Saturday, June 16, 2018, Neville Fogarty & Andy Kravis

Themeless Saturday Puzzle by Neville Fogarty and Andy Kravis

Today celebrates National Ladies Day At Baseball Games. In 1883 the St. Louis Browns (who later became the Baltimore Orioles) decided to try to attract more fans to their baseball games and so on June 16 of that year they decided to let women in free IF they were accompanied by man and it was a huge success. This picture of much later vintage shows a large female crowd who managed to get in by themselves. Yes, C.C., there was a time when women couldn't go to ball games alone!

I first thought this day might be a celebration of women playing baseball themselves as shown in the movie A League Of Their Own. However that was not the case. This day was for attracting ladies to the park not to, EGADS, play! That would be as unthinkable as letting them vote in 1883! 😮

     Neville Fogarty                Andy Kravis

On this All-American Day, we have a Neville Fogarty and Andy Kravis puzzle that I managed to knock out in 22 minutes while having a good time. Talk about being on sympathetic wavelengths.

The section in yellow fell as fast as I could write as the fills going down were right up my alley, er, grid. The two long down fills at 11 and 12 took some time for this non drinker who really should have known the Doris Day song subtitled What Will Be Will Be (a good attitude on the golf course). 

The other two long fills were very gettable as well. ECHO CHAMBER reflects my general disdain for public figures who only talk in environs where there beliefs are echoed back to them with very little disagreement.

The rest was a nice breezy Saturday stroll with foreign words and geometry thrown in for a little spice 

Now for the rest of the puzzle - PLAY BALL! Ladies welcome, escorted or otherwise!






Across:

1. Weight-training equipment: SQUAT RACKS - Here a young lady has taken a reasonable amount of weight off the RACK behind her and is doing SQUATS with the barbell

11. Cotton cleaner: Q-TIP - My ENT says "Keep these out of your ears!"

15. Traditional November race: TURKEY TROT - That's the spirit! 

16. Social containers: URNS - Does that URN contain coffee or grandma?

17. Something a customer is happy to send back: REBATE FORM - A very common document in our house

18. One in Berlin: EINS - In Germany, Lawrence Welk would go, "Und eine Eins, und eine Zwei, und eine Drei..." (or something like that)

19. G8 member: USA - Much in the news last week concerning letting Russia back in to go from G7 back to G8

20. What an enemy exploits: WEAK SPOT - The worst pass defender on a football team is going to be busy all day 

22. Needle holder: TONE ARM - Ah the "high fidelity" instrument of  of my yute with TONE ARM poised to play more Four Seasons and Roy Orbison




27. Sharon of Israel: ARIEL.

28. Rewards for a big promotion?: CLIOS - A CLIO Award for this hilarious promotion of milk

30. Laker teammate of Magic: KAREEM - His "Sky Hook" has been called absolutely unblockable 

33. "Aha!": SO THAT'S IT - Says Brad Loahus above,"You can't block it!"

37. Flip: SASSY - History's most famous "flip" comment - Qu’ils mangent de la brioche

35. Interpret: TRANSLATE - How I got the translation for 37 Across above

38. Zaragoza's river: EBRO - Earlier in the week the clue might have been, "38. Large Spanish river"

39. Fabulous fellow?: AESOP - Earlier in the week the clue might have been "39. Man of many fables"

41. Map's blue areas: SEAS - 2/3 of the Earth's surface

42. Motel arrival?: ROACH  - At the Black Flag Roach Motel™, roaches check in but they never check out

44. Like some diamonds: SQUARE CUT - V-shaped prongs are recommended to protect the sharp corners of the stone

46. Role for Heston or Huston: BEN HUR - I saw the incredible Charlton Heston version when I was 13 as my friend's religious mother thought he and I could stand the realism

48. Weasel relative: OTTER - _ T _ _ _ was not a STOAT. All three are in the family Mustelidae 

49. "Fuller House" actor: SAGET.

51. Chords are part of them: SECANTS - A circular path with a CHORD shortcut that becomes a SECANT when extended both ways beyond the circumference of the circle (almost a straight line)

55. Cannes Film Festival award: PALME D'OR - Very little was expected of this wonderful movie until it won some PALME D'OR honors and then it made good money and got 6 Oscar nominations

58. Leave slack-jawed: AWE.

59. Many a Syrian: ARAB.

60. Booted, in old football: DROP KICKED - Drew Brees executing one in an All Star Game. He simply dropped the ball on its point and then kicked it through the uprights for 3 points

65. Give credit to: CITE - I could have CITED Bobby Bare above for singing, Drop Kick Me Jesus Through The Goal Posts Of Life

66. "Count me in!": I AM SO THERE.

67. Visionary: SEER.

68. 1999 Pacino/Crowe film about a whistleblower: THE INSIDER - ok


Down:

1. Runway gait: STRUT - Not a great gait here

2. Nacho cheese: QUESO.

3. Name of eight popes: URBAN - URBAN II called for the 1st Crusade against the Muslims

4. Handle letters: AKA.

5. Vietnamese holiday: TET - America's pyrrhic victory in this huge battle cost a great deal in men and materiel, fueled the anti-war movement in the USA and helped LBJ decide to not run for reelection three months later in March of '68

6. Deli selection: RYE.

7. DOJ division: ATF - It started in 1886 in the Treasury Dept. to collect income taxes and since then has become an agency for Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms

8. Bird that's hard to eat?: CROW - The Chicago Daily Tribune had a generous helping of CROW in 1948

9. Peninsula partly defined by the Yalu River: KOREA which is where 21. Souls, e.g.: KIAS  are manufactured

10. Gospel writer: ST MARK - The debate goes on as to whether ST MARK's or Alexander The Great's remains are buried under the altar at ST MARK's Basilica in Venice

11. Subtitle of #48 in AFI's "100 Years...100 Songs": QUE SERA SERA - The neighborhood:

12. Cosmopolitan essential: TRIPLE SEC - Meaning "Triple Distilled", it is a strong , sweet and colorless orange flavored liqueur

13. __ way, shape or form: IN NO.

14. Covert call: PSST - This is cat speak for, "PSST, get up and feed me!" I get it at 4:30 am everyday 

23. Place where it all comes back to you?: ECHO CHAMBER - Where politicians like to give speeches

24. __ king: ALA - I complained about Chicken ALA King in high school like everyone else but secretly loved it

25. British vocalist __ Ora: RITA, 29. "Thong Song" singer: SISQO and 56. Grammy winner India.__: ARIE. Google them if they interest you

26. Law recipient: MOSES - Take two tablets and call me in the morning

31. Genesis brother: ESAU which I'm sure can be found in the 50. Jewish authority: TORAH.

32. Classic PC adventure game: MYST.

33. President Aleksandar Vucic, for one: SERB - The president of Serbia for a year now

34. It has a brief solo in the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth: OBOE - A lovely contrast to the stirring theme 

36. Talks up: TOUTS - Fugue For Tinhorns - best song by/about TOUTS

40. Crown: PATE - aka Head 43. Very significant: HUGE - Human Growth Hormone made Barry Bonds' PATE get HUGE

45. Remote button: REC  - I can't seem to find that button on this remote

47. Social news website: REDDIT - not a consumer

52. Blunt, as truth: NAKED.

53. Quaint contraction: TWERE - My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose - And fare thee weel, my only love? And fare thee well awhile, And will come again, my dear, Tho' 'TWERE ten thousand mile 

54. Jewish meal: SEDER.

55. Campaign donation orgs.: PACS - Super PACS are the mother's milk of political contributions 

57. "Quo Vadis" setting: ROME - The church below, just outside of ROME, was built on the site where the story goes that Peter encountered a visage of Christ and asked him, "Quo Vadis, Domine?" meaning Where are you going Lord?

The Domine QUO VADIS church on the Apian Way

61. Letter with a silent letter: PSI.

62. "__-Tiki": KON. - This was a raft built in 1947 by Thor Hyerdall to cross the Pacific Ocean using only materials available to Pre-Columbian natives of South America to show they could have settled the Polynesian Islands. The KON -Tiki took 101 days to make the crossing.

The Kon Tiki in the Norwegian Maritime Museum
in our favorite crossword city of Oslo

63. Cousin of hers: ITS 

64. City with two MLB teams: CHI - NYC could have worked despite the fact that the Yankees play in the Bronx and the Mets play in Queens.

So get out of the dugout and celebrate this day by posting some pithy comments:

Friday, June 15, 2018, Ethan Cooper

Title: I'm bored and from the 50's. Are there any magazines around here?

This looks like another Friday debut puzzle, and I do not have any info on the constructor. This is the only  ETHAN COOPER of whom I have heard. I hope Ethan stops by. We have a consistent placement of the magazine- the first two in the first word, the last two in the second word. And the joy of a grid spanning reveal which is cute if you do not think about how annoying those stupid inserts that keep falling out of the magazines are. I find some real wit in the ROYAL WINCE. Ethan was limited in his magazine choices because they had to be 3 or 4 letters. Life, Jet, Mad and Teen the only others that came to mind.  The best part of this debut shows in the glittery fill like AT ISSUE, CARED TO, EURASIA, MEMO PAD, SILENT N, AGE LIMITS and NERD ALERT. Well done. We also continue with Steve's critical chase for diacriticals.

17A. Literary agents who sold "Catch-22"?: HELLER REPS (10). Joseph Heller wrote the book, and Mike Nichols (we had Elaine May last week) wrote the MOVIE. Both were excellent.  ELLE magazine is inserted into the phrase HR REPS.

27A. Defective Chatty Cathys?: RASPING DOLLS (11). RAGDOLLS incorporates SPIN into that phrase.

45A. Hanging out by the lockers, etc.?: HALL PASTIMES (11). HALL PASS is needed in many high schools to explain their absence from the classroom. TIME  in its 95th year is added. 

62A. Uncomfortable look from the queen?: ROYAL WINCE (10). The ROYAL WE = an accepted tradition, and adding INC leads to this bizarre but fun fill. 

The reveal:

37A. Perfume samples, maybe ... or what this puzzle's circles are: MAGAZINE INSERTS (15).

on to the rest...

Across:

1. "__ talks!": "Anna Christie" tagline: GARBO.

6. Pond floater: SCUM.

10. Fox Business competitor: CNBC.

14. 2015 boxing film: CREED.  The sequel is coming soon.

15. Ditty: TUNE.

16. Total: REAL.

19. Cuyahoga River outlet: ERIE. A CSO to our own.

20. Still unresolved: AT ISSUE. Lawyers and Judges use this all the time.

21. Were so inclined: CARED TO. Interesting definition.

23. Gumshoe: TEC.

24. Dates: SEES.

26. They test the waters: Abbr.: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

32. "Six Feet Under" creator Ball: ALAN. He also wrote TRUE BLOOD and the movie American Beauty.

35. Like metal concerts: LOUD.

36. ___ de parfum: EAU. A bit of a dupe with 37A.

42. NYC's Lex, e.g.: AVE.

43. Steam producer: IRON.

44. 42-Across et al.: RTES.

50. Note from someone in a hole: IOU.

51. Gerald R. Ford Award org.: NCAA. Last January it went to ROBIN ROBERTS, but not the old Phillies pitcher.

52. Dadaist Jean: ARP.

55. Note taker's need: MEMO PAD.

59. Home to Iberia and Siberia: EURASIA. Eurasia is a combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia. The term is a portmanteau of its constituent continents (Europe and Asia).

61. "Oh, ri-i-ight": AS IF.

64. Casual farewell: TATA. TTFN.

65. Party mix staple: CHEX. Cereal.

66. Sorbonne concepts: IDÉES. French for ideas, idées. And, 2D. Glacial ridge: ARÊTE.  A semi-regular Friday word from the French a·rête. 69. Swashbuckler's word: GARDE. When paired with EN, French: on guard.

67. "Can it!": HUSH.

68. "My only love sprung from my only __!": Juliet: HATE. Act 1, Scene V. Our Friday Will S.
My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me
That I must love a loathèd enemy.

Down:

1. Popular IM service: G-CHAT. Not to be confused with the g-spot.

3. Museum piece: RELIC.

4. Units named for ATT founder: BELS. You are probably more familiar with the decibel. LINK.

5. Ukrainian port: ODESSA.

6. "The Deer Hunter" actress: STREEP. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Michael Cimino, and Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Walken, and marked Meryl Streep's first Academy Award nomination (for Best Supporting Actress) (imdb).

7. Reminder: CUE.

8. Insensitive, briefly: UN-PC.

9. Erosion formation: MESA.

10. Shudder-inducing sort, slangily: CREEPO. Like

11. "Check out the brain over here!": NERD ALERT. Big Bang has made Nerd popular.

12. Part of a sting: BAIT.

13. 1963 Liz Taylor role: CLEO. Elizabeth/Cleopatra.

18. Is sorry about: RUES.

22. Fruity ale brand: REDDS.

25. Column part that's strictly ornamental?: SILENT N. Really well thought out and structured deceptive clue/fill as there ornamental columns, but it is the letter "N" that has no purpose in the word column.

27. Genetics lab subject: RNA.







28. "__ won't back down": Tom Petty lyric: NO I. Verse 1. May he rest in peace.
Well, I won't back down
No, I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down

29. __-shy: GUN.

30. Rushing, perhaps: LATE.

31. Work (out): SUSS. I critically important word for all solvers.

32. Indian nanny: AMAH. Not to be confused with amas or amat.

33. Volcanic flower: LAVA. Too timely with all that is flowing in Hawaii.

34. Features of many kids' menus: AGE LIMITS. Tuesdays kids eat free.

38. Close, as a duffel: ZIP UP.

39. Glass of "This American Life": IRA. He gets paid to talk.

40. Primes, e.g.: Abbr.: NOS. Numbers.

41. Hectic hosp. zones: ERS. Emergency Rooms.

46. Shower tool: LOOFAH. If you use a loofah to get clean, it may be time to rethink your shower routine. That spongy, handheld scrubber meant to exfoliate and lather suds around your naked body is actually the perfect home for bacteria.

47. Mountaineering tool: ICE AXE. Some violence with this image, and the next.

48. Hammering tool: MAUL. 
This tool which appeared yesterday in Steve's write up is one with a heavy head and a handle, used for tasks such as ramming, crushing, and driving wedges; a beetle.




49. Crop-eating insect: EARWIG. This EPISODE od Rod Serling's NIGHT GALLERY is one of the most frightening things ever shown on television.

52. He played a TV newsroom boss: ASNER. A rare double, playing the same character (Lou Grant on the Mary Tyler Moore Show - a comedy, and then on LOU GRANT where he returns to his newspaper roots in a drama.

53. Cut to bits: RICED. This sounds much less dramatic than cut to bits.

54. Country, in Italy: PAESE. Paesan, countryman. Yiddish, landsman, pronounced "londsman" rhyming with bondman. Thank you Barry T.

55. Course where kids check products?: MATH. Nice trickery and CSO to Bill G. and others; in mathematics, a product is a result of multiplying.

56. Old Testament redhead: ESAU. With a substantial beard.

57. Prefix with rival: ARCH.

58. City where Al Jazeera is headquartered: DOHA. We had our own DOHA Doc as a regular for a while. He moved around but apparently has moved on.

60. Verdi princess: AIDA. Aida is actually the Ethiopian slave of Princess Amneris, the king’s daughter. However, she is the daughter of the King of Ethiopia.

63. To this time: YET.


I cannot blog a puzzle with circles without thinking of our longtime early poster, Barry G. who hated them as the Mensa site does not have them. Well, I had them and this was easier than yesterday for me. Welcome Ethan, come to hang out at the Corner. Thank you all. Lemonade out.

Thursday June 14th 2018 Joe Kidd

Theme: Fight On! Up! No USC cheers here.

4D. Cobalt in the human body, e.g.: TRACE ELEMENT. Mêlée

Here's a cobalt atom - plenty of protons, neutrons and electrons to cause quite a mêlée!

8D. Promotion criteria: MERIT SYSTEMS. Stir. You can stir up some discontent if you don't fairly apply the criteria.

21D. Certain 19th-century history specialist: CIVIL WAR BUFF. Brawl. I guess the Civil War might be described a big brawl?

25D. Smallish, as an apartment: TWO-ROOM. Row. Do small apartments cause rows?  Might have something to do with it.

23D. Cause commotion ... or what the circled letters do?: RAISE A RUCKUS

The theme entries run north-south today, as the reveal requires that the "ruckuses" are found running upwards. This puzzle is a really nice construction - there are four long non-theme entries in the downs, and some entertaining 7's in the crosses. This isn't easy to pull off, so kudos to Joe. The rest of the fill is non too shabby either. Let's see what jumps out:

Across:

1. Common borrowing result: DEBT. Common? Isn't it always the result?

5. Add one's two cents, with "in": CHIME

10. "So that's what that means!": A-HA!  Good excuse for some 80's pop. If you're familiar with the song, you might like the awesome Literal Video version.

13. Novelist John le ___: CARRÉ. And the third diacritical mark of the blog so far. There quite a few today.

15. Resort near Vail: ASPEN

16. "Hansel and Gretel" figure: HAG

17. Pigmented eye parts: UVEAS

18. Devour, with "down": SNARF. I knew "scarf" from the "Peanuts" strip. Snarf is new to me - maybe?

19. Outback bird: EMU

20. Longtime network symbol: PEACOCK. NBC, now part of Comcast NBCUniversal. The name gets longer with each acquisition.

22. Historical display: DIORAMA

24. Lucy's co-star: DESI

25. Sandal features: T-STRAPS. I used to wear these as a kid. I never liked them, too uncool for school. Here's me rocking a pair with my big brother.

26. Hardly helpless: ABLE

28. Solemn oath: VOW

30. Subj. that may include a lab: SCIence

31. Potting need: SOIL

32. Skater who lit the Olympic cauldron in Nagano: ITO. Midori Ito. She was the first female figure skater to land a triple axel in competition.

33. Responses from a sycophant: YESES

36. Refine: HONE

37. House of __: LORDS. I had "CARDS" first. Was wrong. Fixed it.

39. Student stressor: EXAM

41. Cut even shorter, as a green: RE-MOW

43. Loophole: OUT

44. Times in classifieds: AFTS. Afternoons.

45. "Bambi" doe: ENA

46. A: ONE

47. Small deer: ROES. By the Steve Law of Things, you can have deers/roes or deer/roe, but not both. In the same fashion, you can be an actor named Seen Bean, or Sean Borne, but you can't have both.

48. Not a good fit: TANTRUM

51. Heavy hammer: MAUL

53. They're run in taverns: BAR TABS. I picked up one last night. Someone had dropped it.

54. Standoffish: ASOCIAL

57. Cracker lacking pop: DUD

58. Producer Scott with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony wins: RUDIN Grammy for "No Country for Old Men", ditto Oscar, Emmy for "He makes me feel like dancin" and six Tony awards.

60. Tsar's decree: UKASE. I don't think I knew this. Thank you, crosses.

61. Mimic: APE

62. Poker declaration: I FOLD

63. Private student: TUTEE. Private teacher = tutor, hence tutee.

64. Strong desire: YEN

65. Spot __: OF TEA? Nice Cuppa knows the answer to this one.

66. Scorch: SEAR

Down:

1. Bra spec: D CUP. What do you call a "breaking news" item about an adult movie actress? A Stormy in a D-cup.

2. Holiday lights may be under one: EAVE

3. Depression Era sight: BREAD LINE

5. Wine container: CASK

6. TV buying channel: HSN Home Shopping Network.

7. Apple Store buys: IPADS

9. Carry out, as laws: ENFORCE

10. Lots: A HEAP

11. Actor Jon and others: HAMMS. Mia Hamm, the soccer play, I know. Jon Hamm, not so much. Thank you crosses. Now all together - the World Cup starts today - "Goooooooooooooooooooaaal"!

12. Rio contents: AGUA. "The water in the river flows down and down, down and down, down and down". Earworm alert!

14. Those, in Tijuana: ESOS. Spanish lesson #2.

26. Tapped-off remnant: ASH. As in tapping  a cigarette to remove the ash. I find it hard to believe that I did this thousands of times before I quit.

27. Uncouth sort: BOOR

29. Oklahoma people: OTO
 "
34. Use a microdermabrasion agent, say: EXFOLIATE. Great word, especially next to a long themer. c.f. 3D also.

35. Make fully content: SATE

38. Hound for payment: DUN

40. Submissions to eds.: MS'S. Manuscripts.

42. Quebec neighbor: ONTARIO. O Canada. Eh.

48. Brownish gray: TAUPE

49. Elizabeth of beauty products: ARDEN

50. FAA overseer: US DOT I didn't know that the Department of Transport oversees the Federal Aviation Authority, I thought they were two separate departments.

52. Été month: AÔUT. Here we go with the French lesson (and the diacritical marks!). August, in summer.

53. Gift-giving occasion, for short: B-DAY

54. Shave-haircut link: AND A

55. No longer in port: ASEA

56. Not a good look: LEER. But on one hand, you are having a good look, just not in a "good look" kind of way.

59. Land in la mer: ÎLE. And the last circumflex of the day. Island, in the sea.

On a totally unrelated note, I want to take Line 6 northbound when I leave the office and change to the E Train at 51st and Lexington just so I can say I've done a "Manhattan Transfer".

I'm easily amused.

That's a wrap!

Steve

Wednesday, June 13, 2018 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: Pretty as a picture.   Let's start with the unifier, all will then be in focus.

56 A. End of a close race ... and what the last part of the answers to starred clues can literally be: PHOTO FINISH.  This is a race that is so close that a picture is taken along the finish line to see who gets a nose across it first.  In this puzzle, the last part part of each theme entry can be paired with the word PHOTO to get a specific meaning.  Of course, a PHOTO FINISH can also be matte or glossy, but that's not what we are talking about.

17 A. *Sports bookie's figure: POINT SPREAD.   The expected margin of victory - you can place a wager that a given team will win or lose a game by more than that amount.  A PHOTO SPREAD is a group of pictures on a topic that are printed together in a magazine.

37 A. *R&D setting: TEST LAB.  This is where the detail work is done to provide analytical data on the quality and performance properties of a product or its associated precesses.  A PHOTO LAB is, or was, a place where traditional photographic negatives were developed to make the real image.  Almost all photography is digital now, so I'm not sure how many PHOTO LABS exist these days.

11  D. *Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde," e.g.: DOUBLE ALBUM. This is group of two LP or CD musical recordings packaged as a unit.  Digital streaming is phasing these things out as well.  A PHOTO ALBUM is a book in which one can place cherished pictures for posterity.

25 D. *Marksmanship match: TURKEY SHOOT.  A SHOOTING proficiency contest using moving targets, with a TURKEY as the winner's prize.   A PHOTO SHOOT is an appointment with a photographer in a studio or on location to take a series of photographs.

Hi Gang - not particularly photogenic JazzBumpa here to zoom in on the fine [focal] points of this puzzle.  Full disclosure:  I am NOT a camera.

Nevertheless, here I am at the far right of a big trombone and tuba extravaganza at First Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, MI this past Sunday.  Should have vids in a week or so.

Photo credit: my Lovely Wife

Across:

1. Keebler cracker: ZESTA.  Wheat based saltines.

6. Shoots the breeze: CHATS.  Has a casual conversation.

11. E, in Morse code: DOT.  Letters are represented by sequences of dots and/or dashes.  Here, the sequence is one.

14. Parts of plots: ACRES.  Land, not story features.

15. Kama __: SUTRA.  More than just a sex manual, this ancient Hindu text is a guide to virtuous and gracious living, regarding love, family life and other pleasurable aspects of human existence.

16. Bruin great Bobby: ORR.  A famous moment.

19. Action film gun: UZI.  The Uzi is a family of Israeli open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns.  [Wikipedia.]

20. Caspian Sea feeder: URAL. This river originates in the Ural Mountains and flows through Russia and Kazahkstan in Eurasia.

21. Where work may pile up: IN BOX.  Mine was a compost heap.

23. Criticized unfairly, in slang: HATED ON.

27. Stand in a studio: EASEL.  Support for a picture.

29. Get away from: ELUDE.   Or evade.

30. Inoffensive: HARMLESS.

33. "Tell It Like It Is" crooner __ Neville: AARON.

34. Suffix with billion: AIRE.  A person with more money than she needs.

35. Fashionable way to arrive?: LATE.  I guess appearing on time is gauche.

36. "What a pity": TSK.  Tongue clucking.

40. Meadow: LEA.  An open area of grassy or arable land.

41. Four-stringed instruments, typically: UKES.

43. Weighty volume: TOME.  A large, scholarly book.

44. Buck the system: REBEL.  Go your own way.

46. PassÈ street corner convenience: PAY PHONE.  Among other passe things in this puzzle.

48. As __: generally: A RULE.  Most of the time.

49. Location: SCENE.  A particular place

50. Online player, briefly: P C GAMER.  Played mostly on phones, these days, I imagine.

52. Taj __: MAHAL.  A marble mausoleum built in 1642 by the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal.  When I was young, I thought it was the Tajma Hall.  Made sense to me at the time.

54. Foundry waste: SLAG.   Stony by-product material from the smelting of ore.

55. Good Grips gadget brand: OXO.   Ergonomically designed kitchen utensils.

63. "Don't Bring Me Down" rock gp.: ELO.



64. Singer Cyrus: MILEY.  Not a fan.

65. Finnish tech giant: NOKIA.  Telecommunications, information technology and consumer electronics company.

66. Hanoi holiday: TET.  Vietnamese New Year - the most important celebration in their culture.

67. Green vehicles, for short: E-CARS.   E, for eco-friendly.

68. Belgian treaty city: GHENT.   This peace treaty formalized the end of the War of 1812.  Ghent is the largest city in the East Flanders province of Belgium.

Down:

1. Cook quickly: ZAP.  Heat in a microwave oven.

2. Prefix with logical: ECO-.  Concerning the interactions of living organisms among each other and with their surroundings.

3. __ Lanka: SRI. An island nation south-east of india.

4. Top songs set: TEN.  The 10 most popular songs in the country at any given time, based on downloaded and streamed songs from music retailers.

5. Stellar scholar: A STUDENT.  Student who gets all A's on a report card.

6. D.C. network: C-SPAN.  Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a public service.

7. Sling: HURL.  Throw forcefully.

8. Gobbled up: ATE.  Devoured.

9. Carol syllable: TRA.

10. Extreme cruelty: SADISM.  More than that - it is deriving pleasure from inflicting pain and suffering on someone.

12. Rice-shaped pasta: ORZO.

13. Froot Loops shelfmate: TRIX.  Sugary cereals marketed at children.

It's Froot Loops by 3 to 1

18. B'way sellout sign: SRO.  Standing Room Only.

22. Jodie Foster title role: NELL.  Movie about a girl raised in a mountain cabin who has no contact with the outside world, and devised her own language.

23. Intensify: HEAT UP.

24. "Seward's Folly" purchase: ALASKA.  On March 30, 1867, U. S. Secretary of State William Seward signed a treaty with czarist Russia for the purpose of purchasing Alaska for 2 cents per acre.  There was little enthusiasm in the U. S. Senate, where the treaty was ratified on April 9, by a single vote.  Settlement in the territory was sparse until gold was discovered in 1898.

26. Tokyo, long ago: EDO.

27. "Copperhead Road" singer Steve: EARLE.

28. Nevada's __ 51: AREA. A highly classified remote area located 83 miles north-northwest of Las Vegas, and the subject of popular conspiracy theories.

30. Blackjack request: HIT ME.  Request for another card.

31. Remington played by Brosnan: STEELE.  Another TV series I never watched.  You can read about it here.

32. Driveway coating: SEALER.  Petroleum based material intended to protect a black-top surface.

34. In unison: AS ONE.   Though many, we are single-minded.

38. English school since 1440: ETON.  An English independent boarding school for boys, which pops up frequently in cross words.  If the clue asks for an English School and the space provided holds four letters, fill in ETON and move on.

39. Big talk: BRAGGING.  To speak in a pompous or self-aggrandizing way about one's own accomplishments.

42. Animal welfare gp.: SPCA.   Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

45. Pitching stat: ERA.  Earned Run Average, the mean of the number of earned runs per nine innings thrown by a given pitcher or pitching staff.  An Earned Run is one fully resulting from the efforts and accomplishments of the offensive team; that is, one that does not result from any kind of error or mistake on the part of the defense.  WHIP [walks and hits per inning pitched] is a more modern stat that is considered to be more meaningful.

47. "I need a hand": HELP ME.  Request for assistance.



50. Tricks: PLOYS.  Devious maneuvers.

51. Half-__: coffee compromise: CAF.  Coffee with half the caffeine content.  I used to drink that before I went full decaf.

52. Bubbly brand: MOET.  Producer and distributor of champagnes.

53. Wheel connector: AXLE.  A rod or spindle passing through the center of a wheel.

54. Ending for young and old alike?: STER.  Suffix denoting a person engaged n or associated with a particular activity or thing, frex.: gangster.

57. Hyphenated Minute Maid brand: HI-C.  Marketed since 1948.  The original flavor was orange. The name reflects the high content of vitamin C.  No idea if that is still accurate 70 years later.

58. Schnozz extension?: -OLA.  A suffix of no specific meaning.  in this case the effect is mildly humerous.

59. Japanese drama: NOH.  A highly stylized form of classical theater involving, masks, costumes and various props.

60. '50s prez: IKE.  Dwight David Eisenhower.

61. Sermon subject: SIN.  An immoral act breaking divine law.

62. Boater or bowler: HAT.  Fitting, I think, that we top this off with a couple pretty pictures.  So here I will put a lid on it.

Boater

Bowler

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, June 12, 2018 C.C. Burnikel

"SPICE MIX"

16. Area behind velvet ropes, often: VIP SECTION.

60. Former "SNL" regular known for Sinatra impressions: JOE PISCOPO.

10. Commercial rental property: OFFICE SPACE.

24. Beverage-named Denver arena: PEPSI CENTER.

And the reveal:
35. Curry powder, e.g. ... and what each set of puzzle circles contains: SPICE MIX.

C.C. mixes in some spice to season this sumptuous repast.

I was puzzled at the top because I typed in VIP SEaTIng on the across run.  Everything was going swimmingly on the down run until I got to 7 and 8 down.

Across:

1. Condition before a storm: CALM.

5. Secure at the pier: LASH.

9. Swamp croaker: TOAD.


13. Hand lotion ingredient: ALOE.

14. Triangular Greek letter: DELTA.

15. Jackson 5 hairdo: AFRO.


18. Sci-fi hoverers: UFOs.

19. Cul-de-__: SAC.

20. Completes a sentence?: DOES TIME. 

22. Cholesterol-inhibiting drug: LIPITOR.   Atorvastatin.

26. Smokey Bear TV ad, e.g.: PSA.   Here's a collection of them:


27. Scoundrel: CAD.

28. Sports drink suffix: ADE.

29. Stockpile: AMASS.

31. JFK's predecessor: DDE.

Meeting between President Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE) and President-elect Kennedy

33. Favoring relatives in hiring: NEPOTISM.  How Stuff Works: Nepotism

35. Richter scale event: SEISM.  Seism; A shaking of the Earth's surface; an earthquake or tremor. - Wiktionary.  Jayce's arena.  Here's some reading about Richter scale from How Stuff Works.

37. Pinch in a recipe: DASH.

38. Tourney winner: CHAMP.

40. Rotisserie rod: SPIT.

 Be careful - the spit and forks are blazing hot.

42. Pride members: LIONS.  Matt Patricia is the new head coach of the Detroit Lions.

The Pride of Detroit

44. Baggage claim bag: SUITCASE.

46. John of "Star Trek" (2009): CHO.

47. Word of choice: WHICH.

48. So-so grade: CEE.

49. Tribute in verse: ODE.  The first ode I heard was to Billie Joe:


51. Yellowfin tuna: AHI.

53. Book buyers: READERS.  Or non-prescription reading glasses. Wilbur uses those for reading the blog.  I have 20-40 vision with my glasses on.  New glasses should be here soon.  Hopefully, less blurry vision  and fewer headaches will ensue.

55. Not-so-subtle verbal nudge: HINT HINT.

58. "O Sole __": MIO.

59. Relaxing soak, or a financial soaking: BATH.

65. Draft classification: ONE A.  1-A.   Selective Service Classifications

66. Building extension: ANNEX.

67. Be acquainted with: KNOW.


68. Knitter's purchase: YARN.  Madame Defarge enjoys knitting, as did my MIL. 

69. Rock group: BAND. Was going to link their Rock and Roll Band song, but this 1990 international hit would be the most famous song of this German rock group that started plying their trade at the height of Beatlemania.  The video has 574M views.


70. Planted, as seed: SOWN.

Down:

1. Cleveland NBAer: CAV.   The Cavaliers.  The star player of the Cavs is LeBron James.  Marc Stein of the NY Times wrote of LeBron James, "Just don’t forget that it’s James’s unwavering brilliance, above all, that convinced the Warriors — after a 73-win season in 2015-16 — that they had to do anything they could to add (Kevin) Durant to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala to ensure they could beat this one guy."

2. "Moonlight" Oscar winner Mahershala __: ALI.

More at IMDb

3. Chop off: LOP.

4. Argentine soccer superstar Lionel: MESSI.   Star forward playing for FC Barcelona.

Forbes Profile

5. Net judge's call: LET.

6. "Put __ on it!": A LID.

7. Hunches over: STOOPS.

8. Underwear brand: HANES.

9. Tightly drawn: TAUT.

11. Candle shop allure: AROMA.  This place sells over 1200 candles scents and fragrances if you are into making your own.  This household has enough scented candles.  They seem to multiply like Tribbles.

12. Provided with medicine: DOSED.

14. "Wonder Woman" publisher: DC COMICS.

17. Bother a lot: EAT AT.

21. Marquis de __: SADE.  Who Was the Marquis de Sade?

22. Arrive onshore: LAND.

23. Perfect example: IDEAL.


25. Reckless: RASH.

30. Roaring success: SMASH.

32. Blu-ray buy: DISC.

34. "Looks like trouble!": OH OH. Mercy, look what just walked through that door.


36. Unlikely GoFundMe donor: MISER.

39. "ABC World News Tonight" anchor David: MUIR.  David Muir, Lester Holt and Jeff Glor.

 Wikipedia says WNT is the "most watched newscast in America" but the cited reference is for the week of August 14th, 2017.  A little research led to this Forbes article.

41. Casual shirts: TEES.

43. Ark builder: NOAH.

45. Bangkok natives: THAIs.

47. Ryder of "Edward Scissorhands": WINONA.  Winona Ryder starred opposite Johnny Depp.

 Named after the nearby city of Winona

49. "Yippee!": OH BOY.

50. Mythical hunter: DIANA.  In Roman Mythology.  More here.

52. Muslim woman's headscarf: HIJAB.

54. Comes to port: DOCKS.

56. Larger __ life: THAN.

57. Ky. neighbor: TENN.  Speaking of getting to know you:


61. One on foot, in signs: PED.

62. Musician Yoko: ONO.

 Yoko Ono to Receive Songwriting Credit on John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’

63. "Kaboom!": POW.

64. Part of MYOB: OWN.  Mind Your Own Business.  Alternatively - for those with teenagers - Make Your Own Bed.