Theme: EMMY (72. TV award, and a homophonic hint to the four longest puzzle answers) - Each theme entry is in the pattern of M* E*:
17. Large-scale departure: MASS EXODUS.
26. Cost of a car, in most family budgets: MAJOR EXPENSE.
49. Edmund Hillary's conquest: MOUNT EVEREST.
64. Region including Egypt, Israel, etc.: MIDDLE EAST.
Boomer here.
I
realize that the LA Times puzzle is more dominant in Western USA,
however my sympathy goes to those on the East coast of the Carolinas and
Virginia in the aftermath of hurricane/tropical storm Florence. C.C.
and I took a vacation to Myrtle Beach about 15 years ago. We had a great
time playing some golf and eating in buffets where they had shrimp
piled two feet high.
Across:
1. Potato chips source: SPUD. Not Spuds, which is a Budweiser spokesman.
5. __ bean: LIMA. Sufferin' Succotash
9. Rick's "Casablanca" love: ILSA.
13. "Aww!": CUTE.
14. Spring bloom: IRIS.
15. Les __-Unis: ETATS. Interesting that the French spell "State" backwards
16. Neighbor of Yemen: OMAN.
19. Island setting for Melville's "Omoo": TAHITI. I think this is some kind of mecca in the middle of the Pacific.
21. Court order to testify: SUBPOENA. Robert Mueller's tool.
22. Mindless memorization: ROTE. In grade school we learned songs by note or rote.
24. Farm sound: MOO. I think this was a sorority in "Animal House".
25. Blue expanse, on a clear day: SKY.
31. 1860s White House nickname: ABE. Classic president. Got his face on a mountain in South Dakota, and his picture on a five dollar bill !
32. Thought: IDEA.
33. Traffic light color: YELLOW. Are left turns allowed on yellow arrow where you live?
37. Gardener's bane: WEED. We have a nice crop in our gardens this year. I didn't plant any, must have been bad dirt.
39. Quick taste: SIP.
41. Produced: MADE.
42. American flag feature: STRIPE. Add an "S" and you have the movie that made Bill Murray famous.
45. At hand: NEAR.
48. Buddhist school: ZEN.
52. Fermented quaff: ALE. Not sure what the difference is between beer and ale. I don't like the taste of either.
55. Slugger's stat: RBI.
56. Get up: RISE.
57. Removing from the text: DELETING.
60. 1971 New York prison riot site: ATTICA. I was not there but I remember it well. Lock criminals up and they tend to get ornery.
66. "__ be fine": "No prob": IT'LL.
67. Sad verse: ELEGY.
68. Spell-checker discovery: TYPO. This is an odd word for a spell check. However it's also an odd designation for my Type O blood type.
69. Not virtual: REAL. This word reminds me of real estate. Is there such a thing as "Fake Estate"?
70. __ a one: NARY.
71. The "Y" in "YTD": YEAR. Sometimes Monday clues are pretty easy.
Down:
1. Loch Ness local: SCOT.
2. Adidas rival: PUMA. Not Nike. It drew a critique for their new commercial, but they claim sales went skyward.
3. Home of the NBA's Jazz: UTAH. Home of the Great Salt Lake
4. Robert of "Dirty Grandpa": DE NIRO. Really liked him in "Casino".
5. Restricted in number, as an edition: LIMITED. Or a designation for a train.
6. Nest egg acronym: IRA. Individual retirement account. "Don't leave work without it."
7. Hit's opposite: MISS. East of LA - West of ALA.
8. Take for granted: ASSUME. As Felix Unger once said "If you Assume, you make an Ass of U and Me." Emmy Winning "Odd Couple".
9. "Was __ hard on you?": I TOO.
10. Stows cargo: LADES.
11. Caused some nose-pinching: STUNK. You may have entered "Skunk" on the grid. I don't blame you.
12. Evaluate, as metal: ASSAY.
15. Bring to light: EXPOSE.
18. Traditional black piano key wood: EBONY. I don't own any, but I have heard ebony wood does not float.
20. Singer Amos: TORI.
Mr. Torii Hunter was a center fielder for the Twins for a number of
years. Famous for bringing back a Barry Bonds potential home run in the
2002 All Star Game.
23. Old flames: EXES.
26. Big mouths: MAWS. Could be the casts mothers on "Hee Haw".
27. Help rob the bank: ABET. Or you may place one in Las Vegas.
28. Taunt from the bleachers: JEER. Interesting that this word rhymes with cheer.
29. Emulate Degas: PAINT.
30. "Slippery" tree: ELM. Used by spitball pitchers before my time. (Unless Gaylord Perry?? Nah.)
34. Do nothing: LAZE.
35. Wordsworth works: ODES. I liked the "Ode to Billy Joe" (Bobbi Gentry)
36. Attended, with "to": WENT.
38. Reduce in brightness: DIM.
40. __ pressure: PEER. Sometimes we see GYNT clued as "Peer ___". I think the guy's name is Edvard.
43. Rotund: PORTLY. Usually they get to play catcher, or Offensive Tackle.
44. Jazzman Blake: EUBIE.
46. Pilot: AVIATOR. Most famous, Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart.
47. Take ten: REST.
50. Distance between bases, in feet: NINETY. MLB only. Distance in softball is 60 feet. Distance between Fort Campbell and Fort Polk, about 800 miles.
51. Go to bed: RETIRE. Or leave your career, or buy a new set of Bridgestones.
52. Commercial writers: AD MEN.
They must be very busy. It seems I get to watch about 20 minutes worth,
every hour. (Whoever writes the GEICO commercials belongs in rehab.)
53. Bizet opera priestess: LEILA. Leila is a smart girl.
54. Tribal leader: ELDER.
58. Avant-garde: EDGY.
59. Motown's Marvin: GAYE. Tragic story. He was shot to death by his father!! Marvin Gaye is now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
61. Receipt detail: ITEM. Also a story in the Tabloids.
62. Linguine seafood sauce morsel: CLAM. They call the soup "chowder"
63. One on your side: ALLY.
65. Daycation destination: SPA.
Boomer
