Friday, June 17, 2022, Amie Walker

 Title: G where did you come from?

Amie comes to us from Idaho; oh I mean I don't know. The theme is a very classic Friday add a letter to a L-starting phrase, clue to the new meaning and let the hilarity ensue. My new computer and I have been disagreeing all week so I have no idea what you will get as the final blog but again, it should be fun. 

18A. Protection from bright flashes of light?: GLINT SCREEN (11). Lint screens do protect, add a G and you are safe from the flashes. 

26A. Sparkly insects?: GLITTER BUGS (11). The fireflies light the way to pick up all the garbage.

44A. Sign on a sauna door?: GLISTEN HERE (10). The spa will tell you that you will shine from your sweating.

57A. Entry on a dating site for fireflies?: GLOW PROFILE (11). Well not a dupe but a description of the joy of dating someone who is not a loud mouth. 

Across:

1. "The Magic School Bus" airer: PBS. This has been around for many years, and has a classic theme song by a Star.

4. "Let's take it down a notch": NOW NOW. I can picture HG telling his class to settle down.

10. Dropbox files, informally: DOCS. Dropbox is a file hosting service operated by the American company Dropbox, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California, U.S. that offers cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud, and client software. Wikipedia.

14. Clickable link: URL. Just as buildings and houses have a street address, webpages also have unique addresses to help people locate them. On the Internet, these addresses are called URLs (Uniform Resource Locators).

15. Green, maybe: UNRIPE. Unripe can be good, especially for some olives, though not Ms. Oyl.

16. "Ocean to Ocean" singer Tori: AMOS. This is the title of both an album and a song. I think I will link the album. Not. Surprisingly bad language. LYRICS.

17. Issa of "The Lovebirds": RAE. Issa has kicked Norma to the curb.

20. Caustic solution: LYE. No, it is the truth. 

21. Philanthropist Melinda: GATES. The ex, now disposing of a tiny part of her fortune. It...

22. Tears: RENDS. ...at my heart strings. 

23. Amanda Gorman, for one: POET. We were inaugurated along with her and Joe.

                                        

25. Support: AID.

31. Puppy noise: YIP. I first read puppy nose and was quite confused. But it did not lead to any...

34. Many tweetstorms: RANTS. ...as I don't tweet, though I can ramble.

35. Actress Skye: IONE. Wow, she and Issa in a single puzzle!

36. Couch: SOFA. Sometimes they must give you one easy fill. 

37. "Bus Stop" playwright: INGE. Man, another four letter proper name starting with "I." Are there more? 

38. Takes for a ride: SCAMS. A major problem for the elderly in South Florida. 

39. Shades: HUES. But no cries.

40. Not biased: FAIR. This our goal as bloggers, and as people.

41. Decent plot: ACRE. I personally believe a book needs more of a plot than just land...oh that kind of plot.

42. Blot gently: DAB AT. 
                                                       

43. Spam holder: TIN. Fooled you, except for our Hawaiian solvers.

46. Droid: BOT. Robots.

47. Observe Ramadan: FAST. This is a part of what is the Islamic ritual celebrated in the  ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. Wikipedia. More DETAIL.

48. Just not done: TABOO. Each religion has its taboos, as do almost all organizations and groups.

51. Behavior pattern: HABIT. This is often influenced by what we are taught by organizations and groups.

54. Short-term sculpture material: ICE. If you do it right you could melt his/her/their heart.

59. Machine part: COG. 

60. Just chilling: IDLE.

61. Course requirements?: PLATES. The trickiest of the clue/fills for me, as you need new plates (dishes) to serve each new course of a meal. Bravo.

62. Commotion: ADO.

63. Chow: FOOD.

64. Least significant: MEREST. 

65. Take home: NET. Straight forward if you know we are talking about pay.

Down:

1. Pixar short about a ball of yarn: PURL. Purl is the first short of Pixar's Spark Shorts program, in which employees at Pixar are given six months and limited budgets to produce short animated films. The film is about a pink ball of yarn which is discriminated against because of her upbeat and cheerful attitude.

2. Heehaw: BRAY. Say it out load, then laugh.

3. Not setting an alarm, say: SLEEPING IN. This may be a debut for this phrase in the LAT. 

4. Denver team: NUGGETS. There was gold in them thar hills. 

5. Airing in the wee hours: ON LATE. See Leno infra.

6. Judicial order: WRIT. Most are just orders.

7. "Enough" number of women justices on the Supreme Court, per Ruth Bader Ginsburg: NINE. She was priceless.

8. Decides: OPTS. In or out.

9. "Rushmore" director Anderson: WES. Wesley Wales Anderson is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. Wiki. He is only 53. My computer has decided to stop playing trailers, so you are on your own. 

10. Had the nerve: DARED. 

11. Itchy ears, to some: OMEN. I have heard of itchy palms, not ears.

12. Like many dorms: COED. So many adventures never would have been adventures.

13. IRS IDs: SSNS.

19. NFL analyst Collinsworth: CRIS. He has moved to ESPN to do Monday night football. A fellow Florida graduate.

24. Critter that eats while floating on its back: OTTER.

25. Range listed on board games: AGES.

26. Take for a ride: GRIFT. A random G to spoil the perfection? No, as said, a needed G.

27. Island west of Maui: LANAI.

28. Christina of "Yellowjackets": RICCI.

29. Wild hogs: BOARS. I saw many of those in Georgia. 

30. Yet to be fulfilled: UNMET.

31. "Count on me!": YOU BET I CAN. Did you know Jay Leno is doing Groucho's show on the CW?

32. Lead-in to bad news: I FEAR. There are at least 16 more clues to solve.

33. Fake jewelry: PASTE.

36. "__ of Sunset": reality series featuring Persian Americans in Beverly Hills: SHAHS. I don't watch fake reality series.

38. Brine ingredient: SALT.

42. Genealogy aid: DNA TEST. I have met quite few previously unknown relatives; I think it is cool.

44. Mucky stuff: GOOP. Is it GOO and POOP? Either way...

45. Goes paperless at tax time: E-FILES.

46. Bent in the wind: BOWED. We get a lot of that from June through November.

48. "Yay, the weekend!": TGIF. Boring, oops I mean Thank G-d It's Friday.

49. Montreal-based shoe brand: ALDO. This fill has appeared before as Canadian shoe brand but I have no idea who wrote this clue, Patty, Christina or Amie.

50. String tie: BOLO. Boring, oops I mean bolo.

51. "Celebrity Skin" rock band: HOLE. It is both a song and an album, how about a picture?

                                                        

52. Miles off: AFAR. Far better thing I do...

53. Take the bait: BITE. The word bait "food put on a hook or trap to attract prey," c. 1300, from Old Norse beita "food, bait," especially for fish which led to the fish biting which led to anyone being hooked into something they did not want to do.

55. System of rules: CODE. This was derived from the Latin CODEX,  a term which originally denoted a systematic collection of statutes made by Justinian or any of the later Roman emperors. See behavior and taboo supra.

56. Four-award acronym: EGOT. The Emmy Grammy Oscar Tony acronym was coined by actor Philip Michael Thomas in late 1984, when his role on the then new hit show Miami Vice brought him instant fame, and he stated a desire to achieve the EGOT within five years. Thomas has never been nominated for any of the EGOT awards.

58. Turntable letters: RPM. Revolutions Per Minute and a nice historical place for me to spin away. I hope you all enjoyed the concert brought to you by the concerted effort of Amie who has been ready and Lemonade who is me. Thank you all who read, write and pray for Boomer.

Friday, May 20, 2022, MaryEllen Uthlaut

 

Title: Welcome to the New Age

I am here for my second Friday for the Varol/Iverson regime today welcoming back MaryEllen Uthlaut who recently appeared here on March 6 with a Sunday (her specialty) discussed by C.C. ME burst on the constructor scene with a puzzle in the NYT followed by many LATs. My last count has this as her 35th over time. Her theme is one frequently used on Friday with a trigram (3 letters) removed from a phrase, re-clued for maximum hilarity. We do not have circles but we do have the asterisk which should have sped up the solve, if D-O noticed them. Nah. 

But first, there are some sparkly fill which include words longer than some of the themers. We have AGELESS, DISCORD, SPRAYER, CHARADES, ERUPTIVE, ELEMENTARY, and SKY MARSHAL all of which are worthy of some discussion. But not now, as it is time talk about the theme which is a classic Friday remove letters from known phrases to make new phrases which are then clued to promote hilarity. ME removed three letters (AGE) also known as a trigram, from the end of one word of four two word phrases. Generously we have a central reveal which is quite cute but makes this a somewhat easy solve. 

17A. *Appendage capable of kicking a 60-yard field goal?: RARE FOOTAGE.(8). The before and after of this fill mirror each other. We have the unique toeless foot of Tom Dempsey who kicked the first 60 yard field goal in 1970. We also have the rare video (FOOTAGE) of the accomplishment. 

It was not until 14 years later that there was another 60 yarder, but now the record is 66 yards in a LIST of 26 such feats. Haha!

23A. *Result of a computer virus?: INTERNET MESSAGE (12). Viruses in people and machines wreak havoc, and they computer variety are often malicious bugs planted by hackers. This LIST is maintained by those trying to protect computers.

54A. *Purpose of a phone booth, to Clark Kent?: GARBAGE DISPOSAL .(12). This both the funniest and an outlier as the AGE is added to the first of the two words. Making a kitchen device morph into where Superman changes was extra special.

65A. *LEGO minifigure of Emmet Brickowski, e.g.?: MICRO MANAGE (8).You have to RESPECT this Master Builder despite his lack of stature. I did not know his name despite watching the movies with the grands.

Then we have the Friday reveal which was witty, but seemed too much and too soon as it appeared at:

39A. Like someone who appears untouched by time, and like the answers to the starred clues?: AGELESS. If you did not notice the missing letters, this should tip the scales to SOLVED!

Now to dissect ME's clue/fill.

Across:

1. Routine: ACT. Mort Sahl did political satire, that was his routine, his act.

4. Agitate: RILE. Like Lenny Bruce it did upset some people as neither had any...

8. Snob __: APPEAL. Do you think the word come from the Latin  "Sine NOBilitate" which means without nobility? 

14. Guessing game: CHARADES. I do not know  either, just guessing.

16. Metal framework: GRILLE. Do you like this?

18. Successfully lure: ROPE IN.

19. List-ending abbr.: ET AL. Al is really busy.

20. "Act Like You Don't" country singer Brooke: EDEN.

22. Like a March hare: MAD. A little Lewis Carroll. 

28. Communications platform that began as a chat service for gamers: DISCORD. The ironic concept and its HISTORY.

31. Deck out: ADORN.

32. Calligraphy supply: INK. Do you have ink in your pen?

33. Latvian seaport: RIGA. This is very close to the Ukraine action so please read their NEWS.

35. Uneducated guess: STAB. 

38. Farm house: STY.

43. Blonde __: ALE.

44. Browser button: HOME.

46. China setting: ASIA. Where we can get some...

47. Maki topping: ROE. maki is the entire Sushi offering including the Nori, the rice and the filling.

48. Subside: ABATE.

52. Hose attachment: SPRAYER. Very important when washing the car or watering plants.

57. Uncertain sounds: UMS. Ah, ok. 

58. Quash: VETO. 

59. Be without: LACK.

63. Sweater wool: MOHAIR. Merino?

69. Slow-cook, in a way: BRAISE. This is to fry (food) lightly and then stew it slowly in a closed container.

70. Volatile: ERUPTIVE. A new clue/fill for the LAT. 

71. Cried out: YELLED.

72. "I __ to recall ... ": SEEM. Usually by some bigwig forced to testify after being recorded. 

73. Wet blanket: DEW. A nice but common clue/fill.

Down:

1. Animal Crossing unit: ACRE. Is there more here than I see?

2. Zoom option: CHAT.

3. Strong who voices Miss Minutes on "Loki": TARA.

4. U.K. fliers: RAF. Royal Air Force.

5. Binding words: I DO. And you had better

6. Zodiac sign: LEO. Part August part September.

7. Aromatic compound: ESTER. Perfume

8. "It's settled, then!": AGREED.

9. Right away: PRONTO.

10. Apple seed: PIP.

11. Miller/Liu TV drama: ELEMENTARY. The show was okay and Lucy Liu was a fun twist for Dr. Watson, but Johnny Lee Miller was even less Sherlockian than Robert Downey Jr.

12. Assumed name: ALIAS.

13. Takes interest, maybe: LENDS. A great clue/fill.

15. Museum item: RELIC.

21. Genetic letters: DNA.

24. Bollywood dancer/actress Fatehi: NORA. This Canadian (yes another one) born actress was endowed with much including Indian heritage and a career in Bollywood.

25. Pre-calc course: TRIG. For all of out math people.

26. Periphery: EDGE.

27. Dash of flavor?: MRS. Do you splash a dash of Mrs. Dash in your dish?

28. Chef's creation: DISH.

29. Passionate about: IN TO.

30. In-flight officer: SKY MARSHAL.

34. __    provençale:  À LA.  Some fonts just do not cooperate. This mean a dish prepared prepared in the style of Provence typically with garlic and olive oil                                                                                                                     

36. The Body Shop balm: ALOE. For sunburn this is the bomb.

37. Ingredient in some batter: BEER.  A RECIPE for WASEELY and others who want what they but also want to be healthy.

40. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. Complicated? Esso is ExxonMobil's primary gasoline brand worldwide except in Australia, Guam, Mexico, Nigeria, and New Zealand, where the Mobil brand is used exclusively. In Canada (since 2017), Colombia, Egypt, and formerly Malaysia (until 2013, when Petron acquired ExxonMobil's Malaysian operations)[29] and Japan (until 2019), both the Esso and Mobil brands are used. In Hong Kong and Singapore, Mobil brand is applied on Esso fuel tank after Mobil service stations began to merge with Esso since 2006.

Mobil is ExxonMobil's primary retail gasoline brand in California, Florida, New York, New England, the Great Lakes and the Midwest. Exxon is the primary brand in the rest of the United States, with the highest concentration of retail outlets located in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states

41. Nurses: SIPS. A drink or ?

42. Indie pop duo Tegan and __: SARA. Their website tells us Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie pop duo formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta, composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin. Canadian Eh, on your playlist?

45. Flow back: EBB. EBB keeps coming back here as well.

49. Counsel: ADVISE. My first solo business card read, "Counselor and Adviser of Law."

50. In layers: TIERED. When I get tired I feel like a cake.

51. Superlative suffix: EST.

53. Dole out: ALLOT. 

54. Claymation character with a horse: GUMBY.  They are now support toys for kids.

55. Love, in arias: AMORE. Because the sing in Italian

56. Apples, pears, etc.: POMES. Not de terre

60. Surrounded by: AMID.

61. Finally give: CAVE.

62. Had down cold: KNEW.

64. Feel sick: AIL.

66. Fury: IRE.

67. Shuffleboard stick: CUE. We have a relatively new court (de rigeur for 55+ communities in SoFla) and I do play some. I never called the stick anything but a stick.

68. Record no.: RPM. We spin out of here on a nice deception, not a record number but the number of revolutions per minute for record being played.

If this is the future, I am in; we had many fun food and Asia clues as well as more female prominence. Get on the train or be left behind and my behind ain't what is used to be. Thank you ME and all who read and/or write. Continued prayers and best wishes for boomer and who are suffering both from the Corner and the world.

Friday, May 6, 2022, Christina Iverson

Title: Two themes for the price of one? 

We had the pleasure of C.C. blogging the first Patti V. puzzle since she became editor; now we have the first post-change puzzle from her new assistant. Christina has been a very active since she DISCOVERED crossword puzzles for fun and profit four years ago.  If you click on the link above it is an interesting and helpful introduction if you want to follow in her footsteps, or word steps. I became aware of her with the reading of the CROSSWORD PUZZLE COLLABORATION DIRECTORY   a Facebook group. Perhaps Moe will share his experience with them. Anyway, on with the puzzle.

This Friday effort jibes with the new style, with an emphasis on fun cluing.  The themers are a 9, two 11s and a 9. The longish CONDUCT, DISTANT,  I NEED IT, and VACUOUS are just 7 spaces, though we do have LIFE IS GOOD and MISSED CALL  in the down fill. But wait, there is more! There are also two ten letter fill clued as if they were part of the theme, but are they?

First, 

16A. NVS: GREEN EYED (9). If you have imagination you can see NVS = ENVIOUS, especially if you add IOU to the letters. Jealously is the green-eyed monster. 

23A. TDS: MIND NUMBING (11). TEDIOUS, exhibits an additional insertion of IOU and thus a punnish fill.  A ninety minute organic chemistry lecture was enough brain drain for me.

52A. DVS: UNDERHANDED (11). Ah, good; DEVIOUS = UNDERHANDED. The theme has emerged and is consistent.

65A. ODS: JUST AWFUL (9). ODIOUS is another IOU and completes the symmetry of the main theme.

Meanwhile, you see...

39A. IC: DISTANT. A curve ball as this is another sounds like clue (if you are icy to someone, you will appear distant) but there is no IOU? Then, 

41. MT: VACUOUS. The next clue/fill are exactly the same pattern; if you told someone that their friend was empty headed, they would be vacuous. Hmm.

I hope Christina comes by and unravels this mini-mystery.

Across:

1. Flows back: EBBS. A classic crosswordese clued differently. And 4D. Flow slowly: SEEP.

5. Sci. major: BIO. Many choices here, must wait for perps.

8. Fisher of "Wedding Crashers": ISLA. Goody, a fill that I am sure is correct. Isla Lang Fisher was born on February 3, 1976 in Muscat, Oman, to Scottish parents Elspeth Reid and Brian Fisher, who worked as a banker for the U.N. She spent her early childhood in Bathgate, Scotland, before moving to Perth, Australia with her family in the early 1980. imdb. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                           Photo by Richard Cartwright - © 2005 - New Line Cinema

12. Eight or nine on the Beaufort scale: GALE. I will try not to give a long winded answer. LINK

13. Twinge: PANG. Which sounds exactly like the Thai word for expensive.

14. Hijab and niqab, e.g.: VEILS.

18. Like Keebler's animated bakers: ELFIN. I hit a minor speed bump with ELVIN, the first name of a City Commissioner I know.

19. Daze: STUPOR. No, I was not in a Stupor, not then at least. 

20. Serpentine fish: EEL. CSO to C.C.

22. Toy company with theme parks: LEGO. This also is is in Mnnesota.

26. Bound: JUMP. Definition of bound (Entry 4 of 7) 1 : leap, jump cleared the hedge at a xinglebound.

30. Island chain: LEI. This is witty; we used to make all kinds of chains in schools. Then paired with the non-clecho...

31. Parts of an island chain: CAYS. This is pronounced and is another spelling of KEYS, which anyone in Florida is familiar with. 

32. Bagel flavor: ONION. I cannot think of any other five letter bagels.

34. Part of a flight: STAIR. Another nice deception, not running away or going in the air, just stairs.

36. Steve Carell voice role: GRU. I am not sure I knew he was the felonious Gru in the DESPICABLE ME movies.

43. "__ been a while!": IT'S. Did you miss me?

44. Place to have a ball?: DISCO. A cute clue/fill pair; literal but evocative.

46. Smog element: OZONE. Another layered clue/fill.

47. Sweeping: EPIC. The old CBS record company? 

49. Olive extract: OIL. Poor girl, she has had a hard life and they cannot even spell her name correctly. 

51. Some Neruda poems: ODES. A reminder of dear Clear Ayes, our initial poet in residence. The critics list these as his BEST. This is my favorite of his ODES.

56. Costa __: RICA. Female, Puerto Rico, male.

57. Pull the plug on: END. My mind jumped to the horrible choice made in hospice. 

58. Top 10 U2 song from "Rattle and Hum": DESIRE.

63. High-five sounds: SLAPS. A bit musical

67. Totally fine: ALL OK. Or if you want obscure and you are a techie nerd ALLOK

68. Cuatro y cuatro: OCHO. Spanish multiplication/

69. Resale warning: AS IS.

70. "Betsy's Wedding" writer/director: ALDA. Star...
                            

71. Sporty truck, briefly: UTE. Still the movie comes to mind

72. Zero: NONE. Nada.

Down:

1. What some layers cover: EGGS. See, I knew this was intended as a layered puzzle.

2. Toon boy known for chalkboard gags: BART. Young Mr. Simpson.

3. Flag couleur: BLEU. French begets French.

5. __ leaf: BAY. Now we are cooking...

6. "This isn't optional!": I NEED IT. You deserve it!

7. Nash who rhymed "Bronx" and "thonx": OGDEN. The Bronx? No thonx! This - one of the shortest poems ever - is the product of Ogden Nash (1902-1971). It was called a "Geographical Reflection" in his book Hard-Lines (1931). 

8. First-person contraction: I'VE.

9. Date stamp: SELL BY. Are they meaningful? Use By" Dates: "This date is put on by the food manufacturer as the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. "Expiration" Dates: "The "expiration" date is aimed at consumers and is the last date the product can be considered fresh. "Sell By" Dates: "This date tells the store how long to display the food product.

10. Apparel company with a smiling stick-figure icon: LIFE IS GOOD.

11. Set straight: ALIGN. This makes a line.

13. Grave danger: PERIL. Pauline where are you?

15. Love thy neighbour, say?: SNOG. Notice the "our" telling you that this is a British answer and snogging is just what you think it and you are not supposed to it.

17. Snarfing sound: NOM. Cookie monster again.

21. Saint __: only country named for a woman: LUCIA. What male world we have grown up in, no wonder they created feminists.

24. Sticky places?: NESTS. Sticks, not adhesion.

25. Venice's Piazza San __: MARCO.

                                                    

26. Novelist Picoult: JODI. Her list of books. LINK.

27. Peck, e.g.: UNIT. Of weak kisses?

28. Notification while in silent mode, perhaps: MISSED CALL.

29. Cauldron: POT. I do not want to stir up any contraversy, but...

33. Low point: NADIR.

35. Skirt: AVOID. I do not think you need to avoid all women...

37. Mythological character?: RUNE. Not a character in a story but  writing character.

38. Applications: USES.They were uses before other alhabets came along.

40. __ market: NICHE.

42. Aduba of "In Treatment": UZO. Uzoamaka Nwanneka Aduba is an American actress. She is known for her role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black, for which she won an Emmy 

45. Manage: CONDUCT. Another tricky syntax clue/fill.

48. Online grocer with green delivery trucks: PEAPOD.

                                        

50. Resulted in: LED  TO. People being healthy?

52. __ Major: URSA.

53. Wafer brand: NILLA. Two days in a row.

54. Short-necked pear: ANJOU. Poor guys, they are yummy, neck or not.

55. "Snowfall" law gp.: DEA. Snowfall is set in 1983 Los Angeles and revolves around the crack cocaine lords and its overall impact on the city’s culture. Thw DEA wants to catch them, maybe.

59. Graceful bird: SWAN.

60. "Assuming that's the case ... ": IF SO. Logic.

61. Mess up: RUIN.

62. Choice word: ELSE. Or else what?

64. Genre with Jamaican roots: SKA. According to Britannica this was pioneered by the operators of powerful mobile discos called sound systems, ska evolved in the late 1950s from an early Jamaican form of rhythm and blues that emulated American rhythm and blues, especially that produced in New Orleans, Louisiana.

66. __/her pronouns: SHE. What aperfect end to the new all female regime at the LA Times Crossword Puzzle.

The excitement is in the air as we get through more puzzles; you must admit they can be much fun. Thank you Christina and thank you all who read an write and support this blog, C.C. and Boomer and give me a place to hide. Lemonade out. 

 

 

Friday, April 22, 2022, Karen Lurie

 Title: No "IT" girl here!

Karen makes a speedy return for her second 2022 LAT puzzle, not long after her February 25, 2022, debut here. In her initial offering she added an "H" to phrases and clued them with wit and charm. Now we have a classic Friday grid that removes the two letter word "IT" from phrases and then clues the resulting new fill. She has a reveal, and uses a symmetrical 10/12/12/10 pattern. The majority of the fill is 4 or letters, leaving me no long fill to highlight. Since the difficulty in the puzzle does not come from long fill lets address the theme and then talk about why this a late week puzzle.

21A. Former spouse who never lets things get awkward?: GRACEFUL EXIT. (10). How nice if you can end a marriage and still get on, even if it is just for the sake of the children. Removing the "IT" in this case does not change much as the understanding ex must have also left nicely.

26A. Outcome when a salon student makes waves?: LEARNER'S PERMIT. (12). On the other hand, when an aspiring stylist is entrusted with the hair of poor soul, the result may be really bad. This is quite different from the ritual of obtaining a driver license.

46A. Luring an academic to the dark side?: TURNING A PROFIT (12). Another school setting, this time your teacher becomes Darth Nihilus rather than running a successful business. 

And the reveal, for real

52A. Taylor Swift hit song about defying the haters, and an apt title for this puzzle: SHAKE IT OFF (10).

On to the rest.

Across:

1. Frito pie ingredient: CHILI. Does anyone make/eat this TexMex dish? Fritos® Pie. I wonder if puzzles will become like game shows where money is paid to promote products...

6. Percussion-based theater troupe: STOMP. They are quite famous.

LINK.

11. Back in the day: AGO. It is not easy to make a three letter fill hard but this not jump into my mind.

14. TV signal part: AUDIO. Video fits as well.

15. SAT prep help, often: TUTOR. We return to education, I taught an LSAT prep course back in the day.

16. Like beach volleyball players: TAN. Another three letter fill that took thinking to fill.

17. Casino array: SLOTS. 

18. See 6-Down: ANISE. 6D. With 18-Across, ingredient in five-spice powder: STAR. Illicium verum is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to northeast Vietnam and southwest China. wiki.

                        

19. Trellis growth: IVY. More plants. When I was teaching briefly in Gainesville I had a student named IVY CREAM. Were here parents progressive or mean?

20. "Freeze!": HALT. Hands up!

23. Serpentine fish: EEL.  A CSO for C.C.

25. Streisand film based on a Singer story: YENTL. Isaac Bashevis Singer was a Nobel Prize winning author who wrote in Yiddish. The story was published in Mayses fun hintern oyvn (1971; “Stories from Behind the Stove”).

32. Holy __: OIL. I don't think this combination has been used before. COW and SEE are much more likely.

33. Cleared for takeoff?: DEICED. The PROCESS.

34. Low nos. for aces: ERAS. Earned Run Averages. Baseball ace pitchers.

38. Many Egyptians: ARABS. Did you know about 1% of the world's population is Egyptian? 

40. Domino dot: PIP.  "Pip" has been used not only to denote the dots on dominoes, but also the dots on dice, as well as the marks on playing cards and sometimes as a synonym for "dot" in morse code. Information.com.

41. Day of the Dead drink: ATOLE.  A coffee and cornmeal combination part of the TRADITION.

42. Arizona locale for spring training fans: MESA. The city. Hi Lucina and Moe.

43. Suits: BEFITS. 

45. Silent communication sys.: ASL. America Sign Language.

49. "The City & the City" novelist Miéville: CHINA. I no longer read science fiction nor graphic novels, so the author and the book are complete unknowns.  LINK. 

51. WSJ news topic: IPO. Initial Public Offering. 

56. Cause of inflation?: PUMP. Oh, how fun, not a tired old saw, but and old tire needing air!

60. "Nailed it!": YES. Another CSO to C.C.

61. Miyazaki's genre: ANIME.  A master.

62. Binge: SPREE. When you sit at your tv, do you think of it as a spree.

63. Snare: NET.

64. Four-time Australian Open winner: SELES. Monica. She appears often not only because of her tennis but also for being stabbed on court.

65. Piano part: PEDAL. I must stop looking at every 5 letter word as a possible WORDLE

66. Weep: CRY.

67. Utopias: EDENS. The name Eden is of Hebrew origin meaning "place of pleasure." It brings to mind this DISCUSSION.

68. Mature: ADULT. I do not see these as synonyms, C.E.D.? And, 29D. Mature: RIPEN a clecho.

Down:

1. "Hurt" singer: CASH. "Hurt" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from its second studio album, The Downward Spiral (1994), written by Trent Reznor. Why did he record this in 2002?

2. Dance for a lei person: HULA. Ha ha!

3. TV competition, familiarly: IDOL. This year's superstar find quit mid-season after signing a lucrative deal.

4. Kitten caboodle: LITTER. One of the clue writers really has some home runs today. Kit and Kaboodle is a fun phrase.

5. Apple platform: iOS. No pesky capital is here.

7. Fish in salade niçoise: TUNA. A French delight, which probably does not delight most. 

8. Ear-relevant?: OTIC. This is from the mid 17th century: from Greek ōtikos, from ous, ōt- ‘ear.’

9. Sauntered: MOSEYED.  A popular word in the old westerns on TV but its origin is unknown.

10. Want more: PREFER.

11. Listing: ATILT. An "A" word; do not worry she is just getting started.

12. Chairperson's hammer: GAVEL.

13. Black stone: ONYX.  It is a variety of layered chalcedony that belongs to the quartz family. As indicated by the name, this semi-precious gemstone is characterized by its dramatic black body color. Angara.

21. Series set at McKinley High: GLEE. A jinxed series?  Glee Stars That Have Died · Cory Monteith – Drug Overdose · Mark Salling – Suicide · Naya Rivera – Accidental Drowning?? · Nancy Motes – Suicide and Robin Trocke who died of alzheimers at age 63.

22. Not fulfilled: UNMET.

24. Winds down: ENDS. Meh, winds down is a process.

26. Rich soil: LOAM. And a famous song, Loam Loam on the range.

27. Word on some European postage stamps: EIRE. A touch of Irish trivia too late.

28. "That's a shame": ALAS.  Alack. It applies to author...

30. Octavia Butler's genre: SCI-FI. I used to read lots of sci-fi but in the culture of the 60s, 70s and 80s I never knew this AUTHOR.

31. "Fast Food My Way" chef Jacques: PEPIN. A French chef other than Julia Child. Below is a video from when he was younger, he is now 86.

35. Have a good laugh: ROAR. Yay!

36. Besides: ALSO.

37. Mirror image: SELF. Mirrors reflect backward images; is that how you see yourself.

39. Dyeing art: BATIK. Another clue with a pun to amuse.

41. PDQ: ASAP. As Soon As Possible.  PDQ is an abbreviation of the phrase “pretty damned quick.”

43. Clocked: BRAINED. Apparently this is BRITISH to hit (someone), especially on the head. "someone clocked him for no good reason."

44. "What a long week" sigh: TGIF. An appropriate clue.

47. Trepidation: UNEASE.

48. Burst: POPPED. My balloon? Bubble?

49. Pull (for): CHEER.

50. Impulsive: HASTY. 

52. Out of __: SYNC. I order mine from Amazon so I never run out.

53. Bananagrams piece: TILE.  Bananagrams is an anagram puzzle built for speed — think of Scrabble with no board or complicated scoring. It was developed in Rhode Island. 

54. Sign: OMEN.

55. Own (up): FESS. 
                                    
57. Lahore tongue: URDU. This Pakistani CITY has a very long and complicated history. If you take some time to read the entire wiki article you will understand my comment. I hope our resident expert will stop by and give his input. I learned much I did not know from a Sikh gentleman who worked in a store I frequented.

58. Repast: MEAL. English is so rich from stealing from so many other languages. Re-past is just from the Latin word repascere, which means "to feed." 

59. Hide: PELT. No, I am here with my skin still on.

62. Après-ski option: SPA. Also a choice one can make after, or during solving an LAT Friday crossword. It did not work for me as I kept falling asleep. I trust none of you wonderful people did as you anxiously solved this dynamic, distaff dish. The world continues to spin. Thank you Patti and Karen. Lemonade out.

 

Here's the grid:

Sunday, April 17, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: A memo from the desk of Jeffrey Wechsler

For this last puzzle edited by Rich Norris, a most accomplished and prolific LA  Times constructor was chosen. Our leader, a most accomplished and prolific constructor, has chosen me to prepare my very first Sunday blog to mark this occasion. I am thrilled. 

As with all Sunday LAT puzzles, this is the only day of the week where the constructors provide their own title. JW's is "In re" a Latin phrase used as the start of most American memoranda. I hope Tom (desper-otto) bothered to read Jeffrey's choice as it really helped pinning down (a CSO to Tom's early career) the themers. Simply, you put RE in various phrases and the new phrases are clued with whimsy and charm. With JW, there is always more to his plan, as he is very careful to avoid adding the RE as either a prefix, or a suffix to a word. That extra layer makes this 8 themer puzzle just a bit more special.

My tried and true blogging approach does not fit a Sunday as there are many more words and many long ones but I point to a few of the 7 and 8 letter fill I liked: DEMO CDS, HEROINE,  LAMENTS, ODOROUS, SET ROLE,  STROBES, AGITATOR, GATORADE, STEERAGE, STIRRERS, TASTE BAD, SEND IT IN, and TYPING IN.

22A. All caps in an angry blog?: INTERNET SCREAM (14). With what we charge for blogging, this is obviously not a SCAM, and I assume you all know that using all caps in a post or text signifies yelling, this is a perfect place to begin the adding RE and letting everyone know the theme. 

32A. "Untoward behavior shall call for appropriate countermeasures," e.g.?: FANCY THREAT (11). FANCY THAT is a British English spoken phrase used to express your surprise or shock about something. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). Plug in your RE and you can hear the British accent making that warning. 

47A. Wiseacre mom and dad?: SMARTY PARENTS (13). SMARTY PANTS is a British English phrase to describe someone who always says clever things or always has the right answer, in a slightly annoying way. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). Wiseacre is an old fashioned way to say wise guy. 

63A. Type of dog that does origami?: FOLDING BREED? (12).

A folding bed is a rather mundane image, but a dog who is using his paws to create classic Japanese paper art is extremely silly and a nice image for our dog lovers.

74A. Farsi editor's mark?: PERSIAN CARET (12). For a Sunday themer, this requires some specialized knowledge. First, FARSI is the Persian word for the Persian language. And a ^ caret is a universal mark which shows where an additional or corrected or substituted letter, word, or phrase is to be inserted in or above the line. (University Style Guide). A Persian Cat may be a mascot for this blog

84A. Finishing touch for foppish painters?: PLACING A BERET.(13). Who here has never PLACED A BET, for money or otherwise? Here if you want to be stylish (not foppish), you can wear a beret. 

104A. 1932 presidential election victory?: HOOVER DREAM  (11).
HERBERT HOOVER was not only the President from 1928 until his defeat by FDR in 1932 because of the depression, but he was optimistic and probably did dream of winning that election. He also was President when the Boulder Dam was commissioned and it was named after him unofficially. It became official in 1947, by act of Congress. This is a more serious themer. It is the largest damn dam in the world.

118A. Hush-hush lamasery topic?: BUDDHIST SECRET (14).

Do you all realize you know the definition of a lamasery? It is a place for Lamas, yes the one Ls. Like a monastery,  a nursery or a surgery it is where the lamas hang out. SECT becoming SECRET paints a great picture of these holy people whispering and probably gossiping.  

We also have a return to classic (rotational) symmetry with 14, 11, 13, 12, 12, 13, 11, and 14 themers. 

Now time for the rest...

Across:

1. Beat decisively: DRUB. This is probably not a popular 1A, as this is not a common word, though I do hear the sports announcers referring their teams giving/receiving a drubbing. What I found interesting is the etymology sources disagree completely about the history of this word.

5. Evoke an "Eww!," maybe: TASTE BAD. The verb set.

13. Venetian Renaissance painter: TITIAN. He was an Italian painter during the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. 

Mars, Venus and their son AMOR from last week .

19. He played Klaatu in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (2008): KEANU. This was a remake of the classic version starring Michael Rennie.

20. Inferior accommodations: STEERAGE. The  part of a ship providing accommodations for passengers with the cheapest tickets. Most of my forbears arrived that way to the US. 

21. Common cone color: ORANGE. Not a common cold.

24. Glutinous: VISCID. Viscous is such an evocative word.

25. Christmas in Rome: NATALE. The Italian word. Buon Natale -T!

26. Etna output: ASH. Etna again.

27. Nonsense: ROT.

29. Artist friend of Dalí: SERT. Josep Maria Sert i Badia was a Spanish muralist, the son of an affluent textile industry family, and friend of Salvador Dalí. (wiki).

30. They usually have frames: GLASSES. Movies did not have enough letters.

36. Trig function: SINE. No math today.

37. Word with tax or L.A.: DODGERS. A droll combination.

41. __ martini: DRY. Shaken not stirred? A wonderful link yesterday by HG to explain it all. Or 126A. Sticks in drinks: STIRRERS. 

42. Put away: ATE.

43. Fruity, so to speak: BANANAS. I do not get this clue/fill. I know a banana is a fruit...I guess fruity can be a bit "barmy."

44. Absorbs, with "up": SOPS. Picture a thick, juicy steak and a fresh yeast roll. NO! Not during Passover!

46. Barfly: SOT. Nice placement.

53. Hider's hissed revelation: IN HERE. My eyes deceived me and I read this as "Hitler's hissed revelation."

55. Biblical spy: CALEB. Along with Joshua, he was faithful to his belief and told Moses that the Israelites could take over Canaan. The other 19 sent out were afraid, irritated the divine, and caused the 40 years of wandering the dessert, so they say.

56. Means: AVENUE.

59. Skilled at painting, say: ARTISTIC.

69. Perjurious testimony: LIES. Spellcheck does not like it, but it is a word. 

70. 81-Down friend: ROO. 81D. Storied bear: POOH.

71. Astonish: AWE.

72. 23rd Greek letter: PSI. The Greek ALPHABET is back. The letters of the Greek alphabet are: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, xi, omicron, pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega.

73. Capital NNW of Copenhagen: OSLO. To our Norse scions.

77. Submit a crossword, say: SEND IT IN. An inside joke I guess.

79. Nytol competitor: UNISOM. To sleep, perchance to DREAM.

80. "I'm not __ brag, but ... ": ONE TO. Always said by braggarts.

81. Urban park snack snitcher: PIGEON.

92. __ roll: ON A. I like sesame. 

93. Long-running CBS drama: NCIS. Gibbs is gone, get used to it!

96. Nose-wrinkling: ODOROUS. Ponderous.

97. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes: ONT. Hey Canadian Eh.

98. Formicidae family member: ANT. You knew The Formicidae is an unequivocally monophyletic group, previously defined by Bolton (1994, 2003) as eusocial, sexually dimorphic aculeate Hymenoptera bearing metapleural glands and geniculate antennae. Sure.

 

99. Mourns: LAMENTS.

100. Meat serving: CHOP. Steaks are basically beef chops. Pork chops and lamb chops are basically pork steaks and lamb steaks. Why? Why not?

108. Fixed function: SET ROLE. Help techies, all I can find is it is a command which sets the current user identifier of the current SQL session to be role_name . The role name can be written as either an identifier or a string. ???

110. Gator relative: CROC. Gator-Alligator as Croc-Crocodile.

111. White team: SOX. My childhood heroes.

112. Shout: CRY.

115. Heat units: THERMS.

116. "Tear down this wall!" speaker: REAGAN.

                            

122. Keep going: ENDURE. These Sundays are long. 

123. Higher than normal, maybe: ELEVATED.

124. Cal State city: CHICO.

                        

125. Joust participants: STEEDS. Let's hear it for the horses. 

127. Brings together: WEDS. People, or ideas.

Down:

1. U.S. peak officially renamed in 2015: DENALI. Bad enough to be shot, but President McKinley lost that honorofic.

2. Palm used in furniture: RATTAN.

3. Angst: UNEASE.

4. Rounded, knotty tree growths: BURLS.  These are not related to MR. IVES, or are they?

5. Follower of Mao?: TSE. Or Chris.

6. "__ girl!": ATTA.

7. Congressional mtg.: SESSion. 

8. Worker with mice: TECH. 

9. Go left instead of right, say: ERR. No Politics!

10. One inspiring PDAs: BAE. The new it word for your it girl.

11. "F Troop" corporal played by Larry Storch: AGARN.

12. Musicians' garage creations, maybe: DEMO CDS. Garage bands. That really is where more successful bands start out.

13. "Mazel __!": TOV. I hope you are all having a great Passover, Easter, Kwanza or whatever brings you joy.

14. "Fighting" Indiana team: IRISH. Notre Dame.

15. It's shocking: TASER. Ha Ha.

16. Go up: INCREASE. Prices.

17. Washer component: AGITATOR. I said no politics.

18. "Spider-Man" reporter __ Leeds: NED. Not a major character.

19. Board members who might become mated?: KINGS. Chess board.

23. Supplies order phrase: NEED BY.

28. Beginner: TYRO.

31. Ivory, for one: SOAP. Aslo a Coast, which also happens to be a soap.

32. Viking great Tarkenton: FRAN.

33. No. 2: ASST.

34. Entering, as data: TYPING IN.

35. Head of France: TETE. Just French.

38. Significant archaeological find: DNA. 

39. Long-nosed fish: GAR.

40. Boise-to-Fargo dir.: ENE. Who goes from Boise to Fargo?

45. Brush off: SNUB. Not to be confused with DRUB.

47. Make a killing on, in a way: SCALP. Tickets.

48. Skyler's sister on "Breaking Bad": MARIE. Never watched it. 

49. Redo: ALTER. I am sure the pets do not like this.

50. Come out with a more current version of: REISSUE. Not for me.

51. "Chad" network: TBS. Chad? Never heard of it. I thought it is a country near the Ivory Coast.

52. "A pity": SAD.

54. Most any Disney princess: HEROINE. All of them.

57. Ones often seen in restricted lounges: VIPS.

58. Massachusetts motto starter: ENSE. Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem. Seek peace but only in freedom.

60. Sleeper, for one: TRAIN CAR.

61. Electrolysis products: IONS. Are they the products, or the process?

62. Pixar film set in Mexico: COCO.

                        

63. Distant: FAR.

64. Need to pay: OWE.

65. Permit: LET.

66. Fragrant compound: ESTER. We had this recently. Looks like a WORDLE word.

67. Top names: ELITE. And another.

68. Prohibition words: DO NOT.

75. Privy to: IN ON. Gossip?

76. Concert piece: AMP. Tricky and not true of all concerts.

78. Pt. of an age calculation: DOB. Date of Birth.

82. Unworldly: INNOCENT.

83. PepsiCo sports beverage: GATORADE. More CSO to me and my alma mater.

85. 1970 Kinks hit: LOLA. Our new downstairs neighbor.

86. Driver of "BlacKkKlansman": ADAM.
                            
87. Dot follower?: COM.

88. Choler: IRE.

89. Prefix with event or issue: NON.

90. Nerve: GUTS. They are related. 

91. Valuable things: ASSETS.

94. Swing voters: Abbr.: INDS. Is that really an abbreviation for independents?

95. Lightning simulators: STROBES.

100. Yuletide display: CRECHE. More religion.

101. Really awful: HORRID.

102. Early Mexicans: OLMECS. Talk about a gimme after this week's puzzles.

103. Basil-and-pine-nuts sauce: PESTO.

105. Lauren Hutton has been on its cover 26 times: VOGUE. Why?

106. Modern greeting: E-CARD.

107. Rejoice: EXULT. Lots of reason to do this now.

109. "Superman & Lois" network: THE CW.

112. Burn a bit: CHAR. My oldest granddaughter.

113. Solemn event: RITE. Lots  of them this week and next.

114. Belgian river: YSER. Look at your list of four letter European rivers.

116. Hi-__ image: RES. Not to be confused with...

117. Video game letters: NES. Nintendo Entertainment System.

119. Agnus __: DEI. Lamb of G-d. Timely for all Judeo-Christians.

120. Binge-watcher's device: DVR. Not so much anymore.

121. Ideal NFL drive endings: TDS. Touchdowns which is the perfect place for me to end this tour and return control of your computer to each of you. Rich we all appreciate everything you have done for C.C., this blog, for all the new constructors brought in by C.C.,  and for Jeffrey Wechsler. 

Patti, we have enjoyed your puzzles and look forward to a long working relationship pushing the envelope while appreciating our history.

 

Lemonade out.

 

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

1) Boomer's CT scan last Monday did not show more cancer progression, so Dr. Downs ordered one more blood draw on Wednesday. Thankfully Boomer's white blood count went up, so he was able to get his 4th chemo infusion on Thursday. The scan did show two tiny nodules on his lung, but Dr. Downs was not overly concerned. Boomer will have one more scan after his 6th chemo. Light schedule next week. Only one appointment with his spinal cord doctor.

2) Thanks for the special Rich, Jeffrey & Lemonade treat, Lemonade! You always brings the best of Jeffrey's grids!

 

3) As I've mentioned before, this is our last puzzle edited by Rich Norris, who's retired after 22 years as the editor for the L.A. Times Daily Crosswords. I feel incredibly lucky to have Don G as a mentor and Rich as an editor for so many years. Rich has always been so patient, encouraging and generous. When Rich rejected a puzzle, he always gave me his rationale, never a curt reply. He helped me tighten up so many themes and made me look smart with his brilliant clues. Thank you so much, Rich, words can't express how grateful I'm. You're a first class wordsmith and gentleman!

Rich Norris and his wife Kim Taylor

For anyone still around I am adding a picture of my grandchildren. Look how much they have grown in less than 5 months from Devi's wedding.

Friday, April 8, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

  Title: I spy a little l in my I. 

So guess who is back again before you, this time as himself? It is I the lemon in iced tea. This played hard in many places with the cluing (his or the editors?) opaque and the structure different. If I am correct this is a puzzle with east/west symmetry...more about that later.  First, I want to acknowledge some fun sparkly fill - FAUCETS, RANGOON, ROSEBUD, SUITS ME, WRESTLE, SECTIONS, THE BIRDS, ATE A LITTLE, and GERIATRICS. Part of being sparkly is that they are longer and if you do not get the clue/fill combination, the puzzle becomes exponentially harder. Which brings us to the theme. Today JW gives a classic letter substitution puzzle, where the letter L at the end of a word in a familiar phrase is replaced with the letter I. Then it is clued to suggest the new meaning of the phrase. Clever - one of the arrows in his creative quiver. I said we have left/right symmetry with the themers going from 15 to 11 to 9 and finishing at 13. If you were looking for convential 17A to start symmetrical theme placements, it could be a long Friday.

The themers:

17A. Field worker having a pastrami on rye?: FARMER IN THE DELI (15). We begin with a gridspanner linking working in the fields to going to a delicatessen and ordering a pastrami on rye, which is a very popular order in most delis. This changes the children's nursery rhyme Farmer in the Dell just a little. The beauty is the simplicity, yet subtlety of such a tiny change causing such a completely new image.

27A. Prominent part of a Tex-Mex chain's logo?: THE BIG CHILI (11). This may be my favorite because it also has added imagery (the Big Chili in the chain's ads).  The movie, also was

an amazing introduction to many who became major stars, including the late William Hurt who just passed on March 13, 2022. Not updated, but here is the CAST. This does not list the very famous actor who was hired to play the friend who died, but whose footage was cut. It was...(        ) fill in the blank.

49A. Indonesian dive bar?: BALI JOINT (9). Next, ball joints which are spherical bearings that connect the control arms to the steering knuckles, and are used on virtually every automobile made are repurposed as a cheap bar on a key island that is part of Indonesia. When I owned a travel agency it was a favorite honeymoon spot for clients. I have never been. Anyone?

51A. Memory of the 1996 Olympic flame lighting?: ALI IN YOUR MIND (13). Do many of your remember when Muhammed Ali lit the Olympic Torch to begin the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta? 

It was very significant in many ways. It was a time of healing and hope after many traumatic summer games. It was time of inclusivity after murder and mayhem had dogged the games. It was a time to acknowledge Ali and his spirit, as he was in the grips of Parkinson's brought on by years of being hit in the head. He also had been villified as a draft dodger rather than an observant Muslim. But there is no sentiment in baseball or the LA Times so on we go. 

Across:

1. Mumbai melody: RAGA. Raga , also spelled rag (in northern India) or ragam (in southern India), (from Sanskrit, meaning “colour” or “passion”), in the classical music of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, a melodic framework for improvisation and composition.

5. Group playing mind games: MENSA. When this blog started everyone wondered who among the solvers belonged. Now we so not care. 

10. Criticizes: RAPS. They gave him a bad rap. 

14. Mocks: APES. Is aping always mocking?

15. Poem of 15,000+ lines: ILIAD. Aren't you glad they didn't make you memorize that one in school.

16. And more of the same, in brief: ET AL. It comes in most puzzles.

20. Like the Godhead: TRIUNE. A very Friday word. Since we do not discuss religion here, I will merely quote the Brittanica "There is One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Other ways of referring to the Trinity are the Triune God and the Three-in-One. The Trinity is a controversial doctrine; many Christians admit they don't understand it, while many more Christians don't understand it but think they do."

21. Fantasized: DREAMT. 

22. Diplomacy: TACT. Not my strong suit.

23. "Isle of Dogs" director Anderson: WES.  Here is a GUIDE to his films.

26. Tom or jack: MALE. Designation for animals, e.g TOM CAT, JACK ASS.

30. Bygone Mideast gp.: UAR. United Arab Republic (U.A.R.), Arabic Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah, political union of Egypt and Syria proclaimed on February 1, 1958, and ratified in nationwide plebiscites later that month. It ended on September 28, 1961, when Syria, following a military coup, declared itself independent of Egypt. More Brittanica. 

32. Capital of colonial Burma: RANGOON. It is now part of Myanamar and known as YANGON. These renamings passed on 18 June 1989 to reflect the fact that the "r" sound is no longer used in Standard Burmese and merged with a "y" glide.

33. Bill: TAB. Short for tabulation.

36. "No objection here": SUITS ME. I like blogging. Though I...

38. Try to deal (with): WRESTLE. with scheduling my time.

40. Sharply outline: ETCH. They use acid. 

41. Israeli-born designer Tahari: ELIE. 45 years i

42. Kane's boyhood sled: ROSEBUD. Does anybody not know this from Orson Welles' classic Citizen Kane?

46. Taps: FAUCETS. It is CONFUSING.

55. Lucretius' love: AMOR. Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher, he wrote Latin where Amor is the word for love.

56. Spry: AGILE. Synonyms: easy moving, more acute, most easy-moving, sprighter, most sportive, mercurial, most easy moving, quick trigger, quick the draw, sprightest, quick witted, quick draw, more easymoving, more easy moving, easymoving, sportive, most easymoving, more easy-moving, quick on draw, quick the trigger, quickwitted.

57. Rowers: OARS. Not the people, the instrument.

59. Pastoral group: HERD. Not an actual Pastor but related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle.

60. Sly tactics: RUSES. This is an action intended to deceive someone; a trick.

"Eleanor tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house"

61. Simone of song: NINA.
                        
62. Revolution constant: AXIS. If it is revolving, it does so on an axis.

63. Since Jan. 1: YTD. Year To Date.

64. Impede: SLOW. Block.

Down:

1. Passel: RAFT. JW or the editors are wearing out my synonym dictionary-  raft, including: craft, mint, (slang) lot, mass, mess, batch, heap, mickle, mountain, muckle, passel.

2. Besides, with "from": APART. Apart from watching the Masters, do you watch golf on TV?

3. Job field that embraces seniority: GERIATRICS. Sounds like fun for this geriatric.

4. To an equal extent: AS MUCH.

5. Bog: MIRE.

6. Ivy attendee: ELI. Not to be confused with our Israeli designer.

7. "Collages" novelist: NIN. Anais, author of many books and way more appearances in crosswords.

8. Couldn't stand anymore?: SAT. Ha ha, not anger but tired legs.

9. Condition treated by Ritalin, briefly: ADHD. We did not have this condition or Autism when I was a kid.

10. Overturned card consequence, perhaps: REDEAL. 

11. Nibbled: ATE A LITTLE.

12. ___ d'Or: Cannes award: PALME. Here are some favorite winners of this AWARD.

13. Cut: SLIT. Like someone's throat if you watched all those movies.

18. Records: ENTERS. A CSO to our accountants.

19. Fur that's a symbol of royalty: ERMINE. From a glorified rat.

23. Its nose says a lot about its quality: WINE. Hi Chairman.

24. __ roll: EGG. My wife prefers making fresh roll.

25. Refuse craft: SCOW. Another Asian treat.

28. Cartoon ruckus sound: BAM.

29. Old TV knob: HOR.izontal. TV abbreviation= 

30. One often paying a fee: USER.

31. Soul, for one: AUTO. By KIA.

34. Came down: ALIT.

35. They work in cells: BEES. Funny, but true. A new clue, is it yours JW. 

37. 1963 film that was a 1991 Horror Hall of Fame inductee: THE BIRDS. Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren. I was 14, it did not haunt me, I love birds. 

39. Strings, woodwinds, etc.: SECTIONS.

43. Keurig Dr Pepper brand: BAI.

44. Like the "funny bone" nerve: ULNAR. Not like, it is the nerve.

45. Mr. Fixit, casually: DIY GUY. Do It Yourself Guy. 

46. Made illegal contact with, in some sports: FOULED. In pretty much all sports. 

47. Buenos __: AIRES. Argentina.

48. Albuquerque sch.: UNM. Hey OKL, how are you doing?

50. Floor support: JOIST. A joist is a horizontal structural member used in framing to span an open space, often between beams that subsequently transfer loads to vertical members. wiki.

51. Visa competitor: AMEX.

52. Actress Petty: LORI. Best known for this movie. 
                            
53. File target: NAIL.

54. Bond baddie: DR NO. Joseph Wiseman was a Canadian-American theatre, film, and television actor, well known for starring as the villain Julius No in the first James Bond film, Dr. No in 1962.

55. "Eureka!": AHA. Aha we are almost done.

58. Bromide: SAW.  Guess what? Another synonym. C'mon Jeffrey, I am teasing, puzzles are always a variation of synonyms. That is what words are. 

Hi everyone, I hope you have been enjoying the Masters and the virtuosity of Cameron Smith, Scottie Sheffler and others and the comeback of Tiger Words, oops I mean Woods.  We have had  a very good week of puzzles and blogs as we race towards Rich Norris' last day as Editor. C.C. has made it clear we can't retire yet. I hope you enjoyed the ride, I will be back another day. Lemonade out.