Theme: IN RE FRIDAY. The letters RE are placed In front of the second word of phrases in the language, creating a new and scintillating expression. This puzzle appears to be the LAT debut of the NYT wunderkid DAVID STEIN-BERG who while in middle school at 14, had his first NYT puzzle published. I am so impressed by this and his other work, considering his age and varied knowledge. The theme is simple, but he packed lots of letter 2 11's, 2 13's and the grid-spanning middle. Two of the theme fill are very witty and the puzzle is not filled with teenage trivia, like rappers or JWOW. Let's get to work.
17A. Communications problem?: PHONE RECALL. Like some iPhones.
20A. Summary of a shrinking mass? POLAR ICE RECAP. The Polar Ice Cap revisited.
36A. Title for the longest bridge?: EXTENSION RECORD. I hope you all plugged into the theme by this point.
50A. Construction site order?: RAISE THE REBAR. We all remember the use of rebar to reinforce.
57A. Hardly the award for Chernobyl?: BEST REACTOR. Sick nuclear disaster humor; I like this kid.
So now we examine the rest of his effort.
Across:
1. Pre-Columbian Indians: INCAS. Were all up and down the west coast of South America, if you want to know more, read this LINK.
6. Went headfirst, maybe: SLID. Pete Rose comes to mind.
10. Persian, for one: CAT. Pretty but they shed and destroy those with dander allergies.
13. Wild weather: STORM. My favorite LINK.(2:14)
14. Heavy reading: TOMES. The other half of pithy from earlier this week.
16. Suffix with Seattle: ITE. Our constructor is from Washington State.
19. Sleep acronym: REM. Rapid Eye Movement. What happens when you dream.
22. Capital of Colorado?: CEE. The letter which is capitalized. Not capital.
24. T designation: LGE. T shirt size.
25. Marlin's son, in a 2003 film: NEMO. Marlin, voiced by Albert Brooks, is Nemo's father and Coral is Nemo's mother. Both are clownfish.
17A. Communications problem?: PHONE RECALL. Like some iPhones.
20A. Summary of a shrinking mass? POLAR ICE RECAP. The Polar Ice Cap revisited.
36A. Title for the longest bridge?: EXTENSION RECORD. I hope you all plugged into the theme by this point.
50A. Construction site order?: RAISE THE REBAR. We all remember the use of rebar to reinforce.
57A. Hardly the award for Chernobyl?: BEST REACTOR. Sick nuclear disaster humor; I like this kid.
So now we examine the rest of his effort.
Across:
1. Pre-Columbian Indians: INCAS. Were all up and down the west coast of South America, if you want to know more, read this LINK.
6. Went headfirst, maybe: SLID. Pete Rose comes to mind.
10. Persian, for one: CAT. Pretty but they shed and destroy those with dander allergies.
13. Wild weather: STORM. My favorite LINK.(2:14)
14. Heavy reading: TOMES. The other half of pithy from earlier this week.
16. Suffix with Seattle: ITE. Our constructor is from Washington State.
19. Sleep acronym: REM. Rapid Eye Movement. What happens when you dream.
22. Capital of Colorado?: CEE. The letter which is capitalized. Not capital.
24. T designation: LGE. T shirt size.
25. Marlin's son, in a 2003 film: NEMO. Marlin, voiced by Albert Brooks, is Nemo's father and Coral is Nemo's mother. Both are clownfish.
26. Caused an insurrection: UPROSE. Hence uprising.
28. Court maneuver: PIVOT. Basketball court.
32. Jungle noise: ROAR. She is woman.
33. Characterize : DESCRIBE. A literal clue and fill.
40. Two-part answer: YES AND NO. Do you love this puzzle?
41. Vet: EX-GI. Great letter combo with fair clue.
42. Bangkok natives: THAIS. You heard of the ones who liked using string. The Thais that bind.
43. Pennsylvania home of Lafayette College: EASTON. More famous to me for the ASSASSIN.
45. Control: TAME. You can slow him down, but you cannot keep him down.
48. Well-chosen: APT. The In Re theme was well chosen for me.
49. Colorado native: UTE.
56. Signs of press conference uncertainty: UMS. Gee, ahh, you know...
60. Type of screen, briefly: LCD. Liquid Crystal Display. Not to be confused with LSD.(see 37D).
61. Put down: WRITE. C'mon put down your thoughts on paper and give them to me. But don't put me down when you do. Put me down for two tickets.
62. Prey catcher: TALON. Eagles Falcons, and not from the NFL.
63. "__-hoo! : YOO. The drink?
64. Marine: Abbr.: NAUT.ical.
65. City south of Florence: SIENA. Part of TUSCANY. Also San Gimigiano from Martha Grimes and Melrose Plant. With 4D. Florence's river ARNO. LINK
Down:
1. Co. for surfers: ISP. Internet Service Provider. web not water surfers.
2. Degree in math?: NTH. Soundth right to me.
3. Work together: COOPERATE. We Corner denizens try.
5. Is suspicious: SMELLS. Something smells rotten in Denmark. Our Will reference of the day.
6. Firewood measure: STERE. The old metric name for a cubic meter. In the US we do our cut wood in cords.
7. Activity centers : LOCI. Just Latin for Place..
8. Apple's G5, e.g.: iMAC. Any of you own one?
9. Take out: DELE. Before you get all nit and picky, this is a WORD, not an abbreviation.
10. Enchantress who lived on the island Aeaea: CIRCE. Which relates to 21D. Draws in: ENTICES. Do you all remember the SIRENS link with ELLE?
11. Starters: A-TEAM. When I had the ATE, I was confused trying to recall a two letter appetizer.
12. Presto, for one: TEMPO. JzB, can you teach all our choices?
15. 35mm camera initials: SLR.. single-lens reflex. The name derives from the reflection of the image.
18. Continue violently: RAGE. A dangerous thing.
22. Medicine, one would hope: CURE. Seldom the case, more likely to find something for you to take for the rest of your days.
23. Modeling aid: EPOXY. A strong glue, but Dennis and his hobby store can tell you more.
27. Agamemnon's avenger: ORESTES. My sons FIL and a great piece of MYTHOLOGY.
28. Lowly workers: PEONS. It is not true this word comes from describing the poor serfs who were outside the wall when the Lords and Ladies had to relieve themselves.
29. "This __ joke!": IS NO. I know nut I am trying hard to get there.
30. Taper?: VCR. You, the machine which tapes.
31. Its processing produces slag: ORE. Isn't slag a great word, and a new way to clue a cw staple.
33. Actress Conn: DIDI. A semi call out to our own FRENCHIE, Conn's character in GREASE.
34. Critter in a domed shell: BOX TURTLE.A North American species which like man, eats pretty much everything it can catch.
35. Cereal killer: ERGOT. Really fun clue to describe this disease that attacks plants, especially grains like Rye. It is the root of LSD, and may have created the Salem witch hysteria. If you want to know more you can go to this LINK, or maybe you want to try some LSD? 37D. "Forget it!": NAH.
38. "'Twas white then as the new-fa'en __": Alexander Anderson: SNA. Snow in the highlands. I miss CA and her poems, anyway AA wrote the classic CUDDLE DOON.
39. Thing to do in style: DINE. Bill G. has recounted many a fine meal here.
43. Foil alternative: EPEE. With the saber, the three fencing swords.
44. Diamond turns: AT BATS. Baseball diamond.
45. For real: TRULY.
46. Transmission repair franchise: AAMCO. Luckily for you all I could not find the double A M C O jingle.
47. Screw up: MIS DO. In Game of Thrones, people mislike, not dislike.
48. Stop on the Métro?: ARRET. Our French lesson of the day, the word just mean stop, but the accent aigu tells you it is French.
51. "Charlotte's Web" monogram: EBW. Elwyn Brooks White, who also wrote of Stuart Little and Elements of Style.
52. Beach flier: TERN. Relatives of the Gulls, but not this SONG (4:02).
53. Yu the Great's dynasty: HSIA. I defer to you C.C., as I thought his was the XIA dynasty. (From C.C.: Xia (Mandarin) and Hsia (Cantonese) are the same. Xia means "summer". Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang... order of Chinese dynasties. Hence my Mandarin name Zhou Qin, two of the consecutive dynasties whose capital was in Xi'An, where I grew up.)
54. Famous last words: ET TU. Brutus.
55. Berry used as a dietary supplement: ACAI. The miracle drug of the internet; if I were paid for every unwanted ad I received on this very blue berry...
58. Bass ending: OON. Our musical clue; not to be confused with the OBOE.
59. Protein-building polymer: RNA. Polymer is from the Greek POLY meaning many, MER parts; it is now associated with large molecules with repeating structure. Beyond that, ask our scientists.
Answer grid.
Well another Lemonade special in the books, it was fun, but a 15 year old? Why was I not doing this then? More winter in PA and early spring in WI? Have a great week all and welcome David; I know it must be past your bedtime, but we will talk in the morning.
