17. Fraternal meeting place : ELKS LODGE. From their website: Elks invest in their communities through programs that help children grow up healthy and drug-free, by undertaking projects that address unmet need, and by honoring the service and sacrifice of our veterans.
27. "The Cask of Amontillado" writer : EDGAR ALLAN POE. Certainly not his most famous work. Nice to see the entire name spelt out, though
41. Where to read candidate endorsements : EDITORIAL PAGE. And those hilarious letters to the editor.
54. Periphery ... and, literally, the periphery of 17-, 27- and 41-Across : OUTER EDGE. As far out as you can get without leaving, spilling out or otherwise departing.
Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here. There are 3 ways to break EDGE and Jeffery found them all. Are you on EDGE? Let's see how edgy the rest of this puzzle is.
Across
1. Help for Holmes : CLUE. A hint to help Sherlock crack the case, when the game is afoot.
5. All hands on deck : CREW. A description, not a command. First big misdirection of the day
9. Baby food, usually : PUREE. A food substance chopped and mashed into a smooth consistency.
14. "Can you give me a __?" : HINT. No, Sherlock. You're on your own.
15. Bass' red triangle, e.g. : LOGO. Like this, having nothing to do with fish:
16. Dove rival : IVORY. Bath soaps.
19. Sense & Spray air freshener maker : GLADE. Replace odor with fresh scent.
20. "Here are the facts," briefly : FYI. For Your Information.
21. Garden outcast : EVE. After the sneaky snake did his work the garden was uninhabited.
22. Dark suit : SPADES. Another misdirection, clothed in wordplay. But we won't be fooled.
23. Central church area : NAVE. Where the congregation congregates. Where do the knaves go?
25. Pacific Northwest capital : SALEM. Oregon
31. Reduced in number : FEWER. Not as many as there used to be.
32. Track tipsters : TOUTS. A person who "professes to have, and sells, advance information on or betting selections for a race. Tip Sheets are also sold at the track which are published by these touts."
33. Train cos. : RRS. Rail Road companies.
35. Yankee nickname since 2004 : A-ROD. Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975) is one of the greatest Baseball players of all time, and one of the most despised of our time.
36. Asparagus, mostly : STEMS. As you can see.
37. Nemesis : BANE. A ruinous person or thing.
38. ENE or WSW : DIR. Abbreviated DIRections, without misdirections.
39. Set straight : ALIGN. To arrange things in their proper positions. Another misdirection
40. Golfer Palmer, to fans : ARNIE. Arnold Daniel Palmer (b. Sept. 10, 1929) was a well known professional golfer. Once many years ago, I played at his Bay Hill course in Florida, and killed a squirrel with a worm-burning drive. Caught that poor little fella right square in the head. Also, I once had lunch with Arnie. True, he was across the room at a different table, but we were both having lunch.
44. Much of the time : OFTEN. More frequent than now and then.
45. Kitchen add-on? : ETTE. A cleverly clued affix fill. Kitchenette. MEH!
46. Yemenis' neighbors : SAUDIS. They have a new King.
49. "__ been thinking ..." : I'VE.
50. NASA thumbs-up : A-OK. All systems are go.
53. Acme's opposite : NADIR. Extremes of ups and downs.
57. Most clubs in a pro's bag : IRONS. ARNIE tells me this is about golf clubs. I wonder if Jeremy Irons and Tiger Woods ever played with Mr. T and Lucille Ball?
58. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L. The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School
59. Vulcan mind __: Spock's skill : MELD. A telepathic link allowing individuals to share thoughts and be of one mind, so to speak. In this sense, the word is a portmanteau of melt and weld that originated in the late 30's. It's also the reason why nobody ever wanted to play canasta with Mr. Spock.
60. Principle : TENET. Typically the principles of a belief system.
61. Superstorm response org. : FEMA. Federal Emergency Management Agency. They do a heckuva job.
62. Functions : USES. Purposes.
Down
1. "Cutthroat Kitchen" competitor : CHEF. Who decided that cooking is a competitive event?
2. Easter bloom : LILY.
symbol of purity, hope, innocence and peace
symbol of purity, hope, innocence and peace
symbol of purity, hope, innocence and peace
3. Critical comment : UNKIND WORD. Evidently not constructive criticism.
4. Aliens, briefly : ETs. ExtraTerrrestials.
5. Prosperous, after "in" : CLOVER. Well off, perhaps even set for life. The turncoat Max Scherzer comes reality to mind. This expression alludes to cattle happily feeding on clover.
6. Took the bus : RODE.
7. Fabergé creation : EGG.
8. Reason for hand-wringing : WOE. Alas and a lack.
9. Sloppy farm digs : PIG PENS. Go hog wild.
10. Tanning booth light, for short : UV LAMP. Emitting Ultra-Violet rays to promote tanning, wrinkles, premature aging and possibly skin cancer. The things we generally call lights should properly be called lamps.
11. Freeway, e.g. : ROAD.
12. Earth, to Hans : ERDE. The German word for earth.
13. Windows to the soul, so they say : EYES. Poetic.
18. "Reading Rainbow" host Burton : LEVAR. No idea.
22. Mattress supports : SLATS. Actually these wooden boards support the box spring upon which the mattress sits.
24. Matured : AGED. My motto: what I lack in youth, I make up for with immaturity.
25. Liqueur in a fizz : SLOE GIN. Typically made from grain neutral spirits, which is not gin, and the sloe plum, which is not a plum. In other news, the Battle of Bunker Hill was not fought on Bunker Hill.
26. Barnard grad : ALUMNA. A female graduate from a traditionally all female university.
27. Like 27-Across' work : EERIE. Strange, weird, disturbing. Ravens, anyone?
28. Clothes : ATTIRE.
29. Fruity drinks : ORANGEADES. Analogs to lemonades, not to be confused with either our resident Lemonade nor benefit concerts for needy Oopaloompas.
30. Bert's buddy : ERNIE. Muppets.
31. Fleeting fashion : FAD. Muppets have been around for 60 years.
34. "Get it?" : SEE?. With your EYES?
36. Schedule openings : SLOTS. A few free moments.
37. Sassy tyke : BRAT.
39. Initially : AT FIRST. In the beginning.
40. More fitting : APTER. With a little bit of luck, you will never again see this collection of letters.
42. Salt additive : IODINE. Valuable micronutrient.
43. Low parking garage floor : LEVEL A. Ground floor, probably
46. Bad mood : SNIT.
47. Bern's river : AARE. Map.
48. Noodle bar order : UDON. Per Wikipedia: Udon (饂飩?, usually written as うどん) is a type of thick wheat flour noodle of Japanese cuisine.
49. List component : ITEM.
51. Gawk at : OGLE.
52. Classic sneakers : KEDS.
54. "That knocked the wind out of me!" : OOF. Onomatopoeia for the sound of forced exhalation.
55. Sorbonne one : UNE. The French unit.
56. Aussie runner : EMU. This flightless bird has absolutely nothing to do with Eastern Michigan University, whose mascot is an eagle.
Well, there were a couple of clunkers that put me on EDGE, but over all, a fine offering with a well executed theme and some nice long verticals. Hope you enjoyed it.
Cool regards!
JzB
