18-Across. "Hang on for a sec" : BE RIGHT BACK. I'm not holding back, I'll tell it like it is!
23-Across.. It can be white or red : BLOOD CELL. Oops - don't want to ever see the inside of a holding cell.
31-Across.. Way with words? : SPEECH PATTERN. Sometimes I feel as if my life were in a holding pattern: same old, same old every day.
40-Across.. Cry from a daring biker : LOOK MA NO HANDS. I just finished a great book, "Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands" by Chris Bohjalian.
50-Across.. French Open surface : CLAY COURT. I enjoy holding court here every Thursday!
57-Across.. Type of tax ... or how the ends of the other five longest across answers might be seen? :
WITHHOLDING. You have to read it a different way to see the connection: They might be seen "with" HOLDING. Lots of themage from Mark today, with six entires. It's not easy to do that without compromising the fill. Lets see how he did.
Across
1. Hypotheticals : IFs. No ands or buts?
4. Casino conveniences : ATMs.
8. Painfully bright : AGLARE. I'll let it go this time, since I enjoyed the puzzle so much.
14. Medical research org. : NIH. National Institutes of Health.
15. Cool, in '90s slang : PHAT.
16. Military builder : SEABEE. Their name is from "C.B." - Construction Battalion.
17. Subject of many 10-Downs : DNA. And 10-Down. Doctor's order : LAB TEST. Ummm, "bed rest" also fit. Just sayin'...
20. Banjo virtuoso Scruggs : EARL.
22. Most slimy : OILIEST.
25. "Better information. Better health" resource : WEB MD. I have blocked this site from DH's computer. He keeps thinking the worst every time he gets a rash, ache, ingrown toenail, gas pain...
29. Barbershop voice : TENOR. Hmmm, Husker Gary. Which one do I choose? 4:13
30. Run for again, as office : RESEEK.
36. Act decisively : OPT.
38. Capital near Casablanca : RABAT.
39. "30 Rock" star : FEY. Tina. I loved her book, "Bossypants."
45. Literary breakdown : GENRES.
46. Actress Sonia : BRAGA. She was in "Kiss of the Spider Woman." No wonder I had no clue - all perps.
49. Had leftovers, say : ATE IN.
54. Checking the parts list, e.g. : STEP ONE.
56. Jr.'s exam: PSAT. Preliminary SAT. SAT was Scholastic Aptitude Test, then the Scholastic Assessment Test, then the SAT Reasoning Test, and now simply the SAT.
61. Oaf : APE.
62. Jeans appliqué : IRON ON.
63. Words to a double-crosser : ET TU?
64. Some fridges : GEs.
65. Nickel and cadmium : METALS.
66. Frequent fast food flavoring : SALT.
67. Ballpark fig. : EST.imate. I never know whether to put in RBI or ERA or EST. But ERA got ruled out with 32-Down. Bullpen stats : ERAs. Earned Run Average(s).
Down
1. Financially behind : IN DEBT.
2. Often-dramatic movement : FINALE. Like this famous one played in Boston every Fourth of July. 1:56
3. "Casino" Best Actress nominee : SHARON STONE.
4. BOLO equivalent : APB. "Be on the lookout" and "All Points Bulletin."
5. 2000s teen drama set in Newport Beach : THE O.C.. The "O.C." stands for Orange County.
6. Callender in the food business : MARIE.
7. To this day : STILL.
8. "A Hard Road to Glory" writer : ASHE.
9. Jumps in the pool : GETS WET. Duh, I was thinking of a different kind of pool, and wanted "antes up."
11. Esq. group : ABA. American Bar Association.
12. DirecTV remote button : REC.ord.
13. "A spider!" : EEK.
19. Hodges of the Dodgers : GIL. I actually remembered his name!
21. Chicago area, with "the" : LOOP.
24. Dr. who founded the Aftermath label : DRE.
26. Link often smoked : BEEF SAUSAGE. Hmmm...anyone else think of "brat" sausages?
27. Just : MERE.
28. High-fashion letters : DKNY. Donna Karan New York.
30. Pro __ : RATA.
33. Preservation container : CAN. Ummm..."jar"???
34. "True Detective" network : HBO.
35. "Phooey!" : PAH...."bAH"??
36. 10th-century Russian Orthodox saint : OLGA....Olaf? Sheesh!!
37. Well-versed one? : POET.
41. Avatar of Vishnu : KRISHNA.
42. Lozenge flavor : MENTHOL.
43. "30 Rock" network : NBC.
44. Word before kick or pass : DROP.
47. Market bunch : GRAPES. We will be traveling through the Wachau wine region in Austria, where we will see acres and acres of these.
48. Declare to be genuine : ATTEST.
50. Mil. rank : CPL. CoL??
51. Rich veins : LODES.
52. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" novelist Loos : ANITA.
53. 1983 Streisand film : YENTL.
55. Geologic periods : EONS.
57. Director Wenders : WIM.
58. Soreness? : IRE.
59. Tater __ : TOT.
60. Instinctive, as a reaction : GUT. As you can see, I went with my GUT reaction on a lot of answers, and had to back-pedal.
I finally fixed them all, and had fun doing it!
Marti
