Thursday, July 1, 2021, David Poole

 

Good morning, cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a canine friend to celebrate the first day of July with a puzzle that might have been more appropriately published on the first day of October.  Go figure.  Of course, jumping into a pile of loose leaves is fun at any time of the year.  Just ask any Labrador Retriever.

Today's constructor is David Poole.  David has previously had several puzzles published in both the L.A. Times and the N.Y. Times.

At four places within today's grid David took the letters of the word LEAF and scrambled them.  It seems that David just could not LEAF WELL ENOUGH ALONE.

To make it even more interesting, David starts each sequence with a different one of the four letters.  Those are my words.  His, or, perhaps, the editor's, are found at 57 Across:

57 Across.  Kind of paper . . . and a hint to a sequence, each starting with a different letter, found in four other puzzle answers: LOOSE LEAF.

In any event, here are the four theme answer:

17 Across.  Pub purchase: YARD OF ALE  We saw YARD used this way in a recent puzzle.  That might have helped with the answer.

26 Across.  Standard for a high seas villain:  PIRATE FLAG  Standard, in this case meaning a flag used for identification. 

35 Across.  Property insurance phrase: PERSONAL EFFECTS   I have most often heard the phrase used when someone is being put in, released from, jail as in "Here are your PERSONAL EFFECTS."

48 Across.  1996 Gere thriller: PRIMAL FEAR  This one could be interpreted as a slight break in the sequencing as the A in PRIMAL also works to jumble LEAF.

Here is how everything looks in the completed grid:

. . . below are the rest of today's clues and answers:

Across:

1. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" quintet: IAMBS.  Dictionaries, and probably my High School English teachers, say that IAMBS are metrical feet consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable.

6. Vietnamese soup: PHO.  Still working on the correct pronunciation.

9. Country album?: ATLAS.  Cute clue.  An ATLAS could be described as an album filled with maps of the world's countries.

14. Sidewalk artist's supply: CHALK.  Some of the CHALK is washable.

15. Runner's circuit: LAP.  Sometimes clued in reference to sitting down or standing up,

16. Wince or flinch, say: REACT.

19. Follow: ENSUE.  An answer that often follows crossword puzzle clues.

20. Produce providers: GROCERS.  Produce as in fruits and vegetables.

22. Prefix with angle: TRI.  RECTangle was not going to work out.

23. Me-time resorts: SPAS.

29. Part of UCLA: LOS.  The University of California at Los Angeles.  Neither University nor California nor Angeles was going to fit.  I did more than one year of undergraduate and two years of graduate work at UCLA.    I also taught for a while at the UCLA Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

30. Trip letters: LSD.  This could have been AAA or another travel-related answer but, as answered, we're talking about an Acid Trip.  LySergic acid Diethylamide.

31. Onion rolls: BIALYS.  Brought to the United States by Polish Jewish refugees in the late 1800s.  Many know of the onion rolls.  More, likely, know of Max.

Max Bialystock

32. Asia's __ Mountains: ALTAI.  This is known to me only through it's occasional appearance in crossword puzzles.

34. Four-time Emmy winner Woodard: ALFRE.

Alfre Woodard

41. Kick off: START.  The original use (the first kick in a football match) apparently dates from 1857.  The first use in the figurative sense dates from 1875.

42. You might hang one if you're lost: U TURN.

43. "Get lost!": BEAT IT.  Also, a song by Michael Jackson.  This marine mammal prefers Weird Al's version.

Side By Side

45. Up to, in ads: TIL.  Short for unTIL.

47. Hot __: TEA.  A three-letter fill in the blanks clue.  Hot AIR?  Hot TUB?  Hot ROD?

50. Not superficial: DEEP.

Deep Thoughts By Jack Handey

51. It may be checked at a station: OIL.  When was the last time someone at a gas station checked your oil or cleaned your windshield?

52. Computer building game: SIM CITY. There are a series of SIM games.  Among them are Sim Ant, Sim Earth, Sim Town, and, of course, SIM CITY.  SIM as in SIMulation.

54. Go out at night?: SLEEP.  The question mark tips us off that this answer will be a pun or some other unexpected usage.

61. Justice Kagan: ELENA.   Of SCOTUS.

62. "Lou Grant" production co.: MTM.  Lou Grant (Ed Asner) was the eponymous character in a television series produced by Mary Tyler Moore's production company.  A spoof both in name and in logo.  The cat would meow instead of roar like the MGM lion.

63. 2011 title cowboy chameleon: RANGO.

64. "SOS" and "Help!": SONGS.  SOS is an ABBA song and Help! was written and recorded by the Beatles.  I could use a bit of help on this one.  Hands up for those who want to hear the ABBA song.  Okay.  Now, hands up for the Beatles.  Not even close.

65. Red __: SEA.  Another three-letter fill ion the blanks clue.  Red Fox (not the comedian)?  Red Ant?  Red Dye?  Red Sox?  Red Hot?

66. Last part of many a book: INDEX.  Appendix was too long,

Down:

1. Needing salt, maybe: ICY.  As in putting salt on ICY roads.

2. "Now I get it!": AHA. AHA is an exclamation of understanding, realization, recognition or invention.  OHO expresses surprise.

  

3. Blemish: MAR.  From the Old English merran meaning to hinder or to waste.

4. Campus units: Abbr.: BLDGS.  There are many other locations for BuiLDinGS.  But a campus can, indeed, made up of same.

5. Hershey toffee bar: SKOR.

6. Composed: PLACID.

7. More healthy: HALER.

8. In working order: OPERABLE.

9. Modern art?: ARE.  Wherefore art thou, Romeo?  Where ARE you, Bae?

10. Highest Scrabble tile point value: TEN.  The Q and the Z.  There are only one of each.

11. In conclusion: LASTLY.

12. Luxury cars since 1986: ACURAS.  Honda Motor Company's line of upscale automobiles.  Other than oil, fluid and filters my 2011 RDX has required on one minor repair.

13. "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" author William: STEIG.  This was new to me but the perps filled it in.  If the clue had been "Shrek" I would have gotten it more quickly.

18. Dandy dressers: FOPS.  Men who are concerned with their appearance in an affected and excessive way.

21. Leave zip for a tip: STIFF.  The use of the idiom ZIP (meaning zero, nothing) in the clue indicates that the answer will also, most likely, be idiomatic.  To STIFF someone means to not pay for something for which it is expected that you will pay.

23. High-five, e.g.: SLAP.

24. Gondolier's implement: POLE.

Photo By MM

25. Subj. for Neil deGrasse Tyson: ASTR.  Although Neil deGrasse Tyson is eminently worthy of our esteem, using ASTRonomy as fill is a Punt!

27. Severe scolding: EARFUL.  Another idiomatic expression.

28. Admiral's command: FLEET.  Hmmm.  It might have been an instruction to a subordinate.  No, it is what the Admiral is in command of.

30. Ray who played "Shoeless Joe" Jackson in "Field of Dreams": LIOTTA.

33. Indian tea region: ASSAM.  With two A's and two S's ASSAM is a five-letter word favored by constructors.

34. Genre modifier: ALT.  There are many, many ALTernative music genres.

36. Manicurist's targets: NAILS.  What is the hardest part about making a manicure joke?  You really have to nail it.

37. Small-theater movies: ART FILMS.

38. Like cat videos: CUTE.

39. Genealogist's chart: TREE.

40. Pic: SNAP. As in to SNAP a photograph.

43. Scrubber brand: BRILLO.  There was a time when almost all households were either BRILLIO or SOS (but not as used at 64 Across).

44. Astronaut Collins, first female Space Shuttle commander: EILEEN.  Without the qualifier, Michael would have been a good, if unworkable, guess.

45. Airport sharer with Seattle: TACOMA.  SEATAC airport used to be famous for spending a lot of time getting through security.   Perhaps things have changed.

46. Crocus cousin: IRIS.  Has anyone named their child Crocus?

48. Runway array: POSES.  As in modeling clothing.  A not-too-difficult attempt at misdirection.  Still, something airport-related was the first thing to come to mind.

49. Chew the scenery: EMOTE.

50. Musician who was the 2016 Literature Nobelist: DYLAN.  This might seem like a good place to insert a song by Robert Allen Zimmerman (aka Bob DYLAN).  However, I am going to go with my favorite Nobel Prize Awards Dinner moment.

Richard P. Feynman

53. Actress Hatcher: TERI.

55. U.K. part: ENG.  ENGland, Scotland, Wales and the northern portion of Ireland comprise the United Kingdom.

56. Faux __: PAS.  Could this still be considered to be a French lesson?  It has become pretty mainstream in the English language.

58. Conclude: END.  Too bad this was not the final clue although that has probably been done.

59. What candles may measure: AGE.  After a while, putting one candle for each year on a birthday cake becomes a fire hazard.  But not for this three-year-old.

60. Kit's parent: FOX.  A female fox is called a Vixen, a male is called a Dog Fox or Tod and a baby fox is called a pup, cub, or Kit.

Photo By MM

Have A Great Independence Day Weekend, Everyone !

____________________________________________________________

Thursday, September 3rd 2020 David Poole

Theme: Group Sprint - as the reveal explains:

55A. 1973 triple-platinum album by Wings ... and what each of three answers to starred clues is, literally: BAND ON THE RUN. The theme entries are literally names of bands atop types of runs. Neatly done. 

The cover artwork of the album features Paul & Linda McCartney and Denny Laine from the band, along with six other well-known faces in the UK - talk show host Michael Parkinson, actors Christopher Lee and Charles Coburn, singer Kenny Lynch, boxer John Conteh and humorist & MP Clement Freud.

A nice theme and reveal, so let's dig into the details. The theme entries are:

19A. *Wizard revealer: TOTO. Sitting on top of RACE. It's too tempting not to link a heavy-metal version of Toto's best known hit "Africa" recorded by Norwegian Leo Moracchioli at his home studio assisted by music chums Hannah and Rabea. PG warning for thrash metal and eardrum danger, but I love this.

28A. *Electrically flexible: AC/DC. Underneath is DASH.

40A. *Aerie nesters: EAGLES. Placed above SPRINT.

Across:

1. Starbucks rival owned by a fast-food chain: MCCAFÉ. I confess that I didn't know McCafé was a thing - I just thought it was the brand name for coffee sold in McDonald's. I've never seen a storefront of a McCafé, but the all-knowing Wikipedia tells me there are around 1500 in the world. So yes, it's a thing.

7. Josh of "Frozen": GAD. 

10. Spots for toddlers: LAPS.

14. Automatic reaction: REFLEX.

15. Reproductive cells: OVA.

16. Cookie shaped like two of its letters: OREO. Now I think the crossword gods are toying with me in my plea to put OREO fill on hiatus for a little while. It seems every puzzle I blog has the word in it now.

17. Welcome words to a dishwasher: I'LL DRY. Better words: "You go and put your feet up, I'll wash and dry".

18. Moving wheels: VAN.

20. Classic 1779 hymn: AMAZING GRACE. It's become pretty much a standard at funerals, much as "Canon in D" is at weddings.

23. Rock's __ Fighters: FOO. Much music in the puzzle today.

26. Lassitude: INERTIA.

27. Dale's guy: ROY. Roy Rogers and his wife Dale Evans. I had to look that up.

30. "The Jungle Book" python: KAA.

31. Flight safety org.: T.S.A.

33. "The Thin Man" author Hammett: DASHIELL.

35. 20 fins: C-NOTE. A fin is a five dollar bill. Twenty of them make up a hundred, or a c-note. A five-pound note in the UK is colloquially known as a Lady Godiva.

39. Plaza Hotel girl: ELOISE. Children's books and a 2003 made-for-TV movie. Thank you, crosses, I had no clue.

41. Red-and-white suit wearer: SANTA.

42. Proofer's find: MISPRINT.

44. "Sammy the Seal" writer Hoff: SYD. More crosses, thank you. 

46. World games org.: I.O.C. International Olympic Committee.

47. Coupling device: YOKE.

48. Big club: ACE.

51. Weeks in Oaxaca: SEMANAS.

54. Old atlas abbr.: SSR. Soviet Socialist Republic.

58. __ one's time: BIDE.

59. Tijuana aunt: TIA. A smattering of Spanish today. I like the Tijuana/Tia alliteration.

60. Titans: GIANTS.

64. Bow-toting god: EROS.

65. USN VIP: ADM. Admiral of the Fleet.

66. Home of the Senators: OTTAWA.

67. Center of N.Y.C.?: YORK.

68. Escape: LAM. 

69. Disc golf starting point: TEE PAD.

Down:

1. Hosp. test in a tube: M.R.I.

2. Hanna-Barbera collectible: CEL. I met Joe Barbera in his office at the Hanna-Barbera building in Los Angeles. The building was modern, with some nice touches (the reception desk was a Jetsons-inspired piece) - Joe's office, or suite, was modeled after an English stately home, complete with study & fireplace, library, sitting room and ... a butler to bring you tea or coffee.

3. Montreal Alouettes' org.: C.F.L. Canadian Football League. 

4. "The Aviator" (2004) Oscar nominee: ALDA. Best Supporting Actor.

5. Manhattan Project physicist born in Rome: FERMI.

6. Derek Jeter, e.g.: EX-YANKEE. I tried "N.Y .YANKEE" at first, even though as I was filling it in I was noting that there was no abbreviation in the clue to suggest "N.Y."

7. Spread quickly online: GO VIRAL.

8. __-garde: AVANT.

9. "Blast!": DANG IT!

10. Middle-earth trilogy, to fans: LOTR. Lord of the Rings. 

11. Cheering loudly: AROAR.

12. Retailer offering sitting and walking services: PETCO. I didn't know this, but it wasn't hard to guess.

13. Farm call: SOOEY. I actually knew this from watching college football - the Arkansas Razorbacks fans chant "Woo Pig Sooie" - same sound, different spelling. 

21. Enthusiasm: ZEAL.

22. Tank top: GAS CAP.

23. Dims: FADES.

24. City near Orlando: OCALA. 

25. Eats way too much of, briefly: OD'S ON.

29. Debt vouchers: CHITS.

32. Sore: ANGRY.

34. Parental "explanation": I SAY SO.

36. Mishmashes: OLIOS.

37. Some charity runs, informally: TEN K'S. More RUNS.

38. Aromatic compound: ESTER.

40. Gastropod on a brasserie menu: ESCARGOT. Food! I love 'em. Garlic butter, lemon and parsley dressing, what's not to like?

42. 2007 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee: MIA HAMM.

43. "Say Anything..." actress Skye: IONE.

45. Insurance that covers canines: DENTAL. Fun misdirection. With the earlier "Petco" entry, I was on the pets wavelength.

48. Westminster attraction: ABBEY. I lived in London for more than 25 years, I passed the abbey pretty much every day on my commute, and I've never been inside. Terrible in hindsight.

49. City near the Heliopolis Palace: CAIRO.

50. Home of the Ewoks: ENDOR. I got this! I've been catching up on my Star Wars movies.

52. Crete's highest pt.: MT. IDA. You don't immediately associate a Grrek island in the middle of the Mediterraean between Europe and Africa as a place for snow-capped peaks, but Mt. Ida surprises.

53. Posh hotel option: SUITE.

56. Newsroom post: DESK.

57. "Mom" actor Corddry: NATE. More crosses. I don't keep up with my actors, but crosses are usually fair in cases like these.

61. Snooze: NAP. I can't nap. I wake up feeling like my head is full of glue and it takes me ages to shake off the grogginess.

62. Former flier: T.W.A. Trans-World Airlines. Howard Hughes connects this entry and "The Aviator" at 4D.

63. Like one texting ":-(": SAD.

And there we have it. The puzzle gets a :-) happy face from me today. Here's the grid with the bands and the runs highlighted for clarity.

Steve.

Monday February 3, 2020 David Poole

Theme: PINHEADS (62. Tops of sewing fasteners ... and what the starts of 17-, 26-, 37- and 51-Across can have) - The first word can follow "pin".

17. Getaway car driver: WHEEL MAN. Pinwheel.

26. Golfer's dream: HOLE IN ONE. Pinhole.

37. You can't go back after passing it: POINT OF NO RETURN. Pinpoint.

 

51. Kit and caboodle: BALL OF WAX. Pinball.

Boomer here. Good bye January!!  Come again when you can't stay so long.  We had a taste of Spring on Groundhog Day.  45 degrees up here in the frozen tundra. I am sure the groundhog saw his shadow and old man winter will get even.  In Minnesota, when snow melts on February 2, it generally turns to ice by February 4.

Quite a Super Bowl football game yesterday.  I confess, I did not watch the halftime show or the commercials.  My remote channel changer got a workout, but Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Across:

1. Actor Beatty: NED.  He had parts in a lot of movies.  My favorite was "Deliverance".

4. Spirited horse: ARAB.  I thought "Maximum Security" was pretty spirited in the Derby.  I still don't know why the horse was disqualified.

8. Cold-weather omen on Groundhog Day: SHADOW. "Me, and my shadow, strolling down the avenue."

14. Prefix with Pen: EPI.

15. Leisurely pace: LOPE.  Certainly was not Maximum Security's faux pas.

16. Dwell: RESIDE. If the siding on your dwelling becomes rotten, you will need to reside.

19. Flowery van Gogh painting: IRISES.  "I could have told you Vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you",  "Starry Night" by Don McClean in the American Pie album.  A little history.  Don McClean was waiting in Fargo for the Buddy Holly plane that did not make it.

20. Superficially highbrow: ARTY.  I remember ARTY Johnson in "Laugh In", although I suppose it could have been ARTIE.

21. Play segments: ACTS.

23. Cheese go-with: MAC.  Get a big one at the golden arches for about $2.50.

24. Injured in the bullring: GORED. The U.S. was not gored after the long recount in Florida in 2000.

30. Put inside: ENCLOSE.  Nielsen ratings called me on the phone and sent me $3.00 enclosed in a letter just for telling them what TV shows I watched last Saturday.

32. German "east": OST.

33. Dead __ Scrolls: SEA.  Seattle Airport designation??

34. Bank acct. addition: INT.  Generally it comes after the decimal point.

35. Little trickster: IMP.  Too early for Halloween.

36. One of 50 on the U.S. flag: STAR.  "Oh say can you see?"

42. Went up: ROSE. By any other name still smells the same.

43. 35-Down relative: LLC. 35. Business name abbr.: INC.

44. Land in the Seine: ILE.

45. Lennon's love Yoko: ONO.  Still alive and well in her mid 80s.

46. Chinese chairman: MAO.  Many years ago.  Mr. Mao Zedong is no longer with us.

47. Everlasting: ETERNAL. My Mom's name was Hope. She always repeated "Hope springs ETERNAL."

54. Hundred Acre Wood creator: MILNE. I asked Winnie the Pooh and he knew nothing about Hundred Acre Woods.

55. Help: AID.

56. Lab safety org.?: SPCA.

58. Clinton and Obama, astrologically: LEOS.  I guess they were both Lions.

59. Escape: GET OUT.  Bar call at 1:00 AM in Minnesota.  And it may be a good idea to take a cab or Uber.

64. In a fair way: EVENLY.

65. Ivan or Nicholas: TSAR.

66. Observe: SEE.  "I SEE said the blind man, but he really didn't..."

67. Common people, with "the": MASSES.  My church has three.  I usually go to the early Sunday performance.

68. "Family Guy" creator MacFarlane: SETH.

69. "Cats" monogram: TSE.  Half of a fly.

Down:

1. Genre for Enya: NEW AGE.  I think NEW AGE is a brand name.  You can buy everything from soda pop to siding on your house.  I don't think they sell bowling balls though so who cares.

2. Screenwriter Nora: EPHRON. "You've Got Mail" director.

3. Low-calorie cola, familiarly: DIET RC.  WOW.  Royal Crown was the first  to release Diet Cola. I think they called it "Diet Rite".  Someone correct me if I am wrong.  I think it was the late fifties, and sometimes I cannot remember what I had for breakfast.

4. 100 percent: ALL.  You can wash clothes with it.

5. Most populous città in Italia: ROMA.  Evidently the Italians forgot how to spell Rome.

6. Geronimo's tribe: APACHE.

7. Japanese box lunch: BENTO.

8. __ Lanka: SRI.

9. Hardly a social butterfly: HERMIT.  Remember Herman's Hermits.  "There's a kind of hush, all over the world tonight."

10. From China, say: ASIAN.  Yes, that would be C.C. and NO she does NOT have the coronavirus.

11. "The Simpsons" character named for a dance era: DISCO STU.  Sorry, I have never watched the Simpsons, and I lied, I am not sorry.

12. Keats' "__ on a Grecian Urn": ODE. Bobby Gentry - "It was the third of June another sleepy dusty Delta Day"  Ode to Billy Joe,  or an airline that is not flying to China this month.

13. Director Craven: WES.

18. Face sketcher's horizontal reference: EYE LINE.

22. NFL replay review aid: SLO MO.  We saw a lot of these yesterday.  And a lot of commercials, also.

25. "Please stop!": DON'T.  "Don't be cruel, to a heart that's true !"  Elvis.

27. __ de corps: camaraderie: ESPRIT.  I think this is Latin for we get along.  I think the Marines picked up on it because of "Corps" in the saying.

28. Not at all far: NEAR.

29. Pull down, as a salary: EARN.  Over the weekend, I was watching the famous Waste Management Phoenix golf tournament players pulling down a salary in front of really loud fans.

31. Minn. college named for a Norwegian king: ST OLAF. In Northfield, MN. I used to call on St.Olaf and sold electrical stuff to the college maintenance department. Great people!  Now I only visit Northfield in the fall to bowl a tournament at Jesse James Lanes.  Jesse was shot in Northfield in April of 1882 but now the city celebrates the notoriety with annual celebrations and parades. C.C. and I visited Carlton College in Northfield several years ago for a crossword presentation by Matt Ginsberg, the creator of Dr. Fill.

Left to Right: George Barany, David Liben-Nowell, Matt Ginsberg, C.C. & Tom Pepper

36. Squeaky clean, as an operating room: STERILE.  I don't know about STERILE, but you would be amazed by the entire cleanliness of the VA Medical facility and hospital in Minneapolis.

37. "No __!": "Easy!": PROB.

38. Charlie Chaplin's actress granddaughter: OONA.  Strange name, but she is indeed a relative of silent film Chaplin.

39. Quarantines: ISOLATES.

40. Runs smoothly: FLOWS.  We have the Mississippi which is very controlled and flows smoothly up north.  However weather forecasters are predicting floods this spring.  Normally the tributaries get over their banks up here.  Then the Mississippi gets troublesome on its way to St. Louis.

41. K thru 6: ELEM.  "Elementary my dear Watson."

46. The "M" in LEM: MODULE.

47. Type of tax: EXCISE.  We don't see much of this or it's buried in the price.  But beware of April 15.

48. Phillies' div.: NL EAST.

49. Voltaic cell terminals: ANODES.

50. Tenant: LESSEE.  I visited the VA clinic on Friday and noticed another 2000 unit apartment building going up in Ramsey, MN.  Not a real lively city but I can imagine the rent would be more reasonable than downtown.

52. Detroit NFL team: LIONS.  In the Vikings division. They have come down a bit since the days of Barry Sanders.

53. Dr. visits: APPTS.  My last one was just a blood draw.  PSA was 0.20.  Next doctor hello is in March.

57. Med. school subject: ANAT.  If you have an APPT,  you hope the DR. took ANAT.

59. Diamond, for one: GEM.  Every Baseball field has one.

60. Sister of Zsa Zsa: EVA.  The great Lisa Douglas of Green Acres.

61. TV's Burrell and Pennington: TYS.

63. Princely title: Abbr.: HRH.  Certainly were a lot of three letter answers in the puzzle.

Boomer

Friday, January 31, 2020, David Poole

Title: Austin Powers? LINK.

This is one of the rare puzzles where the write-up is harder than the puzzle. But before we go there, let's welcome back David P. (my second straight David constructor) who has his 52nd LAT publication here. He was the first constructor I wrote up when I switched to Fridays in 2010. I think this is my 11th DP puzzle. Like the most recent one published two years ago, I need to begin by sharing the reveal.

40A. Hotel room amenity ... or one of the configurations that resolve four puzzle answers: MINIBAR. In retrospect, this explained the missing "MINI" in 29A/30A and 47A/49A. 21A and 57A just fit with adding the "MINI."

21A. Cornerstone phrase: ANNO DO (MINI). Year of the Lord in Latin.

29A. In a humiliating way: IGNO (MINI) 30A. -: OUSLY. Literally.

47A. Resident at Ottawa's 24 Sussex Drive: PRIME (MINI) 49A. -: STER. The 10 Downing Street of Canada.

57A. Little versions: (MINI) ATURES. Literally.

With the limited number of theme letters, there is room for much long fill and some Friday challenge. CATSPAW,  ENCORES, MARAUDS,  NOB HILL, CARL SAGAN, RED ALERTS,  ALGORITHMIC, and ISOMORPHISM. For those complaining about puzzles being nothing but pop culture, David presents so many areas of knowledge, I hope you had as much fun as I did.

Time to go to work.

Across:

1. Really big show: SMASH. What else comes to mind?

6. Sharp bark: YELP. This a very common clue/fill.

10. Software product with a cup-and-saucer logo: JAVA.

14. Addresses: TALKS. A commencement address for example.

15. Maintain: AVER. A favorite word of people who draft legal complaints.

16. Australian __: OPEN. Timely as Susan pointed out on Tuesday, the tennis is being played there now and the Williams sisters and the defending champion NAOMI OSAKA all lost in the first week. The ladies' final has two unseeded players Saturday.

17. __ Marbles: historic sculptures: ELGIN. I did not know about this HISTORY. Though I know this ELGIN. Very sad about Kobe and his daughter and the other 7 on the helicopter all of whom had families and life left to live. Maybe if they had driven...

18. Serious warnings: RED ALERTS. Why Red?  The phrase "Red Alert" comes from the naval tradition of "General Quarters" ("Action Stations" if you're British), where a ship prepares for battle. Much of the procedures are the same.

20. Narrow range: A TO B.

22. Plunders: MARAUDS. This is from the late 17th century: from French marauder, from maraud ‘rogue’.

24. Upper-class San Francisco area: NOB HILL.  HISTORY.

31. Old JFK lander: SST.

33. Takes pieces from?: UNARMS. Does he mean "Disarm" like taking a weapon or Aphrodite?

38. Beast hunted in Hercules' fourth labor: BOAR. I have a cute LINK that includes a Hercules crossword.

39. Can. sign letters: KPH. Kilometers Per Hour.

42. Fr. title: MME. The abbreviation for Mademoiselle. And the Spanish counterpart 69A. Span. titles: SRAS. Señoritas.

43. Arizona city: YUMA. Not Nick Adams.

45. Horn of Africa native: SOMALI. It looks sort of like a Rhino horn, home to the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, whose cultures have been linked throughout their long history.

46. W. alliance since 1948: OAS.
Organization of American States.  MEMBERS.

51. Added numbers: ENCORES.

54. Unwitting tool: CATSPAW. Derived they say from this FABLE. Later used by Mark Twain.

59. Smoothie seed: CHIA. Do you like them better as pets?

60. "Cosmos" presenter: CARL SAGAN. He was so much more.

64. Baker's tool: WHISK.

65. Mayberry moppet: OPIE. I love me some alliteration.

66. 1920s chief justice: TAFT. He went to the Supreme Court after his Presidency. HISTORY.

67. Binary pronoun: HE/SHE.

68. 2001 Microsoft debut: X-BOX.

70. Financial guru Suze: ORMAN. Anybody watch her lectures?

Down:

1. Cook, as bao buns: STEAM. If you are not familiar, this dish that originated in Northern China, where wheat, rather than rice was more prominently grown. I am sure C.C. has enjoyed many.

2. Smallest European Union nation: MALTA. We are the closing agent for a transaction between a client and a company from Malta.

3. Like search engine ranking systems: ALGORITHMIC. A Friday word that is very relevant in your life now even if you do not know it. LEARN. Nothing to do with Al Gore dancing.

4. Winter luggage item: SKI BAG. I don't know much about this winter item as my skiing days are long over, but I was shocked/amused seeing this AD.

5. QVC sister station: HSN.

6. Tall tales: YARNS.

7. Tied: EVEN.

8. Deceived: LED ON.

9. Museum with Goyas: PRADO.

10. 10-Across: JOE. I love how wheeled the "J." WHY IS IT CALLED JOE?

11. Boston Marathon mo.: APR.

12. Boxer's fixer: VET. Doggie pun.

13. "Jeopardy!" ques., actually: ANS.

19. Timber wolf: LOBO.

21. Dreamboat: ADONIS.

23. One for the money?: UNUM. A Latin lesson from the dollar bill.

25. Center: HUB.

26. Type of mathematical equivalence: ISOMORPHISM. A shout out to our Mathematics whizzes, derives from the Greek iso, meaning "equal," and morphosis, meaning "to form" or "to shape." Formally, an isomorphism is a bijective morphism. Informally, an isomorphism is a map that preserves sets and relations among elements. Easy, right?

27. Parent of a cria: LLAMA. Or a baby alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco.

28. Minstrel strings: LYRES.

31. FaceTime alternative: SKYPE.

32. Disdainfully reject: SPURN. Harsh, but it is time that you...

34. "I'll take that as __": A NO.

35. Canyon edge: RIM.

36. Wharton deg.: MBA.

37. Latin dances: SALSAS.

41. "Norma Rae" director: RITT. I now know this MAN's HISTORY.

44. Latin trio word: AMO. Amas, amat.

48. Jazz and Swing: ERAS.

50. Artist known for optical illusions: ESCHER. Maurits Cornelis Escher.

52. Les __-Unis: ETATS. USA.

53. 10-Down sweetener: SUGAR. The third reference for all of you who are drinking your coffee as you solve. I have my cup at hand.

54. Euro fractions: CENTS.

55. Tyler of "Criminal Minds": AISHA. Dr. Tara Lewis on the show. LINK.

56. Rouse: WAKEN.

58. Tennis nickname: RAFA. Nadal. He also was bounced out in Australia.

60. Crew chief: COX. A coxswain is also the helmsman of a racing crew, like a rowing crew in a competition. The swain part is from a word meaning "servant," and cox is from cok, meaning "a small boat."

61. PD heads-up: APB.

62. Kia subcompact: RIO.

63. Latin law: LEX. The translation and root word for Legal and many others. Or Superman rival Luthor.

64. Dr. Seuss' Cindy-Lou, e.g.: WHO. They lived in Whoville.

Another month here at the Corner in the record books, as we move toward 5,000 publications. Thank you, David, for a slightly different challenge and thank you all for reading and commenting. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to dear Bill G, who's been with this blog for over over 11 years. I enjoyed his bike rides to the coffee place and observations over the years. Have a very special day, Bill!

Bill and his wife Barbara