Mike Buckley

Title: V is for Victory

Mr. Buckley gives us a themeless puzzle with a theme that exists visually with a one clue reveal.  My first puzzle of Mike's this year and a great departure from the July 2016 puzzle which had 12 short theme fill. V is also for variety.  The placement of the Vs, and the avoiding any other Vs in the grid was masterful. With an open grid there are oodles of long fill. Pick your favorite.SERAPHS,  SIGNAGE,  YES DEAR, AS I SEE IT, DR. MOREAU,  GIUSEPPE, KNEE DEEP, OUTLIVED,  SAUTERNE,  SNOBBERY,  TRIP OVER, ETHIOPIAN, PENTAGRAM, LOVE POTION and TERMINATOR. Let me know what you think;  I love visuals.

7D. What can be drawn using the only V's, representing vertices, in this puzzle's grid : FIVE POINTED STAR (15).

Bonus theme related fill:

19D. See 7-Down : PENTAGRAM.

25D. Like a flag featuring a 19-Down : ETHIOPIAN.  I wish I had learned all this on Fun with Flags. LINK.

We have music and Latin and some wit, so....

Across:

1. Render inconceivable? : SPAY. Great clue/fill.

5. Carl who composed "Carmina Burana" : ORFF. We last saw this composer in April, also on a Friday as well as earlier this week.

9. Itching for action : ANTSY.

14. Hamlet's first choice : TO BE. Better than or not to be.

15. Sound from a fan : WHIR. Onomatopoeia.

16. River of Champagne : MARNE. Cute.

17. U.N. reps : AMBS. Ambassador.

18. Purported passion promoter : LOVE POTION.  Number 9? Made more famous by the Searchers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTjs7a9l0hM

20. One-named singer with the #1 hit "Royals" : LORDE. I know the SONG but did not know the singer.

22. Prevent : DETER.

23. "Frontline" airer : PBS.

24. Seriously mired : KNEE DEEP. Often in BS.

26. Big wheel : NABOB. Often nattering.

28. Scholar : SAVANT. From the Latin.

29. Lasted longer than : OUTLIVED. Usefulness?

32. Sound from a fan : RAH. One little rah?

33. Draft letters : IPA. Beer is back.

34. Despot who raced in the 67 Olympics : NERO.  HISTORY. Sadly all footage of the 67 Olympics was destroyed when Rome burned.

35. __ station : GAS.

38. Highway reading : SIGNAGE.

41. Bread or liquor : RYE.

42. PDQ : ASAP.

44. Word with cake or flake : OAT.

45. Prescribed meds : RXS.

47. "Rigoletto" composer Verdi : GIUSEPPE. More MUSIC. Everyone knows this tune, right?

49. 86 and 99 : AGENTS. Maxwell Smart and the future Mrs. Max.

53. Turntable needles : STYLI. Latin plural of -us.

54. Wells islander played by Brando : DR. MOREAU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukpB6MtLdLA

56. Creator of Finch and Radley : LEE. Atticus  and Boo, created by Harper.

57. France dance : VALSE. Sounds like waltz.

59. Medal-worthy quality : VALOR.

60. Boundary between the illuminated and darkened part of the moon, in astronomy : TERMINATOR. There is so much I do not know. So I read this LINK.

63. Ballet move : PLIE.
https://i.makeagif.com/media/5-16-2015/LnItq0.gif

64. T. rex et al. : DINOS. My oldest loved reading about dinosaurs and then came Jurassic Park; saw it 14 times - in the movie theater.

65. Wrapped garment : SARI.

66. Villain's welcome : HISS.

67. __ Curry, first unanimous NBA MVP : STEPH.

68. "By that reasoning ... " : ERGO. Therefore in Latin.

69. Rectangular paving stone : SETT. learned from puzzles.

Down:

1. Cornfield array : STALKS.

2. Cal Poly city : POMONA.

3. Shortened, shortened : ABBREViation. Silly.

4. Affectionate assent : YES DEAR. Affectionate? Not always...

5. Hogwarts mail carrier : OWL.

6. __ Island : RHODE. because Long was too Short.

8. Worry : FRET.

9. Not bothered by conscience : A-MORAL. More Latin e.g. asexual, amoral, anarchy, anhydrous, Anabaptist, anachronism; also uses a and an.

10. "Unforgettable" Cole : NAT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCX1xUdMsNs

11. Stumble on : TRIP OVER.

12. Condescension : SNOBBERY. I loved watching HYACINTH BUCKET (pronounced Boo-kay).

13. Pines : YENS.
.
21. Ferber and a Dame : EDNAS. I let you look up the great Ms. Ferber, but here is a touch of the DAME.

27. Arabic "son of" : BIN. Hebrew Ben.

30. Kick __ fuss : UP A.

31. Unknown John : DOE.

35. Order of silence : GAG.

36. "In my view ... " : AS I SEE IT.

37. Semisweet American white wine : SAUTERNE. Ah, where is Chairman Mao when we need him.

39. Alibi problem : GAP.

40. Sarah Palin, e.g., briefly : EX-GOV.

43. Humanities subj. : PSYchology.

46. Six-winged angels, in Isaiah : SERAPHS. Yes, and so much MORE.

48. Tolkien language : ELVISH.

50. Nervous one? : NELLIE.

51. I Ching adherent, perhaps : TAOIST. Perhaps. This LINK discusses the connection. My eldest brother also studied Book of Changes.

52. Least tentative : SUREST.

55. Corp. shuffle : REORGanization. Well how many are too many?

56. Classic Fords : LTDS.

58. Emit coherent light : LASE.  "In lasers, waves are identical and in phase, which produces a beam of coherent light." msnucleus.org. There are incoherent lights, as well as incoherent bloggers.

61. Messy locks : MOP. Very popular when Beatles came to the US, e.g. mop tops.

62. Carnival site : RIO.

We already have seen the grid and I will await your comments on this creative effort from Mr. Buckley. It would be nice to hear from him on the genesis of this puzzle. Meanwhile, see you in August. Lemonade out.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Friday Funderdome WITHOUT Steve Harvey!

Jeffrey is back with one of his specialties - adding a three letter (or more) word to an existing phrase. In this installment he adds FUN so we all have fun. The first splits into two words, the second splits one word and the third is added to the beginning of the phrase. With the three theme plus reveal JW really crafted a very balanced grid loaded with many new things, sparkly things and well clued fill.
GUN SHOT,  INCHING, REPO-MAN, SENSORS, TRAUMAS, ADAM'S RIB,  PAID RENT,
EAT TO LIVE and the wonderful IMMENSELY are among my favorites.

17A. Complain, "Don't I get anything to do around here?"? : DEMAND A FUNCTION (15).
Demand Action.

24A. Compensation for an incomplete sundae? : CHERRY REFUND (12). Cherry Red is a color, a record company, a song....

40A. When a restaurant offers its weekly mushroom specials? : FUNGAL FRIDAY (12). No idea about the resulting phrase,  but Gal Friday was very popular before we needed to choose our words to not offend, even unintentionally. 

The reveal:
51A. "It's party time!" ... or a hint to 17-, 24- and 40-Across : LET'S HAVE SOME FUN (15).


Across:

1. Asian priests : LAMAS. The one L ones.

6. Miso base : DASHI. If you appreciate Japanese cooking you need to read the LINK.

11. Zodiac critter : RAM. The symbol of the ram for Aries is based on the Chrysomallus, the flying ram that provided the Golden Fleece. (Atsma).

14. Town house, e.g. : ABODE.

15. How gourmands enjoy their food : IMMENSELY. A lovely double entendre that is not sexual.

19. Distressed sort? : DAMSEL.

20. Medium for much body art : HENNA.  These TATTOOS are very popular for people visiting Key West.

21. Crop planter : SOWER. Reap what you shall sow.

23. Slants : BIASES.

28. European luxury vehicles : AUDIS.

29. Atari release of 1972 : PONG.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4VRgY3tkh0

30. Twaddle : PAP. Two words that are not popular where I live.

33. Rock quarry unit : SLAB. You can buy them DIRECT.

34. River feeder : BROOK.

36. It may involve cold calls : POLL. I am so glad I no longer have a landline.

37. Air-conditioning sound : HUM.

38. Territory east of the Philippines : GUAM. US Territory that is.

39. Dance performed with passion : TANGO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvDkKXl82Rg

43. Witless sorts : MORONS. Not always un-pc WORD.

46. Water nymph : NAIAD.

47. Diarist Nin : ANAIS.

48. Heads or tails : PLURAL.  Old fashioned puzzle trickery.

56. 2003 best-selling nutritional self-help book : EAT TO LIVE.

57. Raring to go : ANTSY.

58. Furtive : SLY.

59. x, in math : TIMES.

60. Condition : STATE.

Down:

1. Any Boy Scout : LAD. Every Boy Scout.

2. Not up : ABED.

3. NYC cultural attraction : MOMA. Museum of Modern Art. A wonderful place.

4. Tracy/Hepburn classic : ADAM'S RIB.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ5NpJ81AY4

5. Burglar alarm devices : SENSORS.

6. Electronic telemarketing tool : DIALER.

7. Big initials in bowling : AMF. Brunswick and AMF, any comment Boomer?

8. Dallas campus: Abbr. : SMU. Southern Methodist University.

9. Chick magnet? : HEN.

10. Making slow progress : INCHING.

11. Jockey controls : REINS.

12. Isolated : ALONE.

13. Birds that may babble : MYNAS.

16. Stand (one) in good __: be useful to : STEAD.

18. Like a meadow in the morning : DEWY.

22. One taking things back? : REPOMAN.

23. Balderdash : BUNK.

24. Fives and tens, say : CASH. Again?

25. Netflix competitor : HULU.

26. Dutch export : EDAM.

27. Rock's __ Fighters : FOO. Very successful SUCCESSOR to Nirvana.

30. 31-Down environment : POND.

31. Bit of 30-Down life : ALGA.

32. Bit of subterfuge : PLOY.

34. Backyard cookout supply : BUNS. For Splynter I found this LINK.

35. Car wash item : RAG.

36. Leased, with "on" : PAID RENT. No idea what the "on" adds to this.

38. Crime drama sound effect : GUNSHOT. The sound alone can cause...

39. Psychological wounds : TRAUMAS.

40. Pass off (on) : FOIST.

41. Runs out : LAPSES.

42. Baklava dough : FILO.

43. Bulls and bucks : MALES. How cool to have a basketball misdirection just before...

44. Retired NBA center : O'NEAL. There are two that I know of. They were even teammates in Boston, when they were no longer stars, I think. Jermaine on the viewer's left, Shaquille on the right.

45. Like shabby old clothes : RATTY.

49. Mennen lotion : AFTA.

50. "... prologue to the history of __ and foul thoughts": Iago : LUST.
"Lechery, by this hand, an index and obscure prologue to the history of lust and foul thoughts." Act II, Scene 1, Othello by a regular visitor to JW puzzles.

52. Ring legend : ALI.

53. Get-up-and-go : VIM. And vigor.

54. Big night : EVE.

55. TV's "Science Guy" : NYE. My favorite SCENE.

Well it was a JW so it must be Friday; I hope you enjoyed his work and the guided tour.  Lemonade out.

Ed Sessa

Title: Babar where are you?

I apologize for an abbreviated write up but I was supposed to have surgery last Friday and then it got moved to Wednesday and then after waiting around the hospital it got cancelled again and I was quite bummed. Anyway, Ed Sessa a consistent pro has created a puzzle that seems to have only three theme fill, all grid-spanners and all related to elephants. I have always loved them since my mother read Babar to me and have about 75 images made from paper to jade.







BACK LINK,  DON ADAMS,  FENDS OFF,  NAME DROP,  SEXTANTS,  TAP DANCE,
IGNORAMUSES and  OVEREXCITED


17A. Ring heavyweights : CIRCUS ELEPHANTS (15).

33A. Makes next to nothing : WORKS FOR PEANUTS (15).

49A. Jack's spot : AUTOMOBILE TRUNK (15).

Across:

1. Innocents : LAMBS. A biblical metaphor.

6. Afternoon tea accompanier : CHAT. Not the French word for cat, but small talk.

10. Longtime shipboard scurvy preventative : LIME. Because lemon would not fit.

14. Piles (of) : A HEAP. Can you sing the song that includes this line, "To have a heapin helpin of their hospitality..."?

15. "Yo" : HI YA.

16. Matched, in Paris Match : EGAL. French for equality, as in liberté égalité fraternité, the motto of the French Revolution.

20. Big cheese : KRAFT. Cute clue/fill and a fascinating history of food in AMERICA.

21. NYC building that was Lennon's last home, with "The" : DAKOTA. Not far from Strawberry Fields at New York's Central Park. A nice walk the the Museum of Natural History.

22. Literary intros : PROLOGS.

25. "Real Time" host : MAHER. A run of the mill comic who reemerged as a political satirist from the left.

26. Western ambush site : RAVINE. I grew up on Gilman Street which connected to Ravine Street.

27. '80s voice of Inspector Gadget : DON ADAMS. Don is more famous as Maxwell Smart.

30. "You said it!" : AMEN.

31. Protest movement : MARCH.

32. Angus beef? : MOO. What a cow says when complaining - brilliant.

37. San Jose-to-Sacramento dir. : NNE.

38. Uncultivated land : HEATH. made famous by the Bronte sisters.

39. Regarding : AS TO.

40. Navigation tools : SEXTANTS. How do they figure these things out. LINK.

42. Grapefruit's bigger cousin : POMELO. You need to learn citrus TAXONOMY or remember the french word Pamplemousse.

44. Common bugs : COLDS. Another fun Friday misdirection.

45. Baroness Blixen's pen name : DINESEN. Isak Dinesen was the pen name for Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke most famous for Out of Africa and appearing in crossword puzzles.

46. Women's clothing chain founded on Florida's Sanibel Island : CHICOS.  They have three BRANDS.

48. Like Olympic racetracks : LANED.

54. Appear : SEEM.

55. Unnerve : FAZE.

56. Was successful in : WON AT.

57. "Nothing lived in him but fear and hatred" : HYDE. The dark side of Dr. Jekyll from the mind of Robert Louis Stevenson. He also wrote Treasure Island.

58. Become undone, in a way : FRAY. Cuffs on dress shirts e.g.

59. Gets down to business? : OPENS.

Down:

1. Senegal's pink-watered __ Rose : LAC. from the French for Pink Lake. LINK.

2. Sushi selection : AHI.

3. Cannes view : MER. The sea in French.

4. Website-to-website connection : BACK LINK. No idea but it fits.

5. Embolden : SPUR ON.

6. Ones doing the dishes : CHEFS. Not washing them, but creating them. Again, bravo!

7. Sword handle : HILT.

8. Maritime agreement : AYE aye cap'n.

9. Cagney does it on stairs in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" : TAP DANCE.  
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMPXHNrKye4
        
10. Came out somehow : LEAKED. Politics.

11. Dolts : IGNORAMUSES. I asked and the world answered.

12. Damon of the Bourne films : MATT.

13. Big cat of film : ELSA. Born Free.

18. Wise one : SAGE.

19. "Very funny!" : HA HA HA. The Thai word for the number 5 sounds like HA, so 555.

22. Seafood order : PRAWNS. I do not know but read prawns have claws on three of their five pairs of legs, shrimp have claws on two of their five pairs of legs. Their gills and body shape are different too. As far as cooking them goes, they are virtually identical and interchangeable

23. Punk rock surname : RAMONE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4P4ln781D0

24. Hyped-up : OVEREXCITED.

25. Transform : MORPH.

27. Pub entertainment : DARTS.

28. Mark with blotches : MOTTLE. Mottled skin, also known as livedo reticularis, is alone a harmless condition that is commonly seen with vascular issues and autoimmune diseases.

29. "Already?" : SO SOON.

31. Medieval barriers : MOATS.

34. Hebrew greeting : SHALOM. Shabbat shalom.

35. Drives back : FENDS OFF.

36. Make a personal connection? : NAME DROP. Great. How many name droppers do you know? Nor counting me.

41. On the way : TO COME.

42. Softwood tree : PINE.

43. Knockout couple? : ONE TWO. Give 'em the old one two.

45. Prominent mayor at the 1968 Democratic Convention : DALEY. The year of the riots, vote with your feet etc.

46. What's in your wallet : CASH. Not always.

47. News headliner Lewis? : HUEY. His band.  Their WEB-SITE.

48. "__ With a 'Z'": 1972 TV special : LIZA. I liked her in Cabaret, not much else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWURas7fYwk

50. Military band? : BAR.

51. A, in Avignon : UNE. Just French.

52. Photographer Goldin : NAN. I should have remembered this WOMAN.

53. Board jumpers: Abbr. : KTS. We end with an abbreviation I am unfamiliar with; the Knights in a Chess match.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title:   'Ay you, let's switch.

Our Friday maven JW is back. Once again we have a letter switch puzzle, with the resulting fill clued whimsically.  We have five clues where an "A" is replaced with a "U." The initial three have the change in the first word, the remaining two in the second word. All of the new fill are witty BUNK Robber my favorite and Exhaust FUN the most poignant. With 61 theme squares, JW still manages to include ARTEMIS,  USED CAR, EPITHETS,  FORENSIC, SNATCHING and  WOOD SCREW to leave a satisfying grid.

17A. Thief at a sleepaway camp? : BUNK ROBBER (10). The BANK robber downsized.

24A. People who wear "I'm with stupid" T-shirts? : DUNCE PARTNERS (13). Perhaps they will become DANCE Partners.

37A. Fail a jewelry class lesson? : BUNGLE BRACELETS (15). Not my favorite, BANGLE Bracelet while alliterative, just does not excite.

48A. What drives a fashionista? : CLOTHES HUNGER (13). Clothes HANGERS have not changed much in my lifetime.

59A. Run out of amusing things to do? : EXHAUST FUN (10). Every stove has an Exhaust FAN.


Across: 

1. Itsy-bitsy critter : MITE. Dust mite anyone?

5. Caroler's accoutrement : SCARF. Accouterment is such a classy word!

10. Farthest from the hole : AWAY. This is for golfers, determining who plays next.

14. Slangy "Got that?" : Y'SEE?  This contraction of 'you see' is in the dictionary now.

15. Izu Islands city : TOKYO. Major learning moment for me. LINK.

16. Soda opener? : COCA. Cola.

19. Red cap? : CORK. Red wine - nice clue.

20. Vivid dye : AZO. The  wiki-chemist says "aryl azo compounds have vivid colors, especially reds, oranges, and yellows. Therefore, they are used as dyes, and are commonly known as azo dyes."

21. Kibbutz entertainment : HORA. The dance.  There are variations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GDVGpf2wxM

22. End sections of some Greek poems : EPODES. Epode, a verse form composed of two lines differing in construction and often in metre, the second shorter than the first. In Greek lyric odes, an epode is the third part of the three-part structure of the poem, following the strophe and the antistrophe. The word is from the Greek epōidós, “sung” or “said after.” Sure.

27. __ Cruces : LAS. The crosses, Spanish, is located in New Mexico.

28. It may be a lemon : USED CAR. A clear CSO.

31. Lhasa __ : APSO.

34. Range : AMBIT.

36. LP maker : RCA.

41. Bali or Hanes product : BRA. Any other three letter products?

42. Bridge call : I PASS.

43. Boo-boo : OWIE.

44. Deity with bow and arrows : ARTEMIS. The Greek goddess of the hunt, etc. She and Diana are similar but not the SAME. 56A. Superhero with a hammer : THOR. Now we have a Norse god added.

46. Bot., e.g. : SCI.

54. Go over : REHASH.

57. Natural resource : ORE.

58. Tissue box access : SLIT.

62. Forest climber : VINE.

63. Three-time 20-game winner for the '70s Red Sox : TIANT. I will never forget his WINDUP or his STORY.

64. Cried : WEPT.

65. Classifies (as) : PEGS.

66. Trig functions : SINES.

67. Fine things? : ARTS.

Down:

1. "I'm the culprit" : MY BAD. Mea culpa before the millennials came along.

2. Brand once hawked by an eponymous "Joe" : ISUZU. He was a STAR.

3. Joinery element : TENON. Splynter? You agree joinery is the wooden components of a building, such as stairs, doors, and door and window frames, viewed collectively?

4. "I sure don't want that" : EEK. Two weeks in a row.

5. Retrieves dropped keys, say : STOOPS.

6. Hooded snake : COBRA.

7. Mogul emperor, 1556-1605 : AKBAR. Interesting MAN.

8. Bakery offering : RYE. It was rye bread that led to the Salem witch trials.

9. Like "CSI" work : FORENSIC. Which I may have learned from CSI.

10. Agreement : ACCORD.

11. Item in many an IKEA kit : WOOD SCREW.  "Wood screws are better than drywall screws for woodworking projects. Drywall screws are made of hardened, brittle steel, and the shaft will often snap during installation, especially if they're screwed into hardwoods."

12. Lot division : ACRE. There are 64 acres in a Section, but mot lots are smaller than an acre.

13. Shoots the breeze : YAKS.

18. Carla portrayer on "Cheers" : RHEA.

23. Actress/author Holly Robinson __ : PEETE. Ex-Detroit Lion QB Rodney Peete's wife.
RODNEY did not have a great career, but he found a great WIFE.

25. Obstruct : CLOG.

26. Marching band section : TUBAS.

29. When "Kansas City" is sung in "Oklahoma!" : ACT I.

30. Knock down, in Nottingham : RASE. The British spelling of the word we spell raze.

31. "SOS" group : ABBA.

32. Run smoothly : PURR.

33. Pickpocket's activity : SNATCHING. Actually it seems more like stealing to me.

34. Humiliate : ABASH.

35. Union address? : MRS. Fun clue/fill.

38. Oscar night arrivals : LIMOS.

39. Peter the Great et al. : EPITHETS. They are not always nice, the Terrible, the Mad etc.

40. Butcher's offering : LOIN.

45. Brings great pleasure to : ELATES.

46. Shows anger, maybe : SHOUTS.

47. Ornery sorts : CURS.

49. Vermont patriot Allen : ETHAN. More famous for his furniture.

50. Oscar-nominated western : SHANE.

51. Menial assistant : GOFER.

52. Blow : ERUPT.

53. Flat fees : RENTS. Pun on British word for apartment.

54. "I'll be there" message, e.g. : RSVP.

55. Author Wiesel : ELIE.

60. Number on old dials : XII.

61. BOAC competitor : TWA. They both are gone.