Theme: I before E and then wait and C. Your Christmas present is a structured anagram wrapped inside a pun without any Christmas carols.
I am back for my final blog of 2015, and fittingly it is to write up a Jeffrey Wechsler creation. By my impromptu count, this will be the 15th one I have done in '15. This is a wide open grid with 63 theme letters and 93 white squares not near a black one (open). The center is a grid spanning fill with triple sevens in the NW and SW and triple sixes in the NE and SE. Each theme fill has has a very consistent four letter ending anagram with an I in the middle and a silent E at the end.
When I saw lite and mite I was thinking maybe a word ladder was coming our way, and tire seemed confirm that until rite popped into my head and then I 'saw' the earlier anagrams. I wish I could come up with a FIRE/ RIFE fill to make it a ladder as well, but I am sure JW already saw that path was closed. Lots of common crossword fill (e.g. AREA, ETNA, ETE. IRA, AMI unusual for Jeffrey) and a few of his trademark multi-word fill. Let's unwrap this baby.
19A. Word game for beginners? : SCRABBLE LITE (12). I like the clue and fill , but I did not see the gimmick here. TILE becomes LITE.
27A. Ordinary little insect? : STANDARD MITE (12). TIME becomes MITE. Very nice clue, I do hate those dust mite pics.
37A. Radial destroyed during testing? : SACRIFICIAL TIRE (15). Sacrificial RITE is what made me understand where JW was going. Funny fill.
45A. Fate of one constantly reliving the past? : CIRCULAR LIFE (12). The ever needed circular FILE for all of those great interoffice memos that appear in a big firm.
55A. Memoirs of an African river explorer? : I WALK THE NILE (12). We will let Mr. Cash sing us into the rest of the puzzle.
1. Sport enjoyed by Henry VIII : TENNIS. This FACT I learned watching the TUDORS on Showtime.
7. Goes for broke : RISKS ALL.
15. Sitcom friend of Jerry : ELAINE.
17. Olympian drink : NECTAR. Depends on who you ASK.
18. Great Sand Dunes National Park location : COLORADO. You want to see? LINK.
21. It starts in juin : ETE. Juin is June in French, not too hard to guess.
22. Big Ben trio : III. On the clock...
23. Fund-raising target : ALUM. Friday so you get no hint that it is an abbreviation.
32. Chancel neighbor : APSE.
35. Edge : INCH. You can edge toward someone or inch like INCH BY INCH.
36. Metaphoric vilification : MUD.No politics, so no mudslinging.
42. Waterfront org. : ILA. Those fun longshoremen.
44. Province of Catania attraction : ETNA. We just had this.
50. "A Day Without Rain" artist : ENYA. She is like a dandelion in the spring. LINK. (2:45)
51. Indefinite pronoun : ONE. Not male or female.
52. U.S. Army award since 1918 : DSM. Distinguished Service Medal.
61. Liqueur made with Jamaican rum : TIA MARIA.. Some HISTORY. I never knew this brand was owned by the people who also owned Kahlua.
64. Ancient looker : ADONIS. Slightly censored I guess, here with Venus.
66. Hotel supply : LINENS.
67. Security booth site : MAINGATE. Disney?
68. Green Party concern : ENERGY.
Down:
1. Frazzled : TENSE. Relax the rest are easy....
2. Choose : ELECT.
3. Mother-of-pearl : NACRE. The inside of the shell or the outside of the pearl.
4. Female rock guitarist Strauss : NITA. Hmm, I WATCH and am reminded of a recent female bassist.
5. "Soon" : IN A BIT.
6. Landlocked European nation : SERBIA. There are 16 landlocked countries in Europe: Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Vatican City, only one has six letters.
7. Dirty __ : RICE. Interestingly, Barry Silk had the fill DIRTY RICE and 20D. Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer : LIN both in his November 14 offering.
8. One with loyal followers : IDOL. and 14D. Confident and loyal sort, so it's said : LEO.
9. Most piano sonatas : SOLI. One player.
10. Square or slip follower : KNOT.
11. Continuous flow : STREAM. Like videos these days.
12. Botanist Gray : ASA. I was ready for this thanks to Mark Bickham and the slew of obscure ASA clues.
13. Wasn't behind anyone : LED.
24. Boundary : LIMIT.
25. Rush hour improbability : U-TURN. Two days in a row. Much nicer than UIE or UEY.
26. Euripides tragedy : MEDEA. An oddly unsuccessful PLAY about the tragedy of Jason.
27. Sun. address : SERmon.
28. Kitchen gadget : DICER. The earlier rice made this easier.
29. Singer DiFranco : ANI.
30. Alabama label : RCA. Does anybody really care about record companies any more?
31. UPS competitor : DHL.
32. Cold __ : AS ICE. All I heard was THIS. (3:15).
33. "The Python Years" diarist Michael : PALIN. Everyone get the spelling correct now?
34. Like nightmares : SCARY.
38. Hosp. section : ICU. Intensive Care Unit.
39. Spoon extension? : FUL. You want one MORE? (2:32).
40. Investment initials : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.
41. Apparel with a message, perhaps : TEE. A xmas present for CED? LINK.
46. South American crocodilian : CAIMAN. I hope you all remembered these little guys.
47. Developer's offering : LOT. Real estate developer.
48. Checkup request : INHALE. Did you play doctor when you were little?
49. Supply with, as carrots to a food processor : FEED IN. Did we have this recently?
52. 24-hour eatery, often : DINER.
53. Medical support : SLING.
54. Complicated : MESSY. Speaking of which...
56. Big name in early computers : WANG. Does history REPEAT?
57. Expanse : AREA.
58. Home filter target : LINT.
59. The Duchess of Cambridge, familiarly : KATE.
60. "... for __ of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth" : NONE. Jeffrey's dose of Will.
Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.
61. Robbins of "The Shawshank Redemption" : TIM. One of my top ten favorite movies, from a Stephen King story. TRAILER. (2:11)
62. "__ Man": Spencer Davis Group hit : I'M A this SONG (2:52) followed immediately by its palindromic pal....
63. Côte d'Azur companion : AMI. We end with French, so I will say à bientôt, and hope you all are having a great Christmas. Thanks for sharing your lives here at the Corner. And JW, thank you for a really great year. Lemonade out.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Happy Birthday to Kathy (Yellowrocks), who's now in New York
celebrating this special day with her son and his family. She continues
to inspire me with her positive attitude facing various difficulties in
life. I'm so happy that she can now dance like she did before her knee
surgeries.
 |
| Kathy & Buddha, Japan, 2008 |
2) Happy Birthday also to Lorraine (Fermatprime), who's been with the blog for a long time. Lorraine is an accomplished math professor and swims daily in her own heated pool. She also does more puzzles every day than most of us.
Thanksgiving, 2015
