Thursday May 14, 2026 Sam Brody

Sam Brody doesn't ABIDE by "measure twice and cut once," so he cut each piece of wood twice instead. At least he was consistent! He's been constructing for a few years, but this is his LAT debut. Welcome!

A woodcut of a wood cutter.

39. Artistic printing method, and a feature of rows 2, 5, 11, and 14 in this puzzle: WOODCUT. A WOODCUT is a relief printing technique where an artist carves an image into the surface of a wooden block leaving raised areas to be inked and printed. For this puzzle, however, it means the four types of WOOD hidden in the grid (HICKORY, MAHOGANY, CHERRY and CHESTNUT), are CUT into pieces.

May must be circles-on-Thursday month, but without them, they would be hard to find (hard wood?). Also, circles are cross-sections of logs, so there's that. This puzzle had appropriate difficulty for today, so I wasn't board. My only hang-up was the intersections of TORTA, ARCH and WAR, which took some guessing.

Lumbering on...

Across:

1. Novice gamers, informally: NEWBS. Slang term for beginners, similar to "newbies." 

6. Thurman of "Pretty Lethal": UMA. She has appeared in more than 50 films and television shows since the 1980s. Perhaps because she is 5'-11" tall, UMA is often cast as a tough cookie.  

9. Pizzeria array: PIES.

13. Moral principle: ETHIC.

14. "M*A*S*H" setting, for short: KOR. KORea. Both the movie and the TV show took place in South Korea during the Korean War.

15. "Butterfly Dance" artist: YANNI. We don't play this at out house because RightBrain has lepidopterophobia, the fear of butterflies. I don't think she likes the way they flit around near her.

16. Put away: STASH.

17. Under a spell: ENTRANCED. Out for a spell: EXITED.

19. College where Robert Frost taught English: AMHERST. “Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.” ― Robert Frost.

21. "Let's do it!": I'M GAME.

22. NYC home of Matisse's "Landscape at Collioure": MOMA. The Museum Of Modern Art in New York City.

"Landscape at Collioure"

23. Fail to share: HOG.

25. Taylor-Joy of "The Northman": ANYA. Her wide-set eyes were a point of insecurity growing up, so she stopped looking in mirrors and became a star. Excellent advice.

26. Skillets: FRY PANS.

29. Area exposed by an updo: NAPE. When hair is tied up, it exposes the NAPE of the neck.

31. Teases: RIBS.

32. "__ it down!": TONE. Could also be TURN.

34. "Downton Abbey" cook: DAISY. DAISY is played by actress Sophie McShera. Never seen it; never will.

38. Here, in Honduras: ACA. "Here" is a little Spanish for you.

39. [theme]

41. Mod About You polish maker: OPI. OPI nail polish is famous for its creative, pun-heavy shade names, such as Polly Want a Lacquer? and Let Me Bayou a Drink. I have no idea what colors they are, but they sound like fun!

42. Mexican sandwich: TORTA. A TORTA is a popular and hearty Mexican sandwich served on a crusty roll and filled with ingredients like refried beans, avocado, cheese, and a protein such as carne asada, often topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and jalapeños. Gotta try it!

44. Like a bowstring: TAUT.

45. Trade: SWAP. Swap: TRADE. Yep, it works.

46. Playfully sly: ARCH. I filled in the word, but had to look it up to see how it meant "playfully shy." An ARCH person or expression is playfully roguish or mischievous. It combines a sense of being sly or cunning with a witty, often impish demeanor. So, not your ARCH enemy.

48. Endearment: PET NAME. 

50. Electrically adaptable: AC/DC. In the late 19th century "War of Currents," there was intense competition about building power grids. Thomas Edison championed DC, while George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla promoted AC. AC won due to its superior long-distance efficiency, while DC is common in battery-powered devices. 

53. __ Majesty: HER. Or HIS - only your perps know for sure. 

55. Sazerac options: RYES. The Sazerac is a historic New Orleans cocktail, often considered America's first, traditionally made with RYE whiskey or cognac, bitters, sugar, and an absinthe rinse.

56. Carefree: BLITHE.

58. Abu Dhabi, e.g.: EMIRATE. At the beginning of this month, the United Arab EMIRATEs (UAE)—representing Abu Dhabi's oil interests—formally exited OPEC after nearly 60 years of membership.

61. Expanse crossed by Odysseus: IONIAN SEA. The latest remake of the Odyssey, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, will be released in a few months. I rarely see movies in a theater, but this one may be the exception.

63. Sanctions: OKAYS.

65. Like van Gogh and Vermeer: DUTCH. He went double DUTCH on this one.

66. Superlative suffix: EST. That's the bestest there is!

67. __-Grain: NUTRI.

68. Breyers rival: EDYS. EDY'S and Dreyer's are the exact same ice cream sold under different names based on geography. Dreyer's is sold west of the Rocky Mountains and in Texas, while EDY'S is sold in the eastern/midwestern United States to avoid confusion with Breyers. 

69. Tiny: WEE.

70. Blades for some Olympians: EPEES. 

Down:

1. Super Mario Bros. console: NES. Nintendo Entertainment System.

2. Jazzy James: ETTA. She needs no introduction.

3. Guitar accessory that may create vibrato: WHAMMY BAR. Vibrato is an oscillation in pitch, which on a guitar is caused by stretching or loosening the strings with a lever popularly known as a WHAMMY BAR. Leo Fender famously misnamed his a "tremolo" arm, which should be oscillations in volume. 

Press down to lower pitch, pull up to raise it.

4. Knights' neighbors: BISHOPS. 

5. Blueprint: SCHEMA. I wanted SCHEMe. A SCHEMA is a structured framework—mental or technical—that organizes information to facilitate understanding, efficiency, or data management. I guess a blueprint falls under that definition.

6. Luau instruments: UKES.

7. May, say: MONTH. 

8. Skill: ART.

9. Prehistoric supercontinent: PANGAEA. You can see how everything fit together like a puzzle before continental drift moved them to their present locations over 300 million years. The landmasses shift at the same speed as fingernails grow. 

10. Like some pyramids: INCAN.

11. Moriarty, to Holmes: ENEMY.

12. Musician's better half?: SIDE A. The first side of a vinyl record, but sometimes DJs flipped them over and SIDE B became the unexpected hit, like "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris, with every drummers' dream solo.

 "Surfer Joe" on SIDE A wiped out.

15. Sweet potato: YAM.

18. Latvian capital: RIGA.

20. Cost: RAN TO.

24. Recipe quantity: ONE CUP.

26. Greek life group: FRAT. FRATernities and sororities use Greek letters to represent secret, values-based mottos that often define their principles, such as leadership, charity, and friendship. The tradition originated with Phi Beta Kappa in 1776 at the College of William & Mary (where I met RightBrain 200 years later!).

27. Part of P.R.: RICO. Puerto RICO. I tried to abbreviate Public Relations, but to no avail.

28. Calm: SOOTHE.

30. S.F. summer hrs.: PDT. Pacific Daylight Time in San Francisco.

33. Leak prevention measure, briefly: NDA. A Non-Disclosure Agreement usually hides something that should be known to all.

35. Home of the Cyclones: IOWA STATE. Aptly named as their campus in Ames, Iowa is in Tornado Alley.

36. Hormel product: SPAM.

37. Cry in pain: YIPE. Similar to"yikes," I guess.

39. Biblical rider of a red horse: WAR. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are biblical figures from Revelation 6:1–8, representing divine judgment. Their horses appear as White (Conquest/Christ), Red (War), Black (Famine), and Pale (Death).

40. Development sites: UTERI.

43. Elements of a strategy: TACTICS.

45. Move stealthily: SNEAK UP.

47. Steve who co-founded YouTube: CHEN. He sold YouTube to Google for the bargain price of $1.65 billion in 2006. Don't worry, he made out okay.

49. Power of classic films: TYRONE. TYRONE was an American actor who became a matinee idol in the 1930s and ’40s and was best known for his action-adventure film roles.

50. Stand: ABIDE.

51. Easy part of a sky in a jigsaw puzzle, maybe: CLOUD. RightBrain took a photo of our fam on vacay in Key West, and had it turned into a puzzle. We put the pieces into another jigsaw box, and saved it for a family night. Part way through, my DIL exclaimed, "Hey, I have a dress with this same pattern!" Then it began to dawn on them...

52. __ Moore: canned stew brand: DINTY.

54. Oscar winner Witherspoon: REESE. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of June Carter in the biopic Walk the Line in 2005. REESE did all her own singing and that helped put her over the line. 

Reese with Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash

57. "As if!": HAH.

59. Londoner's pal: MATE.

60. Brontë orphan: EYRE. To EYRE is human...

62. Darn: SEW. This answer is so clever.

64. Certain sib: SIS. A sibling may be a SISter.

Be good. RB

Wednesday, May 13, 2026, Ricky J. Sirois

 Theme? To finish this puzzle, you must climb the MESA, or BUTTE, or PLATEAU, to arrive at the TABLELAND.

4 Down. One who switches sides: TURNCOAT.

Turn table

11 Down. Basic flotation device: POOL NOODLE.

Pool Table

21 Down. Brewery vessel?: COFFEE POT. (Maybe in Starbucks, but the clue seems out of place in your kitchen...)

Coffee Table

29 Down. Purse at a boxing match: PRIZE MONEY.

Prize Table

40 Down. Soccer pitch boundary: SIDELINE.

Side Table

55 Across. Like some game night games, or a feature of 4-, 11-, 21-, 29-, and 40-Down: TABLE TOP 

Because all the themers were Downs, the reveal indicates that the tables can be found on top...

Across:
1. Sticky and stinky sealant: TAR.  ( for turncoats, add feathers...)

4. Yank (on): TUG.

Carol Burnett

7. Agrees to: ACCEPTS.

14. Purple yam from the Philippines: UBE.

The Ube.

15. Game with red, yellow, blue, and green cards: UNO. And purple Ube chips on side for snacks...

16. Steel mill material: IRON ORE.

17. Barbecue choice: BEEF RIB. I wanted Baby or Back, but that would be Pork.

19. Find and remove: ROOT OUT.

20. "Across the pond" pond: ATLANTIC. A British euphemism for The Atlantic Ocean, because they would not want to make a tempest out of a teapot...

22. __ in comparison: PALES.

23. Hotel amenity: ICE.

24. Chooses to participate: OPTS IN.

27. Help desk techs: I.T. PROS. Stands for information Technology Professional, This field covers the development, maintenance, and use of computer systems, software, and networks for processing and distributing data.

30. Bank charge: FEE. Do not cross go, Do not collect $200-

31. Got the highest score in golf, say: LOST. The average par for a standard 18-hole golf course is 72 strokes, which consists of a combination of par-3, par-4, and par-5 holes. For most newbies playing whack-a-mole, breaking 100 would be a good day...

34. Jazz pianist Chick: COREA.

Chick Corea

35. Execs focused on the bottom line: CFOS. Chief Financial Officers 

36. 10th grader, briefly: SOPH.  Sophomore. As opposed to Freshman, or Senior.

37. Singer-songwriter DiFranco: ANI. Name #2

38. Special skills: TALENTS.

41. Kaitlin's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" role: DEE. Technically names #3 and #4, because to know this, you must know one is real, and the other fictional... The A.I. Overview

42. Totally dismantle: RAZE.

44. California-based candy company: SEES. This name #5 must have been filled in by kind perpage, because if I saw it, I am sure I would have complained it was too regional. Unless you tossed me a candy...

(I can be swayed easily...)  Another A.I. Overview

45. Five Pillars religion: ISLAM. The 5 core acts are Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage.

47. Grade sch.: ELEM. Elementary, 

Apparently, that's as far as Watson got...

48. Alternative to sparkling: TAP. (As in water, as in restaurants.)

49. Stick: ADHERE.

50. Fine wool: MERINO.

No comment

52. Summer sign: LEO.

53. Love, in Firenze: AMORE.

55. Theme Reveal

60. Some park employees: RANGERS.

63. Common oatmeal cookie ingredient: RAISINS.

64. First Amendment word: FREEDOM.

65. Place to spend the night: INN. (This could also have been out, as opposed to in...)

66. One-on-one chats on soc. media: DMS. DM stands for Direct Message...

67. Agrees: SAYS YES.

68. Easter egg need: DYE. (And rabbits for some strange reason...)

69. Up to now: YET.

Down:
1. Bulky horn: TUBA. Bulkier horn: Sousaphone 

Yep, definitely bulkier...

2. Stand watch for, say: ABET. Yeah, but as a grandparent, watching a grandchild, would you say I was abetting?

3. Instagram feed feature: REEL. Not familiar with this...

4. Theme

5. Fuses together: UNITES. Strange clue for Unites. You would think unites would be a voluntary thing, where fuses, sounds kinda forceful...

6. Mongolian for "waterless place": GOBI.

7. Atmosphere: AIR.

8. __-Magnon: CRO.

9. Henhouses: COOPS.

10. Necessitates: ENTAILS.

11. Theme

12. "Good point": TRUE.

13. Hardens, as concrete: SETS.

18. Word with laissez or savoir: FAIRE. (Frawnch...) Should not be in an English puzzle, maybe a better clue would be Olde English Festivities.

21. Theme

25. Low-level workers: PEONS. A.I. Overview (of course, A.I. is not one of those...)

26. Trial: TEST.

27. "You matter to me": I CARE. (If A.I. ever says this to you,,, RUN!)

28. Like many Chinese dialects: TONAL.

29. Theme

32. Piece of fishing gear: SPEAR. Hmm, singular, 5 letter, could have been creel. But I find this unfair, because who ever heard of a singular piece of fishing gear...

33. Motif: THEME.

35. G-rated: CLEAN. (In the eyes of "who.")

39. Prosecco kin: ASTI. Sparkling wine that cannot be called Champagne...

40. Theme

43. Pops up: EMERGES.

46. Vans or Crocs: SHOES. Crocs I knew, Vans? Not so much, 

Apparently, these things I used to call "boat shoes."

49. Empire State capital: ALBANY.

51. Like a clarinet's sound: REEDY. (Really?)

53. Pet sounds: ARFS. (Or a great Beach Boys Album...)

54. Rooney of "Women Talking": MARA. (Name #,,, I dunno, I lost track...)

56. Like the 6-Down: ARID.  (6 down was Gobi Desert, if you lost track...)

57. Spruce (up): TIDY.

58. "I'm buying!": ON ME.

59. Hushed summons: PSST.

61. Blini topping: ROE. Apparently, a Blini is some sort of crepe, or thin pancake, that you could top with practically anything. So, why not Roe?  Hmm, what would you top your thin pancake with? I'm thinking cream cheese, bacon, scallions, and jalapeño, but I have an iron stomach...

62. Texting format initials: SMS. Short Message Service (limited to 160 characters) useful in customer service responses where they don't want you to complain too much...

And here's the Grid.

CE:D out...

≽(•⩊ •マ≼

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 ~ Zhouqin Burnikel

Side Salad Up!

Today's theme, provided by our blog's host, C.C., is a tossed diner salad. It's so simple we don't even need (those pesky) circles to see it. Let's take a look:

17. Practical baby shower gift: DIAPER GENIE.
When the Girls were infants, we had one. Insert a soiled diaper and twist twice. It keeps the smell down and creates a twisted "poop sausage." //Apologies if you're still finishing breakfast.

Diaper Genie

26. Sheer brilliance: PURE GENIUS.

36. Hidden nerdy side: INNER GEEK. I wear my GEEK on the outside.

52. Pumping device in a pub: BEER ENGINE. A hand pump developed by John Lofting, a hydraulic engineer. You can build your own.

61. Simple salad, or what 17-, 26-, 36-, and 52-Across all have: MIXED GREENS.

I love a salad with my meal. It starts with mixed greens, but then I go a little crazy.

One of my dinner side salads.

Across:

1. Supports for crow's nests: MASTS.

6. In the company of: WITH.

10. Half-__ latte: CAF.

13. How ballerinas may stand: ON TOE.

Degas' Pink & Green

14. In the lead: AHEAD.

16. R&B singer Lennox: ARI.

She's new to me.

17. [See: Theme]

19. Last leg of a triathlon: RUN. Swim, cycle, RUN.

20. First responder certified in AED use: EMT. An Automated External Defibrillator is used by an Emergency Medical Technician.

21. "Stranger Things" actress Hawke: MAYA. She's the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.

Maya Hawke

22. Blacksmith's workshop: FORGE.

24. Praise: LAUD.

26. [See: Theme]

29. Put emphasis on: STRESS.

31. Monopoly players?: CARTELS.

32. Fish enjoyed on Unagi Day: EELS. There's a Unagi Day?

I do love me some unagi.

33. Back out (on): BAIL.

35. "Barbie" actress Issa: RAE. She was in Thursday's puzzle.

Issa RAE

36. [See: Theme]

40. TruTV sister station: TBS. Turner Broadcasting System. Ted Turner died last week.

NPR with Ted's Obit

43. Objectives: AIMS.

44. Shawarma bread: PITA.

47. Craftsperson: ARTISAN.

50. Sides of a gem: FACETS.

52. [See: Theme]

55. Leafy vegetable rich in vitamin K: KALE. A GREEN leafy.

56. Boutonniere spot: LAPEL. A boutonniere is French for a cute pin. Madeleine Albright was a master of using them.

57. Ladder crosspiece: RUNG.

59. PC hookup: LAN.

60. Flight takeoff abbr.: ETD. Estimated Time of Delay ;-)

61. [See: Theme]

65. "It just clicked!": AHA.

66. Skirt with flare?: A-LINE.

67. Colorful striped stone: AGATE.

68. Currency in MN and NM: USD. Minnesota & New Mexico use United States Dollars.

69. "None of that is true!": LIES.

70. Living room seats: SOFAS.

Down:

1. Workers who strike poses: MODELS.

2. Bring to life: ANIMATE.

RUSH!

3. Level of importance: STATURE.

4. Blouse or turtleneck: TOP.

5. Come across as: SEEM.

6. Pricey Japanese beef: WAGYU.

7. "Rumor is ... ": I HEAR.

8. Number of legs on a lobster: TEN.

9. "Yes," in Osaka: HAI.

10. Verizon or T-Mobile: CARRIER.

11. Leafy vegetable also known as rocket: ARUGULA. Another leafy GREEN. Arugula is a bit peppery and adds depth to a salad.

12. Delicate handling: FINESSE.

15. Postpone: DEFER.

18. Sings like G-Dragon: RAPS. Sings? Four letters? An educated WAG.

That's G-Dragon

23. Toronto's prov.: ONT.  The greatest band ever, RUSH, is from Ontario's Toronto.
//I've got one more expo before seeing RUSH's R50 (something) w/ Bro, Sis, & Eldest 30 JUN in Dallas. What I'm saying is, anything I can connect to RUSH will be posted 'cuz I'm totes pump'd.
You've been warned.

25. Place to order a Reuben: DELI. This is one of my favorite sandwiches. Only a summer-time BLT is better.

Now That's a Sandwich.
Kenny & Ziggy's does it up. Yummers!

27. Vaping devices: E-CIGS. I finally quit all nicotine nine months ago - I still miss it.

28. Battering wind: GALE.

30. Nine-digit ID that never begins with a nine: SSN. Social Security Number. And, I didn't know 9xx-xx-xxxx doesn't exist.

33. For the time __: BEING.

34. Blazer sleeve: ARM.

37. Flatbread often enriched with yogurt: NAAN.

King Arthur's Recipe

38. Org. that banned DDT: EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane.

39. Punt or field goal: KICK. Did you get a KICK out of this clue/answer? //Sry - #DadJoke

40. Picturesque scene: TABLEAU.

41. Gulps of air: BREATHS.

42. Father in a blended family: STEP DAD. I've had three. Mom didn't grow moss.

45. Bit read by a fortune teller: TEA LEAF.

46. City with the world's busiest airport: ATLANTA. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International is Delta's main hub and very busy.

If you must go through, plan for a 2hr layover
or you won't make your connection.
//Youngest & classmates were stuck overnight on their way to IREland.

48. Furious state: IRE.

49. Alabama city in civil rights history: SELMA.

50. __ shui: FENG.

51. Gets the feeling: SENSES.

53. Adler who outwits Sherlock Holmes in "A Scandal in Bohemia": IRENE. With all the interpretations of Holmes, I can't recall if she's Sherlock's sister or just "The Woman" who can outsmart him a bit. Anyone know better?

54. Some lipstick shades: NUDES.

58. Mardi __: GRAS. Years ago, I was with Krewe of Bacchus - it's not for the faint of liver.

62. Down with a bug: ILL.

63. Noon, on sundials: XII. If you visited the XIV Stations of the Cross in Catholic school, the Roman Numeral for 12 is a gimme.

64. Self-image: EGO.

C.C. delivered another gem. I had fun. You?

Here's the Grid:

The Grid

WO: FuNG shui.
ESPs: ARI, MAYA
Fav: I'm going to BAIL on this one ;-).

Cheers, -T

Monday, May 11, 2026, Chloe Revery

Theme:  GOSSIP GIRL.

Today's constructor, Chloe Revery, has been published in a number of newspapers, including the New York Times and Boston Globe.  Today's puzzle is her debut in the Los Angeles Times.  Congratulations!  RUMOR has it that Chloe is a software engineer from Los Angeles.  Of course, that's just HEARSAY.  I don't pretend to have INSIDE INFORMATION, but this is the SCUTTLEBUTT.

Today's theme is revealed at 63-Across:

63-Across. Trendy jargon, or what can be found at the starts of 17-, 25-, 38-, and 53-Across: BUZZ WORDS.  The starts, or beginnings, of the answers listed are WORDS for BUZZ in the sense of a story that is circulating.

The rest of the theme clues are:

17-Across. Very inexpensive: DIRT CHEAP.  DIRT can mean damaging gossip.

25-Across. Pants one may have to wriggle into: SKINNY JEANS.  "The SKINNY" suggests "the naked truth," and refers to inside information or the lowdown.

 38-Across. Kitchen cloth: DISH TOWEL.  DISH can be a verb ("dish the dirt") or a noun ("the latest dish").  It refers to scandalous gossip.

53-Across. Traditional Chinese wedding ritual: TEA CEREMONY.  "Spill the TEA" means to share juicy news.  It comes from "T" for "truth" and is more recent slang than the others.  

Well, that's enough idle chitchat from me.  Time to get serious about the rest of the puzzle! 

Across:

1. Body art, slangily: TATS.

5. Turn into baby food: MASH.  I do this for the grandbaby, but his mother insists the new best practice is to give the baby huge hunks of whatever food and let him go at it until he chokes, which he is supposed to learn to manage.

9. "I am half __, half hope": "Persuasion": AGONY.  The iconic line, "You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope," comes from Captain Frederick Wentworth’s letter to Anne Elliot in Chapter 23 of Jane Austen’s Persuasion.  DNK but I like it. 

14. La __ Tar Pits: BREA.  Ice Age animals approached the Tar Pits hoping for a drink of water and became trapped in the sticky goo, leaving behind a trove of fossils of saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, mammoths, and giant ground sloths.

La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles

15. Comic-Con, e.g.: EXPO.  An expo, or exposition, is a large event where organizations showcase their products and services.  Comic-Con is one such event, focusing on comics, gaming, cosplay, anime, and pop culture.  Don't believe me?  Check it out Oct. 30 - Nov. 1, 2026 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  I won't be there, though.  Not my thing.

Someone else at Comic-Con

16. Engaged for a job: HIRED.

17. [Theme clue]

19. South American mountain range: ANDES.

20. Neck of the woods: AREA.

21. Drag show accessory: WIG.  RuPaul's Drag Race is sometimes credited with popularizing "tea" as a word for "gossip."

23. HS diploma equivalent: GED.  Didn't finish High School?  You can earn a GED (General Educational Development) equivalency credential instead.

24. Subway smooch, e.g.: Abbr.: PDA.  Public displays of affection (PDA) are acts of physical intimacy in the view of others.

25. [Theme clue]

30. Stirred up: INCITED.  Perhaps with rumors, hearsay, and innuendo?

32. Red wine grape: MERLOT.  Everyone's favorite scene from the movie Sideways, 2004:

33. Many a TikToker: TEEN.

34. Orange tubers: YAMS.

37. Delicious: TASTY.

38. [Theme clue]

41. Great Lakes mnemonic: HOMES.

YooperPhil, how do you remember the lakes?

44. Hippocratic __: OATH.

45. Jittery: EDGY.

49. Very tops: APEXES.  The formal plural of APEX is APICES (AY-puh-seez), but for the hoi polloi, it's OK to say APEXES (AY-pek-siz).  It's Latin, doncha know.

51. Like elastic material: TENSILE.  Tensile refers to a material's capacity to be stretched, drawn out, or subjected to tension.

53. [Theme clue]

56. Industrial tub: VAT.

57. Secrecy contract, for short: NDA.  Non-Disclosure Agreement.

58. Pie __ mode: À LA.  Pie à la mode is a classic American dessert featuring a slice of pie (typically apple) served with a scoop of ice cream on top. "À la mode" is French for "in fashion."

59. Skedaddled: FLED.

61. Selling point?: STORE.

63. [Theme clue]

67. Cowpoke's hello: HOWDY.

68. __ Day vitamins: ONE A.  Popular brand of multivitamins.

69. Out on the water: ASEA.

70. "Siddhartha" novelist Hermann: HESSE.  Siddhartha: An Indian novel is a 1922 novel by Hermann Hesse about the spiritual journey of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the Gautama Buddha. The book was written in German, and later published in the United States in 1951. In the book, Siddhartha attained enlightenment, which Hesse was also seeking.  The book sparked a lot of interest in Buddhism in the 1960s and 70s.

71. Designer Vera known for bridal gowns: WANG.  Vera Wang also has a line of casual clothing for sale at Kohl's, which is very much the other end of the spectrum.  This wedding gown is not my favorite of the many designs on her website, but it is called Noemi, so I had to choose it for today's illustration.

Noemi gown by Vera Wang

72. Refuse to allow: DENY.  I deny all those rumors and gossip!  Or at least some of them.

Down:

1. Brief "More info soon": TBD.  To Be Determined.

2. Daughter of King Minos who helped Theseus escape the labyrinth: ARIADNE.  Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete, fell in love with the Athenian hero Theseus and helped him kill the Minotaur by providing a sword and a ball of thread to navigate the Labyrinth.  After fleeing with Theseus, Ariadne was abandoned on the island of Naxos.  My father always said Theseus was a jerk.  No, wait -- that was Jason of the Argonauts.  Maybe all the Greek heroes were jerks.

Theseus and the Minotaur

3. Feature of many a rice paddy: TERRACE.  A paddy is a flooded field used for growing semiaquatic crops like rice and taro.  Paddies are often built into steep hillsides as terraces.

Rice paddy terraces

4. Fill up: SATE.

5. Verbal shrug: MEH.

6. Log chopper: AXE.

7. Offspring: SPAWN.

8. Pickup line?: HOP IN.

9. "I've got it!": AHA.

10. Sodas in Shirley Temples: GINGER ALES.  A Shirley Temple is a mixed drink made with ginger ale, a splash of grenadine, and a maraschino cherry.  It was invented by a restaurant in Hollywood so that the child actress, Shirley Temple, could have a fancy beverage that looked like the old-fashioneds her parents were enjoying.

Shirley Temple drink

11. Major trials: ORDEALS.

12. "I __ remind you ... ": NEED NOT.  And yet you do ...

13. Ribbon purchase qty.: YDS.  Ribbons are purchased by the yard.

18. Playbill list: CAST.

22. Place to raise the bar?: GYM.

Raise that bar!

24. Cherry discard: PIT.  Maraschino cherries, like the ones in Shirley Temples, begin as light colored cherries which sit in a chemical soup for 4-6 weeks, erasing their color and flavor, and are then soaked in a solution of sugar syrup, red dye, and almond flavoring for another month.  Finally, they are pitted -- but do watch out for the occasional pit or portion thereof that is missed by the fast moving machines.

26. Cipher breakers: KEYS.  A cipher is a system of encrypting information, perhaps substituting one letter for another consistently, or rearranging the letters of a text.  A key unlocks the encrytped information.

27. State with a potato museum: IDAHO.

28. Ballet leap: JETÉ.  A jeté is a ballet leap where a dancer throws one leg into the air and lands on it, transferring weight from one foot to the other.

A grand jeté

29. Farm pen: STY.

31. Items in recipe boxes: INDEX CARDS.  DH's mother kept such a file.

35. NYC subway org.: MTA.  The Metropolitan Transportation Authority provides bus, subway, and commuter rail service in Greater New York, and operates multiple toll bridges and tunnels.

36. __ voce: SOTTO.  Sotto voce is an Italian phrase meaning "under the voice" or "soft voice," used to describe speaking or singing quietly.

39. "Understood": I SEE.

40. "At what time?": WHEN.

41. Fedora, for one: HAT.

42. Like shoes that show off a pedicure: OPEN TOE.

43. Spots for sheep to sleep: MEADOWS.

46. Not all the same: DIVERSE.

47. Cheer up: GLADDEN.

48. "Are we there __?": YET.

50. Mrs., in Madrid: SRA.  Short for señora.

52. Manhattan event with many designers and runway models, for short: NYFW.  New York Fashion Week.

54. Arm joint: ELBOW.  My mother intended to sit on a bench in my grandchildren's school yard, missed it, landed rather well (all things considered), but fractured her ELBOW.  She's staying at my house while adjusting to this situation.  When the splint from the ER is upgraded to a longer term solution this afternoon, we'll get a sense of how long this will go on.  We've got a rather full house at the moment.

55. __ Loa: world's largest active volcano: MAUNA.  On the Big Island of Hawaii.  Or rather, half of the Big Island of Hawaii!  The islands are formed by volcanoes rising from the ocean floor.

Mauna Loa eruption

60. Laundry batch: LOAD.

61. Finger-on-lips sound: SHH.  I was a librarian for many years.  SHH is part of the professional lexicon.

Shh!

62. Hurricane center: EYE.

64. Super chill: ZEN.

65. Zig and __: ZAG.

66. "You can __ that again!": SAY.

Here's the grid:

HOWDY, Solvers! 

Did this gossipy puzzle cause you AGONY through a series of solving ORDEALS?

Or did it GLADDEN your spirit with DIVERSE delights?

You NEED NOT tell us, but we still wish you would, in the comments below.

-- NaomiZ