As 2018 is nearly gone, the day of December 29 is designated as National Tick Tock Day. Think of all the things you intended to get done in this calendar year but have not yet completed. It is my intention to get my basement workbench cleaned up and organized before I plop down for my College Bowl Game (plus the Rose Parade) extravaganza coming up. Well yesterday Lemon got a themeless Friday puzzle and today on themeless Saturday, Dr. Sessa, by way of Rich, has given us one that does have a theme. C.C. wrote me and asked if I saw a theme because of the cluing and somewhat closely related fills I made what I think is at least a somewhat tenuous connection to the fills. When C.C. wrote Ed, he replied that he was trying to even make the grid look like a smile. Do you see it? 😀
Now here is my take on the themers as I see them and the reveal:
17. Line erasers - PLASTIC SURGEONS can permanently fix the line of downturned lips into a SMILE
32. Necklines?: CAROTID ARTERIES - This droopy SMILE line can indicate a blocked CAROTID ARTERY
36. Title line after "Gray skies are gonna clear up": PUT ON A HAPPY FACE - Dick Van Dyke and Janet Leigh from Bye Bye Birdie on obtaining a SMILE
56. Echoic phrase from a WWI marching song: SMILE SMILE SMILE - All three fills are summed up by "Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE".
I hope you agree on my Saturday SMILE themeage, but now let's quit procrastinating on National Tick Tock Day and see what Dr. Sessa has prescribed for us. If your ailment requires devilish cluing, Ed has the correct RX for you today!
Across: 1. Actor Omar with three NAACP Image Awards: EPPS - he won by playing a doctor in 45. Sites with masked workers, briefly: OR(S) with other masked people
5. 007's watch, in the later films: OMEGA - Here you can see the famous 007 trademark
10. Sent to, too: CCED - Carbon CopiED - usually an anachronism today 14. Independent African country since 1960: MALI - Recently, we have also had Niger, Burkina Faso and Gabon Find them?
`
15. Santa-tracking acronym: NORAD - Even in Asia
27. Stores with a blue-and-yellow logo: IKEAS - See comment above
16. Jennifer of "Pride and Prejudice" (1995): EHLE - Here she is 44. Actress Aimée: ANOUK - Here she is 20. It carries a charge: ION. 21. Stable attendant: HOSTLER - Chapter 15 of Black Beauty is entitled The Old HOSTLER
22. Half an ouchie?: BOO - "Mommy, I got a BOO BOO!" 23. Despicable: ROTTEN. 25. Genre with ad images: POP ART 28. NYC subway line: IRT - Interborough Rapid Transit 31. "The Divine Comedy" division: CANTO - It has 100 CANTI (pl.) or sections 35. Tablet since 2013: IPAD AIR - Another entry in the Apple stable 46. Timeworn: BANAL - We have many timeworn fills here but they are vital for constructors 47. Delivered a screed: RANTED - Pro rasslers RANT to build up a gate
49. "Man is condemned to be free" philosopher: SARTRE - Jean Paul
50. Thou follower, often: ART. 51. Butler's classic line: YOU RANG - C'mon, no one is listening, do your best Lurch imitation
55. Its first letter often means "more than one": HOV.
59. Smallville name: KENT - Even when he was a baby, Ma and Pa KENT knew their son was Super
60. Gay opening?: ENOLA - A new clue for Col. Paul Tibbets' Omaha-built B-29 61. Chrysler Building architect William Van __: ALEN - This iconic NYC building was the world's tallest for 11 months in 1930 62. Pointed at, perhaps: IDED - I witnessed a hit and run two weeks ago but I know I could never ID the guy who did it 63. "That's unfortunate": SO SAD.
64. Ford contemporary: OLDS - Charles King (l.) was a mentor to Ransom OLDS (c.) and Henry Ford (r.)
Down: 1. Based on observation: EMPIRIC - EMPIRIC evidence shows we landed a man on the Moon despite the loonies who say we didn't 2. Two-bit boxer: PALOOKA - Even comic book characters pitched in during WWII
3. One with a rooting interest: PLANTER - Now this is a serious PLANTER 4. Short sibling?: SIS - My SIS is very short 5. Kitchen bulb: ONION. 6. Soft shoes: MOCS - MOCassins 7. "... which __ was irksome to me": Shakespeare: ERST - Thy company, which ERST was irksome to me, (I used to hate you) Act V Scene III As You Like It 8. Three-part region, per Caesar: GAUL - "All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in ours GAULS, the third." Caeser, The Gallic Wars
9. Media industry worker: AD REP - TV's most famous AD REPS
10. Left of center?: CEE - Yes, CEE is on the left of the word Center 11. Greek-style yogurt brand: CHOBANI and 28. Site of an 11-Down yogurt plant, the world's largest: IDAHO - A $100,000,000 plant in Twin Falls, IDAHO
12. America, in Acapulco: EL NORTE - Also Norteamérica and América del norte, 13. Autos advertised on "You Bet Your Life": DESOTOS - Grouch (:08)
18. It's a dirty look: THE STINK EYE - Kramer on the "looks" (:33)
19. Holders of staples: GROCERY BAGS - Gotta love this one 24. Confucian path: TAO. 26. Expected: PAR - Yup, this is a 1,000 yard PAR 7 in Seoul, South Korea
29. "M*A*S*H" role: RADAR. 30. Doesn't allow out: TRAPS - Like The Roach Motel 33. Draft choice: IPA - India Pale Ale
34. Pointer or point: TIP
Giving a TIP The TIP of the sword
36. Hybrid jumping sport with a landing target: PARA SKI.
37. Lacking heat?: UNARMED - If you're "packing heat" you're carrying a gun. If you aren't then you're UNARMED 38. Survivor-take-all investment scheme: TONTINE - A lovely four minute scene about a slightly different TONTINE which is mentioned at 1:42
40. With 39-Down, unconventional: FAR and39. See 40-Down: OUT 41. End of a line in the sand, maybe: ANTHILL - I suspect this ANT TRAIL in Alaska will eventually end at an ANT HILL
42. Sang for an audience of one, sometimes: CAROLED - Even the lovely CAROLS of the season can become tiresome 43. Gridiron numbers: ELEVENS - Eleven on each side of the ball 48. Dispensed amounts: DOSES. 49. Winner of 82 PGA Tour tournaments: SNEAD.
52. "Don't think so": UM...NO.
53. Spanish waterways: RIOS - The RIO Paraná empties into the RIO de la Plata
54. Italian recipe word: ALLA - In the style of 57. Ford's Crown Vic, originally: LTD - Something Crown Vics are noted for
58. Foe of Chiang: MAO. Now, get off the couch, chair, chaise or whatever and get that last 2018 project done on Tick Tock Day, starting with commenting on Dr. Sessa's puzzle:
I have been doing puzzle blogging here for close to nine years, Friday for 7 years, I think. I have never been faced with a themeless puzzle, so I have spent a very long time looking for a theme in this cooperative effort from Tracy Bennett and Victor Fleming. We had our debut for TRACY on a Wednesday blogged by Steve. He commented she was getting into themeless puzzles. She had one here on a Saturday with Erik Agard recently. In a comment on xwordinfo, she mentioned that Victor Fleming was her "mentor." I really do not know how to write-up a themeless. There are lots of long, sparkly fill FINITUDE, IT CAN'T BE, NOT A HOPE, TRAWL NET, PULLAPART, SATIN DOLL, BULL MARKET FAIR ENOUGH and the mini-theme ALMOST HEAVEN /WEST VIRGINIA. Splynter, where are you when I need you? Here he is suggesting that concept in a C.C. SATURDAY. So here I go...
5. Like 22-Down, according to a song by John Denver (born 12/31/1943): ALMOST HEAVEN. 22D. See 5-Down: WEST VIRGINIA.
Across:
1. Caesar's fault: CULPA. In the incomparable luck of the puzzle, hopefully you all saw IM's mea culpa in yesterdays comments.
6. Big box office success, slangily: BOFF. I do not like this fill, as I always thought it was BOFFO, but dictionary.com says "Theater. a box-office hit.; a joke or humorous line producing hearty laughter. a loud hearty laugh; belly laugh."
10. PC scroll key: PGUP. Page up.
14. Rental brand with a hyphen: U-HAUL. Rental was so unhelpful.
15. Like the 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card: RARE. There’s an old saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” and this card sold at auction in 2016 for more than FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
16. Source of fizz: SODA. That is backasswards to me.
17. Stock up time?: BULL MARKET. When stocks are going up it is considered a bull marker; when down a bear market.
19. Does sum work: ADDS. A tiny pun.
20. Hebrew wishing well?: SHALOM. שלום is such an important word in Hebrew, and the pun here is wonderful, worth the 25 cents you need to throw in.
21. Shrimper's catcher: TRAWL NET.
23. More than dream: ASPIRE. To direct one's hopes or ambitions toward achieving something
29. Monument Valley features: MESAS. A natural wonder in Utah. and the clecho 53A. Hilly terrain features: RIDGES.
31. Zero chance: NOT A HOPE.
33. Starfleet Acad. grad at the helm: LT. SULU. Our friend...
38. Woman in the picture: ACTRESS. A tricky generic clue.
39. Old duple-time dances: PAVANES. Duple meter (or duple metre, also known as duple-time) is a musical metre characterized by a primary division of 2 beats to the bar.
40. Some religious sculptures: PIETAS.
41. Limited state: FINITUDE. A finite state or quality. For example, one quickly senses the finitude of his patience.
42. Event with a horse: VAULT. Actually, this is no longer true, as it has been replaced with the vault TABLE.
44. "How Do I Live" singer: RIMES. LeAnn
45. Binary pronoun: HESHE. Is this now an accepted unique pronoun?
49. Quit: RESIGN.
51. "Unbelievable!": IT CAN'T BE. It reminds me of a commercial but I can't remember the product.
57. Retreat: LAIR.
58. Negotiation-ending words: FAIR ENOUGH. This is ridiculously hard, as I have never seen a negotiation end this way.
60. __ hack: LIFE.
61. Hathaway of "Rachel Getting Married": ANNE. Very popular actress, not so much the MOVIE.
62. Willing offer: I'LL GO. Also not easy. But with 64A...
63. Not likely: SLIM. And none.
64. Big name in little bricks: LEGO. We see GO often in this puzzle; 55D. "Too good not to share" breakfast brand: EGGO.
65. Permit: ALLOW.
Down:
1. Chicago's "North Siders": CUBS. Baseball- CUBS to the North, WHITE SOX to the South.
2. "Don't think so": UH UH.
3. __ land: LA LA. A CSO to our friend Linda who I hope is doing well now.
4. Separate: PULL APART.
6. Cold reaction: BRR.
7. Symbol of might: OAK TREE. There have been many POEMS extolling the Oak.
8. Famille members: FRERES. Brother, in French families.
9. Cheese served with kalamata olives: FETA. Made from sheep and goat milk. READ.
10. One of a Biblical 150: PSALM. These are poems of praise originated in Hebrew literature and revered also by Christians.
11. "What terrible news!": GOD NO. Oddly placed.-
12. Whence milk: UDDER. A very literal answer.
13. Irish pub pie: PASTY. A pie or turnover, especially one with a savory filling including seasoned meat, fish, or vegetables. These are popular in more places than Irish pubs.
18. Energize: AMP. If you think of being "amped" this makes sense.
24. Provocative little ones: IMPS. Next to amp, this is a cute use of a common fill.
26. __ bean: SNAP.
27. Math points: LOCI.
28. Marion's conclusion: ETTE.
30. Actor Thicke on Canada's Walk of Fame: ALAN. Alan Thicke was born on March 1, 1947, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada as Alan Willis Jeffrey. He died in 2016.
32. Mountain near Pelion: OSSA. Tough unless you are up on your Greek geography or mythology. Pelion a wooded mountain in Greece, near the coast of SE Thessaly, which in Greek mythology was held to be the home of the centaurs, and the giants were said to have piled Mounts Olympus and Ossa on its summit in their attempt to reach heaven and destroy the gods. This story has given rise to the phrase pile Pelion on Ossa, meaning to add an extra difficulty or task to something which is already difficult or onerous.
34. Ellington classic: SATIN DOLL.
35. Coined word?: UNUM. E Pluribus...cute clue.
36. News article intro: LEDE. Often mistaken for "lead"
37. Avails oneself of: USES.
39. Drupe remains: PITS. A drupe is any fruit, such as a peach, cherry, plum, etc., consisting of an outer skin, a usually pulpy and succulent middle layer, and a hard and woody inner shell usually enclosing a single seed, or pit.
41. Hardly turning oneself in: FLEEING. The fleeing felon.
43. Polished: URBANE. Thin David Niven.
45. Roman septet: HILLS. Septet = 7. Seven Hills of Rome, the group of hills on or about which the ancient city of Rome was built. The original city of Romulus was built upon Palatine Hill (Latin: Mons Palatinus). The other hills are the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, and Aventine (known respectively in Latin as the Mons Capitolinus, Mons Quirinalis, Mons Viminalis, Mons Esquilinus, Mons Caelius, and Mons Aventinus).
46. Much cashless commerce: E-TAIL.
47. Ursula K. Le Guin's genre: SCI-FI. This acclaimed AUTHOR died in 2018.
48. Polyamorous anime subgenre: HAREM. I understand the words but knew nothing about this graphic genre of anime where there is a possibility of a polygamous romantic relationship. It is a reverse harem when it is more than one boy involved. You can look it up yourselves.
50. Wrath: IRE. Maybe the most common fill in crosswords.
52. Pan name: T-FAL. Also very common fill. Lots of hyphens today.
54. Seaside soarer: GULL.
56. Take third: SHOW. WIN/PLACE/SHOW. Easy if you bet on horses.
59. __ Speedwagon: REO. I will leave you with some music and a sincere thanks to Tracy and Victor providing my first themeless review, C.C. and the rest of our bloggers for help and reassurance in my efforts and to all of you I wish healthy, happy, successful 2019.
Theme: Corner Crossing Crowd - the first and last name theme entries connect with each other in one corner:
1A. Popular peck picker: PETER
1D. ---: PIPER. This one's a bit of an outlier as the other theme entries emerge - a character from a rhyme, rather than from a cartoon or a movie.
6A. Sinister "Smallville" supervillain: LEX.
6D. ---: LUTHOR. Superman's nemesis.
35A. Fantastic Four foe: DOCTOR.
35D. ---: DOOM. This was all crosses for me, but not too much of a struggle.
50A. Tall toon toothpick: OLIVE.
50D. ---: OYL. The focus of Popeye's affections.
54A. Flirty Fleischer flapper: BETTY.
54D. ---: BOOP. Oddly, these cartoons were played on British TV in the children's programming. In retrospect, a strange place in the schedule considering the subject matter.
60A. Dedicated DC damsel: LOIS.
60D. ---: LANE. Another from the Superman comics.
Impressive alliterative theme today. I wonder if Bruce played with PETER PARKER rather than PIPER as he would have been more of a fit with the rest of the theme entries, but that would mean stacking 6's in those corners, not always easy.
Let's see what else we've got:
Across:
13. Peaceful: IRENIC. A new word for me today. Derived from the greek word for "peace".
15. Wire service initials: UPI. United Press International. The HQ is in Florida.
16. Music halls of old: ODEA. Odeon in the singular.
17. Black-and-white bears: PANDAS.
18. Like the most rarefied air: THINNEST.
20. DFW postings: ETDS. You need help to decide between ETA, ETD and ARR.
21. Queens tennis stadium: ASHE. The legendary Arthur Ashe. The arena is home to the US Open.
23. Small type size: AGATE. 5.5 typographical points.
24. Seafood delicacy: ROE.
25. "I'm Free" musical: TOMMY. The composer, Pete Townsend, would object to the term "musical". He composed it as the first "rock opera". Here's Elton John as the Pinball Wizard.
27. White House foreign policy gp.: NSC. National Security Council.
30. __ school: PREP. Prep schools in the US prepare the students for college. In the UK, they prepare them for a school (which are private). Go figure.
49. NFC East team, on crawl lines: NYG. New York Giants.
51. Big Pharma watchdog: Abbr.: FDA. Food and Drug Administration.
58. "Me? Never!": NOT I!
61. Scenic viewpoint: OVERLOOK.
63. Certifying exams: BOARDS.
65. Wine opener?: OENO-
66. It may be brown or golden: ALE.
67. Ball State University city: MUNCIE. Something else I didn't know today. The crosses were solid.
68. Soft call: PSST!
69. "Criminal Minds" agent: FED. I've never seen the series, which currently runs to 309 episodes. I don't think I have time to catch up on all those.
70. Chilly temps: TEENS.
Down:
2. Millay's muse: ERATO. The muse of love poetry. Edna Millay was a poet and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
"What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
Under my head till morning; but the rain
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Upon the glass and listen for reply,
And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain
For unremembered lads that not again
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry."
3. Leanings: TENDENCIES.
4. Objectives: ENDS.
5. Narrow inlet: RIA.
7. Transitory things: EPHEMERA. Lovely word.
8. Number between I and XI?: XII. Tricky one, this. The number 12 sits between 11 and 1 on a clock face. Inverting the two clue numbers makes it even more obscure.
10. Creative spark: IDEA.
11. Fit together, as matryoshka dolls: NEST. Russian dolls, more informally.
12. Portal: GATE.
14. One side in "Gone With the Wind": Abbr.: CSA. Confederate States of America.
19. Word of dissent: NAY.
22. Indy brand: STP. Octane-boosting additive. I'm sure there are others, but STP seems to have the monopoly on race car sponsorship.
26. Digital video files: MPEGS. For the Moving Pictures Expert Group, a standards organization for audio and video compression.
28. Dots on a transit map: STOPS.
29. Pop genre?: COLA.
32. What may be resorted to when words fail: USING FORCE.
33. Long look: GAZE.
34. Downhill racer: SLED.
36. Writer Sarah __ Jewett: ORNE. An writer new to me.
37. Majestic: REGAL.
39. Element of change?: COIN. Fun clue/answer combination.
41. Florida State athlete: SEMINOLE.
47. Called forth: EVOKED.
48. Safety device: NET.
52. Brought to ruin: DID IN.
53. Horse relatives: ASSES.
55. Pre-revelry nights: EVES. There's a couple of them at this time of year!
56. Teller's stack: TENS.
57. Leisurely pace: TROT.
59. "Let's put smart to work" company: IBM. Pure guesswork, but I got this first time.
62. Buffoon: OAF.
64. Last word of "Casey at the Bat": OUT.
"But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out."
And I think that's the cue for my last out of the day. I'll be back on the west side of the Atlantic by next week. Here's the grid!
Steve
Notes from C.C.:
Happy 59th Birthday to our adventurous pilot Dudley, who started "Rabbit, Rabbit" tradition on our blog. This picture was taken during Montana's visit to Northeast in September, 2013.
Theme - It's In The Cards -- You Can Bet On It. The final letters of the theme answers spell out the names of playing cards that, when taken together, will surely give you the winning hand. And they are presented in ascending order - a nice, elegant touch.
17 A. Bullied: BROW BEATEN. Intimidated, coerced, pressured, terrorized, usually into doing something. The card rank and hand description explanations will follow. Vide infra.
23 A. Breakfast fare: FLAPJACK. Here in the U.S. this is another term for the pancake, and that is the intended sense of the clue. In the U. K. this terms refers to a tray-baked bar made of rolled oats, butter and brown sugar - which sounds like a pretty good granola bar.
29 A. "12 Years a Slave" director Steve or "Bullitt" star Steve (not the same person): MCQUEEN. Steven Rodney McQueen [b 1969] is a British film director and screen writer. Terence Steven McQueen [1930-1980] aka "The King of Cool" was nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Sand Pebbles. He appeared in several block-buster films, and is probably best know for Bullit. He lived hard and fast and passed too young at the age of 50. This pair of QUEENs also gives us a small branch off the main theme.
43 A. Stirring up, as resentment: STOKING. literally, to STOKE means to add fuel to a fire. So, by extension, the word also means to fire up emotions - especially those that are hot anyway, like resentment or anger.
47 A. Commoners: POPULACE. A collective noun for the inhabitants of a region or country. A "commoner" is an ordinary person, without rank or title. It's a bit of a stretch to see equivalence here.
And the unifier: 54. What's hidden at the ends of 17-, 23-, 29-, 43- and 47-Across--if all are in, say, 38-Across: ROYAL FLUSH. In poker, hands are ranked in reverse order of the probability of their occurrence. Thus, the least probable holding in any round of play will be the winner. A STRAIGHT is any hand containing five cards in order, say 3-4-5-6-7, frex. A higher ranking hand is a FLUSH, in which all of the cards are in the same suit. Next, in ascending order are the full house - three of a kind plus a pair; and four of a kind. Ranking above all of them is the STRAIGHT FLUSH - five cards, not only in order, but also all in the same suit. Within a suit, cards are ranked by their numbers, with face cards above, and the the ACE highest of all [usually.] So, a STRAIGHT FLUSH consisting of TEN, JACK, QUEEN, KING, and ACE of any suit, aka a ROYAL FLUSH, is the highest ranking example of the least likely, and therefore most powerful holding.
Plus, we get a nice, centrally-located theme extra -- 38 A. See 54-Across: CLUBS. These are cards in one of the four suits in which a ROYAL FLUSH might occur; the others being diamonds, hearts and spades.
In each of the major theme clues, the hidden card name has a completely different meaning than it does in the context of the unifier - another nice touch. So - a really well constructed puzzle.
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here wishing you all a happy Kwanza, Boxing Day and/or feast of St. Steven. Let's see what other gifts this puzzle offers.
Across:
1. Campus VIP: DEAN. the head of faculty in a department
5. __ East, Chicago-based pizza chain: GINOS. Started in 1966 by two taxi drivers.
10. Remove politely, as one's hat: DOFF. Late Middle English contraction of "do off." Contrast "don," as, frex, gay apparel.
14. Entreat: URGE. Attempt to convince someone without resorting to actual BROWBEATING.
15. "__ Mio": O SOLE. A Neapolitan song written in 1989 by Giovanni Capurro, Eduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi, and usually sing in the original Neapolitan language. The title translates as "My Sunshine."
16. Malevolence: EVIL.
19. Word processor command: SAVE.
20. World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO. [b 1942] He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.
21. Used TurboTax, perhaps: E-FILED. Submitted your tax return electronically.
27. Actor Mineo: SAL. Salvatore Mineo, Jr. [1939-1976] was an American singer and actor nominated for Acadamy Awards for best supporting actor in Rebel without a Cause and Exodus.
28. Take to a new planter: REROOT. Plant in a new pot? To reroot means to generate a new, identical plant from a stem cutting. Not the same thing at all.
33. Farewell that is bid: ADIEU. Buh-bye.
34. Pumps and platforms: SHOES. Different shoe styles.
36. Sorbonne article: UNE. I suppose it means "The."
37. Black-plumed pond swimmer: COOT. Coots are small water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica, the name being the Latin for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water. They are close relatives of the moorhen. [Wikipedia]
39. "__ glad to!": I'D BE. Expressing eager willingness to do something - without being BROW BEATEN.
40. Hung. neighbor: AUS. Hungary and Austria, two Eastern European Countries.
41. Gives the heave-ho: BOOTS. Kicks out of something
42. Rebuke: SCOLD. Harsh verbal criticism - could also involve BROW BEATING.
45. Solid alcohol: STEROL. A complex organic alcohol, C17H22O, found in plants and animals. It is the eponym for a class of chemical compounds with related molecular structures. Cholesterol is one example.
61. Twitter troublemaker: TROLL. One who invades comment sections for the purpose of disrupting conversations and causing general mayhem. Also found on FaceBook and Blogs.
62. "Off the Court" autobiographer Arthur: ASHE. Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. [1943-1993] was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam titles.
63. __ and means: WAYS. The methods and resources at someone's disposal for achieving something. Also the name of the chief tax writing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
64. Gumbo pods: OKRAS. The edible seed pods of a flowering plant of the mallow family.
65. Cameo stone: ONYX. A variety of the silicate mineral chalcedony having parallel bands of various colors.
Down:
1. Name: DUB. Provide an unofficial or nickname to someone or something. Traces back via late Old English, meaning to make someone a knight, to Old French adober - to provide with armor.
2. Throw wildly, say: ERR. In baseball, any mishandling of a batted ball by a fielder is considered to be an error.
3. Fourth word in the "Star Wars" intro: AGO. "A long time . . . "
4. Part of four state names: NEW. - Hampshire, -Mexico, -Jersey, and -York.
5. Attacks: GOES AT. A physical or verbal attack. May involve BROW BEATING or actual BEATING about the head and shoulders.
6. Fashion designer Mizrahi: ISAAC. [b 1961] An American fashion designer, TV presenter, and eponym for a line of clothing since 1987.
7. Unacceptable: NOT OK. Incorrect, inappropriate, inadmissible, or simply not good enough.
8. World Cup cry: OLE. Among Spanish-speaking fans.
9. Grows old: SENESCES. Not just that, but deteriorates with age. As old as I am [and to be honest, that's pretty old] I don't believe I have ever encountered this word before, and had to rely completely on perps.
10. Arnaz-Ball production company: DESILU. Founded by the husband and wife team of Desi and Lucy, best known for the TV shows I Love Lucy, Star Trek and The Untouchables.
11. Racecourse shape: OVAL.
12. Dave Brubeck classic "Take __": FIVE. In the unusual time signature of 5/4, it was originally released on the 1959 album TIME OUT, which featured other songs in odd or mixed meters, and is the only song on the album written by Paul Desmond. Two years later, it became a hit, and is the biggest-selling jazz single ever. According to Desmond, "It was never supposed to be a hit. It was supposed to be a Joe Morello drum solo." Yes, I have played this song -- improvised using the 4th mode of the harmonic minor scale. Might not have been your choice. It worked OK.
Pretty aggressive tempo in this live performance
13. Took off: FLED. Or FLEW. Needed perp help.
18. Exquisite trinket: BIJOU. Something small and elegant, French - from Breton bizou, finger ring, from biz, finger.
22. Web help pgs.: FAQS. Frequently Asked QuestionS.
23. Skirmish: FRACAS. A noisy disturbance, brawl or quarrel, from Italian fracassare, to make an uproar.
24. Escorted to the exit: LED OUT. Or SAW OUT, needed even more perps. Does LED OUT suggest the exit might not be voluntary?
25. Melodic passage: ARIOSO. A solo instrumental or vocal piece occurring in an opera or oratorio.
From Cantata No, 156 by J.S. Bach
26. Auden, Blake or Coleridge: POET. Versifiers.
29. Tough crowds: MOBS. An large, unruly, disorganized crowd, that might be prone to causing trouble, mayhem or violence.
30. "Why I Live at the P.O." author Welty: EUDORA. Eudora Alice Welty [1909 - 2001] was an American short story writer and novelist who wrote about the American South. Her novel The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Order of the South. [Wikipedia]
31. As a whole: EN BLOC. Doing something all together, or separately, but at the same time. More French.
32. Acupuncture tool: NEEDLE. Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body. It is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine. The theories and practices of TCM are not based upon scientific knowledge, and acupuncture is a pseudoscience. [Wikipedia]
34. Tough going: SLOG. Like a trek, but worse.
35. Crude shelter: HUT. A small, roughly constructed structure serving as poor-quality lodging. Alternatively, a place to get pizza.
38. Any one of Bach's Brandenburgs: CONCERTO. The Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, in 1721. [Wikipedia] It is unlikely that the Margrave would have had the complement of musicians necessary to perform these works, so they sat unused for a long period.
39. Most sparsely populated Eur. country: ICELand. I have a little difficulty considering this remote island nation to actually be a part of Europe.
41. Owl or osprey: BIRD. Raptors, to be more specific.
42. Odds and ends: STUFF. This and that. Things.
44. "Dust in the Wind" band: KANSAS.
Bach did NOT write this in 1977
45. Stone chips: SPALLS. We also use that word for chips and flakes off of glass or ceramics. Anyway, potato chips might be less crunchy, but they taste better.
47. Richard who played "The Wiz" in 1978: PRYOR. [1940-2005] American stand-up comedian, actor, and social critic.
48. City west of Daytona Beach: OCALA. 'Cuz "De Leon Springs" doesn't fit.
49. Make, as beer: BREW. Via a process of soaking, boiling and fermentation.
50. Oscar winner Minnelli: LIZA. [b 1946] Judy Garland's daughter. The oscar is for her performance in the 1972 movie Cabaret.
51. Nashville venue: OPRY. The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM.
55. Mork's planet: ORK. Mork was exiled to Earth from ORK, where humor is not permitted.
56. Vientiane language: LAO. Lao is the language of Laos. Vientiane is it's capital and largest city.
57. Org. with admirals: USN. United States Navy.
58. Far from forward: SHY. Reserved, timid or nervous in the company of other people.
59. Jinx: HEX. A jinx is a curse or spell cast on someone to cause bad luck. A Hex is more general, and not necessarily negative, but potentially much more severe.
I had some nits wit the cluing, but overall, a fine puzzle and a fun, rather challenging solve. Hope you didn't think it was NOT OK.
Well yesterday Lemon got a themeless Friday puzzle and today on themeless Saturday, Dr. Sessa, by way of Rich, has given us one that does have a theme. 
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25. Genre with ad images: POP ART 
