Sunday December 29, 2019 Gary Larson

Theme:  "Electronic Games" - E is added to the start of each familiar phrase.

22. Unlikely getaway car alternative?: ESCAPE GOAT. Scapegoat.

24. Time left in an online auction?: EBAY WINDOW. Bay window. ORIEL.
 
36. Civil rights legislation?: EQUALITY CONTROL. Quality control.

52. Serengeti stampede?: ELAND RUSH. Land Rush.

67. Three-hanky films?: EMOTION PICTURES. Motion pictures.

83. Bong for special occasions?: EVENT PIPE. Vent pipe.

97. Big place to fool around in?: ESTATE OF AFFAIRS. State of affairs.

112. Eve?: EDEN MOTHER. Den mother.

115. Midnight sail?: EBON VOYAGE. Bon voyage.

It'd be cool if every theme entry is indeed a game. We've seen an E adding to the end with "E-tail" as a title.

Bold upper left/lower right design from Gary. Hard to pull off cleanly.

Across:

1. Immense: WHOPPING.

9. Spurred (on): EGGED.

14. Starts of many names: CAPS. Capital letters, right?

18. Procedure enforced locally: HOUSE RULE. Great fill.

20. Magician's cry: VOILA.

21. Certain something: AURA.

26. Utmost degree: NTH.

27. River-to-sea connection: ESTUARY.

29. Policy that includes higher menu prices: NO TIPS. Tipping is not a common practice in China and Japan.

30. Stitches: DARNS.

33. Meadow mom: DOE. EWE too.

34. Zest: GUSTO.

41. Many a Middle East native: ARAB.

44. Craved: LUSTED.

45. Bowling ball material: URETHANE. TTP and Boomer can tell you more.

47. Hood's weapon: GAT.

49. Where to get down: EIDER.

50. World view, perhaps: MAP.

55. Multidisciplinary strength-training program: CROSSFIT.

57. Guitarist Paul: LES.

60. Tell a thing or two: EDUCATE.

61. B'way need: TKT.

62. Under pressure: ON THE SPOT.

66. "The Plough and the Stars" playwright: O'CASEY.

70. Red choice: CLARET.

73. Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, e.g.: CO-ANCHORS. Hoda's name is very grid-friendly.

74. Single circuit: LAP.

77. Supremely spooky: EERIEST.

79. Bit of legal advice: SUE.

80. Promise that one will: PLEDGE TO.

86. Beast of burden: ASS.

87. Shower: AIRER.

88. Certain house mem.: SEN.

89. Emmy-winning creator of "Six Feet Under": ALAN BALL. Wiki says he also created "True Blood".

93. Solvent: AFLOAT.

94. Thames academy: ETON.

100. "Take Me Home, Country __": John Denver hit: ROADS.

102. Simple sack: COT.

103. Court figs.: ATTYS.

104. Take the heat off?: DISARM.

107. Early Yankee nickname: BAMBINO. Boomer told me he was enjoying "Babe". I said "The pig?". "What pig?". Turns out he was watching "The Babe".

109. "Rhoda" production co.: MTM.

119. Auto race signal: FLAG.

120. Pried (into): NOSED.

121. Glues: MUCILAGES. New word to me.

122. Daly of "Judging Amy": TYNE.

123. "The Teflon Don": GOTTI.

124. Climbing plant features: TENDRILS.

Down:

1. Word spoken during pouring: WHEN.

2. Throng: HOST.

3. Bad pun response: OUCH.

4. Ad about being green, briefly: PSA.

5. Zip: PEP.

6. Wrath: IRE.

7. "Cat Scratch Fever" musician: NUGENT (Ted). Not familiar with the song.

8. Shiny print: GLOSSY.

9. Boston suburb: EVERETT. What's it famous for?

10. Elapse: GO BY.

11. Supermodel Carangi: GIA.

12. Nevada copper town: ELY. Also new to me.

13. "The light __!": DAWNS.

14. Synagogue singer: CANTOR.

15. Quattro maker: AUDI.

16. Support, with "up": PROP.

17. Words of wisdom: SAWS.

19. Down: EAT.

23. 16th-century English architectural style: TUDOR.

25. Whit: IOTA.

28. Top of the line: A ONE.

30. Takes out: DATES.

31. A and O, but not E, I or U: ALERS. American Leaguers. A's and O's. We also have 40. MLB scoreboard letters: RHE. Runs, Hits, Errors.

32. Relieve (of): RID.

34. Soccer game highlight: GOAL.

35. Long bones: ULNAE.

36. Campaign sign word: ELECT.

37. Idiosyncrasy: QUIRK.

38. FAA overseer: USDOT. US Department of Transportation.

39. Stanley of the NHL?: CUP.

42. Mexican waters: AGUAS.

43. Sew with temporary stitches: BASTE.

46. Sign on the back: ENDORSE.

48. Nonbinary gender pronoun: THEY.

50. Perfect, as a collectible coin: MINT.

51. Web site: ATTIC.

53. Il __: Mussolini: DUCE.

54. Some appliances: RCAS.

56. Place to soothe the sole?: FOOT SPA. Very popular in China.

57. Horne and Dunham: LENAS.

58. "College Football Live" channel: ESPNU.

59. Item on a rack: SPICE.

63. Sob syllable: HOO.

64. Scot's "Crikey!": OCH.

65. Features of some 'Vettes: T-TOPS.

67. 2000 title role for Julia: ERIN.

68. Happen upon: MEET.

69. Results of Googling: URLS.

70. Cuckoo clock quartet: CEES.Cuckoo clock.

71. Bank construction: LEVEE.

72. Ain't like it oughta be?: AREN'T.

74. "Vive __!": LE ROI.

75. "I did not think to shed __": "Henry VIII": A TEAR.

76. Freighters' destinations: PORTS.

78. Like some floors: TILED.

81. "Portrayer" of Duck Dodgers: DAFFY. Read more here. First time I heard of  Duck Dodgers.

82. Southwestern lizards: GILAS.

84. Screen or bomb: PASS.

85. Rhinitis-treating MD: ENT.

86. South American greeting: ALO. Have yet to see NI HAO in a LAT puzzle.

90. Owner of Grey Goose and Dewar's: BACARDI.

91. Speck: ATOM.

92. Leave alone: LET BE.

93. Time in a personal ad: AFT. Afternoon.

95. Anaheim's county: ORANGE.

96. Result that's expected: NORM.

98. Spread apart, as police during a search: FAN OUT.

99. Hospital stat?: AT ONCE.

101. Surrounded by: AMONG.

104. Slick: DEFT.

105. Without serious thought: IDLY.

106. Penn name: SEAN. Sean Penn.

107. Root often pickled: BEET. So good. I have a weakness for pickled food. 

108. Tech giant based in Armonk, N.Y.: IBM.

109. Star followers: MAGI.

110. Neutrogena shampoo brand: T GEL. Many YouTubers have raved about this shampoo.

111. Jumble: MESS.

113. Excessively: TOO.

114. V-J Day president: HST.

116. Beaujolais, par exemple: VIN.

117. From the past, as a story: OLD.

118. Pirate's cry: YAR.

C.C.

Saturday, December, 28, 2019, Christopher Adams

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Christopher Adams

Our constructor Christopher Adams is currently a graduate student in mathematics at the University of Iowa. He graduated in 2014 from Cornell University, with a major in mathematics and minors in physics and creative writing, after which he spent a year abroad teaching physics at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.


The NW corner of Christopher's lovely puzzle drove me crazy but finally yielded to persistence. Seeing a Q, X, J and Z in close proximity made me think this might be a pangram. Sure enough, it is!

My challenges were something old, something new and something blue (POUTER). Here were my issues in the starting blocks:

1. Bay of __, which includes the Cantabrian Sea: BISCAY - The Cantabarian Sea was not familiar to me but the Bay Of Biscay soon became obvious

15. Odysseus' kingdom: ITHACA - _ T H _ _ _  gave me ATHENS first

17. Cuts off contact with: GHOSTS - Uh, dude, you're so being GHOSTED!

19. Makes a long face: POUTS - _ O U _ _ gave me MOUES first

1. Rap hit heard in the 2009 biopic "Notorious": BIG POPPA - I had no idea on this song or stomach for the lyrics

6. "__, queen!": slangy celebratory words: YAS - A 1:45 explanation of this "too hip for me" meme 

Now let's see what else Christopher has for us today as I start my third year as your Saturday docent:

Across:

7. Port captured in Sherman's March to the Sea: SAVANNAH - Christmas present to President Lincoln

16. Regional birds: AVIFAUNA - AVI - Bird, FAUNA - Animal, so... 

18. Sense organ: RECEPTOR.

20. Kingston address: MON.

21. Site with "Living Healthy" guides: WEB MD - Uh, you might still want to consult a doctor 😏

22. Alibis: OUTS - OJ's didn't hold up but he was still found not guilty (as opposed to innocent)

23. Two-faced god: JANUS - JANUS was the Roman god of doors, choices, beginnings and endings. The first month of the year is called January after him. Got those resolutions ready?

25. Breeze (through): SAIL.

26. Family-friendly ratings: PG'S - 1996 was a strange year for Oscar. Three nominees for best picture were rated PG - Apollo 13, Il Postino and Sense and Sensibility and one was rated G - Babe.

27. Smooth operator, one would hope: SURGEON 

29. "The Last Jedi" heroine: REY - Here 'ya go

REY played 
by Daisy Ridley

30. Tight military formation: PHALANX and 34. Charge: ATTACK!!

32. Makeup kit item: Q-TIP - My ENT and audiologist emphatically say, "Keep 'em out of your ears!"

35. Monopoly pieces: HOUSES - Landing on Boardwalk with four HOUSES will run you $1,700

39. Expert: WHIZ - Some of us baseball 23. Buffs: JUNKIES  remember this 1950 team that had Richie Ashburn (middle of this picture) from Tilden, NE on it

41. Florida's first two-term Republican governor: JEB BUSH.

42. Black __: OPS - The one that killed Bin Laden

45. "Listen to me ... ": SEE HERE.

47. Early GE subsidiary: RCA.

48. Down times: NAPS.

50. Sound from one who's out: SNORE - My wife and my heart are glad I now use a CPAP

51. Bird's-eye view?: BEAK 

52. Minor arguments: SPATS - "We had a quarrel, a lover's SPAT, I write I'm sorry but my letter keeps coming back"

54. Black Hills terr.: DAK. 

55. Biathlete's need: RIFLE - Canadian Mackenzie Turner competing carrying hers

56. Apparent displacement due to perspective: PARALLAX - The stellar background can change from season to season

58. Some cells: NOKIAS - Today this vintage one would be called a brick

59. Agreeable way of seeing: EYE TO EYE.

60. Go too far: OVERDO - Don't start a vigorous exercise program on January First if you're not ready!

61. Oopsy or Funshine, e.g.: CARE BEAR - Okay

62. "Pippin" Tony winner: VEREEN.

Down:

3. Gives an earful: SHOUTS AT.

4. Groups of players: CASTS - TEAMS or 2. "... or so __": I THOUGHT.

5. What many a player does: ACTS.

7. It's a wrap: SARONG - Dorothy Lamour's signature outfit

8. Tony-winning musical that draws inspiration from "Sesame Street": AVENUE Q - "A musical with humans and foul-mouthed puppets"

9. Ford's Crown __: VIC - An alternate steed for the RCMP

10. Not many: A FEW 

11. Shaving spots: NAPES - Also where our cat carried her little ones

12. Nature Valley offering: NUT BAR.

13. Breakdown of social norms: ANOMIE - Anyone else think of this?

14. Barely: HARDLY - A 13-second use of the double negative NOT HARDLY

20. Chico was the first-born one: MARX.

 Groucho, Gummo, Minnie (mother), Zeppo,
 Sam (father), Chico, and Harpo.

24. "Neener neener!": SO THERE - A familiar taunt on playgrounds of my yute

27. Big name in investment banking: SACHS - Too big to fail?

28. Mythical weeper: NIOBE - Aptly named

31. Bar subject: LAW.

33. Bar: PUB - A very different bar

36. Guaranteed: SURE FIRE.

37. Cadillac SUV: ESCALADE - Click arrows for a tour of a $99,230 ESCALADE

38. Agrees to, in a way: SHAKES ON.

40. Singer/actress who voices Meechee in "Smallfoot": ZENDAYA 

41. Soda __: JERK.

42. How much freelance work is done: ON SPEC.

43. Tropical fruit: PAPAYA - Everything you could possibly want to know

44. More scant: SPARER

46. Charlatan: HOAXER.

49. Condition: STATE.

51. Hog owner: BIKER.

53. Disorderly sort: SLOB.

55. Gad about: ROVE.

57. Author Harper: LEE - 55 years between publication dates

58. 11, at times: Abbr.: NOV.

YAS QUEEN, what fun (I really can't pull that off can I?)  Comment at will:

Christmas update: This year the grandkids had to find envelopes of cash I hid around the neighborhood using a GPS device from my physics lab on a lovely early winter's day.

Friday, December 27, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

"I, uh..."

17. A vat, some cloth, etc.?: DYER NEEDS.   Dire needs.

24. One in a Mesoamerican cleanup crew?: MAYAN SWEEPER.   Mine sweeper.

38. Apothecary's concern?: PHIAL MANAGEMENT.    File management.  As Canadian Eh would tell us, phial is just another name for vial.

47. Large cat romantically interested in opposite-sex large cats?: STRAIGHT LION.   Straight line.

60. Surprisingly genteel outbreak of lawlessness?: CIVIL RIOT.   Civil right.


Had to ask for help to get the theme on this one.   The common phrases follow the 5 theme answers.   Just not sure that I agree about 17A, but the others all change a long I sound to an uh sound.  Dyer and Dire sound like the same pronunciation to me. 

Across:

1. Stop lying: RISE.   Get out of bed, perhaps.

5. Suburban expanse: LAWN.

9. Comes impressively into view: LOOMs.

14. One may be pitched to a publisher: IDEA.

15. Canal that helps connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic: ERIE.   Excellent story and photos in this PBS article.

16. Capital SSW of Damascus: AMMAN.   The capital of Syria is Damascus.  The capital of Jordan is Amman.  The currency of Syria is the Syrian Pound.   The currency of Jordan is the Jordanian Dinar.

19. Surprise in a bottle: GENIE.  

20. Shade tree: ELM.

21. Jazz saxophonist __ Cobb: ARNETT.   No idea.   He was known as "Wild Man of the Tenor Sax."  JzB probably nailed it.    I would have known war correspondent Peter Arnett.

23. Angle or angler's necessity: LINE.   LurE first.  Should have paid attention to both parts of the clue.

26. Not from around here: ALIEN.


29. Any of four palindromic emperors: OTTO.    I wonder if any of them were nicknamed Desper ?

30. Gels: SETs.

31. Moody: IN A PET.    I read that "in a pet" can mean a fit of peevishness, sulkiness, or anger.

35. Object of podiatric study: TOE.

41. Serious misdeed: SIN.  

42. Not on the fence: OPTING.

43. Túpac Amaru, e.g.: INCA.   Perps.  There was a rapper named Tupac Shakur, so Tupac struck a bell.  Amaru did not. 

44. Beige look-alike: ECRU.

46. Big celebrations: FETEs.

53. Oxen group: TEAM.   The yoke's on them.

54. Ex __: out of nothing, in Latin: NIHILO.   Thank you perps.

55. Saddlebag carrier: ASS.

58. Make over: RENEW.   A variant for the typical redo.

62. Being dragged behind: IN TOW.   There goes Jinx !

63. Largest human joint: KNEE.

64. Not doing anything: IDLE.

65. No longer hip: PASSE.   Huey Lewis sang to us that "It's hip to be square."

66. Fax button: SEND.

67. Like some pockets: DEEP.   Deep pockets are required for the fitted sheets on some thicker mattresses.   In your gums, they are bad for the health of your teeth.   And as we all know, it's another term for being financially well off.

Down:

1. Lift: RIDE.

2. Pastoral verse: IDYL.    Hey !   What happened to the other L ?   Either way, after listening to some pronunciation clips, it sounds like idle or idol to me.  

3. Appear: SEEM.

4. Facial projection: EAR.

5. Not sure (of): LEERY.

6. Sports venue: ARENA.

7. Increase in girth: WIDEN.

8. Fits one within another: NESTs.   Nesting dolls, boxes, bowls, tables, measuring spoons... What else ?

9. Hang back: LAG.

11. Capable of anything: OMNIPOTENT.   A powerful word.

12. Nearly half of New England: MAINE. 

13. Express contempt: SNEER.

18. Indian bread: NAAN.

22. With 10-Down, breakfast choice: TWO EGG, and 10-Down: See 22-Down: OMELET.   Two egg omelet.   How adding cheese, diced ham, green bell peppers and onions ?

24. Tableland: MESA.   Devils Tower, pictured at 9A, is considered a butte, not a mesa.

25. Suffix with cigar: ETTE.

26. Egyptian serpents: ASPS.

27. City near Provo: LEHI.   I've never been to Utah.  I thought the 4 letter city near Provo was Orem, since that is what we most often see in crosswords.  People from the state are called ?????

28. Nomadic sorts: ITINERANTS.   Nailed it with the IT start.

31. Call into question: IMPUGN.

32. Member of the 2019 World Series champs: NAT.   The Washington Nationals.

33. Request from a Midwestern cheerleader, maybe: AN I.    Take your pick from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, or Iowa State.    I watch when the Ohio State marching band dots the i.   I haven't heard any college cheers where the name is spelled out.  High school, yes.

34. God with a flute: PAN.   Didn't know Jean Pierre Rampal or James Galway from a couple of puzzles in the last few weeks, but Pan was a gimme.

36. Barely at all: ONCE.  Sometimes, barely at all is once too often.

37. LAX postings: ETAs.

39. Actress Petty: LORI.   No idea.   But then I learned she played Geena Davis's little sister in "A League of Their Own"


40. Comportment: MIEN.

45. Hitchcock was known for them: CAMEOs.   Here's 20 of the documented 39, but I couldn't spot him in a few.


46. Deluded one: FOOL.

47. Denude: STRIP.

I would have loved to see the clue simply as Delude, followed by Denude, but it was still fun.

48. Singer __ Marie: TEENA. The "Ivory Queen of Soul" here singing  "Square Biz"

"In 2004, while Teena Marie was sleeping in a hotel room, a large picture frame fell and struck her on the head. The blow caused a serious concussion that caused momentary seizures for the rest of her life." - Wikipedia

49. 2006 "American Idol" winner Taylor __: HICKS.   Nailed it with Taylor.   DW is a fan of Idol.

50. Yours, once: THINE.

51. Animate: LIVEN.

52. Sheepish admission: I LIED.   Until I finally decided to stop lying and get out of bed.

55. Assistant: AIDE.

56. Cobbler's concern: SOLE.   You can get sole year round from New England fishmongers, and you can probably find an old-timey cobbler to resole your shoes if needed.

57. Dance part: STEP.

59. "SmackDown" org.: WWE.    World Wrestling Entertainment.   SmackDown is a brand for this professional wrestling and sports entertainment corporation.

61. Unburden: RID.

You can also check your answers here:

Thursday, December 26th 2019 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Dance Moves

I've highlighted the four dances in the grid for you in case you didn't see them during your solve. The reveal rather painfully spells out what to look for, I'd have been inclined to leave out the row numbers and just let the solver go dance-hunting.

Let’s go clue-hunting!

Across:

1. [This is so frustrating!]: ARGH! Not the best of starts

5. Ceiling: LIMIT

10. Mail often diverted to a separate folder: SPAM. Microsoft's spam filter gets a little over-enthusiastic, I make a point to check my junk mail every couple of days, there's often something in there I should read. I had a couple of emails from Lemonade a few weeks ago that got the Microsoft treatment and he probably wondered why I was ignoring him.

14. Sainted pope called "the Great": LEO I. There were 13 Popes Leo, therefore ending with Leo XIII. All sorts of opportunity there for crossword compilers stuck for an entry. If you think about it, Leo I would never have heard the term. By the time there was a II, the original had joined the choir celestial a good couple of hundred years before.

15. Modern Persian: IRANI. I want the next pope to style himself "IRAN I" just to cause confusion.

16. Celestial bear: URSA

17. Mosque bigwig: IMAM, "I, Mam" the sequel to "I, Carly", featuring her mother.

18. Daring move: BOLD STROKE

20. Barnyard mom: SOW

21. Bath-loving Muppet: ERNIE

22. Priest's robe: ALB

23. KITT on "Knight Rider": TRANS-AM. Not necessarily. There are two KITT characters, the first from the original 1982 series which is a Trans-Am, and the second from the 2008 TV pilot for the series reboot which was a Ford Shelby GT500. This is the kind of obfuscation that causes fights during trivia contests.

25. Hanging Gardens site: BABYLON

29. "You can tell me": SAY IT

30. Inhabitants of a myrmecologist's farm: ANTS

32. Big time: ERA

33. Thompson of "Thor: Ragnarok": TESSA. Who knew? Not me.

35. Getty and Rockefeller: OIL MEN. Because "CENTERS" doesn't fit.

38. Street moves since the '70s ... and what the black squares on rows 3, 5, 11 and 13 do: BREAK DANCES. Remember "b-boys" from a couple of weeks ago?

40. Unfolds: BLOOMS

42. Pertaining to the small intestine: ILEAC. A bit odd really, as the ileum is one of three sections of the small intestine.

43. Chest bone: RIB

44. Fling: HURL

46. Hardship: RIGOR

50. Judicial self-disqualification: RECUSAL

53. Zoe of "Avatar": SALDANA. I had a sulk around this section. The mess of SALDANA, ILIAC, ICARLY, LECID, ATNOS and AMATO seemed very clumsy, and just inviting cries of "Natick Foul".

55. Genetics lab material: RNA

56. Ragged: TATTY

58. Floral garland: LEI

59. Three-flavor block: NEAPOLITAN. This was such a treat when we were kids. Chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice cream ALL AT THE SAME TIME! I think we had to go to confession after eating it and plead forgiveness.

62. Mount Olympus group: GODS

63. "You Needed Me" singer Murray: ANNE. Thank you, crosses.

64. REO Speedwagon guitarist Dave: AMATO. Ditto

65. One is often hard to resist: URGE

66. Site in a Steinbeck title: EDEN

67. Network points: NODES

68. Financial aid criterion: NEED

Down:

1. Top celebrity groupings: A-LISTS. A-LISTER last week, A-LISTS today. Can be tricky to parse, especially in the downs.

2. Ride-hitching fish: REMORA

3. "Scram!": GO AWAY!

4. Word for a guy: HIM

5. Scales aloft: LIBRA

6. Facial apparatus in a Dumas novel: IRON MASK

7. Neighbor of Mauritania: MALI

8. Behind on bills: IN DEBT

9. Poetic contraction: 'TIS

10. Like a sourpuss: SURLY

11. Math test parts: PROBLEMS

12. Inquire or require: ASK

13. Novelist Rita __ Brown: MAE

19. File folder feature: TAB

21. Prize: ESTEEM

24. Explosion maker, briefly: NITRO

26. Not separately: AS ONE

27. Mine find: ORE

28. A Bobbsey twin: NAN

31. Rock bottom: NADIR

34. "Rizzoli & Isles" actress Alexander: SASHA

36. Nickelodeon sitcom starring Miranda Cosgrove: I, CARLY

37. Massenet opera about a Spanish hero: LE CID

38. "Hogan's Heroes" star: BOB CRANE

39. Auto insurance giant: ALLSTATE

40. Cold call?: BRR!

41. Fabrication: LIE

45. In the prior month: ULTIMO. Instant and proximo are its temporal cousins.

47. In great numbers: GALORE

48. Stressed out: ON EDGE

49. Elevated: RAISED

51. Let loose, as hogs: UNPEN

52. __ Tomé and Príncipe: SÃO. I discover this island nation is located off the central equatorial coast of west Africa. I was guessing that they were two islands off Brazil or Portugal. Wrong!

54. Chem. class data: AT. NOS. Atomic Numbers, apparently. I thought the Atomic Number abbreviation was simply "AN" but that appears to have been a figment of my chemistry teacher's imagination.

57. Not very much: A TAD

59. Rob Roy's refusal: NAE. When Kirkintilloch founded their football (fitba') team in 1878, they named themselves "Kirkintilloch Rob Roy" in his honor, and are still known thusly today, which I find rather splendid.

60. Boundary: END

61. PC-to-PC hookup: LAN

62. Rev: GUN. As in engine. If my last name were Gunn I'd become a preacher just so I'd be called "Rev Gunn". Or Counter. "The sermon was given by Rev. Counter".

Wednesday December 25, 2019 Blake Slonecker

Theme: COME TO YOUR SENSES (64. Wake up ... or what five long Across answers do?) - The last word of each theme entry is a "sense".

18. Pretrial proceeding to determine if the accused is released or held during trial: DETENTION HEARING.

23. Tawdry: IN POOR TASTE.

37. Stop communicating: LOSE TOUCH.

46. Programmer's hint of a still bigger problem: CODE SMELL.

58. Soothsayer's ability: SECOND SIGHT.

Boomer here again.  

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!  If you are traveling to greet friends and relatives I wish you all a safe trip.  Here in the frozen tundra, we are enjoying temperatures in the 30s with a bit of melting going on.  No travel for C.C, and me, except maybe to the car wash.

Packers 23 - Vikings 10. No Christmas joy in Snowyville -  Happy Holidays Green Bay!

Across:

1. "The Chosen" novelist Potok: CHAIM.

6. Doofuses: SCHMOS.  Are they all named Joe ?

12. Itinerary info: ETA.  Should be on time, weather permitting.  ETA for Santa?? He should already have come and gone.  It's a busy night for him.

15. Light weight: OUNCE.  Enjoy a cocktail, but not if you're driving.

16. Hullabaloo: HOOPLA.  Reminds me of 1958 when the Hula Hoop was the most given Christmas gift.

17. "Your Moment of __": "The Daily Show" bit: ZEN.  I used to watch the show with Jon Stewart.  Not so much anymore.

21. Family unit: CLAN.  I would not call any family a clan.  If you change the C to a K, it has a negative connotation.

22. Ties up: BINDS.

30. Get-up-and-go: ZEST.  I used to use it, but now I like Irish Spring.

31. Peddle: SELL.  Tough job in the electrical business,  I only lasted about a year, then I escaped to an office position.

32. Again, in Spanish: OTRA VEZ.  Feliz Navidad.  I said this to my friend Jorge a couple of days ago, and he smiled.  I guess I did not have the proper accent.

34. Having a low pH: ACIDIC.

41. Master: ACE.  Slang for a hole in one.  I am still waiting for my first.

42. Easy throw: LOB.  No runs, no hits, no errors and nobody Left On Base.

44. Forget a date, e.g.: ERR.  See above.

45. Actress Vardalos: NIA.

50. Pines: YEARNS.  Sometimes I YEARN for a Chocolate Chip cookie.

52. Plays at, with "in": DABBLES.

54. Costa __: RICA.

55. Source of chips: SPUD.  "You may want a Bud Light with those chips",  So says SPUDS Mackenzie.

61. Watering hole: OASIS.  Besides a water stop in the desert, there are many products that use the name.  SOAP??

63. Vicinity: AREA.

72. Chicken-king link: A LA.  This is A LA Times Crossword Corner.

73. Polar jacket: ANORAK.  Don't need it this week, Low to mid 30s all week!

74. Dishonorable fellow: KNAVE.

75. Chop off: LOP.  I chopped a six pin off a ten this week.  Yes, I cannot repeat my comment.

76. Big Apple area, with "the": BOWERY.  I guess they were a criminal clan from New York, but didn't the bowery boys actors become the Three Stooges?

77. Nasser's successor: SADAT.  I wonder what he was SAD AT?

Down:

1. Northern Pacific catch: COD.  You do not see much C.O.D. deliveries any more.  Need to use PayPal or Credit Card.

2. Cranberry or cherry: HUE.

3. Bad picnic omen: ANT.  I don't know about picnics, but these little guys can build their homes right under the asphalt in our driveway.

4. Like beer on a summer day, ideally: ICE COLD.  Or like my bowling ability on a winter day sometimes.

5. __ Park: Edison lab site: MENLO.  Thomas Edison has all the respect in the world from us Graybar folks.  I think he invented more than half the stuff that we sell.

6. Japanese faith: SHINTO.

7. Dove's call: COO.  There's another bird who calls Coo Koo.

8. Dearie: HON.

9. Speed letters: MPH.  I try to keep my needle on the speed limit.  Detection is very enhanced, and well it should be.  I am not a fan of drivers zipping by me on city streets.

10. Cry repeated at soccer matches: OLE.  Ya sure, 'Dis is Sven's buddy.

11. Defunct Swedish automaker: SAAB.

12. Web mag: E-ZINE.

13. Cares for: TENDS.  I do not pretend to be super-religious, but I do believe there were animals tended in the Manger on this night years ago.

14. Insecure feeling: ANGST.

19. Old salt: TAR.  Indeed this is the asphalt I was talking about previously that ants tunnel down.

20. Channing's role in "Grease": RIZZO.  First baseman Anthony for the Chicago Cubs.

23. Genesis father of twins: ISAAC.  The bible says Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were born!!  Some guys will do anything for a tax deduction.

24. Wafer brand: NECCO.  I remember these.  I think a roll cost a nickel.

25. Practiced, as a trade: PLIED.

26. NBA's Hawks, on scoreboards: ATL.  Also the Braves, losers of the 1991 World Series. (Thanks to Kent Hrbek and a blind umpire),

27. B'way sellout sign: SRO.  Not available on Airlines, but certainly available when you are waiting to check-in.

28. Zap with a stun gun: TASE.  I am sure they are uncomfortable, but better than a bullet.

29. More than most: EVERY.  "Every Day, It's a gettin' closer, goin' faster than a roller coaster." (Lubbock's only Buddy Holly).

33. French 101 verb: ETRE.

35. "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA.

36. Tangle removers: COMBS.  If it's really tangled it becomes a hair remover.

38. Strip of gear, as a ship: UNRIG.

39. Sure thing: CINCH.

40. Attacks: HAS AT.

43. "I'm a Mess" singer Rexha: BEBE.

47. __ Bauer: EDDIE.  Men's clothing - "Everything's on sale."  Or do they mean "for sale"?

48. Inc. kin: LLC.  Stands for "Limited Liability" but I am not business-minded to know what the advantages are.

49. Zodiac feline: LEO.  Burt Lahr was a cowardly one.  Good thing they didn't use a chicken.

51. Online news pioneer Huffington: ARIANNA.

53. Snide: SNARKY.

55. Golden St. region: SOCAL.  The land of milk and honey, (and an occasional fire).

56. Renaissance painter Veronese: PAOLO.

57. It usually shows AK and HI as insets: US MAP.  I was about 10-12 when these two states were added.  I remember the U.S. had to redesign Old Glory.

59. Ob-gyns, e.g.: DRS.  They bring "Joy to the World". 

60. Personal ad verb: SEEKS.  If you travel to Missouri and look West, you may SEE KS.

62. Stick a fork in: STAB.  Rumor has it that some of you crossword solvers eat your peas this way.

65. Plastic __ Band: ONO.

66. Pained outburst: YOW.

67. Wash. neighbor: ORE.  The State that D.B, Cooper  hopped a Northwest jet with a bag of money and parachuted out somewhere.  The pilot of the plane, Captain Lee, was from Minnetonka, MN.

68. Old Mideast org.: UAR. United Arab Republic.

69. Pathetic: SAD.  The first name of Private Sack in the funny papers.

70. Señora Perón: EVA.

71. Tennis match unit: SET.  Game SET Match.  See you Monday!!

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Yellowrocks (Kathy), whose strength and persistence continue to inspire me. Has anyone tried her miso salmon? Miso and honey combo is great also.

  

Kathy, Japan

2) Happy 81st Birthday to Lorraine (Fermatprime)! I just got a short note from her yesterday and I hope she checks in today. Do you still solve the daily puzzles, Lorraine?

Thanksgiving, 2015