Tuesday, October 6 2015, Jerome Gunderson

Theme: Anagram.

17. Political nickname for the Pacific states : LEFT COAST.  Because they lean politically left.

29. Mexican seafood entrée : FISH TACOS. That made me hungry.

49. Protective botanical layers : SEED COATS. Look, it really is like a little coat.

66. Foppish neckwear : SILK ASCOT 

 
41. Puccini title soprano whose name is an anagram of the ends of the four longest puzzle answers : TOSCA. Trailer below from The Royal Opera House in L(1:06)

 
Melissa here. Five letters that can spell at least four different words - although two are plural.  Also, ACOST, but I know of no "____ ACOST" phrase. The crossing of ROLLE and BILE was the last to fill in for me - I first entered BITE, not remembering the name of the actress.

Across

 1. Lose brightness : FADE
 
5. Sonic the Hedgehog developer : SEGA
 
9. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" instrument : ORGAN
 
14. High-resolution film format : I-MAX. Tried HD--.  

15. Spanish cross : CRUZ
 
16. Lariat loop : NOOSE. Lasso? Nope. Reata? Nope. Noose. Ding ding.

19. Up and about : ASTIR
 
20. Catch in a snare : ENTRAP
 
21. Departs : HEADS OFF
 
23. Tiler's calculation : AREA
 
25. Civil War side: Abbr. : CSA. Confederate States of America.
 
26. Deep voice : BASSO

35. European peak : ALP
 
36. Delivered from the womb : BORN
 
38. Trix or Kix : CEREAL
 
39. Rubber roller : TIRE

43. Designer Schiaparelli : ELSA
 
44. Nevertheless : EVEN SO
 
46. Geological timespans : EONS
 
48. Put a match to : LIT

51. Uneven, as a leaf's edge : EROSE

53. Everything : ALL
 
54. "Gone With the Wind" plantation : TARA
 
56. When the cock crows : DAYBREAK
 
61. Gospel writer enshrined in a Venice basilica : ST. MARK. Outside. Inside. Interesting.

65. To no __: fruitlessly : AVAIL

68. Esther of "Good Times" : ROLLE. Couldn't remember her name.

ha ha

 
69. Bendable joint : KNEE
 
70. Lake on New York's western border : ERIE
 
71. 140-characters-or-less message : TWEET
 
72. Like much cheese and wine : AGED
 
73. Scream : YELL
 
 Down
 
1. Submit one's taxes : FILE
 
2. "You said it!" : AMEN
 
3. Inane : DAFT.
 
4. Crowd scene actors : EXTRAS
 
5. Mouthwash brand : SCOPE
 
6. Significant time : ERA
 
7. Speak effusively : GUSH
 
8. Early Mexicans : AZTECS

 9. At the movies, perhaps : ON A DATE.
 
10. '90s candidate H. __ Perot : ROSS
 
11. Attend : GO TO
 
12. "Yeah, sure" : AS IF. Such a rude expression, imo.

13. Soft ball maker : NERF
 
18. Chocolate substitute : CAROB
 
22. Waste receptacle : ASH CAN
 
24. Dr. J hairstyle : AFRO

26. Motel in a Hitchcock classic : BATES
 
27. Energetic : ALIVE
 
28. Shopping frenzy : SPREE
 
30. Map in a map : INSET
 
31. "__ you coming?" : ARE
 
32. String quartet member : CELLO. Two violins, one viola, and a cellist. Pictured below is the Brentano String Quartet. Here is their performance of "Quartet for Strings No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80 by Felix Mendelssohn (5:03).

 
33. Fertile desert spot : OASIS
 
34. Pool table slab : SLATE
 
37. "Becket" star Peter : O'TOOLE. 1964 Movie with Richard Burton, I had no idea.

 
40. Come to a close : END
 
42. Price : COST
 
45. Miss in the game of Clue : SCARLET

 47. Mattress choice : SERTA
 
50. 49th state : ALASKA. Setting of Northern Exposure. Filmed in Roslyn, Washington.

 52. Jazz pianist Lewis : RAMSEY
 
55. Showed curiosity : ASKED
 
56. Blowgun projectile : DART 

57. Swear to be true : AVOW
 
58. Third-oldest U.S. university : YALE
 
59. Irascibility : BILE. Not bite.

60. Mattress choice : KING. Clecho.

62. Good-sized backyard : ACRE
 
63. Churn up : ROIL
 
64. "Power Hits" series record label : K-TEL. Wasn't aware they are still in business.

67. Robert E. __ : LEE

Monday, October 5, 2015 Brock Wilson

Theme: Art Form - Three mediums a sculptor might use.

17A. In a precarious situation : ON THIN ICE

26A. Like a lake during a dead calm : SMOOTH AS GLASS

43A. Permanent : CARVED IN STONE

59A. Art form in which the ends of 17-, 26- and 43-Across may be used : SCULPTURE

Argyle here(a second time; Hit a wrong button and, POOF!, my write up was gone. Oh, well.) Brock's second time also. (Debut little over a year ago.) As I was saying ... we go from transient(ICE) to fragile (GLASS) to solid (STONE). Theme entries are three part. Plethora of four letter entries. Fill is across the board. Two long columns stitch it together.

Across:

1. Having been cut, as grass : MOWN

5. Stage showoffs : HAMS

9. "The Prince and the Pauper" author Mark : TWAIN

14. The "E" in Q.E.D. : ERAT

15. Parisian gal pal : AMIE

16. Salon dye : HENNA

19. Fats Domino genre, briefly : R AND B. (rhythm and blues)

20. Tales of __: misfortunes : WOE. See 23-Across.

21. Market shelves filler: Abbr. : MDSE. (merchandise)

22. Ambles : MOSEYS

23. Pabst brand : STROH'S. The story behind the brand. Forbes

25. Swimmer's path : LANE

32. Dessert with icing : CAKE

34. Mr. Rogers : FRED

35. __ Beta Kappa : PHI

36. Really mess up : RUIN

37. Dude : FELLA

39. Resting atop : UPON

40. State south of Wash. : ORE. (Washington/Oregon)

41. Jury member : PEER

42. Struggle (through), as mud : SLOG

48. Exiled Roman poet : OVID

49. "Right away!" : "IN A SEC!". Demand and response?

52. Added financial burden for drivers : GAS TAX

55. Bag for a picnic race : SACK

57. Massage reaction : [AAH!]

58. Pretended to be : ACTED

61. Glisten : SHINE

62. Mr. Peanut's stick : CANE

63. Pac-12 member : UCLA. 59D. 63-Across, for one: Abbr. : SCH. (school)

64. "The Great" king of Judea : HEROD

65. Rec room centerpiece : HD TV

66. Number one : BEST

Down:

1. Cat conversation : MEOWS

2. "To be, __ to be ..." : OR NOT

3. One being pulled behind a boat : WATER SKIER

4. High degree, in math : NTH

5. "Don't touch that!" : "HANDS OFF!":

6. "London Fields" author Martin : AMIS. London Fields is a black comic, murder mystery novel published in 1989.

7. "Three Blind __" : MICE

8. "Get my point?" : "SEE?"

9. Big crowd : THRONG

10. "Pop goes" critter : WEASEL

11. Novelist Brontë : ANNE. "But he that dares not grasp the thorn Should never crave the rose." She was the youngest and least known of the Brontë sisters.

12. "500" race, familiarly : INDY Indianapolis 500.

13. Hauls off to jail : NABS

18. Texter's "I think ..." : IMHO. (in my humble opinion) IMAO (In My Arrogant Opinion)

22. Live __: Taco Bell slogan : MÁS. LIVE MORE

24. Black cat, to some : OMEN

25. Soup servers : LADLES

27. Fearful : TREPID

28. Her face launched a thousand ships : HELEN. Thus, 1 millihelen is the amount of beauty needed to launch a single ship.

29. Puréed fruit served with pork : APPLESAUCE. Apple orchards around here are having a very good year.

30. "Scram!" : "SHOO!"

31. Perform a ballad : SING

32. Gator's kin : CROC

33. Ghostly emanation : AURA

38. Section describing the United States Constitution's amendment process : ARTICLE V

39. Annapolis inst. : USNA. (United States Naval Academy)

44. Cast a negative ballot : VOTE NO

45. Dodged : EVADED

46. New Jersey fort : DIX

47. Like a GI scraping plates : ON KP

50. Viscounts' superiors : EARLS

51. Glance sideways during a test, maybe : CHEAT

52. Serious cut : GASH

53. Throbbing pain : ACHE

54. Mix in a glass : STIR

55. Large amount : SCAD

56. Marie, to Donny's sons : AUNT. The Osmonds.

60. Place for a soak : TUB. [AAH!]

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

 
Crosswords LA Tournaments will be held on Oct 24, 2015 (Saturday) at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. You don't need to be a wizard solver to participate. As you can see, they have four brackets for different skill levels. Doubles are always fun. Or you can just be a spectator, solving at the same time with other competitors but your grids won't be scored.

It's an annual charity event Elissa Grossman started in 2009 to raise money for Reading to Kids. I hope our readers in SoCal area will attend the event and support the cause. As Elissa said, "with only a few destined to really have a shot at the tip top, it's more about camaraderie among like-minded puzzle enthusiasts."

How fun to mingle with crossword constructors, bloggers and fellow solvers? And have crossword-themed snack? Our Steve attended it a few years ago, and he might be there this year.

Sunday, October 4, 2015 Amy Johnson

Theme: "Playing With Your Food"- One word in each theme entry is replaced by its homophone.

23A. Diet for ice cream lovers? : A MONTH OF SUNDAES. A month of Sundays.

39A. Farce set in a sandwich shop? : RYE COMEDY. Wry comedy, new term to me.

60A. Top for a beach cookout? : MUSSEL SHIRT. Muscle shirt.

85A. Cake recipe overhaul? : TORTE REFORM. Tort reform.

102A. Thanksgiving week for a baker? : LIFE OF PIE. Life of Pi.

122A. Affair for dessert-loving bovines? : BULL MOUSSE PARTY. Bull Moose Party.

15D. Group that thrived during the borscht years? : BEET GENERATION. Beat Generation. I never had borscht.

52D. Period of terror induced by a brat? : WURST NIGHTMARE. Worst nightmare.

Sweet, yes? Perfect puzzle for our Steve, who loves food and witty wordplay. There's a limited supply of food homophones, hence four desserts.

I like Amy's grid design. Putting 14's in Downs eased up fill a bit. The four 8's non-theme fill are all sparkly.

I'm curious to know where you finished last in this puzzle. Which is your last filled answer?

Across:      

1. Chariot-riding god : ARES. Easy start.

5. Athletic org. since 1894 : USOC (United States Olympic Committee). I thought of USGA. Same year.

9. They might be game : FOWL. Got via crosses. So dumb.

13. Monastery head : ABBOT

18. Two-thumbs-up review : RAVE

19. Obeyed a court order : STOOD

21. Olympic sword : EPEE

22. Hymn to Apollo, say : PAEAN

26. George who was the A.L. batting champ in three different decades : BRETT.  Royals Hall of Famer. Husker Gary knows that girl.

27. Like some lashes : FALSE. Never tried falsies.

28. Intro to physics? : ASTRO. Astrophysics.

29. Man cave focus : HD TV

31. Ordinal extremes : NTHs

32. Gently or quietly, e.g. : ADVERB. You nailed it, right?

34. Rubik's creation : CUBE

36. Annoy your bedmate : SAW LOGS. And 105D. Annoying bedmate : SNORER

38. __ Bo : TAE

43. Doggie bag goodie : T-BONE. And 86. Dog, in a way : TAIL

44. Like Simba : REGAL

45. "In __ of gifts ... " : LIEU

47. Previously, to Byron : ERE NOW.  And 37. Byron, for one : LORD. I thought of BARD.

50. Premier League soccer anchor Rebecca : LOWE. Not familiar with her.

53. Many a Mormon : UTAHN

56. Inked on TV's "Ink Master" : TATTED

58. Juan's first lady : EVA. Peron.

59. Israeli statesman Barak : EHUD

62. Arrogant "South Park" kid : ERIC. Never watched the show. "South Park" kid is often KYLE or STAN.

63. "Kinda" kin : SORTA

65. Lover's end? : PHILE. Like Anglophile. The clue stumped me.

66. Frog haunts : LILY PADS

68. Brownie accessory : SASH

70. Put on __ : A SHOW

73. Issue : EMIT

74. Wayne Manor ringer : BAT PHONE. Nice!

78. Impressionist's forte : APING. Wanted APERY.

81. One of more than four billion : ASIAN

84. __ wolf : LONE

89. "The Addams Family" adjective : OOKY

90. Down Under school : UNI. University is called so in Australia.

91. Lima resident, maybe : OHIOAN. Not PERUVIAN.

92. Half a droid name : DETOO

93. Tiny evidence samples : DNAs. Are both DNA and RNA plurable, D-Otto?

94. Ziggy Marley's genre : REGGAE

96. Fries, say : SIDE

98. Off-the-wall : OUTRE

100. Chorus of laughs : HA HAs

105. Tex.-based carrier : SWA. Southwest Airlines.

108. Layered pastry : STRUDEL. Want some apple strudel? This is the same place that hosts the 3M Championship Tour each year. TPC Twin Cities.

110. Gillette razor word : TRAC

111. Relative of A-flat major : F MINOR

113. Word heard when pulling a string : MAMA. Dolls. I saw this Chatty Cathy at flea markets often.

114. "Find Your Own Road" sloganeer : SAAB

116. Spaceship Earth setting : EPCOT

119. In : AMONG

120. Isn't exactly humble : BRAGS

125. What toadies do : AGREE

 

126. Latin 101 word : ERAT. Not ESSE.

127. It sets in Spain : EL SOL

128. Rocky subj.? : GEOL

129. Almonds, e.g. : SEEDS. Not TREES.

130. Little bits : DABS

131. To-do list item : TASK

132. Coastal fisher : ERNE

Down:

1. Longtime PLO chairman : ARAFAT

2. Wyndham-owned brand : RAMADA. Easy crosses. Unaware of its parent company.

3. Advance in the race? : EVOLVE. Human race.

4. Sixth __ : SENSE

5. Show to a seat, in slang : USH. Not a verb I use.

6. Greek meeting site : STOA

7. Gut reactions? : OOFs

8. Sam's competitor : COSTCO. We were members for a year. Gift from my sister-in-law Barbara.

9. Janet Yellen's org., with "The" : FED

10. Large deep-water fish : OPAH

11. Bed intruders : WEEDS. Garden bed. I don't like the clue. Brings unpleasant images to me.

12. Rice title vampire : LESTAT. Nailed it this time.

13. Call to cruisers, briefly : APB

14. Without exception : BAR NONE

16. Censor's targets : OATHS

17. Blasting supplies : TNTs

20. Pasta wheat : DURUM. I miss the pumpkin noodles my grandma used to make for me. I never had luck finding a good Kabocha pumpkin in America. Maybe the Kabochas here taste the same, my taste has changed.

24. Land in Paris? : TERRE

25. Prize since 1901 : NOBEL

30. Bug in a garage : VW BEETLE

33. Quaint words of determination : BY GUM. I'm going to surprise Boomer when he's back home.

35. Fixes a draft : EDITS

40. Flip over : EAT UP

41. What opposite personalities often do : CLASH

42. "Why not?!" : YEAH

44. Procedural impediment : RED TAPE

46. Monthly exp. : UTIL

48. "Amores" author : OVID

49. MacArthur's "best soldiers" : WACS. Got via crosses. Not "Abbr." hint is needed because it's what MacArthur's said.

50. Paul in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame : LES

51. "The jig is up!" : OHO

54. Early Chinese dynasty : HSIA. This will stump 99.9% of the native Chinese. Just Google Hsia Dynasty and see what comes up. No one calls it Hsia in China. It's Xia dynasty.

55. Dick Van Patten's "Mama" role : NELS. No idea. Knotty HSIA/NELS/PHILE/A SHOW area.

57. Pod opener? : TRI. Tripod.

61. Operettist Franz : LEHAR. "The Merry Widow" guy.

62. Season finale, e.g. : EPISODE

64. Pipe remains : ASH

67. Sumac from Peru : YMA

69. Explosion sources : HOTHEADS. Boomer is one.

71. Column with a slant : OP-ED

72. Emilia, to Iago : WIFE

74. Fuzzy memory : BLUR

75. Second to none : A-ONE

76. "There's __ in ... " : NO I

77. Love deity : EROS

79. __ this world : NOT OF. I had OUT OF first.

80. __ project : GROUP

82. Letters for John Smith? : AKA. Got via crosses. Argyle explained to me that "John Smith is a common fictitious name, an alias and AKA might indicate his real name."

83. Buffalo locale: Abbr. : NYS. New York State.

87. Send a Dear John letter : END IT

88. Artistic theme : MOTIF

91. Surfing mecca : OAHU

95. Like privately owned classic cars : GARAGED. Not a word I used. Some of our common baseball cards are garaged then.

97. Violinist Zimbalist : EFREM

99. Update to reflect new routes : RE-MAP

101. SpongeBob's home : SEABED

103. "Annabel Lee" poet, in some of his personal letters : E. A. POE. Guilty of using it myself.

104. Paranormal : OCCULT

106. Hot-and-sour alternative : WONTON. This is how wontons are served in Guangzhou and Hong Kong. With noodles. The broth is made of shrimp shells & pork bone.

107. Sweater pattern : ARGYLE. Hi there, Santa.

108. Boot camp barker : SARGE

109. "Little House" lass : LAURA

112. Pixel pattern : IMAGE

113. Degrees for CEOs : MBAs. Our Marti has one. Jazzbumpa too, I think.

115. Tattle : BLAB

117. Peak of Greek myth : OSSA

118. General __ chicken : TSO's

121. His, to Henri : SES. Despite Splynter's distaste for French, he actually knows quite a bit.

123. Many USMA grads : LTS (Lieutenants)

124. Animal in a rut : ELK

I thought I'd share with you this letter from Danny Mann, a regular L.A. Times Sunday crossword solver. He wrote the piece after he heard of Merl's passing. 

Also, Swenglish Mom left this message on Friday's blog:

"On the main page of the mobile version scroll down all the way. There's a link to the web version. Using that will give access to all the goodies."

Does it help with  your mobile viewing, Dave/Freond?

C.C.

Saturday, Oct 3rd, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing Q,Z)

Blocks: 28

  A very do-able puzzle from Mr. Silk to start October - for first time puzzlers tackling a daunting themeless Saturday, this one could very well be the inspiration to try again next week.  Not too many proper names, and for me, some easy-to-guess long answers - and nothing longer than 10-letters.  No Googling, no dictionary peeks, and I refrained from red-letters even when I did not get my "ta-DA~!" - twice.  My two 1-letter goofs are highlighted below.  Triple 10's in the across and triple 8's in the down;

1a. World War II code name : OMAHA BEACH - Saving Private Ryan was on this week; I stayed with the opening scenes showing the allied forces storming the beach; very real and terrifying - and I was not there

12d. "Sharknado" actress : TARA REID - yes, sharks in a waterspout

65a. WorkCentre cartridge filler : XEROX TONER

34. Vegetable oil source : FLAX SEED

OctoberNWARD~!

ACROSS:

11. Small matter? : ATOM - one Saturday, this will be "A to M" - half the OED

15*. For instance, in Cannes : PAR EXEMPLE - well, you all know how I feel about the Frawnche - so I had "A" and not "E" after the "X"

16. Early word : MAMA

17. Diamond rarity : TRIPLE PLAY - which diamond~? - not the stone, the baseball reference

18. First name in '80s-'90s Dodgers history : OREL - and speaking of baseball....

19. Clean __ : SLATE

20. One may be tucked : TUMMY

22. Emulating : À LA

23. Talking Heads bassist Weymouth : TINA

24. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYStem - the other parts being Columbia and Broadcasting

25. Co-star of Humphrey in the 1954 film "Sabrina" : AUDREY - IMDb

27. Tense : ON EDGE

29*. Epson products : INKJETS - printers, that is.  I stared at INK-ETS for wa-a-a-y too long

30. In a lather, with "up"? : SOAPED - har-har

33. Last Supper question : "IS IT I~?"

34. Asian __ : FLU - I had MAU, and pondered SEA - but then that was at 54a.

37. Heading for old wagons : DUE WEST - ah - not OUT west

39. Traffic cops?: Abbr. : DEA - Drug Enforcement Administration - "smuggling" traffic

40. Fat, e.g. : LIPID

42. Element used in atomic clocks : CESIUM - I threw in CARBON, because it fit.  Only the "C" was right - so that's 16% @ 100%, right~?

44. Hindu retreats : ASHRAMS

46. Lacking radiating processes, as nerve cells : APOLAR - 83.3% perps

50. Nissan SUV introduced in 1999 : XTERRA - and to be dropped in the US at the end of this year - this fact was brought to you by a clue from a previous puzzle

51. Being in a life-imitating computer game : SIM - I am a big fan of Sim City - here's my crop circles from the UFO invasion that occurred in one of my games

53. Cowboys quarterback Tony : ROMO

54. Black __ : SEA

55. Six-Day War hero : DAYAN - learning moment for me - the Wiki

57. Railroad turnarounds : LOOPS

58. Green state? : ENVY

60. Ski area purchase : LIFT TICKET - HeartRx is trading in her blogging ticket for a lift ticket - thanks for your Thursday write-ups~!

62. Landing nos. : ETAs - I pondered FLRs, too - for staircase landings

63. Music with vocal parts : OPERA SCORE

64. 16-Across speaker : DOLL

DOWN:

1. Decides one will : OPTS TO

2. Game fish : MARLIN

3. French satellite launcher : ARIANE - mostly perps - another learning moment

4. Deadly sins and others : HEPTADS - group of seven

5. Ferris wheel component : AXLE

6. Fresno daily : BEE

7. Item sometimes redeemed : EMPTY

8. Outstanding : A PLUS

9. Secretive sort : CLAM - as in "clammed up"

10. "Yo!" : "HEY MAN~!"

11. Latin 101 word : AMO

13. Café order : OMELETTE

14. Two-part country : MALAYSIA

21. Clown around : YUK IT UP

24. 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee : SEAU - Junior - I did not know about him

26. CD players : DJs - dah~! this should have come easier than it did

28. "The Great Dictator" co-star Paulette : GODDARD - half perps/half WAG

29. 7/15, e.g. : IDES - this 'par exemple' is the ides of July

31. Muscle beach display : PECS

32. Field grazer : EWE

35. Mind : LISTEN TO

36. Turmoil : UPHEAVAL

38. Musical king's land : SIAM

41. Discount abbr. : IRRegular

43. Marrakesh setting : MOROCCO

45. Antacid brand : MAALOX - the name I recalled, the spelling, not so much

47. Spectate : LOOK ON - what I like to look on;

48. Current unit : AMPERE

49. Roll : ROSTER

51. More cautious : SAFER

52. Emcee's job : INTRO

56. "Good grief!" : "YIPE~!"

57. Place for tick marks : LIST

59. Initials on L'Homme fragrance : YSL

61. Burden : TAX

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Let's meet Lemonade's granddaughter Harper Mae, who was born last Monday Sept 28, 2015. Harper was 15 hours old when she met Grandpa Lemonade.

Charlotte, Dad, Harper & Grandpa Lemonade

Big Sister Charlotte and Harper

Click here for two more pictures.

I have a Charlotte label on my Ginger Roots. You can click here to see all Charlotte & Harper related pictures.

Friday, October 2, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Que pasa? Que sera sera!

JW is back with an add on theme where QUE is added to the end of a word to completely change the meaning of a word or phrase. Three add the que at the end of the phrase, with two adding to the middle of a word creating a two word answer. Four feature "I" before the add on, with one A. I love the first three in the theme. I also love the gridspanner in the middle. The rest of the fill is very good with ABOUND, ANUBIS, BEAT UP,  EX-PROS, GULDEN, OCEANS, TAIPEI, TRIBAL, ADRENALIN,  AQUA REGIA, FULL MOONS, HEARTBURN examples and some Friday fill like BIOTA and TOQUE. As always, JW makes us work to decipher some of the fill, but is Friday, so let us have at it.

18A. Angry young man's fate? : LIFE OF PIQUE (11).  The book Life of Pi became a worldwide best seller and movie after many rejections.

24A. Hercules, e.g.? : ANTIQUE HERO (11). Anti-hero (or antihero) has been a literary theme from Don Quixote through Marlon Brando, but while an ancient story, there is nothing but hero about Hercules.  (1:25).

39A. Result of a Caribbean sanitation strike? : DIRTY MARTINIQUE (15). My favorite of the theme, both for the drink and a reminder of the horrible volcanic eruption in 1902 that made one PRISONER famous.

56A. Proprietary paperwork? : UNIQUE FORMS (11). Uniforms.

62A. Ready-to-hang Cubist painting? : WIRED BRAQUE (11). A really creative one, with a very famous contemporary of Picasso (Georges Braque) brought to life from an under-wire bra, which he probably never painted.  IMAGE.

Across:

1. "I don't like it!" : BAH. Oddly, my first thought of which I was quite unsure.

4. Waikiki allure : SURF. There are other  sights to see. LINK.(4:12).

8. Like an old jalopy : BEAT UP.

14. Chemical suffix : IDE. A compound.

15. Hesse-based automaker : OPEL. We have seen this German automaker more often than I have seen their cars. And a semi-clecho: 33A. Ingolstadt-based automaker : AUDI. More Germany 46A. Einstein's birth city : ULM. In southern Germany near the Danube.

16. Reporter's coup : EXPOSE. This was harder without imagining the accent.

17. Man-mouse link : OR A.

20. Hill stint : TERM. Capital Hill for politicians.

22. Hershey bar : SKOR. Back again I must get one.

23. Bygone political entity that included Syr. : UAR. The short lived alliance between Egypt and Syria. United Arab Republic.

28. South African golfer with four major championships : ELS. A CSO to our own Big Easy.

29. Be quite prevalent : ABOUND.

30. Polite response to Aunt Polly : YES'M. A reference to Tom Sawyer's aunt, I guess, which fits with 35A. Crude carrier : RAFT.

32. Seasonal affliction : FLU.

44. Poet Sexton : ANNE. One of many creative people who could not control the demons that made them great. LINK.

45. Popular melt meat : TUNA. Yum.

47. 50-50, to Fifi : EGAL. Equal in French.

51. __ Council: "Survivor" feature : TRIBAL. Never watched an episode.

53. Rush : HIE. A nice Shakespeare word.

59. "Well done!" analog : OLE.

60. Pacific feast : LUAU. In Waikiki?

61. Drudge : PEON. So many words for the put upon.

67. Indian state that was part of a former Portuguese colony : GOA. They are famous for their beaches.

68. Tamsui River capital : TAIPEI.

69. Excited about, with "on" : KEEN. A 50s word.

70. "Monsters, __" : INC.

71. Magellan's milieux : OCEANS. He was going round and round.

72. Breyers competitor : EDYS. Yum.

73. Require : ASK. Not want your country can do for you....

Down:

1. Regional organisms : BIOTA. Not a term I am really familiar with so my start was slow.

2. Stimulant trademark : ADRENALIN.  Synthetic epinephrine which has become more popular than the original adrenaline; quite the rush.

3. Jalapeño product, for some? : HEARTBURN. This is our medical corner with pyrosis, cardialgia, or acid indigestion as other names for the burning sensation in the chest. Per wiki.

4. San José sun : SOL. Spanish.

5. News org. : UPI. United Press International.

6. Court charge caller : REF. Basketball court.

7. Soft tissue : FLESH.

8. In front of : BEFORE.

9. Many sports commentators : EX-PROS. Nice letter string XPR, but conflict with clues below.

10. Bee: Pref. : API. From whence comes Apiary, etc.

11. Chapeau seen in "Ratatouille" : TOQUE. A gratuitous bonus QUE

12. Quotidian : USUAL. Not one of your usual clues, this means daily. Latin comes in handy.

13. Jury members : PEERS. Such a strange concept.

19. "__-doke!" : OKEY. Okey dokey smokey.

21. Apennines possessive : MIO. Italian, a region and history I did not know. LINK.

25. Ship loading site : QUAY.

26. Word on a bill : UNUM. E pluribus....

27. Old writings mentioning Odin : EDDA.

31. Open __ : MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

32. Org. requiring milk pasteurization : FDA. Food and Drug Administration.

34. The Bronx's Jerome Ave. line is part of it : IRT. Interborough Rapid Transit. the SUBWAY.

36. Mixture that dissolves gold : AQUA REGIA. Latin for royal water; the question is why do you want to dissolve gold?

37. Rare twosome of July 2015 : FULL MOONS. The even rarer three full moons?  LINK.

38. Pro __ : TEM. Followed immediately with the clecho

40. Pro's support : TEE. Then staying in the Ts.

41. 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner : TUTU. The Anglican Bishop DESMOND.

42. Regarding : IN RE. More Latin.

43. Innocent : NAIF. A guileless, unsophisticated person: babe, child, ingénue, innocent. Same stem as naive.

48. Big name in mustard : GULDEN. Their spicy brown is the third largest in the US behind French's and Grey Poupon.

49. Wolf-headed god : ANUBIS. This is the Greek name for the Egyptian god.

50. One covering tracks, perhaps : LIAR. Liar pants on fire.

52. Hit on the head : BOP.

53. Book with steps : HOW  TO.

54. __ crest: pelvic border : ILIAC.

55. Like H.P. Lovecraft stories : EERIE.

57. Tremble : QUAKE.

58. Oreos, say : SNACK.

63. Org. monitoring endangered species : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

64. Letters of proof : QED. EVERYONE must know this by now.

65. Turn that's hung : UEY.

66. Chekov's "Star Trek" rank: Abbr. : ENSign. Before he became a Captain and an Admiral.

Well another week and month have slipped away, I hope everyone on the east coast is kept safe from Joaquin. I wonder if Mr. Trump will blame that on Mexico as well? No politics. just silliness.

I am tired from the excitement of the new baby, so off to rest; lemonade out.