Theme: The EAGLE has landed. Each theme answer is a different definition of the word eagle. All so colorful.
20A. Eagle : KEEN-EYED BIRD. Indeed. There are about 70,000 bald eagles living in the world today, about half of those in Alaska, and another 20,000 in B.C., Canada - because of the large amount of salmon in those areas.
33A. Eagle : LUNAR LANDER. The lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft. Six such craft successfully landed on the Moon between 1969–1972. Simulation.
41A. Eagle : TWO UNDER PAR. Golf. Timely for me, the Frys.com open is being held where i work next week. The whole resort is already a zoo, in preparation. I'll be glad when it's over.
54. Eagle : HIGHEST SCOUT. Boy Scouts of America. Coincidentally, at least 40 astronauts earned the rank as a youth, including Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the moon.
Melissa here.
Melissa here.
Clecho (clecho, clecho, clecho). Perfect timing Mike Peluso and Rich, for our newly adopted word, coined by Dennis.
And a few timely baseball references:
25A. Ball club : BAT. Deceptively simple.
45D. Cleanup hitter's stats : RBI'S. Runs Batted In. From Wikipedia: "…the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name.
And a few timely baseball references:
25A. Ball club : BAT. Deceptively simple.
27D. Girardi's predecessor as Yankee manager : TORRE. Joe.
45D. Cleanup hitter's stats : RBI'S. Runs Batted In. From Wikipedia: "…the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name.
Across:
1. Dance fundamental : STEP
5. Spreading trees : ELMS
9. Cosmic payback : KARMA
14. __-up: slow Web connection : DIAL.
15. Bubbly label name : MOET. Champagne.
16. Like some kites : AVIAN. Bird species.
17. Menlo Park middle name : ALVA. Thomas Alva Edison, nicknamed "The Wizard of Menlo Park" (New Jersey, not California).
18. Former credit card giant : MBNA. Purchased by BofA in 2005. No idea.
19. Shakespeare's title Athenian : TIMON. The Life of Timon Athens. New to me.
23. Big pix: Abbr. : ENLS. Short for enlargements, i suppose.
24. Reagan era prog. : SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative.
28. Pancho was his sidekick : CISCO. The Cisco kid. I thought of Lefty first.
30. Running independently : ON AUTO
32. Trite : OLD
37. Leg-shaving alternative : NAIR
39. "Science Guy" Bill : NYE
40. Baking soda target : ODOR. Does anyone still keep an open box in the fridge?
46. Tint : HUE
47. Composer Berlioz : HECTOR. 19th Century French composer. Who knew?
48. WWII blockade vessel : U-BOAT
50. Joseph of ice cream fame : EDY
51. Tic __: mint : TAC
53. Sale condition : AS IS. Seeing this a lot lately.
59. Ambulance attendant : MEDIC
62. Cathedral section : APSE
63. "Dark Angel" actress Jessica : ALBA.
64. Worship : ADORE. And 22D. Adored one : IDOL. Duplication.
65. Bring up : REAR
66. Diver's haunt : REEF
67. Au courant, with "in" : TUNED. French for aware, or conversant - meaning fully familiar, or knowledgeable.
68. Ancient Persian : MEDE
69. Ilk : SORT
Down:
1. Nebr. neighbor : SDAK. South Dakota.
2. Roofer's piece : TILE
3. Whence icicles hang : EAVE. 'Whence' is archaic English, meaning from what place. More Shakespeare.
4. Does a cabinetmaking task : PLANES. Like this.
5. Harris of country : EMMYLOU. Great voice. Stellar collaboration with Mark Knopfler.
6. They may be pierced : LOBES. Earlobes. And 8. Pierces : STABS. Clecho.
7. See 32-Down : MEND. 32. With 7-Down, feeling better : ON THE
9. Destructive 2005 newsmaker : KATRINA
10. Zealous : AVID
11. Part of most eyeglasses : RIM.
12. "Little Red Book" author : MAO. Book of quotations from Chairman Mao, explaining the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party.
13. Ex-Texas governor Richards : ANN. Colorful character. Died in 2006.
21. Check sent with a ltr., e.g. : ENCL. Enclosure.
25. Sanskrit for "awakened one" : BUDDHA. One who has achieved enlightenment. And 44. Like monastic life : AUSTERE
26. Enjoyed Denny's, say : ATE OUT
28. Scratched : CLAWED
29. Stupidity : IDIOCY
31. "That's __": "Uh-uh" : A NO
34. Toledo-to-Detroit dir. : NNE
35. Port on the Firth of Clyde : AYR. Scotland. I do not feel bad that i didn't know this.
36. Sen. counterpart : REP. Senator / Representative.
38. Road to nowhere, metaphorically : RUT. Great clue.
42. Spied : NOTICED
43. Schlep : DRAG
49. Annual Hollywood gala, with "the" : OSCARS
52. Amulet : CHARM
53. Syrian leader : ASSAD
54. Take on : HIRE
55. Fencing sword : EPEE
56. Stick on the table : OLEO. Noun, not verb.
57. Opposite of unter : UBER. German. Unter = beneath or under; uber = above or over.
58. First president to take up golf : TAFT. Easy guess. Only Presidents with four-letter last names: Polk, Taft, Ford, Bush.
59. Pin cushion? : MAT. Wrestling. Very nice.
60. University URL : EDU
