Sunday November 17, 2019 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Dined In" - ATE sound is added to each theme entry, changing spelling as needed.

22A. Note to self before appearing on "America's Got Talent"?: CAPTIVATE AUDIENCE. Captive audience.
 
59A. Ancient Greek warrior's pet monkey?: AMAZON PRIMATE. Amazon Prime.

79A. Try to cure the effects of a skunk invasion on a semi?: AERATE FREIGHT. Air freight.

118A. Best Reader Award winner?: PICK OF THE LITERATE. Pick of the litter.

15D. "That's not a baby bump?"?: SURELY YOU GESTATE. Surely you jest.

37D. Liven up the science fair?: ACTIVATE VOLCANOS. Active volcanos. I use "volcanoes".

There's an extra "Dined in" sound in 79A, though different spelling. 

Only 6 themers, but they're mostly very long. We have a total 105 theme squares. About our average.

Across:

1. Arctic "snowshoe" critters: HARES. Snowshoe hare.

6. Musical Mama: CASS.

10. Meter users: BARDS. Poetic meter.

15. Bit of beer, say: SIP.

18. Cluster of stars?: A-LIST. Well, this is a great cluster, except that he has Kevin Spacey.

19. Myanmar, at one time: BURMA.

20. Look forward to: AWAIT.

21. Colorful card game: UNO.

25. MGM rival: RKO.

26. Tile setter, often: KNEELER.

27. Firing offense?: ARSON. Oldie but goodie.

28. Well-mannered: GENTEEL. C'est tres gentil!

30. Bits of energy: ERGS.

32. Stable dwellers: MARES.

34. Dresses down: SCOLDS.

35. "What do you __?": MEAN.

39. Where to find Reubens and Cubans: DELI. Never had a Cuban sandwich before.

41. They're in the air: GASES.

43. Today, to Tomás: HOY. And  4. 90° from norte: ESTE. 36. Mes con 31 días: ENERO. 81. Spanish 101 word: ERES.

44. Coop up in a coop: ENCAGE. I use CAGE.

46. Take a load off: EASE.

48. Cry out loud: SOB.

50. Soapmaking compounds: LYES.

53. Put a damper on: DETER.

54. Gospel travelers: MAGI. 94D. One of the 54-Across: CASPAR.

55. Fire sign: FLAME.

57. Not just primary, as an heir: SOLE.

58. Uzi's brother in "The Royal Tenenbaums": ARI. No idea. You can read more here.

63. Take advantage of: USE.

64. Place to see X's and O's: LOVE NOTE.

66. Witch: CRONE.

67. Like the soles of walking boots: RIDGED.

69. Put on a pedestal: ADORE.

70. Cinematic Sergio: LEONE. Spaghetti Western. "Once Upon a Time in the West", etc.

71. Actor's nickname that sounds like a golf term: BOGIE. Humphrey Bogart.

72. Posy pieces: PETALS.

74. '90s candidate who opposed NAFTA: PEROT.

75. Walter Reed hospital city: BETHESDA.

78. Night before the big day: EVE.

82. Carol opener: TIS.

83. Jeans name: LEVI. D-Otto's brand.

85. Like some probes: LUNAR.

86. "LOTR" menaces: ORCS. The Lord of the Rings.

87. Leaders: HEADS.

89. Jumbo tail?: TRON. Jumbotron.

90. Vicious with a bass: SID. Sid Vicious was a bassist.

91. Pea opener in toons?: SWEE. Swee'Pea. Popeye's kid.

92. Fly over Africa: TSETSE. Thank God they do not fly over our head.

93. Express opp.: LOC. Local.

95. __ academy: NAVAL.

98. Go a round or two: SPAR.

100. Many August births: LEOS.

101. Spa offering: FACIAL.

104. Rope maker's supply: SISAL.

106. Tried to make up for lost time: SPED.

108. Part of it is now a desert: ARAL SEA.

110. Whale tracker: SONAR.

112. Short end of the stick: RAW DEAL.

117. Cru output: VIN.

121. Classic auto: REO.

122. Adjust: ALTER.

123. Cybersales: E-TAIL. Have any of you tried Uniqclo or Everlane?

124. Noted 2001 bankruptcy: ENRON.

125. Solid start?: ESS. Solid.

126. Word in a Morton Salt motto: RAINS.

127. Thin change: DIME.

128. 1951 Reagan co-star: BONZO.

Down:

1. Modern-day break-in: HACK.

2. Snape portrayer Rickman: ALAN.

3. Ready in the field: RIPE. The Asian store had a few cut-up pieces of jackfruit on sale the other day. Carmen (my pal in Guangzhou) told me that it tasted more like durian rather than pineapple. So I was expecting the melt-in-your-mouth taste of durian. So disappointed.

Jackfruit

Durian

5. Way through a fence: STILE.

6. "Scene's over!": CUT.

7. 51, for one: AREA.

8. Insincere flattery: SMARM.

9. Pepperoni alternative: SAUSAGE. These are  Guangzhou-style sausages. Best in the world.

10. ... Fitzgerald, __, Milhous ...: BAINES. JFK, LBJ, Nixon.

11. Stunned state: AWE.

12. Summoned to the door: RANG.

13. Does some meal prep: DICES.

14. Foul quality: STENCH.

16. Signed: INKED.

17. Backyard amenities: POOLS. Not in our yard.

19. Canal craft: BARGE.

23. Mesa __ National Park: VERDE.

24. Toon adventurer: DORA.

29. They get the job done: TOOLS.

31. Scandalous stuff: SLEAZE.

33. With 52-Down, bagel flavoring: SESAME. 52. See 33-Down: SEED.

35. Competition carrot: MEDAL. Reward "carrot".

38. Dundee denial: NAE.

40. "I hate the Moor" speaker: IAGO. 70. "Why, then, __ soldier drink!": 40-Down: LET A.

42. Victoria's Secret competitor: SOMA. Have yet to try this brand.


45. Hiker's handful: GRANOLA.

47. More honest: SINCERER.

49. Promise to marry: BETROTH.

51. End of an ultimatum: ELSE.

54. Down Under bud: MATE.

55. Hot concert spot: FRONT ROW.

56. No surprise to a Disney World arrival: LINE.  Gary knows full well.

60. Delightful bites: MORSELS.

61. Prosecutor's burden: PROOF.

62. Pieces of pie, often: EIGHTHS.

65. Educator LeShan: EDA.

68. Common game piece: DIE.

71. More than just asks: BEGS.

72. Hide in the forest?: PELT. Noun "hide".

73. Happily-after link: EVER.

74. Critters with black eye patches: PANDAS.

75. Guns that don't shoot: BICEPS. Must have been photoshopped.

76. Playground comeback: DID SO.

77. Pack animals: ASSES.

80. Machu Picchu or Chichén Itzá: RUIN.

84. How tuna might be packed: IN OIL. And 88. Skinny swimmer: EEL. Not a fan of tuna. But love roasted eels.

91. Not straight up: SLANTED.

92. Pleasant surprise: TREAT.

96. Golfers' headgear: VISORS.

97. Beginning with: AS OF.

99. 102-Down month: APRIL. 102. Fire sign: ARIES.

101. Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Brett: FAVRE. Was a Viking for a short period of time.

103. "The Pearl Fishers" priestess: LEILA. Another unknown.

105. "The Good Fight" actress: LAHTI (Christine)

107. Social misfit: DWEEB.

109. When the story starts on stage: ACT I.

111. Copy paper purchase: REAM.

113. Early Bond foe: DR NO.

114. Pull down: EARN.

115. Familiar gamut: A TO Z.

116. Car-collecting comic: LENO.

119. "Country Music" chronicler Burns: KEN.

120. Bit of perjury: LIE.

C.C.

Saturday, November 16, 2019, Debbie Ellerin

Themeless Saturday by Debbie Ellerin

Another fun trip with Debbie Ellerin. The southwest corner took some effort. MT FUJI finally dropped with an non-indicated abbreviation and TROCHE came from somewhere although I had to learn how to pronounce it

Across:

1. Celebrate Black Friday, say: SHOP - There is no item for which I'm willing to risk life and limb to save $100

5. Data transmission unit: BAUD - If you're interested

9. Jets: SPEWS - Here are various SPEW patterns including Jet but not a 21. Windex unit: SPRITZ.

14. TV show set in a theme park: WEST WORLD - If you're interested

16. Island along the Au'au Channel: LANAI - There's the channel and the island

17. Scheming: IN CAHOOTS - He may have this all wrong

18. Red Sox slugger David: ORTIZ - "Big Papi" in the news this year

19. Spears label: RCA.

20. Epps of "House": OMAR - I wonder if this name was ever clued as "The Tentmaker" before House

22. Noble title: LORD.

24. Nickname for "The King of Clay": RAFA.

26. Goofy image?: CEL - This Disney CEL recently sold for over $33,000 at auction. Is that goofy? 

27. California wine region: SONOMA - Charred vineyards in Sonoma from the Kincade fire last month

30. Tchotchke holder: ETAGERE - Yeah, sure, I knew this word and needed no perps. 😏 Looks like shelves to me 

33. Beyoncé and Jay-Z, e.g.: POWER COUPLE and 62. Tabloid twosomes: ITEMS 

36. Symbolic gift, often: DIAMOND RING.

38. Corporate espionage target: TRADE SECRET - Roger Easton (right), KFC's CEO, moves the Colonel Sanders' handwritten secret recipe into a newer, more secure safe

40. Swamp gas, essentially: METHANE.

43. Watch closely: PEER AT - Intently watching a colleague fish? PEERING at your PEER on the PIER

45. The "black" in black ice: TAR - A scary driving problem in our part of the country

46. Worshipper's subject: IDOL.

49. "The Open Window" author: SAKI - Pen name for Hector Hugh Munro

50. Coat-like garments: FROCKS 

53. Collars: NABS.

56. It can be risky to work without one: NET - Here's how you train to do that

57. "I surrender!": UNCLE.

58. Place to get some culture?: PETRI DISH - Some faculty lounge refrigerators contain unintended examples of one of these

60. Arabic for "struggle": JIHAD.

61. Repurposed railway, perhaps: BIKE ROUTE - Part of the 195 mile long Cowboy Trail (abandoned Chicago and Northwestern RR line) in northern Nebraska 

63. Lot: SLEW.

64. Bruise-resistant potatoes, say, briefly: GMOS - Very interesting reading about Genetically MOdified potatoeS. 


Down:

1. Some cake decorations: SWIRLS.

2. House with many layers: HEN COOP - HEN house? Yes! Chicken COOP? - Yes. HEN COOP? and 6. Cheering loudly: AROAR - Constructors hafta to do what constructors hafta do.


3. Character recognition?: OSCAR NOD - There are those who feel John Wayne could have gotten the OSCAR NOD for playing John Stryker, Sean Thornton, Tom Doniphon, et al and not necessarily for playing Rooster Cogburn in 1969  

4. Bk. fair organizer: PTA.

5. Good time: BOOM - My farmer friends all say you'd better put some money away during a BOOM because a bust is sure to follow

7. __ running: more-than-a-marathon race: ULTRA - Various definitions of ULTRA Running

8. Driller's deg.: DDS - Last week we had the ROTC drilling and in the past we have had OPEC drilling

9. Farm fare: SLOP.

10. Henry VIII's sixth: PARR

11. Sweet-talk: ENTICE.

12. One needing orders: WAITER - Doing so electronically 

13. Pizzazz: SIZZLE.

15. "Don't know her": WHO

21. Course for H.S. exam takers: SAT PREP - Sample question: (math haters move on). Answer at the bottom *

23. Benefit by: DO WITH - I could DO WITH losing more weight

25. Longstanding disputes: FEUDS - They headed up a famous one

28. Funny Anne: MEARA - Jerry Stiller's wife Anne

29. Fancy suits: ARMANIS.

31. "... a grin without a cat!" thinker: ALICE.

32. Action and adventure: GENRES - Prounced [dZSH]AWN-ruh with the Z, d, and SH all combined into one sound.

34. Produced some Java: CODED - Computer CODE not 54. Produce some java: BREW coffee

35. x/x: ONE - Only we math peeps know/care that x ≠ 0

37. Garden favorite also known as cranesbill: GERANIUM - A very distinctive scent

39. Becomes fond of: TAKES TO - I have really TAKEN TO golf now that I have time to play a lot

40. Peak that last erupted in 1707-'08: MT FUJI - MT FUJI in winter from the International Space Station. The Hoei crater was the site of the last eruption

41. Be deserving: EARN IT - Hmmm...

42. Cough drop: TROCHE - Didn't know the word or its pronunciation 

44. Donates, in a way: TITHES.


47. First African-American major-league coach Buck: O'NEIL - In the sea of Royal Blue seats in Kansas City, a red chair is the Buck O'NEIL legacy chair that honors people who have done outstanding things in the K.C. area. Buck was a star for the KC Monarchs in the old Negro League but his trail-blazing coaching job was with the Cubs

48. Hanukkah dinner staple: LATKE - One potato dish I have never had

51. Chowder morsel: CLAM.

52. Some kicks, so to speak: KEDS - I knew this was slang for shoes but put EEE'S first

55. It may precede and follow yes: SIR - As Emma Stone says here

58. "Finding Your Roots" airer: PBS 

59. __ days: DOG - The DOG Days of summer are long gone here on the prairie 

On a personal note, I want to show you the picture of my wife opening her birthday present last Sunday. It was a painting I had done of her kitty Lily. I finally got something right!

All comments welcome:

*Answer to 21 Down: w + (w + 6) + w + (w + 6) = 4w + 12 (Answer B)

  

Friday, November 15, 2019 Joe Deeney

" What's My Line ? "


16. Clothes line?: HOW DO I LOOK ?

24. Tag line?: YOU'RE IT.

37. Border line?: PASSPORTS PLEASE.

46. Pick-up line?: WHERE TO ?

59. Defensive line?: I DIDN'T DO IT.

Joe constructed last Saturday's themeless.    If you aren't a Saturday solver, take a few moments to read Joe's comments.    Now, back to today...   A fairly easy Friday, don't you think ?   Let's call that a confidence builder.

Also, did you notice ?  Joe gave us a pangram !

Across:

1. River past the Museo Galileo: ARNO.

5. Wipe out: ERASE.

10. "Antiques Roadshow" airer: PBS.    I like how they show old clips from earlier seasons, updated with the currently appraised values. 

13. Half of rock's '60s "it" couple, per Time: CHER.   The other half would be Sonny.

14. "I've got this": LET ME.    Martin "Marty" Crane was the pragmatic and salt-of-the-earth father to psychiatrist sons Frasier and Niles Crane on the sitcom Frasier.

In the episode, "A Tsar is Born" they take a clock to the Antiques Roadshow and learn of its history.

15. Chipotle serving, casually: GUAC.   Eat This, Not That - Worst Chipotle Menu

18. Approximately: OR SO.

19. County bordering London: ESSEX.    British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is from Essex.

20. Ingredient in arròs negre, a squid-and-rice dish: INK.   Never saw the clue.

21. Pursuit: QUEST.   Do you recall Jonny Quest ? 

22. Solidified: FROZE.

26. Able-bodied: HALE.

28. Green of "Casino Royale": EVA.    The first of the Daniel Craig Bond movies.

30. Iraq War danger: Abbr.: IED.   Improvised Explosive Device.

31. "The Wire" antihero __ Little: OMAR.   No idea.   Wikipedia tells me The Wire is an American crime drama television series broadcast by the cable network HBO.

32. Think back to: RECALL.

34. Gym surface: MAT.   I wanted a wood at first.  Oak or Ash.

40. Vague ending: ISH.

41. Bilingual Muppet: ROSITA.  No idea, but the perps helped.

42. MD's diagnostic tools: MRIs.  Magnetic Resonance Imagings

43. Big bird: EMU.   More from Sesame Street.   This Big Bird is an oversized canary.

44. Relative of Da and De: VON.    Surname prepositions.  e.g. Oscar de la Renta.  Or,   El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes.   Or the von Trapp family from the Sound of Music.  Da is Portuguese, often seen in names such as da Silva, da Costa, da Bears etc.

45. Leaning: BIAS.

50. Rte. with a Lake Michigan ferry crossing: U.S. TEN.   U.S. 10.    The S.S. Badger
 

52. Times New __: ROMAN.

53. Health care provider: Abbr.: LPN.   Licensed Practical Nurse

55. "Set Fire to the Rain" singer: ADELE.

58. Beyond regulation play, briefly: IN OT   In Overtime.

61. WWII Axis general: TOJO.

62. Kansas Army fort: RILEY.   Home of the Big Red One.    The 1st Infantry Divison.   The 1st Infantry Division Museum is at Cantigny Park in nearby Wheaton, Illinois.  

63. Slaughter on the diamond: ENOS.

64. Asian honorific: SRI. Indian honorific.

65. Neglected: SEEDY.

66. Grant's opposite: DENY.

Down:

1. Overexertion symptom: ACHE.

2. Frat letters: RHOs.

3. Ironic "This should come as no surprise ... ": NEWS FLASH.

4. Ones stocking up: ORDERERs.   Whoa !  A buyer ?  Stocking up for resale,  or stocking up on consumables ?   That's my best guess.   I'll bet blog reader Montana stocks up for the winter in case the highways become impassable.

5. Lilly of drugs: ELI.

6. Bullpen staff: RELIEVERs.  

7. Loads: ATON.

8. Like the air around a campfire: SMOKY.

9. "What's THAT?": EEK.

10. Applesauce, e.g.: PUREE.

11. Low singers: BASSI.   Singers (being plural) told me it would end in the I.

12. "Waverley" novelist: SCOTT.    The Waverley Novels - Sir Walter Scott

15. Squash, for one: GOURD.  Versus gored. 

Bet he wished he'd picked a different sport. Perhaps squash ?

17. Big name in spatulas: OXO.    I like the ergonomic grips on their kitchen utensils.

21. Put down: QUELL.

23. Reset: ZERO OUT.

25. Crankcase reservoirs: OIL PANS.

26. Kachina carver: HOPI.

27. Reddit Q&A sessions: AMAs.  Ask Me Anything

29. When Prospero says, "We are such stuff as dreams are made on": ACT IV.   Filled in ACT and waited.

33. Blew away: ASTOUNDED.

34. Ford carrier in the mid-'70s: MARINE ONE.   Wasn't firing on all cylinders as I tried to recall Ford car models...  until I got enough perps to see Marine One.   President Gerald Ford, of course.

35. Tibet's place: ASIA.

36. Julia's "Ocean's Twelve" role: TESS.   Juila Roberts played Tess Ocean, divorced wife of Danny Ocean, played by George Clooney.

38. Guys who spin: PR MEN.   Started with DJ Men spinning records, and ended with Public Relations men spinning the conversation.

39. Like some war correspondents: EMBEDDED.    Or videos in this blog.

43. Poetry Muse: ERATO.   OwenKL has been struck by the poetry muse.  Ditto for Chairman Moe, Haiku Harry and Limerick Larry.

46. Court directives: WRITS.

47. Esteem: HONOR.

48. Heart Eyes or OK Hand: EMOJI.    Definitely needed perps, and then it was, "Aha, now the clue makes sense !"

49. "Yesterday," today: OLDIE.    Nailed it.   From falling in love to the heartache,  Beatles style:

"Eight Days A Week"
Oh, I need your love, babe
Guess you know it's true
Hope you need my love babe
Just like I need you

"I Feel Fine"
Baby's good to me, you know
She's happy as can be, you know
She said so
I'm in love with her and I feel fine

"Ticket to Ride"
I think I'm gonna be sad
I think it's today, yeah
The girl that's driving me mad
Is going away

"Yesterday"
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me
Oh, yesterday came suddenly
Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday

51. Bit of body art: TAT.   Tat or ink.

54. Stack: PILE.

56. Safari sight: LION.

57. Online marketplace: ETSY.    Started with eBay. 50 % wrong.

59. Returns home?: IRS.    Great clue. The Internal Revenue Service is where you send your tax returns.

60. Big Apple team, on crawl lines: NYY.    NY and wait for the perp.  Could have been G, J, or M and possibly others. Sports news crawl lines.

Check your grid here:

Thursday, November 14th 2019 Joseph Ashear

Theme: Countdown

Be careful what you wish for! Last week I said I'd like to leave the circles out of  the puzzle and let us go theme-hunting on our own, this week was a Snark-hunting exercise of the highest order!

"'But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,

   If your Snark be a Boojum! For then

You will softly and suddenly vanish away,

   And never be met with again!'"

I was bothered when I'd completed the puzzle - I saw that the theme entries were clued with a similar structure, they were all game-related, but ... what was I missing? The theme entries ran north-south and not the customary west-east, and with no real need to do so - no above/below clues, no up/down, what was I missing? I went anagram-hunting, I looked at the placement of the theme entries, I read the entries upwards and downwards - what was it? What was I missing?

Then the penny dropped, and my blog title gives an additional clue.

I think this is Joseph's debut across all the major publications, so congratulations on that. Two first-timers in a row for LAT Thursdays, here's to many more if they bring puzzles of this quality.

Let's go look at the theme entries and the fill, and if you missed the hidden unifier, I'll "reveal" at the bottom.

6D ... in a board game: CLUE WEAPONS. "Clue" murders tend towards the gruesome blunt-force trauma end of the scale. You can be shot or stabbed, but then you get wrenched, candlesticked, lead piped or - blessfully - hanged. It's all very messy. Give me murdered by anyone, in the Library (reading a book) with the revolver. I'm not keen on being beaten to death with a wrench in the hall by the cook. It just seems very - unseemly.

10D. ... in a ball game: BOWLING PINS. Boomer gets this in a heartbeat. He's not doing so well right now, a Corner shout-out to him. We're rooting for you.

24D. ... on a game mat: TWISTER DOTS. Big dots. Can you name the colors?

25D. ... on a game card: BINGO SPACES. We played Bingo in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. What a fun game! We won $160 too, so nothing not to like! I've lost that in two minutes playing Craps on the Strip. Live and learn.

Still theme-challenged? Mull it over awhile while (!) we go and look at the fill.

Across:

1. Co. with brown trucks: U.P.S. My brother is a UPS driver in the UK, he'd be getting ready for the busy Christmas period but sadly is laid up post-surgery at home this year. Get well, Bruv!

4. Fearsome Tolkien beasts: ORCS

8. Run off at the mouth: BABBLE. Testing the waters with an unruly mob who can't keep quiet? Dabbling with a babbling rabble.

14. New Deal prog.: N.R.A.

15. Guthrie genre: FOLK

16. Unprincipled: AMORAL

17. Rapper __-Z: JAY

18. Fireplace outlet: FLUE

19. Accompany: GO WITH

20. Yellowfin tuna: AHI

21. Great quantity: SLEW

22. Highest-ranking elected woman in U.S. history: PELOSI. A name in the news, a couple of these topical entries today.

23. McConaughey of "True Detective": MATTHEW

25. Nickname for Israel's Netanyahu: BIBI. New to me, thank you, crosses.

26. Sported: WORE

27. Beach in a 1964 hit song: IPANEMA. We chatted about Ipanema Beach a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure I'd get in the water there though. I've seen the outfalls.

31. Start of a Poitier film title: TO SIR, With Love. Sidney teaching at an inner-city comprehensive school in east London.

34. Author/aviator __ Morrow Lindbergh: ANNE

36. Film crew member: GRIP

37. V-formation flier: GOOSE

38. '90s game disc: POG

39. Pipe up: OPINE

40. __ the finish: IN AT

41. Snapchat's ghost, e.g.: LOGO. And here's a very famous logo ....

42. Shoes with swooshes: NIKES. There's currently an investigation by the "International Athletics something-or-other We're Here for your Benefit and our Fat Salaries Committee Federation" aimed at banning certain Nike shoes because they're "too good". Simple solution - everyone runs barefoot. There, I just saved us all millions. You're welcome.

43. Color from a bottle: FAKE TAN

45. British WWII gun: STEN. According to the people tasked with firing the weapon, more dangerous to the user than the intended target, they had a habit of blowing up. I hauled around a Bren gun as an army reservist for a while, then I got my sniper's badge and they gave me a much lighter deliverer of doom, which thankfully I never had to actually use in anger. On the range, it was pretty accurate - I think my best was an 8" grouping of six rounds at 300 yards. The range was in a rural setting in Cornwall with sheep grazing the adjacent fields. We were informed in no uncertain terms that picking off an unsuspecting future leg of lamb would NOT BE TOLERATED!

47. Magician Weasley and anchorman Burgundy: RONS. Hmmm, I think Ron Weasley might turn you into a toad or a Ford Anglia if you described him as a "magician". Harry Potter's chum is a wizard, there's a significant difference, I'd say.

48. Have: POSSESS

52. Like some wedding photos: CANDID. With the advent of camera phones, there are now many more candid photos than "official" ones.

55. Hook or Cook: Abbr.: CAPT. 

56. Quid pro __: QUO. "In the news" phrase at the moment. I'm not sure why, it just rings a bell.

57. Maryland state bird, e.g.: ORIOLE

58. Dos cubed: OCHO

59. Lines at a checkout counter?: UPC, The bar code that you scan when you (increasingly) self-check your stuff.

60. Money maker: MINTER

61. Not nice at all: MEAN

62. Bother a great deal: IRK

63. Great times: BLASTS

64. Uruguay's Punta del __: ESTE. Home of the sculpture "La Mano".

65. __ de deux: PAS. A ballet term when two dancers perform identical steps together. What's the plural? The same as the singular. I'd have gone for "pas des deuxes" and lost all my money on "Jeopardy".

Down:

1. Clear, as a printer: UNJAM.

2. Czech Republic capital, to Czechs: PRAHA. "The City of  a Hundred Spires". The much lesser-known name is the westernized "Prague". I'm not sure how many people have heard of Prague, though. The famous Athletic Club Sparta Praha play that well-known sport "Fotbal".

3. "Don't beat around the bush!": SAY IT! OK, I'll say it - "PRAHA"? Really? Worst fill of the day.

4. A bit out in the ocean: OFFSHORE

5. Painter's tool: ROLLER

7. Present in a biased way: SKEW

8. Reed instrument: BAGPIPE. Singular/plural conundrum for me. I always use the plural "a set of bagpipes" or "she plays the bagpipes". One bagpipe? "Bagpipe music". While we're on the subject, can I plead with any bagpipe band not to play "Scotland the Brave" on St. Patrick's Day? It's really annoying

9. Pond protozoan: AMOEBA. I'll give you this as I prefer it to "AMEBA", but really the OE is a dipthong, so one letter, not two.

11. Gusto: BRIO

12. Back muscles, briefly: LATS

13. K-12 appropriate: EL-HI

28. Actor Estrada: ERIK

29. "Dibs!": MINE!

30. Long-limbed beasts: APES

31. "So ready for the weekend!": TGIF!

32. Chaplin named for her grandmother: OONA

33. Relax in the hot tub: SOAK

35. Yuletide libation: NOG. Why do we (not me) only drink egg nog at Christmas? It's a pretty horrible idea in the first place, but to reserve it for an ostensibly happy period is clearly strange.

39. 14 British pounds: ONE STONE. No, 14 pounds in any country is a British stone. Unlike the fact that 16 oz is usually an imperial pint, except in Britain, where you get 20 oz to your pint. You've got to admire those pint-swilling Brits. And then they sell petrol in litres, the temperatures are now in centigrade, the weight measures are in grams, but the distances are still in miles. Someone needs to have a quiet word regarding "standardization" with that lot over there. And drive on the right, while you're about it. Honestly, some people.

41. Big name in advice: LANDERS

44. __ training: TOILET. Another jolly British word.

46. Tails partner: TOP HAT, along with a white tie.

49. Furnish with gear: EQUIP

50. Sporty Toyota until 2002: SUPRA

51. Laundry day casualties: SOCKS. I've got a singleton on my dresser right now. What is it with socks?

52. Rooster topper: COMB

53. Seed covering: ARIL

54. Jazz singer Simone: NINA. It's a little late for a music link, but no matter. Here's one of my favorites. Too good to waste.

55. Show up: COME

And now we come to the denouement.

So what is it with the theme? When bloggers quote the theme entries, the tradition is to add the "A" or "D" to the number to identify whether we're talking about the across or the down entry, as I did at the top of the page. Let's see what happens if we take the first theme entry, identify it by the number only and eliminate the ellipses:

"6 in a board game". Six Clue Weapons.

and the next:

"10 in a ball game". Ten Bowling Pins ...

... and so we go. The number of the theme entry in the grid describes the solution. There are 24 dots on a Twister mat, 25 spaces on a bingo card. Very neat!

The reason the theme entries are in the downs is because you can't cram them in the acrosses - you'd be four of them into the puzzle before you even got halfway-down the grid, and facing an impossible constructing task.

So here's the grid, hats off to Joseph, and I'll be on my way.

Steve

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 Gary Larson

Theme: The Gang's AL there.  Specified places AL contain the letter sequence A-L.  Near as I can tell, that's AL there is to it.

17 A. *Place for an eruption in Hawaii: MAUNA LOA.  This is our beleaguered planet's largest active volcanoe, and among the most active, having erupted 33 times since 1843.  It's summit is about 17 km above its deeply submerged base, which had depressed the ocean floor by 8 km. [source]

19 A. *Place for memorabilia about the 44th President: OBAMA LIBRARY.  On the south side of Chicago in Jackson Park, this is the first Presidential Library to be fully digitized.

54. *Place on "Desperate Housewives": WISTERIA LANE.  This fictional setting is a real street inside Universal Studios, Hollywood.  It has also been used for the original Leave It to Beaver series, Gremlins, The 'Burbs, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

59. *Place for a space cadet: LALA LAND.   Originally, this was - and still is - a term meaning a location for someone out of touch with reality.  Since about 1980 it's also been a disparaging nick-name for Los Angeles, for a variety of reasons. It's also the name of a 2016 movie I never watched that gets 4 1/2 stars from RottonTomatoes

36. Money ... and, in three parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues: WHEREWITHAL.  The ability - usually based on available funding - to accomplish a stated goal.  Here, we have specified locations - real or fictional - providing the WHERE, that also have the letter duo A-L prominently located within. I'm not delighted with the theme, but having each two-word combination split the A-L across the two words adds a touch of elegance.  Alas, this is somewhat offset by having a scatter of vagrant A's, and in once case L's in the theme fill.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here, perhaps being a bit too critical.  You may draw your own conclusions.  Let's AL move on and see what else we can locate.

Across:

1. Big name in wax museums: TUSSAUD.  Anna Maria [Marie] TUSSAUD [1761-1850] learned the art of wax modeling as a child.

8. Surpasses: TRUMPS.  A term derived from card games where one suit is TRUMP and can win a trick irrespective of face value, under stated circumstances.

14. Worldwide law enforcement group: INTERPOL.

16. Eradicate: RUBOUT.  By analogy to a rubber eraser.

18. Supreme Egyptian god: AMEN-RA.  Shhh - no religion.

21. Eight British kings: HENRYS.  Or this.

24. Disney doe: ENA. Bambi's mother-in-law, if we may ascribe such human relationships to forest animals.

25. Middling mark: CEE. In scholastic grading systems.  I would give no higher mark to a spelt-out letter.

26. Cries of pain: OWS.  Often accompanied by other, more colorful, word choices.

27. Lab work: TESTS.

30. Sondheim's "Sweeney __": TODD.  The daemon barber of Fleet Street who first appeared in the Victorian era penny dreadful novel series The String of Pearls.

31. "Robinson Crusoe" novelist: DEFOE.  Daniel DEFOE [1660 - 1731] also wrote several other novels, and was a prolific writer on many other subjects, including politics, which earned him some time in prison.  So - no politics either!

34. Shooting star: METEOR.  A chunk of space detritus that gets heated to a glow by friction as it races through the earth's atmosphere

39. Like some dress shirts: NO IRON.  I wouldn't have any other kind.

40. Digital video files: MPEGS.  An international standard for encoding and compressing video files.

43. Part of P.R.: RICO.  The other part is Puerto.  Together they mean Rich Port.

46. Dix plus dix: VINGT.  Twenty in French.

48. Agua, across the Pyrenees: EAU.  Across from Spain.  More French.  Water they talking about?

49. Smart-whip link: AS A.

50. Saigon New Year: TET.

51. Badger at the comedy club: HECKLE.  Derisive and aggressive interruptions from the audience.

58. Put in a pyramid: ENTOMB.

63. Treeless tract: STEPPE.  A flat, unforested grassland in eastern Europe or Asia.

64. Monty Python member: ERIC IDLE. [b. 1943] A British comedian, actor, author and musician.

65. Like many a salad: TOSSED. Mixed lightly until the ingredients are combined.

66. Record collection?: DATA SET.  Not sound recordings, but rather a listing of recorded data.

Down:

1. Allen of TV's "Last Man Standing": TIM.  [b. 1953]  I was not even aware of this show's existence.  I was astounded to learn that the Home improvement series ended 20 years ago.

2. Spanish "a": UNA.  Or one.

3. Name spelled with an alphabet sequence: STU.

4. Tijuana title: SENOR.  An honorific for a gentleman.

5. Sheikdom of song: ARABY.

6. Batting ninth: UP LAST.  Final batter in a baseball line up.

7. Ruination: DOOM. A grim or calamitous fate.

8. Compact cars?: TRAIN SET.  Presumably HO gauge.

Wikipedia

9. Latin dance: RUMBA.  Or Samba.  Needs perps.

10. Car service app: UBER.  They lost an amazing $5.2 billion in the 3rd quarter.  The vast majority of this was paper losses; but I wonder if their business model is sustainable. Through June and July their stock was trading in the low 40's.  It's now around $27.

11. Mediterranean gambling mecca: MONACO.  Speaking of gambling - this the world's second smallest country, after The Vatican, bordered on 3 sides by France, and with a Mediterranean coast line.  It is also a tax haven.

12. Sounded content: PURRED.  Like a kitten.

13. Hung around: STAYED.

15. A.L. West team, on scoreboards: LAA.  Los Angeles Angels.  They were 72-90 this year.

20. Allowing: LETTING. permitting.

21. Mortar carrier: HOD.  A V-shaped open trough on a pole.  Best keep your balance.

22. Wool coat wearer: EWE.  She said, sheepishly.

23. Brief warning accompanying a link: NSFW.  Not Safe For Work, generally indicating some sort of obscene content.

28. Academic retirees: EMERITI.  From Latin, meaning those who have earned their position in retirement through service.

29. Stitch into place: SEW ON.  Attach with needle and thread.

30. Mouth, in slang: TRAP.  As in, "Shut yer TRAP!"

32. Cry of woe: OH NO.  Alas.

33. Fair-hiring abbr.: EEO.  Equal Employment Opportunity.

35. Omega, to an electrician: OHM.  Resistance measurment.

37. Area between banks: RIVER BED.  The bottom of the river, probably not full of money.

38. Vichyssoise veggie: LEEK.  A plant related to the onion with an elongated cylindrical bulb.  Also the national symbol of Wales.  I have no idea why. Vichyssoise is a creamy potato soup, generally served cold.

41. "Wonder Woman" actress Gadot: GAL. [b 1985] Model, actress, and Miss Israel in 2004.

You too can be a Wonder Woman

42. Seek damages: SUE.  Institute legal proceedings to seek redress.

43. Least refined: RAWEST. Most crude

44. Has a passion for: IS INTO.  Indulges in.

45. Social strata: CASTES.  Classes of society.  The crudest people have no class.

47. Name shared by a Grace and a Muse: THALIA. The goddess [or muse] of comedy and idyllic poetry.  The Three Graces are THALIA,  Aglaea and Euphrosyne, goddesses of order and good conduct.  In either case, the name Thalia indicated flourishing and abundance.

50. Phoenix neighbor: TEMPE.  Cities in Arizona.

52. Put on the books: ENACT.  Make into law.

53. Salsa singer Cruz: CELIA. Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (1925 – 2003) was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century.

55. Surpasses: TOPS.  Does better than.

56. Smithwick's brew: ALE.  An Irish Red Ale brewed in Kilkenny.

57. Fat used in baking: LARD.  Comes from a pig, is free of trans-fats.

60. Free-app interrupters: ADS.  ADvertisments.  Small videos that shill for some product or service that you almost certainly do not need.

61. Div. won by the Braves in 2019: NLE.  National League East.  But after a dismal start, the 2nd place Washington Nationals, whose line up is stacked with aging veterans [notably some former Tigers,] went on to win the World Series

62. City of Lions and Tigers: Abbr.: DETroit.  Speaking of sports - this is the city of perpetual sports disappointment.  These cats have neither teeth nor claws.

That's a sad note to end on, yet here we AL are.  The Kitty City is blanketed with snow, and the temperatures are too small to be worth mentioning.  Stay safe out there peeps.  In the press of other things, I'm taking December off from blogging.  See you all in the new year.

Cool regards,
JzB

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Big Easy, husband of Louisiana Tennis Hall of Famer Diane Simpson. What's the plan today, George?