Tuesday, October 31, 2017 ~ Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: P*TT - Three constant consonants with five progressive vowels.

18. "Evita" Tony-winning actress: PATTI LUPONE. "New Argentina"(5:16) More morons at 0:40.

25. Coast Guard rank: PETTY OFFICER

37. Roberto Clemente, notably: PITTSBURGH PIRATE

48. Ceramics shaper: POTTER'S WHEEL

59. Tinker in the workshop: PUTTER ABOUT

BOO! Argyle here. A diagonal solvers puzzle, but upper right to lower left. Maine to California. Washington and Florida are isolationists with just a one square connection to the rest of the puzzle.
FLASH: Husker Gary pointed out that the first vowel of the second word is regressive, U thru A. Coincidence, I think not.

Across:

1. Capital of Poland: WARSAW

7. Actress Moore: DEMI. IMDb

11. Dick and Jane's dog: SPOT

15. Tropical lizard: IGUANA

16. Large-scale: EPIC

17. Vagrant: HOBO

20. __-ran: ALSO

21. Diminutive suffix: ETTE

22. Fort full of gold: KNOX

23. Guitarist Clapton: ERIC

24. Spanish king: REY

29. Prefix with sol: AERO CAN

30. Flight height: Abbr.: ALT. (altitude)

31. Ambient music pioneer Brian: ENO

32. Rural road surface: DIRT

34. Carpal or tarsal lead-in: META. Bones of the hands or feet.

36. Prilosec target: ACID. Prilosec is made by AstraZeneca.

41. "__-daisy!": UPSY

42. Approximately: OR SO

43. Small fishing boat: DORY

44. D.C. United's org.: MLS. (Major League Soccer)

45. Sweetie pie: HON

46. Urge: PROD

52. 34-Down, in Toledo, Sp.: SRA. 34-Down. 52-Across, in Toledo, OH: MRS.

55. Naturalist John: MUIR

56. "__ Lang Syne": AULD

57. Truant GI: AWOL

58. Fatherly nickname: PAPA

62. Move a bit: STIR

63. "__, Brute?": ET TU

64. Not inclined (to): AVERSE

65. Meat safety org.: USDA. ( United States Department of Agriculture)

66. Loch with a mystery: NESS

67. Blowtorch user: WELDER

Down:

1. Windshield cleaner: WIPER but sometimes 17-Across.

2. Striped quartz: AGATE

3. Like old wagon trails: RUTTY

4. Appease, as hunger: SATE

5. Smart game-show vowel purchase for "F_LM CR_T_C": AN 'I'. It would be smarter to solve it unless the player wanted to gamble on one more spin.

6. "The Color Purple" author Alice: WALKER

7. Bus terminus: DEPOT

8. Modeling glue: EPOXY

9. 60 secs.: MIN.

10. Devils' playing surface, ironically: ICE. The New Jersey Devils are a pro ice hockey team in Newark, NJ. Ironic in the sense devils come from a very hot place. Watch out for little devils tonight!

11. Puppeteer Lewis: SHARI, with Lamb Chop, puppet.

12. Patrol vehicle: POLICE CAR. {One Adam Twelve, see the man...}

13. Target of captioning censorship: OBSCENITY

14. "That's __ bad": TOO

19. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO

23. Young salamander: EFT. Crossword and Scrabble staple.

25. Caresses, as a dog: PETS

26. Inaugural recitation: OATH

27. Envelope part: FLAP

28. Used a bike: RODE

29. Superficially cultured: ARTY

32. Embassy workers: DIPLOMATS

33. "What a harebrained idea!": "IT'S STUPID!"

35. Self-esteem: EGO

36. Retired Yankee slugger, to fans: A-ROD

37. Gas station machine: PUMP

38. Crude dude: BOOR

39. Catering coffeepots: URNS

40. Big screen star: IDOL

45. Ship's pronoun: HER

46. One-named soccer great: PELÉ

47. Change, as map details: REDRAW

49. Sparkly crown: TIARA

50. Light bulb units: WATTS

51. Many Rwandans: HUTUs

52. See 59-Down: SWORD

53. Shake awake: ROUSE

54. Change: ALTER

57. Brother of Cain: ABEL

58. Nittany Lions' sch.: PSU. (Pennsylvania State University)

59. It's mightier than the 52-Down, so they say: PEN

60. 4 x 4, for short: UTE. (utility vehicle)

61. Blvd.: AVE.. Streets.

Argyle

Friday, October 20, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Okay, please vote:  [   ] Six degrees of HAM; or  [   ] a HAM handed puzzle.

JW features one of his favorite and difficult "add a three or four letter word" themes. He makes it especially Friday hard by including two very hard fill to parse. Then he generously gives us a reveal if we get lost. You need a wide variety of knowledge to get through this one. The First 2 themers add HAM to the first word in a phrase. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. The next 2? Well despite commentary to the contrary - that is what makes it a puzzle.

As always Jeffrey gives us some fun fill - IN TEARS, ONE PUTT, OVERUSE, RAT-A-TAT, STOOLIE, STRAP ON and TRUSSES, but mostly it is the theme that drives this wagon.

So with further ado....

16A. Early sustenance for Bruce Wayne? : GOTHAM MILK (10). GOT MILK is modified by the fictional name of Batman's New York City.

22A. Handing a St. Louis team an embarrassing loss? : SHAMING THE BLUES (15). SING THE BLUES (not the Cards) works as well.

33A. Tribal VIP's family? : SHAMAN KIN (10). SAN KIN? Huh? Of course, SANK IN.

49A. Easy out in rodent baseball? : POPUP TO A HAMSTER (15). And my favorite - POPUP TOASTER.

57A. Went all out on stage ... or a hint to the four other longest puzzle answers : HAMMED IT UP (10). That is it.

Across:

1. Kind of rain or rock: ACID.

5. Affect profoundly: AWE. Aww.

8. Often-converted residence: LOFT.

12. Like the "funny bone" nerve: ULNAR. Ulna and Radius.

14. Poet Silverstein: SHEL. I met Shel's work reading Playboy in the 60s. LINK. Hef outlived him by 18 years.

15. Declare firmly: AVER.

18. Country where Quechua is spoken: PERU. It is now an official language in three countries.  In 1975 Peru became the first country to recognize Quechua as one of its official languages. Ecuador conferred official status on the language in its 2006 constitution, and in 2009, Bolivia adopted a new constitution that recognized Quechua and several other indigenous languages as official languages of the country. Wiki.

19. Great Plains native: UTE.

20. Pluto quintet: MOONS.                   LINK

21. Gets on the wrong train, say: ERRS.

26. Mother with a Nobel prize: TERESA. She shares her date of birth with Lyndon Johnson and Hannibal Hamlin, among others.

27. Fight in the backwoods: RASSLE.

28. Vacation fill-in: Abbr. : ASST. Temp? WTH?

29. Message often included in its response: EMAIL. Have any of you turned off the automatic inclusion?

32. Central Dallas? : ELS.

37. Elastic wood: ASH. I am sure you want to know more about this WOOD.

40. Sister magazine of Jet: EBONY.

41. God with a quiver: EROS. And a bow made out of ash?

45. Where the groom may walk down the aisle: STABLE. Really inventive and cute clue/fill. JW at his best.

47. Soi-__: self-styled: DISANT. JW, really? This is a very obscure term. DEFINE.

53. Components of 56-Across : HOPS. Not necessarily, ...strictly speaking ale can be made from simply malt, water and yeast. It is extremely unusual not to use hops. Home-brew handbook. 56A. Malt creations : ALES.

54. Quartet member : VIOLA. The four instruments in a string quartet are almost always 2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello. Various.

55. Org. with Jungians : APA. American Psychological Association. Many of them are old.

59. Ticket booth sight : LINE.

60. Protected, in a way : ALEE.

61. Sister of Thalia : ERATO. The Nine Muses in Greek mythology have been an inspiration to artists since antiquity. They are (in alphabetical order): Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. (Owlcation- do not go to this website, you may never escape).

62. Hardy heroine : TESS. I just had her in a puzzle recently.

63. Perception-changing drug : LSD. I just had some in a puzzle.

64. Letter heading abbr. : ATTN.

DOWN:

1. Masters course : AUGUSTA. Bobby Jones and the dream course. Take a TOUR

2. Fabled emperor's lack: CLOTHES.  Did you know the STORY was written by Hans Christian Andersen? Andersen's fairy tales (of which there are no less than 3381 works !) have been translated into more than 125 languages... his most famous fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling", "Thumbelina", and many others. Various.

3. Emotionally overwhelmed : IN TEARS.

4. Morse "T": DAH.

5. "Can't you take __?" : A HINT.

6. Like Roald Dahl, by birth: WELSH. The wonderful author - LINK.

7. Yellowstone grazer: ELK.

8. Settings for small American flags: LAPELS.

9. Do to death: OVERUSE.

10. Voice of President Business in "The Lego Movie": FERRELL. SNL grad Will.

11. Bridge supports: TRUSSES.

13. "Ghostbusters" actor : RAMIS. He died this year.

14. Air quality issue: SMOG. I believe this was my first known portmanteau (Smoke-Fog)

17. Lisa's title: MONA.  Mona in Italian is a polite form of address originating as "ma donna" – similar to "Ma’am", "Madam." Wiki and others.

23. Team whose mascot's head is a baseball: METS. He got fired for giving the one finger
salute to a brewers fan. With only three to work with, which one is the bad one?


24. Viking history VIP: ERIK. No Minnesota players named Erik?

25. Island near Java: BALI.

29. Confessional music genre: EMO.

30. Anthropologist's subject: MAN.

31. Whichever: ANY.

34. Give a hand : HELP.

35. Assist badly? : ABET. Why not, "Give a hand, badly?"

36. Storied loch: NESS.

37. It might be on the road for years: ASPHALT.

38. Cop's info source: STOOLIE. Derived from stool pigeons - carvings used to trap hawks.

39. Stumbles (upon): HAPPENS.

42. Snare drum sound: RAT-A-TAT.

43. Feature of many a birdie: ONE PUTT. Bubba Watson had 11(18) ONE PUTT greens when he won his second masters title.

44. Secure, as a knapsack: STRAP ON. This is the second clue fill of the puzzle I have had to muzzle myself while writing.

46. Smooches: BUSSES.

47. Glen relative: DALE. Who is Dale Campbell?  Oh, is that Chip's real name?

48. "__ these wars for Egypt": Antony: I MADE. A fun Friday Will Shakespeare quote.
"I made these wars for Egypt, and the Queen,
Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine—
Which whilst it was mine had annexed unto ’t
A million more, now lost—she, Eros, has
Packed cards with Caesar and false-played my glory
Unto an enemy’s triumph."

50. Shapes formed by angled spotlights: OVALS.

51. Zeroed in: AIMED.

52. Telecommuter's workplace: HOME. Yeah me and the once mighty Barry G. You are missed.

57. Clarke computer: HAL.

58. Nest egg acronym: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

Wowzer, here we are in middle of fall with shorter days and longer nights and so many birthdays - those cold January nights - but nothing slows JW (or C.C. and her minions) down. I had fun, enjoy the weekend. Lemonade out.

Friday, October 6, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Now where did I put those IOUs?

In a variation of the add a letter or letters theme, JW hid them at the end of the first word of a known two-word phrase or name. As I remarked last week about recognizing a theme because a word or phrase is repeated, seeing -ious (suffix, ious is defined as having or being like the word it follows) opened my eyes. Of course, the light bulb goes on when you parse it as an acronym. Lovely misdirection. At first, I could not understand what the theme answers had in common. The "red" reference in the reveal (debts are ledgered in red) led me to present the theme as below:

20A. Agricultural college facility? : STUDIOUS FARM (12).  Stud Farm. The Aggies study hard.

32A. One who got in before a crash? : FURIOUS TRADER (13). Fur Trader. The stock trader is very angry that his timing was bad.

40A. Lancelot bragging about his exploits? : TEDIOUS KNIGHT (13). The late great Ted Knight.

LINK. It makes sense to use a proper name in both clue and fill.

53A. What theater districts offer? : COPIOUS SHOWS (12). Cop Shows. I watched some Police Woman on COZI tv this weekend. It rained here.

The reveal:

67A. They traditionally appear in red ... and in another form in 20-, 32-, 40- and 53-Across: DEBTS (5).

JW also fitted in ONE STEP, SF GIANT, TROOPER, US ASSET, ANALYSTS, GONE AWRY, LOW AVERAGES and TURN THE PAGE as long sparkly fill. Let's do this!

Across:

1. Best-selling book generally not on best-seller lists: BIBLE. They don't know where to send the royalty checks.

6. Benchmark: Abbr. : STD. Standard.

9. Early automaker: OLDS. Old('s) Ransom has been popular again.

13. Won't go near: AVOIDS.

15. Back again: FRO. To and fro. 

16. Heist haul: LOOT.

17. Magoo's malady: MYOPIA. Nearsightedness. 

18. Ended up off the mark: GONE AWRY. A fun underused phrase.

22. Polling abbr. : PCT.

25. Arrive at hastily, as a conclusion: LEAP TO. Look before you....

26. Sundial marking: VII. A return of the Roman Numeral.

27. Content of little substance: FLUFF. Newspapers had people who wrote their puff pieces.

30. Madrid-to-Paris dir. : NNE.

31. Rose in a field: PETE. Baseball player.  HE is now 76.

36. Achilles __: TENDON.

37. Take turns: ROTATE. I love clues/fill such as this.

44. "The BFG" author: DAHL.  The Big Friendly Giant, by Roald Dahl also was made into a movie.

46. Intelligence org. : NSA. National Security Agency.

47. Dutch genre painter: STEEN. See his WORK.

48. Juillet's season: ETE. July/Summer  French.

49. KFC option: BREAST.

52. Red __: SEA.

57. Financial workers: ANALYSTS.

58. Like merciless opponents: FEARED.

62. Gospel travelers: MAGI.

63. Get: SEE.

64. Not nice at all: UNKIND.

65. Urgent request: PLEA.

66. Decline, with "out": OPT.

Down:

1. Loud sound: BAM.

2. Columbia, e.g.: IVY. No league? 

3. "That's lousy!" : BOO.

4. Enlarged Revlon ad image: LIPS.

5. Reduce a sentence, say: EDIT. Not commute, but rewrite. 

6. MLBer at AT & T Park: SF GIANT.

7. Highway pursuer: TROOPER. SUPER TROOPER 2 coming in 2018.

8. Bakery item with some shortening? : DONUT. A lovely and clean double entendre - making the word doughnut shorter, as well as the shortening used in baking. A classic JW clue/fill.

9. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF. Disney's movies all seem to have had a comic relief character.

10. What most pitchers have, as batters: LOW AVERAGES.

11. "Little" Dickens title character: DORRIT. 

12. Obstruct: STYMIE. My MEMORY.

14. Author Bellow: SAUL. I enjoyed his work when I was young. FIVE.

19. What that is in Spain: ESO.

21. Scout groups: DENS.

22. [It just vanished!]: PFFT.

23. Answer guide? : CLUE. Cute, a guide to the answer.

24. Get on with one's life: TURN THE PAGE. One of the Millenials contributions to the language. 

28. Revolutionary first name: FIDEL.

29. Child subject: FOOD. Julia, may she rest in peace, all 6'2" of her.

31. It's not big in France: PETIT. Funny. From French Chef to French pun.

33. Verse lead-in: UNIverse.

34. Prize for Indy: ARK. Indiana Jones, that is.

35. Oxford figures: DONS.

38. Fare-well link: THEE.

39. Italian peak: ETNA.

41. Like the simplest process: ONE STEP.

42. Toyota's Ky. plant, e.g.: US ASSET. Good thing there were perps as this was tough.

43. Old-school diplomatic accessory: SASH.

44. Pack up the tents and supplies: DECAMP.

45. Like some Alban Berg works: ATONAL. I am not a big fan of Schoenberg or other atonal composers. LINK. Unrelated to comedian Sam Berg.

49. Tiny Tim, for one: BOY.

50. Rene of "Thor": RUSSO.  Her brief INTERVIEW.

51. Vegan staple: TOFU.

54. Hipbones: ILIA.

55. Direct (one's way): WEND. Another word packed with meaning in four letters; "verb:
go in a specified direction, typically slowly or by an indirect route."

56. Ginza quaff: SAKE. Rice wine.

59. Barbecue morsel: RIB. Morsel defined: a small piece or amount of food; a mouthful. Rib?

60. Sinus doc : ENT. Ear Nose and Throat. 

61. Driller's deg. : DDS. Dentist. har, har.

Well, there it is, another Friday, another Jeffrey Wechsler, and a fun ride. It is the quiet time for South Florida as the summer tourists are gone and the snowbirds have not returned. There are more breezes and I hope you enjoy the time. Thank you, Jeffrey and all who read. Lemonade out.

Friday, September 22, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: The LA Times has gone to the dogs.

JW is back with one of his whimsical puzzles. There is no conventional theme, but a common denominator. The clues all reference noisy dogs. Each in the language phrase has one word changed. The changes are simple and the results fun. If you do not see the humor you will not enjoy the puzzle. Some of the clues are not easily sussed, but this is a Friday puzzle. Also, before excoriating the constructor, bear in mind that a large percentage of clues are changed by the editors. Meanwhile Jeffrey did include the very sparkly fill -BELLY RUB, QUICK SET, RAN AFTER, TOM JONES, I'M NOT READY.  The theme:

21A. Hogwarts chronicler imitating noisy dogs? : J.K. GROWLING (10). Gee, this is the simplest one to grok.

26A. Devices that record data on noisy dogs? : BARKING METERS (13). My favorite change - parking meters - where doggies mark their territory.

47A. Photographer of noisy dogs? : YIPPER SNAPPER (13). I heard the term whipper snapper often as a child.

52A. Paintings depicting noisy dogs? : WORKS OF ARF (10). The ART of the woof woof.

Across: 

1. Hubbub : STIR.

5. Thompson of "Westworld" : TESSA. Not a great start for me as I never have watched that series. She has had a busy CAREER and is pretty.

10. One way to lean : BACK. Not a political comment. Hmm, 19A. Reclined : LAIN.

14. Stephen Hawking subject : TIME. He has persevered in life despite the effects of ALS. READ.

15. Tough tests of knowledge : ORALS.

16. Offer the same opinion as : ECHO. I think they must now pay a royalty to Amazon.

17. Princess Royal of Britain : ANNE.This is a formal title which she received in 1987. LINK.

18. -, at times : MINUS.

20. Setup provider's abbr. : BYOB. Bring Your Own Bottle.

23. Like many deli orders : TO GO.

25. Western peer of Tex and Gene : ROY. Rogers.

32. Part of XL: Abbr. : LGE.

33. Toon cat since the silent era : FELIX. The first animated STAR  with an amazing history.

34. Reacts to bad news, perhaps : SULKS.

37. War-torn land : IRAQ. There are many such lands, sadly.

39. More rational : SANER.

41. All in : BEAT. Not an easy meaning to suss, the poker implications kept invading my thought.

42. St. Anthony's home : PADUA. You can read about this MAN. The first Catholic school in Fort Lauderdale is St. Anthony's.

44. It's not exactly a pick-me-up : DECAF.

46. Airport approx. : ETA.

50. Disney Store collectible : CEL.

51. Semi bar : AXLE. Semi truck.

58. First name in folk : ARLO. Hasn't he faded into oblivion yet?

61. Choppers : AXES.

62. Stop by : VISIT.

63. Printer function : SCAN. Copy, scan, fax and print - an all in one work station.

64. News article intro : LEDE. A total learning moment.  LINK.

65. Gradually weaken : ERODE. Another correct answer but difficult to suss.

66. It can be hard to get out of : MAZE. I like the combination with the clecho....

67. It can be hard to get out : KNOT.

68. Call attention (to) : REFER.

69. Bellicose god : ARES.


Down:

1. Attempt : STAB. C'mon take a chance.

2. Like a mite : TINY.

3. "Give me a few minutes" : I'M NOT READY. How many couples argue over the time it takes to get ready?

4. Adidas subsidiary : REEBOK. I linked the purchase of Reebok before.

5. He beat out Sonny and Cher and Herman's Hermits, among others, for the Best New Artist Grammy : TOM JONES. An interesting LIST. We watched Peter Noone in concert last year and he was great.

6. Christine's phantom admirer : ERIK. The popularity of the play and musical has inspired people to write their own ENDING.

7. Emulated 5-Down : SANG.

8. Nasty comment : SLUR. Comes, I believe, from the slurry left over from coal etc.

9. Categorize : ASSORT. In 2017 we mostly sort, but we still buy assorted cookies etc.

10. Source of much canine delight : BELLY RUB. A bonus doggy fill. And a classic example of a gif. See 24D.

11. Nutritious berry : ACAI.

12. Gym exercise : CHIN. verb 1. draw one's body up so as to bring one's chin level with or above (a horizontal bar) with one's feet off the ground, as an exercise. I always add the "UP."

13. Giant film primate : KONG. The King.

22. Burdens : WOES.

24. Desktop animation image suffix : GIF. HG introduced this handy link style to our blog.

26. Control tower signal : BLIP. On the radar screen.

27. Indian shrine site : AGRA. Taj Mahal anyone? LINK.

28. Forest clearing : GLADE.

29. Member of the underground economy? : MINER. This clue/fill sounds like JW's wit. My favorite in this puzzle.

30. CFOs, e.g. : EXECS.

31. Orient Express feature : SLEEPER CAR. As I mentioned, another movie based on Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. I do not know why because you cannot beat David Suchet.

35. Shakespeare's shrew : KATE. Very un-pc to talk of taming one's wife now.

36. Vega, for one : STAR. Or a Chevrolet.

38. Cement type for home repairs : QUICK SET. My Uncle Harold was a mason, and taught masonry at the local trade school. He showed me how to use this product on the small jobs, as well as the difference between cement and concrete..

40. Pursued vigorously : RAN AFTER.

43. Homo sapiens relatives : APES. Do you like the re-imagination of the Planet of the Apes movies?

45. 63-Across alternative : FAX.

(space left intentionally blank)


48. Small wading bird : PLOVER.

49. State of matter : PLASMA.

52. Constitutional : WALK.                                                              

53. Strong farm team : OXEN.

54. Overhaul : REDO.

55. Gift from Prometheus : FIRE. Prometheus (/prəˈmiːθiəs/ prə-MEE-thee-əs; Greek: Προμηθεύς [promɛːtʰeús], meaning "forethought") is a Titan in Greek mythology, best known as the deity in Greek mythology who was the creator of mankind and its greatest benefactor, who stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to mankind. wiki.

56. Beginning : AS OF.

57. Play polo, say : RIDE.

59. Relax : LAZE.

60. Word that can replace "your" : ONES. I hear that use with "opinions."

 A different offering, with lots of JW's wit on display.  I am curious how those who don't like themes which are hard to grasp will react to this effort. I had fun, hope you all did. I think of crosswords as entertainment. L'shanah tovah -Happy New Year to those who celebrate the coming of year 5778. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Here is the latest picture of Lemonade's cute grand-kids at the grocery store:

 Harper, Owen and Charlotte

Tuesday, September 12 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: There's No Telling

17. With 61-Across, dubious tabloid image : UNIDENTIFIED

61. See 17-Across : FLYING OBJECT 

25. Call to a police hotline, possibly : ANONYMOUS TIP 

36. 1972 chart-topper for the band America : A HORSE WITH NO NAME 

51. Emmy-winning travel and cuisine show hosted by Anthony Bourdain : PARTS UNKNOWN 

Melissa here.

Interesting that there is no reference to the theme in the clues - no starred clues, and no reveal. Which is fitting because the theme answers are all about keeping mum.

This may have been the fastest Tuesday solve ever.

Across       

1. Attack vigorously : ASSAIL

7. Insurance company's concern : RISK

11. "Now I get it!" : AHA

14. Dry-eyes solution : SALINE

15. __ Picchu : MACHU

16. Female GI in WWII : WAC. Women's Army Corp.

19. Curved line : ARC

20. '50s president, initially : DDE. Dwight D. Eisenhower

21. 20-Across nickname : IKE

22. The Congo, formerly : ZAIRE

24. Tycoon Onassis : ARI

29. Hits the tarmac : LANDS

31. Very long time : EON

32. Attention-getting whisper : PSST

33. Elect to office : VOTE IN

35. Spouse : MATE

43. Storyteller __ Christian Andersen : HANS

44. Key of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony : D-MINOR

45. Relaxing venues : SPAS

49. Train cos. : RRS

50. Likely will, after "is" : APT TO

56. Canon SLR camera : EOS. Everyone I know just uses their phone for taking pictures now.

57. Get the better of : OUTDO

58. "If you ask me," briefly : IMO. In My Opinion.

59. Like this crossword ans. : ACR. Across.


60. Hole in __ : ONE

67. ATM maker : NCR

68. Poke fun at : TEASE

69. Thingamabob : DOODAD

70. Bashful : SHY

71. Sleep in a tent, say : CAMP

72. Dries out, with "up" : SOBERS

Down:

1. Sch. with a Tempe campus : ASU. Arizona State University.

2. She plays Dr. Cristina Yang in "Grey's Anatomy" : SANDRA OH

3. Stirred up a cloud of dust at, as a base : SLID INTO

4. Staff helper : AIDE

5. Suffix with hero : INE

6. Bolshevik leader : LENIN

7. Battle of Britain fliers: Abbr. : RAF. Royal Air Force. Always makes me think of Roald Dahl.

8. Here, to Henri : ICI. French.


9. Female pronoun : SHE

10. Invasive Japanese vine : KUDZU. I used to use Kudzu fragrance in my massage oil blend - the scent is lovely. Interesting Smithsonian article.


11. Anticipates : AWAITS

12. Poll founder Louis : HARRIS. So this is who the Harris Poll is named after.


13. Receive willingly : ACCEPT

15. Personal bearing : MIEN

18. Ring ref's decision : TKO. Technical Knock Out.

23. Snake that bit Cleopatra : ASP

24. Thomas __ Edison : ALVA

25. Tag sale words : AS IS

26. Irish poet : YEATS

27. Cloth-eating insect : MOTH

 
28. Upright : ON END

30. German article : DER

34. Jacket style named for an Indian leader : NEHRU

35. Capital of Belarus : MINSK

37. Say "Watch it" to : WARN

38. Arabian Sea nation : OMAN

 

39. Little bite : NIP

40. Go before : ANTECEDE

41. Auto, to a Brit : MOTOR CAR

42. Love god : EROS

45. Cereal utensils : SPOONS

46. Beer gut : PAUNCH

47. Blood carrier : ARTERY

48. Criterion: Abbr. : STD. Abbreviation, not an acronym. Standard.

52. The third letter of 13-Down (but not the second) : SOFT C. I should know this sneaky clue by now.

53. Work starting hour : NINE

54. Texter's "Crikey!" : OMG

55. Forest : WOODS

 

59. "This is __ for Superman!" : A JOB

62. Grassy expanse : LEA

63. Candied veggie : YAM.

64. Web access co. : ISP. Internet Service Provider.

65. Scarer's shout : BOO

66. NFL scores : TDS. Touchdowns.

Note from C.C.:

1) I mentioned a few weeks ago that Melissa had a car accident. She was driving her brother's truck to take care of some business in California. Her brother Rick wrote this moving article about the truck and what really matters. I remember the day Melissa let me know the accident and how important the truck was to her and Rick. It makes me cry.

2) Happy 58th birthday to dear Steve, our incomparable foodie and our tireless Thursday Sherpa. Steve travels extensively for his work, so many of his blogs are written from airports or whatever city he's staying.

Steve and his friend Jill, June 12, 2016

Tea at The Queen Mary

Friday, September 1, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: B and O, Reading, Pennsylvania and Short Line. LINK. White rabbit, white rabbit.

In this edition of  'Jeffrey stumps the crowd', we have the double letter RR added to known phrases - that simple. Of course rooting out that SOY SAUCE, BUS TICKETS, BAY LEAVES and SQUARE FEET might have a common denominator is where the thought comes in. The reference to Aaron Burr opened the door for me. Unlike many JW creations, we have a reveal - not completely helpful - but it is Friday. 55 theme spaces leaves some room and we get AERATES, ALIGHTS (not yesterday's ALIT?) , NEAREST, YOGA MAT, BARBARIAN and SETS A TASK. The theme:

17A. Really bad béchamel? : SORRY SAUCE (10). Béchamel (a white sauce) and soy sauce could not be any further apart, but I guess if you burn Béchamel it might look like soy sauce.

20A. Unpaid stack for scofflaw Aaron? : BURR'S TICKETS (12). I find Burr to be a very interesting character, especially as portrayed in Gore Vidal's NOVEL.

35A. What happens at the end of a Manilow concert? : BARRY LEAVES (11). This was the hardest because while I got the Barry part - which made me secure in my thinking the RR connection - the concept was too simple for my aging brain.

51A. Furry creature that isn't cool? : SQUARE FERRET (12).  I cannot find any reasonable link for this mental picture.

and the reveal:

56A. Convicted hastily and unfairly ... or, in a way, like the four other longest puzzle answers? : RAILROADED (10). Like the confusing semi-detached house....

On with the show.

Across:

1. Branch : LIMB. First thought was military - I don't know why.

5. Advisory group : BOARD.

10. Big name in luxury retailing : SAKS. Not so big anymore.

14. About 30% of Earth's land area : ASIA. I did not know this.

15. More fitting : APTER.

16. Thing with rings : TREE. Somewhat obscure but witty.

19. Letters facilitating sorting : ATTN.

22. Something to stretch out on : YOGA MAT. This was hard suss.

25. Comedian dubbed "Mr. Television" : BERLE. So easy for those of us over 65.

26. Mitchell protagonist : O'HARA. Frankly Jeffrey, when it comes to Scarlett, I don't give a damn.

27. Bone holders : PAWS. Cute.

30. With 61-Across, "Yer darn tootin'!" : YES. 61A. See 30-Across : SIREE.

31. Seaweed for sushi : NORI.

32. Puts down : ALIGHTS.

38. Most closely related : NEAREST.

39. Educational period : TERM.

42. Letters with Arizona or Maine : USS.

45. Made tracks : FLED.

46. One of composer John Williams' five : OSCAR.

47. Harlem Renaissance writer Zora __ Hurston : NEALE. Thank you high school English for having my sons read her work.

49. Does some lawn maintenance : AERATES. I hate it when I get to the first green...

55. Bee in Mayberry, e.g. : AUNT. Draw your own conclusions.

Internet hoax; the pin-up is Gloria DeHaven. Thanks to Fact Checker.

But we have this: 

I do not fact check images, especially those which have multiple references....I guess I will now.

60. It requires some effort : FEAT.

62. Confucius, by reputation : SAGE. Parsley only to his close friends.

63. See 29-Down : ELSE.  29D. With 63-Across, "Is there more?" : WHAT.

64. Fashionista's concern : TREND.

65. __-how : KNOW.

Down:

1. __ Cruces : LAS. We have been here before.

2. Prefix with metric : ISOmetric.

3. Defunct space station : MIR. Interesting LINK.

4. Conan, for one : BARBARIAN. Arnold...

5. Iraqi port : BASRA. Did you KNOW.

6. Dazzling style : OP ART.

7. Vince Gill's "Look __" : AT US.

8. Certain quadrilateral: Abbr. : RECTangle.

9. Half of sechs : DREI. Six/three - German.

10. Simple sign holder : STAKE. Another witty/tricky.

11. Major thoroughfare : ARTERY. The  traffic arteries...

12. Mother's whistler? : KETTLE. Who else but JW gives us a Whistler's Mother clue.

13. Familiar fivesome : SENSES.

18. City about 150 miles east of San Diego : YUMA. 171 miles.

21. "NCIS" airer : CBS TV.

22. It's other than hither : YON.

23. "So that's your game!" : OHO.

24. Apparel : GARB.

27. Accumulated, with "up" : PILED.

28. Many years : AGES.

32. Decimated sea : ARAL.

33. Erato's instrument : LYRE.

34. Assigns work (for), as students : SETS A TASK. So teachers, what do you think.

36. Cite, with "to" : REFER.

37. Religious subgroup : SECT.

40. "Norma __" : RAE.

41. Union title? : MRS. Funny three letter clue/fill.

42. Risky : UNSAFE.

43. "The Bourne Supremacy," e.g. : SEQUEL.

44. Hot spots : SAUNAS.

46. Dunked snack : OREO. Dunkin' Donuts? No, Starbucks.

48. Barista's offering : LATTE.

49. "Over the Rainbow" composer : ARLEN. The whole HISTORY.

50. Misspoke, say : ERRED. ? EED? Misspoke again.

52. While lead-in : ERSTwhile.

53. Cloudless : FAIR.

54. The Auld Sod : EIRE. Ireland.

57. "SNL" castmate of Gilda and Chevy : DAN. Ackroyd.

58. Swellhead's problem : EGO.

59. Wet blanket : DEW. A strong finish, as the dawn shows us the cover on the morning.

I had a bunch of fun - a bushel and a peck! There are so many devious but gettable clue/fill combinations, it was like looking for Easter eggs. Thank you JW, and each and everyone of you. Lemonade out.

Sunday August 27, 2017 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Special Ops" - OP is added to each theme entries.

27A. Like soup cans to Andy Warhol? : PERFECT FOR THE POP ART. Perfect for the part. Jeffrey started his first themer at Row 4.

45A. The musical "1776" reworked with arias? : COLONIAL OPERA. Colonial era.

55A. Astaire/Rogers 1935 boast? : I MADE TOP HAT. I made that.

67A. Pace of a runaway horse? : UNMITIGATED GALLOP. Unmitigated gall.

83A. Why the kennel closed? : NO PET PROFIT. Net profit.

92A. Vespa newbies? : MOPED STUDENTS. Med students.

112A. #1 rodeo competitor? : THE LORD OF THE ROPINGS. The Lord of the Rings.

I hope you guys have the chance to meet with the legend Jeffrey someday. His creativity & passion are unparalleled. Look at what he did with 27A, 55A and 83A, changing one word into two. So imaginative.

Jeffrey's grid design is also very imaginative. He's never daunted by a first 14-letter first themer in a 15*15 grid, or a 13-letter middle row themer, regardless how many theme entries he has. Of course, you have to have an imaginative brain to dream of and execute THE X-FILES. We're so lucky to enjoy his creations regularly.

Across:      

1. Crisscross pattern : GRID

5. Whole alternative : SKIM

9. Religion that may involve a moon goddess : WICCA. Learning moment. Hinduism also has a moon goddess, correct?

14. Tolerate : ABIDE

19. Sticks figure : RUBE. Read as "Stick figure".


20. Common conifer : PINE

21. Many a South Pacific isle : ATOLL

22. Kosher : LEGIT

23. __ in the Pod: maternity brand : A PEA. Unfamiliar with the brand.

24. It won't fly on the Sabbath : EL AL. Hahtoola never uses her computer/tablet on Saturdays. We also have 32. Traditional meal : SEDER

25. Get rid of : SCRAP

26. Freetown currency : LEONE. I've never seen a $500 bill in person.

31. New York natives : ERIES

33. Join : ATTACH

36. Position : STANCE

38. More extensive : WIDER

40. Mid sixth-century date : DLI. 551.

42. For two, in music : A DUE

43. "The rules __ the rules" : ARE

48. Courtesy to parents of a child flying alone : GATE PASS. Debut entry! Also 54. Carrier renamed in 1997 : US AIR. Eventually merged with American Airlines.

53. Refuses : WON'T. This type of clue always gets me. I thought the answer would end in *S.
   
59. Their areas are arias : DIVAS. Nice clue.

61. Auction unit : LOT

62. Taunt : GIBE

63. Ballerinas' supply : ROSIN. Not TUTUs.

65. Saltpeter : NITER

73. Traffic stopper, perhaps : SIREN

74. Capital SW of Brussels : PARIS. Plenty of daily trains between the two cities. Also 18. 74-Across season : ETE
 
75. Sculptors' degs. : BFAs

78. "Lou Grant" production co. : MTM

81. Like some strays : MANGY
 
87. Flew into __ : A RAGE. You won't see our Gary flies into one. He's always so understanding and gracious.

89. Mexican dirección : ESTE. East.


91. Engine regulator : THROTTLE. Consonants-heavy.

97. Verizon subsidiary : AOL

98. Two-balled weapon : BOLA

99. Dangerous African biter : ASP

100. News story sources : LEAKS

102. Absorb, as with toweling : BLOT UP. Never used this phrase.

107. Brief outline : APERCU. Not SKETCH.

109. Produce chapter and verse? : WRITE. Another great clue.

111. Development areas : UTERI

118. 1995 Cecil B. DeMille Award-winning actress : LOREN (Sophia)

120. Marilyn's birth name : NORMA. Norma Jeane. One of the flea market guys loves Marilyn to death. He collects everything about her.

121. Swear : AVOW

122. Gp. that includes Venezuela : OPEC

123. Golf shoe feature : CLEAT

124. Like some construction sight markers : CONIC.  He meant "site".

125. Current : TIDE

126. Geometry function : SINE

127. Accomplishments : DEEDS. Not FEATS.

128. Act with passion : EMOTE

129. Acorn, essentially : SEED

130. Laryngitis docs : ENTs
  
Down:
 
1. Ones pressed for drinks : GRAPES. I never juice grapes or Honeycrisp apples. Too precious to juice.

2. Grint who plays Ron in Harry Potter films : RUPERT. Here he is.

3. Portugal's region : IBERIA

4. Overwhelm with noise : DEAFEN

5. What manuscripts may be submitted on : SPEC. Crossword puzzles too, unless it's Sunday. Then you can send a theme query to Rich first.

6. Caber toss garb : KILTS

7. Shortly, casually : IN A FEW
 
8. Songlike : MELODIC

9. Scrooge's opposite : WASTREL. This is a new word for me.

10. Craving : ITCH
 
11. Crux : CORE

12. Show appreciation, in a way : CLAP

13. Boxer's brand? : ALPO. Dog food.

14. With 113-Down, precipitously : ALL AT. And 113. See 14-Down : ONCE

 15. Draft providers : BEER TAPS. I've been hoping that TTP and Abejo would meet again soon.


16. Savvy shopper's cry : I GOT A DEAL. This reminds me of Jeffrey's I WAS MAD. He debuted lots of entries.

17. Ruckus : DIN

28. Fire __ : ESCAPE. Not ENGINE.

29. Makeover : RE-DO

30. Swabby's need : PAIL
 
34. Collector's item : CURIO

35. Compassion : HEART.  Stole this lovely picture from dear Misty's Facebook.

Dusty & Misty

37. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT

39. Ticket word : ROW

40. Home furnishing purchase : DINING SET. I use "Dining room set".

41. Estonia neighbor : LATVIA

44. Paul Anka's "__ Beso" : ESO

46. Silent affirmation : NOD
 
47. Montana's __ Falls : OUSEL. Never heard of it. Looks like a nice hiking spot.

48. Band performance : GIG

49. "__ dreaming?" : AM I

50. "Forbidden" perfume : TABU

51. Ideal places : EDENS

52. Appears suddenly : SPRINGS UP. Also 86. Prepare to store, as a blueprint : ROLL UP

56. Harley, e.g. : HOG

57. "Make it quick!" : ASAP

58. Industry VIP : TITAN

60. Bermuda's ocean: Abbr. : ATL

64. Successor to Claudius : NERO

66. High-tech worker : ROBOT. Look at the receptionist in this Japanese hotel.

68. Emulated a street performer : MIMED
 
69. Investment acronym : IRA

70. Guiding principles : TENETS

71. Decline : DIP

72. [It disappeared!] : PFFT

76. Require meds, maybe : AIL. As TTP predicted, my doctor asked me to take salt liberally. I've made progress. Reached 103/63 at the doctor's office. I normally hover around 90/60.

77. Sault __ Marie : STE

78. Dangerous African biter : MAMBA

 79. Military unit : TROOP

80. It might be tapped : MAPLE TREE

82. Since Jan. 1, in P&L reports : YTD

84. Article in rap titles : THA

85. "No __!": "Easy-peasy!" : PROB

88. Under-the-hood type : GEARHEAD. Dear Santa is one.

90. Slim swimmer : EEL

93. Novelist Bellow : SAUL

94. Church greeter's target : NEW FACE

95. Like small star fruit : TART. Any of you drinking tart cherry concentrate/juice?

96. Slope apparel : SKI HATS

101. Wonder on stage : STEVIE

103. Lazy : OTIOSE. OK, then, I've been otiose the past few months.

104. Half of bowling's worst split : TEN PIN. Or SEVEN PIN. By the way, PK, Boomer does wear sneakers when we walk inside the mall. He thinks you're right about the sucking effect of the rubber soles. Thanks for the analysis.

105. Of immediate concern : URGENT

106. Compassionate, creative, submissive sort, it's said : PISCES. True?

108. Small change : CENTS

110. Undercut : ERODE

114. Den, for one : ROOM

115. Bond adventure with Honey Ryder : DR. NO

116. Drop : OMIT

117. Was in the red : OWED

118. Clock readout abbr. : LCD. I wonder why they don't make silent wall clocks.


119. "Good one, matador!" : OLE

Anon T(Tony) sent me below map with a note. Peg lives in League City. Stay safe, everyone. 

"This is the traffic map. All the little "water droplets" are flooded freeways. For some reason, people are still on the road (see yellow & blue). Reports of abandoned cars abound.

TxMs is inside the inner loop near where 59/I69, Westpark & 610 meet (in the SW). DO is way up north-east @ 59/I69 (past IAH airport), and I’m down where 99/529 crosses 59/I69 in the extreme SW quadrant (just a bit NOT on the bottom of the map). I don’t know where Peg is. So far, we’re all OK and hunker’d down."

Happy birthday to dear Lemonade (Jason), our Friday Sherpa since March 2010. He's been through quite an ordeal this past year, but he's always cheerful and positive. Thank you for being here for us, Lemonade. Thanks for taking good care of Lemonade, Oo!