Title: Where have all the Ws gone, long time passing...
DAB is back with a letter removal puzzle. His reveal is more complicated as each "W" is part of a phrase that begins with "SW." Hence the reveal. This seems mostly easy for a Friday, but the consistency of the theme and having three grid-spanners makes it a thing of beauty. I enjoyed the long ones, with SINGING BOTH WAYS my favorite. The remaining fill was typical of a puzzle with 66 squares dedicated to theme with OPENHANDED, SPARE TIRES, AVOIDED and EMBASSY the long ones, BRIBED and BROODS interesting ones.
17A. Ratting to the cops and carrying a tune? : S
24A. Dupe gatherings? : S
39A. What rain may do to a bad toupee? : S
51A. Place to buy a chair? : S
62A. Cowboy outfit? : S
71A. Deli cheese ... or, in three parts, a hint to the five longest across puzzle answers: SWISS (5) you have to parse this as SW-IS-S. S replaces SW.
ACROSS:
1. Leftover bit in a basket: CRUMB. The bread basket.
6. Taken out by Buffy? : SLAIN. She was known as the SLAYER.
11. Farm home: STY. Two weeks in a row.
14. Lash LaRue's "Frontier Revenge,"e.g.: OATER. Since the stars of the movies were horses and they ate oats. Should be easy after Steve's write-up yesterday.
15. Critical circulation aid: AORTA. You know this as the main artery of the body, supplying oxygenated blood to the circulatory system. In humans it passes over the heart from the left ventricle and runs down in front of the backbone.
16. Op lead-in: PRE.
20. Chem. class suffix: IDE.
21. Buddy type: BOSOM. Who recalls this career launching series? LINK
22. Scots Gaelic: ERSE. Repeat. Along with 55A. Sounds of hesitation : ERS. No common link. Or maybe 35D. Romain de Tirtoff, famously : ERTE.
23. More than moist: WET.
27. Kept away from: AVOIDED.
31. National Grandparents' Day mo. : SEPT. The first Sunday after Labor Day. HISTORY.
32. Trumpet players? : LIPS. Lips are key to all wind instruments, I believe.
33. Regions : AREAS.
36. RN workplace : ICU. Intensive Care Unit.
43. Hold one's __ : OWN.
44. Cook in the oven : ROAST.
45. Walk unsteadily : REEL.
46. Prince in "Frozen" : HANS. Spoiler alert.
48. Diplomat's headquarters : EMBASSY.
56. Forearm part : ULNA. The outside bone, the radius is on the outside. I fractured my radius two years go.
57. Last European colony in Asia : MACAO. Macau also spelled Macao and officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the western side of the Pearl River estuary in East Asia. in 1887 the Portuguese finally managed to secure an agreement from China that Macao was Portuguese territory, ending 330 years of uncertainty. In 1999 it was handed over to China. Macau was the last extant European territory in continental Asia.
59. Dallas sch. : SMU. Southern Methodist University.
66. Consumed : ATE.
67. Like many squawkers : AVIAN. Birds.
68. Immerse completely : DOUSE. More water.
69. Nickname for Edward : NED.
70. Cruel sort: MEANY. Seems like a silly word.
Down:
1. "__ fan tutte": COSI.
2. Prohibition surprise : RAID.
3. __ Reader : UTNE.
4. Not much memory, these days : MEG. I bought a computer for my sons in 1992. A "Portable" computer of the time period, something like a Compaq LTE weighed six pounds, which had a i386 CPU, a 9.5" display (smaller than the size of the iPad's) and VGA graphics (640x480). We are now up to Terrabytes.
5. Greased : BRIBED.
6. Droops : SAGS.
7. University of New Mexico team : LOBOS.
8. Kitchen drawer? : AROMA. A classic hidden heteronym misdirection, that which draws (entices) people to the kitchen.
9. U.S. manufacturer founded as a communications co. in 1920 : ITT.
10. "Don't think so!" : NAH.
11. Trunks often contain them : SPARE TIRES. As do many WalMart customers.
12. Private meeting : TRYST.
13. Approvals : YESES.
18. F-sharp, for one : NOTE. This clu/fill leavce me flat.
19. "Willow __ for Me": jazz standard : WEEP. The two Ws here are fine because they are not attached to an S.
23. Bit of smoke : WISP.
25. H.S. junior's exam : PSAT. Standardized tests for pratice.
26. Net fabric : MESH.
27. Too : ALSO.
28. Condo selling point : VIEW.
29. Generous : OPEN HANDED. Dictionary: 1(of a blow) delivered with the palm of the hand.
"an openhanded slap to the side of the face. " 2. giving freely; generous."openhanded philanthropy"
30. Duchamp genre : DADA. He was a true pioneer. LINK.
34. Legal thing : RES.
37. Parlor sticks : CUES. Billiard parlor.
38. Like some moods : UGLY.
40. Footed vases : URNS.
41. On-the-run bite : NOSH. One of many Yiddish terms incorpoated in our culture.
42. Big periods : ERAS.
47. The teensiest bit : A TAD.
49. Nourishment provider : MEAL.
50. Stews (over) : BROODS. Who does not love a great BROODING HERO.
51. 1940s-'60s top-10 girl's name that ranked 922nd in 2016 : SUSAN. Hi, Hahtoolah.
52. Thrill : ELATE. A favorite word of our fearless leader.
53. __ vincit amor : OMNIA. Love conquers all.
54. Certain polytheist : PAGAN. Pagan definition, (no longer in technical use) one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.
58. Sch. in Harlem : CCNY. City College of New York.
59. Feng __ : SHUI. 2018 UPDATE.
60. Slob's production : MESS.
61. Versatility list : USES.
63. On the __: hiding : LAM. A CSO to John Lampkin.
64. "__ had it!" : I'VE.
65. Drag behind : TOW.
March has arrived, was a lamb or a lion where you live? Here it was still spring, perhaps a touch to warm, but the 60s are coming back. Thank you David and all who read and/or write. Lemonade out.
