THE DOCTOR IS IN
A nice Saturday (corrected) workout supplied by Alex Bajcz (rhymes with badges). He did his B.S. and M.S. in Michigan and then, true to his crossword lineage, got his Ph.D. in, wait for it, ORONO, ME in Ecology and Environmental Science. It can't be more perfect than that. Here we see that Alec has scaled the 852' peak of Norumbega Mountain in Acadia National Park (more crosswordese) in Maine. I wonder if he had OREOS while at the summit. 😏
Husker Gary here at his Saturday post! l had to test many areas before I got one of these for a good start in this challenging exercise.
Here two things in my life that served as long fills and proved to be helpful:
18. Company that pioneered metal drivers in golf : TAYLOR MADE - They dominate my golf bag
23. Thing to get one's claws into : SCRATCHING POST - One of Lily's topped with her favorite perch
Let's now explore the rest of the delightful word environment Alex has proposed for us:
Across
1. Color in the brown family : ECRU
5. Dusty trail figure : PARD(ner) - I imagine he might be dusty after a month on a cattle drive
9. Board that decides without voting : OUIJA - Didn't you always accuse someone else of pushing the planchette (yes, that is what it is called)?
14. Flow hindrance : CLOT - The cause of death for Jimmy Stewart
15. Not expected : UNHERALDED - If you follow college football, you know UNHERALDED University of Central Florida had an undefeated season and the Huskers then hired their coach for $5M/year
17. Duck-like bird : COOT - or Today's blogger : Old ____
19. Perrier units : LITERS - I prefer my water not sparkle
21. Only one fed. holiday falls on it annually : THU - Oh yeah, it's when Macy's has a parade, the Lions play football and Black Friday is the next day! 😏
22. A hockey player may check with one : HIP
27. Often-glazed delicacy : ROAST HAM
28. Tail of a cartoon dog? : DOO - Ruh, roh if you didn't know Scooby DOO!
29. Actress __-Margret : ANN - This Swedish beauty does not like being called Ann or Annie Olsson
30. Hosp. areas : ERS - You find DRS in ERS and ORS
31. Lake Itasca, vis-à-vis the Mississippi : SOURCE
35. Out indefinitely : IN A COMA
38. Certain landing aid : PONTOON - Very handy if you're landing a plane on Lake Itasca
39. Sara Roosevelt's maiden name : DELANO - Sara and her little boy Franklin in 1893
40. Gordon Shumway's title alias, in a sitcom : ALF - I have never ALFED
41. "I didn't need to know that" : Too Much Information - Do you want to hear about my operation? 52. Strong denial : I DO NOT
42. Book after Exod. : LEV - Google the 76 things LEVITICUS prohibits. Some people have cherry-picked from the list to justify their beliefs
43. Settled things : MEDIATED
46. They go on until dawn : SLUMBER PARTIES - One of the rigors of having daughters
50. More at the end? : IER
51. Many a boat, to its skipper : SHE - In Latin ship means Navis which is a feminine word
54. Fulfill, as a promise : MAKE GOOD ON - He did MAKE GOOD ON his famous promise!
58. Advanced : LENT
59. Pac-12 student : OREGON DUCK - My cousin's brother is the head BB coach at OREGON where the DUCKS play on this very distinctive court
60. Colon, in analogies : IS TO - Did you ever take the Miller's?
61. Parachute fabric : NYLON
62. Bldg. units : APTS - With our new $300M chicken plant being built, our city is proposing to build over 200 APTS across the street from us.
63. Pipe organ component : STOP - Wow! That's a lot of 'em!
Down
1. O.T. book : ECCL - Pete Seeger turned this lovely passage into a hit song called Turn, Turn, Turn
2. Fancy enamelwork : CLOISONNÉ - (Kloy zuh nay) - Enamelwork in which colored areas are separated by thin metal bands, fixed edgewise to the ground. I had no idea but it's beautiful!
TIME OUT - Think of something you absolutely hate doing! Now insert that in the blank below.
3. Endodontic therapy : ROOT CANAL - ____ is about as fun as a ROOT CANAL
4. Says : UTTERS
5. Tries to pick up : PUTS THE MOVES ON and 33. Flirts with : COMES ONTO. A little mini-theme, Alex? 😏
6. Political commentator Navarro : ANA - Okay, if you say so.
7. Drummer's creations : RHYTHMS - Our crossword friend here provided RHYTHMS for a fairly popular group of British lads.
8. 2010 Commonwealth Games host city : DELHI - After gaining independence in 1950, India remained in a loose association called the Commonwealth
9. One making a splash? : OAR
10. Rail stop between Stuttgart and Munich : ULM
11. State in both the Pacific and Mountain time zones : IDAHO - Same for Oregon in that area
13. More than competent : ADEPT
16. They may involve cheap shots : ROUNDS OF DRINKS - It was so hot on the day I got my hole-in-one that the ROUNDS OF DRINKS only cost me $50 ($20 tip for attendant) because most everyone else had gone home
20. Urban omnivore : RAT
24. Word of amore : CARA - Jay Black of Jay And The Americans still getting it done at 72 with fabulous CARA MIA!
25. Mob hiree : GOON - Luca Brasi, Don Corleone's GOON, wound up "sleeping with the fishes"
26. Show displeasure : POUT - Better not...
27. Carefully timed operation : RAID
32. Worst of the worst : ROTTENEST
34. Lover of Geraint : ENID - Welsh folklore reworked by Tennyson
36. Bad state for sailing : CALM - Blush, I first put IOWA!
37. Seat for a priority boarder : ONE-B - It takes good eyes to see that on this 767 that is an aisle seat in first class
38. Part of a bargain, maybe : PLEA - 97% of Federal cases wind up with the accused entering a PLEA of guilty for a reduced sentence
40. Hyper : AMPED UP
44. "__ be a shame if ... " : IT'D
45. Mediterranean sauces : AIOLIS
46. Do only what he says : SIMON -
"SIMON says put up your hand!"
"Now put it back down!"
"Aha, you're out!" 😛
47. "Rescue Me" star Denis : LEARY and 48. "Did I do that?" TV nerd : URKEL and 49. Sitcom with a 1974 wedding episode : RHODA. Three TV series that did not make it into our living room
53. Sporty car roof : T-TOP - Moviedom's most famous?
55. A big one might be fragile : EGO - See Bandit above
56. Geometric suffix : GON - C.C.'s favorite pentaGON
57. Eighth mo. in the old Roman calendar : OCT
Now you guys can tell the Doctor where it hurts:
DA GRID