Happy Labor Day, everyone! sumdaze here. Today's puzzle is a Lynn K. Watson and Katie Hale collaboration. This is Lynn's fourth LAT puzzle and her first collaboration with Katie, whom we know as the assistant crossword editor for the LAT.
Theme: CSO to C.C.
An early peek at the grid explains it all: 
17 Across. *Grinning creature in Wonderland: CHESHIRE CAT.
34. Eases off: ABATES.
37. Half a laugh: HEE.
38. "Big Blue" tech co.: IBM. This clue is a bit too close to 67-Down.
39. Classic Battleship game piece: CRUISER. 
41. "You look just like me!": TWINSIE.
44. Dah's partner: DIT. This clue refers to Morse Code. When expressed as sounds or light, they are DITs and dahs but are written as a series of dots and dashes. The duration of a dah is three times the duration of a DIT.
45. Queen guitarist Brian: MAY. Sir Brian Harold May was born July 19, 1947.
47. Strong blackjack hand: ACE-TEN.
52. Golfer's goal: PAR. an admirable alliterative allusion
53. __-friendly: ECO.
54. Monopoly surface: BOARD.
58. Zigzag on skis: SLALOM.
61. "Lonely Boy" singer Paul: ANKA. He also composed Johnny's Theme, the theme song for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
63. Member of a slapstick trio: MOE. a CSO to C-Moe!
64. Part of mpg: PER. Miles PER Gallon
68. Have breakfast: EAT.
70. Texter's "Or ... ": OTOH. On The Other Hand ...
12. Put on the market: SELL.
15. Winter wrap: STOLE.
18. Epic protagonists: HEROES.
23. "Video Games" singer Lana Del __: REY.
25. Start of a play: ACT I.
27. "Nice to __ you": MEET.
30. "I can help": USE ME.
31. Starting to learn: NEW AT. It could not be "NEW to" because "to" is in the clue.
32. Theater award: OBIE. Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards bestowed by The Village Voice newspaper for certain productions in New York City.
33. Marvel Comics mutants: X-MEN.
34. Band with a thunderbolt in its logo: AC⚡DC.
35. Pizzazz: BRIO. Def.: (noun) enthusiastic vigor; vivacity, verve.
36. Spark plugs, wiper blades, etc.: AUTO PARTS. 👍👍
40. The Indy 500, e.g.: RACE.
42. Swelling reducer: ICE BAG. In movies, they use a bag of frozen peas.
43. Wolfe of detective fiction: NERO.
46. Mexican peninsula: YUCATAN.
49. "House" actor Penn: KAL. his IMDb page
50. Self-congratulatory cheer: I ROCK.
51. This evening, in ads: TONITE.
55. Valued violin: AMATI.
56. Candies that resemble lampshades: ROLOS. Lampshades and ROLOS have the shape of a conical frustum (also called a truncated cone).
57. Indian metropolis: DELHI. The weather forecast for Delhi today is 84°F/76°F (28.8°C/24.4°C) with periods of rain.
58. On __: without a contract: SPEC.
59. Main role: LEAD. think "theater"
60. Barnyard bleats: MAAS.
62. More than guessed: KNEW.
66. __ Lanka: SRI. Colombo, Sri Lanka is 1,490 mi. (2,398 km.), as the plane flies, from Delhi, India.
67. Businesses: Abbr.: COS. Companies (Some, like IBM, are Cash Cows.)
17 Across. *Grinning creature in Wonderland: CHESHIRE CAT.
 |
| I bought this Coffee Cup the last time I visited Disneyland. It is oversized so I use it for soup. |
29 Across. *Only "Friends" star never nominated for an Emmy during the show's run: COURTENEY COX. I did not realize she spelled her name that way.
She might not have won and Emmy but she did get a star.
 |
| Courteney with co-stars Jennifer (l.) and Lisa (r.) in Feb. 2023 at Cox's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony |
48 Across. *Gingerbread shaper: COOKIE CUTTER. This answer is a noun so no hyphen is needed. On the other hand, when used as an adjective as in "COOKIE-CUTTER houses", Merriam-Webster calls for a hyphen. 
65 Across. *"A Chorus Line" event: CASTING CALL. A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater. It follows 17 dancers auditioning for spots.
The reveal is the last Across clue:
73 Across. "Oui! Oui!" in Oaxaca, and a phonetic description of the answers to the starred clues: SÍ! SÍ!.
A French "Yes! Yes!" becomes a Spanish "SÍ! SÍ!" in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The reveal tells us that each of the four starred clues is a two-word answer where both words begin with the letter C. Note that it specifies, "a phonetic description". Works for me!
 |
| This is the cover of the 10th studio album by the British band, Madness (2012). Ska fans can click here for a 4 min. video about how the album was named plus more background. |
Next we will look at the other Crossword Clues:
Across:
1. Life line location: PALM. Coincidentally, last Wednesday's 1-A was PALMS.
Scientists call the lines on our PALM palmar flexion creases. They begin to form around the 12th week of gestation. They help the skin in our hands squeeze and stretch.
5. Touches on an edge: ABUTS. The two U.S. states with the most shared borders are Tennessee and Missouri. They each ABUT eight other states, including each other, sometimes leading to a Cultural Clash.
10. Outfit for a lazy day at home, for short: PJS.
13. Chemistry test subject?: ACID. I liked this play on ACID test.
14. Tropical verandas: LANAIS. and 28-Across. Tropical garland: LEI.
16. Weeding tool: HOE. Using one might turn up a Creepy Crawler.
19. Monogram on a Libre perfume bottle: YSL. I was not familiar with this perfume but this monogram shows up frequently in crossword puzzles so I gave it a try.
20. Japanese pond fish: KOI. 6 Interesting Facts about KOI fish on PetMD
21. James of jazz: ETTA.
22. Tiny bit: MORSEL. Did you ever notice the bag says MORSELs, not "chips"?
5. Touches on an edge: ABUTS. The two U.S. states with the most shared borders are Tennessee and Missouri. They each ABUT eight other states, including each other, sometimes leading to a Cultural Clash.
10. Outfit for a lazy day at home, for short: PJS.
13. Chemistry test subject?: ACID. I liked this play on ACID test.
14. Tropical verandas: LANAIS. and 28-Across. Tropical garland: LEI.
16. Weeding tool: HOE. Using one might turn up a Creepy Crawler.
19. Monogram on a Libre perfume bottle: YSL. I was not familiar with this perfume but this monogram shows up frequently in crossword puzzles so I gave it a try.
20. Japanese pond fish: KOI. 6 Interesting Facts about KOI fish on PetMD
21. James of jazz: ETTA.
22. Tiny bit: MORSEL. Did you ever notice the bag says MORSELs, not "chips"?
 |
| Chocolate Chips |
24. Whale locator: SONAR. Captains use SONAR to locate whales for whale watching trips.
26. "Uh ... ": ERM .... a Communication Crisis???
34. Eases off: ABATES.
37. Half a laugh: HEE.
38. "Big Blue" tech co.: IBM. This clue is a bit too close to 67-Down.
44. Dah's partner: DIT. This clue refers to Morse Code. When expressed as sounds or light, they are DITs and dahs but are written as a series of dots and dashes. The duration of a dah is three times the duration of a DIT.
45. Queen guitarist Brian: MAY. Sir Brian Harold May was born July 19, 1947.
Queen ~ Keep Yourself Alive ~ 1973
(May is playing on stage left.)
<BTW, this video is brought to you through a Creative Commons license.>
47. Strong blackjack hand: ACE-TEN.
 |
| 10 + 11 = 21 |
53. __-friendly: ECO.
58. Zigzag on skis: SLALOM.
61. "Lonely Boy" singer Paul: ANKA. He also composed Johnny's Theme, the theme song for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
63. Member of a slapstick trio: MOE. a CSO to C-Moe!
 |
| inspirations for many a Class Clown |
64. Part of mpg: PER. Miles PER Gallon
68. Have breakfast: EAT.
69. Hand-to-hand combat style: KARATE.
70. Texter's "Or ... ": OTOH. On The Other Hand ...
Or, as they say in the KARATE dojo, OTOH2H.
71. Items in jewel cases: CDS. Here we have a case of intentional misdirection. The plastic cases that CDs come in are called jewel cases or sometimes jewel boxes.
71. Items in jewel cases: CDS. Here we have a case of intentional misdirection. The plastic cases that CDs come in are called jewel cases or sometimes jewel boxes.
 |
| If you put it in the fridge, you will have a Cold Case. (ba dum tss!) |
72. Muscle-bone connector: SINEW.
Down:
Down:
1. Prepares for a trip: PACKS. 
2. Sneeze sound: ACHOO.
3. Hit snooze, perhaps: LIE IN.
4. Health care pros: MDS. An abbreviated clue hints at an abbreviated answer.
5. Fluttered down to a perch, say: ALIT.
6. Negotiate a trade: BARTER.
7. Dig up: UNEARTH.
8. Tic __: mint brand: TAC. Do you remember these commercials telling us that one Tic Tac had only two calories? It was a Madison Ave. miss. I always wondered: (1.) They are so tiny, what do you expect? (2.) Who eats just one? and (3.) Are people concerned about gaining weight from breath mints?9. "The King and I" kingdom: SIAM. This story takes place in Siam during the early 1860s. Siam first changed its name to Thailand on June 5, 1939, changed it back in 1945, then became Thailand permanently on May 11, 1949.
10. Stephen Hawking, for one: PHYSICIST. Stephen William Hawking (1942 - 2018) wrote A Brief History of Time. It was on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.
11. "Feliz Navidad" singer Feliciano: JOSÉ. José will turn 80 years old in nine days. Feliz cumpleaños, José!
3. Hit snooze, perhaps: LIE IN.
5. Fluttered down to a perch, say: ALIT.
6. Negotiate a trade: BARTER.
7. Dig up: UNEARTH.
8. Tic __: mint brand: TAC. Do you remember these commercials telling us that one Tic Tac had only two calories? It was a Madison Ave. miss. I always wondered: (1.) They are so tiny, what do you expect? (2.) Who eats just one? and (3.) Are people concerned about gaining weight from breath mints?9. "The King and I" kingdom: SIAM. This story takes place in Siam during the early 1860s. Siam first changed its name to Thailand on June 5, 1939, changed it back in 1945, then became Thailand permanently on May 11, 1949.
10. Stephen Hawking, for one: PHYSICIST. Stephen William Hawking (1942 - 2018) wrote A Brief History of Time. It was on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.
11. "Feliz Navidad" singer Feliciano: JOSÉ. José will turn 80 years old in nine days. Feliz cumpleaños, José!
12. Put on the market: SELL.
15. Winter wrap: STOLE.
 |
| I bought one of these with my Credit Card but someone STOLE it. |
23. "Video Games" singer Lana Del __: REY.
25. Start of a play: ACT I.
27. "Nice to __ you": MEET.
30. "I can help": USE ME.
31. Starting to learn: NEW AT. It could not be "NEW to" because "to" is in the clue.
32. Theater award: OBIE. Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards bestowed by The Village Voice newspaper for certain productions in New York City.
33. Marvel Comics mutants: X-MEN.
 |
| The Caped Crusader (Batman) is in a different universe. |
34. Band with a thunderbolt in its logo: AC⚡DC.
35. Pizzazz: BRIO. Def.: (noun) enthusiastic vigor; vivacity, verve.
36. Spark plugs, wiper blades, etc.: AUTO PARTS. 👍👍
40. The Indy 500, e.g.: RACE.
42. Swelling reducer: ICE BAG. In movies, they use a bag of frozen peas.
46. Mexican peninsula: YUCATAN.
50. Self-congratulatory cheer: I ROCK.
51. This evening, in ads: TONITE.
55. Valued violin: AMATI.
56. Candies that resemble lampshades: ROLOS. Lampshades and ROLOS have the shape of a conical frustum (also called a truncated cone).
 |
| (Click to enlarge.) |
57. Indian metropolis: DELHI. The weather forecast for Delhi today is 84°F/76°F (28.8°C/24.4°C) with periods of rain.
58. On __: without a contract: SPEC.
59. Main role: LEAD. think "theater"
60. Barnyard bleats: MAAS.
 |
| These goats are helping to clear potentially flammable brush. I was fortunate to see similar working goats on my bike ride last Thursday, along with two Great Pyrenees dogs! Their mouths were too full to say MAA. |
66. __ Lanka: SRI. Colombo, Sri Lanka is 1,490 mi. (2,398 km.), as the plane flies, from Delhi, India.
67. Businesses: Abbr.: COS. Companies (Some, like IBM, are Cash Cows.)
We had a bit of a theater mini-theme with CASTING CALL, ACT I, OBIE, and LEAD so I will add some Closing Credits. 
I hope this puzzle is now Crystal Clear! Thank you for visiting the Crossword Corner!
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