Saturday, August 17, 2019, Michael Ashley

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Michael Ashley

August 17th has been designated  to celebrate one of my favorite things in the world: The #2 Pencil! Like all of you, I have done the puzzle online occasionally and have also been forced to use a, gasp, ink pen but the old Ticonderoga #2 is my fav. All right, I am partial to the Paper Mate Sharpwriter too because it has a good eraser!

Someday this math/physics teacher will understand why students always seem to have a plethora of ink pens, markers and even crayons but hardly ever a #2 wooden pencil. I bought many boxes of them over the years and handed them out daily - usually to the same kids!

Today's constructor is Michael Ashley and this is a reposting from my blog of his puzzle on 10/27/18: I lived nearly 20 years in Manhattan, New York, and have now lived with my wife and two children in Scottsdale, Arizona, since 1993. Besides being a maniacal online chess buff, in my spare time I dabble at another sport which, on my better days, strongly resembles golf. 

Irrespective of what implement or technology you employed to solve Michael's offering, let's review its content. For me it was a quite fast but pleasant experience with, as usual, the long fills opening the floodgates.

Across:

1. Cute but nerdy: ADORKABLE - Congrats if you knew this, uh, cute portmanteau (ADORABLE/DORK)

10. Praises highly: LAUDS.

15. Area adjoining a bridge: RADAR ROOM - This bridge is one from which the ship is commanded and the RADAR ROOM supplies data for its safe passage

16. Hall of fame: ANNIE - A Woody Allen/Diane Keaton film

17. "Search me": I'VE NO IDEA

18. Service period: STINT - The hash marks on Command Master Chief Marilyn E. Kennard's sleeve indicate she has served many STINTS in the Navy

19. "Red Rocks" city: SEDONA, AZ from the air

20. Epic: BIG.

22. Vermont tourist destinations: INNS - Bob Newhart's TV Stratford INN in Vermont was really the Wayward Inn in Middlebury, VT

23. Animated queen: NALA - Disney's new live-action remake of The Lion King features Beyonce voicing NALA

25. Inc. relative: LLC - Limited Liability Corporation 

27. Match at the poker table: SEE.

28. Make a pick: OPT.

31. "My Way" singer, 1998: USHER - Definitely not Sinatra nor my cuppa tea

33. Jimmy: PRY - Forgot your key? Derivation of the term

34. Half a comedy duo: MEARA - My first encounter with them

Ed Sullivan, Ann Meara, Jerry Stiller

37. Apart from the rest: TO ONE SIDE.

39. Title voice actor in "Puss in Boots" (2011): ANTONIO BANDERAS - Ok

41. "Feels like" weather calculation: HEAT INDEX - We had a week of HEAT INDICES near 115F and now it has turned very nice

42. Be a debtor of: OWE TO 

43. DOJ branch: ATF.

Moire Pattern

44. Wavelike pattern: MOIRE - Wazzat?

45. Man cave, for some: DEN.

46. Bud: BRO.

47. Wrap up: END 

48. Very: SUCH.

52. Work to acquire: EARN.

54. Retract, as words: EAT -  Try to make your words very sweet, for you may have to EAT them!

56. '60s-'70s crime drama: THE FBI - Efrem Zimbalist Jr. was the star

60. Dogpatch name: ABNER - It's a Li'l name

62. Common epidemic factor: CONTAGION.

64. Veil: CLOAK- A dagger can be an accessory

65. Fronded rainforest plants: TREE FERNS.

66. Conform with: HEW TO - Many politicians HEW TO the dictates of their party or else...

67. United Federation of Planets service: STAR FLEET - "To boldly go..."

Down:

1. Onassis and others: ARIS - Another might be Fleishner 

2. 1993 Kevin Kline title role: DAVE.

3. Had too much: ODED - My Netflix bingeing might qualify

4. Was loquacious: RAN ON - I have a SIL who does that. She never fails to talk for ten minutes when ten seconds would suffice. TMI!

5. Icelandic monetary unit: KRONA - A KRONA = $.0081

6. Easy-to-read font: ARIAL.

7. Hunk's pride: BOD - Redux from last week

8. "Firecracker" singer Lisa: LOEB - Here ya go!

9. Online forgeries: EMAIL HOAXES - I'd be suspicious of EMAIL from that Nigerian Prince

10. Avila article: LAS - In Avila, Spain the plural of cockroaches would be LAS cucarachas

11. Not a source of support for: ANTI.

12. Trite: UNINSPIRED - I suspect most editors say this of unsolicited manuscripts 

13. Start of many a romance: DINNER DATE 

14. Catches sight of: SETS EYES ON - A memorable moment for millions

21. Close in films: GLENN - Her IMDB listings

24. Self-taught people: AUTODIDACTS - An interesting take here:

26. System of belief: CREDO.

28. D-Day hot spot: OMAHA BEACH - So many brave men died there 75 years ago

29. Porous: PENETRABLE - Bad football defenses can are often called porous 

30. Casual parting words: TATA FOR NOW - Way too cheesy for me

32. Not at all high: SOBER.

35. Go to seed: ROT - Dandelions breaking down and going to seed

36. "The Red Turtle" genre: ANIME.

38. Mend, in a way: SEW.

40. Words after all or hole: IN ONE - My first thought for all-in-one

49. Speak: UTTER.

50. Threshing remains: CHAFF - Wheat CHAFF dispensed out the back of this John Deere combine

51. German idealism pioneer: HEGEL - Here 'ya go

53. Spruce: NEAT - I use it with "up" as in Spruce Up something 

55. Libel or slander: TORT.

This site says - 1 is a crime, 2 is a tort and 3 could be either one

57. Gift from Prometheus: FIRE.

58. Joint component: BONE - 82% of NFL career-ending injuries occur with an injury at this confluence of BONE joints

59. Research ctr.: INST - Like the Massachusetts INSTitute of Technology 

61. One of the Big Five in Hollywood's Golden Age: RKO.

63. Org. awarded a Special Tony in 2016: NEA - The National Endowment For The Arts 

Perhaps in your comment, you can tell us what instrument you used to complete the puzzle.

Friday, August 16, 2019 Bruce Haight

Workwear

17. Railway inspector's attire?: TRACK SHOES. 

22. Blackjack dealer's attire?: DECK PANTS.  

33. Corporate director's attire?: BOARD SHORTS.

49. Toothpaste maker's attire?: TUBE SOCKS.

57. Roadside mechanic's attire?: FLARE JEANS.

Bruce suggests seemingly appropriate pieces of attire for various occupations.   Funny.   I got them all easily enough, but I don't know what deck pants are, and never heard the term before.  Regardless, solving the puzzle was good Friday fun, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. 

Across:

1. Congress, with "the": HILL.  Because of Capitol Hill of course.   Like saying the Oval Office or the White House when figuratively referring to the executive office / presidency.

5. Bashes: GALAS.  The fun kind of bashes, rather than verbal or physical attacks.

10. Whistle blower: COP.  Not ref(eree).

13. Burden: ONUS.  

14. It often follows an overture: OPERA.   For example, the overture from the Barber of Seville.


15. "That's not good": OH NO.  If you concatenate those two little words you get OHNO,  the last name of Winter Olympics great Apolo.   He was good !

 Apolo Ohno Physics

16. Help during spelling: WAND.    Saurcerus.  Soarcirrus.  Sorersirus.   Sorceress.

19. 60 minuti: ORA.   Minuti definitely sounded Italian.   Rossini would have got that ORA quicker than I did.   Maybe not though, because he was too busy writing operas to do crossword puzzles.   I read he was prolific.

20. Oodles: A TON.

21. San Jose skaters: SHARKS.   My nephew is a huge fan.   Huge I tell you.   He gets season tickets and walks to the SAP Center for games.   He took us to a nearby restaurant that had great steaks and ribs.   For you locals, I think it was Henry's World Famous Hi-Life.

25. With 18-Down, '30s-'40s band leader: ARTIE, and 18. See 25-Across: SHAW.    ARTIE SHAW.

Leader of Bands

26. Israeli military hero: DAYAN.  Moshe.

27. Writer born Herbert George: HG WELLS.   Did not know his first and middle names, but had H-W--L- at the time, and the answer popped out.    HG is a seen here at the Crossword Corner as an abbreviation of Husker Gary, our Saturday sherpa.

29. Floor support?: YEA.

31. Leader who was painted by Warhol: MAO.

"In this example from his Mao series, Warhol melded his signature style with the scale of totalitarian propaganda to address the cult of personality surrounding the Chinese ruler Mao Zedong (1893–1976). Nearly fifteen feet tall, this towering work mimics the representations of the political figure that were ubiquitously displayed throughout China. Warhol’s looming portrait impresses us with the duality of its realistic qualities and its plastic artificiality."   Mao - The Art Institute of Chicago

32. Canon model: EOS.

You would probably have to be a serious shutterbug or a professional to shell out the dinero to purchase one of these jewels.  For instance, the EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Camera (body only) would set you back ~ $2800.  Add a lens such as the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM for ~ $2100,  a memory card ~ $65, and a few other accessories, and you've spent some serious coin.   

37. Disneyland's Main Street, __: USA.  I've never been to Disneyland, but I've been to Disneyworld a couple of times.  Disneyworld also has a Main Street, USA.

39. Lead-in to X, Y or Z: GEN.  List Of Generations    Millenials seem to be the subject of so much flak.  It seems to me that members of every generation bash subsequent generations, as their generation was bashed by those prior.  "What's the matter with kids these days ?!?"    

40. West Bank gp.: PLO.

41. Word with jam or joint: SESSION.  Or when plural, with Jeff.

44. Wipe off: ERASE.

48. Equalizes: EVENS.

53. Crude, as humor: RIBALD.

55. Deduce, with "out": SUSS.   A skill used by solvers. 

56. Sea-__: TAC.   I believe that if Sea-Tac is hyphenated, it is a reference to the airport, which has been around since the 1940s.    If it is not hyphenated, it is a reference to the city, which has only been around since 1990. 

59. Don Corleone: VITO.

60. W competitor: ELLE.   Did not know of W magazine.

61. Gloss over: ELIDE.

1.  transitive verb
   If you elide something, especially a distinction, you leave it out or ignore it.
   [formal]
2.  transitive verb
   In linguistics, if you elide a word, you do not pronounce or write it fully.
   [technical]
   COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

62. Finished: OVER.

63. You might be shocked to meet one: EEL.   Never had eel.   C.C. taught me last Sunday that it must be cooked and never eaten raw as the blood is highly toxic.   I don't think I was the only one.  Hi Lucina !

64. Things to avoid: DON'TS.

65. __ Point: WEST.

Down:

1. "Strange ... ": HOW ODD.

2. Measured two-dimensionally: IN AREA.

3. Madness: LUNACY.

4. Trip provider: LSD. 

And there ain't no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore Drive heading into town
Just slippin' on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound

I know, but I like the song...

5. Must, informally: GOTTA.  On another day or in other parts of the country, hafta or havta. 

6. It has strings attached: APRON.

7. Relied (on) for support, to a Brit: LEANT.   Someone should create a puzzle with these American English and British English variants, a la "Relieved wheat ?" with Spelled Spelt as the answer.  Or not.

8. Basketball's three-point line, for one: ARC.

9. Nordstrom competitor: SAKS.    Had a card for shopping at Saks in the Galleria Houston.   Bought a few suits and ties there.  Have never been in a Nordstrom.

10. Laughs gleefully: CHORTLES.  A word that seems to be gaining in popularity.

11. About 2.2 lbs.: ONE KILO.

12. Do demons' work: POSSESS. 

15. Midwestern hub: O'HARE.   The primary hub for United Airlines, and the third largest hub for American Airlines. 

20. Sleep disorder: APNEA.

23. Floor: KAYO.  Knock Out to K.O. to kayo.  That's my guess.

24. Bygone Mideast sovereign: SHAH.

28. Sticky stuff: GOOP.

30. Ship that survived the Clashing Rocks: ARGO. From the 1963 Movie.  Hey !   There's Jason ! CSO !    And Triton to save the Argo.

According to someone named Datsmaharse who posted at Funtrivia.com:

The original Argonautica passage by Apollonius Rhodius:
"Then a vaulted billow rushed upon them, and the ship like
a cylinder ran on the furious wave plunging through the hollow sea. And the eddying current held her between the clashing rocks; and on each side they shook and thundered; and the ship's timbers were held fast.
Then Athena with her left hand thrust back one mighty rock and with her right pushed the ship through"

31. AOL rival: MSN.   Two of the web's oldest content providers with AOL in 1989 and MSN in 1995.  CompuServe and Prodigy were a couple of others.

33. Game involved in several Costner films: BASEBALL.   Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, For Love of the Game.

34. Bad impression: DENT.   Chicago Bear HOF'er Richard Dent made a great impression in that magical 1985 season and in Super Bowl XX.   Longtime Bears fan Madame Defarge had season tickets for years and years.  Through thick and thin.  No fair weather fan, she.


35. Like four midyear months: R LESS.   You are supposed to do something with oysters in these months.  Or maybe not do something.   Anyway, May, June, July and August.

36. Snapper rival: TORO.   Lawn products companies named after animals.   No thanks.  I'll stick to my Deere and Scag which were named after people.  OK,  people are animals too.  

37. Access charge: USER FEE. 

38. Figaro's hometown: SEVILLE.  Wow !   Small world.  We were just discussing Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia"  above at Overture / Opera.

42. Capture: SNARE.

43. Man, for one: ISLE.

45. Like some volcanoes and military personnel: ACTIVE.

46. Hockey gear: SKATES.

47. Go along with: ESCORT.

50. Bolt with great speed: USAIN.  He's fast at ~ 28 mph.

51. __ cake: BUNDT.  DW used to make the best rum cakes. 

52. Word containing three of itself: ESSES. 

54. Worked a party, briefly: DJ'ed.   Disc Jockeyed.   Part of desper-otto's past.  At a radio station.  Maybe spun a platter at a party or two...  Who knows ?  Maybe he'll tell us. 

58. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO.   Electric Light Orchestra.   Here's a version of the song from the soundtrack of the movie:


I wonder if desper-otto ever DJ'ed any ELO...

59. Promise: VOW.

Thursday, August 15th, 2019 Gary Larson

Theme:

39A. Come to a compromise ... and a homophonic hint to what each of four long answers contains: MEET IN THE MIDDLE

17A. E-cig user's package: VAPOR KIT. Food! Funny, I just made a Mexican pork dish last night, pork pibil. it was dee-lish, great tacos. A friend suggested I swap out the tomatillos in the sauce for cumquat, I like that idea for the acid element. I'll report back.

24A. Place for an apian colony: HONEY BEE FARM

51A. Self-arming protection system: PASSIVE ALARM

64A. Beach party with shellfish: CLAMBAKE

Plain and straightforward theme from Gary. Nothing to complain about - except maybe "VAPOR KIT". I'd never heard of that, and Google seems to agree with me. It seems a little contrived. "VAPE" yes, otherwise - not so much.

So moving on:

Across:

1. "Cheers" cheer: NORM!

5. Lyft or Uber: APP

8. Makes fun of: MOCKS

13. Melville's "Typee" sequel: OMOO. Has anyone actually read this? It crops up in many crosswords - and has anyone actually read "Typee"? "Moby Dick" was a slog.

14. Seafood delicacy: ROE

15. "Oh, darn!": AW, RATS! Charlie Brown's favorite exclamation.

19. Dollhouse accessory: TEA SET. TEA POT slowed me down.

20. Playground retort: ARE SO!

21. ER "Now!": STAT!

23. "What fun!": WHEE!. There's a lot of exclamations today. I used to work for a Dubliner in London who called the exclamation point a "shriek". I got to like it. I asked him for the password to a computer account once when I was new, and he told me "shriek or shriek ..." I was thoroughly confused ... until I discovered he was saying "!R!". So if you want to know the password to the database administrator account at [redacted], it's "Shriek or Shriek password"

27. Married person: SPOUSE

30. "Furthermore ... ": ALSO ...

31. Keats' "Sylvan historian": URN.

Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,

       Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,

Sylvan historian, who canst thus express

       A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:

32. Actor McShane and novelist McEwan: IANS. I'm fans of both.

35. Fields of study: AREAS

43. Offspring: SPAWN. Usually "hell-spawn" for some reason.

44. Merrie __ England: OLDE. The Renaissance Fair doesn't really do justice to how pretty nasty conditions were in "Merry Old England".

45. Alumna bio word: NÉE

46. "Argo" setting: IRAN

48. One of the four Evangelists: ST. MARK. Matthew, Luke and John were his Evangelist compadres.

56. May, to Peter Parker: AUNT

57. North-of-the-border brand: ESSO. Across-the-Atlantic brand too.

58. Kick to the next level: AMP UP

62. Scribe: WRITER

66. Inhumane one: SADIST. Actually, the Marquis de Sade gets a little bum rap for this, so I've read.

67. The whole lot: ALL.

68. Frank: OPEN

69. Flows slowly: SEEPS

70. Chi follower: PSI

71. Gridiron play: PASS

Down:

1. Super star: NOVA. So here's a little musical interlude to a "supernova" band who apparently predicted their explosion to fame and implosion in an omnishambles quite accurately. Damn, they were good.

2. "Rubáiyát" poet Khayyám: OMAR. I'm glad I didn't have to go look for the diacriticals in the clue, I'd have been busy all day.

3. One may be tied around a saddle horn: ROPE

4. Chinese dish with pancakes: MOO SHU. Food!

5. Torah holder: ARK

6. Composure: POISE

7. Picayune: PETTY

8. Fisher-Price parent: MATTEL. They have a "Hot Wheels" branded bus that ferries folk between their two campuses in El Segundo her in LA. It's pretty cool. When you are waiting in the lobby they have a "bus cam" so you can see where it is.

9. Need to pay: OWE

10. "Mommie Dearest" mommie: CRAWFORD

11. Buckwheat dish: KASHA. I had never heard of this before, so, obviously, I'm going to make it at the weekend and see what's what.

12. Ranch critter: STEER. Critter? Terrible clue.

16. Goblet part: STEM

18. Outback hoppers: ROOS

22. Cut down to size: ABASED

25. Teutonic turndown: NEIN

26. Morales of "La Bamba": ESAI

27. Basic math homework: SUMS

28. Help the chef: PREP. You're welcome to join me in my kitchen. I'll prep for you if you'll return the favor.

29. Draft card designation: ONE-A

33. More than apologizes: ATONES

34. Org. with Canadiens and Canucks: NHL

36. Poet St. Vincent Millay: EDNA

37. Astro or Angel: AL'ER. Baseball, ask C.C.

38. Car radio button: SEEK

40. Drawstring alternative: TWIST TIE. Creative clue.

41. Crucifix letters: INRI

42. Painted Desert landform: MESA

47. Heads off: AVERTS

49. Airport conveyance: TRAM. The longest and most aggravating tram contest is a three-way playoff between San Franscisco, Atlanta and Newark.

50. 1997 chart-topper for Hanson: MMMBOP. I looked it up on YouTube. The chorus was vaguely familiar. What I was stunned about was the ads for the current tour. I assumed they all retired when their voices broke.

51. Bear hands: PAWS

52. Mysterious glows: AURAS

53. Like some remarks: SNIDE

54. Music licensing fee-collecting org.: ASCAP

55. Takes it easy: LOLLS.

59. Nickname for Haydn: PAPA

60. Hawaiian strings: UKES.

61. Rollerball items: PENS I was trying to fit rollerskate-related items in here, then I looked at what I was holding in my hand.

63. Ability to pick things up?: ESP

65. Boxing legend: ALI. I know I've said before, I "met" Muhammad once in an elevator at Warner Bros. We had an understanding not to approach anyone you ran into on the lot, but I couldn't resist shaking his hand and calling him "Champ". He was an amazing man.

With that, here's the grid.

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

Good luck to Picard (Robert), who's having a major surgery today. Please send positive thoughts to his way.

Picard and his Wife, Tahoe, 2016

Wednesday, August 14, 2019, Craig Stowe

Theme:  One Day at a Time. This could have been another circle puzzle, but instead the theme answers were marked with stars, with the word DAILY scrambled, and hidden in each.

18. *1930 Faulkner novel: AS I LAY DYING.

24. *1986 Chris de Burgh hit, with "The": LADY IN RED.

36. *Wits, when scared out of you: DAYLIGHTS.

52. *Hit below the belt: PLAY DIRTY.

58. Popular newspaper puzzle, and a hint to what's hidden in the answers to starred clues: DAILY JUMBLE.

Melissa here. The downs seemed a notch tougher than the acrosses.

Across:

1. Break down noisily: SOB. Ohhh, I was thinking of a car ...

4. Living things: BEINGS.

10. Mug: FACE. Sneaky.

14. Lab eggs: OVA. Plural of ovum.

15. "Bewitched" witch: ENDORA. Here she is in 1973 appearing on the TV game show, What's My Line? The final episode of Bewitched aired in March of 1972.

16. Vigorous spirit: ELAN.

17. 2018 giant shark film, with "The": MEG. I guess I'm living under a rock, because I've never heard of this movie.

20. Enlightened Buddhist: ARHAT. In Theravada Buddhism, an Arhat (Sanskrit: अर्हत् arhat; Pali: arahant; "one who is worthy") is a "perfected person" who has attained nirvana. In other Buddhist traditions the term has also been used for people far advanced along the path of Enlightenment, but who may not have reached full Buddhahood. The understanding of the concept has changed over the centuries, and varies between different schools of buddhism and different regions. Practicing Vipassana (a form of meditation) on the Theravada arhat path, increases one's capacity for compassion.

22. "... __ many ways": IN SO.

23. Letter between zeta and theta: ETA.

27. Patio furniture maker: CANER. Fooled me into thinking of a brand.

29. Defiant comeback: I CAN TOO.

30. Thrown out of the game: EJECTED.

32. Time zone word: Abbr.: STD. Standard, as opposed to Daylight Savings Time. Time Zone Abbreviations – Worldwide List.

33. Money left on a diner table: TIP.

35. Score often requiring overtime: ONE ONE.

39. Feral: SAVAGE.

42. Unfavorable review: PAN. I wonder why that term is used for a bad review.

43. __-Cat: winter vehicle: SNO.

46. Group of nine until 2006: PLANETS. In August 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded the status of Pluto to that of "dwarf planet." Controversy.

48. Grated together, as teeth: GNASHED.

51. DeGeneres who voices Dory: ELLEN.

54. Bird in 2019 Liberty Mutual commercials: EMU.

55. Apple discard: CORE.

57. Small amounts: DRIBS.

62. Cal. pages: MOS.

63. Humerus neighbor: ULNA. Bones of the arm.

64. Eye-related: OCULAR.

65. "Tamerlane" poet: POE.

66. Cribbage pieces: PEGS.

67. Hospital fluids: SERUMS.

68. Shade of blue: SKY.

Down:

1. Mogadishu natives: SOMALIS.

2. Emote: OVERACT.

3. Capital on the Tigris: BAGHDAD.

4. "Scram!": BEAT IT.

5. Middle of dinner?: ENS. Two Ns.

6. Ugandan dictator Amin: IDI.

7. "Honest!": NO LIE.

8. "Thank U, Next" singer Ariana: GRANDE.

9. Puts into words: SAYS.

10. 2010 Mark Twain Prize winner Tina: FEY.

11. Incompatible with: ALIEN TO. That was tough.

12. Hiker's flask: CANTEEN.

13. Fighting words?: ENGARDE. Nice clue.

19. Museum tour guide: DOCENT.

21. "Atlas Shrugged" writer Rand: AYN.

25. "Just a bit longer": NOT YET.

26. Agitate: ROIL.

28. Highly paid pitchers, typically: ACES.

31. Host between Jack and Jay: JOHNNY. The Tonight Show hosts. Johnny Carson was the best, imo.

34. Domino dot: PIP. Why are the dots on dominoes called pips?

36. Swede's neighbor: DANE.

37. Means: AGENCY.

38. Crazy (over): GAGA.

39. Step on the gas: SPEED UP.

40. Like many barbershop quartets: ALL MALE.

41. Appraising: VALUING.

43. Goes for crustaceans: SHRIMPS.

44. Small laptop: NETBOOK. According to How Stuff Works: "In general, netbook computers are smaller and lighter than notebook computers, which in turn are smaller and lighter than laptops. But there are no specific size or weight classes for computers."

45. Wandering journey: ODYSSEY.

47. Christmas tree choice: SPRUCE.

49. Puff __: venomous African snakes: ADDERS.

50. Elton John's title: SIR.

53. Madagascar primate: LEMUR.

56. Spanish eyes: OJOS.

59. Vegas opening: LAS.

60. __-ray Disc: BLU.

61. Fugitive's flight: LAM.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Glad you're back online, Owen! Hope you're home soon.

2) Dear Irish Miss (Agnes) fell backwards on the concrete floor on Sunday night. X-rays/CT scan showed that she had a sprained shoulder. Right now she has Oxycodone to control the pain, but her stomach is like mine, very averse to those pain pills. Terrible nausea. She'll need to follow up with her own doctor and an orthopedic doctor once the pain and nausea subsidize. She has family in the area, but she lives alone. Simple everyday things can be challenging for her. 

Let's send her get-well cards and cheer her up. Her contact details are here.