Puzzling thoughts:
FIR with a w/o in 12-Down, Gulf War support gp.: USA/USO
Otherwise, this was a pretty easy solve; lots of three-letter words (15, altogether if I counted correctly) and 26 four-letter words. That's a lot for a Friday puzzle. But there weren't a lot of abbr's or proper names, so the fill was clean. 4 twelve-letter "themers" which used "THE" at the beginning of the phrase
I chose "Stuck in the Middle" as the theme, despite the fact that the puzzle had no reveal. I suppose that if this puzzle gave you fits, you could also have been "Stuck in the Middle": (a one-hit wonder by Stealer Wheels)
All four of the phrases - literally - had the key word in the middle of the phrase, and omitted the word "IN". How so, you ask?
20-Across. Naivete personified, literally: THE BABE WOODS. The word "BABE" is in "THE WOODS". The phrase, "BABE IN THE WOODS" refers to ones naivete or innocence
33-Across. Abandoned, literally: THE LEFT LURCH. "LEFT IN THE LURCH" is an old phrase meaning abandoned.
Fun Fact: (according to Dictionary dot com) This expression alludes to a 16th-century French dice game, lourche, where to incur a lurch meant to be far behind the other players. It later was used in cribbage and other games, as well as being used in its present figurative sense, by about 1600
41-Across. Low, literally: THE DOWN DUMPS. "DOWN IN THE DUMPS" means being in a depressed mood, or low; but NOT this:
And last, but not least, 56-Across. Metaphor for a sitting-pretty situation, literally: THE MADE SHADE. Definitions dot net says: "In a condition characterized by comfort, success, easy living or general well-being. Etymology: Possibly from a children's rhyme: "ice-cold lemonade, MADE IN THE SHADE, stirred with a spade, by an old maid."
But if I had to "Moe-ku" this:
Producing sun tea
In a forest is tough; can't
Be MADE IN THE SHADE
I did a cursory check on the constructors: Dick Shlakman, 82 years young, is a retired lawyer and corporate executive from Plano, Texas. Fred Geldon, who appears to be much younger than Dick, has been published in the NY Times; as has Shlakman. This may be their first collaborative puzzle
The grid:
Across:
1. Ketch pair: MASTS. Moe-ku two:
The sailing boat stalled
When no wind blew. The MASTS failed
If you ketch my drift
6. Pre-weekend letters: TGIF. Appropriate for today's puzzle
10. Damson or Mirabelle: PLUM. I forgot another "w/o"; I had PEAR/PLUM. Damson and Mirabelle are types of PLUMS
14. On the lookout: ALERT. Not as tough a clue as I would expect for a FRI puzzle
15. Decimated sea: ARAL. Crossword staple
16. "All __": RISE. What a judge might say, or what fans of the NY Yankees say when THIS guy comes to bat (sorry WC for the Yankees reference, but clearly a CSO to tinbeni)
17. "It's the truth!": NO LIE. Do you think that Moe enjoys blogging? NO LIE!!
18. Old comics character who said, "We have met the enemy and he is us.": POGO. Moe-ku three:
Walt Kelly's comics
Are layered with sarcasm
It's his POGO schtick
19. Apple product: IPOD. My missed guess in 12-down also led to this being IPAD at first
23. It's needed, but often "not included": AA CELL. Great clue, although recently most of the items that I buy that need an AA CELL (or two) are included
24. Many a Nora Ephron film: ROM-COM. Nora Ephron shows up often in crossword puzzles. Some of her more famous "ROM COM's" can be found here
28. Old speedster: Abbr.: SST. More "crossword-ese" fill, but a good clue; not sure that this one has been used for SST
29. Ice cream holder: TUB. I tried CUP first but that didn't cross well
31. Bother: AIL. When I googled "bother" synonyms, the word AIL did not appear. When I googled AIL synonyms, "bother" DID appear
32. Co-founder of Artists Against Fracking: ONO. Another different way to clue Yoko ONO
36. Angry: SORE. It takes a lot to get me SORE (angry), but when I (42-Down; Hammer-strikes-thumb reaction), I'm likely to utter an OATH. And it will probably be more of an expletive!
39. Doce meses: ANO. 12 months = one year. Year in Spanish. CSO to Lucinda
40. Equal: PEER. Good clue
46. Medium power: ESP. Or as we crossword folks might say: Every Single Perp
47. Give a hand: AID. CLAP didn't fit
48. Tennis strategy: LOB.
49. Rte. finder: GPS. Global Positioning System
52. Presumes: POSITS. Not an oft-used word but great crossword fill
54. Feature of some Birkenstocks: T-STRAP. Not their most iconic feature; this one can be had for a cool $125. I think they throw the left sandal in for free
60. Modern diary: BLOG. This recap, e.g.
63. Like father, like son?: MALE. Another great clue, although with gender identity, this clue might not fly at some point in the future
64. Accord creator: HONDA. Good play-on-words; if "accord" were a verb the words "yield", "award", and "grant" would fit
65. Bridges of Los Angeles County: BEAU. BEAU Bridges is an American actor who was born in Los Angeles County California some 81 years ago; a year younger than one of today's constructors
66. Fourth letter in a famous mnemonic: ERIE. HOMES is a mnemonic (device such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something) for the 5 Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, ERIE, and Superior
67. Like Barbara Bush, vis-à-vis Jenna: OLDER. Barbara Bush is Jenna Bush's grandma, and she was OLDER. Elton John used the words "OLDER than me" in this classic:
68. Lincoln or Jackson: CITY. Another great clue! Lincoln, Nebraska (CSO to Husker Gary) and Jackson, Mississippi. Two of the 50 state capital CITYs
69. Twice-monthly tide: NEAP. Another familiar crossword word
70. Works in a garden: WEEDS. HOES wouldn't fit
Down:
1. Rays that can live 50 years: MANTAS. Unlike these Rays that have been "alive" for only 24 years
2. Island exchanges: ALOHAS. Goodbye? Hello? Yes, ALOHA means both. Enjoy this old Beatles hit
Clecho (of sorts): 61-Down. Island greeting: LEI.
3. Handpicked: SELECT. Not a verb; an adjective
4. "Survivor" group: TRIBE. The 42nd "installation" of Survivor (the CBS series) begins soon. The participants are divided into "TRIBES" as they try to Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast their fellow TRIBE-mates.
Fun Fact: Moe used to be a fan of "Survivor", but no longer. I think it's interesting that the "grand prize" is still just $1,000,000. But then I checked what $1M back in the year 2000 (approx when Survivor first aired) would be worth today. Surprisingly it's only a bit more than $1.6M, so maybe the prize amount is still an incentive
5. Cat burglar's asset: STEALTH. Moe-lick:
The cat burglar desired more wealth
So they paid more attention towards health.
Just by losing some weight
Burglar muffled their gait
And improved their potential for STEALTH
6. It's broken at many races: TAPE.
7. Become: GROW. Number 22 on this website's list of synonyms for "become"
8. Classic stage betrayer: IAGO. Crossword staple. Constructors LOVE four-letter words with three vowels; if they're proper names, even better. ISAO AOKI is another example of two proper names each with three vowels
9. Request for maximum speed: FLOOR IT. How many of us would've answered this correctly if the clue were: "#1 song title on Kadooh's EP album"?? CanadianEh! are you a fan?
10. Light bender: PRISM. An optical PRISM is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that are designed to refract (bend) light. At least one surface must be angled
11. Sass: LIP. Fun Fact: According the "The Idioms" dot com, the phrase "none of your LIP" originated in medieval English times when people spoke more literally. There is an argument that the phrase could have originated in the American region, but it does not have a confirmed literary source to trace this fact. The mannerism of speaking is from earlier than the 1800’s and reflects the fact that “shut up” in that time was stated as “none of your lip”. The times called for using more words than what we would use currently to express something
13. Pill, say: MED. Don't we always ask, "Did you take your MEDS"? Not sure I've ever heard the word "pill" referred to in the singular ...
21. Word with collar or chip: BLUE. What are BLUE chips worth in Vegas? The denominations of the chip colors are:
White or BLUE chips are one dollar
Red chips are five dollars and are called nickels
Green chips are twenty-five dollars and are called quarters
Black chips are one hundred dollars
Purple Chips are five hundred dollars and are called Barneys
Of course BLUE chip is also a stock market term meaning a corporation with a national reputation for quality, reliability, and the ability to operate profitably in good and bad times
And as for BLUE collar? Well, as many of you might recall, yesterday was the Chairman's birthday. He shares the date (2/17) with this BLUE collar guy:
22. American Girl purchase: DOLL. Click here for more info
25. Abs are part of it: CORE. Moe's CORE (don't I wish!):
26. Some time ago: ONCE. "ONCE upon a time ..."
27. Comic Jay: MOHR. Scenes from one of his earlier movies, Jerry Maguire
30. Lacking pizzazz: BLAND. I first thought about using "blasé"; similar meanings yet different
31. On the wrong side (of): AFOUL. Moe-ku four:
The rogue hen got loose;
Laid eggs outside the nest box.
Was clearly AFOUL
33. Rocker Nugent: TED. Theodore Anthony Nugent (December 13, 1948 [age 73 years]) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock and hard rock. After dissolving the band, he embarked on a solo career.
34. One who may go deep: END. Cooper Kupp (an END, or wide receiver) went just deep enough to help the LA Rams secure their first Super Bowl win for the team as based in LA. When the franchise was located in St Louis, the Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999
35. Good times: UPS. In this context, UPS is not an abbreviation. Had the clue read:" 'What-can-brown-do-for-you' company", then UPS would be an abbreviation
36. Aerobic bit: STEP. STEP aerobics are still quite popular
Another workout reference is found at 38-Down (Gym set: REPS)
37. Quite: OH SO. But here in the greater Phoenix, AZ area, the letter combination "OHSO" can also refer to this. O.H.S.O. is an acronym for "Outrageous Homebrewer's Social Outpost"
43. Guys with gifts: WISE MEN. Cute clue. But why does my mind wander into a comic hole when I see the words "WISE MEN"?? Can Moe possibly break both the "no religion" and "no politics" Crossword Corner rules in one comment?? Let's try:
The Supreme Court ruled that there could not be a nativity scene on Capitol Hill. This was not for religious reasons. Rather, no one was able to find three WISE MEN anywhere in the nation’s capital. They also had no luck finding a virgin. There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable
44. Particle in a beam: MOTE. Your Dictionary dot com defines MOTE as: "a speck or a very small piece of something. An example of a mote is a particle of dirt or dust"
45. "Sesame Street," e.g.: PBS SHOW. Only the second time this fill has been used in a major crossword puzzle. We often see the three-letter, "PBS"; but PBS SHOW? Only once before
49. About half of Trenta, at Starbucks: GRANDE. Well, as perhaps one of the few coffee drinkers who is NOT a fan of Starbucks, Chairman Moe could've been fooled by this clue. But somehow he came up with "GRANDE".
If it had been clued: "Rio___", we could've given a CSO to OwenKL
50. Protected, in a way: PADDED. I guess using the clue, "Word with bra or cell" didn't pass muster
51. "Femme Fatale" artist, 2011: SPEARS. Britney SPEARS. All that needs to be said about her has already been said or captured in YouTube or TikTok videos
53. PC fixer: IT GUY. I had IT REP at first, so technically, another w/o for C-Moe
55. Oar fulcrum: THOLE. Moe-ku five ... a stretch, perhaps!
Sailor with a lisp
Was blessed by priest when he said:
"Save my rotten THOLE"
57. HBO's "__ of Easttown": MARE. I'm not an HBO subscriber so this one was not familiar to me. According to IMDb, "MARE Sheehan, an office police investigator in a small Pennsylvania town, investigates a brutal murder as she tries to keep her life from falling apart." This show/series debuted last year
58. Latin "others": ALIA. As in the abbreviated phrase, "et al", where 'al' = ALIA (others)
59. Like some pockets: DEEP.
60. "Doctor Who" airer: BBC. Series on BBC. Series 13 "Teaser Trailer"
62. Bit of horse feed: OAT. I was thinking ORT when I first read the clue. Could ORT be used instead of OAT, and would it be used correctly? Let's let WikiDiff decide
Thanks again to Dick and Fred for the Friday fun-filled puzzle; thanks again for all the birthday greetings yesterday. Next orbit around the sun will see the Chairman turn 70 ... ouch!
