Saturday, February 9, 2019, Greg Johnson

Saturday Themeless by Greg Johnson


Here we are five days prior to Valentine's Day and we celebrate my wife's favorite food group - Chocolate. Therefore I got a jump on St. Valentine and combined my lovely wife's favorite confection with a sentiment I have maintained through 52 years of marriage.

Our constructor, Greg Johnson may have had some premonition about this as he had this clue today:

9. Flavor that pairs well with chocolate: MINT - I remember when these wonderful treats were 2 cents at the pay station in a restaurant or were free in an upscale eatery. 

Greg Johnson

44. Unchallenging: EASY - While not real EASY, today's puzzle, gave up the ghost faster than most Saturdays for me. Now let's see what else Greg, with his [insert adjective] expression, has for us today:


Across:

1. In honor of: AFTER - The VFW in my hometown is now named AFTER my friend who died in Vietnam and not the heroic WWI man who no one could remember

6. Site with a Pill Identification Tool: WEB MD - I wonder what this thing is...

11. Tried hard: STROVE.

12. More substantial: MEATIER.

14. Sea of Azov peninsula: CRIMEA - A war described as "notoriously incompetent international butchery"

15. When many photos are taken: AT SUNSET 

17. Some therapeutic applications: OILS - A graphic Web Md warning 

18. Didn't get in the way of: LET BE 

20. Brand with an orange-and-yellow bull's-eye trademark: TIDE and 35. Fan: ROOTER - This fan must have felt horrible when the TIDE (Baman) got routed in the National Championship Game this year

21. Conversation on the go: WALK AND TALK - One of many TV and movie 51. Metaphors, e.g.: TROPES - commonly used TV/movie devices

24. X or Z preceder: GEN.

25. Stella Artois product: LAGER - Their Super Bowl ad got good reviews. Sara Jessica Parker pronounced it "Stella Artwah" and Jeff Bridges said "Stella Artoes" 

26. Waiters stand in them: LINES - We waited in line for Ubers not taxis

28. Product of sugar and heat: CARAMEL - People sometimes disregard the middle A like the middle T in dentist

31. Real go-getter: DYNAMO - The motor below is really a electricity generating DYNAMO and could keep my laptop 36. Energized: AMPED up in a storm

32. Retrieved at an airport carousel: CLAIMED - I put a big pink strap around my black bag

33. Pet holdable in one hand: HAMSTER.

34. Critical sounds: HISSES - Appropriate melodrama response when villain appears

35. Took turns: ROTATED - Super Bowl sites are rotated among NFL cities. Next: Miami, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles

37. Cleanser compound: BORAX - Here's a pre-presidential pitchman

38. Saint, in Brazil: SAO.

39. What you'd better have if you miss work: A GOOD EXCUSE 

45. Highest Italian peak south of the Alps: ETNA - This map shows it as a lone white dot on the East end of Sicily 

47. Like yummy desserts, sooner or later: EATEN.

48. Fit to serve: ONE-A - I don't know if the Babe was ever ONE-A but he did register in 1917

49. Separate: DISCRETE = Brown and White rice are DISCRETE varieties 

53. Homicide official: CORONER - 85-yr-old David McCallum still plays the CORONER on NCIS 

54. Event associated with a blue moon: RARITY.

55. Concrete-reinforcing rod: REBAR - REROD works too

56. Kind of question: YES/NO - Yeah, I sent one as a 13-yr-old. She marked Yes!!

Down:

1. Heart chambers: ATRIA - The educated peeps here can find them below

2. Nonessential decoration: FRILL - Lipstick on a pig?

3. Siberian industrial center: TOMSK.

4. Big event lead-in: EVE

5. What John Wayne and Cary Grant weren't: REAL NAMES - Birthplace of Marion Morrison in Winterset, Iowa

6. Dinner party amenity: WET BAR - I'd prefer a taco BAR

7. Painter's aid: EASEL.

8. A/C letters: BTU - Our old HVAC cwd friend

10. Appoint: DESIGNATE 

11. Harbor hauler: SCOW - A garbage SCOW in NYC Harbor

12. Brand on Barbie boxes: MATTEL.

13. Cashed in: REDEEMED - Like Green Stamps

16. Stretching muscle: TENSOR - The TENSOR of the fascia lata in red

19. Trimmed, in a way: EDGED.

22. Bay Area city: ALAMEDA - The San Francisco Warriors play in the Oracle or Oakland/ALAMEDA Arena which is the oldest NBA venue.

23. Female R&B group with the '80s hit "I Miss You": KLYMAXX - A lovely song

27. MIT part: Abbr.: INST- Hmmm... MASS or INST or TECH

28. Of concern to the Weather Channel: CLIMATIC - Our recent departure from CLIMATIC norms has been dramatic 

29. Twelve-step helper: AA SPONSOR.

30. Start the day: RISE.

31. Requirement for statistical analysis: DATA ENTRY - Not my dream job

32. Tried to catch: CHASED - She was CHASED but remained chaste

33. Massive group: HORDE.

37. Flat-topped straw hat: BOATER - Nobody wore one better than this guy

40. Davis with a recurring role on "Grey's Anatomy": GEENA - She was really hard-nosed in Grey's Anatomy but GEENA and baseball, gotta love it!

41. Denver's __ Field: COORS - Playing at an elevation of 5,280 ft. can have its issues

42. Remove from the bulletin board: UNPIN

43. Take care of: SEE TO 

46. A football field is about 32% larger than one: ACRE.

50. Not take well: ROB - An oft-seen fun fill for larceny 

52. Female name that's a body part backwards: RAE - Here's both in this picture 

Now put down that Snickers and comment away:

Note from C.C.:

Happy 48th  birthday to dear Splynter (Richard), our faithful Saturday Sherpa for a long time. Life has not been easy for Splynter the past year, but he's a tough guy. Hope you got that job you wanted, Splynter!

Friday, February 8, 2019, Andy Morrison

Title: Have you ever met a meta?

Along with REBUS CROSSWORD PUZZLES, I do not believe Rich accepts META PUZZLES. But if you like this concept, you will like this debut puzzle from Andy Morrison. The META is revealed at 37A. Literal and figurative hint to four puzzle answers: MISSING LINK (11) which defeats the meta aspect but gives you a taste of the challenge. We get there with:

18A. Boxing academy?: FLIGHT SCHOOL (11). FIGHT CLUB was a successful movie, but FLIGHT School is where you go to learn to fly an airplane. Here we remove the "L".

30. Optimist's hopeful list?: GREAT PLAINS. We have many here who live in the GREAT PLAINS, but how many make Great PLANS? The "I".

48A. Wild party in Dallas?: TEXAS RANGER. We may be too old to know the Urban Dictionary Definition of RAGER : A larger gathering usually of high school or college students where massive amounts of alcohol are consumed, but with many in the Corner from Texas, we know about all kinds of TEXAS RANGERS.

58A. Literary alliance?: WRITER'S BLOCK (11). A BLOC is defined as a combination of countries, parties, or groups sharing a common purpose.

A Writer's Block is the bane of all authors.

And there you have the four letters which make up the MISSING LINK. But you will not be missing any links here. You also were treated lots of sparkle with ARSENIO, GARBAGE, GENUINE, IN A SPIN, MACABRE, MIDWEEK, EPHESIAN, ICE WATER, CHAMBERMAID and  PACKAGE DEAL

Very impressive Andy.


Across:

1. Yukon supplier: GMC. General Motors makes this full-sized or bigger SUV.

4. __ pants: HAREM. Didn't every one of my age think of this image?

9. Scorned lover of Jason: MEDEA. Thank you
for the shout out Andy, but she was my wife and
killed our children just because I was dumping
her for a Corinthian princess.
If you believe Euripides.

14. Aptly, it rhymes with "spa": AAH. Feels so goood.

15. CNN correspondent Hill: ERICA. never watched her. She is on the right.


16. Big period: EPOCH. Is a period of time in history or a person's life, typically one marked by notable events or particular characteristics. Often the backdrop of 43A. Sword-and-sandal feature, e.g.: EPIC.

17. TV trailblazer: RCA.

20. Loud noises: BAMS.

22. "There, there," e.g.: SOLACE. A Quantum?

23. One at the top of the order: ABBESS.  This is a woman who is the head of an abbey of nuns. They are an order.



26. Whirling: IN A SPIN. Perhaps this MUSIC. My granddaughter and her class sang this along with a Christmas carol at her winter show.

33. "Othello" role: IAGO. The epitome of a bad man.

34. Pamphlet ending: EER.

35. Have __ for: A YEN.

36. Colorful bird: MACAW.

41. Field supervisor: COACH.

44. Turkish title: AGA.

47. Award using spelled-out initials: OBIE. Off Broadway.

51. Wednesday, to be exact: MIDWEEK. In German it is Mittwoch.

53. Souvenirs: TOKENS.

54. Plays ball: AGREES.

57. Musical collaboration instruction: A DUE. An Italian misdirection. LINK.

63. A, in Aachen: EIN. I knew there was German coming.

64. Senate staffers: AIDES. No politics, but a quick look at Senate staff JOBS.

65. Coke or Pepsi: BRAND. I stopped drinking soda long ago but was always a Coke person.

66. Young Darth's nickname: ANI. Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader when he gave in to the dark side, but he was a nice boy.

67. Bright: SMART.

68. Hindu mystics: YOGIS. My most recent Lyft driver was a self-proclaimed "Yogi Guru."

69. Ballet composer Delibes: LEO. I had never heard this NAME. Of course, he died 128 years ago so he has not been in the news much. Maybe he was very good.

Down:

1. Refuse: GARBAGE. The classic refuse/refuse heteronym clue.

2. Poe genre: MACABRE.

3. Title servant in a 1946 Paulette Goddard film: CHAMBERMAID. This screenplay was written by the incomparable BURGESS MEREDITH who later married Paulette.

4. Mag mogul: HEF. The late Hugh Hefner, the ultimate playboy.

5. Home of the 2001 World Series champs, on scoreboards: ARIzona. The SERIES.

6. Eighteen-wheelers: RIGS. My brother-in-law was a truck driver for years following in his father's footsteps.

7. Call back?: ECHO. Nice clue.

8. Only deaf performer to win an Oscar: MATLIN.

9. Waikiki, to surfers: MECCA.

10. Recipient of a New Testament epistle attributed to Saint Paul: EPHESIAN.

11. __-wop: DOO. Two songs in particular may lay claim to being the "first" to contain the syllables "doo wop" in the refrain: the 1955 hit, "When You Dance" by The Turbans, in which the chant "doo wop" can be plainly heard; and the 1956 classic "In the Still of the Night" by The Five Satins, with the plaintive "doo wop, doo wah" refrain in the bridge.

12. Prefix with conscious: ECO.

13. Calder Cup org.: AHL.  It is Hockey, Eh! LINK.

19. Without: SANS. This is one of the French words we have taken over.

21. Vast expanse: SEA.

24. Tuck away: STASH.

25. 1974 CIA spoof: S*P*Y*S. I have had this Donald Sutherland - Eliot Gould attempt to capitalize and the success of M*A*S*H.

27. Discounted combo: PACKAGE DEAL.

28. Supermarket chain: IGA.

29. "__ is the winter of our discontent": Shak.: NOW. Our Friday Will quote, this one from Richard III, Act I, Scene 1.
Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

31. Luau ring: LEI.

32. Architect's addition: ANNEX. Why an architect?

36. Start to manage?: MICRO.

38. Summer refresher: ICE WATER. Sorry Tin.

39. College admissions fig.: GPA. Grade Point Average.

40. Document with bullets: LIST. My boss loves bullets in lists, me- not so much.

41. Cousin of org: COM.

42. Band of Tokyo?: OBI. Obi-Wan Kenobi?

45. Sincere: GENUINE.

46. Hall of fame: ARSENIO. He faded since he took on Johnny.

48. Puerto Rico, e.g.: Abbr.: TERRitory.

49. Barely makes it: EKES BY.

50. Handle preceder: AKA. "Also known as," usually listed as a/k/a.

52. Discharge: EGEST. An obvious anytonym of INGEST if you know Latin, but still an unpleasnat wor.

55. Iberian river: EBRO. Memorize the European rivers!

56. Metallic waste: SLAG.

58. Lived: WAS.

59. Basket border: RIM. Why a basket?

60. Early civil rights activist __ B. Wells: IDA. It is a sad statement for the US that she is known for opposing lynching of black men in the 1890's. LINK.

61. Covert maritime gp.: ONI. Office of Naval Intelligence.

62. Cred. union offerings: CDS.

I thought this was a really fine debut puzzle with some challenge, some fun and some learning experience for both solver and constructor. Thank you Andy and all of you who read and especially those who comment. Lemonade out.

Thursday February 7th 2019 Paul Coulter

Theme: Minor to Major - The nouns at the start of the theme entries age gracefully:

16A. Mature gentle treatment?: GOAT GLOVES. Kid Gloves

26A. Mature sprightly piano classic?: CAT ON THE KEYS. Kitten on the Keys. This was new to me. I discover it's a ragtime piece by the splendidly-named Zez Confrey.

35A. Mature young infatuation?: DOG LOVE. Puppy Love. Then-teenybopper Donny Osmond broke into the UK pop charts with this Paul Anka song which reached number 1 in 1972, much to my disgust. I was growing my hair and putting my head between the speakers listening to rock, much to the disgust of my father. Happy days!

45A. Mature news newbie?: BEAR REPORTER. Cub Reporter. I like that old reporters are sometimes described as "grizzly" which aligns nicely with this theme entry.

59A. Mature "Agnus Dei" translation?: SHEEP OF GOD. Lamb of God. Food! Wait, no, sorry.

Nicely done by Paul. It was the newshound entry that tipped me off as to the theme, so a quick job was made of the blanks in the themers to that point. Plenty of sparkly fill to keep us happy too.

Across:

1. Correspondence sign-off: BEST. "Best wishes, Steve". What happened to worst and average wishes?

5. Musical series set at McKinley High: GLEE. Didn't see the show, but it pretty much filled itself in.

9. "Wealth of Nations" author Smith: ADAM. The father of economic theory. Published in 1776 this was required reading in my Economics class. We all read the Cliff's Notes version, naturally.

13. Pot for paella: OLLA. Crying foul here. Nothing wrong with the word, but the clue. Paella is made in a pan, not a pot which is more for casseroles.

14. Speaks up?: PRAYS

15. Bit of folklore: TALE

18. B'way hit signs: SROS. What? Is this a thing? "Standing Room Only" in the singular. As an aside, do they still have standing areas in Broadway theaters? I guess it depends on the production.

19. News letters: UPI. Our old (or new friend from last week) United Press International.

20. "Have some": EAT!

21. Decides not to dele: STETS. Used as a verb - I stet, you stet, he/she/it stets.

22. Bodega miss: SENORITA

25. Roe-producing fish: SHAD

30. Canaanite deity: BAAL

32. Half a cocktail: TAI. The Tai-mai. Lime juice, pineapple, orgeat syrup, curaçao, rum. You mix the ingredients in the reverse order for a Mai-tai. Just kidding.

33. Handler of "Sex and the City": EVAN

34. Costa del __: SOL

39. Taking a sick day, presumably: ILL. Because "ditching work to go to the beach" doesn't fit.

40. Trivial, as talk: IDLE

42. Versailles ruler: ROI

43. Mouselike animal: VOLE

49. Salty margarita glass spots: RIMS

50. Low-alcohol beverage: NEAR-BEER. Beer-flavored soda in other words. Sounds very appetizing.

54. Dries gently: BLOTS. Here's an great example of how crossword clues make you re-adjust your thinking. "Dries" in the passive voice leads you to the likes of "evaporates". In the active voice you find yourself blotting a spill. Little clue, small word, great stuff.

56. French menu word: JUS. One of my pet peeves is hearing someone saying "with au jus". Steak au jus already means "with the juice". You don't say "steak with au poivre" so quit with the with. So to speak. Grumble over.

57. Singer Grande's perfume brand: ARI. Ariana was in the news last week showing off her new tattoo, which was intended to be "7 Rings", the title of one of her hits, in Japanese. Unfortunately, the tattoo artist missed out a character, with the result that she was sporting something that read "Small charcoal grill". She tried to fix it, and today now reads "Small charcoal grill finger ♡". She's getting tired of people laughing about it.

58. "__ move": YOUR

63. Air: TUNE Another echo from last week. Do you think you don't know "Londonderry Air"? Yes you do.

64. Word with offering or officer: PEACE

65. "Who __ knows?": ELSE. If more than one person knows, it's no longer a secret.

66. Scandinavian literary work: EDDA

67. Lie next to: ABUT

68. Wedding couple?: DEES. Double-D. Nice clue.

Down:

1. Phony: BOGUS

2. Run secretly to the chapel: ELOPE

3. Dispatched, as a dragon: SLAIN. Or a Jabberwock:

And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? 

      Come to my arms, my beamish boy! 

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” 

      He chortled in his joy. 

Lewis Carroll, "Jabberwocky"

4. Ankle pic: TAT. Painful spot for a tattoo, I'm told.

5. Cavern: GROTTO

6. Brit's facilities: LAV. Tried LOO, was wrong.

7. Bud on a spud: EYE. The start of a new potato plant.

8. Snaky curve: ESS

9. On the line: AT STAKE

10. Stunt performer, say: DAREDEVIL. I get queasy watching people do things at a height, just watching gives me vertigo.

11. Boatloads: A LOT

12. Food in a hall: MESS

14. Braid: PLAIT

17. Notable Ford of the '70s: GERALD. Of course, I was on the Mustang muse at first. Nice clue.

21. "__ Persisted": children's book about inspirational women: SHE

23. Andean tuber: OCA

24. Pit-digging insect: ANTLION. I've never come across this little beastie before. The larva are the pit-diggers to trap their prey. The adults are pretty lacewing types.

25. Handmade blade: SHIV. Especially one made in prison.

27. Eastern "way": TAO

28. Second-oldest Ivy: YALE. Here's another one you might just pre-print in the grid with a clue like this. How many Ivies have four letters? Just one.

29. NBC show since 1975: SNL

30. Portend: BODE

31. Versatile: ALL-AROUND. To me, this has one specific use - it relates to the gymnastic competition. I'd call someone versatile as an "all-rounder". Slightly different.

34. Bro or sis: SIB.

36. Rich rocks: ORES

37. Political initials since 1884: GOP. I started toying with presidents' initials, then the penny dropped with a clang.

38. Exceedingly: EVER SO

41. Asmara's nation: ERITREA. Asmara is the capital. Did I know that? No, nary a clue. Thank you, crosses. I'll try and remember for next time. I won't though.

44. Poetic sphere: ORB

46. Rental ad abbr.: RMS. Rooms.

47. Veto: REJECT

48. Brownish gray: TAUPE

51. Birdie topper: EAGLE. In the golf world, a birdie is one under par, an eagle is two under on a hole.

52. Jagged, as a leaf's edge: EROSE. My word of the day, I think. File under "new vocabulary".

53. Carnival attractions: RIDES. 

54. Data unit: BYTE. I like to think the Apple logo has a "byte" taken out of it. I know, I'm a geek.

55. Musician's forte?: LOUD. The pianoforte, to give it its "grand" name, is literally a soft-loud.

59. Place for a chemical peel: SPA. It sounds so brutal. A peel is horrible enough thought, then you add chemicals to the process. No thank you.

60. Lang. of the Torah: HEB. 

61. __ minérale: French spring supply: EAU. Mineral water to the non-francophones.

62. Gratified: FED. I can see this being a trap word for an ESL speaker - being "fed up" doesn't mean you're full of gratification.

And on that note, I'm fed by this puzzle. Here's the grid, and here's me saying toodle-pip.

Steve

Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: THE TANGLED STRAP.  Each theme entry has circled letters spanning two words, which, when untangled can spell the word STRAP, though I might have that backwards.

17. Does really well, for a weekend golfer: SHOOTS PAR.  Each golf hole has a par rating, between 3 and 5 strokes, depending on tee to green length.  Typical par for 18 holes is 72. The letters of STRAP occur at the end of the phrase.

22. "Next time's for real": JUST PRACTICING.  I practice a lot, but have a hard time coming up with a real life situation where one might utter these words.  There are, however, memes that use the phrase, if you care to look for them.  The letters of STRAP span the two words, and are internal.  Same as in the next two entries.

36. Cardiologist: HEART SPECIALIST.  A specific kind of medical doctor. 

46. Jewish deli meat: KOSHER PASTRAMI. Read all about it.

56. "America's Got Talent" judges' concern: STAR POWER.  That elusive combination of poise, talent, stage presense, sex appeal and a certain je ne sais quoi, perhaps. Here, the letters occur at the beginning of the phrase, offering a nice symmetry, where the first shall be last, and the last first.

58. With 62-Across, handyman's assortment, and a hint to what's in each set of circles: LOOSE.

62. See 58-Across: PARTS.  Here we have a rare two-part unifier, in which it is revealed that the circled letters represent a scrambled word, as indicated by the suggestive modifier LOOSE, and that STRAP is PARTS. 

Very thematically rich array, with a central grid spanner, two others just a letter short, and even the shorter entries having nine letters each. And the final - central - initial placement of the circled letters is an elegant touch.

But there are a couple problems.  First, LOOSE PARTS does not appear to be an in-the-language phrase meaning what the clues suggest. Or, if it is, I'm failing to find any evidence of it.   Instead, it indicates a group of resources that provide children with an intellectually stimulating outlet for creative play.

Second - and this might be just a nit - but KOSHER PASTRAMI can also be parsed this way, with the PARTS not straddling both words.  Is anyone else bothered by this?

Hi gang, It's JazzBumpa, perhaps in an overly-critical mood.  Grab your STRAPS and PARTS and lets see what we can uncover.

Across:

1. Area with pews: NAVE.  The central area of a church.

5. It's saved for a rainy day: TARP.   Covering to protect the infield of a baseball stadium from rain.

9. Monster party: BASH.  A better than average party, with more excitement or better accessories.

13. Constrain: HEM IN.  Enclose something, or prevent it from moving.

14. Singer Adams: EDIE.  Her husband was Ernie Kovacs.

Having way too much fun

15. Spanish "this": ESTA.  Literal.

16. In first place: AHEAD.  At the head of the pack.

19. Sophs, come Sep.: JRS.  2nd and 3rd Yr students, respectively.

20. "Who Dat Girl" rapper __ Rida: FLO.  It's on You Tube, if you're interested.

21. Corkscrew pasta: ROTINI.  Descriptive name - Italian for "spirals.".

Anybody hungry?

26. Hurry, old-style: HIE.  To rush or hasten, from Old English hīgian "strive, pant", of unknown origin.

27. Leaf-clearing tool: RAKE.  To clean them up when they fall in the Fall.

28. Hairy spider: TARANTULA.   I refuse to post a picture.

33. It stings: BEE.  I was always told that if I leave it alone then it will leave me alone.  Opinions?

40. Energy unit: ERG.  A minuscule unit of energy equal to 10⁻⁷  Joule.  An erg is the amount of work done by a force of one dyne exerted for a distance of one centimeter.  One of my college profs described it as the amount of energy exerted when one fly does one push up in one second.

41. Looks through, as a keyhole: PEERS INTO.  Sounds sneaky.

42. Tennis immortal: ASHE.  Arthur [1943 - 1993]  He won 3 grand slam titles and retired in 1980.

45. Spanish "that": ESA.  Also literal

53. Learn from A to Z: MASTER.  Have complete knowledge and facility in some activity or endeavor.

54. Little newt: EFT.  It's a strange life cycle

From water to land to water again

55. Bloke: GUV.  Types of British slang for a man.

60. Latvian seaport: RIGA. Latvia's capital, on the Baltic sea at the mouth of the Daugava River.

61. De __: again: NOVO.  Anew, from the beginning.

63. Cocktail garnish: PEEL.  Typically of an orange or lemon

64. Gets the picture: SEES.  Comprehends.  Not necessarily a visual reference.

65. Keep up (with): STAY.  Be like an electrician, and  STAY on top of  current events.

Down:

1. '60s jacket style: NEHRU.  The Nehru jacket is a hip-length tailored coat for men or women, with a mandarin collar, and with its front modeled on the Indian achkan or sherwani, a garment worn by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964.   [Wikipedia .]

Fashion statement

2. "What __!": "Ick!": A MESS.  A situation or thing in a condition of disarray, and possibly unsanitary.

3. By way of: VIA.  From the same word in Latin meaning "way" or "road."

4. See 28-Down: END.  But, as you can see we still have a ways to go. Vide infra.

5. Musk's electric car brand: TESLA.  Named for this guy.

Sales of this model to begin next year

6. Limited in scope, as a committee: AD HOC.  Latin, literally, "to this, " designating a committee assembled for a specific purpose.

7. Grande opening: RIO.  Together these words make the name of a border river separating Texas from several Mexican States.  Lame clue.

8. Illinois city that symbolizes mainstream America: PEORIA.

But will it play there?

9. Lifelong pal: BESTIE.  From Best Friend.

10. Clinton's first Defense secretary: ASPIN.   Leslie Aspin, Jr. [1938 - 1995] was a representative from Wisconsin from 1971 to 1993, and Defense Secretary from January, 1993 to February, 1994.

11. Sporty Ford, to devotees: 'STANG.  Mustang.  I am not familiar with this slangy abbrv. but I guess it's real.

12. Big name in spydom: HARI. Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" MacLeod [1876 - 1917] better known by the stage name Mata Hari, was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I and executed by firing squad in France. [Wikipedia]

13. Pilgrimage to Mecca: HAJJ.  This takes place in the last month of the year, something all Muslims are expected to complete.

18. Clock sound: TOCK.  Or TICK

20. Guitar neck features: FRETS.  Metal strips inserted into the fingerboard to divide it into fixed segments.  Each fret represents one semi-tone in standard western equal tempering.  If you don't know about tempering and tuning systems, believe me, you are far better off.

Don't fret - it's just music

23. Whaling direction: THAR.  Evidently meaning "there."

Cetaceans don't get any privacy

24. Pub order: PINT.  Half a quart, or 0.473 liter.

Is anybody thirsty?

25. Copy on a transparent sheet: TRACE.

28. With 4-Down, fairy tale's last words: THE. Vide supra.  Anyway, I thought it was "They lived happily ever after."  But hang on; we're still not finished!

29. Fizzy prefix: AER-.  Indicating something to do with air, in this case inducing bubbles.

30. Tattered cloth: RAG.  

31. Word with class or case: UPPER.  UPPER class indicates having lots of money, irrespective of actual classiness. [Funny how that works.] Upper case indicates THIS KIND OF LETTERING.

32. Blues legend John __ Hooker: LEE.

Classic

33. Storage container: BIN.  Of Celtic origin, via Old English, indicating a container of no specific type.

34. Approximate fig.: ESTimate.

35. WWII arena: ETO.  European Theater of Operations.

37. "__ my case": I REST.  An indication that you [believe that you have] done enough to prove your point, and no more argument is necessary.  The origin is from courts of law, indicating that an attorney has finished presenting her case to the judge and/or jury.

38. Exec's hire, perhaps: ASST.  Assistant.  N.B. Abbrv.

39. "Tell the truth!": LIAR.  A command presumably issued with no sense of irony to someone you don't believe.

42. Starlike: ASTRAL.  From the Latin astrum, meaning "star."  Relating to actual stars in the sky; or to a supposed nonphysical realm of existence to which various psychic and paranormal phenomena are ascribed, and in which the physical human body is said to have a counterpart.

43. Fox News anchor Smith: SHEP.  [b 1964] He serves as the channel's chief news anchor and as managing editor of the breaking news division.

44. Wading birds: HERONS.  There are 64 known species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns.

I got this pic of a great blue heron on the grounds where my mom was in hospice in 2015.

46. Five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Ledecky: KATIE.

From Bethesda

47. Missouri river: OSAGE.   A 276-mile-long tributary of the Missouri River in central Missouri, draining a mostly rural area of 15,300 square miles.

48. "Pet" irritation: PEEVE.  We all have one, right?  My petty pet PEEVE is gratuitous verberization - the morphing of perfectly fine nouns into completely unneeded verbs.  "Parenting" frex.  Grrrrrrr!   What's yours?

49. High dos: AFROS.  Hair dos, a la Jackson Five.

50. Greek marketplace: AGORA.  A public space used for assemblies and markets.

51. Smelling of mold: MUSTY.  A damp, vaguely unpleasant odor associated with mold, mildew or decay.

52. Lithographer James: IVES. [1824 - 1895]  He oversaw the business and financial side of the Currier and Ives print-making firm.

53. No. on a new car window: MSRP.  Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.

57. Misery: WOE.  Great sorrow or distress.

58. CD predecessors: LPS.  Differently formatted discs for recording and playback of music or other audio presentations.

59. Breakfast grain: OAT. A cereal grain, Avena Sativa, grown for its seed.  It is suitable for both humans and livestock.

On that nutritious note, our journey ends.  A very well constructed, thematically rich puzzle, though I had my nits.  Hope it gets your Wednesday off to a good start.

Cool regards, 
JzB