Saturday, May 22, 2021, Tracy Gray and Jeff Chen

Themeless Saturday by Tracy Gray and Jeff Chen

In today's puzzle we have another Jeff Chen collaboration; this time with veteran constructor Tracy Gray who seems to be making her first LA Times appearance.

Their long fills were very "gettable" and even the usually sarcastic French expression at 28 Down was familiar. 

Across:

1. "Yeah, like I believe that!": WHAT A CROCK - Al Pacino completes this phrase in a colorful manner about 25 seconds into this famous scene.

11. Yo-yo, say: VARY 

15. Lozenge flavor: HONEY LEMON.

16. Together, on scores: A DUE - The a2 below is musical notation shorthand for A DUE

17. Competitively whipped: EATEN ALIVE.

18. Eighty-six: TOSS - Several possible sources

19. Bailing aid: EXIT - If you want to "bail out" of a situation, an EXIT would be helpful

20. Shiny sheet material: SATEEN 

22. NBA Sixers, on scoreboards: PHI - Wilt Chamberlain is the most famous player the PHIiladelphia 76ers ever had and shot free throws underhanded. His made so few, the 76er's could not depend on him to 32. Put away a game: ICE IT.

23. Brooklyn-based handicrafts etailer: ETSY.

25. Blew off an early appointment, maybe: SLEPT IN - OCD me has never done this

27. Contractors' needs: PERMITS 

30. Maroon: STRAND - What was the name of the ship that foundered and left this group STRANDED? *Answer at bottom

31. Quinque follower: SEX.

34. Beetle Bailey nemesis: SARGE.

35. Letters on Drago's track suit in "Rocky IV": CCCP - This isn't his Soviet Union suit track suit with the Cyrillic letters for USSR, but you can get this autographed ring jacket signed by Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago) for $349

37. Stuffed: SATED.

39. Board at Belmont: TOTE - The TOTE board at Churchill Downs would have shown these numbers for this year's Kentucky Derby. A $2 bet on Medina Spirit would have returned $26.20. Even if this winning horse is disqualified you get to keep your money but the owner has to return his winnings.

40. "Precision Crafted Performance" sloganeer: ACURA - Honda's luxury line

42. Brawl: MELEE.

44. Recipe word: ADD.

45. Light cutters: LASERS - "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

47. Some are made in garages: DEMO CDS - I suppose they could make one there if they are 49. Proficient in: ADEPT AT playing

51. "Narcos: Mexico" actor Michael: PENA - He's on the right

52. Brainiac: WIZ.

53. Like some mules: SLIP ON.

55. Fold, as a poker hand: MUCK - Throw your cards in to indicate you are quitting the hand

59. "Hitchcock" role: ALMA - The wedding picture of Alfred Hitchcock and his wife and vital collaborator ALMA. Alfred's brother is behind him and his mother is behind ALMA.

61. Movie in which Ricardo Montalban says, "Kirk, my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb ... 'Revenge is a dish best served cold'?": STAR TREK II 

63. Healthy look: GLOW.

64. Hitting close to home: ALL TOO REAL.

65. Place for roots: SOIL.

66. Comes to one's senses: SEES REASON.

Down:

1. Apt "squee" rhyme: WHEE - Squee is new to me!

2. Deceptive act: HOAX.

3. Not behind: ANTI - The ANTI marijuana and ANTI sports betting people are losing ground in this state

4. Waver: TEETER - Yikes!

5. Writer Rand: AYN - Familiar to us solvers 

6. Some Beethoven works: CLASSICS and classical

7. Its anchor shouldn't weigh it down: RELAY TEAM - The anchor is the last runner on a relay team and here is our hometown Fremont anchor runner finishing the 4 x 400 relay Thursday to clinch the first Girl's State Track Championship in school history

8. Fail to mention: OMIT.

9. Pirate hideouts: COVES - This marks the North Carolina COVE from where this pirate launched many of his raids

10. Does floor work, maybe: KNEELS - These could help

11. Tub for chocolate: VAT.

12. Street cleaner's program: ADOPT A ROAD - Kramer adopted a road

13. Some NFL scores: RUSHING TDS.

14. "Well, of course!": YES INDEED.

21. Makes: NETS - My sister once asked me, "What is this FICA that is always subtracted from my check?"

24. "I'll never be able to unsee that!": TMI 

26. Keister: PRAT - Tom Locke's May 11, 2021 puzzle was built on these euphemisms - Cheeks, Bum, Seat and Buns. It turns out that PRAT is also a name for buttocks. Thus a pratfall is...

27. Petty offense: PECCADILLO.

28. Nice statement of indignation?: EXCUSEZ MOI - What the peccadilloes above might say

29. Put in a spot: SITED.

31. Reprobates: SCALAWAGS

33. Relocates, sci-fi-style: TELEPORTS.

36. Sous-chef's work: PREP - From "sous", the French word for under. The second-in-command in the kitchen

38. Foul creature that guarded Azkaban in the Potterverse: DEMENTOR - My dearth of Potterverse knowledge required this to fill in itself, which it did.

41. The "A" that makes STEM into STEAM: ARTS 

43. Loads of lifetimes: EON.

46. Some dips: SALSAS.

48. Cell component: CAMERA - Will this telephoto lens really allow my iPhone cell CAMERA do this?

50. Viscount, e.g.: TITLE.

54. Wan: PALE - Ah, 11th grade English class

56. Instruments played by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: UKES - Guaranteed to lift your spirits today!

57. European aloha cousin: CIAO - An Israeli cousin too. This got Lemon's seal of approval although the Hebrew is read in the opposite direction. 😊

58. Firing place: KILN.

60. Boring thing: AWL.

62. Topper for a chirashi bowl: ROE.

*Gilligan and his fellow ship mates were MAROONED when the S.S. Minnow foundered

 

Friday, May 21, 2021, Bruce Haight

  Title: AYE YI EYE! 

Bruce does a quick turnaround from last week's joint effort with Kevin Christian and delivers a 'sounds like' pun puzzle. The key to a successful pun puzzle is the wit involved and if any make you smile or laugh when you suss what they are parallelling. I have no intention of influencing your opinions, as I perceive my role to be that of guide, but I look forward to your feedback. Well I may suggest my favorite...I also have my nits, will they appear? Not if I use my nit medecine. 

We can also find a variety of non-proper noun words sprinkled  in like HOLY SEE, IN A SNAP, LUCIDLY, LOCKSTEP and SODA LIME which an interesting chemical combination and the brand name SKI-DOOS.  So we start with the theme:

17A. Assorted caustic solutions?: PACK OF LYES (10). Pack of Lies. Of course we all know lye is a caustic, as are many of your criticisms.

23A. Receiving annoying questions?: GETTING WHYS  (11). Wise. With so many teachers in the audience, did you get 'annoying questions'? If so what took the cake? And why is it cake?

34A. Agreements just between us?: PRIVATE  AYES (11). Eyes. 

This cute fill, sadly reminds me and perhaps most of the longtime posters of a dear friend who died who signed on as Clear Ayes. 

48A. Quick and unexpected exits?: IMPULSE BYES (11). Buys.  I really enjoyed this pairing and confess that while I was always able to resist infomercials, now Amazon gets more of my money that it should.

57A. Pretense of being a brute?: TOUGH GUISE (10). Guys are supposed to be tough, or so we were taught. The ETYMOLOGY  reveals that this word is related to the root word for WISE. Many times you can just research too much.

Across:

1. Bill collectors?: TILLS. I was not fooled by the clue, but it did take the "T" in 1 down for for this to fill. I wonder if younger people know that the noun till means the same as "cash register?" 

6. "Get back to us" letters: RSVP. We get some French, but I doubt you need to know répondez s'il vous plaît to understand the letters.

10. Not much: A TAD. One on Lincoln's chilcren?

14. Elitist: SNOOT. This  person who shows contempt for those considered to be of a lower social class, "looks down his nose at...

15. Resort WNW of Breckenridge: VAIL. There are many fine ski resorts in Colorado, with Vail and Aspen likely the most famous. 

16. '80s-'90s group, informally: GEN-Y. I started trying to think of a musical group. Now we call them MILLENIALS.

19. Very bright: NEON. During the 70s these colors became "dayglo."

20. Some snowmobiles: SKI-DOOS. Back in Colorado for a ride through the snow, the number one maker of snowmobiles was created in Canada (Eh!) back in the 50s. The story goes that the printer screwed up the promotional brochures which were supposed to say SKI-DOG, after the Dogs which pulled the sleds. He did not have the money for a reprint.

21. 2018 CVS Health acquisition: AETNA. CVS is a Rhode Island based company, Woonsocket, RI to be precise; and AETNA was about 70 miles west if you take Connecticut route 44 through my home town of Putnam. One of my uncles and many cousins live(d) in Woonsocket. Anyway, the PRESS RELEASE about the purchase explains it. 

22. Type units: ENS. But not EMS

26. Buccaneer's buds: MATEYS. I do not see Tom Brady calling his Tampa Bay teammates mateys.

28. Mil. category: NCO. Non-commisioned officer. This terminology always seemed oxymoronic to me, but I never was permitted to serve.

29. Vitals checker, briefly: EMT. Emergency Medical Technicians.

30. Letters seen between * and #: OPER. Only if you have a  landline. 

31. Prized smokes: CUBANS. You need to know the real deal.

38. Got on the board: SCORED. Tom Brady or Tom Cruise?

39. Mineral hardness scale: MOHS. Friedrich Mohs, a German mineralogist, developed the scale in 1812. He selected ten minerals of distinctly different hardness that ranged from a very soft mineral (talc) to a very hard mineral (diamond). 

42. Singer/songwriter __ Mia: PIA. I never had heard of Pia Mia Perez who was born September 19, 1996 in Guam, which is a territory of the United States. She is of Chamorro, Italian, Dutch, and Hungarian descent. Watch the 

VIDEO and you decide.

45. Jungfrau, e.g.: ALP.  Literally "young maiden" perhaps if marti were still here she could tell us if this deserves its place as one of the best places in the Swiss mountains.

46. Soap dish?: TV IDOL. A fun clue/fill combo.

52. Sisters pop duo __ & AJ: ALY. More young woman music which I would never have known in a million years but I recently binge watch a 2001-2004 Simon Baker series called  The GUARDIAN. To make a short story long it is about a young lawyer who gets in trouble with the law and because his father is a very successful Pittsburg attorney, he does not go to jail but has to do community service at a free clinic that helps abandoned or troubled children. (hi Moe). The father, played by the awesome Dabney Coleman gets 'involved' with a troubled woman (Farrah Fawcett in one of her final roles) who has a young daughter who is left alone when her mother dies. Whew. The daughter was played by AJ Michala, who with her older sister Aly make up the pop duo. 

53. Con artist's aide: SHILL. This is  "one who acts as a decoy for a gambler, auctioneer, etc.," 1916, probably originally circus or carnival argot, probably a shortened form of shillaber. Which brings us back to Simon Baker, whose character in THE MENTALIST grew up in a carnival.

54. With a sound mind: LUCIDLY. Basically this means clear headed with its origins from the Latin for "shine." A CSO to Lucina.

56. Romeo or Juliet: TEEN. Another fun red herring.

60. Doomed boat in "Jaws": ORCA. I did not recall this but it was easily inferable.

61. Longtime syrup brand: KARO. I think it has been more popular in the south and west.

62. Celebs: NAMES.  Friday difficult. 

63. Look the wrong way?: LEER. Rather a wrong look.

64. Space balls?: ORBS.  Love the movie.

65. Power-saving mode: SLEEP. For both computers and humans.

Down:

1. Five-mL medicine dose: TSP. A Conversion LINK.

2. Just like that: IN A SNAP. in a trice, in a twinkling, in two shakes of a lamb's tail, twinkling etc.

3. Rigid pattern: LOCK STEP. A standard method or procedure that is mindlessly adhered to or that minimizes individuality as opposed to...

4. Trickster in "American Gods": LOKI. I know Loki from THOR and mythology, but I have not sampled this show. I may now. 

5. Stick-in-the-mud: STODGY. Not LOKI.

6. Motorhome stopover, for short: RV LOT. But maybe a visitor to an RV Lot.

7. Speak, as thou might: SAYST. Biblical, which was full of...

8. Battle: VIE. This word.

9. Polite texting letters: PLS.

10. "Nattering nabobs of negativism" speaker: AGNEW. Our dishonest but educated vice-president under Mr. Nixon; I think from Maryland.

11. Raise canines?: TEETHE. Funny.

12. Assumed moniker: ANONYM. Without the ITY it is the "AN" prefix like from ANODE, so it means 'not the name'. Six years of Latin helps .

13. Hereditary ruler: DYNAST. Without the Y, it is the person.

18. Nemeses: FOES.

21. Intense suffering: AGONY. Ah, but wait for the ecstasy, but not MMDA.

22. Kind of rock: EMO.

24. Retired, maybe: IN BED. Not yet.

25. Sports scholarship org.: NCAA.

27. Isn't right: ERRS.

31. Seize like Caesar: CARPE. DIEM bro' 

32. Pac-12 athlete: UTE. Utah athletes. CSO to Becky now?

33. Prefix with arid or dry: SEMI.  Random.

35. Words that might expose a bluff: I CALL. Very fun.

36. Lady __: Tenn. college team: VOLS. Volunteers,

37. Gas-absorbing mixture: SODA LIME. Soda lime absorbs carbon dioxide which is invaluable in rebreathing machines like spacecrafts.

40. Vatican jurisdiction: HOLY SEE. The Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes), also called the See of Rome, is the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope, which includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome with universal ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the worldwide Catholic Church, as well as a sovereign entity of international law, governing the Vatican City.

41. Like some winks: SLY. Mine are always friendly...

42. One traditionally drawn at dawn: PISTOL. Love this wit.

43. Incoming words: I'M HERE. But we are nearing the finish line.

44. Distribution word: APIECE. Two words or one?

46. Stock sector: TECH.

47. Churchillian gestures: V-SIGNS.

49. Type of nerve or artery: ULNAR. Also random

50. Jacket material?: BLURB.On a book.

51. Short-lived '80s-'90s cars that sounded like they should always work: YUGOS. You go Hugo.

55. Twin: DUAL. Not duel.

57. Fight decision: TKO. Technical Knock Out.

58. Blade in the water: OAR.

59. Medium strength?: ESP. And the final witicism, what a medium must have.

Well I barely made the finish line, but here we are. I turn the reins over to Moe for next week and see if he can whip you all into shape. Thank you from Bruce to Zendaya. Lemonade out.

Thursday, May 20, 2021, Jeffrey Wechsler

 

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists!  Malodorous Manatee, here.  Today, Betty Boop is kicking things off for us.  This is appropriate as it seems to be Women's Day in puzzle-land.  Betty is making certain that the occupants of that pink '57 Chevy are well fed prior to their road trip Down Route 66.

In an interesting twist, today's puzzle setter, our frequent visitor Jeffrey Wechsler, has placed the reveal at the last clue/answer - 66 Down.  At eight other places within the grid Jeffrey has inserted the last names of well-known Mrses, er Mrss, er Missuses, oh heck, Mesdames and, just to make make sure that we don't miss any of the highlights along the route, the clues for the theme answers are starred - at least in the source I use (L A Times Online).

The straightforward reveal:  66 Down - Title for eight puzzle answers: MRS.

Another fine feature of today's puzzle is that the theme answers are neatly placed completely across the first row and the final row  The middle two rows are side-to-side except for the black squares.  Nice symmetry.

*1 Across - Historic barn owner: O'LEARY.  Although Mrs. Catherine O'LEARY denied the charge, her cow is, in legend and song, said to have started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 by knocking over a lantern in the shed .  The cause of the fire has never been determined.

*7 Across - Screen seductress: ROBINSON.  Mrs. ROBINSON from The Graduate (1967)

*38 Across - Dried spices brand: DASH.  Mrs. DASH

*39 Across - 1993 Williams role: DOUBTFIRE.  Robin Williams played Mrs. DOUBTFIRE in the eponymous motion picture.

*41 Across - Bart's teacher: KRABAPPEL.  Bart Simpson was (is, perpetually) in Mrs. Edna KRABAPPEL's 4th grade class at Springfield Elementary School.    Get it?  Edna Crab Apple.

*43 Across - Frozen fish brand namesake: PAUL.  Mrs. PAUL.

*69 Across - Virginia Woolf protagonist: DALLOWAY.  Mrs. DALLOWAY

*70 Across - Big name in cookies: FIELDS.  Mrs. FIELDS Original Cookies.

That takes care of our look at the themed answers.  Here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

15. "Peter Pan" playwright: BARRIE.

16. Intimate: ONE TO ONE.  ONE of two three-word answers in the puzzle.

17. Sells at a huge markup: SCALPS.

18. Modernize, as a factory: AUTOMATE.

19. Sorbonne summer: ETE.  Today's French lesson . . . . and one we have had many times before.

20. Sticker shock source, perhaps: Abbr.: MSRP.  Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price

22. ESPN analyst who was a three-time A.L. MVP: AROD.  Alex RODriguez

23. Shakespeare's 154: SONNETS.

25. Small ammo: BBS

27. Tokyo's Yoko: ONO.  She appears very often in xword puzzles.

28. Color variant: HUE.

29. Classic ref. work: OED.  Oxford English Dictionary

32. "... some kind of __?": A NUT.

Sometimes You Feel Like A NUT -1980

35. Iridescent stones: OPALS.

37. Wages: PAY.

44. Continental trade org.: EEC.  The European Economic Community was created by The Treaty of Rome in 1957.  In 1993, The EEC was incorporated into the EU - the European Union.

45. Metal en una mina: PLATA.  Today's initial Spanish lesson.  Often clued as part of Montana's State Motto:  Oro y PLATA (Gold and Silver).

46. General's domain: ARMY.

47. One of many on today's phones: APP.

48. Word with luck or hole: POT.

49. Price __: WAR.  Price Club would not fit but Price Tag might be the three-letter answer on another day.

51. Qantas luggage tag letters: SYD.  The code for the SYDney, Australia airport for Qantas, and all other, airlines.

52. Mediterranean language: MALTESE.

56. Give a heads-up: WARN.  WARNing:  You might laugh yourself silly:

Bill Maher's Classic Film Warnings

59. BLT component: MAYO.  This mindless marine mammal initially thought that it had to be something to do with either Bacon. Lettuce or Tomato.  But no, it's MAYOnnaise.

60. L.A. commuter org.: MTA.  Metropolitan Transit Authority.  In L.A. it is actually called the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

61. Ornamental shrub: OLEANDER.  A popular shrub despite its toxicity.

64. Eastern philosophy: TAOISM.

67. Cloudy: OVERCAST.  Since we did not see these guys earlier, even though it was teed up at the Mrs. Robinson clue, we'll visit them now.

CLOUDY - Simon and Garfunkel (1967)

68. Old-timey stable groom: OSTLER.  By definition and, as pointed out in the clue, rarely heard these days.

Down:

1. Out of use: Abbr.: OBS.  OBSolete, I suppose.  Punt.

2. What slippers generally lack: LACES.

3. Bard's muse: ERATO.  ERATO is the muse of lyric poetry.

ERATO - Francois Boucher (1703 -1770) 

4. "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN.  Harold ARLEN wrote this little ditty.

5. Tear: RIP.  Not tear as in to shed a tear.

6. Agreeable types: YES MEN.  It should have been YES woMEN, today.

7. Crowd approval: ROARS.  Or not.

8. "Come __!": loft dweller's invite: ON  UP.

9. Raise, say: BET.  A poker reference.

10. Skater Midori: ITO.

Midori Ito Conquers the Triple Axle

11. Eduardo's "Enough!": NO  MAS.  Today's second Spanish lesson.  I would have gone with Roberto in lieu of Eduardo.

November 25, 1980

12. Glide high: SOAR.

13. Aware of: ON TO.

14. Require: NEED.

21. Didn't draw a card: STOOD PAT.  Another poker reference.

24. Discontented: NOT HAPPY.

25. Light source: BULB.  . . . and often used to symbolize getting a new idea.

26. Majority (of): BEST PART.

28. Remove with trucks: HAUL  AWAY.  Also, a nautical reference.

Haul Away Joe

29. Kind of poppy: OPIUM.

The Wicked Witch of the West

30. Like an eager "bird": EARLY

31. Coloring agent: DYE.

32. Madison Ave. figure: AD REP.  AD something-or-other (ad rep, ad man, ad fee, ad rate, etc.) has become almost as ubiquitous in our puzzles as E-something-or-other.

33. Spingarn Medal org.: NAACP.  The award was created in 1914 by Joel Elias Springarn the then-chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

34. Modern sort of port: USB.  Universal Serial Bus

A Universal Cereal Bus

36. Sappho or Pindar: POET.

40. Partner of away: FAR. "FAR and away" is an idiomatic expression for for having surpassed something, or someone, to a great extent.

41. Mauna __: KEA.  We always have to wait a bit to see if the Hawaiian volcano is going to be KEA or Loa - but the A can go in immediately.  

42. Walk with effort: PLOD.

50. Much: A LOT OF.  Our second three-word answer.

51. Sound from a cornered cur: SNARL.

Betty Boop's Dog Bimbo

52. McFly in "Back to the Future": MARTY.

Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly

53. Overact: EMOTE.

Worst Informercial Acting Ever

54. Yet: STILL.

55. Simplified: EASED.

Ease His Pain

56. Timber: WOOD.

57. Part of TAE: ALVA.  Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor and holder of 1,093 patents including forms of 25 Down and 58 Down.

58. Projection booth item: REEL.

59. Southwestern sight: MESA.

62. Cpl., e.g.: NCO.  Non Commissioned Officer

63. Crow cousin: DAW.  A bird not often seen in crossword puzzles.

A Western Jackdaw

65. Just-thought link: AS I.  We have reached the end of today's recap . . . .

_________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Wednesday, May 19, 2021, Adam Wagner

Theme: TWO CAN PLAY AT THAT

 17. Kiefer Sutherland and Ashley Olsen each has one: TWIN SISTER. 

23. Window washing aids: CHERRY PICKERS.

40. Memorable "Twilight Zone" feature: OPENING NARRATION.

50. Pressure that won't quit: CHRONIC STRESS.

65. Sleights-of-hand with cups, or a hint to this puzzle's circles: SHELL GAMES.

Each set of circled letters spells a GAME: TWISTER, CHECKERS, OPERATION, CHESS.

Melissa here. An extra column makes this grid 15x16, to accomodate the 40A grid-spanning themer OPENING NARRATION. Some publications won't accept odd-sized grids. For reference, you can see a list of odd-sized grids that were published in the NYT on XWord Info, here.

Across: 

1. Overwhelm: SWAMP.

6. Perfectly: PAT. Tricky. To know something so well that you can say or do it without having to try or think: I'd given the talk so many times I had it down pat.

9. Scenery chewers: HAMS. Ha.

13. "End of discussion": CASE CLOSED.

16. "Bike faster!": PEDAL.

18. Tiny cake, maybe: EMOJI. Another tricky one, could be almost anything besides cake - there are emoji's for almost everything now.

19. Movers but not shakers, ideally: VANS. Hee.

20. "Blade Runner" genre: NEO NOIR. Neo-noir is a revival of the genre of film noir. The film noir genre includes stylish Hollywood crime dramas, often with a twisted dark wit. Neo-noir has a similar style but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements and media. 33 Essential Neo-Noirs.

22. Go quickly: BOP. True, as in, 'I'm going to bop down to the store.' But in my line of work I cannot see BOP without thinking Bureau of Prisons, which is the Federal prison system.

26. Advanced sci. class: AP CHEM. AP = Advanced Placement.

29. It carries a charge: ION.

30. Confucian path: TAO. The "way," or "path" to be followed.

31. Three-sided pastry: SAMOSA. Wikipedia: South Asian fried or baked pastry with a savory filling like spiced potatoes, onions, peas, beef and other meats, or lentils. It may take different forms, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, depending on the region.

 
36. Plenty o': LOTSA.

43. Upset with: MAD AT.

44. Tchaikovsky's "Souvenir de Florence," e.g.: SEXTET. In this case, a string sextet scored for 2 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos. It's over 30 minutes long, and starts out quite energetic. Might be good in the background while solving crosswords.

 

45. CPR pro: EMT. Emergency Medical Technician

46. "Illmatic" rapper: NAS. Montero Lamar Hill, known by his stage name Lil Nas X, was the most-nominated male artist at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, where he ultimately won awards for Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Time named him as one of the 25 most influential people on the Internet in 2019,

48. '90s White House Press Secretary Myers who wrote "Why Women Should Rule the World": DEEDEE.

57. Camping gear brand: REI. Recreational Equipment, Inc., is the largest consumer coop in the country - owned not by shareholders but by members — people who use the business.

58. Internal airway: TRACHEA. Windpipe.

59. Works on roofs, say: TARS.

63. Canvas-angling device: EASEL. I think of it more of a propping-up device, but angling is useful, too, when painting.

67. Big name in labels: AVERY.

68. Go through the wringer: SWEAT IT OUT.

69. Actress Sedgwick: KYRA. Married to Kevin Bacon.

70. Headphone jack letters: AUX.

71. U. of Md. team: TERPS. Maryland Terrapins commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams.

Down:

1. 1970s-'80s sketch show: SCTV. Second City Television was a Canadian television sketch comedy show that ran intermittently between 1976 and 1984.

 2. "SNL" parody Baba __: WAWA. Gilda Radner's imitation of Barbara Walters.

3. Words that clarify spelling: AS IN. D as in dog.

4. Good sort: MENSCH. A person of integrity and honor. The term is used as a high compliment, expressing the rarity and value of that individual's qualities.

5. Mac rivals: PCS. When it comes to Apple vs. Windows - most people have a decided preference.

6. Baffling question: POSER. Not familiar with this definition, although Merriam Webster includes it. I usually hear it as a term referring to a person who acts in an affected manner in order to impress others.

 7. Fur tycoon: ASTOR. John Jacob Astor was a German-American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor who made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by smuggling opium into China, and by investing in real estate in or around New York City.

8. Super small: TEENY.

9. Clothes line: HEM. Nice clue.

10. Photoshop maker: ADOBE.

11. Serious: MAJOR.

12. Loses one's footing: SLIPS.

14. Football offense position: LINEMAN. A player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. Also a power line technician, made famous in Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman. I lived in Canada for a short time when I was very young, and my parents were fans of both him and Anne Murray (both Canadian). [Correction! Was thinking of Gordon Lightfoot, Glen Campbell is not Canadian.)

 15. Little bit: DROP.

16. Prepares, in a way, as coffee: PERCOLATES. Is there anything else besides coffee that is prepared by percolating?

21. King Richard __: III.

24. With pause: HESITANTLY.

25. Sheepshank, e.g.: KNOT. Had to look this one up. From Wikipedia: A shank is a type of knot that is used to shorten a rope or take up slack, such as the sheepshank. The sheepshank knot is not stable. It will fall apart under too much load or too little load. 26. Elemental unit: ATOM.

27. Dad: PAPA.

28. Like Oberlin College since the 1830s: COED.

32. Dosage amts.: MGS. Milligrams.

33. Gender-neutral pronoun: ONE.

34. Doo-wop horn: SAX.

35. Works on walls: ART. Misdirection - was assuming adjective, not noun.

37. Like a 25-Down: TIED. I know some of you don't like these kinds of clues.

38. Vague amount: SOME.

39. Chip in a pot, maybe: ANTE.

41. Billionth: Pref.: NANO.

42. Remedied a distribution error: RE-DEALT. Needed perps for everything after the RE.

47. Dubbing title: SIR.

49. Will focus: ESTATE. Ohhhh ... that kind of will.

50. Loose floorboard sound: CREAK.

51. Like anvils: HEAVY.

52. Early __: RISER. I visited my daughter in Arizona over Mother's day weekend. I think everyone in Arizona is an early riser, you have to be. The sun fills up the whole house very early. It makes for an early bedtime, too.

53. Mama of music: CASS. From the Mamas and Papas.

54. Sound that starts "around": SCHWA.

55. Brexit target org.: THE EU. The European Union.

56. Stretch out, maybe: RELAX.

60. Don Juan's love: AMOR. Not a person, the word love in Spanish.

61. Do another stint: RE-UP.

62. Former Mach 2 fliers, briefly: SSTS. Super Sonic Transport. Air France and British Airways blamed low passenger numbers and rising maintenance costs for retiring the Concorde. Passenger numbers fell after an Air France Concorde crashed minutes after taking off from Paris in July 2000, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. 

64. Part of BCE: ERA. Before the Common Era.

66. "Scram!": GIT.