Title: Put one over on you.
Rabbit, Rabbit: happy July all. It has been almost 4 years LINK since I last blogged a puzzle by Jeff Chen one of the many very helpful and thoughtful constructors with whom I have corresponded. Like our own C.C., J.C. has mentored countless people. I love the visual aspect of today's puzzle, but quite honestly the theme clues made the solving too easy. S placed on top of EIGN STATE would I hope have lead me to the fill (SOVEREIGN STATE) with the OVER implied by the placement. If I were a betting man, I would think Rich toned the gimmick down. In any event, a lovely challenge to locate 4 different fill which would result from a letter+ OVER+ part of a phrase. The resulting phrases are clued in a straight forward manner. With only 40 theme spaces, there is room for tons of sparkly fill like GATEWAY, AD SALES, CHENIER, NOMINEE, MIRAGES, CORRIDOR, TELEPATH, EMOTIONS, AEROSTAR, INSIDE INFO, GRECO-ROMAN, EYE OPENERS, LEOPARDESS. Off to the solving races:
16A. With the circled letter over, self-ruled entity : [SOVER]EIGN STATE (9).
32A. With the circled letter over, humanitarian goal : [POVER]TY REDUCTION (11).
39A. With the circled letter over, undercover missions : [COVER]T OPERATIONS(11).
59A. With the circled letter over, concern of the Fed : [GOVER]NMENT DEBT(9)
Across:
1. Mimic : APE. Is this becoming an un-pc term, offending our simian cousins?
4. Dreidel stakes : GELT. Dreidel- Hanukah; Gelt- Yiddish for money. Not to be confused with 54D. Fix : GELD.
8. "The Avengers" co-star : RIGG. Now starring as a Dowager of the Tyrells. She was so enticing.
12. Droops : SAGS. No comment.
14. Two-dimensional figure : AREA. Nicely clued, length times width.
15. 2013 Literature Nobelist :
MUNRO. A nice tribute to our Canadian contingent ALICE.
18. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" co-star : EBSEN. Jed Clampett was a singer, dancer and actor. He grew up in Orlando and like Fred Astaire danced with his sister.
19. Website revenue source : AD SALES.
20. "Now wait just a sec ... " : BUT.
22. Some bling : ICE. Diamonds; okay Tin?
23. Where many kids squirm : PEW. Church can drag on for a youngster.
24. Passage : CORRIDOR. Not a part of a book, This meaning comes the 16th century military concept of a passage by a trench.
26. One who really gets in your head? : TELEPATH. Wonderful clue/fill. TRUE?
30. Where a "cluck and grunt" might be ordered : DINER. Waitress speak for ham and eggs.
31. Response to an order : AYE. Maybe for a Cyclops?
35. Corp. bigwigs : CEOS. Chief Executive Officers.
37. "Double Fantasy" artist : ONO. Released three weeks before his murder.
38. "I got it" : ON ME. This round is on me.
44. Favorable, as a contract : FAT.
45. Some aides : PAGES. Congress and the knights of yore.
46. Actors change them often : EMOTIONS. Partners?
48. Old Ford minivan : AEROSTAR. Had not thought of this vehicle in a while. Out of production since 1997.
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50. Product of Ptolemy : MAP.
51. Stop : END. Stop the madness.
52. Dude (up) : TOG. Not my favorite even if true. TOG: to dress especially in fine clothing —usually used with up or out
53. Illusions : MIRAGES. All mirages are illusions, but not all illusions are mirages.
57. Take care of : SEE TO. I like make it so better.
61. "Citizen Kane" poster name : ORSON. Welles.
63. Draw guffaws from : SLAY. Hey Peg.
64. "Hey, you!" : PSST.
65. Nik Wallenda need : WIRE. His family was always getting high. Iget dizzy just watching.
66. Color : DYE.
Down:
1. On the briny : ASEA. Oceans are quite briny.
2. Took care of : PAID. Friday vague.
3. Silly Putty holders : EGGS. Invented during WWII as a possible rubber substitute.
4. 2007 Acer acquisition : GATEWAY. Computers.
5. Often-named stretches : ERAS. Stretches of time.
6. Service to be redone : LET. Tennis anyone?
7. Workout portmanteau : TAEBO. Tae Bo is a portmanteau of tae kwon do and boxing.
8. Sticking point : RUB. "To sleep — perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come. When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. "
9. Skinny : INSIDE INFO. So many ways; book, 411, lowdown, poop, scoop, dope, tip.
10. Wrestling style : GRECO-ROMAN. Nothing below the waist...Greco-Roman (US) or Graeco-Roman (UK) wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Wiki.
11. Dead man walking : GONER.
13. Rowling teacher : SNAPE. The recently departed....both real and fantasy.
15. Like steres : METRIC. One cubic meter.
17. Drifted off : SLEPT.
21. Indic language : URDU.
24. French poet executed by Robespierre : CHENIER. Chénier might have been overlooked but for the well-meant, indignant officiousness of his father. Marie-Joseph did his best to prevent his brother's execution, but he could do nothing more. Maximilien Robespierre, who was himself in dangerous straits, remembered Chénier as the author of the venomous verses in the Journal de Paris and sentenced him to death. Chénier was one of the last people executed by Robespierre. Wiki. If you liked the French Revolution... LINK. (You might notice this name begins CHEN....).
25. Digging : INTO. In the Maynard G. Krebs sense.
26. Delicacy : TACT. Not a food but an action.
27. Revelations : EYE OPENERS. A nice infrequently used fill.
28. Female in the wild : LEOPARDESS. All perps but in retrospect what other animal could it be?
29. Home run __ : TROT. Baseball corner with 60D. Test for one on the DL, perhaps : MRI.
33. Bad end : DOOM.
34. Barclays Center hoopsters : NETS. In Brooklyn
40. Lie atop : REST ON.
41. About : AS TO.
42. Runner in a race : NOMINEE. Political not physical.
43. Pencil maze instruction : START.
47. Pro and Mini : I-PADS.
48. "Sour grapes" coiner : AESOP. Interesting juxtaposition with the speaker of nattering nabobs.
49. 1973 resignee : AGNEW. Spiro beat Dick out the door.
53. Israel's Iron Lady : MEIR. Golda. A true LEADER and a key to the existence of the Israeli state.
55. Owner of StubHub : E-BAY. Bought in 2007.
56. Ophthalmologist's concern : STYE. Not really a cause for a specialist, just use the WARM TEABAG.
58. One of the small fry : TOT. Does this refer to a Tater Tot or just a young child? What a wonderful clue for a three letter word.
What a great way to start the month. Welcome back Jeff, I am not sure where you find time to construct, advise, do XWORDINFO, write and work. Awesome. Thanks to you and to all here as we enter the second half of 2016, Lemonade out.
