An add-a-word puzzle, with a great reveal. JW is back again with a passel of theme words and a really wonderfully amusing reveal. 34A. Annoyed moviegoer's shout ... or what's needed to make sense of the answers to starred clues : DOWN IN FRONT which tells you that DOWN is added to the front of each theme fill to solve the clue. A true Friday theme with added twist of 1A beginning the fun. This is as close as Rich gets to a rebus (multi-letter in a block) puzzle, only the letters are not anywhere but in your mind. Because of the asterisks the puzzle became very doable once you see your first "down" word. If you did not catch on when you finished the top row you were in for a long solve. The NW corner with two 7s and an 8 make starting slow. But this does give us some fun fill like AMOROSO, CAREFUL, CORRECT, DATA SET, FORESEE, NICOSIA, OVERPAY, SPUTTER, SIDE ROAD and TIRESOME.
1A. *Dejected :
5A. *Sledding spot :
10A. *Waterloo :
31A. *Data transfer :
40A. *Faster way to fly :
63A. *1964 Grammy-winning rock 'n' roll song :
64A. *Decrease :
65A. *Musical starting point :
Across:
14. Enclosed in : AMID.
15. Electrical component : RELAY. Not a RACE.
16. Seaman's direction : ALEE.
17. 9-Down sensors : RODS. Eyes have rods and CONES.
18. Midwestern tribe : OSAGE.
19. Show appreciation, in a way : CLAP.
20. "You shall hear more __ morning": "Measure for Measure" : ERE. Ah, the Shakespeare appearance; this did not require knowing the play. Not my favorite play.
21. Shows a preference : OPTS.
22. Amethyst source : GEODE.
23. Prognosticate : FORESEE.
25. Struggling engine sound : SPUTTER.
27. Me.-to-Fla. highway : US ONE. I live 33 steps from this highway.
28. Freudian subject : DREAM.
30. '60s radical gp. : SDS. A fun group from college.
32. Crockett's Waterloo : ALAMO. A clecho to 10A.
39. Onetime Silly String maker : WHAMO.
46. Bygone dentifrice : IPANA. Bucky beaver lives on.
48. "Twelfth Night" servant : MARIA. More Shakespeare, Maria is Olivia's lady in waiting and a central character.
49. Deserve credit, perhaps : OVERPAY.
51. "Yes" : CORRECT.
53. Ancient Iranians : MEDES. You want to READ?
54. Thing on a bob : LURE.
55. "__ guy walks into ... " : SO A. Guy walks into a bar and sits at a table. Tells the waitress, "I'll have a Bloody Mary and a menu." When she returns with his drink, he asks "Still servin' breakfast?" When she says Yes, he replies, "Then I'll have two eggs-runny on top and burnt on the bottom, five strips of bacon ON END-well done on one end and still raw on the other, two pieces of burnt toast and a cold cup of coffee." Indignantly the waitress says, "We don't serve that kinda stuff in here!" Guy says, "Funny... that's what I had in here yesterday..."
56. Actress Russell : KERI.
57. Dinnertime attraction : AROMA.
59. __ stick: incense : JOSS. Did you see this PRACTICE growing up C.C. ? (From C.C.: Indeed. Burning incense (and fake paper money) for the dead is quite common.)
60. Rare blood type, briefly : A-NEG.
61. Memento : TOKEN.
62. Fifi's BFF : AMIE. French for friend, with E because it is a feminine friend.
Down:
1. "Watch out!" : CAREFUL.
2. Spanish sherry : AMOROSO.
3. Rush hour timesaver, hopefully : SIDE ROAD. How often do I get lost on my shortcuts?
4. QB's stats : TDS. TouchDowns are back! Every AFC East team won.
5. Feel one's way : GROPE. I got slapped over that one.
6. Took it easy : RESTED.
7. "Fate is so cruel!" : ALAS.
8. Peer of Trygve and Kofi : DAG. He died young. LINK.
9. Looker? : EYE.
10. Aspect : FACET.
11. Metes out : ALLOTS.
12. Bygone pump word : LEADED.
13. Middle Ages colony residents : LEPERS.
21. Sugar suffix : OSE.
22. Marx of lesser repute : GUMMO. He was replaced by Zeppo in 1915. The brothers, can you name them?
24. Provide, as with talent : ENDOW.
25. Lifestyle magazine : SELF.
26. Host noted for a 1960 on-air resignation : PAAR.
29. Was loquacious : RAN ON. Yeah, that's it- loquacious!
33. Classic military text by Carl von Clausewitz : ON WAR. The SUMMARY.
35. Legislative VIPs : WHIPS.
36. Touristy viticultural valley : NAPA.
37. Indecisive comment : I MAY. I may not.
38. Hardly fascinating : TIRESOME.
41. Capital of Cyprus : NICOSIA. The city has a HISTORY.
42. Statistical matrix, e.g. : DATA SET.
43. Cruise partnership nickname : TOMKAT. I mention Tom and his ex Ms. Holmes in another JW; a crush?
44. L'Oréal competitor : AVEENO. This time of year this comes to mind for me
47. Mental wherewithal : ACUMEN.
48. GI grub : MRE. Meals Ready to Eat.
50. Wield power : REIGN.
52. Endangered Sumatran : ORANG.
54. Mythical troublemaker : LOKI.
57. Compact Cadillac sedan : ATS. This car.
58. Dustup : ROW. A common term across the pond.
59. Hook relative : JAB. Boxing terms.
Well we were treated to another JW that made us work and use our imaginations and I enjoyed it. Happy holidays to all and Lemonade out.
