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

Friday, July 22, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Ah HA!

My Friday foil is back with an add a word edition that leaves us laughing. First, I had a blast working with Jeffrey in creating the Mel Brooks tribute puzzle. Mel certainly is one who can elicit much laugh-out-loud response. JW also has been concentrating on light-hearted themes, puns and and a good time had by all. I am getting very used to his style, his use of multiple word fill and his sense of humor. With 67 squares in the theme, and with three grid-spanners there are not many long sparkly fill, but he does squeeze in AVALANCHE,  WEB FOOTED,  THREE PUTT, and  BALD EAGLE.

17A. Convent seamstress' workshop items? : HABITS AND PIECES (15). I grew up near a convent and watched many nuns march on my street. They wore the full habit.

When my niece was three, and when she saw them walking, she asked who all the kings were.

24A. Enlightened kid? : BILLY BUDDHA (11). How cool is it that Monday's puzzle made this fill so much easier. This is my favorite theme fill--Billy Buddha...classic.

36A. Bichon Frise pack leaders? : THE FRENCH ALPHAS (15). A CSO to our now busy and hopefully rich marti who loves skiing the Alps.

48A. Sandwich in the desert? : SAHARAN WRAP (11). This seems the least inventive and most obvious pun, but perhaps the seed entry.
And the hint..(not a reveal)

57A. Request for relief, and a hint to the formation of this puzzle's four other longest answers :
I COULD USE A LAUGH (15). JW seems intent on making us laugh while we cry over some of the tougher clues.

Across:

1. It reportedly had an impact on beachgoers in 1975 : JAWS. But they forgot...

5. Pyle player : NABORS. The slackjaw picture link recently also made this easy. Raymond Burr's other half.

11. Seventh of 24 : ETA. I remembered that the greek alphabet had 24 letters.

14. Finished : OVER.

15. Got away from : EVADED.

16. Rented : LET. There were signs, room to let when I was child.

20. Viet Cong org. : NLF. National Liberation Front.


21. Zagros Mountains locale : ASIA. In Iran, a fact which I did not know, but the perps made it an easy guess.

22. Period in ads : NITE. A made-up word.

23. __ Paulo : SAO. Part of the 2016 Olympic controversy where Brazil will host 28 Olympic sports — including rugby sevens and golf, which were added by the International Olympic Committee in 2009. These sporting events will take place at 33 venues in the host city of Rio and at 5 venues in the cities of São Paulo (Brazil's largest city), Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Brasília (Brazil's capital), and Manaus. Wiki. Also, 60D. Braz. neighbor : URUguay. Uruguay is ranked first in Latin America in democracy, peace, lack of corruption, e-government,and is first in South America when it comes to press freedom, size of the middle class and prosperity. Wiki.

28. Rodeo loops, essentially : NOOSES. How macabre.

30. Cranial projections : EARS. So soon after C.C. and Tony's puzzle.

31. Deca- minus two : OCTA. This should be "minus duo."

32. Goya subject : MAJA. She is back with or without her clothes. And 26D. Gulf of California peninsula : BAJA.

33. Not yet on the sched. : TBA. To Be Announced.

41. Resting place : BED. This was so obvious that it was hard.

42. Laudatory lines : ODES.

43. 1968 self-titled folk album : ARLO. I get him often, and I never tire of complaining about his performance at Woodstock.

44. Hindu sovereign : RANI. And,  4D. Indian honorific : SRI. There was much I did not know about this WORD.

45. Called : PHONED. Home?

52. Thom McAn spec : EEE.

54. Obstruct : CLOG. Another shoe clue?

55. Suffix for those who are flush : AIRE. Flush with money, honey, Billion....

56. To the point : PAT. Another Friday I do not completely get; maybe from the definition like in a pat answer..." having been already prepared and therefore said without thinking much about the question."Dictionary.

62. Alley end? : OOP. Hyphenated in the dictionary and the mini-theme of my write up.

63. Spanning : ACROSS. Sneaky crossword clue/fill.

64. WWII Normandy battle site : ST. LO.

65. "Life Is Good" rapper : NAS. A crossword regular.

66. Weakens : BLUNTS. Definition: 2. To make less effective; weaken: blunting the criticism with a smile. v.intr.

67. Historical Cheyenne rivals : UTES. Native American Tribes.

Down:

1. St. __ University : JOHNS. I know them from Big East basketball.

2. Dramatic influx, as of fan mail : AVALANCHE. A very convoluted clue.

3. Ducky? : WEBFOOTED. A very literal clue.

5. Mysterious monster, familiarly : NESSIE.  Do you Loch these monsters?

6. Fulfills a need : AVAILS.

7. Everyday : BANAL. Followed by...

8. Not everyday : ODD.

9. Commission recipient, often : REPresentative. Generally a sales rep.

10. Deterrent announced in 1983: Abbr. : SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative.

11. Legendary Castilian hero : EL CID. I remembered the name from the Movie.

12. Effectiveness : TEETH. It is time they put some teeth into the helmet-to-helmet rule.

13. Bamboozled : AT SEA.

18. File extensions : TABS.

19. Loose __ : ENDS.

25. "Okey-doke" : YEAH.

27. River through Orsk : URAL. Twice this week.

29. Stumblebum : OAF.

31. Nev. option for pony players : OTB.  They shut down in New York, but are still out in the MECCA for gamblers.

32. Podium VIPs : MCS. Emcees, or Master of Ceremonies.

33. Green disappointment : THREE PUTT.  When Stenson three-putted the first green for bogey on Sunday, I thought that the pressure was going to get to him and Phil (who birdied) was going to get his second Claret Jug.

34. Image on cabbage? : BALD EAGLE. So many terms for MONEY.

35. Japan's largest active volcano : ASO. I really am not up on my knowledge of VOLCANOES.

37. Stormy ocean output : ROAR.

38. __ Valley: San Luis Obispo County wine region : EDNA. Nope, means nothing to me. CHAIRMAN?

39. Freudian denial : NEIN.

40. Legendary man-goat : PAN.

44. Old World Style sauce brand : RAGU. A cute old one.  LINK.

45. Vivaldi was ordained as one : PRIEST. Ordained kinda gives it away, but who knew? A puzzle with nuns and priests...How many of you recall that Vivaldi was known as "il Prete Rosso," or "the Red Priest?"  LINK.

46. Beset : HARASS.

47. Berliner's wheels, perhaps : OPEL. A German car.

48. Descendant : SCION. Also an automobile.

49. Heavy hitter in the light metals industry : ALCOA. Aluminum Company of America,

50. Court activity : HOOPS. Basketball...

51. Aired, as a sitcom : WAS ON. Endeavour which is set in the 60's, was on Sunday nights.

53. Value system : ETHOS.

58. Black __ : LAB. My son's dog is half black lab, half boxer. He is a big sweetie.

59. CXXX quintupled : DCL.

61. Sun Devils' sch. : ASU. Arizona State University,

I can't believe it is all over so soon. Welcome home Jeffrey after your foray into other days of the week. Also welcome to summer all; it is quite steamy here is So. Fla. Come visit. Lemonade out.

Thursday, July 7th 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Snarled up - as the downward-facing reveal explains:

38D. Needing to be bailed out ... or where 20-, 27-, 45- and 51-Across may be found : IN A JAM

The theme entries:

20A. Office supply : PRINTER PAPER. Paper jam. If this happens to my home printer I pretty much have to take the whole thing apart to fix it.

27A. Jaguar, for one : AUTOMOBILE. Traffic jam. A mostly permanent state of affairs for the 101 and 405 freeways in my bailiwick. I try to time my arrivals back at LAX to miss the worst of the parking lot effect.

45A. Malt option : STRAWBERRY. Fruit jam. Jan Hogrewe of Jan's Jam close by in Calabasas makes the best jams and preserves I've ever tasted.

51A. Certain trio member : JAZZ MUSICIAN. Jam session. And a great excuse to link the great Chet Atkins and "Jam Man", brought to a broader audience by a certain insurance company commercial.

Now then, not beating around the bush with this one - I thought the theme entries came across as very uneven. You have a paper in a paper jam, that's fair. but you don't have an automobile jam; you have a traffic jam, and the musical jam session is another step removed from the flow of the theme.

That said, still an entertaining puzzle. I circled right around before coming back to the north west corner to finish. Those three little downs at 1, 2 and 3 make for a tricky trifecta.

 Moving right along, unlike the 405 traffic:

Across:

1. Corner piece : ROOK. Chess. V8 moment after a looooong time. Here's a V8 checkmate:

1. f3 e5

2. g4?? Qh4#

3. Doh!

5. Singer James : ETTA

9. One of more than 21 million Indians : SIKH

13. British nobleman : EARL

14. Composer Janácek : LEOS. Thank you, crosses. Czech composer.

15. Perfect : IDEAL

17. Shot that can't be blocked : FREE THROW. I threw myself for a loop here by happily filling in FOUL THROW.

19. Complaint : PEEVE

22. Elbows, e.g. : PASTA. Food!  A study (of more than 26,000 Italians) widely reported over the last couple of days concluded that those who ate pasta as part of their diet had a lower body mass index. Be warned however - you don't find "unlimited pasta bowl and breadsticks" restaurants in Italy. I use Lidia Bastianich's recipe for marinara sauce. Simple and delicious. Try to get genuine San Marzano tomatoes - the difference in flavor is very apparent.

25. Cause to roll in the aisles : SLAY. Slayed 'em! Knocked 'em dead!

26. Electrolysis particle : ION

30. Queen who succeeded William III : ANNE. Early 1700's baroque architecture in the UK is known as the "Queen Anne style".

31. Ring result : TKO. A Technical Knock-Out in Boxing when the ref stops the fight.

32. Support for many a 29-Down : WIRE. Not an underwire?

33. More degrading : BASER

34. Gucci competitor : PRADA

36. Parade sight : FLOAT

38. "My thoughts are ... " : I'D SAY

40. Economist Smith : ADAM. Author of "The Wealth of Nations". I studied Economics at school and found the whole thing fascinating. You graduated with a BA in Economics, rather than a BSc which I found amusing. It's not an exact science - too many moving parts.

41. Special __ : OPS

44. "The Daily Show" host Trevor __ : NOAH. Thank you, crosses. I haven't watched the show since Jon Stewart left.

48. Queen's subject : ANT. Not Queen Anne.

49. "__ a man who wasn't there" : I MET

"Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today,
I wish, I wish he'd go away..."

From Antigonish by William Hughes Mearns

50. Pug or Peke : BREED

55. Really enjoyed : ATE UP. Food! I made a paella mixta last night which I "ate up". When I see good-looking mussels, shrimp and chicken thighs at my local market, it's time to bust out the rice and saffron and go for broke. It's a sobering thought that a good-looking mussel is a girl with a beard. I also need food photography lessons. Any offers? Food! for instruction.

56. Hard times : LEAN YEARS

60. Haggard of country : MERLE

61. Sets a price of : ASKS. I started pondering whether I'd say "sets the price of" or "sets a price for" before I realized life is too short to waste on such ponderings.

62. Not in the pink : SICK

63. R&B-influenced genre : SOUL

64. Editor's mark : STET.

65. Catering aid : TRAY. "Death Star Canteen", Eddie Izzard, Lego animation. YouTube. Rated R for language.

Down:

1. NBA employee : REF

2. Homonym of 3-Down : OAR

3. Homonym of 2-Down : ORE

4. Habitual booster? : KLEPTO. I guess it's not an abbreviation any more. More properly "kleptomaniac". Fun clue.

5. Pre-coll. : EL-HI

6. Gull relative : TERN

7. Film for which Jessica Lange won her first Oscar : TOOTSIE. Best Supporting Actress for this 1982 movie. Later Best Actress for Blue Sky in 1994.

8. Plus : AS WELL

9. __ cup : SIPPY

10. Inventor's need : IDEA

11. Stock : KEEP IN STORE

12. "Try this" : HAVE ONE

16. "My Fair Lady" lyricist : LERNER

18. People mover : TRAMWAY. There's one in Hartsfield International Airport that amuses me - see 52D below.

21. "Norma __" : RAE. Because "JEAN" doesn't fit.

22. Square on a muffin : PAT. What? Oh! Pat of butter. Or Oleo, if you must.,

23. Relative of a puffin : AUK

24. What many a countdown clock does : STOPS AT ZERO. Or at "007" in James Bond movies. I seem to remember continuity problems in "Goldfinger" when each time the camera cut to the nuclear bomb countdown timer it had moved much more slowly than the time elapsing around it. Probably some physics time-warp weirdness.

28. Suffix denoting resemblance : -OID. Ovoid, spheroid, avoid. No, wait, not that last one.

29. Support garb : BRA

30. Gp. for drivers : AAA

33. Military aircraft hold : BOMB BAY

35. Bit of a cheer : RAH!

36. Org. regulating vaccines : FDA Federal Drug Administration.

37. __ school : LAW

39. Supports a cause : DONATES

40. Most dilettantish : ARTIEST

42. Opposite of post- : PRE- This is one of those clues when you wonder why the grid didn't just come "pre-filled".

43. Qantas hub, in itineraries : SYD. Why no "U" in Qantas? Because it's an acronym of "Queensland And Northern Territories Aerial Services".

45. Site of the George W. Bush presidential library : SMU. Southern Methodist. I hesitate between this and TCU when this clue crops up.

46. Eco-friendly wheels : TESLAS. Not the best news week for Telsa and Elon Musk.

47. Antarctic explorer Shackleton : ERNEST. I just finished reading "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing which tells the amazing story of the Trans-Antarctic expedition which took place 100 years ago. Gripping stuff.

49. Force : IMPEL

52. Pilot's alphabet ender : ZULU. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo .... At Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport, the concourses are named A thru F. When you're on the people-mover, the stops  are announced "A - Alpha", "B - Bravo", "C - Charlie" ... then "D - David" so as not to confuse the passengers flying on Delta Airlines, whose flights mostly depart from the A and B concourses.

53. Wedding tradition : CAKE

54. MIT center?: Abbr. : INST. Mass. Inst. Tech. as it is never known.

57. __ bubble : AIR

58. Record label for P!nk : RCA Note the stylized "!" in her name.

59. Something to look up to : SKY

And .. here's the grid. With that, my work here is done.


Steve

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler and Jason M. Chapnick

Theme: Birthday Boy - Tribute to a one of a kind.

17A. *1977 Hitchcock parody : "HIGH ANXIETY"

60A. *1976 parody of pre-talkies : "SILENT MOVIE"

3D. *With "The," 1968 parody of dishonest Broadway financiers : "PRODUCERS"

23D. *With 25-Down, 1974 Western parody : "BLAZING" 25D. See 23-Down : "SADDLES"

35D. Born 6/28/1926, director of the answers to starred clues : MEL BROOKS. Director, Producer, Writer, Actor, Composer, Singer(?) and certified NUT.

Argyle here with a new diabolical duo. We can be sure to hear from at least one half of the constructors. An interesting pinwheel grid. This could be difficult for those who are not a fan of this movie genre.

Across:

1. Official on a baseline : UMP.

4. "Cheers" mixologist : WOODY. 13. "Cheers" location : BAR

9. Warehouse club with 652 locations : SAM'S. Sam's bar : "Cheers".

14. Place for a queen : THRONE. There is often a place for a queen in a Mel Brooks movie.

15. Request : PLEA

16. Alter __ : EGO

19. Turn in for cash : REDEEM

21. Smooth transitions : SEGUEs

22. Laptop port letters : USB. (Universal Serial Bus)

23. Air gun shot : BBs

26. "Wrong!" : "NOT SO!". Your classier play ground retort.

27. Muslim holy city : MECCA

29. Go for eagerly, as a chance : LEAP AT. Not JUMP AT.

31. "All bets __ off" : ARE

32. Tanzania neighbor : RWANDA

34. Self-satisfied : SMUG

38. Broadcast : AIR

39. As if in shock : DAZEDLY

41. Ambient music pioneer Brian : ENO

42. Suburb of Phoenix : MESA

44. Remington 700s, e.g. : RIFLES

45. British "Inc." : LTD.. Incorporated/Limited.

46. Journalist Chung : CONNIE

48. Boxcar stowaways : HOBOs

50. Amassed, as debts : RAN UP

53. Fast sports cars : GTs

54. Incoming flight info: Abbr. : ARRival

55. Hams it up : EMOTEs. Great clue for today.

57. Green Giant's "Little Green" buddy : SPROUT

64. Tip jar bill : ONE

65. Slanted type: Abbr. : ITALic

66. Insult : OFFEND

67. Kipling's young spy : KIM. It was first published as a serial.

68. The Big Apple, in addresses : NY, NY

69. Rides the breeze : WAFTS

70. Gas additive brand : STP

Down:

1. Transportation network app : UBER. Modern alternative clue.

2. Ancient sorcerer : MAGE

4. Caprice : WHIM

5. Email suffix : .ORG

6. "Awesome!" : "OOH!". Warming up for the Fourth.

7. Paternity suit evidence, briefly : DNA

8. Longings : YENS

9. Cask outlets : SPIGOTS

10. Alaskan native : ALEUT

11. Allots, with "out" : METES

12. Authority : SAY SO

14. Shakespearean nickname : THE BARD

18. TV princess played by Lucy Lawless : XENA

20. PC "oops" key : ESC

24. Dental coverage, e.g. : BENEFIT

27. Address to a lady : MA'AM

28. Buffalo's county and lake : ERIE

30. Washed-out : PALE

33. Alert : WARN

36. Golden rule word : UNTO

37. Saturn and Mars : GODS

40. Like a fork in the road : Y-SHAPED

43. With keen perception : ACUTELY

47. Welcoming store window sign : OPEN

49. Hockey great Bobby : ORR

50. Pine secretion : RESIN

51. Island in "Jaws" : AMITY

52. Strikeout king Ryan : NOLAN

56. Put in a hold : STOW

57. Transgressions : SINS

58. Mile or minute : UNIT

59. Weather Channel stat : TEMP. stat and TEMP are both shortened words.

61. Juilliard deg. : MFA. Master of Fine Arts

62. Inaccurate : OFF

63. Boxer fixer : VET. A boxer dog.

 Argyle

Note from C.C.:

This is the first collaboration between our own Lemonade and Jeffrey Wechsler. In fact, this is Jeffrey's very first collaboration. Congratulations, guys!

Lemonade and his lovely wife Oo, Dec 21, 2014

David Liben-Nowell, Cathy Long (David's friend), Tom Pepper, Jeffrey Wechsler, David Hanson & C.C. 
June 12, 2016