Wednesday, May 26, 2021 Winston Emmons

 Theme: Stagecraft.  The last lines of the theme entries construct a PLAY, from the ground up.

20 A. Reveal more than is acceptable, say: CROSS THE LINE.  Go to far, in almost any context

36 A. Bicker in public, say: CAUSE A SCENE.  Who would ever do this?

42 A. Avoid involvement: REFUSE TO ACT.  See no evil, avoid taking a side.

54 A. Miss a bunt sign, say: BOTCH THE PLAY.  Any sort of offensive or defensive mis-play in a sport

And the unifier: 63. The four longest Across answers can cause it, and their last words suggest it: DRAMA.

Each entry, in order, specifies a larger portion of a theatrical production - though, since all the world's a stage,  DRAMA can ensue independently with any of the theme clues.

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here to direct our way through this presentation.  Let's not miss any cues. 

Across:

1. Yearn: LONG.  Earnestly desire something

5. Son of Homer: BART.  On the long-running Simpsons TV show

9. New Zealand bird: KIWI. 

13. Decorate: ADORN.  Presumably enhance the beauty of.

15. Son of Isaac: ESAU.  Biblical twin.

16. Turkmenistan neighbor: IRAN.  In Western Asia, 

17. Homeland of Heraclitus: IONIA.   An ancient region on the central part of the western coast of Anatolia in present-day Turkey, 

18. The Heritage Foundation, for one: THINK TANK.  A research institute that advocates for program actions regarding economics, social policy, political strategy, etc.  

22. Philosopher __-tzu: LAO.  Commonly rendered as "Old Master,"  a semi-legendary figure taught to have live in either the 4th or 6th century BCE.  Read about him here.

23. Miami-to-Kingston dir.: SSE.  South-south-east to Jamaica.

24. Texting format, for short: SMS. Short Message Service.

27. __-bitty: ITTY.  Teeny tiny.

30. H.S. record: GPA. Grade Point Average from your Time in High School.

33. "Can we do this?": IS IT OK?   Are we allowed?

35. Crow call: CAW.  Sound of crows - if there is a crow call roll call, it could lead to murder.

38. Island greeting: ALOHA.  In Hawaii

40. Chiefs' org.: NFL. Kansas City tea in the National Football League.

41. Chillingly strange: EERIE.  Disturbingly mysterious.

45. Bottom line: NET.  The final total of a balance sheet or other financial document.

46. Password preceder: USER I D. You need both to get past a pay wall.

47. Messenger __: RNA.  A single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of synthesizing a protein. 

48. Reel holders: RODS. Fishing gear

49. Sun. speech: SERmon, delivered in church.

50. Never, to Nietzsche: NIE.  German.

52. Biol. or ecol.: SCI.  Sciences.

60. Sleeveless undergarments: CAMISOLES.  Usually made of satin , nylon, silk or cotton

Silk

64. Track shape: OVAL. A closed planar curve having a long axis and a short axis.

65. Hindu deity: RAMA.  The 7th avatar of Vishnu.  {more]

66. Peter, vis-‡-vis pumpkins: EATER.   From a nursery rhyme about revenge on a wayward wife. 

67. Like some basements: DANK.  Dark, cold and damp.

68. Recipe verb: STIR.  Blend with mixing device.

69. Await judgment: PEND. Remain undecided.

Down:

1. Not clerical: LAIC.  Not of the clergy.

2. Skunk tipoff: ODOR. The unpleasant aroma of butyl mercaptan.

3. Taboo: NONO.  Something to not do.

4. Like details that make you go "Eww!": GRISLY.

5. One of the March sisters: BETH.  She dies during the course of Little Women, an 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott

6. Arthur of tennis: ASHE.  Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. [1943-1993] won three grand slam singles titles, and was the first black player selected to the U.S. Davis Cup team. 

7. Train tracks: RAILS.

8. North African country: TUNISIA.  The northernmost country in Africa, along the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Algeria to the west and Lybia to the east.

 

Mandatory

 9. Toy on a string: KITE.  Or could be a yoyo, as I first thought .

10. George's lyricist: IRA.  The Gershwin brothers

11. Pale: WAN. In an unhealthy way.

12. Printer fluid: INK.

14. "Apollo 11" org.: NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research. 

19. Israeli parliament: KNESSET.  The Knesset passes all laws, elects the president and prime minister (although the latter is ceremonially appointed by the President), approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government. In addition, the Knesset elects the state comptroller.

21. Frat party garb: TOGA. The toga, a distinctive garment of ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between 12 and 20 feet in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic

24. Fondue fuel: STERNO.  Jellied denatured alcohol in a can, used for buffet heating.

25. Affluent: MONIED.  Wealthy.

26. Robot companion of superhero Booster Gold: SKEETS. More here, in case you care.

27. Wax-winged flier of myth: ICARUS.  He flew too close to the sun.  Could this be a metaphor?

28. "Unto the Sons" memoirist: TALESE. Gay Talese [b 1932] started as a sports writer in high school, and as a journalist for The New York Times and Esquire magazine during the 1960s, he helped to define contemporary literary journalism. 

29. BOGO offering: TWOFER. Buy One, Get One [at no extra charge}: two for the prices of one.

31. Fourth-down play: PUNT.  In American football, a play that gives up the ball by kicking it down the field to give the opposing team a less advantageous position.
  
32. Concerning: AS FOR.  In regard to

34. Drink cooler: ICE.  Frozen water.

36. Foxwoods and Caesars: CASINOS.  Gambling establishments.  Remember - odds always favor the house.

37. Vigorous spirit: ELAN.   Energy, style and enthusiasm.

39. Ben-__: HUR.  An epic 1959 film set in A.D. 26 about a Jewish prince in Jerusalem betrayed into slavery by a Roman commander who was his childhood friend.  After that, DRAMA happens.

43. Masthead names: EDITORS.   The masthead is a printed list, published in a fixed position in each edition, of a publication's owners, departments, officers, contributors and address details.

44. Credit alternative: CASH.  Money handed over.

48. Breakwater material: RIPRAP.  Loose stone piled in place to prevent shore erosion.

51. Dazzling display: ECLAT.  Brilliant success.

53. Surrender, as land: CEDE.  To yield or grant, typically by treaty.

54. Defraud: BILK.  Cheat.

55. Prefix with sphere: HEMI.  Indicating half of

56. Winter Palace resident: TSAR. Pre- WWI Russian despot.

57. Of __: recently: LATE.  Currently

58. Congregation cry: AMEN.  Utterance at the end of a prayer, meaning "so be it."

59. Very tall beer glass: YARD.  

60. "Sacred" fish carving in the Massachusetts State House: COD.   Read about it here.

61. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA.  Ava Marie DuVernay [b 1972] is an American filmmaker. She won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award.

62. Hombre: MAN.  Spanish

And so we draw the curtain on another Wednesday.  Hope you found it worth the price of admission.

Cool regards!

JzB

Tuesday, March 17, 2020 Winston Emmons

What's your game?  The word Game can go at the End the last word of each theme answer to give us a new concept.

1-Across. *  Ready to set sail, say: ON BOARD.  Board Game.  Professor Plum used a lead pipe in the dining room.

17-Across. *  1950s sitcom co-star: LUCILLE BALL.  Ballgame.

26-Across. *  Hester Prynne's mark of shame: SCARLET A.  A Game.  Working at one's highest level of performance.

49-Across. *  "Which side of the debate will you argue?": PRO OR CON.  Con Game.

60-Across. *  Culpable one: GUILTY PARTY.  Party Game.

And the Unifier: 69-Across. Chess match climax, and what the last word of each answer to a starred clue can have: ENDGAME.

Top o'the mornin' to you on this St. Patrick's Day.  Sadly, parades were cancelled this year due to COVID-19.  Now that bars, restaurants, gyms, museums, and other places where people gather have been closed, and we are under a self-imposed house arrest, may the spread of this virus be slowed down.  We all need to take this virus serious, if not for ourselves, then for those we love.  May all of us here stay healthy and virus-free.  "The life you save may be your own."(Flannery O'Connor).

Across:
8. Diplomatic rep.: AMB.  As in an Ambassador.

11. Machines with Windows, briefly: PCs.  As in Personal Computers.  Not to be confused with Politically Correct.

14. More tired: WEARIER.

15. Foe of Chiang: MAO.  As in Chiang Kai-shek (Oct. 31, 1887 ~ Apr. 5, 1975) and Mao Zedong (Dec. 26, 1893 ~ Sept. 9, 1976)

16. Swing, jazz or rock 'n' roll: ERA.

19. Early internet company: AOL.  Originally known as America OnLine.  //  And 43. 19-Across et al.: ISPs.  As in Internet Service Providers.

20. Investor's purchase: Abbr.: STK.  As in Stocks.

21. Amazement: AWE.

22. German cameras: LEICAS.  Leica, which also makes binoculars, microscopes and other items with lenses, was founded by Ernst Leitz (Apr. 26, 1843 ~ Sept. 12, 1920) in 1914.  The name of the company is derived from the first 3 letters of the founder's name, Leitz and the first 2 letters of the word Camera.

24. Bashful: SHY.  Also the name of 1 of the 7 dwarfs.

28. No-no: TABOO.

31. Continental coins: EUROS.  Each country in the Eurozone has its own design on one side of the euro coin, whereas the reverse side is the same for each country.

1 Euro coin from Italy

32. "Inside the NBA" analyst Shaq: O'NEAL.  Shaquille O'Neal (b. Mar. 6, 1972), just celebrated his 48th birthday.  He graduated from LSU.  His son, Shareef, will be transferring to LSU to play basketball.

33. Returning GI's diagnosis: PTSD.  As in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

34. Capitol Hill helper: AIDE.

38. Musically monotonous: ONE NOTE.

40. Collection of sacred songs: PSALTER.

42. Geeky type: NERD.

45. Lazy __: revolving tray: SUSAN.  The origin of the Lazy Susan is not known, but here are some interesting theories.

46. December mall figure: SANTA.  And a tribute to our own dear Santa.

48. Foolish: INANE.

52. June honoree: DAD.

53. Really bothers: EATS AT.

54. Fair-hiring inits.: EEO.  As in Equal Employment Opportunity.

56. Wood for bats: ASH.  What type of wood makes the best Baseball Bats?

59. Home security co.: ADT.  In 1874, company was originally known as American District Telegraph.

64. Fairway position: LIE.

65. Bruins legend: ORR.  Bobby Orr (né Robert Gordon Orr; b. Mar. 20, 1948), makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords.  He had a long career with the Boston Bruins.  He will turn 72 in just a few days.

66. Answered: REPLIED.

67. Title for Elton: SIR.  Sir Elton John (né Reginald Kenneth Dwight; b. Mar. 25, 1947) is another March Birthday Boy.

68. Once called: NÉE.

Down:
1. Hooting birds: OWLS.  They come in all shapes and sizes.

2. Not masc. or fem.: NEUT.  As in Masculine, Feminine or Gender Neutral.

3. Begin to parallel park, with "in": BACK.  When I lived in Boston, the only parking my appartment had was on the street.  Mandatory parallel parking.  One always "tapped" the car in front and in back when trying to get into the very tight spaces that were barely big enough for the car.

 

4. "... __ quit!": OR I.

5. Feel crummy: AIL.

6. Race with batons: RELAY.

7. Sketched: DREW.

8. Org. with a Health Care Advocacy web page: AMA.  As in the American Medical Association.

9. Ducks whose males have green heads: MALLARDS.

10. Slow-tempo Spanish dance: BOLERO.

 

11. Quiet partner: PEACE.  As Peace and Quiet.  Now that we are in self-quarantine, we should all be experiencing some Peace and Quiet from our usual hectic lives.

12. Zagreb native: CROAT.

13. Taco topper: SALSA.  Yummers!

18. Harass: BESET.

23. "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA LUND.  I never knew her last name.

Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman (Aug. 29, 1915 ~ Aug. 29, 1982)

24. Stinkers: SO-AND-SOs.  Calling someone is Stinker is a very New England term.

25. Prefix with gram: HOLO-.  As in a Hologram.

27. Zodiac borders: CUSPS.

28. Bugs Bunny or Bullwinkle: 'TOON.

29. Lestat creator Rice: ANNE.  Anne Rice (b. Oct. 4, 1941) was the author of Interview with the Vampire.  Lestat de Lioncourt was the vampire of this novel.  Anne Rice is from New Orleans.

30. Bar pint contents: BEER.

33. Sauce with basil: PESTO.  Yummers!  I made a wonderful Pesto Chicken Pasta dish last week.

35. "__ miracle!": IT'S A.

36. College faculty head: DEAN.

37. Shore bird: ERNE.  A crossword staple.

39. __ of iodine: antiseptic: TINCTURE.

41. China's continent: ASIA.

44. Group of jurors: PANEL.

47. Ferdinand II's realm: ARAGON.  Ferdinand II, King of Aragon (Mar. 10, 1452 ~ Jan. 23, 1516) was the husband of Queen Isabella of Castile.  They are best known for their roles in the Spanish Inquisition and the issuance of the Alhambra Decree.

49. Rings, as a bell: PEALS. 50. Bike spokes, geometrically: RADII.

51. Furry aquatic mammal: OTTER.  They are such cute critters.  If you go to Ethel, Louisiana, you can even swim with the Otters.

52. Elder statesman: DOYEN.

55. To be, in Tours: ÊTRE.  Today's French lesson.  Conjugated in the present tense:

Je suis  //  Nous sommes

Tu es  //  Vous êtes

Ils / Elles est  //  Ils / Elles sont 

56. Puccini piece: ARIA. 57. Pipe part: STEM.  Anatomy of a pipe:

58. Stevenson's villainous Mr.: HYDE.  A reference to Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson (Nov. 13, 1850 ~ Dec. 3, 1894).

61. Wrath: IRE.

62. Scoreboard abbr. for a rainout: PPD.  As in Postponed.  It also refers to the current pandemic.  I had to PPD my father's 90th birthday party, which was scheduled in April.

63. High school subj.: ALG.  As in Algebra.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  When you want to know how things really work, study them when they’re coming apart.  ~  William Gibson (né William Ford Gibson; b. Mar. 17, 1948), American writer

Friday, March 13, 2020 Winston Emmons

"PR Blitz"

Winston puts a PR spin on some common phrases in this fairly easy Friday solve.



17. "It's been a while since I shopped till I dropped"?: LONG TIME NO SPREE.   
LONG TIME NO SEE.

27. Pastoral exhortation to a graffiti artist?: SPRAY THE WORD.
SAY THE WORD.

48. Bargain hunter's forte?: PRICE FISHING.
ICE FISHING.

62. Trojan king struck dumb?: PRIAM SPEECHLESS.
I AM SPEECHLESS.

69. Ad guy responsible for four long puzzle answers?: PR MAN.


What's the difference between a rat and a squirrel ?

PR.

Despite being a fairly easy Friday solve,  miscues were made along the way.   Gotta get out of the habit of just throwing in the first crosswordese answer that pops into my head.
Sometimes it works:
- 4 letters to fill with a Norse clue would be either ODIN, Loki, or Thor.  ODIN popped in first.
And sometimes it doesn't:
- 5 letters to fill "Present to an audience" was not orate.  STAGE better fits the clue.

Fortunately, none of the initial errors created an insurmountable logjam.

Across:

1. 2019 Pan American Games city: LIMA.  "Best Pan American Games ever" and  A New World Record in Archery

5. Present to an audience: STAGE.   Orate flew off the fingertips.   After a few seconds, the backspace key erased the letters.

10. Nat's hat: CAP.   MLB's Washington Nationals / baseball cap.

13. Norse deity: ODIN.

14. Syndicated show, say: RERUN.  21 Interesting Facts About Television Syndication

15. Smooth-talking: OILY.  Threw in glib. 

20. Revise: ALTER.   Not amend today...

21. Bud: PAL. 

22. Annually: A YEAR.   Once a year is enough. 

23. __ Cruces: LAS.    Zoom in, zoom out.


25. Convent figure: ABBESS.

32. Belgian __: ALE.    Chimay Grande Reserve is worth every penny. 

33. Special ops acronym: SEAL.  SEa, Air, and Land. 

34. Some bank jobs: HEISTs.   I associate this word with the original "The Italian Job" starring Michael Caine.   Actually, both heist and caper.

38. Lack: WANT.   Here you go, Wilbur Charles !

For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

40. Set down: PLACE.

42. Bender: TOOT.   Didn't know of toot as a synonym of bender (drinking spree), but know of a  bender as a tool.   Here's one for bending EMT thin wall.   The Building (electrical) Code requires metal conduit here in Cook and DuPage counties.

Double checked to make sure that second T was correct. 

43. Meddles: SNOOPs.

45. Pack (down): TAMP.

47. Mauna __: LOA.  Tried Kea.

51. Moby-Dick, e.g.: ALBINO.

53. Vote in favor: AYE.  Had the right letters in the wrong order with yea.

54. Many Oscar night attendees: STARs.

55. Sun, for one: ORB.

58. Social division: CASTE.

65. Sources of cones: FIRs.    Plants that bear cones are conifers.  Conifers doesn't fit.   Firs and yews fit.   Firs matched the crosses.

66. Dabbling ducks: TEALs.

67. Cable car: TRAM.

68. Fabled beast: ASS.

70. Roll call call: HERE.

Down:

1. Kinks title woman with "a dark brown voice": LOLA.   Jinx linked Lola just a few days ago, so here's another Kinks hit:


Dave Davies slit the amplifier speaker to produce the distinctive sound.

2. Word after fallen or false: IDOL.

3. Like new: MINT.  Often used in coin grading.

4. Actress Kinsey of "The Office": ANGELA.   She played Angela Martin.  Recognized  the character after looking up the actor's name for the review. 

5. Asian honorific: SRI.  Shri, Shree, Sri, or Sree, is an Indian word denoting wealth and prosperity, primarily used as a honorific.

6. Census worker, for one: TEMP. 

7. Location: AREA.  Not site.

8. Legislation that varies from state to state: GUN LAW.

9. Eclectic musician Brian: ENO.

10. Prepare for print: COPYEDIT.   "I say copyedit, you say copy edit"

11. Buenos __: AIRES.

12. Earnest requests: PLEAs.

16. "__ Blues": Beatles "White Album" song: YER.   My least favorite of the White Album tracks.

18. Cafeteria stack: TRAYs.

19. Buffalo skater: SABRE.   Canadian Eh should be happy with the British English spelling.

24. Intervenes: STEPS IN.

26. Prague's region: BOHEMIA.

27. Maxims: SAWs.

28. It often undergoes changes: PLAN.

29. First female attorney general: RENO.  Janet Reno at Biography.com

30. Burt's musical collaborator: HAL.   Bacharach and David.   You know their songs.   Here's someone's Top Ten Ranking.   As expected, Dionne Warwick figures prominently in the hit songs.

31. Send: ELATE.   Some readers may be old enough to remember this song:



35. Arias, usually: SOLI.

36. Animation product: TOON.

37. Unattached: STAG.   Not solo.

39. Joint Chiefs, for example: TOP BRASS.   Pentagon bigwigs.

41. Joltin' joe?: CAF.   I've never heard of just "caf", but have heard of half-caf.    Accepted it since it fit. Later googled.    Not sure that this is what the clue is referencing, but there's a veteran owned company named Black Rifle Coffee that has a brand name,  CAF,  that "...delivers twice the caffeine punch of an average coffee with a rich smoky flavor.   Made for the professional coffee drinker..."    Twice the caffeine ?   Yes, I'd say that's a cup of joltin' joe !  They're getting a little unanticipated PR here. 

Perhaps CAF is commonly used when ordering at Central Perk or Café Nervosa or Starbucks or Peet's ?   I know for sure that I've been in a coffee shop on two occasions, but there may have been a third time. 

44. Refracting polyhedron: PRISM. 

46. Intimidate mentally, with "out": PSYCH.

49. "The Last of the Mohicans" author: COOPER.    Cooper crafted a unique form of literature writing historical romances about frontier and Indian life.

50. Toast word: HEALTH.

51. Heart chambers: ATRIA.

52. Hideouts: LAIRs.

54. Banana Boat letters: SPF.   Sun Protection Factor.

56. Copy room unit: REAM.

57. One sometimes seen with Boris: BELA.   Karloff and Lugosi. 

59. Withered: SERE.

60. Romanov title: TSAR.  

61. Salinger character who says, "I prefer stories about squalor": ESME.

63. "The Racer's Edge": STP.   Scientifically Treated Petroleum.

64. Gp. that sometimes has an added "Y":  CSN.  Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) are an occasional folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills, and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash.   They are titled Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) when joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member.  

An example without:


An example with:





Check your grid here:

Tuesday, September 3, 2019, Winston Emmons

At the Track Meet:  Where you RACE, and SPRINT, and DART and RUSH!

18-Across. Redeeming quality: SAVING GRACE.

36-Across. Paper for papers: NEWSPRINT.

News Print Dress

44-Across. Small museum piece: OBJET D'ART.

Dodge Dart

63-Across. Citrus-flavored soda: ORANGE CRUSH.

69-Across. With 72-Across, evasive strategy ... and a hint to the last several letters of the four longest Across answers: END.

72-Across. See 69-Across: RUN.  Together these answers give us an End Run, and if you noticed, the "END" letters of each of the theme answers provide us with another term for "RUN".

Across:

1. "Way cool!": RAD.

4. Title for Bovary or Defarge: MADAME.  A CSO to our very own Madame Defarge (seen here with Abejo).

10. Feudal estate: FIEF.

14. Computer application file suffix: .EXE

15. European peninsula: IBERIA.

16. "A Jug of Wine ... " poet: OMAR.  Omar Khayyám (May 18, 1048 ~ Dec. 5, 1131) was a Persian mathematician, astronomer and poet.  The math is over my head, but I can understand the poetry.

17. Ala. neighbor: FLA.  Florida, which is being pummeled by Hurricane Dorian, is a neighbor of Alabama.

20. Many Montenegrins: SERBS.  Montenegro is a small country on the Adriatic Sea.

22. "Much to my surprise ... ": ODDLY.  Oddly enough, this is the first word that popped into my head upon reading the clue.

23. "Weekend Update" comic Michael: CHE.  I stopped watching Saturday Night Live years ago, so no longer know who hosts the Weekend Update Segment.  Apparently it is, or was, Michael Che (né Michael Che Campbell; b. May 19, 1983).

24. Cash dispenser: ATM.  As in the Automatic Teller Machine.

26. "Buona __": Italian "Good evening": SERA.  Today's Italian lesson.  As you read this, I may actually be saying this to people I pass along the street.

28. Lines of lightning ... or lightening: STREAKS.  Did you catch this scary scene that occurred a couple of weeks ago?

 32. Coin flips: TOSSES.

 

38. Person of the Year awarder: TIME.  Queen Elizabeth II (b. Apr. 21, 1926) was named Time magazine's "Man" of the year in 1952.

39. Leave out: OMIT. 40. "__ John B": Beach Boys hit: SLOOP.

 

42. Former govt. agency devoted to public diplomacy: USIA.  As in the United States Information Agency.  It was in existence from August 1953 through September 1999.  Raise your hand if you are familiar with this agency.

43. Chianti Classico, per esempio: VINO.  More of today's Italian lesson.  This wine is from the Tuscany region of Italy.

46. Distribute into groups: ASSORT.

49. Chestnut horses: SORRELS.

50. Angler's decoy: LURE.

52. Fellow: MAN. 53. Résumé writer's goal: JOB.

56. Resignee of 1974: NIXON.  Richard M. Nixon (Jan. 9, 1913 ~ Apr. 22, 1994), was Time's Man of the Year in 1972.

59. Forever __: STAMP.  I got hung up on Forever Young and I really didn't want to let it go.

66. Chillax: VEG.  As in to Veg out.

67. Poi source: TARO.  A crossword staple.

68. Repeat from memory: RECITE.

70. Large number: SLEW.

71. On the schedule: SLATED.

Down:

1. Sports officials: REFs.  As in Referees.

2. Wheel shaft: AXLE.

3. __ Abby: DEAR.  Dear Abby was the pen name of Pauline Phillips (née Pauline Ester Friedman; July 4, 1918 ~ Jan. 16, 2013).  She was the identical twin sister of Ester Pauline Friedman (July 4, 1918 ~ June 22, 2002), who wrote under the name of Ann Landers.  Both sisters wrote advice columns and were very competitive.  Sadly, this competition created a rift between the two sisters, that probably was never fully reconciled.

4. Wrong move: MISSTEP.

5. Attorney's org.: ABA.  As in the American Bar Association.

6. "Whip It" rock band: DEVO.  Are we not men?  We are DEVO.

7. Like much of the Southwest: ARID.

8. Objects to: MINDS.  Yes, I do mind if you smoke in here.

9. Aerie newborn: EAGLET.

10. Pro: FOR.

11. All-in-one Apple: iMAC.

12. Per unit: EACH.

13. On the house: FREE.

19. Wrap with tzatziki sauce: GYRO.  Yummers!

21. Happy hour perch: BARSTOOL.

25. Rover's territory: MARS.  A good misdirection.  I thought we were looking for the roaming area for a dog.

27. One at the head of the class: "A" STUDENT.  As in a student who gets all A in all subjects.

28. Round with four teams, say: SEMIs.  As in the semi-finals for a tournament.

29. Jacob and Esau, e.g.: TWINS.  Or Dear Abby and Ann Landers.

30. DEA agent's find: KILO.  As in Kilo(s) of cocaine, which an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration is looking for.

31. Hoity-toity types: SNOBS.

33. Strong fiber: SISAL.

In its natural state.

34. Qatari bigwigs: EMIRS.  A crossword staple.

35. It may be saved at a movie: SEAT.  I really wanted Stub, as in the ticket stub.  In the movie theater we frequent, there is assigned seating, so one doesn't really need to get to the theater to save a seat.

36. __ Scotia: NOVA.  One of the biggest maritime disasters occurred in the Halifax, Nova Scotia.     In December 1917, a Norwegian ship collided with a French cargo ship that was filled with explosives.  This took place in Halifax Harbor.  Large portions of the city were flattened and approximately 2,000 people were killed in the explosion and another 9000 were injured.  No one in the town was left unscathed.  For a fascinating history of this event, I highly recommend The Great Halifax Explosion: A World I Story of Treachery, Tragedy and Extraordinary Heroism, by John U. Bacon.

37. Japanese leader during WWII: TOJO.  Hiedki Tojo (Dec. 30, 1884 ~ Dec. 23, 1948) was a general in the Japanese Army.

41. Salon offering: PERM.  As in a Permanent Wave.  I  hope this one isn't permanent.

45. Ruined: TRASHED.

47. Step on a ladder: RUNG.

48. They make an effort: TRIERS.

51. Spreadsheet program in Microsoft Office: EXCEL.

53. Scribbles (down): JOTS.

54. Like some exams: ORAL.

55. Naked: BARE.

57. Penguin predator: ORCA.

58. Nantes night: NUIT.  Today's French lesson.

60. State with conviction: AVER.  This has become a crossword staple.

61. List of options: MENU.

62. Scrolling key: PGDN.  As in the Page Down key.

64. At the moment: NOW.

65. Sault __ Marie: STE.  Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is on the US-Canada border.

Here's the Grid:

I'll be taking a brief hiatus for travel (business mixed with fun), but you will be left in good hands.

I'll leave you with a QOD:  The older I get, the more I understand that the only way to say valuable things is to loose your fear of being correct.  ~ Malcolm Gladwell (né Malcolm Timothy Gladwell; b. Sept. 3, 1963)