Generally I am very patient in doing crosswords and can stare at partially filled cells without frustration. However, I don't enjoy staring at a rack of impossible Scrabble tiles.
I always seem to have an 26. Plentiful: AMPLE supply of consonants on my tile rack.
As usual, C.C.'s puzzle was a delight to work. As you can see below, she did not include any 8 or 10 point letters in her puzzle and had only one 5 pointer but still produced a very pleasing exercise!
Now lets's see what our Minneapolis mentor has for us today:
1. Bikini-ready physique, informally: BEACH BOD - Google at your pleasure. I'll wait until you're back
9. Missed an easy one: BLEW IT - Seattle coach Pete Carroll BLEW IT in Super Bowl XLIX when he called for a pass from the one-yard line that got intercepted and subsequently cost the Seahawks a Super Bowl win
15. One who finesses the tab, facetiously: EL CHEAPO - This San Diego locksmith claims it charges low rates. The ad also says El CHEAPO speaks Spanish for people who aren't offended by his lame business name.
16. Yale sobriquet: OLD ELI
17. Admits: ALLOWS IN
18. Compound in much tea: TANNIN - This compound in tea is said to promote calmness. In wines, several sites says it promotes bitterness and astringency.
19. Pol. site: EUR - Yeah, Pol(and) is in EURope
20. Cyclotron bits: IONS - If you're interested
22. Sacred musical work: MOTET - Usually unaccompanied sacred music
29. Attraction: DRAW - Love him or hate him, he is a big DRAW
33. Postal motto conjunction: NOR - "Neither snow NOR rain..." However in Nebraska this spring...
34. Keeps in the email loop: CCS - C.C. sometimes CC's me into emails
36. Fictional boxer Joe: PALOOKA - Ah, the Sunday comics of my yute
38. Prepare to spring: CROUCH
40. Like some ice cream: NON FAT.
41. Relief for aching muscles: HOT SOAK - Getting there might be chilly
43. DOJ honchos: AGS - Attorneys General vs AG'S
44. Finished a dish: ATE.
45. Stadium vendor's stack: ONES.
46. Word to a service station attendant: FILL - Or...
48. Missed the note, say: ERRED.
50. Dejected words: I'M A FAILURE - A Beatles variation
53. "Hidden Figures" actress Janelle __: MONAE - Her IMDB info
55. Cinematographer Nykvist: SVEN - ...and Sven's too
64. __ Agron, Quinn portrayer on "Glee": DIANNA - ,,,and DIANNA's
56. Fried rice additive: MSG.
59. Spheres of influence: AMBITS - _ _ B I T S? This NASA guy put in ORBITS immediately!
61. Sandwich spread: EGG SALAD.
65. "The Big Bang Theory" main male characters, notably: TREKKIES - In one episode they were forced to hitchhike in TREKKIE costumes
66. Emulate YouTube: STREAM.
67. Zinfandel, for one: VARIETAL.
Down:
1. Arthur with Lead Actress Emmys for two different sitcoms: BEA - Along with her Golden Girls. She also won for Maude
2. Glamour rival: ELLE - Magazine whose name comes from French pronoun for "She"
3. Org. involved in many Supreme Court cases: ACLU
5. Chop down: HEW.
6. Elementary: BASIC.
7. Modern crisis subject: OPIOIDS - It is now thought doctors 12. Overdid it: WENT TOO FAR in prescribing these powerful pain meds
8. Sierra Nevada's __ Pass: DONNER - The Donner party had each other over for dinner
9. Many a Tweeter: BOT - Need to know more?
10. Alpaca relative: LLAMA - Andean beasts of burden
11. Ralph Kramden's pal: ED NORTON - This golfer's favorite bit
13. Nastase of tennis: ILIE.
14. Window shade?: TINT.
21. Lose it: SNAP.
24. Longtime Clark Bar maker: NECCO.
25. Bluegrass sound: TWANG.
26. Dried chili pepper: ANCHO - The smaller pepper the hotter it is (higher on the Scoville Scale below)
27. No-brainer?: MORON.
28. Bodybuilder's snack: PROTEIN BAR
31. Stingray cousin: SKATE.
32. Gratified and then some: SATED.
35. Banter: CHAFF - Kind of down the list for definition especially here in farm country
37. Many a gambler: LOSER.
39. 1898 Havana Harbor sinker: USS MAINE - Hearst's yellow journalism helped spark what Secretary of State John Hay called "The splendid little war" against Spain
42. Rio and Soul: KIAS.
43. Pollen season drug brand: ALLEGRA
47. Sportscast, usually: LIVE TV - The first baseball sportscast was Columbia vs Princeton that was broadcast to the 400 or so sets capable of receiving the signal in 1939
49. 2006's "Casino Royale," for example: REMAKE - David Niven replaced Sean Connery in 1967. Well at least they kept Ursula Andress! In 2006, Daniel Craig became 007
51. Blue Cross alternative: AETNA.
52. Fussy Felix: UNGER.
53. Satirical issues since 1952: MADS - Vol. 1 Edition 1 can be yours for $3,00054. Skip over: OMIT.
57. Skirt feature: SLIT.
58. Greek Mother Earth: GAEA
60. Frodo's sidekick: SAM - No idea but here they are62. Deal with moguls: SKI - Of course these moguls are ski bumps not CEO's
63. Broadband option, for short: DSL - We got DSL once but the phone company blamed our bad internet connection on our long distance from its downtown offices. Uh, not very effective.
Now use the tiles below to figure out what you can leave for the rest of us on National Scrabble Day!
