Friday, January 27, 2023, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: This? OR That?

First off, welcome back Jeffrey Wechsler. My semi-laziness kept me from searching when a Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle last appeared in a Crossword Corner blog. Maybe right before Rich retired? Regardless, his puzzles were missed by many of us, myself included. When I saw that Wechsler was the constructor, I immediately emailed Lemonade714 to ask if he wanted to briefly come out of retirement and provide today's comments. Lemony/Jason graciously said "no", so we'll see if I am up to the task ...

The first thing that caught my eye was the unique pattern of black squares (blocks). I also noticed - before solving the first word - that there were two 14-letter entries (Rows 3 and 13), and an 11-letter entry in the center row (row 8). Typical themed puzzles are required - by the editor - to have a minimum of 40 letters in the total of the entries. 14 + 14 + 11 = 39, so I knew that more were there; just didn't know where

I also noticed a plethora (24) of 3-letter words. That is usually too high for a 15x15 puzzle on any day, let alone on a Friday. But knowing that Wechsler was the creator, I was not nonplussed ... (BTW, is "plussed" the antonym of nonplussed??!)

So off I went, starting at 1-across, looking for any "low hanging fruit". 1-across was not immediately known. (6-across. South Dakota region:) BADLANDS was easily solved, as was (14-across. __ All: car care brand:) ARMOR. The corresponding down clues (1. Cul-de-__:) SAC, (2. Letters for Kate Middleton:) HRH, and (3. Punk subgenre:) EMO, helped me get a foot hold in the NW Corner. (1-across. Stock holder?:) SHELF then quickly fell (brilliant clue, BTW), as did (5-down. Orchardist's concern:) FROST. (18-across. Application:) USE was next; then (22-across. Connecticut home of ESPN studios:) BRISTOL, and I thought, "Oh boy! This will be a cinch!" (which is not to be confused with the word "CONCH", [the answer to 33-across. Caribbean gastropod:])

So right now I am guessing that a few of you are saying, "Ok, Moe, slow down ... what sort of blog are you writing today?" "Are you going to explain HOW you solved the puzzle - each and every word - or are you going to 'get to the point'?!!"

OK. Here's the deal: I am writing this blog on Tuesday (Jan 24), and am in a bit of a hurry. Tomorrow (the 25th) begins a day of hell (for me), as the 26th I am scheduled for a colonoscopy ...

TMI? Perhaps

But for anyone who has gone through this procedure, the preparation day is a day from hell. I am looking forward to resting afterwards on Thursday, so getting the blog done today is my top priority, so please bear with me!! ;^)

15-across (Collection of Buddhist sculpture, Chinese jades, etc.:) ASIAN ART, only partially filled (I got the "ASIAN" part). So now comes the first theme entry: 16-across. Specialized work at a confectionary?: CHOCOLATE LABOR. The 3 and 4-letter clues running down from the word "BADLANDS" made this entry fill in easily: (6-down. "Hey, ewe!":) BAA; (7-down. Italian wine region:) ASTI; (8-down. Ran out of juice:) DIED; (9-down. "Deck the Halls" chorus fragment:) LA LA; (10-down. Political commentator Navarro:) ANA; and (11-down. Catches:) NABS. The "O" and "R" were gimmies, based on the clue. So now I knew what to look for in the remainder of the clues that had a "play-on-words"!

Jeffrey Wechsler incorporated the letters "OR" into the ends of two proper names (KING TUT and AQUAMAN), two descriptive nouns (CHOCOLATE LAB and THE BIG TEN), and one gerund (SPEEDING PAST). All of which provided us with a playful challenge!

Here are the "themed entries":

36-across. Instructor for a monarch?: KING TUTOR

38-across. Nickname for Luciano Pavarotti?: THE BIG TENOR

40-across. Estate that went all-out with turquoise paint?: AQUA MANOR

59-across. Vicar who puts the pedal to the metal?: SPEEDING PASTOR.

Honestly, I'm not sure which of these five I liked the best. They were all brilliant! And when you notice that three of the five are in rows 7, 8, and 9, it makes this one of the best, most creative puzzles I've ever solved

Were there a few words that could be construed as odd or perhaps disturbing? Maybe. (26-across. Nail polish brand with an Always Bare for You collection:) OPI is one; (32-down. Subatomic particle:) MUON is another ... and I am sure that some of you will take umbrage with other words, too ...

This puzzle has 59 themed letters!! For anyone who's ever attempted to create a crossword puzzle - by hand or from a computer program - this is insanely difficult. Jeffrey earned every penny today. It was well worth the wait. I hope you all enjoyed it - please comment below ... By the way, my procedure will be done as an out-patient, but technically, in the OR!! How fitting ...

Here is the grid, followed by the other clues:

Across:
19. Investigative journalist __ B. Wells: IDA.

20. Tiff: SPAT.

27. Prefix with gender: CIS.

28. Body care brand: NIVEA.

32. Tone down: MUTE.

42. Grind together: GNASH.

45. Baking measures: CUPS. Glad to see that this wasn't an abbreviation (TSPS, e.g.)

46. Fantasy brutes: OGRES.

48. Loose __: TEA. I actually WAG'd at this, but it fits better than a loose END

49. Subdivision unit: LOT.

50. Plead: ENTREAT. Which crossed a totally different, yet similar word (due to its spelling) ... 30-down. Item on a menu: ENTREE

53. Deep-dish chain, familiarly: UNOS. This one took me a few perps to fill - Chicago-based pizza chain

55. "And what have we here?": OHO.

58. Investment option, briefly: IRA.

65. Telemarketer's accessory: EARPIECE. This was a bit of a stretch, clue-wise

66. Hard section of a textbook, perhaps: SPINE.

67. Compact cars?: TRAIN SET. Cute clue

68. Made a big deal of: HYPED. I hope this isn't what I did with today's puzzle!! ;^)

Down:
4. Place: LOCUS. [from one of the many on-line dictionaries] "a particular position, point, or place." As used in a sentence: "It is impossible to specify the exact LOCUS in the brain of these neural events"

12. Worrisome educational statistic: DROPOUT RATE. First time this entry/word has been used in a crossword puzzle. Ditto for (24-down. Disappoints:) ISN'T UP TO PAR. Having one new word/phrase in a puzzle is cool; having two is amazing. And both are terms/phrases that are colloquial

13. Attach, in a way: STRAP TO. Glad that Jeffrey used "STRAP TO" rather than STRAP ON

17. Boxer Spinks: LEON. [wikipedia dot com says] "In only his eighth professional fight, he (LEON Spinks) won the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1978 after defeating Muhammad Ali in a split decision, in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history"

21. Level: TIER.

22. Email on the q.t.: BCC. [grammarist dot com says] "On the q.t. means doing something secretly. The q.t. in the phrase on the q.t. is an abbreviation of the word quiet. The term originated in the mid-1800s. There is some debate on whether the phrase on the q.t. is of American or English origin"

23. 2016 Olympics city: RIO.

25. Preference: LIKING.

29. Energy: VIGOR.

31. Medical chart datum: AGE.

34. Cartoonist Addams, familiarly: CHAS.

35. Adjustable border: HEM.

37. "Star Trek" spinoff before "DS9": TNG.

39. Steamed bun: BAO. Perps to the rescue; JW had no choice in this one

40. Org. concerned with privacy laws: ACLU.

41. __ hut: QUONSET. PIZZA didn't fit; besides, the word "hut" wasn't capitalized

43. "My bounty is as boundless as the __": Juliet: SEA. A staple in most every Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle is a clue which contains a reference to Wm. Shakespeare

44. Panama, for one: HAT.

47. Cut a bit: SNIP.

51. Wreck: TRASH.

52. Hoarse: RASPY.

54. Spanish : noche :: Italian : __: SERA. In Spanish, SERA is the verb form "will be". As in Que sera, sera. Of course, this leads me to the following Moe-ku:

What Doris Day sang
When nacho cheese not melted?
"Queso raw, so raw ..."

55. God who gave up an eye to gain wisdom: ODIN. Perps/Friday clue

56. Shakes a leg, quaintly: HIES.

57. Second word of many limericks: ONCE. What my friend Wilbur Charles calls a "Moe-L'ick"

There ONCE was a young girl from France
Who figured, she'd just "take a chance"!
She let herself go
For an hour, or so
And now all her sisters are aunts

60. Prefix with gram or graph: EPI. TELE was too big

61. Comprehend: GET.

62. Bit of advice: TIP.

63. Early afternoon hour: ONE.

64. Rare color?: RED. As in a steak, perhaps?

Thanks for coming along for the ride! Hope you liked the blog despite it being bereft of pictures and videos. Maybe next time ... I hope to stop by later today and check-in. Feel free to add a comment

Friday, September 30, 2022 Jeffrey Wechsler

 Theme: ADDED (Parse it as ADD ED) (65. Extra, and a two-word hint to the answers to the starred clues)

17. *Teachers who demand perfect asanas?: YOGA PEDANTS. Yoga pants.

24. *Blogs and newsletters about raising a family?: MAMMA MEDIA. Mamma Mia.

49. *Lion or tiger in the National Zoo?: FEDERAL CAT. Feral cat.

58. *Ocean predator taking whatever comes its way?: MAKEDO SHARK. Mako Shark.

C.C. here. Lemonade had some computer issues and could not access his write-up. When he's back online, I'll copy and paste his writeup here.

If you have any questions, please ask in the Comments section.

Across:

 1. Blood relative?: FLESH.

6. Like a WiFi-enabled toaster: SMART.

11. Storage acronym: ROM.

14. "Always Innovating" infomercial brand: RONCO.

15. Pointed, in a way: TINED.

16. AQI monitor: EPA.

19. High pts.: MTS.

20. Acrylic alternative: ENAMEL.

21. California's Big __: SUR.

22. Word with hot or fine: MESS.

23. Semi: RIG.

27. Gets: SEES.

29. Notable time: ERA.

30. Wickerwork: CANING.

31. Fancy-free adventures: LARKS.

33. Willing subject?: ESTATE.

34. City on the Rhine: BASEL.

37. Recital pieces: SOLOS.

38. Confirmed, in a way: UPHELD.

40. Farm machine: BALER.

43. Exactly right: SPOT ON.

44. Mike and __: IKE.

45. Inbox clogger: SPAM.

51. Mendes of "Girl in Progress": EVA.

52. Actress Cheryl: LADD.

53. Hägar creator Browne: DIK.

54. Area that's far from a strike zone: GUTTER.

57. Inventor Whitney: ELI.

60. Summer along the Seine: ETE.

61. "SNL" alum Cheri: OTERI.

62. Nightingale, notably: NURSE.

63. Sci-fi/fantasy publisher whose logo is a mountain peak: TOR.

64. Velvety garden flower: PANSY.

Down:

1. Young chickens: FRYERS.

2. Coin that's for the birds?: LOONIE.

3. Order from Captain Picard: ENGAGE.

4. Many a "We've suspended your account" text: SCAM.

5. Pandora's box remnant: HOPE.

6. Benchmark: Abbr.: STD.

7. Oppressive atmospheres: MIASMAS.

8. Per __: ANNUM.

9. Go back over: RETRACE.

10. XFL scores: TDS.

11. Like some skill-building classes: REMEDIAL.

12. Joins: OPTS INTO.

13. Treatments that many are prone to enjoy?: MASSAGES.

18. Bull on a glue bottle: ELMER.

22. Life guides: MENTORS.

25. Synagogue structure: ARK.

26. Shot not allowed in some pool halls: MASSE.

28. Came down hard?: SLEETED.

32. __ nothing: ALL OR.

34. After-school lineup: BUS FLEET.

35. Entrance: APPEAL TO.

36. Less liable to last: SHODDIER.

39. 23andMe's stock in trade: DNA DATA.

40. Quarrels: BICKERS.

41. Pseudonym letters: AKA.

42. Free: LET GO.

46. "Hoist with his own __": Hamlet: PETARD.

47. Unwilling: AVERSE.

48. Prominent: MARKED.

50. Compare: LIKEN.

55. Sch. where John McCain is buried: USNA.

56. Dull sound: THUD.

58. Custodial need: MOP.

59. Handy initials: DIY.

 

Happy Birthday to Pat and her husband, who were born in the same day and same year. Here again is the picture of Pat (right in pink T-shirt) and Java Mama at the shelter where they volunteer. They met on our blog.

Friday, September 2, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

 Title: Shh, I am trying to think, and I lost an H. 

Jeffrey is back with a puzzle that mostly plays very easy for a Friday. I do remind you that all final clue/fill pairings are up to the editor(s) so don't heap too much praise or too many complaints on JW. It is nice to know we will still get puzzles from our veterans like Jeffrey, Doug Peterson, Rich Norris, Gary Cee, and others. Today is a Friday staple, adding letters to a word in a phrase and cluing the created combination with wit and charm. Today we have a bi-gram (2 letters)  added- SH. 

RABBIT SHEARS and HOCKEY SHRINK  are both laugh-out-loud fill. The puzzle is also has conventional symmetry with 13/12/12/13 themers. We have no really obscure fill; FARRO and CORUNDUM are not easy but it is a Friday. We also have ALTAR BOY, FACING OFF  and MISS A BEAT  as long fill .

I have been doing puzzles since I sat in my parents' bed and watched them do the Sunday NYT and all the other delights in the Sunday magazine starting in about 1955.  I have seen many changes in all puzzles when editors move on. Everyone has the right to present the puzzles they want; but relax, they all also need to sell ads, I am encouraged for the future no matter how brief, especially if I get to blog a JW now and then. It may be only once a month, or even less but it will always be fun for me, and a joy to discuss with you all. On to the theme...

19A. Storage area for Christmas toys?: SANTAS SHELVES (13).  I think it is perfectly natural that Santa's helpers who are all elves, would store their work product on SHELVES. We do not even need to debate whether Santa himself is in fact an elf.

24A. Clippers used by Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail?: RABBIT SHEARS (12). If you not know Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail from the Beatrix Potter books you might be stumped, but I imagine all would recognize a cotton-tail as a type of rabbit.

40A. Analyst for Ducks and Penguins?: HOCKEY SHRINK.(12). This challenged my link finding ability and made me cry "oncle." Are there psychiatrists for hockey players?  Would they work to make them meaner? You, my reading audience, are welcome to find a perfect link and make me look foolish.

46A. Earthquake-resistant?: FIT FOR SHAKING (13). This a very cerebral fill, which made me think before getting the clue/fill. FIT FOR A KING is a very common phrase and the only themer to change.  Many new tall buildings are constructed to withstand major tremors. More than half of the world's 7.8 billion population live in cities and urban areas, and 2.5 billion more are expected to join them within the next 20-25 years.(arch daily). (Various architecture magazines). The world has had the horror of the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City and in SoFla, we had Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, United States, partially collapse. Ninety-eight people died. 

Now that Jeffrey has lightened the mood, or was it me? Let us examine the rest.

Across:

1. __ Cass: MAMA. Cass Elliot was a member of the successful 60s band The Mamas & the Papas. They only were together from 1965 to 1968, but since that was the end of high school and start of college for me, I recall them fondly. As far as who I would have fondled...never mind. 

5. Some Sappho poems: ODES. JW has brought his whole artistic side to this puzzle, first music then poetry, though I doubt he was in high school when she was writing. 

9. Not great, chancewise: SLIM. And his partner, NONE.

13. Malicious: EVIL. MAL is a root word in many languages for bad and has been used by writers, poets and movie makers forever. Oo loves musicals, so we recently watched the Disney series of movies called the DESCENDANTS which were based on the premise that all of the DISNEY villains had children who were equally bad. Or were they? 

The CAST.

14. Ruminant with striped legs: OKAPI. The okapi, also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. Although the okapi has striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. Wiki.

15. Locks in a stable?: MANE. Staying in four legged mammals for $800 Alex, where do horses mainly live?

16. Chimney concern: NEST. Birds however can live anywhere, except maybe in a... 

17. Horror movie locale: CRYPT. Which freedom...

18. Rankles: IRKS. the bees.

22. "The Comedy of Errors," for one: FARCE. I love how JW sneaks in his Shakespeare with this play. It is the story of the farcical misadventures of two sets of identical twins. Many years earlier, the Syracusan merchant Egeon had twin sons, both named Antipholus. At their birth, he bought another pair of newborn twins, both named Dromio, as their servants. Why name both sons the same? For comedy of course. One son, and one servant were lost at sea, eventually reunited leading to much laughter of confusion.

23. Prepped: READY. Past participle? This not getting ready but already ready.

29. Cookies that once came in collectible tins: OREOS. This is a replica of a 1918 can.

30. Flying things: WINGS. Cute misdirection as wings are very often integral to flying. 

31. Basic nutrient: FAT. Despite what Jack S. thought fat is important in a human diet. What HARVARD RESEARCHERS found.

34. Hors d'oeuvres carrier: TRAY. Not the waiter but his instrument, but not a

35. Hand-picked instrument?: BANJO. Very cute visual clue.

36. Arrived: CAME. Boomer told me NOT to comment on this though it might be...

37. Very popular: HOT. No pictures, sorry.

38. Canine that preys on red kangaroo and swamp wallaby: DINGO. I know nothing of the RED KANGAROO or the SWAMP WALLABY   I know DINGOS are from Australia and like to eat babies. "A dingo ate my baby!" is a cry popularly attributed to Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, as part of the 1980 death of Azaria Chamberlain case, at Uluru in the Northern Territory, Australia. The Chamberlain family had been camping near the rock when their nine-week-old daughter was taken from their tent by a dingo. Maybe?

39. Après-ski drink: COCOA. Ahh. chocolate.

42. Initial phase: ONSET. I am waiting for this to be the WORDLE word. (I wrote this Monday, August 28 at 8:13 PM, life can be amazing!)

45. Cy who pitched the first perfect game of the modern era: YOUNG. Again I could find no film of this all time great (511 victories!) but here is a retrospective on Cy and other baseball greats.

                                    

51. Touched down: ALIT. Like a mosquito on your arm.

52. Still in the game: ALIVE. It is imperative to be alive to play the game.

53. Dish (out): DOLE. Bob failed in many tries to become President. RIP Bob.

56. Inheritance factor: GENE. My first wife's uncle Gene was not nice.

57. Records, in a way: TIVOS. All you would want to know and more as TiVo has its own site. TiVopedia.

58. Aerial enigmas: UFOS.

59. Set up: Abbr.: ESTD. ESTablisheD. Good for businesses and buildings.

60. Pour out forcefully: SPEW.  I use this word with rhetoric or vitriol not volcanoes.

61. Some lit. degrees: MFAS. Masters of Free Association? I recall when I used to get lit my mind wandered; and it is doing it again.

Down:

1. Guys: MEN. 

                                        

2. Hail, in a hymn: AVE. Do you think of  Ave Maria? Or  Avē Imperātor, moritūrī tē salūtant  ?

3. Falter: MISS A BEAT.

4. Assistant in Mass production: ALTAR BOY. The capital M gives it away; Boomer was an Altar Boy, not just for the wine.

5. Pod that may be fried or pickled: OKRA. Such a debated food, but I married a woman raised in Birmingham who loved it. Maybe try this RECIPE.

6. Diary pages: DAYS. So simple it was hard.

7. Actor Omar: EPPS. He has had a good career for a young man. His IMDB.

8. Order of Darth Sidious: SITH. There are many here who scoff at the STAR WARS epics, and there are many who love them. Sidious is a most central character but he died. Or did he?

9. Shows satisfaction: SMILES. There are happy smiles. relieved smiles and satisfied smiles which are not all nice.

10. Silk source: LARVA. You probably all know silk comes from a silkworm. Bombyx mori, the domestic silk moth, is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of Bombyx mandarina, the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth.

11. Tatted up: INKED. I grew up in a religious home where marking your body was s sin, because you had to be arrogant to improve on the perfection your creation had been. 

12. Out of order?: MESSY.

14. Chamber group: OCTET.

20. CBS military drama with regional spinoffs: NCIS. This first location in Virginia was a spin-off of s series known as JAG. They both were created by DONALD P. BELLASARIO who must be a real Giglionaire by now. From Virginia  NCIS went to Miami, New York, LA, New Orleans and now Hawaii. They also had some Doctors without Borders and a Cyber division.

21. __ on the side of caution: ERRS. DONALD clearly did not. Of course. I meant Bellasario. No politics here.

22. Grain of emmer, spelt, or einkorn: FARRO. This refers to the grains of three wheat species, which are sold dried, and cooked in water until soft. It is eaten plain or is often used as an ingredient in salads, soups, and other dishes. That will make you lose weight.

24. "Divergent" novelist Veronica: ROTH. Veronica Anne Roth (born August 19, 1988) is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her bestselling Divergent trilogy.

                                        

25. "Boys Don't Cry" Oscar winner: SWANK. Hilary has won two best actress Oscars, also winning for "Million Dollar Baby" with Clint Eastwood.

26. Trunk hardware: HINGE. The trunk of a car? The piece of luggage? DKDC.

27. "Have a ball!": ENJOY. My new life motto/

28. In the past: AGO. Up until weeks ago, in fact. I was always...

31. Going head-to-head: FACING OFF. with everyone, but now I know we are...

32. "You're __ friends": AMONG.

33. Deck chair wood: TEAK. Teak weathers beautifully.

35. Shaving brand: BIC. They were just cheap ball points when Boomer and I were young; of course we sill wanted them.

36. Mineral in abrasives: CORUNDUM. Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminum oxide typically containing traces of iron, titanium, vanadium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparent material, but can have different colors depending on the presence of transition metal impurities in its crystalline structure. wiki

38. Inflict upon: DO TO.

39. Woo-shik of "Parasite" and "Train to Busan": CHOI.

40. Hoisted: HEFTED.

41. Wanda who plays Dr. Karl in the "Bad Moms" films: SYKES. Her IMDB.

42. Old enough to vote, say: OF AGE.

43. "Frasier" role: NILES. David Hyde Pierce and his 40 year RELATIONSHIP.

44. Stretch: STINT. I relate it to a prison sentence; why not?

47. "Phooey!": RATS. They got us boss, time to go.

48. Intimate apparel item: SLIP. Finally a picture...

49. Bee flat?: HIVE. Very cute, the apartment where the bees live.

50. State openly: AVOW. AVOW = AVER another APEX ACME choice.

54. Mauna __: LOA. I tried for years to get my clue, "it's higher than LOA" in a puzzle, no chance.

55. Start of spring?: ESS. Silly end to the puzzle but the word SPRING does start with an S.

I thank you all for reading, writing and enjoying. I now realize I cannot compete with all the Bloggers who link so much wonderful stuff. My limited vision and brain power are all you get. Thank you Jeffrey , C.C. ,and Boomer . Lemonade out leaving you the grid...

Friday, July 8, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Friday fun day with your host Lemonade who has been annointed by your host C Moe to do this write-up. I chose the two "nn" irregular spelling for reasons which should become apparent. Or not.

Hello and welcome back, and if you read the blog you know that today would be his week, but you also know JW and I have established a bond shown by the publication of this tribute PUZZLE in 2016, the only collaboration in his hundreds of puzzle publications. Doesn't matter, it just is.

Today we have a thoughtful theme, which makes it easy to know where to begin because there is no reveal, Instead, I will reveal what you are looking for.

17A. Piano trio?: SYLLABLES (9). The fill is not the theme, the clue is; there are three syllables in pi-an-o. pretty cool and if you parsed this without more you have my admiration, I did not. My first thought was, gee there are lots of Ls. 

30A. String quintet?: CONSONANTS (10). We need to count again, s+t+r+n+g equals five consonants, which is a quintet. There is a clear trend here but the three Ns again distracted me.

36A. Duet for bassoon and bass fiddle?: DOUBLE LETTERS (13). Duet we know is two, so the fill features two instruments which each have 2 double letters! How fun, bass is pronounced totally differently which is completely irrelevant! Wow, but now I know what this puzzle is really about.

 
43A. Duet for oboe and vibraphone?: LONG VOWELS (10). We all know oboe, but the vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars.  Two again, though this time they are long vowels as highlighted. To complete the puzzle symmetry we must have one more themer, and we get...

62A. Flügelhorn solo?: DIACRITIC (9). The umlaut is a diacritic and it is the only one in Flügelhorn, therefore there is no s at the end, but we have 9-10-13-10-9 symmetry and a disguised theme hidden in the clues. Wiki tells us this instrument also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flüegelhorn which is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. I will let Ron and other explain more in detail. Nifty, but wait, there is more, much more.

Each clue is built around a musical instrument or instruments with no repeats. The clue is something unique to that instrument(s). Balance that with each fill a term or terms from English grammar with no repeats. Can you imagine a tighter, more restrictive theme-fill combination? Can you imagine having this thought pop in your head? 

Well, too late; Jeffrey already had it. (Not an accurate likeness).

He also throws in some longer fill AIRLINER, DROPS OUT, OENOLOGY and  REGATTAS and many 6 letter fun fill but it is time to move on from the wonderful theme to the rest of the puzzle.

Across:

1. Political commentator Navarro: ANA. There are so many named ANA now, but Ms. NAVARRO is well known in South Florida both from her education here and her work. Very political. 

4. Dump: SCRAP. To abandon an idea, a thing. The Cambridge dictionary sees it as to get rid of something unwanted, especially by leaving it in a place where it is not allowed to be:

The tax was so unpopular that the government decided to dump it. Several old cars had been dumped near the beach.

9. Whom Cordelia calls "As mad as the vex'd sea": LEAR. How cool, JW gets his Will Shakespeare quotation in, this time from Act IV, Scene 4:

Alack, ’tis he. Why, he was met even now

As mad as the vexed sea, singing aloud,

Crowned with rank fumiter and furrow-weeds  (modern English Thick Weeds). Not a happy daughter.

13. Marvel Comics artist Buscema: SAL. If you have doughnuts, I have dollars that say this is not JW's clue. I collected, bought and sold comics drawn by this wonderful artist, but I would guess either Mineo or Jack Kerouac.

14. People who call New Zealand "Aotearoa": MAORI. The only people I know from New Zealand that are 5 spaces made this easy but I did not know and still cannot say Aotearoa.

15. Far from ordinary: ALIEN. I know I am a bit different, but this seems harsh after all I am a...

19. Earth sign: VIRGO.  And proud of it with the... 

20. Ordinary: USUAL. Smiling, puzzled...

21. Confront: FACE.

23. Mideast carrier: EL AL. The Israeli airline. 

24. "The Body in the Library" sleuth: MARPLE. I have read every published mystery written by Dame Agatha. There have been two mini-series versions done of this short story. One with JOAN HIXON and one with GERALDINE McEWAN as part of the PBS Masterpiece Mysteries. I have my favorite, do you?

26. Big grazer: ELK. Did you know, according to Simple English Wikipedia a grazer is an animal, usually a herbivorous mammal, which eats grass. It is contrasted with browsers, which eat trees & shrubs. Since Elk are situationally herbivores this is confusing but with three letters...

28. "Who am __ argue?": I TO. You are a fully paid up member of the Corner and argue away. 

29. Watched warily: EYED. We do watch you warily and wearily. 

34. Start to bat?: ACRO. Strike one. A new way to clue a tortured prefix?

35. Planning session contribution: IDEAS. Pretty much the whole point of the sessions.

41. "Grazie" reply: PREGO. Italian thank you and you are welcome.

42. Bigelow products: TEAS. This company was founded in Fairfield Connecticut by Ruth Campbell Bigelow to promote and distribute their proprietary product under the label Constant Comment. The recipe is still a closely guarded secret. 

                                    

46. Dost possess: HAST. Old English.

50. Mil. mail site: APO. APO stands for "Army Post Office". It is normally followed by a number which serves as a code for a particular military unit or installation. APOs were often mobile, and moved with the units to which they were attached. Government brochure.

51. Feta source: EWE. Feta cheese is made from sheep milk, not cow milk. This causes the unique taste.

52. One to hold on to: KEEPER. Long time slang for a potential partner who is worth hanging on to for life.

54. Tenerife, por ejemplo: ISLA. Tenerife, in Spanish or in  English is always an Island. 

56. "Why don't we?": LET'S. Let's not and say we did.

59. Dishwasher handle: AMANA. Handle is also an old expression for name first recorded 1870, originally U.S., from earlier expressions about adding a handle to (one's) name (1833) like saying...King Jason. etymonline.com  

60. Really bad turnout: NO ONE. When you draw a crowd of zero it is time to rethink your plan.

64. Cotton candy, mostly: SUGAR. 
                            
65. Like Santa's helpers: ELFIN. Why are they elves?

66. Groundbreaking tool: HOE. So tempting...

67. Donor card datum: TYPE. Blood type I assume rather than arrogant, for example.

68. Monopoly cards: DEEDS. As a property based games these are vital.  From the original English version.

69. Time pieces: Abbr.: YRS. Not watches but increments in time. I like this whether it is JW's or not.

Down:

1. Trust without verifying: ASSUME. A bastardization of biblical as well as political rhetoric to underline the idea that to ASS U ME makes an ass of u and me.

2. Speak against: NAYSAY. You don't say? Oh, you just did.

3. Magazine with annual Best of Beauty awards: ALLURE. This historically black magazine has contests in many categories and publishes them each year.

2021 list.

4. Minor: SMALL. I guess this is from show business as I know many under 18 who are much larger than I am.

5. Red choice: CAB.
We have them here as well as yellow cabs. 

6. Massage deeply: ROLF.  A technique developed by Dr. Ida Rolf. Maybe.

7. Sod buyer's calculation: AREA. It is a good idea to measure no matter what you are buying.

8. Water sign: PISCES. The fish; there are two so be careful.

9. WC: LAV. I hope by now everyone knows the Jack Parr joke that got him fired from the Tonight show.
the JOKE

10. Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE. We love those vowels.

11. Plane: AIRLINER. And simple.

12. Meets near the shore?: REGATTAS. Meets, not as gathering but competing. The Henley Regatta was very important to many classmate in high school 60 years ago.

16. "Good riddance": NO LOSS. Rather cruel, even if true.

18. "The Rookie" org.: LAPD. The latest TV show for the now bloated star, 

22. Jeff Lynne's band: ELO. Electric Light Orchestra. 

25. "A time to every purpose" Bible bk.: ECCLiastes.

27. Gentle washer setting: KNITS.

31. Minecraft resource: ORE.

32. "Cape Fear" co-star: NOLTE.

33. Drink suffix: ADE. A CSO to the Friday blogger before you. JW covers all of his bases. 

34. Superior to: ABOVE.

36. Finishes one's studies, in a way: DROPS OUT. Quitting is one way to finish.

37. Viniculture science: OENOLOGY. A CSO to the Friday blogger scheduled for today.

38. Comfy shoe brand: UGG. Never tried them but many female friends swear by them, not at them.

39. Unadon fish: EEL. A CSO to C.C.'s favorite.

40. Chore: TASK. I do not consider this a chore or a task. I see it as an opportunity to control your minds.

41. Great __: Midwest region: PLAINS. Home to so many who visit here daily. We even have our own blog bird. FAMILY PHOTO.

44. Bird in the Duolingo logo: OWL. Not JW's I bet.
        
45. Took care of garden pests: WEEDED. Are weeds the pests or are the pests the pests?

46. Powerful engine: HEMI. A man's toy or perhaps a subliminal message.
                            
47. Indifference: APATHY. None allowed here.

48. On the job longer: SENIOR. Only C.C. and mb blogged puzzles here before me.

49. Vestiges: TRACES. There are still some things that have not changed in the 14.5 years, I hope.

53. Brings in: EARNS. Brings home too, rather than spending it all on pinball.

55. "I think somebody needs __!": A NAP. Napping is now my field of expertise.

57. Shower wall unit: TILE. These days they have one piece shower walls. 

58. Protected: SAFE. The Ring doorbell camera and others are trying to make us feel safe, but as far as I can tell all we do get is a  nice picture of the people robbing us. It is like going car shopping.

61. Before, in an old ode: ERE. Is there a specific ode (poem of praise) that Jeffrey had in mind? Nah, he likes his music and his painting.

63. El __: CID. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting on the side of both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific al-sīd, which would evolve into El Cid, and the Spanish moniker El Campeador, a person who has defeated all others in a competition. (Lucy and others forgive me if my Spanish sucks). His fame came to American and the world on the broad shoulders of

CHARLTON HESTON in a 1961 MOVIE. 

And we have completed another round of roller derby in the mind of our maestro and a living legend, Jeffrey Wechsler. Great to have him here, thank you Chris for letting me blog this and for blogging next week's as I await some test results that have me on edge. Thank you all for stopping by and I will endeavor to comment on your comments competently. Lemonade out and...

Finally, the grid.

 

Friday, June 3, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

 TITLE: Not OK, just O.

Jeffrey Wechsler is back! So is standard puzzle symmetry! I am happy to be blogging another puzzle from one of the LAT's masters.

Happy first Friday puzzle of June and the blend of the past and the future. A letter removal puzzle which is certainly a common Friday approach, but ramped up by the extensive wit and wisdom of our friend  JW. For anyone wondering if his work would be part of the new order, here is a hint that a fun nicely put together puzzle will always be part of the LAT world. I for one cannot imagine the LAT without Jeffrey

Before the theme we have some other fun words, LENDERS, LESOTHO, NO MERCY, PARASOL, SCRIMPS,  TREATED,  WATERED, POOH POOH  and  VARIABLE. We also have much new stuff, so let us get to solving.

The themers:

20A. Medic with an office at Fisherman's Wharf?: THE DOCK OF THE BAY (14). Ignore the crossed out K and the humor of the clue/fill shines through. It reminds me of the series ROYAL PAINS shot in Miami. 

25A. Leaders inclined to work as a group?: BLOCKHEADS.(9). A bloc is a combination of countries, parties, or groups sharing a common purpose according to the dictionary and they all require a leader. 

When I think of BLOCKHEADS I think of Gumby the 1956 clay animation star who had a primary sidekick  Pokey, a talking orange pony. He also had nemeses, the G and J Blockheads, a pair of antagonistic red humanoid figures with cube-shaped heads, one with the letter G on the block, the other with the letter J. 

45A. Captain Hook's incredulous assessment of his nemesis?: WHAT A CROCK (9). We all know the ending of the phrase with the implied K, but we will let you fill in that blank.  Another childhood favorite from the 50s (1953), Captain Hook's nemesis, tik tok (hmm where have I heard that phrase?) CROCODILE gets repurposed.

50A. Puts comfy shoes through rigorous testing?: HOLDS A MOCK TRIAL (14). This is my favorite as the combined picture of someone trying out a MOCASSIN  and then having a practice open court trial hits my funny bone buttons. I can see calling the toes to the stand to testify.

All in all a tight theme that delivers the joy we expect on Fridays. But what else does this week bring?

Across:

1. Sarah Spain's network: ESPN. There are not many 4 letter networks so this proper name should not have unsettled many, and it is a true CSO to Bill G and other Cornell graduates who stop by the Corner. Sarah at 6' tall played basketball, field hockey and was a pentathlete from Illinois before becoming a broadcaster. Clearly not the person about whom to use a cheap casting pun about broads. A very specific reference which does not sound like JW.

5. Percussion set: HI-HAT. There is so much more to these set-ups than just cymbals.
LINK.

10. Cards: WITS. A Friday pairing of a very simple word, and an uncommon but real definition. Merriam-Webster (M-W) has it at number FIVE.

14. "Go on, git!": SHOO. All I can think of is Louboutin shoes for $25,000.00. Is this where the soul of America has gone?

15. Tickle: AMUSE. We have made it to definition 2b at M-W, which if you do not believe me you will need to look up.

16. __ were: AS IT. Dictionary.com says,  "A shortening of “as if it were so,” this idiom has been in use since Chaucer's time (he had it in his Nun's Priest's Tale, c. 1386)." It is so nice to work Chaucer in here so Joseph and Bill might keep reading.  

17. Textile machine: LOOM. Encyclopedia Britannica suggests these have been around for more than 7000 years! It also said they appeared independently in various parts of the world. We really need that way back machine to fact check which has become so important now. Mr. Peabody, a little help...

18. Nigerian seaport: LAGOS. Would it surprise you to learn Lagos (pronounced Lay-goss) had a population of 15.2 million people as of 2015 with both over-population and poverty and a rich cultural history and a plan for the future? 

19. "Ciao": TATA. A strange blend of an accepted foreign word and a slang for goodbye made most popular by Tigger.

23. Expert: PRO. And we have an actual easy fill.

24. Extremely chill: SERENE. Serenity is one of the most published virtues now. The serenity prayer written by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

31. Extremely cold: GELID. A Friday word derived from the  Latin gerundive GELIDUS brought into English in the 17th century.

32. Channel marker: BUOY. The definition is an anchored float serving as a navigation mark, to show reefs or other hazards, or for mooring. This is derived they say from Portuguese, which makes sense to help you find any Port in a storm. 

33. Picked up the tab: TREATED. If you come visit us in So. Fla. you will not need to split the bill, we will pick up the tab or feed you at our place.

35. BYU or NYU: SCH. If you know Brigham Young and New York Universities this is a gimme.

36. Sun screen: PARASOL. Since it is two words, it cannot be Coppertone. Thailand has a wonderful Umbrella Factory. 

37. Strive (for): VIE. Vy is this not vee?

40. African country in the Maloti Mountains: LESOTHO.  The Maloti Mountains are a mountain range of the highlands of the Kingdom of Lesotho. They extend for about 100 km into the South African Free State. Skiing in Africa anyone?

41. Drains: SAPS. Think of one's energy or bank account.

42. Summits: ACMES. A word mostly associated with Wile E. Coyote, but we were just up in the mountains. 

47. Statue base: PLINTH. Back to wiki to learn this is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. It is the same thing as a pedestal.

49. Melber of MSNBC: ARI. There are so many Aris but this one is an attorney who has become the chief legal analyst for MSNBC, and hosts his own shows and podcasts.

56. Tropical spot: ISLE. A classic vague Friday clue.

57. Safari equine: ZEBRA. There are many Horse Safaris offered but equines are of the mammal family of Equidae (order Perissodactyla) that includes the modern horses, zebras, and asses, as well as more than 60 species known only from fossils. 

58. Most CFOs: MBAS. Chief Financial Officer  = Master of Business Adminstration. 

60. Some game: DEER. Back to hunting...

61. "Middlemarch" novelist: ELIOT.

62. Bend at a barre: PLIE. Ballet. 

63. Retired boomers: SSTS. Ha ha, sonic boomers not baby boomers.

64. Action: STEPS.

65. Blood bank fluids: SERA. 

Down:

1. Subj. for those wishing to be bilingual: ESL. English as a Second Language. 

2. Utterly beyond repair: SHOT.

3. Play down: POOH POOH. LINK.

4. Motto for the ruthless: NO MERCY.

5. Meteorological effect caused by refraction: HALO.

6. Desktop with an AppleCare option: i-MAC.

7. Literary award with a spaceship logo: HUGO.

8. Starting on: AS OF.

9. Lab work: TESTS.

10. Thinned (down): WATERED.

11. Pulitzer-winning journalist Wilkerson: ISABEL. Her self-description has Isabel Wilkerson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, has become a leading figure in narrative nonfiction, an interpreter of the human condition, and an impassioned voice for demonstrating how history can help us understand ourselves, our country, and our current era of upheaval.

12. Early ICBM: TITAN I.

13. Hung around: STAYED.

21. Play-__: DOH. I love the clue that avoid Homer Simpson

22. "Science of Logic" philosopher Georg: HEGEL.

25. Small ammo: BBS.

26. Director Jean-__ Godard: LUC.

27. LAX postings: ETAS.

28. Superhero once played by Stephen Amell on The CW: ARROW.

29. "__ Comes to Pemberley": P.D. James novel: DEATH.

30. Obama daughter: SASHA.

34. Friendly honk: TOOT.

36. Rats, gnats, and brats: PESTS.

37. Element in an algebraic equation: VARIABLE.

38. Wall St. event: IPO.

39. Key that exits full-screen mode: ESC.

40. Brand of packaged bagels: LENDERS.

41. Is extremely frugal: SCRIMPS.

42. Ladybug prey: APHIDS.

43. Shuts: CLOSES.

44. "The Gleaners" painter Jean-François: MILLET.

46. River that rises in the Bernese Alps: AAR.

48. Fuzzy states: HAZES.

51. Move to a warmer state?: MELT.

52. Drama honor: OBIE.

53. Cut short: CROP.

54. Ink: TATS.

55. Place to hibernate: LAIR.

59. "Wide Sargasso __": Jean Rhys novel: SEA.

I just lost the bottom half of my write-up, it is late and I have no energy or mind to recreate. I would tell you it was a great but at this point I doubt it. Thank you Jeffrey, sorry I am not who I used to be. I hope you all have fun and can now pick your own links. Lemonade out

Sunday, April 17, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: A memo from the desk of Jeffrey Wechsler

For this last puzzle edited by Rich Norris, a most accomplished and prolific LA  Times constructor was chosen. Our leader, a most accomplished and prolific constructor, has chosen me to prepare my very first Sunday blog to mark this occasion. I am thrilled. 

As with all Sunday LAT puzzles, this is the only day of the week where the constructors provide their own title. JW's is "In re" a Latin phrase used as the start of most American memoranda. I hope Tom (desper-otto) bothered to read Jeffrey's choice as it really helped pinning down (a CSO to Tom's early career) the themers. Simply, you put RE in various phrases and the new phrases are clued with whimsy and charm. With JW, there is always more to his plan, as he is very careful to avoid adding the RE as either a prefix, or a suffix to a word. That extra layer makes this 8 themer puzzle just a bit more special.

My tried and true blogging approach does not fit a Sunday as there are many more words and many long ones but I point to a few of the 7 and 8 letter fill I liked: DEMO CDS, HEROINE,  LAMENTS, ODOROUS, SET ROLE,  STROBES, AGITATOR, GATORADE, STEERAGE, STIRRERS, TASTE BAD, SEND IT IN, and TYPING IN.

22A. All caps in an angry blog?: INTERNET SCREAM (14). With what we charge for blogging, this is obviously not a SCAM, and I assume you all know that using all caps in a post or text signifies yelling, this is a perfect place to begin the adding RE and letting everyone know the theme. 

32A. "Untoward behavior shall call for appropriate countermeasures," e.g.?: FANCY THREAT (11). FANCY THAT is a British English spoken phrase used to express your surprise or shock about something. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). Plug in your RE and you can hear the British accent making that warning. 

47A. Wiseacre mom and dad?: SMARTY PARENTS (13). SMARTY PANTS is a British English phrase to describe someone who always says clever things or always has the right answer, in a slightly annoying way. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). Wiseacre is an old fashioned way to say wise guy. 

63A. Type of dog that does origami?: FOLDING BREED? (12).

A folding bed is a rather mundane image, but a dog who is using his paws to create classic Japanese paper art is extremely silly and a nice image for our dog lovers.

74A. Farsi editor's mark?: PERSIAN CARET (12). For a Sunday themer, this requires some specialized knowledge. First, FARSI is the Persian word for the Persian language. And a ^ caret is a universal mark which shows where an additional or corrected or substituted letter, word, or phrase is to be inserted in or above the line. (University Style Guide). A Persian Cat may be a mascot for this blog

84A. Finishing touch for foppish painters?: PLACING A BERET.(13). Who here has never PLACED A BET, for money or otherwise? Here if you want to be stylish (not foppish), you can wear a beret. 

104A. 1932 presidential election victory?: HOOVER DREAM  (11).
HERBERT HOOVER was not only the President from 1928 until his defeat by FDR in 1932 because of the depression, but he was optimistic and probably did dream of winning that election. He also was President when the Boulder Dam was commissioned and it was named after him unofficially. It became official in 1947, by act of Congress. This is a more serious themer. It is the largest damn dam in the world.

118A. Hush-hush lamasery topic?: BUDDHIST SECRET (14).

Do you all realize you know the definition of a lamasery? It is a place for Lamas, yes the one Ls. Like a monastery,  a nursery or a surgery it is where the lamas hang out. SECT becoming SECRET paints a great picture of these holy people whispering and probably gossiping.  

We also have a return to classic (rotational) symmetry with 14, 11, 13, 12, 12, 13, 11, and 14 themers. 

Now time for the rest...

Across:

1. Beat decisively: DRUB. This is probably not a popular 1A, as this is not a common word, though I do hear the sports announcers referring their teams giving/receiving a drubbing. What I found interesting is the etymology sources disagree completely about the history of this word.

5. Evoke an "Eww!," maybe: TASTE BAD. The verb set.

13. Venetian Renaissance painter: TITIAN. He was an Italian painter during the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. 

Mars, Venus and their son AMOR from last week .

19. He played Klaatu in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (2008): KEANU. This was a remake of the classic version starring Michael Rennie.

20. Inferior accommodations: STEERAGE. The  part of a ship providing accommodations for passengers with the cheapest tickets. Most of my forbears arrived that way to the US. 

21. Common cone color: ORANGE. Not a common cold.

24. Glutinous: VISCID. Viscous is such an evocative word.

25. Christmas in Rome: NATALE. The Italian word. Buon Natale -T!

26. Etna output: ASH. Etna again.

27. Nonsense: ROT.

29. Artist friend of Dalí: SERT. Josep Maria Sert i Badia was a Spanish muralist, the son of an affluent textile industry family, and friend of Salvador Dalí. (wiki).

30. They usually have frames: GLASSES. Movies did not have enough letters.

36. Trig function: SINE. No math today.

37. Word with tax or L.A.: DODGERS. A droll combination.

41. __ martini: DRY. Shaken not stirred? A wonderful link yesterday by HG to explain it all. Or 126A. Sticks in drinks: STIRRERS. 

42. Put away: ATE.

43. Fruity, so to speak: BANANAS. I do not get this clue/fill. I know a banana is a fruit...I guess fruity can be a bit "barmy."

44. Absorbs, with "up": SOPS. Picture a thick, juicy steak and a fresh yeast roll. NO! Not during Passover!

46. Barfly: SOT. Nice placement.

53. Hider's hissed revelation: IN HERE. My eyes deceived me and I read this as "Hitler's hissed revelation."

55. Biblical spy: CALEB. Along with Joshua, he was faithful to his belief and told Moses that the Israelites could take over Canaan. The other 19 sent out were afraid, irritated the divine, and caused the 40 years of wandering the dessert, so they say.

56. Means: AVENUE.

59. Skilled at painting, say: ARTISTIC.

69. Perjurious testimony: LIES. Spellcheck does not like it, but it is a word. 

70. 81-Down friend: ROO. 81D. Storied bear: POOH.

71. Astonish: AWE.

72. 23rd Greek letter: PSI. The Greek ALPHABET is back. The letters of the Greek alphabet are: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, xi, omicron, pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega.

73. Capital NNW of Copenhagen: OSLO. To our Norse scions.

77. Submit a crossword, say: SEND IT IN. An inside joke I guess.

79. Nytol competitor: UNISOM. To sleep, perchance to DREAM.

80. "I'm not __ brag, but ... ": ONE TO. Always said by braggarts.

81. Urban park snack snitcher: PIGEON.

92. __ roll: ON A. I like sesame. 

93. Long-running CBS drama: NCIS. Gibbs is gone, get used to it!

96. Nose-wrinkling: ODOROUS. Ponderous.

97. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes: ONT. Hey Canadian Eh.

98. Formicidae family member: ANT. You knew The Formicidae is an unequivocally monophyletic group, previously defined by Bolton (1994, 2003) as eusocial, sexually dimorphic aculeate Hymenoptera bearing metapleural glands and geniculate antennae. Sure.

 

99. Mourns: LAMENTS.

100. Meat serving: CHOP. Steaks are basically beef chops. Pork chops and lamb chops are basically pork steaks and lamb steaks. Why? Why not?

108. Fixed function: SET ROLE. Help techies, all I can find is it is a command which sets the current user identifier of the current SQL session to be role_name . The role name can be written as either an identifier or a string. ???

110. Gator relative: CROC. Gator-Alligator as Croc-Crocodile.

111. White team: SOX. My childhood heroes.

112. Shout: CRY.

115. Heat units: THERMS.

116. "Tear down this wall!" speaker: REAGAN.

                            

122. Keep going: ENDURE. These Sundays are long. 

123. Higher than normal, maybe: ELEVATED.

124. Cal State city: CHICO.

                        

125. Joust participants: STEEDS. Let's hear it for the horses. 

127. Brings together: WEDS. People, or ideas.

Down:

1. U.S. peak officially renamed in 2015: DENALI. Bad enough to be shot, but President McKinley lost that honorofic.

2. Palm used in furniture: RATTAN.

3. Angst: UNEASE.

4. Rounded, knotty tree growths: BURLS.  These are not related to MR. IVES, or are they?

5. Follower of Mao?: TSE. Or Chris.

6. "__ girl!": ATTA.

7. Congressional mtg.: SESSion. 

8. Worker with mice: TECH. 

9. Go left instead of right, say: ERR. No Politics!

10. One inspiring PDAs: BAE. The new it word for your it girl.

11. "F Troop" corporal played by Larry Storch: AGARN.

12. Musicians' garage creations, maybe: DEMO CDS. Garage bands. That really is where more successful bands start out.

13. "Mazel __!": TOV. I hope you are all having a great Passover, Easter, Kwanza or whatever brings you joy.

14. "Fighting" Indiana team: IRISH. Notre Dame.

15. It's shocking: TASER. Ha Ha.

16. Go up: INCREASE. Prices.

17. Washer component: AGITATOR. I said no politics.

18. "Spider-Man" reporter __ Leeds: NED. Not a major character.

19. Board members who might become mated?: KINGS. Chess board.

23. Supplies order phrase: NEED BY.

28. Beginner: TYRO.

31. Ivory, for one: SOAP. Aslo a Coast, which also happens to be a soap.

32. Viking great Tarkenton: FRAN.

33. No. 2: ASST.

34. Entering, as data: TYPING IN.

35. Head of France: TETE. Just French.

38. Significant archaeological find: DNA. 

39. Long-nosed fish: GAR.

40. Boise-to-Fargo dir.: ENE. Who goes from Boise to Fargo?

45. Brush off: SNUB. Not to be confused with DRUB.

47. Make a killing on, in a way: SCALP. Tickets.

48. Skyler's sister on "Breaking Bad": MARIE. Never watched it. 

49. Redo: ALTER. I am sure the pets do not like this.

50. Come out with a more current version of: REISSUE. Not for me.

51. "Chad" network: TBS. Chad? Never heard of it. I thought it is a country near the Ivory Coast.

52. "A pity": SAD.

54. Most any Disney princess: HEROINE. All of them.

57. Ones often seen in restricted lounges: VIPS.

58. Massachusetts motto starter: ENSE. Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem. Seek peace but only in freedom.

60. Sleeper, for one: TRAIN CAR.

61. Electrolysis products: IONS. Are they the products, or the process?

62. Pixar film set in Mexico: COCO.

                        

63. Distant: FAR.

64. Need to pay: OWE.

65. Permit: LET.

66. Fragrant compound: ESTER. We had this recently. Looks like a WORDLE word.

67. Top names: ELITE. And another.

68. Prohibition words: DO NOT.

75. Privy to: IN ON. Gossip?

76. Concert piece: AMP. Tricky and not true of all concerts.

78. Pt. of an age calculation: DOB. Date of Birth.

82. Unworldly: INNOCENT.

83. PepsiCo sports beverage: GATORADE. More CSO to me and my alma mater.

85. 1970 Kinks hit: LOLA. Our new downstairs neighbor.

86. Driver of "BlacKkKlansman": ADAM.
                            
87. Dot follower?: COM.

88. Choler: IRE.

89. Prefix with event or issue: NON.

90. Nerve: GUTS. They are related. 

91. Valuable things: ASSETS.

94. Swing voters: Abbr.: INDS. Is that really an abbreviation for independents?

95. Lightning simulators: STROBES.

100. Yuletide display: CRECHE. More religion.

101. Really awful: HORRID.

102. Early Mexicans: OLMECS. Talk about a gimme after this week's puzzles.

103. Basil-and-pine-nuts sauce: PESTO.

105. Lauren Hutton has been on its cover 26 times: VOGUE. Why?

106. Modern greeting: E-CARD.

107. Rejoice: EXULT. Lots of reason to do this now.

109. "Superman & Lois" network: THE CW.

112. Burn a bit: CHAR. My oldest granddaughter.

113. Solemn event: RITE. Lots  of them this week and next.

114. Belgian river: YSER. Look at your list of four letter European rivers.

116. Hi-__ image: RES. Not to be confused with...

117. Video game letters: NES. Nintendo Entertainment System.

119. Agnus __: DEI. Lamb of G-d. Timely for all Judeo-Christians.

120. Binge-watcher's device: DVR. Not so much anymore.

121. Ideal NFL drive endings: TDS. Touchdowns which is the perfect place for me to end this tour and return control of your computer to each of you. Rich we all appreciate everything you have done for C.C., this blog, for all the new constructors brought in by C.C.,  and for Jeffrey Wechsler. 

Patti, we have enjoyed your puzzles and look forward to a long working relationship pushing the envelope while appreciating our history.

 

Lemonade out.

 

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

1) Boomer's CT scan last Monday did not show more cancer progression, so Dr. Downs ordered one more blood draw on Wednesday. Thankfully Boomer's white blood count went up, so he was able to get his 4th chemo infusion on Thursday. The scan did show two tiny nodules on his lung, but Dr. Downs was not overly concerned. Boomer will have one more scan after his 6th chemo. Light schedule next week. Only one appointment with his spinal cord doctor.

2) Thanks for the special Rich, Jeffrey & Lemonade treat, Lemonade! You always brings the best of Jeffrey's grids!

 

3) As I've mentioned before, this is our last puzzle edited by Rich Norris, who's retired after 22 years as the editor for the L.A. Times Daily Crosswords. I feel incredibly lucky to have Don G as a mentor and Rich as an editor for so many years. Rich has always been so patient, encouraging and generous. When Rich rejected a puzzle, he always gave me his rationale, never a curt reply. He helped me tighten up so many themes and made me look smart with his brilliant clues. Thank you so much, Rich, words can't express how grateful I'm. You're a first class wordsmith and gentleman!

Rich Norris and his wife Kim Taylor

For anyone still around I am adding a picture of my grandchildren. Look how much they have grown in less than 5 months from Devi's wedding.