Today's puzzle is pretty self-explanatory. The the circles are arranged in a square, and the letters in each square spell the word FAIR. Interestingly, the first two letters of the unifier also form one of the 5 SQUAREs.
35-Across. Honestly ... also, like each set of circles?: FAIR AND SQUARE.
Across:
1. Big __, California: SUR. It looks pretty.
4. Photographer's directive: SMILE.
9. Medicare section for doctors' services: PART B. Everything you wanted to known about Medicare Part B, but didn't know to ask.
14. Functionality: USE.
15. Hauled away: TOWED.
16. China from Japan: IMARI. Tricky, tricky! Not a typical Tuesday clue. Imari is a term for a colored style of Japanese porcelain (china).
17. Cowed, aptly: BUFFALOED.
19. To help, to Henri: AIDER. Today's French lesson.
20. "House" star Hugh: LAURIE. Hugh Laurie (né James Hugh Calum Laurie; b. June 11, 1959) was also George Blackadder, a character in the BBC comedy Blackadder.
21. "I can't think straight right now": I'M FRIED.
23. "Rocketman" John: ELTON. We were Sir Elton John (né Reginald Kenneth Dwight; b. Mar. 25, 1947) adjacent last week, when his lyricist partner, Bernie Taupin, appeared in the puzzle.
24. "It's obvious": I SEE.
26. Baba in a cave: ALI. A reference to the Arabic folk tale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, from One Thousand and One Nights.
27. "The Waste Land" poet's monogram: TSE. As in T.S. Eliot (né Thomas Sterns Eliot; Sept. 26, 1888 ~ Jan. 4, 1965).
28. Fed. law known as Obamacare: ACA. As in the Affordable Care Act.
29. Hamper: HOG TIE.
32. Industry honcho: BARON.
34. High times?: NOONS.
39. Cubs' group: PRIDE.
40. Between dry and soggy: MOIST.
41. Like library books: REREAD. I am a big fan of using libraries.
43. IRS examiner: AUD. You hope an Auditor doesn't need to examine your tax records.
44. "Don't say anything!": SHH!
47. Always, to a poet: EER.
48. Amazon transports: VANS. The vans are all over the place. The company was just hit with a huge fine in the EU for violating privacy laws.
50. "Caveman" diet: PALEO. Everything you wanted to know about the Paleo Diet, but didn't know to ask.
52. Wok dish: STIR FRY. Yummers!
55. Fire alarms: SIRENS. Also creatures of Greek mythology who lured sailors to become shipwrecked along the rocky clast of their island.
56. Bulgaria's capital: SOFIA.
57. Bob Marley's religion: RASTAFARI.
60. Looked at the wrong way?: OGLED.
61. No longer on one's plate: EATEN.
62. Red choice, briefly: ZIN. These wine abbreviations are become staples in the crossword world.
63. Yule melodies: NOELS. Christmas songs.
64. Tell: SAY TO.
65. ER graph: EKG. As in an Electrocardiogram, also known as an ECG.
Down:
1. Rent from a renter: SUBLET.
2. Regular requests: USUALS.
3. Prove wrong: REFUTE.
4. Ink blot, for one: STAIN. May also be used in a Rorschach test.
5. Espionage figure: MOLE.
6. "Letters from __ Jima": Eastwood film: IWO. Letters from Iwo Jima was a 2006 Japanese-language American film directed by Clint Eastwood.
7. "To Kill a Mockingbird" author: LEE. Shortly before her death in 2016, a second book by Harper Lee (née Nelle Harper Lee; Apr. 26, 1926 ~ Feb. 19, 2016) was published.
8. Money in music: EDDIE. Eddie Money (né Edward Joseph Mahoney; Mar. 21, 1949 ~ Sept. 13, 2019) was a singer-songwriter.
9. "La Vie en Rose" chanteuse: PIAF. Édith Piaf (Dec. 19, 1915 ~ Oct. 10, 1963) was a French singer-songwriter. She was best known for her torch songs.
10. "The Kite Runner" boy: AMIR. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (b. Mar. 5, 1965) was published in 2003. It is a fascinating novel about a slice of life in Afghanistan.
11. Home heater or engine cooler: RADIATOR.
12. Forest perimeter: TREE LINE.
13. They're below par: BIRDIES. A golfing reference.
18. To's opposite: FRO. To and Fro.
22. "I could take it or leave it": MEH!
24. Desktop image: ICON.
25. Folklore sleep aid: SANDMAN.
28. Coach Parseghian: ARA. Ara Raoul Parseghian (May 21, 1923 ~ Aug. 2, 2017) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. He was the football coach at the University of Notre Dame for several years from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.
30. Burden: ONUS.
31. Bearded critter: GOAT.
32. __ one's time: wait: BIDE.
33. Neighborhood: AREA.
35. Off the hook: FREE TO GO.
36. Pellet gun, for one: AIR RIFLE.
37. __-chef: SOUS. A sous-chef is the second in command in the restaurant.
38. Four times a day, in an Rx: Q.I.D. Today's Latin lesson. Q.I.D. is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase:Quater in Die, which means Four Times a Day.
39. Fake, as some nails: PRESS ON. I'll pass on the Press-ons.
42. TV recording device: DVR. We still have a Digital Video Recorder. We occasionally check out DVRs from our public library.
44. Raunchiness: SLEAZE.
45. Playwright Ibsen: HENRIK. Henrik Johan Ibsen (Mar. 20, 1828 ~ May 23, 1906) was a Norwegian playwright. He is best known for his play A Doll's House.
46. Cleaning, as a driveway: HOSING.
49. Lew who played Dr. Kildare: AYRES. I only knew of the early television medical drama that starred Richard Chamberlain (né George Richard Chamberlain; b. Mar. 31, 1934) as Dr. Kildare. Apparently, there was also a movie series in which Lew Ayres (né Dec. 28, 1908 ~ Dec. 30, 1996) played Dr. Kildare in the films.
50. It has keys for flats: PIANO. Cute clue.
51. Chow request: ARF. Another cute clue. The chow refers to the dog breed.
53. Cambodian cash: RIEL.
54. In things: FADS.
55. [Keep this clue]: STET. The word is used by proofreaders, and means: Let It Stand.
58. Remote battery size: AAA.
59. Babe's place: STY.
I hope you found this puzzle to be Fair and Square!
חתולה
Notes from C.C.:
Happy birthday to Melissa, who sacrificed more than we could imagine to help her brother Rick. Melissa founded Adopt an Inmate project and has successfully facilitated thousands of adoptions.
Happy birthday to Melissa, who sacrificed more than we could imagine to help her brother Rick. Melissa founded Adopt an Inmate project and has successfully facilitated thousands of adoptions.