It's a wacky bunch o' puns in store for us today. Common phrases lose the consonant sound at the end of the first word, and all get linked to various types of fauna.
17-A. Caddy for pigeons? : COO DEVILLE. Haha! I was thinking of something from "Caddy Shack." Instead, we have a pun on the Cadillac Coupe deVille. (I used to own one of these gas guzzlers. Then 1976 happened...)
28-A. Statistical aid for sheep? : BAA GRAPH. This one made me laugh out loud. I think it's because we New Englanders actually do pronounce "bar graph" that way.
55-A. Phone service for crows? : CAW WAITING. This one seemed like an outlier, because all the others have double vowel endings. But it works well for "call waiting."
I love a good pun, and these were some doozies. I enjoyed much of the rest, as well. So let me take you on a tour through my head as I was solving.
Across
1. Word seen before "or less" on supermarket signs : ITEMS. AAAARRRRRGGHH! Use "less" only when you are unable to count the amount ("less water," for example.) When you are able to count the items, the correct term is "fewer." This is a pet peeve of mine, but I promise that's the end of my rant...
6. Elisabeth of "Hollow Man" : SHUE. For some reason, I knew this one, even though I never saw the movie.
10. "American __" : IDOL.
14. Musical ensemble : NONET. Requiring no fewer and no more than 9 players. And a clecho at 26-A. Musical ensemble : CHOIR.
15. Cautious : WARY.
16. Gospel trio : MAGI.
19. Combustible heap : PYRE.
20. NBA division that includes the Bklyn. Nets : ATL.antic.
21. Very long time : EONS.
22. On the agenda : SLATED.
24. Autograph signer's aid : SHARPIE. Phil Mickelson, one of golf's most admired players, uses one.
27. Range stat. : ALT.itude.
31. 1973 Rolling Stones ballad : ANGIE. Ah, music to my ears! 4:30
34. "All in the Family" spin-off : MAUDE.
35. Doomsday beginning? : DEE.
36. "Coming Home" actor : DERN.
37. Outmoded : PASSE.
38. Co-star of Boris in "Son of Frankenstein" : BELA.
39. Latin I word : AMO.
40. See 34-Down : CURIE. I stupidly filled in "madam" at 34-Down before I checked the perps. Duh. 34-Down. With 40-Across, 1911 chemistry Nobelist : MARIE.
41. Connected, in a way : WIRED.
44. Wine container : VAT. Just gimme a straw!
45. Code name : MORSE.
46. Longtime family-owned firearms company : BERETTA.
50. Much : VASTLY.
52. Undecided : TORN.
53. Take flight : RUN.
54. Big Bird buddy : ELMO. Nice alliterative clue.
58. Sight from a slope : T-BAR. And the view from the T-BAR? Priceless! I have ridden this one many times.
59. Stem-to-branch angle : AXIL.
60. Like some astrological charts : NATAL.
61. Without : SANS.
62. Register compartment : TENS.
63. Migratory birds : GEESE.
Down
1. 16th-century conquest victims : INCAS.
2. Nail partner? : TOOTH. They went at it tooth and nail.
3. __ Gay : ENOLA.
4. NSAID, e.g. : MED. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are very common MEDs.
5. Skyline highlight : STEEPLE. Religion used to be the most important aspect of society, so the steeple always towered over other buildings in town. Then politics overtook religion, and the town hall soon grew to great heights. Then money became king, and now financial skyscrapers tower over all.
6. Hogs : SWINE.
7. Dutch artist Frans : HALS. One of my favorite Dutch painters - his portraits capture so much of the subjects' personalities. Like this one.
8. High-tech address : URL.
9. Sleeper's aid : EYE SHADE. My cats get unnerved when I wear this one.
11. Market speculator : DAY TRADER.
12. Storybook meanie : OGRE.
13. Served up a whopper : LIED.
18. Sports ball brand : VOIT. They made the first rubberized water polo ball, which now resides at the National Museum of American History.
25. Word with dance or fall : RAIN.
26. Saving the whales, e.g. : CAUSE.
28. Rudimentary : BASIC.
29. Mononymous kicker : PELE. I wonder if he ever used VOIT soccer balls?
30. Take charge of : HEAD.
31. Start of a big race? : ADAM. Nice misdirection!
32. Nautilus skipper : NEMO.
33. Wedding attendant : GROOMSMAN.
37. Nonthreatening type : PUSSYCAT.
38. Angler's hope : BITE.
40. Temple feature in old films : CURL. Huge V8 moment when I realized they were talking about this moppet.
41. Bark, perhaps : WARNING.
43. General __ : MOTORS.
44. 2012-'13 "Bates Motel" Emmy nominee Farmiga : VERA.
46. New Year's highlights : BOWLS.
47. Well-worn : TRITE.
48. Bluefin and yellowfin : TUNAS.
49. It's a matter of degrees : ANGLE. What's yours?
50. Old-timers : VETS.
51. Goya's "Duchess of __" : ALBA.
52. One of a hotel room pair : TWIN. Beds.
56. Terminate : AXE.
57. Menlo Park monogram : TAE. Thomas Alva Edison.
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our Friday Sherpa Lemonade, who's been guiding
us since March 2010. It's so easy to get jaded after a year or two of
blogging (often 3 hours on each write-up), but Lemonade's
enthusiasm and passion for crosswords and crossword blogging remain the
same. He never failed to point out every little nugget in a Friday
crossword. Thanks for being here for us through thick and thin,
Lemonade!
 |
| Lemonade and his lovely wife, Dec 21, 2014 |
