Wednesday, Ed Sessa, February 15, 2017

TITLE: WAIT THERE'S MORE! or HOMOPHONES RUNNING WILD!

Husker Gary at the humpday helm today and as you can see below in the grid the homonyms for TO, FOUR, WON, SAIL and GOODBYES are employed to make the marketing slogan you see here at the right. How cool is that? Uh, it took me a while to see it. You?

Theme fills

20. *More than is wise : TO (TWO) A FAULT - C'mon that's funny! 

26. *Luxury resort chain : FOUR (FOR) SEASONS - Yeah, this FOUR SEASONS buffet in Singapore seems to qualify as Luxury

36. *Dominated the election : WON (ONE) BY A LANDSLIDE - Attributed to Joe Kennedy when he was backing JFK's presidential race

44. *Complete with ease - SALE (SAIL) THROUGH - She did! 

Reveal: 

54. Farewells ... or, homophonically and read top to bottom, what the first words of the answers to starred clues represent? : GOOD BYES 

BTW, I got this TWO FOR ONE SALE - GOOD BUY last month and they are great:

Watt ells does Ed half four us two day:

Across

1. See 1-Down : FOOD paired with 1. With 1-Across, Whoppers and McRibs, e.g. : FAST for a clever start in the NW corner!

5. Risk taker : DARER

10. Minimally : A TAD

14. He sang about Alice : ARLO - He sang about Alice for over 18 minutes

15. Ooze with : EXUDE

16. Bond's first movie foe : DR NO - You mean someone other than Ursula Andress was in that movie?

17. Word with interest or service : SELF - Marty McFly had to go back to 1955 to see a FULL service station like here

18. Lavin of "Alice" : LINDA

19. Water retainer : DIKE

22. River racers : SCULLS

24. Rose of Guns N' Roses : AXL

25. Poetic pair : COUPLET - How many times have you read these wonderful couplets to a child?

31. "__ to leap tall buildings ... " : ABLE - ...or FROM a tall building

32. "David Copperfield" villain : HEEP

33. Cain, to Abel, informally : SIB(ling)

41. Teachers' org. : NEA

42. Sufficient, to Shakespeare : ENOW - Methinks there are many at this site who know of whom the Bard is speaking when he wrote "I must not think there are evil ENOW to darken all his goodness". I had to look it up.


43. Working hard : AT IT

48. Descends, as a rock wall RAPPELS - I'm not sure I have courage ENOW to give this a go

52. Fluke-to-be : ROE - Baby fluke eggs

53. Worried : UNEASY

59. Fly in the ointment : SNAG

60. Fly-fishing catch : TROUT - A trout going after that fly

62. Tennis score : LOVE - It's means nothin' 

63. Floor piece : TILE

64. "Maybe, just maybe" : I HOPE

65. Big name in furniture : IKEA

66. Clairvoyant : SEER - And now, the great SEER, soothsayer, and sage, Carnac.... the Magnificent. Johnny often called the question to this answer the funniest bit he ever did in this character. That question to this answer is at the bottom of this write-up.

67. Got by : COPED

68. See 58-Down : PENN with 58. With 68-Across, "Milk" Oscar winner : SEAN


Down

2. Embossed cookie : OREO - Another clue for the ubiquitous OREO

3. Southwestern clay pot : OLLA

4. Remove respectfully : DOFF - Dr. Suess had a Hat DOFFING Cat as well as tales of Green Eggs and Ham

5. First-class : DELUXE

6. Armpit : AXILLA - Hey, don't look at me, I didn't know either! :-)

7. Squirt : RUNT

8. Teacher's deg. : EDD - Doctor of Education degree - usually seen as EdD. 

9. Thought (out) : REASONED

10. Make sense : ADD UP

11. Composer's embellishment : TRILL - Do you have any problems with National Antems sang with "Triplets, quintuplets, mordents, TRILLS, turns, six-note slides and grace notes?"

12. Bracelet spot : ANKLE - How Lindsay Lohan disguised hers while under arrest. A fashionable felon?

13. Biblical verb : DOEST - Perhaps thou DOEST but shouldst thou?

21. Toy inserts usually not included : AA'S - Batteries

23. Crescent points : CUSPS

25. Either "The Man Who Wasn't There" director : COEN - My favorite COEN brothers' movie is Fargo

26. Doe's dear : FAWN

27. Wind in a pit : OBOE

28. Arm bone : ULNA - About 12" below your AXILLA

29. Bull Run soldier : REB - Johnny REB showed this would not be a quick war

30. Over-the-shoulder garb : SHAWL

33. In __: as placed : SITU

34. "Understood," in hippie-speak : I DIG

35. "Little Women" sister : BETH

37. Verbal nods : YESES

38. Kind of geometry : ANALYTIC - How far did Yogi have to throw? Piece 'o Pythagorean Cake for our math heads!











39. "The Giver" novelist Lowry : LOIS - What? Ed didn't use Superman's girl friend here?

40. Thai language : LAO - Everyone knows hello is ສະບາຍດີ

45. Entertainers on the road : TROUPE

46. Partner of hollered : HOOTED

47. Wine choice : RED

48. Reddish-brown colors : RUSTS

49. Singer Lennox : ANNIE - One reviewer's list of ANNIE'S Top 10 songs omitted my favorite - Sweet Dreams

50. "Positive thinking" advocate : PEALE

51. "Your table's ready" signaler : PAGER

54. Sticky stuff : GOOP

55. Radar dot : BLIP

56. Team connection : YOKE - A YOKED means of crossing Nebraska before I-80

57. All tied up : EVEN

61. Letter after pi : RHO

Carnac answer/question: The answer is "Sis, Boom, Bah". And the question is "What sound does an exploding sheep make?"

Weed luv four ewe two comment:

Husker Gary
 

Note from C. C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Skip (Hondo on the blog), who is a huge fan of UConn women's Basketball. Skip is also an expert on vintage sports cards & attends shows often on weekends.

Left to right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana (Sept 2013)

 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017 Peg Slay

Theme: Commercial Opportunity.  The two-word theme entries have no surface connection, being mere vehicles to hold the letters of the concept theme entries.  These letters are circled, and if you didn't get the circles, the theme might be tough to suss.  There is a unifier though, so let's start with that.

33. Program interruptions literally demonstrated by this puzzle's four sets of circles : STATION BREAKS.  This is a pause between broadcast programs, when a transmitting station can identify itself and slip in a few commercials.   As we will see, each theme entry holds a type of station, spelt with its first and last few letters.  Thus the STATION is BROKEN within the entry.

17 A. World-class : FIRST RATE.  Something world class or FIRST RATE is as good as it gets. And our first break gives us a FIRE station - a place where the FIRE fighters reside between calls, and keep their vehicles and equipment.

In Dallas

23 A. Mantilla material : SPANISH LACE.   A Mantilla is a lace or silk lady's scarf worn over the head and shoulders.

The Mantilla Company

A SPACE STATION is an artificial satellite used as a base for off-planet activities.

49 A. It may be shaped on a wheel : POTTER'S CLAY.  An iron-free earthy material, consisting mainly of hydrated aluminum silicates that is plastic when wet, but hard when fired, used to make pottery and decorate ceramics.

The PLAY STATION is a video game console developed by Sony.

55 A. Sacred lily of ancient Egypt : BLUE LOTUS.   This is a water lily containing the psychoactive alkaloid apomorphine.   It was important in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology.

Wikipedia

A BUS STATION is a terminal building where long-distance buses arrive and depart.

Hi Gang - Jazzbumpa STATIONED here to guide you through today's puzzlement.  We have four quite different types of STATION, split out for our edification and enjoyment.  Let's see what else there is.

Across

1. Blowout victory : ROMP.  A game where one team scores a lot, and the other not so much.  I was hoping for one the other day; but, alas, 'twas not to be.

5. Airline mentioned in the first line of the Beatles' "Back in the U.S.S.R." : British Overseas Airways Corporation.  Here's Paul.



9. Taj Mahal city : AGRA.

13. Old Renault : LE CAR.   The U. S. marketed version of the Renault 5, sold here from 1976-83.

14. Cold, in Cádiz : FRIO.  Spanish.

15. Mark as important : FLAG.  Not the first definition you'd think of, but valid.

16. Like most triangle angles : ACUTE.  An angle of less than 90 degrees.  An angle of exactly 90 degrees is a right angle.  At greater than 90 degrees,  it is obtuse, rather like Mr. Armstrong, below.

Cute!

19. Glass manufacturing dioxide : SILICA.   This is what is commonly known as sand.  Common window glass also contains oxides of sodium and Calcium, together comprising about 25% of the batch.  Though both are ceramics, this material is quite different from POTTER'S CLAY.  It is also different from Mrs. TESH. [Vide infra.]

Sellecca

21. Bk. read at Purim : ESTHer.   A festival held to commemorate the defeat of Haman's plot to massacre the Jews.

22. Sports doc's scan : Magnetic Resonance Image.

25. Univ. dorm overseers : RAs.  Resident Advisors.

26. "__ the fields we go ... " : O'ER.  To Grandmother's house.

27. Codebreaking org. : National Security Agency.

28. Dream up : CONCOCT.  Create, devise, fabricate.

30. One inch = one foot, e.g. : SCALE.  As in maps or modeling.

32. Seals, as a deal : ICES.  To secure the deal.  I guess because ice was fluid, but is now solidified.

38. Not quite place : SHOW.  In horse racing - win, place, and SHOW are betting protocols.  the terms refer to the first, second, and third place finishers, respectively. 

39. California's San __ Zoo : DIEGO.

40. Rubs elbows (with) : HOB-NOBS.

44. Kids' recess game : TAG.

45. Time of yr. for new growth : SPRing.

48. She raised Cain : EVE.   Not very well, though, in the original dysfunctional family, since he grew up to be a fratricide.

52. Legal thing : RES.   From Latin.

53. Thickening agent : AGAR.  A gelatinous polysaccharide substance obtained from red algae.

54. African desert : SAHARA.  Lots of SILICA there.

58. Allow to pass : LET IN.

59. Architect Saarinen : EERO.  From Finland, known for his neofuturistic designs.

60. Composer who was a CBS reporter : TESH.  John [b 1952] Former sportscaster, now a composer, performer, and radio and TV personality.

61. Bay and gray followers : AREAS.  Referring first to the region around San Fransisco Bay, and then to something less certain.

62. Uno y dos : TRES.  1 + 2 = 3, En Español.

63. Concerning : AS TO.  Regarding.

64. Spoon's escape partner : DISH.  From the same nursery rhyme as the musical feline, the out-of-this-world acrobatic bovine and the cackling canine.

Down

1. Means to an end : RECIPE.  Odd way to think of it, but a recipe is something designed to achieve a certain outcome, so OK.

2. Pertaining to the eye : OCULAR.  From Latin.

3. Marseille morning : MATIN.  Hence, a morning prayer service is called Matins, though not likely to be offered to EOS, these days. [Vide infra.]

4. Police unit : PRECINCT.  A section of the city, as defined for police purposes.

5. Fave texting bud : BFF.  Best Friend Forever.

6. Projecting window : ORIEL.  Bay and bow windows are common types.  Perhaps useful for viewing orioles.

7. Respiratory cavity : AIRSAC.  Per this definition, an alveolus.  Birds have several other AIR SACS in their bodies.

8. Bulk-purchase club : COSTCO.  If you see something you like there, buy it now.  Next week, it may be gone forever.  BTW, their pumpkin pies are awesome.

9. Kilimanjaro's cont. : AFRica.

10. Genre that influenced Prince : GLAM ROCK.  Pop music style from the U.K. in the 70's featuring outrageous costumes, make up,  hair styles and glitter.

11. Hectic lifestyles : RAT RACES.

12. Biased targets of the Gray Panthers : AGEISTS.  Age discriminators.

13. Rodeo need : LASSO.  Loop on a rope.

18. In that case : THEN.  Indicates what follows.

20. Extremely, musically : ASSAI.  Accompanies and intensifies a tempo marking.

24. Angelic ring : HALO.  It's like a sunburst behind the head.

29. "Later!" : CIAO.  Informal exclamation at meeting or departure, coming via Italian schiavo [I am your slave] and relating back to the Latin word for slave, sclavus.

30. Like logs : SAWN.  Having been cut with a saw.

31. Bitter __ : END.  A nautical term, referring to the end of a rope to which an anchor is attached.  If that is reached, then the water is too deep for anchorage.

33. Snow remover : SHOVELER.  The person, not the tool.

34. Without a doubt : TO BE SURE.  Of a certainty.

35. Tasting menu portion : BITE.  A nibble.

36. Brings up : REARS.  Refers to nurturing a child until full grown.  Other senses of the word indicate cultivating plants, raising animals, rising to great heights, or - of a quadruped - raising up on its hind legs.

37. Sandwich filling for a lacto-ovo vegetarian : EGG SALAD.  Unlike vegans, they will consume eggs and dairy.

38. Frozen dessert : SHERBET.  A fruity frozen confection, and a sure bet to please.

41. Play-of-color gem : OPAL.

42. South American capital : BOGOTA.

43. Australian sextet : STATES.  I was thinking of kangaroos, opals, Vegemite, platypuses, The Great Barrier Reef and Crocodile Dundee, but could not find a way to express all that in 6 letters. So, instead, we have Western Australia, Northern Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.

Wikipedia

45. Lists of nominees : SLATES.

46. Persona non grata : PARIAH. Any social outcast, originally, the lowest caste in southern India.

47. "__ Hope": '70s-'80s soap : RYAN'S.  The Irish immigrant Ryan family owned a bar in New York city, and had several upwardly-mobile adult children.  This is already more than I knew about it. 

50. Have faith : TRUST.

51. French darling : CHERI.   No matter how you spell it.

56. Dawn goddess : EOS.  Perhaps one of the most ancient deities in human history.

Rise and shine

57. HBO competitor : SHO.  Showtime - premium cable channels.

Well, that's the end of this show.  Hope it didn't BREAK you.

Cool regards!
JzB

Wednesday February 1, 2017 Ed Sessa

Theme: POPTASTIC (64A) Portmanteau word describing some great music ... or, initially, four answers in this puzzle)- This seems like a word made up by a balloon seller.

17A. Type of film industry contract : PAY OR PLAY

24A. M&M's choice : PLAIN OR PEANUTS. This one puzzled me.  Cocktail hour has Peanuts, but M&M choices are Plain or Peanut used as adjectives.  No "S" but I suppose it was added to keep the grid symmetric.

39A. Academic ultimatum : PUBLISH OR PERISH. Academic excuse - "My dog ate my homework"

51A. Shopper's decision : PAPER OR PLASTIC. When I was younger, the choices were "Paper or Paper"

Hello puzzle masters.  Boomer here.  I know you all want to know how I bowled Monday night. 258-299-254-239 in the Twin City Masters League. The first three game set (811) was only my 5th career 800 series.  Rare set for many bowlers.  On with the show ....

Across:  

1. Memo phrase : IN RE. Usually I just see "RE" on business letters and memos

5. Music-playing Apple : iPOD

9. Improvises musically : SCATS. I have never heard this - "Have Simon and Garfunkel play it" did not fit in the grid.

14. Primary : MAIN

15. "__ Lisa" : MONA. Have Nat King Cole sing this

16. Many a jukebox tune : OLDIE. Actually a mere Jukebox is an Oldie, but I remember dropping a few quarters in them because I am an oldie also.

19. Capital south of Moscow : BOISE. Yeah, I did a double take too.  This Moscow is a city in Northern Idaho near the Washington border.  Like you all, I have never heard of it.  (Used Google).

20. Former justice Antonin : SCALIA. May he rest in peace.

21. Musician's suffix : IST.  Cleverist use of a non-word.

23. Make (one's way) : WEND. A poet's favorite but I don't normally hear it.

27. Solidify : SET. Ladies, think twice before you go to the beauty parlor to get your hair set.

28. "High Voltage" band : AC/DC. Very popular among people younger than I.

29. Starting on : AS OF.  Not my favorite two word fill.

33. Soft shot : LOB. You don't see this much in tennis.  I watched a match the other day and most shots were 100 mph.

35. Mothers of Invention leader : ZAPPA. The only person who has children named Dweezil and Moon Unit.

43. Early computer : ENIAC

44. Quite small : WEE. Aye Scottie! Wear a kilt when using this word.

45. Gear on slopes : SKIS. Credit Chad Mitchell Trio. "Well they called him super skier, when he sat upon the sun deck, for they thought that he would never take a spill.  When they finally brought him down they had to use three toboggans, to carry all the pieces off the hill."

46. Coral formation : REEF

49. Cavity filler's org. : ADA. If they can use Moscow, Idaho... Why not clue this as a small town in northern Minnesota ??

58. Smelting waste : SLAG

59. Neighbor of Turk. : SYR

60. Poke fun at : NEEDLE

62. Dutch city, with "The" : HAGUE. I think the UN has a court there (not tennis or basketball).  For serious international business.

66. Modify : AMEND

67. Not yours, in Tours : A MOI. Seems like crossword constructors always have to toss a couple of foreign words at us.

68. Singer k.d. : LANG

69. Superlatively bad : WORST

70. Short period of time, for short : NSEC. Another non word copout.

71. Long period of time : AGES. Or 100,000 billion NSECs.

Down:

1. They're hard to sit for : IMPS. Unless this is an anagram, I assume they are talking about babysitting.

2. Rights org. since 1909 : NAACP

3. Saudi currency : RIYAL  There are 100 Halalas in a Riyal.  Not sure how many Halalas needed to buy a barrel of oil.

4. Name on a 1945 bomber : ENOLA. The actual name on this B-29 was Enola Gay.  Not a great chapter in American History as the plane carried an atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

5. Populates, as a grand jury : IMPANELS

6. D.C. insider : POL. An abbreviation mostly used by CNN, FOX. and MSNBC.

7. Studio sign : ON AIR

8. Place for some serious me-time : DAY SPA. Not sure about "Day Spa".  Is there also a "Night Spa"??

9. Break down : SOB.  Crying - can also be an anagram (oh never mind)

10. High-occupancy vehicles? : CLOWN CARS. I have never heard of these.  Someone hit the Comments section and tell me what a Clown Car is.  Does Ronald McDonald own one??

11. "Farewell, ma chère" : ADIEU. Okay, a foreign word that everyone knows.  Many people wish they would have said "ADIEU" instead of "I DO".  Nah Just kidding.

12. Naysayer's contraction : 'TISN'T - Looks made up to me.

13. Future flowers : SEEDS

18. Social reformer Jacob : RIIS.  Some historical guy from the 19th Century.

22. Noir sleuth : TEC  ??? Got me again

25. Texter's "however" : OTOH.  I do not tweet or text - and if you do please do not text and drive at the same time.  "On the other hand" if you do, I don't think I can make it to your funeral.

26. Cooper's tool : ADZE - this is a big ax.  I have no idea what a cooper is unless it's a farmer building a home for chickens.

 
29. Lummox : APE

30. Source of awakening rays : SUN

31. Back-tied sash : OBI. Also Mr. Wan Kenobi in Star Wars.

32. Distress signal devices : FLARE GUNS

34. Fiddler's need : BOW

36. Dental suffix with Water : PIK. Independent company founded in 1962.

37. Pressure meas. : PSI. Per Square Inch, I think

38. Sounds of relief : AHs

40. Cupcake finisher : ICER. Finish making or finish eating?

41. Twitter handle word for a celeb, perhaps : REAL, Sorry I do not tweet, nor do I follow @real others

42. Overly focused on minor rules : PEDANTIC. Never heard this word.  Sorry

47. Lip balm brand derived from "evolution of smooth" : EOS. Same with this one. Google Images show this.

48. Skillet : FRY PAN

50. On a cruise : ASEA

51. Dismissive word : PSHAW. This is an interesting word.  Not sure why the "P" is there 

52. Mission on a commemorative 1936 stamp : ALAMO. "High up Santa Ana, we're killing your soldiers below, so the rest of Texas will know .... and remember the Alamo."

53. Beeper : PAGER

54. Providers of senior moments? : PROMS. Of course this refers to High School Seniors, not Medicare seniors (like me).

55. Inventor Nikola : TESLA. My career was with an Electric Company, and I have heard of this guy.  He was an inventor who diddled with alternating current. 

56. "Hi! I'm ... " badge : ID TAG

57. Patsy of country : CLINE.  It's Crazy to go Walkin' After Midnight.  You may Fall To Pieces.

61. Heart tests, briefly : ECGs. Also known as an EKG but the puzzle needed a C.

63. Del. summer hrs. : EDT. Daylight Saving Time will be here again shortly.  I am so old that I remember when Minnesota did not have Daylight time, so when the East Coast set their clocks ahead, we had to adjust our TV viewing time.  (Channel 4 or 5)

65. "The Fall of the House of Usher" author : POE. The last clue on this recap- "Quoth the Raven - Nevermore".

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Melissa just visited her daughter and granddaughter, who was born last August. Look at these adorable pictures. So cute!

Wednesday, January 25, 2017, Bruce Haight

TITLE: HAND JIVE

Bruce has supplied us with a clever puzzle with two switcheroos. First he supplied the names of all the fingers on a hand with cluing/fill that had nothing to do with actual fingers. Secondly he gave the reveal with a two-word phrase DIG IT that could be consolidated to make DIGIT which of course is an alternate name for fingers.

THEME REVEAL

55. "Pay attention, man!" ... and, in a different way, what the end of each answer to a starred clue refers to : DIG IT/DIGIT - Fun! Here are some DIGITS being used to DIG IT.

Here's the "handy" grid with the theme and reveal fill that as you can see is further enhanced by the appearance of the fingers being in order from LITTLE TO THUMB.

Now let's look at Bruce's well-executed theme fill:

18. *"C'mon, loosen up!" : LIVE A LITTLE - A PINKY swear gives us an alternate name for our tiniest DIGIT

23. *Place for lefts and rights : BOXING RING - Waddaya think? A little gaudy?

40. *Compromise : MEET IN THE MIDDLE - George was sure she was giving him the infamous MIDDLE finger. 

52. *Market measure : STOCK INDEX - Several Husker VB girls had their INDEX fingers raised after winning the 2015 National Championship.

62. *General principle : RULE OF THUMB - A good use of that DIGIT that separates us from most of the animal world and my assessment of C.C. and the rest of you word warriors here at our little conclave!

Now let's explore some more of the fine fill Bruce has, uh, fingered for us today:

ACROSS

1. Put a spell on : HEX

4. Organizes from best to worst, say : SORTS - One of my favorite Excel features

9. Arizona landforms : MESAS

14. Wrath : IRE

15. Longtime "At the Movies" co-host : EBERT - He listed Casablanca and Citizen Kane among his ten best

16. One bit : AT ALL

17. Shake up : JAR - Definitely a little JAR! Cell phone user?

20. Do penance : ATONE

22. Certain string musician's need : VIOLA BOW - Re-hairing a bow

26. "Star Wars" extras : ET'S

27. Word of passione : CARA - Ya gotta love Jay and the American's singing CARA Mia - My Beloved in Italian

28. Cheek : SASS

31. "Alas!" : AH ME

34. Elementary bit : ATOM

37. Water nymph : NAIAD

43. Orchard trees : PEARS

44. "Ready are you? What know you of ready?" speaker : YODA

45. Low in fat : LEAN

46. Supermodel Banks : TYRA

48. Gross : ICKY

50. PD alert : APB - Calling all cars!

58. French president Hollande : FRANCOIS - His progression of domestic partners in chronological order. He didn't always tell them that someone else was coming in from the bullpen.

61. Sees red : BOILS

65. Bygone muscle car : GTO

66. Holiday visitor : IN-LAW

67. "Science of Logic" author Georg : HEGEL

68. Shy person's note? : IOU - A day late and a few dollars shy

69. Branch quarters : NESTS - Nests are fine, but... 

70. Philadelphia pro : EAGLE

71. "Major Crimes" network : TNT

DOWN

1. Muslim veil : HIJAB

2. Sister of Calliope : ERATO

3. Maker of ColorQube printers : XEROX

4. One-named singer portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in a 1997 film : SELENA - SELENA on the left and JLO on the right playing Selena in Jennifer's breakout role.

5. Japanese sash : OBI

6. Gun, as a V8 : REV

7. Roman fountain : TREVI

8. Spot : STAIN

9. Pony Express concern : MAIL - Orphans preferred? Yikes! 

10. Vocalist James : ETTA

11. Plopped down next to : SAT BESIDE

12. Apportion : ALLOT

13. Boatloads : SLEWS

19. Stack under a tarp : LOGS

21. "Close, but no cigar" : NICE TRY 

24. Family nickname : GRAN(ny)

25. Threadbare : RATTY

29. Boy in "Star Wars" prequel films : ANI

30. "I wish I could" : SADLY NO

31. Bit of band gear : AMP

32. Small snicker : HEE

33. Sub filler : MEATBALLS

35. "So THAT's what's going on here!" : OHO - I'm shocked there is gambling going on in here!

36. First responder : MEDIC - At Omaha Beach

38. It borders the Fla. panhandle : ALA

39. Hideout : DEN

41. Medit. country : ISR

42. Big name in big rigs : MACK - Inside the most expensive MACK truck 

47. Dating from : AS OF

49. Cat dish tidbit : KIBBLE

50. Nasal spray brand : AFRIN

51. Danish fruit : PRUNE

53. Parishioner's pledge : TITHE

54. Milo of "Barbarella" : O'SHEA - Sorry, Milo, yours is not the first name that leaps to mind when I think of Barbarella 

56. John of The Red Piano Tour : ELTON

57. Strikes through : X'S OUT

59. "Far out!" : NEAT

60. Stockholder's assets? : COWS

63. Trendy boot brand : UGG

64. Blanc heard but not seen : MEL - Not necessarily as in this classic routine (Si, Sy, Sue, Sew) with Jack Benny.

Now let's get your DIGITAL comments: