Friday, May 9, 2014, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Run on thoughts.

JW makes the move from Thursday to Friday this week with a complicated and ingenious (not igneous, see below) group of phrases clued with Canadian cities (EH!) mashed together with a word or phrase to create a new phrase that almost makes sense. Doing this all from Canadian cities is great, and gives you some idea how puzzles are born. I would guess at some point the sound of  HALI FAX MACHINE popped in his head and he was off to the creative races.The rest of the puzzle has some difficult clues, but with the longest non-theme answers 7 letters (many of which were fun- DIORITE, ECHELON, FANTAIL, IN LIMBO, ROAD TAX, TELECOM,  WEIRDOS and  WIMPISH) I found this to be a very doable puzzle. I would think Mr. Wechsler, who I have blogged before,  must have strong ties to Canada, and I just learned he published his first NY Times in 1969, his second in 2009 - 40 years later. I would love to hear the story of the delay. So here we go...thanks for lending me JW marti.

17A. TV fare in Quebec? : MONTREALITY SHOW. Reality TV has taken over the world because they can pay so much less, even in Canada.I enjoy Montreal both from my family history and the people. The do however drive even worse than Floridians.

31A. Communication device in Nova Scotia? : HALIFAX MACHINE. My favorite and what I guess is the seed answer.

39A. Tool storage convenience in Manitoba? : WINNIPEG BOARDS..All I really know is that the Blue Bombers play there in the CFL and the Jets in the NHL..Who doesn't hang tools on a pegboard in the garage?

60A. Throat ailment in Alberta? : EDMONTONSILITIS.The more impressive run on. Wayne Gretzky taught me all I know about Edmonton.

Across:

1. Kate, to Petruchio : WIFE. Taming of the Shrew. Loves me some Shakespeare.

5. Works on walls : ART. Cute, hard to be too tricky with a three letter fill.

8. Apportioned, with "out" : METED. A favorite of judges meting out justice.

13. Prayer leader : IMAM.

14. Sandwich staple : RYE. I thought of ham first, go figure. And, 6D. Thick-pile rug : RYA. This traditional Scandinavian rug was an unknown.

15. Bring forth : ELICIT.

20. Contributes : PUTS IN. His two-cents worth.

21. Spacewalk initials : EVA. Extra-vehicular activity.

22. See 2-Down : HERE. A backwards cross-reference. 2D. With 22-Across, "See ya!" : I'M OUTTA.

23. Marseilles : -euse :: Madrid : __ : ITA. Feminine endings in French and Spanish.

24. "Pensées" author : PASCAL.  This is a really interesting LINK.

26. "... if I tell thee __, spit in my face": Falstaff : A LIE. More Will.
FALSTAFF

Nay, that’s past praying for. I have peppered two of them. Two I am sure I have paid, 

two rogues in buckram suits. I tell thee what, Hal, if I tell thee a lie, spit in my face, 

call me horse. Thou knowest my old ward. Here I lay, and thus I bore my point. 

Four rogues in buckram let drive at me.

27. Move a bit : STIR.

29. Very long time : EON.

30. Teammate of Hubbell : OTT..A new clue for Hall of Famer Mel.

37. Friend of Huck : JIM. Not Tom....

38. One working at home : UMP.A baseball reference for C.C. Tricky 1.

47. Psychotic Chihuahua : REN. A mini-theme? 52A. Reprimand often given while pointing down : BAD DOG.

48. Theban queen of myth : INO. Goody, some MYTHOLOGY. Really, all perps.

49. Boss's command : DO IT.

50. Works on walls : OILS. Hanging on them, in museums etc. Tricky 2.

55. Thin-rail bridge : AS A.

56. "Get a __!" : GRIP.

57. Sea urchin roe, in sushi bars : UNI.  Time to learn. LINK.

58. Without restraint : WILDLY.

63. Additionally : TO BOOT. Weird sounding phrase. Per wiktionary:
Etymology
From Middle English to bote (“something added to, addition”), from Old English tō bōte (“to boot, besides, moreover”). More at boot.

(idiomatic) moreover, on top of that, besides, also.
My boyfriend is funny, and a pretty good cook, to boot.

64. DDE, e.g. : GENeral.

65. Speedy shark : MAKO. Want to know WHY?

66. Get to the bottom of : SOLVE.

67. Weaken : SAG.

68. Powerful team : OXEN.

Down:

 1. Like some chickens : WIMPISH. People not farm animals.Tricky 3.

3. Split and flattened, as shrimp : FANTAIL. Want to know HOW?

4. Personnel providing CPR : EMTS. .Emergency medical technicians

5. Olympic venue : ARENA.

7. Vonage, for one : TELECOM.Better word than Phone Co.

8. Osmium or rhodium : METAL.

9. English cathedral city : ELY. I am sure Steve can tell you all about this PLACE.

10. Actress Campbell of TV's "Martin" : TISHA. Need a pic?

11. Rank : ECHELON. Really fun word, but not my first or second thought.

12. Igneous rock on which the Code of Hammurabi is inscribed : DIORITE. Like Sheldon, I know GEOLOGY.

16. Brief statement, by necessity : TWEET.I do not tweet and based on their stock performance I am not alone.

18. Grave statement, briefly? : RIP. Funny? Rest In Peace. Tricky 4.

19. The Donald's first ex : IVANA. How cool she is next to...need a pic?

25. Questionnaire datum : SEX. In taking the PSAT a classmate answered, "I wish!"

28. Rembrandt van __ : RIJN. Need a pic?

32. Fiver : FIN. Old timey slang like sawbuck.

33. "Who, me?" : AM I? Not sure I understand completely...

34. Furry youngster : CUB. Maybe..

35. Gp. for GPs : HMO. Health Maintenance Organization.

36. Apple product : I-PAD.

39. Eccentric types : WEIRDOS. Who does not love a puzzle with wimps and weirdos.

40. Undetermined : IN LIMBO.

41. Liszt's instrument : PIANO. Want to LISZTEN? (9:46).

42. Some games have multiple ones : ENDINGS.Are we talking  marriage here?

43. Neptune, e.g. : GOD. Semi-clecho 62D. Neptune's realm : SEA.

44. Toll, basically : ROAD TAX. They put tolls on the Florida Turnpike to pay for the construction, now 50 years later they are just taxing drivers, especially all you lovely tourists.

45. Take a dim view of : DISLIKE.

46. Doesn't quit : STAYSON.

47. Synonym eponym : ROGET. Really cute clue.

51. Wire holder : SPOOL.

52. Monument Valley sight : BUTTE. Not a shout out to dear Montana, but to the formation on the Utah-Arizona border. LINK.

53. Short : OWING. I was short on my rent, not just vertically challenged.

54. Original boss of Sara and Nick on "CSI" : GIL Grissom.

59. Long ride? : LIMO. Tricky 5.

61. Four-day weekend time, for many: Abbr. : NOV. Thanksgiving.

As with all of Mr. Wechsler's puzzles there were lots of fun clue/fill combinations and just enough spice to name it a Friday.

Main Domain

Across

1. Get steamed / fume : BOIL

5. Rum Family : BACARDI

12. Goes hungry : STARVES

19. Wise leader / different : OTHER

21. Red hot / goes wild : ON A TEAR

22. Wardrobe / way to Narnia : ARMOIRE

23. 1999 US Mint project : STATE QUARTERS

25. Wall paper? / sheepskin : DIPLOMA

26. Not ppd. / Cape___ : COD

27. Tsks relative / old tomb : TUTS

28. the A in IPA / light brew : ALE

29. Belly flop : FALL FLAT

30. Final four org. : NCAA

32. Salinger's girl : ESME

34. Robert E. or Bruce / Trevino : LEE

35. Brillo, for one : SCOURINGPAD

41. Baja bear : OSA

43. Half a teletubby  / SEA, TEX rival : LAA

46. Brest milk : LAIT

47. Forum talk : LATIN

48. Bones to pick? : FOSSILDIGS

52. Include : ADD IN

54. Keaton's Mr. Right : GOODBAR

56. One cell on a slide : AMOEBAS

57. King Minos e.g. : CRETAN

59. Khruschev's vote / Nikita no : NYET

60. Guidelines: CRITERIA

61. Higher than Loa : KEA

62. Roma hills / Ani follower : SETTE

65. Not cook, say : EAT OUT.

67. Dancer with a few fans / money in Joberg : RAND

68. Helter-skelter : ALLOVERTHEPLACE

71. Utah city : OREM

74. Trapper : SNARER

75. Deal with : SEE TO

76. Yosemite Sam's scram : GIT

79. Instant photo : POLAROID

81. Hair extension? : IEST

83. Writing symbol used in 85A. : EMDASH

85. Cutting and pasting : EDITING.

86. Support : ENDORSE

89. Ball queen: BELLE

90. TRS-80 maker : RADIOSHACK

92. Gregg's older brother : DUANE

94. Dodger Labine / Kadiddlehopper : CLEM

95. For effort : ANE

96. Even if, briefly : THO

97. It merged with Penguin in July 2013 : RANDOMHOUSE

99. Short smoke? : CIG

102. Egyptian cross : ANKH

104. Complain / goldfish : CARP

105. Bed with bars : BABYCRIB

109. LA rival : NYC

111. Lummoxes / parrots : APES

113. Faux follower : PAS

116. Thoroughbred ancestor : ARABIAN

117. Embroidery slogan, and an alternative title to this puzzle : HOMESWEETHOME

120. Castle feature : SILENT T

121. Built : ERECTED

122. Swiss mathematician : EULER

123. Do stuff : HAIR GEL

124. Played by Mr. Cooper and Mr.Sandler : MRDEEDS

125. Free lioness : ELSA

Down:

1. Popular pear : BOSC

2. First HRE : OTTO

3. Who knew? : IHADNOIDEA

4. Court call : LET

5. Ring event : BOUT

6. Santa ___Wind / Capital of Yemen : ANAS

7. N. or S. / ___54 where are you? : CAR

8. Girl top? : ATTA

9. Pulled (in) : REELED

10. Virginia's? / Eggs on: DARES

11. April 15 agcy/ : IRS

12. Actress Thompson : SADA

13. Warble : TRILL

14. Abundant / many matronly bosoms : AMPLE

15. Pocahontas hubby John /  : ROLFE

16. 15th Century stringed instrument / fretted fiddle : VIOL

17. Writer Bombeck : ERMA

18. Aisle or window : SEAT

20. Pave over : RETAR

24. Small game bird / shrink in fear : QUAIL

29. Davy player Parker : FESS

31. Make the grade : CUTIT

33. Othello / heath : MOOR

35. Not taut : SLACK

36. Military unit : CADRE

37. Badger : NAG

38. Muscle car : GTO

39. Loud speaker / trailblazer : PIONEER

40. Rooney or Warhol : ANDY

42. In most cases : ASARULE

43.  9/23 - 10/22: LIBRA

44. Encore : AGAIN

45. Syrian strongman : ASSAD

48. Hamas rival : FATAH

49. Ape : IMITATE

50. An acre : LOT

51. John on the farm  / tractor man : DEERE

53. Home of the New York Cosmos : NASL

55. Visibly embarrassed : BEETRED

58. Rickey and David : NELSONS

60. Persevere : COPE

63. Later today : TONIGHT

64. Plug in your den : TVAD

66. Beta release : TESTRUN

68. Valued violin : AMATI

69. Update tat : REINK

70. Makes parting sweet : COMB

71.Verdi work / where you find 106D: OPERA

72. Godzilla enemy : RODAN

73. Say sumpin' : ELIDE

76. Where to get an opinion : GALLUPPOLL

77. Key chain / British____ : ISLES

78. Plot / central idea : THEME

80. Mexican flower : RIO

82. Pop : SODA

84. Room style : DECOR

86. Bus. course : ECON

87. Blue : SAD

88. Music maker Brian: ENO

91. Melville madman : AHAB

93. Roast host : EMCEE

97. Rapped : RHYMED

98. Makes waste / urgency : HASTE

99. New space : CYBER

100. Cake top : ICING

101. Get Parmesan ready : GRATE

103. Boxed soup : KNORR

105. Clobber / big party: BASH

106. 71D show stopper / Met solo : ARIA

107. Java neighbor / Hope Crosby Road to : BALI

108. IOC part / Like JFK : INTL

109. Peniston or Winans : CECE

110. Bedazzled / blown away : AWED

111. shoe store giveaway / street crossers, briefly : PEDS

112. Iowa St. Home / Singer Ed : AMES

113.  Roman evening / fluids : SERA

114: Haw partner / shorten : HEM

115. One canonized in France : STE

116. Tint : HUE

Friday, April 18

17A. Fish-derived supplement : COD LIVER OIL  This is one of those oddities where a scrambled version of a word can be built from either direction. Having to down a tablespoon of this supplement was one of the fears of childhood in my youth.

24A. Prince Charles' closetful : SAVILE ROW SUITS. The London street where the Tailors toil.

37A. Leaving the jurisdiction, perhaps : PAROLE VIOLATION. The legal system has gone away from Parole to a new type of supervised release.

48A. 1982 Joan Jett & the Blackhearts hit : I LOVE ROCK'N ROLL.

1. Famiglia nickname : MAMMA. Italian for family.

6. Celtic language : WELSH. One of 4 which remain spoken. I wonder why the basketball team was never pronounced the "keltics.'

11. Base enforcers, briefly : MPS. Military Police. Interesting because it is a plural but no place to put the S.

14. Menu listings : ITEMS.

15. Muse with a lyre : ERATO. She appears so often I am no longer amused.

16. Bugler in a forest : ELK.
.
19. Behold : SEE.

20. Diners Club competitor : AMEX. I think American Express would debate this clue.

21. Binding promise : I DO. And you will.

22. Tool that's not for crosscuts : RIP SAW.  I hope you have SEEN all the types of saws. Maybe Splynter will come by and give more personal information on sawing.

27. Title stuffed bear in a 2012 film : TED.  More from the mind of Seth McFarlane. TRAILER. (2:07)

28. Valley where Hercules slew a lion : NEMEA. The first of his labors. LINK.

29. Site of the Alaska Purchase transfer ceremony : SITKA.

33. Blues home: Abbr. : STL. The hockey franchise.

34. Cellular messengers : RNAS.

41. Brest pals : AMIS. I think it works better with milk.

42. Most soldiers : MEN.

43. Hall of Fame umpire Conlan : JOCKO. Those of us who love baseball and study the game know this MAN, but I cannot imagine many here know the name.

44. App writer : CODER. My meh of the day.

46. "... against a __ of troubles": Hamlet : SEA. Take arms...

54. Luxury watch : BULOVA
55. Bailed-out insurance co. : AIG
56. Mislead : FOOL
58. "The Prague Cemetery" novelist : ECO
59. Literary orphan ... and what 17-, 24-, 37- and 48-Across each contains? : OLIVER TWIST,
62. It may be fresh or stale : AIR
63. Milk source : UDDER
64. Sculled : OARED
65. House and Howser : MDS
66. Bygone monarchs : TSARS
67. Winemaking tool : PRESS

Down:

1. Mineral found in sheets : MICA
2. Basic matter : ATOMS
3. Vengeful sorceress of myth : MEDEA
4. Appomattox bicentennial year : MMLXV
5. Faulkner's "__ Lay Dying" : ASI
6. Did lawn work : WEEDED
7. Proofer's find : ERROR
8. Thai native : LAO
9. Last words in a drink recipe, perhaps : STIRWELL
10. "Total patient" treatment : HOLISM
11. Like one expected to deliver? : MESSIANIC
12. Fabric fold : PLEAT
13. Slants : SKEWS
18. Revolting : VILE
23. __ Rico : PUERTO
25. Angled ltrs. : ITAL
26. Not misled by : ONTO
29. Where to get wraps and scrubs : SPA
30. "Are you going?" response : IAM
31. French and Italian flags : TRICOLORS
32. Disputed Balkan republic : KOSOVO
33. Vice principle : SIN
35. Hunky-dory : AOK
36. __-cone : SNO
38. Taurus birthstones, perhaps : EMERALDS
39. Florida's __ Beach : VERO
40. Out of a jamb? : AJAR
45. Pious : DEVOUT
46. They're often on a slippery slope : SKIERS
47. MIT grad, often : ENGR
48. Construction girder : IBEAM
49. Understandable : LUCID
50. Underground worker : CAVER
51. Sun Tzu's "The Art __" : OFWAR
52. Longest river in France : LOIRE
53. Gets knocked off : LOSES
57. Old Fords : LTDS
60. Gilbert and Sullivan princess : IDA
61. Part of an inning : TOP

Friday April 25, 2014, Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: This is no PG-13 puzzle.

We have a letter replacement puzzle with the change from the highly controversial x-rating to the family friendly g-rating. We have asterisks and a reveal which made this seem awfully easy for a Friday. What makes it special though is the phrases chosen to have the final letter of the second of a two word phrase replaced, all begin as somewhat salacious in nature and emerge as completely harmless with the G ending. The rest of the puzzle has much in the way of fun fill, especially longer ones like BEAN BAGS, IN UNISON, ESPECIALLY, PIZZA SLICE, SEMI-ANNUAL ZERO MOSTEL, CHEAP THRILL, MIRACLE MILE.  Mr. Donaldson has been published often in the NYT as well as being a regular  contributor at Crossword Fiend though he has no LAT since 2011. Here is the interview C.C. did back when. LINK.

8. *Scarlet letter? : SIN TAG (6). Most people are lucky they do not really collect a SIN TAX, and as I said I reread Scarlett Letter recently...meh.

20A. *Rio jokester? : BRAZILIAN WAG. (12). If you are unfamiliar with BRAZILIAN WAX you can understand why it is x-rated. I chose not to link the VIDEO and was fascinated to learn the practice goes back 6 or 7 thousand years.

33A. *Law against certain intra-family marriages? : OEDIPUS REG. (10). I am sure you all know the STORY of Oedipus REX.

38A. *Game disc on the farm? : CHICKEN POG. Chicken is one of many POX diseases, and it was thought at one time they all had sexual transmission links. POGS were popular when my kids were little.

48A. *Fighter running on tequila? : MARGARITA MIG.  The Russian fighter jet. I hope the pilots are not fueled by alcohol. Margaritas often to partying and...

And the reveal,  59A.  Like the answers to the starred clues before they were edited : X-RATED.


Across:

1. Sputnik letters : CCCP. The Cyrillic letters for SSSR look like our Latin letters CCCP.

5. Insert : ADD.

14. "Hello, I didn't see you there" : OH HI. My first misstep, as I wanted "Oops." made me question CCCP for a second.

15. Tax-advantaged vehicle : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

16. Like unmiked orators, maybe : HOARSE. Mr. Ed being often a hoarse horse, of course.

17. Collins contemporary : BAEZ. Judy and Joan, my first thought was Joan Collins. One of my favorite concerts was watch Joan Baez perform at Tanglewood. I could not find that performance, so... LINK. (4:45).

18. Like some sales : SEMI-ANNUAL. Like Macy's white sale.

22. Part of a black suit : SPADE. Sometimes I enjoy feeling stupid, as all I thought of were suits of clothing and Sam Spade before the playing card misdirection caught me.

23. It may be packed : GUN. Cute, and fits well with Sam Spade. How many of our readers pack heat?

24. Grand squared : MIL. 1000 x 1000 = 1,000,000. Mil not an abbreviation but a colloquialism.

27. General of Chinese cuisine : TSO.

28. "Bueller? Bueller?" actor Stein : BEN. Jimmy Kimmel's uncle.

29. "Die Lorelei" poet : HEINE. Lorelei was pictured as the temptress on the rock.

31. Shaver brand : WAHL.

35. First-century Judean monarch Herod __ : AGRIPPA.  Grandson of Herod the Great, and friendly with Caligula.

37. Portion portion : SUB-PART. Lawyers love sub-folders, sub-parts, sub-sections.

40. Prefix with morph : ECTO. And its brother ENDO.

41. Healthy greens : KALES. The KALE SMOOTHIE is the most popular drink at Whole Foods market here.

42. Storage unit : BIN.

43. Muscle prone to tears, briefly : ACL. Anterior Cruciate Ligament. One of the 4 major knee ligaments.

44. Fashion monogram : YSL. Yves St. Laurent.

45. A long way : FAR.

46. Waffle __ : FRIES. I really wanted IRONS, this was obscure, but it could have been Curly___ and I would have been no better off.

52. Tevye-playing Tony winner : ZERO MOSTEL. As old timers may remember I did get to see Topol in his farewell tour as Teyve. Zero's son Josh was/is also a comedian.

55. Prom rental : LIMO.

56. Inverse trig function : ARC SIN. Interesting to see SIN twice in the grid even if the words and sound are so different.

57. Spreading tree : ELM. Most new England elms were devastated by Dutch Elm Disease when I was growing up, thought the one is this painting will last forever.

58. Foreign attorneys' degs. : LLBS. In the US the degree is a Juris Doctor, a doctorate degree requiring undergraduate degree. My father went into a program where he never received a college degree only his LLB in the 30's. The "LL." of the abbreviation for the degree is from the genitive plural legum (of lex, law). Creating an abbreviation for a plural, especially from Latin, is often done by doubling the first letter (e.g. "pp" for "pages"), thus "LL.B." stands for Legum Baccalaureus in Latin. It is sometimes erroneously called "Bachelor of Legal Letters" to account for the double "L".

60. Call for help : SOS. I just love the term"backronym." LINK.

61. "Uh-huh" : YEAH.


Down:

1. Georgia county planned to be the 2017 home of the Braves : COBB. This is where Marietta is located, and is named after an old Senator, not Ty.

2. Blackens : CHARS.

3. It doesn't provide lasting enjoyment : CHEAP THRILL. Dennis, they are playing our song. Immediately followed by a quickie...hmmm.

4. Quick lunch, perhaps : PIZZA SLICE. Cute clue.

5. Window alternative : AISLE. Airplane seats, not house related.

6. German crowd? : DREI. Three is a crowd even in German.

7. Broken : DAMAGED.

8. Gymnast Johnson who was a "Dancing With the Stars" winner : SHAWN. I wonder if this show is popular enough to consider this a fair clue.   WATCH. BTW his name is Hough.

9. Inner Hebrides isle : IONA. Off the coast of Scotland, it is also the name of a College in NY. In Hebrew the name means dove.

10. Da __, Vietnam : NANG.

11. Play about Capote : TRU.

12. Hard-rock link : AS A.

13. Crystallize : GEL.

19. How a chorus may sing : IN UNISON. Hopefully.

21. Vow on a stand : I DO. "do you solemnly swear...?"

24. Site of Los Angeles' Museum Row : MIRACLE MILE.

25. Like krypton : INERT. Without the capital K, superman is not involved.

26. Not a __ stand on : LEG TO.

28. Contoured chairs : BEAN BAGS. What a classy description for a very cheap item.

29. Connecting flight site : HUB.

30. In particular : ESPECIALLY.

31. Nonsensical : WACKY.

32. Ottoman nobility : AGHAS.

33. Ajar, poetically : OPE. There is no 'ope for this clue.

34. Curly-tailed canine : PUG.

36. Soccer stat : PKS. Penalty kicks.

39. 1979 World Series champs : PIRATES. Random even for a baseball such as myself; though I recall the Mazeroski home run in 1960, nothing about 1979 stands out in my mind.

43. What life imitates, so it's said : ART.

45. Fern leaf : FROND. Also fro, Palm trees.

46. Festival features : FILMS.

47. 1994 film king : SIMBA. Lion King anyone.

48. Very : MOST.

49. Grenoble gal pal : AMIE.

50. Move shortly? : RELO. Perfectly regular clue, but I for one do not like the fill.

51. "My stars!" : GOSH.

52. Either of two stubborn Seuss characters : ZAX.

53. Go off : ERR. I think of this meaning more .yelling at someone., "I went off on my
secretary when she brought me a plain latte."

54. Early 'N Sync label : RCA. Radio Corporation of America. I went to grammar school with one of the Sarnoff children. he did not light up the screen.

Well chugging along through early spring, which has hung on giving us some spectacular weather, we will be back in May.  Some obscure proper names, but it is Friday; enjoy the week end all

Lemonade 714 out.

May 2, 2014

Theme: C'mon boys, saddle up and let's go get 'em.

The letter EM are added to 4 in the language phrases with an extremely clever reveal. We are back basking in the complicated mind of our favorite South African veterinarian, GARETH Bain, who as you can see from the Interview linked has been with us almost from the beginning of the switch to the LA Times, which coincided with his getting published in the US. The reveal HOLD 'EM, is reminiscent of his first puzzle where the letters ON were removed, with the reveal NIXON. I really enjoy how he locks onto these words and phrases and builds a puzzle. He also obviously works very hard to use a varied fill drawing from many parts of pop and historic culture. He also manages to make the puzzles very accessible to Americans despite his own background. We also get some interesting animal information.


19A. Organized group of female monarchs? : EMPRESS CORPS (12). A nice visual of Queen Elizabeth hosting a bunch of female world leaders; more interesting than a bunch of news people.

30A. Ingredient in a concrete American flag? : RED CEMENT (9). A simple penny becomes another visual.




Across:

1. It comes from goats : MOHAIR. We begin in the animal kingdom, but my mind goes to this LINK.
7. Old hand : PRO. Gareth was 22 and just beginning in 2009, now he is an old pro.

10. Margery of nursery rhyme : DAW. An old time British (Steve?) nursery rhyme that I heard in my early days. WATCH. (0:53).

13. Reason to be at sea? : ENIGMA. This is the idiom, being at sea, as lost confused.

14. Leak slowly : SEEP.

15. Pub choice : ALE. For Tin and my children.

16. Colorful freshwater fish : TETRAS.

17. 1994 Schwarzenegger film : TRUE LIES. Some very funny parts with Jamie Lee Curtis.

21. Waterskiing challenges : WAKES.

24. Role for Ronny : OPIE. The old Andy Griffith Show gets lots of puzzle exposure.

25. Blood __ : TYPE. Clecho alert!

26. Blood system letters : A B O.

27. Pelion neighbor : MT. OSSA. There is also one in Tasmania, but we climb here in GREECE.

29. Vulpine critter : FOX. More animal info, one of the many groups ending in INE, reminiscent of a recent puzzle.


33. Overwhelming amount : SEA
35. Feel a strong desire (for) : STARVE
36. Former German chancellor Adenauer : KONRAD
39. Fancy carp : KOI
40. Plastic leg bone? : FAKEFEMUR
43. Mooch : BUM
45. "Cows of Our Planet" cartoonist : LARSON
47. Mesozoic, e.g. : ERA
48. Old folk song composer, often: Abbr. : ANON
50. Bread often served with ghee : NAAN
51. Hat material : STRAW
53. Line of hunky monarchs? : HEMANDYNASTY
56. Catholic recitation phrase : AVEMARIA
57. Poker variety ... and what the four longest across answers do? : HOLDEM
61. Chess components : MEN
62. Parker array : PENS
63. Restless feeling : UNEASE
64. Hill occupant : ANT
65. Anti-aging treatment target : SAG
66. Named : TERMED
Down:
1. Ran into : MET
2. 1992 U2 song : ONE
3. Popular song : HIT
4. Correspond : AGREE
5. Mosque VIPs : IMAMS
6. Gravelly sound : RASP
7. Don't give up : PERSIST
8. Practices one of the environmental three R's : REUSES
9. Barrel-conscious gp. : OPEC
10. Jersey owner, maybe : DAIRYFARMER
11. Syria's most populous city : ALEPPO
12. Thomas Hardy setting : WESSEX
14. Squish : STEPON
18. Nephew of Abraham : LOT
20. Dull repetition : ROTE
21. Cola __ : WARS
22. Help in a heist : ABET
23. Ideal time to snap? : KODAKMOMENT
27. Bovary title: Abbr. : MME
28. Starting from : ASOF
31. HUN neighbor, to the IOC : CRO
32. Baleful : EVIL
34. Capt.'s course : ENE
36. Knowledge : KEN
37. Mystique : AURA
38. Billiards backspin : DRAW
40. Wearing a lot : FRAYING
41. Yoga class regimen : ASANAS
42. Hawaiian coffee-growing region : KONA
43. Grand __ : BAHAMA
44. Spotty : UNEVEN
46. Lead singer of the Irish rock group The Corrs : ANDREA
49. Where many vets served : NAM
51. Peach pit : STONE
52. "House of Payne" creator __ Perry : TYLER
54. Snoozes : NAPS
55. Turned (off) : SHUT
58. Sire's mate : DAM
59. Legal closing? : ESE
60. Club __ : MED