Monday, September 9, 2013

Theme: Definition puzzle, type 3.

Week 4 of the Friday definition theme. The first two were classic  Clecho clues, just one clue for all the theme answers; last week we had modified definition clues, and this week we have three answers to the same clue, but you need the reveal to unlock the clue. Through perps I was able to solve HIDDEN HAZARD, but I thought IT'S A WONDER was also part of the theme, luckily my special amusing muse steered me in right direction and then I 'got' the reveal which told us the three numbered clues were PHRASES meaning CATCH. Cool! This is my second time blogging Jeffrey, who provided 5 Thursday's this year for Marti, including before and after her vacation. Let us go unravel this one.


20A. See 56-Across : HIDDEN HAZARD. (12). You will sell me a car for $1,000.00, what's the CATCH.

31A. See 56-Across : BALL TOSSING GAME. (15) Hey son, let's go play CATCH.

41A. See 56-Across : GOOD TYPE TO MARRY. (15). I can't believe she married the Prince, he was quite a CATCH.

56A. Some slogans, and what 20-, 31- and 41-Across are? : CATCH PHRASES.(12).

Across:

1. Use an updraft, say : SOAR.

5. Pacific veranda : LANAI.

10. Shoe site : HOOF. Already Jeffrey' s sense of humor shows as he horses around with the clues

14. "___ la Douce" : IRMA. Shirley McClaine again.

15. Mission attacked by Santa Anna : ALAMO.

16. "Betsy's Wedding" director : ALDA. Alan of M*A*S*H fame.

17. Alfred E. Neuman expression : GRIN. This had me thinking how to fit, "What, me worry?" in 4 spaces.

18. "I can't believe..." : IT'S A WONDER. Butter?

22. Winner of a record 82 PGA tournaments : SNEAD. Slamming Sammy, Tiger has won 80 and counting.

23. Cheer from Charo : OLE. Xavier Cugat' s second wife.

24. Bring down : ABASE.

28. Top : LID.

30. Book between Micah and Habakkuk : NAHUM.

38. Id checker : EGO. My favorite misdirection for a 3 letter clue; in Freud's world the ID and EGO worked to achieve balance.

39. Get up : ROUSE. This is.where the old DF would kick in, maybe with the joke with punchline, " but not to raise the dead."

40. Comparative suffix : IER.

46. Mail at a castle : ARMOR. Another well done clue, chain mail.

47. SSA IDs, e.g. : NOS.

48. Discrimination : TASTE. Discrimination= bad. Discrimination= good.

49. Gay Nineties, e.g. : ERA.

52. Catherine of "A Mighty Wind" : O'HARA. One of the many who came from SCTV.

59. Response to an awkwardly timed call : I'M NOT ALONE. And I have no way to hold the phone...

62. Whiff : MISS. A baseball term, which reminds of the great announcer Marty Glickman, who coined many now common basketball phrases including SWISH for when the ball goes into the net without hiring anything else. While many my age will recall the name from his work with baseball and football announcing, he was a world class sprinter on the 1936 Olympic team with Jesse Owens.

63. Bed or bar attachment : ROOM.

64. Discussion group : PANEL.

65. Actress McClurg : EDIE.

66. "___ these days..." : KIDS.

67. Signal to a runner : STEAL.

68. Negative impression? : DENT.

Down:

1. Chorus from adoring fans : SIGHS.

2. Hatch of Utah : ORRIN.

3. Nitrogen compound : AMIDE.

4. Unger player : RANDALL.

5. "This skull hath ___ in the earth...": Hamlet : LAIN.

6. E'en if : ALTHO. Eh, it was easy but not an abbreviation I enjoy.

7. ___ passage : NASAL.

8. Knock the socks off : AMAZE.

9. Eastern segment of the Louisiana Purchase : IOWA.

10. Purse : HANDBAG.

11. Unoriginal : OLD. Which if you are ill, sounds like

12. Tribute in verse : ODE. Which was a theme.

13. Word with flung or reaching : FAR.

19. Sumatran ape : ORANG.

21. Put in a word or two? : EDIT.

25. Win by ___ : A HAIR. I guess years of hanging with gamblers made A NOSE seem so right.

26. Ancient Mesopotamian kingdom : SUMER.

27. Buffing board : EMERY.

29. Flat-bottomed boat : DORY.

31. Brought forth : BEGAT.

32. Ancient gathering place : AGORA.

33. Towers (over) : LOOMS.

34. Conciliatory offering : SOP.

35. Advice after an injury, perhaps : SUE. The bastards is the complete legal term.

36. Real end? : IST.

37. Commercial sign : NEON.

42. Targets of many searches : DOT COMS.

43. Unexpected pleasure : TREAT.

44. Marshy wasteland : MOOR.

45. Red in the face : ASHAMED.

49. Fanfare : ECLAT.

50. Van Gogh's "Starry Night Over the ___" : RHONE.

51. Nighttime disorder : APNEA.

53. Dramatic device : ASIDE.

54. Frankincense or myrrh : RESIN.

55. Black-ink entry : ASSET.

57. Lights-out signal : TAPS.

58. Inferno : HELL.

59. Rub the wrong way : IRK.

60. Word of feigned innocence : MOI?

61. Subtle assent : NOD.

Taylor Johnson

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