Paul Coulter

Title: It's all backasswards!

4 in the language two-word phrases have the words reversed and are then re-clued to match the new phrase. This is the third Friday from Paul this year and each have featured a a combination of two words. It is also the first time HG did not blog one of these in my stead but I have enjoyed all of them. Paul



19A. *Idle : NOTHING DOING (12). Doing Nothing is what makes one idle.

27A. *Athlete's time-out on a hot day : BREAK WATER (10). A Water Break feels good these days here in sunny South Florida.

34A. *Maestro's signals : BEATS DOWN (9). Down Beat is the downward stroke of a conductor's arm or baton indicating the first or accented beat of a measure. Various.

44A. *Returned : BACK HANDED (10). Handed Back is how you return things.

The reveal:

51A. "Nice" expression ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues : TURN OF PHRASE (12).
I do love a reveal that brings what seems like a meaningless bunch of fill together in a sensible fashion.





Across:

1. Prickly case : BUR. I learned this word from the old westerns on TV where the bad guy would put a BUR under the saddle of the good guy.

4. Retired flier : SST.

7. Wombat relatives : KOALAS. Not sure why but I knew this.

13. Pittsburgh-to-Scranton dir. : ENE.

14. School gp. : PTA. Parent  Teacher Association.

15. "Hannity" airer : FOX NEWS.

16. Loser : ALSO RAN.

18. Thoughtful guys? : IDEA MEN.

21. Crow : BOAST.

22. Protein producer : RNA.

23. "Eldorado" rockers : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC_lakXdc-E

26. Communiqué segue : AS TO.

31. "Holy cow" : GEE.

32. Extinct New Zealanders : MOAS. The fooled me for a while making me think of people not the BIRDS.

33. Court call : ORDER.

37. "Amadeus" director Forman : MILOS. An amazing man who directed 8 different actors who were nominated for best actor, three won.  BIO.

40. Sushi kitchen supply : EELS.

41. Albanian coin : LEK. I think I have a few in my pocket.

47. See 20-Down : KILL. 20D. With 47-Across, in a drop-dead gorgeous outfit : DRESSED TO. DRESSED TO KILL.

48. "Go on ... " : AND.

49. In shape : FIT.

50. Lively French dance : GIGUE. I am part French but did not know this DANCE.
.
55. Group that's mostly secretaries : CABINET. The best clue of the puzzle.

58. Protein that allows skin to stretch or contract : ELASTIN. If you know elastic....

59. Monstrous : OGREISH.

60. Get into : DON.

61. Time to prepare : EVE.

62. Scarcity : DEARTH. Nice $5.00 word.

63. Marienbad, for one : SPA. I think only Tinman knew this RESORT.

64. Census datum : SEX.

Down:

1. Dorm room seat : BEAN BAG. We all had them, mine was red vinyl.

2. Let free : UNLOOSE.

3. Put another way : RESTATE.

4. Nautical pole : SPRIT. (nautical) a light spar pivoted at the mast and crossing a fore-and-aft quadrilateral sail diagonally to the peak.

5. "South Park" boy : STAN.

6. Pungency : TANG.

7. Big bear : KODIAK.

8. Big bovines : OXEN. Back again.

9. Course for Crusoe?: Abbr. : ANAGram.

10. The Eagle, briefly : LEM(onade?) Nope, Lunar Excursion Module.

11. Amazement : AWE.

12. 81-yr.-old ID : SSN. Social Security Number.

15. Musical Apple : FIONA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK30r_SIZ-g

17. Quite : OH SO.

23. LAX posting : ETD. ETA ETD, flip a coin or wait.

24. "Malcolm X" director : LEE. Spike.

25. "Catch-22" pilot : ORR. A very good read.

27. Fluffy accessory : BOA.

28. Double-crosser : RAT. The best...WATCH

29. Blows away : WOWS.

30. Prince Valiant's son : ARN. A puzzle favorite for many years and last week.

32. Dovetail : MESH.

34. __ choy : BOK.   Bok choy or pak choi is a type of Chinese cabbage. Chinensis varieties do not form heads and have smooth, dark green leaf blades instead, forming a cluster reminiscent of mustard greens or celery

35. Sandra who was the first to play "Gidget" : DEE.

36. Dated : OLD. Some date young.

37. CEO's degree : MBA.

38. McKellen of "X-Men" : IAN. And Harry Potter , the Hobbit, and Beauty and  they Beast and more.

39. TV screen type : LCD.

41. Ties surgically : LIGATES. The root word for ligature.

42. Hard to pin down : ELUSIVE.

43. Soft tissue : KLEENEX.

45. From the top : AFRESH. An A word.

46. Beethoven's __ : NINTH.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-mvutiDRvQ

47. White wine apéritifs : KIRS. This is a drink made from dry white wine and crème de cassis.

50. Ivory Coast neighbor : GHANA.

51. Bleacher feature : TIER.

52. Ton, for one : UNIT.

53. Govt. enforcers : FEDS.

54. Fall, as into a chair : PLOP.

55. Whiting cousin : COD. The fish of fish and chips.

56. Sensitive subject, to some : AGE.

57. Source of support : BRA. Nice clue.

Samuel A. Donaldson

Title: Give them the finger!  Link.

Sam (not from TV) Donaldson is back for my third time to blog his work. A really creative grid with only 32 blocks and the likely controversial theme content 11-4-9-4-11. The unwritten rule about theme fill being the longest fill...well I bet some would object. For me, the central fill make that rule seem silly for this puzzle.

Mr. D. also worked a bunch of fun stuff into his grid like OX TEAM, SIN TAX,  OLD VIC, KAVNER, SAL SODA, TABULAR,  ACREAGE, DESK SET, OPEN TOE,  ALTIMAS,  PLATYPI, KEPT FIT,  ODDBALL, REISSUED, VAN DAMME...this puzzle is a keeper.

17A. Prioritizes self-interest : LOOKS OUT FOR (11). Looks out for number one is a very popular phrase, both by those in favor and opposed.

34A. Championship team cheer : WE'RE (4). We're number one! The puzzle blogging family!!!

35A. Words needed to complete four puzzle answers : NUMBER ONE (9). The oddly placed reveal that made this an awfully easy Friday.

38A. "Let's Make a Deal" choice : DOOR (4). Being home 24/7 I managed to see a few minutes of Wayne Brady as Monty Hall....I quickly closed doo number one.

58A. Object of a serious hunt : PUBLIC ENEMY (11). Is is me, or have they stopped publicizing the FBI 10 most wanted list (and the public enemy number one)?

Across: 

1. Smelling __ : SALTS.

6. Olympic racers : LUGES. This was made tricky by the author.

11. Paving goo : TAR.

14. Dispatch boat : AVISO.  Here is the HISTORY.

15. Unpleasant chores : SLOGS. Vague.

16. Missile from Venus? : ACE. Nice deception- Venus Williams, a tennis service.

19. Sports __ : BRA. More Venus?

20. Levy on liquor : SIN TAX.

21. Printed again : REISSUED.

23. Dedicated works : ODES.

24. Nicholas and Peter : TSARS.


26. Buck : CLAM. Old fashioned words for money.

27. Matched office accessories : DESK SET.

29. Alternative to throwing out : STORAGE.

31. Spots : ADS.

32. Treat roughly : MAUL.

40. Square placed on a square board : TILE. Scrabble anyone?

41. Scaled diagram : MAP.

44. Stayed in shape : KEPT FIT. Venus?

47. Eccentric : ODD BALL.

49. Not free, with "for" : A FEE.

50. Bygone "SNL" rival : MAD TV. Not a real rival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwcfcEOdC7g

52. "At Last" singer James : ETTA. A classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YryQTTQMXQ
+
53. "Timecop" star : VAN DAMME. He is still working. LINK.

55. Diamond mine? : I GOT IT. Great baseball misdirection. When I was 6 or 7, in a family game a pop-up was hit my way. I yelled, " I got it, I got it, I think I got it!" Family was in stitches.

57. Fanatic : NUT.

60. "Evil Woman" band : ELO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU314nyMKWE

61. __ Gay : ENOLA. Isn't time to put this trivia out to pasture?

62. "It's __!": "We've been tricked" : A TRAP.

63. Numbered rd. : RTE.

64. Aired anew : RERAN.

65. Vermouth bottle name : ROSSI. The bottle I remember.

Down:

1. Grill-cleaning solution : SAL SODA. Not to be confused with Baking soda.

2. Ducked : AVOIDED.

3. Nala, notably : LIONESS. Lion King.

4. "Shame!" : TSK TSK.

5. McGwire's 1998 rival : SOSA. Mark and Sammy - baseball, number 3.

6. Team with a live tiger mascot : LSU. A gimme for Susan, Big Easy, Boo and others.

7. UHF component : ULTRA. Ultra High Frequency.

8. Fetching employees? : GOFERS. Those who fetch.

9. Altruist's opposite : EGOIST. Deducible.

10. Ukr. and Lith., formerly : SSRS. The U made them united.

11. Like spreadsheets : TABULAR. Reminded me of  these BELLS.

12. Plot : ACREAGE. Easy if you do real estate.

13. Name for a help file : READ ME.

18. Ones working together on a farm : OX TEAM. Sorry Sam, but my meh of this puzzle.

22. Slope of loose stones : SCREE. Similar to talus...yeah that helps. My unknown even after filling with perps.

25. Concert souvenir : STUB. I used to save my backstage passes.

28. Blue character : SMURF.

30. Possessed : OWNED. No exorcist needed.

33. Umpire's call : LET. Tennis.

35. Famous : NOTED.

36. Laugh-a-minute sort : RIOT.

37. It was originally established as the Royal Coburg Theatre : OLD VIC. The HISTORY.

38. Fallback provision : DEFAULT.

39. Showing off a pedi, perhaps : OPEN TOE.  You think SPLYNTER?

41. Shouldn't be ignored : MATTERS. It.

42. Nissan models : ALTIMAS.

43. Duck-billed mammals : PLATYPI.

44. Julie who voices Marge Simpson : KAVNER. Rhoda's little sister.

45. Not susceptible : IMMUNE.

46. Emmy winner Jeffrey of "Transparent" : TAMBOR. I loved him as Hank.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN9tCQsWkdY

48. Suspect : BE ONTO.

51. Street of mystery : DELLA. She worked for Perry.

54. Mimic : APER.

56. Reverse, e.g. : GEAR.

59. Creator of Q and M : IAN. Fleming and he also created Bond, James Bond.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Over easy? No, I prefer them scrambled.

An ambitious Friday from JW that is the second step in my returning to my post as Friday sherpa. It took solving a couple of the theme fill that made the theme obvious, though hard to describe. The first word of a known expression becomes an anagram to provide a different and witty definition. All have a four letter word which is scrambled, and all are words both before and after.

17A. Aging hero Jones, in his latest film? : GRAY (GARY) INDIANA (11). Poor Harrison Ford, killed in Star Wars, dissed in Supergirl by his wife, Calista Flockhart and then he crashes a plane.

24A. Pitt portraying Shakespeare? : BRAD (BARD) OF AVON. (10). I can't picture this.

33A. Skill displayed at the gift counter? : WRAP (WARP) SPEED (9). The anagrams are easy.

45A. Times when hokey humor prevailed? : ERAS (EARS) OF CORN (10). Or when C. Moe appeared.

54A. Early stage of muffin production? : BRAN (BARN) RAISING (11). My favorite of the theme fill, but I grew up in New England farm country.

Jeffrey also provides a wonderful panoply of non-theme fill...BIG NEWS,  ACROBAT,  DIAMOND, STRASSE,  TEL AVIV,  IN A HOLE,  CABANAS, POINT AT,  WANGLES,  OVERALL,  SARA LEE,  PLANETS,  CRANIAL,  AIRINGS,  DAMAGED, AUSTRIA,  BONKERS,  LESSEES, RIDERS UP,  PEAR TREE

Let us see where else we went.

Across:

1. 1987 Michael Jackson album : BAD. his eventual follow up ALBUM to Thriller.

4. Road where Mozart was born : STRASSE. Street in German and probably Austrian. Research reveals Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on 27 January 1756 to Leopold Mozart (1719–1787) and Anna Maria, née Pertl (1720–1778), at 9 Getreidegasse in Salzburg. Clecho: 43A. Where Mozart was born : AUSTRIA.

11. Recurrent behavior : TIC. Really?

14. Henri's here : ICI.    Just French.  

15. Identify : POINT AT. Dramatic at a trial, but silly if the defendant is sitting at a table with his/her attorney.

16. "Bambi" doe : ENA. Auntie to Bambi.

19. Sci-fi setting : LAB.

20. "... let __ put asunder": Matthew : NO MAN.

21. Send out : EMIT.

22. Island band The __ Men : BAHA. The Baha Men are a Bahamian band playing a modernized style of Bahamian music called junkanoo. They are best remembered for their Grammy Award-winning hit song Who Let the Dogs Out? wiki.

23. Shakespeare's jet? : EBON. Fancy ways to say black.

26. Acquires through cunning : WANGLES. I love this word because it does not sound real.

28. Undefeated Ali : LAILA. Cute; his daughter was undefeated as a boxer.

29. Norm: Abbr. : STD. Standard.

30. His, to Henri : A LUI. More French.

32. "John Wick" star : REEVES. KEANU not GEORGE.

35. Fish-eating raptor : OSPREY. These BIRDS OF PREY are the logical descendant of the dinosaurs.

38. Sassy : PERT. And if you become too sassy, you will be a....

39. Boorish sort : CAD.

42. Sound : VALID.

49. Loosen (up) : WARM. Is this from muscles or people?

50. Storm : RANT.

51. Settled on a branch : A LIT.

52. Beatle ending : MANIA.

53. Cakes go-with : ALE. Oh how many recall this from a recent JW puzzle?

56. Decide not to stop : LET.

57. Off one's rocker : BONKERS.

58. Vital statistic : AGE.

59. Paul with guitars : LES. He built the first successful electric guitars and his name leads into....

60. Landlord's customers : LESSEES.

61. Ergotamine derivative popular in the '60s : LSD. More of LES. It is my excuse for being crazy. LINK.


Down:

1. Front page material : BIG NEWS.

2. One seen in a ring : ACROBAT. Pretty vague for me, but I understand the clecho.

3. One seen in a ring : DIAMOND. This made it easier.

4. Short drive : SPIN. Never understood this expression, spinning is not what I have in mind when I drive.

5. Lading measure : TON. We all remember our lesson on bills of lading.

6. Kentucky Derby call : RIDERS UP.  LINK.

7. Jungian concept : ANIMA. He had to have his own words, not Freud's  ego, super-ego and id.

8. Solemn : STAID.

9. Introduction to Domingo? : SANTO. Well done, geography.

10. Greek letter : ETA.

11. Mediterranean metropolis : TEL AVIV.

12. Saddled with debt : IN A HOLE.

13. Seaside resort array : CABANAS. VIEW.

18. Half a philosophical duality : YANG. Where is YIN?

22. Called from the field : BAAED. So cute, lamby pie.

24. Fasten, at sea : BELAY. Cute also because of the two definitions. verb
1.(a running rope) around a cleat, pin, rock, or other object, to secure it.
2. nautical slang: stop; enough! "“Belay that, mister. Man your post.”"

25. Groups at sea : FLEETS. More at sea.

27. City on the Rio Grande : LAREDO.

31. Net neutrality beneficiary: Abbr. : ISP.

32. Any "Twilight Zone" episode, now : RERUN.

33. Omega holder : WRIST. The watch.

34. Part of a traditional holiday gift : PEAR TREE.

35. From one extreme to the other : OVERALL.

36. Frozen dessert brand : SARA LEE. Nobody does not love Sara Lee.

37. Seven-movement Holst work that omits Earth, with "The" : PLANETS.

39. Like the olfactory nerve, e.g. : CRANIAL.

40. Television fare : AIRINGS.

41. Flawed : DAMAGED.

44. "__ brillig ... " : TWAS. `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
                                               Did gyre and gimble in the wab
I had a roommate who was a C student, but could recite the entire poem as well as PI to the 50th place.

46. Denmark's __ Islands : FAROE. I had no idea. LINK.

47. Highland groups : CLANS.

48. Sounds from pens : OINKS. This little piggy...

52. Pine for : MISS.

54. OPEC unit : BBL. Barrel.

55. "... such stuff / As dreams __ made on": Prospero : ARE. JW squeezes his Friday Shakespeare in at the end.

Well I have stumbled to the finish line once again, having managed to unravel all of JW's tricks. Great fun...hope you had a good time, Lemonade out.

John Lampkin

Title: What hotel are you staying at?

Wow, John has made my first attempt to blog a puzzle a challenge. On the one hand it seems simple with a nice progression from ECONOMY-STANDARD-PREMIUM-LUXURY but there is no confirmation with a reveal. And then we have the words inserted by JL.



19A. Doppelgänger cast for a low-budget remake of "Ocean's 11"? : ECONOMY RAT PACK (14). The original from 1960 was a vehicle for the Sinatra PACK.

23A. Usual night in the old town? : STANDARD HOT TIME. (15).

42A. Quality marsh output? : PREMIUM SWAMP GAS (15).

48A. Gold dust lid cover? : LUXURY EYE LINER (14).

In addition to the 58 letters dedicated to the theme, JL includes SODA POP,  BUOYANT,  TEEN IDOL,  LEMMINGS,  ROADSIDES and  ART DEALER as sparkly fill. I had a great time, but I must have lost my touch. UMMV.

Across:

1. "L'Arlésienne" composer : BIZET. Wow, not a gimme start but lots of challenging letters. LINK.

6. Nutrients in nuts : FATS.

10. Silent signal : NOD.

13. Surface : ARISE. An unexpected definition.

14. Facetious agreement : AH SO.

15. Litter pickup spot? : NAPE. Not only humans do this.

16. Parson's home : MANSE. I earned this word reading British mysteries or watching them on PBS like THIS.

17. Some shoulders : ROADSIDES. Lovely misdirection.

21. Speck in la mer : ILE. French,

22. Sweet climber : PEA. Very important in science RESEARCH. Next to....

32. Entomological case study? : COCOON. JL loves his moths and their stages of life.

33. Repeated number of curls, say : REPititions. Bicep curls.

34. Bust gp. : DEA.  Drug Enforcement Administration. President Nixon consolidated the anti-drug efforts. This is not the group in charge of inspecting bras.

35. Whatever : AT ALL. Used to be one of my favorite catch phrases.

36. Fanny pack spot : HIP. I see them more in front or back, not on me.

37. Backing strips : LATHS. Not to confused with LATHE. Lath 1. a thin flat strip of wood, especially one of a series forming a foundation for the plaster of a wall or the tiles of a roof, or made into a trellis or fence.

39. Liszt's "__ Préludes" : LES. Pretty easy French to fill. This COMPOSER was very popular.

40. Fish house freebie : BIB. Usually with a drawing of a lobster.

41. Sympathize : RELATE.

46. Mayo is in it : ANO. Spanish trick Mayo = May- ANO = Year

47. Fan noise : HUM.

56. Theo van Gogh, notably : ART DEALER. A fun STORY.

57. Orange variety : NAVEL. Seedless and very haughty.

59. Couth he is not : OGRE.

60. Khartoum's waters : NILE.

61. Birds do it between thermals : GLIDE. JL also watches and films birds.

62. Place to take a dip : SEA. And the clecho, 64A. Place to take a dip? : SALSA.

63. Hits up (for) : TAPS. In beer halls you tap your friend next to the taps.

Down:

1. "Whap!" : BAM. Comic book talk.

2. "Dies __" : IRAE.

3. #30 on a table : ZINC. I keep forgetting to not put my glass on the periodic lead.

4. Canadian pump name : ESSO. Esso - Exxon.

5. "People" person, perhaps : TEEN IDOL.

6. Cain was one : FARMER. Sad, as he must have been driven mad by the methane gases.

7. Cry to a mate : AHOY.

8. Ruler that doesn't work anymore : TSAR. They all retired?

9. Gender-specific beverage? : SODA POP. Cute, you can have soda pop or ice tea mom.

10. Zilch : NADA.

11. Group with many barrels : OPEC.

12. Office staple : DESK. I found this tricky.

15. Bite playfully : NIP AT. Puppies!

18. Editorial override : STET.

20. Buck heroine : O-LAN. A well decorated book about the mysterious East. LINK.

23. It may be under a rug : SCALP. Rug here being a toupee- nice.

24. Bag carrier : TOTER. Yes it is!  29D. Travel bag attachment : ID TAG. More travel.

25. "__ in point" : A CASE.

26. Cambodia's Lon __ : NOL. LON NOL, a handy palindrome.

27. Bits : DRIBS. Or drabs?

28. In like an old cat? : HEP. Just ask Maynard G. Krebs.

30. Maestro Zubin : MEHTA. John is a most prolific pianist, explaining all the music this week.

31. Lightens up : EASES.

36. Gender-specific pronoun : HIM. All perps.

37. Non-suicidal migrants, contrary to myth : LEMMINGS. The MYTH?

38. Heidi got high on one : ALP. My friend, Heidi lived near the Devil's Millhopper  no mountains..

40. Cheerful : BUOYANT. Maybe if you are sponge....

41. Julia of film : RAUL. He died much too young. LINK.
http://ak-cache.legacy.net/globalcontent/contenthub/contentitems/0b79e781-7616-4fa6-95a4-05b6d7b19120.jpg

43. "All in the Family" spin-off : MAUDE. Bea Arthur as a feminist.

44. About : IN RE.

45. Waldo forerunner? : WHERE'S? I think he is lost forever. Just words that come before Waldo.

48. Cambodia neighbor : LAOS. Both near Thailand.

49. Itch : URGE.

50. Bonus, in ads : XTRA.

51. Lamb's alias : ELIA. And a JL clecho 58D. Lamb's place : LEA. Not the writer but the baby that Mary had.

52. Sharp bark : YELP. Doggies.

53. Simba's love : NALA.

54. Far from harmless : EVIL.

55. Cabs, say : REDS. Not yellow taxis, but Cabernet wines.

Well it was fun to blog but still not 100%. 7 hospitals and 10 doctors so far this year. Glad to be back and to have a JL special was great. Lemonade out.

Mark McClain,

Title: NOPE!

Our new friend Mark McClain delivers a fun comparatively easy Friday. The letters "PE" are removed from common phrases to reveal a new entertaining phrase. What makes the puzzle elegant is the first two relate to bad people and the next two are golf related. I am not sure I have seen a "remove letters" that was so precise. CAD CRUSADER required perps but that opened the rest. There were few 3/4 letter fill and some glitz with 6/7 fill.  I liked TUMTUM,  MIRREN,  TRISTE ERRATIC,  RETINAS  and TRUISMS. He does this all in a nice pinwheel. Well lets get to it.

17A. Insensitive zealot? : CAPED CRUSADER (11). Batman (a good guy) is replaced with a CAD (a bad guy). Nice.

56A. Reprobate's regular expense? : SINNER'S REPENT (11). Yes sinners must find a place to live.

10D. Golf course equipment of the future? : FLYING CARPETS (11). Having both seen and done bad driving on the golf course, the thought of crazy golf throwing clubs also in the sky woth a golf cart is frightening.

25D. What many golfers regularly engage in? : THE PAPER CHASE (11). Par Chase is not a phrase I am familiar with, but it does accurately describe what most golfers seek. Birdies and eagles are icing on the cake
And the reveal:

66A. Casual refusal ... and, another way, a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers : NOPE. Puzzle falls into place with the correct parsing of this word.

on to the rest.


Across:

1. Tablet input : DATA. Your handy I- or Samsung product.

5. Stick (on) : PASTE.

10. Groovy : FAB. Properly cluing this out of use with a passe clue.

13. "The Quiet Man" co-star : O'HARA. Maureen. LINK.

15. Take in, maybe : ALTER. I was thinking duping someone ar first.

16. Mauna __ : LOA. 120 feet lower than one of the other volcanoes that are the creation  of Hawaii.

19. Wine bottle figs. : YRS. A CSO to our wine peddler Chairman Moe, who can discuss vintages as long as you listen.

20. Asian capital : HANOI.

21. Where Gauguin painted "Woman With a Flower" : TAHITI.

23. Lays to rest : INTERS.

26. Eye parts : RETINAS.

27. Gung-ho : RAHRAH.

28. Concurrent with : DURING.

29. Poetic praise : ODE.

30. Like Mandarin Chinese, linguistically : TONAL.

32. '80s-'90s slugger Fielder : CECIL.

35. Popular wine region : NAPA.

37. Summer Triangle twinkler : DENEB.

39. All there : SANE.

40. View : SLANT.

42. Get rid of : SCRAP.

44. Rotation meas. : RPM.

45. Downgrade, maybe : RERATE.

47. Tot's indigestion area : TUMTUM.

49. Grows periodically : ACCRUES.

51. Sad, on the Seine : TRISTE.

52. Sweater wool : MOHAIR.

53. Rodeo critter : STEER.

55. Item under a top : BRA.

61. Funny pair? : ENS.

62. Like Mexico's Pyramid of the Magician : MAYAN.

63. Part of UTEP : TEXAS.

64. Whiskey option : RYE.

65. Rested : SLEPT. A word we have discussed at length.

Down:

1. Bashful comrade? : DOC.

2. "I thought so!" : AHA.

3. 1860s White House boy : TAD.

4. Tell, memorably : ARCHER.

5. Part of UTEP : PASO.

6. Fronton game word : ALAI.

7. Kind of deviation: Abbr. : STD.

8. Wobble : TEETER.

9. Unpredictable : ERRATIC.

11. Big artery : AORTA.

12. Rationale : BASIS.

14. Genesis mount : ARARAT.

18. Like wild horses : UNSHOD.

22. Duncan of baking fame : HINES.

23. Shackles : IRONS.

24. Clay-court legend : NADAL.

26. Yardstick : RULER.

28. Reel, for one : DANCE.

31. Fledgling launching spots : NESTS.

33. Feedback : INPUT.

34. "I wanna try!" : LEMME.

36. End of __ : AN ERA.

38. Frying preparation : BATTER.

41. Self-evident actualities : TRUISMS.

43. Least spoiled : PUREST.

46. Ham's accessory : AERIAL.

48. "The Queen" (2006) star : MIRREN.

49. Color in "America the Beautiful" : AMBER.

50. Like many bar jokes : CORNY.

53. Blow a fuse : SNAP.

54. Canvas shelter : TENT.

57. Actress Carrie who was married to Dick Cavett : NYE.

58. Skeletal opening? : EXO.

59. Toddler's downtime : NAP.

60. Japanese market letters : TSE.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: JW picked this one as title and reveal- OY VEY.

The exasperation  that causes people to use this expression, in this puzzle is the placement of OY in various known clauses and each groan inducing result. The themers are a bit inconsistent, with TOMBOY oddly clued and OYSTER breaking the second word. However that one is also my favorite image.  JW has a wonderful knack for making the puzzles challenging and interesting. Here we have the array of fill from all over the language. PHOTON,  MANILA,  YODELS,  NUBILE, TWO DAYS,  BUG EYED, GO TO CHURCH, and LOCAL PRIDE are the show. 

17A. Young Pharaoh's mischievous playmate? : TOMBOY OF KING TUT (15). In my world tomboys are young lady tweens or teens who prefer roughhousing to cotillions.

25A. Overly sweet fruit? : CLOYING  PEACHES (14). Never had one.

43A. Useless metallurgical product? : ALLOY FOR NAUGHT (14). Really fun.

56A. Small shellfish of high quality? : PRIME MINI-OYSTER (15). As i said the one I thought was best presentation of the theme. Okay lets go.

Across:

1. Chanel product : SCENT. I spent way too much time trying to think of a five letter perfume.

6. Father of Hector : PRIAM. Back again with the trouble making son. 55D. Paris' realm : TROY.

11. Interruption : GAP.

14. Give the green light : ALLOW.

15. "The Flintstones" co-creator : HANNA.  Part of the dynamo team HANNA-BARBERA that dominated cartoon production for many years.

16. Martial arts accessory : OBI. Sash. 

20. It's on display while boasting : EGO. Love the clue.

21. Eccentric : DOTTY. I love the old words.

22. Stephen Colbert forte : IRONY.

23. Papuan food staple : SAGO.

24. Solar prod. : ELECtricity.

31. Features of a Los Angeles aerial view : POOLS.

32. Charged thing : ION. Simply wonderful.

33. Chekov colleague : SULU. Do i need to mention Star Trek.

34. Line on a globe : ARC. latitude, longitude.

37. One in a cage : RIB. More fun cluing of 3 letter fill.

38. Carson predecessor : PAAR. I get Jack often; I wonder when he will be forgotten.

40. "Norma __" : RAE. Sally Field got her first Oscar.

41. Salad garnish brand : BACOS.

47. Coll. employee : PROFessor.

48. Motivate : URGE.

49. Helped create, in a way : SIRED. Does this count for humans.

51. Hold for another time : TABLE.

53. "Law & Order: SVU" rank : SGT.

59. Succor : AID.

60. Parking garage component : LEVEL.

61. Keats' Muse : ERATO. Not exclusively.

62. Montpelier-to-Providence dir. : SSE. An interesting mini-clecho.

63. Ski resort near Montpelier : STOWE. The closest nice resort when I was a youngster.

64. In la-la land : DITZY. One of the all time best....LINK.

Down:

1. Opposite of starve : SATE.

2. Obstruct : CLOG.  Like a toilet.

3. Saint Erasmus of Formia, familiarly : ELMO. Think fire. LINK.

4. San Francisco's __ Hill : NOB.

5. Weekend, usually : TWO DAYS. Duh! Almost fooled me.

6. Laser particle : PHOTON. Yes they are used in future torpedoes.

7. Large quantity : RAFT. I guess less than a boatload?

8. Black : INKY.

9. "Wheel of Fortune" purchase : AN I.

10. Capital south of Taipei : MANILA. Seems to be due south. I have friend who is getting married in Taipei - sadly I must miss the ceremony.

11. Seek a higher authority? : GO TO CHURCH. Fun deception.

12. Have __ in the oven : A BUN. typical of 50's euphemisms.

13. "How unfortunate" : PITY. Tis a pity.

18. Hindu ascetic : YOGI. Berra?

19. Athenians, to Parisians : GRECS. French for Greeks.

23. Four after do : SOL. Re, mi, fa, sol....

24. Selection word : EENY.

25. Foundation of many islets : CORAL. LINK.

26. What a homecoming parade generates : LOCAL PRIDE. Only four hours long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNZ0mqkcIe0

27. Alms provider : GIVER. For the poor....

28. "Hop-Frog" author : POE. You might like it as we enter the literary corner. LINK.

29. Literature Nobelist of 1948 : ELIOT. From Cats to prizes for T.S. The year I was born.

30. Fills in : SUBS. CSO to HG, and I'll have a veggie.

31. Literary sobriquet : PAPA. When I had the beard some called me PAPA. I think C.C. has some pics.

35. "Carmina Burana" composer : ORFF. Music continues our high brow journey. LINK.

36. Former Rocket Ming : YAO. My wife is Thongyao - in Thai means young.

39. "Air Music" composer : ROREM. Our friend Ned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwCYYoFCjrA

41. Obviously astonished : BUGEYED. Cartoonish.

42. Vital statistic : AGE.

44. Some Alpine entertainment : YODELS.

45. Like Victoria's Secret models : NUBILE. Nubile historically meant of marriage age.

46. Woody offshoot? : ARLO. Cute way to clue the Guthries.

49. Getaway options : SPAS.

50. Camera lens feature : IRIS. She comes with every camera and cleans the lenses.

51. Blessing for a couch potato : TIVO. Did you KNOW?

52. One way to start : ANEW.

53. ER shout : STAT.

54. Stan with a sax : GETZ. Oddly Dancing with the Stars began on Monday with BASSO NOVA.

57. Exchanged handshakes : MET.

58. Indian honorific : SRI. Sanskrit śrī, literally, beauty, majesty

Andrew Woodham

Title: It is Greek to me

I love this first time puzzle from Andrew Woodham, who we invite to stop by and tell us more. As you all know I love word play puzzles and this adds a new variation by using sound alike Greek letters to replace words in known phrases. Each of the three themers uses two letters to replace the beginning of each phrase. The reveal is the simple referential answer GREEK LETTERS. We also have some nice fill RECEIVE,  LAB TEST,  ZEROES IN,  SHOTGUNS, SNARE DRUMS  and LIQUID SOAP to finish off this debut. Many of the short fill are clearly clued to make sure this Friday is not too easy.

20A. Unused car using some 56-Across? : NU ALPHA ROMEO (12). NEW ALFA ROMEO is clued appropriately.

35A. Movies using some 56-Across? : PSI PHI FILMS (11). SCI FI FILMS

42A. Compulsive sort using some 56-Across? : PI RHO MANIAC (11). PYROMANIAC.

56A. "Antigone" characters? : GREEK LETTERS (12).

The 2500 plus year old play by Sophocles is the somewhat hidden reveal.

Across:

1. Serious service : MASS. Religion, no comment.

5. Toaster opening? : HERE'S. My first thought was "popup."

10. Moxie : ZEAL. Meh.

14. Settled down : ALIT.

15. Treasure : ADORE. Je t'aime, je t'adore.

16. Crop, say : EDIT. Pictures.

17. Taboo : NO NO.

18. Parade instruments : SNARE DRUMS. Begun with snare drums, but they were led by  trombones.

22. It can be bid : ADIEU. Hopefully is a fond one.

23. Coin toss winner's option : RECEIVE. NFL.

27. Large Eurasian group : SLAVS. But where are the Northern SLAVS?

31. Very, to Puccini : ASSAI. Italian word.

32. DJIA company alphabetically following Home Depot : IBM. The THIRTY.

38. PC alternatives : MACS.

40. Dreamers have big ones : IDEAS.

41. A scarf can protect it : NAPE.

45. Yahoo! alternative : MSN. Nope, replaced by Microsoft Edge.

46. "Silas Marner" author : ELIOT. This woman who reminds me of Amy Farrah Fowler.

47. Static source : DRYER.

49. Doctor's order : LAB TEST. I have had more than my share this year.

52. Latin dance : SAMBA. Samba is a Brazilian musical genre and dance style, with its roots in Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions, particularly of Angola and the Congo, through the samba de roda genre of the northeastern state of Bahia, from which it derived. Wiki.

60. Dawn, for example : LIQUID SOAP.

63. Place for pins and needles : ETUI.

64. Amazon ID : ISBN.  International Standard Book Number.

65. Unlimited free mileage pioneer : ALAMO. Part of the building of a success story for the Florida based COMPANY.

66. Mapmaking name since 1872 : RAND. Cannot forget McNally.

67. What much insurance covers : LOSS.

68. Family nicknames : NANAS.

69. Wild plum : SLOE.

Down:

1. Heavenly food : MANNA.

2. Audibly : ALOUD.

3. Decalogue delivery site : SINAI.  Deca=10: Logue=laws.

4. Wraps not made in delis : STOLES.Do women wear them any more?

5. Jumble : HASH.

6. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA. She wrote, " My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -- it gives a lovely light!"

7. 2013 Katy Perry chart-topper : ROAR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8

8. Diamond mishap : ERROR. Baseball.

9. Teacher's note : SEE ME. The dreaded note.

10. Focuses (on) : ZEROES IN. Back again. Maybe as wiki suggests the phrase comes from adjusting a sighting mechanism of a firearm to minimise the discrepancy between where the sight points and where a bullet lands on a target. 12D. Focus : AIM. clecho

11. Part of an academic address : EDU.

13. 62-Down protectors : LTS. Since most quarterbacks are right handed, the "blind side" tackle is critical.  LINK. 39D. Common football passing formations : SHOT GUNS. 62D. Snap receivers: Abbr. : QBS.

19. It may be served from an orange-handled pot : DECAF.

21. Orange stuff : PULP.

24. Faith with Five Pillars : ISLAM. Faith, Charity, Praying, Pilgrimage, and Fasting. More religion, no comment.

25. Sirens : VAMPS.

26. Innsbruck iron : EISEN. Now we have German this week.

28. "... __ sure you know" : AS I'M.

29. "Livin' la __ Loca": Ricky Martin hit : VIDA. Dupe? 44D. "__ la vie" : C'EST. Whatever happened to Ricky?  LINK.

30. Lighten one's wallet : SPEND.

32. Press : IMPEL.

33. Sri Lankan pop music : BAILA. No idea. Anyone get this without perps?

34. Periodic McDonald's pork sandwich : MCRIB.

36. What alopecia sufferers lose : HAIR.

37. "My word!" : I SAY.

43. Cheri of "SNL" : OTERI. She is a little hyper for me.
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3764492569

48. Yelp users : RATERS. True but ich.

50. 65-Across choice : SEDAN.

51. Roadster maker : TESLA. Wow,  not on my list. LINK.

53. Music genre word : METAL.

54. Musical Mars : BRUNO. Any watching the new Season of The Voice?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IqhUHYBZNY

55. Better half? : A-SIDE. Nice rendition of the oft forgotten A-SIDE.

57. Zen riddle : KOAN.

58. Buddhist teacher : LAMA.

59. "Beowulf," for one : EPOS. A singular epic poem..

60. Adjective for rapper Jon or Kim : LIL.

61. Tonic go-with? : ISO. Made famous with gloves.
.