Saturday, Sep 17th, 2016, Mark Diehl

Theme: None

Words: 66 (missing Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 27

 This is my first puzzle from Mark Diehl, and when I checked, his last and only two contributions to the LA Times were both Saturday constructions, both before my blogging time.  See here and here.  With no experience to go on, I simply plugged away at any clues I might have had a shot at.  Some proper names slowed me down, and ultimately, I had to cheat for one cel with red-letters.  Dang.  Big chunky corners, two 12-letter spanners and two 10-letter climbers;

26a. Formulation in Newton's "Principia" : LAW OF GRAVITY - I knew what we were looking for, but I waited to see where the word "GRAVITY" would fall

See "The Law" @ 2:05

35a. Height is an exception to it : "I" BEFORE "E" RULE - Height, weight, eight - yeah, it's wEIrd.  More of a guideline, really

15d. "Paradise Lost" style : BLANK VERSE - I did not know anything about this style; it has no rhyme, but a steady meter

21d. One whose business is growing : DIRT FARMER - I filled in the "FARMER" part, and waited.  Basically a poor farmer.  We have lots of sod farms here on L.I., and after harvest, it looks like they're in the dirt farming business

dOwNWARD gravity~!

ACROSS:

1. Studio department : CASTING - I contemplated "COSTUME", and that would have been 100% 42% correct

8. Fills with mortar, as tile : GROUTS - don't tell me - I just finished my bathroom, which I built from the plumbing up; I happen to like tiling, as opposed to just installing a plastic surround.  Here's a pic; I noticed that "Picasa" is no longer - it's all about Pinterest now

14. Invite : ASK OVER - and they consistently, politely decline....

15. Traditional slow cooker : BEAN POT

16. 1963 Best Actor : POITIER

17. '70s-'80s sitcom roommate : LAVERNE - ah, yes, the other one was Shirley - and Lenny was their friend, played by Michael McKean, who played David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap fame

18. "By all means!" : "INDEED~!"

19. Central California county : MARIPOSA - the second half was perps, the first half a WAG about a place that I seemed to have heard of before

20. Contract details : TERMS - oops, not ITEMS

21. Slips on : DONS

22. Put down : LAID

23. Latin I word : AMO

24. Pen output : OINK - I did not know which "pen" this was; the writer's ( BOOK, e.g. ) or the farm one; it was the latter

25. __ warning : EARLY - I had -A-L- and thought it was "FALSE" - but FASLE looked wrong....

30. Jokingly : IN SPORT - ooops, not 'in sHort'

31. "Coming Out of the Dark" singer : ESTEFAN - Gloria, half perps and WAGs

37. Stylish beach resorts : LIDOS

40. Sanctuary part : APSE - ah, but which the part of the church~? APSE or NAVE~?

41. Eponymous 2001 album : J.Lo

42. MBA subject : ECON - good WAG on my part

43. Part of a name on the 1989 album "Dr. Feelgood" : CRÜE - Nailed it - I can't help it - these guys defined the whole 80's big hair thing, and the music was good, too.  In fact, the first puzzle Mark Diehl had for the LA Times featured "TEN SECONDS" as an answer - and here's Mötley Crüe's version

44. Congo jungle denizen : CHIMP

46. Sprint and others : TELECOMS - I went with TELCOMS, and found it too short

48. Ice cream baron William : DREYER

49. NSA home : Ft. MEADE

50. "You had your chance!" : "TOO LATE~!"

51. Certain permit holder : LEARNER - driving permits

52. Pitching pro? : AD WOMAN - ooh, nice gender misdirection.

this is one gorgeous ad woman

53. Mahmoud's PLO predecessor : YASSER

54. Lose freshness : GO STALE

DOWN:

1. First person indicator : CAPITAL I

2. Without dissent : AS ONE MAN

3. Rundown areas : SKID ROWS - Ironically, I thought this was SKI related, but it certainly helped to correctly guess the first 3 letters

4. Revered emblem : TOTEM - popular lately

5. Brown is one of them : IVIES - I knew where this was going, but was reluctant to fill in "IVIES"

6. Triage basis : NEED

7. Lab warning : Grr - the LABrador breed

8. First, second and third : GEARS - and many more, depending on the car.  My crappy work van has a hard time getting out of second gear; I have to get to 42mph.  Reminds me of this song

9. Norah's dad : RAVI - it took a moment to remember Norah Jones' dad is Ravi Shankar;  her Wiki

10. Like solitaire : ONE-PLAYER

11. Hue and cry : UPROAR

12. Uvula neighbor : TONSIL

13. Regular : STEADY

19. Bart Simpson's grandma : MONA - I dredged this one up from the cerebral depths

24. No gentle giant : OGRE

25. Novel ending : ETTE - novelette; I submitted a short story to Dan's Papers Literary Contest, but I didn't win - read more here,  Sep 9th issue, pg 32

27. First book of the Great Plains trilogy : OPIONEERS - no clue, and the "P" was "H" for my first guess

28. Key chain attachments : FOBS

29. "Say no more" : "I SEE."

32. Roller coaster named for a mountain : FUJIYAMA - mostly perps and a WAG - not a big roller-coaster fan

33. Like some storage shelves : ALL METAL - and F%*&ing heavy when they ship thru UPS

34. Wetsuit material : NEOPRENE - nailed it - big help in the SE

36. Sonata, e.g. : OPUS - toyed with "AUTO", since it's a Hyundai

37. Heave : LET FLY

38. Summer beverage : ICE TEA - I've come to accept the missing "D"; look away, Tin~!

39. Middle Eastern stuffed vegetable dishes : DOLMAS - ah, yes, I've had them, and they're good - I get the vine leaf stuffed with rice

43. Software whiz : CODER

44. They're often involved in murders : CROWS

45. Serf of Sparta : HELOT

47. Mr. Peanut trademark : CANE

48. Doofus : DODO

50. Touch and go? : TAG - the game - "you're IT~!"

Splynter

Friday, September 16, 2016, Mark McClain

Title: Has anybody seen my T?

Mark is back for his eighth LAT of the year and second this month. I have not had him on a Friday since August 2015. This time we have four starter words in phrases all containing the sound o͞ot derived from the letters "UTE" and Mark then removes the "T" and uses the resulting o͞o sound to select words which will combine with the rest of the phrase to make a new phrase clued wackily. Easier to see than explain. Two are the first word, two are the last word, the only outlier is MAGIC LUTE which maintains the spelling "ute"unlike the other three. We also have no hint or reveal, so you have to 'hear' the gimmick to find the theme. We do have some fresh fill like BLOW BY,  SAY BOO (BUTE?),  RED CAP,  DEUCES, DAYTONA, WHITNEY,  ORCHARD and TIDIEST. On with the show...

20A. Number on some beer bottles? : BREW STRENGTH (12). Brute strength. Craft beer tends to be very strong.

35A. Washateria wear? : LAUNDRY SHOE (11). Laundry chute. We have garbage chutes here.

42A. Musical work played where Brits go? : LOO CONCERTO (11). Lute concerto.

59A. Smokeless chimney duct? : THE MAGIC FLUE (12). The magic flute.

Across:

1. Shot in the dark : STAB. My favorite Shot In The Dark

5. Mild expletive : DANG.

9. Contraction used with "up" : WHAT'S. Doc.

14. Confining room : CELL.

15. River originating in Manchuria : AMUR. I wonder how many remember this river from the Wednesday the 7th puzzle.

16. Assails : HAS AT.

17. Woodstock performer before Joan : ARLO. I will not repeat my comments about this performance. Joan Baez was awesome.

18. Sci-fi guru : YODA. And  47A. Sci-fi craft : POD.

19. Rodeo maker : ISUZU. I still miss Joe.

23. Make even the slightest comment : SAY BOO. I do not want to hear a word, not even Boo!

24. Hall of Famer Musial : STAN. Stan the man; I was lucky enough to have watched him and Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and so many more.

25. Some suits, briefly : VPS.

28. Egg foo __ : YUNG. Some HISTORY.

30. Depot worker : REDCAP. Train depot; bus depot?

32. Flight regulatory org. : FAA.

38. "__ turca: allegretto": Mozart rondo : ALLA. A second helping of Mozart.

40. "Is that __?" : A NO. Yes.

41. Floor option : TILE.

48. Exotic journey : SAFARI. Zambia.

49. Kennel calls : YIPS.

51. Terrestrial wiggler : EFT. The clue is open, but it is the juvenile stage of a newt.

52. Storm sound : CLAP. Of thunder.

55. Jefferson bills, slangily : DEUCES. LINK.

61. Courts in some hotels : ATRIA.

64. Bend for a swan, maybe : PLIE.

65. Woodworking tool : FILE. Last week I had rasp.

66. Contemporary of Beethoven : WEBER. This MAN.

67. Trouser parts : LEGS.

68. Chatted with online : IM-ED.

69. Quirky : WEIRD.

70. 2015 World Series-winning manager Ned : YOST. No relation to 1960's Tiger third baseman Eddie Yost.

71. Much of the MTV generation : XERS.

Down:

1. Natural skin protection : SCABS. Protection?

2. __ firma : TERRA.  The dry land on Earth. Latin.

3. Way in the back, often : ALLEY.

4. Pass easily : BLOW BY. Appropriate next to...

5. Prestigious NASCAR venue : DAYTONA.

6. Lima love : AMOR.

7. Many Renoirs : NUDES.

8. Foster __: sunglasses brand : GRANT.

9. Self-titled 1987 pop album : WHITNEY.

10. Diner concoction : HASH.

11. Phil Mickelson's alma mater: Abbr. : ASU. Arizona State University. Phil won a PGA tournament while still a student. The STORY. 25 years ago.

12. Toon devil : TAZ.

13. "The Simpsons" disco guy : STU.

21. Subject of an evil negotiation : SOUL.

22. "Dumb and Dumber" actress : GARR. No recollection of her in that movie.

25. Parental control device : V-CHIP.

26. Italian soccer great Rossi : PAOLO. This football STAR.

27. Dash datum : SPEED.

29. Tortilla chip topper, informally : GUACamole.

31. It's not observed in P.R. : DST. Daylight Savings Time.

32. Pseudo : FALSE.

33. "Half __ is ... " : A LOAF. Is better than a single croissant. Not to be confused with....

34. On high : ALOFT.

36. San Antonio-to-Dallas dir. : NNE.

37. Small craft : DORY. All you need to KNOW.

39. Picasso's here : ACA.

43. Picking site : ORCHARD.Not your nose.

44. Giza's river : NILE.

45. Like the maximum sum : TIDIEST. Odd clue/fill but we all have heard of having a tidy sum.

46. Multinational energy gp. : OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

50. Less, when added? : SUFFIX. My favorite clue.

53. To an adequate degree : AMPLY.

54. __ diet : PALEO. A diet based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, and excluding dairy or grain products and processed food. wiki.

56. Versifier's weather : CLIME. This is used to rhyme with time and sublime in the psalms.

57. Calculus pioneer : EULER. Do you math wizzes find Euler fun? Here is a LINK that I found amusing.

58. Origins : SEEDS. Nice clue/fill.

59. Echelon : TIER.

60. Touring jobs : GIGS.

61. "What a darling baby!" : AWW. My girls, Harper will be one year old in 12 days...amazing.

62. Golfer's support : TEE.

63. Cred for bringing someone home : RBI. Cred tells you this is going to be an abbreviation.

Mark is one of the constructors who does stop by so let him know what you think. He made my mind jump all over the place and slid in a few really hard combinations, but  in the end it felt smooth, now if I could only think of a phrase that works with CUTE/COO. Loved the Mozart. Thanks all, Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our witty D-Otto (Tom)! Like Argyle, Tom never failed to give me quick and reliable feedback on an iffy crossword entry or clear up a confusing Podcast reference. I can't imagine where this blog would be without his and TTP's guidance a few years ago. Thanks for always being here, Tom!

 

Thursday, September 15th 2016 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Scrubbing Bubbles - the circles all contain the brand name of a soap, as the reveal neatly explains:

40A. Speaker's stand ... or what each set of circled squares graphically represents : SOAP BOX

A neat Thursday from C.C. The four soap brands ZEST, DIAL, DOVE and LAVA are found clockwise in the puzzle's circles. I use Irish Spring, but have been known to eat Dove, of course(!) that's the chocolate version.


I was given the nickname "Soapbox" many years ago when I worked for Warner Bros. in London due to my penchant for sounding off on pretty much any subject. A couple of my friends still call me that even though I think I've tamed the "haranguing" beast.

Some fun stuff in the fill, let's go take a look.


Across:

1. Host of "Late Night Joy" : BEHAR. Not exactly a stranger to the soapbox herself.

6. Pennant contest : RACE. C.C. takes precisely two clues to get a baseball reference in!

10. Herbal seed used in smoothies : CHIA

14. Truly impress : AMAZE

15. Screen image or screen idol : ICON

16. Called : RANG. "You rang. M'Lord?"

17. Eleventh hour : LAST SECOND. If it's the last second, that really is taking the eleventh hour down to the wire.

19. Language of Pakistan : URDU

20. Beach toy : KITE

21. "Otello" composer : VERDI

22. She played Jackie on "Nurse Jackie" : EDIE. Actress Falco. Never saw the show myself. She looks a little glum.

23. Age of Reason philosopher : LOCKE. "The mind is furnished with ideas by experience alone" according to John. Serious-looking cove:

25. Short fiction : NOVELLAS. Cunning use of the plural form of "fiction."

27. Sloth and envy : SINS. Deadly ones at that.

29. First name in scat : ELLA

30. Super __ : PAC

33. Words after save or take : A SEAT

36. Afghan capital : KABUL. Three neighbors referenced today - Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

39. Lamb nurser : EWE

42. Mama bear, in Baja : OSA

43. Sauce made with pine nuts : PESTO Three Food! items one after another across the grid. I don't think I'll be eating all three together though.

45. Roll dipped in wasabi : SUSHI

46. __ cabbage : RED

47. Drawn tight : TAUT

49. Big name in golf clubs : PING. The company started out making a single type of putter. The club actually did "ping" when the ball came off the face, hence the name.

51. Bugs' voice : MEL BLANC.

55. Storied monsters : OGRES. Shrek didn't seem so bad as ogres go. There's always one or two that give a group a bad name.

58. Airline known for tight security : EL AL

59. About : CIRCA

61. Algerian seaport : ORAN. In Arabic وهران Arabic crosswords are solved from right to left, I assume?

63. Humorist Barry : DAVE

64. Unparalleled : ONE AND ONLY

66. Plugging away : AT IT

67. Heated contest, in more ways than one : MEET. Great clue. At an athletics or swim meet. The heats lead to the finals, which lead, hopefully, to a heated contest for the medals. Favorite clue/answer of the day.

68. Aquafina rival : EVIAN. I drink good old Los Angeles Tap.

69. Some skinny jeans : LEES

70. Torah cabinets : ARKS

71. Like a neglected garden : WEEDY

Down:

1. Refuse to, with "at" : BALK. We add an unnecessary "U" in England. Of course we do. I thought C.C. might have snuck in another baseball reference here.

2. Outlook messages : EMAIL. More fun with plural forms the same as the singular.

3. Lacks choices : HAS TO

4. Quetzalcoatl worshipers : AZTECS

5. High-__ image : RES

6. Jasmine __ : RICE Food! I use it when I cook Thai curries, the flavor is a nicely-scented contrast to the curry. If you've got jasmine growing in the garden, pick a couple of the flowers for garnish.

7. Part of an autumn stash : ACORN

8. Many a beach rental : CONDO

9. Bitter green in mixed greens : ENDIVE. This is making me hungry.

10. Fur-loving de Vil : CRUELLA. Delightful character from Disney's "101 Dalmatians"

11. Work that may be imposed with a prison sentence : HARD LABOR

12. 29-state country : INDIA

13. Feverish bouts : AGUES

18. "Still ... " : EVEN SO

24. Honda Fit competitor : KIA SOUL. A little on the boxy side. I've driven a couple recently as rentals from Hertz. They're not exactly the peppiest of cars that I've experienced.

26. Warning sign in the Rockies : ELK XING.

28. High waters : SEAS

30. Abundance in the cheerleading squad : PEP

31. Reverence : AWE

32. Observation with a sigh : C'EST LA VIE

34. Kwik-E-Mart clerk : APU. "The Simpsons" store owner. He's from INDIA originally.

35. Kitchen amt. : TBSP. Three tsps in a tbsp.

37. Take for a sucker : USE

38. Little fellow : LAD

41. Many an Indian fan : OHIOAN. Aha! Baseball is back. The Cleveland Indians.

44. Computers that travel well : TABLETS. My iPad didn't travel very well when I dropped it poolside on vacation in Mexico. I got the screen repaired but it was never the same again.

48. Puget Sound city : TACOMA. I was just on the Puget Sound a couple of weeks ago. Here's a picture from that little jaunt, it was a beautiful day.

50. It's on the record : GROOVE. Quick - how many grooves are there on an average LP?

51. Wartime award : MEDAL

52. Fill with joy : ELATE

53. Forty-__ : NINER. The LA Rams got off to a great start on Monday against the Niners - not.

54. Links hazard : CREEK

56. Banks with a statue at Wrigley Field : ERNIE. Nailed it! Counting three baseball references so far!

57. Course with leaves : SALAD

60. Jazz lovers : CATS

62. Part of a Wall St. address : NY NY "... it's a wonderful town, the Bronx is up and the Battery's down, the people ride in a hole in the ground ...."

65. Meadow drops : DEW

I think that's it from me. I had the pastrami I started (four weeks ago) for dinner last night. Not *quite* as good as Katz's deli on the lower East Side in Manhattan, but close enough! Enjoy your day, everyone.

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few sweet family photos from Yellowrocks (Kathy). She said:

"While we were down the shore last week, my older son David and his wife Motoko stayed in Wildwood, too. We spent the evenings together going out for delicious seafood. Here are some pics of David, Motoko, Alan and me. Alan is the one with the mustache."

Motoko (David's wife)  & Alan

Yellowrocks, Alan & Motoko

Yellowrocks and son David

David, Yellowrocks and Alan

Wednesday, September 14, 2016 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: I'M SO ANGRY I COULD JUST  .  .  .  The second word of common two-word phrases is transformed from a plural noun to a singular verb, which is a synonym for displaying anger.  

20. Tailpipe emission : EXHAUST FUMES.  In the industry, we really do call them tail pipe emissions, as per the clue, but do not get angry if someone wants to use alternative terminology.

28. Tug-of-war injuries : FRICTION BURNS.  Abrasions caused by harshly rubbing the skin against some surface, in this case a rope.  Losing the war adds insult to injury, whicj does nothign good for one's disposition.

42. Hair-smoothing hairs : BRUSH BRISTLES.  When, for example, a cat is disturbed, the hairs of it back will stand upright, hence the reference.  I was surprised that there actually are boar BRISTLE hair brushes, and am chagrined that I did not know this.  How cilia me!   

47. Shellfish cookouts : SEAFOOD BOILS.  Here's a recipe.   Of course, the sea creature most likely to be angry is the crab.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here.  Hope you're all in a good mood, and nothing in this puzzle perturbs you today.

Down

1. Hershey's toffee bar : SKOR.  Sold in the U. S. since 1981, originally as competition for the Heath bar, which Hershey acquired along with the Leaf candy company in 1996.  Both are still available.

5. Res __ loquitur: the thing itself speaks : IPSA.  Latin.  I'll let our legal scholars expound on context.

9. Online shopping mecca : E-MALL.  A web site that displays catalogues for various suppliers and charges a commission for sales.  Seriously - this is a thing?

14. Chip in a chip : ANTE.   This one baffled me for a while, but sticking with the theme concept of noun-verb interchangeability, we see chip presented first as a verb and then as a noun.

15. Seasonal song : NOEL.  Christmas season.

16. Hunky-dory : A-OKAY.  All systems are go.

17. Start of a knitting project : LOOP. Now Gail and Bruce are just needling us.

18. Prefix with space : AERO-.   The complete word refers to technology and industry related to aviation and space flight.

19. Dry Italian wine : SOAVE.  Meaning pleasant or agreeable, this white wine is from the Veneto region around Verona.

23. Hot state : IRE.  More anger, spilling out from the theme.

24. Beatty/Hoffman box office flop : ISHTAR.  A 1987 action comedy about two inept lounge singers who book a gig in Morocco and stumble into a 4-way cold war standoff.   Widely considered to be one of the worst films ever made.

32. Former fillies : MARES.   Now we're just horsing around.  [See what I did there?]

34. Ready for a refill : EMPTY.  Like a beer glass.

35. Freelancer's email attachment: Abbr. : INV.  A freelancer works by the job, rather than for a specific employer, then sends the client an INVoice.  

36. Glider on runners : SLED.  For fun on a snowy hill.

37. Flowing garments : CAPES.  Short, sleeveless cloaks.

Not always appropriate

38. Sonar signal : BLIP.

39. Word in a bride's bio : NEE.  Referring to her maiden name.

40. Went a-courting : WOOED. 

C'mon Frog; I'll buy you a beer.

41. Two-time US Open winner : SELES.   Monica [b 1973] won 8 grand slam singles titles before her 20th birthday, and was the No. 1 player in the world in 1991 and 1992.

45. Library machine : COPIER.

46. "__ the Walrus" : I AM.  

Stunning low fidelity

54. Medicare prescription drug section : PART D.

57. Pre-coll. : EL-HI.  Elementary and High school come before college.

58. Brandy bottle letters : VSOP.   Very Superior Old Pale, refers to a blended cognac that must be aged in oak casks for no fewer than 3 years.  Most houses age longer than the minimum period.

59. Prospero's servant : ARIEL.  A [non-alcoholic] spirit who had been trapped in a tree, now bound to Prospero, who freed him.  Ariel causes the eponymous tempest in act one of Shakespeare's play.

60. Highest sudoku digit : NINE.  Numbers in rows, columns and boxes.

61. Hip bones : ILIA.  The largest and uppermost bone of the pelvis.

62. Free, in France : LIBRE.   Alas, the puzzle is not free of French.

63. Armoire feature : DOOR.   An armoire is a free-standing wardrobe closet.

64. Counting-out word : EENY.  Meeny, miney  .  .  .

Down

1. Cyber Monday event : SALE.  Marketing ploy in the U. S. to get people to shop on line the Monday after Thanksgiving.

2. Fort with lots of bars : KNOX.  Gold bars, not jail cell bars. 

3. "Then again," in tweets : OTOH.  On The Other Hand  .  .  . she had warts.

4. Fixed : REPAIRED.  Corrected an inoperative condition, quite the opposite of 53D.

5. "Be right with you" : IN A SECond.  

6. Pound, but not ounce : POET.  Ezra [1885-1972] Also a noted racist and fascist sympathizer.  Very complex figure.

7. Medieval laborer : SERF.  The lowest level of feudal society and economics.  [Anyone who is interested can find my thoughts on the topic here.  Caution, though- one cannot delve into the history of economic systems without also considering politics.  That's taboo here, but not at the link.  My ideas might put you in the state of today's theme. Caveat lector. You have been warned.]

8. Six-time All-Star Moises : ALOU.   Baseball player, 4 letters, plug in ALOU and move on.  Coincidentally there are 4 of them: Dad Felipe, and bros. Matty and Jesús. Three letters, it's OTT.

9. Slips past : EASES BY.

10. __ pork: Chinese dish served with pancakes : MOO SHU.  Shredded pork with vegetables and seasonings.

11. Letters often after a perp's name : AKA. Also Known As.

12. Loo : LAV.  Personal comfort station.

13. Corrosive substance : LYE.  Sodium hydroxide [NaOH], and that's the truth.

21. "Exodus" author : URIS.  Leon [1924 - 2003]  The book was published in 1958, and made into  major motion picture in 1960.

22. Money makers : MINTS.  Where currency is manufactured

25. Warbles : TRILLS.   Yes, you can do this on the trombone.

Yeah, I can do this, too

26. Musical set in an orphanage : ANNIE.  Based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie.

27. Replies to an invite, for short : RSVPs.  Abreviated French, meaning please respond.

28. Make available : FREE UP.

29. "__ coffee?" : TEA OR.  Beverage choices.

30. Louvre Pyramid architect : I M PEI.  [b 1917] Designer of many famous projects throughout the world.

31. Pages with views : OP-EDS.  Located OPposite to the EDitorial page.

32. Rachel Maddow's network : MSNBC.  News, politics and opinion and politics.

33. Final Olds made : ALERO.  Maybe it IS your father's Oldsmobile.

37. Charming snake? : COBRA.  A snake just right for charming, if you have the right skill set.

38. 2007 animated film in which Sting voices himself : BEE MOVIE.   Never saw it, but this is brilliant casting.

40. Coax : WHEEDLE.  Using endearments or flattery - a manipulative ploy.

41. Big chunk : SLAB.  

43. Many a bridesmaid : SISTER.  Sadly COUSIN also has 6 letters.  It's all relative, I guess.

44. Less cluttered : TIDIER.   Neatness, peeps!

48. Shift (for oneself) : FEND.   To provide for or defend oneself.  I'm not getting "shift" as a meaning here.

49. Hodgepodge : OLIO.   Melange.  I'm pretty sure I've never seen "OLIO" outside of a puzzle or this website.

50. "How awful!" : OH NO.  Bad news.

51. Cruise stop : ISLE.   Port of call.

52. Pork choice : LOIN.  Well CHOP also has 4 letters.   The LOIN comes from along the top of the RIB cage.  On which, more later.

53. Do a vet's job : SPAY.  Gender neutralization of your pet.  

54. Chum : PAL.  Buddy, bro, homie, peep.

55. NPR journalist Shapiro : ARI.

56. Bone in a cage : RIB.  See, I wasn't Loin - I mean Lyin', nor was I ribbing you about anatomy.  OTOH, I wanted to come up with a picture of a trombone in a cage - 'cuz, of course I would.  Sadly, the best I could do is these guys behind a wrought iron fence.

The other "Sliders"

Well, that wraps it up.  I had my moment of confusion but am not upset.  Hope the rest of your day keeps you on an even keel.

Cool regards!
JzB