Saturday, December, 26, 2020 by Kyle Dolan

Saturday Themeless by Kyle Dolan

As you have probably noticed, Dr. Dolan works at the British Consulate-General in Chicago. He said he will get Boxing Day off on Monday as it comes on Saturday this year. Kyle is from Boston but says he is one of the "local hires" at the consulate in Chicago. He was kind enough to share this with us:

Dear Gary,

Thanks for your note, and I hope you're keeping safe and in good health. Looking forward to reading your writeup of the puzzle.

I made this puzzle over a year ago, and it was accepted by Rich Norris in June of this year. The seed entry was SMART WATCH, which I thought would make a good 1-Across. Overall I'm pleased with how the grid turned out, particularly getting full names EVE ENSLER and ROSA PARKS in opposite corners, as well as the stacked duo of ALL-NIGHTER and SLEEPS EASY--an irony that won't be lost on anyone who's ever crammed for a final exam (raises hand). Rich did make one grid change at the crossing of GLUERS/GAR, which was originally CLUERS/CAR (he wouldn't accept CLUERS).

The published puzzle has 53 clues that are originals or bear a close resemblance to what I submitted, including 14-A, 45-A, 61-A, 30-D, 47-D and 49-D. Interestingly, the clue at 35-Down is Rich's and has a very different connotation compared to my submission, which was [Action film effect].

Best regards,

Kyle

Across:

1. Apple product: SMART  WATCH - Dick Tracy's imagined device of my 1950's comics has come to be a real device

11. Collector's frame: CEL.

14. Mozart's Queen of the Night, for one: COLORATURA - COLORATURA the ornamentation of  a vocal piece of singing in opera with runs, trills and leaps usually performed by a soprano. If a soprano is as 28. Virtuoso: ADROIT as the fabulous Kathleen Battle, it sounds like this

15. Cover on the road: PAVE.

16. Guacamole, e.g.: AVOCADO DIP.

17. "Agreed!": AMEN.

18. Tiny and unimportant: DINKY - Some DINKY toys of my childhood

19. "The First __": NOEL - Tunes such as these have been put away until around October 1. 2021.

20. Must: NEED.

21. Make a narrow escape?: SEEP 

22. In itself: PER SE.

24. Rhapsody, perhaps: OPUS - Numbered works. Beethoven's Symphony Number 9, OPUS Number 125 is considered to be a supreme achievement in musical history.

26. Field pair: OSCARS - Sally has won two OSCARS (Norma Rae and Places In The Heart) but ya gotta love someone who wears high heels to the ceremony and then 23. Slips into: DONS tennis shoes for the rest of the night.

31. Tie with the dealer, in blackjack: PUSH - Dealer and player both have 18

32. La Liga cheer: OLE - I don't remember when this shout of bullfighting ring moved over to soccer (futball) fields as well

34. Like Dorothy Parker's humor: DROLL

35. Red state?: FIT - Here's a FIT being thrown with the resulting red state of a face

36. Any of Florida's Dry Tortugas: ISLET - One of Hemingway's favorite fishing spots

38. Some "SVU" roles: DA'S.

39. Cut out: OMIT.

41. Model builders, at times: GLUERS.

42. Bauhaus founder Gropius: WALTER - What is Bauhaus?

44. Not peripheral: MAIN.

45. Chateau Montelena's home: NAPA - Just northwest of NAPA, CA near Calistoga, CA

46. Ban from practice: DEBAR - My EMBAR fill got banned

48. Spring break destination, briefly: BAJA - BOCA didn't make the cut here

52. Word of resignation: ALAS.

53. __ Eats: UBER - Have bike, will deliver

54. Rambled: RAN ON.

55. Calamitous: DIRE.

56. Obviously full of anticipation: SALIVATING.

58. Art store supply: INKS.

59. It may be pulled before a final: ALL NIGHTER, you thought you had 1. Gobs: SCADS of time

60. Thing in the Roman Senate: RES - RES Nullius means "thing no one owns". Like  a wild animal

61. Has a clear conscience, maybe: SLEEPS EASY.

Down:

2. Oddly, trailers may precede one: MOVIE - Show time is 7:00 and you're still in the parking lot? No problem, trailers and ad will push that curtain to 7:20.

3. Like many a horror film victim: ALONE. - Jamie Lee Curtis recreates her mother Janet Leigh's  ALONE scene in the shower scene from Psycho

4. Low tide formation: ROCK POOL - An alternate name for a Tidal POOL

5. A server may carry one: TRAY.

6. Gum, after use: WAD 

7. Makes up: ATONES.

8. Elizabeth I was the last one: TUDOR - Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth II is a first cousin 13 times removed to Elizabeth I.

9. Really could use, with "for": CRIES OUT.

10. Unfortunate: HAPLESS.

11. Diner patron played by Stephen King in "Mr. Mercedes," e.g.: CAMEO ROLE - Here he is as the scene is being setup where he plays a chef that gets killed.

12. "The Vagina Monologues" playwright: EVE ENSLER.

13. Takes interest, maybe: LENDS.

15. Bear that can bark: PANDA - Rough translation, "Hey Mom, get off me!"

22. Call counterpart: PUT 

25. Captain, at times: PILOT - A copy of Samuel Clemens' Steamboat PILOT'S License from 1859

27. Dog topper: CHILI - I had to quit thinking about what garment a well-turned-out pooch might DON

28. Sum up: ADD.

29. Begin to set boundaries: DRAW A LINE.

30. First woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol: ROSA PARKS - A sterling example of DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND

31. Compost bin remnant: PIT.

33. "Cloverfield" characters: ETS - Yikes!

35. Highly energetic sort: FIREBALL - LIVE WIRE was my first choice

37. What a city dweller may do on a building roof: SUN BATHE - Of course I'm going to link to the Drifters's version of the song Carole King co-wrote 

40. Jellyfish: MEDUSAS - Hey, I'm not allergic to learning!

41. Pikelike fish: GAR.

43. Burns with a light touch?: LASES - Progressive steps of LASER tattoo removal

44. Oceanic: MARINE.

45. Point from which a recovery can begin: NADIR - I hope Husker FB is there

47. Animated Disney bibliophile: BELLE - from Beauty And The Beast

49. Indian novelist Desai: ANITA.

50. Slangy craving: JONES - Derivation

51. Gritting one's teeth, maybe: ANGRY.

54. Old dance hall tunes: RAGS - Nobody did it better

57. __ pass: VIP.

Friday, December 25, 2020, Jeffrey Wechsler

 Who needs a title- IT'S CHRISTMAS with Jeffrey. What we need is some music!

So much for my sincere "see you next year!" This Friday tag team is back with the holiday spirit. This a classic Friday that demands you deduce a theme, which will displease many but otherwise you would be forced to solve all the downs to finish. We also have a group that dislikes referential cluing so...To begin, recognize that this is a special puzzle for the day (Merry Christmas to all!). Then examine all the effort to make this work: a 16x15 grid to allow the one grid spanning theme fill; 15 cheater squares to make it work using mirror semi-conventional symmetry. The Joy! 

21A. Seasonal favorite: DECK THE HALLS (12). 

40A. With 43-Across, 21-Across chorus line: FALALALALA. 43A. See 40-Across: LALALALA. 

63A. Seasonal favorite: LITTLE DRUMMER BOY. 

66. 63-Across chorus line: PARUMPUMPUMPUM.

Across:

1. Oft-heard disembodied voice: SIRI. The apple of our ears. You can make some choices now but there may be a big CHANGE soon.

5. Fauna component: ANIMAL. Flora's partner in the forest.

11. [It vanished!]: PFFT. It's magic!

15. Turkmenistan neighbor: IRAN. They are bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north and east, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, and the Caspian Sea to the west.

16. Ford's second commercial success: MODEL A. First sold on December 2, 1927, it replaced the Model T which had been in production for 18 years. The new Model A was designated a 1928-year model and was available in four standard colors!

17. Senator's helper: AIDE. Did any watch VEEP?

18. One standing before the king and queen: PAWN. I love this tricky clue. And I loved 

19. Frederick Douglass, notably: ORATOR. This impressive MAN is not to be confused with the one "s" senator who debated Lincoln.

20. European border range: URAL. These MOUNTAINS were an important part of Hitler's plan for a pure Europe.

24. Maneuver: STEER. This word has many possible ORIGINS.

26. Circle dance: HORA. Not a Christmas dance.

27. Fabric-dyeing process: BATIK.

30. Sycophant: TOADY.

31. Toss insults (at): SNIPE. Sadly the actor died; oops that was SNAPE.

32. Sport for swingers?: POLO. Golf fits so much better.

33. They're often seen on slides: AMEBAS. Are they?

39. Don't have to guess: KNOW.

44. Entertains: HOSTS.

48. Part of BPOE: ELKS. Benevolent Protective Order of Elks so soon after yesterday's reference.

49. Phase: STAGE. 

54. Fit to serve: ONE-A. Selective service designation.

55. Seriously off the mark, as a throw: WILD.

56. Show appreciation to: THANK. I want to take the time to thank all of the wonderful talents who have created 52 entertaining and challenging puzzles. 

58. Asian desert: GOBI.

62. King of Judea: HEROD. I really cannot discuss without getting into a religious discussion, but this name is also part of the Christmas story.

67. Rascal: SCAMP. Child of Lady and the Tramp.

68. Like Oscar of "The Odd Couple" or "Sesame Street": MESSY.

Down:

1. Opposite of guzzle: SIP.

2. Novelist Levin: IRA. You do not want to adopt one of his babies. 

3. Unfair outcome: RAW DEAL.

4. Demanding: IN NEED OF.

5. Uncontrolled: AMOK.

6. Word with due or true: NORTH. Also Oliver.

7. Yukon Gold source: IDAHO. The Potato, not the mineral. 

8. Poet's concern: METER.

9. Greeting in a state nickname: ALOHA.

10. Spencer of "Good Morning America": LARA. Everything and MORE.

11. '50s-'70s singer with 12 Billboard Top 10 hits: PAUL ANKA. Paul did many Christmas albums but I did not see our two featured tunes.

12. Inventory evaluation term: FIRST IN. First out. 

13. Org. that tests cosmetics: FDA. And COVID-19 vaccines.

14. Business card no.: TEL.

22. Yell: CRY.

23. Freight meas.: LBS.

24. Indy 500 initialism: STP. Mario Andretti.

25. Excessively: TOO.

28. Wall St. event: IPO. Initial Public Offering.

29. Royal Botanic Gardens locale: KEW.

33. Like: À LA. Near 35D. Mideast carrier: EL AL. 37D. Woeful word: ALAS. 38D. Mineo of "Rebel Without a Cause": SAL. 41D. Gore and Green: ALS. And 42D. __ Cruces: LAS. I will leave out the next two, even though they both have "AL" inside.

34. What Y can imply: MALE. Chromosome, baby!

36. Resist, with "at": BALK.

44. Lanford Wilson's "The __ Baltimore": HOTL.

45. Where impatient hands might be placed: ON HIPS.

46. Washington airport: SEATAC. Seattle Tacoma

47. Hindu philosophy: TANTRA. Thought-provoking? LINK.

50. Annoying sorts: TWERPS. JUSTIN BIEBER? 

51. Boeing competitor: AIRBUS.

52. Like Eeyore's outlook: GLOOMY.

53. Swirl: EDDY. Nelson?

57. "Project Runway" host: KLUM. Heidi made it back to AGOT. Still a pretty woman.

58. Econ. stat: GDP. Gross Domestic Product.

59. Tulsa sch. with a Prayer Tower: ORU.

60. Mooch: BUM. 

61. Pesky sort: IMP. Aren't they really elves?

62. Iron-rich blood pigment: HEME. It is more places than blood LINK.  I wonder if Wimpy would want an Impossible Burger?

64. Ruler of anc. Rome: EMPeror.

65. Silent: MUM. Not if you are from Britain, there the mums are seldom silent.

But fittingly, it is time for me to be silent and let you savor the flavor of JW's Christmas treat. It has been a year; my best to all who read, the posters, the lurkers, the constructors, and our own Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell- C.C. and Boomer. We have lost some followers, both literally and figuratively. We won't forget. We have had bloggers come and go, but we are here. COVID be damned. 

Lemonade out.

 

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to dear Yellowrocks (Kathy)! So glad you've settled in the new place. I'm sure your next birthday will be extra special with Alan, David, Motoko & Kenny all together.

  

Kathy, Japan

2) Happy 82nd Birthday to Lorraine (Fermatprime)! I hope she's OK. She has not replied to my last email.

 

Thanksgiving, 2015

Thursday December 24, 2020, Roland Huget

Today's outing by Roland Huget presents us with a perfectly piscatorial puzzle.  The unifier at 30D smells a bit fishy but if you nose around a bit you'll sniff it out:

30. Structure that creates a path for upstream migration, and a hint to hidden words in four long Down answers: FISH LADDER. 

Fish ladders are man made structures, necessitated by the construction of damns that prevent salmon from reaching their spawning grounds in the Spring, the exact spots where each was originally spawned.  How they remember the way to get there is still a great mystery. Without fish ladders there would be no salmon. And no Alaskan Brown bears either:



The fish names in the puzzle are inverted and hidden in the DOWN theme phrases, representing their scaling the FISH LADDER.  Other than the COHO Salmon I doubt that any of the other fish would make the effort (although it would be interesting to see what a surprise it would be to a Brown Bear if a full-sized tuna suddenly emerged from the waters!):

3. Incur debt beyond one's means: GO INTO HOCK.  COHO Salmon.  I decided not to try and ham this one up.

21. Progress without faltering: NOT MISS A BEAT.  BASS. People with AFIB sometimes do miss a beat (YT included).

18. Succinctly: IN A NUTSHELL.  TUNA.  A fellow named O'Reilly made a fortune publishing the In a Nutshell series of  "succinct" (NOT!) computer reference books.  TTP and Dash T know them.

9. Equine contest with weight penalties: HANDICAP RACE. CARP.  I guess that if Brown bears get hungry enough in the Spring they'll eat anything.

The rest of the clues:

Across:

1. Streaming delay: LAG.  Why network lag is such a drag.

4. Blubber: SOB. Or someone you're not particularly fond of.

7. Goddess whom Arachne challenged to a weaving contest: ATHENA.  Early web developers.  ARACHNIDA is also a class of the phylum ARTHROPODA that includes SPIDERS, the original web spinners.

13. Lennon collaborator: ONO.  Yoko is now 87 years old and reportedly not in good health.



14. "Roth" investment: IRA.  Also George Gershwin's brother and lyricist.



15. Driveway application: SEALER.  Our driveway is going to need an application before we sell.

16. Mono- kin: UNI.  Or an Aussie institute of higher education.

17. Market area with a counter: DELI.

19. Dojo teacher: SENSEI. "She's not a girl who misses much!" (per 13A).  I think her name is Violet.  Watch for the bubble gum at the end!



20. __ rigate: pasta dish: PENNE.  ... and "Ruffles have ridges".

22. Number-crunching need: INPUT DATA.  The insatiable maw of the Cybersphere.  See 50D.

24. Get by a threat: EXTORT.  Or a former chocolate cake.  Also see 8D.

26. Tokyo brew: ASAHI.  I'm partial to Sapporo myself.

27. Siouan people: OTOE.  500 Years of OTOE & Missouria History

28. Dog or hound: NAG.

29. Corporate money mgrs.: CFOS.  Members of the "C" Team.

33. Big name in 2008 financial news: LEHMAN.  And it wasn't good news:

On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.  Hundreds of employees, mostly dressed in business suits, left the bank's offices one-by-one with boxes in their hands. It was a somber reminder that nothing is forever—even in the richness of the financial and investment world.

35. Mod or nod suffix: ULE.

36. "SNL" Emmy nominee Bryant: AIDY.

37. Steer clear of: AVOID.

38. Armored truck stop: ATM.

39. Cathedral areas: APSES.  These are niches on the sides of the cathedral that often have a saint's statue and a PRIE DIEU, a kneeler for pleading to the saint for intercessory prayers.

40. Some quirks: TICS.

41. Hotel room sets: TVS.

42. Busby or ushanka: FUR HAT.

43. Benevolent order: ELKS.  Note explicit pluralization.  None needed for this bugler ...



44. Support syllable: RAH.

45. Severely damaged sea: ARAL.  See 52D.

46. Became an issue: AROSE. "... by any other name would smell as sweet" Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene 1.

48. Take back: RECANT.  Pour back in the bottle?

51. Competition with rhyme and rhythm: RAP BATTLE.

55. WWII observance: VE DAY  May 8, 1945.  VJ DAY was September 2, 1945, but it wouldn't perp.  My parents were married in England on that day.  They were relieved that my Dad wouldn't be shipped out to the Pacific.

56. Acquaint with the existing situation: ORIENT.  Also an old name for ASIA, à la Murder on the Orient Express.

57. Prom rental: LIMO.  A stretchable, gluey answer.

59. Ballroom dance move: DIP.  Used a lot with SALSA.

60. Facial expression: VISAGE.  French for FACE actually.

61. Versailles monarch: ROI.  Parle du diable.

62. December 24, e.g.: EVE.

63. Flying high: ELATED.

64. Cup handle: EAR.  Other terms for pottery parts borrowed from the body include "foot", "belly", and "lip".

65. __ tape: RED.

Down:
1. Jeweler's glass: LOUPE.  Funny that a retired programmer couldn't figure out a way to riff on this.

2. Wing of no help in flying: ANNEX.

4. Detour part, maybe: SIDE ROAD.

5. Rock with potential: ORE.  Or maybe not.  It might be a VEIN effort to mine.

6. "__ Ha'i": BALI.  Lots of possible meanings, some of which are unsupportable on this blog.

7. Soften: ASSUAGE.

8. Effective means of enforcement: TEETH. Also pronounced TEEF, à la Monty Python's Killer Rabbit, a highly effective means of enforcement:









10. "Frozen II" sister: ELSA.

11. Bikini wax alternative, formerly: NEET.  Or NAIR.  The latter two sound a lot less painful to me.

12. Opera highlight: ARIA.  The word OPERA is Latin for WORKS, the plural of OPUS.  Opera works are a series of ARIAS (embellished with ensembles, choruses, recitatives, and interludes all thrown in for good measure).

23. Sacred song: PSALM.  Hebrew for HYMN.  A collection of 150 Old Testament poems, which were sung by the Hebrews.  Many of them, including the famous Psalm 23, are attributed to David, a shepherd who later became the king of Israel.   The Psalms are unquestionably the most widely read section of the Bible.  They comprise parts of the 4 week PSALTER (a synonym for Psalms) recited daily by priests, religious, and laypeople around the world, as a part of the Liturgy of the Hours.

25. Number of Taylor Swift's Grammy: TEN. Shouldn't that be "Grammies"?  Most of us only have two. 

31. Classical theaters: ODEA.  These structures were built for the presentation of Greek tragedies and comedies. They were usually built into hillsides and could be quite elaborate.



32. Part of iOS: Abbr.: SYST. 

33. After curfew: LATE.

34. Good opponent: EVIL.

38. Salty "Halt!": AVAST.

39. Parting words: AU REVOIR.  But not goodbye!  This would have been more effective as the last clue.  Not enough room in the Southeast I guess?

41. Rounded the bases after a homer, say: TROTTED.  CSO to CanadianEH!  Any idea who this guy is?


42. Not within walking distance: FAR.

47. Safe place to drive: RANGE.

49. Unsophisticated: NAIVE.

50. Used a keyboard: TYPED.  See 22A.

51. Gad about: ROVE.

52. Seed coat: ARIL.  Not to be confused with 45A.
 
53. Galileo's hometown: PISA.  Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) is considered by many to be the founder of modern experimental science, parting with Aristotle who believed that truths about the world could be derived by reasoning from first principals and careful observation of nature.  Galileo's experiments included careful measurements of the rate of fall of objects dropped from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, discovering that the rate of fall was independent of an object's mass.  Quick, which falls faster: a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?  They fall at the same rate in a vacuum.

While Galileo didn't invent the telescope, he did refine it and was the first to point it to the heavens, whereas it had previously been used primarily for military purposes.  He was the first to observe moons orbiting around the planet Jupiter, a discovery that paved the way for the Heliocentric theory of the Solar System.

54. Word on Irish stamps: EIRE.

58. Extinct bird: MOA.  This includes several species of flightless birds, some that were as tall as 12' high.  They lived in New Zealand for 60 million years, but were driven to extinction within a few hundred years of the arrival of Polynesian settlers in about 1300 AD.  This painting shows two Moas being attacked by a Haast's eagle, their only predator prior to the arrive of men.  Apparently the Haast's eagles also became extinct shortly after the Moa's extinction. due to the loss of their chief food supply.

And here's the grid, with some clever embellishments by C.C.

waseeley

Wednesday, December 23, 2020, John Guzzetta

 Theme: THAT'S PROGRESS!

15. Part of a biological hierarchy: TAXONOMIC GROUP.

24. Influential soul label based in Memphis: STAX RECORDS.

41. Waved for transportation: HAILED A TAXI.

53. Rate-rising-with-amount levy that makes its way through four long answers starting at 15-Across: PROGRESSIVE TAX.

The letters TAX are placed progressively (from beginning to end) within each of the four phrases. 

Melissa here. This one was full of fun mis-direction, and stumped me in a few spots. Anyone else?

Across:

1. Cartographer's output: MAP.

4. Monica who won three straight '90s French Opens: SELES.

9. HVAC letters: BTU. HVAC = Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. BTU = British Thermal Unit, which is a form of measurement that measures energy. Some prisons offer HVAC vocational training - although there has been no programming of any kind (nor visiting) in institutions since Spring.

12. News agcy.: UPI. United Press International.

13. Soft palate part: UVULA. I did not know that uvula-piercing was a thing. Don't google. Trust me on this one.

14. Campus housing: DORM.

18. Window over a door: TRANSOM. Well, sort of. Transom Window, to be precise.

They can be so pretty.

19. Zen garden tools: RAKES.

20. Joshua __ National Park: TREE.

21. Wound: OFFEND. Tricky.

28. Muslim sect: SHIISM.

31. "Much __ About Nothing": ADO.

32. Big Ben trio: III.

 33. Give a fine edge to: HONE.

34. Regarding: AS TO.

36. Like the president's office: OVAL.

37. "Happy Days" diner: ALS. Well, sort of. Interesting trivia - the name was actually Arnold's. The diner was originally owned by Arnold (Pat Morita). After Arnold got married and moved to Japan in the last episode of season three, Arnold Gets Married, the diner was sold to Al Delvecchio ('Big Al,' played by Al Molinaro), who remained until the series' end. Al only retained the moniker because he never bothered to change the sign from the previous owner.

 38. Sanjay Gupta's network: CNN.

39. Feel contrition: REPENT. I guess I'm feeling a little nit-picky today. I was always taught that repent means to turn away. I suppose that is only a biblical interpretation - learning moment - dictionary says "feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin."

44. How much to take: DOSAGE.

45. Jesters: WAGS. Another learning moment. WAG is another name for clown.

48. Tuscan home of St. Catherine: SIENA.

50. Perfect example: EPITOME.

56. Debtor's informal notes: IOUS.

57. Brownish gray: TAUPE.

58. Co. concerned with net neutrality: ISP. Internet Service Provider.

59. AC/DC hit with the lyric "Watch me explode!": TNT.

60. Makes do: COPES.

61. Howe'er: THO.

Down:

1. Mixed-breed dog: MUTT.

2. Here and there?: APART. Nice one.

3. "Coco" studio: PIXAR.

4. Images in a beach vacation album: SUNSETS.

5. Salad dressing initialism, to Rachael Ray: EVOO. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Yum-o. Love her rustic and open kitchen.

6. Oaf: LUMMOX. "Clumsy, stupid person."

7. Director Roth: ELI. Horror films.

8. Cul-de-__: SAC. Everything you ever wanted to know about the word cul-de-sac.

9. Request to turn up the volume?: BOOK DRIVE. That's very sneaky. Volume as in publishing or amount, not as in sound.

10. "T" on a test: TRUE.

11. Foul callers: UMPS.

14. Liquid-Plumr rival: DRANO.

16. Layette buy: ONESIE. Baby's first wardrobe.

17. __-Roman wrestling: GRECO.

22. Off-campus housing: FRAT.

23. Bogart's "Casablanca" hat: FEDORA. Classy.

 25. "Brockmire" actress Peet: AMANDA.

26. Primatologist Fossey: DIAN.

27. Riverbed sediment: SILT.

28. Ruler deposed in 1979: SHAH. In Pictures: Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

29. Spanish greeting: HOLA.

30. Like a hastily donned T-shirt, perhaps: INSIDE OUT.

35. Little problem: SNAG. Woops.

36. Drug derived from poppies: OPIATE.

38. Composer Franck: CESAR. New to me. Wikipedia. So beautiful.

 40. Some alimony recipients: EX WIVES.

42. Hungers: LONGS.

43. Starts a hole: TEES UP.

46. "Capisce?": GOT IT. From the Italian capisci, meaning, do you understand?

47. Big shot on the tennis court: SMASH. Ohhhh - as in a type of stroke with the racquet. Ranking the Bad Boys of Tennis.

48. Narrow bit of land at a lagoon entrance, say: SPIT. More misdirection. In geographical terms, "a narrow point of land projecting into the sea."

49. Par-3 club, usually: IRON.

51. Prop for Frosty: PIPE. Timely clue.

52. Trade show: EXPO.

54. And so forth: Abbr.: ETC.

55. Brazil map word: SAO. Portuguese, masculine noun = Saint.

Note from C.C.:

Happy 76th birthday to dear Misty, who's been with our blog for over 7 years. I think Misty got into crosswords because her husband Rowland, who was an avid solver. Here is a picture of them celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary in 2009.