Theme:
It's Friday, time for a definition puzzle
Well here we go again, this time we have 5 theme answers to the same clue, including a grid spanner in the middle. This is also almost a pangram, just one letter short. (want to guess the letter?). It is the work of LAT editor, Rich Norris' assistant who was very upfront in talking with C.C. in an April INTERVIEW. This does not feel like a Friday for me with so many 3, 4 and 5 letter fill, but there was some nice stuff like ISUZUS, TOO TOO, MEG RYAN, SHIHTZU, AIRCRAFT, BABUSHKA, COLOGNES and RED CROSS.
16A. Legs : CRAB MORSELS. (11). Crab legs are big business in So.Fla. I do not think of them as morsels. I guess they call them legs because King Crab chelipeds does not sound appetizing.
22A. Legs : STAYING POWER. (12). That rumor had legs.
36A. Legs : RELAY RACE STAGES.(15). Most relays have four.
47A. "Legs" : ZZ TOP CLASSIC.(12). The original VIDEO (4:56) for Splynter.
58A. Legs : VOYAGE PARTS. (11). The around the world cruise usually had 11.
nexxxxxxxxxxxxt,
Across:
1. Smooth to a fault : GLIB. I was still thinking of the legs; needed the down to get going.
5. Song on a CD : TRACK.
10. Have chills, perhaps : AIL.
13. Vidal's Breckinridge : MYRA. Born Myron, a book by Gore Vidal and a Movie.
Recognize the young man 43 years ago?
14. Oh so very : TOO TOO. This always makes me think about this SONG.(2:06).
15. Messenger __ : RNA.
18. Scrap : RAG.
19. Provide with necessities : EQUIP.
20. Great Lakes' __ Canals : SOO. All new to me.
21. Cold Stone Creamery buy : CONE. When they first opened in Florida, they had lines out the door, we do like our ice cream.
25. Fluffy toy : SHIH-TZU. A tricky clue, because toy dogs did not jump to mind; my ex has two of this BREED.
28. Turkic flatbread : NAN. My LESSON.
29. Ivory poacher's prize : TUSK.
30. Name on 2008 and 2012 campaign posters : BIDEN.
33. Thurman of "Gattaca" : UMA.
40. "__ on a Grecian Urn" : ODE.
41. Start of a child's rhyme : EENIE. Meenie.
42. The "kid" in "Here's looking at you, kid" : ILSA. Ingrid in Casablanca
43. Done to death : OLD.
44. "Serious Moonlight" actress : MEG RYAN. Speaking of old, did you see her as the hoarder on Web Therapy?
52. Frontier lawman : EARP. Wyatt et al.
53. Strike with force : RAM.
54. Expensive outing, probably : SPREE.
57. CCCV ÷ V : LXI.
61. Veggies go-with, perhaps : DIP.
62. Rodeos, e.g. : ISUZUS. Another one that took some thought, but she must like car model with 1D. Canyon or Sierra : GMC.
63. "Works for me" : FINE.
64. Biblical mount : ASS. We have seen this often.
65. Vail alternative : ASPEN. Assssssssssspen?
66. Dairy farmer's fistful : TEAT. Dennis? Is that like a handful?
Down:
2. Harp relative : LYRE.
3. Where the Tigris meets the Euphrates : IRAQ. The old fertile crescent; they sometimes venture out to get some Turkey.
4. Russian head scarf : BABUSHKA. The Russian Jewish women shave their heads, but apparently many others just gave up their teeth.
5. Only Canadian MLB team : TOR. Blue Jays, who spent a fortune on free agents to finish last.
6. Martini's partner : ROSSI. I was thinking of people smoking.
7. Used for dinner : ATE ON.
8. Cosmetics counter array : COLOGNES. PERFUMES?
9. Flattens : KOS.
10. Turn lane signal : ARROW.
11. Fatuous : INANE. Nero Wolfe like the word fatuous.
12. Yuengling offering : LAGER. A great BEER Story.
14. Utah's state gem : TOPAZ.
17. Kitchen protector : MITT. Not to be confused with the mittens of Michigan and Wisconsin.
21. Cell user : CON. Every Friday.
23. Kraft coffee brand : YUBAN.
24. Gasp : PANT
.25. A.L. West player, informally : STRO. Houston Astro
26. Shaded : HUED.
27. Vacation site : ISLE.
31. Here, in Le Havre : ICI.
32. Regards : DEEMS. A popular legal word, "as the Court Deems just."
33. Hardly fair? : UGLY. Step-sisters?
34. Rise in the West : MESA.
35. Wise-owl link : AS AN.
37. [You stepped on my paw!] : YELP.
38. 1864 Geneva Convention creation : RED CROSS. Clara Barton and the HISTORY..
39. Blimps, e.g. : AIRCRAFT.
43. "Alley __" : OOP. The cartoon.
45. They're common in Mississippi : ESSES.
46. Reagan's role in "Knute Rockne, All American" : GIPP. Win one for Dutch! This poor SOUL.(1:06).
47. "Save Me the Waltz" author Fitzgerald : ZELDA. F. Scott's main squeeze. Her only NOVEL.
48. 3-D graph line : Z-AXIS. You have X and Y on all graphs only the 3-D need the zed..4 Zs and not one J!
49. Sends sprawling : TRIPS. Remember sticking your leg out when Michael Morris was going to the blackboard? Oh that was me.
50. Many a fast-break result : LAY-UP. Basketball.
51. Outstrip expectations : AMAZE.
55. Buffalo's lake : ERIE. My son, his wife and baby are back.
56. Sicilian tourist attraction : ETNA. Let's go watch a Volcano, Joe.
58. By means of : VIA. We get there by boat.
59. Rev : GUN. Sp turn up the speed, so we make it to the
60. Filming site : SET. before the curtain falls on another episode of Lemon's Friday frolic.
Well another one done, a day where a tree fell and knocked out the power so I am very late and must run until next time. Thank you Ms. Varol and for those fasting, may it be an easy one.
L714 out.
Notes from C.C.:
Over 600 people showed up for the "An Evening with the Puzzle Master" presentation last night. Will Shortz was not as intimidating as I imagined. He was very unassuming & easy-going.
He talked about the history of crossword (It'll turn 100 years old this Dec); his amazing crossword collection (click here); his all-time favorite crossword Clinton/Bob Dole (click here); his favorite word (Ucalegon, meaning "a neighbor whose house is on fire"); how he edits NYT crosswords (on average, 50% of the clues are his, and clue accuracy is of the most importance to him); what kind of fill he likes (Everyday phrases, not words like ESNE). The Q & A session was particularly lively and the word game was very entertaining and engaging.
Together with a few other Twin City constructors (George Barany, who made the fun puzzle for the night, Victor Barocas, Tom Pepper, Jay Kaskel, etc), Boomer and I were invited to a private reception with Will Shortz before the speech. Mr. Shortz asked Boomer if he had ever bowled a 300 game, you can imagine how lit-up Boomer was.
Notes from C.C.:
Over 600 people showed up for the "An Evening with the Puzzle Master" presentation last night. Will Shortz was not as intimidating as I imagined. He was very unassuming & easy-going.
He talked about the history of crossword (It'll turn 100 years old this Dec); his amazing crossword collection (click here); his all-time favorite crossword Clinton/Bob Dole (click here); his favorite word (Ucalegon, meaning "a neighbor whose house is on fire"); how he edits NYT crosswords (on average, 50% of the clues are his, and clue accuracy is of the most importance to him); what kind of fill he likes (Everyday phrases, not words like ESNE). The Q & A session was particularly lively and the word game was very entertaining and engaging.
Together with a few other Twin City constructors (George Barany, who made the fun puzzle for the night, Victor Barocas, Tom Pepper, Jay Kaskel, etc), Boomer and I were invited to a private reception with Will Shortz before the speech. Mr. Shortz asked Boomer if he had ever bowled a 300 game, you can imagine how lit-up Boomer was.
