James is back for his second Friday this year. He was more prolific back in 2011 when C.C. INTERVIEWED him . His roots are Wisconsin based but his presentation is eclectic with only a mini-theme of Oscar winning directors. The theme today should jump out to almost all, with the sweet reveal telling you UP is put at the end of the 4 themers. Swaddling, Said I do and Sheepskin are all nice long fill and words like Panacea and Veldt are cool. From there it is a fun, fairly easy Friday frolic. Lots of stuff from so many fields. Enjoy.
17A. Novice hiker's predicament?: TRAIL MIXUP (10). I am sure he had some gorp in his backpack.
23A. Relief pitcher?: DIAMOND BACKUP (13). This is a play on the name of the Arizona team - the Diamondbacks.
38A. Flipped ... and what four puzzle answers are?: UPENDED (7).
50A. Showoff with gags?: HOTDOG STANDUP (13). My favorite, combining comedians with showing off.
62A. Tenement for one on the lam?: PERP WALKUP (10). If you do know the term WALK UP Apartment, this could be tough.
Across:
1. "__ simple, duh!": IT'S SO. Well that is a challenge to start us off.
6. Gobi container: ASIA. Cute clue, as the Gobi is in fact in Asia (as am I).
10. Pollutants targeted in Great Lakes cleanups: PCBS. Why were they BANNED?
14. "Sorry, bro": NO WAY. José.
15. Brits' foul-weather gear: MACS. The Mackintosh or raincoat is a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made out of rubberised (notice the spelling) fabric. The Mackintosh is named after its Scottish inventor Charles Macintosh, although many writers added a letter k. The variant spelling of "Mackintosh" is now standard.
16. Devastated sea: ARAL. We have had this so often with illustrations, I feel like I have been there.
19. Taboo: NO NO. Nanette?
20. DUI fighting org.: SADD. Students Against Destructive
Decisions has become about much more than drunk driving. LINK.
21. Card game shout: UNO. I learned this game and Skip-Bo from my grandmother who always traveled with various decks of cards. She also loved cribbage.
22. Dairy prefix: LACTO. This clue has milked dry.
27. Spot for a springbok: VELDT. This is the open country, bearing grass, bushes, or shrubs, or thinly forested, characteristic of parts of southern Africa, home to these small antelopes.
29. Allay: EASE.
30. "Cats" source: ELIOT. T.S.
31. Stopped working: DIED. My 5 year old iPhone 5 just up and died causing me to upgrade to a phone I need to learn how to use.
33. Snarky retort: AS IF.
37. Cheshire can: TIN. A dual purpose CSO to Steve, Nice Cuppa etc., as well as our toastmaster.
41. Where Charlemagne reigned: Abbr.: HRE. Holy Roman Empire.
42. Extended account: SAGA.
44. Sources of some barrels: OAKS.They are the preferred wood source for aging whiskey. Today's LESSON.
45. Salty expanse: OCEAN.
47. Boone, to his buds: DAN'L. What you need to KNOW.
49. Put oil and vinegar on, say: DRESS. A salad; you would want it nekkid in public would ya?
56. Swashbuckling Flynn: ERROL. A tribute.
58. "¿Cómo __?": ESTA. Usted.
61. Digitize, in a way: SCAN.
65. Director Gus Van __: SANT. I hear much about this MAN but only know one movie.
66. Barb: GIBE.
67. "A Fish Called Wanda" Oscar winner: KLINE. When Jamie Lee was young and hot.
68. 3-Canada competitor: ESSO. James worked in Canada.
69. Erelong: ANON. One of my favorite words from Shakespeare. not our trolls. Though I do agree, not all anons are bad, though some should be...
70. Worked with osier: CANED.
Down:
1. Cornerback's coups, briefly: INTS. Interceptions in American football.
2. One-third of a WWII film: TORA. This is a movie which shall live in infamy.
3. Wrapping tightly: SWADDLING.
4. Got married: SAID I DO. And I am glad I did.
5. Olive __: OYL. As a small child I was overcome with the irony of Popeye and Bluto fighting for her affections, but like Shallow Hal, I am not into big feet.
6. Acid type: AMINO. The building blocks of life and the key to your health. RESEARCH.
7. Ivanhoe, e.g.: SAXON. I read this over the summer in high school.
8. Post-OR stop: ICU. First to recovery, then only if necessary to the Intensive Care Unit.
9. Nile biter: ASP. I think this is a nail biter pun.
10. Cure-all: PANACEA. Such a cool word.
11. Bunch of baloney: CROCK. Of...
12. Linguistic group that includes Zulu: BANTU. I love seeing this with 24D. Western tip of Alaska: ATTU.
13. Single-master: SLOOP.
18. Silent: MUM.
22. __ Palmas: Canary Islands city: LAS. Las Palmas is a capital of Gran Canaria, one of Spain's Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. A major cruise-ship port, the city is known for duty-free shopping and for its sandy beaches,
25. Closing documents: DEEDS. A repeat from Saturday and CSO to my work which these days is primarily real estate closings, drafting and reviewing deeds and title.
26. Expressed, as farewell: BADE. Fondly, I hope.
27. Checks out: VETS.
28. Oscar-winning director Kazan: ELIA. Two Oscar winning directors in one puzzle?
31. Gives a hand: DEALS. Not helping or clapping.
32. Press: INK.
34. Grad's award: SHEEPSKIN. Such nice letters in 9 letter fill.
35. Nest egg choices: IRAS. Individual Retirement Accounts.
36. Bogs: FENS.
39. Early Atari offering: PONG.
40. __-Frank: 2010 financial reform bill: DODD. This BILL also is a form of CSO as I was also doing loan closings in the 2000s and saw the absurdity of lending practices which were based solely on making money for lenders and mortgage brokers with values inflated by the need to keep selling. While I was growing up, CHRIS DODD's father, Tom, was one of the senators from Connecticut.
43. Enlarge, as a house: ADD ON TO. My father built an addition to our house in 1959 to expand the kitchen and buy a pool table. Good choice.
46. First name in Disney villains: CRUELLA.
48. Verizon subsidiary: AOL.
50. "Siddhartha" author: HESSE.
51. Black-and-white cetaceans: ORCAS.
52. Mission opening?: TRANS. Transmission next to...
53. Supercharger: TURBO.
54. Steamboat Springs alternative: ASPEN. More likely Keystone, or Winter Park.
55. Fresh: NEW.
59. Piece of music: TUNE.
60. Impersonated: APED.
62. Woods gp.: PGA. Tiger, who is half-Thai.
63. Strauss' "__ Heldenleben": EIN.
64. Pedigree-tracking org.: AKC. American Kennel Club.
Some pics from Thailand:
Oo's son- before
After
Another puzzle in the record books and my sweet Oo had another birthday in Thailan. I hope you enjoyed sharing today's do venture with me. Thank you James and all who responded these words. Lemonade out.
