Saturday, November 26, 2022, Bill Pipal

 Saturday Themeless by Bill Pipal 

Here's Bill carrying
Renny on a very hot day

From Bill: My very first puzzle was published right here in the LA Times 13 months ago, and I am thrilled to be back! Since that time I have had puzzles published in a few other outlets like Universal, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, but this is only my second themeless.

This picture shows Bill and Renny who is a rescue dog who Bill carried on a very hot day. Bill said: We were trying to pick out a name for her we liked Renny as it means "small, but mighty" in Gaelic. She was quite underweight when we rescued her (after being on the streets and then in an animal shelter), but we knew she had a lot of strength in her and that has proven to be very true!

I currently reside in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with my wife. Proud double-Illini working as an in-house attorney for a tech start-up in Chicago. Like many, I started constructing crossword puzzles during the pandemic and was lucky to meet so many kind people in the crosswording community who helped me learn from mistakes and improve my construction skills.  A big thank you to the test solvers of this puzzle (and all of my puzzles).  Specifically, my sister-in law, Alie, and my father-in law, Tom.  Most importantly, while not a crossword enthsuiast herself, my wife was incredibly supportive of me in this time consuming hobby and encouraged me to keep trying even after some rejections started coming in on earlier puzzles.

I blogged that first themeless puzzle Bill submitted and I had a good time on it and this one too!

Across:

1. Berry from Brazilian palms: ACAI - Harvest time

5. Hides from animals: PELTS.

10. Sanctuary area: APSE.

14. Game time?: TURN - You could lose it 😀

15. "Dances With Wolves" distribution company: ORION.

 

16. Haunted house sound: MOAN.

17. Raccoon, facetiously: TRASH PANDA - 😀 Bill was very pleased to introduce this phrase to the crossword world.

19. Romance novelist Kennedy: ELLE.

20. Improvises: AD LIBS - The ten most famous film AD LIBS

21. Minimal-compliance hiring practice: TOKENISM.

23. Google __: DOCS - Google DOCS, Sheets and Slides are Google's version of Office.

25. Gel: SET.

26. Low island: CAY - Golding CAY in the Bahamas is for sale

27. Tanzanite and black opal: RARE GEMS -  A Trillion Cut Tanzanite & Blue Fire Opal Inlay Solid 925 Sterling Silver Pendant For Necklace - $55.25 $65.00

Original Price:

Price

31. Out: DATED - These items are OUT, DATED and OUTDATED

33. "Go me!": I'VE DONE IT - Upon reaching the summit of Everest, stoic Sir Edmund Hilary said his thought was, "I can't believe that Eddy Hilary made it up here!" His sherpa Norgay Tensing was much more emotional!

35. Turkish coins: LIRAS - A Big Mac Meal Deal is about 65₺ at this Ankara, Turkey  outlet mall

37. Country rock band co-founded by Jim Messina: POCO - I've enjoyed Jim in all of his iterations

38. Fictional Gantry: ELMER - Burt Lancaster as the spell binding ELMER is believable, but Shirley Jones as a revenge-seeking prostitute named Lulu was a little tougher. 

40. Sheet of glass: PANE.

41. Breadth: SCOPE.

43. Singular source of dissent: LONE VOICE - The day after the Pearl Harbor attack, the U.S. House voted 388 -  1 to declare was on Japan. JeanetteRankin of Montana was that lone no vote. She was harassed so severely she had to get to a phone booth to call for an escort out of the chamber. 47. "That explains everything": NO WONDER - She was not reelected. 

45. Geometry numbers: AREAS.

48. "How unexpected": ODD.

49. Includes, briefly: CCS - Speaking of OUTDATED, Carbon Copies are a prime example but their idea of getting copies to others lives on.

51. Memorization technique: ROTE.

52. Snarky remarks: POTSHOTS - He made a good living at it.

55. Polymer products: RESINS - Epoxy RESIN poured onto a countertop. 

59. Legendary: EPIC.

60. Footwear for a private eye?: TRACK SHOES - 😀 Let's see, a private eye can TRACK people and wears SHOES so...

62. Home to the oldest university in the Americas: LIMA - Chartered in 1551 by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

63. Proportional gift: TITHE - 10%

64. Soon, quaintly: ANON.

65. Education acronym: STEM.

66. Base stealer's asset: SPEED.

67. Sits in the sun: TANS.

Down:

1. Flour that's stone ground in a chakki: ATTA - We had just recently. ATTA no longer gets clued as ___ girl!

2. Poutine morsel: CURD - CURDS on French fries? Really? 

3. Kazakh/Uzbek border name: ARAL.

4. Skinny, so to speak: INSIDE DOPE.

5. Milieu of Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish: POP SCENE - Okay

6. Detergent brand: ERA.

7. Fuzz: LINT.

8. Chore list items: TO DOS.

9. Unclogged, as a pipe: SNAKED.

10. "Indeed": AMEN.

11. Bust: POLICE RAID.

12. Cuban movement?: SALSA DANCE.

13. Adversary: ENEMY.

18. Phased-out streaming service: HBO GO 

22. "There are others" abbr.: ET AL - John Hancock, et al.

24. Get a whiff of: SMELL.

27. Tears (up): RIPS.

28. Seed germinated on toothpicks in some science projects: AVOCADO PIT.

29. Goal for some Olympians: RECORD TIME - The 4-minute mile was a goal until 1954. The current record is held by a Moroccan at 3:43.13

30. "Lost in Yonkers" playwright: SIMON - A playbill signed by the original Broadway cast. Neil SIMON is definitely not an obscure name.

32. Be respectful, in a way: TIP ONE'S HAT - Golfers don't usually TIP the entire HAT until the end of the round but they often touch the bill to acknowledge applause during the round

34. General sense: TENOR.

36. One who looks to the future?: SEER.

39. Edited: REWORKED - When making a presentation multiple times in a day, I REWORKED  it constantly  

42. Per: EACH.

44. Primary concern: VOTES - They're all cast, the signs are down and the phone calls have quit

46. Turf Builder brand: SCOTTS.

48. German wheels: OPELS - OPEL plans to launch this electric model in 2028

50. Lose one's shirt?: STRIP.

53. Trick: SCAM.

54. Fill and then some: SATE - Two days ago?

56. New Rochelle school designated a university in 2022: IONA - Appropriate for constructor whose puppy has a dog with a Gaelic name.

57. Adjective associated with some 1980s fashion: NEON.

58. IDs since 1936: SSNS.

61. Sara Ramirez's "And Just Like That ... " role: CHE - Sara plays CHE in this HBO Max show but she is better known to me as Dr. Calliope Torres in Grey's Anatomy.

Happy Birthday Dad.

On a personal note, today would have been my dad's 100th birthday. I wish I could have had more time (taken more time) to get to know him.

Friday, November 25, 2022, Emma Oxford

 

Good morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's state-of-the-puzzle recap.  That is, I am here for those of you who have come out of any food-induced stupors that may have been caused by yesterday's feasting.  If you have not yet recovered then you have probably yet to solve the puzzle and are probably also not reading this so . . . never mind.

Today's puzzle setter is Emma Oxford.  I have previously recapped Emma's puzzles and they are always a pleasure.  The clues are often very clever.  Her themes are always creative and today's is no exception.  To grasp what she has accomplished today it helps if you, first of all, know the nicknames for various (in this case six) constituent states of these United States.  Second, it helped to know the postal abbreviations for those states.  Third, you need to like to play with words - in this case by breaking them apart at out-of-the ordinary places.  Here are the six themed clues and answers:

16 Across:  Flower of the Hoosier State?: IN CARNATION.  The Hoosier State is the nickname for Indiana and its postal abbreviation is IN.  INCARNATION becomes Indiana Carnation.

24 Across:  Basement access in the Palmetto State?: SC AREA WAY.  The Palmetto State is the nickname for South Carolina and its postal abbreviation is SC.  SCARE AWAY becomes South Carolina Area Way.

30 Across:  Clothing in the Sunshine State?: FL ATTIRE.  The Sunshine State is the nickname for Florida and its postal abbreviation is FL.  FLAT TIRE becomes Florida Attire.

44 Across:  Girls from the Show-Me State?: MO LASSES.  The Show Me State is the nickname for Missouri and its postal abbreviation is MO.  MOLASSES becomes Missouri Lasses.

50 Across:   Psychedelics from the Evergreen State?: WA SHROOMS.  The Evergreen State is the nickname for Washington and its postal abbreviation is WA.  WASHROOMS becomes Washington Shrooms (slang for mushrooms of the psychoactive type).

62 Across:  Fortified wines from the Ocean State?: RI VERMOUTHS.  The Ocean State is the nickname for Rhode Island and its postal abbreviation is RI.  RIVER MOUTHS becomes Rhode Island Vermouths.

Here is how this looks in the grid:

. . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Spanish home: CASA.  La lección de español de hoy

5. Yelped about?: RATED.  Clever.  Nothing to do with a dog complaining.  Having used the food review app, Yelp.

10. Fix: JAM.  Hand up for thinking this had something to do with repair work.  Then thinking it might be pet related.  Nope, Fix is used, here, as in to be in a fix or predicament.  That's probably better than being in a pickle.

13. Actress Taylor-Joy: ANYA.  A web search reveals that she has both a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.  I wouldn't know her from Eve.

14. Take from commercial to residential, maybe: REZONE.

15. PC core: CPU.  Central Processing Unit

18. Some triage pros: RNS. and 65. Some triage pros: DRS.  Professionals is abbreviated to PROS in both clues.  Registered NurseS and DoctoRS.  See also 59 Down.

19. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.

20. Stand for a presentation: EASEL.  Again, it is not as if we are at a performance of Handel's "Messiah" and getting out of our seats in a show of respect.  Literally, a stand on which you might place your presentation.

21. Clog fillers: FEET.  Not the hairs in your sink.  The shoes.

22. Boot: EXPEL.  Not the shoe.  Used, here, as a verb.  Oust.

27. Three-line verse: HAIKU.

        Our own Chairman Moe

        Often writes HAIKU verses

        For our enjoyment

29. Screen __: TEST.  Hand up for first writing in SHOT (well, the second T worked).

33. Rise to the occasion: STEP UP.

37. Refrigerator drawer: BIN.

38. Word before toast or after peach: MELBA.  Created as a surname by opera diva Nellie Melba (born Helen Mitchell) after her hometown of Melbourne Australia.  Such was her fame that several food dishes were named after her.

40. Comm. system in the film "CODA": ASL.  Comm as in communications.

41. Entirely: IN TOTO.  Also, where a dog treat might be located in Kansas.

47. Without: SANS.  From the Old French via Middle English.

49. Sore spots: WELTS.  When Gandhi was on his first hunger strike people would routinely bring him locally-made bread in an attempt to get him to eat.  What people don't understand, though, is that Gandhi was actually a very temperamental man and, prone to anger, he would hurl the bread at his friends sometimes leaving bruises and WELTS.  He justified this behavior by saying that it was all part of his philosophy of naan-violence.

54. Banks known as "Mr. Cub": ERNIE.

57. Think piece?: IDEA.  The result of cogitating, perhaps.

58. Social outcast, metaphorically: LEPER.

60. Portuguese greeting: OLA.  Lição de hoje de Portougese.

61. __ sequitur: NON.

66. Clinches the deal: ICES IT.  Idiomatic.  Sometimes we get SEWS UP.

67. Veal or venison: MEAT.

68. "Happy now?": SEE.  Ah, the things people say in crossword puzzles.

69. Bathroom fixture: BIDET.  More French.  Today's let's-skip-the-visual-aid moment.

70. IDs on tax forms: SSNS.  Social Security NumberS

Down:

1. Michael who plays Alfred in "The Dark Knight" trilogy: CAINE.  See also 30 Down.  Michael CAINE was in that movie too.

2. Building addition: ANNEX.  Putin is griping about all of the land he is trying so hard to ANNEX.  Oh, Crimea river, Vladimir.

3. Lackey: SYCOPHANT.

4. Level just below the majors: AAA.  A baseball reference.  The Triple A teams are comprised (with a few exceptions) of the best players in the minor leagues.  Below AAA is AA, A, and other tiers.  Altogether there are 209 minor league teams in 19 leagues spread across 44 states and 4 provinces.

5. Instill confidence in: REASSURE.  People keep telling me that alcohol isn't a solution but I've asked my chemist friends and they all REASSURE me that it is.

6. Xipe Totec worshipper: AZTEC.  Hand up for no idea what Xipe Totec was except that it sounded Mesoamerican.  The Z from REZONE was the hint that led quickly to AZTEC.

7. Labor over: TOIL AT.

8. Eclectic musician Brian: ENO.  Among other accomplishments, frequent visitor Brian ENO is known as the creator of "ambient" music.

9. Lair: DEN.

10. Banana Republic alternative: J CREW.  Hand up for first thinking of types of governments.

11. Sleep clinic study: APNEA.

12. Dank and damp: MUSTY.

14. Messenger __: RNA.  Pigeon would not fit.

17. On again: RELIT.  Like a light bulb or a candle.

21. Destiny: FATE.  "Man does not control his own fate.  The women in his life do that for him."    - Groucho Marx

23. Nosh on: EAT.  From the Yiddish nashn.

25. Flea market transaction: RESALE.

26. Educated guess, basically: Abbr.: EST.  ESTimate

28. Traditional garment for Japan's Coming of Age Day: KIMONO.  Despite not being familiar with Coming of Age Day this one filled quickly.

30. Org. in "Miss Congeniality": FBI.   A 2000 film featuring Sandra Bullock as an undercover FBI agent.

31. Three-time Tony winner __-Manuel Miranda: LIN.

32. West __: upscale furniture store: ELM.

34. Misbehave in class, in a way: PASS NOTES.

35. Purpose: USE.

36. "Thx" counterpart: PLS.  PLeaSe and Thanks.

39. Spar above a ship's figurehead: BOWSPRIT.

42. Job safety org.: OSHA.

43. Pitch: TAR.  Neither a baseball reference nor a sales spiel reference.  Pitch is the black viscous substance obtained as a residue through the distillation of organic substances.

45. Last new Olds: ALERO.  Oldsmobile.  A new olds.  Cute.

46. Orch. section: STR. and 50. Orchestra section: WINDS.  In the first of these two, almost identical, clues ORCHestra is abbreviated so STRings is also.

48. Cracked, as a mystery: SOLVED.

51. Love to bits: ADORE.

52. First word in a Jane Austen title: SENSE.

53. Attorney general under Reagan: MEESE.  Edwin MEESE.  A polarizing figure in his day.

55. Minnesota representative Omar: ILHAN.  A well-publicized figure due the the fact that she has also been seen as polarizing.

56. Bridge positions: EASTS.  We need one of the first two letters to see if it will be EASTS or WESTS.

59. Triage pro: EMT.  Emergency Medical Technician.  See also 18 and 65 Across.  Is the use of the same clue three separate times a new record?

62. Saguaro segment: RIB.  Saguaro is a ribbed cactus that looks like this:

63. Here, on Métro maps: ICI.  C'est francais n'est ce pas?  ICI is the French equivalent of here.

64. Verbal hesitations: UMS.  Hmm, a bit of a punt to wrap up a very, very entertaining puzzle.

Thanks for the wonderful grid, Emma.   Please feel free to stop by The Crossword Corner and share anything you'd like about the puzzle.

_________________________________________

Thursday, November 24, 2022, Samantha Podos Nowak

 Sports Heroes

I was unable to find a trace of Samantha Podos Nowak in the LA Times database, nor anywhere else on the Internet (Google, Facebook, etc), so this looks like her puzzle debut.   

The characters referred to in Samantha's theme originated in the comic fantasies of the  Marvel Comic Universe (MCU)  and its competitor DC Comics (DC).   As a MCU/DC newbie, I can't begin to explain the world they live in, nor their complex relationships, but the preceding Wiki links can get you started if you're interested. 

The themers all start with the word "When" and end with a "_____" for you to fill in.  The first word of each fill is a character from one of the universes (MCU or DC), followed by a second word giving a common phrase.  The original comics have long since morphed into many movies and video game adaptations and are BIG business.  Several of the characters have appeared in multiple movies, and have been played by multiple actors.  I believe some of the characters have occasionally appeared in both universes.  Here are the themers:

19A. When one of the X-Men needs to communicate with the pitcher, __: STORM SIGNALS (MCU).   Storm is a superhero who first appeared in Marvel Comics in May 1975.  Descended from a long line of African witch-priestesses, she is a member of a fictional subspecies of humans born with superhuman abilities known as mutants. She is able to control the weather and atmosphere and is considered to be one of the most powerful mutants on the planet, and one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe.

Storm

33A. When a member of the Justice League has possession of the football, __: FLASH DRIVES.  The Flash is a superhero who first appeared in DC Comics in 1956.  Because he is a speedster, his power consists mainly of superhuman speed. Various other effects are also attributed to his ability to control the slowness of molecular vibrations, including his ability to vibrate at speed to pass through objects. The Flash wears a distinct red and gold costume treated to resist friction and wind resistance, traditionally storing the costume compressed inside a ring.

Flash

41A. When one of Marvel's Avengers needs to create a lineup card, __: VISION PLANS.  Vision first appeared in Marvel Comics in August 1968.  He is an android (sometimes called a "synthezoid") built by the villainous robot Ultron.  Originally intended to act as Ultron's "son" and destroy the Avengers, Vision instead turned on his creator and joined the Avengers to fight for the forces of good. Since then, he has been depicted as a frequent member of the team, and, for a time, was married to his teammate, the Scarlet Witch. He also served as a member of the Defenders. 

Vision

You'll notice that each themer is also a reference to either baseball or football and hence the reveal:

50A. Idolized athletes, and an apt title for this puzzle?: SPORTS HEROES.

Let's finish with some real SPORTS HEROES in OUR Universe.

Here's the grid:

Now that we're back on Earth, we'll now consider the rest of the clues.

Across:

1. Intro to physics?: META.  METAPHYSICS, a topic explored in depth in the 2005 Sci-Fi fantasy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Here's Deep Thought, voiced by Helen Mirren, with the answer to the meaning of life:

5. Fundamentals: ABCS.  The metaphysics of OUR reality.

9. __ test: BETA.  This type of test is often done by the programmers.  All of the rest are done by YOU.

13. Monopoly token replaced by a cat: IRON.  Betcha Hahtoolah had something to do with this.

14. "Yeah, why not?": SURE.  But see also 44D.

15. Has status: RATES.  Doesn't it depend on the RATING?

16. Breaking point: LAST STRAW.  Here's the STRAW'S side of the story ...

18. Coming up: ON TAP.  Coming right up!

21. App pop-ups: ADS. Do you get a lot of these when you read Corner comments on your cell phone?

24. "That's __-brainer!": A NO. 

25. Called before: NEE.

26. Concentrate: FOCUS.

28. Achievement for a goal-oriented player?: HAT TRICK.  Ever wondered why scoring three goals in one game is called a hat-trick?

36. Spanish Mrs.: SRA.  Senora.

37. High-voiced Muppet: ELMO.

38. Allude (to): REFER.

39. "The Night Circus" novelist Morgenstern: ERIN.  The Night Circus is a 2011 fantasy novel  originally written for the annual writing competition National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) over the span of three competitions. The novel has a nonlinear narrative written from multiple viewpoints.

Erin Morgenstern

40. Mushroom top: CAP. 
 
43. Pronged spears: TRIDENTS.  The TRIDENT is often associated with marine deities such as Poseidon and Neptune because the weapon was most commonly used for fishing.  But they have other uses.

Poseidon

45. Seamaster watchmaker: OMEGA.  These cost thousands of dollars, but they're much cheaper if you buy them used. Every 10 years or so I get a new Timex Ironman Classic.  Last time it was $30 dollars, now it's going for $40 dollars (yikes!):

Timex Ironman Classic

46. "Shoot!": ASK.

47. Airport rental: CAR.

49. "__ Misérables": LES.   Les Misérables is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.  The novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption.  Examining the nature of law and grace, the novel elaborates upon the history of France, the architecture and urban design of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, antimonarchism, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. Les Misérables has been popularized through numerous adaptations for film, television and the stage, including a musical.  Hand up if you've read the novel?

56. Uncanny: EERIE.  80% vowels!

57. Like a wide load: OVERSIZED.

61. Rise to the top of a news feed, say: TREND.

62. Ham or lamb: MEAT.

63. Sushi wrapper: NORI.  Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, made from a red algae genus.  It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is often used to wrap rolls of sushi ("Maki").

Drying Nori

64. Nasty hangover?: SMOG.  Clever clue.

65. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.  Erma Louise Bombeck (February 21, 1927 – April 22, 1996) was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban home life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996. She also published 15 books, most of which became bestsellers.

Erma Bombeck

66. Vice president between Quayle and Cheney: GORE.

Down:

1. The Brewers, in box scores: MIL.  The Milwaukee Brewers are members of the National League Central division and are named for the city's association with the brewing industry.  Since 2001, they have played their home games at American Family Field, which was named Miller Park through the 2020 season and has a seating capacity of 41,900 people.

2. Cy Young stat: ERA.  Earned Run Average, the average number of earned runs scored against the pitcher in every nine innings pitched.  Cy Young's career ERA was 2.63.

3. Lean-__: TOS.

4. Aardvark meal: ANTS.  By pure co-incidence, ANT-MAN just happens to be a member of the Marvel Comic Universe. 

5. __ Martin: ASTON.  Sean Connery chased Dr. No around Jamaica in an Aston Martin in last Thursday's puzzle.  And somebody just bought it last summer for $2.4 million bucks.

6. Beast of burden: BURRO.  Not this guy (lyrics) ...

7. Stuff: CRAM.  Best not to try stuffing it the night before the exam.

8. Follows a pattern, say: SEWS.

9. Stadium sign: BANNER.

10. "The Wallflower" jazz singer James: ETTA.  Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind".  Here she sings "The Wallflower" backed up by "The Peaches" ...

11. Turquoise kin: TEAL.  Here they are.  Below each color are the "RGB codes" you can use to reproduce the precise hues with a computer:
 

12. Egyptian snakes: ASPS.  Last week it was MAMBAS, this week it's ASPS.  Maybe we should get St. Patrick in here and drive 'em all out.

15. Webster's shelfmate: ROGETS.  I found only one synonym for ROGET in the online Thesaurus.plus and it  led me to this.

Peter Mark Roget

17. Secret supply: STASH.  FLASH keeps his secret STASH in his ring.

20. Future resident: INTERN.  An INTERNSHIP is actually the first year of a RESIDENCY.

21. Change: AFFECT. 

22. Buck: DOLLAR.

23. Garlicky dish: SCAMPI.   Here's a recipe.

27. Gp. for the troops: USO.  United Service Organization.  Here's Mr. USO himself with Francis Langford and Patty Thomas entertaining the troops in 1944 ...
 

28. Old audio systems: HI FIS.

29. Chevy subcompact: AVEO.  The Chevrolet Aveo (sold as Chevrolet Sonic in North America and parts of Asia since 2011) is a subcompact car manufactured since 2002 (by Daewoo from 2002 to 2011).  The second generation Sonic began with the 2012 model year and was also marketed as the Aveo; production ended in October 2020.

2011 Chevrolet Aveo

30. Mideast birthplace of actress Gal Gadot: ISRAEL.  Gal Gadot-Varsano (born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress, model, and former Miss Israel. Her first international film performance was in Fast & Furious (2009), where she played Gisele Yashar.  By another pure co-incidence it turns out that she's our puzzle's 5th superhero, joining the Justice League in the film Wonder Woman 1984 released in 2020:

Gal Gadot

31. React to an awkward moment, say: CRINGE.

32. "The Wizard of Oz" setting: KANSAS.  Here's Dorothy on her way from KANSAS to OZ ...

34. Gin and tonic: DRINKS.  Cocktail wouldn't fit.

35. Staff symbol: REST.  Take 5 and check this out.

39. Dartboard wood: ELM.  For some reason I always thought they were made of cork.   Here's the history of dart boards.  Two weeks ago I was indebted to CrossEyedDave for posting the epic "joke scene" in Roxanne that resulted when Charlie Wales (played by Steve Martin) lost a game of darts.  For those of you who missed it ...

41. __ interest: VESTED.  Show me a politician without any VESTED interests, and I'll show you a one handed lawyer.

42. Facial mask targets: PORES.  Clever clue.

44. Willing to take risks: DARING.  The cost of living.  See 59D.

47. Half of half-and-half: CREAM.

48. Vital blood vessel: AORTA.  Everything you might want to know about the AORTA (except maybe for you MD's out there).

50. Hardens: SETS.  Before mixing 5 minute epoxy, make sure you have a PLAN.

51. Make waves?: PERM.  "To PERM?"

52. Cookie with a limited edition Pumpkin Spice flavor: OREO.  Just in time for today's dessert!

53. Word before and after sweet: HOME.

54. "Best. Day. __!": EVER.  Thank you Google ...

55. Join the chorus: SING. 

58. Herpetologist's employer: ZOO.  We could use one to keep track of all the ASPS, ADDERS, COBRAS, and MAMBAS slithering around the blog.

59. __ on the side of caution: ERR.  We should "ERR on the side of caution" if there is a significant risk of a negative outcome.  Thus tests for cancer should be designed with the lowest possible margin for error: a false negative (type 2 error) would result in a case going undiagnosed and untreated, whereas a false positive (type 1 error) would likely lead to retesting.  Here's more about these  types of errors.

60. Game cube: DIE. The end!

Cheers,
Bill

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

waseeley

Samantha Podos Nowak, you are invited to post anything you'd like to share about this puzzle, its evolution, the theme, or whatever, in the Comments section below.  We'd love to hear from you.

We wish you all a Happy, Blessed, and FILLINGFUL Thanksgiving!

Freedom From Want
Norman Rockwell 1943