Title: Bite the bullet, it's over
Today we have a strong moralistic puzzle from Jeffrey that uses his writing mentor, Will Shakespeare, as the inspiration for this self-contained sermon. After Macbeth kills King Duncan for his wife, she tries to soothe him with, "Things without all remedy Should be without regard: what's done, is done." This is never as easy to do as to say, but JW comes up with a theme that fell into place (I would guess) when he realized that -what's done is done- is exactly 15 letters long. That has occurred to a few other constructors, but none used Jeffrey's approach. Where we get to appreciate his unique style is gridding this as a 15x16 puzzle, a tall order by any measure. You may not notice at first but look again. This choice allows him to insert 4 great fill BLOW A FUSE, HEARTACHE, MANIFESTO, and ON HIS BACK. To me, it elevates the whole experience.
The themers:
17A. "Take my advice: no use crying over spilled milk ... ": WHAT'S DONE IS DONE (15). Especially if you have a cat or dog that will happily lap it up.
34A. With 36-Across, "There's no going back ... ": YOU CANT (7). 36A. See 34-Across: CHANGE THE PAST (13). The eternal question of the space-time continuum.
48A. "Put everything behind you ... ": FORGET ABOUT IT (13). Said with an accent and feeling, an anthem for mobsters.
61A. "And look ahead.": IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON (15). Which thoughtfully is the perfect segue to discussing the rest of the puzzle. Let us repair to the minutia.
Across:1. Honshu drama: NOH. Kan'ami and his son Zeami started this ART FORM in the 14th century.
4. Words before a recap: AS I SAID. Very often by bosses, teachers, and parents to those they control.
11. Audi rival: BMW. We have many cars lately.
14. Boise-to-Billings dir.: ENE. Standard-fill for a puzzle, but who really cares.
15. "Raging Bull" boxer: LAMOTTA. He was a brawler who fought the best and won half of the time.
16. Infamous Vietnam War site, My __: LAI. If you can bear the ignominy, the horror, and the pictures. The LINK.
20. Compact part: MIRROR. It was the key to the Guardian solving a mystery on the LIBRARIANS.
21. Greet warmly: SHOW IN. I guess this depends on how effusively you greet your guest.
22. Spumante source: ASTI. The bubbly faux champagne region in Italy. Moe can provide much more information.
23. PC core: CPU.
26. Spot to get a bite on the street: CAFE. Especially if there are many mosquitoes around.
27. Rockets' org.: NBA.
28. Low cloud: STRATUS. Didn't I do clouds last week?
32. Two-__: half-price opportunity: FER. Here we do the BOGO.
33. Pouch: SAC. Very important in the insect world,
35. Ship letters: USS. United States Ship (abbreviated as USS or U.S.S.) is a ship prefix used to identify a commissioned ship of the United States Navy and applies to a ship only while it is in commission.
39. Brewery vessel: KEG. Not to be confused with vestal.
40. Celestial feline: LEO. We have one of our own, welcome.
45. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO. Or otra?
53. Sigma follower: TAU. Learn the alphabet for Greek? You need many alphabets and more to communicate. LINK.
54. Shorebirds related to stilts: AVOCETS.
55. Crux: NUB.
57. Cards: WITS.
59. Up on the latest: AWARE.
60. Sax type: ALTO.
64. Force featured on "Bosch," for short: THE LAPD. Los Angeles Police Department is home to many shows. I am not sure if this is JW's clue but with all the programs over the years featuring the LAPD, for me, this would be the most obscure.
66. Oodles: TONS.
67. They often take turns: CARS. This is such a blatantly clever and misleading clue that it has to be Jeffrey's. IMO it is so good, that I can't think of anything to say in response. So the challenge is readers: discuss the clue/fill using comparable wit and brevity.
Down:
1. __ Own Organics: NEWMAN'S. Paul, may he rest in peace.
2. Where "The Man With the Hoe" carried the world, in an Edwin Markham poem: ON HIS BACK. Never heard of the Poem or the Poet but the "ON" was enough for me to fill in.
3. Great sadness: HEARTACHE. I don't do dinosaurs... heartache; agony, bitterness, despair, grief, heartbreak, misery, pang. sadness, suffering, torment, affliction, dejection, depression, despondency, distress, dolor, hurting, remorse, torture, etc. I do rely on 28D. Roget entry: Abbr.: SYNonym.
5. Iraq's __ City: SADR. Some recent HISTORY.
6. Brief "I think": IMO. In My Opinion
7. Oceanus, to Gaia: SON. So many myths, so many THEORIES.
8. Snacked: ATE.
9. "How sweet __!": IT IS.
10. Sprint: DASH.
11. Lose it: BLOW A FUSE. The expression blow a fuse came into use in the early twentieth century and is related to the use of electricity in the average home. A fuse protects an electrical item from a sudden surge of electricity that may start a fire.
12. Public policy declaration: MANIFESTO. This is a statement of policy and aims, usually in writing, especially one issued before an election by a political party or candidate.
13. Cookout fare: WIENERS. Oddly this nickname for sausages in a bun came from the image of dachshunds.
18. One less than tetra-: TRI. 4 to 3.
19. OB or ENT: DOC. Obstetrician and Ear Nose and Throat.
23. Rock's Mötley __: CRUE. A very successful 80's band that AXE toured with during the 80s before one of the band's guitarists got killed in a car accident.
24. Formal agreement: PACT.
25. Four Corners state: UTAH. Naturally, there are FOUR of them
29. Dress, with "up": TOG.
30. Le Monde article: UNE. Just French.
31. Auto additive with a red oval logo: STP. Andy Granatelli and Mario Andretti
37. Seaweed product: AGAR. The SCIENCE.
38. Quite often: A LOT.
42. Supermarket chain with a red oval logo: IGA. It did not start out that way. 1960 version...
43. Overhauls: REVAMPS.
44. Put away: STOWED.
45. Titania's husband: OBERON. A tiny bit of Will Shakespeare.
46. Serving as a symbol: TOTEMIC. Totem is a fun word, making it an adjective is...creative?
47. Fin. neighbor: RUS. Finland and Russia.
48. Loyalty: FAITH.
49. Start: OUTSET.
50. "Human beings ... may hide their feelings, but __ does not": Hemingway: A CAT. This is such a wonderful quotation and so apt here where we have our coterie of cat connoisseurs like HG. I can visualize Lily agreeing.
51. Fjords, e.g.: INLETS. Back to Scandanavia.
52. Teach privately: TUTOR.
53. Foolish sort: TWIT.
56. Superskinny: BONY. My choice...
58. Battle of Normandy town: STLO. This has appeared hundreds of times in the major puzzles since it was first used in 1953, including last Friday.
60. Claim: AVER. Law word, silly.
62. Actor McKellen: IAN. A wonderful actor and best friends with another...
63. Andean root vegetable: OCA. Don't you want to learn to GROW THEM?
