Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Shh, I am trying to think, and I lost an H. 

Jeffrey is back with a puzzle that mostly plays very easy for a Friday. I do remind you that all final clue/fill pairings are up to the editor(s) so don't heap too much praise or too many complaints on JW. It is nice to know we will still get puzzles from our veterans like Jeffrey, Doug Peterson, Rich Norris, Gary Cee, and others. Today is a Friday staple, adding letters to a word in a phrase and cluing the created combination with wit and charm. Today we have a bi-gram (2 letters)  added- SH. RABBIT SHEARS and HOCKEY SHRINK  are both laugh out loud fill. The puzzle is also a symmetrical one with 13/12/12/13 themers. 

19A. Storage area for Christmas toys?: SANTAS SHELVES (13).  I think it is perfectly natural that Santa's helpers who are all elves, would store their work product on SHELVES. We do not even need to debate whether Santa himself is in fact an elf.

24A. Clippers used by Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail?: RABBIT SHEARS (12). If you not know Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail from the Beatrix Potter books you might be stumped, but I imagine all would recognize a cotton-tail as a type of rabbit.

40A. Analyst for Ducks and Penguins?: HOCKEY SHRINK.(12). This challenged my link finding ability and made me cry "oncle." Is there are psychiatrist for hockey players would they work to make them meaner? You my reading audience are welcome to find a perfect link and make me look foolish.

46A. Earthquake-resistant?: FIT FOR SHAKING (13). This a very cerebral fill, which made me think before getting the clue/fill. Many new tall buildings are constructed to withstand major tremors. More than half of the world's 7.8 billion population live in cities and urban areas, and 2.5 billion more are expected to join them within the next 20-25 years.(arch daily). The world has had the horror of the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City and in SoFla, we had Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, United States, partially collapse. Ninety-eight people died. 

Now that Jeffrey has lightened the mood, let us examine the rest.

Across:

1. __ Cass: MAMA. Cass Elliot was a member of the successful 60s band The Mamas & the Papas. They only were together from 1965 to 1968, but since that was the end of high school and start of college for me, I recall them fondly. As far as who I would have fondled...never mind. 

5. Some Sappho poems: ODES. JW has brought his whole artistic side to this puzzle, first music then poetry, though I doubt he was in high school when she was writing. 

9. Not great, chancewise: SLIM. And his partner, NONE.

13. Malicious: EVIL. MAL is a root word in many languages for bad and has been used by writers, poets and movie makers forever. Oo love musicals, so we recently watched the Disney series of movies called the DESCENDANTS which was based on the premise that all of fictions bad people had children were were equally bad. Or were they? 

The CAST.

14. Ruminant with striped legs: OKAPI. The okapi, also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. Although the okapi has striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. Wiki.

15. Locks in a stable?: MANE. Staying in four legged mammals for $800 Alex, where do horses mainly live?

16. Chimney concern: NEST. Birds however can live anywhere, except maybe in a... 

17. Horror movie locale: CRYPT. Which freedom...

18. Rankles: IRKS. the bees.

22. "The Comedy of Errors," for one: FARCE. I love how JW sneaks in his Shakespeare with this play. It is the story of the farcical misadventures of two sets of identical twins. Many years earlier, the Syracusan merchant Egeon had twin sons, both named Antipholus. At their birth, he bought another pair of newborn twins, both named Dromio, as their servants. Why name both sons the same? For comedy of course. One son, and one servant were lost at sea, eventually reunited leading to much laughter of confusion.

23. Prepped: READY. Past participle? This not getting ready but already ready.

29. Cookies that once came in collectible tins: OREOS. This is a replica of a 1918 can.

30. Flying things: WINGS. Cute misdirection as wings are very often integral to flying. 

31. Basic nutrient: FAT. Despite what Jack S. thought fat is important in a human diet. What HARVARD RESEARCHERS found.

34. Hors d'oeuvres carrier: TRAY. Not the waiter but his instrument, but not a

35. Hand-picked instrument?: BANJO. Very cute visual clue.

36. Arrived: CAME. Boomer told me NOT to comment on this though it might be...

37. Very popular: HOT. No pictures, sorry.

38. Canine that preys on red kangaroo and swamp wallaby: DINGO. I know nothing of the RED KANGAROO or the SWAMP WALLABY   I know DINGOS are from Australia and like to eat babies. "A dingo ate my baby!" is a cry popularly attributed to Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, as part of the 1980 death of Azaria Chamberlain case, at Uluru in the Northern Territory, Australia. The Chamberlain family had been camping near the rock when their nine-week-old daughter was taken from their tent by a dingo. Maybe?

39. Après-ski drink: COCOA. Ahh. chocolate.

42. Initial phase: ONSET. I am waiting for this to be the WORDLE word. (I wrote this Monday, August 28 at 8:13 PM, life can be amazing!)

45. Cy who pitched the first perfect game of the modern era: YOUNG. Again I could find no film of this all time great (511 victories!) but here is a retrospective on Cy and other baseball greats.

                                    

51. Touched down: ALIT. Like a mosquito on your arm.

52. Still in the game: ALIVE. It is imperative to be alive to play the game.

53. Dish (out): DOLE. Bob failed in many triesto become President.

56. Inheritance factor: GENE. My first wife's uncle Gene was not nice.

57. Records, in a way: TIVOS. All you would want to know and more as TiVo has its own site. TiVopedia.

58. Aerial enigmas: UFOS.

59. Set up: Abbr.: ESTD. ESTablisheD. Good for businesses and buildings.

60. Pour out forcefully: SPEW.  I use this word with rhetoric or vitriol not volcanoes.

61. Some lit. degrees: MFAS. Masters of Free Association? I recall when I used to get lit my mind wandered; oh it is doing it again.

Down:

1. Guys: MEN. 

                                        

2. Hail, in a hymn: AVE. Do you think of  Ave Maria? Or  Avē Imperātor, moritūrī tē salūtant  ?

3. Falter: MISS A BEAT.

4. Assistant in Mass production: ALTAR BOY. The capital M gives it away; Boomer was an Altar Boy, not just for the wine.

5. Pod that may be fried or pickled: OKRA. Such a debated food, but I married a woman raised in Birmingham who loved it. Maybe try this RECIPE.

6. Diary pages: DAYS. So simple it was hard.

7. Actor Omar: EPPS. He has had a good career for a young man. His IMDB.

8. Order of Darth Sidious: SITH. There are many here who scoff at the STAR WARS epics, and there are many who love them. Sidious is a most central character but he died. Or did he?

9. Shows satisfaction: SMILES. There are happy smiles. relieved smiles and satisfied smiles which are not all nice.

10. Silk source: LARVA. You probably all know silk comes from a silkworm. Bombyx mori, the domestic silk moth, is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of Bombyx mandarina, the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth.

11. Tatted up: INKED. I grew up in a religious home where marking your body was s sin because you had to be too arrogant to improve on the perfection creation had been. 

12. Out of order?: MESSY.

14. Chamber group: OCTET.

20. CBS military drama with regional spinoffs: NCIS.

21. __ on the side of caution: ERRS.

22. Grain of emmer, spelt, or einkorn: FARRO.

24. "Divergent" novelist Veronica: ROTH.

25. "Boys Don't Cry" Oscar winner: SWANK.

26. Trunk hardware: HINGE.

27. "Have a ball!": ENJOY.

28. In the past: AGO.

31. Going head-to-head: FACING OFF.

32. "You're __ friends": AMONG.

33. Deck chair wood: TEAK.

35. Shaving brand: BIC.

36. Mineral in abrasives: CORUNDUM.

38. Inflict upon: DO TO.

39. Woo-shik of "Parasite" and "Train to Busan": CHOI.

40. Hoisted: HEFTED.

41. Wanda who plays Dr. Karl in the "Bad Moms" films: SYKES.

42. Old enough to vote, say: OF AGE.

43. "Frasier" role: NILES.

44. Stretch: STINT.

47. "Phooey!": RATS.

48. Intimate apparel item: SLIP. 

49. Bee flat?: HIVE. Very cute, the apartment where the bees live.

50. State openly: AVOW. AVOW = AVER another APEX ACME choice.

54. Mauna __: LOA. I tried for years to get my clue, "it's higher than LOA" in a puzzle, no chance.

55. Start of spring?: ESS. Silly end to the puzzle but the word SPRING does start with an S.

JW

TITLE: Not OK, just O.

Jeffrey Wechsler is back! So is standard puzzle symmetry! I am so ... glad.  I am so ... sad.  , no ID required. All votes will be counted

Happy first Friday puzzle of June and the blend of the past and the future. A letter removal puzzle which is certainly a common Friday approach, but ramped up by the extensive wit and wisdom of our most published producer, JW. For anyone wondering if his work would be part of the new order, here is a hint that a fun nicely put together puzzle will always be part of the LAT world. I for one cannot imagine the LAT without JW. 

Before the theme we have some other fun words, LENDERS, LESOTHO, NO MERCY, PARASOL, SCRIMPS,  TREATED,  WATERED, POOH POOH  and  VARIABLE. We also have much new stuff, so let us get to solving.

The themers:

20A. Medic with an office at Fisherman's Wharf?: THE DOCK OF THE BAY (14). Ignore the crossed out K and the humor of the clue/fill shines through. It reminds me of the series ROYAL PAINS shot in Miami. 

25A. Leaders inclined to work as a group?: BLOCKHEADS.(9). A bloc is a combination of countries, parties, or groups sharing a common purpose according to the dictionary and they all require a leader. 

When I think of BLOCKHEADS I think of Gumby the 1956 clay animation star who had a primary sidekick  Pokey, a talking orange pony. He also had nemeses, the G and J Blockheads, a pair of antagonistic red humanoid figures with cube-shaped heads, one with the letter G on the block, the other with the letter J. 

45A. Captain Hook's incredulous assessment of his nemesis?: WHAT A CROCK (9). We all know the ending of the phrase with the implied K, but we will let you fill in that blank.  Another childhood favorite from the 50s (1953), Captain Hook's nemesis, tik tok (hmm where have I heard that phrase?) CROCODILE. 

50A. Puts comfy shoes through rigorous testing?: HOLDS A MOCK TRIAL (14). This is my favorite as the combined picture of someone trying out a MOCASSIN  and then having a practice open court trial hits my funny bone buttons. I can see call the toes to the stand to testify.

All in all a tight theme that delivers the joy we expect on Fridays. But what else doe this week bring?

Across:

1. Sarah Spain's network: ESPN. There are not many 4 letter networks so this proper name should not have unsettled many, and it is a true CSO to Bill G and other Cornell graduates who stop by the Corner. Sarah at 6' tall played basketball, field hockey and was a pentathlete from Illinois before becoming a broadcaster. Clearly not the person about whom to use a cheap casting pun about broads. A very specific reference which does not sound like JW.

5. Percussion set: HI-HAT. There is so much more to these set-up than just cymbals.
LINK.

10. Cards: WITS. A Friday pairing of a very simple word, and an uncommon but real definition. Merriam-Webster (M-W) has it at number FIVE.

14. "Go on, git!": SHOO. All I can think of is Louboutin shoes for $25,000.00. Is this where the soul of America has gone?

15. Tickle: AMUSE. We have made it to definition 2b at M-W, which if you do not believe me you will need to look up.

16. __ were: AS IT. Dictionary.com says,  "A shortening of “as if it were so,” this idiom has been in use since Chaucer's time (he had it in his Nun's Priest's Tale, c. 1386)." It is so nice to work Chaucer in here so Joseph and Bill might keep reading.  

17. Textile machine: LOOM. Encyclopedia Britannica suggests these have been around for more than 7000 years! It also said they appeared independently in various parts of the world. We really need that way back machine. Mr. Peabody, a little help...

18. Nigerian seaport: LAGOS. Would it surprise you to learn Lagos (pronounced Lay-goss) had a population of 15.2 million people as of 2015 with both over-population and poverty and a rich cultural history and a plan for the future?

19. "Ciao": TATA. A strange blend of an accepted foreign word and a slang for goodbye made most popular by Tigger.

23. Expert: PRO. And we have an actual easy fill.

24. Extremely chill: SERENE. Serenity is one of the most published virtues now. The serenity prayer written by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

31. Extremely cold: GELID. A Friday word derived from the  Latin gerundive GELIDUS brought into English in the 17th century.

32. Channel marker: BUOY. The definition is an anchored float serving as a navigation mark, to show reefs or other hazards, or for mooring. This is derived they say from Portuguese, which makes sense to help you find any Port in a storm. 

33. Picked up the tab: TREATED. If you come visit us in So. Fla. we will pick up the tab or feed you at our place.

35. BYU or NYU: SCH. If you know Brigham Young and New York Universities this is a gimme.

36. Sun screen: PARASOL. Since it is two words, it cannot be Coppertone. Thailand has a wonderful Umbrella Factory. 

37. Strive (for): VIE. Vy is this not vee?

40. African country in the Maloti Mountains: LESOTHO.  The Maloti Mountains are a mountain range of the highlands of the Kingdom of Lesotho. They extend for about 100 km into the South African Free State. Skiing in Africa anyone?

41. Drains: SAPS. Think of one's energy or bank account.

42. Summits: ACMES. A word mostly associated with Wile E. Coyote, but we were just up in the mountains. 

47. Statue base: PLINTH. Back to wiki to learn this is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. It is the same thing as a pedestal.

49. Melber of MSNBC: ARI. There are so many Aris but this one is an attorney who has become the chief legal analyst for MSNBC, and hosts his own shows and podcasts.

56. Tropical spot: ISLE. A classic vague Friday clue.

57. Safari equine: ZEBRA. There are many Horse Safaris offered but equines are of the mammal family of Equidae (order Perissodactyla) that includes the modern horses, zebras, and asses, as well as more than 60 species known only from fossils. 

58. Most CFOs: MBAS. Chief Financial Officer  = Master of Business Adminstration. 

60. Some game: DEER. Back to hunting...

61. "Middlemarch" novelist: ELIOT.

62. Bend at a barre: PLIE. Ballet. 

63. Retired boomers: SSTS. Ha ha, sonic boomers not baby boomers.

64. Action: STEPS.

65. Blood bank fluids: SERA. 

Down:

1. Subj. for those wishing to be bilingual: ESL. English as a Second Language. 

2. Utterly beyond repair: SHOT.

3. Play down: POOH POOH. 

4. Motto for the ruthless: NO MERCY.

5. Meteorological effect caused by refraction: HALO.

6. Desktop with an AppleCare option: i-MAC.

7. Literary award with a spaceship logo: HUGO.

8. Starting on: AS OF.

9. Lab work: TESTS.

10. Thinned (down): WATERED.

11. Pulitzer-winning journalist Wilkerson: ISABEL.

12. Early ICBM: TITAN I.

13. Hung around: STAYED.

21. Play-__: DOH.

22. "Science of Logic" philosopher Georg: HEGEL.

25. Small ammo: BBS.

26. Director Jean-__ Godard: LUC.

27. LAX postings: ETAS.

28. Superhero once played by Stephen Amell on The CW: ARROW.

29. "__ Comes to Pemberley": P.D. James novel: DEATH.

30. Obama daughter: SASHA.

34. Friendly honk: TOOT.

36. Rats, gnats, and brats: PESTS.

37. Element in an algebraic equation: VARIABLE.

38. Wall St. event: IPO.

39. Key that exits full-screen mode: ESC.

40. Brand of packaged bagels: LENDERS.

41. Is extremely frugal: SCRIMPS.

42. Ladybug prey: APHIDS.

43. Shuts: CLOSES.

44. "The Gleaners" painter Jean-François: MILLET.

46. River that rises in the Bernese Alps: AAR.

48. Fuzzy states: HAZES.

51. Move to a warmer state?: MELT.

52. Drama honor: OBIE.

53. Cut short: CROP.

54. Ink: TATS.

55. Place to hibernate: LAIR.

59. "Wide Sargasso __": Jean Rhys novel: SEA.

Jeffrey

Title: A memo from the desk of Jeffrey Wechsler

For this last puzzle edited by Rich Norris, a most accomplished and prolific LA  Times constructor was chosen. Our leader, a most accomplished and prolific constructor, has chosen me to prepare my very first Sunday blog to mark this occasion. I am thrilled. 

As with all Sunday LAT puzzles, this is the only day of the week where the constructors provide their own title. JW's is "In re" a Latin phrase used as the start of most American memoranda. I hope Tom (desper-otto) bothered to read Jeffrey's choice as it really helped pinning down (a CSO to Tom's early career) the themers. Simply, you put RE in various phrases and the new phrases are clued with whimsy and charm. With JW, there is always more to his plan, as he is very careful to avoid adding the RE as either a prefix, or a suffix to a word. That extra layer makes this 8 themer puzzle just a bit more special.

My tried and true blogging approach does not fit a Sunday as there are many more words and many long ones but I point to a few of the 7 and 8 letter fill I liked: DEMO CDS, HEROINE,  LAMENTS, ODOROUS, SET ROLE,  STROBES, AGITATOR, GATORADE, STEERAGE, STIRRERS, TASTE BAD, SEND IT IN, and TYPING IN.

22A. All caps in an angry blog?: INTERNET SCREAM (14). With what we charge for blogging, this is obviously not a SCAM, and I assume you all know that using all caps in a post or text signifies yelling, this is a perfect place to begin the adding RE and letting everyone know the theme. 

32A. "Untoward behavior shall call for appropriate countermeasures," e.g.?: FANCY THREAT (11). FANCY THAT is a British English spoken phrase used to express your surprise or shock about something. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). Plug in your RE and you can hear the British accent making that warning. 

47A. Wiseacre mom and dad?: SMARTY PARENTS (13). SMARTY PANTS is a British English phrase to describe someone who always says clever things or always has the right answer, in a slightly annoying way. (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English). Wiseacre is an old fashioned way to say wise guy. 

63A. Type of dog that does origami?: FOLDING BREED (12).

A folding bed is a rather mundane image, but a dog who using his paws to create classic Japanese paper art is extremely silly and a nice image for our dog lovers.

74A. Farsi editor's mark?: PERSIAN CARET (12). For a Sunday themer, this requires some specialized knowledge. First, FARSI is the Persian word for the Persian language. And a ^ caret is a universal mark which shows where an additional or corrected or substituted letter, word, or phrase is to be inserted in or above the line. (University Style Guide). A Persian Cat may be a mascot for this blog

84A. Finishing touch for foppish painters?: PLACING A BERET.(13). Who here has never PLACED A BET, for money or otherwise? Here if you want to be stylish (not foppish), you can wear a beret. 

104A. 1932 presidential election victory?: HOOVER DREAM (11).
HERBERT HOOVER was not only the President from 1928 until his defeat by FDR in 1932 because of the depression, but he was optimistic and probably did dream of winning that election. He also was President when the Boulder Dam was commissioned and it was named after him unofficially. It became official in 1947, by act of Congress. This is a more serious themer. It is the largest damn dam in the world.

118A. Hush-hush lamasery topic?: BUDDHIST SECRET (14).

Do you all realize you know the definition of a lamasery? It is a place for Lamas, yes the one Ls. Like a monastery,  a nursery or a surgery it is where the lamas hang out. SECT becoming SECRET paints a great picture of these holy people whispering and probably gossiping.  

We also have a return to classic (rotational) symmetry with 14, 11, 13, 12, 12, 13, 11, and 14 themers. 

Now time for the rest...

Across:

1. Beat decisively: DRUB. This is probably not a popular 1A, as this is not a common word, though I do hear the sports announcers referring their teams giving/receiving a drubbing. What I found interesting is the etymology sources disagree completely about the history of this word.

5. Evoke an "Eww!," maybe: TASTE BAD. The verb set.

13. Venetian Renaissance painter: TITIAN. He was an Italian painter during the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. 

Mars, Venus and their son from last week AMOR.

19. He played Klaatu in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (2008): KEANU. This was a remake of the classic version starring Michael Rennie.

20. Inferior accommodations: STEERAGE. The  part of a ship providing accommodations for passengers with the cheapest tickets. Most of my forbears arrived that way to the US. 

21. Common cone color: ORANGE. Not a common cold.

24. Glutinous: VISCID. Viscous is such an evocative word.

25. Christmas in Rome: NATALE. The Italian word. Buon Natale -T!

26. Etna output: ASH. Etna again.

27. Nonsense: ROT.

29. Artist friend of Dalí: SERT. Josep Maria Sert i Badia was a Spanish muralist, the son of an affluent textile industry family, and friend of Salvador Dalí. (wiki).

30. They usually have frames: GLASSES. Movies did not have enough letters.

36. Trig function: SINE. No math today.

37. Word with tax or L.A.: DODGERS. A droll combination.

41. __ martini: DRY. Shaken not stirred? A wonderful link yesterday by HG to explain it all. Or 126A. Sticks in drinks: STIRRERS. 

42. Put away: ATE.

43. Fruity, so to speak: BANANAS. I do not get this clue/fill. I know a banana is a fruit...I guess fruity can be a bit "barmy."

44. Absorbs, with "up": SOPS. Picture a thick, juicy steak and a fresh yeast roll. NO! Not during Passover!

46. Barfly: SOT. Nice placement.

53. Hider's hissed revelation: IN HERE. My eyes deceived me and I read this as "Hitler's hissed revelation."

55. Biblical spy: CALEB. Along with Joshua, he was faithful to his belief and told Moses that the Israelites could take over Canaan. The other 19 sent out were afraid, irritated the divine, and caused the 40 years of wandering the dessert.

56. Means: AVENUE.

59. Skilled at painting, say: ARTISTIC.

69. Perjurious testimony: LIES. Spellcheck does not like it, but it is a word. 

70. 81-Down friend: ROO. 81D. Storied bear: POOH.

71. Astonish: AWE.

72. 23rd Greek letter: PSI. The Greek ALPHABET is back. The letters of the Greek alphabet are: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu1, xi, omicron, pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega.

73. Capital NNW of Copenhagen: OSLO. To our Norse scions.

77. Submit a crossword, say: SEND IT IN. An inside joke I guess.

79. Nytol competitor: UNISOM. To sleep, perchance to DREAM.

80. "I'm not __ brag, but ... ": ONE TO. Always said by braggarts.

81. Urban park snack snitcher: PIGEON.

92. __ roll: ON A. I like sesame. 

93. Long-running CBS drama: NCIS. Gibbs is gone, get used to it!

96. Nose-wrinkling: ODOROUS. Ponderous.

97. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes: ONT. Hey Canadian Eh.

98. Formicidae family member: ANT. You knew The Formicidae is an unequivocally monophyletic group, previously defined by Bolton (1994, 2003) as eusocial, sexually dimorphic aculeate Hymenoptera bearing metapleural glands and geniculate antennae. Sure.

 

99. Mourns: LAMENTS.

100. Meat serving: CHOP. Steaks are basically beef chops. Pork chops and lamb chops are basically pork steaks and lamb steaks. Why? Why not?

108. Fixed function: SET ROLE. Help techies, all I can find is it is a command which sets the current user identifier of the current SQL session to be role_name . The role name can be written as either an identifier or a string. ???

110. Gator relative: CROC. Gator-Alligator as Croc-Crocodile.

111. White team: SOX. My childhood heroes.

112. Shout: CRY.

115. Heat units: THERMS.

116. "Tear down this wall!" speaker: REAGAN.

                            

122. Keep going: ENDURE. These Sundays are long. 

123. Higher than normal, maybe: ELEVATED.

124. Cal State city: CHICO.

                        

125. Joust participants: STEEDS. Let's hear it for the horses. 

127. Brings together: WEDS. People, or ideas.

Down:

1. U.S. peak officially renamed in 2015: DENALI. Bad enough to be shot, but President McKinley lost that honor.

2. Palm used in furniture: RATTAN.

3. Angst: UNEASE.

4. Rounded, knotty tree growths: BURLS.  These are not related to MR. IVES, or are they?

5. Follower of Mao?: TSE. Or Chris.

6. "__ girl!": ATTA.

7. Congressional mtg.: SESSion. 

8. Worker with mice: TECH. 

9. Go left instead of right, say: ERR. No Politics!

10. One inspiring PDAs: BAE. The new it word for your it girl.

11. "F Troop" corporal played by Larry Storch: AGARN.

12. Musicians' garage creations, maybe: DEMO CDS. Garage bands. That really is where more successful bands start out.

13. "Mazel __!": TOV. I hope you are all having a great Passover. (פסח), Holy Week, Ramadan or whatever you enjoy.

14. "Fighting" Indiana team: IRISH. Notre Dame.

15. It's shocking: TASER. Ha Ha.

16. Go up: INCREASE. Prices.

17. Washer component: AGITATOR. I said no politics.

18. "Spider-Man" reporter __ Leeds: NED. Not a major character.

19. Board members who might become mated?: KINGS. Chess board.

23. Supplies order phrase: NEED BY.

28. Beginner: TYRO.

31. Ivory, for one: SOAP.

32. Viking great Tarkenton: FRAN.

33. No. 2: ASST.

34. Entering, as data: TYPING IN.

35. Head of France: TETE. Just French.

38. Significant archaeological find: DNA. 

39. Long-nosed fish: GAR.

40. Boise-to-Fargo dir.: ENE.

45. Brush off: SNUB. Not to be confused with DRUB.

47. Make a killing on, in a way: SCALP. Tickets.

48. Skyler's sister on "Breaking Bad": MARIE. Never watched it. 

49. Redo: ALTER. I am sure the pets do not like this.

50. Come out with a more current version of: REISSUE. Not for me.

51. "Chad" network: TBS. Chad? Never heard of it.

52. "A pity": SAD.

54. Most any Disney princess: HEROINE. All of them.

57. Ones often seen in restricted lounges: VIPS.

58. Massachusetts motto starter: ENSE. Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem. Seek peace but only in freedom.

60. Sleeper, for one: TRAIN CAR.

61. Electrolysis products: IONS. 

62. Pixar film set in Mexico: COCO.

                        

63. Distant: FAR.

64. Need to pay: OWE.

65. Permit: LET.

66. Fragrant compound: ESTER. We had this recently. Looks like a WORDLE word.

67. Top names: ELITE. And another.

68. Prohibition words: DO NOT.

75. Privy to: IN ON. Gossip?

76. Concert piece: AMP. Tricky and not true of all concerts.

78. Pt. of an age calculation: DOB. Date of Birth.

82. Unworldly: INNOCENT.

83. PepsiCo sports beverage: GATORADE. More CSO to me and my alma mater.

85. 1970 Kinks hit: LOLA.

86. Driver of "BlacKkKlansman": ADAM.
                            
87. Dot follower?: COM.

88. Choler: IRE.

89. Prefix with event or issue: NON.

90. Nerve: GUTS. They are related. LINK.

91. Valuable things: ASSETS.

94. Swing voters: Abbr.: INDS. Is that really an abbreviation for independents?

95. Lightning simulators: STROBES.

100. Yuletide display: CRECHE. More religion.

101. Really awful: HORRID.

102. Early Mexicans: OLMECS. Talk about a gimme after this week's puzzles.

103. Basil-and-pine-nuts sauce: PESTO.

105. Lauren Hutton has been on its cover 26 times: VOGUE. Why?

106. Modern greeting: E-CARD.

107. Rejoice: EXULT. Lots of reason to do this now.

109. "Superman & Lois" network: THE CW.

112. Burn a bit: CHAR. My oldest granddaughter.

113. Solemn event: RITE. Lots  of them this week and next.

114. Belgian river: YSER. Look at your list of four letter European rivers.

116. Hi-__ image: RES. Not to be confused. 

117. Video game letters: NES. Nintendo Entertainment System. 

119. Agnus __: DEI. Lamb of G-d. Timely for all Judeo-Christians.

120. Binge-watcher's device: DVR. Not so much anymore.

121. Ideal NFL drive endings: TDS. Touchdowns which is the perfect place for me to end this tour and return control of your computer to each of you.

Rich we all appreciate everything you have done for C.C., this blog,  for C.C.,  and for Jeffrey Wechsler one of our heroes. 

Patti, we know you will continue all the grand traditions of the LAT making this site such a special place for new constructors like all who C.C. brought in, as well as so many experienced and prolific setters like Jeffrey. We look forward to the future together.

Jeffrey Wechsler

 Title: I spy a little l in my I. 

So guess who is back again before you, this time as himself? It is I the lemon in iced tea. This played hard in many places with the cluing (his or the editors?) opaque and the structure different. If I am correct this is a puzzle with east/west symmetry...more about that later.  First, I want to acknowledge some fun sparkly fill - FAUCETS, RANGOON, ROSEBUD, SUITS ME, WRESTLE, SECTIONS, THE BIRDS, ATE A LITTLE, and GERIATRICS. Part of being sparkly is that they are longer and if you do not get the clue/fill combination, the puzzle becomes exponentially harder. Which brings us to the theme. Today JW gives a classic letter substitution puzzle, where the letter L at the end of a word in a familiar phrase is replaced with the letter I. Then it is clued to suggest the new meaning of the phrase. Clever - one of the arrows in his creative quiver. I said we have left/right symmetry with the themers going from 15 to 11 to 9 and finishing at 13. If you were looking for convential 17A to start symmetrical theme placements, it could be a long Friday.

The themers:

17A. Field worker having a pastrami on rye?: FARMER IN THE DELI (15). We begin with a gridspanner linking working in the fields to going to a delicatessen and ordering a pastrami on rye, which is a very popular order in most delis. This changes the children's nursery rhyme Farmer in the Dell just a little. The beauty is the simplicity, yet subtlety of such a tiny change causing such a completely new image.

27A. Prominent part of a Tex-Mex chain's logo?: THE BIG CHILI (11). This may be my favorite because it also has added imagery (the Big Chili in the chain's ads).  The movie, also was

an amazing introduction to many who became major stars, including the late William Hurt who just passed on March 13, 2022. Not updated, but here is the CAST. This does not list the very famous actor who was hired to play the friend who died, but whose footage was cut. It was...(        ) fill in the blank.

49A. Indonesian dive bar?: BALI JOINT (9). Next, ball joints which are spherical bearings that connect the control arms to the steering knuckles, and are used on virtually every automobile made are repurposed as a cheap bar on a key island that is part of Indonesia. When I owned a travel agency it was a favorite honeymoon spot for clients. I have never been. Anyone?

51A. Memory of the 1996 Olympic flame lighting?: ALI IN YOUR MIND (13). Do many of your remember when Muhammed Ali lit the Olympic Torch to begin the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta? 

It was very significant in many ways. It was a time of healing and hope after many traumatic summer games. It was time of inclusivity after murder and mayhem had dogged the games. It was a time to acknowledge Ali and his spirit, as he was in the grips of Parkinson's brought on by years of being hit in the head. He also had been villified as a draft dodger rather than an observant Muslim. But there is no sentiment in baseball or the LA Times so on we go. 

Across:

1. Mumbai melody: RAGA. Raga , also spelled rag (in northern India) or ragam (in southern India), (from Sanskrit, meaning “colour” or “passion”), in the classical music of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, a melodic framework for improvisation and composition.

5. Group playing mind games: MENSA. When this blog started everyone wondered who among the solvers belonged. Now we so not care. 

10. Criticizes: RAPS. They gave him a bad rap. 

14. Mocks: APES. Is aping always mocking?

15. Poem of 15,000+ lines: ILIAD. Aren't you glad they didn't make you memorize that one in school.

16. And more of the same, in brief: ET AL. It comes in most puzzles.

20. Like the Godhead: TRIUNE. A very Friday word. Since we do not discuss religion here, I will merely quote the Brittanica "There is One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Other ways of referring to the Trinity are the Triune God and the Three-in-One. The Trinity is a controversial doctrine; many Christians admit they don't understand it, while many more Christians don't understand it but think they do."

21. Fantasized: DREAMT. 

22. Diplomacy: TACT. Not my strong suit.

23. "Isle of Dogs" director Anderson: WES.  Here is a GUIDE to his films.

26. Tom or jack: MALE. Designation for animals, e.g TOM CAT, JACK ASS.

30. Bygone Mideast gp.: UAR. United Arab Republic (U.A.R.), Arabic Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Muttaḥidah, political union of Egypt and Syria proclaimed on February 1, 1958, and ratified in nationwide plebiscites later that month. It ended on September 28, 1961, when Syria, following a military coup, declared itself independent of Egypt. More Brittanica. 

32. Capital of colonial Burma: RANGOON. It is now part of Myanamar and known as YANGON. These renamings passed on 18 June 1989 to reflect the fact that the "r" sound is no longer used in Standard Burmese and merged with a "y" glide.

33. Bill: TAB. Short for tabulation.

36. "No objection here": SUITS ME. I like blogging. Though I...

38. Try to deal (with): WRESTLE. with scheduling my time.

40. Sharply outline: ETCH. They use acid. 

41. Israeli-born designer Tahari: ELIE. 45 years i

42. Kane's boyhood sled: ROSEBUD. Does anybody not know this from Orson Welles' classic Citizen Kane?

46. Taps: FAUCETS. It is CONFUSING.

55. Lucretius' love: AMOR. Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher, he wrote Latin where Amor is the word for love.

56. Spry: AGILE. Synonyms: easy moving, more acute, most easy-moving, sprighter, most sportive, mercurial, most easy moving, quick trigger, quick the draw, sprightest, quick witted, quick draw, more easymoving, more easy moving, easymoving, sportive, most easymoving, more easy-moving, quick on draw, quick the trigger, quickwitted.

57. Rowers: OARS. Not the people, the instrument.

59. Pastoral group: HERD. Not an actual Pastor but related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle.

60. Sly tactics: RUSES. This is an action intended to deceive someone; a trick.

"Eleanor tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house"

61. Simone of song: NINA.
                        
62. Revolution constant: AXIS. If it is revolving, it does so on an axis.

63. Since Jan. 1: YTD. Year To Date.

64. Impede: SLOW. Block.

Down:

1. Passel: RAFT. JW or the editors are wearing out my synonym dictionary-  raft, including: craft, mint, (slang) lot, mass, mess, batch, heap, mickle, mountain, muckle, passel.

2. Besides, with "from": APART. Apart from watching the Masters, do you watch golf on TV?

3. Job field that embraces seniority: GERIATRICS. Sounds like fun for this geriatric.

4. To an equal extent: AS MUCH.

5. Bog: MIRE.

6. Ivy attendee: ELI. Not to be confused with our Israeli designer.

7. "Collages" novelist: NIN. Anais, author of many books and way more appearances in crosswords.

8. Couldn't stand anymore?: SAT. Ha ha, not anger but tired legs.

9. Condition treated by Ritalin, briefly: ADHD. We did not have this condition or Autism when I was a kid.

10. Overturned card consequence, perhaps: REDEAL. 

11. Nibbled: ATE A LITTLE.

12. ___ d'Or: Cannes award: PALME. Here are some favorite winners of this AWARD.

13. Cut: SLIT. Like someone's throat if you watched all those movies.

18. Records: ENTERS. A CSO to our accountants.

19. Fur that's a symbol of royalty: ERMINE. From a glorified rat.

23. Its nose says a lot about its quality: WINE. Hi Chairman.

24. __ roll: EGG. My wife prefers making fresh roll.

25. Refuse craft: SCOW. Another Asian treat.

28. Cartoon ruckus sound: BAM.

29. Old TV knob: HOR.izontal. TV abbreviation= 

30. One often paying a fee: USER.

31. Soul, for one: AUTO. By KIA.

34. Came down: ALIT.

35. They work in cells: BEES. Funny, but true. A new clue, is it yours JW. 

37. 1963 film that was a 1991 Horror Hall of Fame inductee: THE BIRDS. Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren. I was 14, it did not haunt me, I love birds. 

39. Strings, woodwinds, etc.: SECTIONS.

43. Keurig Dr Pepper brand: BAI.

44. Like the "funny bone" nerve: ULNAR. Not like, it is the nerve.

45. Mr. Fixit, casually: DIY GUY. Do It Yourself Guy. 

46. Made illegal contact with, in some sports: FOULED. In pretty much all sports. 

47. Buenos __: AIRES. Argentina.

48. Albuquerque sch.: UNM. Hey OKL, how are you doing?

50. Floor support: JOIST. A joist is a horizontal structural member used in framing to span an open space, often between beams that subsequently transfer loads to vertical members. wiki.

51. Visa competitor: AMEX.

52. Actress Petty: LORI. Best known for this movie. 
                            
53. File target: NAIL.

54. Bond baddie: DR NO. Joseph Wiseman was a Canadian-American theatre, film, and television actor, well known for starring as the villain Julius No in the first James Bond film, Dr. No in 1962.

55. "Eureka!": AHA. Aha we are almost done.

58. Bromide: SAW.  Guess what? Another synonym. 

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: I am nobodys fool! I am going to rock your world!

Sadly, the Chairman had to bow out of this write-up as he was not up to the challenge. All his years as a slapping us around never prepared him to have, let alone use an imagination. So appropriately on this first day of April, known as April Fool's Day, he called on me, Curly Joe , the reincarnation of the fourth and final performer to share stage with Moe and his cousin Larry Fine, to save his bacon (they were not observant of the dietary laws). Naturally I am relied on to unravel a Friday fun fest from the overly-productive Jeffrey Wechsler who lives to hear his audience whimper. I am new to this so bear with me, I am going to begin with the one and only theme answer. 

37A. Architectural marker, or what can be found four times in this puzzle: CORNER STONE (11). A cornerstone is a ceremonial building block, usually placed ritually in the outer wall of a building to commemorate its dedication. They have been aound for millenia.

If I knew puzzles would be so easy to make... what does that mean? I left no stone unturned in contemplating these building blocks, which brings me to my first Joe-sho:

Well back to what it all meant. To prepare I went back and reread many of Mr. Wechsler's prior puzzles and concluded the man is whack. I could not stop there, as I knew that would not be much of a write-up. So this is what I decided...it is another of those damn visuals Lemony talked about last week. 

In the top right corner if you go up continuously from MARB and turn right to BLE you have MARBLE,  a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. This is the"stone in the corner" a corner stone. The words spins around the B. 

In the top left corner if you go right from BAS and then down to SALT you see BASALT which is an aphanitic extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron. This time S is the pivot. 

In the bottom left you go down from SHA then turn left to ALE you will see SHALE which is a soft, finely stratified sedimentary rock that formed from consolidated mud or clay and can be split easily into fragile slabs. This time A is the pivot. 

Lastly in the bottom right corner if you start with the PUM and turn right and combine with the MICE you get PUMICE  a very light and porous volcanic rock formed when a gas-rich froth of glassy lava solidifies rapidly. We have one that spins on the M. It all spells MBSP which means nothing to me. 

The constuctor uses these in a rather haphazard way, three 6 letter rocks and only one 5 letter; we have 2 rocks formed from lava, 1 metamporphic and 1 sedimentary rock; but the most telling flaw is the flow, or rather absence thereof. Basalt is the hardest, Marble next, Shale and then poor porous Pumice. Why didn't we get these in the proper order? Hardest to softest...maybe the clues could be scaled not by the day but by their place in the grid.

He tries to show off and distract us with so many long shiny words like BRAMBLE,  ETERNAL, LITERAL, NATASHA, SPURTED, WAHINES, ECONOMIC, EMIGRATE, SAIL AWAY,  THE BRAVE, BROTHERLY, and the most appropriate  I'LL FORGET which I certainly will this puzzle. I am done, I am out of here. 

Wait, Moe says I have to do the whole thing! What did I get myself into? 

My first limerick

There was an old man who performed,

But sadly his body was deformed.

So his jokes were hurtful and mean,

And none could ever be called clean.

He died on stage, never reformed.

Now that you all are in the proper mood for a day of fun...

Across:

1. Came out in the wash?: BLED. If you stab someone use a thin knife like a stiletto, the cut does not bleed much. Oh, he meant the fabric color bleeds, why didn't he say so?

5. Support pieces: STUDS. Some of my best lady friends are supporting their young men. 

10. Execs' wall displays: MBAS. I doubt that, maybe they have diplomas on the wall but not random letters.

14. Houston campus: RICE. I did not know they grew rice in Houston? I thought that only grew in watery swamp like areas? Why build a school there?

15. Fiddlers follower, in verse: THREE. I know this one...

16. Soft drink opener?: COCA. I never mix chocolate or cocaine with soda.

17. Small step: A TO B. I do have small feet.

18. Flight maintenance word: DEICE.  Limerick 2...

I am told I have to be nice,

And eat my chicken and rice.

Do not drink too much wine,

We'll have fun while we dine

Only if Tinbeni's drink I deice.

19. Worldwide: Abbr.: INTL. International, at least he tells us this one is an abbreviation.

20. Lists for patrons: MENUS. Which ones? Merriam-Webster tells us the definition is:

1a: a person chosen, named, or honored as a special guardian, protector, or supporter

a patron of the arts

  b: a wealthy or influential supporter of an artist or writer

  c: a social or financial sponsor of a social function (such as a ball or concert)

2: one that uses wealth or influence to help an individual, an institution, or a cause

a patron of the city library

3: one who buys the goods or uses the services offered especially by an establishment

a restaurant's patrons.

We finally made it to a restaurant...

22. Toucan's pride: BEAK. Did you know it is made of keratin, like human hair and is quite light and cannot be used for protection?  This brings me to my second Joe-sho:

            

23. I.M. Pei alma mater: MIT. Where else could he go?

24. Like much love: BROTHERLY. I love Moe like a brother. 
See how he pushed Cousin Larry out of the picture?

26. Word with board or mentioned: ABOVE. I hope you are not bored with my stooge mentions which brings me to my limerick 3.

The Stooges were supposed to be three;

Moe Larry, first Shemp and then Curly.
Shemp left and came back when Curly got sick

But those three could never together stick;

They tries other Curly but ended up with me.

28. Sudden flight: LAM. Rack of lam is one of my favorites, but I usually have it with the b? . 

29. Actress Longoria: EVA. Is she related to Eva Braun? Ooo ooo, I looked at her picture. maybe she could relate to me!
30. Came out suddenly: SPURTED. I might just!

32. Romance novelist Hilderbrand: ELIN. She has written about NANTUCKET  which reminds me of a classic limerick...sorry it was censored.

34. Natural climber: IVY.

36. SUV part, briefly: UTE.

41. WWII org. with a Pallas Athene symbol: WAC. Before my time. 
Women's Army Corps

42. __ Paulo: SAO. Saint Paul.

43. Govt. agents: T-MEN. My grandson plays t-ball.

46. Some surfers: WAHINES. The word wahine came into English in the late 18th century from Maori, the language of a Polynesian people native to New Zealand; it was originally used for a Maori woman, especially a wife. The word is now used for a woman or a young girl in Hawaiian. In the US we call them surfer girls.  

Limerick 4

Like MLK I too had a dream,

I saw a surfboard that did gleam;

Riding the board was a wahine

So I whispered something obscene,

Before long I awoke with scream!

50. "It depends" components: IFS. Ands and butts!

52. Give-go link: IT A. Give it a go; that is what I am doing.

53. Ain't like it oughta be?: AREN'T. The gramma police are out in force.

54. "Please remind me": I'LL FORGET. I already did

57. VII x CCC: MMC. I don't do math.

58. Ottoman honorific: AGHA. Fancy words for a foot stool.

59. Hall of Famer who was a Yankee manager and a Mets coach: BERRA. This clue must have been written by Will Sortz, I mean Shortz. He loves the Yankees but he does not know the whole history.

LINK.

60. Canapé delicacy: PATÉ. I think this is what the rappers are singing about when I hear "paté time". Foie gras is foie gross to me.

62. Astonished: IN AWE.

64. Keeps out: BANS.

65. Yard, for one: UNIT. It makes you need to pee so bad.

66. 67-Across sites: MESAS. Ours in Arizona are more better.

67. Rockies state: UTAH.

68. Modern navigation aids: MICE. I should have used this for Limerick 2.

69. Court orders: STAYS. That's what I tell my dog. Man I am tired, 

70. Ward of "FBI": SELA. She left the show years ago.

Down:

1. Berry bush: BRAMBLE. Isn’t that where Bre’er  Rabbit went?

2. True to the original: LITERAL.

3. Like Paul Samuelson's field: ECONOMIC. Paul Samuelson? Wiki says: Paul Anthony Samuelson was an American economist, who was the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

4. Rollout: DEBUT. This is my debut as blogger; I had no idea how much work it was going to be.

5. Criterion: Abbr.: STD. This is standard abbreviation fill I am told.

6. Key ending words?: THE BRAVE. So cute, Francis Scott and land of the...

7. Archangel of repentance: URIEL. I watched Lucifer on Netflix and he did not seem very repentant.

8. Falls into ruin: DECAYS. I know, I have to take care of my teeth.

9. Try to locate: SEEK. I am looking for a dentist who likes Nitrous Oxide.

10. Defunct AT&T rival: MCI. Is't that where IMP worked?

11. Witticism: BONMOT.

12. Still at it: ACTIVE. I am but I am tired.

Joesho 3

13. Like roads in winter, at times: SALTED. Or the rims of the margarita glass.

21. Maritime pronoun: SHE. 

25. Expose: EVINCE.

26. Road runner: AUTO.

27. Spiner of "Star Trek: T.N.G.": BRENT.

31. Postpone: PUTOFF.

33. Bad sort of situation: NOWIN.

35. Annual arrivals: Abbr.: YRS.

38. Tirade: RANT.

39. Subtitle of Enya's Grammy-winning "Orinoco Flow": SAILAWAY.

40. Settle in a new country: EMIGRATE.

44. Always there: ETERNAL.

45. Boris' sidekick: NATASHA.

46. Old Native American currency beads: WAMPUM.

47. Luxury fashion name: ARMANI.

48. More than busy: HECTIC.

49. Seal on a ring: SIGNET.

51. Blubber: SOB.

55. Capital at 12,000 feet: LHASA.

56. Picture puzzle: REBUS.

58. Intentions: AIMS.

61. Summer at the Sorbonne: ETE.

63. Start to snow?: ESS.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Help, I have a DOC sticking up from my side! Is he covered by medicare?

I am back and so is Jeffrey for another Friday this time with a visual theme that is very creative but not always appreciated here at the Corner. And frankly, not immediately apparent to me even after writing up so many of his efforts. My first notion was the removal od the letter OC from each of the long fill. That really made no sense with the reveal. I also had fixated on the down fill starting with COD.

Going back to look at the grid, it is obvious these two concepts interesect. Add to the never accidental use of the word UP, the reference to "direction" and the theme jumps out. You can see the words pivoting on the D. 

It features three themers and a reveal leaving much room for other sparkly fill - RESEALS, ATTUNES TO,  ENEMY LINE, LAUNCHPAD, OVERUNDER REST MODES and WORRISOME. To make his reveal work, he pairs three long across fill with three appropriate down fill which I will put together to finish the explanation. 

Themer 1:

17A. *Guide for Smithsonian visitors, say: MUSEUM DOCENT.(10). Is DOCENT a known word? Paired with: 9D. Indulge: CODDLE.  This is the up DOC to which the reveal refers, as each long theme answer has DOC sticking out and going up.

Themer 2:

22A. *Ken Burns specialty: DOCUMENTARY FILM (13). KEN is quite famous for his work. His CIVIL WAR and Baseball films are great. This is paired with: 16D. Eccentric old guys: CODGERS. My hand is up not down the front of my pants. The second of the reverse DOC going up.

Themer 3:

42A. *Southeast Asian colonial region dismantled in 1954: FRENCH INDOCHINA (13). As a child of the 50s and 60s I was very aware of the French pull out of the area and involvement of the US to "preserve" the region. This may be a factoid lost in the miasma of aging. Paired with: 39D. Fish-and-chips fish: COD. When we eat out, this is often my meal of choice, especially now that my red meat intake is limited. It does make me wonder why it is called a COD PIECE? The third and last DOC going up.

The reveal: 49A. Classic Looney Tunes tagline offering some "direction" in solving the starred clues: WHAT'S UP DOC? I am sure the world has heard Bugs Bunny say:

The grid to get the "picture." 

Now we are ready for the rest of the story:

Across:

1. Earth, for one: ORB. And, 19A. Food scrap: ORT. I love this start!

4. Dred Scott decision Chief Justice: TANEY. Even after C.C. foreshadowed this very famous and awful decision by the SCOTUS,  it took my brain too long to pull out the name of this controversial man who served for 28 years. Incidentally, he was from Maryland and a Roman Catholic. Remind anybody of anybody? JK Bill.

9. Leg section: CALF. I never thought of ordering a thigh and a calf.

13. Two-digit sign: VEE. For victory.

14. Thrifty to begin with?: ECONO. A well worn prefix for inexpensive.

15. Central Plains tribe: OTOE. Many Os to begin this puzzles; this LINK is a glance at this word's xword history.

16. "__ la vie": C'EST. A very French phrase which can used in many different situations, from Frank Sinatra's THAT's LIFE to 

20. Hardly libertine: PRIM. I stumbled for a bit when I put in PRIG.

21. Pithy saying: ADAGE. Pithy goes back to the 1300s, "strong, vigorous," from pith meaning "full of substance or significance" is from 1520s. 

26. Fairy tale figures: GNOMES. In modern times they are lawn ornaments. Or a famous song, gnome, gnome on the range where the hobbits and the orcs do roam. The Online Etymology Dictionary LISTING for GNOME.

27. Mother __: LODE. Lucy is it likely this is a translation of Mexican Spanish veta madre, a name given to rich silver veins?

28. Money with hits: EDDIE. This is funny Money. He left us in 2019.

29. Retreats: LAIRS. From Roget. SYNONYMS.

31. Word with bonds or games: WAR. An all too real reference today.

34. Line holder: REEL. Fishing line.

35. Barely detectable: FAINT. The magic clue that solves the crime is often...

36. Tiny particle: MOTE. Likely from Dutch mot "dust from turf, sawdust, grit."

37. Future H.S. grads, probably: SRS. Seniors, hopefully.

38. Volcanic eruption sight: PLUME.

39. Nested supermarket array: CARTS. I never thought of them as nested. 

40. Nana: GRAN. Sunday, C.C. added Nai nai.

41. "Amen to that!": SO TRUE. 

45. Earth's volume?: ATLAS. Ha ha, a book- a volume about Earth. I like it.

47. Mandlikova of '80s tennis: HANA. She will always be remembered with NAVRATILOVA.  Hana's MEMORIES.

48. Mexican pinch?: SEL. More Mexico, this time the Spanish word for salt.

51. Office figure: BOSS. Often just a figurehead. Can you name them all? They have become...

52. Legends and such: LORE. We have had this word often lately.

53. Cloth-dyeing method: BATIK. I was dying to think of a pun but could not.

54. Pro using a siren, perhaps: EMT. Emeregency Medical Technician. Do all the drivers get licensed? I guess if not they would be...

55. Went after, in a way: SUED. IMO, the court system has become unwieldly and too expensive.

56. Objects of worship: IDOLS. As long as they are not GRAVEN? I guess photos are fine.

57. Earth opening?: GEO. Fun clue for the word that derived from the Greek, gē earth, covering everything from GEODISIC domes to GEOMETRY. Also a nice way to end part I.

Down:

1. With 3-Down, sportsbook option based on the final score: OVERUNDER. 3D. See 1-Down: BET. This based on total points scored by both winning and losing teams and with it is greater than or less than. An important part of parlay betting.

2. Game system turnoff options: REST MODES. You need to leave it on just in case.

4. What a siren does: TEMPTS. An A-LIST of sirens. A deliberate use of siren (54A) and its other meaning.

5. Lexus competitor: ACURA. Honda's luxury car.

6. Polite denial: NO SIR. Yes sir. No Ma'am, yes ma'am.

7. Combat demarcation point: ENEMY LINE. Behind Enemy Lines is the name of a few movies, as well as the plot.

8. "__ busy?": YOU. You know I am, we all work hard of these write-ups. Geez, Louise! 

10. Starting players: A-TEAM. See 4D. 

11. Sleep-inducing, maybe, as a lecture: LONG. I had trouble with this as it seemed too easy.

12. Fancy party: FETE. Not a gala, or a ball.

18. "Downton Abbey" personnel: MAIDS.

23. Man's name that becomes a measurement when one letter is moved: EMIL. MILE. I wonder if that is how Miley Cyrus got her name?

24. Once called: NÉE. Miley was born DESTINY HOPE CYRUS.

25. The Alamo, e.g.: FORT. Another deceptively simple clue/fill.

29. Starting point of many modern missions: LAUNCH PAD. A timely CSO to Husker Gary who I signed up for a future Blue Origin launch as a birthday surprise.

30. Intention: AIM. It was intention to fulfill his dream of looking down on all Earth.

31. Unsettling: WORRISOME. I hope Joann does not find it...

32. Puts in sync with: ATTUNES TO. Doing my part to improve your life here are my tips in a romantic relationship:

Listen before you speak. ...

Ask questions to understand. ...

Notice your partner's nonverbal cues. ...

Use validating statements. ...

Identify your triggers. ...

Feel and own your feelings. Or not.

33. Zips again, as a Ziploc bag: RESEALS. Why not rezip?

35. Rich dessert: FLAN. Where does Flan make its money? It is just custard, sort of. Speaking of which, there is a wiki sight English words suffixed with -tard

36. Subject with shapes: MATH. I prefer ART. 

38. First Amendment concern: PRESS. Freedom thereof...

40. Like Romano, often: GRATED. I have watched Everybody Loves Raymond a few times and thought he played a very irritating character, but he did not grate on my nerves.

41. Chips, say: SNACKS. Unless you are in Great Britain.

42. Emergency device: FLARE. Not to be confused with FLAIR, though both can be quite dramatic.

43. Couldn't not: HAD TO. The old double negative manuever.

44. How tuna may be packed: IN OIL. Or water, but not both at the same time for oils are hydrophobic (not homophobic) or “water fearing.” Instead of being attracted to water molecules, oil molecules are repelled by them.

45. Hole makers: AWLS. Almost a Shakespeare quote, AWLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 

46. "O Julius Caesar, __ art mighty yet!": Brutus: THOU. This  quote is uttered by Marcus Brutus as he stands over the dead bodies of Cassius and Titinius, another soldier who was fighting to kill Caesar. Brutus is suggesting even dead JC was able to bring retribution to the conspirators. And JW gets to bring us a quote from Act V, Scene 3.

50. Where, to Brutus: UBI. Just the Latin for where, you are not his chariot driver. As most of us who studied Latin for years, the fake phrase SEMPER UBI, SUB UBI was always good for a laugh.

51. Entreat: BEG. They did not beg for their lives but all committed suicide. Is suicide a cowardly act? Are you begging for mercy to be done with ths write-up? You win, Lemonade has left the building beaten and exhausted once more ridden around the mind of Jeffrey Wechsler at dizzying speeds needing to step back, regroup and soldier on.

I loved the challenge and look forward to all of your comments.

Jeffrey Wechsler

 Title: Add three letters and call me in the morning.

Doctor Wechsler has built another extra large grid (15x16) to permit room for his three 16 letter theme fill. Each of them has the trigram (three letter) AMA added to a base phrase. We also have the rare benefit of a reveal on a Friday which helps solve this puzzle even if you are not used to JW's tricks.

ACACIAS, BAILEYS, CRYSTAL, CUSTODY, DEADPAN, ECSTASY, ENROBED, ENSNARE, NUREYEV, RIPENED, UNDERGO, VANILLA, ELECTRIC, and LUCIDITY are all interesting non-theme fill, a benefit of having 15 extra spaces in the puzzle. The first of the themers may be the most challenging.

18A. *Crèche, for example?: CHRISTIAN DIORAMA (16). With DIORAMA not an everyday word and the final fill combining a clothing designer with the trigram to create this religious piece may be a bit outre. But then it may have been the puzzle's inspiration.

26A. *Recent president scrutinizing a book on jurisprudence? : OBAMA EYING THE LAW(16). This also is tricky because the phrase obeying the law is invaded by the AMA creating separate words.

42A. *Animal rights goal in the Andes?: JUSTICE FOR A LLAMA. (16). We get Ogden Nash's 2 LLama; with all the commercials they are now appearing in I would think llamas are the richest of the working beasts. Finally, the reveal...

54A. Altered, in a way ... and a hint to the org. that helped create the answers to starred clues: DOCTORED UP (10). The American Medical Association. Since 1847, 175 year anniversary.

Across:

1. "'And hast thou __ the Jabberwock?'": Carroll: SLAIN. What a wonderful quotation to begin a creation aimed at people who love words. The poem may appear to be total nonsense but it has been studied and discussed such as this ANALYSIS by Dr. Oliver Teale. His blog is even more successful than the Corner.

6. Steady guy: BEAU. Boyfriend from the French.

10. Event involving hidden matzo: SEDER. Passover (Pesach) begins this year at sundown on April 15, which is also a sabbath. 
                        

15. Shell material: NACRE. The inside of the shell of some mollusks also known as mother-of-pearl. Here is a picture of a vintage Egyptian folding chair I was given some time ago with nacre insets.

16. Loads: A TON. Simple, and clearly a big load.

17. Horror film burden: CURSE. My thought is poor Lon Chaney and the curse of the werewolf.

21. Geode feature, perhaps: CRYSTAL. Geodes are spherical to subspherical rock structures with an internal cavity lined with mineral materials. Very pretty.

22. Dressed: ENROBED. Back to our naked Emperor from my Wednesday write-up.

23. Current type: ELECTRIC. No, not anymore. Now I want only my wife. Oh, electric current, never mind.

34. Grammy-winning pianist Peter: NERO. This MUSICIAN was extremely popular during my growing years of the 50s and 60s.

35. 2020 N.L. batting champ Juan: SOTO. This 23 year old from the Domincan Republic has already logged 4 years in the majors. STATS.

36. "Sula" author Morrison: TONI. This was her second novel and Goodreads says, "This rich and moving novel traces the lives of two black heroines from their close-knit childhood in a small Ohio town, through their sharply divergent paths of womanhood, to their ultimate confrontation and reconciliation."

37. "That describes me, right?": AM I NOT. This sound philisophical and historical as well as being a rallying cry of the modern young.

40. Paradise: HEAVEN. Ah, religion a forbidden topic here but an interesting one.

47. Sugar suffix: OSE. Sucrose, lactose, maltose...

48. Clear thought: LUCIDITY. Dictionary says this word is the quality of being easily understood, completely intelligible, or comprehensible. A goal for a blogger?

49. Spirit that's also a game: GIN. Alchemists in the Middle East were the first to master distillation. They were hoping to not only change lesser elements to gold but to make medical elixirs. To do so, they would distill liquid, collect the vapor, and gather the “spirit” that came off the material. Gin is a very competitive card game.

50. "Molto __": "Very good": BENE. An Italian lesson for a change!

52. Trough fill: SLOP. Historically people save their food scraps and spoiled food and served them to their pigs in the trough.

53. Huge amounts: SEAS. I guess this is something likened to the sea especially in vastness such as a sea of faces

59. Plain: VANILLA. I have had bosses and secretaries who called manila folders "vanilla folders."

62. Soviet-born ballet immortal: NUREYEV. I am not a great fan of ballet, but he was amazing.

66. Broad-topped trees: ACACIAS. Hard to believe these are in the pea family

                            

67. Catch: ENSNARE.

68. Safekeeping: CUSTODY. When they throw you in jail, safekeeping is not your first thought.

69. Poker-faced: DEADPAN. More Stephen Wright, right?

Down:

1. '60s civil rights gp. inspired by student sit-ins: SNCC. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was the culmination of many sit-ins by young blacks in 1960. It also spawned many impressive black leaders.

2. Lion player Bert: LAHR. Since Detroit traded away Matthew Stafford so the Rams could win the Super Bowl, Bert is back to being the most revered lion.

3. "__ in the Dark": 1988 Neill/Streep film: A CRY. Not the original title, but a movie based on a true story of a New Zealand woman who was wrongfully convicted of murdering her baby daughter. You-tube will not let me use it, but look at the movie trailer, and you will see Streep really is magical at becoming a character.

4. Bearded bloom: IRIS. At first I thought of Morris Bloom and his make believe wife, but without the capital B it must be this beautiful plant.
 5. Iced drink brand: NESTEA.

6. Irish liqueur made by an English company: BAILEYS. It may seem that this liquer has been around forever but Baileys was invented in London in 1973 by a team of professionals hired for the job. These included Tom Jago, head of innovation and development for International Distillers & Vintners (IDV), who was from the U.K.; David Gluckman, a South African; and Hugh Seymour-Davies, an Englishman from Oxford and Eden. They aparently do not like apostrophes.

7. LAX stat: ETA. Estimate Time of Arrival

8. Chicago's __ Center: AON. For our big city midwestern readers this skyscraper was completed in 1974 as the Standard Oil Building. With 83 floors and a height of 1,136 feet (346 m), it is the fourth-tallest building in Chicago, surpassed in height by Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and St Regis Chicago. AON has bought naming rights to this and one in Los Angeles.

9. Experience: UNDERGO. There are good experiences and not good ones. Undergo makes me think of the now good ones.

10. Really burn: SCORCH. The wiktionary says it is from Middle English scorchen, scorcnen (“to make dry; parch”), perhaps an alteration of earlier scorpnen, from Old Norse skorpna (“to shrivel up”). It reminds me of the scorched earth caused by war.

11. Catalan cash: EURO. In Catalonia they now use Euro.

12. Colorless: DRAB. Such a potentially mean word. 

13. Girl in a Salinger title: ESME.The short story For Esmé with Love and Squalor is a post World War II story which I am not sure I ever understood. Here is an ANALYSIS. This might be a ...

14. Curl up with a good book, say: READ. As it tells an interesting..

19. Story: TALE.

20. D.C. part?: Abbr.: INITial.

24. AFL partner: CIO. AFL–CIO, in full American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations, American federation of autonomous labour unions formed in 1955 by the merger of the AFL (founded 1886), which originally organized workers in craft unions, and the CIO (founded 1935), which organized workers by industries.

25. Blasted stuff: TNT. Very cute clue.

26. Out working: ON A JOB. If it weren't a three word answer this would be very easy.

27. Puzzle: BEMUSE. I know A-muse, and B-muse, but what is C-muse? Is it musical?

28. Ascended: ARISEN. Another word with many connotations.

29. __ Blanc: MONT. A mountain and a pen; talk about being versatile.

30. Shorthand for unlisted items: ET AL. Latin, Et alia.

31. Romantic-sounding herb: LOVAGE. Native to Southern Europe, lovage is a member of the parsley family but tastes like celery. My wife will feed me anything green she finds.

32. Lethargy cause: ANEMIA.Low red blood count caused by many serious and not serious matters.

33. CeCe with 12 Grammys: WINANS. Not related to the Wynan brothers. BIO.

38. Natural resource: OIL. A topic I will not touch now.

39. Horned Frogs' sch.: TCU. Texas Christian University began as a private co-ed college in 1869. The STORY.

40. Seuss cat's trademark: HAT. I cannot get this to LINK directly.

41. English cathedral town: ELY. An Anglican CHURCH.

43. Sheer joy: ECSTASY. What you are likly feeing that this tour is almost over.

44. Baklava dough: FILO. Also a famous detective, no relation to Director Vance.

45. Smell: ODOR.

46. Came to fruition: RIPENED. A tiny pun since the word was take from fruit becoming mature. 

51. Official proclamation: EDICT. Synonyms for edict: bull, decree, diktat, directive, fiat, rescript, ruling, ukase.

53. Use plastic, say: SPEND. Some of my credit cards are no longer platic.

55. Miscellany: OLIO. One of C.C's words. 

56. Wearing, with "in": CLAD. The robe convering the emperor.

57. Beach feature: DUNE. And a hit movie and book and a natural sand formation.

58. Up-there bear: URSA. Well there are two, a major and a minor.

59. Brief cleaner: VAC. I just throw mine in the washer with the rest of my clothes.

60. Pressure opening?: ACU. Not tire?

61. "Illmatic" rapper: NAS. He is a very respected rapper who only recently is getting his full recognition depite being around for 25 years. As a 73 year old sheltered white man I will never be able to fully appreciate his artristy but the world does.

63. Jabber: YAP.An odd semi-dupe with the opening poetic reference, which was likely intentional.

64. Live-ball __: baseball period: ERA. It is the dead ball era which ended when Babe Ruth (the ball player, not the candy bar) started smacking home runs in record fashion in 1919. We now have the livlier ball era.

65. S.A. country, to the IOC: VENezuela.