Saturday, September 25, 2021, Adrian Johnson

 Saturday Themeless by Adrian Johnson 

I first encountered Adrian on Feb. 13 of this year when he co-authored a Saturday themeless with Jeff Chen. Today we have a solo puzzle by Adrian with a very striking grid design. Adrian's comments:

Hi all,

It’s great to be back in the LA Times, and I’m excited to share my take on one of the most iconic themeless patterns of recent memory with you this weekend. 

 

I started with a NE crossing of PR BLITZ & ZEDONKS (A ZEDONK with mom and dad - hg), which I thought was a fun, lively and scrabbly launching point for my creative thinking (though it didn’t survive my final edits). When I moved south and got JALISCO/JUKEBOX/XY PLANE to work in the SE, I knew I was onto something. My favorite clues that survived edits are 18A (which I owe to Brad Wilber), 41A and 41D, while my favorite entries are 15A, 1D and 8D.

 

Ultimately, I’m delighted by the end product, a feeling not based on how I might judge a “fun” or “lively” crossword, but instead rooted in the variety of words and phrases I was able to fit into the puzzle. The grid’s 36 7-letter entries give ample opportunity for a constructor to push themselves to develop an engaging picture of our world using many parts of life and culture, forcing solvers to stretch their brain and use all their knowledge to get to a victorious finish. In just one corner of this grid you get Mexican geography, French language, English playwriting, two musical entries that couldn’t be more different, some math, a cleaning agent and a tedious synonym. That kind of diversity is what makes me the happiest when reminiscing on this year-old crossword.

Thank you for taking a crossword journey with me on this fine Saturday, and I hope you enjoyed the puzzle! 

Adrian said to feel free to contact him: Adrian johnson435 at gmail

-AJ

Across

1. P.D.Q. Bach's "Iphigenia in Brooklyn," e.g.: CANTATA - (CANTATA - hg) Peter Schickele's group performs many fun pieces mocking classical music and this is one of them. Here is some of this silliness

8. Dumpling cooker, perhaps: STEAMER - I wrote to C.C. and told her I'd bet a lot of money that she has a bamboo STEAMER. Her reply: "You lose! We have a small kitchen. These steamers are so bulky. In China, all families have steamers. Chinese don't bake bread. We steam mantou (Chinese bread)."

15. So cool it hurts: UBER HIP - The hippest of the hip

16. Cost of winging it?: AIRFARE - One of  Adrian's favorite clues. 

17. Court figures: LAWYERS - William Jennings Bryan v. Clarence Darrow is a very famous pairing

18. Bistro cheese?: MAITRED - A MAÎTRE D is a "big cheese" in a restaurant. I struggled for the name of a cheese and then for recognizing the French word I had generated but got 'er done. As  you read, Adrian credits Brad Wilber with this cluing 

19. "90 Day Fiancé" airer: TLC - Google if you must

20. Fireballs, e.g.: METEORS - Pieces of space rock that usually just burn up in the Earth's atmosphere can be streaking across the sky in this long exposure picture 

22. Kings, on NBA scoreboards: SAC - Even Omaha was a part of  this family tree from 1973 - 1975

23. Ungulate feature: HOOF - Good advice I seldom heed

25. Music with conga drums: SALSA - Desi Arnaz's/Ricky Ricardo's instrument of choice

26. Nigerian pop star: SADE - Let's take a nice, smooth jazz break

27. Get a tat: INK UP.

29. Connection: TIE.

30. ESPN analyst Rose: JALEN and 47. Net support: RIM - Those RIMS are now spring loaded so they don't break off when guys like JALEN Rose  dunk on them

31. Adolescents: TEENERS - Okay, if Merriman Webster says so...

33. Samovar transport: TEA CART - Samovar

35. Bit of hope: RAY.

36. German gripe: ACH - ACH du Lieber! 

37. Offered as proof: ADDUCED.

41. Pay-to-play system: JUKEBOX - This scene would not pass the woke test today

45. Director Sergio: LEONE - He  and Clint made several "spaghetti westerns" and I'll bet you can translate the title below (hint: puñado means fistful - hg)

46. Sr. income source: IRA.

48. Emotionless: STONY.

49. Streaming concerns: LAGS - A new ISP is coming to our town and promises much faster downloads

50. Skate park features: RAILS - What could possibly go wrong?

52. Leader of a popular breakfast trio: SNAP, Crackle and Pop. A great item in your Keto diet.

53. ER personnel: MDS.

54. "Heather Has Two __": 1989 children's book: MOMMIES - My neighbor's grandson has two MOMMIES and they are both lovely people.

56. Buck Henry was the first to host it five times, briefly: SNL - Who knew it would be a big hit in TV and crosswords?

57. "Do we have the ok?": IS IT A GO - Our constructors' request to Rich. Rich's reply, "Yeah, were' going to give it a 4. Shot: TRY."

59. Common cleanser: SAL SODA - It's been around for decades 

61. Habitual surfer: NETIZEN.

62. Medieval trumpet: CLARION.

63. London area: EASTEND.

64. "The Entertainer" playwright: OSBORNE.

Down:

1. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," e.g.: CULT HIT - Ya think?

2. Awabi sushi mollusk: ABALONE.

3. Unsuccessful rollout that tried to imitate Pepsi: NEW COKE - The Edsel of soft drinks

5. "I'm talking now": AHEM - "I didn't mean to talk while you're interrupting" 

6. Rotation targets: TIRES - Most say you should rotate your tires every 7,500 miles

7. High-level H.S. math course: AP STATS.

8. Abenaki leader who first contacted Plymouth settlers: SAMOSET - He is said to have wandered into the Plymouth camp and asked for some beer in English which he learned from British sailors with whom he had had contact on the coast

9. Crown: TIARA.

10. Goddess of discord: ERIS - Here ya go

11. Sailor's direction: AFT.

12. Wine used to flavor zabaglione: MARSALA.

13. Modern book case?: E-READER.

14. Trifling sum: RED CENT - Derivation

21. Certain Ivy Leaguer: ELI.

24. Community-building races: FUN RUNS - FUN and RUN in the same sentence?

26. Potpourri packets: SACHETS.

28. Parting word: PEACE - The one-word sign off word for the host of the original Today Show, Dave Garroway

30. Pickup game: JACKS - The set I had

32. Manhattan liquor: RYE -  2 oz RYE or Canadian whisky, 3/4 oz Sweet red vermouth, Dash Angostura bitters, Maraschino cherry (Garnish)

34. Café freebie: EAU

37. Hardly sharing words: ALL MINE.

38. Jordan River outlet: DEAD SEA.

39. Monitors a Lab, say: DOG SITS - Uh, that lab is a canine, not a scientific area

40. Place to play ball: DIAMOND.

41. State known for its tequila: JALISCO - Blue Agave plants used to make tequila in a field near Tequila, Mexico in the state of Jalisco 

42. Lyon greeting: BON SOIR - Good Evening in Lyon and the rest of France

43. Without respite: ON AND ON.

44. Where many plots are made: XY PLANE - Plot these points in an XY PLANE (Cartesian Plane), join the points and you got yourself a triangle 

50. Seth who played Wozniak in "Steve Jobs": ROGEN - ROGEN and Woz below

51. Makes watertight: SEALS.

54. Place to use an exit strategy: MAZE.

55. Rock quarry unit: SLAB - This quarry in Carrara, Italy produced the SLAB that Michelangelo used for the David

58. Start of a fair exchange: TIT - TIT for tat

60. Sign of success: SRO - Husker VB has a streak of 270 consecutive sellouts and so Standing Room Only tickets are all that are available for games

Friday, September 24, 2021, Margit Christenson

 Title: Speak up, no need for all the hemming and hawing.

I am pleased to welcome the debut LAT puzzle from a Nurse Practitioner from New Mexico for whom September seems to be a special month. Her first published puzzle was September 23 2020 a NYT with a picture ( a wonderful mini-me pic with her child) and some comments. And now a year and a day later...

The first thing that jumps out is that this is not a traditional Friday; three themers and a reveal that was more confusing than helpful for me. Also, Fridays average about 32 black squares and this has 38 such squares. It also has some very nice non-theme fill ...SOUP MIX, TENNIES, TOOTSIE, WRITHED, BOATDECK, STUNTMAN, EUROVISION, and LABELMAKER. The ones in green have never been in the NYT, the ones in red have never been in either LAT or NYT. But, this too is a bit outré, as two of the themers are only 8 letters long and you are not supposed to have fill longer than themers.  Which are:

15A. Otolaryngologist's colleagues?: EAR DRUMS (8). A eye, ear,  and throat doctor ends up a musical instrument.

26A. Solid vestment choice?: THE WHITE ALBUM (13). An ALB  (from the Latin albus, meaning white), one of the liturgical vestments of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Methodist churches, is an ample white garment coming down to the ankles and is usually girdled with a cincture (a type of belt, sometimes of rope similar to the type used with a monastic habit. The WHITE ALBUM is the ninth studio album and only double album by English rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968 was a musical tour de force.

Maybe.

43A. Rodent reduction measure?: VOLUME CONTROL (13).

57A. Minuscule biters, and a clue to understanding 15-, 26- and 43-Across: NO SEEUMS (8). They are all over the place.

Little Devils 

1. Acid: LSD. The drug of choice for a generation. 

4. Pine product: SAP. Pine tree sap is used by the tree to transport nutrients. Pine tree sap uses include glue, candles and fire starting. Pine sap is also used for making turpentine, a flammable substance used for coating objects. (gardening know how).

7. Swell: BULGE. Not a battle this time. 

12. First name in pharmaceuticals: ELI. The HISTORY.

13. Irritated, with "on": WORE. A simple but deceptive clue.

14. 90% of Earth's volcanic rock: BASALT. ROCK

17. Reach for rudely: GRAB AT.

18. Home-away-from-home vacation: R V TRIP. The BEST 

19. Departure notice?: OBITuary.

21. Historic period: ERA. Or you can wash your clothes.

22. PIN points: ATMS. I love this combination.

24. Big name in databases: ORACLE. Greek history and...

30. Water in the Seine: EAU. Oh no not again!

31. Rejoices: EXULTS. Exult means "to rejoice" or "to be openly happy about."

32. Foot specialist?: BARD. Wonderful clue/fill and CSO to our resident poets OKL, Moe and the rest.

35. Like burnt coffee: ACRID. Sometimes, it makes the coffee better.

37. Member of a noted sailing trio: NOD. Are you Winken and Blinken?

38. LGBTQ activist George: TAKEI. Lt. Sulu.

39. Hershey toffee bar: SKOR. Seen it too often

40. Home of The Trop: ST. PETE. The home of the Tampa Bay professional teams.

42. Clean Water Act org.: EPA. 

46. One getting smashed at a bash: PINATA. 

47. Big Island coffee region: KONA.

48. Faux follower: PAS.

49. Servers at affairs: URNS. Coffee or tea I hope and not ashes.

51. Donation drop-off site: TIPJAR. Lame.

55. Afghanistan's national airline: ARIANA. Unkown, not a grande clue.

59. They take things in stride: STOICS.

60. Nice ways to say yes: OUIS. The French silly pun.

61. Patel of "Lion": DEV.

62. __-pop: electronic music genre: SYNTH. The GENRE.

63. Test for M.A. seekers: GRE. Graduate Records Examination.

64. Medium claim: ESP. More - Extra Sensory Perception.

Down:

1. Not a nice look: LEER. No capital N here. 

2. Pole, e.g.: SLAV.  The LINK.

3. Gossip: DIRT.

4. Lipton product: SOUP MIX. PICTURE

5. Branch or limb: ARM.

6. Currency of 25-Down: PESO.

7. It may be closed at last call: BARTAB.

8. Winner of the most medals at the 2020 Olympics: USA. A quick clue after this delayed event. 

9. Tiny office printer: LABEL MAKER. Another best 

10. Screen problem: GLARE.

11. Sundance's sweetie: ETTA. Butch was never jealous. PICTURE
Read all about it. LINK.

13. Squirmed: WRITHED.

14. Certain break-dancers: B-GIRLS. Got me, " a woman who entertains bar patrons and encourages them to spend freely."

16. Attract: DRAW attention.

20. Where hands may be brought together: BOAT DECK. Deck hands work on the boat deck.

23. Double, often: STUNTMAN. The insurance on big stars has gotten too expensive so even the macho morons need stunt doubles.

25. Birthplace of Gloria Estefan: CUBA. Born September 1, 1957, Havana, Cuba. 

26. Poured-over leaves: TEAS. Another nice clue

27. Cybersecurity concern: HACK. Hacking is an attempt to exploit a computer system or a private network inside a computer.

28. 2021 musical contest held in Rotterdam: EUROVISION. This old CONTEST discovered ABBA.

29. Get away to get together: ELOPE.

33. Default result: REPO. 

34. Old phone feature: DIAL. You need the soap to wash your hands after words.

36. Decrease?: IRON. Iron out tension? Got me

38. Sneaks: TENNIES. Cute tennis shoe reference.

40. Hindu teachings: SUTRAS. Kama, kama Chameleon?

41. __ Roll: TOOTSIE. Not Dustin Hoffman?

44. Set in motion: LAUNCH. I love launch parties.

45. Format for much '80s music: TAPE. 

46. Bash: PARTY.

48. Word with hall and press: PASS. I pass on using those examples.

50. Make out, in Britain: SNOG. I heard in 70s and 80s importrd BBC shows.

52D. "Hey __": classic hit: JUDE. See 26A.

53. Iowa college town: AMES. Not to be confused with Ed.

54. Request on an invitation: RSVP. Again, too much too soon.

56. River isle: AIT. Hey a new way to say eight."

58. Collective pronoun: OUR. Last fill and time to say good night.

Thank you Margit, you look and sound like a lovely person and we would enjoy having you join our band of puzzle solvers and wits led by our founder the inimitable Zhouqin Burnikel, the only bite here is some humor. Thank to all who read. Lemonade out.

Thursday, September 23, 2021, Ed Sessa

 

Greetings, curciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee, here.  Today marks an anniversary of sorts.  My first recap was posted on 17 September 2020.  Waseeley, my partner in Thursday crime, wrote up the puzzle on the 16th of this month and that would have been exactly one year.  I have never been one for counting rotations of this planet or its orbits around our sun (ask anyone who has put up with my commenting on the time references in any Star Trek television show or movie) but I realize that other folks like to keep track of such things.  In any event, today is more-than-close-enough to mark the one-earth-year anniversary of may alter ego, MM, writing recaps for the corner.  Please allow me to repeat what I said at that time:  Thank you all for allowing me play in your sandbox.  - -  Joseph

Today's puzzle-setter is our frequent friend, Ed Sessa, and he has come up with something a bit unusual in that the theme answers are not located simply as Across or Down words patiently waiting to be filled in.  Instead, they cross . . . and those patterns are placed diagonally, to boot.  The reveal comes at:

54 Across. Linked in a way illustrated by three pairs of puzzle answers:  JOINED AT THE HIP.

At three locations in the grid Ed has crossed the word HIP and the I of each word is shared in both directions.  The completed long answers provide no hints whatsoever about the theme.  It's the siting that counts.  Pretty clever, if you ask this marine mammal.  Here is how it looks in the grid:

Here is what this structure was built UPON (see 59 Across, although the word is used somewhat differently there):

Across:

1. "The Giving Tree" author Silverstein: SHEL.  Most people do not know that SHEL Silverstein also wrote this:

The Highwaymen (Johnny Cash)

5. Gravelly voiced sort: RASPER.  It's too bad that CEDO is not a word because RASPER is a bit of a stretch.

11. Top (out): MAX.   From MAXimum or MAXimize.   It can be stressful to MAX Out one's credit cards.

14. Ritzy: LUXE.  DeLUXE  (There's a Ray-ism in this one, for sure).

15. City on the Rio Grande: EL PASO.  Also, a Marty Robbins classic.

The Drifter TV Show - 1965

16. Flamenco dancer's cry: OLE.  Today's Spanish lesson.

17. Org. mandating eyewash stations: OSHA.

18. Canvassing technique: DOOR TO DOOR.  Ding dong.   Or, if you have a Ring camera, "There is someone at your DOOR."

20. Animals in a herd: HIPPOPOTAMUSES.  The animals could have been many other species and still answered the clue.  This answer sent me down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what the theme might be.  Still, I want one.

Gayla Peevey Then (1953) and Almost Now (2016)

22. Face value: PAR.  A financial reference.  This could also have been clued with a golf reference.

23. Org. with 132 Pulitzer Prizes: NY TIMES.  The New York Times.

24. Initiation rite: BAPTISM.

28. Tear up: WEEP.  Oh, it's "crying" as opposed to "ripping into pieces".

29. Batter's stat: RBI.  A baseball reference.  Runs Batted In

30. One hanging around in the forest?: SLOTH.  Also, a Deadly Sin - but not today.  Anyone try HIKER first?

32. Give and take: SWAP.  Today's "let's pass on a potential reference" moment.

36. "And fly, __ evil intercept thy flight": Milton: ERE.  Thanks, perps.

37. Title teacher in a James Hilton novella: MR CHIPS.

40. Kipling's "Follow Me __": OME.  OM, OM, Range

41. Insect dating from the Jurassic era: WASP.  150 - 200 million years later we now get the so-called Murder Hornets.

43. Board, as a bus: HOP ON.  Board a Bus?  Nicely teed up.   Fore!

Weird Al  Yankovic with Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on The Tomorrow Show - 1981

Another One Rides The Bus

44. Darling of baseball: RON.  A nice play on words.

45. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea: HERA.

48. Becomes clear: SOAKS IN.  Ah, the idiom.

50. Digs: SHOVELS.  Ah, not the idiom.

53. Stadium shout: RAH.

58. Hardwood with an edible seed: ALMOND TREE.  The tree itself isn't often referred to as, simply, "hardwood"  but Ed, or Rich, could not, for obvious reasons work the word "tree" into the clue.

59. After: UPON.  UPON further reflection . . .

61. '60s-'70s Pontiac: GTO.  My aunt Millie had a GTO.  I have never been able to figure out how that come to be.  Wa-wa,Wa, Wa. Wa. Wa. Wa. Wa

Ronnie and the Daytonas

62. Venetian Renaissance painter: TITIAN.  I would have loved to use a video clip of the E. Buzz Miller's Art Classics (SNL) pronunciation-based wordplay here but I could not find one that was not copyright protected.

63. Mystery-solving Wolfe: NERO.

64. Virtual-city denizen: SIM.  As in Sim City, the video game.

65. Strips in the freezer: STEAKS.

New York Strip Steaks

66. Torah holders: ARKS.

Down:

1. __-mo: SLO.  SLOw-motion

2. Muzzle: HUSH.  Used as a verb - as is muzzle.  Interesting clue.

3. What some Woodstock attendees eventually became: EX - HIPPIES.

Who? Me?

4. Seize eagerly: LEAP AT.  Does a ballerina LEAP AT the chance to show off her skills?

5. Go over again: REDO.

6. Cockeyed: ALOP.  We have heard this word before but not often.  Does anyone here use it?

7. Table setting item: SPOON.  Hey diddle diddle.

8. House disciplinarians: PARTY WHIPS.  The House of Representatives.  A PARTY's WHIP is generally considered to be the member tasked with ensuring that members of a given party vote the way the party leadership wishes.

Toe The Line

9. Impressive spread: ESTATE.  Hands up for thinking first of something to do with food.

10. One sharing quarters: ROOMIE.  A bit slangy even though the clue is not.

11. Bullwinkle's last name: MOOSE.

12. Sunburn applications: ALOES.  Balms applied frequently in crossword puzzles.

13. Boomers' kids: XERS.  My XERS:  Before anyone cries discrimination, please be aware that the settings of the photos could have been, and have been, switched for both of them.

 

Daughter - Law School Graduation

Son on the Great Wall

19. Breaks up with: DUMPS.

21. Feature of some eyeglasses: PRISM.  PRISM eyeglasses are used to correct double vision. 

24. Pub order: BREW.

25. Magician's opening: ABRA.  ABRA Cadabra.  ABRA is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew "avra" meaning "I will create."  Cadabra is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew "kedoobar" meaning "as was spoken."  "I will create as spoken!"  Makes sense.

26. Camera type, briefly: SLR. Single Lens Reflex.  Note the pentaPRISM.

27. Espresso-based coffee concoction: MOCHA LATTE.  If "chocolate" had been in the clue this one would have been easier.

31. However, in poetry: THO.  Short form of ALTHO?

33. Churchgoer, e.g.: WORSHIPER.

34. Mine, in Amiens: A MOI.  Today's French lesson.

35. "Mystic River" Oscar winner Sean: PENN.

38. Nanki-__: POO.  A Mikado reference (Gilbert and Sullivan).

39. Capture: SNARE.

42. Graph lead-in: PHONO.  Thought, for a moment, that PORNO might work.

46. Social functions: EVENTS.

Somebody Forgot The Name Tags

47. "The front page of the internet" website: REDDIT.

49. Island big shot: KAHUNA.  Today's Hawaiian lesson.

50. Chicago Symphony conductor with 31 Grammys: SOLTI.

Sir Georg Solti

51. Mouthed stadium greeting: HI MOM.

52. Narrow groove: STRIA.  Often one of a number of similar parallel features.

54. Benders: JAGS.  Not the British cars. 

55. Shipbuilding wood: TEAK.

56. Toms' counterparts: HENS.  A Turkey reference (not the country).

Hen and Tom

57. Questionable political spending: PORK.

60. Apt. IDs: NOS.  Apartment Numbers.  The clue (abbreviated so the answer will be, also) could have referred to streets, symphonies, or come to think of it, anything that is numbered.

I believe that this is No. 29.  You know what's odd?  Every other integer.

And, on that note:

________________________________________________________

Wednesday, September 22, 2021 Craig Stowe

 Theme:  The Bone Head connected to the Tail Bone. The end of each theme entry can follow the word BONE to yield an in-the-language phrase.

17. *Carrier with a Beijing Capital hub: AIR CHINA.  The Chinese national airline.  BONE CHINA is a ceramic made with BONE ash in its composition.  

25. *One barely awake: SLEEPYHEAD.  A sleepy or distracted person.  A BONE HEAD is a stupid person, or somebody who does a dumb or erratic thing.

36. *Keurig Dr Pepper brand since 2008: CANADA DRY. This is a brand name for a less sweet Ginger Ale. Over time, it expanded to include other soft drinks. Ironically, this company now also owns Vernors. BONE DRY is a descriptor for something that is extremely DRY.

51. *Nutritious intake: SQUARE MEAL.  A repast that is large and satisfying.  BONE MEAL is phosphorus-rich mixture of ground up animal bones used as a plant fertilizer and dietary supplement for animals

The unifier -- 61. Coccyx, familiarly, or what the ends of the answers to starred clues can do?: TAIL BONE.  The TAIL bone is the final segment of the vertebral column in all apes, and certain other animals. It is the remnant of a vestigial tai.  Here, the word BONE is at the end of, or TAILING the fill.  

Hi Gang - JazzBumpa, your resident 'BONE player, here to lead you through today's BONE yard.  Let's see if we can find something to chew on.

Across:

1. Flying fox, e.g.: BAT.  A large fruit eating bat, indigenous to south-east Asia, east Africa, Australia and some near-by island groups.

4. Has the flu, say: AILS.  Suffers from an illness

8. Seed on a bagel: SESAME.  

14. All Hallows' __: EVE.  The night before.

15. Halt: STOP.   Go no farther.

16. More silly: INANER.  It's non common English to paste an -er suffix on polysyllabics.  Should be more INANE, though that doesn't fit the space, and there might be an irony in there.

19. Unemotionally, after "in": STRIDE.  Without feeling to ignoring the effects of some action or even.

20. Reid of "The Big Lebowski": TARA.  Millionaire Jeffrey [the BIG] Lebowski's trophy wife. There is confusion with Jeff [the DUDE] Lebowski, causing the ruination of the rug that tied the whole room together, and much hilarity ensues. 

21. Feudal peasant: SERF.  One in indentured servitude in medieval Europe.

23. "The Travels of Marco Polo" setting: ASIA.  He was born into a family of wealthy merchants, and traveled extensively throughout Asia.

24. "Without delay!": STAT. From the Latin word statin, meaning immediately

28. "Excusez-__!": MOI.  French for me.  This phrase is often used in a satirical way.

29. Nondairy milk ingredient: SOY.  Derived from soy beans.

30. Whopper: LIE.  A big one.  Can you handle it?

31. Automne preceder: ETE.  French seasons not involving tarragon.

32. Banks nicknamed "Mr. Cub": ERNIE.  He played short stop and first base for them from 1955 to 1971, and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1977.  HE was an 11 time all star and 2 time MVP.

34. Toxic but fragrant shrub: OLEANDER.   It contains several toxic compounds, but is so bitter that poisoning is rare.

39. Crude conduit: PIPELINE.  Also used for gasoline and natural gas.  It's been a rough few months for PIPELINE stocks.

42. Training line: LEASH.  A strap or cord restraining or guiding an animal.

46. Sean Lennon's mom: ONO.  Yoko.

47. Jodie Foster, in college: ELI.  A Yale student.

48. __ pride: GAY.  Confidence, self-respect, and solidarity as expressed by gay people, associated with openness about one’s own sexual identity, and the celebration of gay culture and history.

50. Teensy: WEE.  Very small.

54. Prefix with tasse: DEMI.  Half sized.

55. Adjust for pitch: TUNE.  Listen to the oboe.

56. Rank above viscount: EARL.  Nobility.

57. "Like that'll happen": AS IF.  Skepticism.

58. Black __: scary spiders: WIDOWS.  Black widow spiders are arachnids that are known for the females' unique appearance and tendency to eat their mates. They are considered the most venomous spiders in North America; however, their bite is rarely fatal to humans.

63. Ain't using proper language?: ARE NOT.  Grammatically correct.

64. Tommie of the Miracle Mets: AGEE.  Tommie Lee Agee (August 9, 1942 – January 22, 2001) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1962 through 1973.  The two-time Gold Glove Award winner was named the AL Rookie of the Year in 1966 as a member of the Chicago White Sox. 

65. Deface: MAR.  Cause surface damage.

66. Biblical escape obstacle: RED SEA.  From Egypt to the Arabian Peninsula. 

67. Crammer's concern: TEST.   Studying hard at the last minute.  Good luck.

68. Triage ctrs.: ERS. Emergency Rooms.

Down:

1. "I haven't the foggiest": BEATS ME.  I do not know

2. Sunglasses style: AVIATOR.  "The perfect solution to protect a pilot's eyes against the elements."

3. Part of ATV: TERRAIN.  Between "All" and "Vehicle."

4. __-blond: grayish shade: ASH.  Read about it here.

5. Formal affirmation: IT IS SO.  If not, make it so.

6. Needing company: LONELY.  Sad because one has no friends or company.

7. Bowler's pickup: SPARE.   After leaving some pins standing with the first ball, knocking them all down with the 2nd.

8. One in the fam: SIS.  Female sibling.

9. Strep-treating doc: ENT.  Ear, Nose and Throat specialist; not a talking tree.

10. Emmy-winner actress Paulson: SARAH.  Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in the artists category.

11. Ouzo flavoring: ANISEED.   A flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices, such as star anise, fennel, and liquorice.

12. Help to settle: MEDIATE.  Intervene between people in a dispute in order to bring about an agreement or reconciliation.

13. Modern library?: E-READER. A handheld device on which electronic versions of books, newspapers, magazines, etc., can be read.

18. Litter box user: CAT.  Feline house pet.

22. Dude: FELLA.  Just some guy, y' know.

26. Like a noted piper: PIED.  Dressed in multi-colored clothing.

27. How some taxes are paid: YEARLY.  One time, every year.

29. Undercoat: SEALER.  A paint layer applied after the primer and before the topcoat.

33. Crushed __: ICE.  

34. Dedicated poem: ODE.

35. Science guy Bill: NYE.  William Sanford Nye (born November 27, 1955),[3] popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter.

37. Khartoum's river: NILE.  The longest river in Africa.

38. Japanese art genre: ANIME.  Japanese animated art work.

39. Like boomers' birthdays: POST WAR.  The war ended in September, 1945.  Mine is in 1946

40. Ask: INQUIRE.

41. Throbbed, like one's heart: POUNDED.  With excitement or fear.

43. Really cool: AWESOME.  Inspiring great admiration or fear.

44. Advanced college course: SEMINAR. A class at a college or university in which a topic is discussed by a teacher and a small group of students.

45. Some young bovines: HEIFERS.  Young female cows that have not borne calves.

48. Usually unheated home part: GARAGE.  A building for housing a motor vehicle or vehicles.

49. They're on your side: ALLIES.   Persons or groups that provide assistance and support in an ongoing effort, activity, or struggle.

52. Long stretches: AEONS.   Immeasurably or indefinitely long periods of time 

53. Really bother: EAT AT.

54. Tiny bit: DAB.  A small amount. 

59. Misfortune: WOE.  A condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief

60. Greyhound destination: Abbr.: STA.  Station - a regular stopping place in a transportation route.

62. Give permission to: LET.  Allow.

That wraps it up.  A nice adventure, with no bone head plays.

Cool Regards!

JzB