Friday, December 27, 2024, Gary Larson, Amy Ensz

 Today's theme is SELF-EVIDENT.

Gary Larson and Amy Ensz have placed five OBVIOUS theme clues symmetrically throughout the grid.  The first word of each answer is a synonym for OBVIOUS.

The theme clues and answers (all Across) are:

15. Casino employee, obviously?: PLAIN DEALER.  PLAIN is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "It is PLAIN to me that the readers of this blog enjoy crossword puzzles."  A DEALER is a casino employee who runs games by distributing cards and managing chips.  A PLAIN DEALER is a person who interacts with others honestly and openly.

23. Natural pillow stuffing, obviously?: MARKED DOWN.  MARKED is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "There is a MARKED difference between summer and winter temperatures."  DOWN is a layer of fine feathers found under the exterior feathers of birds, often used as pillow stuffing.  MARKED DOWN is a phrase that means reduced in price.

34. Actor Jude's offspring, obviously?: PATENT LAW.  PATENT is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "He told a PATENT lie."  LAW is the surname of actor Jude Law.  PATENT LAW is a legal framework providing exclusive rights to inventors.

48. Honorific, obviously?: CLEAR TITLE.  CLEAR is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "It is CLEAR to me that the theme answers are humorous double entendres."  TITLE can refer to an honoric, like "Mr.," "Ms.," or "Dr."  CLEAR TITLE is a phrase that means undisputed ownership.

58. Convenient excuse, obviously?: STRIKING OUT.  STRIKING is a synonym for OBVIOUS, as in, "The younger Law bore a STRIKING resemblance to his father, Jude."  OUT can be used to mean an excuse, as in, "I didn't want to attend the party, and my sniffles gave me an OUT."  STRIKING OUT has a number of meanings -- setting out on a course of action, having three unsuccessful swings in baseball, failing at something, or in this case, a spectacular excuse!

And now, it is obviously time to review the remaining clues and answers!

Across:

1. Made-up band: KISS.  The American rock band KISS has been made up of various members over the years.  They are known for being MADE-UP with lots of makeup.

5. EPA concern: SMOG.

9. "Rules __ rules": ARE.

12. Native of Pre-Columbian Peru: INCA.

13. Gaze: STARE.

14. T. follower: REX.  T. rex is short for Tyrannosaurus rex, a large, carnivorous dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous period.

15. [Theme clue]

17. Red block in Minecraft: TNT.  Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all-time, with over 300 million copies sold and nearly 170 million monthly active players as of 2024.  The game world is composed of cubes (or "blocks") representing materials such as ores, water, and lava.  And TNT!

18. Retinol Correxion skin care brand: RoC.  Apparently this stuff is the fountain of youth for your face.  Stay out of the sun if you use it, and watch out for skin irritation!

19. Hair-raising: EERIE.

20. Manitoba people: CREE.  The Cree are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories of Canada.

21. "Plus some other folks" abbr.: ET AL.  Short for "et alia," a Latin phrase meaning "and others."

23. [Theme clue]

26. Leave the band, perhaps: GO SOLO.

28. Rejected: VETOED.

29. Pirouetting, perhaps: ON TOE.  A ballet dancer supporting their weight on the tips of their toes is said to be en pointe.  

30. Call on: VISIT.

33. Physicians, briefly: MDs. Medical doctors.

34. [Theme clue]

37. Coolers, briefly: ACs. Air conditioners.

40. A mile a minute: SIXTY.  If you're going a mile a minute, that's sixty miles per hour.

41. "Up in Smoke" co-star: CHONG.  "Up in Smoke" is a 1978 comedy film starring Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong.

45. New Jersey city: CAMDEN.

47. Black eye: SHINER.

48. [Theme clue]

52. Cacio e __ pasta: PEPE.  "Cacio e pepe" is Italian for "cheese and pepper."  The classic dish is made with just pecorino romano cheese, black pepper and pasta.  Some folks consider this a good dish to order to test the quality of the kitchen in an Italian restaurant.  If they offer pizza, try margherita, topped with crushed peeled tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil leaves.

53. Not pretty: UGLY.

54. Plays: DRAMA.

56. GPS display: RTE.  A Global Positioning System app (like Google Maps or Waze) displays a "route" to follow.

57. Was on the bottom?: SAT.  Oh, *that* bottom! 

58. [Theme clue]

61. Before, before: ERE.  Ere used to mean before, well before our time.

62. Filch: SWIPE.

63. Nature or nurture: NOUN.  Nature and nurture are both nouns.  

64. Leb. neighbor: SYR.  Lebanon and Syria.

65. Schnoz: NOSE.  Likely from Yiddish שנויץ (shnoyts), cognate to German Schnauze (“snout”) and English snout.

66. Ill at __: EASE.

Down:

1. Unit of explosive force: KILOTON.  A unit of explosive power equivalent to 1,000 tons of TNT.

2. Plastered?: IN A CAST.  Plaster casts are used to treat bone fractures.

3. __-fi: SCI.

4. Sensible: SANE.

5. Step: STAIR.

6. "Bohemian Rhapsody" Best Actor Oscar winner: MALEK.  Rami Malek portrayed Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in the 2018 biographical film "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury

7. Lode load: ORE.

8. Neighbor of Aus.: GER.  Austria and Germany.

9. Creative venue: ART ROOM.

10. Like some library books or contracts: RENEWED.

11. Stretches out: EXTENDS.

13. "Buona __": SERA.  "Good evening" in Italian.

15. Barilla rival: PREGO.  Competing brands of bottled marinara sauce, made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs.

16. Expo presentation: DEMO.  At an exposition, exhibitors offer demonstrations of their products.

20. Chi. summer setting: CDT.  Chicago is on Central Daylight Time in the summer.

22. Aerial maneuver: LOOP.  A loop maneuver is an aerial stunt performed by airplane pilots.  The loop is achieved by diving and pulling back sharply. In every loop, the pilot has to navigate through a force of gravity nine times the normal.  It's dangerous!

24. Malicious: EVIL.

25. Rip off: DETACH.

27. Landlord: LEASER.

30. Bother: VEX.

31. Abbr. on a bank statement: INT.  With any luck, your bank statement shows interest.

32. Mud hole: STY.  A sty is a pig pen, which is often muddy.

35. Shade: TINT.

36. Blender setting: WHIP.

37. Charges: ACCUSES.

38. Home of the Stampede: CALGARY.  The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

39. Place of refinement?: SMELTER.  A smelter is a machine or factory that heats ore to high temperatures to separate metal from other elements.

42. Burdensome: ONEROUS.

43. Planet with the Great Dark Spot: NEPTUNE.  The Great Dark Spot was observed by NASA's Voyager 2 space probe in 1989, and later by the Hubble Space Telescope.  It is a large storm.

44. Welcome: GREET.

46. Same-__ delivery: DAY.

47. Formal introduction?: SEMI.  Semi-formal is a dress code:  more polished than work wear, but less formal than black-tie.  For men, a suit is in order.  For women, who the heck knows?

49. Actor Elba: IDRIS.  Idris Elba is an award-winning English actor and singer.  He is OBVIOUSLY sexy, having been named Essence's annual Sexiest Man of the Year in 2013 and People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2018.

50. Drivel: TRIPE.  Drivel is nonsense.  Tripe is slang for nonsense.  The first meaning of tripe is the edible lining of a cow, pig, or sheep's stomach.  The edible tripe looks like rubbish, which led to the secondary meaning of rubbish or nonsense.

51. Camp sight: LAKE.

55. Celebrity chef Burrell: ANNE.  Anne Burrell is an American chef and television personality She hosts the Food Network show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and co-hosts Worst Cooks in America. 

58. Digits from the government: SSN.  Social Security Number.

59. Wee hour: TWO.  The wee hours are the first few hours after midnight, so called because they have wee (or small) numbers.  TWO o'clock AM is a wee hour -- but not the only one.

60. Indian state whose capital is Panaji: GOA.  Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India.  It is India's smallest state by area and fourth-smallest by population. India rates Goa as having the best quality of life in the country.  The state capital, Panaji, retains cultural influences from its 456 years as a territory of Portugal.  The beaches of Goa appear to be popular tourist destinations.

Here's the grid:

So, was this puzzle perfectly CLEAR to you?

Or did you find yourself STRIKING OUT along the way?

NaomiZ

Sunday December 1, 2024 Gary Larson & Amy Ensz

Theme: "Rhyme Scheme" - Each common phrase is humorously rephrased fitting the nursery rhyme in the clue.

21A. Cleanup duty after Humpty Dumpty's accident?: FALL CLEARANCE.

37A. Rental stipulations for a large family's befuddled matriarch?: SHOESTRINGS.

58A. Vessel designed for row-row-rowing gently down the stream?: DREAM BOAT.

72A. Serving dish for Old Mother Hubbard's dog?: BONE CHINA.

90A. Telegram heralding Jack's candlestick feat?: JUMPER CABLE.

110A. Weasel's mindset after being chased by a monkey?: POP PSYCHOLOGY.

14D. Identifying marks for a horn-blowing little boy?: BLUEPRINTS.

70D. Strong flavor from that little Horner kid's Christmas pie?: CORNER KICK.

In case you're not aware of, Gary Larson and Amy Ensz are a couple. Here's an interesting article about Gary, the Bubble Man.

 Across:

 

1. Barrio grocery: BODEGA. Barrio is Spanish for "neighborhood".

7. Breakfast strip: BACON.

12. "I guess that's fine": SO BE IT.

18. Suggestive: EROTIC.

19. Love, in Roma: AMORE.

20. Actress Dahl who founded the Dahlia fragrance company: ARLENE.  Unfamiliar with the fragrance.

23. Crept around: SKULKED.

25. Intercontinental mountain range: URALS.

26. Pad: DIGS.

27. Mixes in: ADDS.

29. Nail polish brand in square bottles: ESSIE.

30. German 39-Down: EINS. 69. Spanish 39-Down: UNA. 39. Countdown end: ONE.

31. Color wheel display: TONES.

32. Bring in, as crops: REAP.

34. Place to stay: INN.

35. Mind-altering synthetic drug: LSD.

36. Puts a lid on: SHUTS.

41. Field event: SHOT PUT.

43. Singer Lewis who won "The X Factor": LEONA. British singer.

44. Boost: AID.

45. Crumple (up): WAD.

46. Ranted and raged: STORMED.

48. Poet's below: NEATH.

52. Big bullies: OGRES. And 55. Big bully: MEANIE.

56. Electron stream: BETA RAY.

60. Bogie toppers?: FEDORAS. Humphrey Bogart.

63. Word typically ignored when alphabetizing: THE.

64. Hog's grunt: OINK.

65. City with a van Gogh walking tour: ARLES. Starry, Starry Night.

67. Musical endings: CODAS.

68. Makeshift screwdriver, maybe: COIN.

70. Phylum units: CLASSES.

74. Kerosene: LAMP OIL.

76. Broadcasts again: RE-AIRS.

78. Retreat: OASIS.

79. Use a tiller: STEER.

80. Counsels: ADVISES.

82. ICU caregiver: LPN.

83. Tennis pair?: ENS. Letter N's in Tennis. We see this cluing misguide often.

85. Vegetarian chili bits: BEANS. Boomer loved beans in his chili. 

86. Make like new: RESTORE.

94. 100 smackers: C NOTE.

96. British granny: NAN.

97. Go gray, maybe: AGE.

98. Origin: ROOT.

99. Old cars from Sweden: SAABS. 101. Local language in Copenhagen: DANSK.

100. Take different routes: PART.

103. Happy __: MEAL.

106. Currency symbolized by € : EURO.

107. Apple gadget: CORER. Have you tried Cosmic Crisp apples?

108. Arranged like train cars: ENDWISE.

113. Cleared for takeoff, in a way: DE-ICED.

114. Batter's box neighbor: PLATE.

115. "Très chic!": OO LA LA.

116. Button in some shortcuts: ALT KEY.

117. Mélange: SALAD.

118. Elegant strand: PEARLS. Very pretty.

Down:

1. Like a pessimistic broker: BEARISH.

2. Bloom in Hollywood: ORLANDO.

3. Some "Coppélia" characters: DOLLS.  Not famliar with "Coppélia", a comic ballet. Coppélia is a mechanical doll.

4. List-ending abbrs.: ETCS.

5. Apt name for a pet fish: GIL.

6. Got the better of, in a contest: ACED OUT.

7. Canal craft: BARGES.

8. Gather: AMASS.

9. Hoodwink: CON.

10. Marine predator: ORCA.

11. __ for Speed: video game series: NEED.

12. Talks back: SASSES.

13. Mork's planet: ORK.

15. Pot-caught fish: EELS. You can find this in the Asian aisle in your grocery store.

16. Finishes, as a cartoon: INKS IN.

17. Driver's setting?: TEEING. Golfer's starting drive.

21. Energy sources: FUELS.

22. "It __ over till it's over": AIN'T.

24. Family rooms: DENS.

28. Emotion before starting an unpleasant task: DREAD.

31. Heavy clonk: THUD.

33. __ disadvantage: AT A.

36. Charley horse, e.g.: SPASM.

37. Typeface flourish: SERIF.

38. Practical HS course, once: HOME EC.

40. Lightbulb, in the comics: IDEA.

42. Fine-tune: TWEAK.

43. Silent film star Chaney: LON. He died in 1930 at age 47.

46. Puts a lid on: SEALS.

47. Cookie brand owned by Mondelez: TATE'S.

49. Stella __: Belgian beer: ARTOIS.

50. Sesame sauce: TAHINI. We have sesame paste in Chinese cooking. We use unhulled sesame seeds.

51. Serengeti scavengers: HYENAS.

52. Near beer brand: O'DOULS.

53. Direct a smile toward: GRIN AT.

54. Make a file more identifiable: RE-NAME.

55. Fable finale: MORAL.

56. Cereal grains: BRANS.

57. Simplify: EASE.

59. Indonesia's "Island of the Gods": BALI.

61. Gillis of old TV: DOBIE.

62. Nose wrinklers: ODORS.

66. African wildcat: SERVAL. Learning moment for me. Cute.

68. Gregorian __: CHANT.

71. Paris Olympics opening ceremony site: SEINE.

73. Thicket: COPSE.

75. Easter basket treat: PEEP.

77. Palm Sunday transport: ASS.

80. Lose power: ABATE.

81. Food blogger Perelman: DEB. Smitten Kitchen blog.

82. Permits: LETS.

84. Last-minute ticket caveat: SRO.

86. Cyberpunk franchise featuring a crime-fighting cyborg: ROBOCOP.

87. Hot: ON A ROLL.

88. Xenon, for one: RARE GAS.

89. Blog post: ENTRY.

90. Emerald alternative: JADE. Cantonese girls love jade bracelets. The real jade is quite pricey, like this one Carmen is wearing. Over $1,000.

 

91. Country with a border in Lake Victoria: UGANDA.

92. Genetics pioneer Gregor: MENDEL.

93. Spoof genre: COMEDY.

94. Brought about: CAUSED.

95. __ a soul: NARY.

99. Philly transit org.: SEPTA. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.

100. Chris Van Allsburg's "The __ Express": POLAR.

102. Loretta of "M*A*S*H": SWIT.

104. Intro courses?: APPS. Appetizers. Nice clue.

105. Dancer Falana: LOLA.

107. Cuba libre mixer: COLA.

109. Picture: SEE. The land I showed last week belongs to the Chinese government. My mom and dad were buried there also. It's very remote, hilly, dense with bushes and tall plants. I'd walk for miles to visit my mom's tomb. The stubbornness in that little girl.

111. Mate: PAL.

112. Soil-turning tool: HOE.

Just got this sweet picture from JD, who joined our blog in 2009 when her oldest grandson Truman was not yet one, now Truman is a senior. The tallest boy is Grady, younger brother of Truman (most right). The youngest boy in the picture is Dylan, who plays the saxophone and is about to get his Black Belt in Taekwondo. The boy in white sweater is Cameron, Dylon's old brother.

Thursday, October 31, 2024, Gary Larson & Amy Ensz

  

Super Heroes
They all started here ... 

Action Comics #1
June 1938

This was the first issue of the original run of the comic book/magazine series Action Comics. It features the first appearance of several comic-book heroes—most notably the Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster creation, Superman—and sold for 10 cents (equivalent to $2 in 2023).  On April 7, 2024, a copy of Action Comics #1 was auctioned for $6 million, becoming the most expensive comic book ever.  In the intervening years since 1938 the market for comics, animation, and gaming that originated with that $2.00 publication has exploded, and will reach an estimated $400 billion dollars by the end of this year. 

Today our veteran constructors Gary Larson and Amy Ensz take us on a brief tour of the super hero  universe that got its start on that day in June 2023 (although I doubt that they'll be getting any of the aforementioned largesse!).  Each themer is clued with a punny reference to the alter ego of a famous super hero and then filled with a two word play on the superhero's  name, the first word of which can be followed by MAN or WOMAN giving the hero's name ...

17. Window treatment for Tony Stark's house?: IRON CURTAIN.  Tony Stark is the alter ego for the superhero IRON MAN.

Iron Man

29. Factory owned by Peter Parker?: SPIDER PLANT. Peter Parker is the alter ego for the superhero SPIDER MAN. (see also Easter Egg at 14A).

Spider Man

48. Salary for Diana Prince?: WONDER BREAD.  Diana Prince is the alter ego for the superhero WONDER WOMAN.  

Wonder Woman

64. Vivid mental image for Clark Kent ?: SUPER VISION.  Clark Kent is the alter ego for the superhero SUPERMAN.  Here are the opening credits and some snippets from the 1953 series starring George Reeves ...

Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

 1. Digital whiz: TECHIE.  A CSO to Tony.

7. Greeting on deck: AHOY.

11. "Bright Dead Things" poet Limón: ADA.  Ada Limón became the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States in July of 2022. She is the author of several poetry collections, including The Hurting Kind (2022); The Carrying (2018), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry; and Bright Dead Things (2015), a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Books Critics Circle Award, and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award.  Here are 5 poems from Bright Dead Things.

Ada Limón

14. Goddess challenged by Arachne to a weaving contest: ATHENA.  A tangled tale from Ovid's Metamorphosis that teaches us about the fickle nature of the gods and the consequences of mortal arrogance – serving as a stark reminder of our place in the grand scheme of life.

Arachne and Athena

15. Easy run: LOPE.  

16. Not gross: NET.

17. [Theme clue]

19. ISP option: DSL.  Digital Subscriber Line is a family of telecommunications hardware and protocols for transmitting Internet Services over telephone lines.

20. "Bleeding Love" singer Lewis: LEONA.  Leona Louise Lewis OBE (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model, and activist.   She won the British talent show The X Factor in 2006, and was awarded a £1 million recording contract.  The following year her debut studio album Spirit  was certified 10× platinum in the UK and became the fourth best-selling album of the 2000s, and one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history.  Here's the lead song from the album, Bleeding Love, which spent seven weeks at number one in the UK and was the best-selling single of 2007 ... 

21. Make: EARN.

22. Number of divas: ARIA.  Here are nine of the  greatest divas (a couple of the ARIAS don't open).

23. Ear part: CANAL.  My Mother taught me that "you should never put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow". 😀

25. Nautical equilibrium: SEA LEGS.  If you don't have them you might get SEA SICKNESS.  Here are some WebMD recommendations for dealing with any kind of motion sickness.

27. Shade of blonde: ASH.

29, [Theme clue]

31. Singer Celine: DION.  Céline Marie Claudette Dion CC OQ (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer (CSO CanadianEh!). Referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads", she is noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals. Her music has incorporated genres such as pop, rock, R&B, chanson, and classical music. Her recordings have been mainly in English and French, although she has also sung in several other languages including Japanese, Italian, German, Mandarin, Spanish and Neapolitan.  She has had a number of health problems in recent years, but recently returned to center stage at this year's Paris Olympics with a stunning performance of Hymne à l'amour.  But the biggest hit of her career was My Heart Will Go On from the 1997 film Titanic. 

33. Merch item: TEE.

34. Wrap (up): SEW.

35. Prepared to sing the national anthem: STOOD.

37. Broadcast-monitoring org.: FCC.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction over the areas of broadband access, fair competition, radio frequency use, media responsibility, public safety, and homeland security.  It does not however have jurisdiction over content transmitted over the Internet.  Tis a pity. 

39. Merch item: DECAL.

43. Alley-__: OOP.  A very versatile clue ...

1. An alley-oop in basketball is an offensive play in which one player passes the ball near the basket to a teammate who jumps, catches the ball in mid-air and dunks or lays it in before touching the ground;  
2. Drop the dash and we get a comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades.  It is in still in syndication to this day;  
3. And from the sublime to the ridiculous (and with apologies to all the musicians cited above and below) ... a 1957 song by the Hollywood Argyles based on the comic  ...

45. Cereal grain: OAT.

47. Qdoba bite: TACO.  Qdoba (kew-DOH-bə), operating under that name since 1999, is a chain of fast casual restaurants in the United States and Canada serving Mexican-style cuisine.

Qdoba Mexican Eats

48. [Theme clue]

53. Gym unit: REP.

54. Asylum seeker, perhaps: EMIGREE.  If perhaps one is granted asylum, only then does one become an EMIGREE.

55. NPR weekend host __ Simon: SCOTT.  Scott Simon, was born in Chicago, Illinois, in March of 1952.  He has been with NPR for over four decades, beginning in 1977 as Chicago bureau chief. His career also encompasses writing and television. He has hosted the Saturday edition of Weekend Edition since its inception in 1985, excepting a period in 1992 and 1993 when Alex Chadwick hosted the show.

Scott Simon

57. Croupier's tool: RAKE.  I guess that's where the term "rake in the money" comes from.

Croupier's Rake

58. Video game giant: SEGA.

60. __ cotta: TERRA.  Today's Italian lesson: "Baked Earth" -- low-fire, typically unglazed pottery, aka EARTHEN WARE.  Fired terra cotta is porous and is ideal for flower pots and planters ... 

Terra cotta planters

63. Ambient music pioneer Brian: ENO.  In addition to his major contributions to crosswordese, Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno is for some reason a member of the mononymous entertainers club😀  Eno is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist.  While he describes himself as a "non-musician" he has experimented with many musical genres, and has been a major influence on other musicians.  Eno co-produced The Unforgettable Fire (1984), The Joshua Tree (1987), Achtung Baby (1991), and All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) for U2, with his frequent collaborator Daniel Lanois.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2019 for his contributions as a synthesizer sideman to the band Roxy Music.  Here  is one of early experiments with minimalism -- By This River from his 1977 album Before and After Science ...

64. [Theme clue]

66. Engine need: OIL.

67. Handwriting on the wall: OMEN.  This phrase originated from the Biblical story in Daniel 5, where, during a feast held by King Belshazzar, a hand suddenly appears and writes on a wall the following Aramaic words: מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין (mənē mənē təqēl ūp̄arsīn, “numbered, numbered, weighed, and they are divided”).  It was not a good OMEN for King Belshazzar, who was killed that  very same night.

Belshazzar's Feast
National Gallery, London
Rembrandt, 1635

68. Happening place: IN SPOT.  Every day on the Corner!

69. Secretive group, initially: NSA.  If this keeps up they'll be investigating the LA Times next. 😀

70. Pointy-headed Muppet: BERT.  Bert and his buddy Ernie go fishing ...

71. Tennis great who won four Australian Opens between 1995 and 2003: AGASSI.  You can read all about those matches and many others in Andre Agassi's 2011 entry in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Andre Agassi

Down:
 1. Part of a cat costume: TAIL.

2. Raison d'__: ETRE.  Today's French lesson #1: "Reason for being".  Some people think we have none, but IMHO we do.

3. Tot's name for a train: CHOO CHOO.

4. Medium for the body art of mehndi: HENNA.  Henna is a reddish dye prepared from the dried and powdered leaves of the henna tree. It has been used since at least the ancient Egyptian period as a hair and body dye, notably in the temporary body art of mehndi (or "henna tattoo") resulting from the staining of the skin using dyes from the henna plant. After henna stains reach their peak color, they hold for a few days, then gradually wear off by way of exfoliation, typically within one to three weeks. 

Mehndi designs

5. People who domesticated potatoes: INCANS.  This fill is literally a stretch!  The INCAS are believed to have been the first to cultivate potatoes all the way up in the Andes mountain range, at 3,800 meters above sea level and they cultivated over 3000 varieties ...

A few varieties of potatoes
in modern day Peru

6. __ de parfum: EAU.  Today's French lesson  #2: "Perfumed water".

7. Wasatch Mountains ski resort: ALTA.  Alta is a ski area in the western United States, located in the town of Alta in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, in Salt Lake County.  With a skiable area of 2,614 acres (10.58 km2), Alta's base elevation is 8,530 ft (2,600 m) and rises to 11,068 ft (3,374 m) for a vertical gain of 2,538 ft (774 m). One of the oldest ski resorts in the country, it opened its first lift in early 1939.

Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta

8. Having said too much, perhaps: HOARSE.

9. Editorial writers, e.g.: OPINERS.  A fancy name for "talking heads" -- which reminds me of this song by the eponymous band, a cover of the Al Green classic ... 

10. Urge: YEN.

11. "We Need To Talk" co-host Kremer: ANDREA. Andrea Kremer (born February 25, 1959) is a multi-Emmy Award-winning American television sports journalist.  In 2014, Kremer joined the team of We Need to Talk, the first all-female nationally televised weekly sports show. Airing in prime time, the weekly show featured a rotating group of female panelists discussing all topics and news in sports. At the conclusion of the program's inaugural season, the show won a Gracie Grand Award for On Air Talent: Sports Program. 

Andrea Kremer

12. Plan: DESIGN.

13. Classic song with the line "My love has come along": AT LAST.  While Etta James didn't write the song, she made it a hit, and torch singers have been covering it ever since ... 

18. __ pitcher: RELIEF.  Mariano Rivera is at the top of this list for the top 10 relief pitchers of all time.  Here he is with tip of the cap to the crowd with his 602nd career save coming in a 6-4 win over the Twins on Sept. 19, 2011, breaking the record previously held by Padres closer Trevor Hoffman.

Mariano Rivera

22. Full of beans: ALL WET.  The first fill that came to my mind naturally. 😀

24. Just right: APT.

26. Pretended to be: APED.

27. Revenue sources for freemium apps: ADS.

28. Take a load off: SIT.  What you do after you finish the reason you 35A.

30. Home style: DECOR.

32. Pest: NOODGE.  Today's Yiddish lesson: 

36. Go-getter: DOER.  St. James famously told his readers to be DOERS in Chapter 1:22-24 of his Epistle.

38. Salad often made with anchovies: CAESAR.  Here's Natasha's recipe for a CAESAR salad.

Caesar Salad

40. Road excursions: CAR TRIPS.

41. Untouched serve: ACE.  Andre Agassi scored 4,082 ACES during his career.

42. Hack (off): LOP.  This week's dose of Monte Python (WARNING: the following scene contains acts of violence and loss of blood😧) ...

44. Suppose: PRESUME.

46. Washington's Sea-__ Airport: TAC.  Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the primary international airport serving Seattle and its metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington.

Seattle Tacoma International Airport

48. "That's our cue!": WERE ON.

49. Muscat residents: OMANIS.  Muscat is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was 1.72 million as of September 2022.

50. Inventor Tesla: NIKOLA.  Nikola Tesla (10 July 1856 – 7 January 1943) was a Serbian-American engineer, futurist, and inventor. He is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system and for the invention of an early AC induction motor, the patents for which made him a wealthy man.

Nikola Tesla

51. Paging device: BEEPER.  My immediate reaction to this answer was that BEEPERS are obsolete, having been supplanted by cell phones -- but in fact millions of them are still in daily use.  Hand up if you have ever (or still do!) carried a pager? ✋

52. Overly indulgent: DOTING.  I know a grandmother to whom this adjective might be applied. Hint -- if the preceding statement doesn't appear in the final copy, you'll know who it is.😀

56. Thompson of "Westworld": TESSA.  Tessa Lynne Thompson (born October 3, 1983) is an American actress. She began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College, appearing in productions of The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet. Following her role in Veronica Mars (2005–2006), her breakthrough came with leading roles in Tina Mabry's independent drama film Mississippi Damned (2009) and Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls (2010).  The trailer for Westworld was Rated R, so you'll just have to settle for this JPEG ...

Tessa Thompson

59. Gallant fellow: GENT.

61. Outback hoppers: ROOS.  Like this denizen of the Hundred Acre Wood  ...

Roo

62. Against: ANTI.  These days everyone seems to be defined by what they're against. 😠

64. Cry noisily: SOB.  Often because of abuse by some SOB!

65. By way of: VIA.  Today's Latin lesson: "By way of".

Cheers,

Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley