Leonard Williams

Title: Bottom's up!

I am back for this post-thanksgiving puzzle. My trip to Thailand to meet my wife's family, renew our vows and get her to doctors who speak Thai was a wonderful experience. Now on to the puzzle.

We have our second puzzle from LEONARD WILLIAMS who has 8 NYT publications, and a 2016 WSJ.  His LAT was a SUNDAY in 2012. This was strange creation, easy in places, but no reveal for the theme. I have blogged enough puzzles where themers all go from bottom to top, but I don't recall one without a reveal.  This will likely upset those who do not like themes but it was all well put together. The five all have second word (read from the bottom to the top) synonymous with "rising."
Two relate to climb/ascent and two relate to hike/increase. I had fun.

3D. Government revenue generator, aptly : ESAERCNI XAT (11). Tax increase.

13D. Hillary's feat, aptly : TNECSA TSEREVE (13). Everest ascent.

15D. Retailer's increase, aptly : EKIH ECIRP (9). Price hike.

23D. What Red Bull provides, aptly : TSOOB YGRENE (11). Energy boost.

27D. Scale a cliff, aptly : BMILC KCOR (9). Rock climb.


Across:

1. Old AT and T rival : GTE. General Telephone and Electric.

4. __ Na Na : SHA. More from Woodstock.

7. Pigsty : DUMP. These are not synonymous for me. A palace can be a pigsty if not cleaned etc.

11. Least used : RUSTIEST. A Friday stretch.

14. Nightmare reaction : TERROR. This was obscure to me.

16. "Collages" author : ANAIS NIN.  Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell, known professionally as Anaïs Nin, was an American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. wiki.

17. Grammy winner for "I Believe I Can Fly" : R KELLY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIQn8pab8Vc

18. Part of a Requiem Mass : DIES IRAE. Dies irae is a Latin hymn attributed to either Thomas of Celano of the Franciscans (1200 – c. 1265) or to Latino Malabranca Orsini. The hymn is best known from its use as a sequence in the Requiem (Mass for the Dead or Funeral Mass). wiki.

19. Name suffix : III. On any application they ask for suffixes like jr. etc.

20. Ukr. and Georgia, once : SSRS.

21. With legal tender : IN CASH. meh.

23. Even prime : TWO. The only even number that cannot be divided by any other.

26. 2016 World Series Champions : CUBS.

28. Locale : SITE.

29. Con target : SAP.

30. "The Hunger Games" nation : PANEM. Bread. LINK.

32. Pianist Templeton : ALEC. I did not know this COMPOSER.

33. Estadio shout : OLE.

34. Formal reply to "Who's there?" : IT IS I.

35. Foul line shots: Abbr. : FTS. Free Throws.

36. "Too rich for my blood" : I FOLD.

38. Loose : LAX.

39. "__ and the Real Girl": 2007 film : LARS. I ended up enjoying this very odd movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNcs9DrKYRU

41. Judicial attire : ROBES.

42. Altar constellation : ARA. The name means ALTAR.

43. Hudson Bay native : CREE.

44. Like kittens : SPRY.

45. Honda subcompact : FIT.

46. Actor Culkin : KIERAN. Macaulay's brother. he continues to act, 2015 in tv series Fargo.

48. Some NCOs : SGTS.

51. Nipper's brand : RCA. Nipper was a mongrel -part fox terrier part jack Russell - from Bristol, England, who served as the model for a painting by Francis Barraud titled "His Master's Voice which was used by RCA

52. Saint of "On the Waterfront" : EVA MARIE.

54. Something to exercise : OPTION.


57. Particularly noxious : VIRULENT.

58. Cialis competitor : VIAGRA.

59. Periodic table listing : ELEMENTS.

60. Numbered piece : OPUS.

61. Obstinate critter : ASS.

62. That, in Tijuana : ESA.

Down:

1. Alumni : GRADS. I know, no mention of abbreviation.

2. North African capital : TUNIS. Tunisia.

4. Emphatic Acapulco assent : SI SI.

5. Rousseau et al. : HENRIS.

6. Like many elephants : ASIAN. Here is Oo after she just fed a lime to an Asian Elephant.

7. Eins und zwei : DREI. Adding in German.

8. Google find : URL.

9. Basic chem. unit : MOLecule.

10. Ask too many questions : PRY.

12. Cold sufferer's boxful : TISSUES.


14. Sad, to Sartre : TRISTE. French.

22. Is out sick, say : AILS.

24. Pixar title robot : WALL-E.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZisWjdjs-gM

25. Slanted pieces : OP-EDS.

30. Rice dish : PILAF.

31. Longtime video game name : ATARI.

35. For the taking : FREE.

37. On the market : FOR SALE.

40. Singer Grande : ARIANA. Seems like a very real person, but what do I know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ekZEVeXwek

44. Certain drums : SNARES.

47. Walled Spanish city : AVILA. Not sure, but I immediately thought of out dear Lucina. LINK.

49. Colors : TINTS.

50. __ precedent : SETS A.

51. Fixes, in a way : RIGS.

53. Fall bloomers : MUMS. Mums the flower as well as the WORD.

54. Lacto-__ vegetarian : OVO. They eat milk and eggs.

55. Domino depression : PIP.

56. Sigma follower : TAU.

I imagine most of us are somnabulant, but I learned today that chicken has more tryptophan than turkey. I renew my thanks to C.C. and all of you for 9 fun years.

Andy Kravis and Erik Agard

Title: It all fits, but where is the Z?

What a nice treat as we get a collaboration between two of the millennial constructors, both of whom had their debuts here at the LAT. They along with many others have changed the landscape of puzzle publication by publishing their own work. Meet them LINK Andy; LINK Eric.
Back to this effort which, like last week, uses 'insert three letters' to make a new phrase. A very fair puzzle which may have a couple of curve balls, but it is Friday. They also introduce us to some new fill -AIDS WALK, MOON GODS, CORE ASSETS and WHAT CAN I DO. It is the aforementioned Z away from being a pangram. Guys, really?

19A. Watch a music-streaming app? : SEE SPOTIFY RUN (13). If you do not know Spotify you were born before 1970. You still might remember learning from seeing Spot run.

26A. Organize circus performers? : CLASSIFY CLOWNS (13). I wonder if either of these young men were class clowns?

46A. Rationalize one's need for duel assistance? : JUSTIFY A SECOND (14). Sly, the duelists need a second, why may take longer than just a second.

53A. Worship at the altar of buttercream? : DEIFY FROSTING (13). The outlier - Defrosting is one word, Also, Buttercream is not worth worship

Across:

1. Apples on a desk: iMACS. One office where I work uses lots of the 27" model.

6. Unattached: STAG.

10. Ruler meas. : CMS. Centimeters.

13. Two-sport Sanders: DEION. Neon Deion, Primetime is a Florida born product of FSU. During his most productive year in the majors, the 1992 season, he hit .304 for the team, stole 26 bases, and led the NL with 14 triples in 97 games. During the 1989 season, he hit a major league home run and scored a touchdown in the NFL in the same week, the only player ever to do so. Sanders is also the only man to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.

14. Texas city: WACO. Home to Chip and Joanna Gaines.

15. Leave work: QUIT.

16. Braugher of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine": ANDRE. From serious police procedural TV - Homicide: Life on the Street - to deadpan comic, but still in the SQUAD ROOM.

17. Maker of Swift laptops : ACER.

18. Waiter at a stand: TAXI. Nice deception.

22. Garden State city: NEWARK. Ironic isn't it.

24. "__ be the judge of that" : I'LL.

25. Make the call: OPT. In or out.

30. Afflicts: AILS.

31. Where Spike Lee earned his MFA: NYU.

32. Louisville Slugger wood: ASH. Ash is back for the second week in a row. Louisville sluggers were all we had playing baseball as kids.

33. Answered counterpart: ASKED. AAA.

35. Little devil: IMP. Tyrion started out as the Imp.

37. Brazilian music genre: SAMBA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXey1i-Eeys

41. Up to, for short: TIL.

43. Blanc with "That's all folks" on his gravestone: MEL.

45. Punch or file: TOOL. Meh.

50. Actress Aniston, in tabloids: JEN. Have not had a gratuitous female form in a while.

51. Afternoon social: TEA.

52. "Mean Girls" actress Seyfried: AMANDA. Buy the magazine.

57. Declare openly: AVOW. Aver, avow, aver.

58. Streaming on Facebook: LIVE. We have friends who actually do this.

59. Tantalus' daughter: NIOBE. Moral do not try and show up gods. LINK.

62. Manage: TEND.

63. Over: ANEW. ?

64. Further out there: ODDER.

65. Start of something? : ESS.

66. Gets some sun: TANS.

67. Sparkling wine choices: ROSES. The magic ending ess.

Down:

1. Mont. neighbor: IDA. Hey girl, weather better?

2. "White __ Can't Jump" : MEN.

3. Charity fundraiser since 1985: AIDS WALK.  Florida VERSION.

4. Vital business holdings: CORE ASSETS.

5. Villainous visages: SNEERS. I do love alliteration.

6. Exchange: SWAP.

7. Folded Mexican fare: TACO.

8. Vinegary, as acid: ACETIC. Didn't Moe explain about wine and acid?

9. Brute: GORILLA.

10. Oscar-winning "Gravity" director Alfonso: CUARON. LINK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufsrgE0BYf0

11. Mistakes: MIXUPS.

12. Stretch on the job: STINT.

15. Invoice abbr. : QTY.

20. Parchment source: SKIN. Not necessarily human.

21. Dental visit freebie: FLOSS.

22. Org. that fills bowls? : NCAA. More wit.

23. Bulldog fans: ELIS.

27. "Just an update" letters: FYI. Another version of the IFY inserted.

28. Delish: YUMMY.

29. "Need my help?" : WHAT CAN I DO.

34. Catchy tune: DITTY.

36. Edible orb: PEA.

38. Selene and Luna: MOON GODS. Greek and Roman - the same goddess. LINK.

39. No foe: BOND. Dr. No, nice clue.

40. Only actor to appear in every episode of "M*A*S*H" : ALDA. I really enjoyed him in Blacklist.

42. Become prostrate : LIE FLAT.

44. Future atty.'s exam : LSAT.

46. Valet in Wodehouse stories: JEEVES.

47. Labor parties? : UNIONS.

48. Oatmeal alternative: FARINA.

49. Key of Dvorák's New World Symphony: E MINOR.

50. Singles network logo with a partly outlined Star of David: JDATE. Do they still use this?

54. Chain email abbr. : FWD.

55. It may be self-cleaning: OVEN.

56. Works with threads: SEWS.

60. Pollen carrier: BEE.

61. Hectic hosp. zones: ERS.

Thanks for the help all see later. Thank you gentleman for a fun puzzle. Lemonade out.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Six degrees of HAM.

JW falls back on his "add a three or four letter word" theme. He makes it Friday hard by including two very hard to parse fill. Then gives us a reveal if we get lost. You need a wide variety of knowledge to get through this. The First 2 themers add HAM to the first word in a phrase. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. The next 2? Well despite commentary to the contrary - that is what makes it a puzzle.

As always Jeffrey gives us some fun fill - IN TEARS, ONE PUTT, OVERUSE RAT-A-TAT, STOOLIE, STRAP ON and TRUSSES, but mostly it is the theme that drives the wagon.

So with further ado....

16A. Early sustenance for Bruce Wayne? : GOTHAM MILK (10). GOT MILK is modified by the fictional name of batman's New York City.

22A. Handing a St. Louis team an embarrassing loss? : SHAMING THE BLUES (15). SINGING THE BLUES (not the Cards) works as well.

33A. Tribal VIP's family? : SHAMAN KIN (10). SAN KIN? Huh? Of course, SANK IN.

49A. Easy out in rodent baseball? : POPUP TO A HAMSTER (15). And my favorite POPUP TOASTER.

57A. Went all out on stage ... or a hint to the four other longest puzzle answers : HAMMED IT UP (10). That is it.

Across:

1. Kind of rain or rock: ACID.

5. Affect profoundly: AWE. Aww.

8. Often-converted residence: LOFT.

12. Like the "funny bone" nerve: ULNAR. Ulna and Radius.

14. Poet Silverstein: SHEL. I met Shel's work reading Playboy in the 60s. LINK. Hef outlived him by 18 years.

15. Declare firmly: AVER.

18. Country where Quechua is spoken: PERU. It is now an official language in three countries.  In 1975 Peru became the first country to recognize Quechua as one of its official languages. Ecuador conferred official status on the language in its 2006 constitution, and in 2009, Bolivia adopted a new constitution that recognized Quechua and several other indigenous languages as official languages of the country. Wiki.

19. Great Plains native: UTE.

20. Pluto quintet: MOONS.

21. Gets on the wrong train, say: ERRS.

26. Mother with a Nobel prize: TERESA. She shares her date of birth with Lyndon Johnson and Hannibal Hamlin, among others.

27. Fight in the backwoods: RASSLE.

28. Vacation fill-in: Abbr. : ASST. Temp? WTH?

29. Message often included in its response: EMAIL. Have any of you turned off the automatic inclusion?

32. Central Dallas? : ELS.

37. Elastic wood: ASH. I am sure you want to know more about this WOOD.

40. Sister magazine of Jet: EBONY.

41. God with a quiver: EROS. And a bow made out of ash?

45. Where the groom may walk down the aisle: STABLE. Really cute clue/fill.

47. Soi-__: self-styled: DISANT. JW, really? This is a very obscure term. DEFINE.

53. Components of 56-Across : HOPS. Not necessarily, ...strictly speaking ale can be made from simply malt, water and yeast. It is extremely unusual not to use hops. Home-brew handbook. 56A. Malt creations : ALES.

54. Quartet member : VIOLA. The four instruments in a string quartet are almost always 2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello. Various.

55. Org. with Jungians : APA. American Psychological Association. Many of them are old.

59. Ticket booth sight : LINE.

60. Protected, in a way : ALEE.

61. Sister of Thalia : ERATO. The Nine Muses in Greek mythology have been an inspiration to artists since antiquity. They are (in alphabetical order): Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. Owlcation.

62. Hardy heroine : TESS. I just had her in a puzzle recently.

63. Perception-changing drug : LSD. I just had some in a puzzle.

64. Letter heading abbr. : ATTN.

DOWN:

1. Masters course : AUGUSTA. Bobby Jones and the dream course. Take a tour.
https://www.si.com/golf/video/2015/04/08/inside-augusta-nationals-clubhouse-the-masters

2. Fabled emperor's lack: CLOTHES.  Did you know the STORY was written by Hans Christian Andersen? Andersen's fairy tales, of which no less than 3381 works ! have been translated into more than 125 languages... his most famous fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling", "Thumbelina", and many others. Various.

3. Emotionally overwhelmed : IN TEARS.

4. Morse "T": DAH.

5. "Can't you take __?" : A HINT.

6. Like Roald Dahl, by birth: WELSH. The wonderful author - LINK.

7. Yellowstone grazer: ELK.

8. Settings for small American flags: LAPELS.

9. Do to death: OVERUSE.

10. Voice of President Business in "The Lego Movie": FERRELL. SNL grad Will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYv-xrTXhPE

11. Bridge supports: TRUSSES.

13. "Ghostbusters" actor : RAMIS. He died this year/

14. Air quality issue: SMOG. I believe this was my first known portmanteau (Smoke-Fog)

17. Lisa's title: MONA.  Mona in Italian is a polite form of address originating as "ma donna" – similar to "Ma’am", "Madam." Wiki and others.

23. Team whose mascot's head is a baseball: METS. he got fired for giving a Brewer's fan the middle finger, which is odd and there is no middle finger in his glove.

24. Viking history VIP: ERIK.

25. Island near Java: BALI.

29. Confessional music genre: EMO.

30. Anthropologist's subject: MAN.

31. Whichever: ANY.

34. Give a hand : HELP.

35. Assist badly? : ABET. Why not, "Give a hand, badly?"

36. Storied loch: NESS.

37. It might be on the road for years: ASPHALT.

38. Cop's info source: STOOLIE. Derived from stool pigeons - carvings used to trap hawks.

39. Stumbles (upon): HAPPENS.

42. Snare drum sound: RAT-A-TAT.

43. Feature of many a birdie: ONE PUTT. Bubba Watson had 11(18) ONE PUTT greens when he won his second masters title.

44. Secure, as a knapsack: STRAP ON. This si the second clue fill of the puzzle I have muzzle myself while writing.

46. Smooches: BUSSES.

47. Glen relative: DALE. Who is Dale Campbell?  Oh, is that Chip's real name?

48. "__ these wars for Egypt": Antony: I MADE. A fun Friday Will Shakespeare quote.
"I made these wars for Egypt, and the Queen,
Whose heart I thought I had, for she had mine—
Which whilst it was mine had annexed unto ’t
A million more, now lost—she, Eros, has
Packed cards with Caesar and false-played my glory
Unto an enemy’s triumph."

50. Shapes formed by angled spotlights: OVALS.

51. Zeroed in: AIMED.

52. Telecommuter's workplace: HOME. Yeah me and the once mighty Barry G. You are missed.

57. Clarke computer: HAL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwBmPiOmEGQ

58. Nest egg acronym: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

Wowzer, here we are in middle of fall with shorter days and longer night and so many birthdays - those cold January nights - but nothings slows JW (or C.C. and her minions) down. I had fun, enjoy the weekend. Lemonade out.

Morton J. Mendelson

Title: Text speak meets grid spanners - WTF _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

How interesting that after last week where Jeffrey inserted an acronym (IOUS) to create new fill, MJM uses initialisms as the introduction to a 15 letter in the language phrase. As someone who has used initialisms my entire life (e.g. DKDC), this was easier than it might have been, as getting a word from the perps got me started. When texting first was available, a friend and I would send each other
letter strings and try to solve them. The insane responses were usually better than the intended comment. Anyway, many fun words with interesting etymology. Off we go.

The themers:

17A. TW ... : DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT (15). Two Wrongs...

25A. DCYC ... : BEFORE THEY HATCH (15). Don't Count Your Chickens...

44A. CI ... : NEXT TO GODLINESS (15). Cleanliness Is...

58A. AGT ... : MUST COME TO AN END (15). All Good Things...

The rest:

Across:

1. Yanks' foes : JAYS. No they are playing....

5. Operation designed to hurt : STING. Hurt? To me they either defraud someone LINK or arrest someone.

10. Shipboard resident : SWAB. I think of swabbie/y, but the Urban dictionary says: "This term, frequently used by non-sailors to refer to sailors, is most likely a contraction of the term "swabbie" or "swabby", presumably derived from the notion of sailors "swabbing the deck". "Swabbie/y" is currently in use only among the elderly; 'swab' is the more common term among young people." Proving once again, I am elderly.

14. CFO, e.g. : EXEC.

15. Not as likely to mess up : ABLER.

16. Walk without getting anywhere? : PACE. I like this definition.

20. Shoelace site : INSTEP. Did you ever think about the origin of this word? Sounds like it is backwards as it is where you step in the shoe. But, MW says: "late Middle English: of unknown origin; compare with West Frisian ynstap ‘opening in a shoe for insertion of the foot.’"

21. Shipboard chums : MATEYS. Mini-clecho with 10A.

22. Tenn. neighbor : ALA. Abbr. - abbr.

24. Apartment listing abbr. : RMS.

34. Nice with? : AVEC. The Nice, France trick.

35. Gobs and gobs : SLEWS. More dictionary- from the Irish Slaugh.

36. Cart for heavy loads : DRAY. "for delivering beer barrels or other heavy loads, especially a low one without sides."

37. Filly's brother : COLT.

38. Fighter eulogized by Bill Clinton, among others : ALI.

39. Old-time teacher : MARM. Based on a variant pronunciation of ma'am.

40. "The Grapes of Wrath" figure : OKIE.

41. Beams : GRINS.

43. Prime real estate? : EDEN. I like this clue.

47. Downed a sub, say : ATE.

48. In-law's wife, possibly : SIS.

49. Refrigerates : CHILLS.

53. One of a biblical ten : PLAGUE. Commandments clearly did not fit.

62. Like quality beef : AGED.

63. One "sitting lonely on the placid bust," in a classic poem : RAVEN.
“But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.’
Then the bird said, 'Nevermore.”

64. Course with relevant tangents : TRIG.

65. Regular guys : JOES.

66. Finals, e.g. : EXAMS.

67. Spot : SITE.

Down:

1. "Star Wars" warrior : JEDI. How many have seen THE Trailer.

2. Nerve cell part : AXON.

3. Cravings : YENS.

4. Ewan McGregor, for one : SCOT. More Star Wars.

5. They're often free : SAMPLES.

6. Sched. question mark : TBA.

7. Kind : ILK. A repeat.

8. Once called : NEE. Not FKA.

9. Sir Georg Solti's record 31 : GRAMMYS.  Did you know? LINK.

10. Rotating rod : SPIT.

11. Conduct : WAGE. Like war.

12. Hurting : ACHY.

13. Puts money (on) : BETS.

18. Dash : TEAR.

19. Not at all reflective : RASH.

23. On the lam : AT LARGE.

24. Backs up a videotape : REWINDS. Backs up? Made me think of rerecording.

25. Cobb salad ingredient : BACON.

26. Bring to mind : EVOKE.

27. Composer Mendelssohn : FELIX. He looks like a young Gene Wilder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEkcP8lZvZA

28. Good-sized wedding band : OCTET.

29. Prefix for "sun" : HELIO. I know only this one. Hélio Castroneves
https://heliocastroneves.com/

30. Madison Ave. pitchers : ADMEN.

31. Carpentry, e.g. : TRADE. CSO.

32. Worries : CARES.

33. Church numbers : HYMNS.

41. Reacted to an arduous workout : GOT SORE.

42. Shoes without laces : SLIP ONS.

45. Gymnast's powder : TALC.

46. Ibiza, por ejemplo : ISLA.

49. Key of the finale of Brahms' Symphony No. 1 : CMAJ. Lots of classical music.

50. "Les Misérables" author : HUGO.

51. "Now it's clear" : I SEE.

52. Old Fords : LTDS.

54. Hard-working colonizers : ANTS.

55. Spice Girl Halliwell : GERI. Still recording.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmT2aSEayWQ&feature=youtu.be

56. Second, e.g. : UNIT.

57. Sharp side : EDGE.

59. Reach capacity, with "out" : MAX.

60. Actress Mendes : EVA. Many pretty pictures.  For Splynter.

61. President pro __ : TEM. Pres·i·dent pro tem·po·re.  Latin.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Now where did I put those IOUs?

In a variation of the add a letter or letters theme, JW hid them at the end of the first word of a known two-word phrase or name. As I remarked last week about recognizing a theme because a word or phrase is repeated, seeing -ious (suffix, ious is defined as having or being like the word it follows) opened my eyes. Of course, the light bulb goes on when you parse it as an acronym. Lovely misdirection. At first, I could not understand what the theme answers had in common. The "red" reference in the reveal (debts are ledgered in red) led me to present the theme as below:

20A. Agricultural college facility? : STUDIOUS FARM (12).  Stud Farm. The aggies study hard.

32A. One who got in before a crash? : FURIOUS TRADER (13). Fur Trader. The stock trader is very angry that his timing was bad.

40A. Lancelot bragging about his exploits? : TEDIOUS KNIGHT (13). The late great Ted Knight.

LINK. It makes sense to use a proper name in both clue and fill.

53A. What theater districts offer? : COPIOUS SHOWS (12). Cop Shows. I watched some Police Woman on COZI tv this weekend. It rained here.

The reveal:

67A. They traditionally appear in red ... and in another form in 20-, 32-, 40- and 53-Across: DEBTS (5).

JW also fitted in ONE STEP, SF GIANT, TROOPER, US ASSET, ANALYSTS, GONE AWRY, LOW AVERAGES and TURN THE PAGE as long sparkly fill. Let's do this!

Across:

1. Best-selling book generally not on best-seller lists: BIBLE. They don't know where to send the royalty checks.

6. Benchmark: Abbr. : STD. Standard.

9. Early automaker: OLDS. Old('s) Ransom has been popular again.

13. Won't go near: AVOIDS.

15. Back again: FRO. To and fro. 

16. Heist haul: LOOT.

17. Magoo's malady: MYOPIA. Nearsightedness. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8GTHXTEvIc

18. Ended up off the mark: GONE AWRY. A fun underused phrase.

22. Polling abbr. : PCT.

25. Arrive at hastily, as a conclusion: LEAP TO. Look before you....

26. Sundial marking: VII. A return of the Roman Numeral.

27. Content of little substance: FLUFF. Newspapers had people who wrote their puff pieces.

30. Madrid-to-Paris dir. : NNE.

31. Rose in a field: PETE. Baseball player.  HE is now 76.

36. Achilles __: TENDON.

37. Take turns: ROTATE. I love clues/fill such as this.

44. "The BFG" author: DAHL.  The Big Friendly Giant, by Roald Dahl also was made into a movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ0Bey4YUGI

46. Intelligence org. : NSA. National Security Agency.

47. Dutch genre painter: STEEN. See his WORK.

48. Juillet's season: ETE. July/Summer  French.

49. KFC option: BREAST.

52. Red __: SEA.

57. Financial workers: ANALYSTS.

58. Like merciless opponents: FEARED.

62. Gospel travelers: MAGI.

63. Get: SEE.

64. Not nice at all: UNKIND.

65. Urgent request: PLEA.

66. Decline, with "out": OPT.

Down:

1. Loud sound: BAM.

2. Columbia, e.g.: IVY. No league? 

3. "That's lousy!" : BOO.

4. Enlarged Revlon ad image: LIPS.

5. Reduce a sentence, say: EDIT. Not commute, but rewrite. 

6. MLBer at AT andT Park: SF GIANT.

7. Highway pursuer: TROOPER. SUPER TROOPER 2 coming in 2018.

8. Bakery item with some shortening? : DONUT. A lovely and clean double entendre - making the word doughnut shorter, as well as the shortening used in baking. A classic JW clue/fill.

9. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF. Disney's movies all seem to have have a comic relief character.

10. What most pitchers have, as batters: LOW AVERAGES.

11. "Little" Dickens title character: DORRIT. 

12. Obstruct: STYMIE. My MEMORY.

14. Author Bellow: SAUL. I enjoyed his work when I was young. FIVE.

19. What that is in Spain: ESO.

21. Scout groups: DENS.

22. [It just vanished!]: PFFT.

23. Answer guide? : CLUE. Cute, a guide to the answer.

24. Get on with one's life: TURN THE PAGE. One of the Millenials contributions to the language. 

28. Revolutionary first name: FIDEL.

29. Child subject: FOOD. Julia, may she rest in peace, all 6'2" of her..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHX0pv8_JOE

31. It's not big in France: PETIT. Funny. From French Chef to French pun.

33. Verse lead-in: UNIverse.

34. Prize for Indy: ARK. Indiana Jones, that is.

35. Oxford figures: DONS.

38. Fare-well link: THEE.

39. Italian peak: ETNA.

41. Like the simplest process: ONE STEP.

42. Toyota's Ky. plant, e.g.: US ASSET. Good thing there were perps as this was tough.

43. Old-school diplomatic accessory: SASH.

44. Pack up the tents and supplies: DECAMP.

45. Like some Alban Berg works: ATONAL. I am not a big fan of Schoenberg or other atonal composers. LINK. Unrelated to comedian Sam Berg.

49. Tiny Tim, for one: BOY.

50. Rene of "Thor": RUSSO.  Her brief INTERVIEW.

51. Vegan staple: TOFU.

54. Hipbones: ILIA.

55. Direct (one's way): WEND. Another word packed with meaning in four letters; "verb
go in a specified direction, typically slowly or by an indirect route."

56. Ginza quaff : SAKE. Rice wine.

59. Barbecue morsel : RIB. Morsel-defined: a small piece or amount of food; a mouthful. Rib?

60. Sinus doc : ENT. Ear Nose and Throat. 

61. Driller's deg. : DDS. Dentist. har, har.

Well there it is, another Friday, another Jeffrey Wechsler, and a fun ride. It is the quiet time for South Florida as the summer tourists are gone and the snow birds have not returned. There are more breezes and I hope you enjoy the time. Thank you Jeffrey and all who read. Lemonade out.

John Lampkin

Title: Roman Numeral switcheroo.

Another happy Friday                                                                                                                                                                                


1A. Roman jet? : DCX. (3) The DC 10 was introduced into service in 1970. This one confused me because D and C are also Roman Numerals.

23A. Roman's advice to prevent an explosion? : COUNT TO X (8). Counting to 10 was a shortcut to meditation.

39A. Roman variety store? (and a hint to 10 other puzzle answers) : V AND X (5). The 5 and 10 was
an American institution, with WOOLWORTH being the epitome.

51A. Roman Shakespearean drama? : V ACT PLAY (8). Shakespeare was dedicated to this STRUCTURE.

70A. Roman graveyard shift hour? : V AM. (3). When I used to work doubles on the rubber factory (2 PM to 6 AM) it was the last hour that was the hardest.

3D. Roman bowler's target? : X PIN (4). A CSO for Boomer!

4D. Roman musical family? : JACKSON V (8). Can you name all five?

26D. Roman bike? : X SPEED (6). Bicycles have become too complex for me.  They sell some for thousands of dollars.

27D. Roman "high" request? : GIMME V (6). These days thi is the first thing parents teach their children.

40D. Roman Scrabble Q-tile, e.g.? : X POINTER (8). Ten points, all those words that don't need a U.

57D. Roman's long golf hole? : PAR V (4). Another CSO to our golfing contingent, HG, BE, Moe and all of those I left out by accident.

Well, I am worn out just listing the 11 theme fill. So let's explore the rest.

Across:

4. Start of a rhyming Basque game : JAI. Alai. Long the fastest moving ball in SPORTS.

7. Reason to use an inhaler : ASTHMA.

13. Knock : RAP. Oh, I guess I can call it "knock" music.

14. Cry buckets : BAWL. The word had a different meaning in my youth.

15. Unexpected twist : SPRAIN. Amusing.

16. The record longest continuous ride on one is 105.57 miles : UNICYCLE. Who knew? This makes it a TRIBUTE puzzle.

18. Unlikely to ride a 16-Across well : KLUTZY. Too true.

19. Hunted Carroll critter : SNARK. More of his IMAGINATION, beyond Alice.

20. Balm-maker's plants : ALOES.

22. A.L. East team : BOSton.

27. '80s jeans : GITANOS. Still for SALE.

31. SOP part: Abbr. : STD. Standard.

32. "48 __" : HRS.  The TV Show.

33. Assistant who didn't exist in Mary Shelley's novel : IGOR. Eegore, or Eyegor.

34. Whiskey order : NEAT. A clear CSO to Tinbeni.

36. "... beneath __ blue sky": Don Henley lyric : A DEEP. Not a sea but sky. LISTEN.

38. Stubborn equine : MULE.

41. Perry's creator : ERLE.

42. Dull finish : MATTE. JL is an avid and successful photographer as well a musician, ornithologist, entomologist and cruciverbalist - the modern Renaissance man.

44. F-__ : STOP. Blushing?

45. A hothead has a short one : FUSE.

46. 67.5 deg. : ENE.

47. Item before a door : MAT.

49. Sack out : GO TO BED.

54. Bargain bin abbr. : IRRegular.

55. Bete __ : NOIRE.

56. Immature dragonfly : NYMPH. I think of this when I see NYMPH not THIS.

59. Stereotypically stylish : UPTOWN. Saturday night.

62. Leaves port : SETS SAIL. Even when the ships do not have sails.

65. Facial feature named after an animal : GOATEE.

66. Muscovite's denial : NYET.

67. Whiskey option : RYE.

68. They usually leave the park : HOMERS.

69. Key contraction : O'ER. Francis Scott - ramparts.


Down:

1. R and B's __ Hill : DRU. Not in my WHEELHOUSE.

2. Soup aisle array : CANS.

5. Hole-making tool : AWL.

6. Intestinal : ILEAC.

7. Invite on a date : ASK OUT.

8. NutraSweet competitor : SPLENDA. Both sweetener brand names - blue/yellow.

9. Have faith in : TRUST.

10. Noodle topper? : HAT. Noodles as head, not form of pasta.

11. "Les __" : MIZ. Broadway.

12. At least one : ANY.

14. "... truth is always strange; / Stranger than fiction" poet : BYRON. From his poem, Don Juan.
"' Tis strange - but true; for truth is always strange;
Stranger than fiction; if it could be told,
How much would novels gain by the exchange!
How differently the world would men behold!"

17. "Willkommen" musical : CABARET.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kghMESXA9HU

21. Words on a reward poster : LOST DOG.

24. "... there's __!": Hamlet : THE RUB. Our Friday Shakespeare, but not all 5 acts..

25. Intimidating words : OR ELSE.

28. Exotic pet : IGUANA. These are neither exotic or pets here; they roam freely unless and until a freeze. The past two winters were warms and their population has grown. They are affectionately called "dem sumbitches" by an elderly neighbor woman.

29. Pre-Aztec Mexican : TOLTEC. I do not know much about this CIVILIZATION.

30. Multi-armed ocean critter : SEASTAR. We also discussed this before.  LINK.

35. Bad picnic omen : ANT.

37. Gets bent out of shape : DEFORMS. My meh of the puzzle.

43. Authorize : EMPOWER.

48. Dior designs : A-LINES.

50. Secret hot date : TRYST.

52. Fed. bill : T-NOTE.

53. Simple question type : YES/NO.

58. Casual greeting : HI-YA.

59. "That stinks!" : UGH.

60. Nanki-__ : POO. The Mikado.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd8P3YfLmuM

61. Bagpiper's hat : TAM. I understand the geographic connection, but I see more like...

63. Anatomical orb : EYE.

64. Apollo lander, briefly : LEM. How cool that dear JL ends with a CSO to yours truly.


Yesterday, Harper turned two and today my baby is celebrating his 29th birthday. Tonight we start the fasting for Yom Kippur, which last until an hour past sundown Saturday. Party time. Thank you John and all who read. Gamar Tov.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: The LA Times has gone to the dogs.

JW is back with one of his whimsical puzzles. There is no conventional theme, but a common denominator. The clues all reference noisy dogs. Each conventional phrase has one word changed. The changes are simple and the results fun. If you do not see the humor you will not enjoy the puzzle. Some of the clues are not easily sussed, but this is a Friday puzzle. Also, before excoriating the constructor, bear in mind that a large percentage of clues are changed by the editors. Meanwhile Jeffrey did include the very sparkly fill -BELLY RUB, QUICK SET, RAN AFTER,  TOM JONES, I'M NOT READY.  The theme:

21A. Hogwarts chronicler imitating noisy dogs? : J.K. GROWLING (10). Gee, this is the simplest one to grok.

26A. Devices that record data on noisy dogs? : BARKING METERS (13). My favorite change, parking meters - where doggies mark their territory.

47A. Photographer of noisy dogs? : YIPPER SNAPPER (13). I heard the term whipper snapper often as a child.

52A. Paintings depicting noisy dogs? : WORKS OF ARF (10). The ART of the woof woof.

Across: 

1. Hubbub : STIR.

5. Thompson of "Westworld" : TESSA. Not a great start for me as I never have watched that series. She has had a busy CAREER and is pretty.
http://wikinetworth.com/uploads/Tessa%20Thompson.jpg

10. One way to lean : BACK. Not a political comment. Hmm, 19A. Reclined : LAIN.

14. Stephen Hawking subject : TIME. He has persevered in life despite the effects of ALS. READ.

15. Tough tests of knowledge : ORALS.

16. Offer the same opinion as : ECHO.

17. Princess Royal of Britain : ANNE.This is a formal title which she received in 1987. LINK.

18. -, at times : MINUS.

20. Setup provider's abbr. : BYOB. Bring Your Own Bottle.

23. Like many deli orders : TO GO.

25. Western peer of Tex and Gene : ROY. Rogers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcYsO890YJY

32. Part of XL: Abbr. : LGE.

33. Toon cat since the silent era : FELIX. The first animated STAR  with an amazing history.

34. Reacts to bad news, perhaps : SULKS.

37. War-torn land : IRAQ. There are many such lands, sadly.

39. More rational : SANER.

41. All in : BEAT. Not an easy meaning to suss, the poker implications kept invading mu thought.

42. St. Anthony's home : PADUA. You can read about this MAN. The first Catholic school in Fort Lauderdale is St. Anthony's.

44. It's not exactly a pick-me-up : DECAF.

46. Airport approx. : ETA.

50. Disney Store collectible : CEL.

51. Semi bar : AXLE. Semi truck.

58. First name in folk : ARLO. Hasn't he faded into oblivion yet?

61. Choppers : AXES.

62. Stop by : VISIT.

63. Printer function : SCAN. Copy, scan, fax and print - an all in one work station.

64. News article intro : LEDE. A total learning moment.  LINK.

65. Gradually weaken : ERODE. Another correct but difficult to suss.

66. It can be hard to get out of : MAZE. I like the combination with the clecho.

67. It can be hard to get out : KNOT.

68. Call attention (to) : REFER.

69. Bellicose god : ARES.


Down:

1. Attempt : STAB. C'mon take a chance.

2. Like a mite : TINY.

3. "Give me a few minutes" : I'M NOT READY. How many couple argue over the time it takes to get ready?

4. Adidas subsidiary : REEBOK. I linked the purchase of Reebok before.

5. He beat out Sonny and Cher and Herman's Hermits, among others, for the Best New Artist Grammy : TOM JONES. An interesting LIST. We watched Peter Noone in concert last year and it was great,

6. Christine's phantom admirer : ERIK. The popularity of the play and musical has inspired people to write their own ENDING.

7. Emulated 5-Down : SANG.

8. Nasty comment : SLUR. Comes I believe from the slurry left over from coal etc.

9. Categorize : ASSORT. In 2017 we mostly sort, but we still buy assorted cookies etc.

10. Source of much canine delight : BELLY RUB. A bonus doggy fill. And a classic example of a gif. See 24D.

11. Nutritious berry : ACAI.

12. Gym exercise : CHIN. verb 1. draw one's body up so as to bring one's chin level with or above (a horizontal bar) with one's feet off the ground, as an exercise. I always add the "UP."

13. Giant film primate : KONG. The King.

22. Burdens : WOES.

24D. Desktop animation image suffix : GIF. HG introduced this handy link style to our blog.

26. Control tower signal : BLIP. On the radar screen.

27. Indian shrine site : AGRA. Taj Mahal anyone? LINK.

28. Forest clearing : GLADE.

29. Member of the underground economy? : MINER. This clue/fill sounds like JW's wit. My favorite in this puzzle.

30. CFOs, e.g. : EXECS.

31. Orient Express feature : SLEEPER CAR. As I mentioned, another movie based on Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot

35. Shakespeare's shrew : KATE. Very un-pc to talk of taming one's wife now.

36. Vega, for one : STAR. Or a Chevrolet flop.

38. Cement type for home repairs : QUICK SET. My Uncle Harold was a mason, and taught masonry at the local trade school. He showed my how to use this product on the small jobs as well as the difference between cement and concrete..

40. Pursued vigorously : RAN AFTER.

43. Homo sapiens relatives : APES. Do you like the re-imagination of the Planet of the Apes movies?

45. 63-Across alternative : FAX.

(space left intentionally blank)


48. Small wading bird : PLOVER.

49. State of matter : PLASMA.

52. Constitutional : WALK.

53. Strong farm team : OXEN.

54. Overhaul : REDO.

55. Gift from Prometheus : FIRE. Prometheus (/prəˈmiːθiəs/ prə-MEE-thee-əs; Greek: Προμηθεύς [promɛːtʰeús], meaning "forethought") is a Titan in Greek mythology, best known as the deity in Greek mythology who was the creator of mankind and its greatest benefactor, who stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to mankind. wiki.

56. Beginning : AS OF.

57. Play polo, say : RIDE.

59. Relax : LAZE.

60. Word that can replace "your" : ONES. I hear that use with "opinions."

 A different offering, with lots of JW's wit on display. I am curious how those who don't like themes which are hard to grasp react to this effort. I had fun, hope you all did . L'shanah tovah -Happy New Year to those who celebrate the coming of year 5778. Lemonade out.