Sun, Jul 22, 2018 Roger & Kathy Wienberg

Theme: "Antics" - ANT is added to each theme entry.

23A. Polite but unyielding statement?: MADAM, I'M ADAMANT. Madam I'm Adam.
  

33A. Caulking crew?: SEALANT TEAM. SEAL team.

37A. Building where things are taken back?: RECANT CENTER. Rec center.

52A. Sign on an available boutique?: SHOP VACANT. Shop-Vac.

67A. Serf surrounded by whales?: PEASANT IN A POD. Peas in a pod.

87A. Fort Bragg lodger?: BASE TENANT. Base ten.
  

99A. Director Oliver to the rescue?: GALLANT STONE. Gallstone. The only one-word base phrase.

101A. Never-used part of the house?: DORMANT ROOM. Dorm room.

118A. Godzilla and friends solemnly recite?: MONSTERS INCANT. Monsters, Inc.

Lovely grid from Roger & Kathy Wienberg. Judging by the byline order, you can see Roger came up with the theme idea (constructor who dreams up the theme often enjoys the first byline). Then they brainstormed together for the theme entries. Then they shared the filling and cluing responsibilities.
 
I think they're the only husband and wife constructor teams for our LA Times Daily Crosswords. Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon write a puzzle for the Boston Globe every two weeks.

Total 9 theme answers and 104 theme squares in a 140-word grid. And the fill is so clean. Amazing.

Across:

1. Crunch beneficiaries: ABS.

4. Agnus __: DEI. "Lamb of God".

7. Rustic dwelling: A-FRAME.

13. Using a passport, say: ABROAD.

19. Newman song that mentions Santa Ana winds: I LOVE LA. Heard often at Dodger Stadium.

21. Decisive point: CLIMAX.

22. Persuasive sort: COAXER.

25. Stimulate: EXCITE.

26. Petroleum source: SHALE.

27. Legendary rock guitarist: BECK. Jeff Beck.

28. 2018 Pyeongchang org.: IOC.

30. Author Ferber: EDNA.

31. Bolt of lightning?: USAIN. Great clue. Usain Bolt.

42. Within reach: NEAR.

43. How some dares are made: ON A BET.

44. Major arteries: AORTAS.

46. Impressive groupings: ARRAYS.

49. Seed cover: ARIL. Pomegranate seeds are called arils.

50. Flier's choice: AISLE.

55. Braun competitor: NORELCO. Philips.

57. Director DuVernay: AVA.

59. Comply: OBEY.

60. Joint for jumping: KNEE.

61. __-Cat: SNO.

62. "Yikes!": OH NO.

64. Empathetic comment: I CARE.

66. More than wondered: ASKED. Picard asked about "Moo shu pork" and "Moo shi pork" differences last time. See here. Personally I've only seen "Moo shu".

71. Leaves painfully: JILTS.

75. Wonder's "My Cherie __": AMOUR.

76. __ game: HOME. So glad you settled nicely in your new home, Dave!

77. Chemicals giant: DOW.

80. Colorful fish: OPAH.

81. Levee: DIKE.

83. Org. that often strikes: PBA. PBA50 is the highlight of Boomer's summer.

85. Holiday candle holder: MENORAH.

90. Crèche figure: ANGEL.

92. Swelter: BAKE.

93. Bit of information: DETAIL.

94. Avis rival: DOLLAR. Bad experience with them two years ago. We like Payless.

96. Former Disney CEO: EISNER (Michael).

98. One of a cube's 12: EDGE.

106. It's stunning: TASER.

107. Denny's competitor: IHOP. Fooled me with their name change gimmick.

108. "__ who?": SEZ.

109. Bowls over: AWES.

111. Capital of France: EUROS. Not PARIS.

115. Recovered from a knockout: CAME TO.

122. Did away with: ERASED.

123. Taft-Hartley Act subject: UNIONS.

124. Prurient material: EROTICA. Also 126. One who's really hot: SEXPOT.

125. Dinged: DENTED.

127. Inexperienced: RAW.

128. Iditarod segment: LEG.

Down:

1. Zeroes in: AIMS.

2. Uninspired: BLAH.

3. Common mixer: SODA. Pop in our house. And only Pepsi.

4. Land adjoining a manor house: DEMESNE. This is a new word to me.

5. Wearer of a "Y" sweatshirt: ELI.

6. Like most sonnets: IAMBIC.

7. "High Voltage" band: AC/DC.

8. Criticism: FLAK. Love Steve's Thursday disclaimer. 

9. Canyon part: RIM.

10. Doc bloc: AMA.

11. Wrestle suffix: MANIA. Never watched WrestleMania or any wrestling event.

12. Laud: EXTOL.

13. Untouched serve: ACE.

14. A penalty may be served in one: BOX. Hockey.

15. Triple Crown venues: RACETRACKS.

16. Rust, for example: OXIDE.

17. Insurance giant: AETNA.

18. Fantasy: DREAM.

20. Highly prized: VALUABLE. A mint condition 1952 Mantle card was sold for $2.88 million in April. Boomer sold his (also mint condition) for $200 in the 1980s.

24. Defender of Troy: AENEAS.

29. Cocktail hour nibble: CANAPE. I can link taro cakes every week. Taros look ugly, but so tasty.

32. Embassy employee: ATTACHE.

33. Arrange dinnerware on: SET. Oh, Boomer had a full set of 1952 Topps cards. RUE.

34. Time spans: ERAS.

35. Brazen: NERVY.

36. Fictional Civil War novel setting: TARA.

37. Colorful horses: ROANS.

38. Ill-fated Houston company: ENRON. Bankrupted Gary's uncle.

39. Capital on the Nile: CAIRO.

40. Mardi Gras acronym: NOLA.

41. Two-time British Open champ: TREVINO. Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player are regular guests at the 3M Championship. 3M must pay a ton to get them.

45. Fleeced: SHORN.

47. Civil War soldier: YANK.

48. Dagger of yore: SNEE.

51. New Rochelle campus: IONA.

53. Caribbean sorcery: OBEAH. Wiki says it's "a system of spiritual and healing practices developed among enslaved West Africans in the West Indies..."

54. Fictional newsman Baxter: TED.

56. Cuts short: LOPS.

58. Cause trouble: ACT UP.

63. Japanese seaport: OSAKA. Here is how it's written in Japanese. Three characters. The first character means "Big", the second means "Slope or Hillside", the last one "City".

65. Shot that misses everything: AIR BALL.

66. Gulf between Yemen and Somalia: ADEN.

68. Tweak, perhaps: AMEND.

69. Apple or pear: POME.

70. Dishes from a "station": OMELETS.

71. Assignment: JOB.

72. Tech debut of 2010: IPAD. Agnes uses her iPad for everything. No external keyboard either.

73. Operate using a beam: LASE.

74. Shakespeare play featuring Ariel: THE TEMPEST. Great fill.

77. Clog clearer: DRANO.

78. Like some buckets: OAKEN.

79. "__ Everybody Knows Your Name": "Cheers" theme song: WHERE.

81. Stoop: DEIGN.

82. Bays, e.g.: INLETS.

84. Compulsively neat, say: ANAL. I think this is the first time this word appears in LAT. Rich did not allow ANAL in the past.

86. Hamper: OBSTRUCT.

88. Cry with a flourish: TA DA. As I mentioned last Monday, I finally decided to just make two holes to remove the stains permanently. Weird spots, but better than yellow stains.

89. Neighbor of Ghana: TOGO.

91. Kitchen gadget: GRATER. Oh, does anyone other than Steve own a Microplane? I don't use zest, but this will make mincing ginger easier.

95. Fast flight: LAM.

97. Understanding words: I SEE NOW.

100. Egypt's second president: NASSER.

101. Cut into cubes: DICED.

102. Chicago hub: O'HARE.

103. Type of numeral: ROMAN. Followed by104. Victim of Romulus: REMUS.

105. Atmospheric layer: OZONE.

109. 5 for B or 6 for C: AT NO. Atomic Number.

110. Jerry in the NBA logo: WEST.

112. Complain: RAIL.

113. Previously: ONCE. TTP mentioned a neat shortcut for searching any stuff in our blog. For example, if you want to know UKASE and its comments on our blog, just type in this in your Google search bar:  site:crosswordcorner.blogspot.com ukase

114. Unaccompanied: STAG.

116. Kickoff aid: TEE.

117. Abnormal: ODD.

119. Squelch: NIX.

120. Sponge (up): SOP.

121. Novelist Levin: IRA.

Maripro and some of you still have Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis as editors in your Sunday paper. I'll just copy and paste Rich's reply I put on the blog in 2010:

"Joyce was LA Times puzzle editor long before I arrived. I began working with her 10 years ago, at which time we shared editing responsibilities. She's now retired, though we do talk regularly about the puzzles. I do all the editing, and she's among the professionals who check my work. Her name remains on the byline in recognition of her years of service to the LAT Crossword."

C.C.

Saturday, July 21, 2018, Ed Sessa

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Ed Sessa

Gourmands and healthy eaters, avert your eyes! Today we celebrate one of the causes of being overweight in America - National Junk Food Day. The onion rings and french fries caught my eye immediately! Calories, get thee behind me. My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak!

My granddaughter knew this and collaborating with my wife presented me a Father's Day present with Heath Bars, shoestring potatoes, Cheez-its and assorted other goodies my doctors would love to ban. 

Today's constructor is Ed Sessa M.D., a pediatrician who would take one look at this picture  and shake his head in dismay.

Dr. Sessa practiced in upstate New York and is now retired and living on Sanibel Island in Florida. Ed said he made some puzzle for local publications and then decided to submit one to Will Shortz and the NYT and said he was very happy it was accepted with only a minor theme change. Shortly after that he was accepted by Rich Norris at the LA Times. If you want to know more about Ed's puzzling career, I highly recommend a 2007 Ed Sessa interview by C.C.

I just put down my shoestring potatoes and will now explore the rest of Dr. Sessa's prescriptions for us today.

Across:

1. Sleight of hand?: PALM - He has no card in his hand 41. "... or so it may __": SEEM.

5. Like pie?: AS EASY - Hey, fits in with the day we are celebrating!

11. Tennis stroke: LOB - an unbelievable return of a LOB shot

14. Name on the 1949 "Death of a Salesman" playbill: ELIA - There it is. Who was your favorite Willy Loman? Mine was/is Lee J. Cobb

15. Bug on the road?: BEETLE - VW

16. Common cause of conflict: EGO 

17. "The Karate Kid," e.g.: CINDERELLA STORY - Here's the final scene where he defeats his bully opponent 

20. Guide for surfers: SITE MAP - Like an outline for the content for a website 

21. Gray shades: TAUPES

22. Be of service to: AID

23. Org. with traveling bans?: THE NBA - Can you spot the player in the white jersey protesting? 

25. One hanging around a lifeguard tower: PADDLE BOARD  - Here are some lifeguards using them

29. Studio once run by Howard Hughes: RKO - Hughes fought censors for years to get this movie starring his girlfriend and her assets 

34. Some museum art: NUDES - Jane wasn't NUDE in this movie but wore a special bra designed by Howard for publicity shots

32. 1958 Pulitzer author James: AGEE - Seen here quite a bit

33. D.C. figures: REPS - They have to get reelected every two yrs so they start raising money five seconds after they are sworn in

36. 16th-century council site: TRENT - A 19-year Catholic effort to react to the Protestant Reformation

38. Unspecified degree: NTH.

39. Footnote abbr.: OP CIT - Stands for meaning OPus CITatum meaning "referring to previous works cited"

40. Nasal partitions: SEPTA - Also heart partitions 

43. Unadulterated: PURE.

44. Slangy okay: YEP - Gary Cooper was indeed a man of few words 

45. Ice cream named after a Canadian river: KLONDIKE BAR - A favorite for 96 years

48. Quite a lot: OCEANS - It's gonna take an OCEAN of calamine lotion  

50. Address in a mess: SIR - A fun scene in a MESS Hall where Will Stockton doesn't differentiate  between SIRS and Maam's 

51. Confront aggressively: ACCOST - This girl's 65. Tae __ do: KWON  knowledge can be used against anyone who tries to ACCOST her

53. Swears: PLEDGES - Everyone at our school PLEDGES allegiance at the start of the day with varying degrees of enthusiasm

57. 2013 Hudson's Bay Company acquisition: SAKS FIFTH AVENUE - I perused their $195 ties online 

60. "... exclaim, __ he drove out of sight": Moore: ERE  - Clement Moore 's next line was originally "Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

61. Sign with an arrow: ONE WAY.

62. Start to giver or taker: CARE.

63. Befitting: APT

64. Hazmat team members, often: ROBOTS - Better him than a human

Down:

1. Atlas display: PECS - Charles Atlas's PECS were in full display in this ad that was a staple of comic books of my ute

2. Et __: ALII - Latin for "And others". Could it be an OCEAN of them?

3. Dust bunny component: LINT 

4. Achieved some progress: MADE A DENT - I feel better when I have MADE A DENT in next week's blog

5. Rubber eraser, for one: ABRADER - A device that scrapes away or erodes by friction

6. Go slowly: SEEP - SEEPING lava hitting a soda can

7. Sargasso Sea spawner: EEL.

8. Pac. cousin: ATL  - The old A & P grocery stores stood for ATLantic and Pacific

9. Christian in cinema: SLATER  - A star  whose life fell apart at a young age with alcohol, drugs and the law who is trying to put his life back together.

Arrested for having a gun in his luggage at JFK

10. Ambiguous answer: YES AND NO

11. Little big cat: LEOPARD CUB - This little CUB has some big feet to grow into 

12. Mythical monster: OGRE.

13. First and last word of a common four-word saw: BOYS - Slight change

18. Dr. Skoda on "Law & Order": EMIL - Played by wonderful J.K. Simmons 

19. Bathing spot: TUB.

23. Popular online lists: TOP TENS - the Top Ten hits for every summer from 1958 to 2017

24. Discussed, with "over": HASHED.

25. Mark: PATSY - His claim


26. Come to terms: AGREE.

27. Daddy Warbucks, e.g.: DEEP POCKET - That's who gets sued 

28. Former Mormon leader Ezra Taft __: BENSON - Was Ike's Secretary of Agriculture in both of his terms

30. Actress Knightley: KEIRA - Okay

31. Blender brand: OSTER - This is the very OSTERIZER that sat on our counter for years

35. "Nosebleed seats" section: UPPER DECK.

37. Supposes to be: TAKES FOR - As in TAKES FOR granted

42. Loses temporarily: MISLAYS - My MISL (mislain?)car fob got lost forever and cost $295 to replace

46. Bodega patron: LATINO - Marcelino ran the one in Seinfeld

47. European capital: KIEV - Any theater person would recognize the production with this character - Perchik: A radical student from Kiev and later Hodel's husband, Perchik leaves Anatevka to work for the revolution in Kiev.

49. Fortune 500 listings: Abbr.: COS - The Fortune 500 would be their top 500 COmpanieS 

52. Complain: CARP - More likely a fish from the Platte River than when 51. Sailing: ASEA 

53. Really good, in '90s slang: PHAT - These adjectives are so hip and then quickly so "last year"

54. Rodents do it: GNAW - It's also a feeling I have when I finish blogging a puzzle and think I made a big goof

55. Money in la banque: EURO - One place to spend those EUROS

56. Treated by the doctor: SEEN - After I was SEEN by my ENT in March, I had hearing aids and a CPAP  machine that day. Yay me! Boo aging!

58. Four-wk. period, usually: FEB  - Old joke - "How many months have 28 days?" Answer - "All of them"

59. Minimum for many games: TWO - or to Tango as Al Pacino shows in this wonderful scene from Scent Of A Woman

Wouldn't some Cheetos go well with commenting on Dr. Sessa's puzzle?

DA GRID

Friday, July 20, 2018, Bruce Haight

Title: There is no "I" in  TEAM and no ME in this "puzzle"!

Bruce returns to the Friday stage with a letter extraction effort. Seeing the commonality for this theme was very tricky as the remaining words- GAS, ROO, CODY, and  E.T.S do not help. This is why he included the reveal which I hope was enough to get you going. I enjoyed the whole effort very much. To make all of this happen, he uses a 16 column grid and has two grid spanners resulting in a grid only an X away from a pangram. With 4 theme fill and a reveal, he uses the customary 3rd/13th row, with a word in the middle. And the extra words in the bigger format allowed for such fun fill like AS A TEAM,  BAR SEAT, BIG ASKS, KEEPERS,  ON A DIET, OSMOSED, QUE PASA,  ROADIES, ROSE TEA, SEASIDE, TRINITY, and WIG SHOP. So let's see what it all added up to.

18A. Torch fuel?: GAMES OF THE OLYMPIAD (16). The Olympic torch starts the Games and this puzzle.

25A. Tragedy involving a Milne character?: ROMEO AND JULIET (12). You have to love seeing that taking the ME out of ROMEO left ROO, the baby kangaroo in the Winnie the Pooh stories. ROO and Juliet was a fun image.

37A. Drawing by Buffalo Bill?: COMEDY SKETCH (9). You need to recall his last name was Cody and work backward to get this one.

53A. Spectator sport aboard a UFO?: WRESTLING MEETS (12). This one was hard knowing the gimmick, as picturing E.T. wrestling took some imagination.

And the reveal

61A. "No comment!" ... and a hint to four puzzle answers: LEAVE ME OUT OF THIS(16). A very fair reveal. 

Across:

1. Looking to start something new, maybe: BORED. I hope this did not leave any of you bored.

6. Syria's Bashar al-__: ASSAD. Obviously to discuss this man would involve politics.

                                                                          LINK.

11. Ed. promoters: PTAS. Parent Teacher Associations.

15. Combined: IN ONE. The first of much multi-word fill.

16. Some Strads: CELLI. I did not know Stradavarius made a Cello, but you can still BUY one.

17. Minor overhead?: URSA. Our astronomy clue of the day.

21. Refreshing drinks: ADES. Yea me. There is a "me" in this puzzle, it is a CSO.

22. Georgetown athlete: HOYA. The team name is derived from the mixed Greek and Latin chant "Hoya Saxa" (meaning "What Rocks"), which gained popularity at the school in the late nineteenth century. The name "Hoyas" came into use in the 1920s.

23. Is not wrong?: AIN'T. Is not = ain't.

24. Rest, in a way: SIT.

29. Things to hang onto: KEEPERS.

31. Suffer: AIL.

32. Can opener: TAB. Sadly, this brings to mind the recent demise of this teen idol.

                                                                               LINK.
33. Reserved: STAID.

34. Noble title: EARL.

36. Sylvia of jazz: SYMS. I have no memory of this SINGER who died while performing at the Oak Room at the Plaza. Apparently, she was a favorite of Sinatra.

41. Spit spots, for short: BBQS. This is what I think of.

44. Smidge: IOTA.

45. "In what way?": HOW SO?

49. Greek cross: TAU.

50. Decline: SAG.

51. Amp transporters: ROADIES. Some of my favorite people were the workers who made rock and roll work.

57. Whale group: GAM. I read the definition (rare) a school of whales, porpoises, or dolphins. I have always thought of this word from noir detective fiction book covers. Hey Splynter.

58. Fix, as a toy: SPAY.  Poor puppy.

59. A pop: EACH.

60. Gulf Canada alternative: ESSO.

65. Facility: EASE.

66. 1951 Reagan co-star: BONZO.

67. Cell terminal: ANODE. Not A NODE, but it is...

68. Slightly: A TAD.

69. Burden-bearing beasts: ASSES.

70. Supported, as a weak ankle: TAPED. It does not have to be weak.


Down:

1. Major requests: BIG ASKS.

2. Losing purposely: ON A DIET.

3. Floral brew: ROSE TEA. My mother, may she rest in peace worked as an OB-GYN nurse for many years and recommended this tea for her patients for its HEALTH BENEFITS.

4. Son of Seth: ENOS. Grandson of Adam reappears a few weeks after being in a Friday JW. C.C. clued using Mr. Slaughter of baseball.

5. Dict. offering: DEFinition.

6. Ones bringing blessings?: ACHOOS. I like this clue/fill even if it is been done many times before.

7. "Later!": SEE YA.

8. "McSorley's Bar" artist: SLOAN. I did not remember the ARTIST but do the BAR.

9. From A to Z: ALL.

10. Handy initials: DIY. Do It Yourself. Not I.

11. Star __: PUPIL. This was so random, but it was already filled by the perps.

12. Fundamental doctrine of Christianity: TRINITY. Three in one.

13. Together: AS A TEAM. I love this being in this puzzle.

14. Down: SAD.

19. Superhero with a hammer: THOR.

20. Spike __: railroad worker's tool: MAUL. This word is back again in a new context.

25. More than fix up: RE-DO.

26. Take the plunge: DARE.

27. Dump: JILT.

28. "Conan"channel: TBS. Does anyone watch him any more?

30. Snaps: PICS.

34. No. from a builder: ESTimate.

35. Sometimes called, for short: AKA. Also Known As.

36. Booted, say: SHOD.

38. Lifebuoy competitor: DIAL. Soap.

39. Classic Yankee nickname: YOGI. Mr. BERRA.

40. Chuck alternative: CHAS.

41. "Incidentally," in texts: BTW. By The Way.

42. It's often a high chair: BAR SEAT. Barstool is the more common term and it has only been clued before as "Stool typically (or often).

43. Granada greeting: QUE PASA. A reference to this Spanish CITY.

46. Top secret store?: WIG SHOP. The idea is that you do not let people know you are wearing a wig- a secret about your top. Witty.

47. Coast: SEASIDE.

48. Diffused through a membrane: OSMOSED. Do we all remember OSMOSIS from high school?

50. Ophthalmologist's concern: STYE. This common infection in the eyelid normally does not require a specialist, as most styes do not require medical care and tend to go away on their own,

51. Right-hand pages: RECTOS. We have had this TERM recently.

52. Second emperor after Nero: OTHO. I only know this obscure man from my oldest son's education. Otho was Roman emperor from January to April 69 CE. Immediately after the assassination of Galba, Otho, the governor of Lusitania, was proclaimed emperor by the army. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors.

54. Backed up: SAVED.

55. Bright signs: NEONS.

56. First-aid kit item: GAUZE.

60. Sicilian tourist attraction: ETNA.

61. Field: LEA.

62. Finance deg.: MBA. Master of Business Administration.

63. Sister of the moon goddess Selene: EOS. There was a time when I had this goddess of the DAWN often in my Friday write-ups.

64. Thick: FAT. A tough way to end.


Bruce never disappoints; he makes us work but entertains as we go. We are already a month into summer, and more than halfway through 2018. Wow. Thank BH and all of you. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.: 

Our Chicago Crossword Corner regulars met for lunch yesterday. Abejo said they "had a great time and gabbed for nearly four hours."

  

Left to Right: Abejo (Bradley), WikWak  (Chuck), Madame DeFarge (Janice) and TTP  (Tom)

Thursday, July 19th 2018 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: On/Off Switch - replacing one with the other in the theme entries, to whit:

17A. Exhale over scalding coffee?: BLOW ON STEAM. I can't get started without a nice cup of hot Joe. I cracked my (glass) french press this morning ignoring the instructions not to stir the grounds with a metal spoon. I just ordered a stainless steel replacement. That solves one problem.

27A. Discontinue slanted material in articles?: CUT OFF THE BIAS. To cut on the bias is a tailoring term, cutting on a diagonal across the weave.

45A. Visit some animal shelter residents?: CALL ON THE DOGS. My brother and his wife vacation each year on Skiathos, one of the Greek islands. The local animal shelter lets registered visitors take a dog out for a walk, for a fee - a kind of "Rent-a-Dog" service.

61A. Delay passing a congressional bill?: PUT OFF AN ACT. Which is what a filibuster is for. Great word, by the way.

When you see Gail and Bruce on a by-line, you know that you're in for a smooth experience. These two are pros at the constructing game. This one is no exception (although I do have one Yuk! moment, more on that shortly). A nice theme, nothing contrived.

I do question the central PODIUMS entry being clued in the same way as the theme entries (the ..? convention) - it bugged me that it had nothing to do with the theme, but was front and center as if it did. Unless I missed something, entirely possible!

Without further ado, let's go and see what jumps out.

Across:

1. New England sch.: UMASS. Didn't even blink! University of Massachusetts.

6. Dominant: ALPHA

11. Chest protector: BIB

14. Up: RISEN

15. Stunt cyclist, e.g.: DARER. This is my "yuk!" moment. Technically correct, but "in the language?" Not so much, IMHO.

16. Valuable extraction: ORE

19. Bit of muesli: OAT

20. Mariners' home, familiarly: SAFECO. Safeco Field, home of Seattle Mariners baseball. It's on the waterfront next door to the football and soccer stadium. Great locations, both.

21. Bilingual subj.: E.S.L. English as a Second Language.

22. July 4th events, briefly: BBQS

23. Five-O cop: DANO. The one with the book.

25. James or Jones of jazz: ETTA

32. Letters of urgency: ASAP. It seems to go without saying in my business world. Everyone wants everything yesterday, and mainly for free.

34. Long of "In Too Deep": NIA. Thank you crosses. Here she is:

35. Broad neckwear: ASCOT. I got tripped up a little here as I had "BARB" for Ms. Streisand before I came back to this one.

36. One in an airport queue: CAB

37. Talking points?: PODIUMS

40. Memorable 1969 bride: ONO

41. Harry's Hogwarts nemesis: DRACO. Potter, meet your nemesis, Malfoy. I think that's right. He's pretty slick at the old "occlumency" thing, apparently.

43. Letters in an unfilled sched. slot: TBA. Could have been TBD, my first thought. Wasn't.

44. From the top: ANEW

49. Classroom "I know! I know!": OH! OH!

50. First name in country: REBA. McEntire.

51. Did a number: SANG. Reba's probably done one or two in her time.

54. Small application: DAB

56. Ear inflammation: OTITIS. I swear it was OTOSIS, so that was a bump in the road for a moment.

60. Fire: AXE. Not a fire axe? No, not a fire axe, The pink slip kind of axe.

63. General Mills cereal: KIX

64. Metal giant: ALCOA. Aluminium. Heh heh - that's cool, no objection from Spellcheck.

65. Debate topic: ISSUE

66. Id follower?: EST

67. Conductor Zubin: MEHTA. Here he is leading the LA Phil through Mozart's Bassoon Concerto K.191.

68. Arms treaty subj.: N-TEST

Down:

1. Cities, informally: URBS. I like this - if the suburbs are a distance from the city, the city must be the urb. Awesome.

2. Kunis of "Black Swan": MILA

3. Starting on: AS OF

4. Clinched: SEWED UP. Vive d'equipe de France! Allez Les Bleus! France clinched the World Cup last Sunday with a win over less-fancied Croatia. Formidable! They day after Bastille Day too.

5. Treaded winter vehicle: SNO-CAT

6. Wikipedia lacks them: ADS. I thought of EDS first, in spite of knowing full well that there are editors. I'll give these folks a plug - when they have their next fundraiser, consider contributing. No amount too small.

7. Untimely?: LATE

8. Like alarm clocks: PRE-SET. 

9. Part of HMO: HEALTH. Maintenance Organization.

10. Half of a very high price?: ARM. Add the leg and you're emptying your wallet. Can you pay a leg for a moderately high-priced item?

11. Schmo: BOOB

12. Green Zone country: IRAQ

13. Action at the track: BETS

18. "That's all wrong!": NO! NO! NO!

22. Streisand, in fanzines: BABS. Not BARB. My bad.

24. "The Wizard __": OF ID. Trap well and truly fallen into. Not Oz. I love the strip:

26. They usually end up in hot water: TEAS. Teabags was my first thought, I wasn't a million miles off.

27. Plotting group: CABAL

28. Hill of country: FAITH. More country singers. She should do a duet with Reba. Actually, I just found that she did. You can go look for it if you like, it's on YouTube.

29. iPhone array: ICONS. I used to create icons as a programmer back in the day when you had a canvas of only 16x16 dots and 255 colors. I think I spent too much time messing around with Paintbrush, and not enough time testing my code, in hindsight.

30. Top-drawer: A-ONE

31. Stash: STOW

32. Adapter letters: AC/DC

33. "Waitress" Tony nominee Bareilles: SARA. More gratitude to the cross-Gods from me. I should send 'em a thank-you gift.

37. "Hunny" lover: POOH. Tiggers don't like it though, as wonderfully drawn by E.H. Shepard.

38. Lyft alternative: UBER

39. Fashioned from: MADE OF

42. Heavy shoe: CLOG

44. Saying nay to: AGAINST

46. Plant root growth: NODULE

47. Pastoral roofing: THATCH. I lived in a thatched cottage before I moved to the US. It's been extended and refurbished since I lived there, but still very much recognizable. Thanks to Google Spy - I mean Maps - for the update.

48. Get one's hands on: OBTAIN

51. Sushi go-with: SAKE. I've got a nice selection in the pantry and the fridge for when the sushi moment strikes.

52. Allies' enemy: AXIS. Germany, Italy and Japan in WWII, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey in WWI.

53. Coming right up: NEXT

55. One in an UGG box: BOOT. Apparently you can't buy new, genuine Uggs from an eBay store It's against the retailer agreement to sell them on auction sites. So now you know.

57. Shock, in a way: TASE

58. Post-op areas: ICU'S

59. "Leave it in" mark: STET. When pundits, recently, were calling for Dele Alli to be dropped from the England World Cup soccer team, I started calling him "Stet" Alli. I thought it was funny. Apparently I was in a minority of one.

61. Bobby's wife on "Dallas": PAM. She had the permanently-surprised look and acted with her eyebrows. Linda Gray, who portrayed JR's wife, emoted primarily with her chin.

62. Pilot-licensing org.: F.A.A. Federal Aviation Authority.

And - here's the grid.

This blog now complete, errors and omissions excepted. Just need to post my new disclaimer:

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information provided on the Thursday Blog, whether disseminated via browser, social media sites and/or mobile applications, Blogger Steve makes no express or implied warranty as to the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information. Blogger Steve provides this information via all online services and platforms on an "as is" basis. While there may be changes to information on topics covered on the Thursday Blog, these changes may or may not be made available electronically on the main page.

There, that should cover my ass this week. Here's the grid!

Steve