Theme: None
Total words: 72
Total blocks: 30
This puzzle is anchored by a grid-spanning 15 crossed by two 10s:
35A. Summertime response to a wave? : HOT ENOUGH FOR YOU? Heat wave.
5D. Puts up gates, say : BABY-PROOFS. I was picturing real gates.
30D. Menacingly complex, as a bureaucracy : KAFKAESQUE. As typified by the works of Franz Kafka.
Today is a good example of how it's the cluing and not obscure words that made a late-week puzzle tough:
14A. Eugene O'Neill character? : CAPITAL O. The O in his name O'Neill. Not any play character.
50D. 2009 U.S. Open champ Glover : LUCAS. "Star Wars" director George would be too easy a clue. Here is our champion Lucas Glover. Ricky Barnes collapsed in the final round.
Lively fill abound in the grid.
Across:
1. Turned to a life of crime : GONE BAD. Figured the end had to be ED. Oops!
8. Become absorbed : OSMOSE. I wanted ENRAPT, which is an adj. Dummy!
15. Scorched : SEARED
16. Order in a preschool classroom : ALPHABET. Of course, I was in the verb "order" line of thinking.
17. NFL coach with the most career postseason wins : LANDRY (Tom). No idea. Longtime Cowboys coach.
18. Grant, for one : LOU. Wanted CIC again, thinking of President Grant.
19. Half of the UAR : SYR. UAR is a union of Syria and Egypt.
20. Surname of 15th/16th-century Pope Alexander VI : BORGIA. Wow, who knows?!
21. Physics units : ERGS. Work units.
23. Not flush : POOR. What kind of flush do you have in mind? Poker? Alignment?
25. Is wistful (for) : LONGS
27. 1959 winner of a record 11 Oscars : BEN-HUR. Brad knows everything about Oscar.
29. Debauchee : RAKE. So is ROUE.
31. In imitation of : A LA
32. Kinsey Institute Library collection : EROTICA. Where is it?
34. Negligible amount : DRIB. Not IOTA.
39. Skeptic's retort : I BET
40. Searched, in a way : FRISKED
41. Six-time Sugar Bowl victors, briefly : LSU. Six-time, is it a record?
42. Literary ID : ISBN
43. Lineups : ARRAYS
47. Preeminent industrialist : TITAN. Would you call Donald Trump a titan?
49. Guernsey, for one : ISLE
51. Citation space-saver : ET AL
52. Sidestepped : DODGED
54. "Royal Pains" network : USA. I've never heard of "Royal Pains".
56. It had a hub at JFK : TWA. Guessed.
57. Took umbrage at : MINDED
58. Familiarize : ACQUAINT
60. Cocktail flavored with orgeat syrup : MAI TAI. Not familiar with the syrup. Wiki says orgreat derived from the Latin hordeata, meaning "made with barley".
61. "Viaducts Break Ranks" painter : PAUL KLEE. Here's the painting. Very abstract.
62. Extra number : ENCORE. Oh, musical number.
63. 6-Down, nowadays : USED CAR. And 6D. Olds introduced in '98 : ALERO.
Down:
1. In abundance : GALORE
2. Call into question : OPPUGN. New word to me.
3. Biomedical research agcy. : NIH
4. Itinerary nos. : ETAs. ETA = Estimated Time of Arrival.
7. Bespeckle : DOT
8. City with the newspaper Aftenposten : OSLO. First encounter with the newspaper.
9. Ambien maker : SEARLE. Also the maker of Celebrex. Now part of Pfizer.
10. Chutney fruit : MANGO. Delicious!
11. Prosaic : ORDINARY
12. Harem : SERAGLIO. Dictionary says it's rooted in Italian serraglio, meaning "animal cage". ODA is Turkish for room.
13. Joseph of ice cream fame : EDY
14. Canaan infiltrator : CALEB. Biblical spy.
20. Big name in candy corn : BRACH'S
22. Word with cake or metal : SHEET
24. Sources : ORIGINS
26. "A Tiger Walks" star : SABU. Was ignorant of film "A Tiger Walks". India-born Actor.
28. Catering dispenser : URN
33. Murky : TURBID
34. Frequent producer for Eminem : DR DRE
35. Highest degree : HILT. To the hilt.
36. Volcanic glass : OBSIDIAN. Also a new word to me.
37. Frankfurter adjective : TEUTONIC
38. "Not stepping __ the bounds of modesty": Juliet : O'ER
42. Ready to roll : IN GEAR
44. Fifth-century invader of Gaul : ATTILA. The Hun.
45. Hardly a moving picture? : YAWNER. Tricky clue.
46. Group of candidates : SLATE
48. Augment : ADD TO
53. Eva Marie's "On the Waterfront" role : EDIE. Stumper for me.
55. Word heard after a countdown : AULD. "Auld Lang Syne". New Year count.
57. Nice address: Abbr. : MME (Madame). Nice the City in France.
58. "The Simpsons" Squishee seller : APU. The shopkeeper.
59. Pedigree-tracking org. : AKC (American Kennel Club)
Happy 83rd Birthday to our fellow LA Times solver Dot! And a belated Happy 97th Birthday to her husband Irv! Hi there Andrea & Kazie.
C.C.
