This is puzzle number 6 here at the LAT for retired PROFESSOR MENDELSOHN a well-published Psychology researcher from McGill University in Montreal. He first published twice in the NYT followed by 5 LATs last year with one being a Friday. MJM uses a theme which we have seen before, where words in the down fill are clued to represent B(under)A phrases. He makes it his own by locating 4 unique to the puzzle world phrases that work. He adds triple stacks of 6 letter words in the NW and SE corners, with doubled up 8 letter fill in the NE and SW which include the sparkly LOOKED IN, MERE HINT and USO SHOWS. He sprinkles some amusing word combos and some geography. There are included stuff from other puzzles for the week. See how many you recognize. we have:
4D. Carefully consider, literally: ADVISEMENT TAKE (14). Take UNDER Advisement.
8D. Add to the list of possible perps, literally: SUSPICION PUT (12). Put UNDER Suspicion.
16D. Ail, literally: THE WEATHER FEEL (14). Feel UNDER the Weather.
20D. Rein in, literally: CONTROL BRING (12). Bring UNDER Control.
1. Fix: ATTACH. Not an easy start for me.
7. Egyptian symbols of royalty: ASPS. All you need to know about these SNAKES.
11. Fitness stat.: BMI. Body Mass Index. Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson (6'5" 262 pounds) comes in as "obese" with a reading of 31.1. Yeah, right.
14. Greeted casually, with "to": SAID HI. I did not need the "to."
15. Grill: QUESTION.
17. Classic London theatre: OLD VIC. The Old Vic, originally named the Royal Coburg Theatre, was designed in 1818 by Rudolph Cabanel, where it stands now south-east of Waterloo Station. various.
18. They raise camp spirit: USO SHOWS. SO? Hmm.
19. Arrive on an air taxi: FLY IN. Air Taxi?
20. Cereal box rank: CAP'N. I guess this makes this puzzle crunchy.
21. North-of-the-border gas: ESSO. An example?
22. "Could be better": SO SO. Cute next to ESSO.
24. Second of a Caesarean three: I SAW. VIDI.
26. Undressed: BARE.
29. "Squawk Box" channel: CNBC.
31. Feinted: DEKED. We hockey fans know this term,
35. Cheese town: EDAM. Edam is a semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands and is named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland. Packed in red.
36. Abruzzi bell town: ATRI. Long ago there was a king in Italy who was known for his goodness and wisdom. King John of Atri believed in justice, and so one day he purchased a great bell to hang in a tower in the village square...
37. The Congo, formerly: ZAIRE.
38. Tune (out): ZONE. Not related to 33D. White out: ERASE.
39. Agonize (over): BROOD. This verb was originally used with an object, i.e., ‘to nurse (feelings) in the mind’ (late 16th century), a figurative use of the notion of a hen nursing chicks under her wings.
41. Catching strategy: TRAP. For C.C. What is Trapped? A baseball term that describes the state of a fly ball or line drive that touches the ground just prior to being concealed and secured by a player's glove.
42. Key wood: EBONY. It took a moment too long for me to see this LINK.
44. Hyatt competitor: OMNI. The one in Miami closed but THESE are still open.
45. Horde: HOST.
46. Slow movement: LENTO. In music. 58A. Major relative to F minor: A-FLAT. JzB, help me!
47. Canter: LOPE.
48. Pre-event periods: EVES.
49. Pyramid, to Tut: TOMB.
51. Kindle reader, say: USER. One who uses the Kindle not the device.
53. Quartet named for its members: ABBA. Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
56. Q.E.D. word: ERAT. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.
62. Checked (on): LOOKED IN. With so many oldsters living here, we look in and bring homecooked treats to them.
64. Mock: PSEUDO.
65. Barely a trace: MERE HINT. Like good perfume.
66. Party to a search: SEEKER.
67. Is for some: ARE. Cute, think about it.
68. Declines: SAGS. nothing but un-pc comes to mind.
69. Least well: ILLEST. Not a favorite.
Down:
1. Dating from: AS OF.
2. Hard to believe: TALL. Tale. The HISTORY?
3. Not like a sty: TIDY.
5. Slacks material: CHINO. Versus KHAKI?
6. Kool-Aid alternative: HI-C.
7. Marine opening?: AQUA.
9. Lowly laborers: PEONS. Not since the serf days?
10. Cooking-burger sound: SSS.
11. Dust jacket blurbs: BIOS.
12. Manicures, in a way: MOWS. The lawn, or for Steve and NC and others, the garden.
13. __ many words: IN SO.
23. One who crosses the line: SCAB. From blemish … to strikebreaker, the history of the word scab … shows a displacement of meaning from the visceral or physical to the moral register … Just as a scab is a physical lesion, the strikebreaking scab disfigures the social body of labor—both the solidarity of workers and the dignity of work.
25. Wood dresser: ADZ.
26. Gem mounting: BEZEL. Bezel settings use a type of elevated collar which wraps the rim of the diamond in a complete metal edging
27. Pueblo building material: ADOBE.
28. Talked nonstop: RAN ON. Like many of my sentences.
30. Stomach relief, briefly: BROMO.
34. Firm parts: Abbr.: DEPTS.
40. Runs out of juice: DIES.
43. Hoo's first?: YOO. Chocolate drink.
50. Social __: MEDIA.
52. Brainstorming staple: EASEL. Whiteboard these days.
53. Operatic Gluck: ALMA.
54. Dutch colonist: BOER. More cute pairing with...
55. Put to sleep: BORE.
57. Unwanted workers: ANTS.
59. Uncle to Ben Solo: LUKE. Ben Solo, Princess Leia's son. A dark warrior strong with the Force, Kylo Ren commands First Order missions with a temper as fiery as his unconventional lightsaber.
60. Vitamin C sources: ADES. Yay! CSO for me!!!!!
61. Libel or slander: TORT. A civil wrong.
63. Doubtful interjections: EHS.
64. Tire shop meas.: PSI. Pounds per Square Inch.
We have almost put another month in the corner record books, with HG closing the deal tomorrow with one of his exhaustive explications. I hope to see you all back here next month. Thank you, Morton and cornerites, Lemonade out.
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to dear Barry G, a regular on our blog for many years. How's work, Barry? Do you still have to drive a long way to work? How's Joshua?
July 2, 2016
