Monday December 1, 2025 Katherine Simonson

  

Welcome to December, everyone! sumdaze here with a truly SPECIAL episode of   <dramatic pause>   The Crossword Corner.

Theme:  

If you are wondering, "What's the deal with today's puzzle?", skip ahead with me to the reveal:  

58 Across. Snarky response to a boast, and what can be said about the ends of the answers to the starred clues?: ISN'T THAT SPECIAL.  

In other words, the ends of the themed clues fit the pattern SPECIAL _____.

Dana Carvey being snarky as The Church Lady on SNL 

Now let's see how this gimmick works on the themed answers: 

17 Across. *Belongings: PERSONAL EFFECTS.  

SPECIAL EFFECTS are illusions created for movies and television by props, camerawork, computer graphics, etc.  

an example of campy SFX in a movie

23 Across. *Grow, as a savings account: EARN INTEREST.  

A SPECIAL INTEREST group is a group of people or an organization seeking or receiving special advantages, typically through political lobbying.  

39 Across. *Gas station convenience store chain: CIRCLE K.  

SPECIAL K cereal has been around since 1955. It was the first cereal fortified with seven vitamins and iron.  

CIRCLE K and SPECIAL K

50 Across. *Philosophical concept concerning the moral code of the universe: NATURAL ORDER.  NATURAL ORDER is the orderly system comprising the physical universe and functioning according to natural (as distinguished from human or supernatural) laws.

A SPECIAL ORDER is a request for a customized item, like the one in this Burger King jingle from the 1970s:  

Hold the pickle. Hold the lettuce. SPECIAL ORDERs don't upset us.  🎵🎵

I really liked Katherine's theme set! Let's see what other SPECIAL sauce she put into today's grid:

Across:

1. South American capital city with a namesake legume: LIMA.  I did not know that they are the same LIMA. Get all the facts here.

5. Tells a white lie: FIBS.  

9. Resist authority: REBEL.

14. Many a North African: ARAB.

15. Foot or furlong: UNIT.  Both are UNITs of measure.

16. Fill with joy: ELATE.  OTOH, to fill with air is to "infLATE".

20. Capitol Hill VIP: SEN.  Very Important Person and SENator  

21. "Well, gosh!": GEE.  

22. Small talk: CHAT.  

28. Small caves: GROTTOS.  

Italy's Blue Grotto is along the Capri Coast.

29. South Korean capital: SEOUL.  12 Interesting Facts about Seoul (with pictures!)

32. Fires up, as an engine: REVS.  Listen for the engine REVS in the Shangri-Las' 1964 song, Leader of the Pack.   

33. Stair climber's aid: RAIL.  

36. Bert's "Sesame Street" roommate: ERNIE.  In this 2 min. video, Bert and Ernie remind us that we are all SPECIAL.  

38. Summer on the Riviera: ÉTÉ.  This is the French word for summer.  

It looks so Nice!

41. Compadre: PAL.

42. Body midsection: TORSO.

44. Headquarters: SEAT.  Think "County SEAT".

45. Minute __ orange juice: MAID.

46. "__ mio": classic Italian love song: O SOLE.  I have linked the Pavarotti version in previous blogs. Today I am opting for this 1967 jaunty instrumental version. (Details can be found in the video.)  

48. General unease: MALAISE.  Def.:  (noun) a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being.

53. Civil rights icon Parks: ROSA.

56. Forensic sci. specialty: CSI.  science and Crime Scene Investigation

57. Snatch: NAB.

64. Assumed name: ALIAS.

65. Equipment: GEAR.

66. Silicon Valley city Palo __: ALTO.  I'll be there later this week.

67. "__ luck!": LOTSA.  This is informal speech for "lots of". It might not always be said with sincere intentions.

68. Best Comeback Athlete, e.g.: ESPY.  ESPN presents annual ESPY awards to athletes.

69. Whole bunch: SLEW.  There have been a SLEW of ESPY winners.  website

Down:

1. Once around the track: LAP.

2. Outrage: IRE.

3. Exploratory vehicles on the red planet: MARS ROVERS.  There have been six successful robotically operated MARS ROVERS. This 2 min. video presents a possible next generation MARS ROVER -- a tumbleweed rover. I'm a fan of biomimetic ideas! 

4. Removes (oneself): ABSENTS.  Def.:  (verb) to keep (oneself) away.

5. "Sounds like a good time!": FUN.  This was a FUN answer!

Here is the 2011 song, We Are Young by the band named FUN.  

6. Once __ lifetime: IN A.  

7. Hogwash: BILGE.  I only knew this word in connection to boats (BILGE pump).  

This is a screenshot from the Merriam-Webster website.

8. Cattle ranch animal: STEER.  

9. NBA official: REF.  

10. Qualified voter: ELECTOR.  Merriam-Webster gives us three definitions. The first relates to this clue and the third was niche so I thought I would include it for your entertainment.

Def. #1:  a person qualified to vote in an election.

Def. #3:   any of the German princes entitled to take part in choosing the Holy Roman Emperor.

11. "Brandenburg Concertos" composer: BACH.  Speaking of German noblemen...Johannes Sebastian Bach [1685-1750] presented the Brandenburg Concertos to one. It is a collection of six pieces given to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721. The original title translates to Six Concertos for several instruments. They are now known as the Brandenburg Concertos. You can listen to Concerto No. 3 by clicking the video below.  

12. Jazz vocalist James: ETTA.

13. "__ we forget": LEST.  

18. "I'm taking care of that": ON IT.

19. Add-on charges: FEES.  

23. White marsh bird: EGRET.  EGRETs are wading birds, closely related to herons. These clever birds have comb-like serrations on the edges of their middle claws which help them to preen feathers they cannot reach with their beaks.  this and more

24. Unimaginative retort: ARE, TOO.

25. Sushi seaweed: NORI.  

You can buy it in sheets, ready to roll.

26. Bygone Russian rulers: TSARS.

27. "__ and ye shall find": SEEK.  

30. Debt collector's target: UNPAID BILL.

31. Be a go-between: LIAISE.  Liaise rhymes with "ablaze". It is a back formation of "liaison". With all of those vowels, you probably already know it comes to us from French. 

34. Winter road hazard: ICE.

35. Alpaca kin: LLAMA.  I had lunch with this mama alpaca and her 2-day old cria when I was on my cycling vacation. Nancy, the owner of the farm, gave us a lovely tour. 

37. Respected leader: ELDER.

39. Pepsi or Coke: COLA.  sOdA  🠆  COLA

40. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.

43. Hyundai sedans: SONATAS.  Hyundai has been making these mid-sized cars since 1985.  Wiki says it was named after the musical term. BTW, their SEAT is in SEOUL.

45. Salsa percussion pair: MARACAS.  

Is this Joe Manganiello?

47. Inscribe with acid: ETCH.

49. Unique: LONE.  

51. Factor in battery life: USAGE.

52. Ceremonial acts: RITES.

53. Money in Iran: RIAL.  We also had its anagram RAIL today. Furthermore, "Iran" and "RIAL" are 75% anagrams.

54. Norway home of the Munch Museum: OSLO.  The Munch Museum opened in 2021. It contains a staggering amount of Munch-related pieces. The building itself is also very interesting. Watch this 4:19 min. video to see what I mean.  

Note #1:  Try to spot the swimmer at 3:49 in the very bottom, left corner.

(I looked it up. In its warmest month, that water is 61°F.)

Note #2:  The sculpture in the water at 3:53 is She Lies.

55. Peevish state: SNIT.  Def.:  (noun) a state of agitation.

I would advise against accusing someone of being in a SNIT. If they were not already, they will likely be in a SNIT after your accusation.

59. Agcy. that x-rays bags: TSA.  agency and Transportation Security Administration

60. Sticky tree juice: SAP.

61. Snoop: PRY.

62. Stopped fasting: ATE.  In a way, we stop fasting every morning. The word breakfast comes to us from a Middle English phrase that means "to break one's fast; end abstinence from food".

63. Blue: LOW.  as in "sad"

The grid:  

Katherine's grid has 61 themed letters. Wow!

That's all for today. Have a great week, everyone!

Wednesday, Oct 1st, 2025 ~ Katherine Simonson

HERE'S A DOLLAR . . .

Get yourself a fig leaf, man~!

Katherine has had several puzzles published in the LA Times - her last was here, Friday Sep 12.  Today we have an odd-sized grid, 14 x 16, which allows for the "passing" of synonyms for "BUCK", as they progress from the start of the first themer, and shift by four letters to the last one - clever.  Yes, circles, but I think that it's for clarification purposes, not an anagram-like necessity.  I am even more impressed that we have barely a handful of names, most being crossword staples. 16 3LWs, an even 20 of four- and five-letter words, plus two new, unique* fills;

18. Enthralled by the theater: STAGESTRUCK - I have not heard of this ( usually, I'm STAR struck ) but in my search, I discovered a movie, and at least one company that does stage/exhibit production - I would like to work with a company like that, building sets, props, special effects, etc.

31. Green-and-yellow farm playthings for kids: JOHN DEERE TOYS* - I have a similar "toy", but it's a Massey Ferguson; here's the son of my friend Melina on his "tractor"

45. Folks who get creative in court: SKETCH ARTISTS* - I grew up seeing these renderings on the evening news, not knowing the reason why; I believe the first major "televised" court case I can recall, if I am not mistaken ( and I frequently am ) was the OJ trial - and now it's part of an exhibit of courtroom sketches

From a New York Times article

58. Shift responsibility to someone else, and an apt title for this puzzle: PASS THE BUCK

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Ill-fitting: INAPT - this word speaks awkwardly, IMO

6. Ground-breaking tool: SPADE - I showed you all my broken spade in the Sep 10th blog

11. Passed with flying colors: ACED

15. Zenith's opposite: NADIR

16. Stand in art class: EASEL

17. Theater box: LOGE

20. Apple variety: iMAC - the ol' computer/fruit deception

21. Outlets: EXITS - Doors, not electrical receptacles

22. Swimwear brand founded in Australia in 1914: SPEEDO - kinda like a 20th century "fig leaf" - and yeah . . . TMI clothing, IMO

24. Viola clef: ALTO - filled via perps

Relative position of Middle "C"

27. Scallions' kin: LEEKS

30. Squirming: ANTSY

34. Krauss of bluegrass-country: ALISON - Odd spelling; I know she collaborated with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant on the album Raising Sand in 2007, and again with Raise the Roof in 2021

Please Read the Letter

35. "One more thought ... ": "ALSO . . ."

36. Bubbly drink: POP - Soda, Cola, Coke - depends on your location/dialect

39. Fled: RAN

40. Frozen Four org.: NCAA - College ice hockey

43. Early bloomers: TULIPS

48. Quick bread at tea: SCONE - My parents were born & raised in England - I have had scones

51. Detective story?: ALIBI - and the name of my ex-GF's cat in Florida

52. Boundless: VAST

53. Smoothie fruit: PAPAYA - I mix in "berry medley" with chocolate protein powder, and "tropical" with vanilla - no papaya in my smoothies, but I'd try it

55. Lower back bones: SACRA - plural of sacrum

Why does this image make me think of the movie "ALIEN"~?

57. System operator: USER

64. Spot for curlers: RINK - These curlers

65. Lauder of cosmetics: ESTÉE

66. First Greek letter: ALPHA

67. Intrusive: NOSY

68. Veggies for chips: SPUDS

69. Intel job: RECONnaissance - The etymology of  this Frawnche word

DOWN:

1. LiMu business: INSurance - Most insurance advertising is extremely annoying, IMO - I am covered by Geico, and their commercials are the only ones that I can tolerate - and WHY is it such a huge presence in the market~? There's an INS ad every TV break

2. D.C. ballplayer: NATional - baseball for C.C.

3. 1990 accessibility law, for short: ADA - Americans with Disability Act - required knowledge for me as a commercial/residential drafter/designer.  The website has this section, which never occurred to me.

4. Statue toppers: PIGEONS - Ah.  That kind of "topper"

The caption: "I'm extremely conflicted here."

5. Dino with long teeth and short arms: T-REX

6. Small sofa: SETTEE - Check out the "legs" on this settee

The curvy ones - uh, well, that's not too distinctive

7. Text analyst: PARSER - a  bit meh.

8. Tempe sch.: ASU - Arizona State University - the region where my ex-wife now lives - not quite the whole continent away, but close enough....

9. Advent mo.: DECember

10. Community group with lodges: ELKS

11. Extraterrestrial visitors, perhaps: ALIENS

12. Extraterrestrial visitor, certainly: COMET - I just finished "Seveneves" by Neal Stevenson, a science fiction novel with a fair amount of the story involving a comet

13. "Yikes!": "EGADS~!"

14. Wooden duck, e.g.: DECOY

19. "Hush": "SILENCE~!" - I tried 'BE QUIET' first

23. Shareholder dividend: PAYOUT

24. Slightly cracked: AJAR - Again Doors, not minds . . . .

25. Title person in a Kinks hit: LOLA - I was never a fan of the song - this one was better, IMO

Come Dancing

26. Lean: THIN - oops, not TILT - see below

28. Mauna __: alphabetically first of two Hawaiian volcanoes with similar names: KEA - thanks for the hint~! The other is LOA

29. Mo. town: STL - Not "Detroit", which is related to the muscial Motown

32. Party animal?: DONKEY - as in "Pin the Tail On the. . ."

33. Big bird: OSTRICH - our second "Big Bird" of the puzzle - LiMu ads feature an Emu

36. Tuscan tower town: PISA

Saw this on FB under "Dad Jokes"

37. Makes a choice: OPTS

38. Covert summons: PSST~!

41. One step __ time: AT A

42. Knee stabilizer, for short: ACL - the ligament that is prone to injury

44. Suitable for habitation: LIVABLE

45. Snidely critical: SNARKY

46. Sounded like a 59-Down: HISSED - AND - 59. Nile snake: ASP

47. Becomes less intense: ABATES

48. Rebuff: SPURN

49. Label printer maker: CASIO

50. Blossoms: OPENS

54. Gibbons, e.g.: APES

56. Nurture: REAR

60. Early Beatles bassist Sutcliffe: STU

61. Scanned lines on a pkg.: UPC

62. Margaret of "Fire Island": CHO

63. Mo. neighbor: KANsas - who knew that Kansas lived next to Chairman "Moe"~?

Splynter

Friday, September 12, 2025 - Katherine Simonson

 Theme:  "Bride"-al path ... 

 

As seen in the hit film, "Sire of the Bride"

Puzzling thoughts:

Today's puzzle was summed up with the reveal entry:

54-across. Rom-com starring Julia Roberts, and a feature of 20-, 32-, and 41-Across?: RUNAWAY BRIDE.

As you'll see in each of the three entries, the BRIDE has RUN AWAY from the movie title listed (as clued):

20-across. Gurinder Chadha adaptation of a Jane Austen novel: AND PREJUDICE.  The movie was not a box-office "biggie", nor a fan favorite, but it did cause the Chairman to wonder what was to follow as I was thinking PRIDE and Prejudice, Jane Austen's actual novel.  As it turns out, what's "missing" is the word BRIDE from the title (BRIDE AND PREJUDICE) - open the hyperlink to learn more

32-across. Fantasy adventure starring Cary Elwes and Robin Wright: THE PRINCESS.  The movie was not a box-office "biggie" but at least garnered an 80% approval rating.  Once again, the word BRIDE was missing from the puzzle entry (THE PRINCESS BRIDE)

41-across. Spencer Tracy comedy with a remake starring Steve Martin: FATHER OF THE.  The movie earned the most $ of the three but was still regarded as a "stinker" by Rotten Tomatoes.  BRIDE was missing from the movie title (FATHER OF THE BRIDE)

OK, without sounding too ignorant, what am I missing here?  I can honestly say that "Father of the Bride" is the only one of the three movies I've seen.  And it came out in 1991 so my memory of it is pretty foggy.  IIRC, the father, aka, George Banks, is more concerned about the cost of the wedding rather than the fact that he is losing his daughter Annie to his future son-in-law

Did any of the three entry movies feature the BRIDE running away?  Having "cold feet" perhaps?  If so, then this was a brilliant discovery by the constructor.  Three movies whose titles include the missing word "BRIDE" and whose story lines include the BRIDE actually "running away".  If not, then I don't know if this registers very high on my creativity list of puzzles

Guess I will have to wait at the altar (or watch the three movies to find out) 

Kudos Katherine to being published again (debuted October 2024) as I know from personal experience just how difficult it is to have a puzzle go to print

A small "nit" to pick:  In the first movie title, the word "BRIDE" was the missing from the first word in the title.  In the other two movies, the word "BRIDE" was missing from the last word of the title.  Perhaps if Katherine had thought of this movie (in which the word BRIDE is the second word in the title) I might have enjoyed this more, as the BRIDE would have run away from three different spots 

For some odd reason (maybe my weirdness) this whole "runaway bride" thing made me think of a fitting Moe-ku:

       Home, Home on the Range

       Features a runaway BRIDE: 

       "The deer and the ant elope ... "     

Here, then, is the grid and then off to the rest of the puzzle words

 

Across:

1. Burdened: BESET.

"Burdened" didn't make the top ten

6. Puff: WISP.  See 6-Down ... we have WISP crossing WASP

10. Grifter's game: SCAM. If the word "game" had been capitalized the answer might have been "BOOK"

14. French honey: AMOUR.  "Honey" as in dearie - French word for "my love"

15. Org. co-founded by Helen Keller: ACLU.  American Civil Liberties Union

16. Angelic ring: HALO.

17. Semper __: Space Force motto: SUPRA.  All you need to know about the US Space Force 

All you need to know about Semper Supra

18. Spotted: SEEN.  Not this spotted:

19. Enthusiastic: AVID.

[entry]

23. Oscar winner Tomei: MARISA.  One of my favorite clips from the movie, "My Cousin Vinny".  Marisa in her role as Mona Lisa Vito

26. Pickleball need: PADDLE.

27. Some pyramid-topped monuments: OBELISKS.  

Unlike 50-Down, this Luxor is an obelisk

30. Scare word: BOO.  Irish Miss must be pleased today as Katherine only used 11 three-letter words in her puzzle (if I counted correctly)

31. Scottish cap: TAM.  And of course, another three-letter word appears right afterwards ... 

[entry]

37. Long-billed wader: IBIS.  Also, the mascot of the University of Miami Hurricanes 

Sebastian, the IBIS

39. Mexican kinsman: TIO.  Would the clue "Uncle in Uruguay" have been any easier?

40. Cabbage cousin: KALE.

[entry]

46. B'way passes: TIX.  Moe-ku:

        Can dogs that have fleas

        Get into a theater

        Without having TIX?             

47. Exclamation of discovery: AHA.

48. Formidable: FEARSOME.  Any football fans remember the "FEARSOME" foursome?
 
50. Off-road vehicles?: LEMONS.  When was the term "lemon" first used to describe an "off" car?

How about a lemon-colored lemon??

53. Done for: RUINED.  

[reveal]

57. Teammates who really pull for you?: OXEN.   Clever clue

58. Small ensemble: TRIO.  Duo and quartet didn't fit

59. Wrinkle removers: IRONS.  Thankfully as a retiree I no longer need to worry about removing wrinkles from my dress shirts, as I used to when I worked in the corporate world ... 

63. Pop singer Amos: TORI.

  

64. Haughty manners: AIRS.

65. Part of one's inheritance: TRAIT.  My good looks, I'm told ... 😀

66. Clog decorated with Jibbitz charms: CROC.  Not familiar with this?  Watch below:

67. Invited: BADE.  Friday clue

68. Primitive: EARLY.  Friday clue

Down:

1. __-relief: BAS.  Moe-ku:

        A professional

        Fisherman mounted his catch:

        His bass bas-relief

2. Australian source of some cosmetic oil: EMU.  Johnny Bench is a spokesman for this brand:

3. Soak (up): SOP.

4. Continental train pass: EURAIL.  All you need to know about Eurail passes

5. Part of BART: TRANSIT.  Bay Area Rapid Transit

6. Queen mother?: WASP.  All you need to know about a Queen WASP

7. Cake shop artist: ICER.  Moe-ku:

        What bakery does

        When bride carps on wedding cake?

        Of course, they ICER

8. With 13-Down, laptop setting: SLEEP.  [13-Down. See 8-Down]: MODE.  Moe-ku:

        Breyer's IT staff

        Equipped their computers with

        SLEEP a la MODE 

9. Most prevalent language of Pakistan: PUNJABI. [Brittanica dot com says] "Punjabi language, or Panjabi language, Indo-Aryan language of the Punjab in India and Pakistan. Punjabi has about 26 million speakers in India and more than 60 million in Pakistan—nearly half the population of the latter—but linguists have sometimes considered the dialects of southwestern, western, and northern Punjab province in Pakistan a different language. Inhabitants of southern Punjab province have agitated for consideration of their speech, Siraiki (with more than 12 million speakers), as a distinct language, though Siraiki and Punjabi are mutually intelligible"

10. Pomelo: SHADDOCK.  [Wikipedia says] "The pomelo , also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia and Malaysia."

11. Kvetch: CAVIL.  What's the difference between Kvetch and CAVIL?

12. Chez Panisse owner Waters: ALICE.  Anyone here familiar with this woman and/or restaurant? Here is a conversation I found on YouTube

21. Vague amount: DASH.  Moe-ku:

        Recipes are vague;

        How salty should the dish be?

        Just ask Mrs. Dash

22. Japanese noodle: UDON.  The vagueness of the clue could have steered you toward SOBA, too.  Want to know the difference?  I'll also compare ramen noodles to them

23. Repeated pattern: MOTIF.  Moe-ku:

        What boxer said when

        He saw his incisors gone:

        "I just want Motif"

24. Addis __, Ethiopia: ABABA.  Addis-Ababa translates to "New Flower"

25. Pay: REMIT.  The word REMIT has a boatload of definitions 

28. Low-carb regimen: KETO.  Diets are just fads 

29. Polish (up): SPIFF.  My friend the Thesaurussaurus agrees; sort of

Again, "polish (up)" didn't make the top ten

33. Tedious learning method: ROTE.  I wonder if this is how actors learn their lines?

34. Brand of fine stationery: EATON.  I remember using this brand of stationery when I prepared my work resume, as it added both quality and professionalism to the document 

35. Goopy stuff: SLIME.  When the Ghostbusters got slimed ... "why am I drippings with goo?"

36. Sch. health class: SEX ED.  Click here for a preview of an article on SEX EDucation

38. Like some New Agey practices: SHAMANIC.  According to [shamanichealing.org.uk]: "Shamanic healing is an ancient spiritual practice that focuses on restoring balance and harmony to an individual's mind, body, and spirit through various techniques and rituals.  According to [Urban Dictionary]: New Agey is an adjective used to describe a new age type individual, i.e., someone who has a crystals collection, has many self-improvement books, believes in alternative medicine, practices yoga and meditation, eats organic, wears socks and sandals, and/or believes in auras and energy fields. Can also be used to describe new age practices such as shamanic healing"

42. Online instruction site: E-HOW.  Moe-ku:

        Old MacDonald song

        Lyrics are found online at

        "E-I-E-I How"

43. Deferred payment: RAN A TAB. Moe-ku:

        The teetotaler

        Who drank unsweetened cola

        Just ran a Tab® tab 

44. Mata __: HARI.  If you have 24 minutes to spare, please watch this video as it tells the story behind the woman known as Mata Hari

45. Scholarly: ERUDITE.  I've never been confused with someone who's erudite; glib, maybe 😉

49. Jagged-looking range: SIERRA.  Literal translation for the word sierra is a jagged mountain range.  Go figure!  Here is a look at a very small portion of the Sierra Mountains at a very famous lake that borders CA and NV ... taken by the Chairman when he was on sabbatical ... 

Along the western edge of Lake Tahoe

50. Vegas hotel whose rooms have slanted windows: LUXOR.  The Luxor Hotel resembles a pyramid from its exterior.  If you book a room there your windows will look like this

Yes, the windows are slanted

51. Month when it's not chilly in Chile: ENERO.  Hah! Enero is the Spanish word for January; Chile is located in the Southern Hemisphere where the month of January is the start of their summer season.  Now, if you were located here in Chile, in Enero, you would definitely be chilly unless you were wearing a warm jacket

52. Ancient Palmyra's land: SYRIA.

54. Campus mil. group: ROTC.  Reserve Officers' Training Corps

55. Blue-footed booby, for one: BIRD.  I wonder if the blue-footed characteristic of the booby indicates a male, and the females are pink-footed?  Actually, the blue feet are the male's way of attracting a female for mating ... 

If you were a female booby, would you find this guy attractive?

56. Neither red nor white: Rosé.  Speaking of pink, I'm guessing this clue/answer refers to wine.  If so, here's a fun fact from your resident sommelier:  Rosé wines are generally made from red grape varietals and are not a result of blending a white wine with a red wine, though that is an option.  During fermentation, especially with red and/or darker skinned grapes, the longer the pressed grape "juice" stays in contact with their skins, the darker the color of the wine.  When making rosé, many winemakers will leave the skins in contact with the fermenting wine for mere hours.  That is generally long enough to provide a tinge of color and create a pink-colored wine. Here are a just a few of the red-grape varietals that can make rosé: Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel

60. Coxswain's lack: OAR.  The coxswain is the person at the front of the boat yelling the cadence to the rowers

This is for our cat-loving Cornerites

61. Nothing at all: NIL.  At some point (maybe it's already happened) this word might also be clued as: NCAA athlete compensation acronym

62. Barnyard dwelling: STY.  What lives in a STY?  Why, little piggies I'm told.  Here's a cut from the White Album to lead you towards the comments ... see you in a couple ...

Oh, I have a post-script to add as I found a picture recently of a spud that resembles my blogging partner, Malodorous Manatee.  He will provide the jocularity next week

Quite the resemblance, eh?