Sunday September 20, 2026 Emma Oxford

 

Theme:  "SOUND CHECK" -The last word of each familiar phrase takes on a new meaning when pronounced differently.

23A. "In the name of that rice wine we drank ages ago"?: FOR OLD TIME'S SAKE. Rice wine sake (sah-keh).

 

38A Bird that makes its home in trash receptacles?: DUMPSTER DOVE. The bird rather than the past tense dove.

  
63A. Business run by a bunch of hens?: CHICKEN COOP. Co-op.

73A. Swiped refills for a mechanical pencil?: TOOK THE LEAD.

96A. One who is always pointing at shooting stars?: METEOR SHOWER. Show-er, one who shows.

 
115A. Anesthetic for a noted Italian chemist?: AVOGADRO'S NUMBER. Numb-er, something that numbs.

17D. Musical instrument made off the coast of South America?: CHILEAN SEA BASS. Not the fish.

48D. Rips caused by large reptiles?: CROCODILE TEARS. 

The last word of each familiar phrase (except 63A) is reinterpreted as a heteronym, right? Same spelling, but a different pronunciation and meaning. I love the CHICKEN CO-OP and its clue.

I think this is our Emma Oxford. Very cool.

 Across:

1. Course most look forward to: DESSERT. Sweet clue!

8. Imposing construction: EDIFICE.

15. Supports: BACKS.

20. Unmasks: EXPOSES.

21. Brunch cocktails: MIMOSAS.

22. Not cool: UNHIP.

25. "Goosebumps" series writer: STINE (R. L.) The Stephen King of children's literature.

 

26. Remove adverbs and add punctuation, maybe: EDIT.

27. PlayStation maker: SONY.

28. __ Reader: UTNE.

29. Actress Swinton: TILDA.

30. Inventor Handler played by Rhea Perlman in "Barbie": RUTH. I didn't know that she invented the Barbie dolls.

31. "__ we good?": ARE.

32. Vexation: IRE.

33. Church perches: PEWS.

36. Moose kin: ELK.

37. NNW opposite: SSE.

41. Coastal inlets: BAYS.

42. Insta post: PIC.

43. Male turkey: TOM.

44. One of Paul's letters to the Ephesians?: EPSILON. The letter E in Ephesians. The Epistle to the Ephesians was written in Greek.
 
46. Herbal infusion from Peru: COCA TEA. Also 68. Chinese brew: CHA.

50. Rationalist's belief: DEISM.

53. Places to perch: ROOSTS.

56. Estate units: ACRES.

57. Sgt., e.g.: NCO.

59. Shoe designer Jimmy: CHOO. Same character as the Zhou in my name.

61. Pamper: DOTE ON.

62. Many August babies: LEOS.

66. IM pioneer: AOL.

67. Top card in a Broadway straight: ACE. A Broadway straight runs from ten to ace.

69. Frying need: OIL.

70. Pts. that often result in dances: TDS. Touchdown dance.

71. U.K. network: BBC.

72. Mattel game: UNO.

76. Julia of "The Addams Family": RAUL.

78. Simplified language: PIDGIN.

80. Wows: AWES.

81. Not just most: ALL.

82. Worth a second bite: TASTY.

83. Competed in the Figawi, say: SAILED. The Figawi is an annual sailing race from Hyannis to Nantucket. Learning moment for me.

84. Prefix with net or com, but not org: INTER.

86. "OK, got it": YES I SEE.

88. Tempts: LURES IN.

91. Fuel additive brand: STP. Scientifically Treated Petroleum.

93. Young fellow: LAD.

94. [Clears throat]: AHEM.

100. Take advantage of a bear market, perhaps: BUY.

103. Stomach: GUT.

104. "What You Need" band: INXS.

105. Kanga's kid: ROO.

106. Badger: NAG.

107. Figure in Norse mythology?: RUNE. "Figure" here means a written character or symbol.

108. Lies for, maybe: ABETS.

110. Forget about: OMIT.

112. Supermodel Banks: TYRA.

113. Incantation syllables: ABRA.

114. Fish with a big net: TRAWL.

118. New employee: HIREE.

119. Wright of "Black Panther": LETITIA. She played Shuri. 

120. Italian football powerhouse: AC MILAN.

121. Strong point: ASSET.

122. Rival one loves to hate: FRENEMY.

123. Sneaks: WEASELS.

Down:

1. Yields (to): DEFERS.

2. Book that tells the story of Moses: EXODUS.

3. Soft drink with a seasonal Winter Spiced Cranberry flavor: SPRITE. I've never had Sprite. 

4. Quaint truth: SOOTH.

5. Subj. for a non-native speaker: ESL.

6. Manicotti topping: RED SAUCE.

7. Abbr. on a weather map: T-STORM.

8. Posthumous award for Chadwick Boseman: EMMY.  Boseman won a posthumous 2022 Primetime Emmy for his voice performance as T'Challa in the animated series "What If...?"

9. Run out of power: DIE.

10. "Positive": I'M SURE.

11. Jodie with two Best Actress Oscars: FOSTER.

12. "Love __ Open Door": "Frozen" song: IS AN.

13. Treat on a stick: CAKE POP.

14. Jargon suffix: ESE.

15. Hits 22, perhaps: BUSTS. Blackjack.

16. Not in favor of: ANTI.

18. With gentleness: KINDLY.

19. Holds forth: SPEAKS.

24. Not up to the task: INEPT.

32. Online "I can relate": IT ME. As in "That's me".

34. Chargeable cars, briefly: EVS.

35. Goofballs: WEIRDOS.

38. Morse clicks: DITS.

39. "We have that in common": SO DO I.

40. "KPop __ Hunters": DEMON.

41. Italy's shape: BOOT.

42. Bel __ cheese: PAESE.

45. Circuit: LOOP.

46. Ore. neighbor: CAL.

47. Micronesia's region: OCEANIA.

49. Dried poblano: ANCHO.

51. Most disgusting: ICKIEST.

52. Seashore souvenir: SHELL.

54. Absolutely adorable: TOO CUTE.

55. 1975 TV debut, familiarly: SNL.

58. "Queen of Funk" Khan: CHAKA.

60. In base eight: OCTAL.

64. "Hallelujah" songwriter Leonard: COHEN. I love Jon Bon Jovi's version. 

65. "It's strange ... ": ODDLY.

68. Denounce: CONDEMN.

71. Challah feature: BRAID. These remind me of Chinese mahua.

72. FedEx competitor: UPS.

73. Part of a pricing plan: TIER.

74. Strong string: TWINE.

75. Soil: EARTH.

77. Soap ingredient: LYE.

79. In the doldrums: GLUM.

82. Bygone ruler: TSAR.

85. Canadian fuel giant: ESSO.

87. Class: ELEGANCE.

89. "On the Basis of __": Ginsburg biopic: SEX.

90. "We're done": IT'S OVER.

92. Miyazaki film about a goldfish who longs to be human: PONYO.

94. Kathryn's "WandaVision" role: AGATHA.

95. Fatal flaw in classic myths: HUBRIS.

97. Beginning: ORIGIN.

98. Turn: ROTATE.

99. Polish capital: WARSAW.

100. __ bath: BUBBLE.

101. Hard to believe: UNREAL.

102. Aches (for): YEARNS.

104. Archipelago unit: ISLET.

107. "Groundhog Day" director Harold: RAMIS. He also directed "Caddyshack".

109. Overly precious: TWEE.

111. Bit of dust: MOTE.

112. Printer part: TRAY.

115. Fuzzy 1980s sitcom character: ALF.

116. Low-lit: DIM.

117. Actress Thurman: UMA.

C.C.

Friday, Jun 12th, 2026 ~ Emma Oxford

 ANTI-FACTERIAL DISPUNSER

This is my fourth Emma Oxford crossword - the last one was the memorial to my friend Greg and our mutual enjoyment of playing poker puzzle.  I breezed through this Friday fill-in, with only a typo slowing me down.  Today we have five themers, no reveal, totaling 51 squares, that are a punny play on common phrases, redefined as types of ( mostly ) popular bars of soap.  A standard grid, no circles, a three-knight "dog" (🙄), eleven 3LWs, a handful of names, a ridiculous number of abbreviations and/or acronyms - but - was missing just the F & J for a pangram~!

17. Soap that's easy to conceal?: POCKET DIAL - Not the "politically incorrect" butt-dial, this soap -

23. Soap that could use a friend?: LONESOME DOVE - Not the town from the 1986 Pulitzer-prize winning book ( and TV series ), but a solitary bar from this collection - 

37. Soap that's super popular?: HOT LAVA - Not the exercise we used to 'play' in Phys Ed., but this - 

Check out this "soap" artwork on Artsy

49. Soap that's falling apart?: BREAKING DAWN - Not the early rising sun, but the outlier, as this is more dish detergent soap - "Dawn is breaking everywhere . . . " lyric @ 0:30

Refreshing Rain scent is the one on my kitchen sink, and I buy the gallon refill at BJs

61. Soap that's perfect for adding color to a shower routine?: ORANGE ZEST - not the 'shaved' skin of the fruit, but this cleansing product - 

This racing version was a NASCAR promo

But Wash, There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. Easter month, often: APRIL - It can be March - the convoluted way it's calculated; the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon after the Spring equinox 🙏

6. Apple resource with curated guides: MAPS - I am Android, so it's Google's version

10. Bygone handhelds, for short: PDAs - Personal Digital Assistan - it could be either, as in 'holding hands' being a bygone Public Display of Affection - either way, it's abbr/acr #1

14. Lift a finger?: POINT - 👉

15. Landed: ALIT

16. Reply to "I'm sure they'll be fine without you," perhaps: "OUCH." - Harsh, man . . . 

19. Low-carb diet: KETO - My friend Jay was a "keto" dieter; I missed his B-day last month, so I reached out via text a week late; he responded with "it's OK - btw, I met the love of my life, quit my job, sold my house, moved to North Carolina - oh, and had triple by-pass surgery in November . . . '  - and he's younger than me.  Sheesh.  Reminded me of this song

Billy Joel, My Life

20. Hunk: SLAB

21. Setting of the graphic novel "Persepolis": IRAN - filled via perps, Geo name #1

22. Arrive: GET IN

26. Estimate from a contractor: QUOTE - I tried PRICE first; Bzzzzt~!

28. "Me too": SAME - I wanted SO AM I, then AS ME - which was close, but, wrong

29. Relish: GUSTO - the noun, usu. in the prepositional phrase "with gusto" - you're welcome.

30. Big name in gaming monitors: ACER - filled via perps, crossword staple, name(ish)

32. Dec. holiday: XMAS - abbr/acr #2 - only 195 shopping days til . . . the countdown clock

36. Goal: AIM - Still have the same goal / aim / desire / intent to produce my board games - and now I have a fourth one to promote, too; I ran off a simplified version of the board on paper so I could work out the play details

40. Computer file suffix: EXE - for adding programs to PCs / Windows, "executable" - abbr/acr #3

41. School gps.: PTAs - PDAs and PTAs - abbr/acr #4

43. Root vegetable related to Swiss chard: BEET - I had the "EE" from my Down fills

44. SF NFLer: NINER - AND - 52D. SF MLBer: GIANT - five-letter San Fransisco major league teams, football and baseball respectively

46. Astronomical light show: NOVA - meh.  Technically, yes, but I think aurora is a better match

48. Birthplace of K-pop: SEOUL - Geo name #2

54. Signs on for another tour: RE-UPS

55. Pop diva Celine: DION - name #3 - the hot dogs go on . . . 

Peter May, comedian

56. American white __: Gulf Coast bird: IBIS - mostly perps

60. Org. with sponsored Medicare plans: AARP - American Association of Retired Persons - you can actually join at the age of 18 - but I doubt you've 'retired'.  I got my letter from UPS last month, saying I was now eligible for my retirement, having turned 55 in February this year - I think it's a whopping $337/mo., but I'll take it~! abbr/acr #5

63. Pop sensation: IDOL

64. Have too little of: WANT

65. Bowie's role in "The Prestige": TESLA - name #4, I had T _ _ _ A, but not having seen the movie . . . IMDb

66. Where Anheuser-Busch is BUD: NYSE - the New York Stock Exchange listing = BUDweiser beer - abbr/acr #6

67. Some specialist MDs: ENTs - Ears, Nose, Throat - abbr/acr #7

68. Autumn bloom: ASTER

DOWN:

1. Starters, casually: APPS - I was in sport mode, so I tried "ACES" - but this is the meals version "appetizers" - abbr/acr #8

2. Combine: POOL - I 64A. wanted MELD

3. Costa __: RICA - Geo name #5

4. Test pattern?: INKBLOT - the Rorshach inkblot test - I see Bigfoot from under a sheet of ice at #4

5. 5G precursor: LTE - a good WAG on my part, Long-Term Evolution - smartphone tech, abbr/acr #9

6. Spanish parent: MADRE - and another good WAG, 'mother' in Español

7. Cover name: ALIAS - my new board game involves spies

8. Support for a key player?: PIANO SEAT - cute, but meh.  I wanted BENCH or STOOL . . .

Hey, I found some good-looking legs on a piano CHAIR 🙄

9. Mo. town: STL - St. Louis, MissOuri - abbr/acr #10

10. Progress tracker for one trying to "catch 'em all": POKEDEX - I figured it was something like this, but waited on perps - the index of the Pokémon universe - more here

11. Caused by: DUE TO

12. When the fate of Ophelia is revealed: ACT IV - been doing crosswords long enough to know that this type of clue is looking for "ACT _ _", so it was either II or IV, possibly other Roman numerals

13. Sparkled: SHONE - ha~!  Nailed it

18. Prong: TINE

22. Jewel: GEM

24. Letters of equivocation: OTOH - On the Other Hand . . . I just read George Carlin's book, 'How to Rid Yourself of Doubt - or, Should You~?' abbr/acr #11

25. Harry's accomplice in "Home Alone": MARV - I did not know this name, #6

26. Walk out: QUIT - Dah~! Not EXit, but 50% correct

27. Home of the NCAA's Black Knights: USMA - knights #1, abbr/acr #12 - wait - 

there's a whole team of them~?

Uh, no - the United States Military Academy - the West Point football squad

29. Word with age or wage: GAP

30. Took off right after dinner: ATE AND RAN - Cool fill, and a nine-letter Thwurd

31. Rock & Roll HoF city: CLEveland, abbr/acr #13

33. Grubhub link: MENU

34. Rink leap: AXEL

35. Title for a knight in Westeros: SER - I am ashamed to say, I have not seen Game of Thrones

knight #2 - Ser Duncan, in the prequel

38. Short "Duh": OBVI - 21st century-speak for "obviously" - abbr/acr #14

39. Over again: ANEW

42. Maker of Trop-a-Rocka tea: SNAPPLE - Ah.  I didn't see this fill until I did the blog, and I was today-years-old when I learned that this was a flavor "invented" by the band Poison's frontman Bret Michaels for The Apprentice, though I did know he was a diabetic

45. Charges, in a way: IONIZES - WARNING~!  Science content

47. Gives a thumbs-up: OKs - 👍

48. Performed in a choir: SANG

49. Scarecrow's desire: BRAIN - ooops; I put in HEART, but that was the Tin Man - no, Oz never did give nuthin' to him - and an Easter ( see 1A) Egg chorus lyric at 1:11

America - Tin Man

50. Good to go: READY

51. Money in Monaco: EUROS - I didn't take the 'plural' into account, but I did think EURO - and I also learned today that this place is a "microstate", not a 'city' in France . . . Huh 

You can just see my "other" house up on the left, overlooking the Frawnche Riviera . . . 

53. Taboos: DON'Ts - I had "NO-NOs", 60% correct

57. One-up: BEST - the 'Canes are one-up on the LV Knights - knight #3, and my musical pun

58. Tropical spot: ISLE - I'd prefer a trip to Europe over any tropical vacation

59. Movie lead: STAR

61. Be in arrears: OWE - "I know the rent is in arrears" - see the themer link at 49A., lyric @ 3:30

62. GPS prediction: ETA - Estim . . . oh , never mind, it's another abbr/acr, #15

. . . and here's the missing F, J 

Here's my buddy Cooper - chillin' in the humidity on Long Island

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.2

Wednesday, Oct 22nd, 2025 ~ Emma Oxford

  BLUFFY McLIARPANTS

It seems fitting that I should get a poker/card-playing theme - sadly, I was down on Long Island this past weekend to attend the wake of my dear friend Greg B., whom I'd known for nine years, as he died last Tuesday after a three-year battle with brain cancer.  I had not seen him since the diagnosis, as the disease had made it diffiuclt for him to retain your name or the thread of a conversation, so he opted to spend his time ( rightfully ) with his wife and daughter.  I was grateful to him for inviting me to his home for a poker game once a week, and you knew it was poker night because he would wear a shirt with "Bluffy McLiarpants" across the front; the image above was my response to that shirt; I wore this at the card table to "distract" the other players 😵.  We've seen several Emma Oxford puzzles for the LA Times, and today's grid was a pleasant solve for me; no circles, just a few names, and a Wednesday difficulty.  The themers which represent the "stages" of a card game;

18. 1977 Top 20 single by Boz Scaggs: LIDO SHUFFLE - Cool song

23. "Love your work!": I'M A HUGE FAN - we would fan first, to see who dealt first

38. Engagement ring option: PRINCESS CUT - done by the player to the dealer's right

54. Aspiring musician's goal: RECORD DEAL - always to the left

59. Dramatic presentation often staged during Lent: PASSION PLAY - we would PLAY high/low games, with a "stack" of chips, and the winners would "split" the pot; you could also go 'both ways', and if you won, you would "sweep" - thus, the words on my T-shirt

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Civil War POTUS: ABE - I wondered what his middle name was; POTUS is the abbr for President of the United States, so I wondered what A_L would be - more here

4. Anklebones: TARSI - crossword staple

Such beautiful Tarsi

9. Lawn ornament in a hat: GNOME

14. Bagel topping: LOX - I stopped in to see Cooper ( also my brother, who shares the same house with the dog ) and had me another bagel with chocolate chip cream cheese - it's better than it sounds~!

15. Not suitable: INAPT

16. Aspirational, as goals: LOFTY - my lofty goal is to be recognized for my fantasic board games - still trying to figure out how to get them produced

17. Hill worker?: ANT - not the quaint reference to the "US Capitol", on the "hill"

20. DEA agent: NARC

22. 44th first family: OBAMAS

27. Drive-__: THRU

30. Polite assent in Seville: SIS, ENOR - Si, C.C.~!

31. Court figs.: DAs - District Attorneys

33. Rower's implement: OAR

34. "The Mystery of __ Drood": EDWIN

36. Face With Tears of Joy, for one: EMOJI - 😂

41. Selected: CHOSE

43. Cars: AUTOS

44. Zeus, e.g.: GOD - "high -ODs" . . . 

45. Skip the grass seed: SOD - low "-ODs"

48. Cloaks: MANTLES - I watched two "classic" movies over the weekend - "The Curse of Frankenstein" ( that's Fron-ken-schteen - see 7D. ) and "The Horror of Dracula", both starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee - two actors who would later have roles in the Star Wars films

Tis the season~!

52. Highlander of ancient Peru: INCA

56. Zeus's daughter: ATHENA

58. Not fooled by: ONTO

64. Do some mending: SEW

65. The Ivies, e.g.: OCTET - those eight being these

66. Leader of the girl group Red Velvet: IRENE - we've seen her here before - KPOP

67. Before, before: ERE - "Able was I . . . "

68. Some Southwest landmarks: MESAS

69. Things to read on the road: SIGNS - 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯 if you're gonna rock down to . . . .

... and not recharge your smart phone 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅯

70. Australian airport code: SYDney

DOWN:

1. "Ironic" singer Morissette: ALANIS - I linked her and the song in a previous puzzle

2. Brand of scouring powder: BON AMI

3. Bonuses: EXTRAS

4. Up to, for short: TIL - unTIL

5. Alex and __ jewelry: ANI - I had ANN to start, but she showed up later at 62D.  Here's a shocking story behind the woman who founded the jewelry company

6. "Tubular!": "RAD~!"

7. "Spaceballs," for one: SPOOF - Mel Brook's parody of the Star Wars films; it's a tough call as to which of his other spoofs is better  - Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein~?

Dark Helmet & Colonel Sandurz

8. Bleak assessment: IT'S BAD

9. Down in the dumps: GLUM

10. Skim, in the dairy aisle: NO FAT

11. Branch: OFFSHOOT

12. The NHL's Canadiens, on a scoreboard: MTL - abbr for Montreal; I had MON - MTL is nearly a unique fill; The "Habs" - too early in the season for me still, CandianEh!

13. Quiet part of a hurricane: EYE

19. "Pitch Perfect" actress __ Mae Lee: HANA - filled via perps

Her IMDb

21. "Here's to you!": "CHEERS~!"

24. Boxers or briefs: UNDIES - which are you~?  Or do you go "commando"~?

25. Formal dress: GOWN - were undies "formerly" worn beneath that gown . . . ?

26. Actor Stoltz: ERIC - I liked him in Pulp Fiction

Prank caller~!

28. "The Big Bang Theory" character: RAJ - I asked my brother, sitting across his dining room table, for this answer - he likes it, but I cannot stand to watch a single scene of this show

29. New England sch.: URI - University of Rhode Island - my "CT nextdoor neighbor"

32. __ fiddle: SECOND - HA~! FIT-AS-A- worked, too~!

35. Teacher's org.: NEA

37. High-priority activity, per some guidebooks: MUST-DO

38. Downloads before a long road trip, perhaps: PODCASTS - ROAD MAPS worked, too, but duped

39. Japanese sport: SUMO

40. Rating unit: STAR - I give this crossword four-and-a-1/2 out of five "Moe Stars" 

41. Much of the F/X in the MCU: CGI - Computer-Generated Imagery, the Marvel Comic Universe; I am not a fan of this genre, tho I did like Deadpool

42. Babe: HON - I prefer this quaint three-letter SO nickname to "bae"

46. Black-and-white treat: OREO

47. "Mystic River" novelist Lehane: DENNIS - I have read the book; one of a just a handful from authors whose work gave me an emotional response - another was The Secret Place by Tana French

49. Inserts in some frames: LENSES - those kinds of frames

50. Diner or bistro: EATERY

51. Lost steam: SLOWED

53. Lost: AT SEA

55. Island off Naples: CAPRI

57. Battleship successes: HITS - the Milton-Bradley ship-hunting game

59. Juice brand with distinctive bottles: POM

60. Nail, as a test: ACE - R.I.P. ACE Frehley of KISS

Shock Me - the extended "smoking guitar" solo from 1977

61. Relay segment: LEG

62. "The Baby-Sitters Club" writer __ M. Martin: ANN - more here

63. "Affirmative": "YES."

For Greg

Splynter

Thursday, April 17, 2025, Emma Oxford

 

Theme:  Hey, where'd you find the neat horns?

Constructor Emma Oxford has favored us with her creations a few times already, and was published on this exact date last year!  This time, she is looking for a few good horns.

The theme clues and answers, symmetrically arranged in rows Across, are:

17. Place to find a pointy horn: RHINOCEROS.

23. Place to find many horns: FULL ORCHESTRA.

53. Place to find a loud horn: STEERING WHEEL.

63. Place to find a geographical horn: EAST AFRICA.

I'm impressed that each of the four horns is a completely different type:  animal horn, musical horn, vehicle horn, and geographical horn.  The Horn of Africa is the fourth largest peninsula in the world.

Let's grab the rest of the puzzle by the horns ...

Across:

1. 1975 thriller filmed largely on Martha's Vineyard: JAWS.  No horns, but big teeth!

5. Comedian Black: LEWIS.  No horns, but steam coming out of his ears!

Lewis Black

10. Store: MART.

14. Smoothie berry: ACAI.

15. Balderdash: TRIPE.  Rubbish, nonsense, baloney, hogwash ...

16. __ vera: ALOE.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Sizable barrels: KEGS.

20. Ready: SET.

21. Zip: NONE.

22. "__ the thing ... ": HERE'S.  Uh oh!  Some of our solvers hate conversational prompts.

23. [Theme clue]

27. Budget prefix: ECONO.

... as an example.

29. "The __ and I": song from "Wicked": WIZARD.  I am going to have to watch Wicked.  It is becoming a cultural touchstone.

30. Carey known as the "Queen of Christmas": MARIAH.  Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" is a holiday staple.  In 2021, Carey filed a petition to trademark the title "Queen of Christmas," meaning that no one else would be able to use it.  Other Christmas minded music makers filed opposing motions, and in 2022, the Trial Trademark and Appeal Board ruled against Carey.  Old news, but news to me.

32. __ de mer: MAL.  Adopted into English, meaning "seasickness," the original French is "illness of the sea."

33. "Klutzy me!": OOPS.  D'oh is too short.

37. Diagnostic scan: Abbr.: MRI.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues in your body.

38. Composer Rorem: NED.  Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and a writer.

Ned Rorem

40. Symbol of Aries: RAM.  Astrology.

42. "The Jungle Book" python: KAA.  A character from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, adapted various times for the silver screen.

43. Italian wine region: ASTI.  Asti is in Piedmont, a region of Italy surrounded on three sides by the Alps. Asti is the source of sparkling Asti wine, also called Asti Spumante. The wine is sweet and low in alcohol, and is made solely from the moscato bianco (white muscat) grape.

45. Rapper Lil __ X: NAS.  Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter who became famous for his 2018 song "Old Town Road."  The song became the longest-running number-one song in the history of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.  Lil Nas X has won multiple awards, including two Grammys, five Billboard Music Awards, and five MTV Video Music Awards. 

Lil Nas X
(My grandchildren *loved* Old Town Road.)

47. Lines at a karaoke bar: LYRICS. The lines you sing.

49. __ crab: HERMIT.

52. Ones always underfoot?: SOLES.

53. [Theme clue]

57. Some campus buildings: HALLS.

58. Carol: NOEL.

59. Gp. with badges: BSA.  Boy Scouts of America.  

62. Chain that sells Mexican Tres Leches Pancakes: IHOP.  The first International House of Pancakes opened in Burbank, California, in 1958.  The *third* one opened on Stocker Street in the Baldwin Hills of Los Angeles, near my neighborhood, and is still in operation.  IHOP Corporation purchased Applebee's restaurants in 2007.  Clearly their cuisine is selling like hotcakes.

63. [Theme clue]

66. Bishop of Rome: POPE.

67. Rose: STOOD.  To rise is to stand *up*.  He rose = he stood.  Of course, stood could also be the past tense of stand.  He just stood there.

68. Provo's state: UTAH.

69. Plant-to-be: SEED.

70. Rescuee in "The Rescuers": PENNY.  I loved the 1959 novel The Rescuers written by Margery Sharp and illustrated by Garth Williams.  Penny is a character in Disney's 1977 animated adaptation.

71. Beauts: GEMS.  Beaut is an informal word meaning something beautiful, remarkable, or amazing.  That horn is a beaut!  Oh yes, it's a gem.

Down:

1. Canning array: JARS.  Preservation of foods in airtight containers started with glass CANisters, and  was called canning.  Later, factories introduced tin cans.  Today, when folks preserve foods at home using glass jars, they still call it canning.

2. Feel yesterday's workout: ACHE.

3. "Keep watching ... ": WAIT FOR IT.

4. Do bad: SIN.

5. Rank for Sen. Tammy Duckworth: LT COL.  Tammy Duckworth is an American politician, retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel, and combat veteran of the Iraq War.  She has served as a United States senator from Illinois since 2017. 

Senator Tammy Duckworth

6. Heretofore: ERE NOW.

7. Feature of some glasses: WIRE RIM.

8. Wall St. debut: IPO.  An Initial Public Offering is when a private company offers its shares for sale to the public for the first time.

9. French possessive: SES.  Plural his/her/its.  "Ses amis" means his/her/its friends.  It is plural to match the modified noun, amis (friends).  "Son ami" means his/her/its friend, singular.

10. Gets by: MAKES DO.

11. On edge: ALERT.  I've been gathering photos and videos from the neighbors following a burglary on the block, and sharing the evidence with the Sheriff.

12. "Man Fire Food" host Mooking: ROGER.  Roger Mooking is a Trinidadian-Canadian chef, musician, and television host. He has hosted the television series Man Fire Food since 2012, and is also the host of Everyday Exotic on the Cooking Channel and Food Network Canada.  

Check out his featured recipes at rogermooking.com

13. Thompson of "Thor: Ragnarok": TESSA.  Tessa Thompson began her professional acting career with the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company while studying at Santa Monica College.  Since 2005, she's appeared in many TV series and movies, including Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).

Tessa Thompson in "Thor: Ragnarok"

18. Like some exhibition pieces: ON LOAN.  My brother's wife manages private art collections, and sometimes travels internationally with paintings to be displayed in exhibitions overseas.

Amazing S-I-L, NaomiZ, and DH

22. "That woman?": HER.

24. College abroad?: UNI.  In England, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, "uni" is commonly used as a shorthand for "university."

25. Policy setter: CZAR.

26. Kosher : Judaism :: __ : Islam: HALAL.  Dietary rules.  Jews eat kosher food; Muslims eat halal food.  The rules have to do with what foods may be eaten, but also how they must be prepared.  

27. Stone with two Oscars: EMMA.  Emma Stone won two Academy Awards for Best Actress for her roles as an aspiring actress in the romantic musical La La Land (2016) and as a resurrected suicide victim in the comic fantasy Poor Things (2023).

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in "La La Land."
DH watched this movie dozens of times.

28. Train units: CARS.

31. Painter Matisse: HENRI.

34. "Fine, tell me": OK, I'LL BITE.

35. Trot or gallop: PACE.

36. Fresh answers: SASS.

39. Curse: DAMN.  Verbs:  to condemn to a punishment or fate.

41. "If I do say so __": MYSELF.

44. "Give me some credit!": I HELPED.

46. Joins the team: SIGNS ON.

48. Fish-to-be: ROE.

50. Hosp. areas: ERs.  Emergency Rooms.

51. Weighing 4,000 pounds: TWO TON.

53. Roots for romantically, in slang: SHIPS.   In the context of transporting goods, "ship" means to send something from one place to another. In the context of fan culture, "ship" means to hope that two people will become romantically involved. When we watched The Office, we were all shipping for Jim and Pam.  Thank you, Emma Oxford, for teaching me this through today's puzzle!

Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski as Pam and Jim in "The Office"

54. Chevy SUV since 1994: TAHOE.

55. Skip the wedding planning: ELOPE.

56. Intoxicating: HEADY.

60. Offer that seems too good to be true, probably: SCAM.

61. Oohs and __: AAHS.  How the crowd reacts to fireworks.

63. Clairvoyance, e.g.: ESP.  Extrasensory perception.

64. Broke a fast: ATE.  Speaking of kosher and halal dietary restrictions, sometimes we cannot eat at all!

65. Throw __: RUG.

Here's the grid:

If you Finished It Right (FIR), you can toot your own HORN in the comments!

Otherwise, please horn in with your objections.

NaomiZ