Wednesday, June 7, 2017, Jake Halperin

TITLE: TOMAYTO/TOMAHTO

I was once part of a committee that spent two hours SPLITTING HAIRS (especially about prepositions) on the wording of the our school's mission statement. Two hours spent on a banality which serves no purpose is time I will never get back. I'll bet you've got a story like that too.

Husker Gary here for our midweek odyessy where Jake has taken the word HAIR and SPLIT it in as many unique ways as he could - 1/3, 2/2 and 3/1 as you see below:

Those SPLIT HAIRS provide the beginning and end of theme fills and satisfy the reveal of

59. Make petty distinctions ... and what 17-, 23- and 49-Across literally do? : SPLIT HAIRS - As some think this is

Here is the balance of Jake's theme answers:

17. Handyman's maintenance field : HOME REPAIR - After our recent hailstorm, we have been contacted aggressively by four companies for this HOME REPAIR

23. Ensemble of ringers : HANDBELL CHOIR - Just remember your color

49. Unofficial Caribbean currency equal to 5 gourdes : HAITIAN DOLLAR - 660 gourdes = 152 HATIAN DOLLARS = $10.48 in Port au Prince - Lundi au Jeudi (Monday to Thursday)! 

Now let's see what else Jake has given us with this fun, er enjoyable (Let's not split hairs) puzzle


Across

1. Bygone Apple laptop : IBOOK - Don't like your Apple product? Just wait a minute

6. Verge : CUSP

10. Actress Fey : TINA

14. Italian grandma : NONNA - La NONNA è meraviglioso (Grandma is wonderful)

15. Price for part of a deck? : ANTE - Fun cluing for a veteran of the crossword wars

16. "(I've Got __ in) Kalamazoo" : A GAL - Okay, HANDBELL CHOIR, who wants the F#?

19. Story line : PLOT - To whom did Don and Phil sing, "The movie wasn't so hot, It didn't have much of a PLOT" in 1957?

20. 17th-century English poet John : DRYDEN - Not on my literary radar

21. Flexible : LISSOME - Me 50 years ago

26. Cunning plan : PLOY

28. "The Night Manager" actor Hiddleston : TOM - It would appear that Tom is not managing a Motel 6 in Omaha

29. MAX rival : SHO

30. Persistent noise : DIN - One man's DIN...

31. Polishes, as a skill : HONES

33. Team victory cry : WE WON - Like a gazillion people said last year when the Cubs won

37. Botanist's study : FLORA - As opposed the zoologist who studies FAUNA

39. Stat for Clayton Kershaw : ERA - Earned Run Average. All right, get a bat and you try to stay in against Kershaw's curveball which he has HONED to a fine skill.

40. "Same here" : AS AM I - I couldn't hit that curve either

41. Soda machine freebie : STRAW - How you dispose of the wrapper after the straw is dispensed is optional

42. Smooths, as wood : SANDS

44. Sardine container : TIN - Or aluminum

45. Disconnect between generations : GAP

47. Unclogging agent : LYE

48. Fountain of jazz : PETE

54. Bailiff's bellow : ALL RISE

55. Engineer who reinvented the wheel? : FERRIS - He was inducted into their Hall Of Fame 105 years after his Wheel first operated

58. Boxer Oscar __ Hoya : DELA

62. Lacking precipitation : ARID

63. Stride at a track : GAIT - The odd GAIT of Olympic Walk Racing - One foot must always be on the ground at all times

64. One doing sums : ADDER

65. Strengthen, as muscles : TONE

66. See 50-Down : OLDS

67. Orchestra section : REEDS - They are seated in the middle. Woodwinds, if you want to split hairs. 😁

Down

1. How many TV shows air : IN HD

2. Mannerless sort : BOOR

3. Start of the Boy Scout Oath and the Girl Scout Promise : ON MY HONOR

4. At some point : ONE DAY - Put the word FINE in the middle and you have a great 1963 song

5. Actress Gillan of "Guardians of the Galaxy" : KAREN - Not on my cinematic radar 

6. Cough syrup cover : CAP

7. Italian article : UNA

8. Even now : STILL

9. Possibilities of harm : PERILS

10. Astaire footwear : TAP SHOES

11. Snow structure : IGLOO

12. Watts of "Mulholland Dr." : NAOMI - I saw this on NETFLIX and when I saw there was only a few minutes left, I knew there would be no resolution to all the bizzare parts. I guess that is standard for David Lynch films.

13. Rework : ALTER

18. Put an __: stop : END TO

22. Pair in "America" : SCHWAS - Unstressed vowels - symbol = ə pronounced like the uh's below

24. Skin partner : BONES

25. May birthstone : EMERALD

26. Sharable digital docs : PDFS

27. Bouncy rhythm : LILT

31. Only state which shares a time zone with Alaska : HAWAII - This part of Alaska

32. Panasonic acquisition of 2009 : SANYO

34. Disneyland's Splash Mountain, e.g. : WATER RIDE - Wheeeeee!

35. Filter out : OMIT

36. Back-row bowling pin : NINE - You bowlers know that leaving this for left handers is called a "tap"

38. Clothing industry, casually : RAG TRADE

43. Dutch pottery city : DELFT - It's cluing will probably never be "Hometown of microscope inventor Antonie van Leeuwenhoek" 

46. Complete a Monopoly circuit : PASS GO - Just like teachers, you get money for just completing a circuit/year

48. Veterans Day event : PARADE

49. Threw oneself into : HAD AT

50. Last car made by 66-Across : ALERO

51. Run-D.M.C.'s "You Be __" : ILLIN - Anyone think it's splitting hairs to insist on standard English?

52. Himalayan country : NEPAL - Your trip up Everest starts with a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, Nepal's unsafe airport. But, hey, if you're climbing Everest...

53. Operettist Franz : LEHAR

56. Boiling with rage : IRED - Yeah, but still cute!

57. Union members until 1991: Abbr. : SSRS

60. Can cover : LID

61. "__ only me!" : IT'S - Okay, grammarian hair splitters, would you say, "It's only I"?

The ability to SPLIT HAIRS is part of the fun in this venue. Let's see what you have to say/opine/state/muse...

Tuesday, June 6 2017, Mark McClain

Theme: AT-titude. Two-word phrases beginning with A and T.

18. *Lighthouse landmark in Honolulu : ALOHA TOWER. In Downtown Honolulu, the landmark lighthouse first opened in 1926. From Wikipedia: As of 2013 the shopping center and Aloha Tower itself have fallen into a state of disrepair, most of the store fronts are now gone and the entire mall and tower is showing damage. Many of the ships that were once tourist attractions have ceased operating, the Falls of Clyde has been stripped of her masts and is now a derelict sitting in the harbor. Today, Hawaii Pacific University has purchased and is continuing to redevelop the space. The second floor is now used as student housing with 268 beds. The ground floor features the HPU Welcome Center as well as other student facilities, and there are also some restaurants.

23. *Club batting first, in baseball : AWAY TEAM

36. *Capital that's home to Lady Bird Lake : AUSTIN TEXAS

50. *Treaded combat vehicle : ARMY TANK

56. Best place to be, slangily ... and, when divided in four parts, what the answers to starred clues are? : WHERE IT'S AT

Melissa here. Clever reveal answer, and a perfect Tuesday-level solve. Only had trouble with one answer, SALVO - all perps.

Across   
 

1. Part of AAA: Abbr. : ASSN
 

5. Utopian sites : EDENS

10. Abrasive sand bits : GRIT

14. Round caramel candy : ROLO

15. Get Mad again? : RENEW. Re-subscribe. Favorite clue.

16. Like some Chardonnay : OAKY

17. Kingdom given to Esau : EDOM. Now southern Jordan.

20. "E," on dashboards : NO GAS.

22. Photographer's stand : TRIPOD

25. Chain of hills : RIDGE

29. Madame, in Tijuana : SEÑORA

30. Starts of typical workweeks : MONDAYS

32. Confer holy orders upon : ORDAIN

35. One-named body-image advocate : EMME
 

39. Stumble : TRIP

41. Pic next to a screen name : AVATAR

42. Bombardment : BARRAGE

44. Breeds, as cattle : RAISES

49. What Bo Peep lost : SHEEP

52. St. Francis' birthplace : ASSISI

55. Burst of gunshots : SALVO. New to me.

60. Bear's home : LAIR

61. Made on a loom : WOVE

62. Choppers : TEETH. Not motorcycles.

63. "How __ Your Mother" : I MET.

64. Chilled with cubes : ICED

65. Position paper : ESSAY

66. Helps out : AIDS

Down

1. Sports venues : ARENAS

2. "Us, too!" : SO DO WE

3. "I'm Lovin' It" or "Just Do It," e.g. : SLOGAN. I carelessly started entering MOTTO, without counting the spaces. Nope.

4. Dieter's sandwich spec : NO MAYO

5. Historic period : ERA

6. Triangular river formation : DELTA

7. Huge, to a poet : ENORM

8. Grape soda brand : NEHI. Radar O'Reilly's drink of choice. (M*A*S*H)

9. Even trade : SWAP

10. "That's using your head!" : GOOD IDEA

11. How oysters are often served : RAW. Yeah, Baby ...

  
12. Eisenhower's nickname : IKE

13. Norse god of war : TYR

19. Ripped : TORN

21. Houston baseballers, briefly : 'STROS

24. Livestock identifier : EAR TAG

26. Beaver creations : DAMS

27. Workout spot : GYM

28. Linguistic suffix : ESE

30. Catcher's glove : MITT

31. Feature of Vegas "bandits" : ONE ARM

33. Go off the high board : DIVE

34. Santa __, California : ANA

36. Suffix with billion : AIRE

37. Lifted : UPREARED. I know it's legit, because I looked it up ... but what?

38. Dental exam pictures : X-RAYS

39. Atlanta-based cable channel : TBS

40. Crowd cheer : RAH

43. Cathedral recess : APSE

 

45. Roma is its capital : ITALIA

46. Hanging deli meat : SALAMI

47. Was jealous of : ENVIED

48. Hybrid garments : SKORTS. Hybrid made me think unisex, and I first tried SKIRT. Nope.

50. Burden-bearing beasts : ASSES

51. Gaucho's rope : RIATA

53. Internet location : SITE

54. Suffix for natives : ITES

56. 1914-'18 conflict, briefly : WWI

57. Ad __ committee : HOC. For a particular purpose.

58. Mother of Cain and Abel : EVE

59. Commandments pronoun : THY

Monday, June 5, 2017 Brock Wilson

Theme: Take a load off - Sit anywhere you can find an empty space.

17. *Sub in the dugout: BENCH WARMER

25. *TV addict with a remote: COUCH POTATO

37. *Largest of the Quad Cities: DAVENPORT, IOWA

54. *Car section under the passenger compartment: ROCKER PANEL

62. Wedding reception headache ... and what the starts of the answers to starred clues constitute?: SEATING PLAN

Argyle here in an office chair. This seems to be Brock's signature grid; various words that fit the reveal. No particular progression this time that I can note like HIGH CHAIR to ROCKER but almost a pangram. So come on and sit awhile.

Across:

1. Child in a kitchen: JULIA. Don't try this at home. Special meal.

6. "S" on a tee: SMALL

11. Auditing pro: CPA. (Certified Public Accountant)

14. African antelope: ELAND

15. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA. First Perfect 10 | Montreal 1976 Olympics Clip.(3:11)

16. Eyebrow shape: ARC

19. Bumped into: MET

20. Look lifeless, as flowers: DROOP

21. Many a multiple-choice test answer: GUESS

23. Org. created the same year as the first Earth Day: EPA. (Environmental Protection Agency)1970

29. One of six in this clue: WORD

31. Parody: SPOOF

32. Alma mater of many Oxford students: ETON

33. Foe: ENEMY

35. Decorative old-style collar: RUFF

43. Lime cover: PEEL

44. India's first prime minister: NEHRU

46. Candy sold in pairs: TWIX. Inventive commercials.

50. Productive city for van Gogh: ARLES

53. Speaker's podium: DAIS

57. Indent key: TAB

58. Annoyed: IRKED

59. Annoy playfully: TEASE

61. Winter roof-rack item: SKI

68. Color distinction: HUE

69. "Snowy" bird: EGRET

70. West, to Juan: OESTE. Portuguese and Spanish.

71. IRS deadline mo.: APRil

72. High, as ambitions: LOFTY

73. Sugary: SWEET

Down:

1. Bush of Florida: JEB

2. Suffix with mod- or gran-: ULE

3. Alaska's is the largest of the 50 states: LAND AREA. 663,268 square miles.

4. Price hike: Abbr.: INCRease

5. For a special purpose: AD HOC

6. Buy eagerly, as goods on sale: SNAP UP

7. Tarnish: MAR

8. Nav. leader: ADMiral

9. Falsehood: LIE

10. Slow tempo: LARGO. Today's earwig.

11. Charged aggressively: CAME AT

12. Fast tempo: PRESTO. Any earwig for PRESTO?

13. Responds to, as a tip: ACTS ON

18. Amorously pursues: WOOs

22. Salt Lake City collegian: UTE

23. She sheep: EWE

24. Atlantic Ocean, to Brits: POND

26. Top-selling Toyota: COROLLA

27. Time of day: HOUR

28. Sputtering sound: [PFFT!]

30. Driver's lic. issuer: DMV. (Department of Motor Vehicles)

34. Slangy "Sure": "YEP" or yup.

36. Sight that elicits "Shark!": FIN. earwig already, ba-dum.

38. Close by: NEAR

39. Robber, to a cop: PERP. Not to us. We like perpendicular, not perpetrator.

40. 20-volume ref.: OED. (Oxford English Dictionary)

41. "Is there more?": "WHAT ELSE?". "There is ... but you must act in the next ten minutes!"

42. Opera offering: ARIA

45. Port on a PC: USB. (Universal Serial Bus)

46. Country singer Yearwood: TRISHA. She is married to Garth Brooks.

47. Generate via exercise, as a sweat: WORK UP

48. More distasteful: ICKIER

49. Classic Jaguar: XKE

51. Thing: ENTITY

52. Viewed: SEEN

55. Ford failure: EDSEL

56. Nigerian city that's Africa's most populous: LAGOS. Wiki link.

60. Gush: SPEW

63. Big-headed quality: EGO

64. "Bowwow!" cousin: [ARF!]

65. Vietnamese New Year: TET

66. Snacked on: ATE

67. After-tax amount: NET

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear TTP, who has helped me solved so many blog and life glitches. He just knows a lot about a lot of things. So lucky that you Took The Plunge and joined our blog, TTP!

Sunday June 4, 2017 Jim Holland

Theme: "Product Expansion" - Additional letters are added to the end of each product name.

22A. Automaker's expansion into music? : HONDA ACCORDIONS. Honda Accord.

45A. Candy company's expansion into exercise equipment? : HERSHEY BARBELLS. Hershey bar.

72A. Drink container company's expansion into bakery products? : DIXIE CUPCAKES. Dixie cup.

95A. Jewelry company's expansion into fishing for delicacies? : TIFFANY LAMPREYS. Tiffany lamp.

   

122A. Cleaning products company's expansion into arena seating? : CLOROX BLEACHERS. Clorox bleach.

14D Writing implement company's expansion into jewelry? : BIC PENDANTS. Bic pen.

71D. Kitchen supplies company's expansion into security? : SOS PADLOCKS. SOS pad.

The answers are all in plural form. Very consistent. Most work perfectly as the newly formed words do not share the same root as the old words.

We have 82 black squares today. A bit on the high side.

You can read here about Jim's background. Hmm, he loves golf and bowling. Sounds like someone I'm very close to. So what's your bowling average, Jim?

  

Across:

         

1. Icy coating : RIME. Or HOAR.

5. Heroine in the "Divergent" films : TRIS. Tris Prior. I learned from another puzzle.

9. Route shower : MAP.  I saw the show-er trick immediately. But not the answer.

12. Castro, for one : CUBAN

17. Unlike spring chickens? : AGED

18. __-car : RENT-A. Did not see the partial coming.

 20. One-of-a-kind : LONE

21. Bud in Baja : AMIGO

25. Tijuana restaurant staples : TACOS

26. Work out : STAY FIT. Great fill.

27. "SNL" parody Baba __ : WAWA

28. Behavioral oddity : TIC

30. Fore relative? : PRE. Ah, now I see why.

31. "Are you __ out?" : IN OR

33. Dizzy's jazz : BEBOP

36. Story line : THREAD

38. __ port : USB

41. Antitoxin : SERUM

43. Lamb by another name : ELIA. Charles Lamb. This clue can't fool our regulars.

44. Observed : SEEN

49. Studio amendment : RE-DUB

52. Run : FLEE

53. Supermodel Sastre : INES. The Trésor model.

54. Self-satisfied : SMUG. I felt quite self-satisfied fixing our dryer pipe leak with 3M duct tape. Turns out you have to use the real shiny stuff like below. D-otto said "Duct tape is good for lots of things...but not for ducts.  It can't take the heat."

56. "Family" actress Thompson : SADA

57. Like some twins : FRATERNAL

61. Final financials : YEAR-ENDS. It's a noun? I always thought year-end is an adjective.

63. __-de-France : ILE

64. It may quash dreams of a musical career : TIN EAR. I'm tone-deaf. We were only taught those patriotic communist songs.

68. Ed's title : MISTER. This is why MR ED is frowned upon by editors. Same as DR WHO.

69. Air-escape sound : SSS

75. Montevideo Mrs. : SRA

76. "Tough!" : TOO BAD

78. Rouse to action : BESTIR. Not a word I use.

79. Co. that merged into Verizon : GTE

80. Like car carburetors, for the most part : OBSOLETE

82. Victimized by bad spelling? : POSSESSED. Great clue.

87. They often have quotas : REPS. Oh, sales reps have sales quotas.

88. Stella __ cookies : D'ORO. Never had it.

90. Singer Horne : LENA

91. Emphatic type: Abbr. : ITAL

93. Shelley's Muse : ERATO. Muse of poetry

100. Figure (out) : DOPE

102. Latin trio part : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.

103. Older Obama daughter : MALIA

104. Turf : SOD

105. "Route 66" co-star : MILNER (Martin). Unknown to me.

107. Saint Kitts' island partner : NEVIS. The Caribbean islands. Wiki says English is their official language.

109. Agree to, in a way : SIGN

110. Mil. address : APO. Army Post Office. We also have 121. U.S. Army rank qualifier : RET

111. Classical start : NEO. Neoclassical.

113. Draft category : ONE A

115. Med. diagnostic procedure : MRI SCAN. PET/CAT too.

120. Shell lining : NACRE. Learned from doing crosswords.

126. Comic book artist : INKER

127. Bits : TADS

128. Jeer : TAUNT

129. Cosmo competitor : ELLE.  Elle China always has noisy covers.

130. Sends a fly flying : CASTS. Fishing.

131. Be in a red state? : OWE

132. Place : SITE

133. Political group : BLOC

 Down:

1. Fan sounds : RAHs

2. "__ You Babe": 1965 #1 hit : I GOT

3. Actress Suvari : MENA. The girl in  "American Beauty".

4. What goes around : EDDY. Nice clue.

5. Work newbie : TRAINEE

6. Clergy abode : RECTORY. Got via crosses.

7. Forbes competitor : INC

8. Pack away : STOW

9. Farm sound : MOO

10. Gothic novel pioneer Radcliffe : ANN

11. Unrelenting annoyance : PEST

12. One usually crouching : CATCHER. Who am I?

13. Thurman of film : UMA

15. Selling spot in Sparta : AGORA. Those Spartans would be stunned to see our Mall of America.

16. Went snooping : NOSED

19. Many an Omani : ARAB

20. Held to account : LIABLE

23. "__ Called Wanda" : A FISH

24. Stereotypical pocket protector wearers : DWEEBS

29. Part of TGIF : IT'S

32. Repeat annoyingly : RUB IN

34. Louvre displays : OILS . Also 47. Museum pieces : RELICs

35. Ancient Syrian trade center : PALMYRA. Learning moment for me. Must be their Mall of America.

37. Piece maker : REESE'S

38. Broadcast format: Abbr. : UHF. Ultra High Frequency.

39. __-employed : SELF

40. __ Rabbit : BRER

42. Sea cow : MANATEE

46. Blue map area : SEA

48. Respond to defamation, say : SUE

50. Milk container : UDDER

51. Iraq's main port : BASRA

55. One of two zygote producers : GAMETE.  Dictionary shows this root: "New Latin gameta < Greek gamet- (stem of gametḗ wife, gamétēs husband), derivative of gameîn to marry". Funny how a Greek word becomes male once you attach S to the end.

58. Word before wave or pool : TIDAL

59. Slurred in pronunciation : ELIDED

60. T. __ : REX

62. High grounds : RISES

65. Kook : NUT

66. Anaphylaxis treatment : EPIPEN. D-Otto has one in his fridge.

67. NATO, for one : ACRONYM

69. Target, for one : STORE

70. Grave : SOBER

73. __ Peninsula : IBERIAN

74. Metric wts. : KGs

77. Second-easternmost U.S. state capital : BOSTON. After Augusta, Maine.

81. Wee one : TOT

83. Rooms in a casa : SALAS

84. Beatle Paul's title : SIR

85. Nice summers : ETES. Nice the city.

86. Ballpark rallying cry based on a 1950s hit : DAY-O . "The Banana Boat Song".

89. "How silly __!" : OF ME

90. Bodega patron : LATINO.  Our Golden Lion here has a big Asian and Hispanic food section.

92. Trip provider : LSD

94. Corkscrews, essentially : OPENERS

96. Party gifts : FAVORS. Does this refer to political party?

97. Food : ALIMENT

98. Move periodically : MIGRATE

99. __ button : PANIC Also 105. Frenzied : MANIC

101. Byron's "before" : ERE

106. Bucky Beaver's toothpaste : IPANA

108. Racy message : SEXT

112. Prefix with -pus : OCTO

114. Down with, in Dunkirk : ABAS. "Abas le roi!"

116. "The Purple People Eater" singer Wooley : SHEB. Don't know the song or the singer. I  associate "The Purple People Eaters" with the Vikings.

117. Holding area : CELL. Prison cell.

118. Woody's boy : ARLO

119. Brief time pd. : NSEC

123. Prosecutor's field : LAW

124. Tribute in verse : ODE

125. Him, to Henri : LUI

Saturday, Jun 3rd, 2017, Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing Q,V,X)

Blocks: 34

 Yet another Saturday perplexity from Mr. Fludzinski - the hardest name to spell in the title bar~!  Today's puzzle was slow to start, but then a few spots opened up, and I was able to nearly get it finished without help - one cel was just not making any sense to me, and so I had to cheat with red-letters for that one crossing.  Oh well.  A triple stack of staggered 11-letter fills in the center, and triple 10-letter corners as well;

16a. Conforming phrase : WHEN IN ROME....

30a. Rouen Cathedral series painter : CLAUDE MONET

34a. So-called "Nobel Prize of Mathematics" : FIELDS MEDAL - more here

35a. Event for disabled athletes : PARALYMPICS

Winter 2018 - Korea

 56a. Strong six-pack : ABS OF STEEL

onDElaWARed~!

ACROSS:

1. Pine : ACHE - I had "LONG" to start - so I was on the 'verb' wavelength to start

5. Educational : SCHOLASTIC

15. Lump : GLOB

17. Not like in any way : HATE - filled via perps; I was thinking the opposite of "akin", not the emotional definition of "like"

18. Obsolescent book alternatives : AUDIO TAPES - now it's audio MP3s

19. Off the mark : ASTRAY - my first guess, but I hesitated

21. Like the title girl in a 2014 David Fincher film : GONE - IMDb

22. Further south of the border? : MAS - the Spanish adjective for more, over, beyond, further, etc.

23. Before Phelps, he held the record for most golds in a single Olympics : SPITZ - vaguely recalled his name, threw the "Z" in and that helped bridge the NW corner, literally

24. Govt. leaders : SENators

25. 1969 World Series MVP Clendenon : DONN - the crossing of 25d. led me to either "M", "D" or "R", but only the "R" and "D" worked here - I do not know much about baseball, even if I am from NY and our Mets won the Series that year - his Wiki

26. Rx amt. : TSP - I put in "TER", which is wrong, but got me further in the NW

27. QB's stat : ATTempts - not TDs, and not INT, either....

29. Stumping sites : PODIA - ah.  I knew what we needed here, but this 'plural of podium' had me fooled

36. Fact and fiction and flora and fauna, e.g. : PAIRS - oh, OK. 

37. Part of a chorus line? : TRA-la-la-lala, and so on

38. Include covertly, briefly : BCC - I saw 'covertly' and started thinking "OPS" - just your everyday "Blind Carbon Copy"

41. Calvary inscription : INRI - learned from doing crosswords

42. Cabinet mem. : SEC'Y

45. __ wind : SOLAR

47. Indian bread : NAN

48. Updike title character : BECH - new to me - now I feel like looking for Updike books at my library.  The Wiki

49. View from Tokyo, on clear days : Mt. FUJI - nailed it

50. "Is it safe to talk?" : "ARE WE ALONE~?"

53. Tag line? : FROM - I tried "I'm IT"

54. Fashion VIP : TASTEMAKER - well, that's the word, and the actual definition - one who decides what will be fashionable; my spellcheck doesn't like it, and I'm not much of a fan, either

55. First name in mystery : ERLE

57. Bar array : RYES - rather specific

DOWN:

1. Appalled : AGHAST

2. Necklace holders : CLASPS - my 12-step necklace broke Thursday AM, in my man-cave - the second time it's happened, both times right before I went to UPS - otherwise, if it fell off there, it would have gotten lost forever

3. Lead on a horse? : HOT TIP

4. Pulitzer-winning film critic : EBERT - made me concede that "LONG" may be wrong

5. Clout : SWAY

6. Physics Nobelist Steven in Obama's Cabinet : CHU - filled via perps

7. Equivocate : HEDGE

8. Ring material : ONION - ugh.  Got me.

9. They have their pride : LIONS - I got this one

10. Pay to play : ANTE - no paying, no playing this week - I'm down in Delaware again, for a BBQ and some more game development

11. Title for 25-Down: Abbr. : SRA

12. Tyra Banks reality show, familiarly : TOP MODEL - never watched it, but I did recall the name

13. "No joke!" : "I MEAN IT~!"

14. Wichita-based aviation company : CESSNA - it fit, and it worked, so....

20. Showy shrubs : AZALEAS

24. Burn the midnight oil : STUDY - made me change my "TDs" at 27a.

25. Some European women : DONAS - MONAS would have worked for me, but not with the crossing

28. Starbucks order : TALL - I don't 'do' Starbucks - I'll take 7-11 coffee, thanks

29. Online entertainment : PODCAST

30. Clouds from the Latin for "curls" : CIRRI - I once owned a Dodge Stratus, Plymouth made the "Breeze", and Chrysler's version was the "Cirrus" - yet two distinctly different clouds

31. Mil. decoration : DSM - the Distinguished Service Medal

32. Like some promises : EMPTY

33. Israel's Iron Lady : MEIR

34. Impartiality : FAIRNESS

35. For Mideast unity : PAN-ARAB

36. Thing to bash at a bash : PIÑATA

38. Not sharp : BLURRY - I had CLUMSY in there to start, since I wrongly filled in CC'd instead of BCC

39. Coax : CAJOLE - with the "J" from FuJi in place, I got this

40. Thefts, e.g. : CRIMES - oops, not HEISTS

42. Coal sources : SEAMS - I like these seams better

43. Bravura : ÉCLAT

44. Hold (back), as tears : CHOKE

46. Put forth : OFFER

48. Quarrel : BEEF

49. Crossword legend Reagle : MERL

51. GATT successor : WTO - no clue. I never heard of either (more here), and so it was an alphabet run, and I didn't know if 54a. was a proper name, so I was basically screwed. 

52. Once called : NÉE

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Owen, our talented and hardworking wordsmith. Thanks for being part of our family, Owen!

 

Owen & his wife Brenda (Feb 28, 2009)

Friday, June 2, 2017, Paul Coulter

Title: It's all backasswards!

4 in the language two-word phrases have the words reversed and are then re-clued to match the new phrase. This is the third Friday from Paul this year and each have featured a a combination of two words. It is also the first time HG did not blog one of these in my stead but I have enjoyed all of them. Thank you HG, and I return with lots of short fill that is not easy. There are some nice 7 and longer fill such as BEAN BAG,  FOX NEWS,  ALSO RAN,  IDEA MEN,  LIGATES,  ELUSIVE, KLEENEX,  CABINET,  ELASTIN,  OGREISH but some of the shorter fill are very challenging. MOAS, KIRS, MILOS, SPRIT and GIGUE - I look forward to the crowd response.

19A. *Idle : NOTHING DOING (12). Doing Nothing is what makes one idle.

27A. *Athlete's time-out on a hot day : BREAK WATER (10). A Water Break feels good these days here in sunny South Florida.

34A. *Maestro's signals : BEATS DOWN (9). Down Beat is the downward stroke of a conductor's arm or baton indicating the first or accented beat of a measure. Various.

44A. *Returned : BACK HANDED (10). Handed Back is how you return things.

The reveal:

51A. "Nice" expression ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues : TURN OF PHRASE (12).
I do love a reveal that brings what seems like a meaningless bunch of fill together in a sensible fashion.

Across:

1. Prickly case : BUR. I learned this word from the old westerns on TV where the bad guy would put a BUR under the saddle of the good guy.

4. Retired flier : SST.

7. Wombat relatives : KOALAS. Not sure why but I knew this.

13. Pittsburgh-to-Scranton dir. : ENE.

14. School gp. : PTA. Parent  Teacher Association.

15. "Hannity" airer : FOX NEWS.

16. Loser : ALSO RAN.

18. Thoughtful guys? : IDEA MEN. Mad Men?

21. Crow : BOAST.

22. Protein producer : RNA.

23. "Eldorado" rockers : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

26. Communiqué segue : AS TO.

31. "Holy cow" : GEE.

32. Extinct New Zealanders : MOAS. The fooled me for a while making me think of people not the BIRDS.

33. Court call : ORDER.

37. "Amadeus" director Forman : MILOS. An amazing man who directed 8 different actors who were nominated for best actor, three won.  BIO.

40. Sushi kitchen supply : EELS.

41. Albanian coin : LEK. I think I have a few in my pocket.

47. See 20-Down : KILL. 20D. With 47-Across, in a drop-dead gorgeous outfit : DRESSED TO. DRESSED TO KILL.

48. "Go on ... " : AND.

49. In shape : FIT.

50. Lively French dance : GIGUE. I am part French but did not know this DANCE.
.
55. Group that's mostly secretaries : CABINET. The best clue of the puzzle.

58. Protein that allows skin to stretch or contract : ELASTIN. If you know elastic....

59. Monstrous : OGREISH.

60. Get into : DON.

61. Time to prepare : EVE.

62. Scarcity : DEARTH. Nice $5.00 word.

63. Marienbad, for one : SPA. I think only Tinman knew this RESORT.

64. Census datum : SEX.

Down:

1. Dorm room seat : BEAN BAG. We all had them, mine was red vinyl.

2. Let free : UNLOOSE.

3. Put another way : RESTATE.

4. Nautical pole : SPRIT. (nautical) a light spar pivoted at the mast and crossing a fore-and-aft quadrilateral sail diagonally to the peak.

5. "South Park" boy : STAN.

6. Pungency : TANG.

7. Big bear : KODIAK.

8. Big bovines : OXEN. Back again.

9. Course for Crusoe?: Abbr. : ANAGram.

10. The Eagle, briefly : LEM(onade?) Nope, Lunar Excursion Module.

11. Amazement : AWE.

12. 81-yr.-old ID : SSN. Social Security Number.

15. Musical Apple : FIONA.

17. Quite : OH SO.

23. LAX posting : ETD. ETA ETD, flip a coin or wait.

24. "Malcolm X" director : LEE. Spike.

25. "Catch-22" pilot : ORR. A very good read.

27. Fluffy accessory : BOA.

28. Double-crosser : RAT. The best...WATCH

29. Blows away : WOWS.

30. Prince Valiant's son : ARN. A puzzle favorite for many years and last week.

32. Dovetail : MESH.

34. __ choy : BOK.   Bok choy or pak choi is a type of Chinese cabbage. Chinensis varieties do not form heads and have smooth, dark green leaf blades instead, forming a cluster reminiscent of mustard greens or celery

35. Sandra who was the first to play "Gidget" : DEE.

36. Dated : OLD. Some date young.

37. CEO's degree : MBA.

38. McKellen of "X-Men" : IAN. And Harry Potter , the Hobbit, and Beauty and  they Beast and more.

39. TV screen type : LCD.

41. Ties surgically : LIGATES. The root word for ligature.

42. Hard to pin down : ELUSIVE.

43. Soft tissue : KLEENEX.

45. From the top : AFRESH. An A word.

46. Beethoven's __ : NINTH.

47. White wine apéritifs : KIRS. This is a drink made from dry white wine and crème de cassis.

50. Ivory Coast neighbor : GHANA.

51. Bleacher feature : TIER.

52. Ton, for one : UNIT.

53. Govt. enforcers : FEDS.

54. Fall, as into a chair : PLOP.

55. Whiting cousin : COD. The fish of fish and chips.

56. Sensitive subject, to some : AGE.

57. Source of support : BRA. Nice clue. And time to go.

I enjoyed this work out, but it has left me drained, so I bid you adieu. Lemonade out. Thanks Paul.