Think First, then Act: The first word of each theme answer can appear before the word ACT to give us a common phrase.
17-Across. * Big top: CIRCUS TENT. Think of the Circus Act.
26-Across. * School keepsake: CLASS RING. Think of a person who is a Class Act.
37-Across. * "The Daily Show" network: COMEDY CENTRAL. Think of a Comedy Act.
50-Across. * 2012 Channing Tatum film: MAGIC MIKE. Think of a Magic Act. This is the odd man out, as it were, since Magic begins with the letter M and not a C, like Circus, Class, and Comedy.
And the Unifier:
60-Across. Show starter ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: OPENING ACT. An Opening Act is often the warm-up band for a headliner. Did you know that in 1963 The Beatles were the Opening Act for Roy Orbison?
Across:
1. Sports agent, briefly: REP. As in Representative.
1. Sports agent, briefly: REP. As in Representative.
4. Lavish meal: FEAST. It's almost time for the Thanksgiving Feast.
9. Behold, to Brutus: ECCE. Today's Latin lesson.
13. "Another Green World" musician Brian: ENO. Brian Eno (né Brian Peter George Eno; b. May 15, 1948) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.
14. Foamy coffee drinks: LATTES. A Latte is made with espresso and steamed milk. The barista often makes a fancy decoration on top of the final product.
16. Bar measure: SHOT.
19. "The Handmaid's __": Atwood novel: TALE. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, was first published in 1985. It is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian society in which women are considered property of the state. It recently became a television series. I read the book when it first came out, but haven't seen the television version.
20. This, in Spain: ESTO. Today's Spanish lesson.
21. Acapulco aunt: TIA. More of today's Spanish lesson.
22. Final Olds produced: ALERO. Production on this car ceased in April 2004.
24. Injured-arm support: SLING.
29. "Under Siege" star Steven: SEAGAL. Steven Frederick Seagal (b. Apr. 10, 1952), is an American actor who also holds Russian and Serbian citizenship. He has led a rather controversial life. Enough said.
31. Prof.'s degree: Ph.D. As in the Doctor of Philosophy. What is the difference between an M.D and a Ph.D.? * Answer below.
32. See 38-Down: SIN. // And 38-Down: 38. With 32-Across, Adam and Eve's transgression: ORIGINAL. Together we get Original Sin, which is a theological concept that everyone is born sinful. The concept was developed in the writings of St. Augustine. Enough said.
33. Restaurant Arlo Guthrie sang about: ALICE'S. A place where you can get anything you want, excepting Alice.
36. Early 2000s Apple product: EMAC. The eMac was the Education Mac, an all-in-one desktop Macintosh, designed for schools. Production of the eMac began in 2002 and was discontinued in 2006. Now it is a dinosaur.
41. Hard to find: RARE.
42. Cosa __: NOSTRA. Today's Italian lesson. The FBI's history of the Cosa Nostra in the United States.
43. Trident-shaped Greek letter: PSI.
44. Angry: MAD.
46. Pick up the pace: HASTEN.
54. Around, in dates: CIRCA.
55. Try to bite, puppy-style: NIP AT.
56. Triage ctrs.: ERs. As in Emergency Rooms.
58. Broadway brightener: NEON.
59. Hawaiian coffee region: KONA. Everything you wanted to down about Kona Coffee, but were afraid to ask.
63. Nobelist Pavlov: IVAN. Does his name ring a bell?
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (Sept. 26, 1849 ~ Feb. 27, 1936)
64. Cantankerous: ORNERY.
65. __ Bo: fitness system: TAE. Tae Bo was quite popular in the 1980s, but I haven't heard much about it since.
66. "The Lion King" lioness: NALA.
67. Davis of "Do the Right Thing": OSSIE. Ossie Davis (né Raiford Chatman Davis; Dec. 18, 1917 ~ Feb. 4, 2005) was married to actress Ruby Dee. I saw Do the Right Thing when I was living in France. The movie is about racial tension in a New York neighborhood. The movie didn't translate well in French culture.
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee
68. Cal. spans: YRs. Calendar spans are Years.
Down:
1. School day interlude: RECESS.
2. Maroon, at sea: ENISLE. Interesting word that I will probably never have cause to use. It means to be isolated on an island.
3. "The Merchant of Venice" heiress: PORTIA. The Merchant of Venice is one of the plays by Willie the Shakes.
4. Winter bug: FLU.
5. Down __: Maine nickname: EAST. You can't get theya from heya.
6. Room at the top?: ATTIC.
7. Pilfer: STEAL.
8. Olympic diver's goal: TEN. With enough scores of 10, the diver may get a Gold.
9. Aromatic compound: ESTER. Organic Chemistry.
10. Personal magnetism: CHARISMA.
11. Pre-Revolutionary furniture style: COLONIAL.
12. French summer: ÉTÉ. Today's French lesson.
15. Secret supply: STASH.
18. Scam: CON-GAME.
23. "Dropped" '60s drug: LSD. Short for Lysergic Acid Diethylamide. In case you were wondering, its chemical formula is:
25. Battering wind: GALE. Dorothy Gale was swept up in a Gale, but in her case, it was known as a tornado.
27. Cathedral areas: APSES.
The Apse at the Cathedral in Chartes.
28. Nutritional supplements co.: GNC. As in General Nutrition Center. These stores are often found in malls.
30. Pot top: LID.
34. Pop singer Lauper: CYNDI. As in Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (b. June 22, 1953).
35. Novelist Umberto: ECO. Umberto Eco (Jan. 5, 1932 ~ Feb. 19, 2016) was an Italian novelist, best known for his 1980 historical novel, Name of the Rose. He makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.
36. Blackboard chore: ERASING.
39. To the __ degree: NTH.
40. Gillette's __ II razor: TRAC.
41. Turntable speed, for short: RPM. As in Revolutions Per Minute.
44. Longtime Tom Petty label: MCA. Tom Petty (né Thomas Earl Petty; Oct. 20, 1950 ~ Oct. 2, 2017) had an infamous feud with MCA.
45. Defensive retort: AM TOO!
47. The "T" in NATO: TREATY. As in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European Countries. The Treaty was signed on April 4, 1949.
48. Toyota Prius, e.g.: ECO-CAR.
49. Loire Valley city: NANTES.
51. Bucky Beaver's toothpaste: IPANA.
52. Wails with grief: KEENS.
53. Shore birds: ERNES.
57. Apple Watch assistant: SIRI.
59. Family reunion attendees: KIN.
61. Ace: PRO.
62. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE. William Sanford Nye (b. Nov. 27, 1955) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.
Here's the Grid:
* The Ph.D. must live with his mistakes, whereas the M.D. buries them.
QOD: You should appreciate the goodness around you, and surround yourself with positive people. ~ Nadia Comӑneci (née Nadia Elena Comӑneci; Nov. 12, 1961)
Notes from C.C.:
1) Happy birthday to Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crossword. I've mentioned before, often half of clues in our daily puzzles are Rich's creations. Thanks for the daily entertainment, Rich!
2) Happy birthday also to Lemonade's lovely wife Oo. This is a picture from their 2017 trip to Thailand.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Happy birthday to Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crossword. I've mentioned before, often half of clues in our daily puzzles are Rich's creations. Thanks for the daily entertainment, Rich!
 |
| Rich and his wife Kim |
2) Happy birthday also to Lemonade's lovely wife Oo. This is a picture from their 2017 trip to Thailand.
