Friday, Aug 28th, 2026 ~ Patti Varol

 -URN IN HELL

"sorry, we don't serve "iced coffee . . . "

Another construction from the LA Times crossword editor, Patti's last appearance was Monday, June 8th.  I blogged her last Friday puzzle on April 27th, when she changed "W" to "V".  Today she simply drops the letter "B" from common phrases - therefore, minus the "B" - to give us an alternative and perhaps funny new phrase - with no Stray "B"s in the crossword, either~!   Standard grid today, no 'outlier' letters, nine names, Twenty-Four 3LWs, and no Twurds.  The themers and the reveal; 

18. Be time-consuming?: EAT THE CLOCK - 'Beat The Clock' was (is) a TV Game Show

29. Instruction from a lazy track coach?: RACE YOURSELVES - Brace Yourselves~!

My first thought of lazy and races . . .

47. "42nd Street," e.g.?: ROADWAY MUSICAL - Broadway Musical - I get it, -ut a -it redundant

60. Create a state of anarchy?: END THE RULES - Bend the Rules~?  I think they're -roken now

69. So-so grade, or an apt title for this puzzle: B MINUS - Sometimes, when I am improvising on the guitar, I drift into the key of "B minus"

-ut Wait There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. Thurman of "Red, White & Royal Blue": UMA - name #1, crossword staple

4. Most unexpected: ODDEST

10. Axe handle: HAFT - my INCITE at 11D. gave me HILT

14. Bath rug: MAT - not a name . . . 

15. Subtlety: NUANCE

16. Important stretches: ERAS - yet another way to clue this #1 crossword fill

17. Go where one shouldn't: PRY

20. AirDrop tablet: iPAD

22. Female pig: SOW

23. __ cuisine: HAUTE

24. Drummer in the Electric Mayhem: ANIMAL - Muppets musical interlude #1

and the "other" Philthy Animal of drummers

26. "Lessons in Chemistry" actress __ Naomi King: AJA - no clue, the IMD_, see also 64D., name #2

28. TV writers __ and Marty Krofft: SID - name #3, which I recalled from my childhood

The Land of the Lost - Saturday morning awesomeness,

with Sleestak and Cha-Ka

33. Russian news acronym until 2014: ITAR - I knew this, likely from doing crosswords; name(ish)

34. Minute: WEE - my-NOOT, not MIN-uht

35. Pseudonym letters: A.K.A. - Also Known As, Thursday dupe

36. Lunch spot: DELI

37. "A Complete Unknown" subject: DYLAN - and "a complete unknown" to me; -ob Dylan was -efore my time; didn't get my "ta-DA~!", knew I made my mistake here, -ut it took two MIN-uhts to scan the puzzle -efore the V-8 can came sailing at me, and the "Y" finally dawned on me.  The Wiki, and name #4

39. Video file format: MPEG

43. Corp. leader: CEO - C-suite

45. Feel icky: AIL

46. Washed-out: PALE - not the -LUE DOT from last Friday

51. Ceiling spinner: FAN

52. __ and outs: INs - musical interlude #2

Spy in the House of the Night, -lue Öyster Cult,

"ins and outs" lyric @ 0:30

53. Show of affection: CARESS

54. That is, in Latin: ID EST - literal Latin

56. Chance, quaintly: HAP - the def

59. Dissenting body: SECT

63. Lend a hand: AID

65. Toy brand with Creator 3-in-1 sets: LEGO

66. Title for Marie Curie: MADAME - name(ish)

67. Type of A/V connector: RCA

68. Put pen to paper: DREW - not clued as a name, thank you . . .

70. Data breach fig.: SSN - Social Security Number

DOWN:

1. Official who works close to home?: UMP - Har-har.  -aseball's home plate . . .

2. Stew: MARINATE

3. Unexpected: ATYPICAL

4. At some point: ONE DAY

5. "Dance the Night" singer Lipa: DUA - name #5, -ecoming a weekly crossword staple 

6. Who __: New Orleans Saints fans: DATS - name(ish), -ut I knew this; a shout-out to our Lousiana residents

7. Opposite of exo-: ENTO - Not enDo

8. Unstressed vowel sounds: SCHWAs - the "uh" sound

9. Top pick?: TEE - BRA could not work - it might not have a B-cup, but it has a "B"

10. Goddess of death played by Cate Blanchett: HELA - I don't care for the any of the "comic -ook universe" movies, name #6

11. Stimulate: AROUSE

12. "In all honesty ... ": "FACT IS . . . " - OK, twurd(ish)

13. Clucked in disapproval: TSKed

19. Hopscotch player's supply: CHALK

21. "Sweet land of liberty," in song: AMERICA - musical interlude #4

Let Freedom Ring

24. Very dry: ARID

25. Dirt: LOWDOWN - musical interlude #3

-oz Scaggs, and a prelude to 64D.

27. Patrick's "Star Trek: Picard" role: JEAN LUC - name #7, and a shout-out to our own PICARD

He meant "-arn owls"

30. Short turnaround?: UEY - A--reviation for U-turn, I had "Uie" to start, so I got in my own way

31. Pass along: RELAY

32. Many a "What We Do in the Shadows" character: VAMPIRE - no clue, filled via perps

38. Objective: AIM

40. Indy 500 leaders: PACE CARS - Ah, those leaders.  In the year I was -orn, it crashed . . . 

This photo's we-page story, and a YouTu-e link

41. Rubber bands: ELASTICS - nailed it

42. Salon array: GELS -Dah~!  I tried DYES

44. Novelist Wharton: EDITH - first female Pulitzer Prize winner, 1921 - name #8

47. "SNL" Emmy winner Gilda: RADNER - name #9

48. Jumpy: ON EDGE - see -elow

49. Meditation retreat: ASHRAM -  I am attending a 12-Step retreat next month

50. Mouths off to: SASSES - Not "on edge" - of the grid, that is; crossword friendly letters

51. Area of study: FIELD

55. Stash securely: STOW

57. Bavaria-based automaker: AUDI - here's their R8

A few of my favorite things

-avarian Castles, Cars, and Cuties

58. Map out: PLAN

61. Diplomatic HQ: EMBassy, the crossing ''B" and an a--reviated headquarters

62. Bird in the bush: EMU - Ah.  The Australian  -ush; G'day, mate

64. Karate level: DAN - musical interlude #5 - I could have gone with Steely Dan's "Aja", -ut that's already in the puzzle, so here's

Do It Again, in the key of G - minus . . . 🙄

Splynter

Grid Flow 34.9

Friday, Aug 21st, 2026 ~ Megan Heneke

ANTHONY'S LATHE

Anthony's Law, but not Anon-T - and - OUCH~!!

I could not find any online links to our crossword constructor, Megan Heneke, so I do believe this is her debut puzzle - congratulations~!  While I enjoyed solving this one, I am still kinda stumped; did I miss a layer~?  Is there something about the theme that I am not seeing~?  I can see the correlation between the "scientist" ( or mathematician ) and the 'object' of the clue, but I'm baffled that both LATTE an LATKE were acceptable - but that's not on the author, that's shame on the editor for not sending it back for revision; YMMV.  I even tried a different parsing - as in LA WAND OR DER, since the themers all have their objects starting with "LA"; perhaps Ms. Heneke will pop by our Crossword Corner and give us some insight.  I would not rate this as Friday-level, though the prevalence of single-word cluing/answers does give it that feel.  Standard grid, no circles, a handful of names, a mere ten 3LWs, and no Twurds. The themers and the reveal;

21. "A bottle where the rapid decrease in pressure upon opening creates foam, please" request?: BOYLE'S LAGER - Robert Boyle is credited with discovering the inverse relationship between pressure & volume; the Wiki

26. "A light coffee, and do not drop it, please" request?: NEWTON'S LATTE - Sir Isaac Newton and his "discovery" of gravity - his Wiki

43. "I'll take my potato as a pancake (but you'll probably bring fries)" request?: MURPHY'S LATKE - Murphy's Law, which in general states that if something can go wrong, it will - I did not know he was a 'real' person - more here

50. Strict enforcement of the rules for a civil society, or how to process the requests in 21-, 26-, and 43-Across?: LAW AND ORDER - the "law" man and his "order" at a bar, restaurant, and diner/cafe

Quite possibly the best TV show theme song, IMHO

But Wait There's Moore's Law~!

ACROSS:

1. Graduate from a balance bike: PEDAL - T.I.L. that a balance bike lacks pedals, ergo one would have to learn the skill of pedalling to 'graduate' - and a Thursday dupe

6. "Zounds!": "EGAD~!"

10. "Not only that ... ": "PLUS . . ."

14. Sauce for chipotles: ADOBO - I always thought of adobo as a marinade or rub, not a 'sauce'

15. German automaker: AUDI

16. Nana's daughter: AUNT

17. Collar clip-on: ID TAG - Think "dog" - still no canine companion, Irish Miss, struggling with establishing a set schedule, but I am visiting Cooper for the extended Columbus Day weekend in October~!

My S-I-L had their patio enclosed - Cooper approves~!

18. Hard punch: SLUG

19. Big name in morning TV: RIPA - Kelly, name #1

20. Get the gray out, say: DYE - Since changing my diet, I have noticed my hair is "less grey" than it used to be . . . 

24. Caitlin Clark's home state: IOWA - Sheesh.  This WNBA Indiana Fever basketball player is so unknown to me, it's practically asking  me where does John Doe live~?  Filled via perps, name #2

25. Topical antiseptic: IODINE

31. Small flower?: CREEK - the "flow-er", 'long O' version we see towards the end of the week

My creek, shot in January 2023

32. Raw minerals: ORES

33. "Nature" airer: PBS

36. Biblical name of ancient Syria: ARAM - Geo name #3

37. Wolverines and Badgers: TEAMS - NOUNS would have worked, too - I looked at what is most likely the "relationhip" of wolverines to badgers, came across Michigan & Wisconsin, at the extreme opposite ends of - 26D. Bracket org.: NCAA - the National Collegiate Athletics Association - more basketball, which is not my thing, and yes, I live 5mins from UCONN and their famous B-ball teams . . .

39. Canada Goose garment: COAT - filled via perps; the website

40. Inquire: ASK

41. Head of a museum?: BUST - Har-har

The Bat Bust

42. Full of passion: FIERY

46. Future resident: INTERN - Think doctors, not neighbors -I caught my new neighbor stealing soil from my creek; I hope I put an end to that~!

49. Cringeworthy, in Gen Alpha slang: OHIO - Gen X here, so this one is new to me; I not only lived in Ohio, but it's where The Golem movie was shot - so I guess it really is "weird" in Ohio . . .

53. Greek T: TAU

56. Tofu nutrient: IRON

57. Drama honor: OBIE - the Off-Broadway Theatre Award

58. Feature of some accents: TWANG

60. Smoothie berry: ACAI

61. Merino, e.g.: WOOL

62. "Pale Blue Dot" subject: EARTH - Carl Sagan, who had a "law" of his own, ( a standard ); "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"

63. Top of many an indoor stadium: DOME

64. Trawling equipment: NETS

65. Clothe: DRESS 

DOWN:

1. Took care of, say: PAID - like "the bill"

2. Circular current: EDDY - NOT a name 

3. Shower with love, with "on": DOTE

4. Old hoops gp.: ABA - American Basketball Association; more basketball

5. Daily record: LOGBOOK - I have kept an 'electronic' journal since January 2005

6. Causes of some grade inflation: EASY As

7. Beach party?: GULL

The gulls in "Finding Nemo" were hysterical

8. For two voices, in music: ADUE - Dah~!  Not DUET

9. Archaeologists' workplaces: DIG SITES - Nailed it

10. Mardi Gras event: PARADE

11. Video game brother: LUIGI - MARIO fit, but wasn't playing nice with others; name #3

12. Let out, as pigs: UNPEN - I really hoped this was not going to be "UNSTY"

13. Try to decipher a stereogram, perhaps: STARE - try to find the objects in the 3D images here

22. Have: OWN

23. Auction units: LOTS - better than defined as "A TON" 

24. Bullet point: ITEM 

27. Messes up: ERRS

28. Ineffective: WEAK

29. Unwilling (to): LOATH

30. Branch: ARM - Trunk: Leg~?

Maybe not a tree pattern, but the tights are "dee-vine" 🙄

33. Ballad writer: POET

34. Oak exterior: BARK

35. Ocular woe: STYE - how does one get an eye "UNSTYED"~?

37. __ service: TURN-DOWN - A luxury hotel amenity, where you get the mint on the pillow

38. Medium ability: ESP

39. "Ta-ta!": CIAO

41. Cutting comeback: BURN - I tried BARB, 50% correct

42. Toyed (with): FLIRTED

43. "Stop being such a jerk!": "MEANIE~!" - my mother's old email was mrsmeanie

44. Singing in some Ricola ads: YODELS

Riiiii - co - laaaaa~!

45. Shakira's "__ Wolf": SHE - More like "She-esh"; name(ish)

46. "Odyssey" prelude: ILIAD - It's all Greek to me . . . 🙄

47. Many a "Breaking Bad" figure: NARCO - I had NARCS

48. Clock-changing hr.: TWO AM - you have 71 days until Nov 1st, 2026

51. Cor anglais kin: OBOE - learned by doing crosswords, "English horn" orchestral instrument

52. Real hoot: RIOT - Not LULU

53. Scale button: TARE - I am officially 50lbs lighter than when I started at the gym in May last year

I was carrying around the equivalent of this whole shelf of sugar 😧

54. Tunneling pests: ANTS - they're a mild pest in my house, but they don't tunnel - the chipmunks do

55. Cries of disgust: UGHs

59. Tug-of-__: WAR

Splynter

Grid Flow the lowest I've recorded, just 12.1

Friday, Aug 14th, 2026 ~ Katie Hale

 FOURTH SUNDOWN & INCHES

Actually, it's #5, and Across, but . . .

LA Times assistant editor Katie Hale is back - her last crossword offering was a month ago, on a Monday, here.  The last one I blogged was a co-authored puzzle that had too much of a cringe factor ( for me ) to be enjoyable.  Today, however, was a pleasant, and partially humorous construction, with four themers, including two grid-spanners, that added our star, the three-letter word SUN, to common phrases, giving them 'solar' power.  There were maybe a few too many 2-word entries, especially in the Downs, but it was Friday-level, if not easier.  Standard grid, no "outlier add-ons" this week, with 10 names, no circles, and a near-perfect balance of 3-, 4-. and 5-letter words.  The themers and reveal;

18. *Action figure at the bottom of a pool?: SUNKEN DOLL - I first thought maybe G.I. Joe~?

I had the 80's "action figures" the same size as the Star Wars ones

23. *Naval officer's very quiet "ahoy there"?: LITTLE BOSUN PEEP - Bosun, how one pronounces "boatswain" 

35. *Jokes about miscellaneous items?: SUNDRY HUMOR

48. *Essential for authors who work at the beach?: WRITER'S SUNBLOCK

56. Clean energy option, or a hint to what the answers to the starred clues have?: SOLAR POWER

But Wait There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. "Cor, blimey!": "I SAY~!" - Brit-speak

5. Oxygen co-creator: OPRAH - Oxygen, the network, not the element from THE Creator -  name #1

10. Mascaron image: FACE - filled via perps, WAGed the "C" - this architectural detail

14. Drive-__: THRU

15. Tricky tennis serve: SLICE - meh.  It's called an "ace" where I play tennis

16. Traffic-dependent figs.: ETAs

17. Azaria of "Brockmire": HANK - I know him from the Simpsons; name #2

20. WSW reversal: ENE

21. Virtual citizenry: SIMS - Another good guess on my part - but I have played Sim City & The Sims

22. Dad's sister: AUNT

28. Outdoor dining spot: PATIO

29. "Oh, now I see": "A-HA~!"

30. TV controller?: FCC - The Federal Communications Commission - I cound not recall what the second "C" stood for

31. 19th Greek letter: TAU

33. Cryptography org.: NSA - Thursday dupe

34. Mineralogist who created a scale: MOHS - this puzzle's themers gave me a laugh, so I'm giving it the "other" kind of star, a 4 / 5⭐ from on the "other" Moe's Scale - name(ish)

38. 2025 WNBA champions: ACES - I follow no basketball at all, tried the SUNS - but knowing the theme after the fact meant it could not be - plus I missed the "W" part of the clue as well . . . 😜

40. Solstice mo.: DECember - Monday, the 21st of this year, 12:50pm on the LA Times coast

41. Live and __ live: LET - in 1973, Wings "used to say . . ."

Live & Let DIE~!, Mr. Bond - James Bond

42. "Starship Troopers" backdrop: WAR - had it, filled it in, then took it out . . . an overdone movie with egregious graphic violence - I loved it.  The IMDb

43. Zing: PEP

44. Gives, but not forever: LENDS - I had perps from doing the Downs first, so it was not LOANS

53. Olympic swimmer Torres: DARA - name #3 - her website

54. Cruising: ASEA

55. __ leaf: stew herb: BAY - why you shouldn't eat one~!?

The YouTube link

59. Snitch (on): NARC

60. "Copacabana" bartender: TONY - had this Barry Manilow reference three weeks ago; name #4

61. Hugo or Edgar: AWARD - Both for literature, one Sci-Fi, the other Mystery and other genres

62. Wayfair rival: IKEA - I have bought home items from Wayfair, only shopped once at an Ikea

63. Referendum side: PROS

64. Like some buns: MESSY - Ah.  Those kinds  of bun

There's a red-haired beauty at my gym,

always on the Stairmaster when I am

65. Join (up): TEAM

DOWN:

1. Networking assistance: IT HELP - 2-word #1 - AND - 51D. 1-Down callers: USERS

2. Grammy winner Twain: SHANIA -  name #5 

A knock-off of Robert Palmer's video, which has more leg in it

3. "Is This Thing On?" star Will: ARNETT - name #6

4. Big laugh: YUK

5. Activist/actor Davis: OSSIE - learned by doing crosswords, name #7

6. Straight up: PLUMB - the same client with the pantry doors just got a new pocket door installed

7. Classic laundry soap: RINSO - I have heard of this brand, but I used Tide, then switched to soap flakes as suggested by the book "Laundry Love" which I learned of from sumdaze - name(ish)

8. "Jeepers!": "ACK~!" - Dah~! Not "EEK~!"

9. Little laugh: HEE - waited on perps; HEE, HAW or TEE~?

10. Beyond irritated: FED UP - the name chosen for the new merger of Federal Express and UPS 😜

11. Try to make right: ATONE FOR - 2-word #2

12. Pasadena research univ.: CAL TECH - 2-word #3

13. Pre-naturalization test course, for short: ESL - "English as Second Language" - Do you have to take the test/course these days~?

19. Meemaw alternative: NANA - no one in my family has ever used either term for "Granny"

21. "McSorley's Bar" painter: SLOAN - John, name #8

24. "__ Andronicus": TITUS - T.I.L. this is a Shakespeare play, name #9

25. Ceremonial accessory: SASH - I tried VEIL first

26. Rental after closing, maybe: U-HAUL - I was thinking a place to sleep after closing on the sale of a house, but you haven't bought a new one, like "HOTEL"

27. Hardware for Xbox: PCs

32. Cow's milk source: UDDER - this is udderly true . . . 🙄

33. US Open locale: NYC - I figured it was the tennis Open

34. Interstate stopover: MOTEL - so my HOTEL was looking wrong now . . .

35. Fig. for ordering replacement parts: SERIAL No. - 2-words, yeah, but I like this fill, #4

36. Set pieces: REPS - at the gym.  I am now 193.0lbs - I took a pic of the scale last Saturday; my trainer allows 3lbs for sneakers and clothes - when I picked up the phone for the image, it added .5lbs~!

Now my trainer thinks I can get down to 160lbs - Yikes~!

37. Peach __: MELBA - Pie & Cobbler didn't fit the dish

38. "So sweet!": "Aww. . ."

39. Side mirror spot: CAR DOOR - I clipped the one on the passenger side on my Dodge Grand Caravan, bought a replacement unit, but to get to the screws I have to strip out half the dashboard - I'm in no hurry, and the mirror isn't actually broken - it's the remote motor that doesn't work - 2-word #5

43. Cider source: PEAR - never heard of cider from pears - it's called Perry; a recipe here

45. Like some cheesecake: NO-BAKE - technically, there's a hyphen, so not a 2-word answer

46. Region with many Nats fans, briefly: D.C. AREA - 2-word(ish)

47. Overview producer?: SKYCAM - Big Brother is watching . . . 😶

49. Canteen stack: TRAYS

50. Perceived to be: SAW AS - aaaand Twurd~!

52. Uncool: NERDY

56. Auto care brand: STP - Crossword staple

57. Actress Grier: PAM - two mentions in three weeks for me, name #10

58. Come up short, maybe: OWE

59. Minor quibble: NIT - "can't you see that man is a nit~!"

No, dagnubbit~!

Splynter

Grid Flow an even 30.0 - and it was the Katie puzzle I blogged

where I first introduced this parameter

Friday, Aug 7th, 2026 ~ Gali Ellenblum & Tal Wagner

"Park Drive is always jammed"

"I said THROUGH the park"

We're taking the scenic route today, a walk in, uh, drive through the park for yours truly.  I do believe this is a debut construction for both authors - I did a Google search of the names, and the one thing I found they had in common ( if I picked the correct people ) is a "machine learning" education/understanding.  We'd love to get some feedback from you - drop in & visit our Crossword Corner~! ( merge left here )  There were no delays today, just a cruise through the clues & answers, including several one-word types - twenty-one, in fact, which I like; that's how Fridays should be.  Yet another "expanded" grid for your Friday host, two in a row now.  The "ST" abbr. for 'street', tacked on to four in-language phrases, outside the box, on the "side", with humorous cluing - sounds like a coffee or restaurant order.  Standard grid initially, a few names, no Twurds, a balance of 3-, 4-, and 5-letter words, with several car clues & Frawnche fill.  The four themers and reveal;

17. "Our previous recommendation stands"?: STILL ADVISED

25. "My peacock's tail is the best!," e.g.?: FEATHER BOAST

49. Record of one's attempts to enter a hedge maze?: START HISTORY

60. Promise made by a serial dater who aspires to commit?: ONE MORE TRYST - "One More Try" is a unique fill 

38. Features of some detours, or what four answers in this puzzle need in order to match their clues?: SIDE STREETS - and a unique fill, too~!

Grid Flow a low 24.9

🚧But Wait, ⛔There's More~!🏁

ACROSS:

1. Sheer: UTTER - One-word clue, one-word answer; letting me start with SHEER~?  Priceless~!

Utterly beautiful

6. Walrus kin: SEAL

10. Waffle over in the freezer aisle: EGGO - Too easy for Friday

14. Bête __: NOIRE -Frawnche #1, "black beast"

15. Shoestring: LACE - Sunday dupe

16. Infuriate: ROIL

19. Explore Mars, perhaps: ROVE - As Spirit & Opportunity did for NASA; I love the science success stories these two travelers gave us 

20. Ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet: TET - new clue for this old answer; learning moment for me

21. Reaction to lions and tigers and bears: "OH MY~!" - never gets old - 😁

22. Vein of ore: LODE

23. Genesis locale: EDEN - AND - . . .

29. Genesis locale: SODOM - straight clecho

31. Accessory often tipped or used for tips: HAT

32. "Dee-lish!": "YUM~!"

33. French bean: HARICOT - straight Frawnche translation, #2, not a "?" clue for "tête"

37. "We are not alone" subj.: SETI - Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence

40. "Shoo!": "SCAT~!"

42. "Call Me" band: BLONDIE - name(ish) - they were just a hint before my time

Oui amie - more Frawnche, #3~!

43. Bud: PAL

44. Refuse to settle, perhaps: SUE - Last week, it was a "boy named SUE" . . .

45. Sticker: DECAL - Ah.  There's where it goes - I had it here - 26D. Sticker: THORN. . . 😜

54. Mountain lion: PUMA

55. "Yer killin' me!": "C'MON..."

56. Utah city near two national parks: MOAB - mostly perps, I just had to fill in the "B"; geo-name #1

Click to enlarge and read the description

58. Fishing pole: ROD

59. Drops from above: RAIN - not the "bomb" kind of drop . . . 😏

63. Early Bond foe: DR. NO - The earliest, in movies, name #2

64. Actor Auberjonois: RENÉ - name #3, knew him from "Benson"

65. :-( : I'M SAD - The "original" way of using typed characters for emotions, a Thursday dupe, and plain sad is actually not available through the blogger, as R-Brain showed . . . now we're "égaliser" 😁

66. Fortuneteller: SEER - AND - 60D. Sphere consulted by a 66-Across: ORB

67. Spanish kiss: BESO

68. Touchscreen tappers: STYLI - FINGER was a 'digit' too much . . . 🙄

DOWN:

1. Marries: UNITES

2. Home of the El Greco Museum: TOLEDO - Spain, geo name #4, more here

3. Pitching: TILTED - Dah~!  Not the SELLING, HAWKING or VENDING kind of pitching

A video about "Pitching" in nautical terms

4. Pitching stat: ERA- aaaand yet another definition of pitching - baseball

5. Make over: RE-DO - thanks for the Sunday shout-out, C.C. - I have finally gotten below 200lbs~!

6. Substance celebrated by the Sloomoo Institute: SLIME - Learning moment for me - more here

7. Smooth course: EASY A - crossword staple

8. Best club in Vegas?: ACE - But the best Ace is of Spades . . . 

Motörhead - another "umlaut" band

9. Was up: LED - think sports, not out-of-bed

10. Bad move: ERROR

11. Peace offerings?: GOOD-BYES - I, and a couple of friends, usually sign off  with "Peace."

12. Buckle: GIVE OUT - Like this bridge did - the verb, not the noun

give IN works, too, but doesn't fit

13. The Grand __ Opry: OLE

18. TV broadcast band: VHF - sssss, close, I tried UHF

22. Allow: LET

24. Like a 2024 Blake Snell game: NO-HIT - the only name I had no clue about, but in retrospect, the answer couldn't be much else, really.  More baseball, name(ish)

27. Despised: HATED

28. French friend: AMI - Frawnche #4, the masculine friend

30. Steamed: MAD - Dah~! Not HOT

34. Symbolic puzzle that dates to the Middle Ages: REBUS - good WAG on my part

35. Key: ISLET - Didn't fool me this time - I count about two dozen definitions of the word "key"

36. Cybersecurity exec: CTO - Chief Technology Officer

37. Very much inclined: STEEP - I am one house, or about 500ft, from CT rte. 195, and I can tell when a semi is either lumbering up the 6% incline, or jake-braking on the down-side

Burrrr-bur-bur-bur-bu-bu-bur . . . .

38. Source of some pink seasoning: SALT MINE - I knew we were looking for "SALT", but "SEA" was not going to work . . .

39. Ramadan-ending holiday, informally: EID - filled via perps

40. Cocoa scrub venue: SPA - it's a "thing" - more on the benefits here

41. Auto maintenance: CAR CARE - TUNE-UP was too short, OIL CHANGE too long

44. Transgression: SIN

46. Respectful dip: CURTSY

47. Virtually indifferent?: AMORAL - clever

48. "The People's Princess": LADY DI - killed in a car crash, Paris, 29yrs ago this month - no one was wearing a seat belt; name #5, Frawnche #5

50. Show respect for: HONOR - nailed it

51. Signs: OMENS - and again

52. Shakespeare lover: ROMEO - name #6 -  Stelvio lover - ALFA Romeo

The 33 Stradale

53. Former NBA star Ming: YAO - at 7ft6, basketball was a good choice . . . name #7

57. Jewish rite: BRIS

59. Hwys.: RDs - It couldn't be "STs"

61. Born abroad: NÉE - the Frawnche 'definition', not the "act" - #6

62. CPR expert: EMT - pray you don't need one if you make an "error" or "transgression" on that road🠉

Splynter

Uhhh . . .