16. Super: THE CATS MEOW.
23. Super: OUT OF SIGHT.
51. Super: PEACHY KEEN.
59. Super: CRACKER JACK.
36. "Nicely done!" and an apt description of 16-, 23-, 51-, and 59-Across: THAT WAS COOL. Also an apt description of the reveal, being right in the middle of the grid. (See image at bottom of post.)
Melissa here. The four theme answers are expressions referring to something that is considered outstanding; coined by American cartoonist Thomas A. Dorgan (1877–1929). Dorgan is also responsible for popularizing other well-known slang - see Wikipedia.
Across:
1. Numbered work: OPUS. An opus is a piece of classical music by a particular composer. Opus is usually followed by a number which indicates at what point the piece was written. The abbreviation op. is also used. Beethoven's Piano Sonata in E minor, Opus 90, below.
10. Employee badges, for short: IDS. Identifications, or the verb form, identifies.
13. 1953 Alan Ladd Western: SHANE.
14. Former "Weekend Today" co-host Hill: ERICA. She left the show in 2016. and is now at CNN.
15. Put to the test: TRY.
18. "Bring It on Home to Me" singer Cooke: SAM. What a great tune, released in 1962. Fun fact: Lou Rawls provided backing vocals.
19. Scolds loudly: YELLS AT. First thing I heard in my head was Ron Weasley's howler, from Harry Potter.
20. Civil rights org. founded by a group that included W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells: NAACP. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Formed in 1909.
22. "Legally Blonde" role for Reese: ELLE.
27. Feature of an A-frame roof: SLANT.
31. Feng shui force: CHI. Feng Shui 101: What is Chi?
33. North Carolina college town: ELON. Elon University's ranking in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #89. Its tuition and fees are $42,241.
35. The guy for ewe?: RAM. Great clue.
39. Gymnast Mary __ Retton: LOU. Probably many of us here remember her 1984 Olympics floor routine where she got a perfect 10.
41. Rapper who plays Fin Tutuola: ICE-T. On NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
42. Topeka's st.: KAN. Topeka is a city in the state of Kansas.
43. River of Florence: ARNO. In Italy.
45. "No __ done": HARM.
54. Put on the payroll: HIRE.
55. Ish: SORTA. To some extent.
56. Dreamy state: REVERIE. A state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream.
58. Wall St. debut: IPO. An initial public offering or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail investors.
63. Nada: NIL. Used in both Spanish and English, most experts attribute the English use of nada to Ernest Hemingway, who borrowed it from Spanish, in which it means "nothing." The Latin root, nata, means "small, insignificant thing."
64. Arizona governor Hobbs: KATIE.
65. __ well: is a good sign: BODES.
66. Hair product: GEL.
67. Fantastic bargain: STEAL.
68. Toe the line: OBEY. According to Grammarist, the phrase "Toe the line" derives from track-and-field events in which athletes are required to place a foot on a starting line and wait for the signal to go. Race officials used to shout “Toe the line!” where now they shout “On your marks!” Since entering the language, the idiom has developed to mean do what is expected or act according to someone else’s rules or expectations.
1. "Blast it!": OH HELL.
2. Spanish rice dish: PAELLA. A classic Spanish dish made with rice, saffron, vegetables, meat and/or seafood cooked and served in one pan.
3. Relax, as fists: UNCLENCH.
4. Sailing settings: SEAS.
5. Regain one's strength: REST UP.
6. Sleeve: ARM. 45 Different Types of Sleeves
7. Go head-to-head: VIE. Compete.
8. Prefix with footprint: ECO. What is your ecological footprint?
9. Occurs to, with "on": DAWNS.
10. Proclamation on some birth announcements: IT'S A GIRL.
11. Old Greek coin: DRACHMA.
12. Runny nose or headache, maybe: SYMPTOM. A physical or mental feature which is regarded as indicating a condition of disease, particularly such a feature that is apparent to the patient.
13. Eye sores: STYES.
17. Chinese philosophical concept: TAO. Tao is the way of acting in accordance with nature. It is a path, a road, a series of habits, a way of living. Chi or qi is a context-sensitive word for “that which makes living things do stuff.”
21. Have a runny nose or headache, maybe: AIL.
24. London's Globe, for one: THEATRE.
25. Liquids that may be herb-infused: OILS.
26. Group of sheep: FLOCK. I learned recently that a group of stingrays is called a fever, and a group of jellyfish is called a smack.
28. Pad __: stir-fried noodle dish: THAI. Stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of the country's cuisine.
32. Like cheap wool: ITCHY. From The Wool Room: As a general rule, the larger the diameter of the wool strands, the lower the quality and the itchier it will feel. Wool with smaller strands will feel softer. Many wool producers use cheap wool to lower product costs, but cheaper wool with thick fibers is often responsible for itching.
34. Trevor who hosted the "The Daily Show" from 2015 to 2022: NOAH.
36. Sushi option: TUNA ROLL.
37. __ sauce: WEAK. Slang for something inferior, ineffective, or unimpressive. Opposite of awesome sauce.
38. Like some training: ON THE JOB.
39. Expiring, as a subscription: LAPSING. When the term ends without being renewed or canceled, the policy has lapsed.
40. No-bake dessert with a cookie crust: OREO PIE.
44. Halloween mo.: OCT.
46. Former German chancellor Angela: MERKEL. November 2005 to December 2021.
48. Diatribe: TIRADE.
49. Expensive: PRICEY.
50. Goes after: SEEKS.
52. Emmy-winning series starring Jean Smart as a comedian: HACKS. She also played Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom Designing Women.
53. Born, in Bordeaux: NEE. Originally called; born (used especially in adding a woman's maiden name after her married name). "Mary Toogood, née Johnson."
57. Online marketplace with holiday homes: VRBO.
60. Rodent or snitch: RAT.
61. Picnicked: ATE.
62. Spy org.: CIA. Central Intelligence Agency
Note: The incorrect grid with the wrong answer for 36a posted earlier has been corrected.
