Theme: Flights of fancy, or just plane pun!
White
rabbit, white rabbit. In a reversal theme, the four in the language
phrases are clued to make them related to air travel. The first word of
each phrase can be used in the context of a scheduled flight, and what
you may see if you look at the arrival/departure board at an airport. If you Google, even
with quotation marks, the four phrases you see they are all common, though obviously
some more easily sussed. Boarding School tipped me to the theme and it
made getting the others much easier. Julian, a prolific constructor
living in Singapore always gives me a work out, but this one seemed a
tad easier. Not easy, just doable. In addition to two 13s and two 14s in
the theme (TEMA for our Italian friends) there were some gems CASIOS,
SPATES, CROATIA, DATA SET, PAY CASH, RASHERS, LOLL AROUND and my
favorite TOOTSIE POP. Well, while I suck on my candy, let's get to
work.
20A. Consequence of a late flight? : DELAYED EFFECT.
(13). For me this was the hardest because it is such a vague, all
encompassing phrase. Flight delays are less of problem now that the
airlines deliberately factor them into their estimates.
33A. Where to learn how to be on time for a flight? : BOARDING SCHOOL.(14). I went to boarding school, one run after the tradition of Eton (see below).
39A. Luggage on a recently-arrived flight? : LANDED PROPERTY.(14). This TERM may be more prevalent in Singapore, but I am sure you have heard of the landed gentry and their ESTATES. (see below).
52A. Mark showing the status of a stormy-day flight? : CANCELED CHECK.(13). Remember when you used to get your canceled checks from the bank with your monthly statement? Theme complete? Check!
Across:
1. Bottom application : TALC. Cute way to start the day with a baby's bottom.
5. Crystallizes : JELLS. Are they the same? Certainly when it comes to an idea, but does the science work?
10. Hemingway sobriquet : PAPA. I get called Papa, because my beard is all white but I do not look like these guys:
14. New car feature : ODOR. You can buy the smell in a can now.
15. "Stop kidding around!" : OH YOU. I get this often.
16. Claire's younger daughter on "Modern Family" : ALEX. The smart one. CLIP. (0:23).
17. First name at Woodstock : ARLO. He gave the absolute worst performance and refused to sing even a few bars of Alice's Restaurant. Had 400,000 people angry.
18. Harold's film partner : KUMAR. The modern version.
19. "Eek!" : YIPE.
23. Outpourings : SPATES. Spate to me is even more dramatic then just an outpouring.
24. Day __ : SPA. Very popular here.
25. Narrow inlet : RIA. A word I know only from crosswords. We just do not teach geography in the US.
26. 2014 U.S. Women's Open champ : WIE. This 6' Hawaiian, Michelle, is finally harnessing her TALENT. (0:32) You may not know that her mother was a beauty queen.
29. Immature retort : IS TOO. IS NOT!
36. Premier __: wine designation : CRU.
37. Patek Philippe competitor : OMEGA. You have to watch out for Julian's trickery.
38. Ratified : OK'D. Is this a real abbreviation?
44. Stop by : END AT. Not to visit, but to cease.
45. Getting-off pt. : STN. Station.
46. Some hosps. : VAS. Veteran Administrations. Hard to comment and not get political.
47. Talking-__ (lectures) : TOS. Ah, the old parental good "talking to."
49. Privia digital pianos, e.g. : CASIOS. The FACTS.
56. Media concern : BIAS. Really? It hardly seems anyone cares about bias in the media as all sides have their slanted presentations.
58. Bellowing : AROAR. Oh my, I have not had an "A" word in months; they used to be the bane of Fridays.
59. Sport with touches : EPEE.
60. Boxer's reward : BONE. Woof woof.
61. Tool in Excel : MACRO. I know how to use macros in word perfect...
62. It's played on Broadway : ROLE.
63. Stop : QUIT.
64. Church reading : PSALM. I get confused, as the Psalms are all part of the Old Testament, how are they used in the Church?
65. Hit the __ : SPOT. For me it is that first sip of coffee.
Down:
1. Natterjacks : TOADS. No idea. A very Friday CLUE.
2. Pitcher? : AD REP. Back to my Monday references to Mad Men and Crazy People.
3. Hang out : LOLL AROUND. This required building from the perps, just not a phrase that jumped to mind.
4. Montenegro neighbor : CROATIA. The Black Mountain is a very entertaining book in the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout where he explores the characters Montenegrin background. An CSO for Tinbeni and his work.
5. Routine elements : JOKES. Really great Friday clue, as jokes are part of a comedian's routine, not part of everyday life.
6. Israeli statesman Barak : EHUD. This past prime minister of Israel perhaps is best known for his involvement in successful RAIDS. A Friday name for certain.
7. __ disease: tick-transmitted affliction : LYME. This was named after a town in Connecticut, not far from where I grew up.
8. Word with meat or sugar : LOAF. Your choice, MEAT (7:18) or SUGAR.(4:00).
9. Sees the sites : SURFS. Sights, sites word play.
10. Exchange notes : PAY CASH. Bank notes. Tricky as you fall into the school note passing trap.
11. Disembarked : ALIT.
12. Zip or drive : PEP.
13. Big name in men's grooming : AXE. This does appear in many forms in so many of my puzzles to blog.
21. Wine datum : YEAR.
22. Expansive : EPIC. Four letters but not that easy.
26. Chickens : WIMPS. I perceive wimps as even more afraid than chickens.
27. Nonreactive : INERT. The clue is often a gas. How noble.
28. Goad : EGG ON. According to Answers.com the use of egg as the verb to 'urge' as in egg on is from Old Norse eggja 'incite, encourage, urge on' - and is not related to the eggs laid by birds. Egg as a verb is recorded in print in 1200, but not until 1566 in the phrase egg on.
30. Lickable candy since 1931 : TOOTSIE POP. I bet many a tooth was lost to the impatient ones wanting the to get to the center. HISTORY.
31. "The Addams Family" adjective : OOKY. The theme SONG.(0:54). What would you rhyme with spooky?
32. Clichéd : OLD. Hmm, maybe I am only cliched now.
33. Cereal box word : BRAN.
34. Chuck Hagel's gp. : DOD. Department of Defense.
35. Enervate : SAP. The opposite of the similar sounding energize.
36. Browns, on scoreboards : CLEveland, Johnny Manziel and Lebron; and the PGA at Firestone in Akron; how much excitment can Ohio take?
40. Mining target : DATA SET. The next step in the Bif Brother world predicted. LEARN.
41. "The most private of private schools": Hugh Laurie : ETON. You need to know this four letter school in England for kings and princes and actors.
42. Copter rescue, perhaps : EVACuation.
43. Bacon units : RASHERS.
48. Rogue : SCAMP.
49. Storage medium : CD-ROM. Why are all CDs gypsies?
50. 3M sponge brand : OCELO. Actually, O-CEL-O.
51. Sport with shotguns : SKEET. I never heard of a word which was born in a CONTEST.
52. "Is it allowed?" : CAN I? I was raised to ask May I.
53. Chunks of history : ERAS.
54. "Livin' La Vida __": Ricky Martin hit : LOCA.
55. Well-manored individual? : EARL. Another fun play on words, as Downton Abbey is Lord Grantham's manor. A reference to the Landed Property above.
56. Chip flavor : BBQ.
57. Slip for chips, maybe : IOU. A chip double...When you win keep betting, when you lose quit before you lose big. Never gamble on IOU's.
Well we embark on a new month, the Bachelorette got called out, we are down to the semi-finals in AGT and the Last Comic and there are more and more original programs on TV during the summer. Well hoping you all still find time for the puzzle and the Corner. Lemonade out.
