Rise and Shine. The first word of each theme answer is something that may lift you up, although in the case of the ladder, you have to work rise up.
17-Acorss. Seat with horizontal spindles: LADDER BACK CHAIR.
24-Across. One competent in many areas: JACK OF ALL TRADES.
43-Across. Concise promotional talks: ELEVATOR PITCHES.
And the unifier:
56-Across. Request from someone who needs a ride, or a request that can be made of the starts of 17-, 24-, and 43-Across: HEY, CAN I GET A LIFT.
Today's puzzle will LIFT your mood.
Across:
1. African tree snake: MAMBA. Mambas are fast-moving, highly venomous snakes. Four extant species are recognised currently; three of those four species are essentially arboreal and green in color. The fourth is the black mamba, which is largely terrestrial and generally brown or grey in color. All are native to various regions in sub-Saharan Africa.
6. Strappy tops, for short: CAMIs. Short for Camisole. You can even get them in camouflage.
11. Los Angeles NFLer: RAM.
14. "What worries me is ... ": I FEAR ...
15. Introvert's recharging period: ALONE TIME.
19. Some hosp. staffers: DRs. // And 3-Down. Stuff prescribed by 19-Across, for short: MEDS. Doctors and Medicines.
20. Moves to solid food: WEANS.
21. Quite wound up: TENSE.
22. Many a YA hero: TEEN. YA stands for Young Adult.
23. Spot for a tailgate party: LOT.
32. Kitchen garb: APRONS.
33. Helps: AIDS.
34. Antlered quadruped: ELK. The elk, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae. It is also one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia.
35. Golden yrs. funds: IRAs. As in Individual Retirement Account.
36. "Later!": BYE.
37. Surrealist painter with an iconic mustache: DALÍ. There is a beautiful Salvador Dalí museum in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. I hope it survived Hurricane Milton. I don't yet have any updates, other than to note the museum is temporarily closed. Salvador Dalí (né Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí Doménech; May 11, 1904 ~ Jan, 23, 1989) had, not only an iconic mustache, but a very unique style of painting. [Name # 1.]
38. Hr. division: MIN. Hours are made up of Minutes.
39. Clarinet kin: OBOE. Both the Oboe and Clarinet are reed instruments. The Oboe has a double reed.
41. Lemon meringue pan, say: PIE TIN.
46. Greenlights: OKs.
47. Additionally: ALSO.
48. Place to store decorations, maybe: ATTIC.
51. Capital of Nigeria until 1991: LAGOS. Today the capital of Nigeria is Abuja. It is located in the middle of the country; the former capital of Lagos is located along the coast.
53. Informal greetings: HIs!
59. Gives a glow up: MAKES OVER.
60. Jazz choreographer Bob: FOSSE. Bob Fosse (né Robert Louis Fosse; June 23, 1927 ~ Sept. 23, 1987) was one of the jazz hands and he incorporated them in nearly all of his Broadway and film musical choreography. [Name # 2.]
61. __ out a living: EKE.
62. Leg joints: KNEES.
63. __ salts: footbath additive: EPSOM. Everything you wanted to know about Epsom Salts but didn't know to ask.
Down:
1. Not spicy: MILD.
2. Way out there: AFAR.
4. Not good: BAD.
5. "Cameras rolling?": ARE WE ON?
6. Place to change for a dip in the pool: CABANA.
7. Ruck of HBO's "Succession": ALAN. Although Alan Ruck (né Alan Douglas Ruck; b. July 1, 1956) portrayed Connor Roy in Succession, he is probably better known for being Ferris Bueller's best friend in the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. [Name # 3.]
8. Comfy shoes, briefly: MOCs. As in Moccasins.
9. Printer supply: INK.
10. Divisions of the economy: SECTORS.
11. "Knives Out" filmmaker Johnson: RIAN. Although I saw the movie, Knives Out, I did not know the director's name. Rian Johnson (né Rian Craig Johnson, b. Dec. 17, 1973) also directed one of the films in the Star Wars franchise. [Name # 4.]
12. French pals: AMIS. Today's French lesson. Since this is in the plural, it means either your male friends or a mix of male and female friends. If it referred only to your female friends, the answer would have been Amies.
13. For a __ pittance: MERE.
16. Letter before iota: THETA. By now, we should all know the Greek alphabet.
18. Coral-based ecosystems: REEFS. Reefs appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle when we learned that they are threatened by coral bleaching.
22. MMA decisions: TKOs. As in Technical Knock-Outs.
23. U.K. business abbr.: LTD.
24. Pressly of "Mom": JAIME. Jaime Pressly (née Jaime Elizabeth Pressly; b. July 30, 1977) was also a regular on the short-lived sit-com My Name is Earl. [Name # 5.]
25. __ : showers :: May : flowers: APRIL. If April showers bring May flowers, What to Mayflowers bring?
26. Origami bird: CRANE. In Japanese folklore, the crane a strong majestic bird that mates for life and is said to live for a thousand years. It symbolizes honor, good fortune, loyalty, and longevity. These characteristics give the crane such special meaning and why the Japanese believed that anyone with the patience and commitment to fold 1,000 origami cranes would be given good fortune and granted a wish.
27. Seven-__ cake: LAYER.
28. Falsehood: LIE.
29. __ Valley, California: DEATH.
30. Grammy nominee Goulding: ELLIE. Elena Jane Goulding (b. Dec. 30, 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. [Name # 6.]
31. Onion peels: SKINS.
36. "You need new glasses, ump!": BOO! Think baseball.
37. Geometric art style of the 1920s: DECO. Our crossword friend, Erté (né Romain Petrovich de Tirtoff; Nov. 23, 1892 ~ Apr. 21, 1990), is probably the best known Art Deco artist. The term Art Deco is short for French Arts décoratifs.
39. Wooden vat: OAK CASK.
40. "Dynamite" K-pop group: BTS. BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010.
41. Cockpit figure: PILOT.
42. "There's no danger": IT'S SAFE.
44. Express aloud: VOICE.
45. Beepers: PAGERS. That's so 1990s.
48. Melodramatic sigh: AH, ME!
49. Decking wood: TEAK. Why Teak is good for decking.
50. Tot: TYKE.
51. Like most Twitch streams: LIVE. Twitch is an American video live-streaming service that focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of esports competitions.
52. Actor Steve of "Peacemaker": AGEE. Peacemaker is a black comedy on HBO. Steve Agee (né Steven Douglas Agee; b. Feb. 26, 1969) portrays John Economos who is the bumbling but well-meaning warden of Belle Reve Penitentiary on the show. Steve Agee is also a guitarist. [Name # 7.]
53. Cat's warning: HISS.
54. "Assuming that's true ... ": IF SO.
55. Flute part: STEM. Think wine glass, not a musical instrument.
57. Persona __ grata: NON. Today's Latin lesson. It is a Latin phrase that means unwelcome person.
58. Chop (off): LOP.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
