Friday, September 16, 2022, Taylor Johnson

 Title: After Thoughts

Welcome back Taylor to the LAT where we just solved your Saturday themeless collaboration with your mentor, the prolific Christina Iverson. Let me tell you some more  about our little patch which our werowance (Zhouqin "C.C." Burnikel) dubbed Crossword Corner when she premiered this site on January 8, 2008. It started as a blog about the Tribune Media Daily, switching to the LAT on March 23, 2006 with this PUZZLE.  

I enjoyed solving your debut puzzle on December 4, 2021 in the Universal site. Your wordplay there helped prepare me for this write-up. Also, you have launched your own site which has since become a pay to view site, but the first puzzle was great.

You included some tasty long down fill, ORANGE SODA, SKEDADDLE, IT's NO RUSH and OSCAR PARTY joining the across fill BEER NUTS and and DEAD LAST to make this a Friday puzzle. It did have many 3 and 4 letter fill but I enjoyed. So let's get to work on the theme.

17A. Teacher's request, literally?: CLASS SEE ME. This took a while to grok (see 23A below) See Me AFTER Class. 

29A. Like falling dominoes, literally?: THE OTHER ONE. One AFTER the Other. 

47A. Note to a spy, literally?: READING BURN. Burn AFTER Reading. 

63A. Enticing ad words, literally?: REBATE FREE. Free AFTER  Rebate. 

You have to use your imagination, or at least I did. Maybe Taylor will comment here on her puzzle process. On to the rest.

Across:

1. "Sure, no __!": PROB. I plunked this right in and was happy it turned out to be correct, as a colloquial does not need to be an abbreviation.

5. Common bugs: COLDS. Nice misdirection; is that all COVID is?

10. __-bitty: ITTY. Had itsy-bitsy/

14. Weird sensation before some migraines: AURA. I have read about the sensation, never experienced it. For me migraines were just pain.

15. Sag: DROOP. A n aggressively mean word.

16. Cuisine with green curry: THAI. Wow, thanks for the Coincidental Shout Out, Taylor. (see explanations to the right).

19. Part of many a lunch special: SOUP. I used to like the soup and 1/2 sandwich at Panera Bread.

20. Belief: TENET. Synonyms. 

21. Bar bowlful: BEER NUTS. Beer Nuts is an American brand of snack food building on the original product, peanuts with a sweet-and-salty glazing. The ingredients include peanuts, coconut oil, corn syrup and salt. various.

23. Grok: GRASP. This is a word I did not know until C.C. taught it to us years ago and it really comes in handy. 

26. Corp. head: CEO. Chief Executive Officer.

27. "That's all __ wrote": SHE.

35. "The Handmaid's Tale" Emmy winner: MOSS. This ACTRESS has had a busy and successful career.

37. Taj Mahal city: AGRA. Can I still say, Man's greatest erection for woman?

38. Binds: FUSES.  They are shown as being synonymous but this had me going.

39. "Star Wars" critter who lives on Endor: EWOK.

He/she/it looks too cuddly and doesn't

40. Stare angrily: GLARE. Though he may suggest you...

42. "Make tracks!": SCAT.

43. Helped: AIDED. Ms. Iverson has helped many in the puzzle world.

45. Sister who sings "Into the Unknown" in "Frozen II": ELSA.  

46. Abhor: HATE. I recall ABHOR as my first grown up word. 

50. Eggs in a chirashi bowl: ROE. LINK.

51. Drink that may be brown, blonde, or red: ALE. Once again my sons and their extensive and continuous involvement in the liquor field made this easy.

52. Eat inelegantly: SLURP. This seems a bit regional and judgmental.

54. Bringing up the rear: DEAD LAST.
                            
59. Coped (with): DEALT. It has been a year for many of us, none more so than C.C. and Boomer. 

62. Enthusiastic: AVID. From the Latin avidus meaning to crave.

66. Cash drawer: TILL. noun (1) \ ˈtil \ Definition of till (Entry 4 of 5) 1a : a money drawer in a store or bank also : cash register. b : a box, drawer, or tray in a receptacle (such as a cabinet or chest) used especially for valuables.

67. Short on flavor: BLAND. Is it true about British cuisine? Bill, Joseph, anyone?

68. Like some emphasized text: Abbr.: ITALicized.

69. Option word: ELSE. Or...

70. Fabric measures: YARDS. At least here in the US...

71. Kind: TYPE. If you are kind, you are more likely to find someone your type, so says Confusedcious. 

Down:

1. Agreement: PACT. Pact sounds so much more serious like you have to bleed.

2. "No cellphones at dinner," say: RULE. A wonderful rule never to be followed.

3. Fizzy ingredient in a Creamsicle float: ORANGE SODA. This just needs you to close your eyes and imagine where you put the vanilla ice cream that would make you think of a Creamsicle.

4. More wicked: BASER. Another fill that took perps and an open mind.

5. Low-risk IRA components: CDS. Certificates of Deposit.

6. Some Minecraft blocks: ORE. My sons play, but I never have but with that name this was easy.

7. "Feel What U Feel" Grammy winner Lisa: LOEB.

8. Planetarium roof: DOME. So you can see the big sky.

9. Address: SPEECH.

10. "At your leisure!": IT'S NO RUSH. I think more of "There's No Rush" but this was not hard.

11. The old you?: THOU. I really liked this misdirection, not me but the word's history.

12. At a breaking point, maybe: TAUT. Taut is tight 

13. Pound sounds: YIPS. We have many animal rights activists here.

18. Fantasy league no.: STATistics.

22. Colorful ecosystem: REEF. The Coral reefs from here through the Bahamas are amazing and you do not have dive deep to see a show.

24. __ carpet: SHAG. A perfect reference for our age group. and 33D. "Groovy!": NEAT-O.

25. Stereotypical pirate feature: PEGLEG. Long John Silver? I liked their battered fish. 

27. Spread messily: SMEAR.

28. Singer Dorough who co-founded the Backstreet Boys: HOWIE.

30. Sonicare rival: ORAL-B. Ah, the toothbrush wars...

31. Ankle bones: TARSUS.

32. Awards night gathering: OSCAR PARTY. There are more and more events each year and is you get to go you leave with a swag bag loaded with goodies, Back in the day...

34. Big name in cosmetics: ESTEE.

36. Make tracks: SKEDADDLE.

41. House of Lords figure: EARL.

44. Egg salad herb: DILL.

48. Close: NEARBY.

49. Hose shade: NUDE.

53. Provide new equipment for: REFIT.

54. Palm fruit: DATE. If it is a date palm. 

55. Pernicious: EVIL.

56. Feels crummy: AILS. 

57. Ward of "Gone Girl": SELA.

58. Way up the slope: T-BAR.

60. Big advance: LEAP.

61. Start to commute?: TELE.

64. "Your point being ... ?": AND.

Once again you get only a piece of me for this fun puzzle, but we are getting ready to go to Thailand as Oo's mother celebrates her 100th years. I enjoyed the puzzle and I am sure you all will finish my unfinished symphony. I will be in Thailand when you read these words and I will miss you all, at least until I get my internet set up there. Be well. Lemonade out.

Friday, August 19, 2022, Rebecca Goldstein

Title: Liar Liar pants on fire!

With our new editorial staff we are seeing a stream of new female constructors bringing their perspective to the puzzle world. Today is a classic Friday theme where rather than add letters we remove letters and then clue the result to make witty sense. Rebecca's choice is the ambitious trigram LIE, which she supplements with the uncommon Friday reveal. Since her mainstream puzzle debut on Groundhog Day 2021, she has more than 20 published efforts. She shows her skills by including a bunch of long non-theme fill ASSAILS, RAMPS UP,  EGG TIMER, GOLD STAR, SLED RACE, WE'RE HOME, POPS WHEES, SHOE HORNS, SORRY CHAR and SWEATSUIT.  Impressive. Let us move to the theme.

18A. *Sounds when Dad is on the roller coaster?: POPS WHEELIES. Your father screaming on the roller coaster expands to his making his bike (motor or not?) doing wheelies. I could not find a good video.

24A. *Football official who makes the absolute worst calls?: DISASTER RELIEF. An incompetent referee becomes the center of humanitarian aid.

47A. *Extremely poor student?: LORD OF THE FLIES. This is my favorite as dubbing a bad student as the Lord of the Fs and then referencing a classic book read in school was great. 

56A. *Woefully inadequate crust on a steak?: SORRY CHARLIE. Another fun reference to the old Star-Kist TV commercial though what a lacking crust might be. 

And the reveal:

35A. "You can't deny it," and a good question about the answers to the starred clues: WHERE IS THE LIE. Not crazy about this clue or the placing a reveal in the middle of the puzzle, but it certainly tells the story.

Now that we have done part I, lets see the rest.

Across:

1. Diamond-studded watch, e.g.: BLING. This filled immediately but I can see it might have made some unhappy.

6. Drama award: OBIE. Off Broadway equivalent of a Tony. 

10. Greek peak: OSSA. Rising from a broad, steep-sided plateau to a pyramidal peak of 6,489 feet (1,978 m), the mountain is noted in mythology for the attempt of the Aloads, sons of the sea god Poseidon, to climb to heaven by placing Ossa on Olympus and the Pelion (Pílios) Mountains on Ossa. Britannica.
            

14. "On the Media" medium: RADIO. On the Media (OTM) is an hour-long weekly radio program hosted by Brooke Gladstone, covering journalism, technology, and First Amendment issues. Wiki.

15. Underwhelming: SO SO. So what?

16. Temple athletes: OWLS. This Philadelphia University has produced some successful graduates. A LIST. To honor Temple's beginning as a night school for ambitious young people, the nocturnal owl was adopted as its mascot. 

17. Former NBA center who made only one three-point shot in his career: O'NEAL. He tried 22 times .
                            
20. Tower of note: AAA. The company that tows cars, hardy har har.

21. "You wouldn't __!": DARE. I already did!

23. Adjective on taco truck menus: ASADA. From the Spanish for grilled I think. 

28. Start to cycle?: TRI. Cute, tricycle.

29. Minute: ITSY. Bitsy teenie weenie...

30. Ingest: EAT. This makes the process seem awful.

31. Margarita condimento: SAL. Spanish for salt.

32. Span. title: SRA. Continuing the trend, Senorita, a miss.

33. Business closing?: INC. This is the last part of a business name e.g. Crossword Corner, Inc.

34. Florida NFLers: BUCS. We have three NFL teams, The Jaguars from Jacksonville, the once mighty Miami Dolphins and the Tom Brady led Tampa Bucs.

39. Old Royale 8's: REOS. A car made by that company.

Pretty classy.

40. "I hate it": UGH. Also 46A. Response from the underwhelmed: MEH. 61A. "Yeah, don't think so": UM NO. The flowery speech of modern times.

41. "Trust your __": GUT. This has become an accepted way to live, why?

42. Exist: ARE. To be or not to be.

43. For: PRO. Against: Anti.

44. Pen pals?: HOGS. Cute, in their pigpen.

52. Prefix meaning "light": PHOTO. word-forming element meaning "light" or "photographic" or "photoelectric," from Greek photo-, combining form of phōs (genitive phōtos) "light."

54. Bread served with saag paneer: ROTI. We must first learn that saag paneer is a spinach based dish popular in Indian culture, then the fill is easy.

55. Maracanã Stadium city: RIO. Maracanã Stadium, officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

59. Single-sex group of experts: MANEL. An appropriate feminist portmanteau for Man (only Pan) el. 

62. The Hawkeye State: IOWA. Most sources say that Iowa's Hawkeye State nickname was inspired by a Native American warrior named Black Hawk and/or the character of Hawkeye in James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans. Though the exact history of the name is debated, most Iowans proudly refer to themselves as Hawkeyes.

63. Banish: EXILE. 

64. Younger sibling, stereotypically: PEST. I was the youngest so I guess I was the pest.

65. Study __: SESH. Dictionary says / (sɛʃ) / noun. slang short for session.

66. Pond plants: REEDS.  Reeds and rushes are pond plants that will attract wildlife such as hummingbirds, dragonflies and butterflies to you water feature.

Down:

1. Far-reaching: BROAD. I think this is very insulting and unfair as women deserve respect even if they are ... oh, sorry. 

2. Poipu patio: LANAI. A very pretty area in Hawaii.

3. Notes app entries: IDEAS. I guess that is the idea but I imagine most just put in reminders.

4. Actress Long: NIA. Actress, Producer, Singer SUPERSTAR. This impressive lady.

5. "Well done, you!": GOLD STAR. Did you get these in school?

6. Hawk in a duet: OSPREY. This sounds so familiar but refuses to come to the surface. Help musicians, please.

7. Bronx cheer leader: BOOER. The term Bronx cheer is named for a borough of New York, the Bronx, and presumably the inhabitants' propensity to employ their tongues to express derisive feelings when a sports team does not perform up to par. See Yankees.

8. Co. for surfers: ISP. Internet Service Provider.

9. Maker of The Hero and The Fixer lip care products: EOS. Two of their lip balm products.

10. Sounds of awe: OOHS. And aahs? 

11. Work-from-home attire, for many: SWEAT SUIT. I no longer own any, but in Florida it is shorts and flip flops.

12. The Iditarod, e.g.: SLED RACE. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod, is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. WIKI.

13. Goes after: ASSAILS. A fancy word for attacking someone. Etymology  "attack violently," c. 1200, from Old French assalir "attack, assault, assail." 

19. Drift, as an aroma: WAFT. I love the smell of coffee brewing when I am getting up. Sadly for Oo she does not.

22. @ signs: ATS. a gimme.

25. Buenos __: AIRES. We are back in South America.

26. Flat bread?: RENT. Another classic misdirection with flat = apartment and bread = money.

27. A throw: EACH. A piece. 

32. Makes fit, in a way: SHOE HORNS. A picture clue.

33. "Thereabouts": ISH. I will see you 7ish.

34. Rosé: BLUSH. Don't whine, this is wine. I defer to C Moe to discuss this blend. My d-i-l use WHINE as her WORDLE word every day; last two days the answers were WHILE and TWANG = two 2s.

35. "Did you miss us?": WE'RE HOME. We are the 'us' here so we don't get to say this often.

36. 100 cents: EURO. Did you know the EURO used cents?

37. Rangers goalie Shesterkin: IGOR. Goodbye Igor, Eyegor here is a very New York clue/fill. In the 2021–22 NHL season he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender.

38. Kitchen counter?: EGG TIMER. Another nice pun.

39. Increases quickly: RAMPS UP.

43. Ruse: PLOY. In the top 5.

44. "Yippee!": HOORAH. Very marine...

45. O'er and o'er: OFT. 

48. Doodles: DRAWS.

49. "Rubber Duckie" singer: ERNIE. Not Bert, but...
                            

50. Sally of "Brothers & Sisters": FIELD. Even multiple Academy Award winners must work.

51. Red parts of Louboutin shoes: SOLES.
                        

53. Moderate pace: TROT. Don't rush. 

57. Prefix with gender: CIS. Cisgender, or simply cis, is an adjective that describes a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.

58. Gardener's tool: HOE. Ho, ho, that is a trap to which I will not go. I think Erle wrote about Perry Mason, among others.

60. Logger's tool: AXE. What are logging tools?

Cant Hooks. Steel Cant Hooks. Aluminum Cant Hooks.

Log Peaveys. Steel Log Peaveys. Hookaroons. Steel Hookaroons. Log Arches. Junior Log Arch. Buck Arch Log Arch. Log Carriers. Timber Tongs. 2-Person Log Carrier.

Axes are for wimps, but they are cute and my personal favorite band.

Handicapped by a hand that was assailed by my grand puppy, Remus the Jack Russell, I did not get to start until tonight and I hope we had a good time and I made enough sense as I ploughed through. This was a fun puzzle from an impossibly busy new constructor. I look forward to your comments and thank you Rebecca, all who read, all who write, C.C. and Boomer and keep good wishes flowing for them and the whole 

world. Lemonade out.

 

Friday, August 5, 2022, Jake Houston

TITLE: Time for bed Princess Winnifred the Woebegone; you must chose your bed. We wouldn't want you to pea in bed.

We are welcoming back Jake who first appeared in this themeless just over one year ago where HG presented Jake's background. He is also creating and promoting a musical based puzzle platform discussed HERE. Perhaps we will inspire him to come by and tell us more.

Today we have another version of a classic Friday theme, remove something from the fill but clue it so the solvers can find what is missing. Today we have a reveal accompanying the 4 bed sizes and they are located in ascending order of size and they descend the grid.

We also have some fun 7 and 10 letter fill to wrap around the 9 and 11 themers. ARTICLE, ATE INTO, THE FLEA, ADRENALINE, DIDGERIDOO, OPEN SESAME and  WAYNE MANOR. All distracting a bit from a simple theme.

20A. *Aircraft with dual turboprops: (TWIN) ENGINE PLANE  (11). Self-explantory.

38A. *Gutsy wager on "Jeopardy!": TRUE DAILY (9) (DOUBLE). I know many cornerites also love Jeopardy and the late Alex Trebek, but it was the professional gambler James Holzhauer who taught all-time champion Ken Jennings that strategy. 

44A. *Wildflower also known as wild carrot: (QUEEN) ANNE'S LACE (9). Queen Anne's lace the herb (Daucus carota) can reach heights of about 1 to 4 feet (31-120 cm.) high. I did not know this.

57A. *Tennyson poetry series set in Camelot: IDYLLS OF THE (11) (KING).  Our literati really praise this book but when I tried to read when I was 12 years old, I did not finish it. I have never gone back, though I love the Arthurian stories and legends. I really liked the BBC TV series MERLIN many of the books on this bigger than life man and even the silly movie A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. 

72A. With 73-Across, space-saving furniture, and what the answers to the starred clues each do: HIDE. 73A. See 72-Across: A BED. And if you hadn't sussed the theme before the reveal, you have it here. I am thinking about a Murphy bed but my wife does not like Mrs. Murphy. 

Across:

1. Pataky of the "Fast & Furious" films: ELSA. Do you like the double with 1D. "Anything __?": ELSE.

5. Pronoun on a coffee mug, maybe: HERS. These days we must be politically correct, right?

9. "What Unites Us" writer Rather: DAN. A collection of essays on patriotism by the long time CBS news man. 

A REVIEW.

12. Profit (from): LEARN. Ideally we should learn from experience, individually and as a nation. No politics.

14. Musical narrated by Che: EVITA. Here it is starring Madonna.  

                               

16. Wedding vow: I DO. She did...often.

17. With 65-Across, seat of California's Orange County: SANTA.  65A. See 17-Across: ANA.
  

18. Illuminated: LIT UP. If I were Boomer, I might say the Marlin's bullpen keeps getting lit up.

19. Beats by __: DRE. Have I told the story of an early date with Oo where we ended up at Brands Mart to shop for a birthday present for her son back in Thailand. I learned one of my first words of Thai... แพง (pronounced

Phæng - pang) meaning expensive.

22. Stylist's option: GEL. Do you gel your hair? Ladies? Gentleman? Uncommitted?

23. Rom-__: COM. RomANTIC ComEDY.

24. "Dark Phoenix" superheroes: X-MEN. There have been 13 including the DEADPOOL ones. DARK PHOENIX starred Sophie Turner from the GAME OF THRONES.

26. AFB truant: AWOL. Air Force Base - Absent Without Leave.

29. Manual readers: USERS. Really? We are not a culture of manual readers.

34. Babysitter's handful: BRAT. Why do they need to eat while taking care of a child?

36. Get to the point?: TAPER. Like a candle? Or an anteater?

40. "See ya!": BYE. You can't get rid of me yet.

41. Eroded: ATE INTO. Like a drip of water on a rock.

43. Salsa, e.g.: DIP. I have watched many J Lo and  Shakira videos and the dips are exciting.

Oh you mean the food; never mind.

46. Curling piece: STONE. You women are tough if you use stones to curl your hair. 

Oh you mean the sport dominated by Canadiens: never mind.

48. Class struggle?: TEST. Ha Ha, not a Karl Marx struggle, just a learning class. Or is it?

49. Butt heads: CLASH. Who is Beavis then? 

51. Groundbreaking tools: HOES. No cheap off color humor from me. Any more.

52. Repast: MEAL. How can you re-past? Why does this mean to eat?

54. Wow: AWE. Shucks ma'am.

56. "Montero" singer Lil __ X: NAS. Of course...rated XXX.  LINK at your own risk.
                        
66. Farm song refrain: EI EI O. Rated e i e i o.

67. Jetson who attends Little Dipper School: ELROY. So cute. 

68. "Loki" actor Hiddleston: TOM. He has played Loki in many movies and a series. LINK.

69. "¿Cómo está __?": USTED. Hi Lucy.

70. French flower: SEINE. He even includes the flower/flower misdirection and some...

71. Mined find: ORE. Rhymed guide.

Down:

2. Pastrami spec: LEAN. There is much debate about lean and fatty, the Jack Sprat of the deli world.

3. Squealed: SANG. If you want to know why, ask.

4. Encyclopedia entry: ARTICLE. Lots of them.

5. Toolbar button with a question mark: HELP. I am not familiar with this,

6. Diabolical: EVIL. Diabolical is a characteristic of the Devil.

7. EGOT winner Moreno: RITA. The EGOT is back.

8. Wow: STUN. I know my sense of humor sometimes stuns.

9. Australian wind: DIDGERIDOO. The didgeridoo is a wind instrument, played with continuously vibrating lips. The didgeridoo was developed by Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia. Women are not supposed to play as they believe it may cause infertility.

10. Fight-or-flight hormone: ADRENALINE. Pleasure hormone melatonin, pain hormone...don't pay her.

11. Oasis guitarist Gallagher: NOEL. "Some day you may find your hero; some day you may lose your mind."

13. Technology prefix: NANO.

15. High point: APEX. ACME; pay your money, take your chances.

21. CGI bird in Liberty Mutual ads: EMU. It is hard to believe a non-existent computer image has become a very hated spokes creature.

25. CFO's degree: MBA. Master of Business Administration.

26. Ready to swing: AT BAT. I did not realize swingers had expressions to show they were ready. I guess visually...

27. Gothic estate in Gotham City: WAYNE MANOR. Bruce will you have tours when you rebuild?

28. Words that provide access: OPEN SESAME. The phrase first appears in Antoine Galland's French translation of One Thousand and One Nights (1704–1717) as Sésame, ouvre-toi (English, "Sesame, open yourself").

30. Great deal: STEAL. I do not think we should be encouraging crime. 

31. CNN correspondent Hill: ERICA. I have never seen her either on CBS or CNN but learned today she is from Clinton Connecticut, about an hour SW of where I grew up and next to where my uncle who was a doctor would rent a house for a month every summer in Beach Park. I also learned Beach Park does not exist anymore.

32. Ancient characters: RUNES. Not all the old crazies but their alphabet. The one from the Vikings is the most well known, I think.
                        
33. All ready: SET. Go!

35. Sorts: TYPES. It seems like I have been sorting this write-up for hours.

37. Dorm figs.: RAS. Resident advisers, who as far as my experience with two sons who stayed in campus facilities, they mostly advised about the good party spots. We are in Florida after all.

39. __ Equis beer: DOS. The most interesting beer? They fired the guy. Then they hired him back when sales plummeted. EVERY TV AD

42. "CrazySexyCool" singers: TLC. The STORY.

45. Unreliable stat from the fashionably late: ETA. 

47. John Donne poem featuring an insect: THE FLEA. The LINK. Is this a sex poem?

50. Owns: HAS.

53. In __ of: LIEU.

55. Burdens: WOES.

56. Org. with an alphabet: NATO. The Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used set of clear code words for communicating the letters of the English alphabet, technically a radiotelephonic spelling alphabet.  Wiki.

58. Menu item: DISH. I prefer food.

59. Creature in Tibetan myth: YETI. These mythical creatures have been written about for millennia.  Alexander the Great demanded to see a Yeti when he conquered the Indus Valley in 326 B.C. But, according to National Geographic, local people told him they were unable to present one because the creatures could not survive at that low an altitude.

60. Wasn't truthful: LIED. They were not under oath...

61. Mined find: LODE. I told you there would be another rhyme at some time,

62. Windy City paper, with "the": TRIB. The HISTORY. 

63. Polish: HONE. When I was young I was confused why a local softball team would call themselves the Polish Citizens. 

64. Sized up: EYED. I see this as a creepy way to end an otherwise fun puzzle. but that is just me. 

I must be too self-conscious. I had fun with this one as we went all over to get to the end. I did feel like a tour bus conductor taking you all for a ride. Not that kind of ride. Have a wonderful August, Lemonade out and be good to yourselves, your loved ones and all the rest. It is free.

Friday, July 22, 2022, Zachary David Levy

Title: 

Doctor Doctor, gimme the news; I got a bad case of lovin' you. No pill's gonna cure my ill; I got a bad case of lovin' you...

Happy Friday and your most loving host is back on track  alternating with C Moe. Today we have a classic add two letters (in this case DR the accepted abbreviation for Doctor) to create new and amusing puns and fill. It is also standard symmetry beginning with 17A. The distribution is 11/13/11/13 with no reveal needed. ZDL also laces the puzzle with some extra sizzle with four 10 letter fill packed into the down fill -  STOLEN KISS, PRETTY SOON, I NEED SPACE,  and BALD EAGLES. There are some challenging clues and some very witty ones but it is time to add more. The theme:

DR is added to the beginning of four phrases:

17A. Medical pro who avoids the rear of the ship?: DRAFT DODGER (11). If you picture a man in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck who will not go to the rear (AFT) of the ship you get what is going one.

26A. Medical pro who holds a pal's hand in a tattoo parlor?: DRINKING BUDDY (13). Now we have a friend who accompanies another about to get a new Tattoo and is nervous.

42A. Medical pro who engineers hairpin turns?: DRESS DESIGNER (13). Ess curves are what makes driving a real challenge and a doctor who  lays out the route for a Formula 1 race to make it scary, you have gotten it all.

55A. Medical pro who is a sick chess player?: DRILL MASTER (11). Chess masters are their most successful players, and one who is not well and plays on would  be an ill master.

In retrospect, very easy; now to review the rest.

 
Across:

1. Luxurious: PLUSH. Etymonline says "soft fabric, cloth having a softer and longer nap than that of velvet," 1590s, from French pluche "shag, plush..."

6. Bubble tea insert: STRAW. Very tricky and amusing since you must put in a straw to drink the tea. 

11. Sweet sandwich, for short: PBJ. Peanut Butter and Jelly. I am Jelly, Oo is Peanut Butter.
                    
14. A Marx brother: HARPO. Since their stage names were all 5 letters ending in O, this required the perps.  Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo

15. Small crown: TIARA. I never thought of it that way, but it is obvious.

16. Grammy winner Corinne Bailey __: RAE. Norma has clearly lost her place; I did not know this singer.

19. Approximate fig.: ESTimate.

20. Actor Mineo: SAL. This is a dated fill though he was famous as an actor in Rebel Without a Cause and getting murdered. If you do not know this story here it is. LINK.

21. Yarns: TALES. Growing up in New England, the spinning of Yarns were the words not the cloth.

22. Key near Alt: CTRL. There are a few.

23. Farmers market buy: KALE. I still think of it as a garnish, not food.

24. Rum cocktail: MAI TAI. My sweet wife orders this when a cocktail is appropriate but they seldom come out as the same drink. The original RECIPE.

31. Actress Zellweger: RENEE. Anyone watching The Thing About Pam? 

32. Eucalyptus eater: KOALA. According to National Geographic Koalas are not bears—they're marsupials.

33. Plant juice: SAP. Good for so many things including making maple syrup.

36. Peak: APEX. ACME, you pick.

37. The Good Book: BIBLE. There is much debate about the books and the history of the bible, a religious topic which I will not weigh in on.

38. Top-ranked: A-ONE. A sauce? 

39. Sorrow: WOE. A quick double header, with...

40. "What a pity": SO SAD.

41. Aerial photography craft: DRONE. Doctor one is not a themer.

45. ABCs: BASICS. What you learn first in school, maybe.

47. Plus: ALSO. Rhymes with...

48. Big trade show: EXPO. 

49. Noncommittal: VAGUE. Exactly describing the clue/fill.

51. Investigative journalist __ B. Wells: IDA. A pioneer of women and black women's rights. LINK.

54. Long of "Empire": NIA. She has starred in many movies and TV shows. Her IMDB.

58. Washington's Sea-__ Airport: TAC. Seattle-Tacoma. A niece of mine just moved there. 

59. "Cross my heart!": NO LIE. Meh.

60. Title holder: SPINE. Very fun, as the part of a book where the title is embossed is the spine. Also where many tattoos appear.

61. Estadio cheer: OLE. Spanish lesson - stadium and cheer.

62. Lies for, maybe: ABETS. Helps someone get away with something.

63. Snap course: EASY A. 

Down:

1. Many profs: PHDS. More doctors. 

2. "The Secrets We Kept" novelist Prescott: LARA. Some BACKGROUND.

3. River to the Caspian: URAL. This famous body of WATER.  43D. __ Grande: RIO. Another river dividing countries.

4. Sunblock letters: SPF.  Sun Protection Factor, is a measure of how well a sunscreen will protect skin from UVB rays.

5. Quick, provocative opinion: HOT TAKE. Part of the end of true journalism IMO.

6. Unexpected smack?: STOLEN KISS. Very nice as a clue and an act.

7. Laundry brand: TIDE. This HISTORIC product changed doing laundry.

8. Old T-shirts, maybe: RAGS. Is there a man among you who has not lost a favorite shirt to this scourge?

9. "__ we good?": ARE. I hope so, I love you.

10. Simple card game: WAR. This is even played in casinos.

11. In the not-too-distant future: PRETTY SOON.

12. Iraq port city: BASRA.  All you need to KNOW.

13. Actor who plays the Emperor in 2020's "Mulan": JET LI. The famous action hero appeared in the live action version of this anime classic.

18. "The Persistence of Memory" painter: DALI. Who doesn't love Salvador.

22. Spain's El __: CID. He was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain, made famous by this movie...

23. "Where creativity clicks" construction toy: K-NEX.
HISTORY.

24. Slip-on shoe: MULE. I cannot imagine these asses staying still long enough to wear.

25. Programming pioneer Lovelace: ADA. The abandoned daughter of poet Lord Byron. LINK.

26. Sketch: DRAW. 

27. Forfeited auto: REPOsession.

28. "Please give me some alone time": I NEED SPACE.
Greta Garbo anyone?

29. Sour: GO BAD. Milk anyone?

30. Birds of prey that were once endangered: BALD EAGLES. This is proof of what we can do if we commit as a country, oops never mind that sounds political.

34. Basketball Hall of Famer Donovan: ANNE. She died of heart failure apparently being 6'8" tall is hard on the body. This is not an issue for Friday bloggers.

LINK.

35. Social equal: PEER. Or a man by a urinal? 

37. Bigwig: BOSS. Have any of you watched the Horrible Bosses movies? Rachel, why did we lose you?

38. Best Picture winner set in Iran: ARGO. This revived Ben Affleck's career and now he got to marry J-Lo. Hollywood is grand.

40. Jiff: SEC. Not more Peanut Butter.

41. Pathology study: DISEASE. What does the study of paths have to do with illness? 

44. Run-down area: SLUM. I do not think this is a politically acceptable word. Pre-gentrified maybe?

45. Box lunch?: BENTO. The word “bento” was actually derived from the Southern Song Dynasty slang term biàndāng, which means “convenient.”  Timeline.com.

46. The first "A" in CAT scan: AXIAL.  CAT scan stands for Computed Axial Tomography. 

49. Dreadful: VILE. 

50. Came to rest: ALIT. This bugs me. 

51. Terse affirmation: IT IS. Make it so!

52. Turn down: DENY. Not the bed, but the offer.

53. Painter's calculation: AREA. Hopefully a calculation made by all who are working on your house.

55. Genetic info carrier: DNA.

56. Director Reiner: ROB. Most famous for the scene with his mother and Meg Ryan.

57. Mani-pedi place: SPA. How fun to end with a complete shout out to our own super hero Lucy.

Another struggle with technology but we made it to here. Thank you all for coming, reading and writing. I also send a big THANKS  to Zachary for the entertainment and  we would look silly if we had no puzzle to discuss. 

Be well all.

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, July 1, 2022, Doug Peterson

Title: This is no laughing matter! It is a puzzle, so solve it!

It is interesting that a constructor with at least 400 published puzzles is back at the LAT with 5 or 6 new ones this year, but who is counting. It is worth revisiting his INTERVIEW with C.C. back in 2008, a year when he had 11 published here alone. He was an influence on C.C., I am sure. 

Today we have a "remove letter" theme to create new and whimsical phrases clued for silliness. This makes the puzzle a gem as its title is opposite to the apparent intention of the puzzle. Brilliant. Doug excises HA from the four theme answers with the central reveal. It is a 16 letter phrase, so the puzzle becomes a 16 x 15 grid which adds to the solving fun, more words, more fun. While the puzzle is dominated by the themers and the reveal there are some sparkly fill, BRAGGARTS, ELDORADOS, POTENTATE and SAUCEPANS. It is unusual to have three with plurals. Let's start with the themers.

18A. Nana who deciphers coded messages?: GRAHAM CRACKER (11). I find this one very funny, picturing my dear grandmothers (both) sitting around, talking to each other about their rotten children while every so often getting a transmission to decode. Yes, they are sipping tea and dunking their GRAHAM crackers. 

24A. Skirmish between rival hives?: BATTLE OF HASTINGS (14). Also amusing as I can picture the Queen Bees (one of whom looks like Queen Mary of Scots) sending out the poor soldiers to die. The HISTORY here was real and the dead really died. We enjoyed watching:

52A. Horses now tame enough to ride?: CREATURES OF HABIT (14). This is a real stretch for me. While it is true they are taught ride with a bit controlled by a rider, the phrase does not resonate. A mini CSO to our favorite Nun (Lucy), except maybe Sally Field. How many bad habits did you have Lucy? You know I mean outfits.

63A. Speck of dust atop the Matterhorn?: ALPHA PARTICLE (11). LINK.

And the reveal:

40A. Serious business, and a hint to four answers in this puzzle: NO LAUGHING MATTER (16). I love that a puzzle designed to make me laugh is billed this way. A good set-up for the rest, but don't rest yet.

Across:

1. Symbol in the center of Cameroon's flag: STAR.
                                                           

 

5. Sentence server: INMATE. Once the perps led me here it was easy. Been there done that. 

11. Retro-hip beers, for short: PBRS. Pabst Blue Ribbons. My first beer was a Pabst which convinced me beer was not for me.

15. Quaint sigh: AH ME. 

16. "Mad About You" co-star: REISER. Paul has resurrected his career with his stints in STRANGER THINGS, THE KOMINSKY METHOD and even a 35 year sequel to the original show.

17. Baseball analyst Hershiser: OREL. A very successful player  for the LA Dodgers.

20. Finger food, in Zaragoza: TAPA. Zaragoza is the capital of northeastern Spain's Aragon region, but to me it was just a Spanish sounding name and there are many restaurants in South Florida offering Tapas. Though. I have never tried the fingers. 

21. Colleague of Amy and Elena: SONIA. Out of 115 justices that have served on the court, only five have been women. Three are currently serving: Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Amy Coney Barret, who replaced RBG who had before her death suggested 9 women would make a good court. 

22. Novelist Jaffe: RONA. Ms. Jaffe wrote a book called The Best of Everything describing her four years working at Fawcett Publishing. As show in this Encyclopedia.com ARTICLE it has spawned many successful books, movies and tv series.

23. Showbiz grand slam: EGOT. I think this makes three write ups in a row for this answer in one form or another.

28. Used a rocker: SAT. A specific sounding clue hides a general answer.

29. Black Sea resort: YALTA. The Yalta Conference was a meeting of three World War II allies: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. The trio met in February 1945 in the resort city of Yalta, located along the Black Sea coast of the Crimean Peninsula, an area very much back in the news. 

30. Functions: USES. See, some are easy.

34. ESPNU topic: NCAA. Colleges are the focus for both.

37. Boot camp barker: SARGE. A CSO to Tom from Wednesday?

44. "The Masked Dancer" panelist Paula: ABDUL.

45. Serious locks: MANE. More horsing around.

46. Name in a Salinger title: ESME. A short story in a book he published before Catcher in the Rye. Our academics can expound here. 

47. The planets, e.g.: OCTAD. Can you name all eight, or do you hang on to Pluto?

50. Masked caller: UMP. A really fun clue/fill. Not easy but inferable. 

58. Smack: SLAP. A common form of discipline when we were young at home or in school.

59. Evian et Perrier: EAUX. The French word for water, and two waters from France. 

60. Like some Windows errors: FATAL. You do not want to see that message. A fatal error is a type of error that forces a computer program to close or the entire operating system to shut down suddenly. This type of error is commonly associated with the blue screen of death in Windows, but less severe fatal exception errors only cause a single program to close. Lifewire.

62. Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Siân Heder: CODA. Siân, despite the exotic spelling of her name was born in Massachusetts and began writing and putting together movies at an early age. Her IMDB.

66. Big name in skin care: AVON. Are they calling you?

67. Coffee cup insulator: SLEEVE. I think this is backwards, as the sleeve insulates the hand buying the drink.

68. Consequently: THEN. People can buy and drink hot coffee.

69. Snafu: MESS. Ooh, ooh! Bad words implied here.

70. Shadow canvas: EYELID.

71. Org. scheme: SYSTem.

Down:

1. Gives a little: SAGS. I hope we are talking pillows not bodies.

2. Pulsate strongly: THROB. Is it just me or does the Scottish porn star Throb Roy come to mind? See 24A, supra.

3. Maker of the first refrigerator with a dry-erase door: AMANA. Wow, but what do I do with all the free calendars and note pads?

4. Mail payment: REMIT. When did I MIT the payment? Do I need to pay a late charge?

5. Like some vbs.: IRRegular.

6. PBS benefactor: NEA. National Education Association.

7. Smaller than small: MICRO. A clecho. 9D. Smaller than small: TEENSY.

8. Request from: ASK OF. Yes JFK, good question.

10. Collected goofs: ERRATA. 

11. Sovereign: POTENTATE and 12D. Self-promoters: BRAGGARTS which balance...

32. Cadillacs manufactured for 50  years:  ELDORADOS and 33. They often hang around kitchens: SAUCE PANS all nine letter fill...

13. Bank actions, briefly: REPOS.

14. Crate piece: SLAT. 

19. Pets who may squeeze into shoeboxes: CATS. CED, help.

25. Lana of Smallville: LANG. Kristen Kreuk is one of the early exotic actresses who blend the delicacy of Asian women with the strength of European men. 

26. Mark for good: ETCH. Using acid will make it forever.

27. "Casablanca" role: ILSA. Lauren Bacall, shall we play it for her?

                                

30. Telemundo article: UNA. One in Spinach, oops Spanish.

31. Blubber: SOB. He spilt some milk. 

35. Point: AIM. Then fire.

36. Santa __ winds: ANA.

38. Bit of finery: GEM.  The favorite of my comrades says no!

39. Palindrome in stanzas: ERE. Poetic enough for you all, Owen, Misty, Canadian Eh, Moe? 

41. Sephora rival: ULTA. Would you like some COMPARISONS?

42. Veld grazers: GNUS. M-W tells us this is a grassland especially of southern Africa usually with scattered shrubs or trees. Do they look for new velds?

43. __ pad: MEMO.

48. Relaxed: AT EASE. Yes sir!

49. Pickup truck with four rear wheels: DUALLY. A dual rear-wheel truck (DRW) – often referred to as a dually – is a heavy-duty pickup truck with two rear wheels on each side, allowing more road contact and width for greater stability, balance, and traction while driving. A favorite for some of our players.

51. "Hah, right!": PFFT. The interjection PFFT (pronounced "pufft") is used to dismiss something that someone has said or typed. In Thai it is PFFT.

52. Mulled wine spice: CLOVE. Also our new friend Star Anise. RECIPE.

53. Karachi currency: RUPEE. This CURRENCY; not to be confused with the RUFEE  a strong benzodiazepine.

54. Run out: EXPEL. The bad guys out of town, not the cornmeal for the pone.

55. Heckles: BAITS. Baits seems too specific, as you heckle to upset someone, to interfere but usually not wanting a real response. I see it more as badgering. 

56. Like wool, for many: ITCHY. Just wear underwear there.

57. Lore: TALES. Spoken legends.

58. Grifter's game: SCAM. Grifter is an American invention, dating back to the early 20th century, but appears to be based on the slightly older slang term “grafter,” also meaning “swindler,” “con man” or simply “thief.” Some authorities believe that grifter is actually a combination of “grafter” and “drifter." The Word Detective.

61. Temporarily provided: LENT. Wrong time of the year.

64. Prefix for the birds?: AVI. That sounds rather judgmental, it seems like a fine prefix to me.

65. Rare color?: RED. I guess it is time to go eat some meat, seared on the outside and rare on the inside. This makes for an excellent time to bring this write up to a close and thank Doug, C.C., Patti, Cristina, Moe, Heart Rx, all the current bloggers, and all of you outstanding readers, writers, commenters, thinkers, poets, who make this experience what it is. I also appreciate the understanding of my computer skills, and lack thereof. Until next time. Lemonade out.

I thought I would be back from the beach earlier. Happy Canada Day to C Eh and all of the constructors, commenters and just plain Canucks. My mother's family still have many ties to Quebec, PEI and Ottawa.

Oo and I are starting the 4th month of our beach cleaning walks which are part of my health regimen. Today was very successful with two bags full. Nobody was fishing so it was plastic bottles, cups, paper a single 16EEE basketball sneaker and a hypodermic with needle still attached. They were not near each other so don't worry about Shaq.

There also was the interesting return to our car and this truck delivering to the Briny Pub