Wall Street Journal, 4/9/10

“Moral Compass” by Brendan Emmett Quigley – 16:40

Today we get a timely quote puzzle from Brendan Emmett Quigley.

Yes,  the Brendan Emmett Quigley who has three great puzzles weekly at his own site, www.brendanemmettquigley.com , including a contest today. Don’t forget, that’s Brendan Emmett Quigley.

April 15 is Tax Day in the USA (it’s [its?] April 30 in Canada).

Theme Quote: THE BEST MEASURE OF A MAN’S HONESTY ISN’T HIS INCOME TAX RETURN; IT’S THE  ZERO ADJUST ON HIS BATHROOM SCALE – 83A. [Science fiction author and source of the quote] – ARTHUR C CLARKE [Love the wild “RCCL” action]

Quote puzzles live and die on whether you are amused by the quote. I say yes on this one, but I’m a tax guy and I have a bathroom scale. Remember – the IRS (or the CRA) won’t come after you for an inaccurate scale.

Music:

5A. [Like Weird Al songs] – PARODIC. Party like it’s [its?] 1699.
12A. [1976 ABBA hit] – FERNANDO. Mamma Mia fits nicely here. Can you hear the drums?
21A. [Instrument with finger holes] – OCARINA. I first learned this word in an ACPT puzzle my first year at the tournament. Got it wrong. Never again forgotten.
63A. [Beach adjacent to Copacabana Beach] – IPANEMA.
78A. [“The Jungle Book” bear] – BALOO
93A. [“Lovergirl” singer ___ Marie] – TEENA
106A. [Line dance] – CONGA
11D. [Like a hit song] – CATCHY. Let’s put  Walking on Sunshine in your head all day.
42D. [Price performance] – OPERA
62D. [Verdi’s “___ Miller”] – LUISA
71D. [Bernie’s longtime songwriting partner] – ELTON
98D. [“When the Snow Is on the Roses” singer] – ED AMES/ 109D. [Dutch export] – EDAM. There’s a theme puzzle waiting. Remove ES and get cheese.
81D. [Dance mentioned in the Beatles’ “Revolution 9”] – WATUSI . 6:33 into the video.
86D. [“Freak on a Leash” band] – KORN
114D. [The ___-Mags (classic punk rock band)] – CRO

Variety like that you won’t find on any radio station.

Other stuff you might not have known:
29A. [They come out in the rain] – TARPS. On the baseball field.
30A. [Generic comic strip diner] – JOES. Do you have an example, Brendan of www.brendanemmettquigley.com ?
46A. [Beagle or Bounty] – SHIP. Beagle:Darwin. Bounty:Bligh
55A. [Accouter anew] – REFIT. Accouter: To outfit and equip, as for military duty.
57A. [Aces’ are low] – ERAS. As in baseball pitchers.
59A. [Forest of Fangorn creatures] – ENTS. Lord of the Rings trees.
69A. [Ohio college] – OBERLIN. Some college in Ohio, I’m guessing.
79A. [Discover competition] – VISA. Credit cards.
101A. [Where Oceanic Flight 815 originated, on “Lost”] – SYDNEY. Oops, I wrote Sidney, as in Sidney, British Columbia. Home of Tanners Books, with a good puzzle book section, like the Diagramless by Brendan Emmett Quigley.
103A. [Minor adjustment] – TWEAK. TW words are fun.
117A. [Twaddle] – UTTER ROT. See?
1D. [Maker of Pixi phones] – PALM. Well, I don’t know this one.
2D. [Beagle biter] – FLEA. A giant flea bites the Beagle in “Darwin Meets Godzilla”
3D. [Battlefield protection] – FLAK JACKET. I’m wearing one after that last joke.
5D. [Fertilizer compound] – POTASH. Come to Canada for all your potash needs.
16D. [Certain Gillette razors] – ATRAS. I use them. Its [it’s?] all about me.
25D. [Curly friend] – MOE. Stooge alert!
27D. [Pearl Prynne’s mother] – HESTER. From “The Scarlet Letter”
32D. [With 39-Down, young peas] – PETIT 39D. [See 32-Down] – POIS. PETIT POIS is french for little peas. See how that works?
35D. [Subject of many fraudulent photographs] – YETI. And a few real ones.
38D. [Forest plant with delicate fronds] – OAK FERN. Does anyone know a forest plant with indelicate fronds?
41D. [Words mouthed by some athletes] – HI MOM! Hi Brendan!
51D. [Close to face value, as a bond] – NEAR PAR. You knew this. After all, you’re reading the Wall Street Journal.
64D. [Letter-shaped plumbing fitting] – P-TRAP. Also known as a P Doody.
66D. [1994 NL Manager of the Year] – ALOU. Felipe Alou, manager of the 1994 Montreal Expos who went 74-40 before the strike ended the season in your world, and went 105-57 and won in the World Series in the world I prefer to live in.
69D. [“Dreams From My Father” author] – OBAMA. Obscure authors. Has he written any new books lately?
75D. [Raconteur] – TALETELLER. L’s and e’s all over the place.
85D. [Polished gemstone] – CABOCHON. A gemstone which has been shaped and polished as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex top with a flat bottom. I didn’t know. Do I look like I know everything? I’m not Orange.
97D. [Cell formed from two gametes] – ZYGOTE. Zigote fits nicely here.
108D. [“Jane, you ignorant ___” (old “SNL” line)] – SLUT

The puzzle ends with a mysterious headline:

118A – 122A: –  TEARFUL DEAN SHORTENS ESCORTS’ ARMS

Thanks for a great puzzle, Brendan of www.brendanemmettquigley.com !