Sunday March 8, 2020 Robin Stears

Theme: Losing an Hour - HR is removed from each theme entry.
 
23. Floating flower going under?: SINKING VIOLET. Shrinking violet.

28. Ratio of a synagogue's center column to its roof slope?: TEMPLE SINE. Temple shrine.

52. Simon, partly?: GAME OF TONES. Game of Thrones.

69. Highways pitted with potholes?: TOUGH ROADS. Through roads.

71. Cast of "Caddyshack"?: TEE STOOGES. Three stooges.

87. Hauling beach umbrellas?: TOWING SHADE. Throwing shade.

113. Pointy-bottomed paper cups missing their holders?: CONIC PAINS. Chronic pains.

119. "Someone stole our cash box!"?: THE TILL IS GONE. The Thrill is Gone.

Timely theme today. Extra TH in "THE TILL IS GONE", but it's such a fun entry and clue. (Sorry, mistake on my part. Thanks, Owen! Good eye on the HR In TOUGH ROADS.)

Robin also went with 140. Our normal is 144.  The fill is so solid.
 
Across:

1. __ copy: CARBON.

7. Stopped the ship, in nautical lingo: LAID TO.

13. Female Plymouth Colony settler, say: EMIGREE. We see EMIGRE more often.

20. Bagel Bites brand: ORE-IDA.

21. Nostalgic numbers: OLDIES.

22. Cradlesong: LULLABY.

25. Everywhere: ALL OVER.

26. Montréal morning: MATIN. But then, "bonjour" rather than "bon matin".

27. Longings: YENS.

30. Aerosmith's "Love __ Elevator": IN AN.

31. __ dixit: unproven claim: IPSE.

32. They're selective: CHOOSERS.

33. Tricolor cats: CALICOS.

35. Tony nominee Phillipa of "Hamilton": SOO. Wiki says "Soo was born to a Chinese-American father and a European-American mother". Chinese use Su spelling though.

37. Like a prof. emeritus: RET. Retired.

38. Folklore pests: IMPS.

42. End a slump?: SIT UP. Nice clue.

44. Darts: FLITS.

47. Least ludicrous: SANEST.

49. Org. involved in the Waco Siege: ATF.

55. Jamaican tangelos: UGLIS. The skin looks tough and ugly, but it's quite juicy. Nothing beats sumo oranges though.

56. Stable girls: MARES.

58. Girl in a wool coat: EWE. The clue made me smile.

59. Sell in a hurry: UNLOAD.

61. James Patterson hero __ Cross: ALEX.

62. Playful swimmer: OTTER.

64. Put to work: UTILIZE.

74. Home to Purdue: INDIANA.

75. Like a hawk: AVIAN.

76. Altar attire: ALBS.

77. Revealing type: GOSSIP.

81. Bother a lot: NAG.

82. Nocturnal dorm annoyance: SNORE.

83. Longtime SeaWorld star: SHAMU.

91. Luis Almagro's org.: OAS. Organization of American States. Don't know him. Wiki says he's the 10th Secretary General of OAS. A Uruguayan lawyer.

92. Source of a movie poster quote: REVIEW.

94. Place to stay: MOTEL.

95. Romanov royals: TSARS.

97. Pitcher and poker pro Hershiser: OREL.

98. Portuguese pronoun: ELA.

100. Equinox mo.: SEP.

102. Song refrain: TRA LA LA.

106. Defamatory: LIBELOUS.

110. Word on an Irish euro: EIRE. Harp.

112. Dwarf planet formerly known as Xena: ERIS.

116. Place name from the Greek for "I burn": ETNA.

117. Pablo's last word: ADIOS.

118. Like the moons Titania and Oberon: URANIAN.

122. Film sequel word: REVENGE. Oh, OK, "Revenge of the ...".

123. Make bubbly: AERATE.

124. __ Pieces: REESE'S.

125. Came out: EMERGED.

126. Tuning shortcut: PRESET.

127. Art supporters: EASELS.

Down:

1. __ dust: COSMIC.

2. Grande dame of pop: ARIANA. "Thank U, Next."

3. Thrifty offering: RENTAL. We'll probably go back to Payless next time.

4. They don't cover much: BIKINIS.

5. Hopkins' "Thor" role: ODIN.

6. Tandoori bread: NAN.

7. Is sweet on: LOVES.

8. Dior skirts: A-LINES.

9. Pledges that end an engagement: I DOS.

10. Pickles on "Rugrats": DIL. Learned from doing crosswords.

11. They may be gnashed or gritted: TEETH.

12. Path lead-in: OSTEO.

13. Go by: ELAPSE.

14. Rod Stewart and David Bowie rocked them in the '70s: MULLETS.

15. Not as healthy: ILLER.

16. Treating as unimportant, with "over": GLOSSING.

17. Beatle George's Indian friend: RAVI. Ravi Shankar & George Harrison.

18. Irving Bacheller's "__ Holden": EBEN.

19. Brontë heroine: EYRE.

24. Plaster of Paris component: GYPSUM.

29. Bite: MORSEL.

31. I as in Iris: IOTA.

32. Seabiscuit, once: COLT.

34. Butts: CIGS.

36. Starts to dicker, maybe: OFFERS.

39. Blanc who voiced Bugs: MEL.

40. Chi follower: PSI.

41. HI and OK: STS. States.

43. Katniss' "Hunger Games" ally: PEETA.

45. Letters for short people?: IOU.

46. Spike TV, formerly: TNN.

48. Film part: AUDIO.

49. Early luthier family name: AMATI.

50. Eagle claw: TALON.

51. Slip eponym: FREUD. Freudian slip.

53. Due: OWED.

54. Musical "phone" namesake: SOUSA.

57. Nov. celebrant: EX-GI.

60. Sorting aid on an env.: ATTN.

62. Yes-__ question: OR NO.

63. Done for: TOAST.

65. Freddie Mac purchase: LOAN.

66. Aptly named cooler maker: IGLOO.

67. Marty, in "Madagascar" films: ZEBRA. No idea.

68. Twisty turns: ESSES.

70. World Court site, with "The": HAGUE.

71. Snarl: TANGLE.

72. Mendes and Perón: EVAS.

73. Oxygen's atomic number: EIGHT.

78. Djibouti language: SOMALI.

79. "Letters From __ Jima": 2006 film: IWO.

80. Tire-changing spot: PIT.

82. Toxin fighters: SERA.

83. Sign of being full?: SRO. Standing Room Only.

84. Yon yacht: HER.

85. One of 17 Monopoly props.: AVE.

86. Hat designer: MILLINER.

88. Capone nemesis: NESS. Watched "The Untouchables" in Chinese ages ago.

89. __ projection: ASTRAL.

90. "I __ you!": DARE.

93. Home or FAQ, e.g.: WEB PAGE.

96. Heavy hammers: SLEDGES.

99. Listed at sea: LEANED.

101. Dress size: PETITE.

103. Easy on the ears: ARIOSE. Not a common word.

104. Duettist with Diana in "Endless Love": LIONEL.

105. Do taxing work?: ASSESS.

107. Cupcake topper: ICING.

108. Ready in the keg: ON TAP.

109. One who helps you find your place: USHER.

111. Fjord, for one: INLET.

113. Antidote: CURE.

114. City once known as Provo Bench: OREM. Learning moment for me. 

115. Church part: NAVE.

116. Flight sked info: ETAS.

117. In the Red?: ASEA.

120. Middle of a memorable palindrome: ERE.

121. Extreme umbrage: IRE.

Evan Birnholz, the brilliant Washington Post crossword constructor, kindly asked me to guest-construct a puzzle for the Post to celebrate International Women's Day 2020. You can solve the puzzle here.

C.C.

Saturday, March 7, 2020 Roland Huget

Themeless Saturday By Roland Huget


Today's puzzle is by Roland Huget and it appears to be his first LA Times Saturday effort. He has had puzzles on every day but Saturday and Sunday here. Melissa Bee blogged his last LA puzzle sixteen days ago which had a clever GEAR shift gimmick.

Roland has had eight NY Times puzzles and the grids were amazing. I have no personal info on him but I enjoyed scaling his literary hill once I got some toeholds.

Across:

1. Island top: ALOHA SHIRT and 67. Island bottom: GRASS SKIRT. These were very fun top and bottom horizontal clues once I sussed where they were going. Hawkeye's ALOHA (Hawaiian) SHIRT is at the Smithsonian's National Museum Of American History but not currently on display.

11. Beaver young: KITS 

15. Dreamer of Greek myth: LOTUS EATER - A member of this classic mythological race ate the fruit of the LOTUS tree which made them dreamy and indifferent (stoned?)

16. Short race, briefly: ONE-K - Redux from last week - a ONE Kilometer (.67 mile) race

17. Celebrated 1981 bride: PRINCESS DI - In The Crown it is stated that Charles was always deeply in love with Camilla but was forced to marry Dianna. Timeline

18. Kyrgyzstan range: ALAI - Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott trekking in the "otherworldly" ALAI Mt. range in south Kyrgyzstan. 

19. Italian sonnet closing: SESTET - The Italian or Petrachian sonnet starts with eight lines and ends with six lines. A famous such sonnet is The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus whose closing is this SESTET 

20. One may be mounted close to a grille: FOG LAMP - 

22. Never encountered before: NOVEL.

25. Sleeper's path: RAILS - The famous Sleeper Car scene in Some Like It Hot. Fun cluing.

26. Didn't lose at all: SWEPT - Winning all the games of a series

30. Athlete's best effort: A-GAME - The Astros always brought their A-GAME but also cheated

32. "Breaking Bad" org.: DEA - I've known many chemistry teachers but none that cooked meth

33. City on the Arno: PISA - The Arno flows west through Florence and then to PISA where it empties into the Ligurian Sea. Several dams on it make it non-navigable by boat

34. Hardly the best smoke: STOGIE - Roger Miller sang of a King Of The Road who smoked "Old STOGIES I have found"

35. Filing aid: TAB - At the top of a cardboard folder or at the bottom of an Excel spreadsheet  

36. Item on many a diner check: ENTREE 

38. Jazz piano style: STRIDE - The fabulous Oscar Peterson teaching Dick Cavett about jazz piano The first 1:20 explains STRIDE Piano   

40. Greek letter: ETA.

41. White water: RAPIDS 

45. Early philosophical hot spot: ELEA - Interested?

46. Columbo, for one: Abbr.: DETective

47. Point of view: ANGLE

48. Sidestep: AVERT - AVOID? EVADE? Nope...

49. Formal wear: DRESS.

51. One way to think: ALOUD 

53. Experiment with Zener cards: ESP TEST.

55. Tree with green-skinned fruit: PAW PAW - Mr. Green Jeans  sang Way Down Yonder In The PAW PAW Patch on Captain Kangaroo 

60. Opposite of bueno: MALO - ¡Fumar es MALO para tu salud! (Smoking is bad for your health)

61. United Nations goal: WORLD PEACE.

64. King Harald's father: OLAV.

65. Obsolescent media: AUDIO TAPES - This used to be as good as it got for portable music

66. Flier over Hawaii: NENE - State bird that frequently roosts in crosswords

Down:

1. Jungfrau setting: ALPS - Tourist books recommend you make an 5. Trip up: ASCENT and then ride a velogmel down the slope while you are in the Jungfrau area

2. Stuff of legends: LORE.

3. Name you might see while listening to Muzak: OTIS - Now that's a cool clue!

4. Follow the game?: HUNT Tracking

6. Address: SEE TO.

7. Dines on: HAS.

8. Part of TGIF: IT'S.

9. Sign of trouble: RED FLAG - Smoke pouring out from under the hood?

10. Beaux Arts __: longtime chamber music group: TRIO.

11. Arboreal marsupial: KOALA - Arboreal? ✔ Joey in marsupial pouch? ✔ KOALA? ✔ 

12. Countertop option: INLAID TILE.

13. Captain, say: TEAM LEADER.

14. Stops pumping momentarily?: SKIPS A BEAT - Also called a palpitation 

21. Receive with a shake, maybe: GREET - No shaking hands by GREETERS at our church these days

23. Brewery fixture: VAT.

24. Narcissist's issue: EGO.

26. One flying without a plane?: SPEED DEMON - This one went 462 mph

27. January clearance: WINTER SALE - Lots of nice clothes are on sale but they are all Smalls and Mediums

28. Where there's a will, usually: ESTATE PLAN 

29. Equal footing: PAR - My getting a PAR is a 31. Hit opposite: MISS proposition

34. Bean of "Game of Thrones": SEAN - I finally remembered where I had seen his face. He was the villain in National Treasure with Nicolas Cage

37. Make room on a drive: ERASE - On your computer hard drive

39. Gun in neutral: REV - Stoplight theatrics 

42. Org. that runs the FedEx Cup Playoffs: PGA TOUR - Here 'ya go!

43. Misfortune: ILL.

44. __ volente: DEO - God Willing - This year, DEO volente, the floods will not return to our town

48. Makes adjustments: ADAPTS.

50. Hot spot: STOVE.

52. Beehives, e.g.: UPDOS - The product given credit for making these UPDOS possible like the one we see on Annette Funicello below.

54. Promotional handouts: SWAG - All actors, actresses and directors nominated for an Oscar this year got a SWAG Bag with $225,000 worth of gifts 

56. Watered down: WEAK.

57. Longtime MLB star Big __: PAPI - David "Big PAPI" Ortiz got hit with a bullet intended for the man seated next to him last year in the Dominican Republic . He has recovered

58. HP rival: ACER.

59. Old U.S. region?: WEST - How the West was spun

62. Nutritional abbr.: RDA.

63. Fleur-de-__: LIS - Proudly displayed on the New Orleans football helmet 

What say you?

Friday, March 6, 2019, Ed Sessa

Title: It's all in where you cut it.

Dr. Ed returns to Friday for the first time since his mini-theme puzzle on November 1, 2019. One of many prolific constructors who publish often in the LAT; he started in 2007 with this PUZZLE in the NYT. He takes some in the language phrases and by adding an apostrophe, repurposes and redefines the clue. The concept is simple and it was easy for a Friday. Not any extra-interesting fill other than the themers.

17A. What Dr. Frankenstein kept at his bar?: MONSTER'S ALE. I do not recall Boris Karloff drinking ALE, but it does repurpose MONSTER SALE. P.S., I think Peter Boyle did.

24A. Sass from a therapist?: FREUDIAN'S LIP. Sigmund talking back to his old lady patients redoes FREUDIAN SLIP.

38A. Uncle Buck, perhaps?: DOE'S KIN. A central rework for DOE SKIN which is great for gloves. And not a great John Candy MOVIE.

52A. Dracula's haul in the poker game?: VAMPIRE'S TAKE. We get both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and the iconic VAMPIRE STAKE.

62A. Big cat's belly?: LEOPARD'S POT. I doubt there are many fat Leopards but they all have a LEOPARD SPOT.

On to the rest:

Across:

1. Mid-size Nissan: ALTIMA. They made the MAXIMA first, and I guess they liked the pseudo-Latin sound.

7. Ammo sold in rolls: CAPS. Almost tricky unless you played for hours every day with your cap gun when you were little.

11. By way of: VIA. Just a Latin word that was taken over by English.

14. Like many arcade games: COIN-OP.

15. Helter-skelter: AMOK.

16. Mantra syllables: OMS.

19. Fiddle player of rhyme: CAT.
Hey, diddle, diddle
The cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon
The little dog laughed to see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

20. North-of-the-border gas: ESSO. CSO to our Canadian Corner.

21. Zany trio member: MOE. Our Chairman Moe has moved to Arizona and seems to be living well.

22. "See if __": I CARE.

28. "SNL" castmate of Gilda and Jane: LARAINE. The SCREEN TEST for Ms. Newman.

31. It "hath charms to soothe a savage breast": MUSIC. The phrase sounds Shakespearian but in fact comes to us from The Mourning Bride, a poem by William Congreve, 1697. And yes, it is breast, not a savage beast.

32. Oak fruit: ACORN. Did you ever think of this as a fruit?

33. Marine mammal group: POD. We had the list published here recently.

34. Bed foundation?: SOIL. Garden bed.

42. Broadcasting pioneer: RCA. I went to grammar school with one of the descendants of the Sarnoff family.

43. Religious offshoot: SECT.

45. Meddle: PRY.

46. City near the Golden Spike: OGDEN. Where the transcontinental railroad met. More of the STORY.

48. Veronica of "Hill Street Blues": HAMEL. I wonder if she is related to last week's constructor Debra or Ray.

50. Spurred on: AROUSED. Well- gee. That is a titillating turn.

55. Orchestras tune to them: OBOES. I will let JzB explain again.

56. One of Venus de Milo's two that are conspicuous for their absence: ARM. She is back so soon.

57. Drink brand with a lizard logo: SOBE. SoBe is the abbreviation for South Beach, the southernmost part of the manmade island.
LINK.

61. Leave in ruins: GUT. In all of SoFla. we are always tearing down to build up. Did you see the story on the news of the 95-year-old home that was moved to keep it from demolition? LINK.

66. Take advantage of: USE.

67. Parrot: ECHO.

68. Tater Tots maker: ORE-IDA. Sadly this region has some virus issues.

69. Sniggler's quarry: EEL. They catch them by hand; 1645–55; snig eel (late Middle English snygge + le).

70. It may be cracked open: DOOR. My second place clue/fill favorite.

71. Sweat inducer: DURESS. Stress.

Down:

1. Highest point: ACME.

2. Restrooms for blokes: LOOS. British.

3. Metal containers: TINS. British.

4. To such an extent: INSOFAR.

5. Bon __: MOT. French

6. So-called missing links: APEMEN. My limited movie career. 48 or 49 seconds in. This was the Rathskeller at the U. of Florida.

7. Checked out before a heist: CASED.

8. GP's gp.: AMA.

9. D.C. figure: POLitician.

10. Knitter's supply: SKEINS. KNITTING 101.

11. They help one speak one's mind: VOCAL CORDS. My favorite clue/fill.

12. Japanese porcelain: IMARI.

13. __ in the right direction: A STEP.

18. Scoundrel: ROUÉ. The French word derives from the Latin rota (“wheel”), broken on the wheel.

23. Forensic TV episodes: CSIS. Meh. 37D. Specimen for 23-Down: DNA.

25. Melon feature: RIND.

26. Reassurance after a fall: I'M OK. Paint.

27. A4 automaker: AUDI.

28. Youths: LADS. Next to...

29. Teen malady: ACNE.

30. Black Flag product: ROACH MOTEL.

33. Humanities subj.: PSYchology. My undergraduate and graduate major.

35. Cold drink brand: ICEE.

36. Come down: LAND.

39. Letters near zero: OPERater. On your telephone.

40. Creator of Perry and Della: ERLE. Stanley Gardner.

41. Kindle rival: NOOK. I believe Hahtoolah uses one.

44. Scotch roll: TAPE. Maybe, MAYBE NOT.

47. Hangman player, e.g.: GUESSER. The Wheel of Fortune.

49. Took for a ride: MISLED.

50. First razor with a pivoting head: ATRA.

51. Force (through): RAMROD. verb (used with object), ram·rod·ded, ram·rod·ding. ... to accomplish or put into action by force, intimidation, etc.: to ramrod a bill through Congress

52. Popularity: VOGUE. This was difficult for me.

53. Treat badly: ABUSE.

54. Flavor: SAPOR. Sapor is what creates the flavor of something.
An example of sapor is chocolate ice cream tasting sweet.

58. Andy's catfishing partner: OPIE. Andy Griffith in Mayberry.

59. Beefcake features: BODS. You want a pic ladies?

60. Flight deck data, briefly: ETAS.

63. Prefix with conscious: ECO.

64. "I see it now!": OHO. AHA!

65. R and B group __ Hill: DRU. Not sure, but here is a LINK.

That went quickly; enjoy Tom F. next week. I will be back. Thanks, Dr. Ed and all of you who read whether you comment or not, though I learn something every time. Lemonade out.

Thursday, March 5th 2020 Kurt Krauss

Theme Trouble Ahead - a none-too sunny outlook in the forecast:

34A. Song first sung by Ethel Waters at Harlem's Cotton Club ... and a hint to four other long answers: STORMY WEATHER. Too good a music link to pass up.

17A. They're ominous: DARK CLOUDS

28A. They're luminous: LIGHTNING BOLTS. One of the most colorful light shows I saw was a lighting storm in the Amazon basin flying above it at 35,000 feet. It wasn't just flashes of white, it was like the Northern Lights gone crazy.

42A. They're clamorous: THUNDER SHOWERS. Paired with the lightning bolts. Quite spectacular unless you're caught out in the open.

59. They're ruinous: HAILSTONES. The largest recorded hailstone in the U.S. was nearly as big as a volleyball and fell on July 23, 2010, in Vivian, South Dakota. It was 8 inches in diameter and weighed almost 2 pounds. That's one hailstone you don't want to get hit by.

Hailstones were certainly ruinous to this car:

Neatly done by Kurt with the adjectival cluing. A fun, quality puzzle, so no more to say other than to meander through the fill and see what splashes over the rocks:

Across:

1. __ Plaines: Chicago suburb: DES. Just north of O'Hare airport, and proud home of Ray Kroc's first franchised McDonald's restaurant. The town is named for the river, whose name, in turn, comes from 18th century French, referencing the plane tree which is similar in appearance to the American sycamore.

4. J. Edgar Hoover Building org.: THE F.B.I.

10. Catch: TRAP

14. Suffix with hero: -INE

15. Sea between Greece and Turkey: AEGEAN. A wonderful region for sailing, the Mediterranean has a very small tidal range and rarely gets rough at the Eastern end. I spent a few vacations chartering a sailboat; in the region only rarely did we encounter "stormy weather" where the crew were "feeding the fishes"! More complicated was knowing when to fly a Greek or Turkish flag approaching a secluded island mooring. Get it right, you eat a great meal at at the only restaurant on the island. Get it wrong ...

16. Dutch South African: BOER

19. Decent-sized lot: ACRE

20. "No more, thanks": I'M GOOD

21. End of many long weekends: Abbr.: MON.

23. Ad __ committee: HOC

24. Many a "Twilight" character: TEEN

25. Gulf State native: OMANI. A crossword staple, but I sent myself down the wrong alley by getting fixated on U.S. states on the Gulf Coast.

27. That, in Oaxaca: ESA

32. Word in a January song: AULD. lang syne. Incidentially before it was dubbed "The Athens of the North", Edinburgh was (and still is) somewhat affectionately known as "Auld Reekie".

33. Wood strip: SLAT

40. Flat-bottomed boat: SCOW. It could be PUNT, so I wait and see.

41. "Sesame Street" pal of Zoe: ELMO

49. "Jingle Bells" contraction: O'ER. You have to get to the fourth verse tae find it, but it's there.

50. Last Supper question: IS IT I?

51. "Ivy and __": kid-lit series by Annie Barrows: BEAN. Thank you, crosses.

53. Infamous Amin: IDI

54. More than unfriendly: ICY

55. Breed of sheep: MERINO. What do you call a sheep with quarterback skills? Dan Merino. Which inspired me to get out a Sharpie and a piece of paper, and with no cartooning skills, here I present my own Dan Merino:

Signed, limited edition copies are available! Time for a second career?

57. Astrological transition point: CUSP

62. Wasatch Mountains resort: ALTA. Thank you, crosses. Neither the resort nor the mountain region had hitherto blipped my radar.

63. "Twilight" vampire: EDWARD. I should watch more vampire and zombie shows, I'm clueless with this stuff. Crosses to the rescue again.

64. Suffix with Brooklyn: -ESE. The dropped "r" used to be considered posh - FDR's “The only thing we have to feah is feah itself”. Post WWII it became the language of Archie Bunker and Tony Soprano.

65. For fear that: LEST

66. Trounces: WHOMPS

67. Some NFL blockers: R.T.S. Right Tackles. If your quarterback is left-handed (like Steve Young) you're guarding his blind side, so you'd better be on your toes (as much as a 350lb tackle can be!).

Down:

1. Finished a job: DID IT

2. Dental layer: ENAMEL

3. Composer Rachmaninoff: SERGEI

4. Food truck fare: TACO. Food! The taco is probably LA's signature food item, in my humble opinion. The mariscos jalisco shrimp tacos from Raul Ortega's truck in Boyle Heights are the best in the city, and there's a lot to choose from!

5. Believed: HELD

6. Swelled head: EGO

7. Pot-au-__: French stew: FEU

8. Outlaw: BAD MAN. I ran through a few options here. BANISH was my first and I was rather proud of identifying a verb, rather than a noun. Then I was wrong. Pride comes before a fall, as they say.

9. Happy way to break out: IN SONG. Tra-laaaaaa!

10. Abbr. in an unfilled TV slot: T.B.A

11. New __, NY: home of Iona College: ROCHELLE

12. Ford's first minivan: AEROSTAR

13. Like some concrete: PRE-CAST

18. Big ape: KONG

22. Bird's beak: NIB. This is interesting - I knew NIB only in the fountain-pen sense, or as a small piece of black licorice.

25. Sole: ONLY

26. Corn Belt region: MIDWEST

29. Guffaw syllable: HAR

30. Rum __ Tugger: "Cats" role: TUM

The Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat:

If you offer him pheasant he would rather have grouse.

If you put him in a house he would much prefer a flat,

If you put him in a flat then he'd rather have a house.

If you set him on a mouse then he only wants a rat,

If you set him on a rat then he'd rather chase a mouse.

T.S.Eliot. "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats."

31. __Kosh B'gosh: OSH. Wis-KAAan- sin, while are on the subject of Brooklynese.

34. Bus kiosk posting: SCHEDULE

35. Ones seeing things: TOURISTS

36. Dominate: OWN

37. K-12, in education: EL-HI

38. Latin lover's word: AMO, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant. C.C. and I once offered a puzzle to an (unnamed) editor who turned it down - he didn't pronounce the words the same way that we did. (Or I did, to be fair).

39. Parking violation risk: TOW. Expensive. I once was with a friend on Hollywood Boulevard when he got his car towed from outside Musso and Frank in the late afternoon. He "swore he'd parked it right here" until I pointed out the sign right above the empty space that read "Two Hour Parking 10-4. Violators will be towed". It was 4:30. Oops.

40. Showing no emotion: STOICAL

43. 502, in old Rome: DII

44. Steer clear of: ESCHEW. I always thought it was "enschew". Crosswords corrected me.

45. Saudi Arabian capital: RIYADH

46. Iberian river to the Mediterranean: EBRO

47. Carl with nine Emmys: REINER

48. Most sensible: SANEST

52. Snoops (around): NOSES

55. Car sticker no.: MSRP

56. Postings at an airline gate, for short: ETD'S

58. Vanna's partner: PAT. All together now: Wheel! Of! Fortune!

60. __ Jima: IWO

61. Quick flight: LAM. Of course I confidently filled in "HOP" and was proved wrong. Too impulsive! Nice clue.

Fun puzzle, thank you Kurt, the grid is here and I'm off, sated and happy with a great puzzle.

Steve

Wednesday March 4, 2020 Kevin Salat

Theme - SCRATCH THAT.  The theme answers start with an anagram of the word SCRATCH, kinda, sorta, almost.

18 A. Collision simulation aids: CRASH TEST DUMMIES.  Full scale anthropomorphic structures that approximate the size, shape and modes of motion of humans.

33 A. Extraordinary little one, in folklore: STAR CHILD.  News to me, but here you go.

50 A. Place with drawing rooms: ART SCHOOL.  A studio with art supplies, not a room in a house where guests are entertained.

43 A. Junk collector: TRASH CAN.  It only collects trash if you put it in there.  Not to be confused with Oscar.

And the unifier:  66 A. Begin all over again ... and what 18-, 33-, 43- and 50-Across all do (almost), as indicated by the circled letters: START FROM SCRATCH.

Here is a theme that by it's own admission does not quite work. The theme fill entries all lack the second letter C that would be necessary to complete the word SCRATCH.  Unless I'm missing something, this is a pretty serious flaw.  High marks for honesty, though.  Let's move on.

Across:

1. Foreboding: OMINOUS.  Giving a feeling that something bad is about to happen.

8. Optimistic: ROSY.  Having a feeling that something good is about to happen.

12. Pump product: GAS.  Fuel for your auto.

15. "Give me an example": NAME  ONE.  Any one will do

16. "The real story is ... ": ACTUALLY.  In fact  .  .  .

20. Scapula neighbor, for short: DELT.  Shoulder blade bone and DELTOID, a triangular shaped muscle to the outside of the shoulder

21. Big name in nail polish: OPI.   Pick your color.

22. "Yeah, sure": I BET.  Sarcastic expression of disbelief.

23. Partnership letters: LLC. Limited Liability Company.

25. Cleaning conveniences: SPONGES.  Soft, porous material, either natural or synthetic.

30. "Scary Movie" reaction: SCREAM.  As in last weeks Psycho.

37. Poke tuna: AHI.  Poke [pronounced poh-kay] is a salad of raw fish marinated in sesame or soy.

38. Chocolate dog: LAB.

Dogs named for their color

40. Nabisco cookie: OREO.  Also chocolate on the outside.

41. Neither's partner: NOR.  Negating both one thing and the other.

42. Part of a relay: LEG.

45. Overly: TOO.  As in TOO much.

46. "So-so": MEH.  As per Homer.

47. Mark for good: ETCH.  Make a permanent mark.

48. Spanish bear: OSO.  Literal

49. Hong Kong lang.: ENGlish.

53. Womb occupant: EMBRYO. In humans, the pre-fetal stage between the 2nd and 8th week after conception.

55. Apparition: PHANTOM. Ghost or figment of the imagination.

57. Kobe cash: YEN.  Japanese money.

58. About: AS TO.  Referring to something

61. Duracell size: AAA.  Small battery.

63. Salty waters: SEAS.  Oceans

72. Ready for sleep: TUCKED IN.  Secure in the bed.

73. Lady Gaga's debut album: THE FAME.

74. Squid's defense: INK.  Obscures its location.

75. Therefore: ERGO. Literal

76. Left formally: SECEDED.  Formally withdrew from a federal union, alliance or organization.

Down:

1. How music can be stored: ON CD.  Is it obsolete yet?

2. Farm female: MARE.  Lady horse.

3. "Don't worry about me": IM ALL RIGHT.  Whatever it was, I survived.

4. Settle snugly: NESTLE.  Tucked in, frex.

5. Awed reaction: OOH.  Impressive!

6. Golden rule preposition: UNTO.  Others. It's always about the others.

7. Trickles (through): SEEPS.  Description of a very slow leek, usually of a liquid through what ought to be a solid surface.

8. Tell (on): RAT.  Tattle.

9. Med. condition with repetitive behavior: OCD.  Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior.  Characterized by uncontrollable thoughts and behaviors that a person needs to repeat, repeatedly.

10. Man's name that sounds like a slow-cooked dish: STU.

11. "Delicious!": YUM.  Please sir, may I have some more?

12. Smooth-talking: GLIB.  Fluent, bu insincere.

13. Out of the wind: ALEE.  Protected by some barrier or structure.

14. Part of CBS: Abbr.: SYSTem.

17. Barn-raising sect: AMISH.  A group of traditionalist Christians known for simple living, plain dress and resistance to modern technology.

19. Drinks a bit at a time: SIPS.

24. Pasadena institute: CAL TECH.  California Institute of Technology.

26. Texter's "Then again ... ": OTOH. On The Other Hand.

27. Bust maker: NARCO.  Drug bust, not a sculpted statue.

28. "Summer Nights" musical: GREASE.

29. Political bragging point, when it's thriving: ECONOMY.  And when it's not  .  .  .

30. Actress Hayek: SALMA.  Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez ( b1966) is a Mexican and American film actress and producer.

31. Joyful shout: CHEER.  Yay, hooray!

32. First first lady: MARTHA.  Mr, Washington, nee Dandridge.

34. Online promo: INTERNET AD.  Pop-ups and other annoying features.

35. Senseless: LOONY.  Inane

36. Khal __, Daenerys' husband in HBO's "Game of Thrones": DROGO.

Dream sequence

39. Strips for breakfast: BACON.  You can eat these strips for breakfast or you can strip for breakfast, but frying them in the nude is not recommended.

44. Opportunity: SHOT.  Take a SHOT at something.

51. Hybrid picnic utensil: SPORK.  Portmanteau of spoon and fork, not functioning very well as either.

52. Fertile soil: LOAM.  Composed of sand, silt and clay.

54. "Take care of yourself": BE SAFE.  Yes, all - please do this.

56. Mariner's supports: MASTS.  For sails.

58. Sparkling Italian wine: ASTI.  Named for it's region of origin.

59. Knock for a loop: STUN.

60. Wall map marker: TACK.  Push pin used to mark a spot or attach papers.

62. Feel sore: ACHE.  No pain, no gain.

64. Apex: ACME.  High point.

65. Spot for a mower: SHED.  Small out-building used for storage.

67. Begin a hole, with "up": TEE.  Golfing.

68. Four-term prez: FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

69. Oil field sight: RIG.  A drilling setup or operating well.

70. Musician Yoko: ONO. [b 1933] In addition to being a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and peace activist, she is also the widow of he late John Lennon.

71. __ center: REC.  A community building used for meetings, sports and other activities.

Thus ends another Wednesday's recreation.  Hope you got through it UNSCRATCHED.

Cool regards!
JzB