Theme: Once again, the unifier sums it up perfectly.
60. Skirt, as an issue ... or a hint to the puzzle's circles: DANCE AROUND. To make an evasive move. Here the letters spelling a particular kind of dance book-end the theme fill. It's easy to see if you got the circles. Otherwise, not so much.
17. "ABC" group, with "The": JACKSON FIVE. A pop singing group founded in 1965 with the brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael.
JIVE dance originated in the early 1930's. Not sure how closely modern competitive jive dancing matches the original, but here we go.
26. Part-plant DC Comics superhero: SWAMP THING. A humanoid/plant elemental creature with environmentalist tendencies. It has been featured in comics, movies, animation and a TV series.
SWING dance is from the 1940's big band era.
36. Pioneer's wagon with an upward-curved floor: CONESTOGA. The curve was to prevent cargo from tipping or shifting. You can read about it here.
The CONGA is a dance that likely originated in Africa and came to the U.S. via Cuba, in the 1930's. It's a line dance, never mind that these dancers aren't in a line.
50. Weight loss guru: JENNY CRAIG. Genevieve Guidroz (b. 1932) from Louisiana, married Sindney Crain in 1979. In 1983, they created a nutrition, fitness, and weight loss program in Australia and began offering the program in the United States in 1985.
The JIG is a dance form in 6/8 or 9/8 time with rapid footwork. It is derived from British isles folk dancing of the 16th century.
Hi, Gang. JazzBumpa here to lead you through today's adventure. There's dancing to be done, so let's step to it.
Across:
1. Is sporting: HAS ON. Wears6. Bobby who lost to Billie Jean King in tennis' "Battle of the Sexes": RIGGS.
11. Place to unwind: SPA. Relaxation site
14. Grenoble's river: ISERE. It's 178 mile course runs from its source in the Alps near the Italian border to where it joins the Rhone.
15. Sign up, in Sussex: ENROL. British spelling, I assume
16. Reliever's asset: ARM. Baseball pitcher who replaces the starter.
19. USN clerk: YEO. Shouldn't this be YOEMAN?
20. Hot state: IRE. Anger
21. Heat unit: THERM. A unit equivalent to 100,000 BTU's.
22. Ruhr Valley city: ESSEN. Famous for its coal mining and steel production.
24. Art class subject: NUDE. A form of visual art focussed on the unclothed human form. It's history goes back to the ancient Greeks.
28. Compulsive thief, for short: KLEPTO-. One experiencing a certain kind of impulse-control disorder.
30. Thoughts spoken onstage: ASIDES. Words spoken by a character directly to the audience, not to other characters.
31. Prefix with comic: SERIO-. Some combination of the comic and the serious.
32. "Not for me": PASS. I'll sit this one out.
35. Left on a liner: PORT. Right is starboard.
39. Popular side: SLAW. Chopped cabbage in a vinaigrette or mayonaise dressing.
42. Sore: ACHY. In pain.
43. Makeshift knives: SHIVS. Home-made sharp edged weapons.
47. More minute: TINIER. Smaller
49. Without a musical key: ATONAL. Sure. But can you dance to it?
54. New Haven Ivy: YALE. Founded in 1701.
55. Stream of insults, say: ABUSE. Cruel or harsh treatment.
56. "It's __ to you": ALL UP. Do your part.
58. Given a meal: FED.
59. Printemps month: MAI. In France.
63. Outer: Prefix: ECT-. As in ectoderm.
64. Slices in a pie, often: OCTAD. Any grouping of 8 items.
65. Gold unit: OUNCE. This is the Troy ounce, equal to 31.1034768 grams.
66. Blue shade: SKY.
67. Designer fragrance: C K ONE. A Calvin Klein product
68. Prepared for a TV interview: MIKED. Equipped with a microphone.
Down:
1. Mischief: HI-JINKS. Boisterous or rambunctious carryings-on : carefree antics or horseplay. Mischief is causing annoyance, trouble or minor injury.
2. Ordinarily: AS A RULE. Typically, what you can expect.
3. Any of 11 1860s states: SECEDER. The confederacy. And, yes, it was all about slavery. The Articles of Secession of each confederate state make this abundantly clear.
4. Sitcom planet: ORK. From the the TV show Mork and Mindy.
5. Outdoor home: NEST. Where birds dwell.
6. Agree to more issues: RENEW. Ambiguous clue. To continue a subscription to a publication.
7. Start to structure: INFRA-. Refers to the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise. I dislike this kind of clue for a prefix.
8. Big name in fairy tales: GRIMM. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm, were German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers and authors who together collected and published folklore during the 19th century.
9. Federal URL ending: GOV. The last portion of the internet address.
10. Makes things slippery, in a way: SLEETS. Sleet is a mixture or rain and ice pellets.
11. Closes the marital deal: SAYS I DO. You may now kiss the bride.
12. Peacock, e.g.: PREENER. It straightens its feathers with its beak.
13. Surrounded by: AMONGST. In the midst of.
18. Extremely: OH SO. Very, very.
23. Shout from the main mast: SHIP AHOY. A call to greet or get attention.
25. Momentous victories: EPIC WINS.
27. Part of UTEP: PASO. University of Texas at El . . .
29. Excessively: TOO. As too much, too often, too far, etc.
32. Bench press target, for short: PEC. Pectorals, for long -- each of the four large paired muscles that cover the front of the rib cage and serve to draw the forelimbs toward the chest.
33. Bat wood: ASH. What Bat Man hits with.
34. Metaphor for a mess: STY. Where pigs live.
37. "Breaking Bad" agent: NARC. The word narc is slang shorthand for "narcotics agent," a federal agent or police officer who specializes in laws dealing with illegal drugs.
38. Prime meridian std.: GST. Presumably Greenwich Standard Time. I don't mean to be mean, but I don't think this is legit. Everything I can find refers to Greenwich Mean Time
39. Place near the Pennsylvania Railroad: ST JAMES. Properties on the Monopoly game board.
40. Relax: LIE BACK. Recline
41. Retirement income source: ANNUITY. A form of insurance or investment entitling the investor to a series of annual sums.
44. Down: IN A FUNK. Depressed.
45. Chemical bonding number: VALENCE. The number of chemical bonds between an atom and the other atoms it is bonded to in a molecule.
46. Tobogganed: SLEDDED. Slid down a snowy hill.
48. Ophthalmologist, for short: EYE DOC. An ophthalmologist diagnoses and treats all eye diseases, performs eye surgery and prescribes and fits eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct vision problems.
49. Lago filler: AGUA. Spanish lake with Spanish water.
51. Wound up costing: RAN TO. Total of all purchased items.
52. Highway through Whitehorse: ALCAN. The Alaska Highway (French: Route de l'Alaska; also known as the Alaskan Highway, Alaska-Canadian Highway, or ALCAN Highway) was constructed during World War II to connect the contiguous United States to Alaska across Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. When it was completed in 1942, it was about 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) long. [Wikipedia]
53. __-France: ILE DE. A region in north-central France. It surrounds the nation’s famed capital, Paris, an international center for culture and cuisine with chic cafes and formal gardens.
57. Senior's highlight: PROM. A formal dance, often with a theme [but not part of this puzzle's theme] held near the end of the academic year.
61. Comic strip cry: ACK. Of pain or dismay.
62. Non opposite: OUI. No and Yes in the Ile de France, ne c'est pas?
Cool regards!
