Wednesday, October 11, 2023 Joseph A. Gangi

Theme - The opposite of hanging by a thread.  To explain, let's start with the unifier.

10 D. Remain uncertain until the very end, and what the answers to the starred clues do?: GO DOWN TO THE WIRE.  As explained by the clue, there's some question how things may turn out.   This term comes from horseracing, where it was long the practice to stretch a wire across and above the track at the finish line. It was extended to figurative use about 1900.  A wire is a flexible strand of metal.  Let's see how that is relevant to the other clues.  The theme entries are all vertical, so the use of "DOWN" in the unifier clue is key. 

3 D. *"You should be ashamed!": THATS DESPICABLE.  Said to someone who did something beyond the pale.  Real life incidents of this sort are plentiful.  There are different types of CABLES, but some types are wires used as electrical or communications connections.  So we can see that the vertical fill does, indeed, go down to the WIRE.  Pretty clever, eh!

5 D. *Ability to show restraint: SELF DISCIPLINE.  This is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. As an executive function, it is a cognitive process that is necessary for regulating one's behavior in order to achieve specific goals.  A LINE is a length of cord, rope, wire, or other material serving a particular purpose.

15 D. *Recent entry in Guinness, say: NEW WORLD RECORD.  This is the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity.   A CORD is a thin, flexible string or rope made from several twisted strands.  

Hi Gang - JazzBumpa here to unravel the skein.   Each theme fill ends in a synonym or near synonym for a WIRE.  This is an extremely clever hidden word them, and a nut I had to get some help to crack.  So thanks to my fellow blogger for the assistance.

Let's get down to it and see what other paths we will be led down.

Across:

1. Address letters: HTTP.  Hyper Text Transfer Protocol - The beginning of an Internet web address. 

5. Skyrocket: SOAR.  Here, "skyrocket" is a verb meaning to fly high.

9. Old-timey "OMG!": EGAD.  This is a softened oath, dating from the late 1600's, probably derived from "Oh, GOD!"

13. "Fancy seeing you here!": OH - HI.  One of my long ago work colleagues told the story of his brother who was walking through a shopping mall holding hands with his girl friend, when his wife came walking in the other direction.  This is what he said.

14. Disgraced energy firm: ENRON.  The corporation, founded in 1985, engaged in massive fraud, and got away with it for years.  This house of cards came tumbling down from 2000 to 2001.  You can read all about it here.

16. Zigzagged: WOVE.  Moved in a side to side forward motion.

17. Ring loudly: PEAL.  As a bell.

18. Do not disturb: LET BE.  Leave it alone.

19. Barbara who played a TV genie: EDEN.  Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970).   IIRC, Jeannie's belly button was always covered.  

20. Trip, as an alarm: SET OFF.  Actuate.

22. Cry of pain: YOWL.  Owie!

24. Goblin kin: ORC.  Tolkien monters.  Here is more info, if you're that kind of nerd.  [Full disclosure - I am.]

25. Simple earrings: STUDS.  A stud earring features a gemstone or other ornament mounted on a narrow post that passes through a piercing in the ear or earlobe, and is held in place by a fixture on the other side. 

That is a diamond

27. Number of players in a chess game: TWO.  

Wikipedia

28. Cry from a crib: WAH.  Baby's complaint.

Alternatively

29. Say further: ADD.  Tell us more.

31. Problems picky people pick: NITS.  Little issues of little import.

33. Outstanding: OWING.   As an unpaid debt.

35. Word after film and before cut: CREW.  A film CREW is a group of people working off camera to make a motion picture, such as the producer, camera operators, stage managers, etc.   A CREW cut is a type of haircut in which the upright hair on the top of the head is cut relatively short, graduated in length from the longest hair that forms a short pomp (pompadour) at the front hairline to the shortest at the back of the crown so that in side profile the outline of the top hair approaches the horizontal.

37. Energy option involving roof panels: SOLAR.   Solar power works by converting energy from the sun into power. There are two forms of energy generated from the sun for our use – electricity and heat. Both are generated through the use of solar panels, which range in size from residential rooftops to 'solar farms' stretching over acres of rural land.

39. Branch out (from): STEM.   To derive from some origin.

41. Steep-walled formation: MESA.  Also known and table land.  Mesa is the Spanish word for table.

42. Move at a snail's pace: CRAWL.  Literally, move forward on the hands and knees or by dragging the body close to the ground.  Figuratively, move forward or make progress very slowly.

43. Personal charisma: MOJO.  Literally, a magic charm, talisman, or spell.  Figuratively, a powerful personality.

44. "College GameDay" network: ESPN.   Originally, in 1979, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, shortened to ESPN in 1985.

Alternatively

 
45. "That makes my blood boil!": I'M MAD.  Expression of anger.

46. Word to opt out of a text subscription: STOP.  Unless it's ignored.

47. Ab-crunching exercise: SIT UP.   The last time this came up in a puzzle I blogged, I pointed out that it is a worthless, and potentially harmful exercise.  I got some push back.  I guess anything can be a controversy.  Anyway, here it is again.

49. Many a retired racehorse: SIRE.  Used to produce the next generation of horses from a valuable blood line.

51. Snicker syllable: HEE.  Along with TEE.  Comic book laughter.

52. PC panic key: ESC.  On computer keyboards, the Esc key (named Escape key in the international standard series ISO/IEC 9995) is a key used to generate the escape character (which can be represented as ASCII code 27 in decimal, Unicode U+001B, or Ctrl+[). The escape character, when sent from the keyboard to a computer, often is interpreted by software as "stop"

53. Org. for Twins: MLB.  The Minnesota Twins team of Major League Baseball.

55. Poke fun at: TEASE.  Have fun at someone's expense.  Often not nice.

57. "I knew it!": AHA.  Syllable of recognition or enlightenment.

58. Spot to fish from: PIER.   A platform supported on pillars or girders leading out from the shore into a body of water, used as a landing stage for boats.

60. Stands too close to: CROWDS.  Violates one's personal space.

63. Cries noisily: SOBS.  Nobody looks good doing it.

65. "Super cool!": NEATO.  That's rad, man!

67. Quite urgent: DIRE.   Extremely serious or urgent, possibly dangerous.

68. App with crowdsourced reviews: YELP.   Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in San Francisco, 

69. Diamond flaw?: ERROR.   Not a mar in a gemstone, but a misplay on a baseball field - usually misplaying a batted or thrown ball or throwing inaccurately.

70. Neck of the woods: AREA.   Nearby region.

71. Cruising, say: ASEA.  On a ship.  Our oldest granddaughter is wrapping up her third gig entertaining on a Disney Cruise Ship. This time she got to dance on the main stage.

72. __ money: startup funds: SEED.  Money allocated to initiate a project.

73. Stitched together: SEWN.  Attached by using thread and needle.

Down:

1.  Short flights: HOPS.   Boing!

2. "Beautiful Mistakes" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE.  Megan Jovon Ruth Pete [b. 1995] known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her freestyling became popular on social media platforms such as Instagram.

4. Flight school graduate: PILOT.  One in control of an aircraft.

6. Undivided: ONE.  Unified.

7. Pseudo-sophisticated: ARTY.  Making a strong, affected, or pretentious display of being artistic or interested in the arts.

8. High-tech worker: ROBOT.  A machine that does a job formerly done by a person. 

9. Farm female: EWE.  Lady sheep.

11. Everyman: AVERAGE JOE.  Typical guy, man on the street.

12. Judi who plays Queen Victoria in "Mrs Brown" and "Victoria & Abdul": DENCH.  Dame Judith Olivia Dench [b. 1934] is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage.  Inexplicably, she also wound up in this thing.

21. Amusing: FUN.  Providing mirth and/or enjoyment.

23. Blue: LOW.  Sad.  possibly prone to sobbing.

26. Seattle's WNBA team: STORM.  The Seattle Storm is an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerley and her husband Barry ahead of the 2000 season.

29. Highest point: ACME.  Apex.

30. Formal footwear: DRESS SHOES.  

32. Shuts with a bang: SLAMS.  A forceful exit, perhaps.

34. Philosophies, informally: ISMS.  Belief systems.

36. Have a yen for: WANT.  Desire something.  Alternatively - I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the yen to travel.

38. Look for: AWAIT.  Anticipate.

40. Have the blues: MOPE.  Be blue or low.

48. Ballpark figure?: UMP.  Not a statistic.  Short for umpire - a person with no clear idea of where the strike zone is located.

50. Musician's gift: EAR.  Melodic ability.

52. GPA booster: EASY A.  A class that is not challenging.

54. Stout and porter: BEERS.  Beer varieties.

56. Cola and ginger ale: SODAS.  Carbonated soft drinks.

59. Red in the center: RARE.  As cooked beef.

61. Did some doodling: DREW.  Made random sketches.

62. Actor Gunn who plays Kraglin in the MCU: SEAN.   Sean Gunn [b. 1974] is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Kirk Gleason on The WB series Gilmore Girls, and Kraglin Obfonteri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

64. Hot tub: SPA.   A large tub filled with hot aerated water used for recreation or physical therapy.

66. Stubbing victim: TOE.  Any of the five digits at the end of the human foot.  They exist to locate furniture in dark rooms.

A lot of puzzles have their ups and downs.  This one was mostly down - in a good way.  It didn't let us down, and I'm down with that.

Cool Regards!

JzB

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 Joseph A. Gangi

Lou, Lou, Skip to My Lou!  I didn't see the theme until I went searching after I finished the puzzle.  The last syllable of each theme answer has the same "oo" sound.

17-Across. Was completely crushed by the competition: MET ONE'S WATERLOO.

39-Across. Actress who played Joan Watson on "Elementary": LUCY LIU.

61-Across. Is hopelessly confused: DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE.

3-Down. Catches a seasonal malady: GETS THE FLU.

27-Down. Threepio's companion: ARTOO.

32-Down. Stuffed with ham and cheese: CORDON BLEU.

Across:

1. Cleaning cloths: RAGS.

5. Branch of govt.: DEPT.

9. Suffers after a CrossFit workout, say: ACHES.

14. "Just gimme __!": A SEC.

15. Really, really enjoy a joke: ROAR.  Followed by: 16-Across. Enjoy a joke: LAUGH.  And also: 26. "Good one": HA HA!  A comedian, a lawyer, and a war hero walk into a bar.  The bartender says:  What can I get you Mr. Zelinskyy?

20. Orzo and ziti: PASTAs.

Orzo

Ziti

21. Grand total: SUM.

22. History: PAST.

23. Part of a server's income: TIPS.

24. __ soup: sushi bar bowlful: MISO.  Yummers!

28. "La La Land" Oscar winner Stone: EMMA.  Emma Stone (née Emily Jean Stone; b. Nov. 6, 1988) and Ryan Gosling (né Ryan Thomas Gosling; b. Nov. 12, 1980) co-stared in this film.

31. Chocolaty drink: COCOA.

35. Before, in classic palindromes: ERE.  Napoleon never said what you thought he said.

36. Continent with most of the world's people: ASIA.  Continents by population.

37. "Adios!": SO LONG.

38. Org. with bomb-sniffing dogs: ATF

.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is a law enforcement agency within a 5-Across.

41. __ de Janeiro: RIO.  The name of this Brazilian city literally means the River of January.

42. Blob: DOLLOP.

44. Asteroid formation: BELT.

45. Put on: DON.

46. "Gonna join us?": YOU IN?

47. __ the deal: SEAL.

48. Fair ride: PONY.

49. Number-picking bar game: KENO.

51. "__ open book": "Ask me anything": I'M AN.

53. A single time: ONCE.  Also the beginning of many a fairy tale.

56. "Maa" ma: EWE.  What happens if you never shear a sheep?

58. Just okay: NOT BAD.

64. Spine-tingling: EERIE.

65. Yard sale caveat: AS IS.

66. Queen of Mount Olympus: HERA.  Everything you wanted to know about Hera, but didn't know to ask.

67. Roofing stone: SLATE.  The pros and cons of a slate roof.

68. Golf pegs: TEEs.

69. Chinese currency: YUAN.

Down:

1. Wheelchair access: RAMP.

2. Between ports on a cruise: ASEA.

4. Nova __: SCOTIA.  Hi, Canadian, Eh!  We visited Nova Scotia quite often when we were kids.

5. Gets into character for Comic-Con, say: DRESSES UP.  The 2022 Comic-Com International event will be in San Diego in July.  I'll pass.

6. Lip balm brand with egg-shaped containers: EOS.  They come in all sorts of flavors.

7. Bear feet: PAWS.

8. Damage that may be psychological: TRAUMA.

9. Smithwick's beer: ALE.  I am not familiar with Smithwick, but apparently it comes from Ireland.

10. Commuting arrangement: CAR POOL.

11. Hip-moving Hawaiian dance: HULA.

12. Alter __: secret identities for superheroes: EGOs.  Superman was Clark Kent's alter Ego.

13. Completely worn out: SHOT.

18. Quick snooze: NAP.

19. "I could do without this knowledge," way less formally: TMI.  Text speak for Too Much Information.

25. Merit badge earner: SCOUT.  I earned many badges when I was a girl scout.

26. Stimulating: HEADY.

29. Open __ night: MIC.

30. "I'll think about it": MAYBE.

33. French __ soup: ONION.  Yummers!

34. Anguish: AGONY.

36. Flying solo: ALONE.

37. Inanity: SILLINESS.

40. __ & Perrins steak sauce: LEA.  The bottles of Lea & Perrins are wrapped in paper.  It is a hold-over from the days when the sauce was shipped from England in the 1800.  The paper wrapping helped to protect the glass bottles from breaking.

43. Gives something a thumbs-up: LIKES IT.

47. "Big deal": SO WHAT.

48. Uneven, as fog: PATCHY.

50. Badminton court divider: NET.

52. Extinct emu-like bird: MOA.  The Moa is believed to have gone extinct in the 1200s.

53. Poetic tributes: ODES.

54. Yule tune: NOEL.

55. "Superbad" actor Michael: CERA.  Michael Cera (né Michael Austin Cera; b. June 7, 1988) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He co-starred with Alia Shawkat (née Alia Martine Shawkat; b. Apr. 18, 1989 ) in Arrested Development.

57. Simplicity: EASE.

59. Mystical glow: AURA.

60. Campus official: DEAN.

62. Alumna bio word: NÉE.  Today's French lesson.

63. Compete (for): VIE.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Thursday, April 1, 2021 Joseph A. Gangi

 

Today's performance is by Joseph Gangi, who last entertained us on November 23, 2020 with themes played by STRING TRIOs.  Today he asks US to do the work and INTROSPECT on our mixed-up I's spread among 5 themers:

19. *Like some pages in used books: DOG EARED.  Just for the record, I'm a bookmark person, but in the interest of fairness, here are some rants, er, testimonies, from dog earers.

33. *"Mean" Pro Football Hall of Fame lineman: JOE GREENE.  I immediately thought of his name when I saw this clue, but it turns out that this was not a very kind moniker for this likable, outstanding professional.  Per the Wikipedia: 'Although it stuck with him throughout his professional career due to his playing style, Greene himself was not fond of the nickname, insisting it did not reflect his true character. "I just want people to remember me as being a good player and not really mean," he said. "I want to be remembered for playing 13 years and contributing to four championship teams. I would like to be remembered for maybe setting a standard for others to achieve.'   This article reveals various theories as to how he got the nickname.

38. *Arcade staple: VIDEO GAME.  PONG, for two players, developed by Atari  was the very first commercially successful video game.  In fact it was the first (and only) video game I ever played, back in my ute at one of the College Park delis when I was at U. of Md.  I recall the version I played being a lot slower than this:

 
4. *Metaphor suggesting suspense: EDGE OF ONES SEAT.  DW and I are frequently on the edge of our seats in the evenings, as we watch a lot of British mysteries ...

15. *Is a fifty-fifty proposition: CAN GO EITHER WAY.  ... however in most British mysteries it's the cops who usually win and the perps who usually lose.

 And the REVEAL that UNMASKS us ...

53. Secondary persona, or what's hidden in the answers to starred clues: ALTER EGO.

 Here's the grid.  A particularly nice touch is the intersection of the themers 19A and 38A with 4D and 33A and the reveal at 53A with 15D:
 

This is then followed up with a COMPLEX of blogger bling-worthy clues ...

Across:

1. Anger: BILE. Before this perped into place I tried FURY and RAGE  Here's what Webster has to say.

5. List member: ITEM.  Or a famous couple name-dropped into the National Enquirer.

9. Reheat, in a way: ZAP.

12. "That's on me": I DID.  I couldn't get "My treat" to fit.

13. Service station sections: BAYS.

14. Crime site: SCENE.

16. One may symbolize friendship: RING.  However in the Lord of the Rings,  ONE RING symbolizes the exact opposite.

17. Gets with difficulty, with "out": EKES.  Also a homophone of  the word often used when one is cornered by a mouse:

18. Ctrl+V, commonly: PASTE.  A text editing shortcut - think "moVe".  Others include Ctrl-C (Copy) and Ctrl+X (Delete), both precursors to Ctr+V.

21. It arrives just before Christmas, for many: WINTER.  Just before the arrival of the Winter Solstice on 12/21, we celebrate DIL's BD (12/16), next to youngest GS's BD (12/17), 2nd oldest GD's BD (1219), not to mention the little matter of Christmas .  There is a lot to celebrate in this season!

22. Substituted (for): STOOD IN.

23. Send an IM to: PING.  Not to be confused with 38A.  This was my last fill, as I was perhaps too close to it.  I'd don't do a lot of  IM'ing, but I used to spend a lot of time PINGing.  It was originally a submariner's term for an acoustic echo used to track enemy ships, reefs, and other hazards.  The term was picked up by early network engineers as a simple test for remote devices on a network and as a rough measure of connection speed.  As all things IT are comprised of acronyms, they gleefully nicknamed the command "Packet INternet Groper".  

Here's an iconic scene with the first type of ping in "The Hunt for Red October" with the great Scottish actor Sean Connery, who we lost this past year.  The "One Ping Only" is about 28 seconds in (you might need to turn up the volume, as submariners tend to talk very quietly):
 

24. Public health org.: FDA.    As in the Food and Drug Administration, much in the news these days.
 

25. Card game cry: GIN.  As in GIN RUMMY.  Also slang for an enGINe,  à la Eli Whitney's cotton gin - "a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation. The fibers are then processed into various cotton goods, while any undamaged cotton is used largely for textiles like clothing. The separated seeds may be used to grow more cotton or to produce cottonseed oil":
 

26. Like some exams: ORAL.  These come in two varieties: PhD and DENTAL.

30. MLB's Angels, in sportscasts: HALOS.  The result of a Westward ho expansion, the Angels were founded in 1961.  Apparently they derived their name from their original location, Los Angeles, but latter moved to Anaheim, resulting in much controversy and much confusion (to me at least!).  A CSO to any sports fans who can 'splain it to us.

35. Before, in Brest: AVANT.  Both in time and space. Often used in artistic and fashion statements, as in AVANT-GARDE (i.e. at the FOREFRONT):
 

36. List-ending abbr.: ETC.

37. Helpers: AIDES.

40. Puts away: STOWS.  E.g. freight, food, 36A.

41. Pre-event periods: EVES. 

42. Chemical suffix: ANE. Organic compounds, consisting of saturated hydrocarbons, i.e. chains of one or more CARBON atoms (valence 4) with connections to the maximum possible number of HYDROGEN atoms (valence 1).  Here is a PROPANE molecule:
 

Propane

43. Fire remains: ASH.  Also makes appearances in Xwds clued as the wood used for baseball bats.

44. Calls in poker: SEES.  These are synonyms, although CALL seems to be preferred.

46. Criminal: ILLEGAL.

50. Tell when one shouldn't: SQUEAL.  Except for a WHISTLE BLOWER reporting criminal activity, who really SHOULD.  "If you see something, say something!"

54. Distinctive characters: AURAS.  E.g. sported by the Angels.

55. Verdi solo: ARIA.  Italian for "air".  Also an OPUS (Latin for a single WORK) in a dramatic or comic musical sequence known as an OPERA (Latin plural for WORKS).  Often clued with VERDI, but PUCCINI, ROSSINI, BIZET, et. al. wrote a lot of ARIAS too.

56. Paintball souvenir?: WELT.  Ouch!

57. With 7-Down, teary: MISTY.  A CSO to our Misty.  Hope you're not teary today though!

58. Tolerate: BEAR.  A clecho to 52D.

59. Not worth __: A SOU.  An expression for "worthless".  The word has its origin in the SOLIDUS, a Roman coin dating back to the Emperor Constantine.  If you had one of these I don't think it would be worthless:

60. LAX info: ETA.  When I use to travel a lot for work, the E definitely stood for ESTIMATED!

61. Rogues: CADS.

62. Trees used to make bows: YEWS.  A very strong, yet flexible wood.

Down:

1. Fowl: BIRDS.  Also British slang for WOMEN.

2. Facetious target of a series of guides: IDIOT.  As I resemble that remark, I refuse to buy one of these.

3. Talk of the town?: LINGO.  I tend to think of this as a synonym for specialized ARGOT or JARGON.  The talk of the Corner perhaps?

5. Spain and Portugal, mostly: IBERIA.
 

The Iberian Peninsula

IBERIA is also a suite for piano by Isaac ALBÉNIZ.  As this article describes it, "
It is considered one of the most challenging works for the piano: "There is really nothing in Isaac Albeniz's Iberia that a good three-handed pianist could not master, given unlimited years of practice and permission to play at half tempo. But there are few pianists thus endowed."  Here is pianist
Luis Fernando Pérez, who is definitely up to the task:

6. Unavailable: TAKEN.

7. See 57-Across: EYED.  As in Black EYED Susans, the yearly prize for winning the PREAKNESS.  Something only a Baltimoron will admit: as Black Eyed Susans, the Maryland State Flower, aren't in season when the Preakness Stakes is run, they use Oxeye daisies with the centers painted BLACK.  Here is Secretariat in 1973 in the winner's circle after winning the second leg of the Triple Crown (this year's races run Fri, May 14, 2021 – Sun, May 16, 2021, limited bleachers seating):

8. Ed.'s stack: MSS.  Manuscripts.

9. Word with lemon or orange: ZEST.  Every thing you need to know about zesting lemons.  And much much more!

10. Pot starter: ANTE.  My Auntie Ev wouldn't go near a deck of cards!

11. Jury member: PEER.  Selected by a process called VOIR DIRE.  It looks like French to me: "To see.  To say", but the dictionaries say it's Latin.  A CSO to Lemonade on this for an official ruling.  I've shown up for jury duty many times, but the lawyers take one look at me and the defense signals a thumbs down.  I think they don't like my hat.

14. English: SPIN.  Pool talk.  A CSO to any pool sharks on the Corner - this looks like a good place to buy "bespoke" (i.e. expensive) pool cues.  Also a word coined by Erwin Schrödinger to describe an indescribable property of quantum objects.  Still curious?  You were warned!  A CSO to Dash T to 'splain this one in simple  14D.

20. Extends, as a building: ADDS TO.  See 21D.

21. Building extension: WING.  See 20D.  Is there an ECHO in here?

23. Jigsaw bit: PIECE.  In the Corner case a WORD.

25. "No clue": GOT ME.   Well if it's not a CLUE, then what is it? 

27. Start over: REDO. See 28D.

28. Over: ANEW.  See 27D.

29. No __: surprisingly: LESS.

30. Possess: HAVE.  Quick - what's something of value that you can give away, but still keep (see answer at the end *)

31. Tel __: AVIV.  Formerly the capital of Israel.

32. Fill with freight: LADE, i.e. to LOAD.  Also a regional synonym (Scottish) for a MILL RACE that channels river water to a water powered wheel.  Here's DW beside the old Oakland Mill on the Liberty Reservoir near Eldersburg, MD.  The mill race is beyond the stone wall behind her:
 

33. Casual pants: JEANS.

34. React to fightin' words, maybe: RASSLE.

39. Hebrides native: GAEL.  The Hebrides is an archipelago off the West coast of Scotland, perhaps best known for FINGAL'S CAVE, a mammoth opening in a basalt-columned cliff on the Isle of Staffa:

On a tour of Scotland in 1829 composer Felix Mendelssohn, seasick below deck on an excursion over to this site, was coaxed above by a companion when they arrived.  His seasickness disappeared, he grabbed a pen and paper and immediately begin composing his famous HEBRIDES (a.k.a. FINGAL'S CAVE) OVERTURE:
 

43. Wedding destinations, often: ALTARS.  As in ...
 

45. Like 55-Down: EASY.

46. Inspiration for the 2004 film "Troy": ILIAD.   The latter is a cornerstone of Western literature, which I mentioned to get through in UNI.  Roger Ebert gave the film two stars, so I didn't bother.  Although the Trojan War lasted 10 years, the actual events of the epic take place in a matter of  a few weeks, just before the fall of the city (which actually occurs in the ODYSSEY).  The story is concerned with the "wrath of Achilles" and his vengeance for the death of his beloved friend Patroclus.  The backstory of how it all started is recounted in tales remembered during the battles. 

47. Parts of some V's: GEESE.  Why DO geese fly in a V?   Actually the Canada Geese (second photo in link) in Maryland live here year round.  But every Fall they take to the skies and fly around the country side in V formations just to stay in practice.

48. Lit up: AGLOW.

49. Kind of position used for meditation: LOTUS.  The basic pose is fairly easy, but this one takes a lot of practice:
 

50. "Ditto": SAME.  See for example 27D and 28D.

51. Pack it in: QUIT.

52. __ Major: URSA.  Latin for GREAT BEAR,  a.k.a. the BIG DIPPER.  The two left-most stars in the "ladle" are called the "pointer stars" as they point to Polaris, the NORTHERN STAR.

53. Triangle calculation: AREA. 

55. See 45-Down: ABC.  

That's a wrap!

* Information

 

Cheers,
Bill

waseeley