Friday, Jun 12, 2020 Gary Larson

Golf Strokes and Strong Arming by Gary Larson

TTP is still recuperating from his at-home projects. He asked me if I'd sub once again and give him a chance to get the drywall compound and latex paint off his hands, and the ache out of his back. So, here goes...

Gary has given us a traditional letter swap puzzle with accompanying witty cluing and ensuing hilarity. In this case the swap is fully explained in his reveal answers: 

63. Golf strokes...and when combined with 48-Down (Strong arming), and divided in four parts, a hint to four puzzle answers: PUTTS + FORCE = PUT "TS" FOR "CE." As my sister used to say to me, "Simple, stu."

17. Emulates Ogden Nash?: MINT SWORDS.

Oops -- MINTS WORDS (Mince words).

The Rhinoceros.
The rhino is a homely beast,
For human eyes he's not a feast.
Farewell, farewell, you old rhinoceros,
I'll stare at something less prepoceros.

27. Imagined gifts?: PRESENTS OF MIND (Presence of Mind).

44. What cheerleaders lead?: SPORTING CHANTS (Sporting Chance).

"Siss-Boom-Bee, kick him in the knee.

Siss-Boom-Bass, kick him in the other knee."

54. Tracks on a lily pad?: FROG PRINTS (Frog Prince).

 

And here's what else Gary provided for our consideration...

Across:

1. Throw off: EMIT. SCWA*

5. Like some firs: NOBLE. I only learned of these recently. They're native to the Cascade and Coast ranges along the West Coast. Reportedly, you can recognize them by the vertically standing cones atop the branches.

10. After-school treat: MALT. C'mon. You put in OREO, didn't you.

14. Actress Anderson: LONI.

Guess what? Her name is actually Loni Anderson. Who knew? She burst (bust?) onto the scene in 1978 as Jennifer Marlowe, the buxom receptionist at WKRP in Cincinnati.

15. Source of net profits?: ETAIL. It can also be the source of net losses.

16. Cooking acronym popularized by Rachael Ray: EVOO. I actually knew this -- Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

19. Early light time: DAWN. "O Jose can you see, by the dawn's early light..."

20. Can't stand: HATES. ABHOR would've worked, until it wouldn't.

21. Student of Graham: AILEY. This one sent me down the rabbit hole. Turns out it has nothing to do with crackers. Alvin Ailey was a dance student of Martha Graham. Before my eyeballs glazed over I found this.

22. "Of course": SURE DO.

25. Ones working with maître d's: GARÇONS. French waiters.

30. Word on a dipstick: ADD. Have you ever tried to read the level of synthetic oil on a bright metal dipstick? Taint easy.

31. Country singer Blake who's a coach on "The Voice": SHELTON. This was his first hit (3:47) back in '01.

32. Noted work: MUSIC. The music is made up of notes...and rests, and other stuff.

35. Want ad initials: EEO. Equal Employment Opportunity.

36. Lies: RESTS. Where it sits.

40. Fiber-rich snack: RAISINS. I used to think dietary fiber was a specific compound. Nope. It's basically that which cannot be digested. It comes out virtually unchanged from the way it went in. TMI?

43. Slip in a pot: IOU. Think poker.

48. Remote situation: FARNESS. Nose-raiser, if I ever saw one.

49. Gets more out of: REUSES. SCWA*

50. Gone by: OF OLD. OLDEN, PASSÉ.

51. Kooky: WEIRD.

53. Gifford's successor on "Live!": RIPA. Kathy Lee Gifford was Regis Philbin's costar before Kelly Ripa came along.

59. Rep on the street: CRED. Rep = Reputation. Cred = Credibility.

60. Deck with a Hanged Man: TAROT. SCWA*

61. Duck that lends its name to a color: TEAL. SCWA*

62. Wriggling: EELY. SCWA*

64. Like hunks and knockouts: SEXY. Personally, I don't see it...

Down:

1. West __: upscale store: ELM. I looked 'em up. They sell furniture. Hadn't heard of 'em but there is a store about 50 miles away in west Houston.

2. "Who, me?": MOI.

3. Certain keeper's charge: INN. The innkeeper is in charge of the inn, I guess.

4. Some church contributions: TITHES. Some people still do this.

5. Units of force: NEWTONS. How many figs to make a Newton?

6. Chiwere-speaking native: OTOE.

7. Breakfast snacks: BARS.

8. Topper: LID. HAT, CAP.

9. Yellow pair?: ELS. YeLLow.

10. It requires some orderly help: MEDICINE. Medical orderlies get the worst jobs, think of fraternity hazing.

11. Toyota model: AVALON. There's a neighborhood lady who we meet on our walks through the 'hood. She drives one, and we refer to her as Mrs. Avalon when we're not referring to her as "Our Lady of the Walking."

12. Bargain-basement: LOW END.

13. Tommy Tune's ten: TONYS. You can read about him here.

18. One-named Nigerian singer: SADE.

21. Defensive covering: ARMOR. This was slow in dawning, but makes perfect sense.

22. WWII supply referred to as "meatloaf without basic training": SPAM. Official lunchmeat of Hawaii.

23. Pakistani tongue: URDU. SCWA*

24. Wine list heading: REDS.

25. Prepare for a Hail Mary: GO LONG. and pray...

26. Where to see a wake: AFT. Behind the boat.

28. Degree requirement, perhaps: THESIS.

29. Greet and seat: SEE IN. USHER into the house of.

33. Nickname in late 20th-century British politics: IRON LADY. Lady Margaret Thatcher.

34. Liked, with "for": CARED. "No thank you, I don't care for it."

37. Offenses: SINS.

38. Schlep: TOTE. HAUL.

39. Unravel, with "out": SUSS, in the mystery sense of unraveling.

41. TGIF part: ITS. "Thank GoODness It's Friday." Always follows "Sure Happy It's Thursday."

42. Libretto cousins: SCRIPTS.

44. "On Language" columnist: SAFIRE. William Safire (1929-2009) was a longtime NYT political columnist. He also wrote the On Language column in the NYT Magazine. You might remember his "nattering nabobs of negativism."

45. Move forward: PROPEL. IMPEL was too short.

46. München mister: HERR. München -- we spell it Munich. MIL lives there. She turned 95 a couple months ago, and is still as crabby feisty as ever.

47. Book reviews: AUDITS. CPA reviews.

51. St.-John's-__: WORT. It's used in traditional medicine and warrants this high praise: -- "High-quality clinical evidence for its effectiveness remains absent." Red-headed stepchild of Hydroxychloroquine.

52. Showbiz award "grand slam": EGOT. I learned this just a few weeks ago -- Emmy-Grammy-Oscar-Tony. At first glance, it looks like a rye fungus.

54. Uploading letters: FTP. File Transfer Protocol, but you knew that.

55. India-born author Santha Rama __: RAU (1923-2009).

She was best known for her travel books.

56. Originally: NEE. Used in announcements.

57. Try: TAX.

58. Dodgy, on this side of the pond: SLY. I thought it meant iffy or questionable. Hmmm. It can mean both.

* SCWA -- Standard CrossWord Answer

And here's the grid. Desper-otto out.

Thursday, June 11th 2020 Paul Coulter

Theme: Doh! Homer Simpson feeling right at home in this puzzle!

17A. Fail at a barbecue?: FLAME OUT

23A. Fail on a field?: DROP THE BALL. Our GOAT at 59D rarely fumbles, but it does happen:

36A. Fail in a ring?: TAKE IT ON THE CHIN. Generally a "lights out" moment.

46A. Fail at a dock?: MISS THE BOAT

58A. Fail on a dance floor?: FALL FLAT. Usually "dad dances" at weddings end this way.

Fun theme from Paul, five epic fails, but the puzzle doesn't make a sixth, thank goodness. Some good stuff in the fill, full of learning moments for me. Time to take the tour.

Across:

1. Color similar to sand: ECRU

5. NBC show since 1975: SNL

8. Instrument played with a plectrum: GUITAR. More commonly called a pick.

14. Lorelei Lee's creator: LOOS. A character in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". A Google search for the name brought up something which I wasn't quite expecting; she is also an actress in *ahem* movies of a "saucy" nature.

15. Middling grade: CEE

16. Con: INMATE

19. One of the lesser apes: GIBBON

20. Star in the Plowman constellation: ARCTURUS. I'd never heard of the constellation, let alone the star. The crosses filled most of it in nicely for me though.

22. Fancy home: VILLA

25. Pressure: STRESS

29. Simple partner?: PURE. Pure and Simple.

30. OPEC member: IRAN

31. Head lock: TRESS

33. Pop duo __  & Him: SHE. The band name vaguely rings a bell, but you could hold my feet to a very large fire I woudn't be able to tell you anything about them or their songs.

40. Artist's skill: EYE

41. Like crook and creek, etymologically: NORSE

42. Nesting site: EAVE

43. One spelling a superior: Abbr.: ASST. "Spell" in this sense is firmly North American English. A backup will spell someone for a time to give them a rest; often used in a sporting context.

44. Bread flavoring: GINGER

51. Cheapen: ABASE

52. Beachgoer's protection: SUN BLOCK

56. Big name in sports caps: NEW ERA. A really big name. New Era supply all the Major League Baseball caps, both the ones worn by the players and officials and those sold to the fans.

60. Competed on TV's "Ink Master": TATTED

61. Quaint word of disapproval: FIE. As Olivia remarks of Sir Toby in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night:

"Fetch him off, I pray you; he speaks nothing but madman. Fie on him!".

I LOVE that expression "he speaks nothing but madman". I'm using that at the first opportunity.

62. Game for which Wyatt Earp was once a dealer: FARO

63. "In the Land of Israel" author: AMOS OZ. Thank you, crosses. And thank you Lemonade, for correcting my parsing.

64. Age abbr.: YRS

65. Triathlon part: SWIM. The first leg, then the bike and the run. When I was entering triathlons back in my yoot, I was never sure how to say that I was "doing" one the next day. You can say you're running a 10k, or riding in a bike race, or swimming at a meet, but what do you say for a tri? I'm swibikrunning tomorrow? I stuck to "doing".

Down:

1. "The Lord of the Rings" figure: ELF. Could easily be "ENT" so wait for the crosses.

2. Roy Rogers ingredient: COLA. Nice, I didn't know this. One of the original "mocktails": Grenadine, Coke and a Maraschino cherry.

3. Big laugh: ROAR

4. Letters at Camp Lejeune: USMC. Oorah!

5. Scrubs: SCOURS

6. Introduction to chemistry?: NEURO-

7. Abate: LET UP

8. Band booking: GIG

9. TV's "Fringe" involved a parallel one: UNIVERSE. I never saw the show, but "parallel" is all you need to solve this one.

10. Drink: IMBIBE. Can you imbibe a mocktail? I'm not sure you can.

11. Indian drum: TABLA.

12. Bikini, for one: ATOLL

13. Kidney-related: RENAL

18. LAX listings: ETD'S

21. City WNW of Boca: ST. PETE. Actually "St. Petersburg". I assume Floridians know the affectionate term for the city, but I'd have liked to see something alluding to that in the clue.

24. "Pipe down!": HUSH

25. Place: SITE

26. Cafeteria item: TRAY. I cannot resist the tempation to link this Eddie Izzard monologue accompanying a Lego animation. I've linked it before but it never fails to make me laugh.

27. Autumn item: RAKE

28. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.: ENE

31. Rich desserts: TORTES

32. ER staffers: RN'S

33. Catch during practice: SHAG. Stop sniggering, you Brits at the back. Shag is a slang word for an *ahem* adult activity.

34. Busy place: HIVE

35. Dept. formed under Carter: ENER.

37. Like much FM radio: IN STEREO. Aren't all FM broadcasts in stereo? There's not much point using an FM wavelength otherwise.

38. Brit's "Baloney!": TOSH!

39. 100 yrs.: CEN. I wasn't sure about the abbreviation here. I tried CTY first, but then Century City here in LA would be CTY CTY.

43. Holdings: ASSETS

44. Hawthorne title septet: GABLES

45. "__ take time": IT'LL

46. Reef denizen: MANTA

47. Construction girder: I-BEAM

48. Took care of: SAW TO

49. Role for Kristy and Sarah: BUFFY. Vampire Slayers. Kristy Swanson played Buffy in the movie, Sarah Michelle Gellar played her in the TV series.

50. Live, TV-wise: ON AIR

53. Rubs out: OFFS. Mob slang.

54. Cat's scratcher: CLAW

55. Byron of "MythBusters": KARI. She is great. She's part of the innovative toy company "Smart Gurlz" aimed at helping girls aged six and upwards immerse themselves in science, tech, engineering and math.

57. Cutting tool: ADZ

59. Brady of Tampa Bay, now: TOM. The GOAT will be facing a brand new challenge when the NFL season kicks off again, whenever that will be.

And that wraps things up for me. Here's the grid!

Steve

Wednesday, June 10, 2020 Joe Schewe

Theme: Making the whiskey weak. Let's start with the two-part unifier so we'll know what to look for.

31 D. With the answer below, dilute ... and a hint to the four longest answers: WATER.
59 D. See the answer above: DOWN.
This is, literally, how to dilute.

3 D. Mellophone's orchestral cousin: FRENCH HORN.  Can you tell which is which?  Similarly pitched, I guess.  Not my brass niche, so that's all I have to say.

9 D. Inn for traveling students: YOUTH HOSTEL. A type of short-term low cost accommodation aimed at young people on hiking or bicycling tours.

25 D. Not being forthcoming about: WITH HOLDING. As with information.

33 D. Home on the range: RANCH HOUSE.  The home located on a ranch property - a large area dedicated to raising livestock.

Each of these contains the letters H HO spanning the two word theme fill. HHO = H2O = WATER, in a vertical answer, hence WATER DOWN.  The chemist in me would prefer HOH, but that is just a wet nit.

Hi Gang.  JazzBumpa here.  This theme of hidden chemical symbolism threw me for a while.  Don't feel bad if you couldn't find it.  Now that we can hold our water, let's move forward.

Across:

1. Tip politely: DOFF. As one's hat.

5. Friendship: AMITY. A friendly relationship.

10. Approved: OKED. Gave the OK to.

14. Taj Mahal locale: AGRA.  City in India.

15. Longtime work animal: BURRO. A small donkey used as a pack animal.

16. Michelin product: TIRE. For your car or truck.

17. Competition with runners: MEET.   At the track.

18. It may be bid: ADIEU.  A fond farewell.

19. Target Field MLBer: TWIN.  Will there ever be baseball again?

20. Kind of code: PENAL.  I've seen this in a few puzzles recently.   A code of laws concerning crimes and offenses and their punishment.

22. Tense tennis situation: SET POINT.  Opportunity to win or lose

24. Talons: CLAWS. Bird's feet

27. Leveling wedge: SHIM.  Space filler used to align items, such as cabinets.

28. Rhine whine: ACH.  Clever clue, but I think exclamation would be more accurate than whine.

30. Opinion: VIEW. The way I see it.

32. Mass media magnate: HEARST.  William Randolph [1893 - 1951] was an American publisher and politician.

36. "Harrumph!": BAH. Humbug!

37. Gillette brand: ATRA. Men's facial razor.

38. Showy: ORNATE. Highly decorated.

39. Old Testament prophet: AMOS.  One of the 12 minor prophets. He spoke of justice, economic disparity and divine judgment.

41. Strong aversions: HATES.  Things you can't stand.

43. Clothes closer: SNAP.  Alternative to buttons and zippers.

44. High-ranking angel: SERAPH. A winged celestial beings with a fiery passion for doing God's good work

46. Rebuke from Caesar: ET TU.  And you?  Bummer!

48. Only NFL team without a helmet logo, on scoreboards: CLE.  The Browns.

49. Big shot: HONCHO.  Derived from the Japanese word meaning "leader of the squad," absorbed into English due to the large U.S. military presence in Japan after WWII.

50. Snorkeling site: REEF.  A ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand just above or below the surface of the sea.

51. Half a bray: HEE.  Other half is HAW

52. Rock's mate?: ROLL.  Type of popular music.

54. Splatter in a puddle: SLOSH.  The sound of a boot stomped in water.

56. Helped remember: REMINDED.

60. Diving action: SWOOP.  Action of a bird with talons.

63. Day when 46-Across was spoken: IDES. Of March

64. Key material: IVORY.  Piano keys.  But not any more.  Today, the keys are made from the same wood at the sound board - usually some variety of spruce, because it is resistant to warping. The keys are then covered with an acrylic coating.

67. Subtle glow: AURA.

68. Essence: GIST.  Core meaning

69. More contemporary: NEWER.  The latest.  Is it the greatest?

70. Bygone despot: TSAR. This is Russian to judgment

71. Night at an inn, e.g.: STAY.  No reason to be HOSTLE

72. Blokes: GENTS. Guys

73. Conducted, as a meeting: HELD. Organized, set the agenda and invited attendees.

Down:

1. Like many a cellar: DAMP.  Containing unwanted moisture.

2. Fancy molding: OGEE.  In the shape of an S curve.

4. Like the most serious error: FATAL.  Ruins the entire project.

5. Lawyer's org.: ABA. American Bar Assn.

6. Wasp nest component: MUD.

7. Pupil's place: IRIS.  The eyes have it.

8. Beech and birch: TREES.

10. Hassock cousins: OTTOMANS. Tuffets.

11. Fuzzy fruit: KIWI.

12. "__ go bragh!": ERIN. Ireland forever.

13. Bad impression: DENT.  As, frex, on your car's fender.

21. Soap brand: LAVA. Contains pumice particles for scouring action.

23. Embarkation location: PIER.  On the waterfront.

26. Antitoxins: SERA. A substance that counteracts a specific toxin.

28. Embarrass: ABASH.

29. Hitchcock film trademark: CAMEO.  A brief, often uncredited and usually silent, appearance by a well known person in a production.

34. Cliched: STALE.  Hackneyed.

35. Home on the range: TEPEE.  Temporary dwelling of Native Americans on the great plains.

40. Room for vestments: SACRISTY.

42. Nice saisons: ETES.   Summers in France.

45. Sound prefix: PHON-.  As in PHONICS or PHONETICS.

47. Alien craft: UFOS.  Fictional interstellar craft.

53. Flood deterrent: LEVEE.  A naturally occurring or artificially constructed ridge along a water course or coast line.

55. Mower's path: SWATH.  The space cut by the motion of a mowing machine.

56. Readies for sailing: RIGS.  Prepares the the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support a sailing ship or sail boat's masts, including shrouds and stays, halyards, braces, sheets and vangs.

57. Cut text, e.g.: EDIT.

58. City near Phoenix: MESA. In AZ.

61. Like some vaccines: ORAL.  As opposed to injected

62. Oater bro: PARD.  Short for Partner.

65. No longer working: Abbr.: RET.  As I have been for 11 1/2 YRS.

66. Mos. and mos.: YRS. Twelve Mos at a time.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you were able to stay dry.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, June 9, 2020; Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

Don't Talk with Your Mouth Full!  The first word of each 3-word phrase pertains to the initial act of eating.

18-Across. Chat leisurely: CHEW THE FAT.

28-Across. Refrain from saying something unpleasant: BITE YOUR TONGUE.

46-Across. Fall into a trap: SWALLOW THE BAIT.

61. Have some humble pie: EAT YOUR HAT.

Today's puzzles had lots of names, which will probably make some solvers unhappy.  But, let's just carry on and see if we can find some new friends we may meet again in the puzzles.

Across:

1. "Funny!": HA HA!

5. Sea of Cortez peninsula, informally: BAJA.  The Sea of Cortez is also known as the Gulf of California.

9. Some Apples: iMACS.

14. Very much: A LOT.

15. Employs: USES.

16. Carne para un taco: POLLO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  I prefer fish tacos, but Chicken is good, too.

17. Worshipped object: IDOL.

20. Suffer a power outage: GO DARK.  I hope Cristobal didn't cause a lot of people to Go Dark this week.

22. Greek known for paradoxes: ZENO.  Zeno of Elea (495 BCE ~ 430 BCE) is the first of our many names in today's puzzle.  He is also the earliest, time-wise in our collection of names.  He was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher best known for paradoxes.

23. They often pop up in windows: ADs.  Adverts.

24. Appear to be: SEEM.

26. Hagen of Broadway: UTA.  Uta Hagen (née Uta Thyra Hagen; June 12, 1919 ~ Jan. 14, 2004) has become a crossword staple.  In fact, I "met" her doing the puzzles.  She was born in Göttingen, Germany.  Her family emigrated to the United States when she was 5.  She also became a well-known acting teacher.

35. Tennis replay: LET.

36. Hotelier Helmsley and singer Lewis: LEONAs.  Leona Helmsley (née Leona Mindy Roberts; July 4, 1930, Aug. 20, 2007) was known as the Queen of Mean.  Leona Lewis (née Leona Louise Lewis; b. Apr. 3, 1985) is a British singer.

Leona Helmsley

Leona Lewis

37. Start of Hamlet's question: TO BE.

38. Works at, as a trade: PLIES.

It's advertised as 3-ply.

40. Is able to: CAN.

41. Fur tycoon: ASTOR.  A reference to John Jacob Astor (né Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 ~ Mar. 29, 1848), the German-born American businessman who made is fortune in gaining a monopoly in the fur trade.  He was the first multi-millionaire in the United States.

42. Second to __: unbeatable: NONE.

43. Patrol vehicle: COP CAR.

45. Lao Tzu's "way": TAO.

49. Prefix with plus or pass: SUR-.  As in Surplus or Surpass.

50. African antelope: ORYX.  They are beautiful animals.

51. One more than bi-: TRI-.

54. U.S. Army E-3s: PFCs.  As in Private First Class.

57. Words spoken laterally?: ASIDES.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

64. Seep: OOZE.

65. "Goldengirl" star Susan: ANTON.

Susan Ellen Anton (b. Oct. 12, 1950)

66. First-rate: A-ONE.

67. "Look, amigo!": MIRA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

68. Broadway composer Jule: STYNE.  Jule Styne (né Julius Kerwin Stein; Dec. 31, 1905 ~ Sept. 20, 1994), was a British-American songwriter and composer best known for writing  the music for such musicals as Funny Girl, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Gypsy.

69. Lads: BOYS.

70. ER "Hurry up!": STAT.  Stat is a medical abbreviation for the Latin word Statum for Immediate.

Down:

1. Reagan secretary of state Alexander __: HAIG.  General Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. (Dec. 2, 1924 ~ Feb. 20, 2010), held many positions in the Federal Government.  As the clue tells us, he served as the 59th United States Secretary of State during the Reagan administration.  During the Nixon and Ford administrations, he served as White House Chief of Staff.

2. Designer Gucci: ALDO.  Aldo Gucci (May 26, 1905 ~ Jan. 19, 1990) was the eldest son of Guccio Gucci (Mar. 26, 1881 ~ Jan. 2, 1953), who was the founder of the fashion House of Gucci.

3. Car engine cover: HOOD.

4. Finally: AT LAST.

5. Ohio State athlete: BUCKEYE.  It doesn't look overly intimidating.

6. Bat wood: ASH.  Think baseball.

7. "Oh, man!": JEEZ!

8. "Even __ speak ... ": AS WE.

9. Old Apple app for pics: iPHOTO.  Apparently the iPhoto was discontinued in 2015 and was replaced with the Appel Photos app.

10. Homer's bartender: MOE.  A reference to The Simpsons.

11. NATO alphabet "A": ALFA.  This appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

12. Dressed: CLAD.

13. Boozers: SOTS.

19. Letter-shaped fasteners: T-NUTS.

21. Film units: REELS.

25. Milk giver, in totspeak: MOO-COW.

27. Busy crawlers: ANTS.  The ants go marching one by one ...

28. "Look out __!": "Heads up!": BELOW.

29. Memoir featuring Ike Turner: I, TINA.  Tina Turner (née Anna Mae Bullock; b. Nov. 26, 1939) is 80!

30. Not appropriate: UNAPT.

31. __ Cucamonga, California: RANCHO.  A city probably known to our California contingent.

32. Gangster dubbed "The Teflon Don": GOTTI.  Crime finally caught up with John Joseph Gotti, Jr. (Oct. 27, 1940 ~ June 10, 2002).  He ultimately died in federal prison.

33. German WWII sub: U-BOAT.  Short for Unterseeboot, which translates as Undersea boat.

34. Gateway Arch designer Saarinen: EERO.  Our old friend Eero Saarinen (Aug. 20, 1910 ~ Sept. 1, 1961) is back.  He was born on the 37th birthday of his father Eliel Saarinen (Aug. 20, 1873 ~ July 1, 1950), who was also an architect.  Eero designed many iconic buildings, including the beautiful chapel on the MIT campus.

35. ICU caregivers: LPNs.  As in Licensed Practical Nurses, who may be found in the Intensive Care Unit.

39. Slender fish: EELS.  A crossword staple.

41. Chain known for roast beef: ARBY'S.

43. Greek isle: CORFU.

44. Fizzes up: AERATES.

47. Patti who won a Tony as Evita: LUPONE.  Patti Ann LuPone (b. Apr. 21, 1949) make occasional guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  I saw her perform in Evita years ago.

48. Math postulates: AXIOMS.

51. Afternoon socials: TEAS.

52. Go ballistic: RANT.

53. __-bitty: ITTY.

55. Complain like a shellfish?: CRAB.

56. "Begone!": SHOO!

58. "Stop wasting time!": DO IT!

59. "Fantastic Beasts" actor Miller: EZRA.  I am familiar with neither Fantastic Beasts nor Ezra Matthew Miller (b. Sept. 30, 1992).

60. Chair or sofa: SEAT.

62. Partner of hither: YON.

63. "__ questions?": ANY.  Great last clue for the puzzle!

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  I’ve always believed human blood is red because it really needs to draw attention to itself.  ~  Patricia Cornwell (née Patricia Carroll Daniels; June 9, 1956), American crime writer