Theme:
(need I say more???)17. Group for jive fools? : TURKEY CLUB. I'll go out on a limb and say that I think a "jive turkey" is someone who thinks they know what they are talking about...but don't. It was kind of a '70s slang term, right?
31. Quick swim in la mer? : FRENCH DIP. "The sea," in French, gave the hint for this one. The original sandwich was invented in L.A. Roast beef with "jus" on the side.
46. GI unlikely to pass inspection? : SLOPPY JOE. GI Joe is a common term for a US soldier. A sloppy joe is a really messy sandwich!
60. Reneged on politically motivated funding? : PULLED PORK. Pork barrel politics. DH's favorite! (The sandwich, not the politics...)
OK, now I am totally hungry again!! A really tight theme, with four sandwiches clued with literal interpretations. Fun stuff from Robin. Let's see what else she has in the pantry.
Across:
1. Behold, to Ovid : ECCE. My Latin 101 helped here.
5. Graded : RATED.
10. Stow on board : LADE.
14. Décembre event : NOEL. The clue is French for December, and the answer is French for "Christmas."
15. Mosul resident : IRAQI.
16. Supply-and-demand subj. : ECON.omics.
19. Boat that can navigate in shallow waters : SCOW.
20. Big name in taco sauce : ORTEGA. I like their "Thick and Chunky" (but I would like it better if they made a "hot" version!)
21. Smooch : KISS.
23. NHL legend : ORR. Boston Bruins' Bobby. Here's his stats.
24. Kingston Trio song that inspired the Boston subway's CharlieCard : MTA. Awww, y'know I had to link this one!
25. "Superman Returns" character : OLSEN. Played by Sam Huntington.
27. Fed. nutrition std. : US RDA. United States Recommended Daily Allowances. Take them with a grain of salt...
29. Great joy : BLISS.
33. Lip-___ : SYNC. ("Oh say, can you sync?")
34. FDR had three of them : VPs. Vice Presidents. John Garner, Henry Wallace and Harry Truman. (I bet you didn't know two out of three!) (I know I didn't!!)
35. Started the day : AROSE.
36. Like single-malt scotch : AGED. Shout-out to Tinbeni!
38. Ran when wet : BLED.
39. Iron clothes? : ARMOR. Fun misdirection.
41. Lingerie top : BRA. Shout-out to Dennis!
42. Short run : DASH.
48. "When Worlds Collide" co-author : WYLIE. Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer. No clue. (Thanks, perps!)
49. Zenith's opposite : NADIR.
50. Tour de France stage : ETAPE. French for "step."
52. Jurisprudence org. : ABA. American Bar Association.
53. Justice Fortas : ABE.
54. Drying oven : OAST.
56. Boring tool : REAMER.
58. Longtime Lucci role : KANE. Susan Lucci as Erica KANE.
63. Kiddie's refrain : E-I-E-I-O. Old MacDonald was a bad speller, y'know!
64. Jim Davis pooch : ODIE.
65. Lip : SASS.
66. Sunset ___ : STRIP. Ooooh, I bet you can come up with a more vivid clue!
67. Campus official : DEAN.
Down:
1. Puts in a vault, in a way : ENTOMBS.
2. Refined, as manners : COURTLY. That's how I imagine Keith Fowler...
3. Positive : CERTAIN.
4. Sexy Sommer : ELKE. Oh, I dunno...ya think?
5. Saudi capital : RIYAL. HaHa, got me! I was thinking of Riyadh...but no, they are not asking for the city, but the currency of Saudi Arabia. And then we have 22-Across. Bolivian capital : SUCRE. Arrrgh! SUCRE is the capital city of Bolivia!
6. Parenthesis, e.g. : ARC. Took waaaay too long to figure this one out (added 45 seconds to my time!)
7. Loquacious types : TALKERS.
8. Like some track stars : EQUINE. Horses at the race track, not Olympic runners.
9. "Mine!" : DIBS.
10. Arles article : LES. More French lessons: Had to wait for perps on this one. You can automatically eliminate the three two-letter articles, at least:
Definite ("THE") Indefinite ("A")
Masculine Le Un
Feminine La Une
Plural Les Des
11. Camp David ___ : ACCORDS.
12. Like a Hail Mary pass : DO OR DIE. I had DOOR, and was scratching my head about the ending for it!
13. Swaddle : ENWRAP. meh...
18. They may clash on a set : EGOS.
26. Calif. law group : SFPD. San Francisco Police Department.
28. Poorly made : SHODDY.
30. Shrimp dish : SCAMPI.
32. "The Lion King" lioness : NALA. Learned from crosswords, but I'm guessing a lot of you grandparents out there have seen her first-hand at the movies?
34. Très : VERY. More "Frawnch," as Splynter would say...
37. Hit the big leagues : GO PRO.
38. La ___ Tar Pits : BREA. BREA means "tar" in Spanish, so I guess these are the tartar pits?
39. Talladega's home : ALABAMA.
40. Capybaras, e.g. : RODENTS. Sweet!
41. Coco-Cola producer : BOTTLER. Well...yeh, but...
43. Apple pie order : À LA MODE.
44. Remote, undesirable locale, figuratively : SIBERIA.
45. Pay heed, in literature : HEARKEN. "Hearken my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere..." (Oh, wait. That starts with "Listen"...)
46. Racers and rattlers : SNAKES. I hate snakes!
47. Ignatius of Loyola follower : JESUIT. Did anyone else have Jesuit teachers? (They were tough!)
48. Garden intruder : WEED. As long as it's not a snake, I don't mind...
51. Hosp. area : PRE-OP.
55. Zoo primates : APES.
57. ... peas in ___ : A POD.
59. Last of the Mohicans? : ESS. (Sorry, Jazzbumpa!)
61. Year in Claudius' reign : LII. Take your pick. He was Roman emperor in XLI, XLII, XLIII, XLIV, XLV, XLVI, XLVII, XLVIII, XLIX, L, LI, LII, LIII and LIV.
Time for me to call it a night! It's already X:III!!
Marti
Note from C.C.:
"An Evening with the Puzzle Master" - Will Shortz, editor of NY Times crossword, is visiting Minnesota next Thursday Sept 12, 2013. He'll answer all questions about puzzles. Click here for details. Please join us. I think all of Twin Cities crossword constructors will be there, including yesterday's LAT constructor Victor Barocas.
