Theme: "Al Fresco"
Four common phrases get a fresh new meaning with the addition of "al" to the entries.
20A. Wriggler's waterway : CANAL OF WORMS. I don't want to open a can of worms, here!
33A. Mail carrier's romantic activities? : POSTAL DATING. I wonder if they will be post dating their check for the meal?
42A. Fortress for summer shoes? : SANDAL CASTLE. A sand castle on the beach wouldn't be a very good fortress, especially if you have a lot of Jimmy Choo shoes!
58A. Collage of potpourri bits? : PETAL PROJECT. One of my pet projects would be to do something with all the petals falling from my dogwood right now.
This is Peg Slay's debut puzzle, and it is an honor to welcome another constructor to our little corner! If it weren't for the pun-ny theme, this puzzle would do very nicely in a Monday slot. The clues were ratcheted up a notch to make it Thursday-worthy, so let's see the handiwork.
Across:
1. It's a lock : YALE. So it is. I wondered "hair?"..."bolt?"..."hasp?"
5. Jostle : ELBOW. Like kids trying to be first in line at the ice-cream truck.
10. Niña or Pinta : SHIP.
14. Pressed into service : USED. I can't help but think someone will use this clue for "ironed" some day.
15. Fox's "War Stories With Oliver ____" : NORTH. Never heard of it, but easy enough to suss.
16. Mystique : AURA. This guy seems to have a certain mystique...
17. Sporting, with "in" : CLAD.
18. Raccoon relative : COATI. Awww.
19. Suggestive look : LEER.
23. Flik in "A Bug's Life," e.g. : ANT. Fun movie with Dave Foley playing the role of Flik.
24. Like some narratives : ORAL.
25. Connect (with) : LIAISE. Literally, to communicate and maintain contact (with).
29. Patsy : STOOGE. And a clecho at 68-Across. Patsy : DUPE. So many possibilities: boob, mark, fool, goat, gull, butt, chump, doormat, sucker...
31. Poetic preposition : O'ER...(the ramparts.)
32. Source of tricks? : BAG.
37. On the calmer side : ALEE.
40. Also : AND.
41. Bad day for Caesar : IDES.
47. "Verses" poet DiFranco : ANI. Heck of a singer, too. 4:16
48. Objecting word : BUT.
49. You can get down from them : EIDERS. Fun clue!
53. Concert harp parts : PEDALS.
55. Artistic structure : FORM. So many possibilities for the clue.
57. "Take Good Care of My Baby" singer Bobby : VEE. Oldie from 1961. 2:44
61. Emporium : MART.
64. Poetry muse : ERATO.
65. Component : UNIT.
66. "King of New York" director Ferrara : ABEL. Never saw the movie. Strong violence is not my cup of tea.
67. Gardener, at times : RAKER. Ohhh, my back! I finally got my flowers planted this week.
69. Oldest British service branch : NAVY.
70. Vehicles on runners : SLEDS.
71. Pentathlon weapon : EPEE. Shooting, swimming, equestrian and cross-country running round out the other four events in the modern pentathlon.
Down:
1. Desert plants with sword-shaped leaves : YUCCAS. I have three of these in my garden. So what did I put for an answer? "Agaves." D'uh!
2. Italicized : ASLANT. "A" word!
3. Rough house? : LEAN-TO. Anyone else want "tussle?" Nice misdirection.
4. 13th-century Scandinavian epic : EDDA.
5. Numbers that aren't programmed : ENCORES. Here's where Thursday clueing shines. Totally flummoxed me until I got some perps in place.
6. Fibrous sponge : LOOFA. I put this in, then took it out because I thought it was spelled "loofah." But I see that LOOFA is an alternate sp.
7. Melee : BRAWL. Ah, here's where the roughhousing comes in!
8. Sgt. Snorkel's bulldog : OTTO. Desper- shout out?
9. Spun : WHIRLED...or twirled. Just sayin'...
10. Spicy condiment : SALSA.
11. Color wheel unit : HUE.
12. Argumentative state : IRE.
13. What amateurs rarely shoot : PAR. Husker G., how'd you do today?
21. Eye on CBS, e.g. : LOGO. For more than 60 years now.
22. Actress Sorvino : MIRA. Oscar for her role in "Mighty Aphrodite."
26. Footnote abbr. : IBID. Short for "ibidem," meaning "in the same place."
27. Level-headed : SANE.
28. Quiche essentials : EGGS.
30. Page with some right angles? : OP-ED. Another nice misdirection.
31. Auto pioneer : OLDS.
34. Delicacy : TACT.
35. Literary olio : ANA.
36. Going into overtime : TIED. I would love to see a clue about this...4:58 (But the first 30 seconds make my point.)
37. "I need it yesterday!" : ASAP.
38. Country road : LANE.
39. "National Velvet" writer Bagnold : ENID.
43. Fit : ABLE.
44. Polishing outcomes : LUSTERS.
45. Babysitting nightmares : TERRORS. They're often holy.
46. Stylish ride : LIMO.
50. Make equal : EVEN UP.
51. Cook's Illustrated offering : RECIPE. Here's a great one for Beef Satay that I plan to try this weekend.
52. Lounge sofa : SETTEE.
54. In a germane manner : APTLY. Not to be confused with a German manor...
55. Bit of dandruff : FLAKE.
56. Stopped waffling : OPTED. "Are you in, or out?"
59. Kazakhstan border sea : ARAL.
60. Hardy's "___ the Obscure" : JUDE. It has also been called "Jude the Obscene," and was publicly burned by the Bishop of Wakefield because of it's scandalous themes of adultery, unmarried sex, murder and suicide. After receiving scathing reviews from his critics, Hardy never wrote another novel. (I'll have to read that one!!!)
61. Sixth-day creation : MAN.
62. Law school accrediting org. : ABA. American Bar Association.
63. Race in the driveway : REV. I'll leave you with this. Till next week!
Hugs,
Marti
Notes from C.C.:
1) Below is constructor's note from Peg Slay. She also said "I love your blog, and review it
daily after completing the crossword, or in some cases, to get the correct
answers. The bloggers are great and do a fantastic job."
I really like play-on-word themes, so the
first theme entry of my puzzle came pretty easy – Canal of Worms. The others were
more work. I really thank both Rich and Patti for their support and
patience through all the revisions sent through. I truly appreciate the
input they gave to me, a rookie, in getting this puzzle to print.
2) Happy Birthday to Splynter's mom! Hope he & his brothers make it extra special for you this year.
