Sunday, December 18, 2022, Brad Wiegmann

 "It's a Mouse!"

CC's had a bit of a busy week, so she asked me if I would step up and take this chore off her to-do list. TTP ​had the tougher task -- trying to put my mess into publishable shape.   Super job, TTP, you pulled the wool over their eyes, making me look like I knew what I was doing.

Brad Wiegmann is no stranger to crosswords, though he shows up more frequently at "that other newspaper" than in the L.A.T.   From what I can tell, he last showed up here on September 5th, 2021.

It's a mouse! (Eek!) The theme entries end in different spellings, but each has a distinctive "EEK" sound. Your task is to strip the K sound away to discover the in-the-language seed phrases.

22. One who's a really big fan of promos and trailers?: COMMERCIAL FREAK. Commercial-free

39. Go along with harsh criticism of an ancient Athenian?: AGREE TO DIS A GREEK. Agree to Disgree -- my favorite themer.

46. Annual stint at a Buckingham Palace timeshare?: THE ROYAL WEEK. The Royal We

66. Story about a Disney girl who climbs Mount Everest?: THE PRINCESS AND THE PEAK. The Princess and the Pea

86. Expensive block for a woodworking apprentice?: PRACTICE TEAK.

 

93. Poultry dish served in a Punjabi restaurant?: CHICKEN OF THE SIKH. Chicken of the Sea. Second favorite themer. 

117. Shop selling gold earrings and bandanas?: PIRATE'S BOUTIQUE. Pirate's Booty

The long themers didn't leave a lot of room for lengthy non-theme answers. Still, there's some nice stuff here.  

Across:

1. Unwelcome omens: BAD SIGNS.

9. Sussed (out): DOPED.

14. WWII sea threat: U-BOAT.

19. Pollution legislation goal: CLEAN AIR.

20. NutraSweet developer: SEARLE. 

              There was quite a controversy about Searle's Aspartame (NutraSweet) product

21. Bankrolls: FUNDS.

22. [Theme answer]

24. Store employee: CLERK.  My first gainful employment was CLERKing at the only drug store in our small town.

25. Walk heavily: STOMP.  Reminds me of this old New Christy Minstrels song.  STOMP appears at the one-minute mark.

26. Untruth: LIE.

27. "Your guide to a better future" site: CNET.

29. Best of the best, initially: GOAT. Greatest of all time.

30. Balance sheet abbr.: YTD. Year-to-Date

32. Styling aid: POMADE. Did you also think of George Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou? Warning: Strong language.

34. Weighs on: HAUNTS.

36. Main squeeze: BAE. I was surprised to find that this entry has made it into Merriam-Webster. "US Slang: Sweetheart, baby."

39. [Theme answer]

43. Like granita and 42-Down: ICY. Or Icee

44. Plum kin: SLOE.

  Because the berries are added prior to distilling, Sloe Gin can be a perfectly clear liquid.

45. Completely overhauled: REDONE.

46. [Theme answer]

51. Attributed: CREDITED.

56. Leaf under a petal: SEPAL. If you say so. D-o only attended one day of H.S. Biology class.

57. Fat used in baking: LARD.

58. Lyft alternative: CAB.

59. Lyft offer: RIDE.

60. Apple device that might have a Smart Cover: IPAD.

62. Mauna __: LOA. Still erupting. It's the largest active volcano on earth.

63. Minecraft resources: ORES.

65. Sea eagles: ERNS. Hello again, old cw friend.

66. [Theme answer]

72. Brazos River city: WACO. Made famous by David Koresh as well as Chip and Joanna Gaines.

73. Fellows: GUYS.

74. Trail mix morsel: NUT. Was thinking OAT.

75. Harbor, perhaps: ABET. Verb, not noun.

76. Hardly __: rarely: EVER.

77. Lily of France garment: BRA. Was not familiar with this brand, but Wal-Mart sells 'em.

78. Periods often named for leaders: ERAS.

80. Seal sounds: BARKS. Not root beer.

83. "1984" superstate: EAST ASIA.

86. [Theme answer]

89. Gershwin classic: SWANEE. Seems like a good excuse to link another Gershwin classic: Rhapsody in Blue performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.

91. "Sunday Night Baseball" analyst, familiarly: A-ROD. Alex Rodriguez, so I'm told.

92. Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.    According to Britannica.com, "American actor who rose to prominence in the 2010s and won an Academy Award for his moving and nuanced performance as the fatherly drug dealer Juan in the film Moonlight (2016)." 

93. [Theme answer]

100. Study: DEN.

101. State of rest: REPOSE. Immediately evoked this track from the Chad Mitchell Trio.  REPOSE appears at about the 40 second mark.

102. Didn't work out: FAILED.

103. "Not buying it": NAH.

106. Aloha Tower island: OAHU. With 4 letters, it's gotta be either MAUI or OAHU.

107. Dog who visits Oz: TOTO.
 

110. NFL scores: TDs.

111. Springs: LEAPS. Verb, not noun.

115. Embellish: ADORN. When the truth is embellished, it becomes a 26a.

117. [Theme answer]

122. Mozart's "Così fan __": TUTTE. Opera. According to classicfm.com, "Two soldiers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, bet that their girlfriends will always be faithful; philosopher Don Alfonso persuades them he can prove otherwise. So, in ridiculous disguises, the military men seek to trick Fiordiligi and Dorabella..."

123. Buck horn: ANTLER. Yes, deer.

124. Words said with an eyeroll: I'M SO SURE. Got it, but don't understand it.

125. Informal "What if ... ": S'POSE. D-o's speech tends to be informal. You've probably never noticed.

126. Surgical beam: LASER.

127. Jazz headliners?: NBA STARS. Utah Jazz.

Down:

1. Confidentially informs: BCCS. Blind carbon copy -- archaic, but still used for email.

2. Often: A LOT.

3. Trial version: DEMO. Could'a been BETA.

4. Hagar of Van Halen: SAMMY.
 

5. Bumbling: INEPT.

6. Needlefish: GAR. Old-timey cw c/a.

7. Actor Cage, informally: NIC.  

            It's spelled Nicolas. He's the nephew of movie director Francis Ford Coppola.

8. __ Lanka: SRI. Formerly Ceylon.

9. Take down: DEFEAT. Not to write.

10. Lock insert: OAR.  Had to Wite-Out my KEY.

11. Pave the way for: PRECEDE.

12. Panache: ELAN. Another cw oldie goldie.

13. Feint on the ice: DEKE.

14. Mixed martial arts org.: UFC.  Ultimate Fighting Championship.

15. Tabbouleh wheat: BULGUR.  I would've bet it was spelled with an A.  D'oh.

16. Low tie: ONE-ONE.  About as low as you can get.

17. Cost for an online pop-up, e.g.: AD RATE.

18. "Shame on you!": TSK, TSK.

20. Goo made at home with glue, food coloring, and saline solution: SLIME.
 

23. Lotion additive: ALOE.

28. Scottish feudal lord: THANE.  That was the middle name of one of my college roomies.   His last name was Scottish, too.

31. "The Voice" host Carson: DALY. I've never imbibed.

32. Green shampoo: PRELL.
 

33. Nerdy sort: DORK.  Raj of TBBT comes to mind. Howard, too.   Also, Leonard. And Sheldon.  Not Penny.

35. Like much brandy: AGED. Have you ever heard of un-aged brandy?

36. Routine parts: BITS.

37. Tylenol target: ACHE.

38. See-through devices?: EYEPIECES.

40. Smallest state in India: GOA.
 

                                                 And there's 8d at the bottom of the map.

41. Security checkpoint request: ID CARD.

42. Granita kin: SORBET. When is it SORBET and when is it SHERBET?

44. Pool-heating option: SOLAR.

47. Bond that promotes easy communication: RAPPORT.  Not James.

48. Polish Solidarity hero Lech: WALESA.   Anyone else try to spell it with a V?

49. Mythical matchmaker: EROS.

50. Lou Grant player: ED ASNER.  Do you remember him as the morally conflicted ship captain in Roots?  He won an Emmy for the role

52. "To reiterate ... ": I REPEAT.  As I said...

53. Goodyear surface: TIRE TREAD.

54. Novelist O'Brien: EDNA.

55. Workstation: DESK.

58. Claritin rival: CONTAC  Didn't realize it was still around.

61. Archaeological site: DIG.

64. __ cha beef: stir-fry dish: SHA.  The only SHA d-o knows is Sha Na Na.

66. Oh-so-precious: TWEE. British.

67. "__ Nagila": HAVA. Hava Nagila. Have two nagilas, they're very small.

68. Africa's __ Desert: eastern region of the Sahara: NUBIAN.

69. 2021 title role for Peter Dinklage: CYRANO.  
 

                                                     
                                                       He played it without the nose.

70. Vibe: AURA.

71. Died down: EBBED.

79. Unflappable: STAID.   I wanted STOIC here.

81. Leaves in smoothies: KALE.  You're free to enjoy my share.

82. Hide: SKIN.  Noun, not verb.

84. Makes a request: ASKS.

85. Like dessert wines: SWEET.

86. Fur-protesting gp.: PETA.  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  Who could be opposed to that?

87. Irritate: IRK.

88. Sportscaster Linda: COHN.
  

90. Sincere attempts: EFFORTS.

93. Dalmatians, e.g.: CROATS.  Dalmatia is on the Adriatic coast of Croatia.

94. Be in charge of: HEAD UP.

95. Old Apple app for pics:  iPHOTO.

96. Woos: COURTS.

97. Player who doesn't mind making bloopers?: HITTER.  Baseball talk, methinks.

98. Church leader: ELDER.

99. Brief meeting?: SESS. Session.

104. Singers below mezzo-sopranos: ALTOS.

105. "Money __": Spanish TV drama: HEIST. 

108. Fall birthstone: OPAL.

109. Fey of "Mean Girls": TINA. 

112. Bluish hue: AQUA.

113. Copy cats?: PURR.  You need to think about this one.

114. Spots: SEES.

116. Once named: NEE.

118. Blonde __: ALE.

119. Recycling __: BIN.

120. Govt. fiscal monitor: OMB.  Office of Management and Budget

121. Mex. neighbor: USA.  Duh.

Here's the grid:

We're all missing Boomer. C.C. is undoubtedly exhausted after this week. Here's hoping she can get in some relax time this coming week and will be ready to emcee next week's Sunday puzzle.

Desper-otto out.

Saturday, December 17, 2022, Erica Hsiung Wojcik and Brooke Husic

 Themeless Saturday by Erica Hsiung Wojcik and Brooke Husic

Erica is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at Skidmore College. I plan on looking up some of her fascinating research topics such as: How do infants and toddlers learn the sounds, words, and grammar of their native language(s)? How do infants, toddlers and adults use patterns in the world around them to learn about language, objects, and events?

I have reviewed several of Brooke's collaborative puzzles, the one previous was with our friend Mary Lou Guizzo. Brooke received her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2019 from Stanford University and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department Of Mathematics And Computer Science at the Free University Berlin until 2021. Postdoc (2021-): Lewis-Sigler Institute / Center for Theoretical Science / Center for the Physics of Biological Function, Princeton University

On personal note, today marks the end of my 5th year of blogging Saturday puzzles on C.C.'s Crossword Corner. I have learned a lot and interacted with so many very smart and clever bloggers, commenters and constructors. 19. Starting from: SINCE 2017!

Now on we go to my 6th year and 261st Saturday write-up!

Across:

1. Ceremonial champagne opener: SABER.

6. Rich brown shade: MOCHA.

11. Brazen personal ad?: SHAMELESS PLUG - Many talk show guests are there to simply promote their latest project and work it into the conversation.

14. Gains star power: HITS THE BIG TIME - They credit appearing on Johnny Carson's Tonight show to HIT THE BIG TIME

15. Attacks, as a snow fort: PELTS.

16. First name in jumps: EVEL - In some of attempts, the jump was fine but the landing not so much. 

17. Hub served by BART: SFO - This Bay Area Rapid Transit map shows you can take the red or yellow line out to The San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

18. Initial request for an answer?: RSVP.

19. "You're killing me, __!": SMALLS - I have this 1993 video of Sandlot but forgot this line. It is now slang for telling someone that they are disappointing you. The origin of the line

21. Something clasped for support: BRA.

23. Legal conclusion?: ESE -LEGALESE - Here they are essentially saying "today": In witness whereof, the parties hereunto have set their hands to these presents as a deed on the day month and year hereinbefore mentioned.

24. Knee-slappers: RIOTS.

25. Workshop device: CLAMP.

27. Mystery-shrouded novelist Elena: FERRANTE - Did anyone else think of the piano duet of Ferrante and Teicher?

29. Fancy affair: SOIREE - SOIR is French for night and so SOIREE is an elegant evening party

30. Restless desire: ITCH.

31. Symbol held aloft in an Emmy statuette: ATOM - One of our favorite people with his Emmy

32. Indigenous Arizona people: APACHE - I'd thought I'd throw in a 1960 classic named for this tribe in Eastern Arizona with great pictures too.

35. Minibar tool: ICE TONGS.

39. Number of World Series wins for each of Chicago's teams: THREE - Cubs 1907, 1908 & 2016. White Sox - 1906, 1917 & 2005

40. Draws (away): SHIES.

41. Continuity problem: GAP - Many students suffered a continuity GAP during the Covid pandemic

42. See 45-Down: MAT and 45. With 42-Across, surface for shavasana: YOGA.

43. Having sex, perhaps: RATED-R - The wonderful movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles would have been easily rated PG-13 but the rental car scene between Steve Martin and the delightful Edie McClurg used the "f-word" eighteen times and thus received an R rating.

45. City in the Sonoran Desert: YUMA - They bill themselves as the hottest city in America. 

46. Chest bone: RIB.

48. "Phooey!": DRAT.

49. Entrance hall: FOYER.

50. "Calm down, sport": EASY THERE TIGER - Slow your roll...

53. Triumphant declaration: NOT TODAY SATAN - You're not getting me today, Satan.

54. Animals in Serta ads: SHEEP.

55. A couple: MATES.

Down:

1. Chutzpah: SASS - Don't use "chutzpah" unless. you know how to pronounce it

2. Invoice no.: AMT.

3. Colossus: BEHEMOTH - Two beasts from the book of Job

4. Give a lift: ELEVATE.

5. Defies authority: REBELS - Make sure it's worth it.

6. Food additive: MSG - The Monosoduim Glutamate myth

7. Picks: OPTS.

8. Snack with a rock climber on its wrapper: CLIF BAR.

9. "Just play along": HUMOR ME.

10. Number that's always positive: AGE.

11. Second place: SILVER.

12. Letters in a tab: HTTP - Where we are right now: HTTPs://crosswordcorner.blogspot.com/

13. Place for a plant: SILL.

14. Sculptor Eva who pioneered postminimalism in the 1960s: HESSE - All about Eva

One of her pieces

15. Fave option: PREF.

20. Hustles out: SCOOTS.

22. King Kong or Kanzi: APE - Kanzi is a bonobo APE who is said to be the first ape to be able to recognize spoken language 

24. "__ Outspoken: My Life in the News": 2012 memoir: RATHER.

26. Long ride: LIMO - I'm getting used to this reference being to the vehicle and not the trip

28. Main ingredient of zongzi: RICE - A recipe

29. Use a joystick, perhaps: STEER - A common sight in nursing homes

31. Quality assurance: ACID TEST - I have spent hours making a lesson plan but the ACID TEST is putting it in front of teenagers.

32. Bread machine: ATM.

33. Title derived from the ancient Egyptian for "great house": PHARAOH - Interesting to learn

34. Skilled performer: ARTISTE.

35. "Word": I HEAR YA - "Word Up" became "Word" and is slang for I HEAR YA!

36. Illustrator Dustin who won an Eisner Award for "Descender": NGUYEN - The illustrator for this "Science fiction/Space opera" comic book. 

37. One gaining star power, perhaps: GAMER - They can get college scholarships as well.

38. Go at it: SPAR - What boxers do in the ring and politicians do in a debate

40. Water under the bridge: STREAM.

44. Diagnosis that may be accommodated with an IEP: ADHD.

47. Gig fraction: BYTE.

49. Makes sense: FITS and 52. Korean for "kick": TAE - TAEkwando is familiar in Crosswordville and it FITS

50. Two out of nine?: ENS - Gotta love meta clues: Two of the letters in "nine" are ENS. Half of nine would work too.

51. Polo, e.g.: TOP - Polo shirts are standard wear for boys and girls high school golfers at the school where I sub.  

Erica has a great article about her philosophy of cross wording:

https://www.skidmore.edu/news/2022/0726-power-of-words.php

Friday, December 16, 2022, Matt Forest and Shannon Rapp

Theme: Ta Ta, Tee Tees

Which is not to be confused with, "Bye Bye, Boobies"

Puzzling Thoughts:

Well, as if on cue, a Friday "play-on-words themed puzzle" once again showed itself here at the LA Times Crossword du jour. And today's was crafted by the daring duo of Matt Forest and Shannon Rapp - aka 'Norah Sharpe'. Shannon/Norah was featured just a couple of weeks ago at the Crossword Corner, as well as in late August.

I searched for "Matt Forest crossword puzzle(s)" at other venues, and I couldn't locate any (other than the link I provided to his website). I know that Shannon is not bashful so I hope she will stop by and give us some insight to their collaboration

Today's fun-filled grid involves removing 2 "T's" from the entries to get a punny phrase. And for this Stooge - who is known for his simple and sophomoric double entendres - this puzzle was "teed up" for him. Beginning with the second one @ 24-across!! So let's explore and see where the "h e double hockey sticks" the T's went!

18-across. *Haymaker's agenda?: BALE PLAN. Right off the bat, Matt and Shannon/Norah hit a home run. Haymaker has two meanings, methinks: First (for the clue) is a person who bundles hay; which leads us to the BALE PLAN. The second meaning for "haymaker" is a forceful blow, which might be part of another agenda when two T's were removed from "BATTLE PLAN". Get it? Good!

24-across. *Major uptick in swimsuit sales?: BIKINI BOOM. Ok, Cornerites; just close your eyes and picture a BIKINI. Got it? Good. I swear I inserted a picture here but it vanished. Give me a few moments to get to the BOTTOM of this ...

37-across. *"The whole team has earned happy hour!": WE DESERVE BEER. Didn't we recently have a puzzle that used BEER ME as an entry? Yes? Well, if so, WE DESERVE BETTER!! C'mon Patti, don't be so lazy!! ;^)

52-across. *Hungry hawk's polite request?: PREY PLEASE. Ha Ha!! And when the hungry hawk didn't get the PREY straight away, it probably followed up its request with "PRETTY PLEASE"

And the unifier: 60-across. Untangle carefully, and a phonetic hint for the answers to the starred clues?: TEASE OUT. True to the puzzle, the reveal also has a dual meaning, as the phrase "TEASE OUT" means: "to try to get information or understand a meaning that is hidden or not clear". [dictionary dot com] The phonetic meaning is what I used for the theme: "Ta Ta, tee tees"

But if you really want a stretch here is a short video clip of a different kind of untangling:

Here is the solved grid, and then on to the rest of the clues/entries!

Across:
1. Absolute: UTTER. Well, it looks like we found out where the "T's" went!! Both of them landed in this word. Otherwise the puzzle would've started out with the word "UER"

6. Short helper?: ASST. ELF didn't fit

10. IG or FB post: PIC. Instagram or Facebook post, briefly = PIC ... recall when you took photos with a camera and had to wait days or even weeks to get the prints back?

13. Breastfed: NURSED. This is what we did as babies; now, I use the term "NURSED" to refer to how I drink alcoholic beverages ... I can make a 2 oz. neat pour of whisky last almost as long as it takes me to write my blog!

15. Fruit cocktail fruit: PEAR. I think this one was in the puzzle I blogged a couple weeks ago ... oh, wait, that was PARE

16. Reddit tell-all session, for short: AMA. We older crossword puzzle solvers would understand this if the clue were: "Dr.'s Org." But today's generations know it as: "Reddit AMAs (which stands for “Ask Me Anything”)—whether they're timed around the news cycle or simply focused on a topic of great general interest—are Q&As designed to bring an authority on a subject to a community of interested people. And now you know

17. Facial hair, casually: STACHE. GOATEE fit; BEARDS fit; STUBBLE, not so much. Once upon a time the Chairman sported a "STACHE"; now, it's a full beard - neatly trimmed

20. West Coast sch. with more than 100 NCAA championships: USC. For anyone who follows College Football, this year's USC Trojans team had a chance to play for the National Championship. But the Utah Utes would have nothing of it, and clearly embarrassed them in the Pac-12 Conference Championship. FUN FACT: USC has the most NCAA championships in what sport? Check here for the answer...

21. Crispy Crunchies! fries maker: ORE-IDA.

23. Karate level: BELT. Here is a picture of their order:

26. Footprint maker: SOLE. Moe-ku:

A cobbler started
New business. Of course, he's the
SOLE proprietor

27. Fancy foot work: PEDI. Cute clue. This, maybe?

28. Vinaigrette ingredient: OIL. FUN FACT: according to [fine dining lovers dot com] "For a traditional vinaigrette, you'll need to mix about 3 tablespoons of OIL to 1 tablespoon of vinegar. You'll also want to add some salt and pepper to taste. Of course, for all four ingredients, the better the quality you use, the better your vinaigrette will taste

30. Lousy grade: DEE. I may have had one or two of these in my years as a student. Penmanship was one that I KNOW of, for sure

31. __-mo: SLO. CHAIRMAN wouldn't fit, and they spelled "MOE" incorrectly ...

33. Scrape (by): EKE. Eek! We had EKE again!!

35. DoorDash category: ASIAN. I can raise my hand when asked, "have you never used DoorDash?" A bit of a misleading clue but hey, it's Friday

41. Arya's sister on "Game of Thrones": SANSA. If you put this answer together with the answer for 23-across, you'd have SANSA-BELT. Any of the guys here recall those "beltless" trousers? I'm pretty sure (without looking it up) that SANSA-BELT means "without (SANS) A BELT! Anyway, that's MY story, and I'm sticking to it!!

42. Feel icky: AIL. Me, for about 2-1/2 weeks with COVID. I know of some other of our Cornerites who've recently gotten COVID, and hope they are no longer AILing

43. Part of FWIW: ITS. "FOR" also fits

44. Some 45s, briefly: EPS. Extended PlayS. Another of the deadly pluralized abbreviations. EPS can also mean, Earnings Per Share in the financial world. But this fit nicely with: (3-down. Album unit: TRACK), as EPS have several TRACKs as opposed to regular 45s which have one per side

45. "Tsk!": TUT. Moe-ku:

Ancient Egyptian
King made a faux pas. They cried:
"TUT, TUT, TUT, TUT, TUT"

48. High time: NOON. MIDNIGHT didn't fit; and FWIW, no one ever said, "It's NOON you got off of your a$$ and found a job!"

50. Switch on the radio?: AM/FM. If this were a switch on a CLOCK radio, the answer would be AM/PM

57. Narrate: TELL. As in the William Narrate Overture?? Get it? William TELL? Oh, never mind ...

58. Hall of Fame pitcher Fingers: ROLLIE. ROLLIE Fingers sported one of the more iconic STACHEs in all of Major League Baseball

59. Baby goat: KID. Try and get this tune out of your head after I enter some of the lyrics: "Mares eat oats and does eats oats, and little lambs eat ivy. A KID'll eat ivy, too, wouldn't you?"

62. Catch sight of: NOTICE.

64. Copier size: Abbr.: LTR. Generally 8-1/2" x 11" in its two dimensions

65. D.C. paper: WA PO. Short for, WAshington POst

66. Almond flour's lack: GLUTEN. Margaret makes the best banana muffins using almond flour

67. Language suffix: ESE. As in "PortuguESE, ChinESE, and EnglishESE"

68. Small songbird: WREN. Too bad this entry wasn't longer for today's "theme", as a Tufted Titmouse is a small songbird with two T's in its name

69. Finals, e.g.: EXAMS. ORALS fits but only if you are trying for a PhD

Down:
1. Get off a mailing list, informally: UNSUB. No; just no. UNSUBscribe, yes. To be fair, I checked the OneLook dot com lists for usage of the word "UNSUB". Curious to know YOUR thoughts about this abbreviation ... YEA or NAY?

2. Ethnic group in Rwanda: TUTSI. One of three, actually. The Hutu and Twa being the other two ethnic tribes. Whenever one of them gets up to leave, I wonder if you'll hear the song: "TOOT TOOT TUTSI, Goodbye" ...??

4. Corner key on a PC: ESC. TAB fits but it's not in the corner of a PC keyboard

5. Brush up on a fading skill, perhaps: RE-HONE.

6. Challenging sci. class featuring evolutionary studies: AP BIO. I ignored most of the AP courses as I didn't want any more "DEES" on my report card!

7. Jet ski brand: SEA-DOO.

8. Charcuterie choice: SALAMI. Dr. Mehmet Oz used the term "charcuterie" (or maybe it was crudite) when he was stumping for the PA Senate seat in this year's mid-terms. It didn't play well in Altoona

9. Three, in Rome: TRE. FUN FACT: As you may know, the Chairman is also a sommelier. In the wine-world of rating systems, there is a term used to categorize Italian wine. The best are given "Tre Bicchieri" (Three Glasses). Gambero Rosso is the reviewer and rater

10. Regimen based on the eating habits of early humans: PALEO DIET. As in what the hunter-gatherers might choose for their diet. "Paleo-friendly foods include meat, fish, eggs, seeds, nuts, fruits, and veggies, along with healthy fats and oils" [healthline dot com]

11. "You have my full attention!": I'M ALL EARS. Moe-ku:

When Dumbo was asked,
"Are you paying attention?"
He said, "I'M ALL EARS"!

12. Water flask: CANTEEN. Brings back memories of my Boy Scout camping days

14. Puts down: DERIDES. My "Ray-O-Sunshine" pun: "Disney attractions that are less costly than an "E" ....DE-RIDES

19. "Call the Midwife" airer: PBS. Perps filled this one in

22. Transport with hill-assist mode: E-BIKE. These aren't cheap

25. Discontinued music players: I-PODS. Still available at Apple.com

29. Course component of 6-Down: LAB. Since I never took AP BIO, the only LAB I knew of was either a Chocolate or Golden one

31. Where some day traders trade?: SWAP MEETS. FUN FACT: This is the point in which (as I was writing my blog) my 2 oz. pour of whisky ended ...

32. Scattered light effect in a photo: LENS FLARE. Any photographers out there? I know this has happened to me

34. Hurler's stat: ERA. ROLLIE Fingers' ERA was 2.91. That means he gave up 2.91 runs per game, on average. Any number under 3 is considered very good

36. Pont Neuf's river: SEINE. Frawnch

38. "Mangia!": EAT. What Gambero Rosso might say after opening a bottle of wine. The Italians live for drinking wine with their meals

39. Old 45, perhaps: VINYL. Another record-based clue/answer. FUN FACT: "PVC (polyvinyl chloride), the material that VINYL records are made of, is clear in its natural form, allowing records to be manufactured in just about any color imaginable. Despite this endless array of choices, black is still overwhelmingly the most common option, leaving the burning question: why? Click here for the answer

40. Leaving unceremoniously?: ELOPING. Cute clue! No "ceremony" for those who are ELOPING, unless you count the folks who gather at the chapels in Las Vegas

41. "Grey's Anatomy" setting: SEATTLE. This one stumped me for a bit as I wasn't thinking of the city where the fictional hospital was. And look! A pair of "T's" entered this word, too! Remove them and you have SEALE, as in Bobby SEALE, founder of the Black Panthers

46. Ruckus: UPROAR. Moe started getting "lazy" about now

47. Traveling ensemble: TROUPE. He wanted more whisky but sensed the end was near

49. Estadio shout: OLE OLE. And just didn't bother with ancillary information for this, and the previous two clues

51. Org. with Earthquakes and Fire: MLS. Major League Soccer teams. The Earthquakes are in San Jose, and the FIRE are in Chicago (of course!)

53. "Rocketman" icon John: ELTON. I've watched this movie 3 times - excellent BIO - PIC

54. Japanese breed: AKITA, goes well with (55-down. Biting remark?: SIC 'EM).

56. Happy places: EDENS. Until Adam and Eve took a bite of an apple ...

61. "Ick": EWW.

63. Formal duds: TUX. FUN FACT: C-Moe had a part-time, then full-time job in college working at a TUXedo rental store

If you are still wanting to solve another crossword puzzle, check out this one from yours truly

NOTABLES by Chris Gross, edited by Stanley Newman