Saturday, November 6, 2021, Stella Zawistowski

 Saturday Themeless by Stella Zawistowski 

Those of you who are familiar with our Renaissance woman, Stella, should recognize the flavor of her diverse puzzles. Here are her comments:

It shouldn't be too hard to guess one of my two seeds: DEADLIFT, which is the lift I'm performing in my Twitter profile photo (@stellaphone) (shown below). That is 325 pounds I had just pulled in the photo! Unfortunately lack of access to gyms during NYC lockdowns means I've lost a lot of posterior chain strength and would not be able to pull even close to that today, but it remains one of the achievements I'm proudest of. The other seed for this themeless was BRUNOISE, because I enjoy cooking very much.

 

If you look at the two red cells in the puzzle, you will see where I failed. If you knew that music term, that cooking term and Julie DELPY, you're a better man than I am, Charlie Brown! No matter how long I stared, I could not come with any fill for those cells. I still had fun and appreciate the uniqueness that Stella brings to our puzzles as I have not been vaccinated against learning. 😊

Across:

1. A little of this, a little of that: GRAB BAG - Stella's trademark

8. Common packing list item: ADAPTER - The rest of the world plugs in differently

15. Transpose: REVERSE - When I want to sing a song in a different key, I transpose the music to guitar chords that are more to my liking using this iPhone app. Changing but not REVERSING them.

16. Italian music festival city that inspired Eurovision: SAN REMO.

17. Twist expert?: IRONIST - When I think of IRONY experts,  O. Henry and  his Gift Of The Magi spring to my mind. You?

18. Gets off the fence: CHOOSES and 6. Buridan's __: philosophical paradox: ASS - More learning for your humble reviewer 

19. Gets down?: LANDS - An Apollo capsule LANDS but not on, uh,  land

20. Expert: ACE.

22. Votre et ma: NOTRE - From my granddaughter: Votre et ma classe de Français est très interessant (Yours and my French class is very interesting) and NOTRE professeur explique la grammaire tres bien. (Our professor explains grammar very well.) 

23. She's Frankie on "Grace and Frankie": LILY - Jane Fonda and LILY Tomlin

24. Shepard and Bean: ALANS - They are the first and third moonwalkers in the second row of this poster

26. Don't stay in one place: FLIT.

27. Jargon suffix: ESE - We often speak CROSSWORDESE here

28. Dazzled: BLINDED.

30. QB effort: ATT - NFL Pass ATTEMPT leaders

31. Weight training exercise: DEAD LIFT - The lift Stella is doing at the first of this writeup and a seed entry for her

33. Oil-rich peninsula: ARABIA.

35. Hardly symbiotic: DOG EAT DOG - Every woman for herself

37. Financier Edward Francis __: HUTTON - Their classic commercial 

40. Culinary knife cut producing tiny cubes: BRUNOISE - New to me and another seed entry for Stella. I thought of Julienne but that would only be the first step.

44. Repulsed reaction: UGH - Adrian Johnson had GAH last Saturday    

45. Stray: DEVIATE.

47. Snow: CON 

48. Snow traveler: SLED.

50. Julie of the "Before" film trilogy: DELPY - No chance for me

51. Half up front?: HEMI - HEMI "up front" in a word means half

52. Spent: TIRED.

54. Act for, for short: REP - I substitute for teachers and am a SUB for short

55. Material for "Suits": CASES - These TV lawyers have CASES. (Suits is capitalized and in quotes)

56. Current with the wind: LEE TIDE - A tide that is moving in the same direction as the wind which can be dangerous for small craft

58. "How stupid of me!": I'M A FOOL.

60. Magazine that annually runs the Black Women in Hollywood Awards: ESSENCE.

61. Last of eight: NEPTUNE - Sorry Pluto

62. Pick a fight: START IN.

63. Unceremoniously dropped nowadays: GHOSTED or 41. Treats in an unfriendly way: ICES OUT.

Down:

1. More than just questioned: GRILLED - Gibbs' specialty at NCIS

2. Bold poker move: RERAISE.

3. Fictional Prince Edward Island community: AVONLEA.

4. __ straw: BENDY - Its invention was in 1947

5. Ritual for some eight-day-olds: BRIS - No image from me for this Jewish ritual 

7. "Surely you can do better things with your time!": GET A LIFE.

8. Rise: ASCEND.

9. Code word: DAH - Gary in Morse code is DAH-DAH-DIT   DIT-DAH   DIT-DAH-DIT   DAH-DIT-DAH-DAH

10. Sans attribution, for short: ANON.

11. Jury swayer: PROOF - Perry Mason often waited until the very end of the trial

12. Destination of many a tube: TEST LAB.

13. Honored retirees: EMERITI - Indiana University has a house for EMERITI, retired faculty, so they can keep in touch with the university and provide their many talents as a resource

14. Stone home: ROSETTA - It was found near ROSETTA, Egypt

21. Singingly, in music: CANTABILE - More learning for this blogger

24. Joined (with): ALIGNED -  or not

25. Navy tour, e.g.: SEA DUTY.

28. Vein flower: BLOOD - Stella didn't get me on this where a flower is something that flows and not a plant 

29. Spy in the air, maybe: DRONE - Here is an eight minute narrated DRONE flight over my golf course. 

32. EPA-banned insecticide: DDT.

34. Long tail?: AGO - It was long AGO that Husker football was great 

36. Blocking the escape routes of: TRAPPING - TRAPPING is also done in football. In this picture, #90 in white is allowed through and then trap blocked by #77 in maroon so he can't escape

37. "Side" jobs: HUSTLES - Starting teachers sometimes have/need the "side HUSTLE" of tutoring

38. Most frightful: UGLIEST.

39. "Long Island Medium" star __ Caputo: THERESA.

42. Unspecified soul: SOMEONE.

43. Isolated, in a way: ENISLED - Napoleon was ENISLED on Elba 

46. "Pippin" Tony winner: VEREEN.

49. Turn aside: DETER.

51. Sword handles: HAFTS - Not HILTS it seems

53. Force: DINT - Online discussion went between answer (A) and (D)

55. The "C" in the musical instruction "D.C. al fine": CAPO - Repeat from the beginning (CAPO/head) to to finish (FINE/end).

57. 601, to Virgil: DCI - Crossword solving is greatly facilitated by knowledge of Roman numerals 

59. Unenthusiastic review: MEH - Never on a Stella puzzle!

Friday, November 5, 2021, Gary Larson

Title: Furniture for a $1,000.00 please, Mayim.

I had to resist my inclination to be sad when I finished solving this Friday from Gary "Taking over the World" Larson because for me it is a take off on JEOPARDY . Naturally I do not relish missing the incomparable Alex Trebek but we soldier on.

Gary creates every kind of puzzle and this one is Friday hard based on (1) no reveal; and (b) some very thoughtful but deceptive cluing. I still enjoy the aha moment when I find a theme without having to call any of my co-bloggers and this was one of such puzzles. I also have the advantage of having written-up 400+ puzzles so I should be pretty good. For example, we know that the convention is to not have non-theme fill longer than the theme fill. We find the four longest and BINGO, we have a place to begin. More solving tips next week. 

The themers:

18A. Furniture for an angler?: WATER TABLE (10). This puzzle is so apt after Joseph discussion on polysemous words, which are the key to today's puns. Table is the furniture but when you add water it doesn't grow it becomes the level below which the ground is saturated with water. Very important in South Florida construction. 

22A. Furniture for an efficiency expert?: SNAPPY DRESSER (13). Dresser can be both a bureau/armoire and someone with clothes on. Snappy is an old fashioned compliment.

49A. Furniture for a military officer?: SERVICE BUREAU (13). Back to putting away clothes, this time in the miltary.

56A. Furniture for an event planner?: PARTY CHAIR (10). Chair may be the most common piece of furniture but  it first developed as early as 3100-2500 B.C. The first items created for household use were made of stone, as wood was not readily available during the Neolithic time period. Dressers, cupboards and beds were amongst the first forms of furniture.

Now that we know all that...

With only 46 spaces of theme there is plenty of room for longer fill: AIR BASE, CLOAKED, IKETTES, LIE IDLE, NOT WITH, OPEN PIT, SECULAR, SHAPERS, SWEEP UP, PRESORTS, and REBIRTHS are all interesting. Let us see how he weaved his web.

Across:

1. Simple starts: ABCS. A fun misdirection and not a simple fill. 

5. Move unsteadily: LURCH. My favorite will always be TED CASSIDY .  

10. Mex. title: SRTA. Senorita. 

14. Yawn-inducing: SLOW. Like my write-up this week.

15. "That's __": 1953 Top 10 hit: AMORE.

16. Close relative, often: HEIR.  Or legatee, or beneficiary?

17. Stuffing ingredient: SAGE. Poor parsley, rosemary and thyme.

20. German article: EINE. Drei?

21. Kind of barbecue: OPEN PIT. Great in our non-winter cool nights. 

26. Worldly: SECULAR. Hmm, I know it refers to attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis. But do you have to be worldly?

27. Highways: Abbr.: RTES. Routes.

30. Small game pieces: PAWNS. In our game. 

32. Alphabetically fifth of Santa's reindeer: DASHER. Blitzen, 

Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donner, Prancer, Rudolph, and 

Vixen. The naughty one.

34. Phone download: APP. I need two hands to carry my phone these days. 

37. Hidden: CLOAKED.

39. One attached to a binding, perhaps: SKI. Stand height influences leverage on the ski as well as the ski's feedback on your body parts ...so bindings definitely make a difference.

40. Organized set: SERIES. Many different variations of the same meaning.

42. Family group: MAFIA. Not mine.

44. Cheat, in a way: PEEK. People did like sitting near me on test day.

45. Gather dust: LIE IDLE. A wonderful mash-up of vowels.

54. Against: NOT WITH. Sorry, I am not with your program. 

55. Anna Pigeon mystery series writer Nevada __: BARR.  She is a very open book. BIOGRAPHY.

59. Plus: ALSO.

60. You won't get cards without it: ANTE. Noy xmas, but playing cards for poker etc.

61. Actress Knightley: KEIRA. A puzzle favorite.

62. Barely go (through): SEEP.

63. Red ink: LOSS.

64. Touch, say: SENSE. One of many. 

65. White-tailed shore bird: ERNE. Now you know why they call them sea eagles.

Down:

1. Weigh: ASSESS. Important in assaying ores.

2. Illusionist David known for death-defying stunts: BLAINE.

3. Hennessy product: COGNAC. Very big seller at the liquor store accross the street. Also voted the MOST POPULAR

4. Remove with a broom: SWEEP UP. 

5. __ of diminishing returns: LAW. One of the first things I learned in law school is that you could study too much...

6. First name in "Pulp Fiction" credits: UMA. We have seen her so often.

7. Turbine part: ROTOR. Part of the spinning process. 

8. __ paper: CREPE. Not to be confused with Suzette'

9. "__ a bottle and an honest friend!": HERE'S.

Here's A Bottle And An Honest Friend!

Here's a bottle and an honest friend!

What wad you wish for mair, man?

Wha kens before his life may end,

What his share may be o' care, man?

Then catch the moments as they fly,

And use them as ye ought, man?

Believe me, happiness is shy,

And comes not ay when sought, man.

Robert Burns

10. Woodworking tools: SHAPERS. A machine for woodworking.

11. New beginnings: REBIRTHS. An oversued term

12. List: TILT. A boat will list/tilt.

13. Equals: ARE.

19. Heavy wts.: TNS. Tons.

23. Word after fire or first: PLACE. You have others?

24. Two-masters: YAWLS. Sailing craft. 

25. 1962 villain played by Joseph Wiseman: DR NO.

28. Startled cry: EEK. Not eke.

29. Hindu title: SRI.

31. Short beer order: SAM. Adams. Meh.

32. Emergency room treatment, for short: DEFIB. Defibrillator. 

33. Parting word: ADIEU. Buh bye.

34. Hieroglyphics creature: ASP. The snake made famous by Cleopatra, but was Cleopatra killed by an asp? LINK?

35. One of a peppery trio?: PEE. I never tasted mine.

36. Does a laundry task: PRESORTS. A weird answer never used before. 

38. Mustard family member: KALE.  They are characterized by herbaceous plants having alternate leaves, acrid or pungent juice, clusters of four-petaled flowers, and fruit in the form of a two-parted capsule, and including broccoli, cabbage, candytuft, cauliflower, cress, mustard, radish, sweet alyssum, turnip, and wallflower.

41. Aptly named backing group for the Turners: IKETTES. 

43. Flight center: AIRBASE.

46. Place to get wheels: DEALER. I only heard they sold eightballs, dime bags, or keys.

47. Yankee Don who pitched the only no-hitter (a perfect game) in World Series history: LARSEN. A fun self reference (spelling be damned) to the rarest feat in baseball. 

48. Iceland is in it: EUROPE. I am seriously thinking about going after talking to two of Devin's friends who go often.

50. Letters after either Cowboy St. senator's name: R-WY. Republican from Wyoming. Tricky.

51. Maker of NyQuil and DayQuil: VICKS. VaPoRub

52. "... __ wed": I THEE.

53. Mountain __: CHAIN. I see many mountains, lions and peaks and passes.

54. Technology start: NANO. Not nanu.

56. Amigo: PAL. No hint of language change.

57. Org. that takes many forms: IRS. Very amusing clue.

58. Issa of "Awkward Black Girl": RAE.

So now November is here with many events ahead from Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving still to come. In order to relax from all the stress remember do a puzzle and you won't need a muzzle, and your SO will want to nuzzle as you both guzzle your holiday spirits.  As I mentioned a challenging but great puzzle; thank you Gary, and thank you all who voted for me to stay in office.

lemonade out.

Thursday, November 4, 2021, Nancy Stark, Will Nediger

 

Good morning, curciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here wishing everyone a slightly belated wonderful start to November.  It is difficult, indeed, to realize that Halloween has once again come and gone.  Thanksgiving is around the proverbial corner and with that the "Holiday Season" will have officially begun.  Of course, my local Costco had Halloween merchandise on display starting in mid-August so, perhaps, I am a bit out-of-date in my perception of how all of this is supposed to work.

Today's puzzle was constructed by Nancy Stark & Will Nediger who seem to have last visited us in July, 2020.

Our simian friend, above, strongly suggests that we start with the reveal and that we declare it to be "Theme for A Day":

58 Across.  Reason to wear a hat ... or what 17-, 27- or 43-Across may describe: BAD HAIR DAY.

At three places within the grid the puzzle setters have placed answers that (with a bit of a stretch) COULD describe hair styles that have gone bad.

17. Garnish at the bar: LEMON TWIST.  I have heard LEMON used to describe a used car but never to describe a poor quality hair styling job.

Havana Twist

27. Tough gymnastics maneuver: BACKWARD FLIP.  I am not sure how one might get a FLIP BACKWARD.  Turned under, perhaps.  That might tickle.

The "Classic" 60's Flip

43. Heavy surf feature: CRASHING WAVE.

Finger Wave

Here is how it looks in the grid . . .

 . . . and here is how we get there:

Across:

1. "And was Jerusalem builded here / Among these dark Satanic __?": Blake: MILLS.  Right off the bat, a c/a to which I had not a clue.  Perps to the rescue.

6. Fortune's partner: FAME.  FAME and Fortune.

10. Old home theater setups: VCRS.  Video Cassette RecorderS

14. Something to bid: ADIEU.

15. Plant not actually in the lily genus: ARUM.  ARUM lily, aka Calla Lilly.  There are approximately 391,000 species of plants.  Only approximately 90 of these are classified as being in the lily genus but the "not actually" tips us off to something along the lines of a misnomer.  Still, perps to the rescue.

16. Sound from a roller coaster: WHEE.

19. Essence: GIST.

20. Key under a tilde: TAB.

21. Actress __ Gurira who plays Okoye in recent Marvel films: DANAI.  Once again, my lack of familiarity with current pop culture was exposed.  Perps to the rescue.  Again.

22. Locks with a bar: BOLTS.  Both locks and BOLTS are polysemous.  As clued, it could have been a type of hair style.

23. Attack with vigor: ASSAIL.

25. Is able to: COULD.

32. Laid-back: CHILL.  Slang, in this instance.  Used as an adjective it would seem.

35. Van Gogh setting: ARLES.

The Courtyard of the Hospital in Arles - 1889

36. Texter's intro to a take: IMO. In My Opinion.

37. Name meaning "born again": RENE.  We have seen this cluing before. Né is French for born.

38. Tie for cooking: TRUSS.  It's not to early to begin thinking about this.

39. Related: AKIN.  A friend of mine had an idea for a subscription box that came with everything you needed to make something AKIN to pita bread but softer and made with yogurt.  I had to tell him that it was a naan-starter.

40. Graceless sort: OAF.  From the Old Norse AUF meaning, among other things, elf.

41. Where to see lots of fans: ARENA.  Sports fans

42. Refine: AMEND.  Certainly, in a way.

46. Nickname used by Shaggy: SCOOB.

Shaggy and Scooby-Doo

47. Animosity: RANCOR.  A nourished bitterness, envy, hatred or malice.

51. "Whoa, didn't expect to see you here": OH HEY.

53. A thousand ccs: LITER.  I learned the metric system in chemistry class . . . and on streets of Berkeley and Amsterdam.

56. "Well, well, well!": OHO.  AHA!

57. Reason to wear a hat: RAIN.  Another reason in addition to BAD HAIR.

60. Record blemish: BLOT.  Why was the ink BLOT upset?  Because his father was in the pen and he didn't know how long the sentence would be.

61. Most applied-to U.S. sch. in the fall of 2021: UCLA.  Freshman year of undergrad, two years of grad school and two years of teaching there for this marine mammal.  It's a good thing that the campus is pretty close to the beach.

62. Singer featured on Missy Elliott's "Lose Control": CIARA.  Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera.  Sierra Nevada.

63. Jacob's dozen: SONS.

64. Distort: SKEW.

65. '50s bomb: EDSEL.  A-Bomb?  H-Bomb?  Nope, an automobile flop.

1958 Edsel Villager

Down:

1. Valletta's island: MALTA.  Valletta is the capital city of MALTA.

2. Creative output: IDEAS.  A hand up for first thinking of some of the creative arts.

3. Swing supports: LIMBS.  A tree swing, I suppose.

4. Sign before Virgo: LEO.  An astrological reference.  This marine mammal was born under this sign during what the Chinese say was the Year of the Tiger.

5. Old timer: SUNDIAL.  Not a grizzled veteran but, literally, an old timer.  No moving parts to break.

6. Be obsequious: FAWN.  FAWN is another polysemous word.

7. Showcase for pipes?: ARIA.  "Pipes" being slang for singing ability.

8. Cutting-edge instrument?: MUSICAL SAW.  Creative word play makes us smile.

9. Ambulance pro: EMT.  Emergency Medical Technicians hang out in our puzzles.

10. Car once marketed as the Rabbit: VW GOLF.

2019 Volkswagen Golf

11. Young at heart: CHILDLIKE.  While this c/a was pretty quickly resolved,  a lingering dissatisfaction remains as being "young at heart" has always seemed to signify so much, much more than CHILDLIKE.

Frank Sinatra

12. Take a breather: REST.  Let sleeping dogs lie.

13. Spreads, as sails: SETS.  Hoist up the John B's Sail.  See how mainsail SETS.

Al Jardine & Brian Wilson

18. Soft rock: TALC.

22. BFFs: BUDS.  I did know this bit of current pop culture.  Best Friends Forever S.  PALS would also have fit the allotted space.

24. Skilled: ABLE.

26. Metal sources: ORES.

28. "Trilogy of Terror" star: KAREN BLACK.

Karen Black as Julie

29. Squeezed (out): WRUNG.

30. "Let's do it!": I'M IN.

31. (The) Atlantic, to Brits: POND.  Often used in the phrase "across the pond".

32. "Zeeba" eater in the comic "Pearls Before Swine": CROC.

33. Pick up, in a way: HEAR.  HEARed on the street.

34. Trendy: IN FASHION.  Why do FASHION designers never have any good ideas?  Because they're too clothes minded.

38. Folk group, often: TRIO.  Chad Mitchell TRIO.  Kingston TRIO.  Peter, Paul & Mary. The Limeliters.  The Sandpipers.  Etc. Etc.  Do the Three Stooges count?

39. Congregation cry: AMEN.

41. Greeting at sea: AHOY.  AHOY,  mateys,  thar's fools gold in Cuba, Trinidad and Jamica.  Arrg, they be the Pyrites of the Caribbean.

42. Grasping nature: AVARICE.  Greed

44. Tracks of a sort: SCENTS.  To a bloodhound

45. __ 51: AREA.  AREA 51 is a highly classified USAF facility.  You can find it on the map (but you probably won't be granted access - although I suspect there are a few folks who hang out on The Corner who would be).

48. Score conclusions: CODAS.  A musical composition reference

49. Place to see some Chicago touchdowns?: OHARE.  Not Soldier Field (home of Da Bears) but, instead, the airport.

50. Word with family or flush: ROYAL.

51. "Windows to the soul": ORBS.  Poet-speak for eyes

52. Religious art image: HALO.  One of many.

54. Like frivolous chatter: IDLE.

55. Spring harbinger: THAW.

58. It picks people up: BUS.  Not, in this case, an antidepressant.

59. Done with, with "of": RID.  Well, we may be done with today's recap but we are certainly not RID of our cruciverbal habits.

_________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, November 3, 2021 August Miller

Theme: Here it is from Hans and Franz.

 

Let's lift up the unifier first.  59 A. Overpowered ... or how the Across answers with circles might be described?: OUT-MUSCLED.  Out-manned and outgunned - unable to compete.  In the puzzle, significant muscles are abbreviated and featured as book ends in the theme fill.  Hence the use of "OUT" to indicate that the muscles are severed in the grid. [Ouch!]. So let's build them back up.

24 A. Opposite of a roast: GLOWING TRIBUTE.  In a roast, the guest of honor is humorously showered with [presumably] good-natured disrespect.  So, definitely the opposite.  GLUTES come in large, medium and small varieties, as illustrated in this cut away, and they follow you wherever you go.

Keep them strong

29. Fictional legal secretary: DELLASTREET.  From the old Perry Mason TV show, played by Barbara Hale [1922 - 1917].

Tribute

DELTS are shoulder muscles and also travel in threes.

Pump them up

42. Three-horned dinosaur: TRICERATOPS.  This behemoth wandered in North America between 66 and 68 million years ago.

Herbivore

The TRICEPS, as the name suggests, also are a trio, located in the back of the arm.

They extend the elbow joint

49. Job for the police: LAW ENFORCEMENT.   Responsibilities for enforcing laws, maintaining public order, and managing public safety.   The Latissimus Dorsi Muscle, aka, "LAT," is a large, flat triangular muscle that is not used strenuously in common daily activities but is an important muscle in many exercises such as pull-ups, chin-ups, lat pulldowns, and swimming.

Don't let them get too tight

Hi, Gang.  JazzBumpa here to do the heavy lifting.  Let's exercize our grey muscles and see what we can build up.

Across:

 1. Site-hop, Webwise: SURF.  You can find anything on the web.  Just be skeptical.

5. Watched closely: EYED.  

9. Beetle relative: JETTA.  Volkswagen Marques.

14. "Small world": OH, HI. Spoken at an unexpected meeting.

15. Fish that ought to go well with a cobbler?: SOLE.  An entrée, a desert, a shoe part and a shoe maker, all together in neat word play.

16. Paddled: OARED.  Moved a boat by arm power.  Which muscles are involved?

17. Not at all biased: FAIR.  

18. Yeast-free loaf: QUICK BREAD.  Bread made with a leavening agent (such as baking powder or baking soda) that permits immediate baking of the dough or batter mixture.

20. Au courant, with "in": TUNED.  Aware, maybe even woke.

22. Common lunch hour: NOON.  

23. Instrument for Este Haim of the pop rock trio Haim: BASS.

27. "When They See Us" creator DuVernay: AVA.   Ava Marie DuVernay is an American filmmaker. She won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film 'Middle of Nowhere," becoming the first black woman to win the award.   When "They See Us"  is a 2019 American crime drama television miniseries created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix, that premiered in four parts on May 31, 2019

28. Become less brilliant, as colors: FADE.

35. Org. impacted by the Real ID Act: DMV.  Department of Motor Vehicles.

38. "CHiPs" actor Estrada: ERIK.   Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada [b 1949] is an American actor and police officer. He is known for his co-starring lead role as California Highway Patrol officer Francis (Frank) Llewelyn "Ponch" Poncherello in the police drama television series CHiPs, which ran from 1977 to 1983.

39. Kitten's cry: MEW.

40. Place in an overhead bin, say: STOW.

41. Not looking good: WAN.  Pale, so therefore not looking healthy.

46. Self-__: CARE.   The process of taking care of oneself with behaviors that promote health and active management of illness when it occurs.

48. Hoppy brew letters: IPA.  

56. DEA agent: NARC.  The Drug Enforcement Agency deals with narcotics, hence the ugly nick-name for their agents.

57. Valley: DALE.   The name is used when describing the physical geography of an area. It is used most frequently in the Lowlands of Scotland and in the North of England;

58. Application of small drops: SPRAY.  As paint or nasal decongestant.

62. Bends: ARCS.  Smooth curves. 

63. Surg. holding area: PRE-OP.  Last stop before surgery.

64. Save for later, as a TV show: TIVO.  A digital recording device. 

65. Pacific salmon: COHO.   One of 5 Pacific salmon species.

66. Puts in the work for: EARNS.   An honest day's work for an honest day's pay.

67. Appear: SEEM. Look like.

68. Suffix with Jumbo: -TRON.  A video display using large-screen television technology.   It is typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close up shots of an event or even other sporting events occurring simultaneously. 

Down:

1. What Germany has that Greece doesn't?:  SOFT G.   Phonetics, peeps.

2. DIY mover: U-HAUL.  Commercial truck and trailer renting company.

3. Mighty mammal with keratin horns: RHINO.

4. Rite of passage involving hot embers: FIRE WALK.   Walk bare foot over hot embers.  Where does this happen?

5. Law firm abbr.: ESQ.   Esquire: a title appended to a lawyer's surname.

6. Kits and cubs: YOUNG.  Animal babies.

7. "Silas Marner" author: ELIOT.  George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans [1890 - 1880.]

8. Interior design: DECOR.   The furnishing and decoration of a room.

9. Role: JOB.  Position in an organization chart?  I don't understand this.

10. iPod accessory: EAR BUD.  A very small headphone, worn inside the ear.

11. Showed, as a good time: TREATED TO.   Picked up the bill.

12. Rag on: TEASE.  I don't think so.  Teasing is playful, ragging on is hostile.

13. Puts into the mix: ADDS.

19. Carver's tool: KNIFE. 

21. Soprano superstar: DIVA.  A famous and highly regarded female singer in opera or pop music

25. Rapper Lil __ X: NAS.   Montero Lamar Hill [b. 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter.

26. Upside-down sleeper: BAT.  They hang around in the day time and get active at night.

29. Dawn phenomenon: DEW.  Moisture condensing on grass and other plants.

30. Slice of history: ERA.  A period of time notable for some important person or characteristic.

31. Author who wrote the Thongor fantasy series: LIN CARTER.  Linwood Vrooman Carter [1930 - 1988] was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. 

32. "That's enough!": TMI.  Too Much Information: tell me no more.

33. Word with hall or room: REC.  Short for recreation.

34. Woolly mama: EWE.  Female sheep.

36. Unruly head of hair: MOP.

37. 9-Across et al.: VWS.  Volkswagen vehicles.

40. Short-lived 1765 legislation: STAMP ACT.   The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first internal tax levied directly on American colonists by the British Parliament. The act, which imposed a tax on all paper documents in the colonies, came at a time when the British Empire was deep in debt from the Seven Years' War (1756-63) and looking to its North American colonies as a revenue source. 

42. Amount past due?: TRE.  Two and three in some European language.

43. Tears to shreds: RENDS.

44. Rocker Ocasek: RIC.   Richard Theodore Otcasek [1944 – 2019], known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock band the Cars. 

 

 45. Goodall subjects: APES.  Jane Goodall is best known for her 60-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since she first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960, where she witnessed human-like behaviors among chimpanzees, including armed conflict.  The chimpanzee  is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. I

47. "You gotta be kidding!": AW, C'MON.  Gimme a break.

49. Linney of "Ozark": LAURA.   Laura Leggett Linney [b. 1964] is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of several awards, including two Golden Globe Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards, and has been nominated for three Academy Awards and five Tony Awards.

50. Indisputable evidence: FACTS.   Things that are known or proven to be true.

51. Skateboard leap: OLLIE.   Here is how to do it.

 

 52. Christopher who played Superman: REEVE.   Christopher D'Olier Reeve [1952 - 2004] was an American actor, director, and activist, best known for playing the titular main character in the film Superman and its three sequels.

53. Boot on a diamond: ERROR.  Misplay a batted ball in base ball.

54. Cheesy chip: NACHO.  A dish of tortilla chips topped by or dipped into melted cheese and often also other savory toppings.

55. Cicely of "Roots": TYSON.   She [1924 - 2021] was an American actress and model. In a career which spanned more than seven decades, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. 

56. "Ain't gonna happen": NOPE.  Slangy denial.

60. Market advances: UPS.  When the indexes are rising.  So far, so good, this week.

61. Bubbly title: DOM.  Part of the name of a champagne brand.

That does it for another Wednesday.   I had a rather difficult time finding footholds with this one, but it all worked out [so to speak] in the end.  Also had a couple nits, but overall, a fun puzzle.  Hope you didn't strain anything.

Cool Regards!

JzB