We meet today to discuss our 20th puzzle from Mr. Edelstein published in the LAT. I blogged his second one back in 2015. We need to locate the five fill phrases where the letters CO are removed leaving a new phrase clued appropriately. This is an interesting puzzle with some new fill in addition to the theme fill. It also features 8 so called "cheater squares" to create a symmetrical puzzle. I have included the grid here to show both the original fill in red and the cheater squares marked with a + sign. He even manages a new three letter fill as well lots of longer fill like ADDRESS, CLEAVES, DISSENT, ELUDING, MASCARA, ROMANIA, ONE BELOW and SEQUENCE.
16A. Result of too many people fishing?:
24. Religious music?: COPIOUS NOTES (10). I like this clue/fill combo.
32A. Well-versed about sailing ships?: COUPON CLIPPERS (12). The fill is actually UP ON, menaing knowing about.
40A. Dispute between polite fellows?: COGENT ARGUMENT (12). This was the biggest stretch IMO. Gent argument just clangs in my ears.
49A. Problems with cellphone signals?: COPING ISSUES (10). I guess we all know pinging as a word now.
62A. "Above my pay grade" ... and, read in four parts, a hint to 16-, 24-, 32-, 40- and 49-Across: NO CAN DO. In three parts rather than the three logical ones. NO C AND O (7). I do love a logical and complete reveal. On to the fill.
Across:
1. Harmonious groups: CHOIRS. Do you all watch America's Got Talent?
7. Maybelline product: MASCARA. A cosmetic for coloring eyelashes, 1883, mascaro (modern form from 1922), from Spanish mascara "a stain, a mask," from same source as Italian maschera "mask" (see mask (v.)). Like the raccoon's mask. Cleopatra used kohl.
14. Role for Miley: HANNAH. Ms. Montana has changed.
15. Sticks: CLEAVES. Not the noun, but the verb. Very tricky.
18. Customer file prompt: ADDRESS. The clue confuses me, the fill became easy.
19. Lincoln and Grant had them in common: BEARDS. Not my first thought either.
21. Meet halfway: AGREE.
22. Show of support: AYE. And, 67A. No: DISSENT.
27. Buoyant wood: BALSA. Ochroma is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae, containing the sole species Ochroma pyramidale, commonly known as the balsa tree. It is a large, fast-growing tree that can grow up to 30 m tall. Balsa wood is a very lightweight material with many uses. I did not know there was a Mallo(w) family other than this one.
31. '60s protest gp.: SDS. Students for a Democratic Society. Very big when I was at UConn.
37. Exhilarated shout: WAHOO. Especially when catch ONE.
38. Fencing gear: EPEES.
44. Term.: STA. I actually do not know, but the perps are strong.
47. Practical joke: GAG.
48. Stimulate: PIQUE. Curiosity.
54. __ corda: played using the piano's soft pedal: UNA. The soft pedal is one of the standard pedals on a piano, generally placed leftmost among the pedals. On a grand piano this pedal shifts the whole action slightly to the right. wiki.
55. Orly arrival: AVION. Airplane en Francaise.
56. Like little-known facts: ARCANE. "In his dissent, John Roberts, the chief justice, noted the country had over 10,000 tax localities, many of which have their own arcane laws on how different products should be taxed." The Economist, July, 2018.
59. Hungary neighbor: ROMANIA. Hungary in yellow.65. Dodging: ELUDING.
66. Pushes back, say: RE-ACTS.
68. Antarctic explorer Shackleton: ERNEST. Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was an Irish-born British explorer who was a principal figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
Down:
1. Golden State traffic org.: CHP. California Highway Patrol.
2. "Bali __": HAI. The name refers to a mystical island, visible on the horizon but not reachable, and was originally inspired by the sight of Ambae island from neighboring Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu, where author James Michener was stationed in World War II. wiki.
3. Nearly zero: ONE BELOW. Inferrable new fill, but puzzle critics call this a "GREEN PAINT" fill. But would you have known THIS?
4. About: IN RE.
5. Indian noble: RAJA.
6. Cutting: SHARP. Like wit from our other bloggers.
7. George Strait label: MCA. Music Corporation of America is now defunct, but it was their controlling company that I dealt with back in my music days, most people did not know that MCA owned the Universal Studios.
8. Munic. official: ALDerman.
9. Family ride: SEDAN.
10. Shipped stuff: CARGO.
11. Dodges: AVERTS.
12. Fix some bare spots, say: RE-SEED.
13. Take stock of: ASSESS.
17. Sixteenth-century year: MDI. 1501.
20. Ivory, for one: SOAP. Not from Elephants, thank you.
22. __ Dhabi: ABU.
23. Jabber: YAP.
25. Cut or crust opener: UPPER. Boxing or elitism.
26. Seventh in an instructional 39-Down, perhaps: STEP G. Literal, original and...
28. Obstacle: SNAG.
29. Back to back?: ACHE. Again, my brain must be fading cause this is all perps.
33. Pines: LONGS.
34. Very small amounts: IOTAS.
35. Volunteer for another tour: RE-UP.
36. Final Four game: SEMI.
39. Order: SEQUENCE.
41. Eau in Ecuador: AGUA. I wonder why Ecuador? Anyway, my one year old grandson asks for AGUA when he is thirsty.
42. Sister: NUN. That is how many sisters I have.
43. It may be iced: TEA. Not ice.
44. Showed leniency toward: SPARED. Spare the rod...
45. Villa d'Este city: TIVOLI. The MUSEUM.
46. Hostility: ANIMUS.
50. Cattle drivers: GOADS. I did not know this was a spiked stick used for driving cattle.
synonyms:prod, spike, staff, crook, rod.
51. Navel configuration: INNIE. If you said a 'navel' orange, give yourself a gold star (or a navel orange, if you're feeling peckish). Navel refers to the spot in the middle of your belly where the umbilical cord was once attached. Naval on the other hand, pertains to a navy, that branch of the military that operates at sea. Vocabulary.com.
52. Shore bird: ERN.
53. Goal or basket: SCORE.
57. Lenovo competitor: ACER. Lenovo Group Ltd. or Lenovo PC International, often shortened to Lenovo, is a Chinese multinational technology company with headquarters in Beijing, China and Morrisville, North Carolina, United States. Acer Inc. is a Taiwanese multinational hardware and electronics corporation, specializing in advanced electronics technology, headquartered in Xizhi, New Taipei City, Taiwan
58. Bangalore bread: NAAN.
60. Lodging spot: INN.
61. Sports rep.: AGT. Agent.
63. Sot's affliction: DTS. Delerium Tremens.
64. East, in Essen: OST. We have had this German word before.
Well that was a workout even after getting the theme. I look forward to all of your comments; thank you Jerry and all of you who read and a special thanks to those who comment. Lemonade out.
