Saturday, June 4, 2022, Annemarie Brethauer

 Themeless by Annemarie Brethauer

Note from Husker Gary: Due to a change in policy, this will be the last puzzle write-up that includes comments from the constructor. 

This marks Annemarie's eighth LA Times published puzzle but her first themeless Saturday. 

Annemarie worked for twenty years at a local government access channel as a writer/director/producer and was also used to being strictly behind the camera (Documentaries like "Know Your Zoning Code."). She is now retired and freelancing as a puzzle creator. 

Annemarie is the third person from the left in this group of her group of "Wild Women Writing". 

Here's what Annemarie has to tell us about the puzzle:

    

Dear Gary,

Here’s some information on the themeless crossword puzzle with LAMB in the upper lefthand corner.

I started with three phrases which I felt were lively: WE ARE NOT AMUSED, RARIN’ TO GO and UNICORN START-UP. I then filled around these entries with an eye toward balancing lexicon with pop culture references, abbreviations, proper names, etc., like in a themed puzzle. 

I did have some back and forth with the editors until we got what they needed. I am embarrassed to admit that there was some duplication, such as WE ARE NOT AMUSED and later on, AMUSE, but it was handled. Enough said. 

I was asked to redo the NE corner of the grid, to include more “Scrabble-y” letters, which I did: the puzzle now has JARS, JANUS, AXIS and AXEL. 

I was also asked to increase the difficulty of the clues, since this was a Saturday puzzle. I am under the impression that these changes were accepted. Examples include changing “Brainwave type” to “Leader of the pack” for ALPHA and “Guitar virtuoso Paul” to “Fewer finishing early?” for LES.

 

I hope that helps your blog.

Sincerely,

Annemarie Brethauer

Across:

1. Rogan josh meat: LAMB - No idea but "meat" in the clue indicated LAMB might work. I looked up  rogan josh: "Indian lamb curry with a heady combination of intense spices in a creamy tomato curry sauce."

5. Considerable care: PAINS - We bloggers take great PAINS to make these write-ups informative and entertaining. 

10. Tipping points?: JARS - It had to be JARS but it took a while to decipher it.

14. Vinaigrette acronym: EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

15. "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" writer Bender: AIMEE.

16. Olympic leap: AXEL - Ice Skating

17. Centerpiece of a Hogwarts ceremony: SORTING HAT - Benign cross cluing gave me this esoteric answer. 

19. First digit in a California ZIP code: NINE.

20. "Do you see me smiling?": WE ARE NOT AMUSED - This use of the royal "WE" is attributed to Queen Victoria in response to a risqué joke.

22. Khartoum waterway: NILE - Today I learned the White and Blue NILE converge at Khartoum, Sudan and become simply the NILE that flows north to Cairo

23. Mid-month day: IDES.

24. Sullivan of "This Is Us": CHRIS - He's on the right

27. Weather bureau tool: RADAR - Here Omaha RADAR shows a possible tornado near Lincoln

29. Calendar col.: FRI.

32. Marla who plays second base for the Peaches in "A League of Their Own": HOOCH - When scouting Marla, they saw an athletically talented girl who did not fit their appearance criteria. (A favorite movie of mine about baseball and sibling relationships.)

33. "Give it all you've got!": LET 'ER RIP and 34. All fired up: RARIN' TO GO - two examples of eliding (elidin') 

35. Brut alternative: AFTA - Did anyone else think of champagne first? 

36. Butterflies-to-be: PUPAE.

38. Tony-winning role for Heather Headley: AIDA - In Elton John's and Tim Rice's AIDA

39. Like most dog parks: OFF LEASH - Unfettered doggy playground

41. Sharp scarps: CRAGS.

42. Paradise in literature: SAL - Aha, a character I know!  SAL Paradise is the narrator in Jack Kerouac's On The Road

43. Javelin, essentially: SPEAR.

45. Dad's rival: HIRES - Root beers

46. Trick ending?: STER - Loki is a mythological TRICKSTER

47. "A Visit From the Goon Squad" novelist: EGAN.

49. Venture capitalist's dream: UNICORN STARTUP - A privately held company worth more than $1B. Named for their rarity.

55. Surf sound: ROAR.

56. Psychological horror series starring Vera Farmiga: BATES MOTEL - No idea about this series or Vera but the fill became pretty obvious for us fans of Hitchcock's 1960 movie Psycho.

58. Site for finding home services: ANGI - Formerly Angie's List 

59. Gather: AMASS.

60. Part of one's inheritance?: GENE.

61. "The Lady of Shalott" device: LOOM - An Elizabeth Siddal illustration for Tennyson's poem

62. Eponymous museum founder: GETTY - Our skilled bus driver got us up here from the 405 Fwy in Los Angeles

63. __ buco: OSSO - A cwd favorite

Down:

1. __ Fauves: Matisse group: LES - LES Fauves is French for "The Beasts". The phrase was coined by a critic about artists inspired by Matisse and others. It appears that neither of Annemarie's clues of "Guitar virtuoso" nor "Fewer finishing early" made it in.

2. Swear: AVOW.

3. "We're Going to Need __ Wine": Gabrielle Union memoir: MORE.

4. Like herbal remedies: BOTANICAL.

5. Advisory group: PANEL.

6. Designer Etienne: AIGNER - I remembered this from Gary Laron's and Amy Enz's May 27, 2022 puzzle.  Shop for one of his bags

7. Online qualifier: IMHO - In My Humble Opinion and 26. "omg 2 funny": ROTFL - Rolling On The Floor Laughing

8. "I like the way you think!": NEAT IDEA.

9. Say when?: SET A DATE.

10. Roman god associated with doors: JANUS - Here ya go

11. Graph line: AXIS - x, y or z AXIS

12. Glassmaker Lalique: RENE - Bio

13. Blair Braverman vehicle: SLED - A female "musher" who has been in an Iditarod. Exhibit A for Saturday cluing.

18. Like most of the cast of "Derry Girls": IRISH - A Netflix series set during the troubled times of Northern Ireland in the early 1990's

21. Slight: MERE.

24. Pandemonium: CHAOS.

25. Pacino's "The Irishman" role: HOFFA.

      Jimmy HOFFA          Al Pacino as HOFFA

28. Dominant: ALPHA.

29. Man on a mission: FRIAR.

30. Crest: RIDGE.

31. "No thanks": I PASS.

36. Cheap cover for a textbook: PAPER BAG 

37. Handle online: USER NAME 

40. Spanish pronoun: ESTO  ESTO es un pronombre

41. Win over: CHARM - "You CHARM the husk right off of the corn, Mame" 

44. Double-check: RETEST - An axiom of science: RETEST to see if you get the same result

46. Curtain material: SCRIM - A seemingly blank wall can become an eerie scene behind a SCRIM curtain when it is lit

 
48. Full of hot air: GASSY.

49. Eurasian range: URAL.

50. Pitching gem: NO NO - Slang for a baseball no-hitter generated by sports writers who constantly look for a cute/novel phrase during a 162 game schedule. 

51. "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse" speaker: IAGO - IAGO is manipulating Roderigo for "fun and profit"

52. DraftKings factoid: STAT.

53. Four Corners people: UTES.

54. Writes: PENS.

57. A fire sign: LEO.

We do welcome all constructors to comment, if they wish to do so, using our comment link below.

Friday, June 3, 2022, Jeffrey Wechsler

 TITLE: Not OK, just O.

Jeffrey Wechsler is back! So is standard puzzle symmetry! I am happy to be blogging another puzzle from one of the LAT's masters.

Happy first Friday puzzle of June and the blend of the past and the future. A letter removal puzzle which is certainly a common Friday approach, but ramped up by the extensive wit and wisdom of our friend  JW. For anyone wondering if his work would be part of the new order, here is a hint that a fun nicely put together puzzle will always be part of the LAT world. I for one cannot imagine the LAT without Jeffrey

Before the theme we have some other fun words, LENDERS, LESOTHO, NO MERCY, PARASOL, SCRIMPS,  TREATED,  WATERED, POOH POOH  and  VARIABLE. We also have much new stuff, so let us get to solving.

The themers:

20A. Medic with an office at Fisherman's Wharf?: THE DOCK OF THE BAY (14). Ignore the crossed out K and the humor of the clue/fill shines through. It reminds me of the series ROYAL PAINS shot in Miami. 

25A. Leaders inclined to work as a group?: BLOCKHEADS.(9). A bloc is a combination of countries, parties, or groups sharing a common purpose according to the dictionary and they all require a leader. 

When I think of BLOCKHEADS I think of Gumby the 1956 clay animation star who had a primary sidekick  Pokey, a talking orange pony. He also had nemeses, the G and J Blockheads, a pair of antagonistic red humanoid figures with cube-shaped heads, one with the letter G on the block, the other with the letter J. 

45A. Captain Hook's incredulous assessment of his nemesis?: WHAT A CROCK (9). We all know the ending of the phrase with the implied K, but we will let you fill in that blank.  Another childhood favorite from the 50s (1953), Captain Hook's nemesis, tik tok (hmm where have I heard that phrase?) CROCODILE gets repurposed.

50A. Puts comfy shoes through rigorous testing?: HOLDS A MOCK TRIAL (14). This is my favorite as the combined picture of someone trying out a MOCASSIN  and then having a practice open court trial hits my funny bone buttons. I can see calling the toes to the stand to testify.

All in all a tight theme that delivers the joy we expect on Fridays. But what else does this week bring?

Across:

1. Sarah Spain's network: ESPN. There are not many 4 letter networks so this proper name should not have unsettled many, and it is a true CSO to Bill G and other Cornell graduates who stop by the Corner. Sarah at 6' tall played basketball, field hockey and was a pentathlete from Illinois before becoming a broadcaster. Clearly not the person about whom to use a cheap casting pun about broads. A very specific reference which does not sound like JW.

5. Percussion set: HI-HAT. There is so much more to these set-ups than just cymbals.
LINK.

10. Cards: WITS. A Friday pairing of a very simple word, and an uncommon but real definition. Merriam-Webster (M-W) has it at number FIVE.

14. "Go on, git!": SHOO. All I can think of is Louboutin shoes for $25,000.00. Is this where the soul of America has gone?

15. Tickle: AMUSE. We have made it to definition 2b at M-W, which if you do not believe me you will need to look up.

16. __ were: AS IT. Dictionary.com says,  "A shortening of “as if it were so,” this idiom has been in use since Chaucer's time (he had it in his Nun's Priest's Tale, c. 1386)." It is so nice to work Chaucer in here so Joseph and Bill might keep reading.  

17. Textile machine: LOOM. Encyclopedia Britannica suggests these have been around for more than 7000 years! It also said they appeared independently in various parts of the world. We really need that way back machine to fact check which has become so important now. Mr. Peabody, a little help...

18. Nigerian seaport: LAGOS. Would it surprise you to learn Lagos (pronounced Lay-goss) had a population of 15.2 million people as of 2015 with both over-population and poverty and a rich cultural history and a plan for the future? 

19. "Ciao": TATA. A strange blend of an accepted foreign word and a slang for goodbye made most popular by Tigger.

23. Expert: PRO. And we have an actual easy fill.

24. Extremely chill: SERENE. Serenity is one of the most published virtues now. The serenity prayer written by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

31. Extremely cold: GELID. A Friday word derived from the  Latin gerundive GELIDUS brought into English in the 17th century.

32. Channel marker: BUOY. The definition is an anchored float serving as a navigation mark, to show reefs or other hazards, or for mooring. This is derived they say from Portuguese, which makes sense to help you find any Port in a storm. 

33. Picked up the tab: TREATED. If you come visit us in So. Fla. you will not need to split the bill, we will pick up the tab or feed you at our place.

35. BYU or NYU: SCH. If you know Brigham Young and New York Universities this is a gimme.

36. Sun screen: PARASOL. Since it is two words, it cannot be Coppertone. Thailand has a wonderful Umbrella Factory. 

37. Strive (for): VIE. Vy is this not vee?

40. African country in the Maloti Mountains: LESOTHO.  The Maloti Mountains are a mountain range of the highlands of the Kingdom of Lesotho. They extend for about 100 km into the South African Free State. Skiing in Africa anyone?

41. Drains: SAPS. Think of one's energy or bank account.

42. Summits: ACMES. A word mostly associated with Wile E. Coyote, but we were just up in the mountains. 

47. Statue base: PLINTH. Back to wiki to learn this is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. It is the same thing as a pedestal.

49. Melber of MSNBC: ARI. There are so many Aris but this one is an attorney who has become the chief legal analyst for MSNBC, and hosts his own shows and podcasts.

56. Tropical spot: ISLE. A classic vague Friday clue.

57. Safari equine: ZEBRA. There are many Horse Safaris offered but equines are of the mammal family of Equidae (order Perissodactyla) that includes the modern horses, zebras, and asses, as well as more than 60 species known only from fossils. 

58. Most CFOs: MBAS. Chief Financial Officer  = Master of Business Adminstration. 

60. Some game: DEER. Back to hunting...

61. "Middlemarch" novelist: ELIOT.

62. Bend at a barre: PLIE. Ballet. 

63. Retired boomers: SSTS. Ha ha, sonic boomers not baby boomers.

64. Action: STEPS.

65. Blood bank fluids: SERA. 

Down:

1. Subj. for those wishing to be bilingual: ESL. English as a Second Language. 

2. Utterly beyond repair: SHOT.

3. Play down: POOH POOH. LINK.

4. Motto for the ruthless: NO MERCY.

5. Meteorological effect caused by refraction: HALO.

6. Desktop with an AppleCare option: i-MAC.

7. Literary award with a spaceship logo: HUGO.

8. Starting on: AS OF.

9. Lab work: TESTS.

10. Thinned (down): WATERED.

11. Pulitzer-winning journalist Wilkerson: ISABEL. Her self-description has Isabel Wilkerson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, has become a leading figure in narrative nonfiction, an interpreter of the human condition, and an impassioned voice for demonstrating how history can help us understand ourselves, our country, and our current era of upheaval.

12. Early ICBM: TITAN I.

13. Hung around: STAYED.

21. Play-__: DOH. I love the clue that avoid Homer Simpson

22. "Science of Logic" philosopher Georg: HEGEL.

25. Small ammo: BBS.

26. Director Jean-__ Godard: LUC.

27. LAX postings: ETAS.

28. Superhero once played by Stephen Amell on The CW: ARROW.

29. "__ Comes to Pemberley": P.D. James novel: DEATH.

30. Obama daughter: SASHA.

34. Friendly honk: TOOT.

36. Rats, gnats, and brats: PESTS.

37. Element in an algebraic equation: VARIABLE.

38. Wall St. event: IPO.

39. Key that exits full-screen mode: ESC.

40. Brand of packaged bagels: LENDERS.

41. Is extremely frugal: SCRIMPS.

42. Ladybug prey: APHIDS.

43. Shuts: CLOSES.

44. "The Gleaners" painter Jean-François: MILLET.

46. River that rises in the Bernese Alps: AAR.

48. Fuzzy states: HAZES.

51. Move to a warmer state?: MELT.

52. Drama honor: OBIE.

53. Cut short: CROP.

54. Ink: TATS.

55. Place to hibernate: LAIR.

59. "Wide Sargasso __": Jean Rhys novel: SEA.

I just lost the bottom half of my write-up, it is late and I have no energy or mind to recreate. I would tell you it was a great but at this point I doubt it. Thank you Jeffrey, sorry I am not who I used to be. I hope you all have fun and can now pick your own links. Lemonade out

Thursday, June 2, 2022, Emma Lawson

 

This just in, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with today's Read All About It puzzle recap.

Our recently-named editor seems to be consciously, and conscientiously, exposing us to the works of new (and, in today's case, new not just to us) constructors.  In keeping with this plan, today's puzzle setter is Emma Lawson.  A web search returned Emma's website (Emma Lawson dot com).  I contacted her through the website and received this in reply:

"Nice to meet you and the rest of the Crossword Corner team! I'm a college librarian in Vancouver, BC and while I've been doing crosswords since I was a teen, I only started constructing this year. This puzzle is not only my LA Times debut but my first published crossword! Many thanks to Patti and Christina for seeing something worthy in it. I've had a huge learning curve when it comes to constructing but this puzzle felt like smooth sailing the whole way through.

I want to shout out the Crossword Puzzle Collaboration Directory who paired me with a mentor (hi Freddy!), the Crosscord Discord server, and the Inkubator team -- they're all so welcoming and friendly to new constructors."

Congratulations, Emma, and please allow me to extend, on behalf of everyone here, a warm welcome to the Crossword Corner!

Now, let's take a look at your puzzle.  The reveal is provided at:

59 ACROSS:  What an investigative journalist might do, and what the answers to the starred clues literally do: BREAK A STORY.

At four places, marked with stars for our convenience, we find synonyms for STORY broken into two pieces with those pieces placed so as to bracket the rest of that clue's answer.

17 Across:  *Locavore movement: FARM TO TABLE.  FABLE    Locavore, a mashup of local and omni/herbi/carne vore, was coined on Earth Day in 2005.

24 Across:  *Insulating layer around a nerve: MYELIN SHEATH.  MYTH  While I am pretty certain that we've seen this answer before I could not remember it.  Thanks perps.

37 Across:  *Accept a difficult role: TAKE UP THE MANTLE.  TALE    In the Bible, the prophet Elijah left his cloak behind when he ascended to heaven.   A new prophet, Elisha,  picked up this mantle to wear and also took over Elijah's role. 

50 Across:  *Use a randomizer to decide, say: SPIN THE WHEEL.  SPIEL  A lengthy or extravagant speech or argument usually intended to persuade. 

I found the puzzle to be fairly straightforward except for the mid-west section where MYELIN, YUZU, ANI (as clued) and ROTA all converged to form something of a Cluster Natick.  Fortunately, I knew OVITZ and the rest of the perps.  A final WAG for the Y and the computer pronounced the puzzle solved.  If I had been working in pen/pencil and paper, which is difficult to do in the water, I probably would have looked up YUZU and/or ROTA (after the fact) to confirm the FIR.

 As for the rest of the clues/answers, here is a brief description:

Across:

1. High standards: IDEALS.

7. All-in-one product's selling points: USES.  Many USES.

11. Open page on a web browser: TAB.

14. Weasellike pet: FERRET.  What's brown and sounds like a parrot?  A FERRET.

15. Spot for pore strips: NOSE.

16. "Don't Bring Me Down" band: ELO.  Electric Light Orchestra   THE ANIMALS would not fit in the allotted space.

ELO  -  Don't Bring Me Down

The Animals  -  Don't Bring Me Down

19. Also: TOO.  Also, ALSO is often clued with TOO, too.

20. Mos. and mos.: YRS.  YeaRS

21. Diary: LOG.

22. Identity __: THEFT.  A mini theme with 6 Down.

28. Bounce back: REBOUND.

31. Phone notification: ALERT.  Be a lert,  The world needs more lerts.

32. Former Disney president Michael: OVITZ.

33. Aromatherapy locale: SPA.  We often visit SPAs in our puzzles.

34. Snakelike fish: EEL.  See, also, 7 Down

42. Alex and __: jewelry company known for bracelets: ANI.  Usually clued with an avian reference.  This jewelry company was unknown to the author.  Most jewelry companies are.

43. Have debts: OWE.

44. Witherspoon of "The Morning Show": REESE.

45. Invisible urban pollution: NOISE.  The smog we can see.

48. Fake names: ALIASES.

53. Refers to: CITES.

54. Harley-Davidson's stock symbol: HOG.  HOG is slang for a Harley motorcycle.  It is also the acronym for the Harley Owners Group, a collection of enthusiasts.

55. Friend: PAL.

58. Maker of Good Grips kitchen tools: OXO.

64. Tear: RIP.

65. One of Eve's sons: ABEL.  Murdered by Cain.  He had no children of his own.

66. Dressing with anchovies: CAESAR.  A salad reference and not apparel reference.

Anchovy Dressing

67. Super Mario Bros. console: NES.  A video game reference.  Nintendo Entertainment System.  Last Saturday we had Wii as the clue for this.

68. Sup: DINE.

69. Florence's role in "Black Widow" and "Hawkeye": YELENA.  Unknown to this marine mammal.  Perped.

Down:

1. Dubious: IFFY.  Indeed.

2. Letter opener: DEAR.  Cute clue.

3. Texts the wrong person, say: ERRS.

4. Branch: ARM.

5. Word before "It Go" and "It Be," in song titles: LET.  Also, "It Bleed".

Idina Menzel With Jimmy Fallon and The Roots - Let It Go

Paul McCartney and Billy Joel - Let It Be  (2008 Shea Stadium)

The Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed (1981 East Rutherford New Jersey) 

6. Pinched: STOLEN.  A mini theme with 22 Across

7. 34-Across, to a sushi chef: UNAGI.  See, too, 34 Across (duh).

8. Cry noisily: SOB.  Could have been clued more nastily.

9. Night sch. class: ESL.  English As A Second Language

10. Quietly fume: SEETHE.  Emma could have gone with a Ray Charles reference.  What'd I say?

11. Private discussions: TETE A TETES.  Français - head to head

12. In the air: ALOFT.

13. Diner option: BOOTH.  Not the food, the seating

18. Snitched: TOLD.  Ratted out.  Dropped a dime.

23. The first "H" of HRH: HER.  Her or His Royal Highness.  What an odd word, Highness.

24. Sunbeam floater: MOTE.  Dust in the wind, Dude.

25. Citrus hybrid used in Japanese cuisine: YUZU.  Thanks WAG.

26. Kitten-lifting spot: NAPE.

27. Shut noisily: SLAM.  Straightforward.  Have we seen enough poetry clues for this one?

28. Duty roster: ROTA.  New to me.

29. __ Rachel Wood of "Westworld": EVAN.  I am familiar with the original movie.  I am not  familiar with the TV series.  I didn't know women were named EVAN.  Thanks perps.

30. Some halters: BIKINI TOPS.  They come in all sizes and shapes.  Today's "I'd better pass on the graphics" moment.

33. That woman: SHE.

35. Alternatively: ELSE.

36. Vintner's dregs: LEES.  The general sediment that forms in wine after fermentation.

38. Fancy-schmancy: POSH.  What's the difference between a badly dressed man on a unicycle and a POSH dressed man on a motorcycle.  A tire.

39. __ pop: Belle and Sebastian genre: TWEE.  Huh?  Thanks perps.

40. Singer India.__: ARIE.  A frequent visitor.  Four letters three of which are vowels.

41. "Snow Crash" novelist Stephenson: NEAL.  Snow Crash is not quite as good a read as  Cryptonomicon but it's still a fine book.  I have been known to use Hiro Protagonist as a screen name.

46. Number of World Series wins for the Nationals: ONE.  In 2019.

47. "No way to sugarcoat this": IT'S BAD.  Oh, the things people say.

48. "I see now": AH OK.  Ah, the things people say.

49. Mid-size Subaru: LEGACY.  I drove one just like this for fifteen years:

1997 Subaru Legacy Outback

50. Obvious disdain: SCORN.

51. Folklore trickster: PIXIE.

52. Pod member: WHALE.  In keeping with today's theme, it might have been clued something along the lines of "A type of story" or "A ____ of a tale".

55. Selfie stance: POSE.

56. Galway Bay's __ Islands: ARAN.  Located off the coast of Ireland (or Eire or Erin in crossword puzzles).

57. Harp constellation: LYRA.

60. Squeeze bunt stat: RBI.  A baseball reference.  Run Batted In

61. Poetic twilight: EEN.  EvENing

62. RSVP convenience: SAE.  Self  Addressed  Envelope  Not, in this instance, stamped.

63. __ Aviv: TEL.  A major city in modern day Israel . . . and the last of the seven fill-in-the-blank clues used today.

_____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Wednesday June 1, 2022 Mike Graczyk & Christina Iverson

Hahtoolah is traveling this month, so yours truly has been yanked off the bench to pinch hit on a Wednesday. Why Wednesday when Hahtoolah normally blogs on Tuesdays? I don't understand it, either. 

 

We've got a mid-week collaboration from Patti Varol's assistant editor and Mike Graczyk, who could be the assistant soccer coach at Notre Dame, or the Texas AP reporter who's witnessed more than 400 executions, or one of the other 88 Mike Graczyks in Spokeo's database. Who would've guessed there could be so many? Mike's byline has appeared in a number of crossword venues, but I don't recall seeing him in the LAT previously. Of course, I've been wrong before. 

 

The theme was easy to understand -- take four in-the-language phrases and clue them humorously as specialized enthusiast groups, then let the chuckles (or groans) ensue. As an added bonus, there was no reveal for certain solvers to miss. There were quite a few proper names (surprise, surprise). But the perps were kind for the ones I didn't recognize. No foul. 

 

Themers: 

 

17A. Group for cardboard toy enthusiasts?: PAPER DOLL OUTFIT. Not paper clothing, but a group of folks who like paper dolls. [Yuk, yuk.]

34A. Group for Roomba enthusiasts?: VACUUM PACK. Seems like it should've been PACKED, but no matter. It's a group of folks who just love their robotic vacuums. [Chortle.]

44A. Group for big-rig enthusiasts?: SEMI CIRCLE. Macks who just love way their Peterbilt is built. [Guffaw.]

Finally... 63A. Group for Merriam-Webster enthusiasts?: WORD ASSOCIATION. This one could also refer to the corner denizens. [Smile.]

 

 

And on to the rest of the fill:  

 

Across:

 
1. Get all mushy: MELT. Was thinking of treacle.

5. Promising location: ALTAR. "I do."

10. Jewelry designer Peretti: ELSA. No idea.

14. "Then again," in tweets: OTOH. On the other hand...

15. "How nifty!": NEATO. Not heard by anyone since the Valley Girls turned 40.

16. Just the best: TOPS.

20. "My Brilliant Friend" novelist Ferrante: ELENA. No idea. I do remember the piano duo Ferrante and Teicher.

21. "Breathe Me" singer: SIA. No idea.

22. Back in style: RETRO.

23. Gasteyer of "Wine Country": ANA. No idea.

25. eBay sale condition: AS IS. Caveat emptor.

27. Capital of Japan: YEN. The money, not the city.

28. Imminent: IN STORE. Coming soon to a theater near you...

32. Filing tool: RASP. Oh, that kind of filing.

37. Livens (up): PEPS.

40. Forestall: AVERT. Not to be confused with the first "Super Carrier." It suffered a major fire while I was still in boot camp, killing 134 sailors. 

41. UFO crew, probably: ETS. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. 

 

42. Gem weight: CARAT. I'm never sure if it's Carat, Caret, or Karat, but pretty sure it isn't Carrot.

43. "Little Girl Blue" singer Simone: NINA. I've heard of Nina, but not the song. 

 

46. Misfortunes: ILLS.

48. Quaint school dance: SOCKHOP. I served as DJ for our high school Sockhops, yea those many years ago. Sockhops were so called because they were held in the gymnasium, and no street shoes were allowed on the polished floor. Incidentally, the key to our school's P.A. cabinet also unlocked the trampoline, but that's another story.

49. Defense advisory gp.: NSC. National Security Council.

51. Road-trip stops: INNS. In olden times, in addition to a meal and a bed for the night, an inn offered food and stable for the traveler's horse. Today there's not much to distinguish an inn from a hotel or motel.

54. Obi-__ Kenobi: WAN. Star Wars. The Original

55. Inbox filler: EMAIL. It if were only four letters, it'd be SPAM.

57. Fútbol fan's cry: OLÉ. "Fútbol" gives it away.

59. __ & Gabbana fashion house: DOLCE. No idea. 

66. Yoga pose that requires balancing on one foot: TREE. If it's not ASANA, it's a mystery to me.

67. San Diego's __ Park: PETCO. BALBOA was too long. PETCO must be a stadium. Right?

68. Part of an EGOT: EMMY. Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.

69. Wet septet: SEAS. Not a runny nose.

70. Pallid: ASHEN. Would a grayish white hotel be a Pallid Inn?

71. Noodle that may be served in dashi broth: SOBA. If it's not UDON, it must be SOBA

Down:

 
1. Sulk: MOPE. Pout.

2. "And so forth" abbr.: ET AL. I thought ET AL meant "and others."

3. Easy stride: LOPE. In my case, more like an amble.

4. Baseball film featuring a bat named "Wonderboy": THE NATURAL. 

 

5. "Your point is?": AND?.

6. Signs of summer: LEOS. Is there more than one?

7. "Rocky" actress Shire: TALIA. And that's pretty much the extent of what I know about the "Rocky" franchise. Yo, Talia.

8. Book of maps: ATLAS.

9. Milne joey: ROO. From Winnie the Pooh.

10. Novel ending?: ETTE. Old timey cw clue.

11. High vantage point: LOFTY PERCH. My first thought was CATBIRD SEAT. Wite-Out, please.

12. Skyline standout: SPIRE.

13. __ Martin: "Skyfall" car: ASTON. 

18. Went on a quick errand: RAN OUT. Why? Because she ran out.

19. Major in astronomy?: URSA. Minor, too.

24. Blazer sleeve: ARM. Can you spot a sleeve in this photo?
 

 

26. Needle: IRK. Needle me, and I may become IRKed. But are they really synonyms?

28. Director Reitman: IVAN. No idea. LIU. He directed National Lampoon's Animal House, Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters, ad nauseum.

29. Blue-skinned race in "Avatar": NAVI.  

 

30. Picture-perfect spot: SCENIC AREA. Good spot to take a picture.

31. Fencing category: EPEE. Basket-weave and picket are others.

33. Online source of study guides: SPARKNOTES. People of a "certain age" probably remember Cliffs Notes. Apparently, you need a subscription for SparkNotes. 

 

35. PIN point?: ATM. The place where you enter your PIN.

36. Several CBS forensic dramas: CSIS. The TV franchise that refuses to die. Methinks the similarly named NCIS franchise may have gasped its last this past month.

38. __ Alto, California: PALO. "Tall stick." A coastal redwood tree is known as El Palo Alto.

39. Recipe part: STEP. STIR? TBSP?

42. Insect with a 17-year life cycle: CICADA. 2021 was supposed to be "the" year. Don't think we saw (or heard) any in our neighborhood.

44. Nine-digit ID: SSN. At least the guvment finally assigned a different number to identify Medicare recipients. Better late than never.

45. Bearer of good moos?: COW. Punny.

47. Country singer McCann: LILA. No idea.

49. Pond critters: NEWTS. FROGS or TOADS could've worked.

50. Gooey treat: S'MORE.
 

52. Snouts: NOSES.

53. Slow-moving creature: SLOTH. Hand up if you tried SNAIL first. 

 

56. __ of March: IDES. Beware.

58. Latin "Behold!": ECCE. Pontius said it in the pilot.

60. Long way to go?: LIMO. Har-de-har-har.

61. Grooming tool: COMB. I still carry one for my wayward locks.

62. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA. I like this piece of hers better: Boadicea.

64. Pampering place: SPA.

65. Charged particle: ION.

And here is where C.C. will magically make the grid appear. D-o, hanging up his designated hitter hat and signing off for a few weeks.