Saturday, Aug 5th, 2017, Peter A. Collins

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 26

  We have not seen a Saturday construction from Mr. Collins since 2013; his most recent LA Times contribution was a Thursday puzzle this past June; that last Saturday grid was in June, as well.  I looked over my review from that one, and wrote that I had trouble with the long answers, but not the proper names.  This time, I breezed through the long answers, but got stuck on the shorter ones.  Imagine that.  The grids, however, are similar, with a non-intimidating look, the long fills on the 'inside', and triple 10-letter corners no so easy to parse in the Down.  Some of the longer fill;

17. Layoff order? : "DON'T START IN ON ME~!" - my attitude at UPS lately

51. Words shouted out an open window : "LEARN HOW TO DRIVE~!" - yes, I am good for this - along with HANG UP THE Fkn PHONE~!!!

Or this one~?

7. Giving up the ball after a fake punt, say, in football lingo : TURN OVER ON DOWNS - timely clue/answer - I saw pre-season football on TV this Thursday~!

On Wed.~!(8/9)

ACROSS:

1. Part of the back forty : ACRE - for some reason I thought "back forty" was related to the states after the original colonies (hence my first thought being UTAH); in a sense, I was right - see here

5. Genghis Khan subject : TATAR - ah, as in a member of the lower class, not "a" class

10. Go after, as flies : SHAG - I had SNAG.  Shag~?  Yeah, baby, yeah~!

14. Words of self-pity : I'M A FAILURE

16. One heading for the cape? : TORO - my first fill was KENT, as in Clark, on his way to becoming Superman

19. Remnant : END

20. Water carriers : MAINS - I tried EWERS; this is a clever clue for the pipes of a city system

21. Rooney and Griffith : ANDYS

22. "Haven't the foggiest" : DUNNO

23. Calligraphy problems : SMEARS - knew what we were looking for, pondered SMUDGE(s)

24. Law school course : ETHICS

27. Area between highlands : VALE

29. Word whose meaning can be the same when read backward : PAT - and the reverse, TAP, which makes a very clever clue

30. Take the wrong way? : POACH - got it, but had STEAL to start

31. ADHD drug : DEXEDRINE - no clue, filled via perps, WAGed the "R" (tho it made sense)

33. Triangle relationship : SINE

34. Removed a cylinder from, maybe : CORED - kept thinking about car engines at first

35. Kurylenko of "Quantum of Solace" : OLGA - I know her well

36. Like throwbacks : OLD SCHOOL

38. Reacted to a call at home, maybe : BOOED - baseball fans

39. Came together : MET

40. Notable feature of Africa : HORN

41. Father's changing room : VESTRY - after the third look at this clue, I realized the father here refers to a priest.  A-ha~!

42. Plug : STOP UP - hah~!  I was looking for a "PITCH" like a sales campaign

44. Like "The Age of Reason" doctrine : DEIST

46. One of Israel's 12 tribes : ASHER

47. Vermouth name : ROSSI

48. Took : WON

54. Go south : TANK

55. Compilation publication since 1984 : UTNE READER

56. Factory regs. : STDs -the factory standard table for the back of an Airstream trailer does not work with reclining chairs, so my landlord's buddy who was in town for two weeks asked me to build him a custom one....

57. 30% of essentials : ESSES - hey, D-Otto, he does math like us~!

58. Proceed : WEND

DOWN:

1. Hamilton, to General Washington : AIDE

2. "What are you waitin' for?' : C'MON

3. Author born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum : RAND - first (pseudo) name AYN

4. Baby newt : EFT

5. Cronus and Rhea, e.g. : TITANS

6. Harlem Renaissance writer Locke : ALAIN - filled via perps

8. Word in many degrees : ARTS

9. Outdoor gear giant : REI - seen this one before, so I have gotten used to it

10. Georgia's __ Mountain : STONE

11. Acura MDX relative : HONDA PILOT - my first "long answer" fill, and I was on a roll

12. Elite military member : ARMY RANGER

13. Sees only one person : GOES STEADY

15. To the same degree : AS MUCH - I had AS WELL to start

18. Called : NAMED

22. Does a kitchen job : DICES

23. Dog follower : SLED - oops, not STAR

24. Bath additive : EPSOM SALTS - I have added this to my bath in the past

25. Head rest? : TOILET SEAT - clever, but I got it from --ILE----T

26. Like some combat : HAND-TO-HAND

28. Winter Olympics maneuver : AXEL

31. Word with front or pocket : DOOR - my bathroom has a pocket door, and I just finished helping a friend frame out and trim his new bathroom pocket door

32. Stick in a cage : ROOST - the noun, not the verb

34. Martial arts move : CHOP

37. Agitate : CHURN

38. Not relevant to : BESIDE

41. Shade providers at golf clubs : VISORS - I like the trees that line the courses I play for shade; Cedars has more trees than Sandy Pond.  My golfing buddy Fred just invested $700 in a set of clubs - I was a little more frugal, and spent $42 on a pull cart from eBay.

43. Exec's extras : PERKS - first thought, second guessed; I was thinking we need an abbr. because of exec

45. Competitor of Helena : ESTÉE - got it.  Upon reading both Wiki pages, they had quite a lot in common; Lauder; and Rubenstein

47. Breaks down : ROTS - the answer I was thinking we were looking for at 54a.

48. Off the mark : WIDE - not AWRY

49. Rising spot : OVEN - ah, not EAST

50. Stereotypical techie : NERD

52. Tangerine or peach : HUE - obviously FRUIT was not going to fit, and I had the "E" already

53. Unadulterated : RAW - so why is an "Adult" film considered "RAW", too~?

Splynter

Friday, August 4, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: This Jake became a jock!

Jeffrey is back with a 'replace the letters puzzle,' that takes some unraveling. AKES is replaced with OCKS to create new phrases that are clued whimsically. Each change occurs in the last word of a phrase with two changing five letter words and two six letters. A common grid design with 15 letter fill in row 3 and 13. No reveal was needed, so none was included. There are many interesting 7 letter fill like ABOLISH, CARACAS, DORMERS, ERECTED, EVEREST, FESTOON, KNUCKLE, MINERAL, NOVELLA, SAFE BET, STETSON, TED RALL, UNCROSS and VERBOSE. This makes the solver work a bit harder, but it is a Friday. Well, on to the themers.

17A. Why St. Peter owns darning needles? : FOR HEAVEN'S SOCKS (15). I doubt St. Peter would be doing the mending of socks, if there were socks to be worn in heaven.

31A. Museum of Home Security exhibits? : THE GREAT LOCKS (13). I like the Rabson which according to Bernie Rhodenbarr are the best. I wonder if the Museum is near one of the Great Lakes?

37A. What a shepherd sees after a snowstorm? : FROSTED FLOCKS (13). I love the alliteration and the cereal as well.

57A. Consumer reactions to big price hikes for brownies? : CHOCOLATE SHOCKS (15). Like sticker shock. I like chocolate shakes even better.

Across:

1. Enjoy deeply : SAVOR.

6. Verne voyager : NEMO. Captain Nemo to you.

10. Campus hangout : QUAD. the Quadrangle where the worlds all meet.

14. "Things are never quite as scary when you've got __ friend": Bill Watterson : A BEST. If you do not know this MAN, he created the great philosopher Calvin whose best friend was Hobbes.

15. Old Roman poet : OVID. He was my favorite Roman POET.

16. "Once more __ the breach": Shak. : UNTO. JW gets his Shakespeare reference in today, from Henry V, Act III, Scene I.

20. Actor Idris __ : ELBA. Idris has displaced the Napoleon palindrome and may replace Daniel Craig as James Bond.

21. "Take this" : HERE.

22. Naturally lit indoor spaces : ATRIA.

23. CV inclusion : BIO. Curriculum Vitae.

24. Not as good-looking? : PALER. Maybe not looking good...

25. Minimalist beachwear : THONG. Good for the right WOMAN.


26. "Ah, Wilderness!" mother : ESSIE.  Eugene O'Neill play.

28. Future D.A.'s hurdle : LSAT.  Law School Admission Test.

30. Fresno-to-L.A. dir. : SSE.

35. Peanut product : OIL. nearby 44A. Appreciative cry : OLE.

36. Fraser or Douglas : FIR. Christmas trees. Or heavyweight boxing champions.

46. Sol preceder : AERO. Spray can.

47. "Not possible" : I CAN'T.

48. Frigga portrayer in "Thor" : RUSSO. She was in the movie with Idris Elba. CAST.

51. Prefix in makeup product names : DERMA.

53. Feel sorry about : RUE.

54. Perfumer's ingredient : ATTAR. Essence of rose.

55. Red-coated security force: Abbr. : RCMP. Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

56. Diplomacy result : PACT.

60. Pointer's cry : LOOK. Mira!

61. O or Jay : ALER.  Baseball.

62. Author Calvino : ITALO. He appears regularly in puzzles (this is his 7th 2017 appearance). My favorite quotation of his: "Although I am small, ugly and dirty, I am highly ambitious, and at the slightest flattery, I immediately start to strut like a turkey."

63. Coastal raptors : ERNS.

64. Cutlass, e.g. : OLDS.

65. City on the Ruhr : ESSEN.

Down:

1. It's in the bag : SAFE BET. Very few really are.

2. Void : ABOLISH. Are these synonymous?

3. Like a motormouth : VERBOSE.

4. Org. concerned with ladder safety : OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration

5. GPS datum : RTE. Datum signifying a single route.

6. "An ill-defined and disreputable literary banana republic": Stephen King : NOVELLA. One of my favorite novellas is Stephen King's "Rita Haworth and the Shawshank Redemption." LINK.

7. High point of Hillary's career : EVEREST. A fun misdirection based on the "LL" used by both Clinton and Sir Edmund.

8. __ spring : MINERAL.

9. "__ bodkins!": old oath : ODS. JW sneaks in another Shakespeare reference.

10. "The Raven" verb : QUOTH. "Nevermore."

11. Straighten, as one's legs : UNCROSS.

12. Diet doctor : ATKINS. There are many diet doctors in that game now.

13. Pharmacist's concern : DOSAGE. And the patients.

18. "Now it's clear!" : AHA.

19. Didn't rise : SAT.

24. Dental procedure, for short : PERIO.

27. Composer Stravinsky : IGOR. The MAN. The MUSIC.

29. Devonshire dandy : TOFF. I learned of this reading British mysteries.  John Creasey created this as a character. LINK. The Saint, Simon Templar was also a toff, as was James Bond.

32. "Born Free" lioness : ELSA.

33. Paramecium movers : CILIA.

34. McDonald's founder : KROC.

37. Bit of suspended decoration : FESTOON.

38. Controversial political cartoonist : TED RALL. Not as subtle as Calvin and Hobbes.

39. Put up : ERECTED. Next to....

40. Projecting architectural features : DORMERS. We had shed dormers on the house where I grew up. There are many types.

                                                                         LINK.

41. Capital NE of Bogotá : CARACAS. I have been there a couple of times on cruises and it was always depressing as the ride in was through horrible slums and the city was filled pickpockets, drug sellers etc.

42. Get to work, with "down" : KNUCKLE. In 1740, Thomas Dyche and William Pardon published a dictionary which defined knuckle down: "A particular phrase used by lads at a play called taw, wherein they frequently say, Knuckle down to your taw, or fit your hand exactly in the place where your marble lies." various.

43. Big hat : STETSON. It is a brand name and they produce more than cowboy hats. LINK.

44. Ancient prophet : ORACLE.

45. Comics villain since 1940 : LUTHOR. Introduced in issue 23 of Action Comics, he originally had a full head of red hair.

49. Gives the heave-ho : SACKS. I wish this were not in this puzzle.

50. Conquistador's treasure : ORO. Gold.

52. Speed meas. : MPS. Miles per second.

56. "Chopped" array : POTS. Never seen nor heard of this show though it is in season 22.

58. Southeast Asian tongue : LAO. My wife taught me that they do not say Laotian, simply LAO for the language.

59. Move it, quaintly : HIE. I nice variation for a handy three letter fill.

Another Friday and a treat from Jeffrey. This was not his most difficult puzzle but it took concentration and -as always- a sense of humor. Lemonade out from steamy Florida.

Thursday August 3rd 2017 Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: Read all about it! Four famous newspaper end names can be found in the circles:

The theme entries "break" a name into two pieces. Let's go around the globe with examples:

20A. Forest canines : TIMBERWOLVES - That's a gimme example for me, but certainly not a gimme entry.

The Times, London's original broadsheet,which has been published under that name since January 1, 1788. It was deemed the UK's "Paper of Record". I had a letter published in The Times in around 1981 when you still had to pen, ink, stamp and post.  I wish I still had the evidence. The Letters Editor reserved a spot at the end of the page for "quirky" letters that didn't address the major issues of the day but were deemed worthy of mild interest. Hand Up for "mild interest".

29A. "Yankee" entrée : POT ROAST

Can we get apple pie to go with that? Then we've got a Yankee Doodle Dandy. Stick around for Paul Robeson. Not a bad soundtrack for this crossword. The Washington Post is the first name to mind for me.

37A. "Good heavens!" : GLORY BE! I wasn't sure. It worked out fine eventually/

Boston. If you write anything bad about (in order) the Celtics, the Bruins or the (I think third) New England Patriots you might be in trouble. Great sports writing.

46A. Diver's weapon : SPEAR GUN. HAND HELD TORPEDO didn't fit. LIMPET MINE also. Eventually, sanity prevailed. Baltimore. Chicago also had a shout at this, but the Sun-Times rather messed it up in the naming stakes. A great paper!

53A. Developing story, and what this puzzle's circles illustrate : BREAKING NEWS

Great newspapers all. 

Thanks to all the journalist who every day help us understand the day. And thanks to all who syndicate the LA Times Crossword!

What a fun ride here. I started out with swathes of white squares and slowly things started to make sense. I got the SW corner first, I filled in the reveal and suddenly I saw SUN at 46A. Five minutes later with a Sahara of while squares in the NW the TIMES hint got me there.

Great job, Samuel, Print journalism is the primary source of my, and others, worldview. I'll leave it at that.

Across:

1. Promising location? : ALTAR

6. Omegas, to an electrician : OHMS

10. Best Actor winner for "Ray" : FOXX. I thought we were on to a pangram right here. Didn't help that I thought WILL Smith played the part.

14. "The Big Bang Theory" co-creator Chuck : LORRE. Crosses, I owe you dinner or a drink. The "L" was, in all honesty, a (considered WAG). See 1D for details.

15. Gusto : ZEAL

16. Tool for a landscaper : RAKE. 

17. Posh water : EVIAN. I think a lot of water brands have added to the posh pantheon.

18. Diva's number : ARIA

19. __ out a win : EKES

23. Island near Barbuda : ANTIGUA. Contributed to my ills in the NW. Perfectly fair.

24. Serve in the capacity of : ACT AS

28. Secretary of state before Shultz : HAIG. Head scratch and try to work your way backwards. The Veeps are tough enough for me.

32. Close on film : GLENN

34. Prefix with hertz : TERA. I had to look this up post-solve. I'm down in the IT world with tera, mega., kilo and all other stuff. Here's a frequency explanation that I would never have been able to deliver: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terahertz

35. Big name in vodka : SKYY. Handy YY for a crossword!

36. Allowed : LET

40. Slippery swimmer : EEL

41. 19th-century Arizona lawman : EARP

43. Sly as __ : A FOX

44. Die down : ABATE

48. Prohibitionists : DRYS

49. Sirius XM radio star : STERN. Shock Jock Howard. Certainly a polarizing individual. Either you think he moved talk radio forward, or he should never have been allowed close to a microphone.

50. Coming-down-with-something feeling : MALAISE

57. "Buzz off!" : SHOO

60. Square cereal : CHEX. Food! I think. Is Chex Mix in Gardetto's, or am I completely confusticating myself?

61. Wine list heading : ROSÉS. Dry, please.

62. Mani mate : PEDI Do you get a pedi without a mani? We should be told.

63. Ritz-Carlton competitor : OMNI

64. First name in cosmetics : ESTÉE. Probably Mme, but I"m just guessing.

65. Rink jump : AXEL

66. Vegas glower : NEON. Funny, I read the clue first as "Vegas unhappy face". Sulk, Lost, what else? Then I saw it

67. "The Tower" poet : YEATS. A snippet from the poem:

I have prepared my peace

With learned Italian things 

And the proud stones of Greece, 

Poet's imaginings 

And memories of love, 

Memories of the words of women, 

All those things whereof 

Man makes a superhuman 

Mirror-resembling dream.

Down:

1. Prince Valiant's wife : ALETA. WAG with the "L", but it made my success with the "L" in LORRE. Best Guess sometimes wins.

2. Like the singin' Spoonful : LOVIN' Another "Didn't you know" songs? Yes, so did.

3. Do some holiday decorating : TRIM THE TREE. How can this be so rare in a crossword? It is. Bravo.

4. Versatile horse : ARABIAN. I stared this down so long with ARAB in my mind and then finally ...

5. Weaseling out (on) : RENEGING

6. Longtime Boston Symphony maestro : OZAWA

7. Superman's favorite sandwich? : HERO

8. It may be registered : MAIL

9. Pole, e.g. : SLAV

10. Diego Rivera works : FRESCOS. Thank you, crosses.

11. Charter __: historic Hartford landmark : OAK. Why did I think LOG might work? I plead ignorance of the immigré. C.C. has this stuff down much better than me.

12. Jag to remember : XKE. Ah now! The E-Type. How can I not show this? A 1969 V12 Convertible in British Racing Green - sex on legs, I mean wheels:

13. Cancels (out) : XES

21. Throw __ : RUG

22. Bud holder? : EAR

25. Go out in the afternoon? : TAKE A SIESTA. There was some great down fill in this puzzle, this is one of them. These long fills really make a puzzle buzz.

26. To date : AS YET

27. Fashionista's concern : STYLE

29. Evita's married name : PERON

30. African antelope : ORYX

31. Diet Coke predecessor : TAB

32. "Cagney & Lacey" co-star : GLESS. Thank you, Mr. Earp for fixing my confident GLASS

33. Took off : LEAPT. Great clue/answer. When you see the past tense, you're always thinking "ED". It's this stuff that makes a crossword compiler/editor make you think twice

34. Food that has an extra-firm option : TOFU. Food! An ingredient in my Pad Thai. Hint: Even with extra-firm, cube the tofu then pour boiling water slowly over it in a sieve or a colander - it sounds counter-intuitive, but the water shower dehydrates the tofu - then when you fry it, it browns a lot better.

38. Hang back : LAG

39. Tea named for a nobleman : EARL GREY. It's a lovely, aromatic tea, flavored with Bergamot oil. My favorite is to take two parts of Assam and one of Earl Grey. That's a kick-ass wake-me-up tea with a soft side.

42. Precook, in a way : PARBOIL

45. Close way to win : BY A NOSE

47. Time away from the base, for short : R'N'R. Rest and Recuperation in the armed forces. I'm re-reading "A Bright Shining Lie" and "Chickenhawk" right now, so this didn't need much thought.

48. Stevens of "Beauty and the Beast" (2017) : DAN. Thank you, crosses!

50. Recipe phrase : MIX IN - A LOVIN' spoonful, a SWEET moment, and AH ME. The best dish.

51. Short partner? : SWEET

52. Mississippi foursome : ESSES

54. Macro or micro subj. : ECON.  I majored it Economics. I LOVED that subject. Not too many rules, it was a BA not a BSc. Tells you a lot. It's an art, not a science.

55. Wistful words : AH ME!

56. Numbers game : KENO

57. Cruise ship amenity : SPA

58. Bewitch : HEX

59. Dedicated piece : ODE. Especially Grecian Jugs. Next time, I'm coming back as a jug.

So - I'm listening to "Puff the Magic Dragon" because I left the YouTube feed running after posting the link to the Lovin' Spoonful song.

I'd love to share the earworm with you. I have to go to bed shortly so, all together:

Puff, the Magic Dragon, lived by the sea
and frolicked in the autumn mist
in a land call Honah Lee

Right then!

Grid? Here!

PS - I know you don't need to PS on a blog, but I wanted to add a journalist shout-out to Halberstam, Sheehan, Arnett and Galloway; Capra and Pyle - and many more. Nothing to do with the puzzle.

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our beautiful Melissa B, creator of Adopt an Inmate project. Melissa inspire me every day with her strength and compassion. She's a quiet hero.

Left to Right: Melissa's daughter, Melissa's mom Barbara B, Melissa

 

Wednesday, August 2, 2017, Debbie Ellerin

Title: "For the apparel doth oft proclaim the man"-  Polonius in Hamlet

Husker Gary reporting in from the mall with a humpday puzzle by Debbie Ellerin where she describes four types of people using an article of clothing for each. A very straightforward grid where the SW corner did give me pause with FOODIE, LEEDS and the non-programming logic term of 51. Logician's word : ERGO - Cogito ergo errat (I think, therefore I err)

Here are Debbie's theme entries, two are singular and two are plural:

17. Ineffectual exec : EMPTY SUIT - As Gertrude Stein said, "There's no there, there!" We all know some.

28. Pioneers : TRAIL BLAZERS - One of my TRAIL BLAZER heroes. She was just tired of being treated badly

44. Self-important sort : STUFFED SHIRT - After a few risqué images came to mind, I immediately thought of this ultimate example

60. Traitors : TURN COATS - Two of the most well known

These fills from any clothing store made for a lovely device. Let's try on Debbie's other fills for size:


Across

1. Cold shoulder : SNUB - I am now seeing these cold shoulder tops in schools

5. Track competition : MEET - The world only cares about the one that comes every four years and in 2028, it's in LA

14. "Red" nuisance : TAPE - 9. Multitudes : SLEWS  of this helped me decide to get out of my summer business 

15. Spitballs, to class clowns : AMMO

16. One-named "Tik Tok" singer : KESHA - She's in a court fight with Kemosabe Records (no, really) 

19. "The Addams Family" actor John : ASTIN

20. Itty-bitty : WEE - A 5' 4" baseball Hall-Of-Famer known to be able to place the ball or "hit 'em where they ain't"

21. A time to dye : EASTER - See Judas above


23. Final check? : MATE - Do you see how white can checkMATE in one move?

24. Await with trepidation : DREAD - What I feel when I blog. What mistake did I make?

26. A-list : ELITE - A-LIST was Agnes and C.C.'s theme yesterday

33. Bagel flavor : ONION

36. Like overly graphic tabloid stories : LURID - If it bleeds, it leads!

37. Padre's hermana : TIA - Dad's sister is your aunt

38. Keystone State Ivy : PENN 

39. Purple shade : LILAC - Even LILACS have different shades  

40. Prepare to travel : PACK

41. Tiny amount : TAD

42. Topples (over) : KEELS - When it's fake, it's called a FLOP

43. Tough spots : FIXES

47. Multitude : FLOCK

48. Spiteful : CATTY


52. Pago Pago resident : SAMOAN - SAMOANS Rommel and Toke will be freshmen playing football at Oregon State University this fall, 5,000 miles away from their Pago Pago home 

56. Fish often smoked : EEL

58. "Live at __": The Who album : LEEDS - Recorded on Valentine's Day 1970 at the University of LEEDS

62. Jackie's predecessor : MAMIE

63. Smallest bills : ONES

64. Massive landmass inhabited by masses : ASIA


65. Trapshooting : SKEET - Two at a time with an over/under shotgun

66. Japanese soybean paste : MISO

67. End of Oktober? : FEST


Down

1. Crock-Pot concoction : STEW

2. Pointed a finger at : NAMED

3. Word with cut or crust : UPPER - This UPPER cut from Mike Tyson was "all she wrote"

4. Get into the pool? : BET - These were the winning squares for each quarter for the last Super Bowl pool if you BET on these squares shown and wrote in your name. The overtime would have been a moot point.

5. Ancient fortress overlooking the Dead Sea : MASADA

6. Flightless birds : EMUS

7. Put out : EMIT

8. Reusable grocery bag : TOTE

9. Jamaican genre : SKA

10. "Fantine's Arrest" B'way show : LES MIZ - Ann Hathaway said it was very hard to lose 25 lbs. and play Fantine who was a   "starving, miserable whore"

11. It's put on heirs : ESTATE TAX

12. Chinese side dish : WHITE RICE - I prefer it to brown or fried rice


13. Playing with a full deck : SANE - The Statler Brothers sang of the consequences of not having a full deck using these lyrics

18. Hanker (for) : YEARN

22. Archaeological treasure : RELIC

25. Ian Fleming's alma mater (and the school that expelled James Bond) : ETON

27. Youngster : LAD

29. Coming-clean declaration : I LIED

30. Breaks in the action : LULLS - Baseball is a great game that has too many LULLS

31. Full of chutzpah : BRASH  - John McEnroe was the BRASH player everyone loved to hate. He put butts in the seats!

32. Fifth Avenue landmark : SAKS

33. Makes a decision : OPTS

34. Slob's opposite : NEAT FREAK - I fulfill one of these roles at our house

35. "If you would be so kind" : INDULGE ME

39. Vichyssoise veggies : LEEKS - Julia Childs' ingredients for the soup I can't spell on my best day

40. Keystone State univ. : PITT

42. Chain whose website has a "Find a Colonel Near You" feature : KFC - The Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Samoa is in the village of Tafuna

43. Former French capital : FRANC

45. Gastronome : FOODIE - One of ours will be blogging here tomorrow!


46. "Just watch me!" : I CAN SO - Hold my beer and watch this

49. Kid around with : TEASE

50. Himalayan legends : YETIS - It was there year to bring cole slaw to the imaginary monster picnic

51. Trees with ovate leaves : ELMS

53. Elementary bit : ATOM

54. Bond category, for short : MUNI 

55. Mining hauls : ORES - Bauxite ORE from which most all aluminum has been made. BTW, why does everyone still say "tin foil" when it's not tin?

57. Test for a future atty. : LSAT - Granddaughter is studying for it now.

59. Filming site : SET

61. Big, clumsy type : OAF

I hope Debbie's puzzle suited you and you are now ready to comment:

The Grid:

Tuesday, August 1 2017, Agnes Davidson & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: STRAIGHT As

17. *Quick checkout choice : EXPRESS LINE
. A-LINE.

57. *Wedding gown attachment : BRIDAL TRAIN
. A TRAIN. How Duke Ellington took The A Train.

 11. *Social networking site with a math sign in its logo : GOOGLE PLUS
. A PLUS.

 
29. *"Want to try it?" : ARE YOU GAME
. A GAME.

     


38. Hollywood's crème de la crème ... and where to find the ends of the answers to starred clues? : A LIST


Melissa here. This seemed much more like a Tuesday level to me than last week. Straightforward, clean theme, no major snags. An A-list puzzle from A-list constructors.

Across

1. Pose in yoga studios : ASANA
. A-Z Asana Guide.

6. Personal histories : PASTS


11. Belly : GUT


14. Bus stop : DEPOT
. This is the food court in the Vadodara bus station, serving the city of Vadodara in Gujarat, India.

15. Portion out : ALLOT




16. Bear, in Barcelona : OSO

19. Rower's blade : OAR




20. Wall St. index : NYSE


21. Molecule part : ATOM




22. Longtime first name in morning talk shows : REGIS




24. Wide assortment : ARRAY




26. "Sure thing!" : WILL DO


27. Flowering shrubs associated with Augusta National Golf Club : AZALEAS


30. Pocahontas' husband John : ROLFE
. Always have trouble remembering this name.

31. Little women : GIRLS


32. Solo : ALONE


34. Asian noodle soup : PHO
. Pronounced "Fuh." So good.

 37. "__-dokey!" : OKEY


39. Raindrop sound : PLOP




40. Part of LGBTQ : GAY




41. Desert plant used to make tequila : AGAVE


42. Resort island near Venezuela : ARUBA
.  Dutch Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela.

43. Eyed wolfishly : OGLED


45. Forest-scented cleaning product : PINESOL


47. Take the __: risk it : PLUNGE


49. Not proficient in : BAD AT
. Funny.

50. Scoundrel : ROGUE




51. Surrealist Joan : MIRO


 

 52. Govt. workplace watchdog : OSHA


56. "I figured it out!" : AHA


60. Beaver's creation : DAM




61. In a snit : RILED


62. High-end chocolatier : LINDT


 

63. Dollar bill : ONE




64. Ease up : ABATE


65. Soap units : CAKES


Down
 

1. Yemen port : ADEN


2. Like hunks and knockouts : SEXY


3. Cellphone downloads : APPS


4. "Honest, it's true!" : NO REALLY


5. Gobbled up : ATE




6. Macaroni side dish : PASTA SALAD


7. Brass or bronze : ALLOY


8. Slender : SLIM


9. Heavy weight : TON


10. Like sealed medical supplies : STERILE


12. Federal humanitarian org. : US AID


13. Upper body : TORSO


18. "The Talk" co-host Gilbert : SARA


23. Tiny toymaker : ELF


 25. High-__ graphics : RES


26. Refuses to : WON'T


27. Really excited : AGOG


28. Virus of concern at the Rio Olympics : ZIKA

30. New Year's Day floral procession : ROSE PARADE


33. Actress Ullmann : LIV


35. Boxcar hopper : HOBO


36. October birthstone : OPAL


38. "The African Queen" screenwriter James : AGEE


39. South African city where Mandela was inaugurated : PRETORIA




41. Math with x's : ALGEBRA


42. Santa __ winds : ANA




44. Bearded grassland grazer : GNU


46. Superstar : IDOL


47. Madrid art museum : PRADO
. Have you been? From Wikipedia: The collection currently comprises around 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, and 1,000 sculptures, in addition to a large number of other works of art and historic documents.  Exhibitions.

48. Actress Lindsay : LOHAN


49. Bathroom fixture : BIDET


51. Actress Kunis of "Bad Moms" : MILA




53. Went under : SANK


54. __-and-seek : HIDE


55. Picnic critters : ANTS


58. Curved bone : RIB


59. Attention from Dr. Mom : TLC