Thursday, January 25, 2024 ~ Freddie Cheng

Pump Up The Jam

Click if you don't know the song

Ok, I concede, you can't make jam out of a pump but "plum up jam" isn't a thing -- though, you can plumb UP a [door] jamb :-).

Anyone with a better title? Fortified Foods?

Today, Freddie adds the word UP to intensify our foods / FARE. Let's see what I mean.

20. Add bulk to cured meat?: BEEF UP JERKY. BEEF UP: Make it stronger, better, more interesting.

25. Treat haricot verts to extra plant food?: BUTTER UP BEANS. Haricot verts are French green beans [Google]. BUTTER UP: Praise or flatter in order to get someone to do something

42. Give some oomph to pot stickers?: SOUP UP DUMPLINGS. SOUP UP: Make more powerful such as an engine.

Yummers!

52. Concerns for commuters, or an apt title for this puzzle: FARE HIKES.

I, for one, liked the theme and thought the wordplay in the themers fun. The only downside (or upside depending on your solving experience) is you knew UP was after the verb / before the food.

Across:
1. Element of ecclesiastical architecture: APSE.

5. Pave over: RETAR.

10. Business magnate: CZAR.

14. Tailless cat: MANX. The Manx cat is a breed of domestic cat originating on the Isle of Man, with a mutation that shortens the tail. Many Manx have a small stub of a tail, but Manx cats are best known as being entirely tailless; this is the most distinguishing characteristic of the breed, along with elongated hind legs and a rounded head. [WikiP]
 

Manx Cat

15. "Same here," more formally: AS AM I. Not "ditto?"

16. Gold element of some religious paintings: HALO.
 

History of the World Part I

17. Thing that may have twists and turns: PLOT. Cute.

18. Capacitance unit: FARAD. A capacitor holds a charge between two plates. The Farad was named for Michael Faraday.

19. Penny-__: ANTE. Small stakes poker

20. [See: theme]

23. Pro Bowl org.: NFL. National Football League holds a Pro Bowl (all star) every year the week before the Super Bowl.

24. California's Big __: SUR. Let's check in with the Chamber of Commerce.

25. [See: theme]

32. Longtime "Dancing With the Stars" judge Goodman: LEN.

Len passed last year of pancreatic cancer.

33. "My bad": SORRY.

34. Zelenskyy's country: Abbr.: UKR. Ukraine's president is Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

There lots of deep-fakes of him dancing but one account is real.

36. Range units: ACRES. "Home, Home, Home on the Acres" just isn't the same.

39. Hubbub: ADO.

40. __ del Carmen, Mexico: PLAYA.

Playa del Carmen in relation to...

42. [See: theme]

45. "No time to talk!": I'M LATE.

Alice in Wonderland's Rabbit

46. Half of an interrogation pair: BAD COP.

Maya Rudolph and Jason Bateman Play Good Cop/Bad Cop 

French Cop / Italian Cop #Improv

47. Decryption need: KEY. Two types of keys - symetric and asymetric. A semetric key is used to encrypt and decrypt. Asymetric keys are two related keys - one is used to encrypt and the other is used to decrypt (read more). Asymetric encryption is what makes online shopping possible.

48. Highway sign no.: RTE.

50. WWII carrier: LST. World War II's "Landing Ship, Tank", 1ea.

51. Dreyer's partner in ice cream: EDY. Crossworddom's favorite frozen treat; presumably the OREOs & cream variety.

52. [See: theme]

55. Corn Belt state: IOWA.

58. Shiraz resident: IRANI.

Pretty much 9 hrs. due south of Tehran

59. Milton setting: EDEN. John Milton's poem Paradise Lost.

63. Pub contest: QUIZ.

64. Disciplined, in a way: FINED.

65. Roof overhang: EAVE.

Eave

66. Place to build: SITE.

67. Months and months: YEARS.

68. Was positive: KNEW.

Down:
1. Band aid: AMP. Cute.

2. Sidekick: PAL. Not Tonto nor Robin.

3. Stuffed shirt: SNOB.

4. Length: EXTENT.

5. Some drawings: RAFFLES. Pastels fit.

6. Biblical birthright seller: ESAU.

7. Renovator's protective cover: TARP.

8. Key of Beethoven's Sym. No. 7: A MAJ. Even if you don't know, you can count on an M and wait for perps.

9. Rolls past: RIDES BY.

10. Yogic spiritual center: CHAKRA. Did you know it's also another Stan Lee superhero?

11. Off-the-wall: ZANY.

12. PC key near Z: ALT. Left side of your keyboard.

13. Sturgeon delicacy: ROE.

21. Young salamander: EFT.

22. Have regrets about: RUE.

25. Turn into: BECOME.

26. Disorderly: UNRULY.

27. Thing that may have twists and turns: ROAD. Cute Clecho with 17a.

28. Pakistani language: URDU.

29. Dance with a queen: PROM.

ABBA's Dancing Queen

30. Fine point: NUANCE.

31. Heavenly body?: SKY GOD.

32. Shortsighted solution?: LASIK. Cute.

35. Rough, in a way: RASPY. RASPY wasn't a ROUGH START Monday.

37. Org. concerned with plastic pollution: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

38. Buddhist teaching: SUTRA.

40. One in a buffet stack: PLATE.

41. Starbucks top: LID.

43. Paralyze with fear: PETRIFY.

44. "The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo" airer: PBS KIDS.

49. Strange and scary: EERIE.

50. Hard-hit baseball: LINER.

52. Throw for a loop: FAZE.

53. Mandlikova in the International Tennis Hall of Fame: HANA.

Her Wiki

54. Try to find: SEEK.

55. Sharpness figs.: IQS. Intelligence Quotient. Its a measure against others your age on a test designed to measure intelligence / problem solving. The average is 100, one sigma is 85 to 115. If you're three-sigmas from the mean, you're either a genius or a moron (or both!)

56. "Absolument!": OUI.  Is the clue really a word? Or even French??

57. One with a knack for snappy comebacks: WIT.

60. Auerbach of the Black Keys: DAN.

61. "House of the Dragon" actress Best: EVE.

62. Word in four state names: NEW.

The Grid

The Grid

WOs: mask->TARP, Lts->LST (untie!), dAZE->FAZE
ESPs: PLAYA, DAN
Fav: Penny-ANTE. FIL used to say "Penny-ANTE lollipop bullsh**" for the small stuff.

What foods can you UP? My Angel Editor came up with four (4) in short-order.

Cheers, -T

Tuesday, January 9th, 2024, Freddie Cheng

 EEK~!

 OR

 - where to find a common rodent -

Today's puzzle consists of three theme fills of two 12- and one 13-letter spanners, with a 'broken' reveal of 9-letters across the bottom line.  Two 10-letter DOWN answers as well.  Not so many names today, but lots of abbreviations.  Some "meh" answers, IMHO, and an unusually longer than normal Tuesday solve time for me, but we FIR, so....

19. Home of Cinderella Castle: MAGIC KINGDOM - here's the "home" of a certain M. Mouse

Ominous

36. Unpretentious business: HOLE IN THE WALL - like a local bar, say

Thanks Hahtoolah~!

54. Pizza/arcade chain founded by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell: CHUCK E. CHEESE - HuskerG showed us how "Chuck" used to be a RAT; now he's a MOUSE~?

65. With 67-Across, desktop accessories, and a description of 19-, 36-, and 54-Across?: MOUSE
67. See 65-Across: PADS - PADS in the colloquial sense of home, crib, abode, castle, etc. - here's my blogging spot and desktop mouse pad....

And Away We Go~! ( see 39D.)

ACROSS:

1. Swimmer's exercise: LAPS - C.C. and I have a friendly challenge to push each other by Easter to an accomplishment - I would like to lose 10+lbs, and she would like to do a butterfly LAP in the pool without the aid of flippers - I hope we both succeed~!

5. __ shift: DAY

8. Venomous African snake: MAMBA

13. "Just doing my best": "I TRY"

14. Rough cut: DEMO - meh.  I suppose a raw recording of one's music~? And a  semi-abbr.

15. Is in neutral: IDLES

16. Eye lubricant: TEAR

17. Diamond dynasty: ALOU - baseball diamond....knew this from doing crosswords

18. Earns: MAKES

22. Standard: USUAL

23. Matches, in fashion: GOES - as in "that bag GOES well with that dress"

the shoes, too

24. __ green: PEA - I painted my "home office" in a shade of green called "Aquamarine" - what I really wanted was the official name/formula for the shade of green that the NY Bridge & Tunnel Authority paints their spans, e.g., the Throgs Neck Bridge, which the internet calls "grey green"; I wrote to them, and was told that they are "not allowed" to disclose that information....Really~?  I asked some friends who work for NY DOT, and one suggested finding the contractor who does the painting, and my brother said to go through FOIL - it's not that important  :7))

Two mile span between Long Island and the Bronx

27. "Get it?": SEE - so I suppose this paint color hassle could be called "GREEN TAPE"  - Get it~?

28. Gambling initials: OTB - Off-Track Betting - abbr. #1

31. Dollhouse dishes: TEA SETS - oh, those doll house dishes....uh, never mind....

33. Captivated: ENRAPT - yeah, Spellcheck is not happy about this, either....

35. Top out: PEAK - think hit songs; this one PEAKed at #1 the year I was born

 

Jeremiah was a bullfrog~!

40. Veal __: Italian entree, briefly: PARMesan - abbr. #2

41. "The way things stand ... ": "AS IT IS..."

42. From Moscow: RUSSIAN - I blogged the Nov 1st, 2023 puzzle with Moscow, IDAHO - not Russian

45. Did not get up: SAT - meh.  Stayed Seated, maybe

46. Orchestra home: PIT

49. "Can't Get It Out of My Head" gp.: ELO - Electric Light Orchestra - abbr. #3

50. Wharton degs.: MBAs - Master of Business Administration - abbr. #4

52. Computer problem: CRASH - meh - I think a problem could cause a crash...

57. Arctic dome: IGLOO - I once did a presentation for an architect with this massive build-up of the 'greatest piece of building engineering since the dawn of man, using local building materials to reduce its carbon footprint', then revealed a picture of an igloo - his partner praised me for my clever deception

60. Lie low: HIDE

61. One of 14 in a pro's golf bag: CLUB - oops, I had IRON - can you imagine the pitch on a 14-iron~?

These go to "eleven" ( 12, actually )

62. __ buddy: BOSOM -  TV show with Tom Hanks, way back in 1980

63. Passport fig.: ID No. - meh. - abbr. #5

64. Sheltered at sea: ALEE - crossword staple

66. Ad Council ad: PSA - Public Service Announcement - abbr. #6


DOWN:

1. Acid or base indicator: LITMUS - Dah~!  I tried Ph TEST first

2. "Relax, soldier": AT EASE

3. European capital with a medieval astronomical clock: PRAGUE - I knew this, but hesitated to fill in; I worked on a TV movie set back in 1997, and we used shots the director got of the ornate clock for some dramatic interludes

4. Aleppo's land: SYRIA - I nailed this one

5. Sandwich shop: DELI

6. "__ Us": multiplayer logic and deduction game: AMONG - 3/5ths perps, 2/5s WAG

7. Encouraging message: YOU GOT THIS

8. Brunch drink: MIMOSA

9. "House of Gucci" actor Driver: ADAM - he played Darth Vader's grandson, Kylo Ren

10. Civil rights monogram: MLK - abbr. #7

11. Spelling meet: BEE

12. Braying animal: ASS

14. Terr. that became two states: DAKota - abbr. #8

20. Replicant: CLONE - two blogging puzzles in a row with this word

21. Poor grade: DEE

24. Come off like old paint: PEEL - I had CHIP

25. Listing abbr.: ET. AL. - abbr. #9

26. "Go find out!": ASK

29. Tetra- minus one: TRI - four, less uni = three

30. Dried fruit in trail mix, perhaps: BANANA CHIP

32. Facial spots: SPAS - Dah~! I had ACNE; a clever clue

33. Targets of some bark beetles: ELMS - WAG; up here in CT, several of my ASH trees were killed by a beetle, and now I have a lot of firewood

my backyard on Sunday

34. FG's three: PTs - American Football, Field goal points - abbr. #10

He hits the post~!

36. Carry with effort: HAUL - TOTE, DRAG, HUMP, HEFT, etc.

37. Thereabouts: OR SO

38. Lyft status: ETA -abbr. #11

39. Glinda or Elphaba of "Wicked": WITCH  - the cartoon from which I get "And Away We Go"

40. Kin of ante-: PRE-

43. "Just got back from work!": "I'M HOME~!"

44. __ Dhabi: ABU

46. Rice dish from Valencia: PAELLA

47. Put into circulation: ISSUED

48. Ancient city whose ruins are in Luxor: THEBES

51. Overcomes friction: SKIDS - ah, in the negative sort of way....

53. Sum up: RECAP

54. Sounds like a dove: COOS

55. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay: EDNA

56. Org chart topper, typically: CEO - the Chief Executive Officer - abbr. #12

57. Watsonx's maker: IBM - technically, an abbr.

58. Sludge: GOO

59. Sch. with a Shreveport campus: LSU - Louisiana State University - abbr. #13

Splynter

Thursday, December 22, 2022, Freddie Cheng & Caroline Sommers

 

HEDGE HUNTERS

Today's puzzle teams veteran Freddie Cheng with media writer and producer Caroline Sommers, who appears to be making her LA Times debut.

Their puzzle invites us to do a little landscape gardening with 3 themers that keep the bushes from getting out of control:

20A. *Strawberry's field, once: SHEA STADIUM.  A clever reference to Darryl Strawberry, the fearsome slugger who played in Shea Stadium for the NY Mets during his heyday.  The clue could also be taken as misdirection to lead us to Strawberry Fields in Central Park, a 5 acre section that memorializes John Lennon, who of course co-wrote and did the lead vocals on this song :
 

38A. *"Listen, I can explain":HEAR ME OUT. A phrase that often pops out of the mouths of perps  when they're being grilled under bright lights in detective shows.

48A. *Warning that could come with a "Shush!": EARS ARE FLAPPING.

ears are flapping

Someone is listening, or trying to listen, to the details of a private conversation: "Let's finish this conversation in the meeting room in case people's ears are flapping nearby ...". 

The Free Dictionary suggests that this is British slang  and it wouldn't be complete without one my favorite Brit idioms:  "... and we can have a chin wag".

 And the reveal:

57A. Hedge trimmer's tool, which seems to have been used on the starts of the answers to the starred clues?: PRUNING SHEARS. These are standard tools for the gardeners who have to maintain the shrubbery at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Jarretsville, MD.  Here they have to keep the hunter (upper left) and the hounds trim, if they're to have any hope of catching the wily fox in the foreground:

Topiary Fox Hunt
Ladew Gardens.

Across:

1. Auto industry pioneer: OLDS.  Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of the American automotive industry, after whom the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named. From whence of course we get the eponymous rock band, REO Speedwagon.  Here's their Keep on Loving You ...

5. Couches: SOFAS. 

10. Enthusiastic: KEEN.

14. Christopher Robin's friend: POOH.  Winnie-the-Pooh, is a fictional teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner (1928), and then many others  The stories have been translated in many languages and Winnie Ille Pu has the distinction of being the only book in Latin on the New York Times best seller list.  But eventually Christopher Robin grows up and has to go to school, and the two friends must part.  Here's Winnie-the-Pooh - Final Scene (trigger warning: it's a bit of tear jerker) ...

15. Novelist Desai: ANITA.  Anita Desai, neé Anita Mazumdar (born 24 June 1937) is an English-language Indian novelist, short-story writer and children's author,  She was born in 1937 in Mussoorie, India. She was educated at Delhi University.and is the Emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (a CSO to Picard).  Her novels include Fire on the Mountain (1977), which won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize, and Clear Light of Day (1980), In Custody (1984) and Fasting, Feasting (1999), each of which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the English equivalent of the Pulitzer.  In Custody was made into a film by Merchant Ivory productions. Her children's book The Village by the Sea (1982), won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award.

Anita Desai

16. Toll unit: AXLE.

17. Draped Roman garment: TOGA.

18. "Can't you get someone else?": MUST I.

19. Used Google Wallet, say: PAID.

23. 2020 and 2022 WNBA MVP A'ja: WILSON.  A'ja Riyadh Wilson (born August 8, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Stats and kudos.

A'ja Wilson in flight

25. Longtime local: NATIVE.

28. Resource in Catan and Minecraft: ORE.  You might have dug out this 3 letter nugget of crosswordese even if you had never of heard of the games Catan or Minecraft.

29. Rodeo hat: STETSON.  A CSO to all the Texas cowboys and cowgirls on the Corner, who probably already know all this stuff.  This is for all you greenhorns.

Stetson Hat

33. A Bobbsey twin: NAN.  She was one of four.  This is how to keep them straight.

34. "De __": "Gracias" response: NADA.  Today's Spanish lesson:  "No problem".  Maybe this is why  Gen-Xers have no problem with "No Problem":  they must all be bilingual!

36. Bank job: HEIST.

37. Pop in the mail: SEND.  POP also stands for Post Office Protocol, an Internet standard for handling email SENT from your desktop.

41. Mid-Mar. honoree: ST PAT.  St. Patrick (Feast Day March 17) is popular not only with Catholics, but some Protestants, and anyone who likes  green beer.  His story is chronicled in a notable book by historian Thomas Cahill called How the Irish Saved Civilization (not a spoof!).    The 5th century Roman Patricius was kidnapped at age 16, taken to Ireland as a slave, and pressed into service as a shepherd.  Six years later he escaped back to Britain, eventually converted to Christianity, was ordained a priest, and returned to Ireland as a missionary.  He was instrumental in the conversion of pagan Ireland at a time when the Irish were still practicing human sacrifice.  Also during this time the Roman Empire was dissolving and much of it's great classical literature was in danger of being lost.  The Irish monks on the Isle of Skellig Michael were instrumental in transcribing and preserving many of these works, and literally "saved civilization".

Saint Patrick

44. Flick: MOVIE.

54. Rumpus: ADO.

55. Late-March sign: ARIES.  A fire sign:

56. Label: TAG.

62. Lose one's cool completely: GO APE.

63. Ingest: EAT.

64. Minor interruptions: BLIPS.

66. Choir section: ALTOS.  As 'tis the season to give praise, here's the part for the ALTO choir in the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.

67. Mexican Mrs.: SRA.   Short for SENORA. Spanish lesson number 2.

68. Hit just past the infield: BLOOP.  This is usually called a BLOOPER, but I guess this was the constructor's (or editor's) call.

69. Isn't straight: LEANS.

70. Tater __: TOT.

71. Like the ocean: SALTY.  Or old sailors.  A CSO to Jinx.

Down:

1. Withdraw, with "out": OPT.

2. British lav: LOO.

3. Arctic transport: DOG SLED.

4. Bravo's "__ of Sunset": SHAHS.  Shahs of Sunset was an American reality television series that aired on Bravo. The series debuted on March 11, 2012. The series follows a group of Persian Americans living in Beverly Hills (and the greater area known as "Tehrangeles"), who are trying to juggle their active social lives and up-and-coming careers while balancing the demands of their families and traditions.

5. Kim's "Sex and the City" role: SAMANTHA.  Samantha Jones seemed to have it all — except a happy ending.

Kim Cattrall

6. Burden: ONUS.

7. Rock, in a choosing game: FIST.

8. Flour for roti: ATTA.  The new crosswordese you can make at home.

Roll your own Roti

9. Turned down: SAID NO TO.  This is hard to do sometimes, especially to grandchildren.

10. Shot: KAPUT.

ka·put

/kəˈpo͝ot,käˈpo͝ot/

adjective

informal

adjective: kaput 

 

broken and useless; no longer working or effective."the water pump's broken, kaput, malfunctioning" - etymology.

11. Check carefully: EXAMINE.

12. Country's __ Young Band: ELI. The Eli Young Band is an American country music band composed of members who met while students at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas: Mike Eli (lead vocals, guitar), James Young (guitar), Jon Jones (bass guitar), and Chris Thompson (drums). Here's their 2011 hit Crazy Girl:

13. Actor Beatty: NED.  Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 – June 13, 2021) was an American actor and comedian . In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in more than 160 films. Throughout his career, Beatty gained a reputation for being "the busiest actor in Hollywood". His film appearances included Deliverance (1972), White Lightning (1973), All the President's Men (1976), Network (1976), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Back to School (1986), Rudy (1993), Shooter (2007), and Toy Story 3 (2010).

Ned Beatty

21. Canon SLR camera: EOS.  [Product review] The Canon EOS Rebel T7 / EOS 2000D offers very good image quality, with little graininess present in images at high ISO levels, and feels decently comfortable to use. Unfortunately, it's not a good fit for video work due to its limited selection of frame rate options, lack of support for 4k recording, and a small spread of inputs and outputs.
 

Canon EOS Rebel

22. Ziering of the "Sharknado" films: IAN.  Sharknado is a series of six American made-for-television science fiction action comedy horror disaster films released by Syfy between 2013 and 2018. It has since been expanded into video games and comics, including a spin-off film, Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness, that was released in 2015. The first two films received mixed to positive reviews from critics, while the others received negative reviews.

Ian Ziering

23. Hit a walk-off homer, say: WON.  More baseball.  A walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end a game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not have an opportunity to score any more runs, there is no need to finish the inning and the teams can walk off the field immediately.

24. 401(k) kin: IRA.

26. Airport shuttle, often: VAN.

27. Tip: END.

30. Alway: EER.  The clue is archaic for ALWAYS; the fill is poetic for FOREVER.

31. Director Burton: TIM.  Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and artist. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), etc. etc. etc.  I think Edward would have no problem getting a gig at the Ladew Topiary Gardens.

32. Compass pt.: SSE.

35. Cries of discovery: AHAS.

37. "Quit it!": STOP.

39. Uber driver's guess: ETA. The last time we visited New York City, we guessed that it would be faster to take the subway than to wait for an Uber stuck in NYC's 7x24 rush hour.

40. Diamond authority: UMP.

41. Mermaid's realm: SEA.

42. Pond youngster: TADPOLE.  But like all critters, they don't stay youngsters forever ...

The Lifecycle of the Frog

43. Equitably divided: PRO RATA.  What it means and how to calculate it.

45. Scathing criticism: VITRIOL.  Nasty stuff.

46. Stuck: IN A SPOT.

47. Shakshouka ingredient: EGG.  Here's a recipe.

Shakshouka

49. Hindi cinema star Aishwarya __ Bachchan: RAI.  Vidwan we miss you!  Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (née Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebrities in India.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

50. Actor Borgnine: ERNEST.  Ernest Borgnine (born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades beginning in 1951, and included roles in From Here to Eternity (1953), Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), and The Wild Bunch (1969).  He also played the unconventional lead in many films, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1956, for Marty (1955).  Borgnine achieved continuing success in the sitcom McHale's Navy (1962–1966), in which he played the title character.  Here's a clip from Marty, who's mother is trying to get him to go a dance at the Stardust Ballroom and perhaps meet a nice girl (you might need your hankies for this one too):

51. Mozart's "The Marriage of __": FIGARO.   Mozart's Marriage of Figaro is considered to be one of the greatest operas ever written.  While usually thought of as a comedy, it has dark undertones, as it was critical of the aristocratic patriarchy of the time, and was even banned in some cities.  This darkness is embodied in the role of one of the main characters: Count Almaviva.  A key element of the plot is the notion of le droit du seigneur – a Count's "right" to bed any servant girl on her wedding night, in this case Figaro's bride to be Susanna!  You may remember Figaro as the happy go lucky Barber of Seville from last Thursday's puzzle.  Figaro, Susanna, and the Count's wife (Countess Rosina Almaviva) spend the better part of the opera thwarting the Count's efforts and all is well in the end, with the repentant Count begging his wife's forgiveness.  Here is the overture, a masterpiece of orchestral writing, conducted by Claudio Abbado:

52. "Interview With the Vampire" vampire: LESTAT.  Interview with the Vampire is a 1994 American gothic horror vampire film directed by Neil Jordan, based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, and starring Tom Cruise,  Brad Pitt, and Kirsten Dunst.

53. Volcanic debris: ASH.

58. Versed in: UPON.

59. Urquhart Castle's loch: NESS.  There's more to this loch then  the legendary NESSIE.

60. Flows back: EBBS.

61. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.  Here's a recipe.

62. Gadot of "Wonder Woman": GAL.  Gal Gadot is an Israeli actress, singer, martial artist, and model. She was born in Rosh Ha'ayin, Israel. Her parents are Irit, a teacher, and Michael, an engineer. She served in the IDF for two years, and won the Miss Israel title in 2004.

Gal Gadot

65. Undercover agent: SPY.  Who would suspect them?
 

Cheers,
Bill

As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism. 

waseeley

Freddie Cheng and Caroline Sommers,  you are invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever, in the Comments section below.  We'd love to hear from you.  And welcome back!
 

Tuesday, August 24, 2021, Freddie Cheng

Watch your Tongue!  The first word of each theme answer can by "tied" to the word tongue to give us a new concept.

17-Across. Sci-fi fleet leader: MOTHER SHIP.  Mother Tongue.

23-Across. Perceptive person: SHARP COOKIE.  Sharp Tongue.

38-Across. Indigenous U.S. people: NATIVE AMERICANS.  Native Tongue.

47-Across. Uncontrollable person: LOOSE CANNON.  Loose Tongue.

And the Unifier:

60-Across. At a loss for words, and what the starts of 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across can literally be?: TONGUE TIED.  Say this 3 times fast:

Across:

1. Bursting with testosterone: MACHO.

6. RPM gauge: TACH.  A Tachometer is the instrument that mesures the rotation speed of the wheel shaft.  It is usually measured in Revolutions Per Minute.

10. Border on: ABUT.

14. Aquafina competitor: EVIAN.  Expensive bottled mineral water from the Évian-les-Bains region of Southeastern France.

15. Beige hue: ECRU.  Shades of Beige.

16. Aussie pal: MATE.  Hi, Kazie!  I am currently reading Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is an Australian historical novel by Joan Lindsay.  I am finding it a bit challenging with all the Aussie terms that I am not familiar with.  

19. Vicinity: AREA.

20. New Age Irish singer: ENYA.  Enya (née Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin; b. May 17, 1961) was big in the 1990s, but I haven't heart much of her recently.

21. They're drawn in pubs: ALES.

22. Industry bigwigs: CZARS.

25. Displeased looks: SCOWLS.

29. Sweetie pie: HON.

30. "Star Trek" communications officer: UHURA.  Hi, Picard!

31. Skeleton component: BONE.

34. Old Testament twin: ESAU.  From the Biblical book of Genesis, we learn that Esau and Jacob were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca.  Esau was the older twin, but he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of lentils.

41. Hershey's foil-wrapped chocolate treat: KISS.

42. Website unit: PAGE.

43. First color to move, in chess: WHITE.  Some chess sets have very elaborate pieces.

44. Prefix with pod: TRI-.  A three-legged stand.

46. Drove (around): TOOLED.

53. With room to spare: AMPLY.

54. Many a Dickens child: WAIF.

55. Wise, as advice: SAGE.

59. "Ciao!": TA TA!

62. Greenside shot: CHIP.

63. Burn soother: ALOE.  A crossword staple.

64. Backed, with "with": SIDED.

65. __ Christian Andersen: HANS.  Hans Christian Andersen (Apr. 2, 1805 ~ Aug. 4, 1875) is best known for his fairy tales.

66. KGB country: USSR.

67. See 55-Down: CRAZY.  //  And 55-Down. With 67-Across, like one who's been stuck at home for too long, slangily: STIR.  Stir Crazy is also the name of a 1980 movie starring Gene Wilder (né Jerome Silberman; June 11, 1933 ~ Aug. 29, 2016) and Richard Pryor (né Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor; Dec. 1, 1940 ~ Dec. 10, 2005).

Down:

1. Viral online item: MEME.

2. Door-to-door cosmetics seller: AVON.

3. Atlantic __, N.J.: CITY.

4. "LOL": HA HA!

5. Buck in a wallet: ONE.

6. Cybertruck maker: TESLA.  It is a cool design.

7. Complainer's "belly" ending: ACHER.  Don't Belly Ache about today's puzzle.

8. Like fresh chips: CRISP.

9. Drill sergeant's syllable: HUP.

10. Smart speaker brand: AMAZON ECHO.  Anyone have one of these?

11. Netanyahu's successor: BARAK.  Ehud Barak (b. Feb. 12, 1942) succeeded Benjamin Netanyahu (b. Oct. 21, 1949) as the Israeli Prime Minister after Netanyahu's first term.  Barak was Prime Minister from July 1999 until March 2001.

12. Wombs: UTERI.

13. Poke fun at: TEASE.

18. Stadium sounds: RAHs.  Cheering can also take place at the nearby bar.

22. Dove sound: COO.  Bird sounds.

23. Balkan native: SLAV.

24. Only singer to have a #1 single in six straight decades (1960s-2010s): CHER.  Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) makes occasional guest appearances in the puzzles.

25. Doomed: SUNK.

26. Spiced tea: CHAI.

27. Double play pair: OUTS.

28. Mild reprimands: WRIST SLAPS.

31. Sheep bleat: BAA.

32. Texter's "Holy cow!": OMG.  This has become a crossword staple.

33. Once named: NÉE.  Today's French lesson.

35. Yacht propeller: SAIL.

36. Initial poker bet: ANTE.

37. Previously owned: USED.  Sometimes used books stores call themselves sellers of "pre-read" books.

39. "Outta this world!": EPIC.

40. Victor's shout: I WON!

45. "The Last Jedi" heroine: REY.  Rey Skywalker is a Jedi Master from the Star Wars series.  I never saw the movies after the first one or two, so I don't know how she fits into the series.  In the movie, she is played by the actress Daisy Ridley (b. Apr. 10, 1992).

46. Miso soup cube: TOFU.  Yummers!  I like a bowl of miso soup before my sushi.

47. Door fastener: LATCH.

48. Nebraska city: OMAHA.  Hi, Husker!

49. Agree to take part: OPT IN.

50. GI truants: AWOLs.  Absent WithOut Leave.

51. Old iPods: NANOs.  I still use my iPod Nano.

52. Nation bordering Libya: NIGER.  Niger touches just a small portion of the southern border of Libya.

56. Verdi classic: AIDA.  Elton John and Tim Rice gave the Verdi classic an update over 20 years ago.

57. "Oh, wow!": GEEZ.

58. Drain swirl: EDDY.  Not to be confused with Duane Eddy.

60. Sigma follower: TAU.

61. PC "oops" key: ESC.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה