THEME: None
WORDS: 70
BLOCKS: 26
Wow, just a brutal second themeless offering from Mr. Lim, with some clues that were very vague, and others that I downright had to just wince at. Just the one grid spanner today,
36. "The sea was angry that day," e.g. : PATHETIC FALLACY
an "expanded" metaphor, so to speak, with what I thought was the original answer - PERSONIFICATION....and that was just the first of many mistakes :-((
ACROSS:
1. Bounce : DRIBBLE - Ugh, Basketball - I was on the Echo/Toss Out wavelength...
8. Site of the largest WWII Allied Pacific amphibious assault : OKINAWA - IWO JIMA fit, too
15. Pigment used in some primer paints : RED LEAD - Did not know this
16. Worldly : SECULAR - I was on the "global" wavelength
17. Glowing, perhaps : PLEASED - started with RADIANT
18. "You're in charge!" : SEE TO IT
19. Courage : HEART
20. Fightin' with : AGIN' - Against, in "drawl-speak"
22. Exobiologist's org. : SETI - Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - shoulda got this from the "Exo-" part, but I was thinking bugs...
23. Covering an outfield position : IN LEFT - good baseball answer, I had center at first
25. Byzantine emperor known as "the Armenian" : LEO V - here's his Wiki
27. Some hosps. : VAs - Veteran's Affairs Hospitals
28. Mil. officers : LTs - Lieutenants
29. Demolish, in Durham : RASE - the Anglo version of RAZE
31. Most recently introduced : NEWEST
33. Summons : TICKET - Argh~! I started with this, and took it out
35. One putting on shows : AIRER - Meh, but yeah
40. Hatch of Utah : ORRIN - knew it wasn't Estes, but I couldn't think of him at first
41. Neil Diamond title words after "I am the tune" : PLAY ME - I'll leave the links to you
42. One may be packed with Oreos, briefly : PB AND J - a Peanut Butter and Jelly sa'mich - really~!? Are there any of us out there that put Oreos in there too~? Yecht - I'll keep mine for dessert....
44. Uma's role in "The Producers" : ULLA - Uma, Ulla, Uma, Ulla
45. Label for Nilsson : RCA - WAGed EMI, MCI, but ultimately, did not know this guy
48. Yom __: holiday, in Hebrew : TOV
49. Kosovo resident : SERB
51. Hawks' contacts, perhaps : ARMERS - Ugh, as in those who supply arms to militant types, also known as "hawks"
53. Uncultivated, probably : ARID - well, not necessarily, but what can I say....
55. Banter : JEST - I don't see the synonym here - Banter is light talk, Jest is to joke, for me.
57. Does a word-processing task : SAVES - EDITS, DELES, STETS, TYPES, nope - what every application file needs - to be saved; not limited to word-processing....
58. Reacts in fear, in a way : REARS UP
60. Like some soap : ON A ROPE - Cute GAG GIFT ( last week ), and a necessity in prison, I would think....
62. "Eugene Onegin" heroine __ Larina : TATIANA
63. NBAer orig. from Minnesota : L.A. LAKER - great, more basketball - getting to be like French around here - when is MY puzzle going to show up with all the hockey in it?
64. Made red-faced? : SLAPPED - this was a good one - had ANGERED to start, knew I was not quite right with the "?"
65. Evidence provider : DNA TEST
DOWN:
1. "Family First" author, familiarly : DR. PHIL - a phony, if you ask me
2. Give in : RELENT
3. Epitomes : IDEALS
4. Play up to the max? : BLARE - is this true, JzB~?
5. Some buds : BEST FRIENDS - got stuck on a "plant-like" wavelength with 'buds'
6. Papua New Guinea port : LAE - Map, in the middle
7. Snorri Sturluson's "Prose __" : EDDA - the Wiki
8. Walter's "I'm Not Rappaport" co-star : OSSIE - not familiar with this
9. Really into : KEEN ON
10. Plans may be put on it : ICE
11. More than just touched : NUTS
12. Herbal medicine plant : ALOE VERA - the whole name
13. "Not so fast!" : WAIT A SECond
14. Craft : ARTISTRY - Nice clue/answer for a Saturday
21. Competitors in a Fox comedy-drama : GLEE CLUBS - the EE gave it to me
24. Bumpkin's lack : TACT
26. Trattoria offering : VEAL MARSALA - had VEAL_, couldn't recall the second half - I have had Chicken Marsala, which I believe is wine & mushroom sauce - I am not the chef here, but I do "use pot"....
30. Problem with an old record : SKIP - "...like a rhinestone...like a rhinestone...like a rhinestone..." my 45 had a SKIP right there
32. Bit of cunning : WILE
33. Like a poor argument : THIN - WEAK, TAME, nope
34. Maker of nonstick cookware : T-FAL
36. Toaster brand : POP-TARTS - ugh - tried too hard to make Oster fit, etc.
37. Like kinkajous : ARBOREAL - Here's a pic
38. "Fallen woman," in an opera title : - La TRAVIATA, by "Joe Green" (Victor Borge)
39. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" protagonist : AYLA
43. Not exciting : JEJUNE - that's French~!
45. Take away : REVOKE
46. Brunch fare : CREPES - had MIMOSA and OMELET to start - fare is one of those single/plural words, like fish
47. Maintain : ASSERT
50. Fix, as brakes : RE-PAD - I have had many a chance to fix brakes, but never said "RE-PAD"
52. Corday victim : MARAT - French revolution, she slayed him in the bath
54. Cone eater's concern : DRIP
56. Let in on : TOLD - TELL and TALK did not work
59. Enervate : SAP
61. Turkic flatbread : NAN
Splynter, going back to bed to heal the brain damage....
