Puzzling thoughts: This appears to be a first-time collaboration (and Sally's LA Times debut) between two relative newcomers to crossword puzzle construction. Wendy has been featured here, both solo and in a collaboration, as well as soloing at USA Today. Sally is a crossword blogger of USA Today puzzles, so I suppose their collaboration came through that association. Regardless, their effort today was quite good and fun to solve
The puzzle uses circles within the entries (yes, I know that frustrates some of you folks!). Each of the circles spells out the name of a 3-letter tree (ASH, ELM, and OAK). But it isn't until the theme (62-across. Decorate for Christmas, in a way, and how to make sense of the answer to each starred clue?: TRIM THE TREE) is revealed that we know just why. In each case, when you "TRIM" the "TREE", the starred clues begin to make sense. Still confused? Let's chop some wood and see how:
17-across. *Pilot's reputation among airport agents?: GATE CRASHED. At first, I thought this could be "GATE CRASHER" - as a play-on-words for the clue - but when you snip the word ASH, "GATE CRED" certainly fits, as "CRED" is another term for reputation
Again, when 30-across (*Triage site's gooey alternative to sutures?: ELMERS GLUE) appeared, ELMER'S GLUE could be a punny definition for the clue. But after felling the ELM tree, we are left with "ER's GLUE" as the p-o-w
The final entry (46-across. *Practice for "The Voice" while in the shower?: SOAKING WET) becomes "SING WET" when the OAK tree is chain-sawed, and the stump removed!
The list of 3-letter trees is somewhat finite: ASH, BAY, ELM, FIG, FIR, OAK, and YEW. Finding a way to remove those tree names from a common phrase and create a play-on-words was not easy. Another possible way of using a trimmed tree from this list to form a play-on-words could be: "Favorite after-shave of shrimp boilers?": OLD BAY SPICE. Another that came to mind: "What Adam does when his is dirty? TURN OVER A NEW FIG LEAF; but neither fits THIS theme.!! ;^)
Here is the grid, followed by the other clues:
Across:
1. Statistical concerns: BIASES. Not too many words fit here; EPOCHS maybe?
7. Daddy: PAPA.
11. Texting initials: SMS. SMS stands for Short Message Service and is commonly known as texting. It's a way to send text-only messages of up to 160 characters between phones. Twitter shortened this to 140 characters
14. "Won't be long now": I'M NEXT. I'M guessing that no one in this waiting room was hoping to be "NEXT"!! ;^)
15. Wilson of "The Internship": OWEN. A trailer:
16. Feel sick: AIL. Does anyone else here think when they feel sick that they have COVID?
19. Food Network host Garten: INA. aka, The Barefoot Contessa
20. Long-billed bird: SNIPE.
21. Hijab, for one: VEIL. Moe-ku #1:
Muslim gal who said
She won't wear a head cover
Just made a VEILed threat
22. Sharp set: HDTV. Ha Ha! Sharp is a brand of TV's
23. Longtime Farr co-star: ALDA.
25. Abate: LET UP.
27. Some K9 canines: LABS. And here I thought they were all either German Shepherds or Belgian Malanois
34. Q.E.D. part: ERAT. A CSO to all of our Cornerites who are/were lawyers: "Latin abbreviation for quod erat demonstrandum: "Which was to be demonstrated." Q.E.D. may appear at the conclusion of a text to signify that the author's overall argument has just been proven"
35. Mauna __: LOA. KEA fit ... until it didn't
36. Some rugged sandals: KEENS. Most of the images I saw for KEEN shoes looked like sneakers. [Bootworld dot com] says: "A Keen shoe has a wider toe box compared to most shoes because it ensures comfort and breathability. This extra wiggle room is essential if you are on your feet all day hiking and working. Many Keen shoes also feature adjustable elastic bungee lace closures to accommodate different foot styles and ensure a perfect fit"
37. HS equivalency test: GED. QED and GED in the same puzzle
38. Freebies at some crossword tournaments: PENCILS. Also, they're "freebies" at most golf courses but usually don't come with an eraser
41. __ text: accessibility feature: ALT. [from many websites] "Alternative (Alt) Text is meant to convey the “why” of the image as it relates to the content of a document or webpage. It is read aloud to users by screen reader software, and it is indexed by search engines. It also displays on the page if the image fails to load, as in this example of a missing image"
42. "Just Mercy" actor __ Jackson Jr.: O'SHEA. Trailer:
44. Doc's org.: AMA. Whew! Glad that today's clue didn't refer to Ask Me Anything!
45. Bali's continent: ASIA. My partner Margaret spend a couple years living in Bali a couple decades ago; she was involved with a scuba diving business there
49. Shepherds' docs?: VETS. Oh? THIS is where they reference the "other" K-9 pooch!!
50. Cooler brand: IGLOO. Appropriately named
51. Italian bubbly: ASTI. "Spumante" is a more accurate description of this clue, but was too long
53. Perseverance's home: MARS. All you need to know
55. Itinerary: PLAN.
57. Flags down: HAILS. How did the term "HAILs" a taxi come to be? Fun fact: [livexp dot com] "Hail is the action used to stop a taxi using your arm and hand. Yes, they mean the same thing. To "hail" a taxi is a bit less common in America. "Hail" is the action of calling a taxi, like raising your arm to get the attention of the taxi driver"
61. Having celebrated many birthdays: OLD. Now that I've reached my 7th decade, I guess I can admit that I am "OLD"
64. __-1099: govt.-issued tax form: SSA. Tax time is nigh; we have an appointment with a tax advisor next week
65. Cause an emotional reaction: MOVE. Multiple meanings here ... "MOVE" as in one of the verb forms: "provoke a strong feeling, especially of sorrow or sympathy, in". For example, "he was moved to tears by a get-well message from the president". But the noun form ALSO conveys this: Moe-ku #2:
Relocation is
Quite problematic. I was
Quite MOVEd by my MOVE
66. Good scents: AROMAS.
67. First car, for many?: TOY. Could've been clued: "First DOG, for many?"
68. Mountain goat: IBEX. Crossword "oldie"
69. Heavenly figure: SERAPH. "SERAPHim and Cherubim" is a Biblical term ...
Down:
1. Majors, in baseball slang: BIGS. "SHOW" fits, too ...
2. Supermodel whose signature fragrance is "Love Memoir": IMAN. [wikipedia dot com] "Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid is a Somali supermodel, actress, and entrepreneur. A muse of the designers Gianni Versace, Thierry Mugler, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and Yves Saint Laurent, she is also noted for her philanthropic work. She was married to the rock musician David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016"
3. __-lock brakes: ANTI. Fun Fact: These now "standard features" on automobiles were originally created for use on trains and aircraft
4. Overlook: SEE PAST. [dictionary.cambridge.org] "SEE PAST: to not be influenced or have your opinion changed by something : He has been able to see past stereotypes and photographed the Cherokee as a dynamic presence in today's world. The diversity of the gathering helped people see beyond their own viewpoints"
5. Perform beyond expectations: EXCEL. Maybe what these two constructors (and hopefully, your blogger du jour) did today?!
6. Philharmonic sect.: STR. Abbr for STRings
7. Put forward: POSE. Another "Friday" clue
8. For some time: AWHILE.
9. Kitchen gadget: PEELER. RICER, DICER, SHREDDER, et al, did not fit
10. Plus: AND.
11. Asked nicely: SAID, "PLEASE". Believe it or not, this entry has been used just twice before in crossword publications
12. Julep herb: MINT. We also use it in an acai cereal bowl (breakfast treat); but a Mint Julep is usually consumed by us whilst watching The Kentucky Derby
13. Croat or Pole: SLAV.
18. Island where Excalibur was forged: AVALON. Learning moment: [wikipedia dot com] "Avalon, literally meaning "the isle of fruit [or apple] trees"; also written Avallon or Avilion among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's influential 1136 Historia Regum Britanniae as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recover from being gravely wounded at the Battle of Camlann. Since then, the island has become a symbol of Arthurian mythology, similar to Arthur's castle of Camelot"
22. Enormous: HUGE.
24. Proofer's mark: DELE. Another crossword "oldie"
26. Tuts: TSKS.
27. Bricks that are painful to step on: LEGOS. Indeed!!
28. Childish retort: ARE SO. AM TOO fits
29. Trouble with locks?: BAD HAIR DAY. Cute clue
31. Colorful parrot: MACAW.
32. Like new matches: UNLIT. Or candles
33. "¿Cómo __?": ESTAS. Have I ever had a Friday blog where there wasn't a Spanish phrase, followed with a CSO to Lucinda???!!!
38. Bucket: PAIL. Moe-l'ick:
You remember the nursery rhyme drill
When two kids took a PAIL up a hill?
Are you taken aback
That you didn't know Jack
Never really had fallen for Jill?
39. Clarifying phrase: I MEANT.
40. Cable row targets, for short: LATS. Learning moment: [masterclass dot com] "A seated cable row is a compound exercise that utilizes a weighted horizontal cable row machine to work muscle groups in your back and arms. Cable machines include a bench for comfortable seating and foot plates to brace yourself against as you pull the weighted cable." Your "LATS": [according to healthline dot com] "The latissimus dorsi muscles, known as the LATS, are the large V-shaped muscles that connect your arms to your vertebral column. They help protect and stabilize your spine while providing shoulder and back strength. Your lats also help with shoulder and arm movement and support good posture." Here is a pic:
43. Med. readouts: EKGS. Unlike cable row exercises, this is something that C-Moe is more apt to have done
45. Earhart, for one: AVIATOR.
47. "S'okay": NO PROB. I actually found myself saying this once or twice ...
48. Start streaming: GO LIVE.
52. "Voilà!": THERE. Usually what I say when the blog is done!
53. More than half: MOST.
54. In addition: ALSO.
56. MC alternative: AMEX. I think the catch phrase was "Don't leave home without it"
58. "__ Vep": HBO miniseries about a remake of the silent film "Les Vampires": IRMA. I am usually stumped whenever a clue involves the initials "HBO". I haven't been a subscriber to that service in decades
59. Vault: LEAP. So, every four years we celebrate "Vault year"?
60. Meeting, informally: SESH. This phrase, unlike 47-across, is one I never use
62. "Oof, didn't need to know that": TMI.
63. Possesses: HAS.
VOILA!! Please add YOUR "puzzling thoughts" below. See you in a couple weeks ...
