Friday, June 9, 2017, David Alfred Bywaters

Title: G, take T and see!

Our second puzzle from David, with his LAT debut a Friday in December last year. He began then by adding "EX" to phrases, and returns with a replace a letter - G becomes T -  which is revealed by the perfect G IS T (gist).  We have no other consistency, with three 3 letter second words, one with the first letter changed in the first word, one with the last letter in the first word and one with a middle letter.  We have six themers and the reveal to give us a packed puzzle, with little room for long sparkly fill.  This filled without any complete unknowns and the long non-theme fill, CRAYOLA, SEATTLE, RAMPANT, SARCASM, PRECINCT and IT'S A DEAL were all gettable.  let's look at the puzzle.

17A. Sports geek get-togethers? : STAT PARTIES (11). StaG Parties are no longer PC.

25A. Halloween decoration? : PAPER BAT (8).  Paper BaG. Want to make your own?

32A. Longhair cat's monotonous routine? : PERSIAN RUT (10). Persian RuG.  Very cute.

43A. Last one left angrily carrying on? : LONE RANTER (10). Lone RanGer. The only soft G.

48A. Imperfection in a pointillist painting? : STRAY DOT (8). Stray DoG. 

61A. Moral? : TALE WARNING (11). Gale warning. 

The reveal

69A. Essence ... and, read differently, a hint to six puzzle answers : GIST (4). 62 theme squares.

 Across: 

1. Dirt removal method : BATH. Very fun clue, so simple but like the soap, very slippery.

5. Like much religious music : CHORAL. Choral, chorale, choir, and chorus stand in obvious relationship to one another and are in some respects used interchangeably when a body of singers, for example, is referred to as a choir, a chorus (Latin noun derived from the Greek word choros), or a chorale, which properly is a Lutheran hymn tune. (Britannica).

11. Uncooked : RAW.

14. It replaced the Cypriot pound : EURO. I did not even know Cyprus used the Pound.

15. Go back : RENEGE. A word I learned playing bridge, which has nothing to do with the clue here.

16. Stumble : ERR. "To stumble is human", just does not have the same ring.

19. Gardening tool : HOE. I wonder if Santa uses one in his garden.

20. Upper part : TOP. Tempting to link something, some would like to...

21. Keep an __ : EYE ON.

22. Pesters online, in a way : SPAMS.

24. Wall St. event : IPO. Initial Public Offering.

27. Western city named for a Suquamish chief : SEATTLE. Apparently he was Chief of this TRIBE.

31. Witness : SEE.

35. Throw : CAST. Your bread upon the water....

39. Early computer : ENIAC. You must know this by now.

40. Hound over a debt : DUN. Do people still refer to dunning letters?

41. Agile : LITHE.

42. Group of two : DYAD. From Latin and Greek root.

45. Job ad abbr. : EOE. Equal Opportunity Employer.

47. Feature of many negative reviews : SARCASM. Sarcasm is not always negative.

53. Corp. leaders : MGT. Management.

54. Greets : HAILS.

55. Feel around : GROPE.

57. Printemps month : MAI. French for Spring and May.

60. Addams family cousin : ITT. I could not find one with Fester wearing a Fez.

64. Tasseled hat : FEZ.

65. Pair of ones? : ELEVEN. I have seen it before but still tricky.

66. Wary of : ON TO.

67. Test : TRY.

68. Fight against : RESIST.


Down:

1. Leading : BEST. The beginning was slow for such easy words, but the nearby fill was fiar.

2. Car : AUTO.

3. Door in the floor : TRAP. Did any of you fall for this clue?

4. Sweating, maybe : HOT. Perfect clue for summer.

5. Tropical Rain Forest seller since 1993 : CRAYOLA. Is this a single color or a set of greens?

6. "__ we go!" : HERE.

7. Leading : ON TOP. See 20A, 21A, 66A....

8. Spanish queen : REINA. I learned this Spanish word from puzzles.

9. Birthday count : AGE. How many put the correct number of candles on the cake?

10. Car user, maybe : LESSEE.

11. Detox locale : REHAB. I guess, since people are always going to rehab.

12. Draw from the oven : AROMA.

13. Take forcibly : WREST.

18. Digestive : PEPTIC. "...relating to digestion, especially that in which pepsin is concerned." Pepsin being a key digestive enzyme.

23. Administrative district : PRECINCT. There are voting precincts, police precincts....

24. Words spoken while shaking : IT'S A DEAL. Handshaking. Nice clue.

26. Winter hrs. in Berkeley : PST. Pacific Standard Time.

27. Went fast : SPED.

28. Bitty : EENY. My thought...LINK.

29. "Nessun dorma," e.g. : ARIA. I never saw this clue until I was doing the write up; as stated it means nothing so...

30. Prefix with scope : ENDO. Endoscopy is a very important tool in modern medicine.

33. Race : RUN.

34. Quelques-__: a few, in French : UNES. If you do not speak French this is difficult.

36. "__ boy!" : ATTA.

37. Females : SHES.

38. Period : TERM.

41. Like L vis-à-vis XL, in some cases : LARGER. Did you size this one up?

43. Set the pace : LED. In the race...

44. Widespread : RAMPANT.

46. Bivalve at a bar : OYSTER. I spent way too much time trying to come up with the punch line to, " A bivalve burrowed in to an oyster bar...."

48. Nine to five, e.g. : SHIFT.

49. Spud : TATER.

50. Posh : RITZY.

51. Looks at in a bad way? : OGLES. Okay this matches with 57A. Revealing attire : MINI. LINK.

52. Rome's Fontana di __ : TREVI. This has appeared in many movies.

56. Is indebted to : OWES.

58. Social climbers? : ANTS. More like anti-social.

59. "__ Rhythm" : I GOT.. This was one of the musicals my sons appeared in during high school.

62. Pub offering : ALE.

63. Frothy quaff : NOG. Frothy? RECIPE.

Well another Friday in the record books; I found it very doable but YMMV. Have a great week end and then get ready for Father's Day and the U.S. Open without Phil, who will be at his daughter's high school graduation. Thanks David.

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few pictures of Lemonade's beautiful granddaughters Charlotte and Harper. You can also click here for all the Charlotte/Harper pictures we've shown on our blog. I smile every time I look at that lemonade stand.

Charlotte 2017 Dance Recital

Harper Does Slow Down

The Girls 2016

The Girls, June 2017

Thursday, June 8 2017 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Cervantes Shout-Out - all the theme answers are connected by the protagonist in Miguel's two-part classic novel "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha"

17A. 60-Across' noble status : KNIGHTHOOD. Possibly self-appointed though.

24A. 60-Across' home : LA MANCHA. "Somewhere in La Mancha in a place I do not care to remember ..."

49A. 60-Across' beloved : DULCINEA. "... her neck alabaster, her bosom marble, her hands ivory ..."

60A. Classic character whose exploits inspired the phrase in this puzzle's circles : DON QUIXOTE

Here he is doing that very thing:

Buenos dias! Jeffrey takes us on a literary tour with his theme, and nicely done. Four solid theme entries and a 15-letter diagonal grid-spanner gives the puzzle a nice structure. Two pairs of 9's in the downs underpin a really nice construction. I basically solved this in an anti-clockwise direction finishing up with HANES.

In a fun coincidence, Terry Gilliam, the ex-Monty Python actor and noted film director, announced on Tuesday that he had finally finished his Don Quixote movie, which was 17 years in the making and was such a disastrous production that the attempts to make it were themselves the subject of a documentary. Here's the full tale, courtesy of The Guardian newspaper.

Across:

1. Sting, essentially : TRAP.

5. Wingding : BASH. Or one of the symbols in the Wingdings font in Microsoft Word.

9. Word often improperly punctuated : ITS. Drives me nuts. It's, its. Use the mnemonic "It's an apostrophe" if you're not sure.

12. Small stream : RILL

13. Satellite radio giant : SIRIUS. It's actually SiriusXM. Not sure I like the clue.

15. "__ lied" : SO I

16. Jackie Robinson Stadium sch. team : UCLA. You can see the field from the 405 freeway in Westwood.

19. "Bother someone else!" : SCAT!

20. Footnote term : IDEM. "The same" to reference a previously-cited source.

21. Collagist's supply : PASTE. This didn't come easily. Pasting collage materials onto the work.

22. Musical impediment : TIN EAR

26. Well-suited : APT

27. "O god of battles! __ my soldiers' hearts": Henry V : STEEL. I tried STILL first, and then realized that's probably not what Henry would want to happen to his army.

28. Be obstreperous : ACT UP

31. White House section : WING

34. Bunch : SLEW

36. See 42-Down : D'OR. Just to annoy the cross-reference dislikers even more, this two-parter even comes out of order. I've never heard of the opera, but high school French lessons rendered the translation without any great effort.

37. Bringers of great relief : SAVIORS

40. Spanish pronoun : ESO

41. ESPN's Hershiser : OREL

43. Johnny who was the last pitcher to face Babe Ruth : SAIN. The Boston Braves didn't have much depth in pitching, hence "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain".

First we'll use Spahn

then we'll use Sain

Then an off day

followed by rain

Back will come Spahn

followed by Sain

And followed

we hope

by two days of rain.

44. Catcher on the ranch : LASSO

46. Thinks : DEEMS

48. Racket : DIN

52. "Turn up the thermostat!" : I'M COLD!

56. Hunter on high : ORION. One of the more recognizable constellations.

57. Wolverine, for one : X-MAN

59. Hipbone prefix : ILIO-

62. Some annexes : ELLS

63. Santana's "__ Como Va" : OYE. First recorded by Tito Puente back in 1963. Carlos' version is the best known.

64. Hurries : SCOOTS

65. Khartoum waterway : NILE

66. Sautéing sound : SSS

67. Top 500? : INDY. Nice clue. King of the 500-lap races, the Indianapolis 500.

68. Hole starters : TEES

Down:

1. Many a charitable organization : TRUST

2. "The Addams Family" film actress : RICCI. Christina Ricci played Wednesday Addams.

3. Macabre fiction middle name : ALLAN. Edgar Poe.

4. Almost all of Tibet : PLATEAU. The bit of Tibet that isn't on the plateau is decidedly hilly. Or Himalayan, if you prefer.

5. Tight spot : BIND

6. Disney mermaid : ARIEL. I always hesitate deciding between an E and an A.

7. Summation symbol in math : SIGMA

8. "Come again?" : HUH?

9. Like some triangles : ISOSCELES. Took me a couple of cracks to spell this correctly.

10. Ineffective : TOOTHLESS. Dentist visit today. I hope I don't come back in this condition.

11. Record half : SIDE A

13. Part of a Girl Scout uniform : SKIRT. Really? Can't they wear shorts?

14. Mar. honoree : ST. PAT. St. Patrick more formally. NEVER St. Patty.

18. Playtex sister brand : HANES. News to me.

23. They run on cells : APPS. Cellphones. Tricky little clue.

25. Catholic title: Abbr. : MSGR. Monsignor. Big cheeses, but not as big cheeses as the cardinals or the Pope.

28. Fuss : ADO

29. Pants with texture : CORDUROYS. It's not from "Corde du Roi", contrary to popular opinion.

30. Natural boundaries : TREELINES

31. One of two states formed during the U.S. Civil War : W. VA. I didn't need crosses for this. Yay me!

32. Sundial marking : III. I never understand why VIII is allowed on clocks and sundials, because it breaks the roman numeral rules. It should be IIX.

33. Payment beginning? : NON-

35. Try to win : WOO

38. Gp. with common interests : ASSN.

39. Long, as odds : SLIM

42. With 36-Across, French title of a Rimsky-Korsakov opera that translates to "The Golden Rooster" : LE COQ. Here's a bottle of pineau, an aperitif  from the Cognac region of France.

45. __ history : ANCIENT

47. Without : MINUS

48. Eats well : DINES

49. Extinct birds : DODOS

50. Half a 1999 gas merger : EXXON. Merged with Mobil. The deal was announced in 1998, but closed in 1999.

51. In __: sullen : A MOOD. What if you're in a good mood? Can't you be "in a mood" and happy?

53. Stan's partner : OLLIE

54. De Gaulle's birthplace : LILLE. Nice place, close to the Belgian border.

55. Prescription indications : DOSES

58. DOJ employee : ATTY.

61. Here, in Le Havre : ICI. Quite a bit of French today.

Fin. C'est tout, mes amis!

Étienne

Notes from C.C.: 

 

The Sixth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held at the beautiful Landmark Center in Saint Paul on Sunday, June 11, 2017. 

Constructors include our puzzle master Jeffrey Jeffrey Wechsler, Christopher Adams, George Barany, Victor Barocas (also our editor), David Hanson, Andy Kravis, Mark McClain, Andrea Carla Michaels, David Liben-Nowell, Tom Pepper and Andrew J. Ries.

Jeffrey is  flying to St. Paul again this year to help the tournament. Thank you so much, Jeffrey, you're the best!

Wednesday, June 7, 2017, Jake Halperin

TITLE: TOMAYTO/TOMAHTO

I was once part of a committee that spent two hours SPLITTING HAIRS (especially about prepositions) on the wording of the our school's mission statement. Two hours spent on a banality which serves no purpose is time I will never get back. I'll bet you've got a story like that too.

Husker Gary here for our midweek odyessy where Jake has taken the word HAIR and SPLIT it in as many unique ways as he could - 1/3, 2/2 and 3/1 as you see below:

Those SPLIT HAIRS provide the beginning and end of theme fills and satisfy the reveal of

59. Make petty distinctions ... and what 17-, 23- and 49-Across literally do? : SPLIT HAIRS - As some think this is

Here is the balance of Jake's theme answers:

17. Handyman's maintenance field : HOME REPAIR - After our recent hailstorm, we have been contacted aggressively by four companies for this HOME REPAIR

23. Ensemble of ringers : HANDBELL CHOIR - Just remember your color

49. Unofficial Caribbean currency equal to 5 gourdes : HAITIAN DOLLAR - 660 gourdes = 152 HATIAN DOLLARS = $10.48 in Port au Prince - Lundi au Jeudi (Monday to Thursday)! 

Now let's see what else Jake has given us with this fun, er enjoyable (Let's not split hairs) puzzle


Across

1. Bygone Apple laptop : IBOOK - Don't like your Apple product? Just wait a minute

6. Verge : CUSP

10. Actress Fey : TINA

14. Italian grandma : NONNA - La NONNA è meraviglioso (Grandma is wonderful)

15. Price for part of a deck? : ANTE - Fun cluing for a veteran of the crossword wars

16. "(I've Got __ in) Kalamazoo" : A GAL - Okay, HANDBELL CHOIR, who wants the F#?

19. Story line : PLOT - To whom did Don and Phil sing, "The movie wasn't so hot, It didn't have much of a PLOT" in 1957?

20. 17th-century English poet John : DRYDEN - Not on my literary radar

21. Flexible : LISSOME - Me 50 years ago

26. Cunning plan : PLOY

28. "The Night Manager" actor Hiddleston : TOM - It would appear that Tom is not managing a Motel 6 in Omaha

29. MAX rival : SHO

30. Persistent noise : DIN - One man's DIN...

31. Polishes, as a skill : HONES

33. Team victory cry : WE WON - Like a gazillion people said last year when the Cubs won

37. Botanist's study : FLORA - As opposed the zoologist who studies FAUNA

39. Stat for Clayton Kershaw : ERA - Earned Run Average. All right, get a bat and you try to stay in against Kershaw's curveball which he has HONED to a fine skill.

40. "Same here" : AS AM I - I couldn't hit that curve either

41. Soda machine freebie : STRAW - How you dispose of the wrapper after the straw is dispensed is optional

42. Smooths, as wood : SANDS

44. Sardine container : TIN - Or aluminum

45. Disconnect between generations : GAP

47. Unclogging agent : LYE

48. Fountain of jazz : PETE

54. Bailiff's bellow : ALL RISE

55. Engineer who reinvented the wheel? : FERRIS - He was inducted into their Hall Of Fame 105 years after his Wheel first operated

58. Boxer Oscar __ Hoya : DELA

62. Lacking precipitation : ARID

63. Stride at a track : GAIT - The odd GAIT of Olympic Walk Racing - One foot must always be on the ground at all times

64. One doing sums : ADDER

65. Strengthen, as muscles : TONE

66. See 50-Down : OLDS

67. Orchestra section : REEDS - They are seated in the middle. Woodwinds, if you want to split hairs. 😁

Down

1. How many TV shows air : IN HD

2. Mannerless sort : BOOR

3. Start of the Boy Scout Oath and the Girl Scout Promise : ON MY HONOR

4. At some point : ONE DAY - Put the word FINE in the middle and you have a great 1963 song

5. Actress Gillan of "Guardians of the Galaxy" : KAREN - Not on my cinematic radar 

6. Cough syrup cover : CAP

7. Italian article : UNA

8. Even now : STILL

9. Possibilities of harm : PERILS

10. Astaire footwear : TAP SHOES

11. Snow structure : IGLOO

12. Watts of "Mulholland Dr." : NAOMI - I saw this on NETFLIX and when I saw there was only a few minutes left, I knew there would be no resolution to all the bizzare parts. I guess that is standard for David Lynch films.

13. Rework : ALTER

18. Put an __: stop : END TO

22. Pair in "America" : SCHWAS - Unstressed vowels - symbol = ə pronounced like the uh's below

24. Skin partner : BONES

25. May birthstone : EMERALD

26. Sharable digital docs : PDFS

27. Bouncy rhythm : LILT

31. Only state which shares a time zone with Alaska : HAWAII - This part of Alaska

32. Panasonic acquisition of 2009 : SANYO

34. Disneyland's Splash Mountain, e.g. : WATER RIDE - Wheeeeee!

35. Filter out : OMIT

36. Back-row bowling pin : NINE - You bowlers know that leaving this for left handers is called a "tap"

38. Clothing industry, casually : RAG TRADE

43. Dutch pottery city : DELFT - It's cluing will probably never be "Hometown of microscope inventor Antonie van Leeuwenhoek" 

46. Complete a Monopoly circuit : PASS GO - Just like teachers, you get money for just completing a circuit/year

48. Veterans Day event : PARADE

49. Threw oneself into : HAD AT

50. Last car made by 66-Across : ALERO

51. Run-D.M.C.'s "You Be __" : ILLIN - Anyone think it's splitting hairs to insist on standard English?

52. Himalayan country : NEPAL - Your trip up Everest starts with a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, Nepal's unsafe airport. But, hey, if you're climbing Everest...

53. Operettist Franz : LEHAR

56. Boiling with rage : IRED - Yeah, but still cute!

57. Union members until 1991: Abbr. : SSRS

60. Can cover : LID

61. "__ only me!" : IT'S - Okay, grammarian hair splitters, would you say, "It's only I"?

The ability to SPLIT HAIRS is part of the fun in this venue. Let's see what you have to say/opine/state/muse...

Tuesday, June 6 2017, Mark McClain

Theme: AT-titude. Two-word phrases beginning with A and T.

18. *Lighthouse landmark in Honolulu : ALOHA TOWER. In Downtown Honolulu, the landmark lighthouse first opened in 1926. From Wikipedia: As of 2013 the shopping center and Aloha Tower itself have fallen into a state of disrepair, most of the store fronts are now gone and the entire mall and tower is showing damage. Many of the ships that were once tourist attractions have ceased operating, the Falls of Clyde has been stripped of her masts and is now a derelict sitting in the harbor. Today, Hawaii Pacific University has purchased and is continuing to redevelop the space. The second floor is now used as student housing with 268 beds. The ground floor features the HPU Welcome Center as well as other student facilities, and there are also some restaurants.

23. *Club batting first, in baseball : AWAY TEAM

36. *Capital that's home to Lady Bird Lake : AUSTIN TEXAS

50. *Treaded combat vehicle : ARMY TANK

56. Best place to be, slangily ... and, when divided in four parts, what the answers to starred clues are? : WHERE IT'S AT

Melissa here. Clever reveal answer, and a perfect Tuesday-level solve. Only had trouble with one answer, SALVO - all perps.

Across   
 

1. Part of AAA: Abbr. : ASSN
 

5. Utopian sites : EDENS

10. Abrasive sand bits : GRIT

14. Round caramel candy : ROLO

15. Get Mad again? : RENEW. Re-subscribe. Favorite clue.

16. Like some Chardonnay : OAKY

17. Kingdom given to Esau : EDOM. Now southern Jordan.

20. "E," on dashboards : NO GAS.

22. Photographer's stand : TRIPOD

25. Chain of hills : RIDGE

29. Madame, in Tijuana : SEÑORA

30. Starts of typical workweeks : MONDAYS

32. Confer holy orders upon : ORDAIN

35. One-named body-image advocate : EMME
 

39. Stumble : TRIP

41. Pic next to a screen name : AVATAR

42. Bombardment : BARRAGE

44. Breeds, as cattle : RAISES

49. What Bo Peep lost : SHEEP

52. St. Francis' birthplace : ASSISI

55. Burst of gunshots : SALVO. New to me.

60. Bear's home : LAIR

61. Made on a loom : WOVE

62. Choppers : TEETH. Not motorcycles.

63. "How __ Your Mother" : I MET.

64. Chilled with cubes : ICED

65. Position paper : ESSAY

66. Helps out : AIDS

Down

1. Sports venues : ARENAS

2. "Us, too!" : SO DO WE

3. "I'm Lovin' It" or "Just Do It," e.g. : SLOGAN. I carelessly started entering MOTTO, without counting the spaces. Nope.

4. Dieter's sandwich spec : NO MAYO

5. Historic period : ERA

6. Triangular river formation : DELTA

7. Huge, to a poet : ENORM

8. Grape soda brand : NEHI. Radar O'Reilly's drink of choice. (M*A*S*H)

9. Even trade : SWAP

10. "That's using your head!" : GOOD IDEA

11. How oysters are often served : RAW. Yeah, Baby ...

  
12. Eisenhower's nickname : IKE

13. Norse god of war : TYR

19. Ripped : TORN

21. Houston baseballers, briefly : 'STROS

24. Livestock identifier : EAR TAG

26. Beaver creations : DAMS

27. Workout spot : GYM

28. Linguistic suffix : ESE

30. Catcher's glove : MITT

31. Feature of Vegas "bandits" : ONE ARM

33. Go off the high board : DIVE

34. Santa __, California : ANA

36. Suffix with billion : AIRE

37. Lifted : UPREARED. I know it's legit, because I looked it up ... but what?

38. Dental exam pictures : X-RAYS

39. Atlanta-based cable channel : TBS

40. Crowd cheer : RAH

43. Cathedral recess : APSE

 

45. Roma is its capital : ITALIA

46. Hanging deli meat : SALAMI

47. Was jealous of : ENVIED

48. Hybrid garments : SKORTS. Hybrid made me think unisex, and I first tried SKIRT. Nope.

50. Burden-bearing beasts : ASSES

51. Gaucho's rope : RIATA

53. Internet location : SITE

54. Suffix for natives : ITES

56. 1914-'18 conflict, briefly : WWI

57. Ad __ committee : HOC. For a particular purpose.

58. Mother of Cain and Abel : EVE

59. Commandments pronoun : THY

Monday, June 5, 2017 Brock Wilson

Theme: Take a load off - Sit anywhere you can find an empty space.

17. *Sub in the dugout: BENCH WARMER

25. *TV addict with a remote: COUCH POTATO

37. *Largest of the Quad Cities: DAVENPORT, IOWA

54. *Car section under the passenger compartment: ROCKER PANEL

62. Wedding reception headache ... and what the starts of the answers to starred clues constitute?: SEATING PLAN

Argyle here in an office chair. This seems to be Brock's signature grid; various words that fit the reveal. No particular progression this time that I can note like HIGH CHAIR to ROCKER but almost a pangram. So come on and sit awhile.

Across:

1. Child in a kitchen: JULIA. Don't try this at home. Special meal.

6. "S" on a tee: SMALL

11. Auditing pro: CPA. (Certified Public Accountant)

14. African antelope: ELAND

15. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA. First Perfect 10 | Montreal 1976 Olympics Clip.(3:11)

16. Eyebrow shape: ARC

19. Bumped into: MET

20. Look lifeless, as flowers: DROOP

21. Many a multiple-choice test answer: GUESS

23. Org. created the same year as the first Earth Day: EPA. (Environmental Protection Agency)1970

29. One of six in this clue: WORD

31. Parody: SPOOF

32. Alma mater of many Oxford students: ETON

33. Foe: ENEMY

35. Decorative old-style collar: RUFF

43. Lime cover: PEEL

44. India's first prime minister: NEHRU

46. Candy sold in pairs: TWIX. Inventive commercials.

50. Productive city for van Gogh: ARLES

53. Speaker's podium: DAIS

57. Indent key: TAB

58. Annoyed: IRKED

59. Annoy playfully: TEASE

61. Winter roof-rack item: SKI

68. Color distinction: HUE

69. "Snowy" bird: EGRET

70. West, to Juan: OESTE. Portuguese and Spanish.

71. IRS deadline mo.: APRil

72. High, as ambitions: LOFTY

73. Sugary: SWEET

Down:

1. Bush of Florida: JEB

2. Suffix with mod- or gran-: ULE

3. Alaska's is the largest of the 50 states: LAND AREA. 663,268 square miles.

4. Price hike: Abbr.: INCRease

5. For a special purpose: AD HOC

6. Buy eagerly, as goods on sale: SNAP UP

7. Tarnish: MAR

8. Nav. leader: ADMiral

9. Falsehood: LIE

10. Slow tempo: LARGO. Today's earwig.

11. Charged aggressively: CAME AT

12. Fast tempo: PRESTO. Any earwig for PRESTO?

13. Responds to, as a tip: ACTS ON

18. Amorously pursues: WOOs

22. Salt Lake City collegian: UTE

23. She sheep: EWE

24. Atlantic Ocean, to Brits: POND

26. Top-selling Toyota: COROLLA

27. Time of day: HOUR

28. Sputtering sound: [PFFT!]

30. Driver's lic. issuer: DMV. (Department of Motor Vehicles)

34. Slangy "Sure": "YEP" or yup.

36. Sight that elicits "Shark!": FIN. earwig already, ba-dum.

38. Close by: NEAR

39. Robber, to a cop: PERP. Not to us. We like perpendicular, not perpetrator.

40. 20-volume ref.: OED. (Oxford English Dictionary)

41. "Is there more?": "WHAT ELSE?". "There is ... but you must act in the next ten minutes!"

42. Opera offering: ARIA

45. Port on a PC: USB. (Universal Serial Bus)

46. Country singer Yearwood: TRISHA. She is married to Garth Brooks.

47. Generate via exercise, as a sweat: WORK UP

48. More distasteful: ICKIER

49. Classic Jaguar: XKE

51. Thing: ENTITY

52. Viewed: SEEN

55. Ford failure: EDSEL

56. Nigerian city that's Africa's most populous: LAGOS. Wiki link.

60. Gush: SPEW

63. Big-headed quality: EGO

64. "Bowwow!" cousin: [ARF!]

65. Vietnamese New Year: TET

66. Snacked on: ATE

67. After-tax amount: NET

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear TTP, who has helped me solved so many blog and life glitches. He just knows a lot about a lot of things. So lucky that you Took The Plunge and joined our blog, TTP!