Thursday, December 18th

Title: Themeless Thursday
Author: Patrick Jordan
Theme: None

Another themeless Thursday. That makes three in a row. (I don't know, of course, but I have a feeling next Thursday's (12-25) puzzle will have a theme.) And this one's even easier than the last one, which seemed especially easy for a themeless Thursday. This one feels more like a Themeless Tuesday, were there such a beast. As you know I do my puzzles in pen so I can see justy where I messed up, and there's only one scratch-out here and that was at 25a: Battlers' rattlers (SABERS) and that only because I went with the British spelling -- SABRES.

1a: Big-box store? (SAMSCLUB).

9a: Winter Olympics event (SLALOM).

15a: Emigrant's need, maybe (EXITVISA).

16a: Attempts, with "at" (HASAGO).

17a: Prepare for a DVD release, perhaps (REMASTER).

18a: Inception (OUTSET).

19a: Jay or Ray, say (ALER). Toronto Blue Jay or Tampa Bay Ray, two teams that play in the American League East.

20a: Manages an air line? (SKYWRITES). This was kinda cute, but not too misleading thanks to the two word air line.

22a: Original cargo of the Cutty Sark (TEA). I had no idea. How then did it come to be associated with Scotch?

26a: Bynes of "Hairspray" (AMANDA). About the only young star I can think of who's not misbehaving all over the tabloids.

29a: ___ Jon (crunk pioneer) (LIL).

30a: Saturn vehicle? (UFO).

33a: Corporate character with a mule (JUANVALDEZ). That mule's name is Conchita, by the way. Here Conchita and Juan meet New York's famous Naked Cowgirl.

35a: Rigging support (SPAR).

36a: Pitched right (ONKEY).

37a: Jeffy and Dolly's creator (BIL). Bil Keane, creator of the comic strip Family Circus. Believe it or not, it used to be funny.

38a: It's tapped for sap (MAPLE).

39a: Seethe (STEW).

40a: Mal de mer symptom (QUEASINESS).

42a: End of days? (ESS).

43a: Space heater? (SUN). The second outer space clue, after the Saturn UFO thing. Not enough for even a mini-theme though, is it?

44a: Clichéd claim from a conglomerate (WECARE).

45a: Mounts (STEEDS).

48a: Looking sickly (WAN).

49a: Realistic (CLEAREYED).

52a: Nano- reciprocal (GIGA).

56a: One with a game plan? (HUNTER).

57a: Having nowhere to run (CORNERED).

60a: Mad (INSANE).

61a: Neighbor of Myanmar (THAILAND).

62a: Took a gander (PEERED).

63a: Surgeon, slangily (SAWBONES).

1d: Antibody sources (SERA).

2d: A camel might follow it (AXEL).

3d: Act out silently (MIME).

4d: Go back to square one (STARTANEW).

5d: Rite Aid rival (CVS).

6d: Loaded (LIT).

7d: Doesn't abstain (USES).

8d: Sounds from doodles (BARKS). I've heard of Labradoodles (half Lab, half poodle) but I'm not sure what a doodle is.

9d: Variety focus (SHOWBIZ). I know there's all kinds of ways to mislead in clues, but if you're talking about the magazine Variety shouldn't it be italicised?

10d: Plant family that includes cinnamon (LAUREL).

11d: Not dormant (ASTIR).

12d: Mural on a wall of a church in Milan, with "The" (LASTSUPPER).

13d: Arch with a double curve (OGEE).

14d: Clever comments (MOTS). I thought a mot had to be bon to be clever.

21d: Where the Clintons met (YALELAW).

23d: Begrudge (ENVY).

24d: ___ Quonsett (Oscar-winning role for Helen Hayes in "Airport") (ADA).

26d: La Toya and Janet, to Blanket (AUNTS). I stopped paying attention to Michael Jackson years ago. Somebody please tell me he doesn't have a kid named Blanket.

27d: "Figures" (MAKESSENSE).

28d: TV character employed at Gary's Shoes (ALBUNDY).

31d: Like crocodile tears (FALSE).

32d: Metallurgy samples (ORES).

33d: "Three Tenors" colleague of Plácido and Luciano (JOSE).

34d: Item with 21 pips (DIE).

35d: Seat of Tom Green County, Texas (SANANGELO).

38d: Muscovite, e.g. (MICA).

40d: Spoiled (QUEERED).

41d: Work on a patchwork (SEW).

43d: Imperturbable (SERENE).

46d: Language closely related to Bashkir (TATAR).

47d: Faith factions (SECTS).

49d: "My Three Sons" son (CHIP).

50d: Crescent-shaped figure (LUNE).

51d: Capital on the Persian Gulf (DOHA).

53d: Its flag says "God is great" 22 times (IRAN).

54d: Simmons of Kiss (GENE).

55d: Throws in (ADDS).

58d: Lacking experience (RAW).

59d: Calligrapher's point (NIB).

Have a great day, Norrin