Friday September 5, 2025 Patti Varol

While Malodorous Manatee relaxes under a pool umbrella sipping iced tea, I, RustyBrain, am toiling away on this review. However, I am also under a pool umbrella sipping iced tea (hey, it's still summer!).

Patti Varol, Patti Varol, hmm. Why does that name sound so familiar? Oh, I know! I've seen it atop every puzzle here for the past couple years along with someone named Ed. And LOOKY here! It's one of her own creations!

17. "Don't be impulsive," literally: LOOK YOU LEAP. → LOOK before YOU LEAP. In the answer, the word "LOOK " is placed before "YOU LEAP." This one was a bit of a poser. I had LOOKY- from the NW corner, but hadn't sussed the theme yet.

29. Find hidden meaning, literally: THE READ LINES. → READ between THE LINES. The word "READ" is in between "THE" and "LINES." This was my aha (oho?) moment. 

36. Requirement for many a private school, and an apt title for this puzzle?: PLACEMENT EXAM. → Advanced PLACEMENT EXAM. The revealer is also a themer! Very cool.

44. Risks missing a deadline, literally: SCHEDULE RUNS. → RUNS behind SCHEDULE. Another common phase reworked by placing "RUNS" behind the word "SCHEDULE."

60. Nearly identical pair, literally: A TWO PEAS POD. → TWO PEAS in A POD. I found this one the hardest to parse, even knowing the trick by now. The first letters ATWOP looked so odd it threw me. But "TWO PEAS" are definitely inside "A" and "POD." 

You've all heard of prepositional phrases, well these are just positional phrases where the position of the words in the answer is dictated by the clue. It's not the first time I've seen this type of theme, but this one is done very well - a straightforward switcheroo of common expressions...and there are five of them! The only downside to all this is an abundance of short fill. All in all, a fun outing. Thanks Patti.

Across:

1. Take off: SCRAM.

6. Piccata need: CAPER. In Italian cuisine, piccata is prepared using veal, whereas in American cuisine, chicken is more commonly used. Great either way. Here's a piccata pic:

11. Advanced deg.: PHD. Doctor of Philosophy = philosophiae doctor in Latin. Yes, "doctor" is actually a Latin word meaning "teacher" or "learned person."

14. Now, in Spanish: AHORA. 

15. Common fruit in 11-Down cuisine: OLIVE. Fruit in PROVENCAL cuisine: OLIVE. Next, you'll probably tell me that zucchini is a fruit. Ha ha...what's that? Zucchini really is a fruit?! I'll be darned.

16. Piglet pal: ROO.

17. [theme]

19. "!!!": OMG. TextSpeak for "Oh My God!" Oddly, it's rarely heard in church.

20. Absent: MISSING.

21. Timid person's lack: NERVE. I had "spine" first.

23. Gallery array: ART. Galley array: OARS.

24. Designer Jacobs: MARC. In fashion, he sits in the "affordable luxury" bracket. Out of fashion, I sit in the "affordable drudgery" bucket.

27. Covers for, maybe: ABETS.

29. [theme]

32. Garment worn with a choli: SARI. A choli in South India is a blouse or a bodice-like garment that is usually cropped leaving the midriff bare. A SARI is a draped dress.

34. Try (for): VIE.

35. Metal container: CAN. Metal container: ALBUM COVER (You knew I would squeeze one in somewhere!).

36. [theme]

41. Talk and talk: YAP.

42. Atmosphere: AIR.

43. Aromatherapy options: OILS.

44. [theme]

49. Take off: LEAVE.

50. Baking soda target: ODOR.

51. Comedian Samantha: BEE. BEE is an alumna of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and later became the first woman to host her own late-night satire show.

54. Radio-active truckers?: CBERS. Fun clue for users of Citizen's Band radios. During the CB craze in the 1970s, the novelty song "Convoy" was a big hit, reaching #1 on Billboard. It's young writer, Chip Davis, took his royalties and founded Mannheim Steamroller. 

56. Deep-fried appetizer: EGG ROLL.

59. Drink brand with Simbu Strawberry and Molokai Coconut flavors: BAI.

60. [theme]

63. Receipt fig.: AMT. Recipe fig.: also AMT. That's what it Amounts to.

64. One-named K-pop singer: IRENE. This name/clue is slowly is slowing sinking into my brain.

65. Party-planning site: EVITE. An online service for creating and sending digital invitations. See RSVP.

66. Photo __: OPS. Photo OOPS!

67. Concession speech deliverer: LOSER. Concession stand delivery: "Get your hot dogs here!"

68. Better suited for: APTER. Meh. APTER doesn't sound quite right.

Down:

1. Actress Hayek Pinault: SALMA. How many more last names does she have that I don't know about? 

2. Loft-y group?: CHOIR. I wanted "cloud."

3. Dove bar?: ROOST. Dove bar!

4. Holy chests: ARKS.

5. "Please?": MAY I.

6. Mountain predator: COUGAR. Especially the older females.

7. "I'm __ yours!": ALL.

8. Epitome of ease: PIE. The idiom "easy as PIE" is akin to "a piece of cake." The key insight is that eating a pie (or cake) is simple and requires little effort, as opposed to making one. In fact, the original phrase was "like eating pie." "Look ma, no hands!"

9. "Dear __ Hansen": EVAN. Dear Evan Hansen is a Tony Award-winning musical about a high school student with social anxiety who gets caught in a lie after a fellow student's suicide.

10. Void, in a way: REPEAL.

11. Like bouillabaisse: PROVENCAL. Originating from the Provence region on the Mediterranean in France. This answer took a while to fill in.

12. Squads that typically bat last: HOME TEAMS. I think I misread this clue...

13. Canine: DOG. Canine teeth are the pointy ones on either side of your incisors (front teeth) and are named for their resemblance to Dracula's a dog’s fangs.

18. "I got it": ON ME. Music to my ears!

22. Softball stat: RBI. Run Batted In, just like in baseball.

25. Held in high esteem: REVERED.

26. "Double Indemnity" novelist: CAIN. James M. CAIN was an American novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is widely regarded as a progenitor of the hardboiled school of American crime fiction. Prior to that, he poached his work.

28. Fed. ID fig.: SSN. That's a lot of abbrev.! Federal Identification figure: Social Security Number.

29. Refrain syllable: TRA. So fa, sol good.

30. Juice box brand: HI-C.

31. Lions or Tigers, in recaps: DET. But not Bears! DETROIT. 

32. Destination for aspiring astronauts: SPACE CAMP. My eldest son went to summer camp at Kennedy Space Center. He had a great time and flew the shuttle (simulator). Although he didn't become an astronaut, he still shuttles to work.

33. "They're A, B, C, D-licious" cereal: ALPHA-BITS. Post was accused of being a cereal killer when they discontinued ALPHA-BITS in 2021. Now I'm at a loss for words. This is a box from when I was a kid. 

37. Lac contents: EAU. A little French pour vous.

38. Actor Ventimiglia: MILO. He played the dad in the TV series "This is Us." Spoiler alert - Jack died before the timeline in the pilot, yet he somehow managed to to appear in every episode for six seasons and become a fan favorite. 

39. Seemingly forever: EON.

40. Letters before omicrons: XIS. I wonder if the earliest version of Alpha-bits used Greek letters?

41. Couture monogram: YSL. Yves Saint Laurent's full name is Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent. That that, SALMA.

45. Anticipatory time: EVE.

46. Throw off topic: DERAIL.

47. Former "At the Movies" co-host: ROEPER. Richard ROEPER.

48. Hard-to-resist desire: URGE.

51. Hasbro toy that requires twisting and pulling: BOP-IT. Bop-it has sold over 30 million (!) units and has seen more than a dozen revisions and spin-offs since its original release. I'm still waiting for Santa to bring me mine.

52. Mexican street corn: ELOTE. A classic Mexican street food of corn on the cob charred on a grill, then slathered in a spicy and creamy chile, garlic, and Cotija cheese–spiked sauce.

53. Senior figure: ELDER. 

55. H-Town pro: STRO. Houston ASTROS, but H-town could also mean Hustle Town (right T?).

57. Mother of the Titans: GAEA. In Greek mythology, GAEA (or Gaia - depending on which Alpha-bits letter you can find in your bowl) is the goddess of the Earth, and is often referred to as "Mother Earth." Here she is on bowling night:

58. "Kindly let us know" letters: RSVP. "Répondez S'il Vous Plaît" literally means "respond if it pleases you." The French are so polite. They wouldn't want you to be inconvenienced after sending you an EVITE to something nice.

59. Stuffed bun: BAO. Same as on Tuesday's puzzle menu, except the Friday special comes with EGG ROLLs. 

61. "The Phoenician Scheme" director Anderson: WES. All his movies are quirky, but I especially liked Moonrise Kingdom. 

62. Number worn by Ozzie Smith: ONE. Three letters, so its ONE, two, six or ten. I know C.C. wouldn't have to wait for perps like I did.

Happy birthday to my brother Gary! He's an emeritus professor of marketing and statistics from the University of Iowa - the RealBrain in the family. And yes, he has a PHD.

Friday, August 29, 2025 - Jeffrey Martinovic

 Theme: "Will it go round in Circles"

Puzzling thoughts:  

First off, a big thank you to RustyBrain for taking my turns (pun intended, given today's puzzle) while Ms Margaret and I took a spin around the state of California and part of southern Oregon.  3,600 miles in 28 days. We got to check off four more National Parks (Channel Islands, Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, and Redwoods) and also see some of the California State Parks (Humboldt, Burney Falls, et al) during our trip.  Throw in some wine tastings and a lunch visit with a smelly sea cow (aka Malodorous Manatee), and we had a glorious vacation.  Every day was at least 15 degrees cooler than where we live, and when we were admiring the view from Mendocino, it was 55 degrees cooler!

But enough about my absence ... back to blogging.  And, as one of the many Anonymous posters likes to say, "Oh, joy; circles!!"  Yup, first puzzle back and I have to make sense out of every circled word in today's entries; of which, there were 7

Normally the circled letters in a crossword puzzle will be anagrams or maybe hints to a revealed phrase.  Not today.  Today they were, literally, circles and/or synonyms for a circle that helped the clue make sense.  How?  Let's explore:

16-across. Programming sequences that don't end, literally: INFINITE.  As in infinite "LOOPS".  And if you can imagine a circle as a loop, you'll "get" today's theme (the word infinite is contained within "loops"/circles on the grid)

In computer programming, an infinite loop (or endless loop) is a sequence of instructions that, as written, will continue endlessly, unless an external intervention occurs, such as turning off power via a switch or pulling a plug. It may be intentional [per Wikipedia]

22-across. Puzzling field formations, literally: CROP.  As in, crop "CIRCLES" [According to Wikipedia] "The term (crop circles) was first coined in the early 1980s".  Further into the article it also said that while many people (fringe theorists) believe crop circles to be linked to aliens, "there is no scientific evidence for such explanations, and all crop circles are consistent with human causation"

30-across. Containers for a comic character's internal monologue, literally: THOUGHT.  As in thought "BUBBLES" - look at the cel where Charlie Brown is thinking "I'll kick it out of sight" to see the thought bubbles connecting from his brain to the statement ...

35-across. Bling for successful MLB teams, literally: WORLD SERIES.  As in World Series "RINGS".  Yogi Berra was the MLB player who sported the largest number of world series rings, 10

42-across. Exercise devices for pet rodents, literally: HAMSTER. As in hamster "WHEELS"

51-across. Toys that are quite hip, literally: HULA.  As in hula "HOOPS".  This is not an "exercise" that the Chairman can do

59-across. Weights used for strength training, literally: MEDICINE. As in medicine "BALLS". 

Moe-ku #1:

        You literally 

        Need courage to work these. Takes

        A big set of balls ... 

LOOPS, CIRCLES, BUBBLES, RINGS, WHEELS, HOOPS, and BALLS became the round objects that completed the clues connected to the entry words.  I'm thinking, though, if Jeffrey and Patti really wanted to avoid using a phrase that contained the word "circle", could they not have used this, instead for 22-across: 

22-across. "Decorative objects that depict winter scenes, literally?" SNOW

Maybe Jeffrey thought of this, or couldn't make it fit, but I digress ... 

Here is the grid and then we are off to the other clues/entries:

The Grid

Across:

1. Celebrate emphatically: DO A JIG.  It's been a while since C-Moe has worked an LA Times crossword puzzle.  For the record, today's puzzle took me 15:15 to solve.  And it took me about 4:15:00 to write the blog.  1-across slowed me down at the start.  I ultimately finished but I don't recall celebrating the way the dog in the image below did:

7. Root with red skin: RADISH.  They also come in other colors

13. Gum choice: CINNAMON.  Hmm - odd clue but it ended up being "Friday tough"

15. Invitation on a sealed envelope: OPEN ME.

[theme entry]

17. Moral of the story: LESSON.

18. "The Matrix" protagonist: NEO.  And the first of 19 three-letter words 

19. Crown material: ENAMEL.  As in a tooth crown.  I have both gold and enamel crowns in my mush

21. Skater Midori: ITO.  

[theme entry]

24. __ sequitur: NON.  Non sequitur is from the Latin: "it does not follow".  One might refer to my "Moe-kus" as non sequiturs

25. Chelsea apartments: FLATS.

27. Exercise in a heated studio: HOT YOGA.  The history of hot yoga

[theme entry]

32. Sigma preceder: RHO.  From the Greek alphabet - more on this, later

33. Eurasian border river: URAL.  Why do I always have to wait to enter the A or the U?  You'd think by now that I would know the difference between ARAL and URAL ... ARAL is the dry sea; URAL is the name of the mountain range and/or river

34. Ability to see what others can't: ESP.  Could those of us who solved the theme today claim to have ESP?

[theme entry]

38. Ante-: PRE.  I misread the clue (thought it said "anti") and entered PRO - which really doesn't make sense

40. Together, in music: A DUE.

41. Little one: TOT.

[theme entry]

44. Instant coffee brand: NESCAFE.  I entered FOLGERS first before correcting

48. Cameo shapes: OVALS.  This entry would not have made sense in today's puzzle to be circled 😁

49. Many moons __: AGO.  As a septuagenarian I am legally allowed to use this phrase  

[theme entry]

52. NAACP co-founder __ B. Wells: IDA.

53. Tequila plants: AGAVES.  One of the restaurants we dined at during our trip (in Santa Barbara) was called "Los Agaves".  It was "muy bueno"

56. 'Twas, now: TIS.  Somehow the line "My country, 'twas of thee ... " just doesn't sound right

57. Word with license or justice: POETIC.  Moe-ku #2:

        My non sequiturs

        Exist because I have a

        MOE-tic license

[theme entry]

61. Paying customer: CLIENT.

62. Holier-than-thou sorts: ELITISTS.  SNOBS fits the clue but not the number of grid squares ...

63. Winter Paralympian apparatus: SIT SKI.  Some information on this device

64. Cooks dim sum, say: STEAMS.  Friday-ish clue

Down:
1. Moola: DINERO.  Moe-ku #3:

        There's no difference

        Between Robert and moola:

        They're both "money" 

[used Moe-tic license here ...  Robert De Niro vs dinero ... get it?!]     

2. Walking or running: ON FOOT.

3. Darth Vader's childhood nickname: ANI.

4. __ Doe: JANE.  Why are unidentified people called John or Jane Doe?

5. "Let's do it!": I'M IN.  I entered C'MON instead 

6. Passed with flying colors: GOT AN A.  My personal grade for solving today's puzzle was an A minus.  Made a couple of errors.  My grade for solving today's puzzle theme was a solid A

7. Take a turn in Yahtzee: ROLL.  This has nothing to do with Yahtzee, but I thought it a worthy video when it comes to a roll of the dice ... 

8. Copycat: APE.  

9. Original "Star Trek" studio: DESILU.  Learning moe-ment today.  I did not know this before solving the puzzle.  There was even a video I found about this (FTR, Ms. Margaret knew this, but she's a Trekkie)

10. Step-by-step: IN STAGES.

11. Evens (out): SMOOTHS.

12. Barnyard mother: HEN.  I tried COW.  EWE, too? 

13. Guaranteed victory: CINCH.  

14. Verne captain: NEMO.  Moe-ku #4:

        Three Stooges were cast

        In a Jules Verne film. Curly's

        Role was to NEMO

20. Between, in Spanish: ENTRE.  Two doses of Spanish today:  DINERO and ENTRE

23. Fireworks prefix: PYRO.  Moe-ku #5:

        Fireworks in Greece

        Are set off by folks known as:

        Pi-RHO maniacs

25. Large books: FOLIOS.  TOMES did not fit

26. Pit stop brand: STP.  I want to believe that my last blog also had the word "STP" in the grid.  I asked it then, and will ask it now: does anyone other than a racecar driver use this stuff??

28. "Nuts!": OH RATS.  Seems to be a "Peanuts" theme in here - one of Charlie Brown and Snoopy's favorite phrases.  And this cartoon also features a reference to 23 down:

29. "Fiddler on the Roof" wife: GOLDE.  Chaim Topol as Tevye and Norma Crane as GOLDE [copyright United Artists]

31. Gold rush storyteller Bret: HARTE.

33. Take advantage of: USE.

35. "Success!": WE MADE IT.

36. Tight-fitting lid: DURAG.  Is this the correct spelling of the tight-fitting lid? Turns out, it is

37. Scratch the surface?: ETCH.  Not to be confused with "scratch the serf" which would be ITCH

38. Soup with rice noodles: PHO.  Moe-ku #6:

        Vietnamese moms

        Say this to their whining kids:

        "PHO crying out loud!!"

39. Filled pasta: RAVIOLI.

43. Roof tiles: SLATES.  Our roof has these.  Very common here in the Valley of the Sun

44. Storied works: NOVELS.  NOVELS tell a story

45. Condition measured on a spectrum: AUTISM.  Information on this from the Mayo Clinic

46. Spark producers: FLINTS.  Making fire is a critical skill for those who participate in the reality show, Survivor.  Heidi was un fuego

47. Alleviates: EASES.  Moe's hope is to ease/alleviate your concerns about the puzzle

50. Clue, e.g.: GAME.  The name of a board game from Hasbro.  "Colonel Mustard - in the Library - with a Rope"

53. Dramatic beginning: ACT I.  The first lines in a dramatic play begin in Act I, Scene I

54. Revise: EDIT.  As I look back to my preamble, I really wish that Patti had edited Jeffrey's 22-across entry to use a reference to GLOBES and not actually used a reference to CIRCLES.  But that's why she has a paying job in the crossword business, and I am just a blogger who does this for free ...

55. Location: SITE. 

57. Mac alternatives: PCS.  I have always used PCS for my desktop and/or laptop computers, but I use an iPhone for my mobile device.  Go figure

58. HP supply: INK.  HP = Hewlett Packard.  Why would it be abbreviated in the clue when the word INK is not an abbreviation? 

60. Langley org.: CIA.  NSA and OSS fit; fitting that this puzzle ends on a 3-letter word

So, how did you all manage to circumnavigate the entries?  Comment below if you like ... 

***A post-script from earlier in the week ... Lucina mentioned on Tuesday's blog about the haboob that engulfed much of the Phoenix valley area.  I captured just a brief video of it as it approached my place (from the ESE) - in this century, Phoenix is now on a 7-year cycle of having severe haboobs (2011, 2018, and now 2025).  I hope it loads properly ... 

Friday August 22, 2025 Brian Keller and Katie Hale

Phew! I just got Chairman Moe squared away, and now Malodorous Manatee is taking a few Fridays off. I'd better oil the RustyBrain, this could take awhile.

Brian Keller is an up-and-coming constructor who has paired with Katie Hale, a freelance crossword editor who moved to London so she could learn proper English.

20. Diamonds can cut glass, corundum can scratch most other minerals, et al.?: COOL HARD FACTS. I wanted COLD HARD FACTS for the longest time, which lead to 4D = SEA-something (like SEA-worthy?) and messed up the entire NW corner. The reason I wanted COLD HARD FACTS is it's a common expression, while COOL HARD FACTS is just a rather odd phrase.

34. Director's guidance to be more affable?: PLAY IT WARM. Got PLAY IT WARM quickly from perps, but again it's an odd phrase, while PLAY IT COOL is a very common expression. 

41. Stuffed animals that go viral?: HOT FUZZIES. Here we go again. The expression is WARM FUZZIES not HOT FUZZIES. At this point, I was looking to swap temperatures between these answers. Take COOL from the first one to replace WARM in the second, then take WARM and move it down to third to replace HOT. Then move HOT to...? And I got lost going down a rabbit hole.

55. Increase pressure, or an apt title for this puzzle?: TURN UP THE HEAT. The themers progressively increase in temperature: COOL → WARM → HOT. In my fantasy revision, the progression would be: COLD → COOL → WARM which would make all the answers real phrases. But I guess "Some Like it Hot" (a must-see comedy classic!).

Across:

1. Signal and Line: APPS. Signal and Line are both messaging APPS (applications) for mobile phones. Signal was in the news recently because of it's improper use by the presidential staff.

5. Is into: DIGS. "I dig your new DIGS!" 

9. Espresso or cappuccino, to Italians: CAFFE. Those Italians! It's like they have a different word for everything.

14. King's address: SIRE. 

15. Lot of land: ACRE.

16. Group calling strikes: UNION. Umpires also call strikes and are part of a UNION - the MLBUA (Major League Baseball Umpires Association). I betcha C.C. knew that.

17. Heartfelt request: PLEA. 

18. Plane section: TAIL. Plane sections are also common in geometry. In anatomy, the horizontal section is the "transverse plane."

19. Clichéd: TIRED. I'm sick and clichéd of this.

20. [theme]

23. Contented: AT PEACE.

24. Blanketed: COATED. I grew up in Williamsburg, Va. The occasional blanket of snow transformed the colonial area.

27. Crime lab evidence: DNA. DeoxyriboNucleic Acid - you can tell that I'm fun at parties.

28. Some Kellogg grads: MBAS. The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University is named after the inventor of Kellogg's Corn Flakes, due to hefty endowments from his son. My first son, when he was little, asked for "chicken cereal." Took us a while to figure it out.

30. "Breaking Bad" org.: DEA. Drug Enforcement Administration - the name sounds like they’re federally sanctioned drug dealers.

31. Quadri- doubled: OCTO.

34. [theme]

37. Staff leaders: CLEFS. We're all familiar with the treble and bass clef symbols, but that alto clef is just plain weird.

39. Colonial insect: ANT. Frequent visitors to Colonial Williamsburg. Uncles, too.

40. Take root: SET IN.

41. [theme]

44. Bottom of the barrel stuff: LEES. 

45. Brink: EVE. Brink seemed to be an odd clue for EVE until I thought of "brink of collapse," meaning something imminent. Suitable for a Friday.

46. Votes of no confidence: NAYS.

47. "The __ and the Pussycat": OWL. "The OWL and the Pussy-Cat" is a nonsense poem by Edward Lear, first published in 1870. In it, he made up a "runcible spoon," now commonly called a spork.

49. Listing agent's field: REALTY.

51. Baja breaks: SIESTAS. 

55. [theme]

58. Fast Amtrak train: ACELA. Although pretty slow compared to other nation's trains.

60. Euphoric feeling: GLEE.

61. Org. concerned with ergonomics: OSHA. The ever popular Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

62. Suddenly took interest: SAT UP.

63. Moon goddess: LUNA. The Roman goddess was often depicted with a crescent moon on her head. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, Sol, those aren't horns!"

64. Designer Cassini: OLEG.

65. Book maker: PRESS. Here's a book made for me by an old friend in Williamsburg's bookbinders shop (he needed the practice). The PRESS, however, was in the print shop. Pages were printed, then delivered for binding. Creating the marbled endpapers was yet another craft.

66. Dr. Frankenstein's assistant: IGOR. "It's pronounced eye-gore."

67. Tiny bits: TADS.

Down:

1. Pet welfare org.: ASPCA. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - but you already knew that.

2. Series opener?: PILOT. "What's our vector, Victor?" This one wasn't series-ous. (Hey, they all can't be good!)

3. Scrub-up stop: PRE-OP. I found this one hard to parse, especially with my COLD error.

4. Leakproof: SEALED OFF. And this one, too, for the same reason.

5. Fixed point in a mobile contract: DATA CAP. America OnLine, who is discontinuing its dial-up service soon (wait, they still have it?), once sent out promotional CDs offering 10 hours of free service! At 56 kilobits per second, you could download about two minutes of high-def video before hitting the DATA CAP. An entire movie in standard def would take several days!

6. "My thoughts are with you": I CARE. 

7. Calendar page, maybe: GRID.

8. __-control: SELF. 

9. Save on spending: CUT COSTS.

10. Singer Baker: ANITA. ANITA Baker is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter known for her soulful ballads and three-octave vocal range.

11. What one might Bumble into?: FIRST DATE. Fun clue. Hopefully, they've heard the "birds and the bees" lecture already. 

12. Cheetah, to Wonder Woman: FOE.

13. Wrap up: END.

21. Kylo's father: HAN. HAN Solo. In the Star Wars universe, Kylo Ren's real name is Ben Solo. I guess that's true, but it's like finding out Yoda's real name is Joe.

22. Berry in a yogurt bowl: ACAI. After years as a common crossword clue, I thought you'd might like to see some. ACAI berries are about the size of grapes and nutritionally similar to blueberries.

25. Uncanny: EERIE.

26. Consigns to hell: DAMNS. Confines to hall: DORMS.

28. Buffing and painting services: MANIS. I don't know about my nails, but my car could sure use the help.

29. Tera- finisher: BYTE.

31. Shade in the desert: OCHER. I'm always on the lookout for a twisted clue, especially at the end of the week, so I wasn't fooled into thinking oasis.

32. Orange studder, at Christmas: CLOVE. CLOVE oranges, also known as pomanders, release a pleasant, spicy scent as the fruit dries. I remember these festive holiday decorations from my youth in Williamsburg.

33. Private meeting: TETE-A-TETE.

35. Averse to work: LAZY. I know I should finish up my crossword review, but first I think I'll sit back in my La-Z-Boy and watch the late... night... mooovie... zzzz...

36. "Gosh darn it": WELL SHOOT. 

38. South-facing gardens, maybe: SUNTRAPS. New to me. A SUNTRAP is a location, often in a garden or outdoor space, that is strategically designed to capture and retain sunlight beneficial for plants.

42. "Pillowtalk" singer: ZAYN. ZAYN Malik is an English singer-songwriter who went solo after a successful career as part of the five-piece boy band One Direction. Yes, this is him as a child (tats added later - I hope).

43. "Rumor has it": SO I HEAR. Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" was released nearly 50 (!) years ago. I'm getting old...

48. Teeny-tiny: WEE.

50. Humdingers: LULUS. 

51. Dictation taker: STENO.

52. Physicist Nikola: TESLA. Few people know that he invented the TESLA coil while working as a "special effects" tech in early horror films. Well, that's what IGOR told me, anyway. 

53. Reacted to a laser show, perhaps: AAHED. Ooh, AAHED is bad.

54. Bambi and others: STAGS. STAGS usually refer to mature male deer, so including a fawn or young buck like Bambi is a stretch.

56. Knobbly citrus: UGLI.

57. Socket filler: PLUG.

58. Egyptian viper: ASP.

59. Token in The Game of Life: CAR. When Monopoly first replaced the flat iron with a cat in 2013, I was mad they didn't nix the thimble instead. Every other token was a miniature version of something, but the thimble was virtually life-size so should be the odd man out. Also, if lost, it could easily be replaced by a real one. 

End of rant.