Saturday, Sep 24th, 2016, Ed Sessa

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q)

Blocks: 32

The fourth LA Times Ed Sessa Saturday puzzle this year, and I feel like I am starting to get on his cluing wavelength.  That's not to say I was completely successful today - I had to cave in to red-letters for one answer, but I was 'this' close.  Slowed down by proper names, misdirected on a few of my initial fills, but I call this one a win.  So there.  Triple 9-letter Across corners, and pairs of 9- and 11-letter climbers;

9d. Sandford opponent in a landmark 19th-century case : DRED SCOTT - I learned about this case in grade school, but the Sandford part I don't recall; took some crossings (perps)

11d. Feature of Civil War General Ambrose Burnside : MUTTONCHOPS - and hence the term "Sideburns", which I have been sporting since I was in my 20s - but not this bushy

22d. Explosion surrounding a star? : MEDIA FRENZY - not fooled by the "?", I figured it had to do with paparazzi, cameras, "FLASH", but it was my one correction; I had FLURRY at first

30d. Ordinary people : COMMONERS

~!

ACROSS:

1. Time keeper? : NEWSSTAND - I was hip to this "?" as well, figured it was magazine related, but had to wait on some crossings first

10. Decorative Japanese porcelain : IMARI

15. Foggy : IN A STUPOR - I pondered "IN A ---", but waited on crossings

16. Warms with waves : NUKES - the 'affectionate' term for using a microwave oven

17. Shelled omnivore : BOX TURTLE - again, I pondered "TURTLE", but didn't know if it would start or end the clue

18. Guitar band : STRAP - here, too I gathered this was not an actual "group", but a part of the instrument; however, "strap" did not jump right out at me, and FRET was too short.
Hey, check this guitar out

19. Artful : SLY

20. Not a good sense : DREAD

21. Features of some 'Vettes : T-TOPS

22. Johnny Vander __, only pitcher to throw back-to-back no-hitters : MEER - I'm sure C.C. knew this one; didn't someone come really close this season, too~?

23. They stir things up : SPOONS - dah~! I had WHISKS

25. Out of one's class : ABSENT - ah, clever misdirection; I was thinking "AT SEA" - that is, being a "30d." among the elite

28. Nut in a cupule : ACORN - didn't know what a cupule was

29. High-end chocolatier : LINDT - ah, so close; I tried "S" and "Z" before the "D"

30. It may lead to an argument : CLOSE CALL - in sporting events, frequently, and baseball more than most, I think

34. Et __ : ALII - typed in "ALI-" and waited....

35. Tusk, in fact : TOOTH - dah~!! Not IVORY

36. Colors : HUES - these are "HUES", too

37. Allow it to go no further : SET A LIMIT

39. Informal qualifier : SORTA

40. Trailers often precede them : FILMS - got it

41. Meal : REPAST

42. Home to Mount Kinabalu : BORNEO - mostly perps

44. Guns : REVS - it was either this or "GATS", and I was right with my first guess

45. Downed, in a way : HEWED - HUE/HEW

46. Sound : NOISE - ah, not the SANE variety of 'sound'

48. Ending with humor : OUS - humorous

51. One-named musician whose last name is Chryssomallis : YANNI - learning moment, tho I am familiar with the artist who ends up as the butt of some jokes - his Wiki

Hey, it's Yanni Halen~!

52. Lasting ability : ENDURANCE

54. Mideast unitarians : DRUZE - all perps

55. Elaborate procedure : RIGMAROLE - 'round here it comes with a second "A" - rigAmarole

56. Best Moment and Best Upset : ESPYs - sounded like awards for sporting events, but it was not working with my "SITH" at 45d.

57. Mental comparison : STEEL TRAP - "he has a mind like a steel trap"

DOWN:

1. Ink dispensers : NIBS - dah~!!! not PENS

2. Hydroxyl compound : ENOL

3. Like fake fruit : WAXY - good first round guess on my part

4. Boomer until 2003 : SST - supersonic airplanes

5. Word after A, B or C : STUDENT - what~? you can't be a "D" student, too~?

6. Castle projection : TURRET - I wanted RAMPART, but it didn't fit; BAILEY did, but it's not really a projection

7. More suitable : APTER

8. Emeril's French Quarter restaurant : NOLA - well, it's in New Orleans, LA, so....

10. Imminent : IN STORE

12. Rubber home : AKRON

13. Gets as a return : REAPS

14. Web connectors, for short : ISPs

24. Like penthouse suites : POSH

25. Troubled word : ALAS

26. Ill humor : BILE

27. Sulky state : SNIT

28. Dr. Alzheimer : ALOIS - perps

31. Pervasive quality : AURA

32. "__ see ... " : "LET'S"

33. Test with arguments, for short : LSAT

35. Five-point K, e.g. : TILE - oh, duh.  Scrabble TILE....

38. "Dancing With the Stars" numbers : LINDIES - I really, really wanted to try LIMBOS, but it was too short

39. A few : SEVERAL

41. Pick up again : RESUME

42. Brown University athletes : BEARS - perps

43. Confess : OWN UP

44. Hill crest : RIDGE

45. Fictional dark side : HYDE - yeah, I wanted SITH, but this is the 'dark side' of Dr. Jekyll

47. Taking care of business : ON IT - oops, I had AT IT

48. __ about : ON OR - and a second two-letter two word answer

49. Golden State sch. : UCLA

50. Bleed : SEEP

53. "Anything you can get away with": Marshall McLuhan : ART

Splynter

Friday, September 23, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title M M M M M good.

JW is back and it seems almost as if he and Mark McClain collaborated on the last two offerings. Instead of removing a "T" like we did last week, we add an "M" to each phrase to create a new and entertaining entry. 1/3/5 have the M added at the end, with a complete change in spelling. 2/4 add the M before a final E. The Ms also change all five vowels, E, O, U, I(Y) and A. Using each and every vowel is a cool addition.  The rest is vintage JW with ARCADIA,  DAEMONS,  SPACIER, SINATRA, YOU HEAR ME, WORK FORCE, TOM SWIFTY,  I THINK NOT, FOREIGN MAIL, SCIENCE SHOW all fun longish fill. With so many spaces filled by the theme and the long fill, there are some 3/4 letter fillers but all in all a fun Friday.

20A. Seminal discovery by sports historians? : THE FIRST TEAM (12). The first tee.  This is an organization that uses golf to inspire the young. LINK.

27A. Comprehensive text on mints? : TIC TAC TOME (10). Tic tac toe. The Xs and Os GAME.
LINK before they found Kelly Harmon.

37A. Reaction to Bugs' continued evasiveness? : ELMER'S GLOOM (11). Elmer's Glue. Poor Elmer Fudd, poor COW. Which leads perfectly to...

48A. How a snail moves? : ON THE SLIME (10). On the sly. LINK.

56A. "I plotted against Caesar completely on my own!"? : CASSIUS' CLAIM (12). Cassius Clay. JW slips a little hint of Shakespeare within a Muhammad Ali reference

Across:

1. Out of practice : RUSTY. I like this clue/fill  but it actually took me a moment, which suggests that maybe I am....

6. Blue stone : LAPIS. I always think of Lapis Lazuli.

11. It doesn't last long : FAD.

14. Casual opening : INTRO. I was looking for a prefix for casual all too long.

15. Saudi neighbor : OMANI.

16. Part of un giorno : ORA. Italian for a day and an hour.

17. Crayfish habitat : BAYOU. A CSO to all of our Louisiana contingent.

18. Employees : WORK FORCE.

22. Newspaper supporters : ADS. A tricky way to clue a simple one- ads do pay for the newspaper to exist, but...

25. LAX stat : ETA.

26. "You got me there" : SO I DO. This is a bit of confusion for me, though it turns out ok.
So do I is simply "I agree", or "I feel exactly the same" (me too).

"So I do" can mean several similar things. It is a way of agreeing about something you did not realize, as in "well, how about that, what you say is true." (meaning "I do in fact do that, what you say). For example- "Joe Isuzu, you raise your eyebrow when you are lying." Joe responds, "So I do; I never realized that before."
.
It also is a way of agreeing with something fairly obvious, that you have known for some time. "Joe, you raise your eyebrow when you are lying." "So I do (yes, and you are just noticing that?)"

32. Card game : GIN. I have played many hours, including knock gin and all the rummy cousins.

33. Certain cross-country traveler : SKIER. Hey marti.

34. Crane's construction : NEST. Tricky, the bird not the heavy equipment.

36. "One Mic" rapper : NAS. I will NOT link this song.

41. Common ID : SSN.

43. Soaps actress Rylan : EMME. This diminutive actress appears on soaps mostly and changed her name legally from Marcy.

44. Some kissing sounds : MWAHS. Back at you. I am sure this was the work of the cell phone generation.

47. Snap : PIC.

51. Lend __ : AN EAR. Friends, Romans....

54. "That's so cute!" : AWW. Two weeks in a row. Did not help the Dolphins.

55. Brine-cured delicacy : LOX. When I was a kid, there was LOX (salty) and Nova, not salty.Now I know Why.                                                                                                                                                

61. "Doubtful" : I THINK NOT. A classic JW multi-word fill.

62. Be enamored of : FANCY. I can almost hear this in a British accent.

66. Relative of -ista : ERO. Spanish that has invaded US speak. LINK.

67. View from the Eiffel Tower : SEINE.

68. Traction aid : TREAD.

69. Cold and wet : RAW. The night was...

70. Fragrant compound : ESTER. Not Esther Lessner...oh the other ONE.

71. Quite a while : YEARS.

Down:

1. Kid : RIB. I was slow getting this and 1-across, sad; especially for a kidder like me.

2. A, in Acapulco : UNA.

3. Mess metaphor : STY. Rhymes with Sly.

4. Canter cousin : TROT. Many kinds of GAITS for horses. 49D. Bit of equestrian gear : HALTER.

5. "Am I clear?" : YOU HEAR ME? Another classic JW multi-word fill; words a child does not want to hear from a parent.

6. Dieter's choice : LOW FAT. There are high fat diets as well.

7. Milwaukee : mine :: Marseilles : __ : A MOI. Just French.

8. Last of three Catherines : PARR. 37.5% of Henry VIII wives.

9. Calligrapher's array : INKS.

10. Searches (through) : SIFTS. Even works for emails.

11. Philatelist's source : FOREIGN MAIL. It was always so exciting to get a letter from a foreign country, and look at the stamp.

12. Peloponnesian region : ARCADIA.  A reference to both old and new GREECE. Next to....

13. Nature spirits of Greek myth : DAEMONS. BZZZT! That is the Latin term for the GREEK. This  is like cluing JUPITER as a Greek god.

19. Plains tribe : OTO.

21. List substitute: Abbr. : ETC.

22. Cadillac model : ATS. A car- whoopee!

23. Hägar creator Browne : DIK. Gone 27 years, his son Chris now produces the strip.

24. TV's "Through the Wormhole," e.g. : SCIENCE SHOW. Available on Netflix. EXAMPLE.

28. Invoice heading no. : TEL.

29. Initiation : ONSET.

30. Ryan of "Sleepless in Seattle" : MEG. Another victim of plastic surgery.

31. Night sch. staple : ESL. It  helped Oo and I become a couple.

35. Bit of adverbial wordplay : TOM SWIFTY. "I need a pencil sharpener," said Tom bluntly.

38. Confessional music genre : EMO.

39. LBJ's successor : RMN. Tricky Dicky.

40. Real head-turner in the animal kingdom : OWL.

41. Deeper into la-la land : SPACIER.

42. "From Here to Eternity" Oscar winner : SINATRA.

45. Coverage-providing org. : HMO.

46. __ symbol : SEX. Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Paul Newman...who are they now: Brangelina? Mr. and Mrs. Clooney? Link your favorites.

50. __ Beach, Hawaii, home of the 2005 Little League World Series champs : EWA. I can sense some serious grumbling about this fill unless you all know Hawaii much better than I do. It was filled before I got here, but this is obscure. How about, Adam and Ewa?

52. "__ suspected!" : AS I.

53. Salon procedure : RINSE. As a child when my grandmother would go to the beauty parlor for a rinse and set, I though 'how stupid' it was, since we had a perfectly serviceable sink and shower. I did not know about THIS.

57. Hawaiian strings : UKES. More Hawaii.

58. Agitated state : SNIT. I hope no reader got in a snit over any of the fill.

59. Pothole warning : CONE. Or barrels? ORANGE.

60. Farm female : MARE.

63. Org. assisting museums : NEA. I always get this wrong.

64. Amtrak unit : CAR. How simple.

65. QB's stat : YDS.

Well, fall has fallen, I get home after dark and another Jeffrey Wechsler is in the record books. It fit together nicely and  I had a good time unraveling the mysteries and picking the links.. You all have a great weekend. Lemonade out.

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016 Roger Wienberg

Theme: A mob of Sicilians? No, as the reveal elegantly states:

34D. Raise stakes in a game ... and a hint to a hidden feature of five Down puzzle answers : UP THE ANTE

3D. Europe's highest active volcano : MOUNT ETNA. Nice to see the mountain getting a starring role for once, rather than consigned to the supporting cast of fill.

5D. Cold War Baltic patrollers : SOVIET NAVY. The US Navy was patrolling as well, but out of sight under the surface.

10D. "The Deer Hunter" setting : VIETNAM. A beautiful country - it's on my bucket list to visit.

30D. Green sign information, traditionally : STREET NAME. They're blue in my part of the world. 

43D. Wings eaters' needs : WETNAPS. When I first moved here I was amused to see that these things had instructions on the back. I can still remember verbatim: "This is a moistened towelette. It is a towelette, moistened. Open and use".

Thursday already? Roger's theme is all in the downs as the direction-change wouldn't work with the reveal if the entries ran cross-wise.

I'm guessing that MOUNT ETNA was the seed entry for the theme and a rummage through the dictionary pulled out the other four. Some lively fill and some cluing trickery makes for a satisfying Thursday. Let's go for a meander through the fill and see what jumps out.

Across:

1. It's often a stretch : LIMO

5. Grim, as a landscape : STARK. You can be a stark landscape without necessarily being grim. This looks pretty grim though:

10. Debit card choice : VISA. Both of my debit cards are Visa-branded. I recently opened a checking account with Chase because they offered me $300 if I'd direct-deposit at least $500/month and keep the account open for at least six months. Two weeks later, the $300 was in my account. Never turn down free money.

14. Superstar : IDOL

15. Command : ORDER

16. Troublesome tykes : IMPS

17. Bad-blood situation : FEUD

18. One out for blood : VAMPIRE BAT. Nasty-looking little buggers. The common vampire bat will feed off any mammal, including humans.

20. Some browns : TANS

21. Number in an outline, perhaps : III. More likely to be seen as iii. Most style guides recommend using western numerals for major outline points, lowercase roman numerals for sub-outlines. Same goes for Shakespeare citations (see my comment at 48D)

22. Put in stitches : SUTURE

23. Variety show array : TALENTS

26. Disdainful look : SNEER

27. Holes in sneakers : EYELETS

29. Cruising : ASEA

31. Slender-stemmed palm : RATTAN

32. Where to see a wake : AFT. More nautical references this week after a slew of them on Monday.

33. Botch : MUFF

37. Lease alternative : OWN

38. Babies, or what some babies wear : PAMPERS. The verb "babies", not the noun. Had me thinking for a second.

41. Historic beginning? : PRE-

42. Kentucky Fried side : SLAW. KFC have their own branded Wetnaps. 

44. Brewery fixture : VAT

45. In-groups : ELITES

47. Irish New Age singer : ENYA. Let's have a quick "Orinoco Flow" before we get to the downs.

49. Runs aground : BEACHES

50. Striped quartz : AGATE

53. Pork-filled pastry, e.g. : MEAT PIE. Food! Here's a batch of famous Melton Mowbray pork pies from England. They have their own association too.

 
55. Ruined in the kitchen : BURNED. I tend to burn myself, not the food.

57. Brooke Baldwin's network : CNN

58. Auto parts giant : NAPA. Or the National Automotive Parts Association, to be posh about it.

61. Pearl Harbor battleship : USS ARIZONA

63. Third-generation Genesis name : ENOS. Grandson of Adam and Eve. Depending on who you read, his Dad, Seth was either 105 or 205 when Enos was born.

64. Remote button with a square : STOP

65. Capital on the Willamette : SALEM

66. Pedometer measure : STEP

67. Many millennia : EONS

68. Sky scraper? : SPIRE. Here's a picture of Salisbury Cathedral in England, built between 1220 and 1258. The spire is the tallest in the UK, standing 404ft above Salisbury Plain.

 
69. Stage layouts : SETS

Down:

1. Garage contraption : LIFT.

2. What a light bulb may mean : IDEA

4. Veteran seafarer : OLD SALT

6. Coaches : TRAINS. This could be read two ways - either in the sports sense, or as I just noticed, rakes of coaches forming trains?

7. Acknowledge : ADMIT

8. Account exec : REP

9. Angel who replaced Jill, in '70s TV : KRIS. Charlie's Angels. Cheryl Ladd's character Kris replaced Farrah Fawcett's Jill in 1977.

11. Saturate (with) : IMBUE

12. Let off the hook : SPARE.

13. Late bloomer? : ASTER. Late summer to fall, according to the American Horticultural Society, who know about such things.

19. Bit of subterfuge : RUSE

24. Entrechat, e.g. : LEAP. Ballet trickeration.

25. Call at home : SAFE. I'm taking my visiting brother to Dodger Stadium tonight, his first ever baseball game.

27. Lover of Psyche : EROS

28. Ketch kin : YAWL. What does a third baseman from the South say when he throws to home plate? "ketch it, y'awl!". The ketch and the yawl are both two-masted vessels, the difference is that the mizzen mast on a yawl is stepped behind the rudder post, rather than in front of it.

32. Suitable : APT

35. Like many apps : FREE

36. Cop to the crime, with "up" : FESS

39. Address with an apostrophe : MA'AM

40. Smack : SLAP

46. Aloof demeanor : ICINESS. Tricky letter progression to parse.

48. "In thy dreams!" : NE'ER!

ROMEO: Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight, for I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, scene v 

49. Hung sign : BANNER

50. Treat badly : ABUSE

51. Zest : GUSTO. Great word!

52. Illegal firing : ARSON

54. USDA inspector's concern : E.COLI. Ick.

56. Ph.D. hurdle : DISS. Dissertation.

59. Well-versed artist? : POET

60. Deadly slitherers : ASPS. These have been rearing their heads quite a few times recently.

62. Fast-forward through : ZAP. I record most of the shows that I watch so I can zap through the ads. I watch the Premier League soccer live though; but the great thing about soccer is - no commercial breaks, except at half-time.

I think that's it from me. Heeeeere's the grid, all color-coded and everything!

Steve

Wednesday, Sept 21, 2016 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Heave-Ho - The first words (all nouns) are all synonyms.

16A. "Good Guys Wear Black" star : CHUCK NORRIS. I only knew him in "Walker, Texas Ranger."

24A. Post-performance celebration : CAST PARTY

36A. Stroke with a wedge : PITCH SHOT. Like this.

51A. Display for lecture illustrations : FLIP CHART

61A. Sofa decor : THROW PILLOW

Boomer here. Live from Minnesota. Home of the 3M Company. Believe it or not, Scotch tape is not made in Scotland. It's made right here in St. Paul.

Boomer at 3M Championship, August 5, 2016

Minnesota is known for 10,000 lakes, and that does not include the ones that eat my golf balls.  I feel a fishing theme in this puzzle.  You CAST your line from your reel.  PITCH the lure into the weed bed.  FLIP the fish into the boat; then THROW it back ... Too small.

Across:       

1. Pour love (on) : DOTE. Maresey Dotes and Doesey dotes ...

5. Sledding spot : SLOPE.  Did not like the clue slopes are for skiing. Hills are for sledding.

10. Work the aisles, slangily : USH. Ush is no word that I've ever heard. Hey I'm a poet and didn't know it.

13. Very familiar with : UP ON

14. Not spontaneous : STAGED

15. Howe'er : THO. Hope you got this with down clues, because I don't get it.

18. Haul to the shop : TOW

19. Sailor's pronoun : HER. I guess this refers to a ship. Why they are all female, I'll never know.

20. Full of energy : ALIVE. Golfer Jim Furyk touts 5 hour energy and he is still alive.

21. Stereotypical Geek Squad employee : NERD

22. Mass-mailing tool : E-LIST. I'm surely on a few of these, my junk mail box is full

27. Went astray : SINNED

29. Pupil's cover : EYELID

30. Drawn-out account : SAGA

31. Not as demanding : EASIER. That's what I am talking about. Better clues would be easier.

35. USN clerk : YEO. Never heard of this - but I was in the US Army

39. Take steps : ACT. Take steps is to walk.  Thespians act.

42. Defiant retort : MAKE ME

43. __-Seltzer : ALKA. Remember Speedy with the funny hat?

47. Touchdown spot : TARMAC. I suppose you wanted people to think "Football". Well football teams fly 10 times per season. 

49. Log-shaped pastry : ECLAIR.  Eau Claire, Wisconsin is about 100 Miles from the Twin Cities.  I suppose you could get an Eclair there.

55. "Siddhartha" author : HESSE.  I'm not good at books. The last one I read was "Harps in the Wind".

56. Charitable gift : ALMS

57. Instagram upload : PHOTO. I don't have Instagram. Facebook upload would be an easier clue for me.

59. "__ matter of fact ... " : AS A. Better clue for me would be Hutchinson Family Singers leader, ___ Hutchinson OR the governor of Arkansas ____ Hutchinson.  (See "Harps in the Wind". Asa Hutchinson was my great great grandfather and founded the town of Hutchinson).

60. Young __: tykes, in dialect : UNs. Too much Beverly Hillbillies watching.

64. Shear (off) : LOP. I recently lopped off my hair. I was starting to look too much like Donald Trump (only thinner and with a smaller mouth).

65. Residences : ABODES

66. __ Romeo : ALFA

67. Onetime rival of Delta : TWA. Founded by Howard Hughes (AKA The hermit at the Desert Inn.) TWA flew from 1925 !! to 2001.  Flight 800 hurt them a lot.

68. Having a key, in music : TONAL

69. Go against : DEFY

  

Down:

 1. Title for Prince William's wife : DUCHESS of Cambridge. See also 17. Prince William's wife : KATE

2. The "thee" in "Get thee to a nunnery" : OPHELIA

3. Seeing the sights : TOURING

4. Letter-bottom letters : ENC. I usually see this as ENCL. Another crossword shortcut I suppose.

5. Dispassionate : STOIC. NFL often used this adjective to describe former Vikings coach Bud Grant. Now nearing 90, did you see him blow the big horn at US Bank Stadium Sunday night?

6. Cocoon contents : LARVA.  These are ugly.  Some use them for bait to catch panfish.

7. Ungentle giants : OGRES. They live under bridges and under kids' beds.

8. Shar-__: wrinkly dog : PEI.  I never saw a wrinkly dog, I never hope to see one.  But I can tell you anyhow, "I'd rather see than be one".

9. Paper staff, briefly : EDS. some of these three letter answers are starting to look like abbreviations for illness or drugs.

10. Downright : UTTERLY

11. Skimpy nightgown : SHORTIE.  If you say so.  Spellcheck says it's a word,  I would spell it Shorty, but then it would screw up the puzzle.

12. Folksy greeting : HOWDY DO. I may have heard Barney Fife of Mayberry say this.

14. NBC skit show broadcast from 30 Rock : SNL. Another drug abbreviation. Many people are hooked on this show.

21. Scottish isle denial : NAE. I always thought it was "NAY".  But ask a Scot if they make Scotch Tape and he will say NAE. 

23. Finger-clicking sound : SNAP. Also a really good Ginger cookie.

25. A little laughter : TEE HEE

26. Prefix with technic : PYRO. I've always liked the pyrotechnics at Comiskey and US Cellular Field. I hope the White Sox will continue the explosions at Guaranteed Rate Stadium.

28. Unhook, say : DETACH

32. "Crikey!" : ACK.  Now this really makes no sense.

33. Sailor's pronoun : SHE. There's the ship again

34. Doctrinal suffix : ISM

37. Desktop with an AppleCare option : iMAC

38. "Canterbury" story : TALE

39. Guilty : AT FAULT

40. "Operators are standing by!" : CALL NOW.  I dislike TV commercials that beg you to call. 

41. Bygone weight-loss pills : TRIMSPA. People were duped by Fen Phen. If you want TrimSpa I guess you have to call now - Operators are standing by.  There's a reason this stuff is not sold at stores.

44. French explorer who named Louisiana : LA SALLE

45. Rude dismissal, in slang : KISS-OFF

46. Passage between buildings : AREAWAY. This could also be viewed and clued as ARE AWAY.  (On Vacation ??)

48. AWOL seekers : MPS.  Military Police, Not a drug.

50. Kenneth __, portrayer of Judge Lance Ito in "The People v. O.J. Simpson" : CHOI. Korean surname.

52. Baker's protection : APRON. Or concrete at the end of your driveway.

53. Valerie Harper sitcom : RHODA. Great show. Rhoda got her start on the Mary Tyler Moore epic sitcom - staged in Minneapolis.

54. Item draped on a rack : TOWEL

58. Scout gps. : TPS. Sorry, I have noooo idea what this is. Troops???

61. Skin pic : TAT. Tattoo.

 

62. "True Detective" network : HBO

63. Stripling : LAD

Tuesday, September 20 2016, Patti Varol

Theme: Watch Your Step!

17. Adjusted sales figure on which some royalties are based : NET RECEIPTS. SAFETY NET.

28. Wood-finishing tool : BELT SANDER. SAFETY BELT.

37. Brass instrument played like a trumpet : VALVE TROMBONE. SAFETY VALVE.

45. Long, narrow mollusks : RAZOR CLAMS. SAFETY RAZOR.

60. Motto for the cautious ... or a hint to the starts of 17-, 28-, 37- and 45-Across : SAFETY FIRST

Melissa here. Straightforward theme, although I needed 60A to get it. Kept wondering what a VALVET was before the rest of 37A filled in. 

Across 

1. Pilothouse wheels : HELMS. Started off with an unknown - the clue meant nothing to me. A d'oh moment later.

 
6. Sphere in a library : GLOBE
 
11. Cheering syllable : RAH 

14. Use a broom : SWEEP
 
15. Lubricate again : RE-OIL
 
16. Touchdown approx. : ETA

19. Bus. get-together : MTG
 
20. Gentle touch : CARESS
 
21. Letter that opens with a click : EMAIL
 
23. Headache treatment : ASPIRIN
 
26. Concerning, on memos : IN RE. In Regard.
 
27. Seasonal bug : FLU

33. Tennessee senator __ Alexander : LAMAR. Unknown.
 
36. Zoo critter with striped legs : OKAPI

42. "Sure, I'll give you a ride" : GET IN
 
43. Sleep audibly : SNORE

 
50. Hotel divs. : RMS. Rooms.
 
51. Poet Khayyám : OMAR
 
52. Place for meditation : YOGA MAT
 
55. Intense personality : TYPE A
 
57. Response to a clever put-down : OH SNAP!
 
59. Actress Hagen : UTA. Learning moment.

65. Washington MLBer : NAT. Washington Nationals.
 
66. Mount in Exodus : SINAI
 
67. Lucky break : FLUKE
 
68. Genetic info letters : DNA
 
69. Seagoing mil. training group : NROTC. Naval Reserve Officers Training Corp.
 
70. Spine-tingling : EERIE   

Down

1. QVC rival : HSN. Home Shopping Network.
 
2. Baaing mom : EWE
 
3. Tennis do-over : LET

 4. Gracias, across the Pyrenees : MERCI
 
5. Hurled weapon : SPEAR
 
6. "The Heart of the Matter" novelist Graham : GREENE

7. Hawaiian floral rings : LEIS
 
8. "Uh-oh!" : OOPS
 
9. Stand-up routine : BIT


 
10. Besides : ELSE
 
11. Send back, as to a lower court : REMAND 

12. Clothing : ATTIRE
 
13. "Marvelous" Marvin of boxing : HAGLER
 
18. Bed with high sides : CRIB
 
22. Yellow "Despicable Me" character : MINION
 
23. CIO partner : AFL
 
24. Balkan native : SLAV
 
25. Shoe company with a cat in its logo : PUMA
 
29. Doone of Exmoor : LORNA

 
30. Ref's ruling : TKO. Technical Knock Out.
 
31. Retired newsman Donaldson : SAM
 
32. LAPD alerts : APB'S
 
34. 1990s veep : AL GORE
 
35. Camper driver, for short : RV'ER
 
38. And so on: Abbr. : ETC
 
39. Shop __ you drop : TIL
 
40. Par : NORM
 
41. Clever Bombeck : ERMA 

44. Contractor's fig. : EST
 
45. Portly : ROTUND
 
46. "The Joy Luck Club" novelist : AMY TAN
 
47. Mexican revolutionary played by Brando : ZAPATA

48. Word before "Pizza" or "River," in film : MYSTIC
 
49. PlayStation maker : SONY. This was my one wrong entry - tried SE for SEGA. Nope.
 
53. Social faux pas : GAFFE
 
54. Lots and lots : A PILE
 
56. Part of AAA: Abbr. : ASSN
 
57. Point __ return : OF NO
 
58. Qualifying race : HEAT
 
61. __ conditioner : AIR
 
62. Capek's robot play : RUR. Another learning moment.

63. Slide down the slopes : SKI
 
64. Collarless shirt : TEE

Monday, September 19, 2016 Grant Boroughs

Theme: ARR! - I'll be hornswoggled; it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2016.

17A. Ship-fouling organisms, on Talk Like a Pirate Day?: BARRNACLES

32A. What kids ask on a long trip, on TLAP Day?: "ARR WE THERE YET?"

38A. Ship's right-front section, on TLAP Day?: STARRBOARD BOW

57A. Cold northern region, on TLAP Day?: THE ARRCTIC

3D. Food storage area, on TLAP Day?: LARRDER

40D. Bill for drinks, on TLAP Day?: BARR TAB

ARRgyle here, matey and we have a new skipper, Cap'n Boroughs. I feels he's done a fine job and if'n ya don't arrgree, you'll hang by your thumbs from the yarrdarm 'tils we get back in port. If you check among the booty, you will find many seafaring entries.

http://fotoforum.fr/photos/2014/02/04.5.jpg

Across:

1. Dangerous wind for small boats: GALE

5. "You're gonna need a bigger boat" movie: JAWS. Completely off-script ad-lib.

9. Barbecue rod: SPIT

13. Actor Sharif: OMAR

14. Verbal exams: ORALS

16. Actress Lollobrigida: GINA

19. Lights-out tune: TAPS

20. Horse hue: ROAN

21. Spyglass component: LENS

23. With 48-Down, mediocre: NOT 48-Down. See 23-Across: SO HOT

24. "Alas ... ": "SADLY..."

26. Cry of fright: [EEK!]

27. Burning: AFIRE

29. Key lime __: PIE

30. Pigpen: STY

31. Story surprises: TWISTS

36. What George Washington could not tell, according to folklore: A LIE

37. Oregon Trail wagon pullers: OXEN

43. Sends to the Hill: ELECTS

45. Agrees to: OKs

46. Wonderment: AWE

47. Wood-shaping tool: LATHE

48. Urgent distress signal: S-O-S

49. When right turns are sometimes permitted: ON RED

51. Tax agcy.: IRS. (Infernal Revenue Service)

52. Dire fate: DOOM

54. Two of a kind: PAIR

55. The color of tropical seas: TEAL

61. "The Sopranos" actress Falco: EDIE

62. Human trunk: TORSO

63. Ring of light: HALO

64. Flatfish sometimes served stuffed: SOLE

65. Recipe amts.: TSPs. (teaspoon)

66. Online auction site: EBAY

Down:

1. Dollop: GOB

2. Doctors' org.: AMA. (American Medical Association)

4. Swashbuckler Flynn: ERROL

5. __ of 6-Down: French heroine: JOAN

6. 5-Down of __: French heroine: ARC. (Joan of Arc)

7. Minnesota's state fish: WALLEYE

8. Like a smooth-sailing clipper ship: SLEEK

9. Rank above cpl.: SGT. corporal/sergeant

10. One tickling the ivories: PIANIST

11. Sitting at the dock of the bay: IN PORT

12. Tries a bite of: TASTES

15. Taxpayer ID: SSN

18. Dissenting vote: NAY

22. Fictional Tom or real-life Diane: SAWYER

24. Massage facility: SPA

25. Balloon filler: AIR

26. Old anesthetic: ETHER

28. Wicked one: FIEND

30. Mixes: STIRS

31. __ Hold 'em: TEXAS. Poker game.

33. Enjoy, as television: WATCH

34. Overjoyed: ELATED

35. Chess castles: ROOKS

38. Shove off: SET SAIL

39. Post-WWII babies: BOOMERS. CSO.

41. Be indebted to: OWE

42. Married: WED

43. Upper crust groups: ELITEs

44. Rio Grande city: LAREDO

49. Rowboat propeller: OAR

50. Specialized market segment: NICHE

53. Giants slugger Mel: OTT

54. All in favor: PROs

56. Director Ang __: LEE

58. Deadly snake: ASP

59. Dockworkers' org.: ILA. (International Longshoremen's Association)

60. Playfully shy: COY

Argyle