google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Jeffrey Wechsler

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Showing posts with label Jeffrey Wechsler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeffrey Wechsler. Show all posts

Apr 14, 2019

Sunday April 14, 2019 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "I Candy"- A is replaced by AI in each theme entry, and short A sound becomes long A sound.

23A. Ryder Cup two-man team?: PAIR FOR THE COURSE. Par for the course.

34A. Locally organized event with rides and games?: FAIR FROM HOME. Far from home.
 
66A. Signpost signaling farmland?: PLAINS AHEAD. Plans ahead.

93A. Source of Capitol Hill water?: CONGRESS MAIN. Congressman.

112A. Overworked employee at a desert diner?: HOT RUNNING WAITER. Hot running water.
 
16D. Periodical for some Downton Abbey employees?: MAID MAGAZINE. Mad magazine.

59D. Only bucket you'll ever need?: LIFELONG PAIL. Lifelong pal.

D-Otto caught the extra short A to long A sound change. He said "Pair" sounds like "Payer". But to me and Agnes, "Pair" just sounds like "Pare".

The great Jeffrey confirmed D-Otto's observations. It is common practice for clues and titles of puzzles to be edited. Because Jeffrey thought the given title might not have touched on the full extent of his theme (suggesting only the addition of an "I"), he offered the comment placed at the end of the review.


Jeffrey is an expert in letter addition/removal/substitution themes. There's always something extra in his theme, extra layer. Or long strings of letter gimmick others would not even imagine.

The grid design is also very Jeffrey. Stacks of 8's and 7's on tops rather than our standard 4's and 5's.

Across:

1. Stationery item with printed margin lines: LEGAL PAD.

9. Arrive with a flourish: SWEEP IN.

16. Artistic dynasty: MING. Vases! Tang Dynasty is more artistic. Golden age in Chinese civilization. Greatest period of poetry, painting, woodblock printing, etc.  Its capital was in Xi'an.

20. Haydn's "The Creation," for one: ORATORIO.

21. Casual beer order: TALL ONE.

22. Suzette's gal pal: AMIE.

25. Othello deceiver: IAGO.

26. MLB info: STATS.

27. Virus' protein shell: CAPSID. Learning moment for me. Looks like teeth.

28. Moved with effort: TRUDGED.

30. Bunk array: COTS.

31. Cinque e uno: SEI.

33. Gooey treat: S'MORE.

41. Photogenic expanse: VISTA.

44. Copied, old-style: DITTOED.


45. Wilder's "__ Town": OUR.

46. Occultist symbol: PENTAGRAM. Five-pointed star.


50. Lazy ones: IDLERS. And 51. Little ones: TOTS.

52. Look too closely?: OGLE.

53. Rhyme scheme in Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening": AABA.

54. Boop frame: CEL.

55. Blunt, as reality: STARK. Not HARSH.

57. Zagreb native: CROAT.

58. Biblical mount: ZION.

59. Cad: LOUSE.

60. Pass: ENACT.

62. Don of talk radio: IMUS.

63. Choir group: ALTI.

70. Evening, in ads: NITE.

71. Kale unit: LEAF.

72. Memorial __ Kettering: NYC hospital: SLOAN.

73. Less than right?: ACUTE. Nailed it.

75. Unthreatening: TAME.

76. Sewing cases: ETUIS.

78. Brush brand: ORAL-B.

79. Rock bass supplier?: AMP.

82. "The __ that men do lives after them": Antony: EVIL.

83. Wang of fashion: VERA. Wang means "king" in Chinese. #1 surname in China. Simple to write. See?


84. Some beer orders, initially: PBRS.

86. Immature insects: LARVAE.

88. Moved: RELOCATED.

90. Okinawa okay: HAI. Same in Cantonese.

91. "Just watch me!": HERE I GO. Sparkly fill.

92. More clement: NICER.

95. Europe's longest river: VOLGA.

98. Vulcano of "Impractical Jokers": SAL. No idea. But I like the new clue angle.


100. Stare open-mouthed: GAWP.

101. Frozen treats: ICE POPS.

104. City near Mount Rainier: YAKIMA.

106. Exemplar of corporate malfeasance: ENRON.

111. Medical lab liquids: SERA.

116. Wells people: ELOI. "The Time Machine".

117. Words of desperation, perhaps: I NEED IT.

118. Metaphorical scrutiny, in modern lingo: DEEP DIVEThorough analysis.

119. Nursery staple: SOIL. Still lots of snow in our yard.

120. Charge for using: LEASE TO.

121. Took stock of: ASSESSED.

Down:

1. Cut: LOP.

2. Times to remember: ERAS.

3. Track pace: GAIT.

4. Big name in razors: ATRA.

5. Hit in the 7-Down: LOFT. 7. See 5-Down: AIR.

6. They know the ropes: PROS.

8. Many a late '90s startup: DOTCOM.

9. Leaves the office for a bit: STEPS OUT. VA Radiation Department has a "No Smoking in This Area" sign outside the entrance. Alas, you could still find someone smoking there before or after their session.

10. WWII females: WACS.

11. Plaza Hotel imp: ELOISE.

12. Get away from: ELUDE.


13. __ favor: POR.

14. Part of MIT: Abbr.: INST.

15. At no time, poetically: NEER.

17. Mature insect: IMAGO.

18. Neighbor of Chad: NIGER.

19. Crystal-bearing rock: GEODE.

24. One holding a derby?: HAT HOOK. Great clue/fill.

29. Open org.: USTA.

30. Fish-and-chips fish: COD. Boomer now eats fish every Friday and goes to church every Sunday. He's a good Catholic now, after lapsing for many many years.

32. "No need to shout": I'VE GOT EARS. Not a phrase I use. I'll answer this to Boomer next time.

34. Banking org. since 1933: FDIC.

35. One might run an errand: AIDE.

36. "__ take a while": IT'LL.

37. GPS datum: RTE.

38. "Too little payment __ great a debt": Shak.: FOR SO.

39. Relax between games: REST UP.

40. Union title?: MRS.

42. Visiting the Griffith Observatory, say: IN LA.

43. Editor's mark: STET.

46. Place for a rocker: PORCH.

47. Spider-Man films director: RAIMI (Sam). I thought he was married to Kate Winslet before. Nope. It's Sam Mendes, who directed the "Skyfall" and "Spectre".


48. In the area of: ABOUT.

49. Cleric's residence: MANSE.

51. They work on books: TREASURERS.

56. How to talk to the hand?: Abbr.: ASL.

57. "The Godfather" actor: CAAN (James). Hotheaded Sonny Corleone

60. Genesis grandson: ENOS.

61. Clandestine org.: NSA.

63. Transmogrify, e.g.: ALTER.

64. Get going: LEAVE.

65. Sri Lankan people: TAMIL.

67. Homeric epic: ILIAD.

68. 2010 health law: Abbr.: ACA.

69. Airport serving Washington: DULLES.

74. Ski resort helpers: T BARS.

76. Pre-hurricane emergency op: EVAC.

77. Footballer's tool, in France: TETE.


78. Literally, "folding paper": ORIGAMI.

79. Sports shoe brand: AVIA.

80. Star trek figures?: MAGI. Lovely clue.

81. Low-level laborer: PEON.

84. Saigon soup: PHO. They were inspired by Cantonese rice noodles. No basil latter though. We tend to sprinkle sliced green onion or cilantro on top of noodles.

Vietnamese Pho

Cantonese Beef Noodle

85. Ram: BANG INTO.

87. Sleep stage: REM.

89. "See you later!": CIAO.

91. Old-school "cool": HEP.

93. Artist Monet: CLAUDE.

94. Its capital is Kigali: RWANDA. Thankfully KIGALI is not the answer.

95. Carpentry shop gadgets: VISES.

96. Kitchen sponge brand: OCELO.


97. The king of France?: LE ROI.

99. Old-time actor Lew: AYRES.

102. February forecaster from Punxsutawney: PHIL.

103. Sound measure: SONE.

105. Make woolens, say: KNIT. And 106. They're woolly: EWES.

107. Travel pillow spot: NAPE.

108. Clears (of): RIDS.

109. Redding of blues: OTIS.

110. "Party of Five" actress Campbell: NEVE.

113. In-flight drink option: TEA.

114. Some appliances: GES.

115. Like most of Denmark's flag: RED.

C.C.



Note from Jeffrey:

"I’ve become particularly alert to this type of situation ever since Jeff Chen reviewed a NYT puzzle by me and thought the theme gimmick was rather weak. Upon learning that the theme was a bit more complex than he originally thought (it also involved the consistent pairing of one letter with another added letter), he edited his comments to be much more positive about the theme. My Sunday puzzle’s gimmick is comparable to that of the NYT puzzle, so it is susceptible to precisely the same partial interpretation. Of course, this may seem like (and probably is, to most people) a rather small matter. But we crossword constructors are an unusual bunch, and such niceties are part and parcel of our attempts at creativity" 

Jeffrey and Mike Alpern, ACPT, 3/23/2019


Jan 17, 2019

Thursday, January 15 2019 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Axed - The five theme entries all relate to our tree-felling brethren:

17A. Lumberjack's favorite pirate phrase?: SHIVER ME TIMBERS. Walking the plank springs to mind here too.

22A. Lumberjack's main interest in naval records?: CAPTAIN'S LOG. Did you know that the Enterprise had two captains in the first season of Star Trek - Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Slog? He made the opening announcement in every episode "Captain Slog, Stardate 22117.1 ....."

36A. Lumberjack's way to punch an opponent?: RIGHT IN THE CHOPS.

45A. Lumberjack's preferred ABC News reporter?: DIANE SAWYER

55A. Lumberjack's reaction to an overly hard crossword?: I'M REALLY STUMPED. Happily, I didn't echo the lumberjack today.

Smooth theme today and with a lot of theme squares in the grid. Often that density can lead to a somewhat scrappy fill, but Jeffrey managed to stay away from the clunky stuff for the most part.

Let's take a mosey through the rest:

Across:

1. Fear of spiders, usually: PHOBIA. Arachno. Me. Those little buggers bother me.

7. Google Earth predecessors: ATLASES

14. Aesthetic feature?: SILENT A. This didn't really work for me, I sound the "A", more like "ace-thetic". I'm not sure if that's a British English thing or just me mispronouncing.

16. Hillary supporters: SHERPAS. Sir Edmund Hillary, who jointly made the first ascent to the summit of Everest back in 1953 with Sherpa Tenzing.

19. Theater award: TONY. The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre. Note the spelling of the last word! I go to the movie theater, but to the theatre to see a stage show.



20. Actor Holm: IAN. A good excuse to play the theme from "Chariots of Fire", Ian Holm took the role of athletics coach Sam Mussabini in the movie.

21. Slender Olive: OYL

27. Eero Saarinen's father: ELIEL. Crosses all the way! He was an architect too, I discover.

30. Many Sinatra recordings: LPS

31. Pipe shape: ELL

32. Quick cuts: TRIMS

33. Gig gear: AMPS

35. "__ pinch of ... ": recipe words: ADD A

39. Reverberate: ECHO

40. Baltic capital: RIGA

41. Store __: HOURS

42. Small matter: NIT. Very few in the crossword today.

43. Toon crime-fighter __ Possible: KIM. I didn't know this, but it was a fun guess that made me grin.

44. Check phrase: PAY TO

49. Civil War soldier: REB

50. __ of the woods: mushroom type: HEN. Such an odd name. Funniest-looking hen I've ever seen:


51. Athlete who wrote a history of African-American athletes: ASHE. Tennis legend Arthur.

60. Track foundation: ROAD BED. Usually ballast. They call it a track bed in the UK because, well, it's the bed for the track. Odd folk, those Brits.


61. French's product: MUSTARD. Where would we be without French's mustard on a hot dog? I do use Coleman's English Mustard for dipping asian foods like dim sum though - it's got a nice fiery quality to it.

62. Bottomless pits: ABYSSES

63. Ignore: PASS BY

Down:

1. Sideways whisper: PSST!

2. Crackers once sold in a red box: HI-HO. I tried HO-HO for absolutely no good reason and was happy until SOLENTA looked odd.

3. Actress Lena: OLIN. She crops up in the crosswords quite frequently. Swedish actress. She probably makes the "Shortz List" of a celebrity who appears more often in the crossword than in the regular paper. ERLE Stanley Gardner leads the list.

4. Quail group: BEVY

5. Having four sharps: IN E

6. Pertaining to a heart chamber: ATRIAL

7. PEI setting: AST. Prince Edward Island up there on Atlantic Standard Time.

8. Meteorologist's scale: Abbr.: THI. This one I had to look up once I'd solved the puzzle. Temperature-Humidity Index. Seems a tad obscure.

9. Veal piccata chef's needs: LEMONS. I wanted CAPERS so badly that it took me ages to see this one.


10. Contrary to popular belief, its name is not derived from its trademark sandwich: ARBY'S. The popular belief is that "RB's" is from "Roast Beef". It actually comes from Leroy and Forrest Raffel, the founders - the Raffel Brothers.

11. Described in detail: SPELLED OUT

12. "For all in vain comes counsel to his __": Shak.: EAR. The Duke of York, advising John of Gaunt to keep his breath for staying alive, rather than giving advice which will be dutifully ignored by Richard II,

13. Old draft org.: SSS. Selective Service System. The website is still up and running though, seems odd.

15. Jane Hamilton's "__ of the World": A MAP

18. Med. specialist: E.N.T.

22. "__ la vie!": C'EST

23. A, as in Athens: ALPHA

24. __ dixit: unproven claim: IPSE

25. One who knows the ropes: OLD PRO

26. Tumbler, e.g.: GLASS

27. 13th-century Norwegian king: ERIC II

28. Sensor that detects objects using closely spaced beams: LIGHT ARRAY. This was tough to parse - I had RAY in place and tried to find some kind of ray to fit.

29. Texter's modest intro: IMHO

32. How things are going: TREND

33. Jungian concept: ANIMA

34. Corp. get-together: MTG.

35. Mate's greeting: AHOY! Lots of nautical timber-shivering and hailing going on today.

37. Bearded flower: IRIS

38. Burn a bit: CHAR

43. Food on sticks: KEBABS. Food! Also kabobs, kebobs and any variation between. The Kebab Machine was a chain of fast-food places in London (a couple still exist) which were open late at night to catch the pub crowd turning out after 11PM closing. The doner kebab in a pita bread with shredded cabbage and hot sauce was a favorite. I woke up with one stuck to my face once, but that's a story for another day.


44. Repressed: PENT UP

46. Cries out for: NEEDS

47. "Please explain": WHY? Parental reply: "Because."

48. Cowpoke's polite assent: YES'M

51. Tsp. and oz.: AMTS

52. Places to unwind: SPAS

53. Cilantro, e.g.: HERB

54. Watery swirl: EDDY

55. Nest egg acronym: IRA. Three musicians in close proximity: Herb Alpert, Nelson Eddy and Ira Gershwin.

56. __ rule: MOB

57. Novelist Harper: LEE

58. Mormon initials: LDS. Latter Day Saints.

59. Mex. neighbor: U.S.A.

Picket line duty for me again this morning.

Here's the grid:

Steve



Jan 11, 2019

Friday, January 11, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Y?

Jeffrey gives us a substitution puzzle, where LE is replaced by Y. Which seems like a random concept, until you see the wit that inspired the choice. Each of the fill is a very funny play on words. Once again he uses the expedient of adding a column to create a 15 x 16 grid. The seed entry is likely one of the grid-spanning fill; my guess is  NEEDY IN A HAYSTACK, but that is just a guess. 66 theme squares are a challenge and limit some of the fill, but we still get  ASKED OF, THEATRE, AQUARIAN, COAT TREE, TICKETED and TRAINS IN.

18A. Indigent ones hiding among bales?: NEEDY IN A HAYSTACK (16). You are more likely to have an indigent person hide in your haystack than a needle anyway.

29A. Holders of poor-taste gifts?: TACKY BOXES (10). For all the fisher people a tackle box is needed. I think a bad gift can come in a nice box. 

35A. Result of smashing a piñata during a hurricane?: CANDY IN THE WIND (14). A very amusing image of candy flying everywhere with Elton JOHN in the background.

44A. Script for an absurdist play?: BATTY LINES (10). Battle lines are drawn but hopefully not quartered.

59A. Concept for creating difficult crossword puzzles?: TRICKY DOWN THEORY (16).  Trickle Down Theory of economics is a political hot topic. So no COMMENT.

Across:

1. Old gas station freebie: MAP. It has been a long time since free maps were given out. In fact, there are MANY things no longer at gas stations.

4. One holding all the cards?: WALLET. A wonderfully deceptive clue.

10. "__ run!": GOTTA.

15. Texter's cautioning letters: IMOIMOpinion.

16. Take to the skies: AVIATE. We had this clued last August by Paul Coulter, as Do the Wright thing?

17. "The Phantom of the Opera" setting: PARIS. The Paris Opera (French: Opéra de Paris; French) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra.

21. Like much ordinary history: UNTOLD. Who cares what people ate for lunch on October 10, 1975.

22. Japanese volcano: ASO. Nice to see a fill other than LOA or KEA. Aso volcano has produced more explosive eruptions than any other volcano in the world. Aso is a caldera about 12 miles (20 km) in diameter. The first documented eruption in Japan was at Naka-dake in 553.

23. Long walk: HIKE. To get to the top of the volcano, I guess. Ask JOE.

24. Author Jong: ERICA.



25. Ascended: GONE UP.

28. Stark in "Game of Thrones": NED. Birth name Eddard played brilliantly by Sean Bean, I liked him also in the Frankenstein Chronicles.



31. Must: HAS TO.

33. Presidential nickname: ABE.

34. Type of pitcher: RELIEF. Not to drink from but for baseball.

41. Food industry headgear: TOQUES. We have seen many clues for this chef's hat.

42. Barrel contents: OIL. Sometimes.

43. __ cuisine: HAUTE. From the French for high dinging. For years the French chefs (many of whom wore toques) were considered the world's best and their culinary schools as well. Not so much anymore.

51. PHL stat: ETAEstimated Time of Arrival. Crossword glue.

52. Calls: PHONES. Verb, not noun.

54. Lavender asset: AROMA. Do you like the SMELL?

55. Gillette brand: ATRA.

57. Like Dorothy Parker's humor: WRY. The original use for the adjective wry was to describe something that was bent or twisted, so a sprained ankle could be described as "a wry ankle." Wry humor and wry wit both describe a sense of humor that is a little twisted from the norm. JW?

58. Pollen site: STAMEN.

63. Gaucho's tool: REATA.

64. Gift to an audience: ENCORE. An odd concept when the crowd is demanding it.

65. "Road to __": Hope/Crosby film: RIO.

66. Wee, jocularly: EENSY. The eensy weensy spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. Then the eensy weensy spider went up the spout again.

67. Ancient eponymous advisor: NESTOR. Eponymous because the word has become, like kleenex a generic term for a wise man. He was a Greek leader who appeared in the Iliad, now noted for his wisdom and his talkativeness, both of which increased as he aged. These days, a nestor is not necessarily long-winded, but merely wise and generous with his advice.

68. Ernie with irons: ELS. Golf.

Down:

1. Stately dance: MINUET.

2. Ancient Egyptian deity: AMEN-RA. He was a god in whom Amen and Ra were combined: the god of the universe and the supreme Egyptian god during the period of Theban political supremacy.

3. How one might wax, but not wane: POETIC. 32D. 3-Down pugilist: ALI.
There live a great man named Joe
who was belittled by a loudmouth foe.
While his rival would taunt and tease
Joe silently bore the stings.
And then fought like gladiator in the ring.

4. Ambush: WAYLAY.

5. Passionate: AVID. Like Gary and his golf, or Picard his picture taking.

6. Architect Maya __: LIN. American architect and sculptor concerned with environmental themes who is best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed when she was only 21 and at Yale. The daughter of intellectuals who had fled China in 1948,

7. 2002 W.S. champs, nowadays: LAA. Los Angeles Angels.

8. Hydrocarbon gas: ETHANE.

9. Kids: TEASES.

10. Traveler's aid, briefly: GPSGlobal Positioning System.

11. Censor's target: OATH. Bad words, not hand on the bible. Swearing not swearing.

12. Prepares for, as a profession: TRAINS IN. I miss the old days with apprentices.

13. Cited on the road: TICKETED. Always a bad feeling getting stopped.

14. Required from: ASKED OF.

19. Harbor sight: DOCK.

20. The Gershwins' "Embraceable __": YOU. One of the most recorded songs of all time by so many different artists. I picked...



25. Arid Asian region: GOBI. In the desert,  you do not see many...

26. Pair in a field: OXEN. But you do hear ...

27. "Is it ever hot today!": PHEW.

30. Hudson and James: BAYS.

34. Count (on): RELY.

35. Foyer convenience: COAT TREE.

36. Winter birth, perhaps: AQUARIAN.

37. Commonly hexagonal hardware: NUT. A hexagonal nut is a type of metal fastener that has six sides. Most nuts are cut in a hexagonal shape since it seems to be the easiest shape to grasp.

38. Not superficial: DEEP.

39. Purse relative: TOTE.

40. Pop radio fodder: HITS.



41. London's Old Vic, for one: THEATRE. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre, in 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Victoria Palace. It was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 and formally named the Royal Victoria Hall, although by that time it was already known as the "Old Vic". wiki.

44. Corporate source of the Elmer's Glue logo: BORDEN.  It has been 80 years since 1939 when Borden introduces the iconic bull, Elmer, as the husband of their spokes cow, Elsie. The pair spends their first few years of marriage appearing in print ads espousing the many virtues of Borden dairy products.

45. Random individual: ANYONE.

46. Agitation metaphor: LATHER. Working up a...

47. Wrath, in a hymn: IRAE. Dies Irae.

48. "When!": NO MORE. From the concept of, "say when" to stop.

49. "Bam!" chef: EMERIL. I do not see Mr. Lagasse much these days.

50. Some HDTVs: SANYOS. On December 21, 2009, Panasonic completed a 400 billion yen ($4.5 billion) acquisition of a 50.2% stake in Sanyo, making Sanyo a subsidiary of Panasonic. Then, in 2011, Sanyo became a wholly owned subsidiary of Panasonic.

53. 1-Acr. marking: HWY. On the free map, you no longer get.

56. Book after John: ACTS. I do not have the books of the New Testament memorized but the King James version lists these in ORDER.

58. Minute Maid Park player, to fans: STRO. A Houston Astro.

60. Jewelry giant: KAY. They are owned by the British Company Signet Jewelers Kay Jewelers, Jared The Galleria of Jewelry and Zales.

61. Lavs: WCS. Water Closets. The famous Jack Paar joke that caused him to walk off his show. The STORY.

62. "Just kidding!": NOT. I really loved when this was popular. Not!

It is time to say goodbye after another wonderful Wechsler window into the wild world of words. It was nice to have JW back on Friday. Look forward to all of your comments and coming back next week. Lemonade out.


Jan 5, 2019

Saturday, January 5, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

A Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Jeffrey Wechsler

Today marks a very tasty holiday - National Whipped Cream Day that honors the 1914 birthdate of the man who invented the process of putting whipped cream in a spray can - Aaron "Bunny" Lapin (Lapin is french for rabbit). He named his product Reddi-wip and became fabulously wealthy by selling it and the valves necessary to make it work.



The most famous record album cover featuring whipped cream is at the bottom of this blog *

Seeing Jeffrey Wechsler and Saturday in the same sentence can put a crimp in your colon! I fared very well on this one as AUTODIDACT was my only real unknown. Others were unknown because Jeffrey really put the clue wrench on a few common fills. C.C.'s interview with Jeffrey


Below, our C.C. is the rose amid all the thorns that include Jeffrey second from the left.



Well, let's see what Jeffery has, uh, whipped up for us today (Hey, you had to see that coming!)



Across:

1. "Everything is ruined!": WHAT A MESS - This 11-second video is a salute to today's celebration and this clue!




10. Felipe's assent: SI SI  and 
48. Panamanian pronoun: ESO.- "¡SI, SI, ESO es una gran pista!" (Yes, yes that is a great clue!)


14. Teacher and student in one: AUTODIDACT - From Greek AUTOS (self) and DIDASKEIN (learning). Bill Gates is the self-taught AUTODIDACT that leapt to my mind



16. On __ streak: A HOT  "C'mon ×’‬ (Gimel)!"

17. Gray day feature: CLOUD COVER - Horrible this time of year, wonderful in August


18. Buds: PALS.


19. Red-and-white hat wearer: SANTA


20. Units: ONES.


22. Weed-gathering org.: DEA -  Drug Enforcement Agency. Since weed (do I need to say marijuana?) is legal in Colorado but not in Nebraska, there have been issues on the border


23. "Put your wallets away": MY TREAT - We've all had friends who seem incapable of uttering these words.


26. Rich beverage: NOG - Egg NOG is a hate/love beverage for most


27. They need receivers: PASSERS - Unfortunately PASSER Ben Roethlisberger's receiver had a microphone 




30. A parade may require one: DETOUR - A PSA for those of you in Hesperia, CA



32. Well-judged: SANE.


33. Word before stand or hold: WITH.


35. Snow __: WHITE.


36. Mounted, in a way: HUNG - These falling fractal lamps must have been HUNG very well because they do not hit the floor




37. Word from the Arabic for "friend": SAHIB.




39. Unemployed: IDLE.


40. Homophone for a word of permission: ALOUD - Library policy - "Talking ALOUD is not ALLOWED!"


42. Deceive on the ice: DEKE - Now that's a DEKE (decoy/feint)!!!




43. "Being so great, I have no __ to beg": "King Richard II": NEED - If Muhammad Ali had lived in Stratford on Avon...


44. Cattle drive figures: RIDERS - Famous cattle drive RIDERS of song





46. Timon of "The Lion King," e.g.: MEERKAT Timor and the show's meme


49. Back: ENDORSE.


51. USN bigwig: ADM - Husband Kimmel was demoted from Full ADM to Rear ADM and relieved of his Pacific Fleet command after Pearl Harbor. 


52. Bad lot: DOOM - Some people feel DOOMED because that is just their lot in life


53. Unskilled workers: PEONS - I hired 100's of "PEON" corn detasselers for 23 summers 




58. Hippie era activity: BE IN One attended by 20,000 people


60. Site for old wheels: USED CAR LOT - Or a club for retired CEO's


63. Strike zone, at times: LANE - I'm sure Boomer has seen 3. Very much: A TON of these




64. Where love doesn't conquer anything: TENNIS GAME - Love is tennis scoring for zero and might come from l'Å“uf which is french for "the egg" which resembles a zero


65. Remove an apostrophe from, say: EDIT - My oak tree loses it's leaves late. Hmmm...


66. It may be the best thing to do when you're stuck: START OVER.





Down:


1. Their 1943 manual said, "Be Ready To Take Over": WACS - and the Woman's Army Corp did where they could 




2. Entertainment with swaying: HULA.


4. Praise extravagantly: TOUT - Do you buy something because some celebrity du jour is TOUTING it?


5. Cartoonist with an Edgar Award: ADDAMS - Some of his cartoon characters were used in TV's The Addams Family




6. Podium fixture: MIC - Testing, 1, 2, 3 testing


7. Tokyo, long ago: EDO How EDO became Tokyo


8. Drinks it all in: SAVORS THE MOMENT and 9. View: SCENE - You would certainly SAVOR THE MOMENT with this view of the Champs de Mar from the top of the Eiffel Tower





11. "You could've fooled me": I HAD NO IDEA, I was just a 10. Patsy: SAP.




12. Exclusive source: SOLE OUTLET.


13. Words of concord: IT'S AGREED.


15. Step: TREAD  - or under the TREAD




21. Hearty fare: STEW.


24. Ornamental shrubs: YEWS - They frame the front of our house 




25. Common chord: TRIAD - Here are three TRIAD chords


27. '60s music conspiracy theory: PAUL IS DEAD - Of course McCartney is dead. If you play the song Revolution backwards you hear "Turn Me On Dead Man"


28. Dating clarification: ANNO DOMINI - Gregorian calendar today is Jan. 5, 2019 A.D. while the Islamic calendar it is RabiÊ» II 22, 1440


29. Smooth shift: SEGUE 


31. IBM's __ exhibit: THINK - I don't, uh, THINK I can make it



32. Like some big entrées: SHAREABLE - You might want two straws for this 10 lb. Souvlaki 47. Meal: REPAST.!




34. Backpack carrier: HIKER


38. Drones, e.g.: BEES - Drone BEES are males that have no stinger, do no work and only job is to mate with an unfertilized queen. Yeah, I can see several cheap jokes in there!


41. 1856 Stowe novel: DRED - Harriet's follow up on Uncle Tom's Cabin


45. Muzzle: SNOUT - A substantial MUZZLE on a substantial dog's MUZZLE


50. Specifications on vials: DOSES.

54. Cartesian connection: ERGO - Here it makes two connections 




55. Name of five Norwegian monarchs: OLAV.


56. Northwestern U.S. city: NOME - The high in Nome today is forecast to be -7˚F with a low of -1˚F. You might want to bring a sweater.


57. Analog of -ist: STER - Can a MOBSTER also be called a MOBIST?


59. 64-Across need: NET - Sometimes it gets in the way




61. 23andMe test subject: DNA.


62. Frequently complex traffic pattern: Abbr.: CIR - Round and round she goes...






*Here's that famous Whipped Cream LP cover!