Four adjectives ending in "ing" are combined with nouns to provide an auditory sense of camping in the wilderness. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but all the adjectives are formed from verbs that end in "L-E," adding another layer of tightness to the theme entries:
16-A. Campground sound #1 : SIZZLING STEAKS.
23-A. Campground sound #2 : BABBLING BROOK.
51-A. Campground sound #3 : CRACKLING FIRE.
60-A. Campground sound #4 : RUSTLING LEAVES.
I had the first two, and thought we were looking for alliterative phrases. So, CRACKLING FIRE took a while. Two 14s and two 13s are a difficult letter count to grid, but Mr. Sajdak does a fine job on this one.
Marti here, occasional constructor, regular poster, and today in my role as chief cook and blogger.
Across:
1. Early sunscreen ingredient : PABA. I don't think he means "Pan-Asian Boxing Association," so my guess is he's talking about the ingredient Para-Aminobenzoic acid.
5. "Let's get goin'!" : C'MON. The shortened "goin'" in the clue hints at a slangy answer.
9. Put ___ act : ON AN.
13. Tater : SPUD.
14. Hard to believe : LAME. "That's a lame excuse for a puzzle!"
15. Wine quality : NOSE. The aroma you get just as you bring the glass to your lips.
19. Devisish toon : TAZ.manian Devil.
20. Maine-et-Loire mate : AMI. French for "friend" (male) and a clecho with 29-Across. Hot time in Maine-et-Loire : AOUT. (French for "August".) Maine-et-Loire must be the Thursday substitute for Paris, when you are sent searching for a French word.
21. In-crowds : A-LISTS.
27. Curt refusal : I WON'T. (How rude!)
30. Renaissance painter ___ Angelico : FRA. In Florence, he came under the patronage of the Medici family.
31. Like a spot in "Macbeth" : DAMNED. "Out, DAMNED spot! out, I say!" (Often misquoted as "Out, out damned spot...")
33. Pac-12 team : UTES. Utah, in the NCAA football Division 1.
35. "Pretty Woman" co-songwriter : ORBISON. Anyone try Bill Dees, the other co-songwriter? Did anyone even know there was a co-songwriter? Here's the song. 3:00
37. Some comedy sketches : SATIRES. I had "stand-up," but realized it wasn't plural as indicated in the clue. (Drat, first ink-blot.)
42. Nov. voting time : TUES.day. This year it was Nov. 6, and marked C.C.'s first time voting as a citizen in a U.S. Presidential election.
44. Streaker in a shower : METEOR. HaHa, loved this clue!
45. Remote power sources : AAs. Small batteries in a remote control.
48. City near Yorba Linda : BREA. Spanish for "tar." So why are they called "La Brea Tar Pits?" ("The tar-tar pits?") (Wouldn't that be like certain Russian underarms?) (Moving on...)
50. Track contests : RACES. Not "meets." Drat! another ink blot. ("Out, DAMNED spot!")
55. "Honor Thy Father" author : TALESE. Non-fiction work about the Bonnano mafia family in New York.
56. Sargasso Sea spawner : EEL.
57. Forest's 2006 Oscar-winning role : IDI. Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland."
64. "___ baby!" : ATTA.
65. Swimmer with pups : SEAL. So, you tell me: "Which one is the pup?"
66. POTUS backup : VEEP. President of the United States' #2 guy is the "V-P," or VEEP.
67. Hightail it : TEAR. I went TEARing through the mall this weekend, because I hate crowds.
68. Pays (for) : POPS. "I'll POP for this one..."
69. West Point team : ARMY.
Down:
1. Subtle "Over here..." : PSST.
2. Polynesian capital : APIA. Here is the astronaut's view.
3. WWII German missile nickname : BUZZ BOMB. The V-1 Flying Bomb inspired terror in the British people when the sound stopped, because the explosion followed shortly afterwards.
4. Log shaper : ADZ. A favorite word for Scrabble players.
5. Mount Everest? : CLIMB. Loved this clue! "Mount" is a synonym for "climb."
6. Capital on the island of Luzon : MANILA. And site of the famous Ali-Frazier fight called "The Thrilla in Manila."
8. Mario Brothers console : NES. Knew only from crossword puzzles.
9. 16 oz. : ONE LB. Anyone else put "pound"? I totally ignored the "oz." abbr. in the clue. (Another ink blot...)
10. Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown song covered on "Glee" : NO AIR. Finn and Rachel sing it here. 4:23.
11. Desires from : ASKS OF. Has everyone told Santa what they desire from him this year?
12. "Iliad" wise man : NESTOR.
17. Blood typing, e.g. : LAB TEST.
18. Wrestling pair : TAG TEAM.
22. Calypso offshoot : SKA. Calypso originated in Trinidad, and was picked up by Jamaican youths who blended it with the rhythm & blues sounds they heard out of New Orleans, as well as steel-pan music and their own unique beat to form SKA in the mid-50's.
24. Years in old Rome : ANNI. Nominative plural form of "annus" in Latin.
25. Chit : IOU.
26. Crunch source : NUTS.
27. Promise before a parson : I DO.
28. Hawk's cause : WAR. We're talking political "hawks," but we don't talk politics here on the blog!
32. British travel feature, in the past? : DOUBLE L. The British double the "l" in travel, when speaking in the past tense: "We travelled to Europe last year to visit our favourite friends."
34. Clean and then some : STERILE.
36. Philip ___: 16th century Italian saint : NERI. Needed perps...not up on my 16th century Italian saints.
38. ___-Tass : ITAR. Informatsionnye Telegrafnoye Agentstvto Rossii–Telegrafnoe Agentstvo Sovetskovo Soyuza (Russian for: “Information Telegraph Agency of Russia–Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union”)
39. Pass target : RECEIVER. Wes Welker is off the injured list and caught 7 passes for 71 yds. and a TD against the Jets on Thanksgiving. Go Pats!
40. Fair-hiring abbr. : EOE. Equal Opportunity Employer - to describe the company itself. Sometimes seen as EEO ("Equal Employment Opportunity") in want ads, to describe a job opening.
41. Many AARP mems. : SRS. Seniors.
43. Rep. counterpart : SEN. Anyone else think of "dem" for Democrat? We're talking about Representatives and Senators here.
45. Play a part, or play part : ACT.
46. Genesis mountain : ARARAT.
47. Heel-click follower : SALUTE. "Yes, sir!"
49. Dating stumbling block, perhaps : AGE GAP. Not for cougars, it isn't...
52. Jai alai basket : CESTA. Know it from crosswords.
53. Pollux or Arcturus, to an astronomer : K STAR.
54. Brings down : FELLS. As in "felling" a tree.
58. Judge : DEEM.
59. Cosby/Culp TV series : I SPY. Short-lived show, from '65-'68.
61. www access : ISP. Internet Service Provider.
62. Revivalist's prefix : NEO. As in NEOclassical. The recently completed Schermerhorn Symphony in Nashville TN is a good example of the "revival" of the classical style in architecture.
63. Actress Gardner : AVA.
Ta-ta 'til next week!
Marti
