Friday, July 16, 2021, Craig Stowe

Theme:

"Let me "elbow" my way in here"

OR

Leverage Buy Out

Hello Cornerites, C-Moe here on his second straight Friday, courtesy of Lemonade 714 graciously swapping this week for next. And unlike my normal "ad nauseum" recaps, this one will be short, sweet, and to the point. I'm pretty sure that this is the first Craig Stowe puzzle I've recapped. I know Husker Gary has review Craig several times; often with themeless puzzles.

Today's Stowe had a well-hidden theme that fortunately had no circles attached, otherwise it would not have been "Friday-worthy". This Friday's (for me, at least) solved much more quickly than I imagined, and had maybe one or two W/O's, and no cheats. Not that many proper names nor any sports references (unless 10-Down counts); clean fill and clever clues. What's not to like??

In 5 (or 6 if you count the reveal) of the across entries, Craig figured out how to use the letters "L" "B" and "O" (in sequence in either one word or a two-word phrase) to provide a phonetic reveal: 64-Across. Hands-free greeting aptly depicted five times in this puzzle: ELBOW BUMP. The "ELBOW BUMP", like the "FIST BUMP" has become an accepted way to greet one another during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your elbow, unlike the hands and fingers, is not able to transfer germs to your mouth or eyes, or ears, for that matter. And while it's a bit awkward (to say the least), I don't think it will soon leave us. Even our politicians seem comfortable with it . . .

16-Across. Obsolescent collection site: TOLL BOOTH. Craig Stowe is a Canadien (CSO to C Eh!), and the last time I was driving in Canada, all of the TOLL BOOTHs were gone from the pay-for-use highways, and special cameras and or sensors replaced them. These devices detect the traffic to register their fees. Here in the US, though, TOLL BOOTHs do exist although they are slowly converting TOLL roads into the Canadien model. As for the puzzle, the last L in TOLL "BUMPS" the "BO" in BOOTH

18-Across. Unexpected profession, in modern lingo: L BOMB. A complete unknown to Moe, at first; but after re-reading the clue, the word "profession" means the same as an utterance or expression. "When someone drops the L BOMB" unexpectedly, it tells you that they love you. Usually comes out of the blue when you least expect it and are not prepared to respond. Urban Dictionary. And you can see again how the L bumps the BO

33-Across. Clothing chain founder Rudolf or Nancy: TALBOT. I've heard of this clothing chain but that's about all. Women's clothing. Here's more info on the company. In this example the L BO is in the middle of the word TALBOT

51-Across. "Tuesdays With Morrie" author Mitch: ALBOM. "Tuesdays with Morrie" is a memoir by American author Mitch ALBOM about a series of visits ALBOM made to his former sociology professor Morrie Schwartz, as Schwartz gradually dies of ALS. The book topped the New York Times Non-Fiction Best-Sellers List for 23 combined weeks in 2000, and remained on the New York Times best-selling list for more than four years after. In 2006, Tuesdays with Morrie was the bestselling memoir of all time. Wikipedia. L BO, again, is found in the middle of the name

And last but not least: 52-Across. Frodo inherited his ring: BILBO. BILBO Baggins of The Hobbit, "Lord of the Rings". And one of the names that spurred this limerick many moons ago:

BILBO Baggins was recently scarred,
And the news really caught us off guard.
He expired from infection
After getting an erection.
Guess it's true that old Hobbits die hard.

The rest of the Across clues and fills:

9. Bygone ruler: TSAR.

13. Echoing remark: SO DO I, and 25-Across. Playground retort: I AM SO.

14. Short site?: LOC. Abbr for LOCation I think

15. "Unity of humanity" faith: BAHA'I. The Baháʼí Faith stresses the unity of all people, explicitly rejecting racism and nationalism. At the heart of Baháʼí teachings is the goal of a unified world order

19. "No argument here": I SEE. Or, if you were playing Texas Hold'em, one might say: "I SEE your bet and raise you another 500,000 chips"

20. "__ you been up to?": WHAT'VE. Me? No good, mostly . . .

22. Loos, briefly: WCS. Last Friday the clue was WC and the fill was LAV. I still think that one was wrong, and LOOS is the more correct answer. British

23. "Anaconda" rapper Nicki: MINAJ. Not my music "genre", but then, neither is 47-Across

27. "__ use!": IT'S NO. IT'S NO use, I can't make my recaps short and sweet!

30. "You're too much!": OH STOP.

32. Luck, to Shakespeare: HAP. According to Google: HAP(n.) luck, chance, accident

36. Facebook button: LIKE. Along with other images to describe your "LIKE:

39. Paint type: OIL BASE. I put ACRYLIC in first, but that clearly didn't fit

41. Spendthrift: WASTREL. Not a word in my lexicon

43. Movement in "The Nutcracker": PLIE. Got this on the first go-around

44. Least feral: TAMEST. I guess it helps to know what feral means. As in a pet. A cat, e.g. A feral cat or a stray cat is an un-owned domestic cat (Felis catus) that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched. The opposite of it would be a TAME cat

46. Artistic medium: INK. This answer also applies to TAT's

47. Electronic genre: TECHNO. See 23-Across for another genre Moe dislikes. Here's an example:

49. Some singers: ALTOS. SATB = Soprano/ALTO/Tenor/Bass. ALTO refers to the female singing voice a pitch below a Soprano, and is usually sung in harmony. But it also can refer to the overall pitch of a female singer whose musical register is lower. Many popular artist female singers are ALTOS

55. Bobbie Gentry wrote one to Billie Joe: ODE. Bobbie Gentry was an ALTO

56. Many a surfer: WAHINE, and 6-Down. (56-Across hi:) ALOHA. A WAHINE is a young woman, especially a surfer. And when they say "hello" or "goodbye" it's usually the word "ALOHA"

58. Villagers below the Grinch's cave: WHOS. A Christmas Classic

62. Frenemy, at times: RIVAL. Frenemy: a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry. Many of the golfers on the PGA/LPGA/ and Champions Tour are RIVALs/Frenemies, but not always to the level that this definition describes. Most of them actually "like" each other, but are still RIVALs

66. Looks badly: LEERS. OGLES fit

67. Sheltered: LEE. Confederate General also fit as a clue

68. Put on the line: WAGER. Line betting is a form of betting where the market is handicapped to make both betting outcomes equal. The bookmakers achieve this by giving both teams a margin, known as a line. If the bookmakers believe that one side is 12.5 points better than their opposition, you can back them to win by 13 or more points. Literally, when WAGERing, you are "putting it on the line"

69. __ log: YULE. The penultimate item that the Grinch who Stole Christmas took from the WHOS' house's fireplace

70. Drug originally synthesized from ergot: LSD. A popular hallucinogen when I was a teen, but I never tried nor wanted to

71. Dramatic literary device: IRONY.

Down:
1. Wine region east of Turin: ASTI. Your resident Sommelier knew this. Most folks see the words "Asti Spumante" on a wine bottle and don't realize that the word ASTI is a region, not a grape varietal. Spumante literally means "sparkling". Most ASTI Spumante is sweet, but not all. If you see the words "Barbera d'Asti" on a wine bottle, it's the grape (Barbera) from the ASTI region. Which is pretty big

2. Herd voices: MOOS. COW sounds; not COWL (see 48-Down) sounds

3. Hardly working: IDLE.

4. Heavy: SOLEMN. "Serious" is the unifier

5. One of the fam: SIB. SIS fit, too

7. Found work: GOT A JOB. Tough to say I "GOT A JOB" when collecting unemployment pays more than the JOB does

8. Vier und vier: ACHT. ACHT = German word for 4 + 4. EINS, ZWEI, DREI, VIER, FÜNF, SECHS, SIEBEN, ACHT, NEUN, ZEHN. 1-10 in German. A CSO to Spitz

9. Bill: TAB. See 61-Down for another carry-over word from last Friday

10. Support the team, say: SHOW SPIRIT. These kids sure know how!

11. Transmission repair franchise: AAMCO. AAMCO is an American transmission-repair franchise founded by Robert Morgan and Anthony A. Martino in 1957 in Philadelphia. Martino eventually ended his affiliation with AAMCO to manage the MAACO autobody-shop franchise, but Morgan stayed on with his son, Keith Morgan, succeeding him as CEO. Wikipedia. I had MAACO for the longest time before the perp with TSAR corrected it

12. Rack that's rubbed: RIBS. My most favorite clue today. I use a dry "RUB" on my ribs to help seal in the juices and keep them from getting too dry

15. Pasture cry: BLEAT.

17. Personal: OWN. Used here as a pronoun. "Your decisions are your OWN"

21. Panoramic views: VISTAS. How's this one? From C-Moe's personal pics. A trip he took to Ireland. Ring of Dingle

24. Shred: IOTA. Friday clue - shred the noun, not the verb

26. Slough off: MOLT. Interesting that Thesaurusaurus shows MOLT and slough as synonyms, but not slough off and MOLT

27. Denny's competitor: IHOP.

28. Bone head?: TAIL. I couldn't make heads or TAILs out of this one. You?

29. It has staggered stories: SPLIT-LEVEL. Our first house was a SPLIT-LEVEL, as I am guessing many first time home buyer's are. Here's a typical one:

31. NHL legend Gordie: HOWE. OK, I lied; there is a sports reference in today's puzzle! #9 for the Redwings, aka "Mr. Hockey"

34. Often-allergic condition: ASTHMA. If I had this we wouldn't have a cat in the house

35. Slim: LEAN. Like this "Slim"

37. Gambling game: KENO. I only played KENO when I needed a break from the BlackJack table. I find it quite boring but the cocktail servers will still offer a free drink if you're playing

38. Part of BPOE: ELKS.

40. Telly network, with "the": BEEB. As in the nickname for the BBC

42. Try: STAB.

45. Cells, to Brits: MOBILES. I was thinking the cells in "gaols" and the word "PRISONS" was erroneously entered

48. Monastery wear: COWLS. What a great word! The COWL (from French coule, itself from Latin cuculla, itself from Gaulish Celtic cucullos, which all originate from the Greek κουκούλα : koukoúla, meaning "hood") is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves.

Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak. In contemporary usage, however, it is distinguished from a cloak or cape (cappa) by the fact that it refers to an entire closed garment. Today it is worn primarily by most Catholic and Anglican monks when participating in liturgical services. Wikipedia

50. Type of exercising squat: LOW BAR. Video shows it better than I could describe it

53. Not up: IN BED. Where C-Moe is most mornings when this blog "goes live"

54. Two before Libra: LEO. And two after Libra is SAGITTARIUS

55. Paris airport: ORLY. The other is Charles DeGaulle

57. "Other people," to Sartre: HELL. “HELL is Other People.” That's actually a famous line from French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre's 1944 play, “No Exit.” In the play, three characters arrive in Hell

59. Sci-fi award: HUGO. The HUGO Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier award in science fiction. Wikipedia. Here are the 2020 winners

60. Sign: OMEN.

61. Light-footed: SPRY. Didn't I just have this word appear in last Friday's puzzle?

63. "Blessed __ the meek ... ": ARE. ". . .for they shall inherit the Earth. Matthew 5:5

65. JFK was born during it: WWI. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born May 29, 1917. World War I lasted from Jul 28, 1914 – Nov 11, 1918. During World War I JFK's father, Joseph P Kennedy, was an assistant general manager of a Boston area Bethlehem Steel shipyard; through that position, he became acquainted with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy

The grid:

 

Hey Moe! Did you forget something?? Oh, yeah, the clue and answer for 51-Across. It may be bid: ADIEU. What I am going to "bid" you all for awhile. Just taking a needed vacation. No details. Lots of driving, though. desper-otto will be doing my August blogs; and for me? Well, as the old song goes:

Notes from C.C.:

1) Have a fantastic trip, Moe!

2) Here's a sweet picture of Yellowrocks (Kathy) and her son David. I also dug out another picture from our Blog Picture archive. That one was taken in 2016.

 

Thursday, July 15, 2021, Grant Howell

 

Good morning, Cruciverbalists one and all!  It's time to rise and shine.  Let's shake out those cobwebs and continue our perpetual search for answers.  It might be a good idea to start by opening our eyes.

Today's puzzle setter is Grant Howell.  This writer was unable to find any LAT puzzles with his byline so this might be his LAT debut.  If that is incorrect, I hope that he will accept my sincere apologies.  If true, welcome, Grant!

THE AYES HAVE IT.  Or, the eyes have it.  Or, in this case, the I's (or the i's) have it.  How does one write the plural of the letter I?  We?  Is?

At four places in the grid our constructor has replaced the word "eye" in a common idiomatic expression with the letter "I".  He reveals this substitution at . . . .

54 ACROSS:  Payback phrase altered to provide a hint to solving four other puzzle answers: AN I FOR AN EYE.  Although an eye for an eye seems vengeful, the original intent was to restrict retribution to the value of the loss.

.  .  .  . and the substitution is employed as follows:

20 ACROSS:  Good-looking: EASY ON THE IS.  Easy on the eyes.  Nice to look at.

39 ACROSS:  Vegas loser, often: SNAKE IS.  Snake eyes.  In dice play, (e.g. backgammon or craps) a pair of ones, a single pip on each die.  The odds of doing this are one in thirty-six.  When shooting craps, if you roll Snake Eyes you lose instantly.

11 DOWN:  Affectionate idiom that originally referred to a pupil: APPLE OF MY I.  Apple of my eye.  As the clue says, the phrase originally referred to the "aperture at the center of the human eye" - the pupil.

29 DOWN:  Perch perspective: BIRDS I VIEW.  Bird's eye view.  These days, perhaps, a drone's camera view.

. . . . and here is how the rest of the clues and answers appear to our eyes . . . .

Across:

1. Big drink of water: GULP.  SWIG would have fit the allotted space but would not have worked out.

5. Choice: PLUM.  In this case, not the fruit itself but, rather, something that is desirable.

9. Pesky crawler: ROACH.  My father claimed that, as a child growing ip in NYC, he had learned to identify the gender and species of almost any roach.  There is no substitute for experience, I suppose.  My mother told me that I was named for my maternal grandfather.  Maybe not.

Joey The Roach

14. Like most eggs: OVAL.

15. Making people wait, maybe: LATE.  In the context that was presented, I first thought of RUDE.  The E worked.  Nothing else did.

16. Wolf pack leader: ALPHA.

17. Self-named 2000s sitcom set in Texas: REBA.

18. Somewhat: A TAD.  Until we check the surroundings, we never know if it will turn out to be A TAD or A BIT or A FEW or A  DAB.

19. Landlocked Asian country: NEPAL.

23. Awesome, in slang: LIT.  I was totally unfamiliar with this use of LIT.  It used to mean drunk.  Thanks, perps.

24. Chinese toy: PEKE.  A bit of misdirection intended to lead us to think of a kite, or of Chinese Checkers or maybe even something to do with the balance of trade.  Instead, we get a small, or "toy", dog.  In this case, a Pekingese or PEKE.

Wasabi.  Best In Show.  2021 Westminster Dog Show

25. Works a wedding: CATERS.  I first thought of  USHERS.  Ushes?  Too few letters.

27. Prince in a can?: ALBERT.  The old prank.  Phone a tobacco store and inquire of whoever answers, "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?"  "Yes."  "Well, then, please let him out!"

30. Classic film involving a split personality: PSYCHO.  Alfred's vision is deservedly a classic.  So is Mel's.

32. Chow __: MEIN.  MEIN is the Chinese word for noodles.  Chow means fried.  Lo means tossed.

33. Wind heard in Dion's "Abraham, Martin and John": OBOE.  More misdirection.  I kept running through the lyrics in my head trying to find something Mariah-like.  Instead we got instrumentation.  You'd think that I'd be on to this trick by now.

35. "The Metamorphosis" author: KAFKA.

38. Bag or ball lead-in: AIR.  An AIR bag is a passive safety device in an automobile.  An AIR ball is a shot in basketball that completely misses the basket, the rim, and the backboard.

41. Early 11th-century year: MII.  1002 A.D.  More i's.

42. Couldn't say no: HAD TO.

44. Help to withdraw: WEAN.

45. Many a gospel song: HYMN.

46. Run-scoring out: SAC FLY.  A baseball reference.  SACrifice FLY.

48. Lao-tzu follower: TAOIST.

The Tao of Pooh

50. "Peer Gynt Suite" dancer: ANITRA.  ANITRA is the daughter of a Bedouin chief and she steals Peer Gynt's money after he attempts to seduce her.

52. Put on: WEAR.

53. Rainbow mnemonic surname: BIV. Roy G. BIV.  Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet.

60. Jennyanydots' creator: ELIOT.  From T S Eliot's poem Cats.

 Jennyanydots - As portrayed in what some consider 

to be the worst movie ever made.

62. Farm house: COOP.

63. "The Favourite" actress Stone: EMMA.

64. The "A" in CDA, to an Idahoan: ALENE.  Coeur d'ALENE is a city in Idaho with a population of roughly 55,000 people.

65. Automaker Ferrari: ENZO.  The last name is eponymous.

Enzo Ferrari

66. Verbal quirks, like "y'know": TICS.  A frequent, often unconscious quirk of speech.  Below, The Waco Kid Exhibits a TIC.

67. Coolidge's VP: DAWES.

68. Texter's sign-off: TTYL.  Talk To You Later

69. "Right now!": STAT.   When used in a medical context.  We often see the editing mark STET.

Down:

1. 2000 presidential runner-up: GORE.  Albert Arnold Gore.

2. Pigmented eye layer: UVEA.  Appropriate for today.

3. Some yellow dogs: LABS.

4. New parent's purchase: PLAY PEN.

5. Mr. Krabs' nemesis: PLANKTON.  A SpongeBob SquarePants reference.

Plankton and Mr. Krabs

6. Dunkin' Donuts offering: LATTE.   In a wonderfully clever bit, Merl Reagle anagramed Dunkin to Unkind Donuts.  Now re-branded as, simply, Dunkin' the chain seems to be trying to be though of as more a purveyor of coffee than of donuts.

7. U.S. territory until 1896: UTAH.  The UTAH Territory included what became the State of Utah, most of what became the State of Nevada, and parts of what became the States of Colorado and Wyoming.

8. Ancient Persian: MEDE.  The MEDEs established an extensive empire in the 7th Century BCE.

9. Pillages: RANSACKS.  Via Middle English from Old Norse.  Literally,  house seek.

10. Cry after un gol: OLE.  Today's Spanish lesson with significant global overtones.

12. Committee leader: CHAIR.

13. Stops: HALTS.

21. Above, to a bard: O'ER.  Variant of OvER.

22. Like some stares: ICY.  We also get ICE T today at 55 Down.

26. Lil Wayne's "__ Carter III": THA.  The sixth studio album released by Lil Wayne (2008).

27. Asian nurse: AMAH.  A nursemaid frequently appearing in crossword puzzles.

28. Princess from Alderaan: LEIA.  A Star Wars reference. LEIA Skywalker Organa Solo.   Alderaan is the name of a planet.

 

30. Stir: POKEY.  Another bit of misdirection.  Hmmm, MIX IN?  BLEND?   Both have five letters.  Nope.  A riff on two slang terms for jail.  

31. "I __ red door and I want it painted black": Stones: SEE A.  A straight-forward fill-in-the-blank clue.

 

 34. Cry buckets: BAWL.

36. Basinger and Cattrall: KIMS.  I was unable to find a photo of KIM Basinger and KIM Cattrall together.  Like Batman and Bruce Wayne?

37. "If it __ broke ... ": AINT.  . . . don't fix it.  Another straight-forward fill-in-the-blank clue.

39. Ancient dialogues subject: SOCRATES.  Plato wrote approximately thirty-five dialogues in most of which SOCRATES is the main character.

Bill & Ted's Take on the Subject

40. Worldwide anti-crime group: INTERPOL.  Officially, The INTERnational Criminal POLice Organization.

43. Ankle pic: TAT.  A few alternative locations for a TATtoo come to mind.

45. Charlotte NBA team: HORNETS.  The professional basketball team.

47. Autograph seeker: FAN.  An ardent devotee or enthusiast.

49. Duracell size: AAA.

50. Draw __ on: aim at: A BEAD.

51. Wafer brand: NILLA.

52. Light-headed: WOOZY.

55. Very cool rapper?: ICE T.  Ice is very cool, as in cold.  ICE T is a well-known rap artist.

56. Type of type: FONT.  Clever clue.

57. Radiate: EMIT.

58. Disco hit with arm motions: YMCA.  As someone who has been known to wear a "Death Before Disco" T-shirt, I cannot bring myself to use the original here.  Subsequent to the last administration, most of the really good spoofs are too political for this blog.  So, let's go with something nerdy.

DMCA

59. Towards sunrise: EAST

61. Phone button with no letters: ONE.

. . . . and on that note (or tone) . . . .

____________________________________________________________

Wednesday, July 14, 2021, Darryl Gonzalez

Theme: OF COURSE!

17. *SofÌa Vergara's "Modern Family" role, to her nephews: AUNT GLORIA.

34. *Tree in a foyer: COAT RACK.

43. *Deletes: TAKES OUT.

11. *Highway warning: DANGER AHEAD.

24. *Conventioneer's stop on arrival: CHECKIN DESK.

 62. Green course ... and what the start of each answer to the starred clues is?: MIXED SALAD.

OF COURSE! The first words are anagrams of a kind of salad. The word MIXED indicates these were anagrams - and even so it took me way too long to figure this out.

AUNT = TUNA
COAT = TACO
TAKES = STEAK
DANGER = GARDEN
CHECKIN = CHICKEN

Across: 

1. Sudden sharp sensations: STABS. That cluing allows it to pass the breakfast test.

6. Place for a meal: CAFE. What's your favorite cafe?

10. Eldest "Bonanza" brother: ADAM. Portrayed by Pernell Roberts.

14. Oahu veranda: LANAI. AKA porch or veranda.

15. Mannheim mister: HERR. Conventional German title of respect and term of address for a man, corresponding to Mr. or in direct address to sir.

 16. Still-life subject: VASE. Not enough letters for fruit.

19. Signs: INKS. Not pens.

20. Opening words: INTRO.

21. Western movie staples: STAGES.

 

23. Deliverers of 20-Acrosses, briefly: MCS. Master of Ceremonies.

25. Small amount: DAB.

26. Place for a meal: EATERY. Another place for a meal.

27. Emmy winner Christine: LAHTI.

29. Eye protector: LID.

31. Maple Leafs, on scoreboards: TOR. Hockey - TORonto, Canada.

32. "Paper Moon" co-stars: O'NEALS. Ryan and Tatum - father and daughter.

38. Muscle spasm: TIC.

39. Lummox: OAF.

41. Nothing: NIL.

42. Longtime Eur. realm: HRE. A bit obscure, this refers to the Holy Roman Empire, located in western and central Europe and including parts of what is now France, Germany, and Italy. Dissolved in 1806.

46. Summer TV staple: REPEAT.

48. Natural ending?: IST. Naturalist.

49. "The Matrix" hero: NEO.

51. Liquid-Plumr shelfmate: DRANO.

52. Bug-eyed prayer: MANTIS.

55. Units of wt.: LBS.

57. Shelley's "__ to the West Wind": ODE. Another obscure one ... poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1819.

58. Correct, perhaps, as a check: RE-DATE. For work I count and date (with a date stamp) incoming mail daily - sometimes over 100 in a single day. I tend to do this chore while watching Netflix, thus both re-counting and re-dating are regular activities.

59. Colorado's __ Park: ESTES.

61. Champagne brand: MOET. If you like prosecco (Italian sparking wine), try Ruffino - great price, too.

67. Start of Massachusetts' motto: ENSE. Is this Wednesday? Another obscurity. 'Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem,' which means 'By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.'

 68. Fateful March date: IDES.

69. Persistent attack: SIEGE.

70. Sounds of disapproval: TSKS.

71. Mouth off to: SASS.

72. SpongeBob's home: OCEAN. Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

Down: 

1. P. Hearst's captors: SLA. Symbionese Liberation Army

2. Cross-shaped letter: TAU.

3. __ Wilson, lead singer of Heart: ANN. Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson.

4. Leader overthrown by Castro: BATISTA. Fulgencio Batista was president of Cuba from 1940 - 1944. 

5. Highway exit feature: SIGN.

6. Like many holiday concerts: CHORAL.

7. Type of exercise: AEROBIC.

8. Part of TGIF: Abbr.: FRI. Thank Goodness it's Friday.

9. Rub off: ERASE.

10. Howard Hughes, e.g.: AVIATOR.

12. One with questions: ASKER.

13. Unkempt: MESSY.

18. Ford classic: LTD. What did it stand for?

22. Told all: TATTLED.

23. Craze: MANIA.

27. Politician Trent: LOTT. Author and former United States Senator from Mississippi.

28. Homework shirker's lame excuse: I LOST IT.

30. Spanish noble title: DON. A courtesy title placed before the 1st name of an older or more senior man/woman as a way of showing them your respect when talking to them or about them.

 33. First word of some Brazilian cities: SAO.

35. __ conditioner: AIR.

36. Construction site sight: CRANE.

37. __ diet: high-fat, low-carb regimen: KETO.

40. Enjoyment: FUN.

44. Ritzy properties: ESTATES.

45. Old-fashioned messages: TELEXES.

47. Ordinary: PROSAIC. Having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty, commonplace; unromantic.
 

 

50. Persistently preoccupy: OBSESS.

52. N.L. mascot with a baseball head: MR MET.

53. Long times: AEONS.

54. Round before finals: SEMIS.

56. Part of CST: Abbr.: STD. Central Standard Time.

60. Standard Oil brand: ESSO.

63. Snake River st.: IDA. Idaho. The drainage basin covers part of six U.S. states: Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming.

  

64. Jeans brand: LEE.

65. Ottoman title: AGA. Person of high rank or social position.

66. Pride's place: DEN.