16 A. *"Righto!": YOU BETCHA. Emphatic vernacular agreement, with some merriment at the end.
20 A. *Big boss: HEAD HONCHO. Vernacular nomenclature for a corporate executive. I've laughed at several - from behind.
34 A. *2005 Emma Thompson magical role: NANNY MCPHEE. She is the grotesque looking woman who shows up in the home of widower Cedric Brown to bring order to his 7 unruly children. Each time the children learn a lesson, she becomes a bit less ugly. I won't give away any more of the plot - mainly because I don't know it. It ends with comedy - at least in the context of this puzzle.
51 A. *Cold-water salmon-like fish: ARCTIC CHAR. This fish lives in the far north, in rivers, lakes or the ocean, and always spawns in fresh water. It is variable in color, and closely related to both salmon and lake trout, displaying characteristics of each. This is not only fishy, but also a fish with a funny tail.
And the unifier -- 56 A. Ultimate satisfaction, and a hint to the answers to starred clues: LAST LAUGH. The early bird gets the worm; but the second mouse to the trap gets the cheese. So the early LAUGHER might not be the one who ultimately prevails. There could be a moral here about delayed gratification.
Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here as your MC at the comedy club today. Let's see if this puzzle is anything to LAUGH at.
Across:
1. Fall sign: LIBRA. The 7th Zodiac sign, generally spanning from September 23 to October 23.
6. Medic: DOC. Physician. That's what I would name my dog, if I had one, so I could say, "Physician, heel thyself."
9. 6-Across's "Pronto!": STAT. Quickly, with urgency, from the Latin statum, meaning immediately.
13. Keep clear of: AVOID. Or EVADE. Always needs perps.
14. Sorta cousin: -ISH. Suffix indicating in the manner of, or approximately similar to.
15. "Leaving on a Jet __": PLANE. Peter Paul and Mary classic.
19. Enters the wrong area code, say: ERRS. To err is human, and not just in baseball.
22. Unburdened (of): RID. No longer having to deal with some unpleasant person or thing.
23. "Mean Girls" screenwriter Tina: FEY. Of SNL fame
24. Coder's conditional construct: IF-THEN. A hypothesis followed by a conclusion, noted as p -->q. If p is true, then q is also true. If this is the case, then the conditional statement is true.
25. Navy builder: SEABEE. Derived from C. B. for Construction Battalion. I'm trying to decide if this qualifies an an acronym. Thoughts?
27. Ink spot?: TAT. Body art. Can be found on almost any SPOT on the body. I'll admit that the fascination with ritual mutilation baffles me. In keeping with todays theme, I went in search of funny ones. They are mostly not very laughable. Here's one I'm willing to share.
30. Apple's virtual assistant: SIRI. Apple acquired SIRI in 2010. The original development team had various explanations for the name. Dag Kittlaus, the Norwegian-American CEO of SIRI, once considered using SIRI as the name of his child and liked the Norse meaning "beautiful woman who leads you to victory." It also means "beauty" in Sinhalese, and "secret" in Swahili.
31. Lose one's shirt: GO BUST. To lose all of an investment. More literally, expose one's bust. Hmmm.
37. Hurricanes and blizzards: STORMS. Violent disturbances of the atmosphere involving some combination of strong winds, thunder, lightening rain and/or snow.
38. Enjoy, as benefits: REAP. Expanded from the original meaning of gathering a harvest.
40. Mauna __: KEA. Or LOA, again requiring perp help. Mauna KEA is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii, and at 4207 m. above sea level, the highest point in the State. Muana LOA, another of the 5 volcanos that make up the island, is only slightly shorter at 4169 m. It's most recent eruption was in 1984.
43. Mattel product: TOY. Child's plaything.
44. Tippi of "The Birds": HEDREN. Nathalie Kay Hedren [b 1930] is an American actress, animal rights activist and former fashion model. Her daughter, Melanie Griffith, later married Tiipi's The Harrad Experiment costar, Don Johnson.
46. Parkway feature: ON RAMP. Entrance to a limited access roadway.
49. Spring sign: BUD. An emerging leaf, flower or shoot.
50. Con's opponent: PRO. Against and for something or someone, respectively.
54. Summer sign?: PLUS. "+" Found in math, not the Zodiac, contra 1A.
55. High-tech eye surgery: LASIK. Using a laser to correct vision by reshaping the cornea.
58. Far from klutzy: AGILE. Dancing granddaughter Amanda is supple, limber, acrobatic and fleet of foot. She also walks into walls. Go figure.
60. 1973 Stones ballad: ANGIE. It characterizes the end of a romance. There is speculation as to whether the title refers to an actual person, and what her identity might have been.
61. Dropped in the mail: SENT. Using actual physical mail, SENT via the Postal Service. How quaint.
62. Oui or hai: YES. Affirmative declarations in French and Japanese, respectively.
63. Western flatlands: MESAS. A flat topped hill with sheer sides. Mesa is the Spanish word for table, and these are also called table lands.
Down:
1. Features of lasagna and tiramisu: LAYERS. Alternating quantities of different component ingredients.
2. They may be tickled: IVORIES. Refers to playing the piano.
3. Late host of "Parts Unknown": BOURDAIN. Anthony Michael BOURDAIN [1956 - 2018] was an American TV personality, author, traveler and celebrity chef.
4. Corduroy ridges: RIBS. Corduroy is a durable fabric made from parallel cords that are stitched together.
5. Citrus suffix: - ADE. A drink made form a citrus fruit.
6. Unpredictable: DICEY. Said of something uncertain, risky, and perhaps dangerous.
7. Whistleblower-protecting org.: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
8. Landlocked African nation: CHAD. The Republic of CHAD is surrounded by Lybia, Sudan, The Central African Republic, Camaroon, Nigeria and Niger. Lake Chad, for which the country is named, and it's capital, N'Djamena, are both located along the western border, where the thin northern projection of Camaroon separates it from Nigeria.
9. Bias: SLANT. Both literally and figuratively
10. Meditative exercise regimen: TAI CHI.
11. Country music?: ANTHEM. Every country has one.
12. "Grand" mountains: TETONS. Google translate tells me this means "big nipples."
15. Duke VIP: PROF. College PROFESSOR.
17. "How do I love __?": Browning: THEE. Let me count the ways.
21. Ask (for), as money: HIT UP. Not to be confused with HIT ON, which is a different kind of request.
23. Deceptive move: FEINT. A deceptive or distractive move in boxing, fencing, or other activities, intended to create an opening that can be exploited. In hockey, it's called a deke.
26. Tops in a lingerie catalog: BRAS. Undergarments that cover and support a lady's bosom. That is as delicate a description as I can contrive.
27. "Pinball Wizard" show: TOMMY.
31. Greek lamb sandwich: GYRO. Pronounced yeero, it is a sandwich on a pita made from a dense lamb meatloaf cooked on a vertically rotating skewer. For my money, the best GYRO in the region is from the Senate Coney Island at the corner of Stark and Plymouth in Livonia. They also have the best chicken-lemon-rice soup. This has been an unpaid, unsolicited testimonial.
32. Rip to pieces: SHRED. Cut up, tear up, grate, mince, macerate or grind.
33. Really annoyed, with "off": TEED. Couldn't come up with a sensible derivation, and that really bugs me. First known use in this sense [rather than a golf stroke] is from 1951.
35. Unacceptable to some, for short: NOT PC. To be Politically Correct is to attempt to be neutral, sensitive and anodyne. Ironically, some people get TEED ODD by this behavior.
36. Protection from snorers: EAR PLUGS. Inserts for the ear to eliminate or reduce external sounds. I wear them as protection from the trumpets. They don;t help with tinnitus.
39. Italian city that hosts the annual Eurochocolate Festival: PERUGIA. The capital city of Umbria in central Italy. The festival started in 1993, and draws over 1 million people each year. Next event is Friday, Oct. 18 to Sunday, Oct.29, 2019, so plan ahead.
40. Eucalyptus munchers: KOALAS. The eucalyptus provides the vast majority of the meager nutritional needs of these asocial, sedentary, arboreal Australian marsupials.
41. Really rile: ENRAGE. Is this worse than TEEING someone OFF?
42. Inverse trig function: ARC SIN. I'm not going to try to explain it.
44. Offended: HURT. Cause someone to feel upset, annoyed or resentful. A different sort of negative emotional reaction than being TEED OFF. Perhaps as a reaction to something NOT PC. Is this another mini-theme? Is it annoying?
45. Snacks: NOSHES. Munchies.
47. Not straight up: ATILT. Leaning, caused by a SLANT.
48. Greenberg or Golic of sports-talk radio: MIKE. Both of ESPN, among other things.
49. Catches some rays: BASKS. Lies exposed to, as the warmth of the sun.
52. Potter's medium: CLAY.
53. His nap cost him the race: HARE. From one of Aesop's fables. Choose your nap time carefully.
57. Felon's flight: LAM. Flee and escape.
Well, I had a few smiles along the way. Hope you found the experience to be somewhat amusing.
Cool regards!
JzB
