Friday, April 12, 2019, Joe Kidd

Title: Do you speak Thai Oo? KA!

We have the first 2019 puzzle from Mr. Kidd after he had 6 last year. His specialty seems to be to add letters and today is no exception. The bigram "KA" is inserted at the beginning of a word in a two-word phrase to create a new and whimsical fill. The cluing is also all fun. This week the consistency is A-B-B-A, with 11-10-10-11 letter themers. The base phrases are Friday hard to parse but once you got one, they all should fall in place. He also includes ALOOFLY. BACKRUB, MIDTERM, ONE BALL, TRAFFIC COPS, and SUPER MODELS as sparkly long fill. Getting these words in the grid is what makes gridding the trickiest part of puzzle creation, to me. Time to review the theme and the rest of the creation.

17A. Energetic jug band performer?: KAZOO ANIMAL (11). We have had a few jug band references lately, and I still do not have any great link, but here you can LEARN HOW.

29A. Skewered food cooked vertically?: PLUMB KABOB (10). We have the kebab/kabob hurdle to overcome, and you must know about the art of the PLUMB BOB.

46A. Doesn't get fixed?: STAYS KAPUT (10). A phrase no one would ever use, but I think we all know the concept from the German kaputt, perhaps via Yiddish קאַפּוט (kaput, “lost, dead”). The same word has also been borrowed by many other languages.

56A. Wile E. Coyote purchases from Acme?: KABOOM BOXES (11). My favorite for so many reasons, including our new recurring theme of Wile E. and his efforts to blow poor Roadrunner to smithereens. WATCH. I also like smithereens. 

Across:

1. Building unit: ACRE. A tricky 1A, as lot size is not the first thing to come to mind.

5. "Oh yeah?": THAT SO? Missing an "IS"?

11. Pranks, in a way, for short: TPS. Toilet papers. I never understood the joy of wrapping houses in toilet paper.

14. Industrial portmanteau: SMOG. Smoke/fog.

15. Movie leads, often: HEROES. A vague answer that took a bit of perpage.

16. Narrow inlet: RIA. We have this very often.

19. Mtn. stat: ALT. Mountain statistic - altitude.

20. Lodge: INN.

21. With indifference: ALOOFLY. Not a word I ever use.

23. Western formation?: POSSE. A clip from THE LAST POSSE.

26. "See ya later": TATA. Did you all see this MOVIE?

28. Some distance away: AFAR.

31. Caine and Connery: SIRS. Michael and Sean.

32. __ rally: PEP. The ones I attended were not this fancy.

33. What snobs may put on: AIRS. And Birkenstocks?

34. "Up to 3,000 lights" brand: BIC. Well flic my bic!

35. Do business with: SELL TO. Buy from?

37. Mississippi source: ITASCA. Itasca is a word coined by Henry Schoolcraft as a name for Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River. Schoolcraft coined the name from a combination of the Latin words veritas ("truth") and caput ("head").

40. Seminarian's subj.: RELigion.

41. Like-minded group: BLOC. I have had this a few time this year.

42. It's worn with a kimono: OBI. What do you get when Alec Guiness loses his sash - a Wan Kenobi?

44. Himalayan priest: LAMA. The one L.

49. Off-kilter: ALOP. perhaps my least favorite "A" word.

50. Weymouth of Talking Heads: TINA. This is a bit obscure, but the letters filled themselves.

51. Oxidizes: RUSTS. In case you wondered where rust comes from, it is a reddish- or yellowish-brown flaky coating of iron oxide that is formed on iron or steel by oxidation, especially in the presence of moisture.

52. Like some elections: MIDTERM. We had some last year.

54. "This is __ chance": OUR. No, it is your chance to write whatever you want, except religion, politics or personal attacks.

55. Cooler cooler: ICE. Cute clue- sorry Tin.

62. Zero, to Man U: NIL. British...CSO to all of our over the pond contributors.

63. Online investment service: ETRADE. In 1982, William A. Porter and Bernard A. Newcomb founded TradePlus in Palo Alto, California, with $15,000 in capital. In 1991, Porter and Newcomb founded E-Trade Securities, Inc., with several hundred thousand dollars of startup capital from TradePlus.

64. Loan default risk: REPO.

65. Remote cells: AAS. Yes, lost remotes use these.

66. One who's determined to lose: DIETER. Or those who buy Powerball tickets.

67. Server's edge: AD IN. Advantage.

Down:

1. Suggest, as a price: ASK. If you are doing business with someone.

2. Org. that voted Keith Urban 2018 Entertainer of the Year: CMA. Apparently, the result was shocking even to Australian Keith.

3. "Monsters, Inc." raspy-voiced undercover agent: ROZ. I watched the movie, but remember nothing from it.

4. "I" swelling?: EGOISM. Another cute clue.

5. Word of comparison: THAN.

6. Farm female: HEN. It is time the chicken got some props.

7. Jackie O's second: ARI.

8. Original V8 base: TOMATO. This has led to CONTROVERSY.

9. Aquanaut's workplace: SEALAB.

10. Nobel Institute city: OSLO.

11. They sometimes help relieve congestion: TRAFFIC COPS. A very nice misleading Friday clue/fill combo.

12. Vertical Parthenon component: PILLAR. Column has the same number of letters.

13. Mythical man-goats: SATYRS. In Greek mythology, a satyr, also known as a silenos, is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. But in Roman representations, they are depicted as a man with a goat's ears, tail, legs, and horns

18. Yellow pool table item: ONE BALL.

22. Caravan stopover: OASIS. A must on all your desert adventures,

23. Maximally soft, in music: PPP. This term equals pianississimo. New to me.

24. Fútbol cheers: OLES.



25. Celebs on runways: SUPERMODELS. I do not think there are any real ones any more, just media creations.

26. Poi plant: TARO.

27. Hunk's pride: ABS.

30. Build-it-yourself buy: KIT. Hey, Dennis, how are you?

34. Massage parlor service: BACKRUB. We do not mention this subject around Robert Kraft.

36. Sprang: LEAPT.

37. Three-time NHL All-Star Kovalchuk: ILYA. An unknown, but here he is.

38. Talking-__: lectures: TOS.

39. Be up against: ABUT.

41. Disallow: BAN.

43. "__ a deal!": ITS.

44. Thin layer: LAMINA. Latin -a thin layer, plate, or scale of sedimentary rock, organic tissue, or other material.

45. Jodie Foster's birth name: ALICIA. Jodie Foster was born Alicia Christian Foster on November 19, 1962, in Los Angeles.

46. Low clouds: STRATI. Latin -  a cloud of a class characterized by a gray, horizontal layer with a uniform base, found at a lower altitude than altostratus, usually below 8000 feet.

47. Musical tone quality: TIMBRE. This is a nice word, characteristic quality of a musical sound, from French timbre "quality of a sound," earlier "sound of a bell,

48. Natural light show: AURORA.

53. Barely managed, with "out": EKED.

54. Traditional Passover barley offering: OMER. A very timely clue/fill. READ.

57. Granola kernel: OAT.

58. Keats creation: ODE.

59. Marked, as a ballot: XED.

60. Prefix with -logue: EPI. Not the center this time.

61. Male issue: SON.

Joe was all over the place with this one, but once again it is in the record books. We still do not know his story but he can make a fun puzzle. A rose by any other name. Thank you JK. Thank you all who read and write here at the corner.

Note from C.C.:

Happy 74th birthday to WikWak! Hope all is well, Chuck. 

Abejo, WikWak, Madame DeFarge & TTP 7/19/2018

Friday, April 5, 2019, Robert & Marlea Ellis

Title: I EE? OH!

Well, here I am back in the Friday saddle rested and ready to take you on a new ride into the wonderful world of words. This is our third creation by this couple, with the first two Thursday efforts. I was in Thailand when they had their debut and Steve was off watching LA LA LAND. Today we have a punny sort of letter substitution theme, requiring some imagination. The start was the end and the end snuck up on me. I had many missteps but I got'er done so now it is your turn. First I must say there were many 3/4 fill which helped move this along, though there were also many 7 letter fill as well  - ARMOIRE, DEMERIT, FATHEAD, FUSSPOT, GET THIS,  MELISSA, RETIREE, SILICON and THIEVES put some real sparkle in the mix.

The theme was a challenge to grasp, so let us look at each one. Notice the consistency of the letter exchange being:  last word, first word, last word, first word.

18A. Make some cote residents angry?: STEAM SHEEP (10). First,  you have to know that the definition of a cote is a shelter, coop, or small shed for sheep, pigs, pigeons, etc. I know the term from pigeons, so this was slow starting, but when STEAM SH__. filled I go the idea that this was a pun for Steam SHIP.

26A. Calf roper's target?: FEET TO BE TIED (12). FIT to be tied. This is where the penny dropped on the I to EE change.

48A. Birdwatcher's journal entry?: CARDINAL SEEN (12).  In FLIGHT. Cardinal SIN. Also known as Deadly,  there are seven of them, but I do not believe it is mandatory for one to violate all of them to become a Cardinal.

63A. Borden, in the 1870s?: TEEN LIZZIE (10). TIN Lizzie. Speaking of deadly, Lizzie Borden took an ax And gave her mother forty whacks, When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one. Tricky, as she was a teen in the 1870s, but the murder was in 1892. A wonderful article on the NAME of this car.

Across:

1. Triumphant exclamation: TADA. Reverse psychology beginning with the joy of the solve.

5. Illusion: FACADE. Not a direct synonym, but a typical Friday level clue/fill.

11. "The good is __ interred with their bones": "Julius Caesar": OFT. The speech posited by Shakespeare to be said by Marc Anthony is one of the most moving of Shakespeare's use of words. LINK.

14. Ostrich relatives: EMUS.

15. Payday lender, perhaps: USURER. So odd to see this after solving Peter Gordon's WSJ earlier this week. In Florida, there are special laws for these folks which allow them to collect what would otherwise be usurious interest. The latest litigation which I  am working on is a reply to a collection effort by someone who committed criminal usury (under Florida Law 687.071  ). Fun stuff.

16. Extract with effort: PRY.

17. Suffers: AILS. See 5A.

20. Singer Etheridge: MELISSA. CSO to our own.

22. One no longer working: RETIREE. Not me, I still work, just don't make big money anymore. 47A. Savings plan IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

23. Enjoy at a leisurely pace: SIP.

24. Pikelike fish: GAR. Gars are members of the Lepisosteiformes, an ancient holosteian order of ray-finned fish (easy for them to say). LINK.

25. Nihilistic art movement: DADA. If you want to know more, you can read this INFORMATION.

31. Put away: EAT.

32. Young one: TOT.

33. Storm components?: TWEETS. It takes constructor cojones to put this fill next to 37. Ranking suit: TRUMP.

40. Giant Mel: OTT. It sounds cute, but he is part of true crosswordese history. 45A. 40-Acr. is in it: HOF. Hall of Fame.

42. Fund: ENDOW.

43. 2019 Grammy Awards host Keys: ALICIA. And an off and on judge on the VOICE.

52. "Frozen" sister: ELSA.

55. "Live __": Taco Bell slogan: MAS. At the core of Taco Bell's DNA is a slogan introduced in 2012, Live Mas (“Live More”), which animates its brand and encapsulates the company's philosophy of enriching the lives of its customers and employees in everything it does. Forbes. I bet Roberto Duran is glad they chose this.

56. Prop for Palmer: TEE. Arnold who now plays in heaven.

57. Valley element?: SILICON. A nice clue/fill combo based on the REGION which has become the basis of a popular TV SERIES.

59. Embezzlers, e.g.: THIEVES.

65. Cloud of gloom: PALL. A pall was originally a coffin's cloak. Now pall usually means that an event or situation is — literally or figuratively — covered in gloom, like disappointing news that casts a pall on your day. The noun pall comes from the Latin word, pallium, “covering or cloak.”

66. Golden __: AGE. There have been so many, so far.

67. Singer Grande: ARIANA. Some modern wholesome music. LINK.

68. Biblical twin: ESAU.

69. Risk: BET.

70. Identified: PEGGED. A sideways CSO to my ex.

71. Editor's notation: DELE.

Down:

1. Group of playmates: TEAM. So sweet.

2. Parisian love: AMIE.

3. Hardly inspiring: DULL.

4. Good Samaritan's offer: ASSIST.

5. Persnickety one: FUSSPOT. Here is some RESEARCH.

6. "The Thin Man" canine: ASTA.

7. Help in the theater: CUE.

8. Biblical mount: ARARAT.

9. Unfavorable mark: DEMERIT. Not a word I see used these days.

10. In the past, in the past: ERST.

11. Adams' "Nixon in China," e.g.: OPERA. The HISTORY of the music.

12. Let go: FREED.

13. Far from laid-back: TYPE-A.

19. Out of sight: HIDDEN.

21. Work for parents: SIT. They all get mad when you actually sit on your them.

24. Juicy tidbit lead-in: GET THIS. A generally conspiratorial phrase.

26. Greek salad topper: FETA. The cheese, a brined curd white cheese made in Greece from sheep's milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat's milk. It is a crumbly aged cheese is protected by EU legislation and only those cheeses manufactured in Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Central Mainland Greece, the Peloponnese, and Lesvos can be called ‘feta’.

27. Bowling great __ Anthony: EARL. I think Boomer met this left-handed marvel who entertained me on the TV for many years.

28. Sewing case: ETUI.

29. "I can't get no satisfaction!": BOO. I guess booing is what you do when you can't get what you want, maybe?

30. Farm mom: EWE. A little rhyme time?

34. First name in the cast of "The Sopranos": EDIE. Referring to any first name of a cast member. This one plopped in immediately although there were other choices; AIDA Turturro; DREA de Matteo; and, TONY Sirico. Name the characters?

35. Sped: TORE.

36. Christmas song swimmer: SWAN. Did you know the Christmas Carol had religious  MEANING?

38. 2008 presidential candidate: MCCAIN. May he rest in peace.

39. Actress Zadora: PIA. One of the earliest media darlings with no talent but a rich husband. She has not been around in a while.

41. Heavy weight: TON. More trickery, as the difference between heavyweight and heavy weight is subtle.

44. Bedroom piece: ARMOIRE.

46. Dimwit: FATHEAD.

49. Polish seaport, in Germany: DANZIG. Another tricky clue, as the historic port city of  GDAŃSK.

50. Welcoming gift: LEI. Too many easy DF comments.

51. Leaked slowly: SEEPED. This is a creepy sounding word for me.

52. Founded: Abbr.: ESTAB. This actually slowed me down the most as I had ESTBD.

53. Feudal subject: LIEGE. This is very difficult, as the LIEGE is the Lord to whom the subjects are subordinate.

54. Reason for closed schools, perhaps: SLEET. Neither rain nor snow nor sleet.

58. Show appreciation: CLAP. Did you ever wonder where it started? LINK. I love Mozart's comment.

59. Stabber: TINE. This is a stretch, as befits Friday. We all know a tine is a prong or a sharp point, such as that on a fork or antler, but thinking of stabbing in relation to a French Fry...

60. Still-life standard: VASE. You all know this Van Gogh? Sold for $38,600,000.00 in 1987.

61. Airline known for tight security: EL AL.

62. Turn on an axis: SLUE.

64. Half a slalom segment: ZAG. A zig, a zag. The ZIG-ZAG of my youth.

I guess I remembered what to do; hope you enjoyed this ride. Thank you, M/M Marlea and all who read.

Notes from C.C.:

1)  Here are a few sweet pictures from Chez Lemonade. Owen is now a big boy. You can click here for more.

 

 

2) Happy 78th birthday to Irish Miss, the life of our little corner. Agnes cares deeply about all our blog regulars. Whenever someone is missing, she'll notice and ask on the blog. She sent a card to Argyle every week during his last few months. And her last card arrived to us when Boomer was struggling with his Zometa infusion. It brought tears and comfort to Boomer. Thanks for being an angel, dear Agnes! Please keep her sister Anne in your thoughts and prayers.

L-R: Anne, Agnes, Eileen, Mary, and Peggy.

St Patrick's Day, 2019

3) Happy Birthday also to Abejo (Bradley), who's always volunteering somewhere. He's also a certified master gardener, I think. Abejo is Persian for "beer". Bradley worked in Iran for a few years.

Left to Right: Abejo, WikWak, Madame DeFarge and TTP, 7/19/2018

Friday, March 29, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

Insider Trading.  Each theme answer consists of two 4-letter words where the first and last letters are the same, but the two internal, or "inside", letters (in the pattern of A__ or __A) have "traded" places.  How very clever!

17-Across. Frantic activity at a clothing sale?: GARB GRAB.  The infamous Wedding Dress Garb Grab at Filene's Basement in Boston.  If you haven't experienced the original Filene's Basement, you don't know what you're missing.

26-Across. Wooden bird sculpture?: SAWN SWAN.  This was my Rosetta Stone.

52. Cereal maker's storage building?: BRAN BARN.  I couldn't find a Bran Barn, but here's the famous Bran Castle near Brașov, Romania, allegedly the home of Dracula.  Well worth the visit!

66. Dispassionate bivalve?: CALM CLAM.

40-Across. With 42-Across, white-collar crime ... and a hint to four Across answers: INSIDER.

42-Across. See 40-Across: TRADING.  Together these clues give us INSIDER TRADING, which is a big No-No with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

This was a tough Friday puzzle.  It's never good when I can't get 1-Across/1-Down on the first pass.  Getting the gimmick early helped me today.

Across:

1. Result of littering, maybe: PUP.  Oh, not like the street after the parade has floated by,

but as in a dog with its babies.

4. Recipe direction: SIFT.  I remember my mother sifting flour before doing any baking.  I only occasionally used a sifter when baking.  Probably why my cooking is the way it is.

8. Round paths: ORBITS.  The orbits of the planets are elliptical .  The elliptical orbits are a subset of the round orbits.

14. Airport info: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.  A crossword staple.

15. Minorca, por ejemplo: ISLA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Minorca is one of the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean Sea.  The Islands belong to Spain.  Minorca is the tiny island on the far right on the map.

16. Promote: TALK UP.

19. How some insults are veiled: THINLY.  If someone ever says to you, "Oh, you lost 10 pounds?  That's a good start", then you have just been the subject of a thinly disguised insult.

20. Luster: SHEEN.  Not to be confused with Martin Sheen.

21. Electric guitar effect: WA WA.

23. Meh: SO-SO.  //  And 41-Down.  Meh: DRAB.

24. Comedy bit: GAG.

28. Recreational walk: STROLL.  My memory is a little rusty, but I think you can take a STROLL down ...

31. European relative of aloha: CIAO.  Today's Italian lesson

32. Financial claim: LIEN.

33. Heroic poetry: EPOS.  A long, narrative poem, such as Beowulf.  I was so disappointed when I learned that Beowulf was not actually about a wolf.

35. Scheming wife of Augustus: LIVIA.  Livia (58 BCE ~ 29 CE) was a Roman Empress.

44. Mongol invader: TATAR.  Probably the most famous Tatar was Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire.

45. "__ Tired": Beatles "White Album" song: I'M SO.  I don't remember this song.  //  And 71-Across: SLEEPY.

47. Long-gone time: YORE.

48. Plant with therapeutic sap: ALOE.  A crossword staple.

50. Ball VIPs: BELLES.

56. Longtime NBC hit: SNL.  As in Saturday Night Live.

57. Drive-in need: AUTO.

58. Ivan IV, from 1547 to 1584: TSAR.  Also known as Ivan the Terrible.  He is considered the first TSAR of Russia.  Previous rulers were known as Grand Princes.  The title of Tsar gave him gravatis in the eyes of the European monarchs. Once he appointed himself Tsar, he and Queen Elizabeth I carried on a long correspondence, which opened up trading between England and Russia.  It is said that Ivan proposed to Elizabeth, but she declined.  Probably just as well for her.

60. Passageway: AISLE.

64. Theater company: TROUPE.

68. Fairy tale sibling: HANSEL.  Brother of Gretel. The story of Hansel and Gretel is an old German fairy tale, recorded by the Brothers Grimm.  They were children of a poor woodcutter.  Their mother had died and their step-mother took them deep into the woods and left them to fend for themselves.  They came upon a beautiful gingerbread home, unaware that its owner was a cannibalistic witch.

69. Logician's adverb: ERGO.

70. "Really? Me?": AMI.  Hmm ...  Ami the transliteration for a Hebrew word meaning "my people".

72. Precious: DEAR.

73. Favorite: PET.  My late pet.

Down:

1. Coat holders: PEGS.  My first thought was a coat tree, but that didn't work well with the perps.

2. Wasatch Front state: UTAH.  This was totally unknown to me.  Apparently, the Wasatch Front is a metropolitan region in Utah, which includes such cities as Provo, Salt Lake City and Odgen.  Do any of our crossword friends live in this area?

3. Opposite of embiggen: PARE.  Embiggen is a perfectly cromulent word.  It's first known use was on a 1996 episode of The Simpsons.

4. Traffic stopper, perhaps: SIGNAL.

5. Leb. neighbor: ISR.  Israel is a neighbor of Lebanon.

6. Diamond concern: FLAW.  Can you spot the flaws in these diamonds?

7. Spicy sauce: TABASCO.  Made in Avery Island, Louisiana.  Did you know that Avery Island isn't really an island?  It's really a salt dome.  There are five such "Islands" in southern Louisiana.

8. Capital NNW of Albany: OTTAWA.

9. Cheer syllable: RAH.  //  And 25-Down. Cheer: GLEE.

10. Euphoria: BLISS.

11. "You don't need to tell me": I KNOW.

12. Home of the Drillers of Class AA baseball: TULSA.  The Tulsa Drillers are the double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

13. Watch surreptitiously: SPY ON.

18. Colorful tropical flower: BEGONIA.

22. Middle management issues?: WAISTS.  Another good clue.

27. Satchmo's birthplace, briefly: NOLA.  Louis Daniel Armstrong (Aug. 4, 1901 ~ July 6, 1971), also known as Satchmo, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

28. Narrow opening: SLIT.

29. Turner with numbers: TINA.  As in Tina Turner (née Anna Mae Bullock; b. Nov. 26, 1939).  Tina on her last birthday at age 79.  I hope I can look as good as she does when I turn 79.

30. Enjoy an easy chair: REST.

34. Monastic leaders: PRIORS.

36. Charmingly pastoral: IDYLLIC.

37. Member of a Baroque consort: VIOL.  A musical instrument used in Renaissance and Baroque music.  It is similar to a cello, is six-stringed, held vertically and played with a bow.

38. Memo heading: IN RE.

39. Survey range components: AGES.  On a survey form, there are often boxes to check one's age range.

43. Takes badly?: ROBS.  Nice misdirection.

46. Threatened: MENACED.

49. These days: LATELY.

51. Charm: ENAMOR.

52. Spa features: BATHS.  Here I am (way in the back) swimming in the pool at the Gellert Spa in Budapest.

53. Like much of Oregon: RURAL.

54. Make amends: ATONE.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

55. "I give up!": NO USE.

59. Uncommon: RARE.  Tanzanite is one of the world's rarest gem stones.  It is found only in Tanzania, hence its name.

61. Open-handed blow: SLAP.

62. Unconvincing, as an excuse: LAME.

63. Put out: EMIT.

65. Energy: PEP.

67. NY airport named for a mayor: LGA.  As in LaGuardia Airport, which is named after Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (Dec. 11, 1882 ~ Sept. 20, 1947).  He was only 5'2'', and interestingly, his first name means "little flower" in Italian.  He was the 99th Mayor of New York City.  He served as Mayor from January 1934 through December 1945.

Now here's the GIRD GRID:

QOD:  Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will make me go in a corner and cry by myself for hours.  ~  Eric Idle (b. Mar. 29, 1943)

Friday, March 22, 2019, Peter Koetters

Theme: Look Ma, No ADS!  The letters AD are missing from the ends of each theme answer. (Edited later: AD is moved up at the end of each Across theme entries.)

 

17-Across. Embattled World War II city: STALINGR(AD).  The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the major battles between Russian forces and Nazi Germany.  The city, which is located in the confluence of the  Tsaritsa and Volga rivers, was originally called Tsaritsyn.  In 1925, the name was changed to Stalingrad in 1925 in honor of Joseph Stalin.  Nikita Khrushchev had the name changed to Volograd in 1961.  Just in case it's too subtle, the suffix GRAD means means City in Russian. AD moves up in 8D. Limited-access internet area: DARK WEB.  Everything you wanted to know about the DARK WEB

19-Across. Absolutely bonkers: STARK RAVING M(AD).

Apparently, STARK RAVING MAD was also the name of a short-lived sit-com on NBC. AD moves up to 16. It holds water: DAM.  Can you identify the dam in the background?

36-Across. Capital ESE of Kabul: ISLAMAB(AD).  The capital of Pakistan.  The capital city is located East-SouthEast of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Ad moves up to 27. Pat: DAB.  Here's a DAB of butter on a stack of pancakes.

38-Across. College student: UNDERGR(AD).  The difference in your social life when you transition from being an Undergrad vs. Graduate Student. AD moves up to 32. Tongue-in-cheek award eponym: DARWIN.  Unfortunately, often times the recipient of the Darwin Award ends up dead.

48-Across. Nation of Islam leader who was a mentor to Malcolm X: ELIJAH MUHAMM(AD).  Elijah Muhammad (né Elijah Robert Poole; Oct. 7, 1897 ~ Feb. 25, 1975), was the son of a sharecropper and Baptist lay minister before developing the Nation of Islam, which is an African-American religious and political movement. AD moves up to 44. Stifled: DAMPED.

55-Across. Online annoyances needed to complete five puzzle answers: POP-UP ADS.

Across:

1. Foretold: PRESAGED.

9. Biblical spy: CALEB.  As I am sure you all remember from your Biblical history, after Moses and the Israelites wandered through the desert for 40 years, they came upon the land of Canaan.  Moses sent out 12 men on a reconnaissance trip into Canaan and report back about its cities and inhabitants. Caleb was one of the spies Moses enlisted for this mission.  Ten of the spies feared entering the land, but Caleb and Joshua thought otherwise.  You can find out more about this mission in the Book of Numbers.  Spoiler Alert:  The land was deemed safe enough at the time for entry.

14. California resort island: CATALINA.  Fun things to do on Catalina Island.

15. Let up: ABATED.

18. Lady of Las Palmas: SEÑORA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

21. Source of a mole poblano ingredient: CACAO.  History of Mole Poblano.  The bitter-sweetness of the CACAO counteracts the spiciness of the peppers.   You can get some Mole made with ants at Xochi in Houston, Texas.

24. "Now, where __?": WAS I.  I was having a senior moment, there!

25. Spans often presidentially named: ERAs.

26. '60s Hagman co-star: EDEN.  Think of I Dream of Jeannie.  Barbara Eden (née Barbara Jean Morehead; b. Aug. 23, 1931) and Larry Hagmen (né Larry Martin Hagman; Sept. 21, 1931 ~ Nov. 23, 2012) starred in the television show.

28. Turn: GO BAD.  How long has that milk been in the refrigerator?  It has GOne BAD!

33. Rapper __ Wayne: LIL.  His given name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (b. Sept. 27, 1982).  I am not familiar with his work, but he seems to have a lot of ink.

34. Marble piece: SLAB.

35. Czech currency: KORUNA.  Here are some Czech coins.

39. Partner of Marcus: NEIMAN.  The high-end department store  Or, as we used to call the store ~ Needless Markup.  The store was originally founded by Herbert Marcus (Sept. 6, 1878 ~ Dec. 1950) and his sister, Carrie Marcus Neiman (May 3, 1883 ~ Mar. 5, 1953) in Dallas, Texas in 1907.

I associate the store with Stanley Marcus (né Harold Stanley Marcus; Apr. 20, 1905 ~ Jan. 22, 2002), who was the son of founder Herbert Marcus.

40. Zeno's home: ELEA.  Zeno of ELEA was a pre-Socratic philosopher.  He lived around 495 ~ 430 BCE.  A little before my time.

41. Just out: NEW.

42. Log: ENTER.

43. Deal preceder: ANTE.  Not as a business deal, but the dealing of cards in a poker game.

44. Place to nosh on a knish: DELI.  Yum!

45. Musician Rundgren: TODD.  For years, Liv Tyler (b. July 1, 1977), thought Todd Rundgren (né  Todd Harry Rundgren; b. June 22, 1958) was her father.  Her mother, Bebe Buel (b. July 14, 1953), was living with him at the time, but had a brief affair with Steven Tyler (b. Mar. 26, 1948) of Aerosmith fame.

Todd Rundgren is probably best know for his song, Hello, It's Me.

47. Braves slugger: AARON.  As in Hammerin' Hank Aaron (né Henry Lewis Aaron; b. Feb. 5, 1934).

54. Edible oil: CANOLA.

59. More disturbing, as details: GORIER.  Some of the recipients of the 32-Down Awards meet with very Gory endings.

60. Licorice-flavored brew: ANISE TEA.  Anise tea is actual an herbal tea that is thought to soothe an upset stomach.  How to Make Anise Tea.

61. Because: SINCE.

62. Demoted to the minors: SENT DOWN.  Think baseball.  A player who doesn't do well in the major leagues may be Sent Down to the minor league team.

Down:

1. Many Chrome runners: PCs.  As in Personal Computers.

2. Muppet Rizzo, e.g.: RAT.

Not to be confused with Ratso Rizzo.

3. Greek vowel: ETA.  Not the usual Estimated Time of Arrival we see in the puzzles.

4. Burrito seller's array: SALSAs.  Yum!

5. Ginsburg associate: ALITO.  Fooled me.  I was going for Elena Kagan (b. Apr. 28, 1960).  Ruth Bader Ginsburg (née Joan Ruth Bader; b. Mar. 15, 1933), Samuel ALITO (né Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr.; b. Apr. 1, 1950) and Elena Kagan are all Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court.

6. Actress Gershon: GINA.  As in Gina Gershon (b. June 10, 1962)

7. Many an RPI grad: ENGR.  Hi, Spitzboov!

9. Honduran homes: CASAS.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

10. He played Fish on "Barney Miller": ABE VIGODA.  Abe Vigoda (né Abraham Charles Vigoda; Feb. 24, 1921 ~ Jan. 26, 2016) was a constant victim of death hoaxes beginning in 1982 when People magazine erroneously reported his death.  He lived another 34 years after this fake news.

11. Legal scholar Guinier: LANI.  Lani Guinier (b. Apr. 19, 1950) was nominated to be the United States Attorney General in 1993.  Unfortunately for her, some of her writings were deemed too controversial, hence her nomination was withdrawn.  She specializes in Civil Rights and is now a law professor at Harvard.

12. "The most private of private schools": Hugh Laurie: ETON.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddie Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) were classmates at Eton.

13. Marine threat: BERG.  As in an Iceberg.

20. Bled: RAN.  Adding a cup of vinegar or a half cup of salt to the rinse cycle will help hold colors from bleeding in the wash.

21. 2010s Caesars Palace regular, familiarly: CÉLINE.  As in Céline Dion (née Céline Marie Claudette Dion; b. Mar. 30, 1968).

22. Out of the sack: ARISEN.

23. "Heads or tails": CALL IT!

26. Vigorous spirit: ELAN.

29. Claim discovery, perhaps: ORE.

30. Phone in crime shows: BURNER.  Lots of burner phones were used on The Wire.

31. San __, Texas: ANGELO.  I am not familiar with this city in Texas, but here are some fun things to do in San Angelo.

34. Wisenheimer: SMART ALEC.

35. Proposal support?: KNEE.

37. __ Zion Church: AME.  As in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.

38. Last: Abbr.: ULT.  As in the Ultimate.

40. Turn into: END UP AS.

43. Naval brass: Abbr.: ADM.  Grace Murray Hooper (Dec. 9, 1906 ~ Jan. 1, 1992) was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy.  She was a computer scientist and was involved in the development of COBOL.

46. Orchard Field, today: O'HARE.  The main airport in Chicago was renamed O'Hare in honor of Eddie"Butch" O'Hare (né Edward Henry O'Hare; Mar. 13, 1914 ~ Nov. 26, 1943) who was a naval aviator in the United States Navy.  He was shot down in the pacific theater during World War II.  The name of the airport was changed from Orchard Field to O'Hare International Airport in 1949.

47. Not to be missed: A MUST.  The musical Hamilton is a MUST SEE.  I saw the show last weekend.  It was fabulous!

48. Cardio readout: ECG.  As in an ElectroCardioGraph, sometimes abbreviated as EKG.  

49. Indochinese Peninsula nation: LAOS.

50. Cross letters: INRI.  A crossword staple.  From the Latin phrase: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum.   As we learned from last week's entry in a puzzle, different theologies have slightly different interpretations on how this phrase should be translated.  So, let's just leave this alone.

51. Become part of: JOIN.

52. Refine: HONE.

53. Could hear __ drop: A PIN.

56. Volume One words, perhaps: A TO.  Youch!  This was an evilly tricky clue.  Think of the letters on the spine of an encyclopedia (do they even exist anymore?).  Volume One would contain articles beginning with A to perhaps B.  Or, maybe the first volume of the OED would have these words on its spine.

57. Morning coat?: DEW.

58. Title of respect, in Tokyo: SAN.  Today's Japanese lesson.

Hahtoolah here.  As Lemonade noted last week, he'll be sharing the Friday blog spot.  So, you got me today.  Hope you had as much fun with this puzzle as I did.  Fear not, however, Lemonade will be back (just like Arnold!).   In the meantime,  I will sometimes be sitting in for him on some Fridays.

QOD:  The nice thing about doing a crossword puzzle is, you know there is a solution.  ~  Stephen Sondheim (né Stephen Joshua Sondheim; b. Mar. 22, 1930)

Notes from C.C.: 

1) As Hahtoolah said earlier, she'll sharing the Friday blogging duty with Lemonade from now on.  Lemonade's workload has increased substantially the past few weeks. He does not have extra time for write-up. Each post often takes our team at least 3 hours. Thank you, Lemonade and Susan!
 

2) Happy Birthday to dear Pat (PK on our blog), who turns 78 today. Sorry, CrossEyedDave, I stole your cake again. PK was a newspaper reporter before, hence her always keen observations.