Joseph Knecht

  Today's puzzle was constructed by LA Times Crossword veteran Jerry Edelstein , whose last appearance here was on August 18, 2021 .  Today he appears in a MASTER 's TOURNEY , turning the last word of each themer into the first half of the reveal.  Here are the seeds:   20A. Retiree's investment goal: INCOME STREAM .  A CSO to JzB . 34A. Performers in cages: LION TAMERS .  Marcus Loewe, Samuel Goldwyn, and Louis Mayer generated quite an INCOME STREAM by TAMING this LION :   42. Cornell's "Far Above Cayuga's Waters" and others: ALMA MATERS .  A CSO to any of our Cornell alums on the Corner.  Hands up please!   And the reveal:   54A. "Mona Lisa" and "Guernica" ... and, in a different way, the last words of 20-, 34- and 42-Across: MASTER PIECES , all the themers being acronyms of the first two syllables.  I found the contrasts between these two masterpieces to be intriguingly ...

Today we get a return visit from constructor Jim Holland , whose last puzzle here was on December 17, 2020 and who started with us nearly 10 years ago on December 18, 2011 .  Perhaps Lemony can add some spice to this from his secret stash. Jim is not revealing his theme, but it appears to involve adding an S to common phrases, thus transforming them into PUNISHING new ones: 17A. Fan on a farm?: SWINE COOLER .  A riff on WINE COOLER , for those who use a thermometer to check their wine temperatures.  Very expensive.  We keep the REDS in the cellar because it's cool, and we keep WHITES and ROSÉS in the refrigerator.  27. Hors d'oeuvres for a horror movie?: SCREAM CHEESE . A take on CREAM CHEESE . Teri makes a delicious dish with cream cheese, cream, butter, shrimp, fresh peas, and pasta.  Yummy ! 49A. Surveillance snacks?: STAKEOUT FOOD .  A riff on TAKEOUT...