google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Dec 8, 2016

Thursday, December 8th 2016 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: Waxing and Waning - as the reveal neatly explains.

18A. "Next subject" : MOVING ON

22A. Historic Potomac estate : MOUNT VERNON. The cupola is to help ventilate the attic, apparently.


38A. With 40-Across, NPR broadcast since 1979 : MORNING

40A. See 38-Across : EDITION. Clever way to span the grid without having 15 letters to do it with. Will irritate cross-reference dislikers, but I thought it was neat.

49A. "Life of Brian" comedy group : MONTY PYTHON. Quite a few Brit references in the puzzle today. Before satellite TV was common, Michael Palin paid to install a dish at the local pub here in Studio City so he could watch the English soccer over a beer or two. Nice chap.

and the reveal:


61A. First or last quarter ... and, literally, what can be found on either end of 18-, 22-, 38-/40- and 49-Across : HALF MOON . Here's the lovely Half Moon Bay near San Francisco: It waxes and wanes with the tides.



Nice theme from Jerry and a good-looking grid with some solid blocks in the NW and SE. Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Throws the first pitch : STARTS

7. Find fault : CARP

11. Bygone Ford : LTD

14. They may be hard : CIDERS. The first alcohol we started drinking as teens. The sweet varieties would give you a headache. The dry ones were better. They both got you looking sideways.

15. Tavern : ALEHOUSE

17. Hunt's TV co-star : REISER. Helen and Paul in "Mad About You". Funny show.

19. Made dinner at home : ATE IN. Something I'm quite partial to. I love spending a couple of hours in the kitchen.

20. "Sold!" : DEAL!

21. CIA predecessor : OSS. Office of *ahem* Strategic Services.

25. Son-gun connection : OF A

26. __ land: disputed territory : NO MAN'S

31. Rueful word : ALAS

35. Quick snack : NOSH.

37. Simple home : TEPEE

42. Word with box or light : IDIOT. I had an idiot light in my old Jaguar to alert me to the fact that the gas tank was close to empty. It didn't mean a great deal as the gauge didn't work at all, so the light was always on. I used to fill the tank when the trip-meter ticked over the 200 mile mark. I averaged around 8MPG. That's one big carbon hoof-print.

43. Levelheaded : SANE

45. Timer drizzler : SAND

46. Mussel habitat : SEABED. We used to pull them off the pier supports when I was a kid. No sand.

48. Uno plus due : TRE

56. Plant studied by Mendel : PEA.

59. With 41-Down, tries for a long pass, in football lingo : GOES

60. Odor : AROMA. Morning coffee! Yay! My morning soundtrack is the coffee grinder setting me up for the day. Peet's Coffee, Major Dickerson's Roast. Whole Bean.

63. Action scenes : CHASES

64. Get-out-of-jail card? : BAIL BOND. I'd love to claim that I've never needed one of these. Youthful indiscretions, and all that.

65. Museum guide : DOCENT

66. 32-Down contents : ORE

67. Fruity coolers : ADES

68. "Nothing to it!" : SO EASY!

Down:

1. Make a run for it : SCRAM!

2. Connect with : TIE TO

3. Parting mot : ADIEU. En Paris.

4. Lacquer ingredient : RESIN

5. Former Senator Lott : TRENT

6. Lat. or Lith., once : S.S.R. Latvia and Lithuania were Soviet Socialist Republics. Seems a long time ago now.

7. Traffic enforcement devices : CAMERAS. I got nailed for a "California Roll" leaving Malibu Canyon State Park and not coming to a complete halt at the stop sign. I paid for an hour or three of the cost of keeping the park open, which was ironic as I wasn't actually allowed to stay there - the place had been booked out by a movie shoot. I wish they'd posted that at the entrance where I put my $5 in the honesty box before being asked to leave.

8. Take out __ : A LOAN

9. Love Is On makeup maker : REVLON. Thank you, crosses.

10. Upsilon follower : PHI

11. Hauls : LUGS

12. Menu possessive linked to the Qing dynasty : TSO'S. The General's famous chicken.

13. Place in the woods : DEN

16. Tokyo-born artist : ONO

20. Gets the mist off : DE-FOGS

23. World Cup skiing champ Lindsey : VONN. I'd have liked to show a shot of her skiing, but after scrolling down about 300 pictures of her in a swimsuit, I gave up. Great (skiing) talent.

24. "Moi?!" : NOT I!

27. Citi Field squad : METS

28. Polynesian capital : APIA. Nailed it!

29. Bright sign : NEON

30. Text command : SEND

31. "Time's Arrow" author : AMIS. English novelist Martin. The story runs backwards in time - it seems common now, but was very unusual when I first read the book.

32. 66-Across source : LODE. The discovery of the Comstock Lode in Nevada in 1858 precipitated large-scale silver mining across the US. I read once that the miners were looking for salt, but found something a little more shiny.

33. Covent Garden solo : ARIA. London's opera house. I used to drive a truck part-time to pick up produce from the old fruit and vegetable market right across the street. The market buildings are still there, but the stores are all craft and trinket shops now.



34. Pretentious sort : SNOB

36. Eight British kings : HENRYS. "I'm 'enery the eighf I am, 'enery the eighf I am I am, I got married to the widder next door ....."

39. Agenda listing : ITEM

41. See 59-Across : DEEP

44. Shows up : ATTENDS

47. Give to charity, say : DO GOOD

50. Peter of Herman's Hermits : NOONE. Another Brit. He clapped a lot. Coincidentally, Herman's Hermits recorded the "I'm Henry" ditty above.

51. Webmail option : YAHOO

52. Copy exactly : TRACE

53. Old Testament prophet : HOSEA

54. Future foretellers : OMENS

55. Really bad : NASTY

56. Carson forerunner : PAAR. Jack before Johnny on "The Tonight Show".

57. Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

58. Duck mascot company, on the NYSE : AFL

61. Starz rival : HBO

62. Kellogg School deg. : M.B.A. At Northwestern U.

63. Some retirement acct. holdings : CDS. Certificates of Deposit. I always thought these kinds of abbreviations should be rendered as "CsD" for example, but no-one agrees with me.

Just time to tack on the grid and that should do it for me today.

Steve


Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our cool Jazzbumpa (Ron), who's taking December off from blogging to focus on his rehearsals and other activities. Hope you don't mind, Ron, I snipped this picture from your Facebook. It's taken by one of his friends. Ron often posts sweet pictures about his family on Facebook, so does our Steve. Wish you could see his Mexico beach & swim-up bar pictures.