L. A. Times Crossword Wednesday, November 22, 2023 Amy Johnson

Theme: Let's Tie This Thing Up - Maybe Like A Turkey?

17 A. "Get lost!": GO FLY A KITE.  The phrase originated in the 1940s and was very popular at that time and for the next few decades. Its meaning is derived from its literal meaning: A person would probably need to go away to actually fly a kite.  And what would s/he hold on to -- hmmm.

23 A. Hands-on creation?: SHADOW PUPPET. These are figures that are placed between a light and a screen. Moving them creates the illusion of moving images on the screen. An experienced puppeteer can make figures appear to walk, talk, fight and dance. Shadow puppetry is a popular form of entertainment in countries all over the world.  But there are other puppets manipulated in a different way.

46 A. Home of SpongeBob SquarePants: BIKINI BOTTOM.   Bikini Bottom is the main setting in the SpongeBob SquarePants series. It is an undersea city where SpongeBob and his friends live. According to Nickelodeon's program summary, Bikini Bottom is located in the Pacific Ocean, beneath Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.  Were they just stringing us along?  Here is the other kind.

57 A. Actress who completed her EGOT with a Grammy for the audiobook "Finding Me": VIOLA DAVIS.  Viola Davis [b. 1965]  is an American actress and producer. Davis is one of the few performers to have been awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. She is the sole African-American to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting as well as the third person to achieve both statuses. Alternatively, the VIOLA is a string instrument that is bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.

And -- the unifier -- 36 A. What some favors and one part of the answers to 17-, 23-, 46-, and 57-Across come with?: STRINGS ATTACHED.   If something such as an agreement or special offer has strings attached, it involves special demands or limits.  These are metaphorical strings. But each of the other theme fill have an alternate meaning in which it is literally attached to a string - and in each case a different kind of string.

Hi Gang, JazzBunpa here to pull your strings today.  Let's dig into this puzzle and see it we can put a bow around it.

Across

1. "Sounds cool, man": I'M HIP.  OK. by me in jive talk.

6. Antioxidant-rich berry: ACAI.   Açaí berry is a fruit from a palm tree found in South America, mainly in the Brazilian Amazon. Because the tree does not grow outside its natural habitat, and the fresh Açaí berries are very perishable, they are usually available outside Brazil only as a juice 

10. Protrudes: JUTS.  Sticks out.

14. Background tunes for a tree-trimming party: NOELS.  Christmas Carols.  Nope - still too soon.

15. Quarterback's setback: SACK.   In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and without clear intent, or when a passer runs out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage due to defensive pressure.

16. "Just __!": A SECond.  Request for someone to wait for a brief moment.

19. "You Bet Your Life" host Jay: LENO.  James Douglas Muir Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, writer and comedian. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's The Tonight Show from 1992 until 2009.  Since 2021 he has hosted the revival of You Bet Your Life. 

20. Industrious insect: ANT.   Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified.

21. "If I Could Turn Back Time" singer: CHER.   Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry. Known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment, as well as adopting a variety of styles and appearances.

22. Knight game: JOUST.   Jousting is a medieval and renaissance martial game or hastilude between two combatants either on horse or on foot. The joust became an iconic characteristic of the knight in Romantic medievalism. The term is derived from Old French joster, ultimately from Latin iuxtare "to approach, to meet."  You can learn about it here.  [Embedding was not allowed]

26. Small parts for big names: CAMEOS.  A CAMEO is a small character part in a play or movie, played by a distinguished actor or a celebrity.

29. Lamarr of the silver screen: HEDY.   Hedy Lamarr [born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, 1914] was an Austria-Hungarian-born American actress and technology inventor. She was a film star during Hollywood's Golden Age.

BadAss Inventor

30. Particle with an orbital system: ATOM.    An atom is a particle that consists of a nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by an electromagnetically-bound cloud of electrons. The atom is the basic particle of the chemical elements, and the chemical elements are distinguished from each other by the number of protons that are in their atoms. 

31. IRS convenience: E-FILE.  Electronic filing, also known as e-filing, is a process of submitting documents to a court or government agency. You typically do this via the internet or other electronic means. 

33. Brownie __ mode: ALA.  Topped or garnished with ice cream.

40. L.A.-to-NYC dir.: ENE.  East-North-East - the direction or compass point midway between east and northeast..

41. Tiny bits: IOTAS.  Extremely small amounts.

42. Set the pace: LEAD. Set the initiative in an action; be an example for others to follow, have first place in a race..

43. Brittney Griner's org.: WNBA.  Women's National Basketball Association.   Brittney Yevette Griner ( born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA.)] She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's national basketball team and a six-time WNBA All-Star. She was additionally named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.

44. Little rascals: SCAMPS.   Person, especially children, who are mischievous in a likable or amusing way.

51. Dark wood: EBONY.  Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus Diospyros, which also includes the persimmon tree. Few Diospyros species such as macassar and mun ebony are dense enough to sink in water.

52. Portal: DOOR.   Entrance way.

53. Itinerary info: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

56. "Sounds cool!": NEAT.  Slang phrases for approval or agreement.

60. Story: TALE.   a fictitious or true narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted.

61. __-Alt-Del: CTRL.  A PC key combination.  The function of the key combination differs depending on the context but it generally interrupts or facilitates interrupting a function. 

62. Leaves out: OMITS.  Leaves out or excludes (someone or something), either intentionally or forgetfully.

63. Actor Sharif: OMAR.   Omar Sharif [born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub, 2015). was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s. He is best known for his appearances in American, British, French, and Italian productions.

64. "Black-ish" star Tracee Ellis __: ROSS.  Tracee Joy Silberstein (born October 29, 1972), known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross, is an American actress. She is known for her lead roles in the television series Girlfriends (2000–2008) and Black-ish (2014–2022) receiving nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the latter.  She is the daughter of actress and Motown recording artist Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein. 

65. Windbreaker fabric: NYLON.   Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers with amide backbones, usually linking aliphatic or semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are white or colorless, and soft; some are silk-like. They are thermoplastic, which means that they can be melt-processed into fibers, films, and diverse shapes.  The properties of nylons are often modified by blending with a wide variety of additives.

Down:
1. Pulitzer-winning architecture critic Saffron: INGA.  Inga Saffron (born November 9, 1957) is an American journalist and architecture critic. She won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism while writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

2. Once in a blue __: MOON.  This indicates a rare event.  More precisely, a blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season.  This happens every two to three years (seven times in the Metonic cycle of 19 years)

3. Lift with effort: HEFT.  As defined.

4. Ailing: ILL.  Sick.

5. Film set at the Bates Motel: PSYCHO.  Psycho is a 1960 American horror film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The screenplay, written by Joseph Stefano, was based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The film stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin and Martin Balsam. The plot centers on an encounter between on-the-run embezzler Marion Crane (Leigh) and shy motel proprietor Norman Bates (Perkins) and its aftermath, in which a private investigator (Balsam), Marion's lover Sam Loomis (Gavin), and her sister Lila (Miles) investigate her disappearance.

6. Made inquiries: ASKED.  Said something in order to obtain an answer or some information.

7. Tahrir Square city: CAIRO.  Cairo is the capital of Egypt and the city-state Cairo Governorate, and is the country's largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metropolitan area, with a population of 22.1 million, is the 12th-largest in the world by population.   Tahrir Square; English: "Liberation Square", also known as Martyr Square, is a major public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political demonstrations. The 2011 Egyptian revolution and the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak occurred at the Tahrir Square.

8. "__ your age!": ACT.  Behave in a manner appropriate to someone of one's age and not to someone much younger.

9. Actor Barinholtz: IKE.   Ike Barinholtz [b. 1977] is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer. He is best known for his starring roles in the comedy series MADtv (2002–2007), Eastbound & Down (2012), The Mindy Project (2012–2017), Bless the Harts (2019–2021), The Afterparty (2022), and History of the World, Part II (2023). In February 2023 he won the inaugural primetime season of Celebrity Jeopardy!, winning US$1,000,000 for charity.

10. Bucket of bolts: JALOPY.  An old car in a dilapidated condition.

11. Burn through: USE UP.   Use or consume all of a stock or supply of something.

12. Tied up in knots: TENSE.  Become emotionally upset, typically through anxiety or nervousness.

13. "House of Gucci" director Ridley __: SCOTT.  Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English filmmaker. He is best known for directing films in the science fiction, crime, and historical drama genres. His work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades throughout his career, including the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2018, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. In 2003, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

18. Cries of discovery: AHAS.  Used when you are expressing pleasure or surprise that you have understood something or found something out

22. King Herod's realm: JUDEA.  The Herodian kingdom was a client state of the Roman Republic ruled from 37 to 4 BCE by Herod the Great, who was appointed "King of the Jews" by the Roman Senate. When Herod died, the kingdom was divided among his sons into the Herodian Tetrarchy.

23. Service plaza rig: SEMI.  A semi tractor-trailor vehicle used for hauling freight.

24. Tiny bits: WHITS.  Iotas, and a clecho.

25. Linus Van __: "Peanuts" kid: PELT.  Linus Van Pelt is a fictional character in Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts. He is the best friend of Charlie Brown, the younger brother of Lucy Van Pelt, and the older brother of Rerun Van Pelt. His first appearance was on September 19, 1952, but he was not mentioned by name until three days later. He was first referred two months earlier, on July 14. Linus spoke his first words in 1954, the same year he was first shown with his security blanket. Linus is named after Schulz's friend Linus Maurer.

Linus

26. 12 bottles of wine: CASE.  A box or receptacle for holding something, often a specific quantity.

27. Env. directive: ATTN.  Mail routing instruction within an office or business.

28. Extra: MORE.  But, wait . . .

31. Founded: Abbr.: ESTAB.  Established - the date when a business was started.

32. Drone-regulating org.: FAA.   Federal Aviation Administration.

33. "Excuse me ... ": AHEM.  Feigned throat clearing sound, used to get someone's attention.

34. __ year: LEAP.  A year, occurring once every four years, that has 366 days including February 29 as an intercalary day.

35. Stirs in: ADDS.   If you add one thing to another, you put it in or on the other thing, to increase, complete, or improve it. For example: add the grated cheese to the sauce. 

37. Nincompoop: NINNY.  A foolish nitwit.

38. Asian desert: GOBI.   The Gobi Desert is a vast, cold and arid region in northern China and southern Mongolia. It's known for its dunes, mountains and rare animals such as snow leopards and Bactrian camels. In the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, the Khongoryn Els sand dunes are said to sing when the wind blows. The park also features the deep ice field of Yolyn Am canyon. Dinosaur fossils have been found at the red "Flaming Cliffs" of Bayanzag.

39. Chowder morsel: CLAM.  Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds.

43. Time for cold feet?: WINTER.  Literal.  I've been wearing socks to bed for a few weeks.  Figuratively,  having cold feet is to be too fearful or timid to undertake or complete an action.

44. Greek portico: STOA.  A classical portico or roofed colonnade.

45. Le __ Bleu: Julia Child's alma mater: CORDON.   Literally "blue ribbon," indicating a high level of achievement. 

46. Lunchbox type: BENTO.  A bento is the Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese, Korean, Singaporean, Taiwanese cuisines and more, as rice is a common staple food in the region. 

47. Steel girder: I-BEAM.   An I-beam is any of various structural members with an I or H-shaped cross-section. Technical terms for similar items include H-beam, w-beam, universal beam, rolled steel joist, or double-T. I-beams are typically made of structural steel and serve a wide variety of construction uses. 

48. Souvenir toy from Australia, say: KOALA.   A stuffed animal toy replica of the koala

49. Landfill emanations: ODORS.  It's garbage.  It smells bad.

50. Road trip expense: TOLLS.  A charge payable for permission to use a particular bridge or road.

53. Mean business?: EVIL.  Profoundly immoral and wicked.  Clever misdirection.

54. "Mambo King" Puente: TITO.  Ernest Anthony Puente Jr., [1923 -2000]commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. Puente and his music have appeared in films including The Mambo Kings and Fernando Trueba's Calle 54.

55. Trade gp.: ASSN.   A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry.

57. Bygone TV attachment: VCR.  Video Cassette Recorder.

58. Skater Midori: ITO.   Midori Ito [b. 1969] is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 1989 World champion and the 1992 Olympic silver medalist. She is the first woman to land a triple-triple jump combination and a triple Axel in competition. 

59. "Doctor Who" role for Karen Gillan: AMY. Karen Sheila Gillan (/ˈɡɪlən/; born 28 November 1987) is a Scottish actress and filmmaker. She gained recognition for her work in British film and television, particularly for playing Amy Pond, a primary companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who (2010–2013), for which she received several awards and nominations. Her early film roles include Ally in the thriller film Outcast (2010) and Jane Lockhart in the romantic comedy film Not Another Happy Ending (2013). She also worked on the stage while in Britain, appearing in John Osborne's play Inadmissible Evidence (2011).

That wraps up this Wednesday.  Hope I didn't string you along.  Have a joyous, blessed and food-filled Thanksgiving.  See you all in January.  Go Lions!

Cool regards!

JzB

L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday November 8, 2023 Rachel Fabi

Theme:  ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS.  I'll defer the explanation until after we've reviewed the theme entries.

3 D. *Staff symbol for a bassoon piece: TENOR CLEF.   This monstrosity.  European symphonic music uses it for trombone parts, to my great dismay.  

Abomination

The TENOR of a situation can also refer to the general conditions or attitude present,

9D. *Symphonic composition that evokes another art form: TONE POEM.   A piece of orchestral music, typically in one movement, on a descriptive or rhapsodic theme, intended to evoke vivid imagery. TONE can also refer to the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc. 

33. *Wig adhesive: SPIRIT GUM.  A quick-drying solution of gum, chiefly used by actors to attach false hair to their faces.  SPIRIT can also refer to those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person, nation, or group or in the thought and attitudes of a particular period.

37D. *Accessory that changes color: MOOD RING.   A finger ring that contains a thermochromic element, or "mood stone", that changes colors based on the temperature of the finger of the wearer. Finger temperature, as long as the ambient temperature is relatively constant, is significantly determined by peripheral blood flow, which, presumably, is modulated by the autonomic nervous system. A mood ring contains liquid crystals that change color depending on the temperature.  MOOD can also relate to a state of mind or being.

And the unifier -- 7D. Layer in which space stations orbit Earth, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have?: UPPER ATMOSPHERE.   A collective term that refers to various layers of the atmosphere of the Earth above the troposphere and corresponding regions of the atmospheres of other planets.  Read about it here.  The troposphere is the lowest layer, containing 75% of total atmospheric mass.  It is where most weather happens.  ATMOSPHERE can also relate to the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art.

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here to gauge the collective mode here at the Corner.  Don't feel bad it you had trouble sussing today's theme.  It's clever, subtle, and actually on the abstract side.  But I didn't let it spoil my mood.  I appealed to my fellow bloggers, and they figured it out for me.  Thanks, guys!  The definition I found for ATMOSPHERE actually uses some of the words in the theme fill, so this theme is really solid.

Also, when the theme is presented vertically, there is usually a related gimmick.  Here it is the word UPPER, indicating the the meaningful part of the theme fill will be located high in the vertical position - the first word of the two word fill.   Really well done.  

Let's check out the rest of the puzzle.

Across

1. Keep an eye on: WATCH.  Observe carefully.

6. Early riser?: SUN.  It's always up at the crack of dawn.

9. Folded fare: TACOS.  Meal in a hard corn flour shell.

14. Vegan beauty brand: AVEDA.  Maker of hair and skin care products.

15. Tax pro: CPA.  Certified Public Accountant.

16. Surname of Bo and Sunny: OBAMA.  Bo, a male Portuguese water dog was a family pet of the Obama's from 2009 until it died in 2017.  Sunny, a female of the same breed, joined the family in 2013.

17. "Despacito" singer Luis: FONSI.  Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (b. 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for his soulful and dance oriented songs.

Take it slow

18. Tablet download: APP.  Short for APPLICATION - a functional program for the device.

19. Taking a personal day, say: NOT IN.  Away from the job or office.

20. Cube root of eight: TWO. 2x2x2 = 8.

21. When an album drops, e.g.: RELEASE DATE.  The date on which it is available for purchase or distribution.

24. 46-Down Emmy winner Gilda: RADNER.  Gilda Susan Radner (1946 –1989) was an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer. Radner was one of the seven original cast members of the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. In her routines on SNL, she specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as advice specialists and news anchors. In 1978, Radner won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show on Broadway in 1979. Radner's SNL work established her as an iconic figure in the history of American comedy.

26. Divest of wrapping paper, perhaps: OPEN.  As birthday or Christmas presents.

27. Decongest: UNCLOG.  Open a drain pipe or nasal passage.

29. "°Hasta luego!": ADIOS.  Later, alligator.

31. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" actress Little __: NELL.   Laura Elizabeth Campbell (b. 1953) better known as Nell Campbell or by her stage name Little Nell, is an Australian actress, singer, and former club owner. She is best known for her role as Columbia in the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the original stage play from which it was adapted. 

32. Far from fresh: STALE.  As defined.

33. Spot for a soak: SPA. A mineral spring considered to have health-giving properties, or a location or a facility offering something similar.

36. Big goal: DREAM.  A cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.

38. "I wonder ... ": HMM.   Used to express reflection or hesitation.

39. Clean a spill: MOP UP.   Wipe liquid away from a surface with something absorbent.

41. Taking a personal day, say: OFF.  Away from the job or office.  Look - a clecho!

42. Pungent bulb: ONION.  An edible bulb with a pungent taste and smell, composed of several concentric layers, used in cooking.

44. Dig up: MINE.   To dig holes in the ground in order to find and obtain coal, diamonds, etc. 

45. Chicken homes: COOPS.   Cages or pens for confining poultry.

46. Street __: SMARTS.   The experience and knowledge necessary to deal with the potential difficulties or dangers of life in an urban environment.

48. Edamame units: PODS.   Long, narrow, flat parts of some plants, such as beans and peas, that contain the seeds and usually have a thick skin

49. Food word that is plural in Italian but singular in English: PANINI. Over there, more than one piece or loaf of bread.  Over here, a sandwich, usually toasted, made from Italian bread

51. Chad Michael Murray teen drama set in North Carolina: ONE TREE HILL.   One Tree Hill is an American drama television series created by Mark Schwahn, which ran from 2003 until 2012. The show is set in the fictional town of Tree Hill in North Carolina and initially follows the lives of two half-brothers, Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty), who compete for positions on their school's basketball team and the drama that ensues from the brothers' romances. 

54. Brief "I can't unhear that": TMI.  Too Much Information.  Not on my need-to-know list.

57. Rock icon Smith who wrote the memoir "Just Kids": PATTI.   Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith (b. 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses.

Over 9 minutes - you have been warned

58. Crossed (out): X-ED.  Deleted.   To show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it.

59. Golden beer: LAGER.  A beer (such as a bock or pilsner) that is brewed at cool temperatures by slow fermentation with a slow-acting yeast. Lagers tend to have a lighter, clearer appearance than ales with a usually lower alcohol content and slightly higher sugar content. The yeast used to ferment lager is often referred to as "bottom-fermenting" since it does not rise to the top of the brewing vessel during fermentation.

61. Scandal-plagued energy company: ENRON.   Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. It was founded by Kenneth Lay in 1985 as a merger between Lay's Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth, both relatively small regional companies. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 20,600 staff and was a major electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper company, with claimed revenues of nearly $101 billion during 2000. Fortune named Enron "America's Most Innovative Company" for six consecutive years.  At the end of 2001, it was revealed that Enron's reported financial condition was sustained by an institutionalized, systematic, and creatively planned accounting fraud, known since as the Enron scandal. Enron has become synonymous with willful corporate fraud and corruption. 

62. Is for you?: ARE.  Second person, present tense, both singular and plural form of the verb "to be."

63. Upscale Honda: ACURA.  Acura is the luxury and performance division of Japanese automaker Honda, based primarily in North America. The brand was launched on March 27, 1986, marketing luxury and performance automobiles. Acura sells cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Kuwait.

64. "Nothing __!": DOING.   There is no prospect of success or agreement.

65. Shirt size: Abbr.: MED.  Medium.

66. Country on the Gulf of Aden: YEMEN.  Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. It is located in the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast. It shares maritime borders with Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. 

Down:

1. Drift on the breeze: WAFT.  As a pleasant odor, perhaps from baked goods.

2. Declare openly: AVOW.  Or AVER - always need perps

4. Items in jewel cases: CDS.  Compact Discs - storage media for recorded music or data.

5. Coif: HAIR DO.  A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head but sometimes on the face or body. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although practical, cultural, and popular considerations also influence some hairstyles.  What then is a hair don't?

6. Beaufort __: SCALE.   The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.

8. Cabbage in baechu kimchi: NAPA.   Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China that is widely used in East Asian cuisine. Since the 20th century, it has also become a widespread crop in Europe, the Americas and Australia. In much of the world, it is referred to as "Chinese cabbage".

10. Homes: ABODES.  Dwellings.

11. Settlement-building game with hexagonal tiles: CATAN.   Catan, previously known as The Settlers of Catan or simply Settlers, is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in 1995 in Germany by Franckh-Kosmos Verlag as Die Siedler von Catan.

12. Exclude: OMIT.  Leave out or ignore.

13. Levelheaded: SANE.  Rational.

22. Lang. of Canada: ENG.  The English Language, spoken if parts of Can.

23. Planter contents: SOIL.  Dirt.  I can dig it.

25. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.   Penne alla vodka is a pasta dish made primarily with vodka and penne pasta (or similar shapes such as rigatoni), usually accompanied with heavy cream, crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, onions, and sometimes small meats and vegetables like sausage, pancetta or peas. The pure alcohol apparently helps intensify and accentuate flavors in the dish, among other claims.

27. Back up, on a PC: UNDO.  Not back up, as to make a reserve copy, but to reverse and erase characters while typing at the keyboard, or negate some operation.

28. Foam toy brand: NERF.  Nerf is a toy brand formed by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, with other Nerf products including balls for sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. Their best known toys are their dart guns (referred to by Hasbro as "blasters") that shoot ammunition made from "Nerf foam" (partially reticulated polyether type polyurethane foam). Their primary slogan, introduced in the 1990s, is "It's Nerf or Nothin'!". Annual revenues under the Nerf brand are approximately US$400 million

30. 2017 Kendrick Lamar album: DAMN.   The fourth studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, dropped on April 14, 2017.   DAMN received widespread critical acclaim, with many naming the album one of the best albums of 2017 and the decade. 

32. Endorse as a couple, in slang: SHIP.   To take an interest in or hope for a romantic relationship between (fictional characters or famous people), whether or not the romance actually exists.  I'm guessing this is derived from relationship, but -- who knows?  I don't have that kind of street smarts.

34. Fourth-down play: PUNT.  In American football, kicking the football away to the opposing team in an attempt to give them worse field position.  This is done when it is unlikely to achieve a first down - the next short term goal of the team with the ball. 

35. Bonobos, e.g.: APES.  Large primates that lack a tail, including the gorilla, chimpanzees, orangutan, gibbons and certain British Bishops.  The bonobo, also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan (the other being the common chimpanzee.)

Wikipedia

40. Country northeast of 66-Across: OMAN.  Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located in West Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of the Persian Gulf. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, while sharing maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. The capital and largest city is Muscat.

43. Bouquet: NOSE.  Aroma, such as one that might waft, or more likely from a bottle of wine.

45. "The fabric of our lives," per an ad slogan: COTTON.  Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor percentages of waxes, fats, pectins, and water.

It's fun to play

It is a curious fact of the music world that marches written for fairs and expositions almost always fade into oblivion. Two notable exceptions are Sousa’s “King Cotton” and “The Fairest of the Fair.” The former was written for the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895, and the latter for the Boston Food Fair of 1908.

Sousa and his band had great drawing power at fairs and expositions and were much sought after. But officials of the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta attempted to cancel their three-week contract with the Sousa Band because of serious financial difficulties. At Sousa’s insistence they honored their contract, and at the first concert they became aware of their shortsightedness. Atlanta newspapers carried rave reviews of the band’s performances.

"Sousa’s march, “King Cotton,” has proved a winner. It has been heard from one end of Dixie to the other and has aroused great enthusiasm and proved a fine advertisement for the Exposition."

The Sousa Band did indeed bring the exposition “out of the red,” and the same officials who had tried to cancel Sousa’s engagement pleaded with him to extend it. “King Cotton” was named the official march of the exposition, and it has since become one of the perennial Sousa favorites.

-- From notes to the video

46. NBC show with Punkie Johnson: SNL.   Saturday Night Live.

47. "A Few Figs From Thistles" writer: MILLAY.  Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 – 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond.  Millay won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her poem "Ballad of the Harp-Weaver"; she was the first woman and second person to win the award. In 1943, Millay was the sixth person and the second woman to be awarded the Frost Medal for her lifetime contribution to American poetry.   Millay's 1920 collection A Few Figs From Thistles drew controversy for its exploration of female sexuality and feminism.  She was promiscuous and bisexual before it was cool.

48. __ dish: PETRI.   A Petri dish is a shallow transparent lidded dish that biologists use to hold growth medium in which cells can be cultured, 

50. Helped: AIDED.  Assisted or abetted, depending on what was attempted.

51. Piece with a view: OP-ED. An opinionated article printed opposite to the editorial page.

52. Prefix with bot: NANO.  Nano is a unit prefix meaning one billionth. Used primarily with the metric system, this prefix denotes a factor of 10⁻⁹ or 0.000000001.   Nanobots are the object of an emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or near the scale of a nanometer.

53. LSAT, e.g.: EXAM.   An examination or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics.   The Law School Admission Test is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council for prospective law school candidates.

55. Only: MERE.  That is solely or no more or better than what is specified.

56. Country north of 40-Down: IRAN.   Iran, also known as Persia and officially as the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east. 

60. Pro: ACE.  An expert in some activity or endeavor.

Thus endeth another Wednesday.   We had some fun music and a middle-eastern geography lesson.  So it's all good and the atmospheric conditions should be quite positive.

Adios, and Cool Regards!

JzB