Title: Chuck you are driving me crazy!
After more than four years, Chuck D. is back. LINK. I recalled the name, but had to go to the archives to look over the puzzle I had blogged of his. I hope he stops by - he had 38 NYT puzzles published by 2012 and 3 LAT but nothing in either place since until today. This effort is a variation of the 'one word' as the clue for all theme answers, but here the word not only is used if 4 different meanings, but modified. I had a hard time getting the rhythm of this puzzle, though the fill was overall not too challenging, with no non-theme fill longer than 6 letters. With Cattle Drive and Blood Drive showing one view and the other three places where there are drives it seemed choppy. I saw a mini-theme of drinking, but that was just me. There was some nice wit in the cluing, so I look forward to hearing from you all also today.
17A. Place to take a 36-Down : EXPRESSWAY (10). Here we have the place where we drive vehicles.
25A. Place to run a 36-Down : CATTLE RANCH (11). You gather up the cows and head to Kansas City on your cattle drive.
37A. Place to install a 36-Down : DESKTOP COMPUTER (15). The office server has about 10 drives, we use mostly g and h.
47A. Place to hold a 36-Down : BLOOD MOBILE (11). They park outside the movie theater here for their blood drive.
57A. Place to hit a 36-Down : GOLF COURSE (10). With HG, Big Easy, Moe and other of our golfing group, hitting one long straight drive per round keeps them going back.
And the reveal:
36D. Theme of this puzzle : DRIVE (5). How direct is that for a reveal, but is it?
Across:
1. Deceptive operation : STING. Immediate clecho 10A. Deceptive distortion : SPIN.
6. Work with a number : OPUS. I always have like this piece by Chopin. My THOUGHT.
14. Indulge : HUMOR. Nice Friday clue, as we all have humored our spouses or children or even parents at one time in our lives.
15. Probe-launching org. : NASA. CSO to HG.
16. Words often after a number : OR SO. This took me 10 minutes or so to complete.
19. Attire : WEAR.
20. Euripides drama : MEDEA. CSO to me as Jason played a large part in this Tragedy - just not a nice part.
21. Cook books, say : CHEAT. Many businesses do keep different sets of books, cash accounting, GAAP accounting and regulatory accounting, Way beyond me.
22. Venomous reptile : ASP. Cleopatra another tragic figure.
28. Horror film reaction : SHRIEK.
30. Way out : EXIT. Literal.
31. __ Throne: "Game of Thrones" monarchy : IRON. Wonderful fun. LINK.
32. They may span decades : SAGAS. The first one I heard of was THIS.
34. Tack on : ADD.
41. Pasture parent : EWE. I like the alliteration. Ma maa.
42. Members of an exclusive league : IVIES. Hmm- 53A. One percent, so to speak : ELITE.
43. Pasta choice : ZITI. Probably time for a refresher on the many shapes of PASTA.
44. Lack of focus : BLUR. My eye doctor says I am blessed with blurred vision recognition.
45. See 12-Down : ASIMOV. 12D. With 45-Across, "The Bicentennial Man" author : ISAAC. While an interesting book (which is only slightly related to the Robin Williams movie version) this was one in his robot series. He is the most impressive AUTHOR I have read because of hs facility in so many fields.
52. PC file extension : EXE. An executable file for DOS
54. Lead-in to a drink? : I NEED.
56. Fund-raiser, perhaps : GALA. Lots of drinking there usually.
62. "Totally!" : AMEN. From Moses to Mos Def.
63. Brink : EDGE.
64. Mill output : FLOUR. Steel anyone?
65. Not : NARY.
66. Wolfish look : LEER. Splynter?
67. Neighborhood posting : FLYER.
Down:
1. "__ Hate Me": Spike Lee film : SHE. Worth watching.
2. Prom duds : TUX.
3. Devil : IMP.
4. Social convention : NORM. I knew he was social but an entire convention?
5. Country bordering three seas : GREECE. Extra credit if you can name all three.
6. Kickoff : ONSET. 46D. Wave to from the dock : SEE OFF.
7. Grab for clumsily : PAW AT.
8. "Royal Pains" network : USA.
9. Declare : SAY.
10. "Well, whoop-de-do" : SO WHAT.
11. Get duded up : PREEN.
13. Up __ : NORTH. So random, but "YOURS" seemed impolite.
18. Deadwood's state: Abbr. : SDAK.
21. Like new bills : CRISP.
22. Out of the way : ASIDE.
23. Nag : SHREW.
24. Essay makeup : PROSE.
26. Locking blocks : LEGOS. Anyone been?
27. End-of-term ordeal : EXAM.
29. Letterpress need : INK.
32. VP after Hubert : SPIRO. He resigned just over 43 years ago. In cas you forgot....
33. Expert : ACE.
34. Fairy-tale intro words : A TIME. The dreaded partial?
35. Do a juice cleanse, say : DETOX.
38. El Niño feature : TILDE. Nicely disguised.
39. Female gamete : OVUM.
40. Action film weapon : UZI.
44. Mendel's science : BOTANY.
An analysis of genetic crosses depends upon an understanding of Mendel's two laws: The principle of segregation (First Law): The two members of a gene pair (alleles) segregate (separate) from each other in the formation of gametes. Half the gametes carry one allele, and the other half carry the other allele. His seeds were seeds.
45. Novelist Waugh : ALEC. Most famous as Evelyn's brother. Tin, he also said, "I am prepared to believe that a dry martini slightly impairs the palate, but think what it does for the soul."
47. Initiated : BEGAN.
48. Andean transport : LLAMA.
49. Edmonton NHL player : OILER. Splynter?
50. Hull region : BILGE. This TERM has been around 500 years.
51. Deduce : INFER. Nero Wolfe used to get apoplectic about those who misused this WORD.
55. Sigh-inducing : DULL.
57. Holder of locks : GEL. hair, silly.
58. Shelley work : ODE. For the season - the first stanza of Ode To The West Wind
O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,
59. Scheider of "Jaws" : ROY. He had a long and successful CAREER.
60. Seek payback, maybe : SUE. The law is the only field where one professional creates business for another.
61. Fumble, e.g. : ERR. is human, to forgive divine. Not in Cleveland.
Well hopefully I did not fumble the ball in discussing this Friday frolic. Welcome back Chuck. Lemonade out.
