Sunday, November 20, 2016, C.C. Burnikel

TITLE: MELEE - C.C. has a clever Sunday offering for us today where she chooses compound words or two-word phrases where the word FREE could be appended to the front of each word of the compound word or either word in the phrase and give another common phrase. The reveal below uses yet another common phrase to tie the whole thing together. Wow!

111. Fracas, and a hint to both words in the answers to starred clues : FREE FOR ALL - Also what a baseball disagreement can become

23. *Retail enticement : TRIAL OFFER - Also FREE TRIAL and FREE OFFER - Caveat Emptor!

29. *Western nickname : SILVER STATE - Nevada or...

       FREE SILVER - A big political issue around 1900

      FREE STATE - A big political issue around 1860

54. *Mall rarity at Christmas : PARKING SPACE or

     FREE PARKING - A familiar game place

     FREE SPACE - Part of another game

47. *Reporter's credential : PRESS PASS or

     FREE PRESS - An underpinning of our democracy

     FREE PASS - Be our guest

76. *Like much farm decor : COUNTRY STYLE

     FREE COUNTRY 

     FREE STYLE 

83. *Many sandwiches are made for it : LUNCH TIME 

     FREE LUNCH - Caveat Avis

     FREE TIME - What to do, what to do?

100. *Airport employee : TICKET AGENT or

     FREE TICKET

     FREE AGENT - Lou Brock's anti-trust suit against MLB opened the way for baseball players to               become FREE AGENTS

Husker Gary here to shepherd you through the rest of C.C.'s fun puzzle:

Across

1. Relaxes on the porch, say : ROCKS

6. Character set : CAST - This CAST of then-unknowns from The Outsiders went on to do pretty well! How many do recognize?

10. "Some girls with a snuffle / Their tempers are uffle" poet : NASH

14. Pest control brand : ORKIN

19. Digs in the snow : IGLOO

20. Many a woman, vocally : ALTO

21. "Homeland" actress Miranda : OTTO

22. Revolutionary diplomat Silas : DEANE - First American diplomat to France

25. Cassandra's prophecy : DOOM She was a 33. Expert in futures? : ORACLE but gift came with the curse that no one would believe her

26. Ill-fated energy company : ENRON

27. Peaceful and relaxed : ZEN

28. "Word is ... " : I HEAR

31. Chipotle option : TACO

35. __ buco : OSSO - Milanese specialty of veal shanks

36. Foe of Rocky : BORIS - With accomplice Natasha Fatale

37. Desert or tundra : BIOME

38. Longoria of "Telenovela" : EVA

39. Org. in some le Carré novels : KGB - Do you recognize their leader from 1986 - 1991?

42. Federal Reserve chair Yellen : JANET

43. Supplied, as a forgotten line : FED TO

44. Sitarist Shankar : RAVI - An associate of Yehudi Menuhin and The Beatles

46. Skin : PEEL

49. Pollen source : STAMEN

51. Annual stage award : OBIE - The 2016 OBIE winner for Best New American Play off Broadway

52. Auction ender? : EER

53. Outer: Pref. : ECT

56. Contend (with) : GRAPPLE

59. Thus far : AS YET

60. Friend of Claudius I : HEROD

61. Seedy digs : RAT TRAP

64. Quite a journey : ODYSSEY - I'd say so!

67. "Whoop-de-doo" : OH FUN

70. Bolt on the track : USAIN - The fastest man on Earth

72. Comes into view : APPEARS

79. Goliath, to David : FOE

80. It might have the family name on it : MAT

81. Coastal raptor : ERNE

82. Make public, in a way : UNSEAL - The original Warren Report was not to be UNSEALED for 75 years but now the rest will be revealed next year

86. Raggedy dolls : ANNS

87. __ review : PEER

88. Mower handle? : DEERE

90. Devoured : EATEN

91. Born, in Bordeaux : NEE

92. Brick-shaped candy : PEZ

93. __-mouthed: inclined to curse : POTTY 

94. Brown in the kitchen : ALTON - Even on South Park

95. NYC line with a Babylon branch : LIRR

97. Bluffing words, perhaps : I RAISE

99. Thick slice : SLAB

103. Forearm bones : RADII

106. Mauna __ : LOA - Maybe not the best place to build a house

109. Moronic : INANE

110. Chipotle option : MILD

113. GoPro competitor : NIKON

114. Sneaker brand : AVIA

115. Muddy ground : MIRE

116. One lacking roots : NOMAD

117. Crockpot dishes : STEWS

118. Min. divisions : SECS

119. Assist in a gym : SPOT

120. "Ciao!" : SEE YA


Down

1. High-end hotel : RITZ

2. Grimm meanie : OGRE

3. The dot-com boom coincided with much of it : CLINTON ERA

4. Org. for the great outdoors : KOA

5. Seeks earnestly : SOLICITS

6. Free Wi-Fi provider, often : CAFE - It must be everywhere now (Another FREE)

7. __ Romeo : ALFA

8. Sports testing subjects : STEROIDS - Hmmm...

9. A.L. East team : TOR

10. "Ixnay" : NO DICE

11. Island ring : ATOLL - After nuclear bomb testing on these there's not much left AT ALL

12. Kiln, e.g. : STOVE

13. Sweet spot? : HOME - HOME is the place that when you have to go there, they have to take you in

14. Black Sea resort : ODESSA - Turns out, there's a lot of 'em here too beside Texas.

15. Property owner's income : RENTS

16. Where to find flat beer drinkers? : KARAOKE BAR - Love the cluing. Probably not many "sharp" drinkers there

17. Tied, briefly : IN OT because they were 38. Tied : EVEN

18. Endangered state bird : NENE

24. Sounds of discovery : O HO'S - "Hey, my candy bar melted when I walked by the microwave magnetron. Hmmm..."

29. Indian pastries : SAMOSAS

30. __ eyes : ROVING - Author George Axelrod posted that this is when they start

32. Lover of Aphrodite : ARES

34. Poppycock : ROT

36. More Spartan : BARER - My first college dorm room couldn't have been BARER

37. Cream : BEST

40. "It's what you do" insurance company : GEICO

41. Run : BLEED - No red shirts in wash with your white ones!

42. Picture file acronym : JPEG

43. Aspect : FACET

44. Gathered (in) : RAKED - Literally here

45. Peaceful relations : AMITY

46. Robin Williams title role : POPEYE

48. Trapper's prize : PELT

50. "You'd like this" : TRY ONE - They're FREE!

54. Tropical fruit used in salsas : PAPAYA

55. Smith of Fox News : SHEP - Smith

57. Trims in the garden : PRUNES

58. Huff and puff : PANT

62. Charlotte __ : RUSSE

63. Daisylike bloom : ASTER

65. Rhone tributary : SAONE - Pour moi une nouvelle rivière (A new river for me)

66. Building guideline : SPEC

67. Large amount : OCEAN - "It's gonna take an OCEAN, Of calamine lotion"

68. Mezzo Marilyn : HORNE

69. Carnival treat : FUNNEL CAKE

71. Volunteer's phrase : I'LL DO IT

73. Question of responsibility : AM I TO BLAME

74. Cheap collegiate cupful : RAMEN - An average bag costs $0.13. You could have 3 of these per day for for a year's total of $142.65

.75. WWII submachine gun : STEN

77. Media mogul Murdoch : RUPERT

78. Santa __ Valley: California wine region : YNEZ

79. Violent anger : FURY - Also Saturday morning TV for this Baby Boomer

83. "Go for it!" : LET 'ER RIP

84. Rowdy sorts : HELLIONS

85. "Ciao" : TATA

89. Some "Doctor Who" creatures : ETS

92. Hogs the mirror, say : PREENS - No mirror required here

93. Zoo animals with Chinese names : PANDAS

94. "Yeah, right!" : AS IF

96. "No duh!" : I KNOW

97. Cry of surrender : I GIVE 

98. Museum piece : RELIC

100. Anchovy containers : TINS - People packed into Aluminum containers

101. Part of A.A. Milne? : INIT

102. Latin trio part : AMAS

104. Flying start? : AERO

105. OFF! ingredient : DEET

107. Aveeno rival : OLAY

108. "The Aviator" Oscar nominee : ALDA - Leo DiCaprio didn't want him to play the villainous part at first because Alan was too nice.

111. Radio settings : FMS

112. Sushi roll topping : ROE

Having navigated my write-up, you are now FREE to comment at WILL

Saturday, Nov 19th, 2016, Erik Agard

Theme: None

Words 70 (missing Q,V,W,X)

Blocks: 38

  First time blogging an Erik Agard LA Times Saturday puzzle for me; he has seven previously published constructions, and with a posting on a Tuesday, he will have hit for the cycle.  Odd-looking grid with the black corners, a high block count, and the step-stacks of 12-,13-, and 14-letter fills; 12 & 14 is hard to do.  Not much success on my first pass, and the short down clues did not help much - if it had not been for some "I know this" fills, I would probably still be working on the grid.  Got my ta-DA~! with one bad cell, silly mistake crossing a total unknown.  Oh well.  Some of the longer fill;

13a. ESPN game show where four expert panelists compete debate-style : AROUND THE HORN - I see it on the TV at the restaurants occasionally, but not an actual watcher - but I do like the chalkboard quotes

15a. "42" subject : JACKIE ROBINSON - my first thought was the "42" of Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and that was not working.  Baseball is not my thing, but once the -SON appeared, a vague recollection of this movie occurred 

65a. Early U.S. Navy flag motto : DON'T TREAD ON ME

66a. Likely to be returned : MISADDRESSED

ONWARpeD~!

ACROSS:

1. Diagnostic aid : TISSUE SAMPLE - oof; vague

17. Water __ : SKI - oops, not "PIK"

18. Gets ready to eat, in a way : NUKES - affectionate term for microwaving; it's how I defrost chicken and re-heat pizza

19. Key of Beethoven's Sym. No. 7 : A Maj - I filled in the "M", and waited; it's going to be A-G, Major or Minor

21. Clipped affirmative : YES,'M

23. Other: Pref. : HETERO-

25. Scary story sound : CREAK

28. One of a prohibitive septet : SIN - the Se7en Deadly

31. Industry bigwigs : CZARS - ah, we've seen this before; did not occur to me at first; I went with EXECS

32. Hide out, with "down" : HUNKER

34. School offering belts : DOJO - martial arts

36. Get : NAB - oops, not "SEE"

37. Rihanna album whose title is a common prefix : ANTI - half perps and a WAG

38. Cosmic balance : KARMA

40. Analogy part : IS TO

41. An ace is under it : PAR - in golf, it's par, birdie, eagle; on a par-three hole, "ace" is a hole in one

42. Desert bordering the Altai Mountains : GOBI

43. Mitt with ten fingers : ROMNEY - clever

45. "Luck Be __": "Guys and Dolls" song : A LADY

47. Smoking evidence : ASH

49. Shuffles, say : iPODS - Apple MP-3 music players

50. Firming (up) : TONING - D-oh~! I filled in Boning, and 25d was anyone's guess

52. Italian recipe word : ALLA

54. User of recording devices called quipus : INCA - fascinating, for me - I had to find out what a quipu was, and here's the Wiki; down at the bottom, the article mentions Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt series, and I have read two of his books - now I need to get the one mentioned here.

55. WWII conference city : YALTA

58. Home of MLB's Redbirds : STL - St. Louis Cardinals

61. Learn : GET INFORMATION

DOWN:       

1. Persian for "crown" : TAJ - pondered "ABU" at first

2. Subjects of IRS Pub. 590 : IRAs

3. Belt : SOCK - ah, not "SHOT"

4. Japanese hot pot dish : SUKIYAKI - oops, not TERI yaki

5. Athlete's wear, for short : UNI - I believe it's short for unitard

6. Idyllic settings : EDENS - one of the few clues I got on the first pass

7. Toys with strings? : STRUMS - I have been known to toy with the strings of my guitars

8. "I see now" : "AH, OK"

9. "Leave __!" : "ME BE"

10. Trey Anastasio's band : PHISH - nailed it, but for the life of me I cannot remember my favorite song from them from a live concert; my brother might recall the name.  I spent way too much time looking for it....

11. Chaney of the screen : LON

12. Imitation : ERSATZ - great WAG off the "T" in hetero-

14. Unequivocal rejection : NO MEANS NO

16. Told : NARRATED

20. Alcott's "Little Men" sequel : JO'S BOYS

22. __ out a victory : EKE

24. Prefix with tourist : ECO

25. Indian flatbread : CHAPATI

26. Words with a dismissive wave : RUN ALONG

27. Unable to look away : ENTRANCED

I am unable to look away~!

29. Actor __ Elba of "The Wire" : IDRIS - his IMDb; I was not aware he played the captain in the movie Prometheus, the 'prequel' to ALIEN

30. French handle? : NOM - Frawnche for "name"

33. "Citizen Kane" studio : RKO

35. Shake up : JAR

39. Old hoops org. : ABA

40. Thick paint applications : IMPASTOS

42. OB/__ : GYN

44. Sautéing substance : OIL

46. Unicellular alga : DIATOM

48. Abomination : HATRED

51. "Peer __ Homecoming": Grieg work : GYNTS

53. Rapper Kendrick __ : LAMAR

56. Mennen skin product : AFTA

57. Voldemort's title : LORD - from the Harry Potter series of books and films, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes

59. Cookie containers : TINS

60. __-Tokoin Airport: Togo hub : LOME

62. Pasta ending : INI - rotini was the only one I could think of, so I went looking, and found the pasta shapes dictionary

63. Soft drink ending : ADE

64. Young adult fiction author Vizzini : NED - perps

Splynter

Friday, November 18, 2016, Alan Olschwang

Title: It must be Thursday in 2008 Alan Olschwang is back!

For the few remaining regular posters who go back to the Tribune Media Services puzzles which inspired C.C. to become a blogger, this is a blast from the past. Every Thursday we had a quip/quote puzzle from Mr. O. The fourth puzzle that was blogged by C.C. at her Corner was this ONE which predates all of us. As C.C. honed her interviewing skills, she presented us with this GLIMPSE into his mind. The quip:

"20A. Start of a quip : IT WON'T MATTER (12).
  29A. Quip, part 2 : HOW FAR YOU (9).
  38A. Quip, part 3 : PUSH THE ENVELOPE (15).
  45A. Quip, part 4 : IT'LL STILL (9).
  53A. End of the quip : BE STATIONERY (12)."

I think the ER is funnier.
His version is used to protect the symmetry of the clues.



As with most of these type puzzles, the quip is based on a pun - stationery / stationary. It feels strange to be back in the day; I hope you enjoy the trip. It is interesting how many constructors are resurfacing after an extended absence.

Across:

1. Did one part of a typical triathlon : SWAM. A sport with swimming, cycling, and long-distance running.

5. Overwhelm : SWAMP.

10. Camera output : SNAP.

14. Tuscan waterway : ARNO. The RIVER. More river talk. 51A. Swiss waterway : AARE. A fun tour by ORANGE (Amy Renaldo).

15. Smoothes : EASES.

16. 1899 gold rush town : NOME. 50 years later.

17. It's nothing to Noelle : RIEN. Just French.

18. Pines, e.g. : TREES. Sometimes the simple answer is right even on Friday.

19. Wavy lines, in comics : ODOR. There are  ORGANIZED rules?

23. Stuff in a sack : LOOT.

24. Dough shortage consequence : DEBT.

27. "Chicago P.D." detective Lindsay : ERIN. A pretty young lady who is played by Sophia Bush

34. Speaks : ORATES.

36. Durango day : DIA. This time the language is Spanish.

37. Rotation meas. : RPS. Revolutions Per Second? Certainly not RPMS. Hmm, rock, paper, scissors? Nit pick?

42. Pranks, in a way, informally : TPS. Good symmetry with the questionable RPS. NC questions whether this is really done in America; yes it does happen often.

43. Browser's find : URL.URL is the short version for : Uniform Resource Locator, previously Universal Resource Locator – usually pronounced by sounding out each letter. URL – is the unique address for a file that is accessible on the Internet. Various sources.

44. Privileged groups : ELITES.

49. Wrapped up : OVER. That story arc was finally wrapped up.

50. See 52-Down : SEAT. 52D. With 50-Across, flier's option : AISLE.

60. Hook for landing large fish : GAFF. Is this a GAFFE?

63. Wines named for an Iberian city : PORTS. Tell them all about it Chairman.

64. Pivot around : SLUE.

65. Plot measure : ACRE.

66. Mexican Academy of Film award : ARIEL. Interesting LINK.

67. McCain's alma mater: Abbr. : USNA. United States Naval Academy.

68. Casino device : SHOE. They like the 8 deck version in Las Vegas to defeat the card counters.

69. Spider's web, e.g. : SNARE.

70. Jury member : PEER. Only the British could have started something that became so different.

Down:

1. Asian garment : SARI.

2. Legal paper : WRIT. More law 13D. __ stirpes: estate law term : PER.

3. Once more : ANEW. 7D. Europe-bound, perhaps : ASEA.

4. Yosemite's El Capitan, e.g. : MONOLITH. people actually climb this for fun!

5. Scrape : SET TO.

6. Affection : WARMTH.

8. Athletic contest : MEET. an organized event at which a number of races or other sporting contests are held. "a swim meet."

9. "Hey, you!" : PSST.

10. Common nocturnal disturbance : SNORER. Syntax? Isn't it the snoring that is the disturbance?

11. Wordless opinion : NOD.

12. Te-__: cigar brand : AMO.

21. Good-sized combo : NONET. Nine pieces.

22. First name in childcare writing : EDA.

25. How many learn : BY ROTE. Memorization without thought.

26. High hat : TOPPER.

27. Rages : ERUPTS.

28. Brawl in the sticks : RASSLE.

30. Former "Access Hollywood" anchor Nancy : O'DELL. Too political.

31. When repeated, mutually advantageous : WIN. Much of what I do now is win-win where a buyer and seller of real property are both very happy at the closing.

32. Most liked, casually : FAVE. I have a cousin who loves this word.

33. Versatility list : USES.

34. Eye opener? : OPTIcal e.g.

35. Close : SHUT.

39. NW Penn. airport : ERIe. The universal code for airports. This ONE really is not in Erie is it gentleman?

40. Ecuadoran gold region : EL ORO.  El Oro province is the southernmost of Ecuador's coastal provinces. It was named for its historically important gold production. Today it is one of the world's major exporters of bananas. Wiki.

41. Cheers : LIVENS UP. Nice fill that liv...oh never mind.

46. Tuition add-on : LAB FEE.

47. Abbr. in some Canadian place names : STE. A female saint. more French.

48. LDS part : LATTER. It is religion; some say Mormon, but in 1834, the church was being referred to as the "Church of the Latter Day Saints" in early church publications, and in 1838 Smith announced that he had received a revelation from God that officially changed the name to the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." wiki.

54. Therapeutic resorts : SPAS.

55. Ambivalent : TORN.  You think?

56. One of a tenor's repertoire : ARIA.

57. Word suggesting options : ELSE. Back again.

58. Ancient character : RUNE. Not Mel Brooks.

59. Sentence component : YEAR.  Penal system not classroom.

60. Yakking : GAS.

61. German gripe : ACH.

62. One way to sway : FRO and to? Another way to go is over and out, which is a good segue into my saying thank you Mr. Olschwang for a different ride. It is not our first LAT quip but we do not see many. Hope you all enjoyed and come back and see us next time. Lemonade out.

Thursday, November 17, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE.

The circles, if you got to see them, are located in quasi-symmetrically placed vertical words. In each case, they contain the letters P I N, in that order.  If we start with the unifier, all will become clear.  This is the first puzzle I know of with a split unifier since the first one that C. C. and I did together.  

7 D. With 36-Down, what you can't do regarding this puzzle's circled letters : HEAR A.

36 D. See 7-Down ... or, with "a," what you can see in this puzzle's circled letters : PIN DROP.

If it's really quiet, you can HEAR A PIN DROP.  But you can't in this puzzle, since it's the written, not the spoken word.  [Though reading aloud is allowed.] The theme entries each contain the word PIN, and in the vertical orientation, the PINS are DROPPING.

2 D. Flooring wood : PINE.  Pretty common.  I prefer oak.

5 D. Custody : KEEPING.  As in safe KEEPING.

49 D. One of a gripping tool pair : PINCER.  Half of this item.

Operates like scissors

59 D. Go around : SPIN.  Demonstrated here by our oldest granddaughter.

Another unusual aspect of this grid is the bilateral vertical symmetry.  [There is neither horizontal nor rotational symmetry.] This, along with the very careful placement of the theme entries allows for 5D and 49 D to have a characteristic I don't recall ever seeing before - similar right-left placement, with vertical displacement and different length. This is a very unusual and creative construction.

Across

1. Touch off : SPARK.  To begin something, but since the implication is something inflammatory, it's generally not pleasant.

6. Electrical unit : OHM.  Are you resistant to this entry?  Did you want AMP?  That's more along the lines of current events, for which there will be a charge.

9. What wind ensembles usually tune to : B FLAT.  This hung me up.  Not my most typical playing venue.  In orchestra we tune to A.  In jazz band we tune the reeds to A and the brass to B FLAT.  Of course, the trombone has the infinite capacity to play any note out of tune. Meanwhile, the whole NE corner gave me fits.

14. Actress Anouk whose last name means "beloved" : AIMEE.   [b 1932] Starting her career at age 14, she later appeared in La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, A Man and a Woman, and 67 other films, mostly in French, and won many awards.

Glamor shot

15. Place for grazing : LEA.  A meadow. This relates back to Old English, German, and ultimately Sanskrit words for an open space.

16. Appreciative cry : BRAVO.

17. Travelocity ad figure : GNOME.

18. "Hotel du __": Anita Brookner novel : LAC. A story of disappointment and self-discovery set in a hotel on the shore of Lake Geneva.

19. Still : QUIET.  Like a time when you can hear the sounds of silence.

20. Fabulous writer? : AESOP.  Author of many fables.  In this one we see the silence of the lambs.

21. Roth __ : IRA.  Subject to strict contribution limits, but not subject to mandatory withdrawal.

22. Washer function : RINSE. The soap removal cycle.

23. Production capacity review : LINE AUDIT.  For trouble shooting or improving the efficiency of a manufacturing production line.

26. Refused : SAID NO.

29. Very deep places : ABYSMS.  I had forgotten that this archaic word exists, and was perplexed that ABYSSES didn't fit.  It goes back to medieval Latin and came into English ca. 1150, somehow acquiring a Greek ending along the way.  It refers to hell, the bottomless pit, the great deep, the primal chaos.   Nietzsche advises us to not stare into it.

33. Shore soarer : ERN.   Sea eagle.  Paleo-crossword vocabulary.

34. Bellyachers : GRIPERS.  Complainers, not to be confused with grippers, which are PINCERS, nor Ronald Reagan, who played the Gipper.

38. Excessively : TOO.  As in TOO much of my siliness.

39. Work (on), as 9-Down : GNAW.  A fine old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to bite and chew on something.

The words

41. "__ Romance": Jerome Kern song : A FINE.  Some better music.

42. TV princess : XENA.

43. Radamès' love : AIDA.  From the opera.

44. Cover letter letters : ENClosure.

45. Far from bold : MEEK.  Opposites.

46. Pentax competitor : LEICA.  Cameras.

48. Cholesterol initials : LDL.  Low Density Lipoprotein.  You want your LDL to be low, and your HDL to be high.

49. Hides : PELTS.   Animal skins.

50. "U slay me!" : LOL.  Texters argot, abbrv. for Laughing Out Loud.

51. Chorus syllable : TRA- la-la.

52. Travelers' bus. : INSurance.  Company name.

53. Teddy's Mount Rushmore neighbor : ABE.   Faces on the mountain.

55. Kitchen appliance : GAS OVEN.

58. Inflation fig. : PSI.  I wanted CPI, but it's tire pressure, not economics.

61. Office fasteners : JUMBO PAPER CLIPS.

Is this what they mean?

64. Like battleships : ARMORED.

65. Get by the sentry : SNEAK IN.

66. Looked inside, in a way : X-RAYED.   Medical imaging.

67. Show the ropes : ORIENT.   Help someone get acclimated to a new position or circumstance.

Down

1. It's a long story : SAGA.  Or EPIC.  Needs perps.

3. "The Cookie Never Crumbles" co-author Wally : AMOS.  [b. 1936] Talent agent who started selling cookies in L.A. in 1975.

4. Alter the shape of : REMOLD.

6. Kukla cohort : OLLIE.  Along with Fran Allison.




8. Portuguese territory until 1999 : MACAU.  Autonomous region on the south coast of China, across the pearl River delta from Hong Cong.

9. Pitmaster's offering : BBQ RIBS.

10. Like dessert wines : FRUITY.

11. "... this skull has __ in the earth ... ": Hamlet : LAIN.  Not to be confused with Nunckle Tim's shin.

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow

of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath

borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how

abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at

it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know

not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your

gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,

that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one

now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?

12. Urban rtes. : AVES.  AVEnues are routes, not rites.  I was off in the wrong direction.

13. Membership drive gift : TOTE.  carry-all bag.

24. "The Thin Man" role : NORA.  Nick and NORA Charles, from the indicated 1934 comedy-mystery movie that was based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett.  
25. Have what it takes : DARE.  Having the courage to do something.  If you have what it takes, you might succeed.  Otherwise  .  .  . ?

26. "The Goldbergs" actor George : SEGAL.  A program that not only have I never seen, but before now never knew existed.  Based on the childhood and 80's family life of the show's creator and producer Adam F. Goldberg.

27. Links legend, familiarly : ARNIE. Palmer

28. Conflicted : IN A DILEMMA.  A choice between unpleasant alternatives.

30. Classic golf shoe feature : STEEL SPIKE.  For gripping the turf.

31. "Haystacks" series painter : MONET.  Claude [1840 - 1946].

32. Overcharges : SOAKS.  

35. "That really depressed me" : I FELT SAD.    Expression of woe.

37. Isolated communities : ENCLAVES.  A place different in character form the surrounding area.

40. City south of Fort Worth : WACO.  

42. Magneto's enemies : X-MEN.  A group of superheroes from the Marvel Comic universe.  Each is a mutant with a unique special ability.

47. Sharer of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize : AL GORE. [b 1948] Former U.S. vice-president.

53. Trojan War hero : AJAX.  Fought with Hector several times.

54. "Hamilton" role : BURR.   Aaron. [1756 - 1836]  He was sitting vice president at the time of their famous duel.

56. Mocked : APED.  Made fun of.  Not so much fun on the receiving end.

57. Puzzlemaker Rubik : ERNO.

60. Hall & Oates' "Say It __ So" : ISN'T.   Not a fan, so no link.

62. Son : BOY.

63. My __, Vietnam : LAI.  That village that had to be destroyed in order to be liberated.  Kind of a downer to end on.

Well, that wraps it up.  Hope the silence wasn't oppressive.

Cool regards!
JzB