Monday April 29, 2024 Harry Doernberg

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here, trying to come up with a suitable title for this Harry Doernberg puzzle. While seeing the theme came easy to me, giving it a title did not. Please bear with me on this one. A slang definition for flame is to insult someone over the internet. Harry's puzzle is so fantastic that it leaves no opening for such behavior. Therefore, my title is 

FlameprooF

Perhaps it is best to leave it at that and move on to the puzzle's four themed clues....

17 Across. Closely held conviction: FIRM BELIEF.  

23 Across. Sport with flying saucers: FRISBEE GOLF.  

46 Across. Blue toon in green overalls and a straw hat: FARMER SMURF.  I was unfamiliar with this character but "blue toon" and "overalls" got me there.  Cute!

57. Formal sleeve style: FRENCH CUFF.  This is a soft double cuff that is made by turning back half of a wide cuff band and fastening with a cuff link.  more on French cuffs

Here is the reveal:

46 Down. Camera lens setting, and a feature of both ends of 17-, 23-, 46-, and 57- Across?: F-STOP.  more on F-stop

All of the themed clues begin and end with the letter F. The Fs act as STOPS. In this case STOP is a noun much like a bus STOP is the beginning or end of a bus route.  

We solvers often see F-STOP and SLR as fill clues and answers. It was fun to see F-STOP functioning as the reveal today. I noticed the initial F's early on but overlooked the final F's. The grid contains only one other F that is not a STOP. It is the second F in FRENCH CUFF. An interesting feature of this grid is how the reveal is placed vertically, growing off of one of the themed clues. I will insert the grid here so you can see what I mean.  

Across:
1. SUV alternative: SEDAN.  A SEDAN is a closed automobile having two or four doors and a front and rear seat. SUVs add a rear door, along with other features. Here is a Car and Driver comparison.

6. Say "I do": WED.  Have you heard that some people are using ChatGPT to write their wedding vows? Who Says Romance Is Dead?

9. Tire speed stats: RPMS.  Revolutions Per Minute

13. Speaker on a dais: ORATOR.  A dais is a raised platform, as in a lecture hall, for speakers or honored guests.

15. Rd. crosser: AVE.  Road and AVEnue

"Chicken" did not fit.  

16. "Pick me! Pick me!": OH OH.  Does this make anyone else think of Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979)?  

19. Peeved: SORE.

20. Top combat pilots: ACES.  

21. Yahoo! alternative: AOL.  America Online

22. Nickel or copper: METAL.     and     28 Down. Nickel or copper: COIN.  

"Copper" is a nickname for a U.S. penny and also some British coins. It might have helped to see something in the clue that hinted at a nickname, but that would have foiled the clever clecho.

26. College level HS course: AP CLASS.  "High school" is abbreviated, so is Advanced Placement.

30. Novel thought: IDEA.  Author Danielle Steel has turned over 140 IDEAs into novels.

31. For all to hear: ALOUD.

32. Reward for giving a pawshake, perhaps: DOG TREAT.  Meadow does high fives.

36. Limit, with "in": REIN.

37. Gem State capital: BOISE.  The Star Garnet is the state gem of Idaho. We Januarians recognize the garnet as our birthstone.

39. Wide valley: DALE.  Also ... Dale Evans (b. Frances Octavia Smith; 1912-2001) was Roy Roger's on- and off-screen partner. She became influential in changing public perceptions of children with developmental disabilities when she wrote Angel Unaware (1953) about her daughter, Robin.  

40. Organ that produces insulin: PANCREAS.  

So much for being "pretty on the inside".

42. Classic breath mint: CERTS.  They were officially discontinued in 2018. If you find a roll in your glovebox or at the bottom of an old purse, you might want to throw them out.

43. Microwave: HEAT.  verbs

44. Ceramic cooker for a classic Boston dish: BEAN POT.  This one is new to me. Has anyone cooked beans this way? 

  50. Shiny and smooth: SLEEK.

51. "__ you happy now?": ARE.  This 2003 Michelle Branch song falls into the Break-up Revenge Song category.  

52. "Poor Things" Oscar winner Stone: EMMA.  Here she is winning her second Oscar this past March. I have not seen this movie but I generally like her so I just now put it on my library queue.  

56. "Please clap now!": TA DA.

60. Fail to include: OMIT.

61. Sweets: LUV.  not candies

62. __ sauce: seafood condiment: TARTAR.  I thought the second A was an E.

63. Pea homes: PODS.  

64. Colorado Plateau Native: UTE.

65. Bonkers: NUTSO.  Merriam-Webster says this word is "sometimes offensive".

Down:
1. Furniture to crash on: SOFA.  I liked this clue! Crash is slang for "to sleep" or "to collapse exhausted".

Do you see the U.S. Army soldier crashing on this SOFA?

2. Rapper Eazy-E's given name: ERIC.  I guess that makes sense.

3. Truth alternative, in a party game: DARE.  

4. Money dispensers: ATMS.

5. Noodle: NOB.  NOB is slang for the human head.  

6. Cries and cries: WAILS.

7. Genesis figure: EVE.  Last Monday we had "Genesis man:  ADAM".

8. Rock's __ Leppard: DEF.  Def Leppard is an English rock band formed in 1976. On April 20, 2024, they released a vinyl recording of a live show they performed last year.

9. Site of many outdoor presidential press conferences: ROSE GARDEN.  National Park Service link

10. Shutterstock image: PHOTO.  Shutterstock, Inc. is an American company founded in 2003. It listed 1,274 employees in 2023. They provide stock photography, footage, music, and editing tools. Here is an example of a Shutterstock image:  

11. "Little Bunny Foo Foo" lesson, e.g.: MORAL.  Little Bunny Foo Foo is a preschoolers' song about a rabbit who liked to hop through the forest, pick up field mice, and bop them on the head. The Good Fairy gave him three chances to change his ways before turning him into a goon.  

Spoiler alert:  The MORAL of this story is, "Hare today, goon tomorrow."

(I did not make that up.)

12. Tchotchke holder: SHELF. A tchotchke is a small trinket that is more decorative than functional. Its etymology is Polish.

14. Guides into adulthood: REARS.  Guides is a verb here.

18. Daily Planet reporter Lane: LOIS.  

22. "__ me halfway": MEET.

23. Short-term trend: FAD.  Maybe this blending-in-with-your-sofa thing could become a FAD.  

Notice he is in a furniture store so he probably did not plan this.

24. Short get-to-know-you pieces: BIOS.

25. Precipice: EDGE.

26. Group with a Staying Sharp program: AARP.  American Association of Retired Persons

Visiting The Corner everyday checks the first two boxes.
(Click to enlarge.)

27. Impassioned cry: PLEA.

29. Cold cuts: LUNCHMEATS.  

32. Insult: DIS.  I first had DIg. 

33. Old West icon Wyatt: EARP.  Kurt Russel played him in Tombstone (1993). Do you recognize the other guy? (See below.*)  

34. Midrange voice: ALTO.

35. Experiment: TEST.

37. Fozzie, for one: BEAR.  He is one of Kermit's buddies.  

38. Horse feed grains: OATS.

41. Stink to high heaven: REEK.  

42. Half-__: coffee blend: CAF.  Half-Caf coffee is made with a blend of regular and decaffeinated beans, usually in a 1:1 ratio. I have also seen it spelled with two Fs.

44. Insult: BURN.  Kelso on That '70s Show (1998-2006) used this slang a lot.

45. Standing tall: ERECT.

47. San Antonio field trip site: ALAMO.  I liked this angle for clueing the site of the 1836 battle between Mexican and Texan forces. These days, 2.5 million people a year visit the ALAMO. I would guess that a substantial number of those are students on field trips.

48. Tried again: REDID.  

49. Irish novelist Binchy: MAEVE.  Maeve was born May 28, 1939 in Dublin, Ireland. She passed away there 73 years later. Her stories are described as "delightful, charming, and a joy to read".

52. Eggshell shade: ECRU.  Both are off-white.

53. Pup of unknown origin: MUTT.  The word MUTT is derived from muttonhead. It has come a long way from being an insult to today's connection as man's best friend.

National Mutt Day is July 31.

54. Some drama degs.: MFAS.  "Degrees" is abbreviated, so is Master of Fine Arts.

55. Questlove's hairstyle: AFRO.  Ahmir K. Thompson (b. January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove, is an American musician, record producer, and music journalist. You might recognize him as the drummer for The Roots (Jimmy Fallon's house band).

57. Winter malady: FLU.

58. Dull routine: RUT.  

59. Solo of "Star Wars": HAN.  

Farewell GIF
Have a great week, everyone!

*33-Down. Billy Bob Thornton played the crooked dealer in Tombstone.

Monday April 22, 2024 Agnes Davidson and Zhouqin Burnikel

  

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

sumdaze here with a puzzle by two of our favorite people on The Corner -- Irish Miss and C.C.! What a lovely surprise to open up the puzzle and see both of their names! 

Theme:                

We will begin with the reveal:

64. Newspaper's attention-getters, and what both words in 17-, 25-, 38- and 54-Across can do: HEADLINES.

The answer to each starred clue is a two-word phrase where both the first word and the second word can be placed at the front (HEAD) of the word LINE.  

I liked how the clues for the themers did not stand out from the regular fill. The lack of stars (*) added to my surprise at the reveal.

Since the clues for the themers also define them, I will focus on their +LINE meanings. (Note:  Some of these have additional meanings not identified here.)

17 Across. Improper etiquette at a social gathering: PARTY FOUL.

• PARTY LINE:  either a policy adopted by a political party or an old-school telephone system
• FOUL LINE:  in sports, a linear demarcation that, if crossed, incurs a penalty

25 Across. Aristocrat: BLUE BLOOD.

• BLUE LINE:  the offside boundary in hockey
• BLOOD LINE:  the pedigree of an animal

38 Across. Romantic outing: DATE NIGHT.

• DATELINE:  a TV newsmagazine show that premiered in 1992
• NIGHT LINE:  an evening, in-depth TV news show that first aired in 1980

54 Across. Biography: LIFE STORY.

• LIFE LINE:  a hand crease identified in palmistry
• STORY LINE:  the plot of a story, drama, or game

I enjoyed seeing both parts of the themers used for the reveal. I suppose we should not be surprised that our dynamic duo gave us a  double-the-fun theme. I am duly (dually?) impressed!  

Here is a double the pleasure celebration ditty.

Across:
1. "Antiques Roadshow" network: PBS.  What would you take to a filming?  

Junk in the Trunk  ~  2:50 min.

4. Sudden burst of activity: RUSH.  also, as -T would be quick to point out, a Canadian rock band... 

Rush released Tom Sawyer in 1981.

8. Seeks an answer: ASKS.

12. People who are not prone to infatuations, informally: AROS.  Merriam-Webster says this word was first used in 2014 as an abbreviated version of aromantic. Parse it as the prefix "a-" (meaning not or without) with the word "romantic". An ARO person may never develop a crush on a person or envision themselves entering into a romantic relationship.

14. In the past: ONCE.  upon a time...

15. Mown path: SWATH.  Have you seen any of the SB Mowing videos on YouTube? This guy goes around cleaning up the  worst eye-sore yard in the neighborhood for free. He is in Wichita, KS. It is sort of mesmerizing to watch him work because he speeds up the video as he cuts a SWATH in the lawn. This video is 30 min. but you can skip easily skip ahead. He gets out his mower at 18:23. There is a before/after part at the end. The world could use more people like Spencer!

19. Company newbie: HIREE.     and     66 Across. Job seeker's success: OFFER.

20. Customary routine: RITUAL.  I like the play on the word "custom".

21. Pot cover: LID.

23. Fat in tamale dough: LARD.  

¡Delicioso!

24. Confident way to solve newspaper puzzles: IN INK.

27. Actor Jeong: KEN.  Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong is an American doctor, stand-up comedian and actor born in Detroit, MI in 1969. His popularity soared after playing Mr. Leslie Chow in The Hangover. Here he talks about his NBC sitcom, Dr. Ken (2015-2017).  

28. Biol. or geol.: SCI.  Biology and Geology are SCIences.

30. __ de mer: MAL.  seasickness

31. Korean automaker: KIA.

32. Jason's ship, in Greek mythology: ARGO.

34. Sport-__: versatile vehicle: UTE.  utility

CSO to D-Otto who likes the expression, "In my UTE ...." 😀

36. Zipped: RACED.

41. Image problem, for short: BAD PR.  Public Relations

43. General on a Chinese menu: TSO.  

...and now you know.

44. Ocean predator that sleeps with one eye open: ORCA.  Scientists think this is so they can rest one half of their brain at a time.

48. Chum: PAL.

49. Faux __: PAS.  

2020...what a year!

51. Sports drink suffix: -ADE.  

53. Shade tree: ELM.

57. Take, as advice: ACT ON.

59. Actor Alda: ALAN.

60. Meadow mama: EWE.  

My dog's name is Meadow.
Q:  Does that make me a meadow mama?
A:  Yes, EWE are.

61. Pique, as interest: AROUSE.

62. Accent on "señor": TILDE.  The ~ symbol has a number of uses. I notice Splynter uses it in his blogs.

On a PC, you can hold down the Alt key while typing 164 on the number pad then let go to get ñ. To type a capital Ñ, change that to 165. I do not know if this works on a Mac.

67. Home to billions of people: ASIA.  Comparatively, Australia is home to about 26 million people.

68. Celebratory suffix: -FEST.  Think "OctoberFEST", perhaps.

69. Fleeting trends: FADS.  

no comment

70. Time period: TERM.

71. Farm enclosure: STY.     and     9 Down. Gloppy fare: SWILL.

SWILL is kitchen refuse and scraps of waste food mixed with water for feeding to pigs.  

Down:

👉In the Across clues we had four themers plus a reveal. In the Down clues, we will encounter 12 seven-letter fills. Well done C.C. and Irish Miss!

Here is the first of the twelve:

1. Dusting on deviled eggs: PAPRIKA.  I figure McCormick seasoning company is an excellent source on this topic. They say, "PAPRIKA is made from the dried, ground, ripened fruit pods of less pungent varieties of the Capsicum annum species. It is mildly flavored and prized for its brilliant red color. It is closely related to red pepper which also derives from the Capsicum annum species."

2. No-__: easy decision: BRAINER.  

3. Doing some laundry prep: SORTING.  Notice how the clue and answer verb tenses match.

4. "ur hilarious!": ROFL.  "ur" is a hint the answer will be in textspeak. Rolling On the Floor Laughing  

5. Mattel game with 108 cards: UNO.

6. Light boat in a regatta: SCULL.  Boats with scullers (athletes with two oars each) in them are referred to as sculls.  SCULL as a verb means to propel a boat with sculls.  An empty SkULL with a "k" can be a 2-Down.

We will see single, 2-person, and 4-person events at the Paris Olympics.

7. Balloon gas: HELIUM.     and     65-Down. Yoga ball filler: AIR.

8. Fire pit residue: ASH.

10. Singalong activity at a bar: KARAOKE.  This one is for the BBT fans (1 min.)  

11. Drug type banned by most pro sports: STEROID.

13. Leave speechless: STUN.

16. Ibsen's "__ Gabler": HEDDA.  Hedda Gabler is a play written by Norwegian Henrik Johan Ibsen. It was first staged in 1891 in Munich, Germany. Hedda is the main character. She is newly married but already bored with her marriage and life.

18. Himalayan bovines: YAKS.  

That's pretty specific....

22. Prayer opening: DEAR GOD.  We often see the prayer closing "amen" in grids.

25. Small taste: BITE.

26. Yawn-inducing: BLAH.  "Dull" and "bore" also fit ... for a bit.

29. Bargain-basement: CUT-RATE.

33. Like 2025, but not 2024: ODD.  

35. Doc who treats sinusitis: ENT.  Ear Nose Throat

37. Exec concerned with data security: CTO.  Chief Technology Officer

39. Tablet downloads: APPS.

40. "If you ask me ... ": I SAY.

41. Courtroom figure who says "All rise!": BAILIFF.  

42. Cloverlike crop: ALFALFA.

45. Optimizes, as an engine: RETUNES.  Def.:  to tune something again or differently.

46. Most near: CLOSEST.

47. Political pardon: AMNESTY.

48. Student of Socrates: PLATO.  

50. "You think I care?": SO WHAT.

52. Noble title: EARL.

55. Phased out: ENDED.

56. Elle portrayer in "Legally Blonde": REESE.  Thanks to IM and C.C. for an opportunity to include a Legally Blonde clip!  (2:25 min.)  

58. Pageboy, for one: COIF.  A pageboy is a hairstyle. The length may vary but most variations have the ends curled under in a loose roll.  

61. Genesis man: ADAM.  Genesis is also an English rock band. Members came and went over the years but notably included Tony Banks (keyboard), Mike Rutherford (bassist/guitar), and Phil Collins (drums/vocals). Here are those Genesis men performing Turn It On Again (1980).  

63. Busy hosp. areas: ERS.  Hospital Emergency RoomS

Our conventional timeline is to insert the grid next:

Well, that was today's lineup. I'd say they hit it out of the park. What do you think?

Monday April 15, 2024 Micah Sommersmith

 Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here to review Micah Sommersmith's fourth LAT puzzle.

Title:  

We'll begin with the three themed clues:

17 Across. Backyard vegetable patch, e.g.: GARDEN PLOT.  

I know you did not need an illustration for GARDEN PLOT
but tidy veggie patches are my happy places.

26 Across. Configuration before customization: DEFAULT SETTING.  If you restore your electronic device to its DEFAULT SETTINGs, it will reset to the point where it was when it was first taken out of the box.

47 Across. Element of early internet art: ASCII CHARACTER.  American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a common character encoding format for text data in computers on the internet.  ASCII (pronounced "a-skee", where the "a" is like the "a" in "has") is a 7-bit character set containing 128 characters, including the numbers from 0-9, the upper and lower case English letters from A to Z, symbols, and punctuation marks.  

Remember ASCII Art (left)? We've come a long way!

Next, let's read the reveal:

63 Across. Brainstorming breakthroughs, and the ends of 17-, 26-, and 47-Across?: NOVEL IDEAS.

The ends of the themed clues are PLOT, SETTING, and CHARACTER. These are the three main elements of a story. An author combines these IDEAS to write a NOVEL.  

As a former library teacher I recognized today's theme early on. These are the ABC's for writing. I like how Micah found meanings for PLOT, SETTING, and CHARACTER that were completely different from their literature meanings. He deserves a gold star! ⭐

Across:

1. Activist Brockovich played by Julia Roberts: ERIN.  We begin with the first of eight names in today's grid. All, except for one (see below), are clued at a Monday level. Most solvers know them well -- even if they never saw the referenced shows.

This thriller/documentary was release in 2000.

5. Without a cent: BROKE.  

10. Youngsters: KIDS.

14. High-fat, low-carb diet, casually: KETO.

15. Merits: EARNS.

16. Falco of "Nurse Jackie": EDIE.  

Nurse Jackie aired on Showtime from 2009-2015.

19. "__ Enchanted": Anne Hathaway film: ELLA.  

Anne was in her early twenties when she made Ella.
Memory trick:  Switch ends on the A and E.

20. Surveil secretly: SPY ON.  

21. Socialized at leisure: SAT A SPELL.  

Forrest's leisurely chat ended when he learned 

he did not have to take the bus to go visit Jenny.

23. Stretch the truth: FIB.  

(I am going with the NOVEL theme here.)

25. Prefix with pod: TRI-.  Has anyone owned a tri-pod dog? I always smile when I see one. They have the best attitudes! Here is a 60-sec. dogumentary.

34. Tiny criticism: NIT.  Is someone who is a wit at pointing out NITs a nitwit?  😜

35. 24-Down soother: CREAM.     and     24-Down. Unwanted beach souvenir: BURN.  

Ouch!!

36. Hearing-related: AURAL.

37. Tennis great Arthur posthumously awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom: ASHE.

39. Titled: NAMED.  She titled her book ___. / She NAMED her book ___.

41. Mani-__: PEDI.  

42. Hops along happily: SKIPS.  

This clue make me think of the track event hop, skip and jump. The inaugural modern Olympic Games in 1896 had a track event which consisted of two hops and a jump. By 1908 the format was standardized to a hop, a skip, and a jump. Today the event is usually referred to as the triple jump.  

44. Shadowboxes: SPARS.  Were you thinking of the verb or the noun?

Shadowbox the verb is to SPAR with an imaginary opponent as a form of training.

Shadowbox the noun is similar to a frame used for art but it is extra thick so as to display memorabilia, jewelry, coins, or other small objects.  

46. Pen tip: NIB.  I only know this from doing crosswords.

50. Lifesaving skill, for short: CPR.  If you've ever taken a CardioPulmonary Resuscitation class then you know you can sing this (appropriately titled) song in your head to get the timing right.  

Bee Gee's Stayin' Alive  (1977)

51. Gaming console with a gesture-based controller: WII.  

52. Leafy bowlful with hard-boiled eggs: CHEF SALAD.  

Where are the leaves?

58. Bub: FELLA.

62. Civil rights icon Parks: ROSA.

65. Opposed to: ANTI.

66. Bring to mind: EVOKE.  One of the fun things about a good XWD puzzle is it can EVOKE a fond memory.

67. Pull sharply: YANK.  

YANKee Babe Ruth seldom pulled his swings.
(Yeah, I know this one is a stretch but you got it, right?)

68. Breakfast for dinner, say: MEAL.  Here is the ultimate Venn Diagram for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner.  

This looks a bit like an 8-Down.  😃

69. Used needle and thread: SEWED.

70. Concludes: ENDS.  Bonus points to Micah for the position of ENDS in his grid!!

Down:

1. Cardiac readouts, briefly: EKGS.  An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a test to record the electrical signals in the heart. It shows how the heart is beating.

2. Gather crops: REAP.  Jack Johnson offers some social commentary on television in his song Good People  (2005).

We got heaps and heaps of what we sow.

3. Coy response to a compliment: I TRY.  My high school Government class teacher's first name was Coy...but coy he was not.

4. Drift into dreamland: NOD OFF.  

5. Actor/director Stiller: BEN.  Ben was born November 30, 1956 in New York. He is known for starring in movies such as There's Something About Mary (1998), Meet the Parents (2000, 2004, and 2010), and Zoolander (2001).

Here is Ben with his famous parents.
Not only did he follow his mother, Ann Meara, into show business,
he also followed her into in XWD puzzles.

6. Many Megan Thee Stallion songs: RAPS.

7. "Derry Girls" girl played by Louisa Harland: ORLA.  This is "the one" I alluded to in 1-Across.

The TV show Derry Girls is a coming-of-age story set in 1990s Northern Ireland. It aired from 2018 to 2022.

8. Celtic artwork feature: KNOT.  

I did not realize there were so many.

9. North Carolina's Biltmore __: ESTATE.  10 Facts about Biltmore

10. "Don't stop now!": KEEP IT UP.

11. Unoccupied: IDLE.  To be IDLE is to be not occupied or employed; inactive.

12. Pickle herb: DILL.  I love fresh DILL in my summer sandwiches.

13. Official emblem: SEAL.

18. Giant computer of the 1940s: ENIAC.  Computer History Museum

22. Miss, in Mex.: SRTA.  "Mexico" is abbreviated, so it "SeñoRiTA".

26. Once-common storage media: DISKS. 

DISK with a K is the preferred spelling in American English. It is also the spelling used for computer-related objects (like this clue).

DISc with a C is the preferred spelling in British English. It is also the spelling for devices carrying sound.

I see my confusion now. I used to load music discs into my computer.

27. Moral principle: ETHIC.

28. Dog walker's line: LEASH.  Here's another line, "Your dog is cute. Can I have his number?"

29. __ Bay Buccaneers: TAMPA.  football

30. Lipstick mishap: SMEAR. 

31. "Fame" star Cara: IRENE.  (1959 - 2022)  her IMDb page

32. Lowest point: NADIR.  

33. Silver-tongued: GLIB.

34. Astronauts' gp.: NASA.  DH's boss is a former astronaut. He flew on four Space Shuttle missions. Wow!

38. Dumpster fire-level blunder: EPIC FAIL.  Dumpster fire is slang used to describe a catastrophically bad situation.

This was my favorite clue/fill today! I like how the slang in the clue matched the slang in the answer. 

40. __ a blank: DRAW.  I could not remember this one.

43. Tentative tastes: SIPS.

45. Space series genre: SCI-FI.  We could have an interesting discussion here on The Corner as to your favorite television space series. I will start off by nominating Babylon 5  (1993-1998)...but I could also go with Firefly.  

48. Building site sights: CRANES.

49. Camp project with rubber bands: TIE DYE.

52. Make up for procrastination, perhaps: CRAM.  Think "prepare for a big test".

53. Sharpen, as a blade: HONE.

54. " Cómo __ usted?": ESTÁ.  

Spanish 101

55. Adoration: LOVE.  like Pepe La Pew's feelings for Penelope Pussycat  

56. Declare publicly: AVOW.

57. Hockey feint: DEKE.  another one I learned from solving XWDs

59. Incline: LEAN.  We can think of this as a physical slope. We can also think of it figuratively. If one is inclined  to do something, he is leaning towards that action. Similar to 44-Across, it is noun and verb situation.

60. Terra firma: LAND.  Terra firma was first used in English print in 1638 to mean "solid land". Here are other words that entered English print in 1638.

61. Requests: ASKS.  Let's squeeze in one more musical number. This is All I Ask Of You from The Phantom of The Opera.  

64. Went first: LED.  Ironically, this clue for LED went last.

And the grid:

Well, we are now at the end of our book-themed puzzle. It was bound  to happen!