Tuesday November 19, 2024 C W Stewart

On the Home Stretch.  The circles are needed for today's puzzle.  A circle is progressively added to each theme answer to slowly spell out the word HOME.

17-Across. Big spender in Vegas: HIGH ROLLER.

25-Across. Extremely volatile situation: HORNETS NEST.

44-Across. Southern breakfast side dish: HOMINY GRITS.  I think Grits are an acquired taste.

60-Across. Sigh from a weary traveler, and an apt title for this puzzle: HOME AT LAST.

Across:

1. Tenant's payment: RENT.

5. "F" on a test, often: FALSE.  Not a failing mark, but a mark on a True/False test.

10. One-named "Believe" diva: CHER.  Cher (b. May 20, 1946), whose given name is Cherilyn Sarkisian,  is a singer and actress.  She is also known for her outlandish outfits.

14. "A Streetcar Named Desire" director Kazan: ELIA.  Elia Kazan (né Elias Kazantzoglou; Sept. 7, 1909 ~ Sept. 28, 2003) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He was born in what was then known as Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey.  He is also known for naming names before the House Un-American Committee in the 1950s.

15. Like days of yore: OLDEN.

16. In robust health: HALE.

19. Land in a lake: ISLE.  I don't associate an isle being in a lake.  I think of an Isle being situated in a larger body of water.

20. Had a dinner date: ATE OUT.

21. TV cooking competition hosted by Kristen Kish: TOP CHEF.  Kristen Kish (b. Dec. 1, 1983) is an American chef known for winning the tenth season of Top Chef. She became the host of Top Chef:Wisconsin earlier this year.

23. Flat French hats: BERETS.

24. Loafer, for one: SHOE.

31. "You go, __!": GIRL.

35. Kanga's son: ROO.

36. Running total: TALLY.

37. Like two jacks in a deck of cards: ONE-EYED.

39. Drool: SLOBBER.

41. Ward (off): STAVE.

42. "I Like __": 1950s political slogan: IKE.  Dwight David Eisenhower (Oct. 14, 1890 ~ Mar. 28, 1969) was the 34th President of the United States.

43. "No Ordinary Love" singer: SADE.  Sade (née Helen Folasade Adu; b. Jan. 16, 1965), is a Nigerian-born British singer.  Her parents began calling her Sade, a shortened form of her Yoruba middle name, Folasade, hence, that is how she is known.

48. Art hub in New Mexico: TAOS.

49. Desert that covers most of North Africa: SAHARA.

54. Item in a makeup bag: COMPACT.  Some are very expensive.

58. Connect to a power supply: PLUG IN.

59. __ the hump: OVER.

63. Musical Auntie played by Angela Lansbury: MAME.  Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (Oct. 16, 1925 ~ Oct. 11, 2022) was a British actress.  She played Mame on Broadway in 1966 and was awarded a Tony for her portrayal.  She is probably best known to younger audiences as portraying Jessica Fletcher on the television series Murder, She Wrote.

64. Levels in some subscription plans: TIERS.  A tiered subscription provides different levels of services or products at different price levels.  For example, some magazine subscriptions have one price for on-line issues, but a different price for on-line and hard copy issues.

65. To __: perfectly: A TEE.

66. Sound of a stone skimming failure: PLOP.  We had a nearly identical clue in last Thursday's puzzle.

67. Celebrities: STARS.

68. Email button: SEND.

Down:

1. Post-surgery regimen: REHAB.

2. Crème de la crème: ELITE.

3. Chad neighbor: NIGER.  Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa.  Chad is not its only neighbor.  It is bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest.  Its official name is the Republic of Niger.

4. Lake between the Silver State and the Golden State: TAHOE.  Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the border of California and Nevada.

5. Tender after too much walking: FOOT SORE.

6. __-purpose flour: ALL.  Everything you ever wanted to know about All-Purpose Flour.

7. "Bad" cholesterol, for short: LDL.  Low-Density lipoprotein cholesterol, is the "bad" cholesterol.  It is the type of cholesterol that can build up in your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.  High-Density Lipoprotein cholesterol is the "good" cholesterol.  HDL helps remove excess cholesterol from your body and lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke.  Everything you ever wanted to know about your body's cholesterol.

8. Get hot under the collar: SEETHE.

9. Plant securely: ENROOT.

10. Hip and stylish: CHIC.

11. Corned beef __: HASH.

12. Fashion magazine with a French name: ELLE.  Elle means She in French.

13. Big name in flip-flops and surfing apparel: REEF.  I was not familiar with this company.

18. The "R" of the Supreme Court's RBG: RUTH.  As in Ruth Bader Ginsberg (née Joan Ruth Bader; Mar. 15, 1933 ~ Sept. 18, 2020).  She joined the United States Supreme Court in 1993.

22. Green sauce: PESTO.  Yummers!

24. __-cone: icy treat: SNO.

26. Curtain holder: ROD.

27. Grabs: NABS.

28. Actor Idris: ELBA.  In 2016, Idris Elba (né Idrissa Akuna Elba; b. Sept. 6, 1973) mad Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people.

29. Winter coaster: SLED.

30. One of four on a British car: TYRE.

31. Gentle expression of surprise: GOSH.

32. Division word: INTO.

33. Printer's package: REAM.

34. Strauss of jeans: LEVI.  This is the third week in a row that jeans have appeared in a Tuesday puzzle.

38. Blabbermouth: YENTA.

39. Compete in a slalom: SKI.

40. "I don't think we want any!": LET'S PASS.

42. April 15 agcy.: IRS.  As in the Internal Revenue Service.

45. America's Cup vessels: YACHTS.

46. "Get cracking!": GO TO IT.

47. Basic food preservative: SALT.  Everything you ever wanted to know about salt as a preservative.  Twenty-four years ago tomorrow (Nov. 20, 1980), an oil drilling company punctured a salt dome in Lake Peigneur in south Louisiana creating a massive sinkhole.  The salt dome was being mined by the Diamond Salt company.  Amazingly, all the workers in the salt mine survived.

50. Oahu dances: HULAs

51. Marble material: AGATE.

52. Out of the sack: RISEN.

53. Added a chip, say: ANTED.

54. Free ticket, casually: COMP.

55. Elongated circle: OVAL.

56. Note from the boss: MEMO.

57. Get ready, briefly: PREP.

61. __ culpa: MEA.  Today's Latin lesson.

62. Make a mistake: ERR.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, May 31, 2016 C.W. Stewart

Theme: Celebrity Coupling - An "in language" pairing is reimagined with the first word representing a famous person and the second a comestible.

20A. Photo caption for Condoleezza with a bowl of pintos? : RICE AND BEANS

36A. Photo caption for Chris with a sandwich bun? : ROCK AND ROLL

42A. Photo caption for NFL Hall of Famer Sam with a pastry shell? : HUFF AND PUFF

58A. Photo caption for Kevin with his Easter basket? : BACON AND EGGS

Argyle here and a four row theme grid. No reveal needed but you have two things to solve; who the celeb is and what the food is. Slight weakness in that two of the second words don't change meaning from the base pair (BEANS, EGGS) and the other two do change. (ROLL, PUFF) The first pairing gave it way but I still needed perps to confirm my people. A secondary result is the initials are somewhat famous, too. R&B, rhythm and blues; R&R, military time off; H&P, medical use, History and Physical examination; B&E, police speak for Breaking and Entering. Pretty sure it's unintentional; you can take almost any *&* and find it has a meaning.

Across:

1. "The Aviator" actor Alan : ALDA

5. Subtle attention-getter : "PSST!"

9. Charge the quarterback : BLITZ

14. Enter : GO IN

15. Indian princess : RANI

16. Haunting : EERIE

17. Boot out : OUST

18. __ before: deadline words : ON OR

19. Gone up : RISEN

23. Take for granted : ASSUME

24. Neptune's domain : SEA

25. White lie : FIB

28. Fillable flatbreads : PITAs

31. Ultimatum words : "OR ELSE!"

33. "__ as directed" : USE

38. Headlights-in-fog effect : HALO

40. Put on television : AIR

41. Film spool : REEL

47. Farm pen : STY

48. Joins : UNITEs

49. Uncomplaining type : STOIC

51. Chewie's shipmate : HAN

52. Like many a morning coffee: Abbr. : REG.ular

54. Fake : UNREAL

61. Jeweler's unit : CARAT

64. Fat used in baking : LARD

65. Bellini's "Casta diva," e.g. : ARIA

66. Love : ADORE

67. Not busy : FREE

68. Become softened by cuteness : MELT

69. Study aids : NOTEs

70. Whole bunch : SCAD

71. Canonized mlles. : STE.s French saints.

Down:

1. Greek marketplace : AGORA

2. Jazzman Armstrong : LOUIS

3. Spinal column components : DISCS

4. Poker dealer's request : "ANTE UP"

5. Characterized by : PRONE TO. Some poker players are characterized by their failure to "ANTE UP" and are PRONE TO being called out on it.

6. Material for some castles : SAND

                                  or

7. Supercilious sort : SNOB

8. Runs out of gas : TIRES

9. "The Natural" author Malamud : BERNARD

10. Luau keepsakes : LEIs

11. 1040-reviewing org. : IRS

12. __ score : TIE

13. Path to enlightenment : ZEN

21. "The Kite Runner" boy : AMIR

22. Really long time : AEON

25. Arctic ice phenomena : FLOES

26. Land in a river : ISLET

27. Beer __ : BELLY

29. Military sch. : ACAD. (academy)

30. Decides not to go to : SKIPS

32. Goof up : ERR

33. "Yep" : "UH-HUH"

34. Steamy setting : SAUNA

35. Pixielike : ELFIN

37. Stuck in __ : ARUT

39. Many a time, poetically : OFT

43. Fizzes up : AERATES

44. Fraction of a min. : N-SEC

45. Word seen on cornerstones : FOUNDED

46. Come across : FIND

50. Bath & Body Works products : CREAMS

53. Plays a round : GOLFS

Looking for his ball?

55. Everglades wader : EGRET

56. Physically well-coordinated : AGILE

57. Exams for legal wannabes, for short : L-SATS

58. Like floors without rugs : BARE

59. Pusher catcher : NARC

60. Vicinity : AREA

61. Item in a food drive donation : CAN

62. Brouhaha : ADO

63. Go bad : ROT

Argyle

Monday, April 25, 2016 C.W. Stewart

Theme: Check your inventory - You can't SELL what you don't HAVE.

17A. *Sing on key : CARRY A TUNE

40A. *Try, with "at" : HAVE A GO

64A. Make available, as merchandise ... and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues : KEEP ON HAND

11D. *Underestimate : SELL SHORT

35D. *Cattle enterprise : STOCK FARM

Argyle tending the store. A somewhat antiquated business model in this age of zero inventory but still viable if you are selling goods to the public. Certainly a doable Monday with a pinwheel grid. Throw in a couple of eight-letter climbers for good measure.

Across:

1. One capsule, say : DOSE

5. Metaphorical sticking points : CRAWS. Hard to swallow.

10. Jacob's twin : ESAU

14. App that connects riders with drivers : UBER. In the news a lot.

15. Hard pattern to break : HABIT

16. Prominent giraffe feature : NECK

19. Skedaddle : FLEE

20. "Please, I've heard enough," in texts : TMI. (too much information)

21. Speaker on a soapbox : ORATOR

22. Cutlass automaker : OLDS. Bygone.

23. Jungle adventure : SAFARI

25. Store with Kenmore appliances : SEARS

27. Sloppy : MESSY

30. Corsage flower : ORCHID

33. Players in a play : CAST

36. Severely injure : MAIM

38. Crystal-bearing rock : GEODE. Looks like an orchid.

39. Illuminated : LIT

42. Civil War soldier : REB

43. Desert building brick : ADOBE

45. Fashion magazine that's also a French pronoun : ELLE

46. In-flight predictions: Abbr. : ETAs. (estimated time of arrival)

47. Trickery : DECEIT

49. Discourage : DETER

51. 24-__ gold : KARAT

53. Draft choices : LAGERS

57. Whitewater ride : RAFT. So close to DRAFT.

59. One with a bleeping job : CENSOR

62. Feel sorry about : RUE

63. Notable periods : ERAs

66. Law business : FIRM

67. Entices : LURES

68. Continent explored by Marco Polo : ASIA

69. "__ old thing" : SAME

70. Lyric poem : EPODE

71. Neighbor of Kent. : TENN. (Kentucky/Tennessee)

Down:

1. Tear conduits : DUCTS

2. Bush successor : OBAMA

3. Sans __: type style : SERIF

4. Make a mistake : ERR

5. Compelling charm : CHARISMA

6. Pro __: in proportion : RATA

7. Share a border with : ABUT

8. Lushes : WINOs

9. Hi-fi system : STEREO

10. Implement, as laws : ENFORCE

12. Breezed through, as a test : ACED

13. Luau instruments : UKEs

18. Days of old : YORE

24. Tsp. or tbsp. : AMT. (amount)

26. Constellation named for a mythological ship : ARGO. Argo Navis was a large constellation in the southern sky that has since been divided into three constellations. ~ Wikipedia

28. Rescue : SAVE

29. On-ramp sign : YIELD

31. Original thought : IDEA

32. Belles at balls : DEBS

33. Not naked : CLAD

34. Teacher's helper : AIDE

37. Bachelor party attendee : MALE

40. Estate beneficiary : HEIR

41. Warm up for the game : GET LOOSE

44. "I'm baffled" : "BEATS ME"

46. Unit of work : ERG

48. Bring down the running back : TACKLE

50. Make, as a living : EARN

52. Prepare to drive, as a golf ball : TEE UP

54. Wipe clean : ERASE

55. Altercation : RUN-IN. I ran into trouble finding the derivation of "run-in". See 44-Down.

56. Family auto : SEDAN

57. Foul callers, at times : REFs

58. Operatic song : ARIA

60. Fictional sleuth Wolfe : NERO

61. Went like the wind : SPED

65. It may be tipped by a gentleman : HAT

Argyle

1) George Barany and Friends just released this tribute puzzle about a true Minnesotan original.

1) Happy Birthday to Kazie (Kay), who has been contributing to our blog a few months after I started. Kay grew up in Australia, met her husband while traveling in Spain. She still travels to Europe frequently. Her son and their beautiful family live in Germany right now.

Kay and her husband Barry on Tamborine Mountain, overlooking Brisbane

Tuesday, March 8, 2016 C.W. Stewart

Theme: Where there's smoke... - The reveal word is split open and bookends the theme entries.

17A. *Motorist's headache : FLAT TIRE

23A. *Enjoy, with "in" : FIND PLEASURE

30A. *Recap on a sports crawl line : FINAL SCORE

42A. *Kids' introduction to a full school day : FIRST GRADE

46A. *Red-carpet movie event : FILM PREMIERE

60A. "Chestnuts roasting" spot ... and a hint to a divided word found in the answers to starred clues : OPEN FIRE

Argyle here. 1 F-IRE, 3 FI-RE, and 1 FIR-E. A clean looking grid. Easy-peasy but not condescending. A good fit for a Tuesday.

Across:

1. Succotash bean : LIMA. Fresh corn, lima beans and other shelled beans of your choosing.

5. Make a decision : OPT

8. Within reach : AT HAND

14. Tree of Life garden : EDEN

15. Like much sushi : RAW

16. Set of lines on personal stationery : HEADER

19. DNA sample source : SALIVA

20. Vietnamese New Year : TET. Tết Nguyên Đán

21. Dutch South African : BOER. (Dutch: “husbandman,” or “farmer”)

22. Censor's cover-up : [BLEEP!]

26. Counting everything : IN ALL

29. Part of DJIA: Abbr. : AVG. (Dow Jones Industrial Average)

34. Phi __ Kappa : BETA

38. Took wing : FLEW

39. Toward the back of the boat : AREAR

40. Physics class subject : ATOM

41. Evergreen shrubs : YEWS. Ireland's oldest tree, the Silken Thomas Yew, is 700–800 years old.



National Seminary - St. Patricks College Maynooth



44. Religious sch. : SEM. (seminary)

45. Wrinkle-resistant synthetic : ORLON

53. TV studio sign : [ON AIR]

54. Either of two Henry VIII wives : ANNE. Anne Boleyn or Anne of Cleves.

55. Lacking light : DIM

58. Victimized lieutenant in "Othello" : CASSIO. Iago(bad guy) insinuates that Cassio(young stud) is having an affair with Othello's wife(untrue).

62. Election surprises : UPSETS

63. 1921 robot play : R.U.R. [Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti (Rossum's Universal Robots)]

64. Pennsylvania port : ERIE

65. Mall directory listings : STORES

66. "What was __ do?" : I TO

67. Lemon peel : ZEST

Down:

1. It's not right : LEFT

2. Just hanging around : IDLE

3. Vegan no-no : MEAT. 57D. Swimming event : MEET

4. Wee hill builder : ANT. The builder may be wee but the hill, not so much.

5. Hunter constellation : ORION

6. Peeled with a knife : PARED

7. Punk : TWERP

8. Massage responses : AHs

9. Lipton packet : TEA BAG

10. Concert auditoriums : HALLS

11. Bordeaux bye : ADIEU

12. Not even once : NEVER

13. Hang loosely, as on a clothesline : DRAPE

18. Govt. security : T-BILL

23. Character weaknesses : FLAWS

24. "__ Theme": "Doctor Zhivago" song : LARA'S

25. Three-time Wimbledon champ Chris : EVERT. Three-time married, now single, living in Florida.

26. Up in the air : IFFY

27. Aswan High Dam river : NILE

28. Once again : ANEW

31. Less dangerous : SAFER

32. Burglary, for one : CRIME

33. "The Star-Spangled Banner" contraction : O'ER

34. Ballerina's rail : BARRE

35. List-ending abbr. : ET AL.

36. __ list: chores : TO DO

37. "I'm with you!" : "AMEN!"

43. "The Elements of Bridge" author Charles : GOREN

44. 7UP rival : SPRITE

46. Sharpen the image in the viewfinder : FOCUS

47. Ill-suited : INAPT. Better than UNAPT, eh?

48. Rodeo rope : LASSO

49. Penny pincher : MISER

50. New Zealand native : MAORI

51. Data to be entered : INPUT

52. January, to José : ENERO. March, to José : MARZO

55. Desperate : DIRE

56. Commonly purple bloom : IRIS

59. '40s spy org. : OSS. (Office of Strategic Services)

61. Shriner's hat : FEZ

Argyle

Wednesday, February 3, 2016 C. W. Stewart

Theme:  Something you find on a fish.  No, not FINS or GILLS.  Think more musically - no, not even Vince Gill - and the reveal will make it clear.  So let's start there.

38 A. Musical sequence found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues : SCALE.   This word has many disparate meanings as both a noun and a verb.  Here, we are talking about a set of musical notes, ordered by pitch.  This puzzle has them ordered in ascending sequence, though, of course, you can also go the other way.  We're not told if the quality of the scale is major, minor, nor if it is one of the many modal variants.  But we can sing along anyway.  

The beginnings of the first words of eight in-the-language phrases name the notes of the SCALE.

1 A. *Where deliveries may be left : DOOR STEP.   The spot where mail-order deliveries end up.  DO is the first scale note, and the tonal center, aka tonic, for the SCALE and any music based upon it.

17 A. *Airport pickup : RENT-A-CAR.   The plane does not take you to your final destination.  You usually need to drive there, and you can use a conveniently located vehicle for a price.  RE is the 2nd SCALE step, a whole tone above the tonic.   We won't talk about the Phrygian mode, the comma of Pythagorus, nor vibrational frequencies.

So - who is she?

20 A. *Modest garment : MIDI-SKIRT.  Mid-calf-length to protect delicate legs from winter winds and prying eyes.  Seems a bit awkward.  MI is the third scale step, another whole tone above RE in a major scale, but only a half tone up if the quality of the SCALE is minor.  BTW - the distance from one note to another is called the interval.

Is midi evil?

26 A. *Hiker's pouch : FANNY PACK.  A container on a belt, often perched over a person's back side. [But not in England.]  FA is the fourth scale step above the tonic.  This note does not vary between major and minor scales, and its interval above the tonic is called the perfect fourth. 

Chic accessory?

51 A. *Infant's dietary prohibition : SOLID FOOD.  Mom's milk is best, formula is OK.  Save the bran flakes for when they're a bit older.  SOL is the fifth scale step, always a perfect fifth above the tonic.  

58 A. *Breaking point : LAST STRAW.  An ancient measure of camel capacity being the last straw minus one.   LA is the 6th scale step, a major or minor sixth above the tonic, depending on the quality of the scale.

67 A. *History book chart : TIME LINE.   A graphic representation of what happened when.  TI is the penultimate SCALE step, either a major or minor seventh interval above the tonic.  As you may have gleaned by now, the natural minor SCALE differs from the major by having lowered 3rd, 6th, and 7th SCALE steps.   There are other versions, but we needn't get into that here

72 A. *Words of admonishment : DON’T DO IT.   Have we heard these words?  Have we heeded them?  Probably not.  This brings us to another DO, a perfect octave above where we started.  Despite what I said earlier, I'll point out that the frequency is exactly twice that of the previous DO.

Hi gang.  JazzBumpa conducting for today's thematically rich excursion.  Note that though the spellings are right on for the eight notes, the pronunciations vary a bit.  Rogers and Hammerstein wrote a song, based on a major scale, that illustrates all this, but I hate it and will not link. However, I will wave my arms around - so let's see where the music takes us.

Across

9. Adorn in relief : EMBOSS.  To carve, mold or stamp a design into a surface.

15. First three of ten digits : AREA CODE.  So you can phone home.  

16. Bad guy : MEANIE.  Like Kylo Ren.

A bit off key

18. State with conviction : ASSERT.   Or aver or avow.

19. "It's __ cause" : A LOST.   Words of giving up.

22. Extra-play qtrs. : OTs.  Over Times.

24. Influenced by, in recipes : A LA.  In the style of whoever the influence might be.

25. July baby, maybe : LEO.  Astrology sign usually associated with August, actually running from July 23 to Aug 22.   LEOS are generous, loyal and supportive.

31. Storm winds : GALES.   

33. Have yet to pay : OWE.

34. NFC South team : ATL.  The ATLanta Falcons of the National Football Conference South, a division of the National Football League.

35. Part of rpm : PER.

36. Whipped cream amount : GLOB.  Non-specific quantity, but I'll take two, thank you.

40. Authoritarian figure : CZAR.   Named for Russian despots of a by-gone era.

44. Chair part : ARM.  What - no love for the leg?  Is that why we have the MIDI SKIRT?

46. Balderdash : ROT.  Nonsense.

47. Poetic tribute : ODE.

48. Volunteer's offer : I'LL GO.

54. Buck's mate : DOE.   A deer, my dear, and a thematic homophone.

55. Sun Devils of the Pac-12 : Arizona State Univesity.

57. Afternoon social : TEA.  In which the beverage is accompanied by sandwiches or cakes.

62. Giant : TITAN.   From Greek mythology, the twelve TITANS were gigantic second order deities, six female and six male.   The familiar Greek pantheon of Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Hera and Demeter were the offspring of the Titan Cronus.

66. Where it originally was : IN SITU.  From Latin for "in place."

69. Had to have : NEEDED.  

70. Cordial with a licorice-like flavor : ANISETTE.   Last week we learned that Anise, the flavor element here, is an herb in the carrot family.  So why is there no cordial with a carrot-like flavor?

71. Prone to avarice : GREEDY.

Down

1. Swimmer Torres with 12 Olympic medals : DARA.

In the swim of things

2. Pitcher Hershiser : OREL.   He played in the major leagues for 18 years with 5 different teams, won the Cy Young Award, was a 3-time all star, and World Series MVP.   Not bad.

3. Wine lover's prefix : OENO.  Into English from ancient Greek.

4. Exposes to the cops : RATS ON.   Alternatively, sings like a birdie.

5. Absent-minded, to a Brit : SCATTY.  From scatter-brained, I assume.

6. Front-of-bk. list : TOC.  Table Of Contents.

7. Red-coated cheese : EDAM.   From the eponymous town in The Netherlands.

8. Prefix with scope : PERI-.   The submarines monocular.

9. Text alternative : E-MAIL.  Two forms of communication by device.

10. Many a text : MESSAGE.   I'm trying to imagine a text that is not a MESSAGE, and coming up short.

11. Get some rays : BASK.   In the sun - for pleasure and relaxation.   Don't get burned.

12. "The Hairy Ape" playwright : O'NEILL.  Eugene.  The play is about class struggle and alienation.

13. Yes or no follower : SIRREE.   Colloquial emphasis.

14. Brief arguments : SET TOs.    Or hockey fights - which also generally do not last long.

21. Divided terr. : DAKota.   North and South.

23. Cramp, say : SPASM.  Involuntary muscle contraction.

26. Weather condition in the final scene of "Casablanca" : FOG.   But it's the start of a beautiful friendship

27. Belt maker's tool : AWL.  A pointy tool for poking holes.

28. Opposite of paleo- : NEO.  Modernizing a blast from the past.  Paleo- indicates adhering to old ways as they always were.  Can't quite see these as opposites.

29. Flight coordinators: Abbr. : ATC.   Air Traffic Controllers.

30. Light cigar wrapper : CLARO.  The wrapper is the outer leaf of a cigar, and can influence its characteristics.   CLARO is yellowish or light tan and usually indicates a shade grown tobacco.

32. Part of a ring : ARC.  A ring is shaped like a circle and a circle can be divided into arcs - but does anyone divide a ring this way?  Hmmmm.

35. __ point: embroidery stitch : PETIT.   A very small, fine stitch that allows detail in the design of the article.

37. Groceries quantity : BAG.   Paper or plastic?   

39. "u r a riot!" : LOL.   Laughing Out Loud.  Texter's appreciations for something funny.

41. Menagerie : ZOO.    An exhibit of captive wild animals.

42. Excitement : ADO.   Trouble, difficulty or fuss.

43. Like the bull in the Chicago Bulls' logo : RED.

Energizing?

45. __ peanuts : ROASTED.   Crunchy

48. In neutral : IDLING.   Running, but out of gear.

49. Temporary wheels : LOANER.

50. Tenant : LESSEE.   Renter with a lease agreement.

51. California's Big __ : SUR.  Approximately 90 miles of rugged coastline from the Carmel River in Monterey south to San Carpoforo Creek in San Luis Obispo County.    The name is derived from Spanish for "The Big South" relative to the city of Monterey.

52. Can't stand : DETEST.

53. Didn't hit the books? : FAILED.  Neglected to prepare for a test in school.

56. Hit the books : STUDY.  Prepare for a test in school, and back to back clehos.

59. It has its highs and lows : TIDE.   Ocean levels.

60. Minimally : A TAD.   Possibly derived from tadpole, the larval stage of a frog, transferred thence to a small child, and than representing a small quantity.

61. Skid row regular : WINO.   Wine-addicted alcoholic.

63. Jackson 5 brother : TITO.

Back in the day

64. Voting no : ANTI.

65. Discontinued depilatory : NEET.  Evidently the name was discontinued, but the product wasn't.  It is now sold under the trade name VEET.

68. Part of rpm: Abbr. : MINute.

That's it, folks.  Hope you enjoyed the performance.

Cool regards!

JzB