Friday, October 18, 2019 David Alfred Bywaters

"The Ess Sense of Questionable New Phrases"

17. Iranian vocal improvisation?: PERSIAN SCAT.

24. Household employee's fraudulent ruse?: NANNY SCAM.

38. Nursery school air fresheners?: DAYCARE SCENTERS.

50. Poem that seemed awfully profound at the bar last night?: PUB SCRAWL.

62. What optical character recognition software often produces?: GARBAGE SCAN.

Across:

1. Show anxiety, in a way: PACE.

5. No good: FUTILE.

11. Prankster's projectile: EGG. 

14. Excited response to a cue: I'M ON.   It's showtime.   Break a leg !

15. Pressed: IRONED.

16. Also: TOO.

19. Primitive dwelling: HUT.   The original Pizza Hut:

20. Furniture cleaning brand: ENDUST.

21. Bar __: CAR.

22. Assistant: AIDE.

23. Web address: URL.   Uniform Resource Locator

26. Approve: AGREE TO.

29. Put into words: SAY.  Phrase.

30. Preface to a conviction: IMO.   In My Opinion.  A conviction as in a firmly held belief.

31. Product warning: AS IS.    I remember one particular auctioneer's call at the start of the auction: "You are buying as is, how is, where is."  

34. Sew up again: REHEM. 

42. First name in black-and-white photos: ANSEL.

43. Stash: STOW.

44. Cabinet dept.: AGRiculture.  "Founded in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing the United States Department of Agriculture.   Two and one-half years later, in what would be his final annual message to the Congress; Lincoln called USDA "The People's Department."   At that time, about half of all Americans lived on farms, compared with about 2 percent today."   USDA.gov/About

45. Born, in Brussels: NEE.

47. Smidge, to a laddie: WEE DROP.  

55. Realtor's unit: LOT.

56. Words of understanding: I SEE.

57. Shad product: ROE.

58. Tabloid output: SLEAZE.

61. Catch: NAB.

64. I problem?: EGO.

65. Purpose: INTENT.

66. "This is terrible!": OH NO.

67. Intl. Talk Like a Pirate Day month: SEPtember.   Arrgh !

68. Sudden reactions: STARTS. - Start:  "...of Germanic origin; related to Dutch storten ‘push’ and German stürzen ‘fall headlong, fling’.  From the sense ‘sudden movement’ arose the sense ‘initiation of movement, setting out on a journey’ and hence ‘beginning of a process, etc.’."

69. Crucial things: KEYS.   "People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made." - Joan Rivers.

Down:

1. Plumbing item: PIPE.

2. "So be it!": AMEN.

3. Casual pants: CORDUROYs.   The term corduroy comes from an 18th century English word for coarse woolen cloth (duroy) and cord, for the wales.

4. Make certain: ENSURE.   Ascertain.

5. Decree: FIAT.   Derisively, the car FIAT is an initialism for Failure In Automotive Technology.

6. Item near a sugar bowl, perhaps: URN.

7. Opera about an opera singer: TOSCA.  theopera101.com - operas - tosca

8. Peruvian of old: INCAN.

9. Comes to realize: LEARNS.

10. Summer CT clock setting: EDT.

11. Moral principle: ETHIC.

12. Big wheel in delis: GOUDA.  This isn't South Holland, Michigan:


18. Hebrides unit: ISLE.

22. So far: AS YET. 

24. Pokes (around): NOSES.   Into someone else's affairs or belongings.  Snoops.

25. Knitter's need: YARN.   Hello, Madame Defarge !

26. Opera about an African princess: AIDA.   Synopsis of Verdi's Opera, Aida

27. Gangster movie hero, perhaps: GMAN.  And 13D. 27-Down's victorious words: GOT 'EM.

28. Sailor: TAR.

32. Follower's suffix: IST.

33. Displeased look: SCOWL.  

35. Sad song subject: HEARTACHE.


36. Cogito __ sum: ERGO.   I blog, therefore I am.

37. Car sticker amt.: MSRP.   Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.   Kelley Blue Book - What is MSRP ?

39. Perfume with myrrh, say: CENSE.   Turns out cense is a verb (archaic),   therefore,   perfume is a verb rather than a noun in this clue.   We know the modern word as incense, in both noun and verb forms.   And for the second definition of the modern form in past tense, "The rookie solver was incensed with this clue."

40. Actor Guinness: ALEC.   Sir Alec Guinness

41. Lamb's dam: EWE.   Cute clue !

46. Roaming, like a knight: ERRANT.   Errant: 2. - archaic•literary: traveling in search of adventure.

48. Palindromic Parisian pronoun: ELLE.

49. Performs adequately: DOES OK.   On the second day in one of my first staff positions early in my career,  I was led down the hall by the director who introduced me to the regional vice president. "Middle of the pack is not acceptable" was all he said, meaning doing OK was not sufficient.    I guess he wasn't satisfied with the latest numbers that had come in. 

50. Longs: PINES.   A typically rural and olden usage. 

51. Treatment: USAGE.

52. Jazz style: BEBOP.  Dizzy Gillespie came to mind.

53. Vital vessel: AORTA.  Vessel: 3. - Anatomy•Zoology: a duct or canal holding or conveying blood or other fluid.

54. Barbecue brand: WEBER.   This is the design of the original Weber Genesis grill in 1985.   I bought a new one in 1989, thinking that the almost $400 price tag was steep, but it is going strong thirty years later, and I've never had to replace a single part.  My bottom shelves are composite rather than the wire rack shown.

58. Some NCOs: SGTs. Non Commissioned Officers: Sergeants. Pairs with 62D. Base figs.: GIs.  GI is an initialism for either Government Issue or General Issue because of the general items disbursed to soldiers and army airmen. Over time, GI came to mean a soldier.

59. Wacko: ZANY.  Not my cuppa for humor. 

60. First chimp in orbit: ENOS.  "Enos was the second chimpanzee launched into space by NASA. He was the first chimpanzee, and third hominid after cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov, to achieve Earth orbit. Enos' flight occurred on November 29, 1961."  - Wikipedia.  

63. Small colonist: ANT. Easy, but cute.


Check your answers against this grid:

Notes from C.C.:

Just heard from Dennis. He's recovering nicely. Already off all pain meds. Right now he's in the step-down unit and he hopes to be home next Monday. 

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

Thursday, October 17th 2019 Susan Gelfand

Theme: Times Four - four types of journalism you might find in your local newspaper:

20A. Article about life jackets?: SAFETY FEATURE. "In the unlikely event of a water landing ...." I love the euphemistic take on the ditching in the water thing, although "Sully" did a pretty good job on the Hudson.

31A. Article about a European language?: GREEK COLUMN. Your choice of three styles - Doric, Ionic or Corinthian. Here's the famous Parthenon Temple in Athens, with Doric columns to the fore.

The facade looked a lot better before Lord Elgin hacked the marble frieze off the front and took them back to England with him. The British Museum, where they are kept, are reluctant to give them back.

41A. Article about crosswords?: PUZZLE PIECE. Blog about crosswords? Right here.

55A. Article about a dessert?: ICE-CREAM SCOOP. I use a spoon, no need for a specialized tool. I don't eat a lot of ice cream, and I don't have to serve four scoops a minute like they do in my local gelato store.

Not a pun-itive puzzle from Susan; as I've said before I'm always a little nervous when I see the "?" clues, as the puns can be awful, but these didn't cause any toe-curls. The fill has a couple of clangers in there though, there's no denying that ENHALO and ACERS should forthwith be cast into the Slough of Despond, never to be seen again.

Across:

1. Quick blows: JABS

5. In need of a massage: ACHY

9. "Back to the Future" surname: MCFLY

14. Kitchen topper: OLEO. Do you top something with margarine in the kitchen? Maybe.

15. Repeatable toy vehicle sound: CHOO. Childish pâtisserie? Choo Pastry.

16. Pine or Rock: CHRIS. Nice clue. Do I know Chris Pine? I don't watch Star Trek reboots which apparently is what he's famous for.

17. Duo in the news: ITEM. Could have been one of the theme entries if you could come up with a word to prefix "ITEM".

18. Pushed the bell: RANG

19. Fountain pen precursor: QUILL

23. Whirl, so to speak: TRY. Giving it the old college whirl. Funny how some word substitutions just don't work.

24. Brewed beverages: ALES

25. Didn't let renege on: HELD TO

28. Chi follower: PSI. Second Greek reference today.

29. Bumbler: BEE. "Bumble", according to the Shorter Oxford English dictionary means "to hum, buzz, drone, or move ineptly or flounderingly." Sounds like me on a bad day.

30. Steal from: ROB

36. Serpent suffix: -INE. The first of three suffixes in the "across" section today, I think that's a little excessive. The Serpentine (pronounced "Serpen-tine") is a lake in London's Hyde park fed originally by two now-lost rivers, the Westbourne and the Tyburn. I swam 1,000 meters in there once competing in a biathlon. It was best to try to ignore the Canada goose-poop on the banks.

37. Latest thing: RAGE. Why "all the rage" and not just "the rage?" We should be told.

38. Monet medium: OIL. Money medium: OIL. Have you seen the gas prices?

39. CBS military series: NCIS. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

40. Texter's "Yikes!": OMG!

45. Solemn assurance: VOW

46. Word ending for enzymes: -ASE

47. Deli delicacy: LOX. Can you still get genuine lox (salted salmon) in a deli any more?

48. Surround, as with a glow: ENHALO. Begone.

50. Cherokee on the road: JEEP

52. Dude: BRO

58. Choral work: MOTET. Why did I knee-jerk OCTET? I should show restraint.

60. Small addition?: -ETTE

61. Honey haven: HIVE. Nice alliteration.

62. Ward off: AVERT

63. School near Windsor: ETON. Windsor couldn't be much closer to the school, pop down the High Street and walk across the bridge and you're there, two minutes, tops. Turn left for the Mango Lounge, a great Indian restaurant.

64. __-friendly: USER

65. Entourage: POSSE

66. "The Metaphysics of Morals" writer: KANT. He had enemies. "Immanuel? I just kan't stand that chap".

67. Cubs spring training city: MESA. If you say so - and so it is:

Down:

1. Support beam: JOIST

2. Destination for a wedding: ALTAR

3. Like many wrestlers: BEEFY

4. Unspecified amount: SOME. Let's enjoy a course in Advanced Mathematics with Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in "Blackadder".

5. Nail salon material: ACRYLIC

6. Irritate: CHAFE

7. Sharpens: HONES

8. Class with mats: YOGA

9. "12 Years a Slave" director Steve: MCQUEEN. No idea, but MC led me to the answer without any trouble.

10. Boor: CHURL. Nice thought-provoking moment - we've all (?) heard of being "churlish", but I'd not considered there was a noun form.

11. Panda Express staple: FRIED RICE. If you're going to fry rice, steam it and let it get cold before it hits the wok.

12. Short short?: LIL'

13. Designer monogram: YSL

21. Assignment: TASK

22. Classic 1954 horror film about giant ants: THEM. Produced by Warner Bros. using specially-trained giant ants on the Burbank studio backlot:

26. Vodka __: TONIC. And a squeeze of lime, please.

27. More than a bit heavy: OBESE

28. Middle of Tripoli?: PEE. The "P" in the middle.

29. One advocating buying: BULL. Wall Street market-speak. The bronze of the bull on Wall Street comes in for a lot of attention. Let's just say one part of the sculpture is shinier than the rest.

31. Trees of a kind, often: GROVE

32. San __, city near San Francisco: RAMON. Hands up (me!) for MATEO when I just had an A.

33. Meringue ingredients: EGG WHITES

34. Go slowly: OOZE

35. Claiborne of fashion: LIZ

39. Scuttle: NIX

41. Painter's set of colors: PALETTE

42. Biennial games org.: U.S.O.C. United States Olympic Committee, the next Summer games are in 2020, the next Winter games in 2022.

43. Mercury, for one: ELEMENT

44. Orchestra name reflecting its music: POPS. Boston.

49. Superb servers: ACERS. Oh, stop it.! I feel I'm being tickled to death by horrible crossword-ese.

50. Volkswagen sedan: JETTA

51. Big name in stationery: EATON. Friendly crossing with ETON, rather nicely done. The posh writing paper in England was Basildon Bond . I could always hear "I write on Bond, Basildon Bond".

52. Capital WNW of Cheyenne: BOISE

53. Wanders: ROVES

54. Stage performance with singing: OPERA. That's rather like saying a banquet is "a get-together with food".

56. Give a strong impression (of): REEK. Usually a bad impression. I wouldn't say that someone reeks of good manners.

57. Buddy: CHUM

58. Hiker's guide: MAP

59. Lacto-__ vegetarian: OVO. Milk and eggs are on the OK list, but no fish nor shellfish.

Well, that brings the ROVE around the crossword to a close for this week, so here's the grid:

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

1) No updates on Dennis yet. He should be out of the ICU today and move to the step-down unit.

2) Happy birthday to Wilbur Charles! What's the special plan today?

  

Wednesday, October 16, 2019 Roland Huget

Theme: Any Portmanteau in a storm.  The letters of the prefix INSTA- are scrambled, and the concept is tied together, as we shall see later, with the suffix -GRAM.

17 A. Ellington-Strayhorn hit to which Johnny Mercer later added lyrics: SATIN DOLL. Love the tune, not crazy about Mercer's lyrics.  Here is the best arrangement ever, by Sammy Nestico for the Count Basie band.

27. Storied Alpine rescuer: SAINT BERNARD.  Only maybe, as it turns out.

45. Spot treatment: STAIN REMOVER.  Cleaning agent.

59. Social networking service ... or an apt portmanteau for the starts of 17-, 27- and 45-Across: INSTAGRAM.  OK.  The letters of INSTA have been presented in various configurations, and the -GRAM suffix indicates something in writing.  And mashing them together does generate a portmanteau, sort of.  But the surface sense is at best, pretty thin; and the whole concept is a bit of a stretch.  But, high marks for creativity and originality.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here see what else awaits us in today's adventure.

Across:

1. Give a little: BEND.  Not being rigid.

5. Under-the-sink cleaners: LYES.  Caustic drain unclogging substances.  NaOH, for the technically minded.

9. Spherical: ORBED.  Round, any way you look at it.

14. On the protected side: ALEE.  Away from the wind.

15. Ward of "FBI": SELA.

For a while.

16. Author Zora __ Hurston: NEALE. [1891 -1960] An anthropologist, film maker and author of influential African-American literature.

19. Mistreat: ABUSE.

20. "The Addams Family" cousin: ITT.

21. Device for scratch removal?: ATM.  Automatic Teller Machine, for extracting cash - i.e. "scratch."

22. Something found under a chest: ABDOMEN.  Body parts.

24. Viagra competitor: LEVITRA. Now, let me get this straight  .  .  .

26. Letter starter: DEAR.  The salutation.

32. Useful: OF HELP.  Providing some benefit.

35. Drop off: WANE.  Ebb, decline, fade away.

36. Motes may be seen in one: RAY.  Dust in a sun beam.

37. Two-time Indy winner Luyendyk: ARIE.  Race car driver.

38. Two-__-one: FOR.  Typical half-off sale gimmick.

39. Air Jordan company: NIKE.  Maker of athletic shoes.

40. Thing on a ring: KEY.

41. Bodily fluids: SERA.

43. Filled with wonder: AMAZED.  Cf 49 A.

48. Senate helper: PAGE.

49. "I must be seeing things": PINCH ME.  This can't be real.

53. Reliable income source: CASH COW.

56. Coll. aides: TAs.  Teaching Assistants

57. Feel poorly: AIL.

58. Tablet download: E-BOOK.  Electronic publication.

62. Nary a soul: NO ONE. Nope -  nobody here.

63. Snap, in ads: FOTO.  Photograph, mis-abbreviated.

64. Radiation units: REMS.  Roentgen Equivalent Man is an older unit measuring the health effects of low levels of ionizing radiation on the human body.

65. In good shape: TONED.  Buff.

66. Movie lab helper: IGOR.  In various Frankenstein movies.

67. Skip over: OMIT.  Or leave out.

Down:

1. Pesto herb: BASIL.  Along with olive oil, parmesan, pine nuts and garlic.

2. Really excite: ELATE.  I see elation as happiness, rather than excitement, so I think this equivalence is pretty dicey.

3. Hulu service: NET TV.  Streaming app.

4. Opus __: "The Da Vinci Code" sect: DEI.  In real life, this group is a secretive, ultra conservative institution within the Catholic Church.

5. '60s "journey": LSD TRIP.  The experience of being under the influence of a psychotropic drug.

6. Coast Guard rank: YEOMAN.  I can't find it listed in this ranking chart.

7. Angled piece: ELL.  Named for its cross-sectional profile.

8. Self-service food station: SALAD BAR.

9. How some silly things are done: ON A DARE.  Earlier: Bet you can't/won't. Later: No, you shouldn't have.

10. Spiritually awakened: REBORN.  Generally referring to a personal religious experience.

11. Gale family creator: BAUM.  In the Wizard of Oz.

12. Otherwise: ELSE. In addition, or instead of.

13. Cook Paula: DEEN.  Southern Fried Everything.

18. Birth-related: NATAL.

23. "I've __ busy": BEEN.

25. "It's clear now": I SEE.  The scales have fallen from my eyes.

28. Clock change hr. (though most do it sooner): TWO AM.  I did not know this.

29. Nev. neighbor: ARIZ.  Two western Sts.

30. Golf bunker tool: RAKE. A bunker is a sand trap.  Golf etiquette is to smooth all footprints, ball trails and club marks.

31. Like green hair: DYED.  Artificially tinted.

32. Symbols of strength: OAKS.  Mighty trees.

33. Fingerboard bar: FRET.  "Guitars and Banjos have ‘fretboards’ as they utilise a board (usually rosewood or maple) that has metal frets slotted into it and the note is sounded via your finger as it presses the string towards the board until the string meets the fret.)"

Don't fret - I wouldn't string you along

34. Casual greeting: HI-YA.  Yo, bro.

38. Coffee shop amenity: FREE WIFI.

39. DEA operative: NARC. Short for narcotics agt.

41. Ate at the theater, say: SNACKED.  On popcorn and candy.

42. Proof word: ERGO.  Therefore -

43. One who takes off a lot: AVIATOR.  Up in the sky, it's plane to see.

44. High-scoring club?: MENSA.  Organization of high IQ individuals.

46. Selfie stick attachment: I-PHONE.  Used for taking pictures - of your face.

47. Decides one will: OPTS TO.

50. Sultan's group: HAREM. Wife collection of a Sultan.

51. Marlins' home: MIAMI.  The last place team in the NL East Division, and the 3rd worst team in all of MLB

52. Title loc. in six horror films: ELM ST.  Place for nightmares.

53. Coin often left in a dish: CENT. The U.S. penny is worth one CENT.  I'm not sure what this clue is getting at.

54. Peek-__: ABOO.  Kids' hiding and peeking game.

55. "Are we there yet?" reply: SOON.

60. Yule quaff: NOG.  A spiced dairy-based beverage with variable alcohol content.

61. Miracle-__: GRO. Garden fertilizer product.

That wraps up another Wednesday.  Hope you had a good time.

Cool regards!
JzB

Notes from C.C.:

1) Dennis' surgery yesterday went well yesterday. His wife Linda said he's in ICU right now. Please continue keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.

2) Happy Birthday to dear CrossEyedDave, the master of fun links! Dave, can you send me a recent picture?

3) Happy Birthday to our foodie Blue Hen also! Picture, maybe?

Tuesday, October 15, 2019, Michael A. Macdonald

FLASH in the Pan.  The word Flash can be proceed the first word of each theme answer to give us a new concept.

20-Across. "Hell's Kitchen" chef: GORDON RAMSAY.  As in Flash Gordon.  Flash Gordon is a science fiction comic strip hero who first appeared in 1934.

Gordon Ramsay (né Gordon James Ramsay; b. Nov. 8, 1966) is a British chef, restaurateur and food critic.

31-Across. Risky low-lying area to build on: FLOOD ZONE.  As in Flash Flood.  These two terms are close, but not the same.  The National Weather Service defines a Flash Flood as flood caused by heavy or excessive rain in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours, whereas a Flood Zone is an area that is prone to flooding for a longer period of time.

 

This event was neither a Flash Flood, nor did it occur in a Flood Zone.

48-Across. Not someone an amateur should play poker with: CARD SHARK.  As in Flash Card.  We all probably had Flash Cards when in school to help learn vocabulary, math problems, or other information.  Typically, a flash card has a question on one side and the answer on the other.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Narrative device that peeks at the future ... and a hint to the start of 20-, 31-, and 48-Across: FLASH FORWARD.

Across:

1. Bloke: CHAP.

5. Tie, in chess: DRAW.

9. Rival of Elle: VOGUE.  Both Elle and Vogue are fashion magazines.

14. Punjabi prince: RAJA.  A crossword staple.

15. Personal energy field, some say: AURA.

16. Black key wood, traditionally: EBONY.  Did you ever wonder why piano keys were in black and white?

17. Banned apple spray: ALAR.  Which crosses with 3-Down:  Cracked open, say: AJAR.  When is a door not a door?

18. Electric fan noise: WHIR.

1
9. Fix, as a loose shoelace knot: RETIE.

23. Special or covert strategies: OPs.  As in Special Operations or Covert Operations.

24. Trucker's unit: TON.

25. Owns: HAS.   //  And 11-Down: Obtained: GOT.

28. Lorelei's river: RHINE.  According to legend, Lorelei was a beautiful young German maiden who would sing enchanting songs while sitting on this huge rock on the banks of the Rhine River.  When the boatmen heard her singing, they would become so enrapt, that they would forget where they were, causing their boats to crash into the rock and they would drown.  The legend became famous after Heinrich Heine wrote this poem, which you can read in both English and German.  The Lorelei is actually a large rock formation in the curve of the Rhine River, and there have historically been a lot of boat crashes at the site.

34. Long, long time: EON.  Another crossword staple.

35. Post-WWI art movement: DADA.  Everything you wanted to know about the DADA Art Movement, but were afraid to ask.  Marcel Duchamp (1887 ~ 1968) is an artist who is closely associated with the Dada movement.

37. Affixed with a hammer: NAILED.

38. Unknown Doe: JOHN.  John or Jane?  Wait for the perps.

40. "Gymnopédies" composer: SATIE. Erik Satie (May 17, 1866 ~ July 1, 1925) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

42. High-grade cotton: PIMA.   Not to be confused with 50-Across: Adidas alternatives: PUMAs.

43. Barely make, as a living: EKE OUT.

45. Boots the ball: ERRS.

47. Serious no-no: SIN.

52. Everyday article: THE.

53. Second-tallest living bird: EMU.  These large birds make frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

54. Burger holder: BUN.

61. Camper's craft: CANOE.

64. "English breakfast" drinks: TEAS.  Everything you wanted to know about English Breakfast Tea, but were afraid to ask.

65. Bear's warning: ROAR.

66. Assumed name: ALIAS.

67. Colored eye part: IRIS.

68. Prefix for objectors: ANTI-.  As in Antidisestablishmentarianism.

69. Where to get dates: PALMS.  Cute clue!

70. __ a one: none: NARY. 71. Barely a sound: PEEP.

Down:

1. Rugged cliff: CRAG.

2. Angelic ring: HALO.

4. Formal forgiveness: PARDON.

5. Occurs to, with "on": DAWNS.

6. German coal valley: RUHR.

7. La Scala number: ARIA.  It may not have been recorded at La Scala, Milan's opera house, but it is an ARIA from Carmen, one of my favorite operas.

 

8. Become fond of: WARM TO.

9. Porch with a roof, usually: VERANDA.

10. Give heed to: OBEY.

12. Institute of higher learning, to Brits: UNI.

13. Look at intently: EYE.

21. Opinion piece: OP-ED.  I learned from doing the crosswords that OP-ED means "Opposite the Editorial Page in a newspaper, and that it expresses the opinion of the author who is not generally affiliated with the paper's editorial board.  Here are some Tips on writing an Op-Ed piece.

22. Oklahoma athlete: SOONER.  The word "sooner"became associated with Oklahoma shortly after the Land Run of 1889 to people who entered what became the State of Oklahoma before the official date designated in the Indian Appropriation Act of March 2, 1889.

25. "Total patient" philosophy: HOLISM.

26. Low-hemoglobin condition: ANEMIA.

27. Many taxis: SEDANS.

28. Not accept: REJECT.

29. Pipe smoked in trendy bars: HOOKAH.  Since it's the 2nd day of Sukkot, this clue is rather timely.  Actually, the only time I have actually seen a Hookah in a Sukkah is on a UNI campus.  It's just funny because it rhymes.

30. "Where are you?" response from a nearby room: IN HERE!

31. Govt. regulator of dietary supplements: FDA.  As in the Food and Drug Administration.

32. "I don't have time right now": LATER.

33. Nada: ZIP.

36. Inhaler user's malady: ASTHMA.

39. Nonverbal okay: NOD.

41. Really bug: IRK.

44. Having no purpose: USELESS.

46. Cowboy boot attachment: SPUR.

49. "Keep __ Weird": Texas city slogan: AUSTIN.  This slogan was adopted in 2000 by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin, Texas.  You can read more about the weirdness of the city.

51. Open for Christmas: UNWRAP.  Fun clue.

54. Everycow: BOSSY.  I always heard cows called Bessie, however, there is apparently a tradition of calling cows Bossie.

55. Whitecap formation: FOAM.

56. Olympian queen: HERA.  It's Greek to me.

57. Okay, but not great: FAIR.

58. Great: A-ONE.

59. Part of APR: RATE.  As in the Annual Percentage Rate.

60. Plumbing problem: DRIP.

61. Upper limit: CAP.

62. Phrase on a menu: À LA.  Think of Chicken à la King.

63. Nada: NIL.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  Facing the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.  ~  John Kenneth Galbraith (Oct. 15, 1908 ~ Apr. 29, 2006), Canadian-born economist