Wednesday, November 11, 2015, D. Scott Nichols and C.C. Burnikel

First and foremost on this 11th day of the 11th month: 

We honor veterans at our corner and all others who have served.

Title: It's a Mad, Mad World

Congrats to our own Santa and C.C. who have given us a delightful and whimsical exercise today! This puzzle is full of the elements of mathematician Lewis Carroll's (born Charles L. Dodgson) fantasy Alice in Wonderland, all of which are in the graphic above. Four across and three down theme answers make our journey even more fun.

Across theme entries

20. Access to 54-Across : RABBIT HOLE - Alice's port of entry

34. "Mad" social in 54-Across : TEA PARTY - A rather odd conclave

43. 34-Across napper in 54-Across : DORMOUSE - Seen napping between March Hare and Mad Hatter 

54. Setting for a novel originally published 11/11/1865 : WONDERLAND - The theme reveal.

Down theme entries 

11. Critter who kept disappearing in 54-Across : CHESHIRE CAT - The inscrutable lurker. Couldn't resist the animated gif. 

29. Hookah smoker in 54-Across : CATERPILLAR - Gettin' high in Wonderland?

52. Visitor to 54-Across : ALICE - The star of our little adventure. She was named for Alice Liddell, a daughter of Dodgson's friend. She asked him to write down the text of a fanciful tale Charles told her and her sisters on a boat ride. Alice IN Wonderland is visually shown in this 15*16 grid.

If you're not "late, late for a very important date", take time to peruse the answers to this humpday offering from two of our favorite people

Across:     

1. Inaugural ball, e.g. : GALA

5. Calcium source : MILK - What??

9. Open, as toothpaste : UNCAP - Or what Hondo's favorite player did while running the bases

14. Very dry : ARID

15. Down to business : AT IT - I tune in the Super Bowl after they're Down to business

16. Former Cleveland oil company acquired by BP : SOHIO - Standard of Ohio

17. San __, Italy : REMO

18. "Of course" : I SEE

19. Match with bishops : CHESS - She's moving her bishop

23. Catalina, e.g. : ISLE - 26 Miles Across The Sea 

24. Houston-based scandal subject : ENRON -Ken Lay moved this Omaha-based company's headquarters to Houston when he became CEO after promising he wouldn't. Hmmm... 

25. Wood-shaping tools : LATHES - Not used to make these

27. Phone button trio : ABC - Yeah, kids today would know this... 

30. Badminton barrier : NET

31. Short-legged dog : CORGI - Elizabeth II has owned more than 30 during her reign

32. Emotionally out of control : CRAZED

37. Spud : TATER - Also what 25 Across can hit

38. Benefit : BOON - In The Jolly Coachman, The Kingston Trio sang of a maid - "She's a BOON to all mankind"

39. Butte relative : MESA

40. Like 2016 : EVEN 

41. Antacid choice : TUMS

42. Deteriorate : DECAY

45. Remove pieces from? : DISARM

46. Fencing defense : PARRY - Woman on left PARRYS woman on left and then thrusts for a point

47. Keep out : BAN - BAN and ARID in the same puzzle? Hmmm...

48. Mao __-tung : TSE

49. Shortening brand : CRISCO

51. Divided country : KOREA - Wanna guess which city is Seoul and which is Pyongyang

53. Wild West weapon : COLT - Wyatt Earp's .45-Caliber COLT sold for $225,000 in April, 2014

59. Loafs : IDLES - Have you met my nephew?

61. Some intersections : TEES - Not shirts, construction nuts or golf supports this time

62. Slushy treat : ICEE 

63. Approaches : NEARS 

64. Bond girl Kurylenko : OLGA - Bond accessories are always a girl and a gun

65. Facial area under a soul patch : CHIN

66. Prickly shrub : GORSE - Not a clue. The R in CATERPILLAR finished it off for me

67. Corset stiffener : STAY - Hattie McDaniel cinching up Vivien Leigh

68. Fish caught in pots : EELS
 
Down:
 
1. Teri of "Tootsie" : GARR - A favorite movie of mine. Nominated for ten academy awards

2. Neck of the woods : AREA

3. Common perch : LIMB

4. Acrobat creator : ADOBE

5. Restaurant host : MAITRE D' - Short for Maitre d'hotel - Master of the Hotel

6. Soup server's caution : IT'S HOT

7. Use, as a chaise : LIE ON - You could LAY a sweater ON the chaise

8. "As seen on TV" record co. : K-TEL

9. Pac-12 powerhouse : USC

10. Baseball rarities : NO HIT GAMES - Our baseball aficionados will instantly know who made this great catch to save the most famous NO HIT perfect GAME 

12. It may be graded in an auditorium : AISLE -  A sloping grade. 

13. Plays to the camera : POSES

21. Deep-seated : INNER

22. Online money source : E-LOAN 

26. Alsatian dadaist : ARP 

27. Took steps : ACTED

28. "Top Chef" network : BRAVO - This BRAVO show is real?

31. Bus. brass : CEOS - Scumbag CEO Ken Lay died a few months before he was going to get sentenced for 20 - 30 years of prison

33. Highly respected Buddhists : ZEN MASTERS - Or the NBA's Phil Jackson

34. Improvised booster seat for a tot, maybe : TOME

35. Romanov royals : TSARS

36. Self-congratulatory cheer : YAY ME

38. Active : BUSY 

41. "The Burden of Proof" author : TUROW - Also of ONE L Cwd fame

42. Restaurant visitor : DINER

44. Hobbit enemy : ORC

45. Venture to express : DARE SAY 

47. Barrio food store : BODEGA - Bad check displayed in Jerry's BODEGA

49. Keeping in the loop, briefly : CC'ING - Some of what we're doing today

50. Wild West show : RODEO

51. Lowered oneself? : KNELT

55. Plains people : OTOS

56. Overexertion aftermath : ACHE - Hey, check your birth certificate

57. Diamond of music : NEIL - His Sweet Caroline is played before the bottom of the 8th inning at Fenway and is now being used at other athletic venues. "So Good, So Good, So Good!"

58. Man caves, maybe : DENS

60. Nottingham-to-London dir. : SSE - 2 hr. 48 min. by Hwy. M1

Crossword Anthem: 

Alice: "This is impossible!" 

Mad Hatter: "Only if you believe it is!"

Notes from C.C.:

1) Santa came up with this idea. I went for a fun ride. Pure joy to work with him!

Scott (Santa)

2) We'd like to thank Sheila Brown of Lewis Carroll Society and the publisher Macmillian for helping us identify the exact publishing date as Nov 11, 1865. 

3) Big Thanks also to Rich for doubting the Wiki date and making sure we have the correct date. Rich also took time and removed the two black squares we had at the corners.