Monday June 21, 2021 Chris Sablich

Theme:  HOW SWEET IT IS (52. Jackie Gleason catchphrase, and a hint to the starts of 20-, 28- and 46-Across) - The first part of each theme entry is "Sweet".

20. Hospital volunteer named for a feature of their uniform: CAND- STRIPER.

28. One of two on a post-wedding vacation: HONEYMOONER.

46. Legal border-crossing spot: PORT OF ENTRY.

Boomer here. Looks like another L.A. Times debut. Congrats, Chris!!

Of course I am unable to verify the sweetness of any of the answers due to diabetes.  But I do know a crossword constructor is extremely sweet. 

Across:

1. Scandal suffix: GATE.  WaterGATE involved a break in of DFL Headquarters and eventually cost Richard Nixon his job. 

 

5. Dog of unknown ancestry: MUTT.

9. One of the Musketeers: ATHOS.  Porthos and Aramis were the other two.  I believe they invented a candy bar. 

14. Trojan War hero: AJAX. And he may have invented a sink and bathtub cleaner.

15. Where the seven "-stan" countries are: ASIA.  I won't try to name them.  I think I only know Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

16. San __, city SE of L.A.: DIEGO.  My Aunt Virginia was the head Librarian of the San Diego Library.  When I was two years old we visited and Dr. Suess who signed a copy of "If I Ran the Zoo".  for me was there. Of course I was too young to remember and I also cannot remember what happened to the book.

17. Bulldoze: RAZE.  There is a grocery store that we visit and last Friday we saw Bulldozers working on about 10 acres of land.  Keeping our eyes open to see what we are going to get there.  I don't suppose it will be a golf course.

18. Mannerly fellow: GENT.  Not me.

19. La Scala offering: OPERA.  Not Winfree.

23. Hindu honorific: SRI.  Could be Lanka?

26. Huge fan: NUT.  I am a huge fan of cashews.

27. Layer on the farm: HEN.  My Uncle Bill's farm had many layers.

32. Health resort: SPA.

35. Dreadlocks wearer: RASTA.

36. Like thoughts you'd rather not share: PERSONAL.  I might have some.  I'm not going to say.

38. Prepare for publication: EDIT. A lot of work goes into the preparation of these crosswords!

39. Digging tool: SPADE.  Thirteen in a deck of cards.

41. Gangster's gal: MOLL.

42. Hurricane or tornado, often: DISASTER.  It seems Minnesota has avoided tornados for a number of years.  Luckily we never have hurricanes.  In fact we have not even had rain since May. 

44. Panfry: SAUTE.

45. Solidify: SET.

49. Cocktail server: BAR.  I believe the server is a waiter or waitress.  I don't go to bars, not even the ones in bowling centers.  But I have seen a few on slot machines -- never three in a row.  

50. Ewe's mate: RAM. Los Angeles NFL football player.

51. The "S" in CBS: Abbr.: SYS.

58. Bolt who bolts: USAIN.  He's getting older, like the rest of us.  I wonder if he'll be in Tokyo this summer.

59. Footwear for snow: BOOT.  Easy clue for us Northerners.

60. "Oh dear!": ALAS.

64. Fly like a seagull: GLIDE.  I remember swing sets that had GLIDErs on them

65. Hay unit: BALE.

66. Prefix with gram: KILO.  If you have 1000 of them.

67. Sank on the green: HOLED.  That's what I am doing today.

68. British WWII gun: STEN.

69. Adam's first home: EDEN.  A garden with three bedrooms and a fireplace?

Down:

1. Long-nosed fish: GAR.

 

2. 1977 Steely Dan album: AJA.  I do not own a Steely Dan Album, sorry.

3. Toon devil: TAZ.  This guy was a villain on "Law and Order."

4. Suit in a corner office: EXEC.

5. Title P.I. played by Tom Selleck and Jay Hernandez: MAGNUM.  Now Selleck does commercials for reverse mortgages. You all know I watch too much TV.  You would think he made enough money being a detective. 

6. Did, but not anymore: USED TO.  I USED TO have a 200 + Average on the lanes.

7. Wee: TINY.  Tim tiptoed through the tulips.

8. Ink spots?: TATS. Tattoos.

9. Ardent fans: ADORERS.  Those would be those great fans in Green Bay Wisconsin.

10. Easy two-pointer: TIP IN.

11. Dickens villain Uriah: HEEP.  Created by Charles Dickens.  Some Rock band stole the name.

12. Shrek, e.g.: OGRE.

13. Fly at a great height: SOAR.  I'm sure the gymnasts will be soaring greatly in Tokyo.

21. "The Queen's Gambit" star __ Taylor-Joy: ANYA.

22. "I did it!": THERE.  No, you're not THERE  yet.

23. Destroys, as docs: SHREDS.

24. Amp toter: ROADIE.

25. Demand: INSIST.  I INSIST we keep going!

29. Jazz great James: ETTA.  I've heard of ETTA KETT .

30. Dizzying paintings: OP ART.  It takes quite an imagination to call it ART.

31. Actor Beatty: NED.  "Deliverance" was a movie to remember.  I still remember the banjos.

32. Hog noses: SNOUTS.  I think Frosty the snowman had one.

33. Meager: PALTRY.

34. Narrow passages between buildings: ALLEYS.  Okay, as long as this has nothing to do with bowling.

37. Muscat is its capital: OMAN.

39. Put away for later: STORE.  I put away my baseball cards for later.  I guess it is not quite later yet.

40. According to: PER.

43. Gave birth to: SPAWNED.

44. Big rig: SEMI. I still do not know why it's called a SEMI. The ones I see are bigger than both of us.

47. Manny Machado, before becoming a Padre: ORIOLE.  Twins are battling them for "Worst team in baseball".

48. Make plump: FATTEN.

49. Reverse of a hit 45: B SIDE.  I still have a few 33 1/3 LPs and a couple of 45s.  Nothing to play them on though.  

52. Laurie of "House": HUGH.  I only remember Hugh O'Brian - My sister used to watch "Wyatt Earp".

53. Norway's capital: OSLO.  Yah - Das is So.

54. Haunted house sound: WAIL.

55. Goes out, as the tide: EBBS.

56. Just right: TOAT.

57. Sushi bar drink: SAKE. For heaven's sake.

61. Pot top: LID.  Put a LID on it !

62. Pale __: ALE. Canada Dry ginger ale with NO sugar.  Yum.

63. Relative in some business names: SON.  Walmart did not bother.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

I have a question: When you click on this Minis label, do you land on "To a T" (oldest Mini) or do you land on "Aggie" (newest Mini?). I'm using a PC, and I land on "To a T". Same with Nina (inanehker). Spitzbooz, Gary and Agnes land on "Aggie", and they'll use iPad or iMac.

Updated later: D-Otto uses a PC also, but he lands on "Aggie".

Updated again: Just published the "Terrible" puzzle as a test. Can you solve the puzzle, then click on the Minis label, and let me know where you land next?