Thursday, October 9, 2014 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: "No rubbernecking!"


17-Across. *Tricky puzzle : BRAIN TEASER.

37-Across. *"Let me give it a shot?" : CAN I TRY.

59-Across. *Historic route west : OREGON TRAIL.

11-Down. *Unvarnished facts : PLAIN TRUTH.

And the reveal:

29-Down. Calamity, and what's literally hidden in the answers to starred clues : TRAIN WRECK.

Each starred entry has the letters in T-R-A-I-N all jumbled up.  Fun reveal, but I didn't need it to get the theme entries. When I came across the clue, I just glanced at what was already filled in: Check! Anagram puzzle!


Across

1. Kid-lit classic "__, Plain and Tall" : SARAH. A story of grief, loneliness and abandonment. Kid-lit? Really?

6. Dust Bowl refugees : OKIES. Think of the Joad family here.

11. Part of many a texting request : PLS. Short for "please."

14. Unborn, after "in" : UTERO.

15. "It's a Wonderful Life" director : CAPRA. Ah, my favorite movie, and personal mantra.

16. Pitcher rim : LIP. I am getting gun-shy, and was actually thinking of a baseball pitcher!

19. Tenn. neighbor : ALA.bama.

20. Commuter's woe : JAM.

21. Astronomy : Urania :: poetry : __ : ERATO. Respective muses.

22. Basic chord : TRIAD.

24. City between Paris and Marseille : LYON. Map.

25. "Just this time ..." : FOR ONCE.

27. Mensa membership consideration, perhaps : IQ TEST. There are many different tests that would qualify you for membership, so "perhaps" is appropriate in this clue.

30. Most plucky : GAMEST. Not to be confused with "gamiest."

31. Myanmar, formerly : BURMA.

32. SeaWorld attraction : ORCA.

33. Stonestreet of "Modern Family" : ERIC. Never saw the show, so was not familiar with this actor, who plays Cameron Tucker.

36. Actress Wasikowska : MIA. Never knew the name of this actress, who played Alice in Tim Burton's movie version of "Alice in Wonderland." Needless to say, this section relied heavily on perps!

40. __ Today : USA.

41. Essentially fat-free : SKIM.

43. Credit report blot : REPO.ssession.

44. Film with dusty streets, typically : OATER.

46. Seconds flat : NO TIME. I really wanted "in" at the beginning.

48. Eight dry gallons : BUSHEL.

49. "Hiya!" : HOWDY DO. Let's sing to the tune of "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay":

It’s Howdy Doody time

It’s Howdy Doody time

Bob Smith and Howdy too

Say “HOWDY DO” to you

Let’s give a rousing cheer

’Cause Howdy Doody’s here

It’s time to start the show

So kids, let’s go!

51. Genesis creator : SEGA. Arcade game, not the bible book...

52. Pasture measures : ACRES.

53. User's shortcut : MACRO.

55. Meditation beginning? : PRE. Premeditation.

58. Marine pronoun : SHE. I'm sure that Spitzboov has linked the explanation of "SHE" referring to ships before, but I couldn't find it.

62. Noir hero : TEC. The '40s-'50s era of crime drama films often involved a detective ("TEC") or undercover cop .

63. Large jazz combo : NONET.

64. Tourist __ : MECCA.

65. Origin of an egg-shaped spaceship : ORK. "Mork and Mindy" ran from 1978-82. RIP Robin Williams.

66. Locations : SITES.

67. Praise : EXTOL.


Down

1. Alg. or geog. : SUBJ.ect.

2. Razor brand : ATRA.

3. 20 quires : REAM. Factoid: The quire got its name from Old English "quare," meaning "by fours." Four sheets of vellum or parchment would be folded in half -giving a total of 8 sheets, or 16 sides. When pulp paper made it easier to stitch pages together, this meaning was quickly lost, and a quire usually contained 24 or 25 sheets. The modern ream is made up of 500 sheets, or 20 quires.

4. First name in shipping : ARI. Onassis was a Greek shipping magnate.

5. Bee's nectar reservoir : HONEY SAC. I never heard this term.  It is also called a "honey stomach."

6. Vast expanse : OCEAN.

7. Longtime pitcher Jim with the nickname "Kitty" : KAAT. I defer to people who know more about baseball than the fact that it does, indeed, require a baseball for the game. Here's the wiki.

8. By its very nature, in law : IPSO FACTO. The embedding of a wiki link does not, IPSO FACTO, turn me into a baseball expert!

9. Afore : ERE.

10. "Being and Nothingness" philosopher : SARTRE. Jean Paul.

12. Fragrant bloom : LILAC. I have both white and purple ones on my property.

13. Fictional falcon seeker : SPADE. Sam Spade, "The Maltese Falcon."

18. Relaxed pace : TROT. Unless you are trying to find the W.C.

23. Left the runway : ROSE.

24. Apollo lander, briefly : LEM. Lunar Excursion Module.

26. General Bradley : OMAR. One of the very few five star generals in U.S. history.

27. AT and PS/2 computers : IBMS.

28. Nestlé __ : QUIK.

30. Complain : GRIPE.

32. "Be right with you" : ONE MOMENT. I had to check perps before deciding between "minute" or MOMENT.

34. "Ah! Say no more" : I SEE.

35. Poet Sandburg : CARL. One of my favorites is this poem:

Fog

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

38. Like New Mexico's climate, largely : ARID.

39. "Darned if I know!" : YOU GOT ME.

42. Style : MODE.

45. Cool-cucumber link : AS A.

47. Poultry magnate John et al. : TYSONS.

48. Alpine capital : BERN. Béarnaise sauce is also sometimes spelled "Bernaise," leading people to believe that it originated in Bern, Switzerland. But there is no truth to that. Béarnaise is strictly of French origin.

49. Must : HAS TO.

50. Yellowish pigment : OCHER. RGB 204.119.34

51. Highland Games participants : SCOTS.

54. "A Death in the Family" author : AGEE. Such a vowel-friendly name.

55. Agreement : PACT.

56. Wealthy, in Juárez : RICO.

57. Ben Gurion airline : EL AL.

I totally missed these last two clechos, because I had filled them in with the across answers:
60. King at Versailles : ROI.
and
61. King in old Rome : REX.

Tag, you're it!

Marti

Tuesday, August 26, 2014 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: Letter Combo - Today's puzzle brought to you by the letters A and C.

35A. Summer coolers, briefly, and a hint to this puzzle's six longest answers : AC UNITS

17A. Church area for enthusiastic responses : AMEN CORNER

21A. Painting course : ART CLASS

48A. Road service provider : AUTO CLUB. web site

53A. Morning warning provider : ALARM CLOCK

3D. One often precedes it : AREA CODE

36D. Military uniform jacket : ARMY COAT. Surplus favorite.

Argyle here. This is Robert's third puzzle so far this year. An easy puzzle in a complicated grid. Five sections with little connections and yet the themes interlock while the cheese, I mean unifier, stands alone.

Across:

1. Ancient calculators : ABACI

6. Off-ramp : EXIT

10. Makes a quick getaway : LAMS. Lam can be a verb or a noun.

14. Low-ranking noble : BARON

15. Move to another town, for short : RELO

16. Sheltered, at sea : ALEE

19. Bolivia neighbor : PERU

20. Open just a crack : AJAR

23. Point a finger at : ACCUSE

25. Clears a whiteboard : ERASES

26. English sculptor Henry : MOORE. “Man Enters the Cosmos”

27. Clairvoyant's claim : ESP. (extrasensory perception) 60A. Clairvoyant : SEER

30. 1-Down member: Abbr. : ATTY. (attorney)

31. Pie à la __ : MODE

32. SeaWorld tanks : AQUARIA. Plural.

34. Bullring bravo : "¡OLÉ!"

36. TV spots : ADS

39. Odd : STRANGE

40. Dagger in "Macbeth," e.g. : PROP. As in a stage production of the play.

41. Negotiator's goal : PACT. Had DEAL first.

43. Whopper : LIE

44. St. Petersburg neighbor : TAMPA. FLA., not RUS.

45. Local dialect : PATOIS. From French, as you might expect.

47. "Let's wait" : "NOT YET"

51. Cartel acronym : OPEC. (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)

52. Excess : GLUT

57. German "a" : EINE

58. Actor Grant : CARY

59. San Antonio shrine : ALAMO

61. Banjo spot : KNEE So 40D. 61-Across bone : PATELLA. (knee cap)

62. Brit's bye-byes : "TA TA"s

Down:

1. Law gp. : ABA. (American Bar Association)

2. Emeril interjection : "BAM!"

4. Pull out of thin air, seemingly, with "up" : CONJURE

5. Words before "of emergency" : IN CASE

6. Goof : ERR

7. TV warrior princess : XENA

8. Robert who played a Soprano : ILER

9. Flourless cake : TORTE

10. Argentina's Río de __: River of Silver : LA PLATA

11. Yankees' div. : AL EAST

12. River to Liverpool Bay : MERSEY. Not a lip sync!

13. "Hop on Pop" author : SEUSS

18. Bauxite, e.g. : ORE

22. Award-winning detective fiction writer Robert : CRAIS. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. - Wikipedia

23. Bullets and such : AMMO

24. Poised under pressure : COOL

27. Up (to), as a task : EQUAL

28. Branch of Islam : SUNNI

29. Baseball Hall of Famer Satchel : PAIGE

32. Unlike this ans. : ACR. (not down, across)

33. Hwy. : RTE.

35. Room accessed via ladder, maybe : ATTIC

37. Knucklehead : DOPE

38. Squabble : SPAT

39. Vespa, for one : SCOOTER

41. Talking parrot in a 1998 film : PAULIE. I did not watch it.

42. Bring into harmony : ATTUNE

44. '60s cartoon feline : TOP CAT. I did watch it.

45. Book parts : PAGES. So simple it's hard.

46. Hanging loosely : SLACK

47. Name, in Paris : NOM. As in NOM de plume.

49. Mongolia's __ Bator : ULAN. Population: 1.132 million (2010)

50. Like Hubbard's cupboard : BARE

54. Kind of whiskey or bread : RYE. A toast for Tinbeni.

55. Nashville awards org. : CMA. (Country Music Association)

56. Fight enders, briefly : KOs...and I'm down for the count.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Montana! Below is a picture of her birthday gathering in July. She said:

"...Mid-July was more  convenient than August for work schedules. My CT son rented a 10 bedroom condo in Vail, CO and invited all his siblings to come with their families. We had never all been at the same place at the same time before. It was a wonderful gift to me!..." 

Please click here for more pictures. Montana had to have furnace on the past few days. Are you still planning your autumn visit to Dudley area?

 My 5 children celebrated my 2014 birthday in Vail, CO

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: An ordinary, unexceptional, prosaic, standard-issue, run of the mill Wednesday at The Corner.  The first word of today's theme entries can be combined with the unifier word GARDEN to present a VARIETY of in-the-language pairings.  Often with this kind of theme the generated phrase is original, clever and humorous.  Today, true to the spirit of the theme, the resulting phrases are of the GARDEN VARIETY.

The unifier first.  36 A. Commonplace, and what the start of 17-, 24-, 51- or 60-Across is : GARDEN VARIETY.  The first recorded use in a figurative sense is from 1928.   The evident reference is to something that might be found in anyone's home garden, hence, not special, unique nor exotic.  The meaning has expanded a bit to imply mediocrity.

17. Green Day's "American Idiot," e.g. : ROCK OPERA.  Released 10 years ago. A sample follows, if you're into that sort of thing.   A ROCK GARDEN, cleverly enough, is an an area landscaped with ROCKs and plants suited to that environment.

Source

24. NASCAR winner's celebration : VICTORY LAP.  One turn around the track at low speed to allow the winner to bask in the adulation of her/his adoring fans.  VICTORY GARDENs were vegetable and herb gardens planted at private residences or public parks in the U.S. and several other countries during WW II.  They took considerable pressure off of the public food supply and contributed to morale on the home front.

51. 1995 Stephen King novel : ROSE MADDER.  Story about abuse, with the main character ROSE Daniels, in which the pigment ROSE MADDER plays a peripheral role.  There are many ROSE GARDENs.  One of the famous ones borders the Oval Office and West Wing of the White House.  It was established in 1913 by First Lady Ellen Loise Axson Wilson.

 60. Spare tire : BEER BELLY.   Two slang expressions denoting excess in the midriff region, aka Dunlop's Disease, 'cuz when you sits down, yer belly done lops over yer belt.  A BEER GARDEN is an outdoor area, usually associated with a pub or restaurant where beer and food are served.  The history is quite interesting.

This clever theme presents us with four quite different VARIETIES of GARDENS.   Mediocre?  I think not.

Hi, gang, it's JzB your humble GARDEN VARIETY trombonist.  Let's see what else Robert has planted for us. 

Across

1. Place to wipe your boots : MAT.  On the floor by the door.

4. Vice squad strategies : RAIDS. 

9. "Darn!" : SHOOT.  I'm guessing this is a not-quite-sound-alike substitute for a less polite word.

14. Sister of Zsa Zsa : EVA. The third sib is Magda.

15. Flynn of film : ERROL.  Famous buckler of swashes in Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk and many more.

Source

16. Main artery : AORTA. Literally, the main artery of the blood stream.

19. Govt.-backed bond : T-NOTE.  T is for Treasury. These notes are issued in terms of 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 years.

20. Secretary of the Interior under FDR : ICKES.  Harold L., progressive Republican deeply involved in Chicago politics, who was recruited by FDR to appeal to middle-of-the-road [Garden Variety?] voters.  No politics at The Corner, but you can read about him here.

21. Navel type : INNIE. There are two varieties.  Check them out [or in] here.

23. Commuting start? : TELE. Telecommuting. Working from home via an electronic device. 

29. First-class : STELLAR.  The best - probably because this word in its literal sense refers to stars, and they are brilliant.

31. Sales incentive : REBATE.  Money back from the seller can be STELLAR.

32. Send to the statehouse : ELECT.  In this case, as the governor.

35. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA.  How are you, amigo?  Lots of Spanish today.

41. Shade of green : JADE.  Green-blue hue named for a gem stone.

42. German steel city : ESSEN. This western German city dates from the 9th century.  For the last 400 years it has been associated with the Krupp steel company.

43. __ energy : ATOMIC.  Kinetic, potential, chemical, mechanical, magnetic, thermal -- the list goes on.

46. Sleeveless shirt : TANK TOP.   Here's one in JADE green.

Source

54. Prefix with space : AERO.  A refreshingly honest prefix clue referring to efforts in science, engineering and business to fly in the atmosphere of Earth (aeronautics) and surrounding space (astronautics). [Wikipedia]

55. English Channel port : DOVER.  In a region famous for it's white cliffs, as in this WW II era song.

56. Fashionista Mary-Kate : OLSEN.  I guess M-K and her twin sis Ashley have become celebrities, which one wag defined as people well-known for being famous.

57. Bolt on a track : USAIN.  Love this clue.  Bolt means [among other things] to move fast, and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt certainly does that.

Source

63. Red Sea peninsula : SINAI.  A region of Egypt between the Red Sea to the south and the Mediterranean to the north.  To the East, it borders Israel.  It is mostly separated from the rest of Egypt by the Gulf of Suez.

64. Pi, for one : RATIO.  Specifically, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

65. Tempe sch. : ASU.  Arizona State University.

66. Prop for a clown : STILT.  Nice double meaning.  Looks harmless.

 Source

67. Hacienda brick : ADOBE.  Straw reinforced bricks of clay or mud, dried in the sun.

68. Fall mo. : SEPtember.

Down

1. Inherent rights and wrongs, as of a case : MERITS.  Perhaps our legal beagles can elaborate.

2. Long-legged shore bird : AVOCET.  This had me so stumped for a while, that I doubted the perp EVA.  Finally had to go googling.

Source

3. Take on, as a challenge : TACKLE.

4. Vintage cars : REOS.  It seems that Ransom Eli Olds enjoyed naming cars after himself.  I don't think he has anything to do with this, though.

5. Dadaism founder : ARP.  Jean or Hans, depending on his audience, a French-German sculptor, painter, poet, and abstract artist.  Dada [a word of uncertain origin] rejected reason and logic, prizing nonsense, irrationality and intuition.

6. Rage : IRE. Anger.

7. Greek architectural style : DORIC. The plainest of the three classic support column styles.

Source

8. Viewpoint : SLANT.  Everybody has one.

9. "The Colbert Report" stock-in-trade : SATIRE. Political.

10. Winged stinger : HONEY BEE.

11. Gold, in Guadalajara : ORO.  Spanish gold.

12. Polo Grounds hero Mel : OTT.  Most famous crossword baseball player.

13. __ Bo : TAE.  a total body fitness system that incorporates Martial Arts techniques.  This phrase is both a portmanteau and a backronym.  I am not making this up.

18. Ship stabilizer : KEEL. Either the backbone of a ship or a vertical projection from the bottom of a boat.  It lowers the center of gravity to help keep the vessel upright, and also aids forward motion by resisting side-slipping. 

22. "... a borrower __ a lender ...": "Hamlet" : NOR.  I thought it came from Ben Franklin.  Live and learn.

24. Low-lying land : VALE.

25. "Me, Myself & __": Jim Carrey film : IRENE.   I wanted EILENE.  That's my mom.  IRENE is her twin sister.

26. In the cellar, sportswise : LAST.   Surprisingly, where the Red Sox are at the moment.

27. ABA member : ATTY.  American Bar Association and ATTorneY.

28. Pot pie veggie : PEA.  I like them, but not everybody does.

30. Was in front : LED.  Like the K. C. Royals did briefly in mid-June.

33. Rite Aid rival : CVS.   Drug stores

34. Sample : TASTE.  Is it in good taste to taste a TASTE?

36. Chihuahua cat : GATO.   Mas Español.

37. Ruckuses : ADOS.   Not often seen in the plural. 

38. Like some skill-building classes : REMEDIAL.  These classes are intended to correct a deficiency.

39. __ admiral : REAR.  The lowest of the admiral ranks.

40. Bed-and-breakfast, e.g. : INN.  Establishment offering food and lodgings.

41. Moonshine container : JAR.  I had JUG at first.

44. "Consider the job done!" : I'M ON IT.   As with this puzzle, but I'm not done yet.

45. Cleveland NBAer : CAValier.

47. Cabbagelike plant : KALE.  A leafy green.

48. Electric cars named for a physicist : TESLAS.

49. Ultimatum words : OR ELSE.  Sounds like a threat.

50. Fork over what's due : PONY UP.   The meaning is clear.  The origin - not so much.

52. Actress Winger : DEBRA.  Her break-through role was in Urban Cowboy (1980.)

Source

53. Profound fear : DREAD.

56. Clarinet cousin : OBOE.  I don't think this is valid.  Cylindrical vs conical bore is simply too great a difference in my mind, let alone single vs double reed.  But you can check it out and draw your own conclusions.

57. Naval letters : USS.  United States Ship.  I just recently learned that SS means Steam Ship.

58. Grab a stool : SIT.  In a bar or a barn?

59. "Give me __!": start of a Hoosier cheer : AN I.  For Indiana.  Why Hoosier?  There's more here than I cared to read.

61. WWII arena : ETO.  European Theater of Operations.

62. Tease : RIB.  Another word uncertain origin, perhaps from something funny being rib-tickling.

Quite a nice puzzle, despite a couple nits, and fun to blog.  Hope you all enjoyed it.

Cool regards!
JzB  

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: Woof! - Stereotypical dog names found at the back of the entries.

20A. Phrase on a treasure map : X MARKS THE SPOT. "SEE SPOT RUN."

31A. Luxury SUV since 1970 : RANGE ROVER. "Red Rover, Red Rover, let Susie come over."

41A. Sophocles tragedy : OEDIPUS REX. Rex the Wonder Dog

53A. One of the things little boys are made of, and a hint to 20-, 31- and 41-Across : PUPPY DOG TAILS

Argyle here. Heel! Mr. Morris made an appearance here back in '09. Glad he made it back.

Classic song for today. Link (2:07)

Across:

1. JFK announcements : ETAs

5. Athletic shoe brand : PUMA

9. __ Haute, Indiana : TERRE

14. Red dessert wine : PORT

15. A party to : IN ON

16. Advil competitor : ALEVE

17. Two-toned treat : OREO

18. Bibliography, e.g. : LIST. Hand up for reading it as Biography. No excuse.

19. Washer cycle : RINSE

23. Sycophant : YES MAN

24. Captain of industry : TITAN. Titans are a mythological race of giants.

26. Novelist Deighton : LEN

28. Sinking ship deserter : RAT

29. Illuminated : LIT

36. Hard-to-hit tennis server : ACER

37. Black wood : EBONY

38. Vigor's partner : VIM

39. Locale : PLACE

40. Criminal, to a cop : PERP

43. Giant Mel enshrined in Cooperstown : OTT

44. NBC late-night comedy hit : SNL

45. Pull : TUG

46. First film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature : "SHREK"

48. "Take care of yourself!" : "BE SAFE!"

57. Take as one's own : ADOPT

59. Desert tableland : MESA

60. Pirate booty : LOOT

61. Confused struggle : MELEE

62. Cool and collected : CALM

63. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE

64. Message limited to 140 characters : TWEET

65. Lotion additive : ALOE

66. __-de-camp : AIDE

Down:

1. Glue for a model kit : EPOXY

2. Mel, "The Velvet Fog" : TORME

3. Fields of study : AREAS

4. Nor'easter, for one : STORM

5. Light lager : PILSNER

6. Part of BTU : UNIT. (British thermal unit)

7. Dance wildly : MOSH

8. Bet all players must make : ANTE

9. Fossil-preserving spot : TAR PIT

10. "The Waste Land" poet : ELIOT

11. Budget vehicle : RENTAL CAR

12. Natl. park campers : RVs. (recreational vehicle)

13. Wide shoe size : EEE

21. Actress Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory" : KALEY. Penny, on TBBT.

22. Guide for the Magi : STAR

25. Female relative : NIECE

27. Best-seller list entry : NOVEL

28. Make payment : REMIT

30. "Jurassic Park" predator, for short : T-REX. A little puppy repeat.

31. Auto loan default consequence : REPO

32. Helps, as a 40-Across : ABETs. ...and you don't need to ante.

33. Santa's home : NORTH POLE. Warmer than here.

34. Econ. statistic : GNP. (Gross National Product)

35. YouTube clip, for short : VID

36. Pacino and Capone : ALs

39. Washington's __ Sound : PUGET

41. Peeling potatoes in the mil., perhaps : ON KP

42. Darts, commonly : PUB GAME

44. Seven-person combo : SEPTET

47. Indian currency : RUPEE

49. Tostitos dip : SALSA

50. Garlic mayonnaise : AIOLI. Do we know it now?

51. Monsoon aftermath : FLOOD

52. Makeup maven Lauder : ESTÉE

54. Gym site, briefly : YMCA

55. Negotiation goal : DEAL

56. Northern European capital : OSLO

57. Qty. : AMT. (amount)

58. Beads on the grass : DEW

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:
 
1) Happy Birthday to Santa's favorite naughty girl Lois, whose appearances on the blog always brighten up my day. Windhover, do you have a picture of you & Lois? I found none in our Blog Picture Archive.


2) Happy Birthday to Awol as well! Haven't heard much from you for quite some time. Hope all's well.

Awol

3) Glitch continues with Mensa. Please click Merriam-Webster site or Yahoo Game (Thanks, Old Sage). Both have the same format as Mensa.

Wednesday December 9, 2009 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: Bad Boys - The surname of each theme answer is synonymous with "malicious".

17. Bassist for the Sex Pistols: SID VICIOUS. He died of heroin overdose in 1979. Sex Pistols pioneered the punk rock music.

36. Muttley's evil master in Hanna-Barbera cartoons: DICK DASTARDLY. No idea. Wikipedia says he's a racer who aimed to win "solely through cheating and trickery".

59. "The Wonder Years" star: FRED SAVAGE. I only knew his brother Ben Savage. I really liked watching "Boy Meets World" when I first arrived in the US.

Wish DICK DASTARDLY were a real person. The theme would have been tighter and more focused.

Quite a scrabbly puzzle, with 3 J's, 2 Z's and several K's. A rather smooth solving for me, despite several unknowns. The crossing sure helped.

Across:

1. Hurts with a horn: GORES. Gruesome start.

6. Trudge: PLOD. Not today.

10. Where E.T. came from?: AFAR. Could only think of UFO. Nice clue.

14. As vertical as possible, as an embedded anchor: APEAK. New word to me. And ROPE (15A. Anchor attachment). Nice 'anchor" sequence.

16. Charm: MOJO. Tiger's is fading fast.

19. Run off at the mouth: BLAB

20. Made the trip: CAME. Awful storm outside now.

21. Uncommonly big: OUTSIZED. Like ego.

28. Friend you probably never met: PEN PAL

30. Spread with cocktails: PATE. Who doesn't like pâté de foie gras?

33. Leopardlike critter: OCELOT. Nice to see you again.

35. Skye of film: IONE. She's in "Say Anything ...".

40. Like many a 45-Across: DANK. And CELLAR (45A. Underground room).

41. Hitchcock classic: PSYCHO. Wish I had never seen the movie.

42. Swing voter: Abbr.: IND. And JAN (43D. Pres. inauguration month).

43. Singer Feliciano: JOSE. Got him today. See, I am capable of learning.

49. '50s Kenyan revolutionary: MAUMAU. Great to see the full name rather than the half MAU. "When doubled, Kenyan revolutionary" is just as bad as the old "Half fly" for TSE.

51. PBS funder: NEA

53. Cancún coins: CENTAVOS. Spanish for "cents". Alliteration again.

56. Hebrew prophet: AMOS. Got the answer from crosses. He's a minor prophet.

57. Fast fliers: JETS. SSTS too.

61. War god: ARES. In Greek myth. TYR is the Norse war god.

62. "Law & Order: SVU" actor: ICE-T. Yawner.

63. Sloping edge of a chisel: BEZEL. See this picture.

64. Author Zane: GREY. Again, strung his name together from crosses.

65. Big name in lawn equipment: TORO. Or DEERE. Toro is based here in MN.

66. Fish basket: CREEL

Down:

1. It's replaced after a fill-up: GAS CAP. Its symmetrical partner in the grid is RESELL (48. Transfer for a price, as a used car: RESELL). I like the car connection. Good bookends for the grid.

2. Sedative: OPIATE

3. St. John's athletes, until 1994: REDMEN. Now Red Storm. Native American sensitivity issue.

5. Go downhill fast?: SKI. Can't fool me.

6. Toyota hybrid: PRIUS. Latin for "prior".

7. Pirate's haul: LOOT

8. Music with a number: OPUS

9. Stop: DESIST. Cease and desist.

10. The color of honey: AMBER. Sweet! I love honeyed nuts.

11. Nonsense: FOLDEROL. Often see the answer as clue.

12. Steely Dan album pronounced like a continent: AJA. Pronounced like "Asia".

13. Stick up: ROB

18. Air-conditioned: COOLED

22. Ballet-dancing Muppet: ZOE. I've never even seen one episode of "Sesame Street".

24. Pass rusher's success: SACK

26. VAIO computer maker: SONY. Our old editor once clued VAIO as "Sony computer".

27. Golfer's gismo: TEE. I spell gismo as "gizmo".

30. Rapper's entourage: POSSE

31. Mem. of the bar: ATTY. Much better than ATT.

34. Indy 500's 200: LAPS

35. Golden calf, e.g.: IDOL

36. Agent Scully of "The X-Files": DANA. Not a fan of "The X-Files" either.

37. Hall of Fame guest of honor: INDUCTEE

38. Permission to use: ACCESS. Access to database. Permission to use the database. OK.

39. Perlman of "Cheers": RHEA. Danny DeVito's wife.

44. Uniform: OUTFIT

46. Childbirth education pioneer: LAMAZE. I like the answer.

47. Orbital high point: APOGEE. Low point is Perigee.

51. Acknowledge with a head movement: NOD TO

54. Sacramento's __ Arena: ARCO. Home to Sacramento Kings.

56. Say assuredly: AVER

57. Binge: JAG. Both mean "a drinking spree".

60. "Desperate Housewives" network: ABC

Happy Birthday, Hahtool! Thanks for bringing us inspiring QOD every morning.

Answer grid.

C.C.