Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: AS if!

 JW is back again with one of his specialties, the "add letters to known phrases" gimmick.  This time "AS" is added with a nice simple reveal. I am curious if you all are becoming so familiar with Jeffrey's style, that his Fridays do not seem as difficult as they once did.

BRITON, BY AREA,  CITY JAIL, FROTHING,  GUTTURAL and OUTSTRIP


17A. *Dog that really needs a bath? : GREASY HOUND (11). The base is GREYHOUND which is the outlier. It is only one word, and the basic meaning of hound stays the same.

22A. *Donkey that has mastered the hurdles? : JUMPING JACKASS (14). JUMPING JACKS were such an inportnt part of early exercise in my life.

32A. *Holiday employment schedule in "Animal Farm"? : ALL BEASTS ARE OFF (15). ALL BETS ARE OFF is a nice phrase similar to:

47A. *Offer to acquire a rising agent? : I'LL GET YOU YEAST (14). I'LL GET YOU YET.

55A. When required ... or a terse hint to solving the starred clues : AS NECESSARY (11). Literally "AS" is necessary to get the fill.


Across:

1. Med. recording : ECG. I fell for EKG first.

4. Type sizes : PICAS. When I began working, I knew pica and elite - that was all.

9. "__, then ... " : IF SO.

13. __ Post: Nassau County, N.Y. school : LIU. This the current incarnation of CW POST COLLEGE, named for the founder of Post Cereals, Postum coffee substitute and eventually General Foods. The family history is interesting, and timely as his daughter, Marjorie Merryweather Post had Mar-a-Lago built.

14. Spectacle : ECLAT. Interesting to see in a puzzle along with: 1D. Joie de vivre : ELAN.

15. Haunted house sound : WAIL.

16. Letters on a communications corp. logo: ATT. American Telephone and Telegraph.

19. The Gray Lady of the press: Abbr. : NYT. Our friend the New York Times.

20. Exile of 1979 : AMIN. The last king of Scotland? He only rule for 8 years.

21. Els on greens : ERNIE.

26. AB negative, among blood types : RAREST.

27. Cockpit no. : ALT. An abbreviation for Altimeter, ot Altitude on a plane, but also for; Altbier, German beer; Alternate character, in online gaming; Alternate route, type of highway designation; Alternating group, mathematical concept; Alternative lifestyle; Alternative rock.

28. Prepared : SET.

29. Big Ben feature : DIAL.

30. Odysseus' faithful dog : ARGOS.  Sad tale; the dog waited 20 years for his master to come home and died when Odysseus returned.

39. Friend of d'Artagnan : ATHOS. Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.

40. Unsullied : PURE. They can attack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxHkXFt3mB4

41. One-fifth of MD : CCC. Roman math- 1500/5= 300.

44. Swindle : CON.


45. Any Beatle, say : BRITON. The name meaning a citizen or native of Great Britain was borrowed from the historic CELTIC BRITONS.

51. Give one final flicker : GO OUT.

52. Greatly reduced sea : ARAL. And its familiar sounding: 50D. Range with one end in Kazakhstan : URALS.

53. Old possessive : THY.

58. Where Simone Biles won four golds : RIO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7A802v1f-g

59. Welsh actor Roger : REES. I knew this ACTOR first from Cheers.

60. Subway entrance : STILE.

61. Lake Mich. state : INDiana.

62. Criteria: Abbr. : STDS. Standards.

63. Thompson of "Creed" : TESSA. She has been busy and they are filming CREED II

64. Org. with a tee in its logo : PGA. Not to be confused with the logo og the PGA Tour.

Down:

2. Lockup : CITY JAIL. In Florida the Jails are mostly run by the County.

3. Throaty : GUTTURAL. What a fun word that came after I saw the G.

4. Hunter's need : PERMIT.

5. Trap during winter : ICE IN. This seemed like a stretch as a clue but variations have been used often. Newsday - Feb. 5, 2018; New York Times - Jan. 13, 2018; LA Times - Nov. 16, 2017; New York Times - July 29, 2017; USA Today - April 20, 2017; WSJ Daily - March 18, 2017; USA Today - March 11, 2017; Newsday - Feb. 12, 2017

6. Sound on some San Francisco streets : CLANG. The wonderful streetcars.

7. Small batteries : AAS. Instinctively put in AAA, but the perps changed my mind.

8. Muddy abode : STY.

9. "__ very hard, and ... play very hard": Maya Angelou : I WORK. She said, "I work very hard, and I play very hard. I'm grateful for life. And I live it - I believe life loves the liver of it. I live it."

10. Regional animal groups : FAUNAS. Flora and fauna.

11. "Forrest Gump" actor : SINISE. Lieutenant Dan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh2DzGccvJc

12. Most stale : OLDEST.

17. Voids : GAPS.

18. Bully : HECTOR. verb (used with object); definition 4. :(lowercase) to treat with insolence; bully; torment: The teacher hectored his students incessantly.

23. __ toast : MELBA. Melba toast is a dry, crisp and thinly sliced toast, often served with soup and salad or topped with either melted cheese or pâté. It is named after Dame Nellie Melba, the stage name of Australian opera singer Helen Porter Mitchell. The toast was created for her by chef and fan Auguste Escoffier, who also created the Peach Melba dessert for her. The hotel proprietor César Ritz supposedly named it in a conversation with Escoffier

24. Baby food array : JARS.

25. Bit of aquatic life : ALGA.

26. Nutritional fig. : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance.

30. Cadillac compact : ATS.

31. Hue of many Renaissance drawings : SEPIA. Sepia is a reddish-brown color, named after the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish Sepia.The word sepia is the Latinized form of the Greek σηπία, sēpía, cuttlefish (wiki).


33. Long list substitute, briefly : ETC ETC. This was tricky as Et cetera did not fit.

34. "Cat on __ Tin Roof" : A HOT. Tennessee Williams.

35. Xperia maker : SONY. My step-son who works selling cell phones has this one.

36. Best : OUTSTRIP. Definition synonyms: go faster than, outrun, outdistance, outpace, leave behind, get (further) ahead of, lose.

37. Causing to foam : FROTHING;

38. Marshy expanse : FEN. Very popular in great britain and British mysteries.

41. Pleasures shared by Churchill and Castro : CIGARS.

42. It might be stuffed at home : CLOSET.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9FGC68YcwM

43. Like one who is beside oneself? : CLONED. A very fun Friday misdirection ckue.

45. How land prices are often calculated : BY AREA.

46. Lean (on) : RELY.

48. Stab : GUESS. This was my method.

49. Refreshing spot : OASIS.

54. Small figure wielding much force? : YODA.

56. Del. winter hrs. : EST. Hey Bluehen.

57. Jeanne d'Arc, e.g.: Abbr. : STE. French for a female saint.


Another Friday done and done. Thank you JW. Next time, we will be in March. Thank you all.

David Alfred Bywaters

Title: This is not an easy A class. Try THESE?

I remember certain teachers and professors who seemed to hate giving a student an A on any paper, having had my work DOWNGRADED for penmanship or failing to explain an answer even when the answer was correct. We have our 4th puzzle from David, all on Friday and like his June 2017 PUZZLE this is a letter substitution. Each of the five themers hs the letter "A" downgraded to a "B." The reveal is simple, and the trick is to have the resulting fill be witty. I think they are good, but YMMV. MEDIA BIBS/MEDIA BIAS seems timely, BLT RIGHT/ALT-RIGHT as well..

We have quite a bit of sparkle, with EPITOME (I will always remember Peter Wiley trying to defend the epi - tome pronounciation in school, he also said Are Kansas), ORATION, SAW TO IT, SHOT PUT, STUN GUN, TARNISH along with two fill longer than some of themers HANDSHAKE and LED ASTRAY. Well let's solve this.
\
17A. *Protection for a press feeding frenzy? : MEDIA BIBS (9). How could I speak of MEDIA BIAS without getting political?

26A. *Result of nodding off at an auction? : SLEEP BID (8). If you took a SLEEP AID before the auction, and it was really strong like Ambien...I can picture this ahppening.

27A. *Sandwich-centric extremists? : BLT RIGHT (8). The BLT is fun, the ALT-RIGHT, not os much but it too is politics.

50A. *Where to read all the latest computer port news? : USB TODAY (8). The cutes clue/fill and a CSO to USA Today.

52A. *Female employee of a tech giant? : IBM WOMAN (8). I AM WOMAN was a very big song, and could be the anthem of the Me Too generation...oops more politics.

63A. Rating reduction responsible for the answers to starred clues : DOWNGRADE (9). With all the ex-teachers who come to the Corner, this should be very popular.

Across:
A scratch awl is a woodworking layout and point-making tool. It is used to scribe a line to be followed by a hand saw or chisel when making woodworking joints and other operations.
1. Scratch __: woodworking tools: AWLS.

5. Split wide open: GAPE.

9. Green "Sesame Street" character: OSCAR. Don't be grouchy.

14. Scallion relative: LEEK. Onions and garlic belong to the Allium genus. Allium, in fact, is derived from the Greek word for garlic. Shallots, leeks, scallions, and chives are also members of the allium family.

15. Sea predator: ORCA.

16. Asian city translates to "place of the gods": LHASA. Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, lies on the Lhasa River's north bank in a valley of the Himalayas. Rising atop Red Mountain at an altitude of 3,700m, the red-and-white Potala Palace once served as the winter home of the Dalai Lama.

19. Tight headgear: DO RAG. Neon Deion helped make them famous.

20. Masseur's workplace: SPA.

21. Word with fly or about: GAD. How many of you remember Roscoe GADDIS?

22. Shining example: EPITOME.

24. What a burglar hopes not to be: SEEN. Cute clue.

30. Fort Collins sch. : CSU. Colorado State University.  U. of Colorado is in Boulder.

31. Merits: EARNS.

32. Italian capital: EURO. The old money distraction.

34. Dilute: THIN. It makes sense mixing paints etc.

38. Letters for John Smith? : AKA. Also Known As. Almost everyone has one, based on using or not using middle initials for examples. Banks now make you sign an AKA affidavit when you borrow money.

39. Besmirch: TARNISH. Besmirch is such a great old-fashioned word.

42. Dudley the Dinosaur's org.: ADA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9fpkXEEytY

43. Books with test answers: KEYS. The teachers' key.

45. Twitter's bird, e.g.: LOGO.

46. One with a title: OWNER. Property.

48. Cry of discovery: AHA.

56. Poems of praise: ODES.

57. Lincoln output: ORATION.

58. "No seats" sign: SRO. Standing Room Only.

59. Egg producer ... and product: HEN.

62. Tuesday dish? : TACOS. According to The Strange History Of Taco Tuesday, the phrase "Taco Tuesday" was coined in 1989 by a Mexican food chain Taco John's. (Quora).

66. Expect: AWAIT.

67. Northern terminus of I-79: ERIE. Another CSO to Abejo and others.

68. Lute family members: UKES.

69. ATM features: SLOTS. Why this clue?

70. Kind of lily: SEGO. As the Utah state flower.

71. Tendency: BENT.

Down:

1. Help for the poor: ALMS. From the word eleemosynary.

2. Sob: WEEP.

3. Acting on bad advice: LED ASTRAY.

4. __ jump: SKI. Timely; any watching the Winter Olympics.

5. Explode: GO BANG. We had a very sad go bang at a school here in Broward County.

6. Parched: ARID.

7. Chem. pollutant banned in 1979: PCB. Polychlorinated biphenyl is an organic chlorine which was banned by the United States Congress in 1979 and by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001.

8. Canvas support: EASEL. Paintings.

9. Elvis hits, e.g.: OLDIES. Interesting choice of artist.

10. Decathlon event: SHOTPUT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs97EQNJTFA

11. Chocolate substitute: CAROB. A slightly healthier ALTERNATIVE.

12. "Me too": AS AM I.

13. Lost it: RAGED.

18. Elder hostile? : AGEIST.

23. River through New Mexico: PECOS.

25. Seaside eagle: ERN.

26. Immobilizing law-enforcement tool: STUNGUN.

27. Nose, slangily: BEAK.

28. Camp sight, perhaps: LAKE.

29. Forrest Gump, for one: HERO.

33. Some are tributaries: RIOS.

35. Cordial greeting: HANDSHAKE.

36. Notion: IDEA.

37. Not: NARY.

40. Budget competitor: ALAMO.

41. Cylindrical sandwich: HOTDOG. I love this definition.

44. Took care of things: SAW TO IT.

47. Sorrow: WOE.

49. Construction site apparatuses: HOISTS.

51. World's third-largest island: BORNEO.

52. Tiny bits: IOTAS.

53. Serious fight: BRAWL.

54. Former Portuguese territory in China : MACAO.

55. Aconcagua's range: ANDES.

58. Way more than a sip: SWIG.

60. Paradise: EDEN.

61. Animal home: NEST.

64. Willamette Valley state: Abbr. : OREgon.

65. Obstacle: RUB. Since JW did not give us a Shakespeare last week, here.
"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
the heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
that Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation
devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there's the rub..."

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Forget the carbs, I am hungry! Call Entenmann's.

For all of you who were wondering where our Friday friend JW has been hding in 2018, he is back and presents the third visual puzzle that has been constructed for our consternation. We have 13 (!) clues which consist only of a number. Good news though, we get a reveal! Oops, not helpful yet. Must solve and wait for perps. Hmm, three letter fill at 26 and 52 across. 26- nope not there. 52? Ahh- BUN! 41- ROLL! Eureka! Thirteen is a baker's dozen. Ta-dah- bakery items! This was a struggle in places, but I am a big fan of most of the goods here, especially a warm buttery CROISSANT and a moist SCONE. What are your favorites? The rest was in my wheelhouse, with SUK requiring all of the perps. The purists will hate the themers being so short and having non-theme fill longer words, but I enjoyed BELDAME, BOSNIAN, CAT SCAN, DEEPENS, ELOCUTE, QUIETED, BLINDERS, and CITY PLAN as fun but challenging fill. A puzzle that completely depends on perps and the reveal...

I wonder if the grid was inspired by The Cross of Salem, also known as a pontifical cross because it is carried before the Pope. This is afterall a CROSSword puzzle.

Anyway on to the solve.

1A. #1: MUFFIN (6). RECIPE.

7A. # 2: BRIOCHE (7). RECIPE.

24A. # 3: TORTE (5). RECIPE.

26A. #4 : PIE (3). RECIPE.

37A. # 5: CAKE (4). RECIPE.

41A. # 6: ROLL (4). RECIPE.

52A. # 7: BUN (3). RECIPE.

53A. # 8: DONUT (5). RECIPE.

69A. # 9: BISCUIT (7). RECIPE.

70A. # 10: DANISH (6). RECIPE.

14D. # 11: BAGEL (5). RECIPE.

20D. # 12: CROISSANT (9). RECIPE.

51D. # 13: SCONE (5). RECIPE.
The reveal:
38A. It's a bit more than it sounds, and hints at this puzzle's theme: BAKER'S DOZEN (11). Wal-Mart sells their doughnuts 13 to a box.

Across:

14. Crone: BELDAME.  Finally a clue, but not a gimme fill. This archaic WORD is clearly a Friday Saturday fill. A very hard start.

15. Sarajevo citizen: BOSNIAN.

16. Gets to: ATTAINS.

17. Settled down: QUIETED.

18. Merry, in Metz: GAI. Metz is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, the city forms a central place of the European Greater Region. Wiki. 55A. Pique-nique setting : PARC. French.

19. Prog. formally reinstated at Harvard in 2011: ROTC. Reserve Officer Training Corps programs were another casualty of the Vietnam War. LINK.

21. Hotel experience: STAY.

22. Sturdy trees: ELMS. Dutch elm disease as a problem but the TREE is making a return.

29. Future D.A.'s hurdles: LSATS.

31. Future salmon: ROE. Fish eggs.

32. Troubles: ILLS.

33. Belg. locale: EUROPE. Why is the clue not Belgium?

35. Travel guide listing: INN.

43. MS-__: DOS. Recently popular fill.

44. Party bowlful: DIP.

45. Goddess usually depicted holding an ankh: ISIS. This EGYPTIAN. And the Symbol which is also a CROSS.

46. "M*A*S*H" rank: Abbr. : MAJ. Random, but better than E-______?

48. Some archaeological sites: TOMBS. King Tut was actually named Tutankhamun. Mini-theme?

56. Karate training site : DOJO. Dōjō (道場) is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way." My brother created one in the 60s in our home time.

59. Lose steam : TIRE.

61. __ Speedwagon : REO. Musical interlude, only 1 hour and 20 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqRpzyWJ5vM

62. Becomes more complex : DEEPENS.

65. High-tech med. procedure : CAT SCAN. What you need to KNOW.

67. Police actions : ARRESTS.

68. Speak well in public : ELOCUTE. Elocution from Latin elocution-, elocutio, from eloqui. Elocute is a back word from elocution.

Down:

1. Most of the periodic table : METALS.

2. __ Thule: distant place in medieval geography : ULTIMA. You want to ARGUE the point?

3. HHS agency : FDA. Health and Human Services.

4. Sunny : FAIR.

5. "You are!" retort : I'M NOT. Are too!

6. Argonaut known for wise counsel : NESTOR. He was a member of Jason's crew before the Trojan War. LINK.

7. Cookout fare, briefly : BBQ.

8. Awaken : ROUSE.

9. "Ya think?" : IS IT? I SIT? Isis' sister?

10. Fit-for-service designation : ONE-A. I have my draft card from the 60's somewhere.

11. Urban design : CITY PLAN. Pompano Beach is working on their PLAN.

12. "Some __ meat and canna eat": start of the Selkirk Grace : HAE. This probably predates Robert Burns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjMaW9GT__Y

13. Conclusion : END.

23. Lifts : STEALS.

25. Have an inclination : TEND.

27. Variety : ILK. I always like this word.

28. Language suffix : ESE.

30. Czech composer Josef, son-in-law of Dvorák : SUK. All perps for this MAN.

32. Frozen treat : ICEPOP. Would you like to read the HISTORY of the Popsicle.

34. Like half of Poland's flag : RED.

36. Silent assent : NOD.

38. Horse racing accessories : BLINDERS. The reason WHY.

39. Ex-quarterback Tony : ROMO.

40. Clearasil target : ZIT.

41. Cookout morsel : RIB.

42. Brutus Buckeye is its mascot: Abbr. : OSU. The Ohio State University. Oklahoma State last week, perhaps Oregon State next.

47. Really pumped : JUICED. Not to be confused with juiced by steroids.

49. __ Aurelius, second-century Roman emperor : MARCUS. One of my favorite EMPERORS.

50. What a sprinter might run out of : BREATH.

53. "__ know you?" : DON'T I.

54. Musical nonsense syllables : TRA LA.

57. Intl. energy group : OPEC.

58. Bach's "__, Joy of Man's Desiring" : JESU. I had no idea and it seems counter-intuitive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwWL8Y-qsJg

60. Hugh Laurie's alma mater : ETON. One of the myriad of foreign born actors who portray US Americans on television.

62. Unit of hot mustard, for most : DAB. Not for Asians or me.

63. NW Penn. airport : ERI.

64. Aircraft in the Smithsonian Inst. collection : SST.

66. Chem., for one : SCI. Abbreviation - abbreviation.

Stu Ockman

Title: Bottom's UP!

We have another visual puzzle, with the theme fill presented updside down, so you need to read from the bottom to the top. All five themers are very popular cocktails, and to add to the degree of difficulty in constructing, Stu uses only mixtures beginning with the letter "M."  Oddly we do see the inimitable martini. This is a wonderful CSO to Tinbeni and my bartending son who works at Poka Lola Social Club in Denver mixing up amazing yummies like the CLOVER CLUB. 2oz Plymouth Gin, .5oz dry vermouth, .5oz raspberry syrup and.75oz lemon juice. Also timely after we had the SAZERAC last Saturday.

This is our second puzzle from Stu who appeared here in 2014. He does have 10 NYT publications, the last two in 2017. There are as always on Friday some challenging cluing and some very fun fill like A BIT ODD, BEATS IT, DELIVER, ONE MORE, SARANAC SESAMES, SLIM JIM (my favorite) SOLACES (James Bond)  TOPMOST, TWO PAIR and YES OR NO. He then puts these sparkly fill in the difficult triple stack patterm in each corner.





4D. Tequila, triple sec and lime juice : ATIRAGRAM (9). MARGARITA has become a favorite cocktail. ent

10D. Champagne and orange juice : ASOMIM (6). MIMOSA along with the Bloody Mary are the Brunch drinks here.

21D. Bourbon, water, sugar and garnish : PELUJTNIM (9). MINT JULEP is the drink of choice at the Kentuck Derby. Anyone here follow the richest race in thorobred racing last Sunday at Gulfstream Park here in So Fla?

36D. Whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters : NATTAHNAM (9). MANHATTAN was the drink of choiceof my brother's f-i-l.

44D. White rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water and garnish : OTIJOM (6). MOJITO has become quite popular is our bars.
And the reveal:

59A. Bar exhortation ... and a hint to how to answer five puzzle clues : DRINK UP (7). The drink names are read UP, from bottom to top.

Across:

1. __ Lake, village near Lake Placid : SARANAC. There are advantages to growing in the Northeast with lots of relatives, some of whom went to this  LAKE .

8. Skedaddles : BEATS IT.

15. Somewhat off : A BIT ODD. Fridays usually have many multiple word fill.

16. "Choose!" : YES OR NO. See I told you.

17. Come through : DELIVER.

18. Poker holding : TWO PAIR. A dangerous hand.

19. A or O : ALER. This simple glue fill took longer than I expected.

20. Easy pace : LOPE.

22. Clipper trio : MASTS. The ship not the basketball team.

23. "Ninja Scroll" genre : ANIME. I did not know the movie, but my kids watched lots of anime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O6_N4mQBos

25. Domain introduced in 2001 : BIZ.

26. Rod Stewart's "__ May" : MAGGIE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2CQ0FvAZuw

29. Shuttle site : LOOM. You want to learn to WEAVE? Or play in the dirt? 40A. Fertile soil : LOAM.

31. Affirmative act : NOD.

34. Outlying community : EXURB. From about 1955, a region or settlement that lies outside a city and usually beyond its suburbs and that often is inhabited chiefly by well-to-do families. (MW).

35. Tesla, e.g. : AUTO. This also took way too long to parse.

36. "Not a chance" : NOPE.

37. "Zorba the Greek" Oscar winner Kedrova : LILA. I liked the movie, did not recall the actress.

38. Bottom of a food chain? : MCJOB. A new way to clue.

39. Abruzzi bell town : ATRI. This LINK starts
"At Atri in Abruzzo, a small town
Of ancient Roman date, but scant renown..."

41. Picasso output : ARTE.


42. Mar. honoree : ST PAT. March 17, St. Patrick's Day.

43. "r u kidding?!" : OMG. An exclamation of surprise.

44. Team that pulls for you : OXEN. Attempted sports misdirection.

45. Like an earworm : CATCHY.

46. Peugeot's 208 or 308, e.g. : GTI.


47. Tony winner Menzel of "Wicked" : IDINA. I had the pleasure of watching her perform as Elphaba on Broadway in July of 2005 with my sons. It was awesome.

49. Feature of many a Hawaiian restaurant : LANAI. Defined: porch, veranda. We have many in SoFla.

52. Cast off : EMIT.

53. Olympian queen : HERA.

57. Lock-picking tool : SLIM JIM. It is two words. I am sure the car thieves love they can buy at Walmart with DIRECTIONS.

61. Highest : TOPMOST. It is one word.

62. Consoles : SOLACES. An encore appearance.

63. Bun seeds : SESAMES. Don't forget the special sause.

64. Request at a bar : ONE MORE. Bonus alcohol fill.

Down:

1. Actress Thompson : SADA. The mother in the successful TV series Family.

2. Doomed shepherd : ABEL. Also a second 2018 appearance.

3. Irk : RILE.

5. Sweet Potato Awareness Mo. : NOV. Who decided this? Who cares?

6. Emperor relative : ADELIE. Great misdirection- Penguins. LINK.

7. Jewel box item : CD-ROM. Defined: a thin plastic case for a CD or DVD — called also jewel case. I only knew jewel case.

8. Eight bits : BYTE. Not a dollar in the modern world.

9. "Ick!" : EEW.

11. Utah's state gem : TOPAZ. The Topaz became the State Gem in 1969 (Utah Code). It is a semiprecious gem found in Beaver, Juab and Tooele counties of Utah. But again, who cares.

12. Mmes. across the Pyrenees : SRAS. French to Spanish.

13. Down but not out : IN IT.

14. Rocky hills : TORS.

24. Bird's bill : NIB. and maybe 51D. Bites playfully : NIPS.

25. Bonehead : BOOB. Hmm, is this 31D. Sometimes offensive, briefly : NOT PC.

26. __ Yello : MELLO.

27. Assumed truth : AXIOM. I was actually a math major when I began college.

28. Soviet labor camp : GULAG.

30. Oklahoma tribe : OTOE.

32. Dr. Phil was her frequent guest before getting his own show : OPRAH. Even Oprah makes mistakes.




33. Eros or Eos : DEITY.

35. Real estate parcel : ACRE.

38. Dress style : MAXI.

42. __ Salvador : SAN. San/El what else is there?

45. Pomelo relative : CITRON.  My wife is on a big POMELO kick to help my body recover from last year. The CITRON is an part of Jewish ceremonies for Sukkhot. See below for Oo and the pomelo rind.

46. Beta follower : GAMMA. Α α alpha, άλφα; Β β beta, βήτα;
Γ γ gamma, γάμμα

48. Playground comeback : DID SO.

49. Amphibious assault transports, for short : LSTS. Landing Ship, Tank - LINK.

50. Botanical balm : ALOE.

52. 911 response gp. : EMTS.

54. Kitchen gadget brand : EKCO.

55. One with second thoughts : RUER.

56. Abbey area : APSE.

58. British author's conclusion? : ISE. As opposed to IZE.

60. Terre dans la mer : ILE. Frawnche, as Splynter would say.

A tight puzzle with some challenge. February is on the March. Thank you Stu and all of you whoe read and write. Lemonade out.


As I promised, here is the grid and Oo getting the most out of Pomelo...

I do not know why the "J" in mint julep or the "t" in St. Pat have been bleached out.