17A. *New skier's area : BUNNY SLOPE. HA!! Nailed this one (although it has been many decades since I have used one...) Let's LOPE along to the next one:
38A. *Hug : EMBRACE. HUGS!! My specialty, and my heart RACEs when I do JL crossword puzzles!
59A. *Freebie from the hygienist : TOOTHBRUSH. I just went to the dentist last week, and not only did I get a free TOOTHBRUSH, but I got some dental floss and mouthwash "for free". (Only a $185 bill, but they really were "free", right???). (Did I get the Bum's RUSH?)
11D. *Small collectible : OBJET D'ART. There are some in this famous painting. You can DART out to do some shopping using the Dallas Area Rapid Transit!
33D. *Paper for the paper : NEWSPRINT. Defined as a "low-cost, non-archival paper". SPRINT is also a telephone company...wonder why they named it that?
And the unifier is split between
1A. See 67-Across: RUN
and
67-Across. With 1-Across, a football play, or an apt description of what's hidden in the last part of the answer to each starred clue : END.
So, we have an END RUN. At the ENDs of the starred clues, we have various forms of "RUN". Right now, I feel as if I were running on empty, but I will try to explain the rest of the entries...
Thursday and Marti here. Whoo boy! When I saw John Lampkin's name on this one, I knew we were in for a fun RUN! So let's see what else he served up for us.
Across:
4. A loose one may activate the "Check engine" light : GAS CAP. Deja Vu, Anony-Mouse???
10. Home of the Mongolian wild ass : GOBI. I'd be an ass if I didn't link these guys.
14. One of the Gabors : EVA. With Eddie Albert, priceless!
15. Rocket sound : WHOOSH
16. Clutch hitter's stat : RBIS. "Runs Batted InS"
19. Resort near Ventura : OJAI. In California.
20. Weather-affecting current : EL NINO. It is a "quasiperiodic climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean roughly every five years." Sounds like something Sheldon would say on TBBT...
21. Judicial hearing : INQUEST
23. Apply, as healing hands : LAY ON
24. Loser's demand : RECOUNT
26. Doozy : BEAUT. This was a doozy of a puzzle!
28. Interfere : MEDDLE
31. Undoing : BANE. It was almost he BANE of my existence! But, I "got it" in the end...
34. Chatted via MSN Live Messenger : IMED. Instant MessagED.
36. Amer. help to allies : U.S. AID
37. Savored a serving of : ATE. With a clecho at 45A. Serve a serving of : DISH UP
40. Country mail service : RFD. Rural Federal Delivery. (Correction: It is Rural Free Delivery.)
41. Lose-lose : NO WIN
43. Landers and Richards : ANNS
44. "Boston Legal" extra: Abbr. : ATTY. Attorney. Or a Crossword Corner extra in our own Lemonade714.
47. Etcher's etchers : ACIDS
49. Teaching story : PARABLE
51. Covent Garden staging : OPERA. The Royal Opera House at the Covent Garden. Starting Friday, you can see "Metamorphosis:Titian 2012". Not an opera, but a unique collaboration.
55. Nouveau riche : PARVENU. In English, literally "come by".
57. Chalk cube's target : CUE TIP. Lois, you use chalk on your tips?
58. "That's ___!": "No way!" : A LIE
62. Actress Anderson : LONI. Now, that's ageless!
63. Put on a throne : ENSEAT
64. Vox populi, vox ___ : DEI. "The voice of the people is the voice of G-d"
65. Baltic resident : LETT
66. Intimidates : DAUNTS
Down:
1. Fight against authority : REBEL
2. Throat projection : UVULA. That little thing-y that hangs down in the back of your throat when you say "Aahhhh".
3. One with charges : NANNY. Fun clue!
4. Fred of "The Munsters" : GWYNNE. I typed in "g-w-y-n..." and then just kept going!
5. "Oh, of course!" : AH SO
6. Costa del ___ : SOL. Resort area in Spain.
7. Squab's sound : COO. I'll send you the bill...
8. Jelly used in molds : ASPIC. I can't top King Crimson from yesterday! But what cat could resist BFF Tuna and Salmon in Aspic? (At eight dollars A CAN???)
9. Wunderkind : PHENOM
10. Keepers keep them : GROUNDS. Great clue!
12. Journalist's concern : BIAS. I wanted "Fact" at first. But that is not a concern, it is a "need". Beware the crossword clue word!
13. "Really?" : IS IT?
18. Mythical weeper : NIOBE. Sad story here. She lost 7 daughters and 7 sons, and wept until she turned to stone...
22. Line : QUEUE. I always loved that word.
24. Cuban 35-Down : RUMBA. and 35 Down. Twist, for one : DANCE
25. Like the minutes before recess, seemingly : ETERNAL. Or, like the minutes before 5:00 on Friday...
27. Sight : AIM
29. Boost : LIFT
30. Fly fisherman's concern : EDDY. Like this.3:53 Wonderful moment in film!
31. Cigar collectible : BAND. Really? People actually collect these?
32. Yours, in Tours : A TOI. French. Sorry, Abejo!
38. Make used (to) : ENURE
39. CBS drama since 2000 : CSI. Crime Scene Investigation. Not one of my favs...
42. "Oh, of course!" : I HAVE IT. "I got it" was too short.
44. According to : AS PER
46. Reacted after a race : PANTED. After this theme, you had me panting, John L. !!
48. Second thoughts : DOUBTS
50. "___ sera": Luigi's "Good evening" : BUONA. I always thought it was "buena"...
52. Scriabin piano piece : ETUDE. Yay! Music! 2:30 Interesting and "quirky" Russian composer.
53. Up : RISEN
54. Ladybug's lunch : APHID. I love seeing ladybugs in my rose garden. Such eco-friendly pesticides!
55. Gloomy covering : PALL. At Murphy's funeral, Danny got drunk and tripped over the casket and broke his leg. Threw a pall on the whole evening!
56. Flowering succulent : ALOE. Allo, crossword friend!
57. Chinwag : CHAT. New def for me.
60. The Beavers of the Pac-12 : OSU. Oregon State University. Football. They are 19-11, only behind UCLA and Arizona.
61. Pin in the back : TEN. Bowling pin. I bet Boomer never misses that one!
Answer grid.
See y'all next Thursday!
Hugs,
Marti
From C.C.:
Here is beautiful picture from John Lampkin. He said:
"This pic may be appropriate for 54 down. It is a beetle larva consuming an adult aphid. It's adult because it has wings. Most aphids we see are larvae and lack wings. Aphids are at the bottom of the food chain and are a crucial part of the diet of many insects. Larvae such as this beetle consume an average of 17 aphids each day, according to one study. For more about aphids and how they are "born pregnant," see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphid "
