Friday, June 14, 2013, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: B all you can be, but silently.

Well while marti is off in Italy I sit with the pleasure of presenting another Friday Frolic. This a combination of add a letter and a sound alike punny theme. with a B added the end of the first word of the first and fourth theme answer, and to the end of the last word of the middle two. Each B is added after an M and is silent in the new phrase, so it sounds exactly like the old one but with a twisted and amusing meaning. Lots of proper names, some hard clues and lots of new stuff to go along with some standard 4 letter fill. Let's see what our traveler has left us.

18A. Like a door with three people squeezing through it together? : JAMB PACKED.(10). I think the phrase jam packed comes from the roaring 20's when people would cram into phone booths. CED, I wasted 15 minutes looking for a good clown car video, but I gave up.

33A. Where to find wool? : ON THE LAMB.(9).Once again an Old Norse word, LEMJA, which mean to beat, is credited as being the origin of 'on the lam' to mean to "beat it."

45A. Out-of-control carpenter's tool? : WILD PLUMB. (9).If you watch the US Open golf this weekend you will see many plumb bob the line of the their putts. Splynter can explain the real use of the tool.

63A. Title for Shakespeare? : IAMB LEGEND.(10). The funniest and the one that is different because it takes two words and crunches them together with the B to make the new word. Will loved his Iambic Pentameter, so this is a very witty way to change the Will Smith movie.

Across:

1. Go like heck : ZOOM. An onomatopoeic word.

5. Code name : MORSE. The man who created one, Samuel. (1)

10. Lose on purpose : DIET. Misdirection, but this should not have fooled anyone.

14. Upper hand : EDGE.

15. Hodgepodges : OLIOS. A favorite word of the Corner.

16. Lincoln who was the first screen Tarzan : ELMO. In the silent movie days; the full hour is available LINK. (2)

17. D.C. dealers : POLS. miss m. should know better, NO Politics!

20. Maker of Dex-Cool antifreeze/coolant : PRESTONE.(3)

22. End of a conductor's shout : ABOARD. All aboarddddddddddddddddddddddd.

23. "Cotton Comes to Harlem" director Davis : OSSIE.(4)

24. Alice's restaurant : DINER. The Beer and Pizza joint my youngest works at in Denver was on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.

26. Biol. branch : ANATomy to go with ogy.

29. Temperaments : NATURES. Do many of you have bad tempers? Or is life good and you...

37. Great way to have it : MADE.

38. Milne joey : ROO. Kanga's little one from Winnie the Pooh's world. (5)

39. Helpers of the ill-suited? : TAILORS. Love the phrasing of this clue. My grandfather was a tailor.

42. Long-nosed fish : GAR. Arg, not another Gar!

43. Expressionist Nolde : EMIL. Never heard of this PAINTER. (6)

47. Rauch who plays Bernadette on "The Big Bang Theory" : MELISSA. TBBT, and the little Mrs. (7) Howard, with the big...bangs.

50. Depression : DALE. Not mental but in the field.

51. Name that means "cool breeze" in Hawaiian : KEANU. Another learning moment for me; where is Mr. Reeves these days, anyone NEO? (8)

53. Like the columns in the Jefferson Memorial : IONIC.I will never forget, Ionic, Doric or Corinthian. (9)

57. Lava rock : BASALT. Do we have any geologists in our midst to explain this ROCK.

60. Nickname for Mendelssohn's Third Symphony : SCOTTISH. Not in my wheelhouse. A SAMPLE.(8:09) (10)

65. Troubling spots : ACNE.

66. Chanteur Jacques : BREL. A male singer and crossword favorite.(11).

67. Dropped the ball : ERRED.

68. Fraternity letters : RHOS.

69. WWI German vice admiral : SPEE. He was actually born in Denmark. READ. (12)

70. Hornet homes : NESTS.

71. P.D. ranks : DETS. Police Department has detectives.

Down:

1. Marx Brothers straight man : ZEPPO. The youngest of the brothers and the handsome ONE.(2:56).(13) He married Frank Sinatra's ex.

2. Stinks : ODORS.

3. Looks lustfully at : OGLES. Like looking at long legs in sheer nylons, hmm.

4. Delivery man? : MESSIAH. Really difficult cluing; and another taboo topic.

5. "Got My ___ Working": 1957 Muddy Waters song : MOJO. This SONG. (14)

6. Buck heroine : OLAN. From her Pulitzer Prize winning The Good Earth. (15).

7. Covered with frost : RIMED. I wish I had a quip that rhymed.

8. __ sister : SOB. From the old days when women journalists could only write puff. HISTORY.

9. Andorra neighbor, locally : ESPANA. Spanish for Spain. (16).

10. Propriety : DECORUM. We had to write an essay in 7th grade about how to maintain decorum and Peter Wylie said, you need to water it, and use good dirt.

11. "Now, Voyager" actress Chase : ILKA. She was the daughter of the editor of Vogue. (17)

12. Hosp. area : EMERgency.

13. Broadway barber : TODD. Sweeny, the play about the butcher barber.(18)

19. Support in a swindle : ABET. Aiding and...

21. Belief : TENET.

25. Shown so you can't miss it : IN BOLD. Just like every answer in the write ups.

27. In the manner of : A LA. From the French.

28. LPGA golfer Yani Tseng's homeland : TAIWAN. She was number 1 in the world of ladies golf last year, but has slipped.(19)

30. Prego rival : RAGU. (20).

31. Netherlands export : EDAM. One of marti's cheesy fill.( I will let this one slide).

32. Certain Slav : SERB. They have their own version of religion, Serbian Orthodox, similar to Greek and Russian.(21).

33. Utah Valley University city : OREM. A repeat performance for this little city.(22).

34. Iditarod terminus : NOME. It means clear waters and begin in Anchorage and takes a couple of weeks with 16 dogs as the average team.(various sources). (23).

35. Exhausting effort : TOIL. Boil and Bubble.

36. 11th-century date : MLI. 1051, so?

40. Nutritionist's no. : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance.

41. Take a hike : SPLIT. Like go on the lam?

44. Charming : LIKABLE.

46. Suit in a circus : LEOTARD.Suit?

48. Peddle : SELL. Not your bicycle, but your wares.

49. Bed sheet material : SATEEN. Not to be confused with Satin.

52. Manipulators : USERS.

54. Specialized market segment : NICHE. I keep looking for mine.

55. Isn't expanded? : IS NOT. I love this simple deception.

56. Mating game : CHESS. Wonderful misdirection clue,.

57. Strained-carrot holders : BIBS. I should be seeing Charlotte in a few weeks.

58. Group with many boomers : AARP. They gave up as an acronym and this is the official name now. (24).

59. Fictional pirate : SMEE .He's back and number 25.

61. Tech news website : CNET. (26).

62. Track figures : ODDS. I bet you all got this right, even if you did not have any of the triple crown winners.

64. MBA hopeful's test : GRE. Graduate Records Examination. Whew.

Did this feel like taking a test in college? Really proper name intensive, lots of misdirection and marti mayhem. I hope she is enjoying herself, and it was nice of her to leave us a present. Speaking of presents, I am presently tired, so see you all next time.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.:

Happy 44th wedding anniversary to dear JD and Bob!

Thursday, Jun 13 2013, Julian Lim

Theme: STAGE DIRECTIONS : Each theme clue has two parts - the first part clues the "stage" upon which a particular athlete plays a sport, the second part is a straight definition and the two-word answer forms a new noun.

17A Tennis player’s meal request? : COURT ORDER

20A Ping-Pong player’s etiquette? : TABLE MANNERS

36A Runner’s music choice? : TRACK RECORD. I thought at first that this was a little too close to the sport in the clue, but then realized that if you use the "body of work" definition of the phrase it fits perfectly well with the rest of the theme.

53A Golfer’s bank advance? : COURSE CREDIT

58A Football player’s map? : FIELD GUIDE

Hi Gang - Steve here, pinch-hitting for Marti who is saying "Buon giorno, Italia!" today. There wasn't much of a musical nature in the puzzle today, so I'll use Marti's Italian trip as an excuse to post today's ear worm!

Nice work here from Julian, five snappy theme entries with the top and bottom pair partially stacked - I always find that impressive! Some nice long downs too, so plenty to like. Let's get started!

Across:

1 Desktop offering an AppleCare warranty : iMAC

5 Man of la casa : SEÑOR. I know that in French you don't use diacriticals on capital letters, but I'm not sure if the same rule applies in Spanish. Throwing the tilde in here just in case.

10 Chew : GNAW

14 Wine lover’s destination : NAPA.  If you've not seen the movie "Bottle Shock", it's definitely worth checking out - it's based on the true story of the "Judgment of Paris" competition that put Napa wines on the international map. Very entertaining.

15 Micronesian nation once called Pleasant Island : NAURU. I confuse my Micronesian islands and my Indian Prime Ministers, so I wait for the perps.

16 San __, Italy : REMO

19 Announce assuredly : AVER

22 Worshipers of Quetzalcoatl : AZTECS. Of course they are. And OLMECS doesn't fit.

25 Fry’s former BBC comedy partner : LAURIE. Hugh appeared with Stephen both in their own show, and with Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in one of the funniest comedy series - "Blackadder". It was odd at first to see him playing a straight role in "House".

26 Renaissance painter Uccello : PAOLO. Crosses and more crosses.

27 Genuine article? : THE. Great clue!

30 Close of “Albert Nobbs” : GLENN

31 Coin first minted in 13th-century France : ECU

32 Movie trainer of Daniel-san : MIYAGI. The "G" here was the last letter to fall - the cross with EGEST didn't help at all - I'd never seen that word before. Something of a WAG between G and K.

35 Clause joiners : ANDS

39 Grammy winner Erykah : BADU. Crosses again!

41 Corners : HEMS IN

42 Producer of wall flowers : IVY. Nice cluing again, and it made me revisit my assumption that all ivy is green and non-flowering.

45 Area of activity : ARENA

47 Old speedster : SST. Sadly, I never got to fly on Concorde, the Supersonic Transport jointly developed by the British and the French. I heard it plenty of times though - I used to live under the flight path into London's Heathrow Airport and Concorde was LOUD!

 

48 Bath-loving Muppet : ERNIE

50 Make even smoother : RE-SAND

52 Span that can’t be shrunk : AGE GAP. This caused me some confusion - I had 44D as YES and was scratching my head wondering what the heck an AGEGAS was.

57 Ovid’s others : ALII Needed to fish in my Latin memory banks. We studied Ovid back in High School - his poems were pretty racy; there's nothing like a bit of sex and sizzle to get schoolboys concentrating on their translations! Caesar's "Conquest of Gaul" was another one to get the adolescent attention - that seemed to be all battlefields and sex.

62 “Oh, criminy!” : RATS

63 Totally enjoy something, with “up” : EAT IT

64 Muddy up : ROIL. I didn't know that this specifically meant "muddying the waters" - I always thought roiling waters were simply turbulent. Nice learning moment for me.

65 Quest after : SEEK

66 Event with buckjumpers : RODEO. Another new term for me. Is this the same as a bucking bronco?

67 “__ said!” : 'NUFF

Down:

1 IRS concern : INC. I wish they weren't so concerned about my income and let me keep more of it.

2 Familiar face in Tiananmen Square : MAO. The square itself is enormous and Mao's portrait looks down from the northern side at the entrance to the Forbidden City. When I visited in 2008 I was intrigued by the presence of a green Astroturf basketball court located through the arch below Mao. I think it must be the only turf court in the world and the location is certainly incongruous!

3 Homer’s doughnut supplier : APU. Proud owner of Springfield's Kwik-E-Mart and purveyor of the finest victuals to the Simpson family.

4 Trustbuster’s target : CARTEL

5 High-horse sorts : SNOBS

6 Rank above viscount : EARL

7 Feature of Manet’s “The Luncheon on the Grass” : NUDE. I wasn't sure why the title of the painting was translated, but realized that French in the clue would imply a French answer, and that's not what's needed here. I found this version which made me laugh:

Translations: "Hey boys! Come and see all these magic mushrooms!" - "Cool! Here, take the weed, it's kick-ass" - "Sheesh, this is it - I'm stoned" and finally "I think I forgot something - but what?"

(Note from C.C.: I don't get the joke. What made Steve laugh?)

8 Provo neighbor : OREM

9 Bucolic : RURAL. Nice tie-in with 7D

10 Like table salt : GRANULAR

11 Interminable : NEVER-ENDING

12 Language family spanning two continents : AMERIND. This came together on its own - it's not a term with which I'm familiar. It appears to be something of a discredited theory that the individual languages can actually be grouped together in a formal way.

13 Declines : WORSENS

18 Washington city : TACOMA. I first came to know of Tacoma by way of a physics lesson and the Tacoma Narrows bridge breaking up due to resonance at a certain wind speed.

21 Badger : NAG

22 Copycat : APE

23 Tween heartthrob Efron : ZAC. More crosses! I excuse my ignorance of Mr. Efron's first name, I'm a little older than his fans.

24 Immediately : TOUT DE SUITE. This foxed me for a little while - for some reason I had TOUTE SUITE stuck in my brain and couldn't figure out why it wasn't going to work when I had TOUT already filled in from crosses.

27 Little ones : TYKES

28 Damages : HARMS

29 Spew out : EGEST. New word for me, and as previously noted the G was my last letter fill due to the MIYAGI perp at 32A

33 Freud’s I : ICH. It's a good job I already had the "I", otherwise I'd have confidently filled in EGO and left myself with a mess to fix. German, Latin, Spanish, French and English today.

34 Fifi’s here : ICI. More French on our pentalingual Thursday.

37 Gamble : RUN A RISK

38 Small flash drive capacity : ONE GIG. I guess "gigabyte" doesn't need an abbreviation indication in the clue as the contraction is so common now.

39 Where some commuters unwind : BAR CARS. I used to commute on a train with a bar car and it was full of regulars. Sometimes I'd purposely miss my station because I was enjoying the company and get the next train back.

40 Biological rings : AREOLAE. Yay! I get to post the blog's famous (and quite delightful) link. In the meantime here's a teaser ..

43 Flight connection word : VIA

44 “Sure thing!” : YEP

46 A or B on a test, maybe: Abbr. : ANS is the answer you're looking for.

[A style question for the constructors amongst us - do you prefer to clue without using the "Abbr." clarification? Something along the lines of  "A or B on the CSAT, maybe:"? The same question for 55D - maybe "Like so many Fla. snowbirds:"?]

49 E-filed document : RETURN. Sent to my good friends at 1D.

51 Shelve : DEFER

52 Increase : ADD TO.

54 “Later!” : CIAO

55 Like many snowbirds: Abbr. : RETD. I guess you can't use AARP in the clue as "Retired" is part of the acronym?

56 Wiesel who wrote “The Night Trilogy” : ELIE

59 Promising paper : IOU I enjoyed this one!

60 Brief dissimilarity : DIF, as in difference. As an ex-computer coder, this one came naturally - we used to 'DIF' two versions of a program to find the changes made in the newer version. It sounds about as exciting as it was.

61 Brownie, for one : ELF

I think that's a wrap - thanks to Marti for traveling today and giving me a bonus Thursday to write up!

Steve

Wednesday, Jun 12 2013, Jack McInturff

theme: FATHER FIGURES - each theme entry is an actor in a film with "Father" in its title.  timely theme, with father's day just around the corner. couldn't have been easy to fit all these full names in one grid. 

18a. "Father of the Bride" co-star : STEVE MARTIN. recently became a father, at 67.

26a. "Father Dowling Mysteries" star : TOM BOSLEY

34a. "Father Knows Best" star : ROBERT YOUNG

41a. "Father Goose" co-star : CARY GRANT

55a. "Father Murphy" star : MERLIN OLSEN

and a beautifully placed vertical crossing the center theme answer:

24d. Father's Day "award" : BEST DAD

melissa here. don't know if jack is a dad or not, but he deserves a relaxing day off for this one. (From C.C.: Jack is a 83-year-old grandpa.)

across

1. Bank offerings, briefly : CD'S. certificates of deposit.

4. Emmy winner Edie : FALCO

9. Stockholm native : SWEDE

14. Pewter with 80% tin : LEY. did not know that. wikipedia says it was used for items that did not come into contact with food or drink.

15. First husband of Bathsheba : URIAH

16. Hermit : LONER

17. Ques. response : ANS

20. Star on the stand : WITNESS. courtroom.

22. Mean : NOT NICE

23. It's uncertain when it's gray : AREA. nice clue.

24. Rite performed by a mohel : BRIS

25. USSR successor : CIS. commonwealth of independent states.

30. Force : DINT. not a word you hear often.

31. Cardinal and carmine : REDS. pretty.

32. "In that case, scram!" : THEN GO

37. Belief in one god : THEISM

39. Put in stitches : DARN. nice.

40. Disapproving sound : HISS. as in boo, hiss!

46. Freud's "The __ and the Id" : EGO

47. Cattle unit : HEAD

49. Out of the wind : ALEE

50. Brouhaha : RHUBARB. i didn't know these were synonyms, must start using this word.

52. One settling a score : AVENGER

57. Keats opus : ODE

58. First name in wieners : OSCAR. anthony wouldn't fit.

59. Carried : TOTED

60. Legal thing : RES. another obscure one for me. "An object, a subject matter, or a status against which legal proceedings have been instituted."

61. Marks on a manuscript : STETS

62. Reaches great heights : SOARS. like this.

63. LeShan who wrote "It's Better to Be Over the Hill Than Under It" : EDA

down

1. Use for scratching : CLAW AT

2. "GoodFellas" actor : DE NIRO

3. One may be used to pick Powerball numbers : SYSTEM. not my favorite clue.

4. Oft-blown circuit component : FUSE

5. Crafts partner : ARTS

6. Alibis, sometimes : LIES

7. Cleveland NBAer : CAValier.

8. Storywriter known for twists : O HENRY

9. Mattress supports : SLATS

10. Tattered : WORN

11. Like a Greek siren : ENTICING

12. Cold weather wing maintenance : DE-ICING. dig the rhyming.

13. Che, at birth : ERNESTO. guevara.

19. "Who, me?" : MOI

21. Arrest : NAB

27. Globes : ORBS

28. Appear : SEEM

29. Pres. or CEO : LDR. leader.

30. __ of iniquity : DEN

32. British Conservative's ancestor : TORY. political faction.

33. Unable to reach a verdict : HUNG

34. Natural or renewable supply : RESOURCE

35. Grafton's "__ for Outlaw" : O IS

36. Pirate's cry : YAR

37. Insulated container : THERMOS

38. Like Mount Everest : HIGHEST

41. Explorers John and Sebastian : CABOTS

42. Sought a seat : RAN. tricky.

43. Dan Quayle's successor : AL GORE

44. Had to have : NEEDED

45. Saintly Mother : TERESA

47. What hagglers split : HAIRS

48. Sea eagle : ERN

51. Sheep's sound : BLAT

52. Hammett hound : ASTA. dashiell hammet, author of the thin man series.

53. Swerve : VEER

54. Extremes : ENDS

56. Head of Hastings? : LOO. great.

melissa

 

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Robin Stears

Theme: Male Twins - A young man can be placed following the first and the second part of the theme answers.

17A. *Campus brother's residence : FRAT HOUSE. Fraternity member can be called a FRAT BOY. If it is a really rich fraternity, they might have a HOUSE BOY.

39A. *Bossy's neckwear : COWBELL. Bossy is a cow. A COW BOY would tend her. A BELL BOY would tend to her if she had been made in to luggage.

59A. *Student's transport : SCHOOL BUS. The wheels on the bus go round and round. The SCHOOL BOY would be on the bus. The BUS BOY is on break with the BELL BOY.

11D. *Christmas hit for Roy Orbison written by Willie Nelson : "PRETTY PAPER". The SONG. There are those(I'm not mentioning names) that think Tony Dorsett is a PRETTY BOY. The PAPER BOY just brings the news. Tony used to big in the sports section.

24D. *Color with a military name : SOLDIER BLUE. Funny that the color is lighter than the blue used for the Union soldiers, the original soldiers blue. In that conflict, a SOLDIER BOY bled red no matter the color of his uniform. The BLUE BOY (PICTURE) was not involved.

25D. *An outfielder may call it : FLY BALL. Doesn't mean he will get it, sometimes. A FLY BOY (A member of an air force) might be in the stands watching. Meanwhile, the BALL BOY is watching tennis.

61D. Word that can follow both parts of the answers to starred clues : BOY. Oh BOY, that part's done.

Argyle here.(just a boy at heart). I didn't sign up for this much work. Seven entries on a Tuesday! I'm only kidding; I'm impressed with Robin's offering.

Across:

1. Résumé writer's quest : JOB. Don't get the need for French(maybe something was lost in the translation).

4. Maker of WorkForce printers : EPSON. I have a Brothers myself.

9. Pet adoption org. : ASPCA. American SPCA

14. More than vexation : IRE

15. Sports deal : TRADE

16. Pasta wheat : DURUM. Stay away, if you're gluten-intolerant.

19. Grenoble's river : ISÈRE. Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère.

20. Room divider : WALL

21. Vanquished : BEATEN

22. Atlantic City attraction : CASINO. So gambling is bad unless the government is getting their cut.

25. Display shamelessly : FLAUNT

27. Up to speed about : IN ON

28. Extravagant affairs : GALAS

30. "Imagine greater" cable network : SYFY. (formerly Sci-Fi Channel)

33. Loggers' balancing contest : ROLEO. Two men on a log in the water, rolling it back and forth to dump the opponent in said water.

35. Damascus's land : SYRIA. Not the place to be.

37. Bake sale purchase : PIE. "Umm, pie!"

38. Spain's El __ : CID

41. California's Santa __ Mountains : ANA

42. Aussie's college : UNI. A gimme, thanks to Kazie.

43. Golf legend Sam : SNEAD. A recent entry.

44. Camcorder inserts : TAPES. Then transfer them to CD's to play them.

46. Suffix with hip or quip : STER

48. Green-light : ALLOW. 66A. Green-lights : OKs. Verb or noun.

50. Dry run : TEST

51. Seconds from the soda fountain : REFILL. I was looking for a plural.

53. Robust : HEARTY

55. Unskilled sailor : LUBBER. (landlubber) Perhaps we can get the reason why?

57. Gallup specialty : POLL

58. Attorney-__ : AT-LAW

64. Pan-fry : SAUTÉ

65. Make sense of : GRASP

67. Transparently thin : SHEER. For Splynter.

68. Ten percent pledge : TITHE

69. Robin Hood's wood : YEW. For his bow, you know.

Down:

1. Peanut butter brand : JIF

2. Hockey legend Bobby : ORR

3. Actress Arthur : BEA

4. __ Allen furniture stores : ETHAN

5. Literary intro : PROLOG

6. First king of Israel : SAUL

7. Pigs out (on), briefly : OD's

8. Born, in a bridal bio : NÉE

9. "Farewell, mon ami" : "ADIEU". "Non, pas encore."

10. Sarandon and Sontag : SUSANs

12. Make all better : CURE

13. "You're so right!" : "AMEN!"

18. Bale bond : TWINE. Get that, sounds like bail bond.

21. Pizza sauce herb : BASIL

22. Tent entertainment : CIRCUS. Three rings, the Big Top.

23. Apply oil to : ANOINT

26. Rio Grande city : LAREDO.

29. Too : AS WELL

31. Crème de la crème : FINEST

32. Like bread dough or beer : YEASTY

34. Military training sch. : OCS. (Officer Candidate School)

36. Flight height: Abbr. : ALT. (altitude)

40. How the elated walk : ON AIR

45. In any way : AT ALL

47. Consumer lure : REBATE. But jump through hoops to redeem.

49. Wind tunnel noise : [WHOOSH]

52. Five, to ten : FEWER

54. Take the honey and run : ELOPE. A cutey.

55. Scottish miss : LASS

56. Four Corners state : UTAH

57. "Kewl" relative : "PHAT"

59. Cpl.'s superior : SGT.

60. Dernier __: the latest thing : CRI. French: literally, last cry.

62. Maui music maker : UKE

63. Lincoln-to-Lubbock dir. : SSW

Argyle

Monday, June 10, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: On The Refrigerator Door - The four theme entries are comprised of two words. The first starts with TO and the second starts with DO. The reveal is in the center.

17A. '70s-'80s Dallas Cowboys running back : TONY DORSETT

24A. The highest price : TOP DOLLAR

34A and 36-Across. Agenda that consists of 17-, 24-, 51- and 59-Across : TO-DO. 36-Across : LIST

51A. "Hang down your head" guy in a Kingston Trio #1 hit : "TOM DOOLEY"

59A. Comes in for a landing : TOUCHES DOWN

Argyle here. If you don't have a to-do list, you're one of few. I think C.C. missed a chance to add some other terms, like CLEAN, PAINT, WASH, but then, who wants to be reminded? We come here to forget those things for a while and enjoy a nice crossword puzzle. Strong stacks fill two corners and, how does Splynter put it, two more inside the other corners. C.C. also has a similar style of theme in the NYT today. Congratulations.

Across:

1. Operatic superstar : DIVA

5. Home of principal Norse gods : ASGARD

11. Long, fluffy wrap : BOA

14. Cries of discovery : AHAs

15. Sporty Mazdas : MIATAs

16. Towel holder : ROD

19. "That feels so good!" : "AHH!"

20. Jetties : PIERS. Dock of the bay.

21. Shade of color : HUE

22. Nail shaper : FILE

23. American rival : DELTA. Airlines.

26. Communication syst. for the deaf : ASL. (American Sign Language) and for the blind, 11D. Alphabet read with the fingers : BRAILLE Another type of code. 57A. Samuel with a telegraph code : MORSE

27. Sailor's jail : BRIG

29. Decorative metal grate : GRILLE. example

30. Extinct New Zealand birds : MOAs

32. Sci-fi visitors : ET's

33. Sandwich loaf : BREAD. Odd clue.

38. Moth-repellent closet wood : CEDAR

41. Tend a tot : SIT

42. Use UPS, say : SHIP

46. Unmanned planes : DRONEs

48. Swiss painter Paul : KLEE. Not my kind of art.

50. Alias letters : AKA. (also known as)

53. Cher's TV partner : SONNY. They actually dressed like that, back in the day.(like a Klee painting)

55. Bluesman Redding : OTIS. Find him on the dock of the bay.

56. Tippler : SOT. (heavy drinker)

58. Take the title : WIN

62. Prefix with system : ECO

63. Title for Nature : MOTHER. Don't mess with her ecosystem.

64. Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

65. Dorm mgrs. : RA's. (Resident Assistant)

66. On the same page : IN SYNC

67. Mechanical learning : ROTE

Down:

1. "Who __?": Saints fans' chant : DAT. (New Orleans Saints)

2. "Fingers crossed!" : "I HOPE SO!"

3. Basic ice cream flavor : VANILLA

4. Up to now : AS YET

5. "Famous" cookie guy : AMOS. More cookies! 35D. Pulled-apart cookie : OREO

6. Madam's partner : SIR. This Madam will partner with any "Sir".

7. Fuel guzzlers : GAS HOGS

8. Really enjoyed : ATE UP

9. Like movies for the whole family : RATED G

10. This year, it ends Nov. 3rd : DST. (Daylight Saving Time)

12. "Très chic!" : "OOH LA LA!"

13. Stuck as if glued : ADHERED

18. Far from flashy : DRAB

22. Bats one's eyelashes, say : FLIRTS

23. River blocker : DAM

24. Jackson 5 brother : TITO. (the third eldest)

25. Planets : ORBs

28. Sunburn color : RED

31. Place for fans to sit : STANDS. Bit of silliness.

36. __ of the valley : LILY

37. Suffix with Canaan : ITE

38. Tall media storage cabinet : CD TOWER. (compact disc)

39. Blue writing? : EROTICA

40. Pizza chain with a rectangular three-dot logo : DOMINO'S

41. Merely outlined : SKETCHY

43. Princess Leia rescuer : HAN SOLO. (Star Wars)

44. "You didn't fool me!" : "I KNEW IT!"

45. Pony up : PAY

47. "Already?" : "SO SOON?". Yes, we are almost done.

49. Those, to Juan : ESOS

52. Oafs : LOUTs

54. Judge's demand : ORDER

57. Autodom's Cougar, briefly : MERC. (Mercury)

59. 1979 Pa. meltdown site : TMI. (Three Mile Island)

60. Layer in a coop : HEN

61. Word between surnames : NÉE

Argyle