Theme: Who wants cake, or maybe a 7 layer theme?
I would like each of you to write up the theme , which I understand but do not know how to express. First we have a reveal early on with 16A. What each successive starting word of the answers to starred clues is to the starting word that precedes it : SYNONYM (8). We then get our first starred clue/fill, 19A. *Popular clubs : HOT SPOTS (8) but it tells us nothing because first we need a 'successive' clue which we get immediately with 20A. *Ty Cobb specialties : STOLEN BASES (11) and the light bulb goes off because HOT and STOLEN both mean something purloined. But here is the twist, the next pair is STOLEN and TAKEN from 31A. *Dressed down : TAKEN TO TASK (11) with STOLEN now a verb. 38A. *Didn't allow to remain in, as political office : REMOVED FROM (11) gives us TAKEN/REMOVED. We then have REMOVED/DISTANT from 46A. *It's ancient history : DISTANT PAST (11) and we finish with DISTANT/COLD as in the b!@#$ acted so DISTANT. 50A. *They might be knocked down in a bar : COLD ONES (8) And to a second reveal of the brilliant ladder Don Hard G has built we have 56A. What the start of 50-Across is to the start of 19-Across : ANTONYM (8) which reminds us we have gone from the HOT to the COLD and from SYNONYM to ANTONYM. Awesome! 76 letters are theme related! And then he manages to work in AT LEAST, CREATOR. HAIRNET, OVER PAR, PATIENT, PINHEAD, SCIORRA, SEASIDE, ASTINS, CHEAPO, EPILOG, HOOPLA, ON TIME, PANAMA SHANTY, SKYLIT, SOBERS, and TOUPEE. I am worn out and have not even begun....
Across:
1. Birdbrain : PINHEAD. Clecho 46D. Birdbrains : DOPES.
8. Crummy : CHEAPO.
14. Annabella of "Jungle Fever" : SCIORRA. This ACTRESS born in Connecticut has had a very successful career in both movies and TV.
15. Producer : CREATOR. Literally true, but I found the connection slow to come to mind.
17. Equestrian's head cover : HAIRNET. There is always something new to LEARN.
18. Newscaster Lindström : PIA.
26. Pros with schedules : CPAS. IRS 1040 e.g.
30. Save : BUT.
35. Closing words : EPILOG. I never have used this spelling.
37. Hut : SHANTY.Has bad connotations.
42. Trouble : AIL.
43. Barely come (through) : SEEP.
44. Box "b" on a W-2: Abbr. : EIN. Employer Identification Number.
45. Magazine that published advance excerpts from Stephen King's "Firestarter" : OMNI. This was a fine MAGAZINE.
55. Like bogeys : OVER PAR. These days almost all the holes.
60. Playing the waiting game : PATIENT.
61. Resort site : SEASIDE.
62. Pass : ELAPSE.
63. Minimally : AT LEAST.
Down:
1. Some email enders : PSS. I have never used PS or any variation in an email.
2. Dangerous, in a way : ICY. Cold.
3. Writer who said "The only abnormality is the incapacity to love" : NIN. Anais was born Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell, of Cuban descent. LINK.
5. Els with clubs : ERNIE. More golf.
6. Ancient Indo-European : ARYAN. Quite the HISTORY
7. Hydroelectric facility : DAM.
8. Pack up : CRATE. As a verb.
9. Five-time world champion skater Carol : HEISS. More ICE, but I think even Tin allows it for skating. A quick memory of our dear departed Clear Ayes and all our figure skaters who have come and gone.
11. 5 for B or 6 for C : ATNO. I think the clue needs at least a 'shortly' as neither B nor C as atomic symbols are actually abbreviations.
12. Orpheus, for one : POET.
13. Scraps : ORTS.
15. Elect : CHOSEN. This time not a verb.
19. Leaping critter : HARE. 36D. __-eared : LOP. You like Lola?
20. Sleeps it off, with "up" : SOBERS.
21. Theatrical piece? : TOUPEE. Nice misdirection especially near HARE.
22. As scheduled : ON TIME. Airlines now over state time so they can appear on time.
23. __ choy : BOK. A versatile vegetable. LINK.
26. Windy City travel org. : CTA. I never have used Chicago transit.
27. Colombia neighbor : PANAMA.
28. Actors John and Sean : ASTINS. If you ever wondered why Samwise Gamgee did not look like Gomez Addams, they are not biologic father and son. It is a complicated STORY.
29. Naturally bright : SKYLIT. How many of you have a skylight in your home? I am in a second floor apartment, so...
31. Good, in Hebrew : TOV. Yom tov.
32. Golden __ : AGE. Of comic books?
33. Musical org. based in Kawasaki : TSO.
34. Electrical measure : OHM.
39. Much of Nevada : DESERT.
40. Emotional spells : FITS. Is this now an un-pc term?
41. Strand under a microscope : RNA. Ribonucleic acid.
45. Resist : OPPOSE.
47. Silly : INANE.
48. Good-sized combo : NONET. Nine pieces.
49. Wreck big time : TOTAL. I had one car totaled when I was broadsided.
50. Deal : COPE.
51. Roundish : OVAL. ...ish.
52. "__ Smile Be Your Umbrella" : LET A. Who ever did it better?
53. Boring type : DRIP. A 1950s term.
56. Arkansas governor Hutchinson : ASA. How many obscure ASAs are there?
57. Actress Vardalos : NIA. My big fat Greek wallet after her success. We have this new Greek restaurant near our place and we want to eat there but whenever we walk over there are no customers...
58. Abbr. near a tee : YDS. Yards, as most of you read this I am in another charity golf tournament.
59. Assembled : MET. As opposed to a New York Met. Baseball in 50 degree weather....
A classic Don Hard G. Friday, so well put together. Have a safe Halloween and set your clocks back and enjoy the extra hour.
Lemonade out
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