Good morning, Dear Readers! It's springtime in Chicago, praise goddess.
The Theme!
Component clues are homophones for halves of the entered answer. Homophonic left and right, as opposed to mono. Not bad.- c) Just average (4)
FAIR (double syn.) - e) Is obliged to go west, where there are no limits (4)
gO WESt where there are no limits = OWES - FAIR OWES => PHAROAHS (1 across)
- k) Henry upset soldier getting a girl more stoned (6)
(Henry = H) (upset (soldier = GI) = IG) getting (a girl = HER) = HIGHER - a) Place for 34 across that's unlit, having no opening (3)
(unlit = DARK) having no opening = ARK
34A is ARK
HIGHER ARK => HIERARCH (8 across)
- l) It's braided by Jews around the foyer—that's so nice! (7)
(around = C) the (foyer = HALL) (that's so nice = AH) = CHALLAH - b) Distraction that's necessary to find a zero (4)
finD A ZEro = DAZE - CHALLAH DAZE => HOLIDAYS (26 across)
- i) Funny book company gets some sound equipment (5)
(company = CO) gets some (sound equipment = MIC) = COMIC - g) Father Nelson's circle that is catching some sleep? (5)
(circle = O) (that is = I.E.) catching some (sleep = ZZ) = OZZIE - COMIC OZZIE => KAMIKAZE (27 across)
- j) Act let out in stock (6)
ACT LET * anagram = CATTLE - h) Composer who sounds lean (5)
sounds (lean = LIST) = LISZT - CATTLE LISZT => CATALYST (40 across)
- d) View unfinished pine (4)
(view = SIGHT) unfinished = SIGH - f) Gets rid of breakfast cereal, by the sound of it (5)
(breakfast cereal = KIX) by the sound of it = KICKS - SIGH KICKS => PSYCHICS (41 across)
And that wazzat for the theme. Medium temperature. A Goldilocks theme.
Highlights!
- 14A) A German in East European borders (4)
IN (East European = EE) borders = EINE
- Capital city in a former Eastern European country (4)
in a (former Eastern European country = CZECHOSLOVAKIA) = OSLO
- 16A) Racy hex signs reinterpreted, as a rule, for bishops (7)
RACY HEX reinterpreted = EXARCHY
- 18A) Primp—the odds are, it's a spot for gambling (3)
PrImP the odds are = PIP
- 20A) What helps make pole a pole vault (4)
poLE A Pole = LEAP
- 25A) Total confusion surrounding China's first famous author (6)
TOTAL confusion surrounding (China's first = C) = ALCOTT
- 28A) Contorted coitions with equal tension for both participants (8)
Contorted COITIONS = ISOTONIC
i•so•ton•icOk, literally exactly “equal tension” V COOL.
adj.
1. Of equal tension.Source: The Free Dictionary
- 30A) Is The Apartment noir? Curiously, it's a decreasing factor! (8)
(the apartment = FLAT) (NOIR curiously = IRON) = FLATIRON
- 34A) To cheer for five good books (5)
TO (cheer = RAH) = TORAH
- 37A) Doxies struggling with hair bleaches, etc. (6)
DOXIES struggling = OXIDES
See also: DOXIES in Harry Potter or DOXIES as in “prostitutes.”
- 38A) Fulfills requirements for rawness (7)
RAWNESS * anagram = ANSWERS
- 3D) Editor edited tonight also (11)
edited TONIGHT ALSO = ANTHOLOGIST
- 4D) Crustier weird guys who signed up (8)
CRUSTIER weird = RECRUITS
- 7D) Terrific screenplay with an overwritten character (11)
(Terrific = SUPER) (screenplay = SCRIPT) = SUPERSCRIPT
- 8D) Appropriate greeting for President Kennedy (6)
(greeting = HI) for (President Kennedy = JACK) = HIJACK
- 12D) Material for comic's opening: hints— listen to it (6)
(comic's opening = C) (HINTS listen to it = HINTZ) = CHINTZ
- 13D) With needle, takes drugs, inhaling half‑score in long lines (11)
With (needle = HYPO) (takes drugs = USES) inhaling (half score = TEN) = HYPOTENUSES
- 22D) …who's having no opening article front and back—that's high praise (7)
(WHO'S having no opening = HOS) ((article = AN) front and back = ANNA) = HOSANNA
Hosanna
- 23D) Rigging a jury, an occurence leading to a year (7)
Rigging A JURY AN = JANUARY
- 24D) Endowments coming from old money (7)
TALENTS (double syn.)
- 31D) Nine in bed getting up—really unpleasant (5)
(Nine = IX) in ((bed = COT) getting up = TOC) = TOXIC
- 35D) High‑calorie seconds in bridal dinner: icing, chocolate (4)
seconds in bRidal dInner iCing cHocolate = RICH
Lowlights!
- 19A) Chores that can produce some toning (6)
CHORES that can produce = OCHRES
- 21A) Field nurse's study (6)
(Field = LEA) (nurse's = RN'S) = LEARNS
- October 2015
3) Field nurses and cons
(Field = LEA) + (nurses = RNS) = LEARNS
- 39A) Pediatric disorder in the offing, for daddy! (9)
PEDIATRIC disorder = PATRICIDE
- 5D) Feller involved in forestry, according to a Times banner (2,4)
A (Times = X) (banner = HEAD) = AXHEAD
- 6D) At heart, it's honest money (4)
hONESt = ONES
- 10D) Pitch from a debaucher (4)
RAKE
- 11D) Asian spirits living in barracks (6) bARRACKs = ARRACK
- 15D) Racing fans, silly, mad to get in with rising star …(9)
SILLY mad to get in with (rising STAR = RATS) = RALLYISTS
- 29D) Oiler disabled in a bay (5)
OILER disabled = ORIEL
- 33D) Patsy given a ring in corny drama (4)
(Patsy = SAP) given a (ring = O) = SOAP
Our father's orthopedic surgery partner once told us a story about growing up on the mean streets of Providence, Rhode Island and how cops would call showing their badges “flashing their potsy.” Doesn't that sound like a lie? This partner is a good surgeon, but not a good truth teller. Upon Googly searching just now, “potsy” qua “badge” shows up in The Tenth Commandment by Lawrence Sanders:
… but perhaps not elsewhere? Inconclusive.
The Tacky
- 1A) Initially Philadelphia police hid a reevaluation relating too much to children (11)
(Initially Philadelphia = P) POLICE HID A reevaluation = PEDOPHILIAC
I like you. I like this. Half the time I (no all the time) struggle through the puzzle but the thought of reading the tackies with the royal we is like a light at the end of a dirty, dirty tunnel (full of pedos).
ReplyDelete"reading the tackies" YASSS!! Thank you for Dear Reading!
Deletei/we like YOU!
Got my print copy in the mail today and saw the winner for this puzzle. No way.
ReplyDeleteBut if yes way, it really elevates the stock of your two-time winner status.
hahahaha NO WAY!!! WOZ UP NOW
DeleteSteve, if you're out there Dear Reading, much love! And congratulations :)
And thanks /you/ for reaching out, Brother Eric Lawrence. The May 2016 writeup coming this Saturday.
Alas, it was not meant to be
Deletehttp://fusion.net/story/304296/steve-wozniak-harpers-magazine-crossword/
“I’m about [Apple co-founder Wozniak]’s age and I do nothing. Actually I do what I want. My week consists of five Saturdays and two Sundays.”
DeleteSTRONG!!
A few autos will just acknowledge a "Solitary DIN" auto stereo, which means it will just acknowledge the standard rectangular size. https://www.amplifierexperts.com/best-car-amplifier-for-subwoofer/
ReplyDelete