Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: An ENIGMA wrapped in a mystery hidden in a puzzle.

Appropriate for our 2016 April Fool's Day offering, JW gives us the letters of the word ENIGMA scrambled and hidden in known phrases. He accomplishes this with a 15x16 grid to allow for three (3) grid spanning theme answers. He finishes with a sophisticated reveal, 60A. Sir Edward Elgar composition whose title has never been solved ... and a hint to this puzzle's circles : ENIGMA VARIATIONS (16). The renowned British COMPOSER based his variations on his family and friends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUgoBb8m1eE
The bigger grid allows for some nice non-theme long fill like GO CARTS,  TREKKIE, TRADED AT, THIS IS HE,  HORN SOLO,  HAM ON RYE,  GET A CASE,  PRETENSE, WAR GAMES,  and STAY HERE


17A. Reprimand to one not picking up : YOU'RE MAKING A MESS (16)

22A. Rail transport landmark : STEAM ENGINE (11).

39A. Minuteman, e.g. : LONG RANGE MISSILE (16).

49A. "How surprising!" : IMAGINE THAT (11).
and the aforementioned reveal:
60A. Sir Edward Elgar composition whose title has never been solved ... and a hint to this puzzle's circles : ENIGMA VARIATIONS (16).

Across:

1. Pâtisserie cake : GATEAU.

7. Sold for, as a stock : TRADED AT. Each stock transaction has a buyer and a seller, hence the concept of trade - money for shares.

15. Derby racers : GO CARTS. Well nit parade ahead...I think this refers to the soapbox derby, but the TERM is spelled wrong, sort of.

16. Taps, essentially : HORN SOLO. Man, I see a crossword theme here...HORN/HAN; JW?

19. Pound denizen : MUTT.

20. Biblical birthright seller : ESAU. Poor man was tricked.

21. Oldest of the gods, in Plato's "Symposium" : EROS. This is said by Phaedrus; not my area of expertise but this SUMMARY might help.

26. At a minimum : NO LESS. You will give me your attention, I will accept no less.

27. Swimmer's option : CRAWL. Also known as freestyle. Other choices are back stroke, breast stroke and butterfly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIU6yINLBt4

32. Invite : ASK.

35. Game winner : OOO. If you are playing tic-tac-dough.

36. Lunch order : HAM ON RYE. JW really loves multi-word fill.

42. Smoke and mirrors : PRETENSE. make believe.

43. "The Soul of a Butterfly" memoirist : ALI. Laila's daddy.

44. Essen article : DER.

45. Concluded, with "up" : SEWED.

46. First 12 children of Gaia and Uranus : TITANS. Can you name them?

54. Light, colorwise : PALE.

58. Chanel No. 1? : COCO. Cute TV misdirection.

59. Columnist Barrett : RONA.

65. Exercises displaying great strength : WAR GAMES.

66. Conventioneer with antennae, perhaps : TREKKIE.

67. "Don't budge!" : STAY HERE. Stay put sounds more familair, but this works.

68. "Honor Thy Father" author : TALESE. I have had the GUY before on Friday.

Down:

1. Exit : GO OUT.

2. Intense : ACUTE. Compared to chronic.

3. Design for some MacDonalds : TARTAN. Much more complicated than I knew. LINK.

4. Poetic "previous to" : ERE.

5. Its slot always pays : ATM. They have lots of them in the casino so you can feed the other machines.

6. Winner of all three tug-of-war medals in the 1904 Olympics: Abbr. : USA. Easy guess.

7. Formal phone call response : THIS IS HE.

8. Journalist son of Mia Farrow : RONAN. An interesting young MAN with uncertainty in his life.

9. Debate : ARGUE.

10. Some evidence : DNA. No DNA tests for Ronan and Woody.

11. Carlisle Cullen's wife in the "Twilight" series : ESME. This CHARACTER.

12. Evil follower? : DOER. Is Esme evil? Never watched the movies.

13. And : ALSO.

14. Word with coin or ring : TOSS.

15. Places to clean and press : GYMS. Nice misdirection but I go to the Gym.

18. Powder room containers : KEGS. Not the bathroom, the armory.

23. Tied up : MOORED.

24. Online finance company : ELOAN. Never heard of this COMPANY.

25. Hard-to-miss signs : NEONS. They even have a Museum in Las Vegas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAxi_jrXBq8

27. Trig function : COSINE.

28. Hosp. personnel : RNS.

29. Like much of Australia's interior : ARID.

30. Noah of "The Librarian" TV films : WYLE. I really enjoy the show and FLYNN.

31. Look wrong? : LEER. Wrong look perhaps...

32. Reichenbach Falls setting : ALPS. Famous for a FALL.

33. Teed off : SORE. Not golf this time, anger.

34. "I __ it!" : KNEW. No you did not!

37. Stradivari's tutor : AMATI. MAYBE or MAYBE NOT.

38. Lombardy's capital : MILAN.

40. Co. merged into Verizon : GTE. 64D. Part of 40-Down: Abbr. : TELephone.

41. Start one's law practice : GET A CASE. (Get and GTE) only if you are a litigator.

47. Composer Stravinsky : IGOR.

48. Hit : STRIKE.

49. Caesarean section? : I CAME. Really fun clue, I came, I saw I conquered. Veni, vidi, vici.

50. Mayflower figure : MOVER. The company.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWlK2zLolOA

51. Errant golf shots : HOOKS. Sometimes you need to hook the ball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W00lrCnG-B8

52. Musical with "jr." and "KIDS" versions for young performers : ANNIE. No idea of these variations.

53. Shock, in a way : TASE.

54. Church lineups : PEWS. Cute.

55. Gross subj.? : ANATomy.

56. Capital of Turkey : LIRA. The old money misdirect.

57. Like French toast : EGGY.

61. __-jongg : MAH.

62. Addams family member : ITT. Cousin.

63. Altar constellation : ARA.

Well did you find this to be a puzzling puzzle?  The theme is a variation of a quotation from Winston Churchill in a 1939 radio broadcast  "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest."  Still a factor in the world...I hope you enjoyed the return of JW and spring. Lemonade out.

Warren Stabler

Theme: We need to get rid of our PR department.

In our third puzzle from Warren who has two Monday LATs under his belt.It was difficult to parse his re-imagination of PRISM as PR IS M. Words that begin with "PR" are recast with "M" to create new phrases. There are no other PR words in the clues or fill. The triple nines in the NE and SW make this an impressive grid featuring  many lovely words like ARMATURES, PERSONNEL EXTENDERS STOMACHED RAPID FIRE ANECDOTAL.


17A. Songs without words? : MIME NUMBERS (11). PRime Numbers, a math concept become an odd concept of people acting out the music. I started wanting INSTRUMENTAL which luckily was too long.

27A. Earthquake consequence? : MOVING GROUND (12). PRoving ground probably started with a term for the place where the military tries out its weapons. This fill gave me the letter(s) switch.

46A. House cat's challenge? : MICE INCREASE (12). PRice increase.

61A. Money-making fiasco? : MINTING MESS (11). PRinting PRess. A double dose of changing pr to m. Good or bad?

68A. Solid that, when divided into three parts, describes this puzzle's theme : PRISM. For all of the math people who comment here, we are talking geometry not light waves when the clue is a solid. LINK.

Across:

1. "Dancing With the Stars" network : ABC-TV.

6. Early sign of spring : ARIES. The first sign of the Zodiac.

11. Big, uncouth guy : APE.

14. Flap : HOOHA. With or without the closing "H" this version may come from the Yiddish הו־האַ meaning hulabaloo. In the Urban dictionary, the meaning is very different.

15. Now : TODAY.

16. King of ancient Rome : REX. This took too long as I was trying to think of one of the KINGS.

19. Celebrity known for wearing gold jewelry : MR T.

20. Like : AS IF. We learned this when Winston was pushing it cigarettes as tasting good "Like" a cigarette should. 10 year olds loved amking it as if.

21. Check for a poker player? : NO BET. Literal.

22. Corner of a diamond : BASE. Third is the "hot corner."

23. Place name derived from a Koyukon word for "tall" : DENALI. Yukon tipped me to the Alaska connection and Denali filled.  I knew nothing of this language or PEOPLE.

25. Touch : ABUT ON.

31. Span. title : SRA. One lazy Friday I misidentified this abbreviation for Señora.

34. Pasta sauce flavoring : BASIL. Is a spice a flavoring?

35. Jane __, only female Chicago mayor : BYRNE. It is hard to believe Chicago elected this interesting outspoken CANDIDATE.

36. Strong flavor : TANG. I think more of tangy, but this was okay.

38. Dog or fox : CANID. Per wiki any of a family (Canidae) of carnivorous animals that includes the wolves, jackals, foxes, coyote, and the domestic dog.

40. One looking ahead : SEER. The Romans used them as important advisers, called them oracles. Reagen used astrologists. From C.C.'s Monday.

41. Autobahn autos : OPELS. Cool, now it is here.

43. Dreaded mosquito : AEDES. We have so many diseases spread by mosquitoes. What the CDC says.

45. Mercedes roadsters : SLS. SLS stands for "Sport Leicht Super" (Sport Light Super).

49. Supplements : ADDS TO.

50. Date night destination : CINEMA. No ATM this week.

54. Corporate money mgrs. : CFOS. Chief Financial Officers.

55. Hustler's genre : DISCO. The dance, not the con man or the street person..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSPsGC-15uA

59. Dollar alternative : AVIS. Rental cars.

60. Pop __ : HIT.

63. Important time : ERA.

64. Leader of the pack? : SCOUT. Literally the one who goes out first.

65. Main artery : AORTA.

66. __ Taco : DEL. Not down here but they have locations in Orlando. Never tried it.

67. Manage : GET BY.

Down:

2. Capital on its own river : BOISE. I did not know this geographic fact. Looks pretty.

3. "__ Thro' the Rye": Burns : COMIN.  A snippet...
Comin thro' the rye, poor body,
     Comin thro' the rye,
She draigl't a' her petticoatie
     Comin thro' the rye.
LINK.

4. Kin, informally : THE FAM. I have a cousin who actually says this.

5. Soccer practice transport : VAN.

6. Sphere opening : ATMOsphere.

7. Lynda Bird's married name : ROBB. She married this man. LINK.

8. Auteur's starting point : IDEE. Frecnh authors have their ideas in French.

9. Stock-tracking device : EAR TAG. Not your portfolio, but your cows. Nice clue/fill.

10. Part of PBS: Abbr. : SYS.




11. Current-carrying components : ARMATURES. I know nothing  of electricity or electrical engineering but I read in a current events manual that in DC machines, the magnetic poles are stationary, while the armature rotates-- and hence is also called the Rotor. In AC machines, the armature (heavy coil windings) remains stationary (and hence it is called the Stator), while the magnetic poles rotate inside the stator.

12. Staff : PERSONNEL.

13. Substances that add protein to meat : EXTENDERS. I did not know this either and you prbably do not want to read this LINK. And more food controversy 61D. Stir-fry additive : MSG. MonSodium Glutemate. There is a really great Article about the Chines Food Syndrome and MSG.

18. Pioneer mainframe : UNIVAC.

22. Depth indicators, at times : BUOYS.

24. Court ploy : LOB.

26. Texter's "Gimme a sec" : BRB. Be Right Back. In Monday's puzzle.

28. Son of Abraham : ISAAC.

29. Levi's Stadium player, familiarly : NINER. With ticket prices.

30. Skate : GLIDE.

31. Stood : STOMACHED. I will not make a political comment here.

32. In quick succession : RAPID FIRE. Questions, for example.

33. Like some speech components : ANECDOTAL. The great speakers all are able to insert little stories to make their points. Wonderful word used infrequently in puzzles.

37. "Cagney & Lacey" co-star : GLESS. Sharon, who reappeared on Burn Notice 

39. Church VIP : DEACON.

42. Rest : SIT.

44. Govt. stipend provider : SSI. Social Security provides Supplemental Security Income

47. "Fat chance" : NO DICE. Another of many multi word fill.

48. Charm : ENAMOR.

51. "If __ Would Leave You" : EVER I. Ah, Camelot...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL52hEArSfM

52. Perfume applications : MISTS. At least the department stores no longer spray

53. State in northeast India : ASSAM. In Monday's puzzle.

56. How ties may be broken, briefly : IN OT. In overtime.

57. Re-entry need : STUB. Your ticket stub at the game, the concert or the movie.

58. Word in many place names : CITY.

62. Opening : GAP. Why did I think of this...

Well Spring sprung, and Warren tried his skills at a Friday. I was really impressed with the long non-theme fill. I think this could have easily morphed into a themeless. I missed my Friday Shakespeare but Camelot was fun. Thanks Warren and all of you, Lemonade out.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Don't go to sleep now.

JW in back to back Friday appearances. Today he inserts  'ZZ' into expressions and clues the result with levity. Of course using double Zs requires lots of z words so there is some very challenging fill. Much of the non-theme long fill is rarely if ever used including REAL BAD,  ADRIAN I,   JIMENEZ,  GALLONS, RADIOED, CERAMIC, ZAMBIAN, LIBERIA, ERODING, GARTERS, AN EARFUL, SEA TO AIR. There are some complete unknowns (ATWOOD, JIMENEZ etc.) The triple sevens in the NW and SE make for an interesting grid with only the 13 letter themers requiring some cheater squares. Well, you gave mixed reviews last week, let's look at this week.

18A. Syncopated gaits? : JAZZY WALKS (10). A Jay walker ups his game by dancing to the music.

33A. Rube Goldberg machines, e.g.? : DIZZY PROJECTS (13). Rube Goldberg was famous for his unnecessarily complex machines, like the beginning to Elementary. He was a CARTOONIST, inventor and so much more. The choice of the DIY (do it yourself) phrase is awesome.

36A. Impress around the green? : CHIP AND DAZZLE (13). More cartoons with those lovable CHIPMUNKS and maybe the golfers recall this shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2GzxON2j1I

55A. Cocktail that never goes flat? : SEMPER FIZZ (10). Semper is Latin for always so the joke is great and the shout to Dennis and our other marines is nice.

Across:

1. Indian bigwig : RAJA.

5. Short club : CUDGEL.

11. With 28-Across, was read the riot act : GOT. 28A. See 11-Across : AN EARFUL.

14. Find the right words, say : EDIT. Puzzles are often more than 50% changed by editors.

15. With 54-Across, common dorm room phenomenon : UNMADE.  54A. See 15-Across : BED.

16. 55 million-member service org. : AAA. American Automobile Association.

17. Treaty subject : ARMS. Salt I from last week.

20. Bit of duplicity : LIE.

21. Broadway choreographer for "Chicago" : FOSSE. His CAREER. People forget he was a dancer first.

22. Fr. address : MLLE. Not a street but to a young lady, mademoiselle.

23. Zulu or Kikuyu : BANTU.

25. Called the tower : RADIOED. I only thought of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dsuSYb1lto

32. Sack stuff : GUNNY. Want to know WHY?

35. Like tandoori cuisine : ASIAN.

44. Annoyance : PEEVE. Many keep them as pets.

45. Like some naval missiles : SEA TO AIR.

46. Holdup bands? : GARTERS. Nice challenging Friday clue and excuse to link for Splynter....

48. Gym dance in "West Side Story" : MAMBO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kokbJvSEMUY

49. Genesis twin : ESAU. Jacob is his conniving brother.

50. Dumpster habitués : FLIES. I did not know until last Sunday that DUMPSTER was a trade name.

58. Helpful, if impersonal, voice : SIRI. Not to Raj. WATCH.

59. Nous minus moi? : TOI. Us minus me equals you in French.

60. Fill with passion : ENAMOR.

61. "Game of Thrones" actor __ Glen : IAIN. Sir Jorah Mormont.

62. F1 neighbor : ESC.

63. Margaret Atwood's homeland : CANADA. Eh! She is accomplished. LINK.

64. Hitch : SNAG.

Down:

1. Desperately : REAL BAD. I wanted that new car....

2. Eighth-century pope : ADRIAN I. Yo, another random Pope? No, a rather significant ONE.

3. 1956 literature Nobelist Juan Ramón __ : JIMENEZ. A celebrated Spanish poet, but not in my ken. I am sure Clear Ayes could have told us much.

4. Cadillac compact : ATS.

5. King dog : CUJO. Not a nice puppy.

6. Some, in Sevilla : UNAS.  Spanish: Un and una mean 'a,' and unos and unas mean 'some.' 

7. Neutral areas, briefly : DMZS. We grew up with DeMitiliarizedZones on the news nightly.

8. Star attachment? : GAZER.

9. Name on an ice cream container : EDY. And a way to buy...11D. Dairy case choices : GALLONS.

10. "Ben-Hur" author Wallace : LEW.

12. Headliner in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show : OAKLEY. Annie.

13. Shocked, in a way : TASED.

19. Something made by millionaires? : A MINT. Where millions are made as well.

21. " ... a tale / ... full of sound and __": Macbeth : FURY. Our Shakespeare quote of the day. Sound and fury has become a phrase meant to signify a whole lot of nothing.
'Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.' -- Macbeth

24. Whirling toon : TAZmanian Devil. I have had him on Friday before.

26. Meeting staple : AGENDA.

27. French noble : DUC. Duke.

29. Bad news from the professor : F PAPER. Seems a stilted fill, as you receive an F Grade or an F on a paper, though I have heard teachers tell a class that so and so submitted an A paper....

30. __ Major : URSA. The constellation that holds the big dipper. Latin for Bear.

31. Butcher's cuts : LOINS.

34. Ming dynasty art source : JADE. Clecho. 36D. Ming dynasty art source : CERAMIC.

37. Excited : HET UP.

38. "__ gotta run!" : I'VE.

39. Date night destinations : ATMS. B's cost money! (Babes?)

40. Suffix with proto- : ZOA.

41. Lusaka native : ZAMBIAN. Not up on my African CAPITALS.

42. Africa country whose official language is English : LIBERIA. I now know that this was Africa's first republic, founded in 1822 as a result of the efforts of the American Colonization Society to settle freed American slaves in West Africa. The society contended that the emigration of blacks to Africa was an answer to the problem of slavery and the incompatibility of the races. This settlement dates back to 1847. If you want you can read MORE.

43. Whittling away, as support : ERODING.

44. Former Toyotas : PASEOS. More Spanish, and a short lived sporty car of the 90's.

46. Beau __ : GESTE. A character in a P.C. Wren book and many movies, it also is French for grand gesture.

47. Trekkie, e.g., for short : S F FAN. Science Fiction Fan.

51. Capital south of Quito : LIMA. Ecuador and Peru.

52. Sportswear brand : IZOD. The complete HISTORY.

53. Biblical scribe : EZRA. He was part of the first return to Jerusalem and the return of the Torah to the Holy Land. LINK.

56. 1957 Treaty of Rome org. : EEC. European Economic Community, precursor to the European Union.

57. Genetic messenger : RNA.

58. Member of the fam : SISter.


Wow, that was a workout. I do enjoy JW 's creations and have blogged so many that I think I can see where he is headed. Hope you enjoyed your St. Paddy's Day Spring is near.Lemonade out

Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Pull up a chair and sit a spell.

We are back to having a Friday JW challenge and this one is a visual that really demands having the circles. The reveal; 61A. Item graphically depicted by this puzzle's circles : TABLE, advises that you are looking for a representation of a table. The letters in the circle describe a type of table. You must do this on paper or a site with circles. The six tables, running clockwise are: BACCARAT, DRESSING, PARLOR, DINNER, DRAFTING and BILLIARD.  Oddly, BILLIARD shows the least often in Google. The top two pair of tables and bottom two are 4 across with three down legs, while the middle are four by two. We have triple seven stacks in every corner and have a total of 19! seven letter fill. PC CARDS,  DRONE ON, SPOILER,  PER DIEM,  TARTARE, HESSIAN, ABETTOR, ORIENTS,  PACKS ON,  HE'S A MAN,  CODEINE,  POOL BOY, LOFTING, LOAF TIN, GILLIAN,  CARTING, UNITARD,  OLD GAGS and. REBINDS. No fill is more than seven letters. JW still likes multi-word fill, so let's see what he did to fool you today.

Across:

1. Notebook memory devices : PC CARDS. We start with a tricky phrase. A PC Card (previously known as a PCMCIA card) is a credit card-size memory or I/O device that fits into a personal computer, usually a notebook or laptop computer. Probably the most common use of a PC Card is the telecommunications modem for notebook computers. Per whatis.techtarget.com.

8. "The butler did it," maybe : SPOILER. Alert, poor Carson.

15. Tuna preparation : TARTARE. The latest RECIPE.

16. Revolutionary War mercenary : HESSIAN. The German mercenaries hired by the British.

17. Getaway driver, e.g. : ABETTOR.

18. Sets right : ORIENTS. This was hard, though accurate when you think align or position (something) relative to the points of a compass or other specified positions.

19. Suitor : SWAIN. An old timey word, which in keeping with Jerome's comments  derives from Old Norse sveinn ‘lad.’

20. Sediment : DREGS.

21. War on Poverty org. : OEO. Office of Economic Opportunity, part of LBJ's Great Society.

23. __ Chess: video game : WII. Their promotion, ""Wii sounds like 'we,' which emphasizes this console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii."

24. Gains quickly, as weight : PACKS ON.

28. Opening track on Madonna's album "I'm Breathless" : HE' S A MAN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJN5DO4Lvx0

33. First name in folk : ARLO.

34. Book after Micah : NAHUM. The prophets. LINK.

36. Simba's mate : NALA. Lion King.

37. Fruit cocktail ingredients : PEARS. I like the cherries, but there were never enough.

39. Little troublemaker : IMP. He's coming back soon. LINK.

40. __ child : INNER. Bradshaw was a smash for a while.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlN1xRFnJ38

41. Symposium group : PANEL.

42. Children's author Asquith : ROS.  ASQUITH is an important name in British political history but Ros does CARTOONS and kiddie books.

43. Raison __ : D'ETRE.  Similar to one's mission in life, literally French for "reason to be."

44. Attack : ASSAIL.

46. Aids to sure footing : CLEATS. Important for football, both kinds.

47. Employee with a skimmer : POOL BOY. Apparently a number of movies have been about this profession. This ONE is supposed to be fun starring Hercules.

51. Sputnik reporter : TASS.

55. Target of blue sky laws : FRAUD. Securities laws which require many layers of disclosures for both registered and unregistered  shares. They are enacted by the states.

56. Egg holders : SACS.

60. __ chamber : ECHO.

62. Tennis legend : ASHE. Arthur.

63. Bakeware item : LOAF TIN. I use them more for meat loaf than bread.

65. David's "X-Files" co-star : GILLIAN. Duchovny and Anderson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQWDUYiMw_I

67. Sanitation service : CARTING. Huh?

68. Gym suit : UNITARD.Oh, we did make fun of them, but had to wear them to wrestle. Ours were not so creative.

69. Inducers of more groans than guffaws : OLD GAGS.

70. Strengthens the spine of : REBINDS.

Down:

1. Educational gp. : PTA. Parent Teachers Association.

2. Fleet on the street : CABS. Nice imagery.

3. J. follower : CREW. This retailer started as a catalog store.

4. "__ girl!" : ATTA.

5. Pi and others : RATIOS. Nice clue.

6. Lecture boringly : DRONE ON.

7. Sun. delivery : SERmon.

8. "Nurse Jackie" network, in TV listings : SHOwtime. Edie Falco again this week.

9. Fixed expense : PER DIEM. Fixed in the sense of being for a day. Latin.

10. Underworld deity : OSIRIS. Know your Egyptian gods.

11. "Of course" : I SEE.

12. Duck tail? : LING. Cute and better than half a Panda.

13. Greasy spoon sign word : EATS.

14. OR personnel : RNS. Registered Nurses.

22. Studio caution : ON AIR. Twice this week.

23. Gives a Dixie lickin' : WHUPS.

24. __ al pomodoro: Tuscan soup : PAPPA.

25. Regions : AREAS.

26. Blood groups? : CLANS. Tricky.

27. Former country on its own peninsula : KOREA.

29. Year abroad : ANNEE. More French.

30. Wide swimmer : MANTA. I have a video of me petting them last summer.
https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=9MOYjxPzKfQ31. Warn : ALERT.

32. Rhinoplasty concerns : NARES.

35. Aetna offering : HMO.

38. Omission, say : SLIP.

40. How casual thoughts are offered : IDLY.

45. Hitting up : LOFTING.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxzYf7DKif4

46. Tylenol 3 component : CODEINE.

48. Sumatran swingers : ORANGS.

49. Curie workplace : LAB.

50. Durum wheat cereal : BULGUR.

51. AT&T, e.g. : TELCO.

52. "His nose ... is like __ of fire": "Henry V" : A COAL. JW gets his Shakespeare.

53. Broken piece : SHARD. 58D. White option, briefly : CHARDonnay. I prefer the beet clue.

54. Generous feature? : SOFT G. A simple but effective deception.

56. 1972 missile pact : SALT I. From memory, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.

57. Like India and Pakistan : ASIAN.

59. FedExes : SENDS.

64. __ Maria : TIA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GCbg3MxiXI

66. Bldg. where much research is done : LIBrary.

Tom Pepper and Marcia Brott

Theme: Is your hangout  hanging out?

Two of the Minnesota crossword clan (see George Barany and the rest of his friends at Facebook) collaborate on this Friday punfest. Five places where people may congregate are revealed in clues which re-purpose words or phrases to give us whimsical answers. All are clued with "HANGOUT." I thought some of the theme fill was very funny and the long non-theme fill are especially sparkly. DARTH VADER,  AXIS OF EVIL,  DON QUIXOTE are an impressive triumvirate. The rest of the fill is a bit easy for a Friday, but lets peel this grape and see where the seeds are.

17A. Hangout for Hyacinth in "Fantasia"? : HIPPO CAMPUS (11). We begin with a brainy pun. How many recalled that her name was Hyacinth?

28A. Hangout for Tchaikovsky's Odile? : SWAN DIVE(8). From SWAN LAKE (3:04) to a cheap place.

37A. Hangout for Heckle and Jeckle? : CROW BAR (7). Oh those wacky BIRDS (6:04).

42A. Hangout for Mickey and Minnie? : MOUSE PAD (8). In California.

57A. Hangout for Garfield? : KITTY CORNER (11). A CSO to CED and all those at the Corner who love our feline friends. Garfield has his OWN.

Across:

1. Call of the wild : ROAR.  Nice simple 1A.

5. Shade : NUANCE.

11. '80s defense prog. : SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative.

14. Competent : ABLE. Which brings to mind 19A. Poetic preposition : ERE.

15. Walk down the aisle, maybe : ESCORT. A nice safe clue.

16. Dough unit : WAD. Money not Dunkin'

20. Condescend : STOOP. How could you stoop so low?

21. "__ Louise!" : GEEZ. An expression that skirts blasphemy and rhymes.

22. Agreeable word : LET'S.

23. Moon observation : MARE. A Friday piece of info that we have not seen in a very long time. The lunar maria /ˈmɑriə/ (singular: mare /ˈmɑreɪ/) are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. Wiki.

25. Bk. before Job : ESTHer. A mini-version animated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93utdG9ulAs

26. "Skyfall" singer : ADELE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-gLRp5bSpw

32. Dendrite counterpart : AXON. Neurons have specialize cell parts called dendrites and axons. Dendrites bring electrical signals to the cell body and axons take information away from the cell body. Neurons communicate with each other through an electrochemical process. Wiki.

33. Mediterranean country : GREECE.

35. Hoop holder : EAR. Backboard?

36. Pewter part : TIN. Another CSO to our always shiny toastmaster.

38. iPhone, e.g. : PDA. Personal Data Assistant.

39. Lawyer letters : ESQuire.

40. Warm to the max : NICEST. No clue.

41. Runs out of gas : DIES. Sorry honey, my car died.

44. Pep squad output : CHEER.

46. Panda maker : FIAT. Cars;  and 57D. Soul from Seoul : KIA.

47. __ ed : PHYS.

48. Explicit message : SEXT. It is back; you know there is a cache of all your texts.

49. Eleanor's successor : BESS. Truman. A classy first LADY.

52. Rub the wrong way : PEEVE. Not usually thought of as a verb.

56. Ab __: initially : OVO. Repeat of the week.

59. Like a fiddle? : FIT. This may be the ORIGIN.

60. Still together : INTACT. After 56 years of marriage...

61. Tenderfoot : TYRO.

62. Something for the inn crowd : ALE. Cute in/inn pun.

63. 1979 title role for Vanessa : AGATHA. If you watched the movie or know the story and watch CASTLE you can see where those writers get their ideas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO8FjkULpQ4

64. Simon __ : SAYS. Let us reveal the downs now.

Down:

1. 44-Across cries : RAHS. Rah rah ree, kick 'em, in the knee...

2. Story of a lifetime : OBIT. Nicely clued.

3. Canine filler : ALPO. Not the tooth, but the puppy.

4. Some bank agents : REPO MEN. Most banks use independent contractors.

5. Japanese IT services giant : NEC. Yes they are BIG.

6. Linguistic practices : USAGE.

7. Maker of earthquake pills and dehydrated boulders : ACME. Free shipping on orders over $50.00

8. "Ain't gonna happen" : NOPE. Not prudent.

9. Oscar winner Penelope : CRUZ. Pictures tell it all.

10. Vulcan and Klingon, briefly : ETS. Since extra-terrestrial means not of earth...

11. Honey alternative : SWEETIE PIE. Sappy names for loved ones. My wife uses honey all too often.

12. AFI's third-greatest movie villain : DARTH VADER.  Can you name the other two? Hint, both were played by actors first name Anthony.

13. Bad day for Caesar : IDES. Coming soon. It means he middle of the month, not necessarily the 15th.

18. Hydrated gemstone : OPAL. Also a small car maker.

22. '60s trip cause : LSD. Ah, those days.

24. Maintain, as golf clubs : RE-GRIP. Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you. Not to be confused with this horror.

25. U.S. dept. with a lightning bolt on its seal : ENERgy.

26. War on Terror epithet : AXIS OF EVIL. One from George W. LINK.

27. "Ingenious gentleman" of classic fiction : DON QUIXOTE. The very important myth is reality work by Cervantes.

28. Basted, say : SEWED. Not a chicken but a hem.

29. Entanglements : WEBS. We weave, when first ....

30. Some kind of trick : A CATCH.

31. Baroque and Classical : ERAS.

32. "Lemme __!" : AT'EM.

34. Portuguese cape : ROCA.

37. Tech news website : CNET.

41. Leaves high and dry : DESERTS.

43. Met : SAT.

45. Shot provider : HYPO. Not confused with HIPPO.

47. "Gotcha!" : PSYCH.

48. Couch potato's spot : SOFA.

49. Cherry variety : BING.

50. Sundance Kid's gal : ETTA. What a face.

51. Strikeout-to-walk ratio, e.g. : STAT.

53. Irish New Ager : ENYA. LISTEN. (3:41)

54. Not just somewhat : VERY.

55. Boy with a bow : EROS.


58. Windy City transit initials : CTA. Chicago Transit Authority.

Some music, beautiful people and a challenge that was great. Thank you Tom and Marcia. Lemonade out.

James Sajdak

Theme: Your punishment is in the pun.

After seeing Todd Gross and SJSJ return after lengthy absences, we has James Sajdak who did 24 puzzles by 2012 then one in 2013, one in 2014 and none last year. He was the subject of this INTERVIEW . His puzzles were all different and today he does sound a-likes for humor. As with any puzzle crafted on humor, it is in the eyes of the beholder. I really liked the theme and all of the wonderful fill like SHADOW, MOHAIR, EQUITY, PALLID, RAW EGG, I'M GLAD, NED KELLY, TITICACA, IRONICALLY, INTAGLIOED some which had me buffaloed. Well on with the show.

20A. Québec quiche, e.g.? : CANADIAN BAKING (14). Canadian Bacon is our shout out to our Canadian readers. WHY is it called that?

26A. Saying "It wasn't me" when, in fact, it was? : COWARDLY LYING (13). The Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz, is replaced by a liar.

46A. "Wish we had built a bigger pyramid," e.g.? : EGYPTIAN RUING (13). The word RUIN is not related to to rue, but this still seems odd. I think it is because the other three phrases are words where an ending "ON" changed to ending in "ING" along with spelling changes.

56A. Greeting from a faithful friend? : WELCOME WAGGING (14). Welcome Wagon is a great service and they are all over Florida. Some hang out around Tinbeni. I was in Ybor City last weekend.

Across:

1. Publishing tasks : EDITS. I found Mark McClain's comment on Rich's changes very interesting.

6. Jack letters : MIC. The place you plug in your microphone.

9. "Hotel Imperial" (1927) star : NEGRI. Pola was a star.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rS5scXfZ7c

14. Best New Artist Grammy winner after Alicia : NORAH.  Ravi Shankar's little girl. Which may have led to 61A. Sitar accompaniment : TABLA. I could not find one with Ravi, so here is a LINK.

15. Tesoro de la Sierra Madre : ORO. There's gold in them there Spanish hills.

16. Horse play : EQUUS. Another Firday clue/fill but I remember I recall Richard Burton was in both the PLAY and the movie. Also Daniel Radcliffe-Harry Potter's first big role in revival.

17. Kitchen drawer? : AROMA. Wonderful smells draw you into the kitchen.

18. It can be cured : HAM. Again, what cluing.

19. "Beats me" : DUNNO.

23. Start of a weekly cry : TGI Friday.

24. "Either thou, __ ... must go with him": Romeo : OR I. I do love me our Friday dose of Shakespeare.

25. Ran into : MET.

33. Digitize, in a way : SCAN.

35. Squawk : YELL.

36. Greenwich Village sch. : NYU. New York University.

37. Set apart, as funds : ALLOT.

39. Layer : PLY. Mostly seen in TP ads these days.

40. Eastwood's "Rawhide" role : YATES.

42. Ref. book : VOLume.

43. Retail giant with stores in 23 U.S. states : IKEA. I get this often on Friday.

45. Bit of power : WATT.

51. Feel poorly : AIL.

52. Source of bills : ATM. Not the ones you pay, but the one you spend.

53. Stretcher, to Huck Finn : LIE. I do not recall the book that well.

62. Citrus cooler : ADE. Yay me.

63. Sarge's superior : LOOIE.

64. "Hamlet" courtier : OSRIC. He is the courtier sent by Claudius to invite Hamlet to participate in the duel with Laertes. A double dose.

65. Fix : RIG. Our crime corner.

66. Supports illegally : ABETS.

67. Mary's upstairs neighbor : RHODA. Valerie is hanging in there..

68. Cooper creation : KEG. That is where the name comes from, barrel or keg makers.

69. Performed, in the Bible : DID'ST.

Down:

1. Pass : ENACT.

2. Modern kerchief cousin : DO RAG.

3. How many O. Henry stories end : IRONICALLY. Which is more famous, Gift of the Magi or Ransom of Red Chief?

4. Writer Janowitz : TAMA. Luckily this was all filled because I never heard of HER or any of the brat pack of authors.

5. Sunny day phenomenon : SHADOW. Cute misdirection.

6. Angora fabric : MOHAIR.

7. Republic since 1979 : IRAN.

8. Search high and low : COMB. Fine tooth anyone?

9. Legendary Australian outlaw : NED KELLY
10. Fairness : EQUITY
11. "Treasure Island" castaway Ben : GUNN
12. Step up? : RUNG
13. Prefix with bar : ISO
21. George's lyrical brother : IRA
22. __ alcohol: fusel oil component : AMYL
27. Bed-in for Peace participant : ONO
28. "Blowin' in the Wind" songwriter : DYLAN
29. Early spaceflight proponent Willy __ : LEY.

30. Like petroglyphs : INTAGLIOED. First you need to know petroglyphs, but the perps were fair.

31. Nikita's no : NYET. Did the shoe come off?

32. Sudden blow : GUST.

33. Word processing command : SAVE.

34. Blockage : CLOG.Did you have trouble sinking of the answer.

38. Bolivian border lake : TITICACA. Geography 1. READ.

39. Shade of green : PEA.

41. Botanical beard : AWN. Botany STUDY.

44. Smuggler's unit : KILO. Drugs....

47. Wan : PALLID.

48. Caesar salad dressing ingredient : RAW EGG. Very few do the CLASSIC with the egg yolks.

49. Acting guru Hagen : UTA.

50. "Good for you" : I'M GLAD.

54. OK components : INITS. Initials.

55. Throw out : EGEST. In goes in E goes out.

56. Load in a basket : WASH.

57. River of Spain : EBRO. LESSON 2 time.

58. Con man's target : MARK.

59. Falco of "Nurse Jackie" : EDIE. Also Mrs. Soprano.
 
60. Silk Road desert : GOBI. Lesson 3. We need to study our GEOGRAPHY.

61. 2015 A.L. East champ : TORonto Blue Jays.

Steven J. St. John

Theme:  I almost MIST the theme.

Another blast from the past constructor returns. SJSJ, who pumped out 12 puzzles and then disappeared for a few years. He gives us an usual grid with four down fill including the reveal as the theme. You can read his 2013 INTERVIEW in which he expressed his desire to do innovative themes. Many you may have only a HAZY memory of his prior efforts, but I do not thinks this one was too MURKY. What it does feature are some great sparkly fill: EMOTERS,  AT LEAST,  SASSOON,  TRAILER,  HAIRPIN,  NEUTRAL, CLUSTERED TOTAL LOSS,  HUMILIATE,  UNFREEZES and two which are longer than the theme answers: SWEET AS HONEY,  HIGH SPIRITED. Getting all of these and using a minimum of three letter fill was excellent. Let's look.


3D. Suspected of misdeeds : UNDER A CLOUD (11). Brings to mind this from my childhood.

8D. Spent : OUT OF STEAM (10). I am too, I cannot pick any link.

29D. Psychedelic rock classic of 1967 : PURPLE HAZE (10). We go this week from Purple Rain.
And the reveal"
23D. State Department neighborhood ... and what 3-, 8- and 29-Down all have? : FOGGY BOTTOM (11). There is a STORY about this name. I wonder how many knew this trivia? I got the fill from the perps, not sure if I would have recalled the name. Time for a tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meCZ5hWNRFU

Across:

1. Fry : SAUTE. We are starting out with another puzzle that Steve would enjoy. This is from the French for Jumped, I guess because the oil is so hot?

6. Kung __ chicken : PAO. In which the meat is sauteed!!

9. Market Fresh sandwich and salad seller : ARBY'S. Three food clues to begin, wow.

14. Time of old Rome : ANNUM. Year in Latin.

15. Unevenly distributed, in a way : CLUSTERED.

17. Brought on : LED TO.

18. Write-off : TOTAL LOSS.

19. Charming : SWEET AS HONEY.

21. D.C.'s Walter __ National Military Medical Center : REED. I learned of this hospital when Eisenhower had his heart attack.

22. Mennen lotion : AFTA.

23. Govt. mtge. insurer : FHA.

26. One hoping to provide many happy returns? : CPA.

28. Hammer number : RAP. MC Hammer that is.

30. Big name in hairstyling : SASSOON. Vidal.

32. Hyperbola part : ARC.

33. Sudden stream : SPURT.

35. Pull on : TUG AT.

36. Flee : BOLT.

38. Adjudicates : TRIES.

40. Maple syrup target : EGGO. The waffles. Food!

41. Nearly : ABOUT.

43. Take badly? : POACH.  Tricky clue and a cooking term.

45. Taoist complement : YIN. Love the compliment complement deception.

46. Uncommitted : NEUTRAL.

48. Farrow of film : MIA.

49. Ottoman title : BEY.

50. Tack on : ADD.

51. "A Death in the Family" author : AGEE.

53. Relative of Rex : FIDO.


55. Energetic and enthusiastic : HIGH SPIRITED.

59. Run up the score on : HUMILIATE.

62. Place for a Char-Broil : PATIO.

63. Removes restrictions on, as funds : UNFREEZES.

64. Hole __ : IN ONE.

65. Third-longest African river : NIGER.

66. Uncertain no. : EST.

67. Handles : NAMES.

Down:

1. "Do the Right Thing" pizzeria : SAL'S. The downs too start with food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbA1YOueC_A

2. From the top : ANEW.

4. Certain student : TUTEE.

5. Hams : EMOTERS.

6. First-serve figs. : PCTS.

7. Island reception : ALOHA.

9. If nothing else : ATLEAST
10. Depend : RELY
11. Pal : BRO
12. Start of an engagement? : YES
13. '60s protest org. : SDS
16. Big bag carrier : SANTA
20. Modify to fit : ADAPT

24. Philly trademark : HOAGIE. Food again!

25. "They that have done this deed are honourable" speaker : ANTONY. Our Friday dose of Shakespeare. JULIUS CAESER  Act 3, Scene 2.

26. Changing place : CABANA.

27. Examined closely : PROBED.

31. Seek redress : SUE.

34. Brazilian-themed Vegas hotel, with "The" : RIO.

37. Tsk relative : TUT.

39. Nebula Award genre : SCIFI.

42. One may begin with "In a world ... " : TRAILER. Movie trailer.  LINK

44. U-shaped, more or less : HAIRPIN.

47. Longhorn rival : AGGIE.

52. Adlai's running mate : ESTES.

54. 1997 Elton dedicatee : DIANA.

55. "Spenser: For __" : HIRE.

56. Annoyance : PEST
57. Hessian article : EINE
58. Achieves : DOES
59. Fifth-century conqueror : HUN
60. Athlete's wear, for short : UNI
61. It increases during plant growth: Abbr. : MFG.