Saturday, Nov 18th, 2017, Ed Sessa

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 25

From no Saturdays this year to two months in a row for Mr. Sessa, again with a triple-axis symmetrical construction, and for the second week in a row, we have a hashtag pattern of 15-letter spanners and climbers crossing the grid.  I believe this might be the second hardest crossword grid to work; although there are plenty of words that connect the corners together, the chunky 7x7 corners are unforgiving if you have nothing to work with.  I was stumped in the North until I was able to solve the two climbers - which I had  an inkling about, but not enough to commit to filling them in.  The 4 big clues/answers;

17a. Evidential standard : REASONABLE DOUBT - hear it all the time on Law & Order

3d. Happy way to end : ON A POSITIVE NOTE

A positive note~? Is that a B+, or a B#~?

12d. More than just stabs : EDUCATED GUESSES - or in the crossword sense, educated WAGs

54a. Foil-wrapped treats : CHOCOLATE KISSES - started to put Klondike Ice Cream in, but it didn't fit.

ACROSS:

1. Buy in quantity : STOCK UP - "shop at BJs/Costco" didn't fit

8. Places of rapid growth : HOTBEDS

15. Commiserate : CONDOLE - one cel from my "ta-DA~!" was the "L" here; I had condone, and I knew it was not working with6d.

16. One taking the prize : AWARDEE

19. Old Egyptian symbol of royalty : ASP

20. Former Defense secretary who wrote "Worthy Fights" : PANETTA - filled via perps

21. __ scan : CAT - CAT~? or PET~?; had to wait

22. Pronoun not heard as often as it should be : WHOM - for whom the bell tolls

24. 2016 presidential candidate : RUBIO - I thought it was rubiN, and that was close enough

25. British art house : TATE

26. Player over 21, perhaps : LOSER - cards, and blackjack; I took $135 at poker last week

28. Common base : TEN

29. __ Hebrides : OUTER

30. Large beer mugs : SEIDELS - this filled via perps, and I had to go to Google to see if it was right; oddly, it also led to a reference about an EYE TEST, also in the puzzle, below

32. Ones in their 40s, e.g. : GEN-XERS - guess that's me

34. Crime scene barrier : TAPE - huh; filled this in, and never noticed it was correct until now

35. Squeezed (out) : EKED

36. Greet warmly : SMILE AT

39. One convinced by a drive : PLEDGER - my first thought was cars, then it was golf, and then I got it; public broadcasting TV

42. Chekov's first name on "Star Trek" : PAVEL - I typed in ANTON, and knew that was not right - I kept recalling this scene from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (P.S., ironically, the "new" guy who plays Chekov is named Anton Yelchin, but I can't get into the new characters)

"...rank, Admiral" @ 1:45

43. #4 at Boston Garden : ORR - hockey great

45. "__ Got Mail" : YOU'VE

46. Said yes to : OK'ED

47. Monty Python product : SPOOF - I pondered SKITS, which could work with the singular/plural of 'product'

49. Trickle : SEEP

50. Kricfalusi cartoon canine : REN - I had no clue about the name, but three-letter cartoon dog is usually REN - the Wiki

51. Taking away : REMOVAL

53. Sign at a popular play : SRO

57. Winner of the Breaking News Reporting Pulitzer for 2016, briefly : LA TIMES - hey~!! A group shout-out~!

58. Most loaded : RICHEST - the owner of the winery might have the dollars, but not a lot of sense

59. Exam involving reading letters : EYE TEST - and for the second week in a row, we will hear from Zed in Men In Black

 60. Chicken requests : BREASTS

DOWN:

1. Hard-to-read words : SCRAWLS

2. Ballerina's footwear : TOE SHOE

4. IRA options : CDs

5. Surgeon general under Reagan : KOOP - I could picture the guy's face (you can't forget it, really), but it took the "-OO-" before I could recall his name - C. Everett

6. __ nerve : ULNAR

7. A toy piano is often seen in it : PEANUTS - Schroeder

8. Uncertain : HALTING

9. Have because of : OWE TO

10. Cry with a flourish : "Ta-DA"~! - I did not get my "ta-DA~!" once the grid filled

11. Main man : BRO - I tried C E O

13. Con, half the time : DEBATER - as opposed to "pro"

14. They may be Irish : SETTERS

18. Neuwirth of "Cheers" : BEBE - one of the only proper names I actually knew

23. Got the gold, say : MEDALED

25. Black-tie wear : TUXEDOS

27. Turn back : REPEL - like the bad guys in a James Bond movie

29. In tune : ON KEY

31. Pastoral expanse : LEA

33. Sea scavenger : EEL - did not know they were scavengers; three letters and one "E" was already there

36. Trivia quiz website : SPORCLE - never heard of it, and it looked funny in the grid; the website is here - I played the "mis-matched movies" game, and missed one - only because I got too itchy with the mouse finger

37. What some do while the sun shines? : MAKE HAY

38. Rigging support : TOPMAST

39. Words of wisdom : PROVERB

40. Hillary's conquest : EVEREST - not the politician aiming for the presidency

41. Announces again, in a way : REPOSTS - the 21st century way - although I am not on Facebook

44. Heart : ROOT

47. Two-time US Open winner : SELES - I had just the last "S", so it was not EVERT

48. Hindu ascetic : FAKIR - filled via perps

51. Cooking apple named for an Ohio township : ROME - oops, I had POME

52. Minute parasites : LICE

55. Op. __ : CIT - the period made this clear that it would not be "ART"; instead the Latin 'opere citato', the "work already cited", found in footnotes

56. Doo-wop syllable : SHA

Splynter

Friday, November 17, 2017, Alex Eaton-Salners

TITLE:  THE GREAT ESCAPE

Husker Gary in the cockpit for one more Friday. Alex's puzzle today has the word GREAT escaping the puzzle on all sides! Alex has taken ten phrases that start with the word GREAT and has put them on the perimeter of the gird sans that leading word. I have decided to try to show both ideas with the grid below where I have chosen a graphic that illustrates the entire phrase and placed it so that it abuts (a fav word here) the word that would follow GREAT.

Here are Alex's GREAT themers starting in the NW and going clockwise.

1. "Holy cow!" : SCOTT - SCOTT had to be correct but the implied GREAT didn't hit me until the next fill. I sometimes confuse Doc Brown's phrase with what Clark Kent's boss used to say on TV.

6. "Atta girl!" : JOB and 13. Considerable achievement : SUCCESS - Both remind me of our lovely blogmistress C.C.!

9. Like thinkers : MINDS - The GREAT ones here often do think alike and then there's yours truly

49. Scotland's island : BRITAIN - Scotland's division with Britain is the Cheviot Hills seen here and not Hadrian's Wall as I thought

74. Wheeler Peak's national park : BASIN - Defined as being a contiguous watershed between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevadas and Cascades with no outlet to the sea as you can see in the yellow part of the map above

73. Bonobo, for one : APE - A word I appreciate greatly as a noun and not as a verb

72. Dogs in the AKC's Working Group : DANES - GREAT is a pretty good adjective here

42. Oldest of the Seven Wonders : PYRAMID - Using cosmic rays, scientists have recently discovered evidence of a hidden chamber in the GREAT PYRAMID where Khufu is 53. Lay to rest : ENTOMBed

1. Blue Ridge range : SMOKIES - Our only trip through the beautiful GREAT SMOKIES range was in a driving rain storm.

and the reveal

39. Landmark that, in a way, is a border feature of this puzzle and a hint to what's missing from 10 answers : GREAT WALL - Finally we see our word escapee that is forming an implied WALL around the grid! 

The FLOTUS touring the GREAT WALL last week

...and now for Alex's other, uh, GREAT clues!

Across

14. Group that bestows a "Select" distinction on five board games annually : MENSA - The 2017 winners

15. Barnyard mother : EWE - Not so much on HEN, COW or SOW

16. Paris parting : ADIEU

17. Arkansas' __ National Forest : OZARK - Kind of a gimme doncha' ya think?

18. X, maybe : TEN 

19. Something to talk about : TOPIC

20. Kit__ bar : KAT

21. Ones responsible for paper cuts, briefly? : ED.S -  Clever!

23. Comedian Rogan : JOE - I've never seen him work

25. 39-Acr. locale : PRC - Of course that wall in the reveal is located in the Peoples Republic of China!

26. Like Vivaldi's "Spring" : IN E - In the puzzle I blogged last Friday, I showed Ray Charles's great Mean Woman Blues also written IN the key of E

27. More diverse : MOTLIER - This is one Shakespearean word that has stuck with me

29. Suffix with brom- : IDE

30. "Bambi" doe : ENA - ENA and her daughter Faline are on the right. ENA is Bambi's aunt and becomes his mother-in-law

31. Jane of fiction : EYRE

32. __ Island: NYC prison site : RIKERS - A destination for many a bad guy on Law And Order

34. Blood fluids : SERA - Plural for serum. Getting diptheria SERA/antitoxin to Nome in 1925 was done by dogsled in a heroic effort 

36. Director Riefenstahl : LENI - Adolph's favorite filmmaker

38. Buenos __ : AIRES

42. Gumby's pony : POKEY

45. Othello, for one : MOOR - Olivier and Dame Maggie Smith as Othello and Desdemona 

46. Workers' rights org. : NLRB - National Labor Relations Board - a 1935 board established by FDR

50. "... through __ window breaks?" : YONDER - Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes as Romeo and Juliet

52. Together, in Toulon : UNIE - Notre famille a besoin d'être unie (Our family needs to be united)

54. Back to front? : IER - You can put IER on the back of front to get FRONTIER

55. Line score initials : RHE - Baseball fans will recognize this 1956 line score as perhaps the most famous in baseball history

56. Taken (with) : SMITTEN 

58. Egg: Pref. : OVI

59. In the manner of : A LA - Next Friday's blog should be A LA Lemon

60. P.O. box item : ENV

61. Short order? : BLT -BLT and mayo started out as diner lingo but are now mainstream

62. Badminton need : NET

63. Familia member : MADRE

65. Tuna variety : AHI

67. Tippett's "King Priam," for one : OPERA and 69. "King Priam" is based on it : ILIAD - Nice juxtaposition 

70. "Kidding!" : NOT

71. Argentine soccer superstar : MESSI - Lionel MESSI plays for FC Spain for $42,000,000/ year

Down

2. "The Card Players" artist : CEZANNE - What does it say about a Qatari family who can spend $250,000,000 for this painting? 

3. Winning steadily : ON A TEAR

4. Train syst. across Russia : TSR - Trans Siberian Railway - Dr. Zhivago inspired great interest in this railway but the train scenes were actually shot in Finland

5. "I wanna go too!" : TAKE ME

6. LAX-to-JFK flight shortener : JET STREAM - LA to NY takes about 40 min. less

7. Be shy : OWE

8. Dog star : BENJI

9. Stand-up's need : MATERIAL

10. Words often heard after "shall live?" : I DO - "...as long as we both shall live" (or decide  we can't do this anymore)

11. Colder : NIPPIER

12. Tragic heroine of Irish legend : DEIRDRE - New to me but I like the painting

22. Watson's creator : DOYLE - No, I am not going to say "Elementary..."

24. Anthem preposition : OER - It is sung five notes before the real test of hitting the note for "FREE" without going into falsetto 

28. Offered free use of, as a library book : LENT OUT - They LENT OUT every Hardy Boy Mystery to me in my ute!

33. Pottery oven : KILN

35. Treated like wine : AGED

37. "You're safe with me" : I WON'T BITE - Unless...

40. Some field starters : RYE SEEDS - RYE is used as a winter cover crop here

41. Red-headed Disney princess : ARIEL 

43. "Très chic!" : OOH LA LA 

44. Add, as raisins to bread dough : KNEAD IN - As this cute little kitty is learning to do

47. Elsa or Nala : LIONESS

48. Game with two-toned discs : REVERSI - When I played this game, it was known as 45 Across

51. Watergate pres. : RMN - It's usually the coverup that gets 'em

57. Donald Jr.'s mom : IVANA

64. Singer Carly __ Jepsen : RAE 

66. Hip follower : HOP - The rhythms are infectious but some of the "lyrics" are so offensive 

68. Green sphere : PEA

As Tony the Tiger would say, we are ready for your GRRRRREAT comments:

Thursday, November 16 2017 Jason Chapnick and C.C.Burnikel

Theme: Beer me up, Scottie! The beer part of the boilermaker is highlighted:

18A. News provider in front of a camera : TV REPORTER

This is the cleanest example of TV Reporter incidents I could come up with. Google "TV Reporter Fail" and you'll see what I mean.

24A. 1993-2002 Ford-Nissan minivan : MERCURY VILLAGER

40A. Banish : CAST OUT

51A. Many a Poe work : HAIR-RAISING TALE

60A Half a boilermaker ... and what's aptly hidden in 18-, 24-, 40- and 51-Across : BEER CHASER

Whisky shot, beer to back it up. Purdue University are nicknamed The Boilermakers, and have a game shout "Boiler Up", which I always find comical. Go Irish! Go Blue! Fight On! Woo Pig Sooey! Those are shouts I can get behind. Boiler Up? What the heck is that all about?

A corner duo today with Lemonade (Jason) and C.C. - the first joint effort was back in 2014. Neat theme, I've just started a new job with a company who's offices provide free draft beer - five varieties - in the common area. Next time I'm in the office I'll "cheers" you all with as many of the theme beers I can find. Forget the free coffee, I'm going for the Pilsner.

Across:

1. El Misti's land : PERU. What? I asked my Peruvian friend who was conveniently sitting next to me, it's a volcano.

5. Want as a price : ASK

8. Debit card action : SWIPE. Less common now, more INSERT with the chip thing.

13. Shock jock Don : IMUS. I think Howard Stern out-shocked him.

14. Invoice stamp : PAID

16. Schumer's "Trainwreck" co-star : HADER. I was so close to a personal Natick with HADER crossing PEELE. The "E" seemed the most likely.

17. Attend : COME

20. Takes too much, briefly : OD'S

22. Field mouse : VOLE. Is a vole a mouse? I thought they were different beasts.

23. Head light : HALO. Fun clue.

28. Status symbol suit : ARMANI. I have an Armani blazer, I never thought of it as a status symbol. I bought it in a thrift store in Toluca Lake for peanuts and I wear it often.

29. Pull : TOW

30. Lion's home : LAIR

31. Squad : TEAM

35. Cut corners : SKIMP. I majorly skimped on the blog last week, as in I didn't write it up at all. C.C. was so generous with my faux pas.

39. Subj. for many an au pair : ESL. I dated a Danish au pair many moons ago in London. She was a classic Danish blonde, smoked a pipe, drank LAGER and drew a lot of attention in the pub. Her English as a Second Language what just what you would expect from a Scandinavian. I was a mess at "Hello". She was working for the family of a great musician, she married a guitarist in a huge rock band. I could never compete with the riffs. Happy memories.

42. __-wop : DOO

43. Best Picture Oscar nominee directed by Ava DuVernay : SELMA

45. Little chirp : PEEP

46. Big name in banking : CITI

47. __ de Triomphe : ARC

49. Musical works : OPUSES. OPERA is the plural in Latin. Irregular.

57. MLB playoff event : ALCS. Hi, C.C! American League Championship Series

58. Like webs : SPUN

59. Bailed-out insurance co. : AIG

63. Avian crop : CRAW. Something to get food stuck in. Pheasants eat little pebbles to avoid the sticking problem. I know this from dressing wild pheasant back in the old country.

66. Like Wrigley Field's walls : IVIED

67. Fraught with danger : DIRE

68. Luke's sister : LEIA. I always struggle with the Star Wars clues. I know all the names, I never know who is related to whom.

69. Works behind, as a bar : TENDS. I was a bartender in an Irish bar in London as my evening job when I first moved to the Smoke when I was 18. Filing marine insurance claims during the day, earning minimum wage, pouring Guinness and whiskey (with the "E") and be quick about it. I really enjoyed it. I can still pour a perfect pint of the black stuff. That was the Irish boilermaker along with a shot of Jameson's.

70. List-ending letters : ETC

71. Reef dwellers : EELS

Down:

1. Many a JPEG file : PIC. Technically every JPEG is a picture.

2. Expressive rock genre : EMO. Usually miserably expressive. I'd post a musical link here to The Smiths but I'd only depress you all.

3. Means of spreading dirt? : RUMOR MILL. Located next to the water cooler.

4. Wheels with a history : USED CAR. I wanted all kinds of varieties like FERRIS or MODEL-T and found nothing would fit. Eventually the cent dropped.

5. On the mark : APT. An apt remark, an apt comment.

6. Shrewdly informed : SAVVY

7. Former name of the Mariinsky Ballet : KIROV. Learning moment, thank you. I didn't know that the Kirov underwent a name change.

8. "Shameless" network, briefly : SHO. Had the "O". Went with HBO. Was wrong.

9. Bellicose sort : WAR HAWK. The WAR part was new to me. I know Hawk and Dove to describe the two opposing opinions.

10. Pet pendant : ID TAG

11. Comedy duo Key & __ : PEELE. See Natick note at 16A

12. Computer warning : ERROR

15. Sub station : DELIcatessen

19. Hide : PELT

21. One rising at dawn : SUN

24. Guys : MALES

25. Clear data from : ERASE

26. Actress Wilson of "Sleepless in Seattle" : RITA. Wanted OWEN and then read the clue properly.

27. Without a clue : LOST

32. Clairvoyance letters : ESP Both ESL and ESP today.

33. Put away the dishes? : ATE. Because "Empty the dishwasher, polish and replace in the cupboard" doesn't fit.

34. Stooge with bangs : MOE

36. Contrarian's reply : I DISAGREE

37. Econo Lodge, e.g. : MOTEL

38. Composure : POISE

40. Oakland Raiders' quarterback Derek : CARR. Oakland have had about five thousand QB's. It's hard not to have been a Raider quarterback.

41. Informed about : UP ON

44. Color that isn't an Earth tone? : MARS RED

46. Manicure concern : CUTICLE

48. Twenties, say : CASH

50. Vardon Trophy org. : P.G.A. The USA's Professional Golfer's Association award to the year's leader in scoring average. There's also a Harry Vardon Trophy in Europe too, awarded by the European Tour for a completely different reason just to muddy the issue. The P.G.A. Championship, the year's final major, awards the Wanamaker Trophy to the winner. Confused yet?

51. Order clothes : HABIT

52. Advil alternative : ALEVE

53. Strand at a chalet, maybe : ICE IN

54. Apple tablet : IPAD

55. Girl in "Calvin and Hobbes" : SUSIE. I loved the Calvin and Hobbes strip, I was surprised didn't remember her name

56. Like argon and krypton : INERT. And me, after a long day.

61. Burnable media : CD'S

62. TiVo button : REC. REC/REW - wait for the cross.

64. Feel sick : AIL

65. "That __ close!" : WAS 

Well, here's the grid, and I'm on my way to blog redemption. I'm no longer the Cal Ripken Jr. of the corner! Sorry, C.C!

I'm off back to the UK tomorrow for a vacation over Thanksgiving week before I dive into my new job; so next week's Turkey Day blog will have an English accent. Quite ironic, really.

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

1) Congratulations on your new job, Steve! Sounds like a fun company. Do you still need to travel a lot?

2) Here are the two pictures Abejo (Bradley) took yesterday. Make sure you read his comments here. What a fun encounter. Nice to "see" you, Madame DeFarge!

  Madame DeFarge's License Plate

3) For those who are new on the blog, you can click here to see all the pictures of blog regulars. Please email me crosswordc@gmail.com if you want your picture included in the Blog Pictures archive also. I snipped some of yours from your blog Comments, Picard. I hope you don't mind.

Wednesday November 15, 2017 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: SHUFFLES AND CUTS THE DECK- Three different anagrams of DECK span across each theme answer.

 

18A With 57-Across, what a 37-Across does; also, as the circles show, what each answer containing them does : SHUFFLES AND

24A. Item that isn't on its regular hook : MISPLACED KEY

37A. Casino employee : BLACKJACK DEALER

48A. Prepared goodies for the fundraiser : BAKED COOKIES

57A. See 18-Across: CUTS THE DECK

Boomer here.

Good morning or evening as the case may be.  Remember, it's always morning somewhere.  The puzzle was a bit difficult with some stretches to get something to fit.  However, since I have never constructed a puzzle, I can only imagine how difficult it can be.  "DECK" letters are integrated in several answers, and he got "BLACKJACK DEALER" to accomplish that. Quite a found.

I believe most casinos now refer to that game as "21".  Here's hoping all have a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving holiday and an eventful "Black Friday !!"

 

Across:

        

1. "Rhoda" production co. : MTM - Initials of Mary Tyler Moore.  She turned the world on with her smile, and Mary's statue is proudly displayed on the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

4. It may follow cries of "Bravo!" : ENCORE - I don't know about this.  Bravo is usually after curtain calls at a play.  Encore is "sing another song".

10. Brink : EDGE - Gillette shaving gel too.

14. Longtime coach Parseghian of Notre Dame : ARA - Extremely famous.  Notre Dame has more followers than Minnesota has snow.

15. Chestnut horse : SORREL

16. Witnessed : SEEN

17. B.A. or B.S. : DEG - This is one of those needed fillers that is not a word but a made up abbreviation.

20. Alamo competitor : AVIS - I first thought of Davy Crockett.  I only rent a car once a year and I don't use the expensive brands (or cars).

22. DDE's overseas command : ETO - European Theatre of Operations.

23. Racers in some Wii games : KARTS - I do not have a Wii, but I have ridden go karts.  The best ones are at Wisconsin Dells.

28. Gear components : TEETH - You said a mouthful.

29. Assist : AID

30. Peace, to Pedro : PAZ - I think most of you know how I feel about foreign words in crosswords.

33. Say yes : AGREE

35. Journalist Curry : ANN

36. Warsaw native : POLE - I get it but I think "Minnesota fishing stick" might be a better clue for me.

41. The two : BOTH

42. Tolkien forest shepherd : ENT -  ??? Never heard of the Tolkien Forest but I once worked at an ear nose and throat clinic.

43. In __: unborn : UTERO - I don't think I have ever heard or seen this word.  But I am only 70, there's still time.

44. Stun : AWE - Aw shucks

45. "The A-Team" actor : MR T - I know crosswords like a lot of four letter words with three vowels, but they also like three letters with no vowels from the A-Team.

46. The "A" in James A. Garfield : ABRAM - I never knew this, however Garfield was president before I was born.  I think we started paying attention to presidential middle names after Harry Truman did not have one, so he put an "S" between Harry and Truman.

52. Blotch : SMEAR

55. Former transp. regulator : ICC - Another three letter acronym for something.  You know what I say - "LBJ took the IRT across the USA, what did he see? The youth of America on LSD."

56. Confident words : I CAN

61. Keogh plan rel. : IRA - This is a great service to everyone.  But remember to take some and spend it when you are 70 1/2, or pay a penalty.  (Good luck trying to find out how much you need to withdraw!)

62. Many : A LOT

63. Paradise : UTOPIA - This is a book by Sir Thomas More about a fictional island in the sun.  I of course disagree, because there are no bowling centers or golf courses on this island.

64. Third-qtr. ender : SEP - or this could be a contribution to your IRA.

65. Actress Russo : RENE - One of my favorites from "Tin Cup"

66. Fireplace shelf : MANTEL - I wonder if this is where Mickey displays his MVP trophies

67. Goal line crossings: Abbr. : TDS - Ok - I have said enough

  

Down:

1. Start of a famous palindrome : MADAM - This word in itself is a palindrome,  I think it refers to "Madam I'm Adam"

2. Eternal City fountain : TREVI

3. Legal administrator : MAGISTRATE - "ALL RISE"  Rookie of the year

4. Difficult curve : ESS - Wonderful Lombard Street - San Francisco, California, USA.

5. Tenant's winter complaint : NO HEAT - Or The heat in Miami - "No LeBron".

6. Source of support : CRUTCH

7. "Friend __?": sentry's query : OR FOE

8. Slo-mo reviewer : REF - Or in hockey - the guy with the red stripe on his black and white shirt.

9. Pipe shape : ELL - Nope - the pipe is straight, the ell is a pipe fitting.

10. Composed piece : ESSAY

11. Expensive : DEAR - I may have clued " ___ Abby" and those of us over 40 would have gotten it right away.  Did you know --?  Abby Van Buren whose real name was Pauline Philips has a grandson, Dean Phillips who is running for third district congressman in Minnesota.

12. Bloke : GENT

13. Fades to black : ENDS

19. __ out a win : EKED - A good verb for the Vikings in the nation's capital last Sunday.

21. The State of the Union, for one : SPEECH

25. Onionlike veggie : LEEK - I have never had one.  How do they taste?

26. Moist and chilly : DANK - This is one of those crossword words.  Does anyone ever say "dank".  "Do you want to go for a walk ?" "No, it's too dank".  "What's the weather forecast?"  "Cloudy and dank."

27. Nice : KIND

30. One drawn to controversy : POLEMICIST - I thought this was a guy that did the vault in the Olympics.

31. Oriole or Jay : ALER - Sorry, never heard of this.

32. MapMyWalk starting point : ZERO - Beetle Bailey's Pal

33. "Waterloo" band : ABBA

34. Healthy look : GLOW

35. Pretend : ACT

36. Former New York governor George : PATAKI - Anyone who watches "Law & Order" reruns will have no problem with this one.

38. Weightlifting move : JERK - Yes it is.

39. Start a pot : ANTE - I wonder how many times this word has appeared in crosswords. (And it doesn't even have three vowels.)

40. German capital : EURO - I guess capital is money, but why be so tricky?

45. Retail outlet : MART

46. Say yes : ACCEPT

47. Italian lawn bowling : BOCCIE - I played Boccie ball as a kid, but I did not know how to spell it.  Now I do.

48. Keep moist, in a way : BASTE - Thanksgiving Day is coming.  Keep that baster handy. 

49. "What I __ My Summer Vacation": school essay : DID ON

50. Like some seals : EARED -  I Like some Mousketeer hats better

51. Spells, as of cold weather : SNAPS - How about some warm Ginger cookies

52. Emotional mark : SCAR

53. Beast of burden : MULE - 20 of them are on a team of Borax.

54. Thames academy : ETON

58. Run smoothly : HUM

59. LAX announcement : ETA

60. __ Kan pet food : KAL

Boomer

Tuesday, November 14, 2017 ~ Janice Luttrell

Theme: Commonality - The reveal shows how the target word, FLAT, can be FINNISHed by the first word of the starred answers.

16A. *2010 Grammy winner for Best Metal Performance: IRON MAIDEN. Flat iron.

39A. *TV cooking competition hosted by Padma Lakshmi: TOP CHEF. Flat top.

10D. *Started a construction project: BROKE GROUND. Flat broke.

24D. *Money-saving investment accounts: TAX SHELTERS. Flat tax.

59A. Paint choice ... and what the first word of the answers to starred clues can literally be: FLAT FINISH

Argyle here. Janice has a nice Tuesday level offering. Classic pinwheel grid.

Across:

1. Fancy pillowcase: SHAM. What is a sham? Here

5. Not as expensive: LESS

9. Stats for sluggers: RBIs

13. Lotto variant: KENO

14. Actress Davis played by Susan Sarandon in TV's "Feud": BETTE. "Feud" was a television series on FX.

15. "Alice's Restaurant" singer Guthrie: ARLO

18. Opinion sampling: POLL

19. 2,000 pounds: TON

20. French possessive: SES. French - his.

21. __-Ball: midway game: SKEE

22. Discreetly, in slang: ON THE DL. "On the down low" unfortunately, has a sexual slang meaning. LIU, if you want.

26. Nag, nag, nag: PESTER

28. Black-eyed __: PEAs

29. Electrified particle: ION

31. Without an escort: STAG

32. Bygone Honda sports car: CR-X

                         Full race mode.

33. Impassive type: STOIC

35. Dry-sounding deodorant brand: ARRID

38. ICU drips: IVs

41. Sch. in Columbus: OSU. Ohio State University--Columbus, OH. We recently had the OSU in Corvallis, OR.

                              Wexner Medical Center

42. Tiny laugh: TE-HEE. I prefer TEE-HEE.

44. Bundle of papers: SHEAF

45. Put into service: USE

46. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL

48. Flub it: ERR

49. Letter-shaped hardware item: T-NUT

50. Sinuous ski race: SLALOM

52. Gets in the way of: IMPEDES

54. H.S. exams: SATs. Paper-based standardized test, originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, now just S A T.

55. Dripping: WET

57. SEAL's org.: USN

58. Tech news site: CNET

64. Longfellow's "The Bell of __": ATRI

65. Standoffish: ALOOF

66. Just sitting around: IDLE

67. Pear variety: BOSC

    Alright, who's the wise guy?

68. Mix, as a salad: TOSS

69. What Simon does: SAYS

Down:

1. Word before bum or bunny: SKI

2. "Tell __ About It": Billy Joel hit: HER

3. "That's __-brainer!": A NO

4. Wall calendar pages: MONTHS

5. Welcoming prop on "Hawaii Five-O": LEI

6. Scheduled takeoff hrs.: ETDs

7. Opposite of cheap: STEEP

8. Taste and touch, e.g.: SENSES

9. Nas or Nelly: RAP STAR

11. More green around the gills: ILLER. Ugh!

12. Shoe bottom: SOLE

14. Old Western villain: BANDITO

17. "The Simpsons" bartender: MOE

22. Footnote ref.: OP CIT. "in the work cited."

23. __-racking: very stressful: NERVE

25. Belt holders: LOOPS

27. Chief of __: Army leader: STAFF

30. Wall recess: NICHE

33. Make off with: STEAL

34. Sorbonne sweetie: CHERI. Mon ami.

36. Point to debate: ISSUE

37. Collaborative 1993 Sinatra album: DUETS

40. Half a winter warmer: EARMUFF

43. Stretchy: ELASTIC

47. Like 1% milk: LOW FAT

49. Wimbledon sport: TENNIS

50. __ Domingo: Dominican capital: SANTO

51. __ Yello: soft drink: MELLO

53. 23rd Greek letter: PSI

54. Picket line crosser: SCAB

56. New Mexico town known for its art scene: TAOS

60. Lean-__: shacks: TOs

61. Wash. neighbor: IDA.

62. Tricky: SLY

63. Guys: HEs

Argyle