THURSDAY, June 17, 2010 — Robert W. Harris

Theme: Movie Mash-Up — Theme answers are names of movies with other (shorter) movie names embedded in them.


Theme answers:

• 17A: Alan Alda feature with a Will Smith short (CALIFORNIA SUITE).
• 27A: William Hurt feature with a Warren Beatty short (ALTERED STATES).
• 47A: Barbara Stanwyck feature with a Dustin Hoffman short (NO MAN OF HER OWN).
• 62A: Michael Redgrave feature with a Helen Gahagan short (THE LADY VANISHES).

Not my favorite puzzle of the year. I like the idea, but I'm not crazy about the execution. First, the theme clues absolutely need to end in question marks. I'm all "Really? Alan Alda did a movie that featured a Will Smith short? Huh." Well, no. He didn't. Second, I haven't heard of four of the theme films, and all four of those are in the bottom of the grid. THE LADY VANISHES sounds vaguely familiar, but none of the others rang any bells whatsoever. That sort of detracts from the enjoyability factor for me. I can't figure out how I feel about seeing nine straight-up crosswordese answers in the grid. That seems like too many for a Thursday. On the other hand, I struggled with parts of this grid (particularly in the south) so the crosswordese helped quite a bit.

Quick Hits:

• 5A: Hall & Oates hit "__ Smile" (SARA). This video has nothing to do with "Sara Smile." But I ran across it while I was looking for an appropriate video and it's just too good not to share.



• 39A: Terhune collie (LAD). I had no idea what this meant. I assumed Terhune was a place in Ireland and collie : boy :: lassie : girl. But no. Albert Payson Terhune wrote novels about his collie whose name was Lad. Not sure I'm excited about knowing that.
• 65A: Ipse __ (DIXIT). Latin for "he himself said it."

• 66A: Grand Marquis, briefly (MERC). The Grand Marquis is a car made by Mercury.
• 5D: Norman athletes (SOONERS). Oh, I like this tricky one. The teams at the University of Oklahoma (in Norman, Oklahoma), are called Sooners.
• 8D: Klingons, e.g. (ALIENS). I think that would depend on where you are at the time you make the assertion.
• 38D: Rice, to Montana (TEAMMATE). I haven't paid attention to football in many, many years and I couldn't grasp the idea that Jerry Rice and Joe Montana were from the same era. I thought Rice might have been Montana's MENTOR (which, obviously, doesn't fit). Turns out their stints with the San Francisco 49'ers overlapped from 1985 to 1992. Also, Jerry Rice is black. I swear I didn't know that until just now.

Crosswordese 101: Time to learn about Morse code. Did you know that Morse code's dots and dashes are also called "dits" and "DAHS" (40D: Some code signals)? Well now you do. The letter T in Morse code is one "dah." The letter E is one "dit." You probably know the sequence for SOS from watching Hogan's Heroes or something.

Other crosswordese in the puzzle that we've already covered:

• 15A: GM subsidiary since 1929 (OPEL).
• 46A: Montana motto word (ORO).
• 53A: Former flier (SST).
• 68A: "Gymnopédies" composer (SATIE).
• 70A: Kiln for drying hops (OAST).
• 35D: Sign at a popular musical (SRO).
• 49D: Indian royal (RANI).
• 64D: Dada daddy? (ARP).

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Everything Else — 1A: Tired (LIMP); 9A: Beast of burden (LLAMA); 14A: Higher than (OVER); 15A: GM subsidiary since 1929 (OPEL); 16A: Lady who reportedly exchanged barbs with Churchill (ASTOR); 20A: Like some condors (ANDEAN); 21A: Net worth factor (DEBT); 22A: __ leaf (TEA); 23A: Part of a process (STEP); 25A: They take vows (NUNS); 32A: Prefix with sac (OVI-); 33A: Familiar saying (SAW); 34A: Fuses, as ore (SMELTS); 36A: Prepare to fire on (AIM AT); 41A: Hot fragment (EMBER); 42A: Sets aside for later consideration (TABLES); 44A: "Excellent!" ("RAD!"); 51A: Frantically (AMOK); 52A: Management ally of a sort (SCAB); 56A: Dick of adventure fiction (MOBY); 58A: WWII encryption machine (ENIGMA); 67A: Depressing situation, with "the" (PITS); 69A: Spot (ESPY); 1D: Crazy, in a Ricky Martin song (LOCA); 2D: Russian John (IVAN); 3D: Blend (MELD); 4D: Christian guide (PRIEST); 6D: Boston Marathon mo. (APR.); 7D: Split apart (REND); 9D: Job application line (LAST NAME); 10D: Fightin' Tigers' sch. (LSU); 11D: Working (AT IT); 12D: Small particle (MOTE); 13D: Region (AREA); 18D: Inevitable outcome (FATE); 19D: Borders (ABUTS); 24D: Big ring (PEAL); 26D: 31-Down opposite (STEM); 27D: Bird-related (AVIAN); 28D: Dance at a bar (LIMBO); 29D: Doc, for one (DWARF); 30D: Attention-getting joint (ELBOW); 31D: 26-Down opposite (STERN); 32D: Cereal grass (OAT); 37D: __ mater (ALMA); 43D: Hair net (SNOOD); 45D: Propriety (DECENCY); 48D: "I find that acceptable" ("OK BY ME"); 50D: San Luis __ (OBISPO); 53D: Agreed-on guidelines: Abbr. (STDS.); 54D: Branch of Islam (SHIA); 55D: Message often sent using thumbs (TEXT); 57D: First name in fashion (YVES); 59D: Karmann __: sports car (GHIA); 60D: 1986 World Series champs (METS); 61D: Helper: Abbr. (ASST.); 63D: First-century date (LII).

THURSDAY, January 7, 2010 — Robert W. Harris

Theme: Location, Location, Location — Puns on "familiar" phrases clued as places where ... things happen.

Theme answers:

• 18A: Where yearbooks are made? (ANNUAL PLANT).
• 26A: Where Hershey's makes new discoveries? (CHOCOLATE LAB).
• 47A: Where astronauts worship? (SPACE MISSION).
• 60A: Where littlenecks try their luck? (CLAMS CASINO).

Whoa. A couple too many WTFs in this puzzle for it to be enjoyable for me. And actually, a couple WTFs are okay, but there are three in the theme clues/answers alone for me. First of all, I could not figure out what ANNUAL PLANT was supposed to mean. I guess it means one of those plants that blooms annually. I've only heard them referred to as "annuals," but I'm definitely not much of a garden person, so I wouldn't be surprised if my experience isn't shared by one and all. Second, "littlenecks"? I guess that's a type of clam. I grew up in North Dakota which, in case you don't know, is super far away from the ocean. Not a lot of clam-talking going on in Fargo is what I'm saying. And, finally, CLAMS CASINO? I had to look that up. Never heard of it. And that's not even the bad part. In the first theme entry, the word yearbook = annual in the clue, but in the answer annual = once per year. In the second theme entry, the word Hershey's = chocolate in the clue (or a chocolate company anyway), but in the answer chocolate = a color. In the last two, however, the operative words mean the same thing in both the clue and the answer. Astronaut is related to space and in the answer, space = space. Littlenecks = clams and guess what CLAMS CASINO is. It's a type of appetizer made with ... clams. I guess what I'm saying is that I already don't like the theme because two of the answers are phrases I've never heard of. Add to that the (to me) glaring inconsistency and, well, meh. (And that's being awfully polite about it.)

Huh?

• 68A: Early five-and-dime entrepreneur (KRESS). Thought this guy might be the founder of Kmart, but that's Sebastian S. Kresge. Samuel Henry Kress founded S. H. Kress & Co. five and ten cent stores 60+ years before Kmart ever existed. Of course, since neither one of those guys is named Woolworth, I had no chance with this one.
• 1D: Bit of bullring gear (CAPA). Um, what? I assumed that must be Spanish for cape, but Babel Fish says cape in Spanish is cabo. And capa translates to it castrates. Hmmm....
• 3D: Men's formalwear (TAILCOATS). Never heard this whole word before — only heard tails.

One more ugly thing I noticed and then I promise I'll stop talking about this puzzle. I don't think I've ever seen this many plurals (that end in S) in one puzzle. In addition to the already mentioned TAILCOATS, there are eleven — ELEVEN — plurals in this puzzle.

• 32A: Broods (MOPES).
• 33A: What some tickets are for (SEATS).
• 41A: Some religious observances (FASTS).
• 50A: Prof's helpers (TAS).
• 9D: Melonlike fruits (PAPAYAS).
• 10D: Wings with blueprints (ELLS).
• 12D: Trig functions (SINES).
• 38D: "The War of the Worlds" invaders, e.g. (ETS).
• 44D: Raw or burnt pigments (SIENNAS).
• 45D: Typical home-loan contract obligations (ESCROWS).
• 50D: Dash instruments (TACHS).

None of these words cross at the terminal S, so they've got that going for them. But, Jeez Louise, that's a lot of Ss.

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P.S. Before you spent way too much time on it, I just want you to know that the pictures included in the blog today are totally random. I'm not really sure why I did it that way, but it just felt right to me for some reason.

P.P.S. Dan Naddor's obituary ran yesterday in the L.A. Times.

Everything Else — 1A: Cool one (CAT); 4A: Overused (STALE); 9A: Drink with a "generation" (PEPSI); 14A: Kitchen catchphrase (ALA); 15A: Implied (TACIT); 16A: Betting everything, in poker (ALL IN); 17A: Food made from 35-Down (POI); 20A: Uncaptured (AT LARGE); 22A: Spring celebration (EASTER); 23A: Surrender (CEDE); 24A: Beam (RAY); 25A: That, in Monterrey (ESO); 31A: Long, on Lanai (LOA); 37A: Russian-born Deco designer (ERTE); 39A: Anger (IRE); 40A: Bare-bones subj.? (ANAT.); 43A: Rub out (ERASE); 46A: College sr.'s test (GRE); 53A: Bullring cry (OLÉ); 54A: It will come back to you (ECHO); 55A: Esoteric (ARCANE); 57A: Maddened (ENRAGED); 63A: Living cell constituent: Abbr. (RNA); 64A: Prefix with tropic (HELIO-); 65A: Unwise homebuilder's material, so the story goes (STRAW); 66A: Put together (ADD); 67A: Lip-curling look (SNEER); 69A: Howard of the Three Stooges (MOE); 2D: Loads (A LOT); 4D: Made-it-big status (STARDOM); 5D: Hybrid fruit (TANGELO); 6D: Teen's concern (ACNE); 7D: Actress Lucy (LIU); 8D: Two after epsilon (ETA); 11D: Likely spot for dinner? (PLATE); 13D: Words about a speaker, briefly (INTRO); 19D: Sharon of "Boston Public" (LEAL); 21D: Post-WWII nuclear org. (AEC); 24D: Stitch over (RESEAM); 26D: Staff symbol (CLEF); 27D: Romanian dance (HORA); 28D: Individually (APIECE); 29D: Lafayette's land (TERRE); 30D: Arthur who played Maude (BEA); 34D: Cardiologist's request (ANGIOGRAM); 35D: Source of 17-Across (TARO); 36D: Early submachine gun (STEN); 42D: One buying time, perhaps (SPONSOR); 48D: Actor Baldwin (ALEC); 49D: __ Na Na (SHA); 51D: Senator Specter (ARLEN); 52D: Model proportion (SCALE); 56D: Friend in France (AMIE); 57D: Pierce Brosnan's homeland (EIRE); 58D: Prefix meaning "within" (ENDO-); 59D: Miami-__ County (DADE); 61D: Invite (ASK); 62D: Narrow channel: Abbr. (STR.).

SUNDAY, November 1, 2009Robert W. Harris

Theme: "That Hurts!" — Theme answers are familiar phrases with the word OW inserted into them creating new wacky phrases clued "?" style.

[Note: This is the syndicated L.A. Times puzzle. It does not appear in the actual newspaper, but is available for free at cruciverb.com.]


Theme answers:

• 23A: Distinctive Farrah Fawcett feature? (SHOWY LOCKS).
• 29A: Candlemaker's monthly receipt? (TALLOW ORDER).

• 41A: Rollerblading partner of movie camera pioneer Bell? (HOWELL ON WHEELS).
• 67A: Methods of separating chaff from grain? (WINNOWING WAYS).
• 90A: People afraid of playing the stock market? (TRADING COWARDS).
• 108A: Borders for oval paintings? (BOWED FRAMES).
• 115A: Including Monopoly money in a trousseau? (DOWRY HUMOR).

I plodded through this puzzle pretty steadily without any problems, which is pretty much what I expect from a Sunday. I caught onto the theme right away which helped with the remaining theme answers. The only place I had any trouble was in the BOWED FRAMES area, where I couldn't parse the theme answer, STEADIES (85D: Regular guys) just wasn't coming to me, and I really really didn't want SEEMER (97D: Pretender) to be right. All in all, a cute theme nicely executed. I think my biggest problem today is going to be getting through this write-up in spite of all the chocolate on my keyboard.

Bullets:

• 1A: Illinois-based brewery (PABST). I believe this is a favorite of a certain puzzle constructor we all know and love. (Hi, BEQ.)
• 27A: "The Banger Sisters" costar (HAWN). I never saw this movie, but I knew that Susan Sarandon was one of the sisters. Couldn't come up with the other one without crosses though.
• 33A: Coinage (SPECIE). I don't know what this means.
• 60A: Jalapeño feature (TILDE). That's the little squiggly line over the N.
• 62A: Returning lover's question (MISS ME?). Oh, I had a little trouble here too. I initially entered kiss me which, of course, isn't a question at all. Plus I had yips for YAPS (54A: Sharp barks). Both of those errors combined to make AMNESIAS (55D: Identity crises?) hard to see.
• 66A: __ Karate: old aftershave (HAI). Never heard of it so I looked it up in Wikipedia. There I learned that the brand had an offensive ad campaign that I just knew I'd want to share with you.



• 77A: Ted Williams wore it (NINE). So did Roger Maris.
• 98A: Copter's forerunner (GIRO). I don't know what this means either.
• 124A: Whimpered (PULED). I don't think I've ever seen this word before. But it means just what it says.
• 7D: __ homo (ECCE). A Latin phrases commonly translated as "Behold the man."
• 9D: "Wild Bill" Donovan's WWII org. (OSS). Office of Strategic Services. This comes up from time to time so try to remember it!
• 63D: Houlihan portrayer (SWIT). Loretta Swit played Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the television series M.A.S.H.

• 69D: Former "SNL" character Father __ Sarducci (GUIDO). Funny guy. He has a book that's a series of letters he wrote to famous people and companies and the responses he received. The one I remember off the top of my head is where he wrote to McDonald's to ask why they pictured a packet of jelly in their Egg McMuffin ad when, clearly, no one would put jelly on their Egg McMuffin. Stuff like that.
• 91D: Massage deeply (ROLF). Massage deeply sounds good. Rolf sounds bad.
• 104D: Become a pair without an affair (ELOPE). Cute clue!

Crosswordese 101: Surprised we haven't covered ASTA yet. This is one I learned from crosswords. Today he's clued as 122A: Nick and Nora's pooch. Nick and Nora Charles are the "flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they solve crimes with ease" in the 1934 film The Thin Man. ASTA is their wire-haired terrier (a schnauzer in the Dashiell Hammett book upon which the film is based). With all that information, you should be able to spot the ASTA clues. The only tricky thing you have to look out for is a clue that refers to either Nick or Nora as simply "Charles." You're likely to think that's a reference to someone with the first name Charles and you'll be confused about who that might be and what that person's dog is named. But now you're ready for that too!

Roundup of Past CW101:

• RCAS (20A: Some antique radios).
• ENOS (39A: Son of Seth).
• SRI (71A: Hindu honorific).
• ÉPÉE (119A: Heaviest modern fencing weapon).
• PASHA (1D: Former Turkish title).
• ST.-LÔ (13D: Normandy battle site).
• EDAM (89D: Mild Dutch cheese).
• RARA (109D: __ avis).

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Everything Else — 6A: Chilean cash (PESO); 10A: Crones (HAGS); 14A: Magna __ (CARTA); 19A: Correspond (AGREE); 21A: Share a border with (ABUT); 22A: Haughty (ALOOF); 25A: Earth (SOIL); 26A: "Really cool!" ("NEATO!"); 28A: Fits to __ (A TEE); 31A: One at a brayer meeting? (ASS); 32A: Where the uvea is (EYE); 35A: Whole (ENTIRE); 36A: Herbal array, perhaps (TEA BAGS); 40A: Bluffing strategies (RAISES); 44A: Sacramento's ARCO __ (ARENA); 46A: Actor McKellen (IAN); 47A: Key to getting out of trouble? (ESC); 48A: Big brass (TUBAS); 53A: On a liner, e.g. (ASEA); 56A: Sources of cabinet wood (ALDERS); 59A: Response to being cut off (HONK); 64A: Single show (EPISODE); 72A: Display case (ÉTAGÈRE); 74A: Know somehow (INTUIT); 75A: Frequently (OFTEN); 78A: What the heirs split (ESTATE); 81A: Conception (IDEA); 83A: Diminishing returns (LESS); 84A: Entr'__: theatrical intervals (ACTES); 86A: Proverb ending? (-IAL); 87A: Bonding words (I DO); 88A: TV producer Norman and a tragic king (LEARS); 95A: 1990s Toyotas (PASEOS); 99A: Tennis wear item (SNEAKER); 102A: Trying experience (ORDEAL); 103A: Search __: online aid (ENGINE); 105A: Scot's cap (TAM); 106A: Corn Belt st. (NEB.); 110A: Laundry basketful (LOAD); 112A: The Mideast's __ Strip (GAZA); 113A: As a friend, to Fifi (EN AMI); 114A: State as true (AVER); 117A: "__ Grows in Brooklyn" (A TREE); 118A: Actor Santoni (RENI).

120A: Cara of "Fame" (IRENE); 121A: Gardeners, at times (HOERS); 123A: Pills, briefly (MEDS); 1D: Former Turkish title (PASHA); 2D: Horrified (AGHAST); 3D: Use Google, e.g. (BROWSE); 4D: Hanging on by a thread (SEWN); 5D: "Miss Pym Disposes" author (TEY); 6D: Mentor's charge (PROTÉGÉ); 8D: Fermented Japanese brews (SAKES); 10D: Gets agitated, Bart Simpson-style (HAS A COW); 11D: Put an end to (ABOLISHED); 12D: Deviousness (GUILE); 14D: Ecclesiastical law expert (CANONIST); 15D: Warns (ALERTS); 16D: Behind-the-scenes band worker (ROADIE); 17D: 16-Downs, e.g. (TOTERS); 18D: "I shall be there __ you": "King Lear" (AFORE); 24D: Alternative to immediate purchase (LAY-AWAY); 29D: State bordering eight others: Abbr. (TENN.); 30D: Prosperity (WEAL); 32D: Black, to Blake (EBON); 34D: Menial worker (PEON); 37D: In front (AHEAD); 38D: Mention casually (SLIP IN); 40D: Give fresh life to (RECREATE); 42D: Catch, as a dogie (LASSO); 43D: Dubuque-to-Chicago dir. (ESE); 44D: Like some elephants (ASIATIC); 45D: Dependent (RELIANT); 49D: Speech stumbles (UHS); 50D: Rocket stage (BOOSTER); 51D: She played Honey Ryder in "Dr. No" (ANDRESS); 52D: Yarn units (SKEINS); 53D: Greek goddess of wisdom (ATHENA); (AMNESIAS); 56D: Nitrogen compound (AMINE); 57D: 40-day period of penitence (LENT); 58D: Observe covertly (SPY); 61D: Barnyard female (EWE); 65D: Prefix with bar (ISO-); 68D: Wrath (IRE); 70D: Spouses of sports nuts, facetiously (WIDOWS); 73D: "Really!" ("GEE!"); 76D: Hooch holder (FLASK); 79D: Bit (TAD); 80D: Wheel correction (ALIGNMENT); 82D: "Done so fast?" (ALREADY); 87D: Enduring symbol (ICON); 92D: Most populous African country (NIGERIA); 93D: Pinot __ (GRIS); 94D: Brightest star in Scorpius (ANTARES); 95D: "Now!" ("PRONTO!"); 96D: Program producing pop-ups (ADWARE); 100D: Dentist's concern (ENAMEL); 101D: Alter, as area boundaries (REZONE); 102D: Island folk magic (OBEAH); 103D: House martins nest under them (EAVES); 107D: Displayed openly (BARED); 111D: Didn't pay yet (OWED); 112D: Trusted adviser (GURU); 115D: Jackson was the first to become pres. (DEM.); 116D: With it (HIP).

MONDAY, Jul. 20, 2009 — Robert W. Harris

THEME: Moon Landing — a 40th anniversary tribute puzzle, with six (or seven) theme answers arranged symmetrically (or asymmetrically) throughout the grid

Where were you 40 years ago today? I am very certain of where I was: in utero. Where my mom was, I don't know. Probably somewhere in the San Francisco area, since I was born there. This puzzle is very dense, theme-wise, for a Monday puzzle. For any puzzle, frankly, but such theme density is especially rare on a Monday, since it often forces the non-theme fill out of Monday-level comfort zones. Not so here, though some of the fill is less than elegant in places. But any infelicities in that area are trumped by the timely theme, with the particularly lovely TRANQUILITY BASE going right across the middle. COLLINS is the one ASTRONAUT on that mission that I can never remember; ALDRIN and ARMSTRONG are household names. That's because COLLINS was the command module pilot, and had to orbit the moon while ALDRIN and ARMSTRONG got to walk on it.




Theme answers:

• 16A: 57-Across, 12-Down or 24-Down (ASTRONAUT)
• 12D: 16-Across Buzz (ALDRIN)
• 24D: 16-Across Michael (COLLINS)
• 57A: 16-Across Neil (ARMSTRONG)
• 35A: Landing site of 7/20/1969 (TRANQUILITY BASE)
• 42D: _____ 11, mission celebrated in this puzzle (APOLLO)

And one asymmetrical, bonus answer:

• 9D: 35-Across is on it (MOON)

Crosswordese 101: IAMBS (49D: Poetry feet) — as the resident English professor, I guess it should fall to me to add this one to the Crosswordese 101 registry. Metrical poetry has, as its most basic unit, the foot, and there are a certain number feet per line. So when we talk about Shakespeare's sonnets, say, being in IAMBIC pentameter, what we are saying is that there are five (pent-) IAMBS per line. An IAMB is a set of two syllables, unstressed/stressed, exemplified by words like "Belize" or "endow." Iambic pentameter = IAMB x 5, e.g. "My MIS/tress' EYES/are NOTH/ing LIKE/the SUN." There are other kinds of poetic feet — dactyls (stressed + 2 unstressed), anapests (2 unstressed + stressed), trochees (stressed / unstressed), etc. — but ANAPEST is about the only one you'll ever see in crosswords. There are different kinds of meter too: tetrameter has four feet per line, hexameter six, etc. If you'd like to know more, just come to one of my September lectures, where I deal with all this technical crap in one very animated hour (wherein I roam the aisles and recite random bits of poetry, causing students to be too amused / disturbed to fall asleep or talk or check their text messages).

There's some ugliness here today. Is it legal to have "set" in the clue for SETTEE (44D: Part of a living room set)? Feels very wrong. PSEUD is one of my least favorite stand-alone words (46A: Pretentious one). Never heard anyone use it. Ever. Only a PSEUD would use PSEUD, I think. Is that a paradox? Whatever it is, blecch. The -IER triplets aren't much prettIER. "Once upon a time there were three little words named DALL IER, SUDS IER, and BOX IER. They got stranded in the GOBI and had to eat their OX TEAM (52A: Yoked beasts, collectively) just to survive. The end."

Awesome words include PINCER (20A: One of a crab's grabbers), CHIMNEY (15D: Sweep's milieu), and the phenomenal and kinda sorta nearly thematic (in that it involves outer space) QUASARS (36D: Highly luminous cosmic objects).

Happy Moon Day. See you Friday.

~RP

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Everything Else — 1A: Federal job safety org. (OSHA); 5A: Gorilla and gibbon (APES); 9A: __ Hari (MATA); 13A: Prison uprising (RIOT); 14A: Pot pie veggies (PEAS); 15A: Early programming language (COBOL); 16A: 57-Across, 12-Down or 24-Down (ASTRONAUT); 18A: Secretly stock up on (HOARD); 19A: Wicker furniture maker (CANER); 20A: One of a crab's grabbers (PINCER); 21A: Gaza Strip gp. (PLO); 23A: TV kid "in the middle" (MALCOLM); 26A: Sch. with a Providence campus (URI); 27A: Holy, in Le Havre (SACRE); 29A: "The Good Earth" mother (O-LAN); 30A: Luke, to Darth (SON); 31A: Slipper or sandal (SHOE); 32A: Dawdling type (DALLIER); 35A: Landing site of 7/20/1969 (TRANQUILITY BASE); 40A: What bikinis expose, informally (TUMMIES); 41A: Informed about (IN ON); 42A: Sit-up targets (ABS); 45A: Yemen city (ADEN); 46A: Pretentious one (PSEUD); 47A: "The Tell-Tale Heart" author (POE); 48A: More foamy, as soap (SUDSIER); 51A: Naval noncom: Abbr. (CPO); 52A: Yoked beasts, collectively (OX TEAM); 54A: For all to hear (ALOUD); 56A: It's slightly larger than a quart (LITER); 57A: 16-Across Neil (ARMSTRONG); 61A: Ogles (LEERS); 62A: Asian desert (GOBI); 63A: Resting on (ATOP); 64A: Nabisco chocolate-and-creme cookie (OREO); 65A: Get up (RISE); 66A: Mother of Castor and Pollux (LEDA); 1D: "... man __ mouse?" (OR A); 2D: Girl sib (SIS); 3D: Wintertime drink (HOT COCOA); 4D: Gillette razor (ATRA); 5D: Sleep disorder (APNEA); 6D: Oyster's gem (PEARL); 7D: __ de Cologne (EAU); 8D: Former fast flier, for short (SST); 9D: 35-Across is on it (MOON); 10D: Beaded calculator (ABACUS); 11D: Bullring VIP (TORERO); 12D: 16-Across Buzz (ALDRIN); 15D: Sweep's milieu (CHIMNEY); 17D: "Drinks are __" (ON ME); 20D: Braids (PLAITS); 21D: Sibilant "Hey!" ("PSST!"); 22D: Bert who played a lion (LAHR); 24D: 16-Across Michael (COLLINS); 25D: Hardy of Laurel and Hardy (OLLIE); 28D: Apartment payment (RENT); 32D: Kind of bullet that expands on impact (DUMDUM); 33D: Got ready to fire (AIMED); 34D: Score-producing stats (RBIS); 36D: Highly luminous cosmic objects (QUASARS); 37D: Often-amusing story (ANECDOTE); 38D: Gazpacho, e.g. (SOUP); 39D: Within: Pref. (ENDO-); 42D: __ 11, mission celebrated in this puzzle (APOLLO); 43D: More squarish (BOXIER); 44D: Part of a living room set (SETTEE); 46D: Methodist, e.g.: Abbr. (PROT.); 49D: Poetry feet (IAMBS); 50D: Borden mascot (ELSIE); 53D: Architect Saarinen (EERO); 55D: Russia's __ Mountains (URAL); 57D: Part of USDA: Abbr. (AGR.); 58D: French king (ROI); 59D: Nonverbal assent (NOD); 60D: Coll. student's concern (GPA).