Monday, July 22, 2024 Dan Caprera

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here to chat about Dan Caprera's puzzle. I spotted this gimmick from a mile away, making for an easy-breezy Monday solve.  

Theme:  

We have three well-chosen themed answers that BUILD up to the reveal. Circles are used to emphasize the progression.

18 Across. Common key in big band music: B-FLAT MAJOR.

I reached out to our own music man and Wednesday blogger JazzBumpa for some help with this one. Here is a song he suggested. It's a banger! I cannot stop listening to it!   

Race to the Bridge

26 Across. "Stop futzing with that!": LEAVE IT BE.  

48 Across. Actress who played Dorothy Zbornak on "The Golden Girls": BEA ARTHUR.  

(1922 - 2009)

Then the reveal:

60 Across. "The Stuff You Love" toy company, and what this puzzle's circled letters do: BUILD-A-BEAR.  

"Stuff you love"...cute!
I have never been to one of these stores. Have you?

Notice that B, BE, BEA, and BEAR can stand alone (as opposed to being a part of a longer word) and that they alternate between the beginnings and ends of the themers. Looking good, Dan!

Let's see what else we can find in today's grid:

Across:

1. "I would never!": AS IF.  Here is the line:

Alicia Silverstone in Clueless  (1995)  (16 sec.)

Clueless is a modern version of Jane Austin's 1815 novel, Emma.

5. Official decree: EDICT.

10. Fiber in some muffins: BRAN.  My Abstract Algebra professor, Dr. Clarke, made the best bran muffins! We would pack her office during office hours, snacking on her muffins.

14. Ending with hard or soft: -WARE.  computer words

15. Misrepresent: BELIE.  

16. Eastern priest: LAMA.

17. Self-images: EGOS.  This clue made me think of selfies.  

20. Tooth care specialist: DENTIST.

22. Catholic prayer beads: ROSARY.

23. Historic space station: MIR.

24. Not together: APART.     and     30 Across. Together: AS ONE.  fun pairing!

34. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.  

35. Sundae topper: CHERRY.  

37. Distant: FAR.

38. Plus: AND.

39. Large body of eau: MER.  Eau and mer are French words for water and sea, respectively.

40. Female sib: SIS.  "Sibling" is shortened, so is "SISter". I like it when my big bro calls and says, "Hi, SIS!"

41. Dog coat: FUR.    

There is an Old English Sheepdog under all this FUR.

42. "Curses upon thee!": FIE.  FIE is an interjection used to express disgust or disapproval.

43. Smaller than small: ATOMIC.  

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids  (1989)

starring Rick Moranis  (1:44 min.)

45. Houston MLBer: STRO.  CSO to our Houston peeps!

MLB is an abbreviation so Astro is shortened to STRO.

46. Spanish title: SEÑOR.

50. Computer hard drive headache: CRASH.  Friday's CrowdStrike CRASH -- Oof!

52. Mine extraction: ORE.

53. Open, as a banana: UNPEEL.  I will call foul on this one. No one says, "Can you please UNPEEL a banana for me?"  #wince

56. Weekend trip, e.g.: GETAWAY.  

63. Newborn's acquisition: NAME.  

Jim Croce with I Got a Name  (1973)

64. Kitchenware brand: EKCO.  Learning moment. Ekco Brands is the U.S. division of Vasconia Brands (Mexico's housewares leader in manufacturing and distribution).

65. "__ Mia!": ABBA musical: MAMMA.  

Dancing Queen  (1986)

Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, and Meryl Streep

66. Emulate some species of jellyfish: GLOW.  Jellies have no bones, brains, teeth, blood, or fins yet they are animals. This 2 min. video shows some bioluminescent species.  

67. Sit for a spell: REST.

68. Desert havens: OASES.

69. Part of BPOE: ELKS.  The Benevolent and Protective Order of ELKS was founded on February 16, 1868.

Down:
1. Picking one's jaw up off the floor: AWED.

2. Wise one: SAGE.

3. First heavy metal band to have a video air on MTV: IRON MAIDEN.  I included some Metallica last week so I will skip the heavy metal video this week.

4. Wearing red and green, perhaps: FESTIVE.  I like this clue...and this outfit!  

5. Recedes: EBBS.  The ocean EBBS and flows. I often go to the beach at low tide to collect sea glass.  

6. Nimble-fingered: DEFT.  

7. Not feeling too hot: ILL.  That's chill without the ch.  😜

8. U.S. spy org.: CIA.  "United States" is abbreviated, so is the "Central Intelligence Agency".

9. Colorful tropical fish: TETRA.  

10. Big explosions: BLASTS.  

11. Indian royal: RAJA.

12. Love, in Spanish: AMOR.

13. Quaint negative: NARY.  Def.:  (adj.) not any; not one.

19. Some eels: MORAYS.  Here is a 2:27 min. video entitled,  Facts:  The Moray Eel.  

21. Hot temper: IRE.

24. Actor Vigoda: ABE.  (1921-2016)

Here is Fish with Barney (Hal Linden, b. 1931) and Nick (Jack Soo, 1917-1979).
BTW, all good XWD names!
Interesting trivia:  Jack Soo was born Goro Suzuki. His birthplace is listed as
 "at sea; Pacific Ocean".

25. Former name of Iran: PERSIA.

26. Flips (through): LEAFS.  As a verb, LEAF means to turn over pages, especially to browse or skim.

27. "Rubber Duckie" Muppet: ERNIE.  

28. "Law & Order: SVU" co-star: ICE-T.

29. Pulsates: THROBS.

31. Bonkers: OFF THE WALL.     and     45 Down. Unusual: STRANGE.     and     58 Down. Helter-skelter: AMOK.

A mini-theme developed in the SE.

32. Tiny South Pacific nation: NAURU.  In 2022 its population was 12,668 people.

Click to enlarge.

33. Typo, e.g.: ERROR.  I got this one rite.

36. Costa __: San José's country: RICA.  San José was one of the first cities with electricity.  

I took this PIC of a piece of the Berlin Wall
displayed in one of San José's central parks.

39. Damaged: MARRED.

44. Just okay: MEH.  

47. Spotted wildcat: OCELOT.  OCELOT Fact Sheet

49. Biodegrade: ROT.  Both are verbs. We are more accustomed to the adjective biodegradable.

51. San Antonio mission: ALAMO.

53. Airport transport, for some: UBER.

54. Microwave, informally: NUKE.  

55. Photos: PICS.

56. Catan or Codenames: GAME.  Thank you for the reminder that Catan is a game! We see it in puzzles every once in a while but I struggle to remember its name.

57. Historical spans: ERAS.

59. Trees with pliable wood: YEWS.  One of the World's oldest surviving wooden artefacts is a yew spear head estimated to be around 450,000 years old.  Uses of YEW

61. "Shaun the Sheep" sound: BAA.  Shaun the Sheep is a stop-motion animated TV show from the U.K. It became available on Netfix in 2020. The show appeals to children and adults. Here is a 2:17 min. clip. Notice that they do not talk. That fact adds an extra layer to this fitting clue.  

62. Ambulance gp.: EMS.  Emergency Medical Services, more commonly known as EMS, is a system that responds to emergencies in need of highly skilled pre-hospital clinicians.  EMS.gov

In conclusion, here is today's grid:

Bonus:  I found this one while looking for BEAR memes:

Monday September 18, 2023 Dan Caprera

  

Hello Cornerites!

Constructor Dan Caprera is back with his 5th L.A. Times puzzle. He is known for fun and clever ideas. Let's see what he has dealt out for us today.

Theme:        Cut It Out  

There are four starred clues. Each has circles that draw attention to the first and last letters of the answers.

16 Across. *LGBT+ organization founded in 1990: QUEER NATION.  QUEEN

Queer Nation NY History page

24 Across. *"Chin up!": KEEP SMILING.  KING

36 Across. *Musical film about a convict who learns to play the guitar in prison: JAILHOUSE ROCK.  JACK  

Of course it was Elvis who played that convict in 1957. This was his third movie.

49 Across. *Completely unapproachable: AS COLD AS ICE.  ACE  

Foreigner sang about this in 1977 on their debut album.

Dan shows his hand with the unifier at

59 Across. Prepare a deck before dealing, and what the answers to the starred clues literally do: CUT THE CARDS.

The names of four playing cards (QUEEN, KING, JACK, and ACE) have been "cut" into two parts.

As they say, "Trust everybody but cut the cards." If you are not a card player, you might want to go here to learn about the how & why of cutting cards.

With that, we'll CUT to the chase and look at the other 73 clues....

Across:
1. Cheese __: Wisconsin snack: CURDS.  I tried these once when I visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Oregon. Did you know they squeak in your mouth? You can learn why they squeak and much, much more here.

6. October birthstone: OPAL.  

I looked at a few charts. There is some disagreement. Apparently this is not as standardized as I thought.
I suggest you buy the one you like best.

10. Solemn oath: VOW.  

13. Turner of "Game of Thrones": SOPHIE.  

This is SOPHIE and SOPHIE's GoT character, Sansa Stark.

14. Lymph __: immune system part: NODE.  You have lymph NODES throughout your body, including your neck, armpits, and groin. From the Mayo Clinic website:  They function as filters, trapping viruses, bacteria, and other causes of illness before they can infect other parts of your body.

15. Amazement: AWE.

18. Bumped into: MET.  "MET" can mean a first-time meeting or it can refer to an encounter with an established friend (both past-tense). Context is the key.

19. Bone parallel to the radius: ULNA.

20. __-mo replay: SLO.  

A Harlem Globetrotter gives a fan a SLO-mo high five. (47 sec.)

21. Open, as a keg: TAP.  and  17 Down. Keg filler: ALE.

23. Use an abacus, perhaps: ADD.  One year I taught a summer school elective course on using an abacus. My students and I became surprisingly proficient. It was fun plus it reinforced basic math concepts in a way that felt "new" so the students were not saying, "This again. Ugh."

29. Sample size?: TASTE.  Cute clue! Think 'Costco'.

31. The North Star: POLARIS.  Great fill, Dan!

NASA website's POLARIS page

32. Hi-__ graphics: RES.

34. Doja Cat genre: RAP.  

Doja Cat doing some gardening chores.

35. Mineral that adds shimmer to cosmetics: MICA.  According to the internet, there is controversy over this ingredient.

40. Glass unit: PANE.  Think windows, not martinis.

41. Name on a 1950s campaign button: IKE.  Since there are no abbreviations in the clue, we were not looking for initials.  

His made the list of Time Magazine's Top 10 Campaign Ads.

42. In a funk: SAD.  If you are in a funk, listening to this song might cheer you up!  

Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry (1976)

43. Part of a bedroom set: DRESSER.  furniture

45. Kidney-related: RENAL.  "RENAL" is an adjective whereas "kidney" is a noun.

news about pig kidney transplant

53. Egg cells: OVA.  "Cells" is plural so we needed the plural of "ovum".

You probably know that the largest ovum today would be an ostrich's egg, but did you know that they are the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird?

54. MyHeritage sample: DNA.  I have not done this. Have you?

55. Bonfire residue: ASH.  

Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) Marshall goes for a walk (1 min.)

featuring Tom Hanks & Kim Cattrall

56. Sink annoyance: DRIP.

57. Sci-fi vehicle: UFO.  "Science Fiction" is abbreviated, so is Unidentified Flying Object.  

63. Clever remark: MOT.  as in "bon MOT"

64. Reflex hammer's target: KNEE.

65. Literary comparison: SIMILE.  See 49A.

66. Body spray with a Dark Temptation scent: AXE.  a FAV among constructors and teenage boys

67. Transgressions: SINS.

68. Fresh: SASSY.  

Down:
1. Might've: COULDA.  Coulda Shoulda Woulda

2. Radically changes: UPENDS.

3. Actress Perlman: RHEA.  She might best be known for her role on the TV show Cheers.

1 minute of some of Carla's best burns

4. N, NE, or NNE: DIR.  DIRection

5. __ of humor: SENSE.

6. Leading the pack: ON TOP.  

The Leader of the Pack by The Shangri-Las (1964)

7. Finger food at luaus: POI.  dig in

8. "Much __ About Nothing": ADO.  Shakespeare

9. Soup legume: LENTIL.  I eat a lot of LENTILs. Here's why:  

10. Like some "What We Do in the Shadows" characters: VAMPIRIC.  I am unfamiliar with the show but "shadows" and a couple of perps hinted that the answer would have something to do with vampires.

11. Have an open tab, say: OWE.  not an iPAD TABlet

12. Not just damp: WET.  

13. Crouch down: SQUAT.

22. Très chic: À LA MODE.  Def:  (adjective)  1. Fashionable, stylish. 2. topped with ice cream 

a fashionable amphibian

 24. Topple (over): KEEL.  To KEEL over is to turn or upset so as to bring the wrong side or part uppermost. I am picturing a boat with the KEEL facing upwards. I had not thought of it that way before. In Hawaii, the word for overturning an outrigger canoe is to "huli". Also, chicken cooked on a rotisserie is called "huli huli chicken". It's a fun connection.

Another definition is to fall as in a faint.

25. Hot springs: SPAS.   They rhyme with "ahs". Coincidence?

26. Sulks: MOPES.

27. "The Last of Us" actor Offerman: NICK.  You might remember him as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation. Or maybe you've read his book.  

NICK is unlikely to huli his canoe.

28. Agcy. managing federal real estate assets: GSA.  General Services Administration  gsa.gov
I think they are usually closed on Mondays.

30. Tests for fit: TRIES ON.  

33. __ away from: SHIED.

34. Actress McClanahan: RUE.

36. Pickle containers: JARS.  I like gherkins.

37. Often-amusing story: ANECDOTE.  

Sometimes this word is confused with "antidote".

38. Gumbo thickener: OKRA.

39. Hard to come by: RARE.   12 of the RAREst things on Earth (fixed) I have seen #3 at the Honolulu Zoo and I have grown #7 in my garden.

40. Tech replaced by smartphones: PDA.  Personal Digital Assistant

The Golden Age of PDAs was roughly 1992 to 2007.

44. Trousers: SLACKS.

46. Former "All Things Considered" host Michele: NORRIS.  ATC website

I recently read current host Mary Louise Kelly's book, It. Goes. So. Fast. It is mostly about work/life balance but she does tell a few stories about hosting this NPR program.

47. With zeal: AVIDLY.  a good thing

48. Run out, as insurance: LAPSE.  not a good thing

50. Fills fully: SATES.

51. "Kinda": -ISH.

52. Game with grandmasters: CHESS.  

56. River blockers: DAMS.  Here is a 2:30 min. video showing beavers building dams. So cute!!

57. Actress Thurman: UMA.  Here's UMA's dance scene with John Travolta in Pulp Fiction (1994). IMHO, few are in John Travolta's league when it comes to movie dance scenes...Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Urban Cowboy, Pulp Fiction, plus plus.

58. Crafty one: FOX.

60. Mono- kin: UNI-.  Both are prefixes indicating "one".

61. X, at times: TEN.  Roman numeral

The cost of joining the Roman Numeral Society is exactly $499. They wouldn't let me in because I did not have ID.

62. Spy-fi org.: CIA.  

This is the completed grid. I liked that there was a little 'meat' in the SE today.

Now it's time for me to cut out and let you do the talking!

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

I made today's Atlas Obscura "Get So Emotional" puzzle. Click here to solve.

It's edited by Samir Patel, the editor-in-chief of Atlas Obscura.

 

Monday April 3, 2023 Dan Caprera

  

Hello Cornerites! Welcome to the first Monday in April!

Mama Mia! Today's constructor Dan Caprera has given us a Wicked fun puzzle enjoyed by solvers from Oklahoma! to Chicago to the South Pacific to Hamilton, Ontario. Yes, The Sound of Music from A Chorus Line was ringing in my ears as The King and I, along with the other Guys and Dolls, worked our way through the clues. We plan to thank The Producers by sending them a case of Spamalot and perhaps a pair of Kinky Boots.

You guessed it! Our theme today is        Broadway Shows

James Cagney performing Give My Regards To Broadway

from the musical Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).

Let's take an intermission and look at the 4 themed entries:

16 Across. *Vigorous effort: ELBOW GREASE.

noun

INFORMAL

1. hard physical work, especially vigorous polishing or cleaning.

   "you should be able to get the rust off with a wire brush and elbow grease"

23 Across. *"Last Week Tonight" host: JOHN OLIVER.  

Comedian, actor, and writer JOHN OLIVER hosts this HBO show.
It airs at 11 p.m. on Sunday nights. Oof!

38 Across. *Winter transports with treads: SNOCATS. "SNOCAT" is a portmanteau of "snow" and "Caterpillar", as in the tractor company. The name originated from a 1946 trademark by Tucker Sno-Cat corporation. They can be used for plowing; grooming mountains and trails; creating snow terrain parks and obstacle courses; and transporting passengers across snow-covered areas.  

49 Across. *Come out on top, but just barely: WIN BY A HAIR. This idiom and "win by a nose" mean to defeat one's opponent by a very narrow margin.

Why would these seemingly disparate things be in the same puzzle? Let's look at the reveal:

61 Across. Dazzling theater performance, and what the answer to each starred clue literally has: SHOWSTOPPER.  The Broadway shows GREASE, OLIVER, CATS, and HAIR are all dazzling theater performances. Furthermore, the titles are at the end of the starred clues so each starred clue actually STOPs with a show.

Well done, Dan!

Across:

1. Abrasion a tot may call an "owie": SCRAPE.  A Hello Kitty band-aid will make it feel better.

7. __-mo: instant replay technique: SLO.

10. Cauldron: VAT.  a large tank or tub used to hold liquid, especially in industry.

Batman (1989)

Michael Keaton (Batman) and Jack Nicholson (The Joker)

have it out over a VAT of industrial goop at Axis Chemicals (1:41 min.)

13. Wobble: TEETER.  Does anyone remember these toys?

Weebles Wobble but they don't fall down. ♪♪♪

14. Stretch across: SPAN. and 7 Down. Barcelona's country: SPAIN.

The Camino de Santiago SPANs a good portion of northern SPAIN.

Has anyone read I'll Push You ?

15. Wedding promise: I DO.  I heard recently that people are using ChatGPT to write their "personal" wedding vows.  😂

18. Dairy farm animal: COW.  

Check out their tally board!

19. Future prunes, perhaps: PLUMS.  I used to have a neighbor who had a prune orchard. That is how I learned that prunes are their own fruit -- not just dried plums. I ate fresh prunes off the tree and made prune jam. This link explains the difference between a plum and a prune. Good job, Dan, for including the "perhaps" qualifier!

20. R&B singer Redding: OTIS.  Oh, yeah.... 

(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay

The song was recorded shortly before Otis died in a plane crash.

It was the first posthumous single to top the charts in the U.S.

My cat used to always perk up during the whistling part.

21. "And __ off!": WE'RE.  I usually add, "...like a heard of turtles." My Aussie friend Mick usually adds, "...like a bucket of shrimp left in the sun." His version is funnier.

22. Spanish "Yes, yes!": SÍ SÍ

25. Treble __: music symbol: CLEF.  

27. Exceedingly dry: SERE.  (adjective)  being dried and withered.

28. Fan's "I want my money back!": BOO.

Snoopy BOOs Charlie Brown

in A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) (31 sec.)

31. Use Grubhub, say: EAT IN. When I had the "E", I was trying to make some sort of E-food or E-tail thing work. Turns out, it wasn't that complicated.

34. Curt: TERSE.

37. Gallop: RUN.

40. "__ it ain't so!": SAY.

Weezer released SAY It Ain't So in 1994.

41. Mermaid whose father is King Triton: ARIEL. (See 55 Down.)

43. Soda brand in blue cans: PEPSI.

44. Chopping tool: AXE.

45. Do as one's asked: OBEY.

47. Philosopher Immanuel: KANT.  (1972-1894) life and works and more

53. Carmine and ruby: REDS.  wines

Was it constructor Dan's plan to distract us with thoughts of
this Carmine from Laverne & Shirley?

57. Comes to a close: ENDS.

58. Piggy bank addition: COIN.  

59. Confusion: MIX-UP.  I am sure you have heard stories of travel destination MIX-UPs. This one happened just last February when a man traveling to Sydney, Australia ended up in Sydney, MT .

60. Hullabaloo: ADO.  

63. Cup edge: RIM.

64. James of jazz: ETTA.

65. "Gotta hurry!": I'M LATE.  "Gotta" in the clue makes the contraction in the answer work.

66. Observe: SEE. and 36 Down. Observe: EYE.

67. Donkey: ASS.

68. Dangerous African fly: TSETSE.  When an infected TSETSE fly bites people, it can transmit a parasite that causes the disease African trypanosomiasis, also called sleeping sickness. Symptoms include fatigue, high fever, headaches, and muscle aches. If the disease is not treated, it can cause death.

Down:
1. Units tracked by fitness trackers: STEPS.

2. Large stringed instruments in an orchestra: CELLI.  Hand up for first having CELLo. It turns out that CELLI or cellos is the plural of "cello" (full name:  violincello).

3. Picture puzzle: REBUS.  Here are 9. You can find the answers at the end of this write-up.

4. Decidedly tiny: ATOMIC.  A human hair is about 1 million carbon atoms wide.

5. Church benches: PEWS.  Wisdom from my grandfather:  He who passes gas in church sits in his own PEW.

6. Indoor rower, for short: ERG.  We've had this one before. An ERG (commonly known as a rower) stands for "ergometer", a device that measures the amount of work performed. It is designed to mimic the rowing motion that a person creates when in a watercraft but operates on land. Embrace the ERG!

8. Rodeo ropes: LASSOS.

Will Rogers in The Roping Fool (1922).

Watch him rope a mouse!

This is a 4:22 min. excerpt. Here is a link to the full 19:22 min. version.

9. Dollar: ONE.

10. The other way around: VICE VERSA.  Fun fill!

adverb

1. with the main items in the preceding statement the other way around

Here is the trailer for the 1988 movie VICE VERSA starring Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage.

It's one of those parent-kid-switch-bodies movies -- always a good set-up for some silliness.

11. Love to pieces: ADORE.

12. Pisa landmark: TOWER. Construction of the Leaning TOWER of Pisa began in 1173 as the third and final structure of the city of Pisa's cathedral complex. In particular, it was built to serve as the complex's bell TOWER.

14. "Jokes __ Can't Tell": late-night segment: SETH.  The "late-night" part, along with a perp or two, helped me guess "SETH Meyers". I found this article on the segments.

17. Locale of many a swanky bar: ROOFTOP.

21. Cable: WIRE.

23. The Fugees rapper Wyclef __: JEAN.  Wyclef Jean, born on October 17, 1969, is an American-Haitian rapper and songwriter best known for his chart-topping album “The Score.” He began his musical career singing in church choirs, having been raised by a preacher father.

24. Admits: LETS IN.

A policeman at 10 Downing St. LETS IN Larry the cat. (56 sec.)

I love that Larry uses the policeman as his personal doorman.

Notice the giant yawn.

26. TV journalist Stahl: LESLEY.  Ms. Stahl began her 31st season on 60 Minutes in September 2022, having joined the broadcast as a correspondent in March 1991.

28. Wardrobe item with a clasp: BRA.

29. Belonging to us: OUR.

30. Russian Orthodox church feature: ONION DOME.  

why Russian churches have ONION-shaped DOMEs

32. Rink surface: ICE.

33. Some lap coverers: NAPKINS.

35. Kenny G's horn: SAX.

Kenny G. plays Silhouette (1988).

39. Old Russian ruler: TSAR.

42. Subsides: EBBS.

46. Luxury vessels: YACHTS.

48. __ sec: orange-flavored liqueur: TRIPLE.  

You might find it in these drinks:
Long Island Ice Tea, Cosmo, Kamikaze, and Side car.

49. Puts on: WEARS.  

50. Many a low-budget flick: INDIE.  

We are not talking about INDIana Jones.
This refers to an INDEpendently made movie; that is, one made outside of a major studio.

51. Owl sounds: HOOTS.

52. Audio brand: AIWA.  I found this timeline on the company's website:

1951    Founded & independent

1982    Acquired by Sony Corporation

2006    Brand Discontinued

2017    Re-launch of AIWA (independent again)

2020    Kick-start AIWA Global Business Network Formation

54. American living abroad, for short: EXPAT.  An EXPATriate is a someone who lives outside their native country.  the difference between an EXPAT and an immigrant

55. Tunes two croon: DUETS.  Here are two toons crooning tunes:

Sweet Child from The Little Mermaid (1989)

56. Shopping binge: SPREE.  According to Good Job, Brain! Episode #107, Mary Todd Lincoln was a notorious compulsive shopper. She liked to go to New York on shopping SPREEs where the merchants were happy to extend credit to the president's wife. Her shopping debts created problems in her life.

59. May honorees: MOMS.  This year, Mother's Day is Sunday, May 14.

61. Salty expanse: SEA.

62. __ for tat: TIT.  actions done intentionally to punish other people in retaliation for something they have done to you.

And for the grand finale, we have the grid!  

3 Down. REBUS puzzle answers:

1.) misunderstood, 2.) a walk in the park, 3.) one in a million, 4.) looking back, 5.) you're under arrest, 6.) stand by me, 7.) walking on thin ice, 8.) I see you understand, 9.) B flat

That's all for today. Please save me a seat for next week!