Vowel Progress with the letter "B".
17-Across. Where Alcatraz sits: SAN FRANCISCO BAY.
23-Across. Disc sport popular on college campuses: ULTIMATE FRISBEE.
38-Across. Give-it-a-test-run advice: TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. "I" sound with a "U" vowel.
48-Across. Storied pot-of-gold spot: END OF THE RAINBOW.
59-Across. Hiding-your-eyes parent-baby game: PLAYING PEEK-A-BOO. "U" sound with an "O" vowel
Across:
1. Prepared, as a bed: MADE.
5. Scuttlebutt: RUMOR.
10. Col. Sanders's chain: KFC. Formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC seems to be very popular in Egypt. We saw many KFC restaurants in Egypt, but chose not to eat there, opting for local fare instead.
13. Soft palate feature that translates to "little grape": UVULA. Today's Latin lesson. This "little grape" has become a crossword staple. It's function is to seal off the nasal cavity from the throat during swallowing. It works well, except when you are barfing.
15. Battery terminal: ANODE.
16. Right-angle shape: ELL.
20. Towel embroidery word: HIS.
21. Like many meds: ORAL.
22. "A __ Day's Night": Beatles song: HARD.
28. Shakespearean fairy queen: MAB. Queen Mab is referenced in Mercutio's speech in Act I, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliette.
29. Jay of late-night TV: LENO. Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) was the host of the Late Show with Jay Leno in the '90s and aughts. I though his humor had a mean streak.
30. Lady's man: LORD.
33. "A Room of One's Own" author: WOOLF. Virginia Woolf (née Adeline Virginia Steven; Jan. 25, 1882 ~ Mar. 28, 1941) is considered one of the most important modernist 20th century authors. Sadly, she also suffered from depression and died by suicide at age 59.
35. Admirer: FAN.
42. Kiki, Sandra or Ruby: DEE. Kiki Dee (née Pauline Matthews; b. Mar. 6, 1947) is a British singer; Sandra Dee (née Alexandra Zuck; Apr. 23, 1942 ~ Feb. 20, 2005) and Ruby Dee (née Ruby Ann Wallace; Oct. 27, 1922 ~ June 11, 2014) were both American actresses.
43. Brainiacs, maybe: NERDS. Also the name of a candy.
44. Mass __: an I-90 nickname: PIKE. The Massachusetts Turnpike is a toll road.
45. Fair: JUST.
46. "Dude!": BRO.
56. Achy: SORE.
57. What a slob makes: MESS.
58. Nitrogen-based dye: AZO.
64. Veer off course: YAW.
65. Vegan and Paleo regimens: DIETS.
66. Roadside hot dog seller: STAND. The famous Lucky Dogs.
67. NBC staple for 45 years: SNL. Saturday Night Live is also a crossword staple.
68. Daisy variety: OX-EYE.
69. Three in a deck: TREY.
Down:
1. __ pork: Chinese menu item: MU SHU. Food! as our friend Steve would say.
2. To no __: in vain: AVAIL.
3. Kirsten of Spider-Man films: DUNST. Kirsten Caroline Dunst (b. Apr. 30, 1982) also stars in On Becoming a God in Central Florida.
4. Toymaker for Santa: ELF. Fortunately, they wore their masks this past year.
5. Charged: RAN AT.
6. Mom's brother: UNCLE. My mom had no brothers.
7. "Surely you don't mean me?!": MOI.
8. Has too much, briefly: ODs. As in Over Doses.
9. __ center: REC. As in a Recreation Center.
10. Skewered dish: KEBAB. Yummers!
11. Bell-bottom bottom: FLARE.
12. Only non-rhyming Pac-Man ghost: CLYDE.
14. Roastery draw: AROMA.
18. Many a Mideast native: ARAB.
19. Very, very: OH, SO.
24. Website for film buffs: IMDb. As in the Internet Movie Database.
25. Polar bear hangouts: FLOES.
26. Bank (on): RELY.
27. Inside scoop: INFO.
30. Inc., in England: LTD.
31. Underground find: ORE. A crossword staple.
32. Pastrami holder: RYE.
33. Value: WORTH.
34. Chicago airport code: ORD. The airport code is ORD because it was originally known as Orchard Depot Airport. The airport was renamed to O'Hare in 1949 in honor of Edward O'Hare (Mar. 13, 1914 ~ Nov. 26, 1943), a navy aviator who was shot down in World War II.
35. "The X-Files" org.: FBI. The X-Files ran from September 1993 until May 2002.
36. Arctic seabird: AUK. It's name is derived from the Icelandic word álka. They look a little like penguins, except they can fly and are found in the Northern hemisphere.
37. TV's "Science Guy": NYE. Bill Nye (né Willima Sanford Nye; b. Nov. 27, 1955) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.
39. Plenty, in texts: ENUF.
40. Gala: FEST.
41. "Once __ ... ": UPON. Once Upon a time there was ... a piece of wood. Do you know which children's story that is the opening line to?
45. Kangaroo kid: JOEY.
46. Diamond bag: BASE.
47. Daredevil dangers: RISKS.
48. TV sports awards: ESPYS.
49. Hall of Fame pitcher Ryan: NOLAN. Nolan Ryan (né Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr.; b. Jan. 31, 1947), pitched for the New York Mets, the California Angels, the Houston Rockets Astros, and the Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball of Fame in 1999.
50. Southern twang: DRAWL.
51. E, on a gauge: EMPTY.
52. Peanut Butter Cup creator: REESE. Yummers!
53. Storybook elephant: BABAR. Babar the Elephant first appeared to entertain children in 1931. The books recount the story of a baby elephant orphaned by a hunter, who finds his way into the city.
54. Layer with a hole: OZONE. Below is a graphic of how the Ozone layer is formed.
55. "Toy Story" cowboy: WOODY. Voiced by Tom Hanks.
60. "Yes, indeed!": I DO!
61. Give a thumbs-down: NIX. This informal word comes to us from the German nichts, which means nothing.
62. "__ whiz!": GEE.
63. Law firm fig.: ATT. As in an Attorney.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
