Theme: THE OUTER LIMITS
15 (rows) x 16 (columns) to accommodate the 16-letter theme answer STUCK ONE'S NECK OUT.
21. Risked it big-time: LIVED ON THE EDGE.
37. Risked it big-time: STUCK ONE'S NECK OUT.
55. Risked it big-time: WENT OUT ON A LIMB.
Across:
1. Gets misty, with "up": FOGS.
5. Salon treatment, briefly: PEDI. Never gets old.
9. Benjamins: C SPOTS. $100 dollar bills. The "C" refers to the Roman numeral for 100.
15. Curly coif: AFRO.
16. Popular river name from the Welsh for "river": AVON. Learning moment, I did not know the origin.
17. They're exchanged in Hawaii: ALOHAS.
18. Nonstick cookware product: T-FAL. This brand name is a portmanteau of the words TEFlon and ALuminium. I use cast iron cookware almost exclusively. Once it's seasoned there is no issue with sticking.
19. Religious season: LENT. Religious season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. It is a traditional time for fasting or giving something up or abstinence.
20. "Don't take the blame": DENY IT.
24. Cooler filler: ICE.
25. Chinese zodiac critter: RAT. 2019 is a year of the Pig, starting from February 5th
2019 and ending on January 24th 2020. 2020 will
be a year of the Rat. 2018 was a year of the Dog.
26. Approximate nos.: ESTS.
27. MN and NM: STS. States - Minnesota and New Mexico.
30. Puts (in) tentatively: PENCILS. Who solves on paper? Pencil or pen?
32. Bad-mouth: DIS.
33. Word before bug or ant: FIRE.
34. Prov. bordering four Great Lakes: ONT. Ontario is bordered to the south by Great Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie & Ontario.
35. Hairpiece: RUG.
36. Hazardous gas: RADON.
42. Parrots geese: HONKS. Had a hard time deciphering this clue.
43. Fill up on: EAT.
44. Nero's 91: XCI.
45. Exclusive: ONLY.
46. Part of UNLV: LAS. University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
47. Wore: SPORTED.
51. BB-shaped veggie: PEA. Or pea-shaped ammo.
52. Coll. Board exams: SATS.
53. "I'm sorry, Dave" film computer: HAL. In the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is a sentient computer that
controls the systems of the Discovery One spacecraft and interacts with
the ship's astronaut crew.
54. "__ you serious?": ARE.
59. Compensate for: OFFSET.
61. Short hoppers?: ROOS. Short for kangaROO.
62. Hall of Fame pitcher Randy "The Big __" Johnson: UNIT. From Wikipedia: During batting practice in 1988, the 6'10" Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines, prompting his teammate to exclaim, "You're a big unit!" The nickname stuck.
63. Hairpiece: TOUPEE.
64. Pennsylvania county: ERIE.
65. 5 for B or 6 for C: AT. NO. Atomic Number is the number of protons found in the nucleus of every atom of that
element. The atomic number uniquely identifies a chemical element. It is
identical to the charge number of the nucleus.
66. Coffee and wine: COLORS. Sneaky.
67. Lairs: DENS.
68. One logging on: USER.
Down:
1. Fistfight souvenir: FAT LIP. Haha. Same amount of letters as SHINER, but perps prevented that.
2. __ hours: OFFICE.
3. Second Commandment adjective: GRAVEN. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image ..."
4. Footprint maker: SOLE.
5. Silicon Valley city: PALO ALTO.
6. Pentathlon's five: EVENTS. Fencing, freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, and a final combined event of pistol shooting and cross country running.
7. "That's a no-no!": DON'T.
8. Where losers of a race may be left: IN THE DUST.
9. West Point students: CADETS.
10. Gravity-powered vehicles: SLEDS. Wondering if we're going to have snow here in my neck of the woods this year, it's regularly below freezing overnight now.
11. Classic video game: PONG.
12. Reaffirming rebuttal: OH YES I DO.
13. __ chi: TAI.
14. Boomer that no longer booms: SST. Not our Boomer.
22. Screwdrivers, e.g.: DRINKS. Clever misdirection.
23. Give approval online, in a way: E-SIGN.
28. Slacks, briefly: TROU. If you say so.
29. Email status: SENT.
31. Far from self-effacing: COCKY.
33. Mystic on a bed of nails: FAKIR. A Sufi Muslim ascetic who has taken vows of poverty and worship, renouncing all relations and possessions.
35. Comforted: REASSURED.
36. Soda since 1905: RC COLA.
37. Explore OfferUp: SHOP.
38. Hue: TONE.
39. Prohibited: UNLAWFUL.
40. "Awesome!": NEATO.
41. Wide-open spaces: EXPANSES.
46. Coffeehouse orders: LATTES.
47. Sure winner: SHOO IN. This expression
purportedly comes from the practice of corrupt jockeys holding their
horses back and shooing a preselected winner across the finish line to
guarantee that it will win. A “shoo-in” is now an easy winner, with no connotation of dishonesty. “Shoe-in” is a common misspelling.
48. Contaminates: TAINTS.
49. White-coated weasel: ERMINE.
50. One with bills to pay: DEBTOR.
52. Look of disdain: SNEER.
56. Hockey's Phil, to fans: ESPO. Philip Anthony Esposito OC is a Canadian broadcaster, and former professional ice hockey executive, coach and player.
57. Sped: TORE.
58. Waikiki bash: LUAU.
59. Needing no Rx: OTC. Over The counter.
60. Egg __ yung: FOO. An asian omelet-like dish, usually served with gravy.
