Monday, October 12, Kyle Dolan

Theme:  PaJama party.

Eating Peach Jam, wearing Pearl Jewelry, and writing in a Poetry Journal

Kyle Dolan regularly constructs themeless Saturday puzzles for the LA Times.  What a surprise and delight to encounter his work on a Monday!  Kyle holds a Ph.D. in Biochemisty and Molecular Biology from the University of Chicago, and is employed as Head of Science & Innovation at British Consulate-General Chicago.  I thought it might be interesting to look at the site where he posts cryptic crosswords --  beneaththesurfacepuzzles.blogspot.com -- and tried my hand at one.  I had absolutely no idea what was happening, even when I read the solution.  Happily, today's puzzle was a Pleasant Jaunt.

The theme clues and answers are:

17-Across. Liquid that can relieve muscle cramps: PICKLE JUICE.  News to me, but according to research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, a few sips of pickle juice at the onset of cramps is effective in reducing the severity of those cramps within a minute or so.

27-Across. Filling a friend's car with balloons, e.g.: PRACTICAL JOKE.  That would be a surprise -- and annoyance!  Have you ever had to drive with balloons in the car?  It isn't easy, or safe.  

43-Across. Reward or punishment that may be ironic: POETIC JUSTICE.  Virtue is rewarded and vice is punished through a twist of fate that echoes the initial behavior.

58-Across. Cozy garb in some family photos, or what can be found in 17-, 27-, and 43-Across?: MATCHING PJS.  This is the big reveal -- the answers to 17-, 27-, and 43-Across are words beginning with P and J, as further illustrated by the family photo at the top of this blog.

Please Join me as we review the rest of the clues and answers!

Across:

1. Tenant farmers of the early Middle Ages: SERFS.  Serfs who occupied a plot of land were required to work for the lord that owned that land, in return for protection and the right to cultivate some portion of the land for their own subsistence.  They were not allowed to leave without their lord's permission.

Medieval serfs working for the man

6. "Who's there?" response: IT'S ME.

11. Contingencies: IFS.

14. Bird-related: AVIAN.

15. "Unbelievable!": NO WAY.

16. Spanish cheer: OLÉ.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Minuscule: WEE.  Ach!  This wee bit of vocabulary makes me miss our guide to Scotland.  His English was beautifully accented, and when he met Scottish friends along the way, their brief conversations were completely unintelligible to me.

DH with our amazing guide to Scotland

20. __ gin fizz: SLOE.  Sloe gin is an English liqueur made with gin and blackthorn fruits (sloes).  A sloe gin fizz is made with sloe gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda.  I neglected to try one while in England -- but I did enjoy Cotswolds Dry Gin during our time in that region.

21. Long-lasting hairdo: PERM.  A perm, or permanent wave, is a chemical treatment that leaves hair curly for several months.

22. Offering little comfort: BLEAK.

24. "__ is not a drill!": THIS.

26. Bassinet occupant: BABY.  A portable bed for newborns.

Our grandbaby started off in this new style of bassinet,
open to the parents' bed for ease of access.

27. [Theme clue]

32. Flats or heels: SHOES.  The more you know, the lower you go.

High heels are bad for you.

34. Go on an ocean voyage: SAIL.

35. Dubai's fed.: UAE.  Dubai is the largest city in the federal monarchy called the United Arab Emirates.

36. Doily fabric: LACE.

37. Attention-grabbing feat: STUNT.

39. Opinion survey: POLL.

40. Variety: ILK.

41. Cameron who voices Fiona in the "Shrek" franchise: DIAZ.  Lovely actress, charming films.

The actress and the ogress

42. Diminishes: WANES.

43. [Theme clue]

47. Chitchat: TALK.

48. Pig sound: OINK.

49. Perch for a pigeon: LEDGE.  The pigeons that perch on ledges in cities are feral descendants of domestic pigeons, which were treasured for centuries as pets, as messengers, and as food.  Domestic pigeons were bred for various characteristics, much like dogs; their ancestor is the rock dove.  True wild rock doves survive on remote coastal cliffs and islands along the north and west shores of Scotland and Ireland, unmixed with their urban cousins.

Highly recommend this little book.

51. Chicken sound: BAWK.  Chickens replaced pigeons as a food source in human culture.

53. Alan of "M*A*S*H": ALDA.  Alan Alda has appeared on stage and screen over seven decades, but is best known for playing "Hawkeye" Pierce in the CBS Korean war sitcom M*A*S*H (1972–1983).  Alda wrote and directed many of the episodes.

Alan Alda in M*A*S*H

57. "Of course, mon ami!": OUI.  French "yes."

58. [Theme clue]

61. Victoria's Secret garment: BRA.

62. Tierney of "The Affair": MAURA.  You might recognize Maura Tierney from any of a long list of film and TV roles, most notably Lisa Miller on the sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999), Abby Lockhart on the medical drama ER (1999–2009), and Helen Solloway on the mystery drama The Affair (2014–2019).  I caught that last one; it told the story of an extramarital affair from the viewpoints of the man and woman involved, as well as their spouses.

Dominic West as the cheater and Maura Tierney as the cheatee
in The Affair.

63. Sire: BEGET.  To beget is to father a child.  The King James version of the Bible is full of the past tense, "begat," in lists of ancestors.  Here's an excerpt from Genesis 5:

25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech.

26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:

27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:

29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.

30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:

31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

64. Pine-__: cleaning brand: SOL.  Has not been on my radar for years.  Plenty of it advertised online, though.

65. Liability's opposite: ASSET.

66. South American barbecue: ASADO.  Asado is a South American barbecue technique that involves cooking meat over an open fire or grill.

If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Down:

1. Ones easily duped: SAPS.

2. Malicious: EVIL.

3. Puerto __: RICO.

4. Greenery that doesn't need water: FAKE TREE.

5. Lorne Michaels' long-running NBC show, for short: SNL.  Saturday Night Live.

Lorne Michaels, Mike Myers, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks, and Dana Carvey
on the set of “Saturday Night Live” in 1992.

6. Just for laughs: IN JEST.

7. Sightseer's booking: TOUR.

8. Move like a fish: SWIM.

9. Big __: fast-food classic: MAC.  Big Mac, medium fries, and medium Coca-Cola:  1170 calories.  For most folks, that leaves about 1,000 calories to consume the rest of the day.  Enjoy!

10. Give a very close look: EYEBALL.

11. "Thanks so much!": I OWE YOU ONE.

12. Pest on a pet: FLEA.

13. Hide-and-__: SEEK.

18. Large-scale tale: EPIC.

23. Pres. between JFK and RMN: LBJ.  John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon.

25. Gives birth to: HAS.  Sure, the guy begets, but who HAS the baby, suffering all the pain and danger of childbirth, feeds, clothes, and raises that child?  Let's hear it for the mothers whose names are omitted from Biblical genealogies.

26. Worm on a hook, say: BAIT.

27. Call unwittingly: POCKET DIAL.  I hear "butt dial" more often.  

Cartoonist unknown.

28. Japanese truckmaker: ISUZU.

29. Tuna container: CAN.

30. Leafy vegetable in a green smoothie: KALE.

31. Morays, e.g.: EELS.

32. Try and fail to walk on ice: SLIP.

33. Saintly ring: HALO.

37. Unable to go to school, maybe: SICK.

38. __ Mahal: TAJ.  On the bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, India, the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, built the marble Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal; Shah Jahan is also interred there.  Construction took place from 1631 to 1648.  The Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Taj Mahal

39. Amazon deliveries: PACKAGES.

41. Tough decision: DILEMMA.

42. Come in first: WIN.

44. Playground game: TAG.

45. "Your point being?": SO WHAT.

46. Polynesian carving: TIKI.  In the Māori mythology of New Zealand, Tiki was the first man.  Varying traditions are found throughout Polynesia.  Carvings represent this first man and other deified ancestors.

Māori man decorating a carved wooden tiki.

49. Arcing tennis shots: LOBS.

50. Currency in 21 countries: EURO.  On our recent trip, we used pounds sterling in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and switched to euros in the Republic of Ireland.  

51. Air conditioning figs.: BTUS.  A BTU (British Thermal Unit) measures how much energy your cooling unit uses to remove heat from a room in one hour.  One BTU is the amount of heat required to lower or raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. A higher BTU rating means the AC can cool the room to your desired temperature more quickly.

52. Land parcel: ACRE.

54. Links org.: LPGA.  Ladies Professional Golf Association.  A "links" is a traditional golf course, characterized by an undulating surface and sandy soil that supports the growth of grasses.

55. Provided music for a party: DJed.  Acted as a "disc jockey," skillfully controlling the playing of vinyl records or other recorded music.

56. On the topic of: AS TO.

59. Batteries for some noisy toys: AAs.  No battery operated toys at my house!  If you want noise, you have to beat on the drum, shake the tamborine, or strike the xylophone.

Battery operated toys do the playing for you.

60. Clippers' org.: NBA.  National Basketball Association.  The Clippers play for Los Angeles, as do the Lakers.  New York also has two NBA teams.

Here's the grid:

Dear Solvers,

I hope you've enjoyed this little TOUR of today's puzzle.

If you SEEK further explanations, TALK to others in the comments section!  Go out on a LEDGE!

-- NaomiZ

Monday, October 5, 2026, Amanda Cook

WINTER IS COMING!

Today's constructor, Amanda Cook, is Director of Web and Editorial Content for American Composers Forum, which supports creators of new music by connecting them to resources and opportunities. 🎵 Amanda also supports cruciverbalists with new puzzles; this appears to be her fourth in the LA Times.

Today's theme reminded me of the motto of House Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, better known by the title of the television adapation, Game of Thrones -- that motto being "Winter is Coming!"  With the temperature reaching 105°F in Los Angeles this past weekend, the promise that winter is coming seems less dreadful than in the books.

The theme clues and answers are:

16-Across. Playful back-and-forth: WITTY BANTER.  

26-Across. Workstation option since the 1980s: WINDOWS COMPUTER.

44-Across. Ticket pickup location: WILL CALL COUNTER.

59-Across. Time off that may coincide with a new calendar year, or what can be found in 16-, 26-, and 44-Across: WINTER BREAK.  Indeed, there is a BREAK in the word WINTER in the cited answers.  It was very kind of Amanda to put the letters spelling WINTER into circles to help us see the theme.

Across:

1. Tiny trims: SNIPS.

More than a few snips went into this tiny trim.

6. "Tár" Oscar nominee Blanchett: CATE.  In the 2022 film, Cate Blanchett plays a haughty orchestra conductor, whose professional misconduct leads to her downfall.  🎵

10. Jar topper: LID.

13. Art studio stand: EASEL.

14. Chocolate-flavored latte: MOCHA.  I love a little espresso in my hot chocolate.

15. Fuss: ADO.

16. [Theme clue]

18. Church seating: PEW.

19. Messy person: SLOB.

20. Word with ocean or eye: LINER.  Ocean liner and eyeliner -- interesting clue!

21. Skim through: SCAN.

22. Wear away: ERODE.  Late last month, the 550-year-old sea arch formed by lava flows in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park collapsed  -- the victim of erosion and a huge storm.

Hōlei Sea Arch in better times

24. Sprawling property: ESTATE.

26. [Theme clue]

30. Rainbow maker: PRISM.

31. Attempted: TRIED.

32. Bath rug: MAT.

33. Old hoops org.: ABA.  From 1967 to 1976, the American Basketball Association competed with the more established National Basketball Association.  

36. Genetic material: DNA.

37. Polo shirt, e.g.: TOP.

40. Power strip switch: ON OFF.

42. Not exactly, informally: KINDA.

44. [Theme clue]

49. Battery terminals: ANODES.  The anode undergoes oxidation (losing electrons) and sends electrons through an external wire to power a device. 

50. Punchiness: OOMPH.

51. See 58-Across: SHOE.

52. Crown for a prom queen: TIARA.

54. Wanes: EBBS.

58. With 51-Across, dance accessory for Fred Astaire: TAP.

Fred Astaire, dancer extraordinaire

59. [Theme clue]

61. Connecticut Ivy Leaguer: ELI.  A student at Yale University may be called an "Eli," referring to Elihu Yale, an early benefactor of the university.

62. Derive: INFER.

63. Possibly dangerous: RISKY.

64. Cozy burrow: DEN.

65. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.  Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian composer and conductor.  🎵

66. River mammal: OTTER.  This blogger was absent for three weeks, visiting the UK and Ireland.  On the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, DH and I encountered freshwater otters that make daily treks from the hills to the ocean, because food on that island is most plentiful at the shore.  I had never heard of such a thing!

Freshwater otters at the seashore on the Isle of Mull

Down:

1. Does some alterations: SEWS.

2. Place for cuticle oil: NAIL.

3. Analogy words: IS TO.  A puppy is to a dog as a kitten is to a cat.

4. Spots where dogs may sit, lie down, and roll over: PET BEDS.

5. Clever: SLY.

6. Meet over coffee, perhaps: CONNECT.

7. Entr'__: ACTE.  The French word entr'acte is a contraction of the words entre acte ("between acts") and refers to a piece of music performed between two parts of a stage production, or simply an intermission.  🎵

8. Eerie electronic instrument: THEREMIN.  A musical instrument patented by Leon Theremin in 1928, the theremin is controlled without physical contact.  🎵

9. Musical proclivity: EAR.  🎵

10. Affectionate feline: LAP CAT.

11. Brainstorm: IDEATE.

12. Wet blanket: DOWNER.  A person who ruins the fun or enjoyment of others.

14. Some hotel employees: MAIDS.

17. Move like the wind: BLOW.

21. Small earring: STUD.

Hoop with dangle, regular hoop, and stud.

23. Fiction subgenre: ROMANCE.

25. "I didn't quite catch that": SPEAK UP.

26. Typing speed: Abbr.: WPM.  Words Per Minute.

27. 401(k) alternative: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

28. Minor quibble: NIT.

29. Chicago airport code: ORD.  Chicago's O'Hare International Airport uses the code ORD because the airfield was originally named Orchard Field (ORcharD).

34. Not-so-humble bragging: BOASTING.

35. Old gridiron org.: AFL.  From 1960 to 1970, the American Football League competed with the more established National Football League.  The crossing of the defunct ABA and AFL was a WAG (wild ass guess) for this blogger.

37. Feature of many a Wile E. Coyote trap, for short: TNT.  Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are fictional characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons produced by Warner Bros. from 1949 onward.  The hungry coyote tries to kill and eat the road runner through complex schemes and mail order explosives.

38. "__ to Joy": highlight of Beethoven's Ninth: ODE.  The fourth and final movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is commonly called the Ode to Joy.  Here's an excerpt (3:41), performed by André Rieu & His Johann Strauss Orchestra:  🎵

39. Golf course standard: PAR.

40. Ye __ Shoppe: OLDE.

41. Pool raft, e.g.: FLOATER.

43. Receive, as a bequest: INHERIT.

44. Squandered: WASTED.

45. Take a deep breath: INHALE.

46. Copy on an email reply: LOOP IN.  When I want to be copied on a string of emails, I ask the recipients to "keep me in the loop."

47. Apple pie-making tool: CORER.

48. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR.  Ilhan Omar has served as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019.

Ilhan Omar

53. Deets: INFO.  "Deets" is short for "details."  "Info" is short for "information."

55. Triumph over: BEST.  In this case, "best" is a verb.  "The experienced chess player hoped to best the young prodigy."

56. Make a cake, say: BAKE.

57. Icelandic dairy product similar to yogurt: SKYR.  Yummy.

59. Nintendo console released in 2006: WII.   The Wii introduced motion-tracking controls, and could recognize gestures, as opposed to just buttons on a controller.  The Wii was also Nintendo's first console with internet connectivity for online gaming.

60. Certain sib: BRO.  "Sib" is short for "sibling."  "Bro" is short for "brother."

Here's the grid:

Dear Solvers,

Huge thanks are due to CrossEyedDave and Anonymous T for blogging Mondays during my absence!

I missed the WITTY BANTER in the comments section, and can hardly wait to CONNECT with all of you again.  So SPEAK UP!

And of course, if you have a NIT to pick with the puzzle, we'll lend you an EAR.

I do want to thank Amanda Cook for all the musical entries 🎵, none of which required me to look up the deets of any pop stars du jour.

-- NaomiZ

Monday, September 7, 2026, Michael Hobin

 Theme:  Good stuff!

Michael Hobin

Michael Hobin is a real estate broker in Chicago, who passed some quiet hours during the COVID-19 pandemic trying to construct his own crossword puzzles.  He garnered a few rejections from the New York Times, and then some encouraging words from that quarter, and then a request for a few specific revisions, which led to his first published puzzle.  Mr. Hobin is becoming a regular at the NYT and in the pages of our own Los Angeles Times.  Based on the fun I had with this one, I'd say Michael has mastered the medium.

The theme of today's puzzle is revealed here:

35-Across. Tom Wolfe book about Project Mercury, or an apt description of the ends of 16-, 24-, 47-, and 56-Across: THE RIGHT STUFF.  Tom Wolfe's 1979 book describes the mental and physical characteristics required of the first astronauts.  They had to have the right STUFF.

16-Across. Citrus garnish for many a cocktail: LEMON WEDGE.  WEDGE as a verb means to squeeze or force something tightly into a narrow space -- to STUFF it, so to speak.

24-Across. Driver's rush-hour headache: TRAFFIC JAM.  JAM as a verb means to push something into a space so tightly that it becomes stuck -- to STUFF it, if you will.

47-Across. Budget chain owned by Choice Hotels: ECONO LODGE.  One meaning of LODGE as a verb is to become stuck in a place, like a coin that manages to lodge in the parking meter's coin slot -- to STUFF the slot, as it were.

56-Across. Average guy: JOE SIX-PACK.  An ordinary blue-collar worker, whose after hours libation may be a six-pack of beer, can really PACK it in.  He might go to the game on the weekend with other fans and PACK the stadium.  In other words, he can STUFF it in.

This fellow is WEDGED, JAMMED, LODGED, and PACKED into a tight space --
really STUFFED in there.

Talk about a tight theme -- this one is crammed in there!  Let's expand our evaluation to the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Owl sound: HOOT.

5. Blue-green hue used in color printing: CYAN.

9. Pet that can be laser-focused?: CAT.  There are a variety of laser toys made for cats.

12. __ committee: AD HOC.  In Latin ad hoc means "for this," and in English the term describes anything that can be thought of as existing "for this purpose only."

14. Volcano's output: LAVA.

15. Task list heading: TO DO.

16. [Theme clue]

18. Toiling away: AT IT.

19. Manipulate, as bread dough: KNEAD.

20. Playground fixture with a ladder: SLIDE.

21. "SportsCenter" network: ESPN.

24. [Theme clue]

27. Ice cream servings: SCOOPS.

29. Cut (off): LOP.

30. Donkey: ASS.

31. Little bite: TASTE.

32. Least hospitable: ICIEST.

35. [Theme clue]

39. Moves like a crab: SIDLES.  To sidle is to move with one side forward.

40. Mistake: ERROR.

42. Canyon edge: RIM.

45. Scooby-__: DOO.  Scooby-Doo is a cartoon dog and media franchise created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969.  Scooby and his teenage human friends solve mysteries that seem supernatural until our heroes unmask the villains behind the hoax.

Scooby-Doo and friends

46. Fast-casual bakery franchise: PANERA.  The menu has improved!  There are certainly more options for vegetarians.

47. [Theme clue]

51. Genesis garden: EDEN.

52. West Point student: CADET.

53. Sloshed through water: WADED.

55. Field of study: AREA.

56. [Theme clue]

61. Sound like a 9-Across: PURR.  Here's your reminder that 9-Across was CAT.

62. Fencing sword: ÉPÉE.  Modern fencing uses three types of sword:  épée, foil, and sabre.  This is the fourth Monday with ÉPÉE as a clue this year!

Mind where you poke that thing!

63. Familiar theme: TROPE.  A trope is a recurring literary device, theme, or figure of speech.  It also refers to Hebrew cantillation, the system of musical chant used for reading the Hebrew scriptures during religious services, which is a service I occasionally perform.

NaomiZ chanting Torah with trope

64. Oft-redacted ID: SSN.  A Social Security Number is issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents,  temporary residents who have work authorization, or a valid nonwork reason to be in the United States.  It is often redacted from shared documents to avoid having it misused.

65. Pen points: NIBS.

66. Moisturizer brand: OLAY.

Down:

1. Actor Holbrook: HAL.  Hal Holbrook (1925-2021) was an American actor who made his reputation with a 1954 one-man stage show titled Mark Twain Tonight!  He played Deep Throat in the 1976 film All the President's Men, Abraham Lincoln in two TV miniseries, and many other roles in dozens of films and TV shows.  He was honored with the National Humanities Medal by President George W. Bush in 2003.

2. Tribute poem: ODE.

3. Unit of resistance: OHM.  An ohm is the standard unit of electrical resistance, named after the German physicist Georg Ohm.  Its symbol is an uppercase Greek letter omega (Ω).

4. Didn't count on one's memory in class: TOOK NOTES.  Loved this clue.  

5. See-through: CLEAR.

6. When repeated, "and so on": YADDA.  About this time last month, I wrote:  "This expression was popularized by the 153rd episode of Seinfeld, in which George's new girlfriend said "yada yada yada" to shorten her stories.  That episode was titled "The Yada Yada."  YADDA is an alternate, less used spelling."  And I offered this illustration:

7. The "A" of GPA: Abbr.: AVG.  Grade Point Average.

8. Scottish "no": NAE.

9. Crumbly Mexican cheese: COTIJA.  An aged Mexican cheese made from cow's milk and named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán, cotija is often crumbled over burritos, soups, salads, beans, tostadas, tacos, and corn on the cob.

Elote -- grilled corn topped with crema, cotija, chili powder, and lime juice.

10. Nike rival: ADIDAS.

11. Sacred tribal carvings: TOTEMS.

13. "Erin Burnett OutFront" channel: CNN.  Erin Burnett OutFront is an hour-long weekday evening television news program on CNN.  News to me.

15. Very soft mineral: TALC.  Talc is a natural clay mineral made of hydrated magnesium silicate that ranks as the softest solid on the Mohs hardness scale.  Once popular in cosmetics and baby powders, it is no longer recommended because it tends to occur naturally with asbestos, and because breathing in fine powders is bad for the lungs.  Its association with ovarian cancer is debated, but has resulted in billions of dollars in legal settlements.

17. Moistens: WETS.

20. Enjoys gossip without adding to it, in slang: SIPS TEA.  We've encountered "spills the tea" in the LAT crossword as a phrase that means shares gossip, reveals a secret, or talks about juicy personal news.  This is my first encounter with SIPS TEA.  Cute!

21. "C'__ la vie!": EST.  "C'est la vie" is French for "that's life."  Coincidentally, this old song popped into my head out of nowhere recently:

22. "Buzz off!": SCAT.

23. Swanky: POSH.

25. Darts around: FLITS.

26. Rivals: FOES.

28. August birthstone: PERIDOT.  Peridot is a yellowish-green gemstone, the shade being influenced by iron content.  It is considered too soft to survive as an engagement ring stone; it chips easily.

This genuine peridot ring with little zircon accents is on sale for $149.00 at www.stauer.com.

32. Shelter made of compressed snow: IGLOO.

33. "Weekend Update" comic Michael: CHE.  Michael Che is a stand-up comedian best known for his work on NBC's Saturday Night Live, where he has been co-anchor of the Weekend Update news sketch since 2014.

Colin Jost and Michael Che host Weekend Update on SNL

34. Gave up one's amateur status, perhaps: TURNED PRO.

36. Pop sensation: IDOL.

37. Mister Rogers: FRED.

38. Golfer's warning shout: FORE.

41. Hightailed it: RAN.

42. "Previously on ... " segments: RECAPS.

43. Son of Daedalus: ICARUS.  In Greek mythology, Daedalus built a labyrinth for King Minos of Crete to imprison the Minotaur.  When the hero Theseus killed the Minotaur and escaped the labyrinth, King Minos suspected Daedalus of revealing the labyrinth's secrets, and imprisoned Daedalus there with his son Icarus.  Daedalus fashioned wings for himself and his son, made of items collected in the labyrinth:  beeswax, leather straps from their sandals, threads from blankets, and birds' molted feathers.  Before escaping the island, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high nor too low, but youth is impetuous;  Icarus flew too close to the sun, his wax wings melted, he fell into the sea, and he drowned.

Daedalus and Icarus

44. Contemporary: MODERN.

46. Spa treatment for feet, briefly: PEDI.  Pedicure.

48. At hand: NEAR.

49. Dorky one: DWEEB.

50. Elements that make up most of the atmosphere: GASES.

54. Telephone no. addition: EXT.  "Extensions" are frequently seen in business telephone numbers.

56. MS NOW's "The Briefing With __ Psaki": JEN.  The woman formerly known as White House Press Secretary to President Joe Biden hosts this political news program on the cable channel formerly known as MSNBC.  Again, news to me.  

57. Nail polish brand: OPI.  OPI and Essie are tops in the market and in crossword puzzles.

58. Pioneering ISP: AOL.  AOL (American Online) is considered a pioneering Internet Service Provider because it made a curated portion of the internet available to folks without technical knowledge through a simple graphical user interface.  At its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s, AOL accounted for nearly half of all internet traffic in the United States.

59. Fig. figuring figures: CPA.  A certified public accountant is a figure (person) who figures (calculates) figures (numbers).

60. __ lime pie: KEY.  Michael saved the best for last!  A refreshing dessert!  Small, thin-skinned Key limes are named for their association with the Florida Keys, although they are native to Southeast Asia.  Spanish explorers brought them to the West Indies, and Dr. Henry Perrine (1797-1840) introduced them to the Keys.

Key lime pie

Here's the grid:

Solvers,

I am reveling in the very low Arts & Entertainment content of this puzzle, and the complete absence of professional or collegiate team sports.  Wow!

An ODE to Michael Hobin!

We’re glad he TURNED PRO!

He gave us a nice puzzle

With words we’re sure to know.

Did this puzzle give you THE RIGHT STUFF as well?  Please comment.

-- NaomiZ

P.S.  Many thanks in advance to Dave and Tony for taking the next three Mondays, while I have something else TO DO.