Wednesday, June 10, 2020 Joe Schewe

Theme: Making the whiskey weak. Let's start with the two-part unifier so we'll know what to look for.

31 D. With the answer below, dilute ... and a hint to the four longest answers: WATER.
59 D. See the answer above: DOWN.
This is, literally, how to dilute.

3 D. Mellophone's orchestral cousin: FRENCH HORN.  Can you tell which is which?  Similarly pitched, I guess.  Not my brass niche, so that's all I have to say.

9 D. Inn for traveling students: YOUTH HOSTEL. A type of short-term low cost accommodation aimed at young people on hiking or bicycling tours.

25 D. Not being forthcoming about: WITH HOLDING. As with information.

33 D. Home on the range: RANCH HOUSE.  The home located on a ranch property - a large area dedicated to raising livestock.

Each of these contains the letters H HO spanning the two word theme fill. HHO = H2O = WATER, in a vertical answer, hence WATER DOWN.  The chemist in me would prefer HOH, but that is just a wet nit.

Hi Gang.  JazzBumpa here.  This theme of hidden chemical symbolism threw me for a while.  Don't feel bad if you couldn't find it.  Now that we can hold our water, let's move forward.

Across:

1. Tip politely: DOFF. As one's hat.

5. Friendship: AMITY. A friendly relationship.

10. Approved: OKED. Gave the OK to.

14. Taj Mahal locale: AGRA.  City in India.

15. Longtime work animal: BURRO. A small donkey used as a pack animal.

16. Michelin product: TIRE. For your car or truck.

17. Competition with runners: MEET.   At the track.

18. It may be bid: ADIEU.  A fond farewell.

19. Target Field MLBer: TWIN.  Will there ever be baseball again?

20. Kind of code: PENAL.  I've seen this in a few puzzles recently.   A code of laws concerning crimes and offenses and their punishment.

22. Tense tennis situation: SET POINT.  Opportunity to win or lose

24. Talons: CLAWS. Bird's feet

27. Leveling wedge: SHIM.  Space filler used to align items, such as cabinets.

28. Rhine whine: ACH.  Clever clue, but I think exclamation would be more accurate than whine.

30. Opinion: VIEW. The way I see it.

32. Mass media magnate: HEARST.  William Randolph [1893 - 1951] was an American publisher and politician.

36. "Harrumph!": BAH. Humbug!

37. Gillette brand: ATRA. Men's facial razor.

38. Showy: ORNATE. Highly decorated.

39. Old Testament prophet: AMOS.  One of the 12 minor prophets. He spoke of justice, economic disparity and divine judgment.

41. Strong aversions: HATES.  Things you can't stand.

43. Clothes closer: SNAP.  Alternative to buttons and zippers.

44. High-ranking angel: SERAPH. A winged celestial beings with a fiery passion for doing God's good work

46. Rebuke from Caesar: ET TU.  And you?  Bummer!

48. Only NFL team without a helmet logo, on scoreboards: CLE.  The Browns.

49. Big shot: HONCHO.  Derived from the Japanese word meaning "leader of the squad," absorbed into English due to the large U.S. military presence in Japan after WWII.

50. Snorkeling site: REEF.  A ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of the sea.

51. Half a bray: HEE.  Other half is HAW

52. Rock's mate?: ROLL.  Type of popular music.

54. Splatter in a puddle: SLOSH.  The sound of a boot stomped in water.

56. Helped remember: REMINDED.

60. Diving action: SWOOP.  Action of a bird with talons.

63. Day when 46-Across was spoken: IDES. Of March

64. Key material: IVORY.  Piano keys.  But not any more.  Today, the keys are made from the same wood at the sound board - usually some variety of spruce, because it is resistant to warping. The keys are then covered with an acrylic coating.

67. Subtle glow: AURA.

68. Essence: GIST.  Core meaning

69. More contemporary: NEWER.  The latest.  Is it the greatest?

70. Bygone despot: TSAR. This is Russian to judgment

71. Night at an inn, e.g.: STAY.  No reason to be HOSTLE

72. Blokes: GENTS. Guys

73. Conducted, as a meeting: HELD. Organized, set the agenda and invited attendees.

Down:

1. Like many a cellar: DAMP.  Containing unwanted moisture.

2. Fancy molding: OGEE.  In the shape of an S curve.

4. Like the most serious error: FATAL.  Ruins the entire project.

5. Lawyer's org.: ABA. American Bar Assn.

6. Wasp nest component: MUD.

7. Pupil's place: IRIS.  The eyes have it.

8. Beech and birch: TREES.

10. Hassock cousins: OTTOMANS. Tuffets.

11. Fuzzy fruit: KIWI.

12. "__ go bragh!": ERIN. Ireland forever.

13. Bad impression: DENT.  As, frex, on your car's fender.

21. Soap brand: LAVA. Contains pumice particles for scouring action.

23. Embarkation location: PIER.  On the waterfront.

26. Antitoxins: SERA. A substance that counteracts a specific toxin.

28. Embarrass: ABASH.

29. Hitchcock film trademark: CAMEO.  A brief, often uncredited and usually silent, appearance by a well known person in a production.

34. Cliched: STALE.  Hackneyed.

35. Home on the range: TEPEE.  Temporary dwelling of Native Americans on the great plains.

40. Room for vestments: SACRISTY.

42. Nice saisons: ETES.   Summers in France.

45. Sound prefix: PHON-.  As in PHONICS or PHONETICS.

47. Alien craft: UFOS.  Fictional interstellar craft.

53. Flood deterrent: LEVEE.  A naturally occurring or artificially constructed ridge along a water course or coast line.

55. Mower's path: SWATH.  The space cut by the motion of a mowing machine.

56. Readies for sailing: RIGS.  Prepares the the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support a sailing ship or sail boat's masts, including shrouds and stays, halyards, braces, sheets and vangs.

57. Cut text, e.g.: EDIT.

58. City near Phoenix: MESA. In AZ.

61. Like some vaccines: ORAL.  As opposed to injected

62. Oater bro: PARD.  Short for Partner.

65. No longer working: Abbr.: RET.  As I have been for 11 1/2 YRS.

66. Mos. and mos.: YRS. Twelve Mos at a time.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you were able to stay dry.

Cool regards!
JzB

Wednesday, June 3, 2020, Robin Stears

Theme: TWICE AS NICE (Stars were accidentally omitted from theme clues)
 

17. "Two Tahitian Women" painter: PAUL GAUGUIN.

23. 1965 Beau Brummels hit with the line "It seemed so funny to me": LAUGH LAUGH.

38. Southern lights: AURORA AUSTRALIS.

51. Reuben ingredient: SAUERKRAUT.

63. 13th/14th-century Mongol Empire region ... and an elemental hint to what's found twice in each answer to a starred clue: GOLDEN HORDE.

The symbol for gold is AU, and each theme answer contains two AU's.

Across:

1. Small earring: STUD. Ears are often pierced using a piercing gun with gold (AU) STUDs.

5. Mercedes line: E CLASS.

11. Magazine with a satirical "fold-in" back cover: MAD. Here's one from 2008.

14. Bear in two constellations: URSA.

15. Bits of dust: SPECKS.

16. Curling surface: ICE. Curling, the sport. Sneaky clue, but with three letters what else could it be?

19. Testing site: LAB.

20. Minute: SMALL. Another sneaky clue.

21. SFO incoming flight: ARR. Air travel - not too much of that these days.

22. Narrow cut: SLIT.

27. Neverland pirate: SMEE. From Peter Pan.

28. Snap, crackle and pop: NOISES. Again with the sneaky clues!

32. CPR expert: EMT.

35. Media org. that tweets the Declaration of Independence on July 4: NPR. I listen every day, but did not know that.

37. Partner of each: EVERY.

43. H.G. Wells genre: SCIFI.

44. Moo __ gai pan: GOO. Chinese dish with chicken and mushrooms.

45. Kin of -kin: LET. This took a little thought. -kin as a suffix, like in munchkin, and -let, as in piglet. They are both diminutives.

46. Yet: THOUGH.

48. Zodiac transition point: CUSP.

55. Adhesive strip: TAPE.

58. Bygone telecom co.: MCI. The end of a telecom icon.

59. Waited in line, say: STOOD. Six feet apart.

62. "Ben-__": HUR.

66. The Nixon years, e.g.: ERA. Don't remember seeing this clue before.

67. Capital west of Krakow: PRAGUE. Capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, the 13th largest city in the European Union and the historical capital of Bohemia.

68. Tiny amt. of time: NSEC. A nanosecond (ns or nsec) is one billionth (10-9) of a second and is a common measurement of read or write access time to random access memory (RAM).

69. "Great news!": YAY.

70. Autumn blooms: ASTERS.

71. Fair: SO-SO.

Down:

1. Enjoys an evening meal: SUPS.

2. Magic Kingdom people mover: TRAM. 

3. Customary: USUAL.

4. "Who Shot J.R.?" show: DALLAS.

5. That, in Tijuana: ESA.

6. Apple core?: CPU. Nice clue.

7. Sanctioned: LEGAL.

8. Honda luxury brand: ACURA.

9. Vail trail: SKI RUN. Colorado.

10. Common ID: SSN. Social Security Number.

11. Pepper grinder: MILL.

12. Berry from South America: ACAI. Everything you need to know.

13. It's outstanding: DEBT. Lol.

18. In a funk: GLUM.

22. Hindu deity known as the Destroyer: SHIVA.

24. Rowlands who won an Emmy for playing Betty Ford: GENA. The Betty Ford Story.

25. Air filter acronym: HEPA. "High Efficiency Particulate Air" or "High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance."

26. Suffix with movie or church: GOER.

29. What some bears do: SELL. A bear is an investor who believes that a particular security, or the broader market is headed downward and may attempt to profit from a decline in stock prices. Bears are typically pessimistic about the state of a given market or underlying economy.

30. Keystone State port: ERIE. Pennsylvania.

31. Part of CNS: Abbr.: SYST. Central Nervous System.

32. Dawn direction: EAST.

33. Greatly: MUCH.

34. Donald Duck's nephews, e.g.: TRIO. Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

36. Throw __: RUG.

39. Beneficial: OF USE.

40. Latvian birthplace of Baryshnikov: RIGA. Wikipedia.

41. Bit of footwear: SOCK.

42. __ de force: TOUR.

47. Indulges: HUMORS.

49. Bachelorette party accessory: SASH. 

50. Deceptions: PUT ONS.

52. Razzle-dazzle: ECLAT. Brilliant display or effect.

53. Blue __ Mountains: RIDGE.

54. Trunk: TORSO.

55. "So __ say": THEY.

56. Ambience: AURA.

57. Use rosary beads, say: PRAY.

60. Poetic tributes: ODES.

61. Geometric art style: DECO.

63. Transcript fig.: GPA. Grade Point Average.

64. Prefix with Asian: EUR.

65. Wii forerunner, briefly: NES.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020, Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: HAVE A FLING

17. Give up: CHUCK IT IN.

24. Block the sun: CAST SHADOWS.

40. Frighten: THROW A SCARE INTO.

52. Attack verbally, with "at": HURL INSULTS.

66. Lose control: PITCH A FIT.

Hi all, Melissa here. Theme is self-explanatory, easily gotten after any two of the five theme answers filled in. Love the grid-spanner in the middle.

Across:

1. Choice words?: AND OR.

6. Bugs on the road: VWS. Volkswagen eClassics Debuts an Electric VW Bus, But Not For US.

9. "Take me __": AS I AM.

14. Supported: BORNE.

15. Relative of Downy and Tide: ERA.

16. Like San Francisco summer weather, often: FOGGY. I remember one very hot day in San Jose, when my sister-in-law asked where was the coolest place in the bay area. Her husband's answer was Candlestick Park (former home of the SF Giants), and they went to a Giant's game that day to cool off.

19. Delicate bridal netting: TULLE.

20. "Very well": SO BE IT.

21. Irish __: SEA. Not pub.

23. Jordanian queen who is also a humanitarian activist: NOOR. The widow of King Hussein, she was his fourth spouse and Queen Consort between their marriage in 1978 and his death in 1999.

27. Restraining device: SHACKLE.

31. Brewpub unit: TAP. Not mug.

32. "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse" speaker: IAGO. Shakespeare's Othello.

33. WWII battle site, for short: IWO. Famous image from the Battle of Iwo Jima.

35. Pub perch: STOOL.

44. Japanese mushroom: ENOKI.

45. __TV: reality channel: TRU.

46. Bat mitzvah, e.g.: RITE. Bat mitzvah is a Jewish coming of age ritual for girls. Bar mitzvah is for boys.

47. Tallahassee sch.: FSU. Florida State University.

50. See 22-Down: I SEE NOW.

57. __ Day VitaCraves: ONE A. When I saw the name of this, I assumed it was vitamins for pets. Nope. Gummy-vitamins for varied consumers (women, men, teens, adults, and immunity support).

58. Filming site: LOT. When my daughter and I took the Gilmore Girls-themed Warner Brothers tour, I discovered that The Waltons filmed on the same lot, and recognized some of the exteriors from both.

59. Cornell University city: ITHACA. New York.

64. Not be straight with: LIE TO. Those two-word answers are tricky.

68. Delaware capital: DOVER.

69. Green prefix: ECO.

70. Disney princess from Avalor: ELENA.

71. McCarthy's dummy friend: SNERD. Mortimer Snerd was the secondary dummy of Edgar Bergen, after Charlie McCarthy.

72. Anti vote: NAY.

73. Worked on a galley, perhaps: ROWED. A galley is a type of ship propelled mainly by rowing.

Down:

1. Basics: ABCS.

2. NYC neighborhood: NOHO. North of Houston Street, as opposed to Soho, which is South of Houston Street.

3. Trounce: DRUB. I've heard trounce, but not DRUB.

4. Some time ago: ONCE.

5. Football do-over: RE-KICK.

6. Pet doc: VET.

7. Apple Watch spot: WRIST.

8. Most rational: SANEST.

9. Toward the tiller: AFT. Aft - at, near, or toward the stern (rearmost) of a ship. The tiller is the lever used to steer the ship.

10. Squeak or creak: SOUND.

11. Digs in the snow: IGLOO. Nice misdirection - digs as noun, not verb.

12. Lit: AGLOW.

13. "Wayne's World" co-star: MYERS. Party on!

18. Home of Roma: ITALIA.

22. "I get it!": AHA.

25. Works with thread: SEWS.

26. Abbey area: APSE.

27. Construction area: SITE.

28. See 38-Down: HAHN.

29. Business opening: AGRO.

30. Work in a galley, perhaps: COOK. One word short of a clecho. In this instance, the galley is the kitchen of a ship.

34. Scorpio mo.: OCT.

36. Fade: TIRE.

37. "Come __!": ON IN.

38. With 28-Down, German nuclear fission pioneer: OTTO.

39. MGM mogul Marcus: LOEW. Wikipedia.

41. In-flight amenity: WIFI. Anyone flying these days?

42. Seed pod: ARIL.

43. Like much beach cottage decor: RUSTIC.

48. "... from New York!" show, briefly: SNL. Saturday Night Live. Like other late-night shows, broadcast without a live audience these days.

49. Annual Queens sports event: US OPEN. Tennis.

51. Bible book named for a woman: ESTHER.

52. Wrestling moves: HOLDS. Growing up, my brother used to practice new wrestling holds on me. I was never a fan of wrestling after that.

53. Labor group: UNION.

54. Kent player in film: REEVE. Clark Kent, played by Christopher Reeve, in Superman.

55. "Gotta run!": LATER.

56. Seat of New York's Oneida County: UTICA.

60. Angelic ring: HALO.

61. Not very many: A FEW. "I'm not gonna have 'em all now, I"m just gonna have a few ..."

62. French movie: CINE.

63. Not very much: A TAD.

65. O'Hare, on tix: ORD.

67. First car, for many: TOY.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Jesse Goldberg

Theme: Vivisection.  Various body parts are unpleasantly severed, figuratively speaking.  Have a look, if you're not too squeamish.

17. Give 110% effort: WORK ONE'S BUTT OFF.  No matter how hard I've worked, my BUTT has always still been there.  I cry foul!

27. Be excessively verbose: TALK ONE'S EAR OFF.  Do your ears ever get tired?  Have they fallen off?

49. Mourn at length: CRY ONE'S EYES OUT. When the tears flow, to no end, taking the eyeballs with them.

63. Worry to an extreme degree: PULL ONE'S HAIR OUT.  To look at me, one might think I've been doing this. But, no - it's just old age.

Hi gang, it's the tattered remains of JazzBumpa here.  Let's see if we can get through this puzzle without further abuse. 

Looks like this is Jesse Goldberg's premier appearance in the L.A. Times.  Nice job, Jesse, and congrats.  Hope to see more of your work in the future.

Across:

1. __ Springs: PALM.  Palm Springs, a city in the Sonoran Desert of southern California, is known for its hot springs, stylish hotels, golf courses and spas.

5. Word with base or boot: CAMP.  A base CAMP is a main encampment providing supplies, shelter, and communications for persons engaged in wide-ranging activities, as exploring, reconnaissance, hunting, or mountain climbing.  A boot CAMP is a military training camp for new recruits, with strict discipline.

9. National Poetry Month: APRIL.  Also the cruelest month, according to a poem.

14. Six-time MLB All-Star Moisés: ALOU.   Moisés Rojas Alou Beltre [b1966] is an outfielder who played for several teams in the major leagues over 17 years with a .303 batting average.

15. Curved molding: OGEE.

16. Water under the Pont de Normandie: SEINE.  French river.

20. Publicity photos from movies: STILLS.  Stationary shots extracted from a movie scene.

21. Swedish pop quartet: ABBA.  I can't get away from them.

22. Day care charge: TOT.  Young child

23. Illegal freeway maneuvers, for short: UIES.  A 180 degree arc to reverse course.  Sadly, the spelling is nonstandard and arbitrary, so perps are always needed.

25. Meat cut: LOIN.  The part of the body on either side of the vertebrae adjacent to the hip bones.

33. Santa __ winds: ANA. These are strong, extremely dry downslope winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure air masses in the Great Basin.  One theory is that they are named for the Santa ANA canyon.

34. Brood: STEW.  Worry, not necessarily with hair tearing.

35. Wild child: TERROR. Little trouble maker.

37. Syndrome after a life-threatening experience, briefly: PTSD.  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

39. Title for tennis great Andy Murray: SIR. [b 1987] He is a British professional tennis player from Scotland. Murray represents Great Britain in his sporting activities and is a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner, two-time Olympic champion, Davis Cup champion, winner of the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals, and former world No. 1.

41. Selfish shout: MINE.

42. __ Club: conservation group: SIERRA.  An environmental organization founded in 1892 by John Muir.

45. Carpet type: SHAG.  Carpet with a deep pile, giving it a shaggy appearance.

48. QB stats: TDS.  TouchDowns.

52. Unlikely, as a chance: SLIM.  Curiously, FAT chance means the same thing.

53. Carrie-__ Moss of "Jessica Jones": ANNE.  She [b1967] is a Canadian actress who has also appeared in several movies.

54. Dedicated poem: ODE.

57. "Livin' la Vida __": LOCA. The crazy life.

59. Herbal cough drop brand: RICOLA.  From Switzerland.

66. Falcon's claw: TALON. Raptors are TALONted.

67. Boris Johnson's alma mater: ETON.  British School, 4 letters - you know what to do.

68. "The Snowy Day" Caldecott winner __ Jack Keats: EZRA.

Buy it Here

69. Tons: SLEWS.  A whole bunch. Cf 2D

70. Ran out of juice: DIED.  As a battery, or battery powered device.

71. Ready to drive: TEED. Ready to play a hole of golf, or a whole bunch of golf.


Down:

1. Cats play with them: PAWS.  They don't have hands.

2. Loads: A LOT.  Tons.  A bunch.  Mucho.  Cf 69 A.

3. Greiner of "Shark Tank": LORI.  [b 1969] An American entrepreneur, television personality, and inventor.

4. Arctic footwear: MUKLUK.  A high, soft boot that is worn in the American Arctic and is traditionally made from sealskin.

5. Agree: CONSENT.  Go along with.

6. It's just a number, so they say: AGE.  Don't let your age be a boundary or a limitation.

7. Elevated landform: MESA.  Table-land: an isolated flat topped hill with steep sides.

8. Little rock: PEBBLE.  A small, rounded stone, especially one worn smooth by water action.

9. Rogers' partner: ASTAIRE.  Ginger and Fred. They were pretty good.

10. Favorite: PET.

11. Hilarious one: RIOT.

12. The 411: INFO.  From the telephone number for directory assistance n the U.S. and Canada.

13. Took off: LEFT.  That's right.

18. Hodgepodges: OLIOS.  Confused mixtures.

19. WWII sea threat: U-BOAT.  Undersea boat: submarine.

24. Views: SEES.  Observes.

26. Typical behavior: NORM.  The usual.

27. Brewpub array: TAPS.  Devices for controlling the flow of liquids.

28. Bit of foolishness: ANTIC.  A grotesque, fantastic, or ludicrous gesture, act, or posture.

29. Surgical tool: LASER. A high energy light beam that vaporizes soft tissue with high water content.

30. Havarti alternative: SWISS.  Types of cheese.  Havarti is Danish.  My favorite Swiss cheese comes from Norway.

31. Corn chip: FRITO.  Brand name

32. Ballet bend that sounds like a cheese dish: FONDU.  After this demonstration, you can have fun doing it.

36. Enjoy an easy chair: REST.

38. Prohibitionists: DRYS.  Those opposed to the consumption of alcohol.

40. Ostrich relative: RHEA. Distant cousins from distant continents.

43. Deodorant choices: ROLL ONS.

44. Negative particle: ANION.  An atom or molecule with an extra electron.

46. "Atlas Shrugged" novelist: AYN RAND.

47. Bottled spirits: GENII.  Spirits of Arabian folklore, as traditionally depicted imprisoned within a bottle or oil lamp, and capable of granting wishes when summoned.

Would the drys object?

50. Hosted: EMCEED.  To have been the Master of Ceremonies.

51. Like passwords, ideally: SECRET.  Not known or seen by others.

54. Declines, with "out": OPTS.  To OPT is to make a choice.

55. Twofold: DUAL. Having two parts or aspects.

56. Fashion magazine since 1945: ELLE.  Founded n Paris.  The name is a French female pronoun.

58. Italian wine region: ASTI.  A provence in Piedmont, northern Italy.

60. Move like a blob: OOZE.  Slowly seep.

61. Bait: LURE.  Enticement.

62. Somewhat: A TAD.

64. Close to the ground: LOW.

65. Manual weed whacker: HOE.  A long-handled gardening tool with a thin metal blade, used mainly for weeding and breaking up soil.

OK.  We had some fun and survived with our remaining body parts intact.  Hope the rest of your Wednesday is enjoyable and harmless.  Stay home.  Stay safe.  Wash your hands.

Cool regards!
JzB

Wednesday, May 13, 2020, Roland Huget

Theme: The Woods Are Calling

John Muir's quote was actually, "The mountains are calling, and I must go." What Muir really meant. Such a consistent theme here, with the first two, and last three letters of each spelling out a type of wood (or tree), and the 'filler' in between - thus WOOD FILLER. Awesome.

17. *Specialized baking surface: PIZZA STONE.

23. *Unwelcome sci-fi visitor: ALIEN INVADER.

34. *Pair with a license, often: MARRIED COUPLE.

47. *Location method requiring a sorted list: BINARY SEARCH.

55. Carpenter's compound, or what's found between each of four pairs of circled letters: WOOD FILLER.

Across:

1. Signs of healing: SCABS.

6. Like many summer drinks: ICED.

10. Pipe smoker's gadget: TAMP. Verb, not noun here.

14. Vinyl hit, usually: OLDIE. Vinyl has made a comeback and is pretty popular again.

15. Complimentary: FREE.

16. "I have an __": IDEA.

19. Reason for a cake, briefly: BDAY.

20. Flower bed tool: HOE.

21. Yet, poetically: THO.

22. What a person eats: DIET. Or more typically, what a person doesn't eat.

28. Spelunking spot: CAVERN.

30. Rescue copter: MEDEVAC.

31. Classical theaters: ODEA. From dictionary.com: a hall, theater, or other structure for musical or dramatic performances.

32. Paddle cousin: OAR.

33. One-time connector: ATA.

39. Diamond throw: PEG.

40. Kind of tale or fate: SAD.

41. Sweet companion?: SOUR.

42. Cheese on a cracker: CHEDDAR.

45. Lets go: LOOSES.

49. Frozen dessert chain: TCBY. The Country's Best Yogurt, a chain of frozen yogurt stores.

50. Common email attachment: PDF. Portable Document Format.

51. Wall St. specialist: ARB. Definitely not my area - anyone else know this? "The practice of simultaneously purchasing and selling securities in two separate financial markets in order to profit from price differences between them. For example, an arbitrageur would buy a security at one price on the London Stock Exchange and sell the same security at a higher price on the New York Stock Exchange. "Arbs" also get busy in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), mostly by shorting the stock of companies making an acquisition and simultaneously buying shares in the takeover target."

54. "Now hear __!": THIS.

59. Words with movie or show: SEE A. We're all doing this at home now. My local art theater is hosting viewing online in their virtual cinema, calling it "Distance and Chill."

60. Quattro maker: AUDI.

61. "Au contraire": NOT SO. French.

62. Formerly, quaintly: ERST.

63. Genealogy chart: TREE. Nice bonus word.

64. Laundry challenges: SPOTS.

Down:

1. Junior-to-be: SOPH.

2. Award coveted on "Mad Men": CLIO.

3. Shaping tool: ADZE.

4. Industry, informally: BIZ.

5. Poseidon's realm: SEA.

6. Programming decision construct: IF THEN.

7. Sing like Bing: CROON.

8. Yet, poetically: EEN.

9. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" duettist Kiki: DEE.

10. Shinbones: TIBIAE. Tricky plural spelling.

11. What extra cost hopefully brings: ADDED VALUE. Not always so.

12. Ones enjoying a rare meal?: MEAT EATERS. Rare meal ... nice.

13. Fork over: PAY. Coming right after the clue above, I was thinking meat.

18. Hoosegow: STIR. Hoosegow is slang for jail - or also for being drunk and disorderly.

22. Movie format: DVD.

23. Say confidently: AVER.

24. Kind of jet: LEAR.

25. It's Intel-based since 2006: IMAC.

26. Lyre-playing emperor: NERO.

27. Early TV brand: RCA.

28. Inviting, as a look: COME HITHER. Lauren Bacall ...

29. Commercial writers: AD AGENCIES.

32. Unmatched: ODD.

35. Words to an old chap: I SAY.

36. All __: listening closely: EARS.

37. Biennial games org.: USOC. United States Olympic Committee.

38. Luxurious: POSH.

39. Banned chem. contaminant: PCB.

43. Pats gently: DABS AT.

44. Martini order: DRY.

45. Scottish boy: LADDIE.

46. "Carmina Burana" composer: ORFF. The Lasting Appeal of Orff's Carmina Burana.

48. Lyrical work: EPODE. A form of lyric poem written in couplets, in which a long line is followed by a shorter one.

51. Kind of sax: ALTO. 8 Famous Saxophone Mucisians You Should Know. Here's one.

52. Take five: REST.

53. Good buds: BROS.

54. Half a fly: TSE.

55. Angkor __: Cambodian temple: WAT.

56. Plural possessive: OUR.

57. Connections: INS.

58. Cut (off): LOP. Ow.