Thanks to Luciano for running WG 61, and congratulations to Steve for his win.

For WG61, clue a familiar two-word phrase with three letters in each word, like TOP TEN (3, 3) or ALL OUT (3, 3). There are lots of such phrases, so I will probably need help, but...let's do it.

Deadline: 7 September, 11:59 p.m. my time in California, USA.

Have fun,
Duke

Decent enough rock band covering Genesis, among others (3,3)

Luciano

Brother has fermented tofu inside bar (3,3)

Luciano

Let's go! Get those clues in! Don't hesitate! Act now!

Haul a bully around a southern state, and do it at once! (3,3)

Luciano

On Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 10:42:28 AM UTC-7, Luciano Ward wrote:
> Haul a bully around a southern state, and do it at once! (3,3)
>
> Luciano
Take another couple of days. C'mon! We can do this!

On Tuesday, 7 September 2021 at 21:19:29 UTC-5, Duke wrote:
> On Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 10:42:28 AM UTC-7, Luciano Ward wrote:
> > Haul a bully around a southern state, and do it at once! (3,3)
> >
> > Luciano
> Take another couple of days. C'mon! We can do this!

Please: defeat me.

Luciano

On Thursday, 9 September 2021 at 5:17:01 am UTC+10, Luciano Ward wrote:
> On Tuesday, 7 September 2021 at 21:19:29 UTC-5, Duke wrote:
> > On Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 10:42:28 AM UTC-7, Luciano Ward wrote:
> > > Haul a bully around a southern state, and do it at once! (3,3)
> > >
> > > Luciano
> > Take another couple of days. C'mon! We can do this!
> Please: defeat me.

Too late and not clever enough for that, bu, to give Duke a little more return for his effort:

Copper lays the groundwork for solicitor to stop operating (3,3)

For WG61, you were asked to clue a familiar (3, 3) phrase. I suspected I would need help, and I do. Please help me decipher a couple of the clues below.

From Luciano:

Decent enough rock band covering Genesis, among others (3,3)
Sorry, I don't see it.

Brother has fermented tofu inside bar (3,3)
BUT FOR: BR + anag. ("fermented") of TOFU inside; def is "bar"

Haul a bully around a southern state, and do it at once! (3,3)
Once again, I don't see it.

From Steve:
Copper lays the groundwork for solicitor to stop operating (3,3)
CUT OUT: CU (copper) + TOUT, def. is "stop operating"

On Wednesday, 15 September 2021 at 11:44:01 UTC-5, Duke wrote:
> For WG61, you were asked to clue a familiar (3, 3) phrase. I suspected I would need help, and I do. Please help me decipher a couple of the clues below.
>
> From Luciano:
> Decent enough rock band covering Genesis, among others (3,3)
> Sorry, I don't see it.

Duke:

rock band = make an anagram of band = NBAD
Genesis, among others = OT (Old Testament)
NBAD covering OT = NOT BAD = decent enough

Luciano

On Wednesday, 15 September 2021 at 11:44:01 UTC-5, Duke wrote:
> For WG61, you were asked to clue a familiar (3, 3) phrase. I suspected I would need help, and I do. Please help me decipher a couple of the clues below.
>

> Haul a bully around a southern state, and do it at once! (3,3)
> Once again, I don't see it.

Duke:

Re your post on Sept 4 above.

a bully = A COW (vb)
a southern state = TN (Tennessee)
haul ACOW about TN = ACT NOW = do it at once!

Luciano

Here are the entries for WG61, in which you were asked to clue a familiar (3, 3) phrase, with my comments. The winner isn't revealed until the end. Can you bear the suspense?

From Luciano:

Decent enough rock band covering Genesis, among others (3,3)
NOT BAD: Anag ("rock") BAND around OT (the Genesis thing), def. is "Decent enough."
Great surface, and I love "rock" + Genesis. But I don't think the OT part works. "Genesis, and others," sure. But to my ear, "among others" picks out a single item. In the sentence "Einstein, among others, developed relativity," we don't come away equating "Einstein" with "physicists." With "Genesis and others" (comma or no), this would have been my favorite.

Brother has fermented tofu inside bar (3,3)
BUT FOR: BR + anag. ("fermented") of TOFU inside; def is "bar"
Nice switch on "bar," and, unlike tofu, the surface holds firm. There are probably monks outside crosswordland who use "Br" for "Brother," but they haven't made it to m-w.com yet.

Haul a bully around a southern state, and do it at once! (3,3)
ACT NOW: Put A COW around TN; def is "do it at once"
I'm okay with "haul," though it seems to suggest more than just "put." I like the amusing surface and the whole thing works. There are a lot of southern states to choose from, of course.

From Steve:
Copper lays the groundwork for solicitor to stop operating (3,3)
CUT OUT: CU (copper) + TOUT, def. is "stop operating"
Oh-so-British with both "copper" and "solicitor' not being in USA usage. But ours is worldwide group (all, what, five of us?). I like the surface and the tout.

So the winner is...Steve, for his copper, just ahead of Luciano. Thanks to those of you who played. I invite Steve to moderate the next one, if he can..

Duke Lefty

On Friday, 17 September 2021 at 10:57:15 am UTC+10, Duke wrote:

> From Steve:
> Copper lays the groundwork for solicitor to stop operating (3,3)
> CUT OUT: CU (copper) + TOUT, def. is "stop operating"
> Oh-so-British with both "copper" and "solicitor' not being in USA usage. But ours is worldwide group (all, what, five of us?). I like the surface and the tout.

We have solicitors here in Australia, too. "Copper" isn't really in use any more but "cops" for police is still common.

> So the winner is...Steve, for his copper, just ahead of Luciano. Thanks to those of you who played. I invite Steve to moderate the next one, if he can.

Thanks! I'd love to contribute more here but as well as having a more or less full-time job, I'm currently involved in (other people) renovating and repainting my home and , apart from being more or less insane from twelve weeks of lockdown, I can't justify the time at the moment. But I agree that we can survive (all five of us) and hope that someone else will step in to run WG 62.

Thanks again,
Steve = : ^ )

On Thursday, 16 September 2021 at 21:53:36 UTC-5, Steve = : ^ ) wrote:
> On Friday, 17 September 2021 at 10:57:15 am UTC+10, Duke wrote:
>
> > From Steve:
> > Copper lays the groundwork for solicitor to stop operating (3,3)
> > CUT OUT: CU (copper) + TOUT, def. is "stop operating"
> > Oh-so-British with both "copper" and "solicitor' not being in USA usage.. But ours is worldwide group (all, what, five of us?). I like the surface and the tout.
> We have solicitors here in Australia, too. "Copper" isn't really in use any more but "cops" for police is still common.
> > So the winner is...Steve, for his copper, just ahead of Luciano. Thanks to those of you who played. I invite Steve to moderate the next one, if he can.
> Thanks! I'd love to contribute more here but as well as having a more or less full-time job, I'm currently involved in (other people) renovating and repainting my home and , apart from being more or less insane from twelve weeks of lockdown, I can't justify the time at the moment. But I agree that we can survive (all five of us) and hope that someone else will step in to run WG 62.
>
> Thanks again,
> Steve = : ^ )

If no one volunteers in the next couple of days (before end of day Sunday, say), I can do it.

Luciano

On Friday, 17 September 2021 at 10:59:47 pm UTC+10, Luciano Ward wrote:

> If no one volunteers in the next couple of days (before end of day Sunday, say), I can do it.

Many thanks. :-))