Tuesday, January 7, 2025 Gary Cee

  Theme:  PICK UP LINES.

Today's crossword puzzle by Gary Cee reminds us about some things we can pick up.  Those things are the second word in each of the answers to the clues marked with asterisks.  They have nothing to do with the cheesy pick up line illustrated above!  

The big reveal is right in the center of the puzzle:

37-Across. With 39-Across, "Move faster!," or what one can do with the end of the answer to each starred clue: PICK.  Together, 37- and 39-Across spell out PICK IT UP.  Let's see how this applies to the "starred" clues -- the ones marked with asterisks.

17-Across. *Teen magazine launched in 1965: TIGER BEAT.  Tiger Beat was an American teen fan magazine marketed primarily to adolescent girls. The magazine had a paper edition until December 2018, and afterward was published exclusively online until 2021.  And of course, you can PICK UP the BEAT, which means to start playing or moving in rhythm with the music, and perhaps to speed up a bit.

25-Across. *Nail-biting moment: CLOSE CALL.  A close call is a narrow escape from danger or disaster.  Some folks bite their nails at such tense moments!  And of course, you can PICK UP a CALL, or let it go to voicemail.

55-Across. *British tabloid: DAILY MAIL.  The Daily Mail is a British daily tabloid newspaper published in London. It was founded in 1896. As of 2020, it has the highest circulation of paid newspapers in the UK.  And of course, you can PICK UP the MAIL.

64-Across. *Notation for a fretted instrument: GUITAR TAB.  Tablature (or tab for short) is a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering or the location of the played notes rather than musical pitches.

Tablature is common for fretted stringed instruments such as the guitar or lute. It was common during the Renaissance and Baroque eras, and is used today in notating many forms of music.  And of course, you can PICK UP the TAB -- pay for something, especially for what someone else has bought or used.

Time for me to PICK UP the pace.  Onward!

Across:

1. New puppy's need: NAME.

5. Photo app option: CROP.  I use phone and PC apps to CROP my photos. You?

9. Smidgen: SKOSH.  Some people say:  Just a SKOSH of cream in my coffee!  Merriam-Webster says:  The word skosh comes from the Japanese word sukoshi, which is pronounced "skoh shee" and means "a tiny bit" or "a small amount." The Japanese word was shortened by U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan after World War II. 

14. Spoken, not written: ORAL.

15. Atmospheric glow: AURA.  

Amazing aura around this person!

16. Pool divisions: LANES.  C.C. has shared some impressive swimming with us.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Free of profanity: CLEAN.

20. Film festival city on the French Riviera: CANNES. 

Festival de Cannes

21. Covert org.: CIA.  This organization is the Central Intelligence Agency.

23. Tail off: EBB.  Recede, lessen, reduce, tail off ...

24. Basketball giant Shaquille: O'NEAL.  Shaquille O'Neal, known commonly as Shaq, is a former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. He is a 7-foot-1-inch and 325-pound center who played for six teams over his 19-year career in the NBA and is a four-time NBA champion. Even I knew the gist of that.

Shaq

25. [Theme clue]

28. Toronto's prov.: ONT.  Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario.  An abbreviation in the clue hints at an abbreviation in the answer.

Is it really so pretty, CanadianEh?

29. Clarinet kin: OBOE.

31. Yiddish put-down: SCHLUB.  That poor SCHLUB just doesn't get it!  No one asked for a put-down!  Today's puzzle is about pick-ups!

32. Gal: LASS.  Conjures up a young woman of Sweden, Norway, or Scotland.  

34. Expenditure: COST.

36. Really gets to: RILES.

37. [Theme reveal]

39. [Theme reveal]

41. Lawful: LICIT.  LICIT means not forbidden, or lawful.  Somehow I hear "illicit" more often!  

44. "The Sweetest Taboo" singer: SADE.  Popular singer of crossword puzzles.

46. Quarrel: SPAT.  A brief, petty argument.

50. Orange shape: SPHERE.  A sphere is a round solid figure, or its surface, with every point on its surface equidistant from its center.  An orange is not a perfect sphere, but it's certainly glorular.

52. "Give me a __?": HAND.  Some of our solvers hate conversational prompts as clues.

54. "Now __ seen it all!": I'VE.

55. [Theme clue]

57. Estate measures: ACRES.

59. Pat gently: DAB.

60. No longer hush-hush: OUT.  Google's AI Overview explains, "Out" means something is openly revealed or not kept secret, while "hush hush" means something is kept secret or confidential, not to be discussed openly; essentially, "out" is the opposite of "hush hush."

61. E.B. White's "__ Little": STUART.  A wonderful book for children, by the author of Charlotte's Web.

Stuart Little

62. Like male lions: MANED.

64. [Theme clue]

66. Liquid measure, in Britain: LITRE.  In the U.S., we spell it "liter," and we only use it to measure large amounts of soda pop.

67. Overturn: UNDO.

68. Sonic the Hedgehog creator: SEGA.  It helps to have had teenagers at a certain point in history.

69. Navy prisons: BRIGS.  The brig on the Starship Enterprise looked OK.

Picard!  Who do you have in the brig?

70. Scratchy tone: RASP.

71. Paradise: EDEN.

Down:

1. "That's just wrong": NOT COOL.

2. Media magnate Huffington: ARIANNA.  Arianna Huffington is a Greek American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman. She is a co-founder of The Huffington Post, the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of fifteen books. She has been named to Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list.

Arianna Huffington

3. Shopping list holders: MAGNETS.  My refrigerator door is not magnetic; my magnet collection went to waste.

4. Supreme Court justice Kagan: ELENA.  Elena Kagan is an American lawyer who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and is the fourth woman to serve on the Court.

Elena Kagan

5. Autos with meters: CABS.  If you've ridden in a taxi cab, you know there's a meter showing the increasing cost of the journey as you go along.

6. Feel sorrow over: RUE.  Regret, feel remorse ... we've all been there, on the way to doing better!

7. Fortunetellers: ORACLES.

8. Place for a firepit: PATIO.

9. Utah's capital, briefly: SLC.  Salt Lake City.

10. Crispy, nutritious snack: KALE CHIPS.  I'd like to make baked kale chips, but I'm convinced it will take more water, electricity, and personal energy, than will be gained from the consuming thereof!

11. Solid yellow on a pool table: ONE BALL.

12. Aquamarine: SEA BLUE.  Also a gem of that color.

13. QVC alternative: HSN.  QVC (Quality Value Convenience) and HSN (Home Shopping Network) were pioneers of modern consumer retail in the late 1980s and 1990s. They changed the way people shopped by introducing the concept of televised home shopping,

18. Move to a new house, informally: RELO.  American English short for "relocate."

22. Burro: ASS.

25. Hash slingers: COOKS.

26. Very light brown: ECRU.

27. Nt. wt. units: LBS.  Net weight units: pounds.  Abbreviations call for abbreviations.

30. Secretly include on an email: BCC.  BCC stands for "blind carbon copy" and is a feature in email that allows the sender to send a copy of an email to additional recipients without the other recipients being aware.

33. Steven who said, "When I grow up, I still want to be a director": SPIELBERG.  He started making films at age 12, and was bound and determined to continue.

Steven Spielberg

35. __ pool: TIDAL.

38. Coy response to "You're awesome!": I TRY.

40. First number in most countdowns: TEN.

41. Mind-altering drug: LSD.   Lysergic acid diethylamide.  Growing up in the 1960s, I kind of hoped that taking LSD, shacking up in Haight-Ashbury, and free love at outdoor festivals, would not be required in my young adulthood.

42. Lightweight Apple tablet: IPAD AIR.

43. Wine served at a trattoria: CHIANTI.  At a small Italian restaurant, you may order an Italian red wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany.  

45. Steak option at a seafood house: AHI TUNA.  Ahi tuna is often called "steak" because when cut into thick slices from the loin of the fish, it resembles a beef steak in its appearance, texture, and ability to be cooked to different doneness levels, from rare to well done, just like a steak.  Tuna are big fish.

47. Illegally downloaded: PIRATED.  I remember when we told the kids to get Napster off their computers.  No stolen music in the house!  

48. Commonplace: AVERAGE.

49. Nuclear treaty topic: TEST BAN.

51. Angsty rock genre: EMO.  If you're new here, welcome to the most popular rock genre in LA Times crossword puzzles.

53. Analytics input: DATA.

56. Foretell: AUGUR.  This clue augurs well for a good finish today.

58. Put a whammy on: CURSE.  “Put the whammy on” means to cause someone to have bad luck or to jinx them.  Did someone put the whammy on our dear RosE?  We all wish her complete healing.

Flowers for RosE

61. "Enough!": STOP.

62. Org. with Angels and Dodgers: MLB. This organization is Major League Baseball.  I didn't even have to look it up before bolding typing it out.

63. __ Moines, Iowa: DES.  DH has family there!  And it's freezing!  

65. TSA checkpoint needs: IDs.  When you go through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, you need to show IDentification.

Here's the grid:

How did you do with today's theme? 

Did you PICK IT UP quickly?

Or did you miss a BEAT?

-- NaomiZ

Monday May 15, 2023 Gary Cee

  

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here. Constructor Gary Cee has given us an uplifting puzzle. Here is a link to a 2011 interview with Gary Cee posted by the wonderful C.C. Burnikel.

Today's theme is

Rise & Shine

Let's start with a happy song to put everyone in a good mood.

We have 4 themed clues:

17 Across. Cold War political symbol: IRON CURTAIN.

Winston Churchill's 1946 speech at Westminster College in Fulton, MO is said to have made IRON CURTAIN a household phrase. Alexander Campbell had previously used the phrase metaphorically in his 1945 book, It's Your Empire.  

Countries behind the IRON CURTAIN are shaded red.  more info

23 Across. Project announced as a test of public opinion: TRIAL BALLOON.

This is when a company or politician puts out feelers for how the public might respond to a new product, policy, idea, candidate, etc. We see these often as visual metaphors in political cartoons. The No Politics policy here on the Corner means you will have to Google your own examples.

48. Maryland-based daily paper: BALTIMORE SUN.  Hi Waseeley!

This newspaper was founded in 1837 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing.

59. Alabama team: CRIMSON TIDE.

Univ. of Alabama lore credits the team name to a 1907 football game. Birmingham's iron-rich soil turned Alabama's white jerseys red. A sportswriter wrote that the team played like "a CRIMSON TIDE." UA website

The reveal is perfectly centered in the grid:

38 Across. "On your feet!" courtroom command, and a hint to the ends of the answers to 17-, 23-, 48-, and 59-Across: ALL RISE.

CURTAIN, BALLOON, SUN, TIDE. ALL these things RISE.  

Next, I will attempt to RISE to the challenge of explaining the remaining clues.

Across:

1. Golden Globe, e.g.: AWARD.

6. Resounding success: SMASH.  This word has a lot of different uses -- some positive and some definitely not positive. In the entertainment world, it is used colloquially to mean something very successful.  Example:  Ke Huy Quan won a Golden Globe AWARD for his performance in the SMASH hit, Everything Everywhere All at Once.

11. Stubborn animal: ASS.  An ASS is what we consider a donkey, except that it is wild. Is it really fair to call a wild animal "stubborn" because it does not want to do what you want it to do?

average lifespan = 27-40 yrs.

14. Nissan crossover SUV: ROGUE.  This is a 5-passenger, mid-size AWD crossover vehicle first introduced for 2008.

15. Yellow parts of eggs: YOLKS.  Imagine if roosters laid eggs. There would be so many new dad YOLKS to crack you up.

16. Like carpaccio: RAW.  One of the biggest differences between beef carpaccio and tartare is that carpaccio is made from thinly sliced beef tenderloin while tartare is made from meat that has been minced.  

This tuna CARPACCIO has capers, limes, and red onions.

19. __-friendly: green: ECO.

20. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG.  Last Monday he was clued with Sense and Sensibility.

21. Aunt Bee's charge, in a classic sitcom: OPIE.  

OPIE decides to keep Aunt Bee (1:28 min.)

22. Newbie: TYRO.  ESP.

From Merriam Webster:  The word tyro is hardly a newcomer to Western language. It comes from the Latin tiro, which means "young soldier," "new recruit," or more generally, "novice." The word was sometimes spelled tyro as early as Medieval Latin, and can be spelled tyro or tiro in English (though tyro is the more common American spelling).

27. Harvest-ready: RIPE.

Nothing beats home-grown tomatoes!

30. Low-tech calculator: ABACUS.  

31. Smudge: SMEAR.  or  35 Down. Pat gently: DAB.

33. Satisfied paparazzi, maybe: POSED.  "Satisfied" is a verb here. Now I get it!

37. Self-mover's rental: VAN.

40. Singer Yoko: ONO.

41. Rank below cpl.: PFC.  An Army Corporal is an E-4 paygrade; whereas a Private First Class is an E-3. In case you were wondering, The Colonel is KFC.

42. Tusked hogs: BOARS.

43. Speaker Emerita Pelosi: NANCY.

45. Gift box trimming: RIBBON.  

cat presents

47. Butterfly catchers: NETS.

53. In __ of: LIEU.  

54. British peer: EARL.  Peerage is the body of peers or titled nobility in Britain. The five ranks of British nobility, in descending order, are duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. Until 1999, peers were entitled to sit in the House of Lords and exempted from jury duty. Titles may be hereditary or granted for life.

55. Bit of back talk: LIP.  #teenagers

58. Rather strange: ODD.  ODDs are even strange people find others ODD.

63. Forensic drama franchise: CSI.

64. Physics Nobelist Marie: CURIE.  Marie Curie,  née Maria Sklodowska, was born in Warsaaw on November 7, 1867.  Nobel Prize website

65. Airplane walkway: AISLE.  and  67 Down. Airplane assignments: SEATS.

66. Daughter's brother: SON.  

Try not to overthink it.

68. Drive off: REPEL.  Were you thinking golf balls ... cars ... cattle ... nails ... a fundraiser???

Bonus:  You can cook with them, too!  (the plants--not the mosquitos)

Down:
1. Opera highlight: ARIA.  Here is a very well-known ARIA:

The Magic Flute – Queen of the Night (3 min.)

Mozart; Diana Damrau, The Royal Opera

2. Threadbare: WORN.

3. On tenterhooks: AGOG.  

4. "Let's get out of here!": RUN.  I cannot verify if this is true, but I saw one website that said "Let's get out of here" is the 2nd most often used stock phrase in movies, after "I love you." This is a 2:35 min. montage of "Let's get out of here" clips. They go fast. See how many movies you recognize.

5. Architectural Digest subject: DECOR.  

May 2023 issue

6. Damascus location: SYRIA.  

7. Road trip stopover: MOTEL.  

Don't stop at this one!

8. __ carte menu: À LA.   (of a menu or restaurant) listing or serving food that can be ordered as separate items, rather than part of a set meal.

9. Hit the slopes: SKI.

10. QVC alternative: HSN.  Both are TV shopping channels.

11. "May I speak now?": ARE YOU DONE.  Putting the reveal in the center of the grid enabled Gary Cee to give us four 10-letter, vertical fills. I especially appreciate that work in a Monday puzzle!  (See also 12D, 28D, and 29D.)

12. Immune from criticism: SACROSANCT.  

(Adj.) regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with.

13. Require smelling salts: SWOON.  

Lauren Bacall shows us how it's done.

18. Wire service co.: UPI.  United Press International

22. Doting affection, briefly: TLC.  Tender Loving Care

23. English breakfast, for one: TEA.  At first I fell for the diversion and could not see how one cup of tea could stand in for a full English breakfast. Then I remembered that English Breakfast is a black TEA blend.

BTW, my favourite part of an English breakfast is the tomato.  DH cooks a tomato for me when he makes his eggs.

24. Foundation: BASIS.  Here's one Ray-O style:

Players at 1st, 2nd, & 3rd .... BASIS loaded

Happy birthday, Ray-O-Sunshine!! 🎂

25. Five-spots: ABES.  Does anyone call these "Abes"??? 

26. Carrying freight: LADEN.  LADEN was the MW Word of the Day last Wednesday. Does anyone else get their daily emails?

27. Invitation letters: RSVP.  

28. "Regrettably, yes": I'M AFRAID SO.

29. Tentatively on the schedule: PENCILED IN.  

32. Bar mitzvah official: RABBI.

33. Dallas suburb: PLANO.  From the (assumedly non-biased) PLANO Chamber of Commerce:

What started as a small, quiet farming community. Plano has transformed into a city known across the country for our smart people, amazing quality of life, and strong job market. Plano is home to roughly 284,579 residents, several Fortune 1000 companies, and more than 10,000 businesses.

34. Bobby of the Bruins: ORR.  A hockey player familiar to XWD solvers.

36. Word with Beach, Beastie, and Backstreet, in band names: BOYS.  Good Monday clue!

The Beach BOYS sing Good Vibrations on The Ed Sullivan Show (1968).

composed by Brian Wilson; lyrics by Mike Love; iconic "California sound"

39. Weaver's device: LOOM.

44. Journalist Curry: ANN.  Ms. Curry was born 19 Nov. 1956 in Guam. No relation to 64A.

46. AC power unit: BTU.  A British thermal unit is a measure of the heat content of fuels or energy sources. It is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of liquid water by 1 degree Fahrenheit at the temperature that water has its greatest density (approximately 39 degrees Fahrenheit).

48. Allied groups: BLOCS.

49. Send payment: REMIT.

50. Simplifies: EASES.

51. "We're full" B'way sign: SRO.  "B'way" is short for "Broadway" and "SRO" is short for "Standing Room Only".

52. Like the "funny bone" nerve: ULNAR.  

today's anatomy lesson

55. Invisalign side effect, perhaps: LISP.  an alternative to metal braces

56. At a standstill: IDLE.

57. Banana throwaway: PEEL.  What happened to the banana who got a sunburn?  He PEELed.

59. Keeps in the email loop: CCS.

60. Regret: RUE.

61. Golden yrs. fund: IRA.

62. Cravat or ascot: TIE.  

Here is the grid:

I'll see you next week, 

Tuesday, August 16, 2022 Gary Cee

Words within words.  This was a very clever theme, but I am not clever enough to come up with a good title, so here's your challenge:  Name this Puzzle!  And the winner is TTP for is entry of:

Indifferently Different

17-Across. Playful but egocentric?: SELFISHLY ELFISH.

27-Across. Hopeful but insubstantial?: MEAGERLY EAGER.

44-Across. Terrible but legal?: LAWFULLY AWFUL.

58-Across. Impolite but uptight?: PRUDISHLY RUDISH.

Across:

1. Barton who wrote "A Story of the Red Cross": CLARA.  Clara Barton (née Clarissa Harlowe Barton; Dec. 25, 1821 ~ Apr. 12, 1912) led a remarkable life.  [Name # 1.]

6. TMI part, briefly: INFO.  Textspeak for Too Much Info.

10. Tibetan priest: LAMA.  As Ogden Nash has informed us: 

        The one-l lama,

        He's a priest.

        The two-l llama,

        He's a beast.

        And I'll bet

        A silk pajama

        There isn't any

        Three-l lllama.

14. Refueling ship: OILER.

15. Juice extractor extraction: PULP.

16. Actor Bana: ERIC.  Eric Bana (né Eric Banadinović; b. Aug. 9, 1968) just celebrated his 54th birthday.  [Name # 2.]

20. Egyptian boy king: TUT.  The tomb of King Tut (né Tutankhamun) was discovered 100 years ago.  [Name # 3.]

21. "hehe": LOL.  More textspeak.  Laughing Out Loud.

22. Jot down: NOTATE.

23. Blue cheese from England: STILTON.  Everything you wanted to know about Stilton Cheese, but didn't know to ask.

26. Diagnostic test for epilepsy, for short: EEG.  As in the ElectroEncephaloGraphy.  Everything you wanted to know about the EEG but didn't know to ask.

33. Words in the title of some tribute poems: ODE TO.

35. "__ your head!": "Think!": USE.  //  Change one vowel, and you get 57-Across. Can. neighbor: USA.  

36. Start all over: REDO.

37. Horseback game with a namesake shirt: POLO.

38. Like pet birds, typically: CAGED.

40. __ Millions lottery: MEGA.

41. Starting on: AS OF.

42. Heavenly sphere: ORB.

Celestial Spheres

43. Cheat: COZEN.  Definitely not a Tuesday word.

48. Mucky stuff: GOO.  //  And 62-Across. Exude, as confidence: OOZE.

49. Spot for a pingpong table: REC ROOM.

52. Pampers all the time: SPOILS.

56. Links org.: PGA.  As in the Professional Golfers Association.

63. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL.  Amal Clooney (née Amal Alamuddin; b. Feb. 3, 1978) married George Clooney in 2014.  She was born in Beirut, Lebanon.  Her speciality is international law and human rights.  [Name # 4.]

64. Jeff's wife on "Curb Your Enthusiasm": SUSIE.  Susie Essman (née Susan Essman; b. May 31, 1955)  plays Susie Greene on Curb Your Enthusiasm.   [Name # 5.] 

65. "Terrible" time for tots (and their parents): TWOS.

66. Solitary: LONE.

67. Joyful shout: CHEER.

Down:

1. Is priced at: COSTS.

2. Fire dept. rank: LIEUT.  As in Lieutenant.  The fire pole is a traditional feature in the fire station, but it also presents a safety risk to the firemen.

3. Coldest temperature on record, e.g.: ALL TIME LOW.  What is the coldest recorded temperature in your state?

4. NWSL official: REF.  Hand up if you knew that NWSL stood for National Women's Soccer League.  Referees are needed for the soccer games.

5. Melber of MSNBC: ARI.  Ari Melber (né Ari Naftali Melber; b. Mar. 31, 1980) hosts The Beat with Ari Melber, which airs on MSNBC.  [Name # 6.]  

6. Apple device featuring Siri: iPHONE.

7. __ and void: NULL.

8. Travel by air: FLY.  Flying is not fun anymore.

9. Carefully attentive: OPEN-EYED.

10. Skipped town: LEFT.

11. Opera solo: ARIA.  My favorite aria from Carmen.

12. Fine spray: MIST.

13. Dull pain: ACHE.

18. Uphill climb: SLOG.

19. Stadium section: LOGE.

Loge in the Budapest Opera House

24. Release, as steam: LET OFF.

25. Chinese philosophical principle: TAO.

26. "What __ is new?": ELSE.

28. Sport with scrums: RUGBY.  The perps gave me enough letters to let me guess Rugby.  I know nothing about this game.  Apparently scrums is short for scrummage.

29. Under __: sports apparel brand: ARMOUR.  I am not familiar with this sportswear, but I have seen the logo.

30. "Heavens to Betsy!": GEEZ, LOUISE!  Also the name of a clothing boutique in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

31. Advantage: EDGE.

32. Speckled horse: ROAN.  What exactly is a Roan horse?

33. Hot springs gemstone: OPAL.  How opals are formed.  Australia is a huge source of opals.  Hi, Kazie!

34. Lentil pancake in Indian cuisine: DOSA.  You, too, can learn how to make Dosa.

38. Mammoth: COLOSSAL.  The Colossal of Rhodes was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

39. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO.  Arlo Davy Guthrie (b. July 10, 1947) is the son of folk singer Woody Guthrie.  Arlo is probably best known for Alice's Restaurant, but he also sang The City of New Orleans.  [Name # 7.]

43. Ozone-depleting chemical, for short: CFC.  Short for ChloroFloroCarbons.

45. Aptly named hybrid fruit: UGLI.  The Ugli is a hybrid of a tangerine or orange and a grapefruit.  

46. Diamond-shaped pattern: ARGYLE.  Also a reference to our dear Santa.

47. Have on: WEAR.

50. Davis of "Do the Right Thing": OSSIE.  Ossie Davis (né Raiford Chatman Davis; Dec. 18, 1917 ~ Feb. 4, 2005) was an actor and a civil rights activist.  He was also married to actress Ruby Dee.  I saw Do the Right Thing when I was living in France.  It didn't translate well.  [Name # 8.]

51. HBO's "Real Time With Bill __": MAHER.  Bill Maher (b. Jan. 20, 1956) is a comedian and political commentator, known for his satire.  [Name # 9.]

52. Catch sight of: SPOT.

53. Ship's front: PROW.

54. Liqueur with a licorice taste: OUZO.  Everything you wanted to know about Ouzo, but didn't know to ask.

55. Mid-month day: IDES.  Beware the Ides of March.

56. Course of action: PLAN.

59. Managed care gp.: HMO.  As in a Health Maintenance Organization.

60. The Trojans of the NCAA: USC.  As in the University of Southern California.

61. "I think we all know that!": DUH.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Sandwich, Massachusetts is the oldest town on Cape Cod.
The law enforcement officers there are the Sandwich Police.

Notes from C.C.:

Happy birthday to Joseph (MM), who has been wittily guiding us on Thursdays. Here's a picture of him in Chiang Rai. He said "On that trip we spent time in Langkawi, Penang, Bangkok, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Singapore."

 

Chiang Rai, 2017