After a month's crossword absence, Dr. Dolan returns with this very nice puzzle. I found an abundance of cleverness and the clue/fill: Passing comment: HERE YOU GO was fabulous. Here are Kyle's remarks for us:
Hi Gary,
Thanks for your note. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the puzzle!
Rich accepted this grid as-is, and adjusted several of the clues. I'm happy to see that my clues for HERE YOU GO and AIR GUITAR made the cut. From a construction standpoint, there's little to say--I recall this one coming together pretty easily during filling, helped in part by the grid design, which keeps the four corners largely independent of one another, and limits the largest area of white space to 4x5 (NW and SE corners).
Best, Kyle
I really doubt anyone says this in Kyle's British office, but I will send you on to the write-up by bidding you
Across:
1. Feat rarely but only accomplished from home: GRAND SLAM - GRAND SLAM home runs are rare and so is any home run hit by a pitcher, but Atlanta BravedHuascar Ynoa did both.
10. Divisive element: WEDGE - Politics is full of WEDGE issues that candidates must skillfully manage.
15. Passing comment?: HERE YOU GO - Oh so clever! We have abandoned this practice and use buffet style
16. Ancient public space: AGORA - How 'bout a LEGO version?
17. Uniform tone: OLIVE DRAB.
18. "Gotcha": ROGER - Can't post this enough: Kareem Abdul Jabbar plays ROGER Murdock and hilarity ensues
19. Assent in Asturias: SI SI - Englebert, et al sang: "Please say, SI SI. Say you and your Spanish Eyes will wait for me."
20. Ape: SIMIAN - relating to, resembling, or affecting apes or monkeys.
22. Shooting technique: PAN - This PAN shot nearly took my breath away!
25. Low spot: DELL - There's this farmer who lives there...
26. "I __ a traveller ... ": Shelley's "Ozymandias": MET - One poem that really rocked my 17-yr-old perspective
27. Equivalent of some crying emojis: LOL - A tad overused these days
29. Cold front sites?: IGLOOS - I suspect when they are done, all the sides will be cold. I read that a 57. Wet blanket: SNOW makes a longer lasting IGLOO than dry powdery snow
31. Claim: ALLEGE - I ALLEGE Colonel Mustard killed him in the Conservatory with a Wrench.
36. Penn of "Harold & Kumar" films: KAL - Along with his costar John Cho.
37. Like basset hounds: SADEYED.
39. Thai language: LAO.
40. Without question: AS A GIVEN.
42. Eisenhower Era bombs?: EDSELS - No nukes here, just an expensive Ford mistake.
44. He collaborated with Rihanna in "Love the Way You Lie": EMINEM - A mix of her ballad and his rap. Google this violent video if you must.
45. Called before: NEE - When my colleague's wife died I went to the mortuary online site I knew they would use for the obit. I did not know she had kept her maiden name.
46. Directed: RAN.
47. Anjou relative: BOSC.
50. Jump, maybe: REACT.
54. Big name in luxury cars: BMW - Let's see, how old was I when I learned the B stood for Bavarian and not British?
55. Flower flow: NECTAR - My cwd radar went up to see "flower" as a noun for something that "flows" but, no, it was simple than that.
58. Remoulade cousin: AIOLI.
60. In quick succession: RAPID FIRE - Nobody does it better
62. Move quickly: SCOOT.
63. Imaginary axe: AIR GUITAR - FWIW, axe is a euphemism for guitar
64. Makes it better: HELPS.
65. Shade on a field: TRASH TALK.
Fine, and how are you?
Down:
1. Suddenly stop returning texts, say: GHOST.
2. Car phone, for one: RELIC.
3. Come up: ARISE.
4. Renowned English conductor Sir __ Marriner: NEVILLE - Here ya go
5. Vat contents: DYE.
6. Rolls out the green carpet on?: SODS.
7. Sensational: LURID - Sex sells
8. Best effort: A GAME.
9. Upward __: MOBILITY.
10. Bark or bite: WARN.
11. __ massage: EGO.
12. Lab lovers, e.g.: DOG PEOPLE.
13. Image on a dollar bill: GREAT SEAL.
14. Bring in: EARN.
21. Soul singer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995: AL GREEN - How 'bout a mellow break?
24. Uses a password: LOGS IN.
26. Cleaning tool: MOP.
28. Do not disturb: LEAVE BE.
30. Roofer's need: LADDER - In a list of 35. How-to list heading: DO'S and Don't's, this would fall in the latter (get it, latter/ladder) category.
31. Wanted letters: AKA.
32. Logitech products: LASER MICE.
33. Material for Quechua weavers: LLAMA WOOL.
34. One out of 100: Abbr.: SEN - It's 50/50 these days.
38. Among presidents, Jackson was the first: DEMOCRAT - Old Hickory
41. Boodles or Booth's: GIN.
43. Deems proper: SEES FIT.
48. Help in getting to the next level?: STAIR - Our kitty is getting up in years
49. "It Happened One Night" director: CAPRA - His name is featured prominently in this poster
51. Indian novelist Desai: ANITA - Her autograph in a first edition
52. Reddish pink: CORAL.
53. Dance provocatively: TWERK - "If you can't sing..."
54. Big party: BASH.
55. Pedants' pickings: NITS - Some are harvested here
When I was growing up two of the books which I read which moved me were the above and its companion Novel WHITE FANG.
Jack London really made me feel I was in the mind of the both animals.
All of which has little to do with this second LAT puzzle publication by this COUPLE who were married April 3, 2021. Their first was here at theLAT in 2019in a well received effort. Their other publications were earlier in the week puzzles one at the NYT, and I sense Rich put this here because he really liked the theme. It is a classic single definition for all of the themers, but with more room for creativity. It also evidences that talent with the inclusion of sparkling MICDROP, ODD JOBS, CAL STATE, SLOTHFUL, BINGE WATCH and TATA FOR NOW. They are such a happy looking pair I hate to add a negative note but this does not play as a Friday puzzle with only 40 black squares, 52 three and four letter words leaving an average word length of less than 5 letters. YMMV.
17A. Call of the wild?: HOWLING WIND (11). The balance of a first word gerund and a second word noun carries through and made the theme special.
27A. Call of the wild?: BABBLING BROOK (13). The puzzle also has classic symmetry- line 3/line 13 and line 6/line 10. To really appreciate the concept, it helps to anthropomorphize the nouns, picture the water babbling like a baby.
43. Call of the wild?: WEEPING WILLOW (13). Here, out in nature - the wild - we have a tree crying.
58A. Call of the wild?: ROARING FIRE (11). We finish with our camp fire roaring at us, "more wood, more sticks."
Fun for me, but now on to the rest...
Across:
1. Nike competitor: ASICS. I always want to put a "B" in front, even their logo begs for something else.
6. "Don't mind __": IF I DO. FIDO jumped out, but there was no noble canine soliloquy to follow.
11. Popcorn buy: TUB.
14. Shroud: CLOAK. This synonym works both for the noun and the verb.
15. Schlepped: TOTED. A bissel Yiddish.
16. Toon storekeeper who was once in a barbershop quartet: APU. The only toon storekeeper I know who also has a three letter name...
19. Kennel club category: TOY. This GROUP. I may be ready for an Affenpinscher...I have never had my affen pinched.
20. Postings at ORD: ETAS.
21. Some are considered essential: OILS. There is much debate about these as well but THESEappear on most lists.
22. Pair to wear: JEANS. I like the rhyme, this time.
24. Wielder of the hammer Mjölnir: THOR. At this point I consider Thor one of us based on the number of Corner appearnces he has made.
26. Sourdough unit: LOAF. Bread, man.
32. Popular chip: FRITO. Corn, man.
34. Arrests: NABS. Cheese and Peanut Butter? LINK.
35. Density symbol, in physics: RHO. The Greek letter ρ (rho) is used in math as a variable and in physics to represent density.
36. "Superman" surname: LANE. Fooled you, it is not Kent!
37. Vacancy sign: TO LET. These SITES are enticing but if I rent our condo, then what do we need to pay for a place to live?
39. Uppity sort: SNOB. The word 'snob' is said to have arisen from the custom of writing “s. nob.”, that is, 'sine nobilitate,' after the names of children of untitled parents in certain English schools.
40. Person who's usually good?: EGG. Probably a humorous antonym of bad egg - “someone whose behaviour is reprehensible or irresponsible; a rogue.”
41. Informal title used seven times in "Bohemian Rhapsody": MAMA. Listen and count?
42. Chap: BLOKE. Cheerio!
47. Zippo part: WICK. Not Keanu.
48. Barack's 2012 opponent: MITT. There can be no real comments about this long term political fixture but here is a BIOGRAPHY.
49. Influencer's concern: BRAND.
51. New Orleans' __ Du Monde: CAFE. This New Orleans landmark and tourist destination, is known for its café au lait and beignets. It also is a CSO to many at the Corner.
53. Try to get the attention of: HAIL. Like a cab.
57. Chow down: EAT. So appetizing.
61. Story __: ARC. Entertainment products.
62. Heart, for one: ORGAN. Yes.
63. What captions can capture: AUDIO. For those who cannot hear or who prefer reading about the action.
64. "I've seen better": MEH. The call word of the Corner.
65. "Get Out" Oscar winner Jordan: PEELE. He has had a most interesting CAREER so far.
66. Endow, as with talent: BLESS.
Down:
1. Want a lot, with "for": ACHE. Baby, I ache for you...
2. Schedule space: SLOT.
3. __ caucuses: IOWA. Part of the presedential selection process.
4. Sch. with 23 campuses: CAL STATE. HERE they are, not part of the University of California group.
5. What powderhounds do: SKI. Never hear the word, but powder hounds made it very inferable.
6. Celeb of the moment: IT GIRL. I see it in a more historical context.
7. Turkey, e.g.: FOWL. I do not think the clue is fair to this animal.
8. Medical suffix: ITIS. Meaning inflammation...
9. Super Bowl party site: DEN. Do people still have dens? Great room, family room?
10. Big part of the gig economy: ODD JOBS.This is a labor market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.
11. Casual parting: TATA FOR NOW.
12. In the know about: UP ON. I finally stumbled upon this fill.
13. Bargains: BUYS.
18. Gamer more likely to get pwned: NOOB. A new player may be "pwned" wnich has origins in video game culture and is a leetspeak derivation of the word "owned", due to the proximity of the "o" and "p" keys.
23. Inner __: EAR.
25. "Last Week Tonight" airer: HBO.
26. Pride letters: LGBT. Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual Transsexual.
27. Catch up on, in a way: BINGE WATCH. My new favorite way to watch TV.
28. Relative challenge for some: IN-LAW. Mother-in-law?
29. Half a 2010s dance craze: NAE.
30. "Yeah, sure": OH OK.
31. Asian beef city: KOBE. Many fake kobe burgers sold in the US.
32. Passed (by) fast: FLEW.
33. Latest thing: RAGE. I think anger has been around for a very long time.
37. Drop precipitously: TANK. Often related to a team deliberately losing.
38. Texter's "Wow!": OMG.
39. Lazy: SLOTHFUL. Poor sloths get such a bad rap. There are many LAZY animals.
41. [I'm out]: MICDROP. In case you missed it yesterday in Joseph's write-up. it's back!
42. Classic sandwich, for short: BLT. PBJ last time?
44. One standing in an alley: PIN. For Boomer, sadly it is often the 10.
45. "Really, no damage": I'M FINE.
46. Property claim: LIEN. A little law reference for me.
49. Gymnastics event: BEAM. Jim?
50. Like a double rainbow: RARE. I wish I had my pictures organized as well as Robert as I have many double rainbow pics
51. Guinea pig's pad: CAGE. Poor little guys are not pigs and not from Guinea but they are particularly suited for MEDICAL RESEARCH.
52. Disappearing Asian sea: ARAL.
54. Staffer: AIDE.
55. Van Gogh subject: IRIS.
56. Some summer newcomers: LEOS. Babies born under the sign.
59. Resource in the board game Catan: ORE. So much MORE.
60. Dubious "gift": GAB. You get it from the Blarney Stone. Does the Blarney Stone work? The Blarney Stone is, well, a stone that's essentially said to have special powers. If you haven't heard of it before it might sound a bit strange, but kissing the Blarney Stone is said to give you “the gift of the gab”, or a persuasive speaking ability.
Gee, another week gone by and another write-up in the books. A nice Friday debut for this married couple team who can disect a puzzle and make it come to life. Please stop by and join our party. Thank you guys and thank you all who write and all who read. Lemonade out
Notes from C.C.:
Happy
80th birthday to dear Jayce (John), who speaks fluent Chinese and
understands the little quirks of the language. Here's a picture of Jayce
and his wife on their wedding day. 祝你生日快乐, Jayce!
Good morning, cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here with Buck Henry & Mel Brooks' Maxwell Smart and The Chief to introduce today's puzzle.
If my research is correct, today's constructor Michael Paleos made his L.A. Times Debut on June 28, 2019. He has also had puzzles published in the L.A. Times on March 12, 2020 and, more recently on June 10, 2021. Apologies in advance if I have missed one or more.
The Cone Of Silence seemed appropriate today because Michael riffs on those silent letters that are not uncommon in the English language. The reveal comes at 54 Across:
54 Across. Cold shoulder . . . and a hint to four circled letters, individually and as a unit: SILENT TREATMENT
The interesting twist here is that the four circled letters spell, in order from top to bottom, MUTE. That is an impressive twist on an otherwise pretty straightforward theme.
17 Across. Aids for retrieving things: MNEMONIC DEVICES MNEMONIC DEVICES are tools used for memorizing a string of words. Well-known ones include HOMES (for the Great Lakes), King Philip Came Over For Great Spaghetti (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family Genus, Species) and ROY G BIV (for the colors in a rainbow and, yes, Indigo has been dropped by some).
28 Across. Hendrix's "Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, for one: GUITAR SOLO
33. Made bad news easier to take: SOFTENED THE BLOW
41. Bond of the '70s and '80s: ROGER MOORE. Not a T-Note or a Junk Bond, but a British spy.
. . . and now for the rest of the story:
Across:
1. Something going to the dogs: ALPO. Right "off the bat" a bit of misdirection. Not the idiom for a crumbling situation but literally something you would give to a dog.
5. Chirpy sci-fi critter: ARTOO. R2 D2 aka ARTOO DEETOO from the Star Wars franchise. R2 D2 visited us last Friday, also.
R2 D2 Noises
10. Joe by another name: JAVA. Slang for coffee.
14. Welsh actor Roger: REES. Unknow to this solver. Diolch, perps.
15. Domain: REALM.
16. Kalahari-like: ARID. The Kalahari Desert.
20. Hunted ones in a 2016 craze: POKEMON. POKEMON GO
21. Rare forecast: HAIL. Less frequent than sunny skies, overcast skies, rain or snow.
22. Teeing off: IRING. Alternative clue: What this clue is to solvers. Irking? Okay. But the present participle of IRE?
23. Provider of colt comfort: MARE. Not Cold Comfort. Nice wordplay. No, not jeu de mots.
24. "On the Road" narrator __ Paradise: SAL. Jack Kerouac's (nee Jean Louis Lebris de Kerouac) thinly-veiled self in the book.
Cassidy (Cassady / Dean Moriarty) - 1977 - Grateful Dead
27. Zippered shelter: TENT. Looking at the local streets, other clues come to mind.
31. One might be slipped: DISC. Hands up for having had L5 / S1 or something similar added to your vocabulary at some point.
32. Some urban pollution: NOISE.
39. Word with box or light: IDIOT. Two idioms. IDIOT box for television and IDIOT light for the lights on an automobile dash board that illuminate to tell the driver that something has gone amiss.
40. Bush hoppers: ROOS. Bush is used to indicate Australia and hoppers provides a slangy hint for KangaROOS.
44. Part of CSNY: NASH. Crosby Stills NASH and Young. DSGN work not work as well. A local school once held a charity auction featuring Graham NASH's Nash Rambler automobile.
48. Its returns were never sales: Abbr.: IRS. Tax Returns.
49. Strong lobby for seniors: AARP. This clue requires no explanation here.
50. Game with scratching: LOTTO. Scratch off that ticket. You might be a winner.
51. 2019 Broadway biomusical: TINA. TINA Turner.
52. Big squeeze: BEAR HUG. Again, nice wordplay.
58. Rapper-turned-actor: ICE T. Alternatively, Rapper-turned-actor who often visits crossword puzzles.
59. Something one may be dying to hide?: ROOTS. Hair Dye. Nice pun.
60. Pro foe: ANTI.
61. Smart-alecky: CUTE. CUTE, real CUTE. Do we detect a note of sarcasm?
62. Affected: ARTSY. As used here, too, too pretentious.
63. Zap: LASE. Zap often turns out to be Nuke, as in microwave.
Zap Comix #0
Down:
1. Axilla, commonly: ARMPIT. Today's let's skip the graphics moment. The A from ALPO at 1 Across proved helpful as, initially, I had no idea about 14 Across.
2. Lost love in "The Raven": LENORE. Edgar Allan Poe.
James Earl Jones and Friends
3. Spy, in a way: PEEK IN. LOOK IN was, briefly, considered as was PEER IN.
4. "Pay It Forward" actor Haley Joel __: OSMENT. Unknown to me. Thank you, perps.
5. River in Tuscany: ARNO.
The Arno River at Night - Firenze 2015 - Photo By MM
6. Bit of equestrian gear: REIN.
7. Tic __: TAC. A bit surprised that it didn't turn out to be Tic Tok. What do you get if you cross some ants with some tics? All sorts of antics.
8. So last year: OLD HAT. Idiom meaning passe. It may have developed during the time when women often wore hats and the styles changed annually.
9. 1998 Masters winner Mark: O'MEARA. In 1998, golfer Mark O'MEARA became the oldest to win two majors in the same year. He was 41.
10. Monopoly corner: JAIL. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.
11. Parabolic path: ARC.
12. Contend: VIE.
13. They pop up too often: ADS. Online Pop-up ADS.
18. IM gasp: OMG. Instant Message gasp = Oh My God!
23. Emphatic end to a killer performance: MIC DROP.
24. Lowe's bagful: SOIL. Lowe's home improvement centers sell bags of SOIL in the Garden Department.
25. "And another thing ... ": ALSO.
26. MGM co-founder: LOEW. Marcus LOEW. Not to be confused with Lowe's from 24 Down.
28. Gimlet option: GIN. 2.5 ounces of GIN, 0.5 ounces of Simple Syrup, a squeeze of fresh lime and a lime wedge to garnish.
29. One of a Swiss Army knife's many: USE. Many uses.
30. Blubber: SOB. To cry. Not, in this case, flab.
31. Disembark, maybe: DETRAIN. Not to be confused with DEPLANE.
33. Aide to millions: SIRI. A modern-day reference. My girlfriend asked me why I was whispering at home. I told her that I was worried that Mark Zuckerberg was listening. She laughed. I laughed. Aexa laughed. SIRI laughed. We all laughed.
34. It could be fishy: ODOR.
35. Cookie fruit: FIGS. Fruit, as with fish, can be singular or plural.
36. __ the mark: TOE.
37. NBA's Raptors: TOR. A National Basketball Association team. TORonto. Canadian, eh?
42. Watchword: MANTRA. There was an indecisive Buddha. His mantra was, "ummmmmmmm...."
43. Address provider: ORATOR. A nice play on words. Why did Lincoln give the Gettysburg Address? Because the Gettysburg was naked.
44. Not odd: NORMAL. Not EVEN. Not even what?
45. She turned Arachne into a spider: ATHENA. I did not know this but the assumed that it would be an ancient goddess and the perps made it fairly easy to guess correctly.
46. Action film fodder: STUNTS.
47. Stymie: HOGTIE.
50. GPS finding: LAT. LATitude. For a modern take on location-finding take a look at the What Three Words app. What Three Words
51. It's under un beret: TETE. Today's French lesson. TETE = head.
52. Risks: BETS. This makes more sense as a couple of verbs than it does as a couple of nouns.
53. "Nothing to it!": EASY.
54. Attack, to Rover: SIC. (Not my error)
55. RN workplace: ICU. Registered Nurses work, sometimes, in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital.
56. Tennis call: LET. A serve that hits the net and lands in the correct court.
57. Rubbish: ROT. Another idiom Used as a noun not a verb. I was once on an airplane and found myself seated next to a man who held a backpack full of ROTting meat. He said that it was his carrion luggage.
Theme: The unifier captures it perfectly, so let's go with it:
61. MLB rally killers, briefly, and a hint to what's in the four longest puzzle answers: DPS. In baseball, a Double Play occurs when the defenders are able to make two OUTS on one hit ball. This can occur in a variety of ways, but the most common is when a runner on first base is forced out at second, and the batter is also out at first base to complete the play.
As we shall soon see, each theme entry also contains two OUTs.
21 A. Ring result: BOUT OUTCOME. For reasons that are unlikely to appear any time soon, the square stage where a boxing match is fought is call a ring. This event is called a BOUT. One boxer usually losses while the other wins. Occasionally there is a draw. Either way, that result is the OUTCOME. What sneakily is concealed there is a pair of OUTs.
32 A. Unlicensed rainbow catcher: TROUT OUTLAW. You need a fishing license to catch fish. Otherwise you can become this fill. The clue is a clever misdirect, but the answer is contrived, and you're highly unlikely to ever encounter that phrase again.
41. Camporee, for instance: SCOUT OUTING. A camporee is a local or regional gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. In my Boy Scout years, we always had a two week stint at camp Miakona in the summer. There were other troops there, but I don't recall a lot of common activities; so I'm not sure if that counts. Maybe we were on the OUTS with them. We did do some tent camping, though, throughout the year.
53. Tap water: SPOUT OUTPUT. This is self-explanatory, but again contrived - though accurate. That is where the water comes OUT OUT from.
Hi, Gang, JAzzBumpa here, not OUT somewhere else. Contrivances aside, I'm rather in awe of this theme, where each two word entry has OUT as the end of the first word and again as the beginning of the second. And with the playoffs beginning and the end of the season drawing near, a baseball-related theme is welcome. Watch for many DPs in these games. And let's see what's ahead in this puzzle.
Across:
1. Composer Bartok: BELA. [1881-1945]. One of the most prominent 20th century composers.
5. Word with ship or school: YARD. One for work and the other for play.
9. Restoration locations: SPAS. Relax and be pampered.
13. Beasts that work in pairs: OXEN. Yoked bovines.
14. Largely phased-out ersatz fat brand: OLEAN. The brand name for olestra, an indigestible artificial complex fat. It was phased out due to unpleasant digestive issues - unpleasant unexpected side effects. Also the name of a city in New York
16. Org. for fur foes: PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. An animal rights organization founded in Norfolk, Virginia in1980 and led by Ingrid Newkirk,
17. Envelope-directing abbr.: ATTN. To the attention of the intended recipient.
18. "Out of Africa" setting: KENYA. A democratic republic on the east coast of Africa.
19. Starting on: AS OF.
20. Three at the start: TRI-. A prefix indicating three of something.
23. 1993 coming-of-age baseball film, with "The": SANDLOT. This movie is a hoot. See it if you get a chance.
More baseball
25. Hen or sow: SHE. Barnyard females.
26. Really long time: EON. Of indefinite duration. Comes into English from Ancient Greek.
37. Urges: YENS. I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the YEN to travel.
38. Backing: PRO-. In favor of. A rare backing prefix.
39. Place for a catcher's guard: SHIN. A bit of baseball gear.
40. Portuguese king: REI.
45. Former California speedway that was the site of a 1969 rock concert: ALTAMONT. The event in December, 1969, only a few months after Woodstock, was a violent disaster, with 4 deaths, scores of injuries, and multiple car thefts.
47. Genetics lab material: RNA. RiboNucleic Acid is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.
48. Director Jean-__ Godard: LUC. [b 1930] His first film, BREATHLESS, is considered one of the best films ever made.
49. Evening parties: SOIREES. From The French word for evening.
58. Pre-A.D.: BCE. Before the Common Era.
59. Injure: HARM. Do damage to.
60. Willow twig: OSIER. Often used in furniture and basketry.
61. Dire prophecy: DOOM. Originally, fate. Now a tragic or unhappy destiny.
62. Nobelist Pavlov: IVAN. [1848-1936] a Russian physiologist known primarily for his work in classical conditioning and dog training.
63. Evans' news partner: NOVAK. Rowland Evans Jr. [1921 – 2001] and Robert David Sanders Novak [1931 – 2009] worked together in newspapers and then television for decades.
64. __ sci: POLI. Political Science is the study of politics and power from domestic, international, and comparative perspectives. It entails understanding political ideas, ideologies, institutions, policies, processes, and behavior, as well as groups, classes, government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war.
65. Elizabeth of "La Bamba": PENA. Elizabeth Maria Peña {1959 – 2014] was an American actress, writer and musician. She won the 1996 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and a Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for her role in Lone Star.
66. Torso muscles, collectively: CORE.
67. Watersports gear: SKIS.
Down:
1. Lakeside rentals: BOATS. I was thinking cottages - which don't fit - but, OK
2. Additional: EXTRA. But wait -- there's more!
3. Allowed to enter: LET IN. Like guests.
4. Cleeves who wrote Shetland Island mysteries: ANN. [b 1954] She studied English at the University of Sussex but dropped out and then took up various jobs including cook at the Fair Isle bird observatory, auxiliary coastguard, probation officer, library outreach worker and child care officer before winning the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her novel Raven Black. Some people just can't keep a job.
5. Bed-ins for Peace participant: YOKO ONO. [b 1933] She is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and peace activist. She was married to English singer-songwriter John Lennon of the Beatles from 1969 until his murder in 1980. With their performance Bed-Ins for Peace in Amsterdam and Montreal in 1969, Ono and Lennon used their honeymoon at the Hilton Amsterdam as a stage for public protests against the Vietnam War.
6. Native Alaskan: ALEUT. I had Inuit. But, no. These are the natives of the Aleutian Islands.
7. Monthly expense: RENT.
8. Belafonte classic: DAY-O. AKA The Banana Boat Song.
9. Lynn portrayer in "Coal Miner's Daughter": SPACEK. [b 1949] Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four British Academy Film Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Spacek was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.
10. Mexican money: PESO. Approximately 20.5 to the U.S. Dollar.
11. Minuscule amount: ATOM. Tiny particle.
12. Ump's call: SAFE. Or out. Hard to tell sometimes.
15. Queasiness: NAUSEA. Digestive issue.
21. Reputation stain: BLOT. Often the result of a scandal.
22. Winter warm spell: THAW. Winter is coming.
24. __ ex machina: DEUS. God from a Machine. A plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. The term was coined from the conventions of ancient Greek theater, where actors who were playing gods were brought onto stage using a machine - either a crane from above or a trap door from below.
27. Peacock's gait: STRUT. To walk with a vain, pompous bearing, as with head erect and chest thrown out, as if expecting to impress observers
28. Scheme: PLOT. A plan made in secret by a group of people to do something, often illegal or harmful.
29. K-12, in brief: EL-HI. Elementary and high school
30. Bit attachment: REIN. For controlling horses.
31. Do a number, say: SING. That's one interpretation.
32. Supermodel Banks: TYRA. Tyra Lynne Banks (b.1973, also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, businesswoman, producer, actress, and writer.
33. Line holder: REEL. Fishing gear
34. Handling the matter: ON IT. I'll let you kn ow when I'm finished.
35. Familiar with: UP ON. Or, perhaps, in on.
39. Sirius, e.g.: STAR. The brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word Σείριος (Seirios, lit. 'glowing' or 'scorching'). The star is designated Alpha Canis Majoris, with a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46
41. Lewd stuff: SMUT. Clean mind, clean body -- take your pick.
42. Pupa protector: COCOON. A silky case spun by the larvae of many insects for protection in the pupal stage.
43. 2020 candidate Beto: O'ROURKE. Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke [b 1972] is an American politician who represented Texas's 16th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. O'Rourke is best known for his 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate, which he lost to Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.
44. Inch or mile: UNIT. Of measurement.
46. Wellesley graduate: ALUMNA. Female graduate.
49. Asparagus piece: SPEAR. I wanted the less dangerous STALK.
50. Fodder for a Fire, say: E-BOOK. Fire being an E-reader. Nice misdirection.
51. Food recall cause: E COLI. A bacterium that does not belong in your food.
52. Truck stop array: SEMIS. Plural of a semi-tractor-trailer truck, also known as simply a semi-trailer truck, semi-tractor truck, semi-tractor-trailer or tractor-trailer truck, is the combination of a tractor unit and one semi-trailer or more to carry freight. A semi-trailer attaches to the tractor with a type of hitch called a fifth-wheel.
53. Send using 52-Down: SHIP. Transport an item from one location to another.
54. Finish, as a road: PAVE. Complete the construction of a roadway, generally with concrete or asphalt.
55. Algerian seaport: ORAN. A major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population, commercial, industrial, and cultural importance.
56. Colorado-based sports org.: USOC. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee.
57. Digital recorder: TIVO. Made by a corporation of the same name.
That wraps up another Wednesday. Hope you made OUT OK.
