Thursday, June 20, 2024, Joseph Marquez

 

Bucket Hats

Today's splash screen is an Irish Rain hat, with the wool so tightly woven that it is completely water proof.  If it looks familiar, it's the same type of hat that I wear in my Blogger avatar (sans the feather, which I lost years ago).  I bought the first one from Avoca Weavers in Ireland 25 years ago and I'm now on my third.  They are also available in the USA and via mail order from Ireland.

They go by other names as well.   Our constructor Joseph Marquez, who is making his LAT debut today, calls them Bucket Hats. I've not heard that term before, but I suspect that if need be my hat could actually hold water like a bucket. 😀.

Joseph's puzzle uses sets of of circled squares arranged in the shape of buckets to contain the name of 4 different types of hats.  Since this becomes obvious almost immediately, we'll start with the reveal --

65A. Headwear featured four times in this puzzle: BUCKET HAT.  --  and as shown by the grid --

From left to right and top to bottom our buckets are lined with the following types of hats ...

The classic BEANIE is of course equipped with a propeller ...

 The classic FEDORA was favored by NOIR detectives ...

Humphrey Bogart
a.k.a Sam Spade

PANAMA hats originated in Ecuador, a long time ago and were the favorite of the 5th Dr. Who, who often sported one to cricket matches ...

Peter Davison

The eponymous BOWLER hat was designed in 1849 by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler, and was made famous by the great comedian of the silent era Charlie Chaplin ...

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE
(16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977)

FWIW, here's a similar puzzle I blogged sometime back  using circled grid squares to depict a grid spanning bowl of clam chowder.

Here are the rest of the clues ...

Across:

1. "Such a pity!": ALAS.

5. Caramel custard: FLAN.  Here's Mary's recipe for a Creme Caramel Custard.

Yummy!

9. Championship game: FINAL.

14. Quick meal: BITE.

15. Country great McEntire: REBA. She's really Somebody ...

16. "Feliz año nuevo" month: ENERO.  Today's Spanish lesson: "January".

17. Ballpark figures: ESTIMATES.  UMPS struck out on this one.

19. Adulated ones: IDOLS.  Like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Rhianna, and ... Franz Liszt!

20. Climactic beginning?: ANTI.

21. Challenge for 64-Down students: SLANG.  And IDIOMS.

23. Garden vessel: POT.  Here's a nice one, complete with a drain hole, so you don't need an earthenware liner ...

You can buy one online here.

24. Chromebook maker: ACER.

26. Reclusive one: LONER.

28. Mythological event depicted in a 2017 "Thor" film: RAGNARÖK.  Definitely Thursday cluing.  In Norse mythology, the Ragnarök is a prediction of the end of the world, including a great battle in which numerous great Norse gods will perish.  It will entail a catastrophic series of natural disasters, including the burning of the world, and culminates in the submersion of the world underwater. 

The trailer for the 2017 film was a bit too commercialized, camp, and violent for my taste.  I think the majesty of the RAGNARÖK is much better depicted in Richard Wagner's epic Ring Cycle, a retelling of the exact same story.  Here is the closing scene from the final act of the 4th opera, Die Götterdämmerung ("The Twilight of the Gods"), where the Valkyrie Brunhilde spurs her mighty steed to leap onto her husband Siegfried's enormous funeral pyre.  The fire then spreads to Valhalla, the hall of the gods, consuming it and ultimately causing it to tumble beneath the waves of the Rhine.  This challenging piece of stagecraft is imaginatively depicted here with a moving tableaux of Art Deco scrims ...

32. Share on social media: REPOST.

35. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO.  The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) is an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangements with futuristic iconography.  They wrote many of the songs for the musical Xanadu, including the hit single Magic sung by Olivia Newton-John.

36. Saintly ring: HALO.  Most people have one, but they are much brighter on a few of those people. 😀

37. Baghdad currency: DINAR.  This is how many DINARS a DOLLAR will get you.

38. Heaps and heaps: ALOT.  The above may seem like A LOT, but it's still just a DOLLAR.

40. Gross figures: SLOBS.

43. __-switching: CODE.  In linguistics, code-switching or language alternation occurs when a speaker alternates between two or more languages, or language varieties, in the context of a single conversation or situation.

44. Gold-loving king: MIDAS.  In the classic version of the Greek myth MIDAS dies of hunger, but this one has a happy happy ending ...

46. Courtroom entry: PLEA.  They're negotiable.
 
48. Home of the world's tallest building, briefly: UAE.  The Burj Khalifa.  Dubai has plans to complete an even taller structure in 2025 called the Dubai Creek Tower.  The Japanese are planning a structure to be completed in 2050 that will far outstrip these efforts.  But then these sorts of projects have been going on for thousands of years and are one of the reasons that the Arabs, the Japanese, and many other peoples can't seem to talk to one another. 😀

Burj Khalifa
2,722 ft (0.52 mi)

49. Blind dates, e.g.: SETUPS.  Blind dates may have better results if they're set up by a professional.

51. Enhances: AUGMENTS.

53. Different: OTHER.

55. California wine region: NAPA.

56. __ choy: BOK.

58. Like some change: EXACT.  Here's an oldie, but goodie ...

60. JD-to-be's hurdle: LSAT.  Law School Admission Test.

63. Dogpatch name: ABNER.  Here's how it all started ...

First Li'l Abner by Al Capp for August 19, 1934
(click to enlarge)

65. [Theme reveal]

68. Baggy: LOOSE.

69. Like one of Picasso's periods: BLUE.  The Blue Period comprises the works produced by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso between 1901 and 1904. During this time, Picasso painted essentially monochromatic paintings in shades of blue and blue-green, only occasionally warmed by other colors. These sombre works, inspired by Spain and painted in Barcelona and Paris, are now some of his most popular works, although he had difficulty selling them at the time. 

Le Gourmet (The Greedy Child), 1901
National Gallery of Art, Wash., D.C.

70. Trickster of Asgard: LOKI.  Loki is a god in Norse mythology and Asgard is another name for Valhalla, the home of the Norse gods.  He presumably met his fate in clue 28A.

Loki

71. Cries like a kitten: MEWLS.

72. Barely noticeable: ITTY.

73. All those in favor: AYES.

Down:

1. Civil War POTUS: ABE.

2. "Abbott Elementary" actress __ Ann Walter: LISA.  Lisa Ann Walter (born August 3, 1963) is an American actress, comedian, and television producer, best known for her roles as Chessy the housekeeper in the romantic comedy film The Parent Trap (1998) and Melissa Schemmenti on the Peabody Award winning ABC mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary (2021–present), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Lisa Ann Walter

3. Memo abbr.: ATTN.

4. Staple of some plant-based diets: SEITAN.  Seitan  is a food made from gluten, the main protein of wheat and is used as a meat substitute in vegan diets.  It is made from vital wheat gluten, a flour-like substance primarily consisting of gluten extracted from wheat flour. Here's Sam's recipe for seitan based "vegan chicken".

5. Title for a monk: FRA.  Short for Frate: "Brother", which I believe is short for Fratello -- today's Italian lesson. Brother Ray - O?

6. "Time to go!": LETS ROLL.  "Let's Roll" were the last recorded words of passenger Todd Beamer on board United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks in 2001, just moments before he and other passengers attempted to storm the cockpit and retake the plane from the hijackers. The slogan subsequently became a battle cry for American forces during the war on terror.

Todd Beamer
Nov. 24, 1968 - Sept 11, 2001

7. One of Eve's sons: ABEL.  ABEL was the very first murder victim in the Old Testament, but there was no mystery as to who had killed him -- there were no other suspects beside his brother CAIN.

Cain Slaying Abel
Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1600

8. Sounding congested: NASAL.

9. Pretended: FEIGNED.

10. Third-party abbr.: IND.  Only one Independent candidate has won the presidency.*

11. Self-identifier such as "ze" or "hir": NEO PRONOUN.  Here's everything you need to know about NEO PRONOUNS, although I can't guarantee that they won't have changed by the time this review drops.

12. "My Soft Machine" singer Parks: ARLO.   Here's Arlo Parks' Purple Phase from her album My Soft Machine ...

13. Played scissors against rock, say: LOST.  According to the rules of Rochambeau, rock beats scissors ...

18. Book between Jonah and Nahum: MICAH.  The 3 books mentioned in the clue and answer are three of the 12 Minor Prophets of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible).  MICAH lived in the region of Judah before the fall of Jerusalem in 722 BC.  His prophecies were largely concerned with the decadence and corruption of the inhabitants of Israel, and like all the prophets he was rewarded for his efforts with execution.  This manuscript page in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore shows him being cast from a cliff (often a precursor to stoning) and then buried ...

The Death and Burial
of the Prophet Micah

22. Neither partner: NOR.

25. Notable times: ERAS.  The most notable ERA these days seems to be Taylor Swift's Eras Tour -- it even has its own Wiki page.   Here's her song Eyes Open re-released during the tour ...

27. Awesome: EPIC.

28. Paper orders: REAMS.

29. Classic TV's "Kate & __": ALLIE.  Kate & Allie is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from March 19, 1984, to May 22, 1989, starring Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin as two divorced mothers who decide to live together in the same home.  Here are the opening credits ...

30. "Thanks for the info": GOOD TO KNOW.

31. Turtlelike Mario Bros. foe: KOOPA.  Koopas are a category of turtle-like creatures that form the Turtle Tribe.  There are many different types of Koopas, the most common being Koopa Troopas.  I DNK this.  Hand up if you did?  They look harmless enough ...

Koopa Troopa

33. Nobelist Anwar: SADAT.  Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981.  In 1978, Sadat and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, signed a peace treaty in cooperation with United States President Jimmy Carter, for which they were recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize.  Menachem Begin died of a heart attack on 3 March 1992.

Anwar Sadat

34. Forest denizens: TREES.

39. Not slack: TAUT.

41. Hairstyle with a uniform length: BLUNT CUT.  They come in short, medium, and long lengths ...

A blunt cut

42. Streets of Rage game company: SEGA.  A 4 letter video game company. Saturday cluing might be RUST, NIOH, or DIRT.

45. Baseballs and basketballs, but not rugby balls: SPHERES.  Here's a rugby ball ...

Rugby ball

Notice that the ends don't come to a point like an American football ...
 

American Football

English footballs are SPHERES ...

English Football

47. Substantial: AMPLE.

50. Health class topic: SEX.  Since y'all have probably had that course, any further comment would probably be TMI. 😁

52. Nabe south of Pasadena: EAST LA.

54. Bar mitzvah figure: RABBI.

56. Application to chapped lips: BALM.  A key ingredient in BALM is of course is ALOE.

57. Clarinet kin: OBOE.  Probably the most popular work for this instrument is Gabriel's Oboe, from the soundtrack to the 1986 film The Mission.  Here it is conducted by the composer Ennio Morricone ...

Click on the Watch on Youtube link to start it

59. Fringe group: CULT.  They come in all shapes and sizes and there are a lot of them around these days.

61. Nautical call: AHOY.

62. Swipe: TAKE.  Sometimes you have to swipe a movie scene more than once to get a good TAKE. 😀

64. Subj. for some citizenship applicants: ESL.  English as a Second Language.

66. __ lime pie: KEY.  Here's Sally's recipe.
 

Key Lime Pie

67. Poetic contraction: TIS.  ALAS, TIS the end of this review.

Cheers,
Bill

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

waseeley

*President George Washington. Click the link to see the also-rans.

Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2024, Daniel Hrynick

 DON'T EAT THE FISH~!

 

Today's puzzle, I believe, is Daniel's debut, at least for the LA Times.  Way to Go~!  And - it's NOT from Rebecca, and NOT 16x15 - but still about food. Hey, I'm getting there, slowly but surely - "and don't call me Shirley".  Five foods, or "snacks", with movie title adjectives, and no reveal.  The themers: 

17. Wrapped movie snack for a Rowan Atkinson comedy?: BEAN BURRITO

23. Spicy movie snack for a Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze fantasy romance?: GHOST PEPPERS

38. Roasted movie snack for a Leslie Nielsen disaster comedy?: AIRPLANE PEANUTS

 

The best comedy movie ever~?   Airplane~! Trailer

50. Cold movie snack for a Disney princess musical?: FROZEN YOGURT

62. Sweet movie snack for an Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy?: JUNIOR MINTS

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Like a bad Goodyear: BALD - and, unfortunately, a "good" Splynter's fate, as well

5. Media network based in Ontario: THE CBC - the Wiki, and a shout-out to our friends up north

11. Tanqueray liquor: GIN

14. After-lunch sandwich: OREO - I really like BJs chocolate-chip cookies

15. Nickelodeon toon tyke: RUGRAT

16. Blackjack card: ACE

19. Not quite break, as a record: TIE

20. Seasonal mall worker: SANTA

21. Exam: TEST

22. Slough off: SHED

26. Monastery leaders: ABBOTS - I recommend the "Cadfael Chronicles" by Ellis Peters, Cadfael being a Crusader turned Benedictine monk, set in 1100 England, and a great set of mystery novels

29. Christian name?: DIOR - Christian Dior, designer, very clever

30. __ Lanka: SRI

31. "Very funny": HA-HA

35. Shasta and Fanta: SODAS

42. __ dish: lab container: PETRI - Spellcheck doesn't like this

43. Graph lines: AXES

44. Ready to go: SET

45. LP player: Hi-Fi

 

I don't think the music has the dog's attention

47. Eases: ABATES

55. Passed-down tales: LORE

56. Mower brand: TORO - Mine is a Massey-Ferguson, and I am getting better at driving it~!

57. On the open ocean: AT SEA - I ordered a piece of art from China, and the website supplied the tracking info for the vessel it was loaded on, then I found this site, which is incredible - the number of ships AT SEA. . . .

61. Not even: ODD

64. Itty-bitty: WEE

65. Apply a cipher to: ENCODE

66. "__ quote you on that?": "CAN I~?"  OK boys, let's get some pictures

67. Den. neighbor: NORway - sorta; Sweden is much more "neighborly"

top left corner - Norway is peekin' a teensy bit

68. Itty-bitty: TEENSY - Spellcheck doesn't care for this, either

69. Bridge distance: SPAN

DOWN:

1. "And __ your uncle": Brit's "Voilà!": BOB'S - my parents were born and raised in England; while I did not hear this phrase often, one that did come up on a day of thunderstorms was "It's a bit black over Bill's mother's" = more here

2. Field: AREA - think "expertise"

3. Favor one side: LEAN - like that tower in 25D.

4. "Stay!": "DON'T GO~!"

5. Hilton brand: TRU - On my first trip with the pipe organ company to Lynchburg VA, we had to stay at a different hotel for ONE night due to some convention at the usual place; the second spot was a "Tru", sort of like the "trendy", wacky color scheme, odd art, Millennial vibe version of Hilton

6. Causes pain: HURTS

7. Wading bird found in salt- and freshwater marshes: EGRET

8. Crunchy: CRISP

9. Swung for the fences, maybe: BATTED

10. Engineering exec at a startup, e.g.: CTO - Chief Technology Officer

11. Sit untouched: GATHER DUST - my drum set has been sitting untouched the whole time I have lived in CT; I am planning a music room in the basement - complete with pipe organ - once my new kitchen is done - but that can't happen until the side porch gets done, and so on and so on....

12. More slick: ICIER

13. Requires: NEEDS

18. Thai currency: BAHT

22. Sour cream utensil: SPOON - I prefer the newer squeezee bottle

A dollop of 63D.~?

24. Plant inspection org.: OSHA - the National Cathedral insisted on steel-toe boots for all who work with the pipe organ company, so we went shopping at Skechers last week, and I got some new, free kicks~!

25. Tuscan tower town: PISA

26. Rush job letters: ASAP

27. "The Marvels" star Larson: BRIE - no clue, filled via perps

28. Factor in sibling relationships: BIRTH ORDER - I am first born, have but one sibling, a brother, and he has some sort of inferiority issue with me - so he comes across as the Alpha male in most instances; it doesn't make any difference to me

32. The NHL's Ducks, on sports tickers: ANAheim - Florida could have hoisted the Stanley Cup last night, but they're going back to Edmonton

33. Bad spell: HEX - ah.  Missed this.  A "?" would have helped.

34. Large primate: APE

36. Fit to __: A TEE - Crosswordese

37. Old fleet fleet: SSTs - I am fascinated by the TV Show "Air Disasters", mostly because of how the show depicts the investigation progresses, and how a very tiny part failure can make a very big tragedy

39. Cherish: PRIZE - Dah~! not ADORE

40. Word with hack or coach: LIFE - Life-hack, Life-coach; I like watching the mini Life Hacks and carpentry tips on Facebook

41. Biblical twin: ESAU

46. Not sharp or flat: IN TUNE - Meh.  "Natural" did not fit.  Being musical, I am not entirely in agreement with this clue; e.g. Van Halen songs are all tuned a half-step down, or "flat", but they are "in tune"; pipe organs can be sharp and/or flat and still be "in tune" - the temperament Wiki

48. Gothic horror novelist Stoker: BRAM

49. Rooms that often have little room: ATTICS - Meh.  My attic is huge, and I plan to make it into a loft one day; I prefer the "top floor" kind of clue for this answer

50. __ the coop: escaped: FLOWN

51. Event with clowns and bulls: RODEO

52. Part of the Queen Bey song "Partition": YONCÉ - Beyoncé - her Wiki, and that's as far as I go

53. Hunter in the night sky: ORION - this is more like my musical tastes

R.I.P. Cliff Burton, bass player, Metallica - Orion

54. Merchandise: GOODS - I tried WARES first

58. Pic: SNAP - semi Meh.

59. Volcano on Sicily's east coast: ETNA - ah, trying to throw us for a loop with the whole "east coast" thing~?  I wasn't fooled~!

60. Q __ Quebec: AS IN - more Canadien, Eh~?

62. East Coast NFLer: JET - yes, us long-suffering NY Jets fans. . . . can we get a quarterback in here~?

63. Daisy Ridley's "Star Wars" role: REY - I am a huge Star Wars fan - saw the original at a drive-in when I was six - but the last trilogy was lacking, sadly

Splynter

And a Juneteenth to all~!

Good Luck, we're all counting on you....

Tuesday June 18, 2024 Susan Gelfand

 

Happy Tuesday, everyone! sumdaze here. For those of you keeping track, the enchanting Hahtoolah (our usual Tuesday blogger) is away this month so Anonymous T (aka, -T) has been covering the Tuesday puzzles. This week, however, -T and I switched days so he could review C.C.'s and my puzzle that ran yesterday.

Theme:  

Tomatoes just might be my favorite food ever so I loved, loved, loved today's theme! Constructor Susan Gelfand has cleverly STUFFED three varieties of tomatoes with other letters to form two-word phrases. Did you see the TOMATOES? Here are the three themers:

17 Across. Fondly remembered moment: CHERISHED MEMORY.  CHERRY

Close your eyes and one will appear.

30 Across. Netflix's "The Crown," for one: ROYAL DRAMA.  ROMA

The Crown is a TV series that ran on Netflix from 2016-2023. It followed the political rivalries and romances of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped Britain for the second half of the 20th century.

42 Across. Pretend to be asleep: PLAY POSSUM.  PLUM

There are many stories of people who were sure a possum was dead, went to get removal tools, then returned to find the possum had run away. Tricky, tricky!

The reveal was a fun surprise:

59 Across. Rice-filled appetizers with red shells, and a hint to the words that bookend 17-, 30-, and 42-Across: STUFFED TOMATOES.

Here is a recipe for rice-stuffed tomatoes.

"Rice" might be a red herring here for some. Instead, the focus is on how three types of tomatoes are spelled out in the bookends of the phrases.

Left to right:  CHERRY, ROMA, and PLUM tomatoes.

The remaining letters are the "stuffing", as seen in the grid below:

Great job, Susan! If your puzzle were a movie, it would get this Rotten Tomatoes score:  

Next we will ketchup on the other clues:

Across:
1. Change back to zero: RESET.  This works if you think of RESETting the trip odometer in your car.  

6. Aid and __: ABET.  Doing this could get you in trouble.

10. Elton John's "Bennie and the __": JETS.  Here you g-g-g-g-g-go!  

14. Playful furry swimmer: OTTER.

I am going to use this as an opportunity to tell you about Rosa, a beloved Southern Sea OTTER at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Rosa passed away earlier this month. At 24 years old, she was the oldest known member of her species. (Female sea otters in the wild live between 15 and 20 years.) During her time at the aquarium, Rosa served as a surrogate mother to 15 orphaned otter pups! This is a 1:35 min. video reflection on Rosa's life. You can see her teaching a pup important otter skills. If you would like to read more about Rosa, click here then read the post below the video.

15. Source of torment: BANE.  

16. She loves, in Latin: AMAT.  

20. Flesh and blood: KIN.

21. The whole nine yards: A TO Z.  I like how the mood of the clue matches the answer.

22. Spirited person: PISTOL.  My friend named her very spirited Goldendoodle PISTOL.

23. "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer Sinéad: O'CONNOR.  (1966-2023) She was a singer, song writer, and activist from Ireland.  

Nothing Compares 2 U was named the

 Top World Single of the Year by Billboard for 1990. 

25. Mongrel: CUR.

26. Summer in Saint-Étienne: ETE.  ETE means summer in French.  

Its sister city in the USA is Des Moines, Iowa.

27. Sense of self: EGO.

28. More miffed: SORER.

34. Noshes: EATS.  Nosh means "to eat a snack".

38. "I'm well __": AWARE.  

39. North Pole worker: ELF.

40. Egyptian peninsula: SINAI.

41. Internet phenomenon: MEME.  We know that a MEME is a humorous or interesting image, video, etc. that spreads quickly across the internet. This has led to the term meme stock to refer to a corporation that has a cult-like following on social media. GameStock is widely regarded as the first meme stock. Read more here.

44. Sci-fi robot: DROID.  Science Fiction is shortened, so is anDROID.

These DROID postage stamps came out in 2021.  
These ARE the DROID stamps you are looking for.

46. Reuben bread: RYE.  

47. Aliens, briefly: ETS.     and     56 Down. Sci-fi saucers: UFOS.

50. Winter hrs. in Boston: EST.  Eastern Standard Time

51. Quiet place to get a loan: LIBRARY.  This was my favorite clue today! A LIBRARY loans books.

55. Arouses, as curiosity: PIQUES.  Fun word!

57. Otherwise: ELSE.

58. Volcano opening?: VEE.     and     57 Down. Mediterranean volcano: ETNA.

V is for "volcano".  

I enjoy meta clues but I know some of you are not fond of them.  

Another word for a volcano opening is a vent.

62. Hodgepodge: OLIO.  a miscellaneous mixture

63. PlayStation maker: SONY.

64. Unsophisticated: NAIVE.  

65. Rx orders: MEDS.  "Rx" was a hint that the answer would be abbreviated.

66. Whole bunch: SCAD.

67. Agrees (with): SIDES.  When used as a verb, SIDES can mean "to align oneself in a disagreement".

Down:
1. Young wallaby in a Nickelodeon animated series: ROCKO.  ESP for me.  

This is ROCKO Wallaby.

2. Moral standard: ETHIC.

3. Courtroom fig. with a keyboard: STENO.  Figure, in this case, is a human STENOgrapher.  

4. Always, poetically: E'ER.  a contraction for ever

5. Musical instrument named for its shape: TRIANGLE.  

This guy is the Yo-Yo Ma of the TRIANGLE!  (1:55 min.)

6. Really hate: ABHOR.

7. Legendary folk singer Joan: BAEZ.

8. Wrap up: END.

9. Deep-fried Japanese dish: TEMPURA.  I first misread the clue as "fish" so I thought I was in deep water for a minute there.

10. Jazz sessions: JAMS.

11. Overact: EMOTE.

12. Medium's medium: TAROT.  Fun wordplay! An expanded version of this clue could be a spiritual go-between's materials.  

13. Fashion sense: STYLE.

18. Didn't ask for a card in blackjack: STOOD.  In blackjack, once you are dealt your first two cards, you must decide if you are going to hit or stand. To stand means you are satisfied with the cards that you have been dealt and do not want any additional draw cards.

19. Limerick's land: EIRE.  

24. Came close to: NEARED.

25. Warm and cozy: COMFY.  

28. Waldorf __: SALAD.  There are no TOMATOES in this SALAD. You can easily identify Waldorf SALADs at a buffet because they contain apples and mayonnaise.  recipe

29. "Stranger Things" actor Paul: REISER.  Paul is an actor and comedian. He was born in 1956 in New York, NY. You might remember him from the 1990s TV show Mad About You with Helen Hunt. In 2017-2022, he played Dr. Sam Owens in Netflix's Stranger Things.  I saw Paul's stand-up show a few years back. He was very funny!

30. Los Angeles footballer: RAM.

31. Need to pay: OWE.

32. Sweet tuber: YAM.

33. Kindled again: RELIT.  Def.:  to light again.

35. FAQ entry: ANS.  Frequently Asked Questions pages provide ANSwers.

36. Greek consonant that resembles a "T": TAU.  

TAU is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet.

37. __ card: smartphone insert: SIM. 

A SIM card, or Subscriber Identity Module, is a small, removable smart card that stores information about a mobile device's network plan, contacts, and other data. SIM cards are usually made of PVC and contain an embedded chip with integrated circuits (ICs) and semiconductors.

40. Protein-rich legumes: SOYBEANS.  

Soy in Spanish means "I am".

42. Have in one's hands: POSSESS.

43. Light refractor: PRISM.

45. Snorkeling spot: REEF.

47. English derby town: EPSOM.  I would have had this one quicker if it asked about the salts.

The EPSOM Derby is a horserace comparable in significance to the Preakness Stakes on this side of the pond in that it is the second race in the English Triple Crown. A three-year-old bay colt named City of Troy won the Epsom Derby three Saturdays ago.  

48. Sports championship: TITLE.  As in, "They won the TITLE".

49. Underwater ink squirter: SQUID.  why squids squirt ink

51. Fallingwater architect Frank __ Wright: LLOYD.  This is a 5:10 minute vlog (video blog) about Falling water. Listening to the water takes it up a notch from just looking at a photo.

52. Steer clear of: AVOID.

53. "Superman" actor Christopher: REEVE.  (1952 - 2004) He first played Superman in 1978. My friends and I had super-crushes on him.

54. Positive responses: YESES.

60. "What's up, __?": DOC.  

61. __ chi: martial art: TAI.  Does anyone on The Corner do this? I used to see groups doing it in parks in Hawaii -- very zen. I hope to try it someday.

That's all for today. See you next Monday!