google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Jeffrey Wechsler

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Showing posts with label Jeffrey Wechsler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeffrey Wechsler. Show all posts

Feb 23, 2018

Friday, February 23, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: AS if!

 JW is back again with one of his specialties, the "add letters to known phrases" gimmick.  This time "AS" is added with a nice simple reveal. I am curious if you all are becoming so familiar with Jeffrey's style, that his Fridays do not seem as difficult as they once did.

 As with all of his puzzles, there are tricky clues, sparkly fill like: BRITON, BY AREA,  CITY JAIL, FROTHING,  GUTTURAL and OUTSTRIP. There also some very funny fill like JUMPING JACKASS and ALL BEASTS ARE OFF. The marvel of JW is that as he beats you up making the puzzle a challenge, his cluing and fill make you smile.

No more delay

17A. *Dog that really needs a bath? : GREASY HOUND (11). The base is GREYHOUND which is the outlier. It is only one word, and the basic meaning of hound stays the same.

22A. *Donkey that has mastered the hurdles? : JUMPING JACKASS (14). JUMPING JACKS were such an important part of the early exercise in my life.

32A. *Holiday employment schedule in "Animal Farm"? : ALL BEASTS ARE OFF (15). ALL BETS ARE OFF is a nice phrase similar to:

47A. *Offer to acquire a rising agent? : I'LL GET YOU YEAS(14). I'LL GET YOU YET.

55A. When required ... or a terse hint to solving the starred clues: AS NECESSARY (11). Literally "AS" is necessary to get the fill.

Across:

1. Med. recording: ECG. I fell for EKG first.

4. Type sizes: PICAS. When I began working, I knew pica and elite - that was all.

9. "__, then ... ": IF SO.

13. __ Post: Nassau County, N.Y. school: LIU. This the current incarnation of CW POST COLLEGE, named for the founder of Post Cereals, Postum coffee substitute and eventually General Foods. The family history is interesting and timely as his daughter, Marjorie Merryweather Post had Mar-a-Lago built.

14. Spectacle: ECLAT. Interesting to see in a puzzle along with 1D. Joie de vivre: ELAN.

15. Haunted house sound: WAIL.

16. Letters on a communications corp. logo: ATTAmerican Telephone and Telegraph.

19. The Gray Lady of the press: Abbr. : NYT. Our friend the New York Times.

20. Exile of 1979: AMIN. The last king of Scotland? He only ruled for 8 years.

21. Els on greens: ERNIE.

26. AB negative, among blood types: RAREST.

27. Cockpit no. : ALT. An abbreviation for Altimeter, or Altitude on a plane, but also for; Altbier, German beer; Alternate character, in online gaming; Alternate route, type of highway designation; Alternating group, mathematical concept; Alternative lifestyle; Alternative rock.

28. Prepared: SET.

29. Big Ben feature: DIAL.

30. Odysseus' faithful dog: ARGOS.  Sad tale; the dog waited 20 years for his master to come home and died when Odysseus returned.

39. Friend of d'Artagnan: ATHOS. Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.


40. Unsullied: PURE. They can attack.

41. One-fifth of MD: CCC. Roman math- 1500/5= 300.

44. Swindle: CON.

45. Any Beatle, say: BRITON. The name meaning a citizen or native of Great Britain was borrowed from the historic CELTIC BRITONS.

51. Give one final flicker: GO OUT.

52. Greatly reduced sea: ARAL. And its similar sounding: 50D. Range with one end in Kazakhstan: URALS.

53. Old possessive: THY.

58. Where Simone Biles won four golds: RIO.

59. Welsh actor Roger: REES. I knew this ACTOR first from Cheers.

60. Subway entrance: STILE.

61. Lake Mich. state: INDiana.

62. Criteria: Abbr. : STDS. Standards.

63. Thompson of "Creed": TESSA. She has been busy and they are filming CREED II

64. Org. with a tee in its logo: PGA. Not to be confused with the logo og the PGA Tour.

Down:

2. Lockup: CITY JAIL. In Florida, the Jails are mostly run by the County.

3. Throaty: GUTTURAL. What a fun word that came after I saw the G.

4. Hunter's need: PERMIT.

5. Trap during winter: ICE IN. This seemed like a stretch as a clue but variations have been used often. Newsday - Feb. 5, 2018; New York Times - Jan. 13, 2018; LA Times - Nov. 16, 2017; New York Times - July 29, 2017; USA Today - April 20, 2017; WSJ Daily - March 18, 2017; USA Today - March 11, 2017; Newsday - Feb. 12, 2017

6. Sound on some San Francisco streets: CLANG. The wonderful streetcars.

7. Small batteries: AAS. Instinctively put in AAA, but the perps changed my mind.

8. Muddy abode: STY.

9. "__ very hard, and ... play very hard": Maya Angelou: I WORK. She said, "I work very hard, and I play very hard. I'm grateful for life. And I live it - I believe life loves the liver of it. I live it."

10. Regional animal groups : FAUNAS. Flora and fauna.

11. "Forrest Gump" actor : SINISE. Lieutenant Dan.

12. Most stale: OLDEST. News, not just bread.

17. Voids: GAPS.

18. Bully: HECTOR. verb (used with object); definition 4.(lowercase) to treat with insolence; bully; torment: The teacher hectored his students incessantly.

23. __ toast: MELBA. Melba toast is a dry, crisp and thinly sliced toast often served with soup and salad or topped with either melted cheese or pâté. It is named after Dame Nellie Melba, the stage name of Australian opera singer Helen Porter Mitchell. The toast was created for her by chef and fan Auguste Escoffier, who also created the Peach Melba dessert for her. The hotel proprietor César Ritz supposedly named it in a conversation with Escoffier

24. Baby food array: JARS.

25. Bit of aquatic life: ALGA. A bit is accurate.

26. Nutritional fig. : RDARecommended Daily Allowance.

30. Cadillac compact: ATS.

31. Hue of many Renaissance drawings: SEPIA. Sepia is a reddish-brown color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish Sepia.The word sepia is the Latinized form of the Greek σηπία, sēpía, cuttlefish (wiki).


33. Long list substitute, briefly: ETC ETC. This was tricky as Et cetera did not fit.

34. "Cat on __ Tin Roof": A HOT. Tennessee Williams.

35. Xperia maker: SONY. My step-son who works selling cell phones has this one.

36. Best: OUTSTRIP. Definition synonyms: go faster than, outrun, outdistance, outpace, leave behind, get (further) ahead of, lose.

37. Causing to foam: FROTHING;

38. Marshy expanse: FEN. Very popular in Great Britain and British mysteries.

41. Pleasures shared by Churchill and Castro: CIGARS.

42. It might be stuffed at home: CLOSET.

43. Like one who is beside oneself? : CLONED. A very fun Friday misdirection clue.

45. How land prices are often calculated: BY AREA.

46. Lean (on): RELY.

48. Stab: GUESS. This was my method.

49. Refreshing spot: OASIS.

54. Small figure wielding much force? : YODA.

56. Del. winter hrs. : EST. Hey Bluehen.

57. Jeanne d'Arc, e.g.: Abbr. : STE. French for a female saint.

Another Friday done and done. Thank you, JW. Next time, we will be in March. Thank you all.

The above is the picture I was try to link from google albums, yesterday.
 
Note from C.C.:

Happy 79th Birthday to Keith Fowler (Ol' Man Keith), who's been with our blog since 2009. Dear Keith is the longest-living Fowler on record.


https://www.faculty.uci.edu/img/faculty/3209.jpg



  This picture is more recent.

Feb 9, 2018

Friday, February 9, 2018, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Forget the carbs, I am hungry! Call Entenmann's.

For all of you who were wondering where our Friday friend JW has been hiding in 2018, he is back and presents the third visual puzzle that has been constructed for our consternation. We have 13 (!) clues which consist only of a number. Good news though, we get a reveal! Oops, not helpful yet. Must solve and wait for perps. Hmm, three letter fill at 26 and 52 across. 26- nope not there. 52? Ahh- BUN! 41- ROLL! Eureka! Thirteen is a baker's dozen. Ta-dah- bakery items! This was a struggle in places, but I am a big fan of most of the goods here, especially a warm buttery CROISSANT and a moist SCONE. What are your favorites? The rest was in my wheelhouse, with SUK requiring all of the perps. The purists will hate the themers being so short and having non-theme fill longer words, but I enjoyed BELDAME, BOSNIAN, CAT SCAN, DEEPENS, ELOCUTE, QUIETED, BLINDERS, and CITY PLAN as fun but challenging fill. I applaud Jeffrey for finding 13 items that not only fit the theme, but allow him to build a classic grid with complete thematic symmetry. A puzzle that completely depends on perps and the reveal...

I wonder if the grid was inspired by The Cross of Salem, also known as a pontifical cross because it is carried before the Pope. This is  - after all a CROSSword puzzle.
Anyway on to the solve.

1A. #1: MUFFIN (6). RECIPE. opposite 70A. # 10: DANISH (6). RECIPE.

7A. # 2: BRIOCHE (7). RECIPE. opposite 69A. # 9: BISCUIT (7). RECIPE.

24A. # 3: TORTE (5). RECIPE. opposite 53A. # 8: DONUT (5). RECIPE.

26A. #4 : PIE (3). RECIPE. opposite 52A. # 7: BUN (3). RECIPE.

37A. # 5: CAKE (4). RECIPE. opposite 41A. # 6: ROLL (4). RECIPE.

14D. # 11: BAGEL (5). RECIPE. opposite 51D. # 13: SCONE (5). RECIPE.

20D. # 12: CROISSANT (9). RECIPE. the center.

The reveal:
38A. It's a bit more than it sounds, and hints at this puzzle's theme: BAKER'S DOZEN (11). Wal-Mart sells their doughnuts 13 to a box. Let's get cooking with the solve.

Across:

14. Crone: BELDAME.  Finally a clue, but not a gimme fill. This archaic WORD is clearly a Friday Saturday fill. A very hard start.

15. Sarajevo citizen: BOSNIAN. The country is Bosnia and Herzegovina. LINK.

16. Gets to: ATTAINS.

17. Settled down: QUIETED.

18. Merry, in Metz: GAI. Metz is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, the city forms a central place of the European Greater Region. Wiki. 55A. Pique-nique setting : PARC. French.

19. Prog. formally reinstated at Harvard in 2011: ROTCReserve Officer Training Corps programs were another casualty of the Vietnam War. LINK.

21. Hotel experience: STAY.

22. Sturdy trees: ELMS. Dutch elm disease as a problem but the TREE is making a return.

29. Future D.A.'s hurdles: LSATS.

31. Future salmon: ROE. Fish eggs.

32. Troubles: ILLS.

33. Belg. locale: EUR.

35. Travel guide listing: INN.

43. MS-__: DOS. Recently popular fill.

44. Party bowlful: DIP.

45. Goddess usually depicted holding an ankh: ISIS. This EGYPTIAN. And the Symbol which is also a CROSS.

46. "M*A*S*H" rank: Abbr. : MAJ. Random, but better than E-______?

48. Some archaeological sites: TOMBS. King Tut was actually named Tutankhamun. Mini-theme?

56. Karate training site: DOJO. Dōjō (道場) is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way." My brother created one in the 60s in our hometown.

59. Lose steam: TIRE.

61. __ Speedwagon: REO. Musical interlude, only 1 hour and 20 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqRpzyWJ5vM

62. Becomes more complex: DEEPENS.

65. High-tech med. procedure: CAT SCAN. What you need to KNOW.

67. Police actions: ARRESTS.

68. Speak well in public: ELOCUTE. Elocution from Latin elocution-, elocutio, from eloqui. Elocute is a back word from elocution.

Down:

1. Most of the periodic table: METALS.

2. __ Thule: distant place in medieval geography: ULTIMA. You want to ARGUE the point?

3. HHS agency: FDAHealth and Human Services.

4. Sunny: FAIR.

5. "You are!"retort: I'M NOT. Are too!

6. Argonaut known for wise counsel: NESTOR. He was a member of Jason's crew before the Trojan War. LINK.

7. Cookout fare, briefly: BBQ.

8. Awaken : ROUSE.

9. "Ya think?" : IS IT? I SIT? Isis' sister?

10. Fit-for-service designation: ONE-A. I have my draft card from the 60's somewhere.

11. Urban design: CITY PLAN. Pompano Beach is working on their PLAN.

12. "Some __ meat and canna eat": start of the Selkirk Grace: HAE. This probably predates Robert Burns. One of my favorite modern detectives is Hamish MacBeth, so I know the word.

13. Conclusion: END.

23. Lifts: STEALS.

25. Have an inclination: TEND.

27. Variety: ILK. I always like this word.

28. Language suffix: ESE.

30. Czech composer Josef, son-in-law of Dvorák: SUK. All perps for this MAN.

32. Frozen treat: ICEPOP. Would you like to read the HISTORY of the Popsicle?

34. Like half of Poland's flag: RED.

36. Silent assent: NOD.

38. Horse racing accessories: BLINDERS. The reason WHY.

39. Ex-quarterback Tony: ROMO. He has done well in his SECOND CAREER.

40. Clearasil target: ZIT.

41. Cookout morsel: RIB. I am not sure a rib is a morsel.

42. Brutus Buckeye is its mascot: Abbr. : OSU. The Ohio State University. Oklahoma State last week, perhaps Oregon State next.

47. Really pumped: JUICED. Not to be confused with juiced by steroids.

49. __ Aurelius, second-century Roman emperor: MARCUS. One of my favorite EMPERORS.

50. What a sprinter might run out of : BREATH.

53. "__ know you?" : DON'T I.

54. Musical nonsense syllables : TRA LA.

57. Intl. energy group: OPEC.

58. Bach's "__, Joy of Man's Desiring" : JESU. I had no idea and it seems counter-intuitive.

60. Hugh Laurie's alma mater: ETON. One of the myriads of foreign-born actors who portray US Americans on television.

62. Unit of hot mustard, for most: DAB. Not for Asians or me.

63. NW Penn. airport: ERI. A CSO to many who comment here.

64. Aircraft in the Smithsonian Inst. collection: SST.

66. Chem., for one : SCI. Abbreviation - abbreviation.

Well JW is back in business. I liked the grid, the theme, and the reveal. A note from C.C. below, which I echo. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to dear Splynter (Richard), who turns 47 years old today. Splynter was our trusted Saturday guide for a long long time. Hope all's well with your new job and new home, Splynter. Don't forget your friends here at the Corner. Visit us from time to time.


Dec 23, 2017

Saturday, December 23, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

THEMELESS SATURDAY


Do you know that uneasy feeling you get when you're going down the first hill on a roller coaster? That's my feeling when I see a Jeff Wex puzzle anytime but doubly so on Saturday (See kitty on front right!)




Not to worry though, I had to dance around but earned an official "got 'er done"! DATA LIMIT did hold up the SW corner for a while until RATE became necessary. 

A very striking looking grid that complements Jeff's always wonderful cluing!

Now let's see what one of our favorite crossword elves has for us on this Christmas eve eve:

Across
1. With 1-Down, "Gadzooks!" : JUMPING and 1. See 1-Across : JEHOSAPHAT JEHOSAPHAT is a euphemism for Jesus or Jehovah and the phrase "By the shaking, jumping ghost of Jehosaphat" is first seen in the 1865 novel Paul Peabody

8. The Pleiades of myth, e.g. : SISTERS - My astronomy teacher called the Pleiades Constellation "The Shopping Cart"




15. Football's "Boomer" : ESIASON - Many feel he is the best Cincinnati Bengal QB ever. I'll bet our Boomer could beat him in an alley!


16. Oregon city named for a fur merchant : ASTORIA - John Jacob Astor's city is located very near the end of the line for Meriwether and William




17. Couldn't offer any justification : HAD NO GOOD REASON - C.C. ___ for letting me blog Saturday puzzles 


19. Old Monterey Bay fort : ORD - Abandoned in 1994, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority is working on it




20. Lipstick marketing word : SMEARLESS




21. Sizing letters : SML - I know it's an old joke but...



22. Lot : FATE

24. "Music for Airports" producer : ENO - Musical wallpaper


25. "Understood" 39-Across : AYE


26. Sacha Baron Cohen persona : ALI G - He's either your cup of tea or you're like me





27. Type of lizard found indoors? : LOUNGE - Bill Murray played one on SNL perfectly

31. Law enforcement support org. : PBA - Patrolman's Benevolent Association not a bowlers organization 


32. "Livin' La Vida __" : LOCA - Everyone was Living The Crazy Life with Ricky Martin in 1999


33. Like grapefruit : SOUR and they are to be avoided if you have bad 47. Blood test letters : LDL - Low-Density Lipoprotein numbers and are taking a statin


34. Seeks a better deal : HAGGLES and 42. Eco-friendly wheels : TESLAS - I wonder if you could HAGGLE on this $74,000 electric TESLA



36. Usain Bolt, vis-à-vis virtually everyone : FLEETER - The fleetest, er, fastest ever!



39. Where to hear 25-Across : ASEA


40. One might be convincing : LIAR


41. Back again : FRO


45. __ Major : URSA - The constellation URSA MAJOR contains the asterism (Not constellation) The Big Dipper in its rump and tail




46. Hockey legend : ORR 


48. Subtle "Listen up" : PSST


49. Stylish jeans feature : RIP - Uh, what's the point?



50. Data restriction on Twitter usage : RATE LIMIT - Not DATA

54. Camera initials : SLR



55. Mamet play featuring a rare nickel : AMERICAN BUFFALO - Yes, here on the Great Plains we know that is a bison

59. Piranhas, in Venezuela : CARIBES - A synonym


60. Part of the family group : IN A CLAN - That must be us!


61. As a group : EN MASSE - 15,000 of the 18,000 fans in Kansas City to see the lady Huskers win the national VB championship last week were Nebraska fans who went there EN MASSE


62. Bishop's purview : DIOCESE -We are in the "liberal" Omaha DIOCESE  but in the Lincoln DIOCESE the sisters mostly still wear habits



Down


2. Fort Benning, e.g. : US ARMY BASE - It's centennial is next year


3. Knight time : MIDDLE AGES  


4. Item wielded on "Chopped" : PAN - Competitive cooking shows are not on my menu


5. Equal start? : ISOs - ISOTHERMS from yesterday




6. Rich beverage : NOG - Much to the amusement of my wife and daughters, one year I seasoned EGG NOG with paprika and not nutmeg


7. Ancient spiritual groups : GNOSTICS - These works discovered in 1945 could have changed the course of Christianity if they had not been suppressed.

8. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner : SADE - (shah DAY) I only know her Smooth Operator 


9. Mediterranean land : ISRAEL


10. Fuel in tins : STERNO - It lends an odd scent to every event where it is used.


11. Burns poem whose subject is "ugly, creepin" : TO A LOUSE - "Ye ugly, creepin', blast wonder, Detested, shunned by saunt an' sinner." Yikes!


12. Gaelic tongue : ERSE - Nollaig shona dhuit! (Merry Christmas!)


13. Lago feeders : RIOS - El  RIO Lerma desemboca en el Lago de Chapala (The river Lerma flows into Lake Chapala)


14. Lacking : SANS


18. TAG Heuer competitor : OMEGA - If you can afford $500 ripped jeans...




22. Critical subject in Roman history : FALL


23. Natural emollient : ALOE


28. Like much museum art : NOT FOR SALE - I doubt they'll ever take haggle on the Mona Lisa


29. Small raiding bands : GUERRILLAS - We had 'em on our side 

30. Unreliable, in a way : ERROR PRONE


35. Shopping mecca : GALLERIA - Is Amazon marking their demise?


36. Auction action starter : FIRST BID


37. Bonny one : LASS






38. Logician's "E" : ERAT - Makes sense to us math heads! 




40. Flowering plant in the legume family : LUPIN




43. Improv staples : AD LIBS


44. Examples of bad driving : SLICES




50. Hurdles, for one : RACE - A track event for very brave people


51. "I am __ / More sinn'd against than sinning": King Lear : A MAN


52. School division : TERM - Granddaughter's TERM in Grenoble, France has ended and she is back in the U.S.A. after a life-altering few months


53. Rapper with the albums "Harlem World" and "Welcome Back" : MASE - His lyrics are many steps below profane


56. Aussie college : UNI - Shorthand for University 


57. __ Schwarz : FAO - This FAO store where this scene from Big was filmed is now closed




58. TV monitor : FCC - Federal Communications Commission - Typical Jeff Wex cleverness!

And now a word from our bloggers...



DA GRID


Note from C.C.: 

Happy 73rd Birthday to Misty, our sweet and caring friend. Here's a picture of Misty and her husband Rowland. It was taken probably seven or eight years ago. From what I read on Misty's Facebook post, they were never apart during Christmas times. Thanks for being in our lives, Misty!



Dec 1, 2017

Friday, December 1, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME .

JW is here for another Friday (thank you again HG for the blogs while I was gone) and with what I believe is his first punny quip puzzle. " If I tolled them once, I tolled them a hundred times."

The tolled-told homonym is the key to the humor. We also have some related fill with QUASIMODO and BELL TOWER. This is a rather upbeat puzzle for a very dark story. VICTOR HUGO was quite political in his writings. I was surprised by the theme but appreciated the humor.  There are 59 spaces attached to the theme, with the grid spanner in the middle. The theme did not require a reveal unless you were unfamiliar with this classic movie.
                                                                     SANCTUARY

 We also have fun fill like, CHIPS AWAY, EVIL DEEDS, LIVIDNESS and MIAMI VICE but it is the "quote" which is the puzzle.

17A. Hugo character memorably portrayed by Charles Laughton: QUASIMODO (9).

23A. With 36- and 44-Across, what 17-Across might have said when his job became too repetitious? : IF I TOLLED THEM (13).

36A. See 23-Across: ONCE, I TOLLED THEM (15).

44. See 23-Across: A HUNDRED TIMES (13).

57A. 17-Across' workplace: BELL TOWER (9).


Across:

1. Qualifier for a hall entry? : FAME. I wanted hall pass.

5. Excuse descriptor: LAME. So we start with a nice rhyme.

9. Med. recordings: EKGS. There should not be an "S."

13. Over, in much Twain dialogue: AGIN. As opposed to agin/fer.

14. "__ my way": I'M ON.

15. Relatives of windsocks: VANES. I guess.

19. Fuming: IRATE.

20. Uncle__: SAM.

21. Risk pieces: DICE. The die - a piece of the game or a tool used in the game?

22. Type of large TV: PLASMA.

26. Sitarist Shankar: RAVI. Norah Jones' father.

28. Metal sources: ORES.

29. Important part of a whale's diet: KRILL. They look like small SHRIMP.

31. Feigned: FALSE.

33. Many an IRS employee: CPACertified Public Accountant.

39. "Got it now?" : SEE?

40. Parts of Walmart work uniforms: VESTS.

41. Frodo's home, with "the": SHIRE.

42. Gentlemen: SIRS.

43. Actor Omar: EPPS. Once again this week; who is his publicist?

51. Lengthy account: LITANY. Usually of bad things.

52. Participate in a race, maybe: RIDE.

53. Fluoride-touting org.: ADAAmerican Dental Association.

56. Blazing: AFIRE. Ooh, an a-word.

59. Problems electric razors should prevent: NICKS.

60. Avoid getting into deep water? : WADE.

61. "Lobster Telephone" artist: DALI.
Lobster Telephone is a surrealist object, created by Salvador Dalí in 1936 for the English poet Edward James, a leading collector of surrealist art. Wiki.

62. "__ who?" : SAYS.

63. Monthly Roman calendar occurrences: IDES.  Twice this week. With the fate of Julius Caesar in mind,  this is an interesting juxtaposition with....

64. Turned yellow, perhaps: DYED.

Down:

1. Customer info sources: FAQS.

2. Lago contents: AGUA. Lake: Water. Spanish.

3. '80s cop show featuring Ferraris: MIAMI VICE. An interesting story. LINK. Ferraris twice this week.

4. USN rank: ENSign.

5. Keep in check: LIMIT.

6. Merged gas company: AMOCO. Gobbled up by BP, this brand may be BACK.

7. Auto datum: MODEL.

8. Brian of music: ENO.

9. What superheroes seek to thwart: EVIL DEEDS. This needed many perps.

10. Gold fineness units: KARATS. From a JEWELER.

11. Grind: GNASH.

12. "They __ up!": scapegoat's cry: SET ME.

16. Alteration target: SEAM. My mother was a wonderful nurse and mother, but she could not sew. My brothers and I had to stand with one leg up on the bottom stair after she shortened the pants to make the legs look even.

18. Infamous Amin: IDI.

22. Intrinsically: PER SE. This is not a legal term, per se.

24. Rank partner: FILEREAD and discuss.

25. Doesn't do much: LOLLS.

26. Classic movie theaters: RKOS.

27. "Alfred" composer: ARNE. Not his most famous work. LINK.

30. Red state? : LIVIDNESS. This was very difficult, but when you are livid you turn red.

31. Broadway choreographer for "Chicago": FOSSE.

32. PC key: ALT.

33. Cuts into, with "at": CHIPS AWAY.

34. Cop's collar: PERP. Not her.

35. Iowa college town: AMES. Not Ed this time.

37. Jones or Gilliam of Monty Python: TERRY. The only AMERICAN  in Monty Python is Terry Gilliam.

38. Passé pronoun: THEE.

42. Impertinent in tone: SNARKY.

44. PBS "Mystery!" host Cumming: ALAN.

45. LP players: HI FIS.

46. Erie Canal city: UTICA.

47. More than fear: DREAD.

48. Circumflex cousin: TILDE. Diacritic marks. COMPLICATED.

49. Doesn't do much: IDLES.

50. Satisfied: MET.

54. Editor's mark: DELE.

55. Like much of New Mexico: ARID.

57. Md. airport serving D.C.: BWIBaltimore Washington International.

58. Not quite right: ODD. We have one living at our condo complex...not easy.

Back when this blog was young and the puzzles discussed were edited by Wayne Williams, we had many similar puzzles. They are usually called "quip" puzzles. Most were silly, so this is not a unique approach. But from Jeffrey? In the LAT?  I liked it, hope you did. Lemonade out.


Nov 10, 2017

Friday, November 10, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

TITLE: MAKEUP GAME

Greetings from the Great Plains on my lovely wife's birthday! I think it's her twin sister's as well. 😜

This is not a meatless Friday but it is "Lemonless" again with me, Husker Gary, serving as his, uh, boy Friday again. 


Having a Jeff Wex on Friday is a true delight and his fun puzzle uses terminology one might hear in this star-studded Beauty Shop 
(How many can you name? - Answer below the grid) scene in Steel Magnolias




In each "themer" Jeff has employed a cosmetology term that also serves as a word in a common two or three-word phrase. I hope I am granted some leeway considering my lack of expertise in this area. Here are Jeff's theme entries:


17. Cosmetologist's choices at happy hour? : BLUSH WINES 



Applying BLUSH on a wan cheek and several Rose' or BLUSH WINEs

29. Cosmetologist's preferred vacation venue? : OCEAN LINER


7 Seas Explorer OCEAN LINER and LINER that accents some lovely eyes

34. Cosmetologist's expression for hastily exiting? : TAKE A POWDER


Please leave while he and I talk or what a difference POWDER makes

41. Cosmetologist's favorite capital? : BATON ROUGE


The city named for a red stick or my childhood memory of ROUGE on a character
57. Cosmetologist's wall covering? : GLOSS PAINT


Alternating Matte and GLOSS wall covering and GLOSSY and Matte Lipstick

Now let's see the beauty of the remainder of Jeff's Friday clues:



Across


1. Bills, say : CASH - Like many other areas of our lives, even Monopoly® is going CASHLESS

5. Alfredo may be associated with it : PASTA

10. Ways of viewing the world : ISMS

14. First name in folk : ARLO

15. Yale of Yale fame : ELIHU - A former slave trader who endowed a New Haven school with enough money to get the school name changed to his. Can protests be far behind?

16. "Fillet of a fenny snake / In the cauldron __ and bake": "Macbeth" : BOIL - Okay, Steve, what wine would you suggest with this concoction? Like C.C., I missed him yesterday and hope he is okay.


19. Local govt. bond : MUNI - They've been used for many projects



20. Inspired : LED TO - The learned group who participate here certainly know to what event this was a precursor 




21. RR stop : STA

23. Janitor's tool, briefly : VAC - We had the kids put their chairs up on the table to accommodate the custodians VAC job

24. Marx collaborator : ENGELS - Together they authored a little page-turner called The Communist Manifesto


26. Collapse, with "over" : KEEL - Don't lock your knees too long especially in front of the boss.

27. Previous to, poetically : ERE

28. Nursery supply : SEED - These catalogs and spring training are harbingers of spring

32. "Art is __ that makes us realize truth": Picasso : A LIE

33. Knots and yards : UNITS

38. "Just like me" : AS AM I

40. Shrek, e.g. : OGRE

44. Take shots of : FILM - With FILM, we had to wait a week to see how lousy our shots were

48. Mark on the Oregon Trail : RUT - Some are here in Nebraska. 

49. Like crab apples : TART - C.C. and Jayce have put me onto a regimen of TART cherry juice for some issues I am having. "I'll get by with a little from my friends" 

50. Leonine savior's domain : NARNIA - The savior of NARNIA is Aslan who takes the form of a lion

52. Enzyme suffix : ASE - AmylASE, cellulASE, lactASE, ...

53. Romantic ideal, with "the" : ONE 

54. Dieter's breakfast : MELON

55. "__ Trigger": Bugs Bunny cartoon : HARE - Yeah, I think I could have figured out the star of this cartoon!



61. Like much cheese : AGED

62. Final ordeal, perhaps : ESSAY - A true pen-to-paper ordeal for me!

63. Low joint : KNEE

64. Rx contents : MEDS

65. Does another tour : REUPS

66. Attention-getter : YELL - A YELL leader at Andover who was a future POTUS




Down


1. Brooklyn Bridge array : CABLES - The contrast of the comparatively light CABLES with the massive towers remains a very striking visual

2. Garfield's girlfriend : ARLENE - You're either a comic aficionado or you're not

3. Oozy stuff : SLUDGE - Not good when this is your motor oil

4. Threw a party : HOSTED

5. Place to pray : PEW

6. Memorable fighter : ALI

7. Pride, for example : SIN



8. Annabel Lee's kingdom was by it : THE SEA - This woman had the first verse of Poe's poem tattooed on her back to honor her grandmother Annabel Lee



9. Writer who created the Dashwood sisters : AUSTEN - From Sense and Sensibility

10. Watson's home : IBM

11. Snow globe, perhaps : SOUVENIR

12. Muezzin's tower : MINARET where neither 18. Dec. 25 or Jan. 1 : HOL are observed

13. Deli equipment : SLICERS

22. Intimate, with "to" : ALLUDE - To whom did Carly Simon ALLUDE in You're So Vain: Warren Beatty, James Taylor or Mick Jagger?

25. Food fish : SOLE

26. "Private property" sign warning : KEEP OUT with maybe 43. Threatening phrase : OR ELSE

30. Mike Pompeo's org. : CIA - Its current director

31. Having four sharps : IN E - A great Ray Charles tune IN E



32. A lot like : AKIN TO

34. Like neglected clothing : TATTERED - The House That Jack Built featured this line: "This is the man all TATTERED and torn, who kissed the maiden all forlorn" 

35. Latin lover's word : AMO

36. Steven of "The Walking Dead" : OGG - If Jeff says so

37. Small songbird : WREN

38. Biblical patriarch : ABRAHAM

39. Breakfast side : SAUSAGE - A distant second to bacon here!

42. National park figure : RANGER 

44. Weird : FREAKY

45. How theme park visitors often stand : IN LINE (the queue) - Here are some IN LINE at Space Mountain at the 60-minute wait point




46. Long time maker of O gauge track : LIONEL - I'm sure my brother and I got a better Christmas present than this but none come to mind.

47. Place for trophies : MANTEL


51. Rock concert sight : AMP

56. Newspaper VIPs : EDS

58. Buckeyes' sch. : OSU - They received a huge slice of humble pie playing Iowa last weekend

59. Sucker : SAP - Here's a combination of these words


A Yellow-bellied SAP SUCKER (in the woodpecker genus)
60. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYS


DA GRID:




STEEL MAGNOLIAS ANSWER




Feel free to MAKEUP any comments that you feel are necessary

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to Husker Gary's wife Joann & her twin sister! I stole this picture from Gary's Facebook when they attended a going away party for their niece Emma. I've met Joann and have had a few email exchanges with her over the years. She's always so thoughtful and warm. I'll never forget her strength during Gary's hospital stay.