17 A. Not a fearful place for acrophobia sufferers : BROOKLYN HEIGHTS. Not sure what the elevation is there, but here in the Detroit area, Dearborn and Dearborn HEIGHTS are pretty flat and even.
36 A. Not a fearful fund for agoraphobia sufferers : MONEY MARKET. This phobia relates to the fear of open places, or any place that might seem to be difficult to escape from, such as a shopping mall. In the original Greek, an Agora was a public gathering and commercial location - hence the connection to a MARKET.
45 A. Not a fearful Camus work for xenophobia sufferers : THE STRANGER. This fear relates to foreigners, who might be thought of as strange. In the absurdist novel, the protagonist Meursault is a stranger in his own land, due to his emotional disconnection.
65 A. Not a fearful roadster for arachnophobia sufferers : ALFA ROMEO SPIDER. Four wheels instead of 8 legs for this model originally introduced in 1966.
Hi gang - Jazzbumpa here with quite the intrepid offering from our Fearless Leader. It hit on a couple of my favorite phobias; but let's gather our courage, and see what we can discover.
Across
1. Early sitcom co-star Arnaz : DESI. He and Luci had a Ball.
5. It's over a foot : SHIN. No bones about it, the shin is literally above the foot.
9. Zagreb native : CROAT. In Croatia.
14. Wolfs down : EATS. Gobbles.
15. Madre's boy : NINO. Spanish kid.
16. Toy in many "Peanuts" panels : PIANO.
20. Casino lineup : SLOTS. One armed bandits.
21. Starting on : AS OF. Some particular date.
22. Palette choices : HUES. Colors.
23. Morose : DOUR. From Scottish Gaelic, meaning dull, obstinate or stupid; perhaps related to Latin durus, meaning hard.
25. Droop in the garden : WILT. So - if your cherry tree wilts, it is a drooping drupe.
27. Tight hold : GRIP. Though suffering from the grippe, the Grip had a tight GRIP on his grip.
29. 401(k) alternative, briefly : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.
32. Went ballistic : LOST IT. Had a fit; went ape.
39. Folk rocker DiFranco : ANI.
40. Belittle : ABASE.
41. Showy Japanese school : KOI. Of ornamental fish.
42. To a degree, informally : SORTA. I had KINDA, which is more or less the same idea.
44. Haul to the garage : TOW.
48. Name on the 1967 album "I Was Made to Love Her" : STEVIE. Here he is, in case you were wondering.
50. Pilot's stat : ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival. Good luck with that.
54. Damon of "Interstellar" : MATT.
56. Fix, as a pet : SPAY. Neutering operation.
59. Deft tennis shots : LOBS. Soft arc.
62. Ragu rival : PREGO. Pasta sauces.
68. Prolonged assault : SIEGE.
69. Way through the trees : PATH.
70. Curly cabbage : KALE. Having green or purple leaves that do not form a head. This vegetable was common during the middle ages.
71. Wielded an ax : HEWED. A good old, Anglo-Saxon word meaning to chop.
72. "Button it!" : HUSH. BE quiet!
73. Actor Byrnes and announcer Hall : EDDS. Presented for your edification.
73. Actor Byrnes and announcer Hall : EDDS. Presented for your edification.
Down
1. Cotillion attendees : DEBS. At formal balls, young ladies of aristocratic birth make their debuts into formal society. Seems like a sexist and elitist tradition.
2. Banjoist Scruggs : EARL. Has a banjo, and knows how to use it.
3. Admired reverentially, with "of" : STOOD IN AWE. As, for example, of banjo virtuosity.
4. Elemental forms used in carbon dating : ISOTOPES. A radioactive form of an element with a known decay rate.
5. NBC weekend skit show : SNL. Live from New York, It's Saturday Night Live.
6. "'Sup" : HI YA. Slangy greetings.
7. Travel section listing : INNS. Quaint lodgings.
8. "Not happenin'" : NO HOW. Slangy denial.
9. Key econ. indicator : CPI. Usually it's GDP or GNP. But not this time - It's the Consumer Price Index, which, as you can see, has been quite tame lately.
11. Iolani Palace island : OAHU. Hawaii.
12. Kitty starter : ANTE. For the poker pot.
13. Throw : TOSS.
18. Sch. near Topeka : KSU. Kansas State University, home of the Wildcats.
19. TurboTax option : E-FILE. Electronically submit your tax return.
24. Outer edge : RIM. Of a crater or coffee cup.
26. Mucho : LOTS A. Large, slangy quantities.
27. Future MBAs' exams : GMATS. Graduate Management Admission Tests. I don't remember taking one, but since I have an MBA, I probably did. IMHO, standardized testing is a huge scam offering very little of value.
28. High-tech worker : ROBOT. Not often resembling an anthropomorphic machine, but more often specifically designed for the job at hand [so to speak.] Estimates are that almost all jobs will be replaced by ROBOTS or AI systems in the next 30 years. Then, what will we do?
30. Golf bunker tool : RAKE. I wanted a WEDGE, which didn't fit. Golf etiquette is to rake a sand trap [bunker] smooth after taking your shot.
31. Got up : AROSE.
33. Online pop-up tailored to individual tastes : TARGETED AD. After I do a google search for something, that item often then shows up on the right side bar of Face Book. Big Brother really is watching.
34. Recon goal : INTEL. Reconnaissance to gather intelligence.
35. Pageant headpiece : TIARA. Winner's crown.
37. Elusive Himalayans : YETIS. The legendary mountain creatures.
38. "Batman" actress Eartha : KITT. She was the KITT Cat.
43. Picket line placard : ON STRIKE. Unfair!
46. Word of greeting : HELLO. 'Sup?
47. Aries symbol : RAM. Astrology. Don't let it get your goat.
49. Journey : VOYAGE. Trip.
53. Zing : OOMPH. Chutzpa.
55. Droid download : APP. Application for your mobile device.
56. Pageant band : SASH. A wide fabric ribbon, usually brightly colored worn draping across the body from one shoulder to the opposite hip.
57. Ballet class bend : PLIE.
58. Small number : A FEW. Less than several.
60. Main squeeze : BEAU. Boy friend.
61. Pub crawlers : SOTS. Heavy drinkers.
63. Fix, as a horse : GELD. Back to neutering.
64. Tram loads : ORES. From the mine.
66. Chinese lantern color : RED.
67. "Button it!" : SHH. Quietly, now.
Cool regards!
JzB
Note from C.C.:
Happy 26th anniversary to Jazzbumpa (Ron) and his lovely wife Gloria!
