Theme: Don’t quote me, but it is raining cats and dogs.
Hello from sunny but also often rainy South Florida, where we await our next tropical storm. This is I believe my first “quip” puzzle, as well as my first for this Bruce: (INTERVIEW) the words revealed themselves quickly, which was good because quips can be hard to get going, though many clues seemed perfect for me. Bruce V. is one of many skilled and prolific puzzle makers, who has more collaborative puzzles than anyone else I have seen, many lately with Gail G.. We get many of his themeless. He is best known for his 15 letter fill, and this puzzle is no exception. Finding a saying which breaks into symmetrical pieces is not easy. I hope all our cat owners enjoy.
In addition to the quip there are so many intertwined thoughts in this puzzle, including some fine long fill, and some other related clues, quite a few 4 letter fill, but it made it doable, so...
Let’s do this
17A. Start of a Quip: A DOG COMES WHEN HE (15)
27A. Quip, part 2: IS CALLED, BUT A (12)
38A. Quip, part 3: CAT WILL (7)
48A. Quip, part 4: TAKE A MESSAGE (12)
62A. End of the quip: AND GET BACK TO YOU (15)
Across:
We begin in my wheelhouse...
1. Seat of Florida's Marion County : OCALA. 28 miles down the road from Gainesville and law school, piece of cake.
6. Airhead : LOON. The official bird of the Corner (and Minnesota).
10. Nonkosher : TREF. Easy for a Jewish boy.
14. Tijuana address : SENOR. Finally, a bit tricky, not a street address, but like the Gettysburg.
15. Cooper's tool : ADZE. I am sure we all know by now the tool of this PROFESSION.
16. Incline : HILL.
20. Berry of "F Troop" : KEN. A Classic SITCOM. (1:16), and 50D. The BBC's "Pinwright's Progress" is reportedly the first TV one : SITCOM. I did not know this FACT.
21. Network with NEA funding : PBS. Public Broadcasting System.
22. Like some pasts : SORDID. Nice new word. (1)
23. Decked out : ADORNED. (2).
26. Contemporary of Dashiell : ERLE. Stanley Gardner creator of Perry Mason and others, who were contemporaries of 57A. "To speak the broken English is an enormous asset" speaker : POIROT.
32. Power, slangily : JUICE. used in many different contexts, such as referring to politicians, as well as electricity. A word that is a self pun.
35. Want ad initials : EOE. Equal Opportunity Employer.
36. First name in fashion : YVES St. LAURENT. Odd website design.
37. Lumber tree : ELM. and its mirror, 42A. Lodge member : ELK.
43. Cocktail party irritant : SNOB.
45. Agnus __ : DEI.
46. 80% of them come from South Australia : OPALS. By now all of you, not just Kazie must know this fact, as I seem to have a reference every Friday.
52. Skull and Bones members : ELIS. A Yale secret society for seniors, which brings us to our irritant, 12D. Curriculum range, briefly : ELHI.
53. Emphatic follow-up : I MEAN IT. mini-theme, 34D. "There's nothing wrong with me" : I'M OK. and 55D. "Came up short" : I LOST. But not, 59D. Author's inspiration : IDEA.
60. Pontiac muscle car : GTO. Gran Turismo Omolagato, name stolen from Ferrari.
61. Cautionary road sign : SLO.
66. Stead : LIEU. In stead of, in lieu of, nice law word.
67. Cartesian connection : ERGO. Cogito Ergo Sum, I think therefore I am, the Dualist philosophy of Rene Descartes, in Latin because that it made it Academic, just like Cartesian, a Latin form of the name Descartes which scholars thought sounded better in those days. Many books were translated into Latin to make them seem more profound. van Gulick for example translated the Pillow Books, from Chinese to Latin, to make them unavailable to the masses. Another story for another time.
68. Surrealism pioneer : ERNST. Max.
69. PDQ, in the ICU : STAT.
70. Pharmacy unit : DRAM.The liquid measure, and a favorite way to order whiskey in Scotland. Like
8D. Liq. measures : OZS. Ounces.
71. The FDIC may insure them : ACCTS. Accounts in banks, an abbreviation because FDIC is an abbreviation, sort of, though really an initialism.
Part II.
Down:
1. Honshu city : OSAKA. While many of the cities have five letters in this PROVINCE of Japan, with the "O" from Ocala, this was easy.
2. Relinquished : CEDED. Not to be confused with putting out stuff for your lawn.
3. Reprimand ending : A NO NO. "That's ...."
4. Roleo item : LOG. Not a misprint, even if you do not know this poor cousin of Rodeo, this one was as easy as falling of a....
5. Delaware's Twelve-mile Circle, e.g. : ARC. LINK.
6. 11th Greek letter : LAMBDA. probably time to memorize the Greek alphabet.
7. Works of Sappho : ODES. Ancient Greek woman poet who lived on an island, and is the supposed matriarch of the lesbian world. They did not have TMZ in those days, so we will never know. MUSICAL INTERLUDE.(3:26)
10. In that connection : THEREBY.(3) and a law word to boot.
11. Outer coating : RIND. Watermelon season is almost over.
13. Escaped : FLED.
18. '70s embargo gp. : OPEC. I was in LA doing music business when the first embargo hit, it was chaos in a place where everyone drives everywhere.
19. Tactic on a mat : HOLD. As someone who began wrestling in eighth grade and continued through college, this was easy. When I started I did not realize the opponents would be boys. Anyway, this should have been easy for everyone because it is followed by, 24D. Wrestler Flair : RIC. This BIMBA. (0:37)
25. Minute minute pt. : NSEC. A nanosecond. I love it being in the puzzle with 54D. Band that sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" a cappella at the 2000 World Series : 'N SYNC, the copy cat boy band formed after the success of the Backstreet Boys, both put together in Orlando, with Justin Timberlake (who is the name sponsor of this week's PGA event) being the emerging star from "N. Do not know them from the world series. MUSICAL INTERLUDE. (3:24). Some video for the crowd, forgive the ads..
26. Frail sci-fi race : ELOI. Yvette, why do you haunt my Fridays?
28. "Elmer Gantry" novelist : LEWIS. Sinclair, who wrote so many classic novels like Main Street, Babbitt, Arrowhead, and won the Pulitzer Prize for literature. I think he turned it down.
29. Where the iris is : UVEA. One of my favorite eye parts, even though I have hole in mine, but not related to 33D. Humerus neighbor : ULNA. Speaking of which, does anyone watch and find the new ABC series about aliens Neighbors, humorous?
30. Gambler's giveaway : TELL. Does anyone watch the World series of Poker on ESPN? Which oddly fits with, 60D. Lady of pop : GAGA. MUSICAL INTERLUDE.(3:36).
31. Tries to learn : ASKS.
32. Good-natured taunt : JEST. The heart and soul of the Corner, for me.
39. Checked in : ADMITTED. Like to a hospital, nice tricky clue. (4).
40. Driver's needs : TEES. I read the already filled in answer as TESS and was quite puzzled for a while. I finally got in the swing of the clue.
41. Opera house section : LOGE. Must we have this every day?
44. Result of too much suds? : BEER GUT. Not soap; for all my beer loving boys and for me (5).
47. Green shade : PEA. generally not a compliment.
49. Fleshy-leaved plant : ALOE. Also green, but very soothing in the sunburn south.
51. Crazy way to run : AMOK. I love how he slipped this in a puzzle with I'M OK to mess with your head!
56. Pushes : TOUTS. Just think racetrack, where you run into one of your
57. Friends : PALS. Who spoke with the jockey will let you in
58. Handling the problem : ON IT.
63. Icy comment : BRR. Well, we started near the soon to be freezing Minnesota, (C.C, Jeannie and the rest) so maybe it is time for a hot cup of...
64. Leaves in hot water : TEA.
65. Dungeons & Dragons foe : ORC. They are everywhere a good bad guy should be, and I am outta here.
Answer grid.
Thank Mr. V. for our Friday, and I hope you all enjoyed the product of this man's mind. Another week has flown by and the days are getting shorter, and sadly so am I. Thanks for stopping by and say what you want, until next time, I remain.
Lemonade 714
