Joe Kidd

Title: Do you speak Thai Oo? KA!

We have the first 2019 puzzle from Mr. Kidd after he had 6 last year. His specialty seems to be to add letters and today is no exception. The bigram "KA" is inserted at the beginning of a word in a two-word phrase to create a new and whimsical fill. The cluing is also all fun. This week the consistency is A-B-B-A, with 11-10-10-11 letter themers. The base phrases are Friday hard to parse but once you got one, they all should fall in place. He also includes ALOOFLY. BACKRUB, MIDTERM, ONE BALL, TRAFFIC COPS, and SUPER MODELS as sparkly long fill. Getting these words in the grid is what makes gridding the trickiest part of puzzle creation, to me. Time to review the theme and the rest of the creation.

17A. Energetic jug band performer?: KAZOO ANIMAL (11). We have had a few jug band references lately, and I still do not have any great link, but here you can LEARN HOW.

29A. Skewered food cooked vertically?: PLUMB KABOB (10). We have the kebab/kabob hurdle to overcome, and you must know about the art of the PLUMB BOB.

46A. Doesn't get fixed?: STAYS KAPUT (10). A phrase no one would ever use, but I think we all know the concept from the German kaputt, perhaps via Yiddish קאַפּוט (kaput, “lost, dead”). The same word has also been borrowed by many other languages.

56A. Wile E. Coyote purchases from Acme?: KABOOM BOXES (11). My favorite for so many reasons, including our new recurring theme of Wile E. and his efforts to blow poor Roadrunner to smithereens. WATCH. I also like smithereens. 

Across:

1. Building unit: ACRE. A tricky 1A, as the lot size is not the first thing to come to mine.

5. "Oh yeah?": THAT SO. Missing an "IS"?

11. Pranks, in a way, for short: TPS. Toilet papers. I never understood the joy of wrapping houses in toilet paper.

14. Industrial portmanteau: SMOG. Smoke/fog.

15. Movie leads, often: HEROES. A vague answer that took a bit of perpage.

16. Narrow inlet: RIA. We have this very often.

19. Mtn. stat: ALT. Mountain statistic - altitude.

20. Lodge: INN.

21. With indifference: ALOOFLY. Not a word I ever use.

23. Western formation?: POSSE. A clip from THE LAST POSSE.

26. "See ya later": TATA. Did you all see this MOVIE?

28. Some distance away: AFAR.

31. Caine and Connery: SIRS. Michael and Sean.

32. __ rally: PEP. Mine were not this fancy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8V4a5pUrmI

33. What snobs may put on: AIRS.

34. "Up to 3,000 lights" brand: BIC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DtMvKIknIw

35. Do business with: SELL TO.

37. Mississippi source: ITASCA. Itasca is a word coined by Henry Schoolcraft as a name for Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River. Schoolcraft coined the name from a combination of the Latin words veritas ("truth") and caput ("head").

40. Seminarian's subj.: RELigion.

41. Like-minded group: BLOC. I have had this a few time this year.

42. It's worn with a kimono: OBI.

44. Himalayan priest: LAMA. The one L.

49. Off-kilter: ALOP. perhaps my least favorite "A" word.

50. Weymouth of Talking Heads: TINA.

51. Oxidizes: RUSTS.

52. Like some elections: MIDTERM.

54. "This is __ chance": OUR. No, it is your chance to write whatever you want, except religion, politics or personal attacks.

55. Cooler cooler: ICE. Cute clue- sorry Tin.

62. Zero, to Man U: NIL.

63. Online investment service: ETRADE. In 1982, William A. Porter and Bernard A. Newcomb founded TradePlus in Palo Alto, California, with $15,000 in capital. In 1991, Porter and Newcomb founded E-Trade Securities, Inc., with several hundred thousand dollars of startup capital from TradePlus.

64. Loan default risk: REPO.

65. Remote cells: AAS.

66. One who's determined to lose: DIETER. Or those who buy Powerball tickets.

67. Server's edge: ADIN.


Down:

1. Suggest, as a price: ASK.

2. Org. that voted Keith Urban 2018 Entertainer of the Year: CMA.

3. "Monsters, Inc." raspy-voiced undercover agent: ROZ.

4. "I" swelling?: EGOISM.

5. Word of comparison: THAN.

6. Farm female: HEN.

7. Jackie O's second: ARI.

8. Original V8 base: TOMATO.

9. Aquanaut's workplace: SEALAB.

10. Nobel Institute city: OSLO.

11. They sometimes help relieve congestion: TRAFFIC COPS.

12. Vertical Parthenon component: PILLAR.

13. Mythical man-goats: SATYRS.

18. Yellow pool table item: ONEBALL.

22. Caravan stopover: OASIS.

23. Maximally soft, in music: PPP.

24. Fútbol cheers: OLES.

25. Celebs on runways: SUPERMODELS.

26. Poi plant: TARO.

27. Hunk's pride: ABS.

30. Build-it-yourself buy: KIT.

34. Massage parlor service: BACKRUB.

36. Sprang: LEAPT.

37. Three-time NHL All-Star Kovalchuk: ILYA.

38. Talking-__: lectures: TOS.

39. Be up against: ABUT.

41. Disallow: BAN.

43. "__ a deal!": ITS.

44. Thin layer: LAMINA.

45. Jodie Foster's birth name: ALICIA. Jodie Foster was born Alicia Christian Foster on November 19, 1962 in Los Angeles.

46. Low clouds: STRATI.

47. Musical tone quality: TIMBRE.

48. Natural light show: AURORA.

53. Barely managed, with "out": EKED.

54. Traditional Passover barley offering: OMER. A very timely clue/fill. READ.

57. Granola kernel: OAT.

58. Keats creation: ODE.

59. Marked, as a ballot: XED.

60. Prefix with -logue: EPI. Not the center this time.

61. Male issue: SON.

Joe Kidd

Title: There may be no I in "team", but the I must be added!

After being confronted with a 4 letter addition last week, we only have one little letter and some very amusing clue/fill combinations. This is my first exposure to Joe Kidd, perhaps a Nom de Plume of a shy constructor who likes Clint Eastwood. It is also his 6th LAT to go with a single NYT, for which no picture was run. He sticks in some nice fill like  HOGTIED, I MADE IT, NATALIE and TURN OFF but shines with two that are new to the Corner since the change to the LAT - CREATE A STIR and INCOME TAXES. I do not think I have had a puzzle with 5 eleven space theme fill before. Overall, it seemed easy, with many toeholds, but YMMV.

17A. Cheeky server?: FRESH WAITER (11). The base phrase - FRESH WATER -  I like the cheeky server.

26A. Bro on the go?: MOBILE HOMIE (11).  The base phrase - MOBILE HOME - I love mobile homie!

37A. European auto left out in the rain?: SATURATED FIAT (13). The base phrase - SATURATED FAT -Cute.

49A. Food for thought? : BRAIN MUFFIN (11). The base phrase - BRAN MUFFIN - A RECIPE. Or THIS.

58A. Result of a yank prank?: WEDGIE ISSUE (11). The base phrase - WEDGE ISSUE - a divisive political issue, especially one that is raised by a candidate for public office in hopes of attracting or alienating an opponent's supporters. I have seen nothing but attack ads, with no attempt to put forth a platform. If you have never had your underwear tugged, this would be obscure.

Across:

1. Decision-making tool: COIN. I flip you for it.

5. Slips in pots: CHITS. A chit is a tab or an IOU, a record of money owed. Your neighborhood deli might give you a chit the end of each week, letting you know how much you owe for your daily bagels.

10. Assure, as victory: ICE.

13. One of four on a keyboard: ARROW. Just to the right of the letters.

15. Comics unit: PANEL.

16. Nice handle?: NOM. The French city misdirection.

19. Call from a cote: COO.  I think they mean the birdhouses built for doves (pigeons) but I would prefer this cooing.

20. Former Rocket Ming: YAO. My Oo is actually Thongyao.

21. Hanoi holiday: TET. More Asian information.

22. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester: HOLT.

23. Sgt.'s underling: PFC.

29. Alienate: TURN OFF. Extreme.

31. Creator of many word lists: ROGET. Mr. Thesauras.

32. Sailing: ASEA.

33. Stately shaders: ELMS.

36. '40s Giant manager: OTT.

41. Draw at a pub: TAP.

42. Weight adjustment factor: TARE.

43. One no longer serving: EX-GI.

45. Prove to be untrue: BELIE.

47. Late arriver's cry: I MADE IT.

52. Airport near OAK: SFO.

53. Outwit, as a tail: LOSE.

54. Taker of ppm measurements: EPA.

55. Dorm room, perhaps: STY.

57. Bad picnic omen: ANT.

63. B.S. part: Abbr.: SCI.

64. Oven setting: BROIL.

65. Put an end to: CEASE.

66. Rocky outcropping: TOR.

67. AAA and NRA: ASSNS.

68. Bar shelf lineup: RYES.


Down:

1. Half-__: coffee choice: CAF.

2. Nine-time NHL All-Star: ORR.

3. Aran Islands country: Abbr.: IRE.

4. Prone to prying: NOSY.

5. Many an IRS e-file user: CPA.

6. 1492 landing site, now: HAITI.

7. Gathering of spies: INTEL.

8. Show instability: TEETER.

9. Hasselblad product: SLR.

10. 5-Down's concern: INCOME TAXES.

11. "Chillax!": COOLIT.

12. Act to excess: EMOTE.

14. Hula Hoop manufacturer: WHAMO.

18. Sound system component: WOOFER.

22. Rendered immobile: HOGTIED.

23. Student advocacy gp.: PTA.

24. Ruckus: FUSS. Next to

25. Shake things up: CREATE A STIR. Quite a nice phrase, though all I can find online is  Cause a Stir.

27. Key of Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto: B-FLAT.

28. Horseshoe holder: HOOF.

30. Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs: NATALIE. And much more. LINK.

34. Kingston Trio hit with the lyric "Fight the fare increase!": MTA. Poor Charlie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Jw_v3F_Q0

35. Letter enhancement: SERIF.

38. Go __ smoke: UP IN.

39. End that may be untimely: DEMISE. An odd clecho with...

40. End-of-week exclamation: TGIF.

44. Midori on the ice: ITO.

45. Bouncy ride, to say the least: BRONCO.

46. Arab bigwigs: EMEERS.

48. Bit of tomfoolery: ANTIC.

49. Rollicking good time: BLAST.

50. Prom night coifs: UPDOS.

51. Dickens bad guy: FAGIN.

56. River in western Belgium: YSER.

58. Org. for pugilists: WBA.

59. They, in Tours: ILS.

60. "Suppose ... ": SAY.

61. Play for a fool: USE.

62. Some MIT grads: EES.