Happy New year from Friday and we begin 2019 with a new constructor. We are back to themes with the maiden effort from our fourth constructor named Brian. I guess I should welcome him with this Link. Welcome, Brian. Today we have three themers and a two-part reveal. It is another missing word puzzle, as close to a rebus as Rich Norris allows -so far. With 49 theme squares, we are given lots of longer fill. ADD ONTO, AMOROUS, ASSUMES, DRUNKEN, EGOLESS, EMERALD, LEONARD, MAGENTA, PIE SHOP, RIHANNA, SENDERS, SORROWS, and STRIPES which I like better than Sunday's stipes. Nice triple-stacked 7s in each corner, but some very challenging fill. I await your reaction.
17A. Give it the old college try: DO ONE'S LEVEL
27A. Benchmarks on the way to mastery: GOOD BETTER BEST. (10).
41A. "Please don't expect any more from me": I'M TRYING MY BEST. (10).
40D. With 51-Across, Sinatra classic, and a hint to completing three puzzle answers: THE BEST. (7)
51A. See 40-Down: IS YET TO COME (11). Time to let Frank sing us into the solve.
Across:
1. Logician Turing: ALAN. A very important figure in the birth of computers and computers science who sadly was driven to suicide for the way he was treated as a gay. LINK.
5. 15-Across protagonist: RIPLEY. Sigourney Weaver was this character in 15A. 1986 sci-fi sequel: ALIENS.
11. HMO group: MDS.
14. Try out, briefly: DEMO.
16. Exist: ARE.
19. Spray __: GUN. Not my first or second thought but real. They have changed from when I was spraying the roses in my father's garden to keep the aphids away.
20. It's no exit: ON RAMP.
21. Start of a cheer: SIS. Boom bah- cheerleading chant, originally (1867) an echoic phrase imitating the sound of a skyrocket flight ( sis ), the burst of the fireworks ( boom ), and the reaction of the crowd (bah). Dictionary.com.
22. Await judgment: PEND. Judges wait all the time.
23. Woman in the Book of Ruth: NAOMI. She was the mother-in-law to whom Ruth, the Moabite, pledged her life after her husband died. "And Ruth said: 'Entreat me not to leave thee and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Another puzzle coincidence after early week comments.
25. "Much appreciated," in Munich: DANKE. Thanks in German.
26. Aligned: TRUE. Carpentry term.
29. Pigs out (on): ODS.
30. One may be rolled out in a stadium: TARP.
31. Plenty: OCEANS. Very vague, if ultimately correct. I was oodles for tow long.
32. Lip-thrusting look: POUT.
33. N.Y.C. part: YORK.
34. Make even smoother: RESAND.
37. N.W.A rapper __-E: EAZY. This PERFORMER died young, after starting out with ICE CUBE and Dr. Dre, from Compton, California.
38. Posed: SAT.
43. Comedian Daniel: TOSH.
45. Daybreak deity: EOS. I used to get this fill regularly.
46. "It's __ than I thought": WORSE.
47. Nothing like wetlands: ARID.
48. Screech __: OWL.
49. Garden of Eden protector: CHERUB. The first mention of cherubs is found in Genesis 3:24: "He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life." Var.
50. Carpet feature: NAP.
53. Phillies' div.: NLE. What a convenient set of letters.
54. Effective deal maker: CLOSER. No politics.
55. Amazes: AWES.
56. Eight minutes of the average sitcom: ADS. Out of a 30-minute show.
57. Puts up: HOUSES.
58. "Hey, you!": PSST.
Down:
1. Expand, as a residence: ADD ON TO. My father built an addition to our house in the late 50s to have a larger kitchen and a family room with a pool table.
2. Conductor Bernstein: LEONARD. One of the first American born conductors to achieve worldwide fame, 2018 was his centennial year.
3. Lovey-dovey: AMOROUS.
4. Generic: NONAME.
5. Filing aid: RASP. A coarse file, or a hoarse voice, which could mean you are...
6. Down with something: ILL.
7. Mrs. Lovett's business in Broadway's "Sweeney Todd": PIE SHOP. It was the filling that was so filling. The PLOT.
8. Imposed: LEVIED. Like a fine or taxes.
9. NBA center __ Kanter: ENES. I understand liking the letters but a center for a bad team who is no longer a STARTER?
10. Fashion initials: YSL. Yves is back.
11. Purple shade: MAGENTA. The queen wears this color.
12. Like a bar free-for-all: DRUNKEN. Or noodles.
13. Emailers: SENDERS.18. Old U.K. record label: EMI.
22. Luxury watch brand __ Philippe: PATEK.
24. Database function: SORT.
25. Rail against: DECRY.
27. Catalonian architect Antoni __: GAUDI. Catalan architect, whose distinctive style is characterized by freedom of form, voluptuous color and texture, and organic unity. Gaudà worked almost entirely in or near Barcelona. LINK. A total learning moment.
28. See 12-Down: BOOZY.
30. "Hamilton" got 11: TONYS.
32. Trimmed: PARED.
33. Orange tubers: YAMS.
34. "Rude Boy" singer: RIHANNA. Performed at a concert in RIO one of my old law partners is involved in setting up. LINK. Some profanity.
35. May birthstone: EMERALD.
36. 1981 Bill Murray military comedy: STRIPES. One of the many hilarious comedies which Harold Ramis wrote in which Bill Murray appeared. How many can you name?
37. Small-headed?: EGOLESS. An odd clue/fill combination.
38. Sad subjects: SORROWS.
39. Takes over the duties of: ASSUMES. Responsibility.
42. What diets and beauticians may promise, with "a": NEW YOU.
43. It covers the end of the foot: TOE CAP. I guess you can buy a piece of material (such as leather) covering the toe of a shoe and reinforcing or decorating it
48. Nobel Peace Prize city: OSLO.
49. Hubs: Abbr.: CTRS. Centers.
51. German I: ICH. An excuse to link the outrageous EDDIE IZZARD. The link is obscene and filled with controversy but damn funny.
52. Fore site?: TEE. A golfing pun to end our journey.
A new year, a new constructor and your same old Friday sherpa. It was a challenging puzzle; the theme was easy but it was still lots of work. I hope you enjoyed the puzzling puzzle. Lemonade out.
