Tuesday, September 8, 2020 Jerome Gunderson

Bartender, Fix me a Whisky.  Everything you wanted to know about  Whisky or Whiskey  but were afraid to ask.



17-Across. Housekeeper's whisky request?: MAKE IT NEAT.  Hi, Tin.

61-Across. Bachelor's whisky request?: SINGLE MALT.

11-Down. Geologist's whisky request?: ON THE ROCKS.  Sorry, Tin!

29-Down. Astronaut's whisky request?: STRAIGHT UP.

Across:

1. Former soldiers: VETS.  As in Veterans.  I know severe of our commenters are Veterans.

5. Explosive compound, briefly: NITRO.

10. A lot: TONS.

14. Quarreling: AT IT.

15. Still soft, as concrete: UNSET.

16. First-year law student: ONE L.  Also the name of a book by Scott Turow.

19. Gillette razor: ATRA.

20. Wire-bending hand tool: PLIERS.

21. Place to adopt a dog: PET SHOP.  My pets were all either strays or came from the pound.

23. Really big cats: LIONS.  The differences and similarities between a House Cat and a Lion.

26. Mechanical learning routine: ROTE.

27. Itemizes: LISTS.

30. International shipping co.: UPS.

32. Red wine grape known as Shiraz in Australia: SYRAH.

35. Eight: Pref.: OCTO-.  Think of the eight-armed Octopus.

36. Grins: SMILES.

38. Be in debt: OWE.

39. One of a bike's two: TIRE.

40. "Li'l" comic strip character: ABNER.  L'il Abner was a satirical comic strip created by Al Capp (Sept. 28, 1909 ~ Nov. 5, 1979).

41. Medical image for diagnosis: SCAN.

42. Bering or Black: SEA.  I have been to the Black Sea, but not the Bering Sea.

43. First game of the season: OPENER.

44. Related by blood: AKIN.

45. Type style that sounds like a Disney mermaid: ARIAL.

47. Gun, as an engine: REV.

48. Johnny Mathis classic that begins, "Look at me": MISTY

49. FBI agent: G-MAN.  Machine Gun Kelly (July 18, 1895 ~ July 18, 1954) supposedly coined the term G-Man.

51. Fix a lawn: RESOD.

53. Hawaiian medicine men: KAHUNAS.

56. Saudi __: ARABIA.

60. Ships' rears: AFTS.

64. Loyal: TRUE.

65. Letter-shaped dress style: A-LINE.  Designer Christian Dior (Jan. 21, 1905 ~ Oct. 24, 1957) is credited with creating the A-line dress in the 1950s.

66. ExxonMobil brand: ESSO.  A crossword staple.

67. Clumsy one's exclamation: OOPS!

68. British race car maker: LOTUS.

69. Half-moon tide: NEAP.

Down:

1. Femme fatale: VAMP.

2. And others: Abbr.: ET AL.  Another crossword staple.

3. Symbolic carving in Maori culture: TIKI.

4. Type of durable work boot: STEEL TOE.

5. Insane, as a scheme: NUTS-O.

6. Lodging choice: INN.

7. "Cats" poet's monogram: TSE.  Thomas Sterns Eliot, known as T.S. Eliot (Sept. 26, 1888 ~ Jan. 4, 1965) wrote Cats.  He would probably be horrified by the Broadway production based on his poetry.

8. Harvest: REAP."

9. Frolicking swimmer: OTTER.  If you like the Water, then you really "Otter" learn how to swim ...

10. Warm and cozy: TOASTY.

12. Fiddling Roman emperor: NERO.

13. Open-handed hit: SLAP.

18. Colored eye part: IRIS.  Also a painting by Van Gogh.

22. Throw softly: TOSS.

24. Phone __: NUMBER.

25. Fishing lure: SPINNER.

27. Much, casually: LOTSA.

28. More slippery: ICIER.

31. Magician's hiding place: SLEEVE.

33. Be in store for: AWAIT.

34. Comic Youngman: HENNY.  Henny Youngman (Mar. 16, 1906 ~ Feb. 24, 1998) is probably best known for his catch phrase, "Take my wife, please!"

36. Maple-syrup-to-be: SAP.  I just opened a bottle of Vermont maple syrup.

37. Make a mistake: ERR.

41. Ended a prayer: SAID AMEN.

43. "The Good Earth" heroine: O-LAN.  Pearl S. Buck (1892 ~ 1973) published her book, The Good Earth, in 1931.  It is about a poor family in a Chinese village in the early 1900s.  O-Lan and her husband, Wang Lung, ar both farmers ekeing out a living and hoping to earn enough monty to buy a plot of land.

46. Makes laugh: AMUSES.

48. __ or less: about: MORE.

50. Like a facial cavity: NASAL.

52. Clearance events: SALES.

53. Green Hornet's sidekick: KATO.  I am not really familiar with the Green Hornet's activities.

54. Jackson 5 hairdo: AFRO.

55. Storage building for crops: SILO.  Also how too many offices operate with little or no communication between departments.

57. It may be stolen on a diamond: BASE.  Think of the Baseball diamond.

Any guesses where this baseball field is located?

58. Ingrid's "Casablanca" role: ILSA.

59. Upon: ATOP.

62. Petty gripe: NIT.

63. Beast with a beard: GNU.

Here's the Grid:

The new blogging format is rather cumbersome, and it is much more difficult to include pictures.  It will take some practice before I feel more adept at including more photos.

Monday August 31, 2020 Jerome Gunderson

Theme:  WHERE WAS I (66. Lost-one's-place words often preceded by the two-letter start of 17-, 29- and 49-Across)

17A. Rental vehicles for self-moving: U-HAUL VANS. Uh, I ...

29A. Designed for comfort and efficiency: ERGONOMIC. Er. I ...

49A. Rainy day protectors: UMBRELLAS. Um, ...

Boomer here. 

UH, Years ago I attended UM (University of Minnesota) for a year.  UH, I got one A in Bowling, 2 "B"s in Math courses, a couple of "C"s and ER one "F". D UH.

As a devout baseball fan, I am happy to honor Jackie Robinson as his normal MLB day was changed from April 15 to August 29 this year.  Players on all teams wore uniforms numbered 42 in Jackie's honor and I am proud to display my 1955 Topps Double Header card from my set.

 Across:

1. Asks for a treat, as a boxer: BEGS.  I am pretty sure that Muhammad Ali never had to beg for anything. 

5. Site of a boxer's attack: RING.

9. Chocolate syrup brand since 1928: BOSCO.  Wow, there's a brand out of the past.  I remember their commercials but I never had any.  Must have been too expensive.

14. Circus prefix with bat: ACRO.

15. Diva's delivery: ARIA.  Of course, I was in the Benilde High School Glee Club.  Every Spring we would do a joint concert with two of the Catholic girls' schools in Minneapolis.  We delivered some pretty good ARIAs back then, if I do say so myself.

16. "This __ much!": "I'm overwhelmed!": IS TOO.  "Is not".

19. "Pleasantly" chubby: PLUMP.  We go for the PLUMP Watermelon.

20. President after Madison: MONROE. Wow, we go way back to 1817 and he was from the Democratic Republican party.  They must have split up sometime later.

21. Mother-of-pearl sources: ABALONES.

23. Has title to: OWNS.  I have a title to my van, but I also own 14 golf clubs and about that many bowling balls.  Never won a title in golf but I have a couple in bowling.

25. __ standstill: AT A.

26. Tea biscuit: SCONE.  I wonder if Baskin Robbins has S CONES ?

35. Guffaw syllable: HAR.  Not sure if Oliver Hardy made this famous, but he is the first guy I ever heard him say HAR, HAR, HARDY, HAR. HAR..

36. Pirate in "Hook": SMEE.  Played by Bob Hoskins.

38. U.S. state with the lowest average annual rainfall: NEVADA.  We usually get there once a year.  I don't ever remember getting wet there. However we are skipping the retirees party this year. No vaccine, no plane rides to Nevada.

39. Horse known for its endurance: ARAB.

41. Wed: UNITE.

43. Not fer: AGIN.  Beverly Hillbillies' accent.

44. Wisdom teeth, e.g.: MOLARS.  I have fake teeth now, but in my younger years, I never cut any wisdom teeth.  I guess you need to be wise to get them.

46. Fabled loch: NESS.

48. Stooge Howard: MOE.  With Larry and Curly, my favorites.

51. Casual conversations: CHATS.

53. Contend (for): VIE.

54. Bro of van Gogh: THEO.  "But I could have told you Vincent, this world was never made for one as beautiful as you".  Starry Night - Don McClean.

56. Dedicatee of an annual MLB tribute game: OLD TIMER.  Count me in.

61. Snare: ENTRAP.

65. Lion's warnings: ROARS.

68. Lake craft: CANOE.

69. Bubbly-textured Nestlé chocolate bar: AERO.  N-E-S-T-L-E-S.  Nestles makes the very bet, Chocolate.  

70. Muscle pain: ACHE.  I get them all of the time.  Some of my golfing friends are a pain in a different location.

71. Change for the better: AMEND.

72. Tall tale: YARN.

73. Classic Jaguars: XKES.  "I was cruisin' in my Sting Ray late one night, when an XKE pulled up on the right. Dead Man's Curve - The Beach Boys.

Down:  

1. Wicked Witch of the West creator: BAUM.  "The wind began to switch, the house to pitch.  and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch."

2. Reverberate: ECHO.  Hallo,        Hallo. Hallo

3. Mom's mom: GRAN. We always called Mom's Mom "Grandma"

4. Become disenchanted with: SOUR ON.

5. Poe's "ebony bird": RAVEN. "Nevermore"

6. Nest egg letters: IRA.  I saw plenty of nest eggs at my Uncle Bill's farm.  They did not have pictures of president's (or Hamilton or Franklin) on them,.

7. Columbus ship: NINA.  This guy always has amazed me.  He packed up three ships and sailed across the Atlantic looking for India.

8. Chatterbox: GASBAG.

9. Double-winged WWI aircraft: BIPLANE.  Also amazing what flew in the 1910s.

10. Norway's capital: OSLO.

11. Leave slack-jawed: STUN.

12. Arrive: COME.  Hi, Ho, COME to the fair.  We have a big one in Minnesota, but not this year.  No Covid spread wanted.

13. "Sorry, my mistake": OOPS.

18. The Home Depot competitor: LOWE'S.  We usually use Home Depot. Closer to our home and 10% discount for veterans.

22. Shows contrition: ATONES.  Okay, Sorry if I bored you. Monday puzzles are fairly easy.

24. Noticed: SEEN.

26. Former SeaWorld star: SHAMU.  Interesting.  I went to Orlando for a golf outing a couple of times in the eighties.  We went to Disney and Epcot but skipped Sea World.  In the Land of 10,000 lakes, if you've seen one sea you've seen them all. 

27. Off-the-cushion billiards shot: CAROM.

28. Dental care brand: ORAL- B.  I just use a cup and a fizzy tablet for my dental care.

30. Spanish queen: REINA.

31. Caesar's eggs: OVA.

32. Molten rock: MAGMA.

33. Meathead: IDIOT.  MEATHEAD ?? Archie Bunker's favorite word for Michael Stivic.

34. Curved-top candy shapes: CANES.  My legs don't always cooperate, but I am not into CANES yet.

37. Mosque visitor: MUSLIM.

40. Saloon: BAR.  These seem to be Covid-19 factories.  They were closed for awhile but I guess the Governor felt sorry for the owners.  Masks and some social distance rules are in effect.  I used to stop for a quick one after work, but now I am on the wagon for good.   

42. Exam: TEST.  "This has been a TEST.  Had it been a real emergency we would have told you to go downstairs and put a pillow over your head."

45. Made changes in: REVISED.

47. Play division: SCENE.

50. Wiggle room: LEEWAY.  At least SIX feet of LEE WAY in any public situation please.

52. Hair-removal substance: HOT WAX.  Seems like we used to use this to shine up a car.

55. White wader: HERON.  Add another "R" and you have Tim HERRON of the PGA.  He only ever won one PGA tournament and his nickname is "LUMPY".  After Clarence Rutherford on "Leave it to Beaver".  Of course a Minnesota golfer and a little better than me.   

56. 26-Down, for one: ORCA.

57. Rich soil: LOAM.

58. "Great" dog breed: DANE.

59. Suffix with Jumbo: TRON.  A video game that I never tried.

60. Flightless bird: RHEA.  We had Birds last week, but I don't remember her.

62. __ of lamb: RACK.

63. Tennis great Arthur: ASHE.  Hall of Famer.  Passed to early at age 49.

64. Crusty desserts: PIES.

67. Goof up: ERR.  I'm a baseball guy.  I call it an ERROR.

Boomer

Monday August 24, 2020 Jerome Gunderson

 

Theme: AVIAN (38. Bird-related ... four of them have landed at the ends of the answers to starred clues) - The last four letter of each theme entry is a bird.

17A. *A total failure "goes over like" one: LEAD BALLOON.

57A. *Hotel chain with a geographical name: BEST WESTERN.

3D. *Last Supper cup: HOLY GRAIL.

34D. *Monastic hood: MONK'S COWL.

Boomer here. The LOON is Minnesota's state bird. No, we are not Loonies. I did not know that a RAIL was a bird.  I thought it was something I hold on to while climbing stairs. 

 

With that, I wish to extend best wishes and good health to all friends in California as fires are devastating the state.  I have two sisters in the Bay Area and I am told that it is difficult to breathe.  I also want to extend hope and happiness to our friend Desper-otto and Tony as hurricane Laura is traveling toward Eastern Texas.  Best of luck and best wishes for health and happiness to all in range of of this nastiness.      

Across:

1. LBJ's vice president: HHH.  Indeed, Hubert Horatio Humphrey from Waverly Minnesota.  I have fished in Lake Waverly a few times, great for panfish.

 

4. Sponsor's tube spot: TV AD.  Too many on the golf channel.  I keep using my remote to try to avoid commercials.

8. Dracula stabber: STAKE.  A pile of cash for poker?

13. Tic-tac-toe winner: OOO.

14. Glow: SHINE.  "SHINE, SHINE, who wants a SHINE"

15. One-on-one teacher: TUTOR. Schools are working hard to make things work. TUTORS are expensive 

16. Fifth scale note: SOL. "SOL, a needle pulling thread." Sound of Music.

19. Arena overhead view provider: SKYCAM.

21. Cowpoke's "okay": YUP.  Have I ever poked a cow?? NOPE

22. Tattoo artist's array: INKS.  I never bought a tattoo.  Some look pretty good, others are too much.

23. Stares open-mouthed: GAPES.

25. Violent storm: TEMPEST.  Comes in a teapot.

27. Eaten away by rust, say: CORRODED.  Sounds like my 1955 Oldsmobile.

30. More, in Mexico: MAS.

31. Once more: AGAIN.

32. Weather guy Al: ROKER.  Not my favorite.  I remember he was on "Seinfeld" once.

34. __ and cheese: MAC.  I have a box in the cupboard. Seems like a good side dish but I never get around to it.

37. Smooth-tongued: GLIB.  Lots of smooth tongues on some of those TV ads mentioned earlier.

39. April 1 "honoree": FOOL.

40. Slim fish often smoked: EEL.  Terrible!  Lake Waverly by Hubert's house yielded many Sunfish and Crappies.  Crappies are not crappy). 

41. Itty-bitty: TEENY.  "It was an itsy bitsy, TEENY weenie, yellow polka dot bikini".

42. Joltless java brand: SANKA.  Sorry, I really like caffeine.

43. Tips container: JAR.  My golf course clubhouse has a glass cup for tips.  They stopped charging me for a cart, so I dropped a couple of Sacagawea golden dollars in one day.

44. Leather bookbinding material: GOATSKIN.

46. Type of pub named for its unglamorous appearance: DIVE BAR.  Most of them may be named Covid distribution centers.

50. Blind pieces: SLATS. We have vertical which work very well.  Yes, sometimes there is morning sun in Minnesota.

51. Greek goddess of discord: ERIS.

52. Greek T: TAU.

54. Financial word before year or policy: FISCAL.

60. Beer named for Washington's capital, briefly: OLY.  Oh, I thought it was named after Sven's buddy.

61. Prefix with national: INTER.  Or STATE which is a big highway.

62. Covers with asphalt: PAVES.  Normally the surface of the above big highway.

63. Was victorious: WON.  Twins have WON more than they lost so far, but it's a strange season.

64. Wet-eyed: TEARY.

65. Roe source: SHAD.

66. __ Luthor, Superman nemesis: LEX.

Down:

1. Bulky "Bonanza" brother: HOSS.  The biggest Cartwright.  Dan Blocker died at age 43.

2. "Peter Pan" captain: HOOK.  Played by Dustin Hoffman I think.

4. Focused on a subject, as a crossword: THEMED.  I generally say a few CROSS WORDS when I can't figure out the theme.

5. By way of: VIA.

6. Artist Warhol: ANDY.  He has a museum in New York.

7. First appearance: DEBUT.  Ryan Jeffers made a DEBUT as catcher last week when Mitch Garver got hurt.  Jeffers singled and drove in a run in his first at bat.  I am sure that baseball is on a shelf in his home.

8. Cards, in box scores: STL.  Twins played them early.  Before they had some positives.

9. "Tiptoe Through the __": TULIPS.

10. Make things right: ATONE.  Let me know if I irritate you. I will sing you A TONE.

11. Goofballs: KOOKS.

12. Dadaist Max: ERNST.

14. Apply carelessly: SLAP ON.  Looks like a hockey shot to me.

18. Theoretical missing links: APE-MEN.

20. West Indies native: CARIB.

24. Dish up, as a dish: SERVE.  Or whack a tennis ball or slap a volleyball.

26. St. Patrick's mo.: MAR.  This also happens to be the month when I put the bowling ball in my bag and it is sitting lonely in the garage,

27. Zoo enclosure: CAGE.  I never knew why a basketball player is called a CAGER.  I am not old enough to remember when basketball was played in a CAGE.

28. Look at creepily: OGLE.

29. Washing, as the dishes: DOING.

33. Bout-ending blows: KAYOS.  Knock it off.

35. Golfer Isao: AOKI. You won't find him at the Northern Trust PGA in Boston or even Champions Tour these days.

36. Scottish family: CLAN.

38. Fizz up, as water: AERATE.  Actually to me it means - punch a whole bunch of little holes in a green.

39. Protests by not eating: FASTS.  We used to do this during Lent, it was not a protest, just a ritual.

41. Saloon bill: TAB.  I never liked Coke products,  I drink Diet Pepsi and not TAB.  I'm not even sure if TAB is still around.

42. Oil leak blemishes: STAINS.  The best way to clean them off the garage floor is use Coke.

43. Court clown: JESTER.  It was cancelled this year, but Minneapolis usually has an "Aquatennial festival and parade".  The clowns are called Aqua JESTERS.

45. Director Hitchcock: ALFRED.  Interesting Q and A, since the theme of this puzzle is "THE BIRDS".

46. Kind of bank card: DEBIT.  We don't use ours since the bank kicks us back a few cents on our credit card purchases.

47. Goodnight woman of song: IRENE.  "I'll see you in my dreams".

48. Panoramic view: VISTA.  Sometimes we visit the Electrical Dam near our home on the Mississippi River.  It is a very panoramic site.

 

 

49. Carpenter's files: RASPS.

53. Home of the Jazz: UTAH.  Jeopardy had a category where the clues asked for team names that were not plural.  Jazz was one of the answers.

55. Natural burn balm: ALOE.

56. Bobcat, e.g.: LYNX.  Our WNBA Minnesota team was another clue.

58. Dryly humorous: WRY.  I try to be dryly humorous on this site, but sometimes I cannot help getting wet.

59. Little __, singer of the #1 hit "The Loco-Motion": EVA. "Do it nice and easy now and don't lose control."

Boomer

Thursday, January 26, 2017 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: "SC-ads" - The letters "SC" are added to a plural noun and clued punningly.

17A. What rattlers that never bask in the sun may get? : PALE SCALES. Pale Ales. Plenty of rattlesnakes around the hiking trails in the Hollywood Hills; you need to be careful.

27A. Strikebreakers at a brewery? : SIX-PACK SCABS. Six-pack abs. Try as I did, I never got a six-pack. Something about my body type, according to one trainer.

45A. What berets cover? : FRENCH SCALPS. French Alps. Cute clue. There are alpine regions in France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany. I never skied in Germany, but I have skied the other four countries, quite often two on the same day.

'Allo 'allo

60A. Angry looks in the hayloft? : BARN SCOWLS. Barn Owls. I heard an owl close to my home a couple of days ago. Never heard one in LA before.

Nice theme from Jerome; very consistent in adding the letters to the start of the second word of the original noun. The resulting entry and the clues are fun. A good, solid feel to the rest of the fill too. Let's see what jumps out:

Across:

1. Hindu noble : RAJA. RANI for his wife.

5. Like pastrami : CURED. Food! Lovely stuff. I've got the process nailed now. It only takes 18 days to make it.

10. Rum cake : BABA. Two Thursdays in a row for this dessert.

14. "O no! it is an __-fixed mark ... ": Shak. : EVER. The second quatrain of sonnet 116 where the Bard describes what "love" is:

O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

15. "SNL" alum Cheri : OTERI

16. Restaurant in the same corporate group as Applebee's : IHOP

19. Pool element : GENE. Nice clue.

20. Vegetable __ : OIL. I use coconut oil for general cooking, canola oil for making mayonnaise, olive oil for tomato-based pasta sauces.

21. Sore : ACHY

22. Oaf : LUMMOX. Lovely word, You can completely visualize a person who is a lummox.

24. Careless : SLOPPY

26. "This __ test" : IS A

34. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator : DAVID. Crosses for me. Larry David. Talented chap, he was the co-creator of "Seinfeld".

37. Different : OTHER

38. By way of : VIA

39. Controversial sightings : UFOS

40. Demonstrators, often : ANTIS

41. Grammy category : FOLK. Had the "K" and jumped the gun with ROCK. Didn't take long to correct it though. Bruce Springsteen won Best Contemporary Folk Album in 2010 for "The Ghost of Tom Joad" - not the first name that springs to mind in the "Folk" genre.

42. Budgetary waste : FAT

43. Allen who managed the Beatles and Stones : KLEIN. A controversial figure because of sometimes shady business practices. Here's Mick & Co being ultra-cool in 1968.

44. Farmyard noises : OINKS

48. Wee battery : AAA

49. Odorless gas : ETHANE. Certainly looks odorless at first glance, this hydrocarbon.

53. Declare : AFFIRM

56. Comic actor Jacques : TATI. His film "Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot", released in 1953, is still pretty hilarious today.

58. Words in praiseful titles : TO A Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" for example.

My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains 

         My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, 

Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains 

         One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk: 

59. Track component : RAIL

63. Military wind : FIFE. And Drums.

64. African herbivore : RHINO

65. Lot : FATE

66. Lost traction : SLID

67. Quaker in the forest : ASPEN

68. Adele's brother : FRED. The Astaires, not the singer. At least I don't think she's got a brother named Fred.

Down:

1. They get carried away : REPOS

2. Be of use to : AVAIL

3. Pudding snack cup maker : JELLO

4. It may come after you : ARE. I am, you are, he is.

5. Bone below the sacrum : COCCYX. Love this word.

6. State on the Colorado Plateau : UTAH

7. Fall back (on) : RELY

8. Before, in verse : 'ERE

9. Doesn't care for : DISLIKES

10. Lunch order with "special sauce" : BIG MAC. Just lunch? You couldn't get a burger for breakfast at McDonald's because the grills were at a lower temperature to cook the McMuffins. However, when the kitchen changed over from breakfast to lunch at 10:30, you could order a secret menu item - the "Mc10:35" which is a combination Egg McMuffin and McDouble burger. (N.B. Just because you could order it doesn't mean that you should).

11. "May I speak?" : AHEM

12. Pro __ : BONO. I'm pro Bono - I'm a big U2 fan. I just got tickets for the Joshua Tree Tour concert at the Rose Bowl in May.

13. High point : APEX

18. Flavorful : SAPID. Great word. Latin sapidus, tasty.

23. Cold War letters : U.S.S.R.

25. Trident-shaped letters : PSIS. These guys - one uppercase, one lowercase: Ψψ

28. Johnnycakes : PONES. Learning moment for me - I'd never heard of either. A corn pone is a Johnnycake - who knew?

29. Top story : ATTIC. This always takes me a couple of beats to see because in England the building level is a "storey", with an "e".

30. Fine __ : CHINA

31. Lady's company? : AVON. Ding Dong! Avon Calling! Do they sell cosmetics door-to-door any more?

32. Take to the cleaners : BILK

33. Fifth Avenue store : SAKS

34. Keister : DUFF

35. Miles off : AFAR

36. Suffrage, with "the" : VOTE

40. Moorish palace of southern Spain : ALHAMBRA. Beautiful building and gardens in Grenada.

41. Sneakily seek, with "for" : FISH

43. Dodge Aries, e.g. : K-CAR. This seems to be cropping up a lot recently. We had it last Thursday too.

44. Eye-related : OPTIC

46. Aced : NAILED. Crossword solver's triumph. Nailed it!

47. Shows one's feelings : LETS ON

50. Battling : AT WAR

51. "48 HRS." co-star : NOLTE. Nick.

52. Moved carefully : EASED

53. Stray sounds? : ARFS. Sounds from the dog pound.

54. Epic __ : FAIL. Popular Internet meme. No marks for grammar, though,

55. Name for a poodle : FIFI.

56. Vacation plan : TRIP. Because "itinerary" doesn't fit.

57. Diarist Frank : ANNE

61. "I get it" sounds : AHS

62. Not quite right : OFF. Much less serious than an epic fail.

I think that just about wraps it up. Here's the grid!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Dudley went to Wellesley, MA for business yesterday. He said "Next door is none other than Natick, so along the way, I paused for a tourist photo".

So next time you're stumped by a tough crossing, think of Dudley!