Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Paolo Pasco and Erik Agard
Karma or not, this NASA educator is proud to be able to blog on this auspicious golden anniversary of Neil Armstrong's "small step/giant leap". Fifty years ago today I baled hay in for my father-in-law and then watched one of the most historic events in world history that evening along with billions of other earthlings.
Buzz Aldrin My 7/21/69 Omaha World Herald
The irony of the picture above is that it is of Buzz Aldrin as are all other posed pictures of either of the two first two humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong took the picture and you can see his reflection and the Eagle Lunar Module in Buzz's 24K gold face mask. 18. Lead-in for time or point: AT NO time did the geniuses at NASA think to tell Neil to give the camera to Buzz so they could get a picture of him. Speaking of geniuses (genii?), today's wonderful exercise was created by these two.
A C.C. interview with Erik (before he was on Jeopardy) I got through in good time as most of the long fills, except for 1 Across, were very gettable. Now let's take one small step for learning and one giant leap for entertainment with Paolo and Erik (and me in my NASA presentation outfit)
Across: 1. Title toon toy-fixer with a magic stethoscope: DOC MCSTUFFINS - No idea
14. Short-distance fliers: PAPER AIRPLANES. 15. Philosophical consoling words: WIN SOME LOSE SOME and some get rained out 16. __ hall: REC(reation) 17. Tony-winning 2017 play about international diplomacy: OSLO A preview/trailer 19. Diamonds, in slang: ICE. 20. Texas art patron __ Hogg: IMA - She signed her first name as illegibly as possible but made big marks in the arts and in the area of mental health
21. C or P, on a diamond: POS - The Pitcher POSITION is 1 in a baseball scorebook and the Catcher is 2
23. Lab workers: TECHS. 25. It means nothing in Paris: RIEN - Il ne coûte RIEN d'être civil ici (It costs nothing to be civil here) 27. Jolie 2010 title role: SALT - Meh...
39. "Little Miss Sunshine" Oscar winner: ARKIN - On the other hand...
31. Pakistani prime minister __ Khan: IMRAN - Here ya go 32. Lock expert?: WRESTLER - Usually a headlock 34. "Cool beans!": NEATO. 35. Prefix with grace: DIS. 36. Valletta's island: MALTA - About a hour-and-a-half flight from Rome
37. Journals: GAZETTES - Founded in 1845, this is said to be America's first pop-culture publication
40. Runner on runners: SLED. 41. Jewish youth org.: YMHA - Young Men's Hebrew Association 43. Monopoly figures: RENTS. 44. __ hug: BRO.
45. Letters associated with a lion: MGM. 47. German grandpa: OPA - Ich bin ein OPA von fünf tollen Leuten ( I am a grandpa to five great people) 48. Lose focus, with "out": ZONE. 51. Rested: LAIN - Take this online quiz on lie and lay (click on Take) 53. Female in WWII: WAC. 54. Track star?: RECORDING ARTIST - My 1962 Roy Orbison album had six tracks on the front and six tracks on the back 59. Audio feedback?: I LOVE THIS SONG - Track number 1, Crying, was my favorite where Roy unleashes his operatic voice 58. Action movie cry: BATTLE STATIONS. Down: 1. Moves in for a short time?: DANCE CRAZE - Okay, Paolo and Erik, who came up with this fabulous clue? The Macarena "Moves" were "in for a short time" 2. Special __: OPS. 3. One on top of an org chart: CEO. 4. 1983 comedy about a stay-at-home dad: MR. MOM - 57% or not, I liked it
5. Salad choice: CAESAR. 6. Flower pot holder: SILL. 7. State enforcement group: TROOPERS - State TROOPERS seldom get passed on the interstate 8. Prosperous times: UPS - Every life has its UPS and Downs 9. Lab annoyances: FLEAS - This Lab is a dog not a room 10. Securely: FAST.
11. Advised of: IN ON. 12. Friend of Dory: NEMO - Dory's advice (:28) that meant29. "That's not worth getting riled up over": LET IT PASS.
13. Abbr. aptly found in "compasses": SSE - A heading of 157.5 degrees on a ship's compass 14. Done in fragments: PIECEMEAL as opposed to 22. Not in fragments: ONE - Marijuana laws
15. Penned works: WRITINGS. 20. "Wrong!": IS NOT - How white-haired Buzz Aldrin reacted when confronted by an idiot man who said the Moon landing was a hoax
24. Not at all popular: HATED. 26. "In a perfect world ... ": I WISH. 27. Long look: STARE - STARE at the black dot in the middle of this flag for 30 seconds without blinking and then look at the blank space at the right (blink to enhance the image)
28. Omniscient: ALL KNOWING. 30. Carry on, as business: TRANSACT. 33. Unction: SMARM - From dictionary.com
1 UNCTION
a manner of expression arising or apparently arising from deep emotion, especially as intended to flatter.
"he spoke the last two words with exaggerated unction"
SMARM
ingratiating behavior.
-->
"it takes a combination of smarm and confidence to persuade them"
35. Reduce to bits: DEMOLISH.
38. Norse war god: TYR - All you'd ever want to know 42. Granada gal pals: AMIGAS. 44. Uncle Miltie of early TV: BERLE - Vaudeville on the small screen
46. Annoyances in clouds: GNATS - Yikes!
48. Ardor: ZEAL. 49. Quadri- doubled: OCTO. 50. Grounding rule, perhaps: NO TV - or cell phone, computer, game boy, etc 52. Inclined to fight: ANTI. 54. Homer stat: RBI - Some now say, "She has 47 RBI" instead of "RBI's" because the R stands for Runs 55. Many a "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" character: Abbr.: DET - I wonder if fans of that show know of Holmes, Hammer, Marple or Poirot 56. River in Mexico: RIO. 57. Long or short unit: TON - A long TON is 20 hundredweight (cwt), each of which is 8 stone (1 stone = 14 pounds). Thus a long ton is 20 × 8 × 14 lb = 2,240 lb. A short TON is of course just 2,000 lb. After you comment, please raise a glass to Neil, Buzz and Michael.
Jeffrey mates a leading B to the first word of common phrases that start with an R... to a homophone R word... and creates new life with these phrases and definitions. Breed 'em and weep. Or laugh, as I did.
17. That necessary morning cup of coffee?: BREWED AWAKENING. Rude Awakening.
24. Prepare some fish for frying?: BREAD HERRINGS. Red Herrings.
44. Good nickname for Stephen King?: BRAIN OF TERROR. Reign of terror.
58. Part of the Hulk's healthy diet?: BRUTE VEGETABLES. Root vegetables.
I first tried my hand at it with "rags to riches" and came up with "Boasts about personal wealth" for "brags to riches" but the spelling doesn't change, so although it rhymes it's not a homophone and not consistent with Jeffrey's lead.
How about "Crumple new bills ? for "Break in the money ?" That might work. How about "Male chauvinist's belittling comment about a confident, busty woman ?" Rest assured that I could never make it as a constructor. Hats off to those with the wordsmith skills.
Let's examine some of the other clues and answers.
Across:
1. Martial arts move: CHOP. First thought was kick.
14. Dynamic opening: AERO. The top 10 most aerodynamic production cars. I guessed the Teslas and the Prius, but not the Alfa that Dash - T's wife drives. Top aerodynamic production cars.
15. British Columbia neighbor: IDAHO.
16. Court contemporary of Bjorn: ILIE. First name in the clue, first name in the answer. Tennis courts. Borg and Nastase. Borg beat Nastase in the 1976 Wimbledon men's final. In more recent news, Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in this year's men's final.
20. Persevere, with "on": SOLDIER. Having the tenacity to keep going despite the obstacles.
21. Great Society era, with "the": SIXTIES.
22. [There's another doc]: ENC. Enclosure. A reference, often in the footer area of an introductory page, that alerts you that there are more documents in the mailer or folder. There were tons of enclosures in the mailer when I did a ReFi mortgage by mail with Norwest Bank in the mid 90's. Plus a lot of sticky note arrows telling us where to sign and date.
23. "The X-Files" subjects: ETs. Extra-Terrestrials. I learned from crosswords that they eat Reese's Pieces.
31. Nashville awards org.: CMA. Country Music Association.
33. Very: REAL.
34. Baku native: AZERI. Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan. "The modern ethnonym "Azerbaijani" or "Azeri" refers to the Turkic peoples of Iranian Azerbaijan and Republic of Azerbaijan. They historically called themselves or were referred to by others as Muslims, Turks, Turkmens, Persians, or Ajams" - Wikipedia.
"Local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton; surface and underground water are polluted by untreated municipal and industrial wastewater and agricultural run-off" - CIA World Factbook.
Not in our travel plans.
35. Decided in court: RULED.
38. Show set in Vegas: CSI. Crime Scene Investigation. There's a long-running German crime / drama series I enjoy that runs on the MHz channel. It's called Tatort, which translates to Crime Scene. I have to read the subtitles to understand most of it. There's a lot of $10 words in German, like Tatortermittlung, which translates to Crime Scene Investigation.
39. Discontinue: SEVER.
40. Theater area with no seats: AISLE. Freshness in the clue for a common crossword fill.
41. Work with an Ethiopian princess: AIDA. Verdi's opera.
43. Lea feeder: EWE.
48. Cedar Rapids campus: COE. A liberal arts college named for one of the early donors. Wikipedia tells me that the man that invented CorningWare, S. Donald Stookey was an alumni of Coe College.
49. __ canto: BEL. Italian for beautiful singing or beautiful song. Various definitions.
50. Truly enjoy something: EAT IT UP.
54. Most beneficent: KINDEST. Like L. Frank Baum's Glinda.
60. Lot measure: ACRE. There are 640 of them in a Section. A quarter-quarter section is 40 acres. 640/4 and the resulting 160/4 = 40, which is how far it was from our house to the next neighbor when I was growing up. Well, except for the high school vice principal. She lived directly across the street. I had to mind my P's and Q's.
61. See some sorority sisters, say: REUNE. I've seen this word most often in crosswords.
62. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters": OLGA.
Oh, this is the Chekhov. Sounds the same, but spelled differently than the Star Trek character.
63. "__ Cassius has a lean and hungry look": YOND.
64. Belgian expressionist James: ENSOR. Last Friday, I got the answer ENSOR ("Former CNN journalist David") because of the 5 perps. This time I had 4 of the 5 perps and I missed it. Didn't get the S in GUS. D'oh !
65. Oenology datum: YEAR. Wine related. As in Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill, 1973.
Down:
1. Many have meters: CABS. Taxicabs.
2. Sub: HERO. Grinder, hoagie.
3. Russian city: OREL. Did not know, but as Abejo would say, "Four perps and I got it". This city is also spelled Oryol in English.
4. Ground material: POWDER. In spices like chili and cinnamon powder, talcum in baby and cosmetic powders, in fireworks and ammunition as gunpowder, et alia.
5. Cognac cocktail: SIDECAR. Never had one, but recognized the drink name with a few perps.
6. Month after Shevat: ADAR. Guessed ADAR and built around it. It's the one month on the Hebrew calendar that comes immediately to mind. Elul if pressed for another. IDAHO gave me the needed confidence.
7. Cold and damp: RAW. Similar to dank and clammy, but more bitter due to the cold. Unlike the Arizona weather in the summer. Hi, Lucina ! Hello, Yuma ! You too, CartBoy ! It's pretty warm right now in much of the rest of the country.
8. Signs of solutions: AHAs. Or TADAs.
9. Apt to use more corn?: HOKIER. I used to be addicted to the hokey-pokey. But then I turned myself around. Hey, that was almost Boomer-esque !
10. Wee: PINT SIZE.
11. Et __: ALII. "Et alii (masculine), et aliae (feminine) or et alia (neuter), in all cases meaning and others. Mixed-gender groups would use et alii". - Wiktionary
12. Black Friday likelihood: LINE.
13. Durability metaphor: LEGS. Usually with has, as in "That story has legs and we're going to be hearing about it for a long time". You have to be on your toes and knuckle down as you solve Jeffrey's puzzles, or he'll make your head swim and pull the wool over your eyes. But if you keep a stiff upper lip and your nose to the grindstone, you can get the upper hand.
18. German article: EINE. A.
19. Epic film budget line: EXTRAS. Along the lines of Ben-Hur, with a cast of thousands.
24. Model material: BALSA. A very light, yet strong, hardwood. It was an answer on Jeopardy! last week.
25. Dunkin' Donuts option: DECAF. Coffee flavor without the caffeine. Not my cup of tea.
45. Haydn's includes 106 symphonies: OEUVRE. Complete body of work.
46. "General Hospital" Emmy winner Sofer: RENA. Don't remember her, but I remember Luke and Laura. Yeah, I watched it for the better part of one year during college. It was a girlfriend thing.
47. Member of an exclusive network: OLD BOY. In England. Not to be confused with a Good Old Boy network in the southern US. Both can loosely be defined as "who you know and have ins with" but the Old Boy network in England largely stems from relationships and ties to prestigious universities, such as ETON and Oxford. A new learning for me.
50. Major success of the dot-com bubble: EBAY. ebay
51. Oil acronym: ARCO. Atlantic Richfield Company. We had the Atlantic gas stations here and there when I was growing up in the Youngstown Pittsburgh area. Then they became ARCOs, and soon thereafter were retrofitted as other gas station chains.
56. Phantasy Star Online publisher: SEGA. An online Role Playing Game (RPG).
57. Bygone dynast: TSAR. In my mind, the spelling for the hereditary Russian rulers should be TSARs. The spelling for business leaders and heads of departments should be czars, such as "Energy Czar William Simon". When solving crosswords, I follow that self-created rule unless the perps force a change. Rich seems to have the same proclivity.
59. Mouse in Disney's "Cinderella": GUS. The intersection of Gus and Ensor did me in today. If I ever knew of this little fellow, I forgot.
Theme: Could I get the scam on the side? As the diner said to the huckster.
The reveal tells us what to look for:
54. Freelance for extra income ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: SIDE HUSTLE. The first or last word is the hustle, depending on which side of the grid the entry is placed.
16A. *Goof off: FOOL AROUND
24A. *Mecca for sci-fi and superhero fans: COMIC CON. A lot of the attendees take it pretty "seriously", quite the colorful crew:
29A. *Trace-amount precipitation: SNOW FLURRIES. Thankfully rare in Los Angeles. I did my share of cold back in the old country. I'd not heard of "snow" in the context of a hustle before.
39A. *Object of Jason's quest: GOLDEN FLEECE. I always think of the skeleton-fighting scene from the movie "Jason and the Argonauts". Not bad special effects for 1963.
46A. *Make flashy modifications to: TRICK OUT. There's a whole culture of auto trick-outery here in Southern California.
This looks to be the second LAT collaboration between John-Clark and Jeff, the first was just back in May, and very enjoyable this was too. Entertaining theme, fun fill and some nice cluing and misdirection. Let's see what jumps out:
Across:
1. Like challah bread: EGGY
5. Obligations: DEBTS
10. Pistons' org.: N.B.A.
13. Broadway seductress: LOLA. From the musical "Kinky Boots". The Broadway production went dark this April after more than 2,500 performances. The impressarios got their money back on that one!
14. Threepio's pal: ARTOO. Star Wars droids, as we all know.
15. Take the show on the road: TOUR
18. Stunt legend Knievel: EVEL. His son, Robbie, continues the family tradition.
19. Suit parts: VESTS. Could be COATS or PANTS so wait for some help from the crosses.
20. Gross sales, on an income statement: TOP LINE
22. Juices up: FUELS
25. Jessica of the "Fantastic Four" films: ALBA
26. Mysterious power: ESP.
28. Votes against: NOES
33. Burden: TAX. Don't get me started.
34. Co-star/co-creator Issa __ of HBO's "Insecure": RAE. No clue, thank you crosses. I used to get HBO as a "bonus" when I switched providers, but I never watched anything on there, so I cancelled when my free trial was done.
35. Prefix with -gram: ANA. I find it disappointing you can't make an anagram out of anagram. I'm going to start a company called "Garmana" just so there is one.
36. Quick drink: NIP
42. Oil cartel: OPEC
44. Commotion: ADO
45. __ Stefani, returning coach on "The Voice": GWEN. She's great, I loved the third No Doubt album "Tragic Kingdom". Here's the breakout single.
49. Puts on Facebook: POSTS
50. Alerts on the road: HONKS AT. Generally not an alert, more a frustration-reliever.
51. Often-dystopian conflict: WW III
53. "Er, I'd rather not": UM, NO
58. Start of D-Day?: DEES. Two "D"s begin "D-Day". Nice clue.
59. Like Navy SEALs: ELITE
60. Run like heck: TEAR
61. Nursery roll: SOD
62. Intuit: SENSE
63. Watson who played Hermione in Harry Potter films: EMMA
Down:
1. Sprite: ELF
2. Muck: GOO
3. Car storage spot: GLOVE BOX. Very nice, took me a while to see the misdirection here.
4. Sonia Sotomayor's alma mater: YALE LAW
5. Pub flier: DART
6. Greek Cupid: EROS. No more Eros lessons, I think you've all got it now. Class dismissed.
7. Approx. 1,055 joules: B.T.U. British Thermal Units. Rule Britannia!
8. Depp's "Lone Ranger" role: TONTO
9. Genesis city of sin: SODOM
10. Beginner: NOVICE
11. __ Aires: BUENOS. A city on my bucket list to visit. I've worked for companies with an office there, but never managed to swing a trip.
12. "Over the Rainbow" composer: ARLEN. Harold Arlen was a musical machine - he wrote the melodies for many, many songs. "Over the Rainbow" was voted the 20th Century's No. 1 song by RIAA and the National Endowment for the Arts.
15. AT&T and Verizon: TELCOS. I think AT&T might be considered a little more than a telco with the acquisition of DirecTV and the takeover of Time Warner.
17. Pack animal: ASS
21. __ gland: organ that secretes melatonin: PINEAL
22. Extreme diet: FAST
23. Forearm bone: ULNA
24. Life-saving proc.: C.P.R. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Long desscription for something you need in a hurry. Thank you, abbreviations.
26. Mideast airline: EL AL
27. Took to court: SUED
30. Monastic garments: FROCKS. I call 'em cassocks, but what do I know?
31. South African capital: RAND
32. Recon target: INFO
36. One may trend on Twitter: NEWS ITEM
37. "Law & Order: SVU" actor: ICE T. The NYPD's Special Victim's Unit is the basis for this version of the franchise.
38. Pilot products: PENS. I've got one next to my laptop as we speak. I love the thin stylus and free-flowing ink.
39. Sticky-toed lizards: GECKOS
40. Wear (away): EAT
41. Chanel fragrance for men: EGOISTE. Seems to be missing a "T" and adding an "E", but that's what you get with product names. I suppose "EGOTIST" doesn't send many positive connotations.
42. Words that begin the line before "Deny thy father and refuse thy name": O ROMEO!
43. Determined precisely, with "down": PINNED
46. Dull sounds: THUDS
47. Caravan stops: OASES
48. Functional: UTILE
49. More, on a score: PIU. Learning moment for me, I think. I know I'm going to forget about it in about 30 seconds time, but at least I've seen it now.
51. Dampens: WETS
52. Roller coaster cry: WHEE! Not me, the only coaster that doesn't scare me to death is the one I put my cocktail on.
55. Racket: DIN
56. Quick flight: LAM. Nice misdirection, I was on the "short HOP" track at first.
57. Eventful chapter: ERA. The penny dropped, I was thinking of novels at first.
Here's the grid in all its "edgy" detail, and I think I'm out of blog.
Them: 'FRAID SO [Homophonically speaking.] A bookend theme: the entries all begin with FRand end in AY, which when united spell the word FRAY, not to be confused with the extended FREY clan of Game of Thrones infamy. But I digress.
17 A. Squander little by little: FRITTER AWAY. To FRITTER [without away] means to break into small fragments; as a noun, it means fragments or shreds. So the definition given here is apt.
25 A. Unstructured recreation: FREE PLAY. Also well defined. Perhaps a way to achieve the previous theme entry with your available time.
38 A. Inlet in an Otis Redding hit song: FRISCOBAY. Otis finds another way to achieve the first theme entry in this song, released after his death, entitled [Sittin' On] The Dock of the Bay. This is getting a bit meta.
54. Ruffles snack company: FRITOLAY. Maker of Fritos, Doritos, Sun Chips, Cheetos and more. Can theses smallish items be considered FRITTERS? You decide.
64. Worn-look fabric style that this puzzle's four other longest answers exhibit?: FRAYEDEDGES. Like this on fabric. Are the edges being FRITTERED AWAY? And, of course, the split word FRAY bookends the theme entries. So, there you have it.
Hi, Gang, it JazzBumpa, jumping into the FRAY. Nicely executed theme - not much more to say about it. So let us venture forth boldly into this puzzle - unafrayed.
Across:
1. Santa __: Sonoma County seat: ROSA. Many Santas. Needed perps
5. Cordelia, to Regan: SISTER. Daughters of King Lear, along with the unfortunately named Goneril.
11. Small ammo: BBs. Spherical pellets shot from a certain kind of air gun. Per Wikipedia, "The term BB originated from the nomenclature of the size of steel shots used in a shotgun. Size "BB" shots were normally 0.180 in (4.6 mm) . . ."
14. At risk of offending, for short: UN-PC. Not Politically Correct.
15. "Play more!": ENCORE. An additional song or musical selection played after the planned program is complete, as requested by the audience.
16. Variety: ILK. Type
19. Foot the bill: PAY. End up paying for something, especially if the charge is large or unreasonable. Sad.
20. Expedia info: FARES. Expedia is an American based travel company that provides FARES and other information for world-wide travel.
21. "__ Tu": 1974 hit sung in Spanish: ERES.
22. Boozer: SOT. Alcoholic.
23. Nike rival: ADIDAS. Sports shoes.
28. Back muscle, familiarly: LAT. More formally, Latissimus dorsi the muscle connecting the upper extremity to the back bone. Mine are typically tight, probably from my trombone addiction.
29. Garnet or ruby: RED. Shades of meaning.
31. Double helix part: STRAND. Come on, baby, let's do the twist.
37. Small pies: TARTS. Small filled pastries without a top crust.
41. "Hello" singer: ADELE.
44. Subway fare?: HERO. A sandwich of meat, cheese and vegetables made on a long roll that can be purchased at, frex, the Subway sandwich shop. A fee is involved.
45. Pollen pouches: SACS. The structures in seed plants where pollen is produced.
49. Overhaul: REVAMP. Improve the form, appearance and structure of something.
51. Inquire: ASK. Asking minds want to know.
53. Stick in the closet?: MOP. "Stick" is a noun here, and it has a head.
57. Mogadishu native: SOMALI. A resident of Somalia, a failed nation on the horn of Africa.
59. Master: ACE.
60. __ Bator: ULAN. The capital of Mongolia, on the Tuul River.
62. "Beauty and the Beast" role: BELLE. Per Wikipedia, she "is the non-conforming daughter of an inventor who yearns to abandon her predictable village life in return for adventure." The rest is herstory.
63. Olive center: PIT. A hard seed.
66. Ginger __: ALE. A carbonated soft drink made with -- wait for it . . . ginger!
68. "Othello" villain: IAGO. He is Othello's standard bearer, but he hates Othello and seeks his downfall by trying to make him believe his wife is unfaithful with his lieutenant, Cassio.
69. '60s hallucinogen: LSD. Lysergic Acid Diethyamide. Have a nice trip.
70. Shiny photo: GLOSSY. Type of finish surface on the photo paper
2. Tracked by air traffic control: ON RADAR. What the bleep is that?
3. Bar supply: SPIRITS. Liquors that have been distilled to increase the alcohol content.
4. Didn't just sit there: ACTED. Did something.
5. "I __ what you did there": SEE. Acknowledging someone's cleverness.
6. Memo starter: IN RE. With regard to --
7. Winter neckwear: SCARF. A fabric item worn to maintain warmth and ward off the elements.
8. Cell network structure: TOWER. I was so stuck on biological cells that when this answer emerged I was totally confused. Of course this refers to the place where antennae are place for cell phone transmissions. Which prompts the question: does anyone still use their phone to actually call somebody?
9. Clears a whiteboard: ERASES. Or a blackboard. Works either way.
10. King of Spain: REY. Literal translation
11. Like many magnets: BIPOLAR. Having both north and south poles.
12. Glaringly obvious: BLATANT. In your face.
13. Big __ Country: Montana: SKY. Don't let them fool you. The sky is the same size everywhere. But in Michigan, you often can't see it for the clouds.
18. Ivan the Terrible, e.g.: TSAR. One of many Russian emperors, prior to 1917.
22. Turns the hose on: SPRAYS. Fun way to end up single.
24. Rig on the road: SEMI. Tractor trailer rig.
26. James of jazz: ETTA.
27. Golf course meas.: YDS. Distance from tee to green, in yards.
30. Superspeed boy in "The Incredibles": DASH.
33. Recently: OF LATE.
35. Curling surface: ICE. This is a game in which large, flat stones are slid along a smooth ICE surface into a target area.
36. Toon explorer: DORA. Found this on FaceBook recently.
39. San __, Italy: REMO. A city on the Mediterranean located in the extreme western part of Italy. San and Santa - near clechoes.
40. Overseer: BOSS.
41. Greeting at a dog park: ARF.
42. Throws off track: DERAILS.
43. Thrown out: EVICTED.
46. Dental filling material: AMALGAM. Despite containing about 50% elemental mercury, it is considered to be safe.
47. Dartmouth, e.g.: COLLEGE. An institute of higher learning.
48. Watches through binoculars, maybe: SPIES ON.
50. Like lions and tigers and bears: PLURAL. Yes they are plurals. No, I do not like self-referential clues.
52. 18-time NBA All-Star Bryant: KOBE. According to some, the 12th best player ever.
55. Texas mission: ALAMO. Famous for the battle of 1836, when Texas was seceding from Mexico. In a 13 day siege the garrison stationed there was almost completely wiped out.
58. Mass __: MEDIA. With tulips in my mind, I guess, I confidently filled in MANIA. That was a set back. The correct answer refers to news and communication outlets, like publications, broadcasting and the internet.
61. Guitarist Cline of the band Wilco: NELS. Was this a Natick for anyone else?
65. Kit letters: DIY. Do It Yourself. A kit is the set of parts, pieces and tools required to build some thing. Good luck and - yeah - do read the instructions.
