Thursday, March 28, 2024, Emma Lawson, Amie Walker

 WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

Today's veteran constructors Emma Lawson and Amie Walker present us with another vertical theme, sans circles or stars, but this one is a little dark. The reveal starts on the first row at 10D, so we know what's going on pretty much out of the gate ...

 10. Creedence Clearwater Revival hit with the line "I see trouble on the way," or what can be found in three long Down entries: BAD MOON RISING.  A song all about what could go wrong -- this MOON is not only BAD, it's RISING! (well maybe) ...

Credence Clearwater Revival
(things eventually went wrong with them)

8. Return correspondence?: RANSOM NOTE.  Clever clue, terrible business ...

Kidnap and Ransom

18. Bella Hadid and Precious Lee, for two: FASHION MODELS.  Fashion models with last name Hadid are becoming crosswordese -- last Thursday we had Gigi (see 59D), this week we have Bella.  Here is Bella ...

Bella Hadid

... and here is Precious ...

Precious Lee

28. Key information for a hotel guest?: ROOM NUMBER.  A true story about what could go wrong ...

We recently stayed in mid-priced hotel in a small town in Ohio and when we checked in we were issued  the usual key cards, which had our ROOM NUMBER digitally encoded in them.  The second morning after returning from breakfast, we made several attempts to get into our room and concluded that for some reason the cards had stopped working -- so we went back to the front desk.  The desk clerk knew exactly what had happened and explained  that the circuitry that detects the key card was powered by a battery inside the door (presumably to guard against power failures to the hotel grid).  When a battery ran down, it could be remotely recharged from the hotel front desk and new key cards would be issued.  The BUG (remember BUGS from last Thursday?) in the system was that the key card had be used  within 2 minutes of the recharge or it was invalidated.  The clerk recharged the battery from the front desk and headed off to our room -- unfortunately we were on the 3rd floor on the far end of the hotel and it proved to be physically impossible for anyone other than Usain Bolt to reach our room within 2 minutes.  After several attempts to do this he said that the IT Guy had a way to override the system -- but that it was after hours and he wasn't there, but that  they would page him and would let us know when he arrived. In the mean time the hotel offered us a different room, but all of our stuff was in that room, including my CPAP machine, without which I cannot sleep.  So we went to lunch, came back, read USA Today, solved the crossword (which SS could probably knock off in 30 seconds), tried to nap on the lobby sofas, etc, etc.  Eventually the IT Guy showed up and was able get the door open  and we were good to go.

We usually visit this small town in Ohio at least once a year and they don't have a lot of hotels, but if we have to stay at this one again, it will be contingent on the desk clerk demonstrating that he/she can reach our room within two minutes (or if Usain happens to be staying in the hotel that weekend!).

I guess it's pretty obvious by now what's going on with the theme.  I have a slight NIT about that, as unlike the UPSIDE DOWN CAKES in last Thursday's puzzle you can't really tell whether these MOONS are RISING or SETTING.  Nevertheless they ARE ALL BAD.

Here's the grid ...
 

Across:

1. Tap: PAT.  A CSO to PAT.

4. Garment that may be draped in the nivi style: SARI.  The true Story of the Nivi Drape.

Sari à la Nivi

8. Buyer's incentive: REBATE.

14. Hoopla: ADO.

15. Jeff Bridges sci-fi franchise: TRON.  The franchise began with the 1982 film TRON staring Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer and video game developer who is transported inside the software world of a mainframe computer where he interacts with programs in his attempt to escape.  It back then it had SOTA animation for 1982. I believe that there were other films as well. Hand up if you saw the original? 

16. Toyota sedan since 1994: AVALON.  They looked like this, but Toyota is discontinuing them.

Toyota Avalon, RIP

17. Gets just right: PERFECTS.  Someone once said that "the perfect is the enemy of the good".

19. Silently agreed: NODDED.

20. Places to pray: ALTARS.  A famous place to pray.

21. __ de deux: PAS.  Here's the Pas de deux from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet ...

23. Physics quantity: MASS.  Also a RITE than can be said at a 20A.

24. Rental agreement: LEASE.

25. Get off the partner track?: GO SOLO.  It's not all it's cracked up to be ...

27. Car alarm: HORN.  Here's the 3rd movement of Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major, K. 417, Rondo - allegro ...

29. Slick: SMOOTH. Or the Jefferson Airplane vocalist singing White Rabbit? 

32. Final Four game: SEMI.  March Madness is upon us!

35. Yahoo: OAF.

37. "Thanks, I got it": NO NEED.

39. Handi-Snacks cookie: OREO.  See 60A.

40. Have a loan from: OWE TO.

42. Like a dragon egg in Minecraft: RARE.  According to the Minecraft Wiki "A Dragon Egg is a decorative, egg-shaped block, which is dropped after defeating the Ender Dragon in the End. It is only dropped by the death of the first Ender Dragon, not by respawned Ender Dragons. It is also not possible to get from the creative inventory without commands. This do not apply [sic] to Bedrock Edition".  They look like this ...

Dragon's Egg

Egg shaped, but in a low-res digital sort of way.  Hand up if you're a Minecraft maven and can explain why they're so valuable?

43. Jackman's "The Greatest Showman" role: BARNUM.  The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman, is a 2017 American fictionalized biographical musical drama about the life of P.T. Barnum.   I can never get enough of this portrayal by Rebecca Ferguson of BARNUM's love interest, the legendary Swedish Soprano Jenny Lind singing Never Enough (but actually sung by Loren Allred) ...

Not Loren Allred

45. "__ your heart out!": EAT.  Hearts were a favorite food of the Egyptian goddess Ammit, 'devourer of the dead and hearts' -- Chacun à son goût! 😀

46. Apple computer: IMAC.

47. Siete días: SEMANA. Today's Spanish lesson -- "Seven days" make a "week".

49. Centipede's multitude: LEGS.  A word with a multitude of synonyms ...

Plus  a CSO to MOE.

51. Body of work: OEUVRE.  Today's French lesson:

or an hors-d'oeuvre .

53. Firm: RIGID.

57. Chatted privately, briefly: DMED.  Digital Messaging not in an open "chat room"

60. "It's not really working for me": MEH. This doesn't really work for me either -- but conductor Zubin MEHTA does -- here he leads the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in the last 3 minutes of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "The Resurrection" ...

61. Admonition to bickering kids: BE NICE.
 
62. Electric guitar effect: REVERB.  Not a new thing -- back in the Renaissance the stringed instruments had reverb, and in this Dr. Who clip from The Magician's Apprentice episode, time traveling Peter Capaldi shows off his REVERB chops on the electric lute (no stunt double), while treating us to a few bad puns  ...

64. "Back so soon?": YOU AGAIN.  Yeah, it's Thursday again. 😀

66. Audrey Tautou role: AMELIE.  Amélie is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film, a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre. It tells the story of a shy, introverted and quirky waitress, played by Audrey Tautou, who decides to change the lives of those around her for the better while dealing with her own isolation ...

67. Long for: MISS.

68. Vox populi, vox __: DEI.  Today's Latin lesson: "Voice of the people, voice of God".  A metaphor for democratic government used in a 1709 English political tract titled with this phrase.

69. Flexor counterpart: TENSOR.  Both are types of muscles.  It seems that the EXTENSOR has a stretch on today's fill.  Here are some examples ...

70. "Who __ could it be?": ELSE.

71. Parka part: ARM.  HOOD didn't fit.

Down:
1. Vatican-related: PAPAL. E.g. PAPAL BULL. It's not widely known but most Popes DO have a sense of humor ...

2. "I Drink Wine" singer: ADELE.  Not until the end of Lent we don't!  I don't think ADELE is observing Lent 😀 ...

Lyrics

3. Sandwich on a bolillo: TORTA.  In Mexico a TORTA is a kind of sandwich served on  white sandwich rolls similar to a small baguette called a bolillo.  A CSO to Lucina -- anything to add?

Torta on a bolillo

4. Typical opening?: STEREO.

5. Story shapes: ARCS.

6. Deteriorate: ROT.

7. What a mood board might provide, informally: INSPO.  A mood board is a collection of visual materials that evoke a particular theme, style or concept. Designers, illustrators, photographers, filmmakers and all types of creative professionals create mood boards to communicate and give them inspiration or "INSPO" (also a vaccine! 😀) and vision for a project.  Here's how to make mood board using a product called Milanote.  Here's an example ...

8. [Theme clue]

9. Former Bolivian president Morales: EVO.  Juan EVO Morales Ayma (Spanish pronunciation: [xwan ˈeβo moˈɾales ˈajma]; born 26 October 1959) is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero (coca leaf) activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. He was his country's first president to come from its indigenous population.  Not to be confused with a Rachel Ray favorite 😀 ...

Evo Morales

10. [Theme reveal]

11. "M*A*S*H" star: ALDA.  Alan Alda (born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, author, screenwriter, podcast host and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the CBS wartime sitcom M*A*S*H (1972–1983). He also wrote and directed numerous episodes of the series. But he's done a LOT of other things as well.

Alan Alda

12. The ten in "hang ten": TOES.  Prehensile TOES that is.  "Hang ten" is slang for any of several maneuvers used in sports where all ten toes or fingers are used to accomplish the maneuver. In basketball it's hanging on the hoop after dunking the ball.   In surfing, the sport it's most commonly associated with, it's also called "nose riding", as it's done by perching on the very front of the surfboard ...

"Hanging ten"
How does she do that!!!?

13. Split __: ENDS.

18. [Theme clue]

22. Burro: ASS.  And the origin of the word burrito (the clue not the fill!)

25. Chew (on): GNAW.

26. Lav: LOO.  British slang.

28. [Theme clue].

30. Cubs or Bears: TEAM.

31. Juno's Greek counterpart: HERA.  While HERA and JUNO played the same role in Roman and Greek mythology, they were very different goddesses.

Hera vs. Juno

32. Cry loudly: SOB.

33. "-zoic" periods: ERAS. Here is simplified chart of Earth's geological ERAS, courtesy of the British Geological Survey ...

Nowadays when people hear the word ERAS they're more likely to think of this (Ms Swift has better PR men than the geologists😀) ...

34. No more than: MERE.  Could also be clued as "French for Mother".

36. Extra charge: FEE.

38. Advent mo.: DEC.  It can actually begin in late NOV. --  Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas (always falling between 27 November and 3 December), and ends on Christmas Eve on 24 December.  It is the beginning of the liturgical New Year.

41. Yarn: TALE.

44. Dubai's fed.: UAE.  Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the country's seven emirates.

48. Madison in NYC: AVE.

50. Axle coating: GREASE.  Messy.  How about a 1978 film about a sheila from Down Under who becomes hopelessly devoted to an American greaser instead? ...

52. Pay to play, e.g.: RHYME.

54. Food Network chef De Laurentiis: GIADA. Giada Pamela De Laurentiis is an Italian American chef, entrepreneur, writer, and television personality. She was the host of Food Network's program called Giada at Home (2008–2015) .  Here's her recipe for Pasta with chicken and broccoli rabe.

Giada De Laurentiis

55. Less friendly: ICIER.

56. "Canadian tuxedo" fabric: DENIM.  So why is it called a "Canadian tuxedo"?

57. "Dang!": DRAT.

58. Many a viral post: MEME.  The word MEME is a portmanteau of mime and gene and first appeared in a book by biologist Richard Dawkins.  Here was Dawkins' first attempt, but for some reason it didn't go viral ...

59. Level: EVEN.

61. Peck: BUSS. Often seen in PDAs.

63. __ de Janeiro: RIO.  Sadly, last year we lost Astrud Gilberto, an icon of RIO culture.  Here she is singing Stan Getz's arrangement of The Girl from Ipanema ...

65. Cruet liquid: OIL.

Cheers,
Bill

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

waseeley

Sunday December 10, 2023 Amie Walker & Hoang-Kim Vu

Theme: "Gains" - Five different muscles are inserted in to each common phrase.

24. Nearly fails Poseidon's shop class?: BARELY MAKES A TRIDENT. Barely makes a dent.

36. Karaoke outing that won't allow Aretha's classic song?: RESPECTLESS NIGHT. Restless night.

57. Time in the Peace Corps?: SERVICE ABROAD. Service road.

63. The x- or y-axis, perhaps?: END OF QUADRANT. End of rant.

83. Request to an ophthalmologist on a busy afternoon?: DILATE ANOTHER DAY. Die Another Day.

101. "Use all your strength!," or an alternate title for this puzzle?: PUT SOME MUSCLE IN TO IT.

TRI is used. I wonder why BI is not used. Then the reveal could be the title. We'd have a more muscly puzzle.

Across:

1. "Couldn't agree more!": AMEN.

5. Tapenade, e.g.: DIP.

8. Pride __: FLAG.

12. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB. We have Star Trib here.

16. Forum robe: TOGA.

17. Bread with falafel: PITA.

18. Princess Tiana costume topper: TIARA.

19. Taiga or tundra: BIOME.

20. Collage of fabric swatches, paint chips, etc.: MOOD BOARD. 

22. Birch kin: ALDER.

23. Send payment: REMIT.

27. Considerate of others: POLITE.

28. Iowa State town: AMES.

29. Activity in a humidified room: HOT YOGA. So many nice fill in this grid.

30. Corp. leader: CEO.

31. Monopoly pair: DICE.

33. Desertlike: ARID.

35. "What's the __?": USE.

41. Twirl: SPIN.

45. Some saxes: ALTOS.

46. __ Eisley: spaceport in the "Star Wars" universe: MOS.

 

47. Take to court: SUE.

48. __ Island: RHODE.

49. Harris, e.g., informally: VEEP.

50. Shout at the slots: I WON.

52. Best Original Song, e.g.: OSCAR. 116. 52-Across honoree for "Fight for You": HER.

54. Gretzky, once: OILER. Boomer used to have his rookie cards. And Mantle's. He had lots of stories of "I wish I kept his cards."

55. Blunder: ERR.

56. Nursing __: BRA.

60. Close securely: SEAL.

61. High card, often: ACE.

62. Skeptical expression: IS IT.

69. Fizz liquor: GIN.

70. Weeding tool: HOE.

73. Native New Zealander: MAORI.

74. Numbered clubs: IRONS.

75. Pound sound: WOOF.

77. "The Powerpuff Girls" voice actress Strong: TARA. She voiced Bubbles.

78. With 79-Across, entry in the periodic table's last column: INERT. 79. See 78-Across: GAS.

80. Auction action: BID.

81. Gets, as a job: LANDS.

82. Flushed: ROSY.

88. Curling surface: ICE.

90. "I Will Wait" band Mumford & __: SONS.

91. Io or Europa, for Jupiter: MOON.

92. NCAA champion swimmer Thomas: LIA. First openly transgender athlete to win the title.

93. Clipped: SHEARED.

97. Hurt feelings?: PAIN.

99. Pot sticker kin: WONTON. I like plain wonton.

105. Problems for pipes or PR firms: LEAKS.

106. Insertion mark: CARET.

107. Carrot, so to speak: INCENTIVE.

110. Penn pals?: IVIES. 111. Locale for llamas: ANDES. 2. Low in the field: MOO. And 5. Talk of the town?: DIALECT. All nice clues.

112. Alum: GRAD.

113. Library offering: LOAN.

114. Relayed: TOLD.

115. Long-standing rivalry: FEUD.

117. Fangorn Forest beings: ENTS.

Down:

1. Note dispenser: ATM.

3. Bit of self-promotion?: EGO BOOSTER. Great fill/clue as well.

4. Federer rival: NADAL.

6. "Nice job!" reply: I TRY.

7. Lakshmi who wrote the children's book "Tomatoes for Neela": PADMA. She used to host "Top Chef".

8. Enters one by one: FILES IN.

9. Chaps: LADS.

10. Zone: AREA.

11. Brooks of country music: GARTH.

12. Colorful garment that might feature a peace sign: TIEDYE SHIRT.

13. Shakespeare character in the lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Love Story": ROMEO.

14. Chatting online, for short: IMING. Question: "What would you like for Christmas?" Me: "Ventilator". I meant "snorkel" but I forgot how to say it in English.

15. Bright aquarium fish: BETTA.

17. Wax finish?: POETIC. Wax poetic.

18. "Any __?": "Who's in?": TAKERS.

19. Brolly carriers: BRITS.

21. "Say Yes to the Dress" figures: BRIDES.

25. Stockpile: AMASS.

26. Sound defeat: ROUT.

27. Mixology tool: PEELER.

30. Desire: CRAVE. Had a sore throat for a few days. Sure wish I had some frozen durian. My mouth is watering just looking at this picture.

32. Pal of Big Bird and Julia: ELMO.

34. Decathlon equipment: DISCI.

37. Fizzy drink: POP.

38. Ages and ages: EONS.

39. Avocado dish, for short: GUAC.

40. "Wish me luck!": HERE I GO.

42. Casual top: POLO.

43. Brainchild: IDEA.

44. Geeky type: NERD.

48. Batman's boy friend: ROBIN.

50. Modern location of Nineveh: IRAQ.

51. Evil doppelgänger in the Mario games: WALUIGI.

52. Some apex predators: ORCAS.

53. Reindeer pal of Olaf the snowman: SVEN.

56. Suit well: BEFIT.

58. Pocket: EARN.

59. Skeptical expression: AS IF.

60. "Didn't mean to open that can of worms": SORRY I ASKED. Another great fill.

63. Mideast title: EMIR.

64. Prefix between micro and pico: NANO.

65. "Easy __ it": DOES.

66. __ Sea: former endorheic lake: ARAL.

67. Rice pancakes served with sambar and chutney: DOSAS. Looks tasty.

68. Bed size: TWIN.

70. L'Occitane product: HAND LOTION. I've tried them all.

71. Appoint, as a rabbi: ORDAIN.

72. Undemanding class: EASY A.

76. Leslie __ Jr. of "Glass Onion": ODOM.

77. Roof goo: TAR.

80. Pho garnish: BASIL.

81. "Imagine" singer: LENNON.

83. View as: DEEM.

84. Heavy favorite: TOP SEED.

85. Passes, as legislation: ENACTS.

86. Longtime luxury sedan: TOWN CAR.

87. Partner of hollered: HOOTED.

89. Irritable: CROSS.

93. Share, as an appetizer: SPLIT.

94. Parte de un platillo "ranchero": HUEVO.

95. Online business: ETAIL.

96. Coffee choice: DECAF.

98. Whinny: NEIGH.

100. Proof of ownership: TITLE.

102. Thick tresses: MANE.

103. Lahore language: URDU.

104. Memo opener: IN RE.

108. Chocolate factory tub: VAT.

109. Nine Inch Nails quartet?: ENS. The letters in Nine Inch Nails. 

Been a long, surreal year since I lost Boomer. Tears still fall when I'm vacuuming his man cave, or walking on his favorite trails, or in the pool. I sob at odd moments, for odd reasons. I'll forever miss him.

C.C.

Monday September 25, 2023 Amie Walker

 Hello Cornerites!

Theme:        Hum a Few Bars  ♪ ♪ ♪

I am always happy to see Amie Walker's name on a puzzle. Today's is a good example of her talents. There is more to unpack here than on a typical Monday. (Note:  You might want to pause here and top off your beverage of choice.)

Amie is playing with two music-related words in unexpected ways. The two words are LINE and BARS.

A line of a song is a lyric. We have 3 lines from the song Get Down Tonight by KC and The Sunshine Band (1975). Amie adds an extra layer by including the word "line" in the clues for three long fills. Each time, we get a different meaning for the word "line" plus none of those meanings correspond to its musical definition.

20 Across. Conga line?: DO A LITTLE DANCE.

"Line" is a queue of people. "Conga" is the "dance".

36 Across. Neck line?: MAKE A LITTLE LOVE.

"Line" is a fashion feature that accentuates the wearer's body or a garment's detail. "Neck" is "necking" a.k.a. making out.

47 Across. Party line?: GET DOWN TONIGHT.

"Line" is the 'official message' of a particular group. "Party" is a group of revelers.

Fair enough, but what about the unifier(s)? This is where the puzzle truly became fun. 

62 Across. With 63-Across, 1970s nightclubs, or, in another sense, what 20-, 36-, and 47-Across are?: DISCO.

63 Across. See 62-Across: BARS.

In music theory, bar is another word for 'measure'. It contains a specific number of beats played at a particular tempo. They are called BARS because of the vertical lines that separate them along a musical staff. Think of the old joke, "No, but if you hum a few BARS...." Here is an example where both BARS have four beats.

Finally, Amie uses DISCO BARS in two ways. One is the 'nightclub' sense in the clue. The other is what I have been trying to build up to. The LINES in the long fills are BARS from the DISCO song, Get Down Tonight. They are another type of DISCO BARS. Whew! I told you there was a lot to unpack today! This would have been a good one for JzB. Are you ready for the song now?  

Before we move on to the other clues, I want to add that the length of the long fills makes this puzzle a Monday level fit. Once you've parsed the theme, you can fill in a lot (28%) of the squares. On the other hand, if you are not familiar with this song, the level moves a few days forward in the week.

Across:
1. Field of study: AREA.  and  9 Down. Field of study, perhaps: SITE.

[Fun clecho #1]

5. Lumps: CLODS.  If your AREA of study is archaeology, you might sift through CLODS at your work SITE.  

visit this archaeological SITE

10. "Wheel of Fortune" option: SPIN.  Contestants have three options:  SPIN the wheel, buy a vowel, or solve the puzzle.

14. Music genre for Jill Scott: SOUL.  This is Jill Scott.

15. Asian capital whose opera house is modeled on Paris's Palais Garnier: HANOI.  I like clues that teach us a little something extra.  

HANOI (lt) and Paris (rt)

16. Drive-__ ATM: THRU.

17. Italian dish, familiarly: PARM.  PARMigiana  9 Things you can "PARM" from the Food Network

18. Lopsided: ATILT.  Def:  in a tilted or inclined position.

19. Corner chess piece: ROOK.  a.k.a. castle  

Once again Colin found himself stuck between a 'Rook' and a hard place.

23. Resource in Catan: ORE.  Huh?

Catan, previously known as The Settlers of Catan or simply Settlers, is a board game for (generally) 3-4 players. It was designed by Klaus Teuber and was first published in 1995 in Germany. Players take on the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources.  

24. Woolly moms: EWES.  Fortunately for us XWD bloggers, there are plenty of sheep cartoons on the internet.

25. Cantina fare: TACOS.  A "cantina" is a type of bar common in Latin America and Spain. I am reminded of Rosie's Cantina in the song, El Paso, written by Marty Robbins. This is a a pepped-up cover by the Old 97's (1999). 

My favorite LINE:  I caught a good one. He looked like he could run. ♪

28. Prepare to advance after a fly ball: TAG UP.  In baseball, when a batter hits a fly ball and a fielder catches it, base runners have to go back to the base they were at when the play started and TAG UP before they can run to the next base. It gets exciting in the event the fielder botches the catch. Of course if there are already two outs, the runner should just go like the wind.  

In this 'fly ball' video, things are complicated by the infield fly rule. The announcer explains that "Bonds was immediately out" but it would have been helpful if he also explained that this meant there was no longer a force play at home so they needed to tag the runner.

I like how the runner did a don't-mind-me sneak around to step on the plate.

31. Radio host John: TESH.  He was born on July 9, 1952 on Long Island. In 1990, he wrote the NBA on NBC theme song.  Here it is:

32. Cinnamon-scented seasonal decor: PINECONES (also PINE CONES).  I love it when stores overpower me with cinnamon PINE CONES near the entrance!

Kudos to Amie for this 9-letter horizontal fill, along with its symmetrical partner at 39A.

39. "No, really!": I'M SERIOUS.  

a very young Val Kilmer (left) (35 sec.)

Real Genius (1985)

40. MGM co-founder: LOEW.  Marcus LOEW and Louis B. Mayer founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. on April 17, 1924. LOEW died three and a half years later from a heart attack at 57-years-old.

41. Many "Saved by the Bell" characters: TEENS.  Ranker puts Saved by the Bell at #11 for The Best Teen Comedy Series Every Made.

42. Chores: TASKS.

44. Heckling chorus: BOOS.  

46. Cozy spot: DEN.  and  33 Down. Cozy spot: NOOK.

[Fun clecho #2]

54. Bruno Mars's birthplace: OAHU.  and  56 Across. Floral garlands: LEIS.  

Born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985 in Honolulu, HI,
Bruno has 31 Grammy nominations and 15 wins.

55. Squirrel away: HOARD.  

58. World Cup cheers: OLES.

59. Cosmic path: ORBIT. Thanks for the Science fill, Amie! It gives us an opportunity to catch up on what is happening with cislunar space.  

L1 and L2 are Legrange points.

60. Froyo topping option: OREO.  This feels a bit awkward in the singular.

61. Saucy: PERT.  

Down:
1. Egyptian cobra: ASP.

2. Fork locale: ROAD.  Homonyms are great for misdirection. It is not the fork located next to your dinner plate.

another tricky homonym

3. Greek currency: EURO.  Greece joined the EU in 1981. It adopted the EURO in 2001 in time to be among the first wave of countries to launch EURO banknotes and coins on January 1, 2002. Prior to that, it's national currency was the drachma (1833-2002).

4. __ mater: ALMA.  Def.:  the school, college or university that one once attended.

It is a Latin phrase that literally means "nourishing/bounteous mother".

5. Dining set array: CHAIRS.

6. Cupful with steamed milk: LATTE.

7. "I got this!": ON IT.

8. Mermaid Barbie, for one: DOLL.  

She has rainbows and a sparkly tiara!!

10. Informal surveys: STRAW POLLS.  My informal definition is "an unofficial vote to determine which way the group is leaning."

11. Device not allowed during a family meal, maybe: PHONE.  and  45 Down. Significant __: OTHER.

Have you heard of "phubbing"? It is a portmanteau made from the words "phone snubbing" and is the act of ignoring a companion in favor of using a smartphone. Not cool, dude!

12. Some Camaros: IROCS.  Someone on The Corner used to have one but I do not remember whom it was.

13. Heat in a microwave: NUKE.  

And I thought nuclear weapons were a 20th century invention.

21. Bathroom, to a Brit: LOO.

22. Low card: DEUCE.

25. One of 32 in the NHL: TEAM.  The NHL's 2023-24 regular season begins on Tuesday, October 10.  more info

26. Queries: ASKS.

27. Residue from an orange snack: CHEETO DUST.  Its official name is "Cheetle". (No, really. I'M SERIOUS. I did not make that up.)

30 sec. TV commercial

28. Welliver of "Bosch" and "Bosch: Legacy": TITUS.  his IMDb page

29. Pantry pests: ANTS.  

Oh, "pantry",  not "pants" !

30. Solidify: GEL.

31. Brief "Yikes, didn't need that in my brain": TMI.  Too Much Information  

32. Subatomic particle: PION.  Hand up for atOm first.

an explanation of PION that I can understand

34. Present-wrapping nights, for procrastinators: EVES.  Hmmmm...... We might be trying too hard with this one. It would be uncommon to wrap presents on the non-Christmas EVES.

35. Work with a needle and thread: SEW.

37. "Am not!" retort: ARE SO.

38. Fib: LIE.

42. Take care of: TEND TO.

43. "The Phantom Menace" boy: ANI.  This was a nickname for the Star Wars:  Episode I -- The Phantom Menace character, Anakin Skywalker.

44. Memphis street of blues fame: BEALE.  website

46. Greek column style: DORIC.  

  

47. Slime: GOOP.  and  51 Down. Lump: GLOB.

48. "__'ve thunk it?": WHO'D.  WHO woulD haVE

"Thunk" was a hint at slang. The apostrophes represent missing letters.

49. Sushi seaweed: NORI.  

This pic shows sushi before being rolled up.
In this case, the NORI is under the rice so it will become the outside of the roll (maki style).
The bamboo mat helps with the rolling.

50. Guitar player's aid: TABS.  Pick?  bzzt.  Capo?  bzzt.

Guitar TABS are a way of writing music that tells finger positions on strings as opposed to telling chords.  Here is an example:  

The 6 horizontal lines represent a guitar's 6 strings.
A zero means to play it "open".

52. Wife of Zeus: HERA.

53. Level: TIER.

57. Call for help repeated in the Police's "Message in a Bottle": SOS.  It is only fitting we end this on a musical note.  

The Police, from their 2nd studio album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979)

"I'll send an SOS to the world. I'll send an SOS to the world."

Here's the grid:

Thanks for sticking with me on this one! I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts!