Wednesday February 1, 2017 Ed Sessa

Theme: POPTASTIC (64A) Portmanteau word describing some great music ... or, initially, four answers in this puzzle)- This seems like a word made up by a balloon seller.

17A. Type of film industry contract : PAY OR PLAY

24A. M&M's choice : PLAIN OR PEANUTS. This one puzzled me.  Cocktail hour has Peanuts, but M&M choices are Plain or Peanut used as adjectives.  No "S" but I suppose it was added to keep the grid symmetric.

39A. Academic ultimatum : PUBLISH OR PERISH. Academic excuse - "My dog ate my homework"

51A. Shopper's decision : PAPER OR PLASTIC. When I was younger, the choices were "Paper or Paper"

Hello puzzle masters.  Boomer here.  I know you all want to know how I bowled Monday night. 258-299-254-239 in the Twin City Masters League. The first three game set (811) was only my 5th career 800 series.  Rare set for many bowlers.  On with the show ....

Across:  

1. Memo phrase : IN RE. Usually I just see "RE" on business letters and memos

5. Music-playing Apple : iPOD

9. Improvises musically : SCATS. I have never heard this - "Have Simon and Garfunkel play it" did not fit in the grid.

14. Primary : MAIN

15. "__ Lisa" : MONA. Have Nat King Cole sing this

16. Many a jukebox tune : OLDIE. Actually a mere Jukebox is an Oldie, but I remember dropping a few quarters in them because I am an oldie also.

19. Capital south of Moscow : BOISE. Yeah, I did a double take too.  This Moscow is a city in Northern Idaho near the Washington border.  Like you all, I have never heard of it.  (Used Google).

20. Former justice Antonin : SCALIA. May he rest in peace.

21. Musician's suffix : IST.  Cleverist use of a non-word.

23. Make (one's way) : WEND. A poet's favorite but I don't normally hear it.

27. Solidify : SET. Ladies, think twice before you go to the beauty parlor to get your hair set.

28. "High Voltage" band : AC/DC. Very popular among people younger than I.

29. Starting on : AS OF.  Not my favorite two word fill.

33. Soft shot : LOB. You don't see this much in tennis.  I watched a match the other day and most shots were 100 mph.

35. Mothers of Invention leader : ZAPPA. The only person who has children named Dweezil and Moon Unit.

43. Early computer : ENIAC

44. Quite small : WEE. Aye Scottie! Wear a kilt when using this word.

45. Gear on slopes : SKIS. Credit Chad Mitchell Trio. "Well they called him super skier, when he sat upon the sun deck, for they thought that he would never take a spill.  When they finally brought him down they had to use three toboggans, to carry all the pieces off the hill."

46. Coral formation : REEF

49. Cavity filler's org. : ADA. If they can use Moscow, Idaho... Why not clue this as a small town in northern Minnesota ??

58. Smelting waste : SLAG

59. Neighbor of Turk. : SYR

60. Poke fun at : NEEDLE

62. Dutch city, with "The" : HAGUE. I think the UN has a court there (not tennis or basketball).  For serious international business.

66. Modify : AMEND

67. Not yours, in Tours : A MOI. Seems like crossword constructors always have to toss a couple of foreign words at us.

68. Singer k.d. : LANG

69. Superlatively bad : WORST

70. Short period of time, for short : NSEC. Another non word copout.

71. Long period of time : AGES. Or 100,000 billion NSECs.

Down:

1. They're hard to sit for : IMPS. Unless this is an anagram, I assume they are talking about babysitting.

2. Rights org. since 1909 : NAACP

3. Saudi currency : RIYAL  There are 100 Halalas in a Riyal.  Not sure how many Halalas needed to buy a barrel of oil.

4. Name on a 1945 bomber : ENOLA. The actual name on this B-29 was Enola Gay.  Not a great chapter in American History as the plane carried an atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

5. Populates, as a grand jury : IMPANELS

6. D.C. insider : POL. An abbreviation mostly used by CNN, FOX. and MSNBC.

7. Studio sign : ON AIR

8. Place for some serious me-time : DAY SPA. Not sure about "Day Spa".  Is there also a "Night Spa"??

9. Break down : SOB.  Crying - can also be an anagram (oh never mind)

10. High-occupancy vehicles? : CLOWN CARS. I have never heard of these.  Someone hit the Comments section and tell me what a Clown Car is.  Does Ronald McDonald own one??

11. "Farewell, ma chère" : ADIEU. Okay, a foreign word that everyone knows.  Many people wish they would have said "ADIEU" instead of "I DO".  Nah Just kidding.

12. Naysayer's contraction : 'TISN'T - Looks made up to me.

13. Future flowers : SEEDS

18. Social reformer Jacob : RIIS.  Some historical guy from the 19th Century.

22. Noir sleuth : TEC  ??? Got me again

25. Texter's "however" : OTOH.  I do not tweet or text - and if you do please do not text and drive at the same time.  "On the other hand" if you do, I don't think I can make it to your funeral.

26. Cooper's tool : ADZE - this is a big ax.  I have no idea what a cooper is unless it's a farmer building a home for chickens.

 
29. Lummox : APE

30. Source of awakening rays : SUN

31. Back-tied sash : OBI. Also Mr. Wan Kenobi in Star Wars.

32. Distress signal devices : FLARE GUNS

34. Fiddler's need : BOW

36. Dental suffix with Water : PIK. Independent company founded in 1962.

37. Pressure meas. : PSI. Per Square Inch, I think

38. Sounds of relief : AHs

40. Cupcake finisher : ICER. Finish making or finish eating?

41. Twitter handle word for a celeb, perhaps : REAL, Sorry I do not tweet, nor do I follow @real others

42. Overly focused on minor rules : PEDANTIC. Never heard this word.  Sorry

47. Lip balm brand derived from "evolution of smooth" : EOS. Same with this one. Google Images show this.

48. Skillet : FRY PAN

50. On a cruise : ASEA

51. Dismissive word : PSHAW. This is an interesting word.  Not sure why the "P" is there 

52. Mission on a commemorative 1936 stamp : ALAMO. "High up Santa Ana, we're killing your soldiers below, so the rest of Texas will know .... and remember the Alamo."

53. Beeper : PAGER

54. Providers of senior moments? : PROMS. Of course this refers to High School Seniors, not Medicare seniors (like me).

55. Inventor Nikola : TESLA. My career was with an Electric Company, and I have heard of this guy.  He was an inventor who diddled with alternating current. 

56. "Hi! I'm ... " badge : ID TAG

57. Patsy of country : CLINE.  It's Crazy to go Walkin' After Midnight.  You may Fall To Pieces.

61. Heart tests, briefly : ECGs. Also known as an EKG but the puzzle needed a C.

63. Del. summer hrs. : EDT. Daylight Saving Time will be here again shortly.  I am so old that I remember when Minnesota did not have Daylight time, so when the East Coast set their clocks ahead, we had to adjust our TV viewing time.  (Channel 4 or 5)

65. "The Fall of the House of Usher" author : POE. The last clue on this recap- "Quoth the Raven - Nevermore".

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Melissa just visited her daughter and granddaughter, who was born last August. Look at these adorable pictures. So cute!