Theme: Three Sheets to the Wind
17. It may require a permission slip: SCHOOL EVENT.
27. Nearly one-third of Africa: SAHARA DESERT.
43. Gathering with much networking: SCHMOOZEFEST.
57. Table with columns, and what literally can be found in 17-, 27- and 43-Across: SPREADSHEET.
The word SHEET is S-P-R-E-A-D across each theme answer. Added and impressive bonus that each answer begins with S and ends with T. Constructors must be always thinking of theme ideas. I am in awe of their creativity.
Melissa here. When I flew out to my daughter's last Thursday our power had just been restored following a freak snowstorm, and we had to shovel the driveway to get out. I returned last night and there's still snow everywhere but roads are clear and most everyone has power again. Some were without for a full week. It reminds me how spoiled I am, so accustomed to modern conveniences.
Across:
1. Nurse Barton: CLARA. She founded the Red Cross.
6. Work with a libretto: OPERA. Sneaky - noun, not verb.
11. Capture: BAG.
14. Spring for a drink?: OASIS.
15. Piece of info: DATUM.
16. "What __ the odds?": ARE.
19. "Narcos" org.: DEA.
20. First encounter in a romcom: MEET CUTE. I had not heard this term before. Wikipedia: "In film and television, a meet cute is a scene in which the two people who will form a future romantic couple meet for the first time. This type of scene is a staple of romantic comedies." At right is from You've Got Mail. I may be the last person to have seen the newest movie version of A Star is Born, which contains a meet cute that sets the tone for the relationship between Jackson and Ally. I love the stripped down look of Lady Gaga. The encore version with 12 extra minutes is in theaters for only one week, beginning March 1st. So good.
21. Open, as a gate latch: UNBAR. Interesting discussion here regarding castle gates. About halfway down are four pictures of real castle gates, and some points about barred gate doors.
23. Pigs out (on), briefly: ODS. Overdoses.
24. Believer's suffix: IST. Buddhist.
25. General sense: TENOR.
31. Roadside business: MOTEL. Motels differ from hotels in that they have fewer rooms, are typically one or two levels, and guests access their rooms from outside rather than a corridor.
34. Decorating job on "Cake Boss": ICER.
35. Coin-op gas station machine output: AIR. No free air any more.
36. Grand-scale production: EPIC.
37. Extra feature: ADD-ON.
39. "And your point is?": OK, SO?
40. Drumstick: LEG.
41. Guys-only party: STAG. Stag vs. Buck.
42. Let up: EASED.
47. Neutral shade: TAUPE.
48. __Clean: stain remover: OXI.
49. Tarzan raiser: APE. My daughter's baby shower last Saturday included a game to match Disney characters with their parents. I now know that Tarzan's (adoptive) mother was an ape named Kala. They have their own meet cute.
52. Razor sharpener: STROP.
54. Time-out: BREATHER.
56. Seek the affections of: WOO. I like this word.
60. Rock concert need: AMP. Short for amplifier.
61. Angel who directs Satan to Earth in "Paradise Lost": URIEL.
62. Speak formally: ORATE.
63. "__-haw!": YEE.
64. Diver's gem: PEARL.
65. Renoir subjects: NUDES.
Down:
1. Pink drink, for short: COSMO.
2. Tied, as sneakers: LACED.
3. Volcanic particles: ASHES.
4. Real hoot: RIOT.
5. Hardly gregarious: ASOCIAL.
6. One-named folk singer: ODETTA.
7. Make car-friendly: PAVE.
8. Saison that starts in juin: ETE. French for Summer. Wiktionary.
9. Diamond score: RUN. Baseball.
10. Radio component: AM TUNER.
11. Instances of rotten luck: BAD BREAKS.
12. Carpet calculation: AREA.
13. PRNDL selection: GEAR. Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low.
18. Like rainforests: LUSH.
22. Turndowns: NOS.
25. Tex-Mex snack: TACO. Tex Mex vs. Mexican food.
26. Genesis place: EDEN.
27. Jiffy: SEC.
28. Blue __ Mountains: RIDGE. I heard John Denver's Country Road lyrics in my head. If Only John Denver Had a Map.
29. Prepare to sing an anthem: RISE.
30. Stepped (on): TROD.
31. "Alice" diner: MELS. Interesting facts about the movie and spinoff tv series.
32. Oil org.: OPEC. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
33. Metaphor for a precarious course: TIGHTROPE.
37. Surmounting: ATOP.
38. Bewildered state: DAZE.
39. Granola bar morsel: OAT.
41. Makes more powerful: SOUPS UP. I always thought of this phrase as enhancing the appearance, but most definitions I found lead with increasing power.
42. Co-host of the sports radio show "Boomer and Gio": ESIASON. Was not aware of this show.
44. Chinese chairman: MAO.
45. Last words of the Pledge of Allegiance: FOR ALL. "[...] with liberty and justice for all." An honorable goal - I wish it were really true.
46. Deleted, with "out": EXED.
49. In the future: AHEAD.
50. Golfer Calvin: PEETE.
51. Some Deco collectibles: ERTES. Unmistakable style.
52. Persuade: SWAY.
53. Big volume: TOME.
54. Stein filler: BEER.
55. By way of, briefly: THRU. "Briefly" indicates a shortened spelling. Through vs. Thru.
58. Register opening?: PRE.
59. River inlet: RIA.
Note from C.C.:
As Melissa mentioned earlier, she visited her daughter last week. Here are two gorgeous pictures. They just look like from a fairy tale. Jaelyn's little sister, Harper Rose, is expected sometime around 5/2/19.
This is going to be a beautiful year for Melissa, who's been working hard for years championing Adopt an Inmate.
