Theme: Author, Author. Write me a pun.
Another intricate web spun by a true renaissance man John Lampkin, who flexes his intimate knowledge of music, amusement and creepy crawlies to create a really challenging Friday fracas. (Bill G., look what you and your kerfuffling has done!). The four theme answers are set in pairs, two across and two down with a fifth entry in the middle; they each take in the language phrases/words and with a new clue create new phrases where the second word in each is a form of writing creating the first level of puns. The melange of clechos, and twisted definitions made this quite the kaleidoscope. While there may be one or two groaners, the overall fill is wonderful, with some nice intermediates like AS IT WERE, COLD FEET, HOMESPUN, KNEE DEEP each of which interesects another of the 8 letter fill with the awesome knee deep/cold feet and new ways to clue some others. Let's get to it.
17A. Article about a bottle of whiskey?: FIFTH COLUMN.(11). I read all about the threat of the fifth column in Great Britain, France and the US in the 30's and 40's. LINK. John gives us the more benign discussion of why is booze sold in 1/5 of a gallon container rather than the more common 1/4 gallon, also known as a quart.
62A. Essay for grammar class? : PERIOD PIECE.(11). A write up about proper usage of a period might not be too interesting, but I am sure one about commas will always start debate.
41A. Autobiography?: I BOOK. I-BOOK becomes a book about the author. Multiple layer pun.
11D. Report on the site of the Humpty-Dumpty tragedy?: WALL PAPER.(9). My favorite and the one which revealed the theme. Like the other down clue, JL takes a word and splits in two to reveal the new and silly answer.
34D. Drama about Trigger? : HORSE PLAY.(9). By making both of the down theme answers derived from a single word, JL added another layer of symmetry to his work. While I love Roy Rogers, it is creepy to picture Trigger stuffed and on display (not that play?). Did I mention I liked the horse which portrayed Silver in the new Lone Ranger movie?
Across:
1. '90s-'00s first baseman Martinez : TINO. Man, I thought I was going to breeze through this puzzle as I just watched on Wednesday night, a local Miami Marlin telecast where the new Marlin hitting coach and former Yankee star was interviewed. Then to make sure I was right, I did 1 down, and it was a college my Uncle went to.....
5. Batter like the wind : BUFFET
11. Best in a game : WIN. Best the verb, not the noun. Notice how John has Tino, batter and Win all across the top.
14. Whole thing, or its part : UNIT. The team was an effective unit, or each unit was part of the team?
15. Maroon : ENISLE. I fought this one for a while, but where do people get marooned? Gilligan's mountain?
16. Old ring leader? : ALI. More splitting words and not hairs; a ring leader, not a ringleader. He was the Greatest.
19. Bar in the shower : LUX. As soon as I had the L, I had it because what other soap is three letters with an L? It also begins the clechomania. 29A. Bar in the kitchen : OLEO. Give him a pat on the back for working this pair in.
20. Blowup cause : TNT. Another dynamite deception.
21. Prefix with bound : EAST. This was another one I did not have much faith in until the Tada. I kept remembering this very obscene SCENE.(1:23). No nudity, but the language is very coarse, please do not view if offended by bad language and imagery.
22. Loud salute : SALVO. Twenty-one guns make a lot of noise.
24. Bird's-eye view provider : SKYCAM. You see them hanging there is all the sporting events. VIEW.
26. Folksy : HOMESPUN. Like Will Rogers or the Prairie Home Companion.
31. Composer/conductor Boulanger : NADIA. No Comăneci for JL, but the creator of THIS, (19:37), as well as "teacher" of Aaron Copland, Quincy Jones, Piazzolla, Michel Legrand, Leonard Bernstein, Philip Glass, Ginette Neveu and so many more...(various sources).
32. Macy's competitor : KOHL'S. I love this store, where you can buy dress shirts, towels, coffee makers and more all at great prices. The store began as a grocery chain in Wisconsin, but in the last 10 years it has expanded into 49 states. The family bought the basketball team I think.
35. Black, to Jacques : NOIR. Just love the rhyme in the clue.
37. Hardly a back rd. : TPKE. Abbreviated clues mean abbreviated ans.
40. Walked : TROD. This took a while even though it is a simple word.
42. Unwanted growth : WEED. I wanted WART, well actually I never wanted a wart but I was thinking of on the body like...oh never mind.
43. One born unfree : SERF. Unfree; great clue.
44. Beaver's expletive? : DAMN. Dam, he is probably right.
45. Antarctic phenomena : BERGS, this and its partner, 53A. Antarctic phenomenon : ICE CAP were extremely difficult for me and I spent way too much time in the southwest corner as I was trying to put in the more esoteric. mirages, parhelia, halos, arcs, midnight sun
46. They can make good impressions : SEALS. Like the old days where wax seals were on everything, and lawyers used silver to seal all deeds.
48. Start to get going : STIR. Not a creature was stirring. How are you Creature? And, 57A. Get going : HOP TO.
50. Seriously involved : KNEE DEEP. We will not speculate as to what substance JL had in mind...
58. Downwind : ALEE. Not Ann from the Shakers, not Robert, just another crossword staple.
60. Put in service : USE. Notice how this juxtaposes the next clue
61. Service-related: Abbr. : MILitary.
66. That niña : ESA. Spanish.
67. Faddish : TRENDY.
68. King with a notable nape : LION. JL is my main man here.
69. King of Spain : REY. More Spanish.
70. Den piece : SETTEE. Put your buttee on my..close to the Lion answer to add to the fun...
71. They evolved from wasp-like ancestors : ANTS. You can see the resemblance in this wonderful picture form the photographic artistry of our John Lampkin. Notice the ant grooming the ambush bug reveling in its kill.
Down:
1. New England school with a campus in the French Alps : TUFTS. This research University should be familiar to our New England group as it sits in Medford/Somerville, Massachusetts. My Uncle did a study on bird anatomy while there.
2. Indelibly : IN INK. The way certain arrogant solvers do their puzzles.
3. Peachy-keen : NIFTY. This whole puzzle.....
4. Cooperstown's Mel : OTT. I was playing in my head the Gary Cooper scene, as Lou Gehrig, where he says he is the luckiest man in the world, when Mel reappeared..
5. Evolved into : BECAME. I did not want to put this in, with 10D. Became anxious : TENSED, which I had filled first...it really did make me all tense.
6. Juan's "some" : UNOS. Yes, un poco mas. I do not speak Spanish.
7. Laundry challenge : FILTH. So many five letter laundry problems, stain, grime...In GB they call the police the filth.
8. Seminoles' sch. : FSU. In keeping with my luck in solving, Florida State University in Tallahassee (known as the girls college to U. of Florida grads) is the alma mater of son one and his bride and we do know Seminole. My favorite casino.
9. Certain leaf beetle's target : ELM. More insect trivia, though this pic is not John's.
12. Candy heart message : I LUV U. It is safe to tell someone you luv them because by spelling it wrong you are released from all promises.
13. "___ in China": John Adams opera : NIXON. Another composer from John who also composes. Watch.(6;33) I wonder what they thought in China. C.C.? (From C.C.: Nixon is very well respected in China due to his groundbreaking visit.)
18. Makes sound : HEALS. Extra tricky right next to a musical "sound' clue.
23. So to speak : AS IT WERE. Fun phrase.
25. Cause of a sudden withdrawal : COLD FEET. I knew 'her husband's key in the door' would not fit.
27. Shallot relatives : ONIONS. I enjoy the discussion of the various members of the onion family set out by Rex Stout in his Nero Wolfe books.
28. Dog-ear, e.g. : MARK. I would never mark my place by dog earring a book; it must hurt the page. You could tell if Wolfe liked a book by how he marked his place.
30. Hoping to score : ON BASE. Where is Dennis now that we need his comments; a nice little baseball clue slipped in. Those were impressive eyes.
32. Valuable rock nos. : KTS. karats, followed by 33D. Rock with promise : ORE. and 59D. Rock band? : LODE.
36. Tuba player's mantra? : OOM. Oh, pah, he takes the standard OM and makes it fit music.
38. Suds holder : KEG. After seeding our mind with thoughts of soap, he flashes this beer reference to make a three letter fill a bit of a challenge.
39. Mag wheels? : EDS. Magazine and editors. Another use of word play.
41. Like a bump on a log : IDLE. Did your parents say to you, "Well don't just sit there like a bump on a log."
45. ___ curls : BICEP. 2 days a week for me, using dumbbells.
47. Accepts, as a resolution : ADOPTS. If you do minutes for corporations, you see every resolution that passes is adopted.
49. Eye-popping shirt : TIE DYE. I think he meant it this way.
50. ___ Rouge : KHMER. With this letter progression I am surprised we do not see more of this horrible BUNCH which got its name from all the red blood it shed in Cambodia.
51. Tumult : NOISE. There you go Bill G.
52. Manet's medium : PAINT. Sometimes, I really hate doing puzzles. I spent way too long trying to adjust OILS or impressionism into the fill when the answer emerged, I wanted to...
54. Bring up to speed : CUE IN. This for me was the eh, but maybe I just do not know it.
55. Race site for 300+ years : ASCOT. I am sure John knew they are RACING this week end. It was founded 302 years ago by Queen Anne.
56. Rounded hand-tool parts : PEENS. I think I can HAMMER this concept home.
63. Previous to : ERE. The only fill needing no comment. Oops, too late.
64. IRA part: Abbr. : RETirement.
65. Dockworker's gp. : ILA. And our parting shot, International Longshoremen's Association.
Well along with composing, traveling to take pictures, lecturing, playing music, studying all kinds of flying things, it is a pleasure to have Mr. Lampkin back to leave us a summer present. Thanks JL and thank you all for watching this weeks episode. (JL, no J?)
Lemonade out.
Note from C.C.:
Happy 83nd Birthday to dear Sallie, who is bravely fighting cancer. Click here if you missed the Naples Corner gathering pictures.
Every time someone on the blog says "Happy Belated Birthday to ....", I'll think of Sallie, who taught us the correct form is "Belatedly Happy Birthday to ....!"
