Tuesday, May 29, 2018, Ed Sessa

Holding Hands

20. Basic cocktail with Dewar's: SCOTCH AND SODA.

24. Live frugally: PINCH AND SCRAPE.

42. Political entities subject to Constitutional separation: CHURCH AND STATE.

48. Exhortation to come together ... and a hint to 20-, 24- and 42-Across: LET'S JOIN HANDS.

Each phrase holds (contains) the word hands. 

Across:

1. Learn to fit in: ADAPT.

6. "Sí," on the Seine: OUI. 

9. Nasser of Egypt: GAMAL.

14. Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.   1993 Oscars, Best Supporting Actress award,  as Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny

15. "What was __ expect?": I TO.

16. Martini garnish: OLIVE.

17. "The Sixth Sense" writer/director M. Night __: SHYAMALAN.  Perps made it easy.  Otherwise, no clue. 

19. "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby: DARIN.

22. Spanish "other": OTRA.

23. Acorn producer: OAK.

31. What truants "play": HOOKY.   I thought of Senior Skip Day.

32. 2010 Apple release: IPAD.

33. Application file suffix: EXE.  File suffix being file type.  Short for executable.

35. Pests in a pantry: ANTS.

36. Like very serious errors: FATAL.   "Error 1603: A fatal error occurred during installation" is a catchall when your application's executable doesn't install correctly. 

38. Octopus octet: ARMS.

39. Muscle spasm: TIC.

40. Chore: TASK.

41. Most of Wile E. Coyote's gadgets, brand-wise: ACMES.

46. Forget-me-__: NOT.  

Your birth flower if you were born in September.

The Alaska state flower.

Symbolism 



47. Ohio border lake: ERIE.

54. Hawaiian hi: ALOHA.

55. Embarrasses deeply: MORTIFIES.

58. Bourbon Street cuisine: CAJUN.

59. Boston skyscraper, with "the": PRU.

60. Nick of "Cape Fear": NOLTE.

61. Shoelace problems: KNOTS.

62. Stockholm airline: SAS.  SAS is an abbreviation of its former full name, Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark–Norway–Sweden.   The main hub is in Copenhagen, while the company headquarters is near Stockholm.   Wikipedia

63. Wear away: ERODE.


Down:

1. @ signs: ATs.   I first learned this symbol meant each at.   Internet Hall of Famer and inventor of email,  RPI & MIT grad Ray Tomlinson, used the @ symbol to distinguish host name from user name so that messages could be sent from one host to another on ARPANET, the precursor to the internet. 

2. "I am so stupid!": DOH. Popularized by Homer Simpson.    You're telling me Grumpy and Doc weren't in Sleeping Beauty ?  Oh, Snow White.  DOH !

3. Actress Poehler and singer Grant: AMYS. Actress and comedian Amy Poehler and contemporary Christian singer Amy Grant.

4. Birds with eyelike spots on their tails: PEACOCKS.

5. Youngest-ever Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Hutton: TIMOTHY. Won for "Ordinary People."   I confused him with his father Jim.

6. Lube shop container: OIL CAN. Red Sox fans like Wilbur would remember "Oil Can" Boyd, a starting pitcher for the Beantown nine.

7. D-Day beach: UTAH.

8. Hebrides isle: IONA.

9. NASA's __ Space Flight Center: GODDARD.

10. Where Nome is: ALASKA.

11. Surrealist painter Joan: MIRO.

12. Gung-ho: AVID.

13. "Girls" creator Dunham: LENA.

18. Gillette blade: ATRA.

21. Diet-friendly: NO-CAL.

24. Cool, in '90s slang: PHAT. Not an acronym, but a deliberate misspelling of fat, in the sense of rich, abundant, or desirable.  A couple of backronyms - phrases constructed after the fact - are Pretty Hot And Tempting and PHysically ATtractive.  Paraphrased from Snopes.com

25. Greek column type: IONIC.

26. V-shaped cut: NOTCH.

27. Football's "Iron Mike": DITKA.


28. Place for a waxing: SPA.

29. Prefix with frost: PERMA.

30. Ron Darling or Tom Seaver: EX MET. Starting pitchers for the NY Mets.

34. To be, to Livy: ESSE.   "Livy, Latin in full Titus Livius, (born 59/64 bc, Patavium, Venetia [now Padua, Italy]—died ad 17, Patavium), with Sallust and Tacitus, one of the three great Roman historians. His history of Rome became a classic in his own lifetime and exercised a profound influence on the style and philosophy of historical writing down to the 18th century."  - Britannica.com

36. De __: actual: FACTO. "In fact or in practice; in actual use or existence, regardless of official or legal status." Wiktionary.

37. Campfire remnant: ASH.

38. Represented: ACTED FOR.

40. Some "Iliad" warriors: TROJANS.

41. Utterly absurd: ASININE.

43. Left open, as a door: UNSHUT.

44. Indian political family: NEHRUS.

45. "Dagnabbit!": DRAT.

48. Absence: LACK.

49. Splashy style: ELAN.

50. Axis dictator who ordered the Pearl Harbor attack: TOJO.

51. Little rascals: IMPS.

52. "Julie & Julia" director Ephron: NORA.

53. Grain tower: SILO.

56. Flight board abbr.: ETD.

57. "Just like I said!": SEE.

Sunday February 11, 2018 Ed Sessa

Theme:  "Substitute Measures" - The measure in each theme entry is replaced by its homophone or a sound-like word.

23A. Measly treat for Polly? : GRAM CRACKER. Graham cracker. Polly want a cracker.
 
32A. Work required to raise kids? : FAMILY JOULES. Family jewels.

41A. Advantage in kickboxing? : FEET OF STRENGTH. Feat of strength.

62A. The buying power of cash? : WATTS IN YOUR WALLET. What's in your wallet?

86A. Cub soda? : LITER OF THE PACK. Leader of the pack.

94A. Polished pearls? : GLAZED CARATS. Glazed carrots.

110A. Bad snippets of Miss Muffet's memory? : SPIDER BYTES. Spider bites.

Mr. Ed never disappoints. What a great mix of various measurements.

As I mentioned before, LAT Sundays often have 144 or 142 words. Ed gave us a 140 today.  It's just that hard to reduce 2 or 4 words from a 21*21. You've got to have Ed's Saturday themeless skills to pull off a low count Sunday. Ed is also a fantastic clue writer.

Across:
     
1. Hindu "sir" : BABU. As seen on "Seinfeld". Also 11. Hindu title : SWAMI

5. Beaucoup : A LOT OF. Tiny clue/answer dupe with 80. Lots (of), as cash : A WAD
 
11. Engineer's details : SPECS

16. Shortening letters : ETC. Also 67. "More than I can list" abbr. : ET AL

19. Abba not known for singing : EBAN. Abba Eban, Israel's first UN representative.

20. From the top, to Tiberius : DE NOVO

21. "Yes __": 2008 campaign slogan : WE CAN. Also  60. 2012 presidential candidate : ROMNEY (Mitt)

22. Boomer's kid : XER

25. Marinade used in Spanish cooking : ADOBO. I saw Adobo sauce in Aldi.

26. __-Magnon : CRO

27. Lizard-like amphibian : SALAMANDER. Great fill. We also have 52. Small 27-Acrosses : NEWTS

28. Latin trio word : AMAS

29. Breakers in semis : CBERS

31. Ceremonies : RITES
  
35. Decked out : ADORNED

38. Sextet in the Senate : TERM

39. Levelheaded : SANE

40. Math useful for cooks : RATIOS. I often cook by feel. Chinese cooking is very simple.

47. Fragrant compound : ESTER

48. Ancient jewelry staples : BEADS

49. Be an incredible speaker? : LIE. We also have 53. Snake oil hawker, say : CON MAN

50. President Taft's birthplace : OHIO

51. Not dressed for swimming, generally : SHOD
 
56. Wing : ELL

57. They're heard in herds : MOOS

59. Straight : TRUE

67. Like much folk music : ETHNIC

69. Face or race : MEET


70. Mad king of the stage : LEAR

71. One in a golfer's bag : TEE. Boomer now uses 3-1/4 inches tall tees, Gary/TTP!

72. Certain winner : SHOO IN

74. Some 'Vette roofs : T-TOPS

77. Musical ending : CODA

81. Divided sea : ARAL

83. Crowded-room atmosphere : FUG. Is this word familiar to you? Never heard of it.

84. Longtime name in catalogs : SEARS

85. "The Exorcist" actor Max von __ : SYDOW. Also a stranger to me.

90. Former mid-sized Chevy : LUMINA

91. "A creel of __, all ripples": Sylvia Plath : EELS

92. Fruit pastry : TART

93. Reddened, perhaps : RIPENED. Wish I could live near a persimmon tree again.

99. Barbecue brand : WEBER

100. Popular type : ROMAN. And 108. Popular type : ARIAL

101. Cleanup hitter's stats : RBIs

102. Milk choice : ONE PERCENT

107. Non's opposite : OUI

111. Topper for Rumpole of the Bailey : WIG

112. Thicket of trees : COPSE

113. Persevered in : KEPT AT

114. Traveler from 76-Down : MORK. 76. Home to 114-Across : ORK

115. Sign before Virgo : LEO

116. Lugged : TOTED

117. Treatment for some causes of backache : INSOLE. Boomer's back pain was completely gone after having tart cherry concentrate. Alas, his elbow/shoulder pain persist. Too much bowling.

118. Puts to bed : ENDS

Down:

1. Assumes the point of, as a question : BEGS

2. Start of a magical chant : ABRA

3. Canaanite idol : BAAL

4. Certain singles bar frequenter, in theory : UNMARRIED MAN

5. Spot charges : AD RATES

6. Showed bias : LEANED

7. How many boxed sets are recorded : ON CDS

8. Blackjack table gratuity : TOKE

9. Puts too much in the fishtank : OVER-FEEDS

10. On behalf of : FOR
 
12. Organ part : PEDAL

13. Coral reef, e.g. : ECOSYSTEM. Another sparking fill.

14. Hailed wine? : CAB. OK, Cabernet.

15. Cool, colorful treat : SNO-CONE

16. Reign supreme : EXCEL

17. Land at Orly? : TERRE. Just "land" in French.

18. Dracula repellent : CROSS

24. Key with three flats : C MINOR

28. Shells on Omaha Beach : AMMO

30. Good, in Guadalupe : BUENO

33. Painting and dancing : ARTS

34. Preserves holder : JAR. So what's your favorite peanut butter brand? Here's mine. Chunky.

35. Trojan War god : ARES

36. Mrs. on a spice rack : DASH

37. Germany's von Bismarck : OTTO. D-Otto's wife speaks fluent German. Her mom and brother live in Germany.

38. Suckling's milk source : TEAT

41. How many are chosen? : FEW. But few are chosen.

42. Ground grain : FLOUR

43. Muscle-bone connection : SINEW

44. Belgian treaty city : GHENT

45. 4-point F, for one : TILE

46. Word with Ghost or Grail : HOLY

48. First lady before Mamie : BESS. Truman.

52. Tally-keeping cut : NOTCH

53. Wine label word : CRU

54. City NW of Marseille : ARLES. The cover of my compact mirror

55. Pelican St. acronym : NOLA

58. Mayberry tippler : OTIS

59. Little one : TOT

61. Marvin Gaye classic subtitled "The Ecology" : MERCY MERCY ME. Great 12.

62. Gluten source : WHEAT

63. Texas Hold 'em declaration : I'M OUT

64. Mustang sally? : NEIGH. Googled afterwards. Sally means "outburst" here.

65. Tokyo dough : YEN

66. Hurdle for Hannibal : ALPS

68. Actress Hatcher : TERI

73. Ad-libbed : OFF-SCRIPT

74. Unwraps excitedly : TEARS OPEN

75. Political asset : TACT

78. One-eyed Norse deity : ODIN

79. Ready to eat : DONE
 
82. '90s daytime talk show : LEEZA (Gibbons)

84. Brief quarrel : SPAT

85. Unrivaled : SUPERB

87. Bring to life, in a way : RE-ENACT
 
88. From the past : OLD

89. Ones affected by bad weather, briefly : ETAs
 
90. First word in France's motto : LIBERTE. Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

93. Opposite of pass : REPEAL

94. One might elicit a nervous "Nice dog" : GROWL

95. "Taxi" dispatcher : LOUIE. Now you won't see LOUIE C.K. in crosswords again.

96. La Paz paisano : AMIGO

97. Belittle : ABASE

98. Nettled : RILED

99. Single-minded about : WED TO

103. Little snorts : NIPS

104. Berkshire school : ETON

105. Socially awkward one : NERD. Guess who coined this word? Dr. Seuss.

106. Sounds of disapproval : TSKS

109. Jack, jill or joey : ROO

110. One of a pair on a rack : SKI

Look what I finally found: Picture of Lucina. I think Dave 2 asked for this weeks ago. Lucina was a Sister of the Precious Blood Community.

 Lucy as Novice/ Lucy with Mom and sister Marge

Wednesday January 31, 2018 Ed Sessa

Theme: TRAIL MIX (63. Hiker's snack that's literally found in 17-, 29-, 39- and 47-Across). Anagram of TRAIL is hidden inside each familiar phrase.

 

17A. Five-time NBA championship-winning coach : PAT RILEY

29A. Same old story : FAMILIAR TUNE

39A. Finger painting? : NAIL ART

47A. Captain's choice at the Super Bowl : HEADS OR TAILS

Hello everyone, Boomer here. Visiting you live from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and safe Groundhog Day. Hopefully, Punxatawny Phil will not see his shadow and we might have less than six weeks of winter left.

But in any case, 48 hours after Groundhog Day, Minneapolis will be visited by the Superb Owl at U.S. Bank Stadium. The NFL is hoping that Mr. Owl will not fly into the glass panels at "The Bank" and be injured.  Whether you are a fan of the Eagles or the "Brady Bunch" I hope you  enjoy the game.  The Vikings were eliminated drastically last week but I still plan to tune in the game because I usually enjoy the commercials. 

Across:    

1. Heist : ROB - Mr. Petrie on the Dick Van Dyke show

4. Pasta nutrient : CARB - Not sure if this is actually a nutrient but they will make your blood glucose go higher. 

8. Archie Bunker types : BIGOTS

14. Statement softener, in emails : IMO - In My Opinion

15. Command to Silver : HI YO - I am sure Clayton Moore hollered "Hi Ho" Silver.

16. Shangri-la : UTOPIA

19. Find hilarious : ROAR AT

20. No votes : ANTIs - All in favor of this answer say AYE, all opposed NAY

21. Half an oz.? : ZEE.

23. Olympian Lipinski : TARA - I think she was the first to perform a triple jump

24. German wheels : OPELs - I actually drove one of these once.  It was like a roller skate.

27. Seize the opportunity, sunshinewise : MAKE HAY - Think about it.  Can you actually make hay, or should you let the sun do it and then bale?

32. Metal corrosion : RUST

  

33. Part of a biathlete's gear : SKI

34. 2017 award for Emma Stone : OSCAR - Yup, the Academy Awards are know as Oscars, but I do not know why.

38. Yale email address ender : EDU

42. "Deadwood" channel : HBO - I do not subscribe to HBO but I have been to Deadwood, SD.  really crummy casinos there

43. A little lit : TIPSY - And thank you for not driving.

45. Hellenic "H" : ETA

46. All hands on deck : CREW - Military haircut

51. Italian rice dish : RISOTTO

54. Transparent soap brand : PEARS - some kind of glycerin concoction that I never heard of and probably would not spend the money to buy.

55. "I'm __ you!" : ONTO

56. "Hunh!?" : WHA - I really object to non words in puzzles.

58. Harvard's is "Veritas" : MOTTO 

61. Excited reply to "Who wants dessert?" : I DO, I DO - I think you need to say this when you get married.  The second one comes when your future wife kicks you.

66. Evening meal : DINNER

67. John known for overlapping diagrams : VENN - I googled this guy and if he were alive today he would be 184 years old.  How are we supposed to know him?

68. Loved, with "up" : ATE

69. Agrees : SAYS OK

70. Air Quality Index factor : SMOG - This is a combo of smoke and fog. We don't have much of that here in the frozen tundra.

71. Owen, to Stephen King : SON

Down:

  

1. Morning co-host with Seacrest : RIPA - Live with Kelly and Ryan.

2. Muscat's country : OMAN

3. "Cheers!" : BOTTOMS UP! - Where everybody knows your name! Don't get tipsy though.

4. Sculptor's tool : CHISEL

5. Be under the weather : AIL - Did you get your AIL shot this year??

6. Grass in a J.D. Salinger title : RYE - required reading in ninth grade. I thought it was "Catch her in the Rye."

7. R&B's __ II Men : BOYZ

8. Part of a bedroom set : BUREAU - I always called it a dresser.  I call the FBI a bureau.   

9. "What am __ do?" : I TO - I suppose you could clue the Simpson trial judge but we have all seen that before.

10. Buffalo Bill and Charles Dickens wore them : GOATEES - Colonel was sad to be overlooked.

11. "60 Minutes" part-time correspondent : OPRAH

12. Prom queen's crown : TIARA

13. Thai snack : SATAY - Chicken on a stick.

18. Hit the ball hard : RIP IT - Bowling coach's last words,  "Grip it and rip it"

22. Defib expert : EMT - We talked about this last time. I am a Graybar Electric Vet and EMT is Electrical Metallic Tubing - thin wall conduit!

25. Bart's brainy sibling : LISA

26. Munro pen name : SAKI. H. H. Munro.

28. Pretzel shape : KNOT - Sorry but I think a pretzel shape is not a knot.

29. Ridge on a neck : FRET

30. German wheels : AUDI - High quality with my apologies to those who own Opels.

31. Makes mad : RILES

35. Present time? : CHRISTMAS 46. 35-Down song : CAROL

36. Eve's second : ABEL

37. Theater seating arrangements : ROWS

39. Putin's no : NYET - "NYET collusion, NYET Collusion!"

40. Perched on : ATOP

41. Like a double eagle in golf : RARE - A double eagle is sometimes used to define an Albatross.  A hole in one on a par four, or a two on a par five. It really makes no sense though, since an eagle is a score of 2 under par on a hole, (or a Philadelphia player) so a double eagle would be four under par on a hole - (or a requirement for a Brady sack.) 

44. Sure victors : SHOO-INS - I would go with Shoe In, however I learned that this is also a horse racing term.

48. On the clock : AT WORK

49. "How stupid am I?!" : DOH

50. Title job for Shakespeare's Petruchio : TAMING - The only Shakespeare I ever read was Julius Caesar, and it was pretty boring.  "How many eggs did you have for breakfast this morning, Caesar ?"  Et tu Brute

51. PEDs, in slang : ROIDs - I wonder if Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, and Sammy Sosa called them that.

52. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" locale : INDIA - I have never been to India, but I drove through Indiana once.  Does that count?

53. Poker-faced : STONY

57. Off-rd. transports : ATVs

59. Bandleader Puente : TITO

60. Team on a field : OXEN - Good old English language. Most every plural ends in "S", except several oxes.

62. __ volente : DEO

64. Sleep phase : REM

65. Mexican year : ANO

  

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to dear Bill G, who's been with this blog for over 9 years. Bill is always gentle and warm, even to mean anons. I feel like I've "had" some Cuban food because of Bill.

Bill and his wife Barbara

Wednesday, January 3 2018, Ed Sessa

Theme: 

19. Deliberately damage : VANDALIZE

24. Smoke from Cuba : HAVANA CIGAR

35. Milk : TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 

43. Some Downton Abbey staff : MEN SERVANTS 

52. Starting at 19-Across and ending here, vehicle making its way through five long answers : MOVING VAN

Did you spot the MOVING VAN? Some of those theme answers filled in slow - especially TAKE ADVANTAGE OF and MAN SERVANTS. My favorite Van, below.

Across:

1. Lighthouse emission : BEAM

5. Routine material : JOKES. Now I get it.

10. Mystery novelist Paretsky : SARA

14. "Sesame Street" giggler : ELMO

15. How cut-up raw veggies are often served : ON A PLATTER

17. "Bridge of Spies" spy Rudolf __ : ABEL. Tom Hanks movie. 

18. "Casablanca" actor : PETER LORRE

21. Some running shoes : AVIAS

22. Made oneself scarce : HID

23. Bingo-like game : BEANO. As Johnny Carson would say, I did not know this.

30. Euro pop? : PERE

31. Go from pillar to post : ROAM. New phrase to me.

32. Gaza Strip gp. : PLO

40. Classified postings : ADS

41. Word with hall or house : TOWN

42. __ pricing : UNIT

47. 38th-parallel land : KOREA

 
50. Many millennia : EON

51. Just enough to taste, with "of" : A HINT

58. Expressed with only gestures : PANTOMIMED

60. Greasy : OILY

61. Walk-in emergency center : URGENT CARE. Popular destination this time of year.

62. Mess setting : BASE

63. Zap with a weapon : TASE

64. Like giraffes and horses : MANED.

65. Token receiver : SLOT

Down:

1. Young Cleaver, for short : BEAV

 
2. Idris of "Luther" : ELBA

3. Service call? : AMEN. Great clue.

4. Penicillin source : MOLD

5. She sang about McGee : JOPLIN. Arlo's lead-in to "McGee" from his great Live in Sydney album.

6. Iroquois tribe : ONEIDA

7. Willy or Lenny of Manhattan deli fame : KATZ

8. Pentathlon sword : EPEE

9. 35mm camera type : SLR

10. Russell __ Candies : STOVER

11. Heart chambers : ATRIA. Moving too fast, saw the A and tried AORTA.

12. Played over : RERAN

13. "You __ cool!" : ARE SO

16. Selma's state : ALABAMA

20. "So that's the puzzle theme!" : AHA

24. Torso topper : HEAD

25. Torah chests : ARKS. Jewish Virtual Library.

26. One of a vivacious pair? : VEE

27. Origami bird : CRANE

 

28. Discontinued Saturn model : ION

29. Noir weapon : GAT

30. School support org. : PTA

32. Cooped (up) : PENT

33. Co-worker of Clark : LOIS. Superman.

34. "The good is __ interred with their bones": Antony : OFT. From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar - Act 3, Scene 2.

36. Stuffed one's face : ATE A TON

37. Throw on : DON

38. Jettas, e.g. : VWS

39. Rev : GUN. As an engine.

43. Protégé : MENTEE

44. Midnight rider : REVERE

45. Like a ripped-up check : VOIDED

46. Taylor of fashion : ANN

47. On the blink : KAPUT

48. Maureen of "The Quiet Man" : O'HARA

49. Wedding bands : RINGS. Sneaky.

52. Layered mineral : MICA

53. Arabian Sea sultanate : OMAN. Wiki.

54. Loads : GOBS

55. Vaccine holder : VIAL

56. "Not only that ... " : ALSO

57. Politburo no : NYET. Politiburo = the principal policymaking committee in the former Soviet Union.

59. "Newhart" production co. : MTM

Thursday, December 14th 2017 Ed Sessa

Theme: Johnnys-come-lately. As explained succinctly by the theme hint

35A. Classic TV intro which can be applied to the starts of the four other longest puzzle answers : HEEEEERE'S JOHNNY! Choose your own number of "E"s!

Also famously used by Jack Nicholson in the movie adaptation of Stephen King's "The Shining":

18A. Year-end rewards : CASH BONUSES. Johnny Cash."The Man in Black". Portrayed to great effect by Joaquim Phoenix in the biopic "Walk the Line".

23A. Silver State capital : CARSON CITY. Johnny Carson. The original Johnny referred to by the puzzle title. Ed McMahon's intro line for Carson on "The Tonight Show". Nevada is the Silver State.

50A. Bad break : ROTTEN LUCK. Johnny Rotten. John Lydon in his "Sex Pistols" alter ego. The Pistols were a tad controversial, but a huge influence on popular music, despite only releasing four singles and one studio album. Here's the first single if you want a taste of 1976.

56A. Dugout loudmouth : BENCH JOCKEY. Johnny Bench. Appropriate clue for the Red's catcher from 1967-1983. I don't know if he was a loudmouth in the dugout. Anyone? I'm not sure I'm familiar with the phrase, but the crosses were solid.

Nice theme from Ed, and some really nice fill, especially in the downs. POSEIDON and PLAY NICE, along with the stacked vertical 6's in the NW and SE. Good stuff. Let's see what else we've got to talk about:

Across

1. Place for peas or z's : BED. The Princess and the Pea reference, I'm sure.

4. Bridge measure : SPAN

8. Like traffic at a bottleneck : STOP-GO. Very nice.

14. "Norma __" : RAE. Played by Sally Field in the movie.

15. She famously said "Play it" to 49-Across : ILSA.  Casablanca. No "again" contrary to some opinions.

16. Saved to watch later : TIVO'ED

17. Horace's "__ Poetica" : ARS. A poem advising others how to write poetry.

"Ye who write, make choice of a subject suitable to your abilities; and revolve in your thoughts a considerable time what your strength declines, and what it is able to support. Neither elegance of style, nor a perspicuous disposition, shall desert the man, by whom the subject matter is chosen judiciously."

20. One-step-at-a-time toy : SLINKY. The walking-downstairs spring. All the rage for a while, but essentially a one-trick pony.

22. "Only __": NPR sports program : A GAME

26. "The Mindy Project" actor Barinholtz : IKE Thank you, crosses

29. Well-endowed org.? : OPEC. Nice pun on the "well" in the clue. What did Red Adair say to "Boots" Hansen? " Oil's well that ends well".

30. McKellen and McShane : IANS. Both fine actors.

31. Said further : ADDED

33. Real estate unit : ACRE

34. Acted bullish? : MOO'ED. I associate mooing more with cows. Bulls snort.

41. Volunteer's offer : I'LL GO

42. "Vaya con __" : DIOS. "Go with God" - first sung by Freddy Fender.

43. Attach with string : TIE ON

44. Half of half-and-half : MILK. My local market has fat-free half-and-half - isn't that defeating the purpose?

45. Flower painted by van Gogh : IRIS

49. See 15-Across : SAM

52. Really worry : EAT AT

55. __ Tunes : LOONEY

60. Horseplayer's hangout, for short : OTB. Off-Track Betting facility. Every high street in every town in Britain has a betting shop, or two. They will take bets on anything you like - famously offering 5000-1 odds that the world would end as prophesied by the Mayan Calendar (and offering 1-5000 odds that it wouldn't); 5000-1 that perennial underdogs Leicester City would win the Premier League title in 2015-16 (and they did) and 175-1 odds that Uruguayan soccer star Luis Suarez would take a bite out of an opponent after two prior offenses. (He did, at the 2016 World Cup in Rio and was banned for six games).

61. "Good News" Grammy winner Kathy : MATTEA. Merci, les croixes.

62. Workshop gadget : VISE

63. Opposite of paleo- : NEO-. Paleolithic, neolithic, for example.

64. Wimps : WUSSES

65. Cheek or lip : SASS

66. "Yakety __": rock-'n'-roll novelty hit : SAX. I thought this was "Yakety Yak", so that slowed down my progress in this corner.

Down:

1. "Donnie __": Depp film : BRASCO. That's the fifth Johnny for today.

2. Part of a winter hat : EARLAP. What happened to the "F"?

3. Appetite : DESIRE

4. Michael Moore film about healthcare : SICKO

5. "No more fighting!" : PLAY NICE!

6. Pack animal : ASS

7. "Don't think so" : NAH

8. Cheap smoke : STOGY. I thought it was spelt "stogie". Mark Twain wouldn't smoke a cigar that cost more than 5¢

9. Actress Fey : TINA 

10. Egg cell : OVUM

11. Trident-carrying god : POSEIDON. Neptune is his Roman counterpart.

12. "My goodness" : GEE

13. Pigs out (on), for short : OD'S

19. Creatures in caves : BATS

21. Pres. advisory team : NSC. National Security Council.

24. "The Alienist" novelist Caleb : CARR. Indebted to you, crosses.

25. Boss' demand often followed by "now!" : I NEED IT!

27. Shrewd : KEEN

28. Circular current : EDDY

31. Tori of pop : AMOS. Aged five, she was the youngest student ever admitted to the Peabody Conservatory of Music. She was expelled at 11 years old due to her interest in rock and pop, and her dislike of sight-reading. Her first band was called "Y Kant Tori Read" as reference to that episode in her life..

32. Head-slapper's cry : DOH!

33. Long, long time : AEON

35. Search engine results : HITS

36. Director Kazan : ELIA. A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront and East of Eden are some of his best-known. A great director.

37. Basic principles : ELEMENTS

38. Big head : EGO

39. Sandy sediment : SILT

40. Like a really bad comedy skit : JOKELESS

44. Fictional detective Mr. __ : MOTO

45. U.N. workers' agcy. : ILO. The International Labour Organization. Founded in 1946, the UN's first specialized agency.
.
46. Sentences that need fixing : RUN-ONS

47. Summer drink : ICE TEA

48. Posh stadium seating : SKY BOX. I prefer the cheap seats. Much better atmosphere than hanging out with the mucky-mucks in the boxes.

50. Hindu princes : RAJAS

51. "The Highwayman" poet : NOYES

Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night!

Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!

Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,

Then her finger moved in the moonlight,

   Her musket shattered the moonlight,

Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him—with her death.

53. "Hair" parts : ACTS

54. Biblical pronoun : THEE

56. Big name in luxury autos : BMW. "Bayerische Motoren Werke AG". Originally an aircraft engine manufacturer. The blue-and-white badge represents an aircraft propeller. They made a three-wheel one-person car with the door opening at the front. The car had a reverse gear, unlike the Messerschmidt version, which caused the driver some problems if he pulled into the garage and stopped too close to the back wall. He couldn't open the door, and couldn't back up.

57. __ de cologne : EAU

58. Rite Aid competitor : CVS. One on every corner here in LA. I get my RX's filled through CVS.

59. Soul maker : KIA. Korean car company.. 기아자동차

And that pretty much wraps it up for me. I'm heading back East into some snow from the sunny California shores. I'm going in the wrong direction.

Here's the grid!

Steve

Saturday, Nov 18th, 2017, Ed Sessa

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 25

From no Saturdays this year to two months in a row for Mr. Sessa, again with a triple-axis symmetrical construction, and for the second week in a row, we have a hashtag pattern of 15-letter spanners and climbers crossing the grid.  I believe this might be the second hardest crossword grid to work; although there are plenty of words that connect the corners together, the chunky 7x7 corners are unforgiving if you have nothing to work with.  I was stumped in the North until I was able to solve the two climbers - which I had  an inkling about, but not enough to commit to filling them in.  The 4 big clues/answers;

17a. Evidential standard : REASONABLE DOUBT - hear it all the time on Law & Order

3d. Happy way to end : ON A POSITIVE NOTE

A positive note~? Is that a B+, or a B#~?

12d. More than just stabs : EDUCATED GUESSES - or in the crossword sense, educated WAGs

54a. Foil-wrapped treats : CHOCOLATE KISSES - started to put Klondike Ice Cream in, but it didn't fit.

ACROSS:

1. Buy in quantity : STOCK UP - "shop at BJs/Costco" didn't fit

8. Places of rapid growth : HOTBEDS

15. Commiserate : CONDOLE - one cel from my "ta-DA~!" was the "L" here; I had condone, and I knew it was not working with6d.

16. One taking the prize : AWARDEE

19. Old Egyptian symbol of royalty : ASP

20. Former Defense secretary who wrote "Worthy Fights" : PANETTA - filled via perps

21. __ scan : CAT - CAT~? or PET~?; had to wait

22. Pronoun not heard as often as it should be : WHOM - for whom the bell tolls

24. 2016 presidential candidate : RUBIO - I thought it was rubiN, and that was close enough

25. British art house : TATE

26. Player over 21, perhaps : LOSER - cards, and blackjack; I took $135 at poker last week

28. Common base : TEN

29. __ Hebrides : OUTER

30. Large beer mugs : SEIDELS - this filled via perps, and I had to go to Google to see if it was right; oddly, it also led to a reference about an EYE TEST, also in the puzzle, below

32. Ones in their 40s, e.g. : GEN-XERS - guess that's me

34. Crime scene barrier : TAPE - huh; filled this in, and never noticed it was correct until now

35. Squeezed (out) : EKED

36. Greet warmly : SMILE AT

39. One convinced by a drive : PLEDGER - my first thought was cars, then it was golf, and then I got it; public broadcasting TV

42. Chekov's first name on "Star Trek" : PAVEL - I typed in ANTON, and knew that was not right - I kept recalling this scene from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (P.S., ironically, the "new" guy who plays Chekov is named Anton Yelchin, but I can't get into the new characters)

"...rank, Admiral" @ 1:45

43. #4 at Boston Garden : ORR - hockey great

45. "__ Got Mail" : YOU'VE

46. Said yes to : OK'ED

47. Monty Python product : SPOOF - I pondered SKITS, which could work with the singular/plural of 'product'

49. Trickle : SEEP

50. Kricfalusi cartoon canine : REN - I had no clue about the name, but three-letter cartoon dog is usually REN - the Wiki

51. Taking away : REMOVAL

53. Sign at a popular play : SRO

57. Winner of the Breaking News Reporting Pulitzer for 2016, briefly : LA TIMES - hey~!! A group shout-out~!

58. Most loaded : RICHEST - the owner of the winery might have the dollars, but not a lot of sense

59. Exam involving reading letters : EYE TEST - and for the second week in a row, we will hear from Zed in Men In Black

 60. Chicken requests : BREASTS

DOWN:

1. Hard-to-read words : SCRAWLS

2. Ballerina's footwear : TOE SHOE

4. IRA options : CDs

5. Surgeon general under Reagan : KOOP - I could picture the guy's face (you can't forget it, really), but it took the "-OO-" before I could recall his name - C. Everett

6. __ nerve : ULNAR

7. A toy piano is often seen in it : PEANUTS - Schroeder

8. Uncertain : HALTING

9. Have because of : OWE TO

10. Cry with a flourish : "Ta-DA"~! - I did not get my "ta-DA~!" once the grid filled

11. Main man : BRO - I tried C E O

13. Con, half the time : DEBATER - as opposed to "pro"

14. They may be Irish : SETTERS

18. Neuwirth of "Cheers" : BEBE - one of the only proper names I actually knew

23. Got the gold, say : MEDALED

25. Black-tie wear : TUXEDOS

27. Turn back : REPEL - like the bad guys in a James Bond movie

29. In tune : ON KEY

31. Pastoral expanse : LEA

33. Sea scavenger : EEL - did not know they were scavengers; three letters and one "E" was already there

36. Trivia quiz website : SPORCLE - never heard of it, and it looked funny in the grid; the website is here - I played the "mis-matched movies" game, and missed one - only because I got too itchy with the mouse finger

37. What some do while the sun shines? : MAKE HAY

38. Rigging support : TOPMAST

39. Words of wisdom : PROVERB

40. Hillary's conquest : EVEREST - not the politician aiming for the presidency

41. Announces again, in a way : REPOSTS - the 21st century way - although I am not on Facebook

44. Heart : ROOT

47. Two-time US Open winner : SELES - I had just the last "S", so it was not EVERT

48. Hindu ascetic : FAKIR - filled via perps

51. Cooking apple named for an Ohio township : ROME - oops, I had POME

52. Minute parasites : LICE

55. Op. __ : CIT - the period made this clear that it would not be "ART"; instead the Latin 'opere citato', the "work already cited", found in footnotes

56. Doo-wop syllable : SHA

Splynter

Saturday Oct 21, 2017 Ed Sessa

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing F,Q,X)

Blocks: 29

Wow - I find it hard to believe that we have not had a Saturday Ed Sessa puzzle in over a year - I went looking for his last Saturday construction in 2017, and didn't find one.  Huh.  Anyway, today's contribution was an easy one, for me, with only one small area that had triple crossing proper names which slowed me down - WAG to the rescue~!  A triple axis symmetrical grid, with 7x7 corners and nothing longer than 7 letters;

17. Dryer component : AIR VENT - TUMBLER fit, too.  As a Home Inspector, I strongly suggest cleaning out your dryer hose and vent....

Which can lead to this 

12. Rodents on wheels, perhaps : PET MICE - it was hamsters for me when I was a "ute".  Pet mice became the feed for the ball python snake that we had later on....I have already been called a "ghoul" for sharing this info in previous blogs

38. Brought down a Giant, say : TACKLED - the capital "G" made me think this was a SF baseball "strike out" reference, but no~! -  it's football, and right in my neighborhood - the NY Giants

how it feels to know the Jets have a better record

66. Hooks or lures : TEASERS - ah, this kind of lure....

what lies....

beyONdWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Get lovey-dovey : SNUGGLE - makes me think of the George Thorogood song and his land lady

@1:05 & 2:45

8. Ramble : TRAIPSE - I like using the word traipse

15. Fertilizes, in a way : MANURES - as a verb~?  Meh. Just go with fertilizeRs....

16. Spousal consent : YES, DEAR

18. Creamy rice dish : RISOTTO

19. Tiruchirappalli title : SRI

20. California region named for a literary hero : TARZANA - part of the three-crossing proper name section that had me stumped at the very end; great WAG going with a "Z" on my part

22. It can lead into day or night : MID - mid-day, midnight

23. Shade-loving plant : HOSTA - my first thought, but I waited

25. Big chunk of time : EON

26. State probably named for a French province : MAINE - could only be this, IDAHO or TEXAS - and I am pretty sure that last one is not Frawnche

28. Mobile app? : UBER - part of last week's Sat blog, too

29. Relay settings : MEETS

31. Object of veneration : ICON - dah~! Not iDoL

32. Edible conifer seed : PINE NUT - got it

34. Part : SEGMENT - pondered SECTION

36. Many an IKEA buy : KIT - isn't all their furniture "ready to assemble"~?  I have not been there in a decade

37. Slangy refusal : NAH

42. Arrivals : COMINGS

46. Kyrgyzstan range : ALAI - oops, not aRaL

47. Interior design : DECOR - one of my responsibilities at the new job is maintaining the owner's house, which is this spread right down the road from the warehouse nestled among the vines - but the original owner's decor choices are, um, shocking; I'll see about getting a pic

49. Glitzy affair : GALA

50. Informed, with "in" : CLUED

52. Sound heard going up a mountain, maybe : POP - think inner ear

53. Film in which the title character says, "I don't permit the suffering. You do" : OH, GOD! - this movie; IMDb

54. Yoga class syllables : OMs

55. "Please, please ... " : "I BEG YOU..."

58. Half-hearted : WAN - that's half-Ben, too - OBI Kenobi, that is

59. Asphalt : BITUMEN - nope, not MACADAM

61. Prevailing conditions : CLIMATE - oooh~!  Good guess for me

63. Absinthe flavoring : ANISEED - I thought it was ANISE, but the "SEED" part didn't come to mind right off

64. Solemnly commands : ADJURES

65. Gets new players for : RECASTS - I was thinking DRAFTS, but this is stage, not sport

DOWN:

1. Road wreck : SMASH UP

2. Capital south of Addis Ababa : NAIROBI - I had the ---BI part, so this is what I figured it had to be

3. Not yet up : UNRISEN - I still get up at "UPS time", but now I use that 2-3 hours for my own enjoyment

4. Bloke's address : GUV - British slang, which I was familiar with from watching BBC shows growing up

5. Actress Scacchi : GRETA - I knew the actress' name, but couldn't recall anything that she starred in - until I looked at her film credits; the one movie I saw that was a real thriller was "Shattered"

6. Siberian river to the Arctic Ocean : LENA - one of the three proper name crossings; the "LEN-" part filled via perps, but the last letter was going to have to be a WAG

7. Where the Boss' band once rehearsed : E STREET

8. Hard heads : TYRANTS

9. Buttermilk holder? : REIN - I had no idea what this was getting at, until I had the "REI-" filled in, and then I figured Buttermilk must have been a popular horse - can you tell how young I am~?  I had to look up who made Buttermilk 'famous'....the Wiki

10. Indian tea region : ASSAM - I just had to fill in the "A"s

11. Bachelor's last words? : "I DO."

13. Attended informally : SAT IN ON

14. Like the wind : ERODENT - a force which erodes, not an online PET MOUSE (e-rodent~? C'mon, that's funny)

21. Muppet friend of Elmo : ZOE - third proper name crossing, no clue.

24. Any one of the male "Big Bang Theory" main characters : TREKKIE - I cannot stand the show - not even the commercials featuring the characters - but I did tune into "The Orville" on demand, and I like it - total Star Trek TNG rip-off, but with that Seth McFarlane twist.

27. Shoot for the moon : AIM HIGH

29. Softened : MUTED - like colors

30. Man of La Mancha : SEÑOR

33. Nada : NIL

35. Whale group : GAM - I had the "A", and thought the answer was "POD", but no - here's a list of animal group names. When I punched in "whale gam", I got "game" instead - and this was interesting to read....

38. Buffet featuring tortillas and fixings : TACO BAR

39. Hog's call? : "ALL MINE~!" - at the taco bar~?

40. Biting : CAUSTIC

41. Conditioned response? : "DEPENDS."

42. Repro man? : COPYCAT - har-har

43. Source of some annoying online messages : NAGWARE - I tried MaLware

44. Crowing type : GLOATER

45. The blues : SADNESS

48. Gear tooth : COG - I thought this was synonymous with "gear", but it is actually the tooth OF a gear

51. Mercury money : DIMES - I did not understand the clue, so I went to Google after the fact and found out that we had a different coin prior to 1945 - which makes sense, now; the Wiki

53. Medium board : OUIJA - ah.  The carpenter in me wondered what size lumber is a "medium" board....duh.  Oh, that medium

56. Source of folic acid : BEET

57. Quaint retail adjective : OLDE - Ye Olde Croffwerde Blogge

60. Letters on some tee tags : USA

62. Ancient Greek statuary site: Abbr. : MUSeum

Splynter