Saturday, Apr 27th, 2013, Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Z)

Blocks: 29

  This one started out well enough, but the NE corner did me in - some answers were just not in my wheelhouse, so I had to switch to red-letter.  Oh well.  A little something for everyone today, myself included (see 19D.).  A rare grid pattern, nothing too intimidating, with just the triple 8's in two corners.  Worth mentioning:

7A. Dupe : CAT'S PAW - Now that I think about it, I vaguely remember something about this, but I didn't get this reference at first; it's also a 54A.

41A. City where the first koala sanctuary opened : BRISBANE

58. Underwater escape mechanism : SQUID INK - I just found out it's an ice cream flavor

O    n    w    a    r    d    ~    !

ACROSS:

1. Protocol : RUBRIC - First line from Blue Öyster Cult song

14. Where seals are their least graceful : ON LAND

15. Script used to transcribe foreign words into Japanese : KATAKANA - more here

16. Low-tech calculator : ABACUS

17. Modeling job? : EPOXYING - Loved making scale models when I was a kid; still have some kits waiting to be finished

18. Drop shots, in badminton : DINKS

19. Nearsighted one : MYOPE

20. Was into : DUG - My first thought, but it didn't sit well with me; then the "U" showed

21. Low : SAD

22. "Daniel Deronda" (1876) was her last novel : ELIOT - the Wiki

24. Regatta racer : SCULL - ARGH~!!  Second time in two weeks that my "YACHT" was wrong

26. Osiris' sis : ISIS - ssssssss....and they had a kid, Horus, together

28. Speculate : INFER

30. Choir section : APSE - DAR~!!!  I tried ALTO, BASS - no, the actual place

31. Wielding absolute power : DESPOTIC

33. Legal extremes? : ELs - LegaL - the two "L"s on the ends of the word; didn't fool me

35. He plays Andy Bernard on "The Office" : ED HELMS

36. Tool that's swung : CLEAVER - HAMMMER was too wrong

40. Letters in a prof's email address : EDU

42. Term paper abbr. : IBID

45. Wild outing : SPREE

47. 14-time A.L. All-Star : A-ROD - Alex Rodriguez - baseball for C.C.

48. Collection of plates : ARMOR - I like Knights and Castles; I dressed in chain mail for my now-defunct wedding  (From C.C.: Very cool, Splynter!)
 

50. Isn't industrious : LOAFS - not LAZES

52. Tag for some as-is mdse. : IRRegular

53. Legend site : MAP

54. Get one's goat, e.g. : IDIOM - Argh~!!! I had "IRKED", going with the figurative, not the literal English reference

56. It was once called Mission San Antonio de Valero : ALAMO - W.A.G.

60. Stories on stands : ALIBIS - Court of Law stands, that is

61. Enhances : AUGMENTS

62. Slim and trim : SVELTE - sounds sexy; I once knew a Russian girl named Svetlana; she was svelte

63. Ritual candelabrum : MENORAH

64. Cutie pies : HONEYS

DOWN:

1. Farm stand spot : ROADSIDE - Yep, the Cidiots will be arriving soon, with their "ooh, look, a farm stand~!" rubberneck driving skills

2. Neutral : UNBIASED

3. Flatter in a cajoling way : BLANDISH - straight up definition; new word for me, tho I did consider this "BLAND - ISH"

4. Pool convenience : RACK - No, Dennis, THIS kind of rack

5. Taken : IN USE

6. Some investments, briefly : CDs - Certificates of Deposit

7. Writer who said "All literature is gossip" : CAPOTE

8. Perched on : ATOP

9. Campaign hot button : TAXES - I had MONEY, since it worked with my YACHT

10. Word with jack or box : SKY - Skyjack, Skybox

11. Settled : PAID UP

12. Cancels : ANNULS - my wedding has not been "annulled" yet

13. Part of some golfers' pre-shot routines : WAGGLE - do any of our blog golfers "waggle?"  Do you address the ball~? "Hello, ball~!"

15. It has an all-white scale : KEY OF C - Great clue/ans.

19. They show a lot of leg : MINIs - another gratuitous Splynter link

23. Chem test paper? : LITMUS - The paper's color changes depending on pH level

25. Fruit named for a Turkish town : CASABA

27. Maker of small suits : SPEEDO - a link for the ladies~!

29. A pitcher may appear in it : RELIEF - Bet C.C. nailed this one, too

32. Unlike spring chickens : OLD - "that A-Rod, he ain't no spring chicken"

34. Porter's "__ Girls" : LES

36. Stationery shade : CREAM

37. Algebraic uncertainty : VARIABLE

38. Unfathomable size : ENORMITY - Cream - Variable - Enormity; sounds like, um, how many inches of snow we might be getting....

39. Wooer's buy : RED ROSES

41. Tolerates : BROOKS - I have heard this before, but it was the perps that filled it in for me

42. Penn movie with a Seussian title : I AM SAM - IMDb

43. Cubism pioneer Georges : BRAQUE - some of his work

44. Call into question : IMPUGN - love the spelling of this; "im-pyoon"

46. Statue base : PLINTH - because PEDESTAL was unfathomably sized

49. Straphanger : RIDER - Subways

51. 21-gun salute, e.g. : SALVO

55. Actress Merrill of "Operation Petticoat" : DINA

57. Bank security : LIEN

59. Bit of blogger shorthand : IMO - In My (sometimes Humble) Opinion

60. It may be tapped off : ASH - cigarette reference; I went with KEG

Splynter

Friday, April 26, 2013, Jim Holland

Theme: Punning around the world.

Each of the four theme answers takes an existing phrase with a geographic reference and uses a sound alike replacement to create a new and humorous phrase. We have two grid spanners and two fourteen letter fill, symmetrically with the 15's a country beginning with "S" and the 14's with a "G" so the theme is full. This is the second puzzle from Mr. Holland that I recall, with a Sunday last year as his LAT debut. I found this to be a comparatively easy puzzle, with many early week characteristics, word length, etc. but still some very challenging fill. Let's take a walk through this Holland Tunnel.

17A. One lingering in Edinbugh? : SCOTTISH TARRIER (TERRIER).(15) I learned what I know about Scotland from reading Ian Rankin and M.C. Beaton. Any Hamish MacBeth fans?

27A. Some Athenian physicians? : GREEK ORTHO DOCS (ORTHODOX).(14). I had to bone up on my Greek to get this one.

50A. Berlin sidewalk writing? : GERMAN CHALK LIT. (CHOCOLATE) (14). Lit being literature makes it all work.

64A. Fancy singles event in Stockholm? : SWEDISH MEET BALL.(MEAT BALL) (15). Are we foreshadowing Elin?  I thought this was very cute, with all kinds of punny potential.

On with the show.

Across:

1. ___ squad : VICE. Anybody see the MOVIE? (0:58).

5. Sharp fasteners : BRADS. Little shiny guys, not Pitt.

10. Line of movement : PATH. I like this clue.

14. In a while : ANON. I learned this from Shakespeare.

15. Go back to the beginning, in a way : RESET. Time to hit the reset button on life.

16. Spread unit : ACRE. Not butter, or cream cheese but a ranch.

20. Hoglike mammals : TAPIRS. Not quite a potbellied pig.

21. "I could ___ horse!" : EAT A. Don't you love the juxtaposition of the hog and the eating a horse?

22. Touch : DAB. Does anyone not think of

23. Stravinsky's "The ___ of Spring" : RITE. JzB. a few bars please. LINK. (4:42).

25. DX ÷  V : CII. 510 divided by 5 = 102. The Roman math you all requested.

26. "___ a ripoff!" : IT'S.

32. Black gold : OIL. Texas tea.

33. Big Bird buddy : ELMO.

34. DOD subdivision : NSA. Department of Defense oversees the National Security Agency.

35. Really feel the heat : BAKE. A favorite past time here in the sunny south.

37. Plus : AND.

39. Carpenter's tool : RASP.

43. CD conclusion? : ROM. Read Only Memory.

46. Charge carriers : IONS. My first read, I though it said change...

49. Fury : IRE.

54. Valiant son : ARN. Funny, I linked Prince V last week for his haircut.

55. Heavenly altar : ARA. Like this ONE.

56. Hockey Hall of Famer Mikita : STAN. Gew up with Stan and Bobby Hull leading the Blackhawks.

57. Sum (up) : TOT. Total; you get the impression Rich changed the clue here and forgot about 18D. 57-Across's wheels : TRIKE which requires a different tot to ride his tricycle.

58. Personal time? : NITE.?? Up to you all.

60. Some govt. investments : T-NOTES. In between T-bills and T-bonds. Medium term maturities.

67. New coin of 2002 : EURO Time flies.

68. One may work with a chair : TAMER. Looks funny without the Lion attached.

69. Vivacity : BRIO. A puzzle word all should know.

70. Church section : APSE. Even Mrs. O'Hair would have known this one.

71. Angling banes : SNAGS. When you go fishing and your line gets caught.

72. Oh's role in "Grey's Anatomy" : YANG. Sandra playing Cristina.

Down:

1. Humongous : VAST. Man, I wish it were the other way around.

2. Worshipper of the Earth goddess Pachamama : INCA. No clue, but perped itself easily. Who's your pachamama?

3. Condo cousin : CO-OP. Co-operative apartment and the precursor to condo living. Nothing to do with Gary.

4. Complete : ENTIRE.

5. British university city : BRISTOL. In the grand tradition of British subtlety, it is called Bristol University. Where are all of our Brits? Steve did you scare them away?

6. Legal issue : RES. The Latin for things.

7. "Off the Court" author : ASHE. Arthur the tennis professional, who tragically died young from AIDS contracted from a blood transfusion before the threat was widely known.

8. Separate : DETACH.

9. Post : STATION.

10. Links standard : PAR. A golf term that has become an in the language concept for everything.

11. Like citrus fruit : ACIDIC. Looks funny, opposite of BASIC?

12. They might make cats pause : TREATS. Love the sound pause/paws.

13. Chef's array : HERBS. Are you an ERB or HERB person?

19. Military surprises : RAIDS.

24. First name in humor : ERMA. Bombeck, a literal first name. We also have Emma below.

“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart.” ― Erma Bombeck.

27. Tar : GOB. Sailor.

28. Sea inlet : RIA. More crosswordese.

29. One who observes a fraternal Hour of Recollection : ELK. The BPOE CODE

30. Source of invigoration : TONIC. These days our tonics are energy drinks, not celery based.

31. One leaving a wake : OAR. You have to picture an oar slicing through the water.

36. Mess up : ERR. Do not forget to forgive. OAR/ERR?

38. Self-recriminating cries : DOHS. The Simpsons' influence is pervasive.

40. Have a health problem : AIL. I have a cough and stuffy nose from the climate adjustments.

41. Hindu title : SRI. Like Mr. from the Sanskrit.

42. Sweetie : PET. Are you all offended by people calling you sweetie?

44. Muscat native : OMANI.

45. Some Roman Catholics : MARISTS. Followers of MARY.

47. Babbles : NATTERS. Remember the Nabobs?

48. Perspective : SLANT. I often wondered why these have become synonymous. My only guess is that it comes from art, where the slant of shadows is used to create distance perspective. I am sure someone will enlighten me.

50. Mature : GROW UP. Not likely.

51. Adds to the database : ENTERS. That is why the job is known as data entry.

52. ___ Detroit: "Guys and Dolls" role : NATHAN. My youngest played in his high school's version.

53. Like some tree trunks : KNOBBY. And many knees.

54. Having no clue : AT SEA.

59. Peel on "The Avengers" : EMMA. One wonderful inspiration in the 60's, Diana Rigg, she is now playing the dowager of the Tyrells on Game of Thrones.

61. King who succeeded 59-Down : TARA. This was a devilishly clever clue, because King made you think the clue was misplaced, but  Linda Thorson was hired as Tara King to replace Diana Rigg.

62. Swedish model Nordegren in 2004 nuptial news : ELIN. Tiger's erstwhile wife. Makes you want to hire a nanny.

63. Tough going : SLOG. I guess you guys managed to slog through the last few links.

65. Buck's mate : DOE. A deer, a female deer...

66. Hosp. test : EEG. So many tests Electroencephalography.

Well my last April effort for this year, and  now I must go. Thanks for tuning in and taking time to say hello. Until next week, Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Steve, our Wednesday blogger, took part in Marbles' LA Tournament last Sunday. He said:

"The competition was fun - there were about 25 people at the Los Angeles event (there were eight or so locations across the country). Eric Maddy was the winner - apparently he was 11th at the 2010 ACPT. He's a pretty intense character! There were three puzzles with a 20-minute time limit and the winners of the three rounds faced off in the final. I completed the first in about 10 minutes, the second in 15 and was a solid DNF on the third. I tried the final puzzle for fun and I'd filled in possibly an eighth of it when Eric finished - I don't think I'm cut out for speed-solving. It was fun, though."

Left to Right: Bill Farhood, Eric Maddy, JT Williams

You can't see Steve clearly here. He's in purple shirt, sitting next to Eric Maddy.

You can see him clearly here:

Steve, Notre Dame London Campus, Nov 2012

Thursday, April 25, 2013 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: POP! goes the puzzle...

17-Across. Pop : CARBONATED DRINK.

26-Across. Pop : PUNCTURING SOUND.

43-Across. Pop : WARHOL'S ART STYLE.

56-Across. Pop : TOOTSIE ROLL ITEM.

Jeffrey also has a puzzle in today's New York Times - a rare occurrence for a constructor. Congratulations, Jeffrey!

Four fifteen-letter theme entries have totally different meanings for the simple word "pop." And we have a fifth fifteen-letter entry that has nothing to do with the theme, at 7-Down. Outdoor security options : EXTERIOR CAMERAS. Did that throw anyone off?

Really easy puzzle, for a Thursday. I flew through it in just over my typical Monday time. Let's see what I missed...

Across:

1. Dot-___ printer : MATRIX. We used to have to put these noisemakers in a special room.  The sound of them running payroll on Fridays was deafening.

7. Hash house sign : EATS.

11. Org. that financed many public murals : WPA. Works Progress Administration (Later renamed Work Projects Administration). One of the lesser-known aspects of Roosevelt's New Deal program. I wanted this to be NEA, but that one comes later in the grid...

14. Brand with a Justice for Potatoes League : ORE-IDA. Because "Lays" was too short.

15. Inside information? : X-RAY. Fun clue.

16. Ancient pillager : HUN.

20. Air France-___: European flier : KLM. Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij. Literally, "Royal Aviation Society," better known as "Royal Dutch Airlines." (And yes, I did have to look up the spelling of "Royal" ;-D)

21. Cathedral areas : NAVES. Apses/Naves always have to wait on perps.

22. Place in a 1969 western : ETTA. Etta Place was the name of the schoolteacher that took up with Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Great misdirection! (Couldn't resist...)

23. Tech staff member : CODER.

24. Camel hair colors : TANS.

32. Bat mitzvah locale : SHUL.

33. Bands from Japan : OBIS.

34. Gp. concerned with dropout prevention : NEA. Ah, there it is. But wait! It's not the National Endowment for the Arts that I thought of for 11-Across, but the National Education Association.

35. Run smoothly : HUM.

36. Condor's booster : UPDRAFT. Haha,  I was thinking of a rocket, until I imagined that the condor might not appreciate such a "boost."

39. Ruckus : DIN.

40. "___ you sure?" : ARE.

41. Charcutier offering : PORC. Pork, in a French butcher shop.

42. 2010 Angelina Jolie spy film : SALT. Never heard of this movie. Any good?

48. "Sooey!" reply : OINK.

49. "Goodness gracious!" : MERCY.

50. Kitty's sunny sleeping spot : SILL.

52. TV and radio : MEDIA.

53. Toulouse : oeil :: Toledo : ___ : OJO. French and Spanish "eye".

60. An official lang. of Kenya : ENG.lish.

61. The "a" in "a=lw" : AREA.= length x width. (Bill G., are you proud of me?)

62. First word of Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride" : "LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear..."

63. Technique : WAY.

64. Chews the fat : YAKS.

65. First step toward nirvana : SATORI. Learned from crossword puzzles.

Down:

1. Poke fun at : MOCK. 4-Down. Poke fun at : RIB. 54-Down. Poke fun (at) : JEER.

2. Shrinking sea : ARAL. Despite the efforts of Kazakhstan with funding from the World Bank to reverse the trend.

3. Duration : TERM.

5. Defensive denial : I DO NOT! (Response to "You always leave the toilet seat up!")

6. Second word of Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" : XANADU. "In XANADU did Kubla Khan / a stately pleasure dome decree..."

8. Battling god : ARES.

9. Itty bit : TAD.

10. Pink Floyd's Barrett : SYD. Here's one of his classics. 4:13

11. Pentecost : WHIT SUNDAY. The name is a shortening of the word "White," and refers to the Holy Ghost descending on the apostles.

12. Flat-bottomed boat : PUNT.

"Two Women Asleep in a Punt Under the Willows"
by John Singer Sargent

13. "Put your Head on My Shoulder" singer : ANKA. Hard to believe that this one was just four years before 10-Down. 2:42

18. Claim with conviction : AVER.

19. Truckee River city : RENO.

23. II into D : CCL.

24. "Yay, the weekend!" : TGIF. "Thank goodness it's Friday!"

25. Short right hand? : ASST. "Short" for ASSistanT.

26. "Balderdash!" : PSHAW.

27. Chekov bridgemate : UHURA. Star Trek.

28. Quantitative "science"? : NUMEROLOGY. Nice fill.

29. Bulls' org. : NBA. National Basketball Association. Chicago's team.

30. "Jurassic Park" co-star : NEILL. Sam Neill played Dr. Alan Grant.

31. Father of modern Italian, per linguists : DANTE.

36. Very soon after : UPON.

37. President between Tyler and Taylor : POLK.

38. No and Who: Abbr. : DRs. Neat misdirection.

42. Messy room : STY.

44. Excalibur part : HILT.

45. Change the colors of, say : REDO. I want to re-do my bedroom, but can't decide on a color. I just can't 57. Put into words : SAY. the look I'm going for.

46. Wavy lines, in music : TRILLS. Like this.

47. Justice who's the son of an Italian immigrant : SCALIA. Alito is also the son of an Italian immigrant.

50. Get into a lather : STEW.

51. New Rochelle college : IONA.

52. Overly submissive : MEEK.

53. "The Simpsons" bus driver : OTTO. I really have to watch that show someday...

55. Intro to science? : OMNI. I was thinking of high school courses. (Hey, I'm not omniscient!)

58. It's usually FDIC-insured : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

59. Bassoon end? : IST. Bassoonist. And that's the end of my story!

Hugs,

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Kazie, the language expert on our blog. Kazie grew up in Sydney, Australia. She has been living in Wisconsin the past two decades. (Correction: Kay has been here since 1974.)  She speaks fluent French & German and is always the first person I go to whenever I have a linguistic problem.

Barry (Kazie's husband), Hemingway & Kazie, Spain, 2012

Wednesday, April 23, 2013 Ed Sessna

Theme: TWO CUBED.  Or is that a CRAZY idea? Three theme answers contain anagrams of the word EIGHT, straddling two words of the answer.  In crossword jargon, such mixing up of letters can be clued as CRAZY, so, CRAZY or not, this is a good, solid theme.

17 A. Michael Jackson memorabilia : WHITE GLOVES.  Everyone needs a trademark.

28 A. Line-drawing tool : STRAIGHT EDGE.  Here is a three-sided one.  Also doubles as a ruler. 

45A. Conversational skill : THE GIFT OF GAB.  The ability to talk at any length on any topic with no preparation.  My grandson Ryan has this gift - he can make friends in the line at the grocery store.  The other theme answers have two words, this one has four = two squared.

And the unifier.  61A. Uno ancestor, and, in a way, what are hidden in 17-, 28- and 45-Across : CRAZY EIGHTS.  Uno is game played with a special, and quite colorful deck. I must have played CRAZY EIGHTS as a kid, but don't remember anything about it.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here to guide you on this colorful flight through some great and possibly crazy eights.

Across:

1. Singer Bryant : ANITA.  Famous for orange juice commercials, among other things

6. Tooted in a Revolutionary band : FIFED.

11. Jacques, e.g. : NOM.  "Name" in French - a French answer for a French name.

14. Common java hr. : TEN A. M.  Coffee break time.  N.B. abrv in cl & ans.

15. "__ of Two Cities" : A TALE.  Charles Dickens novel set in London and Paris around the time of the French revolution. 

16. Be in the red : OWE.  Slang.  To be in the black is to have a positive cash balance.  This comes from the old accounting practice of noting debts in red ink.

19. Coal container : BIN.  Historically also used for dust.

20. Met display : ART.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

21. Met supporter: Abbr. : NEA.  National Endowment for the Arts.  Semi-clecho.

22. Completely drained : EMPTIED. Exhausted didn't fit.

24. Cold War concerns : RUSSIANS. Well, this probably would depend on who you were asking.

27. Web address ending : ORG. It stands for organization, as opposed to COM, which is intended for commerce.  These ideas were the original intent in 1985, but now both domain types are unrestricted.

33. Fruity : BATTY.  Crazy, like an eight.  By why go half way, when you can have fruit bats?

36. Aristotelian pair? : TAUS.  Tau is the "T" equivalent in the Ancient Greek alphabet.  Aristotle was an ancient Greek and there are two T's in his name. My philosophy does not favor self-referential clues, but I will be stoic about it.

37. Cauliflower __: boxing injury : EAR.  A condition caused by trauma to the external portion of the ear that separates cartilage from the adjoining tissue, so that it degenerates and fibrous tissue forms in the skin.  Per Wikipedia, "The condition is most common among boxers, wrestlers, mixed martial artists, and forwards in rugby union."

38. "Exodus" author : URIS.  Leon.

39. Heavy curtain : DRAPE. 

41. Head of a family? : CAPO. Mafia slang.

42. Channel for film buffs : TCM. Turner Classic Movies, where you might find a flick about a CAPO.

43. Jalapeño rating characteristic : HEAT.  Hot peppers.

44. Nemo creator Verne : JULES.  This clue is about fictional submarine Captain Nemo, aka Prince Dakkar in the novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870,) and The Mysterious Island (1874.)   Not to be confused with a certain lost fish.

49. Info source, with "the" : WEB.  The infamous internet, source of all sorts of good and bad information.

50. Like early life forms : PRIMEVAL.  Derived from Latin words meaning early age.  In those halcyon days, neither prime time nor evil had yet been invented.

54. Shakespearean actor Kenneth : BRANAGH.  He has directed or starred in several movie adaptations of Shakespeare's plays.

58. SALT subject : ABM.  Topics for Strategic Arms Limitation Talks included Anti-Ballistic Missiles.

59. Worker who handles returns, briefly : CPA.  A Certified Public Accountant handles tax returns and also can tell you if you're in the red.

60. Tune : AIR.  Here is a wonderful example.

64. Prune : LOP. 

65. New worker : HIREE.  If you are a hirer

66. Pick of the litter : ELITE.  This doesn't quote seem to fit. 

67. Sot's symptoms : DT'S.  Delerium Tremens.  This is a syndrome resulting from alcohol withdrawal that can include body tremors, mood swings, hallucinations and several other symptoms.  "DT's" is in the language, and doesn't require an abrv. hint in the clue.

68. Readied, as the presses : INKED.  Ready to print.

69. Deep sleep : SOPOR.  Another possible symptom of the DT's, that can last for a day or longer.

Down:

1. Engaged in armed conflict : AT WAR.

2. Beatles jacket style : NEHRU.  This is a hip length tailored coat somewhat loosely modeld on the much longer sherwani, which was worn by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964.  It is unlikely that he ever wore a Nehru jacket.

3. Contract change approvals: Abbr. : INITS.  Initials - cuz' who wants to take the time to sign their whole NOM?

4. Tit for __ : TAT.  Equivalent retaliation, similar to an eye for an eye.  Probably derived from the Dutch tip for tap - blow for blow.

5. Motel Wi-Fi, for one : AMENITY. Something that provides comfort, convenience or enjoyment.

6. Singer-dancer Lola : FALANA.  An American singer and dancer born in 1942.

7. Jurist Lance : ITO.  He presided over events that gave murder trials a bad name.

8. Top choice, slangily : FAVE.  Short for favorite, I assume. 

9. Type of sch. with low grades? : ELEM.  Clever clue.  Elementary school, my dear Watson, for the PRIMEVAL part of your educational experience.

10. Iron-fisted rulers : DESPOTS. Historically, a ruling individual or oligarchy with absolute power.  In modern usage, there is an implication of oppression and abuse of power.  Game of Thrones fans will probably think of King Joffrey.

11. "Don't sweat it" : NO BIG DEAL.  It's a piece of cake.

12. Baby's boo-boo : OWIE. Until you get hurt

13. Convalesce : MEND.  Then you might have take time to get better.

18. First in a car, say : GEAR.  This had me stalled for a while, but I'm in 2nd gear now.  

23. Uno e due : TRE.  One plus two = three.  Is this French or Italian?

25. Retired fliers : SSTS.  Super Sonic Transports.  They have been out of commercial service since Oct. 2003. 

26. Straddle : SIT ATOP.  This is imprecise.  You can SIT ATOP something without having your legs dangled on either side, which is what is required for it to be a straddle.

29. Spark plug measurement : GAP.  This distance is critical for proper performance.

30. Color : HUE.  For some reason, red comes to mind.

31. Look open-mouthed : GAPE.

32. Valentine's Day deity : EROS. Aka Cupid.

33. Target of a joke : BUTT. This expresson goes back to at least 1775.  It is probably derived from the use of the word butt meaning a target for archery practice, and then the target of the joke.

34. St. Louis symbol : ARCH.  Someone who hates St. Louis would be it's ARCH enemy.

35. Sci-fi travel conveniences : TIME WARPS.  The Free Dictionary tell us a TIME WARP is "A hypothetical discontinuity or distortion occurring in the flow of time that would move events from one time period to another or suspend the passage of time."  But since I played an all Brubeck concert last night, I'll go with this.

39. Dict. feature : DEF.  Dictionaries feature definitions.

40. Dirty one in a memorable Cagney line : RAT. 

41. Sugar shape : CUBE.

43. Terrace cooker : HIBACHI. A charcoal brazier.

44. Night-night clothes? : JAMMIES.  Kiddie talk for bed time and pajamas.

46. DDE, in WWII : GEN. General Dwight David Eisenhower.

47. Worn at the edges : FRAYED.  Like a puzzle with too many abrvs.

48. Sarcastic remark : GIBE.  Did I just make one?

51. TV monitoring device : V-CHIP.  So your kiddies can't sneak down in their JAMMIES after you go night-night and watch soft core porn on Skinemax.

52. Most likely will, after "is" : APT TO. Are they likely to?

53. Surgery beam : LASER. 

54. Not in need of a barber : BALD.  I just had my remaining hairs cut today, and discussed with my similarly unendowed barber the dangers of sunburn on the pate.

55. Mob action : RIOT. Not in a good way

56. It may run from cheek to cheek : GRIN.  Wouldn't "ear to ear" be more in the language?  My lips go cheek to cheek even when I frown.

57. Carol opening : HARK.  Some angel named Harold is singing.

62. Zip code start? : ZEE.  O G - a spelt out letter.

63. Day-__: pigment brand : GLO.   Color, only better.

Well, that wraps up our CRAZY EIGHT tour.  Pretty good ride, with some pretty good music, a crazy five, and only a couple of clunkers.  Hope you had fun with it.

Cool Regards!

JzB