Friday, January 1, 2016, Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: Happy New Year! Oops. No. New year resolutions! Nope. OK, I get it....

Let's put away the holiday decorations; but where? How fun!

We have five common phrases with the last word a place you can store things, with each clued humorously to create new images. I had a hard time parsing the JUST IN to reflect newest until I said it out loud, removing Justin from my brain. This is my second PAK puzzle, the other from December, 2010. Most of her puzzles are Sunday efforts but this is clearly a Friday with some deceptive cluing and some hard to remember fill. There was not much in long fill outside the theme, BB SHOT, a bit of crosswordese, EDEN, À LA. Off we go into 2016.

17A. Where to keep the newest merchandise? : JUST IN CASE (10). This gave me such a hard time. Of course the phrase has nothing to do with that kind of case, which is where the humor is.

26A. Where to keep papal headgear? : MITER BOX (8).  Really cute, and I will defer to Splynter for discussion of the original meaning.

38A. Where to keep bustiers and halters? : TOP DRAWER (9). Again a phrase that has nothing to do with the storage space morphs into where women keep their tops.

53A. Where to keep tunes? : DITTY BAG (8) The last two do not have same dramatic change as ditty bag holds ditties both way. A tough fill unless you are familiar with either the musical definition LINK,  or the new ONE.

64A. Where to keep clock components? : HAND BASKET (10). Well this puzzle went to hell quickly, though a basket filled with the hands from clocks is a cute image.

Across:

1. Prynne punishment : RED A. Scarlett letter actually for Hester.

5. Family that wrote a lot of notes : BACHS. An amazingly prolific FAMILY.

10. Chief of Staff after Haldeman : HAIG. Alexander quite famous for I'M IN CHARGE.

14. Summer quenchers : ADES. Cool we begin the year with a CSO to me.

15. Let go : ALLOW.

16. It's all around you : AURA. It certainly seemed so in the 60's and 70's.

19. Tabloid perennial : IDOL. Simon Cowell is coming to AGOT!

20. Circus couple? : CEES.

21. Strength : SINEW.  Really?

23. Andalusian article : UNA.

24. Fictional destroyer of Chamberlain, Maine : CARRIE. Maine and you know it is Stephen King.

28. Powerful Giant : OTT. Mel and all his home runs.

29. Green eggs advocate : SAM. But they need Ham...

31. Food Channel adjective : SAVORY.

32. High flat : MESA.

34. "American Pastoral" Pulitzer-winning author : ROTH. Philip has written so many books but this ONE earned him the Pulitzer Prize.

37. Actress Russo : RENE. She is 61

41. Long, long time : AEON.

43. No hassle : EASE.

44. Cheek : SASS.

48. Sponge : ABSORB.

50. Super __ : PAC.

52. Sign of summer : LEO. and the Clecho 61A. Sign-changing area : CUSP.

56. Church counter? : ROSARY. Beads me what this means.

58. Styled after : À LA.

59. Big name in beauty : ESTEE. Let's praise her in Latin. I love inter-lingual puns.

62. Sees : GETS. Mira!

67. DOE division?: Abbr. : ENERgy.

68. End of a host's query : OR TEA? Coffee or?

69. Hair piece : HANK. Not a toupee.

70. Hill meeting: Abbr. : SESSion. Capitol Hill.

71. Quaint retort : 'TIS'NT. Again so soon after yesterday's 'Tis.

72. Enjoying a lot : IN TO.


Down:

1. Koothrappali on "The Big Bang Theory" : RAJ.

2. Teach : EDUCATE. Happy New year especially to all here who TEACH. The world depends on you.

3. Leaves without leave : DESERTS. The military.

4. Daisy lookalike : ASTER. Aster to the left

Daisy.... 




5. Proscription : BAN.

6. MLB best-of-seven series : ALCS. American League Championship Series.

7. Assertion : CLAIM.

8. Egypt's Mubarak : HOSNI. No way to COMMENT.

9. Candy : SWEETS. I still miss HIM.

10. Osaka okay : HAI. Yes in Japanese.

11. "The Birds of America" author : AUDUBON.

12. You can dig it : IRON ORE. Very vague but it is Friday.

13. Place to see stars : GALAXY. Riding in an old Ford?

18. Goddess with cow's horns : ISIS.

22. "__ Family": 1979 R &B hit : WE ARE.

24. Dot follower? : COM.

25. Tombstone VIP : EARP. Wyatt. I liked Hugh O' Brian better. He is still alive and married for the first time at age 81.

27. Camping enthusiasts, for short : RV'ERS.

30. How it's done : MODE.

33. Reveling, after "on" : A TOOT.

35. Vocal syllable : TRA. LA LA Linda.

36. Door fastener : HASP.

39. Deli request : ON RYE.

40. Common sign of age : WEAR. And tear.

41. Kansas site of the Eisenhower Presidential Library : ABILENE. The town also had Wild Bill Hickok as Marshall for a while and 186 miles from Dodge City.

42. They're left behind : ESTATES. Real property, probate and estate planning...my current life.

45. Yakutat native : ALASKAN. Just a simple guess.

46. Garden snake? : SERPENT. Which helps with 60D. Utopia : EDEN.

47. __ sauce : SOY. Do you use it with your 57D. Bite-sized Asian dish : SUSHI.

48. Words from the wise : ADAGES.

49. Red Ryder ammo : B B SHOT. Did you watch the marathon A CHRISTMAS STORY? (2:12).

51. 1952 "Your Show of Shows" Emmy winner : COCA.

54. Arcade pioneer : ATARI.

55. Fellows : GENTS.

63. Gp. receiving diplomas : SRS.

65. Cavern critter : BAT.

66. Ring ruling : TKO. Technical Knock Out.

Technical or otherwise I am out of here; I thank PAK for starting us in the New Year; thank you C.C. for still being here after almost 8 years and all of those who read and write and those who just read: may 2016 be a banner year for all. Lemonade out.

Thursday, December 31st 2015 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Weight Room Workout. Pretty much a top-to-bottom progression with, in order, LATS, DELTS, PECS, ABS and GLUTES.

18A. Red-eyes, e.g. : LATE FLIGHTS. I pretty much unilaterally declared a few years ago that I won't take red-eyes anymore. I fly the day before and get a good night's sleep.

24A. Wouldn't accept excuses : DEMANDED RESULTS

31A. Hospital department : PEDIATRICS

41A. Black suit component : ACE OF CLUBS. I wanted "Ace of Spades" to mark the passing of Motörhead's Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister on Tuesday. I saw the band in LA about 15 years ago and I'm not sure my eardrums have recovered. RIP. Not to everyone's taste, so no link.

51A. Retirement party speeches, typically : GLOWING TRIBUTES

58A. Like some weightlifters, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : MUSCLE-BOUND. Lovely reveal - the muscles start and finish - so bind - the theme entries.

Well done, Jeffrey. I'm not sure if the head-to-tail order of the theme entries was intentional, but I hope it was. I loved this puzzle. It took me almost as long as the Sunday LAT and I enjoyed every minute of figuring out where I was going wrong. After my first pass, I had so much white space and a few "maybe" entries that I thought I'd post the grid I had at that point to show you the mess I was in:

Oh dear! Bottom-up and right-to-left corrections fixed everything eventually, but it certainly was a fun journey.

Across:

1. Dernier __ : CRI. The latest fashion. I'm not familiar with the term, but it's a crossword staple.

4. They may have EIKs : APTS. Eat-In Kitchens. I'm not familiar with the term. Do you sense a pattern here?

8. Savory Asian pastry : SAMOSA. Food! I'm familiar with the term. Yay! (Crafty cook tip - if you want to make quick and easy samosas, slice a flour tortilla across the equator and fold & fill from there).

14. Kareem, once : LEW. Alcindor/Abdul Jabbar. A UCLA basketball legend in my home town.

15. Berth place : SLIP. The yacht I've chartered lives in a slip in Marina Del Rey.

16. Took to the stump : ORATED

17. Reminiscent of : A LA

20. Fail to meet : MISS

22. Pinky-side arm bone : ULNA

23. Points for a free throw : ONE. Kareem made a few of these on his way to 38,387 career points.

29. 14th-century Russian prince : IVAN II

30. "Grandma" co-star : TOMLIN

35. "Nothing special" : SO-SO

36. One on the shelf, in Christmas decor : ELF

37. Epic creator : POET

48. Number in a Verne title : EIGHTY. Not TWENTY as I confidently entered at first. "Around the World in Eighty Days". I've done the round-the-world route twice (once in each direction) on business. Burbank - Denver - Frankfurt - Mumbai - Hong Kong - San Francisco - Burbank was the most fun. LAX - Hong Kong - London - LAX seemed more of a chore.

50. "60 Minutes" humorist : ROONEY

55. Suffix with part : IAL. Boo. A suffix isn't "three letters at the end of a random word".

56. Bide __: stay briefly, to Scots : A WEE

57. "Phooey!" : DRAT

62. Choler : IRE

63. Willow flower cluster : CATKIN

64. Erase : UNDO

65. Shade source : ELM

66. To a smaller degree : LESS SO

67. Annoyance : PEST. That "Part-ial" is a pest.

68. Bad start? : DYS. Whoa! Here's a pattern.

Down:

1. Cocktail party bowlful : CLAM DIP. OK, Chex Mix - you're toast

2. Substitute for : RELIEVE

3. "That really got my goat!" : I WAS MAD

4. Silent comm. method : ASL. American Sign Language. My friend has a Masters degree in deaf studies and has taught me some rudimentary signs, enough to make a polite exit from otherwise awkward social situations.

5. Enthusiastic praise : PLAUDIT

6. King or queen : TITLE

7. Drop at a shop : SPEND. Fun clue

8. Fifth in a familiar series : SOL

9. Melodic passage : ARIOSO. I think I remembered this. Took a couple of tries after the ARI--- though.

10. Wine buys : MAGNUMS. Two bottles, or 1.5 liters. Here's a couple I pulled out of the fridge in anticipation of the holidays. They don't fit in the rack. The one on the left is signed by the winemaker.

11. "... And when I love thee not / Chaos is come again" speaker : OTHELLO

12. Three of a kind, in poker lingo : SET

13. Much spam : ADS

19. Word with fetched or flung : FAR

21. __-Wipe: cleaning brand : SANI

25. Actress Peeples : NIA

26. "Star Trek" staples : ETS. Extra-Terrestrials. Pretty much all you're going to meet on a mission to explore unknown galaxies.

27. Quaint contraction : 'TIS. I mark my annual "oh really, is that all you've got" calendar by the first of the ADS I hear using this. This year was "Sleep Number" beds, who proclaimed in mid-November that "'Tis the season to save money on a mattress". Shame on you.

28. Nestlé's __-Caps : SNO

32. __ hall : REC

33. Martinique, par exemple : ILE. Isle, for example. What differentiates an isle and an island in English? I don't believe any other language makes the same distinction. Discuss.

34. Bus. bigwig : CFO

37. Dowel : PEG

38. Venezuela export : OIL

39. Ones who are me-deep in conversation? : EGOISTS

40. Sharp blows : THWACKS

41. Writer Rand : AYN. Gimme, thank you very much. I was struggling in the middle (and top, and bottom and left, and right).

42. '90s-'00s hit sitcom for 10 seasons : FRIENDS Cue the music. I challenge you not to clap. Pa Pa Pa PAH!

43. Ear piece? : COB. What? Oh! Sweetcorn (sound of coin dropping slowly).

44. Ear-piercing : LOUD

45. Not yet tested : UNTRIED

46. Arrive ahead of time : BE EARLY

47. __ analyst : SYSTEMS. I was one of these once. I'm not sure I really knew what I was doing. Thankfully I was working for a bank, not Boeing.

49. "Coca-Cola Cowboy" singer : TILLIS? Who?

52. Chew the fat : GAB

53. Leading 5-3, e.g. : TWO UP

54. See one's old college chums, say : REUNE. Here's my most recent "reune" in London last month with my chums. I'm the only one wearing glasses, but everyone else needed me to read the menu. What does that tell you?

58. Commonly injured knee ligament, briefly : MCL. The medial collateral ligament, not the anterior cruciate, which was my first attempt. A rugby-playing friend of mine once tore his ACL, but he insisted on describing is as his "crucial ligament" which drove me to distraction. It's on a par with someone saying "pacifically" or "supposably". You're off my Christmas Card list with any of those.

59. Federation in OPEC : UAE. The United Arab Emirates, a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. It all sounds rather quaint. Are Venezuela in on the OPEC act?

60. "Small Craft on a Milk Sea" musician : ENO. Not ONO. Wake up, Steve.

61. Semicolon? : DOT. Lovely. Half a semi-colon is a single dot. Wonderful.

And with that, here's the grid, circles and all, for those of you who didn't have them in your publication. It's been a fun year, and on this New Year's Eve, please all of you be safe, love your friends and family (and tell them that you do), remember with joy all who have passed and lit up your life and be ready for a new adventure tomorrow.

Steve

Wednesday, December 30, 2015 Michael Dewey

Theme: Having a go at it -  or - disappointing Yoda.  The last word of multi-word in-the-language phrases are all synonyms for striving to achieve something.



17 A. It may lead to an acquisition : TAKE OVER ATTEMPT.  One corporation ATTEMPTS to take over another.

28 A. Coalition : JOINT ENDEAVOR.  Working together for a common goal.  Rather a different shade of meaning, as compared to ATTEMPT.

48 A. With "the," one's best shot : OLD COLLEGE TRY.  This is a wild and desperate ATTEMPT to achieve something, perhaps with a bit of showboating along the way.

62. Sincere intention to be fair : GOOD FAITH EFFORT.  This is actually a legal term, relating to "what a reasonable person would determine is a diligent and honest EFFORT under the same set of facts or circumstances." Troutt v. City of Lawrence, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 61641 (S.D. Ind. Aug. 8, 2008)

As I see it, all except JOINT ENDEAVOR carry some implication of failure, realized after the fact. Does that seem right?

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here.  Nicely constructed theme, with a couple of grid-spanners.  The rest of the puzzle lies before us.  Shall we do or not do?

Across

1. Coors "malternative" : ZIMA.  A kinda-sorta quasi-beer-like fluid from a company that makes other beer-like fluids.

5. NFL ball carriers : RBS.  Running Backs.   Who will be the first to take this DF?

8. Silently understood : TACIT.  That's one sense of it.  Another is simply remaining silent.  I have several segments of The Nutcracker marked TACIT.

13. National Air and Space Museum movie format : IMAX.    Large screen movie presentations.

14. Culturally affected : ARTY.   

16. Shrine to remember : ALAMO.   As the phrase "Remember the ALAMO" reminds us.

20. Bucket filler : ICE.   One of many possibilities.

21. Cooking oil brand : MAZOLA.   Corn oil.

22. Sport with masks : EPEE.   Fencing.

23. Nag's comment? : NEIGH.  Just horsing around - not emulating the Bickersons.

25. Binding words : I DO.   Marriage.

27. Stately tree : ELM.  Once upon a time.

32. SeaWorld swimmer : ORCA.  Shamu the killer whale.

33. Strauss' "__ Rosenkavalier" : DER.  The knight of the Roses.   DER is the nominative singular masculine definite article in German.

34. Source of ultraviolet rays : SUN.  And infra-red, and visible light, and even a small amount of X-Rays.  The solar spectrum actually peaks in the visible light region.  I'm not delighted with this clue.

35. Evidently is : SEEMS.  Appears to be.

37. Enthusiasm : VIM.   Usually travels with vigor.

39. The Masters or The Open : MAJOR.   Golf tournaments.

43. Aurora's Greek counterpart : EOS.   Goddess of the dawn.

45. Beat a hasty retreat : LAM.   Here a verb - not it's most common usage.

47. Yawner : BORE.   Uninteresting performance or presentation.

51. Dashboard meas. : MPH.  Miles Per Hour.

53. __ Jose : SAN.   California city.   Do you know the way?

54. Race paces : TROTS.   Well this interesting and brings out the pedant in me.  In harness racing, there are two varieties of races, for TROTTERS and PACERS.  They have distinctly different gaits, and breaking stride can lead to disqualification from a race.  In other races, where you sit down right on the horse, running is done at a full gallop.  So I'm not sure what this clue is getting at. 

55. Met showstopper : ARIA.  Opera song

57. "We can do it, team!" : LET’S GO.   Closely related to the theme, but not in an appropriate location.

59. Belittle : DIS.  Disrespect, in street talk.

65. Maneuver around : EVADE.   Or avoid.  I'm never sure.

66. Jordanian queen dowager : NOOR.  Lisa Najib Halaby [b. 1951, Washington D. C.] is an American woman who became the 4th and final wife of King Hussein [d. 1999] of Jordan.   She works on behalf of several international organizations.

67. Vacationing, perhaps : AWAY.   Perhaps on a business trip, the lam, or playing hooky.  Several possibilities.

68. Know without knowing why : SENSE.  Oh, what a feeling.

69. Second afterthought: Abbr. : PPS.  Post Post Script.  For when your thoughts are really untimely or disorganized.

70. Daughter of Elizabeth II : ANNE.  Born Aug 15, 1950.  She had two marriages and survived a kidnapping attempt.  She also has a criminal record, having violated both the speed limit and the Dangerous Dogs Act.  She is not to be confused with anther royal Anne who was the eponym for a common weed, a furniture design, and a neckline with a raised back and open front.   Oh, yeah - the earlier ANNE was also Queen of Great Britain from 1702 until her death from a stroke in 1714.

Down

1. Pasta choice : ZITI.   Medium sized pasta tubes.

2. All-in-one Apple : i-MAC.    Desktop computer system.

3. Act in a conciliatory way : MAKE NICE.   Whether you want to or not.

4. Log splitter : AXE.   Log splitter's tool.

5. Plundered : RAVAGED.   Plunder is the violent and dishonest acquisition of property.  Ravage is damage severely.   Not at all the same thing.

6. Khrushchev's successor : BREZHNEV.  Leonid, born 1906, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982.

7. Texas ALer : STRO.   Astros, an American League baseball team, inexplicably named after George Jetson's dog.

8. What Tweety tawt he taw : TAT.   Like this.

9. Out of the wind : ALEE.  Gimmee shelter.

10. Pitcher in the woods : CAMPER.   Tent pitcher.

11. Spur on : IMPEL.  Basically the same meaning as propel.   The use of "IMPEL" has been steadily declining for 200 years.

12. Tribal symbol : TOTEM.   A spirit being, sacred object or symbol that serves as emblm for a clan or tribe.

15. Connecticut Ivy Leaguer : YALIE.    Student or graduate of Yale University.  These people are also know as Elis.

18. Fail to say : OMIT.   Leave out.

19. "Voilà!" cries : TADAS.   "There you are," or "I did it."

24. Glossy coating : ENAMEL.   Paint or the natural covering layer on your teeth.

26. Egg cell : OVUM.  Female reproductive cell in humans and animals.

28. "__ Boys": Alcott sequel : JO'S.   A Sequal to "Little Men," occurring 10 years later.

29. Rock to refine : ORE.   Pay dirt.

30. Practice exercise : DRILL.   A method of training and discipline.

31. How money might be lost : ON A BET.  One of many ways.

36. Fixes the fairway, say : SODS.   Here, a verb, meaning to install sod.

38. Soda jerk's workplace : MALT SHOP.

40. Makes a note of : JOTS DOWN.

41. Boston Garden hockey immortal : ORR.  Bobby.   YouTube has several long video compilations of his highlight moments.  Here is just one, and perhaps the most famous.

42. Spanish king : REY.  

44. Milan's Teatro alla __ : SCALA.   Opera house since 1778, one of the world's leading venues for opera and ballet.

46. Business deals : MERGERS.   The joining of two companies to make a new, bigger entity.  The opposite of what I had the last time I blogged.

48. John Glenn, for one : OHIOAN.   Do you know any others?

49. Words often starting a long shot : ONE IN . . .  Often followed by . . .  a million.

50. Blunder : GOOF.  All GOOFs [in this sense] are mistakes.  A blunder is a stupid or careless one.

51. Dungeons & Dragons spellcasters : MAGES.   D & D has several categories of characters, each with its own unique powers, potentials and vulnerabilities.

52. Demonstrate as true : PROVE.  Provide convincing evidence.

56. Tacks on : ADDS.  Emends.

58. Sporty car roof : T-TOP.   Removable roof panels make a vehicle so equipped into an almost-but-not-quite convertible.  

60. Farsi-speaking land : IRAN.   Across the gulf from Saudi Arabia, and contiguous with several other countries.

Part of the World

61. Eye sore : STYE.   An inflammation of a sebaceous gland in the eyelid, generally caused by a staph infection. I opted not to show any pictures.

63. Membership cost : FEE.   AKA Dues.

64. LAX overseer : FAA.   Federal Aviation Administration.   Are they lax?   I haven't flown in years.  You can enlighten me in comments.

Did you get the TADA, or did you not do?  That is the question.

That's all, folks.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, December 29, 2015 Mary Lou Guizzo

Theme: Roast Beef

17A. Kansas City baseball color : ROYAL BLUE

36A. Tavern with a view : ROOFTOP BAR

43A. Dilapidated ship : RUST BUCKET

61A. Bucking ride : RODEO BULL

11D. Tour de France wheels : RACING BIKE

29D. 13th-century English friar/philosopher : ROGER BACON. Who is Roger Bacon? LINK

68A. "We Have The Meats" fast food chain, and a homophonic hint to the six longest puzzle answers : ARBY'S

Argyle here. Plenty of entries so a few tricky spots. Mine was the left coast, middle.

Across:

1. Glass edge : RIM

4. Personal histories : PASTS

9. Infielder Rod in Cooperstown : CAREW. Remember him from last Thursday? And someone new 65A. Hall of Fame second baseman Bobby : DOERR. Wiki for this Red Soxer.

14. "Caught you!" : "A-HA!"

15. Stag, at a party : ALONE

16. Egg-shaped : OVATE

19. Battery acronym : NICAD. (nickel–cadmium)

20. Olympics skating analyst Ohno : APOLO. He was a short track speed skater.

21. Laborious tasks : TRAVAILS

23. Post-shower powder : TALC

26. "Twin Peaks" actress Sherilyn : FENN

27. USN officer : CDR. (Commander)

30. Buying plan with a down payment : LAYAWAY. Odd clue.

33. Highway sign : GAS

38. "In memoriam" bio : OBIT

39. English: Pref. : ANGLO

40. Dashed : RAN

41. Job that doesn't pay? : CRIME

42. "__ 101": Jamie Lynn Spears sitcom : ZOEY. Britney's sister on Nickelodeon.

45. Go astray : ERR

46. Thicker, as a beard : BUSHIER

47. Some MIT grads : EEs. (electrical engineers)

48. Indonesian island : BALI

50. Well-kept : NEAT

52. "That's shocking!" : "I'M AMAZED!"

56. Triumphant cries : TADAs. A welcomed sound.

60. Potato press : RICER

64. Sun-dried brick : ADOBE

66. Vintage roadster : REO

67. Guadalajara girls : NINAs

69. Woodsman's chopper : AXE

Down:

1. __ avis : RARA. (rare bird) 10D. For the birds? : AVIAN

2. All-You-Can-Eat-Pancakes chain : IHOP. (International House of Pancakes)

3. Spread on a BLT : MAYO. Should Steve have blogged today or what?

4. City near Stanford University : PALO ALTO. Located in Santa Clara County and the State of California.

5. Greece neighbor: Abbr. : ALB. (Albania)

6. Note after fa : SOL

7. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT

8. Clairvoyant : SEER

9. Transport, as on a factory belt : CONVEY

12. List-ending abbr. : ET AL.

13. Unites in marriage : WEDS

18. Bottom-row PC key : ALT

22. Off in the distance : AFAR

24. Thai language : LAO

25. Mediterranean island republic : CYPRUS

27. Hottest fashion : CRAZE

28. Philanthropist : DONOR

31. Embarrass : ABASH

32. Hope to participate : WANT IN

34. 'Til Tuesday lead vocalist Mann : AIMEE. I didn't know she is a bassist.

35. Decides not to dele : STETS

37. Swatter target : FLY

38. Tolkien beast : ORC

41. Museum overseers : CURATORS

43. All-Star Phillies catcher Carlos : RUIZ. Another ball player. Wiki

44. Pollen eater : BEE

46. Loud, raucous sounds : BLAREs. Like a tie-up at rush hour.

49. Tiny life form : AMEBA

51. Bill at a bar : TAB

52. OPEC founding member : IRAN

53. Calf-length skirt : MIDI

54. Wagner's Earth goddess : ERDA. A week ago Sunday: ["Ring Cycle" goddess : ERDA. German for "earth", right?]

55. Way in or out : DOOR

57. Battery name prefix with "cell" : DURA

58. "Jeopardy!" host Trebek : ALEX

59. Gin flavoring : SLOE

62. Belle of the ball : DEB. (debutante)

63. Suffix with trick : ERY. Enough trickery for one day.

Argyle