Top O' the Morning! The word Day "opens" up a new phrase when added it proceeds the each word of the theme answer.
17-Across. Classroom text: SCHOOL BOOK. Day School and Day Book.
28-Across. Twinkling in the night sky: STAR LIGHT. Daystar, also known as the planet Venus, and Day Light.
39-Across. Relief from the daily grind: TIME OFF. Day Time and Day Off.
48-Across. Office spot with a coffee pot: BREAK ROOM. Day Break and Day Room.
And the unifier:
63-Across. Start of a sports season, and what each half of 17-, 28-, 39- and 48-Across can have: OPENING DAY.
Across:
1. Barbecue glowers: COALS.
6. Priestly robes: ALBS. The word ALB comes from the Latin, Albus, which means White. // Not to be confused with 10-Across: Cobbler's Tools: AWLS.
Priestly ALB
Cobblers' AWLS.
14. Neighborhood map on a city map, e.g.: INSET.
Inset with an Inset
16. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH. The last SHAH of Iran was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Oct. 26, 1919 ~ July 27, 1980). He was deposed in the Iranian Revolution in February 1979. The word SHAH comes from an old Persian word meaning King. This coming Saturday will mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.
19. Deep sleep: COMA. Also the title of Robin Cook's first medical thriller.
20. Represent: DENOTE.
This scale begins and ends with a D-Note.
21. Like a bike: WHEELED.
23. Goes on to say: ADDS.
24. Summer on the Riviera: ÉTÉ. Today's French Lesson.
25. MLB Network analyst Martinez: PEDRO. Pedro Jaime Martinez (b. Oct. 25, 1971) is a Dominican professional baseball player who had a long career in Major League Baseball. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1998 until 2004. He also played for 4 other teams. This Friday will be his 48th birthday.
34. On bed rest, say: LAID UP.
36. Lupino of "High Sierra": IDA. Ida Lupino (Feb. 4, 1918 ~ Aug. 3, 1995) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. I learned of her from doing the crossword puzzles. In addition to being an actress, she was also directed films.
37. Bird's crop: CRAW.
38. Colorado native: UTE. A crossword staple.
42. "__ Am": Alicia Keys album: AS I.
43. Screen material: MESH. I was thinking of a movie screen, not a screen on a door or a window to keep the bugs out.
45. Sinus doc: ENT. As in an Ear Nose and Throat Doctor. These doctors make frequent appearances in the puzzles too.
46. Growing weary: TIRING.
51. Landlord's income: RENTS.
52. Tell tall tales: LIE.
53. Field of study: AREA.
55. Pays some of: DEFRAYS.
59. Closed in on: NEARED.
62. Cut __: dance, in old slang: A RUG.
66. Hightail it: FLEE.
67. Trait carrier: GENE.
68. Mozart's "Così fan __": TUTTE. With foreign subtitles for your reading pleasure.
69. Spill the beans: TELL.
70. Taiwanese PC maker: ACER. I learned about this PC from doing the crossword puzzles.
71. Most common roll of two dice: SEVEN.
Down:
1. Prefix with gender: CIS-. As in Cisgender, which is the opposite of Transgender. Cisgender is the term for people whose gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth.
2. How software was once sold: ON CD.
3. Queens tennis stadium: ASHE. The stadium is named for tennis great Arthur Ashe (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993). He won 3 Grand Slam Titles. He retired from tennis in 1980. He was older than 23 when he retired.
4. Johnny's "The Big Bang Theory" role: LEONARD. I never watched this show, so needed perps to help with the name.
5. Was conspicuous: STOOD OUT.
6. Convent leader: ABBESS. A famous movie Abbess.
7. Language of Southeast Asia: LAO.
8. Hard punch: BLOW.
9. Many a Punjabi: SIKH. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that originated in the Punjab region of India during the 15th Century.
10. One leading a Spartan lifestyle: ASCETIC.
11. Healthy bread type: WHOLE GRAIN. I initially tried Whole Wheat.
12. Like a weak excuse: LAME.
13. Roe source: SHAD.
18. Inc., in the U.K.: LTD.
22. Slender aquarium swimmer: EEL.
25. __ bob: vertical measuring tool: PLUMB. A Plumb Bob is a weight with a pointed end suspended from a string. It is used for a vertical line reference, known as a plumb line.
26. Diner: EATER. Also the name of a 1982 movie.
27. Gas at a truck stop: DIESEL FUEL.
29. Connect with: TIE TO.
30. Big deal: ADO.
31. Whitewater ride: RAFT. I have never had a desire to go Whitewater Rafting.
32. "Who __?!": "Join the club!": HASN'T.
33. Small sticks: TWIGS. The Water Institute of the Gulf is sometimes referred to as TWIG.
35. Jetty: PIER.
40. 6, on a cellphone keypad: MNO.
41. Insects with a painful sting: FIRE ANTS. You don't want to step on a fire ant hill! They are called fire ants for a reason!
44. Stylist's supply: HAIR GEL.
47. Debate again: RE-ARGUE.
49. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA. Mauna Kea, which makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords, is a dormant volcano on the Island of Hawaii. It is also the highest point in the State of Hawaii. There is an observatory on the summit of the volcano.
50. Style: MANNER.
54. Camping gear brand: REI. I am not familiar with this company.
55. Inane: DAFT.
56. Mystery writer Gardner: ERLE. Erle Stanley Gardner (July 17, 1880 ~ Mar. 11, 1970) was an attorney, but he got bored in the courtroom and began writing legal thrillers. He is best known for creating Perry Mason.
57. Tranquil exercise: YOGA. It's harder than you might think.
58. On __: without a contract: SPEC.
60. 1999 Ron Howard film: ED TV.
61. Go out with: DATE.
64. WSW's opposite: ENE. East-NorthEast is the opposite direction of West-SouthWest.
65. Japanese money: YEN.
Here's the Grid:
QOD: Lazy people tend not to take chances, but express themselves by tearing down other’s work. ~ Ann Rule (née Ann Rae Stackhouse; Oct. 22, 1931 ~ July 26, 2015, American crime writer
