theme: ring my bell - the last part of each theme entry can precede "BELL". Theme entries are placed vertically for the "BOTTOMS" visual.
3d. "Ally McBeal" genre : COMEDY-DRAMA BELL. great entry. comedy-drama is also called a dramedy. "ma bell" refers to the bell telephone company.
9d. Skunk, literally and figuratively : REAL STINKER BELL. funny.
23d. Harbor hauler : GARBAGE SCOW BELL. i coulda used a little more cow bell.
33d. Pachyderm friend of Zephir the monkey : BABAR BELL.
27. Popular '60s-'70s pants, and what can be found in 3-, 9-, 23- and 33-Down? : BELL BOTTOMS
melissa here. what a treat, another joint effort by don hard-g and our own cc. some of these clues required some serious head-scratching. also makes me wonder if cc ever wore bell bottoms. (From C.C.: Nope, Melissa, never wore those. Don might have. He came up with this theme.)
across:
1. Pearl Harbor mo. : DEC. 12/7/1941.
4. Pearl Harbor presence : NAVY
8. Cuts into : ERODES. tricky.
14. Singles out : ISOLATES
16. League of Nations home : GENEVA. headquarters.
17. "Right back atcha!" : SAME HERE
18. Came down and delayed the game : RAINED. (cc and/or don, is this original clue?) (From C.C.: Our original clue is "Caused Tin Man to rust".)
19. Capital on the Dnieper : KIEV. needed perps.
20. Bay window : ORIEL
22. Prepare for an attack : DIG IN. had trouble with this.
25. Words on some blue balloons : IT'S A BOY. nailed it.
30. Ruler in un palacio : REY. rey is spanish for king.
32. Story including a time and place : ALIBI. love this clue.
34. "Finished!" : THERE
35. Bring down the curtain on : END
36. Almond __: candy : ROCA.
37. Quran religion : ISLAM
38. Antilles native : CARIB. had no idea.
40. Penny prez : ABE. 16th president.
42. "Affliction" Oscar nominee : NOLTE. nick.
43. Name on a range : AMANA. radarange. seems ancient now.
44. Berserk : AMOK. love both of those words.
46. __ vivant : BON. "a person having cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes especially with respect to food and drink ."
47. Chinese menu promise : NO MSG
48. Hag : CRONE
49. "Wish you were here—__ were there" : OR I
50. Cirque du Soleil staple : TRAPEZE. was thinking acrobat.
52. Medium's medium : TAROT. fortune teller's cards.
54. Longtime Chicago Symphony conductor : SOLTI. Sir Georg Solti.
56. Organ knob : STOP. okay ...
59. Seattle ballpark, familiarly : SAFECO
63. Forgo accomplices : ACT ALONE. filled in slowly.
66. Sinuous course : SLALOM. "having many curves, bends, or turns. winding."
67. It bodes well : GOOD OMEN
68. Table no-nos : ELBOWS. punishable by a fork in the forearm. or was that just me?
69. Bygone blade : SNEE
70. Watched kids : SAT. babysat.
down:
1. Frisbee, e.g. : DISK
2. Hollywood's Morales : ESAI. rawr.
4. "Forget it!" : NAH
5. Took the cake? : ATE
6. Riverdale High brunette of comics : VERONICA
7. North Sea feeder : YSER. nailed it.
8. Wetlands nester : EGRET
10. Secretive maritime org. : ONI. office of naval intelligence.
11. Cozy retreat : DEN
12. Anticipatory time : EVE
13. In a funk : SAD
15. Strauss of denim : LEVI
21. Sundial number : III
24. U.N. anti-child-labor agcy. : ILO. international labor organization.
26. Nodding words : AH SO. interesting.
28. Henry Clay, for one : ORATOR. here.
30. Eat one's words : RECANT
31. Fill with love : ENAMOR
39. Javert's rank: Abbr. : INSP. character in les miserables.
41. :-( is one : EMOTICON. here are some others:
45. "Not __ bet!" : ON A
48. Animation still : CEL
51. Speeds : ZOOMS
53. Capital formerly named Christiania : OSLO. norway.
55. Puts (out) : TAGS. i'm envisioning a yard sale. (note: the clue refers to baseball)
57. __ Day vitamins : ONE-A
58. Cooped (up) : PENT
59. Leeds-to-London dir. : SSE
60. Without exception : ALL
61. "Groovy!" : FAB
62. "Out of the Blue" rock gp. : ELO
64. Pump part : TOE
65. Lime ending : ADE
melissa
