Monday, March 30, 2026, Michael B. Berg, Brian Callahan

Theme:  C-O-P-Y right. 

Crossword constructors Michael B. Berg and Brian Callahan enjoy a little wordplay.  The big reveal of today's theme occurs at 50-Across:

50-Across. Protection of intellectual property, or a phonetic hint to 16-, 23-, 30-, and 44-Across: COPYRIGHT.  Copyright laws grant exclusive RIGHTs to the originators of creative works, to COPY, distribute, perform, or display the work.  But today, we are looking for something on the RIGHT side of the answers to 16-, 23-, 30-, and 44-Across.  Something to do with phonetics, or speech sounds.

16-Across. Adrift after a storm, perhaps: LOST AT SEA.  The word on the right sounds like C.

23-Across. Jodie Comer's "Killing Eve" co-star: SANDRA OH.  The word on the right sounds like O.

30-Across. Stir-fry vegetable: SUGAR SNAP PEA.  The word on the right sounds like P.

44-Across. "Let me explain ... ": HERE'S WHY.  The word on the right sounds like Y.

Put the phonetic equivalents of the right-side words together, and you have the word COPY.  

Do you copy?  Let's see what other amusements Michael and Brian have prepared for us.

Across:

1. Bird that went extinct in the 1660s: DODO.  The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to Mauritius, an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.  The first recorded mention of the dodo was by Dutch sailors in 1598.  In the following years, the bird was hunted by sailors and other invasive species, while its habitat was being destroyed.  The last widely accepted sighting of a dodo was in 1662.  A few specimens brought to Europe in the early 1600s, and subfossil materials found on Mauritius, prove the dodo existed.  The extinction of the dodo less than a century after its discovery called attention to the problem of human involvement in the disappearance of entire species ... a problem that has accelerated ever since. 

5. Auction site with a "newly listed" sort option: EBAY.  My younger sister, of blessed memory, loved to shop for special occasion clothing on eBay.  She taught me to include "NWT" (New With Tags) in my searches.

9. Carrier on rails: TRAM.  A tram is an electric public transportation vehicle running on street-level rails.

DH and I were impressed by the tram system in Bordeaux.

13. Monumental: EPIC.

14. Herb in poultry stuffing: SAGE.

15. Purifying filter acronym: HEPA.  A HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter removes at least 99.97% of airborne particles 0.3 microns or larger, including dust, pollen, mold, and bacteria.

16. [Theme clue]

18. Happily __ after: EVER.

Psychologists argue that "happily ever after" does not just happen.
Successful relationships require continuing effort.

19. Weighing device: SCALE.

20. Cheddar shredders: GRATERS.

22. Collectively: AS ONE.

23. [Theme clue]

24. Subterfuge: RUSE.

25. Cone alternative at an ice cream shop: CUP.  Americans are evenly divided on the issue of cone versus cup.  Cones are crunchy, add flavor, and can be managed with one hand.  Cups don't drip, don't detract from the pure flavor of the ice cream, and accommodate more toppings.

Where do you stand on this issue dividing the country?

26. Rebound: RALLY.

27. Triage pro: EMT.  Emergency Medical Technicians provide basic emergency care and transport.

28. Detective Spade of "The Maltese Falcon": SAM.  Sam Spade is a fictional character, the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon.

Sam Spade was memorably played by Humphrey Bogart in 1941.

29. Precious stone: GEM.

30. [Theme clue]

35. Band's sound booster: AMP.

36. Special __: some mil. missions: OPS.  The abbreviation of "military" in the clue tells us to expect an abbreviation in the answer:  "ops" for "operations."

37. Word before devil or dog: SLY.

39. Top-notch: PRIMO.

42. NNW opposite: SSE.

43. Maker of jet-powered pogo sticks, in cartoons: ACME.

ACME supplies Wile E. Coyote with tools to catch and eat the Road Runner.

44. [Theme clue]

46. "Hadestown" writer Mitchell: ANAÏS.  Anaïs Mitchell is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright.  Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including Hadestown (2010).  She developed this album into a stage musical, the Broadway production of which won eight Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical.

Anaïs Mitchell sporting emo hair.

47. Choppy, layered style with black bangs: EMO HAIR.

Cute!

48. Corp. shake-up: REORG.  A corporate shake-up could be a reorganization.

49. Second to __: NONE.

50. [Theme clue]

53. Easy-Bake __: OVEN.  The Easy-Bake Oven is a working toy oven introduced in 1963, manufactured by Kenner and later by Hasbro.  The old ones used light bulbs; the new ones have real heating elements.  In the home of my youth, if we wanted to bake, we had to use the real oven.  

If it was a popular toy, advertised on TV, Mom and Dad did not buy it.

54. Pilates target: CORE.  The "core" refers to the muscles surrounding the spine, pelvis, and hips, that impact posture and stability.  Pilates is a low-impact exercise method focusing on core strength, stability, flexibility, and proper alignment.

Reminded again of my younger sister, a Pilates instructor who passed away 15 years ago.

55. Short message: NOTE.

56. Pharmacy orders, informally: MEDS.

57. "The Music of Tori and the Muses" singer-songwriter: AMOS.  Tori Amos is an American singer-songwriter and pianist.  A child prodigy, Amos began formal classical piano training at age five, but left the institute at eleven, finding her place as a pianist in Washington, D.C. bars.  Amos was the lead singer of the short-lived 1980s pop-rock group Y Kant Tori Read before achieving her breakthrough as a solo artist in the early 1990s. Her songs focus on a broad range of topics, including sexuality, feminism, politics, and religion.

Tori Amos

58. Texter's "So long!": TTYL.  Talk To You Later.

Down:

1. Oscar winner Benicio __ Toro: DEL.  Benicio del Toro is a Puerto Rican actor.  He's appeared in a long list of films, including Steven Soderbergh's crime drama Traffic (2000), for which he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Benicio Del Toro

2. American marsupials known for playing dead: OPOSSUMS.

3. "The Simpsons" character in a rhinestone suit: DISCO STU.  We had Disco Stu in last Monday's puzzle!

4. Gas pump number: OCTANE.

5. East, in Spanish: ESTE.  The four cardinal directions in Spanish are norte (north), sur (south), este (east), and oeste (west). 

6. Some four-year degs.: BAS.  Bachelor of Arts degrees.

7. Generational divide: AGE GAP.

8. Long (for): YEARN.

9. Lady's partner in an animated spaghetti scene: THE TRAMP.

10. Unmask: REVEAL.

11. Italian liqueur in a spritz: APEROL.  I remember sitting at a table in a piazza in Florence, where my daughter was living, and being treated by her to my first Aperol spritz, served after work but before dinner, when Florentines take a break, nibble salty snacks, and drink:  3 parts Prosecco (sparkling wine), 2 parts Aperol (a bitter orange liqueur), and 1 part sparkling water or club soda.  Delizioso!

12. Like wetlands: MARSHY.

17. Brewpub brew: ALE.

21. Pros who know all the hot spots?: AD REPS.  Advertising representatives know all the hot advertisements or "spots."   "Spot" can also refer to the time slot occupied by an ad.

22. "Where the Wild Things __": ARE.  Where the Wild Things Are is a 1963 children's picture book written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.  I'll be reading this to the newest grandchild when he stops putting everything in his mouth.  

23. Basic arithmetic homework: SUMS.  "Doing sums" is British English for doing basic arithmetic, or "maths" as Brits might say.  A worksheet of addition problems might be called "sums" in the USA.

25. Goldfish, for one: CARP.

28. Pastry that may be deep-fried in ghee: SAMOSA.  A samosa is a fried Indian pastry with a savory filling, often potatoes, onions, and peas.   Ghee is butter that has been simmered to remove water and milk solids, which gives it a caramelized flavor and a high smoke point, making it ideal for high heat cooking.

Samosas fried in ghee.

29. Stare in amazement: GAPE.

31. Cornish roasts: GAME HENS.  Small chickens, often roasted whole and served as individual portions.  

32. Overly inquisitive: NOSY.

33. Snail commonly cooked in butter: ESCARGOT.  In English, edible land snails are commonly called escargot, from the French word for snail.  They are usually baked in butter with garlic, shallots, and parsley, and served with bread.  I'm pretty sure it's just as good if you dip bread in butter with garlic, shallots, and parsley, and leave the snails out of it.

Escargot.

34. Supremely powerful: ALMIGHTY.

38. "That's correct": YES.

39. Promising youngster: PHENOM.  A "phenom" (short for phenomenon) is a person with extraordinary talent or ability, often a young prodigy or someone of phenomenal promise, particularly in sports.

40. Get rid of: REMOVE.

41. Pressed, as clothes: IRONED.

42. Trippy fungus, informally: SHROOM.  Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms or shrooms, are consumed as recreational drugs, and may induce hallucinations.  It's trendy now to microdose mushrooms to generate positive feelings without major effects.

43. Bless using oil: ANOINT.

45. Neo-pagan religion: WICCA.  Wicca is a modern religious movement that embraces nature, magic, a goddess and a god.  Introduced to the public in 1954 by a retired British civil servant, it has spread mostly in English speaking countries.  Dear daughter was into it as a pre-teen or teenager.  I opened her bedroom door one evening, and I swear, she was sitting cross-legged on her twin bed, eyes closed, with a circle of lighted candles around her, each balancing on the blanket without visible support.  I backed out quickly, not wishing to startle her and burn the house down.

Not my daughter, but some other young woman "casting a circle."

46. Gassy prefix: AER.  The prefix aer comes from the Greek word for air, and usually indicates processes involving gas, air circulation, or airborne substances.  Examples of words with this prefix include aeration, aerial, aerobic, aerodrome, and aerosol.

48. Loaves that may be marbled: RYES.  Marbled rye bread is created by rolling light rye and dark rye doughs together.  Nice to look at, it also has contrasting flavors that are mild and robust.

Marbled rye bread.

51. Con's opposition: PRO.

52. Contact list no.: TEL.  

Here's the grid:

Solvers, did you feel like a DODO when working the puzzle?  Were you LOST AT SEA?

Or did you turn in a PRIMO performance and feel like a crossword PHENOM?

Let us know in the comments!

-- NaomiZ

Monday, March 23, 2026, Caroline Hand

Theme:  Rhymes with lolly.

Golly, Wally, it's jolly on the trolley!

Caroline Hand is getting to be an old hand at crossword construction.  Today's little folly is a whole volley of actresses' names that rhyme with lolly.  The theme clues and answers are;

17-Across. "The Piano" Best Actress Oscar winner: HOLLY HUNTER.

Passionate historical romance.

28-Across. Actress known for saying "Kiss my grits!" on the sitcom "Alice": POLLY HOLLIDAY.

Polly Holliday is at right in Alice.
DH knew the show, actress, and catchphrase.
Maybe it was more popular in the South?

48-Across. "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club" actress: MOLLY RINGWALD.

Molly Ringwald was a teen icon in the 1980s.

64-Across. Country music legend who founded the nonprofit literacy program Imagination Library: DOLLY PARTON.

This prolific singer songwriter is widely regarded as one of the kindest people alive.

Having solved the theme entries -- with help from perpendicular entries, especially for 28-Across in my case -- we cannot lollygag around.  Grab your brolly and the collie and let's go to Bali -- or at least on to the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Venomous African snake: MAMBA.  The bite of the black mamba is frequently fatal unless antivenom is administered.  Those photos you've seen of a big, black snake with huge fangs?  Not the mamba.  It's a pale brown snake with an mouth that is black on the inside.

Black mamba

6. On __ nine: elated: CLOUD.

11. Celebrity chef Fieri: GUY.  This rowdy restaurateur is a Food Network star.

Guy Fieri -- best known for the blond dye and hair gel?

14. Starting squad: A-TEAM.

15. Scoundrel: LOUSE.

16. Card game based on Crazy Eights: UNO.

17. [Theme clue}

19. Disco __ of "The Simpsons": STU.

20. Like a global corp.: INTL.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.  A global corporation is international.

21. Iowa college town: AMES.  Ames is home to Iowa State University.

22. Loathe: ABHOR.

24. Numbered musical composition: OPUS.

26. "Aquarius" and "Good Morning Starshine" musical: HAIR.  The soundtrack linked below starts slowly and quietly.  Patience, grasshopper!  Total time under 3 minutes.

28. [Theme clue]

33. Khaki kin: CHINO.

35. Ambient music composer Brian: ENO.  Something recent from crossword favorite Brian Eno:

36. First word for some babies: MAMA.

37. Tyrannosaurus __: REX.

38. Money holders: WALLETS.

42. Nada: ZIP.

43. Region: AREA.

45. "The Bluest __": Toni Morrison novel: EYE.  Her first novel, published in 1970.

46. Unwanted garden plants: WEEDS.

48. [Theme clue]

52. Animated character: TOON.  This blogger first heard cartoon characters referred to as "toons" in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, in which human beings and toons co-exist in 1947 Los Angeles.  Good movie.

53. Map publisher __ McNally: RAND.

54. American buffalo: BISON.

57. Clockwork part: GEAR.

59. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTÁ.  A polite or formal "How are you?" in Spanish.  Informal would be "¿Cómo estás?"

63. Sci-fi ship: UFO.

64. [Theme clue]

67. East Lansing sch.: MSU.  Michigan State University.

68. Bring to mind: EVOKE.

69. Toy (with), as an idea: FLIRT.

70. Champagne cork's sound: POP.

71. Less cooked: RAWER.  Technically correct, but sounds like a lion.  I'd say, "More raw."

72. Set of four on a British car: TYRES.

Down:

1. Fish tacos fish, familiarly: MAHI.

2. Loads (of): A TON.

3. Cheesy diner sandwich: MELT.

4. Inflatable party decoration: BALLOON.

5. Actress Poehler: AMY.  From Second City and the Upright Citizens Brigade, to Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation, Amy Poehler has acted, written, and laughed her way into movie stardom, two Golden Globe Awards, and Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world (2011).

Amy Poehler on Parks and Recreation

6. Bumbling: CLUMSY.

7. Unaccompanied: LONE.

8. Performed better than: OUTSHONE.

9. "__ as directed": USE.

10. Go off track: DERAIL.  

literal derailment

11. Spew: GUSH.  

Spew?  Let me count the ways.

12. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.

13. "Ball's in __ court": YOUR.

18. Lug: HAUL.

23. Hat edge: BRIM.

25. Work the soil: PLOW.

27. Loads (of): A LOT.

28. Dot on a computer screen: PIXEL.  The basic unit of programmable color on a computer display or in a computer image.

29. Oscar winner Mirren: HELEN.  Helen Mirren is the only person to have achieved both the US and UK Triple Crowns of Acting -- the US version being crossword favorite "EGOT."  

Dame Helen Mirren as The Queen (2006)

30. In a mental fog: DAZED.

31. Surrounded by: AMID.

32. Prattles on and on: YAPS.

33. Study all night: CRAM.

34. Long sandwich: HERO.

39. Flight-related prefix: AERO.

40. Staying away from the spotlight: LYING LOW.

41. Graceful lake bird: SWAN.

44. Palo __, California: ALTO.  We had Palo Alto last Monday!

47. On in years: ELDERLY.

49. Over thataway: YONDER.

50. Less sunny: GRAYER.

51. Bend out of shape: WARP.

54. Jostle: BUMP.

55. "Should that be the case ... ": IF SO.

56. Dish eaten with a spoon: SOUP.

58. Actress Sommer: ELKE.  Elke Sommer was one of the top film actresses of the 1960s.  

Elke Sommer in the 1960s

60. Kerfuffle: STIR.

61. Moved very fast: TORE.  A secondary meaning of tear/tore, as in "He tore down the hall in his rush to greet the guests."

62. Targets of Terro insect traps: ANTS.  Not familiar with this brand, but who you gonna trap?  ANTS!

65. Egg cells: OVA.

66. Toward the stern: AFT.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, did you BUMP into A TON of unknowns, leaving you DAZED?

Or were you a crossword HERO today, who TORE through the grid with no CLUMSY errors?

Let us know, down YONDER in the comments!

NaomiZ

Monday, March 16, 2026, Erica Hsiung Wojcik

Theme:  It's a ME thing!

Erica Hsiung Wojcik has authored several puzzles in these pages before.  She's a psychology professor whose research focuses on language acquisition in young children.  Just because Erica combines interests in crossword puzzles and language development, doesn't mean she thinks you ought to do likewise.  As she might say, "It's a me thing."

The big reveal for today's theme appears here:

64-Across. "I'm quirky like that," or, when parsed differently, what can be said of 17-, 30-, and 48-Across: IT'S A ME THING.  "It's a me thing" is a way of explaining one's habits or quirks, without apologizing, and without suggesting that someone else is wrong for not doing likewise.  You will also find that 17-, 30-, and 48-Across each feature two words that begin with M and E ... a ME thing.

17-Across. Test whose results may be posted in MyChart: MEDICAL EXAM.  I'm familiar with MyChart because the health care systems my mom used in Arizona, and now in California, both post appointments, referrals, test results, and after-visit summaries in MyChart web portals.

30-Across. Current stretch of human history: MODERN ERA.  Isn't it great to be living in the modern era?  Do you think that 2026 will be considered "modern era" in 3026? 

48-Across. Boxing night highlight: MAIN EVENT.  A night of boxing matches typically involves several fights.  The one most advertised usually comes last and features the best known competitors.  That match is called the Main Event, regardless of the order.

It's time to move on to the rest of the clues and answers.  That's not just a me thing.  All of the bloggers in the L.A.Times Crossword Corner follow this format.

Across:

1. Artist's numbered work: OPUS.  Latin for "work," opus usually refers to a musical composition, or set of compositions numbered in the order of issue.  An example is Beethoven's first published work, Piano Trio in E Flat Major, Opus 1, Number 1."

5. Given as a gift: GRATIS.  Another Latin word, gratis means free, without charge.  Bet you weren't expecting a Latin test this morning.

11. Forearm-to-forehead dance move: DAB.  Dab, or dabbing, is a gesture in which a person leans forward into the bent crook of a slanted, upward angled arm, while raising the opposite arm out straight in a parallel direction.  It's been a popular dance move since 2010 or so, and is sometimes used as a gesture of triumph or playfulness.

Betty White was so cool.

14. Goose sound: HONK.

15. Heritage: LEGACY.

16. Parisian's "yes": OUI.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Banquet coffeepot: URN.

20. A __ throw away: STONE'S.

21. Do some evil: SIN.

22. Degs. for many execs: MBAS.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.  This one stands for Master of Business Administration degrees.

23. Moon landing org.: NASA.  Another abbreviation in the clue and answer.  This one, of course, stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

25. Online commerce: E-TAIL.  Short for electronic retail.

27. Times to blow out the candles, casually: B-DAYS.  Short for birthdays, and easier to jot on a pocket calendar.

30. [Theme clue]

34. Steal from: ROB.

35. Long tale that may involve a quest: EPIC.

37. Midsize stringed instruments: VIOLAS.

The middle child of the violin family, the viola rarely plays a starring role.

38. Small bills: ONES.

40. "Wild" actress Witherspoon: REESE.  Reese Witherspoon is an American actress and producer, and the recipient of an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.  Her big breakthrough was her role as Elle Woods in the 2001 film Legally Blonde.  Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 and 2015, and Forbes listed her among the world's 100 most powerful women in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, Forbes named her the world's highest-paid actress, and in 2023, she was named one of the wealthiest celebrities in the U.S. with an estimated net worth of $440 million.  Is it fair to be so adorable, so brilliant, and so successful?

Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde

42. Big __: semis: RIGS.  In North America, vehicles made up of a powered truck tractor and one or more semi-trailers are known as "semis," "semi-trailers," "tractor-trailers," "big rigs," "semi-trucks," or "eighteen-wheelers."  In the United Kingdom, a semi-trailer truck is known as an "articulated lorry" or "artic."  Quaint!

43. Punctual: ON TIME.

45. "If it __ broke ... ": AIN'T.  Bert Lance, Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter, is credited with popularizing the southern idiom, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

47. Service charge: FEE.

48. [Theme clue]

50. Awake: ALERT.

52. Home of the Ninja Turtles: SEWER.  The fictional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created when four baby turtles were exposed to radioactive ooze in a New York City sewer.  They continued to live in the sewer even after they became humanoid crime fighters.

Masked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles emerge from the sewer.

53. "Yeah, I guess": SURE.

55. Crab's grabber: CLAW.

57. Short snooze: NAP.

59. "Hear! Hear!": SO TRUE.

63. Airport with many connecting flights: HUB.

64. [Theme clue}

66. Stump splitter: AXE.

67. Apple pie prep tool: PEELER.

68. See 58-Down: ALTO.  Together with the answer to 58-Down, this Silicon Valley city is PALO ALTO, which means "tall stick" in Spanish.  The city was named for a 110 foot tall redwood tree which is currently about 1100 years old.  It was 162 feet tall in the 19th century -- it has suffered some setbacks -- and it is not so old, as other coast redwoods can approach 2500 years of age.

El Palo Alto when it had two trunks.  It lost one sometime before 1883.

69. Furry friend: PET.

70. Upgrades that may cost extra: ADD ONS.

71. Some summer babies, astrologically: LEOS.

Down:

1. Electrical units: OHMS.  The ohm is defined as an electrical resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant potential difference of one volt, applied to these points, produces in the conductor a current of one ampere, the conductor not being the seat of any electromotive force.

A laboratory one-ohm standard resistor, circa 1917

2. Pulitzer winner Jericho Brown, for one: POET.  Jericho Brown has published three books of poetry, and many other poems in distinguished journals.  His 2019 collection of poems titled The Tradition won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.  Here is Jericho Brown reading the title poem:

3. Ctrl+Z action: UNDO.  Computer keyboard shortcut.

4. __ jeans: tight fashion choice: SKINNY.  I like skinny jeans, but I've had some that were so tight, I couldn't bend my knees to put my dog in her harness.  Those were great jeans!

My daughter draped her motorcycle jacket over my shoulders to keep me warm in SF.
Check those skinny jeans!  2012.

5. Windowpane material: GLASS.

6. Theologian's subj.: REL.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.  A theologian's subject is religion.

7. Grows older: AGES.  Not me!  Nope!  Still wearing skinny jeans!  

8. Rolled up to the jetway: TAXIED.

9. "Feeling overwhelmed here": I CAN'T EVEN.  Said by a person who is so shocked, angry, happy, or disappointed about a situation that they can't put it into words or can't deal with it.  Positive example:  "This is just so ridiculously cute. I can't even."  Negative example:  "How could they do this to me?  I can't even."

10. Orchestral performance: Abbr.: SYM.  Symphony or Symphonic.

11. Burden of a secret agent, perhaps: DOUBLE LIFE.

12. Vibe: AURA.

13. Recycling receptacles: BINS.

18. __ and desist: CEASE.

22. Insignificant: MINOR.

24. French friend: AMIE.  Amie is French for a female friend.

26. Nev. neighbor: ARI.  Nevada shares a bit of border with Arizona.

27. Sweeping tool: BROOM.

28. Fashion designer Karan: DONNA.  You may be familiar with her brand labels Donna Karan New York and DKNY.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has a significant collection of her designs, which influenced women's fashion in the 1980s and 1990s.

Donna Karan ensemble at the Met

29. "Pay up! No excuses!": A BET IS A BET.

31. Salty expanse: OCEAN.

32. Wild party: RAGER.

33. Positive attribute: ASSET.

36. Stopped from happening: PREVENTED.

39. Tendon: SINEW.  A tendon is a fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone, enabling muscle contraction to pull on the skeleton.  We usually use sinew to refer to tendon that is cooked, dried, or used as a material.  But not always!  How about this excerpt from The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

 Under a spreading chestnut-tree

    ⁠The village smithy stands;

The smith, a mighty man is he,

    With large and sinewy hands;

And the muscles of his brawny arms

    Are strong as iron bands.

41. Grabs a chair: SITS.

44. Tiny cat noise: MEW.

46. Divination deck: TAROT.  Divination is fortune-telling using omens or supernatural powers.

49. Wiped out?: ERASED.

51. "__ Weapon": buddy cop film franchise: LETHAL.  The franchise consists of a series of four films released between 1987 and 1998 and a television series which aired from 2016 to 2019. 

54. Manual readers: USERS.

55. Fellow: CHAP.

56. Extremely opulent: LUXE.

58. With 68-Across, Silicon Valley city: PALO.

60. Irritate but good: RILE.  Rile means to annoy or irritate.  The clue is slangy, and just means to do a good job of irritating.  

61. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.  Rabbi Hillel (who died in the year 10 CE) said the whole of the Bible came down to this rule:  "That which is hateful to you, do not do to another."  The positive formulation "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" is attributed to Jesus in the New Testament.  Other traditions from around the world have similar formulations, some older than these examples.

62. Self-images: EGOS.

64. Craft beer letters: IPA.  India Pale Ale is a beer style known for its strong hop flavor and high alcohol content.  It was first created in 18th-century England to survive the long voyage to India.  Hops acted as a natural preservative.  Home brewers (and small craft breweries) value the variety of flavors and aromas from a range of hops, and the short brewing time.

Enjoying a warm one with the fellows.

65. Fellows: MEN.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, did it take AGES to complete this puzzle?  Was there something that PREVENTED you from finishing?

Or did you finish ON TIME with an EPIC win?

You know I want to know.  It's a me thing.  Comments welcome!

-- NaomiZ