Saturday, November 9, 2019, Joe Deeney

Themeless Saturday by Joe Deeney


I had a very pleasant exchange with Joe about this puzzle and here is his response:

Hi Gary,

I always enjoy reading the Crossword Corner blog post and the comments when I have a puzzle in the LA Times. Of course I'm familiar with her puzzles (and a fan of them!), but I've never had the pleasure of meeting or talking with C.C..

This photo was taken at the Exploratorium in San Francisco in 2014. I believe the device was intended to swap one's hearing left/right. I don't remember much else about it, but I've always enjoyed the photo. :-)

My notes suggest I originally constructed this puzzle in June of 2018. I submitted it to Rich that November; in January, he requested a revision to the SW corner. I gave him a few options and he accepted this version in February.

I keep a running list of potential seed entries for themeless puzzles - I try to limit myself to entries that I've got clever clues for. The seed for this puzzle was SAGITTARIUS, which I clued as [Fall guy?] - I haven't seen the final version yet so I'm not sure if Rich kept the clue. 

I have a unexplained fascination with grids that have 90 degree rotational symmetry - more than half of the themeless grids I construct have this. I thought this grid arrangement would be a fun challenge. In hindsight, the corners are quite difficult to fill cleanly. FUELOILS, DYSONS, and FREONS are all unfortunate plurals that I probably wouldn't use today.

Thanks for your fun photo and sharing a bit about yourself. I look forward to Saturday's blog post! Let me know if you have any more questions.

-Joe

Across:

1. Jacket whose earliest version was created for pilots: BOMBER - This WWII BOMBER jacket was "featured" on Pawn Stars and eventually sold at auction for $2,650

7. Saw the sites?: SURFED - Sites not sights

13. "The Conduct of Life" essayist: EMERSON - All nine of his essays from this 1860 publication

15. Players on the road: TROUPE - Taylor Swift required 82 semis for her TROUPE to set up here in Columbus, Ohio

16. Place to park a whirlybird: HELISTOP - Our local hospital has a HELISTOP where patients are loaded and unloaded. Maintenance is done on the aircraft in a HELIPORT at the local airport.

-and- 

6. Whirlybird part: ROTOR - Both horizontal and vertical

18. Even though: ALBEIT.

19. More than is prudent: ONE TOO MANY - AA motto: "ONE drink is TOO MANY and a thousand aren't enough"

21. If-then-__: programmer's construct: ELSE - Below you get two chances

22. Factor in club selection: LIE - Use a very lofted club and swing hard!

23. Catches on the range: ROPES - ROPES as a cowboy verb here

24. Drilling org.: ROTC - Yeah right, I was the only one who had to change OPEC

25. First of a box set: DISC I - DISC I is their first studio album Please, Please Me

28. DVR button: REW.

29. Crooked: ATILT - Gate Of Europe in Madrid

30. Privileged group: INNER CIRCLE.

33. Sign of fall: SAGITTARIUS - Joe's cluing of "Fall Guy" didn't make it past Rich

34. Comedy of errors?: BLOOPER REEL - Google at your leisure 

35. "Speak up!": SAY IT - "Just shout 'em right out!"

36. Some smoke detector batteries: AA'S - Why do those AA'S always go dead at 3 am? Beep, beep...

37. Spruce (up): SPIFF - Wal Mart's attempt to SPIFF up

41. "Over here!": PSST.

42. Groom carefully: PRIMP.

44. Surly sort: CUR - A CUR can have two or four legs

45. Is in Spain?: ESTA - "Dónde ESTA el baño" is probably a phrase we all have learned to relieve a biological imperative

46. Michigan national park: ISLE ROYALE - Cost to get to ISLE ROYALE from Copper Harbor, MI - $136/person for this boat (round trip),  $7/day National Park user fee and $10/day to park your car at Copper Harbor.

49. Sat on a sill, perhaps: COOLED.

51. Avoided a tag at: SLID INTO - Whit Merrifield SLID INTO and contorted around the tag at second

52. Minolta partner: KONICA.

53. Boards with a jump: LEAPS ON - Or not...

54. Cunning: SNEAKY.

55. V11 vacuums, e.g.: DYSONS - Want one?


Down:

1. Take in: BEHOLD.

2. 1978 horror sequel: OMEN II - Meh...

3. Free-for-alls: MELEES.

4. Many a theatre attendee: BRIT - Theatre/theater

5. Gulf Canada alternative: ESSO.

7. Halts: STAYS - S T _ _ S Hmmm, what else could it be? 

8. Business card letters: URL.

9. "I Spy" actor: ROBERT CULP - Too soon to mention his co-star?

10. They usually have higher flash points than kerosene: FUEL OILS - Kerosene's flashpoint is around 100°F and it's 150°F for FUEL OILS and so the latter is considered to be safer

11. Dispatch: EPISTLE - St. Paul's EPISTLE to the Corinthians contains my favorite words from the Bible

12. Discover: DETECT.

14. Baby shampoo product line: NO MORE TEARS - An ad campaign that has been around for a long time

17. Auditors' follow them: PAPER TRAILS - Part of the PAPER TRAIL that sent Al Capone on an all-expenses-paid trip to Alcatraz

20. Air freshener option: NEW CAR SMELL.

26. PBS cooking show hosted by Mary Ann Esposito: CIAO ITALIA - Here 'ya go

27. Pricey bar: INGOT.

29. Celestial ovine: ARIES - The Ram

31. Pinch: NIP.

32. More than displeasure: IRE.

33. Singer at Woodstock with his "Family": SLY (and the family) STONE - Unlike countless others, SLY has proof he was actually at Woodstock

34. Big wind: BASSOON - First of all, ya gotta love a musical group called The Breaking Winds. Secondly they are a BASSOON - playing quartet, here doing Lady Gaga music  complete with costuming and choreography!

35. Iotas: SPECKS.

38. "Just you watch!": I CAN SO.

39. Atlanta's county: FULTON - When Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was torn down, the outfield fence over which Hank Aaron's 715 sailed was saved in place and a parking lot was built around it

40. Trademarked halocarbon products: FREONS - Everything you could possibly want to know

42. March 14, mathematically: PI DAY - Google is full of many clever, delicious variations

43. Asked too much: PRIED.

47. Jazz singer Anita whose stage name is pig latin for a slang word for "money": ODAY - DOUGH in pig latin is ODAY

48. Performance anxiety: YIPS - Usually associated with golf but can happen to hitters, fielders, field goal kickers, 3-pt shooters, ad infinitum 

50. Luther opponent Johann __: ECK - The Leipzig Debate

Friday, November 8, 2019, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: To B? Yes!

A quick turn around for me with another Friday JW special. This is an add a letter puzzle with the simplicity and consistency that are hallmarks of his work. "B" is added to the first word of the 1st and 3rd theme fill and to the last word of the 2nd and 4th. The resulting fill is very amusing and clued to enhance the humor. But the touch that makes this a Jeffrey creation- each word that has the added letter originally started with a "U." This is the least used of the vowels, so I guess it was chosen to make the puzzle more of a challenge to create. In our afternoon at the airport, we did not discuss this puzzle, but he did mention challenging himself. While I did not discuss the changed clues, I did ask about a few. As always, Jeffrey has variety and some Will Shakespeare, as well as much fun sparkle like: ADULATE, BANK JOB, CRUELLA, ETERNAL, FLEECED, GO BELOW, HINGE ON, HOWARDS, LAST ONE, MODESTY, RETORTS, SANDFLY, and READ A POST which is introduced to the LAT here.

17A. Total confusion at the creamery?: BUTTER CHAOS (11).  This is a fun image with all kinds of slapstick being churned up.

30A. Foot condition seen in oaters?: WESTERN BUNION (13).  The slight outlier, as the pronunciation of the added B-word is changed. I was in my 40s before I knew a bunion is a painful bony bump that develops on the inside of the foot at the big toe joint.

35A. Comparison of a motorcoach to all other travel options?: BUS VERSUS THEM (13). I also think this is pretty funny.

52A. Barista's occupational hazards?: COFFEE BURNS (11). Our local Starbucks staff are more careful than that.

 Across:

1. Long-nosed fish: GAR. Gar, is any of seven species of large North American fishes of the genera Atractosteus and Lepisosteus, in the family Lepisosteidae.

4. Took to the cleaners: FLEECED. A subtle CSO to me and the Golden Fleece.

11. With 29-Down, anticipates potential trouble: HAS. 29D. See 11-Across: AN OUT. The escape route.

14. Burns wrote one on a louse: ODE.  This POEM talks about how we are all equal to a louse.

15. "After this, no more questions": LAST ONE. Is this your clue Jeffrey? See how demanding I am now that he cooperated once. JW's response:  My clue: When it’s gone, you’re left empty-handed. 

16. Tahiti, to Gauguin: ILE. French.

19. Actor Cage, casually: NIC. He changed his name to Nicolas Cage (no H, just like his birth name Nicolas Coppola) after the comic book anti-hero LUKE CAGE who you may not know.

20. Avoided a family affair, perhaps: ELOPED. Very nice clue/fill.

21. Fabled beast: ASS. I wonder which one this refers to? Buridan's Ass?

22. Golden __: AGER. That's us, baby.

23. Carefree adventure: LARK. Not sure why, but this popped into my head. 

24. Little tunneler: ANT. Hey, John Lampkin how are you?

25. "The L Word" co-creator Chaiken: ILENE. I did not know of this successful PRODUCER with a varied background from the Fresh Prince of Belair to Empire and Stumptown.

26. Giant among Giants: OTT. A nice clue for some old-time crossword glue.

27. Alicia Keys record label: RCA. Who really knows or cares? I think she is very talented and attractive but who buys records?

29. Without markup: AT COST.

34. Checked the latest blog entry, say: READ A POST. A nice CSO to each and every one of you.

39. Gershwin classic: SWANEE. The PERFORMANCE is very un-pc.

41. Ike's WWII command: ETO. European Theater of Operations. (Thank you anon. Sometimes I forget what I am doing. Comes with age)

42. Prefix with laryngology: OTO.

43. Throws the game: TANKS. No doubt written for all the Dolphin fans. Of course, they ruined their perfect season by beating the Jets last Sunday.

44. O'er and o'er: OFT. Archaic synonyms.

46. Thunderstruck: AWED.

47. Synagogue storage cabinets: ARKS. Where the Torahs stay when not in use. A nice one at our synagogue.

48. T'ai __: CHI. Tai chi, short for T'ai chi ch'üan or Tàijí quán, is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training, its health benefits, and meditation.

49. Compassionate words: WE CARE. Do you really?

51. TX library honoree: LBJ. There are a few.

54. "Don't Bring Me Down" gp.: ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

55. Fur-loving de Vil: CRUELLA. Do you like the Emma Stone version?

56. "Who __?": New Orleans Saints chant: DAT. The entire chant is: "Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?" "Who dat" may also be used as a noun, describing a Saints fan.

57. Lee follower: REB. R.E. LEE, makes sense.

58. Beach pest: SANDFLY. Rhymes with...

59. "You __ devil!": SLY.

Down:

1. Visit the engine room, perhaps: GO BELOW. A CSO to Spitzboov and others.

2. Put on a pedestal: ADULATE. A word directly from Latin meaning to fawn over, praise (someone) excessively or obsequiously. It probably is not as familiar to your ear as ADULATION but it is the same thing.

3. Sharp answers: RETORTS. Which has nothing to do with TORTS? How can we re-tort anyway? Nero Wolfe solved one of his cases when the young killer fell for, "So have they taught you how to draft a tort yet?

4. Head for the hills: FLEE.

5. Frying medium: LARD. Two weeks in a row with pork fat.

6. It's NW of QWERTY: ESC. Literal look at the keyboard.

7. Allen of Vermont: ETHAN. Furniture guru? A fellow Connecticut boy, Ethan Allen was born in 1738 in Litchfield, Connecticut. He fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. He shares his BIRTHDAY with the Corner. 

8. "See the ___ clear'd, and then we will depart": "King Henry VI": COAST. JW's weekly Will Shakespeare clue. Act I, Scene 3.

Lord Mayor of London.

See the coast clear'd, and then we will depart.

Good God, these nobles should such stomachs bear!

I myself fight not once in forty year.

9. Grandson of Adam: ENOS. Enos or Enosh (Hebrew: אֱנוֹשׁ ʾĔnōš; "mortal man." Son of Seth.

10. __ Arc, Arkansas: DES. The obscure Friday clue. Thank you for the perps.

11. Require for success: HINGE ON. Hinge is back without any dating app.

12. Ones from afar: ALIENS. Another interesting word that can mean someone from 50 miles away in Mexico or from light-years away on Alpha Centauri.

13. It may be hard to keep: SECRET. Generally bad for all involved.

18. State hwy., often: TPK. Turnpike. For you young'uns an expressway, especially one on which a toll is charged.

22. "Jo's Boys" author: ALCOTT. I recently reread Little Women, but not any of the sequels.

24. "Storage Wars" network: A AND E. Arts and Entertainment kept only its acronym.

25. "I speak the truth": IT IS SO. Make it so is more familiar to me.

27. Brand munched by E.T.: REESES. Pieces. We all know that during the production of E.T., Amblin Productions approached Mars, Inc. about a possible tie-in between M and Ms and the film. For whatever reason, Mars said “No” to the proposition.

28. Want badly: CRAVE. Want some M and Ms?

31. Boxer's boxers: TRUNKS. Cute clue. Is it your clue Jeffrey? I’m pleased to say that this is my clue.  I’m quite happy that Rich used it.  However, moving on... 

32. Gold __: BAR. Very random- -BUG, CUP, BAR... this is not mine. I loved "[Where a priest and a rabbi might share a joke?]." Too many words? 

33. Agitated: UPSET.

35. Many a heist: BANK JOB.

36. E.M. Forster's "__ End": HOWARDS. No apostrophe.

37. Opposite of momentary: ETERNAL.

38. Reason for a cover-up?: MODESTY.  Do you all recall BLAISE?

39. Less fresh: STALER. Meh.

40. Emulate a nightingale: WARBLE. Maybe "(of a person) sing in a trilling or quavering voice."

44. "Whoop-de-doo": OH FUN.  Is this serious or sarcastic?

45. Played a piccolo-like instrument: FIFED. (verb) ARCHAIC -play the fife.

46. Needle front?: ACU. This was very hard to parse. Once the lightbulb came on with acupuncture, it seemed so right.

48. "Downton Abbey" countess: CORA.

countess cora

49. Deftly: WELL.

50. StubHub parent: EBAY. They bought the ticket exchange company for $310,000,000.00 in 2007. Now the PLAN has changed.

52. IV units: CCS. Also measured in mLS, milliliters. They have a one to one ratio. These are cousins of milihelens, for those who remember.

53. 2003 holiday film: ELF. We end with an early Christmas reference to a new classic.

I had a very nice time as we were led on a wonderful JW treasure hunt, unlocking little gems along the way. The solve took a bit longer than usual but I did keep distracting myself, chasing down rabbit holes. We are supposed to get our first "cold spell" nothing in the 80s! Life is hard. Thank you, Jeffrey and all who read. Lemonade out.

Thursday, November 7th 2019 Sean Biggins

Theme: Divided we stand - united we fall? The reveal tell us what to look for:

59A. Politically diverse ballot ... and an apt description of each set of puzzle circles: SPLIT TICKET

The tickets that we find within the circled squares are, in order, SEASON, LIFT, GOLDEN, PARKING and MEAL, all split across two entries, just as the reveal tells us. As the "ticket" entries are each on a single line and separated by only one black square, I don't think it would be impossible to find them without the help of the circles, in fact I think I'd prefer if the circles weren't there and we were left to our own treasure-hunt devices.

No matter, the puzzle was a nice smooth solve. This seems to be the LA Times debut for Sean. He first blipped the cruciberb radar in the NYT back in January of this year, so congratulations on this first appearance in the LAT.

Without more ado, let's see what else we've got to talk about:

Across:

1. Astrological Ram: ARIES

6. Cleans out badly?: ROBS

10. __-pitch softball: SLO

13. Dry up: PARCH

14. Old photo hue: SEPIA. Not just old photographs. Sepia toning is used to give monochrome photographs a warmer tone, and also to increase their shelf-life in archives - the metallic silver in the print is converted to much-more-stable silver sulphide. Sodium sulphide was traditionally used, which has the unfortunate property of smelling like rotten eggs. You have to feel sympathy for the dark-room technician.

15. Equivocate: HEM. I'd call this a partial equivocation, can you hem without hawing, or haw without hemming? We should be told.

16. International waters: THE HIGH SEAS. I like this phrase. It really is an official designation in maritime law, being the open ocean not part of the territorial waters of any nation. When I was a kid it always conjured up pictures of decks awash with stormy waters, scurvied deckhands lashing down unruly sails and piratical ne'er-do-wells scavenging for treasure ships. Quite poetical, but the legal definition ignores all this.

18. Scrabble vowel value: ONE

19. Focus of a modern crisis: OPIOIDS. I tried OPIATES first, but then relatively quickly corrected myself.

20. Branch bit: TWIG

21. "The Persistence of Memory" artist: DALI. I think most of us call this work "The Melting Clocks". It can be seen in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Dali described the clocks as "the camembert of time". I love the description. If you've ever watched a mature camembert slowly spread across the cheese board, you'll know exactly what he meant.

24. Teleflora rival: FTD. These folk popped up a couple of weeks ago.

25. Ice Capades setting: ARENA. My friend Richard Dwyer "Mr. Debonair" skated with the Ice Follies and the Ice Capades. He made his debut in 1950 when he was 14 and still skates today!

26. Word with string or sing: ALONG

28. Washington post: SENATOR. Nice clue.

31. Ulaanbaatar native: MONGOL. One of my high school friends quit her fledgling career in the Foreign Office when they tried to post her to Mongolia. She wasn't thrilled with the prospect, Paris, Milan or New York would have been more her style.

33. One concerned with bites: DENTIST

35. South of France?: SUD. I used to buy the newspaper "Sud Ouest" when I was on vacation in the south of France to improve my vocabulary. I learned a lot of sports-related words!

36. Trifling amount: SOU. More French. Originally any small coin of low denomination.

38. Former NBA exec Jackson: STU

39. "Dumbo" (2019) director Burton: TIM. This movie got terrible reviews, I don't think I'll be checking it out any time soon (ever!).

41. Off-leash play area: DOG PARK. There's a lot here in LA. One of my friends met his future wife at one when their dogs became acquainted.

44. Like many courtside interviews: IN-GAME

46. Pine detritus: NEEDLES

48. New York Harbor's __ Island: ELLIS

49. "Mad About You" daughter: MABEL

51. __ Zion Church: AME. WAG'ed this one, almost a personal natick with the crossing of KEATING, I didn't know either.

53. Actor Alan: ALDA

54. Runs: AIRS. TV shows.

55. Audit: SIT IN ON

58. Holstein sound: MOO. The holstein friesian dairy cow has the distinctive black-and-white coloring.

63. New Haven alum: ELI

64. L.L.Bean headquarters locale: MAINE

65. River in some Renoir paintings: SEINE

66. "Voices Carry" pop group __ Tuesday: TIL. Who? I YouTubed this, and of course I knew the song, I just didn't know the name of the group, the singer nor the title. Very '80's. Here's the link if you're interested.

67. Unaccompanied: STAG

68. Lauder of cosmetics: ESTÉE

Down:

1. Fitting: APT

2. Root word?: RAH. Another nice clue. Rah! Go Team!

3. Hot temper: IRE

4. Bouncing off the walls: ECHOING

5. Castaway's salvation: SHIP. Do you remember the screensaver that was all the rage in the early 90's? Johnny Castaway was never rescued.

6. Lived: RESIDED

7. Slanted page: OP-ED

8. Slant: BIAS

9. KLM rival: SAS. Scandinavian Airline System to give it its full name. Easier to remember than Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, that's for sure.

10. Locker room feature: SHOWER STALL

11. Red Square honoree: LENIN

12. Luxury watch: OMEGA

14. They're poured at bars: SHOTS

17. Many an animated Twitter pic: GIF

20. Picard's counselor: TROI. Two characters in the "Star Trek" franchise. I'd heard of Picard, not Troi, I'm not a Trekkie. Thank you, crosses.

21. Stops up: DAMS

22. Vocally: ALOUD

23. Marinated beef dish: LONDON BROIL Like our friend the English Horn last week, London Broil doesn't come from the other side of the pond.

25. Harmonize: ATTUNE

27. Grammy category: GOSPEL

29. Game console letters: N.E.S. Altogether now - Nintendo Entertainment System.

30. Member of the opposition: ANTI

32. Attachment to a car or a boat?: LOAD. Or a bus, or a coach, or a plane, or a train, or a wagon, or ... you get the idea.

34. Shy: TIMID

37. Result of Googling: URL

40. Natural table: MESA

42. Heist units: GEES. Not my favorite, this one. I'd write it as "G's", but I guess it suits the purpose here.

43. "How to Get Away With Murder" lawyer Annalise: KEATING. I learn she's a fictional character on a show that I'd never heard of. Tough cross for me with AME as I mentioned earlier.

45. Quick looks: GLANCES

47. Clobber, biblically: SMITE. Also British slang for clothing, so biblical clobber might be "Joseph's Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat". Except this isn't a British crossword, and it doesn't fit. OK, moving right along ...

49. "Glengarry Glen Ross" playwright: MAMET. My daughter handled the publicity for the 2017 London revival featuring Christan Slater. Did I get tickets comp'ed? Not a chance, it was a sell-out.

50. Garlicky spread: AÏOLI. There's a subtle difference between this and garlic mayonnaise. Aïoli uses olive oil. If you try making mayo with olive oil using a blender you'll get a nasty bitter taste, the blender breaks the olive oil down into its sour-tasting components. I've done it. Ergo, you can't make traditional aïoli using a blender.

52. Tonsillitis-treating doc: E.N.T.

55. Row: SPAT

56. Parts of hips: ILIA

57. 65-Across feeder: OISE

59. Texting format, briefly: SMS. Simple Messaging System, remember?

60. Set for assembly: KIT

61. Dallas-to-Memphis dir.: E.N.E.

62. Simple top: TEE

And here's a simple tail - the grid!

Steve

Wednesday, Nov 6, 2019 Gary Larson

Homonym Swap

17. Financial support at Kitty Hawk?: WRIGHT AID.
43. Siblings sharing a ceremony?: RITE BROTHERS.

Swap Wright and Rite:
   Rite Aid - The drugstore chain.
   Wright Brothers - Wilbur and Orville.

29. Remove italics from text?: RIGHT LETTERS.
59. Contact a fictional pirate?: WRITE HOOK.

Swap Right and Write
  Write letters.
  Right hook. 

How clever was that ?   Swap the homonyms for humorous effect.   Not puns.   Not malaprops.   Not juxtapositions.   What is the word I am looking for ?   Is there one ?   The best term I could come up with was homonym swap.   Does that sound wright rite write right ?   OK, maybe puns of a sort.

Across:

1. Zippo: NADA.    Notta lot you can do with this answer... Perhaps, "You are welcome" (Spanish): de ____,   or "Blue Book Org.":

5. State of irritation: HUFF. 

9. Produce carrier: CRATE.   Liquids carrier: Barrel. 

14. Historic British school: ETON.   For the elite.

15. Plains native: OTOE.

16. Indy participant: RACER. 

19. Skybox setting: ARENA.

20. Up to, casually: 'TIL.   Until

21. Sticky: ADHESIVE.   Adhesive as an adjective rather than as a noun.. 

23. Tie the knot: SAY I DO.  Wed.

25. Runs like mad: DASHES.    Very few trick-or-treaters last Thursday.  Just 16 or so children.   Returned a 250 count bag of snack sized candy bars.  Have just under half of the 90 count bag left.   

33. "All __ Jazz": THAT.    Roy Scheider and Jessica Lange starred.  Bob Fosse directed the semi auto-biographical work.   Dr. Nina wanted Fosse last Friday for the musical revue clue.

35. Zones: AREAs. 

36. "The A-Team" actor: MR T.   Mr. T as Sergeant Bosco Albert "B.A." (Bad Attitude) Baracus. 

37. Bread served with tandoori chicken: NAAN.

38. Met highlights: ARIAs. 

39. Spelling contests: BEEs.

40. Some iTunes downloads, briefly: EPs.  EP in Music

41. Cal. entries: APPTs.   Abbr in the clue. Abbr in the answer.

42. Have an inclination: TEND.

46. "... because you don't want to cross me": OR ELSE.

47. Up-to-the-minute: LATEST.

51. In seventh heaven: ECSTATIC.     Downy Wrinkle and Static Remover spray will make your garments ecstatic.

55. Women's rights activist Nellie: BLY.  Nellie Bly: Rabblerouser and Pioneer in Investigative Journalism

56. Battleship barrage: SALVO.

61. Fuss over feathers: PREEN.

62. Stare at creepily: OGLE.

63. Balm ingredient: ALOE.

64. Change, as a will: AMEND.

65. They're often loaded: SOTs.    WC Fields persona.

66. Continuity problems: GAPs. 

Down:

1. Semiaquatic salamanders: NEWTs.

2. Skylit courts: ATRIA.   And here I thought they were heart chambers.

3. Lacy place mat: DOILY.   Let's check ETSY to see if any are available.  

4. With 58-Down, "Life of Pi" director: ANG. and 58. See 4-Down: LEE.   Ang Lee.  Roger Ebert's Review

5. Ballpark treat: HOT DOG.   Show off.

6. State that celebrates Pioneer Day: UTAH.  July 24th.  New to me.

7. Pâté base: FOIE.   French for liver. 

8. Govt. agents: FEDs.

9. Fancy scarves: CRAVATs.

10. Hardest to come by: RAREST.

11. Whiz: ACE.

12. Notable Downing Street address: TEN.  

13. Important span: ERA.  Or, abbr for Earned Run Average in baseball stats.   I already miss watching and listening to MLB games. 

18. Seen enough: HAD IT.    I'm done.

22. Think tank products: IDEAs.

24. Tehran's land: IRAN.

26. Dudes with fab abs: HE MEN.   Stepping on He Man and Battle Cat in your stocking feet is no pleasure. 

27. Slipped up: ERRED.

28. Fast Atl. crossers, once: SSTs.   Super Sonic Transports.   BOAC and Air France.

30. Horn-honking Marx: HARPO.

31. Country singer Travis: TRITT.   Long haired country boy.   Hard to pick from so many great songs.


32. Chow line?: LEASH.  Loved this clue.

33. Piglike forest dweller: TAPIR.  8 fascinating facts you should know about tapirs

34. Swiftness: HASTE. 

37. Successor to Claudius: NERO.  It's all Roman to me.

38. __-ski: APRES.    After ski.  Perhaps spritzers or Glühwein in the chalet.

39. Second to none: BEST.

41. Hurry off and hide: ABSCOND.

42. Hunt down the source of: TRACE.

44. Gridiron complement: ELEVEN.  Football.   American rules football.   Eleven players on the offensive side of the ball.  Eleven on the defensive side. 

45. High society types: ELITEs.   The A-list.

48. Deadly African virus: EBOLA.

49. Single-master: SLOOP.

50. Small fry: TYKES.   "Fry” may have been derived from the Middle English, Anglo-French frie, which means “to spawn.” Eventually ”frie” became “fry,” the term and denoted offspring, young animals, or members of a group." - Disappearing Idioms .com on "Small fry."

52. What Noah counted by: TWOs.

53. Constellation named for a mythological ship: ARGO.   Now I get it.

More here.

54. List: TILT.   Misdirection.  In this case, list means to lean to one side.    Simple yet effective one-word clue to potentially lead you astray for a moment.

56. Place for a retreat: SPA.

57. Usher's offering: ARM.   Offer your right arm, holding it at 90 degrees, to the eldest woman in the group.  If you aren't sure which one is the eldest, don't ask.

60. Folklore crone: HAG.

Check your answers against this grid:

Note from C.C.:

Here is a picture of little Agnes with her brother Bill on her left and brother Jack on her right. She said they were standing in front of a WWII Memorial. We can't get a clearer picture, but you can still see her cute dress, shoes and flowers.