Thursday, December 11, 2025, Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis, Erik Agard

Theme:  The beat goes on!

Erik Agard and Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis

Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis is an audio and digital producer on the NPR Music Team, and an avid crossword solver.  This may be her first published crossword puzzle.  If so, congratulations!  In the photo above, Sofie was reporting on a crossword tournament at the University of Chicago in October 2025 for radio station WBEZ Chicago.  For today's puzzle, Sofie teamed up with constructor extraordinaire Erik Agard, former crossword editor at USA Today, currently at Apple News+.  It's wonderful to have these young folks making puzzles.

Today's puzzle features three starred clues, and one that reveals their connection:

28-Down. "Genius of Love" band, or what the answers to the starred clues are members of?: TOM TOM CLUB.  Although I was a fan of the band Talking Heads in the 1980s, I did not know about Tom Tom Club, a side project of two of the members.  Their song "Genius of Love" made it to the US top 40 in 1981.

Now that I've heard the song, I'm going to forget it, along with the band.  Happily this ignorance on my part did not keep me from solving the puzzle.  The reveal even helped me complete the starred clues.  They are:

20-Across. *Jelly Roll Morton jazz composition: BLACK BOTTOM STOMP.  I know about Jelly Roll Morton -- the jazz bandleader who was recording in the 1920s -- because of Van Morrison's lyrics:  

And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me

But I didn't know Black Bottom Stomp:

47-Across. *Pronunciation dichotomy popularized by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: TOMAYTO TOMAHTO.  This difference in pronunciation is highlighted in a song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film Shall We Dance.  In the movie, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sing it while roller skating.  Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong recorded it in 1957.

27-Down. *One minuscule step at a time: ATOM BY ATOM.  Keeping in mind that Sofie is involved with broadcasting music, it's likely that she has a song in mind here, too.  Is she thinking of the British band Satan, with the 2015 album (and song) Atom by Atom?  (There's also a London-based alternative rock group called Atom by Atom.  Listen here:  https://atombyatom.bandcamp.com/album/dirty-bag )

If you've ever wished that NaomiZ would post more links, your wish has now been granted.

Oh, and by the way -- TOM TOMs are drums.  But you knew that.  And -- the word TOM appears twice in each of the starred answers.  But you knew that, too.

Here's the grid, with all those TOMs peeping out:

Now that we've dealt with every TOM, let's see about Dick and Harry, and whoever else.

Across:

1. One-third of a cereal mascot trio: SNAP.  Crackle and Pop wouldn't fit.

5. Start fishing: CAST.  A fisherman casts the line by pulling the rod back and then snapping it forward, releasing the fishing line and launching it forward.

9. Astounds: WOWS.

13. __ d'Ivoire: COTE.  A West African country with a French colonial history.

14. Spa treatment: FACIAL.

16. Pelee Island's lake: ERIE.  The largest island in Lake Erie.

17. Swedish supergroup: ABBA.

18. Mamá's mamá: ABUELA.  Abuela is Spanish for grandmother.  The accent on mamá was your clue for Spanish.

19. Rodgers of the band Chic: NILE.  Co-founder of the band Chic, Nile Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has received six Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement/Special Merit Award.  You may not know his name, but I'll bet you've heard the songs:

20. [Theme clue]

23. "Beloved" protagonist: SETHE.  Beloved is a 1987 novel by Toni Morrison.  This harrowing tale of a runaway slave is based on a true story.  In 1856, U.S. marshals broke into a cabin in the free state of Ohio, where a mother who had escaped brutal slavery in Kentucky was hiding with her children.  The mother attempted to kill her own children to prevent their return to Kentucky under the Fugitive Slave Act.  Imagine how awful her experience in Kentucky must have been, to want to spare her children in this way.

24. Many a YA hero: TEEN.  YA = Young Adult, a category of literature aimed at teenagers.  

25. Yellowfin and albacore: TUNAS.

26. Green vegetable in aloo matar: PEA.  Curry with peas is part of our standard rotation!  We use tofu instead of potatoes.

Aloo Matar

28. 2,000 pounds: TON.

29. The Black List items: SCRIPTS.  The Black List is a platform for writers to share scripts with Hollywood professionals and get high-quality evaluations from vetted readers.  https://blcklst.com/

33. Polite: CORDIAL.

37. "I'm sorry" response: THAT'S OK.

38. Vast: IMMENSE.

39. Chows down: EATS.

40. Instant: MOMENT.  One meaning of instant is a precise moment of time.  At that very moment ... or, at that very instant ... 

43. Dreary routines: RUTS.

44. CT scan kin: MRI.

45. Ford SUV: BRONCO.

46. Govt. org. established by Lincoln: IRS.  President Lincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1862, which created the position of Commissioner of Internal Revenue within the Department of the Treasury, and levied the nation's first progressive income tax.  Income tax was repealed in 1872, reinstated in 1894, ruled unconstitutional in 1895, and reinstated through the 16th amendment in 1913.  The taxing agency was renamed "Internal Revenue Service" in 1953.  You're welcome.

47. [Theme clue]

52. Govt. org. established by Nixon: EPA.  President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency by executive order in 1970 to consolidate federal environmental responsibilities and to respond to growing public concern over pollution and environmental degradation.  

53. Movie tech: CGI.  Computer-Generated Imagery.

54. "Did you start already?": AM I LATE?

58. Type of grill or haircut: FLAT TOP.

        flat top grill                           flat top haircut

62. Spot for the cheapest seats in the house, maybe: LAST ROW.

63. "Beauty and the Beast" candelabra: LUMIÈRE.  French speakers have an advantage, since lumière means light.

Lumière from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"

64. "I've got this": TRUST ME.

65. Partner of "aided": ABETTED.  Aiding others is usually a good thing; abetting is very bad.


Down:

1. Line crossers?: SCABS.  Scabs cross the picket line.

2. Of high morals: NOBLE.

3. Royal appearance?: AT BAT.  Kansas City Royals appear, one at a time, at bat.

4. Fruit parts in some noyaux recipes: PEACH PITS.  Noyaux is a liqueur which infuses the kernels found inside pits of stone fruits into spirits like vodka or rum.  Be sure to roast those kernels to avoid cyanide poisoning!

5. "The Princess Diaries" novelist Meg: CABOT.  The Princess Diaries is a series of young adult novels by Meg Cabot, and is also the title of the first volume, published in 2000.  The series follows an American teenager who turns out to be Princess Regent of a small European country.  The 2001 Disney film starred Anne Hathaway in her film debut as the princess, along with Julie Andrews as her grandmother and Queen regnant.

6. Like some angles: ACUTE.

7. This clue's number en español: SIETE.  Spanish for "seven."

8. Hawk's weapon: TALON.  Photographer Mark Smith call talons "murder mittens."

Mark Smith's photo of a juvenile Bald Eagle

9. Sank: WENT UNDER.

10. Night hunter: ORION.  Most visible during winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

11. Activist and social reformer Mankiller: WILMA.  Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010) was a Native American activist and Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  One of her projects was the subject of the film The Cherokee Word for Water.

Wilma Mankiller 2022 quarter dollar

12. Oozes: SEEPS.

14. "Gorg!": FAB.  Gorgeous!  Fabulous.

15. On the __: LAM.

21. Holds on to: KEEPS.

22. Rush angrily: STORM.  Picture storming off ...

27. [Theme clue]

28. [Theme reveal]

29. Brain __: STEM.

30. Graph that may resemble a pie: CHART.

31. Embarrass on social media, in a way: RATIO.  Ratio as a verb on Twitter:  to flood a tweet or its author with negative replies such that commenters take control of the message away from the original poster.  This makes sense as it influences the ratio of positive to negative responses.  

32. Field hockey garment: SKORT.

Looks like skorts are strictly for the ladies.

33. Seis menos uno: CINCO.  Spanish again!  Six minus one:  five.

34. Indigenous people of Greenland: INUIT.

35. Houston baseballer: ASTRO.

36. "I couldn't care __": LESS.

41. "Click, Clack, __: Cows That Type": Caldecott Honor book: MOO.  By Doreen Cronin, 2000.

42. Otolaryngologist, for short: ENT.  An otolaryngologist, commonly called an ENT doctor, specializes in conditions of the ear, nose, and throat.

48. Cheesy sammies: MELTS.  A melt is a hot sandwich with melting cheese.  The tuna melt is a classic example.

49. Not together: APART.

50. Finest form: A GAME.

51. "Cue the music!": HIT IT.  Back to Sofie's choice!

54. Flying fig.: ALT.  Altitude.

55. Ruin: MAR.

56. Ames sch.: ISU.  Iowa State University is in Ames, Iowa.

57. Mother in a meadow: EWE.

58. Ga. neighbor: FLA.

59. Vietnamese New Year: TET.

60. One of five resources in Catan: ORE.  Catan is a board game in which players establish settlements on a fictional island while acquiring and trading resources.  The resources include wool, grain, lumber, brick, and ore.

61. One on foot: Abbr.: PED.  Pedestrian.

Solvers, did you think that Erik Agard aided or ABETTED Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis in constructing this puzzle?  Was it the PITS?  Did you STORM off without finishing?

Or did you bring your A GAME and finish in LESS time than usual for a Thursday?

TRUST ME, you'll find like-minded people in the comments.  Join us there!

-- NaomiZ

Thursday, December 4, 2025, Emet Ozar

 Theme:  The Crying Game

Emet Ozar serves up a Thursday challenge.  Best to keep in mind that it's just a game!  The four theme entries are symmetrically placed in rows Across, with two of them spanning the grid, and the other two just one square shy of that.  All four involve a common phrase that is reinterpreted as a cry from a game player.  The theme entries are:

16-Across. Sad cry from a hot potato player?: I DIDN'T CATCH THAT.  If you drop the potato, you're out.  

25-Across. Sad cry from a Bananagrams player?: CAN I GET A WORD IN?  Players race to build crossword grids using letter tiles.  Why haven't I played this?

46-Across. Sad cry from a Battleship player?: I MISSED THE BOAT.

61-Across. Happy cry from a Scrabble player?: I'M DRAWING A BLANK.

All those cries ended on a happy note.  Let's see how we fare with the rest of this game.

Across:

1. All-Star side: EAST.  Sports are games, too, but they seem more like tribal warfare by proxy.  In many sports, the All-Star games pit East versus West.

5. Maori dance: HAKA.  Speaking of sports, the Haka is performed by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team before matches.  

All Blacks Haka dance

9. Building blocks: ABCs.

13. Pepper __: MILL.

14. Drop: OMIT.

15. Biggest city in the Cornhusker State: OMAHA.  Nebraska.

16. [Theme clue]

19. Custom car made from cast-off parts: RAT ROD.  A custom car with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from cheap or cast-off parts. 

Rat Rod

20. Knightly honorifics: SIRS.

21. Formal accessory: TIE.

22. Actor Corddry: ROB.  You may remember Rob as a correspondent on The Daily Show.  He has a number of other television and film credits, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and more Ds than seem proper in his surname.

Rob Corddry

24. Rented: LET.

25. [Theme clue]

33. Palm fruit: DATE.

34. Tool that can be made to sound like a theremin: SAW.  The theremin is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer. It is named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.  Here is Leon Theremin playing the theremin:

Playing a saw requires touching it with a bow:

https://youtube.com/shorts/3-2wWp1UBiY?si=N6E0SxupPWiXKwVl

Apologies if the videos don't work!  You can look up Theremin on Wikipedia to see the Leon Theremin video.  And of course you can copy and paste the YouTube link into your web browser to see the saw in action.

35. Thin: SPARSE.

36. Ballpark figs.: ERAs.  Not estimates (like ETAs), but figures reported in baseball ballparks:  Earned Run Averages.

37. Verbal shrug: MEH.

39. Valley: DALE.

40. Grinding vessel: MORTAR.  I tried "metate" first. 

43. Orecchiette shape: EAR.  "Orecchiette" means "little ears" in Italian.  It's a pasta shape.

Orecchiette

45. Cyberchatted, for short: IMed.  Instant Messaged.  Also written IM'd.

46. [Theme clue]

49. "SNL" alum Gasteyer: ANA.  She's had continued success on film and stage.

Ana Gasteyer

50. Bother: ADO.

51. "KPop Demon Hunters" voice actor Daniel __ Kim: DAE.  A successful actor on stage, film and TV.

Daniel Dae Kim

54. "99 Luftballons" band: NENA.  The German band Nena recorded "99 Luftballons" in 1983.  The song tells a fictional story about how 99 balloons are mistaken for enemy aircraft and trigger a global nuclear war.

56. Trashes: TOSSES.

61. [Theme clue]

64. Game consoles produced between 1983 and 2001: SEGAS.

65. Escalator part: STEP.

66. No-frills grocery chain: ALDI.

67. Had in mind?: KNEW.

68. Obscure: HIDE.

69. All-Star side: WEST.  The last Across clue echoes the first.  Here in the Corner, we call that a clecho -- a clue echo.

Down:

1. Doha dignitary: EMIR.  Doha is the capital of Qatar.

2. Verdi opera: AIDA.

3. Feature of many a slinky gown: SLIT.  

Just for Splynter.

4. "I lost interest" letters: TLDR.  Too Long, Didn't Read.

5. Relish-topped ballpark bites: HOT DOGS.

6. Theater chain with MacGuffins Bar and Lounge: AMC.  Never heard of this, but AMC is the only theater chain that comes to mind.

7. Some Korean cars: KIAS.

8. __ the Hun: ATTILA.

9. Check no.: AMT.  Abbreviation in the clue calls for abbreviation in the answer.  AMT is for "amount."

10. Thai currency: BAHT.

11. Hebrew symbol that translates to "living": CHAI.  Chai is not so much a symbol as it is a word, composed of two Hebrew letters.  It means "life."  Hebrew letters were also used as number symbols, and the letters in chai add up to 18, so that 18 is associated with life and luck.  

12. Fill fully: SATE.

15. "You are just too much!": OH STOP.

17. Edible seaweed: NORI.

18. Hands that handle the deck: CREWS.  The deck of a ship ...

23. Radiate pride: BEAM.

25. Tricky pool shot: CAROM.

26. Maker of the 2600 and 5200 game consoles: ATARI.

27. Tiny homes tucked in branches: NESTS.

28. Chirp: TWEET.  Sounds heard in NESTS.

29. __ wave: RADIO.

30. Broadway genre: DRAMA.

31. Dot on a map: ISLET.

32. Call for: NEED.

33. Prefix with sexual: DEMI.  A demisexual person only develops sexual attraction after forming an emotional bond with another person.  They don't get hot and bothered by slits in gowns, for sure!

38. "Good one": HA HA.

41. Vinyasa sequence: ASANAS.  An asana is a physical pose in yoga.  Vinyasa is a style of yoga that links poses in a fluid sequence.  I've seen my lovely daughters practice this flow.

42. Freshen: RENEW.

44. Bureaucratic hassle: RED TAPE.

47. Like kanelsnegle: DANISH.  Kanelsnegle are Danish cinamon rolls.  I didn't know this, but I'm happy to see these on the crossword menu.  Especially if I only have to spell Danish, and not kanelsnegle!

48. __ tube: BOOB.  Yes, kids, that's what we used to call the TV.  Cathode ray tube device for idiots.  Before we all got sucked in.

51. Floppy or hard medium: DISK.

52. Blessing ender: AMEN.

53. Lip: EDGE.  Like the lip of a cup.

55. Not pro: ANTI.

57. Vegetable side: SLAW.

58. Result of a good pitch: SALE.  A good SALEs pitch results in a SALE.  Not baseball this time!

59. Some football linemen: ENDS.

60. Sketch: SKIT.  Not drawing, but sketch comedy.

62. Like sashimi: RAW.

63. HS equivalency test: GED.  General Educational Development test.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, did you find yourselves DRAWING A BLANK at any point?

Did you at least GET A WORD IN the right place, here and there?

If you KNEW all the answers without the help of perpendicular entries, I'm impressed!

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Thursday, November 27, 2025, MaryEllen Uthlaut

 Theme: Moving on.

A broken heart is a painful malady, but constructor MaryEllen Uthlaut suggests there's a short path to recovery.  She writes:

61-Across. Terse advice for the brokenhearted, and what appears four times in this puzzle: GET OVER IT.  

Indeed, MaryEllen has placed GET over IT four times in the grid, even in the reveal at 61-Across!  Take a look:

Very clever, MaryEllen!  Now that we've gotten over it, let's get into it!

Across:

1. Christie's "Evil __ the Sun": UNDER.  A novel by Agatha Christie in which Hercule Poirot investigates a murder at a seaside resort.

6. Annual vaccine target: FLU.

9. Secret supply: STASH.

14. Bolsters: FORTIFIES.

16. Natural dye for some brides: HENNA.  Henna designs are applied to an Indian bride's hands and feet for a pre-wedding celebration.

17. Citrus-infused brew: ORANGE TEA.

18. Foodie site with a Dining Out section: EATER.  Eater.com has lots of suggestions.

19. Walk or trot: GAIT.

20. Seuss character who advocates eating green: SAM-I-AM.

Hello.  My name is Sam-I-am.  I like to eat green eggs and ham.

21. Bobby of hockey: ORR.

23. Some Ram pickups: DODGE TRUCKS.

27. A short way from: NEAR.

29. Condiment in Indian cuisine: RAITA.  A side dish or condiment made with yogurt, spices, herbs, and vegetables, that cools the palate when eaten with spicy foods.

30. K-pop rapper: PSY.  Best known for his 2012 hit "Gangnam Style," Park Jae-sang's stage name is PSY.  Click the image below for his viral video:

31. Major export of Côte d'Ivoire: CACAO.  Côte d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer of cacao.  Cacao is the name of the tree and the raw beans.  Roasted cacao beans are ground into cocoa powder.  Chocolate!  Food of the gods!  That's the literal meaning of the tree's scientific name:  Theobroma cacao.

33. Valueless but valuable Scrabble tile: BLANK.

35. Reworks, as text: EMENDS.

37. Couch for sitting or sleeping: DAYBED.  A daybed is a sofa by day, and a bed by night.  Isn't DAYBED a confusing name?  

42. Some characters in "The Hobbit": ELVES.  In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, elves are a race of cool forest dwellers who are immortal -- with limitations.

Elves from the LOTR movies.

46. Needle: TEASE.  More English language confusion.  To needle can be to tease with goading remarks or behaviors.  And yet, there is such a thing as a "teasing needle" used to tear scientific speciments into tiny shreds, or to "tease out" a knot in threads or chains.

teasing needle

47. Siouan people: OTO.  The Oto or Otoe people are a Native Amercan Plains tribe, related to the Sioux language family.

50. Spine-tingling: EERIE.

52. Read hastily: SCAN.

53. Trick-taking spot: BRIDGE TABLE.  The object of the card game bridge is to win tricks.  A trick is four cards, one played from the hand of each player in rotation.  A trick is won by the highest card of the suit that started the round, or by the highest trump. Admittedly, I've never played bridge.  Does it show?

56. Allotted share: CUT.

57. Cleverly skillful: ADROIT.

58. Spanish appetizer: TAPA.

60. Some corporate jets: LEARS.

61. [Theme reveal -- see above]

66. "The Luncheon on the Grass" painter: MANET.  French title:  Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe.  It's a puzzling painting, and was quite controversial when the Paris Salon rejected it for exhibit in 1863.

67. Travel plan: ITINERARY.

68. Winter transports: SLEDS.

69. Capital of Georgia?: GEE.  The capital letter in the word Georgia is a Gee.

70. Discourage: DETER.


Down:

1. Sci-fi craft: UFO.

2. Neither partner: NOR.  "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" -- inscription on New York City's James A. Farley Post Office Building, 1914.

3. Show for queens: DRAG RACE.

4. Mediterranean peak: ETNA.

5. Inflexible: RIGID.

6. In very good shape: FIT.

7. "Da 5 Bloods" director Spike: LEE.

8. Letters on Erin Jackson's uniform: USA.  Erin Jackson is an American speed skater. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she became the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport, and the first Black American woman to win any Olympic medal in speed skating.  

Erin Jackson

9. Clip wool from: SHEAR.

10. Join forces: TEAM UP.

11. Buffoonery: ANTICS.

12. Hardly aboveboard: SNEAKY.

13. Injures: HARMS.

15. Wretched smell: FETOR.  A strong, offensive odor, usually emanating from a person.  Medical examples include fetor oris (bad breath), fetor hepaticus (where elements of liver failure pass into the lungs), uremic fetor (a urine-like odor on the breath of people with kidney disease), and others.  It can also be used more generally, like "the fetor of decay."  And yet I Did Not Know.

20. Place for witnesses: STAND.

21. Formerly: ONCE.

22. Paper quantity: REAM.

24. Smack-__ in the middle: DAB.

25. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" writer Scott-Heron: GIL.  Gilbert Scott-Heron (1949-2011) was an American jazz poet, singer, musician and author, known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s.  His poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," delivered over a jazz-soul beat, is considered a major influence on hip hop music.  DNK.

Gil Scott-Heron

26. Brief prediction that accounts for traffic and weather: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

28. Took to the hills: RAN.

32. Tributary stream?: ODE.  Not the kind of stream that flows into a river as a tributary, but a poetic stream of words of tribute, which constitute an ode.

34. Dennings of "Shifting Gears": KAT.  Kat Dennings is an American actress known for her starring roles as Max Black in the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls (2011–2017) and as Darcy Lewis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film and television franchise beginning with Thor (2011).

36. Freezing shower: SLEET.

38. Word of affirmation: YES.

39. Casino card game: BACCARAT.

40. Biblical twin of Jacob: ESAU.

41. Lasting impression: DENT.  

43. Evaluate: VET.  A veterinarian, or vet, examines an animal.  Over the course of time, vet became a verb meaning to scrutinze a person or thing, or to examine for flaws.

44. Pitching stat: ERA.  Earned Run Average.

45. Blood relation, for short: SIB.  Sibling (brother or sister).

47. Difficult experience: ORDEAL.

48. Capital of Albania: TIRANË.  That's the Albanian spelling.  English spelling is Tirana.

49. Fragrant: ODORED.  Fragrant means having a pleasant smell, unlike fetor.

51. Taron's "Rocketman" role: ELTON.  Taron Egerton played Elton John in the 2019 film.

53. Some essential oils: BALMS.

54. Main ideas: GISTS.

55. Like chalet roofs: EAVED.

59. French father: PÈRE.

61. Club date: GIG.

62. Summer in Paris: ÉTÉ.

63. Form an attachment: TIE.

64. Wrath: IRE.

65. Norse war god: TÝR.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful:

• to the crossword constructors who challenge us with these wonderful puzzles; 
• to C.C., who created this Corner where mysteries of the puzzles are explained by dedicated bloggers, and who gave me the opportunity to join their ranks; 
• to all who read the blog, and especially to those who comment; 
• to DH, who smiles upon this activity and who proves that if the first marriage doesn't succeed, you should GET OVER IT and move on to something better.

I hope that Thanksgiving brings comfort to all of you.  Several of you have suffered great losses in the past year.  May you find thanks for what you had, and for what you still have.  Peace to all.

NaomiZ solving the puzzle a couple of Sundays ago.

-- NaomiZ

Thursday, November 20, 2025, Caroline Hand

Theme:  Field day. 

Caroline Hand has published crossword puzzles in several major newspapers over the last couple of years.  You might say she is having quite a field day!  Today she treats us to a field day as well, with four echoing theme clues, and no reveal.  The theme clues and answers, symmetrically placed in rows Across, are:

20. Field: GRASSY PASTURE.  A straightforward type of field.

27. Field: LINCOLN ACTRESS.  Sally Field played Mary Todd Lincoln in the 2012 Spielberg film.

43. Field: CATCH A GROUNDER.  Scoop up a baseball that is rolling on the ground and return it to play.

51. Field: BRANCH OF STUDY.  Discipline, area, specialty, subject, domain.

Having fielded these clues, it's time to dig into the rest of them.

Across:

1. Oodles and oodles (of): GOBS.

5. Language of poet Nima Yooshij: FARSI.  Nima Yooshij (1895 - 1960) is considered the father of modern Persian poetry.

Nima Yooshij

10. Future esq.'s exam: LSAT.  Law School Admission Test.

14. Share a border: ABUT.

15. Sweet sandwiches: OREOS.

16. Empire centered at Cuzco: INCA.

17. iPhone speaker: SIRI.

18. Marner of fiction: SILAS.  Silas Marner is a novel published in 1861 by English author George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans.  The main character is a humble weaver who suffers various misfortunes, but whose life is given new meaning when he adopts a little orphan girl. The novel impressed me a lot when I was a young girl given to reading Victorian novels. 

19. Extol the good points of: TOUT.

20. [Theme clue]

23. Cooling syst. meas.: BTU.  British Thermal Unit is a measure of heat.

25. Jockey (for): VIE.

26. Rite place: ALTAR.

27. [Theme clue]

32. Furnish with funds: ENDOW.

33. Tortilla dough: MASA.  Masa is dough made from corn that has been soaked in limewater, washed, and hulled.  The dried corn is ground up and reconstituted with water to make dough for tortillas.

34. "The Banana Boat Song" opener: DAY-O.  Harry Belafonte and others adapted this Jamaican song about dock workers loading bananas onto ships at night and looking forward to daylight when they could go home.

     Day-o, day-o

     Daylight come and me wan' go home ...

     Work all night on a drink of rum

     Daylight come and me wan' go home

     Stack banana till de morning come

     Daylight come and me wan' go home

35. Marinade of vinegar and spices: ADOBO.  Adobo is an indigenous Filipino cooking process in which meat, seafood, or vegetables are browned in oil, and then marinated and simmered in vinegar, salt or soy sauce, and garlic.  Spanish or Mexcian adobo is a red chili sauce.  The two types of adobo take their names from the Spanish adobar, to marinate.

37. Tracy Marrow's stage name: ICE T.  We've seen Ice T here a few times recently.  He looks tough, but is apparently grid-friendly.

Ice T

41. Words of clarification: AS IN.  

42. Flip out: GO APE.

43. [Theme clue]

48. Like some seals: EARED.  True seals, like harbor seals, have no external ear flaps.  Eared seals like sea lions and fur seals do have external ear flaps.  But all seals have ear openings.

49. Sharing word: OUR.

50. Cozy burrow: DEN.

51. [Theme clue]

56. Microsoft's web browser: EDGE.

57. Contact, in a way: EMAIL.

58. Spa supplies: OILS.

61. Barrel of laughs: RIOT.

62. Pasta often served alla vodka: PENNE.  Penne (a tube shaped pasta) is served with a sauce of heavy cream, tomatoes, and a splash of vodka.  

penne alla vodka

63. Simple fastener: SNAP.

64. Weight units for whales: TONS.

65. Emotional state: ANGST.

66. Like some batters: EGGY.

Down:

1. Fun time: GAS.

2. Kimono sash: OBI.

A woman wearing a kimono with an obi at her waist.

3. Dry red wine: BURGUNDY.

4. __ the pot: STIR.

5. Accessory brand known for watches: FOSSIL.  When youngest daughter was in high school, she longed for a nice watch.  I pictured something dainty, but she chose something like this:

6. No longer in bed: ARISEN.

7. Lean (on): RELY.

8. Stuff available in bars: SOAP.

9. Rae of "American Fiction": ISSA.  I remember her from her HBO show, Insecure.  And from crossword puzzles.

10. Younger, as a sibling: LITTLE.  No matter how old you get, your little sister is your little sister.

11. Rooting parts: SNOUTS.

12. Legends, for example: ACURAS.  Honda introduced its luxury car brand, Acura, with the Legend sedan in 1985.  It was manufactured through 1995.

13. Home run, in baseball slang: TATER.  Perhaps from hitting a ball over the fence into the potato fields, back in the day.

21. Declare without shame: AVOW.

22. Indie pop duo Tegan and __: SARA.  CanadianEh!, do you know these Canadian twin sisters?

Tegan and Sara

23. Came out in the wash?: BLED.

24. Jukebox musical whose second act begins with "Private Dancer": TINA.  A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which most of the songs are well-known popular songs, rather than original music composed for the musical.  Tina: The Tina Turner Musical depicts her life from humble beginnings to rock 'n roll superstar.  It's been on stages around the world since 2018.

28. Baby's noise: COO.

29. In the middle of: AMONG.

30. Hailed ride: CAB.

31. "The Search for General __": food documentary: TSO.  I learned from puzzles about the Chinese American dish called General Tso's chicken.

35. Hosiery shade: ASH.  This vintage package says the color is Ash.  I guess I'd call it taupe.

36. Domingo, por ejemplo: DIA.  Sunday, for example:  Day.  (Spanish.)

37. Physicist's particle: ION.

38. Summer gig for an aspiring golfer, perhaps: CADDYING.

39. Foil kin: ÉPÉE.  Types of swords used in fencing.

40. Beach bird: TERN.

41. Current options: AC/DC.

42. Buddhist teacher: GURU.

43. Elliptical workout, e.g., informally: CARDIO.  Cardiovascular exercise elevates your heart rate.  An elliptical machine allows you to achieve that while being gentle on your joints.

44. Old kingdom of Spain: ARAGON.

45. Core convictions: TENETS.

46. Prepares to bow: ROSINS.  Violin rosin is made from pine resins.  A violinist applies rosin to his bow -- or "rosins" the bow -- to create friction between the bow hair and the strings, and thereby create sound.

NaomiZ on cello, big brother and little sister on violin, 1966

47. Retail store: OUTLET.

48. Longtime "At the Movies" co-host: EBERT.

52. Filter letters: HEPA.

53. Prophetic sign: OMEN.

54. Venom source: FANG.

55. Capful, perhaps: DOSE.

59. Trail behind: LAG.

60. Figure in a covert op: SPY.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, did you have a field day with Caroline's puzzle?

Was it a GAS?  Or did it cause you ANGST?

I am on the EDGE of my seat waiting to know.

-- NaomiZ