Tuesday, September 1, 2020 Catherine Cetta

Data Backup.  The word "DATA" can be found spelled backwards in each of the theme answers.

17-Across. Topper for a toreador: MATADOR HAT.  Not sure how long the hat stays on in the ring, however,

30-Across. How sale items are priced: AT A DISCOUNT.

47-Across. "I'm so disappointed!": WHAT A DOWNER.

And the Unifier:
63-Across. System administrator's task ... and a hint to what can be found in 17-, 30- and 47-Across: DATA BACKUP.

Across:

1. Remove politely, as a hat: DOFF.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

5. Muscle cramp: SPASM.  //  And 22-Down: Idiocyncratic twitch: TIC.

10. Hang onto: HOLD.

14. Assert as true: AVER.  A crossword staple.

15. One with dreads: RASTA.

Bob Marley (1945 ~ 1981)

16. Out of the wind: ALEE.

19. On cloud __: NINE.

20. Fill with joy: ELATE.  Fun to have this clue and answer immediately follow the sense of being On Cloud Nine.

21. Feature that results in extra legroom on a plane: EXIT DOOR.  Pre-Covid, these seats were hard to get.  Extra legroom is a necessity if one is tall.  I am short and find the regular seats too small.

23. On __: sans contract: SPEC.

26. Bro's sib: SIS.  As in Brother and Sister.

27. Indy 500 letters: STP.

36. Brewed beverage: TEA.

37. Pseudonymous punk rock surname: RAMONE.  The name of the band was inspired by the fact that Paul McCarthy would often use the pseudonym "Paul Ramon" when he traveled.  The original 4 members of the Ramones have all died:  Joey Ramone (né  Jeffrey Ross Hyman; May 19, 1951 ~ Apr. 15, 2001) died of lymphoma; Dee Dee Ramone (né  Douglas Glenn Colvin; Sept. 18, 1951 ~ June 5, 2002) died of a drug overdose; Johnny Ramone (né  John William Cummings; Oct. 8, 1948 ~ Sept. 15, 2004) died of prostate cancer; and Tommy Ramone (né  Tamás Erdélyi; Jan. 29, 1949 ~ July 11, 2014) died of cancer.

38. "This isn't looking good": UH, OH!

39. Turn back to zero: RESET.

41. Picnic pest: ANT.

42. Step between landings: STAIR.

43. "__ girl!": ATTA.

44. Stir up: AROUSE.

46. Press into service: USE.

49. Corrosive solution: LYE.

50. PBS "Science Kid": SID.  I am not familiar with Sid the Science Kid.

51. Crossed (out): EX'ED.

53. Previews that sound like they belong after the film: TRAILERS.

58. Eye-popping colors: NEONS.

62. Little Boy Blue's instrument: HORN.  A reference to the nursery rhyme:

Little Boy Blue come blow your horn,

The sheep’s in the meadow the cow’s in the corn.

But where’s the boy who looks after the sheep?

He’s under a haystack fast asleep.

Will you wake him? No, not I – for if I do, he’s sure to cry.

66. "In memoriam" piece: OBIT.  As in the Obituary.

67. Speak from a platform: ORATE.

68. River of Pisa: ARNO.

69. Change the decor of: REDO.

70. Gall: NERVE.

71. Like the 10th frame in bowling: LAST.  Hi, Boomer!

Down:

1. Title for Maggie Smith: DAME.  Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (b. Dec. 28, 1934) is such a good actress.

2. Speed-skating rink shape: OVAL.

3. Greek cheese: FETA.  Feta cheese is a brined curd white cheese made in Greece from sheep milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. It is a crumbly aged cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture in comparison to other cheeses.

4. Houses with Greek letters: FRATS.

5. Full house letters: SRO.  As in Standing Room Only.  Probably not permitted by the Fire Marshal in most venues.

6. It may be two on a minigolf hole: PAR.

7. US Open stadium namesake: ASHE.  Arthur Ashe (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

8. Pringles rival: STAX.  Both are some sort of weird potato chips.

9. French painter Henri: MATISSE.  Henri Matisse (né Henri Émile Benoît Matisse; Dec. 31, 1869 ~ Nov. 3, 1954) was a French post-impressionist painter.

10. Distributes: HANDS OUT.

11. Hodgepodge: OLIO.  A crossword staple.

12. Carson's successor: LENO.  Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) replaced Johnny Carson (né John William Carson; Oct. 23, 1925 ~ Jan. 23, 2005) on The Tonight Show.

13. Bambi and Ena: DEER.  Disney characters.

18. Leave: DEPART.

24. Greek vowel: ETA.

25. Sporty Chevy: CAMARO.

27. Proverbial camel's backbreaker: STRAW.  Possible origin to the Phrase.

28. Canines, e.g.: TEETH.

29. Ziti or rigatoni: PASTA.  Everything you wanted to know about the Difference between Ziti and Rigatoni, but were afraid to ask.

31. Brief beginning-of-class activity: DO NOW.

32. On key: IN TUNE.

33. DIY mover: U-HAUL.  I have used U-Haul a time or two for some moves.  The company is  currently based in Phoenix, Arizona.  The company was started in 1945 by Leonard Shoen (Feb. 29, 1916 ~ Oct. 4, 1999) in Washington State.

34. Loud: NOISY.

35. Stooge count: THREE.  Hi, Chairman Moe!  Welcome to the world of blogging.

40. Erodes, as savings: EATS INTO.

42. Sister of Venus: SERENA.  Venus (née Venue Ebony Starr Williams; b. June 17, 1980) and Serena (née Serena Jameka Williams; b. Sept. 26, 1981) Williams are both tennis stars.

44. Enlarged the house: ADDED ON.

45. Census checkbox: SEX.  The Census it taken every 10 years, and this was year.
  

48. Feel sick: AIL.

52. Window sticker: DECAL.

53. Thunder god: THOR.

54. Courtroom garb: ROBE.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (b. Mar. 15, 1933)

55. Desertlike: ARID.

56. Uncommon: RARE.

57. Betelgeuse is one: STAR.  The name Betelgeuse is believed to be a French corruption of the Arabic word for the bright star found in the constellation of Orion.

59. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA.  We had Okra last week.

60. Sisters: NUNS.  Hi, Lucina!

61. Lady Macbeth's "damned" tormenter: SPOT.

64. Off-road transp.: ATV.  As in All-Terrain Vehicle.

65. Spelling contest: BEE.

Here's the Grid:

Covid is still out there, so please mask up and stay safe.

Monday August 31, 2020 Jerome Gunderson

Theme:  WHERE WAS I (66. Lost-one's-place words often preceded by the two-letter start of 17-, 29- and 49-Across)

17A. Rental vehicles for self-moving: U-HAUL VANS. Uh, I ...

29A. Designed for comfort and efficiency: ERGONOMIC. Er. I ...

49A. Rainy day protectors: UMBRELLAS. Um, ...

Boomer here. 

UH, Years ago I attended UM (University of Minnesota) for a year.  UH, I got one A in Bowling, 2 "B"s in Math courses, a couple of "C"s and ER one "F". D UH.

As a devout baseball fan, I am happy to honor Jackie Robinson as his normal MLB day was changed from April 15 to August 29 this year.  Players on all teams wore uniforms numbered 42 in Jackie's honor and I am proud to display my 1955 Topps Double Header card from my set.

 Across:

1. Asks for a treat, as a boxer: BEGS.  I am pretty sure that Muhammad Ali never had to beg for anything. 

5. Site of a boxer's attack: RING.

9. Chocolate syrup brand since 1928: BOSCO.  Wow, there's a brand out of the past.  I remember their commercials but I never had any.  Must have been too expensive.

14. Circus prefix with bat: ACRO.

15. Diva's delivery: ARIA.  Of course, I was in the Benilde High School Glee Club.  Every Spring we would do a joint concert with two of the Catholic girls' schools in Minneapolis.  We delivered some pretty good ARIAs back then, if I do say so myself.

16. "This __ much!": "I'm overwhelmed!": IS TOO.  "Is not".

19. "Pleasantly" chubby: PLUMP.  We go for the PLUMP Watermelon.

20. President after Madison: MONROE. Wow, we go way back to 1817 and he was from the Democratic Republican party.  They must have split up sometime later.

21. Mother-of-pearl sources: ABALONES.

23. Has title to: OWNS.  I have a title to my van, but I also own 14 golf clubs and about that many bowling balls.  Never won a title in golf but I have a couple in bowling.

25. __ standstill: AT A.

26. Tea biscuit: SCONE.  I wonder if Baskin Robbins has S CONES ?

35. Guffaw syllable: HAR.  Not sure if Oliver Hardy made this famous, but he is the first guy I ever heard him say HAR, HAR, HARDY, HAR. HAR..

36. Pirate in "Hook": SMEE.  Played by Bob Hoskins.

38. U.S. state with the lowest average annual rainfall: NEVADA.  We usually get there once a year.  I don't ever remember getting wet there. However we are skipping the retirees party this year. No vaccine, no plane rides to Nevada.

39. Horse known for its endurance: ARAB.

41. Wed: UNITE.

43. Not fer: AGIN.  Beverly Hillbillies' accent.

44. Wisdom teeth, e.g.: MOLARS.  I have fake teeth now, but in my younger years, I never cut any wisdom teeth.  I guess you need to be wise to get them.

46. Fabled loch: NESS.

48. Stooge Howard: MOE.  With Larry and Curly, my favorites.

51. Casual conversations: CHATS.

53. Contend (for): VIE.

54. Bro of van Gogh: THEO.  "But I could have told you Vincent, this world was never made for one as beautiful as you".  Starry Night - Don McClean.

56. Dedicatee of an annual MLB tribute game: OLD TIMER.  Count me in.

61. Snare: ENTRAP.

65. Lion's warnings: ROARS.

68. Lake craft: CANOE.

69. Bubbly-textured Nestlé chocolate bar: AERO.  N-E-S-T-L-E-S.  Nestles makes the very bet, Chocolate.  

70. Muscle pain: ACHE.  I get them all of the time.  Some of my golfing friends are a pain in a different location.

71. Change for the better: AMEND.

72. Tall tale: YARN.

73. Classic Jaguars: XKES.  "I was cruisin' in my Sting Ray late one night, when an XKE pulled up on the right. Dead Man's Curve - The Beach Boys.

Down:  

1. Wicked Witch of the West creator: BAUM.  "The wind began to switch, the house to pitch.  and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch."

2. Reverberate: ECHO.  Hallo,        Hallo. Hallo

3. Mom's mom: GRAN. We always called Mom's Mom "Grandma"

4. Become disenchanted with: SOUR ON.

5. Poe's "ebony bird": RAVEN. "Nevermore"

6. Nest egg letters: IRA.  I saw plenty of nest eggs at my Uncle Bill's farm.  They did not have pictures of president's (or Hamilton or Franklin) on them,.

7. Columbus ship: NINA.  This guy always has amazed me.  He packed up three ships and sailed across the Atlantic looking for India.

8. Chatterbox: GASBAG.

9. Double-winged WWI aircraft: BIPLANE.  Also amazing what flew in the 1910s.

10. Norway's capital: OSLO.

11. Leave slack-jawed: STUN.

12. Arrive: COME.  Hi, Ho, COME to the fair.  We have a big one in Minnesota, but not this year.  No Covid spread wanted.

13. "Sorry, my mistake": OOPS.

18. The Home Depot competitor: LOWE'S.  We usually use Home Depot. Closer to our home and 10% discount for veterans.

22. Shows contrition: ATONES.  Okay, Sorry if I bored you. Monday puzzles are fairly easy.

24. Noticed: SEEN.

26. Former SeaWorld star: SHAMU.  Interesting.  I went to Orlando for a golf outing a couple of times in the eighties.  We went to Disney and Epcot but skipped Sea World.  In the Land of 10,000 lakes, if you've seen one sea you've seen them all. 

27. Off-the-cushion billiards shot: CAROM.

28. Dental care brand: ORAL- B.  I just use a cup and a fizzy tablet for my dental care.

30. Spanish queen: REINA.

31. Caesar's eggs: OVA.

32. Molten rock: MAGMA.

33. Meathead: IDIOT.  MEATHEAD ?? Archie Bunker's favorite word for Michael Stivic.

34. Curved-top candy shapes: CANES.  My legs don't always cooperate, but I am not into CANES yet.

37. Mosque visitor: MUSLIM.

40. Saloon: BAR.  These seem to be Covid-19 factories.  They were closed for awhile but I guess the Governor felt sorry for the owners.  Masks and some social distance rules are in effect.  I used to stop for a quick one after work, but now I am on the wagon for good.   

42. Exam: TEST.  "This has been a TEST.  Had it been a real emergency we would have told you to go downstairs and put a pillow over your head."

45. Made changes in: REVISED.

47. Play division: SCENE.

50. Wiggle room: LEEWAY.  At least SIX feet of LEE WAY in any public situation please.

52. Hair-removal substance: HOT WAX.  Seems like we used to use this to shine up a car.

55. White wader: HERON.  Add another "R" and you have Tim HERRON of the PGA.  He only ever won one PGA tournament and his nickname is "LUMPY".  After Clarence Rutherford on "Leave it to Beaver".  Of course a Minnesota golfer and a little better than me.   

56. 26-Down, for one: ORCA.

57. Rich soil: LOAM.

58. "Great" dog breed: DANE.

59. Suffix with Jumbo: TRON.  A video game that I never tried.

60. Flightless bird: RHEA.  We had Birds last week, but I don't remember her.

62. __ of lamb: RACK.

63. Tennis great Arthur: ASHE.  Hall of Famer.  Passed to early at age 49.

64. Crusty desserts: PIES.

67. Goof up: ERR.  I'm a baseball guy.  I call it an ERROR.

Boomer

Sunday August 30, 2020 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: "Space Savers" - Literally interpretation of each familiar phrase with its prepositional words removed.

23A. "Wait ... let me start over": I'M GETTING MYSELF. I'm getting ahead myself.

66A Belief common to much religion: DEATH LIFE. Life after death.

111A. Method for slow, steady progress: ONE FOOT THE OTHER. One foot in front of the other.

15D. Feeling ecstatic: SITTING THE WORLD. Sitting on top of the world.

33D. Make every effort: BEND BACKWARDS. Bend over backwards
 
36D. Fancy poultry dish: GLASS PHEASANT. Pheasant under glass. Not familiar to me.

 40D. Superior to all others: A CUT THE REST. A cut above the rest

44D. Negative forecast: ZERO FIVE DEGREES. Five degrees below zero (Thank you, E.S.)

What a great concept. So creative. The grid design is also very masterful. I love the two intersection in the middle.

 Across:

1. Did gondola duty: POLED.

6. "Today" rival, briefly: GMA.

9. Middling: SO SO.

13. Short staff?: ASSTS. Short for Abbr.  This short is real: 19. Short trip: HOP.

18. Dollar alternative: ALAMO.

20. Alpha's antithesis: OMEGA.

22. Beat in the kitchen: WHISK. I use chopsticks to whip the eggs.

 26. Najimy who voiced Peggy Hill in "King of the Hill": KATHY. Unfamiliar to me.

27. Bad look: LEER. And   28. Heckle, but not Jeckle: HARASS.

29. The "P" in PIN: Abbr.: PERS. Personal.

31. Unilever swab: Q-TIP.

32. Old manuscript copier: SCRIBE.

34. Scalpel sites, for short: ORs.

35. Polynesian wrap: SARONG. The Indonesian way. We also have 115. Asian wraps: SARIS.

37. Rage: IRE.

38. To the point: TERSE.

40. Spa sounds: AHS.

41. Early pictures: SILENTS.

43. Some online reads: E-ZINES.

45. Diamond surfaces: FACETS.

48. Georgia gridders, to fans: DAWGS. Georgia Bulldogs.

49. "Ginger __": 1952 Newbery Medal-winning book: PYE. We had this before.

50. "Spring forward" letters: DST.

51. School reunion attendee: ALUM.

52. Car radio button: PRESET.

54. Oxygen-eating bacteria: AEROBES.

56. Asian festival: TET. I seem to have this fill every Sunday.

57. Gets dirty: SOILS.

58. Busy center: HUB.

61. Uncle Sam's land, proudly: US OF A. This reminds me, what do you think "So Bye Bye, Miss American Pie" mean?

62. Bunny tail: SCUT. Learned from doing xwords.

63. Coral component: POLYP.

64. Big shot: Abbr.: ENL.

65. Cellar, but not collar, opening: SOFT C.

68. "Explain, please?": HOW SO.

70. Western PA airport code: ERI. Erie Airport. Shout out to Abejo.

71. Disappearing retail giant: KMART.

73. Hosp. readouts: EEGS.

74. Lodge opening?: ECONO.

75. Patel of "Slumdog Millionaire": DEV. All grown up now.

76. Gets one's feet wet: WADES.

77. Milne hopper: ROO.

78. Caught: IN A TRAP.

80. First novel in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle: ERAGON.

82. Sign of a hit: DENT.

83. Wks. and wks.: MOS. Been a long month for us. So glad our garage ceiling leak is stopped. Last time it was the bathtub, this time it was the toilet. The guy added some 2 by 4 to fix the bathroom flange issue. Waiting for the drywall guy to fix the hole.

84. Platters in sleeves: LPS.

85. Beautify: ADORN.

86. Puts down: ABASES.

88. Honors: AWARDS.

90. Svelte: SLENDER.

92. 911 pro: EMT.

93. Culture: Pref.: ETHNO.

94. Friend of Goat in "Pearls Before Swine": PIG.

95. Some skippers: STONES.

97. Flock hangout: LEA.

99. List-shortening term: ET ALIA.

103. Sticks on a boat: OARS. And 105. Boat owner's rental: SLIP. Still can't believe Jeannie is gone.

106. Flat owner, maybe: LESSOR.

108. Sound: SANE.

109. Fitness mantra opening: USE IT.

114. Like a fleabag motel: SEEDY.

116. Dusk, to Donne: EEN.

117. __ dish: PETRI.

118. Half of scissors?: ESSES. The four letters in "scissors".

119. Hacking targets: Abbr.: SSNS. More ESSES here.

120. Sellout letters: SRO.

121. Hackneyed: TRITE.

Down:

1. Beach toys: PAILS.

2. Early Mesoamerican sculptors: OLMEC.

3. It may be golden: LAGER.

4. Some retired academics: EMERITI. Misty is one.

5. Point: DOT.

6. Karmann __: classic VW: GHIA.

7. President before an Adams: MONROE.

8. Eponymous newborn score creator: APGAR.

9. Sauces for sushi: SOYS. I mentioned to a few bloggers about shio koji. Try it, you'll have the juiciest chicken/turkey/pork.

10. Yoga syllables: OMS.

11. Overlook: SEE PAST.

12. Lustful looker: OGLER.

13. Comics cry from a birdcage: AWK. OK, parrot.

14. Member of three L.A. Lakers championship teams: SHAQ.

16. Stadium merch: T-SHIRTS.

17. Uses a Zoom alternative: SKYPES.

21. "Hair" dos: AFROS.

24. First name of Dickens' Madame Defarge: THERESE.

25. Ed.'s stack: MSS. Manuscript.

30. Dudley's toon foe: SNIDELY. I wonder how Dudley is doing.

35. Brother of Ham: SHEM.

39. Retired fliers: Abbr.: SSTS. More ESSES. Super grid-friendly.

42. Sheepish girl?: EWE.

43. Gentrification target: EYESORE.

45. Campaign funders: FAT CATS.

46. Alaskan native: ALEUT.

47. "SNL" staples: SPOOFS.

49. Took a breather: PAUSED.

53. Heat up: RILE.

55. O'er and o'er again: OFT.

57. Features of urns: SPIGOTS.

59. Loosens, as a tot's pajamas: UNSNAPS.

60. Soft hits just over the infield: BLOOPS.

62. Big name in tennis: SERENA. Look at her cute daughter.

66. Carpenter's groove: DADO.

67. Sierra __: LEONE.

69. LGBT History Mo.: OCT.

72. Drawers?: MAGNETS.

78. "__ a loss": I'M AT.

79. Remote area known for its middle?: NOWHERE. Middle of nowhere.

81. Hermione's guy: RON. Our Jazzbumpa also. I, RON, as he says at times.

82. Stream blockers: DAMS.

85. Assumed names: ALIASES.

87. Paging devices: BEEPERS.

89. Family dinner fowl: ROASTER.

90. Half of some couples: SPOUSE.

91. Hershey's caramel candies: ROLOS.

93. A time to dye: EASTER.

96. Granada girls: NINAS.

97. It's a sign: LEO.

98. __ Park, Colorado: ESTES.

100. Christine of "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood": LAHTI.

101. Like radon, say: INERT.

102. Home on high: AERIE.

104. Kick starter?: SIDE. Sidekick.

106. L, in box scores: LOSS.

107. "What a mess!": OH NO.

110. TV's Burrell and baseball's Cobb: TYS.

112. Ocean flipper: FIN.

113. Back (out): OPT.

C.C.

I'm sad to tell you that TTP has retired from blogging. But he's not leaving us. He'll continue to be our blog administrator and help me with the Comments section and other technical aspects of the blog. Blogging is a tiring job, looking for pictures, resizing them, looking for past themes/blog comments. And TTP is particularly thorough in his searches and comments, which often take up to 4 or 5 hours for one post. Thank you for what you've done and continue to do for us, TTP!

I'm also excited to tell you that Chair Moe (Chris) has agreed to guide us a few times a month. He'll share the Friday duties with Lemonade and maybe one or two Wednesdays when need him. You'll see his debut on Wednesday. Thank you for joining us, Chris!

C.C.

Saturday, August 29, 2020, Gail Grabowski

 Saturday, August 29, 2020, Gail Grabowski

Today's constructor is our former MS English teacher Gail Grabowski. Her puzzle is another pinwheel style like Joe Deeney's from last Saturday and has only 27 blocks

Once I got a toehold in the NE, I was sailing along and then some major speed bumps in the SE had me struggling to finish. Gail's cluing was just abstract enough to keep me searching for fill but that is what makes Saturdays so challenging.

Let's see what Gail has for us today:

Across:

1. Followed: ADHERED TO

10. Charlie Parker genre: BEBOP - My grandson is named Parker in Charlie's honor 

15. Carpenter's accessory: NAIL APRON - Also used for holding cash for garage sales and admission money

16. Not in the dark: AWARE.

17. "Perhaps": I'M NOT SURE - My thoughts as I use this new blogger site

18. Convene again: RESIT.

19. Wild: MAD - I'm just WILD/MAD about golf

20. More than a little: SOME.

21. Language class subject: TENSES - I blog this puzzle, I blogged this puzzle, I will have blogged this puzzle. Very appropriate for our English teacher 

22. Changed by time: AGED - Coopers making barrels to produce AGED whiskey

24. Took in slowly: NURSED - Many whiskey drinks need to be NURSED if you are going to be able to drive home safely and legally

26. Volatile letters: TNT.

27. Sports artist Neiman: LEROY - Husker coach Bob Devaney in LEROY's distinctive style

29. Comics socks: POWS - This took me a while

30. Start to fill?: AUTO.

31. Green: NEW

33. Diner's grazing spot: SALAD BAR - These may never come back 

35. Checked out: SCANNED.

39. Bass product: PALE ALE - Shoes? No. Fish? No. Music? No. Oh, it's ALE

40. Southwestern state symbol: LONE STAR.

42. It sells in advertising: SEX.

43. 11-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop Vizquel: OMAR - Making plays like this

44. Bring (out): TROT.

46. Instrument with an end pin: CELLO - Now it makes sense

50. Noir sleuth: TEC - Private eye, P.I., sleuth, deTECtive, etc.

51. Frequent fliers: JET SET.

53. Be overly sweet: CLOY - I'm more used to hearing it as a participle as in, "The cloying movie made it hard for me to stay to the end."

54. Did some course work: COOKED - Somebody COOKED that soup. Fun clue, Gail.

56. Release: EMIT.

58. Shuttle __: BUS - Here comes a Disney Shuttle BUS to pick us up at All Star Sport Resort

59. Douze mois: ANNEE - French - Douze (twelve) mois (months) is a ANNEE (year) The double EE made me uneasy for a while

60. Now: AT PRESENT.

62. What a hitchhiker aspires to be: RIDER.

63. Enclosure for dangerous underwater cinematography: STEEL CAGE - That's all that protects this diver from an 18' Great White

64. Clothes closers: SNAPS.

65. One who won't give: HARDLINER.

Down:

1. __ shelter: ANIMAL.

2. Crash or crush: DAMAGE.

3. Get in the way of: HINDER.

4. "Don't Bring Me Down" gp.: ELO - The 3-letter house band for crossword puzzles

5. "Aw, nuts!": RATS.

6. Japanese electronics giant: EPSON.

7. Devise: DRUM UP - We've all seen this way to DRUM UP a Mouse Trap

8. Capa wavers: TOREROS - Three TORREROS with the Matador

9. Gender-neutral pronoun: ONE.

10. Revealed: BARED.

11. Bremner of "Black Hawk Down": EWEN.

12. Low-pitched wind: BASS TUBA.

13. Avenue after Reading Railroad: ORIENTAL - Even on this earliest known version if you look carefully

14. Seller of Lab supplies: PET STORE - Not for my science lab but for a Lab dog

21. Model 3 autos: TESLAS.

23. "Conspiracy Theory" director Richard: DONNER.

25. Trade: SWAP.

28. Aches: YENS.

30. Commercial bigwig: AD EXEC - Do you know the unusual wife of this TV AD EXEC? (*answer below the write-up)

32. Soaked: WETTED.

34. Co-star of Meryl in "It's Complicated": ALEC - Meryl did star with ALEC Baldwin in that movie but this is a picture of our cousin, and my former student ALEC Bohm, whose first MLB homer was a 443' shot for the Phillies last week.

35. Toys that run on tracks: SLOT CARS - The SLOT CARS here are being propelled by bikers!

36. "Door's open": COME ON IN.

37. Amazon predator: ANACONDA.

38. Projectile with a flight: DART - It always seemed funny to me that the bullseye is not highest possible score on a throw

41. Nile home of a historic stone: ROSETTA - The famous Rosetta Stone

45. State of mind: TEMPER - Effective teachers have a more easy-going TEMPER

47. New England retailer since 1912: LL BEAN - The flagship store in Freeport, Maine

48. Room for leisure activity: LOUNGE.

49. Bed occupant: OYSTER.

51. Shows disapproval, in a way: JEERS.

52. Ready to pack it in: TIRED.

55. Stay fresh: KEEP.

57. Snitch: TELL - Should I snitch on that guy who snitched a candy bar?

60. Shade of gray: ASH.

61. It may be natural: Abbr.: SCI.

* AD EXEC Darren Stevens was married to Samantha Stevens who was Bewitched 

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