Monday April 16, 2017 Jake Braun

 Theme: OUT (70A. One of an inning's three, which can follow the first word of 17-, 29-, 47- and 63-Across)

17A. Angling method using hand-tied lures: FLY FISHING. Flyout.

29A. One doing the Electric Slide, e.g.: LINE DANCER. Lineout.

47A. Hamburger meat: GROUND BEEF. Ground out.

63A. Beatles' Shea Stadium performance, e.g.: POP CONCERT. Pop-out.

Boomer here.

Hello from Minnesota, where a blizzard of all blizzards took place on APRIL 14! For all of you crossword lovers, The weather center has named our storm XANTO.  I have no idea what the significance could be, buy the clue will be "Name of the blizzard that plagued Minnesota in April of 2018"  Needless to say there were no Flyouts, Line-outs, Ground outs, or Pop-outs at Target Field.  Major League baseball made a mistake to start scheduling games North this early I'm afraid. 

Across:

1. Sounds showing revelation: AHS. First part of a sneeze

4. Actress Winger: DEBRA. Loved Officer and a Gentleman "Up where we belong".

9. Beer, casually: BREW. I think Milwaukee got part of this storm.  Maybe the shovels were out at Miller Park also.

13. Speedy shark: MAKO.

15. Bars between wheels: AXLES.

16. Travel aimlessly: ROVE.

19. Bar orders: ALES. Maybe, but I never heard anyone in a bar say "Bartender, give me an ale"

20. City recaptured from ISIL by Iraq in 2017: MOSUL.

21. Sincerely: IN EARNEST.

23. Hunk of concrete: SLAB. I would say a slab is bigger than a hunk.

25. Tic-tac-toe diagram: GRID.  Three Os would be three splits in a row, Three X's is a turkey

26. Memorization technique: ROTE. My thought was Kyle Rote,  running back for the NY Giants.  We shared the same birth date, (But he was 20 years older than I)

34. Brian of ambient music: ENO.

35. DDE's WWII command: ETO. I remember President Eisenhower.  I cannot imagine the difficulty or persevering through World War II.

36. Renter's document: LEASE.

37. Stinging comment: BARB. Also the name of my older sister, born on April 14.

39. Complains: CARPS. Could be the plural of a Minnesota rough fish, although fish plural never seems to have an "S".

42. Like the Magi: WISE.  We three kings of Orient are ....

43. What the beverage cart blocks: AISLE. For sure!  Try not to need to use the restroom while the beverages are being served.

45. Sellout letters: SRO.

46. Brit. pilots' squad: RAF.  Seem to be a lot of three letter acronyms (TLAs) in this puzzle.

50. Beach or Backstreet follower, in music: BOYS.  I favor "Beach" "Round, round get around.."

51. At any point: EVER.

52. Subway charge: FARE. The only Subways we have in Minnesota sell sandwiches.

54. Mark McGwire rival: SAMMY SOSA. I was a fan, but these two guys really gave baseball bad reviews with PEDs (a three letter acronym) and corked bats.  Their cheating reduced the value of their baseball cards.

58. IHOP handouts: MENUS.

62. Furthermore: ALSO.

65. Casino card game: FARO. Mostly European, I do not believe the game is available for play in Las Vegas, but I heard they have an old Faro table on display at the Tropicana.

66. Steinbeck migrants: OKIES.  The most famous OKIE I know is Ron Gardenhire, who now manages the pitcherless Tigers of Detroit.

67. Jekyll's alter ego: HYDE.

68. Little League airer: ESPN. I like to watch those Williamsport battles.

69. Nervous: TENSE. 

Down:

1. Bedside toggle switch: AM FM.

2. Angel's overhead circle: HALO.  Also a lighting company that supplied the track lighting in our home.

3. "The __ the limit!": SKY'S. Where do you put the apostrophe in the crossword grid ?

4. Prosecutors: Abbr.: DAS.

5. Prosecutor's first piece of evidence: EXHIBIT A.

6. Russian pancake: BLIN. I think in the US we call these crepes

7. Back out: RENEGE. This used to be a CARDinal sin in a bridge game

8. Home of primary 30-Down gods: ASGARD. 30. Like Odin and Thor: NORSE. Also like Ole and Sven.

9. Fresh from the factory: BRAND NEW.

10. Part in a play: ROLE.

11. Nights before: EVES.

12. __ Virginia: WEST. Adam _____ who played Batman.

14. Handy: OF USE.

18. Down with the flu: ILL.

22. Yemeni money: RIAL.

24. Knighted Guinness: ALEC. I only remember him in "Bridge on the River Kwai".  I think he received an Academy award for that Role.

26. Pack again, as groceries: RE-BAG.

27. "We're live!" studio sign: ON AIR.

28. Human trunk: TORSO.

31. Egypt's capital: CAIRO.

32. Op-ed piece, say: ESSAY.

33. Often submerged shipping dangers: REEFS.

38. Lunar symbol for a very long time: BLUE MOON. Dip da dip da dip

40. Books' opening sections: PREFACES.

41. Couch: SOFA.

44. Green-eyed monster: ENVY. This clue reminds me of the left field wall at Fenway.

48. Absolute ruler: DESPOT.

49. Actress Shields: BROOKE.

50. Tree that sounds like a summer vacation spot: BEECH. I think this tree had nuts that were made into gum.

53. Pres. pardoned by Ford: RMN.

54. Jewelry protector: SAFE.  I think this follows this crossword theme.  "What Rickey Henderson was while stealing?  (And young Twin Byron Buxton).

55. "Sadly ... ": ALAS.

56. Car sticker fig.: MSRP. At least this acronym is four letters.  And with apologies to auto dealers, Why is the MSRP always about $5000 high ?

57. Whirl around: SPIN.

59. "So Sick" R&B artist: NEYO.

60. Pakistani language: URDU.

61. "Cancel that deletion": STET. Add "SON" and you have a hat or cologne

64. Sugar suffix: OSE. I have to watch my GlucOSE daily

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

1) Husker Gary has been updating the Corner map. Please just bookmark this link. Then click on the map to enlarge. If you have the direct Corner map link marked, just highlight the address in the top URL bar, then hit "Enter", this way the map will be automatically updated.

2) Dear Santa now has a desktop computer installed in his rehab place, so he might pop in the blog Comments section any minute. Welcome back, Santa!

Sunday April 15, 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Mirror Images"- The second three-letter string starting the second word is a mirror image of the letter letter string that ends the first word.

22. Coastal casino center: ATLANTIC CITY.

33. Current route: ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.
 
47. Chinese and Vietnamese: TONAL LANGUAGES. Mandarin has 4 tones. Cantonese has 9 tones.

67. Hotel evaluation system: STAR RATINGS.

90. Three-dimensional arrangement of atoms inside a diamond, say: CRYSTAL LATTICE. New term to me.

106. Article seen daily: NEWSPAPER REPORT.

120. Website evaluation tool: USER RESEARCH.

This theme reminded me a bit of Paul's "Magnetism" puzzles. The key words are consecutively hidden in the middle.

I especially liked 67A and 106A as all TAR/RAT, PER/REP are solid words.

Across:

1. High-fives, e.g.: SLAPS.

6. Big name in Champagne: MUMM. Not MOET. Also 26. Champagne word: BRUT.

10. Langston Hughes poem: I TOO.

14. Cinematic FX: CGI.

17. "The War of the Worlds" narrator of 1938: WELLES.

19. Hum-dinger of an instrument?: KAZOO. Nice clue.

20. It's composed of balances: DEBT.

21. Crew member: OAR.

24. Block-stocking building: ICE HOUSE. We call the sheds above frozen lakes "ice houses".

27. Indian nurse: AMAH. Might sound gluey to some, but this terms is widely used in Hong Kong.

28. First name in architecture: EERO.

30. Out of concern that: LEST.

31. Noodle concoction?: IDEA. 71. Terrible time?: TWOS. Gimmes for our regulars.

38. Charlie Brown correspondent: PEN PAL. These days we all use computer/tablet, etc. I guess we're all keyboard pals.

40. Lights into: ASSAILS.

41. It floods Florence periodically: ARNO.

42. Straightens up: TIDIES.

45. "We need a cat!": EEK. No mouse bothered us this winter. Yay!

46. Costa __: RICA.

54. Pretentious sort: PSEUD. Also 117. Pretends: PLAY-ACTS.

55. Poppycock: HOOEY.

56. Some decision makers: TOSSES.

57. Smartphone ancestor, briefly: PDA. Most dumb phones are pretty smart these days. 

59. Cos. with Xings: RRS.

60. Source of stress, probably: ONUS.

61. Like this ans.: ACR. Across.

63. St. Pete's place: FLA.

64. Goals: AIMS.

66. Hombre's hand: MANO.

75. Builder's need: PLAN.

77. "__ the fields we go ... ": OER.

78. Common Market letters: EEC. European Economic Community.

79. Advanced, as old age: RIPE.

80. Tell: RAT.

83. Courses for coll. credit: APS.

84. Third-least populous state: ALASKA. Wyoming. Vermont.

87. Staples Center player: LAKER. And 19. Longtime TV broadcaster of 87-Across games: KCAL

88. Ladybug's lunch: APHID.

93. Acidity-correcting fertilizer: MARL.New word to me.

94. Asian honorific: SRI. Also 129. Ladies of Sp.: SRAS.

96. Watching closely: EYEING.

97. Biol. branch: ECOL.

98. Like a well-grounded argument: TENABLE.

102. Play the flute: TOOTLE. Have any of you heard of Chinese Er Hu? The music is always hauntingly sad.

110. Lab vessel: VIAL.

111. Mystery writer Nevada __: BARR. Also new to me.

112. Middle of a Latin trio: AMAS.

113. Wind worth a warning: GALE.

115. Regrets: RUES.

123. Champagne word: SEC.

124. Iota: WHIT.

125. Long time follower?: NO SEE. Rooted in Chinese.

126. One getting smashed at a bash?: PINATA. Great fill/clue.

127. Tats: INK.

128. Nasdaq rival: NYSE.

130. Flippant: SASSY.

Down:

1. Q-tip: SWAB.

2. Speak without restraint: LET RIP.

3. Refer (to): ALLUDE.

4. Typewriter roller: PLATEN. Another word I never used.

5. D.C. VIP: SEN.

6. Papier-__: MACHE.

7. Action film weapon: UZI.

8. Sacred songs: MOTETS.

9. Journalist Bill inducted into the TV Hall of Fame in 1995: MOYERS. Wiki says he was the "White House Press Secretary in the Johnson administration from 1965 to 1967."

10. Follies: IDIOCIES.

11. Private eye: TEC. Detective. Not used these days.

12. Washington Monument, for one: OBELISK.

13. Additional: OTHER.

14. Dior or Klein: COUTURIER. In my TEC days, Dior was one of our biggest clients.

15. Beetle juice?: GAS. VW Beetle.

16. Boiling state: IRE.

18. Transit syst. component: STA.

23. Well-shod Marcos: IMELDA. Just crazy.

25. Annual winter telecast, with "The": OSCARS.

29. Coastline feature: RIA.

32. In a fitting way: APTLY.

34. __ belli: act of war: CASUS. Learning moment as well.

35. 2016 W.S. losers to the Cubs: CLE.

36. Bring upon oneself: INCUR.

37. Contemptible sorts: TOADS.

39. Afflict: AIL.

43. IV part: INTRA.

44. I strain?: EGO.

47. __ McAn shoes: THOM.

48. The last Mrs. Chaplin: OONA. And her grand-daughter.

49. It may be proper: NOUN.

50. Creator of many talking animals: AESOP.

51. To the extent that: AS FAR AS.

52. Cabbage: GELT.

53. Morales of "The Brink": ESAI.

54. Frying pan spray: PAM.

57. Scrolling unit: PAGE.

58. Frisbee, e.g.: DISC.

61. "Immediately!": ASAP.

62. Forklift load: Abbr.: CTNS.

65. Classic Fender guitar, familiarly: STRAT.

68. Crowd sound: ROAR.

69. Count (on): RELY.

70. Author Zora __ Hurston: NEALE.

72. Collaborative website: WIKI.

73. Crude gp.?: OPEC.

74. Bone-dry: SERE. Our old friend is back.

76. Chap: LAD.

80. Staple for a collegian on a tight budget: RAMEN. Instant Ramen hit Xi'an when I just entered college (1990). It was more expensive than a bowl of freshly made noodles sold in our school dining hall. But we all wanted Instant Ramen. So silly!

81. On the double: APACE.

82. Atavism: THROWBACK.

85. Exorbitant: STEEP.

86. Mary __ cosmetics: KAY.

87. No. 2 at the statehouse: LT GOV.

89. "You got that right!": I'LL SAY.

90. Film lover: CINEASTE.  I've only heard of "Cinephile".

91. Small amount: LITTLE.

92. "Is that __?": A NO.

94. Carb-loaded: STARCHY. All my meals are starchy. That's how I was raised.

95. Gym unit: REP.

99. Inlet or cove: ARM.

100. Some rechargeable shavers: BRAUNS.

101. One offering quarters: LESSOR.

103. Albania's capital: TIRANA.

104. Actresses Linney and Dern: LAURAS.

105. Gives a seat to: ELECTS.

107. Seafood serving: PRAWN.

108. Tough bosses to work for: OGRES.

109. Hard to come by: RARE. Like his rookie card, thought I much prefer the 1956 Topps.

114. Seer's claim: ESP.

116. Open carriage: SHAY.

117. Meas. checked after tire rotation: PSI.

118. Cariou of "Sweeney Todd": LEN.

119. "__ the season ... ": TIS.

121. Pueblo pronoun: ESA.

122. Frozen Wasser: EIS.

Husker Gary has updated our Crossword Corner Map. Please click below to enlarge. Or you can just click here.

Please email Gary gschlapfer@gmail.com if you want to be included or excluded in the map. Thanks for the time and efforts you've put into the map, Gary!

 

C.C.

Saturday, April 14, 2018, Robyn Weintraub

A THEMELESS SATURDAY PUZZLE BY ROBYN WEINTRAUB

The warm temps have finally come to the Great Plains and so it appears that spring is finally here. So let's celebrate with a lovely Saturday puzzle from Robyn Weintraub on National Reach As High As You Can Day. For some of us, a clever Saturday puzzle can be just that.

Robyn's four pinwheel stacks of nine-letter fills were very impressive and helpful. Coupled with new learning and clever cluing made for a fun solve.  Now let's see if we have reached as high as we can today.

Across:

1. Many a tax filer's need: Abbr.: SSN - Most everyone around here has a SSN starting with 507 or 506

4. It's a lock: HASP

8. Half-Blood Prince of fiction: SNAPE and 38. Rickman who played 8-Across: ALAN -  My Harry Potter knowledge is seriously lacking

13. Showed emotion: SHED A TEAR

16. Fifth canonical hour: NONES - Divisions of the day. NONES is about 3 pm when it is said Christ was crucified

17. Try: GIVE IT A GO

18. Rarely a problem for happy-go-lucky types: ANGST

19. Clematis supports: TRELLISES - here's my lovely wife Joann's clematis in our backyard

20. Roger who played the U.K. ambassador on "The West Wing": REES - I mostly remember Roger as the priggish Roger Colcort in Cheers

21. Published in installments: SERIAL - A movie version of this format

22. Impressive dismount: BACK FLIP - Looks like she stuck it!

25. Pacific resort, popularly: CABO - CABO San Lucas

27. "Good heavens!": MY OH MY

28. Typographic measure: PICA - In high school we had mostly manual PICA typewriters and a few with elite type and one, count it, one electric

31. Had in view: EYED

33. Guard attachment?: RAIL - It appears this Guard RAIL did its job

34. Endangered chimpanzees: BONOBOS

36. Potential: PROMISE - Spring training is when teams try to see what players show the most PROMISE

39. Letters at the top of a window: HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. HTTP://www.usatoday.com is no longer necessary. usatoday.com or even usatoday will suffice

41. Grenoble green: VERT - This wall hanging is entitled Deux autruches dans une voiture française VERT. Did you suss it out as Two ostriches in a green, French car?

42. Many an Egyptian pharaoh: RAMSES - There were eleven of them from Ramses I in 1292 B.C. to Ramses XI in 1075 B.C.

44. Historic Italian family: ESTE - They gave the world the Hanoverian Kings as well as Ivan VI of Russia among other royalty

46. Menu type: DROP DOWN

48. Spaced: IN A FOG - I experience this sensation less with a CPAP device

53. Bad salt container?: BRIG - I doubt she is bad salt (sailor) but she is in the BRIG

 
54. Medium access?: AFTER LIFE - Mary Todd Lincoln held at least eight seances in the White House trying to contact her dead sons Eddie and Willie 

56. Half a comedy duo: MEARA - Anne MEARA, husband and comedy partner Jerry Stiller, their famous son and his wife

57. Waze forerunner: ROAD ATLAS - I had never heard of this site that supplants a ROAD ATLAS but here it shows my short, daily route to sub where I have to cross the mighty Elkhorn River

58. One might be picky: EATER - My new SIL's boys are the pickiest eaters I have ever known. We load up with mac and cheese for them even on Thanksgiving

59. "Okay, back to work": DUTY CALLS

60. Reunion attendees: GRADS - When I sub, I can see the ones that probably won't be coming back for the reunions

61. Offend, in a way: REEK - Non-verbal offense as some people just seem to have an "air" about them

62. Terse street sign: SLO - They couldn't spring for the W?


Down:

1. Certain NCOs: SSGTS - Our cwd friend MSGT is here also

2. English subdivision: SHIRE - A favorite place on Big Bang

3. When some things will change?: NEVER

4. How to get to Carnegie Hall, perhaps: HAIL A CAB - Yup, I put this SNARKY 8-letter word of advice first

5. Fifth-century Roman Empire enemy: ATTILA

6. Black and Red: SEAS


7. Shoulder-length do: PAGEBOY - Named for the the "porridge bowl" haircuts sported by medieval pages

8. Like a comment that may elicit "Oh, snap!": SNARKY

9. "I'm good, thanks": NONE FOR ME - My very educated friend insisted on saying NONE FOR I. Me didn't never correct that there guy. 😑

10. Bow tie alternative: ANGEL HAIR - Pasta


11. Eeyore, for one: PESSIMIST

12. Contractor's no.: ESTimate

14. Brat's place: DELI

15. Sub or Santa follower: ROSA - SubROSA means done in secret (literally "under the rose") and of course Santa ROSA (St. Rose) is the county seat of Sonoma Co. California

23. Nav. rank: CMDR

24. TV Marine: PYLE - If you look closely you can see that Gomer PYLE's job at Wally's Service Station was right across the street from his Gomer Pyle M.C. barracks on the Desilu backlot

26. With 51-Down, tops: BEST and 51. See 26-Down: OF ALL

28. Focus of some climate change concerns: POLAR BEAR

29. Female lover: INAMORATA

30. Plotted together: CONSPIRED - I'll bet you know this source of this lyric: "Later on we'll CONSPIRE, As we dream by the fire" 

32. "House" actor: EPPS - Omar's first and last name are becoming cwd staples

34. Avon product?: BARD - Shakespeare's birthplace of course

35. Extremely: OH SO

37. Viking accessory: OVEN RACK - Oh yeah, that's those expensive appliances we never consider! Hey, heat's heat!

40. "Got it" on the radio: TEN-FOUR - Chief Dan Matthews made this phrase a national phenomenon on Highway Patrol. 

43. Ellery Queen and Raven awards, e.g.: EDGARS - The clue words are categories of the EDGARS Awards that are judged by the Mystery Writers of America 

45. Camp craft: TIE DYE

47. District: WARD - Chicago WARDS are famous for being for sale

49. Resort near Snowbird: ALTA - They are connected by Sugarloaf Pass

50. Gases (up): FILLS

52. Canvas primer: GESSO - I remembered this word from a Sunday puzzle I blogged a few years ago for C.C. and Hard G

55. Thames gallery: TATE

56. Eldest March sister: MEG - Here she is being played by Trini Alvarado in the 1994 movie. (Third from the left) Do you recognize the famous actress at the left who played the mother?

Feel free to enter your comments. 10 - 4?

DA GRID

Note from C.C.:

Husker Gary has updated our Corner map. Please email Gary gschlapfer@gmail.com if you want to be included or excluded in the map.

Friday, April 13, 2018, David Alfred Bywaters

Title: Better dead than red.

David returns for his third 2018 Friday. and his 5th overall. I still know very little about the man other than he loves obscure Victorian novels and creating crosswords, even though he has stopped by several times. His website DAVID ALFRED BYWATERS has new puzzle and new book every Saturday. Oh, and his great-grandmother loved puzzles and took a good picture. The idea is simple-  the three letter word RED is added to a two part phrase.  There is a sound change for each vowel preceding the RED, but thetheme clues, are  all fun mental pictures.   The reveal is a bit tricky as you have to see the RED infiltrating the words. Most of the fill was in my wheelhouse, but SAHM sounded like the number three in Thai. There really some fun ones, like YO HO HO, BASS CLEF, and IN A PIE. Anyway, on with the show.

24A. State of mind induced by monotonous music?: SONIC BOREDOM (12). SONIC BOOM gets repurposed.

32A. BBQ item with a char?: SEARED DOG (9). SEA DOG becomes burned hot dog.

43A. Object of trout-fishing veneration?: SACRED FLY (9). SAC FLY (the baseball abbreviation for sacrifice fly) gets reeled in as a fisherperson.

49A. Aversion to rodeo performers?: COWBOY HATRED (12). COWBOY HAT get chased away.

And the reveal-
63A. Post-WWII fear of infiltration apparently confirmed by four puzzle answers: RED SCARE (8).

Across:

1. Grooming tool: COMB. 

5. Put two and two together: ADD.

8. Attentive to the schedule: PROMPT.

14. Pentagon measure: AREA. Not the Pentagon, but a pentagon.

15. Basic substance: LYE.

16. Rum accompaniment?: YO HO HO If you have been to Disney World, this was a gimme.

We also have 34D. Three-note refrain: EI EI O. 

17. Staff symbol: BASS CLEF.

19. Handled vessel: TEAPOT.

20. Ease, as thirst: SLAKE. If you drink your tea, you often will say 21A. Cry of one whose thirst is eased: AAH. Contiguous clecho.

23. Artist Magritte: RENE. The Belgian surrealist.

28. Sphere: ORB.

31. Bring into harmony: ATTUNE. Simply AT + TUNE.

35. Left-hand page: VERSO.

40. Croatia neighbor: SERBIA.

41. Toe problem: BUNION. I will refrain from posting any pictures.

42. The Beatles' "All My Loving," e.g.: OLDIE.



46. Where some nursery rhyme baking occurs: IN A PIE.
Four and twenty blackbirds. Baked in a pie. When the pie was opened. The birds began to sing—. Wasn't that a dainty dish. To set before the king? The king was in the counting-house. Counting out his money,. The queen was in the parlor. Eating bread and honey,. The maid was in the garden. Hanging out the clothes.

48. Deceive: FOX. This took a while.

55. Multicolored gem: OPAL. Probabaly the gem that appears most often in CW puzzles, and  CSO to Kazie.

56. Kvbrick opvs?: MMI. If you studied Latin for 6or 7 years, this jumped out as the Roman "v" is our modern "U" making the clue 'Kubrick opus.' MMI = 2001 (a space odessey).

57. Takes a nap, say: RESTS. Some straight forward clue/fill. 68A. Was aware of: KNEW. 71A. Recognizes: SEES.

61. Make over: REVAMP.

66. Get all wet: DRENCH. 67A. Rower: OAR.And 64D. Listener: EAR all mislead with simplicity.

69. Big Apple Theater District restaurant: SARDIS. The food was never that good but the atmosphere was fun and it was always fun after the theater.

70. Cook, in a way: FRY. Can you think of a different three letter alternative?

Down:

1. Wine choices: CABS. Cabarnet.

2. Spoken: ORAL

3. Tableland: MESA. A CSO to Lucy and our other desert contributors.

4. Revels (in), as praise: BASKS in the glory.

5. The lot (of): ALL.

6. Henna, e.g.: DYE.

7. In actuality: DE FACTO. More Latin.

8. Big name in British comedy: PYTHON. Did you ever wonder WHY?

9. Beluga yield: ROE. Fish eggs.

10. United hub: O'HARE.

11. Island vacation ride: MOPED. Last time I drove one in the Bahamas I hit a wall; vision has been an issue for a while.

12. Amplifier switch: PHONO. Tape, CD.

13. Tribal symbol: TOTEM. An Eastern European Navajo, might be known as Totem Pole?

18. Board boss: CEO. Chief Executive Officer.

22. "Snug as __ ... ": A BUG in a rug.

25. Uno menos uno, to Unamuno: NADA. One minus one equal nothing in Spanish. The Friday element is the use of this educator, philosopher, and author, LINK, who I did not know.

26. "__ be a pleasure": IT'D

27. Variety show: REVUE

28. __ buco: OSSO. We recently had a reference to GIADA DE LAURENTIS.

29. Rod attachment: REEL. Sounds fishy to me.

30. Homer, e.g.: BARD. No Friday love for Will?

33. Batter's stat: RBI.  Runs Batted In.

36. Close: END

37. Jazz phrase: RIFF. I know it more from guitars but it is a short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song.

38. Concerto cadenza, e.g.: SOLO. A cadenza is a virtuoso solo passage inserted into a movement in a concerto or other work, typically near the end.

39D. Banded stone: ONYX

41. Uncle Remus title: BRER

43. Doug of the Sir Douglas Quintet with the hit "She's About a Mover": SAHM
I have never hear of the IMPORTANT singer musician.

44. Two: A PAIR OF.

45. Op. __: CIT. This is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase opere citato, meaning "in the work cited." It is used in an endnote or footnote to refer the reader to a previously cited work, standing in for repetition of the full title of the work

47. Mythological maidens: NYMPHS.

49. Electrical connections: CORDS.

50. Monteverdi work: OPERA. More music. You know HIM?

51. Go back and forth: WAVER.

52. Flavorless: BLAND.

53. Med. treatment areas: ERS. Emergency Rooms.

54. Card groups: DECKS.

58. Sound: SANE.

59. Shoe insert: TREE. Foot fits as well.

60. Follows a pattern, perhaps: SEWS. Another example of a simple but misleading clue.

62. 2006 Verizon acquisition: MCI. A nice fake out as this is not a Roman Numeral.

65. Arid: DRY.

This is a puzzle might have pleased JzB the most as it so full of music. It was fun for me, but I do not have any Monteverdi stories. I guess I cannot get all the way through a Friday the 13th without  any mention of that dubious day. In case anyone wondered, I do not own a hockey mask. Maybe David does. Lemonade out.

Thursday, April 12 2018 Bruce Haight

Theme: Hard Ates. I'm in Las Vegas, so "ates the hard way" was little craps-inspiration. Except there's no such thing. Sometimes when the reveal is so slick naming the theme becomes a challenge. Which I failed. Moving on:

17A. Carnivores: MEAT EATERS. That's me.

24A. Appliance needed for a hot bath: WATER HEATER

38. Latvia and Lithuania, once: SATELLITE STATES. Satellite states of the old Soviet Union.

47A. 2015 NFL controversy involving air pressure: DEFLATEGATE The Watergate cover-up has a lot to answer for, but at least you know that the latest "gate" is a controversy. The equipment manager for the New England Patriots was accused of letting air out of the match balls that QB Tom Brady would throw that game.

58A. It consists of a couple of couples ... and, when divided differently, a hint to something hidden in 17-, 24-, 38- and 47-Across: DOUBLE DATE. When divided differently, we get "DOUBLED ATE" for the very neat reveal.

I think this is a great puzzle from Bruce. The theme entries are snappy and the reveal is genuinely clever. Even with the quite heavy themage, Bruce still finds a way to add eight- and ten-letter entries in the downs.

We bloggers were discussing the quality of the fill in the LA Times, which C.C. describes as "gluey" on occasion, a polite term for "not very good". There's very little glue in the fill today, this is a high-quality puzzle.

Let's see what jumps out:

Across: 

1. Jay-Z output: RAP CD

6. Reach great heights: SOAR

10. Attempt: STAB

14. White house?: IGLOO. Nice clue!

15. Fair: EXPO

16. Bear in the heavens: URSA. Two sizes of bear up there. Bear Major and Bear Minor. Sounds like two brothers at private school (or public school in the UK, which is the very opposite of what you would think it means).

19. Invite abbr.: BYOB. Bring your own B(ottle) or B(ooze). I'm not sure I'd be terribly impressed if I received an invitation that actually told me to bring a bottle. BYOB restaurants are great, you can take a great bottle of wine and not get held hostage by the wine list prices.

20. Job application fig.: S.S.N. Do you put your Social Security Number on a job application? I'm not sure this is a thing.

21. Hang around: STAY

22. "National Velvet" sister: EDWINA. Solid crosses filled this in for me. I saw the movie starring Elizabeth Taylor many moons ago.

26. Got the ball rolling?: PUTTED

30. Smooth-talking: OILY

31. "60 Minutes" regular: STAHL. Moderator Lesley.

32. Improvised jazz part: VAMP

34. Element Prometheus stole from Olympus: FIRE. Didn't go well, I seem to recall.

41. Harbinger of spring: THAW

42. "Beetle Bailey" dog: OTTO

43. 1990s-2000s skating champ Slutskaya: IRINA. I always try IRENA first and have to correct it when the cross doesn't work.

44. Davenport's place: IOWA

46. 1974 hit with Spanish lyrics: ERES TU. "It's you". Great 70's video, lots of camera-staring and men with questionable facial hair. I don't recognize the song, I have to confess.

52. Italy's __ Coast: AMALFI. This has been a regular reference recently, it seems.

53. Like arf and meow: ORAL. Fiendish clue. Very nice.

54. Hallucinogenic letters: LSD. Lysergic acid diethylamide

57. "Pleeease?": CAN I?

61. Writer Shere: HITE. Writer on feminism and women's sexuality.

62. Avant-garde: EDGY

63. Font flourish: SERIF. The default font on the blog is a "serif'ed" one.

64. "Regrettably ... ": ALAS

65. Grasps: SEES

66. Like horror films: SCARY

Down: 

1. What "nothin' but net" shots don't touch: RIMS. No clanging on the basketball hoop. Just a swish as the ball goes through.

2. Periods: AGES
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3. Not leave things to chance: PLAN

4. Foldable bed: COT

5. Succeeds: DOES WELL

6. Tuned to: SET AT

7. Daisy variety: OX-EYE. Pretty things.

8. Car ad abbr.: APR. Interest rate on the loan. You pay cash, no loan, no APR.

9. Botanical source of vitamin C: ROSE HIPS.

10. Commuter's cost: SUBWAY FARE. Could also be the picnic you eat on a long commute on the subway.

11. "Have a taste": TRY IT!

12. In harmony: AS ONE

13. Kiddie lit elephant: BABAR. The perfect gentleman, always doffed his hat to a lady. Which prompts a question - can you doff anything other than your hat? If you can't, the "his hat" part of the phrase is redundant, you should just "doff". If you can doff other stuff, what does doffing your shoe look like? We should be told.

18. Somewhat: A TAD

23. __ Taco: DEL. Not your first choice of venue for taco dining in Los Angeles

25. Lover of Shakespeare?: ROMEO. Nice cluing.

26. Sibilant "Yo!": PSST!

27. Its motto is "Industry": UTAH. Thanks, crosses.

28. "Cheerio!": TA-TA!

29. Jittery condition: THE WILLIES. Loved this one.

32. Curriculum __: résumé: VITAE. CV is the term in the UK and elsewhere for your job history.

33. Brief writer, briefly: ATT. Attorney. Took me a while to see this one.

35. Words before and after "what": IT IS

36. Dollars for quarters: RENT

37. Biblical twin: ESAU

39. Good times for beachcombing: LOW TIDES

40. Indefatigable: TIRELESS

45. Lummox: OAF

46. Lat. shortener: ET AL. Et alia if you want to be long-winded about it.

47. Russian country house: DACHA

48. Online message: EMAIL

49. Crush rival: FANTA. Fizzy fruit-flavored drinks. Fanta is most often associated with the orange version, but there are more than 100 flavors worldwide.
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50. Overcharge but good: GOUGE

51. Chain known for roast beef: ARBY'S. "We Have The Meats"

54. Actress __ Flynn Boyle: LARA. Best known for her role in Twin Peaks, she appeared in all the episodes.

55. Show signs of life: STIR. I wasn't sure I'd be showing signs of life this morning. I'm at a convention in Las Vegas and last night was the industry association party at a nightclub. With an open bar. I actually felt rather jaunty.

56. Stand up to: DEFY

59. Laudatory poem: ODE

60. Usual Hanukkah mo.: DEC.

I think that does it for me today. Just need to add the grid and I'm done!

Steve