Title: The fun is in the pun pun.
4 in the language phrases with "FOR' in the center of the phrase have their meaning re-purposed by clues which change the meaning but keep the same words. I think this is our 7th from MaryEllen but our first since November 2013. I love the concept of using Peanuts the comic strip, but I am not sure the clue/fill for WORK fits the theme as its meaning does not change. The meanings of PASS, WATCH and ROOM are changed. And they are all amusing. There also are some 7 letter fill (and one non-theme 9 letter) to make us work. TYCOONS, SNEAKER, ANAHEIM, EROTICA, XEROXES, FLUFFED, ENVIRON, HAND OFF, ARCADIA, ICED TEA, PERFORMER. I am curious what you all thinks, so let's have at it.
19A. *Assist Charles M. Schulz? : WORK FOR PEANUTS (14). As opposed to chicken feed...anyway the late Charles Schulz will always be best know for Peanuts. The original expression may come from circus animals.(1.5 MM google hits).
32A. *Free ticket given to Target Field players? : PASS FOR TWINS (12). A mini-shout out to C.C. and her baseball team. 25 million hits for the phrase. It is STUDIED and watched....
40A. *Timepiece at a stag party? : WATCH FOR DEER (12). But can they tell time? 47 million hits.
53A. *Law office? : ROOM FOR DISPUTE (14). My least favorite despite the 154 million hits.
Across:
1. Walks, on scorecards : BBS. Base on Balls; with the start of the real season already upon us, this is timely. It takes 4.
4. Rehab hurdle : DTS. Alcoholics often suffer from Delerium Tremens. My math teacher junior year in high school shook like a leaf in the morning.
7. Calm : SETTLE. Calm the flock.
13. "Well, __-di-dah!" : LAH. Back for repeat performance.
14. Deli choice : RYE. Did we have Ham on..last week?
15. Ducks' home : ANAHEIM. Hockey team named from a movie.
16. Some Anne Rice novels : EROTICA. Never read any of these BOOKS. Though clearly all her works have some erotic element.
21. Completely : IN TOTO. Not Dorothy's dog, but Latin.
22. Wapiti : ELK. In the Deer family.
23. ID checker : TSA. Transportation Safety Administration.
24. "__ any drop to drink": Coleridge : NOR. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
26. Surface : EMERGE.
35. Burn soothers : ALOES.
38. Modern reaction to a riot? : LOL. A laugh riot.
39. Group of species : GENUS.
43. Important Philippines export : NICKEL. Are you keeping up on the worldwide GLUT? There should be a plugged nickel joke inserted here.
44. Bros, e.g. : MEN.
45. Fraction of a joule : ERG. An erg is the amount of work done by a force of one dyne exerted for a distance of one centimeter, but I guess you knew that.
48. Not allow to atrophy : USE. Hmm, the dictionary says, "gradually decline in effectiveness or vigor due to underuse or neglect." My optic nerve atrophy is not from underuse.
50. "My vegetable love should grow / __ than empires ... ": Andrew Marvell : VASTER. This odd METAPHOR from To His Coy Mistress is studied.
58. Option play option, in football : HAND OFF. Sort of, but usually it is pitched out.
59. Home of the god Pan : ARCADIA. In Greece. The HOME. PAN.
60. Beverage sometimes served with mint : ICED TEA. That should make almost all of the Corner happy. Sorry Tin.
61. Besides : TOO.
62. Inning trio : ENS. A nice misdirection, as it has nothing to do with baseball, just the three Ns in the word.
63. Botched (up) : MESSED.
64. Model of industry : ANT. The modern story of the ANT.
65. Put into words : SAY.
Down:
1. Failed miserably : BLEW IT. Very modern fill.
2. Industry leaders : BARONS. Very old fill. Clecho, 5SD. Industry leaders : TYCOONS.
3. Fan letter? : SHORT A. The A in the middle. Also, 31D. First of September? : ESS.
4. Meaning : DRIFT. I get your drift MaryEllen.
6. Prepare tuna, in a way : SEAR.
7. Converse, e.g. : SNEAKER.
9. Quaker pronoun : THOU.
10. It may be skillfully created by one who's all thumbs : TEXT. My favorite Clue/fill as the skill my children have texting with their thumbs baffles me.
11. Rests : LIES. Lie down vs. lay down...
12. Acute care letters : EMS. I wanted ICU or CCU but they did not work with perps.
15. Eponymous skater Paulsen : AXEL. To our skaters, one in the sky this move from a Norwegian SKATER.
17. Ring decision : TKO. Technical Knock Out.
20. One putting on an act : PERFORMER.
25. Home of Norway's royal family : OSLO.
27. Bank holding: Abbr. : MTGE. Mortgage.
28. Carafe kin : EWER. Regular crossword word.
29. __ Tin Tin : RIN. It was big when I was little. This week we learned he really won the first Oscar.
30. Shaggy-tailed bovid : GNU.
32. Lot of trouble? : PECK. Son, you are in a peck of trouble. Dictionary says it has been around since 1545.
33. "A Hard Road to Glory" writer : ASHE.
34. Merrie __ England : OLDE.
35. Plant bristle : AWN. Luckily I had this in February with James Sajdak.
36. French narrative poem : LAI. I did not know THIS.
37. Like some stocks, briefly : OTC. Over The Counter as opposed to being on an exchange.
41. Misspoke, as lines : FLUFFED. I wanted FLUBBED but the F's would not let me.
42. Surround : ENVIRON. Never heard this in the singular, but....
45. Rachmaninoff's "__-tableaux" : ETUDES. JzB one you know? LISTEN.
46. Light-sensitive layer : RETINA. The back of the eye.
47. __ spoon : GREASY. Another old expression.
49. Upholstered piece : SOFA.
51. Fancy tie : ASCOT. Perhaps Steve or Nice Cuppa can give us the British perspective and history.
52. Hotel amenity : SPA.
53. Derby, perhaps : RACE.
54. Some bills : ONES. Or tens.
55. Chances : ODDS.
56. Speck : MOTE.
57. It may be mined : DATA. I think I linked data mining before.
58. Objective reference : HIM. One of the objective pronouns.
A different Friday with Coleridge instead of Shakespeare and mostly doable cluing. I had fun, I hope you did. Thanks MaryEllen and all of you. Lemonade out.
