Friday, July 1, 2016, Jeff Chen

Title: Put one over on you.

Rabbit, Rabbit:  happy July all. It has been almost 4 years  LINK since I last blogged a puzzle by Jeff Chen one of the many very helpful and thoughtful constructors with whom I have corresponded. Like our own C.C., J.C. has mentored countless people.  I love the visual aspect of today's puzzle, but quite honestly the theme clues made the solving too easy. S placed on top of EIGN STATE would I hope have lead me to the fill (SOVEREIGN STATE) with the OVER implied by the placement. If I were a betting man, I would think Rich toned the gimmick down. In any event, a lovely challenge to locate 4 different fill which would result from a letter+ OVER+ part of a phrase. The resulting phrases are clued in a straight forward manner. With only 40 theme spaces, there is room for tons of sparkly fill like GATEWAY, AD SALES,  CHENIER, NOMINEE,  MIRAGES, CORRIDOR,  TELEPATH, EMOTIONS, AEROSTAR, INSIDE INFO, GRECO-ROMAN,  EYE OPENERS,  LEOPARDESS. Off to the solving races:

16A. With the circled letter over, self-ruled entity : [SOVER]EIGN STATE (9).

32A. With the circled letter over, humanitarian goal : [POVER]TY REDUCTION (11).

39A. With the circled letter over, undercover missions : [COVER]T OPERATIONS(11).

59A. With the circled letter over, concern of the Fed : [GOVER]NMENT DEBT(9)

Across:

1. Mimic : APE. Is this becoming an un-pc term, offending our simian cousins?

4. Dreidel stakes : GELT. Dreidel- Hanukah; Gelt- Yiddish for money. Not to be confused with 54D. Fix : GELD.

8. "The Avengers" co-star : RIGG. Now starring as a Dowager of the Tyrells. She was so enticing.

12. Droops : SAGS. No comment.

14. Two-dimensional figure : AREA. Nicely clued, length times width.

15. 2013 Literature Nobelist :

MUNRO. A nice tribute to our Canadian contingent ALICE.

18. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" co-star : EBSEN. Jed Clampett was a singer, dancer and actor. He grew up in Orlando and like Fred Astaire danced with his sister.

19. Website revenue source : AD SALES.

20. "Now wait just a sec ... " : BUT.

22. Some bling : ICE. Diamonds; okay Tin?

23. Where many kids squirm : PEW. Church can drag on for a youngster.

24. Passage : CORRIDOR. Not a part of a book,  This meaning comes the 16th century military concept of a passage by a trench.

26. One who really gets in your head? : TELEPATH. Wonderful clue/fill. TRUE?

30. Where a "cluck and grunt" might be ordered : DINER. Waitress speak for ham and eggs.

31. Response to an order : AYE. Maybe for a Cyclops?

35. Corp. bigwigs : CEOS. Chief Executive Officers.

37. "Double Fantasy" artist : ONO. Released three weeks before his murder.

38. "I got it" : ON ME. This round is on me.

44. Favorable, as a contract : FAT.

45. Some aides : PAGES. Congress and the knights of yore.

46. Actors change them often : EMOTIONS. Partners?

48. Old Ford minivan : AEROSTAR. Had not thought of this vehicle in a while. Out of production since 1997.

50. Product of Ptolemy : MAP.

51. Stop : END. Stop the madness.

52. Dude (up) : TOG. Not my favorite even if true. TOG: to dress especially in fine clothing —usually used with up or out

53. Illusions : MIRAGES. All mirages are illusions, but not all illusions are mirages.

57. Take care of : SEE TO. I like make it so better.

61. "Citizen Kane" poster name : ORSON. Welles.

62. Mercyhurst University city : ERIE. No idea, but a gimme for some. Mercyhurst University, formerly Mercyhurst College, is a Catholic liberal arts college in Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States. Wikipedia.

63. Draw guffaws from : SLAY. Hey Peg.

64. "Hey, you!" : PSST.

65. Nik Wallenda need : WIRE. His family was always getting high. Iget dizzy just watching.

66. Color : DYE.

Down:

1. On the briny : ASEA. Oceans are quite briny.

2. Took care of : PAID. Friday vague.

3. Silly Putty holders : EGGS. Invented during WWII as a possible rubber substitute.

4. 2007 Acer acquisition : GATEWAY. Computers.

5. Often-named stretches : ERAS. Stretches of time.

6. Service to be redone :  LET. Tennis anyone?

7. Workout portmanteau : TAEBO. Tae Bo is a portmanteau of tae kwon do and boxing.

8. Sticking point : RUB. "To sleep — perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come. When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. "

9. Skinny : INSIDE INFO. So many ways; book, 411, lowdown, poop, scoop, dope, tip.

10. Wrestling style : GRECO-ROMAN. Nothing below the waist...Greco-Roman (US) or Graeco-Roman (UK) wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Wiki.

11. Dead man walking : GONER.

13. Rowling teacher : SNAPE. The recently departed....both real and fantasy.

15. Like steres : METRIC. One cubic meter.

17. Drifted off : SLEPT.

21. Indic language : URDU.

24. French poet executed by Robespierre : CHENIER. Chénier might have been overlooked but for the well-meant, indignant officiousness of his father. Marie-Joseph did his best to prevent his brother's execution, but he could do nothing more. Maximilien Robespierre, who was himself in dangerous straits, remembered Chénier as the author of the venomous verses in the Journal de Paris and sentenced him to death. Chénier was one of the last people executed by Robespierre. Wiki. If you liked the French Revolution... LINK. (You might notice this name begins CHEN....).

25. Digging : INTO. In the Maynard G. Krebs sense.

26. Delicacy : TACT. Not a food but an action.

27. Revelations : EYE OPENERS. A nice infrequently used fill.

28. Female in the wild : LEOPARDESS. All perps but in retrospect what other animal could it be?

29. Home run __ : TROT. Baseball corner with 60D. Test for one on the DL, perhaps : MRI.

33. Bad end : DOOM.

34. Barclays Center hoopsters : NETS.  In Brooklyn

36. Lily variety : SEGO.

40. Lie atop : REST ON.

41. About : AS TO.

42. Runner in a race : NOMINEE. Political not physical.

43. Pencil maze instruction : START.

47. Pro and Mini : I-PADS.

48. "Sour grapes" coiner : AESOP. Interesting juxtaposition with the speaker of nattering nabobs.

49. 1973 resignee : AGNEW. Spiro beat Dick out the door.

53. Israel's Iron Lady : MEIR.  Golda. A true LEADER  and a key to the existence of the Israeli state.

55. Owner of StubHub : E-BAY. Bought in 2007.

56. Ophthalmologist's concern : STYE. Not really a cause for a specialist, just use the WARM TEABAG.

58. One of the small fry : TOT. Does this refer to a Tater Tot or just a young child? What a wonderful clue for a three letter word.

What a great way to start the month. Welcome back Jeff, I am not sure where you find time to construct, advise, do XWORDINFO, write and work. Awesome. Thanks to you and to all here as we enter the second half of 2016, Lemonade out.

Friday, June 24, 2016, Howard Barkin

Title: Ring around the rosie....

The most recent champion solver of the 2016 ACPT, Howard Barkin bring us his third LAT creation since his DEBUT.  This is another variation with a visual component added to the words in a puzzle. It is not uncommon to have  a single word be the clue for all of the theme answers, but Howard gives us a symbol. Working backwards from the fill, it is easy to see that the little circle is a RING, and each of the three themers are distinct and different types of ring. This all tied up with a nice neat bow with the reveal which by its nature limited Howard to three theme answers. Not sure why, but I clicked with this puzzle and had a really fast Friday time for me. (Not in his less than 4 minute Friday league)Howard has lots of very common words like ARENA, SEE, OLEO, EASE. ERE and ERA. But he also gives us  TROWEL,  LEERER, RAINING,  OARLOCK,  NEW COKE,  DOGLEGS, EASTER EGGS,  ANSWERED TO.  Okay, we had fun so let us see what is

Next....

20A. O : CRIMINAL NETWORK (15). Ring has so many connotations, picking only three must have been difficult.

32A. O : BOXING VENUE (11). A reminder of the recent passing of Muhammed Ali, the Champ.

43A. O : WEDDING BAND (11). With this ring, I thee wed...

And the reveal

56A. Site of confused activity, and a hint to 20-, 32- and 43-Across : THREE RING CIRCUS (15).

Across:

1. "I Love Lucy" airer: CBS. Love an easy 1A on Friday.

4. Search, in a way: GROPE. In the darkness, not your neighbor at the movies.

9. "I Love Lucy" role: ETHEL. Plunked this is without hesitation, and I was off.

14. Caucasian native: HUN. We are not talking racially but GEOGRAPHICALLY.  I had no idea about any of this and filled in only because I did 1A, 1D, 2D and 3D to begin.

15. Havens: OASES. Very literal.

16. __ football: ARENA. This is the 29th season for the SPRING indoor football league.

17. Detergent in a red container: ERA.

18. Kind of curl: BICEP. Since I now use mostly dumbbells, this was easy.

19. More miffed: SORER.

23. Inca __: Peruvian soft drink: KOLA. My learning moment. LINK. Not to be confused with 45D. Widely criticized 1985 product introduction: NEW COKE.

24. Taxing people? : IRS. Funny?

25. Meet at the poker table: SEE. I will see your $10.00 and raise you $10.00.

26. Twitter follower, usually: FAN. Stalker, media person...

28. Horseshoe-shaped boat part: OARLOCK.

37. Garden pond fish: KOI. We have had this CARP before many times.

38. Crook's invention: ALIAS.

39. Meteor tail? : ITE. The word, not the phenomenon.

40. Ancient Greek physician: GALEN. Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus, often Anglicized as Galen and better known as Galen of Pergamon, was a prominent Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman empire. Wikipedia

42. Author Deighton: LEN. A spy novelist who gave us many books and movies with The Ipcress File one that comes to mind.

46. Angles for iron users: DOGLEGS. I love the fill, great for all of our golfers, but the clue seems awkward. Howard? Rich?

48. Course for newcomers: Abbr. : ESL. English as a Second Language. The course really helped Oo.

49. "... __ the set of sun": "Macbeth": ERE.  A return of Will to Friday.

50. Seven-film franchise: SAW. I have not seen any SAW.

52. Smooth over: EASE.

61. Stockpile: HOARD. I think my uncle was one, but not as bad as seen on TV.

62. Sportscast analysis: COLOR. Why are the called color commentator?  Your turn...

63. "Rumour __ It": 2011 Adele hit : HAS.

64. First sign: ONSET. Sadly mostly associated with dementia.

65. In need of change? : BROKE. Very cute, except when you go to buy gas in this town and all the panhandlers wait.

66. Spacewalk initials: EVA. ExtraVehicular Activity? HG, what did you think of Matt Damon and the Martian?

67. Brief copy? : REPROduction.

68. Spoke Abyssinian? : MEWED. I loved this clue/fill as my mind froze. We have done some work with an Abyssinian Church here.

69. "L.A. Law" actress: DEY.

Down:

1. It's always dated: CHECK. More fun cluing.

2. Grand Canyon animal: BURRO.

3. Spiral-shelled creature: SNAIL.

4. View from the Qilian Mountains: GOBI.

5. Coming down: RAINING.

6. Muppet in a can: OSCAR.

7. Strips off: PEELS.

8. "Outside the Lines" airer: ESPN.

9. Hidden DVD features: EASTER EGGS. Love this reference. An Easter egg is an intentional inside joke, hidden message, or feature in an interactive work such as a computer program, video game or DVD menu screen. The name is used to evoke the idea of a traditional Easter egg hunt. LINK.

10. Garden tool: TROWEL.  Maybe rhyming with VOWEL? Owen?

11. Sub: HERO.

12. U.S. dept. with a windmill on its seal: ENERgy.

13. Escapade: LARK.

21. Classic 20-Across : MAFIA.  No more omerta, maybe no more mafia.

22. Genesis name: ESAU.

27. Was supervised by: ANSWERED TO.

28. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love" : ONE I.

29. St. with a panhandle: OKLAhoma.

30. "Fargo" director: COEN.

31. Warmhearted: KIND.

32. Undisguised: BALD. I never saw this, and would not have gotten as clued? WT...

33. Toast topping: OLEO. Not anymore

34. Word seen under a deer silhouette: XING, Not a word...

35. YouTube clips, for short: VIDS.

36. RR schedule listing: ETD.

41. More capable: ABLER.

44. Hungarian wine region: EGER. Eger is mainly known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings (including the northernmost Turkish minaret) and, above all else, the best Hungarian red wines. When you plan your trip, it looks like a small town for which half a day is more than enough, but 3 days may not even be enough to enjoy it fully, even in the winter. Wikivoyage.

47. Rude sort: LEERER. Snore...

50. Bedroom noise: SNORE. Sorry. You should be...

51. Warmly lit: AGLOW. If only you

53. Yearned: ACHED. For her, with your

54. Polished: SUAVE. ways

55. SAT part that's judged: ESSAY.

56. Wielder of Mjölnir: THOR.

57. Perfect: HONE. People often hone their craft.

58. Grating sound: RASP. You can use a rasp to sharpen (hone) your tools.

59. SALT topic: ICBM. Inter Continental Ballistic Missile. Back to back days.

60. More than annoyed: IRED. A variation of IRE I have never seen anywhere but crossword puzzles.

I really enjoyed the creativity of the theme as well as the many witty clue/fill combos. There was some meh, but I had fun; thank HB and all of you. Lemonade back at ya.

1 C

2 B

3 S

4 G

5 R

6 O

7 P

8 E

9 E

10 T

11 H

12 E

13 L

14 H

U

N

15 O

A

S

E

S

16 A

R

E

N

A

17 E

R

A

18 B

I

C

E

P

19 S

O

R

E

R

20 C

R

I

21 M

I

N

A

L

N

22 E

T

W

O

R

K

23 K

O

L

A

24 I

R

S

25 S

E

E

26 F

27 A

N

28 O

A

R

L

29 O

30 C

31 K

32 B

33 O

34 X

I

N

G

35 V

36 E

N

U

E

37 K

O

I

38 A

L

I

A

S

39 I

T

E

40 G

41 A

L

E

N

42 L

E

N

43 W

44 E

D

D

I

45 N

G

B

A

N

D

46 D

O

G

47 L

E

G

S

48 E

S

L

49 E

R

E

50 S

51 A

W

52 E

53 A

54 S

55 E

56 T

57 H

58 R

E

E

R

59 I

N

G

C

60 I

R

C

U

S

61 H

O

A

R

D

62 C

O

L

O

R

63 H

A

S

64 O

N

S

E

T

65 B

R

O

K

E

66 E

V

A

67 R

E

P

R

O

68 M

E

W

E

D

69 D

E

Y