Friday, December 1, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME .

JW is here for another Friday (thank you again HG for the blogs while I was gone) and with what I believe is his first punny quip puzzle. " If I tolled them once, I tolled them a hundred times."

The tolled-told homonym is the key to the humor. We also have some related fill with QUASIMODO and BELL TOWER. This is a rather upbeat puzzle for a very dark story. VICTOR HUGO was quite political in his writings. I was surprised by the theme but appreciated the humor.  There are 59 spaces attached to the theme, with the grid spanner in the middle. The theme did not require a reveal unless you were unfamiliar with this classic movie.

                                                                     SANCTUARY

 We also have fun fill like, CHIPS AWAY, EVIL DEEDS, LIVIDNESS and MIAMI VICE but it is the "quote" which is the puzzle.

17A. Hugo character memorably portrayed by Charles Laughton: QUASIMODO (9).

23A. With 36- and 44-Across, what 17-Across might have said when his job became too repetitious? : IF I TOLLED THEM (13).

36A. See 23-Across: ONCE, I TOLLED THEM (15).

44. See 23-Across: A HUNDRED TIMES (13).

57A. 17-Across' workplace: BELL TOWER (9).


Across:

1. Qualifier for a hall entry? : FAME. I wanted hall pass.

5. Excuse descriptor: LAME. So we start with a nice rhyme.

9. Med. recordings: EKGS. There should not be an "S."

13. Over, in much Twain dialogue: AGIN. As opposed to agin/fer.

14. "__ my way": I'M ON.

15. Relatives of windsocks: VANES. I guess.

19. Fuming: IRATE.

20. Uncle__: SAM.

21. Risk pieces: DICE. The die - a piece of the game or a tool used in the game?

22. Type of large TV: PLASMA.

26. Sitarist Shankar: RAVI. Norah Jones' father.

28. Metal sources: ORES.

29. Important part of a whale's diet: KRILL. They look like small SHRIMP.

31. Feigned: FALSE.

33. Many an IRS employee: CPA. Certified Public Accountant.

39. "Got it now?" : SEE?

40. Parts of Walmart work uniforms: VESTS.

41. Frodo's home, with "the": SHIRE.

42. Gentlemen: SIRS.

43. Actor Omar: EPPS. Once again this week; who is his publicist?

51. Lengthy account: LITANY. Usually of bad things.

52. Participate in a race, maybe: RIDE.

53. Fluoride-touting org.: ADA. American Dental Association.

56. Blazing: AFIRE. Ooh, an a-word.

59. Problems electric razors should prevent: NICKS.

60. Avoid getting into deep water? : WADE.

61. "Lobster Telephone" artist: DALI.

Lobster Telephone is a surrealist object, created by Salvador Dalí in 1936 for the English poet Edward James, a leading collector of surrealist art. Wiki.

62. "__ who?" : SAYS.

63. Monthly Roman calendar occurrences: IDES.  Twice this week. With the fate of Julius Caesar in mind,  this is an interesting juxtaposition with....

64. Turned yellow, perhaps: DYED.

Down:

1. Customer info sources: FAQS.

2. Lago contents: AGUA. Lake: Water. Spanish.

3. '80s cop show featuring Ferraris: MIAMI VICE. An interesting story. LINK. Ferraris twice this week.

4. USN rank: ENSign.

5. Keep in check: LIMIT.

6. Merged gas company: AMOCO. Gobbled up by BP, this brand may be BACK.

7. Auto datum: MODEL.

8. Brian of music: ENO.

9. What superheroes seek to thwart: EVIL DEEDS. This needed many perps.

10. Gold fineness units: KARATS. From a JEWELER.

11. Grind: GNASH.

12. "They __ up!": scapegoat's cry: SET ME.

16. Alteration target: SEAM. My mother was a wonderful nurse and mother, but she could not sew. My brothers and I had to stand with one leg up on the bottom stair after she shortened the pants to make the legs look even.

18. Infamous Amin: IDI.

22. Intrinsically: PER SE. This is not a legal term, per se.

24. Rank partner: FILE. READ and discuss.

25. Doesn't do much: LOLLS.

26. Classic movie theaters: RKOS.

27. "Alfred" composer: ARNE. Not his most famous work. LINK.

30. Red state? : LIVIDNESS. This was very difficult, but when you are livid you turn red.

31. Broadway choreographer for "Chicago": FOSSE.

32. PC key: ALT.

33. Cuts into, with "at": CHIPS AWAY.

34. Cop's collar: PERP. Not her.

35. Iowa college town: AMES. Not Ed this time.

37. Jones or Gilliam of Monty Python: TERRY. The only AMERICAN  in Monty Python is Terry Gilliam.

38. Passé pronoun: THEE.

42. Impertinent in tone: SNARKY.

44. PBS "Mystery!" host Cumming: ALAN.

45. LP players: HI FIS.

46. Erie Canal city: UTICA.

47. More than fear: DREAD.

48. Circumflex cousin: TILDE. Diacritic marks. COMPLICATED.

49. Doesn't do much: IDLES.

50. Satisfied: MET.

54. Editor's mark: DELE.

55. Like much of New Mexico: ARID.

57. Md. airport serving D.C.: BWI. Baltimore Washington International.

58. Not quite right: ODD. We have one living at our condo complex...not easy.

Back when this blog was young and the puzzles discussed were edited by Wayne Williams, we had many similar puzzles. They are usually called "quip" puzzles. Most were silly, so this is not a unique approach. But from Jeffrey? In the LAT?  I liked it, hope you did. Lemonade out.