Four common terms containing a country name as a descriptive adjective, are modified into amusing new version that sound alike.
20A. WWII personnel from Rio? : BRAZILIAN WACS (13). The base phrase is Brazilian Wax, referring to the complete removal of pubic hair. The HISTORY of the term is debatable, but it may just be that the indigenous tribes that were there before European were one of the Asian strains which grow very little body hair.
25A. Yoko Ono, in spirit? : JAPANESE BEATLE (14). The destructive Japanese Beetle does in fact come from Japan, which has more natural beetle predators to limit their damage. Not to be confused with the German Beetle.
46A. Andalusian plains? : SPANISH STEPPES (14). (Spanish Steps in Rome are must see according to my traveling son. LINK). Steppe is defined as "one of the vast usually level and treeless tracts in southeastern Europe or Asia." (MW).
52A. Brussels-born lumberjack? : BELGIAN LOGGER (13). Belgian Lager beer. They produce over 700 kinds of beer in Belgium, but most are ales. READ. Either of my sons can answer this one better than I. I did stand in line to buy the Trappists' Westveleran XII when it came out.
Across:
5. Old lab burners : ETNAS. I will let our scientists get into a BUNSEN vs. ETNA discussion.
10. Julia's "Ocean's Twelve" role : TESS. First name of actress = first name of character.
14. Teeny bit : IOTA.
15. Repeat exactly : QUOTE.
16. Bar __ : EXAM. February 1974.
17. Wii alternative : XBOX. gaming systems.
18. Prefix with marine : ULTRA.
19. Lawless role : XENA. Nicely phrased; Lucy will live on so people can find an X to grind into a puzzle.
23. Reds, on scoreboards : CINcinnati.
24. French pronoun : CES. Their.
33. EPA standard : AQI. Air Quality Index.
34. 1986 Best New Artist Grammy winner : SADE.
35. Kingdom : REALM.
37. Accumulate : RUN UP. Think of your bar tab.
40. Rio maker : KIA.
41. Leader's prerogative : SAY SO.
42. Place for sweaters? : SAUNA. Rather indelicate...
43. Place Sundance liked : ETTA. Classic clue misdirection as her name was Etta Place, and the clue masks the capital letter which would have exposed the answer by having the word first in the progression.
45. Illegal turn, maybe : UIE.
50. Joseph Smith's denom. : LDS. Latter Day Saints.
51. __ hours : WEE. Where you could often find my sons playing the Wii.
59. It's done in parts of Switzerland : FINI. French misdirection; c'est fini.
60. Giant or Titan, briefly : NFLER. With the ever increasing size of footballers, this is becoming a doubly true clue.
61. VIII squared : LXIV. Roman math, reminds me LINK. (2:47).
63. Der __: Adenauer epithet : ALTE. Old one.
64. Island tubers : TAROS.
65. Foil relative : EPEE.
66. Techie, stereotypically : NERD.
67. Wrigley brand : ORBIT.
68. Fishing leader? : GONE.
Down:
1. B'way pickups : TIX.
2. Former Virginia senator Charles : ROBB.
3. "Like __ not ..." : ITOR
4. Veracruz neighbor : OAXACA
5. Some dams : EQUINES
6. Rock's Jethro __ : TULL
7. Claim of innocence : NOTI
8. Gillette brand : ATRA
9. Medium setting : SEANCE
10. Jed Clampett's discovery, in a sitcom theme song : TEXAS TEA.
11. Suit : EXEC
12. Without : SANS
13. "He'll hae misfortunes great an' __": Burns : SMA
21. Cab cousin : ZIN
22. Erodes : WEARS
25. Shakes : JARS
26. Blue shades : AQUAS
27. Betty Grable, e.g. : PINUP
28. Benefits : SAKES
29. WWI first lady Wilson : EDITH.
30. Pulsates : BEATS
31. Easy two-pointer : LAYUP
32. Dinsmore of children's books : ELSIE
36. Duff Beer seller : MOES
38. Neutral : UNALLIED
39. Ohio-based consumer products giant, familiarly : PANDG
44. In the most dire circumstance : ATWORST
47. Has a passion for : ISINTO
48. Wave checker: abbr. : EEG
49. Stereotypical pirate : PEGLEG
52. Venom : BILE.
53. __'acte : ENTR.
54. Hardly close : AFAR.
55. Union-mgmt. mediator : NLRB.
56. Sainted pope called "the Great" : LEO I.
57. Nat, before 2005 : EXPO.
58. It was nothing for Louis XIV : RIEN.
59. Buff : FAN.
62. Vacation starter? : VEE.
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