Sunday October 28, 2018 Greg Johnson

Theme: "Change of Address" - Each theme entry is an anagram of an US city and its state.

 

23A. Message about nearly a dozen U.S. sailors being flown overseas? (Pa.): ALL TEN NOW IN NAVY PLANES. Allentown, Pennsylvania.

35A. Annoyed Mayberry aunt gets an old Toyota at a raffle? (Wis.): ANGRY BEE WINS SCION. Green Bay, Wisconsin.

57A. Boast about Japanese animation? (Me.): BRAG ON ANIME. Bangor, Maine.

 

64A. Emanation from an aging rural miner? (Co.): OLD RUBE COAL ODOR. Boulder, Colorado.

75A. Lunch treats from Clinton's veep? (Or.): MEALS ON GORE. Salem, Oregon.

93A. Black Friday headline? (Md.): RETAIL MOB RAN MADLY. Baltimore, Maryland

110A. Muslim ascetics drain Sahara pipeline contents? (Ca.): FAKIRS BLEED AFRICAN OIL. Bakersfield, California.

We've seen a few city anagram themes. Never with its state. This necessitates very long theme entries, including two spanners.

I'm just in awe of Greg's creativity. All theme entries make fun surface sense. And the fill is solid with a few fresh entries. 

Across:

1. Run-down area: SLUM. Slums are not allowed in China.

5. Fire starter: SPARK.

10. Defunct Ford div.: MERC.

14. Like some bulls: PAPAL.

19. Bigger than big: HUGE.

20. Enjoy slowly, as a drink: SIP ON. I like sipping on a cup of hot ginger/date tea in cold days.

21. "I __ busted!": AM SO. And 36. Untrue: NOT SO.

22. Come to light: ARISE.

27. Not talkative: QUIET.

28. Receive inside info: GET A TIP.

29. Tired comment: I'M BEAT.

30. One terminus of Chicago's Blue Line: O'HARE.

33. Soccer goose egg: NIL. Tiny clue/answer dupe 78. Holiday song sextet: GEESE.

34. Cunning plan: PLOY.

41. Delaware's capital?: DEE. Delaware.

44. Disheveled: TOUSLED.

45. At least one: ANY. And 71. All: EVERY BIT.

46. Landlord's reminder: LATE RENT. Debut fill.

48. Tanning time on the Riviera: ETE.

49. Babe's counterpart: HUNK.

51. "Follow me!": C'MON.

53. State definitively: AVER.

54. Constitution letters: USS. USS Constitution.

55. White selection, briefly: CHARD. Chardonnay.

60. Not requiring stamps: POSTPAID. Do you have Informed Delivery in your area? We do.

62. Hopefully, what's left for dessert?: ROOM. Sweet.

63. "Funny thing is ... ": ODDLY.

68. Pitcher part: SPOUT.

70. Absence: LACK.

79. Brooding genre: EMO.

80. Ornate molding: OGEE.

81. Sources of bow wood: YEWS.

82. Author Caleb: CARR. He wrote "The Alienist".

83. Five-O alert: APB.

84. Tied: DEAD EVEN. Another debut.

87. Goof: ERR.

88. Myrtle whose oil is a folk remedy for skin conditions: TEA TREE. I'm allergic to this oil somehow.

92. South end?: ERN. Southern.

97. Overnight retreats: INNS.

98. Simba, at the start of "The Lion King": CUB.

99. Primrose family plant: OXLIP.

100. Ready to breed: AT STUD.

103. Moonlighter's work: SIDE JOB.

106. Tokyo shopping district: GINZA. Never been there. Shanghai is my favorite shopping place.

114. Flawed: AMISS.

115. Cap'n's underling: BOSN.

116. "Free your pores!" skincare brand: BIORE. Known for their pore strips.

117. Ignore, with "out": TUNE.

118. Tighten, as laces: RE-TIE.

119. Jazz club sessions: SETS.

120. Prefix for a Dow foam: STYRO.

121. Not quite never: ONCE.

Down:

1. 1990s-2000s Laker star, familiarly: SHAQ.

2. Humdinger: LULU.

3. Not-cute fruit: UGLI.

4. Geminids sights: METEORS.

5. 3-2-4 ID: SSN. When you make an appointment in VA hospital or clinic, you need to tell them your "last four".

6. Wrestler's coup: PIN.

7. Orbital high point: APOGEE.

8. "Deadliest Catch" narrator Mike: ROWE.

9. Work with needles: KNIT.

10. Six-legged prayer?: MANTIS. Praying mantis.

11. Addresses with "@": EMAILS.

12. Brief invite answer?: RSVP.

13. Artfully shy: COY.

14. Treo maker, before it shortened its name: PALM ONE. Learning moment for me.

15. Sheikdom of song: ARABY.

16. Air freshener scent: PINE.

17. On the briny: ASEA.

18. For fear that: LEST.

24. Kind of alcohol: ETHYL.

25. Kid raiser, in two ways: NANNY. Why "in two ways"?

26. Cockpit worker: PILOT.

31. Prez on a five: ABE.

32. Prince Harry's locks, e.g.: RED HAIR.

34. Holder of keys: PIANO. Great clue.

35. Devoured: ATE UP.

37. "C'mon, take a __": GUESS.

38. Security checkpoint device: WAND.

39. Well filler: INK.

40. Shoe or its dance: CLOG.

41. Hot sauce bottle image: DEVIL. Not familiar with this sauce. Any of you familiar with Brazilian fish stew?

42. Good guy, to a bad guy: ENEMY.

43. French 101 verb: ETRE.

47. Stopped flowing: RAN DRY.

50. Pakistani tongue: URDU.

51. Swindler: CROOK.

52. What may be baby's first word: MAMA. Universal. Also 62. Parents: REARS.

55. Fair grade: C PLUS.

56. Couldn't avoid it: HAD TO.

57. Italian lawn game: BOCCE.

58. Lymph __: NODES.

59. Love to bits: ADORE.

61. Motored (along): TOOLED.

65. Leave, slangily: BLOW.

66. Inappropriate look: LEER. This and OGLE both have grid-friendly letters, unfortunately.

67. Demand too much of: OVERTAX.

68. Silver Bullet Band rocker: SEGER (Bob). Never heard of the band.

69. Joyous song: PAEAN.

72. A new one may itch: BEARD.

73. Push forward: IMPEL.

74. Actor Maguire: TOBEY.

75. Style: MODE.

76. Nikita's negatives: NYETS.

77. Rowlands of "The Notebook": GENA. Great movie.

78. Worn things: GARB.

82. __-Magnon: CRO.

85. Hosp. drama role: ER NURSE. So grateful to the ER doc who correctly diagnosed Boomer's bone cancer. The Twin Cities Orthopedics, and the two different doctors in our local VA clinics all said Boomer's back pain was arthritis. I guess their X-rays couldn't show the cancer cells or the T 11 fracture.

86. Sells: VENDS.

87. Add to a website, as a video: EMBED.

89. Bigger copy: Abbr.: ENL.

90. Guadalajara gal pal: AMIGA.

91. Draw upon: TAP INTO.

94. Most aloof: ICIEST.

95. Cough drops brand: LUDEN'S. Never had wild cherries. You?

96. Scotch cocktail: ROB ROY.

97. "Just me," formally: IT IS I.

100. Quite a distance: AFAR.

101. Hardly a threat: TAME. The wild turkeys at Springbrook Nature Center are very tame.

102. "SNL" staple: SKIT.

103. Wild plum: SLOE.

104. Sparring punches: JABS.

105. "Never heard __": OF IT.

107. Car, truck or bike: NOUN. Always fun to clue NOUN or VERB.

108. #30 on the periodic table: ZINC.

109. Toward shelter: ALEE.

111. Small ammo: BBS.

112. Like deeply discounted mdse.: IRR.

113. Leader with perks: CEO.

Thank you for the birthday wishes for Boomer. You guys are the best! The kids he coaches every week and their teachers gave Boomer a super sweet card and healing angel last Tuesday. I'm so proud that he only missed two practices with the kids this year, both because we had a long day at the VA for various tests.

Boomer also got his back brace. It's like this. Made of hard plastic. Bulky and restrictive. Boomer calls it his "cage". 

C.C.

Saturday, October 27, 2018, Michael Ashley

Themeless Saturday By Michael Ashley


Today we celebrate a holiday that will be met with, uh, great gusto at our little literary popsicle stand here: National Beer Day. Ales and beers of all description populate our puzzles and discourse. I don't imbibe but will raise an imaginary glass to you on this sudsy holiday! Salut, Cheers, Skol, L'Chaim, Here's mud in yer eye!

Today's constructor is Michael Ashley. I blogged his last puzzle here on September 15 which of course was another themeless marvel and this is what I found out about Michael that day:  I lived nearly 20 years in Manhattan, New York, and have now lived with my wife and two children in Scottsdale, Arizona, since 1993. Besides being a maniacal online chess buff, in my spare time I dabble at another sport which, on my better days, strongly resembles golf. 

Across:

1. "Grab that guy!": SEIZE HIM - A 1965 Lee Faulk Book Guild Poster of Prince Valiant on the lam!

9. Indonesian dyed fabrics: BATIKS - I was so surprised how quickly I wrote in this word

15. Speaking to a TV audience, say: ON CAMERA.

Hey, it's great to be here at the
LA Times Crossword Blog today!

16. Name attached to 14 Grand Slam tennis titles: EVONNE - From an Australian aboriginal family

17. Ultimate degree: NTH POWER  9ⁿ = 3 - Math peeps will know what NTH POWER of 9 makes this true

18. Pick up: NEATEN 

19. Urgent event: CRISIS  - The one that leaps to my mind

21. Agitated states: STEWS - The state Americans were in during the CRISIS above

22. Only driver to win Indy and Le Mans in the same year: A.J. FOYT - Number 14 at Indy and Number 1 at the 24 hours of Le Mans which he won with co-driver Dan Gurney in 1967

25. 2017 NLDS player: NAT - Washington NATional 

27. Gaelic tongue: ERSE -  Bobby Burns in Gaelic and translated on this beer day: `O gude ale comes and gude ale goes; Gude ale gars me sell my hose, Sell my hose, and pawn my shoon – Gude ale keeps my heart aboon!'' 
`O good ale comes and good ale goes; good ale makes me sell my hose (stockings), Sell my hose and pawn my shoes – Good ale keeps my heart afloat!'')

28. School closing?: MARM  - A SCHOOLMARM circa 1890

29. Link with: TIE TO.

31. Music with expressive lyrics: EMO.

32. Offering from your server: E-MAIL

34. Corn containers: CRIBS - The ones around here are all slowly wasting away, having been supplanted by silos and bins

36. Malamute pair?: EMS - MalaMute - Yup!

38. Principal aluminum ore: BAUXITE - Mining BAUXITE in India

40. Habitual surfer: NETIZEN - A citizen of the net, sometimes to excess. Who me?

42. Red Cross provision: AID.

43. California's __ Beach: PISMO - A clam diggers paradise

45. Mississippi river to the Mississippi River: YAZOO - A fiendishly clever clue that refers to the YAZOO River IN Mississippi that empties INTO the Mississippi River just above Vicksburg

46. Green target: CUP - It's that 4" receptacle that we golfers stew about trying to get the ball to drop into

48. Besmirch: TAINT -  The TAINT of steroids made these home run records suspect. McGwire did 52. Cop to: OWN his usage but Sammy has 't yet

50. Single-channel: MONO - MONOaural and not stereo 

51. Stock trader's option: CALL - If you really want to know about Puts and CALLS

53. Put down: ABASED.

55. Real estate basics: AREAS - This 1395 sq. ft. house would fetch well less than half this price in my AREA

57. Title for Versace: SIGNOR - SIGNOR Versace is one of those single-named people for whom SIGNOR is usually omitted

59. Pressured, in a way: DUNNED - In this scene from Godfather II, a young Vito Corleone is being DUNNED for a cut of a robbery by Don Fanucci. Suffice it to say it did not work out well for SIGNOR Fanucci. 

61. Defies all logic: CAN NOT BE - Recently I posted John McEnroe screaming "You CAN NOT BE serious!"

65. Ran the show: EMCEED - I just got a very gracious note from a band director for a show I EMCEED a month ago.

66. Service companies: AGENCIES - My Sister-In-Law has spent years helping in a local AGENCY that helps abused women

67. Fly to flee: TSE TSE

68. Ashley's twin: MARY KATE - Here is a 24 second voice-over they did on The Simpsons

Down:

1. Family business partner: SON - e.g. Sanford and SON

2. Fangorn Forest dweller: ENT - ENTs are tree-like creatures that are found in the Fangorn Forest in JRR Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings. You can buy some sculptures of them online. 

3. Goethe's "I": ICH - ICH liebe dich is the only German phrase I know and I bet you know it too!

4. 1960s pioneer in countercultural strips: ZAP COMIX - They came around in the late '60's when I was diverting my comic book money to groceries for my family 

5. Atlanta university: EMORY - Founded in 1836 in Oxford, GA

6. "60 Minutes" creator Don: HEWITT  - Don and the boys

7. Angers: IRES.

8. Venus probe craft: MARINER - In 1962, MARINER 2  became to the first spacecraft to reach another planet and today orbits the Sun

9. Rock's Harper or Folds: BEN - On Saturday you get singers BEN Harper and BEN Folds not BEN Franklin and Uncle BEN

10. Forum greetings: AVES.

11. Just right: TO A TEE - My blogging fits my meager skills TO A TEE

12. Brahms piano pieces: INTERMEZZOS - Originally pieces written to fill in between acts of a play or movements of larger musical works. Brahms wrote his as stand alone creations. Yeah, I knew that! 😏

13. Had an in: KNEW SOMEONE - How to get work in some institutions 

14. Intuit: SENSE - Women can intuit/SENSE things better than men as far as I am concerned 

20. Attended casually: SAT IN ON - Woody Allen SAT IN ON (WITH) The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band at the Cafe Carlyle in NY

22. Microscopic specimen: AMEBA.

23. Island spirits: JAMAICA RUMS - Hey! This is beer day!

24. Deceit: FRAUDULENCE - Wanna learn how to practice FRAUDULENCE? Google this video

26. Hamlet's first choice: TO BE - or not TO BE

30. Sharp winter tools: ICE SAWS - Those blocks the iceman brought had to originate from somewhere

33. Rim: LIP - A Rim out or a LIP out

35. Home near a cote, perhaps: STY - Here is a oil painting entitled A French Sheep COTE which could be near a pig STY

37. Hair net: SNOOD - A bi-level SNOOD

39. Former Yugoslav leader: TITO.

41. Final cut on the "Sounds of Silence" album: I AM A ROCK - An anthem for isolation and emotional detachment

44. A luge driver might wear one: MINICAM - 1:14 of insanity

47. Revolver?: PLANET - Yes, kids, Planets revolve as they rotate around the Sun 

49. 1977 Australian Open winner Roscoe: TANNER.

51. VMI student: CADET - VMI first admitted women in 1997

54. Like a pretty lass: BONNY.

56. Matches in Hold 'em: SEES - Same as calling a poker bet

58. Lady of song: GAGA  - In the latest iteration of this movie, Lady GAGA has received good reviews for her acting and great ones for her voice

60. '50s ticket initials: DDE.

62. __ Maria: TIA - Aunt Maria - A dark liquor whose main flavor ingredients are coffee beans, Jamaican rum, vanilla, and sugar, blended to an alcoholic content of 20%.

63. One might be made on the nose: BET - A BET for a horse to win a race

64. Canton ending: ESE - Find it below?

Now before you hoist up a stein, tankard, glass or can, how 'bout a comment:

DA GRID

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 71st birthday to Boomer, the sun of my life! This picture was taken on August 22, 2014 when Gary and his wife Joann visited Minneapolis.

Left to Right: Boomer, Gary, CC & Joann

Friday October 26, 2018, Joe Kidd

Title: There may be no I in "team", but the I must be added!

After being confronted with a 4 letter addition last week, we only have one little letter and some very amusing clue/fill combinations. This is my first exposure to Joe Kidd, perhaps a Nom de Plume of a shy constructor who likes Clint Eastwood. It is also his 6th LAT to go with a single NYT, for which no picture was run. He sticks in some nice fill like  HOGTIED, I MADE IT, NATALIE and TURN OFF but shines with two that are new to the Corner since the change to the LAT - CREATE A STIR and INCOME TAXES. I do not think I have had a puzzle with 5 eleven space theme fill before. Overall, it seemed easy, with many toeholds, but YMMV.

17A. Cheeky server?: FRESH WAITER (11). The base phrase - FRESH WATER -  I like the cheeky server.

26A. Bro on the go?: MOBILE HOMIE (11).  The base phrase - MOBILE HOME - I love mobile homie!

37A. European auto left out in the rain?: SATURATED FIAT (13). The base phrase - SATURATED FAT -Cute.

49A. Food for thought? : BRAIN MUFFIN (11). The base phrase - BRAN MUFFIN - A RECIPE. Or THIS.

58A. Result of a yank prank?: WEDGIE ISSUE (11). The base phrase - WEDGE ISSUE - a divisive political issue, especially one that is raised by a candidate for public office in hopes of attracting or alienating an opponent's supporters. I have seen nothing but attack ads, with no attempt to put forth a platform. If you have never had your underwear tugged, this would be obscure.

Across:

1. Decision-making tool: COIN. I flip you for it.

5. Slips in pots: CHITS. A chit is a tab or an IOU, a record of money owed. Your neighborhood deli might give you a chit the end of each week, letting you know how much you owe for your daily bagels.

10. Assure, as victory: ICE.

13. One of four on a keyboard: ARROW. Just to the right of the letters.

15. Comics unit: PANEL.

16. Nice handle?: NOM. The French city misdirection.

19. Call from a cote: COO.  I think they mean the birdhouses built for doves (pigeons) but I would prefer this cooing.

20. Former Rocket Ming: YAO. My Oo is actually named Thongyao.

21. Hanoi holiday: TET. More Asian information.

22. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester: HOLT.

23. Sgt.'s underling: PFC.

29. Alienate: TURN OFF. Extreme.

31. Creator of many word lists: ROGET. Mr. Thesauras.

32. Sailing: ASEA.

33. Stately shaders: ELMS. "The stately Elm spreads its arms, rejoicing in its strength."

36. '40s Giant manager: OTT. Melvin Thomas Ott, nicknamed "Master Melvin", was an American professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder for the New York Giants, from 1926 through 1947. He was a very successful PLAYER as well.  His puzzle counterpart is 2D. Nine-time NHL All-Star: ORR.

41. Draw at a pub: TAP. Beer is back on Friday.

42. Weight adjustment factor: TARE. Tare weight is accounted for in kitchen, analytical (scientific), and other weighing scales which include a button that resets the zero of the scale display when an empty container is placed on the weighing platform, in order to subsequently display only the weight of the contents of the container. Dict.

43. One no longer serving: EX-GI.

45. Prove to be untrue: BELIE.

47. Late arriver's cry: I MADE IT.

52. Airport near OAK: SFO. Oakland and San Francisco are easy MSY is hard.

53. Outwit, as a tail: LOSE.

54. Taker of ppm measurements: EPA. Parts Per Million. Environmental Protection Agency.

55. Dorm room, perhaps: STY. I am so tired of this FEBREZE commercial.

57. Bad picnic omen: ANT. That seems harsh; you go sit where they live.

63. B.S. part: Abbr.: SCIence.

64. Oven setting: BROIL. I wondered why when you wanted to roast the turkey you set the oven to broil.

65. Put an end to: CEASE. And desist.

66. Rocky outcropping: TOR. A word I learned from puzzles, which is also known by geomorphologists as either a castle koppie or kopje, is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. Wiki.

67. AAA and NRA: ASSNS.

68. Bar shelf lineup: RYES. I have never seen an array of rye whiskey in any bar.


Down:

1. Half-__: coffee choice: CAF. Half-assed?

3. Aran Islands country: Abbr.: IREland. The Aran Islands are located just off Galway and Doolin. A true Irish experience awaits, locals, speak Irish as well as English in a setting of Celtic churches of historical significance including World Heritage site Dun Aonghasa which is set on a dramatic 300 ft cliff edge.

4. Prone to prying: NOSY.

5. Many an IRS e-file user: CPA.

6. 1492 landing site, now: HAITI. The HISTORY of this island called AYTI by the natives is more complex than most know.

7. Gathering of spies: INTEL. Not where but what.

8. Show instability: TEETER. Totter.

9. Hasselblad product: SLR. Single Lens Reflex.

10. 5-Down's concern: INCOME TAXES.

11. "Chillax!": COOL IT.

12. Act to excess: EMOTE. I have never liked this clue/fill.

14. Hula Hoop manufacturer: WHAMO.

18. Sound system component: WOOFER. Tweeter before the twits took control.

22. Rendered immobile: HOGTIED. The hogtie when used on pigs and cattle has it where three of the four limbs are tied together, as tying all four together is difficult and can result in harm to the animal. More rodeo, see 45D.

23. Student advocacy gp.: PTA.

24. Ruckus: FUSS. Next to

25. Shake things up: CREATE A STIR. Quite a nice phrase, though all I can find online is Cause a Stir.

27. Key of Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto: B-FLAT.

28. Horseshoe holder: HOOF. I nailed this answer.

30. Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs: NATALIE. And much more. LINK.

34. Kingston Trio hit with the lyric "Fight the fare increase!": MTA. Poor Charlie.

35. Letter enhancement: SERIF. Serifs are semi-structural details or small decorative flourishes on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols. An example would be the Times New Roman font. Sans serif does not have these details or flourishes. An example would be the Arial font.

38. Go __ smoke: UP IN.

39. End that may be untimely: DEMISE. An odd clecho with...

40. End-of-week exclamation: TGIF.

44. Midori on the ice: ITO.

45. Bouncy ride, to say the least: BRONCO. It is kind of fun when the horse wins.

46. Arab bigwigs: EMEERS.

48. Bit of tomfoolery: ANTIC. If you give in to your wild side, you will often have a ...

49. Rollicking good time: BLAST.

50. Prom night coifs: UPDOS.

51. Dickens bad guy: FAGIN.  This fictional character is one of the villains in Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist (1837–39) and one of the most notorious anti-Semitic portraits in English literature.

56. River in western Belgium: YSER. Made famous in World War I. LINK.

58. Org. for pugilists: WBA. The World Boxing Association is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the IBF, WBC, and WBO. wiki.

59. They, in Tours: ILS. Just some more French.

60. "Suppose ... ": SAY.  These three letter fill are not simple/

61. Play for a fool: USE.

Joe Kidd was back and no Kidding around. Like I said, I went pretty fast for a Friday but had a good time. Maybe Mr. Kidd will overcome his shyness and come to the Corner to say hi. If not, we will soldier on. Thank you all and until next time- Lemonade out.

Thursday, October 25th 2018 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Military Maneuver - as the reveal at the "foot" of the puzzle tells us:

53D. Spring time ... or a military procession involving a word sequence hidden in 15-, 31-, 41- and 61-Across: MARCH

15A. Trying to overcome a late start, say: PLAYING CATCH-UP

31A. "Any minute now": IT WON'T BE LONG

41A. Critical shuttle maneuver: EARTH RE-ENTRY

61A. NBC soap since 1965: DAYS OF OUR LIVES. That's 13,455 episodes I need (?) to catch up on, as of today.

A neat theme from C.C.; the hidden words are all nicely scattered around in the theme entries, and the "THREE" spans a word divide and a hyphen to obscure things a little. I don't think it would be possible to see the theme without the reveal, which is placed nicely at the bottom of the puzzle in the down entries.

Two pairs of stacked 8's in the downs, and two 14's and two 12's in the theme make for a nice construction job; C.C.'s definitely an expert at that.

There might be a shout-out to some puzzle bloggers - ARGYLE for sure, and "Splinter" group and STEVIE almost make it. She's been a MENTOR to a lot of puzzle constructors and bloggers, so that works nicely too.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Smudge: BLOT

5. Splinter group: SECT

9. Instagram or Snapchat: APP. I still don't know quite what the point is of these two. Apparently I have an Instagram account, it came with something, I have no idea what.

12. Past time: YORE. Days of.

13. Union agreements?: I DO'S. Nice one.

14. "Get outta here!": SHOO!

18. Clemson's conf.: A.C.C. The Atlantic Coast Conference. Now includes some schools from the Midwest and the Northeast.

19. Silicon Valley setting: BAY AREA

20. Hoops net holder: RIM

22. Deli order: SALAMI

24. New York prison in 1971 headlines: ATTICA

26. Wine glass feature: STEM. My daily use wine glasses are stemless. I kept breaking them off in the dishwasher. I keep the stemware for special bottles, then break them off in the dishwasher.

27. Suffers from: HAS

30. Prince Harry's alma mater: ETON. Harry is an "old boy" of Eton, an "Old Etonian". I'm an "Old Symondian", from Peter Symond's School in Winchester.

36. Org. with Jays and Rays: M.L.B. It's World Series time, and neither the Jays nor the Rays are anywhere to be seen.

39. Elastic bikini top: BANDEAU

40. Org. with an annual Codebreaker Challenge: NSA

44. Skier's pick-me-up?: T-BAR

45. Summer hrs.: DST

46. Archipelago part: ISLE

50. Sweater pattern: ARGYLE

53. Salieri, to Liszt: MENTOR

55. Streaming delay: LAG

56. Spiritual leader of Nizari Ismaili Muslims: AGA KHAN

60. Actress Mendes: EVA

64. Mineral sources: ORES

65. Poolroom powder: TALC

66. Gimlet garnish: LIME

67. ACLU concerns: RTS

68. Cross with a top loop: ANKH

69. Creepy glance: LEER

Down:

1. Go around: BYPASS

2. Humorous feline meme: LOLCAT. A lolcat's language is "lolspeak".

3. Prophecy source: ORACLE. Every self-respecting Greek city should have one. The best-known Oracle was at Delphi, she cornered the market in predictions to the great and the good.

4. "The Daughter of Time" novelist: TEY

5. Six-Day War peninsula: SINAI

6. Pushing boundaries: EDGY

7. Soft-drink word since 1886: COCA. COLA went in without a thought, then had me wondering, and rightly so.

8. Deposed Russian ruler: TSAR

9. "That feels good": AHH!

10. Pull out all the stops: POUR IT ON

11. Katy Perry and Mariah Carey: POP ICONS

14. "Get outta here!": SCAT!

16. Watson creator: IBM

17. Beverage with dim sum: TEA. I love dim sum. On my first trip to Hong Kong my first stop was a dim sum restaurant in Kowloon for Sunday lunch. There was a slight snag in that there were no carts, and the menu was all in Cantonese. Pointing at plates on other tables got me fed. I learned all the names of the dishes after that. The tea came without me asking, so that part was simple.

21. Comics read vertically: MANGA

23. Montréal mate: AMI. Or a Canadian-South American fusion cimarrón, but that wouldn't fit.

25. __ Aviv: TEL

27. Perfected: HONED

28. Mints brand with mountain peaks in its logo: ANDES. I did not know that. Now I do.

29. Surgical tube: STENT

32. "Speaking frankly," in texts: TBH. To Be Honest - and, to be honest, why wouldn't you be?

33. Armed conflict: WAR

34. Home run hitter?: BAT

35. Spain's cont.: EUR

36. Like virtually all golf club heads nowadays: METAL. I can't remember when I last saw a persimmon club head. My first set of clubs had persimmon for the driver, three- and five-woods.

37. __ retriever: LABRADOR

38. Blowhard: BRAGGART. I always forget that the final "T" isn't a "D". As I did in this case.

42. Push to the limit: TRY

43. Yang's opposite: YIN

47. Memorable guitarist __ Ray Vaughan: STEVIE

48. 2009 Justin Bieber hit: LOVE ME. Awkward neighbors; Stevie Ray and the Biebster.

49. Correction device: ERASER

51. Highlands girl: LASS

52. Big 38-Down feature: EGO

54. Bigger photo: Abbr.: ENL.

57. Mennen lotion: AFTA. After-shave lotion. Simple enough to remember it once you've heard what it is.

58. Zen question: KOAN

59. "Incredible" hero: HULK

62. "Of course!": YES

63. Not well: ILL

And that's about it from me. Back in New York for a couple of days - what happened to the nice LA weather? Oh, I left it in LA, silly me.

Here's the grid, nicely tricked out with the theme words highlighted for y'all.

Steve

Wednesday, October 24 2018, Tim Schenck

Theme: IN GOOD SPIRITS

17A. Roadblocks: BARRICADES. SIDECAR. Cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice.

65A. Gambles in a church basement, maybe: PLAYS BINGO. GIBSON. Gin, dry vermouth, garnished with a pickled onion.

10D. Wawa and 7-Eleven: MINI MARTS. MARTINI. Never heard of Wawa - it is only in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Florida. A MARTINI is made with gin or vodka and vermouth, garnished with an olive or a lemon twist.

36D. Captivating: ARRESTING. STINGER. Crème de menthe added to brandy.

25. With 38-Down, bar offering found in each set of circles: MIXED.

38. See 25-Down: DRINK.

Melissa here. Grokking this theme would be next to impossible without the circles, since the drink anagrams did not include all the letters in each theme answer. Sneaky and so clever.

Across:

1. Vote to accept: ADOPT.

6. Sincerely asks for: BEGS.

10. Vicki Lawrence sitcom role: MAMA.

14. Harley owner: BIKER.

15. "This is __ a test": ONLY.

16. Flower painted by van Gogh: IRIS. Beautiful.

19. Friendly: NICE.

20. Win the affections of: ENAMOR.

21. "__ lost!": GET.

22. Mental flash: IDEA.

23. Be rude to: SASS.

24. Doc's org.: AMA.

26. Good name for many a tree-lined street: ELM.

28. Energy: VIM.

29. Barely sufficient: MEAGER.

33. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" co-creator Fey: TINA. Love Tina Fey, but have never seen this.

37. Crossed (out): EXED.

39. Prepare, as Romano: GRATE.

40. Womb-related: UTERINE.

42. Crowd control weapon: RIOT GUN.

44. Part of TNT: NITRO.

45. Trace amount: DRIB. Thought to be a shortening of driblet.

47. Not tacit: SAID.

48. Ledger column: ASSETS.

50. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.: ENE.

51. Did nothing: SAT. Lots of people who sit in front of their computers would BEG to differ.

52. Calypso-influenced genre: SKA.

53. __ of March: IDES.

57. Minor argument: SPAT.

60. Baseball bat wood: ASH.

62. In the center: MEDIAL.

64. Airport idler: TAXI. Less and less, due to Uber and other ride-hailing apps, which are also impacting airport parking revenue.

67. Golfer's selection: IRON.

68. Easy gait: LOPE.

69. Winemaker with 1900 acres of vineyards in California: BOGLE. If you like beefy reds, their Old Vine Zinfandel is delicious.

70. __ a bell: sounded familiar: RANG.

71. Short-horned bighorns: EWES. Ewe can't pull the wool over their eyes.

72. Lid inflammations: STYES.

Down:

1. Clerics in un monastère: ABBES. French - monastery / abbot.

2. "Outlander" novelist Gabaldon: DIANA. First in an eight-part series. Adapted to a television series on Starz.

3. Gumbo pods: OKRAS.

4. Salon jobs: PERMS. Is that still a thing?

5. Crosby, Stills & Nash, e.g.: TRIO.

6. Fancy neckwear: BOA.

7. Final stage of a chess match: END GAME.

8. TV series with choreographed numbers: GLEE.

9. Word with metric or merit: SYSTEM.

11. Bone-dry: ARID.

12. Attic pests: MICE.

13. Topside, perhaps: ASEA. New to me, topside means "above the waterline."

18. Cowardly: CRAVEN.

27. Big name in small construction: LEGO. Cute. Parents know exactly what it feels to step on them barefoot. There's a funny haiku about this - google if you're not offended by curse words.

30. "Poker Face" Lady: GAGA.

31. Needle case: ETUI.

32. Tear to bits: REND.

33. Sushi option: TUNA. Any sushi lovers here? A Japanese Guide to Sushi Tuna. Between overfishing and mercury - it's hard to know what to eat anymore.

34. "For real?": IT IS.

35. Brooklyn NBA team: NETS.

41. Greek letter: IOTA.

43. Support group?: I-BEAMS. Nice clue.

46. Mold into a new form: RESHAPE.

49. Paper clip alternative: STAPLE.

53. Senseless sort: IDIOT.

54. Shabby: DINGY.

55. Sharp-eyed hunter: EAGLE.

56. Astringent plumlike fruits: SLOES. In keeping with today's theme, what is sloe gin?

57. Prepare, as a 25-/38-Down: STIR.

58. Prefix with graph: PARA. Paragraph.

59. Neural transmitter: AXON.

61. Hoping for more customers: SLOW.

63. Drops off: EBBS.

66. "Amen!": YES.