Friday, August 9, 2013, Matt Skoczen

Theme: Clecho Echo

The second Friday in recent memory where we have a single clue for five theme answers; this is a very ambitious offering with three grid spanners and 2 14s. This is my first time blogging one of Matt's works, though he is a regular contributor, with a number of Sunday puzzles, and a few collaborations, such as the recent one with Patti Varol which marti presented. Whenever you have such long fill and only the single, simple clue, you need the perps to get going. I found the theme well thought out, and the rest pretty straightforward, this is one time everyone knows the theme, so let's get to it.

17A. Crash : COMPUTER FAILURE.(15). Nothing more discouraging while writing the blog.

23A. Crash : MARKET COLLAPSE.(14). I was not around for the October 1929 crash, but I was in 1987.

38A. Crash : SHATTERING NOISE.(15). NOISE came easily, the rest did not.

46A. Crash : ENTER UNINVITED.(14). If you want an INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO. (1:25).

57A. Crash : BUNK FOR THE NIGHT.(15). Has to work hard for the BUNK, had the B and Bed at first.

On the the rest of the pieces....

Across:

1. Beachgoer's download : E-BOOK. It is Déjà vu all over again; can you believe we start with two (2) pf marti's LFBAW fill?

6. "Saving Private Ryan" setting : D-DAY.

10. Oz. sextet : TSPS. I was tempted to parse this as T-sps, to keep the game alive.

14. Does a Photoshop task : CROPS.

15. Became frayed : WORE.

16. Heaps : A LOT. An acceptable A word?

20. Cut off : LOP. What you have to do when alot becomes too much.

21. "The Book of ___": Denzel Washington film : ELI.

22. Cook's aid : TIMER. So many choices.

28. Garden tools : HOES. Do we still need Don Imus jokes here?

29. Modern joke response : LOL. Lots of Ls with LOP and

30. Eagerly accept, as praise : LAP UP. Good fill for this feline following.

32. ___ flakes : BRAN. Corn vs. bran.

34. Angle iron : L-BAR. Here we go again, LFBAW.

41. Some code tones : DAHS. Everyone knows this, duh!

42. A line may be drawn in it : SAND.

43. Gift ___ : OF GAB. Nice simple but fun fill.

44. Handle clumsily : PAW.

45. Bibliog. term : ET AL.

53. Reagan's second attorney general : MEESE. Not related to Bullwinkle. LINK.

54. ___ gratia : DEI.

55. Road service org. : AAA.

62. Acronymic French artist : ERTE.

63. Caboose : REAR.

64. One never seen in "Peanuts" : ADULT.

65. French ___ : DOOR. Kiss?

66. Its Old World Style label has a gondola on it : RAGU.

67. Art of verse : POESY. Not really a word I know, kept looking for the "T."

Noun

Poetry: "they were enamored of poesy and the fine arts".

The art or composition of poetry.

Down:

1. "To every thing there is a season" Bible bk. : ECCLesiastes 3:1. I like this VERSION..(3:56).

2. Cleaning tool : BROOM. Brush also fit.

3. Rhythmic song from "Oliver!" : OOM PAH PAH. What FUN. (2:17).

4. Something for nothing?: Abbr. : OPP. Something is the OPPosite of Nothing. (thank you).

5. Sch. near Topeka : KSU. Kansas State University.

6. Resided : DWELT.

7. Greek column style : DORIC. I could write a column on how often we have this fill.

8. Sound from a shelter : ARF. Animal shelter; I have many friends involved in rescue missions.

9. Pro vote : YEA.

10. She was Adrian in "Rocky" : TALIA. First name - first name. Yo!

11. Batter's rough patch : SLUMP. Sadly the Marlins manage to share theirs.

12. Skin features : PORES.

13. Cordwood measure : STERE. This was once a very common fill.

18. Casual shirts : TEES.

19. "___ take a miracle!" : IT'LL.

24. Big wins : ROUTS.

25. Continued, with "up" : KEPT.

26. Chan portrayer : OLAND. All of the Charlie Chan movies are available on You Tube. This oddly cast Swedish gentleman made a bunch of THEM.

27. Like most Michener novels : LONG. Funny way to clue a simple word; but if you read Hawaii or some of the others....

30. '60s hallucinogen : LSD. Speaking of Joe Cocker and Woodstock....

31. "Caught ya!" : AHA.

32. Strength : BRAWN. Loved it crossing BRAN.

33. ___ Tin Tin : RIN. My childhood was more Rin than Lassie.

34. Lite : LO-FAT. No-fat seemed so nice.

35. Foremost : BIG LEAGUE.

36. Mad-hatter connection : AS A.

37. Hardly a Yankee fan? : REBel. Johnny was his name.

39. Old Testament twin : ESAU.

40. "You've got the wrong person" : NOT I. I am grammatically correct and would never have split that infinitive.

44. Bk. intro : PREFace.

45. Songwriter Sands : EVIE. I cannot imagine how I missed this entertainer; I know some of the music. LINK.

46. Add to a website, as a video clip : EMBED. Or to a blog.

47. Prefix with ophthalmology : NEURO. So many choices, again.

48. A bit before the hour : TEN TO. This popped out as TEN OF until I saw our old friend RT.

49. Glacial ridge : ESKER. Every time we see this one, we all say, oh yeah, Last used by John Lampkin on a Sunday. LINK.

50. Conference attendee's wear : ID TAG. I wanted badge.

51. Indian independence leader : NEHRU. And he made cute jackets.

52. Writer Roald and others : DAHLS. If I were a nit picker, I would say gratuitous plural could have been avoided by saying Roald and Arlene.

56. Court fig. : ATTY.

58. "Catch-22" pilot : ORR.

59. Belfast-born actor Stephen : REA. First saw him in the Crying Game.

60. Day break? : NAP. Long fill also means short fill, and this one I find elegant.

61. Words often said in front of a priest : I DO. Or I did,  and I am sorry.

Well we are deep into summer and schools are getting ready in Florida; where does it all go. Hope you enjoyed the journey, look forward to your take.

Lemonade out.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Will Shortz is visiting Minnesota next month. Click here for details. I hope to see some of you there.

2) Regular posters know that CrossEyedDave has been making pizzas in the woods for over 40 years and he's in constant search for a perfect pizza crust. Click here to read his recipe and musings. Please chime in in the Comments section if you have any secret trick to make the crust chewy & fluffy (Papa John's style).

Thursday, August 8, 2013 Nancy Salomon

Theme: "Jeers lookin' at you, kid..."

39-Across. Fans' disapproval, and a hint to the starts of the answers to the starred clues : JEERS.

17-Across. *Flashy theatricality : RAZZMATAZZ. Fun word. I started filling in RAZZledazzle...and ran out of squares. Hmpf.

62-Across. *Folk music shindig : HOOTENANNY. Remember this show?

11-Down. *Tantrums : HISSY FITS. Like what my cats throw when I try to give them a pill...

34-Down. *Hidden hazard : BOOBY TRAP. Would make a great name for a line of lingerie.

I am so honored to blog a puzzle by my heroine, Nancy Salomon. Always crisp themes, and great fill.  She is an inspiration to all cruciverbalists out there. I liked how the JEERS were all part of a longer word, and you had to "tease" them out.

Two tens and two nines circle the grid, with the unifier smack in the middle. So here's the scoop on the rest...

Across:

1. Player with a record 14 100-RBI seasons : A-ROD. Oh, I don't think I will comment on this guy right now. But I will point out that he is the first in a string of "letter-followed-by-a-word" answers in this puzzle. ("LFBAW") Not good, not bad - I just thought it was interesting.

5. Dancer's rail : BARRE. Ballet.

10. Fake : SHAM.

14. Numbskull : BOZO.

15. "Love Story" co-star : O'NEAL. Ryan's famous quote from the movie, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." LFBAW? (Nah...)

16. Hookah, e.g. : PIPE.

19. Soccer shower : ESPN. Not the showers in the locker room, but a channel that shows soccer.

20. Parting that's bid : ADIEU. So long, farewell. 2:57.

21. Childlike sci-fi race : ELOI.

22. Abbr. before a date : EST'D. Established.

23. Remitted : SENT IN.

25. Good to go : READY.

27. Medicinal shrubs : SENNAS.

29. Hoists with difficulty : HEFTS.

32. Can opener : TAB. Those little pull-thingys on top.  They have kind of made "church keys" obsolete.

35. Prepare for a bout : SPAR.

36. Cereal usually served hot : FARINA. Remember this stuff?

37. Hardly first-class fare : SLOP. Amusing to see this word right after 36-A.

41. Bowl over : STUN.

42. Snorkeling spots : ATOLLS.

44. Boozehounds : SOTS.

46. Fr. religious figure : STE. Sainte.

47. Dressed for choir : ROBED.

48. Do like Vassar did in 1969 : GO COED.

50. Co-Nobelist Arafat : YASIR. The official Nobel Prize web site spells his name "Yasser." But I guess it's tough to Anglicize his name:

 محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني

52. GI's work detail : KP DUTY.

55. They may be saturated : FATS.

57. Takes for a ride : CONS.

59. Unsteady on one's feet : AREEL. Aaaaa...(LFBAW?)

61. Piece of farmland : ACRE.

64. Landlocked African country : CHAD. Right smack dab in the middle.

65. Like cardinals : AVIAN. Because "Catholic" wouldn't fit...

66. Belg.-based alliance : NATO. North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

67. Copy editor's find : TYPO.

68. Pomme de ___: French potato : TERRE. Literally, "apple of the earth/soil."

69. Tax cheat chaser, briefly : T-MAN. Treasury man. LFBAW.

Down:

1. Incantation opener : ABRA.cadabra!

2. Places to find forks : ROADS.

3. David and Ricky's dad : OZZIE. From the '50s sitcom "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."

4. By the ___: in quantity : DOZENS. Usually cheaper. (And no, I didn't see Steve Martin's 2003 remake of it.)

5. Scary squeezer : BOA.

6. Insect's pair : ANTENNAE.

7. Not fake : REAL. Are they real, or fake?

8. Maugham's "The ___ Edge" : RAZOR'S.

9. Popeye creator Segar : ELZIE. All perps.

10. Ones ignoring limits : SPEEDERS.

12. Date with a Dr. : APPT. Appointment.

13. Heal : MEND.

18. Makes an unsound decision about? : MUTES. Decides to "un" the sound on the TV, e.g.

24. Dressed for dreamland, briefly : IN PJs. Hef must always be in dreamland.

26. "Bingo!" : AHA.

28. "You ___ Beautiful": Joe Cocker hit : ARE SO. Great song. 2:40

30. Threaded fastener : T-NUT. LFBAW.

31. Right upstairs? : SANE. I laughed out loud when I finally figured this one out!

32. Abdicator of 1917 : TSAR. Nicholas II.

33. Violist's clef : ALTO. Ah, I misread the clue as "violinist's clef." The violin clef is the "treble," but the viola clef is the "alto" or "C" clef.

36. Camera setting : F-STOP. LFBAW.

38. "Sure, go ahead!" : PLEASE DO.

40. Fan club focus : ROCK STAR.

43. Brigham Young's gp. : LDS. Latter Day Saints.

45. Auto leasing choice : SEDAN.

48. Furrow : GROOVE.

49. Three-time NBA scoring champ Kevin : DURANT.

51. Mac messaging program : I-CHAT. LFBAW.

53. Early brunch hr. : TEN AM.  TTP, what time did you get to brunch the other day?

54. Busybody : YENTA. Yiddish origin, now Yinglish loanword.

55. Trivia champ's tidbit : FACT.

56. In need of liniment : ACHY.

58. Roulette bet : NOIR. (Black.) Roulette is French for "wheel."

60. City on the Rhône : LYON. Traditionally spelled "Lyons" in English, but "Rhône" is in French, so it calls for the French spelling.

63. Pittsburgh-to-Boston dir. : ENE. Whew! A gimme for the finish.

Now I must bid ADIEU until next week,

Marti

Wednesday, August 7th, 2013 Michael Dewey

Theme: A Helping of Homophones - the theme entries have similar-sounding final words (with different F sound spellings) and the reveal has both words playing the sound-alike game.

17A Hearty har-har: BELLY LAUGH

26A National Geographic’s first natural one appeared in 1914: COLOR PHOTOGRAPH. "Natural" in this context means the photograph was taken on color film and printed "as is", not hand-tinted. This was the picture - a flower garden in Ghent, Belgium.

47A Group on “The West Wing”: WHITE HOUSE STAFF

62A Container that holds two generous glasses of wine (as well as a double dose of this puzzle’s theme?): HALF  CARAFE

Steve here with Michael's midweek masterpiece (I never let a good alliteration opportunity go begging). The final theme answer only works for me if I drop my British pronunciation and turn all-American - I would say it as "HARF CARAFF" and that rather ruins things!

I enjoyed the theme and cottoned on to it after the first two entries, so it made for mostly plain sailing. I always like to make it hard for myself with one goof, and today filling in JAWS as 10D rather than 10A was the culprit.

Let's see what we've got with the rest of the puzzle.

Across:

1 Shaving product “by Mennen”: AFTA

5 Deep voices: BASSI

10 “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” film: JAWS. Best line in the movie, in my ever-so-humble opinion. Second best: "I'm not going to waste my time arguing with a man who's lining up to be a hot lunch."

14 Talk too much: BLAB. That's probably me on this blog.

15 Class clown’s bit: ANTIC

16 Give __: care: A RAP. I never heard this expression before. I love how you can be (mumble) years old and still learn new words and phrases.

19 Low-lying area: VALE

20 Surpasses: EXCEEDS

21 Qualified for the position: HIRABLE

23 Profs’ protégés, briefly: T.A.'S. Teacher's Pets - I mean Assistants.

24 Prefix with trooper: PARA

25 Its 2014 games will be held in Sochi, Rus.: I.O.C. The International Olympic Committee, who in their wisdom awarded these winter games to a resort with a subtropical climate where temperatures in February have been recorded as high as 70F.

31 The Cavaliers of the ACC: UVA. The University of Virginia, members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

32 Average amount: NORM. Does Norm from "Cheers" drink an average amount?

33 Cape near Cod: ANN. It also gives its name to a style of house:

34 Savor the sun: BASK

36 Halfhearted: TEPID

39 Legend with rackets: ASHE. Tennis star Arthur.

42 “Silent” president Coolidge: CAL. I was going to grumble about the abbreviation of Calvin, but then realized his nickname was "Silent Cal"

44 Other, in Oaxaca: OTRO

46 Slippery one: EEL

52 Carpooling letters: HOV. I chuckle sometimes when I think about a the fact that a "high-occupancy vehicle" here in LA consists of two people. Angelenos really do not like carpooling.

53 Loses luster: DIMS

54 Hawaiian tuna: AHI. Food! Hawaiian ahi poke is one of my go-to favorites when I'm on the islands.

55 Do impressions of: IMITATE

57 “All kidding aside”: I MEAN IT. Usually not a good thing to hear from a parent.

61 Fifth-century pope: LEO I

64 Month following Av: ELUL. Crosses all the way.

65 Pension law acronym: ERISA. I had to look up the Employee Retirement Income Security Act which attempts to safeguard pension contributions from employer jiggery-pokery (I think that's an official term in the wording of the law)

66 Soon: ANON. Webster's declares this to be "archaic" but I use it - "See you anon" and I'm only (mumble) years old. Cheek.

67 Method: Abbr.: SYST. System.

68 Device used before applying 1-Across: RAZOR. I wonder if Occam used Afta?

69 Ilk: SORT. One of the world's most tremendous names is Peregrine Moncreiffe of that Ilk, the clan chief of the Moncreiffes.

Down:

1 French cleric: ABBÉ

2 Move a muscle: FLEX.

3 Powder mineral: TALC

4 Can, after “is”: ABLE TO

5 Where there’s no hair apparent: BALD SPOT. Great clue!

6 Literary collections: ANAS

7 VW preceders?: STU. Alphabet.

8 Show exasperation toward: SIGH AT

9 Suzuki with 10 MLB Gold Gloves: ICHIRO. First of two baseball references today - Ichiro is an immensely-talented outfielder now with the New York Yankees.

10 Bean-based beverage: JAVA

11 Indian Ocean arm: ARABIAN SEA

12 Long homer, say: WALLOP. As well as 10 Gold Glove awards, the aforementioned Ichiro also won three Silver Sluggers, so we can safely say he's hit a few wallops in his career.

13 Valedictorian’s big moment: SPEECH

18 Hanker (for): YEARN

22 Sitar music: RAGA. Here's a nice example of the genre.

24 Like some 13-Downs: POMPOUS

26 Babe in the woods: CUB

27 Egg cells: OVA

28 Lewd: LASCIVIOUS. Word of the day for me. I hope I'm never described as this!

29 Otto I’s realm: Abbr.: H.R.E. Second "Abbr." cluing today. The Holy Roman Empire.

30 Genetic material: RNA. Is it an R? Is it a D? I'll wait and see.

35 Kit __ Klub: “Cabaret” setting: KAT

37 “__ now or never”: IT'S

38 Ideal wheels: DREAM CAR. As far as current production cars are concerned, here's mine - the Aston-Martin DB9

40 Playboy nickname: HEF. Mr. Hugh Hefner of dressing-gown fame.

41 Rivendell dweller: ELF. The Lord of the Rings has been very handy for crossword puzzle constructors with all kinds of three-letter denizens of Middle Earth (Orc and Ent are but two more). It also gives me an excuse to post a picture of the lovely Liv Tyler in her role as Arwen.

43 Mother of Helen of Troy: LEDA

45 Milo of the movies: O'SHEA

47 Makes pass, as time, with “away”: WHILES

48 Hardly handsome: HOMELY

49 __ and yon: HITHER. I honestly thought this was the other way around! In England we also have "hither and thither" - try saying that three times quickly.

50 1998 PGA Player of the Year Mark: O'MEARA. He was something of a late bloomer - he played 15 years on the tour before he won his first major (the Masters) and then won the Open Championship the same year, hence his Player of the Year award. Oddly, after that 1998 blaze of glory he never won on the tour again.

51 Pageant toppers: TIARAS

56 Lean: TILT. The L was the last letter for me today. I was thinking "low fat" lean and I didn't know ELUL so I had to play the alphabet game. It was only the second time through that I saw the "other" lean meaning.

57 “Should that be true ...”: IF SO

58 iPod mini successor: NANO

59 “__ one, think that ...”: I FOR

60 Camper’s shelter: TENT

63 Fashion’s Claiborne: LIZ

That's all from me today. Enjoy your collective Wednesdays!

Steve

Tuesday, August 6, 2013 Victor Barocas

Theme: Pop Art - Three series of paintings by a leading figure in the visual art movement.

17A. "A revolution is not a dinner party" leader : MAO TSE TUNG. A series of prints based on a photograph. He used the same technique for Marilyn.

28A. It's "M'm! M'm! Good!" : CAMPBELL'S SOUP

46A. Actress born Norma Jeane Mortenson : MARILYN MONROE

60A. Artist born 8/6/1928 who painted 17-, 28- and 46-Across : ANDY WARHOL

Argyle here. Rather straightforward puzzle for this eccentric artist. There were a few unexpected nuggets, however.

Across:

1. Snack in a shell : TACO

5. Walked the floor : PACED

10. "Survivor" host Probst : JEFF

14. Attending a Lakers home game, briefly : IN LA

15. Indian coin : RUPEE

16. __-friendly : USER

19. Mama's guy, to baby : "DADA"

20. Bird Down Under : EMU

21. Philosopher __-tzu : LAO

22. Month named for an emperor : AUGUST. Sheesh, I keep reading it as Moth.

24. Word in "The Shining" with two mirror-image letters : [REDRUM]. Scary movie.

26. Get the whole family together : REUNE. Back formation from reunion I supose. Found chiefly in NYT puzzles.

33. Out of control : AMOK

35. Granny Smith, e.g. : APPLE

36. Sch. founded by Jefferson : UVA. The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.

37. Strips (of), as property : DIVESTS

40. Made bubbly : AERATED

42. Big diamond : ACE

43. Spring Zodiac sign : ARIES

45. "__ the night ..." : 'TWAS

50. Sunday dinner entrée : ROAST

51. Leaking slowly : OOZING

54. Football field shape : OBLONG. Stretched out square... or circle. I was thinking it may have meant the football itself.

57. Last year's jrs. : SRs

58. Icky stuff : GOO

59. Educator with an elite list : DEAN

64. "Whip It" rockers : DEVO. If you need a reminder. LINK(2:39)

65. Youngest of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : IRINA. (not on my reading list)

66. Road curve : BEND

67. Hand measurement : SPAN

68. Skater Kerrigan : NANCY. She was the one clubbed on her knee in January 1994.

69. Hunch, say : IDEA

Down:

1. Hourglass or stopwatch : TIMER

2. Make __ for oneself : A NAME

3. Sun blocker : CLOUD COVER. The SPF varies.

4. Feed bag morsel : OAT

5. Stereo system signal booster : PREAMP

6. "Car Talk" topic : AUTO. AUDI would have worked, too.

7. PC brain : CPU. (central processing unit)

8. Twilight, to a bard : E'EN. A contraction of even which is a contraction of evening. Those crazy poets!

9. General for whom a Paris airport is named : DE GAULLE

10. Bench warmers? : JUDGES

11. Jacob's twin : ESAU

12. T-men and G-men : FEDS

13. Toga party setting : FRAT. (fraternity house)

18. Skid row area : SLUM

23. Racing family name : UNSER

25. Leaf-gathering tool : RAKE

26. Sales staff member : REP

27. Texas border city : EL PASO

29. Sinks : BASINS

30. Was more important than : OUTWEIGHED

31. Eye part containing the iris : UVEA

32. Goalie equipment : PADS

33. Sandler of "Spanglish" : ADAM

34. Isinglass : MICA. Translucent mineral.

38. Place to get a perm : SALON

39. "Give it another shot" : "TRY AGAIN"

41. Encyclopedia range : A TO Z

44. CPR expert : EMT

47. Like some decals : IRON-ON

48. Ibsen's country : NORWAY. Henrik Johan Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. Wikipedia

49. Alabama-born activist Parks : ROSA

52. Dismal turnout for a party : NO ONE. Shoulda had a toga party.

53. Israel's Meir : GOLDA

54. Bookie's offering : ODDS

55. Answering machine alert : BEEP

56. Eruption output, perhaps : LAVA

57. Together, after "in" : SYNC

61. Second Amendment org. : NRA. (National Rifle Association)

62. Clamor : DIN

63. Sac fly result : RBI. Sac, short for sacrifice, because even though the batter is out, a run scores.

Argyle

Monday, August 5, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Victor Juliet - The two word theme entries begin with the same letters.

18A. Funny bits you need to see : VISUAL JOKES

28A. Personal assessments of worth : VALUE JUDGMENTS

47A. V8 Spicy Hot, e.g. : VEGETABLE JUICE

60A. Music channel host whose abbreviation hints at this puzzle's theme : VIDEO JOCKEY

Argyle here. Another ten days and this could have been clued as V-J Day. Oh well.

Across:

1. Abbr. on old Eurasian maps : SSR. (Soviet Socialist Republic)

4. Video game area : ARCADE

10. Dashboard gauge, briefly : TACH. (tachometer)

14. Green org. with a floral logo : EPA

15. Honeybunch : DEARIE. When a waitress calls me Dearie, why should she get mad when I call her Sweet Cheeks?

16. Scandinavian capital that uses garbage to generate energy : OSLO. But they don't have ENOUGH! LINK.

17. Stephen Colbert asset : WIT

20. Bangkok native : THAI

22. T-shirt size array, briefly : SML. (small, medium, large)

23. Online finance company : E-LOAN

24. Building blocks of matter : ATOMS

25. Cheerios grain : OAT

27. Prefix with verse : UNI

33. Eisenhower and Turner : IKEs

34. Tolkien monster : ORC. Definitely not short for orchid. SCENE(2:59)

35. Post- opposite : PRE-

36. Arnaz of Hollywood : DESI

37. "I give up!" : "UNCLE!"

39. H.S. exam : PSAT

43. Gov. Cuomo's domain : NYS. (New York State)

45. Inner tube filler : AIR

46. Nobelist Morrison : TONI. (1993 Nobel Prize for Literature) She previously won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved in 1988.

51. Animation frame : CEL

52. Govt.-issued ID : SSN. (Social Security number)

53. Often-pressed key : ENTER

54. Negative particle : ANION

56. Former NBAer __ Ming : YAO. What is he doing now? Follow on Twitter.

59. Tapped barrels : KEGS

63. Cooperstown Hall of Famer Mel : OTT

65. Sealed, as a win : ICED

66. "Man of the House" author Tip : O'NEILL. He served as Speaker of the House from 1977 until his retirement in 1987.

67. Division of history : ERA

68. Subtraction word : LESS

69. "Stop dreaming!" : "BE REAL!"

70. Roget entry: Abbr. : SYN. (synonym)

Down:

1. Attach a button, say : SEW

2. Bit of physical comedy with a sprayed beverage : SPIT TAKE

3. Entry points for some rodent nests : RAT HOLES

4. Provide counsel to : ADVISE

5. Portuguese king : REI. Yes, now we need to learn Portuguese.

6. Pop's Mama : CASS. (Cass Elliot)

7. Calla lily family : ARUM

8. Conversation in a screenplay : DIALOG

9. Cooked sushi fish : EEL

10. Hammer or saw : TOOL

11. Invite to dinner, e.g. : ASK OUT

12. Spruces up : CLEANS

13. Egypt's Mubarak : HOSNI. Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak is a former Egyptian President, leader and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. Wikipedia

19. Yankee shortstop Derek : JETER. Derek Jeter has strained calf, return uncertain. SI

21. Funny : AMUSING

24. Enthusiastic : AVID

26. Electric current unit : AMPERE. Named after French physicist André Marie Ampère.

29. Knight games : JOUSTS

30. Decorative vase : URN

31. 1983 Mr. T film : DC CAB

32. Planet farthest from the Sun, now : NEPTUNE

38. "__ Abner" : LI'L

40. "C'est la vie" : "SO IT GOES"

41. Family tree subject : ANCESTRY

42. Bleacher part : TIER

44. Simple question type : YES/NO

47. Grand Canal city : VENICE

48. Slurs over : ELIDES

49. "I wouldn't do this for just __" : ANYONE

50. Hyde was his alter ego : JEKYLL. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the original title of a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. Wikipedia

51. Raise petty objections : CAVIL. (strange word) Word Origin & History "cavil" 1548, from M.Fr. caviller "to mock, jest," from L. cavillari "to satirize, argue scoffingly," from cavilla "jeering". Etymonline

55. Weighty Brit. references : OEDs. (Oxford English Dictionary)

57. Masterful server : ACER. (tennis)

58. Dust Bowl migrant : OKIE

61. LinkedIn listing : JOB. For awhile, I was recieving spam claming to be LinkedIn.

62. She, in Lisbon : ELA. See, more Portuguese.

64. Beachgoer's goal : TAN

Argyle