Sunday, December 10, 2017, C.C. Bunikel

TITLE: IT'S AMAZING

Husker Gary here acting as a literary Sherpa for our crossword mistress. This Sunday, C.C. had made an AMAZING (hence the title) puzzle by scrambling the word GRACE inside some two or three word phrases and situated those scrambled letters such that they span the words in the phrases. Fun! 

I am showing the grid early to help those of you who did not have the circles in your paper or electronic grid.

I saw the gimmick and struggled to see what could go with GRACE for the gimmick. However, for the payoff, C.C. substitutes the word BLESSING for GRACE to generate this reveal (not MIXED GRACES):

121. It's not all good ... and it's literally found in this puzzle's circles : MIXED BLESSING. Cool! I have always considered cell phones as a MIXED BLESSING

Let's take a look at C.C. theme entries:

22. Tehran tinderbox for 14-plus months : HOSTAGE CRISIS - They were released just minutes after Ronald Reagan's inauguration 

34. Making the Guinness Book, say : SETTING A RECORD -  Ozzie set the record for "Dog Rope Walking" by going 11.4' in 14 seconds

55. World Cup events : SOCCER GAMES - I am not a SOCCER FAN and this is the ONLY image I remember from the sport - Brandi Chastain in 1999

84. Recycling center item : BEVERAGE CAN - They can really add up

101. Log holder : FIREPLACE GRATE - This feels pretty good at this this time of year on the Great Plains

16. What a Facebook post might draw : STRONG REACTIONS - I posed what I thought was a very innocent question on FB last election season and I was bombarded by STRONG REACTIONS. To quote Edgar Allen's famous bird - NEVERMORE!!

43. Violet Crawley's title in "Downton Abbey" : DOWAGER COUNTESS - Hearing Maggie Smith wield her acid tongue in this role is well worth viewing!

Now let's what other AMAZING BLESSINGS C.C. is bestowing on us today

Across

1. /, on some score sheets : SPARE - The bottom score here is known as a Dutch 200 where you get that score by alternating spares (/) and strikes (X) for ten frames. Boomer doesn't bother with /'s all that often! 😏

6. Herbal tea : TISANE, 1. Teahouse treat : SCONE and 80. "Unexpected blends" tea brand : TAZO provide a mini theme by tea connoisseur C.C.

12. Premier League powerhouse : CHELSEA - More Soccer

19. Ascended : SCALED

20. Calligraphy container : INKPOT

21. Top-seller : HOT ITEM

24. Getting on in years : ELDERLY - Hey! I resemble that adjective!

25. Asthmatic's device : INHALER - It got my brother through his childhood

26. Super, slangily : UBER - Today's use of that word is much better than what is was used for two generations before.

27. Batman after Michael : VAL - Can you find Mr. Kilmer?

28. Google : Android :: Apple : __ : IOS - This Operating System keeps my iPhone going

29. Got the word : HEARD

30. It borders three oceans : ASIA

32. Resort near Boston : CAPE ANN - I picked the wrong one at first

38. Wander (about) : GAD - My lovely  bride doesn't care for the fact that I do this constantly when we are shopping 

41. Took charge of : LED

44. Long stretches : AEONS

45. Netflix alternative : HULU - I'm a NETFLIXer

46. Down tune : DIRGE -These Volga boatmen have a famous one named after them. 

48. Ocean rings : ATOLLS

50. Earned : WON

51. Some charges : USER FEES - It's better to use them than to 49. Impose, as a tax : LEVY

54. Investment firm T. __ Price : ROWE

60. Plummeted : SANK

61. Ne'er-do-well : KNAVE

63. Catch of the day, perhaps : SEA BASS - $30 on this menu for Misoyaki SEA BASS

64. Inc., in Toronto : LTD

66. Euro divs. : CTS - It takes 100 €0.01 to make €1.00

67. Workout addicts : GYM RATS - Our YMCA has them of all ages and sizes

69. "That's no kidding" : I MEAN IT

72. Sault __ Marie : STE

74. Pull : TUG - Her trademark

75. Jerry-rigged, in a way : TAPED ON - Oh, like this?

79. Ekberg of "La Dolce Vita" : ANITA

82. Crime scene figure : PERP - PERP (prep) SCHOOL was our first silly, Sunday answer last week

87. Stable baby : FOAL

88. National summer sport of Canada : LACROSSE - Hmmm... A sport that only requires two months. 😜 Sorry Canadian Eh!

90. Luanda is its cap. : ANG - Where I'm sure they post many 14. Flight takeoff fig. : ETD's at their international airport

91. Mourning on the court : ALONZO - A 6'10" former NBA player

93. Distant : ALOOF

94. Sudden attack : RAID - Look out refrigerator!

96. Dish alternative : CABLE

99. Lush : SOT

100. Lady Tigers' sch. : TSU - The Tennessee State University Lady Tigers play just north of where the Vanderbilt University Lady Commodores play in Nashville

106. More offensive : NASTIER - Campaigns race to see who can be NASTIER

108. Queen in "Frozen" : ELSA (not our Born Free lioness) and 86. Film lioness : NALA (a different lioness)

109. Lackluster finish : MATTE

113. And the like: Abbr. : ETC - Yul Brynner sang/spoke it in The King and I

114. Sweetie : HON - This appellation may not be very welcome today

115. Mother of Castor : LEDA - Castor's twin Pollux had a different father. It's a long story...

117. Choice word : WHETHER 

119. Get going, as an oven : PRE-HEAT 

123. Roll call discovery : ABSENCE - A big requirement in schools these days

124. Figure of speech? : ORATOR - A clever clue for one of the best ORATORS of modern times 

125. Oddball : WEIRDO

126. Agreement often reluctant but still respectful : YES DEAR - What to say if my lovely bride is right or wrong

127. Mischief-makers : DEMONS

128. Thrills : SENDS - A great song using this 50's slang by one of the best R 'n B singers ever

Down

2. Lara's husband in "Doctor Zhivago" : PASHA - Later in the book, this laughter prone prankster changed - "[PASHA] knew that rumor had nicknamed him Rasstrelnikov, 'the Executioner.' He took it in stride, he feared nothing" 

3. Wedding settings : ALTARS

4. Genuine article : REAL DEAL

5. Barely beat (out) : EDGE

6. It may be nervous : TIC - If Inspector Clouseau worked for you...

7. Reduced to rubble : IN RUINS - The Roman Colosseum is magnificent even in this state

8. Aspen traveler's item : SKI BAG

9. Cathedral recess : APSE

10. Detective fiction genre : NOIR - Bogie was the film master 

11. Movie makeup dept. creations : ETS - Such as in my favorite Sci-Fi movie Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

12. Inferior : CHEAPO

13. Cry out loud : HOLLER

15. '60s protest : LIE IN - When your "Sit In" just wasn't gettin' it done

17. Fish trapped in pots : EELS - I'd try them at C.C.'s house if she offered them...

18. Adams of "Her" : AMY

19. __ Tzu : SHIH - Most take great pains to pronounce this breed carefully

23. Sister of Clio : ERATO - One of the muses who frequent our little word stand here

27. Space devoid of matter : VACUUM - Here's a kitty trying to figure out a VACUUM here on Earth

31. Lust, e.g. : SIN

32. Dopey frame, e.g. : CEL - In this CEL frame, he is gettin' down with Snow White

33. Short lines at the post office? : ADDR - ADDRess

35. Hardy's "Pure Woman" : TESS - She and Yoko both are frequent fliers here

36. Now, in Nicaragua : AHORA and 53. This, to Picasso : ESTA - Aquí ESTÁ la respuesta AHORA (Here is the answer now)

37. Climbing aids : RUNGS

39. Mole, perhaps : AGENT

40. Classroom array : DESKS - These DESKS have only way to be arrayed

41. Shenanigan : LARK - Or a more beautiful use of the word from a musical we all know

42. School since 1440 : ETON - The ETON Cricket team will tour Sri Lanka next spring

47. Uncertainties : IFS - If IFS and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas

50. Bug catcher : WEB -  Our lush landscape invites many of these spider constructions 

52. One-named Tejano pop star : SELENA - I subbed for a Spanish teachers for two days and I showed half of this film of her too-short life each day

56. Plains folks? : OSAGES

57. Belgium winter hrs. : CET 

58. Social division : CASTE

...but so is high school

59. Remark to the audience : ASIDE- A wonderful theatric device used in this movie

62. Pro with a siren : EMT

65. Paternity test letters : DNA - Blood tests could only tell a man he wasn't the father or that he could be

68. Uses elbow grease on : RUBS

70. Comfy slip-on : MOC

71. Skinny : INFO

72. Impact sound : SPLAT - Spaghetti's done!

73. Dabbling ducks : TEALS - New use of Dabble for me

76. Thin as __ : A RAIL  and 121. Like Twiggy's style : MOD - 5'6" 90lbs

77. Important animal in '70s U.S.-China diplomacy : PANDA - Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing

78. Future chicken : EGG

81. Heaps : A LOT

83. Golf course figure : PRO - PAR

85. Ben of "Roots" : VEREEN - Chicken George

89. Send-__: farewells : OFFS 

92. "Hmm … " : LET ME SEE - Did I find all my errors or will I have to count on my friends to find them?

95. What "4" may mean: Abbr. : APR - Uncle Sam gets my last tax money as late as possible on 4/15 

96. Porcelain with a pale green glaze : CELADON - Beautiful green pottery first made in China but named in England

97. Justice Dept. bigwigs : AGS - Attorneys General (A'S G?)

98. Beaning aftermath, sometimes : BRAWL 

BASEBRAWL

102. Odysseus' kingdom : ITHACA

103. Revolting sort? : RIOTER

104. Formally give : CEDE TO

105. Takes courses at home? : EATS IN

107. Felt the pain : ACHED

110. "Hot corner" base : THIRD - So called because hit balls get there very quickly, that's why all that play THIRD base should wear these

111. Ministers : TENDS

112. Cartesian connection : ERGO

113. Kathryn of HBO's "Oz" : ERBE - Google it if you're interested

115. Old Parmesan bread : LIRE - A euphemism for old money in Parma, Italy

116. Eye __ : EXAM - My 95-year-old MIL passed her eye EXAM and now her driver's license is now good until she is 100

118. Adheres (to) : HEWS - So this is where that comes from

119. Settle up : PAY

120. Biloxi-to-Mobile dir. : ENE -ESE would work for this famous song lyric "From Natchez To Mobile"

122. Places to crash, in ads : BRS - One of our 3 B(ed)R(nooms)S got converted to a computer room/office 20 minutes after on daughter got a job and moved to Lincoln. 

Now how 'bout some MIXED BLESSINGS from the peanut gallery (Man, I'm old!)

Gary

Notes from C.C.:

Here is a picture from our local crossword constructors get-together last Sunday Dec 3, 2017.  Chris is based in Iowa. Drove a long way. Quite a few are our LAT constructors. Kathy made her LAT debut earlier this year.

I recall Will Shortz mentioned a while ago that after New York and California, Minnesota has the most constructors.

Thanks for organizing the event, Tom, you're the best!

Dec 3, 2017 Sunday

Seated, L to R:  C.C. Burnikel, Theresa Horan (Teedmn), Kathy Jaschke

Standing:  George Barany, Tariq Samad (Cryptics constructor), Stew Lelievr (been to the ACPT for about 20 years straight), Andrew Sand, Amy Bemis, Jay Kaskel, David Hanson (Rosebud), Marcia Brott, Christopher Adams, Victor Barocas and Tom Pepper

Saturday Dec 9, 2017 Craig Stowe

Theme: None - LAT Saturdays are always theme-less, though occasionally we have a mini-theme, two phrases are placed in symmetrical spots.

Words: 66 - Pretty low. 70-72 are our norm. Just FYI, the lowest ever themeless word count is 50  (NYT by Joe Krozel).

Blocks: 28 - Average. The lowest is 17 for a themeless (Again, NYT by Joe Krozel.) Neat right?

C.C. here. Yeah, I'm surprised to find myself here also.

Today is a typical themeless, total twelve 9's, with triple-stacks on top and bottom, and two double 9's on Down, crossing by another pair of 9's: 31A and 37A, both important connective tissues.

I myself have never made a 66-word. 68 is my lowest. Craig might have started with a 64. The black squares after MONTE (27A) and before MAINE (42A) might not have existed when he first designed the grid.

 

Across:

1. Arctic Winter Games gear : SNOWSHOES. Yes, PK, white stuff on our ground. 15F as I'm writing this post. We're having January-like weather.

10. Follows a cookbook direction : WHIPS

15. Apparent : EASY TO SEE. Also 31. Apparent : OSTENSIVE. I only know OSTENSIBLE.

16. Red River city : HANOI

17. Nomadic : ITINERANT

18. Pertaining to : AS FOR

19. Nucor and POSCO, industry-wise : STEELS. Wiki says Nucor is the largest steel producer in the US and POSCO is a steel company based in South Korea. Alas, I know neither.

20. Steak __ : TARTARE

22. Fragrant shrubs : MYRTLES. Must be how Myrtle Beach got its name.

24. Stretches out : EXTENDS

25. Try : TASTE

27. Con game : MONTE

28. Longtime foe of Rafael : ROGER (Federer)

34. Commotion : ADO

35. Rap sheet entry, perhaps : ARSON

36. Jar head? : LID. Nice clue.

37. Available employment : JOB MARKET. Senator vacancy here in MN.

40. Songwriter Green : CEELO

42. New Brunswick neighbor : MAINE

43. Propellant in ion thrusters : XENON

45. Patellar and Achilles : TENDONS

47. Hired help : SERVANT. In Hong Kong, many family have Amahs, who are mostly from the

Philippines.

51. Popular blend of seasoning : ITALIAN

52. Small 1-Down : TREMOR. OK. 1. Quake : SEISM. Jayce's expertise.

53. Ulyanov's alias : LENIN. Holy smokes! I always thought Lenin is his real name. This poster was everywhere when I grew up. 

54. Unyielding : OBSTINATE

57. Player selection process : DRAFT

58. Browbeats : BULLDOZES

59. Long-eared critters : ASSES

60. Party decorations : STREAMERS

Down:

2. Like some dressers : NATTY

3. Flexible wood : OSIER. Learned from doing crosswords.

4. 1998 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee : WYNETTE (Tammy). Only know her "Stand By
Your Man".

5. Finer than fine : STELLAR. Been enjoying Picard's pictures. These Amazon ones are lovely.

6. Fools (around) : HORSES

7. Baja bear : OSA

8. Poetic contraction : E'EN

9. Roman numeral : SETTE. Followed by D-less Otto.

10. Penn's business school : WHARTON

11. Moves quickly : HASTENS

12. Childish : INFANTILE

13. Unfortunate one : POOR DEVIL. New phrase to me.

14. Many retired Kentucky Derby winners : SIRES

21. Forestry workers : AX MEN

23. Flier that delivers? : STORK. Babies.

26. County in four Northeast states : ESSEX

28. Indian filmmaker Kapoor : RAJ. Another learning moment. Wiki says he's also known as "the
greatest showman of Indian cinema".

29. Devices used on trips : ODOMETERS

30. Freak out : GO BANANAS. Another sparkling fill.
 

32. Lugs : TOTES

33. Old Tokyo : EDO

 
35. Air Canada Centre, e.g. : ARENA

38. __ crisis : MIDLIFE. Ahh, both Splynter and I have entered that age range.

39. Consecrates, in a way : ANOINTS

40. Bullfight : CORRIDA

41. "Did Hamlet so __ with his envy ... ": Shakespeare : ENVENOM. Our Ol' Man Keith'e milieu.

44. Aggravate : NETTLE

45. Alternative nickname to Mattie, perhaps : TILDA. Stumped me. They sound so different.

46. Hardly humble sorts : SNOBS

48. Knock over : AMAZE

49. Observant one : NOTER. Gluey entry. Much needed in a low-count grid.

50. Barrette target : TRESS

55. "__ I digress" : BUT

56. Type of camera, briefly : SLR

I'm sad to tell you that Splynter (Richard Monsaythe) has decided to leave our blogging team. He's been guiding us since March 2011, missing only two Saturdays when he was sick. 

I was stunned by his decision. Then I read his his last write-up again and again. Sad that I did not catch his hints last Saturday.

Splynter has a wide-ranging interests, from film-making to game design to wood-working. He's very creative, resourceful and subtle. I'm glad we had the chance to get to know him and enjoy his work and creativity for six and a half years.

Thank you so much for your hard work, Splynter, please stay in touch and check in with us from time to time. We'd love to know more about your job, hobbies and life in general.

Splynter the Saturday Stud

At the same time, I'm also happy to inform you that the incomparable Husker Gary has agreed to take up the Saturday helm. He'll be our guide starting Dec 16th, 2017.

Gary and Joann

Happy Birthday to Hahtoolah (Susan), who's been with our blog since 2009. She never comes to our blog without an thought-provoking quote. And her quotes are never random. She's amazingly thoughtful and observant.

Friday, December 8, 2017, Paul Coulter

Title: Strange bedfellows.

Paul Coulter is back with very inventive and entertaining Friday theme sure to irritate those who do not like themes. He pairs two completely unrelated characters (they may be fictional) and posits a common bond. Natasha Fatale and Apollo Creed both battled foes named Rocky. Mr. Spock- Dr. Spock, Homer the Greek - Homer Simpson and Blondie Bumstead - Debbie Harry and her band are the other pairs sharing a commonality that can be expressed in 15 letters (grid-spanners). I am so impressed by the thought process and the execution of this theme. Thank you, Paul. He also squeezes in DABS AT,  GETS AT,  IN A WAY,  SHANDY, BEDSIDE, PARSONS, HOTFOOTING and RAISE COSTS to complete the offering. Excellent. The themers:

                                   

17A. Two foes of Rocky: NATASHA AND CREED (15).  June Foray voiced both Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha. Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed both were products of Sylvester Stallone's mind.

27A. Two loves of Homer: POETRY AND MARGE (15). The Greek POET responsible for The Iliad and The Odessey, and Marge Simpson's LOVE. He is known for coining "D'Oh."

43A. Two specialties of Spock: LOGIC AND BABIES (15).  We have Mr. Spock for LOGIC and Dr. Spock for BABIES.

54A. Two priorities of Blondie: DAGWOOD AND MUSIC (15). Blondie Bumstead loved DAGWOOD and Blondie (Debbie Harry) made some beautiful music.

Across:

1. "Yeah": UH HUH. Nailed it, felt good.

6. Whack: STAB.

10. They're corny: COBS. He tricked me here for a bit.

14. Spaghetti Western director Sergio: LEONE. He made CLINT (2:41) famous.

15. Refine: HONE. Hone your craft, not just your knife.

16. Spread for dinner, say: OLEO. Not at my house.

20. Request to go out, maybe: ARF. Cute.

21. Cease: END.

22. Airs: SONGS. The perps are solid but the choice of the clue is beyond me. I may have to use a Homer 'D'Oh' when it is explained.

23. Mountain nymph: OREAD. More from Ancient GREECE.

26. Form of love in Paris? : AIME. Je t'aime, je t'adore.

32. Implies: GETS AT.

33. One may accompany a finger snap: IDEA. Got it.

34. Small battery: AAA.

35. Mine entrance: ADIT. From the Latin ADITUS, this is old-fashioned crossword fill.

36. Meddle: PRY. Third time in recent memory- hmm.

37. Artist's array: OILS. If he is a painter.

38. Large brewer: URN.

39. Blunted blade: EPEE.

41. Blots: DABS AT.

46. "Heartburn" novelist Ephron: NORA. Nora Ephron was also the author of Wallflower at the Orgy. She received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay for When Harry Met Sally..., Silkwood, and Sleepless in Seattle, which she also directed. Her other credits include the film Michael, I believe a John Travolta film and the play Imaginary Friends. She died in 2012

47. San Diego State athlete: AZTEC.

48. Advances: LOANS.

50. Chemical suffix: ENE.

51. Fertility clinic supply: OVA. Egg.

58. Between ports: ASEA.

59. Bridge site: NOSE. Very funny.

60. A lot: OFTEN.

61. Milk by-product: WHEY. I loved Moe's poem about helping Miss Muffit finding her whey.

62. Oracle: SEER.

63. Entourage: POSSE.

Down:

1. It parallels the radius: ULNA. In the arm, not a circle.

2. Get wind of: HEAR.

3. Hurrying, with "it": HOTFOOTING. A really fun word.

4. Acapulco article: UNA.

5. Cock and bull: HES. Male animals.

6. Sterne's Tristram: SHANDY.

7. Hopper on a pad: TOAD. Mr. Toad? I went with Frog at first.

8. Gothic novelist Radcliffe: ANN. Radcliffe is said to have influenced many later authors, including the Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), and Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), and many lesser imitators of the "Radcliffe School", such as Harriet Lee and Catherine Cuthbertson. LINK.

9. Important place for good manners: BEDSIDE. Why is it bedside manner when it is no longer at home that you see the doctor?

10. Pupil's cover: CORNEA. My personal specialty, still working with two borrowed ones.

11. Cassini of fashion: OLEG. Father of Tini Cassini.

12. Honey bunch: BEES. Of oats?

13. Ground cover: SOD. Such language!

18. Soul mate? : HEART. I miss marti.

19. Feature of many a list: COMMA.

24. Common medical advice: REST.

25. In-flight info: ETA.

26. Name at the end of many a "60 Minutes" episode: ANDY. Rooney.

27. MLB Network analyst Martinez: PEDRO.

28. Put on: AIRED.

29. What supply shortages often do: RAISE COSTS. Supply and demand.

30. Big dos: GALAS. Not hairdos.

31. Bridge column word: EAST.

32. Caesarean section? : GAUL. "Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres"

36. Clinton transportation secretary Federico : PENA. LINK.

37. Tony relative: OBIE. Off-broadway awards.

39. Low-price prefix: ECONO.

40. Service aces? : PARSONS. Do parsons really run religious services?

41. Stunned: DAZED.

42. NYC dance troupe: ABT. Since 1940, American Ballet Theatre has performed in the greatest theatres around the world, creating a tradition of passion, innovation, and athleticism that transcends cultural boundaries and touches the soul of ballet lovers old and new.

44. Kind of: IN A WAY.

45. Stadium sign: BANNER.

48. Eye piece: LASH. No.

49. Arch type: OGEE.

50. Convenience: EASE.

52. Competes: VIES.

53. Bad marks in high school? : ACNE. A semi-cruel remark about those marks.

54. Margery of nursery rhymes: DAW.

55. Female antelope: DOE.

56. Floor cleaner: MOP. Which is my clue to mop up my comments.

57. Tabloid topic: UFO. But not without an Unidentified Flying Object.

I really enjoyed the puzzle, the solve, and Paul is one of the constructors getting regular Friday slots, with this his 4th this year, along with 5 Sundays. Thanks, Paul and thank you all for being here.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is our Lemonade enjoying his hamburger last Sunday. Great to see him healthy and happy. He's getting younger too!

2) Happy birthday to our cool Jazzbumpa (Ron), who's taking December off from blogging. Ron often has a packed December. Lots of rehearsals and performances during Christmas season. Have anyone in Detroit area attended Ron's concerts in the past?

Jazzbumpa

Thursday, December 7th 2017 Mark McClain

Theme: No, Why? The "Y" is dropped from the end of the theme entries and the resulting phrase is clued accordingly. As the hint says:

61A. Make smart remarks ... and a phonetic hint to the answers to starred clues : WISE OFF

And the themers:

19A. *Award-winning defense unit? : TOP FORT. Top Forty.

31A. *Manchester hospital hookup? : ENGLISH IV. English Ivy. Hedera Helix, aka common ivy, or simply ivy. This theme entry is interesting as the pre- and post- "Y" versions are homophones, and techinically "IV" is an abbreviation and not clued as such.

38A. *Either of a historic PGA pair? : ARNIE'S ARM. Arnie's Army. Golfer Arnold Palmer's legions of fans were known as "Arnie's Army". Notice that the pre- and post- versions of this entry actually refer to the same person.

49A. *Enforcer of greenhouse gas restrictions? : CARBON COP. Carbon Copy. I wonder if carbon paper actually exists any more?

Well, good day to you all. An interesting theme from Mark today. I got ENGLISH IV first, and as I mentioned above I thought that all the themers were going to be homophones, so that put me off track for a couple of minutes. I put myself firther off-track in the north-east corner when I jumped to an IAMS conclusion without waiting for any cross-confirmation, but that was easily fixed.

The Z was my final fill, and actually a WAG - Both ZESTA and AZERA were unknowns; the alphabet run turned up Z as feeling the most likely, and I guessed right. Phew!

Let's see what else we've got going on:

Across:

1. Not insignificant : BIG

4. LeBron's hometown : AKRON. Basketball star LeBron James, who famously decamped from Cleveland to Miami to win "not one, not two, not three ..." championships. He got his ego under control after a couple of years. He won two championships with Miami, then returned to Cleveland and won his third in one of the best Finals for years against the Golden State Warriors.

9. Pet food brand : ALPO

13. Discontinued iPod model : NANO. I've still got one of these somewhere, it's probably at the bottom of one of my laptop backpack pockets.

14. Saltine brand : ZESTA

15. Action word : VERB

16. Words after an estimate : ORSO

17. Divisions politiques : ÉTATS. I enjoyed seeing the close proximity of ROI in the grid; it reminded me of Louis XIV and his famous statement "L'etat c'est moi."

18. Those, to Pablo : ESOS

21. Sculler's blade : OAR

23. Capri suffix : OTE. A couple of entries filled themselves in for me today, this was one of them. A native of the island of Capri is a Capriote.

24. Trattoria menu suffix : INI. Two suffixes in a row. One would suffix - I mean suffice.

25. Chaucer offering : TALE. The Canterbury Tales. Bane of many a schoolboy's life when read in medieval English.

27. "Stagecoach," for one : OATER

29. Birdcage feature : PERCH. 

34. Multichannel : STEREO. I guess two is "multi." Quadrophonic was all the rage when I was growing up, but if you didn't sit dead center of the four speakers it was rather a waste of time. Great for lonely audiophiles though.

36. Saturn SUV : VUE

37. One of the Nereids : IONE. This was another of the entries that filled itself in for me. There are 50 of these sea-nymphs, daughters of Nereus and Doris. You've got a minute to name them all - GO!

41. Neatnik's opposite : SLOB

44. Pioneering ISP : AOL

45. Warm-weather wear : SHORTS. I wear shorts in most weathers, I've got so used to the California climate. I got some odd looks in England a couple of weeks ago, I guess an overcoat and a pair of shorts is an odd sartorial combination.

52. Three-time Wimbledon champ : EVERT. The great Chris. Her record is quite amazing - she reached the semi-finals or better in 52 of 56 of the Grand Slam tournaments she entered, and she one at least one Slam tournament for 13 consecutive years.

53. Directive : ORDER

54. One of the three bears : PAPA

56. Mai __ : TAI

57. Arctic coast explorer : RAE. Scotsman John Rae. He probably didn't wear shorts - he would have been wearing a kilt.

58. Consume : EAT

63. Mosque figure : IMAM

65. Big name in craft stores : JOANN. This had me foxed for a little while - I knew the store, but I didn't realize the name lacked a final "E"

67. Response to being slain, in texts? : ROFL. "Slain" in the "Wow, that's funny" sense. Rolling On the Floor, Laughing".

68. Khartoum's river : NILE

69. Match : AGREE

70. "Would __?" : I LIE. Usually the answer is "Yes, through your teeth."

71. Notable deed : GEST. Learning moment for me. I know the French "Geste", I didn't realize there was an English equivalent, but there it is in the dictionary.

72. Saratoga action : RACES

73. PC panic button : ESC. Escape. It usually doesn't do very much.

Down:

1. British nobleman : BARONET

2. Motivate : INSPIRE

3. Mess (up) : GOOF

4. Korean sedan to be discontinued in the U.S. after 2017 : AZERA

5. Whistling vessel : KETTLE. It took me a loooong time to see this, and it was so obvious when I did.

6. Nation surrounding 10-Down: Abbr. : R.S.A. The Republic of South Africa.
.
7. Director Preminger : OTTO

8. "Hidden Figures" org. : NASA

9. "__ Maria" : AVE

10. Enclaved African land : LESOTHO.  The beautiful Maletsunyane Falls:

11. Tofu nutrient : PROTEIN

12. Watch : OBSERVE

13. Custom on some cruises : NO TIPS. I've never been on a cruise; at least not one where I wasn't sailing the boat myself.

20. Multiple-choice choice : OTHER. I like this one. I was thinking of different letters at first.

22. Louis XIV, par exemple : ROI

26. Wrap around : ENVELOP

28. "I, Robot" writer : ASIMOV

30. Champion swimmer/actor Buster : CRABBE. Clarence Linden Crabbe II. He made over a hundred movies and played Flash Gordon in the TV series. However, I'm sure his middle child didn't thank him for the name "Sande".

32. Director Van Sant : GUS

33. Where ewes can hang out : LEAS. Meadows, by another name.

35. __ even keel : ON AN

39. Biennial games org. : I.O.C. The transparently honest and wholly uncorruptable International Olympic Committee.

40. Flightless birds : RHEAS. I always forget these fellas, I get stuck on EMU and go no further.

41. Making a touchdown : SCORING. Except you don't actually have to touch the ball down. The equivalent in rugby is a try, and you do have to touch the ball down, under control, otherwise the try doesn't count.

42. Metro area SSE of Casper : LARAMIE. Wyoming. I've flown over it a ton of times, but never actually been there.

43. Major hassles : ORDEALS

46. Updates the plant : RE-TOOLS. Of course I was on the flora track for the longest time.

47. Rush hour report topic : TRAFFIC. 

48. Suppress : STIFLE

50. Vein contents : ORE

51. Plains tribe : PAWNEE

55. Source of hard and soft lumber : PINES

59. A bit cracked : AJAR. I was thinking "cracked" in the mildly insane sense. I was wrong.

60. Forum attire : TOGA

62. Lackawanna's lake : ERIE. Nailed it! Thank you, hundreds of crosswords.

64. Ran into : MET

66. __ welding : ARC

That's all from me!

Except that's not all from me - here's the grid!

Steve