20A. *Opposes in an election: RUNS AGAINST.
39A. *Welcome news for potential borrowers: RATE CUT.
11D. *Brit's traffic circle: ROUNDABOUT. One word. Also, a song by Yes.
29. *"Word on the street is ... ": RUMOR HAS IT. Also, a movie with Jennifer Anniston, and a song by Adele that you can listen to while reading about the 2017 Westminster Best in Show winner of the same name. BTW, this busy Edgerton, WI girl won in February, and had a litter of 8 in October, 2017.
Desper-otto reported that this video won't play on Blogger. Channel3000.com WISC-TV, Madison, has disabled the video from playing on sites other than YouTube. You can still press the play button, and then click "Watch this video on YouTube"
57A. Trapped by mundanity ... and hint to the answers to starred clues: STUCK IN A RUT. "You'd like to get your creative juices flowing, but it seems someone left an empty juice bottle in the fridge."
Jeff Eddings gives us a "quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" type of puzzle today.
Across:
1. River through Kazakhstan: URAL.
5. Brewpub orders: BEERS.
10. Upper limbs: ARMS.
14. Expose: BARE. A child finally cried out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" in Hans Christian Anderson's The Emperor's New Clothes
15. Blue shades: AQUAS.
16. Chess piece that can't move diagonally: ROOK.
17. Big stars often have big ones: EGOS.
18. Apply, as liniment: RUB IN. Or harp on, as in incessantly.
19. Apple from Japan: FUJI.
The most-purchased fresh apple varieties in the U.S. are:
1) Gala
2) Red Delicious
3) Fuji
4) Granny Smith
5) Honeycrisp
6) Golden Delicious
7) McIntosh
8) Pink Lady
9) Braeburn
10) Ambrosia
23. Wordless "okay": NOD.
24. Put gas into: FUELED. Oops, had to correct from FilLED.
25. Assistance: AID.
27. Shabbily dressed: IN RAGS.
30. High behind a cold front, e.g.: AIR MASS.
34. Pan-fry: SAUTE.
35. Boy band *N__: SYNC.
37. Ill-fated Genesis son: ABEL.
38. Point: AIM.
42. Tokyo-born Yoko: ONO.
43. River near the Royal Shakespeare Theatre: AVON.
45. Hockey legend Gordie: HOWE.
46. "It's __-see!": rave review: A MUST. Abejo's wife made the costumes for the school district's staging of Les Misèrables last Thursday through Sunday evenings.
48. Tile type: CERAMIC.
50. Sudden bursts: SPATES. Think in terms of cluster, outbreak, wave, flurry, rush, deluge and the like. Contrast to the phrase "In spades" which means having an abundance of, or high quality of.
51. "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" network: HBO.
52. Simpson trial witness Kato: KAELIN.
55. Report card no.: GPA.
62. Take a break: REST.
64. Ladybug food: APHID.
65. Apple discard: CORE.
66. Opera solo: ARIA.
67. Yankees' manager Aaron: BOONE. Also, the hero of the deciding game 7 in the 2003 ALCS.
68. Olympics sled: LUGE.
69. Fiddle (with): FUTZ.
70. Kisses and cuddles, in British slang: SNOGS. I have difficulty solving British-style crossword puzzles, mainly because of the format, the clues, the words, and the spellings.
71. Former spouses: EXES. All of George Strait's live in Texas. That's why he resides in Tennessee.
Down:
1. App that arranges a lift but not a Lyft: UBER. Husker Gary is a big fan.
2. Pasta sauce brand: RAGÚ. Pasta sauce is often called gravy in many Italian homes and some restaurants. A ragù is a meat based pasta sauce.
3. Elvis __ Presley: ARON. Aron on the birth certificate, Aaron in the official Mississippi state records, and also Aaron on his gravestone.
4. Phrase on a heart-healthy food label: LESS FAT.
5. Flat-bottomed boats: BARGES. Or say, ways to enter a room or conversation, uninvited.
6. __ sign: =: EQUAL.
7. Jazz great Blake: EUBIE.
8. Weather-related Native American ceremony: RAIN DANCE.
9. Nine-digit IDs: SSNS.
10. Boxer's sound: ARF. Whadda ya get when you start cross-breeding Great Danes and Bulldogs ? My neighbor has one, and I love him. Good boy !
12. Magic charm: MOJO.
13. Icy road risk: SKID.
21. Hole-making tool: AUGER.
22. __ Heels: UNC team: TAR. The University of North Carolina Tar Heels.
26. "__ little teapot ... ": IM A. short and stout,
27. Soul singer Hayes: ISAAC. Won an Academy Award for the Theme From Shaft. I found out later that he also wrote Soul Man:
28. Easily duped: NAIVE.
31. Post-op area: ICU.
32. Get a feeling: SENSE.
33. Schedule openings: SLOTS.
35. Order lots of: STOCK UP ON.
36. Source of pliable wood: YEW.
40. Sushi tuna: AHI.
41. Easy putt: TAP IN. Our golf league rules expressly state that, "You must putt it in" but it's not unusual to see certain players commonly taking increasingly distant putts as a "gimme."
44. Slap cuffs on: NAB.
47. Slap cuffs on: MANACLE. Just saw that clue somewhere. Clecho.
49. Jun. and Jul.: MOS.
50. Microscope inserts: SLIDES.
53. "Bless you" prompter: ACHOO.
54. Just making, with "out": EKING.
55. Court great Steffi: GRAF.
56. Ecuador neighbor: PERU.
58. Bar bills: TABS.
59. Gravy thickener: ROUX.
60. Encourage: URGE.
61. Shirts from concerts: TEES.
63. Toon devil: TAZ. The cartoon Tasmanian Devil:
via GIPHY
and the real Tasmanian devil:
via GIPHY
Here's the grid:
