A return to Friday for another of my favorite regular constructors, Jeffrey Wechsler, who gives us five two word phrases, with the first word ending in P and the second starting with P but one of the Ps is eliminated. Gratuitously for my write up I have chosen the P at the beginning of the second word as the eliminated letter. For me, the key to all letter adding or subtracting is the wit in the reveal and here is a really fun one. If I had been eating SPLIT PEA SOUP I would have spit pea soup. I started out with a bit of trouble only because the HUMAN BRAIN has such adaptive qualities that I read STRIPOKER, as if both Ps were present. There have been so many studies of this phenomenon, it was cool to see it as the basis of a puzzle. So what did one P say to the other P? "Time to split, man." The grid also has incorporated the reveal and one themer in the downs, which I always like. Lots of workable but challenging fill EARTHEN, HAD A KID, OLD WEST, WREATHE, APPARENT, GET A BITE, HARRISON, HOOSIERS and some shorter fun words ADDLED, BURROW, CANTOR, OCTAVE, ORIENT, PARSEC, SCATHE, URANIA.
A nice balance with some crunch to make you earn the Ta Dah.
17A. Where shirts may be lost? : STRIP
32A. California Marine Corps base : CAMP
39A. Realm of some self-help books : POP
62A. Update : KEEP
13D. Travel agent's suggestions : TRIP
35D. Soup variety, and a feature of five puzzle answers : SPLIT PEA (8). As mr. Gleason would say, And away we go....
Across:
1. Shoot the moon : GO BIG. This was real challenge as well, because it has so many meanings, and I mostly associate with Hearts where you must take all hearts and the Queen of Spades.
6. "Say from whence / You __ this strange intelligence?": Macbeth : OWE. Not my favorite play, but:
Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.
By Sinel’s death I know I am thane of Glamis.
But how of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor lives,
A prosperous gentleman, and to be king
Stands not within the prospect of belief,
No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence
You owe this strange intelligence, or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such prophetic greeting. Speak, I charge you.
9. Word of possibility : MIGHT.
14. MDX maker : ACURA. An SUV.
15. __ Pacis: altar of Peace : ARA. This EDIFICE. PAX, was the Roman goddess of peace, from whence we derive Pax Vobiscum.
16. Tough test metaphor : A BEAR.
19. Dish man? : PETRI. An interesting STORY about a very cultured man.
20. Measurement for Sagan : PARSEC. Carl is back. Twice. 58A. Muse for Sagan : URANIA. A bit of a scientific mini-theme with the Galileo reference. This amusing MUSE.
21. One sending out bills : ATM. Automated Teller Machine. Nice deception.
23. Field guard : TARP. More fun cluing, for the tarpaulin protecting the baseball diamond.
24. Bolivian president Morales : EVO. A member of an Indigenous Tribe in Bolivia as well as a Coca farmer. LINK.
25. Denounce unmercifully : SCATHE. I do not go in for the Rex Parker tendency for scathing reviews.
27. Natl. debt unit : BILlion. Sadly trillion is the real answer.
28. Mountain __: soft drinks : DEWS. There are many kinds.
30. White : ASHEN.
31. Galileo's birthplace : PISA. His BIOGRAPHY.
35. Snowboarding gold medalist White : SHAUN.
38. Begins : OPENS. Our write begins with a made up theme/name.
45. Easy pace : LOPE.
46. Idle colleague : PALIN. No Sarah but Monty Python and Fish Called Wanda star MICHAEL. Nice Eric Idle misdirection..
47. Conan Doyle, for one : SCOT. The damn Scott's Lawn commercials have ruined it for me.
51. "Love __ Rose": Neil Young song : IS A. Neil got bashed for his CSNY work.
52. At sea : ADDLED. Not out on the ocean but confused.
54. LAX stat : ARRival.
55. Fade out : TIRE which describes how I feel about...
57. Film with six sequels : SAW.
60. Equals : PEERS.
64. Kovacs of early TV comedy : ERNIE.
65. Tao follower? : ISM. Taoism.
66. "JFK" director : STONE. Oliver.
67. Late bloomer? : ASTER. They bloom in the fall.
68. Skid row woe : DTS. Delirium Tremens, the shakes.
69. Prepares for recycling : SORTS.
Down:
1. Suddenly inspired : GASPED. Along with the equally confusing 5D. Is visibly thunderstruck : GAPES. These words do confound me.
2. Staff span : OCTAVE. Musical staff.
3. Underground shelter : BURROW.
4. Camera component : IRIS.
6. Sturdy tree : OAK.
7. Encircle : WREATHE. Not a usage to which I was familiar, but of course it makes sense.
8. Like 3-Downs : EARTHEN.
9. Place for an X, perhaps : MAP. It marks the spot.
10. "That's dubious" : I BET. The tone must be sarcastic.
11. Go for lunch, say : GET A BITE. Not related but see 41D. Started one's family, casually : HAD A KID.
12. President who signed the Sherman Antitrust Act : HARRISON. Benjamin who was the grandson of William Henry and president before and after Grover Cleveland. This ACT. Shall we break up Apple?
18. Razor man? : OCCAM. It is simple, it really is.
22. Patch : MEND.
26. Venomous snake : ASP.
29. Informal pardon? : 'SCUSE. Is this supposed to be English?
31. 1666 London fire chronicler : PEPYS. A glimpse into the past with his DIARY.
33. "__ luck?" : ANY. Luck had nothing to do with it.
34. Two-by-four source : LOG. Simple, elegant.
36. Classic 1986 sports movie : HOOSIERS.
37. Obvious : APPARENT.
40. Makers of many skeds : CPAS. I am sure accountants use it but I do not like 'sked.'
42. Grey area? : OLD WEST. Zane Grey that is.
43. Small, made smaller : LIL.
44. Get ahead of : ONE UP.
48. Fixture at Rosh Hashanah services : CANTOR. At all services.
49. Put on course : ORIENT.
50. Masonry and such : TRADES. One of my mother's brothers taught masonry at trade school in Brooklyn, Connecticut.
53. Metallic waste : DROSS.
56. City on its own lake : ERIE. A shout out to our own.
59. In the matter of : AS TO.
61. Sun. delivery : SERmon. Ecumenical equal time for the Church.
63. Acute care initials : EMS. Emergency Medical Services.
Thank you Jeffrey, I had a really good time. I hope you and all the others have a great week end at ACPT, and I hope everyone has a great spring. Lemonade a bit under the weather signing out.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Welcome back, Gary! What Irish Miss said yesterday: You were missed and no more setbacks allowed! Now we need Yellowrocks to check in.
2)
Happy Birthday to Commander Al (Spitzboov), a blog regular whose
loyalty, friendship and advice I've been relying on the past few years. Al served in the Navy
Reserve for over 20 years and retired as Commander. You can click here for more pictures of Spitzboov, Betty and Argyle at the Washington County Fair last August.
Spitzboov and Argyle with John (Deere)
3) Happy Birthday to John28man as well. The lady in his avatar picture is his wife. They were in a restaurant in Vienna, Austria.
