Theme: C you later. The letter "C" is removed from in the language expressions to create a new and witty thought-provoking phrase.The puzzle had lots of new fill and tons of themeage. Our second puzzle from this constructor, whose last effort also was a letter puzzle. Lots of French and lots of music, grab your wine and some brie.
Lemonade, back in the Friday saddle; let's ride!
18A. Sailing attire for 1-Across?: (C)ARGO PANTS. More Jason and his ship the Argo drawn from those 90's favorite stylin pants with all those damn pockets.
23A. Dearth of frost?: LOW (C)RIME RATE. Rime the fancy way to say frost, coming from Crime. Dearth not like in Vader.
38A. Celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day?: USED (C)ARS. ARRGGGH.
40A. Regional poem?: AREA (C)ODE. man we have so many odes these days, let's call them off.
50A. Do some tweezing?: PULL UP A (C)HAIR. I am not a big tweezer, and think of it as pulling out not up. Another example of women being tougher than men.
61A. "I've completed the flag"? : (C)ROSS WORDS. Betsy and self promotion for cross word puzzles, or maybe all those cross words people should not say.
The three part unifier:
10A. With 42- and 66-Across, words to an old friend, whose end is a hint this puzzle's grid and theme: LONG. 42. See 10-Across: TIME. Across 66. See 10-Across: NO SEE.
Across:
1. Golden Fleece seeker: JASON. Well, since everyone knows my name it is fitting the puzzle after my short vacation starts with me.
6. Disputed strip: GAZA. No politics here.
14. Nimble: AGILE. Jack be ....but why over a candlestick?
15. Offenbach's okays: OUIS. This is tricky, as you have to know the composer, who pioneered the can can, and obviously spoke French, where OUI mean yes.
16. Kentucky border river: OHIO. That part of the country always confuses me, you land in Kentucky at Cincinnati, Ohio airport.
17. The world according to Arp: MONDE. More French (pay attention Jeannie) MONDE means WORLD, to Jean ARP the artist; interesting pun with GARP. My favorite clue.
20. Miracle Mets star: AGEE. Tommie, the flamboyant center fielder.
21. "From __ Zinc": vitamin slogan : A TO. Centrum I believe.
22. Gives a facelift : REDOES. Any work out there ladies, or gents? A little Botox? A nip, a tuck?
26. Rowan Atkinson character: MR. BEAN. I like him in Black Adder, Bean leaves me cold.
27. Understood KNOWN.
32. Antenna shelter: RADOME. A portmanteau of RADAR and DOME.
35. Hosp. test: EKG. Electrocardiogram.
37. PayPal owner: EBAY.
43. Funnyman Kinison: SAM. One of the screaming comedians, who wore his beret and died young.
45. Run in: ARREST. You boys go home or I'm goin' run you in.
46. Comes down hard?: HAILS. Not where my head was going.
48. Sole man: HERMIT. My ex-wife's great grandfather ended up living in a cabin as a hermit. I thought of this IMAGE instead.
55. Players try to hit triples with them: Q TILES. I like this scrabble reference.
59. Mama bear, in Madrid: OSA. OSO male.
60. First name in courtroom fiction: ERLE. Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason, my role model (not).
63. Had a home cooked meal: ATE IN.
64. Smack: SWAT. Sounds like Adam West.
65. Pâté base: FOIE. French for liver. Pate de Foie Gras is also a fine short story by Asimov.
67. Sounds of disapproval: TSKS. Tsk.Lots of those around.
68. Cans: AXES. Again, I was thinking of this IMAGE.
69. Touch and shuffle: IPODS. I have never owned an Apple product, except when I used to eat them.
Down:
1. Jazz pianist Ahmad __: JAMAL. Not familiar with this jazz PIANIST.
2. Disco era suffix: A GO GO. Any of you left coasters go to Whiskey A Go Go?
3. Tough tissue: SINEW. It's a new way to clue this.
4. It's often traded in: OLDER MODEL. Remember this TRADE IN.
5. Alumna identifier, perhaps: NEE. More French, referring to the birth name of a female.
6. Chin hider: GOATEE. Because you look like a billy goat, how sweet.
7. Sky lights: AURORAE.. Do you all go to watch the Aurora Borealis?
8. Turn sharply: ZIG. Why not ZAG?
9. "__ of Homecoming": U2 song: A SORT. A nice SONG.
10. Put in a clip: LOAD. Ammunition into your Sig Sauer 9mm. Pretty violent.
11. "Think I'm kidding?": OH NO. Mr. Bill where are you?
12. Evening, in ads: NITE.
13. Former CIA director Porter __ : GOSS. Information, not POLITICS.
19. Glance: PEEK. Why does peek sound so much more salacious? Carol, Lois, our experts, please explain.
21. Some ales: AMBERS. Now the weekly beer reference; any Amber Bock drinkers?
24. "__ la Douce": IRMA. Shirley McClain was quite PRETTY.
25. "Diana" crooner: ANKA. When I was a kid this was a HIT.
28. Second or third, for instance: NEAR THE TOP. A toughie to parse.
29. The orchestra tunes to one: OBOE. We will let JzB explain this.
30. Bankrolls: WADS. A very visual word if you see someone pull a lot of 100's from a pocket.
31. Dmitri's denial: NYET. The Russian No.
32. "The Book of __": Jane Hamilton novel: RUTH. A novel not to be confused with the Biblical Story.
33. Aral Sea locale: ASIA. Between the World Cup Soccer and the LPGA, Japan's ladies have done much to bring joy back after the tragedies.
34. Starting half?: DEMI. More French, the prefix for half, not a suggestion that Demi Moore play half back for the Jets.
36. The old man's old man: GRAMPA. Did I mention I am GRUNCLE Jason?
39. "Is there any group I haven't offended?" satirist: SAHL. Mort Sahl, a 60's stand up icon.
41. Ranch addition?: ERIA. A Spanish concept RANCHERIA.
44. French art song: MELODIE. More French, not to be confused with a CHANSON.
47. Erupt: SPEW. I am reading Harris' book on Pompeii.
49. Ballets __: early 20th-century dance company: RUSSES. Do we have any fans of BALLET?
51. Yank's home, briefly: US OF A. Oh, all of us, got it, not the evil empire.
52. Playground retort: ARE SO. Are not!
53. "Well ... not exactly": I LIED.
54. Magritte and Descartes: RENES. The surrealist and the philosopher.
55. Queue before U : QRST. The old letter string clue, with a new twist for its list.
56. Pulls along: TOWS.
57. Writer Dinesen: ISAK. The pseudonym for an interesting WOMAN who wrote great books which became great movies, like Out of Africa and Babbette's Feast.
58. WWII craft: LSTS. Landing Ship Tanks
62. Colorado sports nickname, with "the": ROX. I guess the Rockies get this so it rhymes with SOX.
63. Singer DiFranco : ANI.This feminist icon sings this SONG.
Answer grid.
Well the month is almost gone, the week as well and we survived, so onward and upward.
Lemonade
Lemonade, back in the Friday saddle; let's ride!
18A. Sailing attire for 1-Across?: (C)ARGO PANTS. More Jason and his ship the Argo drawn from those 90's favorite stylin pants with all those damn pockets.
23A. Dearth of frost?: LOW (C)RIME RATE. Rime the fancy way to say frost, coming from Crime. Dearth not like in Vader.
38A. Celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day?: USED (C)ARS. ARRGGGH.
40A. Regional poem?: AREA (C)ODE. man we have so many odes these days, let's call them off.
50A. Do some tweezing?: PULL UP A (C)HAIR. I am not a big tweezer, and think of it as pulling out not up. Another example of women being tougher than men.
61A. "I've completed the flag"? : (C)ROSS WORDS. Betsy and self promotion for cross word puzzles, or maybe all those cross words people should not say.
The three part unifier:
10A. With 42- and 66-Across, words to an old friend, whose end is a hint this puzzle's grid and theme: LONG. 42. See 10-Across: TIME. Across 66. See 10-Across: NO SEE.
Across:
1. Golden Fleece seeker: JASON. Well, since everyone knows my name it is fitting the puzzle after my short vacation starts with me.
6. Disputed strip: GAZA. No politics here.
14. Nimble: AGILE. Jack be ....but why over a candlestick?
15. Offenbach's okays: OUIS. This is tricky, as you have to know the composer, who pioneered the can can, and obviously spoke French, where OUI mean yes.
16. Kentucky border river: OHIO. That part of the country always confuses me, you land in Kentucky at Cincinnati, Ohio airport.
17. The world according to Arp: MONDE. More French (pay attention Jeannie) MONDE means WORLD, to Jean ARP the artist; interesting pun with GARP. My favorite clue.
20. Miracle Mets star: AGEE. Tommie, the flamboyant center fielder.
21. "From __ Zinc": vitamin slogan : A TO. Centrum I believe.
22. Gives a facelift : REDOES. Any work out there ladies, or gents? A little Botox? A nip, a tuck?
26. Rowan Atkinson character: MR. BEAN. I like him in Black Adder, Bean leaves me cold.
27. Understood KNOWN.
32. Antenna shelter: RADOME. A portmanteau of RADAR and DOME.
35. Hosp. test: EKG. Electrocardiogram.
37. PayPal owner: EBAY.
43. Funnyman Kinison: SAM. One of the screaming comedians, who wore his beret and died young.
45. Run in: ARREST. You boys go home or I'm goin' run you in.
46. Comes down hard?: HAILS. Not where my head was going.
48. Sole man: HERMIT. My ex-wife's great grandfather ended up living in a cabin as a hermit. I thought of this IMAGE instead.
55. Players try to hit triples with them: Q TILES. I like this scrabble reference.
59. Mama bear, in Madrid: OSA. OSO male.
60. First name in courtroom fiction: ERLE. Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason, my role model (not).
63. Had a home cooked meal: ATE IN.
64. Smack: SWAT. Sounds like Adam West.
65. Pâté base: FOIE. French for liver. Pate de Foie Gras is also a fine short story by Asimov.
67. Sounds of disapproval: TSKS. Tsk.Lots of those around.
68. Cans: AXES. Again, I was thinking of this IMAGE.
69. Touch and shuffle: IPODS. I have never owned an Apple product, except when I used to eat them.
Down:
1. Jazz pianist Ahmad __: JAMAL. Not familiar with this jazz PIANIST.
2. Disco era suffix: A GO GO. Any of you left coasters go to Whiskey A Go Go?
3. Tough tissue: SINEW. It's a new way to clue this.
4. It's often traded in: OLDER MODEL. Remember this TRADE IN.
5. Alumna identifier, perhaps: NEE. More French, referring to the birth name of a female.
6. Chin hider: GOATEE. Because you look like a billy goat, how sweet.
7. Sky lights: AURORAE.. Do you all go to watch the Aurora Borealis?
8. Turn sharply: ZIG. Why not ZAG?
9. "__ of Homecoming": U2 song: A SORT. A nice SONG.
10. Put in a clip: LOAD. Ammunition into your Sig Sauer 9mm. Pretty violent.
11. "Think I'm kidding?": OH NO. Mr. Bill where are you?
12. Evening, in ads: NITE.
13. Former CIA director Porter __ : GOSS. Information, not POLITICS.
19. Glance: PEEK. Why does peek sound so much more salacious? Carol, Lois, our experts, please explain.
21. Some ales: AMBERS. Now the weekly beer reference; any Amber Bock drinkers?
24. "__ la Douce": IRMA. Shirley McClain was quite PRETTY.
25. "Diana" crooner: ANKA. When I was a kid this was a HIT.
28. Second or third, for instance: NEAR THE TOP. A toughie to parse.
29. The orchestra tunes to one: OBOE. We will let JzB explain this.
30. Bankrolls: WADS. A very visual word if you see someone pull a lot of 100's from a pocket.
31. Dmitri's denial: NYET. The Russian No.
32. "The Book of __": Jane Hamilton novel: RUTH. A novel not to be confused with the Biblical Story.
33. Aral Sea locale: ASIA. Between the World Cup Soccer and the LPGA, Japan's ladies have done much to bring joy back after the tragedies.
34. Starting half?: DEMI. More French, the prefix for half, not a suggestion that Demi Moore play half back for the Jets.
36. The old man's old man: GRAMPA. Did I mention I am GRUNCLE Jason?
39. "Is there any group I haven't offended?" satirist: SAHL. Mort Sahl, a 60's stand up icon.
41. Ranch addition?: ERIA. A Spanish concept RANCHERIA.
44. French art song: MELODIE. More French, not to be confused with a CHANSON.
47. Erupt: SPEW. I am reading Harris' book on Pompeii.
49. Ballets __: early 20th-century dance company: RUSSES. Do we have any fans of BALLET?
51. Yank's home, briefly: US OF A. Oh, all of us, got it, not the evil empire.
52. Playground retort: ARE SO. Are not!
53. "Well ... not exactly": I LIED.
54. Magritte and Descartes: RENES. The surrealist and the philosopher.
55. Queue before U : QRST. The old letter string clue, with a new twist for its list.
56. Pulls along: TOWS.
57. Writer Dinesen: ISAK. The pseudonym for an interesting WOMAN who wrote great books which became great movies, like Out of Africa and Babbette's Feast.
58. WWII craft: LSTS. Landing Ship Tanks
62. Colorado sports nickname, with "the": ROX. I guess the Rockies get this so it rhymes with SOX.
63. Singer DiFranco : ANI.This feminist icon sings this SONG.
Answer grid.
Well the month is almost gone, the week as well and we survived, so onward and upward.
Lemonade
