Friday, April 29, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Cereal killer on the loose...

Wow! Three JW puzzles in succession and each one a completely different look. Today is totally silly, taking a single letter out of a cereal name to create a very foolish sounding concoction. If he had some deep meaning for the theme I missed it. I found this just plain fun. Lots of substantial and original fill with some Friday words interspersed and his usual multiple word fill. PARFAIT,  ON A RIDE,  LAVORIS,  FLORIST,  I'LL HIDE,  CLEANER, SETTERS, TRADE IN,  PLANARIA, DERRIERE,  INCHOATE,  ROPE KNOT, ON RECEIPT and  ARTICHOKE are all great. So get your milk, and pull up a chair.

18A. Knockoff cereal? : FROSTED FLAKES (12). They're grrrreat.

28A. Cold cereal? : PUFFED RICE (9). Tasted like air.

37A. Recalled cereal? : FROOT LOOPS (9). Pure sugar.

48A. Prohibited cereal? : RAISIN BRAN (9). The healthy alternative.

57A. Mystery cereal? : SHREDDED WHEAT (12). The classic.

Across:

1. Did a gondolier's job : POLED. Venice (Vennis) anyone?

6. Wedding planner's contact : FLORIST. I loved our wedding flowers.

13. Like antique watches : ANALOG. Not digital.

15. Freshwater flatworms : PLANARIA.  Ucky but interesting to study WORMS.

16. Hiker's challenge : RAVINE. A deep narrow steep-sided valley, esp one formed by the action of running water.

17. Caboose : DERRIERE. Not of the train, but of the body. French.

20. Swift's medium : AIR. Tom Swift?

21. Runner in the Alps : SKI. Nice misdirection.

22. Expire : CEASE.

26. "And if __, no soul shall pity me": King Richard III : I DIE. They did not pity RIII even after Shakespeare tried to help. RGIII anyone?

32. Charged wheels : TESLAS. Electric cars.

35. With 24-Down, course for future pundits : POLI. 24D. See 35-Across : SCI. Political Science.

36. Hägar creator Browne : DIK.

40. "Get off the stage!" : BOO. Hiss.

43. Corrida figure : TORO. The bull.

44. Philosophers' subject : ETHICS.

51. "Ex's & Oh's" singer King : ELLE.

52. MetLife competitor : AFLAC. Insurance companies.

53. Span of note : ERA.

56. Court mulligan : LET. The odd tennis do over on your first serve.

62. Disorganized : INCHOATE. Really more unformed than disorganized, especially in the law.

65. Emmy-winning role for Julia : ELAINE Benes.

66. Mooring hitch, for one : ROPE KNOT. As opposed to a rope loop?

67. More thoughtful : KINDER.

68. Deal on a lot : TRADE IN.

69. Round components, maybe : BEERS. Whew, half done, let me get this round.

Down:

1. Baskin-Robbins offering : PARFAIT. I never knew they had these.

2. Enjoying the amusement park : ON A RIDE.

3. Brand that's swirled, not swallowed : LAVORIS. From my childhood; kids in school drank it for the alcohol content. Scope really derailed this brand, I think.

4. Eero Saarinen and others : ELIS. More references to Yale University; he graduated from their school of architecture in 1934.

5. They're forbidden : DON'TS.

6. Little nipper : FLEA. Too many choices.

7. Frolic : LARK.

8. How some deliveries are paid : ON RECEIPT. COD?

9. Brought up : RAISED.

10. Choler : IRE.

11. Mr. Bumble, to Oliver Twist : SIR.

12. __ Bo : TAE.

14. "The Big Bang Theory" figure : GEEK. Rhymes with 25D. "That's scary!" : EEK. 54D. Be offensive, in a way : REEK. Did you watch GOT and the REEK?

15. Freebie from Adobe : PDF. Portable Document Format.

19. Go down : DIP. Love these two together.

23. Prop up : AID.

27. Middle-earth figure : ELF.

29. __ point: with limitations : UP TO A. A partial?

30. Rock's __ Fighters : FOO. When Cobain died, his drummer founded THEM.

31. Penguin's perch : FLOE. Sorry Tin, but it is ice.

33. Edible thistle : ARTICHOKE. Man there is so much more to this thistle (say that fast) than just using it as part of a dip. It has HEART. We miss you marti.

34. "Just another minute" : SOON.

38. Spheroid : ORB. JW tends to bunch his threes to get long fill in the other direction.

39. Ewe or sow : SHE.

40. It may be wired : BRA.

41. Boor : OAF.

42. Peanut product : OIL.

45. Offer to a potential seeker : I'LL HIDE. I did love hide and seek in the back yard.

46. Dry __ : CLEANER.

47. English and Irish : SETTERS.

49. Like some beauty contest winners : SASHED. JW used this image recently.

50. Neighbor of Homer : NED. Flanders on the Simpsons.

55. Response to a heckler : AD LIB.

58. Indian royal : RANI.

59. "The most private of private schools," to Hugh Laurie : ETON.

60. Rizzoli of "Rizzoli & Isles": Abbr. : DETective.

61. Decrease : WANE.

62. NYC subway : IRT.  Interborough Rapid Transit was a private company until bought by the city in 1940.

63. "__ will I" : NOR. Talk about your obscure clue/fill combos. Am I missing a famous quote?

64. IRS employee : CPA. Certified Public Accountant.

Back from a wonderful brief vacation in Denver with both sons, dil and granddaughters. This lighthearted effort is just what I needed coming back on short rest. I hope you had fun and enjoy the rest of April. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few great photos from Lemonade's Denver trip.

My day started with this