Friday, November 28, 2014, Mike Peluso

Theme: Country puns.

Four common terms containing a country name as a descriptive adjective, are modified into amusing new version that sound alike but have very different meanings. This is the first Friday pangram in a long while and my first from Mike in a long while as well. As with many of his works, lots of 4 and 5 letter fill with some interesting medium words like IS INTO,  OAXACA,  PEG LEG,  SEANCE, AT WORST,  EQUINES, TEXAS TEA, UNALLIED. I know you are worn out from cooking, smiling at relatives and eating, so on with the show.

20A. WWII personnel from Rio? : BRAZILIAN WACS (13).  The base phrase is Brazilian Wax, referring to the complete removal of pubic hair. The HISTORY of the term is debatable, but it may just be that the indigenous tribes that were there before European were one of the Asian strains which grow very little body hair.

25A. Yoko Ono, in spirit? : JAPANESE BEATLE (14). The destructive Japanese Beetle does in fact come from Japan, which has more natural beetle predators to limit their damage. Not to be confused with the German Beetle.

46A. Andalusian plains? : SPANISH STEPPES (14). (Spanish Steps in Rome are must see according to my traveling son. LINK).  Steppe is defined as "one of the vast usually level and treeless tracts in southeastern Europe or Asia." (MW).

52A. Brussels-born lumberjack? : BELGIAN LOGGER (13). Belgian Lager beer. They produce over 700 kinds of beer in Belgium, but most are ales. READ.  Either of my sons can answer this one better than I. I did stand in line to buy the Trappists' Westveleran XII when it came out.

Across:

1. Cream, for one : TRIO. The band not the milk by product.

5. Old lab burners : ETNAS. I will let our scientists get into a BUNSEN vs. ETNA discussion.

10. Julia's "Ocean's Twelve" role : TESS. First name of actress = first name of character.

14. Teeny bit : IOTA.

15. Repeat exactly : QUOTE.

16. Bar __ : EXAM. February 1974.

17. Wii alternative : XBOX. gaming systems.

18. Prefix with marine : ULTRA.

19. Lawless role : XENA. Nicely phrased; Lucy will live on so people can find an X to grind into a puzzle.

23. Reds, on scoreboards : CINcinnati.

24. French pronoun : CES. Their.

33. EPA standard : AQI. Air Quality Index.

34. 1986 Best New Artist Grammy winner : SADE.

35. Kingdom : REALM.

37. Accumulate : RUN UP. Think of your bar tab.

40. Rio maker : KIA.

41. Leader's prerogative : SAY SO. He has the last word.

42. Place for sweaters? : SAUNA. Rather indelicate... sweat-ers.

43. Place Sundance liked : ETTA. Classic clue misdirection as her name was Etta Place, and the clue masks the capital letter which would have exposed the answer by having the word first in the progression.

45. Illegal turn, maybe : UIE.

50. Joseph Smith's denom. : LDS. Latter Day Saints.

51. __ hours : WEE. Where you could often find my sons playing the Wii.

59. It's done in parts of Switzerland : FINI. French misdirection; c'est fini.

60. Giant or Titan, briefly : NFLER. With the ever increasing size of footballers, this is becoming a doubly true clue.

61. VIII squared : LXIV. Roman math, reminds me LINK. (2:47).

63. Der __: Adenauer epithet : ALTE. Old one.

64. Island tubers : TAROS.

65. Foil relative : EPEE.

66. Techie, stereotypically : NERD.

67. Wrigley brand : ORBIT. This is my gum of choice.

68. Fishing leader? : GONE.

Down:

 1. B'way pickups : TIX.

2. Former Virginia senator Charles : ROBB. Married one of LBJ's daughters and despite rumors and scandals, they are still together.

3. "Like __ not ..." : IT OR.

4. Veracruz neighbor : OAXACA.

5. Some dams : EQUINES. Horsies.

6. Rock's Jethro __ : TULL. Very distinct sound.

7. Claim of innocence : NOT I.

8. Gillette brand : ATRA.

9. Medium setting : SEANCE. Not on your electric razor, but where the psychic's work.

10. Jed Clampett's discovery, in a sitcom theme song : TEXAS TEA. LINK in case you want to memorize the song.

11. Suit : EXECutive.

12. Without : SANS. A French word incorporated into our language.

13. "He'll hae misfortunes great an' __": Burns : SMA. small.

21. Cab cousin : ZIN, Cabernet and Zinfandel.

22. Erodes : WEARS.

25. Shakes : JARS. I guess...

26. Blue shades : AQUAS.

27. Betty Grable, e.g. : PIN UP. very popular with our boys during WWII, I have read.

28. Benefits : SAKES. For all of our sakes, I hope you sussed this.

29. WWI first lady Wilson : EDITH. Woodrow's second wife and the President after his stroke.

30. Pulsates : BEATS.

31. Easy two-pointer : LAYUP.

32. Dinsmore of children's books : ELSIE. No clue, all perps. LINK.

36. Duff Beer seller : MOE'S. Mo' Simpsons and a CSO to our own Chairman.

38. Neutral : UNALLIED.

39. Ohio-based consumer products giant, familiarly : P AND G. Proctor & Gamble.

44. In the most dire circumstance : AT WORST.

47. Has a passion for : IS INTO. Also, 59D. Buff : FAN. He is a car buff was popular when I was a kid

48. Wave checker: abbr. : EEG. Electroencephalogram. brain waves.

49. Stereotypical pirate : PEG LEG. My ex-wife hated that as a nickname.

52. Venom : BILE. One of the first 4 elopements.

53. __'acte : ENTR. French for between.

54. Hardly close : AFAR.

55. Union-mgmt. mediator : NLRB. National Labor Relations Board.

56. Sainted pope called "the Great" : LEO I.

57. Nat, before 2005 : EXPO. Base ball teams, one in Montreal which is now in Washington, both abbreviations.

58. It was nothing for Louis XIV : RIEN. More simple French, and bi-lingual pun.

62. Vacation starter? : VEE. First letter in the word, and the last clue in the puzzle. Still recovering from all the tryptophan in the turkey. Relax and enjoy, thank Mike and thank you C.C., Argyle, JzB, Steve, marti, Splynter and each and everyone of you.
Lemonade out.

Friday, November 14, 2014, Steve Salmon

Theme: I loved this puzle (sic). It was awsome (sic). I had to fight with my computer to stop the correcting of the theme answers.

I believe this is the LAT debut of Mr. Salmon (the other pink meat) who has created a few NYT over the years. The five theme answers each have a common spelling mistake where a letter is omitted. How many of these do each of you get wrong? The missing letters can be silent in speech so they do not trigger an immediate sense of error. Initially I tried to make a secondary (meta) answer from the missing letters but can only come up with the anagram RUNGS from the missing letters, and there is no ladder tie in, so I guess they are just letters missing from misspelling. I do like the symmetry of theme 1/3/5 all missing a double letter and 2/4 missing a new letter. Another puzzle with many cheater squares (8) but a Fridayish word count and some nice words like ALLEGRO, ECUADOR, GLISTEN, OLD SALT, TIMPANI, AUGUSTAN, EYELINER, IN BACK OF, OFF RAMPS.
Okay, let's cast our lines and see what we catch...

17A. Making flush : EMBARRASSING (11). I often forget the double R, which in itself is....

32A. Feature of some jellyfish : FLUORESCENCE (11). If you can remember the element FLUORINE (at. no. 9) you will spell this one correctly. The only fishy clue.

24A. Pushy : AGGRESSIVE (9). RUG? Needed perp help.

46A. Administration : GOVERNMENT (9). I recall kids in school making this error, but the way the word is said is regional and some pronounce the "N" (me fore example) so this one was tricky. Listening to the news, I hear the word without the N as the dominant rendition.

52A. This puzzle's five longest answers are common ones : MISSPELLINGS (11). For a moment I was looking for a 5th (albeit 6th) misspelling, tricked by the reveal also being part of the theme. I thought that was great.

Across:

1. Arguing : AT IT. Can you believe the juxtaposition of this multi-dimensional fill with...

5. Colored part of the iris : AREOLA. A word this Corner associates with a woman and a lily.

11. Fold call : BAA. Cute poker misdirection.

14. Ho Chi __ : MINH. The life and times of this REVOLUTIONARY  present an interesting historical lesson.

15. Caribbean stopover : NASSAU. Our back yard, here in So. Fla.

16. Munic. official : Alderman. Most cities now have commissioners or councilmen but the ABBREVIAION is accepted.

19. Army E-5, e.g. : NCO. Non-Commissioned Officer.

20. You can usually see right through them : PANES. Nice misdirection.

21. Country named for its location : ECUADOR. Meaning 'of the Equator' in Spanish; I do not know where the term equator comes from though it sounds like it has a common stem with equal. The COUNTRY is a bit of an enigma with a socialist democracy.

23. Picnic contest gear : SACKS. Such as the ones used in the three-legged race.

26. Signs : INKS. LeBron inked his deal to go back to Cleveland.

27. Son, to Sartre : FILS. Simple French.

28. London gallery : TATE. We have seen this fill often, and maybe Steve and NC can share some personal moments at the Tate.

29. Obit bit : BIOgraphy. Which might be about...

30. Exiled Amin : IDI.

31. Test area : LAB.

37. Things to consider : IFS. Nice clue.

38. Golf club part : TOE. I do not associate the word with golf, though obviously I have hit it off the toe of a club. I found this one hard.

39. Thanksgiving staple : YAM. Are yours candied? Or are they sweet potatoes?

42. Instant : JIFF. Does Jiffy really need an abbreviation?

44. Suffix indicating absence : LESS. meaningless clue.

45. Blend : MELD. Pinochle anyone?

48. Selling points : MALLS. Modern misdirection.

49. Seasoned seaman : OLD SALT. I presume from the saltiness of the Ocean.

50. Willies-causing : EERIE.

51. Broadcast : AIR. Radio and TV.

56. Island loop : LEI.

57. Pre-WWII pope : PIUS XI. I do remember XII. Roman numerals.

58. Adopted great-nephew of Claudius : NERO. A great way to learn about these two and other Roman Emperors is watching this PBS series as I did back in the 70's. More Roman fill.

59. Initials seen at Indy : STP. They say it was named for Scientifically Treated Petroleum, and became famous when endorsed by Andy Granatelli and his driver Mario Andretti. I like Standard Temperature and Pressure.

60. Drinks daintily : SIPS ON.

61. Expected 2015 MLB returnee : A-ROD. He has made it clear he wants back on the Yankees and he has a contract. Imagine, you lose Jeter but  get A-rod.

Down:

 1. __ Zion Church : AME. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. I had this before or I would not have been able to answer; a Friday piece of knowledge. LINK.

2. Symphonic set : TIMPANI. Fancy name for kettle drums used in orchestras.

3. Behind : IN BACK OF. Literal.

4. Response to a helper : THANKS. So simple.

5. Literary collections : ANAS.
an·a ¹  (n, än)

n. pl. ana or an·as

1. A collection of various materials that reflect the character of a person or place: definitive ana of the early American West.

2. An item in such a collection.

6. Dorm minders, for short : RAS. Resident Advisers.

7. Sicilian capital? : ESS. The Capital "S" at the beginning of the word.

8. Willows for wickerwork : OSIERS. A botanical fact and a Friday word as well.

9. Camelot weapon : LANCE. King Arthur had to be careful of his wife to be sure she did not Lance a lot.

10. Like the works of Virgil and Horace : AUGUSTAN. A Golden Age of LITERATURE. Another reference to old Rome.

11. Crook : BANDIT.

12. Nook : ALCOVE. Not a cranny.

13. Worship : ADORE.

18. Attorney's thing : RES. More Latin.

22. Easy __ : AS ABC. We just had "as pie."

23. Jacob, to Esau, for short : SIBling.

24. Hill helper : AIDE. Refers to Capitol Hill and the aides to the Senators, etc.

25. What icicles do in the sun : GLISTEN.

27. Douglas and others : FIRS. Oh Tannenbaum, almost time for the tree shopping.

31. Sediment : LEES. Not to be confused with TRUB. Despite my children's involvement in the beer and wine industry, I did not know this TERM.

33. "__ Little Ironies": Thomas Hardy collection : LIFE'S. never read them.

34. Some exits : OFF RAMPS. Not 'of framps', relating to one of Peter Frampton's guitars.

35. Run to : COST. Took me a long time to get to, how much is repairing my car going to run to.

36. Goth makeup : EYELINER. My youngest hung out with some of these young ladies in High School.

40. Score direction : ALLEGRO. I will let JzB explain this slowly.

41. HMO group : MDS. Medical Doctors.

42. City SW of Chicago : JOLIET. Somehow I always associate this city with the old Untouchables TV series.

43. ICU hookup : IV DRIP. Intravenous Drip. More Latin meaning within the vein.

44. Eases : LETS UP.

45. Place with berth rights : MARINA. An old puzzle pun.

46. Shootout successes : GOALS. In Hockey and Soccer to settle ties after overtime.

47. Mid-11th-century year : MLIII.

48. Harris of "thirtysomething" : MEL. One of the early big ensemble cast dramas.

50. Tiger's ex : ELIN. I gave her pictures last time.

53. Ltr. afterthoughts : PSS. More Latin, Post Scriptum.

54. Outside: Pref. : EXO.

55. Astrodome field's lack : SOD. What a convoluted clue for grass.

Well we have lots of Latin, and old Roman, two Roman numerals and a consistent theme and some challenging fill. Sounds like what a Friday should be. Thanks for coming our way Mr. S. and thank you all for being here. Lemonade out.

Friday, November 7, 2014, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Are you feeling N T?

Four in the language phrases with words beginning with "ST"  are transformed by changing the T to N. This is a more traditionally structured Friday, with only 72 words, and average word length in excess of 5 letters. It does have however 10 "cheater squares" and 42 blocks in all which is an awful lot of black in a puzzle. There are three cheaters in the NW and SE corner and 2 at each end of the central answer POTSTICKERS.

JW who has returned to constructing with the enthusiasm of a very young man has me puzzled not by the puzzle but by the grid. The theme answers were not immediately obvious, but SNORES opened the door for me, along with lots of down fill. There was almost none of the usual filler fill with only NEE and ALI very common. The midrange included BLOWS IT, CREEP IN, FUR COATS, PEACE NOW, BYPLAY, TOO LOW and BUMMER. continuing the trend to multiple word fill.

Okay let's solve this.

16A. Why the kids can hardly sleep at night? : MOM AND POP SNORE (14). In So.Fla. there always seem to be new people willing to open a mom and pop store to compete with Walmart and Costco.

25A. With 49-Across, motto for Jessica Fletcher? : SHE SNOOPS. (9). 49A. See 25-Across : TO CONQUER. (9). She Stoops to Conquer. This 1773 PLAY requires some Friday memory, though the perps made it relatively painless. I think my kids studied it in their high school theater; Goldsmith was popular with them.

36A. Chuckles over a small kitty? : POT SNICKERS.(11). This was the tricky, awkward one, having to think of the gambling term "kitty" and its synonym "pot." Pot Stickers became the rage here as appetizers in the 90s. Maybe C.C. will give us more insight. (From C.C.: We call them Jiaozi in Xi'An. Traditional food for Chinese New Year's eve. You can get frozen Jiaozi/Potstickers/Dumplings/Gyoza at Trader Joe's. Their Thai veggie Gyoza are so good.)

59A. Acerbic opinion piece? : SNEERING COLUMN(14). I like the fill, but steering column did not excite.

Across:

1. Chronicles : ANNALS. I wanted Narnia or Riddi[c]k.

7. File extension : TAB.

10. Double Down sandwich maker : KFC. I had forgotten about this monstrosity which uses chicken breasts instead of bread with two kinds of cheese and bacon in the middle.

13. Space-sharing bud : ROOMIE. How many of you have had to share a living space as an adult with someone other than family?

14. She-bear, in Sevilla : OSA. Spanish A = feminine, O = masculine.

15. Gang leader? : OUR. Fun misdirection, but young solvers may have no idea about this group.

19. Privy to : IN ON.

20. When Iago acquires Desdemona's handkerchief : ACT III. This is the easy one as 6 spaces can only be Act III.

21. Apple's Tim Cook, e.g. : CEO. Chief Executive Officer. Not quite as famous as Jobs. Wonder if he thinks he is one of the...

23. Some intellectuals : NERDS.

27. "Hopelessly Devoted to You" musical : GREASE. The role originated with Carole Demas, but I  remember OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN. (2:48). It is interesting to read the list of actors who played DANNY.

29. Net letters : EMAIL.

30. Pampas rider : GAUCHO.

35. 13 for Al, e.g. : AT. NO.  Atomic Number.

39. Mensch lead-in : UBER. Wow a discussion of Nietzsche and his PHILOSOPHY should ensue.

41. How some bars may be set : TOO LOW. This so cool because UBERMENSCH challenged man and mankind to strive for more.

42. Commercial center : PLAZA.

44. Skewered fare : KEBABS. My preferred spelling.

54. Malted ingredient : SYRUP. Milk shakes.

55. Come up short : OWE.

56. Beaverlike rodent : NUTRIA. Sounds more like a non-sugar sweetener, but these large river rats have damaged the Louisiana marshlands.

58. Apple or pear : POME. MW says it is a fleshy fruit (as an apple or pear) consisting of an outer thickened fleshy layer and a central core with usually five seeds enclosed in a capsule. From the Latin POMUM (fruit) from which the French get POMME (apple), and of course POMME DE TERRE (fruit of the earth = potato).

62. Bromide, e.g. : ION. You can STUDY this on your own.

63. "The Soul of a Butterfly" memoirist : ALI. Our boxing poet. Some QUOTES.

64. Took out : ERASED. An alternative to rubbing out.

65. Couple : TWO. This seemed almost too easy.

66. Society page word : NEE.

67. Source of much salon noise : DRYERS.

Down:

1. Preparing for combat : ARMING.

2. Lunchtime meeting : NOONER. More like lunchtime assignation.

3. "Uncle!" : NO MORE.

4. Activist/heiress Hearst : AMANDA. How cool the day after the surreal Castle, we get the incredibly lucky great-granddaughter who is not only rich, she went to prep school in Connecticut and is 5'3" and a part-time model

5. Jeremy of the Lakers : LIN. The one time darling of the Knicks and Harvard has landed in LA to play with Kobe. How is that going?

6. "Homicide: Life on the Street" actor Jon : SEDA. He was lucky enough to give up boxing before it rearranged his face. He now works on Chicago PD.

7. Zipper part : TOOTH.

8. Easy __ : AS PIE. This puzzle was not easy as pie, the compound word answers always are a bit of a challenge. ASPIC made no sense.

9. Underpinnings : BASIS.

10. Kitchy-__ : KOO. Again so easy, it was hard.

11. Valuables often stored : FUR COATS. For the three days a year you can wear them in So.Fla.

12. Enter surreptitiously : CREEP IN. Creepy.

17. Lenovo IdeaCentres, e.g. : PCS. Personal Computers.

18. Lowest stripe : NINE. This filled from the perps with both Ns being part of the T to N theme, but it took a few minutes to understand that the clue relates to pool (billiard) balls, where 1-8 are all solid colors and 9-15 are all striped in American pocket billiards.

22. Akershus Fortress city : OSLO. All perps.

24. U.S. Army E-6 : SSGT. Staff Sargent.

26. Co-star of Hugh on "House" : OMAR. Mr. Epps; a Thursday night ritual with many friends.

28. Captain's heading : EAST. Go east young man?

31. 108-card game : UNO. My grandmother loved this game.

32. 1955 labor merger gp. : CIO. Congress of Industrial Organizations merged with American Federation of Labor in 1955, an event I did not understand but recall.

33. Gastric acid component, to a chemist : HCL.

34. "I heard you the first 10 times" : OK OK. Enough already.

36. Antiwar organization based in Tel Aviv : PEACE NOW. This GROUP, has high hope.

37. Rice-shaped pasta : ORZO. A fun food and you can make THIS but use Thai basil for zest.

38. Pastoral moms : EWES. Really fun clue.

39. Not more than : UP TO. I will pay...

40. Fails utterly : BLOWS IT. Blow is such a versatile word, but I could not find the history of this phrase. Often accompanied by 47D. "Sorry, dude" : BUMMER

43. __ of Cleves : ANNE. She was the lucky 4th WIFE of Henry the VIII, whom he found so unattractive he never consummated the marriage, which saved her life.

45. Action on the side : BY PLAY.

46. Shake awake : AROUSE. So which arouses you 1 (4:01) or 2  (4:41)?

48. Whiles away : SPENDS.

50. Arabic religious text : QURAN. Transliterating from a different alphabet is such a slippery slope; I am trying to understand the Thai alphabet, and explain the Hebrew alphabet.

51. Functional : UTILE.

52. Els with tees : ERNIE. The Big Easy from RSA.

53. Oil facility : RIG.

57. Got 100 on, say : ACED.

60. Roxy Music co-founder : ENO. Brian, more known for his elevator music left the GROUP early on.

61. #4 at Boston Garden : ORR. Along with number 4 for the New York baseball Giants (Mel OTT) this name will always be a handy fill word.

Well another Friday in the books, another joyride for me. It was not too easy and not too hard. Thanks Jeffrey, again. This was a fun way to prepare for more parties for sweet Charlotte this weekend.  Have a great November all. Lemonade out.

Friday, October 31, 2014, Doug Peterson

Theme: A, that's a wrap.

One word of a common phrase is wrapped in As, with an A inserted at the beginning of the word, and an A inserted at the end of the word. Doug has been a prolific and skilled constructor for the past 12 years, and was among the early INTERVIEWS C.C. did after the change to LAT puzzles. He was very forthcoming and helpful. Doug also edits and collaborates with others. Doug does many themeless puzzles, but this version of add a letter was fun with the added layer of complexity adding both beginning and end. Not a crusher Friday, and some nice long non-theme answers like I’LL PASS, BAD PATCH, GOTTA RUN, MEAL TIME, RAIN DROP, all of which are compound fill. Multi word fill seems to be the focus here, but most were not obscure. Well I see the bat-signal so it is time to save Gotham and solve the puzzle.

17A. *Media member with a curly tail? : PRESS AKITA, (10). Press kit + AA=

25A. *With 50-Across, travel guide that touts Oranjestad's worst hotels and restaurants? : ARUBA THE. (8) 50A. See 25-Across : WRONG WAY (8). Rub the Wrong Way becomes a travel guide from hell.

38A. *"Whatever you say, wise goddess!"? : ALL RIGHTY ATHENA. (15). All right then, let's read about this GG. LINK.

 61A. *Refrigerator on the front lines? : AMANA OF WAR. (10). I like this one best
And the reveal.

64D. Smallish batteries, and a hint to how the answers to starred clues are formed : AAS.(3).

Across:

1. Common telenovela theme : AMOR. Spanish soap operas are all about LOVE.

5. Travel needs for many : VISAS. Another area I know very little about.

10. Lose, in a Vegas game : BUST. Isn't it odd how this repeat fill can be both so sad and so nice?

14. Amplify, in a way : MIKE. I have heard the phrase 'mike-up' so I guess this makes sense, but it took a while.

15. Not available : IN USE. Also known as Occupied, Occupado.

16. Fit : ABLE.

19. Word with barn or storm : DOOR. I think we have a puzzle where DOOR was the hidden end to the theme answers.

20. Sorceress jilted by Jason : MEDEA. Well, thanks for the CSO, but she was not a nice WOMAN . With the mini-theme: 67A. Legendary galley : ARGO. Galley is a type of ship (I linked recently that discussion) and this was Jason's.

21. "Not interested" : I'LL PASS.

23. Seahawks' org. : NFC. National Football Conference. Interesting, especially as they began in the AFC.

26. "Time to split!" : GOTTA RUN. Modern shortspeak spelling.

30. Ore. setting : PST. Pacific Standard Time.

31. José __: frozen Mexican food brand : OLE.

32. Sitar selections : RAGAS. Read all about IT. Raga to Ragga to Reggae?

34. Santa __ Mountains: coastal California range : CRUZ. West Coast Warriors, you want to expand?

42. In-land link? : LA LA. This may have begun with bedtime music but as a phrase is attributed to Los Angeles and the attitudes there.

43. Henie on the ice : SONJA. Back again so soon? Never forget Carol.

44. Grammy-winning "We Are Young" band : FUN.

45. Cybernotes : IMS. Instant Messages.

48. Six, for many : MEAL TIME. Sadly here in So.Fla, this is when the second shift eat dinner.

54. "King Kong" studio : RKO. Radio-Keith-Orpheum.  HISTORY.

55. Franklin's note : HUNDRED. It is all about the Benjamins.

56. "Cheers," e.g. : TOAST.

60. Qatari potentate : EMIR.

65. In __ parentis : LOCO. A hark back to last week's Latin exercise, "in the place of parents."

66. What a shin guard protects : TIBIA.

68. __ school : PREParatory. Been there.

69. How-to units : STEPS.

70. Actor Gosling : RYAN. We end this part with this face: His eyes do not match, but don't tell Eva.

Down:

1. Digital clock toggle : AM/PM.

2. Squishy area : MIRE. I enjoy the Ocean Spray commercials in the bog in Maine.

3. Didn't deny : OKED. Tricky, as I was thinking verbal assent.

4. Feel offended by : RESENT. Context, as it looks just like RESENT.

5. Itinerary word : VIA. More Latin.

6. India __ : INK.

7. Fashion designer Anna : SUI. For me a mostly unknown DESIGNER who reminds me of C.C. Only because of Target have I heard her name.

8. Buzzing with activity : ASTIR. A word!

9. Close securely : SEAL UP.

10. Run of lousy luck : BAD PATCH. I guess if you fix your clothes and do a bad job might be where this phrase meaning a run of bad luck comes from?

11. Threat to a WWII destroyer : U-BOAT. A German submarine.

12. Splash clumsily : SLOSH. People who are sloshed often splash clumsily.

13. Clipped : TERSE. All perps, but reasonable in retrospect.

18. Trip to see the big game? : SAFARI. Really nice mis-direction, no Super Bowl here.

22. Birth announcement abbr. : LBS. Lesbian Baby Sister? Oh, pounds.

24. Climbing challenge : CRAG.

25. Subject for da Vinci : ANATOMY.

26. One may go into an empty net : GOAL. Very common in Hockey where teams pull the goalie in the last minute when down.

27. Earthenware pot : OLLA.

28. Bluff betrayer : TELL. The TV popularity of poker seems to be waning, though I think everyone learned about 'tells' from watching the World Series of Poker, Rounders etc.

29. Words of disgust : UGHS.

33. Holiday song closer : SYNE. Scottish for 'since.'

35. S&L offering for homeowners : REFInance.

36. Word on the Great Seal of the United States : UNUM. And still more Latin, E Pluribus.

37. Novelist Grey : ZANE. Great writer of westerns.

39. Shower harbinger : RAIN DROP.

40. Cracked open : AJAR. When is an A word not an A word.

41. Have words with : TALK TO.

46. Dept. head : MGR. Manager.

47. Workout garb : SWEATS.

49. Beyond reasonable limits : TOO FAR. All right this time you went too far!

50. Young wolf : WHELP. I used to love reading Jack London's books.

51. One may be going around : RUMOR. better than the flu.

52. Ready if required : ON ICE.

53. Not turn away : ADMIT. Not turn away, oh as in they had to turn away thousands who went to see Taylor Swift at Times Square.

57. Not right : AWRY. And then everything went awry.

58. Multigenerational tale : SAGA. Not related to RAGA.

59. Suffix with Jumbo : TRON. A shout out to the scrappy KC Royals.

62. Mount Rushmore figure, familiarly : ABE.

63. Tang : NIP. Nope, no idea.

Well this is the last day of this month; remember to turn your clocks back on Sunday, and enjoy the extra sleep. Thanks Doug P. always good to see your work; also thanks for an amazing performance by Madison Bumgarner. Lemonade out.

Friday, Ocotber 24, 2014, Bruce Haight

Theme: What is funnier than a Latin Pun? "ex nihilo nihil fit."

Those six years of Latin in school certainly paid off today, in this whimsical 'add a letter' theme to get a funny answer to a silly definition. I am not sure if the Latin phrases would be difficult for anyone as they seem fairly known, but I am sure you will let me know. I thought some theme answers were very funny, and other not so much. In each case, the meaning of one of the words in the Latin phrase is preserved with other getting the added letter. Another Friday where we have lots of short fill (sixty-seven 3,4 and 5 letter fill) and only two sparklies, I’M OUTA HERE, HOLY SMOKES, with COE and NAURU being fresh fill. The second LAT puzzle from Mr. Haight, who has 6 NYT publications. He is a mentee of Peter Collins, one of the many constructors I admire. Let's see where he takes us.


17A. Latin for "big idiot"? : MAGNUM DOPUS.(11). Original Latin, Magnum Opus, meaning greatest work. Greatest work ----Greatest idiot. (an echo of magnum opus in the same week, coincidence, no! Or at least Owen says no.)

23A. Latin for "holding a grudge for a long, long time"? : MAD INFINITUM.(12). Ad Infinitum, meaning: to infinity ----Angry forever.

38A. Latin for "fighting over parking spots is not allowed"? : NO LOT CONTENDERE.(15). Nolo Contendere, the guilty plea where one does not admit guilt, but does not 'contest' the charge. This grid spanner might be a seed entry but it confused the crap out of me, as I had an idea with the added D and M, there was going to be some kind of Roman Numeral reveal, appropriate to a Latin based theme, no go. No contest ----No parking lot contest.

47A. Latin for "cheating on one's timecard"? : TEMPUS FUDGIT. (12). Tempus Fugit. Time flies ----Time is fudged (faked).

59A. Latin for "fish trading"? : SQUID PRO QUO.(11). By far my favorite, where Quid Pro Quo gets all tentacles on us. This for that ----fish(sort of) ----for that.

Across:

1. Critters who worshiped C-3PO as a god : EWOKS.

6. Penicillin precursor : SULFA. Being allergic to Penicillin and growing up before the antibiotic explosion, I remember this.

11. Like Beethoven's Second Symphony : IN D. You like this better than the abbreviation?

14. Museum piece : RELIC.

15. Central Florida city : OCALA. Gainesville's bedroom community and great horse country.

16. Wild West : MAE. I got this immediately when I saw it was three letters but still love the clue/fill.

19. "Certainement!" : OUI. Vraiment! Aussi, 66A. Idée sources : TETES. French for heads, from whence we get our ideas.

20. Blotter letters : AKA. Also Known As. It has a cousin, FKA.

21. Good, in Genoa : BUONO. Just the Italian word.

22. Hides in the closet? : FURS. Another witty use of the confusion of the verb really being a noun here.

26. Classic pops : NEHIS. Pop=Soda; easy for those in the Midwest and a clue without Radar.

29. Charles of old mysteries : NORA. Married to Nick and played by Myrna Loy.

30. Bustles : ADOS. A new clue for a crossword staple.

31. Steam table fuel : STERNO. You get a nice ONE but it won't be cheap.

35. "Good" cholesterol initials : HDL. High-density lipoprotein.

41. Adams of "The Muppets" : AMY.

42. Owl, at times : HOOTER. Oh, so they named the restaurant chain after some owls?

43. Turkmenistan neighbor : IRAN.

44. Where change is welcome : SLOT. Though slot machines no longer have slots for change.

46. "Choose taste" sauce brand : PREGO.

53. Son of Aphrodite : EROS.

54. Cell terminal : ANODE. Battery positive, I am positive.

55. Cry made with a raised index finger : AHA!

58. Torah holder : ARK.

62. Journalist William Shirer's alma mater : COE. I remember the MAN well but had no idea where he went to college, nor any real memory of the existence of a Coe College. I read the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich when it came out, but not with....

63. Verve : GUSTO. As a ...

64. Hefty portion : CHUNK. of the book was very upsetting.

65. Shop door nos. : HRS. Hours.

67. Salon and others : E-MAGS. It sounds all POLITICAL so I have never read it.

Down:

1. First name in wit : ERMA. Ms. Bombeck I believe is more famous as fill than as anything else.

2. Watery, as a drink : WEAK. Am I the only one who thought of the talented Molly Sudgen as Mrs. Slocombe telling the men they were "weak as water?" LINK.(2:53).

3. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : OLGA. Called Olya, Maria (Masha) and little Irina.

4. Blood : KIN. I ken kin.

5. Takes a dive? : SCUBAS. Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

6. Agreeable words : SO DO I.

7. Sch. originally endowed by the Storrs brothers : UCONN. An ultimate gimme, as it was the place of undergraduate and graduate study for me. Go Huskies!

8. __ luxury : LAP OF.

9. Viral ailment : FLU.

10. Remote power sources : AAS. We get a lot of battery clues to go with our wide feet clues.

11. "See ya!" : I'M OUTA HERE. Not yet,  still working away.

12. Pacific republic near the equator : NAURU. This was hard. LINK.

13. Voltaire's world-view : DEISM.

18. Joe with some oomph : MUD. For those who like Starbucks.

22. Holiday buy : FIR. FUR fits as well, and many a husband is up a tree if all he buys is the tree.

23. Sapporo soup : MISO. Healthy or not. You DECIDE.

24. __ circle : INNER. Fun Jamaican band. Listen.(3:42).

25. "High __" : NOON. Gary Cooper at his best.

26. Family nickname : NANA.

27. Biblical kingdom near the Dead Sea : EDOM.

28. "Yikes!" : HOLY SMOKES. I like this thought I struggled for a bit.

31. Glaswegians, e.g. : SCOTS. I also like this name for those from Glasgow.

32. Furthermore : TOO.

33. Tolkien creature : ENT.

34. Series of turns: Abbr. : RTE. I guess this is accurate, but again not my first thought.

36. Snoozefest : DRAG.

37. 2014 Television Academy Hall of Fame inductee : LENO.

39. Biblical pronoun : THOU.

40. Gossip : DIRT. It would not be worth repeating if it were not a bit 'dirty.'

45. Vinyl spinners : LPS. Long Plays.

46. Go through : PIERCE. Another perfectly correct fill that slowed me.

47. Emulate Anne Sullivan : TEACH. The famous guide to Helen Keller, herself a handicapped person who was taught at the Perkins School for the blind in Boston. In high school I wrestled against one of there students in a tournament.

48. Flub : ERROR.

49. Gounod opera : FAUST. Only 2 hours plus. LINK. (2:19:06).

50. Form an alliance : UNITE.

51. Extinct Mauritian birds : DODOS. A CSO to our dear friend.

52. Econ. stat : GDP. Gross Domestic Product.

55. Blue hue : AQUA.

56. Like curtains : HUNG. So many inappropriate comments come to mind.

57. NASA go-aheads : A-OKS.

59. Friday is one: Abbr. : SGT. Badge 714, hmmmm.

60. Prov. on the St. Lawrence : QUEbec. Is that used in Canada Eh?

61. Electrical unit : OHM. Umm, I guess I am out of power here and must leave for another week. Well as this month comes to an end I have tons of birthdays ahead, including Miss Charlotte. Thanks Bruce and thank you all for stopping by.

Lemonade out.

Friday, October 17, 2014, Pancho Harrison

Theme: Picture these songs.

Well, a very enjoyable visual (rebus) puzzle from our first LAT constructor on the change (March 23, 2009). While Rich does not publish actual crossword rebus puzzles where multiple letters fit in one square, he does present these where you have to use your imagination to see the theme. I really had fun with this one; we have four down clues for songs where the title is scrambled with words missing. It really helps if you recall the exact song title. To make the clues work, you had to have  the theme in the downs, except the first which work across or down. Symmetry dictated the grid. For the many newbies or relative newbies, C.C. interviewed Mr. Harrison way back WHEN. We have another high word count Friday, with a few fun mid-range fill:AILMENT,  BATGIRL, BREWSKI,  DOORMAT,  SPUMONI,  TELECOM and some tricky/humorous clues. Lots of music here for the taking. Let's go.


4D. 1973-'74 Jim Croce hit, aptly : A TIME BOTTLE. ("Time IN 'A Bottle' ") The trickiest and most fun of the theme. If your brain started humming the song, and the IN A kept coming up, you can see the word TIME is inserted in the phrase A BOTTLE, hence the clue/fill. LISTEN. (2:29)

8D. 1964 Marvin Gaye/Mary Wells hit, aptly : ONCE A TIME. ("Once UPON a Time") I did not remember this SONG. (3:04)

27D. 1989 Bette Midler hit, aptly : MY WINGS WIND.("Wind BENEATH My Wings") LINK.(4:35). This is a simple picture of the placement of the words.

33D. 1936 Eddy Duchin hit, aptly : MOON MIAMI. ("Moon OVER Miami") LINK. We do have some lovely moons over the ocean here in SoFla. Also a straightforward visual.

Here we go again into the fray...

Across:
        
1. Pinky-side arm bone : ULNA. Cute way of saying the outside one of the pair of bones. Meanwhile, I can't believe they killed off another character on Bones. I wonder if the actor just demanded too much money or asked to leave to not play third fiddle and become a lead.

5. Vibrate : THROB. I like this word and how it sounds like it feels.

10. Lurking locale : BLOG. Well here we all are, I started as a lurker here, finding an answer I filled in but did not understand.

14. Ferrari parent company : FIAT. Hard to believe they produce both of these

15. Spanish royal : REINA. Queen.

16. Furnish anew : REDO.

17. "A Total Departure" hotel chain : OMNI. Is this still their marketing? I think it goes back a few years.

18. Put into effect : ENACT. Did you all watch how Governor Scott was 'enacting' at the debate Wednesday night? Not politics, just humor.

19. Took too much : ODED. This very serious term has become a catch all for overdoing anything.

20. Neapolitan kin : SPUMONI. Spumone, plural spumoni, is a molded Italian ice cream made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts. Typically it is of three flavors, with a fruit/nut layer between them. Wikipedia

22. Massage beneficiary : EGO. Love this misdirection.

24. Sticky stuff : GOO.

25. Earth, in Essen : ERDE. Not in my limited German vocabulary.

26. Cold, for one : AILMENT.

28. Anchor man? : SWABBY. A fun clue especially after the Will Ferrell movies.

31. Occurring as an isolated instance : STRAY. I had trouble sussing this definition.

32. "Me too!" : SO DO I? I want some Ice Cream! Maybe some LINK.

33. Work hard : MOIL. I always put in toil and end up here.

34. Baylor Bears' home : WACO. The gave us RG III and now they are a top 5 team.

38. "My Honky Tonk History" album maker Travis : TRITT.

39. First note of a tuba solo? : OOM pah pah.

40. Kept from sticking : OILED.

41. On its way : SENT.

42. Pour affection (on) : DOTE. I dote on my Charlotte.

43. Catty : SNIDE. Not the definition I thought of at first.

44. Extremely foolish : LOONY. The Minnesota and Corner bird is the Loon.

46. Macbeth's "fatal vision" : DAGGER.

47. Sprint, for one : TELECOM. A portmanteau?

50. Minor players : COGS.

51. Color-coded EPA meas. : AQI. Air Quality Index.

52. Prefix with athlete : TRI. A nice view of differing ways to do three letter clues/fill.

53. Cold one : BREWSKI. hear? here? for beer.

57. Failure : BUST. I guess from poker where you lose all your money and go bust.

59. Shows up in time for : MAKES. Nice of you to make it to the Corner.

61. Sews up : ICES.

62. Athens apéritif : OUZO.

63. Dante's love : AMORE. Just the Italian word.

64. Dundee dissents : NAES. Scotland's NO, maybe a sub-theme? 67A. Villain named Julius : DR NO. How many were slowed by the name DRNO?

65. Bone: Pref. : OSTEoporosis for example.

66. Two sheets to the wind? : TIPSY. Three sheets and you are drunk.


Down:

1. Tabloid craft : UFOS.

2. It can result from favoring one side : LIMP.

3. Sitcom sign-off word : NANU. Rest well Mork.

5. All the rage : TRENDY.

6. 1932 Lake Placid gold medalist : HENIE. To our gone but not forgotten figure skater Clear Ayes and the others, this CHAMPION. (3:30).

7. River inlet : RIA.

9. Barbara Gordon's alter ego : BAT GIRL. Apparently there have been THREE in the movies.

10. Good buddy : BRO.

11. Window __ : LEDGE.

12. Ancient theater : ODEON. Lots of vowels, good for crossword building.

13. Title character absent from the cast : GODOT. We are still waiting.

21. Round trip? : ORBIT. Actually part of a round and round trip.

23. Suffix with pay : OLA. The SCANDALS are now ancient history.

28. Droop-nosed fliers : SSTS.

29. Sported : WORE.

30. Match point, maybe : AD IN. Tennis term where the server needs one more point to win the game.

31. Like a well-used chimney : SOOTY. Dick Van Dyke, anyone.

35. Sacha Baron Cohen persona : ALI G. This flame burned out rather quickly, now FXX is trying to bring about his REZURECTION.

36. Yield : CEDE.

37. Frankfurt's river : ODER. It also is the Polish/German border. One of many four letter European rivers you must know. Oder, Ider, Isar, Eder, Yser

40. Oklahoma native : OSAGE. The original natives. Two days in a row.  Clued very differently. Is it rarer to have fill two days in a row or in the LAT and NYT the same day? Owen?

42. Something that may hide a key : DOORMAT.

45. Canadian Thanksgiving mo. : OCT. They just celebrated this on Monday.

46. Big name in the Big Band Era : DORSEY. Tommy and Jimmy, listen LINK. (3:11).

47. Verboten : TABOO. What an appropriate clue to precede....

48. Shaffer play about a stableboy : EQUUS. The interesting but controversial 1973 play about a young man with a religious/sexual fixation on horses. The character is naked for much of the last part of the play, which created an extra dimension when it was revived with Daniel Radcliffe(Harry Potter) playing the role at 17.

49. Symphonic poem pioneer : LISZT. Talk about prolific, here is a LIST of LISZT.

50. Ones with "ears" on their trucks : CB'ERS. Is this a word?

54. Lasting mark : SCAR.

55. Finely honed : KEEN. Both a knife and a sense of humor.

56. "That __ last week!" : IS SO. So is this phrase.

58. Corn site : TOE. If you ever wondered, the name is from the Latin CORNU meaning horn. Not sure that helped.

60. Keystone lawman : KOP. Alliteration made these characters so much funnier. LINK. (3:31).

Well you do not get to see my pratfalls or silliness, just my words, but Mack Sennett would be proud. I hope you had a good time with this Pancho presentation, a fine Friday (thanks PH). Lemonade out.

Friday, October 10, 2014, Jeb Bennett

Theme: Quick I need a Quip! Get the V-8 can ready.

Well in the old days quips and quotes always appeared on Thursdays, but here we are with second such theme in the last 30 days on my watch. This appears to be another debut puzzle, so welcome Jeb. I wonder if he like all the others I know or have heard of, is really something like James Edward Bennett, hence the JEB. Anyway, the secret to a quip, which generally are not that favored, is how cute the result is and "I couldn't figure why the ball was getting bigger, and then it hit me" is a really entertaining one. We also have fewer 3 and 4 letter fill and some sparkly in between fill HERLIHY,  LITHEST, HOTSHOTS,  SON-IN-LAW, CLIENTELE,  OVERDRAWN. So let us take a ride and see where Jeb brought us.

 20A. Start of an optical illusion quip : I COULDN'T FIGURE.
 24A. Quip, part 2 : WHY THE BALL WAS.
 46A. Quip, part 3 : GETTING BIGGER.
 52A. End of the quip : AND THEN IT HIT ME.

Across:

1. Dressage gear : CROP. This was harder than it should have been, but there were so many 3 letter possibilities for 1 down...I understood the show horse reference, but....

5. Sound of warning : HISS.

9. Repel, with "off" : STAVE.

14. Member of a '60s quartet : PAPA. Luckily I had put CPO in by the time I got here.

15. Competitive blade : EPEE. Very popular in the puzzles these days.

16. Projecting window : ORIEL.

17. Like an insufficient account : OVER DRAWN. British fiction leads one to believe that Brits live on their over-drafts.(draughts?).

19. Best-dressed goal? : NINES. To the nines and the other expression using nine are all mysterious. LINK.

22. Agnus __ : DEI.

23. Film dog's first name? : RIN. A reverse CSO for the TINman?

31. "A little __ the mightiest Julius fell": Horatio : ERE. The sentinels in Hamlet preparing the audience for the excitement to come. The belief was that the dead walked just before Julius Caesar was assassinated. Zombies anyone? MMMM Shakespeare. 9D. Duke of Albany, to Lear : SON-IN-LAW. I like this and of course love me a double dose of Shakespeare. He married Goneril and paid the price.

32. Rocket retired in 2011 : YAO. I do watch some basketball so this was EASY.

33. Cry for help : MAYDAY.Along with pommes de terre frits, something else we got from the French, from 'venez m'aider', which translates to "come help me". According to wiki, it was adopted by a British officer at Croydon airport.

35. "The Scream" artist : MUNCH. Edvard. You want to read an ANALYSIS? Or just look?

38. One in a cage : RIB. Cute clue, I think coined by Brendan Emmet Quigley.

40. Drive erratically : WEAVE. Mini-theme. 12D. Avoid a suddenly stopped car, say : VEER.

41. Like the thing not to do : UNCOOL.

43. Zip : NIL. A common soccer (football) score.

45. Org. with an elephant in its logo : GOP. Grand Old Party.

50. "No more seats" letters : SRO. Standing Room Only.

51. Cross shape : TAU.

60. Small songbird : VIREO. They seem cute and are popular in the mid-west I am told. LISTEN. (0:14)

61. Customers : CLIENTELE. Pronounced differently but letter for letter from the French for a group of clients.

63. Not showing much life : INERT.

64. Masseur's selection : OILS. My masseuse prefers watercolors.

65. Project : EMIT.

66. New beginnings : DAWNS. No Eos, this time.

67. Stout grain : MALT. The creation of stouts, which are actually stout porters, stems from the use of roasted grains, which makes the liquid dark. Stout referred to the higher alcoholic content.

68. Rip violently : REND. Then you must mend.

Down:

1. USN rank : CPO. Chief Petty Officer. 47D. 1-Down, for one : NON-COM. Non-commissioned officer.

2. Sitar master Shankar : RAVI. I like listening to his DAUGHTER.

3. Gp. that includes Venezuela : OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries:Venezuela was on of the 5 original founders; can you name the other 4?

4. Ridicule : PARODY. I do not like this paring as parodies generally have some warmth.

5. Ed who was the longtime voice of Kraft Foods : HERLIHY. Not sure why we would remember this man's name. OBIT.

6. FaceTime device : I-PAD. I-Phone, I I I I

7. Needled? : SEWN. Cute clue.

8. Nissan model : SENTRA. I like the new MODEL.


10. Subj. with many functions : TRIG. Cute.

11. Indigenous Japanese : AINU. Today's history LESSON.
 
13. End of a threat : ELSE.

18. Righteous Brothers hit, e.g. : DUET.Wasted a lot of time trying to recall a four letter hit.

21. Record, in a way : FILM. Not so much anymore. Maybe 8MM.

24. Squeezed : WRUNG.

25. From now : HENCE.

26. Spot for a stud : EAR. What do you think ladies?

27. Spring sound : BOING. 

28. River to the Severn : WYE. It separates England and Wales; but I defer to Steve and NC for real commentary.

29. Saw : ADAGE. Oh, that old saw....

30. Relish : SAVOR. Do you relish relish?

31. Flightless zoo bird : EMU. They are flightless when not in a zoo as well.

34. "Okey-doke!" : YEP. I am an okey dokey smokey man myself.

36. "M*A*S*H" set piece : COT. Where Hawkeye, Trapper John and their roommates often interacted. At first when I had CO_, my mind went to cod piece...

37. Up-and-comers with egos : HOT SHOTS. Charlie Sheen? Tom Cruise?

39. Catcher behind a plate? : BIB. I have seen this clue/fill before, but it still rings hollow for me, as my bib are opposite the plate, protecting my shirt and tie.

42. Old Italian capital : LIRE. No Friday solver will fall for this old trick.

44. Most supple : LITHEST. A fun word, unless you lisp. Diana Rigg always looked lithe as Mrs. Peel; guys who would you nominate?

48. Profit : GAIN.

49. Water catcher : GUTTER.

52. Enthusiastic : AVID.

53. 1492 caravel : NINA. It was easy to guess because of the date, but it was a new WORD.

54. Took from the deck : DREW. Just not from the bottom,  please.

55. Gull-like bird : TERN.

56. Pelvic bones : ILIA. My favorite I[l]lya. LINK. (1:47).

57. Spot for ten-spots : TILL. Nice layered clue, with the advent of credit cards and electronic cash registers, the word is not heard much anymore.

58. Fast-spreading Internet phenomenon : MEME. It is fascinating to have lived for many years without this word, which comes from an ancient Greek CONCEPT. I was watching a rerun from the first year of Criminal Minds and the characters were being told what a "viral" video was. So much changes in 10 years, and our age group sees the before and after.

59. Nordegren who married Tiger Woods in 2004 : ELIN. She was Jasper Parnevik's nanny, and now she is fabulously wealthy as well as being...after two children.

62. Flight board abbr. : ETD. Estimated Time of Departure. Well it is my exact time of departure, as another week has gone by. This is the anniversary of the birth of my paternal grandmother, so to all the departed grandparents out there, rest well and enjoy the puzzles. Happy holidays and get ready for Columbus Day coming soon.

Lemonade out.

Friday, October 3, 2014, Mark McClain

Theme: Doctor Dennis, I just want to feel like a real woman, help me please, I need double Ds added! Ironic isn't that Doctor Dennis can be abbreviated DD.

A fun letter addition puzzle from what appears to be a first time constructor. DD is inserted into in the last word of an in the language phrase (2 three word phrases and 1 two word phrase) and is often the case when double Ds are introduced, the fun ensues. As with many Fridays these days, lots of 4 letter words, though ADDED UP, FT. DIX, NJ,  KIDNEYS, SANTA FE, TSETSES offer some sparkle. Always nice to welcome a new creative mind.

17A. Duck royalty? : PRINCE OF WADDLES. Really cute visual, as the Prince of Wales morphs into a duck. Can you see George's daddy waddling about? Steve. NC?

26A. Heck of a pop? : ONE FINE DADDY. One fine day...LINK. (2:15)

48A. Trader who doesn't take the market seriously? : STOCK PIDDLER. Another great visual; the word is synonymous with DIDDLE.

63A. Classified instrument? : TOP SECRET FIDDLE. Another really fun fill.

Across:

1. Wine order : GLASS. I tend to drink by the glass, though most real wine drinkers order the bottle.
22A. In the cooler : ON ICE, most whites are chilled. 29D. Quaff : DRINK. 58D. Wine opener? : OENOphile.

6. NFL linemen : CTRS. CenTeRS.

10. European capital : KIEV. Capital of the troubled Ukraine.

14. Kind of comprehension : AURAL. We know AURAL relates to the ear, so this THEORY of learning makes sense.

15. Basket : HOOP. Sports terminology from basketball.

16. Land in un lago : ISLA. An island in a Spanish Lake.

20. It may be taken : SEAT. Teachers always want students to take these.

21. French 101 pronoun : VOUS. The less intimate you.

23. Iowa city on I-35 : AMES.

25. Highly skilled ones : ADEPTS. A little stretch here..."oh here come the adepts."

31. Symbol seen in viola music : C CLEF. I defer to anyone and everyone on musical information.

32. Parisian map line : RUE. French for Street.

33. Oracle : SEER.

37. Edinburgh souvenir : TAM o shanter, the cap.

38. Army post merged with McGuire AFB and Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst : FT DIX NJ.  Obscure fact but great consonants.

42. Youngest goal scorer in MLS history : ADU.

43. Hops kiln : OAST. By now everyone should be familiar with this brewery necessity.

45. Took top honors : WON.

46. Exasperated cry : AARGH.

52. Some runners : MILERS. So?

55. Betrayed, in a way : USED.

56. Like most tupelo leaves : OVATE. It means egg shaped, but I could not find any pictures.

57. His epitaph reads "And the beat goes on" : BONO. Sonny

59. Part of a roof : EAVE.

66. Language that gave us "plaid" : ERSE. Since they wear it, I guess it makes sense.

67. Green Gables girl : ANNE. Published: June 1908, Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery, Preceded by: Before Green Gables, Followed by: Anne of Avonlea, Characters: Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe, Marilla Cuthbert (per wiki).

68. Provider of store melodies : MUZAK. HISTORY.

69. Caustic cleaners : LYES.

70. __ swings : MOOD. Be happy, therefore...

71. Slanted columns : OP-EDS. No arguments this time, okay?

Down:

1. Mountain passes : GAPS. Isn't amazing how much Michael Strahan we get on TV these days.

2. Angler's item : LURE.

3. The "Toreador Song," for one : ARIA. From Carmen. LINK. (5:47).

4. 19th-century trail terminus : SANTA FE. It started in Franklin Missouri.

5. Utah luggage tag initials : SLC. Salt Lake City. A correct airport code.

6. Pick : CHOOSE.

7. Vegan menu item : TOFU. Soy or no soy? Lucina?

8. Garden divisions : ROWS.

9. Spring resort : SPA. Hot springs, perhaps.

10. Vital pair : KIDNEYS.

11. Town including part of Fire Island : ISLIP. Also home of an airport.

12. Pick : ELECT.

13. Florist's inventory : VASES.

18. Not-one link : EVEN. Not even one person came to the yard sale.

19. Longtime Connecticut senator : DODD. A bonus DD.  He was CONTROVERSIAL  but his son went on and became a senator also. He only served two terms, so long time is an exaggeration. He initially lost to George HW Bush's father Prescott in a race for senate. My childhood was in Connecticut. (From C.C.: I think the clue refers to Chris Dodd.)

24. Offend : MIFF.

25. Gulf of __ : ADEN.

26. Numerical prefix : OCTO. Like doc ock, 8.

27. Sports regulatory org. : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

28. Canopy components at the Mall in Central Park : ELMS. They are really impressive. READ.

30. Verb type: Abbr. : AUX. Teachers, we have Action, Linking and Auxiliary Verbs, correct?

34. One titled "Lord" : EARL.

35. Do lawn work : EDGE.

36. River past Duisburg : RUHR. A name you need to memorize.

39. Uncommon bills : TWOS. We have a young man at work who always carries them.

40. Bashful companion? : DOC. The Seven Dwarfs. Did this fool you?

41. Green stone : JADE.

44. Sleeping sickness carriers : TSETSES.

47. Seemed logical : ADDED UP.

49. Place for a nest egg : TREE. Nice misdirection with a very literal clue/fill.

50. Gave up the ball : PUNTED. Football.

51. "Time __ the essence" : IS OF. Never when I am blogging.

52. Roadside business : MOTEL. $40.00 a night, or $20.00 if you make your own bed.

53. Creamy white : IVORY. Like the soap, or the wedding dress?

54. Memory problem : LAPSE.

57. Czech Republic's second-largest city : BRNO. A name you need to memorize.

60. Carving tool : ADZE.

61. Historic "Impaler" : VLAD. Dracula.

62. Comics screams : EEKS.

64. Carolina quarterback Newton : CAM. Carolina Panther quarterback out of Auburn. Was initially a Gator along with Tim Tebow.

65. Letters before a view, maybe : IMO. In my opinion it is time to go.

Wow another new constructor starting here, and another new month, this one will feature another 25 hour fast (starting sundown tonight) my Charlotte's second birthday and maybe a hint of fall in the air. Enjoy all. Lemonade out.