After being confronted with a 4 letter addition last week, we only have one little letter and some very amusing clue/fill combinations. This is my first exposure to Joe Kidd, perhaps a Nom de Plume of a shy constructor who likes Clint Eastwood. It is also his 6th LAT to go with a single NYT, for which no picture was run. He sticks in some nice fill like HOGTIED, I MADE IT, NATALIE and TURN OFF but shines with two that are new to the Corner since the change to the LAT - CREATE A STIR and INCOME TAXES. I do not think I have had a puzzle with 5 eleven space theme fill before. Overall, it seemed easy, with many toeholds, but YMMV.
17A. Cheeky server?: FRESH WAITER (11). The base phrase - FRESH WATER - I like the cheeky server.
26A. Bro on the go?: MOBILE HOMIE (11). The base phrase - MOBILE HOME - I love mobile homie!
37A. European auto left out in the rain?: SATURATED FIAT (13). The base phrase - SATURATED FAT -Cute.
49A. Food for thought? : BRAIN MUFFIN (11). The base phrase - BRAN MUFFIN - A RECIPE. Or THIS.
49A. Food for thought? : BRAIN MUFFIN (11). The base phrase - BRAN MUFFIN - A RECIPE. Or THIS.
58A. Result of a yank prank?: WEDGIE ISSUE (11). The base phrase - WEDGE ISSUE - a divisive political issue, especially one that is raised by a candidate for public office in hopes of attracting or alienating an opponent's supporters. I have seen nothing but attack ads, with no attempt to put forth a platform. If you have never had your underwear tugged, this would be obscure.
Across:
1. Decision-making tool: COIN. I flip you for it.
5. Slips in pots: CHITS. A chit is a tab or an IOU, a record of money owed. Your neighborhood deli might give you a chit the end of each week, letting you know how much you owe for your daily bagels.
10. Assure, as victory: ICE.
13. One of four on a keyboard: ARROW. Just to the right of the letters.
15. Comics unit: PANEL.
16. Nice handle?: NOM. The French city misdirection.
19. Call from a cote: COO. I think they mean the birdhouses built for doves (pigeons) but I would prefer this cooing.
20. Former Rocket Ming: YAO. My Oo is actually named Thongyao.21. Hanoi holiday: TET. More Asian information.
22. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester: HOLT.
23. Sgt.'s underling: PFC.
29. Alienate: TURN OFF. Extreme.
31. Creator of many word lists: ROGET. Mr. Thesauras.
32. Sailing: ASEA.
33. Stately shaders: ELMS. "The stately Elm spreads its arms, rejoicing in its strength."
36. '40s Giant manager: OTT. Melvin Thomas Ott, nicknamed "Master Melvin", was an American professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder for the New York Giants, from 1926 through 1947. He was a very successful PLAYER as well. His puzzle counterpart is 2D. Nine-time NHL All-Star: ORR.
41. Draw at a pub: TAP. Beer is back on Friday.
42. Weight adjustment factor: TARE. Tare weight is accounted for in kitchen, analytical (scientific), and other weighing scales which include a button that resets the zero of the scale display when an empty container is placed on the weighing platform, in order to subsequently display only the weight of the contents of the container. Dict.
43. One no longer serving: EX-GI.
45. Prove to be untrue: BELIE.
47. Late arriver's cry: I MADE IT.
52. Airport near OAK: SFO. Oakland and San Francisco are easy MSY is hard.
53. Outwit, as a tail: LOSE.
54. Taker of ppm measurements: EPA. Parts Per Million. Environmental Protection Agency.
55. Dorm room, perhaps: STY. I am so tired of this FEBREZE commercial.
57. Bad picnic omen: ANT. That seems harsh; you go sit where they live.
63. B.S. part: Abbr.: SCIence.
64. Oven setting: BROIL. I wondered why when you wanted to roast the turkey you set the oven to broil.
65. Put an end to: CEASE. And desist.
66. Rocky outcropping: TOR. A word I learned from puzzles, which is also known by geomorphologists as either a castle koppie or kopje, is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. Wiki.
67. AAA and NRA: ASSNS.
68. Bar shelf lineup: RYES. I have never seen an array of rye whiskey in any bar.
Down:
1. Half-__: coffee choice: CAF. Half-assed?
3. Aran Islands country: Abbr.: IREland. The Aran Islands are located just off Galway and Doolin. A true Irish experience awaits, locals, speak Irish as well as English in a setting of Celtic churches of historical significance including World Heritage site Dun Aonghasa which is set on a dramatic 300 ft cliff edge.
4. Prone to prying: NOSY.
5. Many an IRS e-file user: CPA.
6. 1492 landing site, now: HAITI. The HISTORY of this island called AYTI by the natives is more complex than most know.
7. Gathering of spies: INTEL. Not where but what.
8. Show instability: TEETER. Totter.
9. Hasselblad product: SLR. Single Lens Reflex.
10. 5-Down's concern: INCOME TAXES.
11. "Chillax!": COOL IT.
12. Act to excess: EMOTE. I have never liked this clue/fill.
14. Hula Hoop manufacturer: WHAMO.
22. Rendered immobile: HOGTIED. The hogtie when used on pigs and cattle has it where three of the four limbs are tied together, as tying all four together is difficult and can result in harm to the animal. More rodeo, see 45D.
23. Student advocacy gp.: PTA.
24. Ruckus: FUSS. Next to
25. Shake things up: CREATE A STIR. Quite a nice phrase, though all I can find online is Cause a Stir.
27. Key of Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto: B-FLAT.
28. Horseshoe holder: HOOF. I nailed this answer.
30. Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs: NATALIE. And much more. LINK.
34. Kingston Trio hit with the lyric "Fight the fare increase!": MTA. Poor Charlie.
35. Letter enhancement: SERIF. Serifs are semi-structural details or small decorative flourishes on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols. An example would be the Times New Roman font. Sans serif does not have these details or flourishes. An example would be the Arial font.
38. Go __ smoke: UP IN.
39. End that may be untimely: DEMISE. An odd clecho with...
40. End-of-week exclamation: TGIF.
44. Midori on the ice: ITO.
45. Bouncy ride, to say the least: BRONCO. It is kind of fun when the horse wins.
46. Arab bigwigs: EMEERS.
48. Bit of tomfoolery: ANTIC. If you give in to your wild side, you will often have a ...
49. Rollicking good time: BLAST.
50. Prom night coifs: UPDOS.
51. Dickens bad guy: FAGIN. This fictional character is one of the villains in Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist (1837–39) and one of the most notorious anti-Semitic portraits in English literature.
56. River in western Belgium: YSER. Made famous in World War I. LINK.
58. Org. for pugilists: WBA. The World Boxing Association is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the IBF, WBC, and WBO. wiki.
59. They, in Tours: ILS. Just some more French.
60. "Suppose ... ": SAY. These three letter fill are not simple/
61. Play for a fool: USE.
Joe Kidd was back and no Kidding around. Like I said, I went pretty fast for a Friday but had a good time. Maybe Mr. Kidd will overcome his shyness and come to the Corner to say hi. If not, we will soldier on. Thank you all and until next time- Lemonade out.
