I guess Steve would have been the ideal blogger for this one, as saying "F" in place of "TH" is apparently very common in parts of the British Isles. This is my first time reviewing Paul, though he has had a few LAT's and a few NYT's, half of which have been Sunday puzzles. I always enjoy the puzzles that use sound, so this was in my wheelhouse. The 4 theme answers are all long, cramming 58 letters in the theme. Lots of nice words like AL DAVIS, ANILINE, GLORY BE, MCMUFFIN, UV FILTER, HOT AND COLD, STARS ON ICE, as well as some very difficult cluing make this feel like a real Friday. Well let's get to work.
17A. Guys with plenty of time for child care? : FREEMEN AND A BABY. (15). (Three Men and a Baby). The Tom Selleck, Ted Danson movie. WATCH. (1:12)
26A. Lament following an Elizabethan wardrobe malfunction? : THE FRILL IS GONE.(14). The Thrill is gone. I love the tying of the frilly clothes of the distant past with a modern event, so named from the famous Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson Super Bowl event.
41A. Like Barney with his pal? : HANGING BY A FRED. (14) (Hanging by a thread). A Flintstone sighting; how cool even if the fill is a bit tortured.
53A. Got locked out of a Finnish sauna during winter? : FROZE IN THE TOWEL.(15) (Throws in the towel). This is a nice visual, but the "th" in "the" makes the fill more confusing to me.
Across:
1. Dominion : REALM. An odd word where the "A" is completely silent.
6. Food on a stick : KEBAB. This for me is the correct spelling, but you need to be flexible.
11. Olympus OM-2, briefly : SLR. Single Lens Reflex. I have this clue/fill so often. 36D. Outdoor camera user's accessory : UV FILTER. To dampen the sun.
14. Templo Mayor builder : AZTEC. This temple built in what is now Mexico City. LINK.
15. Home to some mollusks : ATOLL. My favorite is the BIKINI ATOLL,
"The island's English name is derived from the German colonial name Bikini given to the atoll when it was part of German New Guinea. The German name is transliterated from the Marshallese name for the island, Pikinni, "Pik" meaning "surface" and "Ni" meaning "coconut", or surface of coconuts(Per wiki). I wonder what people have to pay to visit there.
16. Plus : TOO.
20. Stirling topper : TAM. Back in the British Isles, this is the biggest CITY in central Scotland, home of the Tam O'sahnter.
21. One in Marseille : UNE. Straight French, no trickiness at all ( not to be confused with...).
22. Is gaga over : ADORES.
23. Astern : AFT.
24. They're established : GIVENS. Of course, that is a given!
31. Hei-tiki wearers : MAORI. Tiki is the Maori Adam.
32. Passes between peaks : COLS. A complete unknown and learning experience for me. It is the literal name for passes which exist between mountains.
33. "Stat!" : NOW. Nurses love this.
34. Pop star John : ELTON. Olivia Newton would not fit.
35. Sched. producer : IRS. Internal Revenue Service.
36. Tie together : UNITE.
38. Island R&B derivative : SKA.
39. "Dragonwyck" author Seton : ANYA. I was familiar with Foxfire, not this one. LINK.
40. Resolution targets : VICES. I like this clue, though I do not do New Year's resolutions.
45. "Twisted" actress Richards : DENISE. Charlie Sheen's ex, perhaps most famous for her scene with Neve.
46. Short life story? : BIOgraphy. This is how I like my three letter clues and fill. Snappy.
47. Small power source : AA CELL.
49. The lot : ALL.
50. Banff Upper Hot Springs, e.g. : SPA. Heh Canadian Eh!
57. Feel rotten : AIL.
58. End of __ : AN ERA.
59. Remove : ERASE.
60. Gnarly relative : RAD.
61. Greek salad features : FETAS. The cheese, please.
62. Lets : RENTS. Again more common over the pond, having a room to let.
Down:
1. Slew : RAFT. A fun, tricky secondary meaning for raft 2 (raft) n. Informal: A great number, amount, or collection: "As the prairie dog goes, conservation biologists say, so may go a raft of other creatures" (William K. Stevens).
2. University founder Cornell : EZRA. A slam dunk for our resident Cornell grad.
3. "Up and __!" : AT 'EM. Always reminds of this WEIRDNESS. (1:41).
4. Sheltered side : LEE. Not from Robert E.
5. Nationwide sandwich debut of 1972 : MCMUFFIN. I only found the ad from 1978. (0:31).
6. Citizen of Little Salem, Colorado : KANE. The award winning movie with Orson Welles and Rosebud.
7. Flight stat : ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.
8. It's good for Michel : BON. Just a French translation, signaled by the name.
9. NFL owner who moved the Oakland Raiders to L.A. and back : AL DAVIS. A true pioneer, innovator and force in the AFL. Also, apparently a crazy man who wanted to control every decision. His son now runs the team.
10. 11-Down supporters : BLADES. The in word for skates.
11. Show founded as a vehicle for Scott Hamilton : STARS ON ICE. I did not know this was why they started this troupe.
12. Ear piece : LOBE.
13. Acuff and Orbison : ROYS. Two wonderful singers and my father's nickname.
18. __'acte : ENTR. More French, between the acts.
19. Big Ben sound : BONG. Onomatopoeia.
23. Prefix with ballistic : AERO. I almost went ballistic trying to make sense of this one. I guess I do not shoot enough guns or missile launchers.
24. "Hallelujah!" : GLORY BE. Fun phrase, and the first of four such fill. I enjoyed them all, even if they took a while.
25. "That's for sure!" : I'LL SAY.
26. __ blue streak : TALK A. Why blue? The suggestion was either (a) like lightening, or (b) face turning blue from forgetting to breathe.
27. Inconsistent way to run : HOT AND COLD. So many people are this way.
28. Baker's creations : ICINGS. Another easy answer I found very difficult, because I was looking for a result not an ingredient, or part of the process.
29. Pointed out : NOTED.
30. Milk sources for Pecorino cheese : EWES. Many who love this cheese do not know it comes from SHEEP.
31. Fit together well : MESH.
37. Actor Robert De __ : NIRO. Hard to remember he was ever young.
39. Dye compound : ANILINE. Read all about IT.
42. "Holy moly!" : GEEZ. A marti word.
43. Greening up : IN LEAF. I know this is legit (Idioms 17. in leaf, covered with foliage; having leaves: the pale green tint of the woods newly in leaf. Dictionary.com ) but I cannot imagine any of us ever actually saying this.
44. Willing cohort? : ABLE. Cute, from the phrase "ready, willing and able."
47. Way out there : AFAR.
48. Musical highlight : ARIA. This fill appears in so many puzzles.
49. Cries of discovery : AHAS.
50. Sibelius' "The __ of Tuonela" : SWAN. Not my area of expertise, I will let JzB and others discuss, but here it is by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra LINK. (9:00).
51. Unwanted visitor : PEST. In every sense of the word.
52. Some pints : ALES. Yeah beer! Hi Tinman. Supporting my children. The taproom my son manages just received this: LINK.
54. Fishing aid : NET.
55. Musical syllable : TRA. La la.
56. Profitable rock : ORE. Or Dwayne Johnson?
Well I had to refresh my recollection using the dictionary to make sense out of some of the fill that the perps provided, but in the end it was done and another Friday in the record books and another month gone by. Spring really is here, it just may snow some more. Enjoy, Lemonade out.
