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

Monday, October 10, 2016 Joel Mackerry

Theme: Monday smothered in gravy - Synonyms for money.

62. Down payment ... and what 17-, 25-, 38- and 53-Across have in common (besides being food): CASH UP FRONT

17. Pizza topping veggie: GREEN PEPPER

25. Traditional filled fare of Europe and West Asia: CABBAGE ROLL

38. Salad staples: LETTUCE LEAVES

53. Baked-in-their-shells seafood dish: CLAMS CASINO

Argyle here. Joel's fourth Monday. He certainly could find more synonyms but he has enough for today. I am curious as to what a later in the week offering Joel could provide.

Across:

1. "Stay out of my affairs," briefly: MYOB. (Mind Your Own Business)

5. Briefly, e.g.: ADVERB. Hung me up for awhile.

11. CFO's degree: MBA. (Chief Financial Officer/Master of Business Administration)

14. Window section: PANE

15. Like the sound of tall grass in the breeze: SWISHY. Not the clue I would have come up with.

16. "__ the ramparts ... ": O'ER

19. Dusting cloth: RAG

20. Slugger __ Harper of the Nats: BRYCE. Young fellow, he was 17 when he went in the 2010 MLB Draft.

21. Stylish, clothes-wise: NATTY

23. Remit: PAY

29. Preppy shirt brand: IZOD. See 21-Across.

31. Japanese noodle: SOBA

32. Replaceable joint: KNEE

33. Much-photographed evening event: SUNSET. Red Sunset Over Sedona.

36. Showroom model: DEMO. (demonstration)

43. Unexpected obstacle: SNAG

44. Revealing, as a bikini: SKIMPY

46. Eye care brand: RENU. Take care of those eyes after ogling those bikinis

50. Savings vehicles for later yrs.: IRAs. (Individual Retirement Account)

52. Copied: APED

57. NFL scores: TDs. (football touchdowns)

58. Car body style: COUPE

59. Saltwater candy: TAFFY

61. Covert __: secret missions: OPS. (OPerations)

68. Sara of baking: LEE

69. Band on the road: TROUPE

70. Franc replacement: EURO

71. Oral health org.: ADA. (American Dental Association)

72. Emphasize: STRESS

73. French state: ÉTAT

Down:

1. Fuel efficiency no.: MPG. (miles per gallon)

2. Pirate's cry: "YAR!"

3. Singly: ONE BY ONE

4. Bar pint contents: BEER

5. Pet adoption org.: ASPCA. (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

6. Nerdy types: DWEEBs

7. BMOC, for one: VIP. (Big Man of Christmas/Very Important Person)

8. Sixth sense, for short: ESP. (ExtraSensory Perception)

9. MLB scoreboard letters: RHE. Runs, Hits, Errors.

10. "In Treatment" star Gabriel __: BYRNE. Irish.

11. Salt brand with an umbrella girl: MORTON

12. Fab Four member: BEATLE

13. Socks pattern: ARGYLE. Thanks for the SO, Joel.

18. Metropolis served by JFK and LGA: NYC. (John F. Kennedy International Airport/LaGuardia Airport/New York City)

22. Noah's project: ARK

23. Circle ratios: PIs. There is more than one?

24. Blue, in Baja: AZUL

26. Spanish groceries: BODEGAs

27. Adam's second son: ABEL

28. Fun and __: GAMES

30. Mar.-to-Nov. hrs.: DST. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 AM on

Sunday, November 6, 2016.

34. UFO pilots, presumably: ETS. (Unidentified Flying Object/Extra-Terrestrial)

35. Belted Forum garment: TUNIC. Because TOGA wouldn't fit.

37. Wine barrel wood: OAK

39. Siena sweetheart: CARA. Italian.

40. Through, in itineraries: VIA

41. Remove everything from, as a fridge: EMPTY OUT

42. Zoomed: SPED

45. NFL gains: YDS. (yards)

46. Coke competitor: RC COLA

47. Snuck out to get hitched: ELOPED

48. Queasy feeling: NAUSEA

49. Strike caller: UMP

51. Abs strengtheners: SIT-UPS

54. Religious factions: SECTS

55. Neck areas brushed by barbers: NAPEs

56. Not working today: OFF

60. At no cost: FREE

63. Museum display: ART

64. Fem. campus group: SOR. (sorority)

65. Shade of color: HUE

66. Org. for marksmen: NRA. (National Rifle Association)

67. Tyke: TOT

Argyle

Sunday October 9, 2016 Matt Skoczen

 Theme: "Big Time" - The first word can follow "Big".

 23A. Breakfast order : CHEESE OMELETTE. Big cheese. I use the OMELET spelling. You?

36A. Fruity pastry shop purchase : APPLE TURNOVER. Big Apple.

51A. Unite : BAND TOGETHER. Big Band.

78A. Wedding acquisition, perhaps? : BROTHER- IN- LAW. Big brother.

95A. Stab : SHOT IN THE DARK. Big shot.

111A. 1949 Crosby film set in Ireland : TOP O' THE MORNING. Big top. Unfamiliar with the film.

17D. Fan of Pat and Vanna, familiarly : WHEEL WATCHER. Big wheel.

60D. Ones not at home on the range : CITY SLICKERS. Big city.

Simple theme. I mentioned before that Rich prefers this type of "words that can follow/precede" theme on weekdays, unless the theme really excites him to warrant a Sunday.

Impressive chunks of white spaces in upper left & lower right corners. Themeless look. This is very hard to pull off with sparkly and clean fill.

Across:

      

1. Suffered a setback : RELAPSED

9. Shared spirit : ETHOS. We also have PATHOS (63. Pity-evoking quality)

14. Bit by bit : SLOWLY

20. Swimwear option : ONE PIECE

21. "High waving heather __ stormy blasts bending": Emily Brontë : 'NEATH

22. Tie up : TETHER

25. Writ word : HABEAS. Habeas corpus.

26. NFL lineman-turned-actor Alex : KARRAS. Is he a gimme to you?

27. Powder first marketed as Hudson's Soap : RINSO

28. Burned in a thurible : CENSED

29. Spanish liqueur : ANIS

30. Rolled __ : OATS. I've been having overnight oats every morning since March 31. Pomegranates are now in season. So good with overnight oats.

32. Garage event : SALE

33. Directed : LED

35. Abbr. for old dates : BCE

41. Twistedly funny : WRY. PK is having problem with her iMac, Irish Miss. Hopefully her computer guy fixes her glitch soon.

42. "Absolutely!" : YES SIREE

44. __ bread : RAISIN. Not BANANA or GARLIC.

45. Still-life subject : VASE. I tried EWER first. It showed up later at  76. Still-life subject : EWER

46. Tabasco, por ejemplo : ESTADO

47. Illusions in an act : MAGIC

49. Foppish neckwear : ASCOT

55. Yokels : HICKS

58. Drag, e.g. : RACE. Got via crosses.

61. Delete : ERASE

62. What X may mean : TEN. Also 88. M, on many forms : MALE

 

64. Bird: Pref. : AVI

65. Bernadette et al.: Abbr. : STES

66. Tammany Hall Tiger artist : NAST (Thomas)

68. U.K. country : ENG

69. Kugel ingredient : POTATO. Never had Kugel before.

71. Middle of Christmas? : ESS

74. Spa feature : SAUNA

76. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT

77. First name in dance : TWYLA (Tharp). Not ADELE.

81. Work for : SERVE

83. Court tie : DEUCE. Oh, tennis.

84. Trypanosome transmitter : TSETSE. The fly is back.

 

90. Energy output : EFFORT. Did not come to me easily.

92. Concepts : THEORIES

94. 2001 boxing biopic : ALI

98. Richie's dad, to the Fonz : MR. C

99. F1 neighbor on PCs : ESC

100. U. of Maryland player : TERP

101. "No problem" : EASY. And  103. "No problem" : OK BY ME

 

102. Sandra Denton, in a hip-hop trio : PEPA. Salt-N-Pepa. Got me.

105. Rapper __ Shakur : TUPAC

108. Kitchen gadget : PEELER. D-Otto brought his potato peeler to Florida when he visited his sister. His legendary potato dumplings need serious prep work.

110. Louisiana cuisine : CREOLE

114. Set : HARDEN

115. Stirred : AWOKE

116. Scolds severely : RIPS INTO

117. Newspaper ad, commonly : INSERT

118. Baltimore's __ Harbor : INNER. Aleppo moment.

119. Least seasoned : GREENEST. Also 3. Most skeptical : LEERIEST

Down:

1. "__ baby ... " : ROCK-A-BYE. Got via crosses.

2. Adds value to : ENHANCES

 

4. Mimes : APERS. Noun "Mimes".

5. Italian coastal city : PISA

6. Understands : SEES

7. Friendly front? : ECO. Eco-friendly.

8. JFK, e.g. : DEM

9. Sign up : ENLIST

10. Many a senior : TEEN. Also 19. Jr. and sr. : YRS

11. They may be tipped : HATS

12. "The Simpsons" bus driver : OTTO. And our Meals on Wheels driver as well. D-Otto volunteers for several causes.  

13. Byron's "__ Walks in Beauty" : SHE

14. Mount named for a friend of George Vancouver : ST HELENS. I did not know who George Vancouver is. Now I know.

15. Not quite a ringer : LEANER. Drew a blank. Horseshoe score.

16. Wagering places: Abbr. : OTBs

 

18. Band heads : LEADERS

 

24. "Symphony in Black" artist : ERTE

28. Sturgeon delicacy : CAVIAR. This is how I first tried caviar. On sliced baguette.

30. Reveal in a poem? : OPE

31. Taproom quencher : ALE

32. Letters in the sand? : SOS. I like this clue.

34. Easter decorating supply : DYE

36. Opera that premiered in Cairo in 1871 : AIDA

37. Characterized by : PRONE TO

38. Impulse : URGE

39. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee the same year as Clapton and Taylor : RAITT. Got via crosses.

40. Wall recess : NICHE

43. Word from Tonto : SABE. Kemo Sabe.

45. Big name in sporting goods : VOIT. This stumped some last time.

47. Rap sheet routines: Abbr. : MOs. MO = modus operandi.

48. Turn gray, maybe : AGE

50. Rap (with) : CHAT. I did not know "Rap with" means  "Chat with". So I was rapping with Boomer. Told him that pumpkin pie should be called "squash pie". Pumpkin is too stringy. What you get in a can is mostly a mixture of various winter squashes.

52. Rap's Dr. __ : DRE

53. Shock source : TASER

54. Tedium : ENNUI

56. Hawaiian coffee district : KONA

57. U.S. Army E-6 : SSGT

58. Spellbound : RAPT

59. Swear to be true : AVOW

 

63. Hymnal that's often richly illustrated : PSALTER. Learning moment for me. 

65. Rating unit : STAR

67. Massachusetts cape : ANN

70. On the safer side : ALEE

72. "Ditto!" : SO DO I

73. Back on the ocean : STERN

74. Champagne word : SEC

75. "Odds __ ... " : ARE

 78. Sooner than : BEFORE

79. Sluglike "Star Wars" alien : HUTT. I only know Jabba the Hutt.

80. "Dilbert" intern : ASOK. Learned from doing crosswords.

82. Heated : VEHEMENT

85. Facebook feature : TIMELINE

86. Medusa's hair, after Athena got done with it : SERPENTS. Vivid clue.

87. Dish requiring special utensils : ESCARGOT. Had no idea how to eat these when I first tried.

88. Questel who voiced Betty Boop : MAE, Unknown figure to me.

89. Loser : ALSO-RAN

91. Data-uploading letters : FTP.  OK, File Transfer Protocol.

92. 6-pt. scores : TDs

93. Loft filler : HAY

95. Salon appliance : STYLER. Also the name of Sting's wife. I doubt Rich will ever use it though. A bit obscure.

96. Winter warmer : HEATER

97. Apiece : EACH

102. Secure, on a farm : PEN IN

104. Portend : BODE

105. College __ : TOWN

106. Conversant with : UP ON

107. Nose (around) : POKE

108. Vitalian, for one : POPE. Aleppo moment. Did not know Pope Vitalian.

109. Gaelic tongue : ERSE

110. See 111-Down : CHI. And 111. With 110-Down, Eastern discipline : TAI

112. Bit of work : ERG

113. Fallen space station : MIR. Fell to Earth in 2001.

Last Monday I met with Andrea Carla Michaels, the Monday Queen of NYT crosswords. We walked around Lake Harriet where Andrea grew up. She showed me her childhood home, which is gated now. Andrea now lives in San Francisco, but might move back to MN someday. She used to be a standup comedian and has so many interesting stories to tell. Wish you guys were walking along with us. Click here for a few more pictures.

Saturday, Oct 8th, 2016, Greg Johnson

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 30

This is the second Saturday puzzle I have blogged from today's constructor, and upon reviewing that last one (back in Nov. 2015), I read that my solving experience was much the same today - and I recognize this as a pattern with all crossword authors; no matter whose name is at the top of the grid, I seem to have the same struggles and successes with their contribution.  Like that puzzle a little under a year ago, I was able to get through 75% of the puzzle clue-by-clue, but then I ran into self-inflicted spelling/WAG mistakes, and did myself in - no ta-DA - so it was red-letter to the rescue.  Oh well.  Triple 9-letter Across corners, and stacked 9's and 10's crossing a pair of 10-letter climbers;

9. Not woody, to a botanist : HERBACEOUS - I had HE-B---- and just filled this in, not that I knew it was right, but it sounded right

26. Jefferson and others : VIRGINIANS - my first thought, but I waited on perps

1a. Decorative border : HEMSTITCH - too many thoughts to start; clothing, home decor, gardening~?....so I waited

55a. Formal choice : SILK DRESS - add a 44d., and you get this....

33a. One of ten in the Kentucky Derby : FURLONG - I took surveying as part of my construction technology classes in college, and I am always fascinated by the origin of distances and lengths - the Wiki

22d. Black arts practitioner : WARLOCK - "Crowley" fit, but didn't work with the crossings

O.M.G-ward~!

(see below)

ACROSS:

10. Business investment? : SUIT

14. Regardless : IN ANY CASE

15. Black-and-white vegetarian : PANDA - and a semi-clecho with....

16. Black-and-white : POLICE CAR

17. One putting two and two together : ADDER

18. Exit discreetly : SLIP OUT

19. Ivory, e.g. : BAR SOAP

21. Unannounced, as a quiz : POP

22. Beyond silly : WACKO - I tried INANE

23. Corroded : EATEN

26. Protect against harm, in a way : VACCINATE

30. It's about 40.5 for Pittsburgh, Pa. : N.Lat - I got it,  but only because I am aware that LI is roughly on the 42nd North Latitude

31. Inspiration for a red shade : FIRE ENGINE

32. Tirana is its cap. : ALBania

34. "Gr8 joke!" : LOL - at first I didn't get the G-R-8 hint, but then the V-8 can flew....

35. Classroom no-no : CALLING OUT - I pondered CLASS CLOWN, but class can't be in both clue & answer

37. Where le nez is : TÊTE - Frawnche, nose and head

38. Typical ham feature : THEATRICS - ah, the CLASS CLOWN kind of 'ham'

39. More twisted : WRYER

40. Cleared the room, perhaps : STUNK - here's where the problems began; stAnk, stInk - and I don't care for "stunk", so it didn't occur to me

41. Inc. magazine subject : CEO - I tried BUS.  first

42. A museum in Pesaro, Italy, marks his birthplace : ROSSINI - my DOWN crossings had me change this from GALILEO to GALILEI to CASSINI - and I was really pleased with my first 42d. fill

45. Alternative histories : "WHAT IFS"

49. Possible response to "I raise" : ALL IN - I got into a card game with some AA friends last Saturday night, and I am back at it tonight.  The buy-in was $20, and I took one pot that was fairly decent, then lost paired 10s and 8s to 3 threes....I went "all in" and ended up "all out" of money - but I had something to do on a Saturday night for a change - worth every penny of $20

50. Words seen before a dollar sign : AMOUNT DUE - all my bills are paid online

52. Filmmaker's __ light : KLIEG - I am ashamed to admit this did not come to me, but then again, we used softbox lighting on the movie set I worked on, not these

53. Only you : NO ONE ELSE - O.M.G. - the blue-eyed girl has re-entered my life - in the most bizarre way possible.  If you are curious, email me - I can't divulge the details here....

54. Casual food : EATS - as in diner signs and such

DOWN:

1. Swinging joints? : HIPS - har-har

2. Organic compound : ENOL - we had this recently

3. Landlocked African country : MALI

about 23 N Lat

4. Fragment : SNIPPET

5. Business VIP : TYCOON

6. Freeze : ICE UP - Look away, Tin - two weeks in a row~!

7. Careful handling : TACT

8. Union foe in the 19th cen. : CSA

10. Tearjerker : SAD SONG

11. Command following "Oops!" : UNDO - think computers; I have frequent "oops" moments with AutoCAD and Photoshop

12. Flash, maybe : IDEA

13. Weather protection : TARP - baseball winds down as hockey starts up

15. Downtown challenge : PARKING

20. Reason for a misunderstanding : ACCENT

23. Make law : ENACT

24. Quran deity : ALLAH - makes me think of this song from Van Halen, with Dave's "religious" philosophy (@2:40)

25. Stand with a leaf : TABLE - clever way to misdirect, but I did not fall prey, since I have been regularly refinishing leaf tables

27. Dancer posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 : AILEY - did not know this one - filled via perps

28. Govt. issue : T-NOTE

29. Pot-using sportsman : EELER - learned doing crosswords

31. 2K, say : FUN RUN - meh.  I had FUNRA- from my stAnk fill, and just couldn't see what we were looking for

33. Tailor's service : FITTING - ...but then this made sense, so GALILEO had to go

36. Many Aberdeen residents : LASSIES - for some reason, I was thinking Texas, but that's Abilene ( though there IS an Aberdeen in Texas ) - we're talking Ireland instead

37. Harness racer : TROTTER - another good WAG on my pert

39. Withdrew gradually : WEANED

41. Piece : CHUNK

42. Casino tool : RAKE - well, Cassini gave me "CAGE", and that seemed reasonable

43. Paella cooker : OLLA

44. Clothing opening : SLIT

45. Clothing material : WOOL - bonus image this week

46. Off : IDLE

47. Bellyache : FUSS

48. Gets it : SEES

51. "Excusez-__" : MOI - and finish avec les Frawnche

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Jayce, my patient puzzle collaborator and friend. Thanks for understanding me the way you do, Jayce! Thanks for being here for all of us. Cooking Trader Joe's Chicken Gyoza in your honor today, but no miso for broth.

Jayce, June 2013, Santa Barbara

Friday, October 7, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Jack's are wild!

Once again a big thanks to Tom for taking you through Joseph Groat last week.  I am back and our Friday phenom JW is back as well. We have an add-a-letter theme BUT it is not 1 letter; no, not 2 letters; not even 3; BUT a four letter word -JACK- is added to a two-word phrase. Two are tacked on the first word, two added to the second. I love some of the new phrases with Seventh Jackson and Jackal Fresco my favorites. As always with JW we have some fun fill like MIDLAND,  ONE ACRE, ANTOINE,  YEARNED, LINGER AT,  EDGINESS,  CAROUSES and OCCIDENT. Not easy, lots of fresh fill, but a fun ride. Let's go!

16A. Item on a certain thief's rap sheet? : PAST CARJACKING (14). Past caring.

32A. Dinner for a lottery winner? : JACKPOT ROAST (12). Pot roast. This gave it away to me.

39A. Mural of a wild canine? : JACKAL FRESCO (12). Al fresco. Jackal was hard to parse but the most creative fill.

56A. Last of a $140 stack? : SEVENTH JACKSON (14). Seventh son. If you can divide 140 by 7...


Across:

1. City NE of Odessa : MIDLAND. Texas. When you work your way west from Dallas through Abilene on you way to El Paso.  They are only about 20 miles apart.

8. American Pharoah accoutrement : BRIDLE. Some of you may bridle at the use of the French based accoutrement, or the need to know the HORSE that won the Triple Crown in 2015, but it is a very apt clue/fill.

14. Like many lots : ONE ACRE. Not down here.

15. Like bad butter : RANCID. From Latin meaning smelling bad.

18. Party planner's compilation : E-LIST. We must learn to accept these made up words for our electronic world.

19. Big Island entertainment : UKES.

20. Tour stop : GIG.

22. Put down : DIS. I see it more spelled DISS, but since the word comes from DISrespect, this makes sense.

23. Sequential exercise : SCALES. While I have never played, I have worked with many guitarists and they explained to  me this CONCEPT.

26. Name on the 1983 album "More Music for Films" : ENO.

27. Long-distance calling org.? : SETI. Complain, complain.

29. Linguistic ending : ESE. This is so easy after Splynter's comment about languages last Saturday.

30. Graceful wader : EGRET. Here  is a snowy one.

36. "C U When U Get There" rapper : COOLIO. I do not care much for rap, but this interesting.

38. Cans on a Lowe's shelf : PAINTS.

41. Flew like a birdie : ARCED.

42. Minn. neighbor : ONTario, Canada.

43. Zachary Taylor, e.g. : WHIG.
The Whig Party was a political party active in the middle of the 19th century in the United States. Four Presidents belonged to the Party while in office. Along with the rival Democratic Party, it was central to the Second Party System from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s.

47. Affected denial : MOI.

48. Held up : PAUSED.

51. With 48-Down, judging with others : ON A. 48D. See 51-Across : PANEL. This seems like much work for two simple fill. E.g. _____wing and a prayer, but I guess that might be the dreaded partial. I do get confused about CW constructing rules.

52. Sign of spring : BUD. In the south people drink Bud year round.

53. Prominent feature of "Twilight" films? : FANG. Funny, I wonder if any would have answered this to "Phyllis Diller's husband."

54. Query in Matthew : IS IT I? Matthew 26:22...
King James Bible
And they were exceeding sorrowful, 
and began every one of them to say unto him, 
Lord, is it I?

60. Follows : ENSUES.

61. "The Little Prince" author Saint-Exupéry : ANTOINE. I will always have a soft spot for this MAN as it was his Vol de Nuit that I read with my father (who did not speak great French). My father would quote random and incomprehensible lines from the book. It was fun.

62. Like hunks : STUDLY. gratuitous pic. Loved him in True Blood.

63. Ached (for) : YEARNED. Any yearning PK, Yellowrocks?

Down:

1. Economical bikes : MOPEDS. This should have been easy, I forgot about them..

2. Not a good way to be caught : IN A LIE. A fun multi-word fill.

3. Call it off : DESIST.

4. Pullover beneficiaries : LATS. Latissimi dorsi.

5. Bookkeeper's concerns: Abbr. : ACCTS.

6. Gp. with many arms : NRA.

7. Strauss' "__ Rosenkavalier" : DER. The rose knight (or something like that in German, whence our word cavalier)

8. Slow down : BRAKE. We all like cute. HELP!

9. Hurries : RACES.

10. Tattoo parlor supplies : INKS.

11. Roman 601 : DCI.

12. Not hurry home from : LINGER AT. JW like his multi-word fill.

13. Avant-garde quality : EDGINESS. Nice fill.

17. Aromatic cocktail : JULEP. From the Mint. RECIPE.

21. Düsseldorf deity : GOTT. More German.

24. Director DeMille : CECIL. B.

25. "I'll kneel down / And ___ thee forgiveness": King Lear : ASK OF. Our drop of Will words from JW. Speaking to Cordelia Act V, Scene III
LEAR
No, no, no, no! Come, let’s away to prison.
We two alone will sing like birds i' th' cage.
When thou dost ask me blessing, I’ll kneel down
And ask of thee forgiveness. So we’ll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues...

28. "Kidding" : I JOKE.

30. Former attorney general Holder : ERIC.

31. Moody Blues hit with an exclamation point in its title : GO NOW!

33. "When I was __ ... ": "H.M.S. Pinafore" lyric : A LAD.

34. Starts the day : OPENS. really vague...one's eyes? the mail? the bathroom door?

35. Sample : TASTE.

36. Whoops it up : CAROUSES.

37. West : OCCIDENT. Orient.

39. Hinge holder : JAMB.

40. Like stormy seas : ROUGH. Damn you Matthew!!

44. Sauce served with mu shu pork : HOISIN. Popular all over Asia. The Thai add crushed peanuts.
4 tablespoons soy sauce.
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter.
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar.
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar.
1 garlic clove, finely minced.
2 teaspoons sesame seed oil.
1 teaspoon hot sauce (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper.

45. Chant : INTONE.Good Friday fill.

46. Profited : GAINED.

49. Not at all calm : ANTSY. Ants in your pants.

50. Judge's decrees : DICTA. Hmm, what do you mean by decree? Dicta are the opinion(s) of a judge that do not embody the resolution or determination of the specific case before the court.

53. It might be resolved through mediation : FEUD. Not likely, many lawyers including the one I work with are licensed and skilled mediators. Much faster and cheaper than litigation.

55. Candy bar with a Nordic name : SKOR.

57. Sch. near the Appomattox River : VSU. Virginia State, home of much joy and tragedy.

58. Noisy bird : JAY.

59. Chemical suffix : ANE.

With our hurricane howling I may not be able to read your comments for a while.  Be safe all in the path and see you next time. Lemonade out.

Thursday, October 6th 2016 Ed Sessa

Theme: Monster Munch - the Cookie Monster chomps through an Oreo

17A. OREO : CHILD'S SNACK. All the theme entries with the exception of 38A have a repeated letter in the middle which can sometimes make for tricky parsing.

24A. ORE : MINED DEPOSIT.

38A. OR : SURGERY. The place, not the procedure. An operating room can also be called a surgery.

52A. O : ANTHEM'S START. Not "Oh say can you see ..."

62A. Muppet's explanation of the four all-caps clues : ME EAT COOKIE. He looks mighty dapper in this picture.

Welcome to Thursday, everyone. Tricky puzzle from Ed, I got a little bogged down in the New Mexico region but eventually things worked out. The odd letter combinations in the four of the theme entries contributed to a little of the crunch in this puzzle for me. Nice idea with the theme, I love the OREO gradually disappearing as we work down the puzzle.

Let's see what else jumps out.

Across:

1. Full of beans : PEPPY. Not gassy?

6. "I don't need __": regular patron's comment : A MENU

11. Sellout letters : SRO. Standing Room Only. I still don't think this is a sell-out if you can still get  a standing ticket - unless standing is free.

14. Apple app mostly replaced by Messages : ICHAT

15. Connoisseur : MAVEN

16. Recyclable item : CAN

19. TSA requests : ID'S

20. Aria, usually : SOLO

21. Suffix with social : -ITE

22. Bovine icon : ELSIE. The Borden spokes-cow.

28. Crème brûlée topping : CARAMEL

31. Defensive comeback : AM TOO. Took me a while to see this. I was on the "punt return" train of thought for a long time.

32. Little pill : TWERP

33. When workers may be dressed down?: Abbr. : FRI.

34. Terminal conveyance : TRAM. Tried TAXI and then tried to convince myself that Guy Friday was one of the X-Men.

37. Nicki Minaj genre : RAP

42. Langley org. : C.I.A.

43. City on the Rhône : LYON. Beautiful city, and home to the notable French chef Daniel Boulud. They say Lyon has the best food in all of France - it that's the case, it's going to be spectacular. I was young and broke when I visited, so I stuck to bread and cheese. I have to say, I still remember the bread.

45. Apartment bldg. info : NOS.

46. Medina native : SAUDI. I was thinking of the golf club in Illinois for a while, but then realized that's spelled "Medinah".

48. Offer a contrary opinion : REBUT

50. Reduced to pure metal : SMELTED

55. Saint __: Caribbean island : LUCIA

56. Card game using the entire deck : WAR. Not played this game, but I know of it.

57. Goof reaction : OOPS

61. Mont. neighbor : IDA. Aha! Here's a good excuse for some musical wackiness from the B-52's.

66. Title for Anthony Hopkins : SIR.

67. Serviceable : UTILE. I actually used this word the other day - I was rather proud of myself, until I had to explain what it meant. Defeats the purpose somewhat.

68. Pointless : INANE

69. "The Splendid Splinter" Williams : TED. New one for me, but I guessed baseball and I only think I know one Williams in the game.

70. Having glass sections : PANED

71. Hen, for one : LAYER

Down:

1. Short shots? : PICS. They don't seem to be called "snaps" any more.

2. Off-the-wall answer? : ECHO. Nicely done.

3. Dad of Haley, Alex and Luke on "Modern Family" : PHIL. Crosses for me. I've never seen the show, but I hear it is (was?) great.

4. California observatory site : PALOMAR. Owned and operated by Caltech. They're nice and let Cornell and the JPL play with it from time to time.

5. Annual rpt. column : YTD. Year To Date.

6. Dutch beer brand : AMSTEL. Named for Amsterdam's river. Here's a pic (snap!) I took in Amsterdam a couple of years ago - I tried for the grand slam of bicycles, trams, canals and the Heineken brewery in one fell swoop. I could have got extra credits for a windmill, Edam cheese, a pair of clogs or a weed shop.

7. Like lions, but not tigers : MANED

8. Actress Longoria : EVA

9. Japanese tech company : NEC

10. Broken, as promises : UNKEPT

11. Hair salon technique : SCISSOR CUT. My hairdresser uses scissors rather than the clippers.

12. Two of three sides of a typical pie slice : RADII. Because "straight" didn't fit

13. First stage : ONSET

18. __ wave : SINE

23. Crook's haul : LOOT

25. Little devils : IMPS

26. Take a chance : DARE

27. Mideast dignitary : EMIR

28. PC key : CTRL

29. Like the visiting team : AWAY

30. Course record? : REPORT CARD

33. NFL scores : FG'S. Field goals. Three points, or "wide right" if you live in Buffalo.

35. Guy Friday, for one : AIDE, yeah, not X-MAN.

36. Servant for the inn crowd : MAID. Barmaid, maybe. "Serving wench" went out of style in 1708.

39. E pluribus __ : UNUM

40. Spoils : ROTS

41. 1914 battle river : YSER

44. Radar O'Reilly's pop brand : NEHI.

47. City with a Penn State campus : ALTOONA. I'm assuming we're talking about the town in Pennsylvania, not the ones in any of Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Washington and Wisconsin.

49. Admit to the Enterprise, in a way : BEAM UP. Another famous phrase that was never actually spoken was "Beam me up, Scottie".

50. Pronounced : STATED

51. Singer Anthony : MARC

52. Top-tier invitees : A-LIST

53. Show that shows too much? : NUDIE. The L.A. Times Crossword is getting racier by the decade.

54. Marshy lowland : SWALE. The obvious SWAMP put a spanner in my works

58. Acceptable : OKAY

59. Fragrant wood : PINE

60. Reader of tea leaves : SEER

63. It may be delayed by rain: Abbr. : E.T.A. Rain? It'd better be a pretty biblical rainstorm to delay my E.T.A is this referring to travel arrivals.

64. German article : EIN

65. Black gold : OIL. AKA Texas Tea.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016 Julian Lim

Theme: GRAVITY, MAGNETISM and FRICTION, or MASS x ACCELERATION.  The 2nd word of common two-word phrases combines with the word FORCE to indicate a body of people organized for a particular activity.   I FORCED those physics related ideas on you, but will not apologize.

17 A. *Project with many obstacles : UPHILL TASK.  Something difficult to accomplish.  I suppose the referent here is Sisyphus.  You might need some helpers to accomplish that thing - hence a TASK FORCE, an ad hoc group devoted to completing a specific assignment.

22 A. *E! talk show focused on celebrity outfits : FASHION POLICE.   Clothing critics, and a TV show based on their commentary about the dress modes of celebrities.  It's amazing how much time some people have on their hands.  Police FORCES are units of government charged with the prevention or detection of crime and the maintenance of public order.

47 A. *Britannica, e.g. : REFERENCE WORK.  A book or other repository of useful information.  Many years ago I contributed a chapter on automotive plastics and elastomers to such a book.  The WORK FORCE refers to people engaged in or available as labor within some geographic unit, industry, or business.

And the unifier -- 55 A. Team up ... or, literally, what the last words of the answers to starred clues can do : JOIN FORCES.  As indicated in 17 A,  to get together for some purpose.  The target words JOIN with FORCE to fulfill the theme concept.

UPDATE --

As was pointed out in comments, I missed the vertical theme entries.  Mea culpa.  Lo siento.

21 D. *1997 movie partly set on a plane called the Jailbird : CONAIR.  This gives us the AIR FORCE, a branch of the military with lots of air planes

30. *High-speed skiing event, familiarly : SUPER G.   Giving us G FORCE - the FORCE equivalent to a multiple of the natural force of gravitation due to high linear or angular acceleration.

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here, getting together with you to make our way through today's puzzle.  Let's have at it.

Across

1. One of seven in "Jabberwocky" : STANZA.   A nonsense poem include in Lewis Carroll's action-adventure novel Though The Looking Glass.  You can read all 7 quatrains here.

7. Shabbat celebrant : JEW.   Shabbat is the biblical day of rest, and the source of the English word sabbath.  Rosh Hashana, the JEWish New Year celebration was from Sunday through Tuesday this week, so l'shana tova to all.

10. "Baby __": 2008 Fey/Poehler comedy : MAMA.   A conflict comedy involving an adoptive mother and the surrogate mother she hires.  That's more than I know about it.

14. Like some classroom aids : VISUAL.

15. Angst-filled rock genre : EMO.  Quasi-punkish emotion-laden pop music.

16. Disembarked : ALIT.  To descend, land or dismount, in past tense form.

19. Wheels for a star : LIMO.  

20. __ Grey tea : EARL.  My fav!

21. Vacation abode : CABIN.  If you can't afford a resort or luxury hotel.

26. Longest reigning Brit. monarch : ELIZabeth II.  born in 1926, and still goin'.

28. Neighbor of Venezuela : GUYANA.  A small, English-speaking country on the north coast of South America, nestled among Venezuela, Surinam, Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean, but culturally connected to the Caribbean Islands.

29. Discriminatory, as in hiring : SEXIST.  One of several possible discrimination types.  This one is gender based.

32. Pet adoption org. : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

33. Deg. for a suit : MBA.  Masters of Business Administration.  I have one, but never qualified as a suit.

36. Annexation : SEIZURE.  Taking something by FORCE.

38. Put on a pedestal : DEIFIED.

40. Morsel : ORT.  Specifically, one left over from a meal.

41. Printed scorecard numbers : PARS.  PAR indicates the expected number of strokes a first class player would require to complete a particular golf hole or course.

43. Went (on) monotonously : DRONED.  Spoke at length in a boring manner.

44. Monotony : TEDIUM.  Possibly the result of the previous.

46. Gp. with mail trucks : USPS.  United States Postal Service.   Several of my relatives worked there.

52. Cutting : AXING.  In my 7 decades of existence on this planet, I have never heard anyone use the word AX as a verb.

53. Leaderless : TIED.  This is tricky.  With the score TIED, neither competing team is in the lead.

54. Strengthen : GIRD.   This is not quite right.  To gird is to encircle, or secure with a belt or a sash.  You can kind of see where the error comes from.

61. Giggly Muppet : ELMO.

62. To and __ : FRO.  Back and forth.

63. Poker challenge : I RAISE.  This increases the size of an existing bet in any round.  Other players must match the total bet or fold.

64. Academic leader in NBC's "Community" : DEAN.   A sit-com with an ensemble cast based on life and experiences in a fictional small junior college town in Colorado.

65. Author Kesey : KEN. [1935-2001]  Counter-culture figure, experimental drug user and author of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. 

66. Kind of tax : ESTATE.  A tax levied on inheritances totaling more than $5.45 million in value. 

Down

1. "Law & Order: __" : Special Victims Unit.  Never watched it

2. It often comes to those who wait : TIP.  For the restaurant wait staff.  Nice misdirection.

3. Volcanic fallout : ASH.   Solid residue from an eruption, Cf Pompeii.

4. Rapa __: Easter Island : NUI.  This name refers to the island itself, the Polynesian inhabitants of the island, and the language that they speak.

5. Popular mall jewelry store : ZALES.  U. S. jewelry retailer started in 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas.

6. Mosque-goer's deity : ALLAH.  Same God, different language.

7. Like Cain, of Abel : JEALOUS.  The adjectival form of a destructive emotion relating to desire about someone else's position, possessions, or relationships.

8. Leading characters in "Mork & Mindy"? : EMS.  Characters, as in the repeated alphabet letter beginning the two subject words.  I am deeply annoyed by this type of self-referential clue.

9. Stir-fry pan : WOK.  Shallow round bottomed cook ware item.

10. __ Yousafzai, sharer of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize : MALALA.   Pakistani activist for female education.

11. Cover story : ALIBI.   A claim that you were not at a crime scene when the event took place

12. Copycat : MIMIC.  One who lacks originality in thought and action.

13. Make things right : ATONE.   Make amends.  But will it erase hard feelings?

18. Course where tangents are relevant : TRIG.   No indication that trigonometry should be abbreviated? This is not the sort of tangent off upon which one may go rambling, but rather the mathematic function that is equal to the ratio of the lengths of the sides opposite and adjacent to an angle in a right triangle.

21. *1997 movie partly set on a plane called the Jailbird : CONAIR.

If you're into that sort of a thing

22. Handy "Mr." : FIXIT.   Home improvement and DIY maven.  I do not qualify.

23. "Master of None" star __ Ansari : AZIZ.  He also created and writes this Netflix series, the G-Man tells me.

24. "Law & Order" gp. : NYPD.  New York Police Department, in custody of a chlecho.

25. Couldn't sit still, say : PACED.  Walked nervously in some relatively small space.

26. Exxon, once : ESSO.  Mega corporation and petroleum products retail outlet.

27. Lustful look : LEER.  I prefer to Ogle.

30. *High-speed skiing event, familiarly : SUPER G.   Set on a down hill course with widely set gates, with more turns than the down hill event, and greater speed than the giant slalom.

31. Discipline : TRADE.   The only sense I can make of this is that one definition of "discipline" is "a branch of knowledge," and a trade is a job category requiring skills and training, so there is that kind of a connection.  Still seems like a stretch.  Do you think of plumbing as a discipline?

33. Capital of Belarus : MINSK.  This city has existed for over 1000 years and now has a population over 2 million.   Belarus is located east of Poland and south of Lithuania and Latvia. 

34. Honk : BEEP.  Blow your own horn.  

35. Tacks on : ADDS.

37. Green land? : ERIN.  The Emerald Isle, The Auld Sod, etc.

39. Bridge table quorum : FOUR.  A four-handed card game.

42. Vacuum effect : SUCTION.

44. Ligament kin : TENDON.  Both are types of connective tissue. Ligaments connect bones or cartilages, or hold joints together.  Tendons connect muscle tissue to bones. 

45. Lo __: noodle dish : MEIN.   Mein refers to noodles made from wheat flour.  Maybe someone who knows more about it should elaborate.

47. Threw a fit : RAGED.  Anger

48. Forced absence : EXILE.   An order to go away and stay away, banishment, as punishment for some offense.

49. Terra __ : FIRMA.   Sold ground, good old Mother Earth.

50. Cellphone self-pic of a group, slangily : WEFIE.  Evidently the collective equivalent of a selfie.  Who knew?   But here is an example.

51. Smells : ODORS.  Aromas.  All suggest different nuances of meaning.

55. N.Y. airport since 1963 : JFK.  The eponym was president during the 60's and assassinated while in office.

56. Miner's matter : ORE.  Pay dirt.  Can you dig it?

57. Chinese zodiac animal : RAT.  By this reckoning, my Lovely Wife is a RAT and I am a dog.  Arf!

58. "The World Factbook" org. : CIA.  Central Intelligence Agency, where the word "Intelligence" refers to gathered information, not intellectual capability.

59. Inexact fig. : ESTimate.  An approximation that should be better than a guess.

60. Get : SEE.  Understand.  Do you see it?

Well, that ends this little get together.  I had my nits, but overall - not bad.

Cool regards!
JzB