EGGS BENEDICT
Yeah, that guy....Hi there, and welcome again to the Corner, where we'll discuss today's puzzle from Annemarie Brethauer, who is a free-lance constructor and has had several grids for the LA Times. Today we don't have "theme" answers, per se, but instead the dreaded circles that "turn" the word COAT - and very cleverly done, I might add, such that the letters rotate to a distinct quadrant of the square with each version. This does lead to a few "meh" fills and dreaded proper names, but a mere twenty TLWs. I could recreate the boxes with the associated fill, but methinks it would just be simpler to post the solution up top, and mention the long fills in the Across that relate to the circles;
18. "Ha! April Fools!": "AH, I GOTCHA~!" - this feels a little forced, IMHO, esp. with the "Ha" and "AH" in the clue/answer
20. Rile up: ANTAGONIZE - but then we get this sparkling fill
62. Starbucks order: VENTI LATTE - this fill has some crossword history; it is NOT "ventilate"
65. Made-up: FICTIONAL - A fictional Time Machine
And back in time for some history of the grid-centered reveal . . . .
39. Traitors, and an apt title for this puzzle: TURNCOATS - believed to be coined during the English Civil Wars, when soldiers turned their coats inside out to match the opposing side's colors
ACROSS:
1. Food grinder: MOLAR - AH, one's back teeth, not a kitchen appliance; see 5D.
6. Mischievous rascal: IMP - I was being an intentional mischievous rascal last week
9. Bee-related: APIAN
14. Puccini composition: OPERA
15. In-like-a-lion mo.: MARch - goes out like a lamb, sometimes
16. Impressions: DENTS - someone left an "impression" on my car's bumper - and I have no idea when it happened; I just noticed it last week when I walked up on the back of my Prius; I do know it was a white car . . . .
17. Intel mission: RECONnaissance
22. Early ISP: AOL - America OnLine
23. Went bad: SOURED - AH, not ROTTED
24. Pack it in: EAT
26. Blokes: MEN
28. __ La Table: kitchenware shop: SUR - filled via perps; their website
29. California sch. near the Mexican border: SDSU - San Diego State University; had the "S"s from perps, so . . . .
32. Meet, as a challenge: RISE TO
34. Capital of Thailand?: TEE - I know some Cornerites don't care for this kind of clue, but I don't mind; the "T" that is the capital letter of T-hailand
36. Quite a long time: EONS
38. Surgical tool: LASER
42. "Trust the __ touch": longtime slogan of a car repair chain: MIDAS
Commercial from 1985
It's a Zoot Suit riot
46. QVC alternative: HSN - Home Shopping Network
49. Brunch order: OMELET - AH, not having Eggs Benedict~?
51. Vegetables in a "mushy" dish: PEAS - AH; my parents may have been British, but I never had this growing up - I went looking for some recipe info
53. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA
55. Nonstick spray brand: PAM - I use this - very convenient in a spray
56. Canine command: SIT~! - whenever I hear a distant dog barking, I say "sit~!", because it reminds me of this movie, and this scene
Fletch, also from 1985 - @1:42
60. State in southwest India: GOA - name
68. Took apart: UNDID - meh
69. Finale: END
70. Muscat citizen: OMANI - name
71. Musical silences: RESTS
73. Electrician, at times: WIRER - one who WIRES outlets, switches, etc.
DOWN:
1. Convoluted situation: MORASS - good fill; the NW and SE corners were tough for Wednesday
2. Unfurl: OPEN OUT - Sigh. Yes, this is true . . . .
3. Good talking-to: LECTURE - AH. I got the email "lecture" from C.C. last week as well 😜
4. Very loud: AROAR - we had this last Saturday
5. Appliances that may have pilot lights: RANGES - AH - I had STOVES to start
6. Vellani who plays Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel: IMAN - name, no clue -the IMDb
7. Fish often grilled for tacos, informally: MAHI - formally, mahi-mahi
8. Booker or Pulitzer: PRIZE - name(s) - I know about the Pulitzer, here's the Booker
9. "And now, without further __ ... ": ADO
10. Anti-65-Down org.: PETA - AND - 65D. Pelt: FUR
11. Earnings: INCOMES - meh; I don't care for the pluralized version
12. Typical Wheaties box portrait: ATHLETE
Little Chocolate Donuts for breakfast - and the cigarette
I love Belushi's facial expressions in this skit
13. Code-cracking org.: NSA - a WAG; National Security Agency19. One of four-on-the-floor: GEAR - the only "four-on-the-floor" I owned was my Subaru Brat
It had "O-tops", as there was a frame over the door, so not quite "T-tops"
21. Harder to explain: ODDER - meh.25. Pinball faux pas: TILT
27. Negative conjunction: NOR
30. "Yesterday" or "Tomorrow": SONG - clever clue
31. Remove the lid: UNCAP
33. Scout uniform accessory: SASH
37. Really mad: SORE
40. Takes advantage of: USES
41. Beaded counters: ABACI
42. Floor-washing tool: MOP - a looong way to go for a TLW
43. Envision: IMAGINE
44. Garage band output, once: DEMO CDs - AH. Meh. I know, I know; I'm stuck in 1985 - this is also the name of the Apple software expressly for the purpose of producing one's own music, but TAPES just seem more "sincere"
47. Toy racer: SLOTCAR
48. Farthest planet from the sun: NEPTUNE - PLUTO~! Stuck in 1985
50. DVR option: TiVO
52. Sickly looking: SALLOW
54. Response to Captain Kirk: AYE, SIR
Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home - OK, so this is actually 1986
59. Watts of "The Painted Veil": NAOMI - name, filled via perps - the IMDb
61. Plugging away: AT IT
63. "Peter Pan" dog: NANA - name I did not know; it occurs to me I have not seen this animated classic
64. Abbr. with a synopsis: TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read - the modern world of zero attention span
66. Wallet cards: IDs
Splynter
