Wednesday, September 28, 2016 Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: OUT OF SIGHT, MAN.  Five two-word theme entries all relate to someone or something whose identity or existence is covered up.  The non-reveal is in the first word of each phrase.

17. Old-time bandits : MASKED MARAUDERS.   I'm not sure this is a generic expression.  Specifically, there is a so-named villain in the Marvel Comics universe who is the main antagonist in the Daredevil title.  Also, this.

26. Narc's quarry : HIDDEN STASH.  Some quantity of drugs that narcotics agents want to confiscate.  But where is it?

38. Special forces mission : COVERT OPERATION.  This is a military or espionage action that is planned and executed in such a way that the sponsor's identity is not revealed, or plausible deniability is maintained.

46. Anonymous holiday gift giver : SECRET SANTA.  A community or other group of people randomly choose individuals to whom they will give a Christmas present.

60. Air marshal's possession : CONCEALED WEAPON.   Air marshals are highly trained marksmen who blend in with other passengers and serve to deter terrorism and protect the flying public.

Pretty straight forward concept in this thematically rich entry, built with three grid spanners and two more theme fill checking in at 11 characters each.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here to uncover the secrets of today's puzzle.  Let's have a peek behind the curtain.

Across

1. Gain experience (from) : LEARN.  Always important; not always pleasant.

6. Leg muscle : CALF.  The back of the lower leg.

10. World Golf Hall of Famer Karrie : WEBB. [b 1974] Australia's most successful female professional golfer.

14. First host of "The Tonight Show" : ALLEN.   Steve, [1921 - 2000] an American actor, writer, comedian, composer and musician.

15. Like some history : ORAL.  Not written down.

16. Original thought : IDEA.

20. "The Time Machine" race : ELOI.

21. Goes out : EBBS.   Like the tide.

22. First extra inning : TENTH.  A regulation baseball game lasts for 9 innings.  If the score is tied, they keep playing until one team wins.

23. Dallas Mavericks org. : NBA.  National Basketball Association.

25. Old Mideast alliance: Abbr. : UAR.  United Arab Republic.  A political union between Egypt and Syria that lasted from 1958 until 1961.  Egypt continued to use the name for another decade.

32. Nova Scotia hrs. : AST.  Atlantic Standard Time.  This time zone is one step to the east of the continental United States, 4 hours off Greenwich Mean Time.  It includes New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia in Canada, as well as Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands

35. City SW of St. Augustine : OCALA.  At ca. 57,500 [2013 census] it ranks as the 45th most poplous city in FLA.

36. Young boys : TADS.   Or LADS, but SLOIC ruined that concept.

37. Place for a pedicure : SPA. A commercial establishment offering health and beauty treatments.

42. Bi- halved : UNI-.   Bi- is a combining form meaning two or twice.  Except when attached to time units, when it might mean either "every two" or "twice per."  Back on topic, consider bi- and uni- -cycles or -valves.  

43. Cambodian cash : RIEL.  Most Cambodians prefer foreign currency.

44. Polar explorer : PEARY.  Robert [1865-1920] might or might not have been the first person to reach the north pole in his 1909 expedition, if he even got there at all.  He might have missed by 60 miles.  Nothing about this is certain.

45. Butter-on-hot-griddle sound : SSS.  Sizzle.

48. Bowl-shaped cookware : WOK.  A versatile round-bottomed cooking vessel of Chinese origin.

49. __ in: surround : HEM.    Specifically to surround in a restrictive manner.

50. Delta rival, as it was once known : USAIR.   Since merged with American Airlines.   The USAIR brand name was discontinued on Oct 17, 2015.

53. Tosca's "Vissi d'arte," e.g. : ARIA.   A vocal solo in the context of a larger work, such as an opera or oratorio.

56. Magic charm : MOJO.  Or spell.

63. "The Mod Squad" role : LINC.   Lincoln "Link" Hayes, portrayed by Clarence Williams III.

64. Automation prefix : ROBO-.  As in ROBO-call.  So looking forward to November 9.

65. Superman's makeup? : STEEL.  He's known as the "Man of STEEL," but this is probably hyperbole.  I suspect he really made of bronze.

66. __ code : AREA.  The regionally assigned 3 digit [in North America] prefix to your telephone number.

67. Mess offering : MEAL.  Through Middle English via Old French this word traces back to the Latin missum, meaning "something put on the table."  In modern times it most typically refers to a location where a specified group of people, such as in the armed forces, take their meals together.

68. Brits' boob tube : TELLY.  Teevee, stateside.

Down

1. Pathetic, as an excuse : LAME.  Or as many of my jokes.

2. Airline to Jerusalem : EL AL.

3. In addition : ALSO. Too

4. Put the spark back into, as a relationship : REKINDLE.

5. Salem-to-Portland dir. : NNE.

6. It may help with a mop : COMB.  For an unruly head of hair.  Good luck.

7. Many a Syrian : ARAB.  Ethnicity inhabiting several middle eastern countries and many cross word puzzles.

8. Metallica drummer Ulrich : LARS.   I have no idea how I know this.  I think their music is ghastly.

9. St. with a panhandle : FLA.  Florida.  Other states with panhandles, formally called salients, are Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia, which has two of them.

10. Three-lane, vis-à-vis two-lane : WIDER.  Larger in the lateral dimension.

11. "I Dream of Jeannie" star : EDEN.  Barbara [b 1931] star of the show which ran for 5 seasons starting in Sept,  1965.  

12. Buddy of Kermit : BERT.  Muppets.  I can't find a vid where they appear together, so I'm not sure how this buddy thing is working.

13. Big party : BASH.  Seems like the word BEER belongs in there somewhere.

18. Leader with a .edu address : DEAN.  The faculty head of a department.

19. Beehive State : UTAH.  This emblem was chosen in 1848 to symbolize the pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance, long before UTAH became a state in 1896.

24. Animal symbolizing the 25-Down : BEAR.  This symbol of Russia [and by extension the USSR] has been used in cartoons, articles and drama since the 16th century.

25. World power inits. until '91 : USSR.  Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, aka the Soviet Union.

26. Magical start : HOCUS.  Pocus.   Feel the magic.

27. Tappable cellphone images : ICONS.  Used to launch various apps.

28. "Miles Smiles" trumpeter : DAVIS.   I can find the whole album on YouTube, but not just this song, as played by Miles, so no link.   There are covers, but that just feels wrong.

29. Poker-faced : STOIC.  Indifferent to either pleasure or pain, referring to the Ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism, founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium.  The IDEA is that the highest good comes from knowledge, and living in harmony with divine reason allows one to disregard fortune, pleasure and pain.

30. Come to a point : TAPER.

31. Fred's dancing sister : ADELE.  Astaire siblings.  Sadly, I can't come up with a video of her dancing.

32. Chinese or Japanese : ASIAN.  Originating in that continent.

33. Hurling or curling : SPORT.  Hurling, similar to field hockey, is the regional game of Ireland and is thousands of years old.  Curling is played with flat stones slid on an ice surface into a target circle.

34. Tucker of country : TANYA.

39. Taxing trip : TREK.

40. Semicircular church section : APSE.  Traditionally, the dome covered recess where the altar is located.

41. One who might go to bat for you? : TEAM MATE.  Baseball reference.

46. Achy : SORE.  Hurting.

47. January warm spell : THAW.  When the ice melts, for a while.

48. Modern witch's religion : WICCA.  A modern pagan belief system with no central authority that exists in many variations, generally based on a god and goddess duality.

50. Home of the NCAA's Bruins : UCLA.   College sports.

51. Evening in Quebec : SOIR.   French.

52. Klein of fashion : ANNE.   [1923 - 1974] Clothing and accessories.

53. Lotion additive : ALOE.  Ubiquitous in skin care products and cross word puzzles.

54. Singer McEntire : REBA. [b 1955, McAlester, OK ] While in high school, she and her siblings sang on local radio and at rodeos. Her performance of the National Anthem at the Oklahoma City rodeo in 1974 got her invited to Nashville, where she signed with Mercury records.  In 1984 she signed with MCA Nashville, and took over creative control of her recordings.

55. Star adored by many : IDOL.   

57. Autobahn auto : OPEL.   German subsidiary of G. M. headquartered in Rüsselsheim.

58. "Piano Man" man : JOEL.   For six months in 1972, William Martin JOEL [b 1949] worked at the Executive Room piano bar on Wilshire Blvd in L. A.  This sad song, released in 1973, commemorates that time.

59. __ child : ONLY.   My sister and I are 6 1/2 years apart.  It's almost as if our parents had 2 ONLY children.

61. Branch : ARM.   Extension.

62. Approx. repair cost : EST.   Who establishes this ESTimate?

Well, that wraps it up, but does not put it under wraps.  Hope you enjoyed unraveling all the mysteries.

Cool regards!
JzB

Note from C.C.:

Our own Peg (C6D6 Peg) made today's WSJ. You can click here to print out the PDF. Congratulations,  dear Peg!

Peg and her husband Steve

Tuesday, August 30 2016, Timothy L. Meaker

Theme:

20. Ship that's safe for an ocean voyage : SEAWORTHY VESSEL

37. Barrel roll or wingover : AIRSHOW MANEUVER

48. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, for one : LANDMARK VERDICT

62. With 65-Across, military specialist : NAVY

65. See 62-Across ... and an acronym of the starts of 20-, 37- and 48-Across : SEAL

Melissa here. Got hung up in a few spots today. WOW, what a clever and patriotic theme, which didn't dawn on me until 62A and 65A were filled in. Three grid-spanning theme answers with the two reveals perfectly placed in the southeast corner - very impressive. From Wikipedia: "The SEALs are trained to operate in all environments (Sea, Air, and Land) for which they are named."

Across

1. "Big bad" pig harasser : WOLF

 5. Paper Mate products : PENS

9. Dictation pro : STENO

14. Milky gem : OPAL

15. Frenzied : AMOK

16. High fly to the shortstop : POPUP

17. __ and dine : WINE.

18. Optimistic : ROSY

19. Wear down : ERODE

23. Teller of macabre tales : POE

24. Tokyo, once : EDO

25. Student's assignment : REPORT

29. See 47-Across : BIGS. All perps.

31. Indy 500 stat : MPH

34. Nebraska city near Boys Town : OMAHA

35. O'Hara plantation : TARA

36. Pepsi, e.g. : COLA. Tried SODA first.

40. Award for 46-Down : CLIO

41. Apron tops : BIBS

42. Stair part : TREAD

43. "For __ a jolly good fellow ... " : HE'S

44. Long skirt : MAXI

45. Conceited : CHESTY. If you say so.

46. Objective : AIM

47. With 29-Across, baseball's major leagues, in slang : THE. I suppose the baseball fans knew this right off the bat. Me, not so much.

57. San Antonio mission : ALAMO. Surprisingly small in person.

58. The "kid" in "Here's looking at you, kid" : ILSA

59. "I smell __!" : A RAT

60. "Homeland" actress Claire : DANES

61. Trio minus one : DUET

63. Supremes singer Ross : DIANA

64. CPR pros : EMT'S

Down

1. Bowls over : WOWS

2. Mayberry tyke : OPIE

3. Turner of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946) : LANA

4. Took to the sky : FLEW

5. Stereotypical cracker requester : PARROT

6. Chew the scenery : EMOTE

7. Grab a bite : NOSH

8. Grey Goose rival : SKYY

9. Takes chances with a radar trap : SPEEDS

10. Art class form : TORSO

11. Long verse : EPOS. What?

12. Sans clothing : NUDE

13. German automaker : OPEL

21. Daytime TV mogul : OPRAH

22. One who shuns all animal products : VEGAN

25. Raid victim : ROACH. Nice clue.

26. Writer Zola : EMILE

27. Eiffel Tower city : PARIS

28. Extremely : OH SO

29. Disney deer : BAMBI

30. Investments for the future: Abbr. : IRAS

31. Relocates : MOVES

32. Accordion fold : PLEAT

33. "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" author Thomas : HARDY

35. Candy sold in pairs : TWIX

36. Restore to health : CURE

38. 44th president : OBAMA

39. Bygone anesthetic : ETHER

44. Brunch cocktail : MIMOSA

45. Doesn't play fair : CHEATS

46. Madison Ave. figures : AD MEN

47. RCA product : TV SET

48. TV "angel" Cheryl who replaced Farrah Fawcett : LADD

49. Jai __ : ALAI

50. Gram : NANA

51. Hitchhiker's hope : RIDE

52. Model Heidi : KLUM

53. Dapper fellows? : DANS

54. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE

55. Vena __: major blood line : CAVA

56. Texter's sign off : TTYL

Monday, July 11, 2016 Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Not to worry ~ it's all here.

20. Theoretical temperature at which molecular activity ceases : ABSOLUTE ZERO

31. Astronomical phenomenon : TOTAL ECLIPSE

40. 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. : WHOLE NUMBERS

52. Rarity for a pitcher, nowadays : COMPLETE GAME

Argyle here. A bit of a reversal today; I used the theme entries to help get the fill.

Across:

1. Trek to Mecca : HAJJ. Had to wait on the last letter.

5. Astringent in taste : ACERB

10. Something made on a shooting star : WISH

14. Brainstorm : IDEA

15. Circus animal handler : TAMER

16. Pot starter : ANTE

17. 1999 satire about a reality show : EDtv. A film directed by Ron Howard.

18. Erie or Cree : TRIBE. Another reversal; Erie as a clue.

19. KOA visitor : RVer. Kampgrounds of America, where the recreational vehicle owners stay.

23. __-and-effect : CAUSE

26. Wimbledon do-over : LET

27. Quieted, with "down" : TONED

28. Wes in the Basketball Hall of Fame : UNSELD. Bio.

30. __ Domingo : SANTO

 

35. Bambi's aunt : ENA

36. "Mr." with Jim Backus' voice : MAGOO. "Oh Magoo, you've done it again!"

37. In line for : DUE

44. Pasty-faced : ASHEN

46. Ability spotted by a scout : TALENT

47. Slow-moving mollusk : SNAIL

48. "__ was saying ... " : AS I

51. Actress Rene : RUSSO

55. Some dadaist pieces : ARPS. The World According to Arps. Oops, wrong Arps. It should be Jean Arp or Hans Arp but Ron Arps is something different so I think I'll leave him.

56. Go to pieces : PANIC

57. Rocker Hendrix : JIMI

61. "The Lion King" lion : NALA. Wiki.

62. Show beyond doubt : PROVE

63. Eve's partner : ADAM

64. Represent unfairly : SKEW

65. Fathered : SIRED

66. Toy on a string : YOYO

Down:

1. Shake a leg, quaintly : HIE

2. Put two and two together : ADD

3. Air Force One, for one : JET

4. Indonesian site of a WWII naval battle : JAVA SEA

 

5. Some "Night Court" characters: Abbr. : ATTs. (attorneys)

6. "Silent Night," e.g. : CAROL

7. Novelist Zola : ÉMILE. If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud.

8. Counter, as an argument : REBUT

9. Author Harte : BRET. Born: August 25, 1836, Albany, NY, but wrote about the Gold Rush.

10. Dangerous place for an embedded journalist : WAR ZONE. (and everyone else)

11. Dream up : INVENT

12. Man cave system : STEREO

13. "The Great" Judean king : HEROD

21. Ding-dong maker : BELL. Hah! It's really Hostess.

 

22. Sched. postings : ETAs

23. Like kitten videos : CUTE

24. Any minute, to Shakespeare : ANON

25. Court sports org. : USTA. (United States Tennis Association)

29. Sinister spirit : DEMON and 41D. 29-Down's milieu : HELL

30. Teapot feature : SPOUT

32. Western neighbor of Nev. : CAL.. (Nevada/California)

33. Size up from med. : LGE.

34. Charged particle : ION

37. Dead ends? : DEEs. First and last letters.

38. Coffee servers : URNS

39. __ perpetua: Idaho's motto : ESTO. "Let it be perpetual". Idaho forever!

40. Two-person log-cutting tool : WHIP SAW. Crosscut top and ripsaw bottom (used for making planks)

 

42. Schoolteacher of old : MARM

43. Toronto baseballer : BLUE JAY. shout out

44. Hooded ski jacket : ANORAK. 1920-25; & Inuit (Greenlandic) annoraaq (I doubt they did much skiing.)

45. Supermarket freebie : SAMPLE

47. Speed-reads : SCANS

48. Big name in arcades : ATARI

49. Madrid mister : SEÑOR

50. "Uncle!" : "I GIVE!"

53. Actor Omar : EPPS. Now starring on the ABC drama Resurrection.

54. Got a hole-in-one on : ACED

58. Wedding vow : "I DO"

59. Memorial Day month : MAY

60. "I think," in texts : IMO. (in my opinion)

 

Argyle

Thursday, September 24, 2015 Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: How about a LIFT?

The only question on this fine puzzle was whether Timothy was going to group the first or second words of the starred clues below for the theme.

Across starred clues

1. *Subject of a San Francisco museum : CABLE CAR - A mobile National Landmark

37. *Unpretentious : OLD SHOE - The billionaire "Oracle of Omaha" fits this description

Down starred clues

12. *Torque-providing component : DRIVE SHAFT - Gets the RPM's from the engine to the wheels

28. *Big band genre : SWING MUSIC - Miller, Kaye, Goodman, et al

It turns out he was going for the second words using this reveal:

66. Office building feature, which can precede the ends of the answers to starred clues: ELEVATOR - (LIFT to our resident Brits)

ELEVATOR CAR - Here's one for your, uh, car

ELEVATOR SHAFT - Bruce Willis in just such a place in Die Hard

ELEVATOR MUSIC - Upscale version

ELEVATOR SHOE - Vive la différence

Across         

9. Speculate : WONDER - "I WONDER, WONDER who, be-do-do who, Who wrote the book of love"

15. Intimate meeting : ONE-ON-ONE - Kobe in an intimate ONE-ON-ONE

16. Reluctant : AVERSE

17. Five-pointed, say : STARLIKE

18. Coordinated health program : REGIME - I prefer the word REGIMEN here. Harvard comma redux, anyone?

19. Ticked-off state : IRE

20. Honorary law deg. : LLD - Doctor of Laws (Canon and Civil), hence the two L's. Can also be honorary

21. Debussy contemporary : RAVEL - Most of all remember what happened in this scene with RAVEL's Bolero in the background

22. December purchase for many : TREE - It's been artificial TREES for us our entire marriage

24. Singer Lenya married to Kurt Weill : LOTTE - Kurt's wife LOTTE LENYA is immortalized in his most famous song Mack The Knife

26. Stood the test of time : LASTED

29. Damage : MAR

30. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA - My Hispanic friend always answers "Muy Bien". She's aware I probably wouldn't understand any other response.

33. Egyptian city on the Nile : ASWAN - Its dam as seen from space 

34. Clever : CUTE

35. Laugh syllable : HAR - End of a Ralph Kramden line

36. Deflategate letters : PSI - Per Sq. In. As it turned out, much NFL ado about nothing this off season

40. 1970 Jackson 5 chart topper : ABC - "Simple as ABC, 1, 2, 3, Do Re Mi, Baby You and Me"

41. __ Andreas Fault : SAN - The plate on the ocean side is carrying LA north @ 1.3 "/yr. It could  be a suburb of San Francisco in a few million years!

42. Works in un museo : ARTE - Art in a Spanish Museum

43. M16, for one : RIFLE 

45. Sharpen : EDGE - At the nursery, we used honing stones to put an EDGE on our knives

47. Half a Western couple : ROY - Roy and Trigger?

48. Less than broadcast : HINTED - Literal me prefers not to have something HINTED at

49. Polite title : MADAM - Dolly played a MADAM named Miss Mona in this film

51. Fermented beverage usually served warm : SAKE

52. Take five : PAUSE 

54. N.L. East team : ATL - BOS Braves, MIL Braves and now ATL Braves

55. Nutritional stat : RDA

58. Steal, Western-style : RUSTLE - Even today in Iowa

60. Random way to decide : COIN TOSS

63. Bay windows : ORIELS - Not a stranger here

64. Arrived at, Western-style : RODE INTO - Silly riddle - "A cowboy RODE INTO town on Friday, stayed three days and rode out on Friday" How? Answer below.

65. Rite-related : SACRAL

Down

1. Right triangle ratio: Abbr. : COS - COSINE = Adjacent side/Hypotenuse ratio

2. Naysayer : ANTI - The word that drives our partisan Congress

3. Really hard test : BEAR

4. Lynn with the album "I Remember Patsy" : LORETTA -  Before she played Mrs. Clark Griswold, Beverly d'Angelo was Patsy Cline in Coal Miners Daughter

5. Phot. lab request : ENL - Enlarge

6. Ready to strike : COILED

7. Bracelet site : ANKLE - Yeah, I put WRIST first too

8. Sax, e.g. : REED 

9. Simple card game : WAR - High card wins

10. Out in the open : OVERT - As opposed to HINTED

11. Prove false : NEGATE 

13. Salinger title 13-year-old : ESME - For ESME - With Love And Squalor

14. Rod attachment : REEL

23. Clinton's attorney general : RENO - Janet got the high profile Elian Gonzalez and Waco Compound cases

24. Shop class fixture : LATHE - C.C.'s favorite use of a LATHE

25. Longtime Hydrox competitor : OREO

26. Run out : LAPSE 

27. Syrian leader : ASSAD - He seems unable to stop the horrors going on in his country

29. Dank : MUSTY - Crank up that dehumidifier

31. Set aside : TABLE - Where legislation goes to die

32. Moved like a pendulum : ARCED

34. Data storage medium : CD ROM - The more likely modern choice below

38. "Good Morning America" co-anchor Spencer : LARA - I don't do morning TV "news shows"

39. Composer Satie : ERIK - French composer and pianist unknown to me

44. Sluggishness : INERTIA - Newton's first law of motion - Objects at rest want to stay at rest

46. Parade time : EASTER

48. Silver __, compound used in film : HALIDE

50. Perry's secretary : DELLA - Was his relationship with Miss Street strictly platonic?

51. Bar patron's option : STOOL

52. J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson, e.g. : PROS - Pro golfers. Bubba has made over $6,000,000 so far this year

53. Atmosphere : AURA

54. Part of a plot : ACRE

56. "Stop it!" : DON'T 

57. About : AS TO

59. Immigrant's subj. : ESL - English as a Second Language is a big deal here with our influx of Hispanic workers

61. Ariz. neighbor : NEV - That's how they share the Hoover Dam

62. Campus org. : SOR - My daughters were in the same ∏ßØ Sorority

Riddle Answer - His horse was named Friday. Note to self - "Keep day job!" 

I'm sure your comments on the next page will give us all a LIFT!

Husker Gary

Notes from C.C.:

Crosswords LA Tournaments will be held on Oct 24, 2015 (Saturday) at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. You don't need to be a wizard solver to participate. As you can see, they have four brackets for different skill levels. Or you can just be a spectator, solving at the same time with other competitors but your grids won't be scored.

It's an annual charity event Elissa Grossman started in 2009 to raise money for Reading to Kids.  I'm honored to be one of the constructors this year. The editor (Puzzle Wrangler) is the amazing Todd McClary, a regular contributor to the CrosSynergy puzzles.

I hope our readers in LA area will attend the event and mingle with your favorite constructors, bloggers & fellow solvers. Will you be there, Steve?

Thursday, August 27, 2015 Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: "Animal Farm"

It's a wacky bunch o' puns in store for us today. Common phrases lose the consonant sound at the end of the first word, and all get linked to various types of fauna.

17-A. Caddy for pigeons? : COO DEVILLE. Haha!  I was thinking of something from "Caddy Shack." Instead, we have a pun on the Cadillac Coupe deVille. (I used to own one of these gas guzzlers. Then 1976 happened...)

28-A. Statistical aid for sheep? : BAA GRAPH. This one made me laugh out loud. I think it's because we New Englanders actually do pronounce "bar graph" that way.

 

42-A. Cantatas for cows? : MOO MUSIC.  I wonder if one of their favorite songs is "Blue Moo"? Mood music.

55-A. Phone service for crows? : CAW WAITING. This one seemed like an outlier, because all the others have double vowel endings. But it works well for "call waiting."

I love a good pun, and these were some doozies. I enjoyed much of the rest, as well. So let me take you on a tour through my head as I was solving.

Across

1. Word seen before "or less" on supermarket signs : ITEMS. AAAARRRRRGGHH!  Use "less" only when you are unable to count the amount ("less water," for example.)  When you are able to count the items, the correct term is "fewer." This is a pet peeve of mine, but I promise that's the end of my rant...

6. Elisabeth of "Hollow Man" : SHUE.  For some reason, I knew this one, even though I never saw the movie.

10. "American __" : IDOL.

14. Musical ensemble : NONET. Requiring no fewer and no more than 9 players. And a clecho at 26-A. Musical ensemble : CHOIR.

15. Cautious : WARY.

16. Gospel trio : MAGI.

19. Combustible heap : PYRE.

20. NBA division that includes the Bklyn. Nets : ATL.antic. 

21. Very long time : EONS.

22. On the agenda : SLATED.

24. Autograph signer's aid : SHARPIE. Phil Mickelson, one of golf's most admired players, uses one.

27. Range stat. : ALT.itude. 

31. 1973 Rolling Stones ballad : ANGIE. Ah, music to my ears!  4:30

34. "All in the Family" spin-off : MAUDE.

35. Doomsday beginning? : DEE.

36. "Coming Home" actor : DERN.

37. Outmoded : PASSE.

38. Co-star of Boris in "Son of Frankenstein" : BELA.

39. Latin I word : AMO.

40. See 34-Down : CURIE. I stupidly filled in "madam" at 34-Down before I checked the perps.  Duh. 34-Down. With 40-Across, 1911 chemistry Nobelist : MARIE.

41. Connected, in a way : WIRED.

44. Wine container : VAT. Just gimme a straw!

45. Code name : MORSE.

46. Longtime family-owned firearms company : BERETTA.

50. Much : VASTLY.

52. Undecided : TORN.

53. Take flight : RUN.

54. Big Bird buddy : ELMO. Nice alliterative clue.

58. Sight from a slope : T-BAR. And the view from the T-BAR? Priceless! I have ridden this one many times.

59. Stem-to-branch angle : AXIL.

60. Like some astrological charts : NATAL.

61. Without : SANS.

62. Register compartment : TENS.

63. Migratory birds : GEESE.


Down

1. 16th-century conquest victims : INCAS.

2. Nail partner? : TOOTH. They went at it tooth and nail.

3. __ Gay : ENOLA.

4. NSAID, e.g. : MED. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are very common MEDs.

5. Skyline highlight : STEEPLE. Religion used to be the most important aspect of society, so the steeple always towered over other buildings in town. Then politics overtook religion, and the town hall soon grew to great heights. Then money became king, and now financial skyscrapers tower over all.

6. Hogs : SWINE.

7. Dutch artist Frans : HALS. One of my favorite Dutch painters - his portraits capture so much of the subjects' personalities. Like this one.

8. High-tech address : URL.

9. Sleeper's aid : EYE  SHADE. My cats get unnerved when I wear this one.

10. Make worse : IMPAIR.

11. Market speculator : DAY TRADER.

12. Storybook meanie : OGRE.

13. Served up a whopper : LIED.

18. Sports ball brand : VOIT. They made the first rubberized water polo ball, which now resides at the National Museum of American History.

23. Theater ticket word : LOGE.

25. Word with dance or fall : RAIN.

26. Saving the whales, e.g. : CAUSE.

28. Rudimentary : BASIC.

29. Mononymous kicker : PELE. I wonder if he ever used VOIT soccer balls?

30. Take charge of : HEAD.

31. Start of a big race? : ADAM. Nice misdirection!

32. Nautilus skipper : NEMO.

33. Wedding attendant : GROOMSMAN.

37. Nonthreatening type : PUSSYCAT.

38. Angler's hope : BITE.

40. Temple feature in old films : CURL. Huge V8 moment when I realized they were talking about this moppet.

41. Bark, perhaps : WARNING.

43. General __ : MOTORS.

44. 2012-'13 "Bates Motel" Emmy nominee Farmiga : VERA.

46. New Year's highlights : BOWLS.

47. Well-worn : TRITE.

48. Bluefin and yellowfin : TUNAS.

49. It's a matter of degrees : ANGLE. What's yours?

50. Old-timers : VETS.

51. Goya's "Duchess of __" : ALBA.

52. One of a hotel room pair : TWIN. Beds.

56. Terminate : AXE.

57. Menlo Park monogram : TAE. Thomas Alva Edison.

Marti

Note from C.C.: 

Happy Birthday to our Friday Sherpa Lemonade, who's been guiding us since March 2010. It's so easy to get jaded after a year or two of blogging (often 3 hours on each write-up), but Lemonade's enthusiasm and passion for crosswords and crossword blogging remain the same. He never failed to point out every little nugget in a Friday crossword.  Thanks for being here for us through thick and thin, Lemonade!

Lemonade and his lovely wife, Dec 21, 2014