Friday, March 25, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Help, I have a DOC sticking up from my side! Am I covered by medicare?

I am back and so is Jeffrey for another Friday this time with a visual theme that is very creative but also a type not always appreciated here at the Corner. And frankly, it was not immediately apparent to me even after writing up so many of his efforts. My first notion was the removal of the letter OC from each of the long fill. That really made no sense with the reveal. I also had fixated on the down fill starting with COD.

Going back to look at the grid, it became clear these two concepts interesected. Add that observation to the never accidental use of the word UP, the reference to "direction," and the theme jumps out. You can see the words pivoting on the D. 

It features three themers and a reveal leaving much room for other sparkly fill - RESEALS, ATTUNES TO,  ENEMY LINE, LAUNCHPAD, OVERUNDER REST MODES and WORRISOME. To make his reveal work, he pairs three long across fill with three appropriate down fill which I will put together to finish the explanation. 

Themer 1:

17A. *Guide for Smithsonian visitors, say: MUSEUM DOCENT.(10). Is DOCENT a known word? Certain to a curator like JW, but you? Paired with: 9D. Indulge: CODDLE.  This is the up DOC to which the reveal refers, as each long theme answer has DOC sticking out and going up.

Themer 2:

22A. *Ken Burns specialty: DOCUMENTARY FILM (13). KEN is quite famous for his work. His CIVIL WAR and Baseball films are great. This is paired with: 16D. Eccentric old guys: CODGERS. My hand is up not down the front of my pants. The second of the reverse DOC going up.

Themer 3:

42A. *Southeast Asian colonial region dismantled in 1954: FRENCH INDOCHINA (13). As a child of the 50s and 60s I was very aware of the French pull out of the area and involvement of the US to "preserve" the region. This may be a factoid lost in the miasma of aging. Paired with: 39D. Fish-and-chips fish: COD. When we eat out, this is often my meal of choice, especially now that my red meat intake is limited. It does make me wonder why it is called a COD PIECE? The third and last DOC going up.

The reveal: 49A. Classic Looney Tunes tagline offering some "direction" in solving the starred clues: WHAT'S UP DOC? I am sure the world has heard Bugs Bunny say:

The grid to get the "picture." 

Now we are ready for the rest of the story:

Across:

1. Earth, for one: ORB. And, 19A. Food scrap: ORT. I love this start!

4. Dred Scott decision Chief Justice: TANEY. Even after C.C. foreshadowed this very famous and awful decision by the SCOTUS,  it took my brain too long to pull out the name of this controversial man who served for 28 years. Incidentally, he was from Maryland and a Roman Catholic. Remind anybody of anybody? JK Bill.

9. Leg section: CALF. I never thought of ordering a thigh and a calf.

13. Two-digit sign: VEE. For victory.

14. Thrifty to begin with?: ECONO. A well worn prefix for inexpensive.

15. Central Plains tribe: OTOE. Many Os to begin this puzzles; this LINK is a glance at this word's xword history.

16. "__ la vie": C'EST. A very French phrase which can used in many different situations, from Frank Sinatra's THAT's LIFE to 

20. Hardly libertine: PRIM. I stumbled for a bit when I put in PRIG.

21. Pithy saying: ADAGE. Pithy goes back to the 1300s, "strong, vigorous," from pith meaning "full of substance or significance" is from 1520s. 

26. Fairy tale figures: GNOMES. In modern times they are lawn ornaments. Or a famous song, gnome, gnome on the range where the hobbits and the orcs do roam. gnome (n.1) "dwarf-like earth-dwelling spirit," 1712, from French gnome (16c.), from Medieval Latin gnomus, used 16c. in a treatise by Paracelsus, who gave the name pigmaei or gnomi to elemental earth beings, possibly from Greek *genomos "earth-dweller" (compare thalassonomos "inhabitant of the sea"). A less-likely suggestion is that Paracelsus based it on the homonym that means "intelligence" (see gnome (n.2)).Popularized in England in children's literature from early 19c. as a name for red-capped German and Swiss folklore dwarfs. Garden figurines of them were first imported to England late 1860s from Germany; garden-gnome attested from 1933. Gnomes of Zurich for "international financiers" is from 1964.gnome (n.2)"short, pithy statement of general truth," 1570s, from Greek gnōmē "judgment, opinion; maxim, the opinion of wise men," from PIE root *gno- "to know."

27. Mother __: LODE. Lucy is it likely this is a translation of Mexican Spanish veta madre, a name given to rich silver veins?

28. Money with hits: EDDIE. This is funny Money. He left us in 2019.

29. Retreats: LAIRS. From Roget. SYNONYMS.

31. Word with bonds or games: WAR. An all too real reference today.

34. Line holder: REEL. Fishing line.

35. Barely detectable: FAINT. The magic clue that solves the crime is often...

36. Tiny particle: MOTE. Likely from Dutch mot "dust from turf, sawdust, grit."

37. Future H.S. grads, probably: SRS. Seniors, hopefully.

38. Volcanic eruption sight: PLUME.

39. Nested supermarket array: CARTS. I never thought of them as nested. 

40. Nana: GRAN. Sunday, C.C. added Nai nai.

41. "Amen to that!": SO TRUE. 

45. Earth's volume?: ATLAS. Ha ha, a book- a volume about Earth. I like it.

47. Mandlikova of '80s tennis: HANA. She will always be remembered with NAVRATILOVA.  Hana's MEMORIES.

48. Mexican pinch?: SEL. More Mexico, this time the Spanish word for salt.

51. Office figure: BOSS. Often just a figurehead. Can you name them all? They have become...

52. Legends and such: LORE. We have had this word often lately.

53. Cloth-dyeing method: BATIK. I was dying to think of a pun but could not.

54. Pro using a siren,  perhaps: EMT. Emeregency Medical Technician. Do all the drivers get licensed? I guess if not they would be...

55. Went after, in a way: SUED. IMO, the court system has become unwieldly and too expensive.

56. Objects of worship: IDOLS. As long as they are not GRAVEN? I guess photos are fine.

57. Earth opening?: GEO. Fun clue for the word that derived from the Greek, gē earth, covering everything from GEODISIC domes to GEOMETRY. Also a nice way to end part I.

Down:

1. With 3-Down, sportsbook option based on the final score: OVERUNDER. 3D. See 1-Down: BET. This based on total points scored by both winning and losing teams and with it is greater than or less than. An important part of parlay betting.

2. Game system turnoff options: REST MODES. You need to leave it on just in case.

4. What a siren does: TEMPTS. An A-LIST of sirens. A deliberate use of siren after (54A) and its other meaning.

5. Lexus competitor: ACURA. Honda's luxury car.

6. Polite denial: NO SIR. Yes sir. No Ma'am, yes ma'am.

7. Combat demarcation point: ENEMY LINE. Behind Enemy Lines is the name of a few movies, as well as the plot.

8. "__ busy?": YOU. You know I am, we all work hard of these write-ups. Geez, Louise! 

10. Starting players: A-TEAM. See 4D. 

11. Sleep-inducing, maybe, as a lecture: LONG. I had trouble with this as it seemed too easy.

12. Fancy party: FETE. Not a gala, or a ball. Made easy this week.

18. "Downton Abbey" personnel: MAIDS.

23. Man's name that becomes a measurement when one letter is moved: EMIL. MILE. I wonder if that is how Miley Cyrus got her name?

24. Once called: NÉE. Miley was born DESTINY HOPE CYRUS.

25. The Alamo, e.g.: FORT. Another deceptively simple clue/fill.

29. Starting point of many modern missions: LAUNCH PAD. A timely CSO to Husker Gary who I signed up for a future Blue Origin launch as a birthday surprise.

30. Intention: AIM. It is my intention to fulfill his dream of looking down on all Earth.

31. Unsettling: WORRISOME. I hope Joann does not find it so.

32. Puts in sync with: ATTUNES TO. Doing my part to improve your life here are my tips in a romantic relationship:

Listen before you speak. ...

Ask questions to understand. ...

Notice your partner's nonverbal cues. ...

Use validating statements. ...

Identify your triggers. ...

Feel and own your feelings. Or not.

33. Zips again, as a Ziploc bag: RESEALS. Why not rezip?

35. Rich dessert: FLAN. Where does Flan make its money? It is just custard, sort of. Speaking of which WORDS ENDING IN TARD

36. Subject with shapes: MATH. I prefer ART. 

38. First Amendment concern: PRESS. Freedom thereof...

40. Like Romano, often: GRATED. I have watched Everybody Loves Raymond a few times and thought he played a very irritating character, but he did not grate on my nerves.

41. Chips, say: SNACKS. Unless you are in Great Britain.

42. Emergency device: FLARE. Not to be confused with FLAIR, though both can be quite dramatic.

43. Couldn't not: HAD TO. The old double negative manuever.

44. How tuna may be packed: IN OIL. Or water, but not both at the same time for oils are hydrophobic (not homophobic) or “water fearing.” Instead of being attracted to water molecules, oil molecules are repelled by them.

45. Hole makers: AWLS. Almost a Shakespeare quote, AWLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 

46. "O Julius Caesar, __ art mighty yet!": Brutus: THOU. This  quote is uttered by Marcus Brutus as he stands over the dead bodies of Cassius and Titinius, another soldier who was fighting to kill Caesar. Brutus is suggesting even dead JC was able to bring retribution to the conspirators. And JW gets to bring us a quote from Act V, Scene 3.

50. Where, to Brutus: UBI. Just the Latin for where. You are not his chariot driver. As most of us who studied Latin for years, the fake phrase SEMPER UBI, SUB UBI was always good for a laugh.

51. Entreat: BEG. They did not beg for their lives but all committed suicide. Is suicide a cowardly act? Are you begging for mercy to be done with ths write-up? You win, Lemonade has left the building beaten and exhausted once more ridden around the mind of Jeffrey Wechsler at dizzying speeds needing to step back, regroup and soldier on.

I loved the challenge and look forward to all of your comments.

No grid here, see above. 

Friday, March 11, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Add three letters and call me in the morning.

Doctor (figuratively speaking) Wechsler has built another extra large grid (15x16) to permit room for his three 16 letter theme fill. Each of them has the trigram (three letter) AMA added to a base phrase. We also have the rare benefit of a reveal on a Friday which helps solve this puzzle even if you are not used to JW's tricks. The triple sevens in each bottom corner and the triple sixes on the sides are indication of the gridding skill this man has. This is a very difficult puzzle to build as it is hard to find another 16 letter fill where AMA could be added to an existing phrase. Some of the fill is more strained than we usually see from JW, but the first themer is so perfect there always are consequences. Bear in mind he does his fill by hand not machine.

ACACIAS, BAILEYS, CRYSTAL, CUSTODY, DEADPAN, ECSTASY, ENROBED, ENSNARE, NUREYEV, RIPENED, UNDERGO, VANILLA, ELECTRIC, and LUCIDITY are all interesting non-theme fill, a benefit of having 15 extra spaces in the puzzle. The first of the themers may be the most challenging.

18A. *Crèche, for example?: CHRISTIAN DIORAMA (16). With DIORAMA not an everyday word and the final fill combining a clothing designer with the trigram to create this religious piece may be a bit outré. But then it may have been the puzzle's inspiration. Vote (  ) yes   (  ) no.

26A. *Recent president scrutinizing a book on jurisprudence? : OBAMA EYING THE LAW(16). This also is tricky because the phrase obeying the law is invaded by the AMA creating separate words rather than tagging on the end.

42A. *Animal rights goal in the Andes?: JUSTICE FOR A LLAMA. (16). We get Ogden Nash's 2 LLama; with all the commercials they are now appearing in I would think llamas are the richest of the working beasts. Finally, the reveal...

54A. Altered, in a way ... and a hint to the org. that helped create the answers to starred clues: DOCTORED UP (10). The American Medical Association. They were founded in1847, making this their 175 year anniversary. On to rest...

Across:

1. "'And hast thou __ the Jabberwock?'": Carroll: SLAIN. What a wonderful quotation to begin a creation aimed at people who love words. The poem may appear to be total nonsense but it has been studied and discussed such as this ANALYSIS by Dr. Oliver Teale. His blog is even more successful than the Corner.

6. Steady guy: BEAU. Boyfriend from the French.

10. Event involving hidden matzo: SEDER. Passover (Pesach) begins this year at sundown on April 15, which is also a sabbath. 
                        

15. Shell material: NACRE. The inside of the shell of some mollusks also known as mother-of-pearl. Here is a picture of a vintage Egyptian folding chair I was given some time ago with nacre insets.

16. Loads: A TON. Simple, and clearly a big load.

17. Horror film burden: CURSE. My thought is poor Lon Chaney Jr. and the curse of the werewolf.

21. Geode feature, perhaps: CRYSTAL. Geodes are spherical to subspherical rock structures with an internal cavity lined with mineral materials. Very pretty.

22. Dressed: ENROBED. Back to our naked Emperor from my Wednesday write-up.

23. Current type: ELECTRIC. No, not anymore. Now I want only my wife. Oh, electric current, never mind.

34. Grammy-winning pianist Peter: NERO. This MUSICIAN was extremely popular during my growing years of the 50s and 60s.

35. 2020 N.L. batting champ Juan: SOTO. This 23 year old from the Domincan Republic has already logged 4 years in the majors. STATS. A very hard fill for most here, and fill unlike Jeffrey.

36. "Sula" author Morrison: TONI. This was her second novel and Goodreads says, "This rich and moving novel traces the lives of two black heroines from their close-knit childhood in a small Ohio town, through their sharply divergent paths of womanhood, to their ultimate confrontation and reconciliation."

37. "That describes me, right?": AM I NOT. This sounds  philisophical and historical as well as being a rallying cry of the modern young.

40. Paradise: HEAVEN. Ah, religion a forbidden topic here but an interesting one.

47. Sugar suffix: OSE. Sucrose, lactose, maltose, hammer tose...

48. Clear thought: LUCIDITY. Dictionary says this word is the quality of being easily understood, completely intelligible, or comprehensible. A goal for a blogger?

49. Spirit that's also a game: GIN. Alchemists in the Middle East were the first to master distillation. They were hoping to not only change lesser elements to gold but to make medical elixirs. To do so, they would distill liquid, collect the vapor, and gather the “spirit” that came off the material. Gin is a very competitive card game.

50. "Molto __": "Very good": BENE. An Italian lesson for a change!

52. Trough fill: SLOP. Historically people saved their food scraps and spoiled food and served them to their pigs in the trough.

53. Huge amounts: SEAS. I guess this is something likened to the sea especially in vastness such as a sea of faces.

59. Plain: VANILLA. I have had bosses and secretaries who called manila folders "vanilla folders."

62. Soviet-born ballet immortal: NUREYEV. I am not a great fan of ballet, but he was amazing.

66. Broad-topped trees: ACACIAS. Hard to believe these are in the pea family

                            

67. Catch: ENSNARE.

68. Safekeeping: CUSTODY. When they throw you in jail, safekeeping is not your first thought.

69. Poker-faced: DEADPAN. More Stephen Wright, right?

Down:

1. '60s civil rights gp. inspired by student sit-ins: SNCC. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was the culmination of many sit-ins by young blacks in 1960. It also spawned many impressive black leaders.

2. Lion player Bert: LAHR. Since Detroit traded away Matthew Stafford so the Rams could win the Super Bowl, Bert is back to being the most revered lion.

3. "__ in the Dark": 1988 Neill/Streep film: A CRY. Not the original title, but a movie based on a true story of a New Zealand woman who was wrongfully convicted of murdering her baby daughter. You-tube will not let me use it, but look at the movie trailer, and you will see Streep really is magical at becoming a character.

4. Bearded bloom: IRIS. At first I thought of Morris Bloom and his make believe wife, but without the capital B it must be this beautiful plant.
 5. Iced drink brand: NESTEA.

6. Irish liqueur made by an English company: BAILEYS. It may seem that this liqueur has been around forever but Baileys was invented in London in 1973 by a team of professionals hired for the job. These included Tom Jago, head of innovation and development for International Distillers & Vintners (IDV), who was from the U.K.; David Gluckman, a South African; and Hugh Seymour-Davies, an Englishman from Oxford and Eden. They aparently do not like apostrophes.

7. LAX stat: ETA. Estimate Time of Arrival,

8. Chicago's __ Center: AON. For our big city midwestern readers this skyscraper was completed in 1974 as the Standard Oil Building. With 83 floors and a height of 1,136 feet (346 m), it is the fourth-tallest building in Chicago, surpassed in height by Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and St Regis Chicago. AON has bought naming rights to this and one in Los Angeles.

9. Experience: UNDERGO. There are good experiences and not good ones. Undergo makes me think of the not good ones.

10. Really burn: SCORCH. The wiktionary says it is from Middle English scorchen, scorcnen (“to make dry; parch”), perhaps an alteration of earlier scorpnen, from Old Norse skorpna (“to shrivel up”). It reminds me of the scorched earth caused by war.

11. Catalan cash: EURO. In Catalonia they now use Euro.

12. Colorless: DRAB. Such a potentially mean word. 

13. Girl in a Salinger title: ESME.The short story For Esmé with Love and Squalor is a post World War II story which I am not sure I ever understood. Here is an ANALYSIS. This might be time to ...

14. Curl up with a good book, say: READ. As it tells an interesting..

19. Story: TALE.

20. D.C. part?: Abbr.: INITial.

24. AFL partner: CIO. AFL–CIO, in full American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations, American federation of autonomous labour unions formed in 1955 by the merger of the AFL (founded 1886), which originally organized workers in craft unions, and the CIO (founded 1935), which organized workers by industries.

25. Blasted stuff: TNT. Very cute clue.

26. Out working: ON A JOB. If it weren't a three word answer this would be very easy.

27. Puzzle: BEMUSE. I know A-muse, and B-muse, but what is C-muse? Is it musical?

28. Ascended: ARISEN. Another word with many connotations.

29. __ Blanc: MONT. A mountain and a pen; talk about being versatile.

30. Shorthand for unlisted items: ET AL. Latin, Et alia.

31. Romantic-sounding herb: LOVAGE. Native to Southern Europe, lovage is a member of the parsley family but tastes like celery. My wife will feed me anything green she finds.

32. Lethargy cause: ANEMIA. Low red blood count caused by many serious and not serious matters.

33. CeCe with 12 Grammys: WINANS. Not related to the Wynan brothers. BIO.

38. Natural resource: OIL. A topic I will not touch now.

39. Horned Frogs' sch.: TCU. Texas Christian University began as a private co-ed college in 1869. The STORY.

40. Seuss cat's trademark: HAT. This LINK .

41. English cathedral town: ELY. An Anglican CHURCH.

43. Sheer joy: ECSTASY. What you are likely feeing now that this tour is almost over.

44. Baklava dough: FILO. Also a famous detective, no relation to Director Vance.

45. Smell: ODOR.

46. Came to fruition: RIPENED. A tiny pun since the word was taken from fruit becoming mature. 

51. Official proclamation: EDICT. Synonyms for edict: bull, decree, diktat, directive, fiat, rescript, ruling, ukase.

53. Use plastic, say: SPEND. Some of my credit cards are no longer plastic.

55. Miscellany: OLIO. One of C.C's words. 

56. Wearing, with "in": CLAD. The robe convering the emperor.

57. Beach feature: DUNE. A book, a hit movie, and a natural sand formation.

58. Up-there bear: URSA. Well there are two, a major and a minor.

59. Brief cleaner: VAC. I just throw mine in the washer with the rest of my clothes.

60. Pressure opening?: ACU. Not tire? I am getting tired.

61. "Illmatic" rapper: NAS. Two days in a row! He is a very respected rapper who is only now getting his full recognition depite being around for 25 years. As a 73 year old sheltered white man I will never be able to fully appreciate his artristy but the world does.

63. Jabber: YAP. An odd semi-dupe with the opening poetic reference, perhaps a little wocky.

64. Live-ball __: baseball period: ERA. It is the dead ball era which ended when Babe Ruth (the ball player, not the candy bar) started smacking home runs in record fashion in 1919. We now have the livlier ball era.

65. S.A. country, to the IOC: VENezuela. The International Olympic Committee assigns three letter tags for each nation, which is only slightly ironic in this three letter puzzle. This troubled nation is often in the news for unhappy reasons. 

And speaking of unhappy, I must now leave you to wait for the reaction of all of you who read and write. I do get impatient but still love the process. Thank you JW and all of you. Lemonade out.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022, Ed Sessa

Title: Do you see what I see? LYRICS+

Happy Mittwoch, Lemonade filling a blogging gap and returning to the day of the week of my first blogging gig here, sharing Wednesday with Melissa B. I do not get another rookie setter but the great Dr. Ed Sessa. It may not be a Friday, but it is not a walk in the park. It is a visual theme without normal theme symmetry or exact theme fill. Instead you need to study the grid and "see" what picture appears when you not only highlight the double Os (no James Bond theme here) but highlight each BUS above the Os.  So today we start with the highlighted grid and work backwards.

Using your childlike imagination which may be a little dormant, you can see a yellow school bus on its two round wheels. There is overall puzzle symmetry including the two grid-spanners, but that does not help locate a theme.

The magic pairs are:

18A. Catskills restaurant job for young Jerry Lewis:     B U S BOY.

19A. Acted with total independence: ANSWERED   TO NO ONE.

This is a challenging 15 letter fill, but crucial to the plan. Lewis was a soda jerk but never a bus boy. Now his name reappears as an alleged sexual predator.

24A. Farm units:                         BUSHELS.   Doris Day

29A. Some wind components:  OBOE REEDS. They make the sound.

31A. Smooch:                                 BUSS.   kiss, kiss

38A. Melville sequel to "Typee": OMOO. This is classic crosswordese for the vowels.

45A. Garment aptly named for where it's worn:        BUSTIER. 

50A. What the filled-in circles do, in a tots' song: GOROUND AND ROUND.  Another 15 letter fill which plays double duty a reveal and part of the theme. Quite clever.

I will not touch the bustier reference, (have to be careful learning from Bill Cosby and Jerry Lewis) but will continue to the rest of the fun.

Across:

1. Animal fat: LARD. Once controversial, is it making a comeback?

5. Mer, here: SEA. French lesson.

8. Business entities: FIRMS. When used in a title, "firm" is typically associated with businesses that provide professional law and accounting services, but the term may be used for a wide variety of businesses, including finance, consulting, marketing, and graphic design firms, among others.

13. State as fact: AVER. A popular law word.

14. Photo: PIC. Nic?

15. Patronize a bistro, say: EAT OUT. I think the bistro reference was to make getting the "out" part more easily as they often offer both inside and outside dining.

16. Cover for a king: ROBE. Especially if it is an Emperor who ordered new clothes.

17. Onassis, familiarly: ARIstotle.

22. Parrot's screech: AWK. Not really. LINK. It is more well known word to computer programmers now. Right -T?

23. Voiced sounds: SONANTS. Hmm,  (ˈsəʊnənt) / adjective. phonetics denoting a voiced sound capable of forming a syllable or syllable nucleus. inherently possessing, exhibiting, or producing a sound. okay. Friday word at least. 

28. Yeoman's "yo": AYE. So many ways to say yes. I did a list years ago but now wiki will do it for you.

35. Fluids used for blood typing: SERA. plural noun: this 

an amber-colored, protein-rich liquid that separates out when blood coagulates.

36. Theater reservations: SEATS. Can you reserve standing room? Keith?

39. Rep on the street: CRED. Reputation gives you credibility. Both abbreviations.

40. Delay one's decision: SLEEP ON IT. This procrastintor's phrase has an early example which can be found in the State Paper of Henry VIII (1519): "His Grace…sayd that he wold slepe and drem upon the matter." Yes, that Henry the VIII.

42. Camera variety, initially: SLR. Single Lens Reflex. I will defer to Picard and waseely and others who like taking pictures and are much better at it than I.

44. Fills with passion: ENAMORS. Merriam Webster (MW) says, this is from the Middle English enamouren, from Anglo-French enamourer, from en- + amour first used in the 14th century meaning to inflame with love. Anyone here been inflamed recently? Splynter?

49. Smack-__: DAB. Not David Aldred Bywaters but a phrase from the 1890s meaning "exactly, squarely." Do you like:

Version 1                                                        Version 2

55. React to with a belly laugh: ROAR AT. Yay! NOT aroar!

56. New start?: NEO. Has anyone watched the new Matrix movie?

57. Inside information?: X-RAY. A really fun clue/fill as that is where docs findout what is going on inside.

58. Queen of puzzles: ELLERY. There are so many famous female detectives, but this time it is these GENTLEMEN who were the Queen.

59. Big name on Wall Street: DOW. Dow Jones is a combination of the names of business partners Charles Dow and Edward Jones who along with Charles Bergstresser founded Dow Jones & Company in 1882.  

60. To be, to Livy: ESSE. His HISTORY. Esse is "to be" in Latin.

61. "__ what I had in mind": WASN'T. This is the happy response to  my passive/agressive "I guess I should go."

62. Stop on the road: INN. A place to say. 

63. Some coll. requirements: SATS. The Scholastic Aptitude Test  is a standardized test designed to measure basic critical reading, math and writing skills. No longer universally accepted but still offered.

I used to teach an LSAT prep class. If you want to try a new SAT I will send you a practice test, send me your answers and I will tell you how well you did.

Down:

1. Mother on Krypton: LARA. Lara (née Lara Lor-Van) is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in the Superman comic strip and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lara is the biological mother of Superman, and the wife of scientist Jor-El. They like hyphenated names.

2. Big name in romance fiction: AVON. Avon has been publishing award-winning romance since 1941. It is recognized for having pioneered the historical romance category and continues to publish in wide variety of other genres, including paranormal, urban fantasy, contemporary and regency. It is now owned by Harper Collins.

3. Civil War soldiers: REBS. Them damn rebs! Or those gallant boys.

4. Overtook, with "of": DREW AHEAD. All you need to KNOW.

5. Kills it on stage: SPARKLES. HMM. 

6. Auld land: EIRE. The language of the land

7. Essential fatty __: ACIDS. The term essential fatty acids (EFA) refers to those polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) that must be provided by foods because these cannot be synthesized in the body yet are necessary for health. There are two families of EFA, omega-3 (ω-3) and omega-6 (ω-6). NIH website.

8. Florae counterparts: FAUNAE. Plants and animals.

9. "The program's starting!": IT'S ON. Oh goody, it's time for Howdy Doody.

10. High-tech worker: ROBOT. But do they have a union? How can RAMI MALEK be a robot and Freddie Mercury? Wow!

11. Elementary particles: MUONS. As explained by the Department of Energy DOE.

12. Lid bump: STYE. Not where pigs live. STYES and CHELAZIONS.

15. Dark wood: EBONY. Back already from Monday's puzzle

20. Still-life subject: EWER. Can you pitcher that picture?

21. Newlywed, at times: TOASTEE. You bet, when he gets caught in the back with a bridesmaid.

24. Pear variety: BOSC. No relaion to Harry.

25. Lyft competitor: UBER. They raised their prices here so much I do notuse them any longer. Since I am not allowed to drive, I was...

26. Really ticked: SORE. ...and almost...
 
27. Blows a fuse: SEES RED.

30. Indian lentil dish: DAL. You want to try... RECIPE.

31. Early hip-hop hardware: BOOM BOXES. Although the Boombox has strong cultural associations with New York Hip Hop culture, the first model was in fact developed in the Netherlands. The Dutch company Philips released their first 'Radiorecorder' in 1966.

32. Curt refusal: UM NO. Whi is this Curt and why is he refusing? What is he refusing? Was it Curt Flood?

33. Evening in Avignon: SOIR. Simplement, en Francaise.

34. Tipplers: SOTS.

37. Demote to the minors: SEND DOWN.

41. Host before Carson: PAAR.

42. Comic store owner on "The Big Bang Theory": STUART.

43. Full of fuzz: LINTY. Like many belly buttons, though not belly laughs.

45. Half a Yale cheer: BOOLA. Boola boola has been around since about 1901, but it may never had a better performance'

46. Range with one end in Kazakhstan: URALS.

47. Philosopher Kierkegaard: SOREN. I will defer to Bill and others with a relationship with Christianity to discuss his writings but he was an interesting looking man. 

48. Zuckerberg Media founder Zuckerberg: RANDI. One of Mark's SISTERS. 

50. Raised on a farm: GREW. Speaking of the flora and fauna.

51. Bright light: NEON.The bright lights of Broadway is both a eupemism and a reality. How they WORK.

52. __ Major: URSA. Another bear.

53. Democratic donkey designer: NAST. Most Americans would be surprised to learn that both political symbols, the donkey and the elephant were created by the same political CARTOONIST in the late 19th century.

54. Beauty salon supplies: DYES. Can you think of another three letter beauty supply as we say adieu to to this puzzle and prepare for my next appearance at a club near you on Friday, March 11, 2022.

Grid on top so I will be saying my thanks to Dr.Ed and to all of you who read and/or write now. Maybe you can send me a joke or a cartoon I could put in here...anyway, nice to visit Wednesday and talk about this gem. Lemonade out.

Friday, February 25, 2022, Karen Lurie

Title: What the "H" is going on? Of course you can use her reveal if you prefer. I admit hers is better.

Welcome to the LAT debut puzzle from Karen who already has two published puzzles: August 25, 2021 in the American Values Crossword Club (AVCX) and earlier this year the NYT on January13, 2022. She is " a comedy and game show writer" who used the "at home time" of the pandemic to try her hand at making crosswords. Here is the PICTURE she provided the NYT for her publication. An example of her writing is the sadly accurate MEMO  on the workplace. It is extra fun to have this creative female constructor to balance Wednesday's other creative female. I smell change in the air; I hope it is more than nickels.

She presents us with a familiar A/B/B/A theme with a reveal. The other longish answers are limited BAD LUCK,  IN CHECK,  IT'S LATE and RESHOOT but she does include 26 five letter fill, a surprise gift for all the WORDLE players. I solved this after a terrible day where it took me all 6 guesses to get the word. Players, can you pick which one it was? So lets begin the fun...

20A. Aroma of a freshly grilled steak?: NEW CHAR SMELL (12).

I am not sure I would have associated a new CAR smell with food but I used to like charred meat.

32A. Horror film writer's mantra?: PUT A SHOCK IN IT (13). I really like this multi-word variation. Put a sock in it is a colloquial British phrase that originated in the early 20th century. It is generally used when someone is being so noisy as to annoy others.

40A. What Stanford University catchers' gear protects?: CARDINAL SHINS (13). Shin guards were not my first catchers' protective thought, but then I realized they do all that kneeling both on the field and in Church.

55A. "Always dust before you vacuum" and others?: CHORE BELIEFS (12). The parentheses signify the basic nature of this CORE belief which makes perfect sense - I think.

And the reveal:

51D. Cold War concern ... and what created 20-, 32-, 40- and 55-Across?: HBOMB (5). This is a variation of the PHOTOBOMB which has become a ritual in modern life, with the lonely letter jumping into all the phrases. 

Across:

1. Go on or come off: OCCUR. Did the strike go on? Did they get it to come off?

6. Had a bite: ATE. Unless it is a worker's head?

9. Checks: BILLS. Sure they are; a good Friday combination.

14. Prize money: PURSE. This usage goes all the way back to the 1400s when both men and women carried purses.

15. Jorja of the "CSI" franchise: FOX. She is back in the reboot of the CSI: Las Vegas series. Everytime my wife sees her on screen she says the Jorja is "ไม่สวย" No s̄wy. Use your imagination, or ask me.

16. Something bid: ADIEU. More nice Friday misdirection.

17. Agenda entries: ITEMS. Getting a condo board to prepare an agenda and then stay with the items is a challenge.

18. Brief plan for the future?: IRA. Brief suggesting an abbreviation and this is your retirement plan, or part of it. 

19. Artful evasion: DODGE. My favorite was introduced by in Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. A young pickpocket named Jack Dawkins who most people refer to him as "the Artful Dodger" The nickname describes his skill at his trade: his mind is cunning, his fingers are sly, and he's quick on his feet. 

23. Hosp. areas: ERS. Meh.

24. Sweet little sandwich: OREO. Despite the endless clues used for this fill, this version is brand new.

25. Employs a hard sell: PUSHES. I do hate a pushy salesperson.

29. Nemesis, say: FOE. Did she get a bad rap, she was just doing her job. In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia (Ancient Greek: Ῥαμνουσία, romanized: Rhamnousía, lit. 'the goddess of Rhamnous'), is the goddess who enacts retribution against those who succumb to hubris, arrogance before the gods.

30. Third of a game?: TIC. I bet you all got this one

31. "These __ the times ... ": Paine: ARE.  "These are the times that try men's souls: the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country..." Written in Dec. 1776 by Thomas Paine who wrote the COMMON SENSE pamphlets which were so important during the revolution.
They also were just recognized in "Seth Bisen-Hersh's puzzle on Tuesday. The world my be folding in on itself.

36. Paralyze with surprise: STUN.

38. Beige cousin: TAN. They are not allowed to date.

39. García Lorca wrote them to Whitman and Dalí: ODES. This the ONE to Whitman.

45. Stein filler: ALE. My first thought TOKLAS would not fit.

46. Choice word: NOR. Nicely phrased. 

47. Native suffix: ITE. I think I may be related to the WORDNIK site.

48. Laundry room supply: BLEACH. According to CSI it is used to erase traces of blood!

50. Some Drs.: PHDS. Phudee duddee?

52. Small Indian state: GOA. So happy to see my birth twin Vidwan is back; perhaps he will expand on this. 

58. Papier-__: MACHE. Staying in India, papier-mâché was introduced to India in the 14th century by the Persian mystic Mir Syed Ali Hamdani. He was visiting the Kashmir region from Persia, and brought along skilled artisans and craftsmen.

61. 2008 Visa event, briefly: IPO. Initial Public Offering.

62. Be bratty: ACT UP.

63. Worshiper of the rain god Tlaloc: AZTEC. Tlaloc, (Nahuatl: “He Who Makes Things Sprout”). He was the eighth ruler of the days and the ninth lord of the nights.

64. PIN point: ATM. Another cute clue.

65. Mock: TEASE.

66. "Find out": GO ASK. Such simple advice to give your children; parents, you do not need to know everything so stop lying to your kids.

67. Loft: LOB. Tennis or hand grenades?

68. Fruity-smelling compound: ESTER. But she was helluva fun girl at parties.

Down:

1. Express views: OPINE. Just a fancy way to say give an OPINion.

2. More like a puppy: CUTER. Mine is cuter than yours.

3. Teams: CREWS. The mafia likes calling their teams crews as did the recent fat tuesday celebrants.

4. Mil. branch: USMC. United States Marine Corps.

5. Result of a botched line: RESHOOT. Do not say this near Alec Baldwin.

6. Lit: AFIRE. An A word. 

7. Tailor's dummy, e.g.: TORSO.

8. Skills barometer: EXAM.

9. Gambler's concern: BAD LUCK. 

10. Stars watched by many: IDOLS.  Season 20 is on. I am not a Ryan Seacrest fan.

11. Shadow target: LID. Make-up your mind.

12. Part of a journey: LEG.

13. WNBA star Bird: SUE. Another University of Connecticut Husky star. Her story.

21. Land measure: AREA. Perimeter etc.

22. Sweeping: EPIC.

26. Jazz __: dance technique: HANDS.

27. Pennsylvania city on I-90: ERIE. Like Oreo, Erie is also always here. CSO to all of you living near there.

28. Establishes: SETS. The rules, the tone...

29. Back: FUND. The backers fund the play, the business, the action.

30. A whole bunch: TONS. That would be an impressive bouquet.

32. Tomato product: PUREE. You can puree any vegatable or fruit as it is simply a smooth, creamy substance made of liquidized or crushed fruit or vegetables.

 
33. Night light: STAR. How sweet.

34. Shakespearean prince: HAL. Henry V, who grew up once he became King but never quite fit the part..

35. Actress Skye: IONE. Born into fame as singer Donovan's daughter, she has had an interesting LIFE.

36. Healing sign: SCAB. 

37. Unlikely: TALL. For Friday blogs, that is quite true as Chris and I are both vertically challenged but comfortable on an airplane.

41. Under control: IN CHECK.

42. NYC neighborhood above Houston Street: NOHO. North of Howston (houston). Opposite of SOHO.

43. Obscure: HIDE. Children are always trying to obscure things from their parents like the porn, drugs and the positive pregnancy test.

44. "I should probably get going": IT'S LATE. A classic passive/agressive "I want to have sex with you" line. If he/she/they say, "No, no, stay." You are in like Flint.

49. Soreness: ACHES. You may however wake up the next day with much...

50. __-Bismol: PEPTO. Pepto was a marketeer's version of pepsin, a natural substance that aids digestion. Bismol is named for bismuth, the active ingredient that works, by “coating the stomach.” Even though Pepto is now pepsin-less, no one could bear to change the name.

52. Insinuate: GET AT. What are you trying to get at when you say I...?

53. Valuable: OF USE.

54. According to: AS PER.

56. Iranian bread: RIAL. Money in Iran.

57. Street fair treats: ICES. Do we have street fairs in the US?

58. E-__: MAG. Meh 2.

59. Nitrogenous dye: AZO. I hope this clears up any confusion: Azo dyes are prepared in a two step reaction, the first being the synthesis of an aromatic diazonium ion from an aniline derivative. The next step is coupling of the diazonium salt with an aromatic compound 

60. Commuter org. in the Loop: CTA. We are ending today's tour in the windy city exiting a Chicago Transit Authority bus so we can visit TTP and some of our other Northen friends. We have many living in that area over the years and I think Madame DeFarge and WikWak are still dealing with the brutal winters. Good luck to all north of Orlando.

An exciting week of new talent here and some very fun themes and and other clue/fill combinations. I wish the world were having as much fun as we are. I not really know much about Eastern European politics but they produce so many very beautiful people. Good luck to all especially those at the Corner and of course Boomer. Jessie, Pet and Andrew please stop by and tell us about this collaboration.

Lemonade out.

Friday, February 11, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: No Duh!

We have a somewhat unusual offering from our JW that features only three (3) themers! Is our reliable one slowing down? Not at all, as this puzzle is chock full of wonderful elements. 

1. The long non-theme fill are gorgeous. I have highlighted in my usual coloring chart - FRAGMENT, SUBTRACT, FOR A PRICE, GEOMETRIC, GONE TO POT, and RAY LIOTTA. The purple been in the LAT twice before; the blue has appeared but once (a 2009 Sunday); the red are making their first appearance here with the BOLDED a first appearance in any major publication. Considering how many puzzles are now published this selection is awesome.

2. The themers are each a five letter word ending in D paired with another word(s) that creates a familiar phrase, but by removing the D the fill is silly and evocative. 

3.    Most impressively, each of the remaining 4 letter words are an animal. The before and after phrases have nothing but letters in common. The baby reveal

60D. Silent assent ... or, in two parts, a hint to three long answers: NO D.

Can you come up with a similar concept that is put together so tightly? 

So here we go, the theme:

21A. Yogi's barber?: BEARD TRIMMER (11). I did LOL trying to picture Yogi and BooBoo in the salon. I think painting of toenails would be in order.

36A. Tusker as tutor?: BOARD OF EDUCATION (15). I have had boring teachers and I see this as a bonus pun within a pun. 

53A. Function of a straw man?: CROWD CONTROL (11). My favorite. 

The rest:

1. "Smooth Operator" artist: SADE. "Shaday" is a very impressive performer LINK.

5. Play groups: CASTS. A performance for an audience not just kids.

10. Pop of punk: IGGY. A one-time icon 

14. Miso go-with, often: UDON. Udon noodles are made out of wheat flour; they are thick and white in color. Best as fresh, they are soft and chewy. On the other hand, soba noodles are made out of buckwheat, with a strong nutty flavor. Many though have wheat in them also, which means they are not gluten-free.

15. Sean who played Samwise: ASTIN. He is the step-son of actor John Astin and his mother Patty Duke who appeared here recently.

16. Many August births: LEOS. Not all, I am a Virgo.

17. Panache: ZING. 

18. Grand __: PIANO. So many five letter choices. E.G.; GRAND PIANO, GRAND STAND, GRAND HOTEL, GRAND OPERA, GRAND TOTAL, GRAND DADDY, GRAND CANAL, GRAND FORKS, GRAND TETON, GRANDCHILD and more

19. Unique: LONE. This was the lone correct answer.

20. Desire: YEN. Do Japanese Yen for Yen?

23. Cheesy Mexican appetizer: QUESO. Per WikiDiff: As nouns the difference between cheese and queso is that cheese is (uncountable) a dairy product made from curdled or cultured milk or cheese can be (slang) wealth, fame, excellence, importance while queso is melted cheese, used for instance as a dipping sauce.

25. One found among blocks: STREET. Nice misdirection, again not kids toys.

26. Related on mom's side: ENATE. We all know "natal." E is for girls, AG is for boys.

30. Tiffs: SET TOS. I do not think this phrase is as common as it was in 1743,  "bout, fight,"originally pugilistic slang,

32. Break into pieces: FRAGMENT. I did not even get to the 8 letter fill.

35. Troy, N.Y., campus: RPI. A CSO to our two Rensselaer Polytech graduates; do you recall who they are?

40. "Nice __!": TRY. THis clue is trying to suck you into the French trickery.

41. Do the math, perhaps: SUBTRACT. The second of the fun 8 letter fill.

42. Light courses: SALADS. That depends on the dressing.

46. "A moveable feast," to Hemingway: PARIS. A wonderful post-humously published look of his world and all the people who he interacted with in the 20s in Paris. I do not know if he was lampooning the religious connotation.

47. They work in lofty places: PILOTS.
Ha ha.

49. Scratching (out): EKING.

57. Ginza agreement: HAI. A simple yes will do in Japan in the Ginza section of Tokyo.

58. Formality: RITE. But are they really right?

59. California coastal county: MARIN. Chief Marin was the tribal leader of the indigenous in this wonderful area NW of San Francisco. A beautiful area with many beautiful  people.

60. Super star: NOVA. I thought noone like those cars? 

61. It precedes Romans: ACTS. Significant writings by early Christian authors to explain aspects of the Gospel. Those who are religious see them as sacred.

62. Hardly a libertine: PRUDE. This is a simple antonym. 

63. Word with season or mind: OPEN. Interesting choice as open season has some negative connotations while open mind is an important part of growth.

64. Vanquished: BEAT. And if they defeat me are they beat'nicks?

65. Trim and graceful: SLEEK. 

66. Bench press muscle: DELToid. The shoulder.

Down:

1. Bygone Devil Dog competitor: SUZYQ. Hostess brings back classic Suzy Q's after fans complain. The people have spoken and Hostess has answered. ... The iconic cake was originally released in 1961. 

2. One-consonant parting: ADIEU.

3. "Any man's death diminishes me" writer: DONNE. A religious philospher and poet who wondered as did Hemingway, for whom the bell tolls.

4. University dept.: ENGineer. A CSO to many of our regulars; you know who you are.

5. __ May: CAPE. Billed by New Jersey as America's original resort.

6. K2 locale: ASIA. Climb that mountain and try not to die.

7. Leading: STAR. Not my favorite clue/fill but I get it.

8. Adds sepia to, say: TINTS. Why sepia? 

9. Is bullish?: SNORTS. A very fun clue/fill, I can picture the bull getting ready to gore somebody.

10. "__ by moonlight, proud Titania" : Shak.: ILL MET. JW's continued inclusion of Will, this time from A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 2, scene 1, said by Oberon.

11. Like art using circles, squares, etc.: GEOMETRIC. I love this pair of nine letter fill.

12. Failed: GONE TO POT. Not initially related to marijuana but simply a cooking pot, but now the puns are endless.

13. River in Flanders: YSER. Our most common 4 letter river.

21. Old coffeehouse drum: BONGO.

22. Choler: IRE. In medieval science and medicine) one of the four bodily humors, identified with bile and believed to be associated with a peevish or irascible temperament. 

24. Blacken a bit: SEAR. Searing is a cooking style to preserve the juices in the food being grilled. 

27. Big letters in bowling: AMF. The American Machine and Foundry (known after 1970 as AMF, Inc.) moved into the bowling business after World War II, when AMF automated bowling equipment and bowling centers became profitable business ventures, and in subsequent years into many other manufacturing businesses. wiki. I hope Boomer comments, I grew up with the Brunswick/AMF rivalry.

28. Begins a round, with "off": TEES. From bowling to golf. If your first drive goes out of bounds you get teed off. Then you will...

29. Eventually become: ENDUP. Losing many golf balls.

31. Envy, say: SIN. Can any one but Bill name them from these?

32. "... but it isn't free": FOR A PRICE. More 9 letters and a multiple word fill.

33. Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in "Field of Dreams" : RAY LIOTTA. I loved him in GOODFELLAS as well and having his brain eaten. I find it surprising with his vowels he has not appeared more often.

34. Low wind: TUBA. Boom.

36. Band with members Jimin and Jin: BTS. The Korean Boy Band phenomenon. 


37. QB feeder: CTR. Center. 

38. Prospero's servant: ARIEL. More Shakespeare, this time from the TEMPEST.

39. Something to do: TASK.

43. Division with A's: AL WEST. A handy gluey fill.

44. Bugs address: DOC. What's Up?

45. Energetic dances: STOMPS.

48. Tie-up: SNARL. Traffic.

50. "Fingers crossed": I HOPE. Don't hope, do!

51. __ orange: NAVEL. I wonder how they get them out of the belly button.

52. Fairy tale figure: GIANT. Unless you live in New York, or San Francisco.

53. Maryland catch: CRAB. This is true, but if your careful and use condoms...oh you mean the seafood...nevermind.

54. Not subject to debate: TRUE. These days true no longer means not subject to debate.

55. Wheels: RIDE.  

56. Short jog: ONE-K. About 6/10 of a mile.

We are at the end of another tour and my typing and formatting skills have abandonment me. I had fun and hope you did; thanks Jeffrey and thank you all who read and write.

Friday, January 28, 2022, Dan Schoenholz

  Welcome to Dan Schoenholz' world where things always fit together; or do they? 

This is his 9th LAT publication along with 26 NYTs of which 11 are Sundays. He started here with a Sunday back in 2010 and has never ventured into end of the week themeless grids. He has commented that he likes "interlocking" theme answers and this is a doozy. (Maybe?) How to "suss" his fill? 

We start with 

16A. Reason for a robot's knee trouble?: JOINT RUST (9). Well that makes sense, but JOINT TRUST is also a real method of Estate Planning. You just need to borrow the T. hmm.

So we moved on to 

29A. Drinking espresso before bed, say?: NIGHT ERROR. another simple fill as strong coffee  will keep most awake, but NIGHT TERROR is also very real as night terror, also called sleep terror, a sleep disorder causing feelings of panic or dread. (I had my sleep study on Monday, results in 10 days). hmm2

Next we find

36A. Flushing problem?: TOILET ISSUE would be a difficulty if you could not flush, but TOILET TISSUE is very much an important concept in the loo. hmm3

Next

43A. Babe who never lied?: HONEST RUTH; I never heard that about the ballplayer but I do know of the phrase HONEST TRUTH which is a bit redundant. hmm4

Finally 

57A. Mom and dad's rhythmic genre?: PARENT RAP, my kids have never needed to fear hearing style of music from their parents but the Movie  PARENT TRAP (twins seperated at birth) did further Haley Mills' career and then spawn the Patty Duke Show (identical cousins). hmm5

Thank you C.C. for teaching me how to deal with the new rules for using the XWord info site which allowed me to show these long non-theme fill: ARSENAL, PGA TOUR, PODCAST, SPHERES, TREEBOA, ON PATROL, SANTA ANA, BEG FOR MERCY and NINTENDO WII. An impressive array. If Dan does not stop by we are our own, and may never know what he had in mind, but I had fun.

Across:

1. Exhibit wanderlust: ROAM. It was for me and many others I guess a joy to start with filling 1A.

5. Graceless sort: OAF. Boom, there was 5A and we are going great.

8. Settled things: DEBTS. Oops, time to begin to work. The noun not the verb.

13. Revolution site: AXLE. The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round Now we already are confronting Friday misdirection, not a coup, but a coo.

14. Church niche: APSE. If you have been in a church you know the  large semicircular or polygonal recess where the altar is. If not, now you do.

15. Beethoven wrote just one: OPERA. The STORY.  The music.

                            

18. Behind bars: CAGED. This is easy fill if you think of historic zoos; a bit dicey thinking about human prisoners; not very popular thse days for either group. mb, thoughts?

19. Figure (out): SUSS. A word crossword solvers could not exist without that was stolen by a famous constructor...

20. "Gross!": ICK. This first appeared in this quotation in 1965. "Together we dragged [the fish] flopping on the grassy bank, where it smacked its tail and made Lecia sidestep with an odd daintiness. She actually said ick. "— Mary Karr. ICKY goes back to 1929.

22. Gratified: FED. If you think of an ego this makes more sense.

23. Run things: MANAGE. That is why they are called managers.

26. Ad for a good cause,  briefly: PSA. Public Service Announcement.                                      

27. Japanese port city: KOBE. We leave out basketball and beef for this old CITY.

28. Yellowfin tuna: AHI. Aha! Ahi is back. All you need to know to be a bit more informed and confused. LINK.

32. Orange County seat: SANTA  ANA. The double A caught my eye but was not part of the theme.

35. Tibetan priest: LAMA. The one "L" one; hello Dahli.

39. Hang: PEND. Many judges do not rule on the spot. 

40. Like beat cops: ON PATROL. This concept dates back to the 1690s and is from the French words meaning "to go the rounds in a camp or garrison, march about as a guard," from patrouiller ‘paddle in mud.'

46. Greek X: CHI. So much to know about a single LETTER.

47. Chances: ODDS. 

48. Vacuum's lack: AIR. Or hoses.

49. Biological catalyst: ENZYME. A substance produced by a living organism which acts as a catalyst to bring about a specific biochemical reaction. Dictionary.

52. Sgt., e.g.: NCO. Non-Commissioned Officer.

53. Little mischief maker: IMP. The definition of an imp is a young demon (historically) or a child (in modern times) who misbehaves just for the fun of misbehaving. An example of an historic imp is a very small mythical creature that plays tricks on people. An example of a modern imp is a five year old child who hides from their mother in a grocery store.

54. Penélope who is the only Spanish actress with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: CRUZ.

55. Georgia rivals of the Tide: DAWGS. Georgia won the big game this year.

62. Like many elephants: ASIAN. Both species are endagered.  In Africa, there are approximately 415,000 individuals left whilst in Asia, a mere 40,000.

                                    

63. Former partners: EXES. 
                                        

64. Flow like lava: OOZE. 

65. Clown elevator: STILT. I really like this clue.

66. Source of early glistening: DEW. 

Dew Is Glistening

dew is glistening, morning Sun

caressing Earth where we are one

step away from feeling something new

by Lawrence

67. Low-level worker: PEON. I hope I never get peed on.

Down:

1. Indian friend of Sheldon and Leonard: RAJ. Koothrappali. In real life he married a beauty queen.

2. Big name in kitchenware: OXO. A very common fill.

3. Ring master: ALI. Not the circus but the boxing ring. Muhammed and his daughter Laila.

4. Organization name that means "table" in Latin: MENSA. The word mensa translates “table” in Latin; similarly, mens means “mind” and mensis means “month.” The name “Mensa” is reminiscent of “mind, table, month."

5. Magnum __: OPUS. The plural is opera.

6. Animal in some fables: ASS.  Aesop's moral of the ass who dressed in a lion skin to scare others, "A fool may deceive by his dress and appearance, but his words will soon show what he really is."

7. Amulet: FETISH. This is an inanimate object worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit. Similar: juju, talisman, charm, totem, icon, idol or image. Think about that when you look at your icon.

8. Park on the water?: DOCK. Another fun clue/fill. 

9. Clean Air Act org.: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

10. Seek leniency: BEG FOR MERCY. This is a debut in the LA Times. 

11. Amazonian arboreal snake: TREE BOA. This appeared in the LA Times only in a Sunday, February 24, 2013.

12. Further down?: SADDER. So true.

14. Longtime Tottenham football rival: ARSENAL. Do we have many football fans here besides or British contingent?

17. Pull: TUG.

21. Popular adoptee: CAT. What you need to KNOW.

23. Miguel's more: MAS. Spanish lesson.

24. Reaction to a light bulb turning on?: AHA. Metaphorically? An idea? Or finding your partner in someone else embrace?

25. GameCube successor: NINTENDO WII. Wiki's HISTORY.

26. Gp. with many of the best drivers: PGA TOUR. Gold for HG, Moe and others.

27. Brat go-with: KRAUT. A bad word in the 30s and 40s.

30D. Like Beethoven's Sonata Op. 109: IN E.

31. Snow queen in "Frozen": ELSA. My granddaughters have been obsessed with the sisters.

33. Eases, with "down": TONES. If you are going to complain, do it reasonably; tone down your attack.

34. Helps out: AIDS. From the French.

37. Acct. earnings: INTerest.

38. Ranges of influence: SPHERES. Your sphere of influence (“SOI” or “sphere”) are the people in your personal and professional network with whom your opinion holds some weight. More to it in politics.

39. Online entertainment: PODCAST. My oldest boy loves them as he drives.

41. Omega, in physics: OHM. Ohm on the range.

42. Fail to be straight: LIE. A bit obscure. 

43. Pilots on the road: HONDAS. Where else would you find an automobile?

44. One might be doffed in Dundee: TAM. Tam o'shanter cap.

45. Muscular: RIPPED.

50. "The Sound of Music" extra: NUN. 

51. "Tres Hombres" band: ZZTOP. The full album.

53. Ain't proper?: ISNT. An old favorite clue/fill.

54. Captain's help: CREW. Make it so.

56. Milk purch.: GALlon.

58. Let go: AXE. Fire, a spray deodorant, or my old band client.

59. Anonymous plaintiff in a landmark case: ROE. No politics! 

60. __ dye: AZO. They create pretty colors but are DANGEROUS.

61. Home near a barn: PEN. Do not be a pig about it.

Another month about to slide into the record books; HBDTY nephew Jonathan; good luck to the world and all of us; keep Boomer and any who ail in your thoughts and prayers and take time to enjoy life. Thank you Dan, Lemonade out