Sunday April 19, 2020 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme: "What's Missing?" - Letters L, I, N & K are removed from each familiar phrase and put back into the adjacent one.

23. Feeling caused by reading too many self-referential articles?: META FATIGUE. Metal fatigue.

25. Where movie actors rehearse Southern accents?: DRAWL LOTS. Draw lots.

50. Overhead support for a small army?: ANT AIRCRAFT. Antiaircraft.

54. Urban pedestrian's maneuver?: TAXI DODGE. Tax dodge.

88. Insult humor in a cornfield?: CROW ROAST. Crown roast.

91. Trust that a supervised job will lead to full-time work?: INTERN FAITH. Interfaith.

118. Legume farmer's concern?: PEA DEMAND. Peak demand.

121. Sailing one small ship after another?: BARK HOPPING. Bar hopping.

The title captures the missing links part nicely, but in the second halves, those are "found".

Quite a bit of restriction on David's grid despite the light themeage (80 squares). They have to follow a strict L/I/N/K order and the two pairs are placed in the same row.
 
Across:

1. Worrier's agenda: CARES.

6. Audibly amazed: AGASP. And 11. "Zounds!": EGAD.

15. Ingredient in some pancakes: SPUD. Potato pancakes.

19. Musical genre that means "work" in Italian: OPERA.

20. Wrist bones: CARPI.

21. Nautilus captain: NEMO.

22. "A-Hunting We Will Go" songwriter: ARNE (Thomas). We often get the "Rule, Britannia" reference.

27. Left: EXITED.

28. Often-improvised light source: TORCH.

30. Soybean paste: MISO. This brand is very good.

31. Factor of DX: CII.

32. Spray: AEROSOL.

34. Walk proudly: STRUT.

36. Lobster __: NEWBURG. Never had this.

38. When doubled, a dangerous fly: TSE.

39. "Yo ho ho" beverage: RUM.

41. "Poison" shrub: SUMAC.

43. Get top billing for: STAR IN.

44. Prodigy: PHENOM.

47. Unrestrained episode: SPREE.

49. Goddess of peace: IRENE.

56. Noise: SOUND.

57. Narrow victory margin: HAIR.

58. Infielders: BASEMEN.

59. Performer with a record 21 Oscar nominations: STREEP.  Do you like "The Bridges of Madison County"?

61. They hang around: LOITERERS.

63. Try: STAB.

67. Rite lead-in?: AMI. Amirite?

68. Fútbol cheer: OLE.

70. Chicago's __ Center: AON.

71. Shamus: TEC. Detective.

73. Ostrichlike bird: EMU.

74. Edit __: MENU.

76. Seamy component, as of politics: UNDERSIDE.

81. Digits in a clumsiness metaphor: THUMBS. All thumbs.

83. Big league members: NATIONS. This refers to the League of Nations, right?

85. R-rating reason: GORE.

87. Savory jelly: ASPIC.

93. Transplant, in a way: RE-POT. The gardening centers here are open now.

94. Demeter's Roman counterpart: CERES.

96. Cat pickup spot: SCRUFF.

97. Very: EVER SO.

99. 1972 missile pact: SALT I.

101. Pig thief of rhyme: TOM. Oh, hi, "Pig thief"!

102. Estonia, once: Abbr.: SSR.

105. Winner's flag: PENNANT.

107. Fallback strategy: PLAN B.

109. Perfectly detailed model: REPLICA.

112. Gnome cousin: ELF.

113. Floral neckwear: LEIS. My fresh lei from JimmyB.

115. Follow: ENSUE.

117. Cheer for: ROOT ON.

123. Violin music word: ARCO.

124. Hudson-to-Niagara River canal: ERIE.

125. Not yet realized: UNMET.

126. Shilling's five: PENCE.

127. Fraction of a min.: NSEC. Nanosecond.

128. Stare blankly: GAPE.

129. Shows the way: LEADS.

130. Biblical mounts: ASSES.

Down:

1. Act aggressively toward: COME AT.

2. Very tops: APEXES. Heard a lot of "apex" from Governor Cuomo the past few weeks.

3. Hang it up, so to speak: RETIRE.

4. Muse with a lyre: ERATO.

5. Hotel amenities: SAFES.

6. Do something: ACT.

7. Pace of walking: GAIT.

8. Rival of Sparta: ARGOS. That's Gerard Butler.

9. Dramatic growth periods: SPURTS.

10. Bakery shell: PIE CRUST.

11. Finish: END.

12. Microbe: GERM.

13. With full force: AMAIN.

14. Searches for a well, say: DOWSES.

15. Actor Mineo: SAL.

16. Obtained with effort: PROCURED. I just don't understand this "reagents" shortage. Why can't we make more?

17. Indefatigable: UNTIRING.

18. Appointed one: DESIGNEE.

24. Worshipper: ADORER.

26. Best time for beachcombing: LOW TIDE.

29. Camel's fat-storage site: HUMP.

33. Afternoon date, maybe: LUNCH.

35. Seafood sauce: TARTAR. Boomer likes it with fried fish.

37. Industry bigwigs: BARONS.

40. Aesopian conclusion: MORAL.

42. Stop: CEASE.

44. Glass unit: PANE.

45. Pitcher Nomo with two no-nos: HIDEO. Literally "hero".  In this baseball card, the last two characters are Hideo. Their surname comes before the given name also. 

46. Spring month in Porto: MAIO. May.

48. Bring to bear: EXERT.

50. Indian tea region: ASSAM.

51. "Ask somebody else": NOT ME.

52. Italian city known for a shroud: TURIN.

53. Providence athletes: FRIARS. The Providence Friars.

55. "No more for me": I'M SET.

58. Well-meaning: BENIGN.

60. Dwarf planet since 2006: PLUTO.

62. How-__: manuals: TOS.

64. Adagio and presto: TEMPI.

65. Gamut: AMBIT.

66. Kyle or Kurt of NASCAR: BUSCH.

69. Early computer: ENIAC.

72. Badinage: CHAFF. I did not know the meaning of "badinage".

75. Still eligible for a full refund, as clothing: UNWORN.

77. Pill bottle info: DOSES.

78. Catch in a sting: ENTRAP.

79. Pair in jigs?: DOTS. The dots above letter j & i.

80. Put up: ERECT.

82. Mil. flying branch: USAF.

84. Gallery event: ART SALE.

86. Miscalculation, say: ERROR.

88. Galette cooker: CREPE PAN. Steve probably has one at home.

89. Merrymakers: REVELERS.

90. Feature of a gravy-covered sandwich: OPEN FACE.

91. Port straddling the Bosporus: ISTANBUL. Googles results show that Bosporus comes from a Thracian word meaning "passage of the cow."

92. Uno, por ejemplo: NUMERO.

95. Magazine with a pronoun title: ELLE.

98. Large size of the '80s that now sounds tiny: ONE MEG.

100. Half-baked: INSANE.

102. Sedate protests: SIT-INS. So stunned by some of the protestor signs. Tim Walz is our governor who's just a quiet doer. Guess what this guys says? 

103. Wall fixture: SCONCE.

104. Roams freely: RANGES.

106. Sparkly headgear: TIARA.

108. Myanmar, once: BURMA.

110. Family nickname: POPPA.

111. Bounding gaits: LOPES.

114. Cut off: SNIP.

116. __ out a living: EKED.

119. Holliday nickname: DOC.

120. Snider of Twisted Sister: DEE.

122. Elevs.: HTS.


C.C.

Saturday, April 18, 2020, Mary Lou Guizzo

Themeless Saturday by Mary Lou Guizzo

Today our constructor is Mary Lou Guizzo who C.C. calls "a very talented constructor". Here is her gracious reply to my note to her about crosswords, C.C. and her name that evokes memories of Ricky Nelson:

Hi Gary,

Yes, I’ve been serenaded with that song more than once, LOL!

You and my husband have much in common. He taught science (Biology and Anatomy primarily) for 43 years before retiring. I met my husband at The University of Dayton  and we now live in Oakwood, OH which is a suburb of Dayton.

I am a retired medical technologist with a Specialty in Blood Banking (SBB). I’ve worked in hospitals, private labs and the Community Blood Center for many years.

The youngster in that picture is my grandson who I miss immensely during these days of quarantine. I cut back on the time I devoted to constructing when I started watching this little guy shortly after he was born. But I still keep my hand in creating puzzles a little.

I most definitely have heard of the crossword rockstar, CC! I followed her blog almost from it’s start until I started watching my grandson, 3 days/week, 10 hours a day. She is a very inspiring and impressive person.

I’ve been constructing crosswords for a few years now (my first having been published in the WSJ in 2013, a puzzle co-constructed with Jeff Chen). I do like to include women’s names in my puzzles whenever possible as you will see in today’s themeless. I hope you enjoyed the solve. Thanks to Rich and Patti for accepting and editing this puzzle.

Thanks again for your kind words and for getting in touch with me. Stay safe and be well.

Best,

Mary Lou

[Gary p.s.] - Mary Lou is still disappointed that her Dayton University Flyers didn't get a shot a the NCAA Tournament. They were very highly ranked and as good as anybody this year

Let's say Hello Mary Lou and explore her lovely puzzle!

Across:

1. Joe __: SCHMO - Slang for "Joe Anybody". From English from the use of the "schm" prefix in Yiddish to dismiss something; as in, "Fancy, schmancy."

6. Exude: OOZE.

10. Classified times: EVES - December 24th and 31st, e.g.

14. Distant: ALOOF.

15. Foam footwear: CROC - Often seen at my clinic 

16. Place for a grinder: DELI.

17. Metropolis nickname: MAN OF STEEL 

19. 2004 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee: GRAF - Steffi 

20. Liqueur flavoring: MENTHE.

21. "Wrong!": IT ISN'T.

23. Money layouts, say: PHOTO SPREADS - Of all the magazines Mary Lou could have chosen...

26. Engaged: BUSIED.

29. John Wayne film set in Tanganyika: HATARI - Swahili for Danger!

30. 15th-century ruler Axayácatl, e.g.: AZTEC - Here ya go! Blue on the map below

31. Sean who played Samwise: ASTIN - A stouthearted Hobbit

32. Trip-taking aid: LSD.

35. She plays Watson on "Elementary": LIU - She plays Dr. Joan Watson in an updated version of Sherlock Holmes

36. Medalworthy acts: HEROICS - We see them every day now!

38. __ Day: Hawaii celebration: LEI - While we are celebrating May Day...

39. ISP choice: MSN.

40. Watts on the keys: ANDRE - ANDRE Previn on the keys would have more familiar to me

41. Absconds: FLEES - No one saw Andy Dufresne abscond with the duplicate bank books from Shawshank Prison

43. Sharper-tasting: TARTER.

45. Mall booths: KIOSKS.

46. Nakia portrayer in "Black Panther": LUPITA NYONGO - She won for 12 Years A Slave. We only saw the fabulous June Squibb in Nebraska

49. Melodic pieces: ARIOSI - A vocal piece falling somewhere between recitative and an aria. It literally means "Airy"

50. Doesn't toss: REUSES - Clever recycling cluing took some time 

53. __ waiting: CALL.

54. The better of a familiar pair: LESSER EVIL - Yeah, I vote too.

58. Wells' Weena et al.: ELOI - A true H.G. Wells tribe of Crosswordland 

59. Nevada city straddling the Humboldt River: ELKO - About 17 hours from me on the Platte River

60. Uplift: ELATE.

61. Old swift fliers: SSTS.

62. Cannon of Hollywood: DYAN - Jennifer Grant is shown here with her mother DYAN Cannon. Considering her dad was Cary Grant, her gene pool was pretty good!

63. Newton parts: DYNES - More than you would ever want to know


Down:

1. "In the Lonely Hour" singer Smith: SAM - A song of unrequited love

2. Refuse to talk, with "up": CLAM - "Get me a lawyer!"

3. Sharpen: HONE.

4. Heavenly dessert?: MOONPIE.

5. Beyond expectations: OFF THE CHARTS - The success of the Big Bang Theory show above 

6. String group: OCTET.

7. Bank deposit?: ORE - The Cornwall, PA Iron ORE Bank map from 1873

8. Kazan of "Olive Kitteridge": ZOE - ZOE, the granddaughter of Elia Kazan, played Denise Thibodeau. Frances McDormand played the title role in this Emmy Winner and is at the mic below. Zoe is in the red/white striped dress. Trailer

9. Like a much-watched 8/21/2017 alignment: ECLIPTIC - It was an ECLIPTIC event for Joann and me when the Moon's shadow came across Eastern Nebraska on this date

10. More out-there: EDGIER.

11. Pre-revolution French royal residence site: VERSAILLES - The story of Versailles after the revoltuion (2 minutes)

12. African antelope: ELAND.

13. Sieves: SIFTS.

18. Rough end?: SHOD - Husker FB used to run ROUGHSHOD over most all comers. Sigh...

22. Altered for the better: TRANSFIGURED - A part of Christianity 

24. "My bad": OH SORRY.

25. "Mercure" composer Erik: SATIE - A 1924 opera with decor and costumes designed by Picasso 

26. Skin soother: BALM.

27. Israeli weapons: UZIS.

28. Aerial daredevil: STUNT PILOT - Barnstormers

31. "As You Like It" forest: ARDEN - A lovely golf course is located near it in central England

55. English cathedral town: ELY - It is a 2-hr drive east from Forest of Arden golf course. The magnificent cathedral

33. Strive for: SEEK.

34. Ph.D. hurdle: DISS - 8 most unusual DISSERTATIONS of all time

37. Necessitated: ENTAILED.

42. How a blown-open door may have been closed: LOOSELY.

44. Pungent spreads: AIOLIS - Burger King has it in here somewhere

45. One may be replaced: KNEE.

46. Ties: LACES.

47. Eurasian range: URALS.

48. "Ender's Game" author __ Scott Card: ORSON.

51. John in Wales: EVAN - John in MANY languages

52. Surfer's stop: SITE.

56. Jamaican music: SKA.

57. Guitarist Paul: LES - Rick Harris wound up paying $90,000 to LES Paul's nephew on Pawn Stars for this guitar with a lot of provenance. 

Should you comment? Let Ricky Nelson tell you with another song:

Friday, April 17, 2020, Joe Deeney

Title: Ring around a black square, a pocketful of why.

This puzzle should garner much commentary and controversy. Those who have been reading my puzzle write-ups for many years know that I enjoy a visual theme as much as a witty one. Today's challenge has only on complete theme fill, the central grid-spanning 36A. Acknowledgment of success--four are hidden in this puzzle, each adjacent to a black square: ROUND OF APPLAUSE (15) the grid shows this creation better than words.



The great beauty of the final effort is the progression of the word
CLAP. It goes west, north, east then south. The next is north, east, south then west, and so on. Around as a circle. The rest of the puzzle is loaded with fun fill. CHIRPILY, HOTPRESS, AER LINGUS,  EMILE ZOLA.  EVERY TIME. GREY GOOSE, LIVE RADIO,  PUNCHLINE,  SOFT COLOR and  WATER LEAK with those highlighted in green making their LAT debut. MC REN also makes its major puzzle debut.

Joe has become an end of the week regular with TTP and HG each having blogged multiple JD efforts. I anxiously await your comments.

Across:

1. Nice with?: AVEC. The classic French city misdirection.

5. "The Empire Strikes Back" ice planet: HOTH. Vader employed bad STRATEGY.

9. Big bucks: STAGS. Not money but deer.

14. It's mostly talk: LIVE RADIO. A fun clue.

16. __ board: EMERY. A boring fill?

17. "Les Rougon-Macquart" author: EMILE ZOLA. This is the most incredible WORK. imdb.

18. N.W.A member portrayed by Aldis Hodge in "Straight Outta Compton": MC REN. The cast of historical MOVIE.

19. Upper bod muscle: PECtoral. Abbreviation - abbreviation.

20. Drainage system component: AIR TRAP. LINK. Not being handy I leave you all to the picture. But you might need it if you develop a 57A. Drip, perhaps: WATER LEAK.

22. Caustic solution: LYE. I will not lie about it.

23. Calendering machine for glossing paper: HOT PRESS. I point only to the dictionary definition of hot-press (Entry 1 of 3)
1: a calendering machine in which paper or cloth is glossed by being pressed between glazed boards and hot metal plates. I do not know what a calendering machine is.

25. Longtime sportscaster Sager: CRAIG. A much-admired sports reporter whose death revealed a family CRISIS.

27. Cash closing?: IER. Cashier- clever.

28. Chafing dish heaters: STERNOS.

30. "Your Unfiltered View of Government" sloganeer: CSPAN. Who knew?

33. Jesus in the outfield: ALOU. The youngest of the three brothers.

35. Entertainment awards acronym: EGOT.
Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony.

39. "What __ one comes?": IF NO. You will have many leftovers.

40. Cutters: SAWS.

41. "Ready?" response: I'M SET. Not from me.

42. Michigan/Ontario border river: ST. CLAIR. Saint Clair River, outlet for Lake Huron, forming part of the boundary between Michigan, U.S. (west), and Ontario, Can. (east). Flowing southward into Lake Saint Clair, with a fall of 5.7 feet (1.7 m) in 39 miles (63 km), the river discharges through a silty, seven-mouth delta, with the South Channel (27-foot [8-metre] minimum depth) used for deep-drafted vessels. The St. Clair delta is the world’s largest delta that enters a freshwater lake. Britannica.

44. Kellogg School deg.: MBA. Master Of Business Administration.

45. Go after: CHASE.

46. In a cheerful way: CHIRPILY. "A new blog! (she tweeted chirpily)."

51. Abbr. that debuted in OED in 2011: LOL.

52. Kind of share: PRO-RATA.

54. MDX ÷ X: CLI.

55. "Three inches is such a wretched height to be" speaker: ALICE. Poor child, she did not understand what it was like to be a caterpillar.

59. World's fastest hedgehog: SONIC.

60. Always: EVERY TIME.

61. Boxer's reward: TREAT. The puppy, not pugilist.

62. 1987 Costner role: NESS.

63. ORD postings: ETAS. ORD- Chicago O'Hare.

Down:

1. Beth preceder: ALEPH. Not any longer, the popular transliteration of the Hebrew alphabet has the second letter as "bet."

2. YouTube alternative: VIMEO. This SITE.

3. Give the boot: EVICT. I think more of firing but it did not fit.

4. Toon collectible: CEL.

5. Less clear: HAZIER. Many CHOICES.

6. Olfactory triggers: ODORS.

7. Leans: TILTS.

8. Winter covering: HOAR. Rimes with boar.

9. Musical "throughout": SEMPRE. Italian, from the Latin SEMPER. Fidelis.

10. HBO competitor: TMC. Not really.

11. Carrier with a shamrock logo: AER LINGUS.

Perhaps better with a glass of...


12. Vodka brand: GREY GOOSE.

13. "Auld Lang __": SYNE. It seems a bit out of context.

15. Hit in the back: REAR END.

21. Stop working: ACT UP. This also is a very extreme example of not working unless you are talking about a machine.

24. Self-playing instrument: PIANOLA. The pianola (pronounce: "pee-ah-NO-la"), also called the player piano, is a piano that has a pneumatic mechanism so that it can play by itself. The air for this system came from a pump operated by the player's feet, and in some later models, an electric pump. When I was first married we bought a player piano and both of my sons learned to play as babies with the help of the rolls.

26. TripAdvisor offering: AREA MAP.

28. Illegal payments: SOPS. One definition is something given to pacify or quiet, or as a bribe: The political boss gave him some cash as a sop.

29. "Do not remove" mark: STET.

30. Football Hall of Famer Carter: CRIS.

31. Subdued shade: SOFT COLOR.

32. Funny part: PUNCHLINE. Do you remember?

33. A long way off: AFAR.

34. Common practice: LAW. So nobody gets good enough to stop practicing.

37. Rattan alternative: OSIER. Definition, any of various willows, as the red osier, having tough, flexible twigs or branches that are used for wickerwork.

38. Congress has a big one: LIBRARY.

43. Viewpoint: ASPECT.

44. Ceremonial headdresses: MITERS. This is a tall headdress worn by bishops and senior abbots as a symbol of office, tapering to a point at the front and back with a deep cleft between.

46. Covet: CRAVE. Thou shall not crave thy neighbor's wife?

47. Can't tolerate: HATES. Hate is more.

48. Nail down the victory: ICE IT.

49. South American carrier: LLAMA.

50. "Uh-oh!": YIKES.

51. Endure: LAST.

53. __ Lars, who raised Luke Skywalker: OWEN.
Owen Lars

56. "Homeland" org.: CIA. Not true, much of the nation's homeland security activity remains outside of DHS; for example, the FBI and CIA are not part of the Department.

58. 4G __: mobile device standard: LTE. LTE is an abbreviation for Long Term Evolution. LTE is a 4G wireless communications standard developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) that's designed to provide up to 10x the speeds of 3G networks for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, netbooks, notebooks, and wireless hotspots.

He may not be a DiMaggio, but Joe D. is on a hitting streak here at the Corner. I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle and writing it up for your enlightenment and comments. Be careful, be safe. Lemonade out.

Thursday, April 16th 2020 Steve Mossberg

Theme: : All Hale! Homophones form the last word of each theme entry, clued accordingly:

17A. Where the farmer relaxed to update the books?: POSTING BALE

27A. Story of how the spider monkey climbed the tree?: PREHENSILE TALE

44A. Obstetrician's job, sometimes?: DELIVER THE MALE

58A. Put the fix in on Black Friday?: RIGGED A SALE. This one was my favorite, nicely done.

A pretty fun theme; I'd quibble for a nanosecond at 27A - the spider monkey is not prehensile, his tail is, which is kind of the point. So a minor demerit for that one, but there again I can't really see any alternatives to fit the four-letter end-of-phrase theme. You might be able to conjur something up with GAIL/GALE or VAIL/VALE, but those would seem forced. So I've talked myself around. I'm sure Steve looked at all the options and settled on the most natural ones, so bravo.

I think this is the second LAT puzzle for Steve, JzB blogged his first back in August 2019. He's appeared in the Wall Street Journal too.

Let's take the Grand Tour:

Across:

1. Turning point: PIVOT

6. Pagoda instruments: GONGS. I wanted WIND CHIMES but was a little discouraged by the lack of room to cram it in.

11. Outdo: TOP

14. Big game setting: ARENA. Nice midirection. I ran through the safari park/Maasai Mara/Serengeti/Okovango thought process before the penny dropped. The Scottish soccer National Stadium, Hampden Park in Glasgow, hosts Scotland's international matches and has a capacity of more than 51,000. Oddly it is also the home ground of Scottish second-division club Queen's Park, who's average home crowd is between six and seven hundred. Yes, you read that right.

15. No-frills type: ARIAL. The sans-serif font. Nice clue.

16. "Yo, Hadrian!": AVE! Not from "Rocky", but a greeting to Roman Emperor Hadrian, who had a wall built between England and Scotland to keep out the marauding Scots. It's not as big as the Chinese Great Wall, but still a pretty impressive feat. The town at the eastern end of the wall is named, appropriately, Wallsend. It's not very tall now, but when the Romans departed as the roman empire dwindled, the locals took the stones to build with.

19. Cooper's creation: KEG

20. Not behind: ANTI. "Behind" in the "support" sense

21. Long-term digs in orbit: Abbr.: ISS. The International Space Station. Some interesting reminiscences this week as it is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission.

22. Landscaping stones: PAVERS

24. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Scherzer: MAX

26. Visibility reducers: HAZES

33. Asian language: LAO

34. Takes up: ADOPTS

35. Cookware brand: T-FAL. The company name is Tefal, a portmanteau of Teflon and Aluminum.

36. Dethrones: OUSTS

38. Low digit: TOE

39. Tries: HEARS

40. One with a password: USER

41. Notably different, with "a": FAR CRY

43. JFK alternative: LGA. La Guardia.

47. Manicurist's tool: EMERY. Not liking this one - it's an emery board, not an emery.

48. NBC skit show: SNL. They tried a "virtual" SNL espisode last weekend, apparently not to great acclaim.

49. Sad-eyed hound: BASSET

51. Moody rock genre: EMO

53. Not too many: A FEW

57. Hundred Acre Wood know-it-all: OWL. I had "WOL" at first, because that's how he spells his own name, and he lives at The Wolery.

61. Med. scan: M.R.I. All kinds of three-letter scans to choose from, so wait for the crosses.

62. "Middlemarch" novelist: ELIOT. George, who was a female. She figured she had a better chance of being published if the adopted a man's pen name for her novels. In Silas Marner, the eponymous weaver, miser and loner adopts an orphan girl. I'm not sure that would fly with Social Services nowadays.

63. Mastery: SKILL

64. Competition pass: BYE

65. Nicks: DENTS

66. Cut back: PARED

Down:

1. Nickname for Haydn: PAPA

2. Press: IRON

3. Cummerbund alternative: VEST. There's a commercial for Capital One airing at the moment where the script misspells it as "cumberbund" (or maybe the actress mispronounces it). Drives me bonkers.

4. As scheduled: ON TIME

5. __ sushi: Japanese sea bream: TAI. Not liking this clue. Tai is the sea bream. It's got nothing to do with how it might eventually be prepared, but no harm, no foul.

6. April 1 array: GAGS. As we've got a San Serif font in the puzzle today, you might like to read about one of the early successful hoaxes pulled off by a national newspaper, in this case The Guardian in the UK in 1977.  Here's a great artice about the islands of San Seriffe.

As an aside, the paper was so renowned for typos that slipped past the proofreaders that it became known as The Grauniad to its readers. The best one I saw was the front page banner headline after the 1980 Presidential election which read in 72 point bold "REAGAN WINS IN LANDSIDE".

OK, back to the crossword.

7. Swingers on a perpetual-motion desk toy: ORBS

8. "NCIS: Los Angeles" actress Long: NIA

9. Laverne and Shirley, e.g.: GAL PALS

10. Vulgar content: SLEAZE

11. Is arrested, in slang: TAKE A FALL. I'm not sure I'd heard this idiom in this particular sense before.

12. Exceeding: OVER

13. Cello parts: PEGS

18. Put the kibosh on: NIXED

23. Sporty Chevy: 'VETTE

25. Sounds of realization: AHAS

26. Sophisticated, in a way, briefly: HI-TECH

27. Take a minute: PAUSE

28. Ygritte portrayer on "Game of Thrones": ROSE LESLIE. Thank you, crosses. I watched Season 1 then lost interest. Then I cancelled HBO and that was the end of my GofT-watching.

29. __ public: NOTARY

30. Cricket, for one: SPORT. One that is incomprehensible to many who didn't grow up watching or playing it. The long-form version of the international game is scheduled for five days and, more often than not, no-one actually wins. The Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia is cricket's largest ARENA, it has a capacity of over 101,000.

31. Tee size: LARGE

32. Idina's "Frozen" role: ELSA. I still haven't seen the movie, but I'm getting pretty good at the character's names.

33. Vibrant, as colors: LOUD

37. Cuts back: TRIMS

39. "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," e.g.: HYMN. This one passed me by. My knowledge of hymns comes from the venerable "Hymns, Ancient and Modern (Revised)" issued at school and published in about 1805, so the "modern" bit was all relative. You were given a copy on your first day at Grammar School and woe betide you if it was lost or defaced.

41. Good for growing: FERTILE

42. Do a lawn job: RESOD

45. Went off course: VEERED

46. Yukon neighbor: ALASKA

49. Have a rough night at the comedy club: BOMB

50. Not as planned: AWRY

51. Four-award acronym: EGOT. Someone who has won all four "major" entertainment awards - An Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony - has an EGOT.

52. 1969 MLB upstarts: METS. The "Miracle Mets".

54. Midway event: FAIR. The world's first Ferris Wheel was erected during the 1893 World's Fair on the Chicago Midway, the original "Midway".

55. Redbook rival: ELLE. I don't think I'd heard of Redbook, but let's face it, I'm not exactly their target demographic.

56. Fuse: WELD

59. Sling spirits: GIN. Spirits? Spirit, surely. Maybe the constructor or the editor were mixing cocktails when they decided that a plural clue should reveal a singular answer. The classic Gin Sling is gin, simple syrup, sweet vermouth, angostura bitters, soda and a lemon spiral. Cheers!

60. Deadly biter: ASP

And there we have it, another puzzle wrapped up. Here's the grid, and I hope everyone is behaving themselves, keeping safe and "All Hale!" in ths spirit of the theme today.

As a reminder, if you want to chat about the crossword or anything else, send me your number to the email address in my profile and we'll connect.

Steve

Wednesday, April 15, 2020 Craig Stowe

This is the WAY.  The second word of two-word theme entries can follow "WAY" to make in-the-language words or phrases

17. *Necessary road trip stop: GAS STATION.  You have to fill 'er up if you plan on going very far. But, for now, stay home, please.  A WAY STATION is an intermediate stopping point on a travel route.

26. *Place for a sleeper hit, maybe: FLIP SIDE.  Refers to old 45 phonograph records.  Remember them? The WAYSIDE is the land adjacent to a roadway.  To fall "by the WAYSIDE" is to fall into a condition of neglect or misuse.

36. *Wild West impresario: BUFFALO BILL.  William Frederick Cody [1846-1917] was an American soldier, bison hunter and showman, most famous for the Wild West Show he toured through the United States and Europe.  A WAY BILL is a document prepared by the carrier of a shipment of goods that contains details of the shipment, route, and charges.

49. *"Once and Again" actress: SELA WARD.  This TV show ran from 1999-2002.  I never watched it.  Sela [b 1956] is an American actor and producer.

Once and Again

To be WAYWARD is to be unpredictable or difficult to control due to unusual or perverse behavior.

59. Crossroads concern, and where you might find the answers to starred clues' ending words: RIGHT OF WAY.  This can refer to a variety of things: a legal passage over another person's property; the land occupied by a public road, railroad, or utility; or the right to take precedence in traffic.  Here, the word WAY can be placed to the left of the second theme words, placing them to the RIGHT OF WAY.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, here to show you the WAY.  Let's go.

Across:

1. Novelist __ Carol Oates: JOYCE.  [b 1938]  She has written 58 novels and several plays and novellas, and had won numerous awards.

6. Frittata ingredients: EGGS.  Is it am omelet or a quiche?

10. "__ baby!": ATTA.  Congrats!

14. They might be common: AREAS.  These are AREAS that may legally be used by more than one person.

15. Christmas purchase: TREE.  For decorating

16. El Misti's land: PERU.  El Misti is a 19,000 ft. high volcano in southern Peru.

19. Thrice dos: SEIS.  Three times two is six in Spanish.

20. Part of CPU: UNIT.   Central Processing UNIT - the brain module of a computer.

21. Honey, in slang: BAE. Before All Else.  You're no. 1 for me.

22. Where to see sites: THE NET.  The interwebs - it's a series of tubes.

24. Court great Andre: AGASSI.  Andre [b 1980,] a retired American professional tennis player, is an 8 time grand slam champion, and 1996 olympic gold medalist

28. "Losing My Religion" band: REM.  An American rock band formed in Atlanta, GA in 1980.

29. And so on: Abbr.: ETC.

31. Young __: kids, in dialect: -UNS.  The kiddos.

32. Palme __: Cannes award: D'OR.  Palm leaf of Gold, the highest award at the festival.

33. Frat house greeting: BRO-HUG.  Brotherly love.

35. Top-notch: A-ONE.  The best.

39. Bog buildup: PEAT.  A deposit of partly decomposed vegetation formed under wet conditions.

41. Bagel choice: SESAME.  Adorned with flavorful seeds.

42. Olive __: OYL. Popeye's love.

Strong to the finish

43. Tramcar filler: ORE.  Mining product.

45. "How Easy Is That?" cookbook writer Garten: INA. [b 1948] The Barefoot Contessa.

46. National econ. stat: GDP.  Gross Domestic Product -- or G National P.  Always requires a perp.

52. Key with one flat: D MINOR. The relative MINOR of F major.

54. Robin's family: THRUSH.  The family, Turdidae, of passerine birds with a worldwide distribution. [Wikipedia]

55. Here, on MÈtro maps: ICI.  Literal, in French.

57. Grandkid spoiler, often: NANA.  Grandmother.

58. Word before ring or swing: MOOD.  A temporary state of mind.

62. H.G. Wells race: ELOI.  Far future people from The Time Machine.

63. The Bosporus borders it: ASIA.   Europe too, I would imagine.

64. Infuriated: IRATE.  Very angry.

65. Pixar clownfish: NEMO.   From that movie where they were looking for him.

66. Hagar the Horrible's daughter: HONI.

Good advice?

67. "Ciao!": LATER.  See ya'.

Down:

1. Automaker with a feline logo: JAGUAR.

Big Cat

2. Marmalade fruit: ORANGE.  Are there any others?

3. Positive reply: YES I AM.  Affirmative.

4. Finds players for: CASTS.  Selects the actors for a play or movie.

5. Toronto winter hrs.: EST.  Eastern Standard Time.

6. 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee James: ETTA.  Jamesetta Hawkins [1938-2012] was an American singer who performed in many genres:blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel.

7. "Good __!": GRIEF. Charlie Brown's exclamation of disappointment.

8. 1990s Chevrolet subdivision: GEO.  It marketed models made in joint ventures with three Japanese companies: the Prizm with Toyota, the Metro and Tracker with Suzuki, and Spectrum and Storm made for GM by Isuzu n Japan.

9. Submitted: SENT IN.  As, frex., your tax return.

10. Areas for religious statues: APSES.  Semi-circular recesses covered with hemispherical vaults or domes.

11. Young star: TEEN IDOL.  A young celebrity popular with an adolescent audience.

12. Tested for size: TRIED ON.  Refers to article of clothing.

13. Forbidding: AUSTERE. Severe, ascetic, of unadorned style.  This does not strike me as a particularly apt match.

18. Minimal: A BIT OF.  Not much.  Perhaps somewhat AUSTERE.

23. Officejet Pro printers: HPS.  Hewlett Packard.

25. Feudal drudge: SERF.  A medieval peasant living in a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude.  A SERF was bound to the land owned by the lord of the manor.

27. Horror legend Bela: LUGOSI.  Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó [1882-1956] known professionally as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian-American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 film and for his roles in other horror films.  His acting scope in the U.S. was severely limited by his thick Hungarian accent.

30. Beer after bourbon, say: CHASER. A weaker drink taken after a stronger one.

33. Save: BUT.  Except for.

34. Suffix meaning "little": ULE.  As in globule.

35. Smithwick's product: ALE. Founded n Kilkenny in 1710, it's red ale product is the most consumed ale in Ireland

36. Dance venue: BALLROOM.  A large room in a building that is intended for large gatherings.

37. Western baddie: BANDIT.  Typical black hat gunslinging villain.

38. Mosque holy man: IMAM.  Prayer and worship leader.

39. Male carriers?: POSTMEN.  I suppose female [letter] carriers would be postwomen.

40. Hotel door feature: EYEHOLE.  A small hole in a door, typically equipped with a lens to observe potential visitors.

43. Pained sounds: OWS.  Occasionally accompanied by colorful vocabulary.

44. Gung-ho: RAH-RAH.  Focussed enthusiasm.

46. Bother incessantly: GNAW AT.

47. Campaign website button: DONATE.

48. Grace, e.g.: PRAYER.  Grace is the name given to a prayer recited before a meal.

50. Transcriber's source material: AUDIO.  In this context, a spoken broadcast.

51. "Let's eat!": DIG IN!

53. Red head?: INFRA.  A prefix for red, referring to light with wavelengths longer than visible light - and thus lower frequencies.

56. Cardamom-infused tea: CHAI. From the Chinese word for tea.

60. Classified ad shorthand for "seeking": ISO.  In search of, perhaps?

61. Olive __: OIL. The OIL produced by pressing whole olives.  Also a clecho with homophonic answers.

That wraps it up.  Make sure you go the RIGHT WAY - which for now means to stay home and stay safe.

Cool regards!
JzB