Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: G, where shall you go? Of, course, to the beginning!

JW returns with a simple add a letter to the start of a phrase to create a new one, with a humorous definition. As with any puzzle based on humor, YRMV. I was Greatly impressed at the inclusion of 2 grid-spanning fill that worked. I would guess one of the 15 letter fill popped in his head, and this puzzle followed. He also included some very sparkly fill: ROADSIDES,  I'LL GO NEXT,  RADIO DIAL and ONION DOME a term which I did not recall. We will now examine all the evidence....

17A. Domestic shamelessness? : GALL IN THE FAMILY (15). The ground breaking TV SERIES (0:56) gets re-purposed with a an impudent definition clue.

26A. Near giveaway at the liquor store? : GIN FOR A PENNY (12). In for a pound...they do sell many of the airline size bottles at my local liquor store but not for a penny.

41A. Fort Knox? : GOLD DOMINION (12). I doubt if Jeffrey had this BREWERY in mind when he chose Old Dominion as his seed phrase but I like the juxtaposition.

53A. Result of way too many leaves in the eaves? : GUTTER CONFUSION (15). This is my favorite themer, both the rhyme and the picture painted by the clue/fill. Maybe he started here?

Okay on to the rest...

Across:

1. Test in which contrasts are helpful, briefly : MRI. As this test  (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) has played an important part in my current disability, this was easy. I am allergic to the contrast dye, so it gets trickier.

4. __ stiff : SCARED. When words are derived from the sound it makes it is called onomotapoeia. What should we call it when an  expression gives a great mental picture like this phrase?

10. Minor set-to : TIFF.

14. Huffington Post owner : AOL. This is true, since 2011 but AOL was bought by Verizon in 2015 which last year bought Yahoo, also. 

15. Wedding offering : CANAPE. From the French word for SOFA.

16. Defunct food coating : ALAR. It was sprayed on apple trees to control the growth and color of the apples. Much debate about the 1989 scare.

20. Boundary : EDGE.

21. Legal tender with a torch : DIME, On the obverse.

22. Dealer's offering : LEASE. Car dealer, not HIT ME for card dealer.

23. __ voce : SOTTO.

25. Body shop supply : SOLDER.

30. 2016 Billboard Top Artist : ADELE. She swept the Grammys as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae98_tn8zas

31. Besides Linus, the only Nobel laureate in two fields : MARIE. Pauling: Curie. LINK.

32. Take badly? : ROB. Robbing implies use or threat of force. Nicely deceptive clue.

35. Alluring : SEXY.

36. Postgame staple : RECAP.

37. Candy __ : CANE.    



                                   








38. Feb. setting in Spokane : PST.

39. Artist at Giverny : MONET. This is where the ARTIST painted his most successful works. This is a very Friday type clue. I will always have a Monet/Manet block in my mind.

40. Opposite of 56-Across : NADIR. 56A Opposite of 40-Across : ACME.

13. Philosophers' group : SCHOOL. Similar to fish, but not as good for you.

46. "Cutthroat Kitchen" host Brown : ALTON.

47. Second name, perhaps : ALIAS.

48. "Zounds!" : EGAD. Two wonderful old words.

51. They're often tough to beat : ODDS. 45D. Request to a dealer : HIT ME. 50D. Forced bet : ANTE
.
57. Album contents : PHOTOS.

58. ENT's group : AMA.

59. Arcade trademark word : SKEE.

60. Part of many art museum names : MODERN.

61. Table support : LEG.

Down:

1. Ancient spell caster : MAGE.

2. Produce stand sites : ROADSIDES. We have a bunch in the Redlands is SW Miami-Dade, but all the ones in Broward are gone.

3. "My turn" : I'LL GO NEXT.

4. Part of NSF: Abbr. : SCIence.

5. Telling it like it is : CANDOR.

6. Opposition leader? : ANTI. And later ANTE.

7. First name in Chicago politics : RAHM. Interesting he was elected as Chicago's 44th mayor, while his mentor Mr. Obama was the 44th POTUS. LINK.

8. It's thrust in competition : EPEE. Love the soupçon of naughtiness in this clue. 

9. Phone button letters : DEF. Glue, I would prefer Mos.

10. Without aggression : TAMELY.

11. Zeus remains largely neutral during its narrative : ILIAD. A really odd way top get to these puzzle friendly letters.

12. "A dagger of the mind, a __ creation ... ": Macbeth : FALSE. Back with Macbeth for our Friday Shakespeare lesson.

13. Potatoes may be cooked in one : FRYER.  Pommes frites for Splynter.

18. Unloose : LET FLY. Quiz: Who said, "unloose the dogs of war?"

19. How stand-up comics usually work : ALONE. True but there have some great duos. I loved the Smothers Brothers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ni6tEW3Veo

24. Ring site : TOE.

25. Salon sound : SNIP,

26. [I'm shocked!] : GASP.

27. Enhance through change : AMEND. Big word in the law.

28. Showed impatience, in a way : PACED.

29. Poetry Muse : ERATO. You know all of the muses yet?

32. One moving with frequency? : RADIO DIAL. Another really fun clue, with the frequency pun.

33. Russian Orthodox church feature : ONION DOME. LINK. For our Cornerites.

34. City on the Aare : BERN.

36. Kaiser, for one : ROLL. Misdirection here is placement of the clue/fill.

37. Songs of Seville : CANTOS.




39. Maine road sign image : MOOSE.

40. Nothing : NIL.

41. Buffalo Bill feature : GOATEE. Oh yes!

42. Really loving : MAD FOR. My mental picture. LINK.

43. Generational tales : SAGAS.

44. Barnyard sound : CLUCK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ_Mt7Zm5hM

.

48. Verify the story of : ECHO. No idea what this clue/fill means.

49. Above the crossbar and between the uprights : GOOD. Not wide RIGHT!

52. Obstruction : SNAG. Damn, or reno hit a snag! Do you watch Property Brothers.

54. Tach stat : RPM. Revolutions Per Minute.

55. SEAL's org. : USN. United States Navy.

Mark Feldman

Title:  I'll have two spoons, please.

Mark Feldman is here with his first puzzle of 2017; his last was a fun Spoonerism Puzzle. This time Mark out does Reverend Spooner by reversing the words in a two word phrase, not just the beginnings. Each requires the new first word be a sound-a-alike of the old second word. He then clues the fill with a silly meaning, and the hilarity ensues. He also finishes the grid with some challenges and some excellent choices such as ENDEARS,  MAHATMA,  DEADPAN,  SEA STAR, CHORALES,  HEADLESS, TOREADOR, TOASTERS,  SOUL MATES and the previous unseen in the LAT- SEVERALLY.

The theme fill:

17A. Ladies' man with laryngitis? : HOARSE STUD (10). After successful racing careers, many champion race horses spend their time making their owners rich. SECRETARIAT.

28A. Infant at bath time? : BARE BABY (8). Baby bear has been a star for years. thanks to Goldilocks.

44A. High schooler just hanging out? : IDLE TEEN (8). Teen idols have been around seamlessly since  SINATRA.

58A. Ordinary-looking fashion VIP? : PLAIN MODEL (10). An un-pc twist on model plane builders.

Across:

1. Earth tone : OCHER. My father painted in oils which is where I learned this word.

6. Popular speaker : BOSE. I have a Bose radio.

10. Unlike Wabash College : COED. Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana, United States. Wikipedia.

14. "Voilà!" : THERE. Jeannie, where are you?

15. Over : UPON.

16. Company with a Select Guest loyalty program : OMNI. A HOTEL chain.

19. Ultimately earns : NETS.

20. Airport NNW of IND : ORD. INDianpolis and Chicago, O'Hare which originally was called ORcharD Field.

21. Spicy cuisine : CREOLE. Time for some RECIPES.

22. A native of : FROM.

23. Goneril's husband : ALBANY.  Our Friday Shakespeare REFERENCE. Harder than capitol of New York?

25. Revered sage, in India : MAHATMA. None more famous than Ghandi?

27. Sweeps, e.g. : CLEANS. I made this too hard at first...think spys.

29. 1995 "Live at Red Rocks" pianist : TESH.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEknNT0YL2o

30. African scourge : TSETSE
32. Indian silk-producing region : ASSAM
34. Suffix with ethyl : ENE
35. "Same here" : DITTO
40. Counsel : ADVISE
43. Cheer : ROOT.

48. Highest peak in the Armenian plateau : ARARAT
50. Armed ocean dweller? : SEASTAR
51. Makes it right : ATONES
52. Pride parade letters : LGBT
53. "Macbeth" spot descriptor : DAMNED
55. Division of the Justice Dept. : ATF
57. Buffalo's county : ERIE.

60. Marketing opener : TELE
61. "What a shame" : ALAS
62. Really like : ADORE
63. Aren't really, maybe : SEEM
64. Nasdaq competitor : NYSE
65. Like Vikings : NORSE

Down:

1. Emperor after Galba : OTHO
2. Bach works : CHORALES
3. Word associated with Sleepy Hollow : HEADLESS
4. Goof : ERR
5. Checkout correction, perhaps : RESCAN
6. "Point Break" co-star : BUSEY
7. Vision: Pref. : OPTO
8. They're meant for each other : SOULMATES
9. Makes beloved : ENDEARS
10. Informal discussion : CONFAB
11. Last book of Puzo's "Godfather" trilogy : OMERTA
12. Bury : ENTOMB
13. Alarm : DISMAY
18. "Trophy, Hypertrophied" artist : ERNST
24. __ Men: "Who Let the Dogs Out" band : BAHA
26. Follow : HEED
27. Rail system that services 20-Across : CTA
28. Dahomey, since 1975 : BENIN
31. One at a time : SEVERALLY
33. Actor Damon : MATT
36. OPEC founding member : IRAN
37. Ring fighter : TOREADOR
38. Pop-up items : TOASTERS
39. As of 1937, he was the all-time N.L. home run leader until Mays surpassed him in 1966 : OTT
41. Like many a successful poker player : DEADPAN
42. Consumed : EATEN
44. Keys : ISLETS
45. Unilever deodorant brand : DEGREE
46. Likely to change : LABILE
47. Regard : ESTEEM
49. Serling's birth name : RODMAN
51. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE
54. "Serpico" author Peter : MAAS
56. Hightail it : FLEE
59. "Star Trek: DSN" changeling : ODO

Alex Eaton-Salners

Title: What Shakespeare really meant

Today we have our third LAT puzzle from Alex who had his debut here in NOVEMBER and this month he had his NYT debut (2-2-17) and WSJ (2-4-17). I have read his constructor notes for the NYT, LINK, but he gave no personal information. He did show an incredible amount of work and attention to his creative process. My research suggests he is an attorney in California working as in house counsel.

For someone new to creating puzzles, he includes lots of fresh fill such as HALOGEN,  OCARINA, MAGELLAN,  EQUALING, SHOT CLOCK,  BERING SEA, NEAT AS A PIN and ATTENDANCE

The theme is deceptively straight forward as the clue continuity of each being a play by Shakespeare leaves the solver only needing to find a literal definition of the title.

18A. "As You Like It"? : ACCORDING TO TASTE (15). Or as Splynter would say, "chacun à son goût."

28A. "Hamlet"? : SMALL VILLAGE (12). I think of the Pied Piper.

47A. "Twelfth Night"? : JANUARY FIFTH (12). This is outlier, as this play deals with January 5 frivolity and the other fill has nothing to do with the play..

60A. "A Midsummer Night's Dream"? : AIR COOLING SYSTEM (15).This was the hardest for me but the perps got me in the right direction.


Across:

1. New : FRESH. A nice way to begin, making us all happy.

6. Word on a movie ticket : ADMIT.

11. Great white cousin : MAKO. You need to be up on your SHARKS.

15. Like a gymnast : LITHE. Hard to find anything that is not inappropriate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ss183duIfg

16. In perfect order : NEAT AS A PIN. An old timey phrase.

20. Thai currency : BAHT. Married to a Thai woman. this is a complete gimme. They are currently about 35 to a dollar.

21. "Night" author Wiesel : ELIE. A survivor and a man to admire. LINK. He died last year.

22. Summertime treats : ICEES.

23. Berkeley sch. : CAL. An abbreviation clue begets an abbreviation fill. I beleive this is Alex's Law School Alma Mater..

25. Moby-Dick, e.g. : ALBINO. The white whale! Sharks and whales-cool.

32. Bing provider : MSN. Part of the Microsoft family.

35. Fluorine or chlorine : HALOGEN. The dictionary tells us any of the elements fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine, occupying group VIIA (17) of the periodic table.

36. Santa __ : ANA.

37. State tie of New Mexico : BOLO.

38. Name on the cover of "Fear of Flying" : ERICA.  The BOOK. It is the Fifty Shades of Gray of my generation.

39. __ shui : FENG. Also popularized in he 70s.

41. Fix, as a road : RE-TAR.

42. Bill : BEAK. Bird.

43. Web help source : FAQ.

44. Simple wind : OCARINA.



46. Animal in some fables : ASS.

49. What a round increases : BAR TAB. Fun clue, very Friday.

50. Vied (for) : RAN.

51. Diarist Nin : ANAIS. Her name assures her crossword immortality.

54. Island festivity : LUAU.

56. Great Sphinx site : GIZA.

64. It's taken in schools : ATTENDANCE. More good clue/fill.

65. Take care of : SEE TO. It always reminds me of Jean Luc.

66. Go slowly : SEEP.

67. Some expirations : SIGHS. A $20.00 word as the clue.

68. High priests : LAMAS.


Down:

1. Lipo target : FLAB.

2. Costa __ : RICA.

3. Drawing toy in "Toy Story" : ETCH.

4. One keeping track of court proceedings? : SHOT CLOCK. Excellent deception, I was listening to a basketball game on the TV in the other room, otherwise this might have been too hard.

5. 2013 Spike Jonze movie : HER. I enjoyed the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzV6mXIOVl4

And the parody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQi-5IAKm2A

6. Deep blue : ANIL.

7. Stage of grief : DENIAL.

8. Explorer who named the Pacific Ocean : MAGELLAN. Read all about it. LINK.

9. Tech sch. that filed for bankruptcy in 2016 : ITT. ITT Technical Institute was a for-profit technical institute with approximately 130 campuses in 38 states of the United States. All ITT Tech campuses were closed as of September 6, 2016, and on September 16, 2016, ITT Tech filed for bankruptcy. Wikipedia. Is there more to the STORY?

10. Eastern way : TAO. Last week Yao.

11. Collision repair franchise : MAACO.

12. Alcove near the chancel : APSE.

13. Tool in a legendary electricity experiment : KITE. An interesting Ben Franklin reference.

14. Singles : ONES.

17. "Goosebumps" series author : STINE. R.L., he had a cameo in the movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPAM5f-evIA

19. Dig : DELVE.

24. Simple marine plant : ALGA.

26. City on the Penobscot River : BANGOR. A CSO to Hahtoolah our quotation queen.

27. Food chain letters : IGA. Very popular in rural Alabama and Georgia this was  founded in the United States as the Independent Grocers Alliance.

28. Biblical queendom : SHEBA. All perps and much confusion. .

29. Chincoteague females : MARES.

30. Jennifer Garner spy series : ALIAS.

31. Swaddled one : INFANT.

32. Theme : MOTIF.

33. Pitch : SLANT.

34. Singer Jones : NORAH.

37. Pribilof Islands locale : BERING SEA.

40. Totaling : EQUALING.

41. Tennis nickname : RAFA.  Nadal lost to Federer in the Australian final. It has been an awesome rivalry. LINK.

43. Remote : FAR.

45. Montana player : CYRUS. Hannah - Miley.  I get as fill her often.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt9q8E50jCA

47. Fleece finder : JASON.Well hello Alex- a full fledged major CSO!

48. Lots : A BUNCH.

49. __ curls : BICEP.

51. Some batteries : AAAS.

52. When to call, in ads : NITE. Really? NOW, now now!

53. Commedia dell'___ : ARTE.

55. A long time : AGES.

57. Newsworthy couple : ITEM.

58. Sixth in a series : ZETA.

59. Israeli author Oz : AMOS.

61. Takes too much, briefly : ODS.

62. "Love Story" composer Francis :LAI.  This COMPOSER.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvdJ9cPiJZU

63. Fashionable initials : YSL. We  leave on a fashion note. Please stop by and chat Alex and thank you for your work. YVES was an interesting man.

He embraced his work and succeeded even after he as fired by the House of Dior,

Alex also embraces the challenge of creating a crossword; hope you enjoyed the ride/

Lemonade out.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Do you recycle?

Our 2016 frequent Friday filler JW is back for his first of the new year. He circles his wagons to give us 4 themers, 2 grid-spanning wrapped around a middle reveal which is a must to locate the theme if you did not have circles. With circles, this solved itself.

17A. "Epic fail!" : THAT WAS TERRIBLE (15).WASTE Management dominates the collection business in SoFla.

25A. Like some cheddar : EXTRA SHARP (10). TRASH to me doesn't have the smell.

52A. Electrical backup supplies : SPARE FUSES (10). REFUSE is an old fashioned word, and somewhat timely. This is not a political comment but a quotation. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Emma Lazarus, the base of the Statue of Liberty.

60A. Two of the three founders of the Distilleria Nazionale di Spirito di Vino : MARTINI AND ROSSI (15). DROSS is also fancier, and brings to mind dregs, or mineral waste, scum formed on the surface of molten metal. (various sources).
The reveal:

36. "I don't believe a word!" ... or, the truth about this puzzle's circles : IT'S ALL GARBAGE (13).

As with all JW puzzles, we have some new stuff like SETTERS,  TANGLES,  THE TIDE,
MAHI MAHI,  AT A LIMIT,  GET UPSET and  ENCLOSES.

Barry G., where are you, I have some circles for you? For the rest, here is what I see.

Across:

1. Suggests, with "of" : SMACKS. Really tough place to start, it smacked of Friday difficulty.

7. Cashbox feature : HASP.

11. Wagner's "__ Rheingold" : DAS. Morse loved this music.

14. Uses Blue Apron, say : EATS IN. This COMPANY has created a niche for the millennials to feel good about eating at home.

15. Baseball family name : ALOU.

16. Space bar neighbor : ALT. Both sides.

20. Lady Gaga's "__ It Happens to You" : TIL. An emotionally charged topic, which you may want to AVOID.

21. Presidential nickname : IKE. My earliest memories are of this non-politician as president. I have a vivid mental picture of his photo on the wall of Big Brother Bob Emery's wall.

22. Makeup remover : TISSUE. Simple and probably factually correct.

23. Put out : EMIT.

28. "Ghostbusters" actor : RAMIS. This enormously talented man wrote many of the best comedies. LINK. He also appeared in many of them. TRIBUTE.

30. Shanghai-born ex-NBA center : YAO. At seven feet six inches he stood out even in the NBA.Sadly his feet could not support his 311 pounds-running and jumping, even as size 18.

31. German : Kopf :: French : __ : TETE. A heady clue for sure.

32. Does really well : SHINES.

34. U.S. intelligence org. : NSA.

42. Deborah's "The King and I" co-star : YUL. I got to see him perform in a revival of the King and I on Broadway. It was awesome.

43. Clearly presented : COGENT. Law school is intended to teach the ability to present cogent arguments.

45. Removed : SHED. Picture a child coming in from the cold removing his garments, or for the romantic, the trail of clothing leading to the bedroom.

49. Nation SE of Cyprus : LEB. Anon? Is the SE a clue that this is an abbreviation?

51. Item on a chain, perhaps : WATCH.

55. One may be broken : RULE.

56. Afghanistan's national airline : ARIANA. My learning moment, as despite past experience with owning a travel agency, I was not aware of this AIRLINE.

57. Northwest Passage explorer : RAE. A pioneer and the SUBJECT of controversy.

59. Word with hole or holder : POT. So sweet.

64. Bridge action : BID.

65. Brown family shade : ECRU.

66. "I'm on board" : AGREED.

67. Década division : ANO.

68. Food buyers' concerns : DYES.

69. Scary flier : TSETSE. The return of the dreaded fly. See 2D. Polynesian catch : MAHI MAHI.

Down:

1. English hunters : SETTERS. There are many kinds but the ENGLISH are hunting dogs.

3. Unable to increase : AT A LIMIT. New fill, but I am not sure.

4. Mo. hours : CST. Central Standard Time.

5. Christchurch native : KIWI. New Zealand.

6. Common animal kingdom tattoo subject : SNAKE.

7. Bowler, e.g. : HAT.

8. Cakes go-with : ALE. Only because I have blogged so much of JW did this make sense. His love of Shakespeare dredged this LINK from memory.

9. In a way, in a way : SORTA.

10. One unlikely to experiment : PURIST.

11. Uses a 22-Across on, as tears : DABS AT. Yes many a tissue gets used with certain movies. What are your favorite tearjerkers?

12. Come-hither quality : ALLURE.

13. Dear : STEEP. Really needed perps; we do not use dear to mean expensive much any more.

18. Hot : SEXY. Do you all watch the Victoria Secret TV specials?

`
19. "__ serious?" : IS HE?

24. Pantry stack : TINS. More from across the pond, as in the USA we stack cans..

26. Picks a fight (with) : TANGLES.

27. Civil rights icon Parks : ROSA.

29. Red __ : SEA.

33. Calculating : SLY.

35. Chip shot path : ARC. Anyone watching Tiger playing in  the desert?

37. Ripsnorter : LULU. Two old fashioned words.

38. Bit of Christmas morning detritus : BOW. Ribbons, boxes etc.

39. Thickening agent : AGAR. Time to refresh our recollection of this secret AGENT.

40. Flip : GET UPSET.

41. Goes around : ENCLOSES. Another harder to parse until it is filled by perps.

44. SEC powerhouse, familiarly : THE TIDE. The Crimson Tide from Alabama. One of the schools i mentioned in first ever Corner post.

45. Runner's woe : SPRAIN.

46. Shag, e.g. : HAIRDO. Same # of letters as CARPET. I blame Dorothy Hamill.

47. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT.

48. Like some court motions : DENIED.

50. "Feel the __": 2016 campaign slogan : BERN. Now this is clearly political.

52. Iconic Rio carnival activity : SAMBA. They have an annual competition where they appear to spend all their money n the headdress, and not on any other clothing. R-RATED.

53. Like : FANCY. More old fashioned fill that you may or may not fancy.

54. Nasser's successor : SADAT. Anwar Sadat, here is a LIST.

58. Physics units : ERGS.

61. Fight cause : IRE.

62. Mozart's birthplace, now: Abbr. : AUStria. He was born in Salzburg. LIFE.

63. Natural resource : ORE. There's gold in them thar hills!