Wednesday, April 14, 2021, Julian Lim

Theme: GRAMAGRAM

Gramagram sounds like a telegram from your grandmother, but it's actually a word that sounds like letters. Example: Seedy (CD), or excellency (XLNC). In today's puzzle, we find three words with NME embedded (each crossing two words), which sounds like the word enemy.

 

17. Monument on one end of the National Mall: LINCOLN MEMORIAL.

 

29. Singer of the 2019 #1 hit "Señorita": SHAWN MENDES.

 

44. Local political gathering: TOWN MEETING.

 

59. Upscale restaurant's offering: DEGUSTATION MENU. Dégustation is the careful, appreciative tasting of various food, focusing on the gustatory system, the senses, high culinary art and good company. Dégustation is more likely to involve sampling small portions of all of a chef's signature dishes in one sitting.

 

67. Foe found phonetically in four puzzle answers: ENEMY. 

 

Melissa here. I have heard of 59A but did not remember the phrase. That and a few other unknowns made this a little tougher than a typical Wednesday for me.

Across:

1. Treble symbol: G-CLEF. The leading G tripped me up here - I don't read music. According to Wikipedia: The only G-clef still in use is the treble clef, with the G-clef placed on the second line. This is the most common clef in use and is generally the first clef learned by music students. For this reason, the terms "G-clef" and "treble clef" are often seen as synonymous. 

 
6. "Do the __!": MATH.

10. Toppers with visors: CAPS.

14. Siri's Amazon counterpart: ALEXA. She's very nosey. I never talk to her but she continues to try.

15. Felipe of baseball: ALOU. Former Major League Baseball outfielder, first baseman, and manager. He managed the Montreal Expos and the San Francisco Giants.

 16. "The Thin Man" canine role: ASTA.

20. Cathedral recess: APSE.

21. Expected-in hr.: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

22. At first, say: ON BASE. More baseball. Or romance ;).

23. Falsehood source: LIAR.

25. Rice-like pasta: ORZO.

26. Eleven-yr.-old insurance law: ACA. Obama's Affordable Care Act.

34. Mall cop's ride: SEGWAY.

36. "Brava!": OLE.

37. Schoolbook: TEXT.

38. O. __: HENRY. William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American short story writer.   

39. __ rub: BBQ spices: DRY.

40. One with a need for speed: RACER.

41. Bread spread: OLEO. Aka margarine.

42. Bro's sib: SIS.

43. Mexican state south of Veracruz: OAXACA.

47. "Acid": LSD.

48. Capricorn critter: GOAT. Horoscope.

49. Poker variety: STUD. Stud poker is any of a number of poker variants in which each player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt in multiple betting rounds.  

51. Chosen groups: ELITES.

54. Watched: SAW.

55. File format for digital books: EPUB.

62. Christian on a label: DIOR. French fashion designer. Died in 1957.

63. "Marriage Story" actor Alan: ALDA.

64. "We didn't do it": NOT US.

65. Tall tale: YARN.

66. Itchy red area: RASH.

Down:

1. Lavish party: GALA.

2. Film segment: CLIP.

3. Many a Zeiss product: LENS.

4. Shine: EXCEL.

5. Toy retailer __ Schwarz: FAO. Some think of the scene in Big, when Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia play the piano with their feet. I always think of a line in the song A Secretary is Not a Toy, from the original 1967 movie How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: "And you'll find nothing like her at F.A.O. Schwartz!" Sadly, that lyric was left out in the movie, but the full version was included in the Time Life collection of musicals on vinyl. Still a funny scene.

6. Meditation word: MANTRA.

7. __ mater: ALMA.

8. Piggy in a crib: TOE. Cute.

9. "It's weird, but just do it": HUMOR ME. Snort ... that made me laugh.

10. Ecological levy: CARBON TAX.

11. Himalayas locale: ASIA.

12. Education orgs.: PTAS. Parent Teacher Associations.

13. Bargain hunter's delight: SALE.

18. Patrick __, Vermont senator since 1975: LEAHY.

19. Cinq plus six: ONZE.

24. Words to an old chap: I SAY.

25. Sole: ONLY.

26. Had __: was still in the running: A SHOT.

27. Songwriter Green: CEELO. Sign language class final to a Ceelo tune. Don't view if bad language offends you.

28. Nixon's first veep: AGNEW.

30. Razzie Award adjective: WORST.

31. Hot rod attachment: DECAL. That was

32. Management bigwigs: EXECS.

33. Highly coveted violin: STRAD.

35. Right that isn't right, e.g.: WRONG TURN. Like the clue. Reminds me of a scene from The Long Long Trailer, with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. "You didn't let me finish, I was trying to tell you to turn left. What I was trying to tell you was 'Turn right here, left.'"

39. Paleo __: DIET. Every year a new diet or two. This one is still fairly popular.

40. Tortellini topper: RAGU.

42. Five-armed ocean creature: SEA STAR. Aka, starfish.

43. When a football may be snapped: ON TWO.

45. Springfield bar: MOES. Everything I know about The Simpsons I learned from crosswords, and I never remember this.

46. Old Testament prophet: ISAIAH.

50. Exorcist's target: DEMON.

51. Jacuzzi effect: EDDY.

52. Kylo Ren's mother: LEIA. Once it filled in, it made sense, but I had no idea who Kylo Ren was.

53. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.

54. Criteria: Abbr.: STDS.

56. Best of the Beatles, once: PETE. Replaced by Ringo Star as the drummer in 1962.

57. Word on U.S. coins: UNUM. E pluribus unum – Latin for "Out of many, one" – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on coins and on the Great Seal.

58. At it: BUSY.

60. __ carte: ALA.

61. Omaha-to-St. Paul dir.: NNE.