Cross-posted at The Corner.
Theme: WEIRD TALES - The first word of each theme answer is an anagram of TALES. Weird is used to indicate that the letters of TALES have been morphed into some strange new form - a typical trick often used in crossword clues where a verb is used to indicate that the letters have been mixed, altered, ot otherwise tampered with.
17 A. Get closer to home? : STEAL THIRD. Our first WEIRD TALE, and a bit of baseball, too.
25 A. Electrical device named for its inventor : TESLA COIL. This plaything, invented by Nikola TESLA looks like it belongs on The Forbidden Planet. Tesla was a brilliant engineer and inventor, and might have been a bit Weird, even without the COIL.
36 A. Chestnut : STALE JOKE. I googled "world's oldest joke" and actually came up with it.
51 A. Dress pants shade : SLATE GRAY. Perfect with a classic navy blue blazer
And the unifier, 62 A. Classic horror magazine, and a literal hint to the beginning of 17-, 25-, 36-, and 51-Across : WEIRD TALES.
Hi gang, JzB here. Just home from rehearsal and ready to see what sort of adventure Gareth will lead us on today.
1. Fictional circumnavigator Phileas : FOGG. Around the World in 80 Days.
5. Like weather that makes hair frizz : MUGGY. Hot and damp.
10. European auto : SAAB. AUDI and MERC fit.
14. Beach bird : GULL. Here in the Great Lakes region, we see them in grocery store parking lots.
15. Cool place to live? : IGLOO. An ice house
16. Et __ : ALIA. And others, in Latin. But Kazie et alia knew that.
19. Kitten's plaything : YARN. I'm not a cat lover, but I've heard such TALES.
20. Fortuneteller's card : TAROT. Perhaps a tool for divination, or to focus your psychic energies.
21. Near-failing grades : DEES.
23. Lo mein additive : MSG. MonoSodium Glutamate, used a flavor enhancer, and abundant in Chinese cooking - at least in North America. Back in China, probaly not. C.C?
24. Less valid, excusewise : LAMER. Less LAME. Awkward looking and sounding word.
27. "South Park" baby brother : IKE. Never watched it, but I still know that Kenny dies.
28. __-wop : DOO. Easier to show than tell.
30. With 38-Down, "People's Court" rival : JUDGE.
and 38 D. See 30-Across : JUDY. Never watched either of them.
31. Sacred Hindu work : VEDA. These revealed texts are the oldest Hindu scriptures and the oldest known Sanskrit literature.
33. Space station for about 15 years : MIR. Soviet and later Russian long term research station.
35. Approaches evening : LATENS. Perfectly valid but WEIRD looking word.
39. Spreading Indian tree : BANYAN.
42. Puddle gunk : MUD
43. Teen safety org. : SADD
47. Great Lakes natives : ERIES
48. Brief swim : DIP
50. Scand. land : NOR. Time for a rhyme. Neither SWE NOR FIN worked. Note Abr. in Cl & Ans.
55. Like Oreos dropped in milk : SOGGY.
57. Eldest March sister, in a 19th-century novel : MEG. "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
58. Wonka's creator : DAHL. Roald. This British writer and fighter pilot was born in Wales to parents from NOR.
59. Big cheese : NABOB. Originally a provincial governor of the Mogul empire in India. Later a person of wealth or prominence. Later still, members of the press corps out of favor with Spiro T Agnew, V.P. and criminal. The phrase was used by Agnew but coined by William Safire.
60. Big cheese in Holland : EDAM. Why do we never get Stilton NOR Limburger? At least we got a clecho!
65. Taj Mahal city : AGRA. Why do we never get Hyderabad NOR Bangalore?
66. Cousin of "ish" : KINDA. Sorta, more or less.
67. Artist Chagall : MARC.
68. Use a sickle : REAP.
69. One going behind your back : SNEAK. A bold or careless SNEAK might go in front of your back.
70. Naysayer : ANTI. AKA: Nattering nabob of negativism.
Down
1. NFL three-pointers : FGS. National (American) Football League, and Field Goals. Points earned by kicking the ball through the uprights.
2. DVD extra : OUT TAKE. Scenes cut from the movie.
3. Shone brightly : GLEAMED. Like this.
4. Blinding light : GLARE. Like this.
5. Item in a dugout : MITT. Fielder's glove - more baseball!
6. "Disgusting!" : UGH. Tigers lost tonight. Down three in the ninth inning, one out, two on, Miggy hit into a double play.
7. Soar effortlessly : GLIDE. Like a goose on the wing.
8. Gets with a tusk : GORES. Pierces or stabs with a horn or tusk. Not something we need to see.
9. High-range song, in more ways than one : YODEL. High register notes from the Swiss Alps.
10. "Incidentally ..." : SAY. Oh, BTW . . .
11. Pie order : A LA MODE. Served with a scoop of ice cream.
12. Libra, for one : AIR SIGN. From the Zodiac. There are three each of air, earth, fire and water signs.
13. "Manic Monday" band : BANGLES. Very 80's.
18. Fauntleroy's title : LORD. From the children's novel by English author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886.
22. White co-worker : SAJAK. Vanna and Pat
24. Actress Tyler : LIV. Arwen.
25. Work up a sweat : TOIL. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
26. Affected preciousness, with "the" : CUTES. I can see this, but I've never heard it.
29. Muscat's sultanate : OMAN. Neighbor of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
32. Hitherto : AS YET. Up to now.
34. Sleep stage letters : REM. Rapid Eye Movement, the dreaming stage.
35. Wine city near Sacramento : LODI. Can anyone in the coven give us the LODI lowdown?
37. Used a stun gun on : TASED. But, really, bro - don't.
39. Sully : BESMEAR. As one's reputation.
40. TV news exec Roone : ARLEDGE. For good or for ill, he gave us Monday night football.
41. Horseshoe Falls river : NIAGARA. On the Canadian side.
44. Luanda native : ANGOLAN. Luanda is Angola's chief seaport and administrative center.
45. Bespectacled cartoon canine who was once a CEO : DOGBERT. From Dilbert.
46. Oenophile's "sec" : DRY. Related to the Latin, Spanish an Portuguese words for DRY.
49. Test for jrs. : PSAT. Pre-SAT. College admission exam with close to zero correlation with success. Scam? You decide. Originally it meant "Scholastic Aptitude Test, " later, "Scholastic Assessment Test." Later still it was announced, quite appropriately, that it stands for nothing.
52. Rubbernecks : GAWKS. Here, it is a verb, not a plural noun.
53. Deutschland river : RHEIN.
54. Flared dress : A-LINE.
56. "The Audacity of Hope" author : OBAMA. He went on to a more frustrating career.
59. Third-least populous U.S. state : N. DAK. North Dakota, neighbor of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
61. "Do I have to draw you a __?" : MAP. Really, they're side by side, just to the north.
63. Old vitamin bottle no. : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance.
64. Poli __ : SCI. Political Science.
Quite a journey. We circumnavigated the globe with an excursion to outer space, had some sports, saw some sights and visited some exotic places, like Canada. Hope you enjoyed the journey.
Cool regards!
JzB
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This is a fun blog. Light-hearted banter is welcome. Snark is not. If you want to fight, find my other blog.
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