Tuesday Aug 31, 2021 Kurt Krauss

Theme: WATERFRONT (62. Like oceanside resort property ... and what the starts to the answers to starred clues can have?)

17A. *It often runs through the center of town: MAINSTREET. Water main.

39A. *Sleeveless shirt: TANK TOP. Water tank.

11D. *Monopoly property three squares before Go: PARK PLACE. Water park.

 

35D. *Bit of wishful thinking: PIPE DREAM. Water pipe.

Boomer here again. Hahtoolah will be back on the blog soon. Please accept C.C. and my deepest sympathy regarding the loss of you father.

This puzzle's water theme came right on time.  Last week Minnesota received a ridiculous amount of rain including thunder and lightning.  It gave C.C. and I pause to visit the Mississippi River Dam a few miles from our home.  The water gushes through the dam and supplies electricity to many of suburban residents on the North side of Minneapolis.  While we visited however, we did notice a huge expanded shoreline on each side of the river.

Boomer 8/25/2021

Across:

1. Country singer McCann: LILA.

5. Chose: OPTED.  We OPTED to walk down a half mile of shoreline rather than hike along the dam. 

10. Imitates: APES.  Harry was a hairy one.

14. Poet's "in a trice": ANON.

15. Legendary crooner Mel: TORME.  Known as the "Velvet Fog" I remember an episode on "Seinfeld" in a goofy act with Kramer.

16. Red inside: RARE.  After a big league ball game the home plate umpire may go to a restaurant and Raise his right arm in the air order loudly "STEAK RARE"

19. H.S. math class: TRIG.  Roy Rogers pet name for his horse.

20. Year at the Sorbonne: ANNEE.

21. Spare in a boot: TYRE.  This must be for someone with a flat foot.

22. DIY furniture giant: IKEA.  A favorite word in crosswords.  This outfit sells bare furniture.

23. Took five: RESTED.  Don't tell - sometimes I take more than five.

25. Clutch: GRASP.  I had to remember how to grasp the bowling ball yesterday.  It's a little heavier than a golf club. 

27. Stereo knob: TREBLE.

30. Corporate department: SALES.  Years ago I had a SALES job with Graybar.  But I ended up as a coordinator supporting the entire sales department.  They liked me because I increased profits which increase everyone's salary.

33. Apartment overseer, informally: SUPE.  We have a townhome paid up with an Association SUPE.  It's about the same except I pay dues but no rent.

36. "Homeland" org.: CIA.

37. Fruit in a split: BANANA.  Yes, we have some BANANAS !!

38. Japanese sash: OBI.  Star Wars' Wan Kenobi's first name.

41. NYSE listings: COS.

42. Undo legislatively: REPEAL.  So much on the news these days.  REPEALING some past mistakes and mask mandates.  We are still wearing our masks indoors.

44. Place for a ring: EAR.  I have always kept my EARS Naked

45. "Winter Song" musician John: TESH.

46. Nottingham's river: TRENT.  Not Familiar with it.  I favor our Mississippi.

47. Goofs: ERRORS.  I usually get to watch TWINS ERRORS nearly every day. Sad.

49. Stuff, as a turkey: DRESS.  Around Thanksgiving I will usually stuff the turkey, but I put it in the oven Naked.

51. Zero chance: NO HOPE.  My Mom's name was HOPE and I had aunts named Faith and Charity.  My Grandmother was very religious.

55. Root for a luau: TARO.   What position does he play ??

57. Supply-and-demand sci.: ECON.

60. Turkish coins: LIRAS.

61. Cheese couleur: BLEU.  Looks like they spelled it wrong.

64. Football's QB rating, for one: STAT.  Our Vikings QB Cousins stat is NO Vaccine yet.

65. Modeling adhesive: EPOXY.

66. Arrogance, in slang: TUDE. Attitude.

67. Fleshy fruit: POME.  Never tried one.  Bananas and Pineapple for me. 

68. Tivoli's Villa __: DESTE.

69. Headliner: STAR.  No STARS on the Twins roster.  They traded two away.

Down:

1. Rapper Kendrick: LAMAR.

2. Mindless: INANE.

3. Meat cuts: LOINS.  SirLOIN, Tender LOIN, and Hamburger LOIN.

4. "Being Julia" co-star Bening: ANNETTE.

5. Old-time baseball slugger called "Master Melvin": OTT.  Of course I only know of him.  He played for the New York Giants long ago.  That's right, the team that moved to the west coast years ago.  Mel hit 511 major league home runs.  He was joined in the 500 club last week by Miggy Cabrera who now has 501.

6. Dessert wine: PORT.

7. It beats a deuce: TREY.  Funny, when I play golf and beat a deuce I write down three. 

8. Come forth: EMERGE.  The bowling centers are beckoning to "Come Forth" and I am emerging.

9. Put a damper on: DETER.  Reminds me of a shortstop for the Yankees.

10. Craftsperson: ARTISAN.

12. Toledo's lake: ERIE.  Is this the smallest of the five?

13. Big name in computer games: SEGA.

18. Fortuneteller: SEER.  I am sure they charge a fortune to tell you yours.

24. Image-transfer item: DECAL.

26. "Now!": ASAP.  I think this means "As soon as possible" so Later will be okay.

28. Coal holder: BIN.  Osama's middle name.

29. Staples Center player: LAKER.  Of course they got the name LAKERS when they played in the land of 10,000 LAKEs.  Devean George played with them for awhile.  He graduated from Benilde St. Margaret's where I now help coaching bowling. And speaking of bowling, I play in the same league as Devean's father, Eddie George.

31. Slaughter on the diamond: ENOS.  Another great Cardinal.

32. Pageant body band: SASH.  I wear something like a SASH for back support.  It's a "Copperfit."

33. Database command: SORT.  A tireless activity if you own baseball cards.

34. Above, in Berlin: UBER.  Sounds like a Taxi.  I was in Hardheim, never got to Berlin.

37. B in chem class: BORON.

39. London art gallery: TATE.

40. Old salt: TAR.  We got new TAR paving a road near our home.  I take it as a route to TARGET. 

43. On the way: EN ROUTE.  "Get it ???"

45. Vacation souvenirs: T SHIRTS.  I used to get mine at a Kids for Kids garage sale for 50 cents.  They have not had one for a year or two.  Nasty Covid.

47. Break out: ESCAPE.  C.C. and I continue to try to ESCAPE the Delta Version.

48. Massage therapeutically: ROLF.

50. Put in stitches: SEWED.

52. "Are you in __?": OR OUT.  Yup, I am OUT in seven more clues.  Have a good week.

53. Bamboo muncher: PANDA.  I once visited the San Diego Zoo.  I think they had a couple of them.

54. Aromatic compound: ESTER.

55. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP.

56. Choir part: ALTO.  Still higher than me.  I was also a Bass.  Not to be confused with BASE, I played centerfield.

58. Platte River people: OTOS.

59. Preceded in line by only one person: NEXT.

63. Bar staple: RYE.  Dark brown bread.  

Boomer

Monday August 30, 2021 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: PRICE CUTS (51. Markdowns, and what 17-, 23- and 46-Across all exhibit) - PRICE is cut in three different ways.

17. Special access for celebrities: PRIVATE ENTRANCE.

23. Mass communication?: PRAYER SERVICE.

46. Popular Chinese takeout dish: PORK FRIED RICE.

Boomer here. 

I've been messing around with some of my older baseball cards on eBay but maybe I am asking a little too much.  I suppose I might look at a PR ICE CUT.  Interesting, if the offer expires after 7 days, eBay automatically relists it and cuts the price for me.  I don't think grocery stores do this every week.

Across:

1. To-do list entry: TASK.  C.C. does not make a list for me.  She just has To ASK.  

5. Largely seasonal Golden Arches sandwich: MCRIB.  Sounds pretty good. I have not been to McDonald's in years. My first job after caddying was working at a McDonald's competitor called Jay's.  Pretty much the same prices except hamburgers were 10 cents on Tuesday.  

 

10. Mimicked: APED.

14. Not doing much: IDLE.  Our Santa Fe seems to totally stop running while stopped for a red light.  I suppose that saves gas but it seems weird.

15. "The Vampire Diaries" protagonist: ELENA.

16. Sleeveless top, briefly: CAMI.

20. Slender fish: EELS.  Are these really fish ??

21. Boxer Laila: ALI.

22. Garfield's dog frenemy: ODIE.

26. Fire up, as a motor: REV.  I suppose I could do this to keep the Santa Fe running.

27. Thumbs-up vote: YEA.

28. Superman foe Luthor: LEX.  Cadillac Foe LEXus.

31. Fill drink orders: TEND BAR.  For me it was a VO Manhattan on the rocks with cherry juice,  Now it's a Diet Pepsi.

35. Navigational aid letters: GPS. 

38. Winter glider: SLED.  Those were the days in Minnesota.  Every kid on my block had a SLED.

40. Greet at the door: SEE IN.

41. Well-organized: NEAT.  Still working on the baseball cards.  I have them pretty well organized, but there are always details.

42. Presidential biographer __ Kearns Goodwin: DORIS.

44. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT.  I am not too good at computer keys.

45. Heats, as water for pasta: BOILS.  I am pretty good at boiling Rotini.

49. Praise highly: EXTOL.

50. Freeway vehicles: AUTOS.

55. Modern hotel amenity: WIFI.  I am pretty sure that the Orleans in Las Vegas has this.  I don't know how to use it and I am too old to learn.  Also too busy at the Craps machine.

58. Word from the Yiddish for "expert": MAVEN.

59. Stereotypical techie: NERD.  Booger got his revenge (1984)

63. Fencing sword: EPEE.

64. Like milk on the floor: SPILT.  Don't cry over it.

65. Nabisco cookie: OREO.  I used to like these but diabetes limits me to maybe once a month.

66. "Easy __ it": DOES.

67. Screams: YELLS.  Plenty of that going on at Twins and Vikings games.  It does not do any good though.

68. Negotiator's asset: TACT.  Maybe people should YELL TACTfully. 

Down:

1. Helpful hint: TIP.  A little extra for the waitress if you don't mind.

2. Madison Ave. figure: AD REP.

3. More cunning: SLIER.

4. Body armor fiber: KEVLAR.  I never had one of these, thankfully.

5. Got together with: MET.  Years ago the Twins played at Metropolitan Stadium, and of course it was called the MET.  Does Chicago call their ballpark the WRIG ??  This reminds me: Years ago, back when the hair on a ballplayers head all fit under their cap and they shaved every morning, I visited Chicago to attend a baseball card show and was able to find all six of the 1955 Topps double headers to complete my set, I took time out to visit the "WRIG".  I paid about $10.00 to park on someones front lawn and went to the ball game.  All I remember is all of the seats had ABC (Already been chewed) gum on the bottom underneath.  I think they have replaced all the seats but I am not sure if they still sell gum at the concession stand.

6. Easily understood: CLEAR.

7. Film spools: REELS.  Or something to hold your fishing line in the boat.

8. Concave navel: INNIE.

9. Softball club: BAT.  Softball usually allows aluminum BATs, but baseball is always wood.  Louisville Sluggers Ash are the best. 

10. Northeasternmost U.S. national park: ACADIA.

11. Terrified reaction: PANIC.

12. Game show host, e.g.: EMCEE.  I watch the game show channel a lot and I dislike all of the EMCEEs.  They continue to ham it up.

13. Fizzle out: DIE.

18. To date: AS YET.

19. Mars explorer: ROVER.  Red Rover, Red Rover, send Venus right over.

24. Pre-holiday nights: EVES.  Christmas and New Years have EVES.  No sure about any other.

25. "Late Night" actress Amy: RYAN.

28. Hallucinogenic drug: LSD.  (1965)  LBJ took the IRT Crossed the USA, what did he see ?? The youth of America on LSD.

29. Skip the big wedding, maybe: ELOPE.

30. It's a copy and a company: XEROX.  What would an office do without it?

32. At hand: NEAR.

33. Shop with a slicer: DELI.

34. Quick meal: BITE.  I grab a BITE most evenings.  Sleep better.

35. Company with a spokeslizard: GEICO.  One of many Insurance companies that have STUPID Commercials.

36. Goes white from fright: PALES.

37. Ave. crossers: STS.  We live on a ST.

39. Desserts topped with gummy worms: DIRT PIES.  I am sure that I am not allowed to eat a piece of this.

41. "Wrong-o!": NO IT'S NOT.  YES IT IS !!!!

43. Chocolate-and-toffee bar: SKOR.  I can't eat this either.  Crosswords sure have a lot of food.

45. Champagne variety: BRUT.  Also a men's cologne.  I don't use it, too expensive.

47. Weak, as an excuse: FLIMSY.

48. Discourages: DAUNTS.

52. Magician's garb: CAPE.

53. Bad to the bone: EVIL.  As you read this, I am probably bowling. I hope I am not this bad!

54. Solar panel component: CELL.  Many of these near our home.  I believe they are providing electricity to our city hall and family center.

55. Tied the knot: WED.  C.C. and I got married with no strings attached.

56. Debut on the NYSE: IPO.

57. Consultant's payment: FEE.  Golf course and bowling center payment.

60. Named time span: ERA.  I think some Twins pitchers have double digits before the decimal point.

61. Remote button: REC.

62. Speck in a URL: DOT.  Or Department of Transportation.

Boomer

Sunday August 29, 2021 Mark McClain

Theme: "Begone" - B is removed from the each theme entry.

22A. Sports venue where the home team hasn't won in years?: RINK OF DISASTER. Brink of disaster.

44A. Cattle farm run by bigwigs?: EXECUTIVE RANCH. Executive branch.
 

71A. Epithet for Henry Ford?: FATHER OF THE RIDE. Father of the bride.

 

100A. Advice for runners' practice sessions?: RACE YOURSELVES. Brace yourselves.

128A. Powerful fall cleanup tools?: HYDRAULIC RAKES. Hydraulic brakes.

16D. TV weather promo about a storm threat?: RAIN TEASER. Brain teaser.

78D. Quarters for a spell caster?: WITCH'S ROOM. Witch's broom.

In all theme entries, B is removed from the start of the key word. Very consistent. And there's no stray B's in the grid.  The professionalism of Mark McClain, who has generously helped me and many other constructors with various crossword questions.

Mark is also a regular contributor to Newsday crossword, which Splynter solves every day.

Across:

1. Impressive sights at affairs: SPREADS.

8. Fendi rival: PRADA. Beautiful. Miranda Kerr.

13. Paved: TARRED.

19. Victim of river diversion in Asia: ARAL SEA.

20. Like some R-rated films: EROTIC.

21. Comfortable: AT EASE.

24. Boulevard feature: MEDIAN.

25. Invoice no.: AMT.

26. Brainstorm: IDEATE. Not a word I use.

27. Dreyfus defender: ZOLA. Émile Zola. "J'Accuse…!"

29. Heavy weight: ONUS.

30. Hubbub: HOOPLA.

33. Trimming plans: DIETS.

35. Industrial site: PLANT.

37. Like memories to smile about: FOND.

39. Sock part: TOE.

41. Hottest, in a way: SEXIEST.

51. __ Stephens: 2017 US Open Women's Singles champ: SLOANE. Followed by 52. Tennis feature: NET.

53. Isolated work group that hinders corporate efficiency: SILO.

54. Bone near a calf: SHIN.

56. Belgian artist James: ENSOR. Here is his "Christ's Entry into Brussels".

57. Chews like beavers: GNAWS.

60. "I __ noticed": HADN'T.

62. Change for a ten: ONES.

64. Drop the ball: ERR.

65. Bird rarely on the wing: RATITE.  Like emu or ostrich. Copying Gary's picture.

67. Pitt URL ending: EDU.

68. Toys"R"Us giraffe mascot: GEOFFREY.

76. Stayed to the bitter end: SAW IT OUT. Great entry.

79. NBA impossibility: TIE.

80. Hide out: LIE LOW.

84. Sushi bar order: AHI. Have any of you tried Trade Joe's sushi rolls?

85. Company named for the exaggerated height of its tallish bottles: NEHI.

87. Bowling headache: SPLIT. And 95. Pain pill target: ACHE. Boomer!  The amount of pain he endures every day.

90. "Crazy" vocalist: CLINE.

91. Mountain gap: NOTCH.

94. Blood bank fluids: SERA. Boomer's going to get the hormone shot in 2 weeks.

96. Blackthorn fruit: SLOE.

97. FD employee: EMT.

98. Magnate: TYCOON.

105. Feeling guilty: ASHAMED.

107. Ducks org.: NHL.

108. Frozen Four org.: NCAA.

109. Tough goings: SLOGS.

110. Like some promises: EMPTY.

114. Swan dive revelation: ARMPIT. Not sure if you guys heard of this 14-year-old diver Quan Hongchan. She scored two perfect dives at Tokyo. She's from Guangdong Province. Guangzhou is the capital city of Guangdong.

118. Expected result: NORM.

120. Cause for a claim: LOSS.

123. Not as relaxed: TENSER.

125. Smeltery input: ORE.

126. French star: ETOILE. Our state moto is "L'etoile du Nord" ("Star of the North") .

132. Having a twist: IRONIC.

133. Bug, for one: INSECT.

134. Gets back to business: RE-OPENS. I just can't believe how long this stupid COVID lasts.

135. Sorrowful tune: LAMENT.

136. Free-for-all: MELEE.

137. Red Sea land: ERITREA.

Down:

1. Mother of Isaac: SARAH.

2. First-class: PRIMO.

3. Totaled: RAN TO.

4. Reindeer cousin: ELK.

5. Japan's Mount __: ASO. Aso-san. San is just mountain in Japanese.

6. Disobedient: DEFIANT.

7. Org. concerned with youth substance abuse: SADD. Students Against Destructive Decisions.

8. Ramble on: PRATE.

9. Egyptian site of a historic 1799 discovery: ROSETTA. The Rosetta Stone.

10. NFL passing stat: ATT. Attempt.

11. Nueve y uno: DIEZ. 9 +1 =10.

12. Bat prefix: ACRO.

13. Spicy food truck items: TAMALES. 14. Had some 13-Down: ATE. Here's the Guangzhou tamale. It's called "lo mai gai", sticky rice & chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and steamed. So tasty.

15. Purplish veggie: RED ONION.

17. Biblical twin: ESAU. And 20. Actor Morales: ESAI.

18. Entertainment center sites: DENS.

23. Iraq War weapon: Abbr.: IED.

28. Vinyl revival items: Abbr.: LPS.

31. Low USMC rank: PFC.

32. MLB Hall of Famer Brock: LOU. Boomer just sold a Lou Brock patch card on eBay. Also a Pujos patch card. A few dollars. Patch cards are not popular. Rookie cards rule!!

34. Family guys: SONS.

36. Bar on a truck: AXLE.

38. Chef's creation: DISH. This is called Cai Jia Mo, a popular Xi'an street food.  I never found similar bread in the US.

 40. Cavern phenomenon: ECHO.

42. [Bo-ring!]: SNORE.

43. Absorbent fabric: TERRY.

44. Many an MIT grad: ENGR. Engineer.

45. Lawless role: XENA. Lucy Lawless.

46. Coup d'__: ETAT.

47. Routing word: VIA.

48. Respected figure: ELDER.

49. Concerto finale, perhaps: RONDO.

50. Depend: HINGE.

55. Poetic contraction: NE'ER.

58. Hot spot service: WIFI.

59. ER demand: STAT.

61. Research university with a Boston campus: TUFTS. And 66. School near Windsor: ETON.

63. Agronomist's concern: SOIL.

69. Org. created by the 1933 Banking Act: FDIC.

70. Sense: FEEL.

72. Shades: HUES.

73. Early number?: ETHER. Parse it as Numb-er.

74. Buzzed: TIPSY.

75. Familiar greeting: HELLO.

76. Fall mall hiree: SANTA. Here's our Santa with Spitzboov. They were at a local county fair. Here's my state fair John Deere.

77. Ship-to-ship greetings: AHOYS.

81. Actor Schreiber: LIEV.

82. "I'm buying!": ON ME.

83. Moistens: WETS.

86. Country whose name ends in the same three letters as its capital: IRAN. Tehran.

88. Debtor's note: IOU.

89. Gull relative: TERN. Reminds me of D-8's Buoys and Seagulls picture dilemma.

92. Lynn's father worked in one: COALMINE. Loretta Lynn, the "Coal Miner's Daughter".

93. Primate genus: HOMO.

99. Ignore: NEGLECT.

101. Provider of shade: ELM TREE.

102. Harder to get: SCARCER.

103. Corn unit: EAR.

104. Fast flight: LAM.

106. U.K. military award: DSO. Distinguished Service Order.

111. Goal of an accord: PEACE. Tiny clue/answer dupe: 116. Peace goddess: IRENE.

112. Flanged fastener: T NUT.

113. Fashion initials: YSL.

115. __ face: POKER.

117. "The Gondoliers" bride: TESSA.

118. Playwright Simon: NEIL. He wrote "The Odd Couple".

119. Sierra's "other": OTRA.

121. Carpenter's wedge: SHIM.

122. "Auld Lang __": SYNE.

124. Cork's home: EIRE.

127. Maya __, Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer: LIN. Lin means "forest" in Chinese.

129. ISP option: DSL.

130. French king: ROI.

131. Just right: APT.

C.C.

Saturday, August 28, 2021, Craig Stowe

 Themeless Saturday by Craig Stowe 

Our Toronto themeless regular is back for more Saturday entertainment after a one month absence! Here is what Craig had to say about this puzzle:

Hi Gary,

Thanks for the email.  I hope you're doing well.

I don't have much to say about this one.  I started with THERE'S THAT and PODCASTER as anchors and wove my way around the grid looking for interesting fill.  I hope people enjoy it!

All the best,

Craig

ACROSS

1. Dangerous Beijing blanket: SMOG - SMOG is now back to the its pre-covid level 

5. Many an online host: PODCASTER - My favorite

14. Unladen weight: TARE - Also called light weight (LT WT) for an empty rail car

15. Ephemeral emporium: POP UP STORE - Here's a unique one that will be gone soon

16. Biblical Rodin work: ADAM - Interesting ties between Rodin's Adam and Michalangelo (even I get the extended right index finger)

17. Phenomenal: SUPERHUMAN - Our healthcare workers and first responders!

18. Business card abbr.: TEL.

19. Honduran hands: MANOS.

20. Filing aids: TABS.

21. May birthstones: EMERALDS.

23. Not as nice: WORSE.

24. Pay equity concern: SEXISM - Teacher pay schedules are the exact the same for men and women 

25. Word with social or media: EVENT.

27. Muse with a lyre: ERATO.

28. Classical theaters: ODEA - Speaking of Greek, here is an ODEUM (pl. ODEA) where those using ERATO as a muse might present their work

29. Brit's nap: KIP - All you'd ever want to know about KIP and nap

32. Georgia neighbor: ARMENIA - ALABAMA was just so "not Saturday" cluing (yeah, I put it in  first anyway)

34. Its capital is St. George's: GRENADA.

37. Lille lily: LYS.

38. Ostrichlike bird: RHEA.

40. Industrial heavyweight: BARON.

41. Deplete: USE UP - The erasers on my crossword pencils (e.g. LIT replacing HOT and others from yesterday)

43. Economic curve: DEMAND - The far right side is for people who bought Beanie Babies many years ago.

44. Brief aides?: ASSTS.

46. Precursor of today's musical theater: OPERETTA - such as:

48. Mackerel type: CHUB 

Chub Mackerel on top
Blue Mackerel on bottom

49. Make short work of the test: ACE IT - Hey, it could happen!

50. Subside: EBB.

51. "Point taken": THERE'S THAT.

53. Woody Guthrie, e.g.: OKIE.

54. Like some feuds: HEREDITARY - "Hey, gramps, can you even remember why we're mad at those Hatfields?"

55. Brief bio: VITA - VITA Curriculum is a crossword staple

56. Ergo: AS A RESULT.

57. River partly on the Poland-Germany border: ODER.

Down:

1. Washington's features George: STATE SEAL.

2. Partied hearty: MADE MERRY.

3. Deterrents to ghostwriting: ORAL EXAMS.

4. Treasure: GEM.

5. Hammer: POUND - We baseball peeps know of Hank "The Hammer" Aaron for how he used to POUND the baseball. Okay, also for the alliteration. 

6. Not in favor: OPPOSED - Being OPPOSED to your party leader's position can have serious consequences for you

7. Some charges: DUES - Three days of subbing last week earned me enough for 40% of my yearly golf club DUES

8. ER technique: CPR.

9. He played Michael in "That '70s Show": ASHTON - I recently saw ASHTON Kutcher starring as Steve Jobs in the movie Jobs

Steve Jobs                                 Ashton Kutcher

10. Mary, Queen of Scots' house: STUART - Mary is five lines down on the STUART side before she was beheaded by her Tudor cousin Elizabeth.

11. Some memorials: TOMBS - Mary's remains were moved to Westminster Abbey and this is her TOMB

12. Wipe out: ERASE.

13. __ Zhengfei, CEO/founder of smartphone giant Huawei: REN.

15. Church reading: PSALM.

19. Cement mixer: MASON - We MASONS called it a mortar mixer

22. Liturgy: RITE.

23. Grate (on): WEAR - Fran Drescher discusses  her "grating" voice

26. Lyra's brightest star: VEGA - This summer when you saw VEGA as a bright star in "The Summer Triangle", that light left VEGA in 1996 and just reached Earth in 2021.

28. Home to most of Hawaii's population: OAHU - This population density chart for Hawaii makes it pretty easy to pick out OAHU

29. Mr. Miyagi's charge, with "The": KARATE KID - "Wax on, wax off"

30. "It's ok, you can trust me": I DON'T BITE.

31. Black-and-white Chinese native: PANDA BEAR - Its range has really shrunk

33. More than displeases: IRES.

35. Pulitzer Prize-winning critic: EBERT.

36. Title: NAME.

39. Earth-shattering: EPOCHAL - Truman, Churchill and Stalin made EPOCHAL decisions at Potsdam in 1945

41. Person of interest?: USURER - Are these people USURERS?

42. "Father of Eng. History": ST BEDE.

43. Exalted one: DEITY.

44. Smarts: ACHES.

45. Superheroine Adora, more commonly: SHE-RA.

47. Rush drummer Neil: PEART.

49. Alaskan island in the Eastern Hemisphere: ATTU - Fun fact: Alaska has the farthest East and West point in the USA

51. Lil Wayne's "__ Block Is Hot": THA - He made a filthy version and a radio version and I guarantee you that kids today know both.

52. Household nickname: SIS.

53. Ab __: from day one: OVO - Latin for "from the beginning, the origin, the egg"