Friday. July 12, 2019, Bruce Haight

Title: Even STRANGER THINGS, Eleven's little brother Nine.

Bruce offers us a 15 x 16 puzzle where the theme is the grid which contains 72 words and uses only 9 letters in the alphabet!!!!!!!!!
We do have a reveal- 64A. Country spelled with the only nine letters used in this puzzle's answers: SINGAPORE (9). Gimmick puzzles can be a lot of fun but seldom have such perfect reveal. I was very impressed by the skill required to bring this home while maintaining the left/right symmetry. The only cheater squares are the three on each side of  SINGAPORE. The puzzle allowed for such sparkly fill as APENNINES, APPEASING, ENGAGES IN, PING PONGS, ASIAN PEARS, and REGRESSION. No doubt some of the fill was a bit obscure, but the final result was all doable once you understood you did not need any alphabet runs. We have some music, some tv, some food.... well it is time to work.

Across:

1. Getaway spots: SPAS. This was a good start for me.

5. Prefix with phobia: AGORA. Initially, I had left this blank, but when I had filled ARGO and ANGORA, I came back put AGORA in. I did not quite get the theme at that point, but it made sense.

10. 2012 Best Picture: ARGO. Ben Affleck.

14. Subside: EASE.

15. Place to start an IV: PREOP. Do you think it needs a hyphen? Pre-op. Nicely misleading clue because I was trying to decide where they were sticking me.

16. Accessories: GEAR.

17. Yeats' birthplace: ERIN. WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS appeared in a comment this week. Not only a well-respected poet, but he was also very proud of his Irish heritage.

18. Dissect in class, in a way: PARSE. A common crossword concept.

19. "To share, or not to share?" food brand: EGGO. No waffling on this answer.

20. Butters up, maybe: PRAISES. Unless it is your waffle...

22. Long-haired cats: ANGORAS.  This BREED.

24. Prefix with -gon: NONA. This is geometry -a plane figure with nine straight sides and nine angles.

25. Zip: NONE. Hmm, next to each other.

26. Fill in: APPRISE.

29. Wintergreen family herb: PINESAP. This is any of several yellowish or reddish parasitic or saprophytic herbs (genus Monotropa) of the wintergreen family resembling the Indian pipe. It has nothing to do with the SAP from a pine.

32. Once called: NÉE. For a female.

33. Assigning to, as blame, with "on": PINNING.

35. Multitude: SEA.

36. Hoppy brew, briefly: IPA. India Pale Ale. Very hoppy.

37. Search tools: ENGINES.

38. Apple platform: IOS.

39. Formal addressees: SIRS.

41. Factions in "West Side Story": GANGS.

42. Word in family business names: SONS.

43. Former CNN journalist David: ENSOR. I no longer watch any national news but seems like a NICE man.

45. Misunderstanding metaphor: GAP.

46. Pick up: SENSE.

47. Bird seen in only one state: NENE. CSO to our Hawaii readers.

49. Letters near zero: OPER. If you remember the classic telephone.

51. Germane: APROPOS.

54. Like some doubts and injuries: NAGGING.

58. Polish for "dumplings": PIEROGI. Food.

59. Less experienced: GREENER.

60. Football's "Boomer": ESIASON. A HOF quarterback, sort of.

61. Inflation-indexed U.S. savings bond: SERIES I. What is FOR SALE now.

62. __ Marino: SAN.

63. W-2 info: SSN.

Down:

1. Trickle: SEEP.

2. Last of three Catherines: PARR. She was an interesting woman, and here is a LINK to a wonderful historical website.

3. Far East fruit: ASIAN PEARS. This looks like an apple but tastes like a pear and is available in the street markets in Thailand and some large Asian markets here in Florida. Many of the fruits named in this THAI FRUIT LINK are grown in Homestead. Just be careful of the Durian.

4. Ranking: SENIOR. My card says "senior assistant" meaning I am old.

5. Settling down: APPEASING.

6. French fat: GRAS. Foie gras...a delicacy that extends back thousands of years, based on a rather barbaric CUSTOM.

7. Anthem word with an apostrophe: O'ER the ramparts we watched...

8. Parks in American history: ROSA.

9. Corno Grande's range: APENNINES. A complete unknown despite talking with my son and d-i-l about their time in Italy, but nothing here. Geography is clearly my weakest subject.

10. Early personal milestone: AGE ONE. Weird phrasing.

11. Word in medicine that sounds bad but is often good: REGRESSION. Another word that goes both ways - sometimes good, sometimes bad. re·gres·sion (rē-gresh'ŭn), such as shown:
1. A subsidence of symptoms.
2. A relapse; a return of symptoms.

12. Infatuated: GAGA.

13. Spanish medals or metals: OROS. Spanish Gold.

21. Take potshots: SNIPE.

23. Loud ringers: GONGS.

26. Biscotti flavoring: ANISE. Alphabetically first, but man they make many FLAVORS.

27. Jacques of PBS' "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home": PEPIN.
I did not know this SERIES or M. Pepin       

28. Does: ENGAGES IN.

29. Goes back and forth: PING PONGS. A nice visual clue.

30. Long periods: AEONS.

31. So yesterday: PASSE.

34. 1493 Lisbon arrival: NINA. HEADLINE.

40. Only Mexican state that borders Baja: SONORA.

42. Composer Rachmaninoff: SERGEI. I really did not know his first name. Listen.

44. They get carried away: REPOS.

46. "Night Moves" singer: SEGER. Listen and watch.

48. Scrubbed, as a launch: NO GO.

50. Cut back: PARE.

51. Parrots: APES. Funny, two animals used to mean imitates.

52. City on the Arno: PISA. You can see the river through the town.

53. Hold back: REIN. You need to control your joy at getting this Friday puzzle.

55. Supermodel Sastre: INÉS. This was the last of the total unknowns for me. She is quite pretty and more. Sorry for the removed info.

LINK

56. Loch of note: NESS. No Eliot for Boomer.

57. Silly look?: GRIN. Yes, what my face looks like now that I made it to the end.

Bruce always delivers some fun and creativity, and today was a classic. I feel blessed to do Friday puzzles because they are so diverse and this was an incredible challenge to create without making it clunky. Thanks, Bruce. Lemonade out.

Friday, July 5, 2019 Derek Bowman

Thoroughbred Racing

Three grid spanners in the middle give us a thoroughbred racing mini-theme.  Nothing else that I could see.   

32. New York city with a historic race course: SARATOGA SPRINGS.

37. 2015 Triple Crown winner: AMERICAN PHAROAH.

38. California race that's a stepping-stone to Kentucky: SANTA ANITA DERBY.

As a 3 year old, American Pharoah won the Kentucky, Derby, then the Preakness and Belmont to become the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown.  He ended his career with a 9-1 record and became the only horse in history to win the "Grand Slam" of thoroughbred racing when he won the Breeders Cup Classic.

He also won at Santa Anita as a 2 year old in the FrontRunner Stakes,  but didn't he didn't run in the Santa Anita Derby.   The FrontRunner Stakes has been renamed the American Pharoah Stakes in the horses's honor.

His only loss came in Saratoga Springs at the Travers Stakes.   


Across:

1. Jimmy Choo shoe brand co-founder Mellon: TAMARA.    No idea, but it is Friday.  Thank you perps.   

7. Athlete's feint: HEAD FAKE. 

15. Cast out: EXILED.

16. Dander, e.g.: ALLERGEN.

17. "Sadly, that's not the case": ALAS, NO.

18. Not just requested: IMPLORED.  Beseeched.  To my ears, implored sounds more modern than beseeched.

19. Duff Beer server: MOE.  The Simpsons

20. Gives the go-ahead: OKs.

21. Sources of renewed energy: NAPS.  Our friend WikWak must have a lot of energy.  I think I'm going to follow his model and see if it works for me.

22. "Who, me?": MOI.   Miss Piggy was famous for asking, "Moi ?"

24. Wise teacher: GURU.

26. Pull (out): OPT.

28. Historic time: ERA.

29. Unified: ONE.

30. Muse with a lyre: ERATO.

39. Minute Maid Park player: ASTRO.    Astro Alex Bregman was MVP in last year's All Star game.  His 10th inning home run put the AL'ers ahead of the NL'ers 7 to 6.   His Astro teammate George Springer followed with another round tripper as an insurance run. and the AL won the game 8-6.    In 89 games, the AL leads the summer classic 44-43-2.    That's pretty even.   Also pretty even ?  Runs scored in the All Star games.  The AL leads 769 to 767.  Tuesday, July 9th will be the 90th game.  It would be neat if the NL won by 2 runs.

40. Denver-to-Omaha dir.: ENE.

41. Completely: ALL.

42. Talks acronym: TED.  Technology, Entertainment and Design.

43. Country in a Beatles title: USSR.   It's where I learned B.O.A.C.


45. 1992-2001 Expos manager Felipe: ALOU.

48. Boom source: TNT.

49. "__ Baby Baby": 1965 Miracles hit: OOO.  Smokey Robinson will be playing in Temecula tonight at the Pechanga Summit.   Tickets for the 8 PM concert are $39,  but you might do better if you Shop Around.



51. Has a revelatory experience: FINDS GOD.

54. Many city workers live in one: SUBURB.

57. Like Greenpeace, e.g.: ANTI NUKE.

58. 2017 biopic about a figure skater: I TONYA. Tonya Harding.


59. "Good Day Sunshine" album: REVOLVER.


I also especially like Got To Get You Into My Life from the same album.

60. Called for: NEEDED.   Despite the fact that the Rum Swizzle called for crushed or pebble ice, Tinbeni ordered it straight.

Down:

1. Spot to drink: TEA.

2. Rose of rock: AXL.


3. '80s-'90s Heat home: MIAMI ARENA.

4. Additionally: ALSO.

5. Go back to the table: RENEGOTIATE.

6. Hubbub: ADO.

7. Very short poem: HAIKU.  CSO to our occasional visitor Haiku Harry.

8. Stately trees: ELMS.

9. The Zugspitze, e.g.: ALP.   Been there.    You can not only see Austria from it, you can straddle both countries while doing it.  It is the tallest of the Alps in Germany.   The Zugspitze is not the tallest in Austria though.   That claim belongs to the Grossglockner, which is the second highest of all the Alps, trailing only Mont Blanc.    Just as the Zugspitze shares two countries, so does Mont Blanc, with France and Italy sharing the mountain.  

10. With 44-Across, "Summertime Sadness" singer Lana: DEL. And 44. See 10-Down: REY.   Never heard it before, but the video has 185M views, so either it's popular or there have been some bots at work.


11. It's off the ground during a wheelie: FRONT TIRE.

I would guess circa 1967.

12. Asian shrine city: AGRA.

13. Word with watch or time: KEEP.   Also for quiet and still.

14. Stops: ENDS.

20. Pizza seasoning: OREGANO.

22. Flat-topped lands: MESAS.  Buttes, plateaus...

23. Slangy event suffix: ORAMA.

25. Reverse, for one: UNO CARD.    One of the action cards, of which there are 5 or 7,  depending on your game deck.   There are 4 reverse cards.  You can only use the reverse card if you are playing it on a card of the same color, or on another reverse card.

 UNO RULES

26. Harry Potter and Tom Sawyer: ORPHANS.

27. Procession plan: PARADE ROUTE.

30. 1930s Rhine/Zener experiment: ESP TEST.

31. Circa: ON OR AROUND.

33. Painter's work area: ART STUDIO.  Atelier.

34. Singer DiFranco: ANI.

35. Cape Cod feature: GABLE.

36. With pause, perhaps: SHYLY.

43. Anesthetized: UNDER.

45. A long way off: AFAR.

46. Queue (up): LINE. 

47. Being broadcast: ON TV.

48. Tip in Vegas: TOKE.

50. Orchestras tune to one: OBOE.

52. "Weekend Update" show: SNL.

53. Bloke's address: GUV.

54. Offense: SIN.

55. Manhattan part: RYE.

56. Disobedient, to Fido: BAD.

Friday, June 28, 2019, Michael Paleos

Title: Ten-hut!

Michael Paleos

is a new constructor who already has an NYT and a WSJ publication under his belt. Why he keeps them there I do not know, but it isn't for me to judge. The New York Times was October 24, 2018, and the reveal and puzzle were great. The WSJ on May 9 of this year also had a really fun reveal. Today, we are presented with a reveal that hints at the solution but lets us work at the solve. The rest of the fill is very gettable, but you have to unravel 38A. Splitting with one's group ... or a hint to the theme found in four puzzle rows: BREAKING RANKS (13). First, you need to understand that ranks are military ranks. The next hint is that the military ranks are hidden 4 different across rows. Then you need to picture the military ranks split into two pieces like...

1A. Pickle: DILEMMA paired (7) with 8A. Important biblical river: JORDAN (6) which together gives us a MAJOR. Then knowing the rule of symmetry we go to the very last row and find:
67A. Oregon city where Nike was founded: EUGENE(6) paired with 68A. Comes back: RALLIES (7) which together gives us a GENERAL. Now to find two more rows...you can quickly discard rows 2 and 3, but behold! Row 4 has the delightful pairing
18A. Rundown: RECAP (5) paired with 19A. IMPURE: TAINTED, which together gives us CAPTAIN.  Then go up 2 rows from the bottom to maintain the grid symmetry and locate 56A. High wind: PICCOLO. (7) Very tricky, a high wind instrument paired with 59A. "M.O." rapper: NELLY (5) which gives us COLONEL. And now you know how I solved the puzzle. Michael needed many "cheater"(helper?) squares to make this work, 8 in all which are shown with a pink sign in the black squares in the grid.       

                                                                                                            The stacks of seven and six in the top three and bottom three rows were impressive and the theme was so close to being elegant if he could only have had the Captain Major Colonel General appear in order. There lots of common fill but also he squeezed in AIR ASIA,  ECOTOUR, ICELAND, PICANTE, CABLECAR, DEADLOCK,  RETAPING, and the timely and controversial ROE V. WADE. Now that my write-up is all out of control, let us examine the rest.

Across:

14. Whale-watching excursion, say: ECOTOUR. I found this definition of ECOTOURISM: “Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past, and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples.”

15. It's about 80 miles SW of Buffalo, N.Y.: ERIE, PA. Major (pun intended) to our Erie folk. Do you this BILLIONAIRE?

16. Hot and spicy: PICANTE.

17. Only Jet who was a Super Bowl MVP: NAMATH. The Jets along with the Tampa Bay Bucs and New Orleans Saints have each played in and won 1 Super Bowl.

21. Photo lab abbr.: ENLarge.

22. That, south of the border: ESO. Spanish, man.

24. Food additive: DYE.

25. Something you can stand to lose: LAP. Not a racing lap, the one that goes away when you stand.

28. Lyric tributes: ODES.

30. Med. school subject: ANATomy.

32. Name on a banana sticker: DOLE. This multinational company is at the forefront of growing ORGANIC FRUIT.

33. Winery cask: TUN. I like the definition: an imperial measure of capacity, equal to 4 hogsheads. Cutting the quantity in half each time, volumes were measurement went as follows: tone (tun), butt/pipe, hogshead, barrel, kilderkin, and firkin. While working at a start-up brewery my son reintroduced the firkin as a part of both brewing and sales.

35. Iconic San Francisco sight: CABLE CAR. This is not just a sight, it is a really fun way to get around the city and not get totally worn out by the hills. LINK.

41. Landmark 1973 decision: ROE V. WADE. Now it is all politics.

42. Oxford, to Oxonians: UNIversity.

43. Pay to play: ANTE. Poker and other gambling card games.

44. Mideast seaport: ADEN. Again no comment, but you can watch.

46. Natural floor covering: MOSS.

50. __ green: PEA. Or green pea.

51. __Kosh B'gosh: OSH. My boys were dressed in this children's clothing manufacture when they were young.

53. Louis XIV, par exemple: ROI. I hope you remember this from two weeks ago. He was a French King.

55. Something you might grab in a hammock: NAP. Also, the sides to keep from falling off.

61. "Okay, that makes sense now": AH, I SEE.

63. Budget carrier headquartered near Kuala Lumpur: AIR ASIA.

65. Scammer: CONMAN. Sexist, it can be a con woman.

66. Nordic Council member: ICELAND.

Down:

1. Hinge (on): DEPEND.

2. It's pointy and cold: ICICLE. They look very pretty at first.

3. "Livin' la Vida __": LOCA.

4. Military day's march: ÉTAPE. This is a place where troops camp after a day's march, or the march itself.

5. Many a fed. holiday: MONday.

6. Chop meat: MUTTON. This was tricky because in the US we think only of lamb chops or beef, pork and veal as chop meat.

7. Calculation often using pi: AREA.

8. Spinning __: weaving innovation: JENNY. The STORY of this invention and its impact on the industrial revolution.

9. Provide an address: ORATE.

10. Frosty coating: RIME.

11. Stalemate: DEADLOCK. I am not sure why but I had trouble with this dead-heat being the last to fall away.

12. Fitting: APT.

13. "You're dreaming": NAH.

18. Speed Wagon make: REO. The Reo Speedwagon was a very creative vehicle from Mr. Olds and his Reo company. REO Speedwagon was a band.

20. Aid in reuniting a lost suitcase with its owner: ID TAG.

23. Coffee brand with an orange cap: SANKA. It was all there was for decaf for years unless you wanted to drink grain like Postum.

26. Word of regret: ALAS.

27. __ se: PER.

29. L.A. Clippers owner Ballmer: STEVE. I love that he could be called Steve "Basket" Ballmer, but he is much MORE.

31. Blemished, in a way: ACNED. Meh.

32. Commonly blue fabric: DENIM. Levi Strauss started with Canvas because the miners needed strong pants to hold their gold.

34. Motor City org.: UAW. United Auto Workers.

36. Musical Mars: BRUNO. Two for one. 41D. Cardi B genre: RAP.

37. Office PC nexus: LAN. Local Area Network.

38. Fillet's lack: BONE.

39. Recording over: RETAPING.

40. Panhandle state: IDAHO.

45. Beethoven's Third: EROICA.

47. Browsing, nowadays: ONLINE.

48. Tortilla shell fillers, perhaps: SALADS. When? okay, there is lettuce and tomato along with the        cheese and meat, but really, just salad?



49. Special Stratego piece: SPY.

51. Broad expanse: OCEAN.

52. A co-star might steal one: SCENE.

54. Taken together: IN ALL.

57. "Woe __!": IS ME.

58. Villain's hideout: LAIR.

60. Morales of "NYPD Blue": ESAI.

61. Great service?: ACE.

62. Astros, on sports tickers: HOUston.

64. Shinto, for one: Abbr.: RELigion.

You already have the grid above so don't be greedy. Welcome Mike and I hope you stop by and say hello. I enjoyed reading your comments when your NYT was published. Lemonade out.

Friday, June 21, 2019 Bruce Venzke & Gail Grabowski

THAT'S A WRAP !

17. That's a wrap: GIFT BOX COVERING.

27. That's a wrap: TERRY CLOTH ROBE.

44. That's a wrap: ROLLED SANDWICH.

60. "That's a wrap!": END OF A FILM SHOOT.

Bruce and Gail tossed us a softball today, wrapped in a tight little package.    That's ok by me.  

Across:

1. It's sold in bars: SOAP. 

5. D-Day invasion city: ST LO.   Saint-Lô

9. Live: DWELL.

14. Willing follower?: ABLE.   Often preceded by Ready.

15. Forked over: PAID.  Remitted.

16. Certain Ivy Leaguer: YALIE.

20. Make more flavorful: SEASON.    There's a right way, and a wrong way.   Too little and too much are subjective.   I tend to be a little heavy handed with seasoning.   When things go wrong,  the fine folks at Cook Country offer the following suggestions:

• If your food is too salty, add an acid or sweetener such as vinegar; lemon or lime juice; canned, unsalted tomatoes; sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
• If your food is too sweet, add an acid or seasonings such as vinegar or citrus juice; chopped fresh herb; dash of cayenne; or, for sweet dishes, a bit of liqueur or espresso powder.
• If your food is too spicy or acidic, add a fat or sweetener such as butter, cream, sour cream, cheese, or olive oil; sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

21. Poet's preposition: ERE.

Ere I salted, I brined.

What was I thinking ?

My blood pressure was up,

Was I out of my mind ?

(I'd better leave the verse to Owen).

22. Fascinated by: INTO.

23. Opposite of hence: AGO.

25. Gym shorts go-with: TEE.   We always played shirts and skins in gym class.  That was before co-ed.

Speaking of high school, I read the other day that my high school recognized five valedictorians in the graduating class.  I understand that having more than one valedictorian would be a school decision.  But is it common now to have more than one ?  Doesn't five seem excessive ?

35. Bushy-tailed canines: FOXES.  A neighbor posted this picture of this fox family on her deck.  She captured them at just the right moment.  Mama knows exactly where to look.

36. Eat-on-the-street places: CAFES.  Dining Al Fresco.  The Filling Station in St Charles, IL.

37. What an amateur may turn: PRO.

38. Like some audiobooks: ON CD.

39. Goes from site to site: SURFS.  Web surfer.  Hand up.

40. School for a prince: ETON.  Prince William and Prince Harry are but two of the many famous Etonians.

41. Beehive State athlete: UTE.  Utah Ute.   In honor of the American Indian tribe.

42. Start a court contest: SERVE.    It took a moment on Saturday to realize that Craig Stowe's answer ACERS for the clue "Great service providers" was in the context of tennis.   I agreed with Jerome's observation in the comments,  "... willing to bet that no tennis player has ever used the word."

43. Radiates: EMITS.   "Who glows ?  Just say ____ "

47. Ike's WWII arena: ETO.   European Theater of Operations.

48. Italian god: DIO.   Ronnie James Dio was a New Hampshire born guitarist and vocalist that became the lead singer of Black Sabbath after they fired Ozzy Osbourne.   Prior to that, he and Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple fame formed the heavy metal band Rainbow.


49. Made it up: LIED.  Prevaricated.

52. Find fault to a fault: NAG.

55. Evades: SKIRTS. 

63. Frequent genre for composer John Williams: SCI-FI.   Science Fiction.   I paused after filling the answer.   I knew Schifrin (Lalo) from doing crosswords.  But I had never heard of a composer named Scifi.    Then I read the clue again and saw "genre for" instead of "frequent composer for John Williams."

64. Bay, play or gray follower: AREA.

65. Kurylenko of "Quantum of Solace": OLGA.  Starred opposite of Daniel Craig in the movie.


66. Identity __: THEFT.  Reduce your risk with these tips.

67. Provoke: ROIL.

68. Mulching material: PEAT.

Down:

1. Loses elasticity: SAGS.   Physics. 

2. "Hamilton" award: OBIE.    Off Broadway awards.  The 2015 Obie Award for Best New American Theatre Work. 

3. Opposite of Zulu?: ALFA.  The opposite ends of the phonetic alphabet.

4. They're often adopted: PETS. 

5. Like angel food cake: SPONGY.   Light and airy.

6. Strain: TAX.  Burden.

7. Bothersome bugs: LICE.  

8. Reason to use Febreze: ODOR.  The science behind why it works, according to the manufacturer.

9. Salon supply: DYE.

10. Not as trusting: WARIER.

11. Author Hilderbrand: ELIN.    Romance novelist.

 You can read about her at her website.

12. Dust bunny component: LINT.   Dust bunny is such a pleasant name.   Makes you not want to vacuum. 

13. Danish brick: LEGO.  Clever clue for a favorite toy across the world wide.   In case you too  thought Bruce and Gail were looking for the Danish word for a brick, and then wondered what is was, it's mursten.

18. Male razorbacks: BOARS.  I can't help but think about the University of Arkansas when I see Razorbacks.  It's the mascot of their sports teams.

19. Iconic Chevys: VETTES.   The debut model was in 1953 and had 150 horsepower.  The only options were an AM radio and a heater.    The new eighth-generation Corvette was seen in camouflage in April in Times Square.    Formal announcement is next month on July 19th.

   Here's a recent slideshow of the iconic car through the years:

America’s Sports Car: The History of Corvette

24. Goes down, so to speak: OCCURS.

26. Reactions to missing things: EHs.   In the US, eh is sometimes vocalized when you would like something repeated, as in # 6 in the chart below.

In Canada, eh is a versatile interjection added to the ends of sentences and "... is a distinctive part of Canadian English":

EH IS CANADIAN, EH?: USAGE, FUNCTIONS AND THE IDENTITY CRISIS OF EH

Canadian Eh, that looks like a pretty good summation,  eh?

27. 2013 role for Johnny Depp: TONTO.   Controversy ensued.

28. Get all A's: EXCEL. 

29. Common hummingbird feeder color: RED.    The birds are attracted to the bright color.

30. Cocoon dweller: LARVA.


31. Cause resentment: OFFEND.

32. __ disc: eye part: OPTIC.  

33. Stock: BROTH.

34. Quite a stretch: EONS.

35. Common par: FOUR.  Because on the typical 18 hole golf course, there are 4 par 3s,  4 par 5's, and the other 10 holes are par 4s.

39. Resort near Flagstaff: SEDONA.

40. Former Radiohead label: EMI.    Electric and Musical Industries until 1971.   Radiohead is an English rock band   

42. Financially secure: SET.

43. "Star Wars" critters: EWOKS.

45. Started: LED OFF.  On June 13th,  leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber led off the game against the Los Angeles Dodger's ace Clayton Kershaw with a first pitch home run.


46. Dreary: DISMAL. 

49. Out of concern that: LEST.

50. Rainfall measure: INCH.

51. Singer Brickell: EDIE. Notably of Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. She is the spouse of Paul Simon.


53. Miles away: AFAR.

54. Copter's forerunner: GIRO.

56. 2007 Applebee's acquirer: IHOP.

57. Part: ROLE. Fred VanVleet played his part superbly in the Toronto Raptors NBA Championship run, and hit a clutch 3 pointer in the waning minutes of their game 6 championship clinching victory. Fred is from nearby Rockford, IL, and, as PK noted Tuesday,  played four years of college ball for the Shockers of Wichita State.  He was a basketball force in his college days, leading the Shockers to an undefeated season and deep into the NCAAs, but remained undrafted.  Toronto took a chance on him.  Wise move.

58. Costume made from a sheet: TOGA.  "Was it over when Dean Wormer put the Deltas on probation ?"  TOGA, TOGA !

59. Sports page entry: STAT.

61. Require no alteration: FIT.

62. Honolulu Airport wreath: LEI.

 That's a wrap:  END OF REVIEW.  

Friday, June 14, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: To B E or not to B E.

Our resident Shakespeare aficionado uses the letter B and E to wrap around the last word of an in the language phrase. He even provides us with a reveal that is a bit obscure, but it is a Friday. 38A. Also ... and, in three parts, a hint to the four longest Across answers:  BESIDES (7). The three parts are "B" "E" and "SIDES." This advises you that B and E are on the sides of words. Even with 56 theme spaces, the puzzle is chock full of long fill and new fill to add to his always tricky cluing. Example of the great fill are DIGITAL,  MADISON,  PALED AT,  TAVERNA,  UNTIMED, FIRST BASE, OBSERVANT,  CALAMITOUS and FRONT TEETH.
He has some foreign language stuff, some sports, some geography, some poetry, some music...well you can see for yourselves.

17A. Best Custard Enhancement award?: THE GOLDEN  BRULEE (15). We start with a grid spanning fill built off of the Golden Rule. My favorite of the themers.

28A. Eve's incentive not to eat the apple?: ADAM'S BRIBE (10). Adam's Rib is also a biblical reference unless you think only of

46A. Whom to interrupt to end a couple's tedious conversation?: EITHER BORE (10). I like this one a lot also. 

61A. Description of a consistent ogre?: THE SAME OLD BRUTE (15). JW does not get in a RUT unless cranking out fun puzzles that are challenging can be considered a rut. 

Across:

1. Chem lab array: ACIDS. My chemistry classes never trusted us to get near the acids.

6. Grainy side: PILAF. Rice, the one staple in my Oo dominated diet.

11. Pixar SFX: CGI. Computer Generated Imagery has been around in some form since 1974. A LIST of favorite movies.

14. Certain Sri Lankan: TAMIL. Another PEOPLE whose history is filled with the results of Imperialism and ethnic incompatibility.

15. Defense concern: ALIBI. Alibis like eyewitnesses are not very reliable.

16. Orbital section: ARC. Both in the sky and near your eye.

20. Like moves in casual chess games: UNTIMED. Is the time lessened the better you are? I have never played with timers.

21. Overly orotund orator: GASBAG. Aren't you happy that OROTUND wasn't the fill?

22. Sacred symbol: TOTEM.

24. Pro __: TEM.

25. Romeo's partner?: ALFA. Another Shakespeare misdirection from our Will S. quote master.

33. "Free to Be... You and Me" co-creator Thomas: MARLO. She gathered the celebrities and put together the book which also became a PLAY.

35. Information: DATA.

36. See 13-Down: TEA. Paired with 13D. With 36-Across, summer drink: ICE. No Lemonade this week.

37. Sette minus sei: UNO. Italian for 7 - 6.

41. Minn. neighbor: ONT.

42. Jose's opening?: SAN. Can you see? Nope, California. Do you know the way?

43. Je ne __ quoi: SAIS. The French expression, used in America par example: There's just been a certain je ne sais quoi about the hue that many can't quite put their finger on.
— Donna Freydkin, Allure, "How Beyoncé and Rita Hazan Chose the Perfect Blonde Hair Color for Bey's On the Run II Tour," 29 Aug. 2018.

44. Keyboard offering: ETUDE. We had our discussion of this recently.

50. Part of NAACP: Abbr.: ASSN.

51. Roadwork supply: TAR.

52. Israeli desert: NEGEV. Half of the land in Israel. LINK.

54. Big improvement over a mop, for short: WET-VAC. Just what the name sounds like. A new clue/fill introduced by JW.

57. Was horrified by: PALED AT. This fill also is being introduced in the entire mainline puzzle world today!

63. "Take a load off": SIT.

64. Stealthy fighter: NINJA.

65. Result of a leadoff single: ONE ON. Baseball.

66. "Feh!": UGH.

67. Wyoming county: TETON. Think Grand! Some DF HISTORY.

68. Aggressive stingers: WASPS.


Down:

1. Westernmost Aleutian island: ATTU. Attu Island is so far west, it’s actually in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is the westernmost of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, even farther west than the Hawaiian Islands.

2. "All the Way" lyricist: CAHN. I wish I had remembered the C a few puzzles ago. A classic Sinatra tune.

3. "__ a traveller from an antique land": "Ozymandias": I MET.
"Ozymandias" is regarded as one of Percy Bysshe Shelley's most famous works. In antiquity, Ozymandias was an alternative name for the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II. Shelley wrote the poem in friendly competition with his friend and fellow poet Horace Smith (1779–1849) who also wrote a sonnet on the same topic with the same name.

4. Like most selfies: DIGITAL.

5. Cinematographer's option: SLOMO. A portmanteau of SLOw MOtion.

6. Fraudulently increased: PADDED. The bill, the expense account, the bra, the damages and many more.

7. Martinique, par exemple: ILE. A French island, clued in French.
JW has used this a few times; it was first used in the NYT by Martin Schneider on a Sunday, Mar 14, 1999

8. CNN host Lisa: LING.

9. Their logo has a mirrored letter: ABBA. I do like their movies.

10. Diamond corner: FIRST BASE. This is only the second time this fill has graced an LA Times puzzle; it was introduced by our own Steve Marron in his solo debut PUZZLE in 2014.

11. Disastrous: CALAMITOUS. Very nice sparkly long word which JW introduces to the LAT. It has appeared only once in an NYT in 2010.

12. Novelist Iles: GREG. A very popular multi-genre AUTHOR. I have read only The Bone Tree so far. I may try more.

18. "__ Smile Be Your Umbrella": LET A. Jeffrey was feeling musically nostalgic this week.

19. Designated driver alternative: UBER.

23. "The Federalist Papers" co-author: MADISON. President 1.
It is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution.

25. What jesters do: AMUSE.

26. Mostly private Hawaiian island: LANAI. Many here know Hawaii better than I do.

27. Incisors: FRONT TEETH. Another fill introduced to both LAT and NYT today.

29. Like Lear, ultimately: MAD. More Shakespeare.

30. Notre-Dame honoree: Abbr.: STE. Saint in French.

31. Switchback features: BENDS. This was the hardest for me to parse since I never heard the term switchback before. The definition is - a zigzag road, trail, or section of railroad tracks for climbing a steep hill.

32. Moth-__: EATEN.

34. Paying attention: OBSERVANT. I hope you have been paying attention today because this grid is just loaded with the good stuff.

39. Stirrup location: EAR. Did you bone up on your anatomy?

40. Bro, say: SIB.

45. Spot to sip ouzo: TAVERNA. It is all Greek to me.

47. Kentucky Derby showpieces: HATS. There are some nice horses there as well.

48. Change the itinerary: REPLAN.

49. "Great Scott!": EGAD. Perry White?

53. Nudge: ELBOW. Rude!

54. Fillmore was the last president who was one: WHIG. He is buried in Buffalo with both of his wives. President 2.

55. Lisette's BFF: AMIE. French.

56. You can see Lincoln on one: CENT. President mini-theme. Number 3.

58. Club payments: DUES.

59. On: ATOP.

60. Second-ranked pinochle cards: TENS. A fun GAME that I played when I was young.

61. Nashville sch.: TSU. Tennessee State University.

62. Eye in most of Iberia: OJO. Spanish.

Well, we done did it again. Fabulous fill JW. I leave you with this LINK as we observe Flag Day 242 years after the flag was chosen. Thank you all -  now go and get ready for Father's Day. For which I give you this Dad Joke. (A Dad joke is an embarrassingly bad joke, often read through the eyes of a dad's lack of comedy).

My friend was a very indecisive rower. He could not pick either oar.

Friday, Jun 7, 2019 Bruce Haight

Process S

18. Paul Bunyan resting his eyes?: SLUMBER JACK.   Lumberjack

28. What a boring sermon might precipitate?: SLEEP OF FAITH.  Leap of faith.

48. Like lectures after a big meal?: SNOOZE WORTHY.  Newsworthy.

62. Unexpectedly mild storm?: SNORE EASTER.   Nor'easter.

Bruce's punny play today should subconsciously induce you to get some more rest as he leads common words and phrases with an S,  and changes spelling as needed.  Click on Process S above if you wonder about the theme title.

Across:

1. Leading trio: ABC.  "It's easy as 1,2,3 or simple as do-re-mi, a,b,c,1,2,3, baby you and me, girl."  Name the group.

4. Cheese made from cow's milk: GOUDA.  One of hundreds.

9. Space Invaders platform: ATARI.  Gaming has come along way from the original arcade style single player games like Space Invaders.  I read about colleges and universities offering programs and scholarships in eSports after Husker Gary commented about the college in his city.    Apparently UC Irvine has one of the most noted programs.

14. Swing adviser: PRO.  A golf pro, aka a PGA professional.

15. Come clean: OWN UP.  Fess up, or cop to,  as was in Michael Wiesenberg's Saturday puzzle that Husker Gary blogged.

16. More cold and wet: RAWER.  Weather.

17. Play critic?: REF.   A referee on the field of play, such as in football or soccer.   A nice misdirection.  I wonder if there are eRefs in eSports gaming ?

20. They might be cracked: SAFES.   Safecracker is often yegg in crossword puzzles.

22. Pool tactic: MASSE. 

23. Sushi garnish: ROE.  Fish eggs.

24. Highly season, as eggs: DEVIL.   Is roe ever deviled ?    History.com gives us The Ancient History of Deviled Eggs

26. Head for the hills?: ASCEND.  Climb.

32. Opposite of stiff: TIP.  Loved this one, too.   Even with bad service, I'd leave something on the table.

33. Belgian city in 1917 headlines: YPRES.  Famous WWI battle site.

34. Region bordering Mex.: SO CAL.   Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes.  So Cal is the land of 10,000 quakes.

38. Project Mercury chimp: ENOS.   The USSR had sent Yuri Gagarin into orbit earlier.  The US took a more conservative approach, not wanting to risk a human life.   Enos died less than a year later of unrelated causes.

40. Helpless numbers?: SOLOS.   You are on your own.

42. Ask: POSE.   Query, inquire, question...

43. "Same here": ME TOO.

45. '70s TV talk show: DINAH.   Dinah Shore, of course.

47. Suzuki's Quadracer, for short: ATV.   Didn't know this, but it was easy to figure out.   I read that prior to the introduction of the Quadracer, the sport all terrain vehicle market was dominated by three wheel ATV's.

 Milestone Suzuki models that changed the sport

51. NFLer who was a 2017 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year honoree: JJ WATT.  This guy is a phenomenal athlete on the field for the Houston Texans.   He's also a class act away from the game, using his celebrity for charitable work that has raised millions to help those in need.

54. Cuffed, old-style: SMOTE.  A learning moment.   I did not know that the second definition of cuff was to strike someone with an open hand.

55. Attention: EAR.  Give me your attention for a moment.

56. Drifters: HOBOS.  Sometimes you can find drifters under the boardwalk, down by the sea. Having some fun, people walking above.  Falling in love.

60. Celebrations with nos.: B-DAYS.  Numbers / birthdays

65. Prefix with -bar: ISO.  You'll hear isobar on The Weather Channel frequently as storms roll in.

66. Pronged: TINED.  As in a fork or a rake.

67. "Fingers crossed": I HOPE.  Wish for luck.

68. Case study?: LAW.   A case study is a detailed examination, but if you study cases, you are probably in law school or in the profession.   Sue me for malfeasance if you disagree.

69. "Love Story" author: SEGAL.   Perps.  Saw the movie with Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal, but didn't read the book.

70. __ bar: TAPAS.   Have never been.  Will go one day.

71. Part of GPS: Abbr.: SYS.   Global Positioning System.   Owned by the United States.  Operated by the US Air Force.

Down:

1. Financing figs.: APRs.  Annual Percentage Rates.   Truth in lending.

2. Depression Era sight: BREADLINE.   And soup kitchens.  

3. Morning aroma source: COFFEE POT.

4. Spewing dirt?: GOSSIPY.   Like a yenta.

5. Night __: OWL.   Shout out to a number of our regulars !  As they say, if the shoe fits, wear it.  While we're at it, let's have a shout out to the early birds here.    What is your chronotype ?

6. One for the money?: UNUM. E. pluribus unum.   It means "Out of many, one."

7. Russian legislative body: DUMA.  Russian studies are not my bailiwick.  But I gather it is sort of like a combination of the US Congress and the departments of the executive branch.

8. LAPD messages: APBS.    Los Angeles Police Department / All Point Bulletins.

9. Stops: ARRESTS.  Clever wordplay.   For instance, a spark arrestor stops (arrests) potentially flammable exhaust particles (sparks) in outdoor equipment and machines that have combustion engines.  Like on that Suzuki Quadrunner, or on a chainsaw.

10. __ Boston: luxury hotel: TAJ.

11. Clued in: AWARE.

12. Drone job: RECON.  Plenty of drones in the air over the flooded rivers, fields and towns after the record rainfalls in May.  

13. Miffed: IRKED.  Some of the golfers in my league have been miffed that the carts have been limited to cart paths only.  The fairways, especially the low lying areas, have been waterlogged. One nearby private course hasn't opened for play yet.

19. Morales of "Ozark": ESAI.  A fine actor that has gained additional fame in crosswords due to his vowel friendly first name. 

21. "The serpent deceived me" speaker: EVE.  The story can be read in Genesis.

25. Cuts: LOPS.

27. Cut of meat: CHOP.

28. Curtail: STEM.

I love those three in row.  Cuts, Cut and Curtail. Lops, Chop and Stem.  How slick was that ?

29. Tolkien hero: FRODO.  From J.R.R. Tolkein's trilogy.   I read the books.   Never saw the movies.

30. Start of a seasonal Spanish greeting: FELIZ.   Feliz navidad.  Prospero año y felicidad.  Merry Christmas and a prosperous year filled with happiness.  The words from the very popular and enduring Christmas song by José Feliciano.

31. Together: AS ONE.   United.   How about a little Rhapsody in Blue ?



35. Metaphorical influence: COATTAILS.  Early in my career a first line manager told me he was riding the second line's coattails to the top.   It was the first time I'd heard the word used in that sense.

36. According to the proverb: AS THEY SAY.  The answer wasn't apparent by the clue alone, and the perps did the lion's share of the work for me.  As they say, good things come to those who wait.

37. Duty: LEVY.  Tax.

39. Cub slugger: SOSA.  Sammy.   For certain,  a polarizing figure,  but ...

"...Many believe he and Mark McGwire helped put baseball on the map again in a resurgent 1998 season that helped make the strike of 1994/95 an afterthought.  Count me among that group, as well.

He deserves all the credit in the world.  People would show up to Wrigley just to see Sosa run out to the right field bleachers and camera bulbs flashed by the thousands every single time he came up to the plate for the better part of a decade.  Waveland was sometimes so packed with ballhawks that there wouldn't be room to walk."  -  Tony Andracki  nbcsports.com.

41. Cuts: SAWS. Clecho back to 25D.

44. Officially injured, in previous baseball lingo: ON THE DL.  Disabled List.

46. Men of La Mancha: HOMBRES.   Today's Spanish lesson.   La Mancha is a region of Spain. Cervantes wrote his classic novel Don Quixote de La Mancha about a man from La Mancha that lost his sanity, aspired to live the life of a chivalrous knight, and among other things, tilted at windmills.

49. Siouan people: OTOE.  The Otoe-Missouria Tribe history.  Until reading that article, I did not know that the state of Nebraska gets its name from two Otoe-Missouria words which means “water flat.”

50. Hot __: ROD.


51. Kids: JESTS.  Hey you jests !  Get off of my lawn !

52. __ and Jack, 2019 Gap acquisition: JANIE.  Not familiar, but I gather from a few quick reads that they are purveyors of fashionable clothing for children 0 to 6 years of age.

53. "Guess again": WRONG. 

57. Tempt: BAIT.

58. Org. concerned with plants: OSHA. Actually, any private workplace, and most public workplaces as well, but I liked the misdirection.

59. "Hold it right there!": STOP.  Halt ! Avast ! Freeze !

61. Scatters in a field: SOWS.

63. Blues-rocker Chris: REA.   We sometimes get actor Stephen. 

64. Radon-regulating org.: EPA.

Friday, May 31, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Boris: “Do you agree?” Natasha: “ДА!”

My regular doubles partner here at the Corner, Jeffrey Wechsler is back on a Friday with one of his classics - an add letters puzzles to create funny fill. Today DA is added and I hope it did not addle your brain. DA is the yes in Russian, an abbreviation for DAD in Britain (I think-Steve?) and a common shortcut for District Attorney. He also sneaks in the amusing non-themer DADAIST, along with many other sparklies like ANALYST,  DOGGIES, I'M ALONE, MASCARA, ON A DATE, PORGIES, STENCIL, ALARMING, MACARENA, MIRRORED, and SEDATION. We also have many apostrophes and the usual trickery in some cluing. On with the fun.

17A. Short-order bear?: FRYING PANDA (11). If you can have a Kung-fu Panda why not one in the kitchen making your lunch, using a FRYING PAN.

24A. News item from Hoda Kotb?: TODAY STORY (10). The 4th-hour anchor is away with her new adopted BABY. It is too soon to watch TOY STORY.

34A. Skeptical response to "Here's the drink I owe you"?: SAY IT ISN'T SODA (13). Obviously not the response of a teetotaller.

46A. Element of avant-garde music?: DARING TONE (10). I think the tonality or lack thereof of Arnold Schoenberg was more daring. I have a cousin who married a Schoenberg.

55A. Prosecutor ... or what four long puzzle answers have received?: ASSISTANT DA (11). So maybe this is the one he had in mind. I hope he doesn't mind my subversive write-up, but I just must have fun. On with the show. 

Across:

1. Just right: APT. Not an easy start, but it is Friday.

4. Some pets, in totspeak: DOGGIES. Totspeak is a term I think was developed solely for crossword fill like OWIE, WAWA and oh yeah DADA!

11. Ronda Rousey's sport, initially: MMA. Mixed Martial Arts.

14. Supporting: FOR. Not a beam but a person.

15. Tempting text to a lover: I'M ALONE. Sounds like some kind of illicit rendezvous.

16. McShane of "Deadwood": IAN. Ian has been one of my favorites, I think Steve also, since his days as LOVEJOY. However, in the John Wick 3 movie, he is not a nice man, and that is not a nice movie. Halle Berry continues to look nice, though.

19. Label for some Usher releases: RCA. Do people care about record labels anymore?

20. Words from a bell ringer: IT'S ME. Not in the tower, but at your front door. Obviously not an academic visitor.

21. Pen part: NIB. All you ever wanted to know about PENS.

22. Continental border river: URAL. This divides Europe and Asia.

23. Coolidge who wasn't president: RITA. This mostly Cherokee and mostly forgotten SINGER was married to Kris Kristofferson as well as having hits like...

27. L'Oréal's Voluminous Carbon Black, e.g.: MASCARA. I love having this in the puzzle with 12D. Popular '90s  dance:  MACARENA.

29. Longtime preceder of Johnny?: HERE'S. Both Ed McMahon and Jack Nicholson made this famous.

30. Maurice Sendak/Carole King musical "Really __": ROSIE. A hard Friday fill but a wonderful collaboration between the creator of Where the Wild Things Are and the very talented Ms. King,  subject of the Broadway hit Beautiful.

33. "__ you clever!": AREN'T. Yes, he is.

38. Apollo's birth island: DELOS. This Greek god has great BACKSTORY.

39. Nautical pole: SPRIT. I will leave the words to our sailors.

40. Saw: ADAGE. Nope, just letters here.

41. At the movies, maybe: ON A DATE. Here too.

50. Bird's biological class: AVES. I like this followed by...

51. Bill distributors: ATMS. Since birds have bills.

52. Detroit labor gp.: UAW. United Auto Workers.

53. Research support: GRANT.

54. Sundial marking: III.

58. Luke, to Anakin: SON.

59. Sign maker's aid: STENCIL. Do they need them any longer?

60. Court fig.: ATTorney. Not an abbreviation popular in the profession.

61. "Star Trek" spin-off, briefly: TNG. The Next Generation.

62. Fish also called sea breams: PORGIES. This little FISH is one the many considered as a kosher fish. Catfish are not.

63. Future 62-Across: ROE. JW just egging you on.

Down:

1. Validate: AFFIRM.

2. "The quality of mercy is not strain'd" speaker: PORTIA. "It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven." Merchant of Venice Act IV, Scene I. Jeffrey and I both love our Friday Shakespeare.

3. Secret meetings: TRYSTS.

4. Order the Beef Wellington, say: DINE.

5. Bit of texting shock: OMG.

6. Space: GAP.

7. Endocrine __: GLAND.

8. Ancient region of present-day Turkey: IONIA. I always thought it was in Greece.

9. Not continue past: END BY. Also Use By.

10. Ahab's milieu: SEA.

11. Did the same as: MIRRORED.

13. Pro with a couch: ANALYST. Psycho-

18. Apple product: IMAC.

22. Unborn, after "in": UTERO. Literal Latin.

24. Unhurried pace: TROT.

25. Refreshing place: OASIS. Or maybe you want to visit...

26. Siskiyou County peak: SHASTA. I am sure this was a gimme for our West Coast contingent.

28. Gotten up: ARISEN.

31. Many a cable co.: ISP. Internet Service Provider. Not related to 55D. Cleopatra's "poor venomous fool": ASP. A double dose of Will from Act V, Scene 2.
"Poor venomous fool
Be angry and dispatch. Oh, couldst thou speak,
That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass."

32. 2001 scandal subject: ENRON.

34. It puts people out: SEDATION. A very nice clue for a Friday deception.

35. Frightful: ALARMING.

36. Ones using asanas: YOGIS. And so many of your neighbors. 12 FAVORITES.

37. Pitchfork part: TINE. Actually any fork.

38. Arp, for one: DADAIST.

42. "Phooey!": DARN. Probably the tame version of what JW is thinking about my silliness.

43. Video game figure: AVATAR.

44. Take care of: TEND TO.

45. Wayne Manor and environs, e.g.: ESTATE. An odd Batman reference?

47. Relish: GUSTO.

48. Law enforcement tool: TASER.

49. In arrears: OWING.

53. Hoedown misses: GALS. Not misses, but misses. Not related to Hoda Kotb.

56. Chem. or phys.: SCI.

57. Bun package closer: TIE. If you keep your legs tied together you will not get a bun in the oven.

We have made it through another Friday challenge from Jeffrey. It always feels good to solve and then discuss one of his creations. I hope you had fun and I will leave you with the grid and another picture of a classic DA. Lemonade out.

Friday, May 24, 2019, Evan Kalish

Double Meanings.  Each clue can be interpreted literally, or can have another meaning, as evidenced by the puzzle's answer.  Two of our entries span the16*15 grid.

18. Mission statement?: REMEMBER THE ALAMO!  (1) A Mission Statement is a formal summary of the values of a company or organization.  (2) The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas was originally a Spanish Mission and fortress built by Catholic missionaries to educate and convert Native Americans to Christianity.  The Mission was secularized in the late 1790s, and later became under military control.  During the Texas Revolution, a group of Texan soldiers (including James Bowie and Davy Crockett) defended the Alamo against the Mexican army.  The Texan soldiers were all defeated and killed.  Remember the Alamo! then became the rallying cry for Texas independence.

31. Position statement?: YOU ARE HERE.  (1) A Position Statement is a formal statement that lets others know where a company or organization stands on a particular topic.  (2) A map showing you where you are, generally in a public area, such as a mall.

43. Impact statement?: OW!  THAT HURT.  (1) An Impact Statement is a short summary that used to explain and inform stakeholders of a company or organizations work.  (2) Being hit from an outside source or Impact may hurt.

56. Closing statement?: COME BACK TOMORROW.  (1) A Closing Statement is a concluding statement at the end of a trial to emphasize the important arguments of the case for the trier of fact.  (2) At Closing time, the store may ask you to return the next day to finish your shopping.

Across:

1. Muscle at one end of the Achilles tendon: CALF.  The CALF is actually made up of two muscles: (1) the Gastrocnemius, which is the larger muscle that forms the visible bulge beneath the skin; and (2) the Soleus, which is a smaller, flat muscle that is under the Gastrocnemius muscle.

5. Dream __: TEAM.  The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team was known as the Dream TEAM because it was the first American Olympic team to be made-up of professional basketball players.

9. Ground-hitting sound: SPLAT.

14. __ 2600, Class of 2007 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee: ATARI.  It looks so old-fashioned today.

16. Ebb: WANE.

17. Alaska governor after Murkowski: PALIN.  Sarah Palin (née Sarah Louise Heath; b. Feb. 11, 1965), served as the Governor of Alaska from December 2006 until she resigned in July 2009.  Her predecessor as Governor was Frank Mursowski (né Frank Hughes Murkowski; b. Mar. 28, 1933).  She was also the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election.  She could see Alaska from her house.  But, you knew that.

21. Bandies words: SPARS.

22. Baseball mascot originally titled "Lady": MRS. MET.

23. La, in the key of E: C SHARP.

25. Ballet move: PLIÉ.

27. Drink suffix: -ADE.  CSO to our own LemonADE.

28. For nothing: GRATIS.  From the Latin word for Favor.

29. Get gas: FUEL UP.

33. Black fur: SABLE.   A SABLE is a small species of a marten that lives in northern Asia.  The animal was historically hunted for its soft, fine fur.  Coats made from sable can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

37. Big name in big trucks: MACK.

38. Restoratives: TONICS.  Nothing is more refreshing that a Gin and TONIC on a hot summer day.

40. Lead-in to bake or shell: CLAM.  Lots of CLAM Shells at a CLAM Bake.

41. Lid maladies: STYES.  This has become a crossword staple.

45. __ best: SUNDAY.  Do people really dress up for Sunday church anymore?  I was at a funeral recently and was shocked to see people dressed in such casual wear.  They looked like they just came in from the forest after chopping wood.

47. What many dress in during winter: LAYERS.

48. Tricky person: WAG.  //  Not to be confused with 61-Down:  Locks lacking keys = WIG.

51. Looking up: ROSY.

52. Gently towel off: PAT DRY.

53. Author Allende: ISABEL.  Isabel Allende (b. Aug. 2, 1942) is a Chilean writer.  She was related to Salvador Allende (June 26, 1908 ~ Sept. 11, 1973), who was the President of Chile from Nov. 1970 until Sept. 1973, when he was ousted in a coup.

55. Clean __: SLATE.

62. First name in Fighting Irish history: KNUTE.  KNUTE Rockne (né Knute Kenneth Rockne; Mar. 4, 1888 ~ Mar. 31, 1931) was born in Norway, but immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 5 years old.  Although he earned a degree in chemistry, he never worked in that field, and instead became a football coach, ultimately becoming the head coach at Notre Dame.  He was killed in a plane crash at age 43.

63. Vacation home asset: VIEW.

64. Arabian Peninsula resident: OMANI.

65. Go after: SET AT.

66. Board-making aids: SAWS.

67. Sun blocker: SMOG.  Schools were closed in Mexico City recently because of the smog.

Down:

1. A dealer might flip one: CAR.

2. Adored, with "up": ATE.

3. Escape: LAM.

4. New perspectives: FRESH TAKES.

5. Squirt: TWERP.

6. Wheat spikes: EARS.  The EAR is the grain-bearing part of the stem of a cereal plant.  I generally think of an Ear of Corn, but it applies to wheat as well.

7. Critter with three left legs: ANT.  I misread this clue as a Critter with Three Legs Left.  I wondered what type of critter could hop about with three legs.

8. "Doesn't do it for me": MEH!

9. "We have enough details, thanks": SPARE US!  This seems rather rude.

10. Buds: PALS.  Buds as in friends, not flower buds.

11. High-altitude pack animal: LLAMA. (From C.C.: . Guess who this beautiful lady is?)

12. Prepared with a cue: AIMED.  I initially tried Aided, because I was thinking the "cue" referred to a stage assist, as in a play, not a pool cue.

13. Low-risk investment: T-NOTE.  As in a Treasury Note.

15. Affect adversely: IMPAIR.

19. Mixologist's tools: BAR SET.

20. Expressionist painter Nolde: EMIL.  Emil Nolde (né Emil Hansen; Aug. 7, 1867 ~ Apr. 13, 1956) makes occasional guest appearances in the crossword puzzles ~ enough so that I recognize his name, if not his work.

23. Slovene neighbor: CROAT.

24. Pert: SAUCY.

25. Ingot valuation factor: PURITY.

26. Parasite: LEECH.

28. Places for some rats: GYMS.

29. Ted Williams' field: FENWAY.  Ted Williams (né Theodore Samuel Williams; Aug. 30, 1918 ~ July 5, 2002), had a long baseball career with the Boston Red Sox. When I lived in Boston, I lived about 2 blocks away from Fenway Park.

The Green Monster at Fenway Park.

30. Large animals whose taxonomic order is obsolete: PACHYDERMS.  Why is the term Pachyderms now obsolete?  Who knew?

32. Brit's bonnets, in the States: HOODS.  Bonnet sound so much nicer than Hood.

34. Downer?: BLUER.

35. David who voiced George Steinbrenner on "Seinfeld": LARRY.  Larry David (né Lawrence Gene David; b. July 2, 1947), was the co-creator, along with Jerry Seinfeld, of the sit-com Seinfeld.  He also created and starred in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

36. Mobile lifesavers: EMTs.  As in Emergency Medical Technicians.

39. Peace in the Middle East?: SALAAM.  The Arabic word for Peace.  I initially tried Shalom, which is the Hebrew word for Peace.

42. Can't-miss wager: SURE BET.

44. Bit of needlework: TATTOO.  Why?  Just Why?

46. Tulane's home, informally: NOLA.  Tulane University is in New Orleans, Louisiana.  NOLA has become a crossword staple.

48. Burning needs?: WICKS.

49. In unison: AS ONE.

50. Full range: GAMUT.

52. Pickup attachments: PLOWS.

54. Pre-release stage: BETA.

55. All-in-one dinner: STEW.

57. Rite Aid rival: CVS.  Both are drug stories.

58. Optima, for one: KIA.

59. Big name in pickups: RAM.  Big wheels, too.

60. Palindromic peace activist: ONO.  A new clue for our crossword friend, Yoko ONO (b. Feb. 18, 1933).

Here's the Grid:

I will leave you with a QOD:  Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick (May 24, 1878 ~ Oct. 5, 1969)