17A. Be inactive, like a volcano : LIE DORMANT.
26A. Be in a favorable position : SIT PRETTY. John has a few photos demonstrating theme answers 26A and 55A, please scroll down to the end of my write-up.
42A. Don't give in : STAND FIRM.
55A. Proceed very cautiously : WALK ON EGGS.
Argyle again.
A bit of a stiff breeze for a Monday but diligence allows headway and safe passage into port.
Quite low black square (34) and word (74) count, which bring us plenty of non-theme long fill, including nine 7-letter and fourteen 6-letter entries.
Across:
1. Trig or algebra, e.g. : MATH. We also CIRCLE (21D. Geometry shape) and TRIANGLE (36. Pool rack shape).
5. Range dividing Europe and Asia : URALS. Geography 101
10. "Java" trumpeter Al : HIRT. I always picture the Muppet version.
14. Professor 'iggins : 'ENRY. From "My Fair Lady". Both Hs are dropped in Cockney accent.
15. Brown-toned old photo : SEPIA. So called because of a brown pigment used was obtained from the ink-like secretion of the cuttlefish.
16. Basie's "__'Clock Jump" : ONE O. Some more jazz.
19. Johnson Space Center org. : NASA. Originally known as the Manned Spacecraft Center, the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is located in Houston, Texas.
20. Showing profound knowledge : ERUDITE. From Latin ērudītus, from ērudīre to polish, from ex-(not) + rudis (unpolished, rough). Sort of a backhanded compliment.
21. Red bullring props : CAPES.
22. To the extent that : AS FAR AS.
24. Like many old movies : SILENT. Very old!
25. Highlands family : CLAN.
29. Tony of "Some Like It Hot" : CURTIS. Here with Jack Lemmon (Tony on left) from the 1959 film.
32. Brother's daughter : NIECE.
33. Pro __: for now : TEM.
34. TV surfer's selection : CHANNEL. Not a block in the middle of the grid, John?
36. __ chi: martial art : TAI. Tai chi chuan (literal translation "Supreme Ultimate Fist"). That is what Wikipedia said.
39. Bobby of the Black Panthers : SEALE. Founder, chairman and national organizer of the Black Panther Party.
40. Remains of a wreck : DEBRIS.
46. Dublin's land : EIRE.
47. Go berserk : LOSE IT.
48. Satisfy by offering concessions : APPEASE.
51. '50s "The Tonight Show" host Steve : ALLEN. Classic clip of Steve Allen cracking up at himself during a sportscaster sketch on live TV. Every time he looked at a monitor, he'd go off again.
52. From abroad : FOREIGN.
54. Make a sharp turn : VEER.
58. Crossword constructor's germ : IDEA. How did you get the IDEA for today's theme, John?
59. Spruce oneself up : PREEN.
60. St. __'s fire : ELMO. I've never seen it. Any of you sailors witnessed it?
61. Egyptian Christian : COPT. The word "Coptic" was originally used to refer to Egyptians in general, but it has undergone a semantic shift over the centuries to mean more specifically Egyptian Christian. Per Wikipedia.
62. Given to pouting : MOODY.
63. Splinter group : SECT.
Down:
1. Singer Tormé : MEL. The Velvet Fog.
2. Singer DiFranco : ANI. The Righteous Babe.
3. Supplier of firs : TREE FARM
4. Firefighter's water source : HYDRANT.
5. Vitamin intake std.: US RDA. std = standard. RDA Recommended Daily Allowance.
6. Neglectful : REMISS.
7. Give __ on the back : A PAT.
8. "Come here often?" is one : LINE. This could be clued as geography related too.
9. H.S. senior's exam: SAT
10. Puff the Magic Dragon's land : HONA LEE.
11. Acting peevishly : IN A PET. Being petulant.
12. Take offense at : RESENT.
13. Warm and cozy : TOASTY.
18. Lord's Prayer starter : OUR.
22. Bank statement no. : ACCT..
23. Revolve on an axis : SLUE.
24. Radar gun reading : SPEED.
27. Word before self or sanctum : INNER. An echo to the INNER SELF (ego) puzzle last week.
28. Oz Woodman's makeup : TIN. And no heart. From "The Wizards of Oz".
30. Stranded in winter, perhaps : ICED IN.
31. Mine passage : SHAFT.
35. Self-proclaimed "Greatest" boxer : ALI.
37. Runs on TV : AIRS.
38. "Understood" : "I SEE".
39. Show disdain for : SNEER AT.
41. "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack singers : BEE GEES.
42. Like Serbs and Croats : SLAVIC.
43. Holy Ohio city? : TOLEDO. There are many theories of where "Holy Toledo" came from.
44. Catching z's : ASLEEP.
45. Like cards in a crooked deck : MARKED.
49. Showy perennial : PEONY.
50. Wrestler's victory : PIN.
52. Casino card game : FARO.
53. Nondairy spread : OLEO.
55. Typing test fig. : WPM. Words Per Minute.
56. Maker of Terrain and Acadia SUVs : GMC. Terrain and Acadia The Acadia is bigger and much more expensive.
57. Boozehound : SOT.
Constructor John Lampkin is also an avid Nature photographer. He writes:
"Last month I shared some of my butterfly pics as a tie-in to one of my theme entries, PAINTED LADY. Today, two entries, SIT PRETTY and WALK ON EGGS, reminded me of a photo journal I self-published six years ago. “Into a Nest of Tree Swallows” chronicles the hatching and development of a family of young birds from egg to fledgling. The book is a hand-crafted set of 16 pages of the best of the hundreds of images I created by photographing the inside of a nest at a local park over a three week period. Coincidentally, the shots were all taken with a Coolpix, the same camera C.C. received as a gift in June! Here are seven pics from the book, guaranteed to melt even the hardest of heart."
If you are interested in John's photographs, music or other artistic work, please visit his website.
Argyle
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Source: http://crosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2010/08/monday-august-16-2010-john-lampkin.html
