Theme:: How to have great ABs. The letters AB are added to the beginning word of a known phrase to create a new and humorous new phrase. We still see so many addition on puzzles, so let's look and find what I believe new constructor Mr. McDermott has done to amuse us.
17A. Entrance exam study guide?: ABOUT DOORS. I really like the trickery of ENTRANCE EXAM cluing DOORS.
62A. Behar's home?: ABODE TO JOY. Beethoven's WORK is trivialized into the View hostess, Joy Behar.
11D. Steal office supplies?: ABDUCT TAPE. We recently discussed duct tape, now we our ABDUCTING (kidnapping) TAPE, fun.
28D. Missing letters?: ABSENT MAIL. SENT MAIL being an email concept, making this a fresh clue.
Happy Friday; Lemonade back on the job, with a doable but cleverly clued puzzle, with a simple theme, but many common answers clued differently, and 7 fill-in-the blank clues. When you are teaching some one to do crosswords, everyone suggests they start with the FITB clues. While you do this effort, I will highlight all the fill that I can twist into having a meaning directly for me, maybe you can do the same with different angles.
Across:
1. Put one's hands at ten and two: STEER. Very visual, but seldom followed by anyone after they secure their license.
6. Aptly named lotion: AFTA. A brand of AFTER shave.
10. 1970 NBA expansion team: CAVS. The Cleveland Cavaliers, and ex-home of LeBron James.
14. Poet Neruda: PABLO. He is becoming our poet laureate.
15. Affect, in slang: GRAB. How do Mr. McDermott's clues GRAB you so far?
16. Reed in a pit: OBOE. Orchestra pit, another nice visual.
19. Jim Davis pooch: ODIE. Well first you need to know who created GARFIELD, but better than the usual drool clue.
20. Parlor treat: SUNDAE. Lois and Carol probably had different treats in mind in their parlors.
21. "Break a leg": GOOD LUCK. You are never supposed to wish an actor good luck, though no one is sure why they must break a leg. One myth says it came from John Wiles Booth, who broke his leg when he leapt on stage to shoot Lincoln, bu that hardly makes sense.
23. Mediterranean high spot: ETNA. The mountain in Sicily. I would have LOVED the clue if left out the "spot."
25. Dazes: TRANCES.
26. They go nowhere: DEAD ENDS. Because of all our canals, Ft. Lauderdale has more dead end streets than any other city. (I just made up that fact!)
30. Lead singer Michaels of Poison: BRET. He had a very trying year with health problems, and the Donald, but he was once quite the STAR . ( I represent rock and roll bands).
31. Sphere: ORB. From the Latin Orbis, meaning circle. (It also can mean eye, and I studied Latin for years).
32. American Patriot Deane: SILAS. I suggest you read about this one time hero, one time pariah. LINK . (he was born in Conn. near where I was born).
34. Legally prevent: ESTOP. Both Latin and a legal term.
37. Game with a Ural territory: RISK. This game never thrilled me; not into war I guess.
39. Only part of Egypt in Asia: SINAI. Hard to recall Egypt is an African country.
41. "Ditto": SAME. How many remember DITTO and MIMEOGRAPH machines?
42. They're tucked in a cannonball: KNEES. Jumping into the pool to make a huge wave.
44. Suisse capital: BERNE. Ah ha, not EURO; I went to Switzerland to Ski. Berne? No it was quite chilly, actually.
46. Selfish sort: PIG. Ah, more about this.
47. Russian refusal: NYET. A shared MEMORY ?
49. Squash relative: RACQUETS. Squash actullly derived from this GAME .
51. Flanders city: ANTWERP. Belgium.
54. Sink or swim, perhaps: NOUN. Tricky, but becoming common.
55. Cross, often: MEMORIAL. So sad to see them on the edge of the highway.
57. Title for Bovary: MADAME. M. Flaubert's novel.
61. Man __: O WAR. Since we are approaching the Kentucky Derby, it is appropriate to see the first super horse in a puzzle.
64. John __, the Lone Ranger: REID. How many recall our discussion of the Green Hornet (because of the movie) who is Britt Reid, the nephew of the LR?
65. Atty.-to-be's exam: LSAT. I used to teach an LSAT prep class, to help kids get into Law School, many are now suing me for getting them in.
66. Maternally related: ENATE. Well, NATAL we know is birth, but did not know this word.
67. Six-sided rooms: ELLS. A nice change from the overhead trains.
68. Guidelines: Abbr.: STDS. Now for me, I would clue this Crabs and Clamydia, because of the following clue, 69. Battle of the __: SEXES.
Ok, on to the rest.
Down:
1. Mudbath offerers: SPAS. Also many places in the south now.
2. House of Dana perfume: TABU. This perfume was introduced in 1932, and used the creative spelling to get attention, something the Beatles capitalized on.
3. "By a swan's __ bill": Keats: EBON. Maybe CA knew this line, but the perps filled with this common poetic abbreviation.
4. Gave the runaround: ELUDED. My FAVORITE .
5. Spins: ROTATES.
6. Back: AGO.
7. Throat trouble: FROG. Got a frog in your throat, or are you croaking?
8. Card worth a fortune?: TAROT. Nice fresh way to clue this standard. With, 43D. 8-Down user: SEER.
9. Engross: ABSORB. A bit of a confusing fill, as it conflicts with the theme; deliberately?
10. Snoopy-wearing-shades trait: COOLNESS. he actually is Joe Cool, when he wears them.
12. Declare: VOICE. As in opinions, which reminds me where are WH?
13. Looks for: SEEKS.
18. Menace with a blond cowlick: DENNIS. A shout out to our own.
22. Schoolyard pressure: DARE. I like this clue, and certainly my earliest memories of the schoolyard were a series of stupid dares.
24. Stage surprise: AD LIB. It was always fun to watch White Fang and Black Tooth deliberately change things to throw Soupy Sales off his game.
26. Doofus: DORK. Funny, I just was explaining this to a foreign friend of mine.
27. "__ Brockovich": ERIN. Did you like the MOVIE ?
29. Less fruity?: SANER. Like fruit cake? Meh.
33. Wrap around a wrap, maybe: SARAN. Nice play on wrap/wrap.
35. Drop: OMIT.
36. Identifies: PEGS. My ex-wife's least favorite nickname. She thought she had me pegged.
38. Googling elements: KEY WORDS. Actually, it is AOL that used that term.
40. Net __: INCOME. When I was a kid I was fascinated why anyone would consider money GROSS income.
45. Puts on a par (with): EQUATES.
48. Olympic qualifying events: TRIALS. Well he could have use a legal clue....
50. Incomplete: UNDONE. We are almost done, so hang in.
51. Martin's "That's __": AMORE. DEAN remember when we loved our drunks?
52. Staircase support: NEWEL. We have had this clue before; also my son Devin's middle name is Newell. Speaking of brewers of beer, he is offically a brewer now, with business card.
56. Pack: LOAD. I caution him not to get too loaded at work.
58. Trojan War hero: AJAX. I am sure you all recall this giant redheaded warrior, and my betta.
59. Floating speck, perhaps: MOTE. Which is what I have floating in my eyes because of all the surgeries.
60. Looks closely at: EYES. Did I mention eyes?
63. Some NFL linemen: DTS. Last week it was Delerium Tremens, I guess that means the draft is on and we all need some Defensive Tackles.
Well, another new guy, another new experience. have a great week-end, here comes May!
Lemonade
