I am never sure how this crowd will react to a sounds like pun puzzle but for me the theme fill is especially fun. I have blogged many of Mark's Friday creations and they all seem to have some sound element, and a very light-hearted approach. If you want to go to the archives, you will have a good time solving them all. We also had so many sparkly fill like BASS DRUM, GAG RULES, SHOELACE, SKI SLOPE, SMALLEST and STUNTMAN.
So let us see where the puns take us.
17A. Religious text for a Texas senator? : CRUZ MISSAL (10). CRUISE MISSILE. The hardest one, as while most know Ted Cruz,the book containing the prayers and rites used by the Roman Catholic priest in celebrating Mass over the course of the entire year.
24A. Pet for a Spanish surrealist? : DALI LLAMA (9). DALAI LAMA. Salvatore and the two L.
53A. Underage child of a German chancellor? : KOHL MINOR (9). COAL MINER. I also am not sure if many remember HELMUT.
62A. Household help for a 19th-century president? : TAYLOR MAID (10). TAILOR-MADE. My grandfather was a tailor. Zachary, old Rough and Ready was the 12th President who was the second one who died in office in the 1840s.
Across:
1. Like "le" in Fr.: MASCuline.
5. Degrade: ABASE.
10. There's no money in it: SWAP. I love this clue; there are barter companies who broker professional services without money.
14. Prefix with syllabic: OCTO. This is pretty random, though a real word.
15. Starbucks offering: LATTE.
16. Cap with a flat, circular top: KEPI.
19. Flex ending: IBLE.
20. Home of Amboseli National Park : KENYA.
This PARK.
21. Pennant race mo. : SEPtember.
22. Tied accessory : ASCOT. This gets its name fro, the racetrack but historically was part of very formal wear. LINK.
23. Cause of a sleeve movement : TUG.
26. More uneven : BUMPIER.
29. Puts in a vault, in a way : ENTOMBS.
30. Dos Passos trilogy : USA. Do you like reading about the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL?
31. Mild rebuke : TUT. Does anyone use a single tut?
33. With 44-Across, Hanna-Barbera feline : TOP. 44A. See 33-Across : CAT.
34. Cravings : YENS.
36. Sidekick : AMIGO.
38. Glimpse : ESPY.
42. Not a good start? : MAL. A bad prefix.
45. Shade : HUE.
46. Michigan neighbor : ONTARIO.
50. Baptized boys, often : GODSONS.
55. Milk source : EWE. Sheep milk. Do humans drink THIS?
56. Whac-__ : A-MOLE. Are you a CHAMP?
57. Heating stat : BTU. British Thermal Unit
58. Finnish architect Alvar __ : AALTO. I had not heard of this MAN.
61. Look closely (over) : PORE.
64. Bank offerings : IRAS. Much more than a bank offering.
65. Resort WSW of Denver : ASPEN. My first trip to Colorado was to Denver and thenon to a condo in Snowmass at Aspen. 10D. 65-Across feature : SKI SLOPE. They have lots to do THERE.
66. __ coffee : ICED. Aha, not tea today.
67. Titillating message : SEXT.
68. Silly ones : GEESE.
69. Cong. period : SESSion.
Down:
1. Sham : MOCK.
2. Israeli port : ACRE. A change for this fill, but very tricky. Acre is the holiest city of the Bahá'í Faith, and as such receives many Baha'i pilgrims. In 2016, the population was 47,808.Acre is a mixed city, that includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Baha'is. Wiki.
3. Nonspeaking movie role : STUNTMAN.
4. Ingratiate oneself (to) : COZYUP.
5. "When We Were Kings" subject : ALI.
6. It takes a beating : BASS DRUM. Another really cute clue.
7. Befuddled : AT SEA.
8. Basic : STAPLE. You need to stockpile these around hurrican season here.
9. Sushi selection : EEL. CSO to C.C.
11. Interoffice connection : WEBCAM. Not in my office, but many use them when they are nationwide.
12. Poise : APLOMB.
13. Madonna portrayals : PIETAS.
18. Crèche trio : MAGI.
22. Glee club member : ALTO.
25. Completely : IN TOTO. Funny letters into to.
26. Accept : BUY. That's your story? I guess I buy it.
27. Consumption : USE.
28. List ender : ET ALII.
32. Idiosyncratic contraction : TIC.
35. Of least significance : SMALLEST. Hey, good things come in small packages.
37. They squelch discussions : GAG RULES. This has a bad HISTORY. By statute or court rule, gag orders are often placed on grand jury participants.
39. It goes over the tongue : SHOELACE. You have to think about this one.
40. "Piano is not my forte," e.g. : PUN. I guess we understand where Mr. Feldman's head was when he built this puzzle.
41. With 51-Down, sometimes-sighed line : YES. 51D. See 41-Down : DEAR.
43. French weapon : ARME. Inferrable but I have never heard it used.
46. Congo natives : OKAPIS. The okapi also known as the forest giraffe or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal native to the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Wiki.
47. "That's enough already!" : NO MORE.
48. Middle section of an insect : THORAX. I wish I had John Lampkin to pick a picture.
49. Hoping to get home : ON BASE. Baseball season started yesterday.
52. Religious ascetics : SWAMIS. More religion.
54. Common blood group : O-TYPE.
59. Connections : TIES. I have used facebook to restablish ties with so many with whom I had lost touch.
60. Chances : ODDS. Chances are that most are not very happy with...
62. Identify on Facebook : TAG.
63. Unified : ONE.
I enjoyed this one very much, and hope you all did as well. Happy Passover to those celebrating Passover this evening; we get to cook for my local son and his family after going to Colorado the last few years. Good Friday and Easter also are this weekend and the best to those who celebrate. Thank you Mark, and who come and share. Lemonade out.
Note from C.C.:
Below is letter I got from the great Jeffrey Wechsler. It warmed my heart.
"I consider it incumbent upon me to personally and publicly thank several of those whose comments on my Wednesday puzzle, and past puzzles, were so kind that I virtually blushed while reading them. I refer specifically to Irish Miss -- "I hereby nominate Jeffrey Wechsler for Word Play Wizard of the Crossword Community" -- and to Swamp Cat -- "Irish Miss, I second the nomination! JW certainly is a Word Play Wizard!"
For those of you who regularly solve LA Times puzzles, and for those who venture into the wider world of crosswords, I am sure that you know that there many, many constructors equally (and much more) worthy of the title of Word Play Wizard. Indeed, compared to some constructors, my presumed Wizard rank would be reduced to that of Muggle.
However, over the years I have been greatly appreciative by the many kind comments on this blog toward my work. I recall the slow advance of the reception of my Friday LA Times puzzles at the Crossword Corner from occasional befuddlement (and a rare bit of hostility!), to tentative acceptance, to enjoyment (although, of course, not by all). My intent is never to confound -- just to try to come up with something interesting, and perhaps challenging in a positive sense. Crossword puzzles should not be "gotcha" affairs -- they should be engaging, brain-tickling, and providers of enjoyment. And to that end, my favorite comments are perhaps from Misty. How can I resist smiling on seeing Wednesday's "Woohoo! Woohoo! I got a Wednesday Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle without a single error or cheating!" I always look forward to Misty's "Woohoo!" It's that sort of reaction that makes the odd enterprise of puzzle-making worthwhile. And I thank those in general who comprise the community who comment at the Crossword Corner. Especially in comparison to some other crossword blogs, the comments here are overwhelmingly kind, thoughtful, and lacking in unnecessary invective. Thank you all (even those who still misspell my name!).
All the best, and keep on solving,
Jeffrey Wechsler"
Below is letter I got from the great Jeffrey Wechsler. It warmed my heart.
"I consider it incumbent upon me to personally and publicly thank several of those whose comments on my Wednesday puzzle, and past puzzles, were so kind that I virtually blushed while reading them. I refer specifically to Irish Miss -- "I hereby nominate Jeffrey Wechsler for Word Play Wizard of the Crossword Community" -- and to Swamp Cat -- "Irish Miss, I second the nomination! JW certainly is a Word Play Wizard!"
For those of you who regularly solve LA Times puzzles, and for those who venture into the wider world of crosswords, I am sure that you know that there many, many constructors equally (and much more) worthy of the title of Word Play Wizard. Indeed, compared to some constructors, my presumed Wizard rank would be reduced to that of Muggle.
However, over the years I have been greatly appreciative by the many kind comments on this blog toward my work. I recall the slow advance of the reception of my Friday LA Times puzzles at the Crossword Corner from occasional befuddlement (and a rare bit of hostility!), to tentative acceptance, to enjoyment (although, of course, not by all). My intent is never to confound -- just to try to come up with something interesting, and perhaps challenging in a positive sense. Crossword puzzles should not be "gotcha" affairs -- they should be engaging, brain-tickling, and providers of enjoyment. And to that end, my favorite comments are perhaps from Misty. How can I resist smiling on seeing Wednesday's "Woohoo! Woohoo! I got a Wednesday Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle without a single error or cheating!" I always look forward to Misty's "Woohoo!" It's that sort of reaction that makes the odd enterprise of puzzle-making worthwhile. And I thank those in general who comprise the community who comment at the Crossword Corner. Especially in comparison to some other crossword blogs, the comments here are overwhelmingly kind, thoughtful, and lacking in unnecessary invective. Thank you all (even those who still misspell my name!).
All the best, and keep on solving,
Jeffrey Wechsler"
