Joe Deeney

Title: Ring around a black square, a pocketful of why.

This puzzle should garner much commentary and controversy. Those who have been reading my puzzle write-ups for many years know that I enjoy a visual theme as much as a witty one. Today's challenge has only on complete theme fill, the central grid-spanning 36A. Acknowledgment of success--four are hidden in this puzzle, each adjacent to a black square: ROUND OF APPLAUSE (15) the grid shows this creation better than words.



The great beauty of the final effort is the progression of the word
CLAP. It goes west, north, east then south. The next is north, east, south then west, and so on. Around as a circle. The rest of the puzzle is loaded with fun fill. CHIRPILY, HOTPRESS, AER LINGUS,  EMILE ZOLA.  EVERY TIME. GREY GOOSE, LIVE RADIO,  PUNCHLINE,  SOFT COLOR and  WATER LEAK with those highlighted in green making their LAT debut. MC REN also makes its major puzzle debut.

Joe has become an end of the week regular with TTP and HG each having blogged multiple JD efforts. I anxiously await your comments.

Across:

1. Nice with?: AVEC. The classic French city misdirection.

5. "The Empire Strikes Back" ice planet: HOTH. Vader employed bad STRATEGY.

9. Big bucks: STAGS. Not money but deer.

14. It's mostly talk: LIVE RADIO. A fun clue.

16. __ board: EMERY. A boring fill?

17. "Les Rougon-Macquart" author: EMILE ZOLA. This is the most incredible WORK. imdb.

18. N.W.A member portrayed by Aldis Hodge in "Straight Outta Compton": MC REN. The cast of historical MOVIE.

19. Upper bod muscle: PECtoral. Abbreviation - abbreviation.

20. Drainage system component: AIR TRAP. LINK. Not being handy I leave you all to the picture. But you might need it if you develop a 57A. Drip, perhaps: WATER LEAK.

22. Caustic solution: LYE. I will not lie about it.

23. Calendering machine for glossing paper: HOT PRESS. I point only to the dictionary definition of hot-press (Entry 1 of 3)
1: a calendering machine in which paper or cloth is glossed by being pressed between glazed boards and hot metal plates. I do not know what a calendering machine is.

25. Longtime sportscaster Sager: CRAIG. A much-admired sports reporter whose death revealed a family CRISIS.

27. Cash closing?: IER. Cashier- clever.

28. Chafing dish heaters: STERNOS.

30. "Your Unfiltered View of Government" sloganeer: CSPAN. Who knew?

33. Jesus in the outfield: ALOU. The youngest of the three brothers.

35. Entertainment awards acronym: EGOT.
Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony.

39. "What __ one comes?": IF NO. You will have many leftovers.

40. Cutters: SAWS.

41. "Ready?" response: I'M SET. Not from me.

42. Michigan/Ontario border river: ST. CLAIR. Saint Clair River, outlet for Lake Huron, forming part of the boundary between Michigan, U.S. (west), and Ontario, Can. (east). Flowing southward into Lake Saint Clair, with a fall of 5.7 feet (1.7 m) in 39 miles (63 km), the river discharges through a silty, seven-mouth delta, with the South Channel (27-foot [8-metre] minimum depth) used for deep-drafted vessels. The St. Clair delta is the world’s largest delta that enters a freshwater lake. Britannica.

44. Kellogg School deg.: MBA. Master Of Business Administration.

45. Go after: CHASE.

46. In a cheerful way: CHIRPILY. "A new blog! (she tweeted chirpily)."

51. Abbr. that debuted in OED in 2011: LOL.

52. Kind of share: PRO-RATA.

54. MDX ÷ X: CLI.

55. "Three inches is such a wretched height to be" speaker: ALICE. Poor child, she did not understand what it was like to be a caterpillar.

59. World's fastest hedgehog: SONIC.

60. Always: EVERY TIME.

61. Boxer's reward: TREAT. The puppy, not pugilist.

62. 1987 Costner role: NESS.

63. ORD postings: ETAS. ORD- Chicago O'Hare.

Down:

1. Beth preceder: ALEPH. Not any longer, the popular transliteration of the Hebrew alphabet has the second letter as "bet."

2. YouTube alternative: VIMEO. This SITE.

3. Give the boot: EVICT. I think more of firing but it did not fit.

4. Toon collectible: CEL.

5. Less clear: HAZIER. Many CHOICES.

6. Olfactory triggers: ODORS.

7. Leans: TILTS.

8. Winter covering: HOAR. Rimes with boar.

9. Musical "throughout": SEMPRE. Italian, from the Latin SEMPER. Fidelis.

10. HBO competitor: TMC. Not really.

11. Carrier with a shamrock logo: AER LINGUS.

Perhaps better with a glass of...


12. Vodka brand: GREY GOOSE.

13. "Auld Lang __": SYNE. It seems a bit out of context.

15. Hit in the back: REAR END.

21. Stop working: ACT UP. This also is a very extreme example of not working unless you are talking about a machine.

24. Self-playing instrument: PIANOLA. The pianola (pronounce: "pee-ah-NO-la"), also called the player piano, is a piano that has a pneumatic mechanism so that it can play by itself. The air for this system came from a pump operated by the player's feet, and in some later models, an electric pump. When I was first married we bought a player piano and both of my sons learned to play as babies with the help of the rolls.

26. TripAdvisor offering: AREA MAP.

28. Illegal payments: SOPS. One definition is something given to pacify or quiet, or as a bribe: The political boss gave him some cash as a sop.

29. "Do not remove" mark: STET.

30. Football Hall of Famer Carter: CRIS.

31. Subdued shade: SOFT COLOR.

32. Funny part: PUNCHLINE. Do you remember?

33. A long way off: AFAR.

34. Common practice: LAW. So nobody gets good enough to stop practicing.

37. Rattan alternative: OSIER. Definition, any of various willows, as the red osier, having tough, flexible twigs or branches that are used for wickerwork.

38. Congress has a big one: LIBRARY.

43. Viewpoint: ASPECT.

44. Ceremonial headdresses: MITERS. This is a tall headdress worn by bishops and senior abbots as a symbol of office, tapering to a point at the front and back with a deep cleft between.

46. Covet: CRAVE. Thou shall not crave thy neighbor's wife?

47. Can't tolerate: HATES. Hate is more.

48. Nail down the victory: ICE IT.

49. South American carrier: LLAMA.

50. "Uh-oh!": YIKES.

51. Endure: LAST.

53. __ Lars, who raised Luke Skywalker: OWEN.
Owen Lars

56. "Homeland" org.: CIA. Not true, much of the nation's homeland security activity remains outside of DHS; for example, the FBI and CIA are not part of the Department.

58. 4G __: mobile device standard: LTE. LTE is an abbreviation for Long Term Evolution. LTE is a 4G wireless communications standard developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) that's designed to provide up to 10x the speeds of 3G networks for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, netbooks, notebooks, and wireless hotspots.

He may not be a DiMaggio, but Joe D. is on a hitting streak here at the Corner. I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle and writing it up for your enlightenment and comments. Be careful, be safe. Lemonade out.

David Van Houten

Title: Let's go to the movies.

David is back for his second LAT publication. I blogged his debut in January. This time he adds to a one-word movie title and clues the new phrase with a reference to movie chosen. A simple and tight theme. Just as last week's puzzle which TTP blogged, this grid is more similar to an early week effort with no long fill outside the theme. The most striking thing is that the puzzle is just an "M" short of a pangram. So...

20A. Never heard of a 1996 Robin Williams movie?: DON'T KNOW JACK (12). This MOVIE is the first of two Diane Lane movies that David has chosen.

37A. "You grabbed the wrong Stephen King movie"?: THAT'S NOT IT (10). This MOVIE is not for you if you do not like horror.

43A. Essay about a 2015 Christina Applegate movie?: ON VACATION (10). This MOVIE is the second generation of Griswolds travels.

58A. Start a 2001 Keanu Reeves movie?: PLAY HARDBALL.(12). This MOVIE which was an early effort of Michael B. Jordan.

Across:

1. "Get outta here!": SCAT. Various theories of the ETYMOLOGY.

5. Snatch: GRAB. 28A. Have a sudden inspiration?: GASP.

9. Give up: QUIT.

13. Sweater outlet?: PORE. We have a friend who suffers from Hyperhidrosis. A classic use of the homonym misdirection.

14. Concerning kidneys: RENAL.

16. Annapolis sch.: USNA. United States Naval Academy

17. "Roots" author Haley: ALEX.

18. Actress Graff: ILENE. You may know her work but not her NAME. She has been a puzzle regular since 2003.

19. Ain't fixed?: ISN'T. Cute.

23. Wipes away: ERASES. My mind immediately went HERE.

24. Juegos Olímpicos prize: ORO. Spanish for Olympic Games and Gold.

25. Road crew's supply: TAR.

31. Sexually attractive: NUBILE. One of my favorite words when I started chasing women. Definition of nubile. 1: of marriageable condition or age nubile young women. 2: sexually attractive —used of a young woman a nubile starlet.

33. Magical phrase starter: ABRA. Cadabra.

39. The Parthenon, e.g.: RUINS.

41. Cry from a card holder: UNO.

42. Roof worker: TILER.

46. Fallon's predecessor: LENO. Do they really hate Jimmy Fallon? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgE7Kmhqw4M

47. __ symbol: STATUS.

48. Ancient queen, familiarly: CLEOpatra.

50. Immigrant's subj.: ESL. English as a Second Language. I am eternally grateful for this course.

51. Rap name contraction: LIL. 66A. "Rhyme Pays" rapper: ICE-T. 56D. Better, to a rapper: ILLER. Urban dictionary...iller
adj: more ill, better, sweeter, cooler.

53. Like some numerals: ARABIC.

61. Rattle: FAZE.

64. Flower girl, perhaps: NIECE.

65. Paella pot: OLLA.

67. Unsettled states: SNITS.

68. __ fee: USER.

69. Sainted historian: BEDE. An interesting HISTORY.

70. Backbone or spine: GRIT. Or 25D. Words on a spine: TITLE. Definition 2 for "spine": the part of a book's jacket or cover that encloses the inner edges of the pages, facing outward when the book is on a shelf and typically bearing the title and the author's name.

71. Weight allowance: TARE.

Down:

1. Garden tool: SPADE.

2. Rainbow flag component: COLOR. There are others.

3. Fan belt?: ARENA.

4. Messages sent from cells: TEXTS.

5. Is amused by: GRINS AT.

6. Move, in Realtor-speak: RELOcates. Not an easy time for these sellers either.

7. From the top: ANEW.

8. Scruggs' strings: BANJO. A musical interlude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJOIqmlI65Y

9. Nestlé product suffix: QUIK. Suffix?

10. Initials before a state's name, sometimes: USS. Navy.

11. Imaret, say: INN. Miriam-Webster tells us that this is an inn or hospice in Turkey. I have some friends from Istanbul, but they have not taught me that word.

12. Bit of ink: TAT.

15. Profits (from): LEARNS.

21. Brew holder: KEG. A CSO to my beer brewing and selling family.

22. Matter: COUNT.

26. 1979 sci-fi classic with three sequels and two prequels: ALIEN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ5lPt9edzQ

27. In style again: RETRO.

29. Close: SHUT.

30. Go to pieces: PANIC. My certain reaction if I spent much time with Sigourney Weaver.

32. Bubble, in a way: BOIL. To me-
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.

33. Emanated (from): AROSE.

34. Diamond strategies: BUNTS. No baseball yet.

35. Same-state opponent, often: RIVAL. Auburn/Alabama. Florida/Florida State/Miami.

36. Future doc's subj.: ANATomy.

38. Plane, e.g.: TOOL. Not up in the air, but...

40. Racing craft: SCULL.

44. Chinese and Indians: ASIANS. And so many more.

45. Most closely related: NEAREST.

49. Chicago airport code: ORD. O'Hare, originally named Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. Midway opened in 1926.

52. Not true: LYING.

54. Give or take: ABOUT. Circa.

55. Modeling wood: BALSA. This WOOD is a CSO to our Canadian friends.

57. Shannon's county: CLARE. Learn MORE.

58. Townshend of The Who: PETE. More music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7LVHiMzyrA

59. Son or daughter, often: HEIR. Rather macabre.

60. When Juliet says, "Go ask his name": ACTI. Our Friday Shakespeare reference.

61. Little lie: FIB. Such an absurd concept.

62. Frequent winner: ACE. This leads us to the end...

63. British jazz element?: ZED. The middle Zs.

Robin Stears

Title: Anagram that!

After writing up hundreds of Friday puzzles, it is unusual to fill in all the spaces and not know the theme. But that is exactly why I love crossword puzzles, and it took staring at the reveal and fill positioned in all the regular theme locations (e.g. 17A) to have the light bulb come on. A classic V-8 can in the forehead. I will bet that Steve and others who love the classic British puns and anagram puzzles featured in the London Times etc. will adore this theme. Once I saw the concept, it was so easy. Robin took four very different types of oils- ESSENTIAL, COD LIVER, VEGETABLE, and LAVENDER  and repurposed the letters into fanciful but legitimate alternate fill. This built on a 2018 PUZZLE that Steve stared at, just like I did today. Finding combinations that included all the letters of the oil was most impressive.

Robin has appeared in the LAT since 2009 but has ramped up her mainstream publications with this being her 5th of 2020. Here is a quick LOOK at her construction history. Today, she crammed the grid with 7 letter fill like ACADEMY. ATINGLE, CARTELS, EVASIVE, ICE FLOE, LA PLATA, MASONIC, ODDBALL, OVERRAN, PESETAS, RATRACE, REPTILE, SEASIDE, SO HAVE I, SOLACES , and SOVIETS.

17A. *Bargain on the last day of Oktoberfest?: STEIN SALE.
ESSENTIAL. What makes it essential? The ESSENCE.

26A. *Singer Damone, vis-à-vis actor Morrow?: OLDER VIC.
COD LIVER. Damone was only about 8 months older. Cod Liver Oil was a big threat to kids wanting to stay home from school when I was young.

38A. *Snoopy's specialist?: BEAGLE VET.
VEGETABLE. I was stumped on 36A trying to make it a variation of Olive Oil. Some OILS that didn't make the cut.

53A. *One who'll talk your ear off about osso buco and saltimbocca?: VEAL NERD.
LAVENDER. The silliest of the fill.
and, the reveal:
65A. Basic auto maintenance, and how each answer to a starred clue was created: OIL CHANGE. This is one time I may not have gotten the theme without the reveal.

Across:

1. Incite: PROD. Prodding sounds much meaner, but I grew up in cow country so my mental picture may be wrong.

5. Modern "methinks": IMHO. In My Humble Opinion. Language changes the words not the thoughts.

9. Pink flowers in a van Gogh still life: ROSES. He painted this while in the asylum at St.Remy. The color has faded.

14. Water-diverting feature: EAVE. The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls. Wiki.

15. It's not optional: NEED. Nice clue.

16. Brigham Young University city: PROVO. Read its HISTORY.

19. Urdu for "palace": MAHAL. Urdu تاج محل‎ (tāj mahal, “crown of palaces.

20. Blunder: ERR.

21. Barbarian in Dante's Seventh Circle: ATTILA. In the river of boiling blood are the violent sinners, such as Alexander the Great and Attila the Hun, Ghibelline tyrants and 13th-century robber barons, "are paying for their heartless crimes" (XII.106). Michael Delahoyde.

23. Butterfield of "Ender's Game": ASA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP0cUBi4hwE

24. Cartomancy deck: TAROT. This is a stretch because cartomancy uses a real deck (or part of one) of cards. This is what my grandmother TAUGHT.

29. Starfleet school: ACADEMY. Star Trek.

32. Record holder: SLEEVE. I love this misdirection, especially now that they are producing albums again.

33. Ship: SEND.

34. Accessories for a Red Hat Society lunch: BOAS. This ORGANIZATION is appropriate for many Cornerites.

37. Bond and Bourne: SPIES.

41. Scratching post material: SISAL. Cats prefer woven sisal because their claws do not get caught in the sisal rope. It is a natural fiber derived from the 'agave sisalana' cactus plant and is not the same fiber as coir or jute.

44. Jai __: ALAI.

45. Its first version was egg-shaped: iMAC.

49. Spotted cat: OCELOT. 

51. Argentina's "City of Diagonals": LA PLATA. A CSO to OMK and this CITY.

56. Norse group that fought the Vanir: AESIR. The Aesir (pronounced “ICE-ir”; Old Norse Æsir for multiple gods, Ásynjur for multiple goddesses, Áss for one god, and Ásynja for one goddess) were one of the two main tribes of deities venerated by the pre-Christian Norse.

57. Hypotheticals: IFS.

58. Part of AC/DC: DIRECT. Current.

61. Minn. neighbor: ONTario. We have many visitors from Ontario here in Pompano Beach.

62. A-listers: ELITE.

67. "Who's on First?" catcher: TODAY. You have to be a real fan to recall that position.

First base          Who
Second base What
Third base I Don't Know
Leftfield           Why
Centerfield Because
Pitcher             Tomorrow
Catcher            Today
Shortstop         I Don't Give a Darn! or I Don't Care!

68. Composer Sibelius: JEAN. 15 FACTS.

69. While away: KILL. Ah, while away not while away!

70. Note next to a red F, maybe: SEE ME. Since we have so many teachers who read this blog, this may be an ultimate gimme.

71. __-Navy game: ARMY.

72. Downfall of many kings?: ACES. Also a fun clue.


Down:

1. Old Iberian coins: PESETAS. Woth 100 centimos.

2. Grind: RAT RACE. I loved the Lucys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FPN8H9jiXY

3. Exceeded, as a budget: OVERRAN. I like "waves of barbarians overran the Roman Empire" and "he must not overrun his authority as governor" better.

4. Agnus __: DEI.

5. MIT center?: Abbr.: INSTitute.

6. Substantial content: MEAT. What a meaty tome.

7. Sun: Pref.: HELIO. We had this in January.

8. The "O" in football's OBJ: ODELL. Beckham Junior.
HIGHLIGHTS.

9. Tach readout: RPM. Revolutions Per Minute.

10. 60 minuti: ORA. Italian lesson.

11. "Me too": SO HAVE I.

12. Hard to follow: EVASIVE. I like this clue.

13. Says "There, there," say: SOLACES. Middle English: from Old French solas (noun), solacier (verb), based on Latin solari ‘to console’.

18. Silver of FiveThirtyEight: NATE. The POLLING PLACE.

22. Spots: ADS.

25. Eccentric: ODDBALL.

27. "What __ can I do?": ELSE.

28. Snake, for one: REPTILE.

30. MIT Sloan deg.: MBA. Master of Business Administration was created in the US.

31. Class with mats: YOGA.

35. Entirely: ALL.

36. Authenticating symbol: SEAL. Now we use stamps for seals on legal papers.

39. North Carolina university: ELON. Where my friend the late Roger Staley studied is a selective, average-sized private university eminent as a national model for connected and experiential learning.

40. Through: VIA.

41. Khrushchev and Gorbachev: SOVIETS.

42. Baffin Bay hazard: ICE FLOE. Baffin Bay is the body of water between Baffin Island in Canada's Nunavut and Greenland's southwestern coast. It lies north of the Arctic Circle, connecting the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, and is frozen for most of the year.

43. Coastal region: SEASIDE.

46. Like some lodges: MASONIC.

47. Goose-pimply: ATINGLE. An "A" word.

48. Price-fixing groups: CARTELS. In the United States, virtually all cartels, regardless of their line of business, are illegal by virtue of American antitrust laws. Cartels have a negative effect on consumers because their existence results in higher prices and restricted supply. In South Florida, they are WORSE.

50. "Chopped" host Allen: TED. I really did not know this MAN.

52. Way to go: PATH.

54. Spanish red wine: RIOJA. Rioja is a wine region in North Central Spain, 120 Miles south of Bilbao.

55. Less rainy, as a climate: DRIER.

59. Oater actor Jack: ELAM. What a face.

60. Harlem sch.: CCNY. City College of New York.

63. Bagpiper's hat: TAM. Oh the one from shanter!

64. London __: Ferris wheel: EYE.

66. Letters in an APB: AKA. I guess, but they are not mutually inclusive. An All Points Bulletin does not need an Also Know As.

Ed Sessa

Title: It's all in where you cut it.

Dr. Ed returns to Friday for the first time since his mini-theme puzzle on November 1, 2019.



17A. What Dr. Frankenstein kept at his bar?: MONSTER'S ALE. I do not recall Boris Karloff drinking ALE, but it does repurpose MONSTER SALE.

24A. Sass from a therapist?: FREUDIAN'S LIP. Sigmund talking back to his old lady patients redoes FREUDIAN SLIP.

38A. Uncle Buck, perhaps?: DOE'S KIN. A central rework for DOE SKIN which is great for gloves.

52A. Dracula's haul in the poker game?: VAMPIRE'S TAKE. We get both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and the iconic VAMPIRE STAKE.

62A. Big cat's belly?: LEOPARD'S POT. I doubt there may fat Leopards but there all have a LEOPARD SPOT.








Across:

1. Mid-size Nissan: ALTIMA. They made the MAXIMA first, and I guess they liked the pseudo-Latin sound.

7. Ammo sold in rolls: CAPS. Almost tricky unless you played for hours every day with your cap gun when you were little.

11. By way of: VIA. Just a Latin word taken over by English.

14. Like many arcade games: COIN-OP.

15. Helter-skelter: AMOK.

16. Mantra syllables: OMS.

19. Fiddle player of rhyme: CAT.

20. North-of-the-border gas: ESSO.

21. Zany trio member: MOE. Our Chairman Moe has moved to Arizona and seems to be living well.

22. "See if __": I CARE.

28. "SNL" castmate of Gilda and Jane: LARAINE. The SCREEN TEST for Ms. Newman.

31. It "hath charms to soothe a savage breast": MUSIC. The phrase sounds Shakespearian but in fact comes to us from The Mourning Bride, a poem by William Congreve, 1697

32. Oak fruit: ACORN.

33. Marine mammal group: POD.

34. Bed foundation?: SOIL. Garden bed.

37. Specimen for 23-Down: DNA.

42. Broadcasting pioneer: RCA.

43. Religious offshoot: SECT.

45. Meddle: PRY.

46. City near the Golden Spike: OGDEN.

48. Veronica of "Hill Street Blues": HAMEL. I wonder if she is related to last week's constructor Debra or Ray.

50. Spurred on: AROUSED. Well- gee. That is a titillating turn.

55. Orchestras tune to them: OBOES.

56. One of Venus de Milo's two that are conspicuous for their absence: ARM. She is back so soon.

57. Drink brand with a lizard logo: SOBE. SoBe is the abbreviation for South Beach, the southernmost part of the manmade island.
LINK.

61. Leave in ruins: GUT. In all of SoFla. we are always tearing down to build up. Did you see the story on the news of the 95-year-old home that was moved to keep it from demolition? LINK.

66. Take advantage of: USE.

67. Parrot: ECHO.

68. Tater Tots maker: ORE-IDA. Sadly this region has some virus issues.

69. Sniggler's quarry: EEL. They catch them by hand; 1645–55; snig eel (late Middle English snygge + le).

70. It may be cracked open: DOOR.

71. Sweat inducer: DURESS.


Down:

1. Highest point: ACME.

2. Restrooms for blokes: LOOS.

3. Metal containers: TINS.

4. To such an extent: INSOFAR.

5. Bon __: MOT.

6. So-called missing links: APEMEN.

7. Checked out before a heist: CASED.

8. GP's gp.: AMA.

9. D.C. figure: POL.

10. Knitter's supply: SKEINS.

11. They help one speak one's mind: VOCAL CORDS.

12. Japanese porcelain: IMARI.

13. __ in the right direction: A STEP.

18. Scoundrel: ROUE.

23. Forensic TV episodes: CSIS. Meh.

25. Melon feature: RIND.

26. Reassurance after a fall: I'M OK.

27. A4 automaker: AUDI.

28. Youths: LADS.

29. Teen malady: ACNE.

30. Black Flag product: ROACH MOTEL.

33. Humanities subj.: PSY.

35. Cold drink brand: ICEE.

36. Come down: LAND.

39. Letters near zero: OPERater. On your telephone.

40. Creator of Perry and Della: ERLE. Stanley Gardner.

41. Kindle rival: NOOK. I believe Hahtoolah uses one.

44. Scotch roll: TAPE.

47. Hangman player, e.g.: GUESSER.

49. Took for a ride: MISLED.

50. First razor with a pivoting head: ATRA.

51. Force (through): RAMROD.

52. Popularity: VOGUE.

53. Treat badly: ABUSE.

54. Flavor: SAPOR.

58. Andy's catfishing partner: OPIE.

59. Beefcake features: BODS.

60. Flight deck data, briefly: ETAS.

63. Prefix with conscious: ECO.

64. "I see it now!": OHO.

65. R and B group __ Hill: DRU.

Jeffrey

Title: Another shellfish offering from JW.

This is the first 2020 LAT puzzle from our own hero Jeffrey. He had gone 23 months straight being published here. I spoke to him about the month off; he was a bit crabby and really clammed up like an oyster protecting a pearl when I tried to push him. An ex-roommate call them "shell food." She was cute. Anyway, I have no clue how to work lobster into my sentence so I will quit while I can. I did learn the are three types of shellfish, Crustaceans, Mollusks (which I knew) and ECHINODERMS which was an unknown term. This puzzle is also a learning experience because as you see, the theme begins in row 4; not the usual 3. C.C. has commented on the need for this when you have four long themers in a puzzle. Because this puzzle involves "sounds like" it is a special challenge for C.C. and other ESL people.

As with 99% of Jeffrey's creativity, much is based on humor. It also showcases his use of words with DRY NOSE,  NOT OPEN, ONE ACRE, SATCHEL, ETHERNET, POULTICE, EXCERPTING and WE HAVE MORE as bonus fill. The three in this COLOR are all introduced to the LAT here. How much fun you have will depend on your sense of humor. I had a fine time, so let us look at the theme.

20A. Offering in shellfish worship?: PRAWN SACRIFICE (14). A PAWN SACRIFICE is a common tactic in chess.

29A. Shellfish massage?: MUSSEL RELAXER (13). MUSCLE RELAXER changes into an image of hundreds of tiny guys walking on your back.

38A. Good name for a budget shellfish dealer?: SHRIMP AND SAVE (13). SCRIMP AND SAVE is an expression that has been around for hundreds of years,

52A. Like one who exchanges texts with a shellfish?: WHELK  CONNECTED (14). This was the hardest because even though WELL CONNECTED is a common phrase, WHELK is not a well known. Similar to CONCH which we have in Florida which are warm water herbivores. Whelks are eaten in England, Italy and Japan and are cold water carnivores.

Time to move on to the rest of the puzzle. We hope you enjoyed the marine lesson.






Across:

1. "... morning roses newly wash'd with __": Petruchio: DEW.
I really enjoy JW having Shakespeare in almost all of his puzzles.
"I’ll attend her here
And woo her with some spirit when she comes.
Say that she rail; why then I’ll tell her plain
165She sings as sweetly as a nightingale.
Say that she frown; I’ll say she looks as clear
As morning roses newly washed with dew.
Say she be mute and will not speak a word;
Then I’ll commend her volubility,
And say she uttereth piercing eloquence." Taming of the Shrew

4. Jacket stories: BIOS. Book jackets.

8. Caused trepidation: SCARED. From the Latin meaning trembling.

14. Phoenix-to-Albuquerque dir.: ENE.

15. O'Neill's daughter: OONA. She married Charlie Chaplin and has a granddaughter with the name.

16. "Happy Days" diner namesake: ARNOLD. Mr. Miyaki started out as an Arnold.



17. Networking technology: ETHERNET. This is traditional technology for connecting wired local area networks (LANs), enabling devices to communicate with each other via a protocol -- a set of rules or common network language.

19. Jalopy sound: RATTLE. Hence- rattletrap.

22. Mississippi sight: LEVEE. "Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singin' this'll be the day that I die"

23. Storage furniture: CHESTS.

24. "__-haw!": YEE. A junction in Florida or a Mikasuki word for wolf. Recently almost entirely DESTROYED.

25. Expanse: AREA.

26. Word often preceded by a leader's name: ERA. Roosevelt Era. Reagen Era.

35. Perfect place: UTOPIA.

37. "Modern Family," e.g.: SITCOM. A classic PORTMANTEAU - situation comedy.

42. "Catch you later": BYE.

43. Traditional knowledge: LORE.

44. Rate for records, briefly: RPM. Revolutions per minute are the number of turns in one minute. It is a unit of rotational speed or the frequency of rotation around a fixed axis.

47. High spirits: GAIETY. Not so much anymore.

50. Hit the big time: GO PRO.

55. One of an infant's pair: BOOTIE.

56. Sore application: POULTICE.

57. City adjoining Champaign, Illinois: URBANA.

58. Began, as a co.: ESTD.

59. Fourth bk. of the Jewish Torah: NUMbers.

60. U.S. IOUs: T-NOTES.

61. Relative of -ity: NESS.

62. Fast sports cars: GTS.


Down:

1. With intensity: DEEPLY.

2. Dinner menu item: ENTREE.

3. Merchant's assurance during a sale: WE HAVE MORE.

4. Carried: BORNE.

5. They're charged: IONS.

6. Land parcel size: ONE ACRE.

7. Bag with a strap: SATCHEL.

8. Bollywood costumery: SARIS.

9. Modeling, say: CRAFT.

10. They're not with you: ANTIS.

11. Uniform education org.?: ROTC.

12. Bardot was on its cover at age 14: ELLE.

13. Golfing pres.: DDE.

18. Lea grazer: EWE.

21. __ admiral: REAR.

25. "Don't delay!" letters: ASAP.

26. Taking parts of: EXCERPTING.

27. Early initials in American cars: REO.

28. Certain limb: ARM.

30. News agcy. since 1958: UPI.

31. __City: computer game: SIM.

32. In __: actual: ESSE.

33. YouTube star __ Marie Johnson: LIA.

34. Honda FourTrax, e.g.: Abbr.: ATV.

35. Very active port?: USB.

36. Genesis pronoun: THY.

39. Baldwin of "30 Rock": ALEC.

40. Closed: NOT OPEN.

41. Vet's concern, perhaps: DRY NOSE.

45. Like many hobby shop mat boards: PRECUT.

46. Surfing equipment: MODEMS.

47. Hint: GET AT.

48. Dior design: ALINE.

49. Some big box stores: IKEAS.

50. Neuters: GELDS.

51. Canadian Thanksgiving mo.: OCT.

52. Well-used: WORN.

53. Vagrant: HOBO.

54. "Dang!": NUTS.

55. Objection: BUT.

Garry Morse

Title: The wit and wisdom of Charles Schulz

Perhaps the most endearing aspect of PEANUTS and the many characters created by Mr. Schulz is the clarity of their naive philosophies. Today we have the rare "quip" puzzle where the theme is a Quotation. Some are strictly for humor, and some like today's combine humor and a touch of reality. This is the 11th LAT by Mr. Morse who is a Sunday specialist with only one Monday among his earlier publications. When the Corner started, before we migrated to the LAT we had regular quip puzzles which many enjoyed and many hated. It is hard to hate Charlie Brown and Snoopy. The cluing - Quote part I etc., is not helpful but it gets the job done. Garry does include some fine bonus fill like HANNIBAL,  TSARISTS, AA SPONSOR (introduced today),  DARKHORSE, POLICE CAR and  TRIAL DATE which may not be as much fun as it sounds.


17A. Start of a Charles M. Schulz quote: ALL YOU NEED (10)
22A. Quote, part 2: IS LOVE, BUT A (10).
38A. Quote, part 3: LITTLE CHOCOLATE (15).
50A. Quote, part 4: NOW AND THEN (10).
59A. End of the quote: DOES'NT HURT (10).




Across:

1. Penthouses, e.g.: Abbr.: APTS. Only one LINK came to mind.

5. Smartphone downloads: APPS.

9. Metaphor for responsibilities: HATS. A wife ears many hats, cook, nurse, companion, mother, lover...

13. Adriatic port: BARI. Bari is a port city on the Adriatic Sea and the capital of southern Italy’s Puglia region. Looks pretty

14. March Madness org.: NCAA. For the college basketball championship.

15. "Beavis and Butt-head" spin-off: DARIA. My son Devin liked this character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OghvfLc8paM

16. Bickering: AT IT. The kids are always bickering.

19. Rub the wrong way: CHAFE.No thigh humor from me.

21. Twelve-step helper: AA SPONSOR. Alcoholics Anonymous, which is a sometimes successful way to help those who are addicted and need to face that reality to deal with it.

24. Non-neutral atom: ION. Also a leading repeat TV Network, LINK.

25. Light sleeper's distraction: DRIP. Leaky faucets do drive Oo crazy,

26. Living area in "The Martian," with "the": HAB. The Hab, short for "The Mars Lander Habitat", are a series of artificial living quarters that were constructed before the Ares III manned mission to Mars landed. Therefore not an abbreviation but a nickname?

28. A Gabor sister: EVA. Along with Zsa Zsa and Magda.

30. Acts of faith?: LEAPS.

34. Classic sci-fi villain: VADER. I do not see Darth as a Classic villain, but that is just me. He was a sweet man with a family who was misled.

41. 1980s attorney general: MEESE. This is not the plural of Mouse.

42. Shade related to violet: LILAC. A light violet.

43. Responsibility: RAP. This was not easy but it does the responsibility for or adverse consequences of an action shown more clearly in "he refused to take the rap."

44. Bend: ARC. Like a good curveball.

46. Cope with: HACK. A strategy or technique for managing one's time or activities more efficiently. Dictionary.

48. Dept. head: MGR.

56. Source of a siren: POLICE CAR. The same number of letters as AMBULANCE.

58. "__ Mio": O SOLE. They began as teenagers. IL VOLO.

61. Avian crop: CRAW. You do not grow birds.

62. Score symbols: FLATS. Musical score.

63. "You're kidding!": EGAD.

64. Whodunit canine: ASTA. When he wasn't with Nick and Nora he was ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9INoZoJl8M

65. Club with a blue and white diamond logo: SAMS. Did they adopt this logo?

66. Phillies slugger Hoskins: RHYS. They study everything now, even ballplayers I do not know. LINK.

67. Nair rival, once: NEET. Was this replaced by VEET?


Down:

1. Old counters: ABACI. I know C.C. can do this, can you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTVXUG_PngE

2. Hiking network: PATHS. Not a computer network

3. Defense attorney's concern: TRIAL DATE. "Concern" is such an odd word in this context, as it is how one makes his/her money.

4. Be paid to watch, as children: SIT FOR.

5. Prefix with -gram: ANA. No PANgrams lately.

6. Techie training site: PCLAB. Is it one or two words? Help please our experts.  LAB.  Clecho- 45D. Tech tutorials site: CNET.

7. Caroline Islands republic: PALAU. Following World War II, in 1947, under UN auspices as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the United States assumed administration of Palau. In 1982, Palau signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States. Palau gained its independence and established diplomatic relations with the United States in 1994.

8. Dost speak: SAYST. Bible talk.

9. Legendary Carthaginian general: HANNIBAL.

10. "You __ busted!": ARE SO.

11. Attach with string: TIE ON.

12. __ City, Iraq: SADR.

15. The Carpenters, for one: DUO.

18. Deep-water fish: OPAH.

20. More wicked, in Worcester: EVILLER. In British English, the "LL" is commonly used in words where Americans use a single "L." TRAVELLER comes to mind.

23. Touching competition?: EPEE.

27. Guacamole fruit: AVOCADO. One of the many fruit trees we have planted on our condo grounds, Of course, plating on common areas creates many conflicts.

28. Disease-stricken tree: ELM.

29. Face off: VIE.

31. Knee injury initials: ACL.Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

32. Key letter: PHI.

33. La preceder: SOL.

35. Long shot: DARK HORSE.

36. Coming-in hr., roughly: ETA.

37. Sales staff member: REP.

39. Romanov adherents: TSARISTS.

40. Lyricist Sammy: CAHN.



47. ER diagnostic tool: CT SCAN.

48. Bucks: MOOLA.

49. Sparkle: GLEAM.

51. Yellowish-brown: OCHER.

52. "Brideshead Revisited" novelist: WAUGH.

53. Assortment: ARRAY.

54. Thrill: ELATE. A classic C.C. word.

55. Unfamiliar with: NEW AT.

56. Sharable PC files: PDFS.

57. Brain and spinal cord: Abbr.: CNS. Central Nervous System

60. Saints' achievements: Abbr.: TDS. New Orleans' version scores touchdowns, none more prolific than Drew Brees

David Poole

Title: Austin Powers? LINK.

This is one of the rare puzzles where the write-up is harder than the puzzle. But before we go there, let's welcome back David P. (my second straight David constructor) who has his 52nd LAT publication here. He was the first constructor I wrote up when I switched to Fridays in 2010. I think this is my 11th DP puzzle. Like the most recent one published two years ago, I need to begin by sharing the reveal.

40A. Hotel room amenity ... or one of the configurations that resolve four puzzle answers: MINIBAR. In retrospect, this explained the missing "MINI" in 29A/30A and 47A/49A. 21A and 57A just fit with adding the "MINI."

21A. Cornerstone phrase: ANNO DO (MINI). Year of the Lord in Latin.

29A. In a humiliating way: IGNO (MINI) 30A. -: OUSLY. Literally.

47A. Resident at Ottawa's 24 Sussex Drive: PRIME (MINI) 49A. -: STER. The 10 Downing Street of Canada.

57A. Little versions: (MINI) ATURES. Literally.

With the limited number of theme letters, there is room for much long fill and some Friday challenge.
CATSPAW,  ENCORES, MARAUDS,  NOB HILL, CARL SAGAN, RED ALERTS, ALGORITHMIC, and ISOMORPHISM
So it is time to go to work.

Across:

1. Really big show: SMASH. What else comes to mind?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaW7Y-gTsw8

6. Sharp bark: YELP. This a very common clue/fill.

10. Software product with a cup-and-saucer logo: JAVA.

14. Addresses: TALKS. A commencement address for example.

15. Maintain: AVER. A favorite word of people who draft legal complaints.

16. Australian __: OPEN. Timely as the tennis is being played there now and the Williams sisters and the defending champion NAOMI OSAKA all lost in the first week. 

17. __ Marbles: historic sculptures: ELGIN. I did not know about this HISTORY. Though I know this ELGIN

18. Serious warnings: RED ALERTS. Why Red?  The phrase "Red Alert" comes from the naval tradition of "General Quarters" ("Action Stations" if you're British), where a ship prepares for battle. Much of the procedures are the same.

20. Narrow range: A TO B.

22. Plunders: MARAUDS. This is from the late 17th century: from French marauder, from maraud ‘rogue’.

24. Upper-class San Francisco area: NOB HILL.  HISTORY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTBFhKOYHMI

31. Old JFK lander: SST.

33. Takes pieces from?: UNARMS. Does he mean "Disarm" like taking a weapon or Aphrodite?

38. Beast hunted in Hercules' fourth labor: BOAR. I have a cute LINK that includes a Hercules crossword.

39. Can. sign letters: KPH. Kilometers Per Hour.

42. Fr. title: MME. The abbreviation for Mademoiselle. And the Spanish counterpart 69A. Span. titles: SRAS. Señoritas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-wqN2MXuCg

43. Arizona city: YUMA.

45. Horn of Africa native: SOMALI. It looks sort of like a Rhino horn, home to the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, whose cultures have been linked throughout their long history.

46. W. alliance since 1948: OAS. Organization of American States.  MEMBERS.

51. Added numbers: ENCORES.

54. Unwitting tool: CATSPAW. Derived they say from this FABLE. Later used by Mark Twain.

59. Smoothie seed: CHIA.

60. "Cosmos" presenter: CARL SAGAN. He was so much more.

64. Baker's tool: WHISK.

65. Mayberry moppet: OPIE. I love me some alliteration.

66. 1920s chief justice: TAFT. He went to the Supreme Court after his Presidency. HISTORY.

67. Binary pronoun: HE/SHE.

68. 2001 Microsoft debut: X-BOX.

70. Financial guru Suze: ORMAN. Anybody watch her lectures?

Down:

1. Cook, as bao buns: STEAM. If you are not familiar, this dish originated in  Northern China, where wheat, rather than rice was more prominently grown

2. Smallest European Union nation: MALTA. We are the closing agent for a transaction between a client and a company from Malta.

3. Like search engine ranking systems: ALGORITHMIC. A Friday word that is very relevant in your life now even if you do not know it. LEARN.

4. Winter luggage item: SKI BAG. I don't know much about this winter item as my skiing days are long over, but I was shocked/amused seeing this AD.

5. QVC sister station: HSN.

6. Tall tales: YARNS.

7. Tied: EVEN.

8. Deceived: LED ON.

9. Museum with Goyas: PRADO.

10. 10-Across: JOE. I love how wheeled the "J." WHY IS IT CALLED JOE?

11. Boston Marathon mo.: APR.

12. Boxer's fixer: VET. Doggie pun.

13. "Jeopardy!" ques., actually: ANS.

19. Timber wolf: LOBO.

21. Dreamboat: ADONIS.

23. One for the money?: UNUM. A Latin lesson from the dollar bill.

25. Center: HUB.

26. Type of mathematical equivalence: ISOMORPHISM. A shout out to our Mathematics whizzes, derives from the Greek iso, meaning "equal," and morphosis, meaning "to form" or "to shape." Formally, an isomorphism is bijective morphism. Informally, an isomorphism is a map that preserves sets and relations among elements. Easy, right?

27. Parent of a cria: LLAMA. Or a baby alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco.

28. Minstrel strings: LYRES.

31. FaceTime alternative: SKYPE.

32. Disdainfully reject: SPURN. Harsh, but it is time that you...

34. "I'll take that as __": A NO.

35. Canyon edge: RIM.

36. Wharton deg.: MBA.

37. Latin dances: SALSAS.

41. "Norma Rae" director: RITT. I now know this MAN's HISTORY.

44. Latin trio word: AMO. Amas, amat.

48. Jazz and Swing: ERAS.

50. Artist known for optical illusions: ESCHER. Maurits Cornelis Escher.

52. Les __-Unis: ETATS. USA.

53. 10-Down sweetener: SUGAR. The third reference for all of you who are drinking your coffee as you solve. I have my cup at hand.

54. Euro fractions: CENTS.

55. Tyler of "Criminal Minds": AISHA. Dr. Tara Lewis on the show. LINK.

56. Rouse: WAKEN.

58. Tennis nickname: RAFA. Nadal.

60. Crew chief: COX. A coxswain is also the helmsman of a racing crew, like a rowing crew in a competition. The swain part is from a word meaning "servant," and cox is from cok, meaning "a small boat."

61. PD heads-up: APB.

62. Kia subcompact: RIO.

63. Latin law: LEX. The translation and root word for Legal and many others. Or Superman rival Luthor.

64. Dr. Seuss' Cindy-Lou, e.g.: WHO. They lived in Whoville.