Don Galiardo

Theme: Who wants cake, or maybe a 7 layer theme?

I would like each of you to write up the theme , which I understand but do not know how to express. First we have a reveal early on with 16A. What each successive starting word of the answers to starred clues is to the starting word that precedes it : SYNONYM (8). We then get our first starred clue/fill, 19A. *Popular clubs : HOT SPOTS (8) but it tells u nothing because first we need a 'successive' clue which we get immediately with 20A. *Ty Cobb specialties : STOLEN BASES (11) and the light bulb goes off because HOT and STOLEN both mean something purloined. But here is the twist, the next pair is STOLEN and TAKEN from 31A. *Dressed down : TAKEN TO TASK (11) with STOLEN now a verb. 38A. *Didn't allow to remain in, as political office : REMOVED FROM (11) gives us TAKEN/REMOVED.  We  then have REMOVED/DISTANT from 46A. *It's ancient history : DISTANT PAST (11)  and we finish with DISTANT/COLD as in the b!@#$ acted so DISTANT. 50A. *They might be knocked down in a bar : COLD ONES (8) And to a second reveal of the brilliant ladder Don Hard G has built we have 56A. What the start of 50-Across is to the start of 19-Across : ANTONYM (8) which reminds us we have gone from the HOT to the COLD and from SYNONYM to ANTONYM. Awesome! 76 letters are theme related! And then he manages to work in AT LEAST,  CREATOR.  HAIRNET,  OVER PAR,  PATIENT, PINHEAD, SCIORRA,  SEASIDE, ASTINS, CHEAPO, EPILOG, HOOPLA, ON TIME, PANAMA ,SHANTY, SKYLIT,  SOBERS, and TOUPEE. I am worn out and have not even begun....

Across:

1. Birdbrain : PINHEAD.  Clecho 46D. Birdbrains : DOPES.

8. Crummy : CHEAPO.

14. Annabella of "Jungle Fever" : SCIORRA. This ACTRESS born in Connecticut has had a very successful career in both movies and TV.

15. Producer : CREATOR. Literally true, but I found the connection slow to come to mind.

17. Equestrian's head cover : HAIRNET. There is always something new to LEARN.

18. Newscaster Lindström : PIA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_7_J1nCf6Q

24. The last Mrs. Chaplin : OONA. 4D. Hullabaloo : HOOPLA.  Really fun word and the equally fun.  54D. Hamlin's caveman : OOP.

25. Valuable extraction : ORE.

26. Pros with schedules : CPAS.

30. Save : BUT.

35. Closing words : EPILOG. I never have used this spelling.

37. Hut : SHANTY.

42. Trouble : AIL.

43. Barely come (through) : SEEP.

44. Box "b" on a W-2: Abbr. : EIN. Employer Identification Number.

45. Magazine that published advance excerpts from Stephen King's "Firestarter" : OMNI. This was a fine MAGAZINE.

55. Like bogeys : OVER PAR.

60. Playing the waiting game : PATIENT.

61. Resort site : SEASIDE.

62. Pass : ELAPSE.

63. Minimally : AT LEAST.

Down:

1. Some email enders : PSS. I have never used PS or any variation in an email.

2. Dangerous, in a way : ICY. Cold.

3. Writer who said "The only abnormality is the incapacity to love" : NIN. Anais was born  Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell, of Cuban descent.  LINK.

5. Els with clubs : ERNIE.

6. Ancient Indo-European : ARYAN. Quite the HISTORY

7. Hydroelectric facility : DAM.

8. Pack up : CRATE. As a verb.

9. Five-time world champion skater Carol : HEISS.  More ICE, but I think even  Tin allows it for skating. A quick memory of our dear departed Clear Ayes and all our figure skaters who have come and gone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpKNkVpDORs

10. 1994 Costner role : EARP.

11. 5 for B or 6 for C : ATNO. I think the clue needs at least a 'shortly' as neither B nor C as atomic symbols are actually abbreviations.

12. Orpheus, for one : POET.

13. Scraps : ORTS.

15. Elect : CHOSEN. This time not a verb.

19. Leaping critter : HARE.

20. Sleeps it off, with "up" : SOBERS.

21. Theatrical piece? : TOUPEE. Nice misdirection especially near HARE.

22. As scheduled : ONTIME
23. __ choy : BOK
26. Windy City travel org. : CTA
27. Colombia neighbor : PANAMA
28. Actors John and Sean : ASTINS
29. Naturally bright : SKYLIT
31. Good, in Hebrew : TOV
32. Golden __ : AGE
33. Musical org. based in Kawasaki : TSO
34. Electrical measure : OHM
36. __-eared : LOP
39. Much of Nevada : DESERT
40. Emotional spells : FITS
41. Strand under a microscope : RNA
45. Resist : OPPOSE

47. Silly : INANE
48. Good-sized combo : NONET. Nine pieces.

49. Wreck big time : TOTAL. I had one car totaled when I was broadsided.
50. Deal : COPE.

51. Roundish : OVAL. ...ish.

52. "__ Smile Be Your Umbrella" : LET A. Who ever did it better?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdtsCb51T7Q

53. Boring type : DRIP. A 1950s term.

56. Arkansas governor Hutchinson : ASA. How many obscure ASAs are there?

57. Actress Vardalos : NIA.

58. Abbr. near a tee : YDS. Yards, as msot of you read this I am in another tournament.

59. Assembled : MET.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: What is the game, an abbreviated military march? Yes, CPT OBVIOUS! (Drat, HG linked that already this week!)

We return to our prolific Friday phenom, Jeffrey, with a simple-looking theme and tons of fun fill. Each in-the- language phrase is re-imagined "on the base" with the three-letter abbreviation for the military rank replacing the first word of the phrase. The original phrases are all very recognizable and the grid has a fairly standard look. The fill ‒ including long ones like BEGONIA, EMANATE, DOG BITES, ONE IN TWO, POLLSTER, and SWEPT OUT ‒ once again presents JW's affinity for multi-word fill with some of the six-letter answers like AS I CAN, BIG APE, BITMAP, DUCATS, PIMPLE, SEABED, TAKE ME and TIN EAR sparkly. The use of cheater squares to balance the 13-letter fill makes this all come together. Let's feast.


19A. Familiar material, on the base? : GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (12). The clue and fill are straightforward -- only the shortening brings in the military.

26A. Backbone of capitalism, on the base? : PRIVATE ENTERPRISE (13).  LINK.

42A. Disciplinary action, on the base? : CORPORAL PUNISHMENT (13). Remember these? LINK.

48A. Important find, on the base? : MAJOR DISCOVERY (12).

Across:

1. Locale of TV's Krusty Krab restaurant : SEABED. From Sponge Bob to reality...

7. "The Hitch-Hiker" director Lupino : IDA. An all male cast; really easy fill but who remembers this movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMoox8_pUlA

10. Meatless lasagna ingredient, perhaps : TOFU. Because spinach would not fit. A puzzle rich in INFORMATION.

14. "I wanna go too!" : TAKE ME.

15. Presumed threats to letter carriers : DOG BITES.

17. " ... according to my abilities" : AS I CAN.

18. Half, statistically : ONE IN TWO. You had a one in two chance of getting this right.

21. __ loss : AT A.

22. The Hammer of baseball : AARON. Hmmerin' Hank, yes...

31. Natural mole fur hue : TAUPE. Really? The French word for mole is TAUPE.  The moles we had in Connecticut had darker coats.

33. Balm source : ALOE.

34. Hand analog : PAW.

35. Fruity quaffs : ADES. A mini CSO for moi.

36. "Actions speak louder than words," e.g. : MAXIM. Saying, adage, aphorism, proverb, motto, saw, axiom, dictum, precept, epigram; truism, cliché.

38. Short pooch, for short : PEKE. Pekingese, the Chinese Lion Dog. The look sad to me.

39. It's hardly a smash : LOB. Not a flop or bomb, but a tennis term.

40. Lowlands feature : DALE.

41. __ metabolism : BASAL. Time to fix your BODY.

46. Undemonstrative sort : STOIC.

47. Med. recording : ECG.

56. Cleaned, in a way : SWEPT OUT.

59. Lethargy cause : ANEMIA. The old iron deficiency anemia.

60. One assessing sentiment : POLLSTER. Please no robocalls! Last election is why I gave up my home phone.

61. Digital image format : BITMAP. Not a word I KNEW.

62. It keeps the team together : YOKE.

63. Calculating : SLY.

64. Studio equipment : EASELS. Art studio,  not music.

Down:

1. Companion to Artemis : STAG.  Famous  ART.

2. Simplicity : EASE.

3. Related : AKIN.

4. 2014 Best Rock Album Grammy winner : BECK. This was hard because Led Zepplin won last year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM1g3D75kDw

5. Spring (from) : EMANATE. Nice word.

6. Mean : DENOTE. One of those needless ten dollar words, if you mean mean say mean.

7. Teen __ : IDOL. Wolf anyone? Michael Landon?  Michael J, Fox?

8. "And there you have it!" : DONE. Not even close.

9. Old : AGED.

10. Problem for a conductor wannabe : TIN EAR.

11. 1930s-'40s slugger : OTT. Mel is back.

12. Limited : FEW.

13. Mil. morale booster : USO.

16. Oaf : BIG APE.

20. Lacking color : WAN.

23. Best for consumption, perhaps : RIPEST.

24. Panasonic headquarters city : OSAKA. And why should I know this? Wait for the perps.

25. Staircase support : NEWEL.

26. Southwestern community : PUEBLO.

27. No. twos : VPS. BMS  fit.

28. Perennial political debate subject : TAXES.

29. Priest in 1 Samuel : ELI.

30. N.T. book written by Paul : ROMans.

31. Soothing applications : TALCS.

32. Add to the family : ADOPT.

36. "What a piece of work is a __!": Hamlet : MAN. A very simple Will quote for JW.

37. Legendary fighter : ALI.

38. Broadway flier : PAN.

40. Coins of old Venice : DUCATS. Gold or silver coins used as a trade coin in Europe from the later medieval centuries until as late as the 20th century. Also slang for tickets.

41. Colorful tropical perennial : BEGONIA. Very colorful.

43. Clearasil target : PIMPLE.

44. Guys : HES.

45. Mrs. Miller's partner in a 1971 Altman film : MC CABE.  Wonderful Julie Christie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2BSHp9oYD0

49. Scribbles : JOTS. My meh fill.

50. Hamilton's undoing : DUEL. Death more than undoing. HISTORY.

51. Modest sentence : I TRY. Week after week.

52. November honorees : VETS. My in-laws were married on November 8, so we took them to NYC for their anniversary; when there was a huge Veteran's Day parade, my FIL, an ex-Marine from WWII thought we had planned that as well.

53. Rylan of "Guiding Light" : EMME. A complete unknown.

54. Currency of Iran : RIAL. Rially.

55. Doesn't shut up : YAPS.

56. Le Carré figure : SPY. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold was my first real spy novel.

57. Ply with flowers and chocolate : WOO.

58. JFK was one : ELK, I did not know this trivia,  though it looks more like another Kennedy monogram.

Mark Bickham

Theme:


Across:

1. Type of hippo : PYGMY.

6. 59-Down product : ATM.

9. Color guard accessory : SABER.

14. Child on TV for decades : JULIA.

15. Virgo preceder : LEO.

16. "I'm here" : USE ME.

17. Hummingbird feature? : SMALL BILL.

19. Enjoyed Vegas : GAMED.

20. Valley : DALE.

21. Place to live in Spain : CASA.

23. Sore feeling : IRE.

24. Purported ancestor of Ragnar Lothbrok on TV's "Vikings" : ODIN.

26. Foothills? : SHORT RANGE.

29. Crazy scene : ZOO.

30. Call-day link : IT A.

31. Value : ESTEEM.

32. Did a cobbler's job : SOLED.

34. Stain : IMBRUE.

37. Hot Wheels Volkswagen? : MINIATURE GOLF.

41. Hoedown move : DOSIDO. A wonderful CSO for our recovering dancer, YR.

42. Taking place : AFOOT.

44. Is in store for : AWAITS.

47. Pine product : TAR.

49. Maker of the GreenSaver Produce Keeper : OXO.

50. Potty-training tool? : LITTLE JOHN.

53. Absolut rival : SKYY.

54. Explosive letters : TNT.

55. Collector's __ : ITEM.

56. Reveals in an unwelcome way : OUTS.

58. Naming : ID-ING.

60. Mouthpiece for a Lilliputian horse? : TEENSY BIT.

64. Nursery supply : MULCH.

65. Psyche component : EGO.

66. Hiding __ : PLACE.

67. No longer an item : APART.

68. Oversaw : RAN.

69. Teamed (with) : SIDED.

Down:

1. Jams : PJS.

2. Good remark? : YUM.

3. Plants with sword-shaped leaves : GLADIOLI.

4. Lombardy's capital : MILAN.

5. Everyone in Mississippi? : Y'ALL.

6. Big ring name : ALI.

7. AT&T, for short : TELCO.

8. Grinder : MOLAR.

9. 1969 hit with the line "You are my candy girl" : SUGAR SUGAR.

10. Botanist Gray : ASA.

11. Candy heart words : BE MINE.

12. Show one's face : EMERGE.

13. Make amends for : REDEEM.

18. Outdo : BEST.

22. Volume measure : STERE.

24. Abbr. on some cans : OZS.

25. Hardly a happy ending : DOOM.

27. Where the Santa Maria sank, nowadays : HAITI.

28. Dined on, biblically : ATE OF.

30. Dash warning : IDIOT LIGHT.

33. "I suggest you move on" : END IT.

35. Pie makeup? : MUD.

36. Stock : BROTH.

38. Plus : ASSET.

39. Doesn't exactly help one's reputation : LOOKS BAD.

40. Stunning or cunning : FOXY.

43. One under a tree, maybe : TOY.

44. Nissan sedan : ALTIMA.

45. Start of a pitch : WIND-UP.

46. Fifth-century Roman Empire enemy : ATTILA.

48. In a little while : ANON.

51. 1996 A.L. Rookie of the Year : JETER.

52. Psi follower : OMEGA.

53. Needles : STYLI.

57. Org. whose logo features an eagle head : USPS.

59. 6-Across maker : NCR. National Cash Register.

61. Awfully long time : EON.

62. Rocks in a bucket : ICE. Look away Tinman....

63. "Ideas worth spreading" acronym : TED. Technology Entertainment & Design. LINK. 

Bruce Haight

Theme: A few quick NOTES.

I knew it was Friday and we were in for some shenanigans when I saw the blank grid with the three interesting shapes from NW to SE.  The asterisks and the reveal made this doable but it was a challenge. Bruce has decided to create a six themer,with a reveal, where each 7 letter word has only letters which can be notes (A B C D E F and G). This one is a visual treat, with the short theme answers leaving room for a boatload of sparkly fill.  AKIHITO,  A LACK OF,  APOLLO I,  BAGGAGE,  BUSSING,  DO I DARE,  EROTICA, GONERIL, LATINOS, OLEANNA.  ON TOP OF , RELEARN, POP-UP ADS,  BICAMERAL, NATURALIST, POLICEWOMAN. These are not all easy, but they were fun. He also uses the downs to create triple stacks of 7s in each corner with the theme on the outside, intersecting with two double stacks. Add two 10 letter climbers and there is your puzzle. Bruce, I like your style. let's walk.

32A. *Vandalized, in a way : DEFACED (7). Like your street artists?

39A. *Head of the produce section? : CABBAGE (7). Lettuce dispense with bad vegetable puns, please!

1D. *Yielded : ACCEDED (7).

12D. *Place for oats : FEEDBAG (7). No horsing around.

36D. *Emotional burden : BAGGAGE (7). Looks like CABBAGE's evil twin.

42D. *Wiped out : EFFACED (7). I realize with the limitations of using only 7 letters hings will look similar, but this and 32A are really close.
and the reveal

52A. They're graphically represented three times in this grid ... and the answers to starred clues are the six longest common words than can be spelled using only them : NOTES (5).

Across:

1. Stirs : ADOS.

5. He wrote about "a midnight dreary" : POE. Now, 170 years since publication; a sample:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

8. Gobble (up) : SNARF.

13. Die, with "out" : CONK. Like a car engine.

14. Blog entry : POST. Weekly.

15. Capital of India : RUPEE. We get both kinds back to back in this clecho.

16. Capital __ : CITY.

17. Colorful fish : OPAH. Also known as moonfish.

18. Took the wrong way? : STOLE. Nice clue.

19. Old Tokyo : EDO.

20. Haul to the kitchen, as groceries : LUG IN. I like the word lug, but no this fill.

22. Word before or after dog : SLED.  I do like the challenge of before and after words. 4D. Word before or after blue : SKY.

23. High-five relative : DAP. We had this fist  bump recently.

24. Poison remedy : IPECAC. Now controversial emetic. LINK. And more next door clecho.

26. Poison test site : LAB.

27. Steamy stuff : EROTICA.

30. Queen of the Goths in Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" : TAMORA. WE get some Shakespeare almost every Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFQuRKo_KNs

33. Romantic activity : BUSSING. Great word, not affirmative action but "a kiss," 1560s; probably of imitative origin, as are Welsh and Gaelic bus "kiss, lip," French baiser "kiss" (12c., from Latin basiare), Spanish buz, German dialectal Buss.

34. Words of wisdom : SAWS. Generally old ones.

35. Country on the Strait of Hormuz : IRAN.

36. Ravel classic : BOLERO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dILIdREylC0  (x-rated)

43. Old-style warning : ALARUM.

44. Rather little : A LACK OF.

45. Understand : GET. Ah, I get it.

46. Deli staple : SALAMI.

49. Like Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony" : IN F.

50. Horse show concern : GAIT.

53. 2000 World Series venue : SHEA. The SUBWAY Series.

54. Yearbook, e.g. : ANNAL.

56. Bakery buy : TART.

57. Newspaper fig. : CIRCular.

58. Little garden party? : GNOME. Really cute clue for an ugly statue.

59. Mazatlán Mrs. : SRA. Senora.

60. End in __ : A TIE.

61. Facilitated : EASED.

62. Suffer : AIL.

63. Squealed : TOLD. My brothers and I learned early to never squeal on each other.

Down:

2. "Is it worth the risk?" : DO I DARE. Nice letter pattern and stack.

3. Knowledgeable about : ON TOP OF. Old Smokey?

5. Online annoyances : POP-UP ADS.

6. Oklahoma county in which a 2008 Pulitzer-winning drama is set : OSAGE. Anybody? LINK.

7. Work __ : ETHIC.

8. Many AARP mems. : SRS. Seniors,

9. "Darn it!" : NUTS.

10. Ill-fated 1967 mission : APOLLO I.  Sad HISTORY. HG?

11. Brush up on : RELEARN.

14. Member of the force : POLICEWOMAN. PEPPER was so spicy. 28D. 14-Down's need, at times : TASER.

21. Darwin, for one : NATURALIST. He ran around without clothes?

25. Fruit named for a Turkish town : CASABA. This MELON named for KASABA.

29. Legendary flier : ICARUS. Poor guy, it was his fall that made him famous.

31. "Morning Joe" airer : MSNBC. Do you watch?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-vcFarrPPU

33. Like Congress : BICAMERAL. Two bodies.

37. 1992 Mamet play : OLEANNA. And 1994 MOVIE.

38. Fast-growing U.S. ethnic group : LATINOS.

40. Reigning emperor of Japan : AKIHITO.

41. Regan's poisoner, in Shakespeare : GONERIL. An extra Will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBVSsDJ2d74

47. "__ luck!" : LOTSA.

48. Asteroids maker : ATARI.

51. Subdue : TAME.

53. "Buzz off!" : SCAT. I see scat for four legged animals, buzz off for two.

55. Went first : LED. In this case, out the door as another week has passed. Thanks Bruce who has been here before and has many NYTs published. Another week, Lemonade out.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Que pasa? Que sera sera!

JW is back with an add on theme where QUE is added to the end of a word to completely change the meaning of a word or phrase. Three add the que at the end of the phrase, with two adding to the middle of a word creating a two word answer. Four feature "I" before the add on, with one A. I love the first three in the theme. The rest of the fill is very good with ABOUND, ANUBIS, BEAT UP,  EX-PROS, GULDEN, OCEANS, TAIPEI, TRIBAL, ADRENALIN,  AQUA REGIA, FULL MOONS, HEARTBURN examples and some Friday fill like BIOTA and TOQUE. As alway, JW makes us work to decipher some of the fill, but is Friday, so let us have at it.


18A. Angry young man's fate? : LIFE OF PIQUE (11).  The book Life of Pi became a worldwide best seller and movie after many rejections.

24A. Hercules, e.g.? : ANTIQUE HERO (11). Anti-hero (or antihero) has been a literary theme from Don Quixote through Marlon Brando, but while an ancient story, there is nothing but hero about Hercules.  (1:25).

39A. Result of a Caribbean sanitation strike? : DIRTY MARTINIQUE (15). My favorite of the theme, both for the drink and a reminder of the horrible volcanic eruption in 1902 that made one PRISONER famous.

56A. Proprietary paperwork? : UNIQUE FORMS (11). Uniforms.

62A. Ready-to-hang Cubist painting? : WIRED BRAQUE (11). A really creative one, with a very famous contemporary of Picasso (Georges Braque) brought to life from an under-wire bra, which he probably never painted.  IMAGE.


Across:

1. "I don't like it!" : BAH. Oddly, my first thought of which I was quite unsure.

4. Waikiki allure : SURF. There are other  sights to see. LINK.(4:12).

8. Like an old jalopy : BEAT UP.

14. Chemical suffix : IDE. A compound.

15. Hesse-based automaker : OPEL. We have seen this German automaker more often than I have seen their cars. And a semi-clecho: 33A. Ingolstadt-based automaker : AUDI.

16. Reporter's coup : EXPOSE. This was harder without imagining the accent.

17. Man-mouse link : OR A.

20. Hill stint : TERM. Capital Hill for politicians.

22. Hershey bar : SKOR.

23. Bygone political entity that included Syr. : UAR. The shot lived alliance between Egypt and Syria. United Arab Republic.

28. South African golfer with four major championships : ELS. A CSO to our own Big Easy.

29. Be quite prevalent : ABOUND.

30. Polite response to Aunt Polly : YES'M. A reference to Tom sawyer's aunt, I guess, which fits with 35A. Crude carrier : RAFT..

32. Seasonal affliction : FLU.

44. Poet Sexton : ANNE. One of many creative people who could not control the demons that made them great. LINK.

45. Popular melt meat : TUNA. Yum.

46. Einstein's birth city : ULM. In southern Germany near the Danube.

47. 50-50, to Fifi : EGAL. Equal in French.

51. __ Council: "Survivor" feature : TRIBAL. Never watched an episode.

53. Rush : HIE. A nice Shakespeare word.

59. "Well done!" analog : OLE.

60. Pacific feast : LUAU. In Waikiki?

61. Drudge : PEON. So many words for the put upon.

67. Indian state that was part of a former Portuguese colony : GOA. They are famous for their beaches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIZRxR5ySH8

68. Tamsui River capital : TAIPEI.

69. Excited about, with "on" : KEEN. A 50s word.

70. "Monsters, __" : INC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvOQeozL4S0

71. Magellan's milieux : OCEANS. He was going round and round.

72. Breyers competitor : EDYS. Yum.

73. Require : ASK. Not want your country can do for you....

Down:

1. Regional organisms : BIOTA. Not a term I am really familiar with so my start was slow.

2. Stimulant trademark : ADRENALIN.  Synthetic epinephrine which has become more popular than the original adrenaline; quite the rush.

3. Jalapeño product, for some? : HEARTBURN. This is our medical corner with pyrosis, cardialgia, or acid indigestion as other names for the burning sensation in the chest. Per wiki.

4. San José sun : SOL. Spanish.

5. News org. : UPI.

6. Court charge caller : REF. Basketball court.

7. Soft tissue : FLESH.

8. In front of : BEFORE.

9. Many sports commentators : EX-PROS. Nice letter string XPR, but conflict with clues below.

10. Bee: Pref. : API. From whence comes Apiary, etc.

11. Chapeau seen in "Ratatouille" : TOQUE. A gratuitous bonus QUE

12. Quotidian : USUAL. Not one of your usual clues, this means daily. Latin comes in handy.

13. Jury members : PEERS. Such a strange concept.

19. "__-doke!" : OKEY. Okey dokey smokey.

21. Apennines possessive : MIO. Italian, a region and history I did not know. LINK.

25. Ship loading site : QUAY.

26. Word on a bill : UNUM. E pluribus....

27. Old writings mentioning Odin : EDDA.

31. Open __ : MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

32. Org. requiring milk pasteurization : FDA. Food and Drug Administration.

34. The Bronx's Jerome Ave. line is part of it : IRT. Interborough Rapid Transit. the SUBWAY.

36. Mixture that dissolves gold : AQUA REGIA. Latin for royal water; the question is why do you want to dissolve gold?

37. Rare twosome of July 2015 : FULL MOONS. The even rarer three full moons?  LINK.

38. Pro __ : TEM. Followed immediately with the clecho

40. Pro's support : TEE. Then staying in the Ts.

41. 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner : TUTU. The Anglican Bishop DESMOND.

42. Regarding : IN RE.

43. Innocent : NAIF. A guileless, unsophisticated person: babe, child, ingénue, innocent. Same stem as naive.

48. Big name in mustard : GULDEN. Their spicy brown is the third largest in the US behind French's and Grey Poupon.

49. Wolf-headed god : ANUBIS. This is the Greek name for the Egyptian god.

50. One covering tracks, perhaps : LIAR. Liar pants on fire.

52. Hit on the head : BOP.

53. Book with steps : HOW  TO.

54. __ crest: pelvic border : ILIAC.

55. Like H.P. Lovecraft stories : EERIE.

57. Tremble : QUAKE.

58. Oreos, say : SNACK.

63. Org. monitoring endangered species : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

64. Letters of proof : QED.EVERYONE must know this by now.

65. Turn that's hung : UEY.

66. Chekov's "Star Trek" rank: Abbr. : ENSign. Before he became a Captain and an Admiral.

Well another week and month have slipped away, I hope everyone  on the east coast is kept safe from Joaquin. I wonder if Mr. Trump will blame that on Mexico as well? No politics. just silliness.
I am tired from the excitement of the new baby, so off to rest; lemonade out.