Saturday, Jan 31st, 2015, Ned White

Theme: 

Words: 70 (missing Y,Z)

Blocks: 32

Phew~!  This one drained me mentally.  The proper names and biology just did me in ( I counted 17 in all ).  First I had to switch to red-letter, then Google, and finally to a straight up cheat.  Oh well.  Still, I enjoyed the challenge, and I was thrilled to get a "mini-theme" on Saturday~! The last time I had Mr. White for a constructor, I was in the middle of the summer bench project (that's 41a.) - while I'm not interested in the hostess from there anymore, I'm still hopelessly in love with the blue-eyed hostess.  Anyway, one spanner crossing one climber:

36a. School hallway warning : USE INDOOR VOICES

8d. Highway warning : CLICK IT OR TICKET - The national highway traffic safety admin's campaign to get you to wear your seatbelt; I always do.  Some male driver humor here

And the "reveal";

62a. Things to obey, like 36-Across and 8-Down : THE RULES

ACROSS:

1*. Plant reproductive structure : SPORE SAC - I got the "C", which led me to "sac", and on from there

9. Sharpens : WHETS - D'oh~! Not HONES

14*. Lindbergh nickname : LONE EAGLE - name - His Wiki

16. Goat __: chaotic situation, in slang : RODEO - Never heard of this; around here, we call it a clusterf**k

17. European travel pass : INTERRAIL - One of their itineraries lets you stop at Neuschwanstein Castle

18. "You Must Love Me" musical : EVITA - Total WAG - but then again, a 5-letter musical....

19. NYC travel org. : MTA

20. Trig function : ARCSEC - Cosine worked, too, but the abbr. "trig" meant otherwise

22. West end? : ERN - Western

23*. Internal walls : SEPTA - Biological term - as a carpenter, I was baffled trying to figure out what interior walls are called ( as opposed to 'bearing' walls, i.e. )

26*. Lizard that can shed its tail : SKINK - OK, so I threw in GECKO to start - Bzzzt~!

27. Passing event? : FAD - Dah~! I had to cheat the "D", but that finally opened up the NE

28. Book ending : ISH - Bookish

30. Like 23 of Haydn's symphonies : IN D - I put the "IN" part down, then waited....

31. Standing losses? : LAPS - when you stand up, you lose your lap - that's a kindergarten joke

32. Signifies : ADDS UP TO

35. "What have we here?!" : "HELLO~?!"

38. Fingers : NAMES

39. Media section : PRESS BOX - Dah~!!! My mind was stuck in the library, trying to get "Children's" to fit

40. Anthologies : ANAS - I goofed and put in ADAs, but that was 75% correct

41. Project : JUT - the verb, not the art/construction/school kind

42. Number of single-syllable U.S. states : ONE - Which one?  I know the answer~!

43. Cosmo, for one : MAGazine

44*. One Direction singer Zayn __ : MALIK - name

46*. Kirkuk native : IRAQI - name

50. "Every Moment Counts" gp. : USO - I pondered "REM", the music group

51*. 1965 Nobel Peace Prize recipient : UNICEF - I thought it might be this man, who just passed away, but his Nobel Prize was 1964

53. Vow taker : NUN

54. 8-Down and others : SIGNS - I have to admit, I have not seen "click it or ticket" as a sign; just the TV spots

56. A carve turn may be taught in one : SKI LESSON - Dah~! Dah~! Dah~!  First, I read it as "Caught", and not Taught, so I was stuck in the mental rut of carving wood, thus I was trying to get "WOOD KNOT" to work - or something like that. 

59. Bring forth : EDUCE

60. S-shaped sofa : TÊTE À TÊTE - aww, a kissing bench

61. Company with antlers in its logo : DEERE

DOWN:       

1. Diets, with "down" : SLIMS - Ooops, went with TRims first

2. Bridge overseas : PONTE

3. Slated : ON TAP

4*. R&B artist Des'__ : REE

5. "As wicked dew as __ my mother brush'd": "The Tempest" : E'ER

6. 1979-'80 Fleetwood Mac hit : SARA

7. Food stabilizers : AGARS

9. Highway closer, perhaps : WRECK - yup, that'll do it

10. Highway lane, for short : H.O.V. - High Occupancy Vehicle; I think it's a colossal waste here on L.I.; a better solution would have been a zipper wall

11*. Four-time Emmy-winning actress : EDIE FALCO

12*. Four-stranded DNA structure : TETRAPLEX - uh, OK - the Wiki

13. Scoundrels : SO-AND-SOs - ugh; just wasn't coming to me

15. Where "Hamlet" opens : ELSINORE - there's a castle there, too - more here

21. Object : END - the noun, not the verb

24. Spruces (up) : TIDIES

25. Like-minded orgs. : ASSNs

29*. __ Bannon, Paul Newman role : HUD - I've heard of it, but never seen it - IMDb

31*. Jerry who wrote lyrics for many Presley songs : LEIBER - ugh, please

32. How a stage line might be spoken : AS AN ASIDE - I got this, and it gave me some hope in the SW

33. Rabble-rouser : DEMAGOGUE

34. Champion of the common man : POPULIST

35*. Successor to Anwar : HOSNI

36. Not laughing : UNAMUSED

37. Brandy designation : VSO - Very Superior Old

41. 31-day mo. : JAN - on the first pass with no perps, could have been MAR, JUL, AUG, OCT, & DEC as well

44. Beaux-arts venue : MUSÉE - Frawnche

45*. Sports commentator Olbermann : KEITH

47*. Adams who shot El Capitan : ANSEL - ah, but I know this guy~!

48. Repeat exactly : QUOTE

49*. Novelist Hammond __ : INNES

52. Run : FLEE

55. Big name in bar code scanners : NCR

57. Tin __ : EAR

58*. Tommy Pickles' dad in "Rugrats" : STU

Splynter

Note from C.C.: 

  

Happy Birthday to dear Bill G, who has brought us lots of fun and uplifting links since he joined our blog. Whenever he sees a feel-good story via Barbara's Facebook or other sites, he shares with us immediately. Bill's posts are always cheerful and lighthearted, even his comments to those mean anons are polite. My heart aches with him for the tragic loss of his son Dan. I'm also very grateful for Bill's steady presence on our blog the past few years. The Comments section just does not feel complete without Bill's late night posts.

Barbara & Bill

Wednesday, September 3, 2014 Ned White

Theme: GET IT IN GEAR.  The first word of each two-word theme answer is the name of one of the gear selections for an automatic transmission shift lever.

17. Canadian natural resource manager : PARK WARDEN.  An unlikely looking clue, but sussable with perp help and a little head scratching.  You can read about them here.  PARK is the selection for keeping the vehicle stationary.

24. Dramatic backwards hoops move : REVERSE DUNK.   Better seen than explained.  A car in REVERSE goes backwards.

36. Photon, e.g. : NEUTRAL PARTICLE.   Protons and neutrons are polarized, photons go lightly down the middle of the road.  NEUTRAL is a resting position between REVERSE and DRIVE.

46. Push one's buttons, and then some : DRIVE INSANE.  Is there someone who knows how to push your buttons? I can be maddening. DRIVE is the selection for actually going somewhere.

56. Like many diets : LOW CALORIE.  Weight watching strategy. LOW gear is for low speed and controlled power.

64. Shift letters spelled out in 17-, 24-, 36-, 46- and 56-Across : P R N D L   Vide infra.

Source

Strangely, in the following video London gets it right - at least that part of it.  In the industry this bit of apparatus is indeed called the PRNDL, just as she pronounces it.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here, your chauffeur for the day. Let's DRIVE on through Ned's puzzle and see if we can avoid pot holes and speed bumps.

Across

1. Plentiful : RIFE.  This old Anglo-Saxon word might have originated with the Old Norse word for "acceptable."

5. Green-lights : OKAYS. Allows or permits.  Looks odd spelt out.

10. Fruit-bearing trees : FIGS.  They are native to the Middle East and Western Asia, now cultivated throughout the temperate zone.

14. "Tiger Beat" cover subject : IDOL. As in pop star.  Per Wikipedia, Tiger Beat is an American fan magazine marketed primarily to adolescent girls.  

Souce

15. Pentagon quintet : SIDES.  Tautologically true.

16. Cumming of "The Good Wife" : ALAN.  A legal and political drama on CBS.

Source

19. Desi Arnaz's birthplace : CUBA.   More specifically, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha, III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was born in Santiago, where his father was the mayor.

Wiki

20. 10 to the 100th power : GOOGOL.   Just a really big number.

21. Party amenity : FAVOR.  A trinket given to party guests.

22. Get on : AGE.  No comment.

29. Play to __ : A TIE. 

30. "Carmina Burana" composer : ORFF .  Carl ORFF composed this cantata in 1935-6, based on 24 poems from a medieval manuscript of the same name containing 254 poems in Latin and vernacular languages.  The entries are ribald, irreverent and satirical.  Here is the most famous segment.

31. Polio vaccine developer : SABIN.  Albert Bruce Sabin (August 26, 1906 – March 3, 1993) developed an oral polio vaccine.

33. Bk. after Galatians : EPH.  The letter to the EPHesians, traditionally attributed to Saul of Tarsus [aka Paul the Apostle] is the 10th book of The New Testament.

40. Photo lab prod. : ENLargement.  When a right click is not enough.

41. Words said while folding : I'M OUT.  Of a poker game, not putting away the laundry.

42. Outer Banks st. : N. CAR. North Carolina.

43. Island near Corsica : ELBA.  Everyone knows this as the site of Napolean's exile, but he spent his final six years confined at the British island of St. Helena.

44. Result : EFFECT. 

51. Facial feature above la bouche : NEZ.  The mouth and nose on le visage.

52. Fluttered in the breeze : WAVED. 

53. Passionate : ARDENT.

55. School where part of "The Madness of King George" was filmed : ETON.   British school, four letters, fill it in and move on.

60. Dubliner's land : EIRE.  Or ERIN.  Always need perps.

61. The Little Mermaid : ARIEL.

 Source

62. Little woman : GIRL.  Not so sure about this one.

63. Photographer Pattie who was married to George Harrison and Eric Clapton : BOYD.

 Photo of the Photographer

65. Ripoff : SCAM.

Down

1. Mending target : RIP.  Sew it up.

2. St. with a panhandle : IDAho.  I wanted FLA.   Can we use that pan to fry up some potatoes?

3. Absent-minded : FORGETFUL.  Again, no comment.

4. Nevada county or its seat : ELKO.   In the North-east corner of the State on the Humboldt River.

5. Oklahoma natives : OSAGES.  Originally from the Ohio River valley, they migrated West of the Mississippi by the mid 17th century to avoid the invading Iroquois.

6. Renamed Russian ballet company : KIROV.  Earlier the Imperial Russian Ballet, now the Mariinsky.

7. Throw for a loop : ADDLE. Confuse, befuddle.

8. "__-haw!" : YEE.  I wanted HEE.   Eiher way a western or rural expression of joy or exuberance.

9. Form 1040 ID : SSN. Social Security Number.

10. False front : FACADE.

11. Sweet tweet : I LUV U.  I somehow misread this as sweet treat, and was thoroughly ADDLED.

12. Equatorial African country : GABON.  On the West coast, below The Gulf of Guinea.

13. Snide commentary : SNARK.

18. Apple invader : WORM. Of the pome, not the computer.

21. Fencing ploy : FEINT.  A deceptive or distracting movement intended to create an opening.

22. Do a makeup job? : ATONE.   To make amends, and thus make up for some transgression.   I love this kind of clue.

23. Bridge immortal Charles : GOREN.  Charles Henry Goren (March 4, 1901 – April 3, 1991) was a player who wrote many books about the game and did much to popularize it.  He was the leading American bridge personality in the 1950s and 1960s.

25. Moroccan capital : RABAT. Just up the road from Casablanca.

26. The hoosegow : STIR.  Alternate slang words for jail.

28. Immature newt : EFT.

31. Memorial __-Kettering: NYC hospital : SLOAN.  The world's oldest and largest cancer center.

32. Manjula's husband on "The Simpsons" : APU.

33. Quirky : ECCENTRIC.  Literally, off-center, into English from Greek.

34. Venue : PLACE.

35. Alamo competitor : HERTZ.  Car rental, not the Mexican-American war.

37. Rankled : RILED.

38. Both: Pref. : AMBI-.  Could be ambiguous.

39. Like Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 : IN F.   The Key of F Major.




43. Reached equilibrium, with "out" : EVENED.

44. Final goal : END ALL.

45. Experience : FEEL.   I'm trying to experience the equivalence here, but don't quite feel it.

46. One who may be "adorkable" : DWEEB.  Dork, DWEEB, nerd - a socially inept intelligent person.  Think Sheldon Cooper.

47. Proportional relation : RATIO.  Math.  It represents for some quantity of thing A how much there is of thing B.  It can look suspiciously like a fraction.

48. Target of elephant poachers : IVORY.  Tusks.

49. Politely admitted : SAW IN.  Escorted to one's seat, frex.

50. Parabolic, e.g. : ARCED.   The classic arch.

Curvy

54. Yuletide quaffs : NOGS.  Eggy drinks.

56. Race unit : LAP.  Once around the track.

57. Bruin great : ORR.  Bobby, the Boston hockey player.

58. Tax shelter initials : IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

59. Spreading tree : ELM.  Are there any left?

Okay, folks, the DRIVE is over.  No traffic jams nor detours, and only a couple of minor bumps along the way.  Hope you enjoyed the journey. Now it's time to put it in PARK.

Cool regards!
JzB

Saturday, Aug 16th, 2014, Ned White

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 28

  Mr. White's last puzzle was a Saturday also, Oct. last year - with its triple-triple grid spanners.  The relatively 'easy' triple-7 corners of today's grid made this one look less of a challenge, but there were plenty of vague clues and proper names to slow me down, plus a fair amount of multi-word answers, too.  Had to admit to one bad letter - happened in that Oct. puzzle, too - but in reviewing that crossword, I treated myself to the Van Halen link I posted~!  Just the two 11-letter spanners to round out today's longer fill;

20a. Like one claiming to be short, maybe : TIGHT-FISTED

57a. Source of wisdom : TRIBAL ELDER

Oh, so close, but On...(ugh)...ward

ACROSS:

1. Like fairies : MAGICAL - oh, uh, that kind of fairie

8. Avocation, slangily : BAG - custom carpentry is "my bag"

11. Plant activity: Abbr. : MFG - first fill, and it felt iffy

14. "Almost done" : ONE TO GO...

15. Mostly : AS A RULE

17. Experienced : VETERAN - the adjective, here

18. Attacks with gusto : DIVES IN

19. "Rescue 911" fig. : EMT

22. Persian Gulf capital : DOHA - Shout out to Doc~!

24. One in charge of many couples : NOAH - Dah~! This nearly got me for the second time in two weeks

25. White __ : NOISE - I threw in HOUSE - BzzzT~!

26. Yards, e.g. : UNITS - ah, that's the word I couldn't think of...

28. Colorado __, Colo. : SPRS - my "meh" answer for the day; SPRINGS abbr. (?!)

30. Common result of use : WEAR

31. Grinder : PESTLE - I went with HOAGIE, the sa'mich Grinder/Sub/Hero, but we're looking for the implement here

33. A little, in music : POCO

35. Some NFL blockers : RTs - Right Tackles

36. Cleese antic in a Monty Python sketch : SILLY WALK

39. Ring gp. : WBA - World Boxing Association, that kind of 'ring'

42. Per __ : DIEM

43. Dominions : REALMS

47. Flavor enhancer : HERB - Tried SALT

49. Stop : STEM

51. "Paper Moon" Oscar winner : O'NEAL

52. 19th-century presidential middle name : ABRAM - James Abram Garfield, whose term lasted the second shortest in Presidential history - Wiki

54. Hat tipper's word : MA'AM - Pondered "G'Day"

56. Kerfuffle : TO-DO

60. Identify : PEG - I had her 'pegged' as being about 21....see 63d.

61. Hogan dwellers : NAVAHOS - my one bad letter - went with "J" and not "H", plus it worked in "MAJAL", too - at least, in my head

62. Evil laugh : "MWA-HA-HA~!!!"

64. Excess : OVERAGE

65. One that didn't show? : ALSO-RAN

66. JFK speechwriter Sorensen : TED - a WAG with "D" in place; I figured it was not a self-gratuitous "NED"

67. Burn cause, perhaps : LYE - Tried "SUN"

68. Unknowns to figure out : X's AND Y's - Brilliant bottom line fill; good thing I know who Mad Max is

DOWN:

1. Advanced : MOVED UP

2. Clematis relative : ANEMONE

3. Rumor starter? : GET THIS...

4. Brooklyn closer : ITE - BrooklynITE

5. Actor Bud of "Harold and Maude" : CORT

6. "Not __!" : AGAIN

7. Solo couple? : LONG Os - Following the "Hard C"s of yesterday's puzzle, S-ō-L-ō

8. It may be over one's head at first : BAD THROW - I watched some Little League World Series at the restaurant where the bench project is going on - blow out in the first inning, 13-0

9. "Oh, sure" : AS IF - "Sha, as if"

10. MacLeod of "The Love Boat" : GAVIN

11. More like the typical attic : MUSTIER

12. Attacks : FLIES AT

13. Bases for some roles : GENDERS

16. Plant anew : RESOW

21. McDonald's offering : HAPPY MEAL

23. Court workers: Abbr. : ATTorneys

27. Dropped : SLID - like the price of gas around here since July 4th - not complaining~!

29. Traumatize : SCAR

32. Clinton and both Bushes, but not Obama : ELIs - Yale attendees

34. Stick in a dish : OLEO

37. "Hmm ..." : "LET ME SEE..."

38. "The Metaphysics of Morals" writer : KANT

39. More of the same : WHATNOT

40. Encouraging words : BE BRAVE - Had the first "B" and last "E" - total WAG on this one

41. Got in : ARRIVED

44. Impala predator : LEOPARD - the hostess at the restaurant had a leopard print dress on last Friday; the one she wore Tuesday? - ha-muna-ha-muna

45. Seized the opportunity : MADE HAY - Progessing nicely with the bench project; did not waste anything but scrap in getting the corner backrest angles correct~!

 46. Spot finishers, often : SLOGANS - Commercial Advertisement "spots"

48. "Histoire de __": French children's book : BABAR - filled via perps

50. Mel Gibson persona : MAD MAX - there's a new one in the works

53. Urdu for "palace" : MAHAL - and "Taj" means 'crown'

55. Whimpers : MEWLS

58. Hardly energetic : LOGY - Pondered LAZY, but the "Z" wouldn't work

59. Tabula __ : RASA

63. Doll : HON - and yes, the hostess is a doll - looks like Taylor Swift; I was "\ /" this close to asking her out today when I found out how old she was; don't ask....

Splynter

Saturday, Oct 26th, 2013, Ned White

Theme: None

Words: 70 (misssing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 30

   How's this for an early Halloween scare???  My first look at the triple triple-15-letter spanners and I immediately ran for the DOWNS.  And that didn't help much.  Too many abbrs., names and vagueness to be of any good - at first.  The key to solving this construction, for me, was to go with my 'crossword instinct', meaning that the long answers would most likely end with E, S, T, R, etc. - and then, with my smattering of DOWN fill, I literally worked my way from the bottom up.  I'll admit to one bad cell (*), and I cheated and went to my analog dictionary for the spelling of 1A.  

The Spanners:

1. Wedding reception fare : HOT HORS D'OEUVRES - I missed the "U", and jumbled my "R" and "V"

16. Hunter's accessory : AMMUNITION POUCH - I delivered a box of ammo to a guy yesterday who was questioning why I required a signature; it had nothing to do with his 2nd Amendment rights, but UPS does require an adult to sign for explosives.  Period.

17. Fourth-generation relative : GREAT- GRANDNIECE

32. Certain cohabitant : DOMESTIC PARTNER - when I was in the Sober House, everyone would talk about their "S.O." - I thought it was a variation on a P.O. - parole officer.  Turned out to be their "significant other" - sounds pretty cold to me

37. Anglican leader : EPISCOPAL PRIEST

38. Beethoven work completed the same year as the "Moonlight" : PASTORALE SONATA - let's hear a little

53. Have a considerably negative effect on : MILITATE AGAINST - about the only one that is not a 'common phrase'

58. Recipe datum : PREPARATION TIME

59. Fitness specialist : STRENGTH TRAINER

O~N~W~A~R~D~!

ACROSS:

18. Wrong : SIN

19. 1980s pop duo with an exclamation point in their name : WHAM!

20. Stowe novel : DRED - more here

21. Chanel competitor : COTY - They used to make "IRON" cologne, and I loved it: I miss it, too - it really defined "me" - it's a Ferro-pheromone alloy....

22. Chihuahua chatter : ARFs - eh, not YIPs

25. Rent-__ : A-CAR

28. Jolly Roger crewman : SMEE

29. Desperate letters : S.O.S.

39. Cobb and others : TYs

40. Get up : RISE

41. Scrapes (out) : EKES

42. Moments : SECs

43. One may be zapped : TV AD - I zap every one of them, because I watch everything from my DVR - and there's no one else in the UPS truck to spoil a show for me~!

46. Deuce follower : AD IN - advantage in - when the server is one point up after deuce on his/her opponent, and could take the next one and win - the Wiki if you really want to get confused

49. Cup part : BRIM

50. One of Can.'s Maritime provinces : P.E.I. - Prince Edward Island - one of those crossword instinct answers that does NOT end in E, S, T, R.

DOWN:

1. Crones : HAGS - I put in PALS, but that's cronies.

2. "Dallas" actor Katz : OMRI - IMDb

3. Bootleggers' foes : T-MEN - I put in FEDS to start

4. '70s Chinese leader : HUA - I defer to our very own C.C. for more on this (From C.C.: HUA brought Cultural Revolution to an end, for which I'm very grateful. He's Chairman Mao's handpicked successor.)

5. Huddle directive : ON TWO....

6. In order : RIGHT - and an anti-clecho 27D. Not in order : AMISS

7. Cattle drive concern : STRAY - I tried DINGO, but the word I meant to fill in was DOGIE

8. Spherical meas. : DIAMeter

9. Suffix with bass : OON - BassOON

10. Close : END - the verb

11. "Buffy" airer after The WB : UPN

12. Cancels : VOIDS

13. Penitent : RUER - The noun, in this case; I always think of the scene from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" when I hear penitent

14. Old Roman cry : ECCE~!  Behold~!

15. Discard : SHED - Not TOSS, going with my instinct

21. Peak : CREST - hey, nice peaks

22. Liberal : AMPLE - quite ample

23. Takes in : REAPS

24. Alloy prefix : FERRO - "Iron", like in these fine examples

25. Pro : ADEPT

26. Pharmacy figure : CO-PAY and a semi-clecho with;

28. Bygone pharmacy fixture : SCALE

29. Preview opener? : SNEAK - sneak preview

30. Montevideo-to-Buenos Aires dirección : OESTE - map

31. Sp. lasses : SRTAs

33. Tie, perhaps : SCORE - you bet your ASCOT I got this one~!

34. Like doughnuts : TORIC - OK, so I went with HOLEY - I had a very white grid....

35. "Not for me" : "I PASS"

36. Pointed, in a way : TINED

42. Marsh bird : SNIPE - STORK, EGRET~?

43. It may be inherited : TRAIT

44. Bounce : VIGOR - yes, she's got some 'vigor' to her....

45. Appliance maker once owned by Raytheon : AMANA

46. Intensifies, with "up" : AMPS

47. Skinny : DIRT - and the title of Mötley Crüe's biography

48*. Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER - the "L" got me

49. Three-time LPGA Player of the Year Daniel : BETH

50. Nabokov novel : PNIN - pronounced P'neen

51. Edward's adoptive mother in the "Twilight" series : ESME - a WAG, since I have not, and do not care to see any of these movies - but it worked well with my E, S, T, R instinct

52. Anatomical passage : ITER - Latin for journey - I can see that

54. A spray might be used for one : TAN

55. Uru. neighbor : ARGentina, constructor Ned must like the area - see 30D.

56. Parlor work, briefly : TATtoo - and a chance for a music link

57. "Lord, is __?": Matthew : "IT I?"

Splynter

Friday, April 5, 2013, Ned White

Theme: A Spoonful of wacky words makes the Friday go down.

We are back in the wild world of spoonerisms, where mixing up word phrases leads to hilarity. There is an additional undercurrent of the sound "ICK" but I am not sure how that can be incorporated into the theme but the sound is all over the fill. I found this to be a comparative speed run for a Friday with lots of short fill, but also humor and some inventive cluing. This is our second LAT puzzle from Mr. White who has had 5 Saturday and 1 Friday published in the NY Times, which makes the solving of this surprising, or maybe I was just lucky. Let's get to work.

　

17A. Falk and Fonda after mud wrestling? : ICKY PETERS. (10). Picky Eaters transformed into two Hollywood types writhing in the muck. I suppose a clue "diseased organs" would not pass the breakfast test.

24A. Overzealous peach eaters? : PIT NICKERS.(10). Nit pickers, like our own divine miss m., get confused and steal their fruit treats.

39A. Oils a deck of cards? : SLICKS UP THE PACK. (15) Picks up the slack.

51A. Security images of an armed robbery? : STICK UP PIX. (10) 5, 6 pick up sticks. Are two pick ups in a row okay? I know they are if you are visiting Honey Boo Boo.

63A. Gal idolizing actor Matthew? : PERRY CHICK. (10). We all know it is Joey who gets to Cherry Pick the girls not Chandler. Anyone watch GO ON? (3:00).

Across:

1. Org. where weight matters : WBA. World Boxing Association, one of the many association which oversee professional boxing, a sport on the way out.

4. Ancient Ephraimite's home : ISRAEL. We are not talking about Mr. Zimbalist and his FBI show, but one of the lost TRIBES.

10. Pasture calls : BAAS. Baas, maas, eh.

14. "Ben-___" : HUR. More ancient Israel, but moved up to Roman times.

15. Caterer's supply : STERNO.

16. Succotash bean : LIMA. Mixed with corn.

19. Since : AS OF.

20. Overhead views : SKIES. Very literal.

21. "You got me" : NOT A CLUE. Well actually, you have the clues even if you cannot solve them.

23. Hawaiian coffee : KONA. Named after an area on the big island, an interesting history. LINK>At the base of 68A. Mauna ___ : LOA.

26. Treated, as a patient : SEEN. These days, you are lucky to even get looked at, let alone actually treated by a doctor. Shout to one of our own.

28. Midwinter Asian holiday : TET. I hope no one finds this reminder offensive.

29. Tin ___ : EAR. When I was in high school, I was admonished to only lip sync because of my tin ear.

32. Packs in a hold : LADES. We have had this word and the related bills of lading often.

35. End notes? : OBIT. Cute clue for a sad subject.

43. Office specialist : TECH.

44. Lost, as a tail : SHOOK. Having read too many detective stories, this was very easy.

45. Storm maker of yore : GEO. The automobile.

46. CIA predecessor : OSS.

49. Falls back : LAGS.

56. Salon choice : UPDO.

60. Nine to three, say : MULTIPLE. 3X3 = 9

61. Heart conditions? : ACHES. Also, misdirection, especially those of us who have more conventional diagnoses. I read a study today which says a broken heart might actually lead to a heart attack!

62. Inter ___ : ALIA.

66. Scratch : CLAW.

67. Pathetic to the max : LAMEST.

69. Wolverine sneaker brand : KEDS.

70. '50s tankers? : EDSELS. More good use of clue deception, as this model tanked from day 1, with horse collar grill I guess everyone said neigh.

71. Bungle : ERR. Bungle is just a fun word.

　

Down:

1. Roux-making tool : WHISK. Or maybe use a SPATULA? (4:59)

2. Chichester chap : BUCKO.

3. "Catch-22" actor : ARKIN. Wonderful book and MOVIE (4:32). He became Yossarian. The link is to the final scene so do not watch if you want to see the movie from the beginning.

4. Net profit makers, briefly : ISPS. Not NET profit, but INTERNET (net). Creative.

5. Sault ___ Marie : STE.

6. Like many a mil. officer : RETired.

7. Ain't right? : AREN'T.we special.

8. Subject of the 2005 book "Conspiracy of Fools" : ENRON. One of our many corporate disasters.

9. Snapped : LOST IT. Some of the Saturday Silkie's get me close, luckily we have Splynter to pick up the pieces.

10. Driveway improvement : BLACK TOP.

11. Flier's request : AISLE. Makes gong to the bathroom easier, but you do get beat up by all the carry on luggage.

12. Illicit affair : AMOUR. I confess

13. Hotel amenities : SAFES..you believe you have the only key?

18. They're all for it : YEAS. (Pronounced yays) which makes the English language so much fun as we also have, 24D. Casserole veggies : PEAS.

22. Nail : ACE. Nailed it! C.C.'s favorite.

25. River near Karachi : INDUS.. One of the seven sacred RIVERS.

27. Buckskin source : ELK. I did not know this.

29. 1970s-'80s self-improvement course : EST. This controversial SEMINAR.

30. Bar supply : ALE. And the clecho 37D. Bar supply : ICE.

31. "Coney Island" documentarian Burns : RIC.. Has he become as famous as his brother Ken? IMDB.

33. Bk. before Philippians : EPHesians. This BOOK.

34. Gimlet spec : STOLI. I guess it means specification and Stoli is a premium Vodka.

36. Snare : BAG. From the old days, where hunters literally bagged the little creatures.

38. Ring decision : TKO. Technical Knock Out.

40. Southeast natives : CHOCTAWS. Yes she really was part Choctaw.

41. Barnum's Fiji mermaid, for one : HOAX. Piltdown Man anyone? Howard Hughes autobiography?

42. Hosp. readout : EKG.

47. Cross-country need, perhaps : SKI. marti, you have a spare pair?

48. Lithe : SUPPLE

50. Similar things : SUCH.  And such

51. Act of love, or hostility : SMACK. Cute clue, and accurate in so many ways.

52. Veil material : TULLE. pronounced tool, named for a city in France, it is really fine netting, which sounds a lot less classy than a veil.

53. Epic with more than 15,000 lines : ILIAD. Arma virumque cano.

54. Respond to a charge : PLEAD.

55. Salon choices : PERMS.

57. Franco finale? : PHILE. Francophile. Not as familiar as the Anglophile, but I am sure there are some out there who want to be considered French. Mais oui! Not a reference to the dead Spanish leader, who probably still gets an occasional reference on SNL.

58. Designer's concern : DECOR.

59. Schindler of "Schindler's List" : OSKAR. It took me years to watch the movie.

61. Treads the boards : ACTS.

64. R&B artist Des'___ : REE. My learning moment, but already in by way of perps. I knew the SONG (4:00) but not the artist. I did have a silver Siamese named Desiree, but she did not sing.

Well another journey together complete, and we are ending a week in April, which I find amazing. I thank Mr. White for his effort and hope you are all prepared for the long stretch with no holidays until Memorial Day. Here we wait for our snow birds, who begin leaving now.

Peace out

L.

 

Notes from C.C.: Happy Birthday to dear Irish Miss!

Happy Birthday to Abejo also!