Wednesday, November 27, 2019, Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

 Theme: LUCK OUT

20. First, Lucky plays the lottery and buys the __: WINNING TICKET.

25. Then, Lucky goes to court and is awarded a __: HUGE SETTLEMENT.

47. Finally, Lucky joins March Madness and fills out a __: PERFECT BRACKET.

52. What Lucky got, literally and figuratively, when his alarm clock put an end to a very pleasant dream: RUDE AWAKENING.

Melissa here. Interesting looking grid, and a clever theme, the way it took a turn at the end there. To be honest, I wasn't paying enough attention to the clues at first, just the answers, trying to figure out how they all related. As soon as I slowed down and read the clues it was obvious. I think we've all had those RUDE AWAKENINGS on occasion. On the other hand, waking up from a bad dream can be a real relief.

Across:

1. Roster entry: NAME. Bueller?

5. Opens, as a car hood: POPS.

9. Letter-shaped opening: T-SLOT.

14. Foundry by-product: SLAG. Glass-like by-product left over after a desired metal has been separated from its raw ore.

15. Army outfit: UNIT.

16. __ squash: ACORN. Great for the Thanksgiving table. I like it this way. ➡

17. Long tooth: FANG.

18. Will of "The Waltons": GEER. Call me a DWEEB or a NERD, but I've been watching the entire series on Amazon Prime. Geer's portrayal of Zebulon Walton was perfect. He combined his passion for acting and plants by forming a most unusual repertory theater situated in rustic Topanga Canyon in California's San Fernando Valley. He named it "Theatricum Botanicum."

19. Vinaigrette holder: CRUET.

23. "Price negotiable," in ads: OBO. Or best offer.

24. Soft drink choice: COLA.

32. Put up, as preserves: CAN.

33. "Winter Song" musician John: TESH. Couldn't find that one on Youtube, but I'm partial to early Lightfoot anyway.

34. Post-quake rumbling: TREMOR.

35. Bear up?: URSA. Nice clue.

37. Pride youngster: CUB. Anyone see the new live action Lion King? The $20 price on Prime was worth it just for the extra features. I think it's going to Disney+, if it hasn't already.

39. "That's that!": DONE.

40. Tennis great Graf: STEFFI. Married to another tennis great, Andre Agassi.

43. Goya subject: MAJA. Francisco de Goya painted the Maja both clothed and unclothed. The word maja is the feminine form of majo, a low class Spaniard of the 18th and 19th century. The model is identifiable as a maja by her costume, but her identity is not known; it has been suggested that she looks like Godoy's mistress Pepita Tudó.

46. Second-largest U.S. state: TEX. Largest four in order: Alaska, Texas, California, Montana.

50. Lascivious look: LEER.

51. Letter after phi: CHI.

58. Geeky type: DWEEB. Guilty.

60. Unresponsive state: COMA.

61. Like a cloudy London day: GREY.

62. "Laughing" critter: HYENA. Speaking of Lion King.

63. Pre-event periods: EVES. We have a few coming up 🦃🎄🎉

64. Old-time teacher: MARM.

65. Giant opening?: SOFT G.

66. Rooms with TVs: DENS.

67. Fades to black: ENDS.

Down:

1. "Careful where you open this link" shorthand: NSFW. Not Safe For Work. Also, POS for Parent Over Shoulder, to warn the sender before sending.

2. Jai __: ALAI.

3. Grammy winner Aimee: MANN.

4. Yuletide mugful: EGGNOG.

5. Doglike facial feature: PUG NOSE.

6. Universal donor's type, briefly: O NEG. Red blood cells from O- donors can be transfused to anyone, regardless of the person’s blood type. Only 7% of the population has O- blood.

7. Artist Mondrian: PIET. See some of his abstract art here.

8. Not at all lenient: STRICT.

9. Touchdown preventer, often: TACKLER. Oof.

10. Reacted to a scare: SCREAMED. 

11. Ill-mannered type: LOUT.

12. Tramcar filler: ORE.

13. Source of blowups: TNT.

21. "Fat chance": I BET.

22. Future stallion: COLT.

25. "Tennessee's Partner" story writer: HARTE. Short story first published in the Overland Monthly in 1869, which has been described as "one of the earliest 'buddy' stories in American fiction."

26. Racing family name: UNSER.

27. PC abort key: ESC.

28. Rule of __: THUMB.

29. Put on quite an act: EMOTE.

30. Large chamber group: NONET. Musical composition for nine voices or instruments.

31. Monopoly token since Mar., 2017: T-REX. 

32. Transition point: CUSP.

36. Rolling in dough: AFFLUENT.

38. MacLaren's on "How I Met Your Mother," e.g.: BAR.

41. Holder of oats: FEEDBAG.

42. Drink with a polar bear mascot: ICEE.

44. Jenny's mate: JACKASS. A jenny is a female donkey.

45. Post-CrossFit woe: ACHE.

48. Tracked down: TRACED.

49. Checkers cry: KING ME.

52. Atoll barrier: REEF.

53. Zigzagged: WOVE.

54. "When you're right, you're right!": AMEN. So be it.

55. Caspian Sea land: IRAN.

56. Geeky type: NERD. A few of us here.

57. Places with elliptical trainers: GYMS.

58. Dept. that includes the TSA: DHS. The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that has authority over the security of the traveling public in the United States.

59. Old Faithful's st.: WYO.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019, Gary Larson

17. *Spot for a seaside stroll: BOARDWALK. Keyboard.

25. *Caller ID, maybe: RINGTONE. Keyring.

54. *Small computer: NOTEBOOK. Keynote.

66. *Center stage: LIMELIGHT. Key lime.

39. Hemingway's 1930s Florida home, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: KEY WEST.

Theme is self-explanatory, but tricky to get without the reveal - which was clever. The word KEY can be inserted to the left, or WEST, of each theme answer to form a new word or phrase. This felt more like a Thursday to me due to a few unknown and obscure words.

Across:

1. "Oh dear!": ALAS.

5. Instant: JIFF.

9. Harry's Hogwarts nemesis: DRACO. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.

14. Hay storage site: LOFT.

15. Puccini piece: ARIA.

16. Prepare for a bodybuilding competition: OIL UP. Bodybuilders use oil to accentuate their muscle definitions and the 'cuts' in their bodies when flexing under heavy stage lighting.

19. Tax audit docs.: RCPTS. Receipts.

20. Jag: SPREE.

21. Wisconsin city on Lake Winnebago: NEENAH. From Wikipedia: "Named by Governor James Duane Doty from the Hoocąk word for "water" or "running water." It was the site of a Ho-Chunk village in the late 18th century. It is Nįįňą in the Hoocąk language."

23. Actor Vigoda: ABE.

29. __ onion: BERMUDA.

33. Brigham Young's Utah settlement: DESERET. When the Mormons first came to the territory, they named the area The State of Deseret, a reference to the honeybee in The Book of Mormon. This was the official name of the colony from 1849 to 1850. The nickname, "The Deseret State," is in reference to Utah's original name. See here.

34. Corrida cheer: OLE. Corrida = bullfight. (Nice crossing with 30D, Corrida snorter.)

35. Prime-time time: NINE. The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period – for example (in the United States), from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (Eastern and Central Time) or 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Mountain and Pacific Time). In India and other Middle East countries, prime time consists of the programs that are aired on TV between 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. local time.

37. Hardly prudent: RASH.

38. Overseas business abbr.: LTD. The abbreviation "Ltd." stands for "limited," and a company carrying this abbreviation has the same limited liability feature as an LLC. Partners and owners in the company are protected from personal responsibility for debts and lawsuits.

43. UPS Store item: CTN. My best guess is that this is an abbreviation for carton, or container. Anyone?

44. Broadway barber: TODD. Sweeny Todd.

46. Leave rolling in the aisles: SLAY.

47. Summer sign: LEO. Astrological sign.

48. Sets right: ORIENTS.

52. Title role for Gary Cooper and Adam Sandler: MR. DEEDS. The original is a 1936 Frank Capra film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. The remake received poor reviews.

56. Tummy muscles: ABS.

57. Like most customers: PAYING.

59. Opinion pieces: OPEDS.

63. Charter: LEASE. As a verb, reserve (an aircraft, boat, or bus) for private use.

68. Respected figure: ELDER.

69. Document sent online: E-FAX. Interesting distinction, I guess you send an E-FAX from your computer, and a FAX from a fax machine.

70. Hungarian wine region: EGER. The 61D crossing makes this tough for people who don't follow baseball.

71. 7UP and Sprite: SODAS.

72. Comfy hangouts: DENS.

73. Extinct bird: DODO.

Down:

1. Clerical vestments: ALBS.

2. Stunt flier's stunt: LOOP.

3. Not nigh: AFAR.

4. Water under the bridge, maybe: STREAM. Nice.

5. Shoot the breeze: JAW.

6. OPEC member: IRAN.

7. Manicurist or secretary, at times: FILER.

8. Minor document?: FAKE ID. Great clue.

9. Hip-hop tops: DO-RAGS.

10. Seismologist with a scale: RICHTER. Charles Francis Richter; April 26, 1900 – September 30, 1985 was an American seismologist and physicist. Richter is most famous as the creator of the Richter magnitude scale, which, until the development of the moment magnitude scale in 1979, quantified the size of earthquakes.

11. European peak: ALP.

12. Shorten, as hair: CUT.

13. Covert doings: OPS. A shortened version of operations and considered a word by itself. Others in today's puzzle are ABS and OPEDS.

18. Prove false: DEBUNK.

22. 22.5 deg.: NNE.

24. Singer Brickell: EDIE. Married to Paul Simon since 1992.

26. Software giant: ORACLE.

27. Settled in: NESTED.

28. Group with a common culture: ETHNOS.

29. Crooner Michael: BOLTON.

30. Corrida snorter: EL TORO. (Nice crossing of 34D, Corrida cheer.)

31. Social website with "AMA" sessions: REDDIT. Ask Me Anything.

32. "__ takers?": ANY.

36. Grossed-out sounds: EWS.

40. Blight-stricken tree: ELM. Dutch elm disease, widespread fungoid killer of elms and certain other trees, first described in the Netherlands. Spread by bark beetles, the disease has decimated elm populations throughout much of Europe and North America.
The leaves on one or more branches of a stricken tree suddenly wilt, turn dull green to yellow or brown, curl, and may drop early.

 41. "Water for Elephants" novelist Gruen: SARA.

42. Bathroom brand: TY-D-BOL. Tricky if you're not familiar with the brand spelling.

45. Like some diving: DEEP SEA.

49. Cavs and Mavs: NBA-ERS.

50. Cracker Jack bonus: TOY. Collector's items.

51. Dirty: SOILED.

53. Saw: ESPIED.

55. Roast carver: KNIFE.

58. Guy with the FBI: G-MAN. Short for "government man" is an American slang term for agents of the United States Government. It is especially used as a term for an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

60. Waffle made without an iron: EGGO.

61. Batted but didn't field, in MLB lingo: DHED. From the MLB glossary - A designated hitter is a player who bats in place of the pitcher. The pitcher still handles his regular duties when his team is on defense, so the designated hitter does not play in the field.

62. Texas MLBer: STRO. Houston Astro.

63. Guitar great Paul: LES.

64. "Evil Woman" gp.: ELO.

65. Put in: ADD.

67. Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas": EXS. Unexpected spelling, but it's what all the lyrics show.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 Gary Larson

Theme: The Gang's AL there.  Specified places AL contain the letter sequence A-L.  Near as I can tell, that's AL there is to it.

17 A. *Place for an eruption in Hawaii: MAUNA LOA.  This is our beleaguered planet's largest active volcanoe, and among the most active, having erupted 33 times since 1843.  It's summit is about 17 km above its deeply submerged base, which had depressed the ocean floor by 8 km. [source]

19 A. *Place for memorabilia about the 44th President: OBAMA LIBRARY.  On the south side of Chicago in Jackson Park, this is the first Presidential Library to be fully digitized.

54. *Place on "Desperate Housewives": WISTERIA LANE.  This fictional setting is a real street inside Universal Studios, Hollywood.  It has also been used for the original Leave It to Beaver series, Gremlins, The 'Burbs, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

59. *Place for a space cadet: LALA LAND.   Originally, this was - and still is - a term meaning a location for someone out of touch with reality.  Since about 1980 it's also been a disparaging nick-name for Los Angeles, for a variety of reasons. It's also the name of a 2016 movie I never watched that gets 4 1/2 stars from RottonTomatoes

36. Money ... and, in three parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues: WHEREWITHAL.  The ability - usually based on available funding - to accomplish a stated goal.  Here, we have specified locations - real or fictional - providing the WHERE, that also have the letter duo A-L prominently located within. I'm not delighted with the theme, but having each two-word combination split the A-L across the two words adds a touch of elegance.  Alas, this is somewhat offset by having a scatter of vagrant A's, and in once case L's in the theme fill.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here, perhaps being a bit too critical.  You may draw your own conclusions.  Let's AL move on and see what else we can locate.

Across:

1. Big name in wax museums: TUSSAUD.  Anna Maria [Marie] TUSSAUD [1761-1850] learned the art of wax modeling as a child.

8. Surpasses: TRUMPS.  A term derived from card games where one suit is TRUMP and can win a trick irrespective of face value, under stated circumstances.

14. Worldwide law enforcement group: INTERPOL.

16. Eradicate: RUBOUT.  By analogy to a rubber eraser.

18. Supreme Egyptian god: AMEN-RA.  Shhh - no religion.

21. Eight British kings: HENRYS.  Or this.

24. Disney doe: ENA. Bambi's mother-in-law, if we may ascribe such human relationships to forest animals.

25. Middling mark: CEE. In scholastic grading systems.  I would give no higher mark to a spelt-out letter.

26. Cries of pain: OWS.  Often accompanied by other, more colorful, word choices.

27. Lab work: TESTS.

30. Sondheim's "Sweeney __": TODD.  The daemon barber of Fleet Street who first appeared in the Victorian era penny dreadful novel series The String of Pearls.

31. "Robinson Crusoe" novelist: DEFOE.  Daniel DEFOE [1660 - 1731] also wrote several other novels, and was a prolific writer on many other subjects, including politics, which earned him some time in prison.  So - no politics either!

34. Shooting star: METEOR.  A chunk of space detritus that gets heated to a glow by friction as it races through the earth's atmosphere

39. Like some dress shirts: NO IRON.  I wouldn't have any other kind.

40. Digital video files: MPEGS.  An international standard for encoding and compressing video files.

43. Part of P.R.: RICO.  The other part is Puerto.  Together they mean Rich Port.

46. Dix plus dix: VINGT.  Twenty in French.

48. Agua, across the Pyrenees: EAU.  Across from Spain.  More French.  Water they talking about?

49. Smart-whip link: AS A.

50. Saigon New Year: TET.

51. Badger at the comedy club: HECKLE.  Derisive and aggressive interruptions from the audience.

58. Put in a pyramid: ENTOMB.

63. Treeless tract: STEPPE.  A flat, unforested grassland in eastern Europe or Asia.

64. Monty Python member: ERIC IDLE. [b. 1943] A British comedian, actor, author and musician.

65. Like many a salad: TOSSED. Mixed lightly until the ingredients are combined.

66. Record collection?: DATA SET.  Not sound recordings, but rather a listing of recorded data.

Down:

1. Allen of TV's "Last Man Standing": TIM.  [b. 1953]  I was not even aware of this show's existence.  I was astounded to learn that the Home improvement series ended 20 years ago.

2. Spanish "a": UNA.  Or one.

3. Name spelled with an alphabet sequence: STU.

4. Tijuana title: SENOR.  An honorific for a gentleman.

5. Sheikdom of song: ARABY.

6. Batting ninth: UP LAST.  Final batter in a baseball line up.

7. Ruination: DOOM. A grim or calamitous fate.

8. Compact cars?: TRAIN SET.  Presumably HO gauge.

Wikipedia

9. Latin dance: RUMBA.  Or Samba.  Needs perps.

10. Car service app: UBER.  They lost an amazing $5.2 billion in the 3rd quarter.  The vast majority of this was paper losses; but I wonder if their business model is sustainable. Through June and July their stock was trading in the low 40's.  It's now around $27.

11. Mediterranean gambling mecca: MONACO.  Speaking of gambling - this the world's second smallest country, after The Vatican, bordered on 3 sides by France, and with a Mediterranean coast line.  It is also a tax haven.

12. Sounded content: PURRED.  Like a kitten.

13. Hung around: STAYED.

15. A.L. West team, on scoreboards: LAA.  Los Angeles Angels.  They were 72-90 this year.

20. Allowing: LETTING. permitting.

21. Mortar carrier: HOD.  A V-shaped open trough on a pole.  Best keep your balance.

22. Wool coat wearer: EWE.  She said, sheepishly.

23. Brief warning accompanying a link: NSFW.  Not Safe For Work, generally indicating some sort of obscene content.

28. Academic retirees: EMERITI.  From Latin, meaning those who have earned their position in retirement through service.

29. Stitch into place: SEW ON.  Attach with needle and thread.

30. Mouth, in slang: TRAP.  As in, "Shut yer TRAP!"

32. Cry of woe: OH NO.  Alas.

33. Fair-hiring abbr.: EEO.  Equal Employment Opportunity.

35. Omega, to an electrician: OHM.  Resistance measurment.

37. Area between banks: RIVER BED.  The bottom of the river, probably not full of money.

38. Vichyssoise veggie: LEEK.  A plant related to the onion with an elongated cylindrical bulb.  Also the national symbol of Wales.  I have no idea why. Vichyssoise is a creamy potato soup, generally served cold.

41. "Wonder Woman" actress Gadot: GAL. [b 1985] Model, actress, and Miss Israel in 2004.

You too can be a Wonder Woman

42. Seek damages: SUE.  Institute legal proceedings to seek redress.

43. Least refined: RAWEST. Most crude

44. Has a passion for: IS INTO.  Indulges in.

45. Social strata: CASTES.  Classes of society.  The crudest people have no class.

47. Name shared by a Grace and a Muse: THALIA. The goddess [or muse] of comedy and idyllic poetry.  The Three Graces are THALIA,  Aglaea and Euphrosyne, goddesses of order and good conduct.  In either case, the name Thalia indicated flourishing and abundance.

50. Phoenix neighbor: TEMPE.  Cities in Arizona.

52. Put on the books: ENACT.  Make into law.

53. Salsa singer Cruz: CELIA. Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (1925 – 2003) was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century.

55. Surpasses: TOPS.  Does better than.

56. Smithwick's brew: ALE.  An Irish Red Ale brewed in Kilkenny.

57. Fat used in baking: LARD.  Comes from a pig, is free of trans-fats.

60. Free-app interrupters: ADS.  ADvertisments.  Small videos that shill for some product or service that you almost certainly do not need.

61. Div. won by the Braves in 2019: NLE.  National League East.  But after a dismal start, the 2nd place Washington Nationals, whose line up is stacked with aging veterans [notably some former Tigers,] went on to win the World Series

62. City of Lions and Tigers: Abbr.: DETroit.  Speaking of sports - this is the city of perpetual sports disappointment.  These cats have neither teeth nor claws.

That's a sad note to end on, yet here we AL are.  The Kitty City is blanketed with snow, and the temperatures are too small to be worth mentioning.  Stay safe out there peeps.  In the press of other things, I'm taking December off from blogging.  See you all in the new year.

Cool regards,
JzB

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Big Easy, husband of Louisiana Tennis Hall of Famer Diane Simpson. What's the plan today, George?

Wednesday, Nov 6, 2019 Gary Larson

Homonym Swap

17. Financial support at Kitty Hawk?: WRIGHT AID.
43. Siblings sharing a ceremony?: RITE BROTHERS.

Swap Wright and Rite:
   Rite Aid - The drugstore chain.
   Wright Brothers - Wilbur and Orville.

29. Remove italics from text?: RIGHT LETTERS.
59. Contact a fictional pirate?: WRITE HOOK.

Swap Right and Write
  Write letters.
  Right hook. 

How clever was that ?   Swap the homonyms for humorous effect.   Not puns.   Not malaprops.   Not juxtapositions.   What is the word I am looking for ?   Is there one ?   The best term I could come up with was homonym swap.   Does that sound wright rite write right ?   OK, maybe puns of a sort.

Across:

1. Zippo: NADA.    Notta lot you can do with this answer... Perhaps, "You are welcome" (Spanish): de ____,   or "Blue Book Org.":

5. State of irritation: HUFF. 

9. Produce carrier: CRATE.   Liquids carrier: Barrel. 

14. Historic British school: ETON.   For the elite.

15. Plains native: OTOE.

16. Indy participant: RACER. 

19. Skybox setting: ARENA.

20. Up to, casually: 'TIL.   Until

21. Sticky: ADHESIVE.   Adhesive as an adjective rather than as a noun.. 

23. Tie the knot: SAY I DO.  Wed.

25. Runs like mad: DASHES.    Very few trick-or-treaters last Thursday.  Just 16 or so children.   Returned a 250 count bag of snack sized candy bars.  Have just under half of the 90 count bag left.   

33. "All __ Jazz": THAT.    Roy Scheider and Jessica Lange starred.  Bob Fosse directed the semi auto-biographical work.   Dr. Nina wanted Fosse last Friday for the musical revue clue.

35. Zones: AREAs. 

36. "The A-Team" actor: MR T.   Mr. T as Sergeant Bosco Albert "B.A." (Bad Attitude) Baracus. 

37. Bread served with tandoori chicken: NAAN.

38. Met highlights: ARIAs. 

39. Spelling contests: BEEs.

40. Some iTunes downloads, briefly: EPs.  EP in Music

41. Cal. entries: APPTs.   Abbr in the clue. Abbr in the answer.

42. Have an inclination: TEND.

46. "... because you don't want to cross me": OR ELSE.

47. Up-to-the-minute: LATEST.

51. In seventh heaven: ECSTATIC.     Downy Wrinkle and Static Remover spray will make your garments ecstatic.

55. Women's rights activist Nellie: BLY.  Nellie Bly: Rabblerouser and Pioneer in Investigative Journalism

56. Battleship barrage: SALVO.

61. Fuss over feathers: PREEN.

62. Stare at creepily: OGLE.

63. Balm ingredient: ALOE.

64. Change, as a will: AMEND.

65. They're often loaded: SOTs.    WC Fields persona.

66. Continuity problems: GAPs. 

Down:

1. Semiaquatic salamanders: NEWTs.

2. Skylit courts: ATRIA.   And here I thought they were heart chambers.

3. Lacy place mat: DOILY.   Let's check ETSY to see if any are available.  

4. With 58-Down, "Life of Pi" director: ANG. and 58. See 4-Down: LEE.   Ang Lee.  Roger Ebert's Review

5. Ballpark treat: HOT DOG.   Show off.

6. State that celebrates Pioneer Day: UTAH.  July 24th.  New to me.

7. Pâté base: FOIE.   French for liver. 

8. Govt. agents: FEDs.

9. Fancy scarves: CRAVATs.

10. Hardest to come by: RAREST.

11. Whiz: ACE.

12. Notable Downing Street address: TEN.  

13. Important span: ERA.  Or, abbr for Earned Run Average in baseball stats.   I already miss watching and listening to MLB games. 

18. Seen enough: HAD IT.    I'm done.

22. Think tank products: IDEAs.

24. Tehran's land: IRAN.

26. Dudes with fab abs: HE MEN.   Stepping on He Man and Battle Cat in your stocking feet is no pleasure. 

27. Slipped up: ERRED.

28. Fast Atl. crossers, once: SSTs.   Super Sonic Transports.   BOAC and Air France.

30. Horn-honking Marx: HARPO.

31. Country singer Travis: TRITT.   Long haired country boy.   Hard to pick from so many great songs.


32. Chow line?: LEASH.  Loved this clue.

33. Piglike forest dweller: TAPIR.  8 fascinating facts you should know about tapirs

34. Swiftness: HASTE. 

37. Successor to Claudius: NERO.  It's all Roman to me.

38. __-ski: APRES.    After ski.  Perhaps spritzers or Glühwein in the chalet.

39. Second to none: BEST.

41. Hurry off and hide: ABSCOND.

42. Hunt down the source of: TRACE.

44. Gridiron complement: ELEVEN.  Football.   American rules football.   Eleven players on the offensive side of the ball.  Eleven on the defensive side. 

45. High society types: ELITEs.   The A-list.

48. Deadly African virus: EBOLA.

49. Single-master: SLOOP.

50. Small fry: TYKES.   "Fry” may have been derived from the Middle English, Anglo-French frie, which means “to spawn.” Eventually ”frie” became “fry,” the term and denoted offspring, young animals, or members of a group." - Disappearing Idioms .com on "Small fry."

52. What Noah counted by: TWOs.

53. Constellation named for a mythological ship: ARGO.   Now I get it.

More here.

54. List: TILT.   Misdirection.  In this case, list means to lean to one side.    Simple yet effective one-word clue to potentially lead you astray for a moment.

56. Place for a retreat: SPA.

57. Usher's offering: ARM.   Offer your right arm, holding it at 90 degrees, to the eldest woman in the group.  If you aren't sure which one is the eldest, don't ask.

60. Folklore crone: HAG.

Check your answers against this grid:

Note from C.C.:

Here is a picture of little Agnes with her brother Bill on her left and brother Jack on her right. She said they were standing in front of a WWII Memorial. We can't get a clearer picture, but you can still see her cute dress, shoes and flowers.