Thursday, September 16, 2021 Jeff Eddings

 

Today's constructor Jeff Eddings has appeared previously in the LA TIMES with these puzzles.  The following site contains a brief bio on Jeff and a freebie puzzle he constructed for them (I can't say anything more about it or they might have to shoot me!).  As an erstwhile cryptographer, Jeff apparently likes to hide things, and today he riffs on one of the many meanings of the word CLUB (card suit?, primitive weapon?, deformity?) and hides them in the themers.  In this case Jeff intends them as: 

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Here's the reveal:

60A. Order served with toothpicks ... and what each of the other four longest answers is?: CLUB SANDWICH.  That is, a group of people sharing a common interest, held together by toast and toothpicks.  Here's the toast and meat:

17A. Alternative medicine treatment: AROMATHERAPY.  The toast in this sandwich is Aromatherapy, a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote health and well-being.  And I suppose that MATH is a form of therapy to some of our more quantitatively minded Cornerites, e.g. Anonymous -T, Picard, and Jayce (did I miss anybody?).  Were any of you guys in MATH CLUBS as kids?

25A. Publicity packages: PRESS KITS.  A CSO to my ALTER EGO JOE, who had to have learned to SKI somewhere.  As for the toast, if any of you have something to hype or sell, you might find this helpful.

36A. "Night on Bald Mountain" inspiration: WITCHES SABBATH.  The only one of these clubs I was in as a kid, but as I was routinely trounced by my BFF, I eventually switched to GO.  Which I can best describe as CHESS:EUROPE::GO:ASIA.  As for the toast, here's the version of Moussorgsky's  masterpiece used in the 1941 version of Disney's masterpiece Fantasia (11:30):

 52A. Perspicacious: EAGLE EYED.  I have mixed feelings about this, as I have painful memories of flubbing my 4th grade audition for the school chorus.  But these kids really made it:

Oh, and the toast:
 

Come to think of it we're a CRUCIVERBALIST CLUB toasted at sunset each day by Tinbeni!

Now there's nothing more to hide:

Across:

1. Disappearing sounds: POOFS.  Say poof to this and it'll disappear!
 

6. Bridge support: TRUSS.  A structure of connected elements forming triangular units used to support a bridge.  Here's how they work.

Truss Designs

11. __ rule: ASA.

14. Principle: TENET.

  15. Arrived at a dock, perhaps, with "to": SWAM UP.  Small docks I hope.  I wouldn't want to get hit by a yacht!

16. Bars often scanned, for short: UPC. The Universal Product Code is a barcode symbology that is used worldwide for tracking trade items in stores.  There are many different standards for generating bar codes and also QC codes (2 dimensional codes).  That's the great thing about standards - there are so many of them!   Here's a barcode I generated using a freeware CODE 39 generator (which can include alpha characters) to uniquely identify today's LA Times Crossword puzzle:
 

19. Masters figure: PAR.  This refers to a score, not a player.  I never learned to play golf, as I'm a lefty.  If I'd been lucky enough to know lefty Phil Mickelson, he might have lent me some old clubs.  In May 2021 at age 50, Phil became the oldest player to win the PGA Championship:
 

Phil Mickelson

20. "Where are you?" response, perhaps: IN HERE.  So are you!

21. Staple of African food: TARO.  I've seen this in the grocery stores, but didn't know what it is, as it's usually unlabelled. Taro: What It Is And How To Eat It.

22. Poet Gorman who read at President Biden's inauguration: AMANDA.  She read her poem The Hill We Climb:

29. Puts up a fight: RESISTS.

31. Tijuana titles: SENORAS.  Ladies. The start of today's multi-word Spanish lesson and a CSO to our lady Lucina.

32. FEMA supplies: COTS.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency has really been stressed the last few years in dealing with major storms and fires.  Here's what they're about.
 

33. High-end Apple line: MAC PRO.

42. Arrive, as clouds: ROLLIN.

43. Take in a heist: LOOT.

45. Market in advance: PRE SELL.

transitive verb

1 : to precondition (someone, such as a customer) for subsequent purchase or create advance demand for (something, such as a product) especially through marketing strategies

2 : to sell in advance raised money to publish the book by pre selling film rights

See "25A. Publicity packages" for one way to do this.

49. Stuffy: AIRLESS.

55. "¿Cuánto __?": "How much is it?": CUESTA.  More Spanish.

56. More than listen: OBEY.  Last Friday this was clued with "Mind".

57. Lengthy account: LITANY.  The kind of accounts I give perhaps?  But I'm more familiar with the term as a lengthy prayer, usually with many repetitions, pleading for divine help. 

59. "Washington Week" airer: PBS.

66. English __: LIT.

67. Phillips 66 brand: CONOCO.

68. Former first daughter: MALIA.  Barrack and Michelle's oldest.

Malia Obama

69. Exobiology subj.: ETS.  Clever clue for that crossword staple, Extra Terrestrials.  However the science of Exobiology (aka Astrobiology) is a much broader topic than just looking for "bug-eyed monsters".  It is closely related to SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.  Progress in these fields can be best summed by physicist Enrico Fermi's rhetorical question regarding extraterrestrial life: "Well where are they?", best answered by an unknown Zen master: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

70. Holds up: SLOWS.

71. "Battlestar Galactica" enemy: CYLON.  Speaking of bug-eyed monsters:

Down:

1. School support gp.: PTA.

2. Poetic adverb: OER.

3. Tokyo's Yoko: ONO.  Those juicy vowels keep bring her back.  But this time I'll pass.

4. Like "The Handmaid's Tale," to many critics (but not to the author): FEMINIST.  The clue seems to apply to the novel written by Margaret Atwood, rather than the later TV series based on it.  Here's a review of the novel which at least partially supports Jeff Eddings' caveat.
 

Margaret Atwood

5. Arena section: STANDS.

6. Squirt: TWERP.  A silly or annoying person.
 

7. Less cooked: RARER.  I like mine to MOO.

8. Thurman of "Batman & Robin": UMA.  If this review had been written by Roger Ebert, he might have told the producer "Your Movie Sucks", but I'll let you decide for yourself.  Here's the allegedly "best scene" in the show:

9. "Yo, what's new?": SUP. Derived from the English phrase, "What is up?"

10. Word with glass or ware: SPY.  We did the SPYWARE in Jeff's BIO.  How about SPYGLASS, an essential tool for pirates.  Nowadays they're called REFRACTING TELESCOPES.  Here's the largest one in the world.  BTW, International Talk Like a Pirate Day is just 3 days from now.

11. Worker with a host family: AU PAIR.  4 gluey vowels - count 'em.  Could be why this is the fourth time I've drawn this clue.

12. Helen's homeland: SPARTA.  She really stirred up a hornet's nest all over the Mediterranean.  Hey, I thought Greeks had black hair?

Helen of Troy
(for about 10 years)

 

13. To the opposite side of: ACROSS.  These are the DOWNS actually.

15. Pop duo __ & Him: SHE.  She & Him is an American musical duo consisting of Zooey Deschanel (vocals, piano, ukulele) and M. Ward (guitar, production).  They were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for "So Long" in Winnie the Pooh (2012):

18. Unnamed object: THAT. So what is it?  My mother told me it was impolite to point.

21. Ring ref's decision: TKO.  Technical Knock Out.  The ref's judgement that the loser has suffered enough.

22. Hoops three-point line, e.g.: ARC.  The three-point line in basketball is an arc-shaped line near each basket that determines how many points a successful shot is worth in basketball. If a shot is made from on or inside this line, it is worth two points. If the shot is made from beyond the line it is worth three points.

23. "Where's my Fancy Feast?": MEOW.  I'm so glad Hahtoolah is back!

24. Bubbly brand: ASTI.  Everything you might want to know about Asti Spumante.

26. Land bordering los Pirineos: ESPANA.  Pirineos is  Spanish for the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France.  In 1999 Teri and I visited the little town of Lourdes,  nestled at the foot of the Pyrenees on the French side.  We will always remember the roar of the rapidly flowing Gave de Pau river as it passed our hotel, just below our window.  Lourdes is where a 14 year old peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous had a series of visions between February 11th and  July 16th of 1858. 

27. Belgrade native: SERB.  After WWII my Uncle Eli came from Serbia to England, where he met and married my Aunt Evelyn.  They immigrated to the US and he went to work in the steel mills in Gary, Indiana.  He was quite a character.  He made wine by the barrel, moonshine by the gallon, and he played whistles that he whittled from little green twigs.

28. Classist type: SNOB.

30. Foul: SMELLY.

34. Silent speech syst.: ASL.  American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages, with grammar that differs from English.

I Love You

35. CBS series with multiple spin-offs: CSI.

37. First Nations tribe: CREE.  One of the largest native groups in North America, the name “Cree” comes from “Kristineaux”, or “Kri” for short; a name given to them by French fur traders.
 

Plains Cree Warrior
by George Catlin, 1832.

38. Doughnut __: HOLE.

39. Common dumpster spot: ALLEYWAY.

40. Ring sites: TOES.  EARS didn't perp and when TOES appeared I thought it was some HIP new craze.  They turn out to be a centuries old tradition in India.  A toe ring (also known as bicchiya) is commonly worn by married Hindu women in India. The bicchiya are worn on the second toe of each foot and are usually made of silver metal.

Toe Rings

41. Entertain: HOST.

44. Airport safety org.: TSA.  The Transportation Security Administration was founded 20 years ago in the aftermath of 9/11, events that are still on our minds.

45. Folks: PEOPLE.

46. Peter or Jessica: RABBIT.  Jessica Rabbit is a fictional character in the animated movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit, voiced by Kathleen Turner. 

Peter Rabbit is another cartoon character who inhabits a universe created by English author, illustrator, and philanthropist Beatrix Potter. Full disclosure: as a gardener I'm not particularly fond of rabbits:  in fact I earned the moniker Farmer McGregor from the two little girls who used to live next store.  However I've softened a bit after visiting Miss Potter's estate in England (and also after putting up a rodent proof deer fence!).  Miss Potter wrote many tales about Peter Rabbit, each published in a series of beautiful little books.  And eventually someone told a tale about her:

47. Expels: EGESTS.

48. Calculating: SLY.

50. "Leave it to me": I CAN.

51. '80s hip-hop pioneers: RUN DMC.  Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell.  Here's their take on the nursery rhyme Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers and some other rhymes as well (these are the lyrics):

53. Macaroni type: ELBOW.

54. Brake parts: DISCS.  Not something you want to take for granted.  Here's how all the parts fit together.

58. Yin/yang principle: TAO. Roughly the union of the Female and Male principles.  Formulated by the great Chinese philosopher (a CSO to C.C.!) LAO TZU. He is the reputed author of the I Ching, a book of divination; the founder of philosophical Taoism; and is also considered a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions.  His influence was also widespread in the West, particularly among physicists pondering the mysteries of quantum mechanics.  The great physicist Niels Bohr actually incorporated the Yin/Yang symbol in his family crest.  The Latin scroll "Contraria Sunt Complenta" translates as "Contraries are Complementary":

Niels Bohr's family crest

60. Loops in, briefly: CCS.  Courtesy Copies ("Carbon copies" back in the day)

61. Texter's chuckle: LOL.

62. One in Mexico: UNO.  "Así termina la lección de español de hoy".

63. Far less than 100%: ILL.

64. AFL partner: CIO.  The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO:

65. Solo of "Star Wars": HAN.  Smuggler. Scoundrel. Hero. Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon, was one of the great leaders of the Rebel Alliance. He and his co-pilot Chewbacca came to believe in the cause of galactic freedom, joining Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa in the fight against the Empire.  He died tragically, at the hand of his son Kylo Ren, in The Force Awakens:
 

Han Solo, RIP

Here's the grid:

waseeley

Cheers,
Bill

And again thanks to Teri for proof-reading the puzzle and finding videos for Amanda Gorman and the Gave Pau river.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 Stephanie Lesser

Theme: I'm So Delighted

17A. Delighted: OVER THE MOON.

36A. Delighted: GLEEFUL.

53A. Delighted: BEYOND HAPPY.

11D. Delighted: TICKLED PINK.

25. Delighted: ON CLOUD NINE.

Boomer here again, happily filling in another blog slot. Congrats to Stephanie Lesser for her LA Times debut.

I guess you could say that I am beyond happy, Tickled Pink, On Cloud Nine and over the Rainbow to be able to blog and continue my bowling leagues and coaching the kids.  "Things are seldom what they seem. Skim milk masquerades as cream."

Across:

1. Wine, with "the": GRAPE.  With my medicine, I am not even allowed one drop of alcohol.  I never much like wine anyway.

6. Athletic gripper: CLEAT.  I have these plastic CLEATS on my golf shoes.  I guess that's all you are allowed to have anymore.

11. 5 mL, in some recipes: TSP.

14. Big state: TEXAS.  I have a pal in TEXAS.  It's been in the BIG NEWS recently.  

15. Believer in karma: HINDU.

16. Order from a stool, maybe: IPA.  BEER has too many letters.

19. Cartoon collectible: CEL.  I have never seen nor owned one.

20. Back-combs: TEASES.  Most look ridiculous.

21. __ sock: ANKLE.  That's all that I own

23. Last one in, competitively: SLOWEST.  No medal in Tokyo this summer.

26. Folklore cave dwellers: TROLLS.

27. Jipijapa hat, familiarly: PANAMA.

28. Call it a day: GO HOME.  I already AM HOME !

30. Stephen Hawking's journalist daughter: LUCY.  Also Charlie Brown's girlfriend.

31. Mouth-watering reaction?: DROOL.

32. Forest female: DOE.  DOE a deer, a female deer, Ray a drop of golden sun.  Me a name I call myself...... The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music.

35. Not online, briefly: IRL. In Real Life.

38. Bit of wordplay: PUN.  Yes, I have been accused.

39. Eastern principle: TAO.

40. Theater parts: ROLES.  I have mentioned it before.  I was Noye in Benjamin Britton's "Noye's Fludde". Britton was a lousy speller.

41. Listen to: MIND.  Your Manners.

42. Log-in need: USER ID.  And a Password.  Do not use "PASSWORD"...Really.

44. The "P" in TAFKAP: PRINCE.  TAFKAP stands for The Artist Formely Know As Prince. Minnesota guy remembered by "Purple Rain".

46. "No doubt": INDEED.

48. Kept from leaking, in a way: CAULKED.  This stuff is normally a big mess to work with.

49. Spun flax fabric: LINEN.

50. Sear and simmer: BRAISE.

52. "__ dreaming?": AM I.  Jack Horner put his thumb in a pie and said what a good boy "AM I".

58. Prefix with dairy or fat: NON.  I need NON sugar.

59. Math calculations: AREAS.  Two and Two are Four, Four and Four are Eight.  Tom Paxtom learned it in school.

60. Mild oath: EGADS.

61. "Affirmative, cap'n": AYE.  In the Navy of course.  Soldiers just said YES SIR.

62. Like survey questions with two boxes: YES NO.

63. Stick-on decoration: DECAL.  I never use these.  I think cars with those things stuck on the windows brag.

Down:

1. Trailblazer in the muscle car category: GTO.  Three deuces and a four speed, and a 389. So says Jan & Dean.

2. Gun for a race: REV.

3. Tool that's swung: AXE.  Larry Hennig's Nickname

4. At some point during a trip, say: PARTWAY.

5. Great regard: ESTEEM.

6. Storage furniture: CHEST.  I do not have any furniture in my CHEST.

7. Margarita garnish: LIME.  Parsley Sage, Rosemary and Lime.

8. Ten-time all-star Slaughter: ENOS.  We just had him.

9. It may be about nothing: ADO.  It could be a bad call by an umpire?

10. Sushi choice: TUNA ROLL.

12. Be in a bee: SPELL.  Could be a cold ___ in bowling.

13. Doesn't measure up: PALES.

18. "It __ familiar ring to it": HAS A.

22. Word on a French passport: NOM.  I have never had a French Passport.  Only fries and toast.

23. Took off: SPLIT.  I have had plenty of these.  A pocket 7-10 is the worst.

24. Dern or Linney: LAURA.

26. Bank heist unit: THOU.  I think we used to say this in church.  I never knew that it was about a bank robbery.

28. One of the deadly sins: GREED.

29. Comics punch lines?: OOFS.

31. Sandwich seller: DELI.

33. Unit of perfume: OUNCE.

34. Wrapped up: ENDED.  Not quite.  We are almost there.

36. Packers home: GREEN BAY.  Yes indeed.  Stadium named after Curly Lambeau.  I think he was on of the three stooges.

37. Voldemort's title: LORD.

41. It's unlimited with some rentals: MILEAGE.

43. Take in: SEE.  "I SEE" said the blind man.  But he really didn't.

44. Forked over: PAID.  I usually use a credit card and not a fork.

45. Didn't dawdle: RUSHED.

46. Comedian Glazer: ILANA.

47. Longtime Shatner co-star: NIMOY.

48. Affirmative playground retort: CAN SO.  No you can't.

50. Tourney passes: BYES.  For the Vikings in the NFL tourney it's either BYE or Good BYE. 

51. Horse of a certain color: ROAN.  In the "Wizard of Oz" it's a horse of a different color.

54. Old-timey "before": ERE.

55. Ms. __-Man: PAC.  I beat the heck out of Pac-Man at Great America park in Northern Illinois.  I did not play Ms. Pacman too much but I was nice to her.

56. Acronym for unabashed intimacy: PDA. Public Display of Affection.

57. DKNY competitor: YSL.  I have no idea what this means.  Must be only for better crossword solvers than I.

Boomer

 

Tuesday, September 14, 2021 Mark McClain

Bourgeois Bohemians.  The circles provide the links to the two BOs found in each theme answer.

20-Across. 2002 Hugh Grant film based on a Nick Hornby novel: ABOUT A BOY.

30-Across. Gobbledygook: MUMBO JUMBO.

41-Across. Three-time All-Star outfielder whose son was a seven-time N.L. MVP: BOBBY BONDS.

And the Unifier:

55-Across. Birds with short finch-like bills ... or, what the sets of circled letters literally are?: BOBOLINKS.  Everything you ever wanted to know about these small songbirds.

I am placing the Grid here today, so you can easily see the "links" to the BOs.  The letters in the circles are just nonsense.

Across:

1. Sarah __, first woman governor of Alaska: PALIN.  Sarah Palin (b. Feb. 11, 1964) was the 9th Governor of Alaska.  She served as Governor from 2006 until she resigned 3 years later.  She looks alot like actress Tina Fey.

6. Academic acronym: STEM.  Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

10. Chem class rooms: LABS.  Chemistry is one of the S's in STEM classes.

14. Therapy prefix: AROMA.  Aromatherapy is a pseudoscience, so probably doesn't qualify for STEM.

15. Cardamom-infused tea: CHAI.  Here is one recipe for making your own Chai Tea.

16. Tierra en el mar: ISLA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Land in the sea is an Island.  Hi, Lucina!

17. Blue Ribbon beer: PABST.  The history of the name of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

18. Heavenly bear: URSA.  Ursa Major is also known as the Big Dipper.

19. Small bottle: VIAL.

22. Ogre, for one: BEAST.  //  And 52-Across. Shrek's love: FIONA.

23. Post-injury regimen: REHAB.

24. Delicate: DAINTY.  In cleaning out my parents' house, I came across a delicate lace dress that belonged to my grandmother.  It is over 100 years old.  The dress looked a lot like the one pictured below.

25. Strong, as a storm: SEVERE.  Like Hurricane Ida.

28. Reunion attendee: AUNT.

29. Signal from the wings: CUE.  Think of an actor on stage who needs help with his lines.

36. Symbol on several PC keys: ARROW.

39. Long-handled tool: HOE.

40. Puccini specialty: OPERA.  Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858 ~ Nov. 29, 1924) wrote numerous operas.  He is probably best known for La Bohème and Madama Butterfly.

44. Title for Richard Starkey: SIR.  That's Sir Ringo to you.

45. RPM indicator: TACH.

46. Drum kit cymbals: HI HATS.

49. Put under: SEDATE.

54. Blond hair, e.g.: TRAIT.

59. Come by honestly: EARN.

60. First name in desserts: SARA.  

61. Bull-riding venue: ARENA.  A dangerous sport.

62. "__ sow ... ": AS YE.  A Biblical phrase:  As ye sow, so shall ye reap ...

63. A bit open: AJAR.  When is a door not a door ...

64. Wastes time: IDLES.

65. Canasta combination: MELD.  Rules of Canasta.

66. Foots the bill: PAYS.

67. Parcels (out): DOLES.

Down:
1. Fairy tale bear: PAPA.

2. Part of UAE: ARAB.  As in the United Arab Emirates.

3. ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca: LOBO.  A lone BO.

4. "There's no doubt!": I'M SURE.

5. Talk aimlessly: NATTER.  Nattering nabobs of negativism.

6. Diving acronym: SCUBA.  Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

7. Pulsate: THROB.

8. "Settle down!": EASY.

9. Soccer great Hamm: MIA.  Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) has now retired from playing soccer.

10. Have a ball: LIVE IT UP.

11. Lao or Thai: ASIAN.

12. __ from the past: nostalgic event: BLAST.

13. Like pretzels: SALTY.

21. "May I speak?": AHEM.

22. Bluegrass band staple: BANJO.

24. Hall & Oates, e.g.: DUO.

25. Nature's bandage: SCAB.  Yuck!

26. Costa del Sol coin: EURO.  Costa del Sol is in Spain, hence, the most common Euro you will find there will be one featuring Spanish designs.  Each Euro has a National side, which features pictures of its country.  Rather like the State Quarters that were minted in the United States.

27. Trick or treat: VERB.

28. Under the covers: ABED.

31. "This isn't good": UH, OH!

32. Part of "MNF," an in-season wkly. sports broadcast: MON.  As in Monday Night Football.

33. Spanish for "table": MESA.  Also the name of a town in Arizona and a CSO to our Arizona contingent.

34. One with a tyre in his boot, perhaps: BRIT.

35. Scull crew: OARS.

37. Managed to get: OBTAINED.

38. Tombstone first name: WYATT.

42. Letters in early dates: BCE.  Before the Common Era.

43. Chase away: SHOO.

47. Like mosaic tiles: INLAID.  We saw some of the most amazine mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily.

48. Salon creation: HAIR DO.

49. Teakettle output: STEAM.  Remove the A and you have STEM.

50. Backspace over: ERASE.

51. Hannah of "Splash": DARYL.  We never saw much more of Daryl Hannah (née Daryl Christine Hanna; b. Dec. 3, 1960) after this 1984 movie came out.

52. New venture: FORAY.

53. Structural beams: I-BARS.

55. Gulf of California peninsula: BAJA.

56. 1994 Jodie Foster title role: NELL.

57. "Trick" joint: KNEE.

58. Disrespectful talk: SASS.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

60. Botanical fluid: SAP.  This makes me think of the maple trees in Vermont.

That's all for today folks!  See you next week.

חתולה

Monday September 13, 2021 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Vowel Movement B*TT.

17. One of two rectangles next to home plate: BATTERS BOX.

25. Cartoon flapper: BETTY BOOP.

37. Last step, however difficult: BITTER END.

52. "Cheers!": BOTTOMS UP.

63. Called from the rear?: BUTT-DIALED.

Boomer here.  

Do not put too much BUTTER on your popcorn.  Bowling season is in full swing and my games leave a little to hope for and I have returned to coaching High School bowling for my alma mater.  The high schoolers are fun to work with and the head coach appreciates my help and so do the parents of the kids.  Makes me feel good.

Across:

1. Fried __, popular Chinese food order: RICE.  I am a bigger fan of Minnesota wild rice.  I think C.C. is also.

5. Coffee that probably won't keep you up: DECAF.  No thank you.  I need caffeine to bowl. 

10. Engrossed: RAPT.

14. Tehran's land: IRAN.  Many times when I hit a baseball, I RAN to first.

15. Norwegian king, 995-1000: OLAF I.  In Northfield, Minnesota stands St. Olaf College.  Very elite.

16. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO.

19. New Mexico art community: TAOS.

20. Move like Miley: TWERK.

21. Butcher's cut: LOIN.  Sir or Tender??

23. CD predecessors: LPS.  I still have some of my old albums.  Chad Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles.  But nothing to play them on anymore.

24. Absorb the lesson: LEARN.  I am giving the High School kids a lesson in bowling.

27. Sick: ILL.

28. Corn serving: EAR.  I thought it came in a can.

30. Dogie catcher: LASSO.

31. Youngster: TYKE.

33. Boxing match venue: RING.  Around the Rosie.  Please do not put one in your nosey.

36. First stage, as of an illness: ONSET.  There still seems to be a lot of this Delta variant going around.  C.C. and I wear masks whenever we go out.

40. Tut-tutted: TSKED.

43. ER doc's "Now!": STAT.  Also the press keeping track of home runs or yards gained.

44. Glasses, in adspeak: SPEX.

48. Arcade pioneer: ATARI.  Yup, I had a few games years ago.  They were kind of primitive to what is out there today.

49. "Casablanca" pianist: SAM.  Play it again. See also 68. "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA.  1942 - before my time.  Humphrey Bogart.

51. NYC's Madison or Fifth: AVE.  Grant AVE, San Francisco, California USA.  

56. Fall flower: ASTER.  John Jacob.

58. Divided Asian country: Abbr.: KOR.  They make cars in the South.

59. Not worth debating: MOOT.

60. Prefix with face or faith: INTER. Or state or fere or change, or a lot more.

61. Falco of "The Sopranos": EDIE.

66. Egg foo __: YUNG.  I always thought it was Egg foo YOUNG.

67. River to the Rhone: ISERE.

69. Fix, vet-style: SPAY.

70. Calif. NFLer: LA RAM.  Curly horns on their helmets.

71. "Phooey!": RATS.

Down:

1. Tease: RIB.  Best when barbequed.

2. With extreme anger: IRATELY.  Sometimes the puzzle may do it to you.

3. Fashion runway: CATWALK.

4. "Come in!": ENTER.

5. Nerdy type: DORK.  Now there's a word I have not heard six sixth grade.

6. Raised city trains: ELS.  Senior PGA pro Ernie.

7. Computer cord: CABLE.  We quit our CABLE TV long ago and went to the Satellite dish. 

8. In progress, as Sherlock's "game": AFOOT.  In an old game of poker now and then I would get a hand like A FOOT.

9. Handy "Mr.": FIX-IT.

10. "Hogwash!": ROT.  Poor hogs.  They cannot take a bath without a nasty remark.

11. With "for," unable to think of, as words: AT A LOSS.  Within the Sounds of Silence. Paul Simon.

12. Say, "Will you marry me?": PROPOSE.

13. Drunkard: TOSS-POT.  I believe this is when you are stopped for drunk driving so you toss your marijuana out the window.

18. Sea eagle: ERNE.

22. Hosiery material: NYLON.  Made of synthetic plastic and ladies wear them as socks.

24. Illuminated: LIT.

25. Telly watchers: BRITS.

26. Styx and Stones: BANDS.  The Rolling Stones are coming to Minneapolis this fall. I am not a big fan anyway, but it seems like it could be a Covid  event waiting to happen.

29. Paintings on a wall, for instance: ART.  Paul Simon's buddy.  Not anymore.

32. Film critic Roger: EBERT.  Not anymore.  He left us in 2013 - cancer.

34. Ping-Pong table divider: NET.  It's only about 4 inches high but caught a lot of balls.

35. Comprehend: GRASP.

38. "Eat crow" or "talk turkey": IDIOM.

39. Expected-in hr.: ETA.

40. Indent producers, on a PC: TAB KEYS.

41. Got to one's feet: STOOD UP.  Difficult for me in low chairs at bowling centers.

42. Catastrophic New Orleans hurricane: KATRINA.  Too many letters for IDA.

45. Kneecap: PATELLA.

46. World's highest mountain: EVEREST.  I wonder if mountain climbers EVER REST while climbing it.

47. Child of a boomer: XER.

50. Pedi partner: MANI.

53. Shell competitor: MOBIL.

54. "Stars and Stripes Forever" composer: SOUSA.  "Hurrah for our flag of the free, May it wave as our standard forever."

55. Give voice to: UTTER.

57. Word with case or way: STAIR.  I just call them STAIRS.

60. Footnote word: IDEM.

62. IOC country code between ECU and ERI: EGY. Egypt.

64. __-la-la: TRA.

65. Prosecutors, for short: DAS. District Attorneys.

Boomer