Friday, May 3, 2024, Jay Silverman

Watch the Birdies

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  It's the first Friday of the merry, merry month of May and it is time for yours truly, Malodorous Manatee, to have the pleasure of sharing with you a recap of today's puzzle by Ms. Ann Margaret.  Oops, Freudian slip.  I meant to say a puzzle constructed by Jay Silverman.

At the (somewhat) traditional four places within the grid, each one marked with a star for our convenience,  our puzzle setter has conjured up answers which, when we remove a type of bird, yield an appropriate answer to the clue as worded.  Let's start with the reveal:

66 Across:  Musical with the song "Put On a Happy Face," and a hint to making four answers match their starred clues: BYE BYE BIRDIE.  It might have been clued as Musical with the song "Bye Bye Birdie" but that would lie outside of the traditions of crossword puzzles...even on a Monday.

Here are the places where the theme is applied, and how it is applied:

18 Across:  *Promo for long-range basket shooters?: THREES A CROWD.  Say bye bye to the CROW and we get THREES AD.  A basketball reference.  An advertisement for three-point shots.  Or, perhaps, something spotted in the local personal ads?

27 Across:  *Easy-to-revisit search engine results?: BOWLING PINS.  Say bye bye to the OWL and we get BING PINS.  BING, of course, is an online search engine and if you PIN something it makes it easy to get back to what you have pinned (saved).

42 Acrooss:  *Frilly fabric from the Middle East?: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.  Say bye bye to the WREN and we are left with LACE OF ARABIA.

He's Not Dressed In Lace

But This Did Seem Appropriate

51  Across: *Award coveted by directors Anderson and Craven?: BEST WESTERN.  Say bye bye to the TERN and we get BEST WES.  The covetous directors are, of course, WES Anderson and WES Craven.

This is how it all looks in the completed grid:

Here, below, are the rest of the clues and their answers:

Across:

1. "I suppose it's true!":  MUST BE.  The puzzle starts right off with something someone might say.  No $#1+ would have fit, and would have been an appropriate answer, but that would lie outside of the traditions of crossword puzzles . . . even on a Friday.

7. Cab opening: PEDI. A wine reference?  Something about uncorking a Cabernet?  No.  Opening, in this case, means in front of.   Four letters.  Taxi cab?  Closer but, again, no.  A cab that must be pedaled to get you where you wish to go.  PEDI as in foot.

A Pedicab

11. Middle ear?: COB. Not an anatomical reference.  An agricultural/food reference.  The middle of an ear of corn.

14. Beseech: ENTREAT.

16. Treasury Dept. concern: ECON.  As in the phrase that James Carville is credited with having coined:  "The ECONomy, stupid."

17. Oft-torn knee pt.: ACL.  An anatomical reference and the first of several abbreviations, today.  Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

20. Passable grade: CEE.  A minor nit.  Dee is passing.  Cee is average.

21. Girl's name that means "small river": RIA.  Anyone know anybody named RIA?

22. Hop back in horror: RECOIL.

23. Teensy bits: IOTAS.  Can teensy bits be said to be frequent visitors?

25. Actor Omar: EPPS. Sharif was too long.

29. Title Pixar fish: DORY.  Hands up for first thinking NEMO?

31. Tiller's tool: HOE.

32. Give or take: ABOUT.  VERBS?  Not this time.  Sort of.  More or less.

34. Bring on: INCUR.   On the first day of college, the Dean addressed the students, pointing out some of the rules. "The female dormitory will be prohibited for all male students, and the male dormitory to the female students. Anybody caught breaking this rule will be fined $50 the first time." He continued, "Anybody caught breaking this rule the second time will be fined $100. Being caught a third time will INCUR a hefty fine of $200. Are there any questions?" At this, a student in the crowd inquired, "How much for a season pass?"

38. Wild garlic: RAMP.  New to this solver.  From an online source:  "The zesty spring green most commonly known as ramps goes by many names in English, such as ramson (British), buckrams, wild garlic, broad-leaved garlic, wild leeks, wood garlic or bear’s garlic.  Known as ‘Bärlauch’ (bear’s leek) in German, the name derives from the fact that brown bears like to eat the bulbs of the plant and dig up the ground to get at them, as do wild boar."

45. Actress Redgrave: LYNN.

Lynn Redgrave and Her Sister Vanessa

46. Eclipse: OUTDO.  Did anyone here get to observe the recent solar OUTDO?  Oh, used here as a verb.  Isn't English a funny, and extremely flexible, language?

47. "The gloves are off!": ITS ON.  An idiom for a clue and an idiom for an answer.  Another example of things-people-might-say.

48. Some tense periods, briefly: OTS.  OverTimeS  Neither a reference to societal issues nor a reference to personal stress.  A sports reference.

50. Gp. that includes the UAE and Gabon: OPEC.  Well, even with the mixed messaging, two abbreviations out of three in the clue should have been enough of a tip off that the answer would be an abbreviation.

58. Totally on board: SOLD.  Convinced.

61. Star part: CAMEO.  Not a portion of a celestial body.  A (small) role for a movie star.

62. Neatens: TIDIES.  My ex-wife once remarked, "You think I have OCD when it comes to tidiness, but you are wrong.  I just want to clear that up.”

64. Negative conjunction: NOR.  Rearrange the letters in NOR Do We to make one word.

65. AI exec, perhaps: CTO.  Chief Technology Officer   The reference to Artificial Intelligence in the clue leads us to something technology related.

69. "Not a mouse!": EEK.  Didn't they get this one backwards?  EKE out a living.  EEK a mouse!  Oh, I get it.   As in, "Please, please, please let it not be a mouse!"

70. Actress Skye: IONE.  Three vowels out of four letters.  A frequent visitor.

71. Follows shampoo bottle instructions: LATHERS.  Not enough room for LATHER RINSE REPEAT.  I have always thought that the last step was just a way to double sales.

72. Booze-free: DRY.  As opposed to WET.  An alcohol (or lack thereof) related idiom.

73. Horn sound: TOOT.  BEEP would have fit but would not work.

The Playmates - 1958

74. Dusty or Cody of pro wrestling fame: RHODES.  Father or son.

Down:

1. Reading length: METRE.  Not the length of a Monopoly game railroad.  Not a literary (book) reference.  Ah, a unit of length in Reading, England, with the appropriate spelling.

2. Square: UNHIP.  What does Huey Lewis have to say on the subject?

August 1987

3. Secure, in a way: STRAP DOWN.

4. Billie Joe Armstrong bandmate __ Cool: TRE.  A Green Day reference.  

That's Frank Edwin Wright III (aka Tre Cool) 

On Drums

5. Suds: BEER.   Obviously, not a cleanliness reference.  Slang.  Do beer puns make you hoppy?

6. Float past: EASE BY.  Huh?  Thanks perps.

7. Endangerment: PERIL.  As in "The PERILs of Pauline".

8. Reason to boil water: E-COLI.  Giardia used to suffice for a reason.  Can you say tetraglycine hydroperiodide tablets?

9. Stock market name: DOW.  Clued this way it could have referred to any listed stock.

10. Part of Roy G. Biv: INDIGO. Mnemonic for the colors in a rainbow.

11. Arizona roadside sights: CACTI.

12. Antarctic, for one: OCEAN.  From the specific to the general.

13. Word after a sneeze: BLESS.  Why Do We Say This?

15. Fajita-like fare: TACO.  Okay, but quite imprecise.  The Differences Between Tacos and Fajitas

19. Slow moo-ver: COW.  Cute cluing.  Cute song.

24. Runs: OPERATES.  Not as in a foot race.  As in she OPERATES the machine.  See 28 Down.  

Shirley Muldowney

26. Moment of unpleasantness: SOUR NOTE.  An idiom with a musical genesis.

28. Drag org.: NHRA.  Not cross dressing.  A Drag Race reference.  Again, not that kind of drag race.

30. GPS option: RTE.   A  Global Positioning System might show you a  RouTE.

32. Everything: ALL.

33. Baffin, for one: BAY.  Again, from the specific to the general.

34. Post-ER facility: ICU.  A medical reference.  Emergency Room   Intensive Care Unit

35. Gain: NET.  A bit imprecise.  NET income, for example, can be a subset of gain (as in capital gains NET of taxes).

36. Mark Kurlansky book subtitled "A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World": COD.  New to this solver.

37. Vehicle for E.T.: UFO.   A pretty standard crossword pairing.

39. Ran away (with): ABSCONDED.  The Dish ABSCONDED With The Spoon?

40. Mine, in Milan: MIO.  Today's Italian lesson.

41. Hook's nemesis: PAN.  Not a boxing reference.  Not a golfing reference.  Not a musical reference.  Not a fishing reference,

Peter Pan and Captain Hook

43. Winning margin: NOSE.

44. Tear: RIP.

49. Cheap: TWO BIT.  TWO BITs are a quarter of a dollar.  The derogatory expression dates from the early twentieth century.  With inflation, the expression should be updated to, say, five dollar.

50. Sign of poor service?: ONE BAR.  Not at a restaurant or a retail store.  A cellphone reception reference.

51. Covertly added to an email: BCCED.  From the days when we used the stuff, Blind Carbon CopiED.

52. Foodie website: EATER.  EATER serves as a local restaurant guide offering reviews and news.

53. __ quartz: SMOKY.  New to this solver.  Smokey The Bear retains the E and there was not room for him.

54. Memo taker: STENO.  Memorandum  STENOgrapher

55. Lhasa locale: TIBET.  Not where your dog hangs out.

56. Big name in frozen treats: EDY.

57. Cambodian currency: RIEL.  In my experience, the US Dollar is the de facto currency of Cambodia.

59. Valley with many vineyards: LOIRE.  A French wine reference.  NAPA was too short.

60. __ the part: DRESS

63. "Star Wars" bad guys: SITH.

67. Teo __ of "Past Lives": YOO.  This might have been misleadingly clued as "German-born Actor".

68. Pi follower: RHO.  A Greek alphabet reference.

Well, it's time now.  Say Bye Bye, Ann.

 

_______________________________________________________

Thursday, May 2, 2024, Zhouqin Burnikel

 

  Root, Root for the Home Team!

Today's constructor is veteran Zhouqin Burnikel, alias C.C., baseball aficionado and blog maestra extraordinaire.  She invites us to do some ROOTING, not just for the home team but also to burrow through the DOWN clues looking for some delicious, healthy ROOT vegetables, and see what turns UP.  Here's her reveal ...

25D. Digs out, or what can be found in four long Down answers?: ROOTS UP.

 If you didn't spot them while solving (CSO to D-O), here they are ...

3D. Spiritual path of action: KARMA YOGA.  YAM.  Well I've always thought that a YAM was just another name for a SWEET POTATO -- but they are not the same vegetable.

10D. Event for minor leaguers?: TEE BALL GAME.  BEET. These are not particularly difficult to grow, but we like the tender greens in salads and tend to side pick them stealing the strength from the root.  But whichever way you eat them they are good for you.

Detroit Dark Red  Beets

24D. Sport with pit stops, in Britain: MOTOR RACING. CARROT.  CARROTS are slow germinating, slow growing, and very sweet when they're fresh.  One of my favorite drinks is fresh carrot juice.   They also have many health benefits.

Carrots

35D. Lab animal with white fur: ALBINO RAT. TARO.  TARO is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in African, Oceanic, East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cultures (similar to yams). Taro is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants.   We've never cooked with it, but I think it may be available in our local supermarket. I found these for sale at the H.E.B. in Victoria, TX -- they look a little rough, but they sound delicious.

Taro Roots

And of course, adhering to good crossword etiquette,  C.C has embedded each vegetable so that it spans 2 words. Here's how they look underground ...

... and the rest of today's garden ...

Across:

1. Tools with teeth: RAKES.  And C.C. starts us off with RAKES, essential tools for planting ROOT CROPS, which like fine, well raked soil.  Teri and I use a modified version of Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening method, planting the seeds to a depth of 2-3" in drills filled with potting soil.  We've had good luck with BEETS, RADISHES, CARROTS, and TURNIPS.  We usually plant our YAMS (sweet potatoes) with plants in shallow trenches.  I've not seen TARO seeds or plants in our gardening catalogues.

6. Geocaching device: GPS.  You use the Global  Positioning System in your phone to zero in on containers called geocaches, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.  Here's a one minute explanation ...

Here are more details

9. Did a face-plant: ATE IT.  Ouch!

14. "This really matters to me": I CARE A LOT.   When you really CARE A LOT ...

16. First name in country: MERLE.  Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.  He was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled after the death of his father, and he was incarcerated several times in his youth. After being released from San Quentin State Prison in 1960, he managed to turn his life around and launched a successful country music career.  Here's his Working Man Blues ...

17. Keep on keeping on: PERSEVERE.

18. Like a misty pond after dark: EERIE.  It's not a good idea to go there alone. 😨

19. Genre that includes dubstep: EDM.  Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the late 1990s. It is generally characterized by sparse, syncopated rhythmic patterns with bass lines that contain prominent sub-bass frequencies. The style emerged as an offshoot of UK garage, drawing on a lineage of related styles such as 2-step, dub reggae, jungle, broken beat, and grime. In the United Kingdom, the origins of the genre can be traced back to the growth of the Jamaican sound system party scene in the early 1980s.  Here's a dubstep number by Lindsey Stirling called Crystallize that I thought was kind of cool ...

20. Dudes: MEN.  All the ones I know use HE/HIM/HIS pronouns.

21. Vegetable in a yellow pod: WAX BEAN.  The original version of this particular bean grew in the tropical climate of Central and South America. “Wax” has become a common term and refers to any yellow bean whether it is waxy or not. True wax bean types actually do have a waxy texture and feel.

Wax Beans
Atchison Farmers Market

23. "So true!": AMEN.

25. Color of rambutan skin: RED.  What the heck is Rambutan and how do you eat it?   They look like "the aliens have landed", but they don't bite you, you bite them ...

You  eat the white part

26. Contributes: ADDS.

27. Deli jarful: MAYO.  Also a clinic in Minnesota that C.C. is probably familiar with.  I have a niece who is a resident in psychiatry there.

29. "The Chimpanzees I Love" author Jane: GOODALL.  Dame Jane Morris Goodall DBE (born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), is an English primatologist and anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, after 60 years' studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees. Goodall first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to observe its chimpanzees in 1960.  She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots program, and she has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues.

Jane Goodall and friends

32. Showbiz "grand slam": EGOT.  Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.  Nineteen people have achieved competitive EGOT status and six others have done so with honorary or special awards. In 2018, Robert Lopez became the only double EGOT winner.

33. "Xanadu" band: ELO.  The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangements with futuristic iconography. Here's the title song from the 1980 fantasy film Xanadu starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelley ...

34. Classic Chevy: BEL AIR.  The car I learned to drive in.  Teri, who already had her license, would drive over to our house in her Rambler, and she would sit in the passenger seat of our 56 Chevy and tutor me on the finer points of driving.

1956 Chevrolet Bel Air

If I recall correctly, it was a Chevy not much older than this that Don McLean drove to the levy the day that music died.

38. Gas in some lasers: ARGON.  Argon is a chemical element; it has symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is in group 18 of the periodic table and is a noble (inert) gas. Argon is the third most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere after Nitrogen and Oxygen.  Argon lasers have a wide variety of uses including eye surgery. and the treatment of various skin disorders.

40. List-ending abbr.: ETC.

42. Shelter made of compressed snow: IGLOO.

43. Pacific Palisades location: LA AREA.  Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the West-side region of Los Angeles, California, situated about 20 miles (32 km) west of Downtown Los Angeles.

View south from Will Rogers State Beach,
of Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica
I think Renee lives around here somewhere

45. Take legal action: SUE. Also the name of a sleepy head ...

47. Lie adjacent to: ABUT.

48. Shelter dogs: RESCUES.  CSO to Pat.

50. Fail to see: MISS.  But we hope we see our Irish MISS on the Corner every day.

51. Branch of Islam: SHIA.  Shia Islam (/ˈʃiːə/) is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib (r. 656 – 661 CE) as his successor and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, but was prevented from succeeding Muhammad as leader of the Muslims by some of Muhammad's other companions. This view contrasts with Sunnī Islam, which asserts that Muhammad did not appoint a successor before his death and considers Abū Bakr, who was appointed caliph by a group of senior Muslims at Saqifah, to be the first rightful caliph after Muhammad (632–634 CE).

54. Short flight: HOP.

55. Subsequently: THEN.

57. Keep under wraps: CONCEAL.

59. Kung __ tofu: PAO.  Kung Pao Tofu is a vegan stir-fry dish made from tofu (soy cheese) with dried red chilies, pepper, peanuts all tossed together in a flavorful sauce.  Here's a recipe ...

Kung Pao Tofu

60. "Lookee here!": OHO.

63. Reversed: UNDID.

64. Tipping point: LAST STRAW.  The proverbial STRAW that broke the camel's back.

67. For the time __: BEING.

68. Bankrupt company's transaction: ASSET SALE.

69. Opposites attract, e.g.: ADAGE.  Also a law of physics.

70. Tedious routine: RUT.

71. Squelched: SAT ON.

Down:

1. Like a yellow papaya: RIPE.

2. Scored on a serve: ACED.

3. [Theme clue].

4. Hectic hosp. areas: ERS.  They're not hectic until they're hectic ...

5. Note with a low grade, perhaps: SEE ME.

6. Narrow valley: GLEN.  E.g. Glen Canyon, a natural canyon carved by a 169.6-mile (272.9 km) length of the Colorado River, mostly in southeastern and south-central Utah, in the United States.

Glen Canyon

7. "__ favor": POR.  Today's Spanish lesson: PLEASE!

8. Slow-boiled: STEWED.

9. "Don't live life without it" card co.: AMEX.

10. [Theme clue].

11. Blundered: ERRED.

12. Poem that inspired Pat Barker's "The Women of Troy": ILIAD.  The Trojan War is over and the Greeks are ready to return home as victors.  But their fleet is becalmed and they must camp by the city they destroyed waiting for a fair wind, kept company by the women they stole it from.

13. Freezing temps: TEENS.

15. Get payback for: AVENGE.

22. Very little: A DAB.  "Brylcreem - a little DAB'll do ya".  Just make sure you don't use two!

34. [Theme clue]

25. [Theme reveal].

27. Dim sum, e.g.: MEAL.  Chinese TAPAS.

Dim sum

28. City southeast of New Delhi: AGRA.  The site of an architectural OREO.

30. Fútbol cheer: OLE. 

31. Necklace shipped with ice packs: LEI.  You can by them from Cindy.

35. [Theme clue]

36. Markers: IOUS.  The first time I've seen this clue for IOUS.

37. Becomes inedible: ROTS.  E.g. when your PAPAYA turns BROWN.

39. Maiden name indicator: NEE.

41. Billiards stick: CUE.

44. "The Prisoner's Wife" author Bandele: ASHA.  As a favor for a friend, a bright and talented young woman volunteered to read her poetry to a group of prisoners during a Black History Month program. It was an encounter that would alter her life forever, because it was there, in the prison, that she would meet Rashid, the man who was to become her friend, her confidant, her husband, her lover, her soul mate.

46. Sprawling property: ESTATE.

49. Shirt feature: COLLAR.

51. Reef explorer's gear: SCUBA.  An acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

SCUBA diver

52. Made sharper: HONED.

53. 28-Down's country: INDIA.

56. Podcast moderators: HOSTS.

58. Slight lead: EDGE.  Also a singer in a rock and roll band ...

The Edge

59. Soft "Look over here!": PSST.

61. Divine circle: HALO.

62. Clive of "Monsieur Spade": OWEN.  To really understand Monsieur Spade we have to go back twenty years to the Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart as San Francisco private detective Sam Spade ...

"Monsieur Spade", played by British actor Clive Owen, is  now comfortably retired in the South of France but he finds that his karma has followed him there ...

The first is a great film and the second a great series, although the plot of the latter is quite complicated and the ending is a little enigmatic.

65. Sun Devils sch.: ASU.  Arizona State University.
 

66. Airport org. that approves some locks: TSA.  What are TSA-approved locks?


Cheers,
Bill

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

waseeley

Wednesday, May 1st, 2024, Andrew Walker

  SHOES, BUT SHOES WISELY

Indiana Jones and the Last Blue Suede~?

 A funny farce of footwear fashion; four phrases redefined as types of shoes defines today's theme ( I decided that since we started the week with "F-stop", I'd go with "F-start" ).  Some odd similarities with both Monday  & Tuesday's puzzles, I noted.  I do believe this is Andrew Walker's first LA Times publication; congrats to you~!  A quick solve for me on this hump-day, with just a few names, all of which are pretty standard crossword fare.  Two eight-letter non-theme Down fills, but we had more than the usual three-letter words in today's grid, which caused a few "meh" moments for me, at least for a Wednesday-level puzzle; Yem Beady.  The theme clues/answers;

17. Shoes for emptying the kiddie pool?: DRAIN CLOGS - not the hair clump type, but these

27. Shoes that prevent slipping in the shower?: WATER MOCCASINS - not the Cottonmouth snake, but these

45. Shoes for attending a gala?: PARTY PLATFORMS - not the political stance, but these

They look precarious

59. Shoes that coordinate with a bright green ensemble?: LIME WEDGES - not the drinks garnish, but these

With lunchmeat~?

And Away We Go, White Rabbit~!

ACROSS:

1. Tea in masala chai, perhaps: ASSAM - the "M" was my last guess , uh, fill

6. Indeterminate but small amount: A FEW - Vague.  Get it~?  har-har~!

10. Partner: MATE - and - 6D. Partner: ALLY - house MATES was yesterday's theme

14. Stockpile: CACHE - the noun, not the verb; I was thinking AMASS

15. Mischief-making Norse god: LOKI

16. "Stat!" letters: ASAP - As Soon As Possible - also the name of the band created by former - and current - Iron Maiden guitarist, Adrian Smith ( and Project )

19. Upscale: NICE - meh.

20. Avis rental: CAR

21. " ... hallowed be __ name": THY - Speaking of Iron Maiden . . .

Hallowed By THY Name - live 1984 - 85

22. Matter of will?: ESTATE - I am still waiting on one last bank account, and then my parent's estate will finally be settled

24. __ urchin: SEA

25. Ring-tailed mammal: COATI

33. Place to kick back: SOFA - we had this on Monday, too

34. Cheri who played Judge Judy on "SNL": OTERI - name, but one we're used to ( I think )

35. __ de los Muertos: DIA - Spanish lesson #1, the "Day of the Dead"

36. Catches with a lure: ENTRAPS

39. Main ingredient of 54-Across: LENTILS - didn't know 54A., so I wouldn't know what's in it

41. Barely scrape (out): EKE - crossword staple

42. Minor squabble: SET-TO

44. Plot devices?: HOES - farming plot, that is

49. Aquamarine, for one: BERYL - stumped; I did not know March's birthstone was this mineral - and if we'd had February/amethyst yesterday, we could have had a three-month run . . . the Wiki

50. Lucy of "Elementary": LIU - name, but pretty common in crosswords; anyone remember her from the movie "Payback"~?

51. "Deadwood" territory: DAKOTA - I start with the Down clues, so half of this was already filled via perps; I have not seen the show/series

54. South Asian stew: DAL - meh.  I'll have to remember this for future puzzles

55. "The Greatest" memoirist: ALI - name, but a standard; Cassius Clay, a.k.a. Muhammad Ali

58. Not protected by defenders: OPEN - made me think of the board game Risk

NOTE: I do believe the rules state that one cannot leave a territory "OPEN",

as seen here in "Siam"

63. Audition goal: ROLE

64. "Family Guy" mom: LOIS - another LOIS appeared on Monday

Crude though it may be, I do like Family Guy

65. Like farm country: RURAL

66. Google Play downloads: APPS

67. "Nasty!": "YUCK~!" - YUCK was in yesterday's clues

68. Lamp topper: SHADE


DOWN:

1. Current letters: AC/DC - has this ever been clued as "Australian rock band~?"

2. Actress Gilbert: SARA - totally did not remember her, known for her 63A. ROLE in Roseanne; filled via perps on the second pass

3. Rumble remnant: SCAR - street-gang fight, "rumble"- and SCAR was yesterday's last Across

Lightning Strikes, Aerosmith
Neither Joe Perry nor Brad Whitford were the guitarists on this

4. Bigeye or yellowfin tuna: AHI - my first guess, but I waited

5. Plato, to Socrates: MENTEE - STUDENT didn't fit, and spellcheck doesn't care for this, either

7. Egg __ yung: FOO - We had FOO in a clue on Monday - I know this has been clued as "rock band _ Fighters", but I liked it better when Dave Grohl was in Nirvana

8. Heart chart, briefly: EKG

9. Know-it-all: WISEACRE

10. Seth Rogen's "Kung Fu Panda" voice role: MANTIS - never saw the movie

11. Much of an atlas: ASIA - Dah~!  It got me - I had MAPS to start - which was yesterday, and I am hopefully going to be in the "tractor ring" soon; see below . . .

12. Social sensitivity: TACT

13. Fencing tool: ÉPÉE

18. Leave on the grill too long, maybe: CHAR - BURN ( Monday ) was not well-done enough....

23. Spot on a shirt, say: STAIN

24. The sun, for one: STAR - a G-type yellow dwarf, if I'm not mistaken

25. Foldout bed: COT

26. Wildcat native to the Americas: OCELOT - COUGAR~?  Didn't know, had to wait

27. Fictional chocolatier: WONKA - Willy~!

28. Part of a makeover photo spread: AFTER - all of my home projects are stuck in the "BEFORE" phase; I really need to get motivated to finish them - I hope to buy the tractor pictured below at the end of the week - it will help tree-mendously ( eye-roll ) with clearing the chunks of Ash still sitting in my back yard

It costs more than my car....

29. By and large: MOSTLY - I was just talking about "BUY & Large" at work, from Wall-E

Post-COVID future reality~?  I need to get to the gym more often

30. Cool beans or warm fuzzies: IDIOM - IDIOM, ADAGE, AXIOM~?  I can never tell which

31. TV's younger Dr. Crane: NILES - his brother was Frasier, the character/spin-off from Cheers

32. Lip: SASS

33. Leak slowly: SEEP

37. Until now: AS YET

38. Spirited gathering?: PEP RALLY - I was thinking KEG PARTY, or SÉANCE(ish)

40. Drive-__ car wash: THRU

43. "¿Qué __?": Spanish greeting: TAL - meh.  I keep saying I am going to learn Spanish (#2)

46. Steakhouse options: T-BONES

47. Blemish: FLAW

48. Edmonton NHL team: OILERS - they are up 3-1 on the LA Kings in the Stanley Cup playoffs

51. "The Lost City of Gold" explorer: DORA - ah.  I know OF the Explorer the cartoon, but did not know about the city, or, for that matter, that there was a live-action movie . . .

52. Per item: A POP - not EACH.  Meh.

53. Iodine-rich seaweed: KELP - I pondered NORI, waited on perps

54. Home office need: DESK - it does help, that I can tell you

55. Taj Mahal site: AGRA

56. Head up: LEAD

57. Many a Caribbean country: ISLE

60. "Payment forthcoming" note: I.O.U.

61. ASMRtist's need: MICrophone - ASMR, Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, and I do get the ticklish sensation - you can try it here

62. "Like I didn't know!": "DUH~!" - Like, we're at the last clue, dude

Splynter