Wednesday, October 16, 2019 Roland Huget

Theme: Any Portmanteau in a storm.  The letters of the prefix INSTA- are scrambled, and the concept is tied together, as we shall see later, with the suffix -GRAM.

17 A. Ellington-Strayhorn hit to which Johnny Mercer later added lyrics: SATIN DOLL. Love the tune, not crazy about Mercer's lyrics.  Here is the best arrangement ever, by Sammy Nestico for the Count Basie band.

27. Storied Alpine rescuer: SAINT BERNARD.  Only maybe, as it turns out.

45. Spot treatment: STAIN REMOVER.  Cleaning agent.

59. Social networking service ... or an apt portmanteau for the starts of 17-, 27- and 45-Across: INSTAGRAM.  OK.  The letters of INSTA have been presented in various configurations, and the -GRAM suffix indicates something in writing.  And mashing them together does generate a portmanteau, sort of.  But the surface sense is at best, pretty thin; and the whole concept is a bit of a stretch.  But, high marks for creativity and originality.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here see what else awaits us in today's adventure.

Across:

1. Give a little: BEND.  Not being rigid.

5. Under-the-sink cleaners: LYES.  Caustic drain unclogging substances.  NaOH, for the technically minded.

9. Spherical: ORBED.  Round, any way you look at it.

14. On the protected side: ALEE.  Away from the wind.

15. Ward of "FBI": SELA.

For a while.

16. Author Zora __ Hurston: NEALE. [1891 -1960] An anthropologist, film maker and author of influential African-American literature.

19. Mistreat: ABUSE.

20. "The Addams Family" cousin: ITT.

21. Device for scratch removal?: ATM.  Automatic Teller Machine, for extracting cash - i.e. "scratch."

22. Something found under a chest: ABDOMEN.  Body parts.

24. Viagra competitor: LEVITRA. Now, let me get this straight  .  .  .

26. Letter starter: DEAR.  The salutation.

32. Useful: OF HELP.  Providing some benefit.

35. Drop off: WANE.  Ebb, decline, fade away.

36. Motes may be seen in one: RAY.  Dust in a sun beam.

37. Two-time Indy winner Luyendyk: ARIE.  Race car driver.

38. Two-__-one: FOR.  Typical half-off sale gimmick.

39. Air Jordan company: NIKE.  Maker of athletic shoes.

40. Thing on a ring: KEY.

41. Bodily fluids: SERA.

43. Filled with wonder: AMAZED.  Cf 49 A.

48. Senate helper: PAGE.

49. "I must be seeing things": PINCH ME.  This can't be real.

53. Reliable income source: CASH COW.

56. Coll. aides: TAs.  Teaching Assistants

57. Feel poorly: AIL.

58. Tablet download: E-BOOK.  Electronic publication.

62. Nary a soul: NO ONE. Nope -  nobody here.

63. Snap, in ads: FOTO.  Photograph, mis-abbreviated.

64. Radiation units: REMS.  Roentgen Equivalent Man is an older unit measuring the health effects of low levels of ionizing radiation on the human body.

65. In good shape: TONED.  Buff.

66. Movie lab helper: IGOR.  In various Frankenstein movies.

67. Skip over: OMIT.  Or leave out.

Down:

1. Pesto herb: BASIL.  Along with olive oil, parmesan, pine nuts and garlic.

2. Really excite: ELATE.  I see elation as happiness, rather than excitement, so I think this equivalence is pretty dicey.

3. Hulu service: NET TV.  Streaming app.

4. Opus __: "The Da Vinci Code" sect: DEI.  In real life, this group is a secretive, ultra conservative institution within the Catholic Church.

5. '60s "journey": LSD TRIP.  The experience of being under the influence of a psychotropic drug.

6. Coast Guard rank: YEOMAN.  I can't find it listed in this ranking chart.

7. Angled piece: ELL.  Named for its cross-sectional profile.

8. Self-service food station: SALAD BAR.

9. How some silly things are done: ON A DARE.  Earlier: Bet you can't/won't. Later: No, you shouldn't have.

10. Spiritually awakened: REBORN.  Generally referring to a personal religious experience.

11. Gale family creator: BAUM.  In the Wizard of Oz.

12. Otherwise: ELSE. In addition, or instead of.

13. Cook Paula: DEEN.  Southern Fried Everything.

18. Birth-related: NATAL.

23. "I've __ busy": BEEN.

25. "It's clear now": I SEE.  The scales have fallen from my eyes.

28. Clock change hr. (though most do it sooner): TWO AM.  I did not know this.

29. Nev. neighbor: ARIZ.  Two western Sts.

30. Golf bunker tool: RAKE. A bunker is a sand trap.  Golf etiquette is to smooth all footprints, ball trails and club marks.

31. Like green hair: DYED.  Artificially tinted.

32. Symbols of strength: OAKS.  Mighty trees.

33. Fingerboard bar: FRET.  "Guitars and Banjos have ‘fretboards’ as they utilise a board (usually rosewood or maple) that has metal frets slotted into it and the note is sounded via your finger as it presses the string towards the board until the string meets the fret.)"

Don't fret - I wouldn't string you along

34. Casual greeting: HI-YA.  Yo, bro.

38. Coffee shop amenity: FREE WIFI.

39. DEA operative: NARC. Short for narcotics agt.

41. Ate at the theater, say: SNACKED.  On popcorn and candy.

42. Proof word: ERGO.  Therefore -

43. One who takes off a lot: AVIATOR.  Up in the sky, it's plane to see.

44. High-scoring club?: MENSA.  Organization of high IQ individuals.

46. Selfie stick attachment: I-PHONE.  Used for taking pictures - of your face.

47. Decides one will: OPTS TO.

50. Sultan's group: HAREM. Wife collection of a Sultan.

51. Marlins' home: MIAMI.  The last place team in the NL East Division, and the 3rd worst team in all of MLB

52. Title loc. in six horror films: ELM ST.  Place for nightmares.

53. Coin often left in a dish: CENT. The U.S. penny is worth one CENT.  I'm not sure what this clue is getting at.

54. Peek-__: ABOO.  Kids' hiding and peeking game.

55. "Are we there yet?" reply: SOON.

60. Yule quaff: NOG.  A spiced dairy-based beverage with variable alcohol content.

61. Miracle-__: GRO. Garden fertilizer product.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you had a good time.

Cool regards!
JzB

Notes from C.C.:

1) Dennis' surgery yesterday went well yesterday. His wife Linda said he's in ICU right now. Please continue keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.

2) Happy Birthday to dear CrossEyedDave, the master of fun links! Dave, can you send me a recent picture?

3) Happy Birthday to our foodie Blue Hen also! Picture, maybe?

Wednesday October 9, 2019 Craig Stowe

The Gimme Game by Craig Stowe, play-by-play by desper-otto.

You'll see lots of "LHF" (I counted 32) as you scroll through the writeup. No, it doesn't stand for Left-Handed Fingering, CED, nor Latent Heat Flux, Jayce. If you haven't already sussed it, y'all'll find out later.

Across:

1. Washington's Sea-__ Airport: TAC. Seattle-Tacoma. Could also be half a candy or a third of a game. LHF 1

4. Bubble bath spot: TUB. In the winter I like a good long soak in a hot tub, reading my latest Kindle novel. LHF 2

7. Model S and Model X electric cars: TESLAS. "Electric" is the operative word.

13. "Snowy" bird: OWL. Egret was too long. LHF 3

14. "Movin' __": "The Jeffersons" theme: ON UP. Musical Interlude #1

16. World Cup chant: OLE OLE. Tried USA USA first.

17. Chinese chairman: MAO. The Chairman LHF 4

The Chairman

18. Henry VIII's sixth wife Catherine: PARR. Portrait of Catherine Parr.

Portrait of Catherine Parr

19. Like an ideal situation: WIN WIN. OLE OLE over WIN WIN makes a nice sandwich.

20. How some get across town: BY CAB. Also what a Bostonian takes for an upset tummy.

22. "I'm __ a robot": phrase with captcha tests: NOT. If you've gone blue, you can ignore the Recaptcha for your comments. LHF 5

24. Percussion pair: HIHAT. One of these thingies

25. Sack opening?: KNAP. I had one with the Boy Scout logo on it. Wow, was that special!

27. Leg bone: FIBULA.

29. Holly's "Raising Arizona" role: EDWINA. Holly Hunter.

Holly Hunter

31. Summer in Quebec: ÉTÉ. Also in Paris, France, but not in Paris, Texas. LHF 6

32. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA. Musical Interlude #2

35. Good scents: AROMAS. Are they always good? In my ute, driving down the section roads where the fields were freshly manured and the ditches were over-flowing with whey, we'd comment on the aroma of the "good ole country air."

36. "The Giving Tree" author Silverstein: SHEL. Multi-talented guy. He wrote poems, songs, cartoons and children's books. I first ran into him in the pages of Playboy, which I read solely for the articles.

38. __ pal: GAL. Tried PEN first. CSO to Tinbeni.

39. Fire truck wail: SIREN. I read "wail" as "wall" and drew a blank. LHF 7

40. Toronto-to-D.C. dir.: SSE.

41. Handy: UTILE. I'm not sure "useful" and "handy" mean the same thing.

43. Lodge member: ELK. LHF 8

44. Guthrie at Woodstock: ARLO. Woody's boy. I think he's singing about the keys to the city, don't you?

46. Walk-in health facility: CLINIC. LHF 9

47. City on the Rhône: LYON. No "S"

49. Word with drum or trumpet: EAR. One of these days I may have to look into an ear trumpet, but that's probably the wrong way to use it.

50. Distorts, as data: FUDGES. Was thinking SKEWS. My high school math teacher used to say, "Figures don't lie, but liars do figure."

51. Do over: REVAMP.

53. Royal Norwegian name: OLAF. Will it be F or V? Wait on the perps.

54. Let up: ABATE. LHF 10

56. __-mo replay: SLO. LHF 11

58. "The Jetsons" son: . ELROY

61. Chanted phrase: MANTRA.

63. Word on U.S. coins: UNUM. E Pluribus Unum

 -- out of many, one.

65. Luau instrument: UKE. LHF 12

66. Consume: INGEST. That's what they say about poison.

67. Personnel note: MEMO. LHF 13

68. "Roth" savings plan: IRA. I've got both types. You? I recently dipped into my Roth to buy a new car. The withdrawal doesn't count as income. LHF 14

69. Political pundit Myers: DEEDEE. She spent a couple of years as press secretary in the early years of the Clinton presidency.

70. __ Antonio: SAN. The River Walk LHF 15

The River Walk

71. Street covering: TAR. Our little town is in the process of repaving our streets. I don't know when our street was last paved, but it was more than 20 years ago. The patches have been patched, and some of the potholes are epic. The recent heavy truck traffic has made matters worse. I'll be happy when the paving is complete and the heavy trucks leave. I'm getting sick of the smell of asphalt in the morning. LHF 16

Down:

1. Grant's __: NYC landmark: TOMB. Eighteenth prez U.S. and his wife are buried together there.

3. 1971 Kubrick film, with "A": CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Stanley Kubrick didn't have a specific genre, but he sure made a lot of classic movies.

4. Big cheese: TOP BANANA

5. Article in El País: UNA. The "El" gives it away.

6. "Sick insult, dude!": BURN. I've never heard that. You?

7. With 2-Down, type of zone in which parking is restricted: TOW AWAY. LHF 17 Usually pricey to get your car back.

8. Nobelist Root: ELIHU Root. Former Secretary of State and Secretary of War back in the early 1900s. He showed me that USA USA was wrong as that futbal cheer.

9. Declining in old age: SENILE. Gettin' there.

10. Easy pickings, and a hint to the four other longest Down answers: LOW HANGING FRUIT. In addition to the four theme answers, Craig gave us lots of other LHF in this puzzle.

11. Et __: and others: ALIA. LHF 18

12. Dispatched: SENT. LHF 19

15. Clue character with a bow tie: PROFESSOR PLUM.

21. "Yu-Gi-Oh!" genre: ANIMÉ. Five perps, and I had it, as Abejo would say.

23. 10% donation: TITHE. LHF 20

26. Faux __: PAS. I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. There was major tongue-biting when my former boss came in one morning extolling the beauty of the faux pas wall finishes he'd seen in a house he'd visited. To correct him, or not to correct him? What a stupid question. LHF 21

28. Four-winged flier: BEE. Learning moment courtesy of Reference.com: "All castes and species of bee have four wings. The pair of wings that is closer to the head is always larger and folds over the rear pair when the bee is at rest. The rear pair is shorter and hooks into the forward pair when unfolded for flight." I'll bet John Lampkin knew that; I didn't.

29. Artistic stand: EASEL. LHF 22

30. Deadpan: DRILY.

33. New Haven student: YALIE. or ELI. LHF 23

34. Smart fellows?: ALECS. LHF 24

37. Yoga-inspired athletic brand: LULULEMON. Never heard of it. "It's all about the intangibles"

40. Closes forcibly: SLAMS. LHF 25

42. __ pool: TIDAL. GENE was too short. STENO didn't work.

45. Irish actor Stephen: REA. He's been in lots of movies, but is probably best known for The Crying Game. LHF 26

46. Fiscal VIP: CFO. Chief Financial Officer.

48. Brought home: NETTED.

52. Song section: VERSE.

54. In the thick of: AMID. LHF 27

55. Downfall: BANE.

57. Small bills: ONES. LHF 28

59. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA. It's slippery-slimy and some (most?) folks don't like it, but it thickens the gumbo. LHF 29

60. Junior or senior: YEAR. LHF 30

62. Had a burger, say: ATE. LHF 31
 

64. Actress Thurman: UMA. Uma Thurman LHF 32

Wedneday October 2, 2019 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Taking Flight.

Jeffrey Wechsler is making a rare (At least it seems rare to me.) mid-week appearance, and so is desper-otto. Without the circles it's doubtful you'd ever find the JET, FIGHTER, GLIDER, or TURBOPROP on upward trajectories in the grid. My newspaper had the circles. My only problem was failing to look at 'em. This puzzle is a normal 15 x 15, but is symmetrical left-to-right only for those of you who care about those things. OK, let's get started...

Across:

1. Barely enough: SCANT. Scantily clad, perhaps.

6. Like a pooch's smooch: WET. It makes me cringe when folks kiss their dog or cat. It can also cost an arm and a leg...or worse. Caution: That article is not breakfast-friendly.

9. "Happy Days" actress Erin: MORAN. She fell on hard times with financial problems and depression, and ultimately succumbed to throat cancer a couple of years ago at age 56.

14. Software writer: CODER. Never considered myself just a coder. I was involved in all aspects of my applications from specifications to design to coding to beta testing and finally release to the production environment.

15. Texter's "As I see it": IMO. In my opinion, or IMHO, in my humble opinion.

16. Defunct defense gp.: SEATO. SouthEast Asia Treaty Organization. It lasted from '54 thru '77.

17. Pear variety: ANJOU. No reason, but it always reminds me of this old-timey actor Adolphe Menjou (Nobody names sons Adolph anymore.)

18. Opening setting of "Madagascar": Zoo.

19. Be carried by the current: DRIFT.

20. Fort Worth sch.: TCU. Texas Christian University.

21. RR stop: STA. Will it be STA or will it be STN? Only the perps know for certain.

23. Giuseppe's god: DIO. Italian.

25. "S" on an invitation: S'IL.Repondez s'il vous plait. French.

26. NFL's Gronk and others: TES. First I learned that his name wasn't T.E. Gronk. In fact it wasn't Gronk at all. It was Gronowski. And his first name was Rob, not something beginning with a T. Further research yielded his position. So TES stands for Tight EndS. Hooray. It'll be forgotten by lunch time.

27. Roller coaster experiences: THRILLS. Don't care for 'em, myself.

29. Previously, to a poet: ERE. Gluey.

30. 1999 Ron Howard satire: ED TV. Not his best work. It only received a 30% Rotten Tomatoes audience score.

32. Easy-to-spot jigsaw pieces: EDGES. Does everybody fill in the border first? I do.

33. Ado: FUSS. It's how we say "I do" here in redneck country [See above].

34. Turn back to zero: RESET. Illegal, if it's your car's odometer.

36. Hundred Acre Wood joey: ROO. Most of what I know about Winnie the Pooh, I learned from doing cws.

37. Egyptian Christians: COPTS. Not to be confused with the Picts who fought the Roman legions in what is now Scotland.

38. Word from Robin preceding headache, homework, and hamstrings, among others: HOLY. "Holy Hemorrhoid, Batman, what a pain!"

40. "Beetle Bailey" dog: OTTO. CSO, he said, taking a deep bow.

42. __ monster: GILA. Pronounced hē-lə -- the only venomous lizard native to North America.

43. Song and dance: ARTS. Fred and Ginger-ish

45. Ramp, and what's found in each set of circles: INCLINED PLANE. The airplane names are found in the inclined circles, doncha see.

50. Con: FOOL. Fool me once...

51. Floor models: DEMOS. Some can be good deals.

52. Putting game: GOLF. Not my game. It's 50/50 whether the ball will land in front of me or behind. I just swing and holler, "Eight!" to cover all eventualities.

54. Iconic lemon: EDSEL. The '50s sedan, not the ironic Friday Lemon.

56. "Live With Kelly and Ryan" network: ABC. I just wait on the perps.

57. Big name in whisky: DEWAR. CSO to IM, I think.

58. Small songbird: TIT. I would've clued this differently. I did not know that a chickadee is technically a tit.

59. Reevaluated favorably: UPRATED. OK, I guess. I doubt that Jeffrey's proud of this one.

62. Corp. tech boss: CIO. My former boss was one. He said it meant Career-Is-Over. He was not 39d, and died young of a heart attack -- his first and only.

63. Action film gun: UZI. Israeli assault weapon.

64. Privately: SUB ROSA. Literally "under the rose" which supposedly has some sort of history regarding secrecy. I remember an old joke involving a subpoena

65. Journalist Curry: ANN. Spent many years with NBC. Not sure what she's doing now.

66. Brief time: SEC. Yeah, that's pretty brief.

67. Taste: TRY.

68. Charles of R&B: RAY. Didn't recognize the name...oh, Charles is his last name. D'oh! I'd been torn between RAY and ROY before the light blinded me.

69. Macaw, for some: PET. Could be a long-term commitment. Macaws can live to be 70 years old.

Down:

1. Disperse: SCATTER. Also the source of "Diaspora," so I've read. Or maybe it's versa vice.

2. Admit having lost: CONCEDE. Some folks just can't admit when they're wrong.

3. Fiddles with: ADJUSTS. In my ute there was a notice in our phone book that if you connected a tape recorder to the phone a "periodic beep would be provided to notify the other party that they were being recorded." I thought this would happen automagically. Figuring it must have something to do with magnetic fields, I put the phone atop my bulk tape eraser and turned it on. I listened for almost a minute before giving it up as a lost cause. No beep was provided. At lunch time my father came home all steamed up. "Where have you been," he accused my mother. "I've been calling every few minutes all morning long!." It took a few days to realize that we were no longer getting phone calls from anybody. The telephone repair guy, who happened to be my uncle, determined that the phone's ringer was defective, but he couldn't figure out why. He replaced the whole phone. Problem solved. A few weeks later he reported to my dad that the permanent magnet in the phone had mysteriously become demagnetized. Tom!

4. Fresh start?: NEO. Also the role played by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix films.

5. Estate manager's suggestion: TRUST. "Trust me," or the document he writes.

6. Potter's specialty: WIZARDRY. Harry Potter.

7. Angsty rock genre: EMO. Not sure I'd recognize it if I heard it.

8. "Ta-ta!": TOODLEOO. I inked this in immediately, figuring I'd soon be reaching for the Wite-Out. Nope.

9. Early PC platform: MS-DOS. I wrote some powerful, itty-bitty programs in C for the MS-DOS platform. Programs with the same capability would suffer severe bloat when Windoze came along.

10. Above, to a bard: OER.

11. Elevate: RAISE UP.

12. Initially: AT FIRST.

13. Qualifier for a minimum price: NOT LESS. I get it, but I don't get it.

22. With 48-Down, Time Lord played by various performers: THE DOCTOR. Who was your favorite? Here's mine.

24. They, in Calais: ILS. French.

28. "Need __ on?": I GO. Yes for a few more c/a's.

31. Jam ingredient?: VEHICLE. My German relatives call a traffic jam a "marmalade."

33. Cinematographer's compilation: FOOTAGE.

35. Temporary usage fee: TOLL. One man's fee is another man's tax.

37. PC key: CTRL. CTRL and ALT are two keys that are used in combination with other keys. CTRL+ALT+[key] yields still other possibilities.

39. __-back: relaxed: LAID. Type B. Guilty, as charged.

41. Solemn bugle solo: TAPS. Lyrics, according to NPR.

42. Early Christian: GNOSTIC. I've heard of the Gnostic Gospels, but didn't know what that meant. Still don't.

44. Kilimanjaro topper: SNOWCAP. The Snows of Kilimanjaro

45. Treat, as table salt: IODIZE. Added to prevent iodine deficiency -- goiter. Remember those pseudo-chocolaty pills we had to take in grade school?

46. At hand: NEARBY.

47. Put in prison: EMBAR. My dictionary says this usage is archaic. I agree.

48. See 22-Down

49. TV pal of Jerry and George: ELAINE. Seinfeld.

50. Womb occupant: FETUS. DW received an email sonogram of her niece's unborn daughter. I thought it was a radar pic of tropical storm Imelda.

53. Weather map feature: FRONT. Why is there no weather tail?

55. Unbridled desire: LUST.

57. June 6, 1944: D-DAY.

60. Water filter brand: PUR.

61. That, in Tijuana: ESA. It could also be ESO, right Lucina?

Whew, made it all the way to the bottom. Now C.C. will magically make the grid appear below. It's been fun. Desper-otto over and out.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019 C. C. Burnikel

Theme: ECO ECHOES. Famous persons who have the letter sequence E CO spanning their names are called out.  In each case, the letters are split E in the first name and CO in the last.  Not sure how ready any of them might have been to do battle, but had they been warriors their ECO ECHO was ready to go.

17. Former "CBS Evening News" anchor: KATIE COURIC.   She held this job from 2006 - 2011.  As a TV personality, she's done many other things, both before and since.

23. "School's Out" rocker: ALICE  COOPER.  Vincent Damon Furnier (b. 1948) in an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spans over 50 years.  He is regarded as the Godfather of shock rock.

36. "You Are So Beautiful" singer: JOE COCKER. John Robert Cocker (1944 – 2014), better known as Joe Cocker, was an English singer known for his gritty voice and spasmodic body motions.

51. Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows" partner: IMOGENE COCA.  (1908-2001) She was an American comic actor who started in vaudeville as a child acrobat.  Her TV carer ran from the '40's to the '90's.

60. Based on a common feature of their names, what 17-, 23-, 36- and 51-Across are well-suited to be?: ECO WARRIORS.  These are people actively involved in preventing damage to the environment.

Like her or not, agree with her or not, Greta Thunberg is the real deal

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here with our own C.C.'s latest effort.  You don't often see a theme built around people's names, so this is a creative effort.   Let's dig in and see what else our gracious host has created for us.

But first, a reminder: today's theme reveal could be a hot button issue, with overt political overtones.  So - in keeping with the rule of this blog - let's not go there.

As I say on my own blog, play nice and we'll all have fun.  So - onward.

Across:

1. "I'm so stupid!": D'OH.

4. Lobbying orgs.: PACS.  Political Action Committees.

8. Dr. Oz's faith: ISLAM.  He is a surgeon, university professor and television personality who promotes pseudo-science and alternative medicine.

13. Craft beer initials: IPA.  India Pale Ale.

The best, from right here in Michigan

14. Material for tatami mats: STRAW.  These mats are traditional Japanese floor coverings, and are made with an exact 2:1 aspect ratio.

15. Disney princess from Motunui: MOANA.

16. FedEx alternative: DHL.  An American-founded German company which is now the international courier, parcel, and express mail division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post DHL. [Wikipedia]

19. "I'll take it from here": LET  ME.

21. Twistable cookie: OREO.  Of course

22. Like a thick, green lawn: LUSH.  Teeming with thick, healthy growth.

26. Go out with: SEE.  He is SEEING her and should be discrete if they don't want to be SEEN.

27. Papier-mâché fiesta item: PINATA. A construction of mashed paper over a skeleton frame, usually brightly decorated, and often in the form of an animal, filled with candy or toys.

28. Magnified atlas image: INSET. A small map set next to or within a larger map to show more detail.

30. Give a little: SAG. Droop.

31. Item in a folder: FILE.

35. Garden tool: SPADE.  A type of shovel with a sharp rectangular metal blade and a long handle.  Can you dig it?

39. Biblical hymn: PSALM.  A sacred song used in worship.

42. Breakfast brand in the freezer aisle: EGGO.  Toaster waffle.

43. Grounded jet: SST. Super Sonic Transport.  Due to technical issues, as well as economic factors, limited range, and high fuel consumption, these planes are no longer in use.

46. Hayride invitation: HOP ON.

47. Allergic reaction: AHCHOO.  Sneeze.  This past week was the peak season for pollen related allergy and asthma difficulties.

50. Capp and Gore: ALS.Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner, which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (with help from assistants) drawing until 1977.  [Wikipedia]

Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Gore was Bill Clinton's running mate in their successful campaign in 1992, and the pair was re-elected in 1996. [Wikipedia]

56. __ puppet: SOCK.  1) a simple hand puppet made from a SOCK. 2)  A false online identity used for purposes of deception.

58. Cowhand's chow: GRUB.  Slangy meal.  Hope it's more appetizing than it sounds.

59. Objects of adulation: IDOLS. 1) Images or representations of gods used in worship.  2) Person or things that are greatly admired, loved, or revered.

63. Little kid: TOT.  Potential moppet.

64. In the country: RURAL. Non-urban.

65. Cruise stopover: ISLET. A small island

66. Find a place for: USE.  Deploy as a means of achieving something.

67. Dead tired: SPENT.  All used up.

68. Half-moon tide: NEAP.  The tide just after the first and third quarters of the moon, when the difference between high and low water is the least.

69. Each: PER.

Down:

1. Hit the pool: DID LAPS.  Swam repeated pool lengths.

2. "Hamlet" character who drowns: OPHELIA.  She had climbed a willow tree, and a branch broke, dropping her into a brook where she drowned.

3. Hesitant: HALTING.  Slow, hesitant, faltering.

4. Org. concerned with students: PTA.  The National Parent Teacher Association.

5. Threepio's buddy: ARTOO.  Bots in the Star Wars saga.

6. North African capital: CAIRO.  Egypt

7. Win every game: SWEEP.  In a short series during regular or post season play.

8. Letters before a viewpoint: IMO.  In My Opinion.  Opinions worth heeding have some basis in facts and reality.

9. Motown music: SOUL.

10. Tony who managed three World Series-winning teams: LARUSSA. [b 1944] Over a career of 33 years, he managed the Cardinals, A's and White Sox.  You knew there would be some baseball - right?

11. Ouzo flavoring: ANISEED. Also called ANISE; this is a flowering plant native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia that produces a licorice like flavor element.

12. Hacker's tool: MACHETE.  For LUSH jungle undergrowth, not computer mayhem.

14. Sport with clay targets: SKEET.  Dynamic aerial target shooting.

18. Iowa campus: COE.  This college is new to me

20. __ Nashville: country label: MCA.  Not sure what the MCA stands for.  You can read about it here.

24. Barista's workplace: CAFE.  A barista prepares and serves different kinds of coffee.

25. Go higher: RISE. Literally or figuratively in an organization structure.

29. "Planet Money" network: NPR.  National Public Radio.

32. Winter hazard: ICE.   It's slippery.

33. Piece of campfire fuel: LOG.  Wood fires are de rigueur at our lake-side vacations.

34. Lines at a hosp.: ECG. ElectroCardioGram - a graphic representation of electrical activity in the heart.

36. "World of Dance" judge, to fans: J.LO.  Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American actress, singer, dancer, fashion designer, producer and businesswoman.

Also, THIS.

Rounded bottom

37. Luxury hotel chain: OMNI.

38. Zen paradox: KOAN.  Think hard, but don't think so hard.

39. "Star Trek" stunners: PHASERS.  Typical weapons used by the Starfleet personnel.

40. Popular beer pong choice: SOLO CUP.

41. Test result for a HS student: AP SCORE.  Advanced Placement test for prospective college students.  IMHO, a huge scam.

43. Grow dramatically: SHOOT UP.  Grow like a weed.

44. "You almost got it": SO CLOSE.

45. 42-Across cooker: TOASTER.  EGGO heater.

48. Bank holdup: HEIST.

49. Looped in on an email, briefly: CCD.  Originally Carbon CopieD, in the pre-email days.

52. Bus. bigwig: MGR.Abrv for Manager.

53. Former senator Hatch: ORRIN. [b 19340]  He retired in January of this year.

54. False front: GUISE. An external appearance that can conceal the true nature of something.

55. Deadly virus: EBOLA.  Cause of a rare and deadly disease, mostly found in sub-Saharan Africa, for which there is no known cure.

57. Olympic skating medalist Michelle: KWAN.  History making.

61. Keyboard shortcut key: ALT.

62. Weight room unit: REP. Repetition of a lift.

There you have it.  Did you skate through?  Was it uplifting?  Did you find some headache relief?

Cool regards!
JzB

Wednesday September 18, 2019, Peter A. Collins

Theme:  AT ANY RATE. Each theme answer is the name of a hit song, the first word of which can be used to rate quality.

18. #1 hit for Jerry Lee Lewis: GREAT BALLS OF FIRE. Released in 1957, and also a 1989 film.

28. #1 hit for the Beach Boys: GOOD VIBRATIONS.

49. #1 hit for Johnny Rivers: POOR SIDE OF TOWN.

 

64. #1 hit for Jim Croce: BAD BAD LEROY BROWN.

Melissa here. I'm impressed with this GREAT theme - two grid-spanners and two near-grid spanners, and ALL hit songs. I wonder which was the seed - perhaps Peter A. Collins will pop in and enlighten us.

Across:

1. Starbucks orders, casually: JAVAS. Java is often used interchangeably with "coffee," although technically, it refers to arabica coffee beans of plants grown in Java, Indonesia that produce a usually full-bodied coffee of low to medium acidity. Now you know.

6. Carnival staples: RIDES. The first thing that popped into my head was cotton candy, so I was looking for some kind of food treat.

11. Chance: SHOT. Take one.

15. Perform better than: OUTDO.

16. Scandal-plagued energy company: ENRON.

17. Witness' promise: OATH. "To witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says."

21. Squealed on the bad guys: SANG.

22. Oscar winner Kazan: ELIA. Kazan won directing Oscars for 1947's Gentleman's Agreement and On the Waterfront, the 1954 film that starred Marlon Brando, and a controversial Special Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 1999. There are lots of good movies about the Hollywood Blacklist.

23. Lemonlike fruit: CITRON.

24. Grocery chain with a red-and-white logo: IGA. Independent Grocers Alliance.

26. Like the Ninja Turtles: MUTANT.

33. Vornado product: FAN. Never heard of this brand - logo similar to above.

34. Landscaping tree: PIN OAK. See here.

35. Peter was the first one: POPE.

37. Application: USE.

38. Federal retirement org.: SSA. Social Security Administration.

39. Couple of million?: ELS. Two L's.

42. Farm food: HAY.

43. Justice __ Bader Ginsburg: RUTH. Appointed by President Clinton and took the OATH of office on August 10, 1993. Health update.

45. Get going: BESTIR. Not sure I've heard this word before - tricky,

48. Have bills: OWE.

53. "Let's get together": MEET ME.

54. Best-liked, briefly: FAV.

55. Kite carrier: BREEZE.

58. Italy's Villa d'__: ESTE. So pretty.

60. One of 12 on a die: EDGE. Another tricky one.

67. Brit's kitchen floor: LINO. British LINO is same as American LINOleum.

68. Abates: EASES.

69. Threw in: ADDED.

70. Dispatch, as a dragon: SLAY.

71. Oboist's supply: REEDS.

72. Hired thugs: GOONS.

Down

1. Easy runs: JOGS.

2. General feeling: AURA.

3. Dodge Viper engine: V-TEN.

4. Slowly, in music: ADAGIO.

5. Drunkard: SOT.

6. Genuine: REAL.

7. Undecided: IN LIMBO. Interesting. The word is of Teutonic origin, meaning “border” or “anything joined on.”

8. Advice giver on SiriusXM Radio: DR. LAURA. Had no idea she was still on the air.

9. Canon camera named for a dawn goddess: EOS. Hm. Well ... Eos was a Titan goddess in Greek mythology, but the Canon EOS stands for Electro-Optical System.

10. Winter vehicle on treads: SNO CAT.

11. Convertible type: SOFT TOP.

12. Tiny margin of victory: HAIR. Haha.

13. Another, in España: OTRO.

14. "__ what?": THEN.

19. One of a pair of cartoon slackers: BEAVIS.

20. It's over in France: FINI.

25. National econ. stats: GDPS. Gross domestic products.

27. Grow fond of: TAKE TO.

28. Go from E to F?: GAS UP.

29. __ a customer: ONE TO.

30. "Soon": IN A BIT.

31. Emphatic word of refusal: NOHOW. Didn't realize this was one word.

32. What salmon do upstream: SPAWN.

33. Stole from a coat store?: FUR. Very clever. Shawl, wrap, stole, scarf - what's the difference?

36. __ contact: EYE.

40. River through Dublin: LIFFEY. Flows through Dublin.

41. Span. miss: SRTA. Señorita. 

44. Neighborhood pal, in slang: HOMEBOY.

46. Attorney general under Ronald Reagan: ED MEESE.

47. Blows one's stack: SEES RED.

50. Mohammad __ Pahlavi: last shah of Iran: REZA. Perped.

51. Farm contraption: SEEDER. Used to plant seeds for beans, cotton, rice, wheat, canola and many types of vegetables.

52. Engage in to excess: OVERDO.

55. OPEC units: BBLS. Barrels. One barrel equals 42 US gallons

One barrel equals 42 US gallons

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/barrel-bbl.html

One barrel equals 42 US gallons

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/barrel-bbl.html

One barrel equals 42 US gallons

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/barrel-bbl.html

56. Mass transit option: RAIL.

57. Barry Humphries alter ego Dame __: EDNA. Australian comedian.

59. Mix, as salad: TOSS.

61. Extinct bird: DODO.

62. __ Stacy: Spider-Man love interest: GWEN.

63. They might be loose or tight: ENDS.

65. Ka __: southernmost Big Island point: LAE. The area is also known for its strong ocean currents and winds and is the home of a wind farm.

66. Purse: BAG.