17. High-tech classroom: COMPUTER LAB. The Labrador is the most popular dog breed by registrations (191,988) worldwide. (Wikipedia.)
23. Fighter at the Olympics: AMATEUR BOXER.
51. Court long shot: THREE POINTER.
61. Astute attorney: LEGAL BEAGLE.
38. Military IDs ... or what 17-, 23-, 51- and 61-Across have: DOG TAGS. Clever - each answer is 'tagged' with a breed of dog. I guess you could call it Collar-ID. Snort.
Melissa here. Several clues related to New York made me wonder if our constructor is from there. Yes.
Melissa here. Several clues related to New York made me wonder if our constructor is from there. Yes.
Across:
1. Mary Oliver, e.g.: POET.
5. Tweak: ADJUST.
11. Obliterate in a flash: ZAP. Good description for microwaving food.
14. Prefix with sphere: ATMO. Dictionary.com: Greek, combining form meaning “air,” used in the formation of compound words.
15. Self-moving vacuum: ROOMBA. Tried to put an H in there somewhere.
16. "I __ you one": OWE.
19. Starchy grain: OAT.
20. Bygone Persian rulers: SHAHS.
21. Long-jawed fish: GAR. Gar species of New York, below:
22. Present: HERE.
27. Man-horse hybrid: CENTAUR.
30. Synagogue reading: TORAH.
31. Country between Vietnam and Thailand: LAOS.
32. Quaint contraction: TIS.
34. Type of coffee or whiskey: IRISH.
37. Congressional statute: ACT.
41. Life highlights, briefly: BIO.
42. Moby-Dick, e.g.: WHALE.
44. Hula strings: UKE.
45. Pungent quality: BITE.
46. Rice dish: PILAF. Dictionary.com defines Pilaf as: a Middle Eastern or Indian dish of rice (or sometimes wheat) cooked in stock with spices, typically having added meat or vegetables. A quick google search turns up recipes for Moroccan, Japanese, Armenian, Asian, Indian, Persian, Lebanese, Russian, Turkish, Italian, and Greek versions.
49. "The Shawshank Redemption" extras: INMATES.
54. __ hog: ROAD.
55. Org. whose returns were never sales: IRS.
56. Get to: REACH.
60. Trellis climber: IVY.
64. Golf peg, or where it's used: TEE. Not being a golfer, C.C.'s explanation in Sunday's write up (87D) of TEE colors in MN was interesting - are the colors not standard?
65. Long cold spell: ICE AGE. Opposite of a cold snap.
66. Image in a botanical print: LEAF.
67. Make a typo, say: ERR.
68. Litter box visitor: PET CAT.
69. Pre-Easter season: LENT.
Down:
1. D.C. influence gps.: PACS. Political Action Committees.
2. "However," in tweets: OTOH. On The Other Hand.
3. "Handsome, clever, and rich" Jane Austen character: EMMA.
4. Headwear with tails: TOP HATS.
5. Works on walls: ART. Sneaky. Works used as noun, not verb.
6. Stag's mate: DOE.
7. Longtime Univision news anchor Ramos: JORGE.
8. Two dots above a vowel: UMLAUT.
9. Pizza chain in many food courts: SBARRO.
10. Bar bill: TAB.
11. Madagascar!, in the Bronx: ZOO EXHIBIT. Anyone seen it?
12. In the know: AWARE.
13. Pan in Neverland: PETER.
18. Inst. with the fight song "On, Brave Old Army Team": USMA.
22. Frost: HOAR.
24. Jay-Z's "D.O.A. (Death of __-Tune)": AUTO.
25. H.S. subject that covers all the angles?: TRIG. Nice clue.
26. Jewish ritual: BRIS.
27. Jaguar's weapon: CLAW.
28. Individually: EACH.
29. "Fat chance!": NOT A PRAYER.
33. "The Simpsons" disco devotee: STU.
35. Locale: SITE.
36. Soil-clearing tools: HOES.
38. Mark for omission: DELE.
39. Related: AKIN.
40. Well-mannered man: GENT.
43. Made up things: LIED. Could also be LIES as a noun - needed 54A ROAD to be sure.
45. Reveal everything: BARE ALL.
47. Individually: APIECE.
48. Draw a blank: FORGET.
50. Nothing but: MERE.
51. Done to death: TRITE.
52. Float in the air: HOVER.
53. Actor Oscar __ of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi": ISAAC. I've only seen him in Inside Llewyn Davis. Did not know that he was born in Guatemala. His family settled in the US when he was five months old.
57. Pulitzer-winning author James: AGEE.
58. Close-knit group: CLAN.
59. Test by lifting: HEFT.
61. Backtalk: LIP.
62. Alternative to JFK or EWR: LGA. NYC's three major airports: JFK = John F. Kennedy International, EWR = Newark Liberty International, LGA = LaGuardia.
63. Perfecta or trifecta: BET.
