Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, in the throes of a dramatic glucose spike. Let's get going and work off some of those carbs.
Across:
1. Tracks: CUTS. Album tracks. Wasn't my first thought.
14. "Pronto" letters: ASAP. As Soon As Possible. Take your time, but hurry.
15. Delight: ELATE. Make very happy.
16. Rachel Maddow's field: NEWS. Information about current events. What's happening now.
17. Simon or Garfunkel: NAME. Ditto Smith and Jones. Again, not what one would expect from the clue
18. Terra __: COTTA. A clay-based non-vitreous ceramic, fired at relatively low temperatures. Earthenware.
19. Small valley: DELL. Often in a wooded area.
23. Purpose: USE. The reason for which something exists.
24. Shed: LOSE. Give off, discharge or expel. During the hurricane my yard shed its shed.
25. Summer hrs. in Portsmouth: EDT. Eastern Daylight Time
26. Some DEA employees: NARCS. Slang shorthand for narcotics agent, who specializes in laws dealing with illegal drugs.
28. Smallest state in India: GOA. Goa is a state in western India with coastlines stretching along the Arabian Sea. Its long history as a Portuguese colony prior to 1961 is evident in its preserved 17th-century churches and the area’s tropical spice plantations.
30. Stable staple: OAT. A nutritious breakfast for both horses and people.
38. "Frozen" sister: ELSA. Elsa is the Queen of Arendelle in the Disney cartoon feature, Frozen. I think this clue should point to her sister Anna, since Elsa is the star of the show.
41. Misstep: ERROR. Faux pas, Fingerfehler. Oops.
42. Water waster: DRIP. From a not-properly-shut-off faucet.
46. Back: AGO. In the past.
47. "The A-Team" actor: MR T. Laurence Tureaud [b. 1952] is an American actor. He is known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team and as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III.
52. Fundraising org.: PTA. Parent-Teachers Association, a network of of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools.
54. Gets faint: DIMS. Reduces in brightness or image clarity.
57. Laundry brand: ERA. A P&G product.
62. Soap brand: LAVA. Lava is a heavy-duty hand cleaner in soap bar form manufactured by the WD-40 Company. Unlike typical soap bars, Lava contains ground pumice, which gave the soap its name. The soap and pumice combination is intended to scour tar, engine grease, paint, dirt, grime, filth, and similar substances from the skin.
63. French 101 infinitive: AVOIR. Meaning to have.
64. Last remarks?: OBIT. Not a last utterance, but funereal comments about the recently departed.
65. Improves in a cellar, say: AGES. As wine or cheese.
66. Barbershop quartet part: TENOR. Unlike choral harmony in which the parts from top down are soprano, alto, tenor and bass, with the melody usually in the soprano part; in barbershop harmony the tenor sings a harmony part that is consistently above the melody, which is sung by the lead. Below that are baritone and bass. So the voices from top down are tenor, lead, baritone and bass.
67. Soap brand: DOVE. A brand of facial soap made by Unilever that comes in a variety of specialized uses. Dove chocolate tastes better than any of them.
68. Pigeon fancier on "Sesame Street": BERT. This was not a great success.
70. Took a hatchet to: AXED. Hewed or chopped.
Down:
1. Tourist destination on the Yucatan: CANCUN. Cancún, a Mexican city on the Yucatán Peninsula bordering the Caribbean Sea, is known for its beaches, numerous resorts and nightlife. It’s composed of 2 distinct areas: the more traditional downtown area, El Centro, and Zona Hotelera, a long, beachfront strip of high-rise hotels, nightclubs, shops and restaurants.
2. Chant for the red, white, and blue: USA-USA. Often heard at the Olympics.
3. Mess (with): TAMPER. Interfere with something in order to cause damage or make unauthorized alterations.
4. Job detail, for short: SPEC. Specification - a detailed description of the design and materials used to make something.
5. Geico icon: GECKO. I don't know which I hate more - the Geico adds with the gecko or without the gecko.
6. Medicinal plants: ALOES. Aloe vera is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. It is widely distributed, and is considered an invasive species in many world regions. An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but also grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world. The leaves of Aloe vera contain significant amounts of the polysaccharide gel acemannan, which can be used for topical purposes. Aloe skin contains aloin which is toxic. Products made from Aloe vera usually only use the gel.
7. Come clean?: BATHE. Instead of admitting to some wrong-doing, here we make us of, for example, Dove or Lava soap.
8. "A Man Called __": OTTO. Tom Hanks film based on a Fredrik Backman novelm, A Man Called Ove. When a lively young family moves in next door, grumpy widower Otto Anderson meets his match in a quick-witted, pregnant woman named Marisol, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world upside down.
9. Down-to-earth: REAL. With no illusions or pretensions; practical and realistic.
10. Done: ENDED. Finished.
11. Excursion where one might see something brewing?: BEER TOUR. As you visit each brewery, you will learn how they differ from each other, and how their beers make them distinct from the others. You will also get to taste different kinds of beer and know each brewery's bestseller and award-winning beers.
12. Pointed tools: AWLS. Tools with which holes can be punctured in a variety of materials, or existing holes can be enlarged. They are also used for sewing heavy materials, such as leather or canvas. They have a thin, tapered metal shaft, coming to a sharp point, either straight or slightly bent.
13. Designer monogram: YSL. The initials of Yves Saint Laurent. I will wear clothes with his monogram when he wears clothes with the RLT monogram.
21. To boot: ALSO. The term comes from the Old English to bote, which was once used as part of a legal term in English law, meaning something extra that is added as part of a bargain or compensation.
You don't hear this expression much here in the States. But I watch a lot of hockey, and it seems quite common in Canada
22. Like many students at Gallaudet University: DEAF. Gallaudet University is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children.
27. Sleep apnea apparatus, initially: CPAP. CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is a machine that uses mild air pressure to keep breathing airways open while you sleep. Your healthcare provider may prescribe CPAP to treat sleep-related breathing disorders including sleep apnea.
28. High seas quaff: GROG. A strong alcoholic drink, originally rum, mixed with water
29. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO. Spanish.
31. Wong of "Birds of Prey": ALI. Alexandra Dawn Wong [b. 1982] is an American stand-up comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her Netflix stand-up specials Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife, and Don Wong. She has also starred in the romantic comedy film Always Be My Maybe, on which she also served as a writer and producer.
32. Recipe amt.: TSP. Teaspoon.
34. Equal: PEER. One that is of equal standing with another
35. Relaxed pace: TROT. A pace faster than a walk
36. Dog park sound: ARF. Barking.
37. Likelihood: ODDS. Probability that something will happen.
38. BEACH Act org.: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency
39. Record: LOG. Enter (an incident or fact) in the log of a ship or aircraft or in another systematic record.
40. Brief visit: STOP OVER. To stay at a place for a short period of time on the way to somewhere else or before returning home.
44. Islamic leader: IMAM. Any of various rulers that claim descent from Muhammad and exercise spiritual and temporal leadership over a Muslim region
45. "Not that much": LESS. Comparatively not as much.
49. Place to drive: TEE BOX. In golf, the start of each hole where you take your first swing.
50. Show up: ARRIVE. Reach a place at the end of a journey or a stage in a journey.
51. Part of RBI: BATTED. RBIs are Runs batted in: a run that is scored as a result of a specific batter's hit, walk, sacrifice, etc.
53. Canapé base, maybe: TOAST. A canapé is a small piece of bread or pastry with a savory topping, often served with drinks at a reception or formal party.
54. Worker with a monotonous routine: DRONE. a person who is obliged to do menial, routine or boring work
55. Cold feet or hot seat: IDIOM. A type of phrase or expression that has a meaning that can't be deciphered by defining the individual words. Appropriately, the word “idiom” is derived from the ancient Greek word “idioma,” which means “peculiar phraseology.”
56. Full of cheer: MERRY. Cheerful and lively.
58. Breathe fire, say: RAGE. Be extremely angry and vocal. Another example of an idiom.
59. Inevitable end: FATE. The development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.
60. Pizza place: OVEN. Where it is cooked, not where it is eaten.
61. Bartender's supply: SODA. Bubbly water.
62. Chocolate __: LAB. The Hershey product research facility. No, wait -- The Chocolate Lab is a brown colored variety of Labrador Retriever, a friendly, confident and loving dog with great character and huge appeal as a pet.
And on that friendly note we draw today's treats to a close. We had some fun snacks and a few opportunities to clean up. Hope you found it satisfying.