L.A. Times Crossword puzzle Blogging - Wednesday, March 9, 2016 Bruce Haight

Cross posted at The Corner

Theme: Will my do do for you? The second words of common two-word phrases are relocated to a common location, as indicated by the unifier, so let's start there.

62. Permanent place, and a hint to the ends of the answers to starred clues : HAIR SALON.  Nice play on "permanent" indicating something of long duration, or, as in this case, a coif treatment. The SALON, of course, is the place where it all happens.

17. *Seriously indoctrinate : BRAIN WASH.  Generally BRAIN WASHING involves some radical or extreme set of ideas, and some powerful coaxing.  A HAIR WASH might be the first step in the SALON's process.

21. *Improvised rap : FREE STYLE.  New usage to me, but it's a real thing.  HAIR STYLE is the way the actual tresses are arranged.

28. *Risqué : OFF COLOR.  Of questionable taste, not suitable for polite company, or as we say here: DF.  The phrase evidently arose ca. 1860 in the diamond industry, referring to stones that are not pure white or of any definite color, and therefore of poor quality.  Hair COLORing is a SALON service.

37. *Weight-training exercise : BICEP CURL.   Demonstrated below.  People with straight HAIR want to acquire a CURL.  This seems to work the other way, as well.

49. *Markdown : PRICE CUT.  Of course, those of us with HAIR need to have it CUT occasionally, even if, as in my case, there's not a lot of it.  A PRICE CUT means you can save money on your purchase - but not as much as if you opt not to make it.

56. *Brand created in Toronto in 1904 : CANADA DRY.  Soft drinks.  And drying the HAIR is what completes the process.

Hi gang - JazzBumpa here, doing my part, so to speak.  With 6 theme entries plus a unifier, this puzzle is unusually thematically rich.  Let's see if we can make it through without getting either clipped or locked up.

Across

1. Computer whose 27-inch version has a Retina 5K display : I-MAC.  Apple product.

5. Down in the mouth : BLUE.  As in "I haz a sad."

9. Rum-soaked cakes : BABAS.  Yo ho ho!

14. Part of rock's CSNY : NASH.  Graham, of Crosby, Stills, NASH and Young.

15. Midterm, e.g. : TEST.  Usually we get EXAM.

16. Eel, to a sushi chef : UNAGI.   If you say so.

19. 13-Down actress Normand : MABEL. [1892-1930]  She collaborated with Mack Sennett.

The Queen of Comedy

20. Miracle-__ : GRO.  Plant food.

23. Medical screening system : TRIAGE.   The assignment of degrees of urgency to prioritize the treatment of a large number of patients.

26. Tell (on) : RAT.  Spill the beans.

27. Fiver : FIN.  Slang for a $5 bill.

31. Hill-building stinger : RED ANT.

Not only that - they're also communists

33. LAX summer setting : Pacific Daylight Time.

34. Director Kazan : ELIA.   Elias Kazantzoglou [September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003] brought us On The Waterfront, East of Eden, and many more films.

36. "Blue Bloods" actor Will : ESTES.

Will testament

40. Nurse at a bar : SIP ON.   Another nice word play.

43. 1956 Mideast crisis site : SUEZ.  Seems like it's always a crisis in that part of the world.

44. Mensa concerns : IQ'S.  Intelligence Quotient.

47. Hometown of the Ivy League's Big Red : ITHACA.  Cornell University.

52. Chinese menu general : TSO.  Of chicken fame.

53. Nev. neighbor : IDAho.

55. Binges : SPREES.

60. Chow line? : ARF.   Chow is a dog variety, and ARF is the line it speaks.

61. More than chubby : OBESE.  Seriously over weight.

66. "__ Black" : MEN IN.   Will Smith movie.

67. River to the English Channel : ORNE.  In French Normandy.  

68. "Don't look at me" : NOT I.   Somebody else did it.

69. Brown ermine : STOAT.  Either way, it's a weasel.

70. Hard to box in, ironically : CAGY.  Secretive, cautious, wary, noncommittal.

71. 52 Pickup need : DECK.  Playing cards. 

Down

1. Having five sharps, musically : IN B.  B Major, specifically - not a common key, and quite awkward on the trombone.  The notes in the scale are B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B.  

2. Scratch, say : MAR.  Cause a defect.

3. At no cost : AS A GIFT.  Freebie.

4. President before Sarkozy : CHIRAC.   Jaques, b. 1932, president from 1995 - 2007.

5. Digression lead-in, in texts : By The Way.

6. Table extension : LEAF.

7. Cold War initials : USSR.  Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, where many of the residents had red aunts.

8. Early anesthetic : ETHER.

9. Foul tip? : BUM STEER.   Word play for a bit of bad advice.

10. Med. school subject : ANATomy.

11. Newborn's natural insulator : BABY FAT.   Still - you shouldn't leave them out in the cold.

12. Botox target : AGE LINE.   Wrinkle.

13. Films that usually had live music : SILENTS.

18. Scrubbed, at NASA : NO GO.

22. Word with bud or flap : EAR.  For a personal music device or hat.

23. Bikini part : TOP.   Usually it's BRA.

24. Country mail svc. : Rural Free Delivery.

25. Utility abbr. : ELECtricity.

29. Chihuahua cheers : OLES.   Not a dog this time, but a state in the United States of Mexico, or the capital city of that state.

30. Tear to pieces : RIP UP.

32. ISP option : Digital Subscriber Line - technology used to transmit data over phone lines..

35. Service pro : ACER.  Tennis, I assume.

37. Feathery neckwear : BOA.

38. Contentious border happening : INCIDENT.

39. Israeli guns : UZIS.

40. "Maude," "Phyllis" and "Rhoda" : SIT-COMS.

41. "You're on!" : IT'S A BET.   Wagering agreement.

42. Dir. assistance info : PHONE NO.

44. Frozen floater : ICE FLOE.   Berg also fits.

45. "¿__ pasa?" : QUE.  What's happening? in Chihuahua.

46. Beale and Bourbon: Abbr. : STreetS.  Bourbon is in Nashville, Beale is in Memphis.

48. Canine care gp.? : American Dental Association, which apparently is not going to the dogs.

50. Tax time VIPs : CPAS.  Certified Public Accountants.

51. Thing to run : ERRAND.  Places to go, things to do, people to see.

54. For this purpose : AD HOC, as a committee.

57. Pacific Rim continent : ASIA.  Large, with lots of people.

58. Avis modifier : RARA.   Rare bird.

59. Hip-hop's __ Yang Twins : YING.   Of whom I know nothing.

63. King of Spain : REY.

64. Non-Rx : Over The Counter.

65. Neat ending? : -NIK.  Referring to someone overly fussy about keeping things in order.  Well, I'm not fond of this type of affix clue, so we end on my nit-NIK.

We have 22 each of 3 and 4 letter fill, giving the puzzle a Monday-level average word length.  But that's the kind of trade off you face with so much themeage. Nothing ever comes for free.  Overall, a nicely done puzzle.

Cool regards!
JzB