Saturday, Jul 20th, 2013, Tom Heilman

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing -) Pangram~!

Blocks: 27 (second lowest total I have seen)

   I came up with very little on the first across pass to work with, but a few Wild Ass Guesses got me enough perps to finish this one, and in a pretty good time, considering.  Intimidating corners with triple 8's crossing triple 9's, but then again, nothing bigger than those - and not much to say about them; pretty straight forward.

Onward~!

ACROSS:

1. Busted : FLAT BROKE - about how I'm feeling lately; two weeks to the new UPS contract, and possibly a FT position doing what I do right now; at the very least, I get a union scale raise.

10. Jag : SPREE

15. One who may confuse cees and zees : LIP READER - I can "see" that

16. Extinguish : QUELL

17. Torn to bits : IN TATTERS

18. Non-union? : UNWED

19. Architect awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993 : PEI - I.M., designer of several well-known structures

20. Angels Landing's national park : ZION - Anyone care to visit Utah?

21. Latin case : DATIVE - nailed it - 4 years of Latin in high school

22. The Panthers of the Big East : PITT

24. At all : ONE BIT - Did I give up on this puzzle? Not ONE BIT~!

26. Apt., e.g. : RESidence

27. Holders of notions : ETUIs - Saturday level attempt to obscure "needle case"

29. Slight : SLUR

30. Provide an outlet for : VENT

31. Sale indicator : RED TAG

33. Cubic measure : STERE - a cubic meter, 1.3cubic yards, about 35.3 cubic feet - for cordwood

35. Dragged through the mud : SMEARED

37. Send to the bottom : SCUTTLE - Reminds me of "Hunt for Red October"

41. Drew in books : NANCY - Didn't fool me; Nancy Drew, the proper name

43. Where the heart is : THORAX

44. Quick hits : JABS

47. Markers : IOUs

49. Volleyball great Gabrielle : REECE

50. Surfer's destination : URL - ah, not WEB

51. Trip with a per diem, perhaps : JUNKET - def #3:

a trip, as by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information.

53. Suffix for some lotions : DERM - Lubri-DERM, e.g.

54. Floors : AMAZES

56. Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love," e.g. : IDYL

58. Better : TOP

59. Brought down : RAZED

60. Whatever it takes : AT ANY COST

62. Small-capped mushroom : ENOKI

63. Reassure : PUT AT EASE

64. Quick reads? : ZINES - abbr.  for magaZINES, hence the "?"

65. Like some questions : OPEN-ENDED

DOWN:

1. Seal features : FLIPPERS

2. Budget entry : LINE ITEM - tried MORTGAGE first

3. It's tested in school : APTITUDE - nailed it

4. Melodic bit : TRA - more Saturday obscurity

5. Carl who played Donna Reed's TV husband : BETZ - WAAAY before my time; IMDb

6. Currency exchange market listing, e.g. : RATIO - total WAG here

7. Classic theaters : ODEONS - with a modern take in the next clue...

8. Movie concession stand remnants : KERNELS - Corn, scuttled in the popping machine....

9. Hosp. areas : ERs

10. Position behind the plate : SQUAT - the physical position, not the player's

11. Football option : PUNT - PASS, KICK, RUSH; had to wait

12. Replace the old connections : REWIRE - been there, done that - now that that apartment remodel is over, I am stepping away from carpentry/construction for a while; gonna try something new

13. Ones seen side by side? : ELEVEN - 1 and 1 = 11~!

14. First in line : ELDEST - that's me~!

21. Nonstop : DIRECT - Ah, not RED-EYE

23. Cronus and Hyperion : TITANS

25. Objections : BUTS

28. Actress Gilbert of "The Big Bang Theory" : SARA - lots of fans of "TBBT" here, but count me out; just can't get into it

30. Shot down : VETOED

32. Brainiac : GENIUS - most of the cast of "TBBT"

34. One of Duisburg's rivers : RUHR - I had R--R; guess what?  I got it

36. Anti-rodent brand : D-CON

38. Arboreal hopper : TREE TOAD - 'round here, we have tree "FROGS", but they're insects; speaking of what we call things here on Lawn Guyland, I had to find out why "straw" is not the same as "hay"

39. Wisconsin city on the Mississippi : La CROSSE

40. Given a pass, in a way : EXEMPTED

42. Bust a gut : YUK IT UP - either you got it, or you didn't

44. Eponymous 1850s-'70s Mexican president : JUAREZ

45. Snazzy suit : ARMANI - some day I will sport an Armani suit

46. Embellish showily : BLAZON - my high school denim jacket was emBLAZONed with Iron Maiden patches

48. Tranquilize : SEDATE

51. "A __ Fury": "Star Wars" DVD segment : JEDI'S

52. English critic Kenneth : TYNAN

55. The Cowardly Lion, back in Kansas : ZEKE - worked on the farm in "The Wizard of Oz" - he knew the difference between the two~!

57. Suffix with electro- : LYTE - ElectroLYTE - like you'd find in Gatorade - I frakkin' needed fluids this past week, let me tell you; finally got a massive thunderstorm midday Friday - aaaaaah

60. G.I.'s address : APO

61. Fivescore yrs. : CENtury; 5 X 20

Splynter