Saturday, Oct 15th, 2016, Mark Diehl

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X)

Blocks: 27

  A new Saturday struggle from Mr. Diehl - his last offering being just a month previous, and I fared better with that construction - but then again, I was awake longer than I usually am before starting today's puzzle and blog, so a 'mental fade' might have had something to do with my need to cave in to Google.  Just too many proper names, especially in the NE.  Oh well.  A grid similar to the last puzzle, with 6x10 corners in a nearly spiral pattern, and two 9-letter climbers;

11d. Stinging builder of mud nests : MASON WASP - I should hire these guys for my next tiling job~!

32. Like tournament favorites : TOP-SEEDED

~!

ACROSS:

1. Raid units? : SPRAYS - Kills bugs dead

7. Pass after all else failed? : HAIL MARY - football reference

15. Mine shaft tool : TREPAN - I can see how this would be a rocks tool - the only "trepanning" I was aware of involved the skull

16. Ambiguous part : GRAY AREA

17. Cab Calloway catchphrase : HI-DE-HO - knew this from "The Blues Brothers"

18. Jonathan's cousins : WINESAPS - learning moment for me, on both varieties

19. She plays Hermione in "Harry Potter" films : EMMA - the one proper name I knew

not the Hermione you knew

20. Falls behind, perhaps : OWES - dah~! Not LAGS

22. Some sleepers : SOFAS - Dah~!  Took too long to get this answer - I was thinking trains

23. Soup vegetable : LEEK - um, is there such a thing as BEET soup~? ( I looked; it could have been correct....)

24. Big name in diamonds : ZALES

26. Parishioner's place : NAVE

27. Reagan __ : ERA - grew up during this time frame

28. Word on a business card : CELL - ugh; CORP, CALL, then CELL

29. Old tankard material : PEWTER - even clued just as "tankard material" would have worked

found this one, as well

31. Stallone, in "Capone" : NITTI - hiding in my noggin from doing past crosswords

33. Name on some euros : ESPAÑA - wondered if it was a person's name at first

35. Takes in : ABSORBS

37. Replacement for unlisted items : AND SO ON - could be parsed as AND SOON, clued as an ultimatum

41. Charity tourneys : PRO-AMS

43. Throw out an idea : OPINE

44. Takes root : SETS IN

47. Eats : CHOW - ah, the 'plural' misdirection

49. Brief subject : LAW - pondered RES, but waited

50. Spot for a scrape : KNEE

tragedy~!!!

51. Starbucks order : DECAF - oops, not LATTE

53. "__-daisy!" : UPSY

54. Thumb twiddler : IDLER

56. Dough : CASH - hesitated, thought it was too easy to be "CASH"

57. Pickup spot? : NAPE - think cats, etc.

58. Baloney : FOLDEROL - never heard the term; according to the online etymology, it's derived from song refrains

60. Where Mark Twain married Olivia Langdon : ELMIRA - perps and WAGs

62. Paratrooper's start : FREEFALL

63. Like beef loin, vis-à-vis chuck : LEANER

64. Commuting metaphor : SARDINES - think subways, and people packed into a silver can

65. Bands of cerebral nerve fibers : PONTES - not the first thing that comes up on a Google search

DOWN:

1. Napa County city that's home to Beringer Vineyards : St. HELENA - the website

2. Pricey cut : PRIME RIB

3. 2-Down and others : RED MEATS

4. Vertical, more or less : APEAK - one of those "A" words; seems to be closely associated with anchor lines - Spitz~?

5. Slangy agreement : YAH

6. Loser's mistake? : SNOOZE - "you snooze...."

7. "The Shape of Things to Come" author : H.G. WELLS - I did not know this

8. Develop : ARISE

9. Ziering of "Sharknado" : IAN

10. Soapmaking compounds : LYES

12. See 14-Down : ARAFAT - circumreferential to 14d. With 12-Down, 1994 Peace Prize sharer : YASSER

13. Work on, as a road : REPAVE

21. Peace Nobelist of 1983 : WALESA - cheated.  Googled.

25. Bridge : SPAN

28. High clouds : CIRRI

30. Fund : ENDOW

34. Ottoman officials : PASHAS

36. Craig role : BOND - he will return (as of today) for "James Bond 25"

38. Medium for da Vinci : OIL PAINT

39. Rampaging : ON A SPREE

40. Day of resolve : NEW YEAR'S

42. Magazine renamed Rosie in 2001 : McCALLS - no clue, but got it with half the letters from perps.  I do "ReCALL" McCalls; began in 1873, "apeaked" in the 60's, changed names, and was defunct one year later....

44. One-person boats : SKIFFS

45. "Bewitched" role : ENDORA - I am not too young to remember this show, even if I saw it in syndication

46. Worker in a cage : TELLER - ah, here's my "cage" from last week

48. Useful : OF HELP

52. Nice school : ÉCOLE

53. Dispirit : UNMAN

55. S&L offering : RE-FInance

59. Fared poorly in the wash : RAN

61. Early August arrival : LEO

Splynter

Friday, October 14, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: BY THE OUNCE (as proclaimed by the clue for 57A).



This week, JW is the Wizard of OZ, giving us four phrases which add the abbreviation for Ounce (OZ), creating new and humorously clued expressions. I find it interesting he chose the ounce abbreviation which I think is a more revealing hint, as the wizard might have led people to look for the AAHS sound when the letters are added. Like last week where JACK was added, coming up with 4 phrases which have room for OZ is a challenge, and having two added to the first word and two to the second adds a level of consistency. There also is left room for many fresh fill like TRIODES, OTTOMAN, RICE BAR, ONE MAN ON, FEMININE, TOPOLOGY, AMAZONIA. Also a real undercurrent of the 50's.






Okay, time is a wastin'



17A. Doughnut order from a king? : LION'S DOZEN (10). The king part was tricky, though we all know the Lion is King of the Jungle whether or not in its den.



25A. Musicians given to tippling? : BOOZY BAND (9). Many boy bands do face problems with alcohol and drugs. LINK.



34A. Set of data within an atmospheric analysis? : TABLE FOR OZONE (13). A nice layered clue with a really fun base phrase, that is often a bit sad.



48A. Occupants of a well-insulated nest? : COZY YOUNG (9). CY YOUNG was statistically the greatest pitcher of all time and the man for whom the pitching award is named.



57A. How perfume is sold ... and this puzzle's title : BY THE OUNCE (10)


Across:


1. Talked into, with "on" : SOLD.


5. Calyx part : SEPAL. So a calyx is the sepals of a flower, typically forming a whorl that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower in bud.




10. Typical artist's apartment : LOFT.


14. Samoan capital : APIA. Apia is the capital and the largest city of Samoa.




15. Amtrak option : ACELA. *


16. Cabinet dept. formed under Carter : ENER.


19. Fifty percent up front? : DEMI. Brilliant, the prefix (up front) like demitasse. *


20. Recorded : ON TAPE. Reel to reel?


21. GPS info : RTE.


23. Pisa possessive : MIO. Italian for my.


24. Recording device : METER. Okay, like your electric meter?


28. Writer LeShan : EDA. A CW regular.




29. Is next to : ABUTS.


31. Sergeant Bilko, to friends : ERNIE. Very popular when we first got a tv.




32. Tapestry thread : WEFT. My first thought was WTF!?! I am not much of a weaver and missed the APRIL 12, 2015 puzzle where it last surfaced. I note that both ACELA and DEMI are in that one. I thought it a bit cruel to have Demi Moore and Mila Kunis in the same grid. *


33. Saturn models : IONS. I owned a black one, with the odd doors.


40. Quarterback Tony : ROMO. Has his career been Dakked? LINK. Drew Bledsoe who lost his job first to Tom Brady and then to Tony Romo knows all about it.


41. Swamplike : MIRY.


42. Protection against Mr. Decay Germ, in old ads : IPANA. More from the 50's.




44. Continued violently : RAGED.


45. MDX ÷ X : CLI. Roman math not myth.


50. One of the Coen brothers : ETHAN. Movie making brothers.


52. "10538 Overture" gp. : ELO.




53. Ocean bird : ERN.


54. Gets rid of : SCRAPS. Plans, ideas etc.


55. M's favorite agent : BOND. Is Daniel Craig out C.C. ? NEW?


60. Commercial exchange fee : AGIO. Way beyond me. LEARN.


61. Ames native : IOWAN.


62. Future ENT's exam : MCAT. Medical College Admission Test.


63. "You've Got Mail" co-star : RYAN. Meg.


64. Grabs : SNAGS. I snagged the last piece of pizza.


65. Turtles, sometimes : PETS. We had one stay with us recently. He was quiet.


Down:


1. Biblical seductress : SALOME. OLD FASHIONED.


2. Offered a view : OPINED.


3. Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in "Field of Dreams" : LIOTTA.







4. Mother of Perseus : DANAE. The sad story of a slipped DISCUS.


5. Marquis de __ : SADE. Breakfast anyone?


6. Prefix with friendly : ECO.


7. Product with a Simpsons set : PEZ.




8. Last Olds models : ALEROS.


9. Andy Panda creator : LANTZ. After Woody Woodpecker yesterday you should know Walter Lantz who became well known to me narrating the TV version of his Woody Woodpecker cartoons. They took over the first half hour time slot of the Mickey Mouse Club in 1957. ANDY was one of the cartoons that ran on the show. I learned today that Lantz' first hit cartoon character was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a creation stolen from Walt Disney.


10. Took charge : LED.


11. Two-run homer situation : ONE MAN ON. Simple phrase, but maybe not for non-baseball fans.


12. Like "executrix," e.g. : FEMININE. Testatrix...there are many.


13. Old TV parts : TRIODES. The old three pronged vacuum tubes. Triodes were widely used in consumer electronics devices such as radios and televisions until the 1970s, when transistors replaced them.


18. Urban __ : SPRAWL.


22. "Beauty is bought by judgement of the __": Shakespeare : EYE. Love's Labour's Lost | Act 2, Scene 1

PRINCESS

"Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean,

Needs not the painted flourish of your praise:

Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye,

Not utter'd by base sale of chapmen's tongues:"


25. Fit and muscular : BUFF. I should let someone else pick




26. Certain footrest : OTTOMAN. They must be good. They named an empire after them.


27. Verve : BRIO. Maybe for Steve. LINK.


30. Quilting party : BEE.


34. Math branch concerned with surfaces : TOPOLOGY. It is the study of geometric properties and spatial relations unaffected by the continuous change of shape or size of figures. Please explain math people.


35. Rain forest region : AMAZONIA. Not a documentary?...LINK.




36. Beyond slender : BONY.Maronie?




37. Former PBS "Mystery!" host : RIGG. The woman I have linked the most often.


38. Extractable natural resource : ORE.


39. Louisiana genre featuring the accordion : ZYDECO. We have enough cornerites to do this justice without me.


40. Grain-based treat : RICE BAR.




43. "Understood, Cap'n" : AYE.


44. His stories inspired "Guys and Dolls" : RUNYON. I have always had an appreciation for this transplanted Kansas REPORTER.


45. Luck : CHANCE. The French word.


46. Pet that needs a sitter? : LAP CAT. A CSO to all of our cat lovers (CED!) and a well crafted Friday clue. Apparently this can be TAUGHT.


47. Many Alaska maps : INSETS.


49. "__ non sufficit": the world is not enough : ORBIS. LINK.


51. Outdo : TRUMP. No doubt a tongue-in-cheek non-political choice by our New Jersey constructor.


54. Beltway VIPs : SENS.


56. Put on : DON. Our gay apparel....


58. BOAC competitor : TWA. Now both gone.


59. Storied cauldron stirrer : HAG. Despite the contribution of Elizabeth Montgomery, witches are still generally depicted as old crones. This seems silly since they can (in that magical world) make themselves look like whatever they want. So why Aunt Clara?


Well JW does it again, providing a simple tight theme and a whole bunch of interesting things to challenge and amuse. What a week of holidays, hurricanes and holy days but we are done again. Thanks all. Lemonade out.








Note from C.C.:


Big Easy asked me to include this comic strip (Drabble, October 7, 2016) in today's writeup.

Thursday, October 13th 2016 Doug Petersen & Patti Virol

Theme: Three-Ring Themer: Circus-related entries for the three long acrosses ..

20A. Circus barker turned hurler known for brushbacks? : INSIDE PITCHMAN. The inside pitch in baseball is to encourage the batter to stop encroaching on the strike zone. Also known as "buzzing the lighthouse" when the ball comes close to the batter's head.

40A. Circus emcee turned fry cook? : ONION RING MASTER. I've never cooked onion rings. I've got a feeling that I never will.

55A. Circus performer turned gardener? : DANDELION TAMER. The only "added" word that isn't a word in and of itself. We loved dandelions as kids, but drove our Dad mad when we blew the seeds all over the lawn.

Hi all! This is going to be a little brief today - I'm running up against the deadline to get this published so I'll stick to the salient points. In the wonderful words of Douglas Adams: "I like deadlines, I love the sound of them rushing by". I'm in Jacksonville, just missed the hurricane rushing by too. Phew.

Three weighty theme entries in this one from Doug and Patti. Add to the start of a circus-related person and you get a whole new profession.

Really clean fill in the rest of the puzzle, not much to even think about wincing at. Great stuff.

Have at it if you see anything you want to link!

Across:

1. "__ Secretary": CBS drama : MADAM. Never saw it, but didn't hesitate with this one.

6. Tense period? : PAST. Past tense. Very nice.

10. Studio payment : RENT. Residual didn't fit

14. Anaheim's Honda Center, e.g. : ARENA

15. West Coast sch. : UCLA. Down the street from me in Westwood. Nice campus.

16. Harbinger : OMEN

17. Woody Woodpecker's creator : LANTZ. Crosses, thanks.

18. Commuter option : RAIL

19. Skip over : OMIT

23. Auditorium : HALL

24. Sound sometimes choked back : SOB

25. Harvest-ready : RIPE

28. Wooded valley : DELL

31. Olympics volleyball great Kerri __ Jennings : WALSH Beach volleyball great with Misty May-Trainor. She was still competing in this year's Summer Games in Rio after goodness knows how long in the sport.

35. Like fans after a tough win, probably : HOARSE

37. Pro words : YEAS

39. 29-Down's rock gp. : E.L.O. Jeff Lynne makes an appearance in the downs. Nice.

43. Reason to wear earplugs : DIN. Not E.L.O.

44. A, in many orgs. : ASSN.

45. Saws : ADAGES

46. Emmy contender : ACTOR

48. French cathedral city : METZ. The "TZ" might make you think German or Belgian. Close to the Germany border, but solidly French.

50. "Not gonna happen" : NOPE

51. With 27-Down, sign on a damp bench : WET. Cue groans from the cross-referential clue haters.

53. Party leader : HOST

62. Disturbs : JARS

63. Button on some remotes : MENU. I tried MUTE briefly, but I think they all have those

64. Family name in a 1936 classic : O'HARA

65. Dramatic accusation : ET TU

66. Send a quick message to : PING

67. Contribute, as to a kitty : PAY IN

68. Stinging insect : WASP. I got one of these little buggers inside my shirt once and got about 20 stings before I could get my shirt off.

69. Merit badge holder : SASH

70. Baton, say : STICK

Down:

1. West African country : MALI

2. Ireland's __ Islands : ARAN. Not to be confused with Scotland's Arran Island.

3. Lairs : DENS

4. Film noir protagonist : ANTI HERO

5. Miata maker : MAZDA

6. Prince's "__ Rain" : PURPLE. Live performance from 2007

7. Berry at health food stores : ACAI

8. Narrow cut : SLIT

9. Soft minerals : TALCS

10. Disc-shaped robotic vacuum : ROOMBA. Don't read the articles about what happens if your pet leaves a "present" when you're out and Roomba is around.

11. Austen classic : EMMA

12. Nuremberg no : NEIN

13. Blasted stuff : TNT

21. Respected tribe members : ELDERS

22. Tearful words : HOW SAD

25. Sitcom with a 1974 wedding episode : RHODA. Guessed. Guessed right!

26. Greek column style : IONIC

27. See 51-Across : PAINT

29. Jeff of 39-Across : LYNNE

30. Chair part : LEG

32. Release : LET GO

33. "To __: perchance to dream": Hamlet : SLEEP

34. Epsom Downs racer : HORSE

36. Caught : SNARED

38. __ Prime : AMAZON. Great deal if you're a regular Amazon shopper. Prime membership costs around $80/year and gets you free two-day delivery on many items.

41. Ideology : ISM

42. Red-and-white topper : SANTA HAT

47. Admits (to) : OWNS UP

49. Yet : THOUGH

52. Estimates on weather maps : TEMPS

54. Dots on a subway map : STOPS

55. Excel input : DATA. I've been doing a lot of that over the last couple of weeks, hence the late deadline.

56. Graphic __ : ARTS

57. General Organa in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" : LEIA

58. Days and Holiday : INNS

59. Permission-seeking phrase : MAY I

60. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" writer Carle : ERIC. A wonderful book that I remember reading to my young daughter.

61. Military status : RANK

62. Hanukkah celebrator : JEW

And here's the grid!


Apologies again for the brevity this week!

Steve

Wednesday, October 12, 2016, C.C. Burnikel

Title: SKATE AND SCORE!

We all know of C.C.'s love of baseball but today she leaves the ball park for the hockey rink to give us a lovely Wednesday puzzle. Each theme answer ends with an item that is associated with this game on ice now played at the NHL level from Edmonton, Alberta to Miami, Florida. A big departure from the original six teams which I'm sure some here could name.

Her reveal is

37. Where to find the ends of 17-, 23-, 50- and 62-Across : ICE RINK - Perhaps the most famous ICE RINK to Americans is the one at Lake Placid in the 1980 Olympics semi-final game where the USA beat the Russians in the Miracle On Ice.

17. Do some browsing : SURF THE NET - I always wonder how anyone could ever get a puck in the NET below with the goalie and all his paraphernalia.

23. Public education leadership groups : SCHOOL BOARDS - Sometimes the BOARDS around the rink can't keep the players on the ice

50. Spago restaurateur : WOLFGANG PUCK - Here you can see that elusive PUCK being blocked first by the goalie's stick and then his glove and falling just short of the red goal line.

62. Breaded seafood option on kids' menus : FISH STICKS - If you want the oldest known hockey stick, it's yours for $4,000,000.

Husker Gary on the job as C.C. has given us her usual array of fun fill on this humpday edition. She again demonstrates her mastery of the form in that she can satisfy criteria for any day of the week and produce a very satisfying product. So, in the word's of M*A*S*H's Dr. Sydney Friedman, 

Across

1. Opposite of bold : TIMID

6. Add a line to the wall chart : GROW

10. Rack holder : OVEN

14. Modify : AMEND

15. Mysterious letter : RUNE - A monument in Sweden written in ancient RUNES

16. Inedible pineapple part : CORE

19. Razor handle? : ATRA

20. Dueling sport : EPEE

21. When Caesar is warned to "Beware the Ides of March" : ACT I

22. Derisive look : SNEER

26. "The Merchant of Venice" heroine : PORTIA - The Bard appears only two clues later with Portia's musing

29. Bavaria-based automaker : AUDI

30. White figure in Snapchat's logo : GHOST - Kids showed me some hilarious Snapchat gimmicks yesterday.

31. Deafening sound : ROAR - Heard by Matthew victims no doubt

34. Include : ADD

36. Santa __ winds : ANA

40. Took control of : LED

42. Like almost all prime numbers : ODD - All but the number 2

44. [see other side] : OVER - Gee, I wonder what it says on the other side?

45. Hal who produced Laurel and Hardy films : ROACH - He briefly formed a company in the 30's with Vittorio Mussolini (RAM for Roach And Mussolini). Yup, it was Il Duce's son seen on the right below with Hal (posing in his father's famous speech making posture).

47. Transition point : CUSP

49. Leave base illegally : GO AWOL

55. Up in the air : ALOFT

56. Remove from power : OUST

57. Swatch options : HUES

61. Shop class tool : VISE

64. Even once : EVER

65. This, to Picasso : ESTA - Él llamó a ESTA pintura Guernica (He called this painting Guernica)

66. Poet Ginsberg : ALLEN

67. Bold lipstick choices : REDS

68. ''Ouch!'' : YEOW

69. Water holder : GLASS


Down

1. Shock into submission : TASE

2. "My turn!" : I'M UP - Be prepared for drama as a sub if every kindergartner doesn't get a turn

3. ''A __ formality'' : MERE

4. Takes over, like bedbugs : INFESTS - Travel with a blacklight (UV lamp) and here's what you might see on your bed at the hotel

5. Banned bug killer : DDT

6. __-Roman wrestling : GRECO - You are forbidden to attack the legs

7. Total, as a bill : RUN TO - It now 13. Closes in on : NEARS $20T. Is what our National Debt RUNS TO even important any more?

8. Newsman Roger : O'NEIL

9. Very recently painted : WET

10. Song before some face-offs : O CANADA - What a beautiful anthem!

11. Legislation affecting polling places : VOTER ID LAW

12. Flubbed a play : ERRED

18. "How funny!" : HA HA - Sarcasm? 

22. Paltry amount : SOU

24. __ Field: home of Mr. Met : CITI

25. Stock holder : BARN

26. Vardon Trophy org. : PGA

27. "This is horrible!" : OH NO - A famous purveyor of that mantra!

28. Sign that may cause U-turns : ROAD CLOSED - No matter the circumstances some idiot will ignore this sign, try to drive through it and have to be rescued

31. Amp (up) : REV

32. Lead source : ORE

33. Hang on a line : AIR

35. Artistic style of Chicago's Merchandise Mart : DECO

38. Lola's nightclub : COPA - "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl..."

39. McDonald’s founder Ray : KROC - The original McDonalds built in San Bernardino, CA by Dick and Mac McDonald from whom Ray bought the business

41. FedEx rival : DHL

43. Golfers rarely making pars : DUFFERS

46. New York golf course that is a frequent host of major tournaments : OAK HILL

48. Army NCO : SGT

49. Courage : GUTS

50. Be on the fence : WAVER

51. Cooking oil source : OLIVE - Fresh from the tree, OLIVES are VERY bitter. A grower told me that kids hired to pick them soon learn that fact after eating one.

52. Cacophony : NOISE

53. Great energy : GUSTO

54. "Hogwash!" : PSHAW

58. Sch. with the mascot Joe Bruin : UCLA - Huskers beat 'em last year in Levi stadium that hosted Super Bowl 50 a month later (Did you notice my screen name?)

59. __ by: barely manages : EKES

60. Figs. with two hyphens : SSNS

62. Tina who is the youngest Mark Twain Prize winner : FEY - Some critics invoked Twain's sentiments below about her selection

63. Price indicator : TAG - Not so much these days with UPC's

Now that you have iced this puzzle, we look forward to your input:


The Grid

Tuesday, October 11 2016, Janice Lutrell

 Theme: The show must go on.

20. *Artsy Lower Manhattan neighborhood : EAST VILLAGE

58. *Drug bust calculation : STREET VALUE

11. *Panel decision that's not unanimous : SPLIT VOTE

 35. *Became a YouTube sensation : WENT VIRAL

40. Set in a den, slangily ... or, initially, what can be found in each answer to a starred clue : THE TUBE.

Most TV's in use now are LCD or plasma. The old style CRT, or Cathode Ray Tube is a vacuum tube - and that's about all I know about that. Even though the CRT didn't last, the term "The Tube" might just be around forever.

Melissa here. I had to work way too hard for this one, for no particular reason that I can say. Only two total unknowns but I had to work for the tada just the same.

Across

1. __ and flows : EBBS

5. Stepped heavily : TROD

9. __ Rica : COSTA

14. Pitcher's goof : BALK

15. Inflatable mattress prefix with Bed : AERO. Great crossword word, three vowels.

16. Colorado ski mecca : ASPEN

17. Muslim denomination : SHIA. Tried SIKH first, and discovered after looking it up that Sikhs are neither Hindu nor Muslim. Learning moment.

18. Not fatty, as meat : LEAN

19. Lease again : RELET

23. Car owner's premium pmt. : INS

24. American of Japanese descent : NISEI. Unknwown #1.

25. Dieter's catchword : LOFAT. Had to wait for the L to fill in - LOFAT or NOFAT?

27. Sweat unit : BEAD

30. Originates (from) : DERIVES

33. Like morning grass : DEWY

36. Title for Doubtfire or Dash : MRS.

38. Site of Arizona's Red Rock State Park : SEDONA

39. Rocks in bars : ICE

42. Gratuity : TIP

43. Dessert with a cherry : SUNDAE

45. Refreshing retreat : SPA

46. Wines that usually go well with beef : REDS

47. __ seat: advantageous spot : CATBIRD. I don't hear this phrase often, do you?

49. In couch-potato mode : IDLE. Watching the tube, perhaps.

51. France dance : VALSE. Second unknown for me. So sneaky, once I realized that VALSE is the French word for waltz. Oh.

52. Up to one's ears (in) : AWASH

56. Architect I.M. __ : PEI

62. Throat ailment : STREP

64. Modest skirt : MIDI. Tried MAXI first.

65. Writer Jaffe : RONA. Author of "The Best of Everything," made into a movie. Died in 2005.

66. Video game pioneer : ATARI

67. Region : AREA

68. Sullen : DOUR

69. Makeover place : SALON

70. Camera attachment : LENS

71. Bay Area cop gp. : SFPD

Down:

1. "Barnaby Jones" actor Buddy : EBSEN

2. Persian faith : BAHA'I

3. Utter joy : BLISS

4. Glide past on the ice : SKATE BY

5. Anklebones : TALI

6. Movie spool : REEL

7. Verbal : ORAL

8. Name on a Trump card? : DONALD

9. Untroubled : CAREFREE

10. Suffix with fruct- : OSE

12. "The Hunger Games" extra : TEEN

13. Picnic invaders : ANTS

21. "C'est la __!" : VIE

22. Turns sour : GOES BAD

26. Help : AID

28. UMass town : AMHERST

29. Hip-hop Dr. : DRE

31. Oklahoma's "Wheat Capital" : ENID

32. Drains of strength : SAPS

33. Phonograph record : DISC

34. Quito's country: Abbr. : ECUA. Quito is the capital of Ecuador.

37. N.Y. and Calif. : STs

40. Dramatic downturn : TAILSPIN

41. Wire service letters : UPI. United Press International

44. Corporate alias abbr. : DBA. (Doing Business As)

46. Bounty hunters' goals : REWARDS

48. Of the skin : DERMAL

50. Where a Brit may powder her nose : LAV. (Britain, slang) Short for lavatory.

53. Unlikely to get excited : ALOOF

54. Dawn : SUN UP

55. Listened to : HEARD

56. "This is your brain on drugs" ads, briefly : PSAs. Public Service Announcement

57. Singer James : ETTA

59. Irish name for Ireland : EIRE

60. Xanadu : EDEN

61. Spanish aunts : TIAs

63. Suffix with ranch : ERO