Thursday, November 30, 2023 David Goldenberg, Matthew Goldenberg

 

Sow's Ear to
a Silk Purse

Eric Bernhardt
Bernie's Blues 2020

It's often said that "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear", but our soloist Eric Bernhardt does exactly the opposite in his rift above called Sow's Ear to a Silk Purse.  And so too do our new team of constructors for today's puzzle: David Goldenberg and Matthew Goldenberg.  They do this by taking the nicknames found in five fictional themers and fancifying them with formal first names.  Here are the resulting fills, followed by the names their friends call them ...

18A. Formal name of a tech business?: DOROTHY COM.  Nickname: DOT COM.  A dot.com is a company that does most of its business on the Internet, usually through a website on the World Wide Web that uses the popular top-level domain (TLD) ".com".  As of 2021, .com is by far the most used TLD, with almost half of all registrations.

23A. Formal name of a bun holder?: ROBERT PIN.  Nickname: BOBBY PIN.

Bobby Pins

37A. Formal name of a free local periodical?: PENELOPE SAVER. Nickname: PENNY SAVER.  A pennysaver is a free community periodical that advertises items for sale. It usually contains classified ads grouped into categories. Many pennysavers also offer local news and entertainment, as well as generic advice information, various syndicated or locally written columns on various topics of interest, limited comics and primetime TV listings.  Pennysavers can also be online, e.g. this one is for our neighborhood.

51A. Formal name of a twin-engine fighter jet?: THOMAS CAT.  Nickname:  TOMCAT.  The F-14 Tomcat ...

F-14 Tomcat

59A. Formal name of a DNA collection?: EUGENE POOL. Nickname:  GENE POOL,  Also referred to as an organism's genome.  And as they're busy 7x24, also a place where GENES can get a little RNR (Ribo Nucleic Recreation 😀) ...

I thought this was a clean, clever theme.  No reveal.  None needed.

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest.

Across:
 
1. Many a four-hour movie: EPIC.  These are the 10 longest Hollywood movies.  This one is not the longest, but it may be the most EPIC ...

5. Blue-white heavenly body: B STAR.  A B-type main-sequence star (B V) is a main-sequence (hydrogen-burning) star of spectral type B and luminosity class V. These stars have from 2 to 16 times the mass of the Sun and surface temperatures between 10,000 and 30,000 K.  B-type stars are extremely luminous and blue.

10. Dash dial: TACH.

14. Taboo: NO NO.

15. Shrine on the San Antonio city flag: ALAMO.  One of my favorite cities.

16. Dull pain: ACHE.

17. First queen of Carthage: DIDO.  DIDO was the lover of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans, as related in the EPIC poem The Aeneid, by the Latin poet Virgil.  On his long journey to what will eventually become Rome, he visits Carthage, meets Dido, and they fall in love.  But as he lingers in Carthage Aeneas realizes that he is duty bound to continue his mission and deserts her.  She is grief stricken and takes her own life.  Her lament before dying is related in this famous aria from the opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell ...

18. [Theme clue]

20. Employ: USE.

21. __ Pueblo, New Mexico: TAOS.

22. "The Bear" platform: HULU .  The Bear is an American comedy-drama television series created by Christopher Storer. It premiered on HULU on June 23, 2022, and stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmy (short for Carmen), a young, award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother Michael's sandwich shop. "The Bear" is a term of endearment that Michael had for Carmy ...

23. [Theme clue]

26. Heath shrub: GORSE.   GORSE, also known as  furze, whin, or ulex) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are native to parts of western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.

Gorse in bloom

29. Submission: ENTRY.

30. Ham it up: OVERACT.

32. Picture: IMAGINE.  I can't IMAGINE how we store all the pictures in our heads, and rapidly retrieve them after many decades have passed.

36. Small bit: TAD.

37. [Theme clue]

41. "Argo" spy org.: CIA.  Argo is a 2012 American historical drama thriller film directed, produced by, and starring Ben Affleck. The screenplay, written by Chris Terrio, was adapted from the 1999 memoir The Master of Disguise by U.S. C.I.A. operative Tony Mendez and the 2007 Wired article The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran by Joshuah Bearman. The film deals with the "Canadian Caper", in which Mendez led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, under the guise of filming a science-fiction film during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis.

42. Home of the WNBA's Storm: SEATTLE.

43. Chihuahua y Tabasco: ESTADOS.  Today's Spanish lesson: "States"

46. Microorganisms: GERMS.

50. Egg specification: LARGE.

51. [Theme clue].

55. See 9-Down: IRAS.

57. Theater honor: OBIE. Here are the 66th Annual Off Broadway Awards announced on February 23, 2023.

58. Wail: CRY.

59. [Theme clue].

62. April honoree?: FOOL.

63. Queens stadium namesake: ASHE.  Arthur ASHE, tennis great.
 

Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr.
July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993

64. First name in cosmetics: ESTEE.

65. Sunscreen additive: ALOE.

66. "Darn it all!": RATS.

67. "Doctor Who" role for Michelle Gomez: MISSY.  Last Thursday the Dr. Who industry celebrated the 60th anniversary of the first appearance of  "The Doctor" in a blue Police Box parked in a junkyard in London on November 23, 1963.  I recall watching all of the pre Sylvester McCoy episodes at least three times until it went into hiatus in 1989.  But it was rebooted in 2005 (some say at the request of Queen Elizabeth II!) and given fancy new production digs in South Wales. 

In anticipation of the anniversary celebration I've been binging a lot of post 2005 episodes, but [as you can see from this list] I'm hopelessly behind. I've not yet encountered MISSY, but from what I gather she is a female incarnation of Dr. Who's perennial nemesis, the evil Time Lord called The Master.  Here she is unleashing the dreaded Cybermen on the streets of London and introducing herself to the 12th Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi.

Missy
The Mistress

68. Map publisher __ McNally: RAND.  While it might seem that the invention of the GPS has made maps obsolete, apparently RAND McNally is still going strong.

Down:

1. Last: ENDURE.

2. Cause of death in some cozy mysteries: POISON.  Murder mysteries don't get any cozier than those of Agatha Christie, and in her case saying that "some" perps use POISON is a bit of an understatement.  Before achieving fame as a novelist she worked as a apothecary's assistant and knew quite a bit about poisons.  Here's the trailer for the star studded The Mirror Cracked with Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple ...

3. Owing: IN DEBT.

4. Dove sound: COO.

5. Unskilled in: BAD AT.

6. Single-master: SLOOP.  I know we had this last week, but I'm playing it again for Jinx.

7. Anklebones: TARSI.

8. "Yo te __": AMO.  More Spanish: "I love you".  Also a song, here sung by Chayanne ...

 English Translation

9. With 55-Across, nest egg options: ROTH.  ROTH IRA.  What it is and How to Open One.

10. "Midnights" artist Swift: TAYLOR.  Here's Anti-Hero from her 10th studio album Midnights ...

11. Spot on: ACCURATE.

12. Sulu player John: CHO.  John CHO (born Cho Yo-Han; June 16, 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Harold Lee in the Harold & Kumar films, and Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek rebooted film series.

John Cho

13. __ and haw: HEM.

19. Massive: HUGE.

21. Response to "You won't believe this": TRY ME.

24. Speedskater Jackson who won a gold medal at the 2022 Olympics: ERIN.  ERIN Jackson (born September 19, 1992) is an American speed skater, roller derby player, and Olympic gold medalist. Jackson is the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport. 

Erin Jackson

25. Nine-piece combo: NONET.  Here's the Miles Davis' NONET playing Moon Dreams from his album The Birth Of The Cool ...

27. Injury reminder: SCAR.

28. Check-in info: ETD.

31. Sleeveless outerwear: VEST.

33. Plus: ALSO.

34. "Whither thou __ ... ": GOEST.  These words are the beginning of a verse from the Old Testament Book of Ruth (1:16-17).  In 1954 it was set to music by Earl Chalmers Guisinger.  Here's Canadian Leonard Cohen's farewell song from his 2012 tour of Canada (another CSO to CanadianEh!)...

These are the lyrics to the song from the Biblical text ...

"Wither thou goest I will go
Wither thou lodgest I will lodge
Thy people shall be my people, oh
Wither thou goest I will go".

When my Father asked my Mother to marry him in England after WWII and to come to America, she recited that verse to accept his proposal.

35. Craft brew with a high ABV: IPA.  India Pale Ale with a high Alcohol By Volume (ABV).  One of my son's brother-in-laws operates a brewery with an IPA named Dundalk Calling.  After a can of it I can't hear it calling me any more. 🙄

37. Italian city known for a campanile: PISA.  Legend has it that Galileo used the bell tower in PISA to perform experiments proving that objects of different masses fell with the same acceleration, disproving Aristotle's theory of gravity (which states that objects fall at speed proportional to their mass). Most historians consider it to have been a thought experiment rather than a physical test.

38. Nutritionist's advice: EAT RIGHT.  Good advice.

39. Aquarium gunk: ALGAE.  Assuming you have more than one ALGA in your aquarium.

40. Victory signs: VEES.

41. Cartoon still: CEL.  Their subjects are serving life with no parole. 😁

44. Corresponds: AGREES.

45. Norris of "Breaking Bad": DEAN.  I've never seen Breaking Bad.  Is Norris a campus figure?

47. Soda since 1905: RC COLA.  The RC stands for "Royal Crown" and their first product was a Ginger Ale.  There is also a "Ginger Beer", which has a low ABV.  IIRC the 4th Dr. Who (Tom Baker) imbibed a bit.

48. Dark red: MAROON.

49. Arranged: STYLED.

52. Nocturnal noises: HOOTS.  Hand up if you speak owl? 

53. Winds orchestras tune to: OBOES.  I think we need a new clue for this, e.g. "Plural of the instrument featured in the soundtrack to the 1986 film The Mission" ...

54. "Younger Now" singer Cyrus: MILEY.  She'll get over it eventually.

56. "So it would __": SEEM.

59. Orecchiette shape: EAR.  Here's a recipe for Orecchiette with White Beans, Tomatoes, and Olives.

Orecchiette Dish

60. G7 member: USA.

61. Omega preceder: PSI.

62. Many miles: FAR.

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

 

Wednesday November 29, 2023 ~ Jeanne D. Breen

I'm Joking!

Hi All!

Well, it looks like I'm your Corner host for the next foreseeable Wednesdays as JzB and mb are out of pocket for a spell.
// Yo!, see 22a: BE CALM.  JazzB is probably busy Bumpan' it on the trombone for Christmas shows & mb is fine. Both will be back hosting The Corner in January.

Today's puzzle is a cute/fun pre-Christmas [Advent Box Calendar anyone?] gift from Jeanne. If I'm not mistaken, this is her LAT debut (I found a Dr. Jeanne D. Breen, an infectious disease specialist / internal medicine Dr. in CT, but I donno if she's one & the same*).

I nearly grok'd the "kid" theme but I was missing something. Thanks to the regular bloggers who set me straight and parsed things properly. (I was thinking children, not pranks.)

17. *Collection for an afternoon party: TEA SERVICE. My Girls [kids] would have tea service with me hunched over a little table with an American Girl doll, a teddy bear, and a stuffed Unicorn as one of 'em hosted & poured imaginary tea. It was delicious spiked (I TEASE!)

26. *Subject of many June parades: GAY PRIDE. RIDE.

49. *Bed in a nursery: BABY CRIB. RIB.

59. *Desert plant on the back cover of a U2 album: JOSHUA TREE. JOSH. //great album!

38. "But seriously," and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: ALL KIDDING ASIDE.

OK, Corner eFriends. Slow down. Pace yourself. 'Cuz here we go...

Across:
1. Primary: CHIEF.

Don Adams & Edward (Chief) Platt

6. Biblical twin: ESAU.

10. New Mexico skiing destination: TAOS.

14. Poet/activist Lorde: AUDRE.

15. Leather stickers: AWLS. Not Hell's Angels' patches but pokie tools.

Awe

16. Stash: STOW. Just wait, CACHE will come later... #Foreshadowing

17. [See: Theme]

19. Sunrise obscurer: HAZE.

20. "Malo" opposite: BUENO.

21. Televised: AIRED.

22. "Don't panic!": BE CALM.

If you've never read Douglas Adams' HHGTTG, make it a point.
You'll laugh your bum off (if you're skew'd a bit).

26. [See: Theme]

28. Disneyland city: ANAHEIM.

30. Unwelcome picnic visitor: ANT.

31. Classic clown name: BOBO. Not BOzO.

BOBO The Clown [WikiP]

32. Ahead by a point: UP ONE.

35. Director Luhrmann: BAZ. No clue - WikiP

38. [See: Theme]

42. Issa of "Insecure": RAE. More ??? - LIU [WikiP again]

43. Runway figure: MODEL.

44. Jerseys and Guernseys: COWS. Moo Milk (not that almond stuff).

45. Greek consonant: TAU.

46. Place to practice asanas: YOGA MAT.

49. [See: Theme]

54. Major route: ARTERY.

55. Grand-scale tales: EPICS. Wait 'till we get to 51d. That is a saga :-)

56. Secret stash: CACHE. And there you are 16a.

58. "Collapsed in Sunbeams" singer Parks: ARLO. Another ARLO singer?

I had to Google after the fill.

59. [See: Theme]

64. AnnaSophia of "Little Fires Everywhere": ROBB. No idea - WikiP

65. Not backing: ANTI.

66. Cussed: SWORE.

67. Stuck-up sort: SNOB.

68. Fraction of a min.: NSEC. Nanosecond.

69. Sing "The Lonely Goatherd," say: YODEL.

This is cute.

Down:
1. Cindy Clawford of "Ted Lasso," for one: CAT. The bassist, Leslie Higgins', cat.  Note the "L" in the cat's name.

2. Color chart element: HUE.

3. Princess in the Monument Valley video game: IDA. My Secret Santa editor looked it up for you.

4. Unsure sounds: ERS. Um, OK.

5. Lacking strength: FEEBLE.

6. Spot for icicles or icicle lights: EAVE. 'Tis the season.

7. Big Band style: SWING.

Squirrel Nut Zippers from the '90's

8. Metal giant: ALCOA.

9. Draw upon: USE.

10. Bit of concert merch: T-SHIRT.
 

Two of mine

11. Arcade pioneer: ATARI.

12. Exuded, as charm: OOZED.

13. Gothenburg native: SWEDE.

18. Persian poet who wrote the "Spiritual Couplets": RUMI. I've seen this before but needed a refresher.

21. Sleep malady: APNEA.

22. Kid-lit elephant: BABAR.

23. Sherlock's sister in a book series by Nancy Springer: ENOLA.

We had (IIRC) ENOLA clued similarly inre: Netflix my last expo.

24. Dish alternative: CABLE. Oy! and now I have 13 streaming channels of s*** to choose from.
//Allusion to Pink Floyd's "Nobody Home" from "The Wall" -- sorry folks, you'll just have to deal with my scattery brain like I have to all the time.

25. "Oh, gotcha": AH OK.

27. Bowen of "SNL": YANG.
 

He's super funny.

29. Emmy-winning journalist Roger: MUDD.

33. Pizzeria order: PIE.

Thatsa Pizza Pie!
//Russo's 28" party goodie.

34. Exclusively: ONLY.

35. Ecosystem: BIOME.

36. Nasty marketing battle: AD WAR.

Cola Wars.

I grew up in a Pepsi household in the Midwest. 

My first taste of Coke was like, "That's a bit bitter; Me like!"

//full-disclosure: I own bits of stock in KO & CCE (now an EU co.)

37. Piquant: ZESTY. [See: Coke above]

39. Apples that come in seven colors: IMACS. Cute - Apple's Computers.

The newer iMacs

40. Unsociably cross: DOUR.

41. Sing like Ella: SCAT.

45. Hall of Famer known as the "Georgia Peach": TY COBB. #Baseball

47. Waimea Bay island: OAHU.

48. __ spoon: GREASY.

Mel's Greasy Spoon Sitcom [Alice] Cast

49. Unwelcome picnic visitors: BEARS. Fun Clecho.

Hey, BooBoo!

50. Garment that may say "World's Okayest Cook": APRON. Mine says "Italia!" DW's says (in Green, White & Red) "IBM" [Italian by Marriage].

51. Baggins of Bag End: BILBO. Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit saga. #CallbackTo55a

52. Desktop array: ICONS. I have minimal (1.2 columns) ICONS on my laptop; DW's is literally covered with 'em -- drives my OCD self nuts.

53. Verb in cooking or sewing instructions: BASTE. Someone will have to fill me in on the sewing part of this clue 'cuz, at this point, I'm too lazy to look it up.

57. Smart: CHIC. Hep.

59. MLK Day's mo.: JAN. Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated on the 3rd Monday of January.

60. Couple: TWO.

61. Divining tool: ROD. To find water(?) #BS!

62. Afore: ERE.

63. Rainbow roll fish: EEL.
 

OK, true, no Rainbow Roll in this boat -- but! the second one,
[no photo available] for the KID's table, did.

The Grid:

The Grid

WO: BOzO
ESPs: AUDRE | IDA, BUENO (as clued), BAZ, RAE, ARLO (as clued), ROBB
Fav: I'm going w/ 1a's CHIEF 'cuz it made me think of Buck Henry's & Mel Brooks' Get Smart.

No Joke folks, I'll be here for your next four (4) Wednesdays -- be sure to tip the waitstaff.

Cheers, -T
*My Angel Editor / Secret Santa found this about Dr. Breen:
"I’m a physician, piano player, voracious reader, lap swimmer, animal lover, movie buff, student of baseball, and a lifelong resident of the Northeast. I drink my coffee with milk and my gin gimlets straight up and ice-cold. I’ve enjoyed solving crosswords and other word puzzles for years and just started constructing this spring (2023); I’m honored that gin + grapefruit is the site of my debut. The ‘crossworld’ is such a warm, welcoming community and I’m genuinely in awe of how creative puzzlers are with their themes, themeless seed entries, and cluing. My thanks to Taylor for encouraging me to give midi construction a try and to Shannon for editing. I hope you enjoy the solve!" on this site.
Thank you Dr. B.

Tuesday, November 28, 2023 Chandi Deitmer

Nothing Fancy today.  The Beginning word of each theme answer is another word for Humble.

18-Across. *  Unembellished facts: PLAIN TRUTH.

27-Across. *  Soda and candy, metabolically: SIMPLE CARBS.

51-Across. *  Indie rock band with the hit single "Float On": MODEST MOUSE.

61-Across. *  No-frills TV choice: BASIC CABLE.

And the unifier:

38-Across. Part of a rags-to-riches story, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have: HUMBLE BEGINNINGS.

I now humbly present you with the rest of the answers to today's puzzle.

Across:

1. Play people: CASTS.  Actors had too many letters.

6. Light-tube gas: NEON.

10. Forehead hider: BANGS.

15. Très très: ULTRA.

16. Prefix that means 2-Down: OMNI.  //  And 2-Down.  2. The whole shebang: ALL.

17. Easy-to-read font: ARIAL.  This clue and answer is written in Arial.

20. Japanese lunchbox: BENTO.  They look like so much fun.

21. Boo-Boo's buddy: YOGI.  [Name # 1, fictional.]

22. Bryant of "Shrill": AIDY.  I am familiar with neither Shrill nor Aidy Bryant (née Aidan Mackenzy Bryant; b. May 7, 1987).  Aidy was also apparently a cast member on Saturday Night Live.  [Name # 2.]

24. Clairvoyant's gift, for short: ESP.  As in ExtraSensory Perception.

25. PC alternatives: MACs.  As in an Apple computer.  //  And 55-Across. Apple platform: IOS.

31. Mobile's st.: ALA.  Mobile is on the Gulf Coast of Alabama.  If you are traveling on Interstate 10, you are forced to go through the George Wallace Tunnel which runs under the Mobile River in Mobile, Alabama.  It always causes a huge traffic jam, especially in the summer as tourist try to make their way from the west to the Florida beaches.  Little piece of Mobile trivia.

32. "Kim's Convenience" actor Paul Sun-Hyung __: LEE.  Hi, CanadianEh!  Kim's Convenience is a sit-com about a Korean-Canadian family who run a convenience store in Toronto.  Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (b. Aug. 16, 1972) portrays the patriarch in the television show.  [Name # 3.]

33. Like some forest ground: MOSSY.

34. Coke or Pepsi: COLA.  Soda fits into the spaces provided also.

36. __-rock music: ALT.  Everything you wanted to know about Alternative Rock but didn't know to ask.

37. Cruise stop: PORT.  Mobile, Alabama is a cruise port / terminal.

44. Yawn inducer: BORE.

45. Good times: UPS.  

46. Gather, as crops: REAP.

47. Former "American Gladiators" co-host Ali: LAILA.  Did you know that Laila Ali (née Laila Amaria Ali; b. Dec. 20, 1977) also wrote a cookbook?  If not, please review the answers to last Tuesday's puzzle.  [Name # 4.]

49. Ante-: PRE-.  Think Antebellum, which means before a particular war.  In the United States, it refers to prior to the American Civil War.

50. Hoppy draft choice, for short: IPA.  India Pale Ale has become a crossword staple.

54. Forevvvvvver: AGES.

56. Fuel from a bog: PEAT.

57. Sound of relief: SIGH.

59. Word before time or tire: SPARE.  Spare Time and Spare Tire.

66. Oscar winner Swinton: TILDA.  Tilda Swinton (née Katherine Matilda Swinton; b. Nov. 5, 1960) won an Oscar for her role as Karen Crowder in the 2007 legal thriller Michael Clayton.  [Name # 5.]

67. GPS figures: ETAs.  Your Global Positioning System will give you the Estimated Time of Arrival to your destination.

68. Give a wide berth: AVOID.

69. Move on tiptoe: SNEAK.

70. __ Ness monster: LOCH.  Everything they want you to believe about the Loch Ness Monster.  [Name adjacent.  Real or fictional?]

71. Really, really into crosswords, say: NERDY.  Do you consider yourself a nerd just because you enjoy doing Crossword puzzles?

Down:

1. Trophy shape: CUP.

3. "Deep breath ... ": STAY CALM.

4. TLC and HAIM: TRIOS.  //  And 5-Down. Performed like TLC and HAIM: SANG.  Both TLC and HAIM are female bands.  TLC is (was?) a R&B pop group that was big in the 1990s.  HAIM is comprised of three sisters whose surname is Haim.  [Names # 6 and 7.]

TLC

HAIM

6. Scand. land: NOR.  Norway is in Scandinavia.  

 

7. Down Under bird: EMU.  The Emu makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

8. Recorded, in a way: ON TAPE.  That is so last century!

9. Nothing, in Latin: NIHIL.  Today's Latin lesson.

10. Small stir-fry vegetables: BABY CORN.  What is Baby Corn?

 

11. "__ You the One?": reality dating series: ARE.  I'm not familiar with this show, but it was easy enough to suss the answer.

12. SF NFL team: NINERS.  San Francisco's National Football League team is the Forty-Niners.  [Name adjacent.]

13. "Great" West Egg resident Jay: GATSBY.  I first read The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (né Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald; b. Sept. 24, 1896 ~ Dec. 21, 1940) years ago.  It is still a favorite.  It has also been adapted into several movie versions.  [Name # 8, fictional.]

14. Gets everywhere: SLOPS.

19. "__ the season ... ": 'TIS.  I guess the Christmas Season has officially begun, although I began to see Christmas decorations in shops before Halloween.  So when does the Season to Be Jolly actually begin?

23. Evil spirits: DEMONS.

25. Supersonic speed measure: MACH.  Mach is used as a unit of measurement in stating the speed of a moving object in relation to the speed of sound. A Mach number is the ratio of an object's speed in a given medium to the speed of sound in that medium.  Mach 1, then, is the speed of sound, around 761 mph at sea level on a standard day.  Thus, if an aircraft is traveling at Mach 1, it is traveling at exactly the speed of sound.  Clear as mud, right?

26. Six-time MLB All-Star Moisés: ALOU.  Moisés Alou (né Moisés Rojas-Alou Beltré; b. July 3, 1966) makes occasional guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  He was an outfielder and played for a number National League teams, including, but not limited to the Houston Astros, the Chicago Cubs, and the New York Mets.  [Name # 9.]

28. "Imagine that!": I'LL BE.

29. Ration (out): METE.

30. Riled up: ASTIR.

35. "Three Billboards ... " actress Cornish: ABBIE.  The full name of the movie is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.  It was a rather disturbing film which starred Frances McDormand (née Cynthia Ann Smith; b. June 23, 1957) who posted three billboards to draw attention to her daughter's unsolved rape and murder.  I don't recall the role that Abbie Cornish (b. Aug. 7, 1982) had in the film.  [Name # 10.]

Abbie Cornish

36. Add bubbles to: AERATE.

37. Plumbing conduits: PIPES.

39. Internet lingo from a cat meme: LOLSPEAK.  Hand up if you had heard of Lolspeak.  Apparently, it is the intentionally grammatically incorrect text accompanying a cat meme.

40. Hindu mentor: GURU.

41. Person next door: NEIGHBOR.

Ned Flanders is Homer's neighbor

42. Stare in awe: GAPE.

43. Relaxing resorts: SPAS.

47. Add to an email thread, say: LOOP IN.

48. TV revenue source: AD SALE.

49. Side that might be mashed or fried: POTATO.  Fun facts about potatoes.

51. Uses a spray bottle: MISTS.

52. Selena's "Only Murders in the Building" role: MABEL.  Only Murders in the Building is a comedy mystery about three strangers who live in a ritzy apartment building in New York.  They all decide to investigate suspicious deaths that occur in their building.  The show stars Selena Gomez (née Selena Marie Gomez; b. July 22, 1992), who portrays Mabel, Steve Martin (né Stephen Glenn Martin; b. Aug. 14, 1945), and Martin Short (né Martin Hayter Short; b. Mar. 26, 1950).  [Names # 11 and 12, one real, the other fictional.]

53. Key that exits full-screen mode: ESC.  The Escape Key.

54. Tequila plant: AGAVE.

58. "__ hardly wait!": I CAN.

60. Nutrition fig.: RDA.  As in Recommended Daily Allowance.

62. Anatomical pouch: SAC.

63. Kinda sorta: -ISH.

64. "Put a __ on it!": LID.

65. Big name in ice cream: EDY.  A crossword staple.  [Name adjacent.]

Here's the Grid:

חתולה