Saturday, June 6, 2020, Greg Johnson

Themeless Saturday by Greg Johnson

On this D-Day anniversary, I am blogging my seventh Greg Johnson themeless entry. I ran through this one in one of my 43. Done in the least amount of time: FASTEST times and enjoyed some fun cluing along the way.

From Greg's Website

Across:

1. Measures roughly: PACES OFF - When I was a softball coach, I could PACE OFF 45' (15 slightly exaggerated strides) for pitchers to practice from very accurately

9. Suspicious offers, often: SCAMS 

14. Pots and such: IRONWARE - A fine example of Smithey IRONWARE made in Charleston, S.C.

15. Egypt neighbor: LIBYA - Allied and Axis Powers fought for control of this area in 1941/42. 76 years ago today the Allies invaded the Axis Powers from the north

18. Three-time Olympics host country: ITALY - This shows document that 16. Authenticates: CERTIFIES Italy will host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games

19. Welcome at the door: ASK IN - "Warning before you 57. Enter: SET FOOT IN our house: "We have a cat!" (From Thursday's Jeffrey Wechsler puzzle)

20. Landmark in the 2018 documentary "Free Solo": EL CAPITAN - Alex Honnold is the only climber to have conquered EL CAPITAN with no safety equipment (FREE)  by himself (SOLO)

22. Container for some baked goods: BREAD BOX - Steve Allen on What's My Line famously asked, "Is it bigger than a BREAD BOX?"

24. __ tolerance: ZERO - My principal was a big advocate until his daughter got caught with beer

25. Succulent plant genus: ALOE.

27. "Puh-leeze!": SPARE ME.

29. Org. with a "Parents" link on its main page: NEA - Look closely to see the link

30. LED part: DIODE - Top - Incandescent flashlight. Bottom - Light Emitting DIODE flashlight 

31. Briefly: IN SUM - After a too-long presentation, "So, IN SUM, you are saying...". I prefer pitchmen that are 35. Most brief: TERSEST.

37. Bald spot: TONSURE - A sign of religious devotion from the Latin word tonsura meaning clipping or shearing 

39. "Chicago Med" pro: E.R. DOC.

40. Not whispered: ALOUD

42. Modern steady: BAE - This variation of Babe is not a word I would ever use/hear/like

45. AM radio staple: TALK 

46. National __: DEBT - See for yourself

49. Supports, in a way: VOTES FOR.

51. How work references may be given: ON REQUEST - You might first want to be sure what they are going to say

53. Stretchy fabric: LYCRA - LYCRA, spandex and elastane are all the same and they dominate school hallways and cause an occasional 26. Wanton gaze: LEER 

56. Pleasure trip: JAUNT 

59. Go on: OCCUR.

60. The Northern Pacific's __ Islands: ALEUTIAN -  Why did Japan invade Alaska six months after Pearl Harbor?

61. Way up or down: STEPS - TikTok Asia Stair Shuffle Challenge

62. Jellyfish appendage: TENTACLE - The sting from the TENTACLES of the Box (cube-headed) Jellyfish can be fatal.

Down:

1. 12-point type: PICA - Our only two choices in high school typing

2. "Iliad" god: ARES.

3. Display with pins: CORKBOARD.

4. Complete: ENTIRE - $74.90 for the ENTIRE series in paperback

5. Beasts with snouts: SWINE.

6. Clumsy character: OAF.

7. Hash browns, e.g.: FRIED POTATOES - I considered RICED and DICED for _ _ _ ED POTATOES

8. Have regrets: FEEL BAD.

9. Lapse: SLIP.

10. Town hall meeting attendees: CITIZENS.

11. Lessen: ABATE.

12. Space blanket material: MYLAR - They reflect body heat back to keep you warm

13. Refuse: SAY NO.

17. Reason for revenge: SCORE TO SETTLE - A lousy philosophy 

21. Remove, as from a schedule: AXE - Whole lotta that goin' on

23. "No promises" tag: AS IS 

25. Required game payment: ANTE.

28. Make sure not to overlook: MIND.

30. Prefix with -gon: DECA.

32. Like Alaska's climate: SUBARCTIC.

33. River to the Caspian Sea: URAL - The watershed of the URAL River is within the blue dotted area

34. Easily dominated: MEEK.

36. Break down the resistance of, as a customer: SOFTEN UP.

38. Means of escape: OUTS.

41. Cry that's from hunger?: LET'S EAT.

44. Current drama that ranks third behind "Gunsmoke" and "Lassie" in total original episodes, familiarly: SVU - If you're a devotee...

45. Japanese industry giant, or the city in which it's headquartered: TOYOTA - Almost a 4-hr drive from Tokyo

46. Places for black belts: DOJOS - Moviedom's most famous DOJO?

47. Legally establish: ENACT.

48. __ Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk: BRUCE - Dr. Bruce Banner (Bill Bixby), uh, hulking out to become The Hulk (Lou Ferrigno)

50. Scorn, as the rules: FLOUT - Some FLOUT the quarantine requests 

52. Game divs.: QTRS.

54. Capital of Oman: RIAL - 1ريال is approximately $2.60

55. Actress Dudek of "House": ANNE.

58. Wetland: FEN - We drive by this FEN north of Lincoln on our drive there

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