I often complain that constructors do not use enough imagination to add the letter "J" to their creations, being prejudiced by my name. This puzzle by our new Friday fixture, JW, takes out all of the stops and uses a really cute reveal to explain all the Js 'popping in' the four in the language phrases, each of which is clued with wit and becomes a fun visual. Mr. Wechsler seems to be on a good Friday run with his usual array of fill such as KNELLED, SEXISTS, ST JAMES, WII MINI, IN A STATE, MILLINER, SOMEWHAT, TO AND FRO. TOOL SHED, UNBURDEN. Like yesterday's puzzle, the reveal is really entertaining and fair and no Naticks.
So let's unburden ourselves and see what this First Friday in September has to offer.
16A. Exceptional practical joke? : GREAT JAPE.(9). Am I alone in wondering about the oxymoronic concept of a "practical" joke? Certainly the great ape friend of Cesar had no sense of humor. Jape appears in so many of the British mysteries I read, but it is not a word I would use.
23A. What bearded men get in blizzards? : SNOWY JOWLS. (10). Being a bearded man who is getting more jowly with age, this was easy and revealed the theme quickly. For obvious reasons, the beautiful BIRD does not make it to Florida.
34A. Short hike for a beginner? : MAIDEN JAUNT. (11). This seemed so perfect, especially with my mental picture of the Maiden Aunt out in the woods with her binoculars, looking for Snowy Owls.
48A. Jack's friend resting on the hill? : JILL AT EASE. (10). While this is the outlier, with the J added to the first word, I wonder if it wasn't the seed entry to the theme. The question always remains unanswered; why DID they really go up the hill?
And the reveal:
57A. Pretentious showoffs, or, another way, what one would do to create 16-, 23-, 34- and 48-Across : POPINJAYS. (9). I just love a well thought out reveal like this which make the theme so cool.
And the gratuitous bonus fill
5D. NBA legend, familiarly : DR J. Julius Erving, UMass graduate and NBA hall of famer.
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Across:
1. How an airport shuttle travels : TO AND FRO. Because Back and Forth would not fit.
9. Savors, with "in" : BASKS. In the sun, to...
14. Take a load off : UNBURDEN. from the days stresses.
15. Hwy. paralleling I-95 : US ONE. I live one block west of US 1 and two miles east of 95.
17. Wrist brand : TIMEX. Back in the early days TV commercials never pitted products by name, it was always PRODUCT and brand X, with brand x a poor substitute. I wonder if that insoired the name of this timepiece?
18. Condos, to the management : UNITS.
19. Arrest readings: Abbr. : RTS. An accepted abbreviation of rights, but clued on a Friday level.
21. Lunch spot : DELI.
22. Michelangelo's "David," e.g. : NUDE. 2nd time we have had this recently, and of course fiiting that it adjoins...
26. Place to luxuriate : SPA. where people often parade around naked.
27. Band from Birmingham, Eng. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.
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28. Glorifying work : ODE.
29. Distressed, with "up" : HET. They say it derives from situations which 'heat up'. In modernusage, HET refers to a heterosexual person.
30. Cast aspersions : SNIPE.
32. Plenty : SCADS.
37. Goodman's forte : SWING. Benny and his licorice stick.
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39. Prepare for a siege : DIG IN. because stock up would not fit.
40. "Voices Carry" pop group '__ Tuesday : TIL. Not in my knowledge bank.
41. 1964 Nobelist's monogram : MLK. Martin Luther King. There are so many famous initials, but few reach his level. If you think only of scientists, this was a very tricky clue.
44. Destroy, in a way : GUT. Once owned a duplex, rented half to a client/friend and he gutted the place. Lesson learned.
45. Discreet email letters : BCC. Blind Carbon Copy, originally.
51. Pull up stakes, briefly : RELOcate. I am not a fan of this form of abbreviation: 7D. Dupe : REPROduction.
52. 1975 Pure Prairie League hit : AMIE.
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53. Comfy room : DEN. This room has gone through more changes without ever changing.
54. "A Few Good Men" playwright Sorkin : AARON. My oldest son's name and a prolific and successful WRITER who also created the TV drama the West Wing.
55. Supply near the register : MINTS.
60. War need? : ENEMY. An ironic clue, juxtaposed with...
61. Perturbed : IN A STATE. For which one might need a
62. Warning sound : SIREN. to let the world know of the impending danger.
63. Storage place : TOOL SHED. Do they build these with houses any more? I loved ours growing up, it was dark and dank and a fun place.
Down:
1. Appear : TURN UP.
2. Iroquois League tribe : ONEIDA. One of the Six Nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora.
3. Wane : ABATE.
4. "Shoot!" : NUTS.
6. Org. that regulates vaccines : FDA. Food and Drug Administration.
8. Damaging combination : ONE TWO. Really nice misdirection with boxing the hidden ingredient.
9. On the other hand : BUT. and, 11D. To a degree : SOMEWHAT.
10. "Just like me" : AS I DO. Do as I do. 49D. "I'll take a shot" : LET ME. What do you have to lose?
12. Rang tragically : KNELLED. The ringing of a bell to signal a death (Death Knell) goes back centuries; bells also toll for the dead.
13. Some discriminators : SEXISTS. Damn those people who send naked pictures in the cloud!
16. Tries (for) : GUNS.
20. Barrett of Pink Floyd : SYD. He was a founder, the lead singer and guitarist who did not make it past the second album with Pink Floyd.
23. Lost one's footing : SLID. Rhymes with Syd.
24. "Uh-uh" : NOPE. Rhymes with Pope.
25. Pope Francis, e.g. : JESUIT. This religious order was a logical response to the reformation efforts of the Protestants
27. Brain teaser : ENIGMA. Wrapped in a riddle inside a crossword puzzle.
30. __ Jose : SAN. On my way....
31. Word with living or bitter : END.
33. "The Situation Room" airer : CNN. Cable News Network.
34. Top designer? : MILLINER. Cute, a top (a hat) designer, NOT a TOP Designer. Did this have you spinning?
35. Reel relatives : JIGS. YR must have eaten this clue up about Virginia Reels and Irish Jigs, started me thinking about movies and old music.
36. Fever with chills : AGUE.
37. Place in Monopoly's orange monopoly : ST. JAMES. One of the boring properties along with New York and Tennessee, not cheap but not exciting unless you can get the ones before and after.
38. Lower-cost Nintendo offering : WII MINI. Their PROMOTION. Never saw one, let alone played one, though I have many WII hours logged.
42. Relative of Inc. : LTD. Many other countries use this designation for privately held companies.
43. "Consider that a gift" : KEEP IT. Usually said after someone has either taken a bite or a sip of your drink/food.
45. Dress down : BERATE. With employees this should always be done in private.
46. Was too sweet : CLOYED. I am used to cloying, so I guess CLOYED should not have been hard.
47. Pen occupants : CONS. many of whom are pros.
50. Reprimand ending : A NO NO. Charlotte is learning about no nos.
51. Hindustan ruler : RAJAH.
54. Single-file travelers, at times : ANTS. Where do those damn sugar ants come from?
56. Numbers for songs?: Abbr. : SYNonym. I nice deception asking to compare the words.
58. Kung __ chicken : PAO.
59. Alcatraz, e.g.: Abbr. : ISLand. Now open for tourists? LINK.
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