Saturday, Sep 26th, 2015, Don Gagliardo

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,V,X,Z)

Blocks: 28

Don G returns for the last Saturday puzzle of the month for the second time in a row for the LATimes.  No theme this time, although we have three of four long answers that are food related.  One Natick, which I had to use red-letters to solve, but what can you do~? Likewise, there were a few 'meh' answers that made me grit my teeth, but it's Saturday, so I've come to expect them.  Threw caution to the wind on a few clues, and glad to see they were solid WAGs.  Two 12-letter spanners, and two 11-letter climbers;

19a. Telltale facial mark : MILK MUSTACHE

54a. Picnic piece : CORN ON THE COB

3d. It's often chosen from a map : AIRLINE SEAT

24d. Arbitrary experimentation variable : FUDGE FACTOR

"one of these things is not like the other...."

Donwar~!

ACROSS:

1. Go gaga over : STARE AT - you know what I go gaga over....

8. Put into motion : ACTUATE

15. Bride of Dionysus : ARIADNE - Once the "-NE" appeared, this dawned on me

16. "This can't wait!" : "DO IT NOW~!" - Reminds me of Ahhhnold in Predator

17. "Gilligan's Island" ingénue : MARY ANN - much more appealing to me than Ginger

18. How some things are written : IN STONE

21. The clink : STIR - meh.  Never heard this, but if you consider stir-crazy, then it fits

22. Field : LEA

23. Scolding : EARFUL

27. Japanese food item sold in sheets : NORI - oops, went with noKi first

29. Dept. head, e.g. : LDR - leader.  meh.

31. Selene's Roman counterpart : LUNA - I am pretty good with my mythology

32. El __ : GRECO

34. Barely make waves? : SKINNY-DIP - hand up for NOT having done this - yet

36. Some RPI grads : EEs - I attended one semester - Spitzboov stayed longer

37. Medium-dry sherry : OLOROSO - we've seen this in puzzles before - the Wiki

39. Political initials since 1884 : GOP

40. Wonder Girl or Kid Flash : TEEN TITAN - new to me; SIDEKICKS fit, too

42. Quiet spots : GLENS - I had NOOKS to start

44. Twin seen in a thesaurus? : ESAU - clever; th-esau-rus

45. Abs, pecs, delts, etc. : BOD - meh.  I get it, but....meh.

46. Place for a shoe : HOOF - horseshoe

47. Grit : METTLE

49. First bk. of the Latter Prophets : ISA

51. 1988 N.L. Rookie of the Year Chris : SABO - the "B" was my only blank; and with the next clue, DonG is making up for the lack of baseball from C.C. last week

57. Situation after the first out, in baseball lingo : ONE AWAY

60. John or Paul : APOSTLE - solid WAG

61. Astronomical measures : PARSECS - parallax second; the Wiki

62. Knee-slapping : RIOTOUS

63. Original McDonald's mascot : SPEEDEE

64. Stand behind : ENDORSE

DOWN:

1. "Dynasty" actress Emma : SAMMS - it took a moment to remember her

2. Character-building unit? : TRAIT

4. '70s-'80s San Diego Padres owner : RAY KROC - more McDonald's - his Wiki

5. Red-coated wheel : EDAM - cheese

6. Trees' age indicators : ANNULI - because RIINGS didn't work; today is my brother's B-day; he has 42 rings now

7. Strained : TENSE

8. Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA

9. Companies : CONCERNS - think late 1800's

10. "My Wife & Kids" co-star __ Campbell-Martin : TISHA - mostly perps

11. Completely : UTTERLY

12. Year abroad : ANO

13. Lot : TON

14. Common rebus pronoun : EWE

20. You won't hear any hits on it : TALK RADIO

25. Dues collector : UNION - UPS is trying to collect back dues from me - not my fault

26. People now known as Sami : LAPPS - WAG

28. Square __ : ROOT - I had KNOT first

30. "Falling Into You" Grammy winner : DION - Celine - not my thing

32. "Chase those guys!" : GET 'EM

33. Piece maker? : REESE - Reese's Pieces

34. __ speak : SO TO

35. Canceled : NO-GO - think NASA and the Apollo missions

38. Ring-wearing pianist : LIBERACE

41. Colorful helmet brand : NUTCASE - clever name; their web page

43. Is blitzed by : LOSES TO

46. Millinery accessory : HAT PIN

48. Called from a field : LOWED

50. Drum kit item : SNARE

52. Big pill : BOLUS - never heard of it; the definition is "a round mass of medicinal material, larger than an ordinary pill"

53. Like one contemplating bariatric surgery : OBESE

55. Where KO means Coca-Cola : NYSE - nailed it

56. Place for an ornament : HOOD - reminds me of a vulgar joke - email me if you care to hear it

57. Short missions? : OPs

58. Power __ : NAP - I take a power nap from about 11am - 1pm everyday between UPS and the restaurant work

59. "Take heed, __ summer comes ... ": Shak. : ERE

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Dennis, who was often the first to post on the blog before he moved to Florida.  I have fond memories of talking to him frequently about baseball cards (He has a Bowman Mickey Mantle 51), American slang and various blog comments. Rich's acceptance of the puzzle I made with Dennis is one of the highlights of my puzzle career. How's everything, Dennis?

Saturday, Aug 29th, 2015, Don Gagliardo

Theme: Science~!

Words 70 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 26

Boy was I excited to see a DonG Saturday puzzle.  The chunky corners look made me think it was going to be a tough one, but ultimately, it was do-able.  We have a boat-load of proper names, and a few "Meh" clues/answers, so my expectation caused a bit of a let down.  Oh well.  Mini-theme of corner crossings related to science fact & fiction, and a central crossing;

 

21d. "The Dragons of Eden" Pulitzer winner : CARL SAGAN - I have not read the book

37a. What we're made of, per 21-Down : STAR STUFF - I like shows on Astronomy and Cosmology; I understood that when massive stars start creating iron in their cores, the beginning of the end occurs - they go supernova, spewing all the elements out into space

16. With 12-Down, 1995 Hugo Award winner for Best Related Work : I. ASIMOV

12. See 16-Across : A MEMOIR

60. Discoverer of Jupiter's four largest moons : GALILEO

48. Shower component : METEOR - not symmetrical, but just to balance the corners

ONWARD to a Star Trek: TNG universe~!

ACROSS:

1. Probably will : IS APT TO

8. Come before : PREDATE - not PRECEDE

15. Like many a protest : ANTI-WAR

17. Going on, slangily : COOKING

18. Stand for things : ETAGERE - literally, a physical stand, for knick-knacks

19*. "The Road to Wealth" author : ORMAN

20. Opening segment : ACT I - we had this answer last week

22. Deity skilled at archery : AMOR - oops, not EROS

23. It has rail service to ORD and MDW : CTA - Chicago Transit Authority; ORD being the airport code of O'Hare, and MDW for Midway

24. Hawaii's __ Coast : KONA

26. Zippo : NOT ONE

28. Amsterdam features : CANALS - not LEVEES

30. Meat-based sauce : RAGU

32. Shades-wearing TV cousin : ITT - duh-duh-duh dum~!  The Addams Family

33. Score update phrase : AT THE HALF - but not in hockey

35. Deck used for readings : TAROT - a deck of cards

39. Place for an ice bed : IGLOO - O, ice E

42. Idylls : PASTORALS - again, we had this last week, but it was pastoralEs

46. Egg __ yung : FOO

47. Salon, for one : eMAG - eh, don't see an abbr. in the clue

49. Like some transfers : IRON-ON

50. Threatening to steal, perhaps : ON BASE - baseball for C.C.; DonG would never live it down had he forgotten

52*. Heroine in Auel's "Earth's Children" books : AYLA - crossing YAP AT irritated me

54. Cpl., for one : NCO

55. Cause some nose-holding : REEK - not ODOR

56*. Brown of publishing : TINA

58. Clip : SHEAR

62. Lab tube : PIPETTE

64. View : OPINION

65. Flighty sort? : AVIATOR

66. Some film clips : TEASERS

67. Submits : TENDERS - as in one's resignation

DOWN:       

1*. 1970s Ford president : IACOCCA - of course, he went on to save Chrysler

2. Show contempt for : SNORT AT

3*. Ferocious Flea foe : ATOM ANT

4. Tailless rabbit relative : PIKA

5. Sparkly Skechers style for girls : TWINKLE TOES

6. Salon acquisition : TAN - went with DYE first

7. Reed site : ORGAN - not SWAMP; the other kind of reed

8*. Neoplasticism artist Mondrian : PIET - never heard of this, so I had to do a search - turns out, I consider my style to be of the neoplastic type.  

9. Assessment : RATING

10. Spanish pronoun : ESA - hey - guess what~? no Frawnche (OK, etagere)

11. Make cutting remarks about : DIG AT - lots of two-word answers today, too

13. Hockey Hall of Fame city : TORONTO - we are oh so close to the new season

14*. Former surgeon general C. __ Koop : EVERETT

25. DOL division : OSHA - Dept. of Labor, and the Occupational Safety and Health Admin.

27. Cruising : OUT FOR A SPIN

29. "Yes, of course" : AH, SO

31. Classified times : AFTs - I did not get this at first; I had AGES.  Now I understand it's AFTernoons, in classified ads

34. Plucked instrument, to Vivaldi : ARPA - Harp

36. Picked style : AFRO

38. Gas co., e.g. : UTILity

39. Excuse for lateness : I FORGOT - eh.  what, you forgot what time to come in~?

40. Lost it : GONE APE

41. Popular hanging-basket flower : LOBELIA

43*. One of the original Mouseketeers : ANNETTE

44. Google map, say : LOCATOR

45. Not always the best roommates : SNORERS

51*. Pulitzer playwright Zoë : AKINS

53. Pester, puppy-style : YAP AT - NIP AT, LAP AT....even after an alphabet run, I did not see this. 

57. Cyclotron bits : IONS

59. Lead : HEAD - non-rhyming

61. Be supine : LIE - here's my contribution to "the stars"

63. "__ seen the light!" : I'VE

Splynter

Wednesday, March 4, 2015 Don Gagliardo

Theme:  SECRET SUPPORT.  The cheering word "RAH!," presumed to be shouted by the fans - e.g. SUPPORTers - of a sports team, is hidden in three theme entries.  So maybe in this instance RAH is whispered, not shouted.

17 A. Seeking lodging : LOOKING FOR A HOME.   I was thinking of overnight lodging, but this is more permanent.  In this answer RAH is divided, or SECTIONED twice.

27 A. Pulling away : FURTHER AHEAD.  Figuratively increasing the gap between the leader and the also-rans.  If it were literal, it would be FARTHER AHEAD.

45 A. More at dinner : EXTRA HELPING.  Refilling your plate, as if one plateful weren't enough.  I do this all too often. 

And the unifier -- 60 A.  Stadium supporters, and a hint to their cry hidden in 17-, 27- and 45-Across : CHEERING SECTION.   Not the architectural elements that buttress the arena's structure.  Instead, this is an area of the grandstand reserved for the SUPPORTers of one of the teams in an athletic contest.  And it also indicates that the cheering word RAH has been SECTIONed, or divided, across two or more words in the theme fill.  The ever-meticulous Don G has made sure that the word RAH has been sectioned in every possible way.  In a different sense, an athletic supporter is any sports professional with a family.

Hi gang.  JazzBumpa here to cheer you on through this excellent puzzle.  Don has taken the rather simple idea of a hidden word, and executed it in a most elegant fashion.  Also, the first theme answer and the unifier are both are grid spanners.  The average word length is hefty 5.25 letters, way above the 4.91 typical of a Wednesday.  Plus, it's only a Q and V short of a pangram.

Across

1. Thin streaks : WISPS.  As smoke or snow in the air.  

6. Influenced by, recipe-wise : A LA.  in the manner of  .  .  .

9. Ones who deal with dealers : NARCS.   Clever clue.  NARCotic agents are concerned with drug dealers.

14. First name in furniture : ETHAN.  Allen.

Functional Elegance

15. Editor's job : REDACTION.  Broadly, REDACTION is simply editing.  More specifically, it is removing or obscuring sensitive text in a document prior to publication.   Despite Monday's BLUE PENCIL, editing can be done with a red pen, so this can also be parsed as RED ACTION.

19. Unidentified Jane : DOE.  John Doe's female equivalent.  These are placeholder names for a party whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld in a legal action, case, or discussion.

20. Tugboat sound : TOOT.   The relatively high pitched sound of its horn or whistle.

21. Commodities dealer : TRADER.    A partial clecho with 9 A.

22. Summit meeting goal : PACT.  A strategic agreement of some sort between or among governments.

24. 18-Down, with "down" : JOT.   Write something for future reference.

26. Rearing place : NEST.  It's for the birds.

31. This and that : OLIO.  A miscellaneous collection of things - what you might find in your junk drawer.   Or, perhaps, this.




32. Deep gulf : ABYSS.





33. Global financial org. : IMF.  International Monetary Fund.

36. Mexican supermodel Elsa : BENITEZ

39. Hardly transitory : ETERNAL.  For ever and ever.

41. Gig session : SET.  A group of songs played between breaks.

42. Venetian island : ISOLA.  Any Italian Island

44. 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA.





48. Suffix with school : MARM.   A lady teaching in a one room schoolhouse, stereotypically prim and strict.

51. CIA predecessor : O.S.S.  Office of Strategic Services.

52. London home of Constables and Sargents : TATE.  Not Scotland Yard.  Outstanding misdirection to the museum where you can finds works by John Constable and John Singer Sargent.

53. Block deliverers of yesteryear : ICE MEN. Here they cometh.

55. Powerful lobby for seniors : A.A.R.P.    American Association of Retired Persons.

57. Cape Canaveral's st. : FLA.   Florida.

63. Self-control : RESTRAINT. 

64. Felt poorly : AILED.

65. "Golden Boy" playwright : ODETS.  Clifford (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963.)

66. "Hello, ewe!" : BAA.   Sheep talk.

67. Mausoleums : TOMBS.  Dead spaces.

Down

1. Metalworking union : WELD.   Another great misdirection - not a trade or labor union, but a technique for fastening metal pieces. Very important in vehicle construction.

2. "Was __ hard on her?" : I TOO.   I'm not going to answer this question

3. Crime scene clue : SHOE PRINT.  Finger and toe don't fit.  But if the SHOE fits  .  .  .

4. K2 is on its border: Abbr. : PAKistan.   Per Wikipedia: "K2, also known as Chhogori/Qogir, Ketu/Kechu, and Mount Godwin-Austen (Urdu:شاہ گوری), is the second highest mountain in the world at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft), after Mount Everest. It is located on the border[2] between Baltistan, in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of northern Pakistan, and the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China.[3] With a peak elevation of 8,611 m (28,251 feet), K2 is the highest point of the Karakoram Range and the highest point in Pakistan."

5. State secrets? : SNITCH.  Sing like a canary. One more great misdirection.  Here, state is a verb.

6. Cornstarch brand : ARGO.  Nothing about golden fleece?

I understand it makes lump-free gravy

7. Right hook setup : LEFT JAB.  Boxing maneuvers.

8. Noisy scene : ADO.

9. "Mayberry R.F.D." setting : N. CAR.   North Carolina.

10. Nearby : AT HAND.

11. __ la Plata : RIO DE.  "River of Silver" - located between Uruguay and Argentina along the Atlantic Ocean, this is the the estuary of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers.

12. Attends : COMES.  As to a meeting or church service.

13. Dik Browne pooch : SNERT.   Hägar's Hound.

 Image found here [of all places]

16. Evaluation for creative types : ART TEST.

 I think van Gogh would have failed

18. Make a memo of : NOTE.  Or JOT it down, as per 24A.

23. Yours, to Yvette : A TOI.   French possessive pronoun.

25. "Now I remember!" : OH YEAH.

27. Watch chains : FOBS.

 Right on time

28. Peter Fonda's beekeeper : ULEE.  From the movie

29. Medicine cabinet items : RAZORS.   Close shave

30. Suffix with malt : ASE.  -ASE makes it an enzyme;  -OSE makes it a sugar; -ESE makes it a Falcon.

33. Low-budget pic, usually : INDIE FILM.  For Independent - not produced by a major studio,

34. Chief : MAIN.  Most important in a list of items.

35. Coach's challenge indicator : FLAG.  Pro Football - If the coach disputes a referee's call, the challenge causes a video replay review.  There have been so many missed calls of goalie interference in the NHL this year that a similar challenge is being considered [or at least wished for] in hockey.

37. StubHub offerings, briefly : TIX.   Tickets to arena events

38. Latvia neighbor : ESTONIA.  Baltic Sea countries.

40. Spellbound : RAPT.  Having one's attention tightly held, as if by magic.

43. Baked, layered entrée : LASAGNA.   Sauce, Noodles, Meat, Cheese, Repeat.

45. Clown Kelly : EMMETT.

Weary Willie, based on Depression Era hobos

46. French I infinitive : ETRE.  To be French

47. Purring snuggler : LAP CAT.  Furry pet.

Typical?

48. Extremely tiny : MICRO.  Adjective or prefix?

49. Needed liniment : ACHED.  Muscle soreness.

50. Creator of many pieces? : REESE.  Candy, not musical compositions.

I scream

54. Writes the wrong zip code, say : ERRS.  Makes any sort of mistake

56. Pooch in whodunits : ASTA.  Nick and Nora's hound.

 The Thin Man movie series

58. Award-winning comic book writer Jeph : LOEB.

 Interview

59. Additions : ANDS.  Afterthoughts, maybe.

61. Pointed end : NIB.  of a calligraphy pen.

62. South-of-the-border uncle : TIO.   Mexican relative.

Nit free, with musical interludes, and despite having gone to the dogs a couple times, then even to the sheep, I'm still willing to cheer for this puzzle.  RAH!  What do you think?

Cool Regards!
JzB  [who will play a set including OLEO later this Spring]

Thursday, January 22, 2015 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Letter play

19-Across. *Beginning : GETTING GOING. Okey-dokey, so let's get going, then!

26-Across. *They carry remainders : SURPLUS STORES.

44-Across. *Bike safety device : REAR REFLECTOR.

51-Across. *The rest : EVERYONE ELSE.
And the reveal:
65-Across. Both words in each answer to a starred clue begin and end with the same one : LETTER.

I noticed the duplicate letters at the end of the first word and beginning of the second as I was solving, but it required the reveal to get my V-8 moment.

Other possibilities might include:
DROPPED DEAD
KNICK KNACK
SALES SLIPS
Since the rules of construction dictate symmetrical theme entries, it is really tough to get 4 entries with the right letter count.


Across

1. Modern "Keep in touch!" : TEXT ME. I kept thinking "Call me"...maybe.

7. Ann's sister : ABBY. The advice columnists.

11. Extras may comprise one : MOB. As in "a cast of thousands."

14. Tennis star Gibson : ALTHEA. One of the biggest success stories of the '50s.

15. The real thing, so to speak : TRUE LOVE.

17. Riddles : POSERS.

18. Regretting a wild night, maybe : HUNGOVER. Who, moi?

21. Field of study : AREA.

24. "We __ Family": 1979 hit : ARE. Remember Sister Sledge from the 70's?

25. Tamper : MESS. (with)

31. Org. where weight matters : WBA. World Boxing Association. Can you name all the weights? I'll start: heavy...

32. Without __: riskily : A NET.

33. On a streak : RED HOT.

36. Capp and Capone : ALs. Cartoonists and crooks can always get together in crosswords.

37. Syr. neighbor : ISR. Syria and Israel.

38. Jueves, por ejemplo : DIA. Spanish "Thursday, for example" clues the Spanish for "day."

39. Natural resource : ORE. I had the O** and almost wrote in Oil. But I am learning my lesson, and decided to check the perps first.

40. Tease : NEEDLE.

42. Vibrater in a wind : REED. The thing that vibrates in a wind instrument. The spelling just "looks" wrong, but is technically correct.

43. Like Gen. Powell : RET.ired.

47. __ Men: "Who Let the Dogs Out" band : BAHA. Oops - used up my you tube limit.  Feel free to link away!

49. Edible Asian shoot : UDO. Everything you wanted to know here.

50. Greek mount : OSSA.

56. Burns poem that starts, "Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie" : TO A MOUSE.

57. Time of your life : OLD AGE.

61. Marching band instrument : SIDE DRUM.

62. Mill around : LOITER.

63. Passing stat. : YDS. Yards, in football.

64. Egyptian symbols of royalty : ASPS.


Down:

1. Keep time, in a way : TAP.

2. Symphonic rock gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

3. Cadillac sedan : XTS.

4. Store to "fall into," in old ads : THE GAP. From the 70's.

5. Scant : MERE.

6. First word of the chorus of "The Sidewalks of New York" : EAST. side, west side, all around the town...Come on - hum along with me!

7. Parched : ATHIRST.

8. Dark-haired guy : BRUNET. "Dark-haired girl" is brunette.

9. Cask stopper : BUNG.

10. Safecracker : YEGG.

11. Some Cannes films : MOVIE SHORTS.

12. They have hoods and racks : OVENS. Because "redneck pickup trucks" didn't fit.

13. Cold-water hazards : BERGS. Hands up for "floes"?

16. Was impending : LOOMED.

20. Perp subduer : TASER.

21. Egyptian dam : ASWAN.

22. 100 kopecks : RUBLE.

23. Parts opposite points : ERASER HEADS. I have never heard them called anything but "erasers." But I wonder if Don G. intended the clue for the Filipino rock band, who took their name from the surrealistic David Lynch film, "Eraserhead."

27. First name in women's boxing : LAILA. Ali.

28. Racing family name : UNSER. Al, Bobby et al.

29. Bay window : ORIEL.

30. Aptly named novelist : READE.

34. Easily crumbled cookies : OREOS.

35. Betta tankmate : TETRA.

38. "Colonel Jack" novelist : DEFOE.

41. "Oh, my!" : DEAR ME!

42. Uses, as credit card rewards : REDEEMS. But only if one
45. Amasses : RUNS UP. a whole bunch of charges first!

46. Work on together, in a way : COEDIT. This filled with perps, so when I saw it I was trying to figure out how CO-ED IT might be clued.

47. LPGA great Rawls : BETSY. You have to go back to the '50s to remember her, too.

48. Stay clear of : AVOID.

52. "The boy you trained, gone he is" speaker : YODA.

53. Sharing word : OURS.

54. Relax : LOLL.

55. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE.

58. QB's stat : ATT.empts.

59. Turn right : GEE. On the farm, that is.

60. Go wrong : ERR. I hope I did not ERR with any of my comments!

I'm out.
Marti

Note from C.C.:

1) Happy 69th Birthday to our LAT constructor John Lampkin! As I mentioned before, John helped me greatly in my earlier days of blogging and constructing. He patiently answered every little question I had about crosswords. He's just incredibly kind and generous to every new constructor.

Lemonade & John Lampkin, March 21, 2012

2) Happy 83rd Birthday to Marge! She had a bad fall in 2013 and has not appeared much on the blog after that. I hope you're still reading our blog Marge. Kazie is now our only representative from Wisconsin, I think.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014 Don Gagliardo

Theme:  All is calm, all is bright.  The circled letters, in order, spell the word NIGHT; and each letter is silent in both of the down and across words in which it appears.   If you didn't get the circles, I don't know how you'd deal with it.

Silent N:
20 A. Spreadsheet figure : COLUMN TOTAL.  Typical spreadsheet math.
6 D. "Ave Maria," e.g. : HYMN.  A religious song.

Silent I:
25 A. Take by force : SEIZE.  Suddenly and Forcibly take hold of something.
11 D. Stereo components : RECEIVERS.  They convert broadcast signals into visible or audible form.

Silent G:
33 A. Prosecutors, at times : ARRAIGNERS.  They bring someone [a perp, perhaps] before the court to answer a criminal charge.
10 D. Station identification letters : CALL SIGN.  Unique alphanumeric designations of  transmitting stations.  They are used in commercial radio, amateur radio, transportation and the military.

Silent H:
37 A. Cheering word : RAH.  Perhaps shortened from hooray/hoorah, 'cuz we're just that lazy.
32 D. Present day? : CHRISTMAS.  The day when Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus.  The Magi brought him gifts, and so we give each other gifts.  The "present" day can be either today, Christmas Eve, as we celebrate with the Bumpa clan, or Christmas day, as we celebrate with my mom and sister.

Silent T:
54. Clever remark : MOT.  Actually BON MOT,  the French designation for a witticism.
32 D. Present day? : CHRISTMAS.  Making a second appearance, 'cuz - why not?  It's that kind of day.

And the unifier:
55 A. Classic 6-Down suggested by this puzzle's circles : SILENT NIGHT.

One might quibble, perhaps, with the degree of silence some of these letters actually present.  But let's just go with it.  Who but Hard G Don Gagliardo could so exploit the vagaries of the English language, to bring us such a brilliant and timely construction?  This is his present day present to all of us.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, happy to present you with Don's holiday greeting, and a whole bunch of music.

Across

1. Flexible lunch hour : ONE-ISH.  More or less 1 O'clock, kinda, sorta. 

7. PC speed unit : M-SEC.  Millisecond.  1/1000 second.

11. D.C. United's __ Stadium : RFK.  Home of the soccer team, named for former attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.

14. Marvel Entertainment parent company : DISNEY.  Entertainment empire.

15. Cinders of old comics : ELLA.   Here is her introductory panel from 1925.  You might need to blow it up to make it readable.  Read more here.  Turn her name around to suss the inspiration.

16. Reef dweller : EEL.  Any of 800 species of elongated, mostly predatory fish.

17. Needing to be bailed out, maybe : IN A JAM.  Some sort of tough spot, possibly jail.

18. "Double, double, __ and trouble": "Macbeth" : TOIL.  "Fire burn and cauldron bubble." Witches' incantation.

19. DCIV ÷ IV : CLI.  Roman numerals.  604/4 = 151.   How did the Romans ever master division?

22. Individual : SSN :: corp. : __ : E I N.  Employer Identification Number.

23. Hospital fluids : SERA.  Fluids separated from clotted blood, unlike plasma, which comes from unclotted blood.  Did anyone besides Marti know that?

24. "Impressive!" : OOH!  Like this puzzle.

27. Happen afterward : ENSUE.  Does this imply cause and effect?

29. Capital on the Dnieper River : KIEV.    Capital and largest city of Ukraine.  I've heard they have a Great Gate there.

30. Tot's recitation : ABC'S.   1-2-3's, too.

38. Nod from the maestro : CUE.  Indication you can start playing now.  And much appreciated after 179 bars of rest.

39. Short or gross measure : TON.   A short TON is the 2000 lb. measure we are used to in the U.S.   A gross TON is the same as a long TON, 2249 lbs. 

40. See 59-Across : RAP.
59. With 40-Across, trumped-up charge : BUM.  A BUM RAP is a false charge resulting in a miscarriage of justice.

41. Ones making the rounds? : BAR TENDERS.  Mixologists preparing rounds of drinks.  Clever!

44. "The Thin Man" pooch : ASTA.  Movie dog.

With Costars Myrna Loy and William Powell

45. Dot on un mapa : ISLA.  A Spanish island.

46. Capital of Senegal : DAKAR.  Un Mapa.

48. Debate subject : ISSUE.  Topic under discussion.

50. Bon __: Comet rival : AMI.  Scouring powders.

51. Sports fan's factoid : STATistic.

60. Holiday purchase : TREE.  Yo, Tannenbaum!

61. Remove all doubt : BE SURE.

62. A, in Oaxaca : UNA.  Spanish indefinite article.

63. Gremlins and Matadors : AMC'S.  American Motors Corp. automobileS from the past.

64. Lustrous fabric : SATEEN.   A fabric made with satin weave structure using spun yarn instead of filament.

65. Mag staff : EDS.  Abbreviated editors.

66. "... be good for goodness' __!" : SAKE.    Pam provides the details, with  a little help from her friends.

67. Determined ahead of time : PRESET.

Down

1. Like many Keats poems : ODIC.   He wrote the most ODIC of odes.  Fortunately, most of them are neither odious nor oddities.

2. Bogotá boys : NINOS.  Boys in Bogotá speak Spanish.

3. Online transaction : E-SALE.   A unit of E-Tail.

4. Harms : INJURES.

5. Crew member : SEAMAN.  In the Navy

7. Copycat : ME-TOOER.  Conveniently constructed, but a welcome reprieve from the ubiquitous APER.

8. A deadly sin : SLOTH.  For those too lazy to indulge in gluttony and lust.

9. Oscar-winning director Kazan : ELIA.   Gentleman's Agreement, On the Waterfront.

12. "__ Navidad": Feliciano song : FELIZ.   Merry Christmas in Spanish.

13. Kevin of "Dave" : KLINE.

21. Took the show on the road : TOURED.

26. Poetic time of day : E'EN.  Even I know this is evening, thus eventually evening me with all of you.

28. Post-workout destination : SAUNA.  Steam bath.

29. Mall stand : KIOSK.

30. Wall St. hedger : ARB.  Slothful way of indicating an arbitrageur,  one who attempts to profit from price inefficiencies in the market by making simultaneous trades that offset each other and capturing risk-free profits.

31. Cote cry : BAA.

34. Transport in an Ellington classic : A-TRAIN.   The quickest way to Sugar Hill in Harlem.

35. Informant : RAT.

36. Hotel amenity : SPA.

38. Instruments that sound similar to glockenspiels : CELESTAS.  But with a softer and more subtle timbre.  It was invented by Auguste Mustel in Paris in 1886.  Tchaikovsky was the first major composer to use it in an orchestral setting, first in The Voyadova, then - most famously  - in the Sugar Plum Fairie's dance in The Nutcracker.  You can hear one starting at about 6:40 of this video.

42. The Tigers of the Ohio Valley Conf. : TSU.  Tennessee State University.

43. Attorney general under Ronald Reagan : ED MEESE.   Not related to Mickey, as far as I know,

44. Entertainer : ARTISTE.

47. Equally hot or cold? : AS NEAR.   I don't quite get this one.

48. Inspire deeply (with) : IMBUE.  As with a particular feeling or quality.

49. In good shape : SOUND.  Hale and hardy.

50. Smart guy? : ALECK.   My comrade at arms.

52. Fits of fever : AGUES.   Fever and shivering.

53. French hens count : THREE.   You know the song.

56. "__ la Douce" : IRMA.  The story of a Parisienne prostitute.

57. Recipe meas. : TBSP.  TaBle SPoon.  Alternatively, to make out in the kitchen?.

58. Hiker's shelter : TENT.  Portable lodging.

Beautiful start to the holiday with this brilliant puzzle from Don G.  Hope you all enjoyed it, and are happy, healthy and ready to dive into the new year.

Cool Regards and Feliz Navidad, Happy Kwanzaa, Fabulous Festivus, a not very Saturnine Saturnalia, or joy at whichever near-solstice celebration you prefer.

Note from Constructor "Hard G":
 

During this past July, I thought of the book title, “Silent Spring”, and decided to make a puzzle with circles where the circled letters are literally silent S-P-R-I-N-G.  After starting the puzzle, I realized that there was also the possibility of “Silent Night”, and that there was enough time to submit a Christmas-themed puzzle before the end of the year.  So I started looking for silent N-I-G-H-T letters in words, and came across CHRISTMAS as having a silent T.  Then it struck me that what a coincidence, the H is also silent, and these are the last two letters of the silent NIGHT.  It was then a matter of arranging CHRISTMAS so that I could place the other three silent letters higher up in the grid, and SILENT NIGHT would go in the bottom right corner.  It was a lucky day that I put all this together.

Saturday, Sep 6th, 2014, Don Gagliardo

Theme: DonG~!

Words: 70 (missing X)

Blocks: 26

  Half of our Dynamic Duo makes his second Saturday appearance for the LAT, to the best of my knowledge, with an impressive low block count of only 26, no less.  Big chunky 8x5- and 9x6-letter corners, two 10-letter fills in the middle, and one 15-letter climber, which I did not see at first glance.  Have to admit, had to cheat with red-letters for ONE lousy cell, and it was NOT in the SE corner, I might add.  Still, there was a gratuitous shoutout to yours truly, and so I am pretty happy overall.  The longer answers;

7. Flying cartoon hero, formally : ROCKET J. SQUIRREL - Before my time; must be hard up for work these days as he's appearing in Geico commercials now

31. Gang leader of old comics : BAZOOKA JOE - The Joe that you will no longer find in the comics wrapped around your Bazooka Bubble gum; the Wiki

43. Stewed : LIQUORED UP - ah, now this is a phrase that I AM familiar with....

10d.~!!!!!

ACROSS:

1. Some daily activities : HABITS - Let's see; coffee, cigars, Monster energy, cursing, bathing, brushing teeth - but I did not drink, just for today - but there's a toast to all at sunset, right Tin~!?

7. Restored vigor to, in a way : REPOTTED - Maybe for the marijuana plant, but most of the people I know who get "re-potted" don't usually show much vigor

15. Big Sur retreat : ESALEN - Sounds like a place I might like to visit; spirituality, holistic healing, and education - more from their website

16. Chef's assortment : OVENWARE - because CUTLERY was too short

17. Philosopher de Beauvoir : SIMONE

18. 1992 Michelle Pfeiffer role : CATWOMAN

19. Wright-Patterson, e.g.: Abbr. : AFB - Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio

20. Certain laundry load : DARKS - my first fill

22. "This is just __" : A TEST

23. Titicaca feeders : RIOs - Educated WAG; lake in South America

25. Forest mom : DOE

26. Turning points : CRISES

27. __ Lodge : ECONO - who else went with MOTOR~?

29. "Fats" Waller piano style : STRIDE

33. Trick : RUSE

37. Goethe's "The __-King" : ERL - I think I have seen this before in crosswords, but it was all perps today

38. To begin with : FIRSTLY

40. Yvette, e.g. : NOM - Frawnche

41. Soup vegetable : LEEK - My first guess, but I left it blank

45. "Free," in "land of the free" : ADNOUN - New to me - the Wiki says it's an adjective used as a noun

47. Wheat used in health food : SPELT - Nailed it

48. Gets clean : BATHES - nothing to do with "sobriety" getting clean

51. 19th/20th-century civil rights leader __ B. Wells : IDA

53. Marching band? : ARMY - har-har....could've flown without the "?", too, IMO

54. On the wrong side (of) : AFOUL - "He ran afoul of the law."

55. Ceremonial lineup : GRADs - meh

57. Disallow : BAN

58. Common ore of mercury : CINNABAR - My high school paper was called this; not sure picking an ore of a poisonous metal is such a good choice in terms of 'what's good for you'

60. Pin down : LOCATE

62. Form a union : ORGANIZE - Nailed it; but then again, I'm at UPS....

63. Sees the light, maybe : AWAKES - Sorry, but a BIG MEH here - either WAKES, or AWAKENS, but halfway in between~? meh.

64. Like many sales : SEASONAL - Like "Peeps" half off the day after Easter

65. Devote, as time : INVEST

DOWN:

1. 1962 Crystals album with cover art of a biker : HE'S A REBEL - The REBEL part came from perps; the rest was an educated WAG - before my time

2. "Whatever" : "AS IF I CARE"

3. Hoodwink : BAMBOOZLE - Got it with "---OO-E" in place

4. Workers' rights gp. since 1919 : ILO - Dah~! I tried CIO, then AFL; we are looking for the International Labour Organization - and the "O" was "A" for me - my bad cell; in hindsight, SimAne does sound a bit off....

5. Look after : TEND

6. Three-time Masters winner : SNEAD - Sam, of golfing fame

8. Some NASA missions : EVAs  - Extra-Vehicular Activities; in other words, space walks ( I know, it's more than just that, HuskerG)

9. Favorite : PET

10. Ahead : ONWARD~! - Thank you, kind sir~!!!

11. Wedding cake specification : TWO-TIER

12. Tones down : TAMES

13. Backspace, usually : ERASE

14. Reasons for as-is sales : DENTS

21. Actress Dawson of "Men in Black II" : ROSARIO - Good movie, but not as good as the first Men In Black - and I am ashamed to admit I have NOT seen "III" yet

24. Wintry commercial prefix : SNO - Sno-Cat, e.g.

26. Spanish sky : CIELO

28. Doubled-over reaction : "`OOF`!"

30. Capitol center : ROTUNDA - Nice slight mis-direction

32. Where some artists' firings occur : KILNs

34. Cook poorly, in a way : UNDERBAKE

35. Ideal pairing : SOULMATES - I sometimes think I have already met her....now for the next step

36. 1980s-'90s Richard Mulligan sitcom : EMPTY NEST - I liked him in "SOAP", and this show was pretty good, too - featuring Kristy McNicol and "Isuzu Joe"

39. Age abbr. : YRs

42. Hawaiian priests : KAHUNAs - I must link Pulp Fiction~!

44. AQI monitor : EPA - Air Quality Index, and the Environmental Protection Agency

46. California city near Bakersfield : DELANO

48. Salad bar items : BACOs - Mmmm, Baco's....did anyone else try TONGS, and then get to 50D~?

49. Burning : AFIRE

50. Pacific island nation : TONGA

52. Grover's 1890s vice president : ADLAI - Stevenson, the "I"; I am more familiar with "II", who was 20th century

55. Troubled Mideast region : GAZA - Timely

56. Ready to grow : SOWN - It's harvest time for the sod farms here on L.I.

59. Garbage holder : BIN

61. James, again, briefly : CAV - this one was super MEH - I had to dig deep to get the reference, which is LeBron James, who played for the Cleveland CAValiers, twice - with a stop in Miami in between - and I do NOT like Basketball~!

Splynter

Wednesday Dec 12, 2012 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter and Don Gagliardo

theme: a dime a dozen

17a. 12 : BIG TEN TEAM COUNT. Big Ten has 12 teams.

30a. 12 : NOTES IN AN OCTAVE. here's a visual, from C to C (little shout-out to CC):

maybe some of our musical musical commenters will chime in here with more info, my head was spinning reading about the technicalities.

49a. 12 : CENTURY BEGUN MCI. 1101.

62a. What this puzzle's three identical clues can represent : DAY MONTH AND YEAR

melissa here.

i am reminded of this august puzzle. except, to make it even better, today is 12/12/12, i love timely puzzles! i wonder how long this has been in the pipeline? and how lovely to see our own marti and don hard-g team up, another dynamic duo, congratulations!

finals week for me, so i'm gonna knock this out and get back to it ...

Across:

1. Life and Risk : GAMES. board games.

6. Pkg. markings : UPC'S. universal product codes. 

10. Yoda trainee : JEDI

14. Lacking a point : INANE

15. __-dieu : PRIE. french for pray to god, which is what this kind of bench is called:

16. Nativity scene animals : OXEN

20. ID theft target : SSN. social security number.

21. __-Aid : KOOL. ew.

22. Memo lead-off : IN RE. latin for in the matter of.

23. Our Gang word spoken with a hand signal : OTAY. the little rascals.

25. Garage type : TWO CAR

28. Spring growth : BUD

33. Detective Wolfe : NERO

34. Room with a remote : DEN

35. Yet again : ANEW

36. Norwegian throne name : OLAF

39. Color like aqua : TEAL

41. 1990s Expos manager : ALOU

44. __ long way: help considerably : GO A

46. Shooter ammo : PEAS. haha.

54. Pointe balancing point : TOE. ooch.

55. Versatile veggie : POTATO

56. Go another way : TURN

57. Set up a Titleist, say : TEED

59. "Vamoose!" : SHOO

61. Collector's objective : SET. anyone else watch market warriors?

66. Ex-Dodger Hershiser : OREL

67. Revival meeting shout : AMEN

68. Prefix in skin care brand names : DERMA

69. Rapids phenomenon : EDDY

70. Cool one's heels : BIDE. wait.

71. Full of spunk : SASSY

down

1. Martini with a onion : GIBSON. gin martini for me, please.

2. Cox sitcom co-star : ANISTON. courtney and jennifer, from friends.

3. Influential businessperson : MAGNATE. "an entrepreneur who has achieved wealth and prominence from a particular industry."

4. Tolkien creature with branches : ENT. lord of the rings.

5. Car radio button : SEEK

6. City area associated with affluence : UPTOWN

7. Install beforehand, as software : PRE-LOAD

8. Org. with moles : CIA. a mole is an informant within an organization.

9. Th.D.-issuing school : SEM. a doctorate of theology is issued from a seminary school.

10. "Benny & __": Depp film : JOON. sweet movie.

11. Like many commuter towns : EXURBAN. 

12. "Indochine" Oscar nominee Catherine : DENEUVE

13. QB's flub : INT. interception.

18. Innocent's claim : NOT I. said the fly.

19. Publication sales fig. : CIRCulation

24. Bad news upon arriving at home? : YER OUT. hee.

26. Website with gadget reviews : C-NET

27. Super-duper : A ONE.

29. Morning moisture : DEW

31. South-of-the-border sun : SOL. spanish for sun.

32. Gift : TALENT

37. Soil-related prefix : AGRO. agrochemical.

38. Racer A.J. : FOYT

40. Kwik-E-Mart proprietor : APU. the simpsons.

41. Do one's part? : ACT. great clue.

42. Bodysuit named for a trapeze artist : LEOTARD. made famous by french acrobatic performer jules leotard.

43. Like the jack of hearts : ONE EYED

45. Chagrined : ABASHED

47. Ones who make you chuckle : AMUSERS

48. Ones who make you guffaw : SCREAMS. scream in the sense of something funny - a guffaw is a hearty laugh.

50. Prom hairstyle : UPDO

51. Natural gas component : ETHANE

52. "Continue ..." : GO ON

53. Where work piles up : IN TRAY

58. "Little" girl in "David Copperfield" : EM'LY. playmate of david copperfield.

60. Vegas figures : ODDS

62. Fawning critter : DOE

63. Catch red-handed : NAB

64. "I didn't need to hear that," in texts : TMI. too much information.

65. Senator's assent : YEA

melissa