LAT Sun. 3/11 Elizabeth C. Gorski

[magus]

Clever title: Le Puzzle

Good Ones:
Mayo to mayo, e.g.   ANO [note lower case for the Spanish month --- it’s foreign but good]
Guy in front of an orchestra   LOMBARDO
High rises   UPSURGES [note it’s not risers]
Dynamic leader?   AERO
Big cheese linked with Big Macs?   KROC [he developed McDonalds]
Every opther second?   TOCK
Duds for the downwardly mobile?   SKIPARKAS [they’re literally so]
Vet’s charges   PETS
Theme: LE added to phrases
Plumber’s inquiry about a drippy faucet?   TRICKLEQUESTION

By the Way:
Manhattan-to-Far Rockaway service   ATRAIN [I grew up in NYC and didn’t know it ends in Far Rockaway, but millions know Duke Ellington’s “Take the A Train.”]

Some Nits to Pick:
OTRO
Soul, to Satre   AME [not sure he believed in one, but that’s a different issue --- A.M.E. is a Methodist designation --- and it’s in our language]

RATING:    Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun