21 A. Fast clip around the racetrack : BLISTERING PACE. A very fast horse.
40 A. Fast clip from the pitcher's mound : DIZZYING VELOCITY. A 100+ mph fast ball
60 A. Fast clip down the slopes : BREAKNECK SPEED. Downhill ski race.
Consider this -
Or this -
On the other hand . . .
Here we get the theme continuity from the clues rather than the fill. Not a common approach, but you'll see it once in a while. Long theme fill, with a grid spanner in the middle. Not a lot else to say. Each two-word entry indicates extremely fast motion in a sports context.
Hi gang, JzB here. Never known for my speed. This time I swear to give you today's puzzle, the whole of today's puzzle, and nothing but today's puzzle - or help me, 'cuz I'll need it. Let's proceed at whatever pace you find comfortable, and see what else we can catch up with.
Across
1. Filet mignon source : LOIN. A superior cut of beef.
5. __ price : ASKING. What the seller desires.
11. Ran together : BLED. As of patterns on a dyed cloth.
15. Actress Paquin of Netflix's "Alias Grace" : ANNA.
15. Actress Paquin of Netflix's "Alias Grace" : ANNA.
16. Tremble : SHIVER. Quake.
17. Slick : OILY. Slippery or lubed, literally or figuratively.
18. Team first managed by Casey Stengel : METS. Casey had previously managed the Yankees for many years. My favorite baseball trivia question: What was Casey Stengel doing in 1927 when Babe Ruth of the Yankees hit 60 home runs? [Answer at the bottom.]
19. Volcanic archipelago state : HAWAII. Everybody knows this - right?
20. Eyelid bump : STYE. A painful bacterial infection of an oil gland in the eyelid.
24. Internet subdivision : DOMAIN. An identifying web address.
25. Feathered layer : HEN. Of eggs.
26. USPS assignment : RTE. Route.
29. Eagerly took in : ATE UP. Literally or figuratively
30. Flutist of Greek myth : PAN. Half man, half goat, Pan is the god of the wild, fields, fertility and Spring, and companion of the nymphs. Apollo made better music on his lyre - and that's the truth!
33. Romanov rulers : TSARS. Russian royalty.
35. Classic shoe polish brand : SHINOLA. You know from SHINOLA - right? What you might not know it that the brand name now belongs to a Detroit company that makes high-end watches, bicycles, jewelry, leather goods and accessories.
39. Surmounting : ATOP. Straddling, perhaps.
45. "Field of Dreams" setting : IOWA. Regarding a baseball field in a corn field.
46. Lowered the grade of : DERATED. As in creditworthiness.
47. Take potshots : SNIPE. With a gun or one's tongue
49. Simple survey answer : YES.
50. Poetry Muse : ERATO. Her name comes from the same root as erotic, and indicates beauty and desirability.
55. Own, to Burns : HAE. I guess this means "have" in highland dialect.
56. Craven of horror : WES. The director who brought us Freddie Krueger of Elm Street fame, The Hills Have Eyes, etc.
59. Mental haze : STUPOR. Confusion.
65. "Toodles!" : CIAO. Greeting or parting word from an old Italian root meaning "I am your slave."
67. Evening get-together : SOIREE. From SOIR, the French word for evening.
68. One-named Deco artist : ERTE. Romain de Tiroff. ERTE is the French pronunciation of his initials - and mine.
69. Curved paths : ARCS. Observable with baseballs, footballs, basketballs, tennis balls, and golf balls.
70. There for the __: easy to get : TAKING. Come and get it.
71. Plug-in vehicle, briefly : E-CAR. Electric powered conveyance.
72. Chinese toy : PEKE. Small dog variety, not a child's plaything. Take your pick.
73. Comes down hard? : SLEETS. Frozen rain does this. Clever clue and an unpleasantly chilly experience.
74. Dines : SUPS. Eats supper. Or dinner. You decide.
73. Comes down hard? : SLEETS. Frozen rain does this. Clever clue and an unpleasantly chilly experience.
74. Dines : SUPS. Eats supper. Or dinner. You decide.
Down
1. Greek letter whose lowercase indicates wavelength : LAMBDA. Uppercase Λ, lowercase λ.
Mandatory nerd joke: Q: What's 𝛎? A: C/ λ, same as always.
[Translated: Q: What's new (nu, frequency)? A: The speed of light / the wave length.]
2. Developer's unit : ONE LOT. A plot in a plat.
3. Early enough : IN TIME. Or ON TIME.
4. Bahamian capital : NASSAU. Or a town on Long Island.
5. Pale as a ghost : ASHEN. Wan.
6. __-Pei: wrinkly dog : SHAR.
7. Fuzzy fruit : KIWI.
8. "Ghostbusters" director Reitman : IVAN.
9. Secretariat utterance? : NEIGH. Secretariat was an American thoroughbred race horse that in 1983 became the first triple crown winner in 25 years.
10. Complaint : GRIPE. Grouse.
11. Anjou kin : BOSC. A pair of pears.
12. Intelligentsia : LITERATI. Specifically those with an interest in literature.
13. English cathedral town : ELY. This town is about 80 miles north of London. The church community dates back to the 7th century, with the present building dating from the 11th century.
14. Easter egg dip : DYE. To color the shells.
22. A bit buzzed : TIPSY. From imbibing alcohol.
23. Aardvark snack : ANT. Or termite.
27. Bouncy gait : TROT. A horse's or person's rapid stride. Less than a CLIP, though, I'm guessing.
28. Best Game or Best Play : ESPY. Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award, granted by ABC Sports, and previously by ESPN, to recognize outstanding individual and team achievements.
30. Christmas candle scent : PINE.
31. Fit to be tied : ANGRY. Feeling choler.
32. Super stars? : NOVAE. A super NOVA is a transient astronomic event in the last stages of a star's evolution that involves catastrophic destruction via a huge explosion. NOVAE is the plural. Clever clue.
34. Plant pouch : SAC. Animals have them, too.
36. Put out of sight : HID.
37. "I'm game" : LET'S do it.
38. Newcastle Brown brew : ALE. A decent brown ale produced by Heineken.
40. Wolfgang Puck creation : DISH. As in entree, not a piece of porcelain dinner ware.
41. New Rochelle college : IONA. Affiliated with the Congregation of Christian Brothers, locared 20 miles north of Manhattan in Westchester County.
42. Twice-baked bread : ZWIEBACK. Here in MI, it's Trenary Toast, from the U. P.
43. Hit with a laser : ZAP. or warm in a microwave oven.
44. "Awake and Sing!" playwright : ODETS.
48. Farm mom : EWE.
51. "Slumdog Millionaire" money : RUPEES. Indian currency.
52. Brief summary : APERCU. It should make an illuminating of amusing point. From the French verb meaning "to percieve."
53. Line dance step : TOE TAP.
54. Military instructions : ORDERS.
57. Bridge seats : EASTS. Bridge table locations are indicated North, South, EAST and West. In a tournament, there are several tables. The N-S pair stays put, while the E-W pair travel in one direction and the pre--dealt cards travel the other way.
58. Scandinavian toast : SKOAL. Traces back to an Old Norse word meaning "bowl." Possibly filled with brown ale.
59. Surfboard stabilizers : SKEGS. A SKEG is a fin underneath the rear of the board.
61. Got up : ROSE.
62. "Just do it" brand : NIKE. Athletic shoes.
63. Niagara Falls source : ERIE. Ohio's great lake.
64. Penny : CENT. One hundredth of a dollar.
65. Ballplayer's hat : CAP.
66. Choler : IRE. Ill humor.
This was not a speed run for me. How about you?
In 1927, when Yankee great George Herman [Babe] Ruth hit a record-setting 60 ARCS into the outfield seats, Charles Dillon [Casey] Stengel was in my home town managing the Toledo Mud Hens. Stengel went on to manage the Yankees from 1949 to 1960. The following year, when Roger Maris hit 61 home runs, the Yankees manager way Ralph Houk. Stengel managed the Mets from 1962 to 1965.
In those days I was a Yankee fan. Forgive me, I was young and didn't know any better.
Cool regards!
JzB
