Saturday, August 26, 2023, Hoang-Kim Vu

  Saturday August 26 2023 Themeless by Hoang-Kim-Kim Vu

 Posted in 2021: Hoang-Kim Vu works on a global malaria research project in Washington, D.C. His crosswords have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. When he's not solving or constructing, Kim enjoys collecting passport stamps, spending too much money on pet nats, and trying his best to raise a one-year-old daughter and a pitbull with bad knees with his wife/co-constructor/forever editor Jess.

Across:

1. Words for private relaxation?: AT EASE 😀 For corporals, et. al.

7. Wallach of "The Magnificent Seven": ELI - Here are some clips of the movie with its wonderful theme in the back ground. BTW, ELI was the bad guy not one of the titular Seven.

10. Swirl of smoke: WISP.

14. Ninth animal in the Chinese zodiac: MONKEY - Guess what letter I used incorrectly when I had _ONKEY.

15. Rock's __ Lobos: LOS - Their version of La Bamba was used as the title track for the bio-pic for Ritchie Valens who also had a big hit with it.

16. Argentine tango figure: OCHO - The figure 8 dance

17. "Can't do it": NO DICE.

18. Recipients of disaster relief: EVACUEES - The Maui tragedy had many

20. "Come on already!": I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY.

22. One who's all thumbs: OAF.

23. "Praising You" singer Rita: ORA.

24. Bacalhau or klippfisk: COD - Bacalhau is Portuguese for COD

25. Big name in pickups: RAM.

27. Allows: LET'S - Fall In Love, a hit for 43. Fitzgerald who also recorded 2-Down: ELLA - 2. Porter classic: TOO DARN HOT.

Birds do it, bees do it  Even educated fleas do it LET'S do it, let's fall in love

It's Too Darn Hot It's Too Darn Hot I'd like to sup with my baby tonight …but it’s Too Darn Hot

29. Connect with: TIE TO.

33. Poet Sexton: ANNE - A Saturday ANNE

 

34. Warwick Davis's Wicket, for one: EWOK - Warwick Davis is the actor who played the EWOK Wicket. Yeah, I knew all that 😏

35. Pen: HEM IN - WRITE was a false start.

36. Bit of beach house decor: SHELL.

38. Before, in verse: ERE - I thought I'd class up my Saturday blog.  😀

39. "Life's Better Together" site: EVITE - Electronic invitations 

40. European harbor with an eponymous wine: PORTO.

                                 

41. Drops (out): OPTS.

44. Part of the way up?: STAIR 😀

45. Heading on a holiday list: NICE 😀

46. Part of an idiomatic pocketful: RYE and 13. Part of an iconic pocketful: POSY.

47. Born: NEE - As in Diana (NEE Spencer) Mountbatten-Windsor 

49. Alternative to the prayer hands emoji: THX - Give prayerful computer thanks  

50. Grads, almost: SRS.

52. Source of comfort for those expecting: PREGNANCY PILLOW.

58. Send off: DISPATCH.

59. French star: ETOILE - "Regarde cette ÉTOILE qui brille" ("Look at that brilliant star")

60. Palo __: ALTO - "Tall Stick" in Spanish is the home of Stanford University.

61. Burj Khalifa's fed.: UAE - The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building and it is located in Dubai which is part of the United Arab Emirates Federation. 

62. Rid of suds: RINSED.

63. Ticket choice: SEAT - Other than that, Mr. Rood, how did you like the play?

64. Helpers on set: Abbr.: PA'S - Here are assorted Production AssistantS working on the set of The Big Bang Theory 

65. Trypanosome vector: TSETSE - Definition of trypanosome

TSETSE flies carry this which
can cause "sleeping sickness"

Down:

1. Midterm exam, familiarly?: AMNIO 😀

3. Closing time?: END OF AN ERA - and beginning of another

4. Similar (to): AKIN.

5. Dissenting body: SECT.

6. Mask element: EYEHOLE - There are none in this portion of a TV show of my yute.

7. Presentations that are up-and-down?: ELEVATOR PITCHES - Okay, you've got 5 floors. Go!

8. __ language: LOVE.

9. Designer Mizrahi: ISAAC - He did 19. Outfit: CLOTHE  many

10. "No need to ask me twice!": WOULD I EVER - "Gary, would you like to go into space?"

11. Latte option: ICED.

12. First stop on the Beatles' second U.S. tour, familiarly: SHEA - No one heard any of the music above the screaming and didn't care. The sound was recorded to be 38 decibels louder than a jumbo jet 100' overhead.

21. "Is this happening?": ARE WE ON - "Yes, John, Paul, George and Ringo, you're playing Shea Stadium on August 23!"

26. Finest of Lovely Lady Liberty's recipes, per a "Schoolhouse Rock" song: MELTING POT - Here's the video

28. Vague: SKETCHY.

30. Fundraising group that supports female political candidates: EMILY'S LIST.

Hillary with Emily's List's
president Stephanie Schirock 

31. Othello and Hamlet: TITLE ROLES.

32. High class?: ONE-A - A dreaded designation for some young men in the 1960's and 1970's.

33. Once-sacred snakes: ASPS.

37. Hall of Famer Ochoa: LORENA.

42. Dan Savage, notably: SEXPERT.

48. Devour: EAT UP.

51. Alicia Vikander, e.g.: SWEDE - An actress born in Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden. She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2016.

52. Blackberries, e.g.: PDA'S - I read that these Personal Data Assistants are now officially unsupported and not usable

53. Bug: RILE.

54. Spanish pronoun: ESTA.

55. Org. with conferences: NCAA - The Big Ten Conference will soon have 18 members

56. Terse confirmation: IT IS - "Is this the next to last clue?"

57. __ Star State: LONE.