Friday, December 12, 2025, Harit Raghunathan & Joah Macosko

EXERCISING OUR MINDS

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of today's puzzle.  That recap consists of but a single word - Oy!  Okay, see y'all in a couple of weeks.

Alternatively, as Desi famously said to Lucy, "You've got some 'splainin to do".  I shall try my best.  Please bear with me as sorting this one out requires taking several distinct steps and describing those steps in prose seems, at the time of this writing, a bit daunting.

To suss out what is going on we have to go through various physical exercises (pull-ups, chin-ups, sit-ups, push-ups), cope with life's inevitable ups and downs, and then knit together fractured answers.  Not satisfied with these challenges, today's puzzle-setters provide no unifier.  That said, the ", literally" appended to the end of the themed clues did provided a sort of guideance.  Also, we do get circles and the circles indicate the points at which we need to rearrange things.  Let's take a look at the first pair of themed clues and answers:

7 Down.  Lats-working exercise, literally: LLUP.  

20 Across.  Lift system that offers a mechanical advantage: ROPEANDPEY.

WTF would not be an inappropriate reaction.  However, try this:  First, read the answer to the Down clue from bottom to top.  Literally, P  U  L  L going/reading upwards.  As a result, we get PULL as in PULL-UP which does answer the clue

Next, at the location of the circle, insert PULL into the answer for the crossing Across clue.  Finally, at the end of the Down clue's answer (read upward that would be the top, in this case the second L) return to the Across answer, et voila, we get:

ROPE AND PULLEY  - which is an appropriate answer to the Across clue

The next pair (numerically):

22  Down.  Abs-working exercise, literally: TIS.  . . . becomes SIT  when read from the bottom to the top (as in sit-up, the answer to the clue)

27 Across.  Puts everything on the line: RISKSALL.

This one was a bit different because both RISKS ALL and 'TIS could stand on their own whereas the others answers are, standing alone, nonsensical.  Still, after taking the necessary steps, we end up with a perfectly reasonable solution to the across clue:

RISKS IT ALL

Continuing along these lines:

31 Down.  Pecs-working exercise, literally: HSUP.  . . . which becomes PUSH (push-up)

46 Across.  Challenging HS class that covers Reconstruction and Prohibition: APISTORY.

Stitched together the result is:  AP US HISTORY

Similarly:

44 Down.  Biceps-working exercise, literally: NIHC. . . . becomes CHIN (chin-up)

57 Across.  Summer forecast in the Southwest: SCORCGHEAT.

Stitch 'em together to get: SCORCHING HEAT

The completed grid looks like this:

. . . and after a well-earned rest from all that exercise we'll take a look at the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Concocts: BREWS.

6. "O Captain! My Captain!," for one: ELEGY.  Walt Wh9tman's ELEGY for Abraham Lincoln.

11. Org. with Falcons and Ravens: NFL.

14. Navel type: OUTIE.  We can go ahead and fill in the I and the E before we know if it will be an INNIE or and OUTIE.

15. Outdoor screen annoyance: GLARE.  Not a reference to the screen on your window.  The screen on your electronics (e.g. cellphone or laptop).

16. Part of IPA: ALE.  Frequently imbibed here in the crossword world.

17. Collect: AMASS.

18. Busiest port in South Korea: BUSAN.  A bit obscure for many solvers.

19. Chaps: MEN.  Not a reference to Western Wear.

22. Schoolbook: TEXT.  As in textbook.

23. Fantasize about: DREAM OF.  Hmm, now just what was it that Major Nelson was fantasizing about?

 
24. Open the door for, say: SEE IN.  Sometimes we get ASK IN or ASK UP as answers.

26. Cartoon frame: CEL.

30. The "Thunder" of Marvel's "Love and Thunder": THOR.

33. "Thank you," in Swahili: ASANTE.  Also, a bit obscure.

35. "Excusez-__": MOI.  leçon de français d'aujourd'hui

36. Clambake leftovers: ASHES.  Shells was too long.

38. Smack: HIT.

39. Bit of witchcraft: SPELL.

41. "Everybody knows that!": DUH.  Well, duh!

42. Like some patches: IRON ON.  Versus sew-on.

45. Future atty.'s exam: LSAT.

48. __ Jima: IWO.  The site of a famous WWII battle and a well-known photograph.

50. Pay for: TREAT.

51. "Guilty as charged": THAT'S ME.  To be read as THAT WAS ME, I suppose.

55. Plant inspection org.: OSHA.

59. Lobster eggs: ROE.  I went to a sushi bar and ordered the salmon roe...It was a spawn-taneous decision.

60. Condition: STATE.  As in "a fine STATE of affairs".

61. __ Dakota: NORTH.  We can fill in the O and the TH before we know the full answer.

62. Wheels: CAR.  Slang.  As in "that's a nice set of wheels".

63. Tea option: PEKOE.

64. Top-notch: ELITE.

65. "Rules __ rules": ARE.   And, some would say, they are meant to be broken.

66. Sets loose: FREES.

67. Allude (to): REFER.  Is it hard to find a two letter pronoun that can be used to refer to oneself as an object?  Or is it just me?

Down:

1. Surf shop purchase: BOARD.

2. Hearsay: RUMOR.

3. Tour de France stage: ETAPE.  Literally "stage" in French.

4. Smart aleck: WISEACRE.

(n.) "one who thinks himself wise, one who makes pretension to affects wisdom," 1590s, a partial translation of Middle Dutch wijssegger "soothsayer" (without derogatory connotation).

The deprecatory sense of "one who pretends to know everything" may have come through confusion with obsolete English segger "sayer," which also had a sense of "braggart" (mid-15c.).

5. Halvah flavor: SESAME.

6. Staff lines with a notable mnemonic: EGBDF.  A musical reference.

8. Enters, as a hot tub: EASES INTO.

9. Most overcast: GRAYEST.  At least they didn't clue this one with a reference to age.

10. Japanese money: YEN.  156 JPY = 1 USD

11. "Who put you up to this?": NAME NAMES.

12. Show off at the gym: FLEX.  I flexed my glutes and got a cramp.  That was a pain in the butt.

13. Period after Ash Wednesday: LENT.  Tom Lehrer gave up LENT for her . . .

21. Po'boy city: NOLA.  New Orleans, Louisiana

25. Squeezes (out): EKES.

27. Hardly fair: RAINY.  Not a reference to a concept of ethics.

28. "Copacabana" showgirl: LOLA.  LOLA and NOLA.  Nice.  No, not the city.

I Have Used This Clip Before But It Is A Classic

29. Singsongy cadence: LILT.

30. Unveiling shout: TADA.

32. "Didn't expect to see you!": OH HI THERE.

34. Dessert with a sconelike texture: SHORTCAKE.

37. Location: SITE.

40. Narrative incongruity: PLOT HOLE.

43. Oven pan: ROASTER.

47. Sp. honorific: SRA.  SenoRA

49. Honus whose baseball card is one of the rarest and most expensive in the world: WAGNER.

51. Orchard makeup: TREES.  Today, we'll take all the easy ones we can get.

52. Font flourish: SERIF.

53. Not glossy: MATTE.

54. Upper regions of space: ETHER.  Before an operation, my doctor gave her patient the option to be knocked out with gas or a boat paddle.It was an ether/oar situation.

55. Killer whale: ORCA.

56. Fly high: SOAR.

58. __-Missouria Tribe: OTOE.  Frequent visitors.

60. Beach bottle no.: SPF.

________________________________________

M M Out
(with a CSO to Chairman Moe for the graphic)

Thursday, December 11, 2025, Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis, Erik Agard

Theme:  The beat goes on!

Erik Agard and Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis

Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis is an audio and digital producer on the NPR Music Team, and an avid crossword solver.  This may be her first published crossword puzzle.  If so, congratulations!  In the photo above, Sofie was reporting on a crossword tournament at the University of Chicago in October 2025 for radio station WBEZ Chicago.  For today's puzzle, Sofie teamed up with constructor extraordinaire Erik Agard, former crossword editor at USA Today, currently at Apple News+.  It's wonderful to have these young folks making puzzles.

Today's puzzle features three starred clues, and one that reveals their connection:

28-Down. "Genius of Love" band, or what the answers to the starred clues are members of?: TOM TOM CLUB.  Although I was a fan of the band Talking Heads in the 1980s, I did not know about Tom Tom Club, a side project of two of the members.  Their song "Genius of Love" made it to the US top 40 in 1981.

Now that I've heard the song, I'm going to forget it, along with the band.  Happily this ignorance on my part did not keep me from solving the puzzle.  The reveal even helped me complete the starred clues.  They are:

20-Across. *Jelly Roll Morton jazz composition: BLACK BOTTOM STOMP.  I know about Jelly Roll Morton -- the jazz bandleader who was recording in the 1920s -- because of Van Morrison's lyrics:  

And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me

But I didn't know Black Bottom Stomp:

47-Across. *Pronunciation dichotomy popularized by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: TOMAYTO TOMAHTO.  This difference in pronunciation is highlighted in a song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film Shall We Dance.  In the movie, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sing it while roller skating.  Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong recorded it in 1957.

27-Down. *One minuscule step at a time: ATOM BY ATOM.  Keeping in mind that Sofie is involved with broadcasting music, it's likely that she has a song in mind here, too.  Is she thinking of the British band Satan, with the 2015 album (and song) Atom by Atom?  (There's also a London-based alternative rock group called Atom by Atom.  Listen here:  https://atombyatom.bandcamp.com/album/dirty-bag )

If you've ever wished that NaomiZ would post more links, your wish has now been granted.

Oh, and by the way -- TOM TOMs are drums.  But you knew that.  And -- the word TOM appears twice in each of the starred answers.  But you knew that, too.

Here's the grid, with all those TOMs peeping out:

Now that we've dealt with every TOM, let's see about Dick and Harry, and whoever else.

Across:

1. One-third of a cereal mascot trio: SNAP.  Crackle and Pop wouldn't fit.

5. Start fishing: CAST.  A fisherman casts the line by pulling the rod back and then snapping it forward, releasing the fishing line and launching it forward.

9. Astounds: WOWS.

13. __ d'Ivoire: COTE.  A West African country with a French colonial history.

14. Spa treatment: FACIAL.

16. Pelee Island's lake: ERIE.  The largest island in Lake Erie.

17. Swedish supergroup: ABBA.

18. Mamá's mamá: ABUELA.  Abuela is Spanish for grandmother.  The accent on mamá was your clue for Spanish.

19. Rodgers of the band Chic: NILE.  Co-founder of the band Chic, Nile Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has received six Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement/Special Merit Award.  You may not know his name, but I'll bet you've heard the songs:

20. [Theme clue]

23. "Beloved" protagonist: SETHE.  Beloved is a 1987 novel by Toni Morrison.  This harrowing tale of a runaway slave is based on a true story.  In 1856, U.S. marshals broke into a cabin in the free state of Ohio, where a mother who had escaped brutal slavery in Kentucky was hiding with her children.  The mother attempted to kill her own children to prevent their return to Kentucky under the Fugitive Slave Act.  Imagine how awful her experience in Kentucky must have been, to want to spare her children in this way.

24. Many a YA hero: TEEN.  YA = Young Adult, a category of literature aimed at teenagers.  

25. Yellowfin and albacore: TUNAS.

26. Green vegetable in aloo matar: PEA.  Curry with peas is part of our standard rotation!  We use tofu instead of potatoes.

Aloo Matar

28. 2,000 pounds: TON.

29. The Black List items: SCRIPTS.  The Black List is a platform for writers to share scripts with Hollywood professionals and get high-quality evaluations from vetted readers.  https://blcklst.com/

33. Polite: CORDIAL.

37. "I'm sorry" response: THAT'S OK.

38. Vast: IMMENSE.

39. Chows down: EATS.

40. Instant: MOMENT.  One meaning of instant is a precise moment of time.  At that very moment ... or, at that very instant ... 

43. Dreary routines: RUTS.

44. CT scan kin: MRI.

45. Ford SUV: BRONCO.

46. Govt. org. established by Lincoln: IRS.  President Lincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1862, which created the position of Commissioner of Internal Revenue within the Department of the Treasury, and levied the nation's first progressive income tax.  Income tax was repealed in 1872, reinstated in 1894, ruled unconstitutional in 1895, and reinstated through the 16th amendment in 1913.  The taxing agency was renamed "Internal Revenue Service" in 1953.  You're welcome.

47. [Theme clue]

52. Govt. org. established by Nixon: EPA.  President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency by executive order in 1970 to consolidate federal environmental responsibilities and to respond to growing public concern over pollution and environmental degradation.  

53. Movie tech: CGI.  Computer-Generated Imagery.

54. "Did you start already?": AM I LATE?

58. Type of grill or haircut: FLAT TOP.

        flat top grill                           flat top haircut

62. Spot for the cheapest seats in the house, maybe: LAST ROW.

63. "Beauty and the Beast" candelabra: LUMIÈRE.  French speakers have an advantage, since lumière means light.

Lumière from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"

64. "I've got this": TRUST ME.

65. Partner of "aided": ABETTED.  Aiding others is usually a good thing; abetting is very bad.


Down:

1. Line crossers?: SCABS.  Scabs cross the picket line.

2. Of high morals: NOBLE.

3. Royal appearance?: AT BAT.  Kansas City Royals appear, one at a time, at bat.

4. Fruit parts in some noyaux recipes: PEACH PITS.  Noyaux is a liqueur which infuses the kernels found inside pits of stone fruits into spirits like vodka or rum.  Be sure to roast those kernels to avoid cyanide poisoning!

5. "The Princess Diaries" novelist Meg: CABOT.  The Princess Diaries is a series of young adult novels by Meg Cabot, and is also the title of the first volume, published in 2000.  The series follows an American teenager who turns out to be Princess Regent of a small European country.  The 2001 Disney film starred Anne Hathaway in her film debut as the princess, along with Julie Andrews as her grandmother and Queen regnant.

6. Like some angles: ACUTE.

7. This clue's number en español: SIETE.  Spanish for "seven."

8. Hawk's weapon: TALON.  Photographer Mark Smith call talons "murder mittens."

Mark Smith's photo of a juvenile Bald Eagle

9. Sank: WENT UNDER.

10. Night hunter: ORION.  Most visible during winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

11. Activist and social reformer Mankiller: WILMA.  Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010) was a Native American activist and Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  One of her projects was the subject of the film The Cherokee Word for Water.

Wilma Mankiller 2022 quarter dollar

12. Oozes: SEEPS.

14. "Gorg!": FAB.  Gorgeous!  Fabulous.

15. On the __: LAM.

21. Holds on to: KEEPS.

22. Rush angrily: STORM.  Picture storming off ...

27. [Theme clue]

28. [Theme reveal]

29. Brain __: STEM.

30. Graph that may resemble a pie: CHART.

31. Embarrass on social media, in a way: RATIO.  Ratio as a verb on Twitter:  to flood a tweet or its author with negative replies such that commenters take control of the message away from the original poster.  This makes sense as it influences the ratio of positive to negative responses.  

32. Field hockey garment: SKORT.

Looks like skorts are strictly for the ladies.

33. Seis menos uno: CINCO.  Spanish again!  Six minus one:  five.

34. Indigenous people of Greenland: INUIT.

35. Houston baseballer: ASTRO.

36. "I couldn't care __": LESS.

41. "Click, Clack, __: Cows That Type": Caldecott Honor book: MOO.  By Doreen Cronin, 2000.

42. Otolaryngologist, for short: ENT.  An otolaryngologist, commonly called an ENT doctor, specializes in conditions of the ear, nose, and throat.

48. Cheesy sammies: MELTS.  A melt is a hot sandwich with melting cheese.  The tuna melt is a classic example.

49. Not together: APART.

50. Finest form: A GAME.

51. "Cue the music!": HIT IT.  Back to Sofie's choice!

54. Flying fig.: ALT.  Altitude.

55. Ruin: MAR.

56. Ames sch.: ISU.  Iowa State University is in Ames, Iowa.

57. Mother in a meadow: EWE.

58. Ga. neighbor: FLA.

59. Vietnamese New Year: TET.

60. One of five resources in Catan: ORE.  Catan is a board game in which players establish settlements on a fictional island while acquiring and trading resources.  The resources include wool, grain, lumber, brick, and ore.

61. One on foot: Abbr.: PED.  Pedestrian.

Solvers, did you think that Erik Agard aided or ABETTED Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis in constructing this puzzle?  Was it the PITS?  Did you STORM off without finishing?

Or did you bring your A GAME and finish in LESS time than usual for a Thursday?

TRUST ME, you'll find like-minded people in the comments.  Join us there!

-- NaomiZ

Wednesday, Dec 10th, 2025 ~ Peggy Sue Marlin

 CHiPs Fries

I do believe this is Peggy Sue Marlin's first published puzzle - congratulations~!  I found this link to another crossword site, and her name appears there a few times.  For today's theme, Peggy uses the "UK" term for a 'thing' as an adjective for the "American" 'thing', with a humorous result.  My parents were born and raised in Nottingham, England, so I was familiar with the "other" terms Brits use, e.g. lorry for truck, bonnet for hood, etc.  Standard grid, no circles, just thirteen 3LWs, but a few too many names for my taste.  The themers, all unique; 

20. Rental unit with zero personality?: FLAT APARTMENT

A whole building of FLAT apartments

28. One who forgot insect repellent for a walk in the park?: BUGGY STROLLER - Camelot~!

I have to push the Pram A Lot ~!

45. Five-star frank?: BANGER SAUSAGE

This is a FINE example of sausage~!

52. Salad special at a Cape Canaveral cafe?: ROCKET ARUGULA - new to me, I did not know that arugula, everywhere else, is called "rocket" - you learn something new from crosswords everyday~!

And Away We Loo~!

ACROSS:

1. "Star Wars" villain: VADER - "I find your lack of faith . . . . distubing" - name #1

6. Cartoon supplier of explosive tennis balls: ACME

Wile E Coyote's go-to supply company

10. "I'm __ you asked": "GLAD"

14. BP merger partner: AMOCO

15. Glitzy rock genre: GLAM - ah, such sweet memories....NY Dolls and Kiss may have started it all, but I grew up in the 80s with the likes of Poison, Cinderella, and my personal favorite, Mötley Crüe

Care to see the video for Looks that Kill~? -  I'm GLAM you asked~!

16. Work (up): RILE

17. Emblems on some caps: LOGOS

18. Add to the staff: HIRE

19. Auth. unknown: ANONymous

23. Mai __: rum drink: TAI

25. Día de __ Muertos: LOS - Espaniol, "Day of the Dead" - used as the backdrop for the opening sequence from "Spectre", the penultimate Bond film starring Daniel Craig.  There were NO edits for the first four minutes, and that's an incredible feat; the behind-the-scenes making of - with the one-shot description mentioned at 10:42.  Here's a gratuitous Daniel 007 for C.C.

I need to talk to my trainer Brett about this diet & exercise plan

26. "Lost" actor Daniel __ Kim: DAE - "Dae of the Five-O", too - in fact, I see he had a guest "54D." on Law & Order back in 1994 - his IMDb; name #2

27. Grow older: AGE

32. Host of the 2004 Olympics: ATHENS - I believe they hosted the FIRST games, as well

33. __ cards: INDEX - they come in handy for . . . .

34. Repetitive learning method: ROTE - printing music notes on, so I could learn them by sight, rather than counting lines and spaces

35. Craft beer letters: IPA - crossword staple

36. "Aladdin" parrot named for a Shakespeare villain: IAGO - name #3

40. Brother's daughter: NIECE - my niece-in-law broke her lower leg riding a quad on Thanksgiving

43. Puffy reminder of a scuffle: FAT LIP - FAT TIRE is an Amber Ale

47. Washington airport code: DCA - Dah~!  Not SEA for Seattle / Tacoma, the other Washington - D.C. - and Ronald Reagan Airport

49. Bible book before 1 Cor.: ROM - Romans - ooof; I guess it's a change-up from ROMantic COMedy, but I am not familiar with the Biblical books

Bottom Shelf

50. "Star Trek" series, for short: TNG - The Next Generation, and MY generation.  I could not get into the original series, as I knew Star Wars before I saw William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, et. al. in their roles as Kirk & Spock, etc.  I did, however, embrace the characters in this series, which began in 1987

Bangers humor

51. Recycle bin item: CAN

56. Repulsive: ICKY

57. Club choice: IRON - not sa'miches, but one of the "niblicks" used at 44D.

58. Big name in plastic wrap: SARAN - says name right in the clue - #4

61. Outside the lines: FOUL - sports lingo, not coloring books

62. Sandy sediment: SILT - Sandy sentiment~?

You're The One That I Want, Grease, 1978

63. Entry on a Spotify playlist: TITLE - music streaming; I use Pandora; Spotify is too much work for me

64. Carton sealer: TAPE - I first read this as cartOON

Wile E "sealed" in glue

65. Low digits: TOES

66. Quite capable: ADEPT

DOWN:

1. Actor Kilmer: VAL - name #5

2. Ti __: Italian "I love you": AMO - how ROMANtic

3. Ace-versus-ace sky battle: DOGFIGHT - George Lucas explains how he used clips of WWII dogfights so his Star Wars special effects team could grasp what he was aiming for with the Death Star battle finale

4. Climate change sci.: ECOLogy

5. Historian Terborg-Penn: ROSALYN - Sheesh.  On Wednesday.  Name #6 - her Wiki

6. Horrified: AGHAST

7. Chip bag closer: CLIP - Not SEAL

8. Argentine soccer legend Diego: MARADONA - I recalled this name - more here - name #7

9. May birthstone: EMERALD 

Definitely not the Grinch . . . .

10. Nana: GRAM - I grew up with "Granny", thus my one goof in the grid - the 'N' to 'M'

11. One-dimensional: LINEAR

12. Word with run or tag: ALONG - run along, tag-along

13. Al __: pasta specification: DENTE

21. Throw in the trash: TOSS

22. Lead-in to prompter: TELE - TelePrompTer - history

23. Ski lift: T-BAR - third "Tee" answer in row

24. Mustang or Pinto: AUTO - FORD worked, as well - two names used by the Ford Motor Co. - and Charlie's Angels, too

An article from Motorbiscuit about the cars here

29. Davis of "A League of Their Own": GEENA - knew it, still a name, #8

30. More edible, perhaps: RIPER

31. Off-ramps: EXITS

35. Video game plumber who freezes enemies: ICE MARIO - I knew Mario, but not the ICE version - name #9

37. Menu phrase: À LA CARTE - good to see the whole phrase in a crossword

38. More than mega-: GIGA - one point twenty-one GIGAwatts~!

Doc Brown, Back to the Future

39. Like a 24-hour diner: OPEN - all day . . . . and night

41. Memo phrase: IN RE

42. Self-centered sort: EGOTIST - Narcissist was too much for this answer

43. Vampire tooth: FANG

44. Masters Tournament host city: AUGUSTA - I like to watch golf 

45. "Wait, what did you just say?": "BACK UP..."

46. Double duty?: STUNTS - Stunt doubles, har-har

47. Deviate: DRIFT

48. __ powder: COCOA

53. Schwarber who led the National League in home runs in 2022 and 2025: KYLE - I don't care much for baseball, so this one was all perps - name #10

54. Actor's assignment: ROLE - I prefer behind-the-scenes work, but I would love to play a twisted bad guy in a movie some day

55. Set, as a table: LAID - meh, but I guess so

59. Swiss peak: ALP

60. March Madness souvenir: NET - college basketball - the winners usually snip the net from the rim

Splynter

Tuesday, December 9, 2025 Doug Peterson

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.

17-Across. *  Metaphorical container similar to Pandora's box: CAN OF WORMS.

24-Across. *  Result of serious core training: SIX PACK ABS.

50-Across. *  Advocate from a social agency: CASE WORKER.

60-Across. *  Pilot's aerobatic maneuver: BARREL ROLL.

And the Unifier:

38-Across. Trip to buy brewskis, or a sequence found in the starts of the answers to the starred clues: BEER RUN.  Notice that with each theme answer, the amount of beer grows from a mere Can to a full Barrel.

And, a hidden gem of an alcoholic beverage:

61-Down. Taproom pour: ALE.

Across:

1. Perfectly clear: LUCID.

6. Website with a Collectibles category: EBAY.  A Brief History.

10. Capture digitally: SCAN.

14. __ note: dictionary explanation: USAGE.

15. "Encore!": MORE.

16. Lymph __: immune system part: NODE.  Everything you need to know about Lymph Nodes, but didn't know to ask.

19. Having the resources: ABLE.

20. Crumbly Mexican cheese: COTIJA.  Cotija is an aged Mexican cheese made from cow's milk and named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán. It is white and firm, with a salty, milky flavor.

21. Unpleasantly bitter: ACRID.

22. "Beat Bobby Flay" contestant: CHEF.  Bobby Flay (né Robert William Flay; b. Dec. 10, 1964) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and TV personality. He is an Iron Chef and the host of Beat Bobby Flay, a competitive cooking show.  Tomorrow is his 61st birthday.

27. Stay hidden: HOLE UP.

29. Unoriginal reply: ECHO.

30. Retired record holders?: iPODS.  I wish the iPod hadn't been discontinued.  I still use mine nearly every day.

31. Book before Amos: JOEL.  Biblical books.

33. Basketball Hall of Famer Steve: NASH.  Stephen John Nash (b. Feb. 7, 1974) played professional basketball for 18 seasons.  

37. Lucy of "Elementary": LIU.  Lucy Liu (née Lucy Alexis Liu; b. Dec. 2, 1968) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  She celebrated her 57th birthday last Tuesday.

Lucy is on the right.

41. __-pitch softball: SLO.

42. Enthusiastic about: INTO.

44. Sporty trucks, briefly: UTES.  A brief history.

45. Schindler of "Schindler's List": OSKAR.  Oskar Schindler (Apr. 28, 1908 ~ Oct. 9. 1974) was a German industrialist, humanitarian, and member of the Nazi Party.  He was credited with saving the lives over 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories in occupied Poland and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

47. Tedious talker: BORE.

49. Reach: ATTAIN.

55. Stops on the road: INNS.

56. In the slightest: AT ALL.

57. Vein counterpart: ARTERY.  Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart under high pressure.  The veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart under low pressure.

59. Modest skirt: MAXI.

64. Lovers' god: EROS.  Eros is the Greek god and Cupid is its Roman counterpart.

65. Muppet with a sister named Daisy: ELMO.  Who knew Elmo had a sister?

66. Actress Mila: KUNIS.  Mila Kunis (née Milena Markovna Kunis; b. Aug. 14, 1983) had been married to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher since 2015.  She was born in Ukraine.  Her family moved to the United States in 1991.

67. "Click here" text: LINK.

68. "__ Diary ... ": DEAR.

69. Sprinter's asset: SPEED.

Down:

1. Enterprise captain Jean-__ Picard: LUC.  A reference to the fictional character in the Star Trek franchise.

2. Mex. neighbor: USA.

3. Neutralize: CANCEL OUT.

4. Acknowledgment of a screwup: I GOOFED.

5. Nimble-fingered: DEFT.

6. Face With Steam From Nose, for one: EMOJI.

7. 20 Mule Team laundry product: BORAX.

8. One-__ pushup: ARM.

9. "You guessed it!": YES.

10. Eat as a treat: SNACK ON.

11. Hooded serpent: COBRA.

12. Invent lines: AD LIB.

13. Requires: NEEDS.

18. Trace of smoke: WISP.

21. "__ du lieber!": ACH.  Good Heavens, it's today's German lesson.

22. Frito pie ingredient: CHILI.  It's corn chips.  What's not to like.

23. Uber driver's invitation: HOP IN.

25. Looks closely (at): PEERS.

26. Human rights org.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union, a brief history.

28. Plug-and-play port: USB.  As in Universal Serial Bus.

31. Derek whose No. 2 was retired by the Yankees: JETER.  Shortstop Derek Sanderson Jetter (b. June 26, 1974) spent his entire 20-year career with the New York Yankees.  His last appearance on the field was in September 2014.

32. Mined resource: ORE.  This is a crossword staple.

34. "Everybody will tell you the same!": ASK ANYONE.

35. Done in, as a dragon: SLAIN.

36. Trio on a triceratops: HORNS.  The word Triceratops comes from the Greek words meaning “three-horned face” because of the two horns on its brow and smaller horn above its mouth.

39. French money: EURO.

40. "Kidding!": NOT!

43. Tall monument that comes to a point: OBELISK.  The most famous obelisk in the United States is the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.  It is a 555-foot-tall monument honoring the first President, George Washington. 

46. Saddle attachment: STIRRUP.

48. Hooting hunter: OWL.

49. Museo del Prado display: ARTE.  The Museo del Prado is an art museum in Madrid, Spain.

50. Humped oasis visitor: CAMEL.

51. Activision rival: ATARI.

52. Early invader of Britain: SAXON.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Saxon invasion of Britain.

53. "__ Chameleon": Culture Club hit: KARMA.  The song that made Boy George famous.

54. Screwup: ERROR.

58. Grand Lodge group: ELKS.

60. Spot for bulbs: BED.

62. Prevarication: LIE.

63. Trippy drug: LSD.

Here's the grid:

חתולה

Happy Chanukah to all who celebrate.

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Susan (Hahtoolah), our beautiful Tuesday Sherpa. Thank you for the time, attention, and warmth you pour into each of your posts.