Title:
IOU an A, E
Dr. Ed is back with a letter substitution (A to E) sound-alike puzzle that plays a little easy for a Friday. The themers are all pretty funny puns. Ed is a master of entertaining no matter what day of the week. The puzzle does not have much long fill - EMPERORS and FACELIFT are the only over 6 letter non-themers, though it is sprinkled with some difficulty. Cluing is Friday vague in places and having a central gridspanner always adds a touch of class to the effort. The icing on this cake is all the changes are from EA to EE.
Yummy. Enjoy.
23A. What EEE signifies?: NO SMALL FEET (11). No small feat is an expression that can be found in many FORMS.
39A. Cesar Millan's gift?: THE HEELING TOUCH (15). My favorite pun, as the dog whisperer substitutes for this TREATMENT.
49A. Blind date?: MYSTERY MEET (11). As someone who went to boarding school I have eaten more than my share of unidentifiable meat products.
61A. His-and-hers concert souvenir?: TEE FOR TWO (9). TEA for Two is a song composed by Vincent Youmans with lyrics by Irving Caesar and written in 1924.
The fun is done and now to work.
1. Japanese car whose name means "reward" in early German: MIATA. Don't we all hate it when 1 across is an unknown. In Japan it is called Roadster, but here it comes from the Old German 'miete' for reward.
6. Infielder in a comedy routine: WHO. He is on first!
9. Conviction: FAITH. A place for this FAITH 52D. Group's belief: TENET.
14. Joins, as a team: YOKES. Oxen anyone.
15. On fire: HOT.
En fuego!
16. Big name in foil: ALCOA. My June 18 comment was "15A. Portmanteau metal producer: ALCOA. No, no, no! AL CO A, aluminum company of america is not words mashed together!
19. Items often checked: COATS. A fun clue.
20. Flying Solo: HAN. While HARRISON FORD was killed off as Han, he has a new INDIANA JONES movie coming.
21. Brute's rebuke: ET TU.
22. "Will it play in __?": vaudeville phrase: PEORIA. Origin- (1) The phrase originated during the vaudeville era and was popularized in movies by Groucho Marx, or (2) The question derives from a theme repeated by characters in Horatio Alger Jr.'s novel Five Hundred Dollars; or, Jacob Marlowe's Secret, which was first published in 1890.
25. Birthplace of St. Francis: ASSISI. Very common fill.
29. "Who, me?": MOI? I really wanted a Miss Piggy GIF here.
30. Pound product: POEM. Ezra, not a personal hero. POUND HISTORY
31. Fabric with metallic threads: LAMÉ . The earliest historical records of lamé fabric date back to Ancient Assyria, which was a nation in the Middle East that existed between 2500 BC and 600 AD
34. Musical E equivalent: F FLAT. Ron can you explain why?
42. Doomed biblical city: SODOM. What Gomorrah can you say about this biblical city?
43. Calf-length skirt: MIDI. Midcalf.
44. See 36-Down: OAHU. The dreaded random referential set with 36D. Feast on 44-Across: LUAU.
45. Pot pie veggie: PEA. The recipes from Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and Campbell's Soup all use frozen mixed vegetables - corn, carrots, green beans and peas. Nothing fresh.
47. Holds dear: VALUES.
55. Films partly made in stages: OATERS. Another pun, this one relating to the stage coach scenes in Westerns.
56. Deal with creases: IRON.
57. Audibly grieve: SOB.
60. Texas HQ of Frito-Lay: PLANO. Frito-Lay North America is the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE, PEP), which is headquartered in Plano, TX. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com. It was created initially by a merger of Frito and Lay.
63. Articulate: UTTER. The verb.
64. Company abbr.: INC.
65. Texans' neighbors: OKIES. Seems unbalanced as Texans are not a nickname and Okies are.
66. Old times: PASTS.
67. WWII carrier: LST.
68. "Old" language that gave us "blunder": NORSE. mid-14c., "to stumble about blindly," from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse blundra "shut one's eyes," perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blinda- "blind."
Down:
56. Deal with creases: IRON.
57. Audibly grieve: SOB.
60. Texas HQ of Frito-Lay: PLANO. Frito-Lay North America is the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE, PEP), which is headquartered in Plano, TX. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com. It was created initially by a merger of Frito and Lay.
63. Articulate: UTTER. The verb.
64. Company abbr.: INC.
65. Texans' neighbors: OKIES. Seems unbalanced as Texans are not a nickname and Okies are.
66. Old times: PASTS.
67. WWII carrier: LST.
68. "Old" language that gave us "blunder": NORSE. mid-14c., "to stumble about blindly," from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse blundra "shut one's eyes," perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blinda- "blind."
Down:
1. Bit of fiction: MYTH. In college we debated the TOPIC myth is reality and reality is myth.
2. "The Music Man" setting: IOWA. The author Meredith Willson was inspired by his boyhood in Mason City, Iowa.
3. Related: AKIN.
4. First and __: TEN. A football concept and one of the very first HBO original series, I think. It began with JASON BEGHE and and UF graduate DELTA BURKE.
5. Quakers in Colorado?: ASPENS. Ha ha, tree humor.
6. Puts an edge on: WHETS. Sharpens with a stone, from the old days.
7. Poppycock: HOKUM. Derives from Hocus Pocus, but if you google you get all kinds of irreverent images.
8. Extra NFL periods: OTS. OverTimes.
9. Cosmetic surgery procedure: FACELIFT. I like my face right where it is, but for those with more money than sense, be careful what you wish for. mirror, mirror
10. Distant: ALOOF. Did you know loof (now spelled luff) is the windward side of a ship. Smart sailors wanting to avoid a hazard on the leeward side, who go to the other side, holding themselves aloof.
11. Comforting affirmation: I CARE. I really care cornerites about each and everyone of you.
12. Funny Fields: TOTIE. She died young.
13. Starts to fight: HAS AT. Meh.
18. Star over Paris: ÉTOILE. French lesson. 星位 Chinese lesson.
22. Abbas' gp.: PLO. PLO
24. Improve: AMEND.
25. Much urban housing: Abbr.: APTS. Apartments, and condos will probably not sell well in Florida for a while.
26. NYC art district: SOHO. South of Houston (howston in New York).
27. Apple core?: SEED. You think this was his seed entry?
28. Letters before a view: IMHO. In My Humble Opinion. Why Humble?
32. Revlon cosmetics brand: ALMAY. ALMAY
8. Extra NFL periods: OTS. OverTimes.
9. Cosmetic surgery procedure: FACELIFT. I like my face right where it is, but for those with more money than sense, be careful what you wish for. mirror, mirror
10. Distant: ALOOF. Did you know loof (now spelled luff) is the windward side of a ship. Smart sailors wanting to avoid a hazard on the leeward side, who go to the other side, holding themselves aloof.
11. Comforting affirmation: I CARE. I really care cornerites about each and everyone of you.
12. Funny Fields: TOTIE. She died young.
13. Starts to fight: HAS AT. Meh.
18. Star over Paris: ÉTOILE. French lesson. 星位 Chinese lesson.
22. Abbas' gp.: PLO. PLO
24. Improve: AMEND.
25. Much urban housing: Abbr.: APTS. Apartments, and condos will probably not sell well in Florida for a while.
26. NYC art district: SOHO. South of Houston (howston in New York).
27. Apple core?: SEED. You think this was his seed entry?
28. Letters before a view: IMHO. In My Humble Opinion. Why Humble?
32. Revlon cosmetics brand: ALMAY. ALMAY
33. Customizable Nintendo persona: MII.
35. Have on, to a Brit: FOOL.
37. Bleed (for): ACHE.
38. Consequently: THUS. Ergo.
40. Supreme monarchs: EMPERORS.
41. Provide generously, as one's time: GIVE OF.
46. Triage areas, briefly: ERS. Emergency Rooms.
48. When a classic film gunfight started: AT NOON.
49. Attend to a spill: MOP UP.
50. 1945 "Big Three" meeting site: YALTA. Didn't I just link this.
51. E and FG, in sports: STATS. Error and field goal both of which work in various sports.
53. Appearances: MIENS. Like its synonyms bearing and demeanor, mien means the outward manifestation of personality or attitude.
54. Build: ERECT. This name always reminds me of The Taj Mahal.
57. Recipe directive: STIR. Beat; Dice; Sear; Melt; Sift: Bake; Boil...
58. Is beholden to: OWES. More Gary Cooper?
59. Big name in audio systems: BOSE. My bedtime music comes from a Bose.
61. "Open 9 __ 5": TIL. Sing it Dolly!
62. Original "King Kong" film studio: RKO. This is part of the Kennedy family Legacy. LINK.
We have wended our way through another fabulous, fun, Friday Frolic and since Moe is out and about you have me again next, same Bat Time, same Bat Station. Lemonade out!
