Theme: I will B Ceeing you later. Each of the five theme answers are phrases with the last word having a “B” replace the “C” in the original phrase, creating a rib tickling new phrase. I always enjoy this 81 year old constructor, who had his first puzzle published when he was 73. You newbies might want to read his INTERVIEW. And away we go...
17A. Adelaide altercation?: AUSTRALIAN BRAWL, Hi KZ, from OZ, did you learn to swim with the Australian Crawl?
31A. Beginning poet?: GREEN BARD. I wonder if Shakespeare would be able to a Green Card to work in the US?
39A. Fight over the last quart of milk?: DAIRY BATTLE. Being lactose intolerant, no chance, but I do like them Cattle.
46A. One always talking about his MacBook Air?: APPLE BORE. A very accurate image of Apple users, and does bring to mind my favorite APPLE CORE.
63A. Can't color the sky, say?: DOESN'T HAVE A BLUE. I do not have a clue why he did not use AZURE.
And the unifier, which did not help me:
62D. Handle user, and a hint to this puzzle's theme: CBER.
ACROSS:
1. Certain lymphocytes: T-CELLS. Made famous during the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
7. Clumsy sort: LUG. I wanted OAF, but I got LEI'd so I was okay.
10. Kind of signal: BUSY. A cute but almost obsolete concept.
14. Had none left: RAN OUT. Just when he had to go on stage his jokes were gone.
15. Ajman and Fujairah, for two: EMIRATES. One of the seven principalities which make up the UAE; unlike the more familiar Abu Dhabi or Dubai, AJMAN has problems.
19. "Are we ready?": IS IT A GO? TAGO?
20. Pose: SIT. Have anyone here had a painting done?
21. Relay part: LEG. Racing.
22. Singer's yeshiva boy: YENTL. Barbra's MOVIE. (3:15).
25. Samoa's capital: APIA. Pretty.
29. Joint acct. info: SSNS. Social Security Numbers.
34. Jazz __: ERA. Age, Era. Tomato tomato.
37. Keen on: INTO. Man she was really into the Smashing Pumpkins.
38. Pince-__ glasses: NEZ. French for nose. Also an Indian tribe.
42. ESP, e.g. : PSI. This LINK.
44. Palm starch : SAGO. This is a basic food of the southwest Pacific area, where it is used in meal form to prepare soups, cakes, and puddings. See Melville.
45. Exhaust: USE. Use up?
49. Court team: Abbr.: ATTS. Attorneys, but the ATTY, is the preferred abbreviation.
53. Org. at 11 Wall St.: NYSE. New York Stock Exchange.
54. Rubs the right way?: ROLFS. Named after IDA.
57. Big Apple subway div.: IRT. Interborough Rapid Transit.
58. Sneeze, cough, etc.: AIL.
61. Certain college member: ELECTOR. The antiquated Electoral College, too much politics.
68. Stuff in the back: APPENDIX. In the back of the book, not the body.
69. Soaks: STEEPS. Tea bag, or tea bagging?
70. Cleaning challenge: MESS. Yes, I am not very good at this, my excuse being my poor vision.
71. Date: SEE. Why I wonder?
72. Swarms: HORDES. Not bees.
and then:
DOWN:
1. Gets behind: TRAILS, like in the polls; immediately followed by 2D. Things to get behind: CAUSES; all these behinds and I cannot talk politics. Dennis, WH, help me. Buckeye, Crockett, where are you when I need you?
3. Naval officer: ENSIGN. I am now hooked on NCIS.
4. Early 2000s Senate minority leader: LOTT.
5. Virginia's __ Caverns: LURAY.
6. Life time: STAGE. Really, it is just a stage I am going through, just very slowly.
7. Island welcome: LEI. Where are our Hawaiian friends? Mahalo.
8. Emma's portrayer in "The Avengers": UMA. 11D. Hagen of Broadway: UTA. Don't you just love a man who gets these two in so close together
9. Wins a certain card game: GINS. Gin Rummy, not 'and Tonic'.
10. Drink listing: BAR TAB. I had how many GINS?!?
12. Alter, maybe: SEW.
13. Fashion monogram: YSL. Yves St. Laurent
16. Slugger's stat: RBI. For you KZ, baseball, Runs Batted In.
18. Pine: LONG. Very tricky for a simple clue as TREE also has 4 letters.
23. Bridge renamed for RFK in 2008: TRIBORO. Spanning the Harlem River, the Bronx Kill, and the Hell Gate (part of the East River), the bridges connect the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx via Randall's Island and Wards Island, which are joined by landfill. (WIKI).
24. Olin of "Alias": LENA. A Swedish actress who has done everything from TV's Alias to a role in this great MOVIE. (2:30).
26. Glass piece: PANE. Window pane.
27. Wrath: IRE. Don't get angry if there is some crosswordese fill.
28. Wood-smoothing tool: ADZ. You must memorize this one.
30. Place for buoys and gulls: SEA.
32. Words spoken before the Senate: ET TU. And you, Brutus? By poor dying Julius.
33. Have-__: disadvantaged: NOTS.
35. Gentle slope: RISE. A bunny run, hearti?
36. __ League: ARAB.This has 22 countries, and none of the old UAE as members.
39. Market fluctuations: DIPS. All peaks and valleys in the Stock Market, not the produce market.
40. Wolf Frankenstein shoots him, in a 1939 film: YGOR. The SEQUEL (0:40).
41. Green span: LEA. A nice erudite federal reserve pun.
42. Trash, in a way: PAN. A bad review, not garbage; well sometimes garbage.
43. Alias user: SPY. This MOVIE? (1:21).
47. Landlord's fileful: LEASES.
48. Mtn. stat: ELEV. ation.
50. Like nobility: TITLED. Milady...
51. Band on the road: TROUPE. A french word co-opted and used synonymously with troop and company.
52. Burnout cause: STRESS.
55. Crayola color renamed Peach in 1962: FLESH. Yes finally colored people would appear in different colors. No politics, just fact.
56. Cold War defense acronym: SEATO. Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
59. B&B: INN. This will always be Brandy and Benedictine to me, rather than Bed and Breakfast.
60. Fords of the past: LTDS. Ford made lots of them, mostly big behemoth cars like the Galaxie 500 and the Crown Vic.
63. Impede : DAM. Dam, some of these clues impeded my solving and writing. I was such and eager beaver.
64. Unlock, in verse: OPE. "Ere Heaven shall ope' her portals ...": Byron.
65. Mini-albums, briefly: EPS. Extended Plays.
66. Make haste: HIE. One of those great English words that has so many Homonyms, Hi, High, Heigh, and of course HAI.
67. Fire: AXE. A pretty dramatic word for termination, which I guess is pretty final sounding as well, and the name of the band, and a perfect place for me to exit.
A real honor to be a part of this group and to prepare the last write up of year 4. An exciting time here at the corner, a wonderful week of puzzles continues, and hope to C you all next time. B good.
Lemonade
