David Alfred Bywaters

Title: Better dead than red.

David returns for his third 2018 Friday. and his 5th overall. I still know very little about the man other than he love obscure Victorian novels and creating crosswords, even though he has stopped by several times. His website DAVID ALFRED BYWATERS has new puzzle and new book every Saturday. Oh, and his great-grandmother loved puzzles and took a good picture. The idea is simple-  the three letter word RED is added to a two part phrase.  There is a sound change for each vowel preceding the RED, but thetheme clues, are  all fun mental pictures.   The reveal is a bit tricky as you have to see the RED infiltrating the words. Most of the fill was in my wheelhouse, but SAHM sounded like the number three in Thai. There really some fun ones, like Yo HO HO, BASS CLEF, and IN A PIE. Anyway, on with the show.

24A. State of mind induced by monotonous music?: SONIC BOREDOM (12). SONIC BOOM gets repurposed.

32A. BBQ item with a char?: SEARED DOG (9). SEA DOG becomes burned hot dog.

43A. Object of trout-fishing veneration?: SACRED FLY (9). SAC FLY (the baseball abbreviation for sacrifice fly) gets reeled in a a fisherperson.

49A. Aversion to rodeo performers?: COWBOY HATRED (12). COWBOY HAT get chased away.

And the reveal-
63A. Post-WWII fear of infiltration apparently confirmed by four puzzle answers: RED SCARE (8).

Across:

1. Grooming tool: COMB 

5. Put two and two together: ADD

8. Attentive to the schedule: PROMPT

14. Pentagon measure: AREA

15. Basic substance: LYE

16. Rum accompaniment?: YO HO HO If you have been to Disney Worls, this was a gimme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98luuj8ymoQ

17. Staff symbol: BASS CLEF.

19. Handled vessel: TEAPOT

20. Ease, as thirst: SLAKE

21. Cry of one whose thirst is eased: AAH

23. Artist Magritte: RENE

28. Sphere: ORB

31. Bring into harmony: ATTUNE

35. Left-hand page: VERSO

40. Croatia neighbor: SERBIA

41. Toe problem: BUNION

42. The Beatles' "All My Loving," e.g.: OLDIE

46. Where some nursery rhyme baking occurs: IN A PIE 
Four and twenty blackbirds. Baked in a pie. When the pie was opened. The birds began to sing—. Wasn't that a dainty dish. To set before the king? The king was in the counting-house. Counting out his money,. The queen was in the parlor. Eating bread and honey,. The maid was in the garden. Hanging out the clothes.

48. Deceive: FOX

55. Multicolored gem: OPAL

56. Kvbrick opvs?: MMI

57. Takes a nap, say: RESTS

61. Make over: REVAMP

66. Get all wet: DRENCH

67. Rower: OAR

68. Was aware of: KNEW

69. Big Apple Theater District restaurant: SARDIS. The food was never that good but the atmosphere was fun and it waspopulated all of the New York people.

70. Cook, in a way: FRY

71. Recognizes: SEES


Down:

1. Wine choices: CABS

2. Spoken: ORAL

3. Tableland: MESA

4. Revels (in), as praise: BASKS

5. The lot (of): ALL

6. Henna, e.g.: DYE

7. In actuality: DEFACTO

8. Big name in British comedy: PYTHON

9. Beluga yield: ROE

10. United hub: OHARE

11. Island vacation ride: MOPED

12. Amplifier switch: PHONO

13. Tribal symbol: TOTEM

18. Board boss: CEO

22. "Snug as __ ... ": ABUG

25. Uno menos uno, to Unamuno: NADA

26. "__ be a pleasure": IT'D

27. Variety show: REVUE

28. __ buco: OSSO

29. Rod attachment: REEL

30. Homer, e.g.: BARD

33. Batter's stat: RBI

34. Three-note refrain: EIEIO

36. Close: END

37. Jazz phrase: RIFF

38. Concerto cadenza, e.g.: SOLO

39. Banded stone: ONYX

41. Uncle Remus title: BRER

43. Doug of the Sir Douglas Quintet with the hit "She's About a Mover": SAHM
I have never hear of the IMPORTANT singer musician.

44. Two: A PAIR OF

45. Op. __: CIT

47. Mythological maidens: NYMPHS

49. Electrical connections: CORDS

50. Monteverdi work: OPERA

51. Go back and forth: WAVER

52. Flavorless: BLAND

53. Med. treatment areas: ERS

54. Card groups: DECKS

58. Sound: SANE

59. Shoe insert: TREE

60. Follows a pattern, perhaps: SEWS

62. 2006 Verizon acquisition: MCI

64. Listener: EAR

65. Arid: DRY

James Sajdak

Title: Let me have the exact change.

James is back on Friday for the first time in a couple of years. I first blogged him in 2011 the same day C.C. posted the INTERVIEW she did with him. This is his 30th LAT publication and he has no consistent style, either in themes or themeless. Like last week we are dealing with puns and humor. While this theme was not as much fun, the rest of the puzzle was wonderful. We have a few spectacular words, GIBRALTAR, SASQUATCH, AFICIONADO and TOM FOOLERY. We also have so much information and wit, I am going to move on the the write up.

20A. Salute in an old orbiter?: MIR FORMALITY (12). Mere formality.

35A. Stadium scene after a big win?: TIERS OF JOY (10). Tears of joy.

42A. Fishing parties?: PIER GROUPS (10). Peer group.

57A. Edward Scissorhands' syndrome?: SHEAR MADNESS (12). Sheer madness.

Across:

1. Disagreement: SPAT.

5. Her first speaking role was in MGM's "Anna Christie": GARBO. 88 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Rvqm5XR7E

10. Unlikely: SLIM. My chances were slim and none.

14. Fashion designer Rabanne: PACO.  This is not his real NAME.

15. Cold shoulder or hot corner: IDIOM. This was fun misdirection, as both are idiomatic.

16. Elizabeth of "Jacob's Ladder": PENA.

17. Wee bit: ATOM.

18. It might be uncured: BACON. Not my area of expertise.

19. Plant with hips: ROSE. I used to drink the tea.

23. Arizona neighbor: SONORA.

24. Former SETI funder: NASA.

25. Pokémon Go finder: Abbr.: GPS. I have watched these crazies running around 'capturing' the various Pokémon. My boys were more Dragonball Z, but they did have some Pocket Monsters.

28. Spa supplies: OILS. Massage or painting?

30. African megalopolis: CAIRO.

32. Nonstick kitchen product: T-FAL. I have never owned any from this COMPANY.

39. Normandy river: ORNE. Not one of the 12 common crossword rivers but a big deal nonetheless. LINK.

40. Foil firm: ALCOA. Will always be tinfoil in my mind even though I know it is aluminum.

41. It borders both the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers: IOWA. More rivers.

44. Early Disney productions: CELS. Cartoons.

45. __ del Carmen, Mexico: PLAYA. Beach

46. Distant beginning?: EQUI.

48. Photog's choice: SLR.  Single-Lens Reflex camera.

49. Org. offering shelter for some homeless: SPCA.

53. It merged with Chevron in 2005: UNOCAL.

59. Chain part: ISLE.

62. 1975 Pulitzer winner for criticism: EBERT. 1975: Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, "for his film criticism during 1974"

63. Old film dog: ASTA. Back again; do you remember the actor?

64. Catty reply: MEOW. and the clecho 67A. Cat catchers: PAWS.

65. __ attack: PANIC.

66. Flit: DART.

68. Seriously reduce: SLASH. Like prices, not to be confused with 43D. Wicked slice: GASH. Not Tiger's driving at the Masters but a long deep slash, cut, or wound.

69. Prizes in los Juegos Olímpicos: OROS. Gold medals.

Down:

1. Bombards with e-junk: SPAMS.

2. Deck alternative: PATIO.

3. Nut with a cap: ACORN.

4. Nonsense: TOM FOOLERY. Another great fill that has such a great HISTORY.

5. Iberian peninsula territory: GIBRALTAR. You could LEARN more.

6. Economist Smith: ADAM. The FATHER of economics.

7. Puerto __: RICAN.

8. Half an Ivy cheer: BOOLA. The Cheer from 1901.
Boola boola, boola boola
Boola boola, boola boola
When we rough house poor old hahvahd
They will holler, “Boola boo”
Oh Yale, Eli Yale!  Oh Yale, Eli Yale!
Oh Yale, Eli Yale!  Oh Yale, Eli Yale!

9. Dodges of old: OMNIS.

10. Agile: SPRY

11. Uncle on "Seinfeld": LEO

12. Advantages for job seekers: INS

13. Novelist Rita __ Brown: MAE. A writer for CED and our other cat lovers, her mysteries are solved by cats. But she is so much more, and a Florida Gator as well. WIKI.

21. "He's mine, __ am his":"Coriolanus": OR I. A Friday Shakespeare - Scene X, page 218.

22. Stand snack: TACO

25. Boy toy?: GI JOE.  A great fun clue.

26. Lurk: PROWL.

27. Milk sources: SOYAS. My bride like soymilk.

29. Prairie skyline feature: SILO.

31. Buff: AFICIONADO.  It was a mid 19th century (denoting a devotee of bullfighting): from Spanish, ‘amateur,’ past participle of aficioner ‘become fond of’ used as a noun, based on Latin affectio(n-) ‘(favorable) disposition toward’ (see affection).

32. Name on collectible cards: TOPPS. They made some headlines a few years ago. NASTY.

33. Bell or whistle?: FRILL. Something added on.

34. At hand, poetically: ANEAR. I wish this afar.

36. Old French coin: ECU. Not the sou.

37. It's often skipped: ROPE. really cute.

38. Cryptozoologist's quarry: SASQUATCH. And any other of the CRYPTIDS.

47. Conjunction in a German article: UND. An article in a newspaper article. Witty.

50. Buds, slangily: PEEPS. Almost timely. Try THESE.

51. Band of intrigants: CABAL. The intigrants (those who makes secret plans to do something illicit or detrimental to someone else) get together and form a cabal - a secret political clique or faction.

52. Concert setting: ARENA

54. Romero who played The Joker: CESAR. With Adam West. LINK.

55. Dog in Orbit City: ASTRO.

56. Exams for future attys.: LSATS. Actually, it is only a test for future law students.

57. Susie-shirts tongue-twister link: SEWS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw-GzTeMl_o
With the nearby clecho. 60D. Sells-shells tongue-twister link: SEA. Suzi sells seashells by the seashore. Maybe. LINK.

58. Hosp. tests: MRIS.

59. Little demon: IMP.

61. Bit of cowspeak: LOW. I am not familiar with the term, but I got the idea.

Mark Feldman

Title- Close your eyes and listen.

I am never sure how this crowd will react to a sounds like pun puzzle but for me the theme fill is especially fun. I have blogged many of Mark's Friday creations and they all seem to have some sound element, and a very light-hearted approach. If you want to go to the archives, you will have solving them all. We also had so many sparkly fill like BASS DRUM, GAG RULES, SHOELACE, SKI SLOPE SMALLEST and STUNTMAN.

So let us see where the puns take us.

17A. Religious text for a Texas senator? : CRUZ MISSAL (10). CRUISE MISSILE. The hardest one, as while most know Ted Cruz,the book containing the prayers and rites used by the Roman Catholic priest in celebrating Mass over the course of the entire year.

24A. Pet for a Spanish surrealist? : DALI LLAMA (9). DALAI  LAMA. Salvatore and the two L.

53A. Underage child of a German chancellor? : KOHL MINOR (9). COAL MINER. I also am not sure if many remember HELMUT.

62A. Household help for a 19th-century president? : TAYLOR MAID (10). TAILOR MADE. My grandfather was a tailor. Zachary, old Rough and Ready was the 12th President who was secon one who died in office in the 1840s.

Across:

1. Like "le" in Fr.: MASCuline.

5. Degrade: ABASE.

10. There's no money in it: SWAP. I love this clue; there are even barter companies who broker professional services without money.

14. Prefix with syllabic: OCTO. This is pretty random, though a real word.

15. Starbucks offering: LATTE.

16. Cap with a flat, circular top: KEPI.

19. Flex ending: IBLE.

20. Home of Amboseli National Park : KENYA.
This PARK.

21. Pennant race mo. : SEPtember.

22. Tied accessory : ASCOT. This gets its name fro, the racetrack but historically was part of very formal wear. LINK.



23. Cause of a sleeve movement : TUG.

26. More uneven : BUMPIER.

29. Puts in a vault, in a way : ENTOMBS.

30. Dos Passos trilogy : USA. Do you like reading about the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL?

31. Mild rebuke : TUT. Does anyone use a single tut?

33. With 44-Across, Hanna-Barbera feline : TOP. 44A. See 33-Across : CAT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NToYkBYezZA

34. Cravings : YENS.

36. Sidekick : AMIGO.

38. Glimpse : ESPY.

42. Not a good start? : MAL. A bad prefix.

45. Shade : HUE.

46. Michigan neighbor : ONTARIO.

50. Baptized boys, often : GODSONS.

55. Milk source : EWE. Sheep milk.

56. Whac-__ : A-MOLE. Are you a CHAMP?

57. Heating stat : BTU. British Thermal Unit

58. Finnish architect Alvar __ : AALTO. I had not heard of this MAN.

61. Look closely (over) : PORE.

64. Bank offerings : IRAS. Much more than a bank offering.

65. Resort WSW of Denver : ASPEN. My first trip to Colorado was to Denver and thenon to a condo in Snowmass at Aspen. 10D. 65-Across feature : SKI SLOPE. They have lots to do THERE.

66. __ coffee : ICED. Aha, not tea today.

67. Titillating message : SEXT.

68. Silly ones : GEESE.

69. Cong. period : SESSion.

Down:

1. Sham : MOCK.

2. Israeli port : ACRE.  A change for this fill, but very tricky. Acre is the holiest city of the Bahá'í Faith, and as such receives many Baha'i pilgrims. In 2016, the population was 47,808.Acre is a mixed city, that includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Baha'is. Wiki.

3. Nonspeaking movie role : STUNTMAN.

4. Ingratiate oneself (to) : COZYUP.

5. "When We Were Kings" subject : ALI.

6. It takes a beating : BASS DRUM.

7. Befuddled : AT SEA.

8. Basic : STAPLE. you need to stockpile these around hurrican season here.

9. Sushi selection : EEL. CSO to C.C.

11. Interoffice connection : WEBCAM. Not in my office, but many use them when they are nationwide.

12. Poise : APLOMB.

13. Madonna portrayals : PIETAS.

18. Crèche trio : MAGI.

22. Glee club member : ALTO.

25. Completely : IN TOTO. Funny letters into to.

26. Accept : BUY. That;s your story? I guess I buy it.

27. Consumption : USE.

28. List ender : ET ALII.

32. Idiosyncratic contraction : TIC.

35. Of least significance : SMALLEST. Hey, good things come in small packages.

37. They squelch discussions : GAG RULES. This has a bad HISTORY. By statute or court rule, gag orders are often placed on grand jury participants.

39. It goes over the tongue : SHOELACE. You have to think about this one.

40. "Piano is not my forte," e.g. : PUN. I guess we understand where Mr. Feldman's head was when he built this puzzle.

41. With 51-Down, sometimes-sighed line : YES. 51D. See 41-Down : DEAR.

43. French weapon : ARME. Inferrable but I have never heard it used.

46. Congo natives : OKAPIS. The okapi also known as the forest giraffe or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal native to the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Wiki.

47. "That's enough already!" : NO MORE.

48. Middle section of an insect : THORAX. I wish I had John Lampkin to pick a picture.

49. Hoping to get home : ON BASE. Baseball season started yesterday.

52. Religious ascetics : SWAMIS. More religion.

54. Common blood group : O-TYPE.

59. Connections : TIES. I have used facebook to restablish ties with so many with whom I had lost touch.

60. Chances : ODDS. Chances are that most are not very happy with...

62. Identify on Facebook : TAG.

63. Unified : ONE.

I enjoyed this one very much, and hope you all did as well. Happy Passover to those celebrating Passover this evening; we get to cook for my local son and his family after going to Colorado the last few years. Good Friday and Easter also are this weekend and the best to those who celebrate. Thank you Mark, and who come and share. Lemonade out.

Samuel A. Donaldson

Title- Do not pass over this puzzle.

A bit early but still a timely reference to the story told in Exodus of Moses leading the Israelites from Egypt, and the reveal - parting the RED SEA. In Samuel's version, the parting is done by a black square. In each paired across theme fill the first ends with RED, black square, then SEA.



ESSENCE, PERIDOT,  POACHED,  PREYS ON, ASPIRE TO, CLEAVAGE, MAMMA MIA,  PAUL RYAN, ENCROACHED,  MERIT BADGE


1A. Flintstones Vitamins option: FRED (4). 5A. Chicago Eight defendant: SEALE (5).

20A. Turned tail: RAN SCARED (9). 22A. Like some underbellies: SEAMY (5).

51A. Needed an eraser: ERRED (5). 52A. Herbs and spices: SEASONING (9).

62A. Ready to drop: TIRED (5). 63A. Burn a little: SEAR.

and the reveal

35A. Emulate Moses ... and what four black squares do in this puzzle: PART THE RED SEA (13).

Across:

10. B.C. law enforcers: RCMP. Royal Canadin Mounted Police. LINK.

14. Big name in denim: LEVI. Strauss, and a bonus fill as this is one of the 12 tribes of Israel.

15. Dental restoration: ONLAY. Your Dentistry 101 LESSON.

16. Cause of some bad apples?: ALAR.

17. Has to pay: OWES.

18. Part of a script: SCENE.

19. Cyber phenomenon: MEME.

23. Memphis-to-Atlanta dir. : ESE.

24. Big fuss: ADO.

25. With "the," what a boxer doesn't want to hit?: CANVAS.

26. Pulse:THROB.

28. High points: ACMES.

31. Latin I word: AMO amas, amat.

32. Prepared, as eggs for eggs Benedict: POACHED.

34. Votin' nay: AGIN.

38. Like a breeze? : EASY.

39. August birthstone: PERIDOT.

40. "How you doin'?" : SUP.

41. Lost patience: HAD IT.

42. "The Beauty Myth" author Wolf: NAOMI. Naomi R. Wolf is a liberal progressive American author, journalist, feminist, and former political advisor to Al Gore and Bill Clinton. Wolf first came to prominence in 1991 as the author of The Beauty Myth. Wikipedia. No politics.

46. Chip off the old block? : SLIVER.

48. Annoyed exclamation: BAH.

50. Greek god of the wild: PAN. This DEITY, but no religion.

55. Bill __ Climate Lab: former exhibit at Oakland's Chabot Space & Science Center: NYES. The Science Guy.

56. Awaits decision: PENDS.

57. Brief refusal to "Are you hungry?": I ATE.

58. Nineteenth Amendment campaigner: CATT. The Amendment that gave women the right to VOTE.

59. Rolex rival: OMEGA.

60. Gillette offering: ATRA.

61. Book of Mormon prophet: ENOS. No religion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65y9YU1jUNA

Down:

1. Daisy component: FLORET. Tricked me with Flower at first.

2. Clean some more: REWASH.

3. Plane, for one: EVENER. The meh of the day.

4. Ph.D. hurdle: DISSertation.

5. "I feel your pain": SO SAD.

6. Went too far: ENCROACHED. That is why you need to get a survey before you buy Property.

7. Protected, in a way: ALEE.

8. Succeed in getting: LAND.

9. Word with private or public: EYE.

10. Collegian's diet staple: RAMEN.

11. Rift: CLEAVAGE. Not the first definition I think of for cleavage. This COLLECTION is for all.

12. "Money, Money, Money" musical: MAMMA MIA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbdHevSRWJE

13. Exploits: PREYS ON. This fooled me for minute, reading it as one word.

21. Henry __ Lodge: WWI senator: CABOT. I grew up in the sphere of these Boston Brahmin families who itermarried to consolidate power. However, it was not the Lodges in a famous quote, "Here's to dear old Boston, The home of the bean and the cod, Where Lowells speak only to Cabots, And Cabots speak only to god."

22. Swedish carrier: SAS. Scandinavian Airlines.

25. Surrendered: CEDED.

27. Nashville highlight: OPRY. As in Grand Old.

29. "SNL" alumna Oteri: CHERI. Classic corssword fill.

30. Scout's honor? : MERIT BADGE. Cute.

33. How some bonds are purchased: AT PAR.

34. Movie role for Skippy: ASTA. Skippy has his own IMDB PAGE.

35. Speaker after John Boehner: PAUL RYAN. So much politics to avoid.

36. Shoot for: ASPIRE TO.

37. Air Force pilot who became a pop star: DON HO. His BIO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlCiDEXuxxA

38. True nature: ESSENCE.

41. "__ give you the shirt off his back": HE'D. Give anything and everything one possesses. For example, Tom is truly generous-he'll give you the shirt off his back. This hyperbolic idiom was first recorded in 1771.

43. Morphine, e.g.: OPIATE.

44. It's repeated a lot: MANTRA. Om, om, om.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWYwLA3PJrg

45. Ready to go: IN GEAR.

47. Kevlar products: VESTS.

49. Mideast ruling family name: ASSAD. The FAMILY.

52. Rest area heavyweight: SEMI. For those who did not like MACK.

53. Cabinet dept. : ENERgy.

54. Long and Vardalos: NIAS.













56. Winner's gathering: POT. Well, maybe now that they have legalized marijuana- oh, you mean a poker pot, Never mind.

Roland Huget

Title: Bassackwards.

Roland presents a challenging workout, with a classic theme that I have seen in a few Sunday puzzles, where you generally have a title rather than a reveal. A quick look at the record books shows this PUZZLE from the pre-Will Shortz NY Times. That cluing was much easier. The most impressive thing about this version is that Roland took two single words- SHORTSTOP + OVERHEADS and made them two word themers and took 2 two word phrases and made them a single word. Then we have the rest of the puzzle. Triple stacks of 7 letter down fill with many of the words very sparkly such as ALANINE, ENTOMBS, HABITAT, JOCKEYS, MORTARS, NAIROBI, ONE COAT, SCABBED, SHYSTER, USER FEE, WALKURE as well as E-TICKETS and ICE SKATE. This took me longer than most Fridays. YMMV.

17A. *Prepares to pass the football : BACKDROPS (9). A quarterback DROPS BACK to pass. LINK.

21A. *Baseball position : STOP SHORT (9). A SHORTSTOP is placed between 2nd and third base. LINK.

38A. *Strokes in tennis : HEADS OVER (9). OVERHEADS are the smash of tennis. LINK.

59A. *Basketball strategy : BREAKFAST (9). The FAST BREAK is where a team gets a rebound and attempts to make it downcourt before the other team can get back to play defense. LINK.

65A. Fair play? ... or the key to understanding the answers to starred clues : TURN ABOUT (9). It can be one or two words. The phrase has been in existence since at least 1755.

Okay now on to some very Friday clues/fill.

Across:

1. Fifth pillar of Islam : HAJJ. If you want more information READ.

5. Puts on a patch, say : SEWS. Does anyone patch clothes anymore?

9. Intestinal tract division : ILEUM. This is the third portion of the small intestine, between the jejunum and the cecum.

14. Moises of the 2002-'04 Cubs : ALOU. He was the outfielder in the famous Bartmann Cubs loss to the Marlins and he was a very good PLAYER.

15. Card in a baby straight : TREY. Babat straight  ace, deuce, trey, four and five.

16. Playground retort : CAN SO. Cannot.

19. Butyl acetate, e.g. : ESTER.  I will let our scientist handle this one.

20. Graphic novel artist : INKER. The page is drawn in pencil, then the lines inked, colored and the talk bubles lettered. 4 people plus the author and editor.

23. Is connected : TIES IN.

25. Water__: dental brand : PIK.

26. Curator's deg. : MFA. Masters of Fine Arts.

27. Word with idea or luck : ANY. Random.

28. Gaucho's weapon : BOLA. We get this about once a year.

31. Schmoozing sort : GABBER.

33. Hardy heroine : TESS. d'Urbervilles.

35. Sweeping : VAST.

37. Shocks, in a way : TASES.

41. Uppity sort : SNOOT. So - informal: a person who shows contempt for those considered to be of a lower social class.

44. Hospital fluids : SERA.

45. Hair adornments : BOWS.

49. Aerobic regime, familiarly : CARDIO.

51. Many a Black Friday worker : TEMP.

53. Casual negative : NAH.

54. First __ : AID.

55. Two-timer : CAD.

57. 100 percent : PURELY. Not 99 and 44/100 percent?

63. Big haulers : MACKS. The trucks.  For SALE in Miami.

64. Comedic pianist Victor : BORGE. So entertaining.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKeqaDSjy98

67. "Sneak Previews" co-host : EBERT. It started more than 40 years ago. LINK.

68. Niagara Falls source : ERIE. A CSO to Abejo and others.

69. Empty : BARE. This came to mind.
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone;
But when she came there
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

70. Pranks : DIDOS. 1.  a mischievous or capricious act : prank, antic —often used in the phrase cut didoes. Not a word I remember.

71. It may be payable monthly : DEBT.

72. Bodily passage : ITER. Anatomy. 1. a canal or passage.

Down:

1. Natural environment : HABITAT. Also the chosen name for Habitat for Humanity.

2. Amino acid used in protein biosynthesis : ALANINE. More CHEMISTRY that I have forgotten or never knew.

3. Derby VIPs : JOCKEYS. Both in Kentucky and the ORIGINAL race.

4. Diner devices, familiarly : JUKES. Juke boxes. Did you know restaurants are supposed to pay mechanical rights to the publishers? The LAW.

5. Orch. section : STRing.

6. Piccadilly Circus statue : EROS.

7. Turned on the waterworks : WEPT.

8. Network admin : SYSOP. While it was an abbreviation, it no longer is. LINK.

9. One of many seen at the NCAA's Frozen Four : ICESKATE. The hockey version.

10. Mascara target : LASH.

11. Puts to rest : ENTOMBS.

12. Cover charge relative : USER FEE.

13. Pestle partners : MORTARS.

18. Smidgen : DRIB. Dribs and drabs.

22. Barnyard rooter : PIG.

24. Stellar phenomenon : NOVA.

29. Fellows : LADS.

30. Corporate machinery, e.g. : ASSET.

32. Caustic remark : BARB.

34. Like racehorses : SHOD. Clecho with...

36. Went like racehorses : TORE.

39. Modern concert conveniences : E-TICKETS.

40. Mae West persona : VAMP.

41. Crossed a picket line : SCABBED. I do not like this as verb.

42. Capital east of Lake Victoria : NAIROBI. You might want to go, use this TRAVEL GUIDE.

43. Requested at a drive-thru : ORDERED.

46. Primer application : ONE COAT. Not necessarily. READ.

47. Wagner's "Die __" : WALKURE. It is pronounced like Valkurey (Valkyrie) a gimme for our German speakers.

48. Lawyer to avoid : SHYSTER. More German: mid 19th century: origin uncertain; perhaps related to German Scheisser ‘worthless person.'

50. Clumsy one : OAF.

52. Big cat : PUMA. We have them in Florida. They are endangered,  they arecommonly known as the cougar, mountain lion, puma, panther, native to the Americas.

56. Old hat : DATED.

58. Religious leader : RABBI.

60. Prefix with industry : AGRO.

61. Unwavering : SURE.

62. Salt Lake daily, familiarly : TRIB. The daily TRIBUNE.

66. Realize : NET. How much profit did you realize?

Alex Bajcz

Title: Sounds like fun.

Alex B. makes his second 2018 appearance and his first Friday since his debut in 2013. That one also had sound alike fill. Here the premise is simple - one word in a known phrase is replaced with its homonym and clued for maximum comedic effect. Unlike some puzzles depending on pronunciation, there really should not be any regioanl complaints about the word choices. I enjoyed the choices and the rest of the puzzle.

20A. What Darwin did aboard the Beagle? : WRITE OF PASSAGE (14). RITE of passage,  a French term innovated by the ethnographer Arnold van Gennep in his work Les rites de passage, "The Rites of Passage." The Beagle is particularly notable for carrying the naturalist Charles Darwin on her second voyage. The voyage played a pivotal role in the formation of Darwin's scientific theories on evolution and natural selection. Wiki et al.

25A. London supermarket sections? : BRITISH AISLES (13). British ISLES birthplace of our Steve, and others at the corner. There are MANY.

48A. Tie shoes professionally? : KNOT FOR PROFIT (13). NOT for profit, the silliest one. I suppose a man servant -valet - might fit.

55A. Lacking a critical watch-making supply? : OUT OF HOUR HANDS (14). Out of OUR hands, the most clever as you need both minute hands and hour hands to make an analog watch.

There are a boat load of sparkly fill, CHAFE AT,  LAFITTE , MODULES,  NOT NICE, AIR LANES, TEST RIDE, GREAT STUFF and ICE SKATING. Let us solve/

Across:

1. In need of mopping: SPILT. My childhood refrain from the sweet boys at school:
Oops slop, get the mop.. There is more to the song.

6. Apple app mostly replaced by Messages: i CHAT. iChat is a discontinued instant messaging software application developed by Apple Inc. for use on its Mac OS X operating system

11. Clock std. : GST. Not usre about this one; maybe Greenwich Standard Time?

14. Some plankton: ALGAE. Yummy for a whale tummy.

15. Iconic Vivien Leigh role: O'HARA.

16. 2014 World Cup Final host: RIO. Site of the World Cup andthe Olympics.

17. Bungles: GOOFS.

18. Stable moms: MARES. Really fun misdirection.

19. "What is THAT?" : EEK. A mouse.

23. Far from fresh: TRITE.

24. Reduced to crumbs, perhaps: EATEN.

30. Behaved like a lovestruck heart: RACED.

31. Lakeside temperature gauge? : TOE. Also useful in catching water mocassins.

32. End: STOP.

35. Love interest for WALL-E: EVE.

36. Word that may follow a president's name: ERA.

39. Carrier merged with Delta since 2010: NWA.

41. Game with Reverse cards: UNO. My grandmother loved paying cards, cribbage when I was young, and as she got older she fell in love with UNO.

42. '50s sitcom name: DESI. Arnaz.

44. Something to wrestle with: ARM.

46. Figure out: INFER.

52. Walking aid: STAFF.

54. Distributed: DEALT.

60. Hitter's stat : RBI.

61. Sometimes plucked instrument : CELLO. Clecho- 8D. Plucked instrument : HARP.

62. Dorothy, to Em : NIECE. Aunty 'Em.

64. Common base : TEN.

65. Impulses : URGES.

66. Showman's talent : ECLAT. This back, can ELAN be fr beehind?

67. Braz. neighbor : ARGentina.

68. Flirt : TEASE.

69. "Voting Rights Trail" terminus : SELMA. Want to read this STORY.

Down:

1. Sink : SAG. Two weeks in a row.

2. Slam (into) : PLOW.

3. Movie lab helper : IGOR.

4. Battle of New Orleans pirate : LAFITTE.

                                                                          Laffite

5. Short Golf drive? : TEST RIDE.

6. Insect with eyespots on its wings : IO MOTH. I hope John Lampkin stops by with insight.

7. Be irritated by : CHAFE AT.

9. Region : AREA.

10. Academic hanger : TASSEL. Cute clue.

11. "Nice work!" : GREAT STUFF.

12. Onslaught : SIEGE.

13. Symbolic yet insubstantial : TOKEN.

21. München cubes : EIS. Even in German it probably upsets Tin.

22. RSVP holders : SAES.  I know it as SASE. But I guess they are not providing any stamp.

25. Word after well or ill : BRED.

26. Techno club event : RAVE.

27. Winter recreation : ICE SKATING.

28. Solar wind particle : ION.

29. Use a needle : SEW.

33. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love" : ONE I.

34. Cargo pickup site : PORT.

37. Ubiquitous rodent : RAT.

38. Warning sound, perhaps : ARF.

40. Southwest routes : AIRLANES.

43. Recon target : INFO.

45. Interchangeable components : MODULES.

47. Mean : NOT NICE.

49. Lumber remnant, in Liverpool : OFFCUT.

50. Ascended again : REROSE. Meh.

51. "Blast it!" : PAH.

52. Wavering word : SORTA.

53. Potato or yam : TUBER.

56. "Try this" : HERE.

57. Contemporary of Nadia : OLGA. Korbut.

58. Computer giant : DELL.

59. In retrospect, it may have sounded too good to be true : SCAM. If it does it is.

63. SFO posting : ETA. Airport code for San Francisco.

David Alfred Bywaters

Title: Where have all the Ws gone, long time passing...

DAB is back with a letter removal puzzle. His reveal is more complicated as each "W" is part of a phrase that begins with "SW." Hence the reveal. This seems mostly easy for a Friday, but the consistency of the theme and having three gridspanners makes it a thing of beauty.



OPENHANDED,  SPARE TIRES, AVOIDED, EMBASSY


17A. Ratting to the cops and carrying a tune? : SWINGING BOTH WAYS (15). Both kinds of Singing.

24A. Dupe gatherings? : SWAP MEETS (8). Where the pigeons are plucked.

39A. What rain may do to a bad toupee? : SWEEP UNDER THE RUG (15). Wonderful image of rain water on a bald man.

51A. Place to buy a chair? : SWEAT SHOP (8). Not a PC term.

62A. Cowboy outfit? : SWADDLING CLOTHES (15). A new born changes into a cowboy.

71A. Deli cheese ... or, in three parts, a hint to the five longest across puzzle answers: SWISS (5) you have to parse this as SW IS S.

ACROSS:

1. Leftover bit in a basket: CRUMB. The bread basket.

6. Taken out by Buffy? : SLAIN. She was known as the SLAYER.

11. Farm home: STY. Two weeks in a row.

14. Lash LaRue's "Frontier Revenge,"e.g.: OATER. Since the stars of the movies were horses and they ate oats. Should be easy after Steve's write-up yesterday.


15. Critical circulation aid: AORTA. You know this as the main artery of the body, supplying oxygenated blood to the circulatory system. In humans it passes over the heart from the left ventricle and runs down in front of the backbone.

16. Op lead-in: PRE.

20. Chem. class suffix: IDE.

21. Buddy type: BOSOM.  Who recalls this career launching series?  LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UI_JwF3cnA

22. Scots Gaelic: ERSE. Repeat. Along with 55A. Sounds of hesitation : ERS. No common link. Or maybe 35D. Romain de Tirtoff, famously : ERTE.

23. More than moist: WET.

27. Kept away from: AVOIDED.

31. National Grandparents' Day mo. : SEPT. The first Sunday after Labor Day. HISTORY.

32. Trumpet players? : LIPS. Lips are key to all wind instruments, I believe.

33. Regions : AREAS.

36. RN workplace : ICU. Intensive Care Unit.

43. Hold one's __ : OWN.

44. Cook in the oven : ROAST.

45. Walk unsteadily : REEL.

46. Prince in "Frozen" : HANS. Spoiler alert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vvo7ZAdj0E

48. Diplomat's headquarters : EMBASSY.

56. Forearm part : ULNA. The outside bone, the radius is on the outside. I fractured my radius two years go.

57. Last European colony in Asia : MACAO. Macau also spelled Macao and officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the western side of the Pearl River estuary in East Asia. in 1887 the Portuguese finally managed to secure an agreement from China that Macao was Portuguese territory, ending 330 years of uncertainty. In 1999 it was handed over to China. Macau was the last extant European territory in continental Asia.

59. Dallas sch. : SMU. Southern Methodist University.

66. Consumed : ATE.

67. Like many squawkers : AVIAN. Birds.

68. Immerse completely : DOUSE. More water.

69. Nickname for Edward : NED.

70. Cruel sort: MEANY. Seems like a silly word.

Down:

1. "__ fan tutte": COSI.

2. Prohibition surprise : RAID.

3. __ Reader : UTNE.

4. Not much memory, these days : MEG.  I bought a computer for my sons in 1992. A "Portable" computer of the time period, something like a Compaq LTE weighed six pounds, which had a i386 CPU, a 9.5" display (smaller than the size of the iPad's) and VGA graphics (640x480). We are now up to Terrabytes.

5. Greased : BRIBED.

6. Droops : SAGS.

7. University of New Mexico team : LOBOS.

8. Kitchen drawer? : AROMA.

9. U.S. manufacturer founded as a communications co. in 1920 : ITT.

10. "Don't think so!" : NAH.

11. Trunks often contain them : SPARE TIRES. As do many WalMart customers.

12. Private meeting : TRYST.

13. Approvals : YESES.

18. F-sharp, for one : NOTE. This clu/fill leavce me flat.

19. "Willow __ for Me": jazz standard : WEEP. The two Ws here a re finsbecause they are not attached to an S.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLiPCpENAM8

23. Bit of smoke : WISP.

25. H.S. junior's exam : PSAT. Standardized tests for pratice.

26. Net fabric : MESH.

27. Too : ALSO.

28. Condo selling point : VIEW.

29. Generous : OPEN HANDED. Dictionary: 1(of a blow) delivered with the palm of the hand.
"an openhanded slap to the side of the face. " 2. giving freely; generous."openhanded philanthropy"

30. Duchamp genre : DADA. He was a true pioneer. LINK.

34. Legal thing : RES.

37. Parlor sticks : CUES. Billiar parlor.

38. Like some moods : UGLY.

40. Footed vases : URNS.

41. On-the-run bite : NOSH. One of many Yiddish terms incorpoated in our culture.

42. Big periods : ERAS.

47. The teensiest bit : A TAD.

49. Nourishment provider : MEAL.

50. Stews (over) : BROODS. Who does not love a great BROODING HERO.

51. 1940s-'60s top-10 girl's name that ranked 922nd in 2016 : SUSAN. Hi, Hahtoolah.

52. Thrill : ELATE. A favorite word of our fearless leader.

53. __ vincit amor : OMNIA. Love conquers all.

54. Certain polytheist : PAGAN.

58. Sch. in Harlem : CCNY. City College of New York.

59. Feng __ : SHUI. 2018 UPDATE.

60. Slob's production : MESS.

61. Versatility list : USES.

63. On the __: hiding : LAM.

64. "__ had it!" : I'VE.

65. Drag behind : TOW.