Sunday May 3, 2026 Ben Wildman-Tobriner & Shaun Phillips

 Theme: "PERIODIC UPDATES" - The chemical element in each common phrase is replaced by its periodic table symbol. 

 22. Upside found periodically in a bad situation?: AG LINING. Silver lining. 

29. Queen singer played periodically by Rami Malek?: FREDDIE HG. Freddie Mercury. 

46. Cary Grant film that airs periodically on classic movie channels?: AS AND OLD LACE. Arsenic and Old Lace

41. Baking ware that's only used periodically?: MUFFIN SN. Muffin tin. 

96. Dickens novel that's only read periodically?: DAVID CUFIELD. David Copperfield. 

100. Perfect stand-up material performed periodically?: COMEDY AU. Comedy gold. 

115. Hairstyling device applied periodically?: CURLING FE. Curling iron.

124. Periodically prone to breaking the speed limit?: PB-FOOTED. Lead-footed. 

Reveal:

 69. Advantage in some situations, or an alternate title for this puzzle: ELEMENT OF SURPRISE.

This is a very straightforward symbol substitution theme. The constructors probably spent more time on the theme cluing then finding the theme set. 

Constructor Ben Wildman-Tobriner is also an Olympic swimmer. See this Wikipedia page.  He won a gold medal as part of the world-record 4x100 freestyle relay, one of the most exciting relays ever.  In the heats, he swam alongside Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, and Matt Grevers. Adrian and Jones also swam in the final, along with Michael Phelps and Jason Lezak. 

Across:

1. Cheerful: GLAD.

5. Wrigley product: GUM.

8. Ocean liner?: COAST. Literally. 

13. Brazilian coins: REALS.

18. Govern: RULE.

19. Inspired by: A LA.

20. Per __: CAPITA.

21. Kaitlin of "High Potential": OLSON. She also voiced the whale shark Destiny in "Finding Dory".

24. On the wrong path: ASTRAY.

25. Shelter org.: ASPCA.

26. __ turtle: SEA.

27. Fills with love: ENAMORS.

31. "Come on now!": PSHAW.

33. In the past: EARLIER.

35. Takes a rideshare: UBERS.

36. MLB stat: RBI.

38. Flavor of many a bright green martini: SOUR APPLE.  Granny Smith is the only sour apple I can think of.

51. Due-in hr.: ETA.

52. Parroted: ECHOED.

54. Swimmer's wear: CAP.

55. Midsize car: SEDAN.

56. Word: TERM.

58. Clutched: HELD.

59. Must pay: OWES TO.

62. Pagoda instrument: GONG. You can visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, very close to my childhood home. 

63. Fancy tie: ASCOT.

65. Tyler of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?": AISHA.

67. Anise aperitif: OUZO.

75. Beauty aisle brand: OLAY. Been into CeraVe the past few years. 

76. Dorm digs: SUITE.

77. Coins of the realm?: PENCE.  Kingdom "realm".

80. Basketball stuff: DUNK.

83. Civil rights icon Mandela: NELSON.

86. Olaf's creator in "Frozen": ELSA.

89. Udder part: TEAT.

90. Physicist Newton: ISAAC.

92. __ Quixote: DON.

93. Bee keeper: APIARY.

95. "Rocky III" actor: MR T.

102. Portrayal: DEPICTION.

104. "What a treat!": YAY.

105. "All the Light We Cannot See" novelist Anthony: DOERR. He won a Pulitzer Prize for the book. 

108. Perseveres with: KEEPS AT.

111. Warms: HEATS.

118. Like tiramisu and cannoli: ITALIAN.

120. Letter before sigma: RHO.

121. Desert near the Sinai Peninsula: NEGEV. Abraham lived in and moved through the Negev.

122. Victory celebration: PARADE.

126. Elevator stop, in Paris: ETAGE. French for "floor".

127. Fit to be farmed: ARABLE.

128. Chart topper: HIT.

129. Rae who plays President Barbie in "Barbie": ISSA.

130. Broadway awards: TONYS.

131. Bristlelike grippers on gecko feet: SETAE. Learned from doing crosswords.

132. Batteries in some remotes: AAS.

133. Soapmaking supplies: LYES.

Down:

1. Clutch: GRASP.

2. Olympic sleds: LUGES.

3. God of Islam: ALLAH.

4. Agnus __: DEI. Lamb of God.

5. Choice when the Tide runs out?: GAIN. Detergent. 

6. Lower arm bones: ULNAE.

7. Pre-eruption lava: MAGMA.

8. Conspirator in "Julius Caesar": CASSIUS.  He was the brother-in-law of Brutus. There are total 60 conspirators. We also have 79. "Not you too!": ET TU.

9. Go (for): OPT.

10. Carrier whose primary hub is Charles de Gaulle: AIR FRANCE.

11. Headliner: STAR.

12. Diggs of "All American": TAYE. He was married to our crossword regular Idina Menzel for many years. 

13. Surfaces that hold tracks and ties: ROADBEDS.

14. Borden mascot: ELSIE.

15. In accordance with: AS PER.

16. Scottish waters: LOCHS.

17. Hiccup: SNAG.

20. Bunch of clowns, maybe: CARLOAD. I like the visual image in this clue.

23. Greenhorn: NEWBIE.

28. RN workplaces: ORS.

30. Boring: DULL.

32. Shelter sound: ARF.

34. Significant stretch: ERA.

37. Inseam unit: INCH.

39. BlackBerrys, e.g.: Abbr.: PDAS.

40. Can opener: POP TOP.

41. Like a movie making fun of its own plot holes: META.

42. Great Basin people: UTES.

43. Mockery: FARCE.

44. __ shed: SHE.

45. Sports podcaster Katie: NOLAN. Wikipedia says she won a Sports Emmy Award in 2016 for her podcast Garbage Time with Katie Nolan.

47. The 587-piece Pok mon Eevee, e.g.: LEGO SET.

48. Big fuss: ADO.

49. "You __ do it!": CAN.

50. Cornwall lang.: ENG.

53. Exchange words?: EDIT.

57. Fifth-largest Hawaiian island: MOLOKAI.

59. "What a treat!": OH FUN.

60. "Now, where __?": WAS I.

61. Team's adjective: OUR.

64. Business card no.: TEL.

66. Only OK: SO SO.

68. Oomph: ZIP.

70. Fellow: MAN.

71. Got the measure of: EYED UP.

72. The Miners of the NCAA: UTEP.

73. Museum piece: RELIC.

74. Syndrome in "The Incredibles," e.g.: ENEMY. He's the archenemy of Mr. Incredible. Learning moment for me.

78. Model Delevingne: CARA.

80. Pulled off: DID.

81. Mex. neighbor: USA.

82. Pt. of USNA: NAV.

84. Lacking sharp sound quality, briefly: LO-FI.

85. Ridicule: SNICKER AT.

87. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO.

88. Military force: ARMY.

91. Features of PC towers, once: CD DRIVES.

93. Rescue dog, e.g.: ADOPTEE.

94. "Hard pass": YEAH NO.

97. Home of the Large Hadron Collider: CERN. The European Organization for Nuclear Research. Based in Geneva.

98. Summer in la cit : ETE.

99. Go unused: LIE IDLE.

101. Give some shade?: DYE. Ha. I just pluck the white hair if I see one. Often I pluck the wrong strand.  

103. Intel org.: NSA.

105. As a result of: DUE TO.

106. Church instrument: ORGAN.

107. John Milton's "Lycidas," for one: ELEGY.

109. Letter before beta: ALPHA.

110. Lower leg bone: TIBIA.

112. Like many indie films: ARTSY.

113. "If __ walls could talk ... ": THESE.

114. Bar mixers: SODAS.

115. Tech news site: CNET.

116. College figs.: GPAS.

117. Grub: FARE.

119. Times before eves, in classified ads: AFTS. Afternoons.

123. Legal org.: ABA.

125. Snake __: OIL.

C.C.

Friday November 14, 2025 Ben Wildman-Tobriner & Stephanie Wildman

MalMan needed one more week off, so the call went out for RustyBrain. The call is similar to the Bat-Signal except it's shaped like a brain, which unfortunately looks like a blob in the sky. Never going to be iconic.

Ben Wildman-Tobriner and his mother Stephanie Wildman aren't as wild as their name implies in this, their LAT debut. In fact, they display their fine upbringing and good manners by doffing their hats when in proper company - which all of us are (except me, of course).

39A. Genteel gesture, or what can be found five times in this puzzle: TIP OF THE HAT. The revealer tells us that each themer is a type of hat that "tips" (is bent at the end and continues downward). Between the beginning of the answer and it's matching unclued down, that's 10 lines - a lot of real estate for a theme. Add in the revealer, and we're up to 11 on a weekday grid. To their credit, Ben and Stephanie did a good job of keeping dreck to a minimum, and even added a GUITAR SOLO! A TIP OF THE HAT to you both and I hope to see more from you. 

1A. Headgear often worn by Kate Middleton: FASCI. Along with 5D. -: INATOR. FASCINATOR. The word FASCINATOR comes from the Latin word "fascinare," meaning to "enchant" or "captivate." It apparently worked like a charm as she snagged a future king!

6A. Headgear worn by Abraham Lincoln: STOV. Along with 9D. -: VEPIPE. STOVEPIPE. In addition to splitting logs, Abe repaired potbelly stove flues. He needed a new hat one day, and the rest is history.

10A. Headgear often worn on Easter: BONN. Along with 13D. -: NET. BONNET. A little bit (or a lot) of springtime in every BONNET. Bees are optional.

48A. Headgear worn at graduation: MORTAR. Along with 49D. -: RBOARD. MORTARBOARD. When an apprentice mason became the first member of his guild to graduate from Oxford in the Middle Ages, the master of his shop took an old MORTARBOARD and created a hat for the occasion. Thus began the longest running tradition in the history of higher education. The second longest? "My dog ate my homework."

63A. Headgear worn by Captain Hook: TRICO. Along with 66. -: ORN. TRICORN. Growing up near Colonial Williamsburg, it was common to see costumed employees in their TRICORNs shopping at the supermarket. They mostly wore plain black hats, not gaudy ones like Captain Hook's.

I didn't know what a FASCINATOR was, so a "FASCI" as some odd headpiece didn't bother me much (I have no fashion sense). But the STOVEPIPE hat was obvious and the scheme was revealed. 

Hold on to your hat! Here we go...

Across:

1. [theme]

6. [theme]

10. [theme] Three themers in a row...that's a hat trick!

14. Investor Carl believed to have inspired the film character Gordon Gekko: ICAHN. Gordon "Money Never Sleeps" Gekko was portrayed by Michael Douglas in Wall Street.

15. Secret system: CODE.

16. "Voyage to India" Grammy winner: ARIE. India ARIE is an American singer/songwriter. She rose to fame after her 2002 debut album, Acoustic Soul, was nominated for seven Grammy awards, winning none. After "the worst snub in Grammy history," she was the most talked-about performer of the night and went on to stardom.

17. Salami type: GENOA.

18. Each: A POP. Just like 24D.

19. Bouncy tune: LILT. 

20. Show signs of life: STIR.

22. Rummage (through): RIFLE.

24. Place for large headlines: PAGE ONE. The largest headline font of the NYT, 96-point, has only been used for five major events in its history: the moon landing, Nixon's resignation, January 1, 2000, September 11th, and Barack Obama's election win. This is the first time, from July 21, 1969:

27. Support pieces: SPLINTS.

30. University extension: EDU. 

31. Underwriter's concern: RISK.

33. SoCal home of Soledad Church: EAST LA. Our Lady of Solitude, or Soledad Church, opened in 1925 in East Los Angeles. It is a cornerstone of the local Mexican/American community, but not particularly famous for a crossword clue. 

34. Sneak attack: RAID. You gotta sneak up on those buggers.

36. Nanny __: GOAT.

38. Fashion icon London: STACY. Even she has an occasional bad hair day...unless this is a new fashion trend. Sometimes it's hard to tell.

39. [theme]

42. Take down a notch: ABASE.

44. Top row center key: F-SIX. The function key F6 on a computer keyboard, but nobody knows what it does.

45. Weary sound: SIGH.

48. [theme]

50. Yard, for one: UNIT. 

52. Underground rock: ORE. The most famous underground rock:

53. Incorporates: ABSORBS.

55. Soft tissue: KLEENEX. Although often used to designate any facial tissue, KLEENEX is a registered trademark of Kimberly-Clark. When a brand becomes so widely recognized that its name is used to refer to the entire product category, it risks "genericization" and losing trademark protection. So, corporations must advertise aggressively to continually educate the public, or else lose the name like DuPont did with "cellophane."

57. Acrylic fiber: ORLON. DuPont learned their lesson with ORLON.

58. Phobia: FEAR. 

59. Preservative used for thousands of years: SALT.

61. Opera that premiered in Cairo: AIDA.

63. [theme]

67. Therapeutic plant: ALOE.

68. Nutrition figs.: RDAS. Recommended Dietary Allowances. 

69. Turbine part: ROTOR. Turban part: CLOTH. Some are parted in the middle.

70. Mental health concern at the VA: PTSD. At the Department of Veterans Affairs, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health condition that develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.

71. Fender blemish: DENT. Every DENT on a Fender tells a story and adds to it's mojo.

72. Welles who directed a radio adaptation of Wells: ORSON. I heard it went well.

Down:

1. Pear-shaped fruit: FIG. They have a similar appearance. 

2. Top club in Atlantic City?: ACE. *Winner* today's best clue.

3. __ Fernando Valley: SAN.

4. Opted for: CHOSE.

5. [theme]

6. Frightens away: SCARES OFF. I have a way with women...far away!

7. Dreidel, e.g.: TOP.

8. Smells: ODORS. This clue stinks.

9. [theme]

10. Ancient weapons that resemble giant crossbows: BALLISTAS.

11. Stretch for a new college student: ORIENTATION.

12. Love of soccer?: NIL. Love is zero in tennis, but it means nothing in soccer.

13. [theme]

21. Montoya of "The Princess Bride": INIGO. I barely recall the movie, but was surprised that INIGO Montoya was played by Mandy Paninkin. 

23. Instant: FLASH. Who remembers the Kodak Instamatic with its nifty FLASHcube?

24. Each: PER. A recluesive (my term for a clecho) of 18A.

25. Poet Limón: ADA. ADA is the first Latina to be named Poet Laureate of the United States by the Library of Congress.

26. Opportunities for shredders to shine: GUITAR SOLOS. A long-time friend has a music studio in his house, and a group of us meet there regularly for jam sessions. RightBrain calls it my "bowling night." Since we're just playing for our own amusement, GUITAR SOLOS abound. We're legends in our own minds! We have three guitarists but no full-time bassist. In this pic, it was my turn to play bass.

28. 1990s girl group: TLC. Having sold over 60 million records worldwide, TLC is one of the five best-selling American girl groups of all time. Their name is derived from the initials of their nicknames: Tionne"T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chili" Thomas. 

29. State: SAY.

32. Japanese cutlet: KATSU. 

KATSU

is a Japanese dish of crispy, fried cutlets that are coated with crunchy panko breadcrumbs. It's usually pork, but other meats like chicken are occasionally used.

35. Misrepresented: DISTORTED.

37. "Heads up!": THINK FAST.

40. Bit of wisdom: "A penny saved is a penny earned." At least it used to be.

41. Banish: EXILE.

42. Physicians' org.: AMA. American Medical Association.

43. Short cut: BOB. "How'd you get here so fast?" "I found a BOB."

46. Higher ed hurdle: GRE. Graduate Record Examinations.

47. Curse: HEX. 

49. [theme]

51. Italian opera house: TEATRO. "These are great seats, dear. May I borrow your opera glasses?"

54. Biting: SNIDE.

56. Subject of a pop-up: ERROR.

59. Exhaust: SAP. "We've exhausted our maple syrup and there's no more SAP!" 

60. Elev.: ALT. Elevation: ALTitude. Elevator: ALTernate to stairs.

62. Levy of Homes.com commercials: DAN. DAN starred alongside his real-life dad, Eugene Levi, in Schitt's Creek, a Canadian riches-to-rags comedy that won 111 awards (153 nominations). I liked it, too!

64. Word often edited to add or remove an apostrophe: ITS. ITS spelled wrong.

65. Dove's call: COO.

66. [theme]

All done at the drop of a hat!

Monday August 5, 2024 Shaun Phillips and Ben Wildman-Trobriner

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Today we are treated to another Olympic-themed puzzle. What a marvelous surprise! Theme:

USA  FTW!

Beginning with the four themed clues, we have:

16 Across. Performance in the center ring, e.g.: CIRCUS ACT.  

Three Ring Circus by Linda Mears

22 Across. Facetious "do not disturb" sign: GENIUS AT WORK.  This one was my favorite. 

some Wile E. for Charlie Echo

49 Across. Year-end feat for a star student: A-PLUS AVERAGE.  It took me a bit to parse the hyphen. I suppose that lowers my average.

60 Across. Leafy dish that may be topped with vegan ranch dressing: TOFU SALAD.  

recipe  (I would skip Step #2 to save time.)

The reveal is found in Row 8:

38 Across. Olympic delegation cheered on by the chant found in 16-, 22-, 49-, and 60-Across: TEAM USA.  

Bonus points to Shaun and Ben for finding phrases where USA spans two words.

Additional bonus points for including eleven Olympics-themed clues in the fill. I will note them as we go through the other clues. Just a warning, I am taking some liberties here.

Across:

1. Clock front: FACE.  Last Monday's reveal was ON THE CLOCK.

5. Genie's home: LAMP.

9. IRS form experts: CPAS.  "Internal Revenue Service" is abbreviated, so is "Certified Public Accounts".

13. Arkin of "Argo": ALAN.  (1934 - 2023). He was in a lot of notable movies. I wonder if our constructors chose Argo because they advocate alliteration.  #ItTakesOneToKnowOne

14. Genesis twin: ESAU.  He was the elder twin to brother, Jacob.

15. __ kebab: SHISH.  Its etymology is Turkish. The Western version is a dish of pieces of marinated meat and vegetables cooked and served on skewers. 

18. 1492 craft: PINTA.     and     20 Across. Ocean crossed by 18-Across: ATLANTIC.  

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean Blue.  

19. Barcelona bar bites: TAPAS.  another amusing alliteration

25. Splashy suits?: SPEEDOS.  [Olympic nod #1. They are seen in the swimming and diving competitions.]

28. "One Kiss" singer __ Lipa: DUA.  If you saw Barbie, you saw Dua in a cameo role, playing Mermaid Barbie. Additionally, her song Dance the Night is on the movie's soundtrack.  

29. Dressed (in): CLAD.  In the above picture, Dua Lipa is CLAD in a mermaid costume.

30. Beaver structures: DAMS.  Beavers are considered a keystone species because they create habitat for so many other animals. This is wonderful time-lapse video showing the wildlife attracted to a pond made from a beaver's DAM. It is from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. (5:41 min.) Look for the dates in the bottom, right-hand corner. It begins on 3/31/19 and goes through 4/20/20. At the end, there is a list of all the animals in order of appearance. Fittingly, the very first animal listed is Beaver Castor canadensis.   

33. Pride flag letters: LGBTQ.

37. "__ the land of the free ... ": O'ER.   [Olympic nod #2. You will hear it whenever the USA is awarded a gold medal.]

40. 38-Across gymnast Mary __ Retton: LOU.  [Olympic nod #3. She won five medals in gymnastics events at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angles.]

41. Hard-to-find guy: WALDO.  There are seven primary Where's Waldo? books and over 30 variations. The first Where's Wally? book was published in 1987 in the U.K.

43. Guitar clamp: CAPO.  Without a CAPO, the open strings on a guitar are E, A, D, G, B, and E. My teacher taught me the mnemonic Elephants And Donkeys Got Big Ears. Using a CAPO changes those notes, depending on where the CAPO is applied. It allows one to use familiar finger positions to play different chords.

44. 38-Across gymnast Lee: SUNI.  [Olympic nod #4.  Among her many achievements, Suni is on the 2024 USA Women's gold-medal winning gymnastics team.]

45. Dashboard stat: RPM.  "Statistic" is abbreviated, so is "Revolutions Per Minute".

47. Optometry exam: EYE TEST.  I had one the other day. I had to confess to my doctor that I was "meta-ing the test" because I could not tell if the second letter was an O or a D but I looked ahead and saw a for-sure D, so I knew the blurry letter must be an O.

54. Steakhouse order often served au jus: PRIME RIB.  

55. Old enough: OF AGE.  [Olympic nod #5. Have you noticed that the announcers tend to say, "At twenty years OF AGE" instead of "twenty years old"?]

59. __ of humor: SENSE.  

63. Cheered (on): EGGED.  I am fairly sure EGGing someone on is cheering them on to do a bad thing so no Olympic nod this time.

a crocodile hatching from and EGG
Its mother will stay nearby (to EGG it on?)
for several weeks to months.  more on crocodiles

64. Erelong: ANON.  Erelong is a hint that the answer is also archaic. Both are adverbs that mean "before long", "shortly", or "soon".  

65. "Blame It on the Bossa __": NOVA.  This song was a 1963 hit single for Eydie Gormé (1928-2013). (Mad Men fans might like this video.)

66. Flue grime: SOOT.  

67. U-shaped stringed instrument: LYRE.  

68. Checkout unit: ITEM.  

(Click to enlarge.)
Sometimes that is me on the right because I have not yet figured out how to
bag my own ITEMs and dig for my credit card at the same time.

Down:
1. Information that's easily verified: FACT.  

2. Shawkat of "Being the Ricardos": ALIA.  She was also in Arrested Development.  IMDb page

3. Gefilte fish fish: CARP.

4. Like some small pets: ENCAGED.  After being ENCAGED, the canary was ENrAGED so it ENgAGED an attorney.

5. "__ Misérables": LES.  [Olympic nod #6.  A French rendition of Do You Hear the People Sing? was in the Opening Ceremonies.]  

6. Fit __ fiddle: AS A.  Have you heard, "As fit as a brown trout"? Read more here.

7. Chinese region known as the "Las Vegas of Asia": MACAU.  Vegas vs. Macau

8. Final golf shots, usually: PUTTS.  [Olympic nod #7. "Golf first became an Olympic sport during the second edition of the modern Games, Paris 1900. It returned for the the 1904 Games in St. Louis, but then took a 112-year hiatus before finally returning to the Olympic program for Rio 2016." Golf Olympic History]  

9. Chitchat: CHIN-WAG.  Merriam-Webster labels this word as "chiefly British" and "informal". It means "a friendly conversation."

10. Spotted bean or horse: PINTO.  In the NE, we have PINTO crossing PINTA, which crossed the ATLANTIC.  

11. Showing signs of life: ASTIR.

12. Rustic cabin: SHACK.  

The B-52's  ~  Love Shack  ~  1989

15. Pancake flipper: SPATULA.

17. Like items at a consignment store: USED.

21. Boy: LAD.

23. Lymph __: NODE.

24. Physicist Newton: ISAAC.  I remember liking this book. I should re-read it. 

25. Flat-bottomed barge: SCOW.

26. Heartfelt request: PLEA.

27. Actor James __ Jones: EARL.  [Olympic nod #8. James Earl Jones narrated introductions to the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics.]

31. Sport in octagonal enclosures, for short: MMA.  Mixed Martial Arts

32. Word before hero or power: SUPER.

34. Red, white, and __: 38-Across's colors: BLUE.  [Olympic nod #9. These are the colors of  the American flag.]

I read once that "red, white, & blue" sounds odd to French people. They say, "blue, white, & red." Fair enough.  

35. Cargo capacity units: TONS.

36. Bow out: QUIT.

38. Athlete in lane four of an Olympic swim trial, for one: TOP SEED.  [Olympic nod #10. An Olympic pool has eight lanes. Lane #4 is preferred because it has less wave resistance. The swimmer with the best time in the preliminary heats merits Lane#4 in the finals. Read more here.]

39. Protein-rich bean: SOYA.

42. Percussionist's kit: DRUMSET.  Putting kit in the clue waved us off the preferred DRUMkit.

44. No Doubt lead singer Gwen: STEFANI.  Before she was on The Voice, Gwen was Just a Girl (1995), singing in a band called No Doubt.  

46. Tarnish: MAR.  like a reputation

48. Self-images: EGOS.

49. Church recesses: APSES.  

The round part is an APSE as viewed from the outside.

50. Spaghetti sauce brand: PREGO.

51. Shoptalk: LINGO.  

52. All-important: VITAL.  

a sign displaying human VITAL signs
(Click to enlarge.)

53. Tree with black wood: EBONY.  

56. "Thanks __!": A LOT.

57. __ birth to: GAVE.

58. Cheese similar to Babybel snacks: EDAM.  

61. The "F" of FWIW: FOR.  FOR What It's Worth

62. French one: UNE.  [Olympic nod #11. France is hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.]

Here is the grid:  

 

I "picked" these Black-Eyed Susans for you.
Enjoy your day!