David Alfred Bywaters

Title: This is not an easy A class. Try THESE?

I remember certain teachers and professors who seemed to hate giving a student an A on any paper, having had my work DOWNGRADED for penmanship or failing to explain an answer even when the answer was correct. We have our 4th puzzle from David, all on Friday and like his June 2017 PUZZLE this is a letter substitution. Each of the five themers hs the letter "A" downgraded to a "B." The reveal is simple, and the trick is to have the resulting fill be witty. I think they are good, but YMMV. MEDIA BIBS/MEDIA BIAS seems timely, BLT RIGHT/ALT-RIGHT as well..

We have quite a bit of sparkle, with EPITOME (I will always remember Peter Wiley trying to defend the epi - tome pronounciation in school, he also said Are Kansas), ORATION, SAW TO IT, SHOT PUT, STUN GUN, TARNISH along with two fill longer than some of themers HANDSHAKE and LED ASTRAY. Well let's solve this.
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17A. *Protection for a press feeding frenzy? : MEDIA BIBS (9). How could I speak of MEDIA BIAS without getting political?

26A. *Result of nodding off at an auction? : SLEEP BID (8). If you took a SLEEP AID before the auction, and it was really strong like Ambien...I can picture this ahppening.

27A. *Sandwich-centric extremists? : BLT RIGHT (8). The BLT is fun, the ALT-RIGHT, not os much but it too is politics.

50A. *Where to read all the latest computer port news? : USB TODAY (8). The cutes clue/fill and a CSO to USA Today.

52A. *Female employee of a tech giant? : IBM WOMAN (8). I AM WOMAN was a very big song, and could be the anthem of the Me Too generation...oops more politics.

63A. Rating reduction responsible for the answers to starred clues : DOWNGRADE (9). With all the ex-teachers who come to the Corner, this should be very popular.

Across:
A scratch awl is a woodworking layout and point-making tool. It is used to scribe a line to be followed by a hand saw or chisel when making woodworking joints and other operations.
1. Scratch __: woodworking tools: AWLS.

5. Split wide open: GAPE.

9. Green "Sesame Street" character: OSCAR. Don't be grouchy.

14. Scallion relative: LEEK. Onions and garlic belong to the Allium genus. Allium, in fact, is derived from the Greek word for garlic. Shallots, leeks, scallions, and chives are also members of the allium family.

15. Sea predator: ORCA.

16. Asian city translates to "place of the gods": LHASA. Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, lies on the Lhasa River's north bank in a valley of the Himalayas. Rising atop Red Mountain at an altitude of 3,700m, the red-and-white Potala Palace once served as the winter home of the Dalai Lama.

19. Tight headgear: DO RAG. Neon Deion helped make them famous.

20. Masseur's workplace: SPA.

21. Word with fly or about: GAD. How many of you remember Roscoe GADDIS?

22. Shining example: EPITOME.

24. What a burglar hopes not to be: SEEN. Cute clue.

30. Fort Collins sch. : CSU. Colorado State University.  U. of Colorado is in Boulder.

31. Merits: EARNS.

32. Italian capital: EURO. The old money distraction.

34. Dilute: THIN. It makes sense mixing paints etc.

38. Letters for John Smith? : AKA. Also Known As. Almost everyone has one, based on using or not using middle initials for examples. Banks now make you sign an AKA affidavit when you borrow money.

39. Besmirch: TARNISH. Besmirch is such a great old-fashioned word.

42. Dudley the Dinosaur's org.: ADA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9fpkXEEytY

43. Books with test answers: KEYS. The teachers' key.

45. Twitter's bird, e.g.: LOGO.

46. One with a title: OWNER. Property.

48. Cry of discovery: AHA.

56. Poems of praise: ODES.

57. Lincoln output: ORATION.

58. "No seats" sign: SRO. Standing Room Only.

59. Egg producer ... and product: HEN.

62. Tuesday dish? : TACOS. According to The Strange History Of Taco Tuesday, the phrase "Taco Tuesday" was coined in 1989 by a Mexican food chain Taco John's. (Quora).

66. Expect: AWAIT.

67. Northern terminus of I-79: ERIE. Another CSO to Abejo and others.

68. Lute family members: UKES.

69. ATM features: SLOTS. Why this clue?

70. Kind of lily: SEGO. As the Utah state flower.

71. Tendency: BENT.

Down:

1. Help for the poor: ALMS. From the word eleemosynary.

2. Sob: WEEP.

3. Acting on bad advice: LED ASTRAY.

4. __ jump: SKI. Timely; any watching the Winter Olympics.

5. Explode: GO BANG. We had a very sad go bang at a school here in Broward County.

6. Parched: ARID.

7. Chem. pollutant banned in 1979: PCB. Polychlorinated biphenyl is an organic chlorine which was banned by the United States Congress in 1979 and by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2001.

8. Canvas support: EASEL. Paintings.

9. Elvis hits, e.g.: OLDIES. Interesting choice of artist.

10. Decathlon event: SHOTPUT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs97EQNJTFA

11. Chocolate substitute: CAROB. A slightly healthier ALTERNATIVE.

12. "Me too": AS AM I.

13. Lost it: RAGED.

18. Elder hostile? : AGEIST.

23. River through New Mexico: PECOS.

25. Seaside eagle: ERN.

26. Immobilizing law-enforcement tool: STUNGUN.

27. Nose, slangily: BEAK.

28. Camp sight, perhaps: LAKE.

29. Forrest Gump, for one: HERO.

33. Some are tributaries: RIOS.

35. Cordial greeting: HANDSHAKE.

36. Notion: IDEA.

37. Not: NARY.

40. Budget competitor: ALAMO.

41. Cylindrical sandwich: HOTDOG. I love this definition.

44. Took care of things: SAW TO IT.

47. Sorrow: WOE.

49. Construction site apparatuses: HOISTS.

51. World's third-largest island: BORNEO.

52. Tiny bits: IOTAS.

53. Serious fight: BRAWL.

54. Former Portuguese territory in China : MACAO.

55. Aconcagua's range: ANDES.

58. Way more than a sip: SWIG.

60. Paradise: EDEN.

61. Animal home: NEST.

64. Willamette Valley state: Abbr. : OREgon.

65. Obstacle: RUB. Since JW did not give us a Shakespeare last week, here.
"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
the heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
that Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation
devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there's the rub..."

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Forget the carbs, I am hungry! Call Entenmann's.

For all of you who were wondering where our Friday friend JW has been hding in 2018, he is back and presents the third visual puzzle that has been constructed for our consternation. We have 13 (!) clues which consist only of a number. Good news though, we get a reveal! Oops, not helpful yet. Must solve and wait for perps. Hmm, three letter fill at 26 and 52 across. 26- nope not there. 52? Ahh- BUN! 41- ROLL! Eureka! Thirteen is a baker's dozen. Ta-dah- bakery items! This was a struggle in places, but I am a big fan of most of the goods here, especially a warm buttery CROISSANT and a moist SCONE. What are your favorites? The rest was in my wheelhouse, with SUK requiring all of the perps. The purists will hate the themers being so short and having non-theme fill longer words, but I enjoyed BELDAME, BOSNIAN, CAT SCAN, DEEPENS, ELOCUTE, QUIETED, BLINDERS, and CITY PLAN as fun but challenging fill. A puzzle that completely depends on perps and the reveal...

I wonder if the grid was inspired by The Cross of Salem, also known as a pontifical cross because it is carried before the Pope. This is afterall a CROSSword puzzle.

Anyway on to the solve.

1A. #1: MUFFIN (6). RECIPE.

7A. # 2: BRIOCHE (7). RECIPE.

24A. # 3: TORTE (5). RECIPE.

26A. #4 : PIE (3). RECIPE.

37A. # 5: CAKE (4). RECIPE.

41A. # 6: ROLL (4). RECIPE.

52A. # 7: BUN (3). RECIPE.

53A. # 8: DONUT (5). RECIPE.

69A. # 9: BISCUIT (7). RECIPE.

70A. # 10: DANISH (6). RECIPE.

14D. # 11: BAGEL (5). RECIPE.

20D. # 12: CROISSANT (9). RECIPE.

51D. # 13: SCONE (5). RECIPE.
The reveal:
38A. It's a bit more than it sounds, and hints at this puzzle's theme: BAKER'S DOZEN (11). Wal-Mart sells their doughnuts 13 to a box.

Across:

14. Crone: BELDAME.  Finally a clue, but not a gimme fill. This archaic WORD is clearly a Friday Saturday fill. A very hard start.

15. Sarajevo citizen: BOSNIAN.

16. Gets to: ATTAINS.

17. Settled down: QUIETED.

18. Merry, in Metz: GAI. Metz is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, the city forms a central place of the European Greater Region. Wiki. 55A. Pique-nique setting : PARC. French.

19. Prog. formally reinstated at Harvard in 2011: ROTC. Reserve Officer Training Corps programs were another casualty of the Vietnam War. LINK.

21. Hotel experience: STAY.

22. Sturdy trees: ELMS. Dutch elm disease as a problem but the TREE is making a return.

29. Future D.A.'s hurdles: LSATS.

31. Future salmon: ROE. Fish eggs.

32. Troubles: ILLS.

33. Belg. locale: EUROPE. Why is the clue not Belgium?

35. Travel guide listing: INN.

43. MS-__: DOS. Recently popular fill.

44. Party bowlful: DIP.

45. Goddess usually depicted holding an ankh: ISIS. This EGYPTIAN. And the Symbol which is also a CROSS.

46. "M*A*S*H" rank: Abbr. : MAJ. Random, but better than E-______?

48. Some archaeological sites: TOMBS. King Tut was actually named Tutankhamun. Mini-theme?

56. Karate training site : DOJO. Dōjō (道場) is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way." My brother created one in the 60s in our home time.

59. Lose steam : TIRE.

61. __ Speedwagon : REO. Musical interlude, only 1 hour and 20 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqRpzyWJ5vM

62. Becomes more complex : DEEPENS.

65. High-tech med. procedure : CAT SCAN. What you need to KNOW.

67. Police actions : ARRESTS.

68. Speak well in public : ELOCUTE. Elocution from Latin elocution-, elocutio, from eloqui. Elocute is a back word from elocution.

Down:

1. Most of the periodic table : METALS.

2. __ Thule: distant place in medieval geography : ULTIMA. You want to ARGUE the point?

3. HHS agency : FDA. Health and Human Services.

4. Sunny : FAIR.

5. "You are!" retort : I'M NOT. Are too!

6. Argonaut known for wise counsel : NESTOR. He was a member of Jason's crew before the Trojan War. LINK.

7. Cookout fare, briefly : BBQ.

8. Awaken : ROUSE.

9. "Ya think?" : IS IT? I SIT? Isis' sister?

10. Fit-for-service designation : ONE-A. I have my draft card from the 60's somewhere.

11. Urban design : CITY PLAN. Pompano Beach is working on their PLAN.

12. "Some __ meat and canna eat": start of the Selkirk Grace : HAE. This probably predates Robert Burns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjMaW9GT__Y

13. Conclusion : END.

23. Lifts : STEALS.

25. Have an inclination : TEND.

27. Variety : ILK. I always like this word.

28. Language suffix : ESE.

30. Czech composer Josef, son-in-law of Dvorák : SUK. All perps for this MAN.

32. Frozen treat : ICEPOP. Would you like to read the HISTORY of the Popsicle.

34. Like half of Poland's flag : RED.

36. Silent assent : NOD.

38. Horse racing accessories : BLINDERS. The reason WHY.

39. Ex-quarterback Tony : ROMO.

40. Clearasil target : ZIT.

41. Cookout morsel : RIB.

42. Brutus Buckeye is its mascot: Abbr. : OSU. The Ohio State University. Oklahoma State last week, perhaps Oregon State next.

47. Really pumped : JUICED. Not to be confused with juiced by steroids.

49. __ Aurelius, second-century Roman emperor : MARCUS. One of my favorite EMPERORS.

50. What a sprinter might run out of : BREATH.

53. "__ know you?" : DON'T I.

54. Musical nonsense syllables : TRA LA.

57. Intl. energy group : OPEC.

58. Bach's "__, Joy of Man's Desiring" : JESU. I had no idea and it seems counter-intuitive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwWL8Y-qsJg

60. Hugh Laurie's alma mater : ETON. One of the myriad of foreign born actors who portray US Americans on television.

62. Unit of hot mustard, for most : DAB. Not for Asians or me.

63. NW Penn. airport : ERI.

64. Aircraft in the Smithsonian Inst. collection : SST.

66. Chem., for one : SCI. Abbreviation - abbreviation.

Stu Ockman

Title: Bottom's UP!

We have another visual puzzle, with the theme fill presented updside down, so you need to read from the bottom to the top. All five themers are very popular cocktails, and to add to the degree of difficulty in constructing, Stu uses only mixtures beginning with the letter "M."  Oddly we do see the inimitable martini. This is a wonderful CSO to Tinbeni and my bartending son who works at Poka Lola Social Club in Denver mixing up amazing yummies like the CLOVER CLUB. 2oz Plymouth Gin, .5oz dry vermouth, .5oz raspberry syrup and.75oz lemon juice. Also timely after we had the SAZERAC last Saturday.

This is our second puzzle from Stu who appeared here in 2014. He does have 10 NYT publications, the last two in 2017. There are as always on Friday some challenging cluing and some very fun fill like A BIT ODD, BEATS IT, DELIVER, ONE MORE, SARANAC SESAMES, SLIM JIM (my favorite) SOLACES (James Bond)  TOPMOST, TWO PAIR and YES OR NO. He then puts these sparkly fill in the difficult triple stack patterm in each corner.





4D. Tequila, triple sec and lime juice : ATIRAGRAM (9). MARGARITA has become a favorite cocktail. ent

10D. Champagne and orange juice : ASOMIM (6). MIMOSA along with the Bloody Mary are the Brunch drinks here.

21D. Bourbon, water, sugar and garnish : PELUJTNIM (9). MINT JULEP is the drink of choice at the Kentuck Derby. Anyone here follow the richest race in thorobred racing last Sunday at Gulfstream Park here in So Fla?

36D. Whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters : NATTAHNAM (9). MANHATTAN was the drink of choiceof my brother's f-i-l.

44D. White rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water and garnish : OTIJOM (6). MOJITO has become quite popular is our bars.
And the reveal:

59A. Bar exhortation ... and a hint to how to answer five puzzle clues : DRINK UP (7). The drink names are read UP, from bottom to top.

Across:

1. __ Lake, village near Lake Placid : SARANAC. There are advantages to growing in the Northeast with lots of relatives, some of whom went to this  LAKE .

8. Skedaddles : BEATS IT.

15. Somewhat off : A BIT ODD. Fridays usually have many multiple word fill.

16. "Choose!" : YES OR NO. See I told you.

17. Come through : DELIVER.

18. Poker holding : TWO PAIR. A dangerous hand.

19. A or O : ALER. This simple glue fill took longer than I expected.

20. Easy pace : LOPE.

22. Clipper trio : MASTS. The ship not the basketball team.

23. "Ninja Scroll" genre : ANIME. I did not know the movie, but my kids watched lots of anime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O6_N4mQBos

25. Domain introduced in 2001 : BIZ.

26. Rod Stewart's "__ May" : MAGGIE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2CQ0FvAZuw

29. Shuttle site : LOOM. You want to learn to WEAVE? Or play in the dirt? 40A. Fertile soil : LOAM.

31. Affirmative act : NOD.

34. Outlying community : EXURB. From about 1955, a region or settlement that lies outside a city and usually beyond its suburbs and that often is inhabited chiefly by well-to-do families. (MW).

35. Tesla, e.g. : AUTO. This also took way too long to parse.

36. "Not a chance" : NOPE.

37. "Zorba the Greek" Oscar winner Kedrova : LILA. I liked the movie, did not recall the actress.

38. Bottom of a food chain? : MCJOB. A new way to clue.

39. Abruzzi bell town : ATRI. This LINK starts
"At Atri in Abruzzo, a small town
Of ancient Roman date, but scant renown..."

41. Picasso output : ARTE.


42. Mar. honoree : ST PAT. March 17, St. Patrick's Day.

43. "r u kidding?!" : OMG. An exclamation of surprise.

44. Team that pulls for you : OXEN. Attempted sports misdirection.

45. Like an earworm : CATCHY.

46. Peugeot's 208 or 308, e.g. : GTI.


47. Tony winner Menzel of "Wicked" : IDINA. I had the pleasure of watching her perform as Elphaba on Broadway in July of 2005 with my sons. It was awesome.

49. Feature of many a Hawaiian restaurant : LANAI. Defined: porch, veranda. We have many in SoFla.

52. Cast off : EMIT.

53. Olympian queen : HERA.

57. Lock-picking tool : SLIM JIM. It is two words. I am sure the car thieves love they can buy at Walmart with DIRECTIONS.

61. Highest : TOPMOST. It is one word.

62. Consoles : SOLACES. An encore appearance.

63. Bun seeds : SESAMES. Don't forget the special sause.

64. Request at a bar : ONE MORE. Bonus alcohol fill.

Down:

1. Actress Thompson : SADA. The mother in the successful TV series Family.

2. Doomed shepherd : ABEL. Also a second 2018 appearance.

3. Irk : RILE.

5. Sweet Potato Awareness Mo. : NOV. Who decided this? Who cares?

6. Emperor relative : ADELIE. Great misdirection- Penguins. LINK.

7. Jewel box item : CD-ROM. Defined: a thin plastic case for a CD or DVD — called also jewel case. I only knew jewel case.

8. Eight bits : BYTE. Not a dollar in the modern world.

9. "Ick!" : EEW.

11. Utah's state gem : TOPAZ. The Topaz became the State Gem in 1969 (Utah Code). It is a semiprecious gem found in Beaver, Juab and Tooele counties of Utah. But again, who cares.

12. Mmes. across the Pyrenees : SRAS. French to Spanish.

13. Down but not out : IN IT.

14. Rocky hills : TORS.

24. Bird's bill : NIB. and maybe 51D. Bites playfully : NIPS.

25. Bonehead : BOOB. Hmm, is this 31D. Sometimes offensive, briefly : NOT PC.

26. __ Yello : MELLO.

27. Assumed truth : AXIOM. I was actually a math major when I began college.

28. Soviet labor camp : GULAG.

30. Oklahoma tribe : OTOE.

32. Dr. Phil was her frequent guest before getting his own show : OPRAH. Even Oprah makes mistakes.




33. Eros or Eos : DEITY.

35. Real estate parcel : ACRE.

38. Dress style : MAXI.

42. __ Salvador : SAN. San/El what else is there?

45. Pomelo relative : CITRON.  My wife is on a big POMELO kick to help my body recover from last year. The CITRON is an part of Jewish ceremonies for Sukkhot. See below for Oo and the pomelo rind.

46. Beta follower : GAMMA. Α α alpha, άλφα; Β β beta, βήτα;
Γ γ gamma, γάμμα

48. Playground comeback : DID SO.

49. Amphibious assault transports, for short : LSTS. Landing Ship, Tank - LINK.

50. Botanical balm : ALOE.

52. 911 response gp. : EMTS.

54. Kitchen gadget brand : EKCO.

55. One with second thoughts : RUER.

56. Abbey area : APSE.

58. British author's conclusion? : ISE. As opposed to IZE.

60. Terre dans la mer : ILE. Frawnche, as Splynter would say.

A tight puzzle with some challenge. February is on the March. Thank you Stu and all of you whoe read and write. Lemonade out.


As I promised, here is the grid and Oo getting the most out of Pomelo...

I do not know why the "J" in mint julep or the "t" in St. Pat have been bleached out.

David Poole

Title: Let's look under the water

David makes a quick return with a visual theme. There are 4 seas placed above the letters "LAB." It is a cute theme but wreaked havoc on my mind with YELLOW LAB and IRISH LAB running around in my head. Woof, woof.  The rest seemed like a Friday with many 6 and 7 letter fill. ERNESTO, EXACTOR, LOST ART, PANINIS, SWORE TO and WANNABE all interesting  fill.

Hopefully the grid will make you all smile. Grid first I think today:



17A. First U.S. national park : YELLOWSTONE (11). The YELLOW Sea is clued just above the LAB in 20A in LABEL.

35A. Co-star of the 1955 comedy "How to Be Very, Very Popular" : SHEREE NORTH (11). The NORTH Sea is clued just above the LAB in SLABS. The MOVIE ws unknown to me.

42A. Subject of a 19th-century famine : IRISH POTATO (11). The IRISH Sea is clued just above the LAB in LABREA.

62A. Aquanaut's workplace ... or a hint to what's graphically represented four times in this puzzle : UNDER SEA LAB (11). This LAB is under the CHINA Sea.

Across:

1. Big sister? : ABBESS. This is a woman who is the head of an abbey of nuns.

7. Way more than a whimper : BAWL.

11. Pixie : ELF.

14. Circus equipment : STILTS. There often is  lown with stilts.

15. Online marketplace : EBAY.

16. Madhouse : ZOO.

19. Syncopated piece : RAG. Ragtime (rag) also spelled rag-time or rag time – is a musical style that enjoyed its peak popularity between 1895 and 1918. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm.

20. Calvin Klein or Perry Ellis : LABEL.

21. Caution : WARN.

22. Spilled the beans : SANG.

23. Love personified : AMOR. Cupids alias.

24. Letter writing, some say : LOST ART.

26. Oenophile's concern : YEAR. CSO to the Chairman and his wares.

28. Bear with a purple bow tie : BOO-BOO. Hannah-Barbera say Boo-Boo Bear is a cartoon character on The Yogi Bear Show. Boo-Boo is an anthropomorphic bear cub wearing a purple bowtie. Most of the pictures I see on line look blue, but....

32. "Yada yada yada" letters : ETC.

38. Revolutionary murdered in a tub : MARAT.

 The Death of Marat by Jacques-   Louis  David. 

40. Groom's garb : TUX.

41. Generous slices : SLABS.


45. Menu general : TSO. It must be embarassing to his family that he is known as a chicken.

46. Tar pits site : LA BREA.

47. "Pretty please?" : CAN I? May I never see this clue/fill again?

49. Che's given name : ERNESTO.

52. State-spanning rds. : TPKS.

56. Cross by wading : FORD.

59. Digging : INTO.

61. "The Mikado" band? : OBI. The Japanese sash. Not to be confused with 57D. Village Voice award : OBIE. (OB) No longer technically true, they were originally given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the American Theatre Wing. As the Tony Awards cover Broadway productions, the Obie Awards cover Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway productions. (various)

64. Dram : NIP.

65. Thailand, once : SIAM. A nice CSO to my sweet bride.

66. Recess : ALCOVE.

67. Fictional vigilante's mark : ZEE.

68. Ballpark figs. : ESTSimates.

69. Christian of "Mr. Robot" : SLATER.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U94litUpZuc

Down:

1. Sanctuaries : ASYLA. Our favorite latin plural.

2. Substitute players : B-TEAM.

3. Frodo inherited his ring : BILBO. The Hobbit.

4. Queen of mystery : ELLERY. Agatha also fits.

5. Small-runway aircraft acronym : STOL. Short Takeoff Or Landing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQJKW5vfvog

6. Spokane-to-Walla Walla dir. : SSW.

7. Software to debug : BETAS.

8. Scrub, at NASA : ABORT.

9. Aspirant : WANNABE.

10. Drano compound : LYE.

11. Biblical reformer : EZRA.

12. Library transaction : LOAN.

13. "Around the World ... " hero : FOGG. Phileas Fogg is the protagonist in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Day (wiki).

18. Affirmed in court : SWORE TO.

22. Happy hour perch : STOOL.

24. __-di-dah : LAH.

25. Lighter brand : RONSON.

27. Bible book read during Purim : ESTHER.

29. Frank's cousin : BRAT. This is one of the wurst clue/fills ever!

30. Gambling parlors, for short : OTBS. Off track betting shops.

31. Very : OH SO. You all look oh so smart today!

32. Expressionist painter Nolde : EMIL. I did not know Emil Nolde, who was a German-Danish painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and was one of the first oil painting and watercolor painters of the early 20th century to explore color. (wiki) I like the Matterhorn Smiles.

33. Plantation near Twelve Oaks : TARA. Frankly, I no longer give a damn.

34. Nursery purchase : CRIB.

36. Rural road feature : RUT.

37. One demanding payment, say : EXACTOR. In law we often put or/ee at the end of words to make a new word, but this CREATION by Debbie seems imprecise.

39. Comparable to a beet : AS RED.

43. Pressed sandwiches : PANINIS.

44. Confucian ideal : TAO.

48. Cornell's city : ITHACA.

50. Conclude by : END AT.

51. Parts of some flutes : STEMS. My brain went to the instrument bforehte aha moment for the champagne glass.

53. First of a series : PILOT. No Honda this week, but the try out episode of a tv series.

54. __ of Hearts, accused tarts thief : KNAVE. You should know your Alice in Wonderland.
"The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts,
All on a summer day:
The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,
And took them quite away!"

55. Cavalry sword : SABER.

56. With "the," TV character who first jumped the shark--literally : FONZ. Did we reallly watch this
HORRIBLE TV On the other hand I really like Winkler in his new show  BETTER LATE THAN NEVER .

58. Harvest-ready : RIPE.

60. Spreadsheet box : CELL.

62. Employ : USE.

63. KLM rival : SAS. The HISTORY of  Scandinavian Airlines System is worth reading.

Debbie Ellerin

Title: The vote is in and the eyes have it.

We have another around the perimeter puzzle. Here the words which are theme fill precede "eye."




AREA MAP, DREYFUS,  NO TURN, S RENEGES, SPHERES, CHEESE DIP and KATY PERRY.


1A. Type of coordination : HAND (4).  Hand/eye coordination is critical in many sports such as hitting a baseball.

5A. Wolverine rival : BUCK (4).  Buckeye. The Ohio State University nickname and an early member of the Corner.

9A. Hidden 3-D image : MAGIC (5). Magic Eye. Not everyone can see these IMAGES.

71A. Intuition : THIRD (5). Third eye. Mystical. LINK.

72A. Batter's command of the strike zone, in baseball lingo : GOOD (4). Good eye. The best was supposed to be Ted Williams and his extraordinary vision, but does it matter? LINK.

73A. Pacific salmon : SOCK (4). Sockeye. This FISH.

1D. Iowa athlete : HAWK (4). Hawkeye Pierce is also pretty well known.  LINK.

26D. Unassisted peeper : NAKED (5). Naked eye.

33D. Physical feature of Peter Falk and Sammy Davis Jr. : GLASS (5). Glass eye. There are many more, Sandy Duncan, Rex Harrison, Dick Vitale etc.

56D. Z's : SHUT (4). Shuteye. Sleep.

64D. Conjunctivitis : PINK (4). Pinkeye. Conjunctivitis.

The reveal:

40A. Scornful glance ... and a hint to completing 12 aptly placed answers : SIDE EYE (7). A sidelong glance expressing disapproval or contempt.

Across:

14. State as fact : AVER. Another popular law word.

15. "A Hard Road to Glory" author : ASHE. Tennis great and another victim of bad blood transfusion.         LINK.

16. Coffeehouse draw : AROMA.

17. Sagacious : WISE.

18. Lacking in some way : LEAN.

19. Checkout choice : DEBIT.

20. "Roar" singer : KATY PERRY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh47oTsRf-w

22. Large pipes : MAINS. Seems random, but main pipe is important in plumbing.

23. Malfoy, to Potter : FOE.

24. Attention getter : AHEM.

26. Sign on a highway : NO TURNS.




30. Binging : ON A JAG. Dictionary:a bout of unrestrained activity or emotion, especially drinking, crying, or laughing. "an incredible crying jag;" synonyms: binge, spree, bout, indulgence,

34. Order to a sea dog : AVAST.

35. Genesis victim : ABEL.

38. Quinnipiac University product : POLL. This western Connecticut school was a gimme for this native, but did you know HOW they became a prominent pollster?

39. "Kid-Tested, Mother-Approved" brand : KIX.

43. Soul seller : KIA. With its Japanese competition. 65A. Pilot that can't fly : HONDA.

44. Sooner State city : ENID.

46. Jodie Foster title role : NELL. Co-starring a young Liam Neeson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMdq4zNOGF8

47. Slogs : TREKS.

49. Antarctica, for example : DESERT. Deceptive.

51. Domains : SPHERES.

53. Coop cries : COOS.

55. Really big stretch : EON.

56. E alternative? : SNAIL. mail.

59. Chip topper : CHEESE DIP.

66. Favorable thing to be on : ROLL.

67. Halliwell once known as Ginger Spice : GERI. No longer a girl. R-RATED.

68. Rte. that crosses Lake Michigan by ferry : US-TEN. A semi cheat as it is always 10.

69. Sighed line : AH ME.

70. Course that may cover a crash: Abbr. : ECONomy.


Down:

2. New Balance competitor : AVIA.

3. Incubator site : NEST.

4. Subject of Zola's "J'Accuse...!" : DREYFUS.

5. Whalebone : BALEEN.

6. Certain surfer : USER. Internet.

7. Arctic trout : CHAR.

8. "Out of Africa" setting : KENYA.

9. Drama set at an advertising agency : MADMEN.

10. Hotel handout : AREA MAP.

11. Silk Road desert : GOBI.

12. "Let's do it!" : I'M IN.

13. Reflective semiprecious stone : CATS.

21. USB and others : PORTS.

25. Toledo opening? : HOLY.

27. Like Lamb Chop : OVINE.

28. Prepares to take off : TAXIS,

29. One-named Nigerian singer : SADE.

31. Batman nemesis, with "the" : JOKER.

32. Similar : ALIKE.

36. "The Fresh Prince of __-Air" : BEL.

37. Charged fish? : EELS.

41. Van Morrison's "__ the Mystic" : INTO.

42. Set of values : ETHOS.

45. Bush 43, so he said, with "the" : DECIDER.

48. Goes back (on) : RENEGES.

50. French epic hero : ROLAND.

52. Prepared to eat, as a banana : PEELED.

54. Skin-and-bones sort : SCRAG.

57. Nibble : NOSH.

58. Fighting : ANTI.

60. Relative of a Yodel : HOHO.

61. Big Bird buddy : ELMO.

62. Chrysler Building style : DECO,

63. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC.

Priscilla Clark & Jeff Chen

Ttile: Welcome to Punnsylvania

Priscilla makes her LAT debut with one of the master mentors- Jeff Chen. He previously helped her to publication in the NYT in 2016. Jeff is a prolific constructor, writer, editor and very nice man. He writes daily about the NYT puzzles, where he has 46 collaborative publications. Each theme fill takes a phrase with the "ens" sound word converted to the "ins" sound.

Finding two grid-spanning fill was nice and the grid was very open.  Jeff and his partners always include a great deal of sparkly fill and here we have ROTUNDA,  VINTNER, ALLOPATH,  CURTAINS,  REAR EXIT,  REGICIDE and TIDEPOOLS. My only unknown was TILSIT a cheese I guess I should remember. As with all sound puzzles YMMV.


17A. Instruction for dolphin riders? : STRADDLE THE FINS (14). Straddle the FENCE. Does the sound of dolphins and fins grate?

22A. Flashy genetic enhancements? : DNA SEQUINS (10). DNA SEQUENCE. They started rerunning the original CSI on ION TV.

34A. Groaners in a routine? : SINS OF HUMOR (11). SENSE of humor. The central themer has the change in the first word, the rest the last word, .

50A. Time capsules? : FUTURE TINS (10). Future TENSE. Capsule = tin? Maybe.

57A. Use second fiddles in a pinch? : RESORT TO VIOLINS (14). Resort to VIOLENCE. I am not sure why they needed to be second fiddles, but this is my favorite.

Across:

1. Compass output: ARCS. Last week it was EAST. The other compass.  LINK.

5. Gershwin title color: BLUE. This is a wonderful piece of music. RHAPSODY IN BLUE.
He also wrote BLUE LULLABY.

9. Presidential daughter Reagan: PATTI. Ms. Davis changed her last name to her mother's maiden name in an effort to have an independent career.

14. Bird's-nest, e.g. : SOUP. I put this in and took it out and then put it back.  INFO.

15. Ounce: IOTA. If you had one iota of gumption...

16. Zac of "Baywatch": EFRON. He was in the movie version with the Rock.

20. Reader with reprints: UTNE. A popular crossword fill, the Utne Reader is a quarterly American magazine that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and DVDs. Wiki.

21. Flight attendant's indication: REAR EXIT. Too many politically incorrect thoughts to comment.

25. Ticket: CITE. That is why it is called a citation.

26. Oscar role for Forest: IDI. Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV_QgKJFZP0

27. Piña colada liquor: RUM. Mixed with pineapple juice and coconut cream.

28. Like "black diamond" slopes: STEEP.

29. Hot-dog it? : PANT. A warm canine pants.

31. New England cape: ANN.

33. __ generis: SUI. This TERM has importance in the Law, likely misunderstood by me and others.

38. "I'm such a moron!" : D'OH. Not just Homer Simpson uses this phrase.

39. Car nut: LUG. Not someone who loves cars, but the lug nut which holds your tire in place on the wheel.

40. Campbell of "House of Cards": NEVE. The puzzle was likely written before the Kevin Spacey scandal, but apparently, Neve was an interesting character. I had stopped watching before the kerfuffle.

43. Filled entirely: SATED.

46. What bills may become: LAW.

48. "Amscray!" : GIT. Our first pig latin in a very long time.

49. Pace often rapid: CLIP.

54. Alternative medicine practitioner's term for a mainstream doctor: ALLOPATH. The expression was coined in 1810 by the creator of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843).In such circles, the expression "allopathic medicine" is still used to refer to "the broad category of medical practice that is sometimes called Western medicine, biomedicine, evidence-based medicine, or modern medicine." Wiki. I learned this while auditing a course in alternative medicine that my massage therapist was taking.

56. One might have tears in it: DUCT. Not if it is the TAPE. Lots of fun stuff.

61. Quick: AGILE.

62. Name of kings in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden: ERIC. This was an easy guess, but there is much more to learn about these Constitutional MONARCHYS.

63. Light bulb, metaphorically: IDEA.

64. Pioneer of song who "crossed the wide mountains with her lover Ike": BETSY. This was hard. I did not remember much of this SONG . The lyrics are not the same as the Johnny Cash version.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Betsy_from_Pike

65. Risqué: RACY. Two old fashioned words.

66. APB quarry: PERP. Two weeks in a row for this fill.

Down:

1. Jenny's offspring : ASS. Not poor Jennny McCarthy, but the female Donkey. All you need to know about ASSES.

2. Capitol sight : ROTUNDA. Just think round, usually with a dome.

3. Disastrous end : CURTAINS. My mental image:

4. Extends over : SPANS. Like the bridges we discused recently.

5. Compete for the job : BID.

6. Online chuckle : LOL.

7. Female marsupials have two : UTERI.

8. Taken back, as words : EATEN.

9. Equal : PEER.

10. Love : AFFECTION.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oag3I4VRXyM

11. Ed's wife on "The Honeymooners" : TRIXIE. She was played by five different actresses during the life of the SHOWS from 1951 to 1970.

12. Ad time : TONITE.

13. Shoe part : INSTEP.

18. Lots of bucks : DEER.

19. Is afflicted with : HAS.

22. Depression : DIP.

23. Put down : QUASH. A rebellion?

24. "Did you really think I'd go for that?" : UM NO.

28. Largest number in many a column : SUM. This added up for me.

30. Homes for creatures of the not-so-deep : TIDE POOLS. Tide pools provide a home for hardy organisms such as starfish, mussels and clams. Inhabitants must be able to deal with a frequently changing environment — fluctuations in water temperature, salinity, and oxygen content. Wiki.

32. Org. in a 1966 merger agreement : NFL.

33. Raw, brown or white stuff : SUGAR.

35. Third of a kid's poem trio : NOD. I was winken and blinken through this one.

36. TV streaming option : HULU. I have not tried them, using only Netflix and Amazon. Anyone have a review?

37. "Game of Thrones" evilness : REGICIDE. Killing the King- we have both Cersei and her brother, the Kingslayer. Add that to doing away with Joffrey....well it is not a nice place to visit.

41. Wine label info : VINTNER. A CSO to Chairman Moe.

42. "Hitchhiker's Guide" beings, for short : ETS.

43. Many a hieroglyphic insect : SCARAB. Odd to see this again- two weeks in a row.

44. Claim : ALLEGE. A very popular legal word.

45. Semihard Swiss cheese : TILSIT.

47. Declaration at a group wedding : WE DO. I think they each say, "I DO" but I do not know. Oo said I could have only one wife.

50. Target of budget trimming : FAT.

51. Complete : UTTER.

52. Birch of "American Beauty" : THORA. I have had her in a few friday write-ups.

53. Showy bulb : TULIP.

55. Hunted one : PREY.

58. Ford's Crown __ : VIC.

59. Like comets : ICY.

60. Easy mark : SAP. Beacuse they get sucked dry?

C.C. Burnikel

Title: Letters rip.

My 2018 begins with a C.C. special in which initial-isms are unwound to create whimsical new clues and fill. I think this is my 4th or 5th friday from C.C. solo, though she has done some Friday collaborations.


ALFREDO, ATE DIRT, KARAOKE, PANACEA, RADIATE, SEDATED and NICE GOING are all fun fill, but TEARSTAIN is wonderful.


17A. Attire with a spreadsheet design? : EXCEL SHIRT (10). XL SHIRT gets repurposed.

24A. Disreputable court proceeding? : SEEDY CASE (9) C.D. CASE gets repurposed.

50A. Extracts from Wrigley Field's walls? : IVY FLUIDS (9). I.V. FLUIDS gets repurposed.

61A. Transports for fertilizer? : PEATY BOATS (10). P.T. BOATS gets repurposed.

Across:

1. Fey of "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot": TINA. A spectacularly hidden hint to the type of puzzle.

5. Ready to rock : EAGER. The "E" was my last fill. Sometimes we make the easy hard.

10. Mug shot subject : PERP. C.C. slipped in a Corner word.

14. "I got this!" : ON IT.

15. Wheels since 1986 : ACURA. This car was in Monday's first puzzle of the year.

16. Adidas rival: AVIA. I think Nike is a bigger rival.

19. Minor points : NITS. The lifeblood of much puzzle discussion and another C.C.inside joke.

20. Under : SEDATED. Good Friday deception; I can hear the doctor asking, "Is he under yet?"

21. More than tickles : ELATES. I think this is one of C.C.'s favorite words.

23. Liquor in a Singapore sling : GIN. I have had this before - I will always remember Albany.

26. Unskilled in : POOR AT.

29. Hebrides tongue : ERSE. Scottish Gaelic spoken HERE.

30. Arrived, in a way : ALIT.

31. Hardly an original : APER.

34. Office administrations : OATHS. I love this clue/fill; perfect deception. At every level government officials are sworn in; later on sworn at.

38. Superstation that broadcasts some Cubs games: WGN.

39. Old Testament prophet: EZEKIEL. I spent way too much time trying to squeeze this into being a theme fill, but "KIEL" just did not fit the pattern of the others.

41. Creature for whose shape Anguilla was named : EEL. Named by COLUMBUS?

42. "Broca's Brain" author : SAGAN.  The entire BOOK.  Or WIKI.

44. Speed away, with "out" : PEEL.

45. Syrup brand since 1902 : KARO.

46. Cuts (off) : LOPS.

48. Sacred crawler: SCARAB. Do you remember this SCENE?

55. Monopoly quartet: Abbr. : RRS.

56. __ network : NEURAL. Good solid friday clue/fill and a mini-theme  with 42A.

57. Emit : RADIATE.

60. Greased auto part : AXLE. I am so not an auto mechanic type.

64. Scholarship consideration : NEED. Sounds counter-intuitive doesn't it.

65. Umbilical variety : INNIE. I was an innie, but now I have an unbilical hernia.

66. Lover's greeting : KISS.

67. Old U.S. pump sign : ESSO.

68. Bluto and Pluto : TOONS. I like the rhyme but it took me a while to see what a sailor from Popeye and a Disney dog had in common.

69. "Echoes in Rain" singer : ENYA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWFc5mkABNo

Down:

1. Ring site : TOE.

2. Sydney band originally called The Farriss Brothers : INXS. If you want you listen HERE.

3. "Good work!" : NICE GOING.

4. Swallowed one's pride : ATE DIRT.

5. Needle point? : EAST. Simple but this took so long as I to get away from sewing.

6. Soreness : ACHES.

7. Museum offering : GUIDE. Another good example of Friday decption in clue/fill.

8. Miss on "Jeopardy!," e.g. : ERR.

9. Involving nudity, maybe : RATED-R. The rating can be earned by  hard language, or tough violence, or nudity within sensual scenes, or drug abuse or other elements, or a combination of some of the above. MPAA.

10. Cure-all : PANACEA. I have always loved this word. Panacea comes from a Greek word meaning "all-healing", and Panacea was the goddess of healing.

11. 1980 Tony winner for Best Musical : EVITA.

12. Bat mitzvahs, e.g. : RITES.

13. So yesterday : PASSE.

18. Superboy's girlfriend : LANA.

22. Disinfectant brand : LYSOL.

25. Like many "Buffy" settings : EERIE.

26. Kittens play with them : PAWS.

27. Lingerie brand : OLGA.

28. Whirling toon : TAZ.

32. Drink with a Zero Sugar variety : PEPSI.

33. __ out a meager existence : EKE.

35. Mark on a Dear John letter, perhaps: TEAR STAIN. Fabulous clue/fill.

36. Zeus' jealous wife : HERA.

37. One who doesn't pick up much : SLOB. Not a dolt, but a messy one.

39. __ Gay : ENOLA.

40. "The Complete Short Game" author : ELS. How many three letter golfers are there?

43. Fettuccine sauce : ALFREDO. I add tuna and peas for a complete meal.

45. Bar attraction : KARAOKE. Kara 空 "empty" and ōkesutora オーケストラ "orchestra"); same kara as in karate (empty hands).

47. Ministry : PULPIT.

49. Bed with enclosed sides : CRIB.

50. Absurd : INANE.

51. Annoys : VEXES.

52. Celebrated seasons : YULES.

53. Pipe cleaner : DRANO.

54. Chemise fabric : SATIN.

58. Salon assortment : DYES.

59. Site for handicrafts : ETSY.

62. "Reflection" musician : ENO.

63. Issuer of five million-plus IDs annually : SSA.