Tuesday, May 31, 2022

QOD:  A conference is a gathering of important people who singly can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done.  ~  Fred Allen (né John Florence Sullivan; May 31, 1894 ~ Mar. 17, 1956), American comedian and radio personality

A Rose By Another Name.  Well, it might not smell so sweet, so let me be a bit more diplomatic.

16-Across.  *   Shabby and dated: RETRO CHIC.  Would you rather be told you look Shabby and Dated, or Retro Chic?

23-Across.  *   Tunes for fogies: CLASSIC ROCK.  Would you rather be told you are an old fogy because of the music you listen to, or be told you are into Classic Rock?

56-Across. *   Blubber: LOVE HANDLES.  Would you rather be told you have a lot of Blubber, or that you have adorable Love Handles?

64-Across. *   Hopelessly out of touch: OLD SCHOOL.  Would you rather be told you are Hopelessly Out of Touch, or that you are Old School?

And the unifier:

37-Across. Make sweeter, in the way the theme answers do to their starred clues?: SUGAR COAT.

What else do we have that is sweet this week?

Across:

1. Antlered deer: STAG.

5. Take in the sights: TOUR.  I will be doing some touring over the next month.

9. Transfer to a new city, informally: RELO.

13. Run out of steam: TIRE.

14. "__ Wolf and Cub": manga series: LONE.  I am not familiar with this series.

15. Wi-Fi device: MODEM.

18. Winery process that takes years: AGING.  Aren't we all?

19. French farewell: ADIEU.  Obviously, this is today's French lesson.

20. Matching cups, saucers, etc.: TEA SETS.

22. The Big Apple, for short: NYC.  Why New York City is called The Big Apple.

27. Toothpaste option: GEL.

28. Possesses: HAS.

29. Spanish Mrs.: SRA.  Obviously, today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

30. Issa of "Insecure": RAE.  Issa Rae (née Jo-Issa Rae Diop;b. Jan. 12, 1985) has become a frequent guest in our puzzles.

31. Genesis garden: EDEN.

33. Word between surnames: NÉE.  More of today's French lesson.  Née is the female past participle of the French word naître, which means "to be born."

35. Rough-sounding: RASPY.

41. Wristwatch part: STRAP.

44. Actor Lowe: ROB.  In the 1980s, Rob Lowe (né Robert Helper Lowe; b. Mar. 17, 1964) was a member of the Brat Pack.  He has also appeared in a number of television shows, including West Wing, which is now almost 20 years in the past.

45. MLB team in the ESPN documentary "Once Upon a Time in Queens": METS.

49. Bowl over: AWE.

50. Opposite of NNW: SSE.

53. Note from one who's shy?: IOU.  Cute clue and answer.

55. Museum collection: ART.  I will be visiting this art collection in just a few weeks.

59. Sturgeon product: ROE.  Yummers!

60. Hot, dust-laden Saharan wind: SIROCCO.  Everything you wanted to know about Sirocco, but didn't know to ask.

61. Island south of Sicily: MALTA.

63. Want very much: COVET.  The Wicked Bible of 1631 seemingly permitted such activities.

67. Apple desktops: iMACS.  We have a Mac Mini.

68. Honest-to-goodness: REAL.

69. Border on: ABUT.

70. Gael, for one: CELT.

71. Whirlpool: EDDY.

72. "This Is Us" role for Susan Kelechi Watson: BETH.  This Is Us was a television drama that just ended its run.  I never watched the show, but it got rave reviews.  Apparently Susan Kelechi Watson (b. Nov. 11, 1981) was one of the main characters.

Down:

1. Odd: STRANGE.

2. Like many hand-colored T-shirts: TIE-DYED.

3. Magazine story: ARTICLE.

4. "Sommersby" actor Richard: GERE.  Sommersby was a 1993 film that starred Richard Gere and Jody Foster.

Richard Tiffany Gere (b. Aug. 31, 1949)

5. Pampering, for short: TLC.  As in Tender Loving Care.

6. "Look, fireworks!": OOH!

7. Condo divisions: UNITS.

8. Classroom break: RECESS.

9. Tennis great Federer: ROGER.  Roger Federer (b. Aug. 8, 1981) was ranked Number 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals for 310 weeks.

10. Cosmopolitan group?: EDITORS.

11. Camera accessory: LENS CAP.

12. Short "Good grief!": OMG.

15. Eyelash application: MASCARA.

17. "That hurts!": OUCH.

21. "Bel-__": 2022 drama series based on a 1990s sitcom: AIR.

24. "Auld __ Syne": LANG.

25. Sailing: ASEA.  A crossword staple.

26. Lock opener: KEY.

32. Govt. intel group: NSA.  As in the National Security Agency.  I can neither confirm nor deny that I work for this agency.

34. Play a proper noun in Scrabble, say: ERR.

36. Drive-thru device: ATM.  As in an Automatic Teller Machine.

38. Ultimate results: UP-SHOTS.

39. Spiral: COIL.

40. Clarinet kin: OBOE.

41. 1950s actor Mineo or 1950s pitcher Maglie: SAL.

Sal Mineo (né Salvatore Mineo, Jr.; Jan. 10, 1939 ~ Feb. 12, 1976)

Sal Maglie (né Salvatore Anthony Maglie; Apr. 26, 1917 ~ Dec. 28, 1992)

42. Pair: TWOSOME.

43. Second or third staging on Broadway, say: REVIVAL.

46. Oft-pierced body part: EAR LOBE.

47. Present proudly: TROT OUT.

48. Furtiveness: STEALTH.

51. Cul-de-__: SAC.  More of today's French lesson.  It literally means "bottom of a sack."

52. Concertgoer's "More!": ENCORE.

54. "Semper Fi" military org.: USMC.  As in the United States Marine Corps.  Several of our regulars are were in the Marines.

57. Raise: ERECT.

58. Meted (out): DOLED.

62. "Moby-Dick" captain: AHAB.

63. POTUS, militarily speaking: CIC.  As in the Commander-In-Chief.

65. Pop: DAD.

66. Underhanded: SLY.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I won't Sugar Coat this.  This will be my last commentary for a while.  Hubby and I are taking a month-long trip to Europe.  I know you will be in good hands while I am gone.