20. About whom Alice said, "... perhaps as this is May it won't be raving mad" :
THE MARCH HARE.
29. Dirty politics : SMEAR CAMPAIGN.
44. "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" event : DANCE MARATHON.
53. Dessert topper ... or a literal hint to what's hidden in 20-, 29- and 44-Across :
WHIPPED CREAM.
Hmmm, I seem to have hit a pattern of hidden jumbled word themes lately. I guess WHIPPED is the hint that it is CREAM that gets all mixed up today. Last week we had circles to help us out. This week, we were on our own. I think I like it better this way, for a late-week puzzle. Your experience may vary.
Across
1. Impresses big-time : WOWS. The Trans Siberian Orchestra WOWS audiences all over the world with their over-the-top laser light / pyrotechnics displays.
5. Aquarium growth : SCUM. Anyone else fill in "alga" without checking perps? ("Guilty.")
9. Development site : TRACT.
14. Desktop since 1998 : iMAC. Yep, that's what I'm typing on right now.
15. Cream-filled cake : HO HO. Nit: The brand name is Ho Hos. So one cake is a Ho Ho?
17. __ mining : DATA. Read here why some supermarket chains put the beer next to the baby diapers.
18. Slaughter in baseball : ENOS. I knew the clue was referring to the guy named Slaughter, but do you think I could remember his first name?
19. Facebook posting : EVENT. Since when is a picture of your lunch an "event"?
23. Guffaw syllable : HAR.
24. PC heart : CPU. Central Processing Unit.
25. Doodlebugs and polliwogs : LARVAE.
33. Enjoyed a trail : HIKED.
35. Skin care brand : OLAY crossing 22-Down. Skin care brand : ALMAY.
36. Like many a joke : OLD. Did you hear the one about...? [Insert 23-Across here.]
37. "Gotcha, man" : I DIG.
38. Count : TALLY.
40. Baffin Bay sight : FLOE. They can be beautiful, but...
41. Molokai memento : LEI. My book club read MOLOKA'I by Alan [sic] Brennert. Great book, but I wish he'd learn how to spell ALLEN. ;-)
42. Game divided into chukkers : POLO.
43. Bleachers filler : CROWD.
48. Only vice president born in D.C. : AL GORE.
49. Word of feigned innocence : MOI? I associate the term with Miss Piggy.
50. Shares an email with : CCs. Shout out!
57. Bossa nova ancestor : SAMBA.
60. Agent's favorite sign : SOLD.
61. Ticklish Tyco toy for tots : ELMO. Nice alliterative clue.
62. Posture problem : STOOP. I wish I had a nickel for every time my mother told me to "Sit up straight!"
63. Bed covering : SOIL. Garden bed. Although on second thought, it could apply to my cat's beds. And, why is it that they love to jump up on the white coverlet when they come back inside with muddy paws??
64. Knighted Guinness : ALEC.
65. Ed Asner septet : EMMYS.
66. Trap, in a way : TREE.
67. Knight's neighbor : ROOK. Chess.
Down
1. Side to side? : WIDTH.
2. Beach near Utah? : OMAHA. Crucial targets during the allied invasion on the Normandy coast. Map.
3. Sport invented using boards and a clothesline : WATER SKIING. In 1922, Ralph Samuelson had a brilliant idea.
4. It may involve wiring : SCAM. and 12-Down, 4-Down : CON. I associate a police "wire" (microphone) with a "sting" operation, not so much a SCAM. [Update: Many scams include wiring money to the scammer, on the promise of receiving the millions of dollars that are waiting for you. ]
5. Mountain guide : SHERPA.
6. See eye to eye : CONCUR.
7. "This spells trouble!" : UH-OH.
8. __ pit : MOSH. Do they still do MOSH pits? "That was so '80s!"
9. Curative treatment : THERAPY.
10. Baseball's career save leader : RIVERA. (Siggghhh...more baseball.)
11. Had : ATE.
13. Big bang producer : TNT. Oh, not Chuck Lorre or Bill Prady?
21. Served to perfection? : ACED. Tennis serve.
26. Solo instrument for which six Bach suites were written : VIOLONCELLO. It was the precursor to the modern day cello.
27. Radiant : AGLOW.
28. Put the kibosh on : ENDED.
30. Eldest March sister : MEG. Gaaaah! I filled in "Amy" at first.
31. Lemon or tangerine : COLOR.
32. The whole schmear : ALL.
33. Broom-__: comics witch : HILDA.
34. Perfectionist's goal : IDEAL.
38. Marisa of "The Wrestler" : TOMEI.
39. Mode lead-in : À LA.
40. Pendulum direction? : FRO. It only goes in two directions: to and fro.
42. "Could happen" : PERHAPS.
43. Smart : CHIC.
45. Drive rider : COWBOY. Cattle drive.
46. 2001 Audrey Tautou title role : AMELIE. It seems to have received high ratings on IMDb.
47. Take baby steps : TODDLE. I wanted "totter," but at least I checked the perps first.
51. Stan Lee had one in "The Avengers" (2012) : CAMEO. "Super heroes? In New York? Give me a break!" Watch here - he shows up at 5:12.
52. Clothes protector : SMOCK. Hands up for "apron" first?
54. Sibilant summons : PSST.
55. __ Tax: $15 Monopoly fee : POOR.
56. Derriere : REAR. A friend of mine sold pharmaceuticals in N.H., and spent the first month telling all the physicians that she was their new rep for the Derry area...
57. Coeur d'Alene-to-Sun Valley dir. : SSE.
58. Cabbage source? : ATM. Cabbage, dough, lettuce, moola, etc. etc. etc.
59. Palindromic tat : MOM. Surprisingly, very few guys get tats that say "Able was I ere I saw Elba."
That's all I got!
Marti
Note from C.C.:
I mentioned JD's New Zealand/Australia adventure yesterday, the Big Easy (George) sent me these two pictures. Which year did you visit the Down Under, George?
Regarding the second picture, he said
"The 'Bride' and the 'Bride' that I captured a photo of in Wellington
Botanical Gardens. I don't know if it was before or after the ceremony but neither of
them were women."
 |
| Big Easy and his wife Diane |
