Saturday, April 14, 2018, Robyn Weintraub

A THEMELESS SATURDAY PUZZLE BY ROBYN WEINTRAUB

The warm temps have finally come to the Great Plains and so it appears that spring is finally here. So let's celebrate with a lovely Saturday puzzle from Robyn Weintraub on National Reach As High As You Can Day. For some of us, a clever Saturday puzzle can be just that.

Robyn's four pinwheel stacks of nine-letter fills were very impressive and helpful. Coupled with new learning and clever cluing made for a fun solve.  Now let's see if we have reached as high as we can today.

Across:

1. Many a tax filer's need: Abbr.: SSN - Most everyone around here has a SSN starting with 507 or 506

4. It's a lock: HASP

8. Half-Blood Prince of fiction: SNAPE and 38. Rickman who played 8-Across: ALAN -  My Harry Potter knowledge is seriously lacking

13. Showed emotion: SHED A TEAR

16. Fifth canonical hour: NONES - Divisions of the day. NONES is about 3 pm when it is said Christ was crucified

17. Try: GIVE IT A GO

18. Rarely a problem for happy-go-lucky types: ANGST

19. Clematis supports: TRELLISES - here's my lovely wife Joann's clematis in our backyard

20. Roger who played the U.K. ambassador on "The West Wing": REES - I mostly remember Roger as the priggish Roger Colcort in Cheers

21. Published in installments: SERIAL - A movie version of this format

22. Impressive dismount: BACK FLIP - Looks like she stuck it!

25. Pacific resort, popularly: CABO - CABO San Lucas

27. "Good heavens!": MY OH MY

28. Typographic measure: PICA - In high school we had mostly manual PICA typewriters and a few with elite type and one, count it, one electric

31. Had in view: EYED

33. Guard attachment?: RAIL - It appears this Guard RAIL did its job

34. Endangered chimpanzees: BONOBOS

36. Potential: PROMISE - Spring training is when teams try to see what players show the most PROMISE

39. Letters at the top of a window: HTTP - Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. HTTP://www.usatoday.com is no longer necessary. usatoday.com or even usatoday will suffice

41. Grenoble green: VERT - This wall hanging is entitled Deux autruches dans une voiture française VERT. Did you suss it out as Two ostriches in a green, French car?

42. Many an Egyptian pharaoh: RAMSES - There were eleven of them from Ramses I in 1292 B.C. to Ramses XI in 1075 B.C.

44. Historic Italian family: ESTE - They gave the world the Hanoverian Kings as well as Ivan VI of Russia among other royalty

46. Menu type: DROP DOWN

48. Spaced: IN A FOG - I experience this sensation less with a CPAP device

53. Bad salt container?: BRIG - I doubt she is bad salt (sailor) but she is in the BRIG

 
54. Medium access?: AFTER LIFE - Mary Todd Lincoln held at least eight seances in the White House trying to contact her dead sons Eddie and Willie 

56. Half a comedy duo: MEARA - Anne MEARA, husband and comedy partner Jerry Stiller, their famous son and his wife

57. Waze forerunner: ROAD ATLAS - I had never heard of this site that supplants a ROAD ATLAS but here it shows my short, daily route to sub where I have to cross the mighty Elkhorn River

58. One might be picky: EATER - My new SIL's boys are the pickiest eaters I have ever known. We load up with mac and cheese for them even on Thanksgiving

59. "Okay, back to work": DUTY CALLS

60. Reunion attendees: GRADS - When I sub, I can see the ones that probably won't be coming back for the reunions

61. Offend, in a way: REEK - Non-verbal offense as some people just seem to have an "air" about them

62. Terse street sign: SLO - They couldn't spring for the W?


Down:

1. Certain NCOs: SSGTS - Our cwd friend MSGT is here also

2. English subdivision: SHIRE - A favorite place on Big Bang

3. When some things will change?: NEVER

4. How to get to Carnegie Hall, perhaps: HAIL A CAB - Yup, I put this SNARKY 8-letter word of advice first

5. Fifth-century Roman Empire enemy: ATTILA

6. Black and Red: SEAS


7. Shoulder-length do: PAGEBOY - Named for the the "porridge bowl" haircuts sported by medieval pages

8. Like a comment that may elicit "Oh, snap!": SNARKY

9. "I'm good, thanks": NONE FOR ME - My very educated friend insisted on saying NONE FOR I. Me didn't never correct that there guy. 😑

10. Bow tie alternative: ANGEL HAIR - Pasta


11. Eeyore, for one: PESSIMIST

12. Contractor's no.: ESTimate

14. Brat's place: DELI

15. Sub or Santa follower: ROSA - SubROSA means done in secret (literally "under the rose") and of course Santa ROSA (St. Rose) is the county seat of Sonoma Co. California

23. Nav. rank: CMDR

24. TV Marine: PYLE - If you look closely you can see that Gomer PYLE's job at Wally's Service Station was right across the street from his Gomer Pyle M.C. barracks on the Desilu backlot

26. With 51-Down, tops: BEST and 51. See 26-Down: OF ALL

28. Focus of some climate change concerns: POLAR BEAR

29. Female lover: INAMORATA

30. Plotted together: CONSPIRED - I'll bet you know this source of this lyric: "Later on we'll CONSPIRE, As we dream by the fire" 

32. "House" actor: EPPS - Omar's first and last name are becoming cwd staples

34. Avon product?: BARD - Shakespeare's birthplace of course

35. Extremely: OH SO

37. Viking accessory: OVEN RACK - Oh yeah, that's those expensive appliances we never consider! Hey, heat's heat!

40. "Got it" on the radio: TEN-FOUR - Chief Dan Matthews made this phrase a national phenomenon on Highway Patrol. 

43. Ellery Queen and Raven awards, e.g.: EDGARS - The clue words are categories of the EDGARS Awards that are judged by the Mystery Writers of America 

45. Camp craft: TIE DYE

47. District: WARD - Chicago WARDS are famous for being for sale

49. Resort near Snowbird: ALTA - They are connected by Sugarloaf Pass

50. Gases (up): FILLS

52. Canvas primer: GESSO - I remembered this word from a Sunday puzzle I blogged a few years ago for C.C. and Hard G

55. Thames gallery: TATE

56. Eldest March sister: MEG - Here she is being played by Trini Alvarado in the 1994 movie. (Third from the left) Do you recognize the famous actress at the left who played the mother?

Feel free to enter your comments. 10 - 4?

DA GRID

Note from C.C.:

Husker Gary has updated our Corner map. Please email Gary gschlapfer@gmail.com if you want to be included or excluded in the map.

Saturday, Jul 15th, 2017, Robyn Weintraub

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X)

Blocks: 33

 I do believe this is Robyn's first LA Times Saturday, and upon review, I see her first Sunday was this year, too, and now there's only Tuesday/Thursday left for the cycle.  Slow start for me, finally got some answers filled at the halfway Across point, and then had a good run in the Downs.  The NW however, refused to fill in, and I was tempted to cheat on 6d., but then 5d. came to me, and I was able to close out - and rather quickly, I noticed.  A friendly grid, no crushing chunky corners, no "trapped" corners, very little in proper names, and 6 10-letter fills spread over the construction;

23. Sebastian in "The Little Mermaid," e.g. : CRUSTACEAN - I thought he was a lobster, but it turns out he's actually a crab.  Live and learn.

 44. Be prudent : PLAY IT SAFE

11. One or two may arrive on Valentine's Day : DOZEN ROSES - has Ms. Weintraub been the recipient~?!?

26. It's often labeled "B" : BACK-UP PLAN

ONWAlleD~!

ACROSS:

1. Shoots down : DEBUNKS - learned this word from the endless use of it in the TV show "The X-files" - but I had deCRIEs to start

8. More than just passed : ACED IT - ah.  Two words.  Got me.

14. "My two cents ... " : AS I SEE IT - there's 12 step literature called "As Bill Sees It"

16. Variation of the Latin square puzzle : SUDOKU - my first consideration, but I thought Sudoku was Oriental, not Latin - but then I went and did some research; Latin Square; Sudoku; the latter mentions the former

17. Motherboards, etc. : HARDWARE - computers in the physical sense

18. They may be ribbons : PRIZES - MEDALS~? No, AWARDS is better.  Bzzzt~!

19. You usually can't see your shadow on it : LID - um, OK.  Can't see my shadow on my liP, either.  Oh, EYE lid.  Duh.  Thanks Argyle.  So what's a birP call, anyway~?

20. Scornful grin : SNEER

22. Underhanded type : SNEAK

25. High wind? : OBOE

27. They get checked at airports, briefly : ETAs

28. One on the E. Coast? : RTE - cute.  Route One runs from Key West FL to Ft. Kent ME.  I did not know it uses the George Washington bridge here in NY

 

31. Mechanic's supply : SPARE PARTS - oops, not sparK pLUGs; let's see - that's 60% 100% correct

34. Does some yard work : MOWS - clecho; 52d. Does some yard work : HOES

35. Shreds comics? : HECKLES - there's a guy who plays cards with us who claims he was once a stand-up comedian (comic).  So at the poker table, he tends to treat every one as a heckler - and I could not for the life of me recall this word.  harass~?, haggle~? hamper~? Ah-ha~!

36. 561-piece White House, for one : LEGO SET - nailed it.  Still have my Lego sets.  I like the new architecture series

Where's the extra piece go~?

38. Works on, as comics : INKS - the other kind of comic

39. Shortcuts : TIME SAVERS - that they are.  The 21st century term for this is "life hack"

41. Sun Devils' sch. : ASU - hah~! Nailed it.  Been doing crosswords for too long, I guess

42. Grammy winner James : ETTA

43. It has a Yakutsk card : RISK - yes, yes it does.  Nailed this one, as well.  My board game uses elements from Risk

Top right in green

48. Dodge two-seater : VIPER - my Grand Caravan is a two-seater as well - if I fold the three seats in the back into the floor, that is

50. Yemeni neighbor : SAUDI - not OMANI

51. Grinch victim : WHO

Cindy Lou Who

54. Not coastal : INLAND

56. Habitat that comes and goes : TIDE POOL - pondered ICE SHEET

58. No. 2 terminus : ERASER - good clue/answer.  No. 2 pencil

59. Like some stag party members? : ANTLERED - good WAG

60. Blush producer : WINERY - ah.  The drink, not the make-up

61. Venus, say : GODDESS

DOWN:

1. "George's Marvelous Medicine" author : DAHL - I wondered if this was Curious George, but couldn't remember the author's name anyhow.  It's "Rey".  This is a different book and author; more here; check out the disclaimer at the end of the article

2. Morales of "La Bamba" : ESAI - just about the only proper name in the puzzle, and a gimme for regular solvers

3. __ call : BIRD

4. Amer. capital : USD - $ $ $ $ $ $

5. Old 34-Down preceder : NEWSREEL - ah.  I thought we were looking for the 'invention' prior to the 'movie'

6. Name that means "cool breeze" in Hawaiian : KEANU - argh.  I knew this

7. Parts of some stable relationships : SIRES - I caught the "other" definition of "stable" on my second pass

8. Hieroglyphics creature : ASP - made me change my AWARDS

9. Maledictions : CURSES

10. Minneapolis suburb : EDINA - C.C. knew this

12. Furniture giant : IKEA

13. Mastodon feature : TUSK

15. Have trouble balancing : TEETER - I tried WOBBLE

21. Engine concern : RATTLE

23. 60-Across supply : CORKS

24. Grammarian's concerns : CASES

25. Goes on first : OPENS

29. Suggestive dance : TWERK

30. Insurance co. requests : ESTs

31. Second-largest branch of Islam : SHIA

32. Nickel-and-dime : PETTY - like the way UPS runs its local operation.  I was cheated out of my personal day for July 3rd, so guess what~?  I was "sick" Friday. 

33. "Given the circumstances ... " : AS IT IS

34. Fox product : MOVIE - 40 years since Star Wars saved the company from bankruptcy

37. President for 200 days : GARFIELD - had half the perps in place.  Second President assassinated.  The Wiki

40. Swahili word for "problems" : MATATA - filled via perps

42. Bacon recipient? : EARNER - "bring home the bacon"

45. Form for a letter? : LEASE - think "let-ter", or one who lets

46. Seeking damages : SUING

47. Heighten : ADD TO - actions by my supervisors at UPS add to my aggravation

48. Hotel upgrade option : VIEW

49. Cross letters : INRI

51. Sported : WORE

53. Auto pioneer : OLDS

55. Hang on a line : DRY

57. Walker, for short : PEDestrian

Splynter

Sunday January 29, 2017 Robyn Weintraub

Theme:  "Nowhere"- Parse it as No W Here. W is removed from each theme entry.

23A. Black kitten crossing your path? : LITTLE WOMEN. Little Women.

34A. Transgressions timeline? : THE WAGES OF SIN. The wages of sin. Not a familiar phrase to me.

49A. Matching food containers? : IDENTICAL TWINS. Identical twins.

64A. New England proceedings concerning allergic reactions? : SALEM WITCH TRIALS. Salem Witch Trials.

86A. Cheating millionaire? : WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Wheel of Fortune.

99A. Tony Soprano's quilt? : DOWN COMFORTER. Down comforter.

14A. Wrigley's in-house hip-hop group? : GUM WRAPPERS. Gum wrapper. 

There are no stray W's in this whole grid. Very nice.

I think this is Robyn Weintraub's first Sunday puzzle. Congratulations, Robyn! It's a beauty. Only 138 words. No cheater squares. In a grid like this, you'd expect a few obscure abbrs or boring EST/ER ending fill, but all her long fill (8+) shine, some intersect or parallel another long fill, or both. Just amazing.

Across:    

1. Where there's smoke : FLUE. Not FIRE.

5. Happy, in Juárez : FELIZ. Happy Año Nuevo! Any of you were born in the Year of the Rooster? (1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005...). This site says "Rooster is almost the epitome of fidelity and punctuality." True for Argyle (1945), who's a Rooster.

10. They go with the flow : RAFTS. Nice clue.

15. Misplace : LOSE

19. Ninth Greek letter : IOTA. I used to have a cheat sheet.

20. Girl who obeyed 4-Down : ALICE. And 4. Fictional words written in currants : EAT ME

21. Courtier in "Hamlet" : OSRIC

22. Gem for some Libras : OPAL. I'm not into this birthstone thing.

25. Wedding registry category : CHINA

26. Old TV knob : VERT. Don't feel TV is enough of an Abbr. hint.

27. Aftershock : TREMOR

28. Exhilarating : BRISK

30. Princess Peach creator : NINTENDO. Needed crossing help.

32. Words often etched in stone : HERE LIES

36. Villain Luthor : LEX

37. "Boston Legal" co-star : SHATNER (William)

38. Name change indicator : NEE

39. It's done in Paris : FINI

43. Superfund agcy. : EPA

45. Clears : RIDS

46. Bad-mouthed : DISSED

53. Summer getaway : COTTAGE. Nice and quiet.

54. Worked one's fingers to the bone : SLAVED

55. One may be jam-packed : JAR. So simple in retrospect.

56. Angler's shout : GOT ONE. Also 39. 56-Across object : FISH. We used to catch carp in the small lake near our home. Carp is a popular dish in Asia. We steam it. Then sprinkle with slices of green onions & ginger, which are marinated in a sweet soy sauce.

58. Dept. head : MGR

59. Straight : HETERO

60. Biblical prophet : AMOS. Got via crosses.

62. Medium power? : ESP

63. It feels like forever : AEON

69. Indication to stop playing : REST. Musical rest.

72. Letters for 94-Across : AKA. 94. Crook's creations : ALIASES

 

73. Get the message : HEAR

74. Brand whose ads feature alpenhorns : RICOLA

78. Pipe plastic : PVC

79. Arms treaty subjects, briefly : N-TESTs

82. 2001 boxing biopic : ALI

83. Went on and on : DRONED

84. Places for reflection : MIRRORS. This clue makes me smile.

 

89. Doc's pal : SLEEPY. Seven Dwarfs. Same letter count as SNEEZY.

90. Kings, e.g. : BEDS

91. TV's "Science Guy" : NYE

92. Go across : SPAN

93. Canal site : EAR

96. Gardner of old Hollywood : AVA

 

102. Emergency supplies delivery point : DROP ZONE. Followed by another 8: 107. Area of severe industrial decline : RUST BELT

108. Brainless : INANE

110. Like typical laundromats : COIN-OP

111. First century Roman emperor : OTHO. Newbies probably want OTTO. 

112. When "eye of newt" is mentioned in "Macbeth" : ACT IV

 

116. It could be fishy : ODOR

117. Feudal lord : LIEGE

118. Two-time N.L. batting champ Lefty : O'DOUL. Way before my time. There's another Lefty in baseball. Lefty Grove. Pitcher.

119. __ facto : IPSO

120. Nursery stock : POTS

 

121. Fountain fare : SODAS

122. Tweeting locales : NESTS. We also have 7. Branches : LIMBS

123. IRS agents : T-MEN

Down:

1. Laundry challenge : FILTH. Not STAIN or GRIME.

2. Chateau-dotted valley : LOIRE

3. Consummate : UTTER

5. Spenser's "The __ Queene" : FAERIE

6. "Don't Bring Me Down" gp. : ELO

8. Bakery artist : ICER

9. Apex : ZENITH

10. Speeding : ROCKETING. Never used the verb form of ROCKET.

11. Camel debris : ASH. Not the desert animal.

12. Peripheries : FRINGES

13. Even smaller : TINIER

14. Digitizes, in a way : SCANS

15. Affectionate celebration : LOVEFEST

16. "Let me in," facetiously : OPEN SESAME. Two gorgeous entries side by side.

17. Restaurateur with an honorary Tony : SARDI (Vincent). Unaware of this fact, though I do know Sardi's is the birthplace of Tony Awards.

18. "The Lion King" co-composer John : ELTON

24. Lounge about : LOLL

29. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI

31. Marquee time : TONITE. Also got via crosses.

33. Biz bigwig : EXEC

35. Conclusion beginning : AND SO

37. Hero material? : SALAMI. Think of Sandwich whenever you see Hero with a ?

40. Frivolous : IDLE

41. Like a pin? : NEAT

42. Get some Intel, say : INVEST. Intel stock. Also 44. Undercover attire? : PAJAMAS. Two great clues.

46. Longtime "SNL" announcer : DON PARDO. Not often we see his full name.

47. Freezer aisle breakfast brand : EGGO

48. "Jurassic Park" co-star : DERN (Laura)

50. Prefix with hertz : TERA

51. Blind reverence : IDOLATRY. Banned in Islam. But so many boys are called Muhammed.

52. Relaxed pace : TROT

53. Mozart's "__ fan tutte" : COSI

57. Scare stiff : TERRIFY

61. Destination for many srs. : SCH. I was thinking of Florida.

63. Natty neckwear : ASCOTS

65. Just about makes, with "out" : EKES

66. Get better : HEAL

67. Raptor features : TALONS

68. NYC line to the Hamptons : LIRR

69. Record speeds, for short : RPMS (Revolutions Per Minute)

70. Really bad : EVIL

71. Picture of a picture : SCREENSHOT. Got via crosses, despite grabbing screenshots for all my blogging posts.

75. "Movin' __": "The Jeffersons" theme : ON UP

76. Contemporary of Ella : LENA (Horne)

77. Mideast seaport : ADEN

79. "Piece o' cake!" : NO PROB!

80. His and hers : THEIR. The clue is asking for THEIRS, no?

81. Calming agents : SEDATIVES. Boomer is now calming his foot nerve problem with Scotch tape. I'm amazed that it works. He also rubs the Therapeutic Blue Ice Gel on his legs for the sciatic nerve pain. He does it every time before he goes bowling. It stinks, but again, it works for him. Similar to below bottle, but Health Smart brand. Boomer gets his at the Dollar Store.

85. Powerful power sources : REACTORS

87. Ruhr Valley city : ESSEN

88. Cause of white knuckles : FEAR

90. Fixed, as one's lipstick : BLOTTED. How many lipsticks do you think an average woman own?

94. Union union : AFL-CIO

95. Christopher Paolini fantasy best-seller : ERAGON. Friendly letter combo. I always want DRAGON.
 

97. They may be recorded separately : VOCALS

98. Each : A POP

99. Succumb to gravity : DROOP

100. Surpass : OUTDO

101. Board with a room? : MEALS. Another tricky clue.

102. Reps' promotions : DEMOS

103. "Not another word!" : ZIP IT!

104. Latish lunch hr. : ONE PM

105. Like the mythological Aesir-Vanir War : NORSE

106. HP competitor : EPSON

109. Hosiery shade : NUDE. No ECRU today.

113. Supermarket chain with a red-and-white logo : IGA. Never been to one.

115. Hard thing to get out of : RUT

C.C.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015 Robyn Weintraub

Theme: INSANE OCTETS.  The theme answers have circles - or at least they should - so that's usually a sign that the theme includes an anagram concept.   This is definitely not my forte, but I sussed it pretty easily.  Lets check it out

17 A. Oscar-nominated song from "The Little Mermaid" : KISS THE GIRL.  Just don't get slapped.

26. Tie the knot : GET HITCHED.  GET MARRIED also fits, but the slangy answer is more appropriate to the clue

33. Jewelry alloy : WHITE GOLD.  Per Wikipedia, "an alloy of gold and at least one white metal, usually nickel, manganese or palladium. In order to make the gold white, it is combined with metal alloys that are white in nature and plated with an extremely hard element called rhodium."

43. Alertly eager : BRIGHT EYED.    Evidently, this phrase goes back to the late 1500's, but that's all I was able to uncover.  However, FWIW, there is this --

There is no obvious common thread here, so if you didn't get the circles, you were probably pretty puzzled by the puzzle.  So, here is the unifier.  53 A. Card game that literally explains this puzzle's circles : CRAZY EIGHTS.  "CRAZY" is one of many possible indicators that the letters of the key word "EIGHT" have been mixed up, scrambled or confused, i.e anagrammed.  The letters, contained in circles if you're lucky, in each case are split across two words.  There are 120 permutations of the 5 letters in the word EIGHT, so the puzzle could only give us a small sampling of the possibilities. Very nicely done, I'd say.

CRAZY EIGHTS is a pretty simple game that I must have played at some time in my 'ute.  You can read about it here.  When I did, it occurred to me that UNO is an elaborated derivative of this game.

Suitable for young children

Hi gang, Crazy ZabaJzump here.  Nice puzzle, well executed theme.  Let's see if we can get through it without any further mix ups.

Across

1. Passé movie rental need : VCR.  Video Cassette Recorder.

4. Defeat decisively : STOMP.

9. Fixtures that may have claw feet : TUBS.   

The one I remember from my early 'ute was not this elegant

13. "__ you in or out?" : ARE.

14. On top of things : AWARE.

15. Blazing stars : NOVAE.  All stars are blazing.  These are the REALLY hot ones.

16. Word in four state names : NEW.   Hampshire, Jersey, Mexico, and York.

19. Rose __ : GARDEN.   White House feature

Tulips?

21. Steve Martin film based on "Cyrano de Bergerac" : ROXANNE.

22. Melville novel : OMOO.  Easily the most popular novel in X-words.  Has anyone read it in the last 100 years?

23. Circus prop : STILT.  

As if clowns weren't scary enough

25. Friend of Wyatt : DOC.  Earp and Holliday, famous for participating in the gun fight down the street a piece from the OK Corral.

 He probably Earped

29. Fixed (on) : BENT.  Firm and determend in purpose or belief.

30. Charlemagne's domain: Abbr. : Holy Roman Empire.

31. Peaty land : MOOR.  Acidic soil where plants die faster than they can decompose.

32. __-Coburg, Bavaria : SAXE.   A Duchy from the 14th Century in what is now Bavaria.

36. "Toodles!" : CIAO.  B'bye.

38. City NNE of Austin : WACO.   Never a good thing when it's in the news.

39. Managed care gp. : Health Maintenance Organization.  Note abrv.

42. Half of a Billy Idol #1 song : MONY.   Better than half a fly, I suppose.  Anyway, it's a cover.  Here's the real thing, from 1968.

46. Gardner of film : AVA.  She had many roles from the 40's through the 70's and was married to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra.

Artful Dame

47. Debt securities : LIENS.  The way this is phrased makes me think of bonds.  A LIEN is a legal encumbrance on a property, which is a form of security interest.   Details differ from country to country.

48. Invasion time : D-DAY.  On June 6, 1944, the allied forces invaded Normandy, a very complicated operation.

49. Tries to reach again, old-style : REDIALS.   Old time phone calls.

51. Rejects : SPURNS.

56. Super Bowl highlights : ADS.   'Cuz the game itself is often lousy.

57. Anise-flavored liqueurs : OUZOS.   Greek fire water.

58. "Toodles!" : SEE YA.  A chlecho, but I don't believe I've ever heard anybody say "Toodles."

59. Originally named : NEE.   Generally used in the context of a bride's maiden name.

60. Flew : SPED.   Look at the time.   I must be having fun.

61. Article of faith : TENET.   Do those of lesser faith only have ninets?

62. Audition, with "out" : TRY.  Competition for roles.

Down

1. "The Starry Night" painter : VAN GOGH.  Vincent.

2. Morning pitcher : CREAMER.  Presumably holding cream for that all-important cup of coffee.  I take mine solo.

3. Did over, as a manuscript : REWROTE.  Writing is rewriting.

4. Japanese libation : SAKE.  An alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice.  Sometimes thought of as either a wine or a beer, but is neither.

5. Mattress size : TWIN.  

6. Defense gp. since 1948 : Organization of American States, founded in 1948.

7. Dash of flavor? : MRS.    Cute

It's a matter of taste

8. Van Dyke role : PETRIE.   Rob, with wife Laura

Wasn't she a dish

9. Forum garb : TOGA.

Funny thing about that

10. Measure discussed on the EPA's SunWise web page : UV INDEX. It predicts the level of solar UV radiation and  indicates the risk of overexposure on a scale from 0 (low) to 11 or more (extremely high).

11. Including everything : BAR NONE.

12. Choose : SELECT.

15. "Wait till __ year!" : NEXT.   Losing sports team's cry of anguish and hope.

18. Clutch : HOLD.

20. Word from Homer : D'OH.

23. Glasgow native : SCOT.  From a city in Scotland.

24. Included free : THREW IN.  Has anyone ever included a free towel for you?

27. Texter's "Here's what I think" : In My Humble Opinion.

28. Paris pronoun : TOI.  Sure.  Whatever.

29. Rancid : BAD.  Food going bad, not misbehaving.   I think.

Then, again  .  .  .

32. Hotel keycard opening : SLOT.  Keyholes are passé.

33. Route : WAY.

34. Comedy material : GAGS.

35. 23-Down's "Golly!" : OCH.  Scottish vernacular.

36. Watergate subterfuge : COVERUP.  Sometimes worse than the actual crime.

37. Not lucid : IN A DAZE.

39. Curbside water source : HYDRANT.  For putting out house fires.

40. Wind, as a country road : MEANDER.   

Take the long way home

41. Post-Trojan War epic : ODYSSEY.   The story of Odyssius taking the long way home.

42. Former Philippine president : MARCOS.  Ferdinand, a corrupt and brutal dictator.

43. Ill humor : BILE.

44. Fight temptation : RESIST.  I misread this a "flight temptation" and was mightily confused.  Anyway, always let your conscience be your guide.

45. University URL suffix : EDU. Representing EDUcation.

47. Sets down : LAYS.  Not lies - that would be untrue.

50. Name on a sport shirt label : IZOD.  Actually, they make all sorts of apparel.

This symbol magically magnifies the value price of whatever it's attached to

51. Eye trouble : STYE. An infected abscess near the edge of the eyelid.

52. H.S. exam : PSAT. Pre-SAT.  Preparation for the SAT, which is a college admission test with no record of predicting success in college.  IMHO, all standardized tests are scams.

54. "Golly!" : GEE.

55. Egg source : HEN. Yeah - but which one came first?

There it is folks, a nice puzzle from start to finish.  I'm not mixed up any more, but I am still crazy.

Cool regards!
ZbJ