Wednesday January 27, 2021 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Bidding you adieu [or, actually, several.]  As we shall see, the theme entries are all spelt differently, but still rhyme. Isn't English phun? 

17 A. Later than late: LONG OVERDUE.  Said of something that should have happened a long time ago.

27 A. Gleeful Bedrock shout: YABBA DABBA DOO


 

44 A. Busywork: SOMETHING TO DO.   A task with little intrinsic value.

60 A. Moonshine: MOUNTAIN DEW.  Slang terms for high-proof distilled spirits that were and continue to be produced illicitly, without government authorization.  MOUNTAIN DEW is also the name of a carbonated, caffeinated citrus flavored soft drink marketed by the Pepsi-Cola Co.

Hi gang, Jazzbumpa here, hoping this isn't to, too, two much for a Wednesday.  Ready to go?  Let's DUE, DOO, DO, DEW it!

Across:

1. Make fun of: MIMIC.  Disrespectful Apery.

6. Consecrate: BLESS.  To consecrate is to formally dedicate something to a religious purpose.  To Bless is to confer or invoke divine favor upon.  These are not equivalent terms.

11. Like sashimi: RAW.  Uncooked victuals

14. Kind of acid in proteins: AMINO.  A molecule having both acid an amine functionality.  It is able to combine with itself, or other amino acids, to produce large complex molecules.

15. Paddled transport: CANOE.  When you are up a creek in one, it's good to have a paddle.

16. Investment acronym: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

19. Formal apparel: TUX.  I have one from my years of orchestra playing.

20. Ultimate goal: END-ALL.  The final outcome.

21. Welcome word in real estate: SOLD.  The house across the street from mine sold in less than two days.  They had over a dozen bids.

22. Prez on a fiver: ABE.  Mr. Lincoln.

23. Word with sky or spy: CAM.  Types of cameras.

25. "Gypsy" star, 1959: MERMAN.  Ethyl [1908 - 1984]  was an American actress, artist, and singer. Known primarily for her distinctive, powerful voice and leading roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage".

33. Happening, to Holmes: AFOOT.  Something is going on, and we need to get moving.   The first use of 'the game is afoot' is found in Shakespeare's King Henry IV Part I, 1597: "Before the game is afoot, thou still let'st slip.'

34. Campus leader: DEAN.  The head of a college or university faculty or department.

35. "Main" road: DRAG.   The biggest or most important thoroughfare of a town or city. “Drag” came from a term for a wagon or carriage that a horse would pull or drag. By extension the road on which the vehicle was dragged became a slang word for “street”—think of drag racing.

38. Discontinued iPods: NANOS.  It was produced from 2005 to 2017.

39. [There's another doc]: ENC.  A written abbreviation for enclosed or enclosure: used in a business letter to say that one or more documents are included with a letter.

40. Tearful: WEEPY.  [Sob]

41. Food on the trail: GRUB.  Sounds appetizing.

42. Ailing: SICK. 

43. __ strength: INNER. Stable traits, an enduring source of well-being, wise and effective action, and contributions to others.

47. Caterpillar casing: COCOON.  A silky case spun by the larvae of many insects for protection in the pupal stage.

49. Bug: NAG. Annoy or irritate (a person) with persistent fault-finding or continuous urging.

50. Word of good cheer?: RAH.  Hooray!

51. Layered mineral: MICA.   A shiny silicate mineral with a layered structure, found as minute scales in granite and other rocks, or as crystals. It is used as a thermal or electrical insulator.

54. Flannel patterns: PLAIDS.  Checkered or tartan twilled cloth, typically made of wool.

Read more here

59. Salem-to-Boise dir.: ESE.  East-south-east.

62. [Not my mistake]: SIC.  It is used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original,

63. Adler of Sherlock Holmes fame: IRENE.   Irene Norton, née Adler, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. She was featured in the short story "A Scandal in Bohemia", published in July 1891. She is one of the most notable female characters in the Sherlock Holmes series, despite appearing in only one story.

64. Stealthy warrior: NINJA.  In historical Japan, a person trained in ancient Japanese martial arts and employed especially for espionage and assassinations.  More recently, certain teenaged superhero anthropomorphic mutant turtles.

65. Sound of disapproval: TSK.  Tongue clucking

66. County bordering London: ESSEX.  To the north.

67. Toot one's own horn: GLOAT.   Dwell on one's own success or another's misfortune with smugness or malignant pleasure.

Down:

1. Like blokes: MALE.  Just us guys

2. "My turn to sing!": I'M ON.  Or lip synch.

3. Be concerned with: MIND.  Care about.

4. "Young Frankenstein" role: INGA.

 

The lovely Teri Garr

 5. Hipsters: COOL CATS.  

6. Pre-A.D.: BCE. Before the Common Era.

7. Metallica drummer Ulrich: LARS. [b 1963]  A Danish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He gained worldwide fame as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica.

8. Root canal procedure, briefly: ENDO. Short for endodontic treatment.

9. Classic 1967 Sam & Dave hit: SOULMAN.

 

 10. Like some rye: SEEDED.  Don't get carawayed away. 

11. EGOT-winning actress from "West Side Story": RITA MORENO.  Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Her career has spanned over 70 years; her notable acting work includes supporting roles in the musical films Singin' in the Rain (1952), The King and I (1956) and West Side Story (1961), 

12. Curaçao neighbor: ARUBA.  Islands off the coast of Venezuela, both controlled by the Netherlands.

13. Like candles: WAXEN.

18. Prince who inspired Dracula: VLAD.  [ca 1430-1477]  Read about him here.

24. Finally got there: MADE IT.

26. Rat or squirrel: RODENT.  Mammals of the order Rodentia, which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws.

27. Yin's partner: YANG.  In Ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang; Chinese: 陰陽 yīnyáng, lit. "dark-bright", "negative-positive") is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.

28. In the distance: AFAR.

29. Employee's end-of-year reward: BONUS CHECK.  Extra money.

30. Owie: BOO-BOO.  A child's minor minor injuury

31. Park seat: BENCH.

Who's old enough to get the reference?

32. Start to park, perhaps: BACK IN.  The first maneuver in parallel parking.

36. Acted like: APED.  Mimicked. [1. A echo]

37. Greek food truck offering: GYRO.   A lamb-based meatloaf sandwich on flatbread.

40. Moving, as one's toes: WIGGLING.

42. Many prom attendees: SENIORS.  High school seniors, not old men like me.

45. Christina Crawford's "__ Dearest": MOMMIE.  A memoir and exposé written by Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of actress Joan Crawford. Published in 1978, it described the author's upbringing by an unbalanced alcoholic mother, whom she judged unfit to raise children. The book attracted much controversy regarding child abuse and child trafficking, with many family friends denouncing it as fiction. It was turned into a 1981 film of the same name starring Faye Dunaway.

46. Big wine valley: NAPA.  In California.

47. Pepsodent rival: CREST.  Tooth pastes.

48. Welcome desert sight: OASIS.  A fertile spot in a desert, where water is found.

52. Pool equipment: CUES.  Referring to the sticks used in games played on a billiard table,  not a place for swimming.

53. Hathaway married to Shakespeare: ANNE. Read about her here.

Nope!

55. Actor Kapoor of "Slumdog Millionaire": ANIL. [b1956]   He is an Indian actor and producer who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi-language films, as well as international films and television series. His career has spanned 40 years as an actor, and as a producer since 2005.

56. Online sign-in fig.: I.D. NO.  Personal Identification Number.

57. __ vu: DEJA.   The feeling that one has lived through the present situation before. This is a French phrase that translates literally as "already seen."

58. Law enforcement acronym: SWAT.  Special Weapons And Tactics - the militarization of police units.

61. Ranch nickname: TEX.  Presumably referring to somebody from Texas.

OK, Gang, now all our doing here is done.  Enjoy your Wednesday.

Cool regards!

JzB

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Ed Sessa

Theme: SPEAKING UP.  Each theme entry illustrates vocal communication, at increasing volume levels.

17. Source of damaging rumors: WHISPER CAMPAIGN.   A systematic circulation of a rumor, typically in order to damage someone's reputation.  To WHISPER is to speak softly with little or no vibration of the vocal cords especially to avoid being overheard.

26. Buzz among local gossips: TALK OF THE TOWN.  A person or event that many local people are interested in or excited by.  To TALK is to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken words -- presumably at a conversational level of volume.

 

43. Nickname of two Six Flags roller coasters: SCREAM MACHINE.  To SCREAM is to speak with intense or hysterical emotion.  Other than the mentioned thrill ride, this phrase seems not to be commonly in-the-language.  But it is the title of a jazz piece written for the U. S. Army Band by composer Mark Taylor [one of my favorites.]  Impressive and under 2 1/2 minutes.  Give it a listen.

57. Question asked with a raised voice, as demonstrated in three long puzzle answers: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW.  Reasonable question at times - and made famous in an ad campaign a few years ago.

Hi, Gang. JazzBumpa here to give you a good talking-to.  Now, pay attention and don't make me raise my voice.  

Across:

1. Hang out in alleys: BOWL.  A game in which balls are rolled on a green or down an alley at an object or group of objects.

5. Sporty sunroofs: T TOPS.

1988 Dodge Shelby

10. Job jar item: TASK.  A piece of work to be done or undertaken.

14. Cuatro y cuatro: OCHO.  4+4 = 8, in Spanish speaking countries.

15. Sprightly movement: RONDO.  A musical form in which a main theme is alternated with contrasting sections.

16. Lamb pen name: ELIA.  Charles Lamb wrote a series of popular essays that first appeared in THE LONDON MAGAZINE between 1820 and 1825.   Lamb borrowed the surname of an Italian co-worker from several years earlier. 

20. Vietnam holiday: TET.  The Vietnamese lunar new year.

21. "What the Constitution Means to Me" award: OBIE. Annual off-Broadway theater award. The on Broadway award is the Tony.

22. Like Boo Boo and Baloo: URSINE.  They are bears.

23. Lead source: ORE.   Natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit. 

24. Novelist Deighton: LEN. [b 1929]  A British author. His publications have included cookery books, history and military history, but he is best known for his spy novels.

25. Wile E. Coyote's supplier: ACME.

 

It never ends well

32. Takes short cuts?: SNIPS.  As with scissors. 

34. Part of S&L: LOAN.  An organization from which money is borrowed.

35. FDR 34-Across org.: NHA. National Housing Administration, authorized by law in 1934.  The purpose of the law was to “encourage improvement in housing standards and conditions, to provide a system of mutual mortgage insurance, and for other purposes.” The law created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC.)

 
36. One of 1,225 in the first published edition of "War and Peace": PAGE.  One side of a sheet of paper in a collection of sheets bound together, especially as a book, magazine, or newspaper.

37. They have their pride: LIONS.  The collective noun for a group of lions is a "pride."

39. Put a halt to: STOP.  End.

40. Is for a few: ARE.  Plural, present tense form of the verb "to be."

41. Carson forerunner: PAAR.  Jack [1918 - 2004] was an American author, movie actor, radio and television comedian, and talk show host. He is best known for his stint as the second host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962.

42. Hostess snack cakes: HOHOS.  Small, cylindrical, frosted, cream-filled chocolate snack cakes with a pinwheel design based on the Swiss roll. 

Santa's favorite?

47. Tavern orders: ALES.  Suds.

48. Apollo vehicle, briefly: LEM. Lunar Excursion Module
  
49. Many miles: FAR.  Some distance.

52. Entertained: AMUSED.  

55. Vegas rival: RENO.  Nevada cities with gambling casinos.

56. Hot Dijon season: ETE.  Summer in France, not mustard spice.

60. Verdi opera: AIDA.

61. Pants style: CAPRI.  Close-fitting calf-length tapered trousers, usually worn by women and girls.

Fashion and function

62. Retin-A target: ACNE.  Inflamed or infected sebaceous glands in the skin; in particular, a condition characterized by red pimples on the face, prevalent chiefly among teenagers.

63. Altar words: I DOs.  Weddings.

64. Stall for Time?: KIOSK.  Meaning I suppose, Time Magazine, since a KIOSK is a small open-fronted hut or cubicle from which newspapers, refreshments, tickets, etc., are sold.

65. Clarinet need: REED.

Down:

1. Greet formally, as at the start of a sumo match: BOW TO.

Pre-fight ritual

2. Earth tone: OCHER.  A brownish yellow pigment containing ferric oxide.

3. Mutant big cat: WHITE TIGER.  A variant of the Bengal Tiger with a genetic loss of pigmentation. Such a tiger has the black stripes typical of the Bengal tiger, but carries a white or near-white coat.

4. __ Gatos, California: LOS.  An incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United dtates. The population is 30,222.  The name mean "The Cats,"  in honor of the cougars and bobcats indigenous to the nearby foot hills   

5. Late game show host with seven Emmys: TREBEK.  Alex [1940-2020]  He was the host of the syndicated game show Jeopardy! for 37 seasons from its revival in 1984 until his death in 2020.

6. "Gran __": 2008 Eastwood film: TORINO.

 

 7. __ in a blue moon: ONCE.   Meaning rarely.  A blue moon is either the second full moon in a single month, or the third of four in a single season.  If interested, read more here. 

8. Kissing on the kiss cam, for short: PDA.  Public Display of Affection.

9. Even: SO MUCH AS.  

10. Her Majesty's service?: TEA SET. A TEA Service - pot, cups and sugar bowl.

One example

11. Others, in old Rome: ALII.  Latin, of course.

12. Put one's name on the line?: SIGN.  As, for example, a document.

13. Immortal "Citizen": KANE.   Main character of a 1941 American drama film by Orson Welles, its producer, co-screenwriter, director and star. 

 

 18. Opinion surveys: POLLS.

19. Image creators, for short: PR MEN.  Not artists, but experts in propaganda Public Relations.

25. Loads: A TON.  A non-specific large quantity.

27. Monkey relative: APE.  Monkeys have tails, APE's do not.

28. Biota growth: FLORA.  Vegetation.

29. Undecided: ON THE FENCE.  Uncertain which way one will fall.

30. Owl's call: WHOO.  They never wonder where or why.

31. Catches some z's: NAPS.  Snoring.

32. Places for hot waxes: SPAS.  Commercial establishments offering health and beauty treatment through such means as steam baths, exercise equipment, and massage.

33. One pulling in pushers: NARC.  Nicely worded.  A narcotics officer.

37. Outgoing officeholder: LAME DUCK.  One who's term is about to end.

38. Perfect Portions pet food brand: IAMS.

39. Abel, to Adam: SON.  It's all relative.

41. Throwback diet: PALEO.  Eat like a cave man?  I don't think so.

42. Handmade stadium sign: HI MOM.  Sometimes seen on TV.

44. Gut courses: EASY As.    a college or university course requiring little work or intellectual ability.

45. Becomes less overcast: CLEARS.  Clouds parting.

46. Playwright Ibsen: HENRIK. [1828 - 1906] This Norwegian playwright was a pioneer of realism, and his later works were considered scandalous.  After Shakespeare, he is the 2nd most performed dramatist.

50. Even things: ATONE.  Make amends or reparation.

51. Said 63-Across a second time: REWED.  I did this.

52. Antioxidant-rich berry: ACAI.  The açaí palm, Euterpe oleracea, is a species of palm tree cultivated for its fruit, hearts of palm, leaves, and trunk wood. Global demand for the fruit expanded rapidly in the 21st century and so the tree is cultivated for that purpose primarily.

53. Downton Abbey's Daisy, for one: MAID.  Later promoted to kitchen assistant.

Played by Sophie McShera

54. Go back, on a PC: UNDO.

55. Default result: REPO.   Repossession.

58. "Bali __": HAI.  A show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. The name refers to a mystical island, visible on the horizon but not reachable, and was originally inspired by the sight of Ambae island from neighboring Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu, where author James Michener was stationed in World War II.

59. AirPod spot: EAR.  A small speaker phone worn inside the ear.

So ends our Wednesday conversation.  How you found it informative.  Stay safe, wear a mask, keep your distance, and remember to use your indoor voice.

Cool regards!

JzB

L.A Times Cross Word, Wednesday, December 30, 2020 Hoang-Kim Vu

Theme: VELOCITY.  Theme answers contain words that indicate rapidly and efficiently getting from one place to another

18 A. Academy attended by James T. Kirk: STAR FLEET.  From the original Star Trek TV series: boldly going where no man has gone before.  A Fleet is a group of ships under a single command.  FLEET here is an adjective - as all the theme words are - indicating rapid motion.  Fleet is also an enema, but we'll just let that go.

24 A. Artist with a record 32 American Music Awards: TAYLOR SWIFT.  [b 1989]  She's has some success.  SWIFT is another synonym for FLEET.  It's also a bird that, appropriately, holds the record for the fastest confirmed level flight, at 69.3 mph.

34 A. Deeply hurt: CUT TO THE QUICK.  Literally, this means to cut through the skin to the living tissue; figuratively it means to be hurt and offended.  Here, it's another synonym for SWIFT.  It's also a brand name for flavored powders to make your cold glass or warm mug of milk a bit less bland.

49 A. Inviolable, as a rule: HARD AND FAST.  This means it is fixed and definitive, not to be modified or avoided.  The sense of fast in this expression, now otherwise obsolete, is "locked in place."  It's the root of the verb fasten, meaning to firmly attach.  In the puzzle, FAST is another synonym for QUICK.

56 A. With immediacy, or a hint to the four other longest puzzle answers: POST HASTE.  Yet another synonym for FAST.  From my brief examination, it seems that this can either be a single word, or a two-word phrase, with or without a hyphen.

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here.  Hope your Christmas was happy and safe.  The holidays go by quickly.  The theme notwithstanding, let's not speed through this puzzle, but take it slow and steady.

Across:

1. Invents, as a word: COINS.  Devising a new word or phrase.  The phrase itselfe seems to have been coned in American Literature with the earliest recorded use being in the 'The Southport American' newspaper in 1848. 

6. Laugh-a-minute sort: RIOT.  Fun guy.

10. Lucas of "Raising Hope": NEFF.  [b 1985]  Most recently, he starred in the CBS sitcom Carol's Second Act.

14. Bandleader's exhortation: HIT  IT.  In all my decades of playing in all sorts of ensembles and venues, I don't remember ever hearing the leader say this.

15. Egyptian life symbol: ANKH.

Key of Life

16. Pest on a pooch: FLEA.  Dog annoyer

17. Red-tide contents: ALGAE.  The color is due to an algal bloom, often caused by an up-swelling of nutrients from the ocean floor following a storm.  

20. Shape, as clay: SCULPT.  Make it look like something other than a lump.

22. Mayberry lad: OPIE.  Young Ron Howard.

23. Org. in much recent news: CDC.  The Center for Disease Control.

26. "We'll let you know," on skeds: TBA. To Be Announced.

27. 18-Across jr. officer: ENS.  Ensign.

28. Threaded fastener: NUT.  To make a mechanical connection hard and fast.

29. Claw into: TEAR AT.  Rip apart

31. Fire truck alert: SIREN. Listen up!

33. Tourette syndrome symptoms: TICS.   Idiosyncratic and habitual features of a person's behavior.

39. Brooklyn Coll. is part of it: CUNY.  The City University of New York.

40. Double duty?: STUNT.  I had to think about this one.  Performing STUNTS - dangerous skilled maneuvers  in a movie scene - is the duty of a star's STUNT double.

41. Convent leader: ABBESS.  Head nun.

44. Shoelace, e.g.: TIE.  A tie is a type of fastener.

45. NBA's Heat, on scoreboards: MIA.  MIAMI's basketball team.

48. Inouye Airport arrival gift: LEI.   Hawaiian flower garland necklace.

53. Investment inits.: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

54. Common ointment ingredient: ALOE.  Extract of the ALOE vera plant, a succulent cultivated for tis medicinal uses.

55. Hall of Fame knuckleballer Phil: NIEKRO.  [1939-2020]  He played for 24 years in the majors, from 1964 to 1987.  Sadly, he just passed the day after Christmas after a long battle with cancer.

59. Step: TREAD.  Stomping is optional.

60. Worked in a garden: HOED.  Used a hand-operated cultivating tool.  Or emulated Santa.

61. "Because You Loved Me" singer: DION.  Celine [b 1968]

62. Battle zone journalist: EMBED.  This was confusing.  I was expecting a specific name, not the category.  The answer is a bit awkward, since it is a noun that looks like a verb.

63. Criteria: Abbr.: STDS.  Standards.

64. Racy message: SEXT.   Portmanteau of SEX and TEXT.

65. Rotary phone features: DIALS.  Does anybody have one of these?

Down:

1. Unsullied: CHASTE. Refraining from sexual activity.  The Unsullied in Game of Thrones certainly did this.  But, in general, is this a good equivalence?  You decide.

2. Prop for the Tin Man: OIL CAN.  I still wonder how it happened that tin rusted.  Must be a Oz thing.

3. Men working on a network, informally: I. T.  GUYS.  Experts in Information Technology, aka nerds.

4. One Direction's "cute one" __ Horan: NIALL.  True?  You decide.

Cute?

5. "C'mon, we're in a hurry!":  STEP ON IT.  Go faster, referring to pressing a vehicles accelerator pedal.  Theme echo.

6. Late-summer orientation mtg. holders: RAs.  Resident Advisors:  students who are responsible for supervising and assisting other, typically younger, students who live in the same residence hall.  One of our granddaughters has this position in the honors dorm at her school.

7. Like many trailers: IN TOW.   Pulled by a vehicle

8. Giraffe relative: OKAPI.   An artiodactyl [ungulate with an even number of toes] mammal native to the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. 

Made from spare parts?

9. Frugality: THRIFT.

10. Patriots' org.: NFL.  National Football League.

11. Exciting, as an atmosphere: ELECTRIC.

12. Survey info: FEEDBACK.  Requested information.

13. Big shots with big balances: FAT CATS.  More specifically, rich political donors.  It is also commonly used to describe a rich, greedy person who, due to ownership of large amounts of capital, is able to "live easy" off the work of others. 

19. Honor in a big way: FETE. To honor or entertain (someone) lavishly.

21. Town near Provincetown: TRURO.  Two of the 15 towns surrounding Cape Cod Bay.

25. Editorial "let it stand": STET.  From Latin,  it is a form of the Latin verb sto, typically translated as "Let it stand."

30. Feuding: AT IT.  A multi-purpose phrase, depending on what the definition of "it" is.

31. Eyelid ailment: STYE.  An inflamed swelling on the edge of an eyelid, caused by bacterial infection of the gland at the base of an eyelash.

32. Smart students' org.: NHS.  National Honor Society.

34. Two, to eight, e.g.: CUBE ROOT.  To cube a number is to multiply it by itself twice.  That number is then the cube root of the product.

35. Impartial: UNBIASED.  

36. Sundance's sweetie: ETTA.  ETTA Place [dates uncertain]   Companion of Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, aka, the Sundance Kid.  Along with Butch Cassidy they were members of the outlaw gang known as Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. 

37. "Glee" cheerleader: QUINN.  Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the TV series Glee, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron.  

Cheer with Glee

38. Not yet corrected for publication: UNEDITED.  Having no STETs nor deles.

39. Islamic leaders: CALIPHS.  The chief Muslim civil and religious ruler, regarded as the successor of Muhammad. The caliph ruled in Baghdad until 1258 and then in Egypt until the Ottoman conquest of 1517; the title was then held by the Ottoman sultans until it was abolished in 1924 by Atatürk.

42. 1979 exile: SHAH.  Mohammad Reza Pahlavi [1919-1980]  of Iran.

43. Soup followers: SALADS.  In multi-course meals.

45. Folk singer Miriam known as "Mama Africa": MAKEBA. [1932 - 2008]

46. Gal Gadot's birthplace: ISRAEL.  In case you were wondering about this woman.

Probably needed a STUNT double

47. Disagreeing: AT ODDS.  Loggerheads doesn't fit.

50. Riveting icon: ROSIE.

Probably not what you think

51. Rehab program: DETOX.  A process designed to remove addictive toxins leave the body.

52. 1938 Physics Nobelist: FERMI.  Enrico [1901-1954] An American physicist who created the first nuclear reactor.  He won the Nobel Prize for his work on induced radioactivity by neutron bombardment and for the discovery of transuranium elements. 

57. Six-pt. scores: TDS.  TouchDowns in American football.

58. Tolkien's Treebeard, e.g.: ENT.  

And thus does Fangorn bring our Wednesday to a slow moving close.  Hope you enjoyed the journey.  See you all next year.

Cool Regards!

JzB

L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday December 16, 2020 Brock Wilson

Theme: Happy Birthday! [Maybe?] Today might or might not be the birthday of the below identified composer.  Nobody really knows. In the theme, his name and some of his works or identified by either name or number.

17A. With 63-Across, musician born 12/16/1770: LUDWIG VAN.

63A . See 17-Across: BEETHOVEN.

Wikipedia

He was baptized on the 17th, so his birthday is assumed to be the 16th, but that is just a guess.  He could have been a week or a month earlier.  Anyway, later in life, he wrote some music. You can read more about him here.

39 D. 63-Across work: SYMPHONY. An elaborate musical composition for full orchestra, typically in four movements, at least one of which is traditionally in sonata form.

26 A. Nickname for a 63-Across 39-Down: CHORAL. Numerically, the 9th, and last.

 

Well, this set my write up back by 23 minutes, but it was time well spent.  Give it a listen if you have the time.  Schiller's poem is a hot, sappy mess, but I guess it works in the original German. And Beethoven's setting makes it truly heavenly.

40 A. Numerically, 63-Across' C-minor 39-Down: FIFTH.  Which gives us what is probably the most recognizable 4 note sequence in all of music.

50 A. Nickname for a 63-Across 39-Down: EROICA.  Numerically, the 3rd.

 

10 D. Nickname for a 63-Across 39-Down: PASTORAL.  Here is a Disneyfied excerpt.

 

Hi, gang.  Jazzbumpa here to conduct today's musical adventure.  Once upon a time, there was trombone themed puzzle, and by chance in landed on my blogging day.  This one is just about as fitting.  Beethoven was my introduction to what we call classical music, though he stood on the bridge between the classical and romantic periods.  Having him as my intro made it hard for me to appreciate the much simpler - and genuinely classical - music of his teacher Haydn.  But everything builds over time, and without Haydn and Mozart, there could have been no Beethoven.  Let's move on through this score, and hope there are no sour notes.

Across:

1. Quotable Yankee, familiarly: YOGI.  Berra [1925-1915] "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

5. "Yikes!": JEEZ.  Oh, my!

9. Fencing blades: EPEES.  A narrow-bladed sword with a blunted tip.

14. Tarzan raisers: APES.  I guess Jane was the gorilla his dreams.

15. Cher and Sade, vocally: ALTI.  Voices with  range above tenor and below soprano.

16. 16th-century English queen: MARY I.  "Bloody Mary" Tudor [1516 -1558]  in her 5 year reign, she had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake. 

19. North Sea county: ESSEX.  Located north-east of London.

20. German steel city: ESSEN. Eight of the 100 largest publicly held German corporations are head-quartered there.

21. Offered an arm to: ESCORTED.  As into a formal event.

23. Basics: ABCS.  

25. Ming most look up to: YAO.  Because he is 7'6" tall.  He started his basketball career in Shanghai, China, then played for the Houston Rockets from 2002-2011. He was an 8-time all star.

29. Literate: WELL READ.  

34. __ Vegas: LAS.  Sin City, it's been called.

35. Marks for removal: DELES.  To be deleted.

37. "Inferno" poet: DANTE. From whom we get out modern, and at best only marginally Biblical concepts of hell and the devil.

38. Story lines: ARCS.  

42. Tolkien trilogy, to fans: LOTR.  Lord Of The Rings.

43. Remains: STAYS.

45. It's usually not a hit: SIDE-B.  Now here is some nostalgia - referring to the presumably less popular song on one side of a 45 RPM phonograph record.
 
47. Toon crime fighter __ Possible: KIM.  An American animated action comedy-adventure television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The title character is a teenage girl tasked with fighting crime on a regular basis while coping with everyday issues commonly associated with adolescence.  It ran from 2002 to 2007, and was a favorite of our oldest granddaughter.

48. Spread throughout: PERMEATE.

52. Pipe plastic: PVC. PolyVinyl Chloride is the third most widely produced thermoplastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene.

53. Like cotton candy: SPUN.

54. Sticky stuff: ADHESIVE.  Glue

58. Facebook action: SHARE.

62. Unverified word: RUMOR.  A circulating story of uncertain or doubtful truth.

65. Tony winner Menzel: IDINA.  She originated the role of Elphaba Thropp in the Broadway musical Wicked in 2003.  Later she sang some songs in animated Disney movies.

 

 66. The M in BLT?: MAYO.   As an option.

67. Artist's quarters: LOFT.   An upper story or attic in a building, directly under the roof, presumably with north light..

 
68. Record material: VINYL.  Here, phonograph records and PVC make another appearance - together.

69. Chopped side dish: SLAW.  Cabbage fragments, typically with a 66 A- based dressing.

70. Some traffic court cases: Abbr.: DWIS.  Driving While Intoxicated.

Down:

1. New Haven school: YALE. Where the Elis roam.

2. Musical work: OPUS.  These are given numbers, approximately in the order of publication date. 40 A is Beethoven's OPUS 67.

3. H.S. proficiency tests: GEDS.  General Educational Development, indicating an approximate equivalence to a high school diploma.

4. Oath beginning: I SWEAR.  And you'd better tell the truth.

5. XK-E, for short: JAG.  The Jaguar E Class, Marketed in the U.S. as the XK-E, was manufactured from 1961 to 1975.

6. Seasonal aides: ELVES.  Santa's helpers, also known as subordinate clauses.

7. Greek vowels: ETAS.  Notable, because they look like h's.

8. It makes cents: ZINC.  Usually when mixed with copper.

9. Important gem in Oz: EMERALD.  I was thinking in Australia, which would be the OPEL.  But it doesn't have enough letters.  In the wonderful land of OZ, there is the EMERALD city.

11. Gaelic language: ERSE. A Scottish or Irish language.

12. Watched closely: EYED.  Peered at.

13. Touchdown points: SIX.  The kicked extra point used to be automatic, but many have been missed this season.

18. __ humor: grumpy: IN BAD.  Irascible.

22. Bony Olive: OYL.  Popeye's often disloyal girlfriend.

Wikipedia

24. Musical symbol: CLEF.

26. Bracelet fastener: CLASP.  Hook and lock mechanism.

27. Gold rush storyteller: HARTE.  Francis Brett HARTE [1836-1902]  was an American short story writer and poet, best remembered for his short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. 

28. "The Odd Couple" roommate: OSCAR. Madison and Felix Unger from the Neil Simon play and the resulting movie and TV series.

29. Group self-pic, in slang: WEFIE.  Everybody crowd in tight.

30. Started, as a co.: ESTD.  Established

31. Japanese mushroom: ENOKI.  Sounds like a minor Star Wars character.  But it is a  mushroom that naturally grows on the stumps of the Chinese hackberry tree (Celtis sinensis, "enoki" in Japanese) and on other trees, such as ash, mulberry and persimmon trees.

32. Web site: ATTIC.  Not the world wide web - the top floor of a house that seldom gets entered by a human.

33. Stuffed Jewish dish also called kishke: DERMA.  Make it here.

36. Itemize: LIST.   

41. Dickens sycophant: HEEP.   Uriah, a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in his 1850 novel David Copperfield. Heep is one of the main antagonists of the novel. His character is notable for his cloying humility, unctuousness, obsequiousness, and insincerity, making frequent references to his own "'umbleness". 

44. A few: SEVERAL.  Less than many.

46. Salon item: BRUSH.  

49. Summer coolers, briefly: ACS.  Air Conditioners, not cooling drinks.

51. Indefinitely suspended: ON HOLD.  In limbo.

53. "Later!": SEE YA.  TTYL.

54. Autobahn auto: AUDI.  Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer that designs, engineers, produces, markets and distributes luxury vehicles.  It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.

55. Key of the 26-Across 39-Down: Abbr.: D-MINor.  Has one flat.  And should probably have been included with the theme entries.

56. System/360s, e.g.: IBMS.  Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems?  Nope. Just a family of mainframe computer systems from IBM that were delivered between 1965 and 1978.

57. Piccata meat: VEAL.  It is sliced, dredged in flour, browned, then served in a sauce containing lemon juice, butter, and capers.  Yum!

59. Openly declare: AVOW.  Or Aver.  Always needs perps.

60. Mortgagee's option, for short: REFInance.  Looking for a lower interest rate and/or monthly payments.

61. Laryngitis docs: ENTS.  Ear, Nose and Throat specialists.

62. Ohio or Mississippi: Abbr.: RIV.  River

64. Auto club service: TOW.  As, frx, when my transmission decided to stop transmitting 20 miles north of Muskegon, and 200 miles from home.  That was fun.

So we reach the coda of another Wednesday, melody complete and chords resolved.  And every day is somebody's birthday.  HBD, if it's yours.

Cool regards!

JzB

L.A. Times Cossword - Wednesday, Nov. 18 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Let's go to the unifier.

57 A. Rock genre ... and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues: HEAVY METAL.  A blues influenced type of music developed in England ca. 1980, characterized by a dominant, repeating bass line, distortion, and extended guitar solos.  Heavy Metals are metallic elements that have high weight or density A few show up in the theme fill.  Some others are cadmium, mercury and gold.

17. *Mind reader's obstacle, some believe: TIN FOIL HAT.  The idea being that the metal will insulate the brain from electromagnetic radiation.  Also indicates belief in unscientific or conspiracy theory ideas.  As a foil wrapping material, TIN has long since been replaced by aluminum.

24 A. *20th-century political symbol: IRON CURTAIN.  A political and physical barrier that separated Counties with ties to the USSR from those that were independent or tied to NATO.  Iron is a common element and vital nutrient.

33 A. *Metaphor for a failure: LEAD BALLOON.  A heavy BALLON is doomed to sink.  LEAD is the basis for solder.

48 A. *Symbol of inherited wealth: SILVER SPOON.  To be born with it in ones mouth.  Silver isn't just heavy, it's a precious metal.

Hi gang.  JzB here.  Had some technical difficulty so this will be sketchy.  Lo siento.

Across:

1. 1978 Peace co-Nobelist: SADAT.  Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat was an Egyptian politician who served as the third President of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981.

6. Officiates: REFS.  Acts as an arbiter in sporting events.

10. Painter of limp watches: DALI.  Salvador [1904-1989] 

14. Spanish Olympian's goal: EL ORO.  The Gold.

15. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO.  Literal, in Spanish

16. Turkey neighbor: IRAN.  I was thinking mashed potatoes.  But this is geography, and that is next week

19. Expansive: VAST.

20. Caddie's bagful: TEES.  Wooden pegs that support the ball for the first stroke on a golf hole.

21. Cruel: MEAN. Nasty

22. Trigger, for one: HORSE.  With famous cowboy Roy Rogers.

23. St. whose name is part of its capital's name: IND.  Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

26. Tattoo tool: NEEDLE.  For body art

28. Took a time out: RESTED.  Had a nap

29. They're shifted often in cities: GEARS.  Due to stop and go traffic.

30. Vicinity: AREA. Region.

38. Ages and ages: EONS.  Forever, more or less.

39. Italian fashion house: PRADA.  Founded in 1913.

42. Port ENE of Cleveland, OH: ERIE, PA.  

47. Closed in on: NEARED.  Approached

52. Coke alternatives: RCS.  Royal Crowns.

53. Jazz drummer Cozy and a king: COLES.  And another King

 

 54. Reasons: WHYS.

55. FDR's dog: FALA.

56. Business envelope abbr.: ATTN.   Attention - somebody. Routing direction

59. Full of pizzazz: PERT.

60. Alleviate: EASE.

61. Dino's love: AMORE.  Of course.

 

 62. Slow Churned ice cream brand: EDY'S.  Founded in 1928.

63. Seals, to sharks: PREY.  Things they eat.

64. Elements in playground banter: DARES.  Double Dares and double dog dares.

Down:

1. Backdrop: SETTING.

2. Property recipient, in law: ALIENEE.  Strange legalese.

3. Fait accompli: DONE DEAL.  Finished.  The End!

4. Kennel sounds: ARFS.  Dog utterances.
 
5. Also: TOO.  In addition.

6. Loggers' contest: ROLEO.  Log rolling contest.

7. Actor Hawke: ETHAN. [b 1970] American actor, writer, and director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards and a Tony Award. 

8. Swiss capital: FRANC.  Money.

9. Lush: SOT.  Drunkard.

10. "Replace all __": golf course reminder: DIVOTS.  Little chunks of planet earth lifted with gold clubs.  They must be replaced before you chase your ball.

11. Mount in Genesis: ARARAT.  Where Noah landed.

12. Heroic TV dog: LASSIE.  From 1954 to 1973

13. Have in mind: INTEND.  Mean to.

18. '50s Hungarian premier Nagy: IMRE.  A Hungarian communist politician who served as Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1953 to 1955. In 1956 Nagy became leader of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 against the Soviet-backed government, for which he was executed two years later.

22. Longtime Eur. realm: HRE.  Holy Roman Empire

24. To whom Rick said, "We'll always have Paris": ILSA.  From the classic 1942 movie Casablanca.

25. Caspian Sea feeder: URAL.  River to sea.

27. Hip-hop Dr.: DRE.  Andre Romelle Young, known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, audio engineer, record executive, entrepreneur, and actor.

30. Blood-typing letters: ABO.  Types are A, B, AB, and O, based on the presence or absence of two genes.  It is important to match donor and recipient types for blood transfusions and organ transplants.

31. Hightailed it: RAN. Escaped, perhaps.

32. Over-the-street transports: ELS.  Above street level rapid transit systems.

34. Cherished: DEAR.  Beloved

35. Inviting store window sign: OPEN.  Come in and pend your money

36. U.K. singer Rita: ORA.  Rita Sahatçiu Ora (b.1990] is a British singer and actress. 

37. Ishmael, in "Moby Dick": NARRATOR.

40. Announce: DECLARE.

41. Much of Google's income: AD SALES.

42. Break out: ESCAPE.  High tailed it and ran.

43. Ran amok: RIOTED.  One person can act in an out of control and disruptive manner.  It takes a crowd to riot.

44. "Do your best" response: I'LL TRY.  Or not.

 

 45. Decathlon's 10: EVENTS.  This is a competition held over two days.  The events are: First day - 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m; Second day -  110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m.

46. Latin foot: PES.  Literal.

47. Like an eavesdropper, say: NOSY. Too interested in other people's business.

49. Talk a blue streak?: SWEAR.  A string of "blue" language.  Clever.

50. New moon, e.g.: PHASE.  The moon's phases change over 28 days.

51. Yiddish "Yikes!": OY VEY.  Expression of dismay, surprise or alarm.

55. Disaster relief org.: FEMA. Federal Emergency Management Agency.

57. Cool, once: HEP.  Is "cool" even cool thee days?

58. Bonkers: MAD.  Insane.

That wraps us another Wednesday [but not in TIN foil.]  Stay healthy and have a safe Thanksgiving.

Cool Regards!

JzB

L.A. Times Crossword - Wednesday, November 4, 2020 Mike Peluso

Theme: Stay on the right track ~ or ~ We are well trained.

This is best explained by starting with the unifier.

59A. Engineer, brakeman and conductor ... and what the ends of the answers to starred clues comprise?: TRAIN CREW.  Those named professionals are indeed the CREW of a TRAIN.  The theme answers will make a TRAIN CREW of a different sort.

16 A. *Person to emulate: ROLE MODEL.  This is the person who is a standout at what s/he does, performing at the highest level, getting the most done, and showing the right way to do it.  A MODEL TRAIN is a scaled down representation of a real TRAIN, used in the hobby of Rail Transport Modeling, which can be extremely elaborate and realistic.  

23 A.  *Thanksgiving condiment: TURKEY GRAVY.   Gravy is a sauce often made from the juices of meat - in this case, TURKEY, that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with wheat flour or corn starch for added texture.  It is typically served in a GRAVY boat.  The GRAVY TRAIN is a situation where one can make a great deal of money with very little effort.

35. *Effective remedy with little downside: MAGIC BULLET.  A medicine or other problem solving remedy, especially one newly discovered or unexpected with wonderful or highly specific properties.  A BULLET TRAIN is a high speed passenger rail transport that uses an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks. They run at least 160 miles per hour, and some systems exceed 200 miles per hour.

50 A. *A high-profile trial might become one: MEDIA CIRCUS.  This is any news event that attracts coverage that is excessive in degree and/or duration, or out of proportion to the event being covered.  This is often also magnified by sensationalistic reporting.  A CIRCUS TRAIN is transportation to take a CIRCUS company from one venue to the next.

 

Across:

1. Band with an electrical symbol in their logo: AC/DC.

 

  5. Youngest woman to serve in the U.S. Congress, familiarly: AOC.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [b 1989,] also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for New York's 14th congressional district.

8. Aromatic herb: SAGE.  Salvia officinalis is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It has a long history of culinary and medicinal use.

12. Church divide: AISLE.  The passage between the rows of seats, benches or pews.

14. Rapping MD?: DRE.  Andre Romelle Young [b. 1955,] known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, audio engineer, record executive, entrepreneur, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, 

15. Mariano Rivera's record 652: SAVES.  Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most of his career as a relief pitcher and served as the Yankees' closer for 17 seasons.  

A relief pitcher recording a save must preserve his team's lead while doing one of the following:

- Enter the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitch at least one inning.

- Enter the game with the tying run in the on-deck circle, at the plate or on the bases.

- Pitch at least three innings.  [Source]

18. LGBTQ part, briefly: TRANS. This designation, along with it many variants, refers to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender.

19. Wavelike pattern: MOIRE.  A large-scale interference pattern that can be produced when an opaque ruled pattern with transparent gaps is overlaid on another similar pattern. For the moiré interference pattern to appear, the two patterns must not be completely identical, but rather displaced, rotated, or have slightly different pitch. [Wikipedia]

20. "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" singer Kathy: MATTEA.   Kathleen Alice Mattea (b. 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reached No. 1.

 

 21. Arafat's gp., once: PLO. Palestine Liberation Organization.

26. Nigerian pop star: SADE.  Helen Folasade Adu [b 1959] known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade [pronounced Shad-day, don't ask me why] was born in Nigeria, but brought up in England. She has had an enormously successful career.

 

 28. Brief moments: SECS.  Seconds, briefly.

29. Notable times: ERAS.  Jazz, for example

30. Summer beverage: ICE TEA.  Brewed TEA served over ICE.  Let the ICE - ICED controversy commence.

33. "__ Tu": 1974 hit: ERES.

 

 39. Spoken: ORAL.  Communicated using vocal sounds.

40. Trickeries: FRAUDS.  Fakes, phonies, shams.

43. Tel __: AVIV.  Tel AVIV Yafo, to be complete, is a city on Israel's Mediterranean coast with a population of 460, 613.

47. Brown and blonde: ALES.  Less hoppy than IPAs.

49. Cream or Nirvana: TRIO.  Groups of three musicians.

54. Red Sox rivals, on scoreboards: NYY.  New York Yankees.

55. Literally, French for "again": ENCORE.  Makes sense.

56. Perot of politics: H ROSS.

 

  58. Memphis tourist street: BEALE.  One of the city's main tourist attractions.

 

 63. Gillette razors: ATRAS.

64. Carrier to Tokyo: ANA.  All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd is Japan's largest airline.

65. Hotel patron: GUEST.  Paying customer.

66. Lays down the lawn: SODS.  Puts rolls of grass in place.  Nice word play.

67. Time out?: NAP.  "Out" meaning asleep.  

68. Palm gadgets, briefly: PDAS.  Personal Data Assistants.  Mobile devices which function as personal information managers.  Now pretty much displaced by muti-functional smart phones.

Down:

1. Swiss river: AAR.  A tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland.  Its total length from its source to its junction with the Rhine comprises about 295 kilometers (183 mi.)

2. Corp. tech exec: CIO.  The Chief Information Officer is the company executive responsible for the management, implementation, and usability of information and computer technologies.

3. Internet connector via phone line: DSL MODEM.  Digital Subscriber Line is a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over telephone lines.  A modem – a portmanteau of "modulator-demodulator" – is a hardware device that converts data from a digital format.

4. Jazz singer Laine: CLEO.   Clementine Dinah Bullock (b 1927) is an English jazz and pop singer and an actress, known for her scat singing and for her vocal range. 

 

 5. Venomous snakes: ADDERS.  Any of several groups of venomous snakes of the family Viperidae, fond in various parts of the world.

6. Tram load: ORE.  In mining.  

7. Disney frame: CEL.  A special or limited edition version of artwork from an animated cartoon.

8. "No Exit" dramatist: SARTRE.  Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre ]1905 –1980] was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. 

9. Personal user pic: AVATAR.  An electronic image that represents and may be manipulated by a computer user.

 
10. Lake on the French/Swiss border: GENEVA.

11. Op-ed pieces: ESSAYS. 

13. Send out: EMIT.  As, frex., radio waves or light. 

15. Alone, at a party: STAG.  

17. Christian sch. in Tulsa: ORU.  Oral Roberts University.

20. Whitman "53-Down" subject: MYSELF.   SONG of MYSELF is a poem by Walt Whitman (1819–1892) that is included in his work Leaves of Grass. It has been credited as "representing the core of Whitman's poetic vision."

21. 23rd of 24: PSI.  Psi (Greek) (Ψ, ψ), the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet. In both Classical and Modern Greek, the letter indicates the combination /ps/ (as in English word "lapse").

22. SupÈrieur, par exemple: LAC.  One of the Great Lakes, in French.

24. Company with spokes-elves: KEEBLER.  They make cookies.

25. Hose color: ECRU.  Originally, the natural color of unbleached linen.  It became more precisely defined as "a grayish yellow that is greener and paler than chamois or old ivory."  ECRU comes from the French word écru, which means "unbleached."

27. LAX posting: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival at Los Angeles International Air Port.

31. Star quality?: EGO.  Quality - I'm not so sure.  More precisely, a characteristic.

32. The Red Baron, for one: AIR ACE.   A flying ace, fighter ace or AIR ACE is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.  Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen [1892-1918,] known in English as the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories.

34. Canon initials: SLR. Single Lens Reflex, a type of camera.

36. Colombian metropolis: CALI.  Santiago de Cali, or CALI, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with an 2,227,642 residents.

 
37. Have: EAT.  Consume.

38. Gets embarrassed, maybe: TURNS RED.

41. Tinkerer's abbr.: DIY. Do It Yourself.

42. Versatile bean: SOY.

43. One-celled critters: AMEBAS.   Unicellular organisms which have the ability to alter their shapes, primarily by extending and retracting pseudopods.

44. Rome's Via __: VENETO.  One of the most famous, elegant, and expensive streets of Rome, Italy. The street is named after the Battle of Vittorio Veneto (1918), a decisive Italian victory of World War I.

45. Bouncer's request: ID CARD.  Needed to bet in, or he will bounce you out.

46. Members of string 49-Acrosses: VIOLAS.  Remember, 49 A was a musical trio.  Violas are the alto voices of the viol family, pitched a fifth below the violin, and an octave above the cello.

This is the shortest example of a string trio I could find.  Takes a bit to get going, but is really quite beautiful.

 

 48. ESPN commentator Jeremy: SCHAAP.  Jeremy Albert Schaap (b.1969) is an American sportswriter, television reporter, and author. Schaap is an eleven-time Emmy Award winner for his work on ESPN's E:60, SportsCenter, and Outside the Lines.

51. Mars, to Greeks: ARES.  Two views of the God of War

52. Sch. with a Providence campus: URI.  University of Rhode Island.

53. Tune: SONG. Melody.  We have a few today.

57. Atlantic food fish: SCUP. The scup (Stenotomus chrysops) is a fish which occurs primarily in the Atlantic from Massachusetts to South Carolina.[1] Along with many other fish of the family Sparidae, it is also commonly known as porgy.  First I've ever heard of it.

59. Beach tone: TAN.  Could be the color of the sand; could be the darkening of hour skin from the sun's rays.

60. Genetic material: RNA.  Ribonucleic acid.  It's complicated.

61. That, to Pedro: ESA. Spanish

62. Pkg. measures: WTS.  Weights.

OK, folks, we've reached the end of the line.  Hope you enjoyed the journey.  You know how I love to link music vids.  We had a trainload of them today, and a lot of variety.  Adios, for now.  Stay safe, wear a mask, and wash your hands.  Winter is coming.

Cool regards,

JzB