Wednesday, November 29, 2017, Claire Muscat and David Steinberg

TITLE: AN INSIDE JOB

Claire and David have given us a very clever Wednesday offering featuring Matroyshka DOLLS that stack up and nest inside each other as you can see here:

Husker Gary on duty for a tour of what our  two constructors have done graphically in their wonderful puzzle as you can see in the grid below. They have the letters for the word DOLL in the circles getting progressively and symmetrically closer and closer, until they culminate in the single word DOLL. (Could this reveal have worked without the circled DOLL letters?)

But wait, there's more! They have added the two adjectives that describe this arrangement - NESTING and STACKED in a very neat seven letter stack at the bottom (part of 7, 8, 9/9, 8, 7 letter corners) as shown in the reveals: 

42. With 68-Across, each successive one of a set graphically depicted by this puzzle's circles : NESTING - DO and LL eventually NESTING at the bottom

45. Arranged like the 68-Acrosses in the answers to starred clues are designed to be : STACKED - DO and LL STACKED until NESTING at the bottom. Other visuals for STACKED were considered but...

68. *See 42-Down : DOLL - Here is a seasonal Matroyshka set 

Pretty cool, huh?

Now let's look at the theme fill elements:

18. *Is unsuitable : DOESN'T FIT THE BILL - At first glance it might appear that Earl Boykin DOESN'T FIT THE BILL to play against Shaquille O'Neal

32. *Literary character with an evil alter ego : DOCTOR JEKYLL - John Barrymore transistioning from the good Doctor Jekyll to the evil Mr. Hyde in the 1920 silent movie of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic

50. *Threshold : DOOR SILL - This kitty is protecting hers!

Let's set off to see what else Claire and David have nested in this stack of clues

Across

1. Schooner features : MASTS - or BEERS


6. Frosty coating : RIME

10. Shine : GLEAM

15. Advil competitor : ALEVE

16. __ of March : IDES - The soothsayer Spurinna warned Caesar to beware

17. EVE's companion, in a 2008 Pixar film : WALLE

21. "__ ideas?" : ANY

22. "Back to the Future" vehicle : DELOREAN - At 88 mph the question becomes not "Where is the DeLorean?" but "When is the DeLOREAN?"

23. Wild place : ZOO - Famous for much wild life in Lincoln, NE!

24. Rays or Jays : TEAM

26. RAM part : MEMORY - I remember when 64K of Random Access Memory was a big deal

27. First light : DAWN

28. Egyptian snake : ASP

30. Wide shoe spec : EEE - President Obama seems pretty impressed with the width and length of his Shaquille O'Neal autographed shoe

38. Anti-cruelty org. : PETA

39. "Hold up!" : WAIT

40. Radiate : EMIT

Bob Dylan

42. Twangy-voiced : NASAL - This guy's NASAL voice hasn't kept him from a big career 

43. Breakfast order : EGGS

44. BFFs : FAVES

46. Gets a glimpse of : ESPIES - Not in my verbal or written quiver 

48. Most innocent : PUREST

49. Canonized Mlle. : STE - Joan Of Arc may be the most famous one

55. Bus depot: Abbr. : STA - Marilyn Monroe starred in a 1956 movie about a Bus Depot in Tonganoxie, Kansas

56. Corrida opponent : TORO

58. Paddock sound : WHINNY

Walt and Hank

59. Hank's job on "Breaking Bad," briefly : NARC - Hank is not too happy with his meth cooking brother-in-law in this scene

60. Modern-day Persian : IRANI

62. Tiny annoyance : GNAT

63. Former One Direction singer Zayn __ : MALIK - No idea/interest

64. Frequent presidential candidate Ralph : NADER - You can't 67. Skim (over) : GLOSS over the fact that a lot of people didn't like Gore or Bush

65. Fairy tale baddie : OGRE - Except for Shrek

66. In reserve : ASIDE - How much money do you have set ASIDE for that inevitable rainy day?

69. Knight's horse : STEED


Down

1. Angry with : MAD AT

2. Without assistance : ALONE

3. "Later!" : SEE YA - Wouldn't wanna BE YA!

4. Family room sets : TVS - We now have way more TV'S than the number of channels we  used to have

5. Final email step : SEND - Think before you hit SEND!!

6. Search quickly through : RIFLE

7. Figure of speech : IDIOM

8. Way around D.C. : METRO - A 10 min. Uber ride would have taken a half hour on the METRO for us in March

9. Perfume compound : ESTER

10. No Doubt lead singer Stefani : GWEN - Now, her I know!

11. Chocolate dog : LAB

12. "My Fair Lady" heroine : ELIZA - Here is Wendy Hiller as ELIZA in the 1938 non-musical movie Pymaglion. A role that Audrey Hepburn later made famous.

13. Let happen : ALLOW

14. Fruit that's still a fruit when two of its letters are switched : MELON - Switch the first and third letters and you get my first car

19. What sirens may do : TEMPT - Greek mythology tells of these creatures who used enchanting music and lovely voices to lure sailors to their doom on rocky shores

20. Actress Salma : HAYEK

25. Chinese liquor brand : MAOTAI - Alexander Haig warned President Nixon to not actually drink any of this very potent liquor during toasts. Dan Rather called it "liquid razor blades"

27. San Diego suburb : DEL MAR - A city of 4,356 whose name means "By The Sea" and is home to a famous horse racetrack 

29. Climbed : SCALED

31. The Eiffel Tower, aptly? : EYEFUL - Cute! Granddaughter did not go up the tower last week because of the daunting lines

32. Western outlaw : DESPERADO

33. Be indebted to : OWE

34. Cleaning cloth : RAG


35. Irish dance : JIG - For some reason a guy is doing pushups while the girls are dancing a JIG

36. "Close Encounters" beings : ETS - I loved the cantina scene from Star Wars

37. Hides one's true self : LIVES A LIE - Fewer people have to do this now

38. Idyllic : PASTORAL


41. Take for a first drive : TEST RIDE - Al Pacino played a blind man who took a Ferrari for a TEST RIDE in Scent Of A Woman

47. Farm mom : SOW

48. Tissue layer : PLY - Some schools save money with single PLY toilet tissue. Yikes!

51. "What a nightmare!" : OH GOD

52. Fab Four drummer : RINGO - The luckiest man in Rock 'n Roll history?



53. [Don't touch my bone!] : SNARL

54. Info a spy might gather : INTEL

57. Dollar bills : ONES

59. Condé __ : NAST - The man who is credited with giving us our modern version of Santa Claus with this 1881 drawing in Harper's Bazaar

61. Recipient of much Apr. mail : IRS

63. More, in Madrid : MAS - Esas son todas las pistas. No hay más. (That's all the clues. There are no more.)


Now feel free to stack and nestle your comments:

Wednesday November 22, 2017 - Johanna Fenimore

Theme: WELL, THAT WAS UNPLEASANT!  The first word of the theme answers are adjectives describing things that might make you curl your lip, cover your eyes, plug your nose and leave in disgust.

18. Last one in, so they say : ROTTEN EGG.  Swimming pool/hole cry, and a nasty sulfurous odor.

29. Bad thing to end on : SOUR NOTE.  Indeed, the first rule of the musician's code is to always end on a good note.  A sour note in the middle of a tune might be forgotten, or better yet, not noticed. But at the end - it's a poor statement that might be remembered.  By analogy, can apply to any situation that ends badly.

34. Serious carelessness, in tort law : GROSS NEGLIGENCE.   Per Wikipedia, the "lack of slight diligence or care" or "a conscious, voluntary act or omission in reckless disregard of a legal duty and of the consequences to another party."  In a different, more vernacular, sense, something GROSS is disgusting.

43. Place at the very bottom : RANK LAST.  To have an unsuccessful competitive season or tournament.  Somebody has to end up there.  In a different sense, RANK describes an offensive odor.

55. Trait of one given to obscenities : FOUL MOUTH.  A person with a FOUL MOUTH utters what we used to call "bad words."  Odors and struck baseballs can also be FOUL.

And, tucked deep into the far corner [but I can still smell it]  the unifier:  67. Reaction to the starts of the five longest puzzle answers : YECCH.  A vocalized expression of disgust.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa on duty.  Let's set the unpleasantness aside, and and seek the good stuff in this puzzle.  With 5 theme entries, including a grid-spanner, plus the unifier, it's thematically rich.

Down

1. Minty Derby drink : JULEP.   Now this more like it!  Bourbon, crushed ice, sugar and fresh mint, typically served in a tall frosty glass.  A Kentucky Derby tradition.



6. Shopping extravaganza : SPREE.  An event of self-indulgence, carousal, or extreme activity.

11. ABC show for early risers, briefly : Good Morning America.  A news and pop-culture program shown from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. in all time zones, live in the Eastern Zone and on broadcast delay in the others.

14. "Ditto," more formally : AS AM I.  Me too.

15. "Can't win 'em all" : I LOST. Somebody always goes home disappointed.  Wish it were the other guy.

16. Conniving "2001" computer : HAL.



17. Copperfield's field : MAGIC.  David Seth Kotkin [b 1956] aka David Copperfield is an American illusionist who has grossed [in yet another sense of the word] over $4 billion in ticket sales, more than any other solo entertainer in history.   He also owns 11 islands in the Bahamas, called Musha Bay, which he uses as a private resort.

20. Complain : KVETCH.  Something I assume Mr. Kotkin would have little cause to do.

22. __ extra cost : AT NO.  It's all included.

23. Banged shut : SLAMMED.  As a door, frex.

27. Cover the spread? : CATER.  My first reaction was - eh?  But a CATERER provides the victuals, aka "the spread," for an event.  Clever!

28. More unsure : WARIER.  More cautious, actually.  Is a person who is less unsure under wary?

32. Feels lousy : AILS.  Hurts or has a tummy ache.

33. Casual "You game?" : WANNA.  "Do you want to?" in short mouth.

41. Westminster landmark : ABBEY.  The Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster, opened in 1090 C. E.,  is a large, mostly gothic structure located in the City of Westminster, London.

42. Indifferent responses : MEHS.  I'm not impressed.

47. Letter-shaped shoe fastener : T-STRAP.  A description that fits to a T.

Also available at your local retailer

49. Tablet download : E-BOOK.  Electronic Book to be read on your portable device. I have sheet music on mine.

50. Becomes depleted : RUNS DRY.  Gets all used up.

51. "Tickle Me" toy : ELMO.  Fuzzy red muppet.

52. Tries one's hand (at) : HAS A GO.  This always reminds me of the scene in Raymond Carver's short story, "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" when Mitchell Anderson asks Marian, "Would you like to HAVE A GO at it?"  And she does.

57. Held the deed to : OWNED.

62. Dawn goddess : EOS.  The rosy-fingered goddess who opens the gates of heaven so that the sun may rise.

63. Naturally lit lobbies : ATRIA.  A large open air or sky light covered space surrounded by a building.

64. Connect with : TIE TO.  Make an association between

65. Apt. divisions : RMS. Rooms, with or without views.

66. Oyster bead : PEARL. A more or less spherical calcium carbonate object produced within the soft tissue of a mollusk.  They have long been prized as gem stones.


Down

1. Traffic snarl : JAM.  I deal with it several times a week.

2. Mex. neighbor : USA.  Los Estados Unidos de Mexico and the United States of America.

3. Fall behind : LAG.

4. Old U.K. record label : EMI.

5. Hand raiser's cry : PICK ME.  There's always that one kid in the back of the classroom  .  .  .

6. Fathered : SIRED.  Begat.

7. Devious scheme : PLOT.

8. Campus cadets' org. : ROTC.  Reserve Officers' Training Corp.

9. Bk. before Job : ESTHer.

10. Summer on the Seine : ETE.  French

11. "In the __": Elvis hit : GHETTO.



12. Refrigerator art holder : MAGNET.  We currently have several photos in place.

13. Climate Reality Project chairman : AL GORE.  ]b 1948]  Former congressman, senator, vice president and presidential candidate.

19. Indian flatbread : NAAN. A leavened  oven-baked flat bread common in south and central Asia.

21. Bible transl., e.g. : VERsion.   Who knew there were so many?

23. Party loot : SWAG.  Things given away as gifts, usually for promotional purposes.

24. Den : LAIR.  Where the Lions live.  They'll need to be better than they have been against the Vikings tomorrow, and I'm not a liar.

25. Guthrie of folk : ARLO.  Who provided us with another Thanksgiving Day tradition.  [Warning: it's a little over 18 minutes.]



26. __ Piggy : MISS.  And her handsome beau, Kermit.  It's a match made in a bog.  Or maybe a sty.

27. Rock climber's handhold : CRAG.   In rock climber's lingo, a crag is any climbable cliff.  But I think the intended meaning here is an outcropping that can be grasped.

29. "Full House" actor : SAGET. Bob [b 1956] as Danny Tanner from 1987-95.  He's also done several other TV and movie projects.

30. Like a child without siblings : ONLY.  I was one for 6 1/2 years.  It's almost like my parents raised to ONLIES.

31. Start of a cycle? : UNI-.  Half a bicycle.  I'm not fond of cutsie affix clues.

33. Woven traps : WEBS.    The work of spiders.  Here is one of my better haiku.

on the silken strands

sad fly plays a minor chord

 orb weaver's delight

35. Polio vaccine pioneer : SALK.  Jonas [1914-1995]

36. Kevin Durant's org. : National Basketball Association.

37. CPR specialists : Emergency Medical TechnicianS.

38. Geek : NERD.  Call him/her for your computer or cell phone issues.

39. Sear : CHAR.  Burn or blacken the surface of something.

40. Award for athletes : ESPY.  Granted by sports TV network ESPN.

43. Sailor's jacket : REEFER.  A thick, close-fitting, double breasted coat.  I believe this word might also have another meaning.

44. Flowering : ABLOOM.  Buds are busting out all over.

45. Half a rhyming "easy to do" phrase : NO MUSS.  No fuss, no bother.

46. Menthol cigarette brand : KOOL.  First introduced in 1933.

47. Harbor helper : TUG.  A boat that moves other larger boats by pushing or towing them in hard to maneuver places.

48. Highfalutin : SNOOTY.  Elitist.

50. 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby : RAHAL. [b 1953]  Winner of 3 championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series.

52. Table d'__: fixed menu : HOTE.  Meal with a fixed price and few options.  You get what you get.

53. Mystical glow : AURA. A supposed emanation surrounding living creatures, allegedly discernible by certain adept individuals.

54. Cookbook verb : STIR.  What ya got cookin'?

56. "The Amazing Race" prop : MAP.  To determine the next leg of the adventure.

58. LPGA golfer Michelle : WIE

59. Japanese tech company : NEC

60. And more: Abbr. : ETC

61. [Facepalm] : DOH!

Hope you enjoyed this adventure, and escaped with your senses and sensibilities unscathed.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  We'll have 10 family members joining us to celebrate.

Wednesday November 15, 2017 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: SHUFFLES AND CUTS THE DECK- Three different anagrams of DECK span across each theme answer.

 

18A With 57-Across, what a 37-Across does; also, as the circles show, what each answer containing them does : SHUFFLES AND

24A. Item that isn't on its regular hook : MISPLACED KEY

37A. Casino employee : BLACKJACK DEALER

48A. Prepared goodies for the fundraiser : BAKED COOKIES

57A. See 18-Across: CUTS THE DECK

Boomer here.

Good morning or evening as the case may be.  Remember, it's always morning somewhere.  The puzzle was a bit difficult with some stretches to get something to fit.  However, since I have never constructed a puzzle, I can only imagine how difficult it can be.  "DECK" letters are integrated in several answers, and he got "BLACKJACK DEALER" to accomplish that. Quite a found.

I believe most casinos now refer to that game as "21".  Here's hoping all have a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving holiday and an eventful "Black Friday !!"

 

Across:

        

1. "Rhoda" production co. : MTM - Initials of Mary Tyler Moore.  She turned the world on with her smile, and Mary's statue is proudly displayed on the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

4. It may follow cries of "Bravo!" : ENCORE - I don't know about this.  Bravo is usually after curtain calls at a play.  Encore is "sing another song".

10. Brink : EDGE - Gillette shaving gel too.

14. Longtime coach Parseghian of Notre Dame : ARA - Extremely famous.  Notre Dame has more followers than Minnesota has snow.

15. Chestnut horse : SORREL

16. Witnessed : SEEN

17. B.A. or B.S. : DEG - This is one of those needed fillers that is not a word but a made up abbreviation.

20. Alamo competitor : AVIS - I first thought of Davy Crockett.  I only rent a car once a year and I don't use the expensive brands (or cars).

22. DDE's overseas command : ETO - European Theatre of Operations.

23. Racers in some Wii games : KARTS - I do not have a Wii, but I have ridden go karts.  The best ones are at Wisconsin Dells.

28. Gear components : TEETH - You said a mouthful.

29. Assist : AID

30. Peace, to Pedro : PAZ - I think most of you know how I feel about foreign words in crosswords.

33. Say yes : AGREE

35. Journalist Curry : ANN

36. Warsaw native : POLE - I get it but I think "Minnesota fishing stick" might be a better clue for me.

41. The two : BOTH

42. Tolkien forest shepherd : ENT -  ??? Never heard of the Tolkien Forest but I once worked at an ear nose and throat clinic.

43. In __: unborn : UTERO - I don't think I have ever heard or seen this word.  But I am only 70, there's still time.

44. Stun : AWE - Aw shucks

45. "The A-Team" actor : MR T - I know crosswords like a lot of four letter words with three vowels, but they also like three letters with no vowels from the A-Team.

46. The "A" in James A. Garfield : ABRAM - I never knew this, however Garfield was president before I was born.  I think we started paying attention to presidential middle names after Harry Truman did not have one, so he put an "S" between Harry and Truman.

52. Blotch : SMEAR

55. Former transp. regulator : ICC - Another three letter acronym for something.  You know what I say - "LBJ took the IRT across the USA, what did he see? The youth of America on LSD."

56. Confident words : I CAN

61. Keogh plan rel. : IRA - This is a great service to everyone.  But remember to take some and spend it when you are 70 1/2, or pay a penalty.  (Good luck trying to find out how much you need to withdraw!)

62. Many : A LOT

63. Paradise : UTOPIA - This is a book by Sir Thomas More about a fictional island in the sun.  I of course disagree, because there are no bowling centers or golf courses on this island.

64. Third-qtr. ender : SEP - or this could be a contribution to your IRA.

65. Actress Russo : RENE - One of my favorites from "Tin Cup"

66. Fireplace shelf : MANTEL - I wonder if this is where Mickey displays his MVP trophies

67. Goal line crossings: Abbr. : TDS - Ok - I have said enough

  

Down:

1. Start of a famous palindrome : MADAM - This word in itself is a palindrome,  I think it refers to "Madam I'm Adam"

2. Eternal City fountain : TREVI

3. Legal administrator : MAGISTRATE - "ALL RISE"  Rookie of the year

4. Difficult curve : ESS - Wonderful Lombard Street - San Francisco, California, USA.

5. Tenant's winter complaint : NO HEAT - Or The heat in Miami - "No LeBron".

6. Source of support : CRUTCH

7. "Friend __?": sentry's query : OR FOE

8. Slo-mo reviewer : REF - Or in hockey - the guy with the red stripe on his black and white shirt.

9. Pipe shape : ELL - Nope - the pipe is straight, the ell is a pipe fitting.

10. Composed piece : ESSAY

11. Expensive : DEAR - I may have clued " ___ Abby" and those of us over 40 would have gotten it right away.  Did you know --?  Abby Van Buren whose real name was Pauline Philips has a grandson, Dean Phillips who is running for third district congressman in Minnesota.

12. Bloke : GENT

13. Fades to black : ENDS

19. __ out a win : EKED - A good verb for the Vikings in the nation's capital last Sunday.

21. The State of the Union, for one : SPEECH

25. Onionlike veggie : LEEK - I have never had one.  How do they taste?

26. Moist and chilly : DANK - This is one of those crossword words.  Does anyone ever say "dank".  "Do you want to go for a walk ?" "No, it's too dank".  "What's the weather forecast?"  "Cloudy and dank."

27. Nice : KIND

30. One drawn to controversy : POLEMICIST - I thought this was a guy that did the vault in the Olympics.

31. Oriole or Jay : ALER - Sorry, never heard of this.

32. MapMyWalk starting point : ZERO - Beetle Bailey's Pal

33. "Waterloo" band : ABBA

34. Healthy look : GLOW

35. Pretend : ACT

36. Former New York governor George : PATAKI - Anyone who watches "Law & Order" reruns will have no problem with this one.

38. Weightlifting move : JERK - Yes it is.

39. Start a pot : ANTE - I wonder how many times this word has appeared in crosswords. (And it doesn't even have three vowels.)

40. German capital : EURO - I guess capital is money, but why be so tricky?

45. Retail outlet : MART

46. Say yes : ACCEPT

47. Italian lawn bowling : BOCCIE - I played Boccie ball as a kid, but I did not know how to spell it.  Now I do.

48. Keep moist, in a way : BASTE - Thanksgiving Day is coming.  Keep that baster handy. 

49. "What I __ My Summer Vacation": school essay : DID ON

50. Like some seals : EARED -  I Like some Mousketeer hats better

51. Spells, as of cold weather : SNAPS - How about some warm Ginger cookies

52. Emotional mark : SCAR

53. Beast of burden : MULE - 20 of them are on a team of Borax.

54. Thames academy : ETON

58. Run smoothly : HUM

59. LAX announcement : ETA

60. __ Kan pet food : KAL

Boomer

Wednesday, November 8, 2017 C. C. Burnikel

Theme - CONVERSATIONS of a sort. The circled letters that book-end the theme answers to the asterisked clues are all synonyms for TALK.  Hence today's theme song.




Let's check them out.

16 A. *Golfer's guide for measuring distances : YARDAGE BOOK.  I'm not familiar with this term, but it's clearly a record of tee to green distances.  To YAK is to overdue the talking.

28 A. *Philatelist's find : RARE STAMP.  A philatelist is a stamp collector.  A rare one can be worth a fortune.  About 50 years ago the word RAP meant to have a casual conversation, perhaps involving some vocabulary lubricating substances.  Now it indicates a music genre in which rapidly and rhythmically delivered words are presented over some sort of music background.

44 A. *Hybrid retriever : GOLDEN LAB.  Labrador retrievers are hunting and working dogs that make good pets.  They come in black, brown and various shades of yellow.  In a quick search I couldn't come up with anything about hybrids.  There is a mixed breed dog called a Goldador, which is a cross between a Lab and a Golden Retriever. It's a smart and easy going type of dog, but I don't think it is quite the same thing as a Golden Lab, which looks to be a naturally occurring variant.   To GAB is to talk overlong about trivial matters, or engage in idle chatter.

61 A. *Winter warming spell : JANUARY THAW.  The calm between the winter storms.  To JAW is pretty much the same as to YAK or GAB.  The English language is rich in unnecessary synonyms.

Usually it can be hard to grasp this type of theme if your puzzle source doesn't include the circles.  But today's unifier, tucked into the southeast quadrant, is helpful in figuring it out.

38 D. Popular mobile app ... and, as shown by circles, what the inner parts of the answers to starred clues do : SNAPCHAT.    This is an app for sharing pictures and messages.  Unlike on other social media platforms, SNAPCHAT items automatically are deleted after some time.  The sense of the clue is that the interior letters have been snapped and trapped, alligator style, leaving the circled letters as a free-standing word.

Hi Gang, JzB here to start the conversation.  Now - who would come up with such a snappy theme idea?  Why, it is our own C. C.!  With split-word themes I always look for symmetry or balance. Here, the first two entries split after the first letter of the 3-letter target word; and in the last two, it's after the second letter - a nice, elegant touch. Let's SNAP our way through the rest of the puzzle and CHAT about it in comments.

Across

1. "That cracks me up!" : HAHA.  Real or feigned laughter.

5. "__ and the Swan": Rubens painting : LEDA.  In mythology, LEDA was an Aetolian princess who became queen of Sparta.  Zeus raped her in the form of a swan.  Devine sexual abuse.  What kind of an example does that set for mere humans? This subject seems to have fascinated many other artists.

Her Goose is cooked

9. Paper Mate product : PEN.  The write answer.

12. 1936 Olympics standout : OWENS.  Jesse [1913- 1980] was a gold medalist in track and field events.

14. Goes it alone : SOLOS.  As pilot trainees or musicians.

15. "Te __": Rihanna song : AMO.



18. Playful bite : NIP.

19. House vote : AYE.   Or NAY, depending on how you feel about the issue.

20. Like much store-brand merchandise : LOW END.  Less than top quality in materials or workmanship.

21. Contact lens solution brand : RENU.  Bausch and Lomb product.

22. Soft boot material : SUEDE.

Warm looking

24. Winner's wreath : LAUREL.  An aromatic evergreen shrub, related to the bay tree, common to warm and tropical locations.

Not the most usual location

26. Church seating : PEWS.  Usually wooden and hard.

31. On __ of: for : BEHALF.  In the interest of or representing some one or some thing.

34. Family guys : PAPAS. Dads or granddads, depending on your family's preferences.

35. Overhead expanse : SKY.  You can find stars there.

36. Superhero in an armored suit : IRONMAN. Tony Stark [no relation to the Winterfell Starks] was captured by an evil enemy who forced him to build a weapon.  He instead built for himself an advanced suit of armor that he used to escape and go on to a life of heroism.

38. Place for a hot stone massage : SPA.  A commercial enterprise offering various health and beauty treatments.

41. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" novelist : STOWE.  Harriet Elizabeth Beecher STOWE [1811-1896] American author and abolitionist.

42. Became clear to, with "on" : DAWNED.

48. Tough to learn : HARD.   Like calculus or many real life lessons.

49. "Finally!" : AT LAST.   What took you so long?

50. One of his stories is the source of the "sour grapes" idiom : AESOP.  Ancient Greek fabulist.

53. Relax in the tub : SOAK.  [Ahhhh]

54. Sonny and Cher, e.g. : POP DUO.  From back in the day.



57. Sulu portrayer John : CHO.  [b 1972] Korean-American actor and musician, portrayor of Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek reboot film series.

60. Kin of net : COM.  Web site suffixes.

63. Fla. neighbor : ALA.  So. Sts.

64. Athlete's rep : AGENT.  Contract negotiators

65. Facebook option : SHARE.  A way of reposting something you see.

66. Mario Bros. console letters : NES.

67. Exercise break : REST.  Catch your breath.

68. Casino conveniences : ATMS.  Automatic Teller Machines, located so you can hand over even more of your hard earned cash.

Down

1. Georgetown hoopster : HOYA.  Georgetown U. basketball player.  The story is that long ago the school teams were called The Stonewalls.  A student, relying on Greek and Latin came up with the slogan "Hoya Saxa!" meaning "What Rocks!"  The rest is history.  Or perhaps myth.  You decide.

2. On the road : AWAY.  Out of town.

3. "These are the reasons" : HERE'S WHY.

4. "Go on ... " : AND.  Tell me more.

5. Place for a hoop : LOBE.   This gives me an earie feeling.

6. Musk of Tesla Motors : ELON. [b 1971] A South-African born Canadian-American businessman, inventor, engineer and investor.

7. Kid's drawing tablet : DOODLE PAD.

8. Pose a question : ASK.

9. Bakery-café chain : PANERA.

10. "8 Mile" rapper : EMINEM.  Marshall Bruce Mathers III [b 1972] is the best selling American recording artist of the previous decade.

11. Orange juice specification : NO PULP.  I like mine with pulp

13. Customer-drawing sign word : SALE.  Presumably, prices are reduced.

14. Waste conduit : SEWER. Disposal system.

17. Supreme being : GOD.

21. Road grooves : RUTS.

23. "Miracle on Ice" team, for short : USA.  American 1980 Olympic Hockey - a different kind of cold war.

25. Yoga position : ASANA.  Postures.

26. "Masterpiece" network : PBS.  Public Broadcasting System.

27. "There's a mouse in our house!" : EEK.  Human squeak.

29. Sleep study subject : APNEA.  Breathing interruption during sleep.

30. Ewe guy : RAM.   This elicits a sheepish grin.

32. Low-calorie brews : LITES.  Might as well drink water.

33. Place for big headlines : FRONT PAGE.  First thing you see in a news paper.

37. Hooting bird : OWL.  Who? Raptors of the order Strigiformes, which are mostly solitary and nocturnal.  That's who!

39. __ capita : PER.  For each person, taken collectively; typically averaging some countable item or phenomenon over the population as a whole.

40. Mix in : ADD.

41. Badlands Natl. Park site : S. DAK.  South Dakota.

43. Detective's question : WHO?   Or WHY?

44. Garage container : GAS CAN.

45. 1962 Lawrence portrayer : O'TOOLE.  Peter [1932-2013] Anglo-Irish stage and film actor.

46. Peruvian pack animals : LLAMAS.

Wooly hump-free camels

47. Not skilled in : BAD AT.

51. Lux. setting : EUR.  Luxembourg is in EURope.

52. Tofu beans : SOYS.  If you soy so.

55. Change for a five : ONES.  Dollar bills.

56. Fourth-down play : PUNT.  American football.  The team currently in possession of the ball kicks it to the other team in the hope of moving them farther away from their goal line.

58. Inflict pain on : HARM.  Do damage to.

59. Is in arrears : OWES.  Has overdue debt.

61. Cookie container : JAR.  Ours has yummy home made pumpkin cookies.

62. Article in some hip-hop titles : THA.  Variant of THE, I assume.

That RAPS up another Wednesday.  Let the GABS, YAKS and JAWing begin.

Cool Regards!
JzB