Hi all.
Jeffrey here.
“That’s ‘S’ as in ‘Foxtrot’” is this week’s puzzle title and each theme answer changes an S (or two) into an “F” to result in a wacky phrase.
20a [Status of a soldier who causes huffiness] – MIFFING IN ACTION (Missing in action).
24a [Everything but this rat?] – THE KITCHEN FINK (The kitchen sink).
43a [Resume an autobody task?] – RETURN TO FENDER (Return to Sender). Bonus Elvis at 8d [“Shall I stay? Would it be ____ …” (Elvis lyric) – A SIN.
50a [Bethlehem trio disguised as their spouses?] – THE THREE WIFE MEN (The three wise men).
Canadian content:
23a [Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er ___”] – BOI. Avril was born in Belleville, Ontario.
58a [Shawinigan school] – ECOLE. Ecole is French for school. Shawinigan is a city in Quebec.
7d [Small size at Canadian 2 for 1 Pizza] – TEN INCH. Hmm. Seems to have locations throughout British Columbia but none here on Vancouver Island.
36d [Blended levy in Ont.] – HST. Harmonized Sales Tax.
Two more things:
64a [Interest rate, to an economy wonk] – R STAR. I must admit, despite my degree in Economics, this term was not familiar to me. I guess I should have paid more attention in class. It refers to the “natural rate of interest” which does ring a bell.
47d [Words before “Superman is here”] – NO FEAR. I’m a big Superman fan, but this reminded me of “There’s no need to fear, Underdog is here!”
Tip of the Week:
Romeo’s is the pizza to order on Vancouver Island.
See you next week!