Friday, March 8, 2024, Joe DiPietro

 

Greetings, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of today's puzzle by veteran constructor Joe DiPietro.  Let's jump right in with the reveal at:

57 Across: "That's a lost opportunity," and what can be said to the writer of four clues in this puzzle: YOU'RE MISSING OUT.

Alternatively, you might say to the writer "That's not what Timothy Leary meant!"  At four places in the puzzle, Joe has literally dropped OUT from the clue.  In other words, we are, indeed, MISSING OUT.  As solvers, we must mentally append OUT to the sole remaining letter and thereby create a perfectly acceptable, albeit brief, crossword puzzle clue.  Here are the four places where the gimmick is employed and what can we say except, "Far out, man!":

17 Across:  R.  When we add OUT to R we get ROUT.  LOPSIDED VICTORY.

24 Across:  B.  Tack OUT onto B and the result is BOUT.  PRIZEFIGHT.

38 Across:  P.  P plus OUT equals POUT.   SULKY EXPRESSION

46 Across:  T.  A CSO !  Appending OUT to T results in  TOUT.  CREATE HYPE.

The perps were certainly helpful in sussing out the above answers but, after the gimmick was recognized, none were overly difficult or obscure.  Of course, prior to grasping the gimmick, this solver was seriously considering WTF as a possible title for this blog.

The completed grid appears near the end of this recap.  For now, here are the ins and outs of the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Sanitizer targets: GERMS.  Bacteria was too long.  HANDS was, briefly, considered.

6. "Mad Money" cable network: CNBC.  The first of about a dozen (depending on one's criteria) abbreviated answers in today's puzzle.  TBH SMH IYKWIM

10. Actress Mazar: DEBI.  Per Rotten Tomatoes:  A character actress known for feisty and heavily accented New York roles.

14. Lab vessel: FLASK.  Not Lab as in Labrador Retriever.  Lab as in chemistry lab.

15. Does some horticultural work: HOES.  We had several horticultural/botanical references in today's puzzle.  This was one of them.

Otis Lee - Hard Row To Hoe - Circa 1968

16. Group with reserves: OPEC.

20. Widespread alert, for short: APB.  All Points Bulletin

21. "The Tilled Field" painter Joan: MIRO.  A surreal botanical reference.  I wonder what MIRO was dropping (ingesting).  

22. Speed: RACE.  Used as a verb.  Otherwise, PACE?

23. Leaves in hot water?: TEA.  Not leaves as in departs.  Another botanical reference.

27. Trifle (with): TOY.

29. __ pen: VAPE.    Doctor to patient:  Do you smoke?

                                        Patient:  Yes.

                                        Doctor:  Cigarettes, VAPE, cigars, marijuana?

                                        Patient:  Brisket and pork shoulder, mostly.

30. Whit: IOTA.  A crossword staple although clued many different ways.

32. What coastlines and hairlines may do: RECEDE.  This solver would have preferred a slightly different clue.

35. Reel Big Fish genre: SKA.  SKA Punk, actually.

Take On Me

41. "Three Little Kittens" treat: PIE.  Lose your mittens.  Then find them and get rewarded with PIE.

42. Quick bursts: SPURTS.

43. Go: EXIT.  Used as a verb.

Snagglepuss

44. Like racehorses: SHOD.  Hand up for FAST.

 
45. Skin pic: TAT.  TATtoos are frequently visible in our puzzles.

51. "Go me!": YAY.  See also 63 Across

54. Harvest: REAP.  Possibly another botanical reference.  Anyone first think of this?:

55. "__ Flux": 1990s MTV series: AEON.

56. HHS agency: FDA.

61. Spoonful, perhaps: DOSE.  Hmmm, should we go with Julie Andrews here?  Nah.

Royal Albert Hall - 2005

62. __ learning: ROTE.  Memorization, basically.

63. "Go me!": I RULE.  See also 51 Across

64. Brief timetable: SKED.  Right up there with SESH on the "Come on, enough of this type of thing already" scale.

65. Takes to court: SUES.

George Harrison

66. Organizes: SORTS.

Down:

1. Major key for some piano works by Chopin and Schubert: G-FLAT.  We knew that this answer had to begin with either A B C D E F or G

2. Travel to an away match?: ELOPE.  Cute clue.  Match as in wedded pair.

3. Climactic scene in the Eminem film "8 Mile": RAP BATTLE.

4. Bks.-to-be: MSS.  A punt that we have seen before.  Books-to-be are ManuScriptS in this instance.

5. Revealing, in a way: SKIMPY.  Today's "I had better pass on the GIF" moment.

6. French endearment: CHERI.

Pepe LePew

7. Help for the overnight shift, maybe: NODOZ.  UPPER would have fit but is not "crossword friendly".

8. Writer/activist Harris in the documentary "Hacking Democracy": BEV.  The documentary explored the level of integrity of electronic voting machines.

9. Procedural franchise since 2000: CSI.  A TV show reference often viewed in puzzles.

10. Mental decline: DOTAGE.

11. Unit in geochronology: EPOCH.  Has geochronology previously appeared in our puzzles?  Geochronology is the scientific study of the age and history of Earth's rocks and rock assemblages.

12. Top of the art world?: BERET.  Cute clue, although TOP more often refers to a shirt or blouse than it does to a hat.  Artists are stereo-typically depicted wearing BERETs.

13. Distant: ICY.  Not as in far away.  A behavioral reference.

18. Hollywood VIP: DIR.  DIRector, I suppose.  Probably not the constructor's favorite answer in this grid.

19. "Jinkies!": CRIPES.  Not previously a part of this solver's vocabulary.

25. Chris who won four straight US Opens in the 1970s: EVERT.  A women's tennis reference.

26. Tapered haircuts: FADES.  FADES, to this observer, seem to combine the worst elements of two older hairstyles.

28. Wine cask wood: OAK.  Another botanical reference.

30. Web access co.: ISP.  Internet Service Provider

31. "Certainement!": OUI.  Clue en français / Answer en français

32. Tend to an overgrown plant: REPOT.  Smoke another doobie?

33. Give off: EXUDE.

34. EMT skill: CPR.  A common crossword pairing.

35. Number of squares on a chess board: SIXTY FOUR.  Eight by eight.

36. Fish that can transform into a dragon, per Japanese legend: KOI.

37. Little pest: ANT.  Anyone try IMP first?

39. Tuning fork feature: Y SHAPE.  I have an A-440 tuning fork lying around somewhere.  These days, one uses an electronic gadget.

40. Neptune's realm: SEA.  A reference to the god and not to the eponymous planet.

44. Pan-__ scallops: SEARED.

45. Game of love: TENNIS.  Cute.  In a tennis match love means zero.

Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders

46. Thief: CROOK.  Or not.  Or not not.

47. Get more mileage out of: REUSE.  I tried to change the color of my monk's cowl costume so that I could REUSE it but old habits dye hard.

48. Celerity: HASTE.  Anyone first misread this as Celebrity?  Celery?

49. Some 20 Questions answers: YESES.

50. Luau fare: POI.  Often served in our puzzles.

52. Not for minors: ADULT.  When my children were little they sometimes said "When I grow up I want to be a dult."

53. "Revolutionary Road" author Richard: YATES.

57. NFL stat: YDS.  YarDS  A football reference.

58. "__ Doubtfire": MRS.  You are missed, Robin Williams.

59. Letters of credit?: IOU.  Not letters of credit as your bank might issue. I OWE YOU.

60. Syllable in some lawn product names: GRO.  Today's final botanical reference.

As promised, here is the completed grid:

And now, in keeping with today's theme . . .

_______________________________________________

“I'm paranoid about everything in my life. Even at home. On my stationary bike, I have a rear-view mirror, which I'm not thrilled about.”   - - - Richard Lewis  1947 - 2024

Thursday, March 7, 2024, Alan Massengill, Doug Peterson

 Games People Play

A classic song by Joe South
and a classic on transactional analysis
by psychiatrist Eric Berne

Our constructors today, Alan Massengill and Doug Peterson, clue their themers with 4 leading questions about popular game shows, resulting in 4 in the language phrases.  No stars, circles, or reveal ...

17. Mistake by a contestant on "The Price Is Right"?: COST OVERRUN.  "The Price Is Right" is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes.  Contestants are selected from the studio audience: the announcer calls their name, inviting them to "Come on down!", the show's famous catchphrase.

27. Very long response by a contestant on "Jeopardy!"?: ESSAY QUESTION. Jeopardy! is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given general knowledge clues in the form of answers and they must identify the person, place, thing, or idea that the clue describes, phrasing each response in the form of a question.

47. Prior results considered by a contestant on "Deal or No Deal"?: CASE HISTORIES.  "Deal or No Deal" is an American version of a game show of Dutch origin of the same name.  A contestant chooses one briefcase from a selection of 26. Each briefcase contains a cash value from $0.01 to $1,000,000. Over the course of the game, the contestant eliminates cases from the game, periodically being presented with a "deal" from The Banker to take a cash amount to quit the game. Should the contestant refuse every deal, they are given the chance to trade the case they chose at the outset for the only one left in play at the time; they then win the amount in the selected case.

63. Pre-show training for a contestant on "Wheel of Fortune"?: SPIN CLASSES.  "Wheel of Fortune" is an American television game show also created by Merv Griffin. The show has aired continuously since January 1975. It features a competition in which contestants solve word puzzles, similar to those in hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a giant carnival wheel. The current version of the series, which airs in nightly syndication, premiered on September 19, 1983. It stars Pat Sajak and Vanna White as hosts, who have hosted the nighttime version since its inception.

Here's the grid ...

Across:

1. Entrepreneur Blakely who founded Spanx: SARA. Spanx, Inc. is an American underwear maker focusing on shaping briefs and leggings, founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The company manufactures mainly pantyhose and other underwear for women and, since 2010, produces male underwear as well. Spanx specializes in foundation garments intended to make people appear thinner or more shapely --  and they're also onomatopoetic! 😀

Sara Blakely

5. Mischievous kids: SCAMPS.  One of the most notorious SCAMPS in history is Till Eulenspiegel.  His life is memorialized in this brief tone poem by Richard Strauss entitled Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks.  Things do not go well for him in the end, but his spirit lives on ...

11. Personal pronoun: SHE.

14. Malevolence: EVIL.  We were visited by EVIL in last Thursday's puzzle. One of the things that Hannah Arendt taught us about it is its banality, i.e. its commonness.  Today marks the commemoration of the Christian saints Perpetua and Felicity, women who were martyred for the entertainment of Roman emperor  Septimius Severus during his birthday party in 203 AD.

15. 7UP nickname, with "the": UNCOLA.

16. Male cat: TOM.
.
17. [Theme clue]

19. "__ bet!": YOU.

20. Blazer fabric: TWEED.  Fabric created on a 44A.

21. Betty or Veronica: TEEN.  Spin offs from the Archie Comics series.

22. Edelweiss range: ALPS.  Edelweiss is not an area in the ALPS, but a region where the flower is particularly abundant.  It is also the name of this song made famous by Roger's and Hammerstein's Sound of Music.

23. __ Bravo: RIO. Rio Bravo is a 1959 American Western film directed and produced by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, and Ward Bond.  Here's Get Along Home Cindy sung by Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan and Dean Martin.

25. Like neither Jack nor Jill, apparently: AGILE.

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got, and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
He went to bed to mend his head,
With vinegar and brown paper

27. [Theme clue]

32. Chinese tea: CHA.  The etymology of words for tea.

Tea

34. Quaint 19-Across?: THOU.  "Thou bet" doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

35. Computer shortcut: MACRO.  A macro is an automated input sequence that imitates keystrokes or mouse actions and can be invoked with a single CTRL key. A macro is typically used to replace a repetitive series of keyboard and mouse actions and used often in spreadsheets and word processing applications like MS Excel and MS Word.   MACROS are also used to encapsulate logic in some programming languages.
 
36. Scratchy sound: RASP.

38. Pecks and pounds: UNITS.

41. Rocky __: ROAD.  Lots of things answered this clue/fill including an ice cream, a confection made of chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts and one of the roads to Dublin ...

42. "For sure!": OH YES.

44. Textile machine: LOOM.  A LOOM is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but the basic function is the same.

A simple treadle floor loom.

46. 70-Across's div.: NLE.  National League East

47. [Theme clue]

51. "Bring it!": TRY ME.

52. Wee bit: TAD.
 
53. "Uptown Funk" singer Bruno: MARS.  Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock.  Very funky!

55. North African seaport: ORAN.  ORAN is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is 432 km (268 mi) west-southwest from Algiers. The total population of the city was 803,329 in 2008, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second-largest city in Algeria.
 

58. Royal bride's accessory: TIARA. 

Princess Diana
1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997

62. Common verb: ARE.

63. [Theme clue]

65. Small pedestal: TEE.  Cute. 😀

66. Bully: MEANIE.  This particular variety is blue ...

67. Farm grunt: OINK.

68. Topper: HAT.

69. Lest: UNLESS.

70. 2019 World Series champs: NATS.  The Washington Nationals.

Down:

1. Ticket abbr.: SECT.

2. Profess without shame: AVOW. If you wanted AVER this might help.

3. Stand up: RISE.

4. Sizes up, maybe: ALTERS.

5. Explorer, e.g.: SUV.  It takes a stomping and keeps on romping ...

6. Tech review site: CNET.  Their motto is "Your guide to a better future" and maybe "the more things you have the better!".

7. Good-sized building site: ACRE.

8. Mad scientist in an H.G. Wells classic: MOREAU.  The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist who creates human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection.

First Edition Cover

9. Drop like a stone: PLUNGE.

10. Hokkaido honorific: SAN.  E.g. Cho Cho SAN, the honorable Madama Butterfly.  Her last words were "If you cannot live with honor, you must die with honor".  Here she is waiting for the beautiful day (Un bel dì, vedremo) when her faithless husband returns to Nagasaki to retrieve "his" child ,accompanied by his "American wife" ...

11. Billy Porter and Lady Gaga, for two: STYLE ICONS.

12. Earring shape: HOOP.

13. Some native Australians: EMUS.  The first time I've heard it clued this way.

18. Pindar, for one: ODIST.  Pindar (Greek: Πίνδαρος; Latin: Pindarus; c. 518 BC – c. 438 BC) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is by far the greatest, in virtue of his inspired magnificence, the beauty of his thoughts and figures, the rich exuberance of his language and matter, and his rolling flood of eloquence, characteristics which, as Horace rightly held, make him inimitable.  Here is one of his victory odes ..

Creatures of a day! What is anyone?
What is anyone not? A dream of a shadow
Is our mortal being. But when there comes to men
A gleam of splendour given of heaven,
Then rests on them a light of glory
And blessed are their days. (Pythian 8)

22. Communion table: ALTAR.  Here is the high ALTAR at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore where we attend Mass ...

Cathedral Sanctuary

24. Birthplace of 53-Across: OAHU.  Bruno Mars.

26. Doctrine: ISM. 

27. Financial independence: EASY STREET.

28. Hither and __: YON.

29. Patterned spread: QUILT.   Here's a QUILT created by Teri's sister Rose ...

Barn and Windmills

30. Face-to-face exam: ORAL.  I wonder if the face-to-face exams at Gallaudet University are DIGITAL?

31. Lymph __: NODE.  Lymph NODES are a part of the Lymphatic System, a group of organs, vessels and tissues that protect you from infection and keep a healthy balance of fluids throughout your body. Lymphatic system organs include your bone marrow, thymus and lymph nodes. Swollen lymph nodes are a sign of common infections, like strep throat, but also more serious diseases like cancer.

32. Footwear sometimes decorated with charms: CROC.  Here's a pair for little Taylor Swift fans ...

33. "I got it": HA HA.

37. Jury makeup: PEERS.

39. Excessively: TOO.

40. Database command: SORT.  In SQL, the most common database language, records are SORTED with the ORDER BY clause.  Here is a list of the basic SQL commands.

43. Reserved: SHY.  Also in debt.

45. Mazda two-seater: MIATA.  Review of the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata

2024 Mazda Miata

48. Wide receiver's shout: IM OPEN.

49. Episodic story: SERIAL.

50. New Jersey township named for an inventor: EDISON.  EDISON is a township located in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.  In 1876, Thomas Edison set up his home and research laboratory in a neighborhood called "Menlo Park". While there he earned the nickname "the Wizard of Menlo Park". Before his death at age 83 in 1931, the prolific inventor amassed a record 1,093 patents for creations including the phonograph, a stock ticker, the motion-picture camera, the incandescent light bulb, a mechanical vote counter, the alkaline storage battery including one for an electric car, and the first commercial electric light.

Edison Tower
A monument to the light bulb?

53. "Do the __!": MATH.

54. Quarter: AREA.

56. Photographer Geddes: ANNE.  Anne Elizabeth Geddes MNZM* (born 1956) is an Australian-born, New York City-based portrait photographer known primarily for her elaborately-staged photographs of infants. Here's her website.

Anne Geddes
*New Zealand Order of Merit

57. CBS maritime drama: NCIS.  NCIS is an American military police procedural television series and the first installment in the NCIS media franchise. The series revolves around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, combining elements of the military drama and police procedural genres with comedy. 

59. K2 locale: ASIA.  K2, at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft) above sea level, is the second-highest mountain in ASIA (and also on Earth), after Mount Everest at 8,849 metres (29,032 ft).  Here are some rest stops on the way up ...

60. Lease: RENT.

61. Is inquisitive: ASKS.

63. Eric Dickerson's alma mater: Abbr.: SMU. Eric Demetric Dickerson (born September 2, 1960) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Dickerson played college football for the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft and played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. During his NFL career, he rushed for over 13,000 yards. He holds the NFL's single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards, set in 1984. Dickerson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2019, was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. He wore prescription goggles throughout his career due to myopia ...

Interesting Instagram posts

64. Primus lead singer Claypool: LES.  Primus is an American rock band formed in El Sobrante, California in 1984. The band is currently composed of bassist/vocalist LES Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde, and drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander.  To describe them as strange would be a bit of an understatement. One interesting thing about them is that they do a lot of purely instrumental work and remind me a little of the modern German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (of whom I am not a big fan!).  I had trouble connecting with their work, but finally found this recent opus.  Here is the first 5 minutes or so of Conspiranoia (2022) ...

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Wednesday, Mar 6th, 2024 Rebecca Goldstein

  SOMETHIN' FISHY

A pretty straight-forward puzzle, although I fumbled in the SW corner with a "bad name" - at least there were just a few to contend with today.  Lots of clues that were merely clever definitions*, I thought - YMMV.  At first I surmised that the theme may have something to do with the "I" situated in the center(ish) of the theme fills - but no, it's three things that can be found "in the tank" - and I have added a fourth at the end of the theme answers.  I do not have the crossword comparison tools, but I recognize the constructor from previous grids.  The theme answers;

17. Family member with a heat lamp: PET IGUANA - I had a pet iguana - his name was Zeus, and he did NOT have a tank - he roamed my apartment freely, but due to some personal changes, he had to go to a zoo in Texas

The black thingy is his heat lamp

28. Military unit with mechanized forces: ARMORED DIVISION - this doesn't quite jibe for me - I suppose the personnel would be "in the tank"

47. Fuel that typically has an octane of 91 or higher: PREMIUM GASOLINE

63. On a losing streak, or where to find 17-, 28-, and 47-Across: IN THE TANK

Just add soothing music

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Subject with angles and equations: MATH - the only thing I studied in "math" was the teacher....

Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher" - OK, maybe not soothing....

5. Proofreader's catch: TYPO

9. Cork citizens: IRISH - and - 42A. __ Lingus: AER - their local airplane people

14. Juárez water: AGUA

15*. Collect crops: REAP

16. Accordion-heavy genre: POLKA

19. Got the fire going again: RELIT

20. "Indeed": "SURE" - One of Nero Wolfe's frequent comments is "Indeed"

21. "Greetings!": "HELLO~!"

23. Bring into play: USE

24. Beaver's building: DAM

26. Mosque leader: IMAM

36. Small touches: DABS

37. Like most highlighters: NEON

38. PBJ or BLT: SANDO - This must be regional, as no one I know refers to a sandwich as a sando - I have been known to call it a "sa'mich"

39. Double helix molecule: DNA

40. "Show me!": "CAN I SEE~!?"

43*. Milk source: UDDER

45. Like some JFK flights: INTernationaL

46. Classic Pontiacs: GTOs - I was more of a Mercury Cougar fan

They had rotating headlight doors and sequential tail-lights

50*. Inner workings: GUTS

51*. Sense of self: EGO

52. Golfer's goal: PAR

54. Tuesday fare: TACOS - I like tacos any day of the week~!

58. __ and file: RANK - us paycheck-to-paycheck types

61. Public meltdown, maybe: SCENE - as in to "make a ___"

66. Smudge: SMEAR

67. Pajama tops: TEES - that's what I wear

68. Pentathlon blade: EPEE

69. Trying times?: TESTS

70. "SportsCenter" channel: ESPN

71. First light: DAWN

DOWN:

1*. Travel guide: MAP

2. Forever and ever: AGES - EONS, AEON, nope.

3*. Ballet costume: TUTU

4. Side braids or side shaves: HAIRDOs

5. "Ur not wrong": TRU - text-speak

6. "Uh-huh": "YEAH."

7. Cut glass: PANE - an intended glass piece - unintentional, and it's a "shard"

8. Gem with a honey variety: OPAL - my first thought, but I waited for perps

Not so different from Amber

9. "Scout's honor!": "I PROMISE~!"

10. Ikura at the sushi bar: ROE - perps

11. Enlightenment-era secret society: ILLUMINATI - Part of the plot in the movie "Angels & Demons", and the first 10-letter non-theme Down fill

12. Travels cross-country?: SKIS - on my first pass, I missed the "s" at the end of travelS

13*. Abhor: HATE

18. Backpack contents: GEAR - uh, well, yeah - kinda vague

22. Tyler of "Empire Records": LIV

25. Actress Suvari: MENA -this actress - I had her confused with Mira Sorvino

27. Cute __ button: AS A

28. Make sense: ADD UP - if you saw my math teacher, it would "add up"

29. Short time off?: R AND R - clever; I like this one - Rest & Relaxation

30. C-suite qualifications: MBA DEGREES - the other 10-letter non-theme Down fill

31. Jorts fabric: DENIM - learning moment - I did not 60D what Jorts are - but in retrospect, it's pretty obvious now - Jean Shorts, and from what I read, sort of derogatory if men wear them - but on women, they're "Daisy Dukes"

The Dukes of Hazzard - and I loved the theme song

32. Word before or after nothing: DOING - doing nothing, or "nothin' doin'"

33. App with stories, familiarly: INSTAgram - I keep planning to do one for the Pipe Organ company, but I can never seem to get started

34. Ancient Greek theater: ODEON

35. Language on a longship: NORSE

Truth is, I'd really like to do a Viking Cruise

40. Beasties: CRITTERS

41. Ultimate word of an ultimatum: ELSE

44. Australian avian: EMU - I had to cheat on Saturday, and look up the word "Ratite"

46. Was a poor winner: GLOATED

48. Suni Lee's Olympic team: USA - her Wiki - born in our blog host's state of Minnesota~!

49. Brute: OGRE

52. Hissed summons: PSST

53. Top: ACME - had to wait on perps - this or APEX, for one

55*. Offer as proof: CITE

56. Individuals: ONES

57. Put one foot in front of the other?: STEP - I started with "WALK" - Bzzzt~!

59. Auto parts chain that shares a name with a California valley: NAPA

60. Didn't need to guess: KNEW

62. William Styron's "The Confessions of __ Turner": NAT - oops, not IKE

64. Where to watch for deals?: HSN - Home Shopping Network - never watched it myself

65. "I'm Just __": song sung by Ryan Gosling in "Barbie": KEN

Splynter