Title: Friday fun day with your host Lemonade who has been annointed by your host C Moe to do this write-up. I chose the two "nn" irregular spelling for reasons which should become apparent. Or not.
Hello and welcome back, and if you read the blog you know that today would be his week, but you also know JW and I have established a bond shown by the publication of this tribute PUZZLE in 2016, the only collaboration in his hundreds of puzzle publications. Doesn't matter, it just is.
Today we have a thoughtful theme, which makes it easy to know where to begin because there is no reveal, Instead, I will reveal what you are looking for.
17A. Piano trio?: SYLLABLES (9). The fill is not the theme, the clue is; there are three syllables in pi-an-o. pretty cool and if you parsed this without more you have my admiration, I did not. My first thought was, gee there are lots of Ls.
30A. String quintet?: CONSONANTS (10). We need to count again, s+t+r+n+g equals five consonants, which is a quintet. There is a clear trend here but the three Ns again distracted me.
36A. Duet for bassoon and bass fiddle?: DOUBLE LETTERS (13). Duet we know is two, so the fill features two instruments which each have 2 double letters! How fun, bass is pronounced totally differently which is completely irrelevant! Wow, but now I know what this puzzle is really about.
43A. Duet for oboe and vibraphone?: LONG VOWELS (10). We all know oboe, but the vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. Two again, though this time they are long vowels as highlighted. To complete the puzzle symmetry we must have one more themer, and we get...
62A. Flügelhorn solo?: DIACRITIC (9). The umlaut is a diacritic and it is the only one in Flügelhorn, therefore there is no s at the end, but we have 9-10-13-10-9 symmetry and a disguised theme hidden in the clues. Wiki tells us this instrument also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flüegelhorn which is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. I will let Ron and other explain more in detail. Nifty, but wait, there is more, much more.
Each clue is built around a musical instrument or instruments with no repeats. The clue is something unique to that instrument(s). Balance that with each fill a term or terms from English grammar with no repeats. Can you imagine a tighter, more restrictive theme-fill combination? Can you imagine having this thought pop in your head?
Well, too late; Jeffrey already had it. (Not an accurate likeness).
He also throws in some longer fill AIRLINER, DROPS OUT, OENOLOGY and REGATTAS and many 6 letter fun fill but it is time to move on from the wonderful theme to the rest of the puzzle.
1. Political commentator Navarro: ANA. There are so many named ANA now, but Ms. NAVARRO is well known in South Florida both from her education here and her work. Very political.
4. Dump: SCRAP. To abandon an idea, a thing. The Cambridge dictionary sees it as to get rid of something unwanted, especially by leaving it in a place where it is not allowed to be:
The tax was so unpopular that the government decided to dump it. Several old cars had been dumped near the beach.
9. Whom Cordelia calls "As mad as the vex'd sea": LEAR. How cool, JW gets his Will Shakespeare quotation in, this time from Act IV, Scene 4:
Alack, ’tis he. Why, he was met even now
As mad as the vexed sea, singing aloud,
Crowned with rank fumiter and furrow-weeds (modern English Thick Weeds). Not a happy daughter.
13. Marvel Comics artist Buscema: SAL. If you have doughnuts, I have dollars that say this is not JW's clue. I collected, bought and sold comics drawn by this wonderful artist, but I would guess either Mineo or Jack Kerouac.
14. People who call New Zealand "Aotearoa": MAORI. The only people I know from New Zealand that are 5 spaces made this easy but I did not know and still cannot say Aotearoa.
15. Far from ordinary: ALIEN. I know I am a bit different, but this seems harsh after all I am a...
19. Earth sign: VIRGO. And proud of it with the...
20. Ordinary: USUAL. Smiling, puzzled...
21. Confront: FACE.
23. Mideast carrier: EL AL. The Israeli airline.
24. "The Body in the Library" sleuth: MARPLE. I have read every published mystery written by Dame Agatha. There have been two mini-series versions done of this short story. One with JOAN HIXON and one with GERALDINE McEWAN as part of the PBS Masterpiece Mysteries. I have my favorite, do you?
26. Big grazer: ELK. Did you know, according to Simple English Wikipedia a grazer is an animal, usually a herbivorous mammal, which eats grass. It is contrasted with browsers, which eat trees & shrubs. Since Elk are situationally herbivores this is confusing but with three letters...
28. "Who am __ argue?": I TO. You are a fully paid up member of the Corner and argue away.
29. Watched warily: EYED. We do watch you warily and wearily.
34. Start to bat?: ACRO. Strike one. A new way to clue a tortured prefix?
35. Planning session contribution: IDEAS. Pretty much the whole point of the sessions.
41. "Grazie" reply: PREGO. Italian thank you and you are welcome.
42. Bigelow products: TEAS. This company was founded in Fairfield Connecticut by Ruth Campbell Bigelow to promote and distribute their proprietary product under the label Constant Comment. The recipe is still a closely guarded secret.
46. Dost possess: HAST. Old English.
50. Mil. mail site: APO. APO stands for "Army Post Office". It is normally followed by a number which serves as a code for a particular military unit or installation. APOs were often mobile, and moved with the units to which they were attached. Government brochure.
51. Feta source: EWE. Feta cheese is made from sheep milk, not cow milk. This causes the unique taste.
52. One to hold on to: KEEPER. Long time slang for a potential partner who is worth hanging on to for life.
54. Tenerife, por ejemplo: ISLA. Tenerife, in Spanish or in English is always an Island.
56. "Why don't we?": LET'S. Let's not and say we did.
59. Dishwasher handle: AMANA. Handle is also an old expression for name first recorded 1870, originally U.S., from earlier expressions about adding a handle to (one's) name (1833) like saying...King Jason. etymonline.com
60. Really bad turnout: NO ONE. When you draw a crowd of zero it is time to rethink your plan.
64. Cotton candy, mostly: SUGAR.
65. Like Santa's helpers: ELFIN. Why are they elves?
66. Groundbreaking tool: HOE. So tempting...
67. Donor card datum: TYPE. Blood type I assume rather than arrogant, for example.
68. Monopoly cards: DEEDS. As a property based games these are vital. From the original English version.
69. Time pieces: Abbr.: YRS. Not watches but increments in time. I like this whether it is JW's or not.
Down:
Down:
1. Trust without verifying: ASSUME. A bastardization of biblical as well as political rhetoric to underline the idea that to ASS U ME makes an ass of u and me.
2. Speak against: NAYSAY. You don't say? Oh, you just did.
3. Magazine with annual Best of Beauty awards: ALLURE. This historically black magazine has contests in many categories and publishes them each year.
2. Speak against: NAYSAY. You don't say? Oh, you just did.
3. Magazine with annual Best of Beauty awards: ALLURE. This historically black magazine has contests in many categories and publishes them each year.
2021 list.
4. Minor: SMALL. I guess this is from show business as I know many under 18 who are much larger than I am.
4. Minor: SMALL. I guess this is from show business as I know many under 18 who are much larger than I am.
5. Red choice: CAB.
We have them here as well as yellow cabs.
We have them here as well as yellow cabs.
6. Massage deeply: ROLF. A technique developed by Dr. Ida Rolf. Maybe.
7. Sod buyer's calculation: AREA. It is a good idea to measure no matter what you are buying.
8. Water sign: PISCES. The fish; there are two so be careful.
9. WC: LAV. I hope by now everyone knows the Jack Parr joke that got him fired from the Tonight show.
the JOKE
10. Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE. We love those vowels.
11. Plane: AIRLINER. And simple.
12. Meets near the shore?: REGATTAS. Meets, not as gathering but competing. The Henley Regatta was very important to many classmate in high school 60 years ago.
16. "Good riddance": NO LOSS. Rather cruel, even if true.
18. "The Rookie" org.: LAPD. The latest TV show for the now bloated star,
22. Jeff Lynne's band: ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.
25. "A time to every purpose" Bible bk.: ECCLiastes.
27. Gentle washer setting: KNITS.
31. Minecraft resource: ORE.
32. "Cape Fear" co-star: NOLTE.
33. Drink suffix: ADE. A CSO to the Friday blogger before you. JW covers all of his bases.
34. Superior to: ABOVE.
36. Finishes one's studies, in a way: DROPS OUT. Quitting is one way to finish.
37. Viniculture science: OENOLOGY. A CSO to the Friday blogger scheduled for today.
38. Comfy shoe brand: UGG. Never tried them but many female friends swear by them, not at them.
39. Unadon fish: EEL. A CSO to C.C.'s favorite.
40. Chore: TASK. I do not consider this a chore or a task. I see it as an opportunity to control your minds.
41. Great __: Midwest region: PLAINS. Home to so many who visit here daily. We even have our own blog bird. FAMILY PHOTO.
44. Bird in the Duolingo logo: OWL. Not JW's I bet.
45. Took care of garden pests: WEEDED. Are weeds the pests or are the pests the pests?
46. Powerful engine: HEMI. A man's toy or perhaps a subliminal message.
47. Indifference: APATHY. None allowed here.
48. On the job longer: SENIOR. Only C.C. and mb blogged puzzles here before me.
49. Vestiges: TRACES. There are still some things that have not changed in the 14.5 years, I hope.
53. Brings in: EARNS. Brings home too, rather than spending it all on pinball.
55. "I think somebody needs __!": A NAP. Napping is now my field of expertise.
57. Shower wall unit: TILE. These days they have one piece shower walls.
58. Protected: SAFE. The Ring doorbell camera and others are trying to make us feel safe, but as far as I can tell all we do get is a nice picture of the people robbing us. It is like going car shopping.
61. Before, in an old ode: ERE. Is there a specific ode (poem of praise) that Jeffrey had in mind? Nah, he likes his music and his painting.
63. El __: CID. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting on the side of both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific al-sīd, which would evolve into El Cid, and the Spanish moniker El Campeador, a person who has defeated all others in a competition. (Lucy and others forgive me if my Spanish sucks). His fame came to American and the world on the broad shoulders of 
CHARLTON HESTON in a 1961 MOVIE.
CHARLTON HESTON in a 1961 MOVIE.
Finally, the grid.
