Sunday, October, 15, 2017, C.C. Burnikel

TITLE: EATS UP

Husker Gary here, reporting  on the Sunday Edition of Puzzles With C.C. Today our peerless leader has given us a nice gimmick where the circles you see below in the puzzle contain hidden EATS that are running UP the grid:

Her reveal is not in the puzzle but rather in the title of EATS UP. Clever and fun.

Here are the Theme Answers where I decided to picture the inclusive activity as I'm certain you're familiar with the EATS that I will put in black boxes:

3. Track activity, to Brits : MOTOR RACING

6. Lava : MOLTEN ROCK - Who would be stupid enough to run up MOLTEN ROCK? Wait a minute...

11. "Lucky Guy" was her last play : NORA EPHRON - Famous for her "Chick Flicks"

14. Minnesota's annual one is held in Falcon Heights : STATE FAIR - It's about an hour's drive south of C.C.'s house

38. Time-out at work : COFFEE BREAK - Even in France

72. Boston Marathon Expo display : RUNNING GEAR - How 'bout strobe lights for visibility? 

76. "Tsk tsk" : THATS A PITY - One option

78. Pet shelter's concern : ANIMAL CARE - Too much?

82. Topper made from the jipijapa (hee pee HAH puh) palm : PANAMA HAT - The leaves of the palm with this beautiful flower

Now let's feast on the rest of C.C.'s bounteous word banquet:

Across  

1. Octopus octet : ARMS

5. Pro-__: fundraisers : AMS - Hey if you're Matt Lauer and playing in a PRO-AM, you're pretty happy to get paired with Michelle Wei!

8. Looks over quickly : SCANS

13. "Hey, you!" : PSST

17. Backyard raft : POOL FLOAT

BORZOI

20. Russian wolfhound : BORZOI and 12. PBS "Science Kid" : SID made up my one bad cell as I went with a Y instead of the I. 

21. Jazz home : UTAH - NBA team

22. "Just kidding" : NOT REALLY

23. On deck : ABOARD

24. Pasta sauce brand : RAGU - Created by Alberto Alvisi, the cook for the Cardinal of Imola, in the late 18th century 

25. Pandora genre : EMO

26. Annoyed : NETTLED

28. The Heart of Dixie: Abbr. : ALA 

29. They have strings attached : KITES

30. Comparable to a beet : AS RED

32. Gave the once-over : EYED

33. Driver's reservation? : TEE TIME - Also a putter's reservation

35. Run the country : REIGN

37. CDs and LPs : REC'S - We don't have an LP player anymore but I think our CD player works

40. Like two peas in __ : A POD

41. Supplied in a comedy skit, as straight lines : FED - Nobody did it better than George

44. The Pac-12's Golden Bears : CAL

45. LAX abbr. : ARR

47. Pitch indicator : NOTE - Knowing the NOTE doesn't mean you can 79. Carry __: sing on pitch : A TUNE

49. Supply with fluid : HYDRATE 

51. Safari runners? : MACS - As you can see, I am using the Safari Browser to blog this puzzle on my MacBook Pro

52. The puck stops here : GOAL - It's dangerous and scary when they go into the stands

54. Reasons for missing school : FEVERS

56. Article in Der Spiegel : EINE

57. Pink Floyd label : EMI

58. Iridescent shell lining : NACRE (NAY ker) - It can be beautiful

59. Biceps, for one : FLEXOR - Each FLEXOR requires an extensor

60. Soho stroller : PRAM

61. Perfect __ : TENSE

63. "The Piano" actor : KEITEL

65. Like a locked bathroom : IN USE

67. "Mmm, delish!" : SO GOOD - Yeah, that's what I thought of first too!

69. Japan is in it : FAR EAST

71. Fire starters : SPARKS

75. Team up : UNITE

77. Brand for cold sores : ABREVA



80. Was visibly moved : WEPT - Shortest verse in the Bible

83. Begin successor : SHAMIR - Yitzahk SHAMIR

85. Harry's love : GINNY - Harry Potter's main squeeze

87. Negative link : NOR

88. "Dies __" : IRAE - A true vet of the crossword wars

89. Tell the teacher : TATTLE

90. Where the Indus flows : ASIA - From the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea 

91. Org. for the Sky, the Stars and the Sun : WNBA

92. Went wild : RAN RIOT - New to me but makes sense



94. Sign of approval : SEAL - The siding on my house has this famous SEAL of approval

96. Chum, in Cherbourg : AMI

97. __ Majesty : HIS

98. Pueblo pronoun : ESA

99. -ish, after a number : OR SO 


101. Old theaters : RKOS - It appears a lot of sailors are at the RKO in Rochester, NY in 1964 to see Ensign Pulver

103. Firing offense? : ARSON

105. Big Sky Brewing Company home : MONTANA - I wonder if our blogger Montana has had a Big Sky product during the drought up there

108. PC key used in combinations : CTRL - I was wearing out CTRL+ALT +DEL when was was using PC products

110. Zoo keepers : CAGES

113. Lasting marks : SCARS - Some are not visible

115. Bench for a flock : PEW

116. "Casablanca" setting : MOROCCO - This is how Bogie could seem as tall as Ingrid Bergman in that setting

118. Kaplan Test Prep focus: Abbr. : GRE - Graduate Record Exam

119. "Funny joke!" : HA HA

120. Loud insect : CICADA - We have had a noisy fall with them






122. Flat across the pond? : APARTMENT - 

125. Classic game consoles : ATARIS - Pong was very addictive when it came out

126. "This looks bad for us!" : WE'RE TOAST

127. Shelter adoptees : PETS - Our Lily's former home

128. Heat-resistant glass : PYREX

129. Drops at dawn : DEW

130. "Symphony in Black" artist : ERTE  - Said to be his most famous painting and the one most indicative of his style. Yeah, I knew that! 😏


Down

1. Temporary lack of inspiration? : APNEA - C.C. at her clever best! Inspiration here, of course, means breathing in

2. Shangri-La offerings : ROOMS

4. 35mm camera type : SLR

5. Wings, in zoology : ALAE - Plural of ALA (wing)

7. Like miso, typically : SALTY

8. Cry out loud : SOB

9. Many a University of Zagreb student : CROAT

10. Augusta National shrub : AZALEA - The AZALEAS at Augusta tell you spring is here!

13. Holiday in the month of Adar : PURIM

15. Guru : SAGE - Here's one (see the subtitle) that has a house 30 min. from me

16. As a result : THUS - Sic Semper Tyrannis (THUS always to tyrants)

18. Luxury handbag : FENDI - I know C.C. likes nice purses

19. President between Harrison and Polk : TYLER - He became president when Tippecanoe (William Henry Harrison) died a month into the office

20. Spoiled : BAD

27. Adam's garden : EDEN

29. Captain of the Adventure Galley : KIDD - Captain KIDD's boat was called the Adventure Galley or simply the Adventure

31. Sushi fish : EELS

34. Former FAO Schwarz parent : TOYS R US

36. Lady of pop : GAGA

39. Outstanding : STELLAR - There's this lady in Minneapolis who is a STELLAR puzzle constructor 

42. Sicilian hot spot : ETNA

43. View as : DEEM


44. Engraved jewelry item : CAMEO which is an  124. 44-Down shape : OVAL

46. Perfect game, e.g. : RARE FEAT - Baseball fans will immediately think of Don Larsen in 1956

48. Adam's love : EVE

50. Run over : REPEAT

51. Team covered at amazinavenue.com : METS - It's been a while since the METS have been amazin' 

53. Princess with a twin brother : LEIA

55. Permit to leave : EXIT VISA

58. Night light : NEON

62. Sotomayor replaced him : SOUTER - There's an ideological struggle rather than a legal one when replacements are named 


64. Mobile home : TRAILER - This would seem to be a tough city in which to sell mobile homes

66. Fix, as a pet : SPAY

68. Twist : DISTORT

70. Genesis creator : SEGA

73. Drawer openers : KNOBS

74. Toxin fighters : SERA

80. Finish line : WIRE

81. Mound stats : ERAS

84. K2 and Hood: Abbr. : MTS

86. Wax Ready-Strips maker : NAIR

91. "Easy there!" : WHOA

93. Charged bits : IONS

95. Bonkers : LOCO

100. Garage capacity : ONE CAR - Barely...

102. Juice bar freebie : STRAW

104. "Dilbert" creator Adams : SCOTT

106. Doctoral hurdles : ORALS

107. In the know : AWARE

109. Drew (in) : ROPED - I don't think I could be ROPED into buying the painting below

111. Max of Dadaism : ERNST - He and ERTE were only one year apart in age but their art seemed far apart

112. Sicilian seven : SETTE

113. Hit the mall : SHOP

114. Way into the mountain : CAVE

116. More, to Miguel : MAS - After being taunted by Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran reportedly said NO MAS and quit

117. Backstage staff : CREW

120. Limit : CAP

121. Fort in New Jersey : DIX - One M*A*S*H episode had all the crew pose for a picture to try to convince Klinger's mother that he was at Fort Dix not Korea 

123. Toon bartender Szyslak : MOE

After you ATE UP C.C.'s puzzle, let's hear your savory comments: 

Saturday, Oct 14th, 2017, Jim Quinlan

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X)

Blocks: 34

Another new constructor for our Saturday - Jim Quinlan has 2 other LA Times puzzles under his belt, a Friday and a Sunday.  A very satisfying puzzle, I must say - no Google, no red-letters, and when I didn't get my ta-DA~!, I had the patience to go through the grid to find my error.  A spiral grid with a lot of three-letter words, triple 10-letter corners in the across, 8-, 9-,10-letter stacks in the down, and a group of three answers with a central 15- letter spanner;

34. Samoa or Caramel deLite : GIRL SCOUT COOKIE

15. Offer a libation (for) : POUR ONE OUT - The winery/vineyard I now work for offers bottles, of course, but also boxes, and recently kegs - next year, they introduce wine in a can; my thought was that it sounds like this 'cheapens' the whole wine thing.  We'll see.

12. Pot without speed : SLOW COOKER - oh, that kind of pot.  Somehow, I managed to think of a joint not laced with speed....

26. Sometime substitute for bread crumbs : CORNFLAKES

57. Experience for Marty McFly : TIME TRAVEL - right up my alley

The flux capacitor is...fluxing

 WARD~!


ACROSS:

1. Floors : ASTONISHES - ah, then verb, not the noun

11. Beliefs : ISMS - Crosswordese

16. Polar explorer's concern : FLOE - I figured SNOW was too easy

17. President leaving office, perhaps : END OF AN ERA

18. Commercial name abbr. : CORPoration

19. Redden, say : DYE - I pondered "IRK" here, but waited; then it appeared at 53d.

20. William Tell Monument city : ALTDORF - I know of the "apple on the head" shot, but didn't know the whole story - here's the Wiki on it

22. Venus is in it: Abbr. : WTA - I went with ATP, the Association of Tennis Professionals, but that's a "men's club"; we're looking for the Women's Tennis Association

23. "S" on an invitation : S'IL - Frawnche; réspondez s'il vous plait, or RSVP

24. Vehicle-sharing company : ZIPCAR - I know about Uber, but never heard of this; their website er, explains it all

26. "Born on the Bayou" band, briefly : CCR

27. __ bar : WET - there's a Tasting Room at the front of the vineyard office/warehouse, but really it's a wine bar - it's like upscale happy hour

30. It's tuned an octave higher than a cello : VIOLA

31. 1988 noir remake : DOA

32. Unconcealed enmity : NO LOVE LOST

36. Certain baron : LANDHOLDER

37. King's value, at times : TEN - as in cards

38. Gather : INFER - D'oh~!  Not AMASS

39. Sch. period : SEMester

40. Backwoods preposition : FER

41. Combined : MELDED

43. King or queen : BED - ah, good clue, since the previous 'regal' clue (37a.) had me thinking along the lines of "REX"

44. Chinese military gp. : PLA - filled via perps

45. Grew : WIDENED - my only bad cel; I had WIDE FED

49. Pipe in a song : COB - corn cob, Frosty the Snowman

52. Pen name that sounds like a drink : SAKI - technically, Sake IS a drink

54. Cry at the craps table : COME TO PAPA

56. U.S. dept. with a bolt on its seal : ENERgy - nailed it

58. Classroom fixture : DESK

59. Unable to continue : AT A DEAD END

DOWN:

1. Did : APED

2. Pioneer in portable music : SONY - and the company who gave us Betamax; see 33d.

3. Arrogant manner, slangily : TUDE

4. Top medalla : ORO

5. "You peeked!" : "NO FAIR~!"

6. Totally : IN ALL

7. Heaven-__ : SENT - I'll let you know if this one ever stops in for a glass....

8. Helped make a bed : HOED - a garden bed

9. Mark's replacement : EURO

10. Premium movie channel that dropped its "!" in 2005 : STARZ

11. "Portlandia" airer : IFC

13. Serious transgression, in Catholicism : MORTAL SIN

14. Split : SEPARATE

21. Coppers : FIVE-O - one of my top TV show themes; I'm glad the re-make of the show didn't go with something different

23. Burned with steam : SCALDED

25. Led : PILOTED

27. Some sweaters : WOOLS - I tried KNITS

28. Get by : ELUDE

29. Venerated symbol : TOTEM

31. Martha Kent portrayer in recent Superman films : DIANE LANE - I had no idea, tried a total WAG, and it worked

32. Barracks VIP : NCO

33. Betamax player : VCR - at first I thought this was a huge gaffe, but then I realized the fierce (according to Wiki) format war was between VHS and Betmax; both tape formats played on a "Video Cassette Recorder"

34. Barely caught : GLIMPSED

35. Mole-like mammal : SHREW

40. Hat for Indiana Jones : FEDORA - Raiders of the Lost Ark might be my favoritest movie of all time

42. Decrees : DICTA - argh~!  I threw "S" in there for plural, and tried WRITS

43. 2017 Dolly portrayer on Broadway : BETTE

46. "Finish the job!" : "DO IT~!"

47. "Handsome, clever, and rich" Austen character : EMMA

48. Food or water : NEED - I had fEED, which made sense to me if you "feed" a plant with water....

49. Finally give : CAVE

50. Tournament format : OPEN

51. Likely to skid : BALD - I need to get tires before the end of the month in order to pass inspection; however, I'd like to get white letter tires, and the only way to do that on my vehicle is to buy larger rims for that particular size tire - I'm willing to go sporty on the minivan~!

53. Get to : IRK

55. Enhance, as a résumé : PAD - no need to pad my résumé, there was barely space to list my qualifications for the new job - but I listed enough

Thanks for all the positive support - I especially appreciate those who know me and are 'concerned' about the "vocation" of my new employer~!

Splynter

Friday, October 13, 2017, Morton J. Mendelson

Title: Text speak meets grid spanner = WTF _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

How interesting that after last week where Jeffrey inserted an acronym (IOUS) to create new fill, MJM uses initialisms as the introduction to a 15 letter in the language phrase. As someone who has used initialisms my entire life (e.g. DKDC), this was easier than it might have been, as getting a word from the perps got me started. When texting first was available, a friend and I would send each other
letter strings and try to solve them. The insane responses were usually better than the intended comment. Anyway, many fun words with interesting etymology. Off we go.

The themers:

17A. TW ... : DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT (15). Two Wrongs...

25A. DCYC ... : BEFORE THEY HATCH (15). Don't Count Your Chickens...

44A. CI ... : NEXT TO GODLINESS (15). Cleanliness Is...

58A. AGT ... : MUST COME TO AN END (15). All Good Things...

The rest:

Across:

1. Yanks' foes: JAYS. No, they are playing Houston in the ALCS.

5. Operation designed to hurt: STING. Hurt? To me, they either defraud someone (the oldest was by the Praetorian guard who sold the Roman Empire to Julianus in 193 C.E.) or to arrest someone. LINK.

10. Shipboard resident: SWAB. I think of swabbie/y, but the Urban dictionary says: "This term, frequently used by non-sailors to refer to sailors, is most likely a contraction of the term "swabbie" or "swabby", presumably derived from the notion of sailors "swabbing the deck". "Swabbie/y" is currently in use only among the elderly; 'swab' is the more common term among young people." Proving once again, I am elderly.

14. CFO, e.g. : EXEC.

15. Not as likely to mess up: ABLER.

16. Walk without getting anywhere? : PACE. I like this definition.

20. Shoelace site: INSTEP. Did you ever think about the origin of this word? Sounds like it is backwards - it is where you step in the shoe. But, the dictionary says: "late Middle English: of unknown origin; compare with West Frisian ynstap ‘opening in a shoe for insertion of the foot.’"

21. Shipboard chums: MATEYS. Mini-clecho with 10A.

22. Tenn. neighbor: ALA. Abbr. - abbr.

24. Apartment listing abbr. : RMS.

34. Nice with? : AVEC. The Nice, France trick.

35. Gobs and gobs: SLEWS. More dictionary- from the Irish Slaugh.

36. Cart for heavy loads: DRAY. "for delivering beer barrels or other heavy loads, especially a low one without sides."

37. Filly's brother: COLT.

38. Fighter eulogized by Bill Clinton, among others: ALI.

39. Old-time teacher: MARM. Based on a variant pronunciation of ma'am.

40. "The Grapes of Wrath" figure: OKIE.

41. Beams: GRINS.

43. Prime real estate? : EDEN. I like this clue.

47. Downed a sub, say: ATE.

48. In-law's wife, possibly: SIS.

49. Refrigerates: CHILLS.

53. One of a biblical ten: PLAGUE. Commandments clearly did not fit.

62. Like quality beef: AGED.

63. One "sitting lonely on the placid bust," in a classic poem: RAVEN.
“But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow, he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.’
Then the bird said, 'Nevermore.”

64. Course with relevant tangents: TRIG.

65. Regular guys: JOES.

66. Finals, e.g.: EXAMS.

67. Spot: SITE. Mira, there she goes!

Down:

1. "Star Wars" warrior: JEDI. How many have seen THE Trailer?

2. Nerve cell part: AXON.

3. Cravings: YENS.

4. Ewan McGregor, for one: SCOT. More Star Wars.

5. They're often free: SAMPLES.

6. Sched. question mark: TBA.

7. Kind: ILK. A repeat.

8. Once called: NEE. Not FKA.

9. Sir Georg Solti's record 31: GRAMMYS.  Did you know? LINK.

10. Rotating rod: SPIT.

11. Conduct: WAGE. Like war.

12. Hurting: ACHY. I almost linked "Achy Breaky Heart" which was triple platinum in Australia, and number 2 on Blender magazine's 50 Worst Songs Ever.

13. Puts money (on): BETS.

18. Dash: TEAR. Tear down the stairs.

19. Not at all reflective:: RASH. Impulsive.

23. On the lam: AT LARGE.

24. Backs up a videotape: REWINDS. Backs up? Made me think of re-recording.

25. Cobb salad ingredient: BACON.

26. Bring to mind: EVOKE.

27. Composer Mendelssohn: FELIX. He looks like a young Gene Wilder. Almost a CSO; I wonder if Morton's family removed the extra "S" and the "H." Then lent them to the green stamp people.

28. Good-sized wedding band: OCTET.

29. Prefix for "sun" : HELIO. I know only this one. Hélio Castroneves.

30. Madison Ave. Pitchers: ADMEN.

31. Carpentry, e.g.: TRADE. CSO.

32. Worries: CARES.

33. Church numbers: HYMNS.

41. Reacted to an arduous workout: GOT SORE.

42. Shoes without laces: SLIP ONS. Aha! More shoe references.

45. Gymnast's powder: TALC.

46. Ibiza, por ejemplo: ISLA. Spanish.

49. Key of the finale of Brahms' Symphony No. 1: CMAJ. Lots of classical music.

50. "Les Misérables" author: HUGO.

51. "Now it's clear": I SEE.

52. Old Fords: LTDS.

54. Hard-working colonizers: ANTS.

55. Spice Girl Halliwell: GERI. Still recording.

56. Second, e.g.: UNIT.

57. Sharp side: EDGE.

59. Reach capacity, with "out": MAX.

60. Actress Mendes: EVA. Many pretty pictures.  For Splynter.

61. President pro __ : TEM. Pres·i·dent pro tem·po·re.  Latin.

Well, MJM and I have finished our work here, so it is time to bid you all adieu and hope you enjoyed the puzzle, exposition and enjoy the upcoming weekend.  It is not often I get to reference a West Frisian word. Thank you Morton - I had an Uncle Morton - and all readers - be you a lurker, a regular or unpredictable member. Lemonade out.

Thursday, October 12, 2017, J. Michael McHugh

Theme: Breakfast Surprise - scrambled OATS

17A. *What may put a fire in the belly? : HOT SAUCE. I've got quite a few varieties in my pantry. One of my favorites is a green habañero sauce I picked up at a market in Jalisco.

24A. *Commuter entertainment source : RADIO STATION

38A. *Slick trick : FAST ONE. Fast ones are always pulled. I might try and push a fast one and see how far I get.

52A. *Pre-release programs : BETA SOFTWARE. Full of bugs, typically.

64A. What young people may sow ... and what's literally hidden in the answers to starred clues : WILD OATS.

"Boys will be boys, young men must sow their wild oats, and women must not expect miracles." From Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

A pretty straightforward theme today, a word scramble. If the constructor lived in TAOS, NM that would be cool. It does appear to be an LAT debut for Mr. McHugh, so congratulations are in order for that. The stacked 6's at top and bottom are nice. There is a little "bitty" feel to the rest of the fill, but nothing to get too upset about. Maybe a slight surfeit of crossword-ese. More of a Monday feel to this one. Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Part of BYOB and MYOB : OWN. Bring your own bottle/mind your own business. I first heard the term BYO in Australia, which described restaurants which did not have a license to serve alcohol, but you were welcome to bring your own wine.

4. Band name with a lightning bolt slash : AC/DC

8. Unlike a couch potato : ACTIVE

14. T'ai __ : CHI

15. Afrikaans speaker : BOER. Dutch origin. It's not the most mellifluous of languages.

16. 9Lives mascot : MORRIS. Thank you, crosses. No idea with this one.

19. Makes room on, as a schedule : CLEARS

20. Window part : SASH

21. Mother of Pollux : LEDA

23. She plays Crawford in FX's "Feud" : LANGE. Jessica Lange portraying Joan Crawford.

27. Regards with surprise : GAPES AT

30. Sped : TORE

31. Botch : MISDO. Hmmm. Really? "Don't misdo that!". "Darn, I misdid it!" Not convinced that would be the first phrase out of my mouth if I stripped a bolt.

32. Miracle-__ : GRO

33. One teaspoon, e.g. : DOSE

37. Sponsor's array : ADS

42. Pampering place : SPA

43. Lets hit them : NETS. Tennis. A let actually hit the net cord, not the net, but let's not get too picky.

45. Pi follower : RHO

46. Heroism : VALOR

48. In-land link? : LA-LA. You know no-one ever calls Los Angeles La-La land? Just as only tourists call San Francisco "Frisco" and only Guy Fieri calls the state "Cali".

50. Leopardlike cats : OCELOTS

56. Not right : AMISS

57. Commuter's expense : TOLL

58. Staff symbol : REST. Music.

62. Metaphorical state of agitation : LATHER

66. Like most Chaplin films : SILENT. This New Yorker article is an interesting read regarding Chaplin and his attitudes towards sound.

67. "Uh-huh" : I SEE

68. By way of : VIA

69. Gives a heads-up : ALERTS

70. Drag racing gp. : N.H.R.A. National Hot Rod Association.

71. Prompt a correction : ERR

Down:

1. "Draft Dodger Rag" folk singer : OCHS

2. Stop on the trail : WHOA!

3. Quibbles : NITS

4. "Defending Liberty, Pursuing Justice" org. : ABA. American Bar Association. Second association of the day.

5. Might've : COULD'A. Would'a, could'a, should'a.

6. Con man's forte : DECEIT

7. Set of beliefs : CREDO. Had CREED first.

8. "The Walking Dead" channel : AMC

9. Nab : COLLAR

10. Pressure-__ : TREATED. Lumber that has chromated copper arsenate preservative forced into it under pressure.

11. Like two-time Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi : IRANI. More crosses to the rescue.

12. Late summer sign : VIRGO. That's me!

13. Steel city near Cologne : ESSEN. Food! It's also the verb "to eat" in German. All I know about Essen is what I learned from the friendly fictional family who populated the text book in high school German lessons. Herr Mueller was an executive at some kind of factory, and I recall the river was nice and the park was spacious.

18. Bit : SHRED

22. Orbit City pooch : ASTRO

25. Starting : AS OF

26. One in a cel block : TOON. Astro, for example.

27. FBI guy : G-MAN

28. Assistant : AIDE

29. "Wanna hear a secret?" : PSST!

32. '60s-'70s Pontiac : GTO

34. City that hosts an annual Norwegian Wood music festival : OSLO. Quick - name another Norwegian city of four letters. 3-2-1 Go!

35. Blind __ : SPOT

36. Elephant flappers : EARS

39. Singer Guthrie : ARLO

40. Golf club part : SHAFT. The shaft used to be made of good old hickory, then steel and now all kinds of fancy-schmancy carbon fiber, titanium and assorted rocket parts developed by NASA. Or something.

41. Even once : EVER

44. Cutting-edge horror film? : SLASHER

47. Olds compact : ALERO

49. Approval : ASSENT

50. Wide-eyed and wise-looking : OWLISH

51. Telemarketer : CALLER. Bleedin' nuisance, more like.

52. Light wood : BALSA. We used to make model aeroplanes out of balsa wood when we were kids.

53. It's often distributed in cc's : E-MAIL

54. Sir or sri : TITLE

55. Haul to the shop : TOW IN

59. Nesting site : EAVE

Oh - here we are at the end, I stumbled off the edge of the roof. Here's the grid!

Steve