John R. O'Brien

Title: Unlock the shift key!

Mr. O'Brien breaks away from his pattern of one LAT in March each year with his first venture into the world of Fridays. The theme is very cute, all the theme clues are the numbers that would show if the shift key were not held down. In other words, &$& is 747, which is a Jumbo Jet. If you are doing the puzzle on paper, this is a real bear, but with the keyboard, I found it pretty fast for a Friday, but i do get paid for sussing Friday themes. The word distribution is more early week with no long fill except the theme and many 6 letter fill:  AMORAL,  NOMADS,  NOVENA,  OMELET, VERONA, LAYMAN,  ANODES and IN A FOG   are my favorites. The 8/12/15/12/8 pattern does not feel familiar but did yield 55 theme squares. I am not suggesting the puzzle was easy, there are lots of very hard clues

17A. &$&: JUMBO JET (8). 747 is the real clue.Did you FLY?

24A. @! : GAMBLING GAME (12). 21 (also known as blackjack). Do you PLAY?

40A. !&&^ : BROADWAY MUSICAL (15). 1776 is the clue. Do you REMEMBER?

52A. ** : KEYS ON A PIANO (12). 88 Do you wonder WHY?

66A. What was mistakenly held for four puzzle clues : SHIFT KEY (8).


Across:

1. Bozeman sch. : MSU. Montana State University. I think this is a highly regarded COLLEGE.

4. __ on the knuckles : A RAP. Generally administered with a ruler, sometimes even the sharp edge.

8. Hardly homebodies : NOMADS.

14. Black __ : OPS.

15. Protection in a purse : MACE.

16. Folded fare : OMELET. Another gift from the french chefs. LINK.

19. Romeo's home : VERONA. Cool, a Friday Shakespeare clue/fill, or two.... 49A. Cordelia, to Regan : SISTER.

20. Great way to walk : ON AIR. Did anyone else go here....Extra credit for naming both parents of the star.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4JCehDOy54

21. Olympics event : RACE. Timely but vague.

23. Baseball statistic : HIT.

28. Ancient time-telling device : CANDLE. Really fun INFO.

31. Hastings Ismay was selected as its first leader in 1952 : NATO. The name sounds like bad pig Latin, and I  never heard of HIM. he was interesting and NATO was an easy guess based on the year.

32. It can come between Clinton and Rodham : NEE. Hillary Rodham Clinton, née Hillary Diane Rodham.

33. Quaint retail word : OLDE.

36. Last words? : OBITS. Well done, even if a bit depressing.

44. Zaire, nowadays : CONGO. HISTORY. Not the Belgian Congo.

45. Sommelier's concern : YEAR. Wine was just too easy. Clecho-61D. Sommelier's prefix : OENO.

46. Outback native : EMU.

47. Mild cheese : EDAM. Yes, but not soft, it is is a semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands. Edam ages and travels well, and does not spoil; it only hardens. These qualities (among others) made it the world's most popular cheese between the 14th and 18th centuries, both at sea and in remote colonies. (wiki).

57. Porter, for one : ALE. remember there are two basic types of Beer- ALE or LAGER. LINK.

58. Washington is prominent on them : ONES. Money, honey.

59. Property crime : ARSON. Burn baby, burn.

63. Like astronauts during liftoff : SEATED. HG, why?

68. Intact : ENTIRE.

69. Pamplona runner : TORO. The Bull, silly. he does not speak English in Pamplona.

70. Having four sharps : IN E. I defer to our musicians to explain.

71. Hoi polloi : MASSES. A Greek term, that became pejorative.

72. Like bachelor parties : STAG.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oFi5BbxzJs

73. Bit of wit : MOT. French for word, part of the phrase "Bon mot."

Down:

1. Magic : MOJO. Defines as a magic charm, talisman, or spell. "someone must have their mojo working over at the record company" magic power.

2. Like web sites : SPUN. Cool deception, nit computer web but spider web.

3. Robert E. Lee's alma mater : USMA. United States Military Academy, Commonly referred to as West Point.

4. Unprincipled : AMORAL.  Nice explanation of the "A" as a negative prefix. LINK.

5. British rule in India : RAJ.

6. Biting : ACERB. Never seen in this form except in puzzles.

7. "She loves me" bit : PETAL.

8. Multi-day devotion : NOVENA. From the Latin for nine.

9. Kipling's "Follow Me __" : OME.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf41RHkXG34

10. Nice view : MER. When a clue begins with Nice, it usually is hiding some French, like the owrd meaning sea.

11. It's heard coming and going : ALOHA.

12. Casual Friday material : DENIM.

13. Announce : STATE.

18. Texas city nickname : BIG D. Dallas.

22. Word on many a marquee : CINEMA.

25. Persian greeting : MEOW. Kitty cat not Iranian.

26. Classic muscle cars : GTOS.

27. Asian expanse : GOBI. The desert.

28. "Mad Money" network : CNBC. Jim Cramer.

29. Bubbly-textured Nestlé chocolate bar : AERO. Popular in England Steve? NC?

30. Light element : NEON.

34. Hardly an expert : LAYMAN.

35. Hall of Fame golf course architect Pete : DYE. Have you played ANY?

37. "Law &Order: SVU" actor : ICE T.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y8XxUbeVv8

38. Unexciting : TAME.

39. Nasty campaign tactic : SLUR. Timely but verboten.

41. Quite a while : AGES.

42. Carroll's stammering self-caricature in "Alice in Wonderland" : DODO. A CSO to one of our own "Dodo: I say, you'll never get dry that way.
Alice: Get dry?
Dodo: Have to run with the others. First rule of a caucus race, you know.who has left us. More politics to avoid."

43. Celestial bear : URSA. Major, minor? Just Latin for bear.

48. Battery terminals : ANODES.

50. Befuddled : IN A FOG. been there often.

51. Put in folders, say : SORT.

52. Longtime "American Top 40" host : KASEM. Casey...did they ever bury him?

53. Justice Kagan : ELENA. One of the three.

54. "When You Are Old" poet : YEATS.
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

55. Raid victims : PESTS.

56. Clapton's "__ the Sheriff" : I SHOT. But he did not shoot the deputy. The Bob Marley song...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRgcwT9X2J8

MEANING

60. Dairy case option : SKIM. The nut milks are taking over.

62. Russian refusal : NYET. No.

64. Frank McCourt memoir : TIS.

65. Poetic preposition : ERE.

67. George's brother : IRA. The Gershwins, but you knew that.

I really enjoyed the creativity of the theme and all the Greek and Latin as well as some great cluing- Like web sites : SPUN  is my favorite. Welcome to Friday, and here comes August. Lemonade out. 

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Ah HA!

My Friday foil is back with an add a word edition that leaves us laughing. First, I had a blast working with Jeffrey in creating the Mel Brooks tribute puzzle. Mel certainly is one who can elicit much laugh out loud response. JW also has been concentrating on light-hearted themes, puns and and a good time had by all. I am getting very used to his style, his use of multiple word fill and his sense of humor. With 67 squares in the theme, and three gridspanners there are not many other long sparkly fill, but he does squeeze in AVALANCHE,  WEB FOOTED,  THREE PUTT, and  BALD EAGLE.

17A. Convent seamstress' workshop items? : HABITS AND PIECES (15). I grew up near a convent and watched many nuns march on my street. They wore the full habit.

When my niece was three, and saw them walking, she asked who all the kings were.

24A. Enlightened kid? : BILLY BUDDHA (11). How cool is it that Monday's puzzle made this fill so much easier. This is my favorite theme fill--Billy Buddha...classic.

36A. Bichon Frise pack leaders? : THE FRENCH ALPHAS (15). A CSO to our now busy and rich marti who loves skiing the Alps.

48A. Sandwich in the desert? : SAHARAN WRAP (11). This seems the least inventive and most obvious pun.
And the hint..(not a reveal)

57A. Request for relief, and a hint to the formation of this puzzle's four other longest answers :
I COULD USE A LAUGH (15). JW seems intent on making us laugh while we cry over some of the tougher clues.

Across:

1. It reportedly had an impact on beachgoers in 1975 : JAWS. But they forgot...

5. Pyle player : NABORS. The slackjaw picture link recently also made this easy. Raymond Burr's other half.

11. Seventh of 24 : ETA. I remembered that the greek alphabet had 24 letters.

14. Finished : OVER.

15. Got away from : EVADED.

16. Rented : LET. There were signs, room to let when I was child.

20. Viet Cong org. : NLF. National Liberation Front.


21. Zagros Mountains locale : ASIA. In Iran, a fact which I did not know, but the perps made it an easy guess.

22. Period in ads : NITE. A made up word.

23. __ Paulo : SAO. Part of the 2016 Olympic controversy where Brazil will host 28 Olympic sports — including rugby sevens and golf, which were added by the International Olympic Committee in 2009. These sporting events will take place at 33 venues in the host city of Rio and at 5 venues in the cities of São Paulo (Brazil's largest city), Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Brasília (Brazil's capital), and Manaus. Wiki. Also, 60D. Braz. neighbor : URUguay. Uruguay is ranked first in Latin America in democracy, peace, lack of corruption, e-government,and is first in South America when it comes to press freedom, size of the middle class and prosperity. Wiki.

28. Rodeo loops, essentially : NOOSES. How macabre.

30. Cranial projections : EARS. So soon after C.C. and Tony's puzzle.

31. Deca- minus two : OCTA. This should be "minus duo."

32. Goya subject : MAJA. She is back with (Steve yesterday) or without her clothes. And 26D. Gulf of California peninsula : BAJA.

33. Not yet on the sched. : TBA. To Be Announced.

41. Resting place : BED. This was so obvious that it was hard.

42. Laudatory lines : ODES.

43. 1968 self-titled folk album : ARLO. I get him often, and I never tire of complaining about his performance at Woodstock.

44. Hindu sovereign : RANI. And,  4D. Indian honorific : SRI. There was much I did not know about this WORD.

45. Called : PHONED. Home?

52. Thom McAn spec : EEE.

54. Obstruct : CLOG. Another shoe clue?

55. Suffix for those who are flush : AIRE. Flush with money, honey, Billion....

56. To the point : PAT. Another Friday I do not completely get, maybe from the definition like in a pat answer,,," having been already prepared and therefore said without thinking much about the question."

62. Alley end? : OOP. Hyphenated in the dictionary.

63. Spanning : ACROSS. Sneaky crossword clue/fill.

64. WWII Normandy battle site : ST. LO.

65. "Life Is Good" rapper : NAS. He does include..."I can tell she veagan or not when I meet her."

66. Weakens : BLUNTS. Definition: 2. To make less effective; weaken: blunting the criticism with a smile. v.intr.

67. Historical Cheyenne rivals : UTES. Native American Tribes.

Down:

1. St. __ University : JOHNS. I know them from Big East basketball.

2. Dramatic influx, as of fan mail : AVALANCHE. A very convoluted clue.

3. Ducky? : WEBFOOTED. A very literal clue.

5. Mysterious monster, familiarly : NESSIE.  Do you Loch these monsters?

6. Fulfills a need : AVAILS.

7. Everyday : BANAL. Followed by...

8. Not everyday : ODD.

9. Commission recipient, often : REPresentative. Generally a sale rep.

10. Deterrent announced in 1983: Abbr. : SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative.

11. Legendary Castilian hero : EL CID. I remembered the name from the Movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn55bR2Dnjk

12. Effectiveness : TEETH. It is time they put some teeth into the helmet to helmet rule.

13. Bamboozled : AT SEA.

18. File extensions : TABS.

19. Loose __ : ENDS.

25. "Okey-doke" : YEAH.

27. River through Orsk : URAL. Twice this week.

29. Stumblebum : OAF.

31. Nev. option for pony players : OTB.  They shut down in New York, but are still out in the MECCA for gamblers.

32. Podium VIPs : MCS. Emcees, or Master of Ceremonies.

33. Green disappointment : THREE PUTT.  When Stenson three putted the first green for bogey on Sunday, I thought that the pressure was going to get to him and Phil (who birdied) was going to get his second Claret Jug.

34. Image on cabbage? : BALD EAGLE. So many terms for MONEY.

35. Japan's largest active volcano : ASO. I really am not up on my knowledge of VOLCANOES.

37. Stormy ocean output : ROAR.

38. __ Valley: San Luis Obispo County wine region : EDNA. Nope means nothing to me. CHAIRMAN?

39. Freudian denial : NEIN.

40. Legendary man-goat : PAN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1wRv8vTpxo

44. Old World Style sauce brand : RAGU.
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7kq2/ragu-parents-bedroom

45. Vivaldi was ordained as one : PRIEST. Ordained kinda gives it away, but who knew? A puzzle with nuns and priests...

46. Beset : HARASS.

47. Berliner's wheels, perhaps : OPEL. A German car.

48. Descendant : SCION. Also an automobile.

49. Heavy hitter in the light metals industry : ALCOA. Aluminum Company of America,

50. Court activity : HOOPS. Basketball...

51. Aired, as a sitcom : WAS ON. Endeavour which is set in the 60's was on Sunday nights.

53. Value system : ETHOS.

58. Black __ : LAB. My son's dog is half black lab, half boxer. He is a big sweetie.

59. CXXX quintupled : DCL.

61. Sun Devils' sch. : ASU. Arizona State University,

I can't believe it is all over so soon. Welcome home Jeffrey after your foray into other days of the week. Also welcome to summer all; it is quite steamy here is So. Fla. Come visit. Lemonade out.

Sam Donaldson

Title: Gunther Toody, where are YOU.

This Samuel A. Donaldson, has been with us since 2009 .  It is time for his annual LAT Friday, with his last one being a sound alike as well. He is on a roll with 3 NYT and a WSJ all recently.  With a background in tax law, you know he has a great sense of humor and this offering, where we replace the o͞o  sound with the ē sound does require imagination. The theme jumped out at me with the Tina Fey and knowing the T from ARTTEST, which I used to love doing, was correct. I love getting into the mind of our constructors and picture how a phrase like TEA FOR TWO (Tē for To͞o ) becomes a perfect reveal for this puzzle. As I have said often, for sound puzzles, the reveal is the 13D, and I loved this one.

There are also is much sparkle to the fill such as ART TEST,  THIS ONE,  VENTNOR,  ENSLAVE, ECHELON,  DUST RAG,  SET DATE,  KNEE PAD,  LAERTES,  I KNEW IT, COUNTS ON and IMPLANTS.  Let go to work.

17A. What Fey does in a mushy moment? : TINA MELTS (9). I eat lots of tuna melts.

24A. Ornamental ducks? : GARDEN TEALS (11). Garden tools are more needed than the gnomes.

36A. Model high schoolers? : FINE TEENS (9). Fine tunes has many meanings.

51A. Park statue that might have the real things perched on it? : STEEL PIGEON (11). Stool pigeons are very important to the police.
And the reveal:

60A. "No, No, Nanette" song, and a homophonic hint to 17-, 24-, 36- and 51-Across : TEA FOR TWO (9).

Across:

1. Quads with wheels : ATVS. Four wheelers.

5. Perry of pop : KATY. So did I.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAp9BKosZXs

9. Two-iron, before golf club numbering : CLEEK. The whole SET.

14. Orator's prowess: Abbr. : RHEToric.

15. Der Spiegel article : EINE. And 65A. Der Spiegel rejection : NEIN.

16. Modicum : OUNCE. THis was difficult for me.

19. Forward : UNSHY. "I saw them come out and I saw that they were naked, unshy, beautiful, and full of grace, and I watched the naked women walk out of the sea.”― John Cheever, The Stories of John Cheever

20. Sandal feature : T-STRAP. Jimmy Choo.

21. Work the room : MINGLE.

23. Long time : EON.

28. Blanket in a belt : SNOW. Another hard to decipher for me.

30. Beefcake subjects : HUNKS. Familiar?

31. One given at a wedding : VOW. One or two.

32. Polo of "The Fosters" : TERI. Don't know the Fosters, only the Fokkers.

33. Provençal possessive : SES. No grammar error this time.

34. 1974 #1 country hit for Dolly Parton : JOLENE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9re90HG2dw

39. __ Pie : ESKIMO.

42. Slowing, on scores: Abbr. : RIT. Ritardando (or rit.) is an indication to gradually decrease the tempo of the music (opposite of accelerando). Wiki,

43. Sacha Baron Cohen alter ego : ALI G.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUTnu1MaeX0

47. Home office, maybe : DEN. Do people have dens anymore?

48. Quite cold : POLAR. Vortex anyone?

50. Number on a clapperboard : TAKE. The name of this device used in filming movies etc.

55. Sylvan Tolkien creature : ENT.

56. Airport snags : DELAYS.

57. Dreaded : FEARED.

59. Hit lightly : TAP ON.

63. Sudden jerk : START.

64. Way off the highway : EXIT.

66. Second chances : REDOS. Do  over did not fit.

67. "__ arigato": Japanese "thank you very much" : DOMO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cShYbLkhBc

68. Where el sol rises : ESTE.

Down:


1. "Draw me" challenge : ART TEST. Two words.













2. Selective words : THIS ONE.I really overthought this one. Many two word fill in the downs.

3. Avenue next to Monopoly's Water Works : VENTNOR. Anyone still playing Monopoly?

4. Headliner : STAR.

5. __ straight face : KEEP A. Two words.

6. Come down with a bug : AIL.

7. Big blowup cause : TNT. Cute cluing.

8. Sycophants : YES MEN.  Again.

9. Has faith in : COUNTS ON. Again.

10. Sudden movement : LUNGE.

11. Subjugate : ENSLAVE.

12. Command level : ECHELON. "the upper echelons of the business world"

13. Exam marking aid : KEY. I remember working as a TA using these on those pre-printed multiple choice test papers.

18. GQ or SI : MAG.

22. HP product : INKJET.

25. South Korea's first president : RHEE. Or was it RYU? This MAN.

26. Cleaning aid : DUST RAG. Again.

27. Baltic Sea country: Abbr. : SWEden.

29. Airport connection : WIFI. Really tricky but simple once you see it.

33. Joe Cool, sans shades : SNOOPY. Hmm, this should be SNEEPY?

35. Exam for a would-be atty. : LSAT.

37. Surgical installations : IMPLANTS. I could not resist a LINK.

38. The Emerald Isle : EIRE.

39. Text tweakers, briefly : EDS. Editors can be tweakers, but in the puzzle world they do much more. If you think a clue is bad, it may not be the original thought of the constructor.

40. Appointment : SET DATE. Again.

41. Patella protector : KNEE PAD. We wore them back in my wrestling days.

44. Ophelia's avenger : LAERTES. How cool, some Shakespeare. Also his father...
“I dare damnation: to this point I stand, / That both the worlds I give to negligence, / Let come what comes; only I’ll be revenged / Most thoroughly for my father.”

45. "Aha!" : I KNEW IT. I knee it?

46. Finish : GET DONE. Again.

49. Being handled by a broker : LISTED. Real estate broker; our closing business is doing very well as Florida real estate has recovered.

52. What Spanish Olympians go for : EL ORO. The gold.

53. Heading for : OFF TO. Off tee? Again.

54. Con beginning : NEO.

58. Former Education secretary Duncan : ARNE. No politics but a CONTROVERSIAL person.

59. Original D&D co. : TSR. Dungeons and Dragons

61. Outer: Pref. : EXO.

62. Intent : AIM.

Well I know Sam aimed to please with this effort and I thought the theme was really tight with two "OO" and two "U" all transferring to well clued EEs. There were many not overused fill. I had fun, and I hope you all did. Stop and say hello Mr. D. Lemonade out.

C.C. Burnikel

Title: Shh the J's are coming.



AUTO PEN, INK SPOT,  COSSETS,  EASY JOB, BRETHREN,  MISNOMER,  IN MOTION, U. N. SPEECH, RED AS A BEET,  BEER O'CLOCK,  BIONIC LEGS,  I SMELL A RAT

17A. Art-loving athlete? : CULTURE JOCK (11).

31A. What you don't know about audio equipment? : RADIO JACK (9).

47A. Difficult situation at Bed Bath & Beyond? : PILLOW JAM (9).

61A. Gem of a night out? : EVENING JADE (11).

Across:

1. Wrap alternatives : PITAS.

6. Ill-fated Corleone hoodlum Luca : BRASI.

11. TD scorers : RBS. Running backs.

14. Response to a raise : I'M OUT. Or I fold, or just muck your cards.

15. Element #86 : RADON. Perp time.

16. Fish whose blood is poisonous to humans : EEL. Of course C.C. would know eel blood is poisonous to humans and other mammals, but both cooking and the digestive process destroy the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect). Wiki.

19. "Agnus __" : DEI.

20. Home of the annual Norwegian Wood music festival : OSLO.  Wonderful excuse for
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl2xQAeCvOc

21. Heineken symbol : STAR. . C.C. used this before LINK.  Do you remember the puzzle where all the companies that use a Star in their logo?

22. Quick : SMART. That boy is as quick as a whip!

24. Sign on a door : PUSH. P U then the perps.

26. Texas county bordering New Mexico : EL PASO. Did not know it was a County. Read a Lawrence Block mini-mstery where he was trying to rhyme El Paso.

28. "__ Irish Rose" : ABIE'S. The modern version had a really fun cast. Turns out may have married Bernie, but she loves Batya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8fSnJ0-0PA

34. Chinese checkers, e.g. : MISNOMER. Really fun word, and again we see C.C. playing with her heritage. It is a German variation of an American game that has nothing to do with checkers.

36. Firm : STABLE.

37. Fruit juice brand : POM. Oo buys this regularly.

38. Break up : END IT. Now done by text, I understand.

40. Goddess sister of Selene : EOS. A few years ago, I has this goddess of the dawn many times. LINK.

41. World Heritage Site org. : UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

44. Ban delivery : U. N. SPEECH.

49. Foreigner in "Taxi" : LATKA. The lare great Andy Kaufman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjvY_-w12kQ

50. Greensboro Grasshoppers' baseball level : CLASS A. Leave it to c.C. to craft a friday baseball clue.

51. Surprised sounds : OHOS.

53. Appreciative sounds : CLAPS.

54. Wine holders : VATS.

56. "The Ghost of Frankenstein" role : YGOR. Or maybe IGOR?

60. "Away From __": Julie Christie movie : HER. This heart wrenching story of a woman who is institutionalized by her husband due to advanced Alzheimer's disease, is based on a short story by Alice Munro who was in a recent Friday puzzle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5l5J4L1ZdQ

64. Turkish bigwig : AGA.

65. Sculpted trunk : TORSO. The human variety.

66. Chocolate-caramel candies : ROLOS.










67. It ends 11/6/2016 in the U.S. : DST. Daylight Savings Time. First Sunday in November.

68. Evil figure : SATAN.

69. "No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough" speaker : EBERT.

Down:

1. __ de gallo : PICO. No self-respecting South Floridian could get this wrong. Spanish for "rooster's beak," pico de gallo is a relish made of finely chopped ingredients like jicama, oranges, onions, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers and cucumbers, along with various seasonings. This condiment was so named because it was once purportedly eaten with the thumb and finger, an action that resembles a rooster's pecking beak. Food Network. Unlike salsa nothing is cooked.

2. Stern rival : IMUS.

3. Crossing cost : TOLL.

4. Signing facilitator : AUTOPEN. This 60 year old DEVICE.

5. Poker great Ungar : STU. Another sad STORY.

6. Members of a flock : BRETHREN.

7. Punjabi prince : RAJA. 23D. Woman whom Goya also painted clothed : MAJA. We have seen both versions here.

8. Flipped over : ADORED. Not a pancake, or amttress- a girl/boy?

9. A behavioral sci. : SOCiology.

10. Laundry challenge : INK SPOT. Use an alcohol based product, no longer hairspray.

11. Visibly embarrassed : RED AS A BEET. I love these two next to each other

12. Time for a cold one : BEER O'CLOCK. This is actually in the 2015 Oxford dictionary.

13. Skirt feature : SLIT.
http://img.wennermedia.com/480-width/1417616639_taylor-swift-zoom.jpg

18. Web feed document letters : RSS. RSS (Rich Site Summary; originally RDF Site Summary; often called Really Simple Syndication) uses a family of standard web feed formats to publish frequently updated information: blog entries, news headlines, audio, video. Wiki. Unknown to me.

25. Military support gp. : USO. Think Bob Hope.

27. Memory aids : LISTS.

28. Intensify : AMP UP. C.C. has clearly amp-ed up her game presenting more Friday and Saturday offerings.

29. Brain-controlled transportation devices : BIONIC LEGS. Two more exquisite fill.

30. "Something's fishy" : I SMELL A RAT.

32. Adversity, in the RAF motto : ARDUA. Per ardua ad astra. From adversity to the stars. Good to know some latin. This was chosen in 1912 for the first royal flying corps.

33. "We R Who We R" singer : KESHA. I have only heard of her as Ke$ha. The song...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXvmSaE0JXA

35. Catty remarks : MEOWS.

39. Actively operating : IN MOTION.

42. Hit, in a way : SLAP.

43. Mollycoddles : COSSETS. I only know this word from reading scads of British mysteries.

45. West Bank initials : PLO.

46. Not a hard nut to crack : EASY JOB. Seems like a random phrase and clue.

48. "Les Misérables" inspector : JAVERT. A great J word to finish.

52. EVINE Live competitor : HSN. Home Shopping Network. QVC just would not work.

53. Libya neighbor : CHAD. Think we will ever learn African Geography?
55. Archaeologist's handle : ANSA.

57. Severe blow : GALE. Refers to winds blowing.

58. Pure propane's lack : ODOR.

59. Come to a halt : REST.

62. Intl. broadcaster since 1942 : VOA. Voice of America.

63. Hurdle for srs. : GRE.

Jeff Chen

Title: Put one over on you.

Rabbit, Rabbit:  happy July all. It has been almost 4 years  LINK since I last blogged a puzzle by Jeff Chen who is one of the many very helpful and thoughtful constructors with whom I have corresponded. Like our own C.C., J.C. has mentored countless people.  I love the visual aspect of today's puzzle, but quite honestly the theme clues made the solving too easy. S placed on top of EIGN STATE would I hope have lead me to the fill (SOVEREIGN STATE) with the OVER implied by the placement. If I were a betting man, I would think Rich toned the gimmick down. In any event, a lovely challenge to locate 4 different fill which would result from a letter+ OVER+ part of a phrase. The resulting phrases are clued in a straight forward manner. With only 40 theme spaces, there is room for tons of sparkly fill like GATEWAY, AD SALES,  CHENIER, NOMINEE,  MIRAGES, CORRIDOR,  TELEPATH, EMOTIONS, AEROSTAR, INSIDE INFO, GRECO-ROMAN,  EYE OPENERS,  LEOPARDESS. Off to the solving races:

16A. With the circled letter over, self-ruled entity : [SOVER]EIGN STATE (9).

32A. With the circled letter over, humanitarian goal : [POVER]TY REDUCTION (11).

39A. With the circled letter over, undercover missions : [COVER]T OPERATIONS(11).

59A. With the circled letter over, concern of the Fed : [GOVER]NMENT DEBT(9)

Across:

1. Mimic : APE. Is this becoming an un-pc term, offending our simian cousins?

4. Dreidel stakes : GELT. Dreidel- Hanukah; Gelt- Yiddish for money. Not to be confused with 54D. Fix : GELD.

8. "The Avengers" co-star : RIGG. Now starring as a Dowager of the Tyrells. She was so enticing.

12. Droops : SAGS. No comment.

14. Two-dimensional figure : AREA. Nicely clued, length times width.

15. 2013 Literature Nobelist :

MUNRO. A nice tribute to our Canadian contingent ALICE.

18. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" co-star : EBSEN. Jed Clampett was a singer, dancer and actor. He grew up in Orlando and like Fred Astaire danced with his sister.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMVqjEj9eKI

19. Website revenue source : AD SALES.

20. "Now wait just a sec ... " : BUT.

22. Some bling : ICE. Diamonds; okay Tin?

23. Where many kids squirm : PEW. Church can drag on for a youngster.

24. Passage : CORRIDOR. Not a part of a book,  This meaning comes the 16th century military concept of a passage by a trench.

26. One who really gets in your head? : TELEPATH. Wonderful clue/fill. TRUE?

30. Where a "cluck and grunt" might be ordered : DINER. Waitress speak for ham and eggs.

31. Response to an order : AYE. Maybe for a Cyclops?

35. Corp. bigwigs : CEOS. Chief Executive Officers.

37. "Double Fantasy" artist : ONO. Released three weeks before his murder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNnrlVWMTvc

38. "I got it" : ON ME. This round is on me.

44. Favorable, as a contract : FAT.

45. Some aides : PAGES. Congress and the knights of yore.

46. Actors change them often : EMOTIONS. Partners?

48. Old Ford minivan : AEROSTAR. Had not thought of this vehicle in a while. Out of production since 1997.

50. Product of Ptolemy : MAP.

51. Stop : END. Stop the madness.

52. Dude (up) : TOG. Not my favorite even if true. TOG: to dress especially in fine clothing —usually used with up or out

53. Illusions : MIRAGES. All mirages are illusions, but not all illusions are mirages.

57. Take care of : SEE TO. I like make it so better.

61. "Citizen Kane" poster name : ORSON. Welles.

62. Mercyhurst University city : ERIE. No idea, but a gimme for some. Mercyhurst University, formerly Mercyhurst College, is a Catholic liberal arts college in Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States. Wikipedia.

63. Draw guffaws from : SLAY. Hey Peg.

64. "Hey, you!" : PSST.

65. Nik Wallenda need : WIRE. His family was always getting high. Iget dizzy just watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX_jFK9Zf5k

66. Color : DYE.

Down:

1. On the briny : ASEA. Oceans are quite briny.

2. Took care of : PAID. Friday vague.

3. Silly Putty holders : EGGS. Invented during WWII as a possible rubber substitute.

4. 2007 Acer acquisition : GATEWAY. Computers.

5. Often-named stretches : ERAS. Stretches of time.

6. Service to be redone :  LET. Tennis anyone?

7. Workout portmanteau : TAEBO. Tae Bo is a portmanteau of tae kwon do and boxing.

8. Sticking point : RUB. "To sleep — perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come. When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. "

9. Skinny : INSIDE INFO. So many ways; book, 411, lowdown, poop, scoop, dope, tip.

10. Wrestling style : GRECO-ROMAN. Nothing below the waist...Greco-Roman (US) or Graeco-Roman (UK) wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Wiki.

11. Dead man walking : GONER.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg-GMqPHIPQ

13. Rowling teacher : SNAPE. The recently departed....both real and fantasy.

15. Like steres : METRIC. One cubic meter.

17. Drifted off : SLEPT.

21. Indic language : URDU.

24. French poet executed by Robespierre : CHENIER. Chénier might have been overlooked but for the well-meant, indignant officiousness of his father. Marie-Joseph did his best to prevent his brother's execution, but he could do nothing more. Maximilien Robespierre, who was himself in dangerous straits, remembered Chénier as the author of the venomous verses in the Journal de Paris and sentenced him to death. Chénier was one of the last people executed by Robespierre. Wiki. If you liked the French Revolution... LINK. (You might notice this name begins CHEN....).

25. Digging : INTO. In the Maynard G. Krebs sense.

26. Delicacy : TACT. Not a food but an action.

27. Revelations : EYE OPENERS. A nice infrequently used fill.

28. Female in the wild : LEOPARDESS. All perps but in retrospect what other animal could it be?

29. Home run __ : TROT. Baseball corner with 60D. Test for one on the DL, perhaps : MRI.

33. Bad end : DOOM.

34. Barclays Center hoopsters : NETS.  In Brooklyn

36. Lily variety : SEGO.

40. Lie atop : REST ON.

41. About : AS TO.

42. Runner in a race : NOMINEE. Political not physical.

43. Pencil maze instruction : START.

47. Pro and Mini : I-PADS.

48. "Sour grapes" coiner : AESOP. Interesting juxtaposition with the speaker of nattering nabobs.

49. 1973 resignee : AGNEW. Spiro beat Dick out the door.

53. Israel's Iron Lady : MEIR.  Golda. A true LEADER  and a key to the existence of the Israeli state.

55. Owner of StubHub : E-BAY. Bought in 2007.

56. Ophthalmologist's concern : STYE. Not really a cause for a specialist, just use the WARM TEABAG.

58. One of the small fry : TOT. Does this refer to a Tater Tot or just a young child? What a wonderful clue for a three letter word.