Theme: It's FFriday not TThursday! Each of the four theme answers are Expressions in which "TT" is replaced by "FF." The classic letter transposition but two for the price of one. The reveal at the end is there just in case. This is our second puzzle from Mr. Takaro, and it is filled with lots of new clue/fill and an amusing bunch of phrases. We have last seen him in February, 2011 and he is my fifth puzzler to have his first LAT 2012 fall on Friday. Let's see:
20A. Legume polisher? : PEANUT BUFFER (BUTTER). First you have to recall peanuts are not nuts. My mind went to a bad place with Mr. Peanut and his fluffer, made my heart flutter.
28A. Singer Al after a jog? : PUFFING (PUTTING) GREEN. More golf and the singer famous for Let's Stay Together.
48A. Reptiles won at fundraisers? : RAFFLE (RATTLE) SNAKES. My Favorite visual, " Imagine Jack's surprise when he got home and opened his prize..."
56A. Cubicle reorganization? : SPACE SHUFFLE (SHUTTLE). And the hint:
70A. Punching tool ... or, read differently, a hint to 20-, 28-, 48- and 56-Across : F IS T. Parsing the word is key to the key. My problem with this as the hint is there are many "T"s in the puzzle and only the double ones become F.
Across:
1. Losing casino roll : CRAP. Well drat, I guess I picked the wrong week to give up cursing!
5. Motorola's Droid __ phone : RAZR. The latest version of Motorola's signature phone.
20A. Legume polisher? : PEANUT BUFFER (BUTTER). First you have to recall peanuts are not nuts. My mind went to a bad place with Mr. Peanut and his fluffer, made my heart flutter.
28A. Singer Al after a jog? : PUFFING (PUTTING) GREEN. More golf and the singer famous for Let's Stay Together.
48A. Reptiles won at fundraisers? : RAFFLE (RATTLE) SNAKES. My Favorite visual, " Imagine Jack's surprise when he got home and opened his prize..."
56A. Cubicle reorganization? : SPACE SHUFFLE (SHUTTLE). And the hint:
70A. Punching tool ... or, read differently, a hint to 20-, 28-, 48- and 56-Across : F IS T. Parsing the word is key to the key. My problem with this as the hint is there are many "T"s in the puzzle and only the double ones become F.
Across:
1. Losing casino roll : CRAP. Well drat, I guess I picked the wrong week to give up cursing!
5. Motorola's Droid __ phone : RAZR. The latest version of Motorola's signature phone.
9. Smart way to think? : TWICE. Or not if you believe this SONG.(3:00)
14. Probate determination : HEIR. Our law clue out of the way.
15. Case for tiny scissors : ETUI. We have had this word a few time already for this decorative case or box.
16. Time to strike : H-HOUR. Not familiar with this term, but it makes sense, D-Day, H-Hour.
17."Guess the joke's __" : ON ME. Every Friday, like clockwork.
18. Rory McIlroy's game : GOLF. Golf's number 1, for now. He had an okay day Thursday.
19. Lightens : EASES. Like loads.
23. Play matchmaker for : SET UP. Are any of our couples the product of a set up? Not me, ever.
24. "Mad Men" revenue : AD FEES. The award winning AMC SHOW.(0:59).
33. Prefix with gram : ANAgram. A true CW puzzle delight. Mr. TAKARO is A RAT, OK?
36. City known for its cheese : PARMA. HOW TO.(5:11)
37. Country rocker Steve : EARLE. No clue, he sings is all I know and appeared on 30 Rock.
38. Matter of opinion : POLL. An appropriate clue in this election year.
40. Powerfully built : BEEFY. Ladies?
42. Level : TIER. There, there dear; I know we did not get good seats but don't cry.
43. First sign, astrologically : ARIES. Really? Jeannie who has a birthday Sunday is an Aries I think. HBDTY.
45. She played Addie in "Paper Moon" : TATUM. Ryan's little girl and McEnroe's ex.
47. Advance teaching deg. : EDD. Better than Kookie Byrnes?
51. Where to take it from? : THE TOP. No, we are not going back to 1A, we march on!
52. Civil rights org. : NAACP. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; isn't CP very un-PC?
61. Expand, as a compressed file : UNZIP. Carol, Lois, Jeannie; where are you when the puzzle calls your banes?
64. Mélange : OLIO. A very useful word and easier to spell than miscellany. Reminds me of OLEO, MARGARINE and BUTTER, a melange à trois.
65. Logic lesson verb : ERAT. I get it already, QED!
66. Soft leather : SUEDE.
67. Plasma bits : IONS. I cannot get the link to stay, but it is physics and both interesting and a little gross.
68. Variable quantity : SOME. Not too many, not too few.
69. Didn't go on : ENDED. Yes, the acrosses did not go on...
71. Sugar and spice amts. : TSPS. and everything nice, right ladies?
DOWN:
1. Preps for the chef, say : CHOPS. I love when someone chops the veggies when I cook.
2. Soprano Fleming : RENEE. Not your typical Opera STAR.
3. Go for : AIM AT. A nice naddorish two word answer, tricky to suss.
4. Celeb wedding feature, often : PRE-NUPtial. Is it love or is it money? More reason to not do domestic cases.
5. U.S. Army unit : REGimenT.
6. Minimal step : A TO B. Followed immediately by:
7. Phonetic alphabet ender : ZULU. Along with, 63D: Down-under 10-point game tile : ZED.
8. 9-Down solo : RIFF. 100 greatest? LINK.
9. U2 guitarist : THE EDGE. At WORK (1:23) riffing.
10. Dock pest : WHARF RAT. Do you like The Grateful Dead or this sculpture?
11. Island in the Aegean : IOS. This is one of the Cyclades, which is the island chain where my oldest worked a dig one summer.
12. Prompt : CUE. Showbiz, here we are.
13. EMS destinations : ERS. Emergecny Room (s).
21. "__ and away!" : UP UP. Many a broadcaster uses this when calling a home run (baseball for you sports haters).
22. Smoke, slangily : FAG. was the popular term when I first smoked in the 60's. We got the term from the British, right Steve? Nice Cuppa? Not to be confused with 29D. "Neato!" : FAB.
25. Weird : EERIE. Followed by another EE favorite...
26. Fished with pots : EELED.
27. Bergen dummy : SNERD. MORTIMER. (1:50) Candice Bergen's dad and one her "brother's."
30. Wrings one's hands, say : FRETS. Do not fret dear, I will buy you a guitar.
31. "Let me try that again ..." : I MEAN. What I am trying to say...
32. Three-nation pact of the '90s : NAFTA. North American Free Trade Agreement, US, Canada and Mexico.
33. Estranged : APART. my wife and I are...
34. "Don't Know Why" singer Jones : NORAH. Special talent, daughter of Ravi Shankar, Mr. Sitar, but much prettier to look at and LISTEN TO. (3:59).
35. Biography subtitle : A LIFE.
39. Sailor's port : LEFT SIDE. Yay!
41. Laugh syllable : YUK. This is an actual dictionary word, yuk yuk.
44. Fed, in a way : SLOPPED. Soo eee, pig pig pig.
46. Bistro window posting : MENU. More and more have no prices in the window.
49. Clean Air Act org. : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.
50. Alarmed to the max : SAFEST. I was thinking of being alarmed...
53. Puffy dos : AFROS. and Puffy don'ts LINK
54. Workshop tool : CLAMP.
55. "__ Dragon": 1977 Disney film : PETE'S. LINK. (4:42) 35 years already, wow.
57. Hair affair : COIF. Time for rhyme.
58. Sci-fi race : ELOI. No Yvette today.
59. Wrongs : SINS, Getting all religious, with a very nicely clued 62D. One in an order : NUN.
60. Run the show : HOST. Today you are all my guests at C.C.'s Corner.
61. Make the most of : USE. Hopefully I made the most of this Friday frolic, and you are all filled with fun. It all went too quickly, another case of premature elucidation, I am afraid. Until next time your man Friday...
Answer grid.
λεμονάδα επτακόσιες δεκατέσσερις. Hint λ is a lambda.
Lemonade
Notes from C.C.:
1) Huge congratulations to Mangesh Ghogre & Todd Gross for their Wall Street Journal debut today. Mangesh is an investment banker. He said having a puzzle published by WSJ is "incredible moment for me". You can go to Cruciverb and click/solve the puzzle on the right sidebar.
3) Mangesh is also featured in this week's edition of Open. Read here.
