Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Help, I have a DOC sticking up from my side! Is he covered by medicare?

I am back and so is Jeffrey for another Friday this time with a visual theme that is very creative but not always appreciated here at the Corner. And frankly, not immediately apparent to me even after writing up so many of his efforts. My first notion was the removal od the letter OC from each of the long fill. That really made no sense with the reveal. I also had fixated on the down fill starting with COD.

Going back to look at the grid, it is obvious these two concepts interesect. Add to the never accidental use of the word UP, the reference to "direction" and the theme jumps out. You can see the words pivoting on the D. 

It features three themers and a reveal leaving much room for other sparkly fill - RESEALS, ATTUNES TO,  ENEMY LINE, LAUNCHPAD, OVERUNDER REST MODES and WORRISOME. To make his reveal work, he pairs three long across fill with three appropriate down fill which I will put together to finish the explanation. 

Themer 1:

17A. *Guide for Smithsonian visitors, say: MUSEUM DOCENT.(10). Is DOCENT a known word? Paired with: 9D. Indulge: CODDLE.  This is the up DOC to which the reveal refers, as each long theme answer has DOC sticking out and going up.

Themer 2:

22A. *Ken Burns specialty: DOCUMENTARY FILM (13). KEN is quite famous for his work. His CIVIL WAR and Baseball films are great. This is paired with: 16D. Eccentric old guys: CODGERS. My hand is up not down the front of my pants. The second of the reverse DOC going up.

Themer 3:

42A. *Southeast Asian colonial region dismantled in 1954: FRENCH INDOCHINA (13). As a child of the 50s and 60s I was very aware of the French pull out of the area and involvement of the US to "preserve" the region. This may be a factoid lost in the miasma of aging. Paired with: 39D. Fish-and-chips fish: COD. When we eat out, this is often my meal of choice, especially now that my red meat intake is limited. It does make me wonder why it is called a COD PIECE? The third and last DOC going up.

The reveal: 49A. Classic Looney Tunes tagline offering some "direction" in solving the starred clues: WHAT'S UP DOC? I am sure the world has heard Bugs Bunny say:

The grid to get the "picture." 

Now we are ready for the rest of the story:

Across:

1. Earth, for one: ORB. And, 19A. Food scrap: ORT. I love this start!

4. Dred Scott decision Chief Justice: TANEY. Even after C.C. foreshadowed this very famous and awful decision by the SCOTUS,  it took my brain too long to pull out the name of this controversial man who served for 28 years. Incidentally, he was from Maryland and a Roman Catholic. Remind anybody of anybody? JK Bill.

9. Leg section: CALF. I never thought of ordering a thigh and a calf.

13. Two-digit sign: VEE. For victory.

14. Thrifty to begin with?: ECONO. A well worn prefix for inexpensive.

15. Central Plains tribe: OTOE. Many Os to begin this puzzles; this LINK is a glance at this word's xword history.

16. "__ la vie": C'EST. A very French phrase which can used in many different situations, from Frank Sinatra's THAT's LIFE to 

20. Hardly libertine: PRIM. I stumbled for a bit when I put in PRIG.

21. Pithy saying: ADAGE. Pithy goes back to the 1300s, "strong, vigorous," from pith meaning "full of substance or significance" is from 1520s. 

26. Fairy tale figures: GNOMES. In modern times they are lawn ornaments. Or a famous song, gnome, gnome on the range where the hobbits and the orcs do roam. The Online Etymology Dictionary LISTING for GNOME.

27. Mother __: LODE. Lucy is it likely this is a translation of Mexican Spanish veta madre, a name given to rich silver veins?

28. Money with hits: EDDIE. This is funny Money. He left us in 2019.

29. Retreats: LAIRS. From Roget. SYNONYMS.

31. Word with bonds or games: WAR. An all too real reference today.

34. Line holder: REEL. Fishing line.

35. Barely detectable: FAINT. The magic clue that solves the crime is often...

36. Tiny particle: MOTE. Likely from Dutch mot "dust from turf, sawdust, grit."

37. Future H.S. grads, probably: SRS. Seniors, hopefully.

38. Volcanic eruption sight: PLUME.

39. Nested supermarket array: CARTS. I never thought of them as nested. 

40. Nana: GRAN. Sunday, C.C. added Nai nai.

41. "Amen to that!": SO TRUE. 

45. Earth's volume?: ATLAS. Ha ha, a book- a volume about Earth. I like it.

47. Mandlikova of '80s tennis: HANA. She will always be remembered with NAVRATILOVA.  Hana's MEMORIES.

48. Mexican pinch?: SEL. More Mexico, this time the Spanish word for salt.

51. Office figure: BOSS. Often just a figurehead. Can you name them all? They have become...

52. Legends and such: LORE. We have had this word often lately.

53. Cloth-dyeing method: BATIK. I was dying to think of a pun but could not.

54. Pro using a siren, perhaps: EMT. Emeregency Medical Technician. Do all the drivers get licensed? I guess if not they would be...

55. Went after, in a way: SUED. IMO, the court system has become unwieldly and too expensive.

56. Objects of worship: IDOLS. As long as they are not GRAVEN? I guess photos are fine.

57. Earth opening?: GEO. Fun clue for the word that derived from the Greek, gē earth, covering everything from GEODISIC domes to GEOMETRY. Also a nice way to end part I.

Down:

1. With 3-Down, sportsbook option based on the final score: OVERUNDER. 3D. See 1-Down: BET. This based on total points scored by both winning and losing teams and with it is greater than or less than. An important part of parlay betting.

2. Game system turnoff options: REST MODES. You need to leave it on just in case.

4. What a siren does: TEMPTS. An A-LIST of sirens. A deliberate use of siren (54A) and its other meaning.

5. Lexus competitor: ACURA. Honda's luxury car.

6. Polite denial: NO SIR. Yes sir. No Ma'am, yes ma'am.

7. Combat demarcation point: ENEMY LINE. Behind Enemy Lines is the name of a few movies, as well as the plot.

8. "__ busy?": YOU. You know I am, we all work hard of these write-ups. Geez, Louise! 

10. Starting players: A-TEAM. See 4D. 

11. Sleep-inducing, maybe, as a lecture: LONG. I had trouble with this as it seemed too easy.

12. Fancy party: FETE. Not a gala, or a ball.

18. "Downton Abbey" personnel: MAIDS.

23. Man's name that becomes a measurement when one letter is moved: EMIL. MILE. I wonder if that is how Miley Cyrus got her name?

24. Once called: NÉE. Miley was born DESTINY HOPE CYRUS.

25. The Alamo, e.g.: FORT. Another deceptively simple clue/fill.

29. Starting point of many modern missions: LAUNCH PAD. A timely CSO to Husker Gary who I signed up for a future Blue Origin launch as a birthday surprise.

30. Intention: AIM. It was intention to fulfill his dream of looking down on all Earth.

31. Unsettling: WORRISOME. I hope Joann does not find it...

32. Puts in sync with: ATTUNES TO. Doing my part to improve your life here are my tips in a romantic relationship:

Listen before you speak. ...

Ask questions to understand. ...

Notice your partner's nonverbal cues. ...

Use validating statements. ...

Identify your triggers. ...

Feel and own your feelings. Or not.

33. Zips again, as a Ziploc bag: RESEALS. Why not rezip?

35. Rich dessert: FLAN. Where does Flan make its money? It is just custard, sort of. Speaking of which, there is a wiki sight English words suffixed with -tard

36. Subject with shapes: MATH. I prefer ART. 

38. First Amendment concern: PRESS. Freedom thereof...

40. Like Romano, often: GRATED. I have watched Everybody Loves Raymond a few times and thought he played a very irritating character, but he did not grate on my nerves.

41. Chips, say: SNACKS. Unless you are in Great Britain.

42. Emergency device: FLARE. Not to be confused with FLAIR, though both can be quite dramatic.

43. Couldn't not: HAD TO. The old double negative manuever.

44. How tuna may be packed: IN OIL. Or water, but not both at the same time for oils are hydrophobic (not homophobic) or “water fearing.” Instead of being attracted to water molecules, oil molecules are repelled by them.

45. Hole makers: AWLS. Almost a Shakespeare quote, AWLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 

46. "O Julius Caesar, __ art mighty yet!": Brutus: THOU. This  quote is uttered by Marcus Brutus as he stands over the dead bodies of Cassius and Titinius, another soldier who was fighting to kill Caesar. Brutus is suggesting even dead JC was able to bring retribution to the conspirators. And JW gets to bring us a quote from Act V, Scene 3.

50. Where, to Brutus: UBI. Just the Latin for where, you are not his chariot driver. As most of us who studied Latin for years, the fake phrase SEMPER UBI, SUB UBI was always good for a laugh.

51. Entreat: BEG. They did not beg for their lives but all committed suicide. Is suicide a cowardly act? Are you begging for mercy to be done with ths write-up? You win, Lemonade has left the building beaten and exhausted once more ridden around the mind of Jeffrey Wechsler at dizzying speeds needing to step back, regroup and soldier on.

I loved the challenge and look forward to all of your comments.

Jeffrey Wechsler

 Title: Add three letters and call me in the morning.

Doctor Wechsler has built another extra large grid (15x16) to permit room for his three 16 letter theme fill. Each of them has the trigram (three letter) AMA added to a base phrase. We also have the rare benefit of a reveal on a Friday which helps solve this puzzle even if you are not used to JW's tricks.

ACACIAS, BAILEYS, CRYSTAL, CUSTODY, DEADPAN, ECSTASY, ENROBED, ENSNARE, NUREYEV, RIPENED, UNDERGO, VANILLA, ELECTRIC, and LUCIDITY are all interesting non-theme fill, a benefit of having 15 extra spaces in the puzzle. The first of the themers may be the most challenging.

18A. *Crèche, for example?: CHRISTIAN DIORAMA (16). With DIORAMA not an everyday word and the final fill combining a clothing designer with the trigram to create this religious piece may be a bit outre. But then it may have been the puzzle's inspiration.

26A. *Recent president scrutinizing a book on jurisprudence? : OBAMA EYING THE LAW(16). This also is tricky because the phrase obeying the law is invaded by the AMA creating separate words.

42A. *Animal rights goal in the Andes?: JUSTICE FOR A LLAMA. (16). We get Ogden Nash's 2 LLama; with all the commercials they are now appearing in I would think llamas are the richest of the working beasts. Finally, the reveal...

54A. Altered, in a way ... and a hint to the org. that helped create the answers to starred clues: DOCTORED UP (10). The American Medical Association. Since 1847, 175 year anniversary.

Across:

1. "'And hast thou __ the Jabberwock?'": Carroll: SLAIN. What a wonderful quotation to begin a creation aimed at people who love words. The poem may appear to be total nonsense but it has been studied and discussed such as this ANALYSIS by Dr. Oliver Teale. His blog is even more successful than the Corner.

6. Steady guy: BEAU. Boyfriend from the French.

10. Event involving hidden matzo: SEDER. Passover (Pesach) begins this year at sundown on April 15, which is also a sabbath. 
                        

15. Shell material: NACRE. The inside of the shell of some mollusks also known as mother-of-pearl. Here is a picture of a vintage Egyptian folding chair I was given some time ago with nacre insets.

16. Loads: A TON. Simple, and clearly a big load.

17. Horror film burden: CURSE. My thought is poor Lon Chaney and the curse of the werewolf.

21. Geode feature, perhaps: CRYSTAL. Geodes are spherical to subspherical rock structures with an internal cavity lined with mineral materials. Very pretty.

22. Dressed: ENROBED. Back to our naked Emperor from my Wednesday write-up.

23. Current type: ELECTRIC. No, not anymore. Now I want only my wife. Oh, electric current, never mind.

34. Grammy-winning pianist Peter: NERO. This MUSICIAN was extremely popular during my growing years of the 50s and 60s.

35. 2020 N.L. batting champ Juan: SOTO. This 23 year old from the Domincan Republic has already logged 4 years in the majors. STATS.

36. "Sula" author Morrison: TONI. This was her second novel and Goodreads says, "This rich and moving novel traces the lives of two black heroines from their close-knit childhood in a small Ohio town, through their sharply divergent paths of womanhood, to their ultimate confrontation and reconciliation."

37. "That describes me, right?": AM I NOT. This sound philisophical and historical as well as being a rallying cry of the modern young.

40. Paradise: HEAVEN. Ah, religion a forbidden topic here but an interesting one.

47. Sugar suffix: OSE. Sucrose, lactose, maltose...

48. Clear thought: LUCIDITY. Dictionary says this word is the quality of being easily understood, completely intelligible, or comprehensible. A goal for a blogger?

49. Spirit that's also a game: GIN. Alchemists in the Middle East were the first to master distillation. They were hoping to not only change lesser elements to gold but to make medical elixirs. To do so, they would distill liquid, collect the vapor, and gather the “spirit” that came off the material. Gin is a very competitive card game.

50. "Molto __": "Very good": BENE. An Italian lesson for a change!

52. Trough fill: SLOP. Historically people save their food scraps and spoiled food and served them to their pigs in the trough.

53. Huge amounts: SEAS. I guess this is something likened to the sea especially in vastness such as a sea of faces

59. Plain: VANILLA. I have had bosses and secretaries who called manila folders "vanilla folders."

62. Soviet-born ballet immortal: NUREYEV. I am not a great fan of ballet, but he was amazing.

66. Broad-topped trees: ACACIAS. Hard to believe these are in the pea family

                            

67. Catch: ENSNARE.

68. Safekeeping: CUSTODY. When they throw you in jail, safekeeping is not your first thought.

69. Poker-faced: DEADPAN. More Stephen Wright, right?

Down:

1. '60s civil rights gp. inspired by student sit-ins: SNCC. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was the culmination of many sit-ins by young blacks in 1960. It also spawned many impressive black leaders.

2. Lion player Bert: LAHR. Since Detroit traded away Matthew Stafford so the Rams could win the Super Bowl, Bert is back to being the most revered lion.

3. "__ in the Dark": 1988 Neill/Streep film: A CRY. Not the original title, but a movie based on a true story of a New Zealand woman who was wrongfully convicted of murdering her baby daughter. You-tube will not let me use it, but look at the movie trailer, and you will see Streep really is magical at becoming a character.

4. Bearded bloom: IRIS. At first I thought of Morris Bloom and his make believe wife, but without the capital B it must be this beautiful plant.
 5. Iced drink brand: NESTEA.

6. Irish liqueur made by an English company: BAILEYS. It may seem that this liquer has been around forever but Baileys was invented in London in 1973 by a team of professionals hired for the job. These included Tom Jago, head of innovation and development for International Distillers & Vintners (IDV), who was from the U.K.; David Gluckman, a South African; and Hugh Seymour-Davies, an Englishman from Oxford and Eden. They aparently do not like apostrophes.

7. LAX stat: ETA. Estimate Time of Arrival

8. Chicago's __ Center: AON. For our big city midwestern readers this skyscraper was completed in 1974 as the Standard Oil Building. With 83 floors and a height of 1,136 feet (346 m), it is the fourth-tallest building in Chicago, surpassed in height by Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and St Regis Chicago. AON has bought naming rights to this and one in Los Angeles.

9. Experience: UNDERGO. There are good experiences and not good ones. Undergo makes me think of the now good ones.

10. Really burn: SCORCH. The wiktionary says it is from Middle English scorchen, scorcnen (“to make dry; parch”), perhaps an alteration of earlier scorpnen, from Old Norse skorpna (“to shrivel up”). It reminds me of the scorched earth caused by war.

11. Catalan cash: EURO. In Catalonia they now use Euro.

12. Colorless: DRAB. Such a potentially mean word. 

13. Girl in a Salinger title: ESME.The short story For Esmé with Love and Squalor is a post World War II story which I am not sure I ever understood. Here is an ANALYSIS. This might be a ...

14. Curl up with a good book, say: READ. As it tells an interesting..

19. Story: TALE.

20. D.C. part?: Abbr.: INITial.

24. AFL partner: CIO. AFL–CIO, in full American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations, American federation of autonomous labour unions formed in 1955 by the merger of the AFL (founded 1886), which originally organized workers in craft unions, and the CIO (founded 1935), which organized workers by industries.

25. Blasted stuff: TNT. Very cute clue.

26. Out working: ON A JOB. If it weren't a three word answer this would be very easy.

27. Puzzle: BEMUSE. I know A-muse, and B-muse, but what is C-muse? Is it musical?

28. Ascended: ARISEN. Another word with many connotations.

29. __ Blanc: MONT. A mountain and a pen; talk about being versatile.

30. Shorthand for unlisted items: ET AL. Latin, Et alia.

31. Romantic-sounding herb: LOVAGE. Native to Southern Europe, lovage is a member of the parsley family but tastes like celery. My wife will feed me anything green she finds.

32. Lethargy cause: ANEMIA.Low red blood count caused by many serious and not serious matters.

33. CeCe with 12 Grammys: WINANS. Not related to the Wynan brothers. BIO.

38. Natural resource: OIL. A topic I will not touch now.

39. Horned Frogs' sch.: TCU. Texas Christian University began as a private co-ed college in 1869. The STORY.

40. Seuss cat's trademark: HAT. I cannot get this to LINK directly.

41. English cathedral town: ELY. An Anglican CHURCH.

43. Sheer joy: ECSTASY. What you are likly feeing that this tour is almost over.

44. Baklava dough: FILO. Also a famous detective, no relation to Director Vance.

45. Smell: ODOR.

46. Came to fruition: RIPENED. A tiny pun since the word was take from fruit becoming mature. 

51. Official proclamation: EDICT. Synonyms for edict: bull, decree, diktat, directive, fiat, rescript, ruling, ukase.

53. Use plastic, say: SPEND. Some of my credit cards are no longer platic.

55. Miscellany: OLIO. One of C.C's words. 

56. Wearing, with "in": CLAD. The robe convering the emperor.

57. Beach feature: DUNE. And a hit movie and book and a natural sand formation.

58. Up-there bear: URSA. Well there are two, a major and a minor.

59. Brief cleaner: VAC. I just throw mine in the washer with the rest of my clothes.

60. Pressure opening?: ACU. Not tire?

61. "Illmatic" rapper: NAS. He is a very respected rapper who only recently is getting his full recognition depite being around for 25 years. As a 73 year old sheltered white man I will never be able to fully appreciate his artristy but the world does.

63. Jabber: YAP.An odd semi-dupe with the opening poetic reference, which was likely intentional.

64. Live-ball __: baseball period: ERA. It is the dead ball era which ended when Babe Ruth (the ball player, not the candy bar) started smacking home runs in record fashion in 1919. We now have the livlier ball era.

65. S.A. country, to the IOC: VENezuela.

Ed Sessa

Title:

Do you see what I see? LYRICS+

Happy Mittwoch, lemonade filling a blogging gap returning to the day of the week of my first blogging gig here, sharing Wednesday with Melissa B. I do not get another rookie setter but the great Dr. Ed Sessa. It may not be a Friday, but it is not a walk in the park. It is a visual theme without normal theme symmetry or exact theme fill. Instead you need to study the grid and "see" what picture appears when you not only highlight the double Os (no James Bond theme here) but highlight each BUS above the Os.  So today we start with the highlighted grid and work backwards.

Using your childlike imagination which may be a little dormant, you can see a yellow school bus on its two round wheels. There is overall puzzle symmetry including the two grid-spanners, but that would not help locate a theme.

The magic pairs are:

18A. Catskills restaurant job for young Jerry Lewis:    B U S BOY.

19A. Acted with total independence: ANSWERED   TO NO ONE.

This is a challenging 15 letter fill, but crucial to the plan. Lewis was a soda jerk but never a bus boy.

24A. Farm units:                        BUSHELS.   Doris Day

29A. Some wind components:  OBOE REEDS. They make the sound.

31A. Smooch:                              BUSS.   kiss, kiss

38A. Melville sequel to "Typee": OMOO. This is classic crosswordese for the vowels.

45A. Garment aptly named for where it's worn:       BUSTIER. 

50A. What the filled-in circles do, in a tots' song: GOROUND AND ROUND.  Another 15 letters.

I will not touch the bustier reference, but will continue to the rest.

Across:

1. Animal fat: LARD. Once controversial, is it making a comeback?

5. Mer, here: SEA. French lesson.

8. Business entities: FIRMS. When used in a title, "firm" is typically associated with businesses that provide professional law and accounting services, but the term may be used for a wide variety of businesses, including finance, consulting, marketing, and graphic design firms, among others.

13. State as fact: AVER. A popular law word.

14. Photo: PIC. Nic?

15. Patronize a bistro, say: EAT OUT. I think the bistro reference was to make getting the "out" part more easily as they often offer both inside and outside dining.

16. Cover for a king: ROBE. Especially if it is an Emperor who ordered new clothes.

17. Onassis, familiarly: ARIstotle.

22. Parrot's screech: AWK. Not really. LINK. It is more well known word to computer programmers now. 

23. Voiced sounds: SONANTS. Hmm,  (ˈsəʊnənt) / adjective. phonetics denoting a voiced sound capable of forming a syllable or syllable nucleus. inherently possessing, exhibiting, or producing a sound. okay.

28. Yeoman's "yo": AYE. So many ways to say yes.

35. Fluids used for blood typing: SERA. plural noun: sera

an amber-colored, protein-rich liquid that separates out when blood coagulates.

36. Theater reservations: SEATS.

39. Rep on the street: CRED. Reputation gives you credibility.

40. Delay one's decision: SLEEP ON IT. This procrastintor's phrase has an early example which can be found in the State Paper of Henry VIII (1519): "His Grace…sayd that he wold slepe and drem upon the matter." Yes, the Henry the VIII.

42. Camera variety, initially: SLR. Single Lens Reflex. I will defer to Picard and waseely who like taking pictures.

44. Fills with passion: ENAMORS. Merriam Webster (MW) says, this is from the Middle English enamouren, from Anglo-French enamourer, from en- + amour first used in the 14th century meaning to inflame with love. Anyone here been inflamed recently? Splynter?

49. Smack-__: DAB. Not David Aldred Bywaters but a phrase from the 1890s meaning "exactly, squarely." Do you like:

Version 1                                                        Version 2

55. React to with a belly laugh: ROAR AT. Yes! NOT aroar!

56. New start?: NEO. Has anyone watched the new Matrix movie?

57. Inside information?: X-RAY. A really fun clue/fill as that is where docs findout what is going on inside.

58. Queen of puzzles: ELLERY. There are so amny famous female detectives, but this time it the these GENTLEMAN who were the Queen.

59. Big name on Wall Street: DOW. Dow Jones is a combination of the names of business partners Charles Dow and Edward Jones who along with Charles Bergstresser founded Dow Jones & Company in 1882.  

60. To be, to Livy: ESSE. His HISTORY. Esse is to be in Latin.

61. "__ what I had in mind": WASN'T. This is the happy response to  my passive/agressive "I guess I should go."

62. Stop on the road: INN. A place to say. 

63. Some coll. requirements: SATS. The Scholastic Aptitude Test  is a standardized test designed to measure basic critical reading, math and writing skills. No longer universally accepted but still offered.

I used to teach an LSAT prep class. If you want to try a new SAT I will send you a practice test, send me your answers and I will tell you how you did.

Down:

1. Mother on Krypton: LARA. Lara (née Lara Lor-Van) is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in the Superman comic strip and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lara is the biological mother of Superman, and the wife of scientist Jor-El. They like hyphenated names.

2. Big name in romance fiction: AVON. Avon has been publishing award-winning romance since 1941. It is recognized for having pioneered the historical romance category and continues to publish in wide variety of other genres, including paranormal, urban fantasy, contemporary and regency. It is now owned by Harper Collins.

3. Civil War soldiers: REBS. Them damn rebs! 

4. Overtook, with "of": DREW AHEAD. All you need to KNOW.

5. Kills it on stage: SPARKLES. HMM. 

6. Auld land: EIRE. 

7. Essential fatty __: ACIDS.

8. Florae counterparts: FAUNAE.

9. "The program's starting!": IT'S ON.

10. High-tech worker: ROBOT.

11. Elementary particles: MUONS.

12. Lid bump: STYE.

15. Dark wood: EBONY.

20. Still-life subject: EWER.

21. Newlywed, at times: TOASTEE.

24. Pear variety: BOSC.

25. Lyft competitor: UBER.

26. Really ticked: SORE.

27. Blows a fuse: SEES RED.

30. Indian lentil dish: DAL.

31. Early hip-hop hardware: BOOM BOXES.

32. Curt refusal: UM NO. Whi is this Curt and why is he refusing? What is he refusing? Was it Curt Flood?

33. Evening in Avignon: SOIR. Simplment, en Francaise.

34. Tipplers: SOTS.

37. Demote to the minors: SEND DOWN.

41. Host before Carson: PAAR.

42. Comic store owner on "The Big Bang Theory": STUART.

43. Full of fuzz: LINTY.

45. Half a Yale cheer: BOOLA. Boola boola has been around since about 1901, but it may never had a better performance'

46. Range with one end in Kazakhstan: URALS.

47. Philosopher Kierkegaard: SOREN.

48. Zuckerberg Media founder Zuckerberg: RANDI.

50. Raised on a farm: GREW. Speaking of the flora and fauna.

51. Bright light: NEON.

52. __ Major: URSA. Another bear.

53. Democratic donkey designer: NAST. Most Americans would be surprised to learn that both political symbols, the donkey and the elephant were created by the same political CARTOONIST in the late 19th century.

54. Beauty salon supplies: DYES. Can you think of a three letter beuty supply as we say adieu to to this puzzle and prepare for my next appearance at a club near you on Friday, March 11, 2022.

Grid on top so I will be saying my thanks to Dr.Ed and to all of you now. Maybe you a joke or a cartoon I could put in here...anyway, nice to visit Wednesday and talk about this gem. Lemonade out.

February 25

Title: What the "H" is going on? Of course you can use her reveal if you prefer.

Welcome to the LAT debut puzzle from Karen who already has two published puzzles: August 25, 2021 in the American Values Crossword Club (AVCX) and earlier this year the NYT on January13, 2022. She is " a comedy and game show writer" who used the at home time of the pandemic to try her hand and making crosswords. Here is the PICTURE she provided the NYT for her publication. An example of her writing is the sadly accurate MEMO  on the workplace. It is extra fun to have this creative female constructor to balance Wednesday's other creative female. I smell change in the air; I hope it more than nickels.

She presents us with a familiar A/B/B/A theme with a reveal. The other longish answers are limited BAD LUCK,  IN CHECK,  IT'S LATE and RESHOOT but she does include 26 five letter fill, a surprise gift for all the WORDLE players. I solved this after a terrible day where it took me all 6 guesses to get the word. Players, can you pick which one it was? So lets begin the fun...

20A. Aroma of a freshly grilled steak?: NEW CHAR SMELL (12).

I am not sure I would have associated a new CAR smell with food.

32A. Horror film writer's mantra?: PUT A SHOCK IN IT (13). I really like this multi-word variation.

40A. What Stanford University catchers' gear protects?: CARDINAL SHINS (13). Shin guards were not my first catchers' protective thought, but then I realized they do all that kneeling both on the field and in Church.

55A. "Always dust before you vacuum" and others?: CHORE BELIEFS (12). The parentheses signify the basic nature of this CORE belief which makes perfect sense - I think.

And the reveal:

51D. Cold War concern ... and what created 20-, 32-, 40- and 55-Across?: HBOMB (5). This is a variation of the PHOTOBOMB which has become a ritual in modern life, with the lonely letter jumping into all the phrases. 

Across:

1. Go on or come off: OCCUR. Did the strike go on? Did they get it to come off?

6. Had a bite: ATE. Unless it is a worker's head?

9. Checks: BILLS. Sure they are; a good Friday combination.

14. Prize money: PURSE. This usage goes all the way back to the 1400s when both men and women carried purses.

15. Jorja of the "CSI" franchise: FOX. She is back in the reboot of the CSI: Las Vegas series. Everytime my wife sees her on screen she says the Jorja is "ไม่สวย" No s̄wy. Use your imagination, or ask me.

16. Something bid: ADIEU. More nice Friday misdirection.

17. Agenda entries: ITEMS. Getting a condo board to prepare an agenda and then stay with the items is a challenge.

18. Brief plan for the future?: IRA. Brief suggesting an abbreviation and this is your retirement plan, or part of it. 

19. Artful evasion: DODGE. My favorite was introduced by in Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. A young pickpocket named Jack Dawkins who most people refer to him as "the Artful Dodger" The nickname describes his skill at his trade: his mind is cunning, his fingers are sly, and he's quick on his feet. 

23. Hosp. areas: ERS. 

24. Sweet little sandwich: OREO. Despite the endless clues used for this fill, this version is brand new.

25. Employs a hard sell: PUSHES. I do hate a pushy salesperson.

29. Nemesis, say: FOE. Did she get a bad rap, she was just doing her job. In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia (Ancient Greek: Ῥαμνουσία, romanized: Rhamnousía, lit. 'the goddess of Rhamnous'), is the goddess who enacts retribution against those who succumb to hubris, arrogance before the gods.

30. Third of a game?: TIC. I bet you all got this one

31. "These __ the times ... ": Paine: ARE.  "These are the times that try men's souls: the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country..." Written in Dec. 1776 by Thomas Paine who wrote the COMMON SENSE pamphlets which were so important during the revolution.
They also were just recognized in "Seth Bisen-Hersh's puzzle on Tuesday. The world my be folding in on itself.

36. Paralyze with surprise: STUN.

38. Beige cousin: TAN.

39. García Lorca wrote them to Whitman and Dalí: ODES. This the ONE to Whitman.

45. Stein filler: ALE. My first thought TOKLAS would not fit.

46. Choice word: NOR. Nicely phrased. 

47. Native suffix: ITE. I think I may be related to the WORDNIK site.

48. Laundry room supply: BLEACH.

50. Some Drs.: PHDS.

52. Small Indian state: GOA. So happy to see my birth twin Vidwan back; perhaps he will expand on this. 

58. Papier-__: MACHE. Staying in India, papier-mâché was introduced to India in the 14th century by the Persian mystic Mir Syed Ali Hamdani. He was visiting the Kashmir region from Persia, and brought along skilled artisans and craftsmen.

61. 2008 Visa event, briefly: IPO. Initial Public Offering.

62. Be bratty: ACT UP.

63. Worshiper of the rain god Tlaloc: AZTEC. Tlaloc, (Nahuatl: “He Who Makes Things Sprout”). He was the eighth ruler of the days and the ninth lord of the nights.

64. PIN point: ATM. Another cute clue.

65. Mock: TEASE.

66. "Find out": GO ASK. Such simple advice to give your children; parents, you do not need to know everything so stop lying to your kids.

67. Loft: LOB. Tennis or hand grenades?

68. Fruity-smelling compound: ESTER. But she was helluva fun girl at parties.

Down:

1. Express views: OPINE.

2. More like a puppy: CUTER. Mine is cuter than yours.

3. Teams: CREWS. The mafia likes calling their teams crews as did the recent fat tuesday celebrants.

4. Mil. branch: USMC. United States Marine Corps.

5. Result of a botched line: RESHOOT. Do not say this near Alec Baldwin.

6. Lit: AFIRE. An A word. 

7. Tailor's dummy, e.g.: TORSO.

8. Skills barometer: EXAM.

9. Gambler's concern: BAD LUCK. 

10. Stars watched by many: IDOLS.  Season 20 is on. I am not a Ryan Seafrest fan.

11. Shadow target: LID. Make-up your mind.

12. Part of a journey: LEG.

13. WNBA star Bird: SUE. Another University of Connecticut Husky star. Her story.

21. Land measure: AREA.

22. Sweeping: EPIC.

26. Jazz __: dance technique: HANDS.

27. Pennsylvania city on I-90: ERIE. Like Oreo, Erie is also always here.

28. Establishes: SETS.

29. Back: FUND.

30. A whole bunch: TONS.

32. Tomato product: PUREE.

33. Night light: STAR.

34. Shakespearean prince: HAL.

35. Actress Skye: IONE.

36. Healing sign: SCAB.

37. Unlikely: TALL.

41. Under control: IN CHECK.

42. NYC neighborhood above Houston Street: NOHO.

43. Obscure: HIDE.

44. "I should probably get going": IT'S LATE.

49. Soreness: ACHES.

50. __-Bismol: PEPTO.

52. Insinuate: GET AT.

53. Valuable: OF USE.

54. According to: AS PER.

56. Iranian bread: RIAL.

57. Street fair treats: ICES.

58. E-__: MAG.

59. Nitrogenous dye: AZO.

60. Commuter org. in the Loop: CTA.

jeffrey w

 Title: No Duh!

FRAGMENT, SUBTRACT, FOR A PRICE, GEOMETRIC, GONE TO POT, RAY LIOTTA

21A. Yogi's barber?: BEAR D TRIMMER (11).

1. "Smooth Operator" artist: SADE. "Shaday" is a very impressive performer LINK.

5. Play groups: CASTS. A performance for an audience not just kids.

10. Pop of punk: IGGY. A one-time icon 

14. Miso go-with, often: UDON. Udon noodles are made out of wheat flour; they are thick and white in color. Best as fresh, they are soft and chewy. On the other hand, soba noodles are made out of buckwheat, with a strong nutty flavor. Many though have wheat in them also, which means they are not gluten-free.

15. Sean who played Samwise: ASTIN. He is the step-son of actor John Astin and his mother Patty Duke who appeared here recently.

16. Many August births: LEOS. Not all, I am a Virgo.

17. Panache: ZING. 

18. Grand __: PIANO. So many five letter choices.

19. Unique: LONE.

20. Desire: YEN. Do Japanese Yen for Yen?

23. Cheesy Mexican appetizer: QUESO. Per WikiDiff: As nouns the difference between cheese and queso is that cheese is (uncountable) a dairy product made from curdled or cultured milk or cheese can be (slang) wealth, fame, excellence, importance while queso is melted cheese, used for instance as a dipping sauce.

25. One found among blocks: STREET. Nice misdirection, again not kids toys.

26. Related on mom's side: ENATE.

30. Tiffs: SETTOS.

32. Break into pieces: FRAGMENT.

35. Troy, N.Y., campus: RPI.

36. Tusker as tutor?: BOAR OF EDUCATION (15).

40. "Nice __!": TRY.

41. Do the math, perhaps: SUBTRACT.

42. Light courses: SALADS.

46. "A moveable feast," to Hemingway: PARIS.

47. They work in lofty places: PILOTS.

49. Scratching (out): EKING.

53. Function of a straw man?: CROW CONTROL (11)

57. Ginza agreement: HAI.

58. Formality: RITE.

59. California coastal county: MARIN.

60. Super star: NOVA.

61. It precedes Romans: ACTS.

62. Hardly a libertine: PRUDE.

63. Word with season or mind: OPEN.

64. Vanquished: BEAT.

65. Trim and graceful: SLEEK.

66. Bench press muscle: DELT.

Down:

1. Bygone Devil Dog competitor: SUZYQ.

2. One-consonant parting: ADIEU.

3. "Any man's death diminishes me" writer: DONNE.

4. University dept.: ENG.

5. __ May: CAPE.

6. K2 locale: ASIA.

7. Leading: STAR.

8. Adds sepia to, say: TINTS.

9. Is bullish?: SNORTS.

10. "__ by moonlight, proud Titania" : Shak.: ILLMET.

11. Like art using circles, squares, etc.: GEOMETRIC.

12. Failed: GONETOPOT.

13. River in Flanders: YSER.

21. Old coffeehouse drum: BONGO.

22. Choler: IRE.

24. Blacken a bit: SEAR.

27. Big letters in bowling: AMF.

28. Begins a round, with "off": TEES.

29. Eventually become: ENDUP.

31. Envy, say: SIN.

32. "... but it isn't free": FORAPRICE.

33. Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in "Field of Dreams": RAYLIOTTA.

34. Low wind: TUBA.

36. Band with members Jimin and Jin: BTS.

37. QB feeder: CTR.

38. Prospero's servant: ARIEL.

39. Something to do: TASK.

43. Division with A's: ALWEST.

44. Bugs address: DOC.

45. Energetic dances: STOMPS.

48. Tie-up: SNARL.

50. "Fingers crossed": IHOPE.

51. __ orange: NAVEL.

52. Fairy tale figure: GIANT.

53. Maryland catch: CRAB.

54. Not subject to debate: TRUE.

55. Wheels: RIDE.

56. Short jog: ONEK.

60. Silent assent ... or, in two parts, a hint to three long answers: NO D.

Dan Schoenholz

 Welcome to Dan Schoenholz' world where things always fit together; or do they? 

This is his 9th LAT publication along with 26 NYTs of which 11 are Sundays. He started here with a Sunday back in 2010 and has never ventured into end of the week themeless grids. He has commented that he likes "interlocking" theme answers and this is a doozy. (Maybe?) How to "suss" his fill? 

We start with 

16A. Reason for a robot's knee trouble?: JOINT RUST (9). Well that makes sense, but JOINT TRUST is also a real method of Estate Planning. You just need to borrow the T. hmm.

So we moved on to 

29A. Drinking espresso before bed, say?: NIGHT ERROR. another simple fill as strong coffee  will keep most awake, but NIGHT TERROR is also very real as night terror, also called sleep terror, a sleep disorder causing feelings of panic or dread. (I had my sleep study on Monday, results in 10 days). hmm2

Next we find

36A. Flushing problem?: TOILET ISSUE would be a difficulty if you could not flush, but TOILET TISSUE is very much an important concept in the loo. hmm3

Next

43A. Babe who never lied?: HONEST RUTH; I never heard that about the ballplayer but I do know of the phrase HONEST TRUTH which is a bit redundant. hmm4

Finally 

57A. Mom and dad's rhythmic genre?: PARENT RAP, my kids have never needed to fear hearing that from their parents but the Movie  PARENT TRAP (twins seperated at birth) did further Haley Mills' career and then spawn the Patty Duke Show (identical cousins). hmm5

Thank you C.C. for teaching me how to deal with the new rules for using the XWord info site which allowed me to show these long non-theme fill: ARSENAL, PGA TOUR, PODCAST, SPHERES, TREEBOA, ON PATROL, SANTA ANA, BEG FOR MERCY and NINTENDO WII. An impressive array. If Dan does not stop by we are our own, and may never know what he had in mind, but I had fun.

Across:

1. Exhibit wanderlust: ROAM. It was for me and many others I guess a joy to start with filling 1A.

5. Graceless sort: OAF. Boom, there was 5A and we are going great.

8. Settled things: DEBTS. Oops, time to begin to work. The noun not the verb.

13. Revolution site: AXLE. The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round Now we already are confronting Friday misdirection, not a coup, but a coo.

14. Church niche: APSE. If you have been in a church you know the  large semicircular or polygonal recess where the altar is. If not, now you do.

15. Beethoven wrote just one: OPERA. The STORY.  The music.

                            

18. Behind bars: CAGED. This is easy fill if you think of historic zoos; a bit dicey thinking about human prisoners; not very popular thse days for either group. mb, thoughts?

19. Figure (out): SUSS. A word crossword solvers could not exist without that was stolen by a famous constructor...

20. "Gross!": ICK. This first appeared in this quotation in 1965. "Together we dragged [the fish] flopping on the grassy bank, where it smacked its tail and made Lecia sidestep with an odd daintiness. She actually said ick. "— Mary Karr. ICKY goes back to 1929.

22. Gratified: FED. If you think of an ego this makes more sense.

23. Run things: MANAGE. That is why they are called managers.

26. Ad for a good cause, briefly: PSA. Public Service Announcement.

27. Japanese port city: KOBE. We leave out basketball and beef for this old CITY.

28. Yellowfin tuna: AHI. Aha! Ahi is back. All you need to know to be a bit more informed and confused. LINK.

32. Orange County seat: SANTA  ANA. The double A caught my eye but was not part of the theme.

35. Tibetan priest: LAMA. The one "L" one; hello Dahli.

39. Hang: PEND. Many judges do not rule on the spot. 

40. Like beat cops: ON PATROL. This concept dates back to the 1690s and is from the French words meaning "to go the rounds in a camp or garrison, march about as a guard," from patrouiller ‘paddle in mud.'

46. Greek X: CHI. So much to know about a single LETTER.

47. Chances: ODDS. 

48. Vacuum's lack: AIR. Or hoses.

49. Biological catalyst: ENZYME. A substance produced by a living organism which acts as a catalyst to bring about a specific biochemical reaction. Dictionary.

52. Sgt., e.g.: NCO. Non-Commissioned Officer.

53. Little mischief maker: IMP. The definition of an imp is a young demon (historically) or a child (in modern times) who misbehaves just for the fun of misbehaving. An example of an historic imp is a very small mythical creature that plays tricks on people. An example of a modern imp is a five year old child who hides from their mother in a grocery store.

54. Penélope who is the only Spanish actress with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: CRUZ.

55. Georgia rivals of the Tide: DAWGS. Georgia won the big game this year.

62. Like many elephants: ASIAN. Both species are endagered.  In Africa, there are approximately 415,000 individuals left whilst in Asia, a mere 40,000.

                                    

63. Former partners: EXES. 
                                        

64. Flow like lava: OOZE. 

65. Clown elevator: STILT. I really like this clue.

66. Source of early glistening: DEW. 

Dew Is Glistening

dew is glistening, morning Sun

caressing Earth where we are one

step away from feeling something new

by Lawrence

67. Low-level worker: PEON. I hope I never get peed on.

Down:

1. Indian friend of Sheldon and Leonard: RAJ. Koothrappali. In real life he married a beauty queen.

2. Big name in kitchenware: OXO. A very common fill.

3. Ring master: ALI. Not the circus but the boxing ring. Muhammed and his daughter Laila.

4. Organization name that means "table" in Latin: MENSA. The word mensa translates “table” in Latin; similarly, mens means “mind” and mensis means “month.” The name “Mensa” is reminiscent of “mind, table, month."

5. Magnum __: OPUS. The plural is opera.

6. Animal in some fables: ASS.  Aesop's moral of the ass who dressed in a lion skin to scare other, "A fool may deceive by his dress and appearance, but his words will soon show what he really is."

7. Amulet: FETISH. This is an inanimate object worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit. Similar: juju, talisman, charm, totem, icon, idol or image. Think about that when you look at your icon.

8. Park on the water?: DOCK. Another fun clue/fill. 

9. Clean Air Act org.: EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

10. Seek leniency: BEG FOR MERCY. This fill is a debut for the LA Times. 

11. Amazonian arboreal snake: TREE BOA. This appeared in the LA Times only in a Sunday, February 24, 2013.

12. Further down?: SADDER. So true.

14. Longtime Tottenham football rival: ARSENAL. Do we have many football fans here besides or British contingent?

17. Pull: TUG.

21. Popular adoptee: CAT. What you need to KNOW.

23. Miguel's more: MAS. Spanish lesson.

24. Reaction to a light bulb turning on?: AHA. Metaphorically? An idea? Or finding your partner in someone else embrace?

25. GameCube successor: NINTENDO WII. Wiki's HISTORY.

26. Gp. with many of the best drivers: PGA TOUR. Gold for HG, Moe and others.

27. Brat go-with: KRAUT. A bad word in the 30s and 40s.

30D. Like Beethoven's Sonata Op. 109: IN E.

31. Snow queen in "Frozen": ELSA. My granddaughters have been obsessed with the sisters.

33. Eases, with "down": TONES. If you are going to complain, do it readonably; tone down your attack.

34. Helps out: AIDS. From the French.

37. Acct. earnings: INTerest.

38. Ranges of influence: SPHERES. Your sphere of influence (“SOI” or “sphere”) are people in your personal and professional network with whom your opinion holds some weight.
More to it in politics.

39. Online entertainment: PODCAST.

41. Omega, in physics: OHM. Ohm on the range.

42. Fail to be straight: LIE. A bit obscure. 

43. Pilots on the road: HONDAS. Where else would you find an automobile?

44. One might be doffed in Dundee: TAM. Tam o'shanter cap.

45. Muscular: RIPPED.

50. "The Sound of Music" extra: NUN. 

51. "Tres Hombres" band: ZZTOP. The full album.

53. Ain't proper?: ISNT. An old favorite clue/fill.

54. Captain's help: CREW.

56. Milk purch.: GALlon.

58. Let go: AXE. Fire, a spray deodorant, or my old band client.

59. Anonymous plaintiff in a landmark case: ROE. Will this decision be overturned by the current court? No politics! 

60. __ dye: AZO. They create pretty colors but are DANGEROUS.

61. Home near a barn: PEN. Do not be a pig about it.

Gary Larson January 14

Title: Let's go to the movies and talk about the plot!

One of our regular Friday Fixtures, Gary Larson has presented a moviecentric puzzle which requires some thought and some cinema knowledge. It is a bit heavy on the 3 and 4 letter fill with 42 of the 77 words offset only by the 4 themers and AU NATUREL, CLEAN IT UP, MARIO KART and ORATORIES each 9 letters. What brought this effort to Friday is the very tricky but enjoyable theme where part of the clue (in BLUE) is a synonym for a movie and part (in PINK) suggests the plot. I liked that very much. We will begin with the themers...

17A. "Back to the Future"?: TIME RELEASE (11). The movie is a TIME travel variation which mirrors much of what H.G. Wells brought us. 

29A. "March of the Penguins"?: WALKIE TALKIE (12). The Talkie revolutionized movies and not only tell made up stories but can show remarkable documentaries like this where the 'stars' walk.

46A. "Titanic"?: WATER FEATURE (12). This movie is the now very popular retelling of actual events but in a mostly fictional account which does spend its time on the water as the feature film.

60A. "Star Wars"?: SHOW OF FORCE (11). Here the SHOW comes first and the plot last but even if you have avoided seeing the movie the Force has become a force in the modern world. I love it and am caught up on the Mandelorian and the Book of Boba Fett.

So much excitement, but now to the rest...

Across:

1. Name in Cold War news: TASS. We baby boomers knew them well but I will let Wiki EXPLAIN.

5. Lampoon: SATIRE. A big part of puzzles and blogs. 

11. Ones presenting acts: MCS. Master of Ceremonies.

14. "Hard __!": captain's order: ALEE. The command used in coming about to inform the crew that the helm is being pushed hard to leeward, turning the boat into the wind, LA Times.

15. Ended an engagement, in a way: ELOPED. Funny, as getting married does end it.

16. Larter of "Resident Evil" films: ALI. You can decide if she is EVIL.

19. Gym unit: REPititon.

20. What a choir may sing in: UNISON. The chancel? A church, opera house, or school hall? Nope.

21. Bhopal locale: INDIA. Most famous for this horrible TRAGEDY. Some pictures may be upsetting.

23. Tablelands: MESAS. We have had pictures recently showing how flat they are.

24. Tacks on: ADDS. Like that hidden tip on your bill in the restaurant.

27. The last Mrs. Chaplin: OONA. 

32. Brazil map word: SAO. Saint in Portugese and part of the name of many city, just as saint is here in the US.

35. Butler's last word: DAMN. He kept it and did not give it to Scarlett.

36. "Groovy!": NEATO. 50s beatnik talk.

37. Some pitches: CURVES. Sliders, sinkers, cutters...

40. Evasive tactic: END RUN. Both in American football and politics.

41. "We're live!" studio sign: ON AIR. 

                            

42. Limo destination: PROM. Two abbreviations.

45. Performs a Halloween prank, briefly: TPS. Toilet Papers.

50. Warehouse: STOW. The American desire to make every noun a verb.

51. Sleep and Comfort: INNS. Two national chains.

52. Spiral-horned antelope: ELAND. 

56. Bear genus: URSUS.

58. "Out of Africa," for one: MEMOIR. A book and a movie.

59. Vince's agent in "Entourage": ARI. A TV show and a movie.

64. Prepare to drive, with "up": TEE. HG is perhaps our most dedicated golfer considering the Nebraska weather.

65. "Gracias" reply: DE NADA. It means “you have nothing to thank me for” (that full phrase being “no tienes nada [de] qué agradecerme”).  Spanish lesson

66. 66 and others: Abbr.: RTES. Cute the route and the clue number.

67. Pair of gallons?: ELS. There are two "l"s in gallon.

68. Play areas: ARENAS. For sports and entertainment not your back yard.

69. Listening devices: EARS. Very simple and cute.

Down:

1. Stride pianist Art: TATUM. You want to learn HOW?

2. Classic Dior style: A LINE.

3. Weigh station line-up: SEMIS. As a kid I never understood the weigh stations and why all the big trucks pulled off the highway.

4. Vacillate: SEESAW. We know a seesaw goes up and down...

5. Gone out with: SEEN. Many were and are arranged just for the publicity.

6. "__ in": "Jeopardy James" bet: ALL.

                                

7. Pirouette pivot point: TOE. Some ballet...

8. Draft choice: IPA. Not for a sports team but for a beverage from a tap.

9. Stand up to: RESIST.

10. Prime real estate?: EDEN. Another fun clue.

11. Racing game with Yoshi and Bowser: MARIO KART. I played this with my boys and their friends for many hours. I was better at some of the other NES games. 

12. "Don't leave a mess": CLEAN IT UP. Sounds bossy.

13. Modest intake: SIP. My first thought was nip.

18. Actress Salazar of "Maze Runner" movies: ROSA. An obscure clus for me but I have seen this ACTRESS.

22. Allotted: DOLED.

24. Abbr. between names, perhaps: A/K/A.

25. Lower: DIM. 

26. Pride's place: DEN. Seems a bit homphobic...

28. Very long time: AEONS.

30. Mormon letters: LDS. Latter Day Saints.

31. Gothic fiction pioneer Radcliffe: ANN. Ann Radcliffe, née Ann Ward, (born July 9, 1764, London, England—died February 7, 1823, London), the most representative of English Gothic novelists. She was a pioneer in developing a literature of terror, and her influential novels stand apart in their ability to infuse scenes of terror and suspense with Romantic sensibility. Britannica.

32. Barges and such: SCOWS. These are examples of a flat-bottomed boat with sloping ends used as a lighter and in dredging and other harbor services. Dictionary

33. In the buff: AU NATUREL. Our titillating French lesson. Dressed as you were born.

34. Private chapels: ORATORIES. I am not familiar with this as a small chapel, especially for private worship. 

38. Lookout offerings: VIEWS.

39. Blunder: ERR.

40. Ostrich relative: EMU. Don't hate the bird just Liberty Mutual.

42. Write: PEN.

43. Commanded: RAN.

44. NHL tiebreakers: OTS. Overtimes. 

47. Price partner: FISHER. Before Legos...

48. Coral __: REEF.

49. "Get Shorty" novelist __ Leonard: ELMORE.

53. Blood line: AORTA. It is the most important of them all.

54. Like sunny weather, vis-à-vis rainy: NICER. Silly.

55. Toggery: DRESS.

57. Food stamp?: USDA. 

                                    

58. Degs. for playwrights: MFAS.

59. Eroded, with "into": ATE. Particularly nest eggs.

61. Low digit: ONE.

62. Pallid: WAN. 

63. "Ghost" psychic __ Mae Brown: ODA. The renowned psychic...