Wednesday, March 8, 2017, Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

TITLE: WORD LOVERS


Our two good friends here at this little literary outpost, C.C. and Irish Miss, have produced a lovely exercise for us today. 

Husker Gary reporting on their effort to take a word (foreign to me) and use it as a delightful pattern.These word-loving ladies used the word LOGOPHILE, from the Greek - LOGOS meaning word and PHILE meaning lover, to give us four fills where the first word starts with LO and the second with GO. 

What word could be more apropos? 

The reveal tells all. I could see the pattern but had no idea what these two LOGOPHILES were doing.

64. Word lover who'd especially enjoy the four longest answers in this puzzle? : LOGOPHILE

THEME FILLS:
17. Ambitious aspiration : LOFTY GOAL - After 108 long years, the Chicago Cubs reached their LOFTY GOAL of a World Championship last fall

25. "We're off to a strong start" : LOOKING GOOD - Forest Gump's 1970's investment in "some kind of fruit company" would have him LOOKING GOOD and worth $6B today.

39. A city council is part of it : LOCAL GOVERNMENT - My town's LOCAL GOVERNMENT has been besieged by debate on both sides concerning the building of a $300,000,000 Costco Chicken Plant two miles south of our house. A former Nebraska governor with whom I golf told me, "Gary, what kind of industry did people think we would attract?"

50. Aphrodite or Venus : LOVE GODDESS - Hilarious Judy Tenuta billed herself as a "LOVE GODDESS - It could happen!"

Now that you've LOGged On, let's see what else Agnes and C.C. have for us

Across

1. __-pedi : MANI

5. Like many snowbirds: Abbr. : RET'D - I subbed five of the last eight days. I've got to look up the word RETIRED 

9. Golden Arches pork sandwich : MCRIB

14. __ jacket : ETON - May we clear that for you?

15. Part of a plot : ACRE

16. Muse for Millay : ERATO

19. Industry bigwig : TITAN

20. Hotel breakfast buffet offering : OMELET - Your attendants might be wearing ETON jackets

21. "Evita" role : CHE

23. River near the Sphinx : NILE

24. Hush-hush govt. org. : NSA

28. Lauren of fashion : RALPH - His company made an entire line of ads for sponsoring Downton Abbey. 

30. Mystery man John : DOE - He seems to show up in a lot of morgues

31. Uninteresting : BLAH

33. "Yippee!" : WAHOO - Twenty minutes from here

36. Flapper's accessory : BOA - The kind that's safe around your neck

43. Typical "Blue's Clues" watcher : TOT

44. Davenport resident : IOWAN

45. Gossip column twosome : ITEM - These things are like our savings account - they generate no appreciable interest!  

46. Stop : END

47. Stop : CEASE - Didn't I just see this clue recently?

55. __ King Cole : NAT

58. "Not sure yet" : I MAY

59. Road cover : TAR - This road TAR job was in one of my favorite movies

60. Sole role in the play "Tru" : CAPOTE

62. Place for short cuts : SALON

66. Pointed remark? : THERE

67. Always : EVER

68. Persia, today : IRAN - The mullahs don't like it but some American knockoffs like this and "Mash Donalds" are showing up. 

69. Totally filled : SATED

70. Email status : SENT - Oh my! Did I hit SEND?

71. What a successful dieter weighs : LESS

Down

1. Fruit served in balls : MELON - Oh, now I get it!

2. Matter makeup : ATOMS

3. 2002 legislation that protects whistleblowers, familiarly : NO FEAR ACT 

4. Like some waters: Abbr. : INT'L

5. Convertible, in slang : RAG TOP - Guy Fieri's RAG TOP and his show - Diners, Drive-In and Dives - are both cool!

6. Prefix with friendly : ECO

7. Song on a CD : TRACK -I haven't bought music on a record, tape or CD since Moby Dick was a guppy.

8. Indian metropolis : DELHI - The Ploof Gourmet Kitchen in Deli has been proclaimed the best Deli in, uh, DELHI. Call  +91 22 2463 4666 for take out!

9. Got together : MET

10. Shrink in fear : CRINGE

11. Probability expression : RATIO - The odds for my FB Huskers winning the National Championship  this year are 100:1. VB odds are much better!

12. Author Calvino : ITALO - Classics always wear well and offer lessons to all generations. To Kill A Mockingbird is one that comes to my mind! You?

13. Like fillets : BONED

18. Cry out : YELL

22. Home of the Ewoks : ENDOR - The home of our crossword buddies. Now where do those ELOI hale from? 

26. "I'm impressed!" : OH WOW

27. Hired hood : GOON - Some don't make it to Social Security age

29. Puzzle solver's cry : AHA - AHA, now I get it! It's two word phrases where the first word starts with LO and the second with GO!

31. Lunchtime fave : BLT - You had me at bacon!

32. John of the U.K. : LOO

34. Gardner of the silver screen : AVA - No one was afraid of her boyfriend/husband, just his GOONS!

35. Start of a conclusion : HENCE

36. Bane : BETE NOIRE - That which is hated or a rasslin' stage name

37. Cardinal Ozzie Smith's retired uniform number : ONE - Now there's a guy who knew how to take his position 

38. Spot to check your balance : ATM

40. Lisa who hosts CNN's "This Is Life" : LING

41. Beckett no-show : GODOT

42. Leading lead-in : MIS - It's MISLEADING if you think GODOT is going to show up

46. Friend of Pooh and Roo : EEYORE - What a sad outlook on life. I've known a few.

48. Go along with : ESCORT

49. PDQ : ASAP

50. Leans while sailing : LISTS

51. D-Day beach : OMAHA - C.C and Agnes, you couldn't throw Nebraska a crumb here? :-) 

52. Lot attendant : VALET - A dfferent pronunciation if you are handing Lord Grantham his riding clothes

53. Lowlands : DALES

54. Used the car : DROVE

56. Book with roads : ATLAS - or...

57. After-school jobholders : TEENS - Like any honest labor, McJobs have dignity

61. One of the Everly Brothers : PHIL - The Beatles were huge fans of Don and PHIL

63. Actor Beatty : NED -This t-shirt was inspired by what may be Ned's most remembered role

65. High-ranking off. : GEN

I am LOng GOne but look forward to your comments: