Saturday, November 21, 2020, Ed Sessa

Saturday Themeless by Ed Sessa

Today we get another pleasant house call from Dr. Ed Sessa of Sanibel Island, FL. shown here with his good friend Tug, a King Charles Cavalier who died three years ago. 

Some of the Ed's cluing elicited laughter like "Words before a request" but "Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat" and "Exmoor" startled me. However, they were quickly brought  to heel as the fill became obvious.

Here's Ed's very nice reply to my inquiry about this puzzle:

Hi Gary,

HOMICIDAL...CAT was Rich's clue and much thanks to him for requiring a rewrite in the NW to eliminate a bad entry at 1-D (PHENOLIC). I think CALVINANDHOBBES crossing EMERGENCY EXIT must have been seed entries for this puzzle, but am not sure. 

Usually I start with a grid design which I try to make a bit different and interesting and then work on fill. With fill I try to use more unique letters - Q,V,X,Z etc.-but am always on the lookout for words that might have good clue possibilities. Being an older constructor many of my entries may lean towards less use of modern catchwords and say rap stars. Younger solvers may not like that but that's what I tend to do. 

Listening to critics I really try to limit use of proper names, and with saturday puzzles the worst criticism one can receive is a DNF. I think Rich does a great job editing my clues for grammatical correctness and level of difficulty. For example, in this puzzle, SNEEZE I clued as "Nasal spray?" Cute perhaps, but  technically incorrect, "sneeze" being an action, not a result. I thank everyone on this blog site for their gracious comments and critiques. 

Ed

Across:

1. 2015-'20 TV hip-hop musical drama: EMPIRE - Drama indeed; no one looks very happy in this picture.

7. Toyota sedans: AVALONS - Their Corolla is the most popular car in the world but not plural and, uh, wrong

14. Outer organ layer: CORTEX - One site compared the brain's CORTEX to bark on a tree

15. Email staple: EMOTICON - I started with EMOTICONS then went to emojis and then my daughter showed me an IOS app called Bitmoji that gives me hundreds of pictures using my face. 

16. Pooh-pooh, with "at": SNEEZE.

17. Michelangelo's "David," for one: MALE NUDE - Everything on that 17' statue is larger than life

18. Do something to hide?: TAN - I love this clue, Dr., where "hide" is a noun 

19. Devoted: ARDENT - I am an ARDENT fan of Death Of A Salesman. I saw Lee J. Cobb's masterful performance as Willy Loman on TV in 1966. 

21. Name on the 1949 "Death of a Salesman" playbill: ELIA - Cobb, Kazan and Miller. Many say this was the apex of American Theater. It touches me more deeply as I become a: 29. Warhorse: OLD HAND.

22. Bad news word: ALAS.

24. Thrice, in prescriptions: TER - TID is TER In Die which means Three times daily

25. Nosh: SNACK.

26. Proportional gift: TITHE.

28. Extreme distress: AGONY.

 

31. "Curious George" co-author Margret: REY - Books by Margret and illustrated by husband H.A. REY

32. Start of a "Huh?" response: I SAID - Despite my hearing aids, my lovely bride has to repeat frequently 

33. Fix up, as an old pool: RELINE 

35. Comics characters in "Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat": CALVIN AND HOBBES - New to me but pretty obvious quickly (much more than ABECEDARY from yesterday!)

40. Duck soup: A CINCH 

41. Exmoor heroine: DOONE - A literary and geographic lesson for me. R.D. Blackmore's novel Lorna DOONE: A Romance of Exmoor is set in SW England on The Bristol Channel

42. Part of the 56-Across: SIB and 56. See 42-Across: FAM and 64. First arrival: ELDEST - I am shown here as the ELDEST of my SIBS with the entire FAM in 1955

45. Tucker of country: TANYA - Here is 13-yr-old TANYA in 1973 singing Delta Dawn which was a Top 10 hit for her. In 1974 Helen Reddy had a #1 hit with it 

46. Warblers' warbles: SONGS - After seeing PEEPS wasn't going to work, I remembered this as singers who embellish a song with their own style. Crossword regular Ella Fitzgerald leapt to my feeble mind

47. Law school beginners: ONE-L'S - Scott Turow's book about first year law students often appears on our crossword docket

49. High-__: upscale: END - Will my fish sticks really taste that much better?

51. __ Sea: Arctic Ocean arm: KARA - More geographic learning for me

52. Cut with light: LASE - What infamous laser-wielding villain said in this scene, "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

53. It was delayed three months in 2020: TAX DAY 

57. Apple Pencil go-with: IPAD MINI - Could this revive cursive writing?

59. "Honest!": NO JIVE 

61. Try-before-you-buy item: DEMO UNIT - I'd like to get an iPAD MINI DEMO UNIT like the one you see above 

62. Ace of Base, e.g.: SWEDES

63. "The Mets have shown me more ways to lose than I even knew existed" speaker: STENGEL - Under Casey, the "lovable loser" Mets lost well over 400 games in his four years

Down:

1. Stoked: ECSTATIC.

2. 16th-century masterpiece: MONA LISA - Why The Mona Lisa is so famous

3. Like most OB visits: PRENATAL.

4. Mineral ending: ITE - The suffix 'ite', is derived from the Greek word, 'lithos', which means 'rock' or 'stone'

5. Exiled Shah Mohammad __ Pahlavi: REZA - His being allowed into our country in 1979 was not popular back in Iran

6. Bring into play: EXERT.

7. Start of many bar jokes: A MAN

8. Electric Chevy: VOLT - They quit making them in 2019

9. Put away: ATE - Joey Chestnut ATE 75 hot dogs in 10 minutes

10. Bedding: LINEN.

11. Concerned with pupils?: OCULAR - Eyes not students

12. "Fat chance": NO DICE

13. Disingenuous: SNEAKY.

15. Way away from danger: EMERGENCY EXIT - I like the extra legroom you get here

20. Start of a request for advice: DEAR ANN - C'mon, this was a great clue, wasn't it?

23. Hindu deity: SHIVA - All you'd want to know

25. Clerical assemblies: SYNODS - SYNODS for Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America 

27. Royal commands: EDICTS.

30. Org. studying epidemics: NIH

34. Digital read: E-BOOK.

36. Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding": NIA - More recently Nia played a woman in need of a kidney transplant in Grey's Anatomy

37. Real: BONA FIDE - Health care workers and first responders are BONA FIDE heroes 

38. Cuts in lines: ENGRAVES - Oops! 

39. Fictional NYC thoroughfare: SESAME ST - My friend has run a day-care center in her house at 125 SESAME ST for 30 years ten blocks from our house

42. Big favors, in slang: SOLIDS.

43. Ticked: IN A PET - A phrase  I've learned here

44. "__ Mucho": 1944 #1 song: BESAME - Kiss Me Much in English. Some 1944 #1 hits

48. Conned: LED ON.

50. "__ avec les stars": DANSE - Even I could translate this phrase

53. Pointed part: TINE.

54. Indigo dye: ANIL - A common crossword source of dye 

55. Wail: YOWL.

58. Travel __: MUG - I bought this one for $3 off the clearance table at KSC

60. Clampett patriarch: JED - Song and dance man Buddy Ebsen gets to show his skills as JED Clampett with Aerosmith dubbed over Flatt and Scruggs.

                                                                                                                          

 

Notes from C.C.:

I made today's puzzle (11/21/2020) for the Crosswords With Friends app. It's co-edited by Amy Reynaldo and Trip Payne. The app is free. You can download it here via App Store and here via Google Play store.

The puzzle celebrates a few inductees of the 2020 Carnegie Great Immigrants.

Friday, November 20, 2020, August Miller

  Title: Take a left and go north

I get to introduce another first time LAT constructor. I could not find any other publications for this August August, so welcome to the wild and wooly world of words. The theme has a visual curveball, so let us get right to it. Did the circles help?

I would have been stumped but for my problem with milk. When 20A took me to the doorstep of Lactose Intolerant but had no room for the "ant," I had two thoughts. 1. There was going to be a picnic theme with"ants" missing from all of the themers. 2. It was visual and the "ant" was going to crawl up the puzzle. Neither was correct, but I did grok that the end of the fill just went up. The circles made that choice obvious. A fun idea that created much room for sparkly fill. Ta-Da!

MINOR IN, SUMMONS, GOES BOOM, OPERA HAT,  ABECEDARY, IN THE AREA, IRS AGENTS  and SKATE PUNK

20A. Deficient in a certain enzyme: LACTOSE INTOLERA. 

12D. It's south of Vesuvius: ETNA. Volcanoes. Etna, Stromboli, and Vesuvius.  I have never eaten an Etna nor a Vesuvius.

24A. Brit's "Don't get upset, now": KEEP YOUR HAI.
8D. Study on the side: MINOR IN. One of our new entries today; mine was English. I do not know the phrase keep your hair on, where is Steve now that I need him.

45A. Hand-to-hand battle: UNARMED COMB.
36D. Whack: STAB. Karate? Judo?

52A. Lone survivor ... and a hint to the puzzle's circles?: LAST MAN STANDING. A real grid spanner and a puzzling puzzle.

Across:

1. Key __: remote-start devices: FOBS. The word was appropriated from the watch fob, which grew from the German -the word Fuppe, meaning "pocket,"

5. Not straight, in a way: GAY. How nice that this word does not cause much reaction any longer. 

8. Haggard of country: MERLE. One of the greats.

13. "Yeah, yeah, I get it": OK OK.

14. People: ONES.

16. Lock up the victory: ICE IT. A bit of hockey jargon. 

17. They have taxing jobs: IRS AGENTS. Bad pun #1040. 

19. "Interstellar" co-writer/director Christopher: NOLAN. 

22. Recede: EBB. and flow.

23. Court orders: WRITS. These days they are mostly just Orders, but it is a fine old word.

30. Org. fighting for refugees: ACLU.  American Civil Liberties Union.

31. Columbus' home: OHIO. Not the sailor but the city.

32. Some traffic monitors: NARCS. Drug traffickers. 

37. Word after greater or lesser: THAN.

38. Very many, informally: MUCHO. Unless you speak Spanish...

40. Situation, metaphorically: BOAT. You would not want to be in my boat...from the ancient Greeks. 

41. Passes (out): ZONKS. This word has been around since the 50s.

43. Take another tour: REUP. Reenlist.

44. "Enchanted" girl in a 2004 film: ELLA. Anne Hathaway is back.

48. Streaks: ZOOMS.

51. Dwell on, maybe: RUE.

59. State with a panhandle: IDAHO. There are a few

60. Nearby: IN THE AREA. Stop by if you ever are.

61. Compare: LIKEN.

62. Georgetown cager: HOYA.

63. __ Malek, Best Actor winner for "Bohemian Rhapsody": RAMI.
ALL ABOUT RAMI

64. Neptune's are about 165 times longer than ours: YEARS.

65. Sandwich with a bit of crunch: BLT.

66. 2010 Ringo Starr album: YNOT.

Down:

1. The creature, to Dr. Frankenstein: FOIL. In literature, a foil is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character. I think there are better examples.

2. Cajun food staple: OKRA.

3. Pear variety: BOSC.

4. Rock subgenre whose music is featured in "Tony Hawk's" games: SKATE PUNK. An inferable but unknown term for me. Apparently, Lucy, it is very popular in your area. LINK.

5. Blows up: GOES BOOM. Baby talk?

6. Actress Hathaway: ANNE. But wait, didn't we already see her today? A bizarre clecho? A blecho?

7. Himalayan with a thick coat: YETI. I have never petted one.

9. Food recall reason: ECOLI. Escherichia coli (abbreviated as E. coli) are bacteria found in the environment, foods, and intestines of people and animals.

10. Subleased: RELET.

11. Yarn weavers: LIARS. Very nice deception because Loom loomed big in my brain. 

15. Fig. on a return: SSN. More taxing cling- hey it isn't April.

18. Pass: GO BY. Not to be confused with a desert.

21. Defunct airline: TWA.

24. Apt surname for a vet: KATZ. a purrfect name?

25. __ chamber: ECHO.

26. Panache: ELAN.

27. "Star Trek" linguistics expert: UHURA. Almost exactly 52 years since the airing of the KISS.

28. Kitchen gadget: RICER.

29. Just meh: HO HUM.

33. School primer: ABECEDARY. More unknown but inferable stuff. Not a great movie.

34. Candy with a gooey center: ROLO. 

35. Still, as a day: CALM.

39. Collapsible headwear: OPERA HAT.

42. It's usually bad to be served with one: SUMMONS.

46. Hush-hush org.: NSA.

47. Sci-fi classic set on an arid world: DUNE.

48. "White Teeth" novelist Smith: ZADIE. The third new word added to the lexicon. Here SHE is.

49. Japan's second-largest city: OSAKA.

50. Catch-all survey option: OTHER.

52. __ of the valley: LILY.

53. Medical research agcy.: NIH.

54. Stuck-up sort: SNOB.

55. Texter's sign-off: TTYL. Almost time, but hang in. 

56. Caspian Sea land: IRAN.

57. Film fish to find: NEMO. I wasn't looking but I think my wife caught and ate him.

58. Way of walking: GAIT. I have no idea but this stems from GATE which to me is the antithesis of walking, but it is a great segue for me to say TTFN, great to see you all here back at my Friday post. Happy birthday tomorrow to my firstborn son, and be safe all.

Thursday, November 19, 2020, Julian Lim

 

             

Good morning, once again, cruciverbalists.  As you have likely guessed from my reptilian friends, above, for today's theme our constructor, Julian Lim, has chosen a SALAD from the menu.

THEME:  SUPER SALAD ?  -  "I'll go with just the regular salad, please."

REVEAL:  36 ACROSS:  Steak go-with, perhaps, and a hint to 10 puzzle answers: SIDE SALAD.

This was a salad effort from Julian.  As if tossing ten (count 'em) theme answers into the grid was not, in and of itself, a sufficient recipe for success, he has skillfully placed all ten of the SALADs along the SIDEs of the grid.  Fortunately, this marine mammal spends copious time chomping on vegetation so the theme was recognized pretty quickly.  As an aSIDE, if you are helping a less-experienced solver work on a puzzle, you can fill in the perimeter for them.  Not only will they find it to be a help in working out the answers for themselves, but filling in those squares, and only those squares, can be an enjoyable way to hone one's own skills.

Rather than explore all ten of the theme answers here at the beginning of this recap, which would substantially disrupt the flow, we will address them in situ.  However, lettuce now take a look at the grid, the better to appreciate the accomplishment.  The overall success of the construction allows for a bit of forbearance when it comes to the quantity of three-letter fill . . . and a couple of other answers, too.

ACROSS :

1. Inaugural class MLB Hall of Famer: COBB.    COBB SALAD.   Ty COBB was elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.  Joining him were Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson.

Ty Cobb

5. Gift basket option: FRUIT.  FRUIT SALAD 

A Fruit Basket

10. Groanworthy humor: CORN.  CORN SALAD.  Before the expression "Dad Joke" became popular we used to call that type of humor CORNny.  For example:  Why don't they play poker in the jungle?  There are too many cheetahs.

14. Certain something: AURA.   Frank Zappa penned a line in which he rhymed AURA with Dora and flora but it is inappropriate for PG audiences.

15. Sunken ship finder: SONAR.  SOund NAvigation Ranging

16. Jai __: ALAI.

17. Dominic West alma mater: ETON.  This seems as if it is the five-hundredth way that we have seen ETON clued.  "The Wire" did not "air" under the sea so I had no idea who Dominic West is.

18. Tot's ache spot: TUMMY.  It is not the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but you were (sorta) forewarned.  Apologies for any ear worms.  Wait, that's insufficient.  Apologies.  Period.

In 1968, Joey Levine Had Love In His Tummy

19. 1933 Banking Act creation: Abbr.: FDIC.   The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

20. Pouch: SAC.  Often clued as Anatomical Sac.

21. Brother of Aaron: MOSES.  An Old Testament reference.

MOSES Gives Unto Us The Commandments

22. Like some survey questions: YES NO.  Survey question:  Have you seen this previously in crossword puzzles?  Please circle your answer:   YES     YES

23. Turkish title: AGA.  Often spelled AGHA, this honorific title was used more commonly during the time of the Ottoman Empire.

24. Is __: likely will: APT TO.

25. Sapporo rival: ASAHI.   Although now brewed in various places around the globe, ASAHI is a Japanese beer brand.  So is Sapporo.  ASHAHI's headquarters building is quite distinctive.

ASAHI Building, Tokyo

26. Brought back, in titles: REDUX.  Sometimes used today in reference to Java Script apps, the typical meaning of REDUX is to reference something revived or, as the clue says, "brought back".

28. Performed: DID.  By definition.

30. Had the role of: WAS.  Perhaps, a thespian or professional reference.

31. Mo. in which Oktoberfest begins: SEP.  "Mo." is used in the clue to tell us that the answer will be an abbreviation.  In this case the MOnth of SEPtember.  Oktoberfest officially begins at noon on the second to last Saturday in September.

32. Add: APPEND.   Again, by definition.

35. Abbr. in some vineyard names: STE.  As in SainTE, the French title for a female saint.  This time the clue was not the usual reference to STE. Jeanne D'Arc.  Merci.

Cuvee Ste Catherine Schlossberg

39. "Rugrats" infant: DIL.  Dylan Prescott "DIL" Pickles is a character in the "Rugrats" comic strip.

DIL Pickles

42. Trudeau's country: CANADA.  Is the plural of Trudeau Trudeaux?

Trudeau Fils et Pere

43. Night school subj.: ESL.  English as a Second Language.  A Crossword Staple.

46. Job listing inits.: EOE.  Equal Opportunity Employer.  Another Crossword Staple.

47. "__ dreaming?": AM I.  It is often clued along the lines of a French friend.

48. Behave badly: ACT UP.

50. Line of cut grass: SWATH.   A common sight on farms.  A SWATH can also be seen on baseball fields.

52. Lacking one's A game: NOT ON.  "A Game" is used in reference to performing at the very best of one's ability.  If twasn't for 54 Down, NOTON would be today's dubious prize winner.

56. Enero begins it: ANO.  Enero is Spanish for January and ANO is Spanish for year.

57. Mickey Mantle's number: SEVEN.

58. Reads quickly: SKIMS.  At first glance, I thought that it might be SCANS but these days that word is most commonly reserved for digitized documents and photographs.

59. Tatami, e.g.: MAT.  A traditional Japanese MAT at that.

60. Watches closely: EYES.   I have used the next image before but, with this clue and answer, 'tis worth a 26 Across:

Lab Redux Retriever

61. Prize money: PURSE.  When Floyd Mayweather fought Conor McGregor in August of 2017, the PURSE won by Mayweather was $275 million USD.

62. Pocket often filled: PITA.

63. Churn: ROIL.  ROILing seas move turbulently and violently.

64. Metallic sound: CLANG.

65. Hand or foot: UNIT.  The Hand is an ancient UNIT of measurement now standardized at four inches and used primarily for measuring the height of horses.

66. Cat food flavor: TUNA.  TUNA SALAD.  Do they make TUNA-flavored cat food?  I don't know.  Maybe we should ask him:

Rocket J. Cat

AKA Rocket Squirrel Blue Stanley

67. Naples staple: PASTA.  PASTA SALAD.  The regional cuisine of the Naples area favors paccheri and it must be cooked al dente.

Paccheri

68. __ Bell: TACO.  TACO SALAD.  TACO Bell has changed their advertising slogan several times over the decades but the food has stayed pretty consistent.

DOWN:

1. "The fault . . . is not in our stars" speaker:  CAESAR    CAESAR SALAD.

". .  . but in ourselves" continues the quotation.  Some real wisdom there.  A line from Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar spoken in Act 1 Scene III but not by this CAESAR:

Sid Caesar

2. Power losses: OUTAGES.  In 1965, an OUTAGE caused 30 million people in eight U.S. states and two Canadian Provinces to lose electrical power.  Despite the urban myth, a comparison of the number of births in New York City nine months after the Great Blackout showed no increase associated with the OUTAGE.

3. Fashionable fabric in the Italian Renaissance: BROCADE.

A Woven Brocade Silk Lehanga

4. Make illegal: BAN.  An old joke goes, "My grandfather had the heart of a lion . . . and a lifetime BAN from the zoo."

5. Nikon setting: F-STOP.  A photographers' joke:  "I was watching a beautiful sunset with my girlfriend and thinking . . . 1/250s at F8."

6. Boot from bed: ROUST.

7. Yet to be satisfied: UNMET.  "Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect."  --  Margaret Mitchell

8. "There's no getting out of this one": I AM SO DEAD.  Well, likely not literally DEAD.  The quotation marks tell us that it is something somebody might say when they're in a difficult situation.  We have all heard alternative words spoken.

9. Handle in court: TRY.

Judge Judy TRYing a Trying Case

10. Cappuccino sellers: CAFES.  Okay, so lots of places sell Cappuccinos.  Neither Starbucks nor Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf would fit in the allotted space.

11. Adages: OLD SAWS.  From the Old English SAGU meaning "saying".

An OLD SAW

12. Gear for a drizzle: RAIN HAT.  This could have been many different things for you land-based mammals but this is the best answer:

13. From a coastal French city: NICOISE.   SALADE NICOISE originated in the city of Nice, France.  It is similar to our Cobb Salad (see 1 Across) but is made with tuna, green bean, and potatoes instead of bacon, chicken, and avocado.

21. Highest degree: MAX.  Often, the answer to this clue is the misuse of Nth.

22. One-third of et cetera?:  YADDA, YADDA, YADDA.

27. Happy times: UPS.  When the UPS driver arrives with that package from Amazon?

29. Visiting the Griffith Observatory, say: IN LA.

Griffith Observatory Los Angeles, California

32. Counting Crows frontman Duritz: ADAM.

Adam Duritz

33. Cape Cod, e.g.: PENINSULA.

34. Pro bono TV spot: PSA.  Public Service Announcement

37. Billionaire business mogul Carl: ICAHN.  As of 2020, Carl ICHAN's net worth is reported to be just under 15 Billion USD.

38. Tenth mo. in the original Roman calendar: DEC.  I am fascinated by humankind's repeated attempts to smash together, in their calendars, the timing of the orbit of our moon and the earth's orbit around the sun.

39. It's usually downed last: DESSERT.  DESSERT SALAD. 

Cranberry Ambrosia Salad

40. "Next one's on me":  I OWE YOU.

41. Keep as part of the manuscript: LEAVE IN.  Usually, we see STET.

44. Legs: STAMINA.  A bit of misdirection.  Not a body part.  In slang, something that "has legs" is something that lasts a long time.  It would have been more fun if the the answer had been ZZ Top.  Formed in 1969, ZZ Top has legs.

LEGS

45. Nut: LUNATIC.  This clue may have been intended to deceive us as into thinking of a Filbert (or some other seven-letter nut) or, perhaps,  something to do with hardware.

48. Q&A part: Abbr.: ANS.  . . . and the ANSwer is:  Fill

 

49. Ingredient in the Irish dish colcannon: POTATO.  POTATO SALAD. Colcannon is made with mashed POTATOes and kale or cabbage.

51. Model S manufacturer: TESLA.  The eponymous Nikola TESLA was a highly noteworthy inventor.   I wonder if,  one hundred years from now, people will move around in things called Musks.

Tesla Model S

53. Veggies whose seeds can be roasted and ground to make coffee: OKRAS.  I did not know this.

54. Quaint denial: TISNT.   This almost-never-seen contraction for It Is Not is, IMHO (In a Manatee's Humble Opinion), the nadir of today's construction.  Really, 'tis.

55. __-3 fatty acids: OMEGA.   OMEGA-3 fatty acids are generally believed to be beneficial to humans.  Walnuts, salmon, CVS, Walgreens and Shoppers Drug Mart are good sources.

61. Angel Dust letters: PCP.  Phenyl Cyclohexyl Piperidine  Quite the misnomer as PCP, with it's neurotoxic side effects, is the antithesis of angelic.

62. Knock, with "down": PUT.  To PUT down someone, or something,  is slang for criticizing.

__________________________________

________________________________________________

MM OUT

Wednesday November 18, 2020 Kurt Krauss

>Theme: Let's go to the unifier. 

57 A. Rock genre ... and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues: HEAVY METAL.  A blues influenced type of music developed in England ca. 1980, characterized by a dominant, repeating bass line, distortion, and extended guitar solos.  Heavy Metals are metallic elements that have high weight or density A few show up in the theme fill.  Some others are cadmium, mercury and gold.

17. *Mind reader's obstacle, some believe: TIN FOIL HAT.  The idea being that the metal will insulate the brain from electromagnetic radiation.  Also indicates belief in unscientific or conspiracy theory ideas.  As a foil wrapping material, TIN has long since been replaced by aluminum.

24 A. *20th-century political symbol: IRON CURTAIN.  A political and physical barrier that separated Counties with ties to the USSR from those that were independent or tied to NATO.  Iron is a common element and vital nutrient.

33 A. *Metaphor for a failure: LEAD BALLOON.  A heavy BALLON is doomed to sink.  LEAD is the basis for solder.

48 A. *Symbol of inherited wealth: SILVER SPOON.  To be born with it in ones mouth.  Silver isn't just heavy, it's a precious metal.

Hi gang.  JzB here.  Had some technical difficulty so this will be sketchy.  Lo siento.

Across:

1. 1978 Peace co-Nobelist: SADAT.  Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat was an Egyptian politician who served as the third President of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981.

6. Officiates: REFS.  Acts as an arbiter in sporting events.

10. Painter of limp watches: DALI.  Salvador [1904-1989] 

14. Spanish Olympian's goal: EL ORO.  The Gold.

15. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO.  Literal, in Spanish

16. Turkey neighbor: IRAN.  I was thinking mashed potatoes.  But this is geography, and that is next week

19. Expansive: VAST.

20. Caddie's bagful: TEES.  Wooden pegs that support the ball for the first stroke on a golf hole.

21. Cruel: MEAN. Nasty

22. Trigger, for one: HORSE.  With famous cowboy Roy Rogers.

23. St. whose name is part of its capital's name: IND.  Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

26. Tattoo tool: NEEDLE.  For body art

28. Took a time out: RESTED.  Had a nap

29. They're shifted often in cities: GEARS.  Due to stop and go traffic.

30. Vicinity: AREA. Region.

38. Ages and ages: EONS.  Forever, more or less.

39. Italian fashion house: PRADA.  Founded in 1913.

42. Port ENE of Cleveland, OH: ERIE, PA.  

47. Closed in on: NEARED.  Approached

52. Coke alternatives: RCS.  Royal Crowns.

53. Jazz drummer Cozy and a king: COLES.  And another King

 

 54. Reasons: WHYS.

55. FDR's dog: FALA.

56. Business envelope abbr.: ATTN.   Attention - somebody. Routing direction

59. Full of pizzazz: PERT.

60. Alleviate: EASE.

61. Dino's love: AMORE.  Of course.

 

 62. Slow Churned ice cream brand: EDY'S.  Founded in 1928.

63. Seals, to sharks: PREY.  Things they eat.

64. Elements in playground banter: DARES.  Double Dares and double dog dares.

Down:

1. Backdrop: SETTING.

2. Property recipient, in law: ALIENEE.  Strange legalese.

3. Fait accompli: DONE DEAL.  Finished.  The End!

4. Kennel sounds: ARFS.  Dog utterances.
 
5. Also: TOO.  In addition.

6. Loggers' contest: ROLEO.  Log rolling contest.

7. Actor Hawke: ETHAN. [b 1970] American actor, writer, and director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards and a Tony Award. 

8. Swiss capital: FRANC.  Money.

9. Lush: SOT.  Drunkard.

10. "Replace all __": golf course reminder: DIVOTS.  Little chunks of planet earth lifted with gold clubs.  They must be replaced before you chase your ball.

11. Mount in Genesis: ARARAT.  Where Noah landed.

12. Heroic TV dog: LASSIE.  From 1954 to 1973

13. Have in mind: INTEND.  Mean to.

18. '50s Hungarian premier Nagy: IMRE.  A Hungarian communist politician who served as Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 against the Soviet-backed government, for which he was executed two years later.

22. Longtime Eur. realm: HRE.  Holy Roman Empire

24. To whom Rick said, "We'll always have Paris": ILSA.  From the classic 1942 movie Casablanca.

25. Caspian Sea feeder: URAL.  River to sea.

27. Hip-hop Dr.: DRE.  Andre Romelle Young, known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, audio engineer, record executive, entrepreneur, and actor.

30. Blood-typing letters: ABO.  Types are A, B, AB, and O, based on the presence or absence of two genes.  It is important to match donor and recipient types for blood transfusions and organ transplants.

31. Hightailed it: RAN. Escaped, perhaps.

32. Over-the-street transports: ELS.  Above street level rapid transit systems.

34. Cherished: DEAR.  Beloved

35. Inviting store window sign: OPEN.  Come in and pend your money

36. U.K. singer Rita: ORA.  Rita Sahatçiu Ora (b.1990] is a British singer and actress. 

37. Ishmael, in "Moby Dick": NARRATOR.

40. Announce: DECLARE.

41. Much of Google's income: AD SALES.

42. Break out: ESCAPE.  High tailed it and ran.

43. Ran amok: RIOTED.  One person can act in an out of control and disruptive manner.  It takes a crowd to riot.

44. "Do your best" response: I'LL TRY.  Or not.

 

 45. Decathlon's 10: EVENTS.  This is a competition held over two days.  The events are: First day - 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m; Second day -  110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m.

46. Latin foot: PES.  Literal.

47. Like an eavesdropper, say: NOSY. Too interested in other people's business.

49. Talk a blue streak?: SWEAR.  A string of "blue" language.  Clever.

50. New moon, e.g.: PHASE.  The moon's phases change over 28 days.

51. Yiddish "Yikes!": OY VEY.  Expression of dismay, surprise or alarm.

55. Disaster relief org.: FEMA. Federal Emergency Management Agency.

57. Cool, once: HEP.  Is "cool" even cool thee days?

58. Bonkers: MAD.  Insane.

That wraps us another Wednesday [but not in TIN foil.]  Stay healthy and have a safe Thanksgiving.

Cool Regards!

JzB