Theme: Barter Town - The first word of each two-word theme answer is a synonym for 'trade.'
18A. Flea market cousin : SWAP MEET. San Jose, Ca hosts "The Original World's Largest Flea Market."
24A. Mickey Mantle or Mark Teixeira, notably : SWITCH HITTER. A player who bats both left- and right-handed.
39A. Fill in at school : SUBSTITUTE TEACH. Nice shout out to several of our regular commenters.
51A. Currency differential : EXCHANGE RATE.
62A. Commercial imbalance : TRADE GAP. The amount by which the value of a country's visible imports exceeds that of visible exports.
Melissa here.
A rare weekday puzzle from our LAT Sunday regular constructor Pamela Amick Klawitter. The grid design resulted in lots of 4-letter (30) & 5-letter (19) entries.
Melissa here.
A rare weekday puzzle from our LAT Sunday regular constructor Pamela Amick Klawitter. The grid design resulted in lots of 4-letter (30) & 5-letter (19) entries.
Across:
1. "60 Minutes" correspondent : SAFER. Morley. Did three tours in Vietnam.
6. __ Helens, Wash. : MT. ST. Mount Saint Helens. May 18th of this year marked the 30th anniversary of an eruption there which lasted 9 hours. The result of an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale.
10. Setup punch : JAB
13. Pump option : PREPAY. Gas pump.
15. Tad : IOTA
16. L.A.-based oil giant, familiarly : OXY. Occidental Petroleum Corporation.
17. Get there : ARRIVE
20. Soccer VIPs? : MOMS. Haha, nice.
21. Source of low-alcohol wines : ASTI. A white sparkling wine produced in an area to the south of the town of Asti, in Piedmont, Italy.
23. No longer newsworthy : PASSE
27. Diet successfully : LOSE
28. Counsel : ADVISE
32. "__ Gold": Peter Fonda film : ULEE'S
35. Helper: Abbr. : ASST.
38. Lobbying gp. : PAC. Political Action Committee.
43. Modern __ : ERA. Bit of a stretch I thought.
44. Friend's pronoun : THEE. 'All the world is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer'. Robert Owen (1771-1858).
45. "Then ..." : AND SO
46. Karate instructor : SENSEI. Japanese title of respect, used to address teachers and professionals.
49. Glued to the tube, say : RAPT
57. Shoelace protector : AGLET. We all know this by now.
60. Smack back? : EROO. Smackeroo. Also with sock- or stink-. Or more appropriately, switch.
61. It's wet in Oaxaca : AGUA. Spanish for water.
64. "The Sound of Music" quintet : OSCARS. Best director, Best film editing, Best score, Best picture, Best Sound.
66. "Awesome!" : RAD
67. Botanical junction : NODE. The point on a stem where a leaf is attached. Like this.
68. Golf commentator Pepper : DOTTIE. Did not know her.
69. Poet Lowell : AMY. Welcome back, Clear Ayes!
70. Texter's sign-off : TTYL. Talk to you later.
71. Many Miley Cyrus fans : TEENS.
Down:
1. Sends unwanted e-mail : SPAMS
2. Road sign symbol : ARROW
3. Nuclear pioneer Enrico : FERMI. Italian physicist who developed the first nuclear reactor.
4. Bible letters : EPISTLES. Twenty one epistles in the New Testament (not counting Revelation), most believed to be written by Paul.
5. Toyota __4: SUV model : RAV
6. Peruvian volcano El __ : MISTI. Again with a volcano.
7. Namely : TO WIT. "That is to say."
8. Ticketing place: Abbr. : STA. Station.
9. Danced like Bojangles Robinson : TAPPED. Remember this scene?
10. Stereotypical diner name : JOE'S. Eat at Joe's.
11. Forest choppers : AXES
12. Unit of computer memory : BYTE. Eight bits make one byte.
14. Slangy assents : YEAHS
19. Sportscaster Albert : MARV. Broad jumper. I KID!
22. Knife holder : SHEATH
25. Budgetary concern : COST
26. British art institution : TATE. Network of four art galleries in the UK (Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate Modern, and Tate St. Ives).
29. Apple touchscreen computer : I-PAD
30. Anatomical pouches : SACS
31. Return from a cave? : ECHO. Sneaky, but I nailed it.
32. Finds a purpose for : USES
33. Dangle a carrot in front of, so to speak : LURE
34. "My Country" author : EBAN. Subtitle, "The story of modern Israel." Needed perps.
36. Seek damages : SUE
37. Buffet heater : STERNO.
40. Suffix with meteor : ITIC. Meteoric rise to fame. Sometimes unexplainable.
41. Finish line indicator : TAPE.
42. Play break : ENTR'ACTE. French for "between the acts."
47. Watermelon bit : SEED
48. Magnitude : EXTENT
50. "... 'What __ boy am I!'" : A GOOD. Little Jack Horner nursery rhyme.
52. Exciting : HEADY.
53. Adrien of cosmetics : ARPEL
54. Colorful quartz : AGATE
55. Shroud city : TURIN. Shroud of Turin.
56. Lets up : EASES
57. Name on a razor : ATRA
58. Fat measure : GRAM
59. __ Luck : LADY
63. Understood : GOT
Answer grid.
Melissa
