The April 1 crosswords, no foolin'

[Thomps2525]

If Jeffrey Wechsler wanted to advertise his April 1 Los Angeles Times crossword, he could say "Bonus -- 7% larger!" The grid is 15x16 instead of the usual 15x15. There are three 16-letter answers. Each of the four theme answers includes a string of six circled letters. Another answer is clued as "Sir Edward Elgar composition whose title has never been solved -- and a hint to this puzzle's circles." Since I have no way to put circles around letters here, I have denoted the puzzle's circled letters by using boldface:

Rail transport landmark: STEAMENGINE
Minuteman, e.g.: LONGRANGEMISSILE
Reprimand to one not picking up: YOUREMAKINGAMESS
"How surprising!": IMAGINETHAT

The Elgar composition is ENIGMAVARIATIONS. The circled letters are variations of the letters found in "enigma." Elgar composed Variations, opus 36 in 1898-99. Popularly known as The Enigma Variations, the orchestral work features several musical themes. Two of the themes represent Elgar and his wife Alice. Each of the others represents one of Elgar's close friends. Elgar explained -- although without really explaining anything -- that the work has a principal theme.....but the principal theme is neither played nor heard. Perhaps the work includes a hidden melody or hidden counterpoint. Perhaps a portion of a symphony by Bach or Beethoven is hidden in the work. Musicologists have yet to figure out the "enigma."

http://www.elgar.org/3enigma.htm

"Columnist Barrett" is RONA. Born Rona Burstein in 1936, Rona Barrett began a syndicated newspaper gossip column in 1957 and began appearing on television in 1966. She now runs the non-profit Rona Barrett Foundation, which is based in Santa Ynez, California, and helps senior citizens to find affordable housing and supportive services:

http://ronabarrettfoundation.org/

"Pâtisserie cake" is GATEAU. In France and Belgium, a pâtisserie is a bakery specializing in pastries and sweets. By law, a bakery in either of those countries can not call itself a pâtisserie unless it has a licensed maître pâtissier (master pastry chef) who has served an apprenticeship and passed a written test. A gâteau is a light cake with a rich icing or filling -- and the word is not used in English.

Peter Gordon's April 1 New York Times crossword includes four 15-letter phrases and this clue: "17-across, with 34-, 40- and 60-across, a somber message for our loyal fans":

DUETOBUDGETCUTS
THENEWYORKTIMES
CROSSWORDPUZZLE
WILLENDTOMORROW

I did say today is April 1st, didn't I?