Theme: On/Off Switch - replacing one with the other in the theme entries, to whit:
17A. Exhale over scalding coffee?: BLOW ON STEAM. I can't get started without a nice cup of hot Joe. I cracked my (glass) french press this morning ignoring the instructions not to stir the grounds with a metal spoon. I just ordered a stainless steel replacement. That solves one problem.
27A. Discontinue slanted material in articles?: CUT OFF THE BIAS. To cut on the bias is a tailoring term, cutting on a diagonal across the weave.
45A. Visit some animal shelter residents?: CALL ON THE DOGS. My brother and his wife vacation each year on Skiathos, one of the Greek islands. The local animal shelter lets registered visitors take a dog out for a walk, for a fee - a kind of "Rent-a-Dog" service.
61A. Delay passing a congressional bill?: PUT OFF AN ACT. Which is what a filibuster is for. Great word, by the way.
When you see Gail and Bruce on a by-line, you know that you're in for a smooth experience. These two are pros at the constructing game. This one is no exception (although I do have one Yuk! moment, more on that shortly). A nice theme, nothing contrived.
I do question the central PODIUMS entry being clued in the same way as the theme entries (the ..? convention) - it bugged me that it had nothing to do with the theme, but was front and center as if it did. Unless I missed something, entirely possible!
Without further ado, let's go and see what jumps out.
Across:
1. New England sch.: UMASS. Didn't even blink! University of Massachusetts.
6. Dominant: ALPHA
11. Chest protector: BIB
14. Up: RISEN
15. Stunt cyclist, e.g.: DARER. This is my "yuk!" moment. Technically correct, but "in the language?" Not so much, IMHO.
16. Valuable extraction: ORE
19. Bit of muesli: OAT
20. Mariners' home, familiarly: SAFECO. Safeco Field, home of Seattle Mariners baseball. It's on the waterfront next door to the football and soccer stadium. Great locations, both.
21. Bilingual subj.: E.S.L. English as a Second Language.
22. July 4th events, briefly: BBQS
23. Five-O cop: DANO. The one with the book.
25. James or Jones of jazz: ETTA
32. Letters of urgency: ASAP. It seems to go without saying in my business world. Everyone wants everything yesterday, and mainly for free.
34. Long of "In Too Deep": NIA. Thank you crosses. Here she is:
35. Broad neckwear: ASCOT. I got tripped up a little here as I had "BARB" for Ms. Streisand before I came back to this one.
36. One in an airport queue: CAB
37. Talking points?: PODIUMS
40. Memorable 1969 bride: ONO
41. Harry's Hogwarts nemesis: DRACO. Potter, meet your nemesis, Malfoy. I think that's right. He's pretty slick at the old "occlumency" thing, apparently.
43. Letters in an unfilled sched. slot: TBA. Could have been TBD, my first thought. Wasn't.
44. From the top: ANEW
49. Classroom "I know! I know!": OH! OH!
50. First name in country: REBA. McEntire.
51. Did a number: SANG. Reba's probably done one or two in her time.
54. Small application: DAB
56. Ear inflammation: OTITIS. I swear it was OTOSIS, so that was a bump in the road for a moment.
60. Fire: AXE. Not a fire axe? No, not a fire axe, The pink slip kind of axe.
63. General Mills cereal: KIX
64. Metal giant: ALCOA. Aluminium. Heh heh - that's cool, no objection from Spellcheck.
65. Debate topic: ISSUE
66. Id follower?: EST
67. Conductor Zubin: MEHTA. Here he is leading the LA Phil through Mozart's Bassoon Concerto K.191.
68. Arms treaty subj.: N-TEST
Down:
1. Cities, informally: URBS. I like this - if the suburbs are a distance from the city, the city must be the urb. Awesome.
2. Kunis of "Black Swan": MILA
3. Starting on: AS OF
4. Clinched: SEWED UP. Vive d'equipe de France! Allez Les Bleus! France clinched the World Cup last Sunday with a win over less-fancied Croatia. Formidable! They day after Bastille Day too.
5. Treaded winter vehicle: SNO-CAT
6. Wikipedia lacks them: ADS. I thought of EDS first, in spite of knowing full well that there are editors. I'll give these folks a plug - when they have their next fundraiser, consider contributing. No amount too small.
7. Untimely?: LATE
8. Like alarm clocks: PRE-SET.
9. Part of HMO: HEALTH. Maintenance Organization.
10. Half of a very high price?: ARM. Add the leg and you're emptying your wallet. Can you pay a leg for a moderately high-priced item?
11. Schmo: BOOB
12. Green Zone country: IRAQ
13. Action at the track: BETS
18. "That's all wrong!": NO! NO! NO!
22. Streisand, in fanzines: BABS. Not BARB. My bad.
24. "The Wizard __": OF ID. Trap well and truly fallen into. Not Oz. I love the strip:
26. They usually end up in hot water: TEAS. Teabags was my first thought, I wasn't a million miles off.
27. Plotting group: CABAL
28. Hill of country: FAITH. More country singers. She should do a duet with Reba. Actually, I just found that she did. You can go look for it if you like, it's on YouTube.
29. iPhone array: ICONS. I used to create icons as a programmer back in the day when you had a canvas of only 16x16 dots and 255 colors. I think I spent too much time messing around with Paintbrush, and not enough time testing my code, in hindsight.
30. Top-drawer: A-ONE
31. Stash: STOW
32. Adapter letters: AC/DC
33. "Waitress" Tony nominee Bareilles: SARA. More gratitude to the cross-Gods from me. I should send 'em a thank-you gift.
37. "Hunny" lover: POOH. Tiggers don't like it though, as wonderfully drawn by E.H. Shepard.
38. Lyft alternative: UBER
39. Fashioned from: MADE OF
42. Heavy shoe: CLOG
44. Saying nay to: AGAINST
46. Plant root growth: NODULE
47. Pastoral roofing: THATCH. I lived in a thatched cottage before I moved to the US. It's been extended and refurbished since I lived there, but still very much recognizable. Thanks to Google Spy - I mean Maps - for the update.
48. Get one's hands on: OBTAIN
51. Sushi go-with: SAKE. I've got a nice selection in the pantry and the fridge for when the sushi moment strikes.
52. Allies' enemy: AXIS. Germany, Italy and Japan in WWII, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey in WWI.
53. Coming right up: NEXT
55. One in an UGG box: BOOT. Apparently you can't buy new, genuine Uggs from an eBay store It's against the retailer agreement to sell them on auction sites. So now you know.
57. Shock, in a way: TASE
58. Post-op areas: ICU'S
59. "Leave it in" mark: STET. When pundits, recently, were calling for Dele Alli to be dropped from the England World Cup soccer team, I started calling him "Stet" Alli. I thought it was funny. Apparently I was in a minority of one.
61. Bobby's wife on "Dallas": PAM. She had the permanently-surprised look and acted with her eyebrows. Linda Gray, who portrayed JR's wife, emoted primarily with her chin.
62. Pilot-licensing org.: F.A.A. Federal Aviation Authority.
And - here's the grid.
This blog now complete, errors and omissions excepted. Just need to post my new disclaimer:
Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information provided on the Thursday Blog, whether disseminated via browser, social media sites and/or mobile applications, Blogger Steve makes no express or implied warranty as to the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information. Blogger Steve provides this information via all online services and platforms on an "as is" basis. While there may be changes to information on topics covered on the Thursday Blog, these changes may or may not be made available electronically on the main page.
There, that should cover my ass this week. Here's the grid!
Steve
17A. Exhale over scalding coffee?: BLOW ON STEAM. I can't get started without a nice cup of hot Joe. I cracked my (glass) french press this morning ignoring the instructions not to stir the grounds with a metal spoon. I just ordered a stainless steel replacement. That solves one problem.
27A. Discontinue slanted material in articles?: CUT OFF THE BIAS. To cut on the bias is a tailoring term, cutting on a diagonal across the weave.
45A. Visit some animal shelter residents?: CALL ON THE DOGS. My brother and his wife vacation each year on Skiathos, one of the Greek islands. The local animal shelter lets registered visitors take a dog out for a walk, for a fee - a kind of "Rent-a-Dog" service.
61A. Delay passing a congressional bill?: PUT OFF AN ACT. Which is what a filibuster is for. Great word, by the way.
When you see Gail and Bruce on a by-line, you know that you're in for a smooth experience. These two are pros at the constructing game. This one is no exception (although I do have one Yuk! moment, more on that shortly). A nice theme, nothing contrived.
I do question the central PODIUMS entry being clued in the same way as the theme entries (the ..? convention) - it bugged me that it had nothing to do with the theme, but was front and center as if it did. Unless I missed something, entirely possible!
Without further ado, let's go and see what jumps out.
Across:
1. New England sch.: UMASS. Didn't even blink! University of Massachusetts.
6. Dominant: ALPHA
11. Chest protector: BIB
14. Up: RISEN
15. Stunt cyclist, e.g.: DARER. This is my "yuk!" moment. Technically correct, but "in the language?" Not so much, IMHO.
16. Valuable extraction: ORE
19. Bit of muesli: OAT
20. Mariners' home, familiarly: SAFECO. Safeco Field, home of Seattle Mariners baseball. It's on the waterfront next door to the football and soccer stadium. Great locations, both.
21. Bilingual subj.: E.S.L. English as a Second Language.
22. July 4th events, briefly: BBQS
23. Five-O cop: DANO. The one with the book.
25. James or Jones of jazz: ETTA
32. Letters of urgency: ASAP. It seems to go without saying in my business world. Everyone wants everything yesterday, and mainly for free.
34. Long of "In Too Deep": NIA. Thank you crosses. Here she is:
35. Broad neckwear: ASCOT. I got tripped up a little here as I had "BARB" for Ms. Streisand before I came back to this one.
36. One in an airport queue: CAB
37. Talking points?: PODIUMS
40. Memorable 1969 bride: ONO
41. Harry's Hogwarts nemesis: DRACO. Potter, meet your nemesis, Malfoy. I think that's right. He's pretty slick at the old "occlumency" thing, apparently.
43. Letters in an unfilled sched. slot: TBA. Could have been TBD, my first thought. Wasn't.
44. From the top: ANEW
49. Classroom "I know! I know!": OH! OH!
50. First name in country: REBA. McEntire.
51. Did a number: SANG. Reba's probably done one or two in her time.
54. Small application: DAB
56. Ear inflammation: OTITIS. I swear it was OTOSIS, so that was a bump in the road for a moment.
60. Fire: AXE. Not a fire axe? No, not a fire axe, The pink slip kind of axe.
63. General Mills cereal: KIX
64. Metal giant: ALCOA. Aluminium. Heh heh - that's cool, no objection from Spellcheck.
65. Debate topic: ISSUE
66. Id follower?: EST
67. Conductor Zubin: MEHTA. Here he is leading the LA Phil through Mozart's Bassoon Concerto K.191.
68. Arms treaty subj.: N-TEST
Down:
1. Cities, informally: URBS. I like this - if the suburbs are a distance from the city, the city must be the urb. Awesome.
2. Kunis of "Black Swan": MILA
3. Starting on: AS OF
4. Clinched: SEWED UP. Vive d'equipe de France! Allez Les Bleus! France clinched the World Cup last Sunday with a win over less-fancied Croatia. Formidable! They day after Bastille Day too.
5. Treaded winter vehicle: SNO-CAT
6. Wikipedia lacks them: ADS. I thought of EDS first, in spite of knowing full well that there are editors. I'll give these folks a plug - when they have their next fundraiser, consider contributing. No amount too small.
7. Untimely?: LATE
8. Like alarm clocks: PRE-SET.
9. Part of HMO: HEALTH. Maintenance Organization.
10. Half of a very high price?: ARM. Add the leg and you're emptying your wallet. Can you pay a leg for a moderately high-priced item?
11. Schmo: BOOB
12. Green Zone country: IRAQ
13. Action at the track: BETS
18. "That's all wrong!": NO! NO! NO!
22. Streisand, in fanzines: BABS. Not BARB. My bad.
24. "The Wizard __": OF ID. Trap well and truly fallen into. Not Oz. I love the strip:
26. They usually end up in hot water: TEAS. Teabags was my first thought, I wasn't a million miles off.
27. Plotting group: CABAL
28. Hill of country: FAITH. More country singers. She should do a duet with Reba. Actually, I just found that she did. You can go look for it if you like, it's on YouTube.
29. iPhone array: ICONS. I used to create icons as a programmer back in the day when you had a canvas of only 16x16 dots and 255 colors. I think I spent too much time messing around with Paintbrush, and not enough time testing my code, in hindsight.
30. Top-drawer: A-ONE
31. Stash: STOW
32. Adapter letters: AC/DC
33. "Waitress" Tony nominee Bareilles: SARA. More gratitude to the cross-Gods from me. I should send 'em a thank-you gift.
37. "Hunny" lover: POOH. Tiggers don't like it though, as wonderfully drawn by E.H. Shepard.
38. Lyft alternative: UBER
39. Fashioned from: MADE OF
42. Heavy shoe: CLOG
44. Saying nay to: AGAINST
46. Plant root growth: NODULE
47. Pastoral roofing: THATCH. I lived in a thatched cottage before I moved to the US. It's been extended and refurbished since I lived there, but still very much recognizable. Thanks to Google Spy - I mean Maps - for the update.
48. Get one's hands on: OBTAIN
51. Sushi go-with: SAKE. I've got a nice selection in the pantry and the fridge for when the sushi moment strikes.
52. Allies' enemy: AXIS. Germany, Italy and Japan in WWII, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey in WWI.
53. Coming right up: NEXT
55. One in an UGG box: BOOT. Apparently you can't buy new, genuine Uggs from an eBay store It's against the retailer agreement to sell them on auction sites. So now you know.
57. Shock, in a way: TASE
58. Post-op areas: ICU'S
59. "Leave it in" mark: STET. When pundits, recently, were calling for Dele Alli to be dropped from the England World Cup soccer team, I started calling him "Stet" Alli. I thought it was funny. Apparently I was in a minority of one.
61. Bobby's wife on "Dallas": PAM. She had the permanently-surprised look and acted with her eyebrows. Linda Gray, who portrayed JR's wife, emoted primarily with her chin.
62. Pilot-licensing org.: F.A.A. Federal Aviation Authority.
And - here's the grid.
This blog now complete, errors and omissions excepted. Just need to post my new disclaimer:
Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information provided on the Thursday Blog, whether disseminated via browser, social media sites and/or mobile applications, Blogger Steve makes no express or implied warranty as to the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information. Blogger Steve provides this information via all online services and platforms on an "as is" basis. While there may be changes to information on topics covered on the Thursday Blog, these changes may or may not be made available electronically on the main page.
There, that should cover my ass this week. Here's the grid!
Steve
