Theme: SPORTS BARS. Sports-related clues with the last word of the answer being a type of bar: 58A. Places where you can watch (and whose end can follow the ends of) the answers to starred clues.
17A. *Powerful punch: RIGHT CROSS. Boxing/Cross bars. Found in luggage racks and soccer (and football) goals.
26A. *Where the tight end is positioned, in football lingo: STRONG SIDE. American Football/Side bars. An edge column on a web page, or SUV accessories that you can step on to enter the vehicle.
50A. *Shot pioneered by Wilt Chamberlain: FINGER ROLL. Basketball/Roll bars. A protective cage in a racing vehicle.
11D. *2010 St. Andrews competition: BRITISH OPEN. Golf/Open bars. Free drinks.
25D. *Wimbledon event: MENS SINGLES. Tennis/Singles bars. The "meet" market.
Al here.
As usual, ramped up for a Thursday. Seven names, tricky and several cross-referential clues, and a bit unusual. It seems to me that vertical theme answers in a weekday puzzle are seen less often than not.
ACROSS:
1. Piano pro: TUNER. You can't tuna piano, but you can tuna fish. And 49D. Needing a 1-Across: FLAT.
6. Fizzy drink: COLA. Sugar, caramel color, caffeine, phosphoric acid, high fructose corn syrup, coca extract, kola nut extract, lime extract, vanilla and glycerin. Notice that sugar is actually there twice, in first and fifth place. And whoever thought it was a good idea to drink phosphoric acid?
10. Kellogg School deg.: MBA. Master of Business Administration. I'm guessing Kellogg that is part of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
13. UV ray absorber: OZONE. O-Zone is the Moldovan pop group responsible for this internet meme sung in Romanian.
14. x and y, perhaps: AXES. Graphing lines.
15. Blackberry lily, e.g.: IRIS.
19. "Still Life With Old Shoe" artist: MIRO. Joan. Psychedelic...
20. Together, in music: ADUE. For two musicians.
21. Ham: EMOTER. Bad acting.
23. Depict artistically: LIMN. Originally to "illuminate" manuscripts by adding artwork.
29. Polar buildup: ICE CAP.
31. Extremists: ULTRAS.
32. West pointers, sometimes?: VANES. Wind indicators, originally "fane" from Old English "fana", a flag, banner, or piece of cloth.
33. Sulky state: SNIT. Not a horse carriage, but supposedly related nonetheless. A sulky is a one-person conveyance, thus considered to be used by stand-offish people (because there wasn't room for two).
34. See 59-Down: SHOP. 59D. With 34-Across, country club feature: PRO. Where you buy golf equipment and supplies. Sports theme related clues
37. It prints many scheds.: IRS. Tax forms are called schedules. Latin schida: "one of the strips forming a papyrus sheet". Yes, that's about how old taxes are...
38. "Spartacus" Oscar winner: USTINOV. Peter. A 50 year old movie.
41. Mined matter: ORE.
42. Sitcom pal of Fred: DESI. Arnaz and Mertz, I Love Lucy.
44. Shades that fade in fall: TANS. Suntans. This threw me for a bit wondering how brown leaves could fade any further.
45. Bond trader's phrase: AT PAR. Selling a bond at the same price it was issued. Bonds make money by paying dividends.
47. Not completely: IN PART.
49. Admirals' concerns: FLEETS. Enema, enemy, both to be feared.
53. Knife of yore: SNEE. Snickersnee?
54. Like "ASAP" memos: URGENT. Being cynical here, but urgency create by a memo seems to be something created artificially rather than something that is a real emergency...
55. Beer-making aid: OAST. For drying hops.
57. Kerouac's Paradise et al.: SALS. Salvatore Paradise is the "narrator" of On The Road by Jack Kerouac.
64. "Don't change it": STET. Anyone miss this "standing" crossword answer?
65. Liver nutrient: IRON. The liver stores a multitude of substances, including glucose (in the form of glycogen), vitamin A (1–2 years' supply), vitamin D (1–4 months' supply), vitamin B12 (1-3 years' supply), iron, and copper.
66. Bother persistently: NAG AT.
67. Curly shape: ESS.
68. "Forget about it": NOPE.
69. Like an evening in a Frost title: SNOWY. "Whose woods are these, I think I know..."
DOWN:
1. Rocky hill: TOR. From Old English "torr" for tower (of rock).
2. Weapon designer __ Gal: UZI. Uziel Gal, born Gotthard Glas.
3. Nutmeg-topped drink: NOG. Earliest record from1690s, “old, strong type of beer brewed in Norfolk,” of unknown origin. Now a sweetened dairy-based drink whipped with eggs and spiked with various alcohols. Does anyone drink it "plain" (or even at all?)
4. Add pizazz to: ENHANCE.
5. Like many a volunteer: Abbr.: RETD. Retired (so they have time on their hands?)
6. Wedge-shaped mark: CARET. A circumflex, atop the "6" key.
7. Kitchen gadgets brand: OXO.
8. Haitian seaport __ Cayes: LES.
9. Be convinced about: ASSENT TO.
10. Cocktails similar to a Buck's Fizz: MIMOSAS. Champagne + orange juice but combined in different proportions. Grenadine may also be added, but is not an "official" ingredient.
12. Made public: AIRED.
16. Peeved: SORE. and 23D. Really, really 16-Down: LIVID. And 51D. Really 16-Down: IRATE.
18. Where some signs change: CUSP. Latin cuspis: pointed end, (as with a tooth) is the imaginary line which separates any two signs of the zodiac. The Leo/Virgo cusp dates between August 19 and 26, so people born in that range are said to have characteristics of both.
22. Retail VIP: MGR. Manager.
24. Sympathetic words: I CARE.
27. Meet unexpectedly: RUN INTO.
28. Actor Ken and others: OLINS. Sometimes clued with Lena, no relation.
30. Barry Bonds's alma mater, briefly: ASU. Arizona State University.
33. Fab Four member: STARR. Since we just had this recently, I filled it without hesitation, and it was right...
35. Wax eloquent: ORATE. Latin oratus, pp. of orare "pray, plead, speak before a court or assembly". Maybe I'm imagining a connection to orale, (clued as papal fanon), which is part of the vestments the pope wears during a pontifical mass. Fanon also relates to fane (the VANE answer earlier) as a piece of cloth.
36. As such: PER SE.
39. Gets going: STARTS IN.
40. Batman before George: VAL. Val Kilmer was in between Michael Keaton and George Clooney.
43. Consumes: INGESTS.
46. Treaty subject: TEST BAN.
48. Reliever's spot, for short: PEN. In baseball, a relief pitcher warms up in the bull pen.
50. Hoo-ha: FUSS. Perhaps an alteration of force, or imitative of bubbling or sputtering sounds, or from Dan. fjas "foolery, nonsense." No further comment on slang meanings for Hoo-ha, I wouldn't want to cause a fuss...
52. Ben player on "Bonanza": LORNE. Ben Cartwright was played by Lorne Greene (Lymon Himon Green).
56. Payroll figs.: SSNS. Figures, social security numbers.
60. Rider of Dinny the dinosaur: OOP. Alley oop, the caveman comic strip. Never mind that dinosaurs and cavemen didn't live at the same time.
61. In days past: AGO.
62. Untrained: RAW. As in a military recruit.
63. Place to serve slop: STY. Old English sti, stig "hall, pen". Is that why they're called "mess" halls?
Answer Grid.
Al
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