Jeffrey is back on schedule with me and delivers another of his letter substitution puzzles. The letter "W" replaces "QU" in a varied group of common phrases. As I solved it seemed he was going for another group well all of the switched letters preceded the same vowel, but that was not to be. Instead, he ramped up the difficulty by adding some very original fill and his usual witty cluing. His long non-theme fill shows three introductions, highlighted in BLUE and one second-appearance highlighted in GREEN. He packs all of this into a 70-word gem. AIR TANK, ALGIERS, ALL TAKEN, APHELION, MAGNOLIA, TIRE CARE, TRAIN SET and TSUNAMIS.
16A. Colbert et al.?: WITS FOR THE NIGHT (15). JW, which comes first, the idea of QU to W or does a specific fill pop into your head?
29A. Part of a candlemaker's design process?: WICK DECISION (11). I am glad he didn't clue this with a reference to this MOVIE. Definitely R-rated for violence.
34A. Outdoor wedding guests on a steamy day?: WILTING PARTY (11). When my son married they chose June in Florida for an outdoor wedding at the Miami Botanical Gardens.
51A. What a hiker might do after a nap on the trail?: WAKE IN ONE'S BOOTS (15). I always take mine off before sleeping in the forest.
Across:
1. New England's only National Park: ACADIA. In Maine.
7. Eponymous explorer of Australia: TASMAN. I do not think ABEL TASMAN was much of a devil, just an explorer.
13. Pressure sensors attached to buoys are parts of their warning systems: TSUNAMIS. A learning moment.
15. Recorded, in a way: ON TAPE.
18. Useful thing: ASSET.
19. Additionally: TOO.
20. Coastal raptor: ERNE. Also known as the SEA EAGLE. They are a link to the Dinosaurs but not vegetarians.
21. Something to file: NAIL. Why do we file files?
22. Frond source: PALM. They are lot of old fronds of mine here.
23. With 53-Down, maxim: OLD. 53D. See 23-Across: SAW. A proverb or maxim, as in "Mom's always repeating the old saw, "Haste makes waste". This term uses saw in the sense of saying, and old in the sense of wise rather than old-fashioned.
25. Ob-__: GYN.
26. Jacket fabric: DENIM.
27. First name in a 2010s first family: MALIA. Means "Mary" in Hawaiian. Perfect for Hawaiian born father.
31. Subarctic forest: TAIGA. Taiga, also called a boreal forest, biome (major life zone) of vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees, found in northern circumpolar forested regions characterized by long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation.
33. Hawke of "Boyhood": ETHAN. Two weeks ago, it was ETHAN ALLEN.
38. "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN. Somewhere was not in the title, and it was written specifically for the movie. Harold Arlen only wrote the music but is a classic sung by so many. HISTORY. Judy Garland's version is embedded in the link.
39. Bowling venue: ALLEY. Another CSO to Boomer and TTP.
40. PD alert: APB. It has taken me a while to adjust to PD not meaning PUBLIC DEFENDER. With all the police procedurals on TV, I finally got it.
43. Understand: GET.
44. Oil equipment: RIGS.
45. "Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself" org.: ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union.
46. Meditation goal: CALM.
49. Keurig Dr Pepper brand: BAI. "Bai's mission is to share the powerful antioxidant goodness of coffee's superfruit and always move toward optimum, healthy living." I missed the $18,700,000,000.00 acquisition by Keurig in 2018. Their list of brands in very impressive and hard to avoid. LIST.
55. Gift with tracks: TRAINSET. We took the family on a BRIGHTLINE train ride, and my 2-year-old grandson loved. He now owns a beginner train set.
56. Absinthe herb: FENNEL. Traditional absinthe is made of anise, fennel, and wormwood (a plant), and various recipes add other herbs and flowers to the mix. Did you hallucinate when you tried it?
57. Chocolates, e.g.: SWEETS.
Down:
1. "You've heard this from me before ... ": AS I SAY.
2. Replaces a dancer: CUTS IN.
3. Adams with negatives: ANSEL. This PHOTOGRAPHER.
4. Bonkers: DAFT. Two old terms for mentally unwell.
5. "Here's a thought," briefly: IMO. In My Opinion.
6. Reef diver's need: AIR TANK. Most divers use scuba tanks filled with simple compressed air (filtered and dehumidified).
7. Sock part: TOE.
8. Prince Harry's aunt: ANNE. Elizabeth II children are Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
9. Ado: STIR. About nothing?
10. Early Mississippi flag symbol: MAGNOLIA.
11. Farthest-from-the-sun orbital point: APHELION. The perihelion is the point on the orbit of a planet or comet that is closest to the sun. The point on the orbit farthest from the sun is the aphelion. The speed of a body in the solar system is greatest at the perihelion and least at the aphelion.
12. Monarch catcher: NET. Butterflies. Hey- CSO to John Lampkin, who was the constructor that introduced APHELION to the crossword world.
13. Country music sound: TWANG.
14. Unexcitable: STOLID.
17. Marseille man: HOMME.
22. Pie-topping nut: PECAN.
24. Newscaster Rather: DAN.
26. Invitation to eat: DIG IN.
27. Daydreaming Walter: MITTY.
28. Wan: ASHY.
29. Bic's __-Out: WITE.
30. First known asteroid: CERES.
31. Car manual topic: TIRE CARE.
32. Like the seats in an SRO performance: ALL TAKEN.
34. Funny one: WAG.
35. She never went to 50-Across ceremonies: GARBO. 50D. 1954 Honorary Award for 35-Down: OSCAR.
36. Flexible: PLIANT.
37. North African capital: ALGIERS.
40. Confront boldly: ACCOST.
41. China pieces: PLATES.
42. Pop: BURST.
45. Together: AS ONE.
47. Corned beef order: LEAN.
48. Tiny insect: MITE.
50. "Hamilton" award: OBIE.
51. Scrabble-like app, briefly: WWF. Words With Friends.
52. Puckish org.?: NHL. Punishing pun dropped here.
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