Thursday October 22, 2026 MaryEllen Uthlaut

MaryEllen Uthlaut is no stranger to the Corner. Today, she takes us from port to port.

20. Port: AVIATOR'S LEFT. The directions and colors were borrowed from boats. 

28. Port: RED DESSERT WINE. Turns out this this is the best way to stain a white tablecloth. Don't ask me how I know.

47. Port: CRUISE STOPOVER. Apologies to cruise fans, but it seems a bit overwhelming when several huge ships descend on a small island.

St. Maarten in the Caribbean

53. Port: COMPUTER SLOT. A port is a place to plug in something external to a COMPUTER, while a SLOT usually means a socket on the motherboard inside that holds various circuit cards.

Ports vs SLOTs

Well, this puzzle started off like a Monday, but ended like a Friday in the south-central area. U-EYS had to change to U-IES, but then I wrote AION instead of PION. There went my Greek poet out the window.

Maserati Quattroporte = 4 doors

No revealer, just four types of ports. The resulting theme answers are all reasonable phrases, which is always appreciated. 

Here's the report on the rest:

Across:

1. Cartoon girl whose best friend is Boots the Monkey: DORA. 

DORA & Boots

5. Brand of body wash: DIAL.

9. Meant but not said: TACIT.

14. Sigh of woe: ALAS.

15. Slip (past): EDGE.

16. Residence: ABODE.

17. Sharp taste: TANG. Ironically, TANG (the powdered drink) isn't tangy - it's over 90% sugar.

18. Russian blues, e.g.: CATS. A cat breed from northern Russian that is blue because it's so cold there. Or maybe it's just because of their thick silver/blue coat.

19. Foldable bed: FUTON.

20. [theme]

23. Kept on teasing: RODE.

24. Isl. with four provinces: IRE. Ireland is traditionally divided into four provinces - Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster.

25. Basic nutrient: FAT. FAT is a macronutrient, like proteins, carbohydrates and water. Needed in lesser amounts are the micronutrients vitamins and minerals.

28. [theme]

32. Wetland ecosystem: FEN. A FEN is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the four main types of wetlands, alongside marshes, swamps and bogs.

33. __ poker: DRAW. You can also paint poker.

34. Holy people: SAINTS.

35. Adapter letters: AC/DC. It converts Alternating Current to Direct Current.

37. "Okey-dokey": YEP. My cousin, who has the voice of an angel, hosts a singing and DJ service called Okey-Dokey Karaoke.

39. Breathing organ: GILL.

40. Moved with haste: RUSHED.

43. Formerly, quaintly: ERST. 

46. Leaves in hot water?: TEA. Fun clue.

47. [theme]

50. Telepathic ability: ESP. ExtraSensory Perception is commonly known as a sixth sense, and is uncommonly known as cryptaesthesia. That just came to me.

51. Part of a pod cast?: PEA. Perhaps the trickiest clue. I had PEE for a while as it's the first letter of pod. 

52. Whodunit game: CLUE. In this case, CLUE is the answer! Just ask Professor Plum.

53. [theme]

58. "Until we meet again, mon ami": ADIEU. "FAREWELL, my friend," in French.

61. Unstable subatomic particle: PION. I wrote AION, which made for an unstable answer.

62. "__ might say ... ": SOME.

63. Cough drop brand: HALLS.

64. Group driven to stay together?: HERD. Unless, of course, they're cats.

65. Neck and neck: EVEN.

66. Talus locale: ANKLE.

67. Mount of Greek myth: OSSA. Twin giants Otus and Ephialtes tried to pile Mount Pelion on top of Mount OSSA to scale Olympus! I couldn't find a photo of either giant. 

68. Give temporarily: LEND.

Down:

1. Facts and figures: DATA.

2. Royal figure in Norwegian history: OLAV.

3. Royal figure in Indian history: RANI. They're the ones who performed the RANI Dance. Sort of. Indians do dance in the rain to celebrate the return of the monsoons which supply three-quarters of the water the country needs.

4. Home of Odin and Thor: ASGARD. It's the Mount Olympus of Norse mythology. No Viking twins, though.

5. Reader of secret messages: DECODER. 

6. "Seems to me ... ": I DARE SAY.

7. Business reps: AGTS. Agents can be business representatives.

8. Nielsen of "Airplane!": LESLIE. There's a fine between movies that are a successful FARCE and ones that are simply inane. LESLIE Nielsen played it straight and made Airplane! a classic.

9. Stiff fabric: TAFFETA. I always thought that TAFFETA was delicate. But then again, most of my knowledge comes from FARCEs. Here's a touching (?) scene from Young Frankenstein.

"Taffeta, darling. The dress is taffeta. It wrinkles so easily."

10. Be against: ABUT.

11. Foldable bed: COT.

12. Promising words: I DO. 

13. Oscar count for 1961's "West Side Story": TEN. This feat was only bested by three movies that won 11 awards: Airplane! Ben-Hur, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. 

21. "Hello It's Me" singer-songwriter Rundgren: TODD. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is considered a pioneer of electronic music, music videos, computer software, and Internet music delivery.

Todd playing "The Fool" - a 1964 Gibson SG he got from Eric Clapton

22. Flubs: ERRS.

25. Having measurable limits: FINITE. 

26. Buck topper: ANTLER. 

27. Electrical pioneer Nikola: TESLA. Nikola invented the TESLA coil, an electrical transformer that produces artificial lighting. It's mostly used by mad scientists. 

Another scene from Young Frankenstein

28. Comes up again: RECURS.

29. Turns out to be: ENDS UP.

30. "Awesome!": SWEET.

31. Barrister's head covering: WIG. Horsehair WIGs are traditionally worn as a symbol of authority, and as way to soften individual identity in the courtroom.

32. Absurd situation: FARCE. See Airplane! and Young Frankenstein.

36. Letter between phi and psi: CHI. The Greek letter CHI looks like an English "X". Because it starts the Greek word for Christ, "X" is commonly used as an abbreviation for Christ, such as in "Xmas." Which reminds me, there are only 64 shopping days until Christmas - so I only have 63 days left to think about it.

38. "Time's up" callers: PROCTORS. PROCTORS are persons who supervise or monitor students and test-takers during an examination to ensure rules are followed and to prevent cheating.

Mr. Bean takes an exam in another FARCE.

41. Embrace, as a cause: ESPOUSE.

42. Judge to be: DEEM.

44. Sugar substitute with sucralose: SPLENDA. There are recipes to make TANG at home using SPLENDA, but the sugar-free variety in stores uses aspartame.

45. Series of gigs: TOUR.

48. Lyric poet of Lesbos: SAPPHO. SAPPHO was an ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. She is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. Once again, it's hard to find a photos of ancient Greeks for some reason. Maybe they need new AGTS. 

49. Frigate, for one: VESSEL. In a modern navy, a frigate is a medium-sized war VESSEL primarily used to protect fleets, hunt submarines, and patrol waters.

53. Spreadsheet unit: CELL.

54. Informal reversals: UIES. I had UEYS at first, but made a U-turn and corrected it.

55. Emotion expressed with heart hands, perhaps: LOVE.

56. Gathering clouds, say: OMEN.

57. Lean (toward): TEND.

58. Triumphant cry: AHA. Much better than OHO. Thanks, MaryEllen!

59. Auerbach of the Black Keys: DAN. The Black Keys are an indie rock band from Akron, Ohio. DAN is noted for playing eccentric, budget-priced, and obscure vintage pawnshop guitars. 

Dan with his rusty trusty 4-pickup (!) Tedesco 

60. Sort: ILK.

"May the FARCE be with you."

Be good. RB

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 Kelly Richardson

Theme:  NON-AUSTRALIAN LANDS DOWN UNDER.   The theme fill are vertical, and that usually indicates that the orientation is significant.  We'll see shortly what that means.  

3 D.  New Mexico pepper: HATCH CHILE.   Hatch Chile refers to any long green New Mexican chile pepper (Capsicum annuum) commercially grown within the Hatch Valley of southern New Mexico.  Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is not a pepper, but rather a country in the Southern Cone of southwestern South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, extending along a narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. According to the 2024 census, Chile had an enumerated population of 18.5 million. 

9 D. Sneaker with the Jumpman logo: AIR JORDAN.   Air Jordan is a popular line of basketball shoes and athletic apparel created by Nike in collaboration with Michael Jordan.   On the other hand - or foot - Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and both Israel and Palestine (West Bank) to the west. The Jordan River, flowing into the Dead Sea, is located along the country's western border within the Jordan Rift Valley. 

16 D. Ballot dangler in 2000 election news: HANGING CHAD.   A hanging chad is a small, perforated piece of paper (a "chad") that fails to detach completely from a punch-card ballot after a voter pushes a stylus through it.  On that topic, more than this I will not say.  Hanging below Lybia is Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the southwest, Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west. 

32 D. All set: READY TO GO.  Ready to go means you are completely prepared, equipped, or willing to start an activity, leave a place, or handle a task.   Are you ready to go to Togo (officially the Togolese Republic) a narrow country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east, Burkina Faso to the north, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south?

And the unifier:  28 D. Region of South Carolina and Georgia, or what can be found in 3-, 9-, 16-, and 32-Down: LOW COUNTRY.   Though my first thought was The Netherlands in Europe.   Oh, well.  In Puzzleland, the country names are located in the low parts of the theme fill.  Clever, I'd say.   

Across:

1. Second-largest city in Pakistan: LAHORE.  Lahore is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is the second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and 27th largest in the world, with a population of over 14 million.

7. Tells a fish story, maybe: BOASTS.    Talks with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's own achievements, possessions, or skills, often in a way that exaggerates the truth or irritates others.

13. 40-Across layer: ENAMEL.  The hard, mineralized outer layer of teeth in the human body, made of about 95% to 96% minerals formed from calcium and phosphate—along with water and proteins.

14. Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune covered by Perry Como: BALI HAI.  This is from the 1949 stage musical South Pacific.  It was made into a movie in 1958.

15. "Charge!": ATTACK.  Conduct an aggressive action, physical assault, or forceful effort directed against a person, group, object, or system.

16. Bread for a bacon, egg, and cheese, often: HARD ROLL.   A round, crusty yeast bread roll with a firm, golden exterior and a soft, airy interior.

17. Carved-out corner: NICHE.   A specialized role, a shallow recess in a wall, or a targeted segment of an activity or market.

18. Gasp for breath: PANT.   To breathe quickly, loudly, or in a labored manner, such as after running, exercising, or from excitement.

19. Triple espresso effect: JOLT.    A sudden, sharp surge of energy, mental alertness, and physical stimulation caused by consuming caffeine.

20. Submit: HAND IN.    To give something—such as a piece of work, a form, or a lost object—to a person in authority.

22. Before now: AGO.   In the past.

24. Circle segment: ARC.   A connected portion of a circle's circumference, classified into minor arcs (under 180°), semicircles (180°), and major arcs (over 180°).

26. Key lime pie feature: TANG.    A strong, sharp taste or smell 

27. Root ball wrapper: BURLAP.    A coarse, heavy, plain-woven fabric made primarily from natural plant fibers such as jute, hemp, or flax. 

31. Bert who played the Cowardly Lion: LAHR.   Irving Lahrheim [1895-1967] known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Zeke", in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.

33. Guest speaker's platform: DAIS.    A raised platform or small stage located at the front or end of a room or hall.

35. Southwestern building block: ADOBE.   A natural building material made from a mixture of sun-dried earth, clay, water, and organic fibers such as straw or grass.

36. Farewell that's bid: ADIEU.   A French-derived word that means "goodbye" or "farewell."

38. Blasting material: TNT.   Trinitrotoluene, a yellow, odorless, crystalline chemical compound (C₇H₅N₃O₆) that is widely used as a high explosive in military munitions and industrial demolitions.

39. Imitated a crow: CAWED.   Made a loud, harsh, or rough cry characteristic of birds such as crows, ravens, or rooks.

40. Back tooth: MOLAR.    A large, flat back tooth used for crushing and chewing food.

41. Enthralled: AGOG.    Very excited, eager, or curious to see, hear, or know more about something

43. March Madness org.: NCAA.  The National Collegiate Athletic Association, a non-profit organization that regulates intercollegiate athletic programs in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.   March madness is a basketball tounament held every spring.

44. Uptight: ON EDGE.    Feeling nervous, tense, irritable, or unable to relax.

46. Chowder protein: CLAM.   In a culinary context, protein refers to the primary, substantial center-piece component of a meal—such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, or tofu.

48. Fla. NBA team: ORL.  The Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association, a North American professional league.

49. Vote in favor: YEA.   Used in parliamentary, congressional, or organizational roll-call votes to mean a supportive vote ("yes"), contrasted with nay ("no").

50. "Yo!": HEY, YOU.    An informal greeting used to say hello, get someone's attention, or establish a sense of familiarity and affection.

52. Help in wrongdoing: ABET.   Help, support, encourage, or assist someone—most commonly in committing a crime, wrongdoing, or illicit act.

55. "Project Hail Mary" actor Gosling: RYAN.  Ryan Thomas Gosling [b. 1980] is a Canadian actor, singer, and musician. Known for his work in both independent films and major studio features, his films as a leading actor have grossed over US$4 billion worldwide.

57. Kirsten of "Melancholia": DUNST.  Kirsten Caroline Dunst [b. 1982] is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut in the anthology film New York Stories and has since starred in many film and television productions.

60. Lamented: BEMOANED.   Expressed sorrow, grief, discontent, or dissatisfaction about something.

62. Get comfortable, with "in": SETTLE.    Become familiar, comfortable, and relaxed in a new environment, routine, or situation.

63. Treat at New Orleans' Café du Monde: BEIGNET.   A French-style deep-fried pastry made from choux pastry or a light yeast-leavened dough, typically cut into squares and dusted generously with powdered sugar.

64. Arts supporter: PATRON.    A financial or moral supporter of an artist, cause, or institution,

65. Bit of progress: INROAD.   A direct, noticeable advance or intrusion into a new territory, market, or problem

66. Like a raw hemline: FRAYED.    Describes fabric, clothing, or rope with threads or fibers coming apart at the edges from wear, damage, or rubbing.

Down:

1. Like a chicken burger: LEAN.   Low in fat.

2. Opposed to: ANTI.  Against someone or some thing.

4. Nebraska home of the Durham Museum: OMAHA.   Omaha is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about 10 mi (15 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River. Omaha had a population of 486,051 at the 2020 census, 

5. Fairly new: RECENT.   Happening, starting, or done a short time ago, or newly created.

6. Bugling deer: ELK.   A large hoofed mammal of the deer family (Cervidae.)

7. Rounds of the night table?: BAR TAB.   A running total or bill for all the drinks and food you order during a single visit, allowing you to pay once at the end of the night instead of paying for each item immediately.  Clever clue.

8. Not new: OLD.    Primarily means having lived, existed, or been in use for a relatively long time or for a specified duration.  Do I qualify?  All my grandchildren are adults.

10. "Scram!": SHOO.  Go away.

11. Like a giant redwood: TALL.   An adjective that describes someone or something with a height greater than average or normal, or with a large vertical distance from bottom to top.

12. Delta deposit: SILT.    A fine-grained granular sediment with a particle size falling between sand and clay 

14. Outlaw: BAN.    A legal, formal, or official prohibition that forbids an action, item, or person from being used, allowed, or happening.

18. Party animal?: PIÑATA.    A decorated container— often in the shape of an animal, typically made of papier-mâché, cloth, or pottery—filled with candy, fruit, small toys, or treats. 

21. Jerry Stiller, to Ben Stiller: DAD.  Father and son.

23. Green blob on a taco, familiarly: GUAC.   Short for guacamole, a traditional Mexican dip, spread, or condiment made primarily from mashed or pureed ripe avocados.

24. San Antonio school trip destination: ALAMO.  Originally built in 1718 as the Spanish mission Mission San Antonio de Valero in San Antonio, Texas, it later became a military fort.  The fort was named after the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras, a Spanish military unit from Santiago del Álamo that was stationed there.

25. Gas measured in a home inspection: RADON.    A heavy, colorless, odorless, and tasteless radioactive noble gas (symbol Rn, atomic number 86) formed naturally by the decay of radium, uranium, and thorium in rocks, soil, and groundwater.

29. Build-__ Workshop: toy retailer: A BEAR.    A global, interactive retail brand where customers design and customize their own stuffed animals, such as teddy bears, bunnies, and licensed character plushies.

30. Go by bike: PEDAL.   To push the pedals of a bicycle, boat, or similar device with your feet to move it.

34. Pinched: STOLEN.   Acquired with the 5-finger discount.

37. Exhort: URGE.   To strongly encourage, advise, or earnestly try to persuade someone to do something..

42. Like some Pride Month celebrants: GAY.   Refers to a person who is physically, romantically, or emotionally attracted to people of the same gender.

45. Did the work for: EARNED.  Earn is a verb that means to receive money, profit, or a reward in return for work, service, or effort, or to get something that you deserve through your actions.

47. Term of affection: MY DEAR.   a term of affection, endearment, or polite address used to refer to someone you love, care about, or feel familiar with.

51. "Get __ here!": "Scram!": OUTTA.  Go away.

52. "Broad City" star Jacobson: ABBI.   Abbi Jacobson [b. 1984] is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and illustrator. She co-created and co-starred in the Comedy Central series Broad City with Ilana Glazer, based on the web series of the same name.

53. Has-__: BEEN.   An informal, often critical term for a person who used to be famous, popular, powerful, or successful, but is no longer.

54. Qatar leader: EMIR.   A title meaning commander, leader, prince, or ruler in Arabic and Islamic societies.

56. Still: YET.   Up to the present time.

58. Gin infusion berry: SLOE.   The small, dark, bluish-black drupe (stone fruit) of the blackthorn.

59. Watch over, as sheep: TEND.    To look after, minister to, supervise, or run something.  A gentle, loving sheep watcher would be a tender tender.

61. The NHL's Ducks, on sports tickers: ANA.  The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Honda Center.

62. Block letters?: SPF.   The surface meaning refers to a style of writing or printing in all uppercase (capital) letters where each character is drawn separately and clearly without cursive or joined-up strokes.  The applied-to-a-[skin]-surface meaning is Solar Protection Factor, an indication of the uv blocking power of a sunscreen lotion.

Well, Summer is now long gone and, here in Michigan, we won't need sunscreen for the next several months.  But here we have a puzzle with quite a few bright, shiny ideas, and some cleverly mis-directing clues.  I have no nits.  Hope you didn't get burned.

Cool regards!

JzB

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Joe Deeney

The Private Eye is on Your Trail.

17-Across. Pregame activity in a parking lot: TAILGATING.

25-Across. Cursor control on some older laptops: TRACKBALL.

36-Across. Like a place with free treats and a full water dish, presumably: DOG FRIENDLY.

50-Across. Wells Fargo rival: CHASE BANK.

And the unifier:

59-Across. Point to future plot developments, or a feature of 17-, 25-, 36-, and 50-Across: FORESHADOW.  The first word in each theme answer is another term for "shadowing" someone.  This theme caught me off guard at first.  The words Tail, Dog, and Chase, made we think we were looking at some type of animal, but how did Track fit into that?  Then it dawned on me, I was being Shadowed

Here's the Grid.

What else is in today's puzzle?

Across:

1. Snack (on): NOSH.  Today's Yiddish lesson.  To Nosh means to take a bite of food.

5. Muscle twitch: SPASM.

10. Endure: LAST.

14. Really feel yesterday's workout: ACHE.

15. Country singer Tucker: TANYA.  Tanya Denise Tucker (b. Oct. 10, 1958) was big in the country scene in the 1970s and 1980s.  She had her first big hit in 1972 at age 13 with her rendition of Delta Dawn.

16. Suspecting: ON TO.

19. Place in the overhead bin, say: STOW.

20. Disconnect from work, colloquially: UNPLUG.

21. "__ the season ... ": TIS.

23. "The Simpsons" bartender: MOE.

24. Silky semisynthetic fabric: RAYON.  A brief history of Rayon.

28. Oral health org.: ADA.  As in the American Dental Association.

29. Indigenous language with Dakota and Lakota dialects: SIOUX.

31. Charged particles: IONS.

32. Ulrich of Metallica: LARS.  Lars Ulrich (b. Dec. 26, 1963) is a Danish musician.  He is the drummer and a founding member of the heavy metal band Metallica.

34. Well-worn pencil: NUB.

35. London's __ Gardens: KEW.  Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London founded in 1759.  It claims to house the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world. 

40. Language similar to Thai: LAO.  Thailand and Laos are neighboring countries.

41. Couple: TWO.

42. __-care: SELF.

45. Senior-year dance: PROM.

47. Hilarious folks: RIOTS.

49. "U slay me!": LOL.  Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud, or as some people think, Lots Of Love.

52. "Deck the Halls" plant: HOLLY.  'Tis the Season ...

54. Use oars: ROW.

55. Daily grind: RUT.

56. "The Situation Room" co-host Brown: PAMELA.  Pamela Ashley Brown (b. Nov. 29, 1983) is currently CNN's chief investigative correspondent and anchor.  Since March 2025, she has served, together with Wolf Blitzer, as the co-host of The Situation Room.

57. "Waterloo" pop group: ABBA.  The Swedish band was formed in 1972.  It  took its name by using the first initial of each member:  Agnetha Fältskog (b. Apr. 5, 1950), Björn Ulvaeus (B. Apr. 25, 1945), Benny Andersson (b. Dec. 16, 1946) and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (b. Nov. 15, 1945).  Agnetha was married to Björn. and Benny was married to Anni-Frid.

62. Small glass container: VIAL.

A Vile Vial.

63. Energy sources: FUELS.

64. California wine region: NAPA.

65. __ Grey tea: EARL.  I am not keen on Earl Grey tea.  The addition of Bergamot oil gives this tea its distinctive flavor.  The tea is named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey (Mar. 13, 1764 ~ July 17, 1845),  He served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from November 1830 to July 1834.

66. Clown's perch: STILT.

67. Tiny: ITSY.

Down:

1. One with innate talent: NATURAL.

2. Anthem played at Blue Jays home games: O CANADA.  A shout out to our very own CanadianEh!

3. Boat-building spot: SHIPYARD.

4. Word of welcome: HELLO.

5. Male deer: STAG.

6. Butter square: PAT.

7. Singer DiFranco: ANI.  Ani DiFranco (née Angela Maria DiFranco; b. Sept. 23, 1970) has released more than 20 albums.  

8. Grammar subject: SYNTAX.  Syntax is the set of rules that govern how words, phrases, and symbols are arranged to form well-structured sentences.

9. Facetious response to "How did you do that?": MAGIC.

10. Part of LAX: LOS.  The Los Angeles airport code

11. Marvel superhero who shrinks to the size of a bug: ANTMAN.

12. Bar seats: STOOLS.

13. Spa handout: TOWEL.

18. Revs, as an engine: GUNS.

22. Hit the slopes: SKIED.

25. Guided visit: TOUR.

26. Add insult to injury: RUB IT IN.

27. Soup dishes: BOWLS.

30. Deets: INFO.  I need the Details!

33. Jam band highlights: SOLOS.

35. Pretzel shape: KNOT.

37. Fortnite enthusiast, e.g.: GAMER.

38. "Return of the Jedi" creature: EWOK.  Ewoks are the fictional species of small, furry, critters that are native to the forest moon of Endor in the Star Wars movies.

39. Gave quite an earful: YELLED AT.

43. Bounces clumsily: LOLLOPS.  Not to be confused with Lollipops.  According to Webster's Dictionary, "Lollop is an intransitive verb meaning to move or run in an awkward, unhurried, bounding, or rolling way."

44. Take off: FLYAWAY.

Flyaway hair

45. Extreme fear: PHOBIA.

46. Venue that sells shellfish: RAW BAR.

47. Squeal on: RAT OUT.

48. Iranian ruler until 1979: SHAH.  I just read Marjan Kamali's novel The Stationery Shop, which is about the 1953 uprising in Tehran.  The Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown in a coup d'état that strengthened the rule of the Shah.

50. Really yen for: CRAVE.

51. Enthusiasts: BUFFS.

53. Muscat resident: OMANI.

56. Hissed "Hey!": PSST.

58. __-purpose flour: ALL.  Who knew there were so many types of flour.

60. Big name in camping gear: REI.  This company makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  REI stands for Recreational Equipment, Inc.

61. Pipe bend: ELL.

חתולה