Friday, October 23, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: What is the game, an abbreviated military march? Yes, CPT OBVIOUS! (Drat, HG linked that already this week!)

We return to our prolific Friday phenom, Jeffrey, with a simple-looking theme and tons of fun fill. Each in-the- language phrase is re-imagined "on the base" with the three-letter abbreviation for the military rank replacing the first word of the phrase. The original phrases are all very recognizable and the grid has a fairly standard look. The fill ‒ including long ones like BEGONIA, EMANATE, DOG BITES, ONE IN TWO, POLLSTER, and SWEPT OUT ‒ once again presents JW's affinity for multi-word fill with some of the six-letter answers like AS I CAN, BIG APE, BITMAP, DUCATS, PIMPLE, SEABED, TAKE ME and TIN EAR sparkly. The use of cheater squares to balance the 13-letter fill makes this all come together. Let's feast.

19A. Familiar material, on the base? : GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (12). The clue and fill are straightforward -- only the shortening brings in the military.

26A. Backbone of capitalism, on the base? : PRIVATE ENTERPRISE (13).  LINK.

42A. Disciplinary action, on the base? : CORPORAL PUNISHMENT (13). Remember these? LINK.

48A. Important find, on the base? : MAJOR DISCOVERY (12).

Across:

1. Locale of TV's Krusty Krab restaurant : SEABED. From Sponge Bob to reality...

7. "The Hitch-Hiker" director Lupino : IDA. An all male cast; really easy fill but who remembers this movie?

10. Meatless lasagna ingredient, perhaps : TOFU. Because spinach would not fit. A puzzle rich in INFORMATION.

14. "I wanna go too!" : TAKE ME.

15. Presumed threats to letter carriers : DOG BITES.

17. " ... according to my abilities" : AS I CAN.

18. Half, statistically : ONE IN TWO. You had a one in two chance of getting this right.

21. __ loss : AT A.

22. The Hammer of baseball : AARON. Hmmerin' Hank, yes...

31. Natural mole fur hue : TAUPE. Really? The French word for mole is TAUPE.  The moles we had in Connecticut had darker coats.

33. Balm source : ALOE.

34. Hand analog : PAW.

35. Fruity quaffs : ADES. A mini CSO for moi.

36. "Actions speak louder than words," e.g. : MAXIM. Saying, adage, aphorism, proverb, motto, saw, axiom, dictum, precept, epigram; truism, cliché.

38. Short pooch, for short : PEKE. Pekingese, the Chinese Lion Dog. The look sad to me.

39. It's hardly a smash : LOB. Not a flop or bomb, but a tennis term.

40. Lowlands feature : DALE.

41. __ metabolism : BASAL. Time to fix your BODY.

46. Undemonstrative sort : STOIC.

47. Med. recording : ECG.

56. Cleaned, in a way : SWEPT OUT.

59. Lethargy cause : ANEMIA. The old iron deficiency anemia.

60. One assessing sentiment : POLLSTER. Please no robocalls! Last election is why I gave up my home phone.

61. Digital image format : BITMAP. Not a word I KNEW.

62. It keeps the team together : YOKE.

63. Calculating : SLY.

64. Studio equipment : EASELS. Art studio,  not music.

Down:

1. Companion to Artemis : STAG.  Famous  ART.

2. Simplicity : EASE.

3. Related : AKIN.

4. 2014 Best Rock Album Grammy winner : BECK. This was hard because Led Zepplin won last year.

5. Spring (from) : EMANATE. Nice word.

6. Mean : DENOTE. One of those needless ten dollar words, if you mean mean say mean.

7. Teen __ : IDOL. Wolf anyone? Michael Landon?  Michael J, Fox?

8. "And there you have it!" : DONE. Not even close.

9. Old : AGED.

10. Problem for a conductor wannabe : TIN EAR.

11. 1930s-'40s slugger : OTT. Mel is back.

12. Limited : FEW.

13. Mil. morale booster : USO.

16. Oaf : BIG APE.

20. Lacking color : WAN.

23. Best for consumption, perhaps : RIPEST.

24. Panasonic headquarters city : OSAKA. And why should I know this? Wait for the perps.

25. Staircase support : NEWEL.

26. Southwestern community : PUEBLO.

27. No. twos : VPS. BMS  fit.

28. Perennial political debate subject : TAXES.

29. Priest in 1 Samuel : ELI.

30. N.T. book written by Paul : ROMans.

31. Soothing applications : TALCS.

32. Add to the family : ADOPT.

36. "What a piece of work is a __!": Hamlet : MAN. A very simple Will quote for JW.

37. Legendary fighter : ALI.

38. Broadway flier : PAN.

40. Coins of old Venice : DUCATS. Gold or silver coins used as a trade coin in Europe from the later medieval centuries until as late as the 20th century. Also slang for tickets.

41. Colorful tropical perennial : BEGONIA. Very colorful.

43. Clearasil target : PIMPLE.

44. Guys : HES.

45. Mrs. Miller's partner in a 1971 Altman film : MC CABE.  Wonderful Julie Christie.

49. Scribbles : JOTS. My meh fill.

50. Hamilton's undoing : DUEL. Death more than undoing. HISTORY.

51. Modest sentence : I TRY. Week after week.

52. November honorees : VETS. My in-laws were married on November 8, so we took them to NYC for their anniversary; when there was a huge Veteran's Day parade, my FIL, an ex-Marine from WWII thought we had planned that as well.

53. Rylan of "Guiding Light" : EMME. A complete unknown but sweet looking.

54. Currency of Iran : RIAL. Rially.

55. Doesn't shut up : YAPS.

56. Le Carré figure : SPY. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold was my first real spy novel.

57. Ply with flowers and chocolate : WOO.

58. JFK was one : ELK, I did not know this trivia,  though it looks more like another Kennedy monogram.

Man the weeks are flying by along with the years; my Charlotte turns 3 before next week's blog. And Harper will be one month. Thanks Jeffrey for another fun Friday, I think this is about 30 of your puzzles since I first blogged you back in February 2013. Happy fall all. Lemonade out from here at 

special thanks to a very special John Lampkin.

Note from C.C.: 

Crosswords LA Tournaments will be held tomorrow (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. 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 LA area will attend the event and mingle with your favorite constructors, bloggers & fellow solvers.

Thursday, October 22nd, 2015 David Poole

Theme: Feathered Friends. Five people's names who sound like birds replace the birds themselves in the noun. Hilarity ensues.

17A. Ditty from 1970s-'80s NFL wide receiver Lynn? : SWANN SONG. Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Famer.

25A. Unwinding places for actor Russell? : CROWE BARS. The blog "Waiter Rant" revealed that Mr. Crowe, when eating out, doesn't behave like a spoiled brat and tips well. Good to know.

38A. Tough spot for actor Walter? : PIDGEON HOLE. Apparently this is how an urban pigeon adapts to apartment living. Their country cousins may have more space.

49A. Easter adornment made by politician Dan? : QUAYLE EGG. Food! Three of these make a very small omelet.

61A. Facial feature of actor Ethan? : HAWKE EYES. Are they deep and dreamy? I have no idea.

Spot the odd one out in the theme entries - a swan has a song (in legend), a pigeon may perch in a hole, roughly 50% of the adult quail population has the capacity to lay eggs and a hawk certainly has eyes, apparently sharp ones. But a crow? I don't believe a crow has ever had bars. There's some other odd-ones-out too - CROWBAR is one word, the others are two, and QUAYLE needs a letter-change from the bird, the others don't. It feels inconsistent to me.

I confess to being a little underwhelmed with this one - you could play "Word Association" and get three or four of the names without thinking: Actor Russell? CROWE! Actor Ethan? HAWKE! Politico Dan? QUAYLE! You get the idea.

So let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Lead-ins to some online games : ADS. I don't play computer games, but I can't see the producers missing the opportunity to push some product before you get the chance to play.

4. Magnetic induction unit : TESLA. I didn't know this usage, but there's been enough of Nikola round recently that it wasn't a problem.

9. Nobelist Curie : MARIE. Husband Pierre also - he didn't fit. She beat him 2-1 in the Nobel Prize throwdown.

14. Petal plucker's word : NOT. Unloved, so sad.

15. Use at the table : EAT ON. Odd - I eat OFF plates and silverware, not on them.

16. Dunderhead : IDIOT

19. Replicate : CLONE

20. Fighting against : ANTI

21. Rarely seen item on casual Friday : TIE

22. Enjoy Whistler : SKI. Nice clue for this little word. Another mention of the artist at 58A.

23. Rule : REIGN

30. Sagittarius, e.g. : ARCHER

32. Sign of hope : RAY

33. See 8-Down : LEE.

34. Mass __ : TRANSIT. Had to wait for a few crosses before I could fill in this one.

37. Wander : ROVE

40. Computer menu heading : FILE

42. Hockey positions : WINGERS. Soccer too. Rugby also. Sports a-plenty.

43. Big club in Atlantic City? : ACE. Four suits to choose from. How about the Ace of Spades? [Rated BG13 (Blog Guidance) for Heavy Metal Content]

44. Neurologist's printout, briefly : E.E.G.

45. Find out about : DETECT

53. Gretzky, during most of the '80s : OILER. Edmonton hockey eh? The Great One.

54. Foreign __ : AID

55. __ Cruces : LAS. Wikipedia says this places is also known as "The City of The Crosses" which is kinda stating the obvious considering "Las Cruces" means "The Crosses".

57. Not : NARY

58. Emulate Whistler : PAINT. Here's his famous and pensive-looking mother. Maybe she's wondering when he's going to stop messing around with oils and look for a proper job.

63. Bike wheel feature : SPOKE

64. "Little Miss Sunshine" Oscar winner : ARKIN. Las Cruces got me most of the way here.

65. Rebellious Turner : NAT

66. Structural support : TRUSS

67. Kids around : JESTS

68. Some municipal trains : ELS

Down:

1. "Broken Arrow" co-star : ANSARA. No idea, so thank you, perps. The late actor Michael.

2. Wet blanket : DOWNER

3. Radio problem : STATIC. I wanted "Running low on Ne-Hi" first.

4. Notable Downing Street number : TEN. The British Prime Minister's residence. You used to be able to walk right up to the door and get your picture taken with the jolly policeman (unarmed, naturally) guarding the place. Times have changed.

5. "__ of Eden" : EAST. I came late to reading Steinbeck and this was my first. I couldn't believe how fresh it seemed.

6. Stiff-upper-lip type : STOIC

7. Hardly a social butterfly : LONER

8. With 33-Across, "Life of Pi" director : ANG. This name has finally sunk into my pea-brain. Nailed it!

9. Pluto's master : MICKEY

10. Improvise in a sketch : AD LIB

11. 2014 World Cup city : RIO. I timed my visit imperfectly last time down there - I arrived exactly a week after the final.

12. Charged particle : ION

13. Printemps follower : ÉTÉ. Summer follows Spring in France, just like here. I ate one of the most memorable meals of my life at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Raymond Blanc's Michelin-starred restaurant in .... England, oddly enough.

18. Lingerie purchase : NIGHTIE

22. Bundled up : SWATHED

24. Pi Day celebrant, stereotypically : NERD. March 14th.. It doesn't works in in the UK when you have the day before the month. This year was awesome - add the year and a specific time in the morning, and you got:

26. Circular gasket : O-RING. Infamously the culprit of the space shuttle Challenger explosion.

27. Soothing succulent : ALOE

28. Accelerate, with "up" : REV

29. Understand : SEE

31. Common allergen : RAGWEED. I tried RAGWORT first and needed a little unpicking in that area.

35. Mont Blanc covering : NEIGE. Not quite as much neige en été, plenty more en hiver. Thankfully Wiki refrains from informing us that "this alpine feature, also called Mount White ..."

36. Emilio Estevez, to Martin Sheen : SON

37. "Goosebumps" series author : R.L.STINE. More crosses- I've seen this name before, even commented on it in the blog and still couldn't remember it.

38. Court answer : PLEA

39. Twistable treat : OREO

40. Website help sect. : F.A.Q. Frequently Asked Questions. C.C. maintains the "Olio" section (link at the right of the blog) which comprises our FAQ collection.

41. Post-op area : ICU

44. Privileged groups : ELITES

46. Stand-up comic Boosler : ELAYNE. If you say so.

47. Breakfast choice : CEREAL. "Choice" is a stretch here. John Pinette agrees.

48. No-tell motel meetings : TRYSTS

50. Pulls hard : YANKS

51. Intimidating look : GLARE

52. Rubbernecks : GAWKS

56. Monty Python segment : SKIT

58. Vancouver setting: Abbr. : P.S.T. My side of the country, or it will be when I get back there in about four hours time. According the flight tracker, I'm somewhere north of Lake Erie close to the Canadian border at the moment, blogging happily with power and WiFi.

59. 30-day mo. : APR

60. Note from one who's short : IOU Nice cluing again for a short fill.

61. "The __": Uris novel : HAJ

62. "No, No, Nanette" foursome : ENS. Waving at the neighboring ELS. The golfer and the Navy get a cluing rest today. I like this one!

Some nice fill and cluing cheered me up after my "meh" theme-reaction, so fair play to David.

On a crossword note, if you've ever done a puzzle in an in-flight magazine, you'll realize what a quite fantastic job the constructors and editors of the NYT and LAT do (I'm not counting myself in that company). The quality is generally really shabby. The one I did in the United magazine yesterday had at least 10 entries that Rich would have thrown out without a pause. A few months ago I did one where the constructor had obviously reworked a section but forgot to update the clues to match the new answers - that was a challenge!

That's it from me!

Steve

Wednesday, October 21, 2015, John Lieb

Title: CC Rider

We denizens of this site quickly saw our lovely leader C.C. in the gimmick of double C's in each two word phrase where the first word ends in C and the second word begins in C. However, John's fine hump day offering invoked the original use of CC for the Carbon Copy method of producing a messy facsimile as seen in this blurry CC of an interesting 1958 typewritten letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to JFK.

Today, of course it is mainly used as a way to send a duplicate email to another recipient electronically sans the messy paper

Theme answers:

16. Three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : ERIC CLAPTON - First as a member of this group, then a member of Cream and then as a solo artist

22. Master thespian's skill : DRAMATIC CHOPS -Yeah, I've heard she's got 'em. Do you remember this movie?

49. Brew produced without pesticides : ORGANIC COFFEE - This must be good  because it says so!

58. "One Thousand and One Nights" transport : MAGIC CARPET - Or a ride offered by this group

The theme reveal:

65. Duplicates, briefly ... and a hint to 16-, 22-, 49- and 58-Across : CC'S 

John's fun gimmick could also have referred to CC's of medicine, Closed Captioning  we use for Downton Abbey or, as previously mentioned, the very nice lady in Minneapolis who runs this electronic popsicle stand.

Across  
    
1. Punch kin : ADE - Not a JAB

4. Refuse : TRASH - Turn down garbage - REFUSE REFUSE

9. Debussy's sea : MER - I'll bet you can figure out this 1914 American song lyric here in French "Par la MER, par la MER, par la belle MER" (*answer at the bottom)

12. __ Scotia : NOVA

14. Makes arrangements for : SEES TO - What Joann will do for our kitty when we travel again

15. Chopper : AXE

18. Sleep phase initials : REM

19. 1990s Polish president : WALESA - Lech, the electrician who became president, helped Poland into a post-communist era

20. Ocean State sch. : URI - The Fightin' Rams of the University of Rhode Island

21. California's __ Valley : SIMI

25. Pretentious sort : SNOB - Dontcha just hate 'em?

27. Used Grecian Formula on : DYED - Not enough vanity with me for that

28. Uses for a fee : RENTS

29. Civil War nickname : ABE

30. Artist's shade : HUE

31. "La Bamba" actor Morales : ESAI - A frequent flyer on this airline

33. Burroughs' feral child : TARZAN - I think we know the pithy dialog below

35. Welcomes to one's home : ASKS IN

39. Actress Sommer : ELKE

41. Sets for binge watchers : TVS - Hey, it's a Jetson's marathon!

42. Rapid-fire weapon : UZI

43. Fireplace piece : GRATE

46. Maker of Air Zoom sneakers : NIKE - How would these look on a 69 yr old retired teacher? Yeah, I thought so too.

48. Eyewear, in ads : SPEX

52. Regatta implements : OARS

53. Shout of support : RAH

54. Burglars' concerns : ALARMS

57. Former AT&T rival : GTE

60. See 62-Across : LEE

61. Endless, poetically : ETERNE

62. With 60-Across, big name in desserts : SARA - They had the best jingle with a double negative that was in C.C.'s lovely Monday puzzle.

63. Harris and Asner : EDS - I best remember Ed Harris as Gene Kranz uttering, "Failure is not an option" in Apollo 13

64. Gave the wrong idea : LED ON

Down

1. Once again : ANEW

2. Latina toon explorer : DORA - The Explorer

3. Superhero's nemesis : EVILDOER

4. Long Island Iced __: cocktail : TEA - No Lipton in there!

5. Public stature : REPUTE

6. Not sidesaddle : ASTRIDE - It would never do for Lady Mary of Downton Abbey to sit ASTRIDE

7. Hard to arouse : STOIC - Even sidesaddle, she would look STOIC

8. Sweetie pie : HON

9. Ohio county or its seat : MARION - Named for "The Swamp Fox" Francis Marion. Look who played him on TV

10. Not obliged to pay : EXEMPT - UN envoy and their parking tickets

11. Neglectful : REMISS

13. Harsh : ACERB - ACERBIC is a form more familiar to me

14. Focus of an annual 26-Down contest : SLAM DUNK 

17. Jefferson Davis was its only pres. : CSA - The story of Jeff Davis being captured while disguised in  women's clothes was untrue but gained a life of its own

21. Mideast chieftain : SHEIK - Do you remember Ray Stevens' now VERY un-pc song about the "SHEIK of the burn in' sands"?

23. Reply to Bligh : AYE

24. Ill-mannered : CRASS

25. Convened : SAT

26. Hoops gp. : NBA

30. Drummer Alex Van __ : HALEN

32. Avoid embarrassment : SAVE FACE - Better than this

34. Epsilon followers : ZETAS 

36. Large political spending org. : SUPER PAC - They raised $828,224,700 for the 2012 election 

37. Ending with civil or social : IZE

38. Put the kibosh on : NIX - 1935 Variety headline translated - "Rural people don't like movies about rural people"

40. Behind bars : ENCAGED

41. Ring result, briefly : TKO

43. Help in many a search : GOOGLE

44. Like many violent films : R-RATED - MPAA says "This rating is given for strong and frequent language and violence, nudity for sexual purposes and the abuse of drugs."

45. Goes with the flow : AGREES

47. Asian MLB outfielder with a record 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons : ICHIRO - As a Mariner, Yankee and Marlin (after playing for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan for 9 years)

48. Craftsman retailer : SEARS 

50. Really boiling : IRATE

51. Jeb Bush's st. : FLA

55. Cougar maker, for short : MERC

56. Dots on a subway map: Abbr. : STAS - The Kingston Trio sang "Charlie handed in his dime at the Kendall Square STAtion and he changed for Jamaica Plain"

58. Voice legend Blanc : MEL

59. Channel founded by Turner : CNN

*Song lyric in English was "By the SEA, by the SEA, by the beautiful SEA"

A rerun of a something I have previously posted: If our blog mistress's doctor wanted to sent her med dosage to Walgreens and a copy to her, he would "CC the CC's to C.C." 


Husker Gary

Tuesday, October 20, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Rock On!

17A. *Cardiologically healthy, as a diet : HEART SMART

25A. *Affectionate apron inscription : KISS THE COOK

40A. *Commuter's headache : RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC

50A. *Title for Aretha Franklin : QUEEN OF SOUL

63A. Musical conductor ... and, literally, what the start of each answer to a starred clue is : BANDLEADER

Argyle here. Rock bands with one word names lead off two or three word in language phrases. A grid spanner anchors the middle with solid little blocks all around. A couple of descending strings help tie it all together. Should prove entertaining. I'm not comfortable with the reveal; it seams to be asking for a Shaw or Goodman. The answers lead off with a band, not a bandleader. HEADBAND. My nit.

Feel free to link your favorite song by these groups.

Across:

1. "Goodbye, Columbus" author Philip : ROTH

5. High anxiety : ANGST

10. Me-time resorts : SPAs

14. Fencing choice : EPEE

15. Trip the light fantastic : DANCE

16. Quarterback-turned-congressman Jack : KEMP. NY congressman after QBing for Buffalo Bills. VP candidate with Bob Dole.

19. River of Pisa : ARNO

20. Wide variety : ARRAY

21. Gauge showing rpm : TACH. (tachometer)

23. How Marcie addresses Peppermint Patty : SIR. from Peanuts.

24. Howl at the moon : BAY. Been there, done that.

29. On its way : SENT

30. Handmade scarf stuff : YARN

31. Radar dot : BLIP

34. Chic modifier : TRÈS

37. Pay hike : RAISE

43. See eye to eye : AGREE

44. __ fide: in bad faith : MALA

45. "Teh" for "The," say : TYPO

46. Dry as the Atacama : ARID. Some like it Chile.

48. Omelet necessities : EGGS

54. Fabric flaw : RIP

57. Address bar address : URL

58. Pilot's alphabet ender : ZULU. An alternate ending is Zebra.

59. Wear away gradually : ERODE

61. Long-billed wader : IBIS

66. Charge : RATE

67. "Lucky" aviator, familiarly : LINDY. Charles Lindbergh

68. Stew veggies : PEAS

69. Was sure about : KNEW

70. Crème de la crème : ELITE

71. Footprint part : SOLE

Down:

1. Detox program : REHAB

2. Word before house or after horse : OPERA

3. In need of tissues : TEARY

4. Wife of Zeus : HERA

5. Promos : ADs

6. "China Beach" war zone, for short : NAM

7. Swarming pests : GNATS

8. "Ice Age" saber-toothed squirrel : SCRAT. He managed to get some product endorsements.

9. Easily annoyed : TETCHY. Same as touchy?

10. Caribbean music : SKA

11. Be the epitome of : PERSONIFY

12. Prenatal test, for short : AMNIO. (Amniocentesis)

13. Hybrid utensil : SPORK

18. Kid : TYKE

22. "Do I __ Waltz?": Rodgers/Sondheim musical : HEAR A. 1965 Broadway

26. A big fan of : INTO

27. Doodle on the guitar : STRUM

28. Summer camp activities : CRAFTS

29. Globe : SPHERE

31. Lingerie item : BRA

32. Carry with effort : LUG

33. Descendant of Jacob : ISRAELITE

35. Obama __ : ERA

36. Fifth cen. pope called "The Great" : ST. LEO

38. Small taste : SIP

39. Environmental prefix : ECO

41. "57 Varieties" brand : HEINZ

42. Classico rival : RAGU

47. Look-alike : DOUBLE

49. High spirits : GLEE

50. Peculiarity : QUIRK

51. Living in the city : URBAN

52. Swing wildly : FLAIL

53. Branch of Islam : SUNNI

54. Event with lots of horsing around? : RODEO

55. Flawless : IDEAL

56. Intrinsically : PER SE

60. Emulates Eminem : RAPS

62. Darn things : SEW

64. Prohibited pesticide : DDT. (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)

65. Chemical in Drano crystals : LYE

Argyle

Monday, October 19, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Hidden Word - A word hidden in the middle of four responses and the reveal in the middle of the puzzle.

17A. Presidency's last days, e.g. : END OF AN ERA

25A. Pre-cable reception aid : ROOF ANTENNA

36A. Anonymous writer, maybe, and a hint to the devotee hidden in 17-, 25-, 50- and 60-Across : SECRET ADMIRER

50A. Commentator dissecting chips and putts : GOLF ANALYST

60A. Usual sitcom length (including ads) : HALF AN HOUR

Argyle here, right in the open. C.C. has a seven letter column dead center. Not a common grid but some of the best fill is in those columns. I'm a fan. (Not a secret.)

Across:

1. Rifle filler : AMMO

5. Campus bigwigs : DEANS

10. Ending for brides, chamber or milk : MAID

14. Teller of fibs : LIAR

15. Humanlike machine of sci-fi : ROBOT

16. Edit menu option : UNDO

19. '90s TV title toon teen : DOUG. Mostly unknown to me. Wiki.

20. Attaches with string : TIES ON

21. Prefix with deed or lead : MIS

23. Quaint lodging : INN

24. Six-pack muscles : ABs

29. Stop for a moment : PAUSE

31. Abolish : BAN

32. Leading the field : ON TOP

33. Three: Pref. : TRI

34. Rapper __ Kim : LIL'

35. PC key near Ctrl : ALT

41. Kit__: candy bar : KAT. Stocked up for Halloween?

42. "Bossypants" memoirist Tina : FEY

43. "__ you ready?" : ARE

44. Fire-setting crime : ARSON

47. Boxing count : TEN

48. Gets a glimpse of : SPOTS

53. Bro or sis : SIB

54. Expected landing hr. : ETA

55. Wobbly walker : TOT

56. Green film on bronze : PATINA. And what have we learned about PATINA from Antiques Roadshow? Leave the PATINA alone.

58. Clear liquors : GINS

63. First chip in a pot : ANTE

64. "In other words ... " : "I MEAN ... "

65. Cabinet dept. concerned with nukes : ENER. (Energy)

66. Leaning Tower city : PISA

67. Stadium levels : TIERS

68. __ buco: veal dish : OSSO

Down:

1. Brewpub fixture : ALE TAP

2. Typically 18-inch-long baseball collectibles : MINI-BATS. A budding FAN.

3. Double-checked : MADE SURE

4. Gold medals, to Spaniards : OROs

5. Pipe clog dissolver : DRANO

6. Scads of centuries : EON

7. Prez on a penny : ABE

8. Painter Rockwell : NORMAN. Happy Fan.

9. A red wine one is hard to get out : STAIN

10. Stick-in-the-__ : MUD

11. Consecrate using oil : ANOINT

12. "Beats me" : "I DUNNO"

13. Steal a pup : DOGNAP

18. Links warning : "FORE!"

22. Vodka order, familiarly : STOLI. (Stolichnaya)

26. Memorial column, for short : OBIT

27. Pita filling : FALAFEL. Main ingredients: Fava beans or chickpeas.

28. Catch in a sting : ENTRAP

30. Bored with : SICK OF

34. Permit : LET

35. "Trainwreck" actress/screenwriter Schumer : AMY

37. Attacked on foot : RAN AT

38. Reject as false : DENY

39. Causes of disappearing beaches : EROSIONS

40. Entourages : RETINUES

44. Issue in May-December romances : AGE GAP

45. Spiral pasta : ROTINI

46. Slopes : SLANTS

47. Japanese floor mat : TATAMI

48. Laurel of Laurel and Hardy : STAN

49. "Handmade fresh all day" pizza chain : SBARRO

 

51. Like three Cy Young games : NO HIT

52. Bridge measures : SPANS

57. "The Cosby Show" son : THEO. Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

59. Baltic or Aegean : SEA

61. Sara whom "nobody doesn't like" : LEE

62. At a distance : FAR

Argyle