Saturday, November 15, 2025, Rebecca Goldstein, Rafael Musa

 Saturday Themeless by Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa

I had a mostly pleasant slog through Rebecca and Rafel's puzzle. The right side went quickly but the rest took some real mental gymnastics. Getting one decent fill in an area seemed to unlock large portions around it. I finished at the middle of the left side where a lot unknowns, ambiguities and oh so clever fills resided. 

Here is lovely interview of Rebecca and Rafael. You can choose as much or as little as you would like of this 37 min video that is full of a lot of great cwd constructing info (skip the chatty 3-minute opening by the interviewer).

Use hot link in the paragraph
above for interview video

Across:

1. Game that involves drawing: LOTTO - I thought of a drawing game like Pictionary or draw poker but no, it is the state-sponsored regressive tax.

6. VGK org.: NHL - It had to be but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Saturday cluing for NHL

9. Network airing 6-Across games: ESPN - We stream YouTube TV and until they and Disney negotiate a settlement we will be without ESPN and ABC which is are Disney properties. 

13. City known as the Rubber Capital of the World: AKRON.

14. Roll-call call: HERE or Yo!

15. Eagle sport: GOLF.

16. Common threads?: GROUP TEXTS - Our family finds these very useful

18. Part of a dark cloud: GNAT.

19. Piece of holiday party attire: SANTA HAT 🎅

20. Check all the boxes, say: OPT IN.

22. Light rain: SPIT - _ _ _ T seemed to call for MIST instead of this unpleasant metaphor

23. Floor beneath the roof: ATTIC 😀

24. Local greens org.: CSA - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Jefferson Davis' 1861 group was not clued here.

27. Environment that reinforces existing biases: ECHO CHAMBER.

A nifty slogan that
did not work in 1964

31. On-site: AT WORK.

33. Near miss: CLOSE ONE.

34. "Veep" actor __ Scott: REID ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Seen below with star Julia Louis-Dreyfus 

35. Sounds of sympathy: AHS - OHS/AHS coin flip

36. Korma side: ROTI - I've never eaten ROTI or naan but they are served frequently in cwds. A korma is a rich, aromatic curry originating from the Mughal empire in Indian and Pakistan, know for it mild creamy, gravy made with your, cream and ground nuts like cashews or almonds. You're welcome.

37. Cake, for one: BAND NAME - I encountered this a few Saturdays where the bands Cream, which I knew, and Cake, which I did not, were featured in a clue for BANDS. So I get two brownie points for remembering the latter one.

40. Dudes whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth: CIS MEN.

42. It may be full of baloney: SLICED BREAD - I got BREAD quickly and then struggled to make the adjective fit with the other clues in this area. Getting SLICED helped a lot in this part of the puzzle.

44. Commencement attendees, for short: SRS.

45. "Ditto": SO AM I - Having ME TOO first was, uh, not helpful

46. Release: DROP - A famous one

48. Nobel-winning physicist Wolfgang: PAULI - I'd tell you why he got the prize but I don't have a real grasp of it either.

49. Double-breasted outerwear: PEA COATS.

53. Stare, to a Brit: GAWP - GAPE, GAWK and GAWP? The last one sounded the most British.

54. Record holders?: TURNTABLES 😀 - Grampa, what are records and TURNTABLES?

56. Not good at all: EVIL.

57. Goddess depicted with an ankh: ISIS - Two cwd friends

58. Like Mars and Jupiter: ROMAN.

59. "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Leakes: NENE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

60. Tariff, e.g.: TAX.

61. Fact checks?: EXAMS - Rote learning can serve as fact checks but not necessarily concept checks

Down:

1. Wrinkles in time: LAGS - When I want to listen to the Omaha radio based broadcast of a Husker game on TV, there is always a LAG between that narration and the network video.

2. Bhindi masala pod: OKRA - Okra is technically a seed pod, and in Indian cuisine (where it is called bhindi), the entire pod is the primary ingredient in the popular dish Bhindi Masala. The dish name translates literally to "okra with spices" You're welcome.

3. Beta follower?: TRON - Seriously, you want to know more?

4. Talks up: TOUTS - A fun song from Guys And Dolls about TOUTS. Ya gotta love Stubby Kaye! 

5. Theoretically: ON PAPER - It looked good ON PAPER, but, uh, it didn't quite work out. C'mon, Cracker Barrel 39. "Be honest!": ADMIT IT- It was a big mistake.

 

6. Line line: NEXT 😀

7. Perimenopause Rx, for some: HRT Perimenopause

8. Country surrounded by South Africa: LESOTHO.

9. They may wind up in the kitchen: EGG TIMERS 😀

10. High-speed crashes?: SONIC BOOMS 😀

11. "What's the __?": PLAN.

12. Crypto asset, for short: NFT - Non-fungible token ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

14. Desolate landscape: HEATH.

17. Foggy, in a way: THICK 😀 THICK headed or a THICK fog?

21. Fundraising gps.: PTAS.

23. Tissues commonly examined by MRIs: ACLS - Athletic careers have been slowed or ended by injuries to Anterior Cruciate LigamentS 

24. Energy-providing macros: CARBS.

25. Take second, say: STEAL 😀 - In 2024, Shohei Ohtani became the first MLB player to both hit at least 50 home runs and steal at least 50 bases. When coupled with his outstanding pitching record, some think he may be the best to have ever played the game

26. Victory speech?: A WIN IS A WIN - Usually said when a win is an ugly one

28. Earth tone: OCHER.

These are all variations
of OCHER

29. "Door's open!": ENTER.

30. Metaphor for control: REINS.

32. Strange bedfellows?: ODD COUPLE 😀

35. Both, at first: AMBI.

From Australia

38. YouTube CEO Mohan: NEAL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

40. Unit equivalent to 200 mg: CARAT - A one carat diamond weighs exactly 200 mg.

41. "Really, this matters to me!": I DO CARE.

43. Utopias: EDENS.

47. Numbered dest.: PO BOX - In my small hometown, our PO BOX number was 24

48. Smooth (over): PAVE.

49. __ fixe: PRIX - The price is fixed

50. Latin for "nourishing": ALMA - ALMA MATER - Nourishing Mother

51. Lorde's second Top 10 hit: TEAM ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

52. U.S. IDs: SSNS.

53. __ X: GEN.

55. Letters on Sha'Carri Richardson's top: USA.

Thursday, October 23, 2025, Rebecca Goldstein

Theme:  Not the person you expected.

"What did you expect?  You met me on Match.com!"

Notoriously challeging constructor Rebecca Goldstein returns with a true test for MERE mortals.

The theme clues suggest that we are looking for people who adhere to modern cultural movements, but the folks in question turn out to be somewhat simpler and more innocent than we imagined.

The theme answers are neatly placed in symmetrical rows Across:

17-Across. Cancel culture adherent?: CORD CUTTER.  We thought we were looking for a person who calls upon others to shun someone else for their unacceptable behavior or remarks, but it turns out that this person has just cancelled some subscription television services in favor of free or low cost Internet access to programs.

25-Across. Pop culture adherent?: SODA JERK.  We thought we were looking for a person who is keen on the latest music, movies, fashions, and social media trends, but it turns out that this person makes ice cream sodas and milkshakes at an old-fashioned soda fountain.  "Pop" being another word for "soda," of course, and "soda jerk" being an old-fashioned way of referring to the person with that job.

35-Across. Counter culture adherent?: DELI CLERK.  We thought we were looking for a person whose values and behaviors contrast sharply with those of mainstream society, but it turns out that this person serves customers at a delicatessan counter.

50-Across. Hookup culture adherent?: SYS ADMIN.  We thought we were looking for a person who endorses casual sexual encounters and one-night stands, but it turns out that this person is an IT professional who hooks up computers, servers, and networks.

59-Across. Club culture adherent?: GOLF CADDIE.  We thought we were looking for a person who hangs out at nightclubs, but it turns out that this person carries golf clubs for a golfer.  If you're looking for exercise, skip the golfing and sign up to be a golf caddie.

Across:

1. Jazz venue: UTAH.  The Utah Jazz are a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City.  This first clue was my last fill when solving the puzzle.

5. Persian word for "king": SHAH.

9. Bejeweled Blitz icons: GEMS.  Bejeweled Blitz is a video game that started out as a Facebook application.  Who knew?

Bejeweled Blitz

13. Sweat spot: PORE.

14. Get greasy: OIL UP.  This phrase can be used from preparing your frying pan to preparing your privates, but I know it from bodybuilding, where competitors OIL UP to make their muscles look more defined under glaring stage lights.

This competitive bodybuilder has oiled up.

16. Dark cloud, maybe: OMEN.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Purple pet in classic cartoons: DINO.

Fred Flintstone and Dino

20. Ordeals: RIGORS.

21. Solemn pledge: VOW.

23. "That's neither here __ there": NOR.

24. Echo effect: REVERB.

25. [Theme clue]

27. Inverness veto: NAE.  Inverness is a city in the north of Scotland, and "nae" means "no" in the Scots language.

28. Pinkie promises, e.g.: PACTS.

30. Samba or mambo: DANCE.

31. Trader Joe's rival: ALDI.  Trader Joe's and Aldi are owned by the same parent company, but are rivals in that they both offer a limited selection of groceries, mostly private label, at relatively low prices.

33. "Geaux Tigers!" sch.: LSU.  The LSU Tigers represent Louisiana State University in college football.  The cheer "Geaux Tigers," pronounced "Go Tigers," is a play on French words ending in "eaux."  French was the dominant language in Louisiana during the American colonial era, and affects the English spoken there today.

34. Something borrowed: RENTAL.

35. [Theme clue]

38. Rosemary cuttings: SPRIGS.

41. Joke around: KID.

42. The __: manifestation of performance anxiety: YIPS.  The yips are a sudden loss of ability to execute certain skills in experienced performers such as athletes. 

46. Event space: ARENA.

47. Computer clicker: MOUSE.

49. Cleverness: WIT.

50. [Theme clue]

52. Alternative milk source with a high water footprint: ALMOND.  Almonds -- and almond milk -- have become controversial because almond trees consume a significant amount of water, which is in short supply in California.

54. Spicy: HOT.

55. Froot Loops mascot Toucan __: SAM.

Yes, the bird is Toucan Sam.

56. Crown act: RULING.  It's what the Crown does.

57. Screen time device: IPAD.  It's what parents are supposed to limit time on.

59. [Theme clue]

62. __ mortals: MERE.

63. Crochet Away nail polish brand: ESSIE.  Not familiar with this brand or color.

Essie's "Crochet Away" grayish brown polish.

64. Inheritance portion: GENE.

65. Abbr. in some airport names: INTL.  Short for International.

66. Tacks on: ADDS.

67. Thus: ERGO.


Down:

1. Product lines?: UPC.  A Universal Product Code is a scannable barcode that identifies products.  It is composed of parallel lines.

UPC symbol

2. Brutally honest: TOO REAL.

3. Made it: ARRIVED.

4. Target of some clippers: HEDGE.

5. Candies that can cause salivation: SOUR BALLS.  Hard candies with tart flavors.

6. Chart toppers: HITS.

7. Indie prefix: ALT.

8. __ rancheros: HUEVOS.  Spanish for "cowboy eggs," more or less, this is a Mexican mid-morning farm breakfast of fried eggs served on tortillas with tomato salsa and refried beans.  A welcome addition to our crossword menu.

Huevos Rancheros

9. Deity: GOD.

10. Noteworthy: EMINENT.

11. Isla in the Balearic Sea: MENORCA.  The Balearic Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea between the Balearic Islands and mainland Spain.  Menorca is one of those islands.  "Isla" is Spanish for "island."

Menorca is circled on the map.  It's just above Mallorca.

12. Explore the Balearic Sea, e.g.: SNORKEL.

15. Nudge: PROD.

18. Small business?: CORP.  Small because it's abbreviated.

22. One may be knee-deep: WADER.

This little wader is knee deep.

24. Biological translation template: RNA.  Translation is the process in biological cells in which proteins are produced using RNA molecules as templates.  Obvs.

25. Struggling to get over, say: STUCK ON.

26. Low-quality, in slang: JANKY.  Not in my vocabulary, but the Internet agrees with this definition.

29. Forensic drama franchise: CSI.  CSI: Crime Scene Investigation spun off CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and CSI: Cyber.

32. Menzel who made her Broadway debut in "Rent": IDINA.  Idina Menzel is an actress and singer, nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway."  She originated the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and she has since transitioned into film acting.

Idina Menzel

34. Coats paired with bow ties?: RED SAUCES.  Bow tie pasta can be served with "coats" of red sauce.

Bow tie pasta coated with red sauce.

36. "Crikey!": EGADS.

37. Actor Simu: LIU.  Simu Liu is a Canadian actor with a number of TV credits and the lead role in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Simu Liu as Chang-Chi

38. Raw fish delicacy: SASHIMI.

39. Pull apart: PRY OPEN.

40. Go back to square one: RESTART.

43. "Now, let's see": I WONDER.  An approximate conversational equivalent.  

44. Trying to reach, in a way: PINGING.  Pinging is sending a signal from one computer to another across a network for diagnostic purposes, such as to determine network speed or the status of the target computer.  Most of us can leave this job to our SYS ADMIN.

45. Norm: Abbr.: STD.  Standard.

47. Boozy brunch beverage: MIMOSA.  Brunch is fun, and ruins the rest of the day.

48. Jazz icon Fitzgerald: ELLA.

51. Spelling expert?: MAGE.  Mage is an archaic word for magician.  Magicians cast spells, which in this "?" clue makes a mage a "spelling" expert.

53. Frog snack: MIDGE.  Frogs eat midges, which are small flies. 

56. Touch-to-pay tech: RFID.  Radio Frequency IDentification uses radio waves to identify and track objects.  RFID tags can be attached to products or implanted in animals and people.  Your dog's microchip is an RFID tag.

58. Fenwick Island St. Park loc.: DEL.  Fenwick Island State Park in Delaware offers three miles of ocean beaches along with access to the Little Assawoman Bay.

Fenwick Island State Park

60. Psychedelics study subj.: LSD.  Lysergic acid diethylamide, called LSD for the German Lysergsäure-diethylamid.

61. Fair-hiring initials: EEO.  Equal Employment Opportunity.

Here's the grid:

Cruciverbalist friends, were you up to the RIGORS of Rebecca's puzzle?

Or did you get STUCK ON some of the more puzzling clues?

I WONDER.  Please comment!

-- NaomiZ

Thursday, September 25, 2025, Rebecca Goldstein

 Theme:  Letters whose names sound like English words.  (G)olly GEE!

Who can help but think of William Steig's 1968 classic CDB!

Today's constructor, Rebecca Goldstein, is a w(o)nder!  OH MY!  I wanted see if I could create further examples of her gimmick today, but it's challenging.  Suffice it to say that the letters in parentheses in the clues appear spelled out in the answers as sound-alike words, and that the answers relate to the concepts of the clue words.  

20-Across. Mer(c)y: SEA OF HUMANITY.

59-Across. (T)yke: KID'S TEE.

25-Down. (B)enefit: BE OF SERVICE.

28-Down. Trajector(y): WHY OF COURSE.

44. Bra(i)n: MIND'S EYE.

Whew!  And it doesn't get much easier ...

Across:

1. Win or lose: VERB.  Right off the bat, we have a "meta" clue.  Win and lose are both verbs.

5. Signs of healing: SCABS.

10. Win or lose alternative: DRAW.  A "draw" is when a contest ends in a tie.

14. Single's bars?: ARIA.  A single person singing a few bars of music might be an opera soloist singing an aria.  Not an obvious answer!

15. "Se __ inglés": HABLA.  "Se habla inglés" is Spanish for "English spoken."  We often see signs in places of business that say "Se habla español" or "Spanish spoken."  "Se habla inglés" might be a welcome sign for English speakers in Spanish speaking countries, but then, it would probably be written in English. 

16. Character: ROLE.

17. Online chortles: LOLZ.  LOL is a texting or online abbreviation for Laughing Out Loud.  LOLZ is a plural, deliberately spelled in a cute way.  You could translate it as "Laughs Out Loud" or just "Laughs."

South Park quote:  "Why do you troll the internet?"
"I do it for the LOLZ."

18. Positive: ASSET.

19. Season celebrated by gifted kids?: YULE.  Kids are "gifted" with gifts at Yuletide.

20. [Theme clue]

23. Supplier of oil pans?: ART CRITIC.  A pan can be an unfavorable review.  An art critic might supply negative reviews of oils, also known as oil paintings.

Everyone's a critic -- even Fido.

24. Incantation syllables: ABRA.  Add the syllables "cadabra" and you've got yourself a magical incantation.

26. Selling points?: ADS.

27. Garter snake prey: NEWT.

30. Great beast: APE.  For a three letter word, this had me stumped for a while.  The great apes or hominids are a taxonomic family of primates whose living members include orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and Homo sapiens.

31. Soft toss: LOB.

33. Ins. option: HMO.  One health insurance option is a Health Maintenance Organization.  I've been with Kaiser Permanente for 50 (gasp!) years.  All the medical attention you need under one roof.

35. "Open the pod bay doors, __": HAL.

A chilling exchange between an astronaut and a computer
in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

37. Mop alternative: ROOMBA.  Roomba is a brand of robot vacuum cleaner.  These days, most robot vacuums include a wet mop feature.

39. Argument-ending words, perhaps: I SAY SO.

41. Romeo's opening word?: ALFA.  Did this sports car slow you down as it did me?  I was thinking of Juliet's paramour, of course.

Alfa Romeo

42. Mausoleums: TOMBS.

46. Go to the polls: VOTE.

47. Pear variety: BOSC.

48. Dressing on a caterer's table?: SKIRT.  Put a skirt on a folding table to make it more presentable.

49. Hardly any: A FEW.

50. Actress Jewell: GERI.  Geri Jewell is an actress, comedian, writer, and speaker, noted for roles on the 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life and the western Deadwood.  Her success is in spite of having been born with cerebral palsy and ignored or worse by other children.  DNK - Did Not Know.

52. Gasteyer of "Mean Girls": ANA.  Ana Gasteyer is an actress, comedian and singer.  She was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002, and has since starred in such sitcoms as Suburgatory, People of Earth, American Auto, and the film Mean Girls.  DNK.

Ana Gasteyer

53. Some mechanical pencils: BICS.  BIC does make mechanical pencils.

54. Ada Lovelace's father: BYRON.  Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, also known as Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. She is sometimes considered to be the first computer programmer.  Ada was the only legitimate child of poet Lord Byron and reformer Anne Isabella Milbanke.  Lord Byron's other children were born out of wedlock to other women.  Lord Byron separated from his wife a month after Ada was born, left England, and died in Greece, fighting in the Greek War of Independence when Ada was eight.  Her education in mathematics was entirely thanks to her mother.  She became a countess through marriage.  DNK.

Daguerreotype of Ada Lovelace circa 1843

55. NFL stats: YDS.  Even I recognize that National Football League statistics include yards.

56. Heavy dancing shoes: CLOGS.

58. Backroads ride, for short: ATV.  All-Terrain Vehicle.

59. [Theme clue]

62. Need for a site visit?: URL.  Uniform Resource Locator.  A web address.

63. Two-time Newbery Medalist Lowry: LOIS.  Lois Lowry is the author of many books for children and young adults, including The Giver Quartet, Number the Stars, the Anastasia series, and Rabble Starkey. She is known for writing about difficult subjects and complex themes in works for young audiences.  DNK.

Lois Lowry

65. Caterpillar rival: DEERE.  Caterpillar and John Deere compete in the manufacture of heavy equipment, although Caterpillar specializes in heavy construction and mining, while John Deere makes mostly agricultural equipment.  There is clearly some overlap, as there are lots of YouTube videos titled "John Deere vs Caterpillar."

66. Grove grower: TREE.  Not the arborist, but the thing growing in the grove.

67. Drink through a straw: SUCK.

68. Travel website with the same name as a boat: KAYAK.  Kayak.com is a travel search engine, comparing prices from other sites for flights, hotels, and cars.  Unlike Expedia or Travelocity, you can't book directly through Kayak, but you may find better price comparisons.  For me, "kayak" conjures up our fearless Monday blogger, sumdaze, paddling on the Pacific.

69. Quickly, quickly: ASAP.  Quickly, stated quickly:  ASAP, or As Soon As Possible.

70. Surroundings: AREA.

71. Someone working around the House: REP.  You will find Representatives working in the House of Representatives.

72. Rocker Joan: JETT.  Joan Jett recorded four albums with the Runaways from 1975 to 1979, and then formed her own record label and performed as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.  Her 1981 album, I Love Rock 'n Roll, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. The lead single was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Jett has released eleven more albums with the Blackhearts, two of them receiving gold and platinum certifications.  Her single I Hate Myself for Loving You earned Jett her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance.  How many of our Corner guitarists have played her songs?

Joan Jett

Down:

1. Actor Kilmer: VAL.  Val Kilmer was an American actor who found fame through films including Top Secret!, Real Genius, and Top Gun. He played Jim Morrison in The Doors and Batman in Batman Forever.  His voice was altered by throat cancer, and had to be digitally modified for the 2022 film, Top Gun: Maverick.  Roger Ebert said of Kilmer in 1992, "If there is an award for the most unsung leading man of his generation, Kilmer should get it."  Kilmer passed away on April 1, 2025.

Val Kilmer at Cannes in 2005

2. God with a quiver: EROS.  Eros carries a quiver of arrows.

I searched for Cupid with arrows and found a bunch of babies with wings.
I searched for Eros with arrows, and well, that's more like it!

3. Really get to: RILE.

4. Middle Eastern market: BAZAAR.

5. Hot rod rod: SHAFT.  Some of our car enthusiasts can tell us all about hot rod drive shafts in the comments.  

6. Game show whose contestants are really driven?: CASH CAB.  This show appeared in the puzzle I blogged on September 11th!  Cash Cab is a game show that premiered in 2005.  A taxi picks up a customer, the host announces that they are on Cash Cab, and they are given the option to play or get out.  If they choose to play, they have to stay in the cab until they reach their destination or get three strikes when answering questions.  They earn cash for correct answers.  Our solvers would do well.

7. Wackadoo: ABSURD.

8. Mark: BLEMISH.

9. Occupied, as a hot desk: SAT AT.  In some offices, workers do not have their own, private work spaces.  There are desks available, and you grab one.  "Hot desking" accommodates various shifts and schedules.  It must assume that all your files and resources are electronic.  I still use filing drawers in my desk.

10. Solid carbon dioxide: DRY ICE.  Useful as a cooling agent, dry ice also makes cool fog effects.

Youngest daughter was married in August
and danced with hubby in a cloud of DRY ICE fog.

11. Drubbing: ROUT.  A resounding defeat.

12. Supporter: ALLY.

13. Microscopic: WEE.

21. Floss brand: ORAL B.

22. Spanish sons: NIÑOS.  No, no, no.  Sons are HIJOS.  Niños are children -- boys, or boys and girls -- but not necessarily sons.  Mis hijos son Isaac y Aaron.  Mis niños son Isaac, Leila, Aaron, y Rachel.  Lucina can correct me if I'm wrong.

24. Accounting record?: APOLOGY TOUR.  A well-known person might make a series of speeches, interviews, or public appearances to express regret for a mistake.  That's an apology tour.  You could say that they're giving an accounting of their misdeeds.

25. [Theme clue]

28. [Theme clue]

29. "My compliments to the chef": TASTES GREAT.

30. Part of UAE: ARAB.  United Arab Emirates.

32. Grains that may be steel-cut: OATS.

34. Produce aisle spray: MIST.

36. German entomologist Hermann: LOEW.  Friedrich Hermann Loew (1807-1879) was a German entomologist who specialised in the study of Diptera, an order of insects including flies, mosquitoes, gnats and midges. He was the first specialist to work on the Diptera of the United States.  His collections are in museums around the world, and more than a dozen insects are named for him.  See, for example, the lovely Albulina loewii that lives in the Middle East and Asia.  DNK, but great entomologists should be as famous as rock stars.

Albulina loewii

38. Large-scale: MACRO.

40. Make use (of): AVAIL.

43. "Yes, honey": OKAY DEAR.

44. [Theme clue]

45. Fashion tape target: BRA STRAP.  If you don't want your bra strap to show, tape your top to the strap.  

Tape those bra straps to your top!

Or, take a cue from the younger ladies, and flaunt them!

51. What a pocket protector protects from: INK.

When I was in college, a pocket protector was
universally acknowledged as the badge of a science nerd.

53. Dating initials: BCE.  Before Common Era, a secular alternative to BC, Before Christ.

54. Wood whose name comes from the Spanish for "raft": BALSA.  This tropical wood is surprisingly buoyant.

57. Rested: SLEPT.

60. "u tell me": IDK.  I Don't Know.  Here in the corner, we more often confess:  DNK.

61. "Yikes!": EEK.

64. Horn-heavy genre: SKA.  Ska originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, combining Caribbean sounds like calypso with American jazz, rhythm and blues.  Ska today is fast paced and features lots of brass instruments.

66. __ Mahal: TAJ.

Here's the grid:

(O)bligation -- I OWE you an explanation of the puzzle theme.

(U)nderstand -- Did YOU get it?

(R)eactions?  ARE you ready to comment?