Wednesday, Oct 1st, 2025 ~ Katherine Simonson

HERE'S A DOLLAR . . .

Get yourself a fig leaf, man~!

Katherine has had several puzzles published in the LA Times - her last was here, Friday Sep 12.  Today we have an odd-sized grid, 14 x 16, which allows for the "passing" of synonyms for "BUCK", as they progress from the start of the first themer, and shift by four letters to the last one - clever.  Yes, circles, but I think that it's for clarification purposes, not an anagram-like necessity.  I am even more impressed that we have barely a handful of names, most being crossword staples. 16 3LWs, an even 20 of four- and five-letter words, plus two new, unique* fills;

18. Enthralled by the theater: STAGESTRUCK - I have not heard of this ( usually, I'm STAR struck ) but in my search, I discovered a movie, and at least one company that does stage/exhibit production - I would like to work with a company like that, building sets, props, special effects, etc.

31. Green-and-yellow farm playthings for kids: JOHN DEERE TOYS* - I have a similar "toy", but it's a Massey Ferguson; here's the son of my friend Melina on his "tractor"

45. Folks who get creative in court: SKETCH ARTISTS* - I grew up seeing these renderings on the evening news, not knowing the reason why; I believe the first major "televised" court case I can recall, if I am not mistaken ( and I frequently am ) was the OJ trial - and now it's part of an exhibit of courtroom sketches

From a New York Times article

58. Shift responsibility to someone else, and an apt title for this puzzle: PASS THE BUCK

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Ill-fitting: INAPT - this word speaks awkwardly, IMO

6. Ground-breaking tool: SPADE - I showed you all my broken spade in the Sep 10th blog

11. Passed with flying colors: ACED

15. Zenith's opposite: NADIR

16. Stand in art class: EASEL

17. Theater box: LOGE

20. Apple variety: iMAC - the ol' computer/fruit deception

21. Outlets: EXITS - Doors, not electrical receptacles

22. Swimwear brand founded in Australia in 1914: SPEEDO - kinda like a 20th century "fig leaf" - and yeah . . . TMI clothing, IMO

24. Viola clef: ALTO - filled via perps

Relative position of Middle "C"

27. Scallions' kin: LEEKS

30. Squirming: ANTSY

34. Krauss of bluegrass-country: ALISON - Odd spelling; I know she collaborated with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant on the album Raising Sand in 2007, and again with Raise the Roof in 2021

Please Read the Letter

35. "One more thought ... ": "ALSO . . ."

36. Bubbly drink: POP - Soda, Cola, Coke - depends on your location/dialect

39. Fled: RAN

40. Frozen Four org.: NCAA - College ice hockey

43. Early bloomers: TULIPS

48. Quick bread at tea: SCONE - My parents were born & raised in England - I have had scones

51. Detective story?: ALIBI - and the name of my ex-GF's cat in Florida

52. Boundless: VAST

53. Smoothie fruit: PAPAYA - I mix in "berry medley" with chocolate protein powder, and "tropical" with vanilla - no papaya in my smoothies, but I'd try it

55. Lower back bones: SACRA - plural of sacrum

Why does this image make me think of the movie "ALIEN"~?

57. System operator: USER

64. Spot for curlers: RINK - These curlers

65. Lauder of cosmetics: ESTÉE

66. First Greek letter: ALPHA

67. Intrusive: NOSY

68. Veggies for chips: SPUDS

69. Intel job: RECONnaissance - The etymology of  this Frawnche word

DOWN:

1. LiMu business: INSurance - Most insurance advertising is extremely annoying, IMO - I am covered by Geico, and their commercials are the only ones that I can tolerate - and WHY is it such a huge presence in the market~? There's an INS ad every TV break

2. D.C. ballplayer: NATional - baseball for C.C.

3. 1990 accessibility law, for short: ADA - Americans with Disability Act - required knowledge for me as a commercial/residential drafter/designer.  The website has this section, which never occurred to me.

4. Statue toppers: PIGEONS - Ah.  That kind of "topper"

The caption: "I'm extremely conflicted here."

5. Dino with long teeth and short arms: T-REX

6. Small sofa: SETTEE - Check out the "legs" on this settee

The curvy ones - uh, well, that's not too distinctive

7. Text analyst: PARSER - a  bit meh.

8. Tempe sch.: ASU - Arizona State University - the region where my ex-wife now lives - not quite the whole continent away, but close enough....

9. Advent mo.: DECember

10. Community group with lodges: ELKS

11. Extraterrestrial visitors, perhaps: ALIENS

12. Extraterrestrial visitor, certainly: COMET - I just finished "Seveneves" by Neal Stevenson, a science fiction novel with a fair amount of the story involving a comet

13. "Yikes!": "EGADS~!"

14. Wooden duck, e.g.: DECOY

19. "Hush": "SILENCE~!" - I tried 'BE QUIET' first

23. Shareholder dividend: PAYOUT

24. Slightly cracked: AJAR - Again Doors, not minds . . . .

25. Title person in a Kinks hit: LOLA - I was never a fan of the song - this one was better, IMO

Come Dancing

26. Lean: THIN - oops, not TILT - see below

28. Mauna __: alphabetically first of two Hawaiian volcanoes with similar names: KEA - thanks for the hint~! The other is LOA

29. Mo. town: STL - Not "Detroit", which is related to the muscial Motown

32. Party animal?: DONKEY - as in "Pin the Tail On the. . ."

33. Big bird: OSTRICH - our second "Big Bird" of the puzzle - LiMu ads feature an Emu

36. Tuscan tower town: PISA

Saw this on FB under "Dad Jokes"

37. Makes a choice: OPTS

38. Covert summons: PSST~!

41. One step __ time: AT A

42. Knee stabilizer, for short: ACL - the ligament that is prone to injury

44. Suitable for habitation: LIVABLE

45. Snidely critical: SNARKY

46. Sounded like a 59-Down: HISSED - AND - 59. Nile snake: ASP

47. Becomes less intense: ABATES

48. Rebuff: SPURN

49. Label printer maker: CASIO

50. Blossoms: OPENS

54. Gibbons, e.g.: APES

56. Nurture: REAR

60. Early Beatles bassist Sutcliffe: STU

61. Scanned lines on a pkg.: UPC

62. Margaret of "Fire Island": CHO

63. Mo. neighbor: KANsas - who knew that Kansas lived next to Chairman "Moe"~?

Splynter

Wednesday, Sep 24th, 2025 ~ Ricky J Sirois

 CAPTAIN'S LOG

STAR TREK: The Next Generation humor

Splynter here, coming to you from the Village of (which is better than just) Babylon, Long Island, NY - down here visiting my super-pooch buddy Cooper~!  It would appear that this is Ricky J Sirois' debut for the LA Times - I see three of his puzzles in 'another' publication ;7))  Congratulations~!  A quick and easy solve, with the rare black square to start us off at "1A."  A handful of names, most of them not too obsure, no circles, more than double the # of 4LWs over 3LWs today, and only a couple of unique fills for the theme answers;

16. Battle over a board: CHESS MATCH

Check - that's a "mate" for me - I'd be game to play her in chess, mate

24. "Peyton Place" and "Diamonds Are Forever" actress: LANA WOOD - I have seen the James Bond movie - not the best 007 of the franchise, IMO - where she plays "Plenty O'Toole; the names they used in those films.... anyway, Peyton Place is before my time - Her IMDb

The show's Wiki

37. Semester-long writing assignment: TERM PAPER - never had to do one

53. Film hitman played by Keanu Reeves: JOHN WICK - whenever a "John Wick" movie is playing on TV, my brother and I will text each other 

Mostly gratuitous violence, but I will stay tuned and watch

63. Place for a nonurgent issue, and what can be found at the end of 16-, 24-, 37-, or 53- Across?: BACK BURNER - each theme answer has something to "burn" at the end, or, "back"

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Home of the Colosseum: ROME - and now you can have one of your very own, in LEGO~!

9,036 pieces, about $1799 - that's 19￠a piece . . . .

5. Muffin fiber: BRAN - I prefer my "fiber" to be chocolate and/or chocolate chip - I had chocolate chip cream cheese on my egg everything bagel Sunday - and it was good

9. Actor Omar: EPPS - name #1, in crosswords all the time

13. Cut off: SEVER

14. In __ parentis: LOCO - not "crazy", but in "place" of an adult/teacher, though it might be hard to tell the difference . . . . last week my ex-wife sent me a friend request on Facebook - crazy.

15. "Star Wars" heroine: LEIA - name #2

ah, the stuggles of being a parent....

18. Performed at a karaoke party: SANG - I need to find a place to do some karaoke

19. Broadcasts: AIRS

20. Super-: UBER - the prefix, not the taxi service seen Monday

21. Pt. of some school names: TECH- I attended Rensselaer PolyTECHnical Institute up in Troy, NY, for one unpleasant semester; then Island Drafting and TECHnical Institute in Amityville on Long Island some 15 years later

22. Places for plugs: DRAINS - think sinks & tubs, not ads & ears😜

27. Filming location: SET - here's me "on set" back in 1997 making stones from chunks of foam

28. "__ go time!": "IT'S"

Hey, John Wick is on . . . 

30. Sigh, say: EXHALE - I am House/Dog/Cat/Fish-sitting for my brother and his new wife as they are on their honeymoon down at Cape May for the week; they are active THC 'consumers', and I discovered "instructions" on one of the "products" label;

Really~?!?!

31. School administrator: DEAN - don't let them catch you with that joint~!

33. Tiny bit: IOTA - I used to 'inhale', but just a tiny bit...

36. Summers on the Seine: ETES - Did you know that estivate is the opposite of hibernate~?  I'd do it every summer if I could get away with it

40. Be rife (with): TEEM

43. Bump from office: OUST

44. Baseball feature: SEAM

47. __ film: ACTION - Hey, John Wick is on . . . 

49. Apropos: APT

51. Plead: BEG

56. Dog star: LASSIE - not "Sirius" - name(ish)

58. Shift key toggle: CASE - as in UPPER and lower 

59. Increase: RISE

61. 17-time WWE champion: CENA - crossword staple, name #4

His Wiki

62. Spa treatment, for short: MANIcure - also becoming a crossword staple

65. Yankee nickname of the 2000s: A-ROD - name(ish) - Alex Rodriguez

66. Paul who wrote the lyrics to "My Way": ANKA - name #6, but I knew this one

67. Burlap bags: SACKS

68. Land in the sea: ISLE

69. Home for a heron: NEST

70. Fencing blade: ÉPÉE

DOWN:

1. Brought back on board: REHIRED

2. Took in too much: OVERATE - not over-rate

3. World Cup superstar Lionel: MESSI- name #7

4. Hosp. areas: ERs

5. Squeal: BLAB

6. Canned brand often used in chili con queso: RO✯TEL - filled via perps, but I see this at my Big Y

7. Ghana's capital: ACCRA - geographic name(ish)

8. Japanese drama: NOH - I know noh, but it doesn't stay in my head

9. Some other place: ELSEWHERE - meanwhile, back on planet Earth . . . 

10. Woolen outer layer: PEACOAT

11. Small puncture: PINHOLE

12. Droop: SAG

13. Oodles: SCADS

17. "You __ be joking": "MUST"

21. Price addition: TAX

23. Cloud __: NINE - My buddy Cooper was on Cloud Nine when we went to the park

That's mybrother trying to get Cooper to sit before the ball toss

25. Kind of tide: NEAP

26. __ Moines, Iowa: DES - geographical name #2

29. Liu of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings": SIMU - Ah. Not "Lucy" - his IMDb, name #9

32. Sign at a convenience store: ATM INSIDE - good fill

34. Curtailed missions?: OPS - 'shortened' OPerationS 

35. "Bye-bye!": "TA-TA~!"

38. Rice-A-__: RONI - found not far from the  RO-TEL, usually

39. Spanish "this": ESTA

40. Blues guitarist __ Mahal: TAJ - not much difference between the place or the person, IMO - his Wiki - name #10

41. Green vehicles: ECO-CARS - meh.  I had HYBRIDS first

42. Gas additive: ETHANOL - usually 10%, and isn't good for small engines, like snowblowers and lawn mowers - so I have been told

45. Attendance record spoiler: ABSENCE

46. "Trust your keys with ... " car care chain: MEINEKE - I know this brand, but I don't recall this catch-phrase from the ads

48. Be in debt: OWE

50. Commoner: PLEB - seen it before in crosswords

52. Clock innards: GEARS

54. Origami figure: CRANE - I made a squirrel a couple of months back, left it in the "Art Box" that's in front of a house on my morning walks - I have left other creations in there before, too - and we have a "library" that's similar to the Art Box around the way in another part of the neighbothood, as well.

55. Shoes, casually: KICKS

Some zip-up, high-heel, high-top "kicks"

57. Consign to the dustbin: SCRAP

60. Three-player card game: SKAT

62. "Heart on My Sleeve" singer Ella __: MAI - no clue, filled via perps, name #11 - more here

63. Block: BAN- had to wait to see if it was baN or baR

64. Purpose: USE - Dah~! Not AIM

Splynter

Hey, John Wick is on . . . .

Wednesday, Sep 10th, 2025 ~ Alex Stoneman

"PUN-TATHALON"

Body-checking sport for couples~?

TONSIL HOCKEY~!

After extensive online research, I have come to the conclusion that this is Alex Stoneman's debut puzzle anywhere - if I am wrong, I apologize - otherwise, congratulations on your first publication~!  My guess is he's the Alex I find at MIT with a love for crosswords - perhaps he will pop in here for a comment at the Corner.  An enjoyable "pentathalon" of five "sports" that are punny rewordings of non-sport phrases/things.  Three of the five are unique fills, and the other two have appeared one and two other times in other published puzzles.  No circles, a few more names than I would have preferred, one ( I'm looking at you, 36D ) which created a Natick, and a fair spread of 19 3LW and 22 4-letter words with no reveal.  The themers;

17. Boat sport for pilots?: FLIGHT CREW - Not an Apollo flight crew, this "crew" being athletes of the rowing team sport - I like working out on the rowing machine at the gym . . . .

24. Beach sport for the self-absorbed?: EGO SURFING - Surfing is, well, surfing

35. Running sport for academics?: TENURE TRACK - I don't DO running

"Little Chocolate Donuts"

49. Cue sport for children?: KIDDIE POOL - not a "sport" per se, but can be found on ESPN, therefore making billiards, or pool, an "entertainment"

Trick Shots

58. Combat sport for really tired people?: BEAT BOXING - boxing as in sparring, which we frequently see as a crossword clue/answer; I had to check to see if I was in fact, correct about what the "other" meaning is; the maufacture of drums, music, etc., with one's mouth only, like this guy. . . .

Tom Thum - and here's a full clip from TEDTalks

One last sport - the clue: Ice sport for Billy Idol~? - Answer below *

And Away We Go~!


ACROSS:

1. Drink with marshmallows: COCOA - I have been drinking Ryze mushroom coffee for 65 days ( they offer a journal with a quaint question in a text every morning ) and at night I have occasion to drink their mushroom COCOA as well - no marshmallows😜

6. Long-legged birds: EMUs

10. Belt: SWIG - Think shots of liquor

14. "We need to talk": "A WORD..."

15. Mars rover org.: NASA  - Here is me back in 2007(?) at the American Museum of Natural History

That's my step-daughter - for two years - she's 25 now

16. Play charades, e.g.: MIME

19. Reverse: UNDO

20. Negotiation-ending words: NO DEAL - I grew up with "Let's Make A Deal", but never watched "Deal or No Deal" - here is  the "Monty Hall 'problem'"

21. Shady plot: ARBOR

22. Xenon, for one: GAS

27. "Please, I'm on it": "ALLOW ME."- not quite one-to-one phrases, IMO

30. Key hit in panic: ESC - the upper left key of the computer's user interface; I am very familiar with it, as all AutoCAD functions are "released" when it's tapped - not so with Photoshop, which is annoying

31. "Gosh!": "GEE~!"

32. "Bleeding Love" singer Lewis: LEONA - never heard of her; name #1, more here

39. Tactics, in gamerspeak: STRATegy - Meh.  The "R" caused a Natick for me with 36D.; I would have preferred the guitarspeak instead

40. Notre Dame Fighting __: IRISH - a double shout-out to our Cornerite with 22D~!!!

43. Nail salon brand: OPI - gimme, as it's becoming a crossword staple

46. Female sib: SIS - sibling / sister

47. Stressful parts of French class?: ACCENTS - the "tiks" over letters in déjà vu, e.g.

52. Belly: GUT - I missed my weigh-in at the gym last week due to injuring my arm when I was digging up some nasty roots around the pine tree in my front yard, and did this

Ouch.

53. Like Machu Picchu: INCAN

54. Ogres: BRUTES

57. Era: SPAN

62. Merit: EARN

63. Oscar winner Stone: EMMA - name #2, but we've seen her before

64. "Zoom-Zoom" automaker: MAZDA - name(ish) - wow, a bit dated, but yeah

I've driven a 5spd manual Miata - it does go "zoom zoom"~!

65. Small whirlpool: EDDY - name # - oh, wait, never mind....

66. Soccer score: GOAL~!!!!!!!!!

67. Smudge: SMEAR

DOWN:

1. Half-__: coffee spec: CAF - Denis Leary on coffee flavored coffee

NOTE: a few F-bombs

2. One who gives a hoot: OWL

3. Something in need of change?: COIN SLOT - Ah yes, clever

4. Challenging chem course: ORGO - new to me; the "colloquial" term for Organic Chemistry; offered at UCONN, which makes sense, since they are an agricultural institution

5. Ritalin target, for short: ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - I believe that between TV commercial ads, the Internet and Social Media, staying focused is quite a challenge these days....

6. Confine: ENCAGE

7. "That Girl" star Thomas: MARLO - name #3, sumdaze linked her on Monday; I knew the show, even if  I was born a month after its run ended . . . .

8. Call upon: USE

9. Proverb: SAW - "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", for example

10. Blue character in a mushroom-shaped house: SMURF

La-LA-lala-la-la - Earworm~!

11. Hit the jackpot: WIN BIG - Powerball was $1.8billion this past Saturday

12. "All finished": "I'M DONE."

13. First president's first name: GEORGE - Wow.  I had to think about this - funny. Name #4

18. Abound (with): TEEM

21. Very old: ARCHAIC - Ah - not ANCIENT; only 3/7ths correct, ~42.85%

22. Miss: GAL - Oh, that Miss - I tried ERR for the 'other' kind of miss

23. Renaissance faire beverage: ALE - Served by the beer we-, uh, "Miss"

25. Solange's "A __ at the Table": SEAT - I had '_EAT', so an "S" made sense

26. KGB country: USSR - Russian espionage "equal" of the USA's CIA

28. Binary digits: ONES - the other digit is "ZEROS" or "ZEROES"

29. Meows at the door, perhaps: WANTS IN

33. Matching group: SET

34. Land unit: ACRE

36. Michael of "Shrinking": URIE - No clue - had to WAG the "R".  Arrr. Name #5 - IMDb

37. Coarse file: RASP

38. Like some beds and candy bars: KING-SIZE - Ah.  Clever - how 'bout both together~?

The candy bar bed linens website

41. "Rugrats" dad: STU - filled via perps - this cartoon, name #6

42. Pres. after FDR: HST - Fraklin Delano Roosevelt; Harry S - OR - S.~? Truman - more here

43. "Ah, it makes sense now": "OK, I SEE." - seeing more of this type of "phrase fill" lately

44. ATM input instrument: PIN PAD  - ATM on the Clue side for a change

45. Proof of legal age, often: ID CARD

47. Like some matters of the heart?: AORTAL - $2 word

48. __ sandwich: CLUB

50. Actor DeVito: DANNY - name #7, liked his "solo" in this video

When The Going Gets Tough - Billy Ocean

51. First president born after 1960: OBAMA - AND - 33A. Younger 51-Down daughter: SASHA - since I do the Down clues first, I had the "father" filled in; names # 8 & 9

55. __ of Maine: personal care brand: TOMS - new to me; the Website - name(ish)

56. Midterm, e.g.: EXAM

58. "I __ to differ": "BEG"

59. My Chemical Romance genre: EMO - I am familiar with the band by name, but not their music - they hail from New Jersey, as do I - the Wiki

60. Secret-protecting doc: NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement; I need to retain a lawyer so I can move forward with my three board games - I need to protect my concept/design before I attempt to produce and market them

61. Long-jawed fish: GAR - ARR~!  Talk Like a Pirate Day is next Friday~!

*Answer - Lip Curliing~!

Splynter

Wednesday, Sep 3rd, 2025 ~ Michael Torch

 HEAD START

The Running of the Bulls~?  Or maybe this cartoon~?

This is my first time blogging a Michael Torch puzzle; he has two previous ones for the LA Times, the last when he paired up with constructor Kevin Christian back in March.  We have no circles (yay~!), an even distribution of 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-letter words (~17), barely any names, and a mix of both Across and Down Themers with a centered reveal;

18A. *Extracts dirt from the carpet, maybe: STEAM CLEANS - I saw this on the Dan Aykroyd show "The Unbelievable" while on the elliptical at the gym this past Saturday

Crush, TX, 1896

59A. *California's "Eureka" and New York's "Excelsior": STATE MOTTOS - I knew these two mottos, the second because I lived in NY for most of my life😜.  Connecticut's is "Qui Transtulit Sustinet" - the translation here

3D. *Vidal Sassoon's expertise: HAIR STYLING - his Wiki , name #1

26D. *Low-carb sandwich: LETTUCE WRAP - using lettuce instead of bread

Actually looks quite tasty

39A. Leading, or, when parsed differently, what can lead into the starts of the answers to the starred clues: A/HEAD OF - two parsings; Ahead, and a Head - of; steam, state, hair, and lettuce

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Fireplace residue: ASH - AND - 44D. Fireplace residue: SOOT - Thank the maker this past August was colder & drier than I expected, so less A/C; I'm looking forward to the fall, football and a cozy fire

4. Laundry basket: HAMPER

10. Spice made from the husk of a nutmeg: MACE - I knew this; CT is nicknamed the "nutmeg" state due to this tale;  The spice is NOT in the defensive spray - that's a brand name of pepper spray

14. Indian beach destination: GOA - Three letters and Indian~? Ektorp = GOA (name #2)

15. Moon mission program: APOLLO - The memorable 11 and 13; makes me think of HuskerG

16. Subject of a chemistry diagram: ATOM

17. Stat boosted by a home run: RBI - Runs Batted In - a clue for our hostess C.C.

20. Countesses' counterparts: EARLS

22. Adds fuel to: STOKES - this reminds me of steam locomotives, too

23. Old Ford flops: EDSELS - haven't seen this crossword staple in a while (name(ish))

25. Resolved out of court: SETTLED

29. Ensnare: TIE UP

31. Bullfighting figure: TORERO - nailed it - they'll need one in the 10K cartoon

32. Vegetarian frozen-food brand: AMY'S - the website

34. Wells Fargo competitor: CITI - financial institutions; I have two credit cards from WF beause they once held my mortgage - now it's with "Mr. Cooper" - not related to my brother's dog

 

Me 'n Cooper are hangin' at the end of this month

37. Feel a sense of belonging: FIT IN - I have always felt like I have never "fit in" - I'm just a weirdo

38. 8 pts. or 4 qts.: GALLon - I started with AMT; I did not see that they were the same measurement

41. First number in many countdowns: TEN - nine - eight - seven . . . .

42. Japanese art genre: ANIME

45. Source of inspiration: MUSE - if there is a muse of "carpentry", then . . . .

46. Overlook: IGNORE - that Muse has been doing this, lately

48. Light purple: LILAC

50. NFLer who plays at the Meadowlands: NY GIANT - as do the long-suffering NY Jets of the NFL as well; the stadium is in the swamps of New Jersey no less

52. Opt for: SELECT

55. Viewpoint: STANCE

58. Home to the Ninja Turtles: SEWER - My screen-name comes not from Splinter, the TMNT rat "sensei", but from putting lumber away sans gloves at Grossman's Lumber many moons ago . . . 

The senior drafter at the Pipe Organ company started at Grossman's as well

63. Light beam: RAY - I blogged that Dan/C.C. puzzle in July

64. Junior staffer: AIDE

65. Online investment service: eTRADE - had some funny Super Bowl baby ads

Riding the dog like a horse is "frowned upon~!"

66. Beast of burden: ASS

67. "Quick, before we're late!": "C'MON~!"

68. Classroom unit: LESSON - AND - 49D. Decrease: LESSEN - I am sort of 'Meh' about this . . . ?

69. Parakeet or rabbit: PET - I have had the rabbit, not the bird

DOWN:

1. Shake hands (on): AGREE

Great Album Cover Art

2. "Just awful!": "SO BAD~!"

4. Pain in the neck: HASSLE - Lately, all my home projects have turned into huge hassles

5. Perfectly suitable: APT

6. "The Simpsons" bar: MOE'S - according to this site, it's a tavern, not a bar; name(ish)

7. Community developer's map: PLAT - its etymology derived from PLOT

8. Ticklish toys that caused a frenzy at Christmas in 1996: ELMOs - name(ish) -  my "generation" was obsessed with Cabbage Patch Kids, because they were oddly cute/ugly and could  be "legally" adopted 

9. "Guardians of the Galaxy" raccoon: ROCKET - I have not actually seen these movies - had to rely on perps; name #3

10. Opera conductors: MAESTRI - I figured it was the Latin plural, and not maestrOS

11. __ loss for words: AT A

12. Swindle: CON - Ooops, not ROB; 33% correct

13. CPR crew: EMS

19. Excuse from work: LET OFF - meh; I think of fireworks being "let off"

21. Luau loops: LEIS - alliteration

24. "I did no __ thing!": "SUCH~!"

27. Native Pennsylvanians: ERIES - This I should have figured out; Organ Supply Industries is located there - I was part of a road trip that visited the factory in ERIE, PA

28. "Death, be not proud" poet John: DONNE - name #4 - learning moment for me; more here

30. Fruit-filled desserts: PIES

32. Another time: AGAIN - not LATER

33. Unkempt: MANGY

35. Eastern philosophical path: TAO

36. Pop sensation: IDOL

39. Use a SodaStream: AERATE - this thing; I left mine back in NY

40. Big name in elevators: OTIS - crossword staple name #5

43. Lick, as an envelope: MOISTEN

45. Like peacocks: MALE - ah.  I was trying to think of a four-letter word for SHOWY

47. Nail polish, e.g.: ENAMEL

51. Govt. investment option: T-NOTE - I, of course, filled in T-BOND; 40% correct

53. Stop: CEASE

54. Romantic rendezvous: TRYST

56. Middles: Abbr.: CTRs

57. Greek vowels: ETAs

59. Cul-de-__: SAC - It's a dead end....

60. "Beetlejuice" director Burton: TIM - name #6

61. Big commotion: ADO

62. Prefix with meter: ODO - Odometer, the "clock" of your car's distance traveled

Splynter