16. Venue that keeps you up-to-date : NEWS CHANNEL. Channel Islands. Chain of eight islands off the coast of Southern California.
27. Tropical cocktail whose color comes from curaçao liqueur : BLUE HAWAIIAN. Hawaiian Islands.
47. Chaste priestess of ancient Rome : VESTAL VIRGIN. Virgin Islands. Wikipedia: The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, and form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
61. Biblical wise man : KING SOLOMON. Solomon Islands. Interesting.
37. This puzzle's theme, as suggested by the ends of 16-, 27-, 47- and 61-Across : ISLANDS
Melissa here. Very do-able but messed myself up a bit in the west with a few too-eager guesses. Didn't catch the theme until I had all but one theme answer filled in. Nicely done 37a ISLANDS right in the center.
Across
1. Latte option : MOCHA. If you add chocolate syrup to a latte, you get a mocha.
6. Difficult position : SPOT
10. It's cut and dried : HAY. Love this clue.
13. Loud, as a crowd : AROAR
14. African city where pounds are spent : CAIRO. Capital of Egypt.
15. Tree feller : AXE
18. __ Tin Tin : RIN
19. Hunk : SLAB
20. Really bother : IRK
21. Bus terminal : DEPOT
23. "Beaches" actress Midler : BETTE
25. Canadian stadium renamed Rogers Centre in 2005 : SKY DOME
30. First name in game shows : VANNA. Fooled me, was reaching for a male's name, like Monte.
31. Work-wk. start : MON
32. Basic Latin conjugation word : AMAT
36. "Got it, man?" : DIG
41. Big heart? : ACE. Nice clue.
42. Ladies of Sp. : SRA'S. Senoritas.
44. Chicago's __ Center : AON. I had no idea about this building.
45. Elena of the Supreme Court : KAGAN
51. Record covers : SLEEVES
54. "__ a stinker?": Bugs Bunny : AINT I
55. Upright, e.g. : PIANO. Fooled me. Tried ERECT first.
56. Bow (out) : OPT
57. Disaster relief org. : FEMA
60. Longtime football commentator Cross : IRV
65. Actress Charlotte : RAE
66. Where to learn une leçon : ECOLE. French. Une leçon = a lesson; ecole = school.
67. Practical joke : PRANK
68. CIA forerunner : OSS
69. "Man, you are not serious!" : DUDE
70. Rocker Patty married to John McEnroe : SMYTH
Down
1. 24 Hours of Le __: auto race : MANS. Oldest active sports car endurance race, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France.
2. Hurler Hershiser : OREL
3. Ninja Turtle's "Awesome!" : COWABUNGA
4. Faded star : HAS BEEN
5. Curved part : ARC
6. Went under : SANK
7. Alley target : PIN
8. Load from a lode : ORE
9. "Shoulda listened to me!" : TOLD 'YA
10. Silent Marx : HARPO
11. Assumed truth : AXIOM
12. "Fiddler on the Roof" matchmaker : YENTE. Always try to put an A or L at the end.
14. Hall of Fame infielder Rod : CAREW
17. Words before homer or brick wall : HIT A
22. Novelist Ferber : EDNA
24. Takeout option : THAI. Tried To Go, which makes no sense, then Taco ...
25. "The Da Vinci Code" priory : SION. I'm probably the only person who never read any of Dan Brown's books. Wikipedia.
26. Warm-hearted : KIND
27. Some undies : BVD'S
28. Lion's den : LAIR
29. Range maker : AMANA
33. Rod Stewart classic with the line "You stole my heart but I love you anyway" : MAGGIE MAY
34. Trendy berry : ACAI
35. Ky. neighbor : TENN
38. Postage-paid enc. : SASE. Self-addressed stamped envelope.
39. Gobs : LOTS
40. Banana peel : SKIN
43. Kristoff's reindeer in "Frozen" : SVEN
46. Sculpture or ballet : ART FORM
48. Brought forth : EVOKED
49. Run out : LAPSE
50. Corleone patriarch : VITO
51. Veep between Hubert and Gerald : SPIRO
52. Turkish coins : LIRAS
53. Some nest sites : EAVES. Barn swallows like to nest in eaves.
56. Give the eye : OGLE
58. __ Blanc: tallest Alp : MONT
59. Egyptian cross : ANKH
62. Post-ER area : ICU. Intensive Care Unit.
63. Sign of approval : NOD
64. Old DJ's records : LP'S
Note from C.C.:
Please click here to see a few pretty azalea pictures D-Otto took yesterday. What did you see in the first two pictures? D-Otto said "The one with the cat under it isn't an azalea, but it is spectacular looking."
