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.

David Alfred Bywaters

Title: LET IT BE CHRISTMAS

It is not often I am inspired to begin a puzzle write-up with a musical link but 'tis the season. Chanukah (Hannukah or however you want to spell it in Roman letters) begins this year on Sunday at sundown and Christmas is next Wednesday. The world is loaded with HOLIDAYS and I hope you all enjoy yours. I don't want to forget Festivus or Kwanzaa.

On to our delightful puzzle from DAB. When I started blogging here more than a decade ago, the first thing I learned was to look at 17 Across for a hint to the theme.  This week that is SAYCHEESE. Then HAIRSALON also has to be part of the theme. That left me a BIGMESS. The second thing I learned from C.C. was "don't panic", so next is to look around the edges or at the Down fill. TA DAH! I found the rare Friday reveal: 26D. Disappointment ... and a hint to four puzzle answers: LET DOWN (7). So we need four fill with the trigram LET heading down from L-T.  The rest was interesting mental pictures.

3D. That one curl that makes the whole hairdo work?: KEY RINGLET (10). A Key Ring...

9D. Perfectionist butcher's pride?: CUTLET CORNERS (13).
The meat man does not Cut Corners.

18D. Breakfast theater offering?: HAMLET AND EGGS (13). Our Shakespeare fill, Ham and Eggs.

30D. Hollywood's latest canine discovery?: DOG STARLET (10).
Dog Star following in Lassie's paw steps.

There was one serious Friday clue/fill difficulty - ALBEDO - I am looking at you

Across:

1. Work with dough: BAKE. We kneaded to start with a pun.

5. Cylindrical granary: SILO. Hmm, silo (n.) 1835, from Spanish silo, traditionally derived from Latin sirum (nominative sirus), from Greek siros "a pit to keep corn in." It sounds like some Asian influence.

9. City in Illinois' Little Egypt region: CAIRO. I did not know the current status of the Southernmost CITY in Illinois.

14. Blessing ender: AMEN.

15. Letter-shaped auto feature: T-TOP. I like it near 19A. Chophouse choice: T-BONE.

16. Stomach trouble: ULCER. Stomach ulcers, which are also known as gastric ulcers, are painful sores in the stomach lining. ... This allows the digestive acids to eat away at the tissues that line the stomach, causing an ulcer. Stomach ulcers may be easily cured, but they can become severe without proper treatment. I will not post pictures.

17. Words before snapping: SAY CHEESE. Pictures not tempers. It perhaps comes from former Ambassador Joseph E. Davies and is guaranteed to make you look pleasant no matter what you’re thinking. Mr. Davies disclosed the formula while having his own picture taken on the set of his “Mission to Moscow.” It’s simple. Just say “Cheese,” It’s an automatic smile. “I learned that from a politician,”

20. Estonia, once: Abbr.: SSR. Soviet Socialist Republic.

21. Inlet: ARM. Meh.

22. Eases up: RELENTS.

24. Self-conscious question: IS IT ME? Yes, it is!

26. Performed eye surgery on, maybe: LASED. A mini-CSO to me as I have had YAG Laser surgery, not the popular one.

27. Win-win: NO LOSE. A partial?

29. Not getting along: AT ODDS.

33. Troll's cousin: OGRE. Are they REALLY related?

34. Code of conduct: ETHIC.

36. "Wow!": OOH. It needs an "AAH" to make sense to me. It has a clecho - 39A. "Wow!": OH GEE.

37. Dark: UNLIT.

38. Stir: ADO.

41. Really dug, with "up": ATE.

42. Hard wear: ARMOR. Very funny clue.

44. Antarctic explorer James: ROSS.
This famous MAN.

45. Spiral pasta: ROTINI.

47. Tree used for furniture and food: WALNUT. In case you want some nuts or syrup HOW TO RECOGNIZE a Black Walnut Tree.

49. Jingle-writing guy: ADMAN. Don Draper.

51. Render fizzy: AERATE. Like some others, I think of golf courses and greens.

54. Difficult and confusing situation: BIG MESS. I told you NO POLITICS!

57. Source of animal protection: FUR.

58. Sushi garnish: ROE. I am not caviar or other fish egg lover.

59. Script you can eat: ICING. We can't write in script here but Happy Birthday.

60. Permanent purveyor: HAIR SALON. Nice alliteration.

63. Obscure: BEFOG.

64. Magazine with a pronoun for a title: ELLE. A French pronoun.

65. Baseball team whose original full name is rarely used: METS. They were officially named the New York Metropolitans, after an 1883 short-lived team.

66. Outplays: BESTS. Like Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy.

67. Speculator's panicky cry: SELL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDI6SEIzwNM

68. 53-Down synonym: ITSY. Teeny weeny? 53D. 68-Across synonym: EENSY.

Down:

1. Low voices: BASSI.

2. Gather: AMASS. Like Uncle Scrooge- a fortune.

4. Letter abbr.: ENClosure.

5. Man cave setup: STEREO. Surround sound?

6. Bag of chips at checkout, say: ITEM. Random.

7. __ Altos, California: LOS. They have many very pretty and very expensive houses there.

8. __ house: OPERA. It was the only five letter fill that came to mind.

10. Planetary reflected-light ratio: ALBEDO. After reflecting on this clue, I realized I did not know it was the proportion of the incident light or radiation that is reflected by a surface, typically that of a planet or moon. The word comes from the Latin  ALBUS.

11. One who is more than just famous: ICON. Same start and length as IDOL.

12. Monthly check: RENT. Somewhat random.

13. Mine products: ORES. No, they are mine!

23. Actor Morales: ESAI. The first crosswordese fill I learned.

25. Bagels and donuts, shapewise: TORI. I like bagels and donuts, but I feel like some music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnK0X_1OLTU

28. Tailor's task: SEAM.

31. "That __ it!": DOES.

32. That girl: SHE. This show predated the Mary Tyler Moore Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoh1LGADKI8

33. Not taken by: ON TO.

35. Group dance with hand-holding: HORA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGTho2a9t9k

37. Nasser's org.: UAR.

40. Happy __: HOUR.

43. Lens holders: RIMS.

46. "You're wrong about me!": I AM NOT.

48. Poet's honor: LAUREL.


50. Hearth sweepings: ASHES.

52. Sweetie: TOOTS. This term is no longer pc to call a female. Spencer still calls Dr. Silverman "toots" at times.

54. Lettuce type: BIBB.

55. Frozen drink brand: ICEE.

56. Computer images, briefly: GIFS.

57. Sate: FILL.

61. Tankard contents: ALE.

62. Athos, vis-à-vis Aramis: AMI. They were French after all, just like M. Dumas.

David Alfred Bywaters

Title: G that was a cute puzzle!

DAB is back with our second week in a row with an add a letter to the end of a phrase to create a new and fun phrase theme. He adds a really perfect reveal. You are directed to reparse ENDING into three parts - END IN G.



DELIGHT, OFF GRID, PERSONA, PRESETS, REMARKS, SARONGS, OBAMA CARE  and PAVAROTTI



18A. Didn't just knock?: ALSO RANG (8)

29A. Barbecue dinner followed by dyspepsia?: RACK AND RUING (12)

49A. Part for a robot vampire?: ELECTRIC FANG (12).

62A. Eagerly excited for an extended period of time?: LONG AGOG (8)

73A. Conclusion ... or, in three parts, what four answers in this puzzle unexpectedly do: ENDING.(6).

Across:

1. Fencing needs: SWORDS. Did anyone think PANELS?

7. Soup holder: POT. Where you cook it, not serve it.

10. Web creation: SITE.

14. "Amen": SO BE IT. Another interesting array of letters. I am surprised we do not see this more.

15. Complement for a tango: TWO. The SAYING. The song...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDd1S1TJdhY

16. Sharp: ACID. Like a tongue.

17. Fill with love: ENAMOR.

20. Like a male lion: MANED. A typical Friday stretch, correct but who uses it?

22. Housecleaning aid: SPONGE. This needed perps, there are so many.

23. Arctic trout: CHAR. Interesting not only this fish but a house cleaner in Britain.

25. Completely erase: WIPE. Interesting, not only what you do when you sell your phone, but one of the things you do with a sponge.

28. PC key above Shift: ENTER. Not CAPS LOCK.

32. Audibly amazed: AGASP.

33. Period: ERA.

34. Bad Ems and Marienbad, for two: SPAS. I knew MARIENBAD, bever heard of BAD EMS.

38. Animal protection agent: FUR.

39. Public face: PERSONA. This from the Latin word - an individual's social facade.

43. Muhammad's son-in-law: ALI. He married Fatima. This is RELIGION but educational.

44. Ready to drive: TEED. I think you really need "UP" but it is a Friday.

46. Contend: VIE.

47. Trailer follower: MOVIE.

53. Prop for a Tell skit: APPLE. William Tell that is.

56. Label caveat: AS IS.

57. Wandering the range, say: FREE.

58. Thinking things: BRAINS.

60. Game with 25 squares: BINGO. I call Bingo for a 13 week winter season at our condo when the snowbirds are in town. Come on by, we have fun. I play Pat and Oo is Vanna.

65. Containing more lemon: TARTER.

68. O.T. book after Neh.: ESTH.

69. Pedi pinkie: TOE.

70. French teacher: MAÎTRE. If you remember Zazie's French lesson, the circonflexe becomes an "S" giving us MASTER.

71. Remainder: REST.

72. "I think my love as rare / As any __ belied by false compare": Shak.: SHE. Another Friday Will S. This time a Sonnet. 130.


Down:

1. Memphis-to-Mobile dir.: SSE.

2. Outplayed an opponent: WON.

3. 2010 health statute, informally: OBAMACARE.

4. They may be nasty: REMARKS. Yes, they may, especially on Fridays.

5. Belmonts frontman: DION. From my childhood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAPEfdjvTqE

6. Thrown around: STREWN. Old English strewian, streowian "to scatter," from Proto-Germanic *strawjan- (source also of Old Frisian strewa, Old Saxon strowian, Old Norse stra, Danish strø, Swedish strö, Middle Dutch strowen, Dutch strooien, Old High German strouwen, German streuen, Gothic straujan "to sprinkle, strew"), from suffixed form of PIE root *stere- "to spread." Related: Strewed; strewn; strewing. I like this word.

7. School org.: PTA.

8. Hogwarts mail carrier: OWL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNEkn-C8Cww

9. Discard: TOSS.

10. Simple island garments: SARONGS. This will always be my image of a sarong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GmkcjAQrAw

11. "__ even!": I CAN'T. Valley speak.

12. Bit of color: TINGE.

13. Landscaping tool: EDGER.

19. Taking customers: OPEN. For business.

21. Completed: DID.

23. Boat, or the building of one: CRAFT.

24. World Court site, with "The": HAGUE. All that you need to KNOW.

26. Car stereo conveniences: PRESETS.

27. Continental currency: EURO.

30. Dictionary on a phone, say: APP.

31. Scottish John: IAN.

35. "King of the High C's": PAVAROTTI. A publicist long ago gave Luciano Pavarotti the sobriquet King of the High C’s, for his remarkable ability to hit and sing the heck out of one of the highest notes of the tenor voice. NYT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX_DvgB0_R4

36. Dress style: ALINE.

37. "Iliad" topic: SIEGE. This was perps. The PLOT.

40. Party time: EVE.

41. Costa __: RICA. I have a friend who always says Costa Rico. I go crazy.

42. "Preacher" airer: AMC. No longer its original American Movie Classics name, this channel creates original TV programs like this one based on a DC Comic Book. Seth Rogen is one of the writers. LINK.

45. Gladden: DELIGHT.

48. Independent of public utilities: OFF GRID. Very important to SURVIVALISTS.

50. Singer Horne: LENA. A wonderful talent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPgnj5upihQ

51. Tease: RIB.

52. Self-reflective thought: IS IT ME?

53. Not so ham-handed: ABLER.

54. Verse alternative: PROSE. Here we get both, with OKL starting off most days.

55. Slacks: PANTS.

59. PD ranks: SGTS. Police Departments.

61. Bread with tikka masala: NAAN.

63. "That's amazing!": OOH.

64. "That's interesting": GEE. A little tongue in the cheek fill from DAB to amuse himself about the theme..

66. Fish-eating bird: ERN. There are many fish-eating birds.

67. Brief rule?: REG.ulation.

David Alfred Bywaters

Title:  Want a fun night? You can bet on Texas hold'em.

DAB is back for his first Friday of the New Year on the first one in February. White Rabbit White Rabbit. Today we are presented with the addition of the word/trigram "ALL" to some common phrases.  Once again symmetry and 1/4 with ALL added to the first part and 2/3 added to the second. Two are grid-spanners and we are given a Friday gift of a reveal. With a passel of 3 and 4 letter fill, you had to expect some very challenging cluing which for me started with 1 Across. The entire North took me much more time and I needed some perps and some educated guesses to get going. The fill was not obscure, but the cluing was difficult to parse.

AGENDAS, DELIGHT, RANCHES, RIPENED, MELANGES, and TIDE POOL


17A. Up-tempo music lover's aversion?: BALLAD INFLUENCE (15). If you just read the black letters you see BAD INFLUENCE is the base phrase, with ALL added to create an amusing picture of someone changing the station on the radio when a ballad comes on. Cool.

30A. Large garlic relative?: BIG SHALLOT (10). The shallot is a type of onion with its close relatives - garlic, leek, chive, and Chinese onion. Nero Wolfe was a fictional BIG SHOT who used shallots with his chef Fritz Brenner.

48A. Classical dance minus the lifting, throwing, and such?: SAFE BALLET (10). This is pretty funny picturing old people doing ballet. It's a SAFE BET not many would watch. I wonder if the connection to the "ALL IN"  bet got this puzzle started?

62A. Genetic determinants of Southern linguistic variations?: Y'ALL CHROMOSOMES (15). This is also very cute - morphing Y CHROMOSOMES into a Southern accent.

and the reveal:

73A. Totally committed, and a hint to four puzzle answers: ALL IN (5).

On to the rest

Across:

1. They may be scraped off in bars: FOAMS. The one below promotes Guinness. I had to work my way back to get this.

6. Hamlet's "A little more than kin, and less than kind," e.g.: ASIDE. It is Friday so we must have Shakespeare. Today, it is not so much a quotation as it is a convention which Will used extensively where the characters speak directly to the audience.

11. Cut short: BOB. You have to first understand he is referencing HAIRSTYLES.



14. Atlas box: INSET. This also was not difficult except it hid from me for too long, as atlases all have those insets showing cities etc. I was looking for some device called an "atlas box."

15. Got a lode of: MINED. Notice the spelling - it is not "load" but "lode."

16. Half a pair: ONE. Reminiscent of Monday's Half and half: ONE

20. Tune: AIR. I had forgotten this meaning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2j-frfK-yg

21. Pond fish: KOI. Koi (鯉, English: /ˈkɔɪ/, Japanese: [koꜜi]) or more specifically nishikigoi (錦鯉, [ɲiɕi̥kiꜜɡoi], literally "brocaded carp"), are colored varieties of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens

22. Sticks in: ADDS. Your two cents?

23. Meeting organizers: AGENDAS. Not the people but the program.

27. Belg. neighbor: GER.

29. Oil-yielding Asian tree: TUNG. Tung oil, also known as China Wood Oil, Lumbang oil, Noix d'abrasin (fr.) or simply wood oil, is made from the seed kernels of the Tung tree (Aleurites fordii and Aleurites montana, family Euphorbiaceae). (woodwork details). FRIDAY HARD.

36. Striped animal: TIGER.

38. South side?: GRITS. A very cute Friday misdirection. I recall my first breakfast in Gainesville.

39. Time to mark: ERA.

40. Employed: IN USE.

41. Negative prefix: NON. Essential?

42. Amazon business: E-TAIL.

44. Disney Store collectible: CEL. It is back with no clue controversy.

45. Weakling's lack: BRAWN.

47. Performed well enough: DID OK. An odd string of letters at first glance.

51. Sign of elimination: DELE.

52. Wise __: MEN.

53. Matured: RIPENED.

55. Siamese, nowadays: THAI. A CSO to my sweet bride. I also have had only one cat and it was a Siamese.

58. One seen on most 46-Down: COW. 46A. 58-Across homes: RANCHES. Not on the farms.

61. Bar valve: TAP.

68. Vietnamese soup: PHO. Phở or pho (UK: /fɜː/, US: /fʌ, foʊ/, Canada: /fɒ/; Vietnamese: [fəː˧˩˧] (listen)) is a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and meat, primarily made with either beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). Chicken is GAI in Thai.

69. Irritant: PEEVE. Often kept as a pet.

70. Drudges: TOILS.

71. Polish off: EAT.

72. Good thing to have: ASSET.





Down:

1. It's petty but misleading: FIB.

2. Brahms' "Variations __ Theme of Paganini": ON A. Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 35, is a work for piano composed in 1863 by Johannes Brahms, based on the Caprice No. 24 in A minor by Niccolò Paganini. wiki.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=USCF6-fIXPU

3. Comm. system with hand motions: ASL. American Sign Language.

4. Mixtures: MELANGES. I know that definition, but I also know that Melange, often referred to as simply "the spice", is the name of the fictional drug central to the Dune series of science fiction novels by Frank Herbert, and derivative works. In the series, the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe is melange, a drug that gives the user a longer life span, greater vitality, and heightened awareness;

5. Serious: STAID.

6. "Moi?": AMI. Again, while they are both French words (Me and Male Friend) I cannot say I understand.

7. Set, as the sun: SINK. A personal CSO to our Gulf of Mexico Cornerites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdR-7KIEM4k

8. Collection of spies?: INFO. They collect it.

9. Make happy: DELIGHT.

10. Email suffix: EDU.

11. Investor's alternative: BOND. Stocks or...

12. Like most '80s-'90s commercial music: ON CD.

13. Winged collectors: BEES. They collect pollen.

18. Uninteresting: DRAB.

19. Countess' spouse, perhaps: EARL. The wife of a substantive peer is legally entitled to the privileges of peerage: she is said to have a "life estate" in her husband's dignity. Thus a Duke's wife is titled a "Duchess", a marquess's wife a "marchioness", an earl's wife a "countess", a Viscount's wife a "Viscountess" and a Baron's wife a "Baroness." England does not have Counts.

23. Storage areas: ATTICS.

24. Old U.K. coin worth 21 shillings: GUINEA. Learn about British CURRENCY.

25. Swallow up: ENGULF.

26. Lighthouse output: SIGNAL. We have some nice ones in Florida including one we toured. LINK.

28. Facilitated: EASED.

31. Unhappy utterance: GROWL.

32. Everyone, to some believers: SINNER.

33. Oppressively heavy: LEADEN.


34. Colorful songbird: ORIOLE. I always looked forward to seeing these beauties return in the spring.

35. Rapped: TALKED.

37. Hasidic teacher: REBBE. This is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word rabbi, which means "master, teacher, or mentor". Like the title "rabbi" it refers to teachers of Torah or leaders of Jewry.

43. Quahog's quarters: TIDEPOOL. A quahog is a clam but a clam isn’t necessarily a quahog. Steamers are clams but they aren’t always steamed, in fact fried clam strips can be made from steamers. Cherrystones are bigger than little necks but smaller than quahogs and they are all clams.

49. Oscar winner Jannings: EMIL. He won the first Oscar in 1929. LINK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=gCjue1bWtaU

50. Puente of mambo fame: TITO.

54. Noodles: PASTA.

55. Class: TYPE.

56. "Yeah, that's funny": HA HA.

57. Tons: A LOT.

59. Tram loads: ORES. That is how they transport the ores from the mine.

60. Masterminded, as a complex plan: WOVE.

63. Many an IRS employee: CPA.

64. Made the acquaintance of: MET.

65. Thickness measure: MIL. This is one-thousandth of an inch.

66. __ Gold, Alan Cumming's "The Good Wife" role: ELI.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqoH8ZsVS_w

67. U.S. ID: SSN. Social Security Number.

David Alfred Bywaters

Title: An empty theme (MT)

Another of our frequent Friday flyers is back with an effort that is all tongue-in-cheek and pretty damn funny. DAB uses a familiar letter replacement theme but focuses on devising very witty clues for the fill that emerged when the letter "M" is replaced with the letter "T." The highlight being the self-deprecatory reveal - Lame justification for the letter substitution in four puzzle answers?: EMPTY EXCUSE. (MT excuse). With the focus on the humor and 55 spaces in the theme, we have only a couple of longer fill  COLLAPSED,  ONIONSKIN. There is still difficulty lurking so let us go look it over.

17A. Skin tone achieved via pure will?: SELFMADE TAN (11). It would be easy to make this into a political comment, but this is just a self-made man.

24A. Ballet performance on skis?: SLAT DANCE (9). This is the most tortured fill, and slam dance the least common initial phrase, but it works.

37A. TV show destined for early cancellation?: BROADCAST TEDIUM (15). There are a number of tedious tv shows, aired in that broadcast medium. 

51A. Horse chatter?: STALL TALK (9). By far my favorite fill. The mental picture of the horses gossiping in the stalls is priceless. Of course, since horses and not tiny, it could never be small talk. 

62A. Lame justification for the letter substitution in four puzzle answers?: EMPTY EXCUSE (11).

On to the rest...

Across:

1. "__ Told Me (Not to Come)": 1970 #1 hit: MAMA. Once again, 1 Across was not a gimme, but I am terrible at song titles.  I do recognize this Randy Newman song as sung by Three Dog Night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKaQzQAlNn4

5. Folly: IDIOCY.

11. "Caught you!": OHO. Is this one word or two?

14. River to the Caspian: URAL. Regarded as a divider between Europe and Asia.

15. Spacecraft section: MODULE. This seems very timely coming so soon after our recent visit to Kennedy Space Center.










16. Apprehend: NAB.

19. "__ had enough!": I'VE. Well not yet anyway.

20. Its contents need attention: IN TRAY. It actually took me a moment to understand this fill as my mind thinks of INBOX and OUTBOX, which was never a box or a tray.

21. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP. Also a damn fine and expensive pen.

22. Romances: WOOS. I am afraid the word and the techniques are all out of date.

23. Storied engineer Jones: CASEY. An American FOLK HERO.

26. Extinct bird: DODO. A CSO to our own dearly departed one.

28. Forest: WOODS. Can you tell the forest from the trees?

29. List-ending abbr.: ETC.

32. __ sort: OF A. Is this a partial C.C.?

34. Tea variety: PEKOE. So not true, it is a TEA GRADING term.

42. Protuberance: BULGE. A famous battle, and a battle we all face with age.

43. "Glee" cheerleading coach: SUE. I never saw the show but I know the CHARACTER was played by the great Jane Lynch.

44. Small point: NIT. A very common word here.

45. Purple shade: LILAC. We had them growing in our yard as I grew up.

48. Copious quantities: SEAS. This is one of those Friday clue/fill combinations that slow us all down.

54. Kitchen light: PILOT. Especially if have a gas stove.

58. UPS Store supply: TAPE. Another clue/fill.

59. Mined find: ORE. Or these days bitcoin.

60. Road construction sight: DETOUR.

61. Six-pack components: ABS. The irony of six-packs hiding six-packs.

64. Beluga yield: ROE. Our friend caviar.

65. Serious attacks: SIEGES. So many possibilities.

66. Bone: Pref.: OSTE.

67. Nursery layer: SOD. Not the one laying, but the top layer.

68. Marine group that's well-armed?: OCTOPI. An original very witty clue.

69. Disorder: MESS. Another dis- word.

Down:

1. Clara Schumann works, e.g.: MUSIC. A celebrated pianist and prolific composer. LINK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxZ2AjCgFzY

2. Large performance venue: ARENA. Most piano concerts are not at arenas.

3. Fountain creations: MALTS.  To a blender, add two large scoops of vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, malted milk powder, and milk. Blend until creamy. Serve in a tall glass, garnished with crushed malted milk balls and whipped cream.

4. "Great" ninth-century English monarch: ALFRED. The ultimate in self-referential Shout Out. I love it!

5. "Perhaps": I MAY. And I may not.

6. Pentagon org.: DOD. Department of Defense.

7. Perfect: IDEAL.

8. Criminal: OUTLAW.

9. Keep time with manually: CLAP TO. A thought out clue as manually means using your hands.

10. Urge: YEN.

11. Paper named for a vegetable: ONIONSKIN. We used to type certain documents on Onionskin which is a thin, light-weight, strong, often translucent paper. Though not made from onions, it superficially resembles their thin, papery skins. wiki.

12. Chaos: HAVOC. I had some trouble putting this together, but the perps brought it home.

13. More than rotund: OBESE.

18. BLT basic: MAYO. A common add-on.

22. Cooled one's heels?: WADED. This is quite clever as the common answer is: WAITED, which you know is wrong because of the next clue.

24. Waiting room piece: SOFA.

25. Figure (out): DOPE. An odd phrase which may come from 'dope' meaning the inside scoop.

27. Medico: DOC. And the related 36D. Health care worker, briefly: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.

29. Wane: EBB.

30. Commercial prefix suggestive of accuracy: TRU. We take off one letter to make a prefix, or avoid a lawsuit?

31. Broke down: COLLAPSED.

33. Balaam's mount: ASS. A prophet who appears in the Torah as well as the Christian Bible and the Qur'an. Pretty much impossible to discuss.

35. Paris agreement: OUI. Not one of the many treaties signed there, but the French word for yes.

38. Deft: AGILE.

39. Farmer's habitat?: DELL.
The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell

40. Elephant tooth: TUSK.

41. Souvenir from a concert: TEE. Tee-shirt sales were a big part of the income for touring bands back in the day.

46. __ power: ATOMIC.

47. One may be magic: CARPET. Not only in the stories of Thousand and One Nights, but stories recounted concerning King Solomon who built the temple in Jerusalem.

49. Peak: APEX. Or acme, you need to wait.

50. "2 Broke Girls," for one: SITCOM. So many to choose from, why this one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjwX3hoUsoY

51. Garbo and Gable, e.g.: STARS. The old-fashioned Hollywood ones.

52. Like certain subjects in certain company: TABOO. Defined as a social or religious custom prohibiting or forbidding discussion of a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing.

53. Free: LET GO.

55. Cad: LOUSE. You would hope that the girl

56. Boots: OUSTS. him from her life.

57. Sources of shade: TREES. Or these days, people. The expressions "throw shade, "throwing shade", or simply "shade", are slang terms used to describe insults. Merriam-Webster defines "shade" as "subtle, sneering expression of contempt for or disgust with someone—sometimes verbal, and sometimes not".

60. He played Ricky in early TV: DESI.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRc12glmGI

62. Spanish pronoun: ESO. My granddaughter is in a kindergarten that is taught in both English and Spanish.

63. "Sure 'nuff": YEP.

And, sure 'nuff another puzzle is dissected and discussed and now the stage belongs to each of you who read and chose to comment. Thank you, David, and until next time, Lemonade out.

David Alfred Bywaters

Title- D-lete! D-lightful.

D is for David Alfred Bywaters who removes himself from the theme answers by ejecting the letter "D" from a word in a common phrase. The symmetry with D at the end of three of the fill and at the beginning of the last two is great. The wit of the resulting phrases is also very pleasing. Parsing the D from dejection into d-ejection was also very impressive. Like most of the DAB Friday efforts, there are many short fill, especially here where he has six theme answers. He does offer OIL BASE,  PRESOAK,  SEE HERE  and TROTSKY as long fill. I seldom nitpick but I wish he had not used
ADD at 45 across. If we had AWL (leatherworking tool) crossed by WISC. (Minn. neighbor) and MOLE (Mexican sauce) the only D in the puzzle would have been DEJECTION/DIM. That would have been elegant.

16A. Shakespeare's riverside haunt?: BARD OF AVON(9). Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District, in the county of Warwickshire, England, on the River Avon, 101 miles (163 km) north-west of London, 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Birmingham, and 8 miles (13 km) south west of Warwick. Wiki.

24A. Snow-day play?: SLUSH FUND (8). I know I never found slush enjoyable to play in.

35A. Essential pig?: KEY BOARD (7). Pig, hog and boar essentially describe the same animal, but there are some distinctions. A boar is an uncastrated male domestic pig, but it also means a wild pig of any gender. A hog often means a domestic pig that weighs more than 120 lbs. (54 kilograms). Pigs are also called swine. Wiki

38A. Biblical voyage serving that probably upset some passengers?: DARK MEAT (7). Myoglobin is the hemoprotein (an oxygen-carrying protein) responsible for giving dark meat its reddish color. The more myoglobin, the darker the meat and the richer the nutrients. Myoglobin provides muscles with the oxygen they need during exercise or movement. Since chickens are flightless birds, they use their legs and thighs to get around, making them darker than the breast or wings. Various. 

47A. Poor wig maintenance?: DRUG ABUSE (8). The funniest of the theme fill, as the picture of someone abusing their toupee, is pretty rib-tickling.

And the reveal- 

59A. Sadness ... or, read another way, what five puzzle answers have in common: D-EJECTION.

Across:

1. IMDb listing: CAST. I like it when a puzzle begins with a hidden anagram.

5. Sylvester and others: CATS.

9. Biblical voyager: NOAH. Did you all like this version?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdu10cX3pWA

13. Put out in the open: AVOW.

14. Predecessors of much email: Abbr.: LTRS.



15. Pasta tubes: PENNE. Penne is the plural form of the Italian penna, deriving from Latin penna (meaning "feather" or "quill"), and is a cognate of the English word pen. Wiki.

18. Spanish wine region: RIOJA. Our own Chairman Moe could explain it; all I have is this LINK.

19. On fire: LIT.

20. Irresistible desire: LUST.

21. Plead to be given: BEG FOR.

22. Overjoys: ELATES. A favorite word of C.C.

26. Need to return the favor to: OWE. To all of our teachers, I think the "to" in the clue is unnecessary.

27. Decks: KAYOS. K. O., informal - knock (someone) to the ground with a punch.

28. Fake: SHAM.

31. Ambitious sort: TYPE A. Type A personality behavior was first described as a potential risk factor for heart disease in the 1950s by cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman. It is a personality type characterized by ambition, high energy, and competitiveness, and thought to be susceptible to stress and heart disease. Wiki.

32. H.S. course: SCI.

40. Cork's place: Abbr.: IRE. The largest county in Ireland  - LINK. The county is in dark green.

41. "There's no choice for me": I MUST.

43. Takes responsibility for: OWNS. To all of our teachers, I think the "for" in the clue is unnecessary.

44. Shut: CLOSE.

45. Tack on: ADD.

50. Nap: SIESTA.


54. Kind of family: ONE CAR. Oo and I have decided to listen to this ADVICE.

55. World's most cultivated avocado, named for its developer: HASS. The LINK.

57. Roleo surface: LOG. This is the rodeo inspired name for the SPORT of log-rolling.

58. Goes down: SINKS. In the early days of the blog, this would have generated many DF comments.

61. Steps over a fence: STILE. Definition: an arrangement of steps that allows people but not animals to climb over a fence or wall.

62. Line 32 items on 1040 forms: IRAS. A new clue for one of the most common crossword words. I do not have the FORM memorized.

63. Not working: IDLE.

64. "Ah, right": I SEE.

65. Cousteau's milieux: MERS. French for seas.



66. Not as much: LESS.


Down:

1. Internet provider: CABLE.

2. Help: AVAIL.

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

4. __-faced: TWO. Worse than a one car family.

5. Sentence component: CLAUSE.

6. Off-road rec equipment: ATVS.

7. Lenin frenemy: TROTSKY. Two weeks in a row - what are the odds?

8. Nine-digit ID: SSN.

9. Horseplay outbursts?: NEIGHS.

10. Switch words: ON/OFF.

11. Pear variety: ANJOU.

12. Basketball Hall of Fame announcer Chick: HEARN.

15. Treat before washing: PRESOAK.

17. Went really fast: FLEW.

21. Seller's need: BUYER. Such a simple concept.

23. Sepulcher: TOMB.

25. Wash against gently: LAP AT. The waves from the ocean here in Pompano Beach are usually quite gentle.

28. __ patrol: SKI.

29. QE2 designation: HER. Spitzboov will remind us why ships are shes.

30. Word of assent: AYE. Aye aye, good juxtaposition.

31. Bridge support: TRUSS. I had this fill less than a month ago on April 22, 2018.

32. Finalize, with "up": SEW.

33. Cylindrical container: CAN.

34. Word often improperly punctuated: ITS.

36. Kind of paint: OIL BASE.

37. Pepé Le Pew's pursuit: AMOUR. Un autre chat comme Sylvester.

39. Fashion: MODE.

42. "Wait a minute!": SEE HERE.

44. Barnyard sound: CACKLE.

45. Gauge: ASSESS.

46. Pancake, for one: DISC.

47. Martini partner: ROSSI. Not a nice Caprese salad, but the vermouth partner.

48. Apartments or condos: UNITS.

49. "Friend Like Me" singer in "Aladdin": GENIE. The late great Robin Williams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Op1TaXmCw

51. Arrive at a base, maybe: SLIDE. A baseball reference for C.C.

52. Trade things: TOOLS.

53. Keats' "The Eve of St. __": AGNES. The first stanza of a long poem (the indents are the authors)
St. Agnes' Eve—Ah, bitter chill it was! 
       The owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold; 
       The hare limp'd trembling through the frozen grass, 
       And silent was the flock in woolly fold: 
       Numb were the Beadsman's fingers, while he told 
       His rosary, and while his frosted breath, 
       Like pious incense from a censer old, 
       Seem'd taking flight for heaven, without a death, 
Past the sweet Virgin's picture, while his prayer he saith.

56. Open slightly: AJAR.

59. Badly lit: DIM.

60. Shop __ you drop: TIL.\

David Alfred Bywaters

Title: F-f-f-f-friday!

A little déjà vu as David is back again with an add a letter puzzle. This variation has the letter "F" added to the first word in a two word in the language phrase. We have five themers plus a reveal using 62 squares. This placed my restrictions on the grid, and there was no room for long sparkly fill. But there was quite a bit of humor in theme fill and cluing.  FLAB COAT and FACTION FIGURE  both tickled my Fancy and I did not feel ANTZY, or is it ANTSY?




17A. Origami academy?: FOLD SCHOOL (10). A bit of foreshadowing.

23A. Exhaust from the carnival food tent?: FAIR POLLUTION (13).
You can watch this VIDEO.

32A. Scary beach phenomenon?: FIN SIGHT (8).
You can watch this VIDEO.

41A. Garment tailored to flatter your waist?: FLAB COAT (8). Well, flatter is asking too much. VIDEO.

47A. Divisive politician?: FACTION FIGURE (13). No politics, no link.

59A. Boldness, and a hint to five long puzzle answers: EFFRONTERY (10). I like this reveal. with EFF (the word for the letter F) which is put on the front.

Okay, to work.

Across:

1. Like many superheroes: CAPED. And crusaders. I watched AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR last Friday. No spoilers but we enjoyed the 2 1/2 hours.

6. Paper items: NEWS. I struggled with this at first, trying to think of things made of paper.

10. Rock-blasting equipment: AMPS. I nailed this; all the years on the road paid off.

14. Kind of acid used in food flavoring: AMINO. You like reading, hee is the LINK.

15. Dos x dos x dos: OCHO. Spanish multiplication.

16. Indian garb: SARI. This picture wraps up this garment.

19. Chimney liner: SOOT. How true, and deceptive.

20. Victorian, e.g.: ERA.

21. Erelong: SOON. Before long.

22. Physicist who left Italy in 1938 to protect his Jewish wife: FERMI. The "wife" was a remarkable woman in her own RIGHT.

27. Hand over: CEDE.

28. Small wake maker: OAR. Another simple, but cute clue/fill.

29. Cowboy, at times: ROPER. Mmm.

37. Pitcher with no arms: EWER. The old baseball misdirection. My grandmother had some Roseville.

38. Backbone: SPINE.

40. Forest grazers: DOES. A heteronym.

43. Growing things: FLORA.

44. Quotable boxer: ALI.

45. Story: TALE.


53. Filmmaker born Konigsberg: ALLEN. Better know as Woody. Based on the virulent hatred of this man, I am surprised he is still in puzzles. Is Bill Cosby coming next?

54. Barbarian: OGRE.

55. Nickname derived from "Mortgage Association": MAE. FNMA. GNMA. SLMA.

58. Glasses, in adspeak: SPEX. Not wrong, just meh.

62. Yonder thing: THAT.

63. Hawaiian island: MAUI.

64. She turned Odysseus' crew to swine: CIRCE. The inspiration for Game of Thrones?

65. Antoinette preposition: SANS. We had this "without" this week.

66. Highland hats: TAMS. This would fit in the hat puzzle.

67. Toys on strings: YOYOS. I go up and down on this toy.


Down:

1. Tea and cake purveyor: CAFE.

2. Deity with a bow: AMOR. The same number of letters as EROS.

3. Rice dish: PILAF. Stir in onion and cook until onion becomes translucent, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the rice and chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Finish: END.

5. Set of related documents: DOSSIER. This is late 19th century: from French, denoting a bundle of papers with a label on the back, from dos ‘back,’ based on Latin dorsum.

6. Optimism opposite: NO HOPE.

7. Prefix suggesting affordability: ECONO.

8. Journalist's question: WHO.

9. Fa-la link: SOL.

10. Factory equipment, e.g.: ASSET.

11. "The Piano" extra: MAORI.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdhCBuHgfWQ

12. Publicity video: PROMO.

13. Peaceful protest: SIT IN. My brothers and I were in graduate school in Storrs for the EVENTS depicted here. But we never considered a 47D. Some protests: FASTS.

18. Electrical supply: CORD.

22. Symbols of wealth: FURS.

24. Bitter: ACERB. I like acerbic better.

25. Meat cut: LOIN. Pork loin is a cut of meat from a pig, created from the tissue along the dorsal side of the rib cage.

26. Exit __: LANE.

29. Penalty caller: REF.

30. Talkative "Winnie the Pooh" character: OWL. Like Rabbit, he was not a stuffed animal that was brought t life, just a character created by Milne. He has been voiced by Craig Ferguson (Winnie the Pooh); Hal Smith (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh); Jack Warden (Alice in Wonderland) and Andre Stojka (The Tigger Movie)

31. Edible sphere: PEA.

32. Able: FIT.

33. Lazybones: IDLER.

34. Unappealing viscous material: GOO.

35. The Beatles' "I Saw __ Standing There": HER.

36. Org. using wands: TSA. Transportation Security Administration. And, 60D. Airport org.: FAA. Federal Aviation Administration.

38. Aria, usually: SOLO.

39. Royal annoyance?: PAIN. Rhymes with...

42. Biblical brother: CAIN.

43. Orator's skill: FLUENCY.

45. Fertile Crescent waterway: TIGRIS.

46. Farming prefix: AGRO. Sounds like 56D. With the bow, on a score: ARCO. A musical score; usually used as a direction in music for players of stringed instruments.

48. Top dog: ALPHA.

49. Unarmed, to a cop: CLEAN.

50. Modern messages: TEXTS.

51. End of a giant sequence: FO FUM. Fee fi

52. Nail-filing abrasive: EMERY. I am board with this clue/fill. It rubs me the wrong way.

57. Watchers: EYES.

59. Life-saving pro: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.

61. Spanish uncle: TIO. My grandchildren have learned some Spanish, and call some of their uncles Tio.

I found this a fairly fast finish. I hope you enjoyed it and welcome to May. Lemonade out.

David Alfred Bywaters

Title: Pre-fab puzzle. Did you all grow up hearing about pre-fab houses? LINK.

DAB seems to have slid into JW's every other Friday place here at the Corner. He also uses add letter(s) with today being the 'PRE' trigram. None of the themers jump out (for me) but they are consistent and Friday hard. All of David's LAT publications are Fridays, and eh obviously is on Rich's wavelength; how about you all? He has some nice sparkle with ALCOVES, ANIMATE, CLERICS, SAVANTS, DINETTES,  POINTS TO,  SPECTERS and TEN CENTS.

The theme -

17A. Bishop in bed?: SLEEPING PRELATE (15). Prelate which is defined as a bishop or other high ecclesiastical dignitary might be tricky for some.

24A. "I happen to have a deck of cards right here"?: POKER PREFACE (12). The poker is random, but the alliteration is fun.

40A. Fake lawyer?: BAR PRETENDER (12). A little technical, and a little different as it splits a single word apart.
And the reveal-
52A. Software service provided by hardware sellers ... and a hint to three long puzzle answers: PREINSTALLATION.

The rest-

Across:

1. Short shots?: PICS. A nice way to clue an abbreviation that has become a word.

5. Toque wearer: CHEF.

9. Tenth of a grand: C-SPOT. Grand is also represented by a G-Note. 1/10 of $1,000.00

14. "Quickly!": ASAP. These days said A sap.

15. Quasimodo's creator: HUGO. Victor to his friends.

16. Conifer with durable wood: LARCH. This is a coniferous tree with bunches of deciduous bright green needles, found in cool regions of the northern hemisphere. It is grown for its tough timber and its resin (which yields turpentine).

20. Mid-'70s cost to mail a typical letter: TEN CENTS. Very random, and I would have preferred something else. That is just my ten cents worth. (inflation!)

21. Wears down: ERODES.

22. Veracious: TRUE. Not Voracious. This one is a cousin of veracity.

23. Enliven: ANIMATE.

28. "__ Rose Has Its Thorn": Poison hit: EVERY. The STORY of this Glamrock hit.

29. Bashes: RAMS.

30. "So there!": HAH.

33. Focusing aid: LENS.

34. "Under the Redwoods" author: HARTE. Bret Harte died in 1902 but was quite well received. READ the book for free.

36. Valley: DALE.

37. "Good Behavior" broadcaster: TNT. This SERIES was a serious departure for Michelle Dockery. She was not a nice girl.

38. High spot on a farm: SILO.

39. Radio station, e.g.: AIRER.

43. Nooks: ALCOVES.

46. Get behind, with "for": VOTE.

47. Immature insects: LARVAE. Shout out for John Lampkin.


48. Indicates: POINTS TO.

54. Lacks: HASN'T.

55. Bad thing to take in a ring: DIVE. Before ROCKY there was BATTLING JACK MURDOCH.

56. Rim: EDGE.

57. Beasts of burden: ASSES.

58. Gravity-propelled toy: SLED. More sledding this week, but maybe the snow is finally over.

59. Seven __: SEAS.


Down:

1. Historian's field: PAST.

2. Archipelago piece: ISLE. In case you did not know it is a sea or stretch of water containing many islands.

3. Normandy city: CAEN. Caen is known for its historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror, who was buried there, and for the Battle for Caen—heavy fighting that took place in and around Caen during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, destroying much of the city. The city has now preserved the memory by erecting a memorial and a museum dedicated to peace, the Memorial de Caen. Wiki.

4. Ghosts: SPECTERS.

5. Calisthenic exercise: CHIN UP. Different from a PULLUP. Pull-ups, done with both hands in an overhand (or prone) grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, prove to be the most difficult of the pair. The wide grip isolates your lats, taking away much of the emphasis from the biceps. The underhand alternative—chinups—receives high praise as both a bicep- and back-builder.

6. Fox pursuer: HUNTER. This juxtaposition makes this next one harder.

7. What some poachers poach: EGGS. Tricky, not someone hunting or fishing where he is not permitted, just cooking.

8. Metrosexual: FOP. I guess as a fop is a man who is concerned with his clothes and appearance in an affected and excessive way; a dandy.

9. Priests, e.g.: CLERICS.

10. Biblical dancer: SALOME.

11. Milan-based fashion house: PRADA.

12. Work for a chamber group: OCTET.

13. What we have here: THESE.

18. Matthew who led a 19th-century expedition to Japan: PERRY. Matthew C. Perry, not to be confused with Matthew L. Perry, became quite famous in his own RIGHT. However,  look at some of his famous relatives, may compel to sign up for Ancestry.com. LINK.

19. Alter, in a way, as a file: RENAME. I do this everytime I download a scan.

23. "__ lot of good that'll do you": A FAT. I bet you want to know its ORIGIN.

24. Bombard: PELT.

25. Roasting site: OVEN.

26. Canterbury's county: KENT. Kent is a county in southeastern England. In the city of Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral has a 1,400-year history, and features a Romanesque crypt and medieval stained glass.

27. Mistake: ERROR.

30. Word with cash or candy: HARD. Hard money is very important in all real estate transactions.

31. Away from the wind: ALEE.

32. German title: HERR.

34. Staff expanders: HIREES.

35. Multinational range: ALPS.

36. Sets for some 43-Across: DINETTES.

38. Learned experts: SAVANTS.

39. Company name inspired by a volcano: AETNA.

40. Like oxen: BOVINE.

41. Gradually develop: EVOLVE.

42. Labored: TOILED.

43. Highest-ranking: ALPHA.

44. "__ Theme": "Doctor Zhivago" melody: LARAS. They were a beautiful couple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXtFRl1nSs4

45. Salad green: CRESS. Not watercress, but a plant of the cabbage family, typically having small white flowers and pungent leaves. Some kinds are edible and are eaten raw in a salad.  Garden cress is genetically related to watercress and mustard, sharing their peppery, tangy flavor and aroma.

48. Gardening aid: PAIL.

49. Aspect: SIDE.

50. Roman robe: TOGA.

51. Small tip components: ONES.

53. NFL stat: TDS.

David Alfred Bywaters

Title: Where have all the Ws gone, long time passing...

DAB is back with a letter removal puzzle. His reveal is more complicated as each "W" is part of a phrase that begins with "SW." Hence the reveal. This seems mostly easy for a Friday, but the consistency of the theme and having three gridspanners makes it a thing of beauty.



OPENHANDED,  SPARE TIRES, AVOIDED, EMBASSY


17A. Ratting to the cops and carrying a tune? : SWINGING BOTH WAYS (15). Both kinds of Singing.

24A. Dupe gatherings? : SWAP MEETS (8). Where the pigeons are plucked.

39A. What rain may do to a bad toupee? : SWEEP UNDER THE RUG (15). Wonderful image of rain water on a bald man.

51A. Place to buy a chair? : SWEAT SHOP (8). Not a PC term.

62A. Cowboy outfit? : SWADDLING CLOTHES (15). A new born changes into a cowboy.

71A. Deli cheese ... or, in three parts, a hint to the five longest across puzzle answers: SWISS (5) you have to parse this as SW IS S.

ACROSS:

1. Leftover bit in a basket: CRUMB. The bread basket.

6. Taken out by Buffy? : SLAIN. She was known as the SLAYER.

11. Farm home: STY. Two weeks in a row.

14. Lash LaRue's "Frontier Revenge,"e.g.: OATER. Since the stars of the movies were horses and they ate oats. Should be easy after Steve's write-up yesterday.


15. Critical circulation aid: AORTA. You know this as the main artery of the body, supplying oxygenated blood to the circulatory system. In humans it passes over the heart from the left ventricle and runs down in front of the backbone.

16. Op lead-in: PRE.

20. Chem. class suffix: IDE.

21. Buddy type: BOSOM.  Who recalls this career launching series?  LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UI_JwF3cnA

22. Scots Gaelic: ERSE. Repeat. Along with 55A. Sounds of hesitation : ERS. No common link. Or maybe 35D. Romain de Tirtoff, famously : ERTE.

23. More than moist: WET.

27. Kept away from: AVOIDED.

31. National Grandparents' Day mo. : SEPT. The first Sunday after Labor Day. HISTORY.

32. Trumpet players? : LIPS. Lips are key to all wind instruments, I believe.

33. Regions : AREAS.

36. RN workplace : ICU. Intensive Care Unit.

43. Hold one's __ : OWN.

44. Cook in the oven : ROAST.

45. Walk unsteadily : REEL.

46. Prince in "Frozen" : HANS. Spoiler alert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vvo7ZAdj0E

48. Diplomat's headquarters : EMBASSY.

56. Forearm part : ULNA. The outside bone, the radius is on the outside. I fractured my radius two years go.

57. Last European colony in Asia : MACAO. Macau also spelled Macao and officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the western side of the Pearl River estuary in East Asia. in 1887 the Portuguese finally managed to secure an agreement from China that Macao was Portuguese territory, ending 330 years of uncertainty. In 1999 it was handed over to China. Macau was the last extant European territory in continental Asia.

59. Dallas sch. : SMU. Southern Methodist University.

66. Consumed : ATE.

67. Like many squawkers : AVIAN. Birds.

68. Immerse completely : DOUSE. More water.

69. Nickname for Edward : NED.

70. Cruel sort: MEANY. Seems like a silly word.

Down:

1. "__ fan tutte": COSI.

2. Prohibition surprise : RAID.

3. __ Reader : UTNE.

4. Not much memory, these days : MEG.  I bought a computer for my sons in 1992. A "Portable" computer of the time period, something like a Compaq LTE weighed six pounds, which had a i386 CPU, a 9.5" display (smaller than the size of the iPad's) and VGA graphics (640x480). We are now up to Terrabytes.

5. Greased : BRIBED.

6. Droops : SAGS.

7. University of New Mexico team : LOBOS.

8. Kitchen drawer? : AROMA.

9. U.S. manufacturer founded as a communications co. in 1920 : ITT.

10. "Don't think so!" : NAH.

11. Trunks often contain them : SPARE TIRES. As do many WalMart customers.

12. Private meeting : TRYST.

13. Approvals : YESES.

18. F-sharp, for one : NOTE. This clu/fill leavce me flat.

19. "Willow __ for Me": jazz standard : WEEP. The two Ws here a re finsbecause they are not attached to an S.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLiPCpENAM8

23. Bit of smoke : WISP.

25. H.S. junior's exam : PSAT. Standardized tests for pratice.

26. Net fabric : MESH.

27. Too : ALSO.

28. Condo selling point : VIEW.

29. Generous : OPEN HANDED. Dictionary: 1(of a blow) delivered with the palm of the hand.
"an openhanded slap to the side of the face. " 2. giving freely; generous."openhanded philanthropy"

30. Duchamp genre : DADA. He was a true pioneer. LINK.

34. Legal thing : RES.

37. Parlor sticks : CUES. Billiar parlor.

38. Like some moods : UGLY.

40. Footed vases : URNS.

41. On-the-run bite : NOSH. One of many Yiddish terms incorpoated in our culture.

42. Big periods : ERAS.

47. The teensiest bit : A TAD.

49. Nourishment provider : MEAL.

50. Stews (over) : BROODS. Who does not love a great BROODING HERO.

51. 1940s-'60s top-10 girl's name that ranked 922nd in 2016 : SUSAN. Hi, Hahtoolah.

52. Thrill : ELATE. A favorite word of our fearless leader.

53. __ vincit amor : OMNIA. Love conquers all.

54. Certain polytheist : PAGAN.

58. Sch. in Harlem : CCNY. City College of New York.

59. Feng __ : SHUI. 2018 UPDATE.

60. Slob's production : MESS.

61. Versatility list : USES.

63. On the __: hiding : LAM.

64. "__ had it!" : I'VE.

65. Drag behind : TOW.