Friday, April 8, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

  Title: I spy a little l in my I. 

So guess who is back again before you, this time as himself? It is I the lemon in iced tea. This played hard in many places with the cluing (his or the editors?) opaque and the structure different. If I am correct this is a puzzle with east/west symmetry...more about that later.  First, I want to acknowledge some fun sparkly fill - FAUCETS, RANGOON, ROSEBUD, SUITS ME, WRESTLE, SECTIONS, THE BIRDS, ATE A LITTLE, and GERIATRICS. Part of being sparkly is that they are longer and if you do not get the clue/fill combination, the puzzle becomes exponentially harder. Which brings us to the theme. Today JW gives a classic letter substitution puzzle, where the letter L at the end of a word in a familiar phrase is replaced with the letter I. Then it is clued to suggest the new meaning of the phrase. Clever - one of the arrows in his creative quiver. I said we have left/right symmetry with the themers going from 15 to 11 to 9 and finishing at 13. If you were looking for convential 17A to start symmetrical theme placements, it could be a long Friday.

The themers:

17A. Field worker having a pastrami on rye?: FARMER IN THE DELI (15). We begin with a gridspanner linking working in the fields to going to a delicatessen and ordering a pastrami on rye, which is a very popular order in most delis. This changes the children's nursery rhyme Farmer in the Dell just a little. The beauty is the simplicity, yet subtlety of such a tiny change causing such a completely new image.

27A. Prominent part of a Tex-Mex chain's logo?: THE BIG CHILI (11). This may be my favorite because it also has added imagery (the Big Chili in the chain's ads).  The movie, also was

an amazing introduction to many who became major stars, including the late William Hurt who just passed on March 13, 2022. Not updated, but here is the CAST. This does not list the very famous actor who was hired to play the friend who died, but whose footage was cut. It was...(        ) fill in the blank.

49A. Indonesian dive bar?: BALI JOINT (9). Next, ball joints which are spherical bearings that connect the control arms to the steering knuckles, and are used on virtually every automobile made are repurposed as a cheap bar on a key island that is part of Indonesia. When I owned a travel agency it was a favorite honeymoon spot for clients. I have never been. Anyone?

51A. Memory of the 1996 Olympic flame lighting?: ALI IN YOUR MIND (13). Do many of your remember when Muhammed Ali lit the Olympic Torch to begin the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta? 

It was very significant in many ways. It was a time of healing and hope after many traumatic summer games. It was time of inclusivity after murder and mayhem had dogged the games. It was a time to acknowledge Ali and his spirit, as he was in the grips of Parkinson's brought on by years of being hit in the head. He also had been villified as a draft dodger rather than an observant Muslim. But there is no sentiment in baseball or the LA Times so on we go. 

Across:

1. Mumbai melody: RAGA. Raga , also spelled rag (in northern India) or ragam (in southern India), (from Sanskrit, meaning “colour” or “passion”), in the classical music of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, a melodic framework for improvisation and composition.

5. Group playing mind games: MENSA. When this blog started everyone wondered who among the solvers belonged. Now we so not care. 

10. Criticizes: RAPS. They gave him a bad rap. 

14. Mocks: APES. Is aping always mocking?

15. Poem of 15,000+ lines: ILIAD. Aren't you glad they didn't make you memorize that one in school.

16. And more of the same, in brief: ET AL. It comes in most puzzles.

20. Like the Godhead: TRIUNE. A very Friday word. Since we do not discuss religion here, I will merely quote the Brittanica "There is One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Other ways of referring to the Trinity are the Triune God and the Three-in-One. The Trinity is a controversial doctrine; many Christians admit they don't understand it, while many more Christians don't understand it but think they do."

21. Fantasized: DREAMT. 

22. Diplomacy: TACT. Not my strong suit.

23. "Isle of Dogs" director Anderson: WES.  Here is a GUIDE to his films.

26. Tom or jack: MALE. Designation for animals, e.g TOM CAT, JACK ASS.

30. Bygone Mideast gp.: UAR. United Arab Republic (U.A.R.), Arabic Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah, political union of Egypt and Syria proclaimed on February 1, 1958, and ratified in nationwide plebiscites later that month. It ended on September 28, 1961, when Syria, following a military coup, declared itself independent of Egypt. More Brittanica. 

32. Capital of colonial Burma: RANGOON. It is now part of Myanamar and known as YANGON. These renamings passed on 18 June 1989 to reflect the fact that the "r" sound is no longer used in Standard Burmese and merged with a "y" glide.

33. Bill: TAB. Short for tabulation.

36. "No objection here": SUITS ME. I like blogging. Though I...

38. Try to deal (with): WRESTLE. with scheduling my time.

40. Sharply outline: ETCH. They use acid. 

41. Israeli-born designer Tahari: ELIE. 45 years i

42. Kane's boyhood sled: ROSEBUD. Does anybody not know this from Orson Welles' classic Citizen Kane?

46. Taps: FAUCETS. It is CONFUSING.

55. Lucretius' love: AMOR. Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher, he wrote Latin where Amor is the word for love.

56. Spry: AGILE. Synonyms: easy moving, more acute, most easy-moving, sprighter, most sportive, mercurial, most easy moving, quick trigger, quick the draw, sprightest, quick witted, quick draw, more easymoving, more easy moving, easymoving, sportive, most easymoving, more easy-moving, quick on draw, quick the trigger, quickwitted.

57. Rowers: OARS. Not the people, the instrument.

59. Pastoral group: HERD. Not an actual Pastor but related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle.

60. Sly tactics: RUSES. This is an action intended to deceive someone; a trick.

"Eleanor tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house"

61. Simone of song: NINA.
                        
62. Revolution constant: AXIS. If it is revolving, it does so on an axis.

63. Since Jan. 1: YTD. Year To Date.

64. Impede: SLOW. Block.

Down:

1. Passel: RAFT. JW or the editors are wearing out my synonym dictionary-  raft, including: craft, mint, (slang) lot, mass, mess, batch, heap, mickle, mountain, muckle, passel.

2. Besides, with "from": APART. Apart from watching the Masters, do you watch golf on TV?

3. Job field that embraces seniority: GERIATRICS. Sounds like fun for this geriatric.

4. To an equal extent: AS MUCH.

5. Bog: MIRE.

6. Ivy attendee: ELI. Not to be confused with our Israeli designer.

7. "Collages" novelist: NIN. Anais, author of many books and way more appearances in crosswords.

8. Couldn't stand anymore?: SAT. Ha ha, not anger but tired legs.

9. Condition treated by Ritalin, briefly: ADHD. We did not have this condition or Autism when I was a kid.

10. Overturned card consequence, perhaps: REDEAL. 

11. Nibbled: ATE A LITTLE.

12. ___ d'Or: Cannes award: PALME. Here are some favorite winners of this AWARD.

13. Cut: SLIT. Like someone's throat if you watched all those movies.

18. Records: ENTERS. A CSO to our accountants.

19. Fur that's a symbol of royalty: ERMINE. From a glorified rat.

23. Its nose says a lot about its quality: WINE. Hi Chairman.

24. __ roll: EGG. My wife prefers making fresh roll.

25. Refuse craft: SCOW. Another Asian treat.

28. Cartoon ruckus sound: BAM.

29. Old TV knob: HOR.izontal. TV abbreviation= 

30. One often paying a fee: USER.

31. Soul, for one: AUTO. By KIA.

34. Came down: ALIT.

35. They work in cells: BEES. Funny, but true. A new clue, is it yours JW. 

37. 1963 film that was a 1991 Horror Hall of Fame inductee: THE BIRDS. Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren. I was 14, it did not haunt me, I love birds. 

39. Strings, woodwinds, etc.: SECTIONS.

43. Keurig Dr Pepper brand: BAI.

44. Like the "funny bone" nerve: ULNAR. Not like, it is the nerve.

45. Mr. Fixit, casually: DIY GUY. Do It Yourself Guy. 

46. Made illegal contact with, in some sports: FOULED. In pretty much all sports. 

47. Buenos __: AIRES. Argentina.

48. Albuquerque sch.: UNM. Hey OKL, how are you doing?

50. Floor support: JOIST. A joist is a horizontal structural member used in framing to span an open space, often between beams that subsequently transfer loads to vertical members. wiki.

51. Visa competitor: AMEX.

52. Actress Petty: LORI. Best known for this movie. 
                            
53. File target: NAIL.

54. Bond baddie: DR NO. Joseph Wiseman was a Canadian-American theatre, film, and television actor, well known for starring as the villain Julius No in the first James Bond film, Dr. No in 1962.

55. "Eureka!": AHA. Aha we are almost done.

58. Bromide: SAW.  Guess what? Another synonym. C'mon Jeffrey, I am teasing, puzzles are always a variation of synonyms. That is what words are. 

Hi everyone, I hope you have been enjoying the Masters and the virtuosity of Cameron Smith, Scottie Sheffler and others and the comeback of Tiger Words, oops I mean Woods.  We have had  a very good week of puzzles and blogs as we race towards Rich Norris' last day as Editor. C.C. has made it clear we can't retire yet. I hope you enjoyed the ride, I will be back another day. Lemonade out. 

Friday, April 1, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

 Title: I am nobody's fool! I am going to rock your world!

Sadly, the Chairman had to bow out of this write-up as he was not up to the challenge. All his years slapping us around never prepared him to have, let alone use an imagination. So appropriately on this first day of April, known as April Fool's Day, he called on me, Curly Joe , the reincarnation of the fourth and final performer to share the stage with Moe and his cousin Larry Fine, to save his bacon (they were not observant of the dietary laws). I am relied on to unravel a Friday fun fest from the overly-productive Jeffrey Wechsler who lives to hear his audience whimper. I am new to this so bear with me, I am going to begin with the one and only theme answer. 

37A. Architectural marker, or what can be found four times in this puzzle: CORNER STONE (11). A cornerstone is a ceremonial building block, usually placed ritually in the outer wall of a building to commemorate its dedication. They have been aound for millenia.

If I knew puzzles would be so easy to make... what does that mean? I left no stone unturned in contemplating these building blocks, which brings me to my first Joe-sho:

Well back to what it all meant. To prepare I went back and reread many of Mr. Wechsler's prior puzzles and concluded the man is whack. I could not stop there, as I knew that would not be much of a write-up. So this is what I decided...it is another of those damn visuals Lemony talked about last week. 

In the top right corner if you go up continuously from MARB and turn right to BLE you have MARBLE,  a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. This is the"stone in the corner" a corner stone. The words spins around the B. 

In the top left corner if you go right from BAS and then down to SALT you see BASALT which is an aphanitic extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron. This time S is the pivot. 

In the bottom left you go down from SHA then turn left to ALE you will see SHALE which is a soft, finely stratified sedimentary rock that formed from consolidated mud or clay and can be split easily into fragile slabs. This time A is the pivot. 

Lastly in the bottom right corner if you start with the PUM and turn right and combine with the MICE you get PUMICE  a very light and porous volcanic rock formed when a gas-rich froth of glassy lava solidifies rapidly. We have one that spins on the M. It all spells MBSP which means nothing to me. 

The constuctor uses these in a rather haphazard way, three 6 letter rocks and only one 5 letter; we have 2 rocks formed from lava, 1 metamporphic and 1 sedimentary rock; but the most telling flaw is the flow, or rather absence thereof. Basalt is the hardest, Marble next, Shale and then poor porous Pumice. Why didn't we get these in the proper order? Hardest to softest...maybe the clues could be scaled not by the day but by their place in the grid.

He tries to show off and distract us with so many long shiny words like BRAMBLE,  ETERNAL, LITERAL, NATASHA, SPURTED, WAHINES, ECONOMIC, EMIGRATE, SAIL AWAY,  THE BRAVE, BROTHERLY, and the most appropriate  I'LL FORGET which I certainly will this puzzle. I am done, I am out of here. 

Wait, Moe says I have to do the whole thing! What did I get myself into? 

My first limerick

There was an old man who performed,

But sadly his body was deformed.

So his jokes were hurtful and mean,

And none could ever be called clean.

He died on stage, never reformed.

Now that you all are in the proper mood for a day of fun...

Across:

1. Came out in the wash?: BLED. If you stab someone use a thin knife like a stiletto, the cut does not bleed much. Oh, he meant the fabric color bleeds, why didn't he say so?

5. Support pieces: STUDS. Some of my best lady friends are supporting their young men. 

10. Execs' wall displays: MBAS. I doubt that, maybe they have diplomas on the wall but not random letters.

14. Houston campus: RICE. I did not know they grew rice in Houston? I thought that only grew in watery swamp like areas? Why build a school there? Be careful all you Texans.

15. Fiddlers follower, in verse: THREE. I know this one...

16. Soft drink opener?: COCA. I never mix chocolate or cocaine with soda.

17. Small step: A TO B. I do have small feet.

18. Flight maintenance word: DEICE.  Limerick 2...

I am told I have to be nice,

And eat my chicken and rice.

Do not drink too much wine,

We'll have fun while we dine

Only if Tinbeni's drink I deice.

19. Worldwide: Abbr.: INTL. International, at least he tells us this one is an abbreviation.

20. Lists for patrons: MENUS. Which ones? Merriam-Webster tells us the definition is:

1a: a person chosen, named, or honored as a special guardian, protector, or supporter

a patron of the arts

  b: a wealthy or influential supporter of an artist or writer

  c: a social or financial sponsor of a social function (such as a ball or concert)

2: one that uses wealth or influence to help an individual, an institution, or a cause

a patron of the city library

3: one who buys the goods or uses the services offered especially by an establishment

a restaurant's patrons.

We finally made it to a restaurant...

22. Toucan's pride: BEAK. Did you know it is made of keratin, like human hair and is quite light and cannot be used for protection?  This brings me to my second Joe-sho:

            

23. I.M. Pei alma mater: MIT. Where else could he go?

24. Like much love: BROTHERLY. Moe loves me like a brother. 

See how he pushed Cousin Larry out of the picture?

26. Word with board or mentioned: ABOVE. I hope you are not bored with my stooge mentions which brings me to my limerick 3.

The Stooges were supposed to be three;

Moe Larry, first Shemp and then Curly.
Shemp left and came back when Curly got sick

But those three could never together stick;

They tried other Curlys but ended up with me.

28. Sudden flight: LAM. Rack of lam is one of my favorites, but I usually have it with the b?  

29. Actress Longoria: EVA. Is she related to Eva Braun? Ooo ooo, I looked at her picture. maybe she could relate to me!
30. Came out suddenly: SPURTED. I might just!

32. Romance novelist Hilderbrand: ELIN. She has written about NANTUCKET  which reminds me of a classic limerick...sorry it was censored.

34. Natural climber: IVY.

36. SUV part, briefly: UTE.

41. WWII org. with a Pallas Athene symbol: WAC. Before my time. 
Women's Army Corps

42. __ Paulo: SAO. Saint Paul.

43. Govt. agents: T-MEN. My grandson plays t-ball.

46. Some surfers: WAHINES. The word wahine came into English in the late 18th century from Maori, the language of a Polynesian people native to New Zealand; it was originally used for a Maori woman, especially a wife. The word is now used for a woman or a young girl in Hawaiian. In the US we call them surfer girls.  

Limerick 4

Like MLK I too had a dream,

I saw a surfboard that did gleam;

Riding the board was a wahine

So I whispered something obscene,

Before long I awoke with scream!

50. "It depends" components: IFS. Ands and butts!

52. Give-go link: IT A. Give it a go; that is what I am doing.

53. Ain't like it oughta be?: AREN'T. The gramma police are out in force.

54. "Please remind me": I'LL FORGET. I already did

57. VII x CCC: MMC. I don't do math.

58. Ottoman honorific: AGHA. Fancy words for a foot stool.

59. Hall of Famer who was a Yankee manager and a Mets coach: BERRA. This clue must have been written by Will Sortz, I mean Shortz. He loves the Yankees but he does not know the whole history.

LINK.

60. Canapé delicacy: PATÉ. I think this is what the rappers are singing about when I hear "paté time". Foie gras is foie gross to me.

62. Astonished: IN AWE. As you all must be by now.

64. Keeps out: BANS. 

65. Yard, for one: UNIT. It makes you need to pee so bad.

66. 67-Across sites: MESAS. Ours in Arizona are more better.

67. Rockies state: UTAH.

68. Modern navigation aids: MICE. I should have used this for Limerick 2.

69. Court orders: STAYS. That's what I tell my dog. Man I am tired, 

70. Ward of "FBI": SELA. She left the show years ago. Who makes these clues?

Down:

1. Berry bush: BRAMBLE. Isn’t that where Br’er  Rabbit went?

2. True to the original: LITERAL.

3. Like Paul Samuelson's field: ECONOMIC. Paul Samuelson? Wiki says: Paul Anthony Samuelson was an American economist, who was the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

4. Rollout: DEBUT. This is my debut as blogger; I had no idea how much work it was going to be.

5. Criterion: Abbr.: STD. This is standard abbreviation fill I am told.

6. Key ending words?: THE BRAVE. So cute, Francis Scott and land of the...

7. Archangel of repentance: URIEL. I watched Lucifer on Netflix and he did not seem very repentant.

8. Falls into ruin: DECAYS. I know, I have to take care of my teeth.

9. Try to locate: SEEK. I am looking for a dentist who likes Nitrous Oxide.

10. Defunct AT&T rival: MCI. Is't that where IMP worked?

11. Witticism: BONMOT.

12. Still at it: ACTIVE. I am but I am tired.

Joe-sho 3

13. Like roads in winter, at times: SALTED. Or the rims of the margarita glass.

21. Maritime pronoun: SHE. 

Limerick 5

They say all boats are girls.

So they name them like pearls.

But women we often learn,

Would like to see us burn;

So they make our sails unfurl.

25. Expose: EVINCE. Who is this Vince?

26. Road runner: AUTO. I thought he was a bird. 

27. Spiner of "Star Trek: T.N.G.": BRENT. This was the robot guy

31. Postpone: PUT OFF. I can't put off finishing this, it is a 

33. Bad sort of situation: NOW IN. I thought it meant the situation I am in, but I now see it is NO WIN, which is no better.

35. Annual arrivals: Abbr.: YRS. They are coming faster now

38. Tirade: RANT.

39. Subtitle of Enya's Grammy-winning "Orinoco   Flow": SAILAWAY.
40. Settle in a new country: EMIGRATE. All this immigration emigration talk grates on my nerves, and I do not know if I am coming or going. Where did I hear that before?

44. Always there: ETERNAL. I am beginning to think this puzzle is forever.

45. Boris' sidekick: NATASHA. Alone he was never badenov.

46. Old Native American currency beads: WAMPUM. This seems very unPC for the woke generation. 

47. Luxury fashion name: ARMANI.

48. More than busy: HECTIC. One armed paper hanger...

49. Seal on a ring: SIGNET. Signet rings have been around for centuries and were traditionally engraved with a monogram or symbol that could be pressed into hot wax to create a seal, not a sea lion.

51. Blubber: SOB. I admit we large men do tend to sob and it looks a bit like a whale.

55. Capital at 12,000 feet: LHASA. You bet you find that in Tibet.

56. Picture puzzle: REBUS. Not the fancy crossword ones
                                    

58. Intentions: AIMS. I aim to  get out of here.

61. Summer at the Sorbonne: ÉTÉ. I learned that in school.

63. Start to snow?: ESS. The start of the word snow, and the end of my being here, I was really snowed by Moe. Be well. CJ.

I would like to tell you how much fun I had, but I hate lying to people I don't know. I am sending this off and wish you all luck.

Oh wow, I mailed the write up to Lemon to post and I guess his email included Mr. Wechsler address and I received the following! Oy vey!

Memo:

From: Jeffrey Wechsler

Re: Today’s crossword

What?  This puzzle is published on a Friday?  This isn’t one of those insidiously tricky Friday puzzle themes that sometimes raise people’s hackles– maybe it’s a Thursday, or even a Wednesday.  Hey, I ‘ve got a reputation to protect!  So – um, wait – it’s April Fools’ Day!  Maybe that’s it.  But wait – are you calling me a fool?  Wrong day and an insult?  I want to complain to the editor!  Wait, what – the editorship is changing?  Are they using that as an excuse?  Maybe I should sue.  Any lawyers involved in this review?  Maybe I should check with this Lemonade character who sometimes writes on Fridays.  Lemonade: Ha!  What a moniker!  With that name he must be a real sourpuss.  (But sometimes the writer is Chairman Moe; that sounds like Chairman Mao – might be a subversive, someone should check into it.)  But maybe I should think twice about getting a lawyer: didn’t someone once write “Let’s kill all the lawyers”?  Who was that?  Oh, yeah, some guy supposedly named Shakespeare.  Now that’s a made-up name if ever I heard one!  Just some scribbler who used weird words like “hath” and “doth” and crazy contractions like “e’er” and “e’en”.  Totally not worth quoting.  

And perhaps I should dial it down.  The Crossword Corner is generally a calm oasis among crossword blogs; I shouldn’t rock the boat.  And its participants are so varied – they might be Irish or Canadian, they range from a Husker to a Jinx.  Sometimes reading their comments provides a Ray-O-Sunshine.  (I’d better stop here; my eyes are getting Misty.)  So, an April Fools’ Day toast to this blog (including even those who still misspell my last name) and especially to whoever runs the Corner – not a big drink, maybe a very, very tiny one, maybe just one CC.

YAD SLOOF LIRPA!

F

Friday, March 25, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Help, I have a DOC sticking up from my side! Am I covered by medicare?

I am back and so is Jeffrey for another Friday this time with a visual theme that is very creative but also a type not always appreciated here at the Corner. And frankly, it was not immediately apparent to me even after writing up so many of his efforts. My first notion was the removal of the letter OC from each of the long fill. That really made no sense with the reveal. I also had fixated on the down fill starting with COD.

Going back to look at the grid, it became clear these two concepts interesected. Add that observation to the never accidental use of the word UP, the reference to "direction," and the theme jumps out. You can see the words pivoting on the D. 

It features three themers and a reveal leaving much room for other sparkly fill - RESEALS, ATTUNES TO,  ENEMY LINE, LAUNCHPAD, OVERUNDER REST MODES and WORRISOME. To make his reveal work, he pairs three long across fill with three appropriate down fill which I will put together to finish the explanation. 

Themer 1:

17A. *Guide for Smithsonian visitors, say: MUSEUM DOCENT.(10). Is DOCENT a known word? Certain to a curator like JW, but you? Paired with: 9D. Indulge: CODDLE.  This is the up DOC to which the reveal refers, as each long theme answer has DOC sticking out and going up.

Themer 2:

22A. *Ken Burns specialty: DOCUMENTARY FILM (13). KEN is quite famous for his work. His CIVIL WAR and Baseball films are great. This is paired with: 16D. Eccentric old guys: CODGERS. My hand is up not down the front of my pants. The second of the reverse DOC going up.

Themer 3:

42A. *Southeast Asian colonial region dismantled in 1954: FRENCH INDOCHINA (13). As a child of the 50s and 60s I was very aware of the French pull out of the area and involvement of the US to "preserve" the region. This may be a factoid lost in the miasma of aging. Paired with: 39D. Fish-and-chips fish: COD. When we eat out, this is often my meal of choice, especially now that my red meat intake is limited. It does make me wonder why it is called a COD PIECE? The third and last DOC going up.

The reveal: 49A. Classic Looney Tunes tagline offering some "direction" in solving the starred clues: WHAT'S UP DOC? I am sure the world has heard Bugs Bunny say:

The grid to get the "picture." 

Now we are ready for the rest of the story:

Across:

1. Earth, for one: ORB. And, 19A. Food scrap: ORT. I love this start!

4. Dred Scott decision Chief Justice: TANEY. Even after C.C. foreshadowed this very famous and awful decision by the SCOTUS,  it took my brain too long to pull out the name of this controversial man who served for 28 years. Incidentally, he was from Maryland and a Roman Catholic. Remind anybody of anybody? JK Bill.

9. Leg section: CALF. I never thought of ordering a thigh and a calf.

13. Two-digit sign: VEE. For victory.

14. Thrifty to begin with?: ECONO. A well worn prefix for inexpensive.

15. Central Plains tribe: OTOE. Many Os to begin this puzzles; this LINK is a glance at this word's xword history.

16. "__ la vie": C'EST. A very French phrase which can used in many different situations, from Frank Sinatra's THAT's LIFE to 

20. Hardly libertine: PRIM. I stumbled for a bit when I put in PRIG.

21. Pithy saying: ADAGE. Pithy goes back to the 1300s, "strong, vigorous," from pith meaning "full of substance or significance" is from 1520s. 

26. Fairy tale figures: GNOMES. In modern times they are lawn ornaments. Or a famous song, gnome, gnome on the range where the hobbits and the orcs do roam. gnome (n.1) "dwarf-like earth-dwelling spirit," 1712, from French gnome (16c.), from Medieval Latin gnomus, used 16c. in a treatise by Paracelsus, who gave the name pigmaei or gnomi to elemental earth beings, possibly from Greek *genomos "earth-dweller" (compare thalassonomos "inhabitant of the sea"). A less-likely suggestion is that Paracelsus based it on the homonym that means "intelligence" (see gnome (n.2)).Popularized in England in children's literature from early 19c. as a name for red-capped German and Swiss folklore dwarfs. Garden figurines of them were first imported to England late 1860s from Germany; garden-gnome attested from 1933. Gnomes of Zurich for "international financiers" is from 1964.gnome (n.2)"short, pithy statement of general truth," 1570s, from Greek gnōmē "judgment, opinion; maxim, the opinion of wise men," from PIE root *gno- "to know."

27. Mother __: LODE. Lucy is it likely this is a translation of Mexican Spanish veta madre, a name given to rich silver veins?

28. Money with hits: EDDIE. This is funny Money. He left us in 2019.

29. Retreats: LAIRS. From Roget. SYNONYMS.

31. Word with bonds or games: WAR. An all too real reference today.

34. Line holder: REEL. Fishing line.

35. Barely detectable: FAINT. The magic clue that solves the crime is often...

36. Tiny particle: MOTE. Likely from Dutch mot "dust from turf, sawdust, grit."

37. Future H.S. grads, probably: SRS. Seniors, hopefully.

38. Volcanic eruption sight: PLUME.

39. Nested supermarket array: CARTS. I never thought of them as nested. 

40. Nana: GRAN. Sunday, C.C. added Nai nai.

41. "Amen to that!": SO TRUE. 

45. Earth's volume?: ATLAS. Ha ha, a book- a volume about Earth. I like it.

47. Mandlikova of '80s tennis: HANA. She will always be remembered with NAVRATILOVA.  Hana's MEMORIES.

48. Mexican pinch?: SEL. More Mexico, this time the Spanish word for salt.

51. Office figure: BOSS. Often just a figurehead. Can you name them all? They have become...

52. Legends and such: LORE. We have had this word often lately.

53. Cloth-dyeing method: BATIK. I was dying to think of a pun but could not.

54. Pro using a siren,  perhaps: EMT. Emeregency Medical Technician. Do all the drivers get licensed? I guess if not they would be...

55. Went after, in a way: SUED. IMO, the court system has become unwieldly and too expensive.

56. Objects of worship: IDOLS. As long as they are not GRAVEN? I guess photos are fine.

57. Earth opening?: GEO. Fun clue for the word that derived from the Greek, gē earth, covering everything from GEODISIC domes to GEOMETRY. Also a nice way to end part I.

Down:

1. With 3-Down, sportsbook option based on the final score: OVERUNDER. 3D. See 1-Down: BET. This based on total points scored by both winning and losing teams and with it is greater than or less than. An important part of parlay betting.

2. Game system turnoff options: REST MODES. You need to leave it on just in case.

4. What a siren does: TEMPTS. An A-LIST of sirens. A deliberate use of siren after (54A) and its other meaning.

5. Lexus competitor: ACURA. Honda's luxury car.

6. Polite denial: NO SIR. Yes sir. No Ma'am, yes ma'am.

7. Combat demarcation point: ENEMY LINE. Behind Enemy Lines is the name of a few movies, as well as the plot.

8. "__ busy?": YOU. You know I am, we all work hard of these write-ups. Geez, Louise! 

10. Starting players: A-TEAM. See 4D. 

11. Sleep-inducing, maybe, as a lecture: LONG. I had trouble with this as it seemed too easy.

12. Fancy party: FETE. Not a gala, or a ball. Made easy this week.

18. "Downton Abbey" personnel: MAIDS.

23. Man's name that becomes a measurement when one letter is moved: EMIL. MILE. I wonder if that is how Miley Cyrus got her name?

24. Once called: NÉE. Miley was born DESTINY HOPE CYRUS.

25. The Alamo, e.g.: FORT. Another deceptively simple clue/fill.

29. Starting point of many modern missions: LAUNCH PAD. A timely CSO to Husker Gary who I signed up for a future Blue Origin launch as a birthday surprise.

30. Intention: AIM. It is my intention to fulfill his dream of looking down on all Earth.

31. Unsettling: WORRISOME. I hope Joann does not find it so.

32. Puts in sync with: ATTUNES TO. Doing my part to improve your life here are my tips in a romantic relationship:

Listen before you speak. ...

Ask questions to understand. ...

Notice your partner's nonverbal cues. ...

Use validating statements. ...

Identify your triggers. ...

Feel and own your feelings. Or not.

33. Zips again, as a Ziploc bag: RESEALS. Why not rezip?

35. Rich dessert: FLAN. Where does Flan make its money? It is just custard, sort of. Speaking of which WORDS ENDING IN TARD

36. Subject with shapes: MATH. I prefer ART. 

38. First Amendment concern: PRESS. Freedom thereof...

40. Like Romano, often: GRATED. I have watched Everybody Loves Raymond a few times and thought he played a very irritating character, but he did not grate on my nerves.

41. Chips, say: SNACKS. Unless you are in Great Britain.

42. Emergency device: FLARE. Not to be confused with FLAIR, though both can be quite dramatic.

43. Couldn't not: HAD TO. The old double negative manuever.

44. How tuna may be packed: IN OIL. Or water, but not both at the same time for oils are hydrophobic (not homophobic) or “water fearing.” Instead of being attracted to water molecules, oil molecules are repelled by them.

45. Hole makers: AWLS. Almost a Shakespeare quote, AWLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 

46. "O Julius Caesar, __ art mighty yet!": Brutus: THOU. This  quote is uttered by Marcus Brutus as he stands over the dead bodies of Cassius and Titinius, another soldier who was fighting to kill Caesar. Brutus is suggesting even dead JC was able to bring retribution to the conspirators. And JW gets to bring us a quote from Act V, Scene 3.

50. Where, to Brutus: UBI. Just the Latin for where. You are not his chariot driver. As most of us who studied Latin for years, the fake phrase SEMPER UBI, SUB UBI was always good for a laugh.

51. Entreat: BEG. They did not beg for their lives but all committed suicide. Is suicide a cowardly act? Are you begging for mercy to be done with ths write-up? You win, Lemonade has left the building beaten and exhausted once more ridden around the mind of Jeffrey Wechsler at dizzying speeds needing to step back, regroup and soldier on.

I loved the challenge and look forward to all of your comments.

No grid here, see above. 

Friday, March 11, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Add three letters and call me in the morning.

Doctor (figuratively speaking) Wechsler has built another extra large grid (15x16) to permit room for his three 16 letter theme fill. Each of them has the trigram (three letter) AMA added to a base phrase. We also have the rare benefit of a reveal on a Friday which helps solve this puzzle even if you are not used to JW's tricks. The triple sevens in each bottom corner and the triple sixes on the sides are indication of the gridding skill this man has. This is a very difficult puzzle to build as it is hard to find another 16 letter fill where AMA could be added to an existing phrase. Some of the fill is more strained than we usually see from JW, but the first themer is so perfect there always are consequences. Bear in mind he does his fill by hand not machine.

ACACIAS, BAILEYS, CRYSTAL, CUSTODY, DEADPAN, ECSTASY, ENROBED, ENSNARE, NUREYEV, RIPENED, UNDERGO, VANILLA, ELECTRIC, and LUCIDITY are all interesting non-theme fill, a benefit of having 15 extra spaces in the puzzle. The first of the themers may be the most challenging.

18A. *Crèche, for example?: CHRISTIAN DIORAMA (16). With DIORAMA not an everyday word and the final fill combining a clothing designer with the trigram to create this religious piece may be a bit outré. But then it may have been the puzzle's inspiration. Vote (  ) yes   (  ) no.

26A. *Recent president scrutinizing a book on jurisprudence? : OBAMA EYING THE LAW(16). This also is tricky because the phrase obeying the law is invaded by the AMA creating separate words rather than tagging on the end.

42A. *Animal rights goal in the Andes?: JUSTICE FOR A LLAMA. (16). We get Ogden Nash's 2 LLama; with all the commercials they are now appearing in I would think llamas are the richest of the working beasts. Finally, the reveal...

54A. Altered, in a way ... and a hint to the org. that helped create the answers to starred clues: DOCTORED UP (10). The American Medical Association. They were founded in1847, making this their 175 year anniversary. On to rest...

Across:

1. "'And hast thou __ the Jabberwock?'": Carroll: SLAIN. What a wonderful quotation to begin a creation aimed at people who love words. The poem may appear to be total nonsense but it has been studied and discussed such as this ANALYSIS by Dr. Oliver Teale. His blog is even more successful than the Corner.

6. Steady guy: BEAU. Boyfriend from the French.

10. Event involving hidden matzo: SEDER. Passover (Pesach) begins this year at sundown on April 15, which is also a sabbath. 
                        

15. Shell material: NACRE. The inside of the shell of some mollusks also known as mother-of-pearl. Here is a picture of a vintage Egyptian folding chair I was given some time ago with nacre insets.

16. Loads: A TON. Simple, and clearly a big load.

17. Horror film burden: CURSE. My thought is poor Lon Chaney Jr. and the curse of the werewolf.

21. Geode feature, perhaps: CRYSTAL. Geodes are spherical to subspherical rock structures with an internal cavity lined with mineral materials. Very pretty.

22. Dressed: ENROBED. Back to our naked Emperor from my Wednesday write-up.

23. Current type: ELECTRIC. No, not anymore. Now I want only my wife. Oh, electric current, never mind.

34. Grammy-winning pianist Peter: NERO. This MUSICIAN was extremely popular during my growing years of the 50s and 60s.

35. 2020 N.L. batting champ Juan: SOTO. This 23 year old from the Domincan Republic has already logged 4 years in the majors. STATS. A very hard fill for most here, and fill unlike Jeffrey.

36. "Sula" author Morrison: TONI. This was her second novel and Goodreads says, "This rich and moving novel traces the lives of two black heroines from their close-knit childhood in a small Ohio town, through their sharply divergent paths of womanhood, to their ultimate confrontation and reconciliation."

37. "That describes me, right?": AM I NOT. This sounds  philisophical and historical as well as being a rallying cry of the modern young.

40. Paradise: HEAVEN. Ah, religion a forbidden topic here but an interesting one.

47. Sugar suffix: OSE. Sucrose, lactose, maltose, hammer tose...

48. Clear thought: LUCIDITY. Dictionary says this word is the quality of being easily understood, completely intelligible, or comprehensible. A goal for a blogger?

49. Spirit that's also a game: GIN. Alchemists in the Middle East were the first to master distillation. They were hoping to not only change lesser elements to gold but to make medical elixirs. To do so, they would distill liquid, collect the vapor, and gather the “spirit” that came off the material. Gin is a very competitive card game.

50. "Molto __": "Very good": BENE. An Italian lesson for a change!

52. Trough fill: SLOP. Historically people saved their food scraps and spoiled food and served them to their pigs in the trough.

53. Huge amounts: SEAS. I guess this is something likened to the sea especially in vastness such as a sea of faces.

59. Plain: VANILLA. I have had bosses and secretaries who called manila folders "vanilla folders."

62. Soviet-born ballet immortal: NUREYEV. I am not a great fan of ballet, but he was amazing.

66. Broad-topped trees: ACACIAS. Hard to believe these are in the pea family

                            

67. Catch: ENSNARE.

68. Safekeeping: CUSTODY. When they throw you in jail, safekeeping is not your first thought.

69. Poker-faced: DEADPAN. More Stephen Wright, right?

Down:

1. '60s civil rights gp. inspired by student sit-ins: SNCC. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was the culmination of many sit-ins by young blacks in 1960. It also spawned many impressive black leaders.

2. Lion player Bert: LAHR. Since Detroit traded away Matthew Stafford so the Rams could win the Super Bowl, Bert is back to being the most revered lion.

3. "__ in the Dark": 1988 Neill/Streep film: A CRY. Not the original title, but a movie based on a true story of a New Zealand woman who was wrongfully convicted of murdering her baby daughter. You-tube will not let me use it, but look at the movie trailer, and you will see Streep really is magical at becoming a character.

4. Bearded bloom: IRIS. At first I thought of Morris Bloom and his make believe wife, but without the capital B it must be this beautiful plant.
 5. Iced drink brand: NESTEA.

6. Irish liqueur made by an English company: BAILEYS. It may seem that this liqueur has been around forever but Baileys was invented in London in 1973 by a team of professionals hired for the job. These included Tom Jago, head of innovation and development for International Distillers & Vintners (IDV), who was from the U.K.; David Gluckman, a South African; and Hugh Seymour-Davies, an Englishman from Oxford and Eden. They aparently do not like apostrophes.

7. LAX stat: ETA. Estimate Time of Arrival,

8. Chicago's __ Center: AON. For our big city midwestern readers this skyscraper was completed in 1974 as the Standard Oil Building. With 83 floors and a height of 1,136 feet (346 m), it is the fourth-tallest building in Chicago, surpassed in height by Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and St Regis Chicago. AON has bought naming rights to this and one in Los Angeles.

9. Experience: UNDERGO. There are good experiences and not good ones. Undergo makes me think of the not good ones.

10. Really burn: SCORCH. The wiktionary says it is from Middle English scorchen, scorcnen (“to make dry; parch”), perhaps an alteration of earlier scorpnen, from Old Norse skorpna (“to shrivel up”). It reminds me of the scorched earth caused by war.

11. Catalan cash: EURO. In Catalonia they now use Euro.

12. Colorless: DRAB. Such a potentially mean word. 

13. Girl in a Salinger title: ESME.The short story For Esmé with Love and Squalor is a post World War II story which I am not sure I ever understood. Here is an ANALYSIS. This might be time to ...

14. Curl up with a good book, say: READ. As it tells an interesting..

19. Story: TALE.

20. D.C. part?: Abbr.: INITial.

24. AFL partner: CIO. AFL–CIO, in full American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations, American federation of autonomous labour unions formed in 1955 by the merger of the AFL (founded 1886), which originally organized workers in craft unions, and the CIO (founded 1935), which organized workers by industries.

25. Blasted stuff: TNT. Very cute clue.

26. Out working: ON A JOB. If it weren't a three word answer this would be very easy.

27. Puzzle: BEMUSE. I know A-muse, and B-muse, but what is C-muse? Is it musical?

28. Ascended: ARISEN. Another word with many connotations.

29. __ Blanc: MONT. A mountain and a pen; talk about being versatile.

30. Shorthand for unlisted items: ET AL. Latin, Et alia.

31. Romantic-sounding herb: LOVAGE. Native to Southern Europe, lovage is a member of the parsley family but tastes like celery. My wife will feed me anything green she finds.

32. Lethargy cause: ANEMIA. Low red blood count caused by many serious and not serious matters.

33. CeCe with 12 Grammys: WINANS. Not related to the Wynan brothers. BIO.

38. Natural resource: OIL. A topic I will not touch now.

39. Horned Frogs' sch.: TCU. Texas Christian University began as a private co-ed college in 1869. The STORY.

40. Seuss cat's trademark: HAT. This LINK .

41. English cathedral town: ELY. An Anglican CHURCH.

43. Sheer joy: ECSTASY. What you are likely feeing now that this tour is almost over.

44. Baklava dough: FILO. Also a famous detective, no relation to Director Vance.

45. Smell: ODOR.

46. Came to fruition: RIPENED. A tiny pun since the word was taken from fruit becoming mature. 

51. Official proclamation: EDICT. Synonyms for edict: bull, decree, diktat, directive, fiat, rescript, ruling, ukase.

53. Use plastic, say: SPEND. Some of my credit cards are no longer plastic.

55. Miscellany: OLIO. One of C.C's words. 

56. Wearing, with "in": CLAD. The robe convering the emperor.

57. Beach feature: DUNE. A book, a hit movie, and a natural sand formation.

58. Up-there bear: URSA. Well there are two, a major and a minor.

59. Brief cleaner: VAC. I just throw mine in the washer with the rest of my clothes.

60. Pressure opening?: ACU. Not tire? I am getting tired.

61. "Illmatic" rapper: NAS. Two days in a row! He is a very respected rapper who is only now getting his full recognition depite being around for 25 years. As a 73 year old sheltered white man I will never be able to fully appreciate his artristy but the world does.

63. Jabber: YAP. An odd semi-dupe with the opening poetic reference, perhaps a little wocky.

64. Live-ball __: baseball period: ERA. It is the dead ball era which ended when Babe Ruth (the ball player, not the candy bar) started smacking home runs in record fashion in 1919. We now have the livlier ball era.

65. S.A. country, to the IOC: VENezuela. The International Olympic Committee assigns three letter tags for each nation, which is only slightly ironic in this three letter puzzle. This troubled nation is often in the news for unhappy reasons. 

And speaking of unhappy, I must now leave you to wait for the reaction of all of you who read and write. I do get impatient but still love the process. Thank you JW and all of you. Lemonade out.

Thursday, March 3, 2022,Jeffrey Wechsler

  

Today Jeffrey Wechsler invites us to step back a bit and look at the starred themers from a distance.  Each is a common word or phrase that when prefixed by the reveal words (70A & 71A) "THE WHOLE", takes on a whole (or slightly) different meaning:

1A. *Common delivery: PACKAGE.  I use UPS for my package delivery. 
But if we're talking about the THE WHOLE PACKAGE, you can't have the GOOD, without some of the BAD ...

From the film Before Midnight

8A. *Bagel partner: SCHMEAR.  A schmear is a generous slathering of cream cheese on a bagel. The word itself has Yiddish origins, derived from the root for spread or smear.  But here we're talking about THE WHOLE SCHMEAR, when EVERYTHING is just NOT ENOUGH  ...

21A. *Rolled Mexican dish: ENCHILADA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  THE WHOLE ENCHILADA really is EVERYTHING.  Not all that different from 8A.

If this one makes you hungry, here's a recipe for "Creamy Key Lime Chicken Enchiladas".
 

Our own recipe uses shrimp, re-fried beans, creamed corn, sour cream, Mexican cheddar, and spicy homemade salsa verde.
 
44A. *Skeet, e.g.: SHOOTING MATCH.  Shooting at clay "pigeons".  THE WHOLE SHOOTING MATCH is sadly a timely answer.  It implies risking everything for a venture that is bound to fail. The phrase is among many other 20th century neologisms that had their origins in The Great War, the "War to end all wars".

57A. *Object: THING.  It doesn't get any BIGGER than THE WHOLE THING.  Carl Sagan called it the Pale Blue Dot, ultimately encompassing the whole Universe.  Peter Gabriel celebrates THE WHOLE THING in his album Big Blue Ball (lyrics):

69A. *Opera, literally: WORKS.  The plural of Opus and today's Latin lesson. It is no exaggeration to say that OPERA  encompasses almost THE WHOLE of WORKS of  art (poetry, drama, orchestral music, vocal music, ballet, costumes, stage sets and stage craft).  Richard Wagner referred to his operas as "GesamtKunst" ("total art").   Had he had the technology available in the 20th century, he would have made his operas as movies.

Here's Jeff's reveal: 

70A With 71-Across and each answer to a starred clue, all of it: THE and 71A See 70-Across: WHOLE.

Here's the grid:

Now let's get on to the rest of  THE WHOLE PUZZLE:

Across:

15. Rank: ECHELON.  Here are the ranks of the British peerage.  The Earl of Grantham is so so.

16. West End attraction: THEATRE.  Today's British spelling lesson (Hi CanadianEh!)

17. Old racing vehicle: CHARIOT.  I was twelve in 1959, it was a snow day, and a buddy and I decided to walk 8 miles to the Hippodrome Theater in downtown Baltimore to see the film Ben-Hur.  Here's the CHARIOT race:

18. Tell a tale: NARRATE.   William Shakespeare, considered by many to be the greatest narrator of all time told this tale of ambition, the lust for power, and ruthlessness:

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
— Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17–28)

19. Sight from the Eiffel Tower: SEINE.

The Pont Rouelle is in the foreground

20. Like the Tin Man, after meeting Dorothy: OILED.  It felt so good!  Now, if he only had a heart.

27. Tuba's flared end: BELL.

30. Reduced, with "down": TONED.

31. To whom the rhinoceros was "prepoceros": NASH.  Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse, of which he wrote over 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyming schemes, he was declared by The New York Times the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry.  Oh, and here's everything you want to know about that prepoceros rhinoceros.
 

Ogden Nash

35. Natural resource: ORE.

36. Made with skill: CRAFTED.

38. Gp. in a 1955 labor merger: CIO.  The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million active and retired workers.

39. "Erin go __!": BRAGH.  Today's Irish lesson.  Erin go Bragh ERR-in gə BRAH), sometimes Erin go Braugh, is the anglicisation of an Irish language phrase, Éirinn go Brách, and is used to express allegiance to Ireland. It is most often translated as "Ireland Forever."

41. Grissom of NASA: GUS.  Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was a USAF pilot and a member of the Mercury Seven selected by NASA as Project Mercury astronauts to be the first Americans in outer space. He was a Project Gemini and an Apollo program astronaut. As a member of the NASA Astronaut Corps, Grissom was the second American to fly in space.  

Gus Grissom

Grissom once said this: "If we die, we want people to accept it. We're in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life."

42. High landform: RIDGE.

47. Steinbeck's Tom Joad, e.g.: OKIE.  Tom Joad is the protagonist of the Steinbeck's novel The  Grapes of Wrath.  He is long gone, but Bruce Springsteen still remembers him.

48. Sturdy trees: OAKS.

49. Bring bad news to: SADDEN.

52. Jumps back, say: REACTS.

56. Pace: CLIP.  From The Free Dictionary:

61. Type of drive on the Enterprise: WARP.  Einstein tells us that this is impossible, but not all physicists are convinced.

62. Modify, as sails: RERIG.  A CSO to Jinx.

64. Singer DiFranco: ANI.  Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco; (born September 23, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter.  She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influences from punk, funk, hip hop and jazz.  Here's Both Hands from Ani DiFranco,  her debut album (lyrics):

65. Hawaii's Pineapple Island: LANAI.  The smallest inhabited island travelers may visit in Hawaii.  A CSO to MalMan - he and Valerie are visiting as I write this.  I hope he's taking lots of pictures.

66. Put up or straight up: ERECT.

67. Org. overseeing broadband: FCC.  The Federal Communications Commission.  The term BROADBAND refers to high-speed communications services, as opposed to POTS ("Plain Old Telephone Service").  From the user's perspective broadband communications connotes Internet access.  In 2003 security researcher Barrett Lyon started a project called  Opte to visualize just what the FCC is up against.  Do those images remind you of anything?

68. Moving: ASTIR.

Down:
1. Bench press targets: PECS.

2. Pine (for): ACHE.

3. Trendy cupful: CHAI.  Masala chai is a tea beverage made by boiling black tea in milk and water with a mixture of aromatic herbs and spices.  Originating in India, the beverage has gained worldwide popularity, becoming a feature in many coffee and tea houses.

4. Bit of succotash: KERNEL.  The corn bits anyway.

5. Not from around here: ALIEN.

6. Viscous stuff: GOO.

7. MD treating rhinitis: ENT.  Ears Nose and Throat. Also a tree shepherd of Middle Earth.

8. RR stop: STN.

9. When doubled, a dance: CHA. 

10. King from whom Mary and Joseph fled: HEROD.  Not a good person.  In the aftermath of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus' flight into Egypt, the Gospels record that Herod ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of 2, as he saw the newborn child as a future rival for his throne.   This is contested by many Bible scholars, whereas other consider it quite plausible.

11. Contralto Anderson: MARIAN.  Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993, aged 96) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965.  Here she sings "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child":

12. List abbr. used as a substitute: ET AL.

13. Prado contents: ARTE.  More Spanish.  The Prado is an ART museum in Madrid, Spain.

14. Clarinet, for one: REED.  Yes Virginia, there are other WIND instruments.

22. WNBA position: CTR.  As Women's National Basketball Association is abbreviated, so is the position of Center.

23. Philly's signature sandwich: HOAGIE.  Mark your calendars for May 5th, National Hoagie Day.  For those of you who need a refresher on deli sandwiches, feast your eyes on these.

24. Not at all serious: IN FUN.

25. "Don't dawdle, people!": LETS GO. 

26. Drink ending: ADE.

27. Short cut: BOB.  As in a DO.

28. Isn't right: ERRS. 

29. Jacob's first wife: LEAH.  Leah was the daughter of Laban and sister of Rachel.   Many of the stories about the sisters center around their turbulent relationship, as they were both wives of Jacob.

32. Band with an electrical symbol in their logo: AC DC.  The Muppets are back with AC DC's Back in Black!

33. [How unfortunate]: SIGH.

34. Long-handled tool: HOE. 

36. Lose with a triple bogey, maybe: CHOKE.  Here are some of the worst golf CHOKES of all time (some schadenfreude to cheer up you duffers).

37. Critter on a Ring Dings box: DRAKE.  Definitely got this one with perps.

40. "You chose wisely": GOOD PICK.  As my old buddy Jerry used to say about me, "Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then".

43. "No winners, no losers": ITS A WASH.

45. Bit of color: TINT.

46. Helgenberger of "CSI": MARG.  Mary Margaret Helgenberger (born November 16, 1958) is an American actress best known for her role as Catherine Willows in the CBS police procedural drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000–13).

Marg Helgenberger

49. Phillips __: SCREW.  As opposed to slotted screws.  When Teri proofs this, she's going to remind me that I need to buy some Phillips head screws for the door to the sun room.

Phillips Head Screws

50. Old Olds: ALERO.  I commuted to Bloomington, Illinois for a year and half and the rental place always stuck me with the last car on the lot, a PURPLE ALERO that I took to calling BARNEY.

51. More grim: DIRER.

53. "The Divine Comedy" division: CANTO.   The Divine Comedy was written by Dante Alighieri (c. 1265 – 14 September 1321), an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. Its three books: The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso, are each divided into 33 verse CANTOS.  There is a also a prologue, making a total of 100 CANTOS, for a total of over 14,000 lines.  Dante wrote the work during his exile from his native Florence.  He was never able to return there and died in Ravenna, Italy.
 

Dante Alighieri

54. Follow: TRAIL. 

55. Cross site, often: SPIRE.  The part of a church roof that rises above a city skyline or a village's rolling hills, pointing sharply up toward the sky, is its spire. Many church spires have a cross at the very top. Other buildings — religious or secular — can also have spires, though it's most common to see one on a Christian church.

Spire with Cross

58. Axe part: HAFT.  The handle.  My oldest grandson is adept at throwing axes and embedding them in a massive slab of oak mounted on a tripod 50 paces away.
 

59. Foot part: INCH.

60. "Well done!": NICE.

63. Classic muscle cars: GTS.  The term "muscle car" is defined by Merriam-Webster as

The term GT is a little murkier and appears to have originated with the 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Turismo and stands for Grand Touring car.   According to this British site, the best place to buy muscle cars is in America.  A CSO to Jeffrey or Dash T to stop by and straighten this mess out.

65. "The __ allows it, and the court awards it": "The Merchant of Venice": LAW.  And it is by the LAW that Portia turneth the tables on Shylock and saveth Antonio.  And thus Jeffrey hath his Shakespeare!

As always, special thanks to Teri for proof-reading and constructive criticism.

waseeley

Cheers,

Bill

 

Notes from C.C.:

1) Thanks again for filling in yesterday, Lemonade!

2) Amazing puzzle and writeup, Jeffrey and Bill! 

3) I'm excited to share with you this "Golden Girls" puzzle I made for the Washington Post. It's edited by Patti Varol, who generously helped me with the theme set. Let me know how your solving goes. Make sure you check the link every Wednesday. Next week's puzzle is co-constructed by someone you all know and talk about on our blog from time to time.