Sunday September 30, 2018 Peter Koetters

Theme:  "Power Play"- The first word in each theme entry is a type of penalty in hockey.

23A. *Electric vehicle need: CHARGING STATION.

39A. *Having a blowout sale: SLASHING PRICES.

59A. *Fish story theme: HOOKING THE BIG ONE.

81A. *Like a man resisting the urge to argue: HOLDING HIS TONGUE.

96A. *"Dead Poets Society" setting: BOARDING SCHOOL.

 

16D. *Pressurized undersea compartment: DIVING BELL.

74D. *Camping out, say: ROUGHING IT.

Reveal:

117. Temporarily disqualified due to an infraction that begins any of seven answers to starred clues: IN THE PENALTY BOX.

   

Bonus fill:

118. Apt sports org. for this puzzle: NHL.

Sorry, Peter and all readers, no write-up today. If you have any question regarding the theme or certain entry, please click on Comments at the end of this write-up. Your questions will be answered by our capable regulars.

  

After a scary visit to the ER last Wednesday, Boomer was diagnosed with bone cancer. We had a biopsy last Thursday and more tests and visits to the VA clinic and hospital ahead. Boomer is a tough guy with high pain threshold. But with even Oxycodone, he's still in pain. If anyone has experiences or advice handling bone cancer or the side effects of those drugs, please share on the blog or email me crosswordc@gmail.com.

I'll be back next Sunday. Thank you!

Across:

 1. Kick off the flight: BUMP.

5. "Nixon in China" composer John: ADAMS.

10. Underground invader: WEED.

14. Fragrant wood: CEDAR.

19. Goatee-stroking words: I SEE.

20. Bank built for a rainy day: LEVEE.

21. Pal of Grover: ELMO.

22. It's pressed for oil: OLIVE.

26. Stirred: MOVED.

27. Puppet extension?: EER.

28. Suffix with gymnast: ICS.

29. Leveling wedge: SHIM.

30. Hot belt, with "the": TROPICS.

32. "God Bless America" landscape word: PRAIRIES.

35. Punishment with a grounding: NO TV.

38. Many a Snapchat user: TEEN.

43. Long-nosed fish: GAR.

46. 1977 medical thriller: COMA.

49. From head __: TO TOE.

50. More than cool: ICY.

51. A deal may be made under it, with "the": TABLE.

53. Military order: AT EASE.

56. Neatnik's possible condition, briefly: OCD.

57. Crunched figures: DATA.

58. Minute critter: AMEBA.

63. Blackmailed: BLED.

64. Green: NEW.

65. Herd voices: MOOS.

66. Road crew worker: PAVER.

67. Became clear: JELLED.

69. Border: ABUT.

70. Source of a Pasadena parade aroma: ROSES.

71. "Little Beau __": 1952 toon about a skunk: PEPE.

72. Auto safety device: AIR BAG.

75. Asgard group: AESIR.

76. Some lighters: BICS.

77. Canceled, as an event: OFF.

80. Mess maker: SLOB.

85. "Taxi" dispatcher: LOUIE.

87. ATM feature: SLOT.

88. Apple platform: IOS.

89. Fireside treats: SMORES.

90. Christmas tree topper: ANGEL.

91. Fifth-century nomad: HUN.

92. Log: ENTER.

94. Waist container?: BELT.

95. Casual "Pass": NAH.

101. Target of adoration: IDOL.

103. Ages and ages: EONS.

104. Aroused: TURNED ON.

108. Powerful: SINEWED.

111. Swear: CUSS.

114. Arthur of "The Golden Girls": BEA.

115. Israeli heat?: UZI.

116. Get decked out: TOG UP.

122. Rival of ancient Carthage: UTICA.

123. Pump, e.g.: SHOE.

124. Culture dish media: AGARS.

125. Compos mentis: SANE.

126. Passé: DATED.

127. Piece of dirt: CLOD.

128. "I'll think about it": MAYBE.

129. Wasn't straight: LIED.

Down:

1. __ curls: BICEP.

2. Arena worker: USHER.

3. Stiller's partner: MEARA.

4. Pricing word: PER.

5. "Tomb Raider" star Vikander: ALICIA.

6. Most populous: DENSEST.

7. DJIA part: Abbr.: AVG.

8. __ hall: MESS.

9. Third face of Eve?: SETH.

10. Tool needing wringing: WET MOP.

11. Bulldogs fan: ELI.

12. Rock subculture: EMO.

13. Stern warning: DON'T.

14. "How goes it, José?": COMO ESTA.

15. Split to be tied?: ELOPE.

17. Nice with?: AVEC.

18. Cherry and crimson: REDS.

24. Birth announcement word: GIRL.

25. NBA exec Danny: AINGE.

31. Bus path: Abbr.: RTE.

33. "Wicked Game" singer Chris: ISAAK.

34. Tries to score: SHOOTS.

36. Disaster site procedures: TRIAGES.

37. Spoils recipient: VICTOR.

40. Craving: ITCH.

41. Unreturnable, as a bottle: NO DEPOSIT.

42. Blue hue: CYAN.

44. "Tiny Alice" dramatist: ALBEE.

45. Check, in a way: RE-ADD.

46. "High Hopes" lyricist: CAHN.

47. Plains native: OTOE.

48. Persian call: MEOW.

52. Mosey: AMBLE.

54. Lion king: SIMBA.

55. Once, sometimes: ENOUGH.

57. Going every which way: DIVERGING.

60. Came down with: GOT.

61. Sink: BASIN.

62. Throws out: EJECTS.

68. __ salts: EPSOM.

69. Counterculture icon Hoffman: ABBIE.

70. __ Beach: L.A. suburb: REDONDO.

71. Gumshoes, for short: PIS.

72. Lion king: ASLAN.

73. Actress Massey: ILONA.

75. Enticement: ALLURE.

76. Halve: BISECT.

77. Fiendish sort: OGRE.

78. Tank filler: FUEL.

79. Ending for gab or talk: FEST.

82. Fed. workplace watchdog: OSHA.

83. Red __: spicy candies: HOTS.

84. Like neon: NOBLE.

86. Bit of roller derby protection: ELBOW PAD.

92. Come after: ENSUE.

93. Stalks in a pie: RHUBARB.

97. Corrida cry: OLE.

98. Slowly crept: INCHED.

99. Promise of dire consequences: OR ELSE.

100. Go __ great length: ON AT.

102. Ad preceder?: DEUCE.

105. Burj Khalifa's city: DUBAI.

106. Endangered layer: OZONE.

107. Put the kibosh on: NIXED.

108. Ear decoration: STUD.

109. Scintilla: IOTA.

110. Slipped __: DISC.

112. Cybernuisance: SPAM.

113. Genesis creator: SEGA.

119. In addition: TOO.

120. House of Commons vote: NAY.

121. Designer monogram: YSL.

Happy Birthday to our dog lover Pat and her husband, who were born in the same day and same year. Pat was a few hours older than her husband. Have a wonderful day, Pat!

Saturday, September 29, 2018, Gail Grabowski

Saturday Themeless Puzzle by Gail Grabowski

Today is a big holiday for us addicts, uh, aficionados of a certain brew. My daughter has had a heart issue and so is restricted to de-caf and I have cut my consumption to one and only one cup per day, but boy do I enjoy it while savoring my LA Times puzzle!

Kids where I sub come in with cups of "coffee" from some frou-frou emporiums that are so loaded with milk, sugar and various other ingredients that I just think, "What's the point?" However they all think of themselves as hard core consumers of the beverage.

Me? I'll take mine straight up and if there is a "too strong" variety, I have yet to encounter it!

I blogged Gail's last Saturday puzzle on March 3. I thought her grid today was very striking in appearance and added to the dance.

Now let's see what our prodigious constructor has for us today:

Across:

1. Garden lure: SPIDER WEB  - Eh, never mind, we'll trick or treat down the street. 

10. Prefix meaning "coil": SPIRO - I'll bet even SPIRO Agnew had a SPIROGRAPH

15. It straddles the border of two western states: LAKE TAHOE  - The site of Fredo's last fishing expedition in The Godfather 

16. Brass, for one: ALLOY  - The €1 coin has an outer ring of the alloy nickel brass - 75% Copper, 20% Zinc and 5% Nickel

17. Closing question: ARE WE DONE? - Sometimes an ill-advised question to your spouse during a disagreement 

18. Subjects for reviewers: FILMS  - Rotten Tomatoes is a pretty good site for a compilation of reviewers

19. Kind of gravel: PEA - Used a lot at our house where flora is not desired

20. What some glasses lack: RIMS.



21. Observed visiting: SEEN AT - When I was growing up, teachers  and coaches knew they were not to be SEEN AT local bars

22. Break off loudly: SNAP - Good celery test

23. Write the wrong number on, perhaps: MISDATE - "What? I put September 31 on that check?"

24. Legal option: APPEAL - If you've got enough money... 

27. Warning after using an iron: FORE - A funky clue that is yelled even by Tiger

28. A.L. East squad: TOR - TORonto Blue Jays

29. __ space: CRAWL - Not for people with claustrophobia

30. Glove material: LATEX - Not welcome in some places

31. Speech interruptions: UMS - Um, I, um, don't know, um, what to, um, say about, um this

32. Work to get: EARN.

33. Support on the way up: PITON - a carbiner with a rope will soon be attached to the PITON he is pounding into the cliff crack 

34. Cookout choice: BRATwurst

35. Modicum: BIT - Liza's Doolittle's dad sang "with a little BIT of luck" someone else will do the blinkin' work

36. One of a nursery rhyme trio: BAKER - Rub-a-dub-dub, I'll bet you know the other two passengers in the tub

37. Most successful African-American PGA golfer before Woods: PEETE - Lee Elder leapt to my mind

38. Custom finish?: ARY - What's reasonable and CUSTOMARY in Nebraska may not be so in your neck of the woods

39. Made it up: LIED - Oh yeah, elections are coming up...

40. Follow: SHADOW  - An alternate meaning to a film noir activity

41. Armadas on the road: NISSANS - That's three Saturdays in a row (and ISUZU on Thursday) where the constructor has used car names for misleading cluing. I reluctantly had to give up on CONVOYS

43. Turnovers, e.g.: STAT - Here's a turnover caused by good linebacker play

44. Take out: DELETE.

45. Shot in the dark: STAB.

46. Clicking sound?: AHA - When  a clue clicks with me, I might utter an AHA

49. "Battlestar Galactica" commander: ADAMA  - William ADAMA is played by Edward James Olmos in the show 

50. One who's no fun to play with: POOR LOSER - Here's two minutes worth of one of the worst who was/is also 12. Sulky: ILL-NATURED

52. Showed up: GOT IN - My daughters GOT IN before midnight at our house even while they were in college or... 

53. Bicycle tire feature: VALVE STEM -  This biker carries a pressurized air tank to service the VALVE STEM you see in the back ground 

54. Discharge: EGEST - A polite word for a necessary/disgusting body function 

55. Tiny arboreal amphibians: TREE TOADS.

Down:

1. Indication of an offense: SLAP.

2. Take a little off: PARE.

3. Many of its products are named for Scandinavian places: IKEA - You mean like the Dagstorp couch?

4. Mountain __: DEW - I prefer my caffeine delivered without sugar or fizz

5. Hardly transitory: ETERNAL.

6. Like much flower symmetry: RADIAL.

7. Defeat decisively: WHOMP - I suppose 

8. Quite a stretch: EONS.

9. One who does a waggle dance: BEE - I learned in an ethology class that the waggling BEE is telling the distance, direction and quality of available food

10. Sensitive health class subject: SAFE SEX  

11. Practiced diligently: PLIED - I have PLIED my trade for 50 years

13. It's often used to make paste: ROMA TOMATO 

14. Traditional Christmas Eve dish for some: OYSTER STEW - That and potato soup were staples of our Christmas Eve

21. Traffic stopper, at times: SIREN - Not always 

22. Tailored: SEWN.

23. Power source: MOTOR - Football players that play with a lot of energy are said to have a great MOTOR

24. Elastic wrap brand: ACE BANDAGE - This self-adhereing version is easier to use than the version having to use metal clips

25. Herbivore named for its habitat: PRAIRIE DOG

26. List on a ticket: PARTY SLATE - This facilitates things on this Michigan ballot

27. In the cards: FATED.

30. Takes an interest in: LIKES - Facebook admiration 

33. Revolutionary pamphleteer: PAINE - "These are the times that try men's souls"

34. Top: BEAT - As of this afternoon, the Huskers have failed to top/BEAT any team

36. Far from subtle: BLATANT.

37. High-tech communications portmanteau: PHABLET.

40. Feel a strong need (for): STARVE.

42. Rest area array: SEMIS - The yellow tubes connected to the window openings of these SEMIS provide heat/ac/wifi/TV, etc

43. Made off with: STOLE.

45. Use an updraft, say: SOAR.

46. Old movie dog: ASTA - Nick and Nora's pooch

47. Be mindful of: HEED - Or not...

48. Administrative branches: ARMS.

50. Low mil. rank: PVT.

51. Granada bear: OSO - La cama del OSO papá era demasiado dura (The papa bear's bed was too hard)

DA GRID:

Friday, September 28, 2018, Mark MacLachlan

Title: Ironing in, not out.

Welcome to my first write-up of fall and the third LAT for another Mark making his mark in puzzledom. They say you should write about what you know, and Mark is a professor from Canada as was revealed in his DEBUT here. His specialty is chemistry, more specifically Materials Chemistry, Supramolecular Chemistry, Nanomaterials, Porous Materials, Polymers, Cellulose. In today's challenge we have FE (the chemical symbol for Iron) added to the first word in three two-word phrases and explained in a well chosen reveal. Two are 2 grid-spanners, giving us 54 spaces in the theme. This is an example of less is more; instead trying to squeeze in more theme fill, we have a nice balanced puzzle. Mark also used the periodic table in his first NYT publication. In addition to the themers, we have some nice long fill. ARMLOAD, E-READER, GALILEO, GARDENS, OLD SALT, ON EMPTY, INNER EAR and SAFE BETS.  On to the theme...

17A. Bronzed My Little Pony figurines?: HOOFED ORNAMENTS (15). I have had two cars with nice hood ornaments, a Jaguar. That one was stolen. I also bought a Cadillac for my then wife with a nice gold one. That was stolen. This is my favorite image of themeres.

27A. Hawkers of thin cookies?: WAFER MONGERS (12). You have 2 meanings: denoting a dealer or trader in a specified commodity. e.g. "fishmonger"; or, a person who promotes a specified activity, situation, or feeling, especially one that is undesirable or discreditable. "rumormonger." War mongers are worse.

45A. Balls for cats?: FELINE DANCES (12). My wife loves line dancing, but this was very hard because I was thinking about play toys for kitty cats, not them dancing.

58A. GNC offering, and a chemical hint to three long puzzle answers: IRON SUPPLEMENTS (15).

Across:

1. Dishonor: ABASE. An old word, like last week's abash.

6. Stored in a cask, say: AGING. For our oenephiles.

11. Stick in the water: OAR. A nice clue/fill combo.

14. __ panel: SOLAR.

15. Violet in a bed: PANSY. Now this is a stretch, they may be cousins but they are not the SAME.

16. Itsy-bitsy: WEE. Teeny-weeny yellow polka dot bikini.

20. Sport with electric weapons: EPEE. A very common fill, but there are details you may not know. READ UP.

21. Auto pioneer: OLDS. Ransom E.

22. Nota __: BENE. Nota bene is a Latin phrase meaning 'note well'. The phrase first appeared in English writing c. 1711. Often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature, the phrase is Latin for "note well" and comes from the Latin roots notāre and bene. wiki.

23. Golden Age TV star: BERLE. Old time TV from when I was too young to have a TV.

25. Test subject with whiskers: LAB RAT. The term is ofr the actual rats and those who work there.

31. Give an address: ORATE.

32. Wobbly table stabilizer: SHIM. This is a wedge (or something) to fill up (a space)

33. Home run path: ARC. Even a line drive home run has a bit of arc.

36. Seasoned seafarer: OLD SALT. An actual position in our NAVY, did you know?

39. Renaissance immortal known as the "Father of the Scientific Method": GALILEO. Rather like the terms the greatest or the father of, inventor of the scientific method is an attribute that has been applied to a myriad of scholars down through the ages, Aristotle, Archimedes, Ibn al-Haytham, Galileo, Bacon (both Roger and Francis), Descartes and Newton are just some of the more prominent historical figures who invented the scientific method. Makes for kind of a crowded field doesn’t it?
LINK.

41. It might go for a buck: DOE. Such a deer clue.

42. "__ arigato": Japanese "thanks a lot": DOMO.

44. Without a break: ON END.

48. Celebrity socialite: IT GIRL. Not my cup of tea, but you can see a  RETROSPECTIVE.

51. Openly display: EXUDE. He exuded unflapable confidence.

52. Noble gas: NEON.

53. In the thick of: AMID.

54. Took off: ROSE. A rose by any other name; the shares of Google took off.

62. Letters on a returned check: NSF. Non-Sufficent Funds.

63. What drama queens do: EMOTE.

64. Hall partner: OATES. Some MUSIC.

65. Composer's choice: KEY.

66. 2018 awards event hosted by Danica Patrick: ESPYS. Did you watch? Not me.

67. Sneak preview, say: PROMO.


Down:

1. Tennis great with three Grand Slam titles: ASHE.

2. Jazz Age toon: BOOP.

3. Wound application: ALOE.

4. They're low-risk: SAFE BETS.

5. "... __ the set of sun": "Macbeth": ERE. Our Friday quick Shakespeare quote. Act I, Scene 1.

“That will be ere the set of sun.”

6. Landmark Manhattan theater: APOLLO.



7. Marvin __: GARDENS. A yellow property in monopoly. Marven Gardens is a portmanteau derived from Margate City and Ventnor City, because it lies on the border of Margate City and Ventnor City in Atlantic City. Wiki.

8. Holiday and Days: INNS.

9. Surveillance org.: NSA. National Security Agency

10. Floor hockey venue: GYM.

11. Titlist?: OWNER. Sugar Ray Leonard owned three different titles.

12. Blue Cross rival: AETNA.

13. Trip odometer control: RESET.

18. Colgate feature: DORM. Not the makers of the toothpaste, but the college. Hamilton, N.Y., was still a frontier settlement in 1817 when 13 men met to found the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York. The university eventually was named Colgate in grateful recognition of the nearly 70 years of interest and service shown by members of the Colgate family.

19. Wanes: EBBS.

24. It may be loaded with books: E-READER. I like the clue, it is both literal and fun.

25. Luke's sister: LEIA. They were twins, don't you know?

26. Laundry unit: ARMLOAD. Eh.

27. Misnomer for a modern golf driver: WOOD.

28. Name on the "Alice's Restaurant" album: ARLO. I have railed on him for years.

29. Gradually get tired: FADE.

30. Paris Agreement subj.: GHG. If you are not up on your environmental issues, this about Greenhouse Gases.

33. Baldwin brother: ALEC. Alec Baldwin (born 1958); Daniel Baldwin (born 1960); William Baldwin (born 1963) and Stephen Baldwin (born 1966).

34. Artist Magritte: RENE.

35. Some UPS deliveries: CODS. Not the tasty whitefish, but Cash On Delivery.

37. Put one's feet up: LOLL.

38. "More than I wanted to know": TMI. Too Much Information.

40. Cochlear transplant site: INNER EAR. A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain. Various.

43. Bad way to run: ON EMPTY.

45. Sawyer's pal: FINN. Tom and Huck.

46. Kicks out: EXILES.

47. Surfer's greeting: DUDE. When my youngest was an early teenager, I had to forbid him to use that term.

48. Confident way to solve crosswords: IN INK. Somewhat stubborn and arrogant but it feels good when your get 'er done.

49. Compact: TERSE. Sorry, I just cannot do a terse write-up.

50. Mickey's pal: GOOFY.

53. For one: A POP.

55. Aware of: ON TO.

56. Apple stalk: STEM. I did not know the stem is also called the pedicel or stalk.

57. ExxonMobil trading name: ESSO. It is a trading name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. The name is an acronym for Eastern States Standard Oil, a post-Standard Oil-breakup company that started as Standard Oil of New Jersey, and as it acquired other Standard Oil-heritage companies, they shortened it in 1932.

59. Date: SEE.

60. Brief interjections: UMS.

61. Challenge for a stylist: MOP.  1 : an implement made of absorbent material fastened to a handle and used especially for cleaning floors. 2 : something that resembles a mop especially : a thick mass of hair.


We traveled all over and I had fun without swearing, which is always good on Friday. Thank you Mark  and keep those chemicals coming. Come by and say hello. Happy birthday Harper and many more. Lemonade out.

P.S. I have been debating if a bigger grid would be a good thing; what do you think?

Thursday, September 27th 2018 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme:  Golf Fever - it's the Ryder Cup beginning tomorrow, Tiger's back to winning ways, and we have an aptly-timed theme for this Thursday.

1A. *Top selection: TEE SHIRT. You can't wear a t-shirt to play golf on most courses in the UK, they're very sniffy about dress code. You used to not be able to wear sneakers, but now that all the latest golf shoes look like sneakers, it mush be causing must angst and "what is the world coming to?" wailings from the old buffers in the clubhouse.

Nike have recently been dressing Tiger and Rory McIlroy in collarless shirts - I wonder if they'd be tossed off the course? I highly doubt it.

22A. *Preliminary sketch: ROUGH OUTLINE

36A. *Overly defensive stance: BUNKER MENTALITY. Bunkers on golf courses were originally natural depressions in the links that sheep used to scratch out to huddle from the wind whipping in over the dunes.

45A. *Newbie: GREEN RECRUIT

63A. *Stud poker element: HOLE CARD. From whence "ace in the hole".

and the unifier:

54D. What a sequence of single strokes from the start of each starred answer to the next often adds up to: PAR.

So, on a par-4 golf hole, you skew a tee shot into the rough, muscle it out into a bunker, splash a sand wedge onto the green and make the putt. Not a bad par save.

I once played a par 4 when my ball never even touched the grass. I teed it up, drove straight into a bunker, found a greenside bunker with the next shot and chipped straight into the hole without touching the green. Sheer fluke. I bought drinks.

Nice go from Jeffrey, slick work with the stacked 8's and 6's top and bottom and solid themage. Nothing particularly to cringe about in the fill either.

Let's examine further:

Across:

9. Bring pleasure (to): APPEAL

15. Horror film line that usually gets its speaker in trouble: I'LL GO SEE

16. With conviction: FIRMLY

17. Final Yahtzee roll, e.g.: LAST TURN. Took me a moment. The player who rolls "Yahtzee" has the final roll of the game.

18. Defies: FLOUTS. One of those words often mis-replaced, in "flouts" case by "flaunts".

19. Omaha-to-Milwaukee dir.: ENE

20. Epidermal flaw: ZIT

21. Its practice doesn't make it perfect: LAW. Odd clue, I think I must be missing something punny about "perfect" law?

28. Cowboy leggings: CHAPS

30. Quite small: WEE

31. __ culpa: MEA. My bad!

32. Indian noblewoman: RANI

33. Utopia: EDEN

35. Degrees of creativity, briefly: BFA'S. Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. Two or more of these degrees are BFA's, two or more degree holders are Bachelors of Fine Arts - what would they be - B's.F.A? We should be told.

39. Track calculation: ODDS

40. Very long time: EONS

41. Support for a stroller: CANE

42. Seminarian's subj.: REL. Not nuclear physics? I'm surprised.

43. __ bran: OAT

44. Stun gun brand: TASER

49. Kareem, once: LEW. Lew Alcindor, UCLA basketball legend. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as an LA Laker.

50. Interoffice PC connection: LAN. Local Area Network.

51. Vehicle that really moves?: VAN

54. Canal zone: PANAMA

57. "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" trilogy author: ANNE RICE. I'd not heard of the trilogy, but it didn't take me long to slot her name in. I read her "Interview with a Vampire" and loved it.

60. Video game figure: AVATAR

61. Agonize about: STEW OVER

62. Deal with a bounced email: RE-SEND

Down:

1. Roofing unit: TILE

2. Vigorous spirit: ELAN

3. "Got anything __?": ELSE

4. Mil. three-striper: SGT.

5. High on the Scoville scale: HOT. Chili heat scale. I've got some fresh ghost peppers in the fridge, I chop them wearing latex gloves. They are not to be messed with!

6. Rodeos, e.g.: ISUZUS. Made me pause for a few seconds. It's an SUV from Isuzu.

7. Equip anew: RE-RIG. A couple of "re"-dos today.

8. Back nine opener: TENTH. More golf!

9. Wealthy: AFFLUENT

10. "Ecce homo" speaker: PILATE. "Behold the man".

11. Hunt stealthily: PROWL. Here, Kitty Kitty!

12. Source of lean red meat: EMU.

13. PC key: ALT

14. Fleur in heraldry: LYS. Lys vs. Lis. Let the debate re-begin.

22. Assigns relative value to: RANKS

23. Mayberry kid: OPIE

24. 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Terrell: OWENS. Known simply as "T-O" for a lot of his career.

25. "It's just a scratch": I'M FINE. I remember reading a quote from a claim form submitted to an Australian auto insurance company. "I told the other motorist I was not injured, but on removing my hat I discovered I had fractured my skull". There's stoic for you.

26. Not as messy: NEATER

27. "Nothing to it!": EASY

28. Less refined: CRUDER

29. Deal with: HANDLE

33. Put on quite an act: EMOTE

34. Cubs' digs: DEN

35. Heck of a party: BLAST

36. Swedish tennis great: BORG. Björn. He was fast around the court. I hear he was "Björn To Run".

37. Astern: REARWARD

38. Amazon berry: ACAI

43. Kind of band: ONE-MAN

44. Mine feature: TUNNEL

46. Please mightily: ELATE

47. Be at loggerheads: CLASH

48. Cost: RAN TO

51. Brawny rival: VIVA. I get Brawny from Costco. They do the job for me. I do go through a lot of them, though.

52. Big name in PCs: ACER

53. Bookish sort: NERD

55. Thoroughfare: Abbr.: AVE.

56. "Life Is Good" rapper: NAS. Grammy Award-nominated album in 2013.

58. Farm girl: EWE

59. Dungeons & Dragons bird: ROC. Muscle car: I-ROC. Fast food billionaire: KROC. LA-based music station: K-ROQ.

Rocking or not, here's the grid!

Steve