Double, Double Toil and Trouble; Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble. Notice that each of the theme answers is in the Down position. The word Double can precede both words of each theme answer to give us a new concept.
3-Down. * Verify using multiple sources: CROSS CHECK. Double Cross. Double check.
7-Down. * Gadget function typical of most similar gadgets: STANDARD FEATURE. Double Standard. Double feature.
21-Down. * Many a Match.com get-together: BLIND DATE. Double Blind. Double date.
23-Down. * Four-dimensional mathematical system: SPACE TIME. Double Space. Double time.
And the Unifier:
30-Down. Blackjack bet ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: DOUBLE DOWN.
Across:
3-Down. * Verify using multiple sources: CROSS CHECK. Double Cross. Double check.
7-Down. * Gadget function typical of most similar gadgets: STANDARD FEATURE. Double Standard. Double feature.
21-Down. * Many a Match.com get-together: BLIND DATE. Double Blind. Double date.
23-Down. * Four-dimensional mathematical system: SPACE TIME. Double Space. Double time.
And the Unifier:
30-Down. Blackjack bet ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: DOUBLE DOWN.
Across:
1. Delicate, like curtain fabric: LACY.
5. "Divine" nickname for singer Bette: MISS M. I think I still have this Bette Midler (b. Dec. 1, 1945) album somewhere. A friend gave it to me back in my college days.
10. Muslim prayer leader: IMAM.
14. Farmland measure: ACRE.
15. "Star Wars" droid: ARTOO. R2-D2 is the short one.
17. Pairs: DUOs.
18. Rings like church bells: PEALS.
19. Actor Baldwin: ALEC. Alec Baldwin (b. Apr. 3, 1958) played Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock.
20. UFO crew, it's said: ETs. I saw the movie ET with my sister the day before she went into the Peace Corps.
21. Cap'n's mate: BOS'N.
22. Measure of a celeb's popularity: Q-SCORE. The Q Score (Quotient Score) is a measurement of the familiarity and appeal of a celebrity (or brand or company). The higher the score, the more highly regarded the celeb.
24. Arnaz-Ball studio: DESILU. Portmanteau of Desi Arnez (Mar. 2, 1917 ~ Dec. 2, 1986) and Lucille Ball (Aug. 6, 1911 ~ Apr. 26, 1989).
26. Bikini specs: D CUPS. This clue and answer should have appeared in last Wednesday's puzzle.
28. Lit __: CRIT. Short for Literary Criticism. Meh!
29. Field of knowledge: AREA.
30. Use a shovel: DIG.
33. "Suzanne" songwriter Leonard: COHEN. Leonard Norman Cohen (Sept. 21, 1934 ~ Nov. 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist.
35. Vein contents: ORE.
36. New York governor Andrew: CUOMO. // And 34-Down. Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan __: OMAR. And that's enough for the politics.
38. Set right: AMEND.
39. Rx writers: MDs. Medical Doctors write prescriptions.
40. Chopin composition: ÉTUDE. Frédéric Chopin (Mar. 1, 1810 ~ Oct. 17, 1849) had an interesting life. Back when I was learning piano, I had to play some of his études.
41. Tried to outrun: RACED.
42. Away from the bow: AFT. Think of a boat or ship.
43. Crockett's "Miami Vice" partner: TUBBS. I never watched Miami Vice, but I knew of the characters. The show ran from 1984 to January 1990. Don Johnson (b. Dec. 15, 1949) portrayed Sonny Crocket and Philip Michael Thomas (b. May 26, 1949) portrayed Rico Tubbs.
44. Noah's project: ARK.
45. Top of the line: A-ONE.
47. "The __ From Ipanema": GIRL.
48. Skylit courts: ATRIA.
49. "My turn": I'M NEXT.
52. Den music system: STEREO.
55. Went like the dickens: TORE. I initially tried Sped.
57. Narc's org.: DEA. As in the Drug Enforcement Administration.
58. Difficult: HARD.
59. Everest or Rushmore: MOUNT. I just read Black Hills, by by Dan Simmons. It is an interesting novel about a young Sioux warrior who fought in the Battle of Little Bighorn, then later was a worker on the creation of the Presidential faces on Mount Rushmore.
Mask Up, All!
61. Rhine city: BONN.
62. Jason's ship: ARGO. // Which crosses with 54-Down. Start of a conclusion: ERGO. The former is a CSO to our very own Lemonade.
63. View from the moon: EARTH. The blue marble.
64. Furry Endor creature: EWOK. Creepy little creatures from the Star Wars films.
65. Othello, for one: MOOR. Othello is a play by Willie the Shakes. If you don't know the story, here are the CliffNotes.
66. Sandwiches for dessert: OREOs. They come in all different flavors.
67. Raggedy dolls: ANNs. I had a Raggedy Andy when I was a child.
Down:
1. Put on, as cargo: LADED.
2. Less than right, angle-wise: ACUTE.
What A Cute Angle!
4. "Absolutely": YES!
5. Plan, as a route: MAP OUT.
6. Infuriates: IRES.
8. Note after fa: SOL.
9. Muslim temple: MOSQUE. The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, which was originally build in the 500s CE as an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral; became a mosque in the 1450s; and was converted to a museum in the 1934s, became a mosque again, just a few weeks ago. I hope it will be open to visitors as it is a beautiful building with truly specular art and mosaics. I was fortunate to have visited it a few years ago.
10. All-in-one Apples: iMACs. We have a mini mac that is quite old and now needs an update.
11. Venus de __: MILO.
12. Asian laptop brand: ACER. I learned of this company from doing the crossword puzzles.
13. Riot squad spray: MACE. Also a medieval weapon of war.
25. Goddess of peace: IRENE. Good Night, Irene.
27. Top of a wave: CREST.
31. Website with film info: IMDb. The Internet Movie Database.
32. "And So It __": Billy Joel: GOES.
33. Siena sweetheart: CARA. Today's Italian lesson.
35. Yemeni neighbor: OMANI. Both countries are found on the Saudi peninsula.
37. Reversal: U-TURN. At least it's not a Uie or Uey.
46. Words from Juliet: O! ROMEO. More from Willie the Shakes.
47. Saddle bands: GIRTHS.
48. Zeal: ARDOR.
50. Gas from the Greek for "strange": XENON. Xenon (Xe) is an inert gas with the atomic number of 54.
51. Wartime vehicles: TANKS.
52. Fake: SHAM. Is a pillow sham a fake pillow?
53. Poi root: TARO. A crossword staple.
56. Aware of: ON TO.
60. Blade in the water: OAR.
61. Actress Arthur: BEA. Bea Arthur (née Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 ~ Apr. 25, 2009) was a stage actress before becoming a television star.
Here's the Grid:
Here's the Grid:
The little quiz I added to last week's puzzle was meant to be a joke because Worcestershire Sauce is a funny word and a bit hard to say.
