Mark Bickham

Theme: Order in the Court!

A quick revisit from Mark Bickham who provide Sunday's 21x21. Mark is one of my favorites and this puzzle was clearly easy for me based on the subject matter, but it is an odd one. Each of 4 common legal phrases is re-clued in witty fashion and then tied together with a an equally deceptive but amusing reveal. I cannot tell if the terminology is tricky if you do not have a legal background, so I am not sure if the puzzle will be hard for anyone but it was a quicker than normal solve for me.  The 5 theme related answers use 67 letters, so like last week, we have lots of short fill to balance, in this the overall has a very un-Friday like average work length under 5 letters. The few non-themers over 5
ALYSSA,  GROSSE,  LIED TO,  NATION,  SPEARS,  SUMMON, INSECTS, INTERNS, BEQUEATHS and  PRE-ASSIGN are okay, and none seem too obscure. Lets look at what happened.

17A. Rating for a recap? : SUMMARY JUDGMENT (15). A recap is a summary; a rating is a judgment; a summary judgment is a legal term referring to the disposition of a case without a trial.

29A. Advice on paper size? : LEGAL COUNSEL (12). I do not use apple computers (at least not until the end of the month) but on all of my print functions, one of the decisions one must make is paper size, letter or legal. If you ask someone to suggest one...legal counsel is one phrase for the attorney.

44A. Dibs on kitchen space? : COUNTER CLAIM (12). Dibs is a great invention, like calling shotgun while kitchens all have counters. A counter claim is where a Defendnat files an action against the original Plaintiff in a law suit.

58A. Displeased wave of the hand? : MOTION TO DISMISS (15). I can picture many famous hand wave dismissals, whicl a Motion to Dismiss is a pleading to end a case based sole on deficiencies in the language of the original complaint.
and the reveal:
36A. Fooled by one's imagination ... or, another way, what the four other longest puzzle answers are? : HEARING THINGS (13). All relate to matters which will go to a hearing before a judge.

Okay let's plunge in the rest....

Across:

1. Hybrid carriers : MULES. Great misdirection to begin Friday, if you did not think about cars you are smarter than I.

6. Hardly next door : AFAR.

10. Shelter gp. : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has a long HISTORY worldwide.

14. Functional : UTILE. One of those words that sounds like more trouble than it is worth.

15. Winter Olympics event : LUGE.
Xxx

16. __ Mountains: European border range : URAL.

20. Start to state? : TRIstate. I just did the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania part after Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island part.

21. Land east of the Suez Canal : ASIA.

22. June portrayer in "Henry &; June" : UMA.

23. Trainees : INTERNS. We have a summer intern at the office this year. her name is Stephanie, we now call her Charlie.

26. __ Pointe: Detroit suburb : GROSSE. An old COMMUNITY.

32. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers since 2010 : ABBA. This would have been hard except that I could only think of with four letters were ABBA and TOTO, and TOTO never made it.

34. Word with sick or cold : OUT. Out sick, or out cold.

35. Press : INK. A term i learned from reading about people.

41. __ au vin : COQ.

42. Ornamental fish : KOI.

43. Stapes, for one : BONE.

49. Artist with the 2011 album "Femme Fatale" : SPEARS. A little glimpse of dear BRITNEY. (3:33).

50. Antennae holders : INSECTS. A very fun clue, hey John Lampkin.

54. Took in : ATE.

55. Cooperate with in a caper : ABET.

57. Eggs : OVA.

63. Point-of-view intro : IMHO.

64. It may need cobbling : BOOT.

65. Shafts on the road : AXLES.

66. AAA part: Abbr. : ASSN.

67. Magazine filler : AMMO.

68. Erroll Garner classic : MISTY.

Down:

1. "Can't you get someone else?" : MUST I?

2. Political surprise : U-TURN.

3. Cap : LIMIT.

4. Shade provider : ELM.

5. Source of shells : SEA.

6. "Mistresses" co-star Milano : ALYSSA.

7. Big name in film : FUJI.

8. Río contents : AGUA.

9. __ cell : RED. A clue out of the 50's and 60's when people saw communists everywhere.

10. Call : SUMMON. Sounds like a word to use with demons.

11. Designate in advance : PRE-ASSIGN.

12. Has the power : CAN.

13. Either of two space bar flankers : ALT. For the online solvers a gimme, but did you have to look?

18. Checked out of the store, with "up" : RANG.

19. Wise teacher : GURU.

24. Island off Tuscany : ELBA.

25. Bottom : REAR.

26. Black-clad subculturist : GOTH.

27. Sight, say : SENSE.

28. Image on Idaho's state flag : ELK.  If you want see, LOOK.

30. Detective's skill : LOGIC.

31. Song on a record : CUT.

32. Renoir's "Girl With __" : A HOOP.

33. Wills : BEQUEATHS.

37. A Clanton and a president : IKES.

38. Fish-fowl link : NOR.

39. Sacred wader of ancient Egypt : IBIS.

40. Seward Peninsula city : NOME.

41. Engine units: Abbr. : CCS. Cubic centimeters.

45. Turkey, for one : NATION.


46. Old Smartphone : TREO. I had a friend who loved hers, until Blackberry came along.

47. Betrayed, in a way : LIED TO.

48. Unwilling to stand up for : ANTI. Iffn you aint fer me  yer agin me.

51. Some are tightly wound : COILS.

52. Den focal point : TV SET. More from the 50s and 60's.

53. Impudent : SASSY.

55. Smashing target : ATOM. My favorite clue.

56. Mike holder : BOOM. Hand held.

58. Girl's name that's a verb spelled backwards : MIA. This is a really obscure clue; are there other possibilities?

59. Serene sounds : OMS. For those who meditate.

60. Org. with Kings and Wizards : NBA. National Basketball Association. And the free agent parade continues.
61. "I can't remember it, Miss Ilsa" speaker : SAM. Great movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do2olZ49M54

62. 11th-century year : MXI. 1011, a kind of pun?

Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Take T and C




Across:

1. 17th-century privateer : KIDD
5. Rock worth unearthing : ORE
8. Military groups : UNITS
13. About : INRE
14. Downtime for Mars? : PAX
15. Absorb : SOPUP
16. Imperfect produce? : SCUFFEDCABBAGE
19. Rob's "West Wing" role : SAM
20. Domestic tearjerker : ONION
21. "__ Wedding": "The Simpsons" episode involving a fortune-teller : LISAS
23. Nocturnal picket-line crosser? : SCABINTHEDARK
26. Wild partner : WOOLLY
28. __ Alamos : LOS
29. Screening gp. : TSA
30. Woodstock performer before Joan : ARLO
31. Kid's comeback : DOESSO
34. Reconnaissance team? : SCOUTHEARTEDMEN
40. Romance novel features : TRYSTS
41. 1963 role for Shirley : IRMA
42. In the same way as : ALA
45. Defensive question : AMI
46. It merged with Coors in 2005 : MOLSON
48. Result of a London tea cart mishap? : ROLLINGSCONES
52. __ Blades, Latin jazz star : RUBEN
53. Oater omen : NOOSE
54. Uma's "Pulp Fiction" role : MIA
57. Feature of a taped hardcore punk performance? : VIDEOSCREAMING
60. Stage direction : ENTER
61. Vital : KEY
62. Relative of -ule : ETTE
63. Ruled quarters? : ROOST
64. '60s campus org. : SDS
65. Their Christmas feast included roast beast : WHOS

Down:

  1. Petruchio's request of Kate : KISS
2. Empire whose last stronghold was conquered in 1572 : INCA
3. Ginger Baker specialty : DRUMSOLO
4. Dict. entry : DEF
5. Ready for business no later than : OPENBY
6. Pizza cuts, essentially : RADII
7. Halfway house resident : EXCON
8. Flash drive letters : USB
9. Roi et reine, par exemple : NOBLESSE
10. "The drinks were on me" : IPAID
11. Affects, as one's heartstrings : TUGSAT
12. Divers' weapons : SPEARS
17. Future yearling : FOAL
18. Hunting lodge decoration : ANTLERS
22. Jamaican genre : SKA
24. Influence : CLOUT
25. One taking coats, perhaps : HOST
26. Used to be : WAS
27. Tolkien terror : ORC
31. Chanel creations : DESIGNS
32. Grain generally pluralized : OAT
33. Ballet's Black Swan : ODILE
35. Green workers : TRAINEES
36. "Amazing Grace," e.g. : HYMN
37. Big name in pies : MRSSMITH
38. Comic Philips : EMO
39. Indian flatbread : NAN
42. LAX stat : ARR
43. Adjustable door feature : LOUVER
44. Spooner of Spoonerism fame, for one : ALBINO
46. Walks unhurriedly : MOSEYS
47. Most fit to serve : ONEA
49. Engendered : LEDTO
50. Subjects of washday mysteries : SOCKS
51. Hollowed out : CORED
55. Delighted by : INTO
56. Quite a long time : AGES
58. Scrap : ORT
59. Copy cats : MEW

Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Get the "F" out of here!

Two weeks, so it must be time for another Jeffrey Jem. The concluding "F" in the final word in a known phrase is removed leaving a new phrase humorously but correctly clued. After all of the add a letter puzzles, here we have one with a disappearing letter. I was most impressed that he found 5 such phrases and each of the resulting new ones are very evocative and reasonable. Like the comment C.C. made last Sunday about Melanie's W, I found it unfortunate we have the MFA/FLESH crossing leaving a single F in the grid. I see the problem since the placement of two of the theme fill restricted the choices, but in a perfect world...We have a nice mini-theme of singer songwriters, as well as many interrelated concepts.

Not much in the way of long fill, ACCENT,  AUBURN,  EXCELS,  POLLEN,  SAVIOR,  SULLEN, UNREAL,  VENEER, ELEVATES,  SCENE TWO but plenty of road blocks. Let us get going....


18A. USDA-approved cheese? : LEGAL BRIEF (9). This is a theme and answer where you need the perps to get started with the first themer, but once you "see" the missing "F" it all makes sense.

24A. Query when a certain queen goes missing? : WHERE'S THE BEEF (12). This I found to be a particularly fair clue, because the Q is not capitalized leaving queen bee as one of a very limited few possible answers. I hope everyone remembers dear Clara Peller.

40A. Plow one's recently purchased field? : TURN OVER A NEW LEAF (15). Very nice use of the word LEA.

50A. Revolutionary as a successful businessman? : EXECUTIVE CHEF (12). Great visual of cigar smoking, beret wearing Che Guevera running a vape store in SoFla.

62A. Improved sci-fi computer? : BETTER HALF (10). Well almost any computer not trying to kill the humans would be nice.

On that rather special note let us move on....

Across:

1. Activities for seniors : PROMS. High school, not for me and you.

6. Cinematographer's deg. : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.

9. __ Summer: U.S. Naval Academy training program : PLEBE.

14. "Service at the Speed of Sound" franchise : SONIC. We have them here, but I am more familiar with Freaky Fast.

15. Not just some : ALL.

16. Ran very slowly : OOZED. Sadly, I associate the word with wounds...

17. Selassie of Ethiopia : HAILE. This was once a regular in puzzles, but his fame has dimmed, but this week a comeback?

20. Actor's study, perhaps : ACCENT. Are you all as amazed as I am at how well non-Americans like Stephen "Bill" Moyer, Simon "Jane" Baker, Hugh "House" Lawrie and oodles more are so believable with their accents? They often practice on a  64D. Studio __ : LOT.

22. King David's predecessor : SAUL.  and some more bible, 11D. Book of __ : EZRA. This is the story of the first return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian diaspora and the rebuilding of the temple, and 31D. Genesis wife : LEAH. Along with her sister Rachel, she married Jacob.

23. Gothic novelist Radcliffe : ANN.A Friday obscurity, this reclusive AUTHOR was a Gothic pioneer.

27. Head of the Greek Titans? : TAU. Cute.

28. "I can't believe my eyes!" : UNREAL. Like many Gothic Novels.

32. Angled pipe : ELBOW. Almost right next to 39A. North Sea feeder : ELBE

36. Atomic theory pioneer : BOHR. What I know about this MAN was begun from reading Margaret Grimes' Inspector Jury mysteries.

43. Obi-Wan portrayer : ALEC. great actor, Mr. Guiness

44. Early romantic figure : EROS. The boy god.

45. Controlling chain : LEASH. Below LEA.

46. Morose : SULLEN.

48. Named period : AGE. So many un-PC thoughts....

57. Org. concerned with smog : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

60. Firm bosses : CEOS. Chief Executive Officers

61. One who delivers : SAVIOR. Not Jimmy John. Not my favorite clue/fill.

65. :50, another way : TEN TO.

66. London __ : BROIL. I always marinate before the broiling. It is a matter of...

67. Source of pride : EGO.

68. Wrapped on a set : ENDED. On a movie, or tv series set.

69. Family and economy : SIZES. I just love how companies change products from 32 oz to 28 oz, keep the price the same and think we are too stupid to notice the price increase. That is why our grocery stores now post the price per ounce,

70. Big top item : NET. Unless they are real daredevils, working without one is then the norm. That would show great...

71. Way : STYLE.

Down:

1. "Baloney!" : PSHAW. Old timey expressions.

2. Orkin target : ROACH.

3. In abeyance : ON ICE. A non-CSO for Tin.

4. Track competitor : MILER. And, 53D. Relay or dash : EVENT. At the track meet.

5. Theatrical division : SCENE TWO.

6. Wrong at the start? : MAL. The prefix, from the Latin meaning bad, e.g. LINK.

7. Crayola color renamed Peach in 1962 : FLESH.

8. Some microflora : ALGAE. Micro meaning tiny -flora plant

9. Floral dispersion : POLLEN. More flora(l). I love how these clues are together.

10. Part of an alley-oop play : LOB.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHnsEwpZ2bo

12. Flower children's gathering : BE IN. Been there....

13. "Gates of __": Bob Dylan song : EDEN. Not his biggest hit. 34D. "The Song of Old Lovers" songwriter : BREL Jacques. 51D. "Hallelujah" songwriter Leonard : COHEN. My mini-theme.
LINK 1. LINK 2. LNK 3.

19. Georgia rival since 1892 : AUBURN. A small town in Alabama but home to a national football power for years.

21. Org. that issues "Known Traveler" numbers : TSA. Transportation Security Administration

25. River floater : TUBER. Not a lost potato, but one of the memorable parts of going to law school in Gainesville, Florida.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAuz_Pf3lp8

26. "Maid of Athens, __ part": Byron : ERE WE.

"Maid of Athens, ere we part,
Give, oh, give back my heart!
Or, since that has left my breast,
Keep it now, and take the rest!
Hear my vow before I go,
Ζωή μου, σᾶς ἀγαπῶ."

29. Self-titled 1969 jazz album : ELLA. Always fun to showcase Ms. Fitzgerald.

30. Five-spots : ABES. Five dollar bills.

32. LAX postings : ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrival.

33. Humdinger : LULU.

35. Rouen relative : ONCLE. Le mari de ma tante.

37. Valuable elemento : ORO. Gold!

38. Attacks : HAS AT.

41. Dental treatment : VENEER. Interesting that veneers were first used with wood and now we have porcelain ones for teeth, which were also wood at one time.

42. Improves : ELEVATES. Announcers are forever talking about athletes elevating their game, like LeBron, to the point where he....

47. Has no peer : EXCELS.

49. USO show audience : GIS.

52. Dictionary information : USAGE.

54. ___ Lou, Who girl who interrupted the Grinch's burglary : CINDY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjqq3ElVYlg
55. Travelocity option : HOTEL.

56. Slowly reduce : ERODE. Everything from rocks to confidence.

57. Recedes : EBBS. Well my energy is in fact...

58. Prefix with meter : PERImeter. This is a Friday usage, fer shure.

59. Familiar gamut : A TO Z.

63. Clip-on, maybe : TIE.I guess I am one of the few who still wears ties regularly, but no clip ons. But it is time to move on, as another week comes to an end. Next time I see you all it will be summer and the says will be getting shorter. Hope you enjoyed our biweekly visit with JW, Lemonade out.

Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Marketing 101: add an ad.

What a last 4 weeks with Jeffrey Wechsler, John Lampkin, and now Don and C.C. I do not recall a Dynamic Duo puzzle since May, 2013, when we were treated to the Hidden Camera puzzle. It is only fitting that this team kick off the Fourth Annual Minnesota Crossword set for this Sunday, the 14th.

This time we have an add an AD to a recognizable two word phrase, with the first three added to the middle of the first word, the last to the beginning of the final word. While an outlier, I love the quote from Thelonious Monk. The rest of the puzzle has the now usual mix of deceptively clued facts or not too well known proper names which make the fill a challenge



17A. Sheep and cows grazing together? : MEADOW MIX (9). A little cat food transforms to big animal fodder.

30A. Taking turns ranting? : TIRADE ROTATION (14).

48A. Spy industry? : SHADOW BUSINESS (14). My favorite

63A. Monk's "The piano ain't got no wrong notes," e.g? : JAZZ ADAGE (9).

Across:

1. Oilman who once owned the New York Jets : HESS. He bought out his partners and hired Bill Parcells. LINK. Hess gas station recently became Speedway. What will happen to the trucks?

5. Voucher : CHIT. A very common fill.

9. "MacGyver" actor Dana : ELCAR. I recall this odd looking man, but confused the LC as CL for a bit.

14. "Happy Starts Here" food company : ALPO.  LINK. (0:15).

15. Something about us all? : AURA. Cute, about us not about us....

16. Lash of Westerns : LARUE. A different time and place. LINK.(14:36).

19. Latin clarifier : ID EST. i. e.

20. Rough projection : CRAG.

21. __ Flags : SIX. Theme parks.

23. Brand of coolers : YETI. No idea; are THEY big in Minnesota?

24. Chateau __ Michelle winery : STE.

25. "... the __ below / As hush as death ... ": "Hamlet" : ORB.

28. Chocolate dessert : MUD PIE.

34. Baleful : EVIL.

35. Sullen : MOROSE.

36. Char-Broil competitor : WEBER.

38. Last state to be admitted to the U.S. before the start of the Civil War : KANsas.

39. French toast : SALUT.

44. Big Sur retreat : ESALEN.

47. Morning co-host : RIPA. You think she works out?

52. Precise : SPOT ON.

53. Kung __ shrimp : PAO.

54. Took sides? : ATE.

55. Lattice strip : LATH.

56. Nigerian culinary staple : YAM.

59. Tot's glassful : WAWA.

61. Diner unit : ORDER.

67. Right wrongs : ATONE.

68. "Land for sale" sign datum : AREA.

69. Its logo uses Sweden's national colors : IKEA.

70. Trouble : NAG AT.

71. Phoned : RANG.

72. Costner role : NESS.

Down:

1. Pork cut : HAM
2. Student's option : ELECTIVE
3. Pork cut : SPARERIB
4. Pop : SODA
5. Call in a field : CAW
6. White noise, perhaps : HUM
7. Tennessee state flower : IRIS
8. Waiter at O'Hare : TAXI
9. Country's __ Young Band : ELI
10. Prince George's grandma : LADYDI
11. Lowlife, slangily : CREEPO
12. Southernmost 48-states capital : AUSTIN
13. Get even with again : RETIE
18. Prayer opener : OGOD
22. Brief holiday? : XMAS
24. Ratatouille, for one : STEW
26. "Losing My Religion" band : REM
27. Longtime Rather rival : BROKAW
29. Pac-12 team : UTES
31. Yard sale? : ALE
32. P&G dental brand : ORALB
33. Get ripped : TONEUP
37. More than modify : REDO
40. Prince __ of Ord, friend of Valiant : ARN
41. Act restlessly : LIEAWAKE
42. Draws attention from, in a way : UPSTAGES
43. Zap : TASE
45. Xperia maker : SONY
46. Surveillance org. : NSA
48. Ancient Laconian state : SPARTA
49. Show-off : HOTDOG
50. Goddess who advised Odysseus : ATHENA
51. "The Bridges of Madison County" setting : IOWA
52. Plumbing brand : SLOAN
57. Open slightly : AJAR
58. Actress Rooney __ : MARA
60. Court term, and hint to this puzzle's four longest answers : ADIN
62. Like Gen. Shinseki : RET
64. __ garden : ZEN
65. Turn sharply : ZAG
66. __ in echo : EAS

Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

Wow, three every other week Fridays from Jeffrey, with each quite different. No puns here, adding "TRY" into known phrases to create new fill clued with lots of visual humor. Structurally, the word count and blocks are more reminiscent of an early week puzzle, but there is lots of difficulty and some nice long entries to both slow you down and speed you up when they click.  EASTERN, ONENESS , PAL JOEY,  TASTING, PIG BARNS,  STAMP TAX are fun and many of the 6 letter fill, like NO DISC, TALESE, YE GODS, DOMINO and CITRUS are not overused.  With all this practice, I had a quick run with a good deal of the puzzle, with only the SE a bit of a slog. I also appreciated some of the little things, like cluing ____Box, followed by Box___, the CELL semi clecho, and an N.T., O.T. pair. Also the placement of the TRY is consistent, 1/3 end of first word  2/4 end of last word. I will stop talking and get to the puzzle.

19A. Scene when stores open on Black Friday? : ENTRY DASH. A quick reprise from yesterday, sort of. When I first started trying to do crossword puzzles on my own, instead of trying to horn in on my parents' solving efforts, ENS, EMS and ERS were very common fill. If you read the LINK it does not add the EN and EM are type face measures, which I would imagine is how the dashes got their name. I did make the mistake of going to a Best Buy one Black Friday morning.

31A. Superhero preparing to cook dinner? : FLASH IN THE PANTRY. There is a new TV series which was part of the basis of conflict between Sheldon and Amy. LINK. (1:00) Again, for me the visual is cool, superhero cooking.

37A. Eclair big enough to share? : PASTRY DE DEUX. The 'step of two', or pairs ballet. LINK.(9:02). I wonder how big that eclair would need to be as I do like a good one.

45A. Efficient wall decor for a steel vault? : MAGNETIC TAPESTRY. My favorite because the visual is so appealing with the ornate rug sticking by magnetism

62A. Just tempting enough ... and what 19-, 31-, 37- and 45-Across are? : WORTH A TRY.  The rare Friday reveal.

Across:

1. Was missing : LACKED. Not the easiest of 1A clues, but very fair.

7. Cell download : APP. If you do not have a smart phone, you probably do not know about the millions of available APPlications.

10. "The Wild Duck" playwright : IBSEN. I filled this confidently, though I have never heard of the play. We get a lot of this prolific Norwegian.

15. Inclusive term : ET ALII. I had the two Is from the perps, so I avoided the alia/alii question.

16. Engage in a bit of self-criticism : RUE. For me, this is one of those clues that ends up making sense, but ruing the day etc. I did not think was always self-criticism.

17. Word on a résumé : VITAE. There is debate as to whether a CV can be considered a résumé. LINK since a Curriculum Vitae is comprehensive and a résumé by its name is a summary.

18. Item with pips : DOMINO. Since Gladys Knight did not fit, and I already had EINE and DIOS and this game is very popular in South Florida, the NW was going well.

21. "I believe in the absolute __ ... of humanity": Gandhi : ONENESS. The tricky use of ...obscures the entire quotation and any religious implication.

23. Investment initials : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.
Options
24. CPR provider : EMT. Emergency Medical Technician.

25. Certain rider : FARE. Do any of you all use UBER?

26. Boost, say : ASSIST.

29. Quill __ : PEN.

35. Yachting, perhaps : ASEA. An acceptable A word, that people actually use.

36. Relies (on) : LEANS.
Lean on Me
42. Pub patron's words : A PINT.

44. Pole-to-pole link : AXIS.

53. Tirana is its cap. : ALBania.

54. Blu-ray player error message : NO DISC.

55. Sandusky's lake : ERIE. CSO again!

56. N.T. book : JAS. James.

58. Comprehended : GOT. I got it!

59. Winery event : TASTING. It was at such an event that I met in person the irrepressible and golf talented Chairman.

65. "Move it!" : LET'S GO.

66. Principle : TENET.

67. Dickens' "__ Mutual Friend" : OUR.  Our Mutual Friend is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining psychological insight with social analysis. Wikipedia.

68. Fountain offering : MALTED. I have not had one in years.

69. Minor surgery targets : CYSTS.

70. Old spy gp. : OSS. Office of Strategic Services. LINK.

71. Heads (toward) : STEERS.

Down:

1. Started : LED OFF. The downs....

2. Like many Schoenberg compositions : ATONAL.

3. Cell component : CAMERA. I am old enough to still be amazed about the cell/camera and the quality of the immediate image you get.

4. Actors Kevin and Richard : KLINES.  LINK 1. Many great comedy movies. LINK 2. Three's Company. Not related.

5. Article in Der Spiegel : EINE. The German newspaper. 34A. Fresh, to a Frau : NEU. German 'NEW.'

6. Spanish deity : DIOS.

7. "__ you kidding?" : ARE.

8. Lock up, say : PUNISH.

9. '60s Moore role : PETRIE.
link
10. One of an academic octet : IVY. Can you name them all without looking? I bet Bill G. can.

11. Sit tight : BIDE.

12. Subject of a 1765 act : STAMP TAX. Isn't it fun when something you learned a million years ago pops into your brain.

13. Defunct carrier : EASTERN. Living in Florida, this was a gimme.

14. O.T. book : NEHemiah.

20. Woodworking tool : RASP.

22. More practical : SANER.

27. Vacation time : STAY. Not an easy parse for me.

28. "Honor Thy Father" author : TALESE. Guy was a newspaper guy who later wrote books. "News, if unreported, has no impact. It might as well have not happened at all."
Gay Talese

30. FDR was once its governor : NYS. New York State.

32. Move it : HASTEN. Not my favorite word.

Hasten Jason
Get the Basin
Oops slop
Get the mop.

33. Violin attachment? : IST. How many started out thinking, what in the world do you put on a violin?

37. Farm houses : PIG BARNS. I never thoguht they had them but I grew up in Cow Country.

38. Cape named by Charles I : ANN. Explorer John Smith named all the capes using native American words, his King changed many; was Cape Ann, which Charles named in honor of his mother Anne of Denmark. Wiki.

39. "__ Love": "Carmen Jones" song : DATS. For marti. Link. A sad story retold many times; Dorothy Dandridge did the 1954 movie.

40. Demand : EXACT.  SPOLIER ALERT!!!!!!!
The chief Sparrow exacted a stiff penalty from Cersei.

41. Decline : DIP. TV pundits love to speak of dips in the market.

42. Org. encouraging vaccination : AMA. I was tempted to put CVS, but knew better.

43. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" musical : PAL JOEY.
Link
46. Inedible wrap : TOGA. Sari also fits.

47. Affirming retort : I DO TOO. Back again.

48. Rue family tree : CITRUS.

49. Wrap up : SETTLE. Your account?

50. Sibelius' "Valse __" : TRISTE. The Sad Waltz.  LISTEN. Classic.

51. Dead __ : RINGER.

52. "Holy moly!" : YE GODS.

57. Cancel the dele : STET. More historical crosswordese.

60. __ box : ALMS.

61. Box __ : SEAT.

62. NYC Freedom Tower locale : WTC. World Trade Center.

63. Nos. on driver's licenses : HTS. As opposed to wts.

64. Anniversary no. : YRS.

In the end, it was a workout but fun and I was pleased I got it all. Thanks again Jeffry and all of you. Lemonade out.

John Lampkin

Theme: It is T time, so lets have some dessert.

A Friday frolic with our musical bug man, where a T is is added as the first letter of the second word of a common phrase, resulting in a amusingly clued dessert. With only




17A. Self-preparing dessert? : AUTOMATIC TRIFLE (15).

27A. Dry, powdery dessert? : DUST TRUFFLE (11).

34D. Surreal dessert? : DADA TART (8).

36D. Like the desserts in this puzzle, literally? : DONE TO A T (8).





ANY TIME,  BIDS FOR,  BREWSKI,  DETENTE,  ETERNAL,  FLAT FEE,  INCUBUS, MUD PIES,  NOT IN IT,  YES DEAR, APIARIST,  BOB FOSSE,  EVIL TWIN,  RETRACTS


Across:

1. Like some timers? : OLD. 20 mule team borax anyone?

4. Kids' rainy day projects : MUD PIES. The only time little boys are encouraged to 'cook.'

11. Watch kids : SIT. We get to baby sit Charlotte.

14. Piglet bud : ROO. From the world of Winnie.

15. Boring, facetiously : ETERNAL. This definition required perp inspiration, but it makes sense.

16. Kyrgyzstan city : OSH. B'gosh, I get this right away finally.

20. Supple : LITHE.

21. Red meat source : EMU. Too late for memorial day, but you can order these for the Fourth. LINK.

22. Red giant : S-STAR. This has been appearing regularly.

23. 37-Down's concerns : BEES. A tricky corss-reference but it is Friday. 37D. See 23-Across : APIARIST. A five dollar word for bee keeper. Where are Ulee and Sherlock?

24. Year during Augustus' reign : ONE BC. For all the southern readers, "How many headache powders do you need to take?"

26. Val-d'__: French department : OISE. Oise is a river you need to know because of the great use of vowels. For Splynter, you can practice your FRENCH.

30. Human __ : RACE. I thought "kind" first.

31. Big bunch : SCAD. Not used to the term in the singular.

32. Moisten, as garden cobwebs : BEDEW. A nice Shakespearean word.

35. Shingle wood : CEDAR.

39. Biological duct travelers : OVA. Eggs.

40. Wagering letters : OTB. Off track betting. I believe this has been replaced with online choices like TVG  etc.

43. You'd be amazed to stand in it : AWE. Really nicely crafted clue/fill for such a simple answer.

45. Unlock, to Byron : OPEn. Read some POETRY?

46. Tries to obtain : BIDS FOR. This works two ways, both literally and figuratively.

48. Dead last, say : NOT IN IT. Tough letter string, but accurate.

50. Hourly-rate alternative : FLAT FEE. A very large part of law practice, oneof the three types of fee arrangements: hourly, contingency and flat fee.

51. Marital concession : YES DEAR. My favorite of the entire puzzle; so well put.

52. Anne Frank's father : OTTO. I did not remember this
.
53. Belts : SWATS.

55. __ vez: Juan's "again" : OTRA.

56. Grassy surface : SWARD. This appears to be the LAT debut of this Friday word.

58. Bio, e.g. : SCIence.

59. Indifferent : STOIC.

60. Yes-Bob link : SIREE.

61. One of the Kardashians : KIM. If you want a link, go for it.

62. Sandwich request : TOAST.

63. Blog input : ENTRY. A CSO to us all.

64. Compound suffix : IDE. This old bromide...

65. Annie of "Designing Women" : POTTS. I enjoyed the series but I like Annie better in this ROLE  (0:29).

Down:

1. Colgate rival : ORALB. I started with Crest.

2. Mascot of the NHL's Blues : LOUIE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYjP18KR-wo

3. Like pointillist works : DOTTED. My father studied and practiced this type of painting

4. Cultural idea that may go viral : MEME. According to wiki:
"The word meme was coined by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, as an attempt to explain the way cultural information spreads; Internet memes are a subset of this general meme concept specific to the culture and environment of the Internet."

5. Acting legend Hagen : UTA.

6. Political thaw : DETENTE. Not in fashion any more. Now the Olympic arrests are a US scheme to take the World Cup from Russia.

7. First coat : PRIMER.

8. Nocturnal demonic visitor : INCUBUS. My first thought was SUCCUBUS but it did not fit.

9. Corrode : EAT. The rust ate away my outdoor furniture.

10. Some pic takers : SLRS. Single Lens Reflexes.

11. Pushover : SOFTIE.

12. Lands in el mar : ISLAS. Spanish.

13. Pointing remark : THERE. Cute clue. An excuse for this CLIP. (0:26)

18. "And I'm Cleopatra" : OH SURE. I thought it was Queen of Sheba.

19. Wagnerian soprano : ISOLDE. Inspector Morse loved his Opera.

24. Needing no Rx : OTC. Over The Counter.

25. Ozone-threatening compound : CFC. Chlorofluorocarbon. Better known as FREON.

28. Prune : SAWOFF. A tree, not a dried plum.

29. Aspects : FACETS.

32. Choreographer with nine Tonys : BOB FOSSE. We like to see full names in puzzles.

33. Facetious scapegoat : EVIL TWIN.

38. Pulls back : RETRACTS.

41. Digits displayed on beaches : TOES. Sing-a-long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntN5JAqEtDE
42. Suds : BREWSKI.

43. "Whenever" : ANYTIME.

44. Travails : WOES.

47. Acorn woodpecker, e.g. : STORER. JL like birds and bugs, but this clue bugs me.

49. "Ditto" : I DO TOO. Fun letter string.

54. Lithographer's material : ACID. This answer should be etched in your mind.

57. "L.A. Law" actress : DEY. A partridge that grew up. Interestingly, she was replaced by Annie Potts in the TV Series Love and War. I liked her in LINK.

59. Indy initials : STP. Scientifically Treated Petroleum. Andy Grantelli.

Friday, May 22, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Sounds like JW is back punning away.

A quick return visit to Friday from Mr. Wechsler, with another punny effort. This effort is a classic looking Friday with word count down and average word length in excess of 5.5 letters. Lots of original fill, with the NW corner featuring a beautiful stack of three new fill for the LAT (A TALL ONE, TIE BOLTS and SCRUPLES) crossing ALBUMEN. The SE has the new JOY OF SEX, little used ABORTIVE and YOU DA MAN, crossing the brand new GOLF TAN. To fill a grid with this much originality must be a dramatic amount of work. The theme fill are all amusing to funny and the visual look of the puzzle, which has many blocks also has lots of open squares. He does use two cheater squares to accommodate the two 14 letter themers in the 10-14-14-10 pattern, rather than the more common 10-13-13-10. He includes fill from many generations,


18A. Chorus of cows? : MOOED MUSIC (10). (MOOD Music). You think they practice in unison?

25A. Environmentalist priests? : COLLARED GREENS (14). (COLLARD Greens). A stretch but I really like the play on COLLARD.

41A. Assessed penalties against nonconformists? : FINED THE WAYOUT (14). (FIND the WAY OUT). The trickiest, because you have to parse WAYOUT as defining a an unconventional person.

53A. Barbie after a bit too much bubbly? : WINED UP TOY (10) (WIND-UP Toy). I am familiar with liquored up, not so much wined up, but then I might have been more impatient in my youth.

Across:

1. H.S. concerns : SATS. Scholastic Achievement Tests. I think the world is finally getting away from the idea that standardized tests are a predicter of anything.

5. Place to pick up a kitten : SCRUFF. I will leave the experts to pick the link of the mother carrying her baby by the scruff of the neck.

11. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" threat : ASP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClwIj3x24Q4

14. Psych ending : OTIC. Just what the clue tells you-psychotic.

15. They may be seen on slides : AMEBAE. Many ways to spell this crossword staple.

16. Black __ : SEA.

17. He dethroned Carnera in 1934 : BAER. Max, who along with brother Buddy was a successful fighter. Max is probably more famous for losing to James J. Braddock, the Cinderella Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlbHzcH4VJY

20. Egg component : ALBUMEN. Reminds me of the old FOLK, POLK joke.

22. Make : REALIZE. I guess he means profit.

23. Relaxed pace : LOPE.

24. Cubist Fernand : LEGER. I am not familiar with this ARTIST.

31. Way to get a deal started : ANTE. card deal.

32. Cajuns' 18th-century ancestors, for example : EXILES.

33. Disarray : MESS.

34. Burkina Faso neighbor : BENIN. One of many African nations I have ehard the name and know precious little else.

35. Noisy nesters : JAYS. Blue Jays are amazing.

39. Apologia's opposite : TIRADE.

40. Mitch Miller's instrument : OBOE. From the early 60's, did you SING-A-LONG?

45. Rio Grande feeder : PECOS. Rivers, the pecos being famous from all the oaters we see in puzzles.

46. "Suit the action to the __ ... ": Hamlet : WORD.

47. Slightly : A LITTLE.

50. Shade on the links? : GOLF TAN. Fun clue, and if you look at the farmer's tan both the men and womenb golfers have, you can enjoy this clue/

55. __ Valley: Reagan Library site : SIMI.

56. H.S. subject : ENGlish.

57. Like some Olympics milieus : ALPINE.

58. Actor Peters of "American Horror Story" : EVAN. The only character is all of the EPISODES. Never seen it.

59. Paris' Pont __ Arts : DES. French - PONT Italian PONTE. Both mean bridge. The Paris one is a pedestrian bridge and the des just means of.

60. PLO chairman before Mahmoud : YASSER. ABBAS succeeded ARAFAT.

61. Spinoff of TV's "Hercules" : XENA. People love her for her X.

Down:

1. Buckwheat noodle : SOBA. Use your noodle in cooking NOODLES.

2. Bar order : A TALL ONE. I used to order these all of the time. LINK.

3. Industrial fasteners : TIE BOLTS.

4. What con artists lack : SCRUPLES.

5. " __ thing" : SAME.

6. "Seriously?!" : C'MON.

7. __ Speedwagon : REO.

8. Outstanding, in slang : UBER.

9. Lose energy : FADE.

10. The Muses, e.g. : FEMALES.

11. Give, as a job : ASSIGN.

12. Captures : SEIZES.

13. Bankers Life Fieldhouse athlete : PACER. More basketball for you marti; they did not make the playoffs this year.

19. To whom Chance said, "You're not workin' as many bees these days" : ULEE.

21. __ culpa : MEA.

25. Rotating piece : CAM.

26. Bridge call : REBID.

27. Apply : EXERT.

28. Shore seen on TV : DINAH.

29. Ice-skate, say : GLIDE.

30. Fix up : RENEW.

35. 1972 Alex Comfort best-seller, with "The" : JOY OF SEX.

36. Unsuccessful : ABORTIVE.

37. "Awesome job, bro!" : YOU DA MAN.

38. Wimbledon unit : SET.

39. High school concern : TEST DAY.

41. Like Lewis' Aslan : FELINE.

42. Baker's variety : ICINGS.

43. Importance : NOTE.

44. Punching tool : AWL.

45. Emulated a 41-Down : PAWED.

48. 2003-'11 Brazilian president, familiarly : LULA. hard to comment with no politics, but LINK a can.

49. "House" actor : EPPS.

50. Out of the park : GONE. Baseball, it's going, going, gone! A homerun!

51. Open hearing, in law : OYER. Still heard in some courtrooms.

52. Historic voyager to Hispaniola : NINA. Ah, Chris Columbus and his ships.

54. "__ the gift to be simple ... ": Shaker song : 'TIS.