Sunday, August 11, 2019 John Lampkin

Theme:  "Poetry Slam" -  Part of each theme entry is replaced by a sound-like poetry term.

23A. Shakespeare's ghostwriters?: SONNET COMMITTEE. Senate committee.

45A. "Another day, another $%&! Grecian urn"?: SAME ODE SAME ODE. Same old same old. Double ode action.

68A. "Religious Poetry Writing for Dummies" reminder?: PSALM ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. Some Assembly Required. Biblical poem.

94A. Love song written while playing hooky?: ABSENTEE BALLAD. Absentee ballot.

121A. Chaucer's workflow?: FROM BARD TO VERSE. From bad to worse. Another double word replacements.

16D Poet known for her footwork?: IAMB WOMAN. I'm Woman. (Edited: I Am Woman. Thanks, D-Otto.)

81D Tennyson lecture?: IDYLL TALK. Idle talk.

So nice to see John back. He never fails to deliver much-needed humor and fun into our Sunday grids. I'd never dreamed of FROM BARD TO VERSE. Such an imaginative brain.

John put two of this shortest theme entries in Down slots and made sure that the longest non-theme fill are 8-letter long. This way the theme entries clearly stood out.

Across:

1. Wacky: MADCAP.

7. Subterranean queen: ANT. And 12D. 7-Across, to an aardvark: PREY. John sent us below pic with this caption: "Carpenter Ant chowing down on a caddisfly. Since the wings are hairy, the ant will spit them out. I mean, would YOU eat them?"

10. Reaction to a trip: OOPS. Stumble "trip". Not a trip to China.

14. Throw out: EVICT.

19. Eight-time Best Actor Oscar nominee: O'TOOLE (Peter). And 118. How many Oscars 19-Across won: NONE. He did receive an Honorary Oscar.

20. Cloud content: MOISTURE. Not Pictures and files.

22. Queen topper: TIARA.

25. Let in: ADMIT.

26. Neither surfeit nor dearth, informally: ENUF.

27. Lie about one's age?: FAKE ID. Great clue/answer.

28. Heavenly harp: LYRA.

30. Decreases: EBBS.

31. Go after: SET UPON.

33. Aspiring singer's aid: DEMO.

35. Flexible joint: ELBOW.

37. What a ritardando gradually gets: SLOWER.

40. Very likely will, after "is": BOUND TO.

42. Be beholden (to): OWE.

49. Short notes: MEMOS.

51. Pete's wife on "Mad Men": TRUDY. Played by Alison Brie.

52. Fits: SUITS.

53. Places for drinks on tracks: CLUB CARS.

56. Pacino and Roker: ALS.

57. Florida horse country city: OCALA.

59. Streaker's covering: SKIN. This clue makes me smile.

60. __ account: ON NO.

61. Faced: MET.

62. Cloudy: GRAY.

63. Assist in the gym: SPOT.

66. Landscaper's truckload: FILL. 

75. All of Sartre's "No Exit"?: ACT I. "No Exit" is an one-act play.

76. Cut with light: LASE.

77. "... bug in __": A RUG.

78. Giant Manning: ELI.

79. Omit: SKIP.

82. Env. fattener: ENCL.

84. Smarts measured by the ounce?: SENSE. I don't get this clue.

86. Muscle that sounds like a kiss: PEC. Peck.

87. "Me too": AND SO DO I.

89. One way to run: ALONG. And 7. One way to run: AMOK. Clue echoes.

91. Play division: SCENE.

93. Excited, with "up": KEYED.

98. Cooked sushi fish: EEL. Yep. Always cooked. Eel blood is highly toxic.

99. "My goose is cooked!": I'M TOAST.

102. Baroque: ORNATE.

103. Like some rovers: LUNAR.

105. Buzz: STIR.

107. Really feared: DREADED.

111. Panthers' school: PITT.  Pittsburgh Panthers.

113. Dessert options: PIES.

115. Enter, as data: TYPE IN.

119. Be of help: AVAIL.

124. Many a quartet's bottom line: CELLO.

125. Relaxed: LOOSENED.

126. Produce visibly, as a sweat: WORK UP.

127. Young ones: TYKES.

128. Great times: EONS.

129. Bond, for one: SPY. James Bond.

130. Burns subjects: LASSES. This refers to Robert Burns, right?

Down:

1. Legendary mountain climber: MOSES.

2. Even things: ATONE.

3. Toroid treat: DONUT.

4. Addlepated: CONFUSED.

5. Pub patron's pint: ALE.

6. Bowser's bagful: PET FOOD.

8. Destination of the 1925 diphtheria serum run: NOME. More details here.

9. Bashful: TIMID.

10. Baseball's "Little Giant": OTT.

11. Audibly: OUTLOUD.

13. Get sore: SEE RED.

14. Sorority vowel: ETA.

15. YouTube upload: VIDEO. In case you missed, here is our blogging team again. Almost viral, as Lemonade said.

17. Wah-wah source?: CRIB.

18. Pix from needles: TATS.

21. Subsidiary wager: SIDE BET.

24. Enthusiastic kids' plea: CAN WE.

29. Music genre prefix: ALT. Alt-rock, e.g.

32. Bit of subterfuge: PLOY.

34. Bucolic outbursts: MOOS.

36. Tank: BOMB.

38. Lamb literature: ESSAYS. Charles Lamb.

39. Castro of Cuba: RAUL.

41. Smooch and stuff: NECK.

43. Frayed: WORN.

44. Canadian gas: ESSO.

45. Item sold in sheets: STAMP.

46. Van Gogh milieu: ARLES.

47. "How many roads __ man walk down ... ": Dylan: MUST A.

48. Swamp gas: MIASMA.

50. Intestinal bacterium: E COLI.

54. Career military members: LIFERS.

55. Matchless: UNIQUE.

57. Elocuted: ORATED.

58. Vegas attraction: CASINO.

59. Oinker's digs: STY.

62. Yukon or Denali: GMC.

64. "NewsHour" airer: PBS.

65. "Little House" family name: OLESON. "Little House" antagonist Nellie Oleson.

67. Schlep: LUG. We schlepped lots of cards to the card show yesterday. The show continues today.

Boomer, 8/10/2019

69. Interruption: LAPSE.

70. Plumber's piece: ELL.

71. Forest __: RANGER.

72. Drive away: REPEL.

73. Colleague of Ruth and Sonia: ELENA.

74. Chopped into cubes: DICED.

79. Asian libation: SAKE. I love both Sushi and Sashimi. But only drink sake with Sashimi.

80. __ pants: KNEE.

83. "Bye!": CIAO.

85. Prefix with dermal: ENTO.

88. One-eyed Norse deity: ODIN. He sacrifed his eye for wisdom. Here played by Anthony Hopkins.

89. No. 2: ASST.

90. The Beatles' "words of wisdom": LET IT BE.

91. Asian appetizer: SATE.

92. Soaps and vacuums: CLEANERS.

95. Oboe kin: BASSOON.

96. Stop seeing someone: END IT.

97. Unintentional rat poison victim: BARN OWL.

100. Trailhead handout: MAP.

101. Minor matter: TRIFLE.

104. Handy: UTILE. Not a word I use.

106. "__ Hope": '70s-'80s soap: RYAN'S.

108. Nerds: DORKS.

109. Follow: ENSUE.

110. Oceanic abysses: DEEPS.

111. Concord: PACT.

112. 2017 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Phil __: IVEY.

114. Suffix with buck: EROO.

116. Job in a kitchen: PREP.

117. Whitewater challenge: EDDY.

120. Alhambra article: LOS.

122. Ed.'s stack: MSS.

123. U.S. govt. broadcaster: VOA. They broadcast in Mandarin Chinese & Cantonese.

 C.C.

 

Saturday, August 10, 2019, Evan Kalish

  Saturday Themeless Puzzle by Evan Kalish

On this day we celebrate one of America's favorite pastimes - Bowling. This sport has always been big in my family and this past winter my nephew carried a 225 average on Fremont High School's state championship bowling team

For National Bowling Day, I get to post a video of the best video/blogger I know - Doug (call me Boomer) Burnikel as he rolls his twentieth perfect 300 game!

Today's constructor is Evan Kalish who lives in Queens, NY. Besides producing wonderful puzzles,  you can go to his web site and learn about him and his amazing hobby of collecting photographs of as many American post offices as he can. He has surpassed the 30,000 level but told me that NE and ND are the two states which he has not visited in over ten years.

Here you can click on any state and cities in that state will pop up where you can click on the link to the left of that city and see a picture of that town's post office that Evan has posted.

Evan calls his quest Postlandia. The picture Evan is holding here is of the post office in the unincorporated community of Yellow Jacket, Colorado.

When I contacted Evan, he had this to say about today's puzzle: "This puzzle descends from my first attempt at one with a central 13-stack, another version of which was published a few weeks back in the New York Times. While I first attempted this construction back in 2013, it was only years later (with decent software, a word list, and some actual constructing skill) that I achieved what I thought was a satisfactory puzzle."

I then asked Evan if he knew of C.C. and he was effusive in his praise for her skills!

Fremont, Nebraska 68025

And now, fresh from the 68025 Zip Code, let's see what Evan has, uh, posted for us:

Across:

1. It's read monthly: GAS METER - Here in 68025, METERS are read remotely.

9. Myers partner in personality type research: BRIGGS - Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine Cook BRIGGS created a personal inventory. Here you can take an online version of the test to see where you fit below:

32. Exam given in spots?: RORSCHACH TEST - Here's an online version of that too

15. Part of a backup plan: AUTO SAVE - Is very useful if your battery suddenly dies

16. "Ni-i-ice!": OH COOL.

17. Walked all over: TRAMPLED and 56. Completely dominated: ATE ALIVE.


18. Word on some special plates: DEALER.

19. Klutzes: OAFS.

20. Understand: KNOW.

22. Added conditions: ANDS - "No Ifs, ____ or Buts" I've never heard it elsewhere

23. Two-tone shirt wearer: REF(eree) - Also called Zebras (or worse) by fans

24. Word with side or prop: BET - A side BET or a Prop (proposition) BET is made on a issue apart from the outcome of the game. e.g. In the 2019 Super Bowl you could make a prop bet on whether any team will score a touchdown in less time that it took for Gladys Knight to sing the National Anthem

25. Crunch beneficiaries: ABS and 9. Gym rat's pride: BOD - Exhibit A

27. Like: A LA - A LA mode means fashion of the day but that phrase is now usually indicates "served with ice cream"

29. Contributed to: FED 

30. Issuer of three-part nos.: SSA - Here's a famous number the Social Security Administration issued to this guy when he was working in Des Moines, Iowa

31. Gulf of __: OMAN - Evan, here is a picture of the Duqm Village, OMAN Post Office. No charge! 😙

35. "I know, right?": TELL ME ABOUT IT.

36. Hypothetical apocalyptic climate effect: NUCLEAR WINTER - Massive nuclear events could cause firestorms whose smoke would block the Sun

37. Single: ONLY.

38. Transparent collectible: CEL.

39. Sticker in a garden: BUR - In 1941 George de Mestral, inspired by the BURS that stuck on his clothing, used biomimicry to invent Velcro.  

40. Issa of "The Mis-adventures of Awkward Black Girl": RAE.

41. Islands sound: SKA - All you could want to know

42. __ stop: BUS.

43. Hold up: ROB.

46. Red state?: RASH - Maybe you could use our old cwd friend Aloe Vera

48. Hideout: LAIR.

50. Term popularized by le Carré: MOLE - Le Carré introduced this term for an insider spy in his 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 

51. Have a positive impact: DO GOOD - Our Oahu guide said, "Missionaries came to Hawaii to DO GOOD and wound up doing very well"

53. Rustic home: LOG CABIN - Who was the last U.S. President to be born in a LOG CABIN which is shown here?. Hint: He was elected in 1880 (Answer at bottom of blog *)

55. Outwitted, in a way: ELUDED.

57. Div. with MLB's southernmost team: NL EAST - MLB thought the Miami Marlins would attract baseball-crazy Hispanic fans but that didn't happen and they now have the worst attendance in baseball

58. Rush hour metaphor: SARDINES - A 50-lane traffic jam in China


Down:

1. Gainesville athlete: GATOR - Their fans do the GATOR Chomp

2. Glowing rings: AURAE - Various characteristics of different AURAE

3. Servers and such: STAFF.

4. Spring honorees: MOMS.

5. Unverified way of seeing: ESP.

6. Exchanged insults, as competitors: TALKED SMACK - Yeah, I think we know who "said" this

7. Wedding, for one: EVENT - The last wedding EVENT we attended had a 15-min ceremony and then food 5-min later! Yay!

8. Second chance: REDO - Alexander Hamilton did not get one of these in Weehawken, NJ (Evan's picture of its current post office)

10. Emu relatives: RHEAS - The mystery of the flightless birds

11. Confident assertion: I CAN.

12. Middle Eastern leader who grew up in Milwaukee: GOLDA MEIR - In 1917 Golda married Morris Myerson in Milwaukee. She later changed her name to MEIR

13. What an anchor does: GOES LAST - In a relay race, the anchor runs the last leg

14. Camera initials: SLR - Here 'ya go

21. Sinus-clearing condiment: WASABI on a 35. Sushi bar order: TUNA ROLL.

24. TV comedy pioneer: BERLE - Uncle Miltie wore thin on me

26. Nonkosher lunch, probably: BACON BURGER - This one has 780 calories and 113% of your daily saturated fat value.

28. Tiny tunneler: ANT.

29. Recklessness: FOLLY - This is the bank draft that paid $7.2M to Russia (about 2 cents/acre) for Seward's FOLLY

30. Wrapped accessory: SHAWL.

31. Web-footed animal: OTTER.

32. Group of local amateur teams: REC LEAGUE - REC(reation) LEAGUE


33. Oreo O's, e.g.: CEREAL - Our ubiquitous friend Oreo in the clue rather than in the fill

34. Many Rwandans: HUTUS - Hotel Rwanda showed the violence of the HUTU/TUTSI conflict 

36. Paired conjunction: NOR - Did anyone else think of the U.S. Postal Service motto?

41. Sole providers?: SHOES.

42. Flora and fauna: BIOTA.

43. Crime-fighting sidekick: ROBIN - "Holy Crossword, Batman!"

44. Antipasto morsel: OLIVE  - From anti (latin for before) and pastus (latin for food) - an appetizer course 

45. "Seinfeld" surname: BENES - Elaine's last name

47. Source of fizz: SODA.

49. Remark with a sigh: ALAS.

50. Neighbor of Algeria: MALI - For me here in Fremont, NE, the phrase "From here to Timbuktu, MALI" indicates about 5,600 miles

51. Cubs' home: DEN.

52. Early EPA concern: DDT - The debate continues as to whether its ability to control malaria balances its ecological effect 

54. Scoundrel: CAD.

I hope you found the picture of the post office in your Zip Code. Meanwhile you can electronically send us any comment you have on Evan's puzzle and save a trip to the aforementioned post office.

p.s. Evan, et al, this is what the post office in my hometown of Arlington, NE looked like when a building being torn down next door fell in an unexpected fashion two years ago. The post office (68002) has since been repaired.

* James Garfield was the last American president to be born in a LOG CABIN

Friday, August 9, 2019, Alicia Bachman and Kurt Krauss

Title: Up the down staircase.

Hi, Lemonade here. This is my fifth exposition of a Kurt Krauss' puzzle and his 26th overall. It appears to be the debut for Alicia. I found this to be a very easy Friday, but perhaps because I saw the gimmick as soon as I had solved the first stack of six. I do have the advantage of looking for this type of theme after many years of blogging. I have done many puzzles which require reading words backward, in this case from the bottom to top. Kurt ties this all together by having the phrases each involve one of the suits in a deck of cards. This is revealed by 25A. Gets ready for the big game ... and a hint to four puzzle answers: SUITS UP (7).

Generally, I get the puzzle partially solved and see a theme. I then look for the sparkly fill, which in this case revealed ARRIBA, BOLERO, TRALEE, ISHMAEL,  RETWEET,  ROYAL WE, and  TRACTOR. Then all that is left is the write-up, so let's go.

5D. Preliminary drudgery: KROW EDAPS (9). SPADE WORK is defined as routine or difficult preparatory work.

10D. Layered lunch order: HCIWDNAS BULC (12). The CLUB SANDWICH was invented in 1894 at an exclusive gambling house in Saratoga Springs, New York, that was called the Saratoga Club House.

21D. Regal headpiece: ARAIT DNOMAID (12). A DIAMOND TIARA like Liz's 

37D. EKG reading: TAEB TRAEH (9).  The electrocardiogram is a test that measures the electrical activity of the HEARTBEAT.

Across:

1. i follower: POD. Since they market both an iPad and an iPod...

4. Cookout aid: SKEWER. We have our mini-theme of meat. Satay or shish kebab?

10. Butcher's assortment: HAMS. Also, bloggers.

14. Blond one in a bar: ALE. Why is there an "E" sometimes in that word? The ANSWER. Starbucks uses the term for its lightly roasted coffee.

15. Cry from a toon sombrero wearer: ARRIBA.

16. Scratcher: CLAW. The downside of kitty pets.

17. Dog star's first name?: RIN. TIN TIN.

18. Hang around: LOITER. This used to be a crime.

19. Hebrides isle: IONA. The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland.

20. King's self-allusion: ROYAL WE. The origin of this pronoun has been traced variously to 1169, when the English king Henry II used it to mean “God and I,” and to King Richard I, whose use of the pronoun bolstered his claim to be acting in concert with the deity and to be the ruler by divine right. I love the use of "allusion."

22. Share with followers, in a way: RETWEET. Do the Royals ever retweet?

24. Westchester County city known for its Playland: RYE. Clearly an invitation for some WRY HUMOR.

25. Pricey strings: STRADivariuses.

26. Civil rights icon Parks: ROSA. Her Q Score has gone way up recently.

29. Roman god: DEUS. The Latin word.

31. Put (out): SNUFF. A troublesome word for me as it is associated with the films in my head.

35. Others, to Ovid: ALII. More Latin.

36. "Exodus" hero: ARI. The movie version was Paul Newman.

37. Ad to lure you in: TEASER.

38. Windshield option: TINT. You can only tint a small area of the windshield.

39. Two-time Wimbledon champ Kvitová: PETRA.  There is more to her STORY than tennis.

41. Ward of "Sisters": SELA.

42. Sidesteps: EVADES.

44. Formally seek justice: SUE. More likely to seek money.

45. Take off: BOLT. Usain?

46. November 1 honoree: SAINT. All Saints' Day to many.

47. 24-Across, briefly: BURB.

48. Señor's "some": UNAS. Hmm...algunos, algunas, algún, unos, unas, algo de all mean "some."

49. Leading: ONTOP.

51. __ Aviv: TEL.

53. Melville narrator: ISHMAEL. The opening line in MOBY DICK.

56. County fair sight: TRACTOR.

60. Classic role for Carrie: LEIA. The late Carrie Fisher in STAR WARS.

61. Antique photos: SEPIAS.

63. Supermarket chain: IGA. Independent Grocers Alliance. They operate franchises in 30 countries.

64. Four Tops frontman Stubbs: LEVI. A cornerstone of Motown and a rare baritone frontman.

65. Seat of County Kerry: TRALEE. This was not in my wheelhouse. As they say, it took 6 perps. Kerry's County town, Tralee is at the base of the majestic Dingle Peninsula in the southwest of Ireland.

66. Swelter: FRY. I did not see this for too long.

67. Didn't dillydally: SPED.

68. Vinny famously called them "utes" in a "My Cousin Vinny" courtroom scene: YOUTHS.

69. Amount to pay: FEE.

Down:

1. Henry VIII's last wife: PARR. She is back again.

2. Assortment: OLIO. A regular CSO for C.C.

3. Reject: DENY.

4. Magnetic Field?: SALLY. "You like me!" A Friday deception.

6. Ashtabula's lake: ERIE. The millionth use of this fill. Abejo is number 1.

7. Joker: WIT.

8. "Roger __ Book of Film": 1996 publication: EBERT'S.

9. Harder to find: RARER.

11. Cream additive: ALOE. Aloe is often in the creams but I use it in its purest form.

12. Locks in a barn: MANE. Cute horse pun.

13. Whack: SWAT.

23. Zap: TASE. I've done "Don't tase me bro" enough.

26. Utility company listing: RATES.

27. '60s-'70s Twins star Tony: OLIVA. A bonus for C.C. - baseball and Minnesota Twins great.

28. Scene of frequent Middle East unrest: SINAI.

30. Before, before: ERE. Very cute clue/fill.

32. Apply to: USE ON.

33. "The Most Happy __": 1956 musical: FELLA. I know the songs, but not the play.

34. Toga party places: FRATS. FRATernitieS.

40. Robot play: RUR.

43. Peak seen from Messina: ETNA.

47. Ravel work immortalized in "10": BOLERO.

50. Cantankerous: TESTY. Just relax. Let us provide a way that...

52. Facilitates: EASES.  Your...

53. Misfortunes: ILLS.

54. Flow slowly: SEEP.

55. Queen's home: HIVE. Bees, not royals.

56. Tower of Pisa feature: TILT. We just had the lean explained here, didn't we?

57. Bit of bickering: TIFF. Noun. 1727, "outburst of temper," later "petty quarrel" (1754), of uncertain origin; OED suggests imitative, "from the sound of a slight puff of air or gas."

58. Fairy tale baddie: OGRE.

59. Madcap Martha: RAYE. We share the same birthday though she had 32 years on me.

                                              LINK

62. Six-time NBA All-Star __ Gasol: PAU.

There you have it. A Friday Funday. For those of you who hate this type of puzzle, see you in two weeks. It stretches the mind to see things in new ways. Or not. Thank you, Alicia and Kurt. Lemonade out.

Thursday, August 8th 2019 Roland Huget

Theme: Dennis Rodman - he created so many random news stories during his career, he seems a good theme title

17A. Annual e-tail sale event: CYBER MONDAY

25A. Expensive gift: DIAMOND RING. Here's one currently on eBay for $155,000 from Illinois. They don't say if you get free postage, I'm not bidding if I have to pay USPS. Pah.

38A. Old West wanted poster figure: REWARD MONEY

51A. Apollo craft: LUNAR MODULE. Lunar Excursion Module officially, but we'll LEM, or I mean LET that one go.

61A. Ideal deck-shuffling goal ... and a hint to a hidden word, and how it appears, in the four other longest answers: RANDOM ORDER, Surely random disorder? I think I see the point, but the reveal fell a little flat for me.

Simple enough theme from Roland, but still a lot of challenge to work through. I think we would all have navigated this one safely.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Shelves for cooking: RACKS

6. Image problem, briefly: BAD P.R.

11. Navy letters: USS

14. Muscat native: OMANI

15. Catherine of "Best in Show": O'HARA

16. Water source: TAP. English! Faucet now.

19. Good Grips gadget brand: OXO. I have an OXO can opener. Best I've ever had. Bed, Bath and Beyond - take your 20% off coupon and get one, I'm sure you've got a pile of coupons. I tell them they should just knock 20% off all the prices and save themselves the cost of printing and mailing the coupons.

20. Distrustful: LEERY

21. Any of six classic Clue cards: WEAPON. What are they? The candlestick seems a little bludgeon-y. There! I just invented a word!

23. "I kissed thee __ I killed thee": "Othello": 'ERE. With a candlestick?

28. Folded snack: TACO. Food! I made carnitas al carbon tacos with two salsas, crema, queso and pico de gallo at the weekend. I think I passed out in a food coma.

30. Put away: HID

31. Shock, in a way: TASE

32. Sliced very thin: SHAVED. Food! I'm loving this today. Shaved truffles? Go lightly ...

35. Substantial: SOLID

41. Soprano Fleming: RENEE. Thank you, crosswords past.

42. Log on to: ACCESS

45. Barely go (through): SEEP. Hmmm. Not sure about this clue. Seep to me means slowly, not a struggle to get through a gap.

48. Like a favored project: PET

50. Govt. workplace watchdog: OSHA

56. "The Fountainhead" author Rand: AYN. I read this years ago, it was a long read. I rarely give up on a book, but this one was a challenge.

57. Build up: ACCRUE

58. Raptor's grabber: TALON

60. E'en if: THO'

66. Call someone by the wrong name, e.g.: ERR. I do this all the time, all the memory games I play just don't help. I've called long-term girlfriends the wrong name at random times. That usually doesn't go over well.

67. Outrage: ANGER

68. Small change in a small bank: PENNY

69. Catch: SEE

70. City on the Rhone: LYONS. I stalled on this one for a while, I've been to Lyon a number of times - as far as I know, unless there is another similar-named city on the Rhone, the city is called LYON. A quite beautiful place with great food. I first went there when I was 17 and was hitchhiking through France. I got dropped off at midnight by a little park where I pitched my tent. I woke up in the morning and found that I was camped on a traffic circle in the middle of the rush hour. A Gendarme drove up and told me to get the hell out of there :) I'd be happy to be corrected, about the spelling, but I'm calling this entry a rare mistake.

71. Ham it up: EMOTE

Down:

1. Big bird of myth: ROC

2. Adams of HBO's "Sharp Objects": AMY. No clue, thank you crosses.

3. Iconic San Francisco transport: CABLE CAR. Fun to ride up and down the hill from downtown to Fisherman's Wharf. Amazing that the old technology works just fine!

4. Tot's perch: KNEE

5. Fathered: SIRED

6. "Take that!": BOOYAH!

7. "Kung Fu" actor Philip: AHN. Another one, thank you crosses.

8. Pops: DAD

9. Decapod on a menu: PRAWN. I'm not sure I knew they had ten pods, whatever a pod is. I need to go and research this.

10. Like starfish: RAYED. I've love to explain this one, but I have no idea why a starfish is "rayed" - is it sunbathing? We need to explore Google.

11. Ideal place: UTOPIA

12. Battle of Hastings combatants: SAXONS. The home side. The Away team the Normans, sneaky buggers, invented shooting people in the eye with arrows. Then made a tapestry out of it. Oh well, that's why my DNA is 17% North-West French.

13. Dish cleaner: SPONGE. Whirlpool Dishwasher didn't fit.

18. Orthopedist's pic: MRI

22. Like the Empire State Building: ART DECO. Funny, I don't think of the Empire State Building as Art Deco. The Chrysler Building, yes.

23. Presumed UFO crew: E.T.'S

24. Cheering word: RAH!

26. Transgression: MISDEED

27. 2016 Tony winner Leslie __ Jr.: ODOM. Crosses again! I'd be all over (figuratively!) the basketball player.

29. Like a bogey: OVER PAR. Now this was interesting. I had the "O" in place and went for "ONE OVER". There's a lot of common letters, so unpicking the mistake wasn't straightforward.

33. Romano cheese source: EWE. Sheep. Cheese.

34. Singer Fogelberg: DAN

36. Mauna __: LOA. KEA also, so if you have the "A" wait for a cross.

37. Fortune rival: INC. Money magazines. I don't read them, maybe I should.

39. Seized wheels: REPO

40. Ambiguous response: YES AND NO

43. Short: SHY.Shy of a dollar, a dime ... short of the check.

44. Japanese title of respect: -SAN. I'd clue this as a suffix, as you don't use "SAN" alone. A man or a woman - Steve-san in my case, Zhouquin-san in C.C.'s case.

45. Roofing pieces: SLATES

46. Trick-taking card game: EUCHRE. I learned this game from some Mid-west friends. I knew I had it nailed when I "went alone" and won every trick. So much fun. My friend Laura from Illinois is an Euchre magician, just don't bet when you go up against her.

47. Recital bonus: ENCORE

49. Private teachers: TUTORS

52. Like much of Idaho: RURAL

53. Nasty type: MEANY

54. Hightail it: LAM

55. Hitch on the fly: ELOPE.

59. Utah city on I-15: OREM. Thank you, crosswords past. On the subject of Utah, when I drove to Las Vegas recently on I-15 from LA, the miles were shown to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. What was odd was that the SLC mileage was pasted over with a new number. Did it move? There were at least 10 mileage boards that I passed with an "amended" mileage.

62. Private aid prog.: NGO. I ddn't even see this while I was filling in the grid. A Non-Governmental Organization.

63. Spot for a recliner: DEN

64. Tolkien creature: ENT. A tree, who specializes in tonsil infections, stirrup problems and sinus infections ... no, wait ....

65. Manhattan liquor: RYE. Whisky, bitters, sugar and a twist of orange.

And on that happy note, Slainte!

Here's the grid!

Steve