Tuesday October 8, 2024 Shannon Rapp and Will Eisenberg

Out and Out.  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase Out and Out probably originated in Middle English sometime between 1150 and 1500.  Yeah, that's a pretty big spread of time.  The further alleges that its earliest evidence of the phrase, however, is from about 1300.  Go figure.  At any rate, the word OUT can follow each of the two words in the theme answers to give us a new concept.

17-Across. *  Martial arts achievement: BLACK BELT.  Black Out / Belt Out  A Black Out may either be a temporary loss of consciousness or a power outage.  Belt Out means to sing a song loudly and forcefully.

Black Out

23-Across. *  Target range in sports betting: POINT SPREAD.   Point Out / Spread Out.  To Point Out is to direct someone's attention toward, especially by extending one's finger.  Spread Out is to move items apart from each other, or to place over a large area.  I spread out all my papers whenever I am working at my desk.

35-Across. *  Toolmaking period when bronze was replaced with steel: IRON AGE.  Iron Out / Age Out.  To Iron Out is to resolve or settle differences.  To Age Out is to reach an age where an individual is no longer part of a particular group or situation and must leave it.  For example, a child may age out of foster care.

49-Across. *  Simple drawing of a person: STICK FIGURE.  Stick Out / Figure Out.  To Stick Out is to be noticable.  To attend a fancy gala wearing torn jeans will make you stick out.  To Figure Out is to solve a problem.

And the unifier:

58-Across. Complete, or what can follow both parts of the answers to the starred clues: OUT AND OUT.  Vocabulary.com defines Out-and-Out as "absolute" or "complete," often in a bad way.   For example:  What you just told me is an Out and Out lie.

Across:

1. Young fellow: LAD.

4. Did plenty of nothing: IDLED.

9. Firepit remains: ASHES.

14. "__ we good?": ARE.

15. Habitats threatened by coral bleaching: REEFS.  Everything you wanted to know about Coral Bleaching.  Did you know that most of the world's species of coral can be found in Australia's Great Barrier Reef?

16. Large tree branch: BOUGH.  This is a word found in a common childhood lullaby.

Rock a bye baby, on the tree top,

When the wind blows the cradle will rock.

When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,

And down will come baby, cradle and all.

19. Burn a bit: SINGE.

20. TV room fixture: SOFA.

21. Sheep sound: BAA.

22. Increased rapidly: SURGED.

26. Tuskegee __: WWII aviators: AIRMEN.  The Tuskegee Airmen was a group of African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II.  They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces.

28. Everything pizza, no anchovies, e.g.: ORDER.

29. Ushered through the door: LED IN.

30. Japanese sash that might be tied in tateya musubi style: OBI.  The style of the knot in the obi has symbolic meaning.

31. __ opera: SOAP.  A soap opera, or daytime drama, is typically a long-running television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality.  The term "soap opera" originated in the 1930s from radio dramas that were originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers.

34. Dollop: GOB.

39. Clickable link: URL.  The Uniform Resource Locator has become a crossword staple.

40. Freshly: ANEW.

42. __ de la Cité: Notre-Dame home: ÎLE.  The Île de la Cité is one of two natural islands in the Seine, in central Paris.  In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of the area governor for the Roman Empire. In 508, Clovis I, the first King of the Franks, established his palace on the island.  Construction of the Notre-Dame Cathedral began in 1163.  Sadly, in April 2019, a fire destroyed much of the Cathedral.  It has undergone massive reconstruction and is anticipated to reopen this December.

43. Not quite right: WONKY.

45. "Creed" actress Thompson: TESSA.  I am not familiar with Tessa Thompson (née Tessa Lynne Thompson; b. Oct 3, 1983).  Apparently, she began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company.  Perhaps our friend Keith knew of her.   She celebrated her 41st birthday just last week.  [Name # 1.]

47. Atonement: AMENDS.

51. Red Icee flavor: CHERRY.

52. D.C. baseballer: NAT.  As in the Washington Nationals.

53. Shows understanding: NODS.

57. Pushy crowd: HORDE.

60. Sub-par performance?: EAGLE.  A golfing reference.  Not as in a poor performance, but rather a score of two strokes under par on a hole.  It's a significant accomplishment that demonstrates a golfer's skill and strategic thinking.

61. Controls one's food intake: DIETS.

62. San Diego __ Safari Park: ZOO.

63. Boxer Patterson: FLOYD.  Floyd Patterson (Jan. 4, 1935 ~ May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972.  At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in history to win the title of world heavyweight champion.  He was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after losing it.  [Name # 2.]

64. On the briny: AT SEA.

65. Clairvoyant's claim: ESP.  As in ExtraSensory Perception.

Down:

1. Hands-on classes: LABS.

2. "Collapsed in Sunbeams" singer-songwriter Parks: ARLO.  Arlo Parks (née Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, b. Aug. 9, 2000), is an English singer and songwriter.  Collapsed in Sunbeams was her debut album.  [Name # 3.]

3. Like one who might communicate in ASL or BSL: DEAF.  As in American Sign Language and British Sign Language.  Two countries separated by a language.  What's the difference, you ask.  ASL focuses more on facial expressions, while BSL relies more on hand and body movements.

4. Vex: IRK.

5. "Little" name in snack cakes: DEBBIE.  The history of the Little Debbie snack cakes.  [Name adjacent.]

6. Country singer Womack: LEE ANN.  Lee Ann Womack (b. Aug. 19, 1966) is primarily a country singer, but some of her songs have crossed over to the pop music hits.  [Name # 4.]

7. Note in the C minor scale: E FLAT.

8. "Spring forward" hrs.: DST.  As in Daylight Saving Time.

9. Wildly impractical: ABSURD.

10. Swanky evening dos: SOIRÉES.  Today's French lesson.  A Soirée is just another way of saying a fancy evening affair.

11. Lingered: HUNG AROUND.

12. Goaded, with "on": EGGED.

13. Leave behind: SHED.

18. Blue Grotto island: CAPRI.  The Blue Grotto is a sea cave on the coast of the island of Capri, southern Italy. Sunlight shining through an underwater cavity is reflected back upward through the seawater below the cavern, giving the water a blue glow that illuminates the cavern.

22. Rosemary piece: SPRIG.  I grow Rosemary in my garden.

24. Prefix meaning "all": OMNI-.  As in Omnipresent, which means everywhere.

25. Udon alternative: SOBA.  Both Soba and Udon are Japanese noodles, but are made of different flours.

26. Ages and ages: AEON.  Eon is the American version, while Aeon is the British version.

27. "That's my cue to leave": I'D BETTER GO.

29. Queens airport code: LGA.  As in LaGuardia Airport.  It's the airport I generally use when I have to go into NYC.  The airport was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939.  The airport underwent a number of name changes.  When it opened, it was known as the New York Air Terminal.  Then, it became known as Glenn H Curtiss Airport.  A few years later, it became known as North Beach Airport.  In 1939, New York City took control of the airport and it became know as the New York Municipal Airport-LaGuardia Field.  Finally, in 1953, the airport was renamed La Guardia in honor of former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia (Dec. 11, 1882 ~ Sept. 20, 1947).

30. Dollar bill: ONE.

32. Torah chests: ARKs.

Torah Ark in the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam.

33. Tissue layer: PLY.

36. Potentially disastrous: RISKY.

37. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF.  Frozen is a Disney animated movie that is based on the fairy tale The Snow Queen.  [Name # 5, fictional.]

38. Washbasin jug: EWER.

41. In an odd way: WEIRDLY.

44. Upturned: ONEND.

46. Bitter rant: SCREED.  A Screed is a long speech or piece of writing, typically one regarded as tedious.

47. Stripy marbles: AGATES.  This word appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

48. Have a life-changing experience?: MUTATE.

49. Mussel habitat: SHOAL.  We had Shoal in a recent Tuesday puzzle.  The Isles of Shoals are a group of Islands between Maine and New Hampshire.

50. Nunatsiavut people: INUIT.  The Nunatsiavummiut are the people of Nunatsiavut, an autonomous region in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

51. Culinary institute grad: CHEF.

54. Move like slime: OOZE.

55. Pairs: DUOs.

56. "Enough!": STOP!

58. Tennis champion Tokito: ODA.  I do not follow tennis, so was not familiar with Tokito Oda (b. May 8, 2006).  He is a Japanese professional wheelchair tennis player.  He has won four major singles titles. In 2023, he won the French Open, becoming the youngest man to win a major tennis tournament. [Name # 6.]

59. Govt. intel org.: NSA.  As in the National Security Agency.

And the Grid:

חתולה

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 83nd birthday to dear Jayce! Can't tell you what a comfort to read his comments all these years. Shēnɡrì Kuàilè, J!

Jayce and his wife on their wedding day

Wednesday August 21, 2024 Brian Callahan and Will Eisenberg

 

Theme: Confused Dog Days of August.   The circled letters in each theme fill are a jumble of a type of terrier dog.  

Fortunately, not like this.

18 A. *Skeptical response to an ultimatum: OR ELSE WHAT.  Wadda ya gonna do about it?   The mixed up dog here is a WELSH terrier.

24 A. *Swashbuckling feline voiced by Antonio Banderas: PUSS IN BOOTS.  The original story is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master.  Now, this cat has gone to the dogs.  Or at least to a BOSTON terrier.

50 A. *Common side with chiles rellenos: SPANISH RICE.  A Mexican side dish made from white rice, tomato, garlic, onion, and perhaps other ingredients.   Under the table, hoping for scraps, is an IRISH terrier.

39 A. *"Absitively posolutely!": HECKYES.  Slangy and jumbled, but enthusiastic agreement.  And who could say no to a SKYE terrier?

And the unifier -- 59 A. Hybrid dog breed, literal examples of which can be found in the answers to the starred clues: TERRIER MIX.  A terrier mix is a dog that is a combination of a terrier-type dog and another breed. They can vary in size, color, and personality, and can make good companions for many lifestyles.  What kind of dogged determination did it take to find the fill for this puzzle?

Hi, Gang.  JazzBumpa here to walk us through this doggone fine puzzle, and not bark up any wrong trees along the way.  Nothing arf-way about it.  I've never had a dog, but every family in our next generation has has had a parade of them over the decades - mostly rescues.

Across:

1. Forecaster's tool?: ESP.  Extra Sensory Perception - a paranormal ability to perceive information outside of the five senses, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, or precognition.  Here, this is not a weather forecaster, as you might suspect, but somebody predicting the future

4. Sow's opposite: REAP.   Planting and harvesting.

8. Forecaster's tool: RADAR.  This clecho does refer to the weather.

13. Wong of "Beef": ALI.  Alexandra Dawn "Ali" Wong [b. 1982] is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer and director. She is best known for her Netflix stand-up specials Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife, and Don Wong.

14. Seal predator: ORCA.  The orca, or killer whale, is a toothed whale that is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus. Orcas are recognizable by their black-and-white patterned body.  They are the only predator feared by the great white shark.  All they want from the shark is it's liver.   

15. Lady Liberty's land, familiarly: US OF A.  United States of America.

16. Bay Area industry: TECH.   Computers, chips, software, and related items.

20. Unwilling to be swayed from: SET ON.  Bound and determined, as my mother used to say.

22. Driver's "Star Wars" role: REN.   The son of Han Solo and Princess Leia, Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, is a dark warrior strong with the Force. He commands First Order missions with a temper as fiery as his unconventional lightsaber. As a leader of the First Order and a student of Supreme Leader Snoke, he seeks to destroy the New Republic, the Resistance and the legacy of the Jedi.  If anyone is interested, here is my review of a movie he was in.

23. "Were your __ burning?": EARS.  'Cuz I was dissing you to your friends.

28. Retired Bing assistant: CORTANA.  Not Mr. Crosby's former butler, Cortana was a virtual assistant developed by Microsoft that used the Bing search engine to perform tasks such as setting reminders and answering questions for users. 

29. Shout to a diva: BRAVA.  A shout of approval, the female equivalent of "bravo."

32. Days before: EVES.  Especially of holidays or important events.

33. Vocal quality after a long speech, perhaps: RASP.   A rough, unpleasant sound due to vocal irritation.
  
36. Giving a good look: EYING.  Looking at or watching closely or with interest.  Ogling, perhaps.

38. Flanders who lives on Evergreen Terrace: NED.   Homer Simpson's neighbor.

41. Change one's tone?: DYE.  Tone here meaning color, as of hair or clothing.  Clever.

42. Innate characteristic: TRAIT.  A distinguishing quality or genetically determined characteristic.

44. Role: PART.   As in a stage or screen performance.

45. Nintendo rival: SEGA.   Video game consoles.

46. Electronic instrument, for short: SYNTHesizer -- An electronic machine for producing different sounds. Synthesizers are used as musical instruments, especially for copying the sounds of other instruments, and for copying speech sounds..

48. National Park vacation package, perhaps: ECOTOUR.  Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education

53. Burn treatment: ALOE.  Ointment made from the juice of Aloe vera -- a succulent plant species of the genus Aloe. It is widely distributed, and is considered an invasive species in many world regions. An evergreen perennial, it originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but also grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world

56. Bushwacker liquor: RUM.   This does not refer to woodsmen skilled at surviving in the wilderness, nor to confederate guerrillas.  Instead, the bushwhacker is a complex cocktail with several and varied ingrediants, which might or might not include rum.

57. Skyscraper abundance: GLASS.    Because they often have a cladding system that covers the building's exterior by combining large windows and opaque panels to create the look of an uninterrupted glass surface. 

63. "Frozen" sister: ELSA.   When their kingdom becomes trapped in perpetual winter, fearless Anna (Kristen Bell) joins forces with mountaineer Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his reindeer sidekick to find Anna's sister, Snow Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), and break her icy spell.   One might argue which of these female siblings is the main character and which is the "sister."

64. Runs into: MEETS.  This refers to a chance encounter, rather than a planned meeting or a collision.

65. Click a floppy disk icon: SAVE.  The act of preserving data at a storage location, such the hard drive or a portable device.

66. Stocking stuffer?: LEG.  Usually this phrase refers to Christmas presents stuck in a decorated cloth tube hanging from the mantle.  But here it's a body part put into an article of clothing.

67. Tiny bit: SKOSH.   The word skosh comes from the Japanese word sukoshi, which is pronounced "skoh shee" and means "a tiny bit" or "a small amount." The Japanese word was shortened by U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan after World War II. 

68. "Grand" ice cream: EDYS.  A brand of ice cream from the American company Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Inc., which was founded in 1928 by William Dreyer and Joseph Edy. The brand is named after its founders and is sold in the Eastern and Midwestern United States under the Edy's name, and in the Western United States and Texas under the Dreyer's name.

69. U.S. ID issuer: SSA.  Social Security Administration.

Down:

1. Puts away: EATS.   Downs, ingests, devours.

2. Some tween parties: SLEEPOVERS.  An event involving an overnight stay at another's house.  

3. When school is full of posers?: PICTURE DAY.  The day when school pictures are taken.  Of course, the students all pose.  Clever.

4. Aussie hopper: ROO.  A kangaroo.   

Hop over here to learn more

5. Go astray: ERR.   Goof up.  In the New Testament the Greek word for sin is a term from archery that means "missing the mark."

6. Biting: ACERB.  Dry, sour or bitter.  I always want an -ic at the end.

7. Diet that avoids processed foods: PALEO.   An eating plan based on foods humans might have eaten during the Paleolithic Era. The Paleolithic Era dates from around 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. A modern paleo diet includes fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds.

8. Regret: RUE.   Bitterly regret what one had done.   Did the apprentice chef rue spoiling the roux?   

9. In a manner of speaking: AS WE SAY.  In a manner of speaking.

10. City whose name comes from the Arabic for "roundness": DOHA.   Doha is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the country's population.   It does have a sort of semi-circular layout.

11. Nowhere near: AFAR.  At a distance.

12. "Dagnabbit!": RATS.  Oh, phooey!

17. Slews: HOSTS.  Large quantities.

19. Craft beer aficionado, perhaps: SNOB.  A person who believes that their tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people.  I, for one, prefer Bell's Oberon to Budweiser.

21. Unit with a classified no. of employees: NSA.   The National Security Agency/Central Security Service, a US Department of Defense agency that is part of the US Intelligence Community. The NSA's mission is to protect US national security systems and information by collecting, processing, and sharing foreign electronic signals intelligence. They also work to prevent foreign adversaries from accessing classified national security information. 

25. Memo header: IN RE.   In re is a Latin phrase meaning “in the matter of.” The term “In re” is used in legal documents to refer to a case, particularly a case without an opposing party. 

26. Image Awards gp.: NAACP.  NAACP stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It is the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States, founded in 1909 by Black and white activists in New York City. The NAACP was created in response to the violence against Black Americans at the time.

27. Very, in Vichy: TRES.  

28. Minor change?: CENT.  Ha, ha.  One penny, rather than some slight modification.

30. What Zoomers are up to these days?: VIDEO CALLS.   Zoom is a proprietary videotelephony software program developed by Zoom Video Communications. The free plan allows up to 100 concurrent participants, with a 40-minute time restriction. 

31. "Who thinks they know the answer?": ANY GUESSES.  I had a few solving this puzzle.

34. Reel Big Fish genre: SKA.   A music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat. Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album Turn the Radio Off.

35. Funeral piles: PYRES.   Heaps of wood for burning a dead body.

37. Camper's bagful: GEAR.   Equipment that is used for a particular purpose.

39. Address letters: HTTP.   For web addresses

40. __ A Sketch: ETCH.  A mechanical drawing toy operated by two knobs moving an enclosed stylus horizontally and vertically.  It always amazed me when someone could actuallly draw something with one.

43. Some orthotic devices: INSERTS.  Custom-made, removable, prescription medical devices that are worn inside shoes to help relieve pain and correct foot problems.   Not all shoe inserts are orthotics.

45. Subway spinner: STILE.  Short for turnstile, a post having arms which turn around that is set in an entrance or exit so that persons can pass through only on foot one by one.

47. Fabled braggart: HARE.  In his hubris, he lost the race with the tortoise. "The Tortoise and the Hare" is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 226 in the Perry Index. The account of a race between unequal partners has attracted conflicting interpretations. The fable itself is a variant of a common folktale theme in which ingenuity and trickery are employed to overcome a stronger opponent.

49. Assn.: ORG.  Association, organization.

51. Breastfeed: NURSE.  literal.

52. "So cheesed off!": I'M MAD.  An expression of anger.

53. Note givers: ATMS.  Automatic Teller Machines, notes in this case being paper currency.

54. Shallot relative: LEEK.  Both of these plants form edible bulbs that are used in cooking.  They are related to onoins.

55. McCafé frappé flavor: OREO.   A sweet, frozen coffee drink from McDonald's that blends vanilla Frappé base, ice, Oreo cookie pieces, and Cookies 'N Cream flavored syrup, and tops it with whipped cream and more Oreos

58. Overdrawn account?: SAGA.  Not related to bank overdrafts.  Instead, this clue isa pejorative descriptor of a long story.  

60. Thereabouts: -ISH.  A suffix that makes the modified noun less exact.

61. Wrigley Field plant: IVY.   Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises.  Wrigley Field's features include its ivy-covered brick outfield wall, distinctive wind patterns off Lake Michigan, the red marquee over the main entrance, and the hand-turned scoreboard. 

62. Marks (out): XES.   Draws an X or a series of X's through something to indicate that it is incorrect or no longer wanted.

 That's it for this Wednesday.  See you in September.

Cool regards,

JzB

Thursday, January 11, 2024, Shannon Rapp, Will Eisenberg

 

 

 Protein Deficiency

Today's constructors, Shannon Rapp and Will Eisenberg, remind us that proper diet after vigorous exercise is very important  And they point out that protein, one of the key nutrients, will need to be replenished afterwards.  And as AMINO ACIDS, a cruciverbalist's favorite, are the raw material that comprise proteins I've included a very brief video about the extraordinary process by which our cells converts them into this essential nutrient ...

Shannon and Will Eisenberg now proceed to use these 4 themers to teach us a little protein metabolism ...

18A. Forward-looking aesthetic of Janelle Monáe and "Black Panther": AFROFUTURISM.  Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through techno-culture and speculative fiction, encompassing a range of media and artists with a shared interest in envisioning black futures that stem from Afro-diasporic experiences.  Here's Janelle Monáe's Electric Lady ...

30A. Part of the digestive system: SMALL INTESTINE.  It's not as big as the Large intestine, but it's a lot longer ...

37A. Job requirement for some visa holders: WORK PERMIT.  In order to be able to work in the U.S. individuals from other countries need to seek employment authorization. Put another way, foreign nationals need to obtain permission from the federal government to legally participate in the American economy.  Work authorization refers to a card that authorizes someone who is not a citizen or a green card holder to lawfully hold a job in the United States. This is also known as a WORK PERMIT or an employment authorization document (EAD)

48. Plant-based remedies, e.g.: HERBAL MEDICINE.  Everything you need to know about herbal medicine.

Now I hear you saying "what does that fill have to do with proteins?", but the next clue reveals all ...

64. Post-workout nourishment, and a hint to what can be found in each set of circled letters: PROTEIN SHAKE.  Oh! I forgot to mention the circles (but you probably knew that already 😀).   And when we light them up we see ...

Since a good workout consumes a lot of protein, we need to replenish it.  But we can see that Shannon and Will have SHAKEN the proteins in the circles and so we UN SHAKE them to find ...

TOFU
LENTILS
PORK
LAMB.

Personally I can see TOFU and LENTILS in my shakes, but PORK and LAMB would be a bit too UMAMI for me.  Here's a list of a lot of other protein rich foods.

And here are the rest of the clues ...

Across:

1. Outlook alternative: GMAIL.  Hand up if you don't use GMAIL?

6. Drum that may accompany a sitar: TABLA.  The TABLA is also a solo instrument.  Here tabla virtuoso Bickram Ghosh gives us a brief introduction to this remarkable instrument ...

This video is part of ‘Musical Wonders of India’ in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

11. Little taste: SIP.

14. "America's Got Talent" judge Klum: HEIDI.  Heidi Klum (pronounced [ˈhaɪdiː ˈklʊm]; born 1 June 1973) is a German and American model, television host, producer, and businesswoman. She appeared on the cover of the 1998 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and was the first German model to become a Victoria's Secret Angel.

Heidi Klum

15. Like this answer: ACROSS.  Meta clue.

17. Texter's "Didn't need to hear that": TMI.

18. [Theme clue]

20. Siamang or orangutan: APE.

21. Trivial complaint: NIT.

22. Streetcar: TRAM.

23. Speak while flustered, say: STAMMER.

25. Singer India.__: ARIE.  India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975), also known as India Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut album, Acoustic Soul, was released in 2001, and she has since released six more studio albums. Arie has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide, and has won four Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, including Best R&B Album.  Here's Video from her first album ...

27. Home of the Big 12's Cyclones: AMES.  The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in AMES. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 10 women's teams) in 12 sports.

29. Military incursions: RAIDS.

30. [Theme clue]

34. Mega- times mega-: TERA.  A trillion.

35. Passing comment?: YEA.

36. "Illmatic" rapper: NAS.  You can find this album on YouTube.
 
37. [Theme clue]

42. Dashboard prefix with meter: ODO.  Your car's ODOMETER tells you how far you've gone.  It usually sits below the SPEEDOMETER, which tells you you're going to fast ...

44. Repeat role for Keanu Reeves: NEO.  The Matrix franchise.

45. Hair removal brand: NAIR.

48. [Theme clue].

53. Tell time?: CHIME.

54. Big suit?: EXEC.

55. Gets one's hands on: NABS.

57. "Dig in, all!": LETS EAT.

60. Tux rental occasion: PROM.

62. "Anyone can see that": DUH.

63. Righteous Babe Records founder DiFranco: ANI.  Here's ANI's remarkable cover of the John Newton song Amazing Grace ...

64. [Theme reveal]

67. Start to bake?: PRE.

68. Single hair: STRAND.

69. Took down: RAZED.

70. DOS pt.: SYS.  Disk Operating System.

71. Practice room fodder: ETUDE.  Here's Mendelssohn's Etude op. 104b n. 3 played by the great Vladimir Horowitz. 

72. Cider mill fixture: PRESS.

Down:

1. Accra's land: GHANA.  Accra is the Capital of GHANA situated on the Atlantic Coast of West Africa between The Ivory Coast and Togo.

2. "I'll start!": ME FIRST.

3. TV slot: AIR TIME.

4. Sworn statement?: I DO.

5. Use gym weights: LIFT.  Or SING with her friends in the choir.  While it might not surprise you that Stella Zawistowski is a chorister, you probably wouldn't pick her out of a crowd as a weight lifter ...

Stella Zawistowski
and fellow chorister
Stella is the lady on the right

Of course most of us know her as a cracker jack crossword solver and constructor. 

6. Japanese mat: TATAMI.  A tatami (畳) is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatami are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 metres (3') by 1.8 metres (6') depending on the region.

Tatami Mats

7. Keen judgment: ACUMEN.

8. "So cold!": BRR.

9. Lane near Kent?: LOIS.  In this clip LOIS outsmarts Kent and finds out who he really is ...

10. Aide, for short: ASST.

11. Energizer Bunny's asset: STAMINA.

12. Gets in the way of: IMPEDES.

13. Yacht spots: PIERS.

16. Dapper: SMART.

19. River dividing Eurasia: URAL.  This map is a bit dated as the ARAL SEA in the Southeast appears only in crossword puzzles these days ...

Ural River

24. Keep up: MAINTAIN.

26. Far-too-memorable songs: EAR WORMS. One way to get rid of an EAR WORM is to listen to anoher one.

28. Ophthalmologist's concern: STYE.  CATARACT wouldn't fit.

31. Part of the Kra-Dai language family: LAO. Three letter fill for a language with no indication of an abbreviation?  Perps.

32. Always, in verse: EER.

33. "Veep" actor Richardson: SAM.  SAM plays Richard in Veep.  Here he gets a promotion ...

38. Molecule preceded by m-, r-, or t-: RNA.  An Easter Egg? - the various  types of RNA involved in the synthesis of proteins described in the splash screen video above - messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, and transfer RNA are  described in detail. 

39. Kenan's "Good Burger 2" co-star: KEL.  Back by popular demand ...

40. Apple or pear: POME.  A POME is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Pome fruits consist of a central "core" containing multiple small seeds, which is enveloped by a tough membrane and surrounded by an edible layer of flesh.
 

Pome Fruits

41. Close of business?: INC.

42. Candy bar with an exclamation point: OH HENRY!.  I wonder if YAHOO! has ever approached them about becoming a sponsor?

43. Pantheon group: DEITIES.  The word, pantheon, derives from Greek πάνθεον pantheon, literally "(a temple) of all gods", "of or common to all gods" from πᾶν pan- "all" and θεός theos "god".  The Pantheon is also the name of a former temple in Rome, now the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs.
 

Pantheon Front Entrance

 

Pantheon Interior

An interesting feature of the Pantheon is the large hole or oculus in the center of the ceiling for ventilation.

46. Out of it: IN A DAZE.  A CSO to our Monday blogger. 😁

47. Censures: REBUKES.

49. Checkout sounds: BEEPS.

50. Use up: EXPEND.

51. Put down: DERIDE.

52. Tapped pic: ICON.

53. Shows appreciation: CLAPS.

56. Loses, as hair: SHEDS.

58. Museo del Prado contents: ARTE. Today's Spanish lesson:  This is one of the most famous paintings in the El Museo del Prado in Madrid ...

La Maja Vestida
"The Clothed Maja"

Probably even more famous is La Maja Desnuda  ("The Nude Maja").

59. Material for a suit: TORT.  GABARDINE wouldn't fit. 😁

61. "Sticker shock" no.: MSRP.  Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.  Nowadays it's not just a suggestion.

65. Letter after sigma: TAU.  The 19th letter in the Greek alphabet ...

66. Laugh syllable: HAR.  Very funny! 😁

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley