Wednesday January 31, 2018 Ed Sessa

Theme: TRAIL MIX (63. Hiker's snack that's literally found in 17-, 29-, 39- and 47-Across). Anagram of TRAIL is hidden inside each familiar phrase.

 

17A. Five-time NBA championship-winning coach : PAT RILEY

29A. Same old story : FAMILIAR TUNE

39A. Finger painting? : NAIL ART

47A. Captain's choice at the Super Bowl : HEADS OR TAILS

Hello everyone, Boomer here. Visiting you live from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and safe Groundhog Day. Hopefully, Punxatawny Phil will not see his shadow and we might have less than six weeks of winter left.

But in any case, 48 hours after Groundhog Day, Minneapolis will be visited by the Superb Owl at U.S. Bank Stadium. The NFL is hoping that Mr. Owl will not fly into the glass panels at "The Bank" and be injured.  Whether you are a fan of the Eagles or the "Brady Bunch" I hope you  enjoy the game.  The Vikings were eliminated drastically last week but I still plan to tune in the game because I usually enjoy the commercials. 

Across:    

1. Heist : ROB - Mr. Petrie on the Dick Van Dyke show

4. Pasta nutrient : CARB - Not sure if this is actually a nutrient but they will make your blood glucose go higher. 

8. Archie Bunker types : BIGOTS

14. Statement softener, in emails : IMO - In My Opinion

15. Command to Silver : HI YO - I am sure Clayton Moore hollered "Hi Ho" Silver.

16. Shangri-la : UTOPIA

19. Find hilarious : ROAR AT

20. No votes : ANTIs - All in favor of this answer say AYE, all opposed NAY

21. Half an oz.? : ZEE.

23. Olympian Lipinski : TARA - I think she was the first to perform a triple jump

24. German wheels : OPELs - I actually drove one of these once.  It was like a roller skate.

27. Seize the opportunity, sunshinewise : MAKE HAY - Think about it.  Can you actually make hay, or should you let the sun do it and then bale?

32. Metal corrosion : RUST

  

33. Part of a biathlete's gear : SKI

34. 2017 award for Emma Stone : OSCAR - Yup, the Academy Awards are know as Oscars, but I do not know why.

38. Yale email address ender : EDU

42. "Deadwood" channel : HBO - I do not subscribe to HBO but I have been to Deadwood, SD.  really crummy casinos there

43. A little lit : TIPSY - And thank you for not driving.

45. Hellenic "H" : ETA

46. All hands on deck : CREW - Military haircut

51. Italian rice dish : RISOTTO

54. Transparent soap brand : PEARS - some kind of glycerin concoction that I never heard of and probably would not spend the money to buy.

55. "I'm __ you!" : ONTO

56. "Hunh!?" : WHA - I really object to non words in puzzles.

58. Harvard's is "Veritas" : MOTTO 

61. Excited reply to "Who wants dessert?" : I DO, I DO - I think you need to say this when you get married.  The second one comes when your future wife kicks you.

66. Evening meal : DINNER

67. John known for overlapping diagrams : VENN - I googled this guy and if he were alive today he would be 184 years old.  How are we supposed to know him?

68. Loved, with "up" : ATE

69. Agrees : SAYS OK

70. Air Quality Index factor : SMOG - This is a combo of smoke and fog. We don't have much of that here in the frozen tundra.

71. Owen, to Stephen King : SON

Down:

  

1. Morning co-host with Seacrest : RIPA - Live with Kelly and Ryan.

2. Muscat's country : OMAN

3. "Cheers!" : BOTTOMS UP! - Where everybody knows your name! Don't get tipsy though.

4. Sculptor's tool : CHISEL

5. Be under the weather : AIL - Did you get your AIL shot this year??

6. Grass in a J.D. Salinger title : RYE - required reading in ninth grade. I thought it was "Catch her in the Rye."

7. R&B's __ II Men : BOYZ

8. Part of a bedroom set : BUREAU - I always called it a dresser.  I call the FBI a bureau.   

9. "What am __ do?" : I TO - I suppose you could clue the Simpson trial judge but we have all seen that before.

10. Buffalo Bill and Charles Dickens wore them : GOATEES - Colonel was sad to be overlooked.

11. "60 Minutes" part-time correspondent : OPRAH

12. Prom queen's crown : TIARA

13. Thai snack : SATAY - Chicken on a stick.

18. Hit the ball hard : RIP IT - Bowling coach's last words,  "Grip it and rip it"

22. Defib expert : EMT - We talked about this last time. I am a Graybar Electric Vet and EMT is Electrical Metallic Tubing - thin wall conduit!

25. Bart's brainy sibling : LISA

26. Munro pen name : SAKI. H. H. Munro.

28. Pretzel shape : KNOT - Sorry but I think a pretzel shape is not a knot.

29. Ridge on a neck : FRET

30. German wheels : AUDI - High quality with my apologies to those who own Opels.

31. Makes mad : RILES

35. Present time? : CHRISTMAS 46. 35-Down song : CAROL

36. Eve's second : ABEL

37. Theater seating arrangements : ROWS

39. Putin's no : NYET - "NYET collusion, NYET Collusion!"

40. Perched on : ATOP

41. Like a double eagle in golf : RARE - A double eagle is sometimes used to define an Albatross.  A hole in one on a par four, or a two on a par five. It really makes no sense though, since an eagle is a score of 2 under par on a hole, (or a Philadelphia player) so a double eagle would be four under par on a hole - (or a requirement for a Brady sack.) 

44. Sure victors : SHOO-INS - I would go with Shoe In, however I learned that this is also a horse racing term.

48. On the clock : AT WORK

49. "How stupid am I?!" : DOH

50. Title job for Shakespeare's Petruchio : TAMING - The only Shakespeare I ever read was Julius Caesar, and it was pretty boring.  "How many eggs did you have for breakfast this morning, Caesar ?"  Et tu Brute

51. PEDs, in slang : ROIDs - I wonder if Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, and Sammy Sosa called them that.

52. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" locale : INDIA - I have never been to India, but I drove through Indiana once.  Does that count?

53. Poker-faced : STONY

57. Off-rd. transports : ATVs

59. Bandleader Puente : TITO

60. Team on a field : OXEN - Good old English language. Most every plural ends in "S", except several oxes.

62. __ volente : DEO

64. Sleep phase : REM

65. Mexican year : ANO

  

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to dear Bill G, who's been with this blog for over 9 years. Bill is always gentle and warm, even to mean anons. I feel like I've "had" some Cuban food because of Bill.

Bill and his wife Barbara

Wednesday, January 24, 2018 Roland Huget

Theme: A GOOD CLIP.  Indicating a non-specific, but rapid rate of motion.

21 A. Fast clip around the racetrack : BLISTERING PACE.  A very fast horse.

40 A. Fast clip from the pitcher's mound : DIZZYING VELOCITY.  A 100+ mph fast ball

60 A. Fast clip down the slopes : BREAKNECK SPEED.  Downhill ski race.

Consider this -

Sails at a good CLIP

Or this -

Yankee Clipper

On the other hand  .  .  .

Pro tip: Avoid a bad clip

Here we get the theme continuity from the clues rather than the fill.  Not a common approach, but you'll see it once in a while.  Long theme fill, with a grid spanner in the middle.  Not a lot else to say.  Each two-word entry indicates extremely fast motion in a sports context.

Hi gang, JzB here.  Never known for my speed.  This time I swear to give you today's puzzle, the whole of today's puzzle, and nothing but today's puzzle - or help me, 'cuz I'll need it.  Let's proceed at whatever pace you find comfortable, and see what else we can catch up with.

Across

1. Filet mignon source : LOIN.  A superior cut of beef.

The tenderloin is found along both sides of the spine

5. __ price : ASKING.  What the seller desires.

11. Ran together : BLED.  As of patterns on a dyed cloth.

15. Actress Paquin of Netflix's "Alias Grace" : ANNA.

Bio

16. Tremble : SHIVER.  Quake.

17. Slick : OILY.  Slippery or lubed, literally or figuratively.

18. Team first managed by Casey Stengel : METS.  Casey had previously managed the Yankees for many years. My favorite baseball trivia question: What was Casey Stengel doing in 1927 when Babe Ruth of the Yankees hit 60 home runs?  [Answer at the bottom.]

19. Volcanic archipelago state : HAWAII.  Everybody knows this - right?

20. Eyelid bump : STYE.  A painful bacterial infection of an oil gland in the eyelid.

24. Internet subdivision : DOMAIN.   An identifying web address.

25. Feathered layer : HEN. Of eggs.

26. USPS assignment : RTE.  Route.

29. Eagerly took in : ATE UP.  Literally or figuratively

30. Flutist of Greek myth : PAN.  Half man, half goat, Pan is the god of the wild, fields, fertility and Spring, and companion of the nymphs.   Apollo made better music on his lyre - and that's the truth!

33. Romanov rulers : TSARS.  Russian royalty.

35. Classic shoe polish brand : SHINOLA.   You know from SHINOLA - right?  What you might not know it that the brand name now belongs to a Detroit company that makes high-end watches, bicycles, jewelry, leather goods and accessories.

39. Surmounting : ATOP.  Straddling, perhaps.

45. "Field of Dreams" setting : IOWA.  Regarding a baseball field in a corn field.

46. Lowered the grade of : DERATED.  As in creditworthiness.

47. Take potshots : SNIPE.  With a gun or one's tongue

49. Simple survey answer : YES.  

50. Poetry Muse : ERATO.  Her name comes from the same root as erotic, and indicates beauty and desirability.

55. Own, to Burns : HAE.   I guess this means "have" in highland dialect.

56. Craven of horror : WES. The director who brought us Freddie Krueger of Elm Street fame, The Hills Have Eyes, etc.

59. Mental haze : STUPOR.  Confusion.

65. "Toodles!" : CIAO.  Greeting or parting word from an old Italian root meaning "I am your slave."

67. Evening get-together : SOIREE.  From SOIR, the French word for evening.

68. One-named Deco artist : ERTE.  Romain de Tiroff.  ERTE is the French pronunciation of his initials - and mine.

69. Curved paths : ARCS.  Observable with baseballs, footballs, basketballs, tennis balls, and golf balls.

70. There for the __: easy to get : TAKING.   Come and get it.

71. Plug-in vehicle, briefly : E-CAR.  Electric powered conveyance.

72. Chinese toy : PEKE.  Small dog variety, not a child's plaything.  Take your pick.

73. Comes down hard? : SLEETS.  Frozen rain does this.  Clever clue and an unpleasantly chilly experience.

74. Dines : SUPS.  Eats supper.  Or dinner.  You decide.

Down

1. Greek letter whose lowercase indicates wavelength : LAMBDA.  Uppercase Λ, lowercase λ.

Mandatory nerd joke:  Q: What's 𝛎? A:  C/ λ, same as always. 
[Translated: Q: What's new (nu, frequency)? A: The speed of light / the wave length.]

2. Developer's unit : ONE LOT.  A plot in a plat.

3. Early enough : IN TIME. Or ON TIME.

4. Bahamian capital : NASSAU. Or a town on Long Island.

5. Pale as a ghost : ASHEN.  Wan.

6. __-Pei: wrinkly dog : SHAR.

Iron deficiency?

7. Fuzzy fruit : KIWI.

8. "Ghostbusters" director Reitman : IVAN.

9. Secretariat utterance? : NEIGH.  Secretariat was an American thoroughbred race horse that in 1983 became the first triple crown winner in 25 years.

10. Complaint : GRIPE.  Grouse.

11. Anjou kin : BOSC.  A pair of pears.

12. Intelligentsia : LITERATI.  Specifically those with an interest in literature.

13. English cathedral town : ELY.   This town is about 80 miles north of London.  The church community dates back to the 7th century, with the present building dating from the 11th century.

14. Easter egg dip : DYE.   To color the shells.

22. A bit buzzed : TIPSY.  From imbibing alcohol.

23. Aardvark snack : ANT.  Or termite.

27. Bouncy gait : TROT.  A horse's or person's rapid stride.  Less than a CLIP, though, I'm guessing.

28. Best Game or Best Play : ESPY. Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award, granted by ABC Sports, and previously by ESPN, to recognize outstanding individual and team achievements.

30. Christmas candle scent : PINE.

31. Fit to be tied : ANGRY.  Feeling choler.

32. Super stars? : NOVAE.  A super NOVA is a transient astronomic event in the last stages of a star's evolution that involves catastrophic destruction via a huge explosion.  NOVAE is the plural.  Clever clue.

34. Plant pouch : SAC.  Animals have them, too.

36. Put out of sight : HID.

37. "I'm game" : LET'S do it.




38. Newcastle Brown brew : ALE.  A decent brown ale produced by Heineken.

40. Wolfgang Puck creation : DISH.  As in entree, not a piece of porcelain dinner ware.

41. New Rochelle college : IONA. Affiliated with the Congregation of Christian Brothers, locared 20 miles north of Manhattan in Westchester County.

42. Twice-baked bread : ZWIEBACK.  Here in MI, it's Trenary Toast, from the U. P.

43. Hit with a laser : ZAP.  or warm in a microwave oven.

44. "Awake and Sing!" playwright : ODETS.

48. Farm mom : EWE.

51. "Slumdog Millionaire" money : RUPEES.  Indian currency.

52. Brief summary : APERCU.  It should make an illuminating of amusing point.  From the French verb meaning "to percieve."

53. Line dance step : TOE TAP.

54. Military instructions : ORDERS.

57. Bridge seats : EASTS.  Bridge table locations are indicated North, South, EAST and West.  In a tournament, there are several tables.  The N-S pair stays put, while the E-W pair travel in one direction and the pre--dealt cards travel the other way.

58. Scandinavian toast : SKOAL.  Traces back to an Old Norse word meaning "bowl."   Possibly filled with brown ale.

59. Surfboard stabilizers : SKEGS.  A SKEG is a fin underneath the rear of the board.

61. Got up : ROSE.

62. "Just do it" brand : NIKE.  Athletic shoes.

63. Niagara Falls source : ERIE.  Ohio's great lake.

64. Penny : CENT.  One hundredth of a dollar.

65. Ballplayer's hat : CAP.

66. Choler : IRE. Ill humor.

This was not a speed run for me.  How about you?

In 1927, when Yankee great George Herman [Babe] Ruth hit a record-setting 60 ARCS into the outfield seats, Charles Dillon [Casey] Stengel was in my home town managing the Toledo Mud Hens.  Stengel went on to manage the Yankees from 1949 to 1960.  The following year, when Roger Maris hit 61 home runs, the Yankees manager way Ralph Houk.  Stengel managed the Mets from 1962 to 1965.

In those days I was a Yankee fan.  Forgive me, I was young and didn't know any better.

Cool regards!
JzB

Wednesday, January 17 2018, David Poole

 Theme: DO THE MATH

18. Math teacher's favorite sport? : TIMES TABLE TENNIS

31. Math teacher's favorite brew? : SQUARE ROOT BEER

47. Math teacher's favorite hat? : PIE CHART TOPPER 

62. Math teacher's favorite cut of beef? : PERFECT CUBE STEAK 

 

Melissa here. Two grid-spanners, and a few tricky clues made this a satisfying solve. When I first saw TIMES and SQUARE, I was looking for a theme about New York. Nope.

Across  

      
1. Like most cookies : BAKED

6. Director of the final episode of "M*A*S*H" : ALDA

10. Food inspector's concern : E-COLI
 

15. Jazz singer O'Day : ANITA
 

16. Osso buco meat : VEAL. Italian for "bone with a hole," braised veal shank.

17. Swerved at sea : YAWED

21. Diplomatic bldg. : EMB. Embassy.

22. Flying off the shelves : HOT
 

23. Praise to the heavens : EXALT
 

24. Rock's Grateful __ : DEAD
 

26. Fiat fuel : GAS
 

28. Perspire nervously, say : REACT

36. Arrowhead Stadium NFL team : CHIEFS
 

38. Mark for deletion : X OUT
 

39. Sellout sign letters : SRO
 

40. Very confident : CAN DO
 

41. Chanel competitor : DIOR
 

42. Museum worker : GUARD
 

44. 1869-'77 pres. monogram : USG. Ulysses S. Grant. "I have never advocated war except as a means of peace."
 

45. Place for private dining? : MESS. Great clue - see 6-Across.
 

46. New York hockey team : SABRES

51. Bathtub outlet : DRAIN
 

52. Product prefix suggesting winter : SNO. Or sugar.

 53. Activist Parks : ROSA
 

56. Minds someone else's business : PRIES
 

59. Slice of history : ERA
 

61. Old conductance unit : MHO

67. As scripted : ON CUE
 

68. World Golf Hall of Famer Isao : AOKI
 

69. Cosmic comeuppance : KARMA
 

70. Gives a hand, in a way : DEALS
 

71. Editorial override : STET. Latin for "let it stand."
 

72. Hog caller's call : SOOEY

Down

1. With __ breath : BATED
 

2. Japanese art genre : ANIME
 

3. "L.A. Confidential" Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner : KIM BASINGER

 

4. Bastille Day time : ETE. French Summer.
 

5. Short run : DASH
 

6. Gamer's game face : AVATAR. Another great clue.
 

7. Syr. neighbor : LEB

8. Half a chipmunk team : DALE

9. "Roots" author Haley : ALEX
 

10. Shoelace hole : EYELET
 

11. Cambridge student, informally : CANTAB. Short for Cantabrigian.

 

12. Have title to : OWN
 

13. Luau loop : LEI
 

14. TSA requests : IDS. And shoes.
 

19. Roman robes : TOGAS
 

20. Major Arcana deck : TAROT
 

25. Kicked out of the game, informally : DQED. Disqualified - boxing.
 

27. Gender-specific, to some : SEXIST
 

29. The Joker portrayer on TV : CESAR ROMERO
 

30. __ Haute : TERRE
 

32. Many a tabloid pic : UFO
 

33. Fowl poles? : ROOSTS
 

34. Possessive word : OUR
 

35. Fishing gear : RODS
 

36. Lingerie size : C CUP 

37. Member of a strict Jewish sect : HASID
 

41. Article written by Marx and Engels? : DER
 

42. Break : GAP
 

43. App offering fare estimates : UBER
 

45. Wildly excited : MANIC
 

46. Future fern : SPORE
 

48. Downy amount : CAPFUL
 

49. New faces around the water cooler : HIREES
 

50. In the slightest : ONE BIT
 

54. Disgrace : SHAME
 

55. Fine : A-OKAY
 

57. Flight sked data : ETAS
 

58. Many a bagpiper : SCOT
 

60. Wants to know : ASKS
 

62. Sci-fi escape vehicle : POD. Not UFO.
 

63. St. Louis-to-Indianapolis dir. : ENE
 

64. Label for Elvis : RCA
 

65. Hula strings : UKE
 

66. Lao Tzu ideal : TAO

 

Wednesday, January 10, 2018 Paul Coulter

Theme: Why should you never starve at the beach?  Because of all the sand which is there.  [Let the groaning begin.] Three common sandwich fillings are wrapped up inside the theme answers, in each split across the two word fill.  Let's have a taste.

20 A. Blindsided : CAUGHT UNAWARE.  Thus, by surprise.  The infallible internet tells me that UNAWARE is an adjective, but CAUGHT needs an adverb complement - in this case, UNAWARES. I am not making up this not.  Anyway, TUNA is a common sandwich filler, popular with both humans and felines.

33 A. Pumpkin pie maker's tool : NUTMEG GRATER.  A handy little gadget that comes in many designs and varieties.  NUTMEG is not just for deserts, though.  It goes wonderfully with pasta, spinach and Gruyere cheese.  Trust me on this one.  Concealed in this answer is an EGG.  I have not tried this with NUTMEG.  Could be promising.

41 A. One of a global septet : NORTH AMERICA. The other 6 continents are South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica.  HAM is of course another classic sandwich filler.  I like mine grilled with Swiss cheese.  Perhaps another NUTMEG opportunity?

And the unifier, or in this case, container -- 56. Flatbread lunch items ... and, as shown by circles, what 20-, 33- and 41-Across are? : SANDWICH WRAPS.  Typically, these are some variety flat bread, literally rolled and wrapped around the filling.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here.  Let's head for the dining room and see what else Paul has cooked up for us.  Bon appetit!

Across

1. Share-a-ride pickup hrs. : ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrivals.  Er - Times of Arrival. 

5. Go wild with Wild Turkey, say : TOPE.  Drink to excess, especially if done on a regular basis.

9. Golden Horde member : TATAR.  It's complicated.

14. Pope __ VI (1963-'78) : PAUL.   Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, as Pope, continued and implemented the ecumenical reforms started under Pope John XXIII. 

15. Copied : APED.  APE see, APE do.

16. Be nuts about : ADORE.  

17. "The Simpsons" bus driver : OTTO.

Lovable stoner 

18. Drink garnish : RIND.  Citrus, typically.  Or possibly melon.  I don't claim to know all.

19. Old-time actress Shearer : NORMA.  An accomplished performer who was nominated for 5 Oscars, and best actress winner in 1930 for THE DIVORCEE.

The Queen of MGM

23. "Let's see ... " : HMM.  Thoughtful non-comment.

24. German city on the Danube : ULM.  Along with Regensburg, Passau, Donauschingen, Ingolstadt and Donauwörth, all of which have far to many letters.

25. Set ablaze : IGNITE.  Arson is suspected.

28. The hit in the baseball mantra "A walk is as good as a hit" : SINGLE.  Just as good in the lead off spot.  Not so much with a man on 3rd and two outs.

30. Sugar source : CANE.  Here in the midwest, BEET also works.

32. Cultural funding gp. : National Endowment for the Arts.

36. Beef inspection org. : United States Department of Agriculture.

39. 401(k) alternative, for short : Individual Retirement Account.  N. B. Abrvs. in. Cl. & Ans.

40. __ stick: incense : JOSS.  A thin stick made of paste and a fragrant substance burnt before a Chinese idol.  News to me.

46. Suffix with percent : -ILE.  Each of the 99 intermediate values that divide a frequency distribution into 100 groups.

47. College city on I-35 : AMES. Located in the center of Iowa, and home to Iowa State University.

48. Sharp : SHREWD.   Mentally.

52. Yom Kippur month : TISHRI.  From an Akkadian root meaning "beginning."   The first month of the civil year and 7th month of the eclesaitical year in the Hebrew calendar.

54. "Who am __ judge?" : I TO.  Who, indeed?

55. China's Chou En-__ : LAI.  Or Zhou Enlai, first Premier of the People's Republic of China, and a highly skilled diplomat.

60. Work really hard : SLAVE.  I don't suppose working hard at surfing counts.

62. '60s-'70s pitcher nicknamed Blue Moon : ODOM.  Johnny Lee ODOM, b. 1945 won three consecutive World Championships in 1973-4-5 with the Oakland A's.  He also had a pretty sever substance abuse problem.

63. Huge : EPIC.  

64. Awards for Asimov et al. : HUGOS.  Named for HUGO Gernbach, founder of the magazine Amazing Stories, they are presented each year at the World Science Fiction Convention.   Isaac Asimov is an American biochemist who became a science-fiction and then non-fiction author and editor of hundred of books

65. Computer list : MENU. Or cafe.  We do have a sandwich theme!

66. Concerning : AS TO.  In re:

67. Suits : EXECS.  Corp big wigs.  I've met a few and was not impressed.

68. Musically low : BASS.  

69. Floral neckwear : LEIS.  Flower garlands associated with Hawaii.

Down:

1. Geological timespans : EPOCHS

2. Woven Japanese mat : TATAMI

3. Colorful period : AUTUMN

4. Plod (through) : SLOG

5. Small pastry : TARTLET

6. Poppy drug : OPIUM

7. Keystone State Ivy : PENN

8. Scandinavian literary work : EDDA

9. Brightly colored songbird : TANAGER

10. Deck out : ADORN

11. Attacked with gusto : TORE INTO

12. Limb with biceps and triceps : ARM

13. "In Dreams" actor Stephen : REA

21. Netflix competitor : HULU

22. Flying aid : WING

26. Light shirts : TEES

27. All __: listening : EARS

29. Annoying bug : GNAT

30. First known asteroid : CERES

31. Lab gel : AGAR

34. Play charades, say : MIME

35. Open just a crack : AJAR

36. Ton, for one : UNIT

37. Songs for one : SOLI

38. Equestrian event : DRESSAGE

42. Equestrian equipment : HARNESS

43. In the center of : AMID

44. Panama landform : ISTHMUS

45. Grub : CHOW

49. Go by : ELAPSE

50. Elk : WAPITI

51. Where much Bee Gees music was played : DISCOS

53. Mayhem : HAVOC

54. Graphic symbols : ICONS

57. Berth before birth : WOMB

58. It can come to mind : IDEA

59. Concrete : REAL

60. Cow or sow : SHE

61. Unilever soap brand : LUX

Well, that [ahem] WRAPS is up for another Wednesday.  Sadly, no love for peanut butter.  Hope you didn't EAT A TON.

Cool regards!

JzB

Wednesday, January 3 2018, Ed Sessa

Theme: 

19. Deliberately damage : VANDALIZE

24. Smoke from Cuba : HAVANA CIGAR

35. Milk : TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 

43. Some Downton Abbey staff : MEN SERVANTS 

52. Starting at 19-Across and ending here, vehicle making its way through five long answers : MOVING VAN

Did you spot the MOVING VAN? Some of those theme answers filled in slow - especially TAKE ADVANTAGE OF and MAN SERVANTS. My favorite Van, below.

Across:

1. Lighthouse emission : BEAM

5. Routine material : JOKES. Now I get it.

10. Mystery novelist Paretsky : SARA

14. "Sesame Street" giggler : ELMO

15. How cut-up raw veggies are often served : ON A PLATTER

17. "Bridge of Spies" spy Rudolf __ : ABEL. Tom Hanks movie. 

18. "Casablanca" actor : PETER LORRE

21. Some running shoes : AVIAS

22. Made oneself scarce : HID

23. Bingo-like game : BEANO. As Johnny Carson would say, I did not know this.

30. Euro pop? : PERE

31. Go from pillar to post : ROAM. New phrase to me.

32. Gaza Strip gp. : PLO

40. Classified postings : ADS

41. Word with hall or house : TOWN

42. __ pricing : UNIT

47. 38th-parallel land : KOREA

 
50. Many millennia : EON

51. Just enough to taste, with "of" : A HINT

58. Expressed with only gestures : PANTOMIMED

60. Greasy : OILY

61. Walk-in emergency center : URGENT CARE. Popular destination this time of year.

62. Mess setting : BASE

63. Zap with a weapon : TASE

64. Like giraffes and horses : MANED.

65. Token receiver : SLOT

Down:

1. Young Cleaver, for short : BEAV

 
2. Idris of "Luther" : ELBA

3. Service call? : AMEN. Great clue.

4. Penicillin source : MOLD

5. She sang about McGee : JOPLIN. Arlo's lead-in to "McGee" from his great Live in Sydney album.

6. Iroquois tribe : ONEIDA

7. Willy or Lenny of Manhattan deli fame : KATZ

8. Pentathlon sword : EPEE

9. 35mm camera type : SLR

10. Russell __ Candies : STOVER

11. Heart chambers : ATRIA. Moving too fast, saw the A and tried AORTA.

12. Played over : RERAN

13. "You __ cool!" : ARE SO

16. Selma's state : ALABAMA

20. "So that's the puzzle theme!" : AHA

24. Torso topper : HEAD

25. Torah chests : ARKS. Jewish Virtual Library.

26. One of a vivacious pair? : VEE

27. Origami bird : CRANE

 

28. Discontinued Saturn model : ION

29. Noir weapon : GAT

30. School support org. : PTA

32. Cooped (up) : PENT

33. Co-worker of Clark : LOIS. Superman.

34. "The good is __ interred with their bones": Antony : OFT. From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar - Act 3, Scene 2.

36. Stuffed one's face : ATE A TON

37. Throw on : DON

38. Jettas, e.g. : VWS

39. Rev : GUN. As an engine.

43. Protégé : MENTEE

44. Midnight rider : REVERE

45. Like a ripped-up check : VOIDED

46. Taylor of fashion : ANN

47. On the blink : KAPUT

48. Maureen of "The Quiet Man" : O'HARA

49. Wedding bands : RINGS. Sneaky.

52. Layered mineral : MICA

53. Arabian Sea sultanate : OMAN. Wiki.

54. Loads : GOBS

55. Vaccine holder : VIAL

56. "Not only that ... " : ALSO

57. Politburo no : NYET. Politiburo = the principal policymaking committee in the former Soviet Union.

59. "Newhart" production co. : MTM