Wednesday, March 30, 2022, Seth Bisen-Hersh

Theme: WE'VE BEEN CONNED!

17. "Misery" co-star: JAMES CAAN.

28. Versatile award-winning Indian film star known by his initials "SRK": SHAH RUKH KHAN.

48. Oscar-nominated actress for "Paper Moon" and "Blazing Saddles": MADELINE KAHN.

63. Swindler ... or, phonetically, what each of three puzzle answers is?: CON ARTIST.

Melissa here. Four different ways to spell CON, all pronounced the same. Three out of four are names of actors. Misery is probably James Caan's most well-known movie, but I loved him most in Chapter Two, the semi-autobiographical story of Neil Simon after the death of his first wife. Marsha Mason, who played his second wife, also was his second wife. Charming movie.

Across:

1. Yoga aid that helps prevent slipping: MAT.

4. Weather report stats: LOWS. Low pressure, low temps, etc.

8. Recipe amts.: TBSPS. Tablespoons. One TBSP = three TSPs.

13. In the past: AGO.

14. Sale rack abbr.: IRREG. Irregular. Sometimes you can't even tell.

16. Linda Ronstadt's "Blue __": BAYOU.

19. Like most tennis shots: ARCED. Most sports shots - basketball, golf, etc.

20. In full view: OVERT.

21. "My turn to bat": I'M UP.

23. Cruise with a big price tag: TOM.

24. Equine control: REIN. Types and how they work.

25. Merged comm. giant: GTE. GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (1955–1982), was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System.

26. On: ATOP.

33. Starting gun: PISTOL. 

36. Move slightly ... like a mouse?: STIR. Not a creature was stirring ...

37. Hullabaloo: ADO.

38. Cut (off): LOP.

39. Water source: TAP. Tap, faucet, spigot - what are the differences?

41. Pachuca pronoun: ESA. Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. Esa is Spanish for this.

42. URL ender: NET. As in, www.website.net.

43. Cycle starter: UNI. Unicycle.

44. Red letters in a dark theater: EXIT. Any Better Call Saul fans here? I am reminded of this poignant scene. Season six comes next month.

 46. Fly over Africa: TSE TSE. Nice clue.

51. Ultimatum word: ELSE.

52. Big noise: DIN. Small word for a big noise.

53. "Cornflake Girl" singer Tori: AMOS.

 
57. Obama __: ERA.

58. Spoken: SAID.

60. Food recall cause: ECOLI. Usually fruit and vegetables, but also undercooked meat.

61. Cop to: ADMIT.

65. Rachmaninoff's instrument: PIANO. 

66. Celebrity chef Eddie: HUANG.

67. Yellow or Red follower: SEA.

68. Group's belief: TENET.

69. Places to relax: SPAS.

70. Explosive letters: TNT.

Down:

1. Collegian's choice: MAJOR. Tough decision.

2. Tequila source: AGAVE.

3. "My Cousin Vinny" Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.

4. Suffix with craigs: LIST.

5. "LOTR" menace: ORC. Lord of the Rings.

6. Eerie apparition: WRAITH. A ghost or ghostlike image of someone, especially one seen shortly before or after their death.

7. Two-__: fastballs named for the grip used to throw them: SEAMERS. With a two-seamer, the ball moves in the same direction as whichever arm is being used to throw it (meaning a right-handed pitcher gets rightward movement on a two-seamer).

8. Undetermined: Abbr.: TBA.

9. "Bluebeard's Castle" composer BÈla: BARTOK.

10. Toady: SYCOPHANT.

11. Dickinson work: POEM.

12. South of France?: SUD. French word for south.

15. Animal that sounds fresh: GNU. Pronounced "new."

18. Dadaist Max: ERNST.

22. India neighbor: PAKISTAN. See in red?

25. Star systems: GALAXIES. A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter.

27. Wallop: THRASH.

29. Monopoly miniatures: HOTELS. Green houses, red hotels.

30. Sport-__: off-road vehicle: UTE. Short for Utility vehicle.

31. Fruit drinks: ADES.

32. A or E, but not I, O or U: NOTE. Nice.

33. Horner's surprise: PLUM. From the nursery rhyme, Little Jack Horner.

34. New Rochelle college: IONA. Private Catholic college in New Rochelle, New York.

35. Doctor Octopus foe: SPIDERMAN. Dr. Otto Octavius is a highly intelligent and prideful scientist, better known as the criminal mastermind Doctor Octopus

40. Bowler's target: PIN. Boomer!

45. Boring: TEDIOUS.

47. Sign into law: ENACT.

49. Friend of Jerry and George: ELAINE. Seinfeld.

50. Abduct: KIDNAP.

54. Damp: MOIST.

55. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN. News to me. An American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision.

56. Occupy, as a table: SIT AT.

57. Actress Falco: EDIE. So talented. Loved her in Horace and Pete.

59. German gripe: ACH. Sounds stern.

60. Bits of work: ERGS.

61. Fitting: APT.

62. Two-year-old, say: TOT.

64. NHL's Ducks, on scoreboards: ANA. Anaheim hockey.