Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: What is the game, an abbreviated military march? Yes, CPT OBVIOUS! (Drat, HG linked that already this week!)

We return to our prolific Friday phenom, Jeffrey, with a simple-looking theme and tons of fun fill. Each in-the- language phrase is re-imagined "on the base" with the three-letter abbreviation for the military rank replacing the first word of the phrase. The original phrases are all very recognizable and the grid has a fairly standard look. The fill ‒ including long ones like BEGONIA, EMANATE, DOG BITES, ONE IN TWO, POLLSTER, and SWEPT OUT ‒ once again presents JW's affinity for multi-word fill with some of the six-letter answers like AS I CAN, BIG APE, BITMAP, DUCATS, PIMPLE, SEABED, TAKE ME and TIN EAR sparkly. The use of cheater squares to balance the 13-letter fill makes this all come together. Let's feast.


19A. Familiar material, on the base? : GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (12). The clue and fill are straightforward -- only the shortening brings in the military.

26A. Backbone of capitalism, on the base? : PRIVATE ENTERPRISE (13).  LINK.

42A. Disciplinary action, on the base? : CORPORAL PUNISHMENT (13). Remember these? LINK.

48A. Important find, on the base? : MAJOR DISCOVERY (12).

Across:

1. Locale of TV's Krusty Krab restaurant : SEABED. From Sponge Bob to reality...

7. "The Hitch-Hiker" director Lupino : IDA. An all male cast; really easy fill but who remembers this movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMoox8_pUlA

10. Meatless lasagna ingredient, perhaps : TOFU. Because spinach would not fit. A puzzle rich in INFORMATION.

14. "I wanna go too!" : TAKE ME.

15. Presumed threats to letter carriers : DOG BITES.

17. " ... according to my abilities" : AS I CAN.

18. Half, statistically : ONE IN TWO. You had a one in two chance of getting this right.

21. __ loss : AT A.

22. The Hammer of baseball : AARON. Hmmerin' Hank, yes...

31. Natural mole fur hue : TAUPE. Really? The French word for mole is TAUPE.  The moles we had in Connecticut had darker coats.

33. Balm source : ALOE.

34. Hand analog : PAW.

35. Fruity quaffs : ADES. A mini CSO for moi.

36. "Actions speak louder than words," e.g. : MAXIM. Saying, adage, aphorism, proverb, motto, saw, axiom, dictum, precept, epigram; truism, cliché.

38. Short pooch, for short : PEKE. Pekingese, the Chinese Lion Dog. The look sad to me.

39. It's hardly a smash : LOB. Not a flop or bomb, but a tennis term.

40. Lowlands feature : DALE.

41. __ metabolism : BASAL. Time to fix your BODY.

46. Undemonstrative sort : STOIC.

47. Med. recording : ECG.

56. Cleaned, in a way : SWEPT OUT.

59. Lethargy cause : ANEMIA. The old iron deficiency anemia.

60. One assessing sentiment : POLLSTER. Please no robocalls! Last election is why I gave up my home phone.

61. Digital image format : BITMAP. Not a word I KNEW.

62. It keeps the team together : YOKE.

63. Calculating : SLY.

64. Studio equipment : EASELS. Art studio,  not music.

Down:

1. Companion to Artemis : STAG.  Famous  ART.

2. Simplicity : EASE.

3. Related : AKIN.

4. 2014 Best Rock Album Grammy winner : BECK. This was hard because Led Zepplin won last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM1g3D75kDw

5. Spring (from) : EMANATE. Nice word.

6. Mean : DENOTE. One of those needless ten dollar words, if you mean mean say mean.

7. Teen __ : IDOL. Wolf anyone? Michael Landon?  Michael J, Fox?

8. "And there you have it!" : DONE. Not even close.

9. Old : AGED.

10. Problem for a conductor wannabe : TIN EAR.

11. 1930s-'40s slugger : OTT. Mel is back.

12. Limited : FEW.

13. Mil. morale booster : USO.

16. Oaf : BIG APE.

20. Lacking color : WAN.

23. Best for consumption, perhaps : RIPEST.

24. Panasonic headquarters city : OSAKA. And why should I know this? Wait for the perps.

25. Staircase support : NEWEL.

26. Southwestern community : PUEBLO.

27. No. twos : VPS. BMS  fit.

28. Perennial political debate subject : TAXES.

29. Priest in 1 Samuel : ELI.

30. N.T. book written by Paul : ROMans.

31. Soothing applications : TALCS.

32. Add to the family : ADOPT.

36. "What a piece of work is a __!": Hamlet : MAN. A very simple Will quote for JW.

37. Legendary fighter : ALI.

38. Broadway flier : PAN.

40. Coins of old Venice : DUCATS. Gold or silver coins used as a trade coin in Europe from the later medieval centuries until as late as the 20th century. Also slang for tickets.

41. Colorful tropical perennial : BEGONIA. Very colorful.

43. Clearasil target : PIMPLE.

44. Guys : HES.

45. Mrs. Miller's partner in a 1971 Altman film : MC CABE.  Wonderful Julie Christie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2BSHp9oYD0

49. Scribbles : JOTS. My meh fill.

50. Hamilton's undoing : DUEL. Death more than undoing. HISTORY.

51. Modest sentence : I TRY. Week after week.

52. November honorees : VETS. My in-laws were married on November 8, so we took them to NYC for their anniversary; when there was a huge Veteran's Day parade, my FIL, an ex-Marine from WWII thought we had planned that as well.

53. Rylan of "Guiding Light" : EMME. A complete unknown.

54. Currency of Iran : RIAL. Rially.

55. Doesn't shut up : YAPS.

56. Le Carré figure : SPY. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold was my first real spy novel.

57. Ply with flowers and chocolate : WOO.

58. JFK was one : ELK, I did not know this trivia,  though it looks more like another Kennedy monogram.