Saturday, June 15, 2019, Craig Stowe

Themeless Saturday Puzzle By Craig Stowe

Today marks the the celebration of a big source of renewable energy - Wind. As you can see by the accompanying chart, wind turbines are sprouting up at a good clip out here on the Great Plains. 

My daughter and her family just returned from a vacation in Palm Springs, CA two days ago and were amazed when they saw this huge wind farm on I-10 near there

The main issue of course, is how to store this energy when the wind is not blowing. This is being addressed in many ingenious ways

Today, Craig Stowe has blown up a challenging puzzle to solve. Let's see "watt" he has done:

Across:

1. Word with H or I: BEAM.

5. Key of Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 3: E MAJ - Gee, I'd love to hear some of that

9. Wont: HABIT - It is my wont to blog every Saturday 

14. Old: OUT OF DATE.

16. "The Faerie Queene" woman: IRENA - IRENA appeals to "The Faerie Queen" for help in Edmund Spencer's 1590 epic poem

17. U.S. gross national debt units since 1981: TRILLIONS - and the beat goes on...

56. Disproportion: IMBALANCE - Speaking of which

18. Fictional musket wielder: ATHOS - He was one of The, uh, Three Musketeers

19. Ready for action: HOT TO TROT 

20. Medieval feudal lord: THANE - Macbeth as the Thane of Glamis

21. Prepare quickly, with "up": WHIP.

22. Shudder: QUIVER - The master

23. Some partygoers: STAGS.

27. Aristotle in the 20th century: ONASSIS - Mr. Jackie O

29. River in Tuscany: ARNO - The ARNO 15. Runs: FLOWS  out of the Apennines, goes through Florence and empties into the Ligurian Sea at Pisa. There are no boat rides on the ARNO as much of it is not navigable  

30. "Middlemarch" author: ELIOT - An 1871 novel of provincial English life by George ELIOT (Mary Anne Evans)

32. Low digits: TOES.

34. YMCA leader and Peace Prize co-Nobelist John: MOTT - His Bio.

35. Coup group: JUNTA.

36. Normandy department: ORNE - France's NW Region of Normandy is divided into five Administrative Departments seen below. The beaches of Calvados were much celebrated nine days ago.

37. Lofty verse: EPOS - Here ya go!

38. Glyceride, for one: ESTER - Here ya go!

39. Tabula __: RASA - Latin for Tablet Erased

40. Japanese electronics giant: HITACHI.

42. "Black Velvet" singer Alannah: MYLES - Some nice Saturday listening/viewing

43. Sovereign: DYNAST - Yes, I suppose a DYNAST would have a dynasty

44. Early one-named Velvet Underground vocalist: NICO - 60's vintage

47. Great service providers: ACERS - They can make for tennis matches played with few strokes

48. Looked raptly: STARGAZED - Mine would be more directed at the heavens than anything terrestrial 

53. Photo finish: MATTE.

54. It may be a stretch: LIMOUSINE - At Disney Studios, Rock 'n Roller Coaster is a ride in a "stretch LIMOUSINE" at 57mph into a black light adventure with Aerosmith blasting in your ears! I'd allow "awesome" as a description!

55. Colorado's __ Park: ESTES.

57. Origins: SEEDS - 800 miles south of the North Pole lies the Svalbard Global Seed Vault that stores nearly a million seeds from around the world

58. Nudnik: PEST.

59. Hit, as with snowballs: PELT.


Down:

1. Choice when you can't decide?: BOTH - An old commercial about this dilemma

2. Prefix with vision: EURO - Need more info?

3. Working: AT IT.

4. Shed: MOLT.

5. Bunker on Hauser Street: EDITH - Jeanne Stapleton won an Emmy for her wonderful portrayal

6. "The Piano" extra: MAORI - In this movie the MAORI unload Ada's piano on the beach in western New Zealand 

7. Never: AT NO POINT IN TIME.

8. Kid: JEST.

9. Break: HIATUS - Kids and teachers are on one now

10. Subject including the Renaissance: ART HISTORY.

11. Type of economics: BEHAVIORAL - Five interesting examples

12. From that perspective: IN ONE SENSE.

13. Cop show shocker: TASER.

22. Doha's country: QATAR - Doha is a 2-hr flight from Baghdad 

23. Word of equality: SAME.

24. Cup holder: TROPHY CASE.

25. Name wrongly associated with cake: ANTOINETTE - Most feel Marie never said "Qu’ils mangent de la brioche" (Let them eat cake) in response to hearing the peasants had no bread. However it became a rallying cry for French revolutionaries 

26. Took the first step: GOT STARTED - Debate continues on how attribution to Marie Antoinette of "Qu’ils mangent de la brioche" GOT STARTED

28. One on a staff: NOTE - This NOTE is the top of my range

30. Kick out: EJECT.

31. Green: LUSH - Redux from last Saturday

33. Tranquility and Serenity: SEAS - A lunar reconnaissance orbiter caught site of the Apollo 11 landing site in the SEA of Tranquility 45 years later. (Yeah, we really went!)

41. Rate: ASSESS.

42. Big kahuna: MOGUL 

43. Some royal wedding guests: DAMES - DAME Judi Dench became the first woman to play James Bond's boss, M. Her role was modeled on DAME Stella Rimington, the real-life head of MI5 between 1992 and 1996

45. Feet in a meter?: IAMBS - Ba BUM, Ba BUM, Ba BUM, Ba BUM, Ba BUM (each "ba BUM" is an IAMB and of course there are five in this smart aleck's answers)

46. Balkan native: CROAT.

48. Err: SLIP.

49. Pronto: ASAP - Add Stat in a hospital 

50. E-__: ZINE - Not an online magazine but just for fun-  What time is it in EZINE, Çanakkale, Turkey right now?

51. Letter-bottom abbr.: ENCL - The ENCL can be a S.A.S.E. for an R.S.V.P.

52. Bugs' bane: DEET - The EPA now says DEET is safe when used as directed but this product advertises it is DEET FREE

Now the person in this house could comment on his computer that is powered by WIND and solar energy!

Tuesday May 28, 2019 Craig Stowe

Theme: NORTHERN LIGHTS (14D. Arctic spectacle ... and what the answers to starred clues have?) -The north part of each theme entry can follow "light".

 3D. *The next one starts in 2026: YEAR OF THE HORSE. Light-year.

10D. *Iffy: TOUCH AND GO. Light touch.

21D. *Rare medical service these days: HOUSE CALL. Lighthouse.

29D. *Exhibiting: SHOWCASING. Light show.

Boomer here again.  

Happy to be back, and I hope you all had a happy but meaningful holiday, maybe remembering a loved one who has left us.  My heart goes out to the folks in Oklahoma who were hit by Tornadoes similar to those recently in Missouri.

Across:

1. Long sails: VOYAGES.  Sinbad was famous for these.

8. Interrupt, with "in": BUTT.  I hate to admit it, but I used cigarettes and sometimes tossed the butt.  (Quit in 2001)

12. Unsightly sight: EYESORE.  Every city has them.  In Minneapolis it was the Metrodome.  Now it's the Timberwolves.

13. Christens with oil: ANOINTS.  We have this monthly at church.

17. Frigid: GLACIAL.  History tells us that Minnesota was glacial.  The glaciers turned into 10,000 lakes.  (more or less)

18. Game that's pointless for one team?: SHUTOUT.  Twins pitchers are doing this frequently to opponents.

19. Director Howard: RON.  One of constructors' favorites is OPIE.  Played by ___.

20. Sighs of pleasure: AHS.  Preceded by Ooohs

22. Like dad jokes: CORNY.  Corny as Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

23. Aberdeen resident: SCOT.  I suppose there is a guy named Scot in Aberdeen South Dakota ??

25. Symbol on Nike stores: SWOOSH.  They changed their pro golf hats to perpendicular letters.  Also I noticed Tiger stumping for Bridgestone golf balls.  Maybe Nike got out of the golf ball market.  Phil M. once called Nike clubs and golf balls that Tiger was using as "inferior equipment."

27. Put a strain on: TAX.  IRS can be stressful, especially this year.  I am convinced it was due to the government shutdown earlier this year.

28. 1980s sitcom ET: ALF.  What's it all about Alfie ??

29. Junior in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: SEAU.

30. "Love __ reason, reason none": Shak.: HATH.

32. Volleyball court divider: NET.  Or the income you report on your 1040.

33. Half a matched set: HERS.

34. Disturbed state: UNREST.

37. Google alternative: YAHOO.  Cheer for the (insert your team here) today ! 

39. MBA or Ph.D.: DEG.

41. Villainous Vader: DARTH.

42. Combo in the ring: ONE TWO.  Buckle my shoe.

44. Jagged rock: CRAG.

46. Neither companion: NOR.

47. Pawn: HOCK.  I quit watching "Pawn Stars" of Las Vegas.  Rick never pays what it's worth.

48. Aviation prefix: AERO.

49. It's not true: LIE.  No political comments allowed.

50. "Now I get it!": OHO.  Add an "I" and you get a Buckeye state.

52. Leaves confused: ADDLES. Leave off the "S" and you get a brain.

54. Sushi ingredient: RICE.

55. Tangle behind many a desktop: WIRES.  That's for sure - Computer, phone, electric fan.

57. Type: ILK.

58. Circle div.: SEG.

59. Teach bit by bit: INSTILL. Years ago, we took photos in stills at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.  It's a big country, especially to drive from Minneapolis to Billings just to bowl.

C.C.& Boomer, 2002

 

61. "Here's the best part": GET THIS. "You've got a head start, if you are among the very young at heart.

65. Lasting forever: ETERNAL.  I believe there is still an eternal flame at the grave site of JFK in the Arlington National Cemetery.   

66. In plain sight: OVERTLY.

67. Like hollandaise sauce: EGGY.  I made holiday potato salad yesterday, a little eggy I suppose. 

68. Removed from power: DEPOSED.

Down:

1. Chill (out): VEG.

2. Olive or Castor of toondom: OYL. Popeye's sweetheart's surname.

4. Natty neckwear: ASCOT.  We don't see them anymore.  But we still may see bagpipes.

5. Cross the threshold: GO IN.

6. Stat for Jacob deGrom: ERA.  We have a bunch of Twins with less than 3.00.

7. Actress who won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for "Once and Again": SELA WARD.

8. Low opera voice: BASSO.  Okay it's a stretch.  I was a 2nd Bass in the high school glee club which is as low as you go.

9. Granite State sch.: UNH. University of New Hampshire. UnHuh

11. Jackson 5 brother: TITO.  Sorry, I never liked their music, especially that little guy, Michael.  

15. Sushi ingredient: TUNA.  I don't know about sushi.  We always buy it in a can for sandwiches.

16. "Come Sail Away" rock band: STYX.

23. Japanese electronics giant: SANYO.

24. Concealing no weapons: CLEAN.  I keep my clubs clean, my putter is the weapon. 

25. Drop in on: SEE. He joined the Navy to see the world, but what did he see, he saw the sea.

26. Moo __ pork: SHU. You would think "MOO" would indicate cow.

31. Song syllable: TRA. Oh the flowers that bloom in the Spring Tra La ….

35. Hard to read, facially: STOIC.

36. Number of Chicago Cubs' World Series wins: THREE.  Twins have two, and they have not been around for 120 years.  Maybe if Cubs replaced Wrigley ???  I was there once before the lights.  Paid ten bucks to park on a guy's front yard, and got a seat with a whole lot of ABC (already been chewed) Wrigley gum under it.  I think TTP had a similar experience a while ago.

38. Platte River native: OTO.

40. Zeus or Ares: GREEK GOD.

43. Authorized, briefly: OK'D.

45. Horace's "__ Poetica": ARS.  Sounds more like a Horse's Ars.

50. Boo-boo: OWIE.  I haven't heard this since my sisters were 5 years old.

51. Help for a stumped solver: HINT.

53. Lulu: DILLY.  Reminds me of Howdy Doody's buddy, Dilly Dally.

54. Back in style: RETRO.

56. Raison d'__: ETRE.

58. Escalator part: STEP.  If you take it, ride it.  I do not like people who have to climb the moving steps.  It's okay if you need to go to the bathroom.

60. Internet connectivity annoyance: LAG.  I believe this might be a golf shot where you need to stay short of trouble.  Some may call it a lay up, but then basketball fans won't get it. 

62. "Killing __": TV thriller starring Sandra Oh: EVE.

63. Land in l'eau: ILE.

64. Australian airport code: SYD.

Boomer

Tuesday May 14, 2019 Craig Stowe

Theme: AFTER PARTY (56. Oscar night celebration ... and where to find the ends of the answers to starred clues)

 17. *Ingratiate oneself (with): CURRY FAVOR. Party favor.

 24. *Hardly cutting-edge: OLD SCHOOL. Party school.

 36. *Last stage of a chess match: END GAME. Party game.

 46. *Joke payoff: PUNCH LINE. Party line.

This compliments the "PARTY ON" a few years ago where both words can precede "party". 

C.C. here. After more than a year of dedicated weekly blogging, TTP wants to cut back a bit and blogs every other week. He'll be back next Tuesday. 

As I mentioned before, it's fun to blog once or twice. Doing it week after week can be exhausting. It's no coincidence that TTP always has the perfect images and apt shout-outs on his write-ups. It's hours of hard work. Finding the right words to describe the theme clearly. Finding the suitable images and video clips to go with some entries. Formatting. Googling various crossword websites and our own blog for past references, etc. This all takes time, often 3 or more hours. I feel so lucky to have such a dedicated team! 

Across:

1. Car cam spot: DASH.

5. Sacred Judaic scroll: TORAH.  Hebrew for "law".

10. Wild guess: STAB.

14. Reverberate: ECHO.

15. Of __: helpful for: USE TO.

16. Pop in a bottle: COLA. Pepsi in our house.

19. Similar: AKIN.

20. Childish comeback: ARE NOT.

21. Needing cleaning, as tabletops: DUSTY. Also the name of Misty's sorely-missed dog.

23. Doctored in a bad way: FAKED.

28. Latin American dances: TANGOS.

30. Spooky: EERIE.

31. Surprised sounds: OHS.

33. "__ light is not daylight": Juliet: YON.

34. Shoe pad: INSOLE. Found your perfect shoes last week, Agnes?

35. Good name for a cook: STU.

38. Sun. speech: SER.

39. That is: NAMELY.

41. Early TV maker: RCA.

42. Pricing word: PER.

43. Armenian's neighbor: IRANI. Often Iranian.

44. Coo: MURMUR.

48. Type of pie popular in Southern cuisine: PECAN.

52. Lecherous sorts: ROUES.

53. Concerns of teachers and ophthalmologists: PUPILS. Cute clue.

54. Drop of sweat: BEAD.

59. Turn toward: FACE.

60. Brahms played it: PIANO.

61. Element with the symbol "Fe": IRON. I know iron deficiency, but can you get too much iron in your body?

62. Mister Rogers: FRED.

63. Deign (to): STOOP.

64. Part of DVD: DISC.

Down:

1. Brew for an early night: DECAF.

2. High-end Honda: ACURA.

3. Princess Fiona's love: SHREK.

4. Charlotte NBA team: HORNETS. Owned by Michael Jordan.

5. Hair clump: TUFT.

6. Mama bear, in Madrid: OSA.

7. Gun, as an engine: REV.

8. In conflict: AT ODDS.

9. Falcon-headed son of Osiris: HORUS.

10. Verbally tears apart: SCATHES. I've only used "scathing".

11. Name in Japanese WWII propaganda: TOKYO ROSE. And 32. Group often threatened in dystopian fiction: HUMAN RACE. Nice pair of 10's.

12. Boxer Laila: ALI.

13. Outlaw: BAN.

18. "Size matters not" Jedi master: YODA.

22. Play part: SCENE.

24. Prayer opener: O GOD.

25. Extended period of time: LONG RUN. Great 7 also.

26. Refueling ship: OILER.

27. Rude look: LEER.

29. Part of a Park Ave. address: NY NY.

31. Japanese seaport: OTARU. Northern Japan. Kazie just visited Japan last month.

34. Quran reader: IMAM.

35. Salon sound: SNIP.

36. Peace Nobelist Root: ELIHU.

37. 43,560 square feet: ACRE.

40. Made cryptic: ENCODED.

42. Like most phone cards: PRE-PAID.

44. Fish out of water: MISFIT.

45. "__ and away!": UP UP.

47. Springs: LEAPS.

49. Wispy clouds: CIRRI.

50. Choir section: ALTOS.

51. "This I Promise You" band: NSYNC.

53. Shore (up): PROP.

54. IM VIP: BFF.

55. Musical talent: EAR.

57. Lao Tzu's "way": TAO. Here is the Tao Vegas billboard. "Always a Happy Ending." I think of Steve every time I see it.

58. Brian of ambient music: ENO.

C.C.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 Craig Stowe

"UPPER CASE"

3. *Tough period in life: HARD TIMES.  Hard Case - A tough person, such as someone that is hard to deal with.   Or, a type of protective container, such as hard case luggage.

9. *Grade school presentation: SHOW AND TELL.  Showcase - A glass container used to display merchandise.  Or, in music and the arts, an exhibition of talent and creations.

24. *Slim-fitting Dior creation: PENCIL SKIRT.  Pencil Case - A container used to hold pens, pencils, erasers and the like. 

26. *Nuclear treaty subject: TEST BAN.  Test Case - In law, a legal action  brought to test the validity of a law, and perhaps set a precedent for deciding similar cases in the future.

35. Caps, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: UPPERCASE.   Case can be added to the upper word of each starred answer. 

Across:

1. "I'm clever" chuckle: HEH.

4. Take a broom to: SWEEP. 

9. Rapscallion: SCAMP.

14. Pretty __ picture: AS A.

15. Main artery: AORTA.  The great artery of the heart.

16. __ roll: student's achievement: HONOR.  Learning isn't hard.  Paying attention to something you have no interest in is.

17. Hawk, in the military sense: WARMONGER.  Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun were the notable war hawks leading up to the War of !812.

19. Get the best of: OUTDO.  Out as a prefix, meaning more than or better than.

20. In the buff: NUDE.  Naked as a jaybird.  In the altogether.  Buck (or butt) naked.  I'm sure there are other idioms.

21. Local residents, to local college students: TOWNIES.  Matt and Ben were townies in the film, Good Will Hunting.


23. Draw sap from, as a maple: TAP.   In bowling, leaving a "stone 8" (for right handers) is known as a True Tap.


25. "I haven't the foggiest": IT BEATS ME.

27. Grooming process: TOILETTE.  Wiktionary says:

toilette (plural toilettes)

1. (archaic) A dressing table, typically covered to the floor with cloth (originally, toile) and lace, on which stood a mirror, which might also be draped in lace.
2. (archaic) Personal grooming, in other words washing, dressing, etc.

30. Formula __: auto racing class: ONE.

"F1 cars are at the cutting edge of motorsport technology and push the boundaries of technological design. Each team designs its own chassis and interprets the rules to best suit the ultimate design. Budgets are huge, and no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of development.

Indy cars, on the other hand, are much less developed. Each team has the use of the same Dallara chassis, which does not carry the same sort of funding as F1 operations. That in itself places greater emphasis on the job of the team and the driver, while one of F1's greatest criticisms is that it is so dependent on the performance of the car."  -  Bleacher Report Article

31. Casino convenience: ATM, and 42. "Casino" co-star Joe: PESCI.

32. Cacophonous: NOISY. 

34. Prescription items: DRUGS. 

38. Canapé garnish: ROE.

 The How-To

39. Competition: CONTEST.

41. Snap or split veggie: PEA.

44. Ease up: ABATE.

45. Toy with, cat-style: PAW.

46. Microbrewery product: ALE.

48. Studios for artists: ATELIERS.  Their workshops.

50. Materials for babies' rugs: LAMBSKINS.

54. Paper size: Abbr.: LTR. 

55. Consumed amounts: INTAKES.

56. Reverb in a chamber: ECHO.

59. Centipede game company: ATARI.  The game was recently announced as a finalist for the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2019.

60. Drambuie and Scotch cocktail: RUSTY NAIL.  New to me, but the perps were solid.  I guess it was popular in the '60s.  Behind the Bar: The Rusty Nail

65. Closer to being harvested: RIPER.

66. Month before febrero: ENERO. 


Enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre.
Estos son los doce meses del año.

67. Get it: SEE.

68. "Alien" director Ridley __: SCOTT.    Also,  Blade Runner,  Gladiator,  The Martian.

69. Eggs purchase: DOZEN. 

70. Juan's "that": ESO.   Juanita's "that": ESA. 

Down:

1. Goldie with a Golden Globe: HAWN.   Can you believe she's 73 ?  9 nominations, 1 win in the 1969 romcom Cactus Flower, her first major film.


2. Founder of Edom: ESAU.

4. Brazilian map word: SAO. As in Sao Paulo. 

5. Hit the jackpot: WON.  Someone won a big one in Wisconsin last week. 

6. Bit of energy: ERG.

7. Strasbourg summer: ETE.  Strasbourg, France.  Directly west across the Rhine river from the Black Forest in southwestern Germany.   In German, summer is Sommer. 

8. Second section: PART B.   Medicare Part B premiums have risen by an average of 7.7% per year.

10. Come back (with): COUNTER.  Rick Harrison on the History Channel's Pawn Stars program rarely buys anything at the asking price.   Mike Wolfe on the History Channel's American Pickers sometimes counters the original asking price with an amount that is higher than asked. 

11. Naysayers: ANTIS.

12. Web surfing tool: MODEM.  Modulator / Demodulator.

13. Narrative writing: PROSE.

18. Event with courses: MEAL.

22. War on Poverty org.: OEO.   Office of Economic Opportunity. 

25. Singer Turner's memoir: I TINA.   David Alfred Bywaters had the clue "Turner with numbers" in last Friday's puzzle that Hahtoolah reviewed.   I thought that was a great clue.

27. Camper's cover: TARP.  I started with tent, but the perps disagreed.

28. Plains native: OTOE.

29. Excessively: TOO.   The entree was fine, but the dessert was (excessively, extremely, or too) sweet.  Which adverb would you use ? 

33. Irish poet who wrote "Easter, 1916": YEATS.

36. Drive or reverse: GEAR.

37. Toothed tools: SAWS.

40. Fr. holy woman: STE.  Sainte.

43. Moulin Rouge, notably: CABARET.  Yes,  I know the setting for the movie was Berlin, but the answer afforded an opportunity to link Liza singing the song.


47. Squeeze (out): EKE. 

49. Cross-country southern hwy.: I TEN.  The southernmost of the cross-country interstate highways.

50. Some are compulsive: LIARS.

51. Shenanigan: ANTIC.  I think of CrossEyedDave. 

52. Philippines peak: Abbr.: MT APO.  The highest point in the Philippines. 

53. Looks flushed: IS RED. 

57. Hurries, old-style: HIES.

58. Bread spread: OLEO. The Oleo Wars weren't just in Wisconsin.  Vermont,  New Hampshire and South Dakota also had various laws against the product.  Wisconsin didn't allow yellow colored oleo until 1967, and still has laws about margarine for restaurants and schools.  Butter must be served to students unless a doctor provides a valid health reason for not using butter.

61. 2018 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee: UNO.  A synopsis of the Uno story.

62. "__ who?": SEZ.  It's the correct pronunciation for says, here and across the pond.

63. Antonio's three: TRE.  "Tutti a tavola a mangiare!" Ciao Antonio ! In Italian, numbers from zero to ten are specific words, namely zero [0], uno [1], due [2], tre [3], quattro [4], cinque [5], sei [6], sette [7], otto [8], nove [9], and dieci [10].  More here.

64. That, old-style: YON.   For example, "Beyond yon mountain."  

Saturday, January 12, 2019, Craig Stowe

A THEMELESS SATURDAY BY CRAIG STOWE

Today is a natural fit for the many tea connoisseurs on this site. This is one of many areas where my tastes are quite plebeian and can be satisfied with generic Lipton that you can see my green friend savoring below. I can hear C.C. and Steve roll their eyes right now! My mother's stock remedy for a cold was tea and toast. 

Our neighbor did bring us a large supply of Tazo tea for minding her house while she was in Minneapolis and it is delicious as well. Do you have a favorite?

Today's constructor is our Canadian friend Craig Stowe. I last blogged one of his wonderful themeless Saturday puzzles on U.S. Navy Day October 13, 2018. My start today was in the SW and then built quickly to a satisfying "got 'er done"

Across:

1. Likelihood of success: PROSPECTS - Kids are quickly learning what training or degrees greatly increase their PROSPECTS of success

10. __ change: CHUMP - CHUMP change to me and Warren Buffet are two very different commodities 

15. Ritz offering: HOTEL ROOM - Segue - Speaking of famous people from Omaha, Fred Astaire had a big hit in 1946 with this Irving Berlin song  written in 1927 about the opulent Ritz apartment/hotel at 465 Park Avenue in NYC. 

16. Award, say: HONOR.

17. Confides in: OPENS UP TO - Be careful what info you solicit

18. Invest, as with a quality: ENDUE - Not a common word for me

19. Word reportedly coined in Seuss' "If I Ran the Zoo": NERD - At the time it was just an silly imaginary animal -  And then, just to show them, I'll sail to Ka-Troo/And Bring Back an It-Kutch, a Preep, and a Proo,/A Nerkle, a NERD, and a Seersucker too!"

20. Glimpse: PEEK - What is the kitty glimpsing?

21. Ideal places: EDENS.

22. Puts on the right track: ORIENTS - My legally blind friend must be ORIENTED for every golf shot but does very well!

24. Trade talk subjects: EXPORTS 

26. Qtr. components: MOS - Your estimated tax payments for the 2018's fourth QTR are due in the MO of January, 2019

27. 1991 political thriller with eight Oscar nominations: JFK - Rotten Tomatoes consensus: "As history, Oliver Stone's JFK is dubious, but as filmmaking it's electric"

28. It may be flat: FEE - Not TAX as it turns out

29. Latin 101 word: AMAT - A fun one-minute chant

31. Sensitive subjects: SORE SPOTS.

34. It doesn't require a long answer: QUICK QUESTION.

36. One may include three kings: FULL HOUSE - Appropriate in the season of Epiphany?

37. Official records: ACTA - Learned (and almost forgotten) in cwd's

38. Chinese zodiac critter: RAT - The next Year Of The Rat is 2020

39. Hit in a box: BAT - This batter is out because his foot is completely out of the batter's box when he contacted the ball

40. Cartoonist Browne: DIK - When Mort Walker spun off Hi and Lois from his Beetle Bailey strip (Lois was Beetle's sister), he recruited Dik to do the art work while he came up with the gags. Dik eventually started his own iconic strip Hagar.

41. Flies: AVIATES.

44. Party store stock: PINATAS - Paul Coulter's Sunday's puzzle clued this as "One getting smashed at a bash"

48. British bishop's topper: MITRE - Some will recognize this MITRE-wearing bishop who had his own 1950's TV show. Answer at the bottom *

49. Hustles: HIES - Lady Macbeth to Macbeth - Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear (Hurry home, so I can talk to you)

51. Essence: CORE.

52. Conservatory exercise: ETUDE - This looks like some serious exercise

53. Strength, in a "1984" slogan: IGNORANCE - Explanation of all three

55. Gas that glows when condensed: RADON - It is usually not made to glow because it is so radioactive

56. Connected on LinkedIn, say: NETWORKED - It seems to make it easier to make a connection in the business world; much like Match.com does in the dating world. 

57. Clairvoyants: SEERS - A mathematician at Temple University coined the phrase "Jean Dixon Effect" where an occasional correct prediction by someone like Jeane Dixon is celebrated and their many wrong ones are overlooked 

58. Family guys: GRANDDADS - A proud appellation for many here!


Down:

1. Player of singles: PHONO - Mine was always stacked pretty high!

2. Rodeo competitor: ROPER - A hard event for me to watch

3. "Scary Movie" actress Cheri: OTERI - She is not on this poster and is listed way down in the credits. Fellow SNL cheerleader with Ferrell must have seemed too easy for Rich on a Saturday

4. Correspond, in a way: SEND E MAIL where you may find 5. TY may follow it: PLS - PleaSe and Thank You used by 43. Some Gen Z-ers: TEENS.

6. Goes off: ERUPTS which 13. The Italians call it Mongibello: MOUNT ETNA - Just last Christmas Eve

7. Manages: COPES - MIL has COPED with living alone as a widow for over thirty years

8. Lug: TOTE - Before collaborating with Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II wrote "TOTE that barge, lift that bale" for Showboat with Jerome Kern supplying the melody

9. Like many American workplaces: SMOKE FREE and restaurants, airplanes, bowling alleys and best of all for me - teacher's lounges!

10. Pet store sound: CHEEP.

11. 1953 John Wayne film: HONDO - Also a CSO to our Skip 

12. In the way: UNDERFOOT - One day of Kindergarten subbing cured me

14. Pushes (for): PRESSES.

25. Classic sports cars: XKES - In my teens our town's only doctor drove what is easily the most  23. Top-__: NOTCH  vehicle seen there then and since

27. Tilter's milieu: JOUST - Henry II famously lost an eye and subsequently died after a JOUST in 1559

29. Eau de vie counterpart: AQUA VITAE  (a-kwə-ˈvī-tē) - a strong alcoholic liquor (such as brandy)

30. Legion: MULTITUDE.

31. Suppressing: SQUASHING.

32. Soil: STAIN.

33. Magician's directive: PICK A CARD - A cool trick. Give it 30 seconds

35. Asian beef source: KOBE - If you are willing to pay $350 for KOBE beef, you can get this steak in The Old Homestead Steakhouse in NYC even though it is not on the menu. My lovely bride would 40. Repudiate: DISOWN me if I ordered it

36. Constitution bigwigs: FRAMERS - Legislators and judges have twisted and turned the 18th century words chosen 230 years ago

42. Passion: ARDOR.

44. Prefix with gram: PENTA - Religious symbolism in many sects including wiccans 

45. Maker of the Mighty Dump: TONKA - 1960's toy nirvana! (Name came from Lake MinneTONKA) 

46. Curving: ARCED - This blindfolded Globetrotter ARCED the ball perfectly

47. Cluster of sunflowers: SEEDS  - They are so closely associated with ball players, they are  in every dugout in bags or...

50. Disney CEO since 2005: IGER - He has announced that a Star Wars Land will open at Disney Studios in Orlando this year at a cost of a billion dollars after some older attractions are demolished. I may have to make my 41st visit.

54. Angling need: ROD - Equipped with a reel

*Bishop Fulton J. Sheen is the MITRE wearer