Friday, Oct 9th, 2026 ~ Jeremy Venook

AN AIM TO EFFACE

You Know My Name - Eyes Without a Face

This is my second review of a Jeremy Venook construction; the first one is here, and like that first puzzle, I have a similar "meh" feeling about today's crossword.  One could say it was a bit "LAME", and I don't mean the dress.  The 'names' theme was disappointing - perhaps due to the fact that I did not recognize two of them, and that they're, well, names, associated with a characteristic of a face; YMMV.  In addition, I found the crossings were of little help - I'm looking at you, 9D~!  Standard grid, no outliers, no circles, half as many 3LWs as Five-letter ones, two Twurds, and plenty of proper nouns, since that was the "name" of the "game" - the themers and centered reveal;

17. *Two-time Oscar winner with a stoic bearing?: EMMA STONE - Stone Face, usually the more common phrase being stone faced, or having a Poker Face - take it, Lady Gaga~!

😑

Emma Stone, stone face

23. *Nursery rhyme lad with one eye closed?: WILLIE WINKIE - My parents were born & raised in England, yet I've never heard of "Wee Willie Winkie" or the Scottish folk song; in fact, 'winkie' meant the "one-eyed willie" - if you know what I mean.  I guess this is the 'winkie face', which Google says should be "winky"

😉

Perhaps you prefer "We Willie Rock You"~?

46. *Fictional spy sporting a big yellow button?: GEORGE SMILEY - A learning moment for me, this character appeaed when I was just 3yrs old - but I have heard of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", the 1974 novel from author John Le Carré, which became a TV series ( 1979 ) with Alec Guinness as the lead intelligence officer ( after he played Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi in 1977, which I did see ); more here

😄

57. *NFL analyst with a sad demeanor?: HOWIE LONG - I know this guy - he's on the FOX network.

A horse walks in to a saloon, the bartender asks, "why the long face~?"

36. Finally meet in person, or how to make the starred clues match their answers:
PUT A FACE TO A NAME
My dad insisted when I filled out a job application to "put a face to the name",
and speak to a manager instead of just walking out

But Wait -  don't drop names - 

There's More to make a face over  😖
 

ACROSS:

1. C in shop class?: CLAMP - this thing; as a woodworker, one can never have enough clamps

Bar Top glue-up

6. Blu-ray precursor: DVD

9. South Asian crepes: DOSAs - Ugh. Crossing another name, double UGH

14. Hispaniola nation: HAITI - this Geo name has appeared in all four of Jeremy's LA Times puzzles

15. Outdoor co-op with an "Uncommon Path" blog: REI - learned by doing crosswords

16. Loosen, as laces: UNTIE - Odd that this counts as Friday-level, considering the rest of the clues

19. Recline atop: LIE ON - Twurdish #1

20. Charge: FEE

21. Horn sound: TOOT

22. Briquettes: COALS

26. Talk into a bigger purchase: UPSELL

29. Warped Tour sponsor: VANS - No clue; the Warped Tour Wiki; I knew a handful of the bands from the one in 1998; in 2012, despite having triple the performers, I knew not one of them . . . since it could have been a vehicle 'vans' answer, name #1 ( +4 if you count the themers . . . )

30. Protective trench: MOAT - I do love castles

Now that's a moat - Bodiam Castle

31. Golfing goof: SLICE - FORE~!

33. Lid: CAP - AND - 57D. Lid: HAT

40. Grads-to-be: SRs

41. Sarge's superior: LOOIE - oof.  Friday.  Lieutenant.  If it weren't for my voracious reading, I would not have gotten this one - also seen in novels as "LOO", "LOOT", "L-T", etc.

42. Hieroglyphic snakes: ASPs

43. Insider's argot: CANT - argot being the 'jargon', lingo and language of a small group, e.g. scientists

44. Check: ARREST

51. Partygoer who might stock up on glow sticks: RAVER - I grew up in the "mosh pit" era

52. Many a Yemeni: ARAB

53. Sweets: BAE - not candy, vague, and cringe, I can't stand this word - two of three Fridays now 😖

56. Carne __ burrito: ASADA

59. Romantic poet who died fighting for Greek independence: BYRON - interesting life, name #2

60. "Eddington" director Aster: ARI - I know none of  his work - IMDb, name #3

61. Caused: LED TO - Twurdish #2

62. Utter, as thou might: SAYST - canceled my SAYTH, which needed to be SayEth anyway - until I checked with our new friend A I, and found this . . . 

Archaic spelling of "archaic" . . . uhhh

63. Pewter component: TIN - about 85-99%, according to Wiki

64. Eye sores: STYES


DOWN:

1. Many a cooking show host: CHEF

2. Fabric with metallic threads: LAMÉ - Some of this puzzle may be "lame", but not this dress . . . 🙄

Hey, 56% off~! Buy it now~!

3. Love, in French: AIME - does not rhyme with LAME, more like ay-MUH in the Frawnche

4. NYC transit org.: MTA - I grew up on Long Island, so I'm familiar with this organization; name(ish) and abbr, but here's a video from the B1M on a NYC project ahead of schedule, AND below budget

Park Ave rebuild

5. Flower part: PISTIL

6. Salivate: DROOL - Makes me think of Odie from Garfield

I'm down here with Cooper, who is not a drooler - but he does like to lick

7. Starbucks order: VENTI

8. Drop to 0%: DIE - Ah. Like phone batteries

9. Woman of La Mancha?: DULCINEA - Crossing two themers, and name #4 - Don Quixote's imaginary girlfriend; Why stop at one~?  I have a dozen imaginary girlfriends . . .  😁 the Wiki

10. Mirepoix vegetables: ONIONS - Frawnche. no clue, filled via perps

11. Swordfish cut: STEAK - solid WAG on my part, but then again, I know salmon is sold as 'steaks'

12. Garlicky mayo: AIOLI - learned by doing crosswords

13. Intuit: SENSE

18. Per-axle charge: TOLL - I just got a class-action settlement statement from a legal firm in Suffolk County, NY - the state owes me $144 for "illegal" fees on red-light camera tickets - Take THAT~!!

23. Large New Zealand cricket in the name of an Oscar-winning digital effects company: WĒTĀ - zero clue, didn't want one -  I have zero interest in "bugs" - I prefer ETymology over ENTOmology - 😝

24. Paperless Post alternative: eVITE - Ugh.  I tried eSite, thinking capitalized Post = newspaper, not the Postal, federal mail system , and a Tuesday dupe

25. Baylor University city: WACO - Geo name #5

26. Pros who work at home: UMPs - I think this clue needed an "?" - for home PLATE, that is . . .

27. Really come down: POUR - I tried HAIL, TEEM, PELT - Bzzzzt on all of them . . .

28. College Board exams: SATs

31. Many Highland Games participants: SCOTS - I had CELTS, so I was only 40% correct

32. Fragrant garland: LEI

33. Instance: CASE

34. Boxes in an arena?: AMPS - Boxes being the 3D noun, not the 'sparring' verb kind; I play guitar, and this is still too vague, even for a Friday . . .

35. Annoyance: PEST

37. Like a foul that might earn an automatic ejection: FLAGRANT - PERSONAL fit as well

Half the distance to the goal, automatic first down

38. Super-duper: A-ONE

39. Less than hardly, quaintly: NARY - I tried RARE, got me enough

43. Assertions of faith: CREDOS

44. Jai __: ALAI

45. Fights back: REBELS - the verb, not the noun

46. Snatches: GRABS - reminds me of this scene from Ocean's Eleven

Linus calls it a "smash & grab", but it's

slightly more complicated than that . . .

47. GPA booster: EASY A

48. Egg-producing organ: OVARY

49. Language of a haka chant: MAORI - same language as the bug above 🠉 - name(ish)

50. Conservationist Bindi: IRWIN - No clue, WAG on the "I" crossing the theme name - turns out to be Steve Irwin's daughter - still, it's #6

53. Hair quality: BODY - sadly, my hair quality is "thin", my body, "thick" - I'd prefer the reverse . . .

54. Upfront stake: ANTE - poker [face], not poking

55. Obstacles to teamwork: EGOs

58. Permit: LET - the verb, not the noun

Splynter

Gri(n)d Flow 21.4

Friday, Oct 2nd, 2026 ~ Norman M. Aaronson

 LABYRINTH

Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center - their labyrinth website page

Author Norman M. Aaronson had an LA Times crossword back in July on a Wednesday here.  Today he returns with a puzzle that was, for me, not a very challenging Friday foray, despite a dozen names and a Natick.  Four themers with 'a twist' in the clue, and nothing obscure in the answers; I don't know how this one got published so late in the week; perhaps the oversized 15x16 grid~?  Not likely - or maybe I was on his wavelength, and most of the fill was in my wheelhouse; YMMV.  ALOT of Twurds & names, not so many 3LWs, no circles, no outliers.  Four themers, none spanning, no reveal;  

18. Story told with a twist: MYSTERY NOVEL - I am currently reading the "Exoskeleton" series from Shane Stadler, an odd horror/sci-fi/existential series, but I am sticking with it

29. Party gift created with a twist: BALLOON ANIMAL

Bah-dum-tiss

50. Cocktail served with a twist: VESPER MARTINI - Ha~!  I wondered if this was the James Bond drink, ordered in the 2006 Daniel Craig 007 movie Casino Royale - and a gratuitous scene for our C.C.

My friend, bring me one as well, keep the fruit . . ." - Felix Leiter

66. Feat performed with a twist: PLATFORM DIVE - but can you do the Triple Lindy~?

 

ACROSS:

1. Big horn: TUBA - "it's not a TUBA~!"

AAAAhnaaald~!

5. "Scoot!": AMSCRAY - Pig Latin for Scram - the 'language' formation "rules"

12. Winery tub: VAT

15. Human rights lawyer Clooney: AMAL - I know who she is, could not recall the spelling, went with AMAN - Bzzzzt~! - name #1

Hey, I think I know that guy with her . . .

16. Bacon strips: RASHERS

17. Kerfuffle: ADO

20. Replayed tennis serve: LET

21. Gnats, termites, and the like: PESTS

22. River deposit: SILT

23. Timothée Chalamet trilogy set on a desert planet: DUNE - Tried reading this Frank Herbert novel back in middle school, but I just couldn't get into it, and I'm a Sci-Fi guy; I did watch some of the "new" series featuring this actor - and I like the dragonfly things . . . name(ish)

More here

24. Like some elephants: ASIATIC - comparison to African elephants here

27. "Golly!": "OH GEE~!" - "Oh, Twurd~!"

34. Tolkien monster: ORC

37. Shuts with force: SLAMS

38. Food package phrase: USE BY - Two words #1

39. Speak highly of: LAUD

41. Gaps: SPACES

44. Like many supermodels: TALL

They all look to be at least 6ft tall . . .

45. Dizzy: AREEL - "a" Twurd #1

47. Simply must: HAS TO -Two words #2

49. Filmmaker Spike: LEE - knew this one, name #2

54. "Pagliacci" clown: TONIO - CE:D blogged his insight on the play here; the Wiki, name #3

55. Carriers of raw metals: ORE CARS - Two words #3

59. Fail to mention: OMIT

61. Hopper on a pet: FLEA

64. Orange __ tea: PEKOE

65. Ballpoint brand: BIC

69. Large deer in the Rockies: ELK

70. Barbecue spot: TERRACE

71. Tabloid duo: ITEM

72. Golf hole meas.: YDs

73. States as fact: ASSERTS - and you know what happens if you ASS-U-ME . . . 

74. Reseals, as a road: TARS

DOWN:

1. Third-largest city in the Sunshine State: TAMPA - Two weeks running on Friday, Geo name #4

2. "Uh, I think so": "UM, YES." - Er, Twurd

3. Low choir voices: BASSI - in the Latin/Italian plural

4. Window-switching shortcut: ALT TAB - Two 'words', learning moment, and a Natick crossing for me

5. Flight board abbr.: ARRivals, not "ETA", Monday dupe #1

6. Star Wars Day month: MAY - the Fourth Be With You

Tuesday in 2027

7. Figs. targeted by phishers: SSNs -Social Security Numbers

8. Kenneth of "9-1-1": CHOI - no clue, more here, name #5

9. L'Oréal rival: REVLON - cosmetics companies

10. "Think" singer Franklin: ARETHA - Friday cluing, still a name, #6

11. French fashion letters: YSL - crossword staple, abbr name Yves St. Laurent, #7

12. Fast-food combo: VALUE MEAL - hey - a solid two-word clue/answer

13. Yemeni port: ADEN - Geo name #8

14. Handy bag: TOTE

19. "¿Cómo __?": ESTAS - Español lesson #1

23. Believer in a noninterfering god: DEIST - I believe in "The Force" - I was on a 12-step spritual retreat this past weekend, and I walked the labyrinth pictured at the top on the grounds Sunday morning - now I want to make one in my back yard~!

25. Woes: ILLS

26. Thunder sound: CLAP - what's the sound of ONE thunder bolt clapping~? 🙄

One week to "Cooper"town, Irish Miss~!

28. Wild beast also called a wildebeest: GNU

30. Largest city in the Cornhusker State: OMAHA - Geo name #9, and a Saturday sherpa shout-out

31. Sesame Street's resident Grouch: OSCAR - name #10

32. Fit: ABLE 

33. Country singer Lovett: LYLE - name #11, knew it

34. Patron saint of Norway: OLAV - name #12, knew it two ( too )

35. Uncommon: RARE

36. Pool equipment: CUE STICKS - Ah, that kind of  pool . . . not the Monday one

40. Railroad station: DEPOT

42. This, in Spanish: ESTO - Español #2

43. Mix: STIR

46. "Blue Bloods" actor Cariou: LEN - I remember he played a role on Law & Order, still, name #13

48. Early afternoon hr.: ONE PM - this, or TWO

51. Rummages (through): RIFLES

52. Big grinders: MOLARS - dental, not deli  . . .

53. Sealed the victory: ICED IT - Two words #4

56. Japanese dog breed: AKITA - name(ish)

57. Mars exploration vehicle: ROVER - could be your Akita dog's name, too . . . 😁

58. Comes across as: SEEMS

59. Toe the line: OBEY

60. Tame: MILD

62. To be, in French: ÊTRE - Frawnche

63. Way out there: AFAR - "a" Twurd #2

66. Sch. supporter: PTA - abbr, Parent / Teacher Assoc., Monday dupe #2

67. Halloween mo.: OCTober, the month we just crossed into

68. Hi-__ graphics: RES

Splynter

Grid Flow 16.8

Friday, Sep 25th, 2026 ~ Rebecca Goldstein

 IF THE CLÜE FITS . . .

The full line of Diane von Furstenberg's crossword fashions clip

Rebecca Goldstein returns with a Friday foray into fashion - Five fills framed as (out)FITs, with their associated attire in the answers ( see what I did there~? ).  This is Ms. Goldstein's sixth puzzle this year, and I blogged a streak of her constructions on Wednesdays in, Jan, Feb, and March of 2025.  I found today's puzzle less difficult than yesterday's.  For a change, we had no add-in/on letters as a theme, a standard grid - which is unusual for Rebecca - no 'outlier' squares, just a handful of names ( but a crossing pair, thus a Natick ), no circles, and 17 3LWs, one more than the 5-letter word count.  The themers, with 38A. at the center, and no reveal;

17. Fit to eat?: LOBSTER BIB - You can eat the lobster, but not the bib

38. Fit for a king?: PAJAMAS - A king-sized bed, very clever

62. Fit for work?: SUIT AND TIE - Thankfully, I've never had to wear a suit & tie for work

11. Fit to a tee?: GOLF SHIRT - Not the "T" shirt, the "tee" prop of a golf ball

34. Fit for service?: CHOIR ROBE - Here's Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture

with a full, robed choir and pipe organ ( in the background )

Perhaps you prefer a choir with real cannons - this one

But Wait - Get Dressed - There's More~!

 

ACROSS:

1. Diminish: WANE - Think the Moon, and thus - 32D. 1-Across opposite: WAX - now makes sense

5. "Too rich for my blood": I'M OUT." - Poker reference, but the "catch phrase" of Shark Tank, too

10. "My word!": "EGAD~!"

14. Fusses: ADOs

15. Bay area on the East Coast: TAMPA - Kinda vague, kinda Friday, Geo name #1

16. Olden times: YORE

19. Enthusiasm: ELAN - "E"lliteration . . . 🙄

20. Uno e uno e uno: TRE - Español:  English - 1 and 1 and 1 is three - I only saw "uno" = Italian 😜

The Beatles, lyric @2:42

21. Arabian aristocrat: EMIR - we're "A & E"ing all over this blog . . .

22. Hurled: LET FLY - e.g., insults

24. Nintendo princess: ZELDA - the original video game is now 40 years old; name #2

26. Archrivals: NEMESES - the plural spelling

28. __ Minor: URSA

30. Event that may have drawings: ART SHOW - very clever clue / answer; LOTTERY fit, too

33. Single ant, say: SCOUT - I tried DRONE to start - had just the "O", but "totes" correct . . . 🙄

35. Hon: BAE - cringe.  I don't care for this abbr at all, even IRL, not just crosswords . . . 😖

OK, the Shein "Bae" outFITs are pretty attractive . . . 

36. "Proud Mary" singer Turner: TINA - name #3

37. "Don't think so": "NAH."

41. Nero Wolfe creator Stout: REX - I read the whole series, have a boxful of the paperback books I am still waiting to display, as the shelves I have planned still need to be built; name #4

42. Book jacket blurbs: BIOs - a biography, in a few words 

44. Lip-smacking word: YUM~!

45. Air ways: DUCTS

47. Masterful demonstrations: CLINICS - typically related to sports professionals, musicians, etc.

49. Capital city with a Museum of the Viking Age set to open in 2027: OSLO - I'd like to visit that kind of place - still, a geo name, #5

50. Home body?: REALTOR - Har-har

52. Diving aquatic birds: LOONS

56. One sister in "King Richard": SERENA - The "S" being a Natick crossing with another name, #6, I had no clue, was thinking Shakespeare's "Richard III", then King Lear, but no - this is the story of "Richard", the father of sisters Venus & Serena, and his drive for making them successful tennis pros

58. Treadmill setting: PACE - I finished 45mins at level 5 on the Stairmaster; this week I started level 6

60. D.C. MLBer: NATional

61. The whole shebang: A TO Z

65. Broccoli __: RABE

66. Law of __: trigonometry equation: SINES - for the math geeks; for the Law(yer) of SIGNS . . .

And many more, here

67. Mud: JAVA - coffee slang

68. Sudsy mugfuls: ALES

69. "Tough crowd!": "YEESH~!" - I usually spell it "SHEESH" in my journal

70. Zoomed: SPED


DOWN:

1. Flounce: WALTZ - "you think you can just come ___ing in here dressed like that~?!?"

2. Be wild about: ADORE

3. Prize first awarded in 1901: NOBEL - name(ish) - the 'explosive' & tragic life of  Alfred Nobel

4. Slow start?: ESS - metaclue, "S" starts the word sLOW

5. Object: ITEM - nailed it, but wondered if it might be the legalese verb, "I object, your honor~!"

6. Yacht spot: MARINA - and SERENA, look at us rhyming~!

7. Color gradient technique: OMBRE - never heard this term, usually related to hair, and of Frawnche origin, meaning "shadow"; I found this "Fire" version, and while I've not seen it IRL, it's mesmerizing. . .

Here's a YouTube clip on how to D-i-Y

8. News initials: UPI - United Press International, and it's American, too . . . 😁

9. Rehearsals a cast generally won't stand for?: TABLE READS - made me think of a Family Guy episode; Seth MacFarlane and cast have done live ones at Comic Cons, but they're definitely NSFW

10. Reason to look one's best?: EYE TEST - very clever, that kind of "look"

Can you read line seven~?

12. Central Asia's North __ Sea: ARAL - Geo name #7

13. Say "It wasn't me," say: DENY

18. Start to cry: TEAR UP - start to cut a rug; TEAR it UP~!

Gramatik, Tearin It Up

23. Rough fig.: ESTimate

25. Pair: DUO - Dah~!  Not TWO

27. "M'lady": MA'AM

29. Sarcastic response to rude behavior: STAY CLASSY - Yeah, or Meh~?

31. Individuals: ONES

33. Travel as the wind blows: SAIL - ah, another good clue / answer; if you're on a submarine, does one still "set sail~?" - I'm reading a book that involves U-Boats, and I thought this description a bit odd . . .

35. Comic book onomatopoeia: BAM~!

37. "SVU" network: NBC - the Law & Order "Special Victims Unit" spin-off

39. A second ago: JUST - We missed it~? When~?

"Just now~!" @ 1:40

40. Morose: SULLEN

43. Seasonal allergy symptoms: SNEEZES

46. Murmur: COO

48. "What We Can Know" novelist McEwan: IAN - name #8

49. Pontificates: ORATES - AND . . . 

51. Pontificate: OPINE - nearly a pure clecho

                                                             

53. Ready to pour: ON TAP - not Spïnal Tap - but speaking of umlauts . . .

54. Inexperienced: NAÏVE - from the Frawnche - and another umlaut

The ümlaut bänds wëbsite

55. Place: STEAD

56. Singer-songwriter Bareilles: SARA - the crossing "S" name, a bit harsh, but guessable, name #9

Written to appease the recod label, it's a clever NOT "Love Song"

57. Bibliography abbr.: ET. AL. - Latin et alia(i) - and others

59. Paper money: CASH - couldn't be ONES, that was up at 31D.

63. Driver's one-eighty: UIE - U-Turn abbr.; got burned by this in a recent puzzle

64. Turntable pros: DJs - and now, it's time for "PJ"s . . .

Splynter

Grid Flow 35.2

Friday, Sep 18th, 2026 ~ Patti Varol

 OBI-WANTON

"You don't need to see my Mulligan . . ."

LA Times editor Patti Varol is back again on Friday - this is her fourth that I have blogged in 2026.  Another tack-on theme, with two of the fills grid-spanners, this time adding '-TON' to some common things / phrases, resulting in some punniness, and a 'defining' reveal.  I breezed through today, just one sticky square, and I was on this Patti puzzle wavelength with most of the proper names being in my wheelhouse.  Standard grid, no outlier squares, no circles, thirteen 3LWs, and ten names.  The themers & reveal;

20. Box that's unexpectedly popular?: SLEEPER CARTON

24. Lazy way to soothe hurt feelings?: NO OFFENSE BUT...TON

43. Take tiny crustaceans out for a stroll?: WALK THE PLANKTON

49. Getting heavier, or an apt title for this puzzle: GAINING WEIGHT - in this case, the answers gain a "TON", or about 2000lbs - I, on the other hand, am losing weight.  I did a weigh-in with my trainer last Thursday - the same 190lbs, but down to 26.5% body fat, originally at 43% - Yikes~!  I keep pushing him to feature me in the Big Sky gym "spotlight" email, but everytime I ask, he tells me "when you get to X" - this time, I have to be down to 24% body fat . . . the carrot at the end of the stick . . . 😖

Button Waiton, There'ston Moreton~!


ACROSS:

1. Band: STRAP

Ankle strap shoes

6. Primer lesson: ABCs

10. Printer refills: INKS

14. Provençal sauce: AIOLI - I do the Downs first, so this corner self-filled in the Across

15. Bread from a tandoor: NAAN - common crossword crust

16. Many a techie or Trekkie: GEEK - Dah~!  Not NERD

17. Fruit with a thick rind: MELON

18. Thing that has away with words?: DELETE KEY - I had "I gOt it" crossing, but once that changed, I saw the clever misdirection with 'away', and not "a way" in the clue

22. Raft: SEA - the "other" noun definition, #3 - a large collection or number

23. Fish that's a symbol of Children's Day in Japan: KOI

33. "Wow, nice!": "OH COOL~!" - Twurd(ish)

34. Approach: WAY

35. Rite answer: "I DO." - well, you'd better give the right answer, or . . . 

36. Constant critic: HATER

37. Like fresh nail polish: WET

38. Bridget's daughter in the "Bridget Jones" series: MABEL - never saw it, no clue, IMDb; name #1

40. "Big" and "Bang Bang" singer Rita: ORA - Crossword staple, just about every week now, along with Dua Lipa.  Name #2

41. "Happy now?": "SEE~?"

42. Old Spanish coin: PESETA

47. Scand. land: NORway - part of ScandINAVIA - Geo name #3

48. Routine: ACT

56. One who's in it for the money: MERCENARY

"I care . . ."

57. Nebraska rail hub: OMAHA - Friday cluing, still geo name #4

59. Fun run distance, for short: ONE K - my gym is hosting a 5K in October, or, you can just walk it 

You can sign up here

60. Foil kin: EPEE - Common crossword cutlass

61. Piercing site: NAVEL

62. Aloo mutter ingredients: PEAS

The Wiki

63. Playful growl: RAWR - 21st century crossword fill, meh.

64. __ City: Pittsburgh: STEEL - Football is back~!

22nd & final NFL season, will turn 43 in December

God bless that kind of passion~!

DOWN:

1. Waterston in the American Theater Hall of Fame: SAM - I know him as Executive Assistant DA Jack McCoy from Law & Order - name #5

2. Binds: TIES

3. Craps turn: ROLL - Crap time~?  Toilet roll . . . 🙄

4. Succulent with lace and tiger tooth varieties: ALOE

5. Misses terribly: PINES FOR - nailed it

6. Like llamas: ANDEAN - I tried HUMPED . . . 

The Dalai Lama can be found near 30D.

7. Boxer Max: BAER - Crossword friendly spelling, name #6

8. Course after trig: CALCulus - I did not "get it" in high school, so I "dropped it"

TBH, I finished the year with my worst math grade of "C" which,

ironically, was the part of  the equation I kept getting "wrong"

9. Slip past: SNEAK BY

10. "No need to explain": "I GET IT."

11. "Middle Cyclone" Grammy nominee Case: NEKO - the "K" was an educated guess from the crossing fill; her website - name #7

12. Acute: KEEN - like, say, ones's hearing 

13. Hit high in the air: SKY - think verb, not noun

19. Pants, slangily: TROUsers

21. Spa treatment: PEEL - Dah~!  Not PEDI

24. Emphatic refusal: NO HOW - I had NO WAY to start

25. Catherine of "The Studio": O'HARA - name #8

26. Eight-related: OCTAL

27. Rival: FOE

28. Clear the cobwebs, say: SWEEP

29. Down: EAT - SAD~? Nope.  OUT~? Nope.  Ah, that kind of down . . .

30. Bhutan neighbor: TIBET - or Nepal~?  I guessed wisely . . . Geo name #9

OK, they're not quite touching, but "neighbors" . . . 

31. Poetic opening: ODE TO

32. "The Odyssey" director: NOLAN - knew it, nailed it, still a name, #10

37. Tiny: WEE

38. Points out: MENTIONS

39. "Fire away": "ASK."

41. Masonic order member in a fez: SHRINER

Or maybe you prefer Steely Dan~?
( I did not realize they were hinting at slang for condom )

42. Fitness app stat: PACE - I am two minutes off from upping my PACE on the Stairmaster to level 6

44. 2026 NBA champions: KNICKS - New York - now if the Rangers could win the Stanely Cup . . .

45. Mood: TONE

46. One who's often going through the motions: LAWYER - I'm filing a motion to supress names in crosswords . . .

49. __ therapy: GENE

50. Sod layer's calculation: AREA - Don't forget, "green side UP."

51. County east of Sonoma: NAPA - Northern California - home to some of our Cornerites

52. Got taller: GREW

53. B-school entry req.: GMAT - B-school = business college, Gradute Management Admission Test

54. Give birth to: HAVE - ooof - I didn't even see this after it filled via perps - "Don't have a cow, man"

55. "Hot Girl Summer" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE - filled via perps, her website, name #11

56. Unruly head of hair: MOP 

Whenever I hear "mop top", I think "The Beatles"

58. 100%: ALL

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.5