Thursday, August 28, 2025, Sala Wanetick, Emily Biegas

 Theme:  Holy (rock and) rollers.

Hank Hill's thoughts on Christian Rock

I count seven puzzles in these pages co-constructed by Sala Wanetick and Emily Biegas.  Is today's puzzle divinely inspired?  The theme entries are:

20-Across. *Depeche Mode song with the lyric "Reach out and touch faith": PERSONAL JESUS.  Released in 1989, this song was inspired by the book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley.  It is surely no accident that Elvis and Priscilla show up in the clue at 3-Down!  The song is about how a lover becomes one's source of hope and tender loving care -- a god-like role that people fulfill for one another.

25-Across. *Bon Jovi song with the lyric "Take my hand and we'll make it, I swear": LIVIN' ON A PRAYER.  Recorded in 1986 and regarded as Bon Jovi's signature song, this song is about a working class couple struggling to make ends meet.  I'll bet many of you can hum a few bars.

44-Across. *Hozier song with the lyric "I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies": TAKE ME TO CHURCH.  Irish singer-songwriter Hozier's debut single in 2013.  Kind of an anti-religious song, in which a lover offers the only true redemption.

52-Across. Bible camp genre, or what the answers to the starred clues could be mistaken for?: CHRISTIAN ROCK.

The only one of these songs that I knew was LIVIN' ON A PRAYER.  Now that I've looked at the lyrics of all three, I realize that our constructors selected songs that are anything *but* traditionally devotional.  They have suggested as much with the reveal at 52-Across.

Let's see what other revelations appear in the rest of the puzzle.

Across:

1. Included digitally: CC'ED.  "Carbon copied" on an email.  Some of us are old enough to have used carbon paper between sheets of regular paper on a typewriter to create copies.

5. Ryder Cup org.: PGA.  The Ryder Cup is played in odd-numbered years between teams from the United States and Europe.  On our side of the pond, it is organized by the Professional Golfers' Association of America.

8. Not quite: ALMOST.

14. Prefix with port: HELI.  A heliport is a landing place for helicopters that provides a range of services like maintenance and fueling.  A helipad is just a designated place where a helicopter can land safely.

15. "Toy Story" dinosaur: REX.  If you could picture this fellow in memory, you could guess his name.

Rex is the green fellow.

16. Snicker sound: TEEHEE.  Finally!  Someone has spelled this correctly in a puzzle!

17. Totalitarian control: IRON RULE.

19. Heartless fellow in Oz?: TIN MAN.

20. [Theme clue]

22. Down: SAD.

23. Power drill insert: BIT.

24. Bird with large green eggs: EMU.

25. [Theme clue]

32. Subj. with a lot of reading: ENG.  A subject that involves a lot of reading is English.

33. "Home on the Range" animal: ANTELOPE.  "Home, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play ...."

34. Arab leader: EMIR.

37. "The Marvelous __ Maisel": MRS.  Great show, appeared on Amazon Prime Video over five seasons from 2017 to 2023.

38. Phil or Lil of "Rugrats," e.g.: TWIN.

Phil and Lil

39. Vinegar that may be drizzled over caprese salad: BALSAMIC.  'Tis the season to enjoy ripe tomatoes with fresh basil and mozzarella, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

42. Undeclared: Abbr.: TBA.  To Be Announced.

44. [Theme clue]

48. Afore: ERE.

49. Gender-specific pronoun: HER.

50. In medias __: RES.  Latin for "in the middle of things."  In fiction, it is the technique of dropping the reader into the midst of the action without preamble.

52. [Theme clue]

56. Narrow waterway: STRAIT.

58. Erodes bit by bit: EATS INTO.

59. Persuade forcefully: COERCE.

60. Toronto-to-Quebec dir.: ENE.

61. Filmmaker Buñuel: LUIS.

62. [Skull emoji]: I'M DEAD.

63. Team ldr.: MGR.  Team leader could be a manager.

64. Mark for good: ETCH.


Down:

1. Nail polish nicks: CHIPS.

2. Lucky Charms, e.g.: CEREAL.

3. Jacob who played Elvis in "Priscilla": ELORDI.  Jacob Elordi is an Australian actor who portrayed Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biographical drama Priscilla in 2023.  Did Not Know.

Jacob Elordi

4. Loud noises: DINS.

5. Trimming: PRUNING.

6. Tartufo ingredient: GELATO.  Tartufo is Italian for truffle, a fabulous edible fungus, but is also the name of an Italian frozen dessert that looks sort of like the fungus.  The dessert is a gelato ball with a filling, coated in cocoa powder, a hard chocolate shell, or ground nuts.

Tartufo

7. Olympic jump: AXEL.

8. Shot: ATTEMPT.

From Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

9. Duty-free time: LEISURE.

10. Word with beer or wine: MENU.

11. Units of resistance: OHMS.

12. __ urchin: SEA.

13. Perfect score in some rating systems: TEN.

18. Bird with small blue eggs: ROBIN.

21. Mom __: JEANS.  Denim pants with a high waist, relaxed hip and thigh areas, and tapered legs were popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Later, they were ridiculed by younger folks as a style only their moms continued to wear.  And then these whippersnappers imitated them in the mid-2010s to the present.  Now they are actually marketed as "mom jeans."

Mom jeans

26. Sonnets, odes, et al.: VERSE.

27. Drug bust figure: NARCO.  "Narco" refers to someone who traffics illegal drugs, deriving from the word "narcotic."

28. Vow locale: ALTAR.

29. Cry of pain: YOW.

30. Prefix with center: EPI.

31. "__ Faire": 2024 HBO docuseries: REN.  Ren Faire is a three-part HBO documentary series that explores a succession crisis at the Texas Renaissance Festival.  I didn't know this, but I've been to a Renaissance Faire once or twice.  I know some folks who still love to dress up for these things.

Ren Faire costumes are all about the bodice.

34. SNAP system: EBT.  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budgets.  Electronic Benefit Transfer allows state welfare departments to issue benefits via a magnetically encoded payment card.

35. Barnyard bleat: MAA.  A bleat is the sound of a lamb, kid, or calf calling for its mother.  Lambs (baby sheep) are usually represented as saying "baa," kids (baby goats) as saying "maa," and calves (baby cattle) as saying "moo."  

36. Kind: ILK.

37. Tick relatives: MITES.

40. Ferrera of "Barbie": AMERICA.  America Ferrera played a Mattel employee in the 2023 Barbie movie directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie.  She delivered a monologue that resonated with many people.  

An excerpt from the monologue:

"It is literally impossible to be a woman. ... Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.  You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. ... You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. ... You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault."

41. Warranted: MERITED.

42. Broadway building: THEATER.

43. Ruins by overcooking: BURNS.

45. __ Mai: city in northern Thailand: CHIANG.  Chiang Mai is a major city in northern Thailand, known for its ancient temples, bustling markets, and vibrant cafe scene, all nestled within a backdrop of mountains and natural beauty.

Chiang Mai

46. Hybrid pastry since 2013: CRONUT.  A Cronut is a trademarked, croissant-doughnut hybrid pastry invented by French pastry chef Dominique Ansel in 2013, featuring a delicate, flaky interior with a caramelized, crispy exterior.

Cronut

47. Frenzied: HECTIC.

51. Ambiguous recipe amount: SKOSH.

52. Street __: CRED.

53. Aesop racer: HARE.

54. Swarm (with): TEEM.

55. Peeve: RILE.  I'm familiar with the noun, as in "pet peeve" or annoyance, but the first meaning seems to be a verb, to annoy, which matches up with rile, which means to make angry or to upset.

56. Ecol. or geol.: SCI.  Ecology and geology are sciences.

57. Colicchio of "Top Chef": TOM.  Tom Colicchio co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as co-owner and executive chef. He is the founder of Crafted Hospitality, which includes Craft (NYC and Los Angeles), Temple Court (NYC), Craftsteak (MGM Grand Las Vegas) and Small Batch (Long Island) restaurants. Colicchio is the recipient of five James Beard Foundation Awards and has been the head judge on every season of Bravo reality TV show Top Chef, as well as Best New Restaurant which he executive produces.  Sorry to say I DNK any of that, Tom!

Tom Colicchio

Here's the grid:

OK, solvers, I have to ask:

Did the puzzle TEEM with unknowns for you, so that it RILEd you up?

Or was it a pleasant LEISURE activity that MERITED praise for the constructors?

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Thursday, August 21, 2025 Sean Ziebarth

 Theme:  Let's make some NOISE!

Prolific constructor Sean Ziebarth is a high school English teacher, surfer, and DJ.  In today's puzzle, he gives us a push in the right direction with some good advice, and suggests we make some noise in the process, hearing a little snap, crackle, and pop in common English phrases.  The theme clues and answers are:

17-Across. "Turn that frown upside down": CRACK A SMILE.  

30-Across. "Get your head on straight": SNAP OUT OF IT.

45-Across. "Get on that stage and wow the crowd": KNOCK 'EM DEAD.

61-Across. Words of wisdom, and what 17-, 30-, and 45-Across could be called?: SOUND ADVICE.

In addition to giving these phrases a fresh hearing, Sean has placed the theme entries in symmetrical rows Across.  Neato!  I'll bet it's fun to be in his class.

What else can we learn from Sean today?  Let's look at the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Best effort: A GAME.  One's highest level of play or performance.

6. Fools: CLODS.  I wasn't fond of this one, thinking that a clod is an oaf.  When I looked up synonyms of FOOL and of CLOD for today's blog, neither word listed the other.  But idiot is listed as a synonym for both clod and fool, so I suppose that if A=C and B=C, then A=B.

11. Make a mend: SEW.

14. Like much of central Illinois: RURAL.

15. "The Raven" writer, briefly: E A POE.  Edgar Allan Poe.

16. "Better. Guaranteed." gadget brand: OXO.  Favorite crossword utensils.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Whopper: LIE.

20. Luau performance: HULA.

21. Medium ability: ESP.  Extrasensory perception is an ability claimed by persons who say they are mediums, able to facilitate communication between the living and the dead.

22. Notes equivalent to C sharps: D FLATS.  These notes are the same black key on the piano (between the white keys C and D), and produce the same pitch.  The note will be written one way or the other depending on the key of a musical composition.

24. Immediately following: UPON.  "Upon hearing the news, she burst into tears."

26. Earlier: PRIOR.

27. Word with shell or shore: SEA.

30. [Theme clue]

34. Late: TARDY.

36. Sleep acronym: REM.  Rapid eye movement sleep is the stage of sleep where most dreams happen.

37. Peel: PARE.

38. Naan flour: ATTA.  If we ever have a Crossword Corner party, we are going to make naan with ATTA.  And eat many varieties of Oreos.  What else should be on the menu?

39. Addresses timeline errors, perhaps: EDITS.

41. Timeline units: ERAS.

42. Like much 1980s fashion: NEON.

43. "C'est la __!": VIE.  French for "That's life!"

44. Fess up (to): ADMIT.

45. [Theme clue]

49. __ as a fox: SLY.

50. Brand of riding mowers: DEERE.

51. YouTube journal: VLOG.  Video blog.

53. Too: OVERLY.

55. Needlework on a sleeve, for short: TAT.  A tattoo sleeve.

56. Turkey neighbor: IRAN.

60. Burrito option: WET.  A "wet burrito" is served covered in sauce, and must be eaten with a fork and knife.

61. [Theme clue]

64. Melissa of "The Fighter": LEO.  Melissa Leo is an American actress, and the recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Critics' Choice Awards.  In 2010, she won several awards for her performance in the film The Fighter, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.  DNK.

Melissa Leo

65. Come next: ENSUE.

66. Moves closer: NEARS.

67. Cheap tix option: SRO.  Standing Room Only.  No seat for you!

68. "The Wild Swans at Coole" writer: YEATS.  "The Wild Swans at Coole" is a poem by Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), first published in 1917.

The first stanza of the poem:

The trees are in their autumn beauty,

The woodland paths are dry,

Under the October twilight the water

Mirrors a still sky;

Upon the brimming water among the stones

Are nine-and-fifty swans.

69. Selling point: ASSET.

Down:

1. Foot part: ARCH.

2. Hindu teacher: GURU.

3. North __ Sea: Central Asian lake: ARAL.  The Aral Sea was once the world’s third largest lake.  It started shrinking in the 1960s when the Soviet government diverted two of its main inlet rivers, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, to irrigate the surrounding desert region. The North Aral Sea was separated from the South Aral Sea in 1987-88 as water levels dropped.  Independent Kazakhstan has addressed environmental degradation by again allowing the Syr Darya River to flow into the lake.

4. Hong Kong neighbor: MACAU.  Macau is an autonomous region on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. A Portuguese territory until 1999, it is said to be the most densely populated region in the world. Its giant casinos and malls have earned it the nickname, "Las Vegas of Asia."

5. Utah's state animal: ELK.

6. General aviation company owned by Textron: CESSNA.  Textron Aviation sells Beechcraft and Cessna-branded aircraft, and supports older Hawker aircraft with parts and service.

7. Lava __: LAMP.  Lava lamps have been manufactured since 1963.

Cool array next to your water bed.

8. Maker of Talk to the Hand press-on nails: OPI.  OPI is a popular brand of nail polish, so this was an easy guess.

Hard to see, but the package says TALK TO THE HAND in the upper left corner.

9. Blues: DOLDRUMS.

10. Find appropriate: SEE FIT.

11. Green energy sources in some desert regions: SOLAR FARMS.

12. Way out: EXIT.

13. Heartaches: WOES.

18. Very long time: AEON.  Aeon is the more popular spelling in Britain.  On our side of the pond, a very long time is usually an eon.

23. Like a lasso: LOOPED.

25. Therapist's maj.: PSY.  A therapist's major course of study is psychology.

26. 68-Across, for one: POET.  Ah, yes, YEATS again.

27. Performed terribly: STANK.  Past tense of stink.  "The place stank like a sewer."  Or in slang, to be very bad at something.  "He stank at golf."

28. All gone: EATEN.

29. Luke Skywalker's loyal droid: ARTOO-DETOO.  Also written as R2-D2.

This vehicle with R2-D2 on the back was seen regularly in our neighborhood of Westchester, Los Angeles, when the kids were growing up.

31. Snooped around: PRIED.

32. Letter-shaped beam: I-RAIL.  An I-shaped rail.  Apparently used for things from curtains to trains.

33. On edge: TESTY.

35. Wearer of tap shoes: DANCER.

39. With no exceptions: EVERYONE.

40. Small coin: DIME.

44. Scene: ADO.

46. Plum who was the WNBA All-Star Game MVP in 2022: KELSEY.  Kelsey Plum is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star and was named the WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 2022.

Kelsey Plum

47. Sidesteps: EVADES.

48. Baja's opposite: ALTA.  Spanish low and high.

52. Caves in: GIVES.

53. Parliament birds: OWLS.  A group of owls is called a parliament, reflecting their perceived wisdom.

54. Suddenly shift direction: VEER.

55. Letter-shaped fastener: T-NUT.  T-nuts are threaded fasteners with prongs that dig into the material when tightened.  First I-rail, now this!  What am I, a gearhead?

57. Coastal inlets: RIAS.

58. Part of a plot: ACRE.

59. Small tree house: NEST.

62. Jenny Thompson's team: USA.  Jenny Thompson is a former competitive swimmer.  She is one of the most decorated Olympians in history, with twelve medals, including eight gold medals, earned in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer Olympics.

Jenny Thompson

63. Genetic blueprint: DNA.

Here's the grid:

How did EVERYONE do today?

Did you SNAP OUT OF your DOLDRUMS and KNOCK 'EM DEAD?

Or was the puzzle OVERLY difficult, so that success EVADEd you?

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Thursday, August 14, 2025, Kathy Lowden

 Theme:  Staggering stories.

Today's puzzle appears to be Kathy Lowden's 6th for the LA Times, and her first Thursday offering.  Welcome to Thursday, Kathy!  Mind the steps!

Very likely the first thing you noticed about today's puzzle is the circles.  Say what you will about circles in the crossword puzzle, it's an impressive puzzle within the puzzle, and would certainly not have been discernible without the circles.  Let's start with the reveal, which is a grid spanning entry.

39-Across. Common midcentury modern suburban home, or what is depicted by each set of circled letters: SPLIT-LEVEL HOUSE.  A split-level house is a house in which the floor levels are staggered. There are typically two short sets of stairs, one running upward to a bedroom level, and one going downward toward a basement area.  It was a popular building style in the 1950s and 60s.

The circles spell out types of houses, which are all split onto three rows (or levels) of the puzzle:

Starting at 9-Across:  VILLA

Starting within 17-Across:  COTTAGE

Starting within 51-Across:  MANSION

Starting at 61-Across:  RANCH

Now that Kathy has made you feel at home, let's pull back the curtain on the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Picnic spoilers: ANTS.

5. Dad jokes, often: PUNS.

9. Hardly reticent: VOCAL.

14. Zoom call button: JOIN.

15. Privy to: IN ON.

16. Works the soil: TILLS.

17. With the bow, in music: ARCO.  This notation on a musical score tells string instrument players to use the bow (Italian "arco"), as opposed to plucking the strings ("pizzicato").

Pluck, then bow.

18. Muppet who refers to himself in the third person: ELMO.

19. Detective Holmes: ENOLA.  The Enola Holmes Mysteries is a series of detective novels by Nancy Springer, starring Enola Holmes as the teenage sister of Sherlock Holmes, twenty years her senior.  The books inspired a 2020 film and 2022 sequel, with a third movie in the works.

20. Slow-cooked rice dishes: RISOTTOS.  I used to think the constant stirring of risotto on the stove would make it too difficult to attempt at home.  I was wrong.  It's a favorite now.

22. Loosen, as shoelaces: UNKNOT.

23. Sorts projects by priority: TRIAGES.

25. CGI invaders: ETs.  Computer-generated imagery is used in films to represent extraterrestrial characters, who sometimes invade the earth.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

26. Summitt in the Basketball Hall of Fame: PAT.  Pat Summitt (1952-2016) was a women's college basketball coach and college basketball player. She served as head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team from 1974 to 2012 and is considered one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time.  Go Vols!

Pat Summitt

29. "__ of discussion": END.

30. Oxidize: RUST.

33. Iridescent gems: OPALS.

35. "Ugly Betty" actress: ANA ORTIZ.  Ugly Betty was a television series on ABC from 2006 to 2010. It was based on a Colombian telenovela, Yo soy Betty, la fea.  You may remember America Ferrera, who starred as Betty.  Ana Ortiz played Betty's sister.

Ana Ortiz in Ugly Betty

39. [Theme clue and reveal -- see above.]

42. Cadillac SUV: ESCALADE.

43. Puts money in: ANTES.

44. Steep-walled formation: MESA.

45. Off-rd. ride: ATV.  An off-road ride (or vehicle) is an all-terrain vehicle.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

47. Game, __, match: SET.  "Game, set, match" is a phrase used in tennis to announce the end of a match and the winner's victory. It signifies that a player has won the final game of the final set. The expression can be used to indicate a final victory in any context. 

48. Org. for locavores: CSA.  Community Supported Agriculture is a way to buy local food directly from a farmer.  The farm delivers boxes of seasonal goods on a regular basis.  We tried this once, but I didn't know what to do with the odd assortment:  one beet, a couple of carrots, and so on.  We go to our local farmers' market instead.  Does that make us locavores?  Once again, an abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

51. Rahm who was U.S. Ambassador to Japan until 2025: EMANUEL.  Rahm Emanuel is an American politician, diplomat, and former investment banker who served as United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 to 2025.  He represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives for three terms from 2003 to 2009.  He was the White House chief of staff from 2009 to 2010 under President Barack Obama and served as Mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019.

Rahm Emanuel

54. First-stringers: A-TEAMS.  In sports, the first-stringers or A-teams are the starting players who are considered most valuable and who consistently see the most playing time.

57. Legendary reptile with a fatal gaze: BASILISK.  In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk is a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes.  Today, the common basilisk is a lizard endemic to Central and South America, where it is found near rivers and streams.  It is also called the Jesus Christ lizard for its ability to run on the surface of water.

I took this photo of a relatively harmless basilisk lizard in Costa Rica.

61. Back in style: RETRO.

62. Google __: DOCS.  A file sharing application.  In our family, it's used to share photos and videos that are too large to be emailed.

63. Not twice: ONCE.  "Thrice" doesn't fit.

64. Judges' seats: BANCS.  "En banc" is a French term meaning "on the bench."  It signifies a full court hearing, involving all active judges of a specific appellate court. 

65. Pernicious: EVIL.

66. Rip-off: SCAM.

67. Big hit: SMASH.

68. Target of CRISPR editing: GENE.  CRISPR gene editing is a new technology that allows for targeted modifications to the DNA of living organisms.  It offers potential treatments for genetic disorders and advancements in crop engineering.  

69. 50+ group: AARP.  AARP is the American Association of Retired Persons.  It's an organization that focuses on issues affecting people aged 50 and older.  And you don't have to be retired to join.

Down:

1. Partly open: AJAR.

2. Seaweed wrapper on Spam musubi: NORI.  Spam musubi is a Hawaiian food item made of fried Spam (canned meat) on a block of rice, wrapped together with a strip of nori (dried red algae seaweed). 

3. Small spasms: TICS.

4. Snob: SNOOT.

5. Tart pan: PIE TIN.

6. Vent frustration: UNLOAD.

7. Claim on some ramen packets: NO MSG.

8. __-Caps: SNO.  

9. Powerful engine: V-TEN.  A V10 engine is a ten-cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. 

V10 engine

10. Porcine noise: OINK.

11. Exact copy: CLONE.

12. Apportion: ALLOT.

13. Exams for future AGs: LSATs.  If you'd like to be an Attorney General someday, you'd best become an attorney first.  That process usually begins with the Law School Admission Test.

21. Railroad support: TRESTLE.  A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames, usually carrying a railroad line.

Trestle bridge with train

22. Normal: USUAL.

24. Sea eagle: ERNE.  A sea eagle or fish eagle (also called erne or ern) is any of the birds of prey in the subfamily Haliaeetinae of the family Accipitridae.  There are 10 species of erne, including the Bald Eagle.

26. Cat or cow, e.g., in yoga: POSE.

27. Starters, casually: APPS.  Appetizers.

28. Soft mineral: TALC.

31. "Me too": SO HAVE I.

32. 1982 film set inside a mainframe: TRON.  I enjoyed this movie at the time!  Haven't seen it since, but it did appear in Tuesday's puzzle.  Did any of our solvers like the film?

TRON

34. Actor Neeson: LIAM.

35. Wide st.: AVE.  Street / Avenue.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

36. Sounds of rebuke: TUTS.

37. "Understood": I SEE.

38. Key lime pie garnish: ZEST.

40. Cuts with a beam: LASES.

41. Semisoft cheese: EDAM.

45. Big name in headache remedies: ANACIN.  Anacin is an over-the-counter pain reliever that combines aspirin and caffeine.  Throw in some acetominophen and you've got Excedrin Migraine.

46. Scuffle: TUSSLE.

48. Nutrients eschewed on Atkins: CARBS.  The Atkins diet limits carbohydrates and emphasizes consumption of fat and protein.  This can lead to weight loss, and also to heart disease and cancer.  I'll have the pasta.

49. Momentum: STEAM.

50. Insurer owned by CVS Health: AETNA.

52. On top of: ABOVE.

53. Literature Nobelist Mario Vargas __: LLOSA.  Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa (1936-2025) is considered to have been one of the most significant Latin American writers of his generation.  He won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Mario Vargas Llosa

55. Story lines: ARCS.

56. __ pit: MOSH.  A mosh pit is an area at a live music concert, typically in front of the stage, where people dance in a way that involves pushing and shoving.  

Shall we dance?

58. Machu Picchu native: INCA.

59. Mark that may be emotional or physical: SCAR.

60. Dole's 1996 running mate: KEMP.

62. Ph.D., for one: DEG.  A Ph.D. (philosophiae doctor, or doctor in philosophy) is a degree that usually indicates the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline.  And, as I don't have to tell you, an abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

Here's the grid:

Fellow solvers, did you enjoy today's inventory of SPLIT LEVEL HOUSEs?

Did you UNLOAD some TUTS upon the EVIL circles?

Or did you attack the puzzle with ZEST and decide the whole thing was a SMASH in the END?

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ