Sunday, August 12, 2018 Gary Larson

Theme: "Sounds Like a Snooze" - S sound is changed into Z sound.

23A. Liquor store?: BUZZ DEPOT. Bus depot.

25A. Feeding time for the herd?: GRAZE PERIOD. Grace period.

46A. Caribbean island chain?: CAYS BY CAYS. Case by case.

67A. Make change for a five?: GIVE THE ONES OVER. Give the once over.

93A. Funding for cops?: FUZZ BUDGET. Fussbudget.

115A. "No legumes for me, please"?: KEEP THE PEAS. Keep the peace.

117A. Slept through the alarm?: OVER-DOZED. Overdosed.

16D. Much-admired cooktop?: PRIZE RANGE. Price range.

73D. Withhold enthusiasm?: HARBOR ZEAL. Harbor seal.

No label in our blog for Gary Larson. Must be his LA Times debut. Congrats, Gary!

I learned last year that S after vowels are pronounced like z sound. S after consonants are S, thanks to D-Otto and dear Santa. I always pronounced PEAS the same as PIECE.

Total 9 Z's. This alone makes gridding a bit tougher.

Across:

1. Door feature: KNOB.

5. Butcher shop section: SLAB.  Here is a Chinese butcher shop.

9. Minor: LESSER.

15. Bridge: SPAN.

19. "American Gigolo" star: GERE (Richard). Did not fully under the movie when I watched it years ago.

20. Pocket often filled: PITA. Great clue.

21. Get there: ARRIVE.

22. First name at Woodstock: ARLO.

27. Post-Thanksgiving dinner feeling, for many: FOOD COMA. Boomer made tasty fried chicken with this breading the other day.

28. City near Düsseldorf: ESSEN.

29. Bring down: RAZE.

30. Dante's half-dozen: SEI. Triple due.

31. L.A. Clippers' org.: NBA.

33. Disqualify (oneself), as a judge: RECUSE.

35. One of many on most phones: APP.

38. Second Amendment concern: FIREARMS.

43. Kicks out, in a way: DEPORTS. Sensitive word.

49. Hydroelectric project: DAM.

51. Capital NNW of Albany: OTTAWA.

52. Home subcontractor: TILER. Do you have Plumb Right in your area? Our bathroom tiles leak, but they want us to replace the bathtub as well. We declined. Been using some makeshift measure.

53. Literary tribute: ODE.

54. Gets promoted: RISES.

56. Like neat freaks: ANAL. Glad Rich allows it in grids these days.

57. Ravaged by time: AGE-WORN.

59. Updates, as a reference book: RE-ISSUES.

62. Actress Scala: GIA. Hi, nice to meet you!

63. __ oil: SESAME. We never stir-fry with sesame oil. Always a few drops in salad or soup.

64. Sound file extension: WAV.

65. 2007 Will Smith sci-fi flick: I AM LEGEND.

71. Itemized deductions form: SCHEDULE A.

74. Yellow Sea peninsula: Abbr.: KOR. Korea.

75. Phrase often abbreviated: ET ALIA.

79. Spat suffix: ULA.

80. Paul's letters: EPISTLES.

82. Trash collectors: ASHCANS.

83. Good sound at the garage: PURR.

85. Hodgepodges: OLIOS. I use Olio as part of my Subject Line at times.

86. Flower starter: BUD. I love Katie's True Lilies. So sorry about the fall, TTP! Did you beat last year's champ at the outing?

88. Property owner's income: RENTS.

89. Insurgency troops: REBELS.

92. Back at sea?: AFT.

95. Reclusive: ASOCIAL. I've become one.

97. Rats: STOOLIES.

99. Trains over roads: ELS.

100. Use as support: REST ON.

102. Cartoon collectible: CEL.

103. Some laptops: HPS.

106. "Master of None" star Ansari: AZIZ. He made me laugh. Hope he bounces back soon.

107. Many a Bob Marley fan: RASTA.

110. Toy mentioned in "The Chipmunk Song": HULA HOOP.

119. Phi Delt, e.g.: FRAT.

120. Discomfort: UNEASE.

121. Gather: REAP.

122. Ness' feds: T MEN.

123. News pg. units: COLS. Column.

124. Co-star of TV's "Dr. Kildare": MASSEY. Unfamiliar to me. I just realized I confused Dr. Kildare with Dr. Kimble.

125. Drops off: NAPS.

126. First name in desserts: SARA.

Down:

1. Cold War gp.: KGB.

2. Nice nine?: NEUF. Just French for "nine".

3. Ricelike pasta: ORZO.

4. Amazon founder: BEZOS (Jeff). And 34. 4-Down, e.g.: CEO. His name is not as crossword-friendly as ELON. 

5. Spell out: SPECIFY.

6. Cosmetic surg. option: LIPO.

7. Bit of physics: ATOM.

8. React, barely: BAT AN EYE.

9. California-based shoe company: LA GEAR. Never worn their shoes. You?

10. Bungles it: ERRS.

11. Span. titles: SRAS.

12. Jeweler's fitting tool: SIZER. Learning moment for me.

13. Smoothed: EVENED.

14. Agent: REP.

15. City south of Tampa: SARASOTA.

17. Burn balm: ALOE. My plant died, but I was able to cut one leaf and tested the juice. Made me itch. Will stick with Trader Joe's aloe vera gel.

18. Silent signal: NOD.

24. '50s political monogram: DDE.

26. Blow: ERUPT.

32. __-relief: BAS.

35. Serve in the capacity of: ACT AS.

36. He pitched in the majors at age 59: PAIGE (Satchel). The power of hot shower!

37. Gomer and Goober of old TV: PYLES.

39. Computer symbol: ICON.

40. "Awesome!": RAD.

41. Year Columbus' fourth and last voyage began: MDII. 1502.

42. More impertinent: SASSIER.

44. Clemens, familiarly: TWAIN (Mark). Samuel, not Roger.

45. __ fork: SALAD

47. Waste: SEWAGE.

48. Trite comment: BROMIDE. New word to me also.

50. Small plateaus: MESAS.

54. Takes back: REVOKES.

55. Sport for heavyweights: SUMO. You can't succeed in that sport being a 200-pounder. Double up!

58. Gun, as an engine: REV UP.

59. "Norma __": RAE.

60. Fabled northern workers: ELVES.

61. Transparent, informally: SEE-THRU.

64. Alternative scenarios: WHAT IFS.

66. Favored: GRACED.

68. Former Belgian prime minister Di Rupo: ELIO. Forgot. We had him before. Wiki says he was "Belgium's first Prime Minister of non-Belgian descent, and the world's second openly gay head of government in modern times".

69. Edison contemporary: TESLA. Also 77. Silicon Valley giant: INTEL.

70. Rejections: NOS.

71. Old Toyota: SUPRA.

72. Hints: CLUES.

76. "Tootsie" Oscar winner: LANGE.

78. Staff members: Abbr.: ASSTS.

81. 1990s-2000s Senate majority leader: LOTT (Trent). He resigned due to an insensitive remark.

82. Axlike tool: ADZE.

84. Box office: RECEIPTS.

86. Megaphone kin: BULLHORN.

87. Special forces weapon: UZI.

90. "Mephisto Waltz" composer: LISZT.

91. Idled: SAT.

93. Other side: FOE.

94. C equivalents: B SHARPS.

96. Ochoa who was the top-ranked female golfer when she retired: LORENA. She was at the 2008 US Open held here in MN, but Natalie Gulbis drew the biggest crowd. Natalie always does.

98. Dublin-born playwright: O'CASEY (Sean)

101. Scruffs: NAPES.

104. High deg.: PHD.

105. Blackens, in a way: SOOTS.

106. Flight prefix: AERO.

108. Overwhelming quantities: SEAS. Yeah, I still pronounce the last S as S, not Z. Just can't change the habit.

109. Electrify, in a way: TASE.

111. Eye layer: UVEA.

112. Logical omission: LEAP.

113. Baum princess: OZMA. Princess Ozma. Of Oz.

114. Jury member: PEER.

115. Prominent poultry purveyor: KFC.

116. Run smoothly: HUM.

118. It's in our genes: DNA.

C.C.

Saturday, August 11, 2018, Samuel A. Donaldson

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Samuel A. Donaldson

This second Saturday in August gives me a chance for a nice homage to a wonderful bowler and blogger, Doug "Boomer" Burnikel. We have all enjoyed his tales from the alleys along with his witty and wise blog commentary.  

My engagement in this sport stems from my family's participation starting with my dad's bowling upstairs in alleys that still had pin boys to mom and dad bowling in a mixed league with Joann and me. Our girls played a lot of Pacman, etc. while we carved out very mediocre scores on the lanes. Unfortunately this was during the time smoking was still allowed and clothes had to be hung outside to get rid of the odor.

Today's constructor is Samuel A. Donaldson, a lawyer in Atlanta GA. Here is Samuel in a 2009 interview with C.C. 

Across:

1. Lower one's credit rating?: LOSE FACE - I struggled with this a bit and finally surmised this is the credit at issue.

9. Complain. All. The. Time.: YAMMER  - Loud and sustained repetitive noise that can people to 14. Feel offended by: RESENTment

15. Accessory seen in a loge: OPERA HAT - I know the one on the left is correct but doncha just love the one on the right made from paper plates?

16. Scour, say: ABRADE - Has made some recent visits here

17. Soft drinks with lime juice: VIRGIN DAIQUIRIS - A lovely looking refreshment sans rum (correction)

19. Cash bar?: INGOT - Here we see some in Fort Knox

20. Investment option: PUT - This is all you're getting from me 22. "Likewise no": NEITHER DO I - My answer if you say , "I don't understand puts and calls"

21. Short way?: RTE.

26. "The Da Vinci Code" priory: SION - A secret society formed in 1099 whose members included Da Vinci, Victor Hugo, Botticelli and Newton

27. Miracle-__: GRO - The "secret sauce" for my master gardener wife's lovely yard and garden

28. Feel pity: BLEED  - I would change pity to allegiance for this billboard in Lincoln

29. Water conduit: SPOUT and 30. Water holders: PAILS - All right, who filled my PAIL with water from the SPOUT?

31. Great guy?: SCOTT.

32. "I'll have the last laugh!": JUST YOU WAIT - Liza sings of her impending revenge on Professor 'enry 'iggins

34. Prairie home: TEPEE.

35. Internet annoyance: TROLL in a medium full of 2. Contributor of two cents: OPINERS, there are going to be some online just YAMMERING about one thing or another 

36. Just passed: GOT A D 

37. Longest river in France: LOIRE - From the French Alps to the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean)

38. What's worn when you're out?: PJ'S - Optional

41. One often thrown from a horse: ROPE - Seems cruel to me. BTW, I'm probably the only one who put DUDE first. 

42. Exorcist's concern: POSSESSION - You can google the bedroom scene from The Exorcist is you like. Yikes!

44. "WWE Raw" airer: USA - I am not a fan of these quasi athletic soap operas on steroids but am fine with people who are

45. __ Four: FAB - Yes,when I was 18,  I was one of the millions who tuned into The Ed Sullivan Show on this February, 1964 night to watch them. The sight and sound of the boys AND the audience are incredible.

46. Solemn song: DIRGE  

47. Many UFO videos: DOCTORED FOOTAGE - This CGI generated fakery from Mexico is called Objeto Volador No Identificado

52. Small racer: GO KART.

53. What "instant" may mean: ADD WATER 

54. Happens next: ENSUES  - Lucy and Ethel get a job and hilarity ENSUES in this famous scene

55. Cocky walks, maybe: SAUNTERS - Mick Jagger 


Down:

1. Member of TLC: LOVING - My first instinct was TENDER or LOVING but thought that was too easy for Saturday and so I tried to recall the names of the female singing group and all I could think of was "Left-Eye"

3. Artist Aragonés of Mad: SERGIO  - Famous for his wordless cartoons, he has been in over 450 Mad Magazine editions

4. Grain bane: ERGOT - esoteric agricultural term

5. Like some private school curricula: FAITH-BASED - My youngest daughter is employed in just such an institution 

6. Philip __, first Asian-American film actor with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star: AHN - An American-born actor of Korean parents, he has a very long list of roles including Mr. Kim the tailor in M*A*S*H

7. Two-timer: CAD.

8. American posting, for short: ETA - American Airlines Estimated Time of Arrival

9. Arizona people: YAQUI - Unknown to me

10. Touch: ABUT - An unfortunate juxtaposition of words today?

11. ER test: MRI - Upside? Accurate diagnoses. Downside? Big time claustrophobia. 

12. Omni alternative: MARRIOTT.

13. Bleep: EDIT OUT - Encourages lip reading when someone 31. Cursed: SWORE on TV

18. Player for a 39-Down: IPOD worn by a 39. One on the run: JOGGER.

23. Type type: ELITE - Pica and ELITE were our only two choices in my ute

24. Fall back (on): RELY.

25. FireDome and Fireflite: DESOTOS  - My small hometown was 98% Ford or GM cars with the occasional Plymouth. Nary a DESOTO

26. Give away, in a way: SPOIL - What, Bob Newhart wakes up back in Chicago and the New Hampshire Inn was just a dream? Way to SPOIL it!

29. Pares proportionately: SCALES DOWN - If 10% of the workers go, so does 10% of management. Right? 

30. Cocoon occupants: PUPAE.


32. Astronaut transports: JETPACKS - Bruce McCandless becomes the first NASA astronaut to fly untethered from his space craft in 1983 (1:08)

33. Leon on many spines: URIS - One of our fav authors with lovely letters

34. "Am I early?": TOO SOON.

36. Unhealthy thing to hold: GRUDGE.

37. Stud site: LOBE  - Ear

38. PNC Park player: PIRATE.

40. Scornful looks: SNEERS.

42. Dealer's supply: PARTS - My _ A R _ S dealer had CARDS at first 

43. Occupy, as a bar: SIT AT  - A posture my dad perfected 

45. "Look out!": FORE - Tiger may not have yelled FORE on this errant shot which hit this man two weeks ago but the guy did get an autographed glove (:14)

48. Fraternity character: TAU.

49. Courtroom VIPs: DA'S - Your fav?

50. OTC drug overseer: FDA.

51. Norfolk sch.: ODU - In Virginia

Hopefully your experience on today's puzzle was a nice as this shot on National Bowling Day

DA GRID:

Friday, August 10, 2018, Chuck Deodene

Title: G where is my twin?

Chuck Deodene is back after another absence, bringing my third Friday opportunity to blog his work. Chuck was first published in the NYT back in 1994, and we saw him initially in 2009. This time he takes two-word phrases with the first word ending with  "G" and the second word beginning with a "G." He then excises the G from the second word and clues the result with amusing consequences. The phrases have nothing in common either before or after the removal of the letter.  The tricky part is noticing that there is a "G" missing. Our brains like FILLING IN THE BLANKS. With 5 themers, 55 squares of theme it is impressive to see added fill CHANGEUP, DEVALUED, EMOTICON, RADIO SET, SHINBONE, and TAG ALONG. Off to see the wizard,,,

18A. Passion for quilt filling?: BATTING GLOVE (11). My grandmother and one of my first cousins quilted. I do not know much about it. LINK. I was a pitcher and did not use a batting glove.

24A. Contest among bank customers?: SAVING GRACE (10). In the US, we are not very good at saving money WORLD MAP but we are not the worst. A saving grace is a good quality or feature in a person or thing that prevents them from being completely bad or worthless. Ageing's one saving grace is you worry less about what people think about you.

38A. Segment of a clogging contest?: STOMPING GROUND (13). I have not been to a competition but have seen a performance each year at the TASTE OF TAMARAC and do not know how many rounds in the CONTEST. Do you have a place where you regularly spend time; a favorite haunt?

51A. Airline passenger's arrival malady?: LANDING GEAR (10). There is a real malady known as AIRPLANE EAR, which is not related to the landing gear.

59A. Female observer?: LOOKING GLASS (11).  Interestingly, a looking glass is a mirror which is often the best friend (worst enemy) of a lass. 

Across:

1. Staples buys: PCS.  We begin with Personal Computers.

4. Pooh-pooh, with "at": SCOFF. This may derive from an Icelandic word skaup. "The superstition of science scoffs at the superstition of faith." Short Studies on Great Subjects by James Anthony Froude.

9. Author Stieg Larsson, for one: SWEDE. He died before his famous trilogy became movies LINK.

14. Deduction cry: AHA. The V-8 moment.

15. "While I've got your attention ... ": OH SAY can you see?

16. Big name in seating: EAMES. This COUPLE designed the eponymous lounge chair.

17. Zip on a field: NIL. A very common score in international football mtches.

20. Fall cause: TRIP.

22. Not heard before: NEW. A new clue for old fill.



23. 1945 summit site: YALTA. So much controversy and so much fallout from this CONFERENCE. 33A. "The buck stops here" president: TRUMAN. He took over for the POTSDAM Conference.

27. __ Road Ensemble, group initiated by Yo-Yo Ma: SILK. Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in 1998 as a reminder that even as rapid globalization resulted in division, it brought extraordinary possibilities for working together. Seeking to understand this dynamic, he began to learn about the historical Silk Road, recognizing in it a model for productive cultural collaboration, for the exchange of ideas and tradition alongside commerce and innovation. A truly global effort. various.

29. Portaged craft: CANOE. Portage or portaging is the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a portage. wiki.

30. Needing no Rx: OTC. Over The Counter.

32. Stick in a hall: CUE. Pool hall.

36. Baloney: HOOEY.

41. Jokhang Temple city: LHASA. The Jokhang, also known as the Qoikang Monastery, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery and Zuglagkang, is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet.

42. Words spoken with one's hand raised: A TOAST. L'chaim.

43. Corp. bailed out in 2008: AIG. American International Group.

44. Auction set: LOT. Moment of LEARNING.

46. Made hands of: DEALT. Card playing.

49. Swatting target: GNAT.

55. Grass unit: BLADE.

57. Yield from una mina: ORO. A Spanish Gold Mine.

58. Laser-cut, perhaps: ETCH. There is so much I do not KNOW.

62. __ jump: SKI.

63. Unexpressed: INNER. Remember Bradshaw and his inner child?

64. Pulitzer poet Conrad __: AIKEN. Conrad Potter Aiken was born in Savannah, Georgia, on August 5, 1889. When he was a small boy, his father killed his mother and committed suicide himself, a tragedy that had a profound impact on Aiken’s development. He was raised by a great-great-aunt in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard in 1912, the same period as T. S. Eliot and E. E. Cummings. He won his Pulitzer Prize in 1930, for his Selected Poems.

65. Work hard (for): GUN.

66. Aboveboard: LEGIT.

67. Handle: SEE TO.

68. Ajar, in verse: OPE. I 'ope this does not catch on, even though I like to keep my mind ope'.


Down:

1. Suit part: PANTS.

2. Former French president: CHIRAC. This MAN.

3. DNA sample source: SALIVA. I did the ancestry spit on a stick; results were too vague.

4. Sound with tears: SOB.

5. Pitcher's surprise: CHANGEUP. The changeup is the staple off-speed pitch, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed coupled with its deceptive delivery is meant to confuse the batter's timing. When I was in high school I was a pitcher, and after my best game - a one-hit shutout - the opposing players came up to me to congratulate me on my amazing changeup. I threw all fastballs, just not as fast as they expected.

6. Kitchen brand: OSTER.

7. Mufti issuance: FATWA. Fatwa, in Islam, is a formal ruling or interpretation on a point of Islamic law given by a qualified legal scholar (known as a mufti). wiki. Rabbis do the same thing in Judaism.

8. "Here's the scoop" letters: FYI. For Your Information.

9. Tokyo-based game company: SEGA.

10. They're thin at budget motels: WALLS.

11. Email adornment: EMOTICON. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ ಠ_ಠ ¯\(°_o)/¯ ( ﾟдﾟ)

12. Weakened, as currency: DEVALUED.

13. Legal add-on: ESE.

19. Siberian freeze-out?: NYET.

21. Mottled equines: PINTOS. PINTO the HORSE.

25. Routine: NORMAL.

26. Crichton novel set in Africa: CONGO.

28. Longboat in Florida, e.g.: KEY. Such beautiful beaches in this AREA.

31. Singled out: CHOSEN.

34. Mazda two-seater: MIATA. A red one sits in the condo parking lot.

35. Hexapod worker: ANT. Six legs.

37. Cause of a blinking "12:00": OUTAGE. A power outage that is.

38. Tibia: SHINBONE. Best I can do.

39. Emulate a little brother, maybe: TAG ALONG.

40. Ham's creation: RADIO SET. Ham radio is back so soon.

41. Tarry: LAG.

45. Author Robert __ Butler: OLEN. “I'll never stop believing it: Robert Olen Butler is the best living American writer, period.” — Jeff Guinn,  LINK. So many books I have never read..

47. Unhands: LET'S GO.

48. Affix to a corkboard: TACK-UP.

50. Castmate of Doohan and Nimoy: TAKEI.

52. "Cross my heart!": NO LIE.

53. Male on a pond: DRAKE. DUCK!

54. View from Schönburg Castle: RHINE. A really cool PLACE.

56. Gossip: DIRT.

59. Diminutive, diminutively: LIL. Abner?

60. Main delivery: GAS. Directly from the gas main.

61. Cold-sounding product prefix: SNO. Cone?

Well, that was a blast. Sometimes simple is good, and and I enjoyed the solve. August is sliding by and I will see you next Friday if the CDR. Lemonade out.

Thursday, August 9th 2018 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: ISLE BE BACK - The Terminator's description of today's theme:

16A. Lombardy skiing destination: THE ITALIAN ALPS. Lanai. Lombardy has all sorts going for it, Milan, great food & wine, Lake Como, skiing. No wonder it's beyond my retirement budget. I blame George Clooney for jacking up the prices.

22B. One of many standing in a Mexican bar: TEQUILA BOTTLE. Bali. The tequila would work well in my 48A restaurant "CANTINA BURRATA" below.

36A. Gene Autry Easter song critter: PETER COTTONTAIL. Crete. Unknown critter for me. Another letter-by-letter fill.

48A. Carl Orff opus: CARMINA BURANA. Aruba. Completely unknown to me. I had ***INA BUR*NA at one point, and decided it had to be a restaurant called CANTINA BUR*** and then BURRATA didn't fit. I didn't know the work, but I certainly know "O Fortuna" from the opus. Here's conductor Simon Rattle giving the Berlin Philharmonic the full eyebrow treatment.

Then the reveal:

58A. Vacation spots found in each set of puzzle circles: ISLAND RETREATS. 

Lawks-a-mercy, this was a toughie! I did a speed warm-up with the monthly puzzle in the United Airlines in-flight magazine (a pre-Shortz NYT reprint) and then cracked my knuckles for a quick JW Thursday jaunt. 70 minutes later, I'm still not done. That ALBI/CARMINA/ACS/LAVISH/BRUSHY perfect storm almost did for me. Finally, FINALLY teased it out. That "Congratulations" Mr. Pencil box was never so welcome. Cracking stuff.

Let's see what else gave me wounds to lick this week:

Across:

1. Kvetch's phrase: OY GEVALT! What? Right off the bat. I should have seen the omen for bad things to come.

9. Obstruct: DAM UP. JAM UP? No.

14. Military award phrase: FOR VALOR. This is the Medal of Honor awarded to Sgt. John Randolph "J.R." McKinney. I never knew him nor met him, but his memorial page came up when I was searching for a suitable image to post. He was also awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman's Badge (the, "See, I Been there") during the Pacific campaign in WWII. He passed away aged 76 in 1997. Thank you for your service.

15. Cut out for marriage?: ELOPE

18. Feed bit: OAT

19. "Can I get a word in here?": AHEM?

20. Addams cousin: ITT

27. Merged comm. giant: G.T.E.

29. Large garden ornament: URN

30. Viewed warily: EYED

31. Looks down on: DISDAINS. This caused me a huge problem. I know "DISTAINS" and so "TEN**" was just not revealing a fabric. I stared down that section for a loooooong time. Finally, I thought that maybe it might be a "D". I looked up DISTAIN after I was done, and apparently it's archaic. That ages me quite precisely, I guess.

34. Gas __: TAX

41. Extreme degree: NTH

42. Moot point: NON-ISSUE

43. Toulouse-Lautrec's birthplace: ALBI. Pretty place. This is the Pont Vieux ("Old Bridge"). I like the French literalism. Which begs the question, why isn't he called "Albi-Lautrec"? Toulouse is a good 74Kms away. We should be told.

46. Like -trix, at times: Abbr.: FEM.

47. Brief "I think": IMO

54. "Law & Order: __": SVU. Special Victims Unit, apparently.

55. Boy of la casa: NIÑO

56. Farmers' business: Abbr.: INS. I like the commercials, the always jaunty "We are Farmers, bam-de-bam, bom, bam-bam-bam". The spokesperson in the commercials, actor J.K. Simmons is a regular patron of my local Italian restaurant. It's tough not to sing the hook line when he walks in.

64. Stand out: SHINE

65. Behind closed doors: IN SECRET

66. Publicizes showily: HYPES

67. Car named for a small warship: CORVETTE

Down:

1. Many times o'er: OFT

2. Pirate song snippet: YO, HO! 

Fifteen men on the Dead Man's Chest — 

Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! 

Drink and the devil had done for the rest — 

Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! 

Robert Louis Stevenson

3. Classic circus adjective: GREATEST

4. Site with clickable RSVPs: EVITE

5. Industrial-sized tank: VAT

6. Helen Keller is on its st. quarter: ALA.

7. Brief chuckle: LOL. Brief, as in abbreviated. Nice clue. First instincts here are HAH! or HAW!

8. Dry run: TRIAL

9. Cygnus' brightest star: DENEB

10. Budget rival: ALAMO

11. Gretchen of "Manchester by the Sea": MOL. I think I saw the movie, but either I gave up on it halfway through, fell asleep or it just didn't register.

12. Presumptuous: UPPITY

13. Mortar's partner: PESTLE. Seems obvious when you fill it in, but my first thought was "BRICKS", closely followed by military ballistics. Considering I used my pestle and mortar more often than bricklaying or aerial bombardment, I wondered why I struggled.

17. Revelation reaction: AHA!

21. "Chopped" host Allen: TED. Gimme. One of my favorite shows, and favorite hosts. He's so classy. Never a bad word to say about anyone.

23. Ice cream buy: QUART

24. "Spenser: For Hire" actor: URICH. I tried URIAH first. Yep, that worked just great.

25. __ particular order: IN NO

26. Student's backpack burden: TEXTS. TESTS/TEXTS. I was wrong at first.

27. Econ. indicator: G.D.P.

28. Exec's accessory: TIE

32. Sturdy fabric: DENIM. I spent about 40 minutes on these nine or ten squares. Paid off in the end, although I'm sure the guy next to me on the plane was wondering if I was trying to solve by sheer stare-down tenacity.

33. RR stop: STN. 

34. Copier need: TONER

35. Jungian archetype: ANIMA

37. Stir-fry staple: TOFU. I use the extra-silky type in pad thai noodles. Tip - pour boiling water over it to drive out the moisture before you fry it. Counter-intuitive I know.

38. Buddha statues, Japanese silk prints, etc.: ASIAN ART

39. Periodic table suffix: -IUM

40. Celestial feline: LEO

43. Carrier products, briefly: ACS. Aircraft from a carrier? AC voltage carried by your power utility company? Appellation d'origine contrôlée wines imported by Robert Carrier? Questions, questions.

44. Profuse: LAVISH

45. Like some hillsides: BRUSHY. Not GRASSY, then. Darn.

49. Ludicrous: INANE

50. Array just before an odometer reaches 100,000: NINES

51. "So?": AND

52. __ acid: BORIC

53. Family member: NIECE

57. Dele canceler: STET

59. Cup rim: LIP

60. Eclectic musician Brian: ENO. Elevators, Roxy Music and U2. Versatile guy, and very useful in crosswords.

61. Original D & D company: TSR. One day, one day I'll remember this.

62. Prepare to drag: REV. As in your engine, before your drag race. Here's the famous start to the race in Grease, filmed here in LA on the not-exactly-bucolic river bed under the 6th Street Bridge.

63. Sault __ Marie: STE.

The seatbelt sign has been on for most of the ride across the country today. I call it "trampolining" when you're bouncing up and down. Amazing the internet cable doesn't get disconnected, eh?

And it's Sierra Tango Echo Victor Echo signing off from 37,000 feet, or 11,280 meters, give or take, in Euro-money.

Here's the grid: