SATURDAY, October 3, 2009—Bruce Venzke & Stella Daily

THEME: No theme today—Just a themeless Saturday puzzle

So here's how "This Week in L.A. Times Crosswording" went: Monday was Monday. Tuesday was Monday. Wednesday was Monday. Thursday was Tuesday, maybe even Wednesday—and so was Friday. And then Saturday, which ought to be the week's toughest puzzle, drops down to Tuesday level.

It's astounding that newspapers might've gotten complaints about the Saturday puzzle being harder than the Tuesday puzzle, isn't it? I mean, it's great that more beginners can tackle the puzzle, but the rest of us loved the L.A. Times crossword exactly as it was. We don't want an entire week of Tuesday difficulty. We'd at least like Friday and Saturday to reach Thursday NYT difficulty. Is that too much to concede, that the puzzle provide something for everyone?

That's the rationale behind the N.Y. Times' difficulty escalation—get 'em hooked on the Monday and Tuesday puzzle, let 'em build their skills, and they'll progress towards doing the late-week puzzles.

Yes, there are many solvers who don't even bother trying the harder puzzles. There are also many people who skip the easy puzzles because they prefer more challenge. The NYT captures both groups, while Tribune/LAT seems ready to jettison the latter faction. It's disappointing. Rex and PuzzleGirl and I wanted to use this blog to coach newer solvers, to teach them the crosswordese and unveil the tricks behind the tricky clues so that these solvers could triumph over ever more challenging puzzles. And now? Sigh.

Anyway. On with today's puzzle! It's loaded with 15-letter answers—a triple-stack in the middle embraced by pairs of 15s above and below. They're all clued straightforwardly, as are the shorter answers. Not a single question-marked clue in the bunch! (And it's almost certain that Stella and Bruce originally wrote tougher clues for the puzzle.) Here are the big entries:

• 14A: "This can't be true!" ("YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS!"). I prefer the McEnroesque "You cannot be serious!"
  
• 17A: 25-Across's WWII command (EUROPEAN THEATER). Who is 25A? DDE, or WWII general who became pres.—Dwight D. Eisenhower.
  
• 31A: Scorned notion (HARE-BRAINED IDEA). The Hare and Rabbit Anti-Defamation League prefers the term bird-brained.
  
• 37A: Oil and vinegar concoction (ITALIAN DRESSING). Make the vinegar balsamic, please. My kid, he'll eat anything if there's balsamic vinegar on it.
  
• 38A: "Back off!" ("DON'T GET TOO CLOSE!").
  
• 55A: Title guy asked to "play a song for me," in a Byrds hit (MR. TAMBOURINE MAN). I...honestly don't think I know this song. Really. Video time! Wow, Bob Dylan kinda looks like Adam Sandler in that performance.
  
  
  
  
• 57A: Cause of many traveling delays (AIRPORT SECURITY). The TSA line is excellent for training people to be obedient sheep who dare not question authority, isn't it?
  

What else?

• 4D: High martial arts rank (BROWN BELT). This puzzle was so easy, I mucked things up by putting in BLACK BELT and still finished in an easy-Wednesday time. DO I DARE (51A: "Is it worth the risk?") include my solving time here? Seems like a commenter hollers at me for arrogance whenever I do that. I't's at Crossword Fiend if you're interested.
  
• 9D: Whack anew (REHIT). RE-no.
  
• 11D: Nincompoop (TOTAL IDIOT). Uh, is that a thing? "Complete idiot" sounds better to me, but I quizzed my husband on words to precede "idiot" and he said "total."
  
• 24D: Ollie North's '80s "affair" (IRAN-CONTRA). Excellent answer. How many of you saw "affair" in quotation marks and thought of Fawn Hall?
  
• 47D: Japanese aborigine (AINU). I didn't even see this one while solving. Old-school crosswordese! It doesn't get much play these days. You can read about them here. The Ainu don't look Japanese at all.
  

Crosswordese 101: Jean AUEL is the 12D: "The Mammoth Hunters" author. Her first book in the "Earth's Children" series was The Clan of the Cave Bear, and my mom bought me that for Christmas '80 in hardcover. Ayla the Cro-Magnon girl wound up living with Neanderthals, and I totally dug the book. I read the next two in the series but lost interest in adulthood. There was at least one movie, which I heard was dreadful. (So dreadful, in fact, that I couldn't bring myself to post a picture of Daryl Hannah as Ayla.) This was Ms. AUEL's second (or maybe third?) appearance in a crossword this week, and some people commented that they didn't know who she was—so Jean "Surname Is 75% Vowels" AUEL seemed a good choice for Crosswordese 101. (Plus, her Wikipedia bio told me she's a member of MENSA, that 29D: Club for smart guys and girls.

Everything Else — 1A: Many a Yemeni (ARAB); 5A: __ Rouge (KHMER); 10A: Sch. support groups (PTAS); 18A: Algae on the beach (SEAWEED); 19A: Semaphore user's output (SIGNALS); 20A: "__ Blu Dipinto Di Blu": 1958 hit (NEL); 21A: Implement (TOOL); 22A: Nursery bed (CRIB); 28A: Devilish tot (IMP); 39A: SASE, e.g. (ENC.); 40A: Forever and a day, facetiously (EON); 41A: Not much (A TAD); 42A: Spoken (ORAL); 46A: Terminal-to-hotel transport (VAN); 48A: Kind of fingerprint or code (GENETIC); 58A: Afternoon socials (TEAS); 59A: Davis of "Do the Right Thing" (OSSIE); 60A: Words before ghost or doctor (SEE A); 1D: Tars' affirmatives (AYES); 2D: Licentious sort (ROUE); 3D: Certain something (AURA); 5D: Get ready to pray (KNEEL); 6D: 1950s tennis great Lew (HOAD); 7D: Part of a range: Abbr. (MTN.); 8D: Inexact nos. (ESTS); 10D: Beethoven's instrument (PIANO); 13D: Lith. et al., once (SSRS); 15D: French for "sword" (ÉPÉE); 16D: __ Park: Queens area near Forest Hills (REGO); 22D: Scold (CHIDE); 23D: Boca __ (RATON); 25D: "Divine Comedy" writer (DANTE); 26D: Inflicted upon (DID TO); 27D: Collapsed company chronicled in the 2005 documentary subtitled "The Smartest Guys in the Room" (ENRON); 30D: Alerted, as a doctor (PAGED); 32D: Important (BIG); 33D: "Norma __" (RAE); 34D: Want-ad abbr. (EEO); 35D: U.S. Army medal (DSC); 36D: Martha's Vineyard natives, e.g. (ISLANDERS); 43D: Gets as a return (REAPS); 44D: Prefix with sphere (ATMO-); 45D: Book, to BolÌvar (LIBRO); 46D: Express, as an opinion (VOICE); 48D: Exam for a Wharton Sch. hopeful (GMAT); 49D: Port on its own lake (ERIE); 50D: No-frills beds (COTS); 51D: Eins plus zwei (DREI); 52D: Gallic girlfriend (AMIE); 53D: Interest percentage (RATE); 54D: Pop musician from County Donegal (ENYA); 56D: __ Constitution (USS).

WEDNESDAY, September 23, 2009—Bruce Venzke & Stella Daily

THEME: "Feeling good, Louis!"—Four phrases begin with words that mean "healthy"



It took me a while to see what the theme was here. That was complicated a tad by the Across eight-letter answers, which looked like they could be part of the theme—SOB STORY and LOUSED UP are just good fill, though, not theme entries.

Theme answers:

• 17A: Hydration from underground (WELL WATER).
  
• 29A: Thunder on a radio show, e.g. (SOUND EFFECT).
  
• 45A: In a rage (FIT TO BE TIED).
  
• 61A: House majority leader of the early 1970s (HALE BOGGS).. He died in '72, when I was six. I wasn't following congressional politics much at that age.
  

Hey! Last Wednesday's Crosswordese 101 word, EKE, shows up again today (7D: Scratch (out), as a living). Did you all get that one instantly?

Crosswordese 101: We have some compelling runners-up here, but the victor is the Latin word ESSE (59D: Being, to Caesar). That's the Latin infinitive "to be," just as ETRE is the French equivalent and ESTAR is "to be" in Spanish. Common clues you might see the next time ESSE is in the puzzle: Start of North Carolina's motto; Latin being; Latin 101 verb; In ___ (actually); To be, to Tiberius; Being, to Brutus. Do I know how to conjugate this verb? Not at all.

Rex and PuzzleGirl, here are some candidates for future lessons: 43A: Uncover, poetically (OPE); 66A: Baseball Hall of Famer Speaker (TRIS); 2D: Utah city (OREM); and 57D: Taj Mahal city (AGRA).

What else have we got here?

• In the "Make up your mind already" category, we have battling pronouncements: "I'M READY!" (21A: "All set!") and "I'M LATE" (56A: White Rabbit's cry). I can't find a good video showing SpongeBob's little "I'm ready, I'm ready" song, but you know what's so much better? This one. Plankton, the hapless evil genius, has some rather dark ideas about fun:
  
  
  
  
• 40A: Undiversified, as a farm clues the adjective ONE-CROP. I like to use that metaphorically. "This relationship is so ONE-CROP. I feel stifled."
  
• 69A: Not tagged in time (SAFE). As in the baseball call.
  
• 67A: Cousins of hamlets (TOWNS). Hmm, I wonder if Bruce and Stella originally had a trickier clue, Hamlets' cousins. I like clues that fool you by playing with capital letters—small-h hamlet is a town, while big-H Hamlet is the moody Dane.
  
• 1D: Dog's dogs? (PAWS). I don't think I've ever once said "My dogs are barking" to mean "my feet are tired," but I know it's a common enough phrase. Cute clue.
  
• 9D: Payment from a contestant (ENTRY FEE). Hey, if you're planning to attend this winter's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, you should be aware that the dates have changed: February 19-21, 2010.
  
• 43D: Tie settlers, for short (OTS). Meaning overtimes that settle a tied game. Anyone try to understand this clue as being about pioneer-type settlers?

Everything Else — 1A: Pea holders (PODS); 5A: Get ready for surgery (PREP); 9A: Beethoven's "Für __" (ELISE); 14A: Geometry product (AREA); 15A: Victoria or Geneva (LAKE); 16A: Zapped in the microwave (NUKED); 19A: Prevailing tendency (TREND); 20A: Horseshoer's workshop (SMITHY); 23A: Excuse designed to elicit sniffles (SOB STORY); 26A: Busy pro in Apr. (CPA); 34A: Test the weight of (HEFT); 36A: To this day (YET); 37A: Bird on a dollar (EAGLE); 38A: Minimally (AT LEAST); 42A: Old French money (FRANC); 44A: Head of France? (TÊTE); 49A: "The Waste Land" poet's monogram (TSE); 50A: Made a mess of (LOUSED UP); 52A: Mouth the lyrics (LIP SYNC); 60A: Arm of the sea (INLET); 64A: "Uncle Tom's Cabin" author (STOWE); 65A: Has regrets about (RUES); 68A: Leave the stage (EXIT); 3D: Sandwich seller (DELI); 4D: Seasons, as fries (SALTS); 5D: Hedonistic fellows (PLAYBOYS); 6D: Maze scurrier (RAT); 8D: Sentence ender (PERIOD); 10D: Tackle box item (LURE); 11D: It sells a lot of build-it-yourself furniture (IKEA); 12D: E-mail command (SEND); 13D: Swirling current (EDDY); 18D: "__ on first?" (WHO'S); 22D: Desert Storm ration, for short (MRE); 24D: Mutton fat (SUET); 25D: Explosive compound (TNT); 26D: Grain husks separated in threshing (CHAFF); 27D: Lab dish inventor (PETRI); 28D: G sharp's equivalent (A FLAT); 30D: It's not fiction (FACT); 31D: "Snowy" wader (EGRET); 32D: Stops bleeding (CLOTS); 33D: Conical residence (TEPEE); 35D: Shelter for roughing it (TENT); 39D: Altar attendants (ACOLYTES); 40D: Aunt Bee's grandnephew (OPIE); 41D: Most destitute (NEEDIEST); 46D: "__ voyage!" (BON); 47D: Game often played with a 24-card deck (EUCHRE); 48D: Make absurdly easy, with "down" (DUMB); 51D: Novelists' creations (PLOTS); 52D: Letter-to-Santa itemization (LIST); 53D: Totally enjoying (INTO); 54D: Clear the snow (PLOW); 55D: Attached with thread (SEWN); 58D: "Woohoo, the weekend!" ("TGIF!"); 62D: "La Cage __ Folles" (AUX); 63D: Wahine's gift (LEI).

FRIDAY, Jun. 19, 2009 — Stella Daily and Bruce Venzke

THEME: Quotation puzzle: "I NEVER HATED A MAN (17A) / ENOUGH TO GIVE HIM (41A) / HIS DIAMONDS BACK (64A)" — ZSA ZSA Gabor (72A: Speaker of the quote, familiarly)

Well, these puzzles are certainly being retooled for the syndication crowd, who are apparently demanding easier puzzles. The quality of the puzzles remain quite sound, but the difficulty level has plummeted. I don't think this is a bad thing — there is a place in the world for good, solid puzzles that most everyone (who likes puzzles) can do. I just have to get used to going through a Friday puzzle in Tuesday time, I guess. A quotation puzzle in particular should have given me at least a bit of a struggle (especially as I'd never heard the quotation before), but there were really only a couple of bumpy spots on this road. The ease with which I cut through this one probably has a lot to do with solving puzzles all the time, as certain words have become gimmes for me that maybe aren't gimmes for everyone. This is especially true of the short proper nouns, like Mort SAHL, Sebastian COE, Don Juan's mom INEZ, EZIO Pinza, James AGEE, etc. These folks are all old friends.


Word of the Day: AGAR (12D: Bio lab gel) — often clued as a "thickening agent" (its role in many food products), this word can be found growing like a weed throughout the crossword grids of North America. Change the "G" to an "L" and you get a "banned orchard spray." Reverse the final two letters and you get the site of the Taj Mahal.

I love the Buck Rogers futuristic quality of the puzzle, with SPACE AGE (10D: Period that started with Sputnik) crossing PHASER (30A: "Star Trek" weapon) crossing UPLINKS (27D: Earth-to-satellite connections) — very nice little outer space subtheme there. The two places in the puzzle that gave me a little trouble were the center and the far south. In the center, the trouble was almost entirely the result of ACETAL (37A: Alcohol-based solvent), which I didn't know and which looks like a bunch of other ACET-y words I've seen before. In the south, I misspelled INEZ as INES and had FEN for SEA (67D: Wet expanse). This left me with the speaker of the quotation being ZSASSN! (adding to the outer space feel of the puzzle). In the end, very easy to fix.

What else?:

• 1A: Tolkien's Legolas, e.g. (ELF) — 3-ltr words in the Tolkienverse are ORC or ENT. Except when they are ELF.
• 23A: 1519 Yucatan arrival (CORTEZ) — had the first three letters in place, so no problem; otherwise I might have struggled a bit. CORTEZ game me the "Z" in ZACHARY (25D: Millard's predecessor), which otherwise would not have come to me easily.
• 55D: Bluegrass great Lester (FLATT) — my dad can play some bluegrass banjo, so I've known who FLATT & Scruggs are for years...

Enjoy your weekend.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker, Puzzle Girl, and Orange on Twitter]

Everything Else — 1A: Tolkien's Legolas, e.g. (ELF); 4A: Agree (CONCUR); 10A: Striker's bane (SCAB); 14A: Nothing (NIL); 15A: How some exams are taken (ORALLY); 16A: __ stick (POGO); 17A: Start of a quote (I NEVER HATED A MAN); 20A: Shivering fit (AGUE); 21A: State until 1991: Abbr. (SSR); 22A: Part of a woodlands stash (ACORN); 23A: 1519 Yucat·n arrival (CORTEZ); 26A: Remote function (PAUSE); 28A: "Rubáiyát" poet (OMAR); 30A: "Star Trek" weapon (PHASER); 34A: Apple pie go-with? (MOM); 37A: Alcohol-based solvent (ACETAL); 40A: Palestinian city (GAZA); 41A: Quote, part 2 (ENOUGH TO GIVE HIM); 44A: Ooze (SEEP); 45A: Arrival (ADVENT); 46A: Chop off (LOP); 47A: Plane site (HANGAR); 49A: Barely made, with "out" (EKED); 51A: Rolls partner (ROYCE); 54A: Messy scenarios (SNAFUS); 58A: Go furtively (SNEAK); 61A: Band from the East? (OBI); 63A: Radius neighbor (ULNA); 64A: End of the quote (HIS DIAMONDS BACK); 68A: Mont Blanc, par exemple (ALPE); 69A: Takeout order? (DELETE); 70A: __ Bo (TAE); 71A: Make (one's way) (WEND); 72A: Speaker of the quote, familiarly (ZSA ZSA); 73A: Scout units: Abbr. (TPS.); 1D: Pioneering computer (ENIAC); 2D: Shop talk (LINGO); 3D: Lilas or tulipe (FLEUR); 4D: Miler Sebastian (COE); 5D: Boston Garden legend (ORR); 6D: Slangy denials (NAHS); 7D: Necklace fastener (CLASP); 8D: Violet lead-in (ULTRA); 9D: Manhattan liquor (RYE); 10D: Period that started with Sputnik (SPACE AGE); 11D: How, in Jerez (COMO); 12D: Bio lab gel (AGAR); 13D: Former European capital (BONN); 18D: Put the kibosh on (VETO); 19D: Recipe bit (DASH); 24D: Salon or Slate, briefly (E-MAG); 25D: Millard's predecessor (ZACHARY); 27D: Earth-to-satellite connections (UPLINKS); 29D: Like many Ariz. residents (RETD.); 31D: Satirical Mort (SAHL); 32D: He played Emile in "South Pacific" (EZIO); 33D: Wheelchair access (RAMP); 34D: Strainer material (MESH); 35D: __ Day: dietary supplement brand (ONE A); 36D: Maker of ShowHouse faucets (MOEN); 38D: "Mazel __!" (TOV); 39D: "The African Queen" co-screenwriter (AGEE); 42D: Went for more memory, say (UPGRADED); 43D: Dodge Viper engine (V-TEN); 48D: 2004 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Isao (AOKI); 50D: Slap on (DAUB); 52D: Occurs (to) (COMES); 53D: Virus named for an African river (EBOLA); 55D: Bluegrass great Lester (FLATT); 56D: Open, in a way (UNCAP); 57D: "For goodness __!" (SAKES); 58D: "Arms and the Man" playwright (SHAW); 59D: Shade of green (NILE); 60D: What many jocks watch (ESPN); 62D: Don Juan's mother (INEZ); 65D: Cooper's tool (ADZ); 66D: Consequence of getting bombed too often? (DTS); 67D: Wet expanse (SEA).

SATURDAY, April 11, 2009 — Bruce Venzke and Stella Daily

Theme: None


Hey everyone, it's a double dose of PuzzleGirl today if you read Rex's blog too. Hope you don't get too sick of me. Awesome looking grid today, right? Looks like some kind of alien head in a cartoon or a video game or something. Awesome long answers today.

The 15s:

• 1A: Jealous reaction to a witty remark (I WISH I'D SAID THAT).
  
• 16A: Broad-based statistical standard (NATIONAL AVERAGE).
  
• 17A: "The Dreadful Story of Pauline and the Matches" and others (CAUTIONARY TALES).
  
• 24A: Sousa subject (STARS AND STRIPES).
  
• 44A: Headed for home (ROUNDED THE BASES).
  
• 59A: Tried to escape (MADE A BREAK FOR IT).
• 62A: FDR's Fala, e.g. (ABERDEEN TERRIER).
  
• 63A: Didn't just dive in (TESTED THE WATERS).
  

Crosswordese 101: Let's run through the federal government agencies that are common in CrossWorld, shall we? Today we have the [Wall St. watchdog] SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). SEC is sometimes clued as a short form of the word second (e.g., ["Hold on a _____"]), but if the clue points to anything about "monitoring," "protecting" or serving as a "watchdog" for "Wall Street," "investors," or "stock," you're looking at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Remember, also, that the clue will always indicate in some way that the answer is going to be an abbreviation. In today's clue, the word Street is abbreviated St. Other clues for SEC might use the abbreviation Fed. (Federal) or org. (organization). Other common governmental agencies include OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), which might also be clued with a word like watchdog or monitor, but will refer to the "Department of Labor," "employees," or "the workplace." The GAO (Government Accountability Office) is the investigative arm of Congress charged with examining matters relating to the receipt and payment of public funds. It will most likely be clued with reference to an "audit," "claim settlement," or "budget." It's also good to remember that GAO is headed by the Comptroller General of the United States, as it's sometimes clued that way. What's the other agency that I always get mixed up with GAO? Oh yeah, GSA (General Services Administration). They're sort of the Facilities Department of the government. They deal with real estate issues and things like equipment, supplies, and telecommunications for government organizations and the military. That's definitely an oversimplification, but the important thing to remember is that GSA will be clued in relation to "buildings," "property," or "purchasing/procurement."

Other crossworthy government agencies:

• EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
  
• SSA: Social Security Administration
  
• NSA: National Security Agency
  
• NEA: National Endowment for the Arts (although sometimes it's the National Education Association)
  

I'll admit when I looked at this grid I panicked a little. I always do when I see a bunch of 15s stacked up like that. Thank goodness for three gimmes right down the center of the first triple stack: 7D: Comic Carvey (DANA); 8D: Poetry-reading competition (SLAM); and 9D: Group that grows as boomers grow (AARP). It's hard for me not to see the phrase poetry slam without thinking about Mike Myers in "So I Married an Axe Murderer." But, I'm going to be a little edgier today and give you this instead (language warning!! left-leaning politics warning!! don't watch this if you're offended by the f-word!!):


It also helps to have a little foreign language under your belt today:

• 36A: Overseas okay (OUI): You all know that means yes.
  
• 25D: Abril-mayo zodiac sign (TAURO): Abril = April, mayo = May (in Spanish, names of months aren't capitalized), Tauro = Taurus.
  
• 26D: "Farewell, François!" (ADIEU): See how the French name is in the clue hinting to the French answer?
  
• 56D: __-dieu (PRIE): Had to look this one up. It's a type of prayer desk. The French means, literally, "pray [to] God."
  

What else?

• 27D: U.S.-Canada defense acronym (NORAD). North American Aerospace Defense Command. They're the ones who track Santa at Christmas time. I'm sure they do other stuff too.
  
• 37A: Sheepdog in "Babe" (REX). Shout-out to Mr. Parker! Right in the middle of the damn puzzle. Awesome.
  

• 38A: Cleo portrayer of 1963 (LIZ). That's Elizabeth Taylor. I'm sure I don't need to point this out to you, but the clue shortens Cleopatra's name, which hints that the answer will also be the short form of a name.
  
• 39A: Its parts may be eaten separately (OREO). Don't think I've seen this particular clue for this extremely common crossword word before.
  
• 49A: Ones wanted by the mil. (AWOLS). It used to really rub me the wrong way when AWOL was used as a noun. But I'm used to it now.
  
• 2D: WWII female (WAAC). Well this is interesting. I always thought the acronym was just WAC (without one A). Turns out, according to Wikipedia, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WACC) was created in 1942 but converted to full status as the Women's Army Corps (WAC) in 1943. Regardless of what it means, it always reminds me of this song (if you don't know the song, you won't know what I mean until about 1:43):



• 4D: Jobs for teens (SITTERS). Does this work for you? I think the job is sitting. The job title is sitter. Am I being too picky?
  
• 6D: Theban queen of myth (INO). Never heard of her. This is Greek mythology and she was ... not a very nice woman.
  
• 10D: Brown, but not white? (IVY). Brown University.
  
• 22D: Bucky of "Get Fuzzy," for one (CAT). What the heck is "Get Fuzzy"? Oh, it's a comic strip. There's advertising executive Rob Wilco and his two pets: Satchel Pooch and Bucky Katt.
  
• 50D: "Did gyre and gimble in the __": "Jabberwocky" (WABE). This is a poem of nonsense verse by Lewis Carroll. Okay, look. I know he was brilliant with the wordplay. But the whole thing with the little girls? I'm sorry, he just creeps me out.
  
• 53D: Phnom __ (PENH). The capital of Cambodia.
  

I heard from Orange tonight that she's back home — yay! So you'll hear from both of us tomorrow, one for each of the Sunday puzzles. See you then....

Love, PuzzleGirl

Everything Else — 18A: Shoppers' savings?: Abbr. (RCPTS); 19A: Roadie's burden (AMP); 20A: Unique folks (ONERS); 21A: More of the same, briefly (ETC); 23A: Ger. neighbor (AUS); 33A: Paw parts (PADS); 34A: Namely (TOWIT); 35A: Meter site (TAXI); 41A: Flavors, in a way (SALTS); 43A: Starlet's goal (ROLE); 47A: 1946-'75 nuclear agcy. (AEC); 48A: Marker's end (TIP); 52A: 120/70, 130/80, etc.: Abbr. (BPS); 55A: Dr. visits (APPTS); 1D: Rise: Abbr. (INCR); 3D: Words after live or give (ITUP); 5D: Derricks and cranes (HOISTS); 11D: Roundabout route (DETOUR); 12D: What mailed packages are in? (TRANSIT); 13D: Healthy (HALE); 14D: Golden __ (AGER); 15D: Polanski film based on a Hardy novel (TESS); 23D: Verizon rival, initially (ATT); 24D: Hound's find (SPOOR); 28D: Lived (DWELT); 29D: Like Friday or June (SIXTH); 30D: California's __ Verdes Peninsula (PALOS); 31D: Dictator's fate, perhaps (EXILE); 32D: Label data (SIZES); 40D: Vigilant (ONALERT); 42D: Seinfeld's apartment, say (SET); 43D: Camaraderie (RAPPORT); 45D: Marquis of note (DESADE); 46D: Former African secessionist state (BIAFRA); 49D: Latin 101 word (AMAT); 51D: Praiseful verses (ODES); 52D: Writer Harte (BRET); 54D: Fill to the bursting point (SATE); 57D: Large cake layer (TIER); 58D: Narrow waterways: Abbr. (STRS); 60D: Where Goldilocks was discovered (BED); 61D: Royal Botanic Gardens locale (KEW).