a golf course : RESORT.

47. Clear Eyes rival : VISINE. Eye drops and a CSO to one of the ones who are gone.

48. Seconded : ECHOED.

49. Hospital routines : ROUNDS. An important function at the hospital where a doctor goes round and visits his in patients. Also, part of grand rounds when the doctor has other doctors and medical students along to learn.

54. Tour gear : AMPS. Rock and roll tour.

55. Drama prize : OBIE. Off Broadway.

57. TV co-star of Hargitay and Belzer : ICE T. Again.

59. Spasm : TIC.

60. Usually single-stranded molecule : RNA. RiboNucleic Acid as opposed to the double helix of DNA.

61. Trivial thing : NIT. I wonder how he picked that clue?

63. Draw : TIE. Correct me if I am wrong, Steve or NC, but I believe in Cricket a tie and a draw are different.

Well another JW Friday; the long fill really helped leading to a fairly quick Friday. Hope you all had as much fun as I did. lemonade out.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016, Jeff Wechsler

TITLE: OO, OO, OO, OO, OO, OO

Joe E. Ross's signature phrase as Gunther Toody from Car 54 Where Are You? serves as prolog for Jeff's wonderful Wednesday puzzle where he has six entries that start with OO, four across and two down. Jeff's amazing incorporation of six of them at a Wednesday level further impresses this humble blogger.


Jeff Wex has also requested "that this puzzle, based on its theme, should be dedicated to Lemonade's wife, Oo".  I am happy to do so!!

Husker Gary here, gladly summarizing a puzzle with a lot of OOMPH!

Theme Entries

17. Butterfingers' comment : OOPSY DAISY - A variant of Upsy Daisy that is said when a child stumbles or is being lifted. Or before and after this...

23. Comet-filled region of space : OORT CLOUD - Far out, man!

48. Chinese beverage literally meaning "black dragon" :  OOLONG TEA - After withering, rolling, shaping and firing

54. Plays it like Cary Grant : OOZES CHARM - Of Zoltan Karpathy, Professor Higgins proclaimed, "OOZING charm from every pore, he oiled his way across the floor"

11. Wonka worker : OOMPA LOOMPA - Don't they seem to be a little creepy?

23. Expressions of delight : OOHS AND AAHS - C'mon, you know you say it!

Across

1. Fast-arriving letter : E-MAIL - After face-to-face, my preferred method of communicating 

6. Leaping parasite : FLEA

10. Verne protagonist : FOGG - Nemo in the sub, FOGG in the balloon

14. "It Happened One Night" director : CAPRA - I could watch it again today!

15. Equestrian strap : REIN

16. Collected knowledge : LORE

19. See 22-Down : AMIN and 22. With 19-Across, Oscar-winning Forest Whitaker role : IDI - A completely despicable man

20. Numerous centuries : EON

21. "Win one for the __": Reagan : GIPPER 

27. Have more birthdays : AGE - The only thing worse than AGING is not AGING

28. Circuit components : DIODES

30. "Ah, Wilderness!" playwright : O'NEILL - Notice the top-billed actor in this Broadway cast

32. Needed Advil, say : ACHED

33. Investor's concern : LOSS

34. Little bit : IOTA

37. Interfere (with) : MESS

38. Soda purchases : COKES

39. 1980s surgeon general : KOOP - Apropos on an OO day!

40. Education orgs. : PTA'S

41. Take ten : REST

42. "Philadelphia" director Jonathan : DEMME - Stereotypical director activity where DEMME is setting up a shot for Philadelphia

43. "Whatever your heart desires!" : NAME IT

45. "Always," in a military slogan : SEMPER

46. Imogene's comedy partner : SID

50. Saws : ADAGES

52. Juillet's season : ETE

53. Brunch, e.g. : MEAL - As long as there's bacon...

61. Pearl Harbor site : OAHU

62. Headed for overtime : TIED - Talk about your overtimes!

63. Very dangerous : TOXIC

64. Staff mem. : ASST

65. Bit of river turbulence : EDDY

66. The Washington Monument's 897 : STEPS - Climbing these is no longer permitted but the record is 6.7 minutes set in 2007

Down

1. Green start? : ECO

2. Red Guard leader : MAO

3. Waze or Uber : APP

4. Agcy. with collectors : IRS

5. Like a parfait : LAYERED - Poirot often uses the word "Parfait" (Perfect) on the eponymous British TV Series when his "little grey cells" have made a discovery

6. Old Belgian currency : FRANC

7. Tourist gift on 61-Across : LEI

8. Stuttgart cubes : EIS

9. "Care to take a stab at the answer?" : ANY GUESS - Can you guess the 6-letter word (not 5-letter as posted earlier) that connects these four pix? (*Answer below by grid)

10. Kerfuffle : FLAP

12. "Peer Gynt Suite" composer : GRIEG

13. Bromance or romcom : GENRE

18. Fiji has three : DOTS - Or tittles

24. Ukrainian port : ODESSA

25. Regards with anticipation : LOOKS TO

26. Starting point : ONSET

28. Soggy : DAMP

29. "O.G. Original Gangster" rapper : ICE-T - First hip-hop album with the warning you see 

31. "... just as I am" : LIKE ME

33. Trompe __ : L'OEIL - French for Trick the eye. I love these chalk drawings that do just that 

35. Weighty volume : TOME

36. Mimic : APER

38. Chimney cleaner's target : CREOSOTE

42. Becomes aware of : DETECTS

44. "The Simpsons" beer server : MOE

45. PD ranks : SGTS - It was interesting to see SGT Joe Friday pre and post Miranda Rights 

46. Polynesian nation : SAMOA

47. Planning session fodder : IDEAS

49. Hard up : NEEDY

51. Excess : GLUT

55. Suffix with fact : OID - Here's one from the King Of FACTOIDS!

56. Zoo opening in London? : ZED

57. What a red "H" often indicates : HOT

58. Bunyan tool : AXE

59. __ Van Winkle : RIP

60. Mic wielders : MCS

A scout troop's short a child, Krushchev due at Idewild, LA Crossword comments where are you?

*CHANGE

THE GRID