One of the many very successful constructors who emerged since we moved to the LAT, Dr. Sessa, a pediatrician presents us with his 86th LAT to go along with 36 NYT publications, hitting for the cycle in both venues. My first time blogging him was the same day his INTERVIEW with C.C. was published in 2011. Today we have a very simple and getable theme, merely adding a cedilla. It is a mark ( ¸ ) written under the letter c, especially in French, to show that it is pronounced like an "s" rather than a "k" (e.g., façade ). Here we just change the C to S. As Ed said in his interview, he wants to amuse and to make the theme an aha moment. I saw the theme with BRISK LAYER which made the solve much easier. As a seasoned professional, he adds a variety of sparkly fill. ACTUALLY, BATH SOAP, COROLLAS, DIAMETER, OVERLAPS, and SHIMMIES. The themers-
17A. Eggs-uberant hen?: BRISK LAYER (10). My Uncle Harold taught BRICK laying in trade school. The clue is funny to me.
24A. Loon, at times?: DUSK CALLER (10). The change from DUCK caller would not help unless you know Loons (the official bird of the Corner) was famous for its night CALLING.
36A. Do some '80s Sochi sunbathing?: BASK IN THE USSR (13). This 1968 Beatles song -BACK IN THE USSR - is repurposed with memories of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
49A. Hitchhiking and texting?: THUMB TASKS (10). Thumb TACKS and hitchhiking are not as popular as they used to be, but it is amazing how fast young people maneuver their thumbs while texting.
59A. What young elephants do for fun?: NIP AND TUSK (10). The first known usage of 'nip and TUCK' comes from the Arkansas Times and Advocate, August 1838: "It will be a close race in this county - Tully and Cummins, nip and tuck; and I don't know which will have it."
The rest-
Across:
1. "Ta-ta!": SEE YA. I like this expression.
6. Kaput: SHOT.
10. Musical ending: CODA. JzB can say more about this as the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure
14. Ready for the operation: UNDER. The anesthesia.
15. Dance that may involve a chair: HORA. This is back again! Let's dance. We had a great Simchat Torah party this year with lots of dancing. It is not often you get to dance with a 99-year-old wonder , I was the one with the cane.
16. "Amores" poet: OVID. Publius Ovidius Naso, was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature. LINK.
19. Like used books: READ. Well-read I hope.20. __ Xtra: cherry soda brand: PIBB.
No longer Mr. Pibb. I wonder if Dr. Pepper is next.
21. Apple on a desk: IMAC.
22. Word with ring or book: WORM. Sounds like a puzzle theme.
23. Rights org.: ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union.
27. Butler on a plantation: RHETT. Not the one who opens the door but the one who doesn't give a damn.
29. Like Colbert's show: ON LATE.
30. Kiss: SMOOCH.
35. Summit: APEX. Or acme.
40. "The Well-Tempered Clavier" composer: BACH.
41. Taking medication: DOSING. Does he mean taking LSD? I know he is trained, medical man.
42. Final flight destinations?: ATTICS. Wonderful clue.
44. Kitchen shelf array: HERBS.
54. Tick repellent: DEET. N, N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, also called DEET (/diːt/) or diethyltoluamide, is the most common active ingredient in insect repellents.
55. __ Club: SAMS.
56. When repeated, fish on a menu: MAHI.
57. "That being the case ... ": IF SO.
58. Letters after E?: COLI. Hard to parse.
61. The third Mrs. Roy Rogers: DALE. I had no idea the Leonard Slye had two prior marriages. LINK.
62. Airer of many NCAA games: ESPN.
63. Farm stray: DOGIE.
64. 1974 CIA spoof: S*P*Y*S. After the massive success of M*A*S*H, this movie which also starred Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland were marketed with the asterisks to make people think they had something in common.
65. Reasons: WHYS. Why not?
66. Cornered, in a way: TREED. Forced or chased up a tree: a treed raccoon.
Down:
1. Not up to snuff: SUBPAR.
2. Increase the value of: ENRICH.
3. Consumer-friendly?: EDIBLE. A stretch but it actually works.
4. Hedge opening: YES, BUT. Another tricky variation clue; well done.
5. Biblical traveler: ARK.
6. Former SeaWorld attraction: SHAMU.
7. Georgetown athletes: HOYAS.
8. Eponymous vacuum brand: ORECK. Founded by David Oreck in 1963, Oreck Corporation began as a manufacturer of upright vacuum cleaners for the U.S. hotel industry.
9. Roofer's supply: TAR.
10. Popular Toyotas: COROLLAS.
11. Has in common: OVERLAPS.
12. Line through the middle: DIAMETER.
13. Include: ADD.
18. Pot top: LID.
22. Lacking color: WAN.
25. Ben of Ben and Jerry's: COHEN. Ben & Jerry's was founded in May 1978, when Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened an ice cream shop in Burlington, Vermont. ... In 1977, they moved to Burlington, Vermont, and completed a five-dollar correspondence course in ice cream making from Pennsylvania State University. Encyclopedia.
26. "Toy Story" dinosaur: REX.
28. Scolder's cluck: TSK.
31. In the __ of: MIDST.
32. Creator of Iceland's Imagine Peace Tower: ONO.
33. Ties may be broken in them, briefly: OTS.
34. Only half-pretentious?: CHI.
36. Bar by the tub: BATH SOAP.
37. If truth be told: ACTUALLY.
38. Does a ragtime dance: SHIMMIES.
39. "That's disgusting!": UGH. Which describes...
40. Skeeter eater: BAT.
43. "60 Minutes" network: CBS.
45. One slightly changed this clue: EDITOR. Was it only slightly?
46. Storm shelter, say: REFUGE.
47. Blues great Smith: BESSIE.
48. Fired up: STOKED.
50. Sect in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County: AMISH. Today, there are over 25 different Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren church groups in Lancaster County, all holding to slightly different traditions and their own interpretations of the Bible.
51. Like maple trees and pigeons?: SAPPY. Pigeon as in the victim of a scam, a sap.
52. Ruling descendants of Genghis: KHANS. The FAMILY TREE.
53. Thing to confess: SIN.
58. DJ's inventory: CDS.
59. Strange (to): NEW.
60. "Silent Spring" subj.: DDT. The novel by Rachel Carson was published in 1962. I remember it as being very controversial at the time.
I really enjoyed this puzzle and writing up all the different things that it revealed. I also was very proud of Oo and honored at the Torah party. Thank you Dr. Seesa and thank you all.
