Tuesday, April 11 2017, Lila Cherry

Theme:  FOUR OF A KIND

17. *Pay for your online purchases, say : CHECK OUT

31. *Skip work because of illness : CALL IN SICK

37. *Cause a ruckus : RAISE CAIN

47. *Go out of business : FOLD UP SHOP

62. "Care to wager?" ... and a question answered, one way or the other, by

the first words of the answers to starred clues : WANNA BET?

Melissa here. Raced right through this one, and though the theme was obvious I had everything filled in before I noticed it. I love that RAISE CAIN is right in the middle.

Across

1. Prefix with deed, feed and read : MIS

4. Fave texting buds : BFFS. Best Friends Forever. Technically I suppose this should be BFsF, like Mothers-In-Law, instead of Mother-In-Laws.

8. One looking for something : SEEKER

14. Gorilla, for one : APE

15. To whom Rick said, "We'll always have Paris" : ILSA. Casablanca.

16. Mode of dress : ATTIRE

19. Admirers, as a group : FANDOM

20. Actress O'Donnell : ROSIE

21. Caspian, e.g. : SEA

23. Nick and Nora's dog : ASTA

24. Ancients, for instance? : ANAGRAM. That was sneaky. Three anagrams of ancients are: Canniest, Insectan, and Instance.

27. Big Band __ : ERA

29. White wine apéritif : KIR

30. Kitten cries : MEWS

34. Double curve : ESS

35. One to say "G'day" to : MATE. Cute.

36. Grandmas : NANAS

40. Once more : AGAIN

43. Deal with it : COPE

44. "How cute!" cries : AWS

50. Coin named for a continent : EURO

51. ER staffers : RNS

52. Frying __ : PAN

53. Movie double : STAND-IN

55. Sport shirt brand : IZOD. Not POLO.

57. Male cat : TOM

59. Santa __ racetrack : ANITA

60. Tenor Enrico : CARUSO

65. Tennis great Andre : AGASSI

66. Gung-ho : AVID

67. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone : LIA

68. Port on the Loire : NANTES. In France.

69. Dickens' Uriah : HEEP. From David Copperfield.

70. Junior nav. officer : ENS. Lowest level of commissioned naval officer.

Down

1. Knot-tying art : MACRAME. 

2. Siri speaks on them : I-PHONES. She speaks on iMACs too, now.

3. Up-and-down playground boards : SEESAWS

4. Hog rider : BIKER. Hog = Harley Davidson motorcycle. Where did the nickname "HOG" come from?

5. Perky spokeswoman in Progressive ads : FLO. Played by Stephanie Courtney. In this commercial, she plays every member of the family.

6. Seminoles' sch. : FSU. Florida State University.

7. Pre-coll. exams : SATS

8. Jungle adventure : SAFARI

9. Approx. touchdown hour : ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

10. Italian volcano : ETNA

11. Glove leather : KIDSKIN

12. Racy literature : EROTICA

13. Comments : REMARKS

18. Smokes, briefly : CIGS

22. Slippery as an __ : EEL

25. Berry rich in antioxidants : ACAI

26. Wrestling surfaces : MATS

28. Broadway orphan : ANNIE

32. Parasite : LEECH

33. __ Andreas Fault : SAN

35. "Don't be a wimp!" : MAN UP

37. Unburdened (of) : RID

38. Lovey-dovey exchange : COOS

39. Date bk. entry : APPT

40. Like some violets : AFRICAN

41. Spokane school with a strong basketball program : GONZAGA. New to me.

42. Beaten candidate : ALSO RAN

44. Loud enough to hear : AUDIBLE

45. Unlisted vote-getter : WRITE-IN

46. Piano works : SONATAS

48. Regional dialect : PATOIS

49. __-Caps: candy : SNO

50. Sicilian resort city : ENNA

54. Food retailer named for two oceans : A AND P

56. Clean with Pledge : DUST

58. [Air kiss] : MWAH

61. Opposite of NNW : SSE

63. Prop. often named for a state in Monopoly : AVE

64. Nietzsche's "never" : NIE

Monday, April 10, 2017 Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Where AM I? - I didn't notice the constructors til now.

57A. Coffee break time ... and a hint to an abbreviation aptly placed in each answer to a starred clue: MIDMORNING

17A. *Niña and Pinta's sister ship: SANTA MARIA

28A. *Leader of the pack: ALPHA MALE

44A. *Yale, for five U.S. presidents: ALMA MATER

11D. *Renamed lemon-lime soft drink: SIERRA MIST. (Mist Twst now)(sic)

27D. *Spot for bargain hunters: FLEA MARKET

Argyle here? this AM. I should have known so much themage on a Monday would have come from our dynamic duo.

Across:

1. "__ Noon": Gary Cooper classic: HIGH. Tex Ritter - The Ballad of High Noon 1952(2:31). Quite different from the Frankie Laine version(2:44).

5. Tippy watercraft: CANOE

10. "Make it snappy," in memos: ASAP. (as soon as possible)

14. Length-times-width calculation: AREA

15. Take place: OCCUR

16. Pleasant: NICE

19. Camper's quarters: TENT

20. Like some rye bread: SEEDED

21. Number of little pigs, in a fable: THREE

22. Decorative theme: MOTIF

24. Crystal ball reader: SEER

25. Up to now: SO FAR

32. Surfing at one's desk, say: ONLINE

34. Places for studs: EARs

35. Fellow: MAN

36. Rod's fishing partner: REEL

37. "__ you go again!": THERE. A Reaganism.

39. Like Solomon: WISE

40. Aunt, in Argentina: TIA. My favorite aunt.

41. Fashionably smart: CHIC

42. Crusty roll: KAISER

47. "SNL" host's monologue, e.g.: INTRO

48. Door-to-door cosmetics seller: AVON

49. Cavalry sword, in Sussex: SABRE. British spelling.

51. Kitchen cover-up?: APRON. Cute alliteration.

53. Granola alternative: MUESLI

56. Luau torch type: TIKI

61. Opinion column, for short: OP-ED

62. Unfamiliar (to): ALIEN

63. Director Preminger: OTTO

64. Baseball's "Amazins": METS. World Series titles 1969 & 1986. Maybe this year?

65. Bamboo lover: PANDA

66. Karate award: BELT

Down:

1. "__ it been that long?": HAS

2. Tax-sheltered plans: Abbr.: IRAs. (individual retirement account)

3. Heredity unit: GENE

4. Venomous letters: HATE MAIL

5. Cleaner sold in green canisters: COMET

6. National park in Maine: ACADIA. On the coast of Maine.

7. ATM maker: NCR. (National Cash Register known as NCR Corporation now)

8. Avignon assent: "OUI". In the south of France.

9. Division of history: ERA

10. "O Canada," e.g.: ANTHEM. A big CSO, eh!

12. Clearasil target: ACNE

13. Rose of baseball: PETE

18. Festoon: ADORN

21. Lipton products: TEAs

23. Takes for a sucker: FLEECES

24. Princess Fiona's beloved ogre: SHREK

25. Somewhat, informally: SORTA

26. NBC newsman Roger: O'NEIL

29. Golfer's goal: PAR. What a finish at The Masters.

30. Surgical beam: LASER

31. January, in Mexico: ENERO

33. Hawke of "Boyhood": ETHAN. Keeping busy. IMDb

38. Triple or homer: HIT, or third baseball clue.

39. One who scoffs at boxed Merlot, say: WINE SNOB

41. "Hurry up, will ya?": "C'MON!"

43. TV network, e.g.: AIRER

45. Sidesteps: AVOIDS

46. Smashed into: RAMMED. An inconsequential AM.

50. "__ sera": Italian "Good evening": BUONA. The Bella Sera wine threw me off at first.

51. Proton's place: ATOM

52. Plumbing unit: PIPE

54. Calorie-friendly: LITE. Ad-speak.

55. Not domestic, flight-wise: Abbr.: INTL. (international)

57. Travel guide: MAP

58. Dockworker's gp.: ILA. (International Longshoremen's Association)

59. Clamorous noise: DIN

60. Understood: GOT

Argyle

Sunday April 9, 2017 Gail Grabowski

 Theme: "Spout Nonsense" - SP is removed from the start of each theme entry.

 25A. Plumber, at times? : ELL CHECKER. Spell checker.

27A. Boxer in the wrong profession? : RING CHICKEN. Spring chicken. I don't get the "wrong profession" and "chicken" connection.

44A. Herb-carrying semi? : RIG OF PARSLEY. Sprig of parsley.

83A. Unlikely to get sick? : ILL-RESISTANT. Spill-resistant. Like some keyboards.

  

104A. One with a questionable sense of fashion? : IFFY DRESSER. Spiffy dresser. I hope their love endures. They're great together.

106A. News of a crude carrier sighting? : OILER ALERT. Spoiler alert.

 

35D. Flat-bodied fish depiction? : RAY PAINTING. Spray painting.

43D. "Jush one more, bartender," e.g.? : LIT DECISION. Split decision.

I'm thinking Gail tried to remove SPIEL (47D. Infomercial pitch) with no good result. It has the only stray SP in the grid.

I got the theme immediately, having messed around with a SPIN/SPOUT idea long time ago. Never made it happen. Just could not get enough entries to work. The more I work on puzzles, the more I admire Gail's grids. So much hard work goes into her grids. 

Across:

   

1. Criticize severely : BASH. Not SLAM.

5. Very little : SCANT

10. Musical with the song "A New Argentina" : EVITA

15. Roll on a farm, maybe : BALE

19. Major attachment : ETTE. Majorette. We also have 18. Market closing? : EER. Marketeer.

20. Many an emailer : AOLer. Rich is an AOL-er. 

21. Pay : WAGES

22. Northern terminus of I-79 : ERIE

23. Totally unlike wetlands : ARID

24. Golf goof : SLICE. Most men slice.

30. Finished behind : LOST TO

31. NBC show anchored by Lester Holt : DATELINE

32. "Pagliacci" clown : TONIO. I can never remember his name. CANIO fits also.

34. Muzzleloading aid : RAMROD

38. It holds water : DAM

39. Snowblower brand : TORO. Based here in MN.

40. Light beer? : PALE ALE. Nice clue.

41. Big bucks, briefly : MIL

49. Monogram on L'Homme products : YSL

50. Put up with : ABIDE

52. Menu words : A LA

53. They're not fast reads : EPICS

54. Help in the gym : SPOT

55. Allow access to : LET AT

56. Pay ending? : PAL. Not our old pal OLA.

57. Considerable care : PAINS. Take pains.

58. Is sympathetic (toward) : LEANS

59. "This Gun for Hire" actor : LADD (Alan). Never saw the film.

60. Mag man with a mansion : HEF

61. Under attack : BESET

62. Actor Morales : ESAI

63. Affected by tears, as makeup : SMEARED. Waterproof mascaras work wonders.

65. Winter air : CAROL

66. "I thought it was a secret" : YOU KNEW? Got via crosses.

69. Biblical brother : CAIN. We see ESAU more often. ABEL too.

70. Sported : HAD ON

71. Pester for payment : DUN. My brother knows this word.

72. Quattro competitor : ATRA

73. Base with a coach : THIRD. Also FIRST.

75. What an iron often causes : DIVOT. All pretty deep.

76. Pen name : BIC

77. Gonzalez in 2000 news : ELIAN

78. Ones not itemized : REST. Oh, the rest.

79. Willamette River capital : SALEM

80. Crescent component : ARC

81. Have an inkling : SENSE

82. Ristorante suffix : INI. Suffix for pasta. So which country do you think have the best food?

87. H.S. dropout's exam : GED

88. Environmental destruction : ECOCIDE

91. Congenial : NICE

92. Wine flavorer : OAK

94. Filibuster site : SENATE.

95. Not in anymore : PASSE. What Filibuster is.

97. Most shabby : TATTIEST

102. Took the wrong way? : ROBBED

110. Mumbai money : RUPEE

111. Stallion's mate : MARE. Also 10. Flock mom : EWE. And 60. Female lobster : HEN

112. Skedaddle : FLEE

113. Lacked roots : ROVED

114. __ Gay : ENOLA

115. Island off Tuscany : ELBA

116. It may cause quakes : FEAR. Not Jayce's earthquakes.

117. How-to units : STEPS

118. Ill-fated Ford : EDSEL

119. It's usually graded : TEST. ROAD too.

Down:

1. Darwin wore one : BEARD

2. Sunlit courts : ATRIA

3. Hitch : STINT

4. Wouldn't commit : HEDGED

5. Sushi bar order : SASHIMI. 刺身 in Japanese/Chinese. Literally "Pierced Body".

6. 2014 U.S. Senior Open winner Montgomerie : COLIN. He's quite engaging & friendly. Biting wit.

7. "I've had such a curious dream!" speaker : ALICE

8. Part of a violin : NECK

9. Spot with a bird's-eye view : TREETOP

11. "Grease" singer : VALLI

12. Domed dwelling : IGLOO

13. Sleuths, for short : TECS. Detectives.

14. Many bars no longer have them : ASHTRAYS. They live forever at the casinos.

15. Turn into eventually : BECOME

16. Old Testament sanctuary : ARK

17. Deliberate omission, some say : LIE

 

26. What makes lists briefer, briefly : ET AL

28. Red wine choice : CLARET

29. "A Doll's House" heroine : NORA

33. "Just curious" : NO REASON. Also 86. Like paste, jewelry-wise : NOT REAL

 36. The Christina in Wyeth's "Christina's World" : OLSON. I forgot. We had this clue before.

37. Lats relatives : DELTs Also 40. Lats relatives : PECs

39. Maker of nonstick cookware : T-FAL. My stir-fry pan.

 

41. Places to browse : MALLS

42. Steel girder : I BEAM

45. Rubbernecked : GAPED

46. Minnesota's St. __ College : OLAF. They're in the same place as Carleton College, alma mater of Amy Reyhaldo (Crossword Fiend).

48. It's trapped in house traps : LINT

51. Ernst genre : DADA ART

54. Broad-leafed maritime plant : SEA KALE. Never heard of it. Is it edible?

57. 1995 Reform Party founder : PEROT

58. Baton Rouge sch. : LSU

 

61. Throwing out a chain letter, and others : BAD OMENS. Never got a chain letter.

62. Really big stretch : EON

64. Relieved (of) : RID

65. Spelunker : CAVER

66. New Mexico state flower : YUCCA. Ours is Lady Slipper. Some spell it as  Lady's Slipper.

67. Remove : ERASE

68. Subsided : WANED

70. Natural elevation : HILL And 75. 70-Down's opposite : DALE

71. Scuttlebutt : DIRT

73. Tastes : TRIES

74. As a result : HENCE

 

76. Private home : BASE. Army private. And 77. Opulent home : ESTATE

79. Court conferences : SIDEBARS

84. Obedient response to un capitán : SI SI

85. Like navigable Arctic waters : ICE-FREE

 

89. Life's work : CAREER. I was thinking of prisoners.

90. "... like __ not" : IT OR

93. Fate : KISMET. Love this word.

95. "Pet" problem : PEEVE

96. Mag sales staff member : AD REP

97. Proofer's finds : TYPOS

98. Two-time Billboard Top Artist awardee : ADELE

99. Virtual transaction : E-SALE

100. Novi Sad natives : SERBs. Wiki says Novi Sad is the second largest city of Serbia.

101. Pleasant surprise : TREAT

103. Rorschach image : BLOT

105. Provide money for : FUND

106. Wrong : OFF

107. Key for Ravel? : ILE. French for Island. Not CLE.

108. Grazing area : LEA

109. Some OT winners : TDs

C.C.

Saturday, Apr 8th, 2017, Mike Buckley

Theme: Spiral Galaxies

Words 66 (missing F,J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 36

I did not recognize the name of the constructor, but I did see the unique grid, and my first thought was that it was one of those layouts that make it impossible to move from one corner to another because a lack of word connections - but then I got to 4a, 34a, etc, and realized we had ourselves a "theme". One I picked up on right away, because I am a nerd, and I love watching shows on astronomy, so I knew the "local group", and the reveal at 56a.  A nifty spiral shaped pattern to go along with the theme, with triple 9-letter corners and 8-letter tie-ins between them.

4a. Largest galaxy in the Local Group : ANDROMEDA

34a. With 35- and 36-Across, second-largest galaxy in the Local Group : THE

35a. See 34-Across : MILKY

36a. See 34-Across : WAY

56. By some calculations, projected fate of 4-Across and 34-/35-/36-Across in three to four billion years : COLLISION

 More Here

 O                       ~!

      N               D

          W  a   R

            w A r

         W   a    R

     N                D

O                         ~! 

ACROSS:

 1. Mirthful sounds : HAs

13. Stop : AVERT - I tried CEASE

16. Strains at the balcony : SERENADES

17. "Birth of the Cool" trumpeter : DAVIS - a WAG, but today's difficulty level seemed lower, probably due to the cool theme

18. Protesters, in '60s slang : PEACENIKS

19. Talmud letters : ALEPHs

21. Cheerleaders may raise it : MORALE - and a few other things, too

22. Crashing and burning : TANKING

24. Urban legends website : SNOPES

25. Lobby, often : ANTEROOM

27. Saturn SUV : VUE

28. Trail for a hound : SCENT

29. Zaps : TASES - I had LASES first

31. Ne'ertheless : THO

37. Poetic twilight : E'EN

38. Japanese box lunch : BENTO - filled via perps; did not know this 

39. Elemental makeup : ATOMS

41. With 14-Down, "Iron Man" of sports : CAL - with 14. See 41-Across : RIPKEN - Junior, who played 2,632 consecutive MLB games for the Baltimore Orioles - the Wiki

42. Is demanding : ASKS A LOT

44. Friday revelation? : I'M A COP - "Just the facts, ma'am" - but never spoken in the show

47. Had some impact : HIT HOME

48. Treat with scorn : DERIDE

49. Something hit on a range : DRIVER - oops, not TARGET

50. News dispatch lead-ins : DATELINES

53. Deli qty. : ONE lb

54. Test : CHALLENGE

55. Intensifying exclamation ending : SIREE - yes----

57. SOP part: Abbr. : STD - Standard Operating Procedure

DOWN:

1. Sampled some : HAD A TASTE

2. Serious downfall : AVALANCHE

3. Whitney Houston appeared on its cover in 1981 : SEVENTEEN

4. Critter in Egyptian art : ASP

5. Born identity intro : NÉE

6. Wee nips : DRAMS

7. Carry on? : RECONVEY

8. Weighty : ONEROUS - oops, not OMINOUS

9. Marvel Comics hybrid supervillain : MAN-APE - never heard of  'him'

10. Roman magistrate : EDILE

11. Fakes on the ice : DEKES - oh we are there~!  The Stanley Cup playoffs begin~!

 Top Ten Shootout Dekes

#3 is unbelievable

12. Pack animal : ASS

15. Brando wore one in "Streetcar" : T-SHIRT

20. __-cone : SNO

23. Finally became a member : GOT IN

26. Valletta is its capital : MALTA

30. Trifling amount : SKOSH

31. 2008 Phoenix/Paltrow romantic drama : TWO LOVERS

32. Brunch order : HAM OMELET

33. Precious gem source : OYSTER BED - and featured in the lyrics of a Blue Oyster Cult song, aptly titled "Blue Oyster Cult" on their 1988 concept album Imaginos

@0:55

35. Earworms, say : MELODIES - I read this as EARTHworms, even after I solved it and thought, is that a typo~?

38. Rod-shaped bacteria : BACILLI

39. Minute Maid Park team : ASTROs

40. Sesame seed paste : TAHINI - I was stuck on HUMMUS, which is chick peas

41. "The Office" star : CARELL - spelled it wrong; CARREL

43. Rib : KID

44. State with a 45-mile Canadian border : IDAHO - I took a train ride from Ronkonkoma LI through Chicago all the way to Seattle back in 2003, and sadly I fell asleep for that 45 mile part of the journey, so I "missed" Idaho; I did pass through Minnesota, C.C.

45. Calcium, e.g. : METAL

46. Former Finnish coin : PENNI

50. XX x XXXV : DCC - Roman math, 20 x 35 = 700

51. Id controller : EGO

52. Sanders or Cruz: Abbr. : SENator

Splynter 

Friday, April 7, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: JW picked this one as title and reveal- OY VEY.

In this puzzle, the exasperation that causes people to use this expression comes from the placement of OY in various known clauses -- and each groan-inducing result.

The themers are a bit inconsistent, with TOMBOY oddly clued and OYSTER breaking the second word. However that one is also my favorite image.  JW has a wonderful knack for making the puzzles challenging and interesting. Here we have the array of fill from all over the language. PHOTON, MANILA,  YODELS,  NUBILE, TWO DAYS,  BUG EYED, GO TO CHURCH, and LOCAL PRIDE are the showpieces. 

17A. Young Pharaoh's mischievous playmate? : TOMBOY OF KING TUT (15). In my world tomboys are young lady tweens or teens who prefer roughhousing to cotillions.

25A. Overly sweet fruit? : CLOYING  PEACHES (14). Never had one.

43A. Useless metallurgical product? : ALLOY FOR NAUGHT (14). Really fun.

56A. Small shellfish of high quality? : PRIME MINI-OYSTER (15). As I said the one I thought was best presentation of the theme. And the reveal-

35A. Apt cry in reaction to four puzzle answers? : OY VEY.

Across:

1. Chanel product : SCENT. I spent way too much time trying to think of a five letter perfume.

6. Father of Hector : PRIAM. Back again with the trouble making son. 55D. Paris' realm : TROY.

11. Interruption : GAP.

14. Give the green light : ALLOW.

15. "The Flintstones" co-creator : HANNA.  Part of the dynamo team HANNA-BARBERA that dominated cartoon production for many years.

16. Martial arts accessory : OBI. Sash. 

20. It's on display while boasting : EGO. Love the clue.

21. Eccentric : DOTTY. I love the old words.

22. Stephen Colbert forte : IRONY.

23. Papuan food staple : SAGO.

24. Solar prod. : ELECtricity.

31. Features of a Los Angeles aerial view : POOLS.

32. Charged thing : ION. Simply wonderful.

33. Chekov colleague : SULU. Do I need to mention Star Trek? 6D. Laser particle : PHOTON. Yes they are used in future torpedoes.

34. Line on a globe : ARC. latitude, longitude.

37. One in a cage : RIB. More fun cluing of 3 letter fill.

38. Carson predecessor : PAAR. I get Jack often; I wonder when he will be forgotten.

40. "Norma __" : RAE. Sally Field got her first Oscar.

41. Salad garnish brand : BACOS.

47. Coll. employee : PROFessor.

48. Motivate : URGE.

49. Helped create, in a way : SIRED. Does this count for humans?

51. Hold for another time : TABLE.

53. "Law & Order: SVU" rank : SGT.

59. Succor : AID.

60. Parking garage component : LEVEL.

61. Keats' Muse : ERATO. Not exclusively.

62. Montpelier-to-Providence dir. : SSE. An interesting mini-clecho.

63. Ski resort near Montpelier : STOWE. The closest nice resort when I was a youngster.

64. In la-la land : DITZY. One of the all time best....LINK.

Down:

1. Opposite of starve : SATE.

2. Obstruct : CLOG.  Like a toilet.

3. Saint Erasmus of Formia, familiarly : ELMO. Think fire. LINK.

4. San Francisco's __ Hill : NOB.

5. Weekend, usually : TWO DAYS. Duh! Almost fooled me.

7. Large quantity : RAFT. I guess less than a boatload?

8. Black : INKY.

9. "Wheel of Fortune" purchase : AN I.

10. Capital south of Taipei : MANILA. Seems to be due south. I have friend who is getting married in Taipei - sadly I must miss the ceremony.

11. Seek a higher authority? : GO TO CHURCH. Fun deception.

12. Have __ in the oven : A BUN. typical of 50's euphemisms.

13. "How unfortunate" : PITY. Tis a pity.

18. Hindu ascetic : YOGI. Berra?

19. Athenians, to Parisians : GRECS. French for Greeks.

23. Four after do : SOL. Re, mi, fa, sol....

24. Selection word : EENY.  meeny.

25. Foundation of many islets : CORAL. LINK.

26. What a homecoming parade generates : LOCAL PRIDE. Only four hours long.

27. Alms provider : GIVER. For the poor....

28. "Hop-Frog" author : POE. You might like it as we enter the literary corner. LINK.

29. Literature Nobelist of 1948 : ELIOT. From Cats to prizes for T.S. The year I was born.

30. Fills in : SUBS. CSO to HG, and I'll have a veggie.

31. Literary sobriquet : PAPA. When I had the beard some called me PAPA. I think C.C. has some pics.

35. "Carmina Burana" composer : ORFF. Music continues our high brow journey. LINK.

36. Former Rocket Ming : YAO. My wife is Thongyao - in Thai yao means young.

39. "Air Music" composer : ROREM. Our friend Ned.

41. Obviously astonished : BUGEYED. Cartoonish.

42. Vital statistic : AGE.

44. Some Alpine entertainment : YODELS.

45. Like Victoria's Secret models : NUBILE. Nubile historically meant of marriage age.

46. Woody offshoot? : ARLO. Cute way to clue the Guthries.

49. Getaway options : SPAS.

50. Camera lens feature : IRIS. She comes with every camera and cleans the lenses.

51. Blessing for a couch potato : TIVO. Did you KNOW?

52. One way to start : ANEW.

53. ER shout : STAT.

54. Stan with a sax : GETZ. Oddly Dancing with the Stars began on Monday with BASSO NOVA.

57. Exchanged handshakes : MET.

58. Indian honorific : SRI. Sanskrit śrī, literally, beauty, majesty

Our Friday regular, JW delivers a fun challenge with some compelling word pictures. He has so many variations on the add letter(s) puzzles that is the type  I look for first in blogging his work. Wish me luck. Lemonade out.

 Okay I found one....

Thursday April 6th 2017 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Quaffer's Quintet - four slang terms for overindulging in the demon drink and a fifth in the reveal.

17A. *Judy Blume genre : KIDDIE LIT. She's prolific. At least 29 published novels.

25A. *Got from the cloud? : DOWNLOADED. Everything's going to "the cloud". Be wary about data security, it's out of your hands. The only person who can get files off my hard drive is me.

36A. *Like much Chinese cooking : STIR-FRIED. Food! Get a big steel wok from your local Chinese restaurant supply store. Don't get a non-stick one, you need to be able to push food up the sides and have it stay there.

51A. *Three-year school, commonly : JUNIOR HIGH. Is this still a thing? Haven't they been Middle Schools for quite some time?

61A. Some football linemen ... and what the answers to starred clues have? : TIGHT ENDS

Kurt gives us a Thursday theme which is a dipso's delight. I like the reveal - all the ends of the other themers are synonyms for the start of this one. Nicely done.

Across:

1. Highlands hat : TAM. O'Shanter, formally.

4. Serenade, as the moon : BAY AT. First thought was "howl at" but I ran out of space.

9. Pearl seeker : DIVER

14. Botanist Gray : ASA.  Influential professor of botany at Harvard.

15. Naproxen brand : ALEVE

16. "__ Mio" : O SOLE. Let's go with Luciano Pavarotti.

19. Bags with handles : TOTES

20. Calendario start : ENERO.

21. Sierra __ : LEONE

23. Former Radiohead label : EMI

24. __ Valley: Reagan Library site : SIMI. Here in Southern California. It's a beautiful spot.

27. Not having the know-how : UNABLE

29. Locomotive, e.g. : ENGINE

30. Compose, in a way : PEN

31. Single-celled creature : AMEBA. I cannot get used to seeing this spelling. I don't bat an eyelid at the other British/American variations now, but I still want to see AMOEBA or AMŒBA

35. Sinusitis docs : ENTS. Ear, nose and throat specialists.

39. Reebok rival : PUMA

42. Dapper : NATTY

43. Cal. pages : MOS.

46. Like : AKIN TO

49. Unite securely : CEMENT

55. Julie's "Doctor Zhivago" co-star : OMAR

56. Subj. with unknowns : ALG.

57. "Cool!" : NEATO!

58. Concert venue : ARENA

59. Softens : MELTS

63. 1999-2004 Olds : ALERO

64. Vast, in verse : ENORM. 

Sole Positive of Night!

Antipathist of Light!

Fate's only essence! Primal scorpion rod -

The one permitted opposite of God!-

Condenséd blackness and abysmal storm

Compacts to one sceptre

Arms the grasp enorm-

From Ne Plus Ultra, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

65. How-__: do-it-yourselfers' buys : TO-S

66. Printing flourish : SERIF. Times Roman has them. Arial doesn't. Before these japes were common, in 1977 the Guardian newspaper in the UK published a seven-page special supplement on the idyllic island of San Seriffe in the Indian Ocean. It was April 1st, and because no-one in the print media had done anything like this before, everyone fell for it.

67. Freelancer's supply: Abbr. : SASES. They call them SAEs in the UK, the "self" part of the address is assumed.

68. Fused : ONE

Down:

1. Occupies oneself with, as a hobby : TAKES UP

2. Just plain silly : ASININE. Nice word.

3. Mob inductee : MADE MAN

4. Scott of "Arrested Development" : BAIO

5. Tavern favorite : ALE

6. Mello __ : YELLO

7. "__ From the Bridge": Miller : A VIEW. Arthur Miller's two-act play. The first staging was a one-act verse drama which didn't have much success, so Miller went back to the drawing board.

8. Wyoming county : TETON

9. Act grandmotherly toward : DOTE ON

10. Metric lead-in : ISO-.  The "plank" is a good example of an isometric exercise.

11. Elected : VOTED IN

12. Gold or silver : ELEMENT

13. Lives : RESIDES

18. Trifle : DRIB. I think I can picture a drib, but I'm not sure what a drab looks like.

22. N.Y. Mets division : N.L.E. Baseball's National League East. Opening Day is looming.

25. __-glace: rich sauce : DEMI. Food! French reduction sauce usually used as a base for other sauces, such as a red wine glaze. If you don't want to use veal stock, use chicken stock and throw a pinch or two of gelatin in there to get that silky texture of veal.

26. Got on in years : AGED

28. Long. counterpart : LAT. Note the period in the clue. Longitude and Latitude.

32. Coastal eagle : ERN

33. Museum curator's deg. : B.F.A. Bachelor of Fine Arts.

34. Oils, e.g. : ART

36. __-Flush: household cleaner : SANI. Hesitated over SANI or SANO at first.

37. Bite symptom : ITCH

38. Network logo : EYE. CBS Television.

39. Overnight bag item, maybe : PAJAMAS

40. Elvis played one in "Blue Hawaii" : UKULELE. I had the misspelt "UKELELE" at first which led me down a SENIOR HIGH rabbit hole for a couple of minutes.

41. One working the crowd : MINGLER

43. Souvenir : MEMENTO

44. With no end in sight : ON AND ON

45. Berlin boulevard : STRASSE. "Straße" on the street signs:

47. Myriad : TONS OF

48. Pay dirt : ORE

50. "Encore!" : MORE!

52. Can't take : HATES

53. Turner autobiography : I, TINA

54. "We Got the Beat" band : GOGOS. Nit alert - the band name was "The Gogos".

58. Casino fixtures : ATMS. They don't take deposits.

60. Part of TNT : TRI-. Trinitrotoluene, not Turner Network Television. The former makes more of a bang.

62. Charlemagne's domain: Abbr. : H.R.E. Holy Roman Empire, as we all know by now.

The 2017 Masters Golf starts today. I'm looking forward to the tournament, as well as listening to Jim Nantz and his reverential whispering on CBS at the weekend.

Here's the grid!

Steve