Wednesday February 24, 2021 Bryant White

 Theme: LET'S HANG OUT.  Here is today's theme song from my first trombone idol.  It's only 1 minute 38 seconds.

All the theme elements except the unifier are vertical, and that means something, as we shall soon see.

3 D. Blood-drinking mammal: VAMPIRE BAT.  They are pretty nasty looking, and I couldn't find a suitable pic of one hanging, but it is what they do, so use your imagination.

5 D. High light: CHANDELIER.  A ceiling- mounted light fixture that light hangs, shedding its light from above.

7. D Spelunking sight: STALACTITE. A hanging formation formed by the solidification of a dripping liquid.  I limestone caves these are mineral formations resulting from the drip of dissolved material from the ceiling.  Icicles are also stalactites, though rather more short-lived

9 D. Support for Tarzan: JUNGLE VINE.  Or, for George, though not without its mishaps.  Anyway something for a swinger to hang onto.

51. Loitering ... or how 3-, 5-, 7- and 9-Down might be seen?: HANGING AROUND.  Loitering is a less literal version of hanging.  More literally, It's the only thing these danglers have in common.  

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here to hang out with you for a while.  There's a puzzle waiting so let's get down to it.

Across:

1. It may break and crash: WAVE.  The ocean variety

5. It has an eye on TV: CBS.  Network logo for the Columbia Broadcasting System.

8. Slightly open: AJAR.

12. Sea that's a victim of irrigation projects: ARAL.  It keeps shrinking.

13. Water park feature: CHUTE.  SLIDE also fits.  Either way, you travel down in or on it.

15. Heavyweight fight?: SUMO.  Japanese wrestlers

16. Capital founded by Pizarro: LIMA.  Peru.

17. They may draft briefs: PARAS.  PARA-legal, I assume.

18. Saloon door's lack: KNOB.  Swings both ways.

 

 19. Civil War topper: KEPI. A cap with a flat top and visor of French origin, typically associated with a military organization.  Read more here.

20. Tattoo joint?: ANKLE.  Flexing body part, not a tattoo parlor.  I guess ankles probably get more tattoos than knees.

It is written

21. Folklore monster: OGRE.

 

 22. Move furtively: SLINK.or SKULK

24. "Breaking Bad" org.: DEA.  The Drug Enforcement Administration is tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S.

25. Verne who created Nemo: JULES.  In the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. 

26. Dodger rival of shortstop Rizzuto: REESE.    Harold Peter Henry "Pee Wee" Reese (1918 - 1999) played for the Dodgers in Brooklyn and then L.A. from 1940 to 1958.  He was a 10-time all-star and inducted into the Hall of fame in 1984.  Philip Francis Rizzuto (1917 – 2007) played for the Yankees from 1941 t0 1956.  He entered the Hall of Fame in 1994

28. Bucket of bolts: CRATE. Derisive terms for a decrepit automobile.

30. "Evita" narrator: CHE.  Ernesto "Che" Guevara [1928-1967] was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia in popular culture.

32. Gummy bear ingredient: GELATIN.  Of course.

34. YouTube clip, for short: VID.  Video for long.

37. Prefix with call: ROBO-.  An automated telephone call which delivers a recorded message, typically on behalf of a political party or telemarketing company.  And the reason why I let all call from unrecognized callers go to the answering machine.  They rarely leave a message.

39. Meek: TIMID.  Showing a lack of courage or confidence.

40. Tubes on the table: ZITI.  Extruded pasta tubes, usually with square cut ends.

41. Sonicare rival: ORAL-B.  Makers of electric tooth-brushes.. They are especially useful if you have electric teeth.

43. Get into a stew?: EAT.  Here indicating something you can chow down on.  Odd though, since the stew actually gets into you.

44. One who digs hard rock: MINER.  Ore retriever who might or might not also be a head banger.

45. Wedding reception hiree: CATERER.  One who supplies food and the necessary accessories.

47. Pressing: EXIGENT. Demanding and immediate.  I had to look it up.

49. Catch a bug, say: AIL.  Have an illness.  I have a vaccine appointment on Saturday.

50. Energy unit: ERG.  A tiny unit.  One of my professors defined this as the amount of energy it takes for one fly to do one push-up

58. Magic prop: WAND.  A long, thin stick, or rod.

59. Tech company that became a verb: XEROX.  A brand name for copying machines that morphed into a verb for making copies.

60. Source: ROOT.  That from which something comes.

62. Harper's Bazaar designer: ERTE.  Roman Petrovich Tyrtov [1892-1990] had an illustrious career that included designing costumes and stage sets.  Between 1915 and 1937, Erté designed over 200 covers for Harper's Bazaar, and his illustrations would also appear in such publications as Illustrated London News, Cosmopolitan, Ladies' Home Journal, and Vogue.

63. Absurd: INANE.  Silly

64. Swear to be true: AVOW.  

65. Tap serving: BEER.  Or ALES.  Good either way 

66. California's Point __ National Seashore: REYES.  A peninsula north-west of the Golden Gate with a vast expanse of protected coastline in Northern California’s Marin County with both beaches and a rocky headland.

67. Cook Islands export: TARO.  Colocasia esculenta is a tropical plant grown primarily for its edible corms.

Down:

1. Constitutional events: WALKS.  Going out for a walk, especially to get fresh air and exercise, often referred to the activity as "taking a constitutional walk." The word "constitutional" refers to one's constitution or physical makeup, so a constitutional walk was considered beneficial to one's overall wellbeing. (Or, as some would prefer to call it, "wellness.") The phrase is more common in British literature than in American letters. Source.

 2. Disney mermaid: ARIEL.  

 

 4. "Seinfeld" regular: ELAINE.

 

 6. Delta of "Designing Women": BURKE.

8. Try to date: ASK OUT.

10. Love, to Luigi: AMORE.  Literal, in Italian.

11. Judicial attire: ROBES.  Makes them look judicial, I suppose.

13. One working on bks.: CPA.  A Certified Public Accountant works on financial records.

14. Linguistic suffix: -ESE.  

23. It may be tapped: KEG.   For BEER or ale.

25. Fifth of 12, alphabetically: Abbr.: JAN.  When arranged this way, April,  August, December and February precede January.  Not sure why anyone would do this.

27. Place for shooting stars?: SET.  With movie cameras.

29. Free (of): RID.  out, out, damned spot.

30. Shoe that's full of holes: CROC. Confuse them with gaiters at your peril.

31. Dance that may involve a chair: HORA.  Though not always, it seems.

 

 

33. Reddit Q&A session: AMA.  Ask Me Anything.

35. Cal.-to-Fla. highway: I-TEN.  It spans 2460 miles from Santa Monica, CA to Jacksonville, FL

36. Gossip: DIRT.  I can dig it.

38. Poisonous flowering shrub: OLEANDER.

40. Terraced structure of ancient Mesopotamia: ZIGGURAT.  A terraced structure of successively receding levels,

42. Naval lockup: BRIG.  Shipboard jail.

44. Surrealist Joan: MIRO.   Joan Miró Ferra [1893 - 1983]  was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist.

 

46. Magical potion: ELIXIR.

 

 48. Persian king: XERXES.  [c. 518 – August 465 BCE,] commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC. 

51. "__ Trigger": Bugs Bunny cartoon: HARE.  Not sure why I can't come up with the full cartoon. Here are the beginning and end.

 

 52. Stud fee, maybe: ANTE.  Stud poker, not what you're thinking.

53. Hawaiian goose: NENE.   Found only in Hawaii and crosswords.

From Wikipedia

54. Anatomy book author Henry: GRAY.  Gray's Anatomy is a textbook of human anatomy written by Gray and illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter.  It was first published in 1858.

55. Five-star: A-ONE.  First rate.

56. Smoked salmon: NOVA.  The name for this salmon comes from its origin, in Nova Scotia, Canada, where salmon is cured and then cold smoked. The color is a much deeper pink, almost a burnt orange, compared to other cured salmon. The fish flavor is also a bit more intense than lox or gravlax.

57. Cuckoo clock feature: DOOR.  Whence commeth the bird.

58. Baseball glove part: WEB.

61. Vegas snake eyes: TWO.  A pair of one-spot dice.

Thanks for hanging out today, friends.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Cool regards!

JzB

L.A. Times Crossword Wednesday, February 10, 2021 Catherine Cetta

Theme -- I can't do much better than the unifier, so let's start with that.

 56 A. Relatively unknown quality items ... and what can be found in 16-, 26- and 42-Across: HIDDEN GEMS.  Typically something great that most people don't know about.  Here, it's literally precious stones hidden in the theme fill.

16 A. Arose to catch the proverbial worm: GOT UP EARLY.  Arise before dawn - or, in my case, before 9:00 a.m.  Do that that and you might be able to catch an oyster with a perfect PEARL.  This is a small, spherical, usually white object that forms around a grain of sand inside the shellfish.  Pearls are commonly strung together as a necklace.

 

26 A. Award won twice by Adele and Kelly Clarkson: BEST POP ALBUM.   Awards in several categories are distributed annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position."  The 2020 winner was Billie Eilish for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?   An OPAL is a soft hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·nH2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. The gemstone opal shows a variable interplay of internal colors, 

42 A. Philanthropist who was a Time Person of the Year co-honoree in 2005: MELINDA GATES.  In 2000, she and her husband Bill Gates co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable organization as of 2015.  Read more about her here.  "AGATE is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, consisting of a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate dates back to Ancient Greece in assorted jewelry and in the seal stones of Greek warriors." [Wikipedia]

Hi, Gang, JazzBumps here. These are all gems of the minor variety; no diamonds in the rough here.  Lets see what else of value we can discover in today's puzzle.

Across:

1. Not imagined: REAL.  No matter how wild your flights of fancy, there is always the REAL world to come back to.

5. On: ATOP.  

9. Arthur of tennis: ASHE.

13. Country quarters: INNS.  Establishments for the lodging and entertainment of travelers, generally smaller than hotels and with fewer amenities.

14. Be behind: TRAIL.  Lag

15. Skier's need, maybe: SNOW.   For several varieties of down-hill or cross-country skiing

18. Presidents' Day event: SALE.  Many holidays really.

19. Ivy League student: ELI.  Specifically at Yale U.

20. Dynamic prefix: AERO.  Designed to reduce air drag and/or wind resistance.

21. Sushi bar brews: SAKES.  A fermented rice beverage

22. Ristorante favorite: LASAGNA.  Layers of noodles, meat and cheese, usually with a tomato based sauce. 

24. "Holy smokes!": ZOWIE.  Golly!

30. Monks' wear: COWLS.  Long, hooded garments with wide sleeves, sometimes, just the hood. 

33. Total drubbing: ROUT.  Like a bad Super Bowl game.

34. Flatow of "Science Friday": IRA.  [b. 1949] A radio and television journalist and author.

 
35. Opposite of home: AWAY.  

36. Dozen dozen: GROSS.  That's 144 of anything.

38. Craftsy etailer: ETSY.  An American e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. 

39. Tiny, for short: LI'L.  Little, for long

40. "Not long": SOON. Li'l bit of time.

41. Guilty and not guilty: PLEAS.  Formal statements by or on behalf of a defendant or prisoner, stating guilt or innocence in response to a charge, offering an allegation of fact, or claiming that a point of law should apply.

46. Spectrum maker: PRISM.  Could be a brand name product or service, but not this time.  A PRISM will divide white light into color components, based on wave length.

Light Weight

47. Comment after a missed shot: NICE TRY.  Condolence or sarcasm?

51. Characteristic: TRAIT. A distinguishing quality of a person or thing.

53. Shred: IOTA.  Tiny amount

54. Tint: HUE. Coloration

55. "I didn't mean to do that": OOPS.  Utterance after an accident.

59. Unmitigated joy: GLEE. Originally, the specific joy of music and singing.

60. Seller, usually: OWNER. Or his/her agent.

61. Its symbol is Fe: IRON.  Elemental metal.

62. Some cameras, for short: SLRS.  Single Lens Reflex.

63. Amorously pursues: WOOS. 

64. Fiddling emperor: NERO.  While Rome burns.

Down:

1. Orion's left foot, some say: RIGEL.  Rigel is a blue supergiant that is the brightest star in the constellation Orion (the Hunter). Due to its measured size and brightness it is expected to end in a supernova one day. 

2. __ Gay: ENOLA.  a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets. On 6 August 1945, piloted by Tibbets and Robert A. Lewis during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb.

3. Naysayers: ANTIs.  Those with negative viewpoints.

4. Pelican State sch.: LSU.   Louisiana State University.

5. Biblical mount: ARARAT.  Legendary landing place of Noah's Arc. 

6. Tropical root vegetable: TARO.  A food staple in African, Oceanic and South Asian cultures.

7. Squeaky-wheel need: OIL.  Lubricant.

8. Tissue layer: PLY.  A single layer of any multiple layer construction, such as ply wood.

9. Attack: ASSAIL.

10. Hazard in many old Westerns: SNAKE BITE.  

11. Opening: HOLE.   An aperture or gap.

12. Lambs' moms: EWES.  Female sheep.

14. New drivers, typically: TEENS.  People between the ages of 13 and 19, inclusive.

17. Novel units: PAGES.  Not new and unusual things, but the two-sided papers bound into books.

21. Whack at a mosquito: SWAT.

23. With skill: ABLY.  

24. Family outing destinations: ZOOS.

25. Numbered piece: OPUS.  A separate composition or set of compositions by a particular composer, usually ordered by date of publication.

27. Outlet insert: PRONG.  A slender pointed or projecting part: such as a fang of a tooth ora point of an antler, or an electric plug.

28. Celestial bear: URSA.  Either the URSA MAJOR or URSA MINOR constellation.

29. First Black MLB team captain, 1964: MAYS.  Willie Howard Mays Jr., [b 1931] nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid", is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He spent almost all of his 22-season Major League Baseball career playing for the New York/San Francisco Giants before finishing his career with the New York Mets. [Wikipedia]

30. Not nervous: CALM.  Serene.

31. Something Mommy needs to kiss?: OWIE.  Booboo.

32. Computer screen background: WALLPAPER.

36. Odin and Thor: GODS.  In the Aesir.

37. Wander: ROAM.  

38. "Need anything __?": ELSE.

40. Sulky state: SNIT.

41. Pie nut: PECAN. 

43. Flowery van Gogh work: IRISES.   You can see it here.

44. Battery terminals: ANODES.  And Cathodes

45. Solution strength measure: TITER.  Determined by 2 conflicting methods.  Read about it here.

48. "Over __!": THERE.   A 1917 song written by George M. Cohan that was popular with the United States military and public during both world wars. It is a patriotic song designed to galvanize American young men to enlist and fight.

 

 49. Something from a mill?: RUMOR.  People who start and spread rumors.

50. Type of survey question: YES/NO.  As opposed to multiple guess.

51. Duds: TOGS.  Clothing.

52. Dinner table staple: ROLL.  A small, usually round or oblong individual loaf of bread served as a meal accompaniment (eaten plain or with butter)

53. License plate fig.: ID NO.  Identification Number.

56. "__ come?": HOW.  Said when asking how or why something happened or is the case.

57. Iconic WWII island, briefly: IWO.  An island 750 miles south of Tokyo. It was the site of an iconic WW II battle in February and March of 1945.

Raising the Flag

58. Winning game cry: GIN.   From a card game, not a martini, alas.

So goes another Wednesday.  Hope it was valuable.

Cool Regards!

JzB

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