"Tastes"
17. *Sore loser's reaction: SOUR GRAPES.
58. *Valentine recipient: SWEETHEART.
11. *Finale to fight to, with "the": BITTER END.
34. *Hip-hop trio with a condimental name: SALT-N-PEPA.
38. Fifth and newest member of the set that includes the starts of the answers to starred clues: UMAMI.
Across:
1. Deep opera voices: BASSI. Learned this word from doing crosswords. Before that, I only knew of Shirley Bassey.
6. Quaint "you": THOU.
10. "SOS" pop group: ABBA.
14. From square one: AGAIN. Anew.
15. Pair on a Disney World hat: EARS. Overheard while walking on Main St. USA, "I want one ! "
16. Little brook: RILL.
19. Live __: party hearty: IT UP.
20. Temporary period: INTERIM.
21. Clytemnestra's son: ORESTES. It's all Greek to me, but the perps made it evident.
23. Soap-making chemical: LYE.
24. Often: A LOT. Often, a lot is a ton.
26. Road's end?: STER. This powerful little two-seater was the first Shelby Cobra. It sold for $13.75M.
27. Versatile vehicle, for short: UTE.
28. Handel's "Messiah" is one: ORATORIO. I found this article to be a good read.
32. Vertical billiards stroke: MASSE. The masse is often not allowed because if it is not executed properly, the cue tip can rip the felt.
35. Not fresh: STALE.
36. Ambient music pioneer Brian: ENO.
37. Apple computer: IMAC.
39. NYPD rank: INSP. Inspector
40. Zero, like chances: NIL.
41. "Full court" NBA defense: PRESS. Pistol Pete's basketball coach father was known as Press. But not for an obsession of coaching that style of defense. He got that nickname as a boy selling the Pittsburgh Press newspaper on the streets of Aliquippa, PA. LSU fans know that Dale Brown succeeded Press as head coach of the Tigers
42. Pat Conroy's "The Prince of __": TIDES.
43. Corporate info-sharing system: INTRANET. The internet is the information superhighway for the masses. It is public. An intranet is a limited access information superhighway used by companies, corporations and government entities to disseminate information internally. It is private.
45. Hawaiian dish: POI.
46. "Chestnuts roasting __ open fire": ON AN. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Seems like it was only yesterday.
47. Online craft store: ETSY.
49. Rap sheet abbr.: AKA. Also Known As.
52. Elks, in Canada: WAPITIS.
55. __ Kodak: EASTMAN. "You press the button. We'll do the rest."
57. Top poker cards: ACES.
60. Ready for harvesting: RIPE.
61. Half of Mork's sign-off: NANU.
62. Novelist Joyce Carol __: OATES.
63. Smartphone ancestors, briefly: PDAS. Personal Digital Assistants
64. Cookbook amt.: TBSP. Cookbooks sometimes abbreviate it as just a capital T, but that would not work as an answer in crossword puzzles.
65. "Elder" Roman scholar: PLINY.
Down:
1. Fragrant herb: BASIL.
2. Ecstasy's opposite: AGONY.
3. Fry: SAUTE.
4. "Your Highness": SIRE.
5. Unappreciative one: INGRATE.
6. Pedro's "I love you": TE AMO.
7. WWII General __ Arnold: HAP. One of only five 5 Star Generals in the US Army. Also, the only General in the US Air Force to have attained the 5 Star rank.
8. Crumbled sundae-topping cookie: OREO.
9. Cold War power: Abbr.: USSR. СССР (Союз Советских Социалистических Республик) is a Russian abbreviation for the Soviet Union or Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
10. Noble Brit: ARISTO.
12. Treatment for gray hair: BLUE RINSE. New to me, but now I know what my friend meant when talking about those blue haired ladies. I thought it was figurative.
13. Swiss peaks: ALPS.
18. Irritate but good: RILE.
22. 90° from sur: ESTE.
25. How food may be seasoned: TO TASTE. Altitude can change taste. The combination of dryness and low pressure reduces the sensitivity of your taste buds to sweet and salty foods by around 30%.
27. Trojans' sch.: USC. The University of Southern California athletic teams are known as the Trojans.
29. Male sheep: RAMS.
30. Thrilla in Manila boxer: ALI.
31. "My bad!": OOPS.
32. Revealing skirt: MINI.
33. Protein building block: AMINO ACID.
35. "Peter Pan" pirate: SMEE. Captain Hook's bosun.
38. Reception server: URN. Not a person employed as wait staff at a reception.
39. Three, on a sundial: III.
41. Breathe heavily: PANT.
42. Kid's favorite store, often: TOY SHOP.
44. Elevates: RAISES.
45. 10th-grader's exam, for short: PSAT. Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test.
48. Start a golf hole: TEE UP.
49. Vintage violin: AMATI.
50. Megan's "Will & Grace" role: KAREN.
51. Anxious: ANTSY.
52. __ speed: "Star Trek" rate: WARP. "A reaction between deuterium and antideuterium, tempered through a dilithium crystal assembly, allows 24th century Federation vessels to travel at warp speeds." If interested, you can read more about the technology in this explanation.
53. Fails to be: ISN'T. The third person singular (he, she, it) present tense of To Be is IS. The negative contraction of To Be is isn't, but it isn't ain't. Shakespeare (paraphrased) summed it up nicely: "Is or isn't, that is the question."
54. Q-tip: SWAB.
56. Greenish-blue: TEAL.
59. Nav. rank: ENS. Ensign. A commissioned officer in the Navy.
