Title: Sign him up to a long term contract.
Little did I know when I was solving Sunday's puzzle and telling Bryant I was looking forward to his next effort that it would be this puzzle. This is a letter removal puzzle, but the reveal is so perfect you will wonder why you didn't think of it.
64A. Secret message technique ... and a hint to four puzzle clues: INVISIBLE INK (12). INK disappears leaving a single letter for each of the 4 letter implied clues.
18A. L[INK]: CHAIN SEGMENT (14). All the fill are very simple if you "see" the invisible ink.
27A. M[INK]: LUSTROUS FUR (11). The theme is restricted to 4 letter words ending INK.
39A. F[INK]: POLICE INFORMER (14). This pejorative is the hardest to suss.
56A. R[INK]: SKATING AREA (11). This is the easiest.
There are only 2 eight letter fill outside the theme, BLISSFUL and MUTINEER. 60 of the 81 words (this is a 15x16 grid) are 5 letters or less. Most of the fill are crosswordese, with a "freshness facor" of 5% which is the lowest I have ever blogged; but I enjoyed it.
11. 4x4, for short: UTE. ICK
14. Song with a story: BALLAD.
21. Teacher's note: SEE ME. Not a note you want to receive.
22. Sparkling flapper accessory: TIARA. Gatsby?
24. Cobblers' tools: AWLS. Not if you are making peach.
31. Dumbledore and Snape, in brief: PROFS. As long we don't see them in their briefs; sadly they are both dead.
33. Range rover: STEER. A great alliterative misdirection; everyone join in, "Home, home on the range..."
34. Military meal: MESS. mess (n.). From 1300, "a supply or provision of food for one meal," from Old French mes "portion of food, course at dinner," from Late Latin missus "course at dinner," literally "a placing, a putting (on a table, etc.)," Meaning "a communal eating place" (especially a military one) is attested by 1530s, from the earlier sense of "a company of persons eating together at the same table" (early 15c.),
35. __ rasa: TABULA. The blank slate, more Latin.
37. Clarinet, e.g.: REED. Because you need one to make music with it? Ron?
45. Somewhat, to Salieri: POCO. This is difficult in so many ways, first ANTONIO SALIERI is not as well known as others and POCO means little in both Spanish and Italian.
46. "Circus Sideshow" pointillist: SEURAT. Georges Seurat, (born December 2, 1859, Paris, France—died March 29, 1891, Paris), painter, founder of the 19th-century French school of Neo-Impressionism
48. General vibe: AURA.
52. Traditional doings: RITES. Tradition, tradition...hit it Zero!
55. Skylit lobbies: ATRIA.
59. George Harrison's "__ It a Pity": ISN'T.
60. Kit Kat component: WAFER. It's back
61. Capital served by the Queen Alia International Airport:AMMAN. Jordan.
63. Ballpark fig.: EST. Crowd count.
71. Pulitzer novelist Harper: LEE. From 10 days ago.
72. Strainer: SIEVE. Not Ballesteros. Though I am sure he usually flew on...
73. Madrid-based airline: IBERIA. It is a Peninsula thing.
74. Vehicle for some trips: LSD. Since July 1:
75. It has a head and hops: BEER. Harvey, Jimmy Stewart's friend?
76. Ankle-related: TARSAL. Is this one of those new fangled META clues?
Down:
7. Compilation: DIGEST. Readers being the most famous.
8. Bulg. neighbor: ROMania.
9. Half of eleven?: ONE. 1 1. see it now?
10. Wall map insert: PIN.
11. Nader's "__ at Any Speed": UNSAFE.
12. Alphabetically penultimate zodiac sign: TAURUS. Next to last, with VIRGO (my sign) last.
13. Places in a cell: EMBARS.Yuck!
16. Alaskan site of the only WWII battle on U.S. soil: ATTU. HISTORY .
19. Layers of big eggs: EMUS. We cannot escape LIMU or his family.
23. School of thought: ISM.
24. Quick: APT.
25. Stop shooting: WRAP.
26. Timber wolf: LOBO. A CSO to OMK and his New Mexico roots.
28. Fork-tailed flier: TERN. Very aerodynamic
29. Coral habitat: REEF. Staying near the ocean, we have:
30. Some Blizzard ingredients: OREOS. Yummy.
32. Place to park a clipper: SLIP.
More seafaring stuff.
He is a squirrel...
47. Skin pic: TAT. Ooo Ooo
48. In addition to that: AS WELL.
49. Czar's decrees: UKASES. (Historical Terms) (in imperial Russia) an edict of the tsar.
50. Traveled like Huck and Jim: RAFTED.
51. Bolted down: ATE. Rush, rush, rush.
53. Tip for fixing mistakes?: ERASER. So cute, tip of the pencil.
54. Highway behemoth: SEMI. How big would a whole one be?
57. Camera part: IRIS. Designed by using the EYE.
58. Gamut: AMBIT.
62. Daughter in "The Time Traveler's Wife": ALBA. The actress who played the 9 year old version, HAILEY McCANN has already retired. No Jessica here.
65. Spoonbill's bill: NIB. The word nib comes from a 16th century word meaning the beak of a bird.
66. Angled formation: VEE. More birds.
67. "__ gotta run!": I'VE. Not yet, I must finish first.
68. Collection agcy.: IRS. The biggest.
69. Peeples seen in People: NIA. This multitalented multi cultural beauty from her mother Elizabeth Peeples of Filipino, German and Spanish descent and her father Robert with Italian, Scottish, Irish and Native American Heritage.
70. Actor Penn: KAL. Fascinating young man who
Across:
1. Suitable for growing crops: ARABLE. Arable land is the land that can be used for agriculture. The term is derived from the Latin word “arare” meaning, to plough. Non-arable land is the land unsuitable for agriculture. For some reason I know this word.
7. Rain unit: DROP.
7. Rain unit: DROP.
11. 4x4, for short: UTE. ICK
14. Song with a story: BALLAD.
15. Ephesus' region: IONIA. The HISTORY of [EF][UH][SUHS].
17. Hamburger Hill setting, briefly: NAM. Not our finest HOUR.
20. Long order: SUB. Cute, submarine sandwiches are often long.
20. Long order: SUB. Cute, submarine sandwiches are often long.
21. Teacher's note: SEE ME. Not a note you want to receive.
22. Sparkling flapper accessory: TIARA. Gatsby?
24. Cobblers' tools: AWLS. Not if you are making peach.
31. Dumbledore and Snape, in brief: PROFS. As long we don't see them in their briefs; sadly they are both dead.
33. Range rover: STEER. A great alliterative misdirection; everyone join in, "Home, home on the range..."
34. Military meal: MESS. mess (n.). From 1300, "a supply or provision of food for one meal," from Old French mes "portion of food, course at dinner," from Late Latin missus "course at dinner," literally "a placing, a putting (on a table, etc.)," Meaning "a communal eating place" (especially a military one) is attested by 1530s, from the earlier sense of "a company of persons eating together at the same table" (early 15c.),
35. __ rasa: TABULA. The blank slate, more Latin.
37. Clarinet, e.g.: REED. Because you need one to make music with it? Ron?
45. Somewhat, to Salieri: POCO. This is difficult in so many ways, first ANTONIO SALIERI is not as well known as others and POCO means little in both Spanish and Italian.
46. "Circus Sideshow" pointillist: SEURAT. Georges Seurat, (born December 2, 1859, Paris, France—died March 29, 1891, Paris), painter, founder of the 19th-century French school of Neo-Impressionism
48. General vibe: AURA.
52. Traditional doings: RITES. Tradition, tradition...hit it Zero!
55. Skylit lobbies: ATRIA.
59. George Harrison's "__ It a Pity": ISN'T.
60. Kit Kat component: WAFER. It's back
61. Capital served by the Queen Alia International Airport:AMMAN. Jordan.
63. Ballpark fig.: EST. Crowd count.
71. Pulitzer novelist Harper: LEE. From 10 days ago.
72. Strainer: SIEVE. Not Ballesteros. Though I am sure he usually flew on...
73. Madrid-based airline: IBERIA. It is a Peninsula thing.
74. Vehicle for some trips: LSD. Since July 1:
Universal Crossword - Aug. 11, 2021
WSJ Daily - Aug. 2, 2021
Universal Crossword - July 28, 2021
USA Today - July 22, 2021
WSJ Daily - July 20, 2021
LA Times - July 16, 2021
Universal Crossword - July 14, 2021
USA Today - July 12, 2021
USA Today - July 1, 2021
75. It has a head and hops: BEER. Harvey, Jimmy Stewart's friend?
76. Ankle-related: TARSAL. Is this one of those new fangled META clues?
Down:
1. Simple comparison: ABC. In Sunday's effort he used an Agatha Christie Poirot title.
2. Fan noise: RAH. Rah, sis boom bah; rah rah ree , kick em in the knee, rah rah rass, kick em in the other knee
3. Like: A LA.
4. Like ignorance, at times: BLISSFUL.
5. "Stay in your __!": LANE. Clark!
6. Ranger or Corsair: EDSEL.
2. Fan noise: RAH. Rah, sis boom bah; rah rah ree , kick em in the knee, rah rah rass, kick em in the other knee
3. Like: A LA.
4. Like ignorance, at times: BLISSFUL.
5. "Stay in your __!": LANE. Clark!
6. Ranger or Corsair: EDSEL.
7. Compilation: DIGEST. Readers being the most famous.
8. Bulg. neighbor: ROMania.
9. Half of eleven?: ONE. 1 1. see it now?
10. Wall map insert: PIN.
11. Nader's "__ at Any Speed": UNSAFE.
12. Alphabetically penultimate zodiac sign: TAURUS. Next to last, with VIRGO (my sign) last.
13. Places in a cell: EMBARS.Yuck!
16. Alaskan site of the only WWII battle on U.S. soil: ATTU. HISTORY .
19. Layers of big eggs: EMUS. We cannot escape LIMU or his family.
23. School of thought: ISM.
24. Quick: APT.
25. Stop shooting: WRAP.
26. Timber wolf: LOBO. A CSO to OMK and his New Mexico roots.
28. Fork-tailed flier: TERN. Very aerodynamic
29. Coral habitat: REEF. Staying near the ocean, we have:
30. Some Blizzard ingredients: OREOS. Yummy.
32. Place to park a clipper: SLIP.
More seafaring stuff.
He is a squirrel...
36. Scrat's obsession in "Ice Age" films: ACORN.
38. De Matteo of "The Sopranos": DREA. I have had this actress many times. No literally of course, just in puzzles.
40. Juul product, briefly: E-CIG. Probably more dangerous than the cigarettes they are replacing.
41. Ninth Greek letter: IOTA. abc def ghi in Greek.
42. Fletcher Christian, for one: MUTINEER. Where? On
the
43. Does as humans do?: ERRS. But forgiving is divine.
44. Sprinkle, perhaps: RAIN. Purple?
40. Juul product, briefly: E-CIG. Probably more dangerous than the cigarettes they are replacing.
41. Ninth Greek letter: IOTA. abc def ghi in Greek.
42. Fletcher Christian, for one: MUTINEER. Where? On
the
43. Does as humans do?: ERRS. But forgiving is divine.
44. Sprinkle, perhaps: RAIN. Purple?
47. Skin pic: TAT. Ooo Ooo
48. In addition to that: AS WELL.
49. Czar's decrees: UKASES. (Historical Terms) (in imperial Russia) an edict of the tsar.
50. Traveled like Huck and Jim: RAFTED.
51. Bolted down: ATE. Rush, rush, rush.
53. Tip for fixing mistakes?: ERASER. So cute, tip of the pencil.
54. Highway behemoth: SEMI. How big would a whole one be?
57. Camera part: IRIS. Designed by using the EYE.
58. Gamut: AMBIT.
62. Daughter in "The Time Traveler's Wife": ALBA. The actress who played the 9 year old version, HAILEY McCANN has already retired. No Jessica here.
65. Spoonbill's bill: NIB. The word nib comes from a 16th century word meaning the beak of a bird.
66. Angled formation: VEE. More birds.
67. "__ gotta run!": I'VE. Not yet, I must finish first.
68. Collection agcy.: IRS. The biggest.
69. Peeples seen in People: NIA. This multitalented multi cultural beauty from her mother Elizabeth Peeples of Filipino, German and Spanish descent and her father Robert with Italian, Scottish, Irish and Native American Heritage.
70. Actor Penn: KAL. Fascinating young man who
worked as a real-life White House staffer (as Associate Director of the Obama administration's White House Office of Public Engagement) and played one on TV (as Seth in the TV series Designated Survivor).
I do not think I will ever fully adjust to all the new blogger protocols, but hopefully you stayed long enought to have a good time. I also wanted to share more than the grid, as my wife received a shipment of Moon Cakes from Thailand to celebrate the mid-autumn festival. Try one. Thanks Bryant. Lemonade out.
For you Zhouqin and Boomer, come by for some tea. Jason and Oo.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Thanks for the mooncakes, Lemonade! Do they have egg yolks inside? Yes they do; we cut them like a pizza revealing the central surprise.
2) Happy Birthday to Spitzboov's wife Betty, who has met a few regulars on our blog, including Argyle, Sallie (the Crab), Gerry (Grumpy), our Naples readers. See more pictures here. Are you still in contact with them, Spitzboov?
Here's a picture of Spitzboov and Betty posing with the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the first nuclear sub and the first ship to transit the North Pole.
