Those six years of Latin in school certainly paid off today, in this whimsical 'add a letter' theme to get a funny answer to a silly definition. I am not sure if the Latin phrases would be difficult for anyone as they seem fairly known, but I am sure you will let me know. I thought some theme answers were very funny, and other not so much. In each case, the meaning of one of the words in the Latin phrase is preserved with other getting the added letter. Another Friday where we have lots of short fill (sixty-seven 3,4 and 5 letter fill) and only two sparklies, I’M OUTA HERE, HOLY SMOKES, with COE and NAURU being fresh fill..
17A. Latin for "big idiot"? : MAGNUM DOPUS.(11). Original Latin, Magnum Opus, meaning greatest work. Greatest work ----Greatest idiot.
23A. Latin for "holding a grudge for a long, long time"? : MAD INFINITUM.(12). Ad Infinitum, meaning to infinity, forever. Forever ----Angry forever.
38A. Latin for "fighting over parking spots is not allowed"? : NO LOT CONTENDERE.(15). Nolo Contendere, the guilty plea where one does not admit guilt, but does not 'contest' the charge. This grid spanner might be a seed entry but it confused the crap out of me, as I had an idea with the added D and M, there was going to be some kind of Roman Numeral reveal, appropriate to a Latin based theme, no go. No contest ----No parking lot contest.
47A. Latin for "cheating on one's timecard"? : TEMPUS FUDGIT. (12). Tempus Fugit. Time flies ----Time is fudged (faked).
59A. Latin for "fish trading"? : SQUID PRO QUO.(11). By far my favorite, where Quid Pro Quo gets all tentacles on us. This for that ----fish(sort of) ----for that.
Across:
1. Critters who worshiped C-3PO as a god : EWOKS.
6. Penicillin precursor : SULFA. Being allergic to Penicillin and growing up before the anti-biotic explosion, I remember this.
11. Like Beethoven's Second Symphony : IN D. You like this better than the abbreviation?
14. Museum piece : RELIC.
15. Central Florida city : OCALA. Gainesville's bedroom community and great horse country.
16. Wild West : MAE. I got this immediately when I saw it was three letters but still love the clue/fill.
19. "Certainement!" : OUI. Vraiment! Aussi, 66A. Idée sources : TETES. French for heads, from whence we get our ideas.
20. Blotter letters : AKA. Also Known As. It has a cousin, FKA.
21. Good, in Genoa : BUONO. Just the Italian word.
22. Hides in the closet? : FURS. Another witty use of the confusion of the verb really being a noun here.
26. Classic pops : NEHIS. Pop=Soda; easy for those in the Midwest and a clue without Radar.
29. Charles of old mysteries : NORA. Married to Nick and played by Myrna Loy.
30. Bustles : ADOS. A new clue for a crossword staple.
31. Steam table fuel : STERNO. You get a nice ONE but it won't be cheap.
35. "Good" cholesterol initials : HDL. High-density lipoprotein.
41. Adams of "The Muppets" : AMY.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
42. Owl, at times : HOOTER. Oh, so they named the restaurant chain after dome owls?
43. Turkmenistan neighbor : IRAN.
44. Where change is welcome : SLOT.
46. "Choose taste" sauce brand : PREGO.
53. Son of Aphrodite : EROS.
54. Cell terminal : ANODE. Battery positive, I am positive.
55. Cry made with a raised index finger : A HA!
58. Torah holder : ARK.
62. Journalist William Shirer's alma mater : COE. I remember the MAN well but had no idea where he went to college, nor any real memory of the existence of a Coe College. I read the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich when it came out, but not with....
63. Verve : GUSTO. As a ...
64. Hefty portion : CHUNK. of the book was very upsetting.
65. Shop door nos. : HRS. Hours.
67. Salon and others : E-MAGS. It sounds all POLITICAL so I have never read it.
Down:
1. First name in wit : ERMA
2. Watery, as a drink : WEAK
3. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : OLGA
4. Blood : KIN
5. Takes a dive? : SCUBAS.
6. Agreeable words : SO DO I.
7. Sch. originally endowed by the Storrs brothers : UCONN. An ultimate gimme, as it was the place of undergraduate and graduate study for me.
8. __ luxury : LAP OF.
9. Viral ailment : FLU.
10. Remote power sources : AAS.
11. "See ya!" : I'M OUTA HERE.
12. Pacific republic near the equator : NAURU
13. Voltaire's world-view : DEISM
18. Joe with some oomph : MUD
22. Holiday buy : FIR
23. Sapporo soup : MISO
24. __ circle : INNER
25. "High __" : NOON
26. Family nickname : NANA.
27. Biblical kingdom near the Dead Sea : EDOM.
28. "Yikes!" : HOLY SMOKES.
31. Glaswegians, e.g. : SCOTS
32. Furthermore : TOO
33. Tolkien creature : ENT
34. Series of turns: Abbr. : RTE
36. Snoozefest : DRAG
37. 2014 Television Academy Hall of Fame inductee : LENO
39. Biblical pronoun : THOU
40. Gossip : DIRT
45. Vinyl spinners : LPS
46. Go through : PIERCE
47. Emulate Anne Sullivan : TEACH
48. Flub : ERROR
49. Gounod opera : FAUST
50. Form an alliance : UNITE
51. Extinct Mauritian birds : DODOS
52. Econ. stat : GDP
55. Blue hue : AQUA
56. Like curtains : HUNG
57. NASA go-aheads : AOKS
59. Friday is one: Abbr. : SGT
60. Prov. on the St. Lawrence : QUE
61. Electrical unit : OHM
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