David Alfred Bywaters

Title: HBDTMe

David (DAB) exploded on the 15x15 puzzle scene in December 2016 with a publication in both the NYT and the LAT. I count this to be his 120th puzzle in the major venues NYT, LAT, UC and UCS but my eyes started to cross trying to count them all so YMMV. Add to that all of his work on his own website A little DAB'll Do you and you a creative and dedicated man making his mark. I blogged his initial PUZZLE HERE .   

This theme to me is one of the trickier as it has both verbal and visual aspects. But is Friday so we must work a little harder. This is especially so since all of my fellow bloggers have upped their game so much. 

I wonder if Mr. Bywaters planned this as a Friday, as there are not his usual amount of sparkly non-theme fill with DIADEMS, DINETTE,  MAHALIA and  GIVE OVER the lot. We also have 52 of the 74 words at 5 letters or less and 40 blocks which are many for a 15 x 15. But I liked it and did not find it easy which is my favorite combination for a Friday. Off we go...

7A. Hi?: THIN SKINNED (11). If you take the word THIN and skin it, which is taking its outside layer off, it become HI.

24A. A?: REDUCED FAT (10). This time if you reduce the word FAT, all that is left is A. Again, the outside layer is removed. 

36A. In?: CLIPPED WING (11). Now picture clipping the word WING and remove the ends...

51A. Lower?: CUT FLOWERS (10). If you take away the F and the S... This is consistent, but for me CUT is not as precise as the others.  

58A. Lea?: CLEAN SHAVEN (11). Also clearly part of the theme, and the perfect compliment to 7A, with the work being done to the first word. The 11/10/11/10/11 symmetry also is preserved. 

I also spent some time trying to find a meta from the remaining parts of the butchered words, but nothing came to mind. I hope David stops by again as he often does.       

Across:

1. Ending of a Greek story?: OMEGA. The final letter of the Greek alphabet which we are seeing often.

6. Not just bad: AWFUL. When I was in high school we used to go Friendly's a New England specialty restaurant and order the AWFUL AWFUL. Since fall is approaching it seems a good time to see this drink's HISTORY.

11. Italian word that becomes its English synonym when "h" and "e" are added: TRE. THREE.

14. May and others: CAPES. Using the first letter capital trick made this a very Friday clue/fill. I liked it.

15. Way to go: ROUTE. A literal one to follow just to throw us off.

16. Veer off course: YAW. Didn't we recently discuss THIS?

19. Org. that began as the National Congress of Mothers: PTA. History LESSON. 

20. Head turner: ADONIS. 

Obviously not Jewish.

21. Ways to go: GAITS. Another tricky one as your gait is how you move.

23. Guilty, at times: PLEA. Not guilty, nolo contendre or guilty are the only choics in criminal courts.

28. Purpose: AIM.  

29. Jewish deli specialty: KNISH. An eastern european jewish, or yiddish, snack food consisting of a dumpling stuffed with potato, kasha or other delights.

30. Bit of force: DYNE. This is a unit of force that, acting on a mass of one gram, increases its velocity by one centimeter per second every second along the direction that it acts. Also great for dine puns.

31. Dickensian objects of pity: WAIFS. Meaning "person (especially a child) without home or friends" first attested 1784, from legal phrase waif and stray (1620s), from the adjective in the sense "lost, strayed, homeless."

34. "Fab!": NEATO. Very 60s. 

40. Common bike-lock design: U-BOLT. No, not Usain; or is it?

41. Brief digression: ASIDE. But I digress...

44. "Not likely!": AS IF. Also a popular valley girl phrase of the 80s.

47. Annie who voiced Bo Peep in "Toy Story 4": POTTS. The former Designing Woman, Ghostbusters' receptionist is now:

50. Word on Italian street signs: VIA.

53. Stuff: GEAR. Random.

54. Low bones: TARSI. I always loved when Bones would play with the baby's phlanges.

55. Barefoot: UNSHOD. A hint to the feet?

57. "The Blacklist" agcy.: FBI. What next for Red Reddington?

63. Cheering word: OLE.

64. Mall booth: KIOSK.

65. One can be public or sworn: ENEMY. Or a frenemy.

66. Cabernet or merlot: RED. Quit whining, some have it too easy.

67. Process parts: STEPS.

68. Analyze, in a way: PARSE. My life's work.

Down:

1. It was eighth in old Rome: Abbr.: OCTober. 

2. First name in gospel: MAHALIA.

3. Happening all over: EPIDEMIC. An all too timely clue/fill.

4. Ligurian Sea city: GENOA.

5. Pt. of 19-Across: ASSN.

6. Come up: ARISEN.

7. Captured: WON.

8. Amusement: FUN.

9. Eponymous people of the Southwestern U.S.: UTE.

10. Pigeon's perch: LEDGE.

11. Be exemplary of: TYPIFY.

12. Wicker material: RATTAN. In case you wondered, the word rattan is derived from the Malay "rotan", the local name for climbing palms.

13. Old computers and cellphones, say: EWASTE. Like this fill.

18. Michael Douglas' middle name: KIRK. That makes sense since his father, Issur Danielovitch, had taken the name to become Kirk Douglas.

22. Extras: ADD ONS. Crossing ADONIS.

23. "Give me your __": PAW. How sweet, but I don't know you well enough.

25. Kitchen set: DINETTE.

26. Sold for less, as a rule: USED.

27. Tobacco wad: CHAW.

32. Blown lines, say: FLUFFS.

33. Bro, e.g.: SIB.

35. Hermana de la madre: TIA. Sister of your mother in Spanish.

37. Cops, in slang: POPO. Originally from Southern California, where bicycle police, beginning in the 1980s, wore T-shirts marked 'PO', for 'police officer', in block letters. As these officers rode in pairs, their shirts would read 'POPO' when side by side. 

38. Furrow maker: PLOW.

39. Abandon: GIVEOVER.

42. Glittering headgear: DIADEMS.

43. Musical skill: EAR.

44. Represent: ACT FOR.

45. Subject to litigation: SUABLE.

46. Consolatory post-failure reflection: I TRIED.

48. Swimming __: TRUNKS.

49. "Last four digits" IDs: SSNS.

52. The home team gets the last ones: LICKS.

53. Togo neighbor: GHANA.

56. Apt collie name: SHEP.

59. On fire: LIT.

60. Fair-hiring abbr.: EOE.

61. Deadly viper: ASP.

62. Bill promoting science?: NYE.

Bryant White

Title: Sign him up to a long term contract.

Little did I know when I was solving Sunday's puzzle and telling Bryant I was looking forward to his next effort that it would be this puzzle. 

18A. L[INK]: CHAIN SEGMENT (14).

27A. M[INK]: LUSTROUS FUR.(11).

39A. F[INK]: POLICE INFORMER (14).

56A. R[INK]: SKATING AREA (11).

64A. Secret message technique ... and a hint to four puzzle clues: INVISIBLE INK (12).

Across:

1. Suitable for growing crops: ARABLE. Arable land is the land that can be used for agriculture. The term is derived from the Latin word “arare” meaning, to plough. Non-arable land is the land unsuitable for agriculture. For some reason I know this word.

7. Rain unit: DROP. 

                                   

11. 4x4, for short: UTE. ICK

14. Song with a story: BALLAD. 
                                

15. Ephesus' region: IONIA. The HISTORY of [EF][UH][SUHS].

17. Hamburger Hill setting, briefly: NAM. Not our finest HOUR.

20. Long order: SUB. Cute, submarine sandwiches are often long.

21. Teacher's note: SEE ME. Not a note you want to receive.

22. Sparkling flapper accessory: TIARA. Gatsby?

24. Cobblers' tools: AWLS. Not if you are making peach.

31. Dumbledore and Snape, in brief: PROFS. As long we don't see them in their brief; sadly they are both dead.

33. Range rover: STEER. A great alliterative misdirection; everyone join in, "Home, home on the range..."

34. Military meal: MESS. mess (n.). From 1300, "a supply or provision of food for one meal," from Old French mes "portion of food, course at dinner," from Late Latin missus "course at dinner," literally "a placing, a putting (on a table, etc.)," Meaning "a communal eating place" (especially a military one) is attested by 1530s, from the earlier sense of "a company of persons eating together at the same table" (early 15c.),

35. __ rasa: TABULA. The bank slate, more Latin.

37. Clarinet, e.g.: REED. Because you need one to make music with it? Ron?

45. Somewhat, to Salieri: POCO.  This is difficult in so many ways, first ANTONIO SALERI is not as well known as others and POCO means little in both Spanish and Italian.

46. "Circus Sideshow" pointillist: SEURAT.            Georges Seurat, (born December 2, 1859, Paris, France—died March 29, 1891, Paris), painter, founder of the 19th-century French school of Neo-Impressionism                

48. General vibe: AURA.

52. Traditional doings: RITES. Tradition, tradition...hit it Zero!

55. Skylit lobbies: ATRIA.

59. George Harrison's "__ It a Pity": ISN'T. 

60. Kit Kat component: WAFER. It's back

61. Capital served by the Queen Alia International Airport: AMMAN. Jordan.

63. Ballpark fig.: EST. Crowd count.

71. Pulitzer novelist Harper: LEE. From 10 days ago.

72. Strainer: SIEVE. Not Ballesteros. Though I am sure he usually flew on...

73. Madrid-based airline: IBERIA. It is a Peninsula thing.

74. Vehicle for some trips: LSD. Since July 1:

Universal Crossword - Aug. 11, 2021

WSJ Daily - Aug. 2, 2021

Universal Crossword - July 28, 2021

USA Today - July 22, 2021

WSJ Daily - July 20, 2021

LA Times - July 16, 2021

Universal Crossword - July 14, 2021

USA Today - July 12, 2021

USA Today - July 1, 2021

75. It has a head and hops: BEER. Harvey, Jimmy Stewart's friend?

76. Ankle-related: TARSAL. Is this one of those new fangled META clues?

Down:

1. Simple comparison: ABC. In Sunday's effort he used an Agatha Christie Poirot title.

2. Fan noise: RAH. Rah, sis boom bah; rah rah ree , kick em in the knee, rah rah rass, kick em in the other knee

3. Like: A LA.

4. Like ignorance, at times: BLISSFUL.

5. "Stay in your __!": LANE. Clark!

6. Ranger or Corsair: EDSEL. 

7. Compilation: DIGEST. Readers being the most famous.

8. Bulg. neighbor: ROMania.

9. Half of eleven?: ONE. 1    1. see it now?

10. Wall map insert: PIN.

11. Nader's "__ at Any Speed": UNSAFE.

12. Alphabetically penultimate zodiac sign: TAURUS. Next to last, with VIRGO (my sign) last.

13. Places in a cell: EMBARS.Yuck!

16. Alaskan site of the only WWII battle on U.S. soil: ATTU. HISTORY .

19. Layers of big eggs: EMUS. We cannot escape LIMU or his family

23. School of thought: ISM.

24. Quick: APT.

25. Stop shooting: WRAP. 

26. Timber wolf: LOBO. A CSO to OMK and his New Mexico roots. 

28. Fork-tailed flier: TERN. Very aerodynamic

29. Coral habitat: REEF. Staying near the ocean, we have:

30. Some Blizzard ingredients: OREOS. Yummy.

32. Place to park a clipper: SLIP.
More seafaring stuff.

 He is a squirrel...

36. Scrat's obsession in "Ice Age" films: ACORN.

38. De Matteo of "The Sopranos": DREA. I have had this actress amny times. No literally ofcourse, just in puzzles.

40. Juul product, briefly: E-CIG. Probably more dangerous than the cigarettes they are replacing. 

41. Ninth Greek letter: IOTA. abc def ghi in Greek.

42. Fletcher Christian, for one: MUTINEER. Where? On 
the 

43. Does as humans do?: ERRS. But forgiving is divine.

44. Sprinkle, perhaps: RAIN. Purple?

47. Skin pic: TAT.Ooo Ooo

48. In addition to that: AS WELL.

49. Czar's decrees: UKASES. 1. (Historical Terms) (in imperial Russia) an edict of the tsar

50. Traveled like Huck and Jim: RAFTED.

51. Bolted down: ATE. Rush, rush, rush.

53. Tip for fixing mistakes?: ERASER. So cute, tip of the pencil.

54. Highway behemoth: SEMI. How big would a whole one be?

57. Camera part: IRIS. Designed by using the EYE.

58. Gamut: AMBIT.

62. Daughter in "The Time Traveler's Wife": ALBA. The actress who played the 9 year old version, HAILEY McCANN has already retired.

65. Spoonbill's bill: NIB.  The word nib comes from a 16th century word meaning the beak of a bird. 

66. Angled formation: VEE. More birds.

67. "__ gotta run!": I'VE. Not yet, I must finish first.

68. Collection agcy.: IRS. The biggest.

69. Peeples seen in People: NIA. This multitalented multi cultural beauty from her mother Elizabeth Peeples of Filipino, German and Spanish descent and her father Robert has Italian, Scottish, Irish and Native American Heritage. 

70. Actor Penn: KAL. Fascinating young man who 

worked as a real-life White House staffer (as Associate Director of the Obama administration's White House Office of Public Engagement) and played one on TV (as Seth in the TV series Designated Survivor).