Saturday, Sep 9th, 2017, C.C. Burnikel

Theme: C.C.C.W~!

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 31

Does it seem like the puzzles get harder as the year moves along the same as the week goes~?  This was the second Saturday puzzle in a row that beat me up, and this one feels a little harsher, like being attacked by friendly fire, coming from our hostess C.C.  In fact, I've gone so far as to coin a new term; STOG.  That is, I went Straight TO Google for several answers, as the cluing today was, at least for me, rather vague.   Oh well.  Red-letters, too.  C.C.'s last LA Times Saturday construction, back in June, was doable, at least.  Nothing intimidating about the grid, with two 11-letter spanners and two 15-letter climbers;

7. "Way to go!" : "NOW YOU'RE COOKING~!" - Quite a few "quote"(*) clues in today's grid, too

8. Dancers seen in strips? : THE CHIPPENDALES - har-har~!

for the ladies

take it all Off WARD~!

ACROSS:

1. End with force : STAMP ON - RAID kills bugs dead, too

8. Percussion instrument : TIMPANI - instrument heard here in a John Bonham drum solo from Led Zeppelin's CODA album; the pedal timpani is a tune-able drum

starts @ 0:42

15. Contemporary of Plácido : LUCIANO - Domingo, and Pavarotti, two-thirds of The Three Tenors; I can never remember the third guy....him

16. Went deep : HOMERED - no C.C. crossword is complete without a baseball reference

17. Agitated : IN A STEW - my NW was blank, so I tried "-ED" at the end.  Bzzzt.

18. Like the flame at Graceland : ETERNAL

19. Singing voice, informally : PIPES - I exercised my pipes at karaoke two weeks ago

20. Workout spot : YMCA - gritted teeth.  I really hoped this was not going to be "YOGA", as I had the Y--A, but when it filled I thought we needed an abbr. somewhere for Y.M.C.A

22. Ax : FIRE

23. Quick-footed : SPRY

24*. "I'm amazed!" : "OOH~!" - not "WOW~!"

25. Springfield bar : MOE'S - 'Simpsons' clue. 

26. Traditional March 14 servings : PIES - totally stumped me at first; it's not the Ides - the 15th, and not St. Pat's - the 17th.  It was only when I mentally pictured the date as 3.14 that "Pi" hit me like the V-8 can

27. Venus, when appearing as the morning star : LUCIFER - learning moment.  I did not know this was a translation of a Biblical reference, here

Venus is part of a planetary alignment 23 sep 2017

29. Paradise in "On the Road" : SAL - Jack Kerouac

30. Minor employment needs, in some places : WORK PERMITS - I had to get a work card at 16yrs old to go to work at the now defunct Grossman's lumber company

34. Longtime NBC hit : SNL - I'd like to thank everyone who enjoyed picking up on my mistake regarding last week's "SNL" clue

35. Blow away : AWE

36. Pittsburgh's __ Park : PNC

37. Thanksgiving, e.g.: Abbr. : THUrsday - yup.  I figured HOLiday was not good enough today

38. Helpful program for frequent fliers : TSA PRE-CHECK

41. Give under pressure : SAG - I pondered BOW

42. Joan of Arc, for one : HEROINE - I filled in HERETIC for some reason

43. Fill up : SATE

44. Close buds : BROS - not PALS

46. Hardly fresh : OLD

47. Father's ceremony : MASS - that kind of father

48. The first "A" in A.A. Milne : ALAN - Alexander is the second "A"

49. Great Plains st. : OKLAhoma

50. Maestro Doráti : ANTAL - first totally STOG clue

52. Trattoria staple : RAVIOLI

54. Theater originally lit with oil lamps : La SCALA

56. Enter covertly : CREEP IN - I had SNEAK to start

57. Self-gratifying pursuit : EGO TRIP - had EGOTISM to start - that's 5/7ths 4/7ths correct....phew

58. Picking up : SENSING - I'm sensing it's time for a pic for the guys

59. Law groups : SENATES

DOWN:

1. Space for a ship : SLIP - I could not get BERTH out of my head; PIER and DOCK seemed off

2. They started the Arab Spring : TUNISIANS - More recent than I realized

3. Like Pentatonix performances : A CAPPELLA - totally STOG.  I know what pentatoniC means, but I had to look up this group

4. Unlikely GoFundMe supporters : MISERS

5. One taking a fall : PATSY

6. Table for __ : ONE - I of course, went with TWO.  God help me, the blue-eyed girl has come back into my life, once again....WC might understand my dilemma

9. Little bit : IOTA

10. Fr. title : MME

11. Put on : PERFORM

12. Jack's links rival : ARNIE - golfers.  I have not gotten out since the one time I played on vacation in three weeks - and it showed

13. Almost reaches : NEARS

14. Like some chatter : IDLE

21. Ridicule : MOCK

25. Pharmaceutical giant : MERCK

26*. Whisper from a cheater, maybe : "PSST~!"

27. Decrease : LOWER

28. Place for the undecided? : FENCE - clever.  I went with LIMBO.  Really.

30. Hawked stuff : WARES

31*. "Good first step" : "IT'S A START."

32*. "Not true!" : "THAT'S A LIE~!"

33. Knight who co-founded Death Row Records : SUGE - totally STOG, but it filled via perps

39. Impostors : PHONIES

40. Barrier for Sisyphus : HILL - the name to me always implies a female, though I know the -US ending in Latin is masculine.  Ergo, I did not recall this classic myth

43. Safe havens : SANCTA - dah~! Another ending that was not the typical plural "S", which fooled me

44. Play loudly : BLARE

45. "Ungainly fowl" of poetry : RAVEN

47. __ jar : MASON - dah~!  Not SWEAR, not JELLY

48. Lob paths : ARCS - made me change my SNEAK IN at 56a.

49. Lena of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" : OLIN

51. Napkin holders? : LAPS - cute

53. Coty subsidiary that makes nail polish : OPI - never heard of this; another STOG had it not filled via perps

55. Brandy statistic : AGE

Splynter

Friday, September 8, 2017, Alex Eaton-Salners

Title: Crazy 8s.  The MEANING? Interestingly, today's date has meaning to some as well. LINK.

Alex is back with a visual rebus puzzle, like the old Concentration game. The number 8 can be presented in a few ways, with the most common being similar to a sideways infinity symbol. However, one can place a "o" on top another "o," and also create an eight. This puzzle has six down fill, including the reveal, where the word 'eight' is replaced with the visual. Since most puzzles have at least some across fill in the theme, it took a while to see the direction Alex had taken. Knowing my audience I expect a mixed bag of reviews, but I liked it when the light bulb came on. Like most visual puzzles, if you understand what is going on, the rest is easy. For me, seeing so many OO words made the theme and solve possible to suss. There are some uncommon fill, UP SOLD, CLOSEUP, SHUTOUT, AS I SEE IT, OVERRODE, RETROFIT and SAO PAULO.  So many almost religious fill....On with the show:

3D. '70s-'80s show about a big family : OO IS ENOUGH (10). Eight is Enough overcame the death of the actress playing the mother (John Travolta's girlfriend)  Diana Hyland in the first season.

7D. Obsolete audio technology : OO TRACK (7). The eight track player did not last long. HISTORY.

9D. Federal housing assistance program : SECTION OO (9). Section 8 was part of the Housing Act of 1937.

30D. Treasure chest coins represented graphically by two consecutive letters in six puzzle answers (including this one) : PIECES OF OO (10). Pieces of eight explained in the introductory link.

32D. 1875 Alcott novel : OO COUSINS (9). Never read it.

40D. Budget motel chain : SUPER OO (7). We have one NEARBY.  But I like this ONE better.


Across:

1. Short pants? : TROUsers. The only time I have ever seen or heard the abbreviation was in the phrase, "Drop trou."

5. "Gloria in Excelsis __" : DEO.

8. Where JFK, Nixon and Carter served : US NAVY. This was harder than it needed to be because 'where' obscured the answer/

14. Brazil's largest city : SAO PAULO. Sao is the Portuguese version of San in Spanish.

16. Military builder : SEABEE. More Navy as the nickname is a heterograph of the first initials "C.B." from the words Construction Battalion.

17. "In my opinion ... " : AS I SEE IT.

18. MLB single-season recordholder for most hits : ICHIRO. The ageless Japanese star is still playing, now for the Marlins.

19. Skier's destination : RESORT.

20. Musical set in Manhattan's East Village : RENT.

22. Shooting marble : TAW. Like Tiddlywinks and the Monopoly iron, unknown to the youth.

23. "Xanadu" gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra. THE SEVENTIES.

24. Youngest Simpson : MAGGIE.

26. O'er there : YOND(er?)- and now a word from our sponsors: "adverb  and adjective archaic
yonder.

28. Somewhat, to Saint-Saëns : POCO. I am confused as S-S was a French composer and musician. 11D. Somewhat : A BIT.

29. Against: Abbr. : OPPosed.

31. Spanish pronoun : ESO.

32. Pen pal's greeting? : OINK. 555!

33. Removes, as a temporary hem : UNPINS.

36. No-hitter, usually : SHUTOUT. But not always.

38. Shot with more detail : CLOSEUP. Cool camera clue.

39. Hogwarts subjects : MAGICS. Time for Potter break?

40. Ford maverick? : SOLO. Han Solo - the lack of capital "M" made this easy. My first new car was a Ford Maverick. I paid $3,000.00 for it. I got $3,150.00 in trade for my next car.

41. Windy City transit initials : CTA. Chicago Transit Authority.

42. Blue Shield offering : HMO.

43. Energy field : AURA.

44. Hardy title teenager : TESS. Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented. 

45. Carpathian Mountains locale : EUROPE. The Carpathian Mountains form a 1,500km-long range in Central and Eastern Europe. They stretch west to east in an arc from the Czech Republic to Romania. Wiki.

47. Do diner work : BUS. All restaurants with servers.

48. Roadie's box : AMP.

51. Product made from fermented rice : SAKE.

52. Game typically with 81 squares : SUDOKU. A favorite of many of our solvers.

55. "Scram!" : BEAT IT. Who can resist this LINK. MORE.

57. Make less vulnerable to earthquakes, say : RETROFIT. Or what Rich does to the puzzles he receives.

59. Straying : ERRANT.

60. Countermanded : OVERRODE.

61. Wee : TEENSY.

62. Muesli bit : OAT.

63. Repairs with turf : SODS.

Down:

1. Russia had one in the 20th century : TSAR. One and only one: Nicholas II.

2. Level, in London : RASE.

4. Induced the purchase of add-ons, say : UPSOLD.

5. "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," e.g. : DUET. Loved Roberta FLACK.

6. Brother of Peyton : ELI. More Mannings on the way?

8. Employing : USING. Many employees would applaud this honesty.

10. "No thanks" : NAH.

12. Aloe __ : VERA.

13. "That smarts!" : YEOW.

15. Flight-related prefix : AERO.

21. I problem? : EGO.

24. Pyrénées peak : MONT.

25. Mike of "Next Friday" : EPPS. There is internet buzz on another sequel in this franchise.

26. Rural agreement : YES'M.

27. Org. that inspects workplaces : OSHA.

28. Any of 12 popes : PIUS.

33. Uma's role in "The Producers" : ULLA.

34. Squirrel's hoard : NUTS.

35. Escape destinations : SPAS.

37. Fourth dimension : TIME.

38. Essence : CORE.

43. Hunky-dory : A-OK. I believe this was coined by the astronauts.

44. Elizabeth I's line : TUDORS. She was the last of the line.

46. Shabby : RATTY.

47. "Hamilton" role : BURR. Two weeks in a row.

48. Help with a job? : ABET. Oh, that kind of job!

49. "A __ formality" : MERE. Sounds conflicted.

50. Shave : PARE.

52. Editor's mark : STET.

53. Captain hanged for piracy : KIDD. William Kidd may or may not have been a pirate.

54. Pac-12 team : UTES. The University of Utah.

56. Salon offering : TAN.

58. Spacewalk initials : EVA. Extra-vehicular activity.

As we await the imminent landfall of Irma, I hope you enjoyed this puzzle, and while I do not like hurricanes, I pray for all in its path and and that it does not wander toward Texas. Thank you Alex, Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Here are two pictures I snipped from Lemonade's Facebook. He and his wife Oo and their friends went for a short cruise to celebrate his birthday.

 

August 26-29, 2017

Thursday September 7 2017 Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Colorful Language: Take the adjective's color, mix it with the original phrase's color, and the result is a pleasing pigment. As the reveal tells us:

61A. Primary mixes that affect 17-, 27- and 46-Across : COLOR COMBOS

17A. Cowardly Snoopy nemesis? : ORANGE BARON - A "yellow" Red Baron gives us ORANGE

27A. Gloomy route to Oz? : GREEN BRICK ROAD - A "blue" Yellow Brick road gives us GREEN

46A. Embarrassed three-person Vegas act? : PURPLE MAN GROUP - A "red" Blue Man Group gives us PURPLE.

Clever theme, very nicely done. The elegance in the cluing is finding an adjective to represent the color which is to be "mixed" with the phrase color. Very nicely done.

Some nice fill, very little groan-worthy, all in all a very good job by Kurt and Jan-Michele. Let's see what we've got:

Across:

1. Drains : SAPS

5. Takes from page to screen, say : ADAPTS

11. One of Beethoven's nine: Abbr. : SYMphonies

14. Party with tiki torches : LUAU

15. Flashy Chevy : CAMARO. The first car I bought when I moved to the USA was a Camaro. I think the dealer thought it was his lucky day; it was the very base model (it was a stick shift, it even had wind-down windows) and had probably sat on the lot for a year. I enjoyed driving it.

16A. With 36-Down, Dr. Seuss classic with the subtitle "The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use" : HOP  and ...

36D. See 16-Across : ON POP. Thank you, crosses. The second "O" was my last square.

19. Seagoing "I see" : AYE. I see? Are you sure?

20. French film icon Brigitte : BARDOT. We can't have Mlle Bardot without Roger Vadim's movie poster, can we?

21. "The Racer's Edge" : STP. I've got no idea what this stuff actually does.

22. Urban air concern : SMOG. The La Tuna Canyon wildfire here last weekend sent everyone indoors. I passed on going hiking, it didn't seem such a smart idea when the air was yellow.

23. Much : A LOT

25. Curriculum __ : VITAE. Resumé here, CV over there. "[the] course of [one's] life."

32. Actress Vardalos : NIA. Opa!

33. Butte relative : MESA. An eroded mesa becomes a butte.

34. RadioShack predecessor : TANDY. I have no idea how I knew this, but no hesitation at all.

35. Automaker Ferrari : ENZO

37. Watched closely : SPIED

40. Fictional London alter ego : HYDE. Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

41. United : AS ONE

43. Halt : STOP

45. Belonging to us : OUR

50. Kentucky pioneer : BOONE. Daniel Boone, born in Pennsylvania, died in Missouri and buried in Kentucky. He got around quite a bit for those days.

51. Divided sea : ARAL

52. Applaud : CLAP

54. Old PC monitor : CRT. Cathode Ray Tube. It's been a while since I saw one of these. They weighted a ton and took up most of your desk.

56. "Altogether ooky" family name : ADDAMS

60. Rocker Ocasek : RIC. "The Cars" front man and songwriter.

63. Query : ASK

64. Fire up : AROUSE

65. Attract pigeons for, say : ABET. Nice clue! The "pigeon drop" is a con carried out by two or more hustlers.

66. Bluster : GAS

67. Colorful fish : TETRAS

68. 2016 N.L. East champs : NATS. Washington Nationals.

Down:

1. Untidy type : SLOB

2. Certain something : AURA

3. Early late-night host : PAAR. Yay! I resisted filling in PARR for the very first time.

4. Ice cream treat : SUNDAE

5. Polish removers : ACETONES. I love the smell of acetone. If I worked in a nail salon I think I'd be high as a kite all the time.

6. Apply carefully : DAB. As acetone, on nail polish.

7. Latin I verb : AMAS. You are. I was very surprised to discover that Spanish has two verbs for "to be" just to make things complicated for no good reason.

8. "Friday the 13th: Jason Lives," sequentially : PART VI. Something I will never watch.

9. Torrid Zone parallel : TROPIC. Crosses filled this in for me. Tropic of Cancer to the north, Tropic of Capricorn to the south. I've always called that zone "The Tropics".

10. Junior : SON

11. Words of reproach : SHAME ON YOU! Fool me once ...

12. Up-and-down toy : YO-YO

13. Downloaded video format : MPEG

18. Jewish folklore figure : GOLEM. A being made of clay or mud. Depictions vary, here's a relatively calm one:

22. Mother of Isaac : SARAH

24. Recipe amt. : TBSP. Tablespoon. And yes, before Anonymous in the comments quibbles later that it's not correct, yes, it's correct. It's not TBS, that's a cable channel.

26. B'way buy : TKT. A ticket to a Broadway show. Probably not my favorite clue/fill of the day.

27. Many of its knives have a limited lifetime warranty : GINSU

28. Arkansas team : RAZORBACKS. University of Arkansas. Whilst Arizona's Diamondbacks are often dubbed the D-Backs, these folk are never referred to as R-Backs. The fans chant "Woo Pig Sooie". I have no idea why.

29. Mrs. Gorbachev : RAISA. A blast from the past. Is there a Mrs. Putin? I've never seen her if there is. There's something odd about that chap, he loves taking his shirt off, showing off his guns and challenging people to wrestle. Maybe he should set about that North Korean nutcase.

30. Compute : ADD UP

31. Salon worker : DYER

32. Twice-monthly tide : NEAP. Two neaps, two springs.

38. Sicilian high point : ETNA

39. Track events with mechanical lures : DOG RACES. We used to go to the Walthamstowe dog races after business was done for the day in the City back when I worked in London. The best sight ever was seeing the electric hare jump the rails and cause all kinds of commotion as six dogs realize that they were actually going to catch up with it. Happy days.

42. "Strange Magic" gp. : E.L.O.

44. Museum with Goyas and El Grecos : PRADO

47. Recital bonus : ENCORE

48. Red wine option : MERLOT

49. Gary who played Beethoven in "Immortal Beloved" : OLDMAN. Ludwig V. of the nine syms. up top.

52. Outcropping : CRAG

53. Songwriter Loeb : LISA. The first person to have a number 1 pop single without being signed to a recording contract.

55. __ de force : TOUR

57. "Dancing Queen" quartet : ABBA

58. Bubbly maker : MOËT. The diacritical on the E tells you to pronounce the vowels separately, otherwise you'd be saying "meur" or something vaguely similar.

59. Old fast fliers : SSTS

61. Player in an indoor tree : CAT. I had no idea these things were called Cat Trees.

62. Soweto's country: Abbr. : R.S.A. Republic of South Africa. Johannesburg's Soweto is an abbreviated form of "South Western Townships."

Just the grid to post, and I think that's me done!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Big Easy (George) sent me this picture. He wondered "if any of the Cornerites' baseball fans​ know who the statue is behind me. Hint. The first National League player to hit 500 home runs. The plaque with his name is covered by flowers."

Big Easy and his wife come to this gym twice a week to play Pickleball.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017, Samuel A. Donaldson

TITLE: A CURRENT WAR

Husker Gary on the scene for this report of one of the great technological battles of the 19th century between two scientific giants. Nikolai Tesla who favored transmitting electric power using Alternating Current and Thomas Edison who wanted to use Direct Current. 

In the end Tesla's AC method proved superior as it could be transmitted great distances and is still used today. Tesla sold most of his patents to George Westinghouse and died in poverty while business savvy Edison made millions with his (and others') inventions.

The gimmick was pretty easy if you had the circles in your puzzle as was true in my Omaha World Herald. Once the AC/DC coupling was obvious, the remaining circles were pretty much  fish in a barrel.

The reveal:

56. Influential pairing, and a hint to the circles in four puzzle answers : POWER COUPLE

which was fitting for these two bitter rivals as they were a COUPLE, albeit not an amiable one. Samuel chose to split the DC across the last two words as you will now see in his theme fills.

17. Tennessee whiskey cocktail : JACK AND COKE - I wonder if Tinman has this setup?

23. Fruity dessert : PEACHES AND CREAM - The summer solstice of June 21st also serves as this tasty holiday.

35. One above criticism : SACRED COW - or traffic tickets

49. Pre-employment investigation : BACKGROUND CHECK - Mine might put the investigators to sleep

BTW, AC/DC's Australian brothers Malcom and Agnus Young took the name for their band from their sister after she saw AC/DC on a sewing machine.

Here are the rest of Samuel's current entries:

Across

1. One taken for a fool : DUPE - Edison reneged on a $50,000 payment to Tesla and it was all downhill after that

5. Question at a reunion : MISS ME? -And your name is...

11. Game show hosts : MCS

14. Camped in a trailer, for short : RVED - Hey, if you're gonna live in an RV...

15. Sort of : IN A WAY

16. Spoil : ROT

19. MLB's Indians, on scoreboards : CLE

20. __ Alamos : LOS

21. Groundbreaking tool : HOE

22. Aquatic plant : ALGA

28. "My package has arrived!" : IT'S HERE - In The Music Man it was via the Wells Fargo Wagon

29. "Darn it!" : OH RATS

30. Fun time, in slang : GAS

31. "Othello" antagonist " IAGO - "I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad, That 'twixt my sheets 'Has done my office." Iago intimates that Othello is "Officing" his wife under his own sheets.

34. Unsurpassed : A-ONE

38. Good opponent : EVIL

40. Fair-to-middling : SO SO

41. MMDX ÷ V : DII - 2,510 ÷  5 = 502

44. Actor Estevez : EMILIO

46. Stump speech : ORATION - Edward Everett talked for two hours at Gettysburg but Abe's two minute ORATION is what every school kid learns

52. Morsels : BITS

53. Conditions : IF'S - If IF'S and but's were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas.

54. Done with one's career: Abbr. : RET - Everyday is Saturday now!

55. Yale alum : ELI

61. President pro __ : TEM - Orrin Hatch is the President Pro TEM of the senate and is therefore third in line for succession to the presidency

62. __ Jug: British Open trophy : CLARET - Jordan Spieth hit this incredible shot over that mound from a parking lot/driving range to help win this year's British Open.

63. Take a long bath : SOAK - Did it seem easier to get out of the tub a few years ago?

64. Most GRE takers : SRS

65. Iran, once : PERSIA

66. Holy recess : APSE - The Chair Of St. Peter in the APSE at St. Peter's Basilica

Down

1. Hall of Fame Sixer, familiarly : DR. J - Back when they used to win

2. Charlottesville sch. : U.VA. 

3. Course that makes you sweat, briefly? : P.E. CLASS 

4. "How'm I doing?" New York mayor : ED KOCH

5. Hr. segment : MIN

6. Swing voter: Abbr. : IND

7. Actor __ Baron Cohen : SACHA  and 36. Alter ego of 7-Down : ALI G - Not my cup of comedic tea

8. Faint : SWOON

9. Get by : MAKE DO

10. Pupil's place : EYE

11. Magic Eraser spokesman : MR. CLEAN

12. Palmolive's corporate partner : COLGATE

13. Cooks, as broccoli : STEAMS

18. Tennis legend who wrote "Days of Grace" : ASHE - Athletic and elegant

22. Traffic light symbol : ARROW - Huh?

23. Sty dweller : PIG

24. LAX posting : ETA

25. Lindros in the Hockey Hall of Fame : ERIC

26. Blackens, as tuna : SEARS

27. Former Labor secretary Elaine : CHAO - If you are into politics at all, you know Elaine is married to the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

32. Prefix with caching : GEO - This device says it is 31' away from the goal of 28.170N and 48.175W which is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

33. Uses too much : OD'S ON - I may be approaching that as I have watched six of the fourteen seasons of NCIS in two months

35. Jockey's wear : SILKS

37. Wood measure : CORD

38. Screen writer? : E-MAILER

39. Con targets : VICTIMS - This kitty can't be conned!

41. Sugar-free soft drink : DIET POP - Diet Dr. Pepper is big around here

42. Summer Games org. : IOC - Look up "corrupt" in the dictionary and you'll find this organization

43. Tattoo, in slang : INK

44. __ Field: Brooklyn Dodgers' home : EBBETS - It greatly upset my dad when they left

45. Colorful songbird : ORIOLE


47. Height: Pref. : ACRO and 51. Operators : USERS - I have always wanted to Operate one of these tower cranes but I'm afraid my ACROPHOBIA would get the best of me

48. Where Springsteen was born? : THE U.S.A.

50. Tug __ : OF WAR

56. Angel dust, for short : PCP

57. Outdoor gear retailer : REI - Not for me if I can use the luxury RV above!

58. Transp. group in the Loop : CTA - I'll bet most of you know what will be found near this stop if you catch the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train in the loop

59. Scale syllables : LA'S - After the Do's, Re's, Mi's and Fa's

60. Squeeze (by) : EKE

Now, no matter how you are wired, you may comment!

Tuesday, September 5, 2017 ~ Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: Are you ready for some football? - You will need a good front line.

63A. In jeopardy ... and where the first words of the answers to starred clues can be found: ON THE LINE

17A. *Fishing gear holder: TACKLE BOX

38A. *Final part of a chess match: END GAME

11D. *Site of many face-offs: CENTER ICE. Hockey.

34D. *Sentry's job: GUARD DUTY

Argyle here. We have a nice pinwheel formation on our grid but it wouldn't work on the gridiron.

Across:

1. Hungarian sheepdog: PULI

5. Glasgow native: SCOT 

Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow

9. 1983 taxi comedy starring Mr. T: DC CAB

14. Mideast chieftain: EMIR

15. Boob __: TV: TUBE

16. Last Olds model: ALERO

19. Old Ford subcompact named for a horse: PINTO

20. "__ missing something?": AM I. (blogger's lament)

21. Out on a cruise: AT SEA

22. Pickled-pepper picker: PETER

23. Like Disneyland at night: LIT UP

25. Public tantrum: SCENE

27. Snappy dresser: FOP ergo 9-Down. Smartly dressed: DAPPER

29. '60s sci-fi series created by Gene Roddenberry: "STAR TREK"

32. Vamoose, to Shakespeare: BE GONE. “I must be gone and live, or stay and die.”

35. Long, slippery fish: EEL

36. Suffix with Israel or Jacob: ITE

37. Sch. in Columbus: OSU. (Ohio State University)

41. Chili __ carne: CON

42. RR depot: STA. (railroad station)

43. Common soccer result: TIE

44. Scope: EXTENT

46. Plush teddy with a heart for a nose: CARE BEAR

49. Red Seal record label company: RCA. (Radio Corporation of America)

50. Dryly humorous: DROLL

51. That is, in Latin: ID EST

55. Like some waves: TIDAL

57. Senate positions: SEATS

61. "Avatar" actress Saldana: ZOE

62. Word with safe or out: HOUSE. But is there a safe out house?

65. Speak: UTTER

66. Farmland measure: ACRE

67. Not yet eliminated from the contest: IN IT. Untill the fat lady sings.

68. Authority: SAY SO

69. Course of action: PLAN

70. Jacob's first wife: LEAH. Family Tree.

Down:

1. Petunia part: PETAL

2. Taste that's not sweet, sour, bitter or salty: UMAMI

3. Allowed by law: LICIT

4. Irritate: IRK

5. Copy editor's "Leave it in": [STET]

6. Wrigley Field team: CUBS. Chicago.

7. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE

8. Petroleum nickname: TEXAS TEA

10. Customer: CLIENT

12. Paintings in the Prado, por ejemplo: ARTE. The Prado Museum is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid.

13. Ungentlemanly sort: BOOR

18. First track circuit in a race: LAP ONE

24. Sci-fi radar blip: UFO. (unidentified flying object)

26. More sedate: CALMER

28. Marker marketer: PENTEL. Wiki.

29. "Night Moves" singer Bob: SEGER

30. Historic British prep school: ETON

31. Superman, as a reporter: KENT

32. Greenish-yellow pear: BOSC

33. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA. "How are you?"

39. Shower bar brand: DIAL SOAP

40. Type of tax: EXCISE

45. Tiny bit: TAD

47. Wipes out: ERASES

48. Ravel classic used in the film "10": BOLERO. The clip is long(15:49) but fascinating.

52. Online periodical: eZINE

53. Justice Sotomayor: SONIA

54. Molars and incisors: TEETH

55. Like so: THUS

56. Tiny bit: IOTA

58. SASE, say: ENCL. (self-addressed stamped envelope/enclosure)

59. Razor brand: ATRA

60. Back in the day: THEN

64. "__ Abner": LI'L

Argyle