Rich really is making my life easy with JW and Bruce dominating the Friday landscape. The have many stylistic similarities which makes sussing the theme easy. The first themer jumped out at me, I knew the gimmick of removing the letter "U" from a two word fill to create a new fill with a witty clue. We get the bonus of reveal which sadly required the inclusion of a "U" in the grid. We have lots of foreign languages,
We do have some very sparkly fill CARHOPS, AREOLAE, A TAD OFF, ARM BONE, BEVELED, BOASTED, CASUAL SMILE and GET A SHOT OFF. (Were you put off by the two offs?)
17A. Fishing spot for vacationing Londoners? : BRITISH PO
20A. Legwear for air travelers? : BOARDING HO
54A. 007 returning from assignment? : HOMEWARD BO
60A. Vacant look? : STERILE GA
And the centrally placed grid-spanning reveal...
39A. Retirement party remark ... or a homophonic hint to four long Across answers : YOU WILL BE MISSED (15).
Across:
1. Sonic employees : CARHOPS.
8. Shrinking section at Barnes & Noble : CDS. I ahve not bought one in years.
11. Bit of wit : GAG. Palindrome.
14. Anatomical rings in irises : AREOLAE. I cannot find our seminal picture that C.C. links. Latin.
15. Earth-moving tool : HOE. No Don Imus humor here, please; especially not next to Areolae and...
16. Reproductive cells : OVA. Latin.
19. Upset, with "over" : TIP. Think apple cart...verb not adjective.
22. Ruff stuff : LACE. Think ruffle..
New Old
25. Lacking : FREE OF.
26. Not quite right : A TAD OFF.
30. Until now : SO FAR.
33. P replacers, in some lineups : DHS. This clue is just a tad off, as the Designated Hitter only replaces the Pitcher in the batting order, not the lineup. But then the lineup is the batting order.
34. Woman's name meaning "white" : BIANCA. Shakespeare anyone?
"I am no strumpet; but of life as honest
As you that thus abuse me."
38. Smooth, perhaps : PAVE.
42. Epps of "House" : OMAR.
43. Computer conveniences : MACROS. We use word perfect for legal docs and macros are a necessity.
44. [That's kinda funny] : HEH. Heh...
45. Sylvester's genus : FELIS. Latin: Felis catus.
47. Radius, e.g. : ARMBONE. A subtle shout out to me, as that is the bone which has the oblique fracture.
49. "The Great Escape" setting : STALAG. A classic movie, which inspired the music and perhaps Hogan's Heroes. POW camp. German short for Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkwmIDx9RwQ
53. Lots : A TON.
59. "... __ quit!" : OR I!
64. Toondom's Phineas, to Ferb : PAL. I missed this SHOW.
65. Strauss' "__ Heldenleben" : EIN. Strauss was also a very famous conductor, but he does not seem very happy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doJVlS7nn_g
66. Like the edges of some mirrors : BEVELED.
67. Dodge City-to-Topeka dir. : ENE.
68. Mining supply : TNT. Explosive idea.
69. Talked big : BOASTED.
Down:
1. Waiter at a stand : CAB.
2. LAX stat : ARRival.
3. Bonn : König :: Lisbon : __ : REI. German : Portugese: KING
4. Place of rapid growth : HOT BED.
5. Miscellany : OLIO. The word of the Corner. And, 57D. Muffin go-with : OLEO.
6. "¿Qué __?" : PASA. Spanish.
7. Very, in Vienna : SEHR. I grew up hearing, "sehr gut."
8. "Carmina Burana" performers : CHOIR.
9. "It tolls for thee" poet : DONNE. To CA and all of you...
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
10. Wetlands grasses : SEDGES.
11. Beat the buzzer, say : GOT OFF A SHOT. JW loves his multi-word fill. And basket ball? 21D. Court action : HOOPS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO_7H9BuzSo
12. National alternative : AVIS. Rental car companies, not airports.
13. Show wonder : GAPE.
18. Email attachment : PDF. While we create in word perfect, we send out Portable Document Format.
22. After "Our" and with 54-Down, title for the Virgin Mary based on an 1871 apparition : LADY OF. 54D. See 22-Down : HOPE. Between the politics and the religion this is a hard one to blog. LINK.
23. Where many strikes are called : AT HOME. Baseball.
24. Subtle come-on, perhaps : CASUAL SMILE. Like below.
27. Geisha accessory : OBI. Sash, like above.
28. Thin coating : FILM.
29. WWII White House dog : FALA. FDR's dog.
31. Johnson & Johnson brand : AVEENO. The make nice products but the name reminds me of the haunting Hebrew prayer, "Our Father, Our King."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YONAP39jVE
32. Hard-working "little" folk tale critter : RED HEN. A LINK for all of our teachers.
35. "30 Rock" network : NBC.
36. Michael of "Arrested Development" : CERA. A very busy career, I loved JUNO and SUPERBAD.
37. __ vincit omnia : AMOR. If you know Latin, then you know love conquers all. 50D. Forum language : LATIN.
40. Work on a novel : WRITE. Sounds like fun.
41. System of thought : ISM.
46. Carpenter's array : SAW SET. I was not impressed with this fill until after I was done I checked and found 492 million links! I will those who can, explain it all.
48. Access requirements : BADGES. I used to have many of these. LINK.
51. "__ you done yet?" : ARE N'T.
52. E. Berlin's land : GDR. German Democratic Republic.
55. African city on the Mediterranean : ORAN. In Algeria and more geography I do not know.
56. Romaine relative : BIBB. Lettuce pray, or is that religion.
58. St. Petersburg's river : NEVA. New to me. READ?
61. Space bar neighbor : ALT.
62. What's found in central Arizona? : ZEE.
63. Byrnes of '50s-'60s TV : EDD. An early TV heart throb.
Now
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