Monday, January 12, 2026, Patti Varol

Theme:  Multitasking.

Constructor Patti Varol has been editing and creating puzzles for more than twenty years, and is the editor of the Los Angeles Times crossword, so she knows the rules!  Today Patti has hidden the various functions of an "all-in-one" multifunction printer in four long grid entries.  This puzzle is perfect for those of you who hate circles; you'll have to find those printer functions yourself!  Luckily, they appear at the end of the long entries, so they're not too hard to see.

The theme clues and answers are:

17-Across. 1980s Atari racing game: SUPER SPRINT.  Super Sprint was a 1986 racing video game developed and published by Atari Games for arcades.  I watched my son play racing games at arcades, but have no specific memory of this title.  You can see from the illustration that it was a multiplayer game.  The last five letters spell out our first printer function:  PRINT.

29-Across. Minimally invasive surgical procedure: ARTHROSCOPY.  Arthroscopy involves inserting a tiny camera (arthroscope) into a small incision on a joint in order to examine and sometimes treat damage to the joint.  The procedure has multiple possible targets:  knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle, hip, and wrist.  The last four letters spell out our second printer function:  COPY.

Ouch.

45-Across. Hall of Fame pitcher who threw four no-hitters for the Dodgers: SANDY KOUFAX.  Sandy Koufax is an American former baseball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, he played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. Mr. Koufax is the last living member of the 1955 World Series-winning team.  His autograph appears on multi-signed memorabilia alongside other baseball legends.  And conveniently, his last name ends in three letters that spell out our third printer function:  FAX.

Sandy Koufax

60-Across. Cylinder in the snack aisle: PRINGLES CAN.  Pringles is brand of stackable potato-based snacks invented by Procter & Gamble in 1968. It is considered an "extruded" snack because of the manufacturing process.  The tubular can was designed to address customer complaints about broken chips and empty air in potato chip bags.  Kellogg's acquired Pringles in a multibillion dollar deal in 2012.  The last four letters of this answer spell out our fourth printer function:  SCAN.

Pringles can

A multifunction printer is suitable for most homes, but in my office, I find I get better functionality from a dedicated printer and a separate scanner.  Scanning and printing can substitute for copying in most cases.  And fax?  You can use an online fax if you need one.  That said, my mom is pretty amazing using her all-in-one for everything.

Let's see how the rest of the clues and answers function.

Across:

1. Awards such as Best Upset and Best Game: ESPYS.  The ESPY Awards, produced annually by ESPN since 1993, recognize athletic achievement during the preceding calendar year.  "Best Upset" and "Best Game" have been awarded in the past, but those specific awards do not occur every year. 

6. Have a spoonful, say: TASTE.

11. "Tsk!" kin: TUT.  Tsk! Tsk! (American) and Tut-tut! (British) are dental clicks used to express disapproval.

14. Fleece source: SHEEP.

15. Astronaut Ellen who was the first Latina director of the Johnson Space Center: OCHOA.  Ellen Ochoa is an inventor, former NASA astronaut, and former director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. In 1993, she went to space on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Ellen Ochoa, first Hispanic woman in space

16. Activist Yoko: ONO.  I wonder if Yoko knows how often she shows up in crossword puzzles.  It's not a bad thing!

17. [Theme clue]

19. Air passenger screening org.: TSA.  An abbreviation in the clue suggests an abbreviation in the answer.  TSA = Transportation Security Administration.

20. Future counselor's maj.: PSYCH.  Another abbreviated clue calling for an abbreviated answer.  To become a licensed counselor, you may need to major in psychology.

21. Hallucinations: VISIONS.

23. Salt Lake state: UTAH.

25. Black dialect, for short: AAVE.  African American Vernacular English.  Developed over centuries through the experiences of enslaved Africans and their descendants, AAVE is a distinct variety of English with its own grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

27. "Doggone it!": DRAT.

28. Tree goo: SAP.

29. [Theme clue]

32. Mop target: SPILL.

34. Old photo hue: SEPIA.  Sepia ink comes from a cuttlefish called Sepia.  Old black and white photos were treated with sepia toner to make them last longer, resulting in a warm brown hue.

NaomiZ's grandparents in a Sepia toned photograph

35. Amuses, as with anecdotes: REGALES.

38. Elementary school shoebox project: DIORAMA.  Every fourth grade public school student in California has to construct a diorama of one of the early California missions as homework.  This was true for me six decades ago, true for my children, and continues today.  The 21 missions were built by indigenous slaves under the control of Spanish priests.  Approximately 62,000 indigenous Californians died through the mistreatment they experienced in the mission system.  No one told us that in school.  Today, kids in California can go to local craft stores and purchase pre-made kits to build their dioramas.

mission in a shoebox

42. Actor Nick: NOLTE.  Nick Nolte is an American actor with many movie and television credits, a Golden Globe Award, and three Academy Award nominations.

Nick Nolte

44. Calf's suckling spot: UDDER.

udderly adorable

45. [Theme clue]

50. Industrial tank: VAT.

51. __ vera gel: ALOE.

52. Front of a ship: PROW.

53. Like some high-fiber breakfast bars: OATY.  DH has been baking oatmeal applesauce bread, which makes a lovely breakfast for me, and a nice foundation for lunchtime peanut butter for him.

54. Snug apartments: STUDIOS.  A studio apartment is one room with a separate bathroom.  Same thing as a bachelor apartment.  It's like living in a hotel room.

57. Times New __: ROMAN.  Times New Roman is a font (or typeface) designed for the British newspaper The Times in 1931.  It is one of the most popular typefaces of all time.

59. Give in to gravity: SAG.

60. [Theme clue]

64. Notable time: ERA.

65. Texas A&M athlete: AGGIE.  Texas A&M University is a public research university in College Station, Texas, founded in 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas.  The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University.

66. Cathedral city in Tuscany: SIENA.

NaomiZ dwarfed by family members in Siena, January 2014

67. Summer hrs.: DST.  Daylight Saving Time.

68. Frowned-upon acts: DON'TS.  Younger son eats lots of DONuTS.  His daddy DOZEN't.

69. Analyze, as ore: ASSAY.  Investigate to assess presence of a target entity.  One thinks of gold rush propectors visiting the assayer's office to find out whether they'd found something of real value.

Down:

1. Start to sneeze?: ESS.  The letter "s" (spelled out as ESS) is the start to the word "sneeze."

2. Moo __ pork: SHU.  Stir-fried pork, eggs, and veggies, served in a thin pancake.

moo shu pork

3. British cartoon character who loves muddy puddles: PEPPA PIG.  Peppa Pig is an animated British preschool television series.  I am aware of it because my 11-year-old twin grandchildren were fans.

4. "Oof, that's not good": YEESH.  Used to express diselief or exasperation.

5. Quick and nimble: SPRY.

6. Monopoly token sported by the game's mascot: TOP HAT.  The tokens, or playing pieces, of this popular board game have changed over the years, but the top hat has survived as a token since the first Parker Brothers edition in 1935.

7. Crossword dir.: ACR.  Crossword direction:  Across.

8. Shook with cold: SHIVERED.

9. Novelist Morrison: TONI.  Toni Morrison (1931-2019) was an African-American novelist and editor.  In 1988, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved, and in 1993, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

10. Breaks bread: EATS.

11. Miyazaki's "My Neighbor __": TOTORO.  My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  Looks amazing -- now I have to watch it.

My Neighbor Totoro

12. Open, as a onesie: UNSNAP.  We have been snapping and unsnapping onesies since the newest grandson appeared four months ago.

13. Nice and warm: TOASTY.  Our daughter-in-law explained to us that blankets pose a suffocation risk to babies, and our grandson should rely on onesies or sleep sacks to stay TOASTY.

18. Emotional wound: SCAR.

22. 19-Across request: ID CARD.  Remember 19-Across, TSA?  These folks ask for your ID CARD as you go through the airport security checkpoint.

23. Spy-fi side: USSR.  Spy fiction sides included the USA versus the USSR.

24. See 26-Down: TAPE.  Next clue, please!

26. With 24-Down, outmoded media format: VHS.  The dominant format for home recording of video and audio from the 1980s through the 1990s, VHS tapes were replaced by DVDs, then by Blu-ray discs, and finally by digital files.

29. Mixture of metals: ALLOY.

30. Nail salon brand: OPI.

31. __ City, Iowa: SIOUX.

33. Terse text sent while taxiing to the terminal: LANDED.  DH and I text each other when we land, assuming we are not flying together.

36. Large ruminant in the Rockies: ELK.  A ruminant is an herbivorous mammal whose digestive system requires it to regurgitate and re-chew tough plant matter as "cud."  Here are 59 seconds of an elk chewing its cud:

37. Octagon at an intersection: STOP SIGN.

39. Prepayments in some big book deals: ADVANCES.

40. Ravioli filling, sometimes: MEAT.

41. Highbrow: ARTY.  Highbrow means highly cultured and sophisticated.  An arty person is very interested in the arts.  The latter term is more often used to suggest that such a person is pretentious.

43. Benelux continent: EUR.  Benelux is a politico-economic union of three neighbouring countries in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.  Since Benelux is sort of an abbreviation -- a portmaneau, really -- for BElgium, NEtherlands, and LUXembourg, I suppose it's OK for the continent of EURope to be abbreviated in the answer.

45. Got smart with: SASSED.

46. Sites for some rites: ALTARS.

47. Chewy candy: NOUGAT.

48. Blacksmiths' workplaces: FORGES.  This word takes me back to "The Village Blacksmith," a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which I committed to memory as an elementary school assignment.  

And children coming home from school

    Look in at the open door;

They love to see the flaming forge,

    And hear the bellows roar,

And catch the burning sparks that fly

    Like chaff from a threshing-floor.

49. Mil. truant: AWOL.  Military truant = AWOL = Absent WithOut Leave.

53. Desert watering hole: OASIS.

55. AirPlay and AirDrop tablet: IPAD.

56. Challenging chem course: ORGO.  Recent crossword puzzles insist that Organic Chemistry courses are called ORGO, but our crossword solvers insist that this is nonsense.  Google likes it, though.

58. Phoenix suburb: MESA.

61. Petty peeve: NIT.  Nits are the eggs of parasitic insects like lice.  People pick nits out of their childrens' hair.  This sort of concern with tiny things has translated into picking on other folks over small matters:  "I have a nit to pick with you."  "Stop nitpicking me!"

62. Actress de Armas: ANA.  Ana de Armas grew up in Cuba, moved to Spain, and then moved to Los Angeles, playing leading film and TV roles along the way.  She was the holographic AI Joi in Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Paloma in the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021) and Marilyn Monroe in Blonde (2022), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.  

Ana de Armas

63. Yea's opposite: NAY.  Voice votes.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, what did you think of Patti's puzzle?

Did it SAP your strength?  Did it SCAR you for life?  Did you have a NIT to pick with it?

Or perhaps you LANDED this one, and found it to your TASTE.

C'mon, SPILL in the comments!

-- NaomiZ

Friday September 5, 2025 Patti Varol

While Malodorous Manatee relaxes under a pool umbrella sipping iced tea, I, RustyBrain, am toiling away on this review. However, I am also under a pool umbrella sipping iced tea (hey, it's still summer!).

Patti Varol, Patti Varol, hmm. Why does that name sound so familiar? Oh, I know! I've seen it atop every puzzle here for the past couple years along with someone named Ed. And LOOKY here! It's one of her own creations!

17. "Don't be impulsive," literally: LOOK YOU LEAP. → LOOK before YOU LEAP. In the answer, the word "LOOK " is placed before "YOU LEAP." This one was a bit of a poser. I had LOOKY- from the NW corner, but hadn't sussed the theme yet.

29. Find hidden meaning, literally: THE READ LINES. → READ between THE LINES. The word "READ" is in between "THE" and "LINES." This was my aha (oho?) moment. 

36. Requirement for many a private school, and an apt title for this puzzle?: PLACEMENT EXAM. → Advanced PLACEMENT EXAM. The revealer is also a themer! Very cool.

44. Risks missing a deadline, literally: SCHEDULE RUNS. → RUNS behind SCHEDULE. Another common phase reworked by placing "RUNS" behind the word "SCHEDULE."

60. Nearly identical pair, literally: A TWO PEAS POD. → TWO PEAS in A POD. I found this one the hardest to parse, even knowing the trick by now. The first letters ATWOP looked so odd it threw me. But "TWO PEAS" are definitely inside "A" and "POD." 

You've all heard of prepositional phrases, well these are just positional phrases where the position of the words in the answer is dictated by the clue. It's not the first time I've seen this type of theme, but this one is done very well - a straightforward switcheroo of common expressions...and there are five of them! The only downside to all this is an abundance of short fill. All in all, a fun outing. Thanks Patti.

Across:

1. Take off: SCRAM.

6. Piccata need: CAPER. In Italian cuisine, piccata is prepared using veal, whereas in American cuisine, chicken is more commonly used. Great either way. Here's a piccata pic:

11. Advanced deg.: PHD. Doctor of Philosophy = philosophiae doctor in Latin. Yes, "doctor" is actually a Latin word meaning "teacher" or "learned person."

14. Now, in Spanish: AHORA. 

15. Common fruit in 11-Down cuisine: OLIVE. Fruit in PROVENCAL cuisine: OLIVE. Next, you'll probably tell me that zucchini is a fruit. Ha ha...what's that? Zucchini really is a fruit?! I'll be darned.

16. Piglet pal: ROO.

17. [theme]

19. "!!!": OMG. TextSpeak for "Oh My God!" Oddly, it's rarely heard in church.

20. Absent: MISSING.

21. Timid person's lack: NERVE. I had "spine" first.

23. Gallery array: ART. Galley array: OARS.

24. Designer Jacobs: MARC. In fashion, he sits in the "affordable luxury" bracket. Out of fashion, I sit in the "affordable drudgery" bucket.

27. Covers for, maybe: ABETS.

29. [theme]

32. Garment worn with a choli: SARI. A choli in South India is a blouse or a bodice-like garment that is usually cropped leaving the midriff bare. A SARI is a draped dress.

34. Try (for): VIE.

35. Metal container: CAN. Metal container: ALBUM COVER (You knew I would squeeze one in somewhere!).

36. [theme]

41. Talk and talk: YAP.

42. Atmosphere: AIR.

43. Aromatherapy options: OILS.

44. [theme]

49. Take off: LEAVE.

50. Baking soda target: ODOR.

51. Comedian Samantha: BEE. BEE is an alumna of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and later became the first woman to host her own late-night satire show.

54. Radio-active truckers?: CBERS. Fun clue for users of Citizen's Band radios. During the CB craze in the 1970s, the novelty song "Convoy" was a big hit, reaching #1 on Billboard. It's young writer, Chip Davis, took his royalties and founded Mannheim Steamroller. 

56. Deep-fried appetizer: EGG ROLL.

59. Drink brand with Simbu Strawberry and Molokai Coconut flavors: BAI.

60. [theme]

63. Receipt fig.: AMT. Recipe fig.: also AMT. That's what it Amounts to.

64. One-named K-pop singer: IRENE. This name/clue is slowly is slowing sinking into my brain.

65. Party-planning site: EVITE. An online service for creating and sending digital invitations. See RSVP.

66. Photo __: OPS. Photo OOPS!

67. Concession speech deliverer: LOSER. Concession stand delivery: "Get your hot dogs here!"

68. Better suited for: APTER. Meh. APTER doesn't sound quite right.

Down:

1. Actress Hayek Pinault: SALMA. How many more last names does she have that I don't know about? 

2. Loft-y group?: CHOIR. I wanted "cloud."

3. Dove bar?: ROOST. Dove bar!

4. Holy chests: ARKS.

5. "Please?": MAY I.

6. Mountain predator: COUGAR. Especially the older females.

7. "I'm __ yours!": ALL.

8. Epitome of ease: PIE. The idiom "easy as PIE" is akin to "a piece of cake." The key insight is that eating a pie (or cake) is simple and requires little effort, as opposed to making one. In fact, the original phrase was "like eating pie." "Look ma, no hands!"

9. "Dear __ Hansen": EVAN. Dear Evan Hansen is a Tony Award-winning musical about a high school student with social anxiety who gets caught in a lie after a fellow student's suicide.

10. Void, in a way: REPEAL.

11. Like bouillabaisse: PROVENCAL. Originating from the Provence region on the Mediterranean in France. This answer took a while to fill in.

12. Squads that typically bat last: HOME TEAMS. I think I misread this clue...

13. Canine: DOG. Canine teeth are the pointy ones on either side of your incisors (front teeth) and are named for their resemblance to Dracula's a dog’s fangs.

18. "I got it": ON ME. Music to my ears!

22. Softball stat: RBI. Run Batted In, just like in baseball.

25. Held in high esteem: REVERED.

26. "Double Indemnity" novelist: CAIN. James M. CAIN was an American novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is widely regarded as a progenitor of the hardboiled school of American crime fiction. Prior to that, he poached his work.

28. Fed. ID fig.: SSN. That's a lot of abbrev.! Federal Identification figure: Social Security Number.

29. Refrain syllable: TRA. So fa, sol good.

30. Juice box brand: HI-C.

31. Lions or Tigers, in recaps: DET. But not Bears! DETROIT. 

32. Destination for aspiring astronauts: SPACE CAMP. My eldest son went to summer camp at Kennedy Space Center. He had a great time and flew the shuttle (simulator). Although he didn't become an astronaut, he still shuttles to work.

33. "They're A, B, C, D-licious" cereal: ALPHA-BITS. Post was accused of being a cereal killer when they discontinued ALPHA-BITS in 2021. Now I'm at a loss for words. This is a box from when I was a kid. 

37. Lac contents: EAU. A little French pour vous.

38. Actor Ventimiglia: MILO. He played the dad in the TV series "This is Us." Spoiler alert - Jack died before the timeline in the pilot, yet he somehow managed to to appear in every episode for six seasons and become a fan favorite. 

39. Seemingly forever: EON.

40. Letters before omicrons: XIS. I wonder if the earliest version of Alpha-bits used Greek letters?

41. Couture monogram: YSL. Yves Saint Laurent's full name is Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent. That that, SALMA.

45. Anticipatory time: EVE.

46. Throw off topic: DERAIL.

47. Former "At the Movies" co-host: ROEPER. Richard ROEPER.

48. Hard-to-resist desire: URGE.

51. Hasbro toy that requires twisting and pulling: BOP-IT. Bop-it has sold over 30 million (!) units and has seen more than a dozen revisions and spin-offs since its original release. I'm still waiting for Santa to bring me mine.

52. Mexican street corn: ELOTE. A classic Mexican street food of corn on the cob charred on a grill, then slathered in a spicy and creamy chile, garlic, and Cotija cheese–spiked sauce.

53. Senior figure: ELDER. 

55. H-Town pro: STRO. Houston ASTROS, but H-town could also mean Hustle Town (right T?).

57. Mother of the Titans: GAEA. In Greek mythology, GAEA (or Gaia - depending on which Alpha-bits letter you can find in your bowl) is the goddess of the Earth, and is often referred to as "Mother Earth." Here she is on bowling night:

58. "Kindly let us know" letters: RSVP. "Répondez S'il Vous Plaît" literally means "respond if it pleases you." The French are so polite. They wouldn't want you to be inconvenienced after sending you an EVITE to something nice.

59. Stuffed bun: BAO. Same as on Tuesday's puzzle menu, except the Friday special comes with EGG ROLLs. 

61. "The Phoenician Scheme" director Anderson: WES. All his movies are quirky, but I especially liked Moonrise Kingdom. 

62. Number worn by Ozzie Smith: ONE. Three letters, so its ONE, two, six or ten. I know C.C. wouldn't have to wait for perps like I did.

Happy birthday to my brother Gary! He's an emeritus professor of marketing and statistics from the University of Iowa - the RealBrain in the family. And yes, he has a PHD.

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 BOOKS.  A 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: AAA.  This 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: NEAP.  This 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-GIRLS.  Read 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-LO.  Jennifer 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 it.  I 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 ...