51D. Lacking, or what can precede either half of 18-, 36- and 56-Across : OUT OF
18A. Mandate from the bench : COURT ORDER Out of court/Out of order
36A. Voice coach's concern : BREATH CONTROL Out of breath/Out of control
56A. Shared shares : JOINT STOCK Out of joint/Out of stock
Good Morning everyone - Steve here with what I thought was a slick puzzle from Jacob. The theme hung together nicely and the reveal tucked away at the end of the downs kept things hidden for a while. The puzzle is also a pangram - whenener I see a Q an X and a Z emerge I start to keep my eye out for the K and the J.
I found myself misdirected a couple of times - always fun when you have the V-8 moment over those.
One quibble with the theme clues was for 56A - to me the clue implies that the shares in a joint stock company are owned by more than one person; but it's actually the company that is jointly owned by the shareholders. Very minor nit, but a nit all the same.
Across:
1. Cop's route : BEAT
5. Tripoli's land : LIBYA
10. Meet activity : SWAP
14. "Let __": Beatles hit : IT BE. Very difficult not to link this! Crossword favorite Yoko Ono didn't seem to be contributing a whole lot though.
15. Acrylic fiber : ORLON
16. Sobriquet for Haydn : PAPA. Scholars disagree over whether this was a term of affection or a pejorative. Let's be nice and go for the former.
17. Loafer, e.g. : SHOE. I have a couple of pairs of the "Penny" variety. They pack pretty flat in a carry-on.
20. Frequency unit : HERTZ. I frequently rent cars from Hertz, so my unit would be a "mid-size saloon" like today's Mercedes C-Class.
22. Cross-ventilation result : BREEZE
23. Not slacking : ON THE JOB
25. Jewelry retailer : ZALES
29. Foot, in zoology : PES. From the Latin.
30. Objection : BUT
31. Make a dramatic exit? : SKYDIVE. I'll state this plainly - there is no way I'd jump out of a perfectly good plane. Crazy people!
33. Cos. with Xings : R.R.S. Railroads.
34. "And __ refuse?" : IF I. Usually followed by the antagonist hissing "Then you die, Mr. Bond" or something similar.
35. Discharge : EMIT
40. Circle calculation : AREA. Given by the formula πr² where r is the radius.
41. "Get it?" : SEE
42. Grads-to-be: Abbr. : SR.s
43. Letter holder : MAILBOX
45. Armada arena : SEA
46. Ugly Tolkien beast : ORC
49. "Tomorrow" musical : ANNIE
50. John le Carré offering : SPY NOVEL. I had "THRILLER" here first for absolutely no good reason which slowed me up a tad.
52. "Memoirs of a __": Arthur Golden novel : GEISHA
55. High capital : QUITO. Capital city of Ecuador and the highest capital city in the world. I'm told that people chew coca leaves on the train up to ward off altitude sickness.
60. Oolong and pekoe : TEAS. This is interesting - Oolong is a Chinese tea, but pekoe (more accurately Orange Pekoe) is the highest grading of a tea leaf, and that term can be applied to a number of different varietals. Well, I found it interesting, but then again I've got British genes and apparently can't function without tea.
61. Trusted underling : AIDE
62. Structure with high-water marks : LEVEE
63. Yellow-and-brown toon dog : ODIE
64. Cheery : GLAD
65. Board for filers : EMERY. I was thinking along the lines of the Security and Exchange Commission.
66. Like some memories : FOND
Down:
1. Diocese head : BISHOP
2. Hydrocarbon gas : ETHENE
3. Calls off, as a mission : ABORTS
4. Force, metaphorically : TEETH. As in "Give one some teeth" - or not? Teeth of the gale? What think ye?
5. Express's opp. : LOC. The local, or stopping service.
6. 2004 Will Smith sci-fi film : I, ROBOT
7. Ad on a DVD case : BLURB. Let's kill two blurbs with one stone:
8. Olden times : YORE
9. First chip, often : ANTE
10. Farming implements : SPREADERS. They spread fertilizer, seed, manure ... let's stop there.
11. Bundle of dough : WAD
12. Wild way to go : APE
13. Course number : PAR
19. First name in metal : OZZY. Not my first thought by a long way - my mind was firmly on the "Alcoa"variety.
21. Zoo equine : ZEBRA. I like the Z echo from the clue to the answer.
24. In precisely this way : JUST SO
26. Celeb's ride : LIMO
27. Malevolence : EVIL
28. Where the action happens : SET. Lights, Camera ...!
31. W. Coast airport : S.F.O. Coincidentally, I'm sitting at Gate 32, Terminal 1 at San Francisco International heading home from the Bay Area.
32. 2004 biopic with the tagline "Let's talk about sex" : KINSEY
33. Like wheels after servicing : REALIGNED. I liked this word - took a little while for the penny to drop.
34. Bar supply : ICE. Add Vodka, Tonic and limes and you've got a fully-stocked bar in my opinion. Tinbeni would not agree.
36. Cereal material : BRAN
37. Carriage driver's tool : REIN. I liked WHIP first, especially with the "I" in place.
38. With 59-Down, L-shaped tool : HEX
39. Sedative, casually : TRANQ
40. Org. whose past presidents include two Mayos : A.M.A. I'm assuming of Mayo Clinic fame?
44. Veggie with a Ruby Queen variety : BEET. Thank you, crosses.
45. Bit of orthodontia : SPACER
46. Cathedral city in northern Spain : OVIEDO
 |
| The Portico |
48. Shut : CLOSED
50. Leave the dock, with "off" : SHOVE. Because "CAST" isn't long enough.
53. Catalina, e.g. : ISLE. I'll be flying over it in about an hour if my flight's on time.
54. Come (from) : STEM
56. Crying __ : JAG. I used to own one of these - an 89 XJS V12 convertible that made me weep every time it broke down, which was about once a week.
57. Driveway blotch : OIL
58. Ore. neighbor : IDA. Not CAL, which I had first.
59. See 38-Down : KEY
That's about it from me today. Enjoy your respective Wednesdays!
