Friday, September 12, 2025 - Katherine Simonson

 Theme:  "Bride"-al path ... 

 

As seen in the hit film, "Sire of the Bride"

Puzzling thoughts:

Today's puzzle was summed up with the reveal entry:

54-across. Rom-com starring Julia Roberts, and a feature of 20-, 32-, and 41-Across?: RUNAWAY BRIDE.

As you'll see in each of the three entries, the BRIDE has RUN AWAY from the movie title listed (as clued):

20-across. Gurinder Chadha adaptation of a Jane Austen novel: AND PREJUDICE.  The movie was not a box-office "biggie", nor a fan favorite, but it did cause the Chairman to wonder what was to follow as I was thinking PRIDE and Prejudice, Jane Austen's actual novel.  As it turns out, what's "missing" is the word BRIDE from the title (BRIDE AND PREJUDICE) - open the hyperlink to learn more

32-across. Fantasy adventure starring Cary Elwes and Robin Wright: THE PRINCESS.  The movie was not a box-office "biggie" but at least garnered an 80% approval rating.  Once again, the word BRIDE was missing from the puzzle entry (THE PRINCESS BRIDE)

41-across. Spencer Tracy comedy with a remake starring Steve Martin: FATHER OF THE.  The movie earned the most $ of the three but was still regarded as a "stinker" by Rotten Tomatoes.  BRIDE was missing from the movie title (FATHER OF THE BRIDE)

OK, without sounding too ignorant, what am I missing here?  I can honestly say that "Father of the Bride" is the only one of the three movies I've seen.  And it came out in 1991 so my memory of it is pretty foggy.  IIRC, the father, aka, George Banks, is more concerned about the cost of the wedding rather than the fact that he is losing his daughter Annie to his future son-in-law

Did any of the three entry movies feature the BRIDE running away?  Having "cold feet" perhaps?  If so, then this was a brilliant discovery by the constructor.  Three movies whose titles include the missing word "BRIDE" and whose story lines include the BRIDE actually "running away".  If not, then I don't know if this registers very high on my creativity list of puzzles

Guess I will have to wait at the altar (or watch the three movies to find out) 

Kudos Katherine to being published again (debuted October 2024) as I know from personal experience just how difficult it is to have a puzzle go to print

A small "nit" to pick:  In the first movie title, the word "BRIDE" was the missing from the first word in the title.  In the other two movies, the word "BRIDE" was missing from the last word of the title.  Perhaps if Katherine had thought of this movie (in which the word BRIDE is the second word in the title) I might have enjoyed this more, as the BRIDE would have run away from three different spots 

For some odd reason (maybe my weirdness) this whole "runaway bride" thing made me think of a fitting Moe-ku:

       Home, Home on the Range

       Features a runaway BRIDE: 

       "The deer and the ant elope ... "     

Here, then, is the grid and then off to the rest of the puzzle words

 

Across:

1. Burdened: BESET.

"Burdened" didn't make the top ten

6. Puff: WISP.  See 6-Down ... we have WISP crossing WASP

10. Grifter's game: SCAM. If the word "game" had been capitalized the answer might have been "BOOK"

14. French honey: AMOUR.  "Honey" as in dearie - French word for "my love"

15. Org. co-founded by Helen Keller: ACLU.  American Civil Liberties Union

16. Angelic ring: HALO.

17. Semper __: Space Force motto: SUPRA.  All you need to know about the US Space Force 

All you need to know about Semper Supra

18. Spotted: SEEN.  Not this spotted:

19. Enthusiastic: AVID.

[entry]

23. Oscar winner Tomei: MARISA.  One of my favorite clips from the movie, "My Cousin Vinny".  Marisa in her role as Mona Lisa Vito

26. Pickleball need: PADDLE.

27. Some pyramid-topped monuments: OBELISKS.  

Unlike 50-Down, this Luxor is an obelisk

30. Scare word: BOO.  Irish Miss must be pleased today as Katherine only used 11 three-letter words in her puzzle (if I counted correctly)

31. Scottish cap: TAM.  And of course, another three-letter word appears right afterwards ... 

[entry]

37. Long-billed wader: IBIS.  Also, the mascot of the University of Miami Hurricanes 

Sebastian, the IBIS

39. Mexican kinsman: TIO.  Would the clue "Uncle in Uruguay" have been any easier?

40. Cabbage cousin: KALE.

[entry]

46. B'way passes: TIX.  Moe-ku:

        Can dogs that have fleas

        Get into a theater

        Without having TIX?             

47. Exclamation of discovery: AHA.

48. Formidable: FEARSOME.  Any football fans remember the "FEARSOME" foursome?
 
50. Off-road vehicles?: LEMONS.  When was the term "lemon" first used to describe an "off" car?

How about a lemon-colored lemon??

53. Done for: RUINED.  

[reveal]

57. Teammates who really pull for you?: OXEN.   Clever clue

58. Small ensemble: TRIO.  Duo and quartet didn't fit

59. Wrinkle removers: IRONS.  Thankfully as a retiree I no longer need to worry about removing wrinkles from my dress shirts, as I used to when I worked in the corporate world ... 

63. Pop singer Amos: TORI.

  

64. Haughty manners: AIRS.

65. Part of one's inheritance: TRAIT.  My good looks, I'm told ... 😀

66. Clog decorated with Jibbitz charms: CROC.  Not familiar with this?  Watch below:

67. Invited: BADE.  Friday clue

68. Primitive: EARLY.  Friday clue

Down:

1. __-relief: BAS.  Moe-ku:

        A professional

        Fisherman mounted his catch:

        His bass bas-relief

2. Australian source of some cosmetic oil: EMU.  Johnny Bench is a spokesman for this brand:

3. Soak (up): SOP.

4. Continental train pass: EURAIL.  All you need to know about Eurail passes

5. Part of BART: TRANSIT.  Bay Area Rapid Transit

6. Queen mother?: WASP.  All you need to know about a Queen WASP

7. Cake shop artist: ICER.  Moe-ku:

        What bakery does

        When bride carps on wedding cake?

        Of course, they ICER

8. With 13-Down, laptop setting: SLEEP.  [13-Down. See 8-Down]: MODE.  Moe-ku:

        Breyer's IT staff

        Equipped their computers with

        SLEEP a la MODE 

9. Most prevalent language of Pakistan: PUNJABI. [Brittanica dot com says] "Punjabi language, or Panjabi language, Indo-Aryan language of the Punjab in India and Pakistan. Punjabi has about 26 million speakers in India and more than 60 million in Pakistan—nearly half the population of the latter—but linguists have sometimes considered the dialects of southwestern, western, and northern Punjab province in Pakistan a different language. Inhabitants of southern Punjab province have agitated for consideration of their speech, Siraiki (with more than 12 million speakers), as a distinct language, though Siraiki and Punjabi are mutually intelligible"

10. Pomelo: SHADDOCK.  [Wikipedia says] "The pomelo , also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia and Malaysia."

11. Kvetch: CAVIL.  What's the difference between Kvetch and CAVIL?

12. Chez Panisse owner Waters: ALICE.  Anyone here familiar with this woman and/or restaurant? Here is a conversation I found on YouTube

21. Vague amount: DASH.  Moe-ku:

        Recipes are vague;

        How salty should the dish be?

        Just ask Mrs. Dash

22. Japanese noodle: UDON.  The vagueness of the clue could have steered you toward SOBA, too.  Want to know the difference?  I'll also compare ramen noodles to them

23. Repeated pattern: MOTIF.  Moe-ku:

        What boxer said when

        He saw his incisors gone:

        "I just want Motif"

24. Addis __, Ethiopia: ABABA.  Addis-Ababa translates to "New Flower"

25. Pay: REMIT.  The word REMIT has a boatload of definitions 

28. Low-carb regimen: KETO.  Diets are just fads 

29. Polish (up): SPIFF.  My friend the Thesaurussaurus agrees; sort of

Again, "polish (up)" didn't make the top ten

33. Tedious learning method: ROTE.  I wonder if this is how actors learn their lines?

34. Brand of fine stationery: EATON.  I remember using this brand of stationery when I prepared my work resume, as it added both quality and professionalism to the document 

35. Goopy stuff: SLIME.  When the Ghostbusters got slimed ... "why am I drippings with goo?"

36. Sch. health class: SEX ED.  Click here for a preview of an article on SEX EDucation

38. Like some New Agey practices: SHAMANIC.  According to [shamanichealing.org.uk]: "Shamanic healing is an ancient spiritual practice that focuses on restoring balance and harmony to an individual's mind, body, and spirit through various techniques and rituals.  According to [Urban Dictionary]: New Agey is an adjective used to describe a new age type individual, i.e., someone who has a crystals collection, has many self-improvement books, believes in alternative medicine, practices yoga and meditation, eats organic, wears socks and sandals, and/or believes in auras and energy fields. Can also be used to describe new age practices such as shamanic healing"

42. Online instruction site: E-HOW.  Moe-ku:

        Old MacDonald song

        Lyrics are found online at

        "E-I-E-I How"

43. Deferred payment: RAN A TAB. Moe-ku:

        The teetotaler

        Who drank unsweetened cola

        Just ran a Tab® tab 

44. Mata __: HARI.  If you have 24 minutes to spare, please watch this video as it tells the story behind the woman known as Mata Hari

45. Scholarly: ERUDITE.  I've never been confused with someone who's erudite; glib, maybe 😉

49. Jagged-looking range: SIERRA.  Literal translation for the word sierra is a jagged mountain range.  Go figure!  Here is a look at a very small portion of the Sierra Mountains at a very famous lake that borders CA and NV ... taken by the Chairman when he was on sabbatical ... 

Along the western edge of Lake Tahoe

50. Vegas hotel whose rooms have slanted windows: LUXOR.  The Luxor Hotel resembles a pyramid from its exterior.  If you book a room there your windows will look like this

Yes, the windows are slanted

51. Month when it's not chilly in Chile: ENERO.  Hah! Enero is the Spanish word for January; Chile is located in the Southern Hemisphere where the month of January is the start of their summer season.  Now, if you were located here in Chile, in Enero, you would definitely be chilly unless you were wearing a warm jacket

52. Ancient Palmyra's land: SYRIA.

54. Campus mil. group: ROTC.  Reserve Officers' Training Corps

55. Blue-footed booby, for one: BIRD.  I wonder if the blue-footed characteristic of the booby indicates a male, and the females are pink-footed?  Actually, the blue feet are the male's way of attracting a female for mating ... 

If you were a female booby, would you find this guy attractive?

56. Neither red nor white: Rosé.  Speaking of pink, I'm guessing this clue/answer refers to wine.  If so, here's a fun fact from your resident sommelier:  Rosé wines are generally made from red grape varietals and are not a result of blending a white wine with a red wine, though that is an option.  During fermentation, especially with red and/or darker skinned grapes, the longer the pressed grape "juice" stays in contact with their skins, the darker the color of the wine.  When making rosé, many winemakers will leave the skins in contact with the fermenting wine for mere hours.  That is generally long enough to provide a tinge of color and create a pink-colored wine. Here are a just a few of the red-grape varietals that can make rosé: Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel

60. Coxswain's lack: OAR.  The coxswain is the person at the front of the boat yelling the cadence to the rowers

This is for our cat-loving Cornerites

61. Nothing at all: NIL.  At some point (maybe it's already happened) this word might also be clued as: NCAA athlete compensation acronym

62. Barnyard dwelling: STY.  What lives in a STY?  Why, little piggies I'm told.  Here's a cut from the White Album to lead you towards the comments ... see you in a couple ...

Oh, I have a post-script to add as I found a picture recently of a spud that resembles my blogging partner, Malodorous Manatee.  He will provide the jocularity next week

Quite the resemblance, eh?

Thursday, September 11, 2025, Dylan Schiff

Theme:  How shall I post thee?  Let me count the ways.

Dylan Shiff is a middle school science teacher and puzzle enthusiast who loves the quirks of the English language.  Today's puzzle plays with various meanings of the word POST.

The theme clues and answers are:

18-Across. *Online diary: PERSONAL BLOG.  When you self-publish on a website for others to read, you "post" an entry or article to the site, and the entry or article is itself a "post."

25-Across. *Means of sending legal documents: CERTIFIED MAIL.  "Post" can be a verb meaning to send a letter or package.

37-Across. *Item pinned to a bulletin board: PROMOTIONAL FLYER.  Anything tacked onto a bulletin board is said to be "posted" there.

49-Across. *Professional who stands watch: SECURITY GUARD.  A security guard is assigned to a specific location for a defined period; this assignment is his "post."

59-Across. "I want to stay informed!," or what might be said by the answers to the starred clues?: KEEP ME POSTED.  This is the big reveal, without which I would never have discerned the connection between the starred clues.  A personal blog wants to be kept posted.  So does certified mail, a promotional flyer, and a security guard.  Wonderful wordplay.

I asked ChatGPT to create an image of a security guard at his post who is writing a personal blog, sending a letter, and tacking a flyer to a bulletin board.  The result is the image at the top of this post.  AI technology is amazing and terrifying!

How did Dylan fill in the rest of the puzzle?  Let's take a look.

Across:

1. Chocolaty coffees: MOCHAS.  Yum.

7. Unearthed: DUG UP.

12. Silk formation: WEB.  Hummingbirds use spider silk to bind their tiny nests together.

15. Punctual: ON TIME.

16. Yoga pose: ASANA.

17. Top card in hearts: ACE.

18. [Theme clue]

20. "Neither fish __ fowl": NOR.

21. Class with pronunciation practice, briefly: ESL.  English as a Second Language.

22. Tomato used in tomato paste: ROMA.  Roma tomatoes have low water content and few seeds, which makes it easy to reduce them to a thick paste.

23. "It's peculiar ... ": ODDLY.

25. [Theme clue]

29. River mouth formations: DELTAS.

31. "¿Cómo __?": ESTAS.  "How are you?" spoken informally, as to a friend or family member.  We discovered that in Spain, people leap right into informal address, whereas in Mexico, you can know someone for many years and always use the formal ¿Cómo está usted? depending on the relationship.

32. Jeweler's unit: CARAT.

33. WNBA great Leslie: LISA.  Lisa Leslie was a professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Sparks from 1997 to 2009. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medalist.  She's a local So Cal gal, but alas, my sports allergy prevented my knowing of her accomplishments.

Lisa Leslie

34. Took charge: LED.

37. [Theme clue]

42. Tags in a Google Doc: ATS.  I don't use Google Docs, but I read that typing the "at" symbol -- @ -- opens a menu to quickly insert links and other items.  It's a shortcut to the insert menu.

43. Border on: ABUT.

44. Ahead of schedule: EARLY.

45. Puts a spell on: HEXES.

47. Extra tires: SPARES.

49. [Theme clue]

53. Bowler's hangout: ALLEY.

54. Limbs symbolic of power in Hinduism: ARMS.  

55. "__ making myself clear?": AM I.

58. Moreover: TOO.  Also, besides, furthermore, and additionally wouldn't have fit.

59. [Theme clue]

64. PIN point: ATM.  One uses a Personal Identification Number at an Automated Teller Machine.

65. Reach a consensus: AGREE.

66. Dutch beer: AMSTEL.  The brewery was founded in 1870 in Amsterdam, taken over by Heineken in 1968, and closed in 1982, with production moving to the main Heineken plant at Zoeterwoude.

67. "Def!": YEP.  Definitely.

68. Stockpile: HOARD.

69. 100-seat chamber: SENATE.  The U.S. Senate has 100 members, with two senators representing each of the 50 states.

Down:

1. Brood: MOPE.

2. Single notes: ONES.  "Notes" can mean paper money.  Americans usually say "bills."

3. Corner PC key: CTRL.

4. The "H" of HMS: HIS.  His Majesty's Ship.  It used to be Her Majesty's Ship when His mama was queen.

5. Cherub in Italian art: AMORETTO.  I never heard this term!

6. Spanish title: SENORA.

7. __ Lama: DALAI.

8. __ port: USB.  Oh, that kind of port.

9. Gadot of "Wonder Woman": GAL.  I know this Gal.  Not personally!  I know of her.

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman

10. "Last card!": UNO.  Uno is a card game developed in 1971, and produced since 1992 by Mattel.  A player who plays their next-to-last card must call "Uno" as a warning to the other players that they only have one card left.

11. East Asian temple: PAGODA.  A pagoda is a multi-story structure with overhanging roofs.  They often serve as Buddhist or Hindu temples or memorials.

12. Title fish in a 1988 heist comedy: WANDA.

13. Produce recall cause, often: E. COLI.  E. coli is a group of bacteria that can cause infections in your gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, and other parts of your body.

14. Mineral group for emerald and aquamarine: BERYL.  Beryl is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate, which forms hexagonal crystals.  Pure beryl is colorless, but it is frequently tinted by impurities.

Aquamarine beryl gets its color from iron.

19. Ozs. and lbs.: AMTS.  Ounces and pounds are amounts.

24. Private online convos: DMS.  Direct Messages.

25. Chowder protein: CLAM.

26. Distracting move: FEINT.

27. Rae who played the president of Barbieland: ISSA.  Issa Rae plays a number of roles in Crossword Land.

28. Bibliography abbr.: ET AL.

29. Projectile aimed at a bull's-eye: DART.  This kind of bull's eye.  It is not wise to throw darts at real bulls' eyes.

30. God of love: EROS.

32. IRS worker: CPA.

33. Crummy: LOUSY.

34. Harp kin: LYRE.

35. Morays or congers: EELS.

36. Like kindling, ideally: DRY.

38. "Cash Cab" car: TAXI.  Cash Cab is a game show that premiered U.S. and British versions in 2005.  A taxi picks up a customer, the host announces that they are on Cash Cab, and they are given the option to play or get out.  If they choose to play, they have to stay in the cab until they reach their destination or get three strkes when answering questions.  They earn cash for correct answers.  I've never heard of this.  Anyone here watch it?  What kinds of questions do they answer?  Do they have to know what an amoretto is?  

39. [Eye roll]: I BET.

40. Inspiring chills: FEARSOME.

41. Frying medium: LARD.

45. Shade: HUE.

46. "On & On" singer Badu: ERYKAH.  Erykah Badu is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.  "On & On" was a Grammy winning single from her first album, Baduizm, released in 1997.  We saw her in Chandi Deitmer's puzzle on Sunday 9/7/2025, and in many, many puzzles before that.  Time to remember this “Queen of Neo Soul.”

Erykah Badu

47. "Why not!": SURE.

48. Argentinian grasslands: PAMPAS.

49. Skewered dish with peanut sauce: SATAY.  Yum.

Thai tofu satay with peanut sauce.  Your skewered protein may vary.

50. Mexican corn dish: ELOTE.  Elote returns to our crossword menu!  Corn on the cob, charred on a grill, and then slathered with spicy mayonnaise, crumbled cheese, chili powder and a squeeze of lime.  We had this dish in Patti Varol's puzzle on Friday 9/5/2025 and in C.C.'s puzzle on 8/24/2024. Yum.

51. Walk noisily: CLOMP.

52. Played Elden Ring, say: GAMED.  Elden Ring is a 2022 role-playing game for PlayStation, Windows, and Xbox.  

55. Roti base: ATTA.  Roti is an Indian flatbread made of atta flour and water.  It is frequently on our crossword menu.  DH and I are usually offered naan in Indian restaurants.  I'm sure roti is also yummy.

56. Come across: MEET.  Hmm.  This comes across as odd to me.  

57. Running in place: IDLE.

60. Barrier to teamwork: EGO.

61. Important chapter of history: ERA.

62. A pop: PER.  

63. Digits often hidden by x's: SSN.  In online forms and databases, SSNs are often replaced by x's so that bad folks can't look over your shoulder and steal your numbers.

Here's the grid:

Well, solvers, did you finish this puzzle ON TIME?  Did you DART from one clue to the next?

Or did you find it FEARSOME?

KEEP ME POSTED in the comments below!

-- NaomiZ 

 

Notes from C.C.:

 

Happy birthday to dear Husker Gary, our caring and creative Saturday Sherpa. I remember you once shared that you spent a birthday apple-picking with your grandchildren some years back. Such a sweet image. Do you still keep up that tradition?

Wishing you a beautiful day filled with family, joy, and maybe even a crisp apple or two!

Left to Right: Boomer, Gary, C.C. & Joann (August 2014)

 

Wednesday, Sep 10th, 2025 ~ Alex Stoneman

"PUN-TATHALON"

Body-checking sport for couples~?

TONSIL HOCKEY~!

After extensive online research, I have come to the conclusion that this is Alex Stoneman's debut puzzle anywhere - if I am wrong, I apologize - otherwise, congratulations on your first publication~!  My guess is he's the Alex I find at MIT with a love for crosswords - perhaps he will pop in here for a comment at the Corner.  An enjoyable "pentathalon" of five "sports" that are punny rewordings of non-sport phrases/things.  Three of the five are unique fills, and the other two have appeared one and two other times in other published puzzles.  No circles, a few more names than I would have preferred, one ( I'm looking at you, 36D ) which created a Natick, and a fair spread of 19 3LW and 22 4-letter words with no reveal.  The themers;

17. Boat sport for pilots?: FLIGHT CREW - Not an Apollo flight crew, this "crew" being athletes of the rowing team sport - I like working out on the rowing machine at the gym . . . .

24. Beach sport for the self-absorbed?: EGO SURFING - Surfing is, well, surfing

35. Running sport for academics?: TENURE TRACK - I don't DO running

"Little Chocolate Donuts"

49. Cue sport for children?: KIDDIE POOL - not a "sport" per se, but can be found on ESPN, therefore making billiards, or pool, an "entertainment"

Trick Shots

58. Combat sport for really tired people?: BEAT BOXING - boxing as in sparring, which we frequently see as a crossword clue/answer; I had to check to see if I was in fact, correct about what the "other" meaning is; the maufacture of drums, music, etc., with one's mouth only, like this guy. . . .

Tom Thum - and here's a full clip from TEDTalks

One last sport - the clue: Ice sport for Billy Idol~? - Answer below *

And Away We Go~!


ACROSS:

1. Drink with marshmallows: COCOA - I have been drinking Ryze mushroom coffee for 65 days ( they offer a journal with a quaint question in a text every morning ) and at night I have occasion to drink their mushroom COCOA as well - no marshmallows😜

6. Long-legged birds: EMUs

10. Belt: SWIG - Think shots of liquor

14. "We need to talk": "A WORD..."

15. Mars rover org.: NASA  - Here is me back in 2007(?) at the American Museum of Natural History

That's my step-daughter - for two years - she's 25 now

16. Play charades, e.g.: MIME

19. Reverse: UNDO

20. Negotiation-ending words: NO DEAL - I grew up with "Let's Make A Deal", but never watched "Deal or No Deal" - here is  the "Monty Hall 'problem'"

21. Shady plot: ARBOR

22. Xenon, for one: GAS

27. "Please, I'm on it": "ALLOW ME."- not quite one-to-one phrases, IMO

30. Key hit in panic: ESC - the upper left key of the computer's user interface; I am very familiar with it, as all AutoCAD functions are "released" when it's tapped - not so with Photoshop, which is annoying

31. "Gosh!": "GEE~!"

32. "Bleeding Love" singer Lewis: LEONA - never heard of her; name #1, more here

39. Tactics, in gamerspeak: STRATegy - Meh.  The "R" caused a Natick for me with 36D.; I would have preferred the guitarspeak instead

40. Notre Dame Fighting __: IRISH - a double shout-out to our Cornerite with 22D~!!!

43. Nail salon brand: OPI - gimme, as it's becoming a crossword staple

46. Female sib: SIS - sibling / sister

47. Stressful parts of French class?: ACCENTS - the "tiks" over letters in déjà vu, e.g.

52. Belly: GUT - I missed my weigh-in at the gym last week due to injuring my arm when I was digging up some nasty roots around the pine tree in my front yard, and did this

Ouch.

53. Like Machu Picchu: INCAN

54. Ogres: BRUTES

57. Era: SPAN

62. Merit: EARN

63. Oscar winner Stone: EMMA - name #2, but we've seen her before

64. "Zoom-Zoom" automaker: MAZDA - name(ish) - wow, a bit dated, but yeah

I've driven a 5spd manual Miata - it does go "zoom zoom"~!

65. Small whirlpool: EDDY - name # - oh, wait, never mind....

66. Soccer score: GOAL~!!!!!!!!!

67. Smudge: SMEAR

DOWN:

1. Half-__: coffee spec: CAF - Denis Leary on coffee flavored coffee

NOTE: a few F-bombs

2. One who gives a hoot: OWL

3. Something in need of change?: COIN SLOT - Ah yes, clever

4. Challenging chem course: ORGO - new to me; the "colloquial" term for Organic Chemistry; offered at UCONN, which makes sense, since they are an agricultural institution

5. Ritalin target, for short: ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - I believe that between TV commercial ads, the Internet and Social Media, staying focused is quite a challenge these days....

6. Confine: ENCAGE

7. "That Girl" star Thomas: MARLO - name #3, sumdaze linked her on Monday; I knew the show, even if  I was born a month after its run ended . . . .

8. Call upon: USE

9. Proverb: SAW - "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", for example

10. Blue character in a mushroom-shaped house: SMURF

La-LA-lala-la-la - Earworm~!

11. Hit the jackpot: WIN BIG - Powerball was $1.8billion this past Saturday

12. "All finished": "I'M DONE."

13. First president's first name: GEORGE - Wow.  I had to think about this - funny. Name #4

18. Abound (with): TEEM

21. Very old: ARCHAIC - Ah - not ANCIENT; only 3/7ths correct, ~42.85%

22. Miss: GAL - Oh, that Miss - I tried ERR for the 'other' kind of miss

23. Renaissance faire beverage: ALE - Served by the beer we-, uh, "Miss"

25. Solange's "A __ at the Table": SEAT - I had '_EAT', so an "S" made sense

26. KGB country: USSR - Russian espionage "equal" of the USA's CIA

28. Binary digits: ONES - the other digit is "ZEROS" or "ZEROES"

29. Meows at the door, perhaps: WANTS IN

33. Matching group: SET

34. Land unit: ACRE

36. Michael of "Shrinking": URIE - No clue - had to WAG the "R".  Arrr. Name #5 - IMDb

37. Coarse file: RASP

38. Like some beds and candy bars: KING-SIZE - Ah.  Clever - how 'bout both together~?

The candy bar bed linens website

41. "Rugrats" dad: STU - filled via perps - this cartoon, name #6

42. Pres. after FDR: HST - Fraklin Delano Roosevelt; Harry S - OR - S.~? Truman - more here

43. "Ah, it makes sense now": "OK, I SEE." - seeing more of this type of "phrase fill" lately

44. ATM input instrument: PIN PAD  - ATM on the Clue side for a change

45. Proof of legal age, often: ID CARD

47. Like some matters of the heart?: AORTAL - $2 word

48. __ sandwich: CLUB

50. Actor DeVito: DANNY - name #7, liked his "solo" in this video

When The Going Gets Tough - Billy Ocean

51. First president born after 1960: OBAMA - AND - 33A. Younger 51-Down daughter: SASHA - since I do the Down clues first, I had the "father" filled in; names # 8 & 9

55. __ of Maine: personal care brand: TOMS - new to me; the Website - name(ish)

56. Midterm, e.g.: EXAM

58. "I __ to differ": "BEG"

59. My Chemical Romance genre: EMO - I am familiar with the band by name, but not their music - they hail from New Jersey, as do I - the Wiki

60. Secret-protecting doc: NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement; I need to retain a lawyer so I can move forward with my three board games - I need to protect my concept/design before I attempt to produce and market them

61. Long-jawed fish: GAR - ARR~!  Talk Like a Pirate Day is next Friday~!

*Answer - Lip Curliing~!

Splynter