Monday July 28, 2025 Doug Peterson

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a fun, mid-summer puzzle.  

Theme:              Pool Your Resources

Let's dive right in with the reveal:

64 Across. Summertime backyard bash, and a hint to the ends of 17-, 25-, 40-, and 50-Across: POOL PARTY.

Late July is definitely the season for a swimming POOL PARTY here in the Northern Hemisphere; however, constructor Doug Peterson was thinking about a different type of POOL. He gave us these four themed answers with a billiards item at the end of each.

17 Across. Nonverbal signal during a conversation: SOCIAL CUE.  

25 Across. Falafel cart breads: PITA POCKETS.  

These are stuffed with falafel (deep-fried balls
filled with chickpeas and/or fava beans)
 and other healthy veggies.

40 Across. Whoppers, e.g.: MALTED MILK BALLS.  The simplicity of this clue can take a solver down a few roads:  fish, lies, Burger King hamburgers, etc.  

50 Across. Driver's two-wheeler carrier: BICYCLE RACK.  

Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard is followed by his team car during this year's
Tour de France during the individual time trials.
That BICYCLE RACK holds a lot of spare bikes for one rider!
As of this writing, Jonas is expected to finish this year's Tour in 2nd place.

Putting it all together, we have what we need for a POOL table PARTY:  

CUE, POCKETS, BALLS, RACK
I like how Doug found alternate meanings for each of these.
Nice shot, Doug!

Shall we play on?

Across:

1. "Oppenheimer" actor Damon: MATT.

5. Apple desktop: iMAC.

9. Hall of Fame Yankees shortstop Derek: JETER.  Jeter's Hall of Fame page

14. __ Eats: DoorDash rival: UBER.

15. Scottish water: LOCH. Scotland has over 30,000 fresh-water LOCHs.

16. Suspect's story: ALIBI.  awesome alliteration

19. Fan mags: ZINES.  magaZINES

20. Steve Harvey, for one: TV HOST.  Harvey was born on January 17, 1957 in Welch, West Virginia. He has been active in the entertainment industry since 1985. His IMDb page lists his various hosting gigs.

21. Tease playfully: RAZZ.  We had a fun little Z knot here.  

23. Test taken by some college srs.: GRE.  Some college seniors take the Graduate Records Examinations when applying to grad school.

24. "Correct": YES.

28. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" villain __ Squalor: ESME.  ESP for me.

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of thirteen children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. I like the surname "Squalor" for a children's book. It definitely gives off 'bad guy' vibes. This clue made me think of aptronyms then that made me think of my favorite cycling commentator, Bob Roll. "Roll" is a good last name for a former cyclist, don't you agree? 

Phil Liggett and Bob Roll are the main NBC commentators for the Tour de France.
Phil is from the UK and Bob was born in Oakland, CA.
(Bob often stands with his left arm akimbo when holding a microphone.)

29. Commercial suffix with Cray or Motor: -OLA.  

30. Opera solo: ARIA.

33. British noble: EARL.

36. Pressed (on): URGED.

43. Hatchling sound: CHEEP.  Last week we had hens clucking so this week I thought I would look for a sound bite of chicks CHEEPing. In doing so I learned something really cool. It turns out you can hear chicks CHEEPing inside the eggs before they hatch! Stay tuned to when he turns off the background fan noise. 

 44. Stretch across: SPAN.

45. Commuter's expense: TOLL.  Anyone else suddenly craving a chocolate-chip cookie?

46. Narrow inlet: RIA.

48. Source of creative inspiration: MUSE.

55. Core muscles: ABS.

58. Lille chum: AMI.  I like how the clue writer played with lil', a shortened form of little to possibly throw a solver off. Lille, France is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region in northern France, near the border with Belgium. It is also the location of Stage 1 of this year's Tour de France. When in France, one might use the French word for chum.

map of the 21 stages in the 2025 Tour de France

59. Prix __ menu: FIXE.  ...more French. Prix Fixe means "fixed price" and can sometimes be found on restaurant menus.

60. Snappable chocolate bar: KITKAT.  🎵Break me off a piece of that KitKat bar.🎵

62. __ Rae: Sally Field Oscar role: NORMA.  I used to know someone named Amron. Her mother's name was Norma. See what she did there?

66. Luxury Italian handbag brand: GUCCI.

67. Campaign staffer: AIDE.

68. Sickle or saw: TOOL.

69. One of 1,406 for Rickey Henderson: STEAL.  Even I know that Rickey Henderson (1958 - 2024) was known for stealing bases. He had 1,406 career STEALs. His nickname was the Man of STEAL. (Haha! Good one!)  Henderson's Hall of Fame page  

70. Letters before a summary: TLDR.  Too Long, Didn't Read

71. Novelist Rice: ANNE.

Down:

1. Damp-smelling: MUSTY.

2. __ and beyond: ABOVE.  While the cyclists compete on the roads in the Tour de France, there is another competition happening among the farmers along the route. These displays are meant to be captured from ABOVE by the helicopters covering the race.  

This 50 sec. video shows an entry from 

the 2011 Tour de France Field Art competition.

The bike frame is made from hay bales.

3. Computer troubleshooters: TECHS.

4. Set of three: TRIO.  

Vince Guaraldi Trio     ~     Linus and Lucy     ~     1964

5. Too early or too late: ILL-TIMED.  I liked this timely fill! Apparently the last TIME this answer appeared in an LA TIMEs crossword puzzle was in 2010.

6. Soft shoe, briefly: MOC.  I first had "tap" as in "tap dance". Now I think the clue is saying that a MOCcasin is a shoe made of soft materials.

7. Integra automaker: ACURA.

8. Like items on clearance: CHEAP.

9. Nightspot for cool cats: JAZZ CLUB.  I liked this fill and its symmetrical partner, 41-Down.

I'm one of those people who listens to a lot of JAZZ on my smart speaker but do not know anything about the artists or music. I do know I like Esperanza Spalding's music. She is from Portland, OR. Here is her 2012 song named for Portland's nickname, The City of Roses.  

10. Yale grad: ELI.

11. Trace of color: TINGE.  

12. Only movie critic with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: EBERT.  (1942 - 2013)

Back in the day, I used to watch Siskel & Ebert's TV show to get suggestions for which VHS to rent at the video store.  Ebert's Walk of Fame page  

13. Levitates: RISES.

18. Egyptian serpents: ASPS.

22. Menagerie: ZOO.  A menagerie is a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition.

26. Blue Jays and Blue Jackets: TEAMS.  Toronto's MLB TEAM and Columbus' NHL TEAM

27. Martial art featured on "Cobra Kai": KARATE.

28. Restaurant: EATERY.

30. "Mayfair Witches" cable network: AMC.  AMC+ is a subscription TV channel. Mayfair Withes first aired on January 8, 2023. I am not their target audience.

31. Cheer syllable: RAH.  

32. Suffix with infant: -ILE.  Does anyone else watch Resident Alien? Alan Tudyk is outstanding as an alien with superior intelligence but who is immature when it comes to human SOCIAL CUEs. He looks like a normal human to other humans except for the mayor's son, Max, who can see his true alien face. This 1:41 scene is an example of his infantILE nature when arguing with a child. (Warning: foul language used in a humorous way.) 

34. Tear roughly: RIP.

35. Woolly animal of Peru: LLAMA.  The annual average temperature in the Peruvian Andes varies from 64°F (18°C) in the low-lying valleys to an icy 32°F (0°C) at higher elevations. I'm glad the LLAMAs have wool coats!

37. Mop & __: GLO.  Here is a Mop & Glo TV commercial from 1973:  

38. Pipe bend shape: ELL.

39. Broadband inits.: DSL.  initials and Digital Subscriber Line

41. Magnificent blunder: EPIC FAIL.  

42. Pitch that moves unpredictably: KNUCKLER.  Is this a nickname for a KNUCKLE ball?

47. Boxer Muhammad: ALI.

49. Playlist option: SKIP.  You can SKIP to the next song on your playlist.

50. Across-the-forehead hairstyle: BANGS.  

51. "Catch ya later": I'M OUT.     and     61 Down. "Bye now!": TA TA.

52. "Odyssey" sorceress: CIRCE.  She is a powerful enchantress in Greek mythology.

53. One living overseas, for short: EXPAT.  EXPATriot, for long

54. Tend to a pesky squeak: RE-OIL.  Pesky implies the squeak has been tended to in the past but is persistent so another application is in order.

55. Ohio's "Rubber City": AKRON.  

6. __ Rouge: BATON.  

57. Fashion sense: STYLE.

63. Old record label: MCA.  MCA was established in 1972. MCA, Inc. became Universal Studios, Inc. in 1996 then that became Universal Music Group but Universal still uses the name for its branch, MCA Nashville.  Here is an artist from their roster:  

Lyle Lovett     ~     Stand By Your Man     ~     1989

65. Kind of weird: ODD.  Hearing Lyle Lovett cover that 1968 Tammy Wynette hit feels kind of weird.

The grid:  

What a nice coincidence to have so many Tour de France connections this week! 😜 If you are not a professional cycling fan, you might be happy to know that the three-week race concluded yesterday. Crossword puzzles reference the more popular sports all year long. Fair enough but cycling is my favorite.

Have a good week!

Monday July 21, 2025 Zachary David Levy

  

Happy Monday, everyone! 

Today's theme is:  

Constructor Zachary David Levy gives us four themed clues and an earworm reveal that might very well stick with you all day. Let's take a closer look:

17 Across. Film edition typically longer than its theatrical release: EXTENDED CUT.

EXTENDED FAMILY are relatives beyond a nuclear family such as grandparents and cousins.

24 Across. Big name in nonprescription reading glasses: FOSTER GRANT.  

A FOSTER FAMILY provides temporary care for children who cannot live with their biological parents due to various circumstances.

39 Across. Opinion formed when shaking hands, perhaps: FIRST IMPRESSION.

The FIRST FAMILY is the family of the president of the United States.  

49 Across. Wrestling event with a series of combatants: ROYAL RUMBLE.  This is a WWE event available on pay-per-view.

A ROYAL FAMILY is an EXTENDED FAMILY with titles. 

62 Across. Sister Sledge classic whose second line is "I got all my sisters with me," and a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 39-, and 49-Across: WE ARE FAMILY.

The starts of the themed clues are all types of families. Works for me!

Here is the song from 1979:  

Yes, the four singers in Sister Sledge are real sisters! 

Their names are Joni, Kim, Debbie, and Kathy Sledge.

Next we'll look at the members of this FAMILY grid seated at the kiddie table:

Across:

1. Sounds from a chicken coop: CLUCKS.   Here you go....

7. Spew forth, as oil: GUSH.  

It's a GUSHer!

11. Cleverness: WIT.  WITty clues are appreciated.

14. Sell every last copy: RUN OUT.  ... as in "Did the newsstand RUN OUT of copies of today's paper?"

15. Not for: ANTI.  ANTI can be a stand-alone word or a prefix.

16. Slip up: ERR.  To ERR in the Tour de France peloton (large group of riders) can have disastrous outcomes as seen in this crash from Stage 7. We later learned that Joao Almeida from Portugal broke a rib in this crash. He continued to ride but ultimately left the race during Stage 9. This was a tough blow since he placed 4th in last year's Tour and was the #2 man in this year's top-seeded team. 

19. Female sheep: EWE.

20. Performing: DOING.  ... as in "She is performing a tracheotomy."

21. Mardi Gras city nickname: NOLA.  New Orleans, LA  

House of the Rising Sun     ~     The Animals     ~     1964

<The authorship of this traditional folk song is uncertain.>

22. Et __: and others: ALIA.  Latin  

23. Mine output: ORE.  What's mine is (y)OREs.

27. "I inhaled it!": YUM.  Perhaps the clue writer was thinking:  "It tasted so delicious that I ate it all up quickly."

28. Little kiddos: TOTS.     and     33 Down. Little scoundrel: IMP.

29. Broadway "Auntie": MAME.  I had an advantage on yesterday's puzzle because I had already researched this for today's blog. Mame is a Broadway musical based on a 1955 novel entitled Auntie Mame. Angela Lansbury played Mame Dennis in 1966. The song We Need a Little Christmas is from that musical.

Auntie and 11-Down are Easter eggs.

32. Courteous: NICE.

36. Dance venue with a mirror ball: DISCO.  

This one cracks me up!

42. Scent: AROMA.

43. British baby stroller: PRAM.

44. French head: TÊTE.     and     55 Down. French "Hi": SALUT.  

45. Café au __: LAIT.  ... more French. This time we have a coffee with hot milk added.

47. Anger: IRE.

54. PC "oops" key: ESC.  One might use the ESC key to close an unwanted window.

57. "Your Friends & Neighbors" actor Jon: HAMM.  I was unfamiliar with this show. It first aired this past April on Apple TV+.

58. Insurance co. for mil. families: USAA.  To take out a policy with USAA, one must be a current or past military member or their FAMILY member.

59. "Inside Out" studio: PIXAR.  I was unfamiliar with this 2015 animated film. 

61. Medium's claim, for short: ESP.  

64. Sundial three: III.

65. Busy, busy, busy: AT IT.  

66. Increasingly rare web access method: DIAL-UP.  

I sometimes wonder what "latest tech"
will soon seem terribly outdated.

67. Surveillance org.: NSA.  Perps inform us on whether it will be CIA or NSA.

68. Gets into, as clothes: DONS.  🎵 "DON we now our gay apparel...." 🎵

69. "BoJack Horseman" voice actor Will: ARNETT.  I have not seen this one either. BoJack Horseman was an animated Netflix TV show for adult audiences that ran from 2014-2020. I do know Will Arnett from his Smartless podcast. He is quick-WITted.

Down:

1. Set of beliefs: CREDO.

2. Pyramid-shaped hotel in Las Vegas: LUXOR.  Every time I Google something about Las Vegas for this blog, I get Vegas ads on my computer for weeks.

3. Open, as a knot: UNTIE.  Or, as those of us who are spelling-challenged might say, "Open, as a not: unite."

4. "Fargo" filmmakers Ethan and Joel: COEN.  These brothers wrote, directed, produced, and edited this 1996 movie.  BTW, I did see this movie ... and liked it a lot!

5. Martial art practiced by a panda in an animated franchise: KUNG FU.  "Kung Fu Panda" rings a bell but I somehow missed seeing these movies, too.

6. Time zone wd.: STD.  word and standard

7. Actress Gal: GADOT.  (b. April 30, 1985)  her IMDb page

8. Dad's brother: UNCLE.  Easter egg!!!

9. E.B. White's "__ Little": STUART.  (1899 - 1995)  E.B. White was born in Mount Vernon, New York. His three most popular children's books are Stuart Little (1945), Charlotte's Web (1952), and The Trumpet of the Swan (1970).

10. Punch: HIT.  If you watched Saturday morning cartoons in 1975, you might remember this commercial:  

11. Little girl, in the Highlands: WEE LASSIE.

12. "Crocodile Hunter" Steve: IRWIN.  (1962 - 2006)  He was an Australian TV personality who hosted a show on Animal Planet. His untimely death was caused by a stingray while filming an underwater documentary in the Great Barrier Reef.

13. Pay for: TREAT.

18. Nav. rank: ENS.  Naval and ensign

22. Adept performer: ARTISTE.  What is the difference between and artist and an ARTISTE?

25. Potent prefix: OMNI-.  Def.:  universally.

26. Divine beings: GODS.

27. Polite affirmation: YES MA'AM.  An 18-Down might say this to an adjuster at 58-Across.

29. Painter's deg.: MFA.  degree and Master of Fine Arts

30. Run on TV: AIR.  If you RUN OUT of clues, you might have to reuse a word from the grid.

31. Bodybuilding competition for men since 1965: MR. OLYMPIA.  This one was in the punchbowl because I remembered that Arnold Schwarzenegger was one. He won six years in a row from 1970 to 1975 then again in 1980.  

1971

34. EMT skill: CPR.  

35. Notable time: ERA.

37. Camper's bed: COT.  This RV bed takes camping up a notch.  

38. Single: ONE.     and     62 Down. Bundle of dollars: WAD.

40. Kite extension: TAIL.  I wanted to pair this with 56-Down but it was the wrong type of tale.

41. Actor Jannings: EMIL.  (1884-1950)  He was a Swiss-German actor. Hollywood historians would know him for sure. 

46. Always there for: TRUE TO.

48. Put back together: REPAIR.

49. Deutschland river: RHEIN.  Native spellings are used in the clue and, therefore, in the answer.

50. Caravan refuge: OASIS.

51. Sprinter Bolt: USAIN.  (b. Aug. 21, 1986)  In 2025 he became Jamaica's global tourism ambassador.  

52. Small shops: MARTS.

53. Sweetie: BAE.

54. Kick out: EXILE.  

"An English sea captain being asked if he had read The Exile of Erin replied, 'No, sir, but I should like to anchor on it.' Year afterwards, when he had been hanged as a pirate after a career of unparalleled atrocities, the following memorandum was found in the ship's log that he had kept at the time of his reply, 'Aug. 3d, 1842. Made a joke on the ex-Ile of Erin. Coldly received. War with the whole world!'"

56. Burial chamber: CRYPT.  

60. Somali-born supermodel: IMAN.  (b. July 25, 1955)  Happy almost-70th birthday to IMAN!  🎂

63. HHS agency: FDA.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is abbreviated, so is the Food and Drug Administration.

The Grid

That's all for this FAMILY reunion. Wishing everyone a pleasant week ahead!

Monday July 14, 2025 Joseph McIntyre

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with what seems to be an LAT debut for Joseph McIntyre. Congrats!  

Theme:            Coasting Through the EASTs

In today's grid we find four themed answers and a reveal. All of the themed answers end in EAST. Let's take a look:

17 Across. *Sourdough starter: WILD YEAST.

I enjoyed seeing sourdough in this clue. I learned how to work sourdough in 1986 from the (then) cowboss on the MC Ranch, Bill Black. I have been baking all things sourdough ever since -- though I did have to grow a new starter with WILD YEAST a few times over the years due to moves. My current starter is 11-years old. Here is a pic of my starter, all bubbly and ready for use:  

I simply pour off 2 cups to make my bread
then put the rest back into the refrigerator.
This method does not require "discard recipes".

24 Across. *News website created by Tina Brown: THE DAILY BEAST.  This is a news and opinion website that focuses on politics and pop culture. It launched in 2008.

38 Across. *Words before a grand finale: LAST BUT NOT LEAST.  

This was a fun grid-spanner!

50 Across. *Christian observance that's on a different day every year: MOVEABLE FEAST.

At first I was looking for a specific holiday that is not tied to a date. Think "Easter" as opposed to "Christmas". There is also the Hemingway memoir.

62. Londoner who may have a Cockney accent, and what can be found in the answer to each starred clue: EAST ENDER. This is "a native or inhabitant of the part of London that is EAST of the city as far as the River Lea, including the Docklands". 

EastEnders is also a popular British television 56-Down that first aired forty years ago. Here is a 2:30 min. video explaining the Cockney accent on the show.  

Here on The Corner, today's unifier has an extra connection because posters often describe the right-hand side of the grid as the EAST, as if we are talking about a map. Today's themers all END in the EAST with EAST. It is unlikely that this is what our constructor had in mind -- but it works. I'll add the grid now so you can see if you agree.  

We have more clues to review:

Across:

1. Sign-in sheet attachment: PEN.  

4. Brand of canned meat: SPAM.

SPAM musubis are popular in Hawaii.
They sell rice molds that match the SPAM shape.

8. "What's it all about, __": Dionne Warwick lyric: ALFIE.  Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote Alfie for the 1966 film of the same name starring Michael Cane who, by the way, used his native Cockney accent for the film. Cilla Black of the UK was the first to record Alfie. Cher also released a cover. 

13. Commotion: ADO.

14. Congressional staffers: AIDES.

16. Downstairs, on a ship: BELOW.  as in "BELOW deck"   and   28 Across. "All __": conductor's call: ABOARD.     and     44 Across. Assents, at sea: AYES.

19. Maine-to-Florida rte.: U.S. ONE.  This is the longest north-south road in the U.S.  

I found these two photos on the internet. Both were taken in Fort Kent, ME.
There seems to be some disagreement as to which end is the start.

20. Swear (to): ATTEST.

21. In a funk: SAD.  

Wild Cherry     ~     Play That Funky Music     ~     1976

They do not seem SAD, even though they are playing a funk-y song.

23. Smart talk: SASS.

27. "Yeah, I doubt that": UH, NO.

31. Sir __ Guinness: ALEC.  (1914 - 2000)  He won the 1958 Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai. Here he is as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars trilogy.

  

34. Library search field: TITLE. When searching for a book on a library's website, one can search by TITLE, author, ISBN, keyword, etc. 

CSO to our library expert, NaomiZ!

37. Seek the affection of: WOO.  Who else enjoys seeing the various bird performances when they try to WOO a mate? Here is a 1:42 min. video of an impressive affection seeker.

42. 911 responder: Abbr.: EMT.

43. Make into law: ENACT.  The M-W Word of the Day for "today" was the opposite of ENACT. It was rescind. 

45. "This Is __ Tap": SPINAL.  This is Spinal Tap is the title of a brilliant 1984 mocumentary movie directed by Rob Reiner. As it turns out, its sequel is set to be released in theaters on Sept. 12, 2025. Fans of the original will enjoy this very short teaser trailer. I like how they made the Roman numeral II an homage to their Stonehenge stage prank in the original.

47. Triumphant cries: AHAS.  

56. Native Czech, e.g.: SLAV.  Slovenians are a South SLAVic ethnic group so I will take this opportunity to insert here a photo of Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, wearing the yellow jersey in Stage 6 of this year's Tour de France.  

58. Give it a go: TRY.  

59. Whitney Houston's record label: ARISTA.  Click here to see which artists Arista currently represents. How many do you recognize? 

60. Inner's opposite: OUTER.

64. Fast train to Boston: ACELA.  I know this from doing XWD puzzles. My memory trick is ACE-Los Angeles...even though it is a northEAST train.

65. Worshippers at a gurdwara: SIKHS. A gurdwara is a Sikh shrine or place of worship.

66. Granola grain: OAT.  

67. Out of fashion: PASSÉ.  The way the fashion industry keeps recycling past looks, it is difficult to know what is out.    

Heidi Klum knows.

68. Impulsive: RASH.  

69. Online convos: IMS.  conversations and Instant Messages

Down:

1. Play with, as a kitten might: PAW AT.  

2. Novelist Wharton: EDITH.  (1862-1937)  In 1921 she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her 46-Down, The Age of Innocence.

3. Nick of "The Prince of Tides": NOLTE.  his IMDb page

4. Opens up to a doctor?: SAYS AH.  Husker Gary gave us a fun Norman Rockwell image the Saturday before last. He wrote, "Nobody did it better than Norman Rockwell." I agree.  

5. Metal baking container: PIE TIN.  Metal steered me toward TIN.

6. Letters on a toothpaste tube: ADA.  American Dental Association

7. Stylike: MESSY.  like a pig sty

8. __ Dhabi: ABU.  Abu Dhabi is both a city and a an emirate within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Also, Abu Dhabi the city is both the capital of the Abu Dhabi emirate and the capital of the UAE. (I'll wait while you reread those last two sentences a few times so they make sense.)

9. To a smaller degree: LESS SO.  I liked the three S's in a row.

10. Drift from the pier: FLOAT AWAY.  

11. Charged particles: IONS.

12. Female sheep: EWES.  Sheep can be singular or plural.

15. Shot in the dark: STAB.  as in "I'm not sure but I'll take a STAB at the answer"

18. Subtract: DEDUCT.

22. Coped (with): DEALT.

25. "Whole __ Red": Playboi Carti album: LOTTA.  

learning moment

26. Cain's brother: ABEL.

29. Pink wine: ROSÉ.  Summer is a good time to experiment with a ROSÉ.  

30. Connect the __: DOTS.  American Phil Hansen set the world record for the most dots in a dot-to-dot puzzle in 2017 with 52,901 dots.

31. Pub quaffs: ALES.  A quaff is an enjoyable beverage...not to be confused with coif, an elaborate hairdo.

32. "Aladdin" treasure: LAMP.  

33. Best guesses: ESTIMATES.  You will need to get these if your vehicle is 36-Down-ed.

35. "Monsters, __": INC.  This is a 2001 Disney Pixar film. It's cute. You should see it.

36. Wreck beyond repair: TOTAL.  

39. Wally Cleaver's little brother, for short: BEAV.  The TV series Leave It to Beaver ran from 1957-1963. 

Golly gee, BEAV, what do you think Dad's gonna say
when he gets home from work and finds out you are keeping a frog in the bathtub?

40. Not yet rented: UNLET.  One definition of let is "to rent".

41. Enter slowly: EASE IN.  Are you one to EASE IN to a cold swimming pool or do you go for it and jump right in?

46. Fiction section selections: NOVELS.  Last month I read The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi. I sometimes see Alka at the pool where I swim but we are not on a first-name basis or anything like that. Do her other two NOVELS center around the same characters? 

48. Shrubby tracts: HEATHS.  I was temporarily stymied on this one because I typed in HEdgeS.

Perhaps you've heard of HEATHS and heathers. A HEATH is an area of open, uncultivated land, especially in Britain, with characteristic vegetation of heather, gorse, and coarse grasses.

49. From the start: AFRESH.  Def.:  from the beginning; anew; again.

51. Greek war god: ARES. He was also a lover as well as a fighter. ARES and Aphrodite had a thing but she was married to Hephaestus so that did not go well. Eros, another crossword regular, is an offspring of ARES and Aphrodite.

52. Via plane: BY AIR.

53. Prim "Same for me": AS DO I.

54. Cook blue crabs, perhaps: STEAM.

55. Fruity desserts: TARTS.

56. __ opera: SOAP. EastEnders, for example

57. Pixar film set in the fictional Italian town of Portorosso: LUCA.  This is a coming-of-age story about a young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer with his friends. The catch is his human friends do not know that he is a sea monster.

61. Norma __: Sally Field role: RAE.  Sally Field (b. Nov. 6, 1946) won an Oscar for Norma Rae in 1979. She won again in 1984 for Places in the Heart.

Sally Field as Norma Rae

63. Reggae-adjacent genre: SKA.  For about a year now I have been asking my smart speaker to play SKA music when I am doing housework. The tempo keeps me moving and I love the horns! We'll go out today on one of my favorite SKA covers:  

Come on Eileen     ~     Save Ferris     ~     1997

Have a great week, everyone!