Monday, July 27, 2026, Jay Silverman

Theme:  This puzzle PACKS a punch!

Jay Silverman handles acquisitions and development for media companies, with an emphasis on educational and children's programming.  He also writes crossword puzzles.  Those of you who hate foreign words in your puzzles got lucky today:  Jay studies five languages every day and holds the unofficial 7th place Duolingo streak record for almost 5,000 consecutive days of completing at least one language lesson per day.  Jay enjoys words!  More about Jay Silverman is at www.jay-silverman.com.

Some crossword solvers love a theme that is easily seen and helps with the solve.  Some solvers prefer a theme that is somewhat hidden and comes as a surprise.  Today's puzzle will delight the latter group.  The surprising reveal occurs way down here:

53-Across. Sets of sculpted abs, and what the ends of 19-, 23-, 24-, 36-, 46-, and 48-Across are altogether: SIX PACKS.  Let's look at the *ends* of the listed entries for those SIX PACKS.  Oh, but first, let's look at some SIX PACK abs -- for definition!

sculpted six pack

19-Across. Oktoberfest sausage, informally: BEER BRAT.  BRAT pack was a nickname for a group of young actors who often appeared together on screen in the 1980s:   Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and Judd Nelson.

23-Across. Returned home: GOT BACK.  A BACK pack is a fabric bag carried on one's back with the support of two shoulder straps.  School children use back packs to carry books and supplies; hikers use them to carry tents and sleeping bags.

24-Across. Raise a false alarm: CRY WOLF.  A WOLF pack is a family unit of wolves who travel, hunt, and rear pups together.  

36-Across. Soft R&B ballad: SLOW JAM.  JAM pack is a transitive verb meaning to pack tightly or to excess.  If you jam pack your back pack, the zipper may break.

46-Across. Skating hazard: THIN ICE.  An ICE pack is what my 95-year-old mother puts on her knees when she's walked too much.  I thought it might also be an accumulation of ice that melts seasonally, like a snowpack, but apparently not.

48-Across. Market research company often cited in car ads: JD POWER.  A POWER pack is (1) a portable charger for electronic devices, or (2) an adapter that converts household current for lower voltage appliances, or (3) a generator that powers heavy tools, systems, or refrigerated containers.  Yours truly carries the first type on most trips, and adds the second type when traveling to other countries.  The third type is not among my supplies.

Across:

1. Sarcastic ET of 1980s TV: ALF.  Same era, and yet not a member of the BRAT pack.

Alien Life Form

4. School vehicles: BUSES.

9. "That really sticks in my __!": CRAW.  Many bird species have a crop or "craw" in the throat, which is a pouch where food can be temporarily stored for later digestion.  If something hard winds up there, it can be irritating.  When people say, "That really sticks in my craw," they mean something is irritating to them and they find it hard to accept.

13. Laugh syllable: HAR.

14. "Humble" home: ABODE.

15. "Quiet, you!": SHUSH.

16. Blackjack card: ACE.  The ace is powerful in blackjack because it can count as 1 or 11.  A player's goal is to be dealt cards totaling as close to the number 21 as possible without going over.  Since the 10 card and the three face cards all count as 10, if you have an ace in your hand, there are multiple ways to reach 21 with just two or three cards.

Aces, baby!

17. News outlets: MEDIA.

18. Florida city near St. Petersburg: TAMPA.

19. [Theme clue]

21. __ pentameter: IAMBIC.  The most common meter in English poetry, introduced by Chaucer, and cemented into the culture by Shakespeare.  An iambic foot is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.  A line of iambic pentameter is five iambic feet in a row:  da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM.  Or, Shakespeare:  "When I do count the clock that tells the time."

22. Soft murmur: COO.

23. [Theme clue]

24. [Theme clue]

28. Tennis legend Arthur: ASHE.

29. Chest muscles, for short: PECS.  Appearing immediately above the six pack abs pictured earlier.

30. Secondary Insta accounts: ALTS.  Secondary Instagram accounts, called "alts," let you separate your personal profile from a professional one, or use one account for a niche interest.

32. Dog park sounds: ARFS.

35. Feel crummy: AIL.

36. [Theme clue]

38. Deli bread: RYE.

40. Long part of a guitar or a giraffe: NECK.  Or both?

the elusive guitaffe

42. Causes of sorrow: WOES.

43. Solange, to Blue Ivy Carter: AUNT.  Solange Knowles is Beyoncé's younger sister.  Blue Ivy Carter is Beyoncé's daughter and oldest of her three children.  I did not know, did not care, and yet spent way too much time researching and illustrating these luminaries of contemporary pop culture.

Beyoncé and Blue Ivy                         Solange

44. Surrealist Magritte: RENÉ.  Belgian, 1898-1967.

"Attempting the Impossible" by Magritte, 1928

46. [Theme clue]

48. [Theme clue]

51. WSJ competitor: NYT.  Wall Street Journal vs New York Times.

52. Mended, as socks: DARNED.  Darning is a sewing technique used to repair holes in knit fabrics.

53. [Theme clue]

58. Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie __": AMOUR.  Blind since shortly after his birth in 1950, Stevland Judkins was a musical prodigy who signed with Motown records at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder.  At the height of his career in R&B, soul, and jazz, he used electronic synthesizers to be a one man band.  "My Cherie Amour" reached number 4 on the Billboard pop chart in 1969, and was Wonder's eighth top ten hit.

59. Former "Top Chef" host Lakshmi: PADMA.  Padma Lakshmi immigrated to the U.S. as a child, and worked as a model before hosting Top Chef on Bravo (2006-2023) and her own docuseries, Taste the Nation, on Hulu (2020- ).  She has been nominated for 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, and has written four books, two of which were best sellers.  Padma co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America and is a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador.

Padma Lakshmi

60. Santa __, California: ANA.

61. Promotes heavily: TOUTS.

62. Ink mishap: SMEAR.

63. Bar barrel: KEG.

64. Finishes: ENDS.

65. Leavening agent: YEAST.

66. Bighorn's mother: EWE.

I love ewe, mom!

Down:

1. "Moby-Dick" captain: AHAB.

2. Ruth Bader Ginsburg's collar fabric: LACE.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) was a lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020.  Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court, she argued before the court as an advocate for gender equality and women's rights, and was general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.  

The Notorious RBG, 2016

3. Give away instead of throw away: FREECYCLE.

4. Panda's diet: BAMBOO.

5. Ridesharing rival of Lyft: UBER.

6. __ fountain: SODA.  In my mother's youth, there were dining establishments called soda fountains.  Today, a soda fountain is the machine that dispenses carbonated soft drinks in fast food places.

        old soda fountain                                                       new soda fountain

7. Amend text: EDIT.

8. Salty body of water: SEA.

9. Room: CHAMBER.

10. Ballroom dance from Cuba: RUMBA.

11. Gelatinous dish: ASPIC.  Aspic is a clear, savory gelatin made from meat, poultry, or fish stock.

aspic

12. Wallop: WHACK.

15. Jason of "Hobbs & Shaw": STATHAM.  Jason Statham is an English actor who plays tough or violent characters in action films.  Although he seems to be wildly popular and a bankable star, yours truly has managed to miss all his movies, including the whole Fast & Furious franchise, and the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw.  However, we will credit him with fitting a mini-theme today:

Jason Statham has six pack abs.

20. Competes on the crew team: ROWS.

21. Apple platform: IOS.  Apple’s iOS is the iPhone operating system.

23. Bunsen burner nozzle: GAS JET.  We used a Bunsen burner for something-or-other in high school Biology.  Typical uses are heating, sterilization, and combustion.  I think I would remember combustion.

Bunsen burner

24. Pro who's a master of deduction?: CPA.

25. Harness strap: REIN.

26. Kareem's former team, on scoreboards: LAL.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:  Los Angeles Lakers.  Kareem's former name, on birth certificates:  Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.

27. Bloom: FLOWER.

31. Number of players in checkers: TWO.

33. Rich dessert with a long shelf life: FRUITCAKE.  Fruitcake is made with candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and usually soaked in liqueurs or brandy, which helps prevent mold.

Two years old and still ... good?

34. Lip-__: mouth the words: SYNC.

36. Barbecue rods: SKEWERS.

37. Campfire residue: ASH.

39. French summer: ÉTÉ.

41. Pastry hybrids: CRONUTS.

43. Actress Taylor-Joy: ANYA.  Just heard Anya being interviewed by crossword favorite Ayesha Rascoe on NPR about her new Apple TV series, Lucky.  If you ever get a chance to see Anya Taylor-Joy in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix, it's worthwhile.  This one?  We'll see.

45. "Toy Story 3" voice actor Beatty: NED.  Ned Beatty (1937-2021) was an actor (in movies even yours truly has seen!) and voiced Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear in the 2010 Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 3.

Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear and Ned Beatty

47. To some extent: IN PART.

48. Matchmaking platform available in Hebrew: JDATE.  How to meet other members of the tribe when Jews are only 2% of the U.S. population, and 0.2% worldwide?  Meet Jdate, the app for singles seeking long-term, values-based commitments.

49. Comedian Wayans: DAMON.  Damon Wayans performed on Saturday Night Live in the 1980s, on In Living Color (1990-92), and then a series of other TV shows, including the Fox television series Lethal Weapon (2016-2019).  His son Damon Wayans Jr. is following in his footsteps.

The Damon Wayanses

50. Self-satisfied: PROUD.

53. "We're on the __ page": SAME.

54. Bit of inspiration: IDEA.

55. Short holiday?: XMAS.

56. Was sure about: KNEW.

57. Fragrant herb: SAGE.

59. College maj. for an aspiring therapist: PSY.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer:  that college major is psychology.

Here's the grid:

Solvers,

Did any part of this puzzle stick in your CRAW?  Or cause you WOES?  Or make you PACK it in?

Perhaps, instead, you KNEW all the answers, felt wise and SAGE, and PROUD of your performance!

We are all UBER interested!  Please share your IDEAs in the comments below.

-- NaomiZ

Sunday, July 26, 2026 ~ Zhouqin Burnikel

"9 to 5"

Hi All!
Today we get a letter-substitution puzzle from our very own C.C.. Each themed clue is straight forward but the fill seems a bit of(?).  Let's dig in and see what she has in store.

23. *Command to turn: FACE LIFT. In the Army, it was "LEFT, FACE." //Drill gave the direction first to give us a moment to remember our left from our right :-)

He Flunked Flanks

29. *Recovers somewhat: FEELS BITTER. FEELS BETTER. If you've only somewhat recovered from defeat, you may still feel bitter.

45. *Flourishing: LIVING WILL. LIVING WELL - yeah, I'm doin' alright.

49. *Perform a daring act: BILL THE CAT. The expression "BELL THE CAT" derives from a fable about mice agreeing that putting a bell on the cat is a great idea. The hitch - it's a great idea if someone else is dumb enough to try - so no one does.

Berkeley Breathed's Bloom County's Bill The Cat

70. *Makes explicitly clear: SPILLS OUT. SPELLS OUT. #Snitch :-)

94. *Person who works a lot?: AUTO DIALER. An AUTO DEALER works the car lot a lot.

96. *Ink-filled tool for illustrators: DRAWING PIN. A PEN for DRAWING pictures.

112. *Places to drop envelopes: LITTER BOXES. Put your post in a LETTER BOX.

Letters go here -- dogs, maybe, but not cats.

123. Start of a spelling rule, or a rule to keep in mind while answering the starred clues: I BEFORE E.

I before E except after C (unless it sounds like an A as in neighbor and weigh (unless the word is just weird)).
//I found this silly sentence on Reddit: I before E except when your "foreign neighbor Keith receives eight counterfeit beige sleighs from weird feisty caffeinated weightlifters."
One can always count on the internet for giggles.

Ahem.

I forgot to read the Sunday Title first. As I came upon 29a, I thought, "What's the theme?"
I read "9 to 5" (?) and thought, "I'll title the puzzle 'I Before E.'"
Then I got to 123a, and realized that's where C.C. was already going.  Alas.

But wait, what is 9 to 5? Simple, it's like a substitution cipher. Take the 9th letter of the alphabet and put it where the 5th letter goes. 9 to 5. Cute. But it gets better...

Everything's better w/ Dolly

Across:

1. Do something: ACT.

4. Career fair haul: SWAG.

Cybersecurity SWAG for the bath.

8. Claim forcefully: ASSERT.

14. Insert, as a link: EMBED. I was thinking a chain's LINK b/f an HTML hyperLINK.

19. Prepping period: LEAD TIME. The more lead time, the more you better prepare.

21. Mammals with big calves: WHALES. Ha!

22. Stains with ash: SOOTS.

23. [See: Theme]

24. Winter cap feature: EARLAP. LAP or FLAP? I looked it up: Earlap - A flap connected to headgear to protect the ear from cold or physical harm. From Old English ēarlæppa.

25. Jam: SNARL. Think traffic, not preserves.

26. Clarifying phrase: AS IN. PAT - P as in Pterodactyl, A as in Aisle, and T as in Tsunami. //Thanks RustyB!

27. Too sure of oneself: SMUG. Can you think of a three letter donkey-related word for this trait? I can ;-)

29. [See: Theme]

31. Coup target: ETAT. French: coup is "blow" or "strike" and état is "state."

33. Small camping shelter: PUP TENT. A small triangular shelter fit more for a dog than humans. In the Army, you & a buddy carried half-shelters.

They're pretty small

35. Slowpoke's place: REAR.

36. "Despacito" singer Fonsi: LUIS. A Puerto Rican singer.

39. Part of LAPD: LOS.

40. Nonprofit org. with a school for aspiring moviemakers: AFI. American Film Institute (which named Blazing Saddles the Funniest Film of All Time on Brooks' 100th Birthday //thanks Ray-O!).

42. Infatuated: GAGA. Is Lady GAGA infatuated with herself or ladies?

45. [See: Theme]

49. [See: Theme]

52. Dedicated poem: ODE.

53. Tudyk of "Firefly": ALAN. I've never seen Firefly, but Alan was great in Resident Alien. [TV-MA]

Alan Tudyk

54. Emulate Alysa Liu: ICE SKATE.

Alysa won gold in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic games

56. Bark beetle target: ELM.

57. Fancy-schmancy: POSH. If you get too fancy in our hacker Discord channel, someone will inevitably post this:

Ooh La La

59. Previously: ONCE.

61. Relaxed sigh: AHH.

62. Novel at the center of Bloomsday celebrations: ULYSSES. Bloomsday is a commemoration of James Joyce.

64. Westernmost city in Texas: EL PASO. I did Basic there [Ft. Bliss] in '88... In July!

66. McIntosh or Macintosh: APPLE. Cute - the fruit and computer, respectively.

68. Poison Ivy, to Robin: ENEMY.

She debuted in '66's Batman #181

69. Seasoning for kimchi: SALT.

70. [See: Theme]

72. Insects in a colony: ANTS.

75. Apex predators of the sea: ORCAS.

77. New York City's __ Place: ASTOR. The WikiP.

78. Baseless: UNTRUE. Alternative facts?

80. Vidal of hair care: SASSOON. If you don't look good, we don't look good. #Tagline

83. Vader's childhood nickname: ANI. Star Wars franchise.

84. Southernmost Ivy: PENN.

86. Party leader?: HOST. Ha!

87. Software-driven F/X: CGI. Computer Generated Images create the special effects (F/X).

88. Improviser's concluding phrase: AND SCENE.

Colbert

91. Fat-heavy diet: KETO.

93. "Look what I found!": OHO.

94. [See: Theme]

96. [See: Theme]

99. Org. running many missions: NASA.

100. Snack for a frog: FLY.

101. Of vital importance: KEY.

102. Speak unclearly: SLUR.

103. Ione of "La Brea": SKYE.

Ione Skye

105. Lions and tigers: FELINES.

109. Gets the picture: SEES.

112. [See: Theme]

115. High-five sound: SLAP.

118. Starts to work together: GELS.

120. In flames: AFIRE.

121. Make public: EXPOSE.

123. [See: Theme]

125. Spot of land: ISLET.

126. Lower in fat: LEANER. Opposite of KETO.

127. Trial spin on a bike: TEST RIDE.

128. Parts in a play: ROLES.

129. Daisylike flowers: ASTERS.

A Purple Daisy - Gregor [98d], you have some 'splain' to do.

130. Tuck away: STOW.

131. Telepath's ability: ESP.

Down:

1. __ Romeo: motorsport brand: ALFA.

'86 Alfa Spider

2. Discontinue: CEASE.

3. Implicit: TACIT.

4. Busiest airport in MO: STL. St. Louis, Missouri's Lambert International Airport. When visiting Pop, we'll sometimes opt for STL instead of connecting into SPI through ORD.

5. Nintendo consoles that debuted in 2006: WIIS.

6. Switch on the radio?: AMFM. Amplitude Modulation/Frequency Modulation are methods of imposing information onto a carrier wave.

7. "Rise and shine!": GET UP.

8. Dazzle: AWE.

9. Vertical passages: SHAFTS.

10. Draped wedding garment: SAREE. I looked it up - sari and saree are both acceptable spellings of the same dress.

11. Discovery astronaut Ochoa: ELLEN.

She was the director at JSC, Houston.

12. "I'm gonna be straight with you ... ": REAL TALK.

13. Cough syrup amts.: TSPS.

14. OPI rival: ESSIE. Youngest uses Holo Taco.

Her Starry Night Nails

15. Sequence of film cuts: MONTAGE.

16. Regattas: BOAT RACES.

17. Raison d'__: ETRE.

18. High-end camera initials: DSLR. Digital Single-Lens Reflex.

20. National park north of Anchorage: DENALI. Before and after it was Mt. McKinley.

28. Shorebird with webbed feet: GULL.

30. Easily broken: BRITTLE.

32. Salade niçoise fish: TUNA.

Yummers!

34. __-sci: POLI. Political Science.

37. Nome dome home: IGLOO.

38. Bird with a long neck: SWAN.

41. Display flagrantly: FLAUNT. Should I EMBED [14a] Brooks' The Producers' [2005] Uma? Heck yeah!

43. Destructive wind: GALE.

44. Bank lobby devices: ATMS.

45. Leisurely gait: LOPE.

46. Subjects of fan clubs: IDOLS.

47. "Roman Holiday" scooter: VESPA.

Hepburn & Peck on a Vespa

48. Like some heated posts: IN CAPS. e.g. I'M YELLING AT YOU!!!!

49. Command: BEHEST.

50. "Kinda": ISH.

51. "What's up, bro!": HEY MAN. The opening lyric to...

Suffragette City

55. Reports by hotline: CALLS IN.

58. Head lights?: HALOS.  Cute - a ring of overhead light.

60. Prefix with graph or gram: EPI.

63. Electronica instrument: SYNTH.

Geddy's Steampunk-themed Synth (it's a mini-MOOG underneath)

65. Hybrid thoroughfare with frequent access points: STROAD. A portmanteau of Street and Road. Trying to figure out what stroad means took me down a traffic engineering labyrinth. Google at your own peril.

67. Smoothing tool: PLANER.

68. Shout of discovery: EUREKA.  What Archimedes famously shouted when he realized he could calculate the volume of any shape by putting it in a bath (with rubber duckies, I presume).

70. Open-toed shoe: SANDAL.

71. Alley-__: OOP.

73. Scouting unit: TROOP.

74. Gimbap alternative: SUSHI. Gimbap is Korea's take on sushi. WikiP has the History of the dish.

Looks good (& the fish is cooked :-))

76. Cypress, for one: CONIFER. Needled trees.

78. Up to: UNTIL.

79. Ian Fleming's alma mater: ETON. A POSH school.

80. Glance over: SCAN.

81. Amazon contents: AGUA.

82. Quits fidgeting: SITS STILL. Yeah, not my strong suit. #ADHD

83. Card with a single pip: ACE.

85. Front page material: NEWS.

89. Cunning folks: SLY FOXES.

90. Garden with forbidden fruit: EDEN.

92. Responsibility: ONUS.

95. Home for a squirrel: OAK TREE. Which is, famously, not a conifer.

97. Some deli loaves: RYES. Ok, no!, C.C., you can't get away w/ RYE w/o me mentioning

Ziggy's Reuben

98. Genetics pioneer Mendel: GREGOR. Of crossbreeding pea [and daisies?] fame.

101. Piehole: KISSER. Your maw, yap, trap, mouth.

104. Throws, in slang: YEETS. What the kids say when wanting to forcefully dispose of something. E.g. "Yeet it off the balcony."

106. Kiwi in Kyoto, say: EXPAT. LOL! A New Zealander in Japan.

107. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE.

108. Features of some skirts: SLITS. Where's Splynter when we need him? :-)

110. Quietly unnerving: EERIE.

111. Snow day rides: SLEDS.

112. Dragon's place: LAIR. When I played video games, Dragon's Lair cost $1 whilst the other games were $0.25. Ergo, I only watched arcade buddies blow $$$ just to die at this scene (again).

Dragon's Lair - a LaserDisc "cutscene" video game.

113. "In that case ... ": IF SO.

114. Grammy-winning banjoist Fleck: BELA. Not Steve Martin? Ok, let's hear him.

Bela's Youtube Channel

116. Help out on a heist: ABET.

117. Cozumel coin: PESO.

119. Ooze: SEEP.

122. Workplaces for some RNs: ERS. Some Nurses work the Emergency Room.

124. Texter's "Victory!": FTW. For The Win! we get The Grid.

The Grid

WO: last -> REAR (35a)
ESPs: LUIS, ASTOR, SKYE, SAREE, STROAD
Fav: I really enjoyed the alliteration in IGLOO's clue.

I hope y'all found a LINK or two in the expo for a nifty diversion this Sunday morning.

Cheers, -T

Saturday, July 25, 2026, Mike Graczyk

 Saturday Themeless by Mike Graczyk

A fun solve on what appears to be Mike's initial LA Times puzzle. My trek started in the NE with my Greek wife's least favorite salad and expanding out from there.

Across:

1. "Who's interested?": ANY TAKERS - Knowing the real issues for this trip, this NASA guy knows all the perils and is a hard no! 

NOT ME!

10. Saw: ADAGE.

15. "Do I know you?": HAVE WE MET.

16. Historic site in Jordan known as the Rose City: PETRA - One of the new seven wonders of the world

17. Eggs-cellent breakfast spot: 😀 OMELET BAR.

18. "Door's open!": ENTER.

19. "You bet!": YES.

20. Pinch-hit: STEP IN - What we subs do during the school year

22. Next: THEN.

23. Hardly pusillanimous: BOLD.

24. Bears named for an Alaskan archipelago: KODIAKS.

26. Call it a day: GO HOME.

29. People who pay flat rates?: TENANTS - I think we all know what an apartment is called in the UK

30. Wistful words: I HOPE.

31. Went to court?: WOOED - 😀 Court is a verb here.

32. One who loves ewe very much: RAM.

34. Migrators in the Maasai Mara's Great Migration: GNUS.

35. Brook swimmer: TROUT.

36. Brand of shapewear: BALI.

37. Brief alarm: SOS.

38. Essence: POINT.

39. Test versions: BETAS.

40. Takes back: RECANTS.

42. "You bet!": SURE DO.

43. Ouster: DEPOSAL - Ouster : Oust :: Deposal : Depose 

44. One thing after another: LIST.

45. Campus building: HALL - My home for two years

46. Connecticut governor Ned: LAMONT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

48. Rugby ball prop: TEE.

51. Taco truck option: ASADA.

53. Places to break some records?: RAGE ROOMS - or break most anything else

55. Hammer and anvil, for two: BONES.

56. "I wish wearing flat-irons on our heads would keep us from __": "Little Women": GROWING UP.

57. IV part: INTRA.

58. "No prob": EASY PEASY.

Down:

1. "Hello, sailor!": AHOY.

2. Appellation: NAME - For wine: An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated,

3. __ Rocher cosmetics: YVES ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

4. Office no.: TEL.

5. "Way cool!": AWESOME - In my opinion, this is the most overused adjective used today

6. Boiling point?: KETTLE 😀

7. War zone journalist: EMBED.

8. Bring in: REAP.

9. Go down swinging, perhaps: STRIKE OUT.

10. Mimic: APE.

11. Tooth component: DENTIN.

12. "If we stayed on such a road ... ": AT THAT RATE - Ten minutes/hole. AT THAT RATE we should be done in three hours.

13. Dish with feta and Kalamatas: GREEK SALAD.

14. Brings in: EARNS.

21. Largish combo: NONET - Nine, count 'em, nine

23. Catchy tunes, informally: BOPS.

25. Pops: DAD.

26. Some play dates?: GIGS - My grandson will be taking his years of experience, his Master's Degree and connections to NYC to play some GIGS.

27. "Just wondering": OH NO REASON - Yeah, right...

28. Leaves for one's residence?: HOUSE PLANT.

29. Pluto and others: TOONS.

31. Plain to see: WRITLARGE.

33. Soup often served with gyoza: MISO.

35. Like some languages: TONAL.

36. Muppet who loves pigeons: BERT.

38. Faux finish?: PAS - I have made many a faux PAS in my life.

39. Way to travel with class?: BUS TRIP - I travelled the 1,400 miles to KSC with 23 classes with airplanes but never on a BUS. 😳

41. "You're even farther now ... ": COLDER - The opposite...

42. Muscular: SINEWY.

43. Abu __: DHABI - The silent "H" threw me for a while 

44. Screen icons: LOGOS.

47. "Matilda" star Wilson: MARA.

48. Caesar wrap?: TOGA. 😀

49. Cassowary kin: EMUS.

50. Award for top plays?: ESPY - ESPN's yearly awards for top sports plays 

52. Butterfield of "Sex Education": ASA.

54. Number worn by Oscar Robertson: ONE.