What's your game? The word Game can go at the End the last word of each theme answer to give us a new concept.
1-Across. * Ready to set sail, say: ON BOARD. Board Game. Professor Plum used a lead pipe in the dining room.
17-Across. * 1950s sitcom co-star: LUCILLE BALL. Ballgame.
26-Across. * Hester Prynne's mark of shame: SCARLET A. A Game. Working at one's highest level of performance.
49-Across. * "Which side of the debate will you argue?": PRO OR CON. Con Game.
And the Unifier:
69. Chess match climax, and what the last word of each answer to a starred clue can have: ENDGAME.
Top o'the mornin' to you on this St. Patrick's Day. Sadly, parades were cancelled this year due to COVID-19. May all of us here stay healthy.
Across:
8. Diplomatic rep.: AMB. As in an Ambassador.
11. Machines with Windows, briefly: PCs. As in Personal Computers.
14. More tired: WEARIER.
15. Foe of Chiang: MAO. As in Chiang Kai-shek (Oct. 31, 1887 ~ Apr. 5, 1975) and Mao Zedong (Dec. 26, 1893 ~ Sept. 9, 1976)
16. Swing, jazz or rock 'n' roll: ERA.
19. Early internet company: AOL. Originally known as America OnLine. // And 43. 19-Across et al.: ISPs. As in Internet Service Providers.
20. Investor's purchase: Abbr.: STK. As in Stocks.
21. Amazement: AWE.
22. German cameras: LEICAS. Leica, which also makes binoculars, microscopes and other items with lenses, was founded by Ernst Leitz (Apr. 26, 1843 ~ Sept. 12, 1920) in 1914. The name of the company is derived from the first 3 letters of the founder's name, Leitz and the first 2 letters of the word Camera.
24. Bashful: SHY. Also the name of 1 of the 7 dwarfs.
28. No-no: TABOO.
31. Continental coins: EUROS. Each country in the Eurozone has its own design on one side of the euro coin, whereas the reverse side is the same for each country.
1 Euro coin from Italy
33. Returning GI's diagnosis: PTSD. As in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
34. Capitol Hill helper: AIDE.
38. Musically monotonous: ONE NOTE.
40. Collection of sacred songs: PSALTER.
42. Geeky type: NERD.
45. Lazy __: revolving tray: SUSAN. The origin of the Lazy Susan is not known, but here are some interesting theories.
48. Foolish: INANE.
52. June honoree: DAD.
53. Really bothers: EATS AT.
54. Fair-hiring inits.: EEO. As in Equal Employment Opportunity.
56. Wood for bats: ASH. What type of wood makes the best Baseball Bats?
59. Home security co.: ADT. In 1874, company was originally known as American District Telegraph.
64. Fairway position: LIE.
65. Bruins legend: ORR. Bobby Orr (né Robert Gordon Orr; b. Mar. 20, 1948), makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords. He had a long career with the Boston Bruins. He will turn 72 in just a few days.
66. Answered: REPLIED.
67. Title for Elton: SIR. Sir Elton John (né Reginald Kenneth Dwight; b. Mar. 25, 1947) is another March Birthday Boy.
68. Once called: NÉE.
Down:
1. Hooting birds: OWLS. They come in all shapes and sizes.
2. Not masc. or fem.: NEUT. As in Masculine, Feminine or Gender Neutral.
3. Begin to parallel park, with "in": BACK. When I lived in Boston, the only parking my appartment had was on the street. Mandatory parallel parking. One always "tapped" the car in front and in back when trying to get into the very tight spaces that were barely big enough for the car.
4. "... __ quit!": OR I.
5. Feel crummy: AIL.
6. Race with batons: RELAY.
7. Sketched: DREW.
8. Org. with a Health Care Advocacy web page: AMA. As in the American Medical Association.
9. Ducks whose males have green heads: MALLARDS.
10. Slow-tempo Spanish dance: BOLERO.
11. Quiet partner: PEACE.
12. Zagreb native: CROAT.
13. Taco topper: SALSA. Yummers!
18. Harass: BESET.
23. "Casablanca" heroine: ILSA LUND. I never knew her last name.
Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman (Aug. 29, 1915 ~ Aug. 29, 1982)
25. Prefix with gram: HOLO-. As in a Hologram.
27. Zodiac borders: CUSPS.
28. Bugs Bunny or Bullwinkle: 'TOON.
29. Lestat creator Rice: ANNE. Anne Rice (b. Oct. 4, 1941) was the author of Interview with the Vampire. Lestat de Lioncourt was the vampire of this novel. Anne Rice is from New Orleans.
30. Bar pint contents: BEER.
33. Sauce with basil: PESTO. Yummers! I made a wonderful Pesto Chicken Pasta dish last week.
35. "__ miracle!": IT'S A.
36. College faculty head: DEAN.
37. Shore bird: ERNE. A crossword staple.
39. __ of iodine: antiseptic: TINCTURE.
41. China's continent: ASIA.
44. Group of jurors: PANEL.
47. Ferdinand II's realm: ARAGON. Ferdinand II, King of Aragon (Mar. 10, 1452 ~ Jan. 23, 1516) was the husband of Queen Isabella of Castile. They are best known for their roles in the Spanish Inquisition and the issuance of the Alhambra Decree.
49. Rings, as a bell: PEALS.
50. Bike spokes, geometrically: RADII.
51. Furry aquatic mammal: OTTER. They are such cute critters. If you go to Ethel, Louisiana, you can even swim with the Otters.
52. Elder statesman: DOYEN.
55. To be, in Tours: ÊTRE. Today's French lesson. Conjugated in the present tense:
Je suis // Nous sommes
Tu es // Vous êtes
Ils / Elles est // Ils / Elles sont
57. Pipe part: STEM. Anatomy of a pipe:
58. Stevenson's villainous Mr.: HYDE. A reference to Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson (Nov. 13, 1850 ~ Dec. 3, 1894).
61. Wrath: IRE.
62. Scoreboard abbr. for a rainout: PPD. As in Postponed. It also refers to the current pandemic. I had to PPD my father's 90th birthday party, which was scheduled in April.
63. High school subj.: ALG. As in Algebra.
Here's the Grid:
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