DAB seems to have slid into JW's every other Friday place here at the Corner. He also uses add letter(s) with today being the 'PRE' trigram. None of the themers jump out (for me) but they are consistent and Friday hard. All of David's LAT publications are Fridays, and he obviously is on Rich's wavelength; how about you all? He has some nice sparkle with ALCOVES, ANIMATE, CLERICS, SAVANTS, DINETTES, POINTS TO, SPECTERS and TEN CENTS.
The theme -
17A. Bishop in bed?: SLEEPING PRELATE (15). Prelate which is defined as a bishop or other high ecclesiastical dignitary might be tricky for some.
24A. "I happen to have a deck of cards right here"?: POKER PREFACE (12). The poker is random, but the alliteration is fun.
40A. Fake lawyer?: BAR PRETENDER (12). A little technical, and a little different as it splits a single word apart.
And the reveal-
52A. Software service provided by hardware sellers ... and a hint to three long puzzle answers: PREINSTALLATION.
The rest-
Across:
1. Short shots?: PICS. A nice way to clue an abbreviation that has become a word.
5. Toque wearer: CHEF.
9. Tenth of a grand: C-SPOT. Grand is also represented by a G-Note. 1/10 of $1,000.00; I will not link G-spot pics.
14. "Quickly!": ASAP. These days said "A-sap."
15. Quasimodo's creator: HUGO. Victor to his friends.
16. Conifer with durable wood: LARCH. This is a coniferous tree with bunches of deciduous bright green needles, found in cool regions of the northern hemisphere. It is grown for its tough timber and its resin (which yields turpentine).
20. Mid-'70s cost to mail a typical letter: TEN CENTS. Very random, and I would have preferred something else. That is just my ten cents worth. (inflation!)
21. Wears down: ERODES.
22. Veracious: TRUE. Not Voracious. This one is a cousin of veracity.
23. Enliven: ANIMATE. But never re-animate. How about GOT?
28. "__ Rose Has Its Thorn": Poison hit: EVERY. The STORY of this Glamrock hit.
29. Bashes: RAMS.
30. "So there!": HAH.
33. Focusing aid: LENS.
34. "Under the Redwoods" author: HARTE. Bret Harte died in 1902 but was quite well received. READ the book for free.
36. Valley: DALE.
37. "Good Behavior" broadcaster: TNT. This SERIES was a serious departure for Michelle Dockery. She was not a nice girl. I loved her in the Netflix series
38. High spot on a farm: SILO.
39. Radio station, e.g.: AIRER.
43. Nooks: ALCOVES.
46. Get behind, with "for": VOTE.
47. Immature insects: LARVAE. Shout out for John Lampkin.
48. Indicates: POINTS TO.
54. Lacks: HASN'T.
55. Bad thing to take in a ring: DIVE. Before ROCKY there was BATTLIN' JACK MURDOCH.
56. Rim: EDGE.
57. Beasts of burden: ASSES.
58. Gravity-propelled toy: SLED. More sledding this week, but maybe the snow is finally over.
59. Seven __: SEAS.
The "Seven Seas" (as in the idiom "sail the Seven Seas") is an ancient phrase for all of the world's oceans. Since the 19th century, the term has been taken to include seven oceanic bodies of water:
the Arctic Ocean
the North Atlantic Ocean
the South Atlantic Ocean
the Indian Ocean
the North Pacific Ocean
the South Pacific Ocean
the Southern (or Antarctic) Ocean
Down:
1. Historian's field: PAST.
2. Archipelago piece: ISLE. In case you did not know it is a sea or stretch of water containing many islands.
3. Normandy city: CAEN. Caen is known for its historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror, who was buried there, and for the Battle for Caen—heavy fighting that took place in and around Caen during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, destroying much of the city. The city has now preserved the memory by erecting a memorial and a museum dedicated to peace, the Memorial de Caen. Wiki.
4. Ghosts: SPECTERS.
5. Calisthenic exercise: CHIN UP. Different from a PULLUP. Pull-ups, done with both hands in an overhand (or prone) grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, prove to be the most difficult of the pair. The wide grip isolates your lats, taking away much of the emphasis from the biceps. The underhand alternative—chinups—receives high praise as both a bicep- and back-builder.
6. Fox pursuer: HUNTER. This juxtaposition makes this next one harder.
7. What some poachers poach: EGGS. Tricky, not someone hunting or fishing where he is not permitted, just cooking.
8. Metrosexual: FOP. I guess as a fop is a man who is concerned with his clothes and appearance in an affected and excessive way; a dandy.
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9. Priests, e.g.: CLERICS.
10. Biblical dancer: SALOME.
11. Milan-based fashion house: PRADA.
12. Work for a chamber group: OCTET.
13. What we have here: THESE.
18. Matthew who led a 19th-century expedition to Japan: PERRY. Matthew C. Perry, not to be confused with Matthew L. Perry, became quite famous in his own RIGHT. However, look at some of his famous relatives, may compel to sign up for Ancestry.com. LINK.
19. Alter, in a way, as a file: RENAME. I do this everytime I download a scan.
23. "__ lot of good that'll do you": A FAT. I bet you want to know its ORIGIN.
24. Bombard: PELT.
25. Roasting site: OVEN.
26. Canterbury's county: KENT. Kent is a county in southeastern England. In the city of Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral has a 1,400-year history and features a Romanesque crypt and medieval stained glass.
27. Mistake: ERROR.
30. Word with cash or candy: HARD. Hard money is very important in all real estate transactions.
31. Away from the wind: ALEE.
32. German title: HERR.
34. Staff expanders: HIREES.
35. Multinational range: ALPS.
36. Sets for some 43-Across: DINETTES.
38. Learned experts: SAVANTS.
39. Company name inspired by a volcano: AETNA.
40. Like oxen: BOVINE.
41. Gradually develop: EVOLVE.
42. Labored: TOILED.
43. Highest-ranking: ALPHA.
44. "__ Theme": "Doctor Zhivago" melody: LARAS. They were a beautiful couple.
45. Salad green: CRESS. Not watercress, but a plant of the cabbage family, typically having small white flowers and pungent leaves. Some kinds are edible and are eaten raw in a salad. Garden cress is genetically related to watercress and mustard, sharing their peppery, tangy flavor and aroma.
48. Gardening aid: PAIL.
49. Aspect: SIDE.
50. Roman robe: TOGA.
51. Small tip components: ONES.
53. NFL stat: TDS.
We have rushed to the end of April, with spring apparently finally here. We will see what next week brings; thank you, David, and thank you loyal and entertaining readers, commenters and agent provocateurs. Lemonade out.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Lemonade's grandson Owen turns 7 months old. Here's a picture of Owen and his two beautiful sisters.
2) Here are three more pictures from Kazie's beautiful family:
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| Kay's youngest son David and his fiancée Aimee |
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| Kay's daughter-in-law's grandmother, Kay's husband Barry and Kay |
Granddaughters, Mila (2) is standing and Lea (5) is sitting on the swing.
