Saturday, April 4, 2020 — A Tip of the Bowler ...

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon while a bit of a hodgepodge — a couple of Beatles' mentions, a bit of horticulture and sports, several references to the arts, and a dollop of Scandinavian mythology — is a salute to a duo of cuckoo cross-Atlantic comedians.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - yet to be solved

Symbols and Markup Conventions
"*" - anagram "~" - sounds like "<" - indicates the preceding letters are reversed "( )" - encloses contained letters "_" - replaces letters that have been deleted  "†" - indicates that the word is present in the clue	"//" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when no link word or link phrase is present "/[link word or phrase]/" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when a link word or link phrase is present "solid underline" - precise definition "dotted underline" - cryptic definition "dashed underline" - wordplay "double underline" - both wordplay and definition
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of the symbols and markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a	Crackpot can only rule a // part of Los Angeles (6,6)

{LAUREL CANYON}* — anagram of (crackpot) CAN ONLY RULE A

Laurel Canyon^[7] is a mountainous neighborhood/canyon located in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, California.

Delving Deeper

Laurel Canyon[7] found itself a nexus of counterculture activity and attitudes in the mid-late 1960s and early 1970s, becoming famous as home to — and party central for — many of L.A.'s rock musicians. The Mamas & the Papas took inspiration from their home in Laurel Canyon for the song "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)”, released in 1967. The following year, blues artist John Mayall recorded and released the album Blues from Laurel Canyon based on his experiences during a vacation that he spent in the Canyon. Perhaps most famously, the area and its denizens served as inspiration for Joni Mitchell's third album, Ladies of the Canyon, released in 1970. The house she lived in was immortalized in the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song, "Our House" (1970), written by her then-lover Graham Nash. The group are reputed to have first sung together in Mitchell's living room.

9a	Wanting // thirty divided by six, at first (7)

THIR(S)TY — THIRTY (†) containing (divided by) S (Six, at first [initial letter])

10a	Mr. Homer // gets bass (7)

WINS|LOW — WINS (gets) + LOW (bass)

Winslow Homer^[5] (1836–1910) was an American painter. He is best known for his seascapes which are painted in a vigorous naturalistic style considered to express the American pioneering spirit.

11a	Third of words I croon /in/ a crescendo? (6)

R|I|SING — R (third [letter] of woRds) + I (†) + SING (croon)

12a	Developed // grand manor by day (8)

G|ESTATE|D —  G(rand) + ESTATE (manor) + (by) D(ay)

14a	Playboys // reordered beer in list (10)

LIBERTINES* — anagram of (reordered) BEER IN LIST

16a	John Lennon’s last // bird (4)

LOO|N — LOO (john) + N (LennoN's last [letter])

I dithered over whether to place this clip here or at 22a.

18a	Lend a hand with a // big show for a diva (4)

AID|A — AID (lend a hand) + (with) A (†)

Aida^[7] is an opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it premièred in Cairo in 1871,

19a	Penny-pincher // Nelligan goes after $100 piles (10)

C|HEAPS|KATE — KATE (Nelligan; Canadian actress Kate Nelligan^[7]) follows (goes after) C ($100) + HEAPS (piles)

22a	Imagine // Canada’s origin once; I have (8)

C|ONCE|IVE — C (Canada's origin [initial letter]) + ONCE (†) + IVE (I have; contraction)

23a	One of the Aesir // with less hair (6)

BALDER — double definition

In Scandinavian mythology, the Æsir^[5] are the Norse gods and goddesses collectively, including Odin (the supreme god) and his sons Thor and Balder. Balder^[5] was god of the summer sun. He was invulnerable to all things except mistletoe, with which the god Loki, by a trick, induced the blind god Hödur to kill him.

26a	Like some watches— // savvy, Albert? (7)

DIG|IT|AL — DIG IT (savvy) + AL ([diminutive form of] Albert)

27a	Pawn // garden equipment bearing price label (7)

HOS(TAG)E — HOSE (garden equipment) containing (bearing) TAG (price label)

28a	Ayn Rand hauls off // some flowers (5,7)

{HARDY ANNUALS}* — anagram of (off) AYN RAND HAULS

Scratching the Surface
Ayn Rand[5] (1905–1982) was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher; born Alissa Rozenbaum. She developed a philosophy of ‘objectivism’, arguing for ‘rational self-interest’, individualism, and laissez-faire capitalism, which she presented in both non-fiction works and novels. Notable novels: The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957).

Down

1d	Another time, a Liberal // going to the side (7)

LATER|A|L — LATER (another time; not at the moment) + A (†) + L(iberal)

2d	Something to pick in Yankee // apartments (5)

U(NIT)S — NIT (something to pick) contained in (in) US (Yankee)

3d	Danish castle // relies on weaving (8)

ELSINORE* — anagram of (weaving) RELIES ON

Elsinore is the location of the castle — not the castle per se.

Elsinore^[5] is a port on the north-eastern coast of the island of Zealand, Denmark. It is the site of the 16th-century Kronborg Castle, which is the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet.

4d	Starts to cruise at Yellow Sea // islands (4)

CAYS — initial letters of (starts to) Cruise At Yellow Sea

5d	Presently, her name brought back // a Beatles song (7,3)

NOW|HER|E MAN< — NOW (presently) + HER (†) + reversal of (brought back) NAME

"Nowhere Man"^[7] is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released in December 1965 on their album Rubber Soul, except in the United States and Canada, where it was first issued as a single A-side in February 1966 before appearing on the album Yesterday and Today. The song was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney.

6d	Overwrought, // make a speech about nation’s leader (6)

OR(N)ATE — ORATE (make a speech) containing (about) N (Nation's leader [initial letter])

The definition is cryptic suggesting the design is a bit over the top.

7d	Supplication about Norse god/’s/ abundance (8)

PLE(THOR)A — PLEA (supplication) containing (about) THOR (Norse god)

In Scandinavian mythology, Thor^[5,7], the son of Odin and Freya (Frigga), is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility. Thursday is named after him.

8d	European land/’s/ senator getting married (6)

S(WED)EN — SEN (Senator; abbrev.) containing (getting) WED (married)

13d	Sloppy // part of a meal the first lady started (10)

DISH|EVE|LED — DISH (part of meal) + EVE (first lady [from the Garden of Eden]) + LED (started; played first card in a hand of bridge)

15d	Teasing banter // not good in season (8)

BAD|IN|AGE — BAD (not good) + IN (†) + AGE (season; mature)

17d	Two jerks in // “Killer” (8)

ASS|ASS|IN — {ASS + ASS} (two jerks) + IN (†)

18d	Place to find games // live around 100 A.D. (6)

AR(C|AD)E — ARE (live) containing (around) {C ([Roman numeral for] 100) + AD (†)}

20d	Somewhat like Van Gogh // in the Arles series (7)

_E|ARLES|S_ — hidden in (in) thE ARLES Series

Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh^[7] (1853–1890), who suffered from mental illness and depression, lived in Arles, France for a fifteen month period in 1888-89. In December 1888, in a rage following a confrontation involving a razor with friend and fellow painter Paul Gauguin, he severed part of his own left ear.

21d	Sleeping place next to a // “big” cannon (6)

BERTH|A — BERTH (sleeping place) + (next to) A (†)

Big Bertha^[7] was originally a nickname given by German soldiers to a specific model of field artillery used by the Imperial German Army in World War I — a 17-inch calibre siege howitzer built by German munitions manufacturer Krupp AG. The Allies, having picked up the name from German newspapers, applied it as a nickname to all superheavy German artillery.

24d	Shot a // playwright’s work (5)

DRAM|A — DRAM (shot [of spirits]) + A (†)

25d	She stands in front of a // spot where the Mets once played (4)

SHE|A — SHE (†) preceding (stands in front of) A (†)

The New York Mets^[7] are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. From 1964 to 2008, the Mets' home ballpark was Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens.

Epilogue

I missed the theme; so thanks to Henry and Sal for pointing it out.

Laurel and Hardy^[7] were a comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema. The team was composed of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). They became well known during the late 1920s to the mid-1940s for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the pompous bully Hardy. The duo's signature tune is known variously as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos". It was played over the opening credits of their films and has become as emblematic of the duo as their bowler hats.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Advanced American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
^[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
^[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
^[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon