Title: Cereal killer on the loose...
Wow! Three JW puzzles in succession and each one a completely different look. Today is totally silly, taking a single letter out of a cereal name to create a very foolish sounding concoction. If he had some deep meaning for the theme I missed it. I found this just plain fun. Lots of substantial and original fill with some Friday words interspersed and his usual multiple word fill. PARFAIT, ON A RIDE, LAVORIS, FLORIST, I'LL HIDE, CLEANER, SETTERS, TRADE IN, PLANARIA, DERRIERE, INCHOATE, ROPE KNOT, ON RECEIPT and ARTICHOKE are all great. So get your milk, and pull up a chair.
18A. Knockoff cereal? : FROSTED F
28A. Cold cereal? : PUFFED
37A. Recalled cereal? : FROOT
48A. Prohibited cereal? : RAISIN B
57A. Mystery cereal? : SHREDDED WH
Across:
1. Did a gondolier's job : POLED. Venice (Vennis) anyone?
6. Wedding planner's contact : FLORIST. I loved our wedding flowers.
13. Like antique watches : ANALOG. Not digital.
15. Freshwater flatworms : PLANARIA. Ucky but interesting to study WORMS.
16. Hiker's challenge : RAVINE. A deep narrow steep-sided valley, esp one formed by the action of running water.
17. Caboose : DERRIERE. Not of the train, but of the body. French.
20. Swift's medium : AIR. Tom Swift?
21. Runner in the Alps : SKI. Nice misdirection.
22. Expire : CEASE.
26. "And if __, no soul shall pity me": King Richard III : I DIE. They did not pity RIII even after Shakespeare tried to help. RGIII anyone?
32. Charged wheels : TESLAS. Electric cars.
35. With 24-Down, course for future pundits : POLI. 24D. See 35-Across : SCI. Political Science.
36. Hägar creator Browne : DIK.
40. "Get off the stage!" : BOO. Hiss.
43. Corrida figure : TORO. The bull.
44. Philosophers' subject : ETHICS.
51. "Ex's & Oh's" singer King : ELLE.
52. MetLife competitor : AFLAC. Insurance companies.
53. Span of note : ERA.
56. Court mulligan : LET. The odd tennis do over on your first serve.
62. Disorganized : INCHOATE. Really more unformed than disorganized, especially in the law.
65. Emmy-winning role for Julia : ELAINE Benes.
66. Mooring hitch, for one : ROPE KNOT. As opposed to a rope loop?
67. More thoughtful : KINDER.
68. Deal on a lot : TRADE IN.
69. Round components, maybe : BEERS. Whew, half done, let me get this round.
Down:
1. Baskin-Robbins offering : PARFAIT. I never knew they had these.
2. Enjoying the amusement park : ON A RIDE.
3. Brand that's swirled, not swallowed : LAVORIS. From my childhood; kids in school drank it for the alcohol content. Scope really derailed this brand, I think.
5. They're forbidden : DON'TS.
6. Little nipper : FLEA. Too many choices.
7. Frolic : LARK.
8. How some deliveries are paid : ON RECEIPT. COD?
9. Brought up : RAISED.
10. Choler : IRE.
11. Mr. Bumble, to Oliver Twist : SIR.
12. __ Bo : TAE.
14. "The Big Bang Theory" figure : GEEK. Rhymes with 25D. "That's scary!" : EEK. 54D. Be offensive, in a way : REEK. Did you watch GOT and the REEK?
15. Freebie from Adobe : PDF. Portable Document Format.
19. Go down : DIP. Love these two together.
23. Prop up : AID.
27. Middle-earth figure : ELF.
29. __ point: with limitations : UP TO A. A partial?
30. Rock's __ Fighters : FOO. When Cobain died, his drummer founded THEM.
31. Penguin's perch : FLOE. Sorry Tin, but it is ice.
33. Edible thistle : ARTICHOKE. Man there is so much more to this thistle (say that fast) than just using it as part of a dip. It has HEART. We miss you marti.
34. "Just another minute" : SOON.
38. Spheroid : ORB. JW tends to bunch his threes to get long fill in the other direction.
39. Ewe or sow : SHE.
40. It may be wired : BRA.
41. Boor : OAF.
42. Peanut product : OIL.
45. Offer to a potential seeker : I'LL HIDE. I did love hide and seek in the back yard.
46. Dry __ : CLEANER.
47. English and Irish : SETTERS.
49. Like some beauty contest winners : SASHED. JW used this image recently.
50. Neighbor of Homer : NED. Flanders on the Simpsons.
58. Indian royal : RANI.
59. "The most private of private schools," to Hugh Laurie : ETON.
60. Rizzoli of "Rizzoli & Isles": Abbr. : DETective.
61. Decrease : WANE.
62. NYC subway : IRT. Interborough Rapid Transit was a private company until bought by the city in 1940.
63. "__ will I" : NOR. Talk about your obscure clue/fill combos. Am I missing a famous quote?
64. IRS employee : CPA. Certified Public Accountant.
Back from a wonderful brief vacation in Denver with both sons, dil and granddaughters. This lighthearted effort is just what I needed coming back on short rest. I hope you had fun and enjoy the rest of April. Lemonade out.
Note from C.C.:
Here are a few great photos from Lemonade's Denver trip.