18A. *Broadcaster of many TV games : FOX SPORTS
59A. *Seemingly unfitting name for Wrigley Field vines : BOSTON IVY. Famously-green home of the Chicago Cubs.
3D. *Like newly shaved legs, per some razor ads : SILKY SMOOTH
26D. *One checking crossings : BORDER GUARD. There's also a border collie - one demarcation line, two dogs! The collie gets my vote.
and the unifier:
39A. Dog breed, a type of which begins the answers to starred clues : TERRIER
Happy Wednesday everyone - Steve here with a nice midweek offering from Gareth Bain. It took me a little while to get moving with this one - the theme helped once I saw the unifier. The Northwest was a problem, thankfully backed into the solve from filling the bottom up. Food, animals and all kinds of fun followed. Let's take a look!
Across:
1. Under siege : BESET
6. Raul Castro's country : CUBA. Is Fidel OK with this clue? I think he might be 10A!
10. Irate : SORE
14. Sheeplike : OVINE. Not to be confused with "bovine", a completely different animal.
15. A long way off : AFAR
16. Lily variety : ARUM. I think I knew this, but crosses to the rescue anyway.
17. Give birth to a baby elephant, say : CALVE. Cows and whales too. Any others?
20. Acting the quizmaster : ASKING
22. Mink kin : STOAT. Cute-looking, but ferocious for their size.
23. Like some simple questions : YES/NO
25. Dress like a king or for the ring : ENROBE. Boxers and other pugilists wear a robe going into a fight.
28. "I'd rather not" : PASS
30. Say convincingly : AVER
32. Brother : MONK
34. Higher limb : ARM
35. Vase-shaped jug : EWER. Not sheep-shaped?
36. "The Treasure of the __ Madre" : SIERRA. 1948 John Huston movie starring Humphrey Bogart. Huston won the Oscar for Best Director.
38. __ Balls: Hostess treats : SNO. Food! (Almost!) Did you know they make green ones for St. Patrick's Day and orange ones for Halloween?
41. Dawn to dusk : DAY
42. "Better luck next time!" : TOO BAD
44. Chooses : OPTS. I like you can opt in, out, for or against. Versatile little word for being three letters long.
45. It may be massive or massaged : EGO
46. __ sax : ALTO
47. Narrow strip : SLAT
48. Lode deposits : ORES
49. Greg's sitcom wife : DHARMA
52. Impersonating : DOING
54. Thin-layered rock : SHALE
56. Nancy Drew, e.g. : SLEUTH
63. British Columbia neighbor : IDAHO
64. Jim Davis pooch : ODIE. He of comic strip "Garfield" fame.
65. Optic layer : UVEA
66. Go along : AGREE
67. Make (one's way) : WEND
68. Automatic "P"? : PARK. One of the P-R-N-D-L car transmission selector positions.
69. Yields (to) : CEDES
Down:
1. __ Burger, veggie brand that originated in Florida : BOCA. Food! (kinda!). I've never had a veggie burger and I'm not sure I want to start now.
2. Perón and Gabor : EVAS
4. Wishes one had : ENVIES
5. Many "Glee" characters : TEENS
6. Half-__: coffee order : CAF. Hmmm - I've never heard this in any coffee shop I've ever been in, but I guess you can order half caffeinated and half decaf?
7. What weather balloons may be mistaken for : UFOS. Or vice-versa if you believe the conspiracy theorists.
8. Ron Burgundy's dog : BAXTER
9. Burning crime : ARSON
10. Príncipe's island partner : SÄO TOMÉ. Completely unknown to me - crosses all the way. Located off the west coast of Africa on the Equator. Who knew? Not me!
11. NHL great Bobby : ORR
12. Tough thing to be stuck in : RUT. I had "MUD" at first which slowed me down a little.
13. What mom has that dad doesn't? : EMS. Two of 'em.
19. Links goal : PAR. A pretty lofty goal in my case. I'm delighted if I make bogey every hole, let alone par.
21. Worked on, as a bone : GNAWED
24. In the past : OVER
27. Incense : ENRAGE
28. Ribbons on a plate : PASTA. Food! Fettuccine in this case. I once had fettuccine alfredo at the restaurant in Rome that introduced the dish to the world.
29. Turncoat Benedict : ARNOLD. He really hitched up to the wrong wagon on that one! Ummmmm - Revolutionary War - Great Britain fighting on foreign soil against REALLY amped up people? Yeah, I'm going GB on this one. WRONG!
31. Flashy Flynn : ERROL.
33. Sends to the canvas : KAYOS. The second reference to boxing, the "noble art" today.
35. Greek vowel : ETA
36. Squabbles : SET-TOS
37. Recipient of many returns: Abbr. : I.R.S. Our beloved Internal Revenue Service.
40. Popular tablet : iPAD
43. Sang one's own praises : BOASTED. When I played Squash (kinda like Racketball) in England, a boast was a shot played over the head of your opponent that left him or her helpless. I like to think of the word in those terms.
47. Mouth moisture : SALIVA. Eeeew?
48. Antsy : ON EDGE
50. Letter before sigma : RHO
51. Not wimp out : MAN UP
53. Sacro- ending : ILIAC
55. Continually : EVER
57. Quaker pronoun : THEE. "THOU" went in, then out. Finally.
58. Tilling tools : HOES
59. Hood's weapon : BOW. I was thinking "gangster" at first and confidently filled in "GAT" until it was apparent that I was on the wrong track. Robin Hood.
60. Laudatory poem : ODE
61. Reason for contrition : SIN
62. Shaggy ox : YAK. I think that the word "shaggy" was introduced for the yak. It's almost - "guys, we don't have a word for how those things look".
Enough already - heading to Kansas City today so trading a nice warm hike in 80F in LA yesterday for a winter coat. As they say in Tibet - it's a Yak Wrap.
Steve
