Friday, June 3, 2016, Elliott M. Abrams

Title: Sh......

What I perceive is a debut puzzle for Mr. Abrams gives us words beginning with SH (sound)(vowel) in progression. A very straight forward puzzle with a very fast solve time and a mini-theme of Hawaiian words. I know of an Archaeology Professor who wrote about historic architecture in the MAYAN culture. My oldest wrote about ancient architecture in his time studying in that field. Anyway, on to the puzzle...The theme fill except OVERWHELM are all new to the LAT.  The rest includes forty-six 3/4 letter fill, many of which are common crossword fodder. I am always impressed with those  who grid their own first effort.  I enjoyed the puzzle, especially all the Js. After last week's pangram, we are just a Q short this week.

18A. Shaq : EX-NBA CENTER (11). Shaquille is a very entertaining guy.

24A. Sheik : ARAB NOBLE (9).Sheikh, Shaik, Shayk, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, and Shekh— is an honorific title in the Arabic language. wiki

37A. Schick : RAZOR BLADE MAKER (15). The "C" makes this the outlier, This may have been his seed entry. If he chose SHI... maybe: Shirk: LIE DOWN ON THE JOB. Of course that would cause a complete rewrite. Life is not easy.

49A. Shock : OVERWHELM (9). All perps

55A. Shuck : OPEN OYSTERS (11).My first thought was corn, but I do not eat shellfish.

Okay on to the meat of the puzzle...

Across:

1. Backtalk : LIP.

4. Went into second, in a way : SLID. A gimme for the baseball crowd.

8. Energy units : JOULES. I love J words: It is equal to the energy transferred (or work done) to an object when a force of one newton acts on that object in the direction of its motion through a distance of one metre (1 newton metre or N·m). It is also the energy dissipated as heat when an electric current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second. It is named after the English physicist James Prescott Joule (1818–1889) wiki.

14. She played Mia in "Pulp Fiction" : UMA. She died and came back.

15. Mackerel relative : TUNA. I forgot that.

16. Opposite of down : ACROSS. Crossword inside joke

17. AWOL pursuers : MPS. Military Police. Probably not a legitimate plural.

20. Combat : BATTLE.

22. Long, on Lanai : LOA. Then an immediate clecho 23A. Hi, on Lanai : ALOHA.

30. Exceptional : RARE.

31. Team members : OXEN. Cute yoke.

32. "Darkness at __": Arthur Koestler novel : NOON. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Darkness at Noon number eight on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. I never read it. The novel was written in German. wiki

33. Fortress of Solitude statue honoree : JOR-EL. Since the creators were both Jewish, they named their central family EL אֵל. Did you know Superman had his own WIKI?

35. Formal assessment : REPORT. I am not the report type. Michelle does lots of them for clients.

41. Calls up : EVOKES.

42. Pip : BEAUT.

43. Mudville number : NINE. How many players on the field in baseball.

44. 2015 Emmy winner for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series : VEEP. Not only born into a fabulously wealthy family but in her third Emmy winning series, JULIA is one lucky woman.

45. Wheels : RIDE. Nice ride...

52. Hardly a socialite : LONER.

53. It may be humbly held in hand : HAT. Nice cluing.

54. Stumble : FALTER.

61. Nixon admin. creation : EPA. An environmental CRUSADER when politics made some sense.

62. __ effect : RIPPLE. Not to be confused with the butterfly effect.

63. Israeli writer Oz : AMOS.  Hid views are not always popular. LINK.

64. Nothing but __ : NET. Steph Curry...Game 1, he was not good but they won.

65. Church symbols : SPIRES.

66. Not for here : TO GO. They added to go service at the Cattleman.

67. Helical strands : DNA. Helix like.

Down:

1. Like the vertebrae directly above the pelvis : LUMBAR. Where by herniated discs live.

2. 1958 Chevy debut : IMPALA. Remember it well.

3. Sermon giver : PASTOR.

4. Inscribed stone : STELA. Put in STELE for some reason but ALOHA came along.

5. Elegance : LUXE. adjective: 1. expensive and of high quality; luxurious. "the luxe 65-room Four Seasons hotel" noun: 1. luxury.

6. Comfort __ : INN.

7. Touch : DAB.  I have Brylcreem regularly.

8. Biblical twin : JACOB.

9. Large amount : OCEAN. This area was the hardest for me because of this, but I do know thr phrase from books and HEADLINES.

10. "Thou," in the Keats lines "When old age shall this generation waste, / Thou shalt remain ... a friend to man" : URN. Of the Grecian variety. Most think is it "TO" but is ON.

11. Building site : LOT.

12. End of much language? : ESE. Meh, but I guess better than ease south east.

13. Kazakhstan, once: Abbr. : SSR.

19. Late actor Rickman : ALAN. A recent DEMISE. I loved most of his work, especially Galaxy Quest.

21. 1989 Jack Nicholson role : THE JOKER. Everone thought he was great until Heath Ledger came along.

24. Double __ : AXEL. I do get many figure skating fill.

25. Mark down, perhaps : RE-LABEL. Remarkable, Mabel.

26. Keeping the beat? : ON PATROL. Police walking the neighborhood.

27. Secure, as a room : BOOK. So many ways online now.

28. Past wisdom : LORE.

29. __'acte : ENTR. French for between the Acts, i.e. intermission.

31. Mars and others : ORBS. A simple definition.

34. Vein yield : ORE. Bloody cute clue!

35. Get as a return : REAP. What you sow....

36. Aussie runner : EMU.

37. Nevada city on I-80 : RENO.

38. Tel __ : AVIV.

39. Defense choice : ZONE. Football and basketball.

40. Consider : DEEM. Again.

44. Dachshund docs : VETS. We had dachshunds. One of our wiener dogs ate so much she became a knockwurst.

46. Plan : INTEND.

47. Become more heartfelt : DEEPEN.

48. Printing problems : ERRATA. Placed in a book to apologize for errors.

50. __ milk : WHOLE. Random.

51. Last Reconstruction president : HAYES. Rutherford B. All you need to KNOW.

52. Rodeo rope : LASSO.

54. One that may be transformed by a kiss? : FROG.

55. Scenes of many stitches: Abbr. : ORS. Operating Rooms.

56. Knight supporter? : PIP. Very tricky for me, but not for Gladys.

57. Prefix with genetics : EPI. I becoming more convinced this must be the same man. I did not know: Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression (active versus inactive genes) that does not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence — a change in phenotype without a change in genotype — which in turn affects how cells read the genes. Wiki.

58. "All Things Considered" home : NPR. National Public Radio.

59. Many a pro athlete's pride : TATtoo. Really?

60. Rock genre : EMOtional.

Always exciting to welcome a new constructor to Friday. Thank you Elliott and I hope you all had as much fun as I did. Lemonade out.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to our talented Owen, who does not celebrate his birthdays. But you're special to us, Owen! So lucky that you found us and continue to entertain us despite your personal struggles.

Owen & his wife Brenda (Feb 28, 2009)

2) Indie 500 crossword tournament will be held tomorrow (June 4) in DC. You can click here for details. See here for the constructors. See Angela Olson Halsted, Misty? That's PuzzleGirl. Other constructors include Andy Kravis, Neville Fogarty, Erik Agard, Joanne Sullivan, Lena Webb, Kameron Austin Collins and Sam Trabuccob.

3)  The fifth Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held at the Landmark Center in St. Paul on June 12th, 2016 Sunday. Please click here for more details. Here is the direct registration link. Entry fee is only $20 per person.  

Don G and I teamed up again this year. Other contributors (all LAT/NYT constructors) include George Barany, Victor Barocas (also our editor), Tom Pepper, Andrea Carla Michaels, David Liben-Lowell, Michael David, Johanna Fenimore, Andrew J Ries, David Steinberg (Yay!) and our own Jeffrey Wechsler, who is flying from New Jersey to volunteer for the event.

Thursday, June 2nd, 2016 Peg Slay

Theme: Peg Opts In - Four STOP anagrams coming together at the crossroads.

A three-part reveal across the bottom of the grid, then two horizontal themers and two vertical ones meeting in the middle.

62A. With 63- and 64-Across, meeting place suggested both literally and graphically by this puzzle's circled letters : FOUR and

63A. See 62-Across : WAY and

64A. See 62-Across : STOP. These don't exist in England. Here in Los Angeles we call 'em "All Way Stops", so that slowed me up a little. Here's one on my street:

36A. Vessels on carts : TEAPOTS. CSO to Nice Cuppa!

37A. Tennis lob strategy : TOPSPIN. Both Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf had fearsome topspin lobs. I wonder if they have "best lob" competitions at home - loser does the chores for a day.

5D. Popular reading in New York and Washington : THE POST. I think it's fair to say that one of these publications is not remotely like the other.

41D. Pandora alternative : SPOTIFY. I use the free version of Pandora - the ads aren't intrusive enough to make me want to pay for a subscription. I've just started using the YT Music app from YouTube - I like it so far.

Lawks-a-mercy, this one took me way longer than usual for a Thursday. I was staring down a whole lot of white space wondering where my next fill was coming from. Stubborn chipping away got me there in the end, but phew! Very nice concept from Peg with both wordplay and a visual element. Some really nice long non-theme fill, especially INCOGNITA.


Peg is a frequent contributor to the daily discussion here at the Corner under the moniker C6D6 Peg - C.C. posted an interview with her last year over on the sidebar.

Across:

1. Word with time or money : PLAY

5. Greek cross : TAU

8. Cameo shape : OVAL. Cameo brooch.

12. It may be straight : RAZOR. One of these. I've been tempted in the past to get one just for the retro feel of it, but considering I regularly stab myself with my kitchen knives it's definitely for the best that I've resisted.

14. Ostracize : SHUN

15. Spy follower? : WARE. Computer nastiness.

16. Expenditure : OUTGO. Hmmm. Outgoings, sure. Outgo? Not sure.

17. Home to Mykonos and Milos : AEGEAN SEA. We used to charter a sailboat and sail the Aegean on summer vacations. Beautiful islands, especially the smaller ones with little tourism.

19. Concocts : DREAMS UP

21. Broad panoramas : VISTAS

22. Anatomical pouch : SAC

23. Sanctioned : ALLOWED

25. __ lab : DNA

26. Condensed, for short: Abbr. : SYN. I'm starting to be able to spot the "synonym" cluing, finally! Condensed : Short.

27. Schooner part : MAST. Schooners have at least two masts, that's a lot of sail and rope-work, especially for a gaff-rigged example like this one. I certainly didn't sail one of these in the Aegean. I stuck to single mast, one mainsail and one jib/genny, Bermuda-rigged.

31. Woman undercover : INCOGNITA. Fun, I'd not come across this before in the "undercover" sense; I have seen it on old maps - "Terra Incognita"

35. __ String : SILLY

39. Made a bad call, say : ERRED

40. Park that opened in April 1965 : ASTRODOME. Houston. Nicknamed "The 8th Wonder of the World" when it opened. Disused at the current time.

42. Unkempt dos : MOPS

43. Christian denom. : BAP. tist.

44. Guatemala gold : ORO

45. Election check : RECOUNT

47. Simile center : AS A

50. Improvises : AD LIBS

54. Like the water in a Simon & Garfunkel song : TROUBLED. Simon and Garfunkel's "signature" song. Written by Paul Simon, sung solo by Art Garfunkel.Never gets old.

56. Laundry challenge : SOIL STAIN. This stuff gets great reviews.

58. New home subcontractor : TILER

59. De Tocqueville thought : IDÉE. He wrote a lot about American democracy in the 1800's.

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

60. Lummoxes : OAFS

61. Online jotting : E-NOTE

Down:

1. Nudges : PRODS

2. Actress Dern : LAURA. Who? I didn't recognize the name, but looking her up I find she's been in a bunch of movies that I've seen.

3. Ancient Texcoco native : AZTEC

4. __ mat : YOGA

6. National Mustard Day mo. : AUG. Apparently the Soilove above is no good at getting mustard stains out, but then again I don't think anything can do that particular job.

7. Like some parallel bars : UNEVEN. I always thought they were called "asymmetrical bars" but I guess gymnastics coaches and commentators got lazy at some point. Here's the amazing Olga Korbut in the 1972 Olympic finals. The "Korbut Flip" (at 0:08 in the video) was viewed as one of the most dangerous moves in gymnastics. It probably still is - you miss the catch and it's 10 feet straight down to the mat.

8. Has : OWNS

9. Immense : VAST

10. Rest __ : AREA

11. Grazing sites : LEAS

13. Neptune or Mars : ROMAN GOD

14. "Better Call __" : SAUL. Crosses for me. An AMC TV series which is a spin-off from "Breaking Bad".

18. Pitch in : AID

20. Approach to a subject : SLANT

24. "Father Knows Best" actress Jane : WYATT. Thank you, crosses. I felt like I needed one of these today with all the crossing help I required:

25. Figures (out) : DOPES

27. Perform improperly : MISDO. Probably my least favorite entry today. Merriam-Webster has it as "obsolete". I have it as "crosswordese".

28. Iams competitor : ALPO

29. Svelte : SLIM

30. River to the North Sea : TYNE. Newcastle's river in the North-East of England. I was born on Tyneside in South Shields. The region's Geordie accent is renowned for being very difficult for non-Geordie folk to understand.

31. Agenda bullet : ITEM

32. 300-pound Wolfe : NERO. Crosses for me. I think I've seen the name before but definitely is not one at the forefront of my mind.

33. Trivial objection : CARP. We never do that here, of course.

34. Half-brother of Ishmael : ISAAC

35. GMC Terrain, for one : SPORT UTE. Short for "Sports Utility Vehicle", which is long for "SUV".

38. Maine college town : ORONO. Thank you, crosswords past.

43. Impart : BESTOW

45. NFL ball carriers : RB'S. Running Backs.

46. Footed vases : URNS

47. Deal out : ALLOT

48. Handle : SEE TO

49. Seller of TV time : AD REP. Tried AD MAN first. Was wrong.

50. "Yeah, right!" : AS IF!

51. Extinct bird : DODO

52. Stead : LIEU

53. Actor Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER. Finally remembered this gentleman. Nailed it!

55. Recycling containers : BINS

57. TourBook-issuing org. : AAA. They also come in mobile and online versions now.

and .... I think that does it for me. Here's the grid.

Steve

Wednesday, June 1, 2016 C. C. Burnikel

Theme:  LET ME OUT OF HERE!  The final word of the three main theme entries can all precede the word ESCAPE, yielding a sensible, in-the-language phrase.

20A. Bar exhortation : DOWN THE HATCH.  Getting a drink to your interior as quickly as possible.  Probably the best way to handle Chicago right-of-passage liquor Malort.

An ESCAPE HATCH is an emergency exit on a submarine, ship or aircraft.

27A. "Defense of Fort McHenry" poet : FRANCIS SCOTT KEY.  This poem supplies the words for The Star Spangled Banner, the U. S. National Anthem.  Key wrote it while observing the British bombardment of the eponymous fort during the war of 1812.  

The melody, written by John Stafford Smith, was originally a British drinking song called Anacreon in Heaven.  It covers an octave and a fifth and is notoriously hard to sing.   I've hear anthem singers that made me shudder and wince; but Detroit's Karen Newman never disappoints.

And, of course, I would be terribly remiss if I failed to acknowledge 89-year-old holocaust survivor Hermina Hirsch, who fulfilled a life-long dream by singing the anthem before a recent Tigers game.




The ESCAPE KEY on your computer can sometimes be used to stop a runaway program, and is also used in shortcuts on Windows systems.

47 A. "Let's do it!" : SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN.  This expression offers approval for a suggested course of action.  An ESCAPE PLAN is a scheme, often sneaky or convoluted, to get out of a place or situation.

And the unifier -- 54 A. Magician suggested by the ends of 20-, 27- and 47-Across : ESCAPE ARTIST.  My first thought is of Harry Houdini [1874-1926] Who escaped from all sorts of locks, traps, boxes and cells - all without a KEY. And the word ESCAPE thus completes the theme concept.

Hi Gang - JazzBumpa here to lead you though and eventually out of today's puzzle. Is there a HATCH? Will we need a KEY? Do I have a PLAN? Well - let's find out.

Across:

1. Bid with a weak hand, often : I PASS.  One can dispute whether this is a bid or the absence of a bid, but with a weak hand it's generally the right call.

6. Nikon D5300, e.g. : Single Lens Reflex, a type of camera using a mirror and prism arrangement that allows the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what image will be captured.

9. Team up with : JOIN.  This word has a number of senses relating to bringing people or things together in a variety of ways.  Here it indicates forming or becoming a part of a group.

13. "Ya think?!" : NO DUH.  Sarcastic agreement, like with something a bit too obvious.

14. Like newly Botoxed skin : TAUT.  Pulled tight or over-inflated.

16. Clip contents : AMMO.  For fire arms.

17. Young fella : KIDDO.  Would a young gal be a kiddett?

18. When Valjean adopts Cosette : ACT I.  From Les Miz.  Two of my grandsons were in a production a couple years ago and died on the barricade.  That was wrenching.

19. Sorento and Sedona : KIAS. Sorrento [note spelling] is a village overlooking the Bay of Naples in southern Italy; Sedona is a city in Arizona.  As presented here, they are two vehicle models from the KIA, South Korea's 2nd largest auto maker. 

23. Firetruck tool : AXE.  For getting into or ESCAPING from a burning place.

25. Kerfuffle : ADO.  Much Kerfuffle About Nothing just doesn't quite sound as good.

26. It can cover a lot : TAR.  Most likely a parking lot.

33. "Total Recall" (2012) director Wiseman : LEN.  Don't know him.

34. Out-and-out : UTTER.  Modifiers that amplify some action or feeling, and generally not in a good way: UTTER contempt, out and out nonsense.

35. Designer Klein : ANNE.  [1923 - 1974] Nee Hanna Golofski, An American fashion designer, who revolutionized styles for young women in the 1940's.

36. Acting coach Hagen : UTA. [1919 - 2004]  Born in Germany, her family migrated to the U. S. in 1924.  Because of her association with Paul Robeson she was on the Hollywood Black List, so her acting career was focused on New York theater instead of movies.

She also wrote about acting and cooking

37. "Don't text and drive" ad, briefly : Public Service Announcement.   Sadly, though, I see people doing it all the time.

38. Lodging provider : INN.

41. Up-in-the-air approx. : Estimated Time of Arrival, for airplane travel.

42. "This doesn't __ well ... " : BODE.  A good Anglo-Saxon word, from the Old English bodian, meaning to proclaim or foretell.  Modern usage seems to always be in anticipation of something unpleasant.  Also remotely related to "bid."

44. Wingtip strings : LACES.  I somehow got stuck on airplanes, not shoes.  [Say this with a brogue.]

46. Get someone's name wrong, e.g. : ERR.  Or muff a simple ground ball to extend the inning and allow three unearned runs to score, thus losing the game.  But I have forgiven Ian Kinsler for Sunday's ERRor.

51. Rim : LIP.  As of a cup, wine glass or volcano.

52. Wine stain color : RED.  When there is a slip between the cup and LIP.

53. Egyptian slitherer : ASP.  A snake in de Nile?

59. Sweet pea : DEAR.  Honey-snookems.

60. Seafood restaurant order : CRAB.  One of many possibilities.  FISH also fits; carp, sole, etc.

61. "In my view ... " : I'D SAY.  Offering an opinion.

65. Crew of buddies : GANG.

66. Long-drawn-out account : SAGA.   From old Norse, originally indicating a long prose narrative of heroic achievement.

67. Poppycock : TRIPE.  Nonsense, balderdash, blather; derived from 19th century Dutch dialect pappekak, from pap ‘soft’ + kak ‘dung.’   Perhaps of the kind left behind by bulls, though that is not specified.

68. Alternatively : ELSE. Either this, or ELSE that.  Those are your choices.

69. Get into the pool : BET.  And see if your bid BODES well.

70. Silver dollar topper : SYRUP.   Pancakes.  Had me buffaloed for the longest time.

Down:

1. Medium of much Chinese art : INK.   Used in calligraphy and in picture drawing, generally with the same techniques [oils are not used] typically on paper or silk.

2. Luau chow : POI.   Made from the corm of the taro plant.

3. Tack on : ADD. 

4. Out-of-the-blue : SUDDEN. 

5. "Scat!" : SHOO.   Go away!

6. Shows confidence and pride : STANDS TALL.

7. Cause of much intolerance? : LACTOSE.  My favorite clue.  LACTOSE intolerance is an inability or difficulty in digesting this sugar, which occurs naturally in milk and dairy products.

8. Babe or Baby : RUTH.  George Herman "Babe" RUTH, iconic baseball star who played from 1914 - 1935, mostly with Yankees.  Baby RUTH is a candy bar originally developed by the Curtiss Candy Company, and named suspiciously.

9. Capital of Indonesia : JAKARTA.  Located on the NorthWest coast of Java.

10. Overlook : OMIT.  Leave out.

11. All-in-one Apple : I-MAC.   Computer.

12. Quick bite : NOSH.  From Yiddish.

15. Connect with : TIE TO.

21. Bides one's time : WAITS. Like this, if you have 5 minutes.

22. Bean cover? : HAT.  Bean bein' slang for one's head.

23. Playground response : ARE TOO.  Response to a taunt.

24. Second word of Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" : XANADU.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree:

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.

27. Blunders : FLUBS.  Makes an error.  I won't get into the sad events of Monday's game.

28. Flagstick holder : CUP.  On the green of a golf course.

29. It's swung by some pinch hitters : CRICKET BAT.   Well - this is a surprise.  A baseball-related misdirection. I didn't know there were pinch hitters in CRICKET.

30. Prepares to be knighted : KNEELS.  To receive a pat on either shoulder with the flat of a sword.

31. Trick : ENTRAP.  With some sort of ruse or snare.

32. Long (for) : YEARN.  A strong desire to be with some one or some thing that is absent or missing.

From the Maxims section of The Exeter Book [ca. 975]

Longað þonne þy læs      þe him con leoþa worn, 

oþþe mid hondum con      hearpan gretan; 

hafaþ him his gliwes giefe,      þe him god sealde. 

As best I can remember, Tolkien translated this more or less as:

Longing is less troublesome to one who knows many songs, 

Or can touch the harp with his hands; 

He has his gleeful gift that God gave him.

Both "ð" and "þ" represent the modern digraph "th."  There seems to be no specific correspondence to the voiced and unvoiced pronunciations. 

39. "__ say more?" : NEED I.   Probably said too much already.

40. Decryption org. : National Security Agency.

43. Make easier to read, in a way : ENLARGE.  For old men with bifocals - like me.

45. Fits in a cabin? : AIR RAGE.  Wasn't familiar with the term, but it's easy enough to suss.  Per Wikipedia, "aberrant, abnormal, or violent behavior exhibited during the air travel process."  There is also a movie with this title.

48. Hummus, e.g. : DIP.   A thick sauce for dunking food items.  I can make a meal of hummus and the blue corn chips form Trader Joe's.

49. Publisher's guidelines : SPECS.  SPECifcationS.

50. Gently towel off : PAT DRY.  Instead of wiping, which can be harsh.

54. Slight lead : EDGE.  Relates ultimately back to the sharp edge of a blade, which can be how narrow the lead is.

55. Tough navy guy : SEAL.   Tough indeed.  These guys are elite.

56. Case units, often : CANS.  Of soup, motor oil, etc.  Usually 12 or 24, sometimes 36 or 48.  Strange when our maths are mostly base 10. 

57. Many a Meccan : ARAB.  Mecca is city in Saudi Arabia located about 50 miles inland from the Red Sea.

58. Tends tots : SITS.  As in baby sitting.

62. Military address : SIR.   Not a postal drop, but a way of speaking to superior officers.

63. Manjula's husband, on "The Simpsons" : APU.  Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is the operator of the Kwik-E-Mart on that TV show that I still have never watched.

64. "You betcha!" : YEP.  Fer sure.   My dad used to say, "You bet your life;" and I'm guessing "You betcha" is that in shortened form.

Well, folks, that wraps up another entry from our gracious hostess, whose puzzles now number in the hundreds.  Good one?  You betcha!  Hope you ESCAPED it unscathed.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, May 31, 2016 C.W. Stewart

Theme: Celebrity Coupling - An "in language" pairing is reimagined with the first word representing a famous person and the second a comestible.

20A. Photo caption for Condoleezza with a bowl of pintos? : RICE AND BEANS

36A. Photo caption for Chris with a sandwich bun? : ROCK AND ROLL

42A. Photo caption for NFL Hall of Famer Sam with a pastry shell? : HUFF AND PUFF

58A. Photo caption for Kevin with his Easter basket? : BACON AND EGGS

Argyle here and a four row theme grid. No reveal needed but you have two things to solve; who the celeb is and what the food is. Slight weakness in that two of the second words don't change meaning from the base pair (BEANS, EGGS) and the other two do change. (ROLL, PUFF) The first pairing gave it way but I still needed perps to confirm my people. A secondary result is the initials are somewhat famous, too. R&B, rhythm and blues; R&R, military time off; H&P, medical use, History and Physical examination; B&E, police speak for Breaking and Entering. Pretty sure it's unintentional; you can take almost any *&* and find it has a meaning.

Across:

1. "The Aviator" actor Alan : ALDA

5. Subtle attention-getter : "PSST!"

9. Charge the quarterback : BLITZ

14. Enter : GO IN

15. Indian princess : RANI

16. Haunting : EERIE

17. Boot out : OUST

18. __ before: deadline words : ON OR

19. Gone up : RISEN

23. Take for granted : ASSUME

24. Neptune's domain : SEA

25. White lie : FIB

28. Fillable flatbreads : PITAs

31. Ultimatum words : "OR ELSE!"

33. "__ as directed" : USE

38. Headlights-in-fog effect : HALO

40. Put on television : AIR

41. Film spool : REEL

47. Farm pen : STY

48. Joins : UNITEs

49. Uncomplaining type : STOIC

51. Chewie's shipmate : HAN

52. Like many a morning coffee: Abbr. : REG.ular

54. Fake : UNREAL

61. Jeweler's unit : CARAT

64. Fat used in baking : LARD

65. Bellini's "Casta diva," e.g. : ARIA

66. Love : ADORE

67. Not busy : FREE

68. Become softened by cuteness : MELT

69. Study aids : NOTEs

70. Whole bunch : SCAD

71. Canonized mlles. : STE.s French saints.

Down:

1. Greek marketplace : AGORA

2. Jazzman Armstrong : LOUIS

3. Spinal column components : DISCS

4. Poker dealer's request : "ANTE UP"

5. Characterized by : PRONE TO. Some poker players are characterized by their failure to "ANTE UP" and are PRONE TO being called out on it.

6. Material for some castles : SAND

                                  or

7. Supercilious sort : SNOB

8. Runs out of gas : TIRES

9. "The Natural" author Malamud : BERNARD

10. Luau keepsakes : LEIs

11. 1040-reviewing org. : IRS

12. __ score : TIE

13. Path to enlightenment : ZEN

21. "The Kite Runner" boy : AMIR

22. Really long time : AEON

25. Arctic ice phenomena : FLOES

26. Land in a river : ISLET

27. Beer __ : BELLY

29. Military sch. : ACAD. (academy)

30. Decides not to go to : SKIPS

32. Goof up : ERR

33. "Yep" : "UH-HUH"

34. Steamy setting : SAUNA

35. Pixielike : ELFIN

37. Stuck in __ : ARUT

39. Many a time, poetically : OFT

43. Fizzes up : AERATES

44. Fraction of a min. : N-SEC

45. Word seen on cornerstones : FOUNDED

46. Come across : FIND

50. Bath & Body Works products : CREAMS

53. Plays a round : GOLFS

Looking for his ball?

55. Everglades wader : EGRET

56. Physically well-coordinated : AGILE

57. Exams for legal wannabes, for short : L-SATS

58. Like floors without rugs : BARE

59. Pusher catcher : NARC

60. Vicinity : AREA

61. Item in a food drive donation : CAN

62. Brouhaha : ADO

63. Go bad : ROT

Argyle