Theme: Letter rip.
For those of you who do not like creative and difficult puzzles, this effort from University of Minnesota Professor Victor B. will not be pleasant. When you have clues such as AAEGIMRR, there are those who will pull out Thumper and move on. You have to assume the reveal is also the seed entry as the grid is a 16x15 presentation. Basically you are doing a big JUMBLE where you have to unscramble the clue and fit it with a word meaning to unscramble. Or looking at from the reveal, you take a word and or phrase and list the letters alphabetically. The challenge was to create four interesting 16 letter theme fill. Some will grouse because two answers are two words and one only a single word, but I had fun as this took me longer than most Fridays to suss. With 16 columns you have room for lots of sparkly fill. I loved EVANDER, INHALER, DAY TRIPPER, STAY ON HOLD and the three Bs BANISHED, BEEFCAKE and BEREAVED. We also had the challenging GALENA and SHARIA. Okay, let's hop on the solving train.
18A. AAEGIMRR : ARRANGED MARRIAGE (16). The word marriage is taken apart and re-imagined with its letters presented alphabetically.
28A. AACDEINNV : ORDERED IN ADVANCE (16).
47A. ADEHLNRTUY : SORTED THE LAUNDRY (16).
and the reveal:
62A. ILST ... and each of three other puzzle clues : ALPHABETIZED LIST (16).
Across
1. They're bought and soled : SHOES. Victor has had some very fun pun puzzles in the NYT. Those of us who also toiled away at the puns and anagram puzzles were prepared for today.
6. Educational foundation : ABCS.
10. Lowest part : BASSO.
15. Make like a tree, facetiously : LEAVE. More silliness.
16. "Uh-huh" : YEAH.
17. Butyl acetate, e.g. : ESTER. He is after all a professor in Biomedical engineering.
21. Balkan region : BOSNIA. We Americans are so weak in Geography, as seen nightly on Jeopardy.
22. Wild period : SPREE.
23. Edible tuber : YAM. Gotta love a good tuber. Can you name an inedible tuber?
24. __ Plantation, site of the world's largest maze : DOLE. A Pineapple Garden Maze in Hawaii.
26. Sun Valley locale : IDAHO. More potatoes.
35. Sea sound : ROAR.
36. One of Suetonius' "Twelve Caesars" : NERO. I do love this HISTORY.
37. Actor Hawke : ETHAN.
38. Youngest March sister : AMY. Little Women.
39. Sent away : BANISHED.
42. Make a selection : OPT.
43. "I've got this one" : LET ME.
45. Wax on an envelope, say : SEAL.
46. Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER. The misunderstood SON.
51. Structural opening? : INFRA. Infrastructural.
52. Angler's prize : FISH. We had a discussion of the word angler recently.
53. Lack of continuity : GAP.
55. Old painting sites : CAVES. Nice clue.
58. More pinlike? : NEATER. Neater than a pin; does it mean orderly or shiny?
65. Not hold one's peace : SPEAK. Nearby the opposite 67A. Of few words : TERSE.
66. Domain : RULE.
68. Game that may involve complicated shots : HORSE.
69. Mediterranean feeder : NILE.
70. Three-layer treats : OREOS. Clue 900 for this cookie.
Down
1. Thick mass : SLAB. Of meat?
2. Rescuer, often : HERO.
3. Marine propulsion aids : OARS. Nice visual.
4. Heavyweight champ between Buster and Riddick : EVANDER. Holyfield in between Douglas and Bowe. he had his ear then.
5. __ citizen : SENIOR. We had a luncheon at the office to meet a new lawyer joining the firm and of the 30 people there I was clearly the oldest.
6. Mate's affirmative : AYE. Aye, Aye.
7. Garden spots : BEDS. Cute.
8. Like-minded group : CAMP. Tricky, I am in the puzzle lover camp.
9. Islamic law : SHARIA. Do want to know MORE?
10. Mourning : BEREAVED.
11. "Take me __ am" : AS I.
12. Wait for help, perhaps too long : STAY ON HOLD. I really like this fill and hate staying on hold.
13. Genesis creator : SEGA. Video games.
14. Home of Utah Valley University : OREM.
19. Lead ore : GALENA. Time to LEARN.
20. Comedian Foxx : REDD. Do you want to LISTEN? Not PG rated.
25. First place? : EDEN. Really nice misdirection.
27. Porkpie, for one : HAT.
29. "What light through yonder window breaks?" speaker : ROMEO.Tis Juliet and our Friday William S.
30. Other side of "We Can Work It Out" : DAY TRIPPER.
31. Like Jameson whiskey : IRISH. The favorite of Father Blackie Ryan.
32. Long time ending? : NO SEE. Or as some say, "It's been donkey years."
33. Heist, say : CAPER.
34. Contest form : ENTRY. PCH has gotten my wife hooked.
39. "Magic Mike" feature : BEEFCAKE. The TRAILER. (2:29)
40. " ... on the sand, / __ sunk, a shattered visage lies": "Ozymandias" : HALF. Inspired by the discovery of a huge remnant of a statute to Ramses II, Shelley wrote this poem which begins:
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown...
41. Paige of British musical theatre : ELAINE. I am unfamiliar with this STAR.
44. Map feature with an elev. : MTN. Mountain, the elev. tells you it is an abbreviation.
46. Asthma sufferer's relief : INHALER.
48. Boring : DRAB.
49. Ale seller : TAVERN. Will Tin is happy.
50. No longer bothered by : USED TO.
53. Severe wound : GASH.
54. Dinner for Spot : ALPO.
56. Little case : ETUI.
57. Window frame part : SILL. Or sash.
59. Weary : TIRE. Verb not adjective.
60. Canadian gas brand : ESSO. Part of the Exxon Mobil family and the brand I grew up with.
61. GPS info : RTES.
63. Is down with : HAS.
64. Zipper opening? : ZEE. Well Z is an appropriate place to end a puzzle.
A shorter version, but my remaining brother is in the hospital so you all get to fill in the rest of the blanks I never got to say. Thanks Victor. Lemonade out.
