Saturday, Nov 17th, 2012, Martin Ashwood-Smith

(Note from C.C.:  Chicago Tribune website has the wrong puzzle today. Click here  to solve the correct puzzle on line. Or click here to print the PDF file.)


Theme: None

Words: 71

Blocks: 32

WOW~!!!

And again, WOW....

   I did not look at the grid, I just started with 1-across; it was when I got to 30-across that I realized this puzzle has SIX spanners, four-stacked in the middle AND two more grid-spanning climbers to boot. A special 16*15 grid (16 rows).  I was able to finish this bear, but way over my allotted time, and  I do have to admit, I switched to red-letter to figure out where I went wrong.  I had "EGG" for "WAG", and FITTENDS for FITMENTS (a drawback to filling in, and then not going back and looking at what's wrong).  Truly drained my brain, but most satisfying.  A look at our author's construction, who is new to our corner;

17A. Words of relief : "AM I GLAD TO SEE YOU"~!

30A. Food stamps, e.g. : STATE ASSISTANCE - I was on state assistance while I lived in the sober house for 13 months; rent was $444/mo.

39A. Contributing factor in ozone depletion : COSMIC RADIATION - I had TEST IRRADIATION to start; not a half bad guess, considering my thoughts were on A- and H-bomb (and N-) type tests

40A. Without nostalgia : UNSENTIMENTALLY

41A. Chumley's title friend in a '60s cartoon series : TENNESSEE TUXEDO - never heard of either of them; I was born in 1971

59A. Leader elected in 2005 : POPE BENEDICT XVI - I was shocked to hear we have had fifteen Popes named Benedict; here's a full list; some didn't last a full year

8D. Daydreams : CASTLES IN THE AIR - nailed it - I love Castles, and I love this song

15D. Solution for lens transparency problems : CATARACT SURGERY

And just some brilliant cluing....

onward -

ACROSS:

1. "My Dinner With Andre" co-star Wallace __ : SHAWN - total unknown; more here

6. Offensively blunt : TACTLESS

14. Early Web browser : MOSAIC

16. Cadillac Ranch site : AMARILLO - well, I was pretty sure it was in Texas

19. Sanguine : RED

20. Royal Scots for more than three centuries : STUARTS - 1371-1714; more here

21. Salon job : SET - not DYE

22. Not kosher : TREF - learned from crosswords

24. First name in photography : ANSEL Adams, B&W beauty

25. Fit solidly : MESH

26. Mt. Carmel setting : ISRael

28. Needle point?: Abbr. : ESE - Great way to overcome the "Rome to Troy direction" cluing; Rome to Troy New York, that is - map

42. 1989 Jay Presson Allen monodrama : TRU

43. Bit of a laugh : HEE - had TEE, was close enough

44. Half of a downpour? : CATS - 50/50, and I guessed right. Who had DOGS~?

47. "Peg Woffington" author : READE

51. Way up : STEP - not HIGH

55. Hop-__-thumb : O' MY - The WIki on this story

56. Ulterior motives : AGENDAS

58. Galley propeller : OAR

62. Catholic recitation : AVE MARIA - I'm not Catholic; had to wait for perps

63. Target of a Pasteur/Roux vaccine harvested from rabbits : RABIES

64. Sycophant : YEA SAYER

65. Stripes : BANDS

DOWN:

1. Sharp : SMART

2. Big hit : HOMER - Ah, still get some baseball in for C.C. - I was on a "movie" wavelength

3. It's not for everyone : ASIDE

4. Comedian : WAG - now that's not what it means, at least not here....

5. Rock's Lofgren : NILS - Nailed it

6. Exit lines : TA-TAs - as in "I'm leaving, see-ya"

7. "L'elisir d'__": Donizetti opera : AMORE - well, I had A-O-E, so....and it gave me 16 and 20 across

9. Nevado __ Cruces: Andes section : TRES - map

10. Pack item? : LIE - what a pack of lies~!

11. Steven's wife on "Family Ties" : ELYSE

12. Tart fruit : SLOES

13. Gray area? : SOUTH - I thought it was BRAIN, then SKULL, then YOUTH - we're talking about the Civil War south

18. Grayish brown : DUN

23. Furnishings : FITMENTS

25. Cleavers : MEAT AXES

27. Commercial fishing boat : SEINER

29. Body of art? : STATUE

30. Deer tail : SCUT - the online Merriam-Webster dictionary lists it as a "short erect tail (as of a hare)"

31. Writing style : TONE

32. Professional gp. : ASSN - association

33. Indian titles : SRIs

34. Corresponding : SAME

35. French noodle product? : IDEE - French for IDEA, a thought from your brain noodle

36. Historic Egyptian lifeline : NILE

37. How vichyssoise is usually served : COLD - I knew this

38. Greek war goddess : ENYO - never heard of her

44. Patient responsibility : CO-PAY

45. "Don't make __!" : A MOVE

46. Not at all laid-back : TYPE-A

48. Selection word : EENIE - eeny meeny miny moe - various spellings

49. "Now seems it far, and now __": Scott : ANEAR - ah well, an "A" word

50. CD letters : DDD - the way the recording is, well, recorded; I just learned something new; it's referred to as the SPARS code

52. Deadly agent : TOXIN

53. Hung over? : EAVED - har-har, house eaves are "hung" over the walls

54. Schoolmarmish type : PRISS

56. Quatrain rhyme scheme : A B A A

57. Labor pain? : SCAB - I'm in a union, so I knew this one

60. Common pair? : EMs - coMMon, the two "M"s in the middle

61. "We'll let you know" letters : TBA - To Be Announced

Splynter

Friday, November 16, 2012, Gareth Bain

Theme: Animal groups; what kinds can you recall?

I never knew how many TYPES there are.

A very appropriate theme for our now graduated veterinarian friend from South Africa, and along with our own marti, a Friday regular. This one is tricky, as it is both an add on to change the meaning; and a sound alike for two of the answers, where a two word base phrase is used to create a new and witty two word phrase involving a type of animal. There may even be more layers here, but it is late and I am tired. Gareth blogs the LA Times, with his efforts at the Crossword Fiend . This young man really gave me a work out today, and it is much later than I expected, but I adored the simplicity of the theme, once I got going, though it took a while to parse WINE and UINE.  I loved all of the long fill and the 53 theme spaces, and the symmetry of 6/5 for the four outside theme answers. Of course long fill leads to lots of initialisms and other minor flaws, but the result is a real Friday joy.

17A. What makes a cat a cat? : FELINE DRIVE (11). For all you cat people and nothing to do with the symbol for Iron. Baseball perhaps for C.C. with a line drive.

25A. Bearish directors? : URSINE BOARD (11). All these names are from their Latin stems. The change from sign (board) to sine board slowed me down.

34A. Sea dog who's actually a wolf? : LUPINE TAR (9). So Ida Lupino was an Italian wolf? More baseball with  pine tar.

52A. Dogs who inspire artists? : CANINE MUSES (11). My favorite visual, maybe these guys...

59A. Deliverers of certain farm news? : EQUINE PRESS (11). Like I said the wine to uine was tricky. Another cute picture of horses with press passes in their hats.

Across:

1. Restraint at a rodeo : RIATA. I had trouble lassoing this answer.

6. Magnum ___ : OPUS. I really wanted PI, but the perps saved me.

10. Telegraph "T" : DAH.  The code from Mr. MORSE.

13. Respond to : ACT ON. The first of the two word teaser answers.

14. Receive with relish : LAP UP. The second. Very nice visual clue, especially meaningful for all of our furry friends.

16. Headline-making NYSE event : IPO. Initial Public Offering.

19. Pro at balancing: Abbr. : CPA. Ceritified Public Accountant. Not C Threepio.

20. Second-smallest st. : DELaware. Delathere? We love Rhode Island.

21. To date : YET.

22. Elevated church area : ALTAR. The place where many alter their lives.

24. Greek vowel : ETA. Big breakfast today.

28. State from which the Utah Territory was formed : DESERET. This may be a learning moment for many including me; interesting that this piece of HISTORY comes from our South African constructor.

30. Tarzan, for one : ADOPTEE. Also one I need lots of help to get, not thinking of the jungle family which took him in.

31. No longer in : DATED. Unmod?

32. Prefix with culture : AVI. Did everyone want to cram in AGRI? But when you are learning from a veterinarian, you get THIS.

33. Former word for former days : ELD. This is the price you pay for three nice 7 letter downs. Do not nit, it is real.

39. Calendar pg. : JANuary.

42. Texter's "Zounds!" : OMG. Oh My G-d.

43. Many a Johann Strauss work : POLKA.  Maybe you recall this tune from the old CARTOONS (2:44).

47. Muscle Shoals site : ALABAMA. The birthplace of much music including Sam Phillips, who started the careers of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. The recording studios there still produce hits. HISTORY (9:07).

50. Countless : UMPTEEN. What a great word.

54. Marshal at Waterloo : NEY. We have had this many times, and I finally remember his name.

55. "___ Schoolchildren": Tracy Kidder book : AMONG. Never heard of this BOOK.

56. Nancy Drew's beau : NED. Never read the books, but this was an easy guess. Julia's niece Emma.

57. Econ. measure : GDP. Gross Domestic Product.

58. San Francisco's ___ Hill : NOB.

64. Shakespeare title word : ADO. About nothing.

65. French income : RENTE. Guess what English word we get from this?

66. iComfort mattress maker : SERTA. iComfort? Really.

67. Shooting locale : SET. Film shooting, though there often is shooting during shootings if you like NCIS.

68. 1967 #1 hit "Somethin' Stupid," e.g. : DUET. A very odd SONG (2:39) for a man and his daughter, but her career needed a hit..

69. Former "NOVA scienceNOW" host Neil deGrasse ___ : TYSON. I learned all about him HERE (1:51). Don't be sorry if you forgot.

Wow, all beat up and we are just getting to the downs!

Down:

1. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF. Royal Air Force.  LINK.

2. Summer quencher : ICED TEA.  Is everyone happy? Three.

3. In any event : AT LEAST. Four.

4. Slave : TOIL.

5. Wilson of Heart : ANN. My favorite SONG (5:28) of theirs.

6. Least fresh : OLDEST. I even struggled with this for a while.

7. Story opener : PART I.

8. Org. managed by Scripps until 1982 : UPI. United Press International.

9. Soccer mom's ride : SUV. Sports Utility Vehicle.

10. Work with a steno : DICTATE. The first of a great seven letter stack. I guess I was a dictator at one point in my life.

11. Worn things : APPAREL. Worn, not worn out.

12. Accumulated to a fault : HOARDED. Your realize their is a TV show about hoarders, I opted for this less frightening ONE (3:36). They love 48D. Storage unit : BIN.

15. R&B singer Bryson : PEABO. COOL man.

18. Lake ___, Australia's lowest point : EYRE. This strange lake is often a desert (not to be confused with DESERTE) LINK.  Kazie, I will leave it to you to tell us the rest of the story.

23. Sever, with "off" : LOP.

24. Announcer Hall : EDD. The announcer fired by Jay Leno when he hired Stuttering John away from Howard Stern.

25. Language spoken in New Delhi : URDU. I am sure they speak it there, but it is the official language of Pakistan, while only recognized in 5 states in India. Or least that is what my Pakistani liquor store man told me..

26. Church section : NAVE. Not related to Naive.

27. Change, in a way : EDIT.

29. Unadon fillets : EEL. A Japanese portmanteau. It is UNAGI in a bowl DONBURI with rice.

32. Taiwanese-born Lee : ANG. The director.

35. Apple or pear : POME. From the Latin Pomum, which also gave us POMME en francaise.

36. Mosque leader : IMAM.

37. PDA add-ons : APPS. Applications.

38. Foolish talk : ROT.

39. Tropical birds that run on lily pads : JACANAS.  A bit of homegrown knowledge from our constructor who obviously loves ANIMALS.

40. Fashionable : A LA MODE. This is not just for ice cream. Five.

41. Hypothetical high-tech predator in Crichton's "Prey" : NANOBOT. A truly prolific writer but who often provides  frightening looks at the world. LINK.

44. Banks, e.g. : LENDERS. Neither a borrower nor a lender be.

45. Abides by : KEEPS TO. Six.

46. "___ objections?" : ANY.

49. Steamed state : ANGER.

50. Online discussion venue : USENET. Your free GUIDE.

51. Assyrian's foe : MEDE. They joined up with the Babylonians to dooms the Assyrians.

53. Link : UNITE.

57. Like rainy London skies : GREY.

60. Logical abbr. : QED. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.

61. Onetime Burmese statesman : U NU. Who knew U Nu, did you? I knew U Thant and fortunately this was all filed by the time I saw the clue, because I did not have a CLUE.

(From C.C.: Wiki said the Burmese U is like our "Mr.". Must be very common in their statesmen names.)

62. L.A. setting : PST. Pacific Standard Time.

63. ___ Mateo, California : SAN. If it is California it will be SAN.

Well this is what a Friday should be, lots of stuff and well worth the ride. See you after the holiday and my visit to my baby.

Peace out, Lemonade.

Thursday, November 15, 2012 Julian Lim

Theme: "One potato, two potato, three potato, four..."  Each of the theme entries ends with a word that could follow "potato."

17. Negotiator's assets : BARGAINING CHIPS. I love Lay's Salt & Vinegar potato chips!

25. Utterly squashed : FLAT AS A PANCAKE. Anyone for a potato pancake?

45. Easily identifiable teams, in casual games : SHIRTS AND SKINS.  I had "SHIRTS AND tails" at first. D'oh, what was I thinking? How about some nice baked potato skins?

Is anyone hungry yet?  I think the people in the unifier might be! And the unifier is:

58. 1885 Van Gogh painting (whose subjects may have appreciated the ends of 17-, 25- and 45-Across): THE POTATO EATERS.

Marti here for your Thursday amusement. The puzzle is just missing a Q for a pangram. Lots of sparkly fill, starting with the first one...

Across:

1. Elegant trinket : BIJOU. I meant literally - sparkly!

6. Yam or taro : TUBER. Our theme is also a tuber.

11. "Talk of the Nation" airer : NPR. National Public Radio.

14. Not proximate : APART

15. "The Princess Bride" kidnapper ___ Montoya : INIGO. No clue - needed every single perp. The role was played by Mandy Patinkin in the 1987 movie.

16. Rivière contents : EAU. French for "river" in the clue, and eau = "water."

20. Textbook updates, e.g.: Abbr. : EDS. Editions.

21. Pricey screens : HD TVS.  DH saw a 152 inch Panasonic HD TV, and is making plans to put an addition on the house...

22. Nuts for soft drinks : KOLAS

23. Stage signal : CUE

24. Synthesizer pioneer : MOOG. Robert Moog. I got turned on to classical music when I bought "Switched on Bach" in the 60s. 2:07

32. Come undone : GO APE

33. Be just too sweet : CLOY

34. Inkling : HINT

35. ___ Lopez: chess opening : RUY.  I have seen this one before, but I misspelled it as ReY at first.

36. Mickey D's breakfast item : SMALL OJ. Why Mickey D?  I was trying to think of a Mc-something!

39. In : MOD. Short for "modern."  I hesitated to fill it in, because I thought "mod" was a bit of old-fashioned lingo from the 60s!

40. Before, to the Bard : ERST

42. "Actually, that's not true" : I LIE

43. Reasons for returns : FLAWS

48. Shared currency : EURO. Currently shared by 23 countries, and used by over 320 million people.

49. Really quiet, in music : PPP. Pianississimo. I vow to get that word into a puzzle some day. Just look at all those S's!!

50. USS Missouri nickname : BIG MO. Total WAG.

52. Digital image unit : PIXEL

55. Through : VIA

61. Angkor ___: Cambodian temple : WAT. Beautiful!

62. Die (out) : PETER

63. Trio with notable beards : ZZ TOP. Ironically, the guy without a beard is named Frank Beard!

64. "Star Trek: DSN" role : ODO. A "Changeling" on the Deep Space Nine series.

65. Below-average Joe : SCHMO. I was off in the "coffee" direction for Joe at first...

66. Eternities : AEONS


Down:

1. Big screen pig : BABE. From the 1995 film.

2. Third-generation release of 2012 : IPAD. I have an iPad, iPod, iPhone, iMac and Macbook. But this still didn't appear without a few perps!

3. 24-Down containers : JARS. And 24-Down. Subway addition? : MAYO. From the sandwich chain, not the commuter rails.

4. Part of ILO: Abbr. : ORG. International Labour Organization, a UN agency.

5. Pacific-12 member, e.g. : UTAH UTES. And 7-Across. Pac-12 member, e.g. : UNIV.ersity.

6. Windshield application : TINT.

8. Some troughs : BINS. Again, a simple one that I just did not want to fill in at first.

9. It's usually broken before use : EGG

10. "You da man!" : ROCK ON

11. Author of "The Sandman" graphic novels : NEIL GAIMAN. Needed every single perp to get this guy's name.

12. Respected Smurf : PAPA

13. Muscovite, e.g.: Abbr. : RUSS.ian from Moscow.

18. Think tank product : IDEA

19. Cheap sauce : HOOCH. "Sauce" being the euphemism for "booze."

23. Keep from going higher : CAP. Like, "Put a cap on..."

25. Club with the motto "To Make the Best Better" : FOUR-H

26. Beset : LAY SIEGE TO

27. Milan's La ___ : SCALA. Actually, it is "Teatro alla Scala" in Italian.

28. Fully committed : ALL IN. Am I the only one who loves to watch the World Series of Poker? Check out this "all in" call that lost to a royal flush! 1:40

29. Traveled down the Grand Canal, say : POLED. Meh...

30. Has met before : KNOWS

31. JFK Listings : ETDS. Estimated Time of Departure(s). And then we have 38-Down. Named for a prez, Philly public square also known as Love Park : JFK PLAZA.

32. College srs.' tests : GRES. Graduate Record Exam(s)

37. Soup with a bento : MISO. A "Bento Box" is the epitome of Japanese take-out, usually delivered by Bento Drivers on bicycles.  I don't know if MISO soup is typical in a bento box, since it might be a little sloppy by the time it arrived at its destination?

41. Master card? : TRUMP. Of course, I was thinking in terms of the credit cards in my wallet.

44. Golf hole's edge : LIP. Husker G., how many times have you claimed "Paint!!" when your putt lipped out?

46. Uniformed forces : TROOPS. Celebrated on Monday this week!

47. WWI German vice admiral : SPEE. Total WAG. I had the "S*EE," and somehow I dredged it up from the dim recesses...

50. USAF stealth plane : B-TWO. I originally had B-Ten, but Angkor Eat and Ndo didn't make sense at 61 and 64-Across

51. "___ to do it!" : I HAD. ("Oh no, you di-ent!!")

52. Trail : PATH. Nailed it! I immediately thought of some hiking trails in the Alps.

53. Brangelina, e.g. : ITEM. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are a real "item" in the gossip columns.  Why did he ever leave sweet Jennifer?

54. Tic-tac-toe option : X OR O

55. Quash : VETO

56. Element in hemoglobin : IRON

57. Egyptian dangers : ASPS

59. Dick : TEC. "Detectives" are known as "Dicks"

60. Philosopher Mo-___ : TZE. 墨子  C.C. has explained to me that Cantonese has no "Z" word.  So I suppose this would become Mo-Tse in Cantonese. He studied Confucianism, but came to the conclusion that their philosophy was fundamentally flawed.  He developed his own philosophy of "Universal Love," so was probably the first Flower Child, right?

And that's it for this week!

Hugs,

Marti

Wednesday, Nov 14 2012, Dan Schoenholz

theme: football steam. get it? - the last word is anagrammed.

21A. Good name for a Gateway City gun dealer? : ST LOUIS ARMS

26A. Good name for a Windy City nudist festival? : CHICAGO BARES

43A. Good name for a Motor City butcher shop? : DETROIT LOINS

50A. Good name for an Empire City comedy club? : NEW YORK JEST

figuring out the clever theme helped a lot with this one.

melissa here.

across

1. Harebrained prank : CAPER. that's a great word.

6. Casino freebie : COMP. complimentary.

10. Slow-cooked entrée : STEW. it's that time of year again.

14. End of a series : OMEGA. last letter of the greek alphabet.

15. Away from the breeze : ALEE

16. The gallbladder is shaped like one : PEAR. did not know that.

17. Noted storyteller : AESOP. wikipedia: Although his existence remains uncertain and (if they ever existed) no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day.

18. Circulate, as library books : LEND. i think it was crockett who first linked this:

19. Like some borrowed library books : LATE. another great library tune:

20. Blast cause : TNT

24. Slugging pct., e.g. : STAT. baseball.

25. Be ready (for) : GET SET

31. Air traffic control device : RADAR

32. Thing : ITEM

33. "Holy Toledo!" : WOW

36. The Bard's river : AVON

37. Dig (into) : DELVE

39. Andean capital : LIMA

40. Actress Harris of "thirtysomething" : MEL. fiftysomething now.

41. Stink : REEK

42. World Series game : POKER. tricky.

46. Certifiable : INSANE

49. Civil disturbance : RIOT

53. Geologic time frame : ERA

56. Colorless : DRAB

57. Fall from above : RAIN

58. Swinelike beast : TAPIR. strange looking creature, below is a brazilian tapir.

60. Just sitting around : IDLE

61. Hamburg's river : ELBE. see?

62. Are : EXIST

63. Didn't let out of one's sight : EYED

64. They're below average : DEES. grades, not cups.

65. Floors : DECKS

down

1. Winter wear : COAT

2. "You said it, sister!" : AMEN

3. Crop threat : PEST

4. It might need a boost : EGO

5. Andre 3000, for one : RAP STAR. no idea.

6. Beckon : CALL TO

7. Pats on pancakes, maybe : OLEO. yuck.

8. Array of choices : MENU

9. Dog's breeding history : PEDIGREE

10. Impact sounds : SPLATS

11. Result of a sad story? : TEARS

12. Invitation on a fictional cake : EAT ME. alice in wonderland.

13. Take forcibly : WREST

22. Place for a price : TAG

23. Appear to be : SEEM

24. Read quickly : SCAN

26. Pull an all-nighter, maybe : CRAM. doing that a lot lately.

27. Contain : HAVE

28. One put on a pedestal : IDOL

29. Sitcom noncom : BILKO. non-commissioned officer, in the sitcom sergeant bilko.

30. Off-rd. conveyance : ATV. all terrain vehicle.

33. User-edited site : WIKI

34. Broken mirror, say : OMEN

35. Serious hostilities : WARS

37. Dissuaded : DETERRED

38. Racket or rocket extension : EER. racketeer, rocketeer.

39. Booty : LOOT

41. Gambling town on I-80 : RENO

42. Schemed : PLOTTED

43. Convertible sofa : DAYBED

44. Castle and Cara : IRENES

45. "Whether __ nobler ...": Hamlet : 'TIS

46. Many a low-budget film : INDIE. independent.

47. Totally square : NERDY

48. Low, moist area : SWALE

51. Leafy veggie : KALE. in season, having this often lately.

52. Correspond : JIBE

53. Many a high-budget film : EPIC

54. Game of world domination : RISK

55. Skills : ARTS

59. Cut from the staff : AXE. 

Melissa

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 Jeff Chen

Theme: You think I'll tell you the theme? As if! - And if that's not enough, I'll repeat it five times.

17A. "As if!" : "AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!"

27A. "As if!" : "NO WAY, JOSE!"

38A. "As if!" : "DREAM ON!"

46A. "As if!" : "YEAH, RIGHT!"

57A. "As if!" : "FAT CHANCE OF THAT!"

Argyle here. You get the picture? Jeff has delivered a nice tight Tuesday, with two grid spanners and a couple of long climbers, too.

Across:

1. College donor, often : ALUM. A shortened version that can encompass single and plural of both genders. Handy.

5. 401(k) cousin, briefly : IRA. (individual retirement account)

8. Garden ground cover : MULCH

13. Mount Olympus wife : HERA. The wife of Zeus.

14. Break bread : DINE

16. Novelist Zola : EMILE. The most common of the crossword Emiles

20. Halley's sci. : ASTR. (astronomy)

21. Full of vitality : GO-GO. Full of Red Bull?

22. Ideological suffix : ISM

23. Lift with effort : HEFT

25. '60s counterculturist Timothy : LEARY. "Turn on, tune in, drop out"

31. Rants about the boss, e.g. : VENTS

34. Jacob's brother : ESAU

35. Niagara Falls prov. : ONT. (Ontario)

36. Gorky Park city : MOSCOW. Song.(5:13)

37. Like hor. puzzle answers : ACR. (horizontal/across)

40. Hostility : IRE

41. Started, as a keg : TAPPED

43. P.I. : TEC. (private investigator/detective)

44. Hypnotic trance breaker : SNAP

45. "Friend __?" : OR FOE

48. Pal of Threepio : ARTOO. Star Wars droids.

50. Not at all droopy : TAUT

51. Intro makers : MC's. (master of ceremonies)

52. One might say "shay" for "say" : LUSH. Drunks don't talk so good.

54. Inevitable end : FATE

61. Honolulu hello : ALOHA. Nice alliteration.

62. Egg on : GOAD. Phrase Finder link for "Egg on.

63. Sculling gear : OARS

64. Headwear in iconic Che posters : BERET

65. Many ESPN fall highlights : TD's. (touchdown)

66. Way to be tickled : PINK

Down:

1. Cry of enlightenment : "A-HA!"

2. Film heroine with memorable buns : LEIA. My mind was boggling for a bit there but, oh, it's just another Star Wars reference.

3. Java vessels : URNS

4. "Grumpy Old Men" co-star : MATTHAU

5. Rite words : I DO

6. Modern caller ID, perhaps : RINGTONE. Different tones can be assigned to frequent incoming callers, right? I still don't have a cell phone.

7. Part of A.D. : ANNO

8. Drop-line link : ME A. Exactly like Sunday's entry.

9. Wrigley Field judges : UMPIRES. Wrigley Field is the home of the Chicago Cubs.

10. Mouthing the lyrics : LIP SYNCING

11. Red Skelton character Kadiddlehopper : CLEM. The joys of live TV.

12. Cooped-up layer : HEN

15. Bird on old quarters : EAGLE. How 'bout that; going from a chicken to an eagle.

18. Earl __ tea : GREY

19. Groundbreaking tool : HOE

24. Greenland coastal feature : FJORD

26. Company that rings a bell? : AVON. Cute clue.

27. "Marvy!" : "NEATO!" and 57D. "Marvy!" : "FAB!"

28. Green grouch : OSCAR

29. "Star Trek" velocity measure : WARP FACTOR. About 338,000 results if you Google "warp factor".

30. Word in many university names : STATE

32. Bar mitzvah reading source : TORAH

33. Didn't lose a game : SWEPT. Giants in the World Series this year.

36. Java order : MOCHA

38. Off! ingredient : DEET. Another Sunday answer.

39. Mike, to Archie : MEATHEAD. "All in the Family"

42. Upscale sports car : PORSCHE. Any Porshe owners out there?

44. Perch on : SIT ATOP

46. Like babes : YOUNG. I found this to be a little strange.

47. Dennis the Menace's dog : RUFF

49. Pay extension? : OLA. (payola)

51. Stallion or bull : MALE

53. Craig Ferguson, by birth : SCOT. The Late Late Show is hosted by Craig Ferguson since 2005. It is on after Letterman.

55. Asian tongue : THAI

56. Bring home : EARN

58. Monopoly token : HAT

59. Has too much, briefly : OD's. (overdose)

60. Clucking sound : [TSK!]

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Don G and I made today's NY Times crossword. I hope you have a chance to solve it. Now, Jayce/Splynter/TTP, will NYT 11D's ex-girlfriend's husband "Call me, maybe?"
 
2) Here is a recent photo of dear Sallie.