google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Patti Varol

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Showing posts with label Patti Varol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patti Varol. Show all posts

Oct 25, 2024

Friday, October 25, 2024, Patti Varol

Theme:  "I gotta have a little more cowbell"





Puzzling thoughts:

Well, isn't this a bit of a coincidence for yours truly, the Crossword Corner's bi-weekly Friday blogger: on October 11, 2024 (my last blog date) the LAT crossword puzzle was constructed by Rich Norris, erstwhile LAT puzzle editor; and on October 25, 2024, today, the LAT crossword puzzle was constructed by Patti Varol, the current LAT editor

Do I dare compare Patti to Rich?  Stay tuned ... 

Patti has a familiar "theme" for Friday-difficulty puzzles.  She's using compound words - all of which begin with a musical instrument - to form a funny phrase as it relates to the clue.  

Finding 5 entries for a 15x15 square grid is moderately difficult, as it usually involves placing the "reveal" entry in row 8 (dead center of the puzzle grid), and spreading the other four into some cramped quarters.  A "typical" 5-entry puzzle might consist of four 9 to 13 letter entries and the reveal being either 7, 9, or 11 letters in length

Patti, though, went beyond the extremes today by grouping two 14-letter entries, with two 12-letter entries, with one 15-letter entry (in row 8).  If my math is correct, that's a total of 67 characters for the themed entries.  Most puzzles offer between 40-50 "theme" characters.  What this basically means, in puzzle construction terms, is less "real estate" for the crossing words.  Which also means more TLW's ... 26 of them if I counted correctly.  [sorry, Irish Miss] And with that many TLW's you are bound to get more abbreviations 

But here's my take:  better to have more "theme" characters if it doesn't make everything else feel "forced".  And upon reflection, there are very few "forced" entries today; even among the TLW's

And one other area of note:  the entire puzzle had a total of 74 words (normal for a Friday puzzle; most early-week puzzles have 78-80 words) but 46 blocks.  "Blocks" are the black squares.  Most editors ask for fewer than 40.  This helped contribute to the paucity of lengthy words.  Other than the entries the next longest word(s) to solve were 6-letters in length (12 of them in total; 8 of them in the down position)

But enough of the construction notes ... on to the five theme entries for today:

16-across. Publications dedicated to the history of a jazz instrument?: SAXOPHONE BOOKSA saxophone is a very popular jazz instrument (along with a piano, drum set, and string bass/bass guitar).  In the "made-up" version, a saxophone book might be an appropriate monograph to read about the history of that instrument; in real life, though, phone books are something we are familiar with, even though they are becoming more and more extinct




22-across. Particles from a percussion instrument that may start a sneezing fit?: COWBELL PEPPER. If you watched the video clip above (from the SNL archives) you saw a reference to the cowbell as a percussion instrument. A bell pepper (OTOH) is botanically a fruit though most of us refer to it as a vegetable.  I prefer the orange, yellow and red colored peppers to the traditional, green ones.  My favorite way to eat them is baked and stuffed (see image below)



34-across. Windfall from the sale of wind instruments?: CLARINET PROFITS.  Similar to the saxophone, a clarinet uses a single reed and mouthpiece attachment to provide a place for the "wind" to enter.  Both utilize an intricate set of keys and bars alongside the shaft of the instrument to change the pitch and note selection  

Net profits are loosely defined as the amount of money a company (or individual) has when all of the expenses have been paid ... Moe-ku #1:

        A new shrimp trawler's
        Catch yielded one-thousand bucks.
        That's their NET PROFITS
        
48-across. Fantasies about being the best player of a Scottish instrument?: BAGPIPE DREAMS.  This is my favorite of the five as it was for me the funniest.  Bagpipes by themselves are pretty funny (in the way they look and sound); and pipe dreams are ... well, for me it would be to have one of my puzzle submissions accepted by the NYT 


54-across. Endeavor to improve a brass instrument?: TRUMPET PROJECT.  Probably my second most favorite from today.  Moe-ku #2:

        Ex-prez Donald finds
        Aliens in his spare time.
        His TRUMP ET PROJECT

Here is how it looks when all is said and done.  You'll notice my two errors (marked by the black triangle in the corner of the bad cell); the first was a typo (NEAP) but the second (OREE crossing ERG) was my Natick today.  All in all, though, this one gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - same as how I scored Rich's.  As each entry is explained I will note those that kept this from getting a fifth star or portion thereof



The Grid


Across:

1. Exhaust: EAT UP.  Clever clue.  I wonder if the constructor or the editor came up with this?! 😀

6. Nosrat's "Salt Fat __ Heat": ACID.  Not familiar with this quote nor the author of it.  Perps and a bit of common sense provided me with the answer.  All of the four are related to cooking, I believe

10. Owed: DUE.

13. Steam bath: SAUNA.  Most of the saunas I have visited use a dry heat.  So, is a sauna a steam bath? You decide

14. Olympic swimmer Torres: DARA.  Here is her webpage


15. Genetic molecule translated into protein: RNA.  While the clue gives this away, I am sure that some of you may have entered DNA at first

19. Subtle glow: AURA.

20. Masters of allusion?: POETS.  Clever clue.  I wonder if the constructor or the editor came up with this?! 😀

26. Go downhill fast?: SCHUSS.  German word for "ski"

28. Thataway, quaintly: YON.

29. Push to the limit: TRY.

30. Café lightener: LAIT.  Or, to those who are French, "Brest milk" 😂

31. Surfer's gadget: REMOTE. For those of us who have "cut the cord", a remote control device is mandatory for streaming

40. Flexible lunch hour: ONE-ISH.  This time will avoid much of the normal lunch hour crowd

41. Chess piece in castling: ROOK.  While I am not a chess player, I do know that the term "castle" involves switching the rook (shaped like a castle) with the king

42. Saison for the Paris Olympics: ETE.

45. Buff: FAN.  Naked nor nude nor ripped fit

46. Score: TWENTY.  As in "Four score ... "

52. Thorny shrub: BRIAR.  Here in AZ we have cacti

53. Like breezeways: AIRY

61. More than most: ALL. Indeed

62. Hockey Hall of Famer Willie: O'REE.  This was 1/2 of my Natick.  More about this HOF hockey player

63. Pizzazz: FLASH.  Clue could've been "Comic book super hero" (just saying).  For those of you who are fans of TBBT:

 




64. Signals intelligence org.: NSA.  The word signals in the clue gives it away (not the CIA)

65. PC key for scrolling to the end: PgDn.  This entry (PgDn) is not one we see too often.  However, it did appear in the LAT several times when Rich Norris was the editor ...

66. Incursion: FORAY.  Not the first definition of this word I would have chosen ... but ... I did find this when I googled: Foray (noun): the mistake of incurring liability or blame

Down:


1. First of September?: ESS.  In some years, the first of September can be Labor Day ...

2. Tower of note: AAAThis link might only open for you if you have a Facebook account.  Don't know if this is what Patti meant.  She usually doesn't comment here, so we may all be left to wonder. Either way, this is a very obscure clue, IMO ... 

OK, I re-read the clue.  It's not tower as in a building ... it's tower as in a vehicle that tows cars and other vehicles.  AAA is the abbr for American Automobile Association.  Oops 😒

3. Inaugural ball duds: TUX. GOWN didn't fit

4. Game with 108 cards: UNO.  Should we just Skip over this, or Draw Four??

5. Melonlike tropical fruit: PAPAWS.  Anyone else try PAPAYA first?  I did

6. Hold precious: ADORE.  Aww

7. Creation by a locks smith?: CANAL.  Clever clue.  I wonder if the constructor or the editor came up with this?! 😀

8. Wrath: IRE.

9. Perfume application: DAB.  Or, an application of Brylcreem
 


 
 
10. Sag: DROOP.

11. Broken, as some promises: UNKEPT.  If this were to describe the person's hair prior to the DAB of Brylcreem, the answer could have been: UNKEMPT

12. Sunrise service occasion: EASTER.

17. Places to make connections: HUBS.  Back when I lived in SW Ohio, CVG was a hub for Delta Airlines

18. Not against entertaining: OPEN TO.  I am open to entertaining you (I hope) with my blog

21. "omg my bad": SRY.  As I said in my intro, with so many TLW's there are bound to be a few that are abbrs. 

22. "Pet" that needs lots of water: CHIA.  Never had one of these so I wasn't sure whether it needs a lot of water or not.  Does this clue and entry hold water??

23. Concluding piece: OUTRO. As opposed to the beginning piece? Intro? I guess

24. __ node: LYMPH.

25. Not even fair: POOR.  When I was in elementary school the grading system was: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor.  No one failed, per se, but some were held back

26. Jazz home, initially: SLC.  When CVG was a Delta Airlines hub, so was SLC - as in Salt Lake City

27. Ore. neighbor: CAL.  IDA and NEV also fit

31. French queen: REINE.

32. UFO crew, presumably: ETS.  See my Moe-ku 2 in the intro

33. Violinist Zimbalist: EFREM. Yes, the father of the TV star (Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip) was a famous violinist

35. Ailing: INFIRM.

36. Spring's opposite, in tides: NEAPThis says it all

37. Non-neutral particles: IONS.

38. Add (up): TOT.  Why use an abbr. here?  Meh

39. Much of a sunset photo: SKY

42. Abate: EBB.  A tidal reference was already used in 36-down

43. Tam pattern: TARTAN.  I worked for 3M for many years, and it was known, back then, as the "Brand of the Tartan"

44. Members of a TikTok subculture: E-GIRLSRead all about it!

46. Yukon, e.g.: Abbr.: TERR.  More abbr.  This is why this puzzle gets only ⭐⭐⭐⭐

47. Not even close: WAY OFF.  If you FIW today, you were probably way off

49. "Into the Water" novelist Hawkins: PAULA.  Any fans of her work here?

50. So last century: DATED.  As a Baby Boomer, so much of me is "dated"

51. Get ready to eat: RIPEN.  My favorite expression to indicate how old I am is saying: "I no longer buy green bananas"

55. __ fly: POP.  It's the MLB playoff season, so this "fill-in-the-blank" clue is timely

56. Indoor rower, for short: ERG.  As in ergonomic?

57. Selena portrayer, familiarly: J-LOJennifer Lopez

58. Orecchiette shape: EAR.  Refers to pasta. Thankfully, I recently returned from a trip to Italy so I knew this 
 
 
It sort of resembles an EAR


59. Local source of produce: Abbr.: CSA.  Odd clue unless you googled itI guess this is the new way to use CSA and not refer to the South during the Civil War (or War Between the States, depending on where you're from)

60. Biblical possessive: THY.  Moe-ku #3:
 
        My blog is over.
        Appropriately, last word
        Is THY. We'll be done

See you next month ...

May 6, 2024

Monday May 6, 2024 Patti Varol

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here. Today's theme is:  

Editor and constructor Patti Varol treats us to one of her own creations. I am always impressed with Patti's gridwork and today is no exception. She gives us five themed clues, three of which are grid-spanners. 

17 Across. Dr. Seuss work featuring an elephant who declares, "A person's a person no matter how small": HORTON HEARS A WHO.  

23 Across. Skeptical reply to an assertion: BASED ON WHAT?.

39 Across. Very remote place: MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

50 Across. "Should I stop pouring?": JUST SAY WHEN.

61 Across. "My motives have to remain a secret": I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY.

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY are sometimes called the Five Ws of report writing. Patti has identified their placement at the ends of in-the-language phrases. The first one is my favorite because the character meaning of WHO is furthest from its interrogative pronoun usage.
It helped that Horton is the only elephant I know of in the Dr. Seuss universe.

When a 15X15 grid is divided up by five, long, themed answers, it will inevitably have some less-than-first-choice fill that is difficult to get around. Patti dealt with that by using familiar clueing in just the right places to help keep things at a Monday level. Well done! 

Why not take a closer look?

Across:
1. The "O" of EGOT: OSCAR.  "EGOT" is an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.
Also...OSCAR is the name of the cat introduced in Season 4 of All Creatures Great and Small. I know we have some fans here on The Corner (including me!) I hope they will enjoy this 1:25 min. video.  

6. Pulitzer winner Jennifer: EGAN.  Here is Jennifer, receiving her prize in 2011 for her novel, A Visit From The Goon Squad.  more about this award
I have not read any of her books
but I knew her name from my volunteer work at my local library.

10. Some primates: APES.

14. Frighten: SCARE.  The movie Planet of the 10As SCAREs me!

15. Mouse catcher: TRAP.  
Remember this game?

16. See 4-Down: DECO.     and     4 Down. With 16-Across, style of L.A.'s Griffith Observatory: ART.  
more on art deco

20. IM pioneer: AOL.  Instant Messaging and America Online

21. Single: ONE.

22. Maker of EcoTank Supertank printers: EPSON.  "Printer" narrowed down my guesses.

28. "That ship __ sailed": HAS.  Use this idiom when you want to say that it is now too late to do something, an opportunity has been lost.  
I know I've used this one before, but it's so funny!

29. Harrison Ford's "Star Wars" role: HAN SOLO.  He appeared in six Star Wars movies.  wookieepedia
Confession:  For too long, I though his name was Hanz Olo.

33. More slippery, as a winter sidewalk: ICIER.  

36. Spring shape: COIL.  
It's a slinky on a treadmill!
38. Pea holder: POD.

43. Chowed down: ATE.

44. Fashion's Spade: KATE.  This is her website. She is mostly know for handbags, shoes, and jewelry.

45. Tries to avoid being seen: HIDES.

46. Tampers (with): MEDDLES.

49. Ryan of rom-coms: MEG.  
a gimme for us rom-com fans
55. Dads: PAPAS.    

58. Stately tree: ELM.  

59. "Blue Bloods" actor Cariou: LEN.  I have never watched this show so the crossing with 53 Down was a WAG for me.
Len Cariou was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on Sept. 30, 1939.

66. Math course with many functions, for short: TRIG.  In TRIGonometry, students explore the ratios between sides of right triangles -- sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, secant, and cosecant.

67. Word after "all the" or "just the": SAME.  Nice clue!  

68. Geek Squad clients: USERS.  Think "computers".

69. Long sandwich: HERO.  The longest sandwich was close to  a half a mile long (735 meters) and was built in Beirut, Lebanon in 2011.
Have I mentioned I love sandwiches?

70. Say the rosary, e.g.: PRAY.  
Bon Jovi released Livin' On A Prayer in 1986.
Jon met his DW when they were in high school. 

71. Magazine edition: ISSUE.  


What about the Down clues?

Down:
1. Federal org. that approves protective gear: OSHA.  

2. Shaggy's pal, informally: SCOOB.  

3. Celebrity chef Hall: CARLA.  I know Carla from Top Chef. She was also on The Chew from 2011 to 2018. Here she is:  

5. __ Speedwagon: REO.  Time for another big hair music break!  
REO Speedwagon released Keep On Loving You in 1980.
(They still had telephones with cords shaped like a 36-A in 1980.)

6. Prefix with "musicology": ETHNO-.  Ethnomusicology is the study of music in its social and cultural contexts.  more

7. Color of a correctly placed letter in Wordle: GREEN.  What a welcomed clue for all the Wordlists on The Corner!

8. Small battery size: AAA.  
What happened to B?
What happened to A?
Why do more As make it smaller?

9. "Weekend Edition" airer: NPR.

10. Learns to fit in: ADAPTS.

11. Church seats: PEWS.

12. Sound that bounces back: ECHO.  

13. In a few minutes: SOON.

18. Dozes (off): NODS.

19. Actor Astin: SEAN.  He played Mikey in The Goonies and 
Sam in The Lord of the Rings.  IMDb link

24. Leave fur on the sofa, maybe: SHED.  

25. __ Grey tea: EARL.  DH drinks this. I prefer the herbals.

26. Kvetch: WHINE.  The Yiddish word kvetshn (literally, to squeeze or pinch) comes from Middle High German. When used as a verb, kvetch means to complain habitually. As a noun, it is a habitual complainer.  
waseeley, are you and Teri still watching Northern Exposure (1990-1995)?
I am almost finished with Season 4. Joel immediately came to mind.

27. Saintly glow: HALO.  HALO lesson
Benozzo Gozzoli's Angels in Adoration (detail) (1459-1460)
Gozzoli used HALOs as a sort of speech bubble.
30. Opinion column: OP-ED.

31. Traditional tales: LORE.  Folklore and fairy tales can be found in the 398 section of the Dewey decimal system.

32. Poetic tributes: ODES.

33. Muslim leader: IMAM.

34. Give credit to: CITE.

35. Carded, briefly: ID-ED.

36. Sail (through): COAST.  To coast is to move easily without using power. I think of COASTing down a hill on my bicycle.
The Coasters released Poison Ivy in 1959.
Talk about double entendre!
(Added note:  Imagine my surprise when I read Husker Gary's blog last Saturday and saw that he had quoted this song!)

37. Many times o'er: OFT.  The first known use of OFT was before the 12th century. "Often" became commonly used in the 16th century.

40. Barely gets (by): EKES.

41. "Glad that's over!": WHEW.  A CSO to this month's graduates.

42. __ and mighty: HIGH.

47. "__ Unchained": Tarantino film: DJANGO.  The D is silent.  IMDb link

48. Unbridled desire: LUST.

49. "Good gravy!": MY MY.  
The Simpsons (11 seconds)
"It's just brown and water."

51. Alabama home of the National Voting Rights Museum: SELMA.  It is part of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

52. Bowling venue: ALLEY.  Bowling lanes on a Monday bring up fond memories.

53. Cary of "The Princess Bride": ELWES.  You might be hoping I will insert a 3:14 min. scene from The Princess Bride with Westly (Cary Elwes) and Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright). "As yooouuu wiiiiiiishhhhh...."  

54. Jawaharlal who was the longest-serving prime minister of India: NEHRU.  (1889-1964) He was also the first prime minister of an independent India (1947-1964). Some might better know him as Indira Gandhi's father or as the wearer of an eponymous jacket.

55. White part of an orange: PITH.  
56. Vineyard measure: ACRE.

57. Au __: nanny: PAIR.  
"Mom and dad have to migrate now, so we're leaving you with the au pair".

60. Wall St. index: NYSE.  "Street" is abbreviated, so is New York Stock Exchange.

62. Cook's meas.: TSP.  "Measurement" is abbreviated, so is TeaSPoon.

63. Corn shucker's unit: EAR.  
64. Yes, in French: OUI.  

65. Letters on the starship Enterprise: USS.  This is a Star Trek reference. Depending on whom you ask, USS has alternately stood for "United Space Ship", "United States Ship", and "United Star Ship". It also carries the letters NCC. Perhaps that foiled true fans?

Also, back on Earth, the USS Enterprise is a decommissioned aircraft carrier. In this case, USS definitely means United States Ship. In 1958 she was the world's first nuclear powered aircraft carrier. She currently sits at a pier in Newport News, VA.  

When can you see the grid? Right now! 
Where can posters leave comments?  Please comment below.
Who wants to join in?

Apr 1, 2024

Monday April 1, 2024 Patti Varol

  

Happy Monday, everyone! sumdaze here with a golden puzzle to celebrate April Fools' Day. It has a holiday theme, just-right Monday level, and a factor of fun. For these reasons, it earns the title:  
We will begin with the themed clues:

17 Across. Matching cups, saucers, sugar bowl, etc.: TEA SERVICE.  
22 Across. Colorful hard confection: RIBBON CANDY.  
This is RIBBON CANDY. It is popular at Christmastime.

50 Across. Legumes in some chili recipes: KIDNEY BEANS.  
They are so named because of their kidney-like shape and their color.
Actually, thinking of them that way makes them sound far less appetizing.

57 Across. Mojave Desert yucca: JOSHUA TREE.  
Some say they inspire images of the biblical Joshua
reaching out his arms towards God.
Here is the reveal:

36 Across. Apt time for pranksters to do the starts of 17-, 22-, 50-, and 57-Across?: APRIL FOOLS' DAY.
"The starts of 17-, 22-, 50-, and 57-Across" are all things pranksters do:  TEASERIBKID, and JOSH.  
All four of the themers are two-word phrases. "TEASE" spans both words while the other three are the first syllables of the first words. 

Something about this puzzle felt familiar. Did you feel that way, too? Perhaps I was recalling this November 29, 2023 puzzle by Jeanne D. Breen (blogged by Anonymous T) with the reveal ALL KIDDING ASIDE.

I like that Patti gave us a special puzzle to mark today's date. Perhaps she thought, "Well, if no one is going to submit an April Fools' Day puzzle than I will just have to create one."

Across:

1. Low on a spiciness scale: MILD.  

5. Presidential thumbs down: VETO.  Cue School House Rock:  

9. Future JD's exam: LSAT.  To be admitted into a Doctor of Jurisprudence program, one must first pass the Law School Admission Test.

13. Over again: ANEW.

14. Villainous: EVIL.  
Jace Everett   Bad Things (2005)
This was the theme song to the TV show True Blood (2008-2014).

15. Commuter boat: FERRY.

16. Post-it scribble: NOTE.  

19. Starting point: ONSET.  Think "time" as opposed to "location".

21. "Luncheon of the Boating Party" painter Pierre-Auguste: RENOIR.  The painting is on display at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
(1880-1881)
Renoir later married the model in the bottom, left.

25. "Bowwow!": ARF.  
dog noises in nine languages  (32 sec.)

28. Fr. holy woman: STE.  I know this one from doing XWDs. "French" is abbreviated and so is something about a nun.

29. Pep squad cheer: RAH.

30. Alex Morgan's sport: SOCCER.  She is an American athlete born on July 2, 1989 who plays forward for the United States' women's national soccer team and the San Diego Wave.

32. Back, at sea: ASTERN.  Without the comma, one might try to think of words meaning "to return to the sea".  
This diagram helped me see the difference between "stern" and "astern".

35. "Good heavens!": OH MY.  

40. Antioxidant berry in fruit bowls: ACAI.

41. Tranquil: SERENE.

42. Not exactly: KIND OF.

45. Mariska Hargitay series, familiarly: SVU.  Law & Order:  Special Victims Unit  (1999 - present)  
This is Mariska posing in front of a SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle).
46. Small amount: BIT.

49. Citrus drink suffix: -ADE.

54. Extra charge for a sci. class, e.g.: LAB FEE.  Science class

56. Quick bite: SNACK.  

61. Share a side with: ABUT.  Butwait! We also have 62A....

62. Anticipate: AWAIT.

63. Rhyming tributes: ODES.

64. Train segments: CARS.  
I was standing on a pedestrian overpass when I took this picture of train CARS loaded with coal.

65. Terrarium pet: NEWT.  
Learn more about this Luristan NEWT here.

66. Norway's capital: OSLO.     and     
34 Down. Like Vikings: NORSE.

67. Job: TASK.

Down:
1. Grand homes: MANORS.

2. Part of the plot: IN ON IT.  

3. Doesn't interfere with: LETS BE.  
The Beatles  Let It Be  (1970)

4. Uncool sort: DWEEB.     and     52 Down. Uncool sorts: NERDS.

5. Nov. 11 honoree: VET.  "November" is abbreviated, so is "VETeran".
6. Festive night, often: EVE.

7. Prom queen's crown: TIARA.

8. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN.  Elizabeth is the younger sister of the OLSEN twins from Full House (Mary-Kate and Ashley). This is the trailer for her show.  👍👍  

9. Jeans maker Strauss: LEVI.  

10. Hot sauce often mixed with mayonnaise: SRIRACHA.  Knowing this one and knowing how to spell it are two different challenges.
This is for those of you who have been following the SRIRACHA drama.

11. Path of a lobbed ball: ARC.

12. Sheridan who plays young Cyclops in the "X-Men" films: TYE.  his IMDb page

15. Soft serve ice cream alternative, casually: FROYO.  

18. Wraps up: ENDS.  

20. Upper bodies: TORSI.  The plural of torso is torsos or TORSI
Gaddi Torso  (2nd Century BCE)
The artist is unknown. "Gaddi" is the family name of a previous owner.

23. Countrywide: Abbr.: NAT'L.  National

24. Gourmet cooks: CHEFS.     and     26 Down. "Ratatouille" rat: REMY.     and     
27 Down. Cook in hot oil: FRY.
2007 Disney movie

31. Programmer's output: CODE.

32. Dry as a desert: ARID.

33. Fish eggs: ROE.

36. Battery fluid: ACID.  your battery acid questions answered

37. Carpentry tool that cuts plywood sheets: PANEL SAW.  
How to Panel Saw
I like how the tape measure is built into the saw.

38. Tax: LEVY.  When they tax the jeans in 9D it is called a Levi LEVY.  😉

39. Oscar season oversights: SNUBS.  Def.:  (verb) rebuff, ignore, or spurn disdainfully. 
This was a timely clue because for the last two weeks, the internet has been sending me links to articles about who was snubbed by the Oscars. 
Ke Huy Quan won an Academy Award in 2023
 for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in
Everything Everywhere All at Once.

40. Sometimes called, for short: AKA.  It stands for Also Known As and is pronounced ay-kay-ay.

43. "True. However ... ": OK, BUT.

44. World Cup org.: FIFA.  
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
Founded in 1904, it is the governing body for many international soccer tournaments, most notably the World Cup.

46. "__, black sheep ... ": BAA BAA.  Have you any wool?  
John Anderson released Black Sheep in 1983.

47. Acquires, as debts: INCURS.     and     58 Down. Have bills to pay: OWE.

48. "Tut-tut" kin: TSK TSK.  I was not familiar with "tut-tut". According to Merriam-Webster, it is used to express disapproval or disbelief.

51. Half a "Star Wars" droid name: DETOOWookieepedia agrees that R2-D2 is sometimes spelled Artoo-Detoo.

53. Put into effect: ENACT.

55. Take __: lose money: A HIT.

57. First mo.: JAN.  
59. Long fish: EEL.

60. That, in Spanish: ESO.  If it feels like the answer to this one keeps changing, it is because it does -- depending on gender, proximity, and number.
Well, almost....

kid you not, this is the correct grid:  

Have a wonder-fool day, everyone!

P.S.:  Before you alert me to an incorrect link in my first paragraph, please read this explanation of rickrolling.  Gotcha!