Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Get the "F" out of here!

Two weeks, so it must be time for another Jeffrey Jem. The concluding "F" in the final word in a known phrase is removed leaving a new phrase humorously but correctly clued. After all of the add a letter puzzles, here we have one with a disappearing letter. I was most impressed that he found 5 such phrases and each of the resulting new ones are very evocative and reasonable. Like the comment C.C. made last Sunday about Melanie's W, I found it unfortunate we have the MFA/FLESH crossing leaving a single F in the grid. I see the problem since the placement of two of the theme fill restricted the choices, but in a perfect world...We have a nice mini-theme of singer songwriters, as well as many interrelated concepts.

Not much in the way of long fill, ACCENT,  AUBURN,  EXCELS,  POLLEN,  SAVIOR,  SULLEN, UNREAL,  VENEER, ELEVATES,  SCENE TWO but plenty of road blocks. Let us get going....


18A. USDA-approved cheese? : LEGAL BRIEF (9). This is a theme and answer where you need the perps to get started with the first themer, but once you "see" the missing "F" it all makes sense.

24A. Query when a certain queen goes missing? : WHERE'S THE BEEF (12). This I found to be a particularly fair clue, because the Q is not capitalized leaving queen bee as one of a very limited few possible answers. I hope everyone remembers dear Clara Peller.

40A. Plow one's recently purchased field? : TURN OVER A NEW LEAF (15). Very nice use of the word LEA.

50A. Revolutionary as a successful businessman? : EXECUTIVE CHEF (12). Great visual of cigar smoking, beret wearing Che Guevera running a vape store in SoFla.

62A. Improved sci-fi computer? : BETTER HALF (10). Well almost any computer not trying to kill the humans would be nice.

On that rather special note let us move on....

Across:

1. Activities for seniors : PROMS. High school, not for me and you.

6. Cinematographer's deg. : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.

9. __ Summer: U.S. Naval Academy training program : PLEBE.

14. "Service at the Speed of Sound" franchise : SONIC. We have them here, but I am more familiar with Freaky Fast.

15. Not just some : ALL.

16. Ran very slowly : OOZED. Sadly, I associate the word with wounds...

17. Selassie of Ethiopia : HAILE. This was once a regular in puzzles, but his fame has dimmed, but this week a comeback?

20. Actor's study, perhaps : ACCENT. Are you all as amazed as I am at how well non-Americans like Stephen "Bill" Moyer, Simon "Jane" Baker, Hugh "House" Lawrie and oodles more are so believable with their accents? They often practice on a  64D. Studio __ : LOT.

22. King David's predecessor : SAUL.  and some more bible, 11D. Book of __ : EZRA. This is the story of the first return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian diaspora and the rebuilding of the temple, and 31D. Genesis wife : LEAH. Along with her sister Rachel, she married Jacob.

23. Gothic novelist Radcliffe : ANN.A Friday obscurity, this reclusive AUTHOR was a Gothic pioneer.

27. Head of the Greek Titans? : TAU. Cute.

28. "I can't believe my eyes!" : UNREAL. Like many Gothic Novels.

32. Angled pipe : ELBOW. Almost right next to 39A. North Sea feeder : ELBE

36. Atomic theory pioneer : BOHR. What I know about this MAN was begun from reading Margaret Grimes' Inspector Jury mysteries.

43. Obi-Wan portrayer : ALEC. great actor, Mr. Guiness

44. Early romantic figure : EROS. The boy god.

45. Controlling chain : LEASH. Below LEA.

46. Morose : SULLEN.

48. Named period : AGE. So many un-PC thoughts....

57. Org. concerned with smog : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

60. Firm bosses : CEOS. Chief Executive Officers

61. One who delivers : SAVIOR. Not Jimmy John. Not my favorite clue/fill.

65. :50, another way : TEN TO.

66. London __ : BROIL. I always marinate before the broiling. It is a matter of...

67. Source of pride : EGO.

68. Wrapped on a set : ENDED. On a movie, or tv series set.

69. Family and economy : SIZES. I just love how companies change products from 32 oz to 28 oz, keep the price the same and think we are too stupid to notice the price increase. That is why our grocery stores now post the price per ounce,

70. Big top item : NET. Unless they are real daredevils, working without one is then the norm. That would show great...

71. Way : STYLE.

Down:

1. "Baloney!" : PSHAW. Old timey expressions.

2. Orkin target : ROACH.

3. In abeyance : ON ICE. A non-CSO for Tin.

4. Track competitor : MILER. And, 53D. Relay or dash : EVENT. At the track meet.

5. Theatrical division : SCENE TWO.

6. Wrong at the start? : MAL. The prefix, from the Latin meaning bad, e.g. LINK.

7. Crayola color renamed Peach in 1962 : FLESH.

8. Some microflora : ALGAE. Micro meaning tiny -flora plant

9. Floral dispersion : POLLEN. More flora(l). I love how these clues are together.

10. Part of an alley-oop play : LOB.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHnsEwpZ2bo

12. Flower children's gathering : BE IN. Been there....

13. "Gates of __": Bob Dylan song : EDEN. Not his biggest hit. 34D. "The Song of Old Lovers" songwriter : BREL Jacques. 51D. "Hallelujah" songwriter Leonard : COHEN. My mini-theme.
LINK 1. LINK 2. LNK 3.

19. Georgia rival since 1892 : AUBURN. A small town in Alabama but home to a national football power for years.

21. Org. that issues "Known Traveler" numbers : TSA. Transportation Security Administration

25. River floater : TUBER. Not a lost potato, but one of the memorable parts of going to law school in Gainesville, Florida.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAuz_Pf3lp8

26. "Maid of Athens, __ part": Byron : ERE WE.

"Maid of Athens, ere we part,
Give, oh, give back my heart!
Or, since that has left my breast,
Keep it now, and take the rest!
Hear my vow before I go,
Ζωή μου, σᾶς ἀγαπῶ."

29. Self-titled 1969 jazz album : ELLA. Always fun to showcase Ms. Fitzgerald.

30. Five-spots : ABES. Five dollar bills.

32. LAX postings : ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrival.

33. Humdinger : LULU.

35. Rouen relative : ONCLE. Le mari de ma tante.

37. Valuable elemento : ORO. Gold!

38. Attacks : HAS AT.

41. Dental treatment : VENEER. Interesting that veneers were first used with wood and now we have porcelain ones for teeth, which were also wood at one time.

42. Improves : ELEVATES. Announcers are forever talking about athletes elevating their game, like LeBron, to the point where he....

47. Has no peer : EXCELS.

49. USO show audience : GIS.

52. Dictionary information : USAGE.

54. ___ Lou, Who girl who interrupted the Grinch's burglary : CINDY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjqq3ElVYlg
55. Travelocity option : HOTEL.

56. Slowly reduce : ERODE. Everything from rocks to confidence.

57. Recedes : EBBS. Well my energy is in fact...

58. Prefix with meter : PERImeter. This is a Friday usage, fer shure.

59. Familiar gamut : A TO Z.

63. Clip-on, maybe : TIE.I guess I am one of the few who still wears ties regularly, but no clip ons. But it is time to move on, as another week comes to an end. Next time I see you all it will be summer and the says will be getting shorter. Hope you enjoyed our biweekly visit with JW, Lemonade out.

Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Marketing 101: add an ad.

What a last 4 weeks with Jeffrey Wechsler, John Lampkin, and now Don and C.C. I do not recall a Dynamic Duo puzzle since May, 2013, when we were treated to the Hidden Camera puzzle. It is only fitting that this team kick off the Fourth Annual Minnesota Crossword set for this Sunday, the 14th.

This time we have an add an AD to a recognizable two word phrase, with the first three added to the middle of the first word, the last to the beginning of the final word. While an outlier, I love the quote from Thelonious Monk. The rest of the puzzle has the now usual mix of deceptively clued facts or not too well known proper names which make the fill a challenge



17A. Sheep and cows grazing together? : MEADOW MIX (9). A little cat food transforms to big animal fodder.

30A. Taking turns ranting? : TIRADE ROTATION (14).

48A. Spy industry? : SHADOW BUSINESS (14). My favorite

63A. Monk's "The piano ain't got no wrong notes," e.g? : JAZZ ADAGE (9).

Across:

1. Oilman who once owned the New York Jets : HESS. He bought out his partners and hired Bill Parcells. LINK. Hess gas station recently became Speedway. What will happen to the trucks?

5. Voucher : CHIT. A very common fill.

9. "MacGyver" actor Dana : ELCAR. I recall this odd looking man, but confused the LC as CL for a bit.

14. "Happy Starts Here" food company : ALPO.  LINK. (0:15).

15. Something about us all? : AURA. Cute, about us not about us....

16. Lash of Westerns : LARUE. A different time and place. LINK.(14:36).

19. Latin clarifier : ID EST. i. e.

20. Rough projection : CRAG.

21. __ Flags : SIX. Theme parks.

23. Brand of coolers : YETI. No idea; are THEY big in Minnesota?

24. Chateau __ Michelle winery : STE.

25. "... the __ below / As hush as death ... ": "Hamlet" : ORB.

28. Chocolate dessert : MUD PIE.

34. Baleful : EVIL.

35. Sullen : MOROSE.

36. Char-Broil competitor : WEBER.

38. Last state to be admitted to the U.S. before the start of the Civil War : KANsas.

39. French toast : SALUT.

44. Big Sur retreat : ESALEN.

47. Morning co-host : RIPA. You think she works out?

52. Precise : SPOT ON.

53. Kung __ shrimp : PAO.

54. Took sides? : ATE.

55. Lattice strip : LATH.

56. Nigerian culinary staple : YAM.

59. Tot's glassful : WAWA.

61. Diner unit : ORDER.

67. Right wrongs : ATONE.

68. "Land for sale" sign datum : AREA.

69. Its logo uses Sweden's national colors : IKEA.

70. Trouble : NAG AT.

71. Phoned : RANG.

72. Costner role : NESS.

Down:

1. Pork cut : HAM
2. Student's option : ELECTIVE
3. Pork cut : SPARERIB
4. Pop : SODA
5. Call in a field : CAW
6. White noise, perhaps : HUM
7. Tennessee state flower : IRIS
8. Waiter at O'Hare : TAXI
9. Country's __ Young Band : ELI
10. Prince George's grandma : LADYDI
11. Lowlife, slangily : CREEPO
12. Southernmost 48-states capital : AUSTIN
13. Get even with again : RETIE
18. Prayer opener : OGOD
22. Brief holiday? : XMAS
24. Ratatouille, for one : STEW
26. "Losing My Religion" band : REM
27. Longtime Rather rival : BROKAW
29. Pac-12 team : UTES
31. Yard sale? : ALE
32. P&G dental brand : ORALB
33. Get ripped : TONEUP
37. More than modify : REDO
40. Prince __ of Ord, friend of Valiant : ARN
41. Act restlessly : LIEAWAKE
42. Draws attention from, in a way : UPSTAGES
43. Zap : TASE
45. Xperia maker : SONY
46. Surveillance org. : NSA
48. Ancient Laconian state : SPARTA
49. Show-off : HOTDOG
50. Goddess who advised Odysseus : ATHENA
51. "The Bridges of Madison County" setting : IOWA
52. Plumbing brand : SLOAN
57. Open slightly : AJAR
58. Actress Rooney __ : MARA
60. Court term, and hint to this puzzle's four longest answers : ADIN
62. Like Gen. Shinseki : RET
64. __ garden : ZEN
65. Turn sharply : ZAG
66. __ in echo : EAS

Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

Wow, three every other week Fridays from Jeffrey, with each quite different. No puns here, adding "TRY" into known phrases to create new fill clued with lots of visual humor. Structurally, the word count and blocks are more reminiscent of an early week puzzle, but there is lots of difficulty and some nice long entries to both slow you down and speed you up when they click.  EASTERN, ONENESS , PAL JOEY,  TASTING, PIG BARNS,  STAMP TAX are fun and many of the 6 letter fill, like NO DISC, TALESE, YE GODS, DOMINO and CITRUS are not overused.  With all this practice, I had a quick run with a good deal of the puzzle, with only the SE a bit of a slog. I also appreciated some of the little things, like cluing ____Box, followed by Box___, the CELL semi clecho, and an N.T., O.T. pair. Also the placement of the TRY is consistent, 1/3 end of first word  2/4 end of last word. I will stop talking and get to the puzzle.

19A. Scene when stores open on Black Friday? : ENTRY DASH. A quick reprise from yesterday, sort of. When I first started trying to do crossword puzzles on my own, instead of trying to horn in on my parents' solving efforts, ENS, EMS and ERS were very common fill. If you read the LINK it does not add the EN and EM are type face measures, which I would imagine is how the dashes got their name. I did make the mistake of going to a Best Buy one Black Friday morning.

31A. Superhero preparing to cook dinner? : FLASH IN THE PANTRY. There is a new TV series which was part of the basis of conflict between Sheldon and Amy. LINK. (1:00) Again, for me the visual is cool, superhero cooking.

37A. Eclair big enough to share? : PASTRY DE DEUX. The 'step of two', or pairs ballet. LINK.(9:02). I wonder how big that eclair would need to be as I do like a good one.

45A. Efficient wall decor for a steel vault? : MAGNETIC TAPESTRY. My favorite because the visual is so appealing with the ornate rug sticking by magnetism

62A. Just tempting enough ... and what 19-, 31-, 37- and 45-Across are? : WORTH A TRY.  The rare Friday reveal.

Across:

1. Was missing : LACKED. Not the easiest of 1A clues, but very fair.

7. Cell download : APP. If you do not have a smart phone, you probably do not know about the millions of available APPlications.

10. "The Wild Duck" playwright : IBSEN. I filled this confidently, though I have never heard of the play. We get a lot of this prolific Norwegian.

15. Inclusive term : ET ALII. I had the two Is from the perps, so I avoided the alia/alii question.

16. Engage in a bit of self-criticism : RUE. For me, this is one of those clues that ends up making sense, but ruing the day etc. I did not think was always self-criticism.

17. Word on a résumé : VITAE. There is debate as to whether a CV can be considered a résumé. LINK since a Curriculum Vitae is comprehensive and a résumé by its name is a summary.

18. Item with pips : DOMINO. Since Gladys Knight did not fit, and I already had EINE and DIOS and this game is very popular in South Florida, the NW was going well.

21. "I believe in the absolute __ ... of humanity": Gandhi : ONENESS. The tricky use of ...obscures the entire quotation and any religious implication.

23. Investment initials : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.
Options
24. CPR provider : EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.

25. Certain rider : FARE. Do any of you all use UBER?

26. Boost, say : ASSIST.

29. Quill __ : PEN.

35. Yachting, perhaps : ASEA. An acceptable A word, that people actually use.

36. Relies (on) : LEANS.
Lean on Me
42. Pub patron's words : A PINT.

44. Pole-to-pole link : AXIS.

53. Tirana is its cap. : ALBania.

54. Blu-ray player error message : NO DISC.

55. Sandusky's lake : ERIE. CSO again!

56. N.T. book : JAS. James.

58. Comprehended : GOT. I got it!

59. Winery event : TASTING. It was at such an event that I met in person the irrepressible and golf talented Chairman.

65. "Move it!" : LET'S GO.

66. Principle : TENET.

67. Dickens' "__ Mutual Friend" : OUR.  Our Mutual Friend is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining psychological insight with social analysis. Wikipedia.

68. Fountain offering : MALTED. I have not had one in years.

69. Minor surgery targets : CYSTS.

70. Old spy gp. : OSS. Office of Strategic Services. LINK.

71. Heads (toward) : STEERS.

Down:

1. Started : LED OFF. The downs....

2. Like many Schoenberg compositions : ATONAL.

3. Cell component : CAMERA. I am old enough to still be amazed about the cell/camera and the quality of the immediate image you get.

4. Actors Kevin and Richard : KLINES.  LINK 1. Many great comedy movies. LINK 2. Three's Company. Not related.

5. Article in Der Spiegel : EINE. The German newspaper. 34A. Fresh, to a Frau : NEU. German 'NEW.'

6. Spanish deity : DIOS.

7. "__ you kidding?" : ARE.

8. Lock up, say : PUNISH.

9. '60s Moore role : PETRIE.
link
10. One of an academic octet : IVY. Can you name them all without looking? I bet Bill G. can.

11. Sit tight : BIDE.

12. Subject of a 1765 act : STAMP TAX. Isn't it fun when something you learned a million years ago pops into your brain.

13. Defunct carrier : EASTERN. Living in Florida, this was a gimme.

14. O.T. book : NEHemiah.

20. Woodworking tool : RASP.

22. More practical : SANER.

27. Vacation time : STAY. Not an easy parse for me.

28. "Honor Thy Father" author : TALESE. Guy was a newspaper guy who later wrote books. "News, if unreported, has no impact. It might as well have not happened at all."
Gay Talese

30. FDR was once its governor : NYS. New York State.

32. Move it : HASTEN. Not my favorite word.

Hasten Jason
Get the Basin
Oops slop
Get the mop.

33. Violin attachment? : IST. How many started out thinking, what in the world do you put on a violin?

37. Farm houses : PIG BARNS. I never thoguht they had them but I grew up in Cow Country.

38. Cape named by Charles I : ANN. Explorer John Smith named all the capes using native American words, his King changed many; was Cape Ann, which Charles named in honor of his mother Anne of Denmark. Wiki.

39. "__ Love": "Carmen Jones" song : DATS. For marti. Link. A sad story retold many times; Dorothy Dandridge did the 1954 movie.

40. Demand : EXACT.  SPOLIER ALERT!!!!!!!
The chief Sparrow exacted a stiff penalty from Cersei.

41. Decline : DIP. TV pundits love to speak of dips in the market.

42. Org. encouraging vaccination : AMA. I was tempted to put CVS, but knew better.

43. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" musical : PAL JOEY.
Link
46. Inedible wrap : TOGA. Sari also fits.

47. Affirming retort : I DO TOO. Back again.

48. Rue family tree : CITRUS.

49. Wrap up : SETTLE. Your account?

50. Sibelius' "Valse __" : TRISTE. The Sad Waltz.  LISTEN. Classic.

51. Dead __ : RINGER.

52. "Holy moly!" : YE GODS.

57. Cancel the dele : STET. More historical crosswordese.

60. __ box : ALMS.

61. Box __ : SEAT.

62. NYC Freedom Tower locale : WTC. World Trade Center.

63. Nos. on driver's licenses : HTS. As opposed to wts.

64. Anniversary no. : YRS.

In the end, it was a workout but fun and I was pleased I got it all. Thanks again Jeffry and all of you. Lemonade out.