Monday May 20, 2024 Max Schlenker

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a Max Schlenker offering. Max had two LAT puzzles published last year -- a Wednesday and a Thursday. 

Today's theme is:  

Each of the six themed answers begins with a voiced vowel name. Additionally, they appear in alphabetical order. Here they are:

17 Across. Hurdles for British students hoping to attend university: A-LEVEL EXAMS.  Advanced Levels are qualifications in particular subjects that are usually the final academic courses taken before a student attends university.

They were unfamiliar to me but easily sussable after I saw EXAMS on my second lap.

23 Across. App for finding a main squeeze: EHARMONY.  Not an app for buying avocadoes, eHarmony is an on-line dating website launched in 2000. I read that it mainly attracts heterosexual men and women aged 35 to 55 who are currently single and looking to meet (and eventually marry) their soul mate.

Did you meet your SO (Significant Other) on-line? If not, how? DH and I met running. It's a great story for another day.

28 Across. Apple tablet option: IPAD PRO.  It was first introduced in 2015. The newest edition is M4 and is only slightly thicker that the diameter of a pencil-top eraser.

46 Across. National song celebrating "the True North strong and free": O CANADA.  ♪♪

Last week I missed an opportunity to note a CSO to CanadianEh!. This week I am sending her (and all Canadians) not only a CSO but also good wishes for a Happy Victoria Day!

51 Across. Rental option on moving day: U-HAUL VAN.  U-Haul has been serving do-it-yourself movers since 1945. They launched their SuperGraphic program in 1988. Since then, over 250 different images have been created, each one honoring individual states and provinces, and saluting North America's public.  Here's one for Husker-Gary:  

No, that's not me kissing the rhino SuperGraphic.

60. Sex-determining heredity unit: Y CHROMOSOME.  Children learn in school that "Y is sometimes a vowel". (See 48A and 69A for two excellent examples.)

Here's an early look at the grid so you can see the theme-dense construction. The themers are 11-, 8-, 7-, 7-, 8-, and 11-letters. Well done, Max!  

Let's facetiously move on to the other clues and answers. As it turns out, every one of them contains an A, E, I, O, U, or (sometimes) Y.

Across:
1. 20s dispenser: ATM.  twenty dollar bills

Are you seeing $50 bills at ATMs? I guess $20 does not go as far as it once did.

4. See 65-Across: CHEST.     and     65 Across. With 4-Across, storage unit made of fragrant wood: CEDAR.

I used to live in an old ranch house that had CEDAR-lined drawers and closets in the bedroom. I loved it!

9. Apex: ACME.  Companies liked the name back when it appeared near the top of an alphabetical order phone book listing.  

13. Brit's restroom: LOO.

14. "Reading Rainbow" host Burton: LEVAR. (b. Feb. 16, 1967) In 2017 he created and hosted the podcast, LeVar Burton Reads, sometimes described as "Reading Rainbow for adults."  

15. In the boonies: RURAL.

16. 401(k) kin: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.  

19. Frank and sincere: CANDID.  One definition of CANDID is "marked by honest and sincere expression". Another definition is "relating to photography of subjects acting naturally or spontaneously without being posed." It is that second definition that gave us the alliteratively titled TV show, Candid Camera.  (2:45 min.)

21. Face covering: VEIL.  In the 13th century, VEIL was considered a noun. In the 14th century, people started also using it as a verb.

22. Main squeeze: BAE.  According to 23 Across, you can find one with an app.

25. Bubbly drink: SODA.

27. Military sch. located in "America's Sailing Capital": USNA.  I do like a good trivia clue with an embedded hint! 

The United States Naval Academy is located in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established in 1845. It's motto is Ex Scientia Tridens, which means "Through Knowledge, Sea Power".  more history

31. "Shaun of the Dead" actor Simon: PEGG.  He plays the titular character in this 2004 zombie-themed film.

PEGG is in the foreground.

34. Coal mine carrier: TRAM.  How strong and huge must one be to carry a coal mine? I am reminded of the title of this book:  

36. Bus station: DEPOT.

37. Egg cells: OVA.

38. 1300, in military time: ONE P.M.  

The clock at the USNA only goes to 12.  😜

40. "Thanks a __!": LOT.  Is it just me or does this apology seem insincere?

41. Short-range basketball shot: LAYUP.  Here is a how-to video:  

44. Colorful eye part: IRIS.

45. Low-carb diet: KETO.

48. Agile: SPRY.     and     69 Across. Sneaky: SLY.  

...and sometimes Y

50. Rex Stout's stout sleuth Wolfe: NERO.  IIRC, Splynter has been reading these books lately.

55. Was introduced to: MET.  I wonder if Patti has ever MET a NY MET?

57. Ripped: TORN.

59. Cut in two: CLEAVE.  CLEAVE is one of those Janus words that can also mean its opposite, "to adhere firmly". 

63. Golf target score: PAR.  

64. Multicountry org. based in NYC: THE UN  "New York City" is abbreviated, so is "The United Nations".

66. Celebration at the end of Ramadan, informally: EID.  more info.

67. Goal in the board game Sorry!: HOME.  Great clue! Perhaps this is where the phrase, "Sorry, not sorry," originated.  

Remember the SLIDEs?
If you land on the first space of a SLIDE that is not your color, you get to move all the way to the end of it, bumping any opponents in your way back to their own START spaces.
Sorry!

68. Wails woefully: KEENS.  KEEN as a verb means to lament, mourn, or complain loudly.

Down:
1. Girl who meets the Cheshire Cat: ALICE.  One of my favorite soundtracks is the one for Alice in Wonderland by Danny Elfman (2010).  

2. Holy text in Hebrew: TORAH.

3. Disney film set in Polynesia: MOANA.  Here is the trailer for the 2016 Disney animated film. A live action version (also starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) will come out in 2026.  

4. Calls dibs on: CLAIMS.  

5. Retained: HELD ON TO.

6. Holiday lead-in: EVE.

7. Practical know-how: SAVVY.  The verb form is an alteration of sabi  (or sabe or sapere) meaning "to know" in Latin-based languages such as Portuguese and Spanish.  

8. Elm or oak: TREE. 

9. "La Cage __ Folles": AUX.

10. Small sour fruit: CRABAPPLE.  Speaking of trees, here is a CRABAPPLE tree.  

11. First word for some babies: MAMA.  

12. "What __ is new?": ELSE.

15. Bring up again, as a web page: RELOAD.  I started with "reopen".

18. Struggle with "s" sounds when speaking: LISP.

20. The "D" of FDA: DRUG.  The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services.

24. "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" realm: NARNIA.  C.S. Lewis penned this novel in 1950. It is the best known of the seven-novel series.

26. 1950s POTUS: DDE.  Dwight David Eisenhower was the 34th President Of The United States.  The Eisenhower Tunnel is located about 60 miles west of Denver on I-70.

28. Mischievous: IMPISH.

29. Cheer (for): ROOT.  

"Let me ROOT, ROOT, ROOT for the home team."  ♪♪

(It's cute when he eats the pop fly.)

30. Director Preminger: OTTO.  (1905-1986)  his IMDb page

31. Casual top with a collar: POLO.  

32. Relocation in an emergency, for short: EVAC.  EVACuation

33. Song in a Pride event set list: GAY ANTHEM.  This fill crossed O CANADA.

Here is a Spotify list of 50 songs considered to be GAY ANTHEMs. YMCA is on that list but we had that one last Monday. Let's go with a Diana Ross tune....  

I'm Coming Out  (1980)

35. Bubbly prefix: AER-.  It means "air".

39. 1980s maze runner with a red bow: MS. PAC-MAN.  

42. French one: UNE.  

for future reference....

43. Superstar Dolly: PARTON.  Dolly Rebecca Parton was born January 19, 1946 in Pittman Center, TN. She is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily for her decades-long career in country music. Her website calls her a living legend and who can argue with that? Here is an old clip of Dolly singing Jolene on The Porter Wagner Show in 1973.  

45. "South Park" kid in a green hat: KYLE.  While there technically isn't a town called "South Park" in Colorado, most people consider Fairplay, CO (population 737), located in the South Park National Heritage Area to be the setting for this animated TV series. I used to drive through it on my way to go snowboarding in Breckenridge. 

They have one of those signs where you can put your face in the holes. I did Stan.
L to R:  Kenny, Stan, Kyle, and Eric

47. __ and gloom: DOOM.

49. Focus of some lessons in history class and math class: RULERS.  This was my favorite clue today!  

Human body parts made handy measuring devices before someone invented a standardized rod.  read more

51. "I wish I could __ that!": "My eyes!": UNSEE.  The definition of UNSEE is to erase the image of something from one's memory. It does not have to be a bad thing. For example, once you see Australia this way, you might always think of these images. 

(Is Tasmania is a coughed-up furball? 😀)

52. Flouts a "No Smoking" sign, perhaps: VAPES.  Flout  vs. flaunt:  Flout is to ignore the rules. Flaunt is to show off. Good job, LAT editors!

53. To no __: in vain: AVAIL.  

54. Geeky: NERDY.

55. Legend: MYTH.

56. Empty room sound: ECHO.

58. Boulder: ROCK.

61. Feel remorse over: RUE.

62. Poem in tribute: ODE.

I will sign off with one more vowel giggle....

Wednesday, September 13, 2023 Max Schlenker

Theme: ALL DOLLED UP.  Theme answers have a final syllable that is a homophone for DOLL 

But first, today's theme song.

Sammy Nestico's arrangement of Satin Doll, played by the 

Dearborn Big Band at the Plymouth, MI Fall Festival - 9/10/23 

17 A. Primatologist who wrote "The Chimpanzees of Gombe": JANE GOODALL.  Dame Jane Morris Goodall DBE; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; (3 April 1934) formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, after 60 years studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees.

She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots programme, and she has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. As of 2022, she is on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project.[6] In April 2002, she was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Goodall is an honorary member of the World Future Council.

27 A. Plaything made from a clothespin, perhaps: WOODEN DOLL.  No homophone this time - instead the real thing.  [If you consider a DOLL to be a real thing.]

Ana shows you how to make them

49 A. Actress/entrepreneur whose son is Lorenzo Lamas: ARLENE DAHL.  Arlene Carol Dahl (August 11, 1925 – November 29, 2021) was an American actress active in films from the late 1940s. She was one of the last surviving stars from the Classical Hollywood cinema era.

She was also an author and entrepreneur. She founded two companies, Arlene Dahl Enterprises and Dahlia, a fragrance company.

In her personal life, Dahl had six husbands, including actors Lex Barker and Fernando Lamas, and was the mother to three children the eldest of whom is actor Lorenzo Lamas. 

63 A. Lentil dish from western India: GUJARATI DAL. Sweet, spicy and tangy,  Gujarati Dal is comfort food at its best! This thin consistency dal is tempered with lots of spices like cinnamon, cloves, cumin, mustard and flavored with ginger, jaggery, lime juice. Best enjoyed with plain rice.  Recipe here.  Gujarat is a state in western India.  Dal can refer to several kinds of legume.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here.  A theme like this requires a different spelling for each homophone, or it would lack elegance.  And here that requirement is nicely achieved.  Not the theme I expected at first look, but it works well.  Let's see what else we can discover.

Across:
1. Say "I'll be there," maybe: RSVP.  An initialism of the French phrase, "répondez s'il vous plaît." This directly translates to "Respond, if you please." The initialism is often used to confirm attendance for an event, such as a wedding, birthday party or baby shower.

5. Officers-to-be: CADETS.  Trainees in uniformed organizations.

11. In the past: AGO.  Lone upon a time.

14. Aspire laptop maker: ACER.  A Taiwanese multinational hardware and electronics corporation specializing in advanced electronics technology, headquartered in Xizhi, New Taipei City. 

15. Firenze locale: ITALIA.  we cal it Florence, Italy.  But what do we know?   It is the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, and home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. The Galleria dell'Accademia displays Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture. The Uffizi Gallery exhibits Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation.”

16. Break in continuity: GAP.  I something missing?

19. Draw upon: USE.  Take, hold, or deploy (something) as a means of accomplishing a purpose or achieving a result; employ.

20. Jungian inner self: ANIMA.  Jung described the animus as the unconscious masculine side of a woman, and the anima as the unconscious feminine side of a man, each transcending the personal psyche. Jung's theory states that the anima and animus are the two primary anthropomorphic archetypes of the unconscious mind, as opposed to the theriomorphic and inferior function of the shadow archetypes. He believed they are the abstract symbol sets that formulate the archetype of the Self.  And no, I don't understand it either.  But I. am trying to get in touch with my female side.  Maybe that is being animated.

21. Photographer Goldin: NAN.   Nancy Goldin (born September 12, 1953) is an American photographer and activist. Her work often explores LGBT subcultures, moments of intimacy, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the opioid epidemic. Her most notable work is The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (1986). The monograph documents the post-Stonewall, gay subculture and includes Goldin's family and friends. She is a founding member of the advocacy group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now). She lives and works in New York City.

22. Provo resident: UTAHN.  People from Utah.

24. Cream ingredient: ALOE.   Aloe vera] is a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. It is widely distributed, and is considered an invasive species in many world regions.

An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world. It is cultivated for commercial products, mainly as a topical treatment used over centuries. The species is attractive for decorative purposes, and succeeds indoors as a potted plant.

The leaves of Aloe vera contain significant amounts of the polysaccharide gel acemannan which can be used for a wide range of medical purposes. The skin contains aloin which is toxic. Products made from Aloe vera usually only use the gel.   I certainly hope so.

26. Double __ Oreos: STUF.  Oreo is a sandwich cookie with a sugary filling between two cocoa wafers.  I am not a fan.  The double stud variety has a thicker layer of sugary STUF.  No, thank you.

32. Liberated: FREE.   Showing freedom from social conventions or traditional ideas, especially with regard to sexual roles.

35. Fictional gentleman thief Lupin: ARSENE.   Arsène Lupin is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine Je sais tout. The first story, "The Arrest of Arsène Lupin", was published on 15 July 1905. 

36. Brazilian port: RIO.   Rio de Janeiro is a huge seaside city in Brazil, famed for its Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, 38m Christ the Redeemer statue atop Mount Corcovado and for Sugarloaf Mountain, a granite peak with cable cars to its summit. The city is also known for its sprawling favelas (shanty towns). Its raucous Carnaval festival, featuring parade floats, flamboyant costumes and samba dancers, is considered the world’s largest.

Mandatory

37. Locally organized lecture series: TEDX.   TEDx are independent events similar to TED in presentation. They can be organized by anyone who obtains a free license from TED, and agrees to follow certain principles. TEDx events are required to be non-profit, but organizers may use an admission fee or commercial sponsorship to cover costs. Speakers are not paid and must also relinquish the copyrights to their materials, which TED may edit and distribute under a Creative Commons license.   TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading"

38. Minor issue: NIT.  A more or less trivial annoyance.

39. Accomplish: ACHIEVE.   Get 'er done!

42. Gather dust: SIT.  Be idle, as of machinery or a work force.

43. Cartoon girl whose best friend is Boots: DORA.  

45. Director Ang: LEE.   Ang Lee OBS [b 1954] is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. As a filmmaker Lee's work is known for its emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions.

46. Spanish "precise": EXACTO.  As translated.

48. Sweater spoiler: SNAG.  A small fabric defect caused by threads getting caught on an object.

51. Study feverishly: CRAM.   Study intensively over a short period of time just before an examination.

53. Fish sought by Marlin and Dory: NEMO.

54. Like udon, ramen, and pho: ASIAN.  In various types of Asia cuisine, these are two noodles and a soup.

56. Play a part: ACT.  portray a character in a movie or play.

58. Goads: PRODS.  Provoke or annoys someone)so as to stimulate some action or reaction.

62. Moroccan cap: FEZ.   The fez, also called tarboosh/tarboush, is a felt headdress in the shape of a short cylindrical, truncated hat, usually red, typically with a black tassel attached to the top. The name "fez" refers to the Moroccan city of Fez, where the dye to color the hat was extracted from crimson berries.

Source

66. Issa of "Barbie": RAE.   Jo-Issa Rae Diop [b 1985] credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer. Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl.

67. Trapped: SNARED.  Caught, literally or figuratively.

68. Short letter: NOTE.  A short informal letter or written message.

69. Meditation sounds: OMS.   A mystic syllable, considered the most sacred mantra in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. It appears at the beginning and end of most Sanskrit recitations, prayers, and texts.  Not to be confused with the Great God Om from Terry Pratchett's brilliant novel "Small Gods."

70. High-calorie cakes: TORTES.  Rich, usually multilayered, cakes that are filled with whipped cream, buttercreams, mousses, jams, or fruit. Ordinarily, the cooled torte is glazed and garnished. Tortes are commonly baked in a springform pan.

71. Alum: GRAD.  Alumni are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women. The word is Latin and means "one who is being nourished". The term is not synonymous with "graduate"; one can be an alumnus without graduating.  Have I discovered a nit?

Down:

1. Punjabi prince: RAJA.   RAJA is the name for a monarch — a king or a princely ruler — in historic India. While there are still rajas today, they no longer hold any real power. Through the long history of India, there have been many rajas who ruled over small areas of the continent.

2. Virus check: SCAN.  Look at all parts of (something) carefully in order to detect some feature.

3. "__, vidi, vici": VENI.   "I came; I saw; I conquered" is a Latin phrase used to refer to a swift, conclusive victory. The phrase is popularly attributed to Julius Caesar who, according to Appian,] used the phrase in a letter to the Roman Senate around 47 BC after he had achieved a quick victory in his short war against Pharnaces II of Pontus at the Battle of Zela (modern-day Zile, Turkey).

4. Put together early: PRE-MADE.  Made or assembled in advance.

5. Tech-focused exec: CIO.  Chief Information Officer.

6. Paid for one's sins: ATONED.  Made amends or reparation.

7. Absurdist art movement: DADA.  DADA or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century.  Developed in reaction to World War I, the Dada movement consisted of artists who rejected the logic, reason, and aestheticism of modern capitalist society, instead expressing nonsense, irrationality, and anti-bourgeois protest in their works.

8. Joie de vivre: ELAN.   Energy, style, and enthusiasm.

9. "How Long __ Black Future Month?": N.K. Jemisin collection: TIL.   Up to the point in time or the event mentioned; until.

10. Port __: creamy French cheese: SALUT.  Port Salut is a semi-soft pasteurised cow's milk cheese from Pays de la Loire, France, with a distinctive orange rind and a mild flavour. The cheese is produced in wheels approximately 23 cm in diameter, weighing approximately 2 kg. 

11. Taqueria drink with tamarindo and horchata varieties: AGUA FRESCA.  (English: cool waters, lit. 'fresh waters') are light non-alcoholic beverages made from one or more fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water. They are popular in Mexico and some other Latin American countries, as well as parts of the United States such as the Southwest. 

12. Deep cut: GASH.  A long deep slash, cut, or wound.

13. Vulnerable: OPEN.  Allowing access, passage, or a view through an empty space; not closed or blocked up.

18. Lead-bearing ore: GALENA.   The natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms.

23. Feathery cluster: TUFT.    A bunch or collection of threads, grass, hair, etc., held or growing together at the base.

25. Buck: ONE CLAM.  A single U.S. dollar

26. Eastern European language: SLOVENE.  Slovene or Slovenian is a Western member of South Slavic languages, which belong to the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. Most of its 2.5 million speakers are the inhabitants of Slovenia, majority of them ethnic Slovenes.

27. Mascara applicators: WANDS.  In this usage, a slender staff used to apply a substance to a specific location.

28. Film production company named for a constellation: ORION.   Orion Pictures (legal name Orion Releasing, LLC) is an American film production and distribution company currentlyowned by Amazon through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsidiary.  It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former senior executives at United Artists. From its founding until its buyout by MGM in the late 1990s, Orion was considered one of the largest mini-major studios

29. Shuns: OSTRACIZES.   Shuns or excludes from a society or group.

30. Cantilevered window: ORIEL.   A form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. 

31. Stretch the truth: LIE.  An assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deceiving or misleading someone. 

33. "Downton Abbey" sister: EDITH.

34. Laud: EXTOL.  Praise enthusiastically.

40. "How Stella Got __ Groove Back": HER.   Used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a female person or animal previously mentioned or easily identified.   The novel, told in Stella's own exuberant, dead-on, dead honest voice, How Stella Got Her Groove Back is full of Terry McMillan's signature humor, heart, and insight. More than a love story, it is ultimately a novel about how a woman saves her own life—and what she must risk to do it.

41. Not subject to taxes: EXEMPT.   Free from an obligation or liability imposed on others.

44. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.   A city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about 230 kilometres south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow.    The Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favourite empress. 

47. Loving lots: ADORING.  Love and respect someone deeply.

50. Main course: ENTREE.  The main course of a meal.

52. Fretful feeling: ANGST.  A feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general.

54. Hairstyle for Diana Ross and Bob Ross: AFRO.  A hairstyle, worn predominantly by Black people, in which naturally kinky or tightly curled hair is styled in a rounded shape.

55. Baseball gripping point: SEAM.   A line along which two pieces of fabric are sewn together in a garment or other article.

Sew it seams

56. Not closed all the way: AJAR.   Slightly open.

57. Links transport: CART.   A golf cart.

59. Aroma: ODOR.  Aroma sounds more attractive than smell.

60. Spreadsheet input: DATA.   A collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted formally.

61. Downhill racer: SLED.   A land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners similar in principle to skis. This reduces the amount of friction, which helps to carry heavy loads.

64. __, dos, tres: UNO.  Spanish is as easy ONE, two, three.

65. Some internet search results: ADS.  Advertisements for products or services.

OK.  For this Wednesday, that's all.  Hope y'all had a ball, and didn't brawl, fall, crawl or hit a wall.

Cool regards!

JzB

Thursday, May 4, 2023, Max Schlenker

 

 ANIMAL CROSSING

Today's puzzle is brought to us by constructor Max Schlenker who has had previous settings published in Inkubator and Universal Crosswords and is making his debut today in the LA Times.  His theme concerns 4 zoologists who give us punny presentations on birds, spiders, snakes, and mollusks.  Trigger warning: some of these are a little creepy ...

17A. Teaching surface for an ornithologist?: BILL BOARD.   Ornithology is the study of birds, and birds have BILLS (aka beaks).  The famous naturalist Charles Darwin was also an ornithologist who made an extensive study of the differences between the beaks of various finches on different islands in the Galapagos Archipelago.  He concluded that the differences in the shapes and sizes of their beaks were the result of adaptations to different plant life on the different islands, and that over many years they had  evolved into different species via natural selection ...

Darwin and his famous finches

While this seemed like a good idea at the time, this article and this article seem to indicate that while the beaks of various Galapagos finches may be different, the birds are really all the same species (i.e. they can interbreed and produce fertile offspring, like different breeds of the species canis domesticus).

 
27A. Lecture given by an arachnologist?: WEB ADDRESS.  Probably the most famous web addresses were given not by an arachnologist, but by an actual arachnid.   Her name was Charlotte, and here she meets Wilbur the pig for the first time.  Her short, but highly effective web addresses (e.g. "RADIANT", "SOME PIG", and "TERRIFIC") end up saving Wilbur's bacon:

50A. Demonstration given by a herpetologist?:SCALE MODEL.  This intrepid herpetologist demonstrates the milking of a scaly looking King cobra to get the venom needed to make anti-venom.

64A. Classroom icebreaker for a marine biologist?: SHELL GAME.  Enough with the creepy crawly stuff!  Pour yourself an ice cold beer and let George Hastings give you a master class in shelling Chesapeake Bay Oysters.  He isn't a marine biologist, but he is a two time national oyster shucking champion ...

And if you're not into slurping Chesapeake Bay sushi, here's a recipe for Oyster and Shrimp Bisque.

Here's the grid ...

Here are the rest ...

Across:

1. Produce duds?: SEW.

4. "I'll show you!": CAN SO.

9. Graphic novel genre: MANGA.  Here's a Beginner's Guide to Manga from the New York Public Library ...

14. __-locka, Florida: OPA.  Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.  The city was developed by aviation pioneer Glenn  Curtiss. Inspired by the Arabic fairy tale collection One Thousand and One Nights, Opa-locka has the largest collection of Moorish Revival themed architecture in the Western Hemisphere. Its streets have  names such as Sharazad Boulevard, Sinbad Avenue, Sultan Avenue, Ali Baba Avenue, and Sesame Street.  Here's a musical theme inspired by those same fairy tales from Scheherazade written by Nicholai Rimsky-Korsakov:

15. Speak from a lectern: ORATE.

16. In progress, quaintly: AFOOT.  Shakespeare originally used this word in King Henry V, Act 3 Scene 1, circa 1597, in the phrase: "Before the game is AFOOT, thou still let'st slip".  But it is probably more famous for its use by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the story The Return of Sherlock Holmes. 

17. [Theme clue]

19. Source of some overhead footage: DRONE.  Here is some DRONE footage of the devastation in Turkey and Syria following the deadly earthquake on February 6, 2023:

20. Org. co-founded by Helen Keller: ACLU.  Helen Keller was an American educator and advocate for the blind and deaf.  Not as well known is that she was also a co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union.  Stricken by an illness at the age of 2, Keller was left blind and deaf. Beginning in 1887, Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904. During her lifetime, she received many honors in recognition of her accomplishments.

21. __-ball pens: UNI.

22. Creamsicle flavor: ORANGE.

23. Writer Anaïs: NIN.  Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira NIN y Culmell (February 21, 1903 – January 14, 1977) perhaps best known for the length of her name.  She was a French-born American and also known as a diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica.  Here she is as an innocent teenager, presumably before she got into all the latter stuff ...

Anaïs Nin

She was also known for her bons mots, this one presumably after she got into all the latter stuff ...

25. Challenging words: DARE ME. 

27. [Theme clue]

31. Not hard: EASY.

34. Obsess over: ADORE.

35. Spanish "these": ESTOS.  Spanish lesson #1.

37. "That's all __ wrote": SHE.  A peculiarly American idiom which appeared during WWII.  It may be a reference to Dear John Letters received by overseas GIs, or it may have originated with this song ...
 

38. Private aid gp.: NGO.  Non Governmental Organization.

39. "Is that it?": AND.  That's all she wrote?

41. GOP org.: RNC.  Republican National Committee.

42. Relations: KIN.

43. AOC's political party: DEM.  This clue complies with the Corner's equal time requirements (see 41A above).  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist.

44. Spa feature: SAUNA.

46. Proxy: AGENT.  Here are several synonyms for "Proxy" ...

For those interested, software applications called proxy agents are commonly using in network management for providing firewalls and related services.  If you need more than that, see -T.

48. Sidewalk stand drinks: ADES.

50. [Theme clue]

52. Roof support beam: RAFTER.  Or one of these Class 5 White Water RAFTING crazies ...

Hand up if you've done any white water RAFTING?  sumdaze?

54. PD dispatch: APB.  Police Department.  All Points Bulletin.

55. "It'd be my pleasure!": GLADLY.

57. Sign of puppy love?: WAG.

59. Fresh: ANEW.

63. Repetitive musical piece: RONDO.  A RONDO is similar to a theme and variations, with the original theme repeating after each variation.  Here's Mozart's - Rondo Alla Turca played by Marnie Laird

64. [Theme clue]

66. __-Saxon: ANGLO.  The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group that inhabited much of what is now England in the Early Middle Ages, and spoke Old English. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century.

67. Edited, with "down": PARED.

68. Female sib: SIS.

69. Scrooge, at first: MISER.  A reference to Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist of Charles Dickens's novella A Christmas Carol.  Some pictures really are worth a thousand words ...

Ebenezer Scrooge

70. Dental visit freebie: FLOSS.  Would you believe, my hands are bigger than my mouth and I find these much easier to use:

Flossers

71. Sculpture, e.g.: ART.  Here's a stoneware sculpture created by potter Olin Russum ("Russ"), one of my teachers.  It was first thrown on a kick wheel in multiple sections, reshaped after it dried to "leather hard", and was then textured. The glazes were brushed on the dried raw clay and finally it was once-fired to Cone 11 (2359 F).  His young daughter named it "Beastie" and she used to roll it down the hill next to his studio.  We later bought it at an estate sale.

Beastie

Down:

1. Buckwheat noodles often served chilled: SOBA.  Despite its name, buckwheat is not closely related to wheat. It is not a cereal, nor is it even a member of the grass family. Buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed, and rhubarb, and is known as a pseudocereal because its seeds' culinary use is the same as cereals, owing to their high starch content.

Japanese Buckwheat flowers

2. Mind-blowing: EPIC.

3. Safe spot: WALL.

4. Ear piece?: COB.

5. Circa: AROUND.

6. Flatbread served with saag paneer: NAAN.  "saag" = spinach.  "paneer" = cheese.  The cheese can be either fermented or curdled with lemon juice.  Here's a recipe.

Saag Paneer

7. Takes steps: STRIDES.

8. Ref. work whose "Concise" version has more than 1,700 pages: OED.  Oxford English Dictionary. We have a copy of the compact version, which requires a magnifying glass to read the fine print (in box above the volumes). Sadly paper dictionaries have been made obsolete by the Internet.

Compact OED

9. Niña's mother: MADRE.  Spanish lesson #2.  A Niña is a little girl.

10. Angular abode: A FRAME.  An A-frame house or other A-frame building is an architectural house or building style featuring steeply-angled sides (roofline) that usually begin at or near the foundation line, and meet at the top in the shape of the letter A.  Here is the first modern A frame house built in the US in 1934:

The Bennati House
Lake Arrowhead, CA

11. "We don't care what you think!": NO ONE ASKED.  Another popular American anthem.

12. Big bell: GONG.  Back by popular demand ...

This instrument was also featured in Puccini's last opera.  Suitors foolish enough to vie for the hand in marriage of the "Ice Princess" Turandot would announce their intention by striking a GONG in the palace courtyard three times. They were then required to answer three riddles that Turandot posed to them.  Those that failed would loose their head.
 
13. Suit to __: A TEE.

18. Like the Igbo calendar: LUNAR.  Igbo ("ee boo") is a language group in the Nigeria.  The Igbo invented a calendar called Iguafo Igbo (Igbo Calendar) so as to be aware of days and years. The calendar has four "market days" namely Eke, Afor, Nkwo and Orie. These days make a week. In the Igbo calendar, four days make a week, seven weeks make one month and thirteen months make a year.  This widgit converts Gregorian Calendar dates to Igbo market days.  We have several Nigerian families in our church, but I don't think any of them use the Iguafo Igbo.  Here is our month of May, with line 2 being the first week of Igbo month and our May 4th being market day Eke :

22. Director Welles: ORSON.  Actor and director ORSON Welles (1915-1985) was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  He is perhaps best known for his radio broadcast of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, which caused a major panic and for his classic movie Citizen Kane, considered one of the greatest movies of all time.  Here is the beginning of War of the Worlds broadcast (this was radio - you're just imagining the visuals):

24. Brainstorms: IDEAS.

26. __ projection: ASTRAL.  This is a song about a man who lived and died on an ASTRAL plane ...

27. Sykes of "The Upshaws": WANDA.  The Upshaws is an American sitcom created by Regina Y. Hicks and Wanda Sykes. The series stars Sykes, Mike Epps, Kim Fields and Page Kennedy.

Wanda Sykes

28. Trimmed, in a way: EDGED.

29. Australian hunting tools: BOOMERANGS.  A BOOMERANG is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning boomerang is designed as a weapon to be thrown straight and is traditionally used by some Aboriginal Australians for hunting.

Australian Aboriginal Boomerangs

30. Cut back: REDUCE.

32. Perform well: SHINE.

33. Streisand directorial debut: YENTL.  YENTL is a 1983 American romantic musical drama film directed, co-written, co-produced by, and starring American entertainer Barbra Streisand. It is based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story Yentl the Yeshiva Boy.  The film incorporates music to tell the story of an Ashkenazi Jewish girl in Poland who decides to dress and live like a boy so that she can receive an education in Talmudic law after her father dies.  Here she asks Where is it Written? (lyrics):

36. Mischief maker: SCAMP.  Till Eulenspiegel is one of the most famous SCAMPS in music history and  may have been based on an historical person.  He was immortalized in Richard Strauss' tone poem Til Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks where he pays the ultimate price for his mischief, but rises again in the end.  Here's conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading the Berlin Philharmonic playing Til's theme ...

40. Mean-spirited: NASTY.

45. Tusked Arctic swimmer: NARWHAL.  The NARWHAL, also known as a narwhale, is a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large "tusk" from a protruding canine tooth. It lives year-round in the Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada and Russia.  Here's a quick introduction to these mysterious "Unicorns of the Sea".
 

47. Portable emergency kit: GO BAG.   Here is the AARP's recommendations on the contents of a GO BAG.

49. Jockey's seat: SADDLE.

51. Philadelphia team: EAGLES.

53. Trapdoor locale: FLOOR.

55. Mono- and sono- follower: GRAM.

56. Love of "The Real": LONI.  Loni Love (born July 14, 1971) is an American comedian, television host, actress, author, and former electrical engineer. While working as an electrical engineer in the early 2000s, she switched to music engineering, until later launching a career in stand-up comedy. She was the runner-up on Star Search 2003 and was named among the "Top 10 Comics to Watch" in both Variety and Comedy Central in 2009. She was one of the co-hosts of the syndicated daytime talk show The Real, which ran from July 15, 2013 and ended on June 3, 2022

Loni Love

58. Nestlé bar with a bubbly texture: AERO.

60. Hubble org.: NASA.  The Space Telescope Science Institute on the JHU campus in Baltimore, MD has the NASA contracts to provide down link services for both the Hubble Telescope and  the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).  Here is a gallery of some of the first images received from the JWST.

61. Gulf States dignitary: EMIR.

62. Basketball legend Jerry: WEST.  Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability to make a big play in a clutch situation, such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks [!!!]; "the Logo", in reference to his silhouette being incorporated into the NBA logo; "Mr. Outside", in reference to his perimeter play with the Los Angeles Lakers; and "Zeke from Cabin Creek", for the creek near his birthplace of Chelyan, West Virginia.

Jerry West 1972

64. Letters on a sunscreen bottle: SPF.   Sun Protection Factor  My dermatologist recommends that I use at least SPF 50.

65. Mormon letters: LDS. Latter Day Saints.  Their history and beliefs.

Cheers,
Bill

As always, thanks to Teri for proof reading, for her constructive criticism.

waseeley