Sunday February 2, 2020 Mike Peluso

Theme:  "When in Rome"- The first number (1-10) in each familiar phrase is replaced by a Roman numeral.

22. Show for which Erika Slezak won six Daytime Emmys: I LIFE TO LIVE. One Life to Live.

28. Films with depth?: III D MOVIES. Three-D movies.

34. Video poker basis: V CARD DRAW. Five-card draw.

57. It's not good to be behind it: VIII BALL. Eight ball.

59. It's usually attached to a house: II CAR GARAGE. Two-car garage.

74. Certain incumbent's rally cry: IV MORE YEARS. Four more years.

76. 1995 Hugh Grant film: IX MONTHS. Nine Months.

96. Symbol of untouchability: X FOOT POLE. Ten-foot pole.

106. Set of schools that includes Vassar: VII SISTERS. Seven Sisters.

115. 2000s series set in a funeral home: VI FEET UNDER. Six Feet Under.
 
So nice to see Mike's byline again. I always associate him with Wednesday puzzles, probably because he made a lots of Wednesday puzzles when I started blogging.

The numbers are not in order, probably because he did not want to give us free letters. Guess how many I's in this grid?

Across:

1. Learn to fit in: ADAPT.

6. Wilson's predecessor: TAFT.

10. Eponymous 2000s TV sitcom: REBA. McEntire.

14. Runs for it: LAMS.

18. Chili __: dish with green sauce: VERDE. Never had it. Looks yummy.

19. Early Arizona natives: PIMAS. And 21. Siouan people: OTOE.

20. Tourney format, briefly: ELIM. Elimination.

24. Amt. rarely charged: MSRP. Mostly cars.

25. Lahore tongue: URDU.

26. Carried out: DID.

27. Theater sight: POSTER.

30. Hayride seats: BALES.

31. Hammed it up: EMOTED.

33. Border range: URALS.

38. Home security giant: ADT. Our neighbor has a "Secured by ADT" in their lawn.

39. Tom Joad, e.g.: OKIE.

41. Kolkata wrap: SARI.

42. Heavy marble: STEELIE. It does sound heavy.

44. Slime: GOO.

45. Inflation spec: PSI. Tire.

48. Capital north of Syracuse: OTTAWA.

51. Window treatment: BLIND.

52. Rolled up: FURLED.

54. Scand. country: NORW. Norway.

56. Gospel singer Winans: CECE. Gimme for me.

63. Former Hanford overseer: Abbr.: AEC.  Atomic Energy Commission. Dissolved in 1975.

64. Key, perhaps: ISLE.

65. Management deg.: MBA.

66. Charmingly rural: FOLKSY.

67. Takes in, say: ALTERS.

70. La Méditerranée, e.g.: MER.

71. Hall of Fame pitcher Blyleven: BERT. Known for his curveballs. Twins' color commentator. Boomer often picks on Bert's gaffes. Like "This is the second debut of ...".

73. One always reaching for the Skyy?: SOT. And clue echo at 59. Reach for the Skyy: IMBIBE.

79. Década components: ANOS. Decade/years.

80. Pride and envy: SINS.

81. Barry Gibb, for one: BEE GEE.

82. Wing it: AD LIB.

83. Aggravate: NETTLE.

87. Immigrant's subj.: ESL.

88. Soup legume: PEA. Can't wait for the fresh peas at our local farmers' market. Pretty and tasty with rice.

90. Transmission need: GEAR OIL.

93. "I'm on it, I'm on it!!": OK OK.

94. Ratted: SANG.

95. Nevada Northern Railway Museum city: ELY.

99. Stand for a canvas: EASEL.

102. Swallow: INGEST.

105. Exhaust __: FUMES.

108. Sun-Maid product: RAISIN.

110. Portland summer hrs., perhaps: EDT.

113. Theta follower: IOTA.

114. El __: PASO.

117. Shut (up): CLAM.

118. Alaskan island in the Eastern Hemisphere: ATTU.

119. "Sorry, not for me": I PASS.

120. Barrel racing milieu: RODEO. Not familiar with barrel racing.

121. Flag: TIRE.

122. In the order given: Abbr.: RESP. Respective?

123. Sassy: PERT.

124. Whence the Israelites fled: EGYPT.

Down:

1. Lifelong, as a fan: AVID.

2. Seller of dogs: DELI.

3. Like the Namib: ARID.  Southern African desert.

4. Adobe file format: PDF.

5. Disc golf starting point: TEE PAD. I think Mike is an avid golfer.

6. Attacks, knight-style: TILTS AT.

7. Friend of François: AMIE.

8. Green Bay legend: FAVRE. Brett Favre's final season was with the Vikings.

9. Mao __-tung: TSE.

10. Sent in: REMITTED.

11. Pitcher of milk?: ELSIE. Fun clue.

12. Pudelpointer, say: BIRD DOG. Never heard of Pudelpointer. Wiki says "It is a pointing breed that came from a cross between the German hunting poodle (pudel) and the English Pointer.

13. Time toggle: AM PM.

14. Site of Pei's pyramid: LOUVRE.

15. Glass-roofed lobbies: ATRIA.

16. Runway walker: MODEL.

17. Grinch creator: SEUSS.

19. Toughies: POSERS.

23. All __: including everything: TOLD.

28. One of the halogens: IODINE.

29. "Yes, yes, Dominique": OUI OUI.

30. __ Scurry, 1999 Women's World Cup championship U.S. team goalkeeper: BRIANA. Also new to me.

32. Evil intent: MALICE.

34. Brandy letters: VSO.

35. Siamese, e.g.: CAT.

36. Museum works: ART.

37. Online program: WEBCAST.

40. 2001 Peace Prize sharer Annan: KOFI. Graduated from Macalester College here in MN.

43. Poem of loss: ELEGY.

45. Hospital supply: PLASMA.

46. Word with best or book: SELLER.

47. Cars in jams, say: IDLERS.

49. "Star Trek" franchise Klingon: WORF. Drew a blank.

50. 2012 Best Picture: ARGO.

53. DH's stat: RBI.

55. Former 49ers coach Bill: WALSH.

57. Nix: VETO.

58. Bakery workers: ICERS.

60. Alpine goats: IBEXES.

61. Monterey neighbor: CARMEL. Clint Eastwood was their mayor ages ago. Jesse Ventura was the mayor of our Brooklyn Park before I came here.

62. Old-time cinemas: RKOS.

63. Collection plate alternative: ALMS BOX.

67. French 101 verb: AVOIR.

68. Jockey strap: REIN.

69. "Auld Lang __": SYNE.

72. Dress (up) fancily: TOG.

74. Mosaic pieces: INLAYS.

75. Prevents, by law: ESTOPS.

77. Sherpa, commonly: NEPALI.

78. Suffix with ump-: TEEN.

79. Astaire and a singer: ADELES. "Hello, can you hear me?"

82. Survey category: AGE GROUP.

84. Fight stopper, for short: TKO.

85. Online response to humor: LOL.

86. Barely manage, with "out": EKE.

89. Disturb: AGITATE.

91. Most up in the air: IFFIEST.

92. Botches, with "up": LOUSES.

94. Option at the bagel shop: SESAME.

97. Forget to mention: OMIT.

98. Academic job security: TENURE.

99. Throw out: EVICT.

100. Its name is derived from Provençal words for "garlic" and "oil": AIOLI. So thick. What do you use the sauce for?

101. Stringed Asian instrument: SITAR.

103. Homes in the woods: NESTS.

104. Nonsense: TRIPE.

107. Engage in verbal jousting: SPAR.

109. In the distance: AFAR.

110. Marine hazard: EDDY.

111. Word with sleep or freeze: DEEP.

112. Pace with a wide range of speeds: TROT.

115. Guest in a team owner's skybox, often: VIP.

116. Eggy beverage: NOG.

C.C.

Saturday, February 1, 2020, Brian E. Paquin

Saturday Themeless by Brian E. Paquin

Is it really already February and this is my seventh Brian Paquin themeless Saturday puzzle to blog? Yes, on both counts. I last blogged this Kingston, Ontario resident's puzzle on the 2019 Winter Solstice where I included this bio info Brian was kind enough  to share with me: 

So, I am a retired computer systems developer.  My first interest in crosswords was in figuring out how to write a program to fill grids. I didn't try solving one until I was 40, so this isn't a lifelong thing with me, as it is with many constructors.  I still get distracted by playing around with my software rather than writing new puzzles. That's about all that I have for now!

Brian's 12/13/12 side-by-side verticals in the middle are very cool and greatly helped in the solve!

Across:

1. "I Love a Rainy Night" singer Eddie: RABBITT - This goes along with our tradition of saying Rabbit, Rabbit on the first day of the month plus I love this song and rainy nights

8. Rattletrap: BEATER - Be careful if you 7. Test-drive: TAKE FOR A SPIN.

14. TV screen-bottom banner, perhaps: IN LINE AD - Info

16. Bond girl Andress: URSULA - I pictured her in Evan's puzzle last Saturday! Beats a deranged DR NO in rubber gloves!

17. Clapping game: PAT-A-CAKE.

18. Vitamin B3: NIACIN - WebMd's info

19. Reliable omen: SURE SIGN - Old Sam Clemens hit it on the head

21. "Krazy" comics feline: KAT 

22. Modify: ALTER.

25. Murky milieus: FENS - Yeah right, I was the only one who put FOGS!

26. Handle carelessly, with "with": MESS 

27. Jamaica's Ocho __: RIOS - This cruise lands at Ocho RIOS (eight rivers) like Columbus did in 1494. 

28. Rocky peaks: TORS - 54. Reg.: STD - REGular and STandarD cwd fill

29. Coordinate-based calc.: DIR - Non-math peeps, skip!! If you know the  change in horizontal and vertical map coordinates (Δx and Δy), you can calculate the distance, r, and  𝛉 degree DIRECTION required for the move on the plane

30. French wine term: CRU - Here ya go!

31. They can't be prevented: CERTITUDES - We went to the Moon, get over it!

34. What human flight was once thought to be: HARE BRAINED IDEA - "Hey Wilbur, this guy says it'll never get off the ground"

37. Secondary matters: SIDE ISSUES - Electricity generating wind mills have SIDE ISSUES

38. Possess: OWN.

39. "Yes, __!": SIR  and 56. Threatens with bared teeth: SNARLS AT.

40. Not wing it: PLAN.

41. "__ giorno!": BUON - Looks like a great way to start the day!

42. Ship's post that secures cables: BITT - I'm betting Spitz could tie these lines!

44. Largest Italian automaker: FIAT - Fix It Again Tony! 😏

45. Big name in health care: AETNA.

46. Big name in home security: ADT - Does a fake American Distance Telegraph sign in the yard deter crime?

47. Most curious: FUNNIEST.

49. Best Actress winner for "The Queen": MIRREN - Helen

51. Longtime Arctic transportation methods: DOG TEAMS 

55. Crossed the lake, say: BOATED - My Google search disliked this word so much it replied "Did you mean BLOATED?"

57. Drives: IMPELS - Boated?

58. Emulated Gene Kelly performing "Singin' in the Rain": SLOSHED - Among the most iconic movie images of all time

Down:

1. Copy, as a CD: RIP - An aggressive (and possibly illegal) synonym for copying digital info from one CD to another digital place

2. Santa __: ANA - $650,000 will get you this 1,238 sq. ft. unit in Santa ANA, CA

3. Diner order: BLT - Without home-grown "T's", it's just not the same

4. Statistical distortions: BIASES - Nonreponse BIAS in 2016 polling

5. Bring on: INCUR - Don't INCUR the wrath of a Gunnery Sergeant 

6. Natural eye cleaner: TEAR.

8. Keg stoppers: BUNGS.

9. St. Patrick's home: ERIN.

10. Quiet-mouse connector: AS A.

11. Exhausted: TUCKERED OUT.

12. __ Sports Bureau, statistics giant: ELIAS - The keeper of very ESOTERIC records like: August 2018 - Michael Fulmer - First Tigers pitcher to throw a four-hit shutout (or fewer) with no walks and nine strikeouts since Mickey Lolich against the Angels, Aug. 18, 1972.

13. Diatribes: RANTS.

15. Stereotypical shipwreck sites: DESERT ISLANDS.

20. They're usually not helpful hints: INSINUATIONS - LBJ's campaign made a very famous INSINUATION with this ad in 1964 (1:07)

22. Foot part: ARCH.

23. Turkish coins: LIRAS - Turkish merchants will also take Euros 

24. Magnet for rubbernecking: TOURIST TRAP - After hours of driving on the flat South Dakota Plains, this TOURIST TRAP looks might good!

26. Skirt length: MIDI.

28. She was Lois on "Lois & Clark": TERI - TERI Hatcher is, uh, super!

29. Clothing: DUDS.

31. Talking trucker: CBER - A phenomenon enhanced by OPEC Oil Embargo 

32. Many a "Buffy" character: TEEN - Many of Vampire Slayers only played TEENS

33. Attach, as a patch: SEW ON.

35. Tighten, in a way: EDIT - My chore here when I write this blog

36. "X-Men" actress Paquin: ANNA - Constructor Brian Paquin's comment on this fill: The Anna Paquin clue was definitely by design, and I'm glad to see that it survived.  She does look like a Paquin, but I don't think we are all that closely related.   She is part of the Winnipeg Paquins, who moved there from Quebec 300 years ago.

41. Addictive Asian nuts: BETELS - Closely associated with cancer of the mouth and jaw. Google pictures at your own risk

42. Tale of a whitetail: BAMBI.

43. Down in the dumps, say: IDIOM - Or "High as a kite"

44. Sponsors: FUNDS - I sponsored two daughters through college and am very glad I was able to

45. 2019 World Series runner-up: ASTRO - Will MLB take away their World Series title?

47. Intuit: FEEL 

48. Alike, in Avignon: EGAL - Trente-deux Fahrenhiet est ÉGAL à zéro Celsius (Thirty two Fahrenheit is equal to Zero Celsius)

50. Itinerary abbr.: RTE - My neighbors usually takes the longer RouTE to Minneapolis to see their daughter because the diagonal RouTE has lots of two-lane highways

52. Tough, elastic wood: ASH.

53. West of the movies: MAE.

Comment at will on our Canadian friend's puzzle:

Friday, January 31, 2020, David Poole

Title: Austin Powers? LINK.

This is one of the rare puzzles where the write-up is harder than the puzzle. But before we go there, let's welcome back David P. (my second straight David constructor) who has his 52nd LAT publication here. He was the first constructor I wrote up when I switched to Fridays in 2010. I think this is my 11th DP puzzle. Like the most recent one published two years ago, I need to begin by sharing the reveal.

40A. Hotel room amenity ... or one of the configurations that resolve four puzzle answers: MINIBAR. In retrospect, this explained the missing "MINI" in 29A/30A and 47A/49A. 21A and 57A just fit with adding the "MINI."

21A. Cornerstone phrase: ANNO DO (MINI). Year of the Lord in Latin.

29A. In a humiliating way: IGNO (MINI) 30A. -: OUSLY. Literally.

47A. Resident at Ottawa's 24 Sussex Drive: PRIME (MINI) 49A. -: STER. The 10 Downing Street of Canada.

57A. Little versions: (MINI) ATURES. Literally.

With the limited number of theme letters, there is room for much long fill and some Friday challenge. CATSPAW,  ENCORES, MARAUDS,  NOB HILL, CARL SAGAN, RED ALERTS,  ALGORITHMIC, and ISOMORPHISM. For those complaining about puzzles being nothing but pop culture, David presents so many areas of knowledge, I hope you had as much fun as I did.

Time to go to work.

Across:

1. Really big show: SMASH. What else comes to mind?

6. Sharp bark: YELP. This a very common clue/fill.

10. Software product with a cup-and-saucer logo: JAVA.

14. Addresses: TALKS. A commencement address for example.

15. Maintain: AVER. A favorite word of people who draft legal complaints.

16. Australian __: OPEN. Timely as Susan pointed out on Tuesday, the tennis is being played there now and the Williams sisters and the defending champion NAOMI OSAKA all lost in the first week. The ladies' final has two unseeded players Saturday.

17. __ Marbles: historic sculptures: ELGIN. I did not know about this HISTORY. Though I know this ELGIN. Very sad about Kobe and his daughter and the other 7 on the helicopter all of whom had families and life left to live. Maybe if they had driven...

18. Serious warnings: RED ALERTS. Why Red?  The phrase "Red Alert" comes from the naval tradition of "General Quarters" ("Action Stations" if you're British), where a ship prepares for battle. Much of the procedures are the same.

20. Narrow range: A TO B.

22. Plunders: MARAUDS. This is from the late 17th century: from French marauder, from maraud ‘rogue’.

24. Upper-class San Francisco area: NOB HILL.  HISTORY.

31. Old JFK lander: SST.

33. Takes pieces from?: UNARMS. Does he mean "Disarm" like taking a weapon or Aphrodite?

38. Beast hunted in Hercules' fourth labor: BOAR. I have a cute LINK that includes a Hercules crossword.

39. Can. sign letters: KPH. Kilometers Per Hour.

42. Fr. title: MME. The abbreviation for Mademoiselle. And the Spanish counterpart 69A. Span. titles: SRAS. Señoritas.

43. Arizona city: YUMA. Not Nick Adams.

45. Horn of Africa native: SOMALI. It looks sort of like a Rhino horn, home to the countries of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, whose cultures have been linked throughout their long history.

46. W. alliance since 1948: OAS.
Organization of American States.  MEMBERS.

51. Added numbers: ENCORES.

54. Unwitting tool: CATSPAW. Derived they say from this FABLE. Later used by Mark Twain.

59. Smoothie seed: CHIA. Do you like them better as pets?

60. "Cosmos" presenter: CARL SAGAN. He was so much more.

64. Baker's tool: WHISK.

65. Mayberry moppet: OPIE. I love me some alliteration.

66. 1920s chief justice: TAFT. He went to the Supreme Court after his Presidency. HISTORY.

67. Binary pronoun: HE/SHE.

68. 2001 Microsoft debut: X-BOX.

70. Financial guru Suze: ORMAN. Anybody watch her lectures?

Down:

1. Cook, as bao buns: STEAM. If you are not familiar, this dish that originated in Northern China, where wheat, rather than rice was more prominently grown. I am sure C.C. has enjoyed many.

2. Smallest European Union nation: MALTA. We are the closing agent for a transaction between a client and a company from Malta.

3. Like search engine ranking systems: ALGORITHMIC. A Friday word that is very relevant in your life now even if you do not know it. LEARN. Nothing to do with Al Gore dancing.

4. Winter luggage item: SKI BAG. I don't know much about this winter item as my skiing days are long over, but I was shocked/amused seeing this AD.

5. QVC sister station: HSN.

6. Tall tales: YARNS.

7. Tied: EVEN.

8. Deceived: LED ON.

9. Museum with Goyas: PRADO.

10. 10-Across: JOE. I love how wheeled the "J." WHY IS IT CALLED JOE?

11. Boston Marathon mo.: APR.

12. Boxer's fixer: VET. Doggie pun.

13. "Jeopardy!" ques., actually: ANS.

19. Timber wolf: LOBO.

21. Dreamboat: ADONIS.

23. One for the money?: UNUM. A Latin lesson from the dollar bill.

25. Center: HUB.

26. Type of mathematical equivalence: ISOMORPHISM. A shout out to our Mathematics whizzes, derives from the Greek iso, meaning "equal," and morphosis, meaning "to form" or "to shape." Formally, an isomorphism is a bijective morphism. Informally, an isomorphism is a map that preserves sets and relations among elements. Easy, right?

27. Parent of a cria: LLAMA. Or a baby alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco.

28. Minstrel strings: LYRES.

31. FaceTime alternative: SKYPE.

32. Disdainfully reject: SPURN. Harsh, but it is time that you...

34. "I'll take that as __": A NO.

35. Canyon edge: RIM.

36. Wharton deg.: MBA.

37. Latin dances: SALSAS.

41. "Norma Rae" director: RITT. I now know this MAN's HISTORY.

44. Latin trio word: AMO. Amas, amat.

48. Jazz and Swing: ERAS.

50. Artist known for optical illusions: ESCHER. Maurits Cornelis Escher.

52. Les __-Unis: ETATS. USA.

53. 10-Down sweetener: SUGAR. The third reference for all of you who are drinking your coffee as you solve. I have my cup at hand.

54. Euro fractions: CENTS.

55. Tyler of "Criminal Minds": AISHA. Dr. Tara Lewis on the show. LINK.

56. Rouse: WAKEN.

58. Tennis nickname: RAFA. Nadal. He also was bounced out in Australia.

60. Crew chief: COX. A coxswain is also the helmsman of a racing crew, like a rowing crew in a competition. The swain part is from a word meaning "servant," and cox is from cok, meaning "a small boat."

61. PD heads-up: APB.

62. Kia subcompact: RIO.

63. Latin law: LEX. The translation and root word for Legal and many others. Or Superman rival Luthor.

64. Dr. Seuss' Cindy-Lou, e.g.: WHO. They lived in Whoville.

Another month here at the Corner in the record books, as we move toward 5,000 publications. Thank you, David, for a slightly different challenge and thank you all for reading and commenting. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to dear Bill G, who's been with this blog for over over 11 years. I enjoyed his bike rides to the coffee place and observations over the years. Have a very special day, Bill!

Bill and his wife Barbara

Thursday, January 30th 2020 Dan Margolis

Theme: That's that - the theme entries are clued literally with a description of each one:

20A. "That's fine": POWDERED SUGAR. Very fine indeed. The Brits call it icing sugar, also known as confectioner's sugar in these parts.

27A. "That's all folks": THE HUMAN RACE. This was my first theme solve which put on the right wavelength. I noticed the missing comma from the Looney Tunes hook line. Very nice cluing.

49A. "That's not the point": PENCIL ERASER. I seem to use all the eraser before I've used all of the pencil which probably says more about my inaccuracy than the design of the pencil. I've got stand-alone backups.

58A. "That's rich": CHOCOLATE CAKE. Chocolate and kale in the same puzzle - as I said last week why do I crave chocolate, and not kale?

So, a nice theme and .... and? The fill is pretty sluggish, there's not a lot to admire. A workmanlike puzzle, but too many obscure names for me and too many throwaway entries to get too much enthusiastic about. It's a shame because there were some great clues for an otherwise dull fill. Let's go explore!

Across:

1. Healthful berry: ACAI. It could be GOJI so wait for a cross to confirm.

5. Sommelier's concern: NOSE. Why don't we just say "this wine has a fine smell?" A sommelier's nose could also be an asset.

9. San Antonio cagers: SPURS

14. Bananas: LOCO. Crazy like a ... chicken? I like El Pollo Loco's grilled chicken.

15. "... the __ blackness of the floors": Poe: EBON

16. "The Fox and the Grapes" storyteller: AESOP

17. Dutch cheese: EDAM

18. Way to go: ROAD

19. Queen's milieu: DRAMA. Drama queen. This one made me smile.

23. Get going: HOP TO

25. "Knives Out" Golden Globe nominee de Armas: ANA. Thank you, crosses. I'm not familiar with the movie and checking her credits on IMDb, I've not seen any of the movies she's appeared in.

26. Lansing-to-Flint dir.: ENE

32. 1960s chess champ Mikhail: TAL. Crosses to the aid again. I'm sure chess enthusiasts will know all about this gentleman, but a little before my chess-conscious time.

33. Mustard family member: KALE

34. They're tapped: KEGS

37. Bundle: PILE

39. On the money: RIGHT

42. Kentucky coach with 876 victories: RUPP. I went with RUUP first for no good reason, which made SUREE look a little strange. Easily fixed. Legendary basketball, fifth on the all-time wins list.

44. Foolhardy: RASH

46. __ avis: RARA. "Rare bird". I learned this from crosswords past, thankfully, as it helped with the crossing proper names.

48. Mex. title: SRA. Señora (from Sonora!)

53. Withdrawal site: ATM

56. Carnival city: RIO

57. Words before "so sue me": I LIED

63. Polynesian language: MAORI

64. Sitar music: RAGA. Here's a raga mix of "Uptown Funk"; you just cannot watch it without smiling!

65. Yemen's Gulf of __: ADEN

68. Conclude with: END ON

69. Indicator: SIGN

70. Feet-first race: LUGE

71. Video chat choice: SKYPE

72. "What __ is new?": ELSE

73. MP3 player: IPOD. Do Apple even make these any more? It seems your phone does everything that an iPod did, with the added bonus of, well, being a phone.

Down:

1. Cream __: ALE

2. Fish that's salted and dried to make bacalao: COD. Originally from the Portuguese, where bacalhau is the name of the fish.The Norwegians have assimilated the dish into their national cuisine where it is now spelled "bakalau". There's more to a bit of dried fish than meets the eye. Here's balalau con tomate.

3. Like Pentatonix numbers: A CAPPELLA

4. Flying insect with prominent eyespots: IO MOTH. Not sure that I knew this. ACAI and LOCO helped me out though.

5. Bookish type: NERD

6. Wind up on stage?: OBOE. Nice clue!

7. Fly like an eagle: SOAR

8. Win over: ENDEAR

9. Hapless sort: SAD SACK

10. Ucayali River country: PERU. The main headstream of the Amazon river, it becomes the Amazon at the confluence with the Marañón.

11. Grammarian's concern: USAGE

12. Type type: ROMAN. Times New Roman, for example, which was commissioned by the London Times newspaper in 1931.

13. Just-in-case item: SPARE

21. "The Caine Mutiny" novelist: WOUK

22. Paternity identifier: DNA

23. Web address letters: HTTP

24. Atheist activist Madalyn: O'HAIR. A new name to me. I'm familiar with the golfer Sean O'Hair, not so much atheist activists.

28. Deface: MAR

29. "When We Were Kings" boxer: ALI. And Joe Frazier; the movie covers the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship fight from Zaire in 1974.

30. Pola of the silents: NEGRI. Another proper name requiring crossing rescue for me today.

31. Poetic contraction: E'ER

35. Dressed to the nines: GUSSIED UP

36. Wild period: SPREE

38. Uncommon sense: ESP. It looks like it has lost its "abbreviation" status.

40. Actor Holbrook: HAL. Another unknown proper name for me today, hence grateful for the "RARA" cross.

41. Amount past due?: TRE. "Uno, due, tre, quattro ...." Nice cluing again for a little word.

43. Ranch bud: PARD

45. Wonder Woman, for one: HEROINE

47. Plot-driving song, perhaps: ARIA. I assume arias drive the plot lines of operas?

50. Zilch: NIL

51. Rough around the edges: COARSE

52. High-pH compound: ALKALI

53. Summits: ACMES

54. "__ goodness": THANK

55. Temperamental: MOODY

59. Edit for size, as a photo: CROP

60. Follow: TAIL

61. Confident juggler's props: EGGS

62. Candy __: CANE

66. It may need a boost: EGO

67. Flanders who inspired the band Okilly Dokilly: NED of "The Simpsons" fame. There's a band from the UK called "Ned's Atomic Dustbin" who named themselves for a sketch from a BBC radio comedy show which aired in the 60's.

And with that, it's okilly dokilly, here's the grid!

Steve