Wednesday, November 25, 2015, Victor Borocas

THEME: BABY I'M YOURS!

Victor's clever Thanksgiving Eve offering takes the phrase BODY AND SOUL and uses these words to precede corresponding words in two-word fill phrases. 

17. Yorkshire pudding or bangers and mash : ENGLISH FOOD or 

BODY ENGLISH (Yaz '75)

SOUL FOOD (Beats Haggis!)

31. Game-ending declaration : CHECKMATE or

BODY CHECK

SOUL MATE (Mine!)

49. Genre of the '60s hits "Pipeline" and "Wipe Out" : SURF MUSIC or

                                                         BODY SURF

SOUL MUSIC

THEME REVEAL:

65. Wholeheartedly, or words that can precede the first and second parts, respectively, of 17-, 31- and 49-Across : BODY AND SOUL - Also a 1930 Jazz Standard covered recently by these two

Across      
   
1. Stop the launch : ABORT - When things aren't AOK

6. Perfume compound : ESTER

11. Sailor : TAR

14. Off-the-cushion shot : CAROM - What the hockey players are doing above

15. Usually multilayered dessert : TORTE

16. Load off one's mine? : ORE - C'mon, that's cute!

19. Sundial topper : XII - Oh my, I'm late, it's V after XII already!

20. Classic Belafonte song opening : DAYO - Heard in baseball parks today because fans want the runner to come home (Daylight come and me wan' go home)

21. Not tricked by : ONTO - Fool me once...

22. Homeric classic : ILIAD

24. Where heros are made : DELI

26. __ button : PANIC 

28. Sufferer healed by Jesus : LEPER - There's a powerful scene in the 1959 movie Ben-Hur showing a LEPER colony

35. Bledel of "Gilmore Girls" : ALEXIS 

37. Creative output : ART

38. Where billions live : ASIA - Over half the world lives inside this circle

39. Watch someone's kids : SIT - Care.com says the avg. babysitting rate is $13/hr

40. Lightweight shirts : CAMISES - I had a great time looking for examples but I'll leave it to you

43. Television : SET

44. Ellington's "Take __ Train" : THE A - "Soon you'll be on Sugar Hill in Harlem"

46. "Et alia" lang. : LAT

47. Letter-erasing key : DELETE

52. Wyoming's __ Range : TETON

53. Benjamin of "Law & Order" : BRATT - What a team!

54. Ibuprofen target : ACHE 

56. Trapdoor location : FLOOR - "Uh, we decided to work as a duo"

58. Capital south of Lillehammer : OSLO - "How do I clue thee? Let me count the ways?"

60. Ottawa-based law gp. : RCMP

64. Not in the clergy : LAY

68. __ well : OIL - Awl if you're from the oil patch 

69. Actress Téa : LEONI

70. "Inferno" poet : DANTE

71. Opposite of post- : PRE - Way to go, Paul (whoever you are)!

72. Diving ocean birds : ERNES

73. Prince Charming's mount : STEED - One cartoonish member of the RCMP had a STEED he named, uh, Horse

Down

1. More than just passed : ACED

2. See 25-Down : BANA - Okay

3. Frenzied revelry : ORGY

4. Low-tech card file : ROLODEX

5. "No more details, please" : TMI - "Then after they opened my lower colon..."

6. Sharing a common culture : ETHNIC

7. Low on the Mohs scale : SOFT - From talc to diamonds

8. Highway officers : TROOPERS - For a real time warp hoot, play these episodes on YouTube!

9. WWII area : ETO - European Theater of Operations

10. Symbol of losses : RED INK - Ken (64A) was in the (68A) business and accumulated a lot of this

11. Dead weight in a portfolio : TOXIC ASSET - Owning a company with a lot of 10D

12. Opera number : ARIA

13. Senator Harry : REID

18. Sun, in Sonora : SOL - A sunny taco?

23. Peru's largest city : LIMA - 73F forecast for today

25. With 2-Down, "Hulk" star : ERIC - Okay

27. Did something : ACTED - Carpe Diem for crying out loud!!

28. Endures : LASTS

29. Philanthropist Yale : ELIHU - Some on his campus want its John C. Calhoun Resident College renamed 

30. "Everybody Loves Raymond" actor : PETER BOYLE

32. French-speaking island country : HAITI - Annual per capita income is $350

33. Connect with : TIE TO - A POSSE might TIE their STEEDS TO this

34. Consumed : EATEN

36. Pierre's toast : SALUT - or "à votre santé" - To your health!

41. Elephant ancestor : MASTODON

42. Son of Adam : SETH - Genesis says when  Adam was 130 yrs. old, he  had SETH to replace Abel

45. __-American : AFRO

48. Ogles obliquely : LEERS AT

50. Sculptor's medium : MARBLE - The David took Michelangelo 2 years after he took over the project

51. French port on the Strait of Dover : CALAIS - One ETO strategy was to convince Hitler that D-Day would occur at the much closer Calais. p.s. Do you see some cwd friends on this map?

55. Sell a bridge to, say? : CON

56. Producer's nightmare : FLOP

57. Hideaway : LAIR - Remnants of Hitlers first military headquarters - The Wolf's LAIR

59. Word sung after the ball drops : SYNE

61. Construction area marker : CONE

62. Remote button : MUTE   

63. Begged : PLED

66. Not 'neath : OER

67. Canine doc's deg.? : DDS - Am I the only one who chose DVM first?

Arts/Sports crossover - I'll bet most of you know the Broadway play where Joe Boyd (Avg. Joe?) received a BODY to be a great baseball player by selling his SOUL to the devil.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Edit - ED is added to the first part of each plural compound noun and formed three synonyms for "tired". Each new entry is then clued humorously.

20. Tired bowling groups? : BUSHED LEAGUES. Bush Leagues

38. Tired janitors? : DRAINED CLEANERS. Drain Cleaners

56. Tired groupies? : EXHAUSTED FANS. Exhaust Fans

Argyle here. A few trouble spots but an amusing theme. Seven X's on the way to a pangram.

Across:

1. Alter, as a pet : SPAY

5. Coif adjusted with a pick : AFRO

9. Less uncertain : SURER. More certain.

14. Bring under control : TAME

15. Bar sign light : NEON

16. Goodnight girl of song : IRENE. Recorded under one of those bar lights.

17. Poolside hue : AQUA

18. Big reference vols. : OEDs

19. Utah city near the Golden Spike : OGDEN

23. Unconvincing excuse, probably : LIE

24. Ballot markings : Xes

25. Not strict at all : LAX

26. __ Mahal : TAJ

29. Go on until : END AT

31. Buzzers around blossoms : BEEs

33. Cornfield construction : MAZE. They are very creative.

34. Antianxiety drug : XANAX. First released by Upjohn and now a part of Pfizer.

36. Relationship __: Facebook feature : STATUS

42. Automatons : ROBOTS

43. Refuge in a desert : OASIS

44. Physics particle : ATOM

45. It's pitched at camp : TENT

47. Security concerns : LEAKS

51. Beer, to a Brit : BEV. Short for Beverage.

52. Driver's license datum : SEX

53. Cooler in a cooler : ICE

55. Lucy of "Elementary" : LIU. On CBS.

60. Plastic alternative : PAPER

62. Give kudos to : LAUD

63. Common conjunctions : ANDs

64. Construction site sight : CRANE

65. Shoreline-altering phenomenon : TIDE

66. Item on an actor's résumé : ROLE

67. Scarecrow stuffing : STRAW

68. Vehicle in many a Jack London story : SLED

69. Black gem : ONYX

Down:

1. Place for ponies : STABLE

2. Anna of "True Blood" : PAQUIN. Canadian-born New Zealand actress. "True Blood" is on HBO.

3. Brought a smile to : AMUSED

4. Slangy assent : "YEAH"

5. Battery pole : ANODE

6. Experiences regret : FEELS BAD

7. Biked : RODE

8. Marked down : ON SALE

9. Sitting Bull's tribe : SIOUX

10. Hard-to-resist impulse : URGE

11. Republican-voting area, on an election map : RED STATE

12. Peoria-to-Detroit dir. : ENE

13. Neurotic toon dog : REN and Stimpy.

21. Not destroyed or lost, as an old document : EXTANT

22. Fuels (up) : GASSES

27. France's Cote d'__ : AZUR

28. Zooey's "New Girl" role : JESS. Zooey Deschanel / Jessica Day

30. Geometric truth : AXIOM

32. Prior prisoner, for short : EX-CON. (convict)

33. Pastor's abode : MANSE. Echo of Sunday.

35. Lipton rival : NESTEA

37. Kept tabs on from behind : TAILED

38. Hardly eye-catching : DRAB

39. Repetitive learning technique : ROTE

40. Better than expected : ABOVE PAR

41. North-south coordinate : LATITUDE. Partnered with longitude.

46. Rejoices : EXULTS. Exalt is to hold in high esteem.

48. Post-rehab support group : AL-ANON

49. "Thank you __, ma'am" : KINDLY

50. English Channel county : SUSSEX

52. "The Taming of the __" : SHREW

54. Formally gave up : CEDED

57. Powerful TV princess : XENA

58. Breeze (along) : SAIL

59. Casino game : FARO. An old card game but casinos probably have figured a way to increase the house cut.

60. HP products : PCs

61. Word after clip or pop : ART

Argyle

Monday, November 23, 2015 Clement McKay

Theme: Just a Theory - Tribute puzzle.

17A. Online matchmaker : eHARMONY

22A. = : EQUALS SIGN

34A. "U Can't Touch This" rapper : MC HAMMER

46A. Looked ready to fight : SQUARED OFF

53A. See 42-Down : EINSTEIN

42D. With 53-Across, physics Nobelist who devised the formula that begins 17-, 22-, 34- and 46-Across : ALBERT

Argyle here. Rows: 15, Columns: 14, Words: 73; did you notice? A bit more serious than Clement's first puzzle. link here.

Albert Einstein's paper “Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?” was published in the journal "Annalen der Physik" on November 21, 1905.

Across:

1. Popeye's nemesis : BLUTO

6. Electrolux, briefly : VAC. (vacuum cleaner)

9. Nos. on beach lotion labels : SPFs. (Sun Protection Factor)

13. Pachelbel composition : CANON

14. Tel Aviv's country: Abbr. : ISR. (Israel)

15. Opera highlight : ARIA

16. Small thicket : COPSE

19. "Look before you __" : LEAP

21. School course with slides : BIOLOGY

25. Lawyer's charge : FEE

26. Carry with effort : LUG

27. Partner of hither : YON

28. For the lady : HERS

29. Inlaid designs : MOSAICS

32. Apple music players : iPODS

36. Web destinations : SITES

38. Worded : PHRASED

42. They're usually divided into scenes : ACTS

43. Wisecracking West : MAE

44. MLB's Indians, on scoreboards : CLE. (Cleveland Indians)

45. __ Vegas : LAS

50. Obscure from view, as in an eclipse : BLOT OUT. or Wite-Out, as in ....

52. Continually : EVER

55. Vacant : EMPTY

58. San __: Riviera resort : REMO

59. Ambient music pioneer Brian : ENO

60. Bete __ : NOIRE. French: literally, black beast (a person or thing strongly detested)

61. Tijuana three : TRES

62. Athletic center : GYM

63. Pig's sniffer : SNOUT. Ever had them pickled?

Down

1. Secretly keep in the email loop, for short : BCC. Blind carbon copy; semi-CSO to our leader.

2. Philosopher __-tzu : LAO

3. Disconnects from the outlet : UNPLUGS

4. Where sailors go : TO SEA

5. Ryan or Tatum : O'NEAL. Father and daughter actors.

6. Compete : VIE

7. Hearth receptacle : ASH BIN

8. Online guy with a list : CRAIG. Started in 1995.

9. O.T. prophet : SAML. (Samuel)

10. Reviewed for errors : PROOFED

11. Piano players? : FINGERS. Cute one.

12. Make a proposer smile : SAY YES. Crosses eHarmony. Also cute.

18. Director Howard : RON. Little Opie all grown up.

20. Gives a pep talk, with "up" : PSYCHS

22. Stately tree : ELM

23. Status __ : QUO

24. Slugger Sammy : SOSA

28. Bar mitzvah dance : HORA

30. Bill totals: Abbr. : AMTS. (amount)

31. Cocktail rocks : ICE

32. Announcement upon arrival : "I'M HERE!". No ice at Tinbeni's.

33. For each : PER

35. Movie-rating org. : MPAA. (Motion Picture Association of America)

36. Like large reptiles, compared to smaller ones : SCALIER

37. "My treat" : "IT'S ON ME"

39. Many a November birth, to astrologers : SCORPIO

40. Helper for Santa : ELF. I had to let this little guy go.

41. Dict. entry : DEF. (definition)

43. Problem on the Caine : MUTINY

46. Drunkard : SOT

47. Captain of the Caine : QUEEG. He was the real problem but not a sot.

48. Coin toss call : EVENS. I'd say "TAILS".

49. Exorcism target : DEMON

51. General __ chicken : TSO'S

54. __ de plume : NOM. Pseudonym adopted by an author

56. Capote nickname : TRU. Real name, Truman Streckfus Persons. Bio

57. To this point : YET

Argyle

Sunday Nov 21, 2015 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Forced Re-entry" - REE sound is added to each theme entry, changing spelling as needed.

23A. Forgetting to put the milk in the fridge? : GROCERY NEGLIGENCE. Gross negligence.

51A. Backdrop for a gangster film? : CRIME SCENERY. Crime scene.

83A. Warning sign for an art dealer? : FORGERY AHEAD. Forge ahead.

111A. Well-protected garment room? : BULLETPROOF VESTRY. Bulletproof vest.

16D. A little Egyptian magic? : SORCERY OF THE NILE. Source of the Nile.

 

37D. Well-designed room for a tot? : PRACTICAL NURSERY. Practical nurse.

I like 23A and 16D the best, as the transformed words and the old ones have different roots. But not many nouns ending in workable *RY, so Pam's choices are rather limited.

Maybe I've had Paris/Brussels in mind the past days. Noticed quite a few PARIS (5D. Métro home) ties, with mostly alliterative clues:

43A. Between, in Bordeaux : ENTRE

86A. French royalty : NOBLESSE

12D. Brest brainstorms : IDEES 

30D. Mer shade : AZUR 

33D. Seine sun : SOLEIL

70D. Reims rejection : NON

112D. Fleur-de-__ : LIS. Or LYS at times.

Across:

1. Italian seaport : BARI. Easy start. Otherwise, I might not have got BUG (1D. Spy's favorite plant?).

5. Lupone on Broadway : PATTI

10. Alligator relative : CAIMAN

16. Old boomer : SST. Old and retired.

19. Conversant with : UPON

20. Like most people : ASIAN

21. Shout from Speedy Gonzales : ANDALE. "Hurry up" in Spanish.

22. "... the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied __ with the pale cast of thought": Hamlet :

O'ER

26. HDTV brand : RCA

27. Flights connect them : STORIES. Lovely clue.

28. Country rocker Steve : EARLE

29. Actress Dash : STACEY. No idea. She looks familiar though.

31. Sail support : MAST

32. Blue state : SADNESS

34. Pieces of pizza in Plymouth? : ZEDS. Just the two letters in pizza.

35. Secures, as a package : TAPES

38. "Arbitrage" star : GERE. All crosses.

39. Words from the unconvinced : OH SURE. Not "I doubt".

42. "Catch-22" pal of Yossarian : ORR

46. Religious zeal : IDOLATRY

49. Omani money : RIAL

54. __ bran : OAT

57. Treat made with ground almonds : MACAROON. Yeah, Paris!

59. Succeeds : MAKES IT

60. Some PX patrons : PFCs

61. Braid, e.g. : ENTWIST. Not a word I use. Twist, yes.

62. Top (out) : MAX

63. Agent : DELEGATEE. Not a word I use. Delegate, yes.

65. Rascally sort : IMP. Hi there, Spitzboov!

66. Price place : TAG

67. Jump in the pool, perhaps? : BET. Tricky little clue.

68. Durable wood : ASH

69. Another time : ONCE AGAIN

73. "The Beverly Hillbillies" dad : JED

74. Blood-filtering organs : SPLEENS

78. Sound of the wind, perhaps : MOAN. All crosses.

79. Skin blemish : AGE SPOT

81. Working for Christmas, say : SEASONAL

82. NBC weekend fixture : SNL. Marc Maron finally got his white whale.

 

85. In __: unmoved : SITU

88. Auditing giant __ & Young : ERNST And 91. Credit __: Zurich-based financial group : SUISSE. Both have offices in Guangzhou.

90. Delay : LAG

92. Razor brand : ATRA

94. Wiesbaden wheels : OPELS

96. PC key : CTRL

97. Honeymoon options : SAFARIS. Where did you spend your honeymoon?

101. Islamic branch : SHIA

103. Mary Hartman portrayer Louise : LASSER. Stranger to me. Wiki said she was married to Woody Allen for a few years.

106. Desi's daughter : LUCIE

107. Players with masks : GOALIES. Hello, Stud! You really do have it.

110. Keats' "__ to Psyche" : ODE

115. Flat filler : AIR. Tire.

116. Panini cheese : ASIAGO

117. Skateboarding leap : OLLIE

118. Pro foe : ANTI. Also 55. Pro : ACE

119. Round Table knight : KAY. King Arthur's foster brother.

120. Trojan War sage : NESTOR

121. Pops, to tots : DADAS

122. Bread often served with ghee : NAAN. Muslims in China make this kind of naan. It's not brushed with ghee, nor does it have any dairy ingredient. Delicious though.

Down:

2. Car loan nos. : APRS. Annual Percentage Rates.

3. Cheer : ROOT

4. It's often personal : INCOME

6. So far : AS YET

7. Spam holders : TINS. Real spam. Steve loves Spam musubi.

8. The Wizard of Menlo Park, initially : TAE

9. Ready to roll : IN GEAR

10. Stone memorial : CAIRN. Just pile of stones.

11. Right __ : ANGLE

13. Part of many superhero names : MAN. Tiny dupe with 50. Posse members : LAWMEN

14. World Series qualifier: Abbr. : ALCS. American League Championship Series.

15. Hair removal choice : NEET

17. Break away : SECEDE

18. Cube holders : TRAYS. Ice cubes.

24. Clean the slate : ERASE

25. Work on the docks : LADE

32. Come across as : SEEM

35. "It Wasn't All Velvet" memoirist : TORME. Easy guess due to "The Velvet Fog" nickname.

36. Suffix with Unit : ARIAN. Every Sunday puzzle has a few "Meh" entries.

38. It might be silly : GRIN

40. Twain contemporary : HARTE

41. Disorderly digs : STY

44. Boot camp VIPs : NCOs

45. Word with turkey or fox : TROT

46. "That's disgusting!" : ICK. Have any of you had Durian before? It smells awful, banned on some planes, trains. So tasty. Pricey too.

47. Formally turned over, as land : DEEDED

48. Beginning : ONSET

52. Periodical with a URL : EMAG

53. Early rock horn : SAX

56. "Four Quartets" monogram : TSE

58. Big name in morning talk : RIPA

60. Leisurely walks : PASEOS. Not a word I use.

62. Parsons' places : MANSES

64. Sadie Hawkins Day suitors : GALS

66. Supermodel Cheryl : TIEGS. She grew up here in MN.

67. Testing stage : BETA

69. Meditation sounds : OMS

71. Suffolk slammers : GAOLS. Alliteration again.

72. Matches : AGREES

73. Something to jump for : JOY. What I did when Rich accepted my first puzzle. 

74. John in Dublin : SEAN

75. Protective sports equipment : PADS

76. Birth-related : NATAL

77. Wallops : SLUGS

80. Start to date? : PRE. Predate.

81. Hospital fluids : SERA

83. Some NFL ball carriers : FBS (Fullbacks)

84. Towel specification : HER'S

87. Spa supplies : OILS

89. Fabric often decorated with pastoral scenes : TOILE

 

91. Arenas : STADIA

92. "What __!": "I've been had!" : A RIP

93. Steering apparatus part : TIE ROD

95. Pal : PAISAN. This looks like PAYSAN, French for "peasant".

96. Potter's made him invisible : CLOAK. Harry Potter.

98. __ once : ALL AT

99. En __: on a streak, in sports slang : FUEGO. "Fire" in Spanish. Not slang in our little household.

100. One with a part : ACTOR. Nailed it.

101. Balkan capital : SOFIA

102. They're loaded : HAVES. All crosses.

104. "Voice of Israel" author : EBAN (Abba).

105. Sly tactic : RUSE

107. Olympian's prize : GOLD

108. Italian hot spot : ETNA

109. Miss, overseas: Abbr. : SRTA

113. Ending with pay : OLA

114. Yang counterpart : YIN. Dates and ginger are Yang. Cucumbers and most green veggies are Yin.

How do you normally prepare hard-boiled eggs? Do you remove eggs from heat as soon as water comes to a boil like this one? I just cook them in hot boiling water for 10 minutes, but can never get an easy-to-peel perfect egg. 

C.C.

Saturday, Nov 21st, 2015, Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing F,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 36

 Second time in 6 weeks for a Bruce Venzke puzzle - and another relatively quick solve for me - lots of "gimme" clues and answers for a Saturday.  Unlike that last puzzle, however, this one had several proper names, and those fills were the only ones that left me stumped; and since they crossed in two places, I had to cave in to red-letters for ONE lousy cell.  Oh well.  Two triple spanner stacks and a very cool looking grid;

1. Amuse to the hilt : LEAVE IN STITCHES

16. Goth is a subgenre of it : ALTERNATIVE ROCK - I prefer the "goth" at 8d.

17. Tax inequity : MARRIAGE PENALTY - seems like a redundant phrase - but I am biased from my short-lived 2yr marriage

58. Slide rules, for example : ANALOG COMPUTERS - the abacus is another

64. Borrower's protection : INTEREST RATE CAP

65. Some emcees : TOAST MISTRESSES - new to me, but it seemed logical

ONW

A   R
D ~ !

ACROSS:

18. Blotter name : ALIAS - oops, not aliBI - but I was 100% 60% correct

19. These, overseas : ESTOS - threw in estAs, and that was close enough; and on this I'm 100% 80% correct

20. Film lioness : NALA

23. Financial shellacking : BATH

25. T-__ : BIRD - not BONE, and not BILL; I had an '86 4spd 4cyl turbo coupe - nice

in this color, no less

28. Where surfers look for bargains : eMALL - internet surfing

30. With 34-Across, China's locale : EAST

34. See 30-Across : ASIA

35. Logician friend of Einstein : GÖDEL - did not know this one, but I was vaguely familiar with the crossing ADLER; more on Kurt here

36. Give (out) : DOLE

37. Chinese dish eponym : TSO - one of my favorite dishes, General Tso's Chicken

38. Swansea-born : WELSH - bottom left, not far from Cardiff

39. Got used up, with "out" : RAN

40. Scary St. Bernard of fiction : CUJO - one of the first books I ever read

42. Beyond chunky : OBESE

43. Dough dispensers : ATMs

44. Try : HEAR - as in court

45. Not seen as frequently : RARER

46. Amphora, e.g. : VASE - I like the sound of "amphora"

47. Requires : ASKS

49. Dino, __ & Billy: '60s band that included sons of two musical celebs : DESI - a healthy WAG after I had the D--I; more here

51. Sentry's stint : WATCH

54. Is charismatic : HAS IT - I am lacking in the "charisma" department, but I "has it" in other areas; I had to wire a series of cabinet lights at my friend's new house, but I cannot run extension cords in the wall - so I came up with this clever solution

DOWN:

1. Monastery figure : LAMA

2. It has blue-striped jets : EL AL

3. Abruzzi bell town : ATRI - poetic; more here

4. Tara feature : VERANDA - Gone With the Wind

5. 1974 pension plan legislation : ERISA - seen this B4 in crosswords, but it filled via perps today

6. Words with stew and pickle : IN A

7. Bug : NAG

8. __-Chapelle: historic Paris church : STE - spectacular; I love Gothic Cathedral architecture; if you have the time, here's a link to a great show about the building achievements of the time - I like the demonstration at 24:30

9. Track advantage : TIP

10. "__ Got a Secret" : I'VE

11. Belief : TENET

12. Surprised at the party : CRASHED

13. "Dateline NBC" anchor Lester : HOLT

14. Prefix with -plasm : ECTO

15. "The __ the limit!" : SKY'S

21. Investigator's data gathering : LEGWORK - this kind of investigator

22. Low life : AMOEBAS

23. Consecrated : BLESSED

24. Attendant to a man : ALL HERE

25. Baker's quantity : BATCH

26. Send forth : ISSUE

27. Spanish wine region : RIOJA - filled via perps

29. Freud contemporary : ADLER - as I have said here before, there's a book on personality types that I frequently use to understand why people behave as they do

31. Inner tube? : AORTA - har-har

32. Verbal attacks : SLAMS

33. It may be perfect : TENSE

41. Forecasters : ORACLES

43. Flies : AVIATES

48. Insufficient : SHORT

50. "On the Beach" novelist : SHUTE - the "S" was a WAG

51. What early arrivals often have to do : WAIT

52. Cornerstone word : ANNO

53. "So long!" : "TA-TA~!"

55. Moments : SECS

56. "Dies __" : IRAE

57. Recipe abbr. : TSPS

59. Special someone : GEM - here's my "gem" for the week

60. Show with many spin-offs : CSI

61. USAF commissioning prog. : OTS - Officer Training School

62. He played Clubber Lang in "Rocky III" : Mr. T - I pity the fool....

63. Links figure : PAR

Splynter