Saturday, July 3, 2021, Julian Lim

 Saturday Themeless by Julian Lim

My last themeless Saturday Julian Lim puzzle was one day short of two years ago - July 4, 2020. Dr. Lim got his B.S. in Psychology from Duke and a PhD from The University of Pennsylvania in the same discipline. Today Julian presents a beautiful grid that sent me in search of footholds - CHUNK OF CHANGE provided just that!

From Julian: Glad you enjoyed it :) I made this one when I was tinkering around with grid art: I liked how the pattern was visually striking but that the grid still offered a lot of flexibility because of the way it segments. Hope the puzzle doesn't stump too many people, I know that there's quite a bit of dread on this blog when my name shows up later in the week!

I am teaching and doing research in the National University of Singapore -- I've been back here since 2010.

No dread from me - HG. 

Across:

1. Decompression chambers?: SPAS.

5. Image problem, for short: BAD PR 

10. New Balance competitor: PUMA - Running shoes

14. "__ Terrace at Night": van Gogh work: CAFE - In oil and in actuality 

15. Honda line: ACURA.

16. Like some unresolved NBA games: IN OT - The NBA's highest scoring game took three OverTimes

17. Yamuna River city: AGRA - A very famous building on the Yamuna River in AGRA, India

18. Duran Duran lead singer Simon: LE BON - Picture of and an interview with Simon

19. Chunk: GLOB.

20. Foment: ROIL.

21. Plain, in Spain: LLANO - A treeless plain in America as well

22. Actress Condor of "To All the Boys" films: LANA

23. Outbreak of spots?: AD CAMPAIGN - TV ADS (spots) during a campaign get tiresome

25. New user's need: Abbr.: ACCT - Then you have to generate yet another password.

26. Kids' rhyme starter: BAA BAA.

27. Argentinian aunts: TIAS  - Mi TÍA Norma me puso el nombre de Gary. (Pretty easy to translate!)

28. Decision-making conformity: GROUP THINK.

34. Tidy sum: CHUNK OF CHANGE - My  pivotal breakthrough fill

37. Is in contention for: HAS A SHOT AT - During spring training, everyone HAS A SHOT AT winning the World Series

38. "Rock and Roll All __": Kiss hit: NITE - Here ya go

39. Again and again?: THRICE  

44. Linear: ONE-D - This math peep put FLAT first as in a linear equation

45. "Last Night of the World" musical: MISS SAIGON - I'd like to hear that

49. Dessert request always filled: TART

50. Be in store: AWAIT.

51. Madeira cousin: PORT - If you're an oenophile you'll know which is which - Answer

52. 2004 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Aoki: ISAO - ISAO plays our Crossword Course quite often and below we see him chipping from the 53. Difficult: ROUGH.

54. Foment, with "up": STIR

55. Start to cure?: PEDI - When I walked in for my first PEDICURE, there were 23 women in the salon and I was the only man in sight. 

56. Asian country that's the seventh-largest in the world: INDIA.

57. Magazine founder Eric: UTNE - Eric UTNE and his "far out" life

58. Note in a proof: STET - An editor will put in a STET if he decides to keep the original text. All right, leave in "Four score and seven" and take out "Eighty seven"

59. Circus prop: STILT - They are also used in less glamorous jobs

60. Turned item: PAGE.

Down:

1. Ancient Egyptian amulet: SCARAB - Search for"Scarab Attack" from The Mummy on YouTube at your own peril

2. Storied Asian structure: PAGODA.

3. Guinea's home: AFRICA.

4. Research site for deep thinking?: SEA LAB.

5. Places with bases: BALLPARKS.

6. Fast Amtrak option: ACELA.

7. UAE's most populous city: DUBAI - A night in the iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel in DUBAI will run you anywhere from $600 to $24,000/night

8. Point of eating?: PRONG - or tine

9. Wouldn't shut up: RAN ON - "I asked what time it was and he told me how a clock works"

10. Language in which most words rhyme: PIG LATIN - It'syay ayay eatgray ayday orfay olgfay. (Another easy, albeit silly, translation)

11. Loosening, in a way: UNLACING

12. Round bakery snack: MOONCAKE - A MOONCAKE  is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid- Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is about lunar appreciation and Moon watching. C.C., have you ever had one?

13. Times up: AT BATS - Baseball players often call them AB's.

24. __ cum laude: MAGNA - Not Summa

29. "Holy cow!": OOH - Harry Carry's famous catch phrase 

30. Radar anomaly: UFO - A fascinating scene built around this. Nobody wants to report  having seen a UFO.

31. Poll fig.: PCT.

32. "We're done here": THAT'S THAT.

33. Yoga type: HATHA.

34. Spode offering: CHINA SET - Spode is an English brand of pottery that finally came to my mind

35. Excessive negativity, in modern lingo: HATERADE - A fictional drink that is a play on the sports beverage. "Dude, he was full of HATERADE!"

36. Not surprised: USED TO IT.

38. Restaurant policy, at times: NO TIPS - Discouraging tipping is common in Japan as their wait staff is paid a good wage.

40. Shreds: RIPS UP.

41. "Ain't no choice for me": I GOTTA.

42. Prepping for pie, as apples: CORING.

43. Heart of a meal: ENTREE.

45. He blasted 61 in '61: MARIS - The M & M Boys of 1961. Roger Maris hit 61 HR's and Mickey Mantle hit 54.

46. Flat refusal: I WON'T.

47. Jeddah native: SAUDI - Now if you want to drive to Dubai from Jeddah to stay in the Burj Al Arab...

48. Magic symbol from the Latin for "seal": SIGIL - Sigillum is Latin for "seal"

Friday, July 2, 2021, Dallas Fletcher

 No matter how inspired we may be, there are write-ups where there is no better title than the constructor's reveal. This is one of those.

Dallas is making his LAT debut though he started with a Universal collaboration with Christopher Adams in 2019, then a solo UC in 2020 and WSJ earlier this year,

40A. Magic trick that affects the answers to starred clues: DISAPPEARING ACT (15). Those three magic letters disappear in every one of the many themers, so before we discuss Dallas and his arrow making abilities, let's look them over.

17A. *Runs drills: PR{ACT}ICES (6).

22A. *Extremely demanding: E{ACT}XING (5).

23A. *Did a double-take, say: RE{ACT}ED (4). 

31A. *Produce milk: L{ACT}ATE (4).

59A. *Like two-humped camels: B{ACT}RIAN (5).

73A. *In a concise manner: COMP{ACT}LY (6).

12D. *Strategic maneuver: T{ACT}IC  (3).

41D. *Has an effect on: IMP{ACT}S (4).

65D. *Thing that matters: F{ACT}OR (3).

The grid: 

So we are left with: PRICES: EXING: REED: LATE: BRIAN: COMPLY: TIC: IMPS: FOR. If you can make more out of them as part of the theme I look forward to hearing the theory. 

Meanwhile, Dallas did include some nice long fill HAS A COW, 

FENG SHUI, NOAH'S ARK, SAILBOAT, SHAGGY D.A., STORY ARC, and UFO CULTS. The ones in red are new fill. He had some nice combinations like 14 - 18 across and 64 - 69 across. Overall, this does not really play like a Friday with so many three letter fill and so many fill in general. He does provide a reverse CSO to Shawn Corey Carter . On that note, on to the rest.

Across:

1. Let off: ACQUIT. This fits right in with earlier in the week mini-rant about our judicial system. There are innocent people who are charged with crimes and desrved to be acquitted. It is not being let off.

7. "Beats me," in texts: IDK.  I Don't Know.

10. Boozer: SOT. Everything you didn't know you wanted to know about SOT.

13. Its recipe often includes egg whites: MOUSSE. You guess how to make it work...

100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

4 egg whites

¼ tsp lemon juice

20g unrefined sugar

14. System used in home decor: FENG SHUI. This is  the ancient Chinese practice that charts the balance of energy, or chi, via scientific calculations.

18. It can unfold over many episodes: STORY ARC. TV Talk.

19. P.O. box item: ENVelope.

20. Canadian grazer: ELK. A deer relative and a CSO to CEh.

25. Sounds of relief: AHHS. Sometimes requiring more Hs. 

27. Simon of "Shaun of the Dead": PEGG. Very funny movie.

29. Screen legend Flynn: ERROL. He would not have appeared in the above movie.

33. "Indeedy": YUP. Slang.

35. One-time Nigerian capital: LAGOS. Abuja is a planned city and is relatively affluent. It was built from scratch in the 1980s and became the nation's capital in 1991. 

37. Thingamajig: DOODAD. A recent jumble solution.

44. Seales of HBO's "Insecure": AMANDA. This unlnown to me but multi-talented PERFORMER.

45. Feed a crowd, say: CATER. Well golly, that was who brought the food to my wedding.

46. Printer spec.: DPI. DOTS PER INCH. 

47. Singer Susan Boyle, e.g.: SCOT. Another of Simon Cowell's discoveries.

49. Outfit again: RERIG. Meh. 

53. Kind of sink: SLOP. A deep sink, usually set low, esp. used by janitors for emptying pails of dirty water.

56. Tot's bruise: OWIE. and 70A. "Ouch!": I'M HURT.

58. __ trap: SET A. 

61. Non-Rx: OTC. Over The Counter.

63. Form 1040 calc.: AGI. Adjusted Gross Income.

64. Religious groups that allegedly communicate with ETs: UFO CULTS. A more complicated GROUP.

67. Sweatshirt with a head cover: HOODIE.

69. Classic couples carrier?: NOAH'S ARK. I love this clue/fill.

71. Word with film or form: ART. 

72. Utter: SAY.

Down:

1. Electrical unit: AMPERE. Begins the down clues and they finish with a classic clecho 68D. Electrical unit: OHM.

2. Home plate edge: CORNER. That picher sure knew how to paint the corner. More baseball esoterica for our non-sports group.

3. Accessory for Katniss Everdeen: QUIVER. A self-SO to our constructor. 

4. Trojans' sch.: USC. Not the condoms.

5. "That makes sense": I SEE. That is why I am here.

6. Electric wheels: TESLA. My wife wants to drive one- but if she likes it, what do I do? 

7. Hypotheticals: IFS. Yes, it is only a thought and the idea is not one...

8. Not like at all: DETEST. I hate

9. Fort defended by Bond: KNOX. The classic 007 film GOLDFINGER starring Sean Connery as James Bond is set mainly in England and Switzerland, but it was partially filmed at Fort Knox. 

10. Disney film featuring a canine prosecutor, with "The": SHAGGY DA. Part of the Shaggy Dog series.

                                    

11. Lord's Prayer opener: OUR. Father...

15. Handlebar part: GRIP.

16. Last word in a holiday song: SYNE. That auld saw...

21. Kin of Kourtney: KHLOE. Kardashian krap.

24. __ Twins: online comedy duo: DOLAN. The INSIDE SCOOP if you care. This is very "modern" fill which many want to see more of in the 2020 decade.

26. Freaks out: HAS A COW. Not quite as new, but classic BART.

28. Quick dip?: GUACamole.

30. "Bosch" squad: Abbr.: LAPD. Lots of Southern California references in this puzzle.

32. Prep for publication: EDIT.

34. Calif. summer hrs.: PDT. Didn't I tell you.

36. Admissions depts. review them: GPAS.

38. Unique thing, to a Brit: ONER. Steve? Help.

39. Meanies: OGRES. Makes them sound almost cuddly.

40. __ joke: DAD. I had a good one but I forgot, maybe by morning.

42. Tot's tub toy: SAILBOAT.

43. 1:15, e.g.: RATIO. 

48. Against: CONTRA. Iran affair>

50. Study, with "on": READ UP.

51. Celebrity socialite: IT GIRL. Not my idea of an IT girl but what do I know.

52. Merriment: GAIETY. 

54. Theater ticket abbr.: ORCHestra.

55. Name of 12 popes: PIUS. You would hope they all were and had a well defined...

57. Value system: ETHIC. But, if not...

60. Old-style "Bummer!": ALAS what are you going to do.

62. Crooner Perry: COMO. He settled in So. Fla. for hsi golden years.

64. __ vez: once: UNA. Hola, Lucy. 

66. __-high: SKY. And to wrap up the week we have sky back, which leaves popping off rather than popping up. Have a safe and fun 4th of July week-end all. Thank you Dallas, please come by and share your thoughts. We are a bunch of fun curious people. lemonade out.

Thursday, July 1, 2021, David Poole

 

Good morning, cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a canine friend to celebrate the first day of July with a puzzle that might have been more appropriately published on the first day of October.  Go figure.  Of course, jumping into a pile of loose leaves is fun at any time of the year.  Just ask any Labrador Retriever.

Today's constructor is David Poole.  David has previously had several puzzles published in both the L.A. Times and the N.Y. Times.

At four places within today's grid David took the letters of the word LEAF and scrambled them.  It seems that David just could not LEAF WELL ENOUGH ALONE.

To make it even more interesting, David starts each sequence with a different one of the four letters.  Those are my words.  His, or, perhaps, the editor's, are found at 57 Across:

57 Across.  Kind of paper . . . and a hint to a sequence, each starting with a different letter, found in four other puzzle answers: LOOSE LEAF.

In any event, here are the four theme answer:

17 Across.  Pub purchase: YARD OF ALE  We saw YARD used this way in a recent puzzle.  That might have helped with the answer.

26 Across.  Standard for a high seas villain:  PIRATE FLAG  Standard, in this case meaning a flag used for identification. 

35 Across.  Property insurance phrase: PERSONAL EFFECTS   I have most often heard the phrase used when someone is being put in, released from, jail as in "Here are your PERSONAL EFFECTS."

48 Across.  1996 Gere thriller: PRIMAL FEAR  This one could be interpreted as a slight break in the sequencing as the A in PRIMAL also works to jumble LEAF.

Here is how everything looks in the completed grid:

. . . below are the rest of today's clues and answers:

Across:

1. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" quintet: IAMBS.  Dictionaries, and probably my High School English teachers, say that IAMBS are metrical feet consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable.

6. Vietnamese soup: PHO.  Still working on the correct pronunciation.

9. Country album?: ATLAS.  Cute clue.  An ATLAS could be described as an album filled with maps of the world's countries.

14. Sidewalk artist's supply: CHALK.  Some of the CHALK is washable.

15. Runner's circuit: LAP.  Sometimes clued in reference to sitting down or standing up,

16. Wince or flinch, say: REACT.

19. Follow: ENSUE.  An answer that often follows crossword puzzle clues.

20. Produce providers: GROCERS.  Produce as in fruits and vegetables.

22. Prefix with angle: TRI.  RECTangle was not going to work out.

23. Me-time resorts: SPAS.

29. Part of UCLA: LOS.  The University of California at Los Angeles.  Neither University nor California nor Angeles was going to fit.  I did more than one year of undergraduate and two years of graduate work at UCLA.    I also taught for a while at the UCLA Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

30. Trip letters: LSD.  This could have been AAA or another travel-related answer but, as answered, we're talking about an Acid Trip.  LySergic acid Diethylamide.

31. Onion rolls: BIALYS.  Brought to the United States by Polish Jewish refugees in the late 1800s.  Many know of the onion rolls.  More, likely, know of Max.

Max Bialystock

32. Asia's __ Mountains: ALTAI.  This is known to me only through it's occasional appearance in crossword puzzles.

34. Four-time Emmy winner Woodard: ALFRE.

Alfre Woodard

41. Kick off: START.  The original use (the first kick in a football match) apparently dates from 1857.  The first use in the figurative sense dates from 1875.

42. You might hang one if you're lost: U TURN.

43. "Get lost!": BEAT IT.  Also, a song by Michael Jackson.  This marine mammal prefers Weird Al's version.

Side By Side

45. Up to, in ads: TIL.  Short for unTIL.

47. Hot __: TEA.  A three-letter fill in the blanks clue.  Hot AIR?  Hot TUB?  Hot ROD?

50. Not superficial: DEEP.

Deep Thoughts By Jack Handey

51. It may be checked at a station: OIL.  When was the last time someone at a gas station checked your oil or cleaned your windshield?

52. Computer building game: SIM CITY. There are a series of SIM games.  Among them are Sim Ant, Sim Earth, Sim Town, and, of course, SIM CITY.  SIM as in SIMulation.

54. Go out at night?: SLEEP.  The question mark tips us off that this answer will be a pun or some other unexpected usage.

61. Justice Kagan: ELENA.   Of SCOTUS.

62. "Lou Grant" production co.: MTM.  Lou Grant (Ed Asner) was the eponymous character in a television series produced by Mary Tyler Moore's production company.  A spoof both in name and in logo.  The cat would meow instead of roar like the MGM lion.

63. 2011 title cowboy chameleon: RANGO.

64. "SOS" and "Help!": SONGS.  SOS is an ABBA song and Help! was written and recorded by the Beatles.  I could use a bit of help on this one.  Hands up for those who want to hear the ABBA song.  Okay.  Now, hands up for the Beatles.  Not even close.

65. Red __: SEA.  Another three-letter fill ion the blanks clue.  Red Fox (not the comedian)?  Red Ant?  Red Dye?  Red Sox?  Red Hot?

66. Last part of many a book: INDEX.  Appendix was too long,

Down:

1. Needing salt, maybe: ICY.  As in putting salt on ICY roads.

2. "Now I get it!": AHA. AHA is an exclamation of understanding, realization, recognition or invention.  OHO expresses surprise.

  

3. Blemish: MAR.  From the Old English merran meaning to hinder or to waste.

4. Campus units: Abbr.: BLDGS.  There are many other locations for BuiLDinGS.  But a campus can, indeed, made up of same.

5. Hershey toffee bar: SKOR.

6. Composed: PLACID.

7. More healthy: HALER.

8. In working order: OPERABLE.

9. Modern art?: ARE.  Wherefore art thou, Romeo?  Where ARE you, Bae?

10. Highest Scrabble tile point value: TEN.  The Q and the Z.  There are only one of each.

11. In conclusion: LASTLY.

12. Luxury cars since 1986: ACURAS.  Honda Motor Company's line of upscale automobiles.  Other than oil, fluid and filters my 2011 RDX has required on one minor repair.

13. "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" author William: STEIG.  This was new to me but the perps filled it in.  If the clue had been "Shrek" I would have gotten it more quickly.

18. Dandy dressers: FOPS.  Men who are concerned with their appearance in an affected and excessive way.

21. Leave zip for a tip: STIFF.  The use of the idiom ZIP (meaning zero, nothing) in the clue indicates that the answer will also, most likely, be idiomatic.  To STIFF someone means to not pay for something for which it is expected that you will pay.

23. High-five, e.g.: SLAP.

24. Gondolier's implement: POLE.

Photo By MM

25. Subj. for Neil deGrasse Tyson: ASTR.  Although Neil deGrasse Tyson is eminently worthy of our esteem, using ASTRonomy as fill is a Punt!

27. Severe scolding: EARFUL.  Another idiomatic expression.

28. Admiral's command: FLEET.  Hmmm.  It might have been an instruction to a subordinate.  No, it is what the Admiral is in command of.

30. Ray who played "Shoeless Joe" Jackson in "Field of Dreams": LIOTTA.

33. Indian tea region: ASSAM.  With two A's and two S's ASSAM is a five-letter word favored by constructors.

34. Genre modifier: ALT.  There are many, many ALTernative music genres.

36. Manicurist's targets: NAILS.  What is the hardest part about making a manicure joke?  You really have to nail it.

37. Small-theater movies: ART FILMS.

38. Like cat videos: CUTE.

39. Genealogist's chart: TREE.

40. Pic: SNAP. As in to SNAP a photograph.

43. Scrubber brand: BRILLO.  There was a time when almost all households were either BRILLIO or SOS (but not as used at 64 Across).

44. Astronaut Collins, first female Space Shuttle commander: EILEEN.  Without the qualifier, Michael would have been a good, if unworkable, guess.

45. Airport sharer with Seattle: TACOMA.  SEATAC airport used to be famous for spending a lot of time getting through security.   Perhaps things have changed.

46. Crocus cousin: IRIS.  Has anyone named their child Crocus?

48. Runway array: POSES.  As in modeling clothing.  A not-too-difficult attempt at misdirection.  Still, something airport-related was the first thing to come to mind.

49. Chew the scenery: EMOTE.

50. Musician who was the 2016 Literature Nobelist: DYLAN.  This might seem like a good place to insert a song by Robert Allen Zimmerman (aka Bob DYLAN).  However, I am going to go with my favorite Nobel Prize Awards Dinner moment.

Richard P. Feynman

53. Actress Hatcher: TERI.

55. U.K. part: ENG.  ENGland, Scotland, Wales and the northern portion of Ireland comprise the United Kingdom.

56. Faux __: PAS.  Could this still be considered to be a French lesson?  It has become pretty mainstream in the English language.

58. Conclude: END.  Too bad this was not the final clue although that has probably been done.

59. What candles may measure: AGE.  After a while, putting one candle for each year on a birthday cake becomes a fire hazard.  But not for this three-year-old.

60. Kit's parent: FOX.  A female fox is called a Vixen, a male is called a Dog Fox or Tod and a baby fox is called a pup, cub, or Kit.

Photo By MM

Have A Great Independence Day Weekend, Everyone !

____________________________________________________________

Wednesday June 30, 2021 Jeff Stillman

Children's Games

Georges Bizet's Jeux D'Enfants

 

Jeff Stillman is a frequent contributor to the LA Times Crossword and today he plays with some favorite phrases for children's games.  Each themer consists of a pun on games we all played when we were kids. No reveal is needed. 

Bill here to lead you through some childhood memories:

18A. Tanner's favorite kids' game?: HIDE AND SEEK.  Some parents occasionally "tan their children's hides", the traditional method of behavior control. As confirmed believers in the power of positive re-enforcement, we never found the need for it.

28A. Ornithologist's favorite kids' game?: DUCK DUCK GOOSE

45A. Window retailer's favorite kids' game?: BLIND MANS BUFF.  A bit of misdirection here, as  BUFF in this case is apparently an alternate word for the more common BLUFF.  This game been around for a long time, but I don't think it was ever included in the Olympics:

60A. Vermeer and Rembrandt's favorite kids' game?: DOUBLE DUTCH.  However THIS game just might be in the Olympics some day:

 I can't move on without some links to paintings by the painters Jeff plays with in this clue: Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes ("Jan") Vermeer (my favorite painter).  The Rembrandts are in the National Art Gallery in London, numbering 26 of the over 600 paintings he created.  The Vermeer link has about 35 paintings from all over the world, constituting the entire extant corpus of his works in oil.  I believe the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. has 4 of them.

And the rest of the riffs:

Across:
1. Put away: ATE.

4. Discover with effort: DIG UP.  For example: ARCHEOLOGY.  If you're on the younger side, and you (really!) enjoy manual labor, you just might want to consider a career in this fascinating field.

9. Cloister leader: ABBOT.  Probably the most famous ABBOT was St. Benedict of Nursia ( c. AD 480–550) who founded the Benedictine Order.  He is best known for writing the Rule of St. Benedict, a short book of precepts written in 516 for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.  His rule spread beyond the Benedictine Order and has served as a template for many other Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican monastic communities.

14. Mars, for one: GOD.  The Roman God of War, equivalent to the Greek God ARES.

15. Hwy. through six Eastern state capitals: US ONE.  I checked and it goes through Annapolis, MD.

16. Dora the Explorer's animal-rescuing cousin: DIEGO.  Everything you want to know about Dora Márquez and her cousin Diego:

Diego and Baby Jaguar

17. Phoenix-to-Boise dir.: NNW.

20. "My word!": EGAD.

22. Discriminating sense: TASTE.

23. Nursery item: TREE. 

24. NBA's Steph Curry, notably: WARRIOR.  Wardell Stephen "Steph" Curry II is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. He plays the point guard position. Many analysts and players have called him the greatest shooter in NBA history. Wikipedia

26. Indy entrant: CAR.

34. "__ en Rose": Edith Piaf song: LA VIE.  Here it is, first in French, and then in English:

Here is a brief documentary of her life and sad ending:

36. Fare-well link: THEE.

37. Naught: NIL.

38. Footnoter's "ditto," briefly: IBID.  Abbreviation for the Latin ibidem ‘in the same place’.

39. Like ballet movements: FLUID.   Comme ça:

41. Lenovo competitor: DELL.

42. "__ want a hula hoop": "The Chipmunk Song": ME I.  And now from the sublime to the ridiculous!

43. Lots of bucks: DEER.  Yeah, we have a herd of them living in our back yard!  Mostly does and fawns though.

44. Sits after microwaving: COOLS.

49. Flight board abbr.: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival

50. Part of HEW: WELFARE.  Formerly Health, Education, and Welfare, now Health and Human Services, part of the government's never ending quest for les mots justes:

53. Bite like a beaver: GNAW.   Woodin' wanna' tangle with that guy!

56. Within the law: LEGIT.  If you're not, ya better LEG IT!

59. Onion exterior: SKIN.  "Onion skin" is more of a description of how thin it is, rather than its origins. 

63. Wall St. debut: IPO.  Initial Public Offering, in a nutshell:

Or everything you might want to know.

64. Stumping sites: PODIA.  As in plural of PODIUM.

65. Russian villa: DACHA.  I guess they vary in size.  Some of these are more like simple cottages.

66. After-tax amount: NET.

67. Popped up: SKIED.  Got this on perps, but still don't quite get it.  Popped up over a ramp or moguls?  A CSO to MalMan for some clarification.

68. Jewish community orgs.: YMHAS. (or YWHAS)  - Jewish Community Centers intended specifically to meet the needs of young Jewish men or women who are traveling to/from cities.

69. Dr. of rap: DRE.  AnDRE Romelle Young.  Not really a doctor, but he may play one on TV.

Down:
1. Veep who resigned: AGNEW. Well, forced to resign actually.  He was lucky he didn't have to do any time.  I believe I mentioned the last time he SKIED in a puzzle, that I met him at a Student Council meeting.  I promise not to mention it again.

2. South Pacific kingdom: TONGA.  The Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Tonga Coat of Arms

3. British monarch who reigned less than a year in 1936: EDWARD VIII.  And a woman from Baltimore had something to do with it.

4. "That's so obvious!": DUH.

5. "Would you mind?": IS IT OK?

6. French-Swiss film director Jean-Luc: GODARD.  Is an "iconic and influential filmmaker", born in 1930.   Here are 10 of his greatest films.

7. Some, in France: UNES.  Today's French lesson. 

8. Swamp buildup: PEAT. Dried peat is used in Ireland as a source of fuel.

9. Put in: ADD.

10. Casual eatery: BISTRO.

11. Tavern quaff: BEER.

12. Fancy molding: OGEE.  GEE and I thought I knew my moldings.

13. Drag on a joint: TOKE.  I believe this word was derived from Gertrude Stein's buddy Alice B. Toklas.  Be sure to check out her recipe for "Haschich" Fudge.

19. Canoodled: NECKED.  Also known as PARKING.

21. Ancient Celtic priest: DRUID.  Leaders among the Celts, they served much broader functions than just the priesthood.

25. Diamonds, to hoods: ICE.

27. Sensitive subject, to some: AGE.  What is there to be sensitive about, other than the inevitable aches and pains?  No one has figured out how to get any younger.

29. One-eighty: U TURN.  A.K.A. a UIE.

30. X as in Xerxes: CHI.  As in the Greek letter immediately after PHI.  However as Xerxes was actually Persian and his name in Farsi is Khshayarsha, perhaps KAPPA would be more korect.

31. Unique thing: ONE OF A KIND.  In Latin "Sui Generis".  In the digital age things can be easily copied, so to make them "unique" the technocracy has created the "Non-Fungible Token (NFT).  An NFT is unit of data stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable. NFTs can be used to represent items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files.  A brand new way to separate people from their money.

32. Plant pot spot: SILL.  Took me a few secs to suss this one.

33. Wings you can't eat: ELLS.

34. Bird's perch: LIMB. Or a wing you CAN eat.

35. Genesis victim: ABEL.  Why was Abel slain by his brother CAIN?

39. Doe or sow: FEMALE. 

40. Grazing locale: LEA.  You might find a "Lot of bucks" or a "Doe" here early in the morning or evening.

41. Tips politely: DOFFS.

43. EPA-banned insecticide: DDT.   The Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970.  But the environmental impact of DDT and other pesticides was brought to public attention earlier than that by the ground-breaking book Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson in 1962:

44. __-de-sac: CUL.   "DEAD END" in France.  More French.

46. Beginner: NEWBIE.

47. Turn (on), as a light: SWITCH.  You can turn them (off) too.  One of my pet peeves.

48. "You __!": "Yep!": BETCHA.  Sorry, I'm not a gamblin' man.

51. Not as green: RIPER.  According to Rachel Ray, there are some fruits that taste better green.

52. Online reminder: ENOTE.

53. Natl. economic stats: GDPS.  Gross Domestic Product.  Please don't ask me to explain any of this.

54. Cozy corner: NOOK.   Now you can curl up in your cozy nook with your Nook and read the Great American Novel:

I generally prefer paper, but a Nook is lighter and might be advisable for reading Anna Karenina:

55. Auto with a four-ring logo: AUDI.  Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer that designs, engineers, produces, markets and distributes luxury vehicles. Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group and has its roots at Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. Audi vehicles are produced in nine production facilities worldwide. Wikipedia

57. Whirling current: EDDY.  See last Thursday's puzzle.

58. Island east of Manila: GUAM.  Guam, is an island and unincorporated territory of the United States in the North Pacific Ocean, the largest, most populous, and southernmost of the Mariana Islands. It lies about 5,800 miles (9,300 km) west of San Francisco and 1,600 miles (2,600 km) east of Manila.

61. Bloke: LAD.

62. Partakes of: HAS.

Well I think this LAD HAS finished playing games.  Here's the grid:

 

waseeley

Cheers,

Bill