google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Lemonade

Advertisements

Showing posts with label Lemonade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lemonade. Show all posts

Aug 9, 2019

Friday, August 9, 2019, Alicia Bachman and Kurt Krauss

Title: Up the down staircase.

Hi, Lemonade here. This is my fifth exposition of a Kurt Krauss' puzzle and his 26th overall. It appears to be the debut for Alicia. I found this to be a very easy Friday, but perhaps because I saw the gimmick as soon as I had solved the first stack of six. I do have the advantage of looking for this type of theme after many years of blogging. I have done many puzzles which require reading words backward, in this case from the bottom to top. Kurt ties this all together by having the phrases each involve one of the suits in a deck of cards. This is revealed by 25A. Gets ready for the big game ... and a hint to four puzzle answers: SUITS UP (7).

Generally, I get the puzzle partially solved and see a theme. I then look for the sparkly fill, which in this case revealed ARRIBA, BOLERO, TRALEE, ISHMAEL,  RETWEET,  ROYAL WE, and  TRACTOR. Then all that is left is the write-up, so let's go.

5D. Preliminary drudgery: KROW EDAPS (9). SPADE WORK is defined as routine or difficult preparatory work.

10D. Layered lunch order: HCIWDNAS BULC (12). The CLUB SANDWICH was invented in 1894 at an exclusive gambling house in Saratoga Springs, New York, that was called the Saratoga Club House.

21D. Regal headpiece: ARAIT DNOMAID (12). A DIAMOND TIARA like Liz's 

37D. EKG reading: TAEB TRAEH (9).  The electrocardiogram is a test that measures the electrical activity of the HEARTBEAT.

Across:

1. i follower: POD. Since they market both an iPad and an iPod...

4. Cookout aid: SKEWER. We have our mini-theme of meat. Satay or shish kebab?

10. Butcher's assortment: HAMS. Also, bloggers.

14. Blond one in a bar: ALE. Why is there an "E" sometimes in that word? The ANSWER. Starbucks uses the term for its lightly roasted coffee.

15. Cry from a toon sombrero wearer: ARRIBA.

16. Scratcher: CLAW. The downside of kitty pets.

17. Dog star's first name?: RIN. TIN TIN.

18. Hang around: LOITER. This used to be a crime.

19. Hebrides isle: IONA. The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland.

20. King's self-allusion: ROYAL WE. The origin of this pronoun has been traced variously to 1169, when the English king Henry II used it to mean “God and I,” and to King Richard I, whose use of the pronoun bolstered his claim to be acting in concert with the deity and to be the ruler by divine right. I love the use of "allusion."

22. Share with followers, in a way: RETWEET. Do the Royals ever retweet?

24. Westchester County city known for its Playland: RYE. Clearly an invitation for some WRY HUMOR.

25. Pricey strings: STRADivariuses.

26. Civil rights icon Parks: ROSA. Her Q Score has gone way up recently.

29. Roman god: DEUS. The Latin word.

31. Put (out): SNUFF. A troublesome word for me as it is associated with the films in my head.

35. Others, to Ovid: ALII. More Latin.

36. "Exodus" hero: ARI. The movie version was Paul Newman.

37. Ad to lure you in: TEASER.

38. Windshield option: TINT. You can only tint a small area of the windshield.

39. Two-time Wimbledon champ Kvitová: PETRA.  There is more to her STORY than tennis.
41. Ward of "Sisters": SELA.

42. Sidesteps: EVADES.

44. Formally seek justice: SUE. More likely to seek money.

45. Take off: BOLT. Usain?

46. November 1 honoree: SAINT. All Saints' Day to many.

47. 24-Across, briefly: BURB.

48. Señor's "some": UNAS. Hmm...algunos, algunas, algún, unos, unas, algo de all mean "some."

49. Leading: ONTOP.

51. __ Aviv: TEL.

53. Melville narrator: ISHMAEL. The opening line in MOBY DICK.

56. County fair sight: TRACTOR.

60. Classic role for Carrie: LEIA. The late Carrie Fisher in STAR WARS.

61. Antique photos: SEPIAS.

63. Supermarket chain: IGAIndependent Grocers Alliance. They operate franchises in 30 countries.

64. Four Tops frontman Stubbs: LEVI. A cornerstone of Motown and a rare baritone frontman.

65. Seat of County Kerry: TRALEE. This was not in my wheelhouse. As they say, it took 6 perps. Kerry's County town, Tralee is at the base of the majestic Dingle Peninsula in the southwest of Ireland.

66. Swelter: FRY. I did not see this for too long.

67. Didn't dillydally: SPED.

68. Vinny famously called them "utes" in a "My Cousin Vinny" courtroom scene: YOUTHS.


69. Amount to pay: FEE.

Down:

1. Henry VIII's last wife: PARR. She is back again.

2. Assortment: OLIO. A regular CSO for C.C.

3. Reject: DENY.

4. Magnetic Field?: SALLY. "You like me!" A Friday deception.

6. Ashtabula's lake: ERIE. The millionth use of this fill. Abejo is number 1.

7. Joker: WIT.

8. "Roger __ Book of Film": 1996 publication: EBERT'S.

9. Harder to find: RARER.

11. Cream additive: ALOE. Aloe is often in the creams but I use it in its purest form.

12. Locks in a barn: MANE. Cute horse pun.

13. Whack: SWAT.

23. Zap: TASE. I've done "Don't tase me bro" enough.

26. Utility company listing: RATES.

27. '60s-'70s Twins star Tony: OLIVA. A bonus for C.C. - baseball and Minnesota Twins great.

28. Scene of frequent Middle East unrest: SINAI.

30. Before, before: ERE. Very cute clue/fill.

32. Apply to: USE ON.

33. "The Most Happy __": 1956 musical: FELLA. I know the songs, but not the play.

34. Toga party places: FRATS. FRATernitieS.

40. Robot play: RUR.

43. Peak seen from Messina: ETNA.
47. Ravel work immortalized in "10": BOLERO.

50. Cantankerous: TESTY. Just relax. Let us provide a way that...

52. Facilitates: EASES.  Your...

53. Misfortunes: ILLS.

54. Flow slowly: SEEP.

55. Queen's home: HIVE. Bees, not royals.

56. Tower of Pisa feature: TILT. We just had the lean explained here, didn't we?

57. Bit of bickering: TIFF. Noun. 1727, "outburst of temper," later "petty quarrel" (1754), of uncertain origin; OED suggests imitative, "from the sound of a slight puff of air or gas."

58. Fairy tale baddie: OGRE.

59. Madcap Martha: RAYE. We share the same birthday though she had 32 years on me.
                                              LINK

62. Six-time NBA All-Star __ Gasol: PAU.

There you have it. A Friday Funday. For those of you who hate this type of puzzle, see you in two weeks. It stretches the mind to see things in new ways. Or not. Thank you, Alicia and Kurt. Lemonade out.



Jul 26, 2019

Friday, July 26, 2019, Joe Schewe

Title: There is no "I" in "team" or this theme.

Joe is back for his fifth LAT publication, his first Friday and second 2019 publication. The concept is simple - remove the letter "I" from the first word of a two word in the language phrase and then clue the result for maximum humor. The icing on the Friday cake is the puzzle has both the puns created by removing the letter and a punderful reveal - 63A. Minimal red-removing amount ... and a phonetic hint to four long answers: ONE EYE DROP (10). So you drop one "I" to get the theme. The puzzle is a bit of an homage to our dear editor, who penned this Sunday Puzzle back in 2000.

There is some fun fill such as AMHERST, CISTERN, ELECTEE, MANATEE, OPEN-AIR, RENT OUT, SO AND SO, SOCKETS, TEENAGE, and UNDERGO. Nothing else new to the puzzle world, so let's get on with it. (BTW this is my Friday, we do every other- Lemonade).

17A. Airline category for hombres?: SEÑOR CLASS (10). The "I" disappears from the Senior Class which airlines still mention but no longer discount.

25A. Run in prison?: CON OPERATED (11). Here the I in "COIN" leaves.

37A. Sculptor, at times?: NOSE MAKER (9). This missing I made for the most amusing fill for me. Noise to Nose - very cute.

53A. VIP at royal banquets?: CHEF OF STATE (11).

And since I already gave the reveal, on to the rest.

Across:

1. Promotional giveaways: COMPSCOMPlimentaryS. Freebies.

6. Hard-to-sell wheels: HEAP. I believe it signifies a car ready for the scrap HEAP.

10. Muscles in a flex-off: PECS. Pectorals - chests.

14. Illusory pictures: OP-ART. Optical.

15. __ rug: AREA.

16. Mélange: OLIO. A favorite C.C. word.

19. Colorado's __ Verde National Park: MESA. Go see it. The LINK.

20. It's as low as it gets: NADIR. Apogee is the highest point.

21. Handy bag: TOTE.

23. USPS delivery: CTN. An abbreviation for a carton.

24. Fast no more: EAT.

28. Battle (for): VIE.  Old French: to challenge, provoke from the Latin invītāre to entertain, invite.

29. Menlo Park, N.J., notable: TAEThomas Alva Edison.
30. Surgical tools: LASERS. I had YAG laser capsulotomy after my cataract surgery.

31. Bellicose god: ARES.  Clearly not an airhead. MYTHOLOGY

33. "__ the night before ... ": TWAS. And all through the blog...

36. Gregg user: STENO. Gregg is a system of shorthand used by many secretaries including all of the ones I employed when I practiced law.  Or a stenographer is a person who makes a written verbatim record using a unique shortened writing style called “steno” on a steno machine.

40. Old Nick: SATAN. Yes, the coach of Alabama football.

43. Massachusetts Bay city: LYNN. Was this a Natick for you?

44. "Little we see in Nature that is __": Wordsworth: OURS.
LINK.

48. Code of silence: OMERTA. Sicilian.



50. Freight weight: TON.

52. Born, in Bordeaux: NEE. Just French that used universally for the birth name of a woman.

56. Chain letters?: DNA. Cute clue; it has been a while since I received a chain letter, though I see many attempts on Facebook.

57. Author Kesey: KEN. And LSD pioneer. He is most famous for ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. It reminds me of orange sunshine and purple owsleys.

58. Piece of farm equipment: PLOW?

59. Limited message: TWEET. Nope, I am not falling into that trap.

61. Historic periods: ERAS.

66. USAF NCO: TSGT. "TSgt" in informal parlance, is the sixth enlisted rank (pay grade E-6) in the U.S. Air Force, just above staff sergeant and below master sergeant.

67. Gray's subj.: ANATomy.

68. Uninterrupted movement: SEGUE. Seg-way in its Italian root form.

69. Bit of choreography: STEP.

70. Youngster: TYKE. Etymology: 14th Century: from Old Norse tīk meaning bitch. What?

71. Govt. security: T-NOTE.

Down:

1. NYSE listings: COS. Companies.

2. Like outdoor theaters: OPEN AIR.

3. Dugong relative: MANATEE. Both manatees and dugongs, nicknamed "sea cows", are slow-moving herbivorous (mostly) marine mammals that belong to the Sirenian animal order.

4. Encourage: PROD. That is harsh. Probably a parent who is...

5. Rigid: STRICT.

6. Actor Holbrook: HAL. A wonderful actor who is famous for his portrayal of Mark Twain who is still with us as a 94-year-old.
                                                                 LINK

7. Sister of Euterpe: ERATO. The Nine Muses were: Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomeni, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania, and Calliope. The word museum also comes from the Greek Muses.

8. Writer with lessons: AESOP. A fabulous answer.

9. Soft shade: PASTEL.

10. Little dog: POMeranian.

11. Winner at the polls: ELECTEE. I do hate the EE words.

12. Water storage tank: CISTERN. A fun word.

13. Blankety-blank type: SO AND SO. A wonderful fill, usually dirty so and so.

18. Certain Slavs: CROATS.

22. Clear: ERASE.

24. Girl rescued by Uncle Tom: EVAUncle Tom's Cabin

26. Staircase post: NEWEL.

27. Member of MLB's 2017 champions: ASTRO. Watch the series.

32. 24-Across greedily: SNARF. An odd word. They suggest it either comes from the sound one makes eating quickly, or from its cousin scarf and snack combined.

34. Acker of "The Gifted": AMYLINK.

35. Nick working at night?: SANTA. A little Nickolodeon reference.

38. Good way to go out: ON TOP.

39. __ pine: KNOTTY. My childhood bedroom was knotty pine panels.

40. Light bulb holders: SOCKETS.

41. UMass town whose third letter isn't pronounced: AMHERST. I know many who say the "H" but they are wrong.

42. Like many new drivers: TEENAGE.

45. Experience: UNDERGO.

46. Charge to occupy: RENT OUT.

47. Red or Black: SEA.

49. Financially sound: AFLOAT.

51. Having collected the least dust: NEWEST. Meh.

54. Corleone brother: SONNY.

55. Fine-tune: TWEAK. Miley Cyrus?

60. Fall locale: EDEN. Wonderful misdirection, fall from grace the garden of Eden.

62. Indy letters: STP.

64. Automne follows it: ETE. En Francais.

65. Protest leader?: PEE. Urine charge of this clue CED.

I hope you all enjoyed your morning Joe. I did and maybe Joe will stop by and say hello and tell us a story. See you all in August. Lemonade out.


Jul 12, 2019

Friday. July 12, 2019, Bruce Haight

Title: Even STRANGER THINGS, Eleven's little brother Nine.

Bruce offers us a 15 x 16 puzzle where the theme is the grid which contains 72 words and uses only 9 letters in the alphabet!!!!!!!!!
We do have a reveal- 64A. Country spelled with the only nine letters used in this puzzle's answers: SINGAPORE (9). Gimmick puzzles can be a lot of fun but seldom have such perfect reveal. I was very impressed by the skill required to bring this home while maintaining the left/right symmetry. The only cheater squares are the three on each side of  SINGAPORE. The puzzle allowed for such sparkly fill as APENNINES, APPEASING, ENGAGES IN, PING PONGS, ASIAN PEARS, and REGRESSION. No doubt some of the fill was a bit obscure, but the final result was all doable once you understood you did not need any alphabet runs. We have some music, some tv, some food.... well it is time to work.

Across:

1. Getaway spots: SPAS. This was a good start for me.

5. Prefix with phobia: AGORA. Initially, I had left this blank, but when I had filled ARGO and ANGORA, I came back put AGORA in. I did not quite get the theme at that point, but it made sense.

10. 2012 Best Picture: ARGO. Ben Affleck.
14. Subside: EASE.

15. Place to start an IV: PREOP. Do you think it needs a hyphen? Pre-op. Nicely misleading clue because I was trying to decide where they were sticking me.

16. Accessories: GEAR.

17. Yeats' birthplace: ERINWILLIAM BUTLER YEATS appeared in a comment this week. Not only a well-respected poet, but he was also very proud of his Irish heritage.

18. Dissect in class, in a way: PARSE. A common crossword concept.

19. "To share, or not to share?" food brand: EGGO. No waffling on this answer.

20. Butters up, maybe: PRAISES. Unless it is your waffle...

22. Long-haired cats: ANGORAS.  This BREED.

24. Prefix with -gon: NONA. This is geometry -a plane figure with nine straight sides and nine angles.

25. Zip: NONE. Hmm, next to each other.

26. Fill in: APPRISE.

29. Wintergreen family herb: PINESAP. This is any of several yellowish or reddish parasitic or saprophytic herbs (genus Monotropa) of the wintergreen family resembling the Indian pipe. It has nothing to do with the SAP from a pine.

32. Once called: NÉE. For a female.

33. Assigning to, as blame, with "on": PINNING.

35. Multitude: SEA.

36. Hoppy brew, briefly: IPAIndia Pale Ale. Very hoppy.

37. Search tools: ENGINES.

38. Apple platform: IOS.

39. Formal addressees: SIRS.

41. Factions in "West Side Story": GANGS.

42. Word in family business names: SONS.

43. Former CNN journalist David: ENSOR. I no longer watch any national news but seems like a NICE man.

45. Misunderstanding metaphor: GAP.

46. Pick up: SENSE.

47. Bird seen in only one state: NENE. CSO to our Hawaii readers.

49. Letters near zero: OPER. If you remember the classic telephone.

51. Germane: APROPOS.

54. Like some doubts and injuries: NAGGING.

58. Polish for "dumplings": PIEROGI. Food.

59. Less experienced: GREENER.

60. Football's "Boomer": ESIASON. A HOF quarterback, sort of.

61. Inflation-indexed U.S. savings bond: SERIES I. What is FOR SALE now.

62. __ Marino: SAN.

63. W-2 info: SSN.

Down:

1. Trickle: SEEP.

2. Last of three Catherines: PARR. She was an interesting woman, and here is a LINK to a wonderful historical website.

3. Far East fruit: ASIAN PEARS. This looks like an apple but tastes like a pear and is available in the street markets in Thailand and some large Asian markets here in Florida. Many of the fruits named in this THAI FRUIT LINK are grown in Homestead. Just be careful of the Durian.

4. Ranking: SENIOR. My card says "senior assistant" meaning I am old.

5. Settling down: APPEASING.

6. French fat: GRAS. Foie gras...a delicacy that extends back thousands of years, based on a rather barbaric CUSTOM.

7. Anthem word with an apostrophe: O'ER the ramparts we watched...

8. Parks in American history: ROSA.

9. Corno Grande's range: APENNINES. A complete unknown despite talking with my son and d-i-l about their time in Italy, but nothing here. Geography is clearly my weakest subject.

10. Early personal milestone: AGE ONE. Weird phrasing.

11. Word in medicine that sounds bad but is often good: REGRESSION. Another word that goes both ways - sometimes good, sometimes bad. re·gres·sion (rē-gresh'ŭn), such as shown:
1. A subsidence of symptoms.
2. A relapse; a return of symptoms.

12. Infatuated: GAGA.

13. Spanish medals or metals: OROS. Spanish Gold.

21. Take potshots: SNIPE.

23. Loud ringers: GONGS.

26. Biscotti flavoring: ANISE. Alphabetically first, but man they make many FLAVORS.

27. Jacques of PBS' "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home": PEPIN.
I did not know this SERIES or M. Pepin       
28. Does: ENGAGES IN.

29. Goes back and forth: PING PONGS. A nice visual clue.

30. Long periods: AEONS.

31. So yesterday: PASSE.

34. 1493 Lisbon arrival: NINAHEADLINE.

40. Only Mexican state that borders Baja: SONORA.

42. Composer Rachmaninoff: SERGEI. I really did not know his first name. Listen.
44. They get carried away: REPOS.

46. "Night Moves" singer: SEGER. Listen and watch.
48. Scrubbed, as a launch: NO GO.

50. Cut back: PARE.

51. Parrots: APES. Funny, two animals used to mean imitates.

52. City on the Arno: PISA. You can see the river through the town.

53. Hold back: REIN. You need to control your joy at getting this Friday puzzle.

55. Supermodel Sastre: INÉS. This was the last of the total unknowns for me. She is quite pretty and more. Sorry for the removed info.

56. Loch of note: NESS. No Eliot for Boomer.

57. Silly look?: GRIN. Yes, what my face looks like now that I made it to the end.

Bruce always delivers some fun and creativity, and today was a classic. I feel blessed to do Friday puzzles because they are so diverse and this was an incredible challenge to create without making it clunky. Thanks, Bruce. Lemonade out.


Jun 28, 2019

Friday, June 28, 2019, Michael Paleos

Title: Ten-hut!

Michael Paleos
is a new constructor who already has an NYT and a WSJ publication under his belt. Why he keeps them there I do not know, but it isn't for me to judge. The New York Times was October 24, 2018, and the reveal and puzzle were great. The WSJ on May 9 of this year also had a really fun reveal. Today, we are presented with a reveal that hints at the solution but lets us work at the solve. The rest of the fill is very gettable, but you have to unravel 38A. Splitting with one's group ... or a hint to the theme found in four puzzle rows: BREAKING RANKS (13). First, you need to understand that ranks are military ranks. The next hint is that the military ranks are hidden 4 different across rows. Then you need to picture the military ranks split into two pieces like...

1A. Pickle: DILEMMA paired (7) with 8A. Important biblical river: JORDAN (6) which together gives us a MAJOR. Then knowing the rule of symmetry we go to the very last row and find:
67A. Oregon city where Nike was founded: EUGENE(6) paired with 68A. Comes back: RALLIES (7) which together gives us a GENERAL. Now to find two more rows...you can quickly discard rows 2 and 3, but behold! Row 4 has the delightful pairing
18A. Rundown: RECAP (5) paired with 19A. IMPURETAINTED, which together gives us CAPTAIN.  Then go up 2 rows from the bottom to maintain the grid symmetry and locate 56A. High wind: PICCOLO. (7) Very tricky, a high wind instrument paired with 59A. "M.O." rapper: NELLY (5) which gives us COLONEL. And now you know how I solved the puzzle. Michael needed many "cheater"(helper?) squares to make this work, 8 in all which are shown with a pink sign in the black squares in the grid.       

                                                                                                            The stacks of seven and six in the top three and bottom three rows were impressive and the theme was so close to being elegant if he could only have had the Captain Major Colonel General appear in order. There lots of common fill but also he squeezed in AIR ASIA,  ECOTOUR, ICELAND, PICANTE, CABLECAR, DEADLOCK,  RETAPING, and the timely and controversial ROE V. WADE. Now that my write-up is all out of control, let us examine the rest.

Across:

14. Whale-watching excursion, say: ECOTOUR. I found this definition of ECOTOURISM: “Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past, and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples.”

15. It's about 80 miles SW of Buffalo, N.Y.: ERIE, PA. Major (pun intended) to our Erie folk. Do you this BILLIONAIRE?

16. Hot and spicy: PICANTE.

17. Only Jet who was a Super Bowl MVP: NAMATH. The Jets along with the Tampa Bay Bucs and New Orleans Saints have each played in and won 1 Super Bowl.

21. Photo lab abbr.: ENLarge.

22. That, south of the border: ESO. Spanish, man.

24. Food additive: DYE.

25. Something you can stand to lose: LAP. Not a racing lap, the one that goes away when you stand.

28. Lyric tributes: ODES.

30. Med. school subject: ANATomy.

32. Name on a banana sticker: DOLE. This multinational company is at the forefront of growing ORGANIC FRUIT.

33. Winery cask: TUN. I like the definition: an imperial measure of capacity, equal to 4 hogsheads. Cutting the quantity in half each time, volumes were measurement went as follows: tone (tun), butt/pipe, hogshead, barrel, kilderkin, and firkin. While working at a start-up brewery my son reintroduced the firkin as a part of both brewing and sales.

35. Iconic San Francisco sight: CABLE CAR. This is not just a sight, it is a really fun way to get around the city and not get totally worn out by the hills. LINK.

41. Landmark 1973 decision: ROE V. WADE. Now it is all politics.

42. Oxford, to Oxonians: UNIversity.

43. Pay to play: ANTE. Poker and other gambling card games.

44. Mideast seaport: ADEN. Again no comment, but you can watch.

46. Natural floor covering: MOSS.

50. __ green: PEA. Or green pea.

51. __Kosh B'gosh: OSH. My boys were dressed in this children's clothing manufacture when they were young.

53. Louis XIV, par exempleROI. I hope you remember this from two weeks ago. He was a French King.

55. Something you might grab in a hammock: NAP. Also, the sides to keep from falling off.

61. "Okay, that makes sense now": AH, I SEE.

63. Budget carrier headquartered near Kuala Lumpur: AIR ASIA.
65. Scammer: CONMAN. Sexist, it can be a con woman.

66. Nordic Council member: ICELAND.

Down:

1. Hinge (on): DEPEND.

2. It's pointy and cold: ICICLE. They look very pretty at first.

3. "Livin' la Vida __": LOCA.
4. Military day's march: ÉTAPE. This is a place where troops camp after a day's march, or the march itself.

5. Many a fed. holiday: MONday.

6. Chop meat: MUTTON. This was tricky because in the US we think only of lamb chops or beef, pork and veal as chop meat.

7. Calculation often using pi: AREA.

8. Spinning __: weaving innovation: JENNY. The STORY of this invention and its impact on the industrial revolution.

9. Provide an address: ORATE.

10. Frosty coating: RIME.

11. Stalemate: DEADLOCK. I am not sure why but I had trouble with this dead-heat being the last to fall away.

12. Fitting: APT.

13. "You're dreaming": NAH.

18. Speed Wagon make: REO. The Reo Speedwagon was a very creative vehicle from Mr. Olds and his Reo company. REO Speedwagon was a band.

20. Aid in reuniting a lost suitcase with its owner: ID TAG.

23. Coffee brand with an orange cap: SANKA. It was all there was for decaf for years unless you wanted to drink grain like Postum.

26. Word of regret: ALAS.

27. __ sePER.

29. L.A. Clippers owner Ballmer: STEVE. I love that he could be called Steve "Basket" Ballmer, but he is much MORE.

31. Blemished, in a way: ACNED. Meh.

32. Commonly blue fabric: DENIM. Levi Strauss started with Canvas because the miners needed strong pants to hold their gold.

34. Motor City org.: UAW. United Auto Workers.

36. Musical Mars: BRUNO. Two for one. 41D. Cardi B genre: RAP.
37. Office PC nexus: LAN. Local Area Network.

38. Fillet's lack: BONE.

39. Recording over: RETAPING.

40. Panhandle state: IDAHO.

45. Beethoven's Third: EROICA.

47. Browsing, nowadays: ONLINE.

48. Tortilla shell fillers, perhaps: SALADS. When? okay, there is lettuce and tomato along with the        cheese and meat, but really, just salad?



49. Special Stratego piece: SPY.

51. Broad expanse: OCEAN.

52. A co-star might steal one: SCENE.

54. Taken together: IN ALL.

57. "Woe __!": IS ME.

58. Villain's hideout: LAIR.

60. Morales of "NYPD Blue": ESAI.

61. Great service?: ACE.

62. Astros, on sports tickers: HOUston.

64. Shinto, for one: Abbr.: RELigion.

You already have the grid above so don't be greedy. Welcome Mike and I hope you stop by and say hello. I enjoyed reading your comments when your NYT was published. Lemonade out.

Jun 14, 2019

Friday, June 14, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: To B E or not to B E.

Our resident Shakespeare aficionado uses the letter B and E to wrap around the last word of an in the language phrase. He even provides us with a reveal that is a bit obscure, but it is a Friday. 38A. Also ... and, in three parts, a hint to the four longest Across answers:  BESIDES (7). The three parts are "B" "E" and "SIDES." This advises you that B and E are on the sides of words. Even with 56 theme spaces, the puzzle is chock full of long fill and new fill to add to his always tricky cluing. Example of the great fill are DIGITAL,  MADISON,  PALED AT,  TAVERNA,  UNTIMED, FIRST BASE, OBSERVANT,  CALAMITOUS and FRONT TEETH.
He has some foreign language stuff, some sports, some geography, some poetry, some music...well you can see for yourselves.

17A. Best Custard Enhancement award?: THE GOLDEN  BRULEE (15). We start with a grid spanning fill built off of the Golden Rule. My favorite of the themers.

28A. Eve's incentive not to eat the apple?: ADAM'S BRIBE (10). Adam's Rib is also a biblical reference unless you think only of

46A. Whom to interrupt to end a couple's tedious conversation?: EITHER BORE (10). I like this one a lot also. 

61A. Description of a consistent ogre?: THE SAME OLD BRUTE (15). JW does not get in a RUT unless cranking out fun puzzles that are challenging can be considered a rut. 

Across:

1. Chem lab array: ACIDS. My chemistry classes never trusted us to get near the acids.

6. Grainy side: PILAF. Rice, the one staple in my Oo dominated diet.

11. Pixar SFX: CGIComputer Generated Imagery has been around in some form since 1974. A LIST of favorite movies.

14. Certain Sri Lankan: TAMIL. Another PEOPLE whose history is filled with the results of Imperialism and ethnic incompatibility.

15. Defense concern: ALIBI. Alibis like eyewitnesses are not very reliable.

16. Orbital section: ARC. Both in the sky and near your eye.

20. Like moves in casual chess games: UNTIMED. Is the time lessened the better you are? I have never played with timers.

21. Overly orotund orator: GASBAG. Aren't you happy that OROTUND wasn't the fill?

22. Sacred symbol: TOTEM.

24. Pro __: TEM.

25. Romeo's partner?: ALFA. Another Shakespeare misdirection from our Will S. quote master.

33. "Free to Be... You and Me" co-creator Thomas: MARLO. She gathered the celebrities and put together the book which also became a PLAY.

35. Information: DATA.

36. See 13-Down: TEA. Paired with 13D. With 36-Across, summer drink: ICE. No Lemonade this week.

37. Sette minus sei: UNO. Italian for 7 - 6.

41. Minn. neighbor: ONT.


42. Jose's opening?: SAN. Can you see? Nope, California. Do you know the way?

43. Je ne __ quoi: SAIS. The French expression, used in America par example: There's just been a certain je ne sais quoi about the hue that many can't quite put their finger on.
— Donna Freydkin, Allure, "How Beyoncé and Rita Hazan Chose the Perfect Blonde Hair Color for Bey's On the Run II Tour," 29 Aug. 2018.

44. Keyboard offering: ETUDE. We had our discussion of this recently.

50. Part of NAACP: Abbr.: ASSN.

51. Roadwork supply: TAR.

52. Israeli desert: NEGEV. Half of the land in Israel. LINK.

54. Big improvement over a mop, for short: WET-VAC. Just what the name sounds like. A new clue/fill introduced by JW.
57. Was horrified by: PALED AT. This fill also is being introduced in the entire mainline puzzle world today!

63. "Take a load off": SIT.

64. Stealthy fighter: NINJA.

65. Result of a leadoff single: ONE ON. Baseball.

66. "Feh!": UGH.

67. Wyoming county: TETON. Think Grand! Some DF HISTORY.

68. Aggressive stingers: WASPS.


Down:

1. Westernmost Aleutian island: ATTU. Attu Island is so far west, it’s actually in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is the westernmost of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, even farther west than the Hawaiian Islands.

2. "All the Way" lyricist: CAHN. I wish I had remembered the C a few puzzles ago. A classic Sinatra tune.
3. "__ a traveller from an antique land": "Ozymandias": I MET.
"Ozymandias" is regarded as one of Percy Bysshe Shelley's most famous works. In antiquity, Ozymandias was an alternative name for the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II. Shelley wrote the poem in friendly competition with his friend and fellow poet Horace Smith (1779–1849) who also wrote a sonnet on the same topic with the same name.

4. Like most selfies: DIGITAL.

5. Cinematographer's option: SLOMO. A portmanteau of SLOMOtion.

6. Fraudulently increased: PADDED. The bill, the expense account, the bra, the damages and many more.

7. Martinique, par exempleILE. A French island, clued in French.
JW has used this a few times; it was first used in the NYT by Martin Schneider on a Sunday, Mar 14, 1999

8. CNN host Lisa: LING.

9. Their logo has a mirrored letter: ABBA. I do like their movies.

10. Diamond corner: FIRST BASE. This is only the second time this fill has graced an LA Times puzzle; it was introduced by our own Steve Marron in his solo debut PUZZLE in 2014.

11. Disastrous: CALAMITOUS. Very nice sparkly long word which JW introduces to the LAT. It has appeared only once in an NYT in 2010.

12. Novelist Iles: GREG. A very popular multi-genre AUTHOR. I have read only The Bone Tree so far. I may try more.

18. "__ Smile Be Your Umbrella": LET A. Jeffrey was feeling musically nostalgic this week.
19. Designated driver alternative: UBER.

23. "The Federalist Papers" co-author: MADISON. President 1.
It is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution.

25. What jesters do: AMUSE.

26. Mostly private Hawaiian island: LANAI. Many here know Hawaii better than I do.

27. Incisors: FRONT TEETH. Another fill introduced to both LAT and NYT today.

29. Like Lear, ultimately: MAD. More Shakespeare.

30. Notre-Dame honoree: Abbr.: STE. Saint in French.

31. Switchback features: BENDS. This was the hardest for me to parse since I never heard the term switchback before. The definition is - a zigzag road, trail, or section of railroad tracks for climbing a steep hill.

32. Moth-__: EATEN.

34. Paying attention: OBSERVANT. I hope you have been paying attention today because this grid is just loaded with the good stuff.

39. Stirrup location: EAR. Did you bone up on your anatomy?

40. Bro, say: SIB.

45. Spot to sip ouzo: TAVERNA. It is all Greek to me.

47. Kentucky Derby showpieces: HATS. There are some nice horses there as well.

48. Change the itinerary: REPLAN.

49. "Great Scott!": EGAD. Perry White?

53. Nudge: ELBOW. Rude!

54. Fillmore was the last president who was one: WHIG. He is buried in Buffalo with both of his wives. President 2.

55. Lisette's BFF: AMIE. French.

56. You can see Lincoln on one: CENT. President mini-theme. Number 3.

58. Club payments: DUES.

59. On: ATOP.

60. Second-ranked pinochle cards: TENS. A fun GAME that I played when I was young.

61. Nashville sch.: TSUTennessee State University.

62. Eye in most of Iberia: OJO. Spanish.

Well, we done did it again. Fabulous fill JW. I leave you with this LINK as we observe Flag Day 242 years after the flag was chosen. Thank you all -  now go and get ready for Father's Day. For which I give you this Dad Joke. (A Dad joke is an embarrassingly bad joke, often read through the eyes of a dad's lack of comedy).

My friend was a very indecisive rower. He could not pick either oar.

May 31, 2019

Friday, May 31, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Boris: “Do you agree?” Natasha: “ДА!”

My regular doubles partner here at the Corner, Jeffrey Wechsler is back on a Friday with one of his classics - an add letters puzzles to create funny fill. Today DA is added and I hope it did not addle your brain. DA is the yes in Russian, an abbreviation for DAD in Britain (I think-Steve?) and a common shortcut for District Attorney. He also sneaks in the amusing non-themer DADAIST, along with many other sparklies like ANALYST,  DOGGIES, I'M ALONE, MASCARA, ON A DATE, PORGIES, STENCIL, ALARMING, MACARENA, MIRRORED, and SEDATION. We also have many apostrophes and the usual trickery in some cluing. On with the fun.

17A. Short-order bear?: FRYING PANDA (11). If you can have a Kung-fu Panda why not one in the kitchen making your lunch, using a FRYING PAN.

24A. News item from Hoda Kotb?: TODAY STORY (10). The 4th-hour anchor is away with her new adopted BABY. It is too soon to watch TOY STORY.

34A. Skeptical response to "Here's the drink I owe you"?: SAY IT ISN'T SODA (13). Obviously not the response of a teetotaller.

46A. Element of avant-garde music?: DARING TONE (10). I think the tonality or lack thereof of Arnold Schoenberg was more daring. I have a cousin who married a Schoenberg.

55A. Prosecutor ... or what four long puzzle answers have received?: ASSISTANT DA (11). So maybe this is the one he had in mind. I hope he doesn't mind my subversive write-up, but I just must have fun. On with the show. 

Across:

1. Just right: APT. Not an easy start, but it is Friday.

4. Some pets, in totspeak: DOGGIES. Totspeak is a term I think was developed solely for crossword fill like OWIE, WAWA and oh yeah DADA!

11. Ronda Rousey's sport, initially: MMAMixed Martial Arts.

14. Supporting: FOR. Not a beam but a person.

15. Tempting text to a lover: I'M ALONE. Sounds like some kind of illicit rendezvous.

16. McShane of "Deadwood": IAN. Ian has been one of my favorites, I think Steve also, since his days as LOVEJOY. However, in the John Wick 3 movie, he is not a nice man, and that is not a nice movie. Halle Berry continues to look nice, though.

19. Label for some Usher releases: RCA. Do people care about record labels anymore?

20. Words from a bell ringer: IT'S ME. Not in the tower, but at your front door. Obviously not an academic visitor.

21. Pen part: NIB. All you ever wanted to know about PENS.

22. Continental border river: URAL. This divides Europe and Asia.

23. Coolidge who wasn't president: RITA. This mostly Cherokee and mostly forgotten SINGER was married to Kris Kristofferson as well as having hits like...

27. L'Oréal's Voluminous Carbon Black, e.g.: MASCARA. I love having this in the puzzle with 12D. Popular '90s  dance:  MACARENA.

29. Longtime preceder of Johnny?: HERE'S. Both Ed McMahon and Jack Nicholson made this famous.

30. Maurice Sendak/Carole King musical "Really __": ROSIE. A hard Friday fill but a wonderful collaboration between the creator of Where the Wild Things Are and the very talented Ms. King,  subject of the Broadway hit Beautiful.

33. "__ you clever!": AREN'T. Yes, he is.

38. Apollo's birth island: DELOS. This Greek god has great BACKSTORY.

39. Nautical pole: SPRIT. I will leave the words to our sailors.

40. Saw: ADAGE. Nope, just letters here.

41. At the movies, maybe: ON A DATE. Here too.

50. Bird's biological class: AVES. I like this followed by...

51. Bill distributors: ATMS. Since birds have bills.

52. Detroit labor gp.: UAWUnited Auto Workers.

53. Research support: GRANT.

54. Sundial marking: III.

58. Luke, to Anakin: SON.

59. Sign maker's aid: STENCIL. Do they need them any longer?

60. Court fig.: ATTorney. Not an abbreviation popular in the profession.

61. "Star Trek" spin-off, briefly: TNGThe Next Generation.

62. Fish also called sea breams: PORGIES. This little FISH is one the many considered as a kosher fish. Catfish are not.

63. Future 62-Across: ROE. JW just egging you on.

Down:

1. Validate: AFFIRM.

2. "The quality of mercy is not strain'd" speaker: PORTIA. "It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven." Merchant of Venice Act IV, Scene I. Jeffrey and I both love our Friday Shakespeare.

3. Secret meetings: TRYSTS.

4. Order the Beef Wellington, say: DINE.

5. Bit of texting shock: OMG.

6. Space: GAP.

7. Endocrine __: GLAND.

8. Ancient region of present-day Turkey: IONIA. I always thought it was in Greece.

9. Not continue past: END BY. Also Use By.

10. Ahab's milieu: SEA.

11. Did the same as: MIRRORED.

13. Pro with a couch: ANALYST. Psycho-

18. Apple product: IMAC.

22. Unborn, after "in": UTERO. Literal Latin.

24. Unhurried pace: TROT.

25. Refreshing place: OASIS. Or maybe you want to visit...

26. Siskiyou County peak: SHASTA. I am sure this was a gimme for our West Coast contingent.

28. Gotten up: ARISEN.

31. Many a cable co.: ISPInternet Service Provider. Not related to 55D. Cleopatra's "poor venomous fool": ASP. A double dose of Will from Act V, Scene 2.
"Poor venomous fool
Be angry and dispatch. Oh, couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass."

32. 2001 scandal subject: ENRON.

34. It puts people out: SEDATION. A very nice clue for a Friday deception.

35. Frightful: ALARMING.

36. Ones using asanas: YOGIS. And so many of your neighbors. 12 FAVORITES.

37. Pitchfork part: TINE. Actually any fork.

38. Arp, for one: DADAIST.

42. "Phooey!": DARN. Probably the tame version of what JW is thinking about my silliness.

43. Video game figure: AVATAR.

44. Take care of: TEND TO.

45. Wayne Manor and environs, e.g.: ESTATE. An odd Batman reference?

47. Relish: GUSTO.

48. Law enforcement tool: TASER.

49. In arrears: OWING.

53. Hoedown misses: GALS. Not misses, but misses. Not related to Hoda Kotb.

56. Chem. or phys.: SCI.

57. Bun package closer: TIE. If you keep your legs tied together you will not get a bun in the oven.

We have made it through another Friday challenge from Jeffrey. It always feels good to solve and then discuss one of his creations. I hope you had fun and I will leave you with the grid and another picture of a classic DA. Lemonade out.




May 15, 2019

Wednesday, May 15, 2019, Chuck Deodene

Title: BE OUR GUEST.

Lemonade here pinch-hitting for Melissa with whom I shared Wednesdays when I first started blogging here. So this is full-circle for me. I described Mr. Deodene's history here and at the NYT in my most recent write-up of a Friday he built last year, so today I will provide this LINK to some of Chuck's life with words. Today is a hidden word puzzle. I have previously written about doing the London Times Cryptic Crossword with my mother when they began running in NEW YORK magazine. Here is a wonderful ARTICLE which was written by composer STEPHEN SONDHEIMRemember, this was written in 1968; the modern crossword has incorporated much of the fun of cryptics.  I know some have expressed interest in Cryptics and this is a good primer. Getting back to our puzzle, we have the "hidden" version. Here there are four themers and a grid-spanning reveal. The word GUEST is hidden in the clue in between the words. The first two and the fourth have the split gue/st, the third gues/t. The reveal is fair, but I had the theme long before then.

For a Wednesday, we also have lots of sparkle like DESKSET,  GAS HEAT,  REDOUBT, ECSTATIC,  IT'S A SNAP, PANCREAS, and the odd SCAT SING. Time to move to the next phase...

17A. Sports page table: LEAGUE STANDINGS (14). Most only think of "standing", but each league has its own.

25A. Dissociative condition: FUGUE STATE (10). Dissociative fugue (formerly called psychogenic fugue, or fugue state) is a psychological state in which a person loses awareness of their identity or other important autobiographical information and also engages in some form of unexpected travel. Psychological amnesia.

37A. Makes a case for, with "of": ARGUES THE MERITS (14). For which the topic of oral pierces could be argued.

49A. Intraoral piercing: TONGUE STUD (10). I received a hole in my tongue playing touch football but never consider putting jewelry in my mouth.

57A. Talk show drop-by ... and a literal feature of 17-, 25-, 37- and 49-Across: GUEST APPEARANCE (15). 

Across:

1. Passport stamps: VISAS. Yes but LINK.

6. Improvised knife: SHIV. From "a razor," 1915, variant of chive, thieves' word for "knife" (the1670s) from Romany language.

10. MRI output: SCAN. Actually, it is an image.

14. Capital of Ghana: ACCRALINK.


15. "Say Anything..." actress Skye: IONE. Her vowel-rich name is more famous than she is here in crossword land.

16. "__ and Abel": Jeffrey Archer novel: KANE. I really enjoyed his works,

20. Plaza payment: TOLL.

21. Feel remorse over: RUE. I would remove the "over."

22. Winter hrs. in St. Louis: CSTCentral Standard Time.

23. Blog entry: POST. Please keep them coming.

29. "Who __ to complain?": AM I.

30. Woman college basketball coach Summitt with an NCAA record 1,098 career wins: PAT. This legendary COACH died in 2016 from complications from Alzheimer's.  Coach K has eclipsed her victory total and Gino Auriemma is catching up.

31. Nairobi's country: KENYA. More Africa. See map above.

32. Insulin-producing gland: PANCREAS. The key to diabetes.

36. Left or right ending: IST. There are so many other choices.

42. Knot-tying vow: I DO. I did.

43. Like big lottery winners, presumably: ECSTATIC. Such a mixed blessing, historically. STORIES.

44. __ pad: STENO. I still use them.

47. Old Mideast org.: UAR. The United Arab Republic.

48. Reggae precursor: SKA. Ska is still around.

52. Carnival: FAIR.

53. Brightness nos.: IQS.

54. 6-Down's sib: BRO.

55. River swimmers: EELS. Not if C.C. gets them. They become a...

63. Repast: MEAL.

64. Char on a grill: SEAR. I'm not sure how many ways she cooks them.

65. Popular Google service: GMAIL.

66. About: AS TO.

67. Singer from County Donegal: ENYA. Eithne Ní Bhraonáin was born on May 17, 1961, in Gweedore, Donegal, Ireland, almost her birthday.

68. Leaf under a petal: SEPAL. I think I just had that botanical discussion,

Down:

1. Actor Kilmer: VAL. A bad Simon Templar and a bad Bruce Wayne.

2. Floe makeup: ICE. Tin are you okay?

3. Perform like Ella: SCAT SING. Is this a Yoda answer?

4. Insider lingo: ARGOT.


5. TV lawyer Goodman: SAUL. The spin-off from BREAKING BAD.

6. 54-Across' sib: SIS.

7. Trending: HOT.

8. Going nowhere, career-wise: IN A RUT.

9. Playhouse, say: VENUE. For a show Mickey Rooney!

10. Navigate slopes: SKI.

11. High-kicking dance: CAN CAN. So many links.

12. Showing insecurity: ANGSTY. A word from the 60s.

13. Snapple rival: NESTEA. This was very hard for me and only the perps did it. I was looking for a more esoteric company.

18. Wee toymaker: ELF. Not Wii.

19. Matching office accessories: DESKSET.

23. Dad: PAPA. I get that from many of my sons' friends.

24. Shortstop Vizquel with 11 Gold Glove Awards: OMAR.  bit obscure but talented fielder.

26. __ the crack of dawn: UP AT.

27. House-warming option: GAS HEAT.

28. Aquarium beauty: TETRA.

33. Stage prompting: CUING.

34. Stronghold: REDOUBT. From Bunker Hill to Yorktown, a feature of military actions during the American Revolution was the redoubt. Of course, redoubts were a fixture in worldwide military operations long before, and long after, that war, but those fortifications built of earth, sod and timber were usually more complex than their simple materials suggest. Journal of the American Revolution.

35. That, in Toledo: ESO. Our Lucina CSO.

36. Online chats, briefly: IMS.

38. Subdued hue: ECRU. The definition is having the color of raw silk or unbleached linen," from French écru "raw, unbleached.

39. "Simple as can be": ITS A SNAP. A very short period of time (figuratively, the time taken to snap one's fingers), or a task that can be accomplished in such a period. Etymology.

40. __ torch: luau light: TIKI.

41. What a tattoo may cover: SCAR. Why? I know many tattoos but none covering a scar.

44. Mark of shame: STIGMA.

45. Kitchen toppers: TOQUES. This hat has become a regular.

46. Put into power: ENSEAT. Ugh. The only good thing about this word is that it could be part of an anagram puzzle.

47. 2019 Pebble Beach event: US OPEN. Golf. SITE.

50. Wipe: ERASE. Computer hard drives.

51. "Weeds" law org.: DEADrug Enforcement Agency.

52. Moth attractor: FLAME.

56. Units of energy: ERGS.


58. __ Poke: retro candy: SLO. Never heard of it. The original Slo Poke Caramel Pop was first introduced in 1926 by the Holloway Candy Company.

59. Settle: PAY. The bill.

60. Time to remember: ERA.

61. "Homeland" org.: CIA. I have never watched the show.

62. Turn in the plumbing: ELL. A cute twist to end our tour.

Thank you Chuck; c'mon back mb and thank you all.


May 10, 2019

Friday, May 10, 2019, Rich Proulx

Title: Do you see the pattern?

We have our second puzzle from Rich P., who had the misfortune of being published on the day Argyle became ill. He also had two NYT published in 2017 which should have prepared us for today. This was a very difficult puzzle. First, the theme was not a theme but a picture and while there are 21 "T"s in the puzzle, there is really only one theme clue. 58A. Classic car ... and a hint to the hidden image you can draw using 21 identical squares in this grid: T-BIRD. If you have been reading my Friday ramblings for a while you know I love visual aspects to themes. However, today's grid is a themeless puzzle with a picture. And my drawing skills are limited. So hopefully I will figure out a way to make his point in the grid. Because it is basically themeless, there are oodles of 7,8, and 9 letters fill all over the puzzle. I found BRA PADS, CULTIST, DEBONES, PRESTON, ALBACORE,  BAD DEBTS,  COMANECI,  COMIC-CON, FORETELL, IN TERROR.  TRIMOTOR, YELLOWED, DECORATOR, and DUBITABLE
                                                                           
Across:

1. Confidentially informs: BCCS. Blind copies.

5. Skewer: SPIT.




9. __ top: TUBE. Memories from my youth.






13. Solar panel site: ROOF.

14. Chili partner: CARNE. Meat.

15. Words that can precede and follow "what": IT IS. It is what it is.

16. BB, e.g.: AMMO. It is back this week to haunt us.

17. "Waiting for Lefty" playwright: ODETS. Clifford Odets was born in Philadelphia in 1906. Odets' fame as a playwright was made when he wrote and acted in Waiting for Lefty, produced by the Group Theatre in 1934. Its production in New York was simultaneous with the city's famous taxicab strike. It was his first play. Various.

18. Native of Riga: LETT. This term for the natives of LATVIA may be losing its place, but the place is interesting.

19. FCC chairman Ajit __: PAI. Ajit Varadaraj Pai is an American lawyer who serves as the Chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission. He is the first Indian American to hold the office. I had no idea.

20. Bichon __: dogs with fluffy coats: FRISES.

21. Early smartphone: TREO. I had a friend who had one in the early 2000s, very impressive at the time. Not to be confused with 57A. Beethoven's Opus 11, e.g.: TRIO.

22. Mole sauce chili: ANCHO. A dried Poblano chile. The RECIPE.

24. Classic guitar, briefly: STRAT. The Fender  STRATOCASTER was part of the early rock and roll revolution.

26. One verifying safe arrivals?: UMP. Cute baseball reference. Along with 31A. Ball game official: SCORER and 32A. Like a rare baseball game: NO HIT.

27. New homeowner's hire: DECORATOR. Not in my lifetime.

29. Heads up: RISES. Nope, do not get it.

34. How some nursery-rhyme men traveled: IN A TUB. Rub-a-dub-dub.

36. Outspoken chef Gordon: RAMSAY. His RESTAURANTS.

39. Wyatt of "People of Earth": CENAC. Oh, oh. I am getting bogged down and no theme in sight to help. Wyatt Cenac is a writer and actor, known for The Daily Show (1996), People of Earth (2016) and aka Wyatt Cenac (2017), another complete unknown.

41. Cheeky?: JOWLED. I think Nixon's were famous.

43. Monopoly piece: HOTEL.

46. Open to question: DUBITABLE. As opposed to indubitable.  It just means doubtful.

49. Ursa Minor shape: LADLE. Ursa Minor is colloquially known in the US as the Little Dipper because its seven brightest stars seem to form the shape of a dipper (ladle or scoop). wiki.

51. Floss brand: ORAL-B.

52. "brb" or "ttyl": TEXT. Be right back; talk to you later.

54. Injure again, as one's ACL: RE-TEAR.

56. Bit of baby talk: COO.

59. Cut down: MOWN.

60. Mid-month day: IDES. Not very popular anymore, especially to Julius.

61. Identification assuming familiarity: IT'S ME.

62. Loose: FREE. Like the doggies in your backyard.

63. Whale groups: PODS.

64. Ferrara family name: ESTE. Hard fill. I did not know THIS history.

65. Cabs are among them: REDS. Cabernet wine.

Down:

1. Some cup liners: BRA PADS. So much I do not know.

2. First Olympic gymnast to receive a 10: COMANECI. Nadia will always be the first.

3. Where Vulcans congregate?: COMIC-CON.

4. BART stop: SFO. San Francisco airport.

5. Exemplar of cruelty: SADIST.

6. "The Good Wife" Emmy winner Carrie: PRESTON. She played the quirky powerhouse attorney Elsbeth Tascioni. Apparently, she is playing the part still in some spin-off.

7. Really scared: IN TERROR. This just does not seem right, but it was easy to fill.

8. Championship ice dancer __ Virtue: TESSA. She is a shining light for all of Canada and more than just a SKATER. CSO to our Canadian readers and dear departed ClearAyes.

9. Arcade goof: TILT.

10. Embryo's home: UTERUS. Literal.

11. Sassy retort: BITE ME.

12. Bars in court: ESTOPS. It is used more than just in court as you need to get estoppel letters.

14. __ anglais: English horn: COR. I had this WOODWIND before.

20. Augur: FORETELL. Latin that has become part of English.

23. Public school advocate Mann: HORACE. A very important PERSON in the history of public education in the US.

25. Three-engine plane: TRIMOTOR. Literal.

28. Gave __ for one's money: A RUN.

30. Fighting words: IT'S WAR.

33. Muslim pilgrim: HAJI. Also sometimes spelled Hadji, Alhaji, Al hage, Al hag or El-Hajj

35. They may be written off: BAD DEBTS. You can offset your business income with your uncollectable debts. I will let those who know tax stuff say more about this.

37. Much canned tuna: ALBACORE. The albacore, known also as the longfin tuna, is a species of tuna of the order Perciformes. It is what is labeled as white meat tuna and is so popular, the population is decreasing.

38. Like old manuscripts: YELLOWED. Paper is made from wood, which is made up mainly of white cellulose. Wood also has a lot of a dark substance in it called lignin, which ends up in the paper, too, along with the cellulose. The exposure of lignin to air and sunlight is what turns paper yellow.

40. Certain worshipper: CULTIST.

42. Fillets: DEBONES. Literal.

43. Polite greeting gesture: HAT TIP. Tip of the hat sounds better, but I guess it is the same thing.

44. Go too far: OVERDO.

45. Approached the gate: TAXIED.

47. "I'll take a brewski": BEER ME. This PHRASE has escaped me but with One billion hits I guess it is known.

50. Bandleader Shaw: ARTIE. He also was briefly married to both LANA TURNER and 48A. Actress Gardner: AVA.

53. Cornhole turn: TOSS. Yes, there are RULES and it must be underhand.

55. Lemon finish: ADE. I do not even know Rich but I get a nice ending CSO!

59. Plant owner: Abbr.: MFR. Manufacturer.

Well now to play with the grid on Paint and see if I can get somewhere. Hope you had fun. Welcome back, Rich. Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers/Lemonade out.


You think it looks like this?