15. Time for an Oktoberfest tradition?: POLKA NIGHT. Poker night.
23. Movie about a Jewish wedding staple?: HORA FILM. Horror film.
33. Festive Brazilian gathering?: SAMBA OCCASION. Somber occasion.
48. One in a line of frolicking sea creatures?: CONGA EEL. Conger eel.
56. Wedding reception highlight ... and a feature of four puzzle answers: FIRST DANCE.
Common phrases change meanings to well known dances by replacing the "r" sound of the last syllable of the first word to a short "a" sound. Reminds me of talking with some folks from New England. I can hear Wilba dropping the R sounds as I read his words.
This is Steve's debut on the grand stage of the LA Times crossword. Great job, Steve !
Across:
1. Pretend to be: ACT. Or, do something. Don't just sit there. Get moving. It's good for your metabolism and general health.
4. Center: MIDST.
9. Foot, in zoology: PES. Latin.
12. "Isn't __ Lovely": Stevie Wonder hit: SHE. Great musician, songwriter and singer.
13. Toyota until 2006: CELICA. In 1979, Toyota introduced the Celica Supra.
14. Posted: SENT.
17. Erase: UNDO. The electronic version, as compared to using that little piece of rubber on the top end of your #2 Ticonderoga.
18. Deplorable sort: LOUSE. A parasitic insect too !
19. Where to find letters on tracks: MAIL CAR.
21. Medical events in a 1977 Robin Cook thriller: COMAS. "...Susan researches what happened to her date and discovers Boston Memorial’s dirty secret: their rates for patients lapsing into coma during surgery are above the norm." Forgotten Bestsellers - Review at tor.com
24. Celebrity chef Garten: INA. The self-taught chef of "The Barefoot Contessa" fame.
25. Set of values: ETHOS. Beliefs.
28. Thinks intently (over): MULLS. Ponders.
29. Impedes, with "up": GUMS. Gear driven machinery needs oil and lubricants to run smoothly. Dust, dirt and debris can turn the lubricant into a heavy viscous sludge that prevents smooth operation. It was from the industrial age that we got the expression, "Gums up the works".
31. Paramedic letters: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician. Lifesaver.
32. Old brew revived in the 2000s: PBR. Pabst Blue Ribbon. Husker Gary had "Pabst dispenser" on Saturday.
38. Rapper will.__: i am. will.i.am is the singer / songwriter / frontman and more for the Hip Hop group Black Eyed Peas. If you are not otherwise familiar with them, you may have heard part of the lyrics from their song "Let's Get it Started" in the Walmart back to school commercials.
39. Stick in a lock: OAR. Interestingly enough, the u or o shaped devices attached to the gunwales* of a rowing boat that secure the oars are called oarlocks. Sometimes this language makes complete sense.
* sides, for you other landlubbers.
40. Jazz vocalist Laine: CLEO. Didn't know, but perpable:
42. See 14-Down: ACIDS.
45. Charged: RAN AT. Possibly ran up, if you charged too much on your credit card.
47. Reservoir creator: DAM.
50. Increases, with "up": RAMPS. Drop the R and you get the same effect.
52. Creator of a sci-fi "Traveller": HG WELLS. HG Wells is credited with creating the sci-fi concept of time travel. The character in The Time Machine is known only as the Time Traveller. He meets Eloi and Morlocks in the future.
53. Schroeder's toy: PIANO. Good grief ! A love triangle. Lucy is in love with Schroeder, but the prodigy's true love is the classical compositions of Ludwig van Beethoven. Name that toon.
55. Getting __ years: ON IN.
60. Rolled __: OATS.
61. Conceptualize: IDEATE. In a sense, incubate.
62. One may be bruised: EGO. One may be interlocked: Lego.
63. MIT, for one: SCH.
64. "Cool!": NEATO. Rad. Phat. Awesome. More ?
65. Yang's opposite: YIN.
Down:
1. Nile danger: ASP.
2. John of "Star Trek" (2009): CHO. Also of "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" fame.
3. 1967 Etta James hit: TELL MAMA. I don't remember this song:
4. Target section: MENS.
5. Nastase on the court: ILIE.
6. Archaeological site: DIG.
7. Jerks: SCHMOS.
8. Member of Genghis Khan's horde: TATAR.
9. Write (in) tentatively: PENCIL. Perhaps with a #2 Ticonderoga.
10. Ultimate objective: END-ALL.
11. Weather headliners: STORMS. Dorian dominated the news for a couple of weeks. Terrible tragedy in the Bahamas.
13. Reason: CAUSE.
14. With 42-Across, corrosive substances: SULFURIC.
16. Camping letters: KOA. The world's largest system of privately held campgrounds. New 2019 Campgrounds Jinx can tell us more, perhaps about best and worst experiences.
20. Shakespeare's plays are full of them: IAMBS.
Well la di da !
21. Slangy smoke: CIG.arette.
22. Heavy weight: ONUS.
23. Glowing barbecue bit: HOT COAL. Do you start your grilling with Kingsford, Royal Oak or chunks of hardwoods, known as lump charcoal ?
26. Orioles, e.g.: TEAM. MLB AL East cellar dwellers of late for this once perennial powerhouse.
27. Medical care gp.: HMO.
30. Bits: SMIDGENS.
32. Prefix with sail: PARA.
34. __ metabolism: BASAL. Just read base metabolism. The minimum body processes needed to keep you alive without using artificial means.
35. Recyclable item: CAN.
36. Source of status: OLD MONEY. Old money as with the Vanderbilts. As compared to new money like the Gates.
37. Tide table term: NEAP. Spitzboov nailed this with the N.
41. Sounds heard at an ashram: OMs. A monastery in Indian religions.
42. Blessing evokers: ACHOOs. Bless you.
43. Colombard grapes product: COGNAC. Had a cognac exactly once in my lifetime. Not my cuppa, but it was at once the best and worst cognac I've ever had.
44. Part of, as a gang: IN WITH. I'm in with the in crowd. I go where the in crowd goes.
45. Live: RESIDE. Got the answer quickly after changing the vowel in the clue from a long i to a short i.
46. Sports news: TRADE.
49. Like the Hollow Tree Factory bakers: ELFIN. You can get Uncommonly Good cookies made by elves using magic ovens from the Hollow Tree Bakery.
51. Santa __: ANA. He ordered the attack on the Alamo, and then later ceded Texas. Wait, no, that was two n Anna.
53. Exam for jrs.: PSAT. Juniors / Preliminary SAT. Rick Singer and Mark Riddell can get your scholastically challenged girls into USC with a high SAT or ACT score and an athletic scholarship to the water polo or crew teams.
54. "Leave __ me": IT TO. I'm leaving it all up to you. You decide what you're gonna do. Or are we through ?
57. Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA. He was nominated for an Academy Award in this movie. This three letter answer should be a gimme for any LA Times solver, as it seems to be Rich's go to clue for this answer.
58. Movie SFX: CGI. Special effects / computer generated imagery
59. DMV wait time, seemingly: EON. Hyperbole for the time spent at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Illinois residents know that they will have to get a Real ID if they want to take a domestic flight or enter any federal facilities starting Oct 1, 2020. The current drivers license does not meet federally mandated requirements. I've read some of the stories and talked to some people who have waited for hours at the DMV only to be rejected because they didn't have the required documentation. Here's a link to what is required: Real ID Documentation Checklist
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