February 29, 2024, Thursday, Margi Stevenson

 

Have it Both Ways

Psych: The Musical is a spinoff from Psych,  

a detective comedy-drama TV series (2006 - 2014).

(currently streaming on Prime)

Today constructor Margi Stevenson presents us with a theme about what is arguably everyone's favorite conjunction: AND [why settle for just OR?].  Here are her themers (no stars, circles, or reveal) --

17A. Tap options?: HOT AND COLD.  There doesn't seem to be a convention for which is on the left and which is on the right.

25A. Poker options?: SHOW AND TELL.  Or an elementary school introduction to public speaking.

37A. Flower options?: CUT AND DRIED.  Teri is very adept at the keeping the former from becoming the latter.  However deliberately drying flowers is also a means of preserving them.

52A. Mouth options?: OPEN AND SHUT.  I need to work on the second option.  😀

61. Boxing options?: DOWN AND OUT.  If you go DOWN you've got until the count of 10 before you're OUT.

This theme explication is now OVER AND OUT. Which could be clued: "CBer communications options?".

Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Caught wind of: HEARD.  You can experience this  after the next clue ...

6. Helpless?: SOLO.  As today is Gioachino Rossini's 56th birthday it was a no-brainer to play what is arguably the most famous SOLO of all time.  Here's Ettore Bastianini  singing the aria Largo al factotum from the Barber of Seville ...

10. French friends: AMIS.  AND, if this were tomorrow or the next day it might be clued "Kingsley ___", novelist, poet, and critic.

14. Get along: AGREE.

15. Rotten to the core: EVIL.  Like Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) in John le Carré's The Night Manager

16. Fender flaw: DENT.  AND, if this were tomorrow or the next day it might be clued "Arthur ____, anti-hero of HGTTG" ...

AND that will be all of that.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Disney princess whose gown is adorned with snowflakes: ELSA.  She didn't mean to do it ...

20. "I'm so dumb!": IDIOT.  I resemble that remark!.

21. Lessen, as pressure: EASE UP.

23. Slumber party wear, for short: PJS.

25. [Theme clue]

28. Time-stamp component: DATE.

30. Like oyster shooters: RAW.  Here's a recipe.  I prefer mine neat with a dab of hot sauce and a vodka chaser on the side (a half dozen of these and you'll be floating in the Chesapeake! 😀).

Oyster Shooter

31. 90° from sur: OESTE.  Today's Spanish lesson: "West".  As it's 5 letters, it couldn't be ESTE -- Spanish for "East".

32. Start of many long weekends: FRIDAY.  Also the start of the hard puzzles.

35. Academic figure: DEAN. 

37. [Theme clue]

41. German automaker once owned by General Motors: OPEL.  Opel Automobile GmbH, usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Group prior to its merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to form Stellantis in 2021.

42. Emotional baggage: ISSUES.  A common problem between "ITEMS". 😀

45. Hawk's claw: TALON.

49. __ Speedwagon: REO.  REO Speedwagon, or simply REO, is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. Their best-selling album, Hi Infidelity (1980), contained four US Top 40 hits and sold more than 10 million copies.  Here's Keep On Loving You from that album ...

51. Upgrade a gravel driveway, say: PAVE.
.
52. [Theme clue]

56. SoCal airport: LAX.

57. Big citrus: POMELO.  9 Health Benefits of Pomelos -- but be sure to read the caveat at the end if you take statins for high cholesterol.

Pomelo

58. Lipstick mishap: SMEAR.

60. Luminescence: GLOW.  E.g the GLOW of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).  A celestial event is due to happen this year that may cause them to be seen at much lower latitudes.

Aurora Borealis

61. [Theme clue]

66. Forearm bone: ULNA.  Can also be clued as "Radius partner" ...

Radius and Ulna

67. Field of study: AREA.

68. Huevos rancheros condiment: SALSA.  Here's a recipe.

Huevos Rancheros.

69. Overly inquisitive: NOSY.

70. Baking amt.: TBSP.

71. Fix, as text: EMEND.

Down:

1. Scoffer's laugh: HAH.

2. Psychoanalysis subject: EGO.  Today's Latin lesson: I.

3. Like one who can really draw a crowd?: ARTISTIC. For example ... 

4. Audition (for): READ.

5. "Tree of Smoke" novelist Johnson: DENIS.  Tree of Smoke is a 2007 novel by American author Denis Johnson (July 1, 1949 – May 24, 2017) which won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2007 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It is about a man named Skip Sands who joins the CIA in 1965, and begins working in Vietnam during the American involvement there.

Denis Johnson

6. Pie chart slice: SECTOR.

7. Ab __: from the beginning: OVO.  But what came before the OVO?

8. Short, for short: LIL.  E.g. apparently many rappers are height challenged. 😀

9. Of yesteryear: OLDEN.

10. "__ Fideles": ADESTE. More Latin: "Oh come all ye faithful" ...

Lyrics and translation

11. Wild brawls: MELEES.

12. Slight: INSULT.

13. Rice, in some cuisine: STAPLE.

18. "I'm so dumb!": DOH.

22. Mortal lover of Aphrodite and Persephone: ADONIS.  ADONIS was an exceptionally handsome young man. He was so handsome, in fact, that the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone competed for his love. Though they were ultimately forced to share the young man, Adonis favored Aphrodite and was best known as her lover. 

Adonis

23. Common email attachment: PDF.  Portable Document Format, a de facto standard developed by the Adobe, Inc.

24. Preserves preserver: JAR.

26. Imitates a penguin: WADDLES.  A PSA from our Antarctic friends ...

 Stay safe on ice - walk like a penguin!

27. Wowed: AWED.

29. Part of a 35-Across's address: EDU.

33. Lacking a musical key: ATONAL.  This does not appear to be a well-defined term.  While it is associated more with music of the 20th century, atonality was used as early as 1885 in Franz Liszt's Bagatelle sans tonalité, S.216a, here played by Yulianna Avdeeva ...

34. Terrier's bark: YAP.

36. "Midsommar" filmmaker Aster: ARI.  Sorry, even the trailer is rated R.

38. Unhip type: NERD.  DWEEBS, but not GEEKS.

39. Uncanny ability, for short: ESP.  Extra Sensory Perception, a scientifically unhip thing to believe in. 😀

40. Job for an actor playing identical twins, say: DUAL ROLE.

43. "Hadestown" Tony nominee Noblezada: EVA. Hadestown is a 2010 sung-through  musical (i.e. an opera -- but it's probably best not to call it that 😀) with music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice, a young girl looking for something to eat, goes to work in a hellish industrial version of the Greek underworld to escape poverty and the cold, and her poor singer-songwriter lover Orpheus comes to attempt to rescue her.  Here's a recent review in the Guardian of the London staging.

Eva Noblezada

44. Possible reason for an R rating: SEX.  This film was rated R for SEX and nudity but this trailer is rated PG.  Emma Stone won a BAFTA for Best Actress for her performance ...

45. 1986 movie partly filmed at San Diego's Air Station Miramar: TOP GUN.  TOP GUN is a 1986 American action drama film inspired by an article titled "Top Guns", written by Ehud Yonay and published in California magazine three years earlier. It stars Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a young naval aviator aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.  "Top Gun" is the name of the United States Navy's Fighter Weapons School at Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.  For some reason this school was moved to the Nevada desert in 1996.

46. "The Trials of __": Rick Riordan series based on Greek myths: APOLLO.  The Trials of Apollo is a pentalogy of fantasy adventure and mythological fiction novels written by American author Rick Riordan that collectively form a sequel to the Heroes of Olympus series.

47. Small citrus: LEMONS.

48. Like freeway ramps: ONE WAY.

50. "Nice burn!": OH SNAP.  OH SNAP is a slang expression of surprise. It is similar to whoa and woah and also used when someone is insulted in an embarrassing manner.

53. Greet silently: NOD AT.

54. Actress Thurman: UMA.  For obvious reasons I've never seen this film ...

55. On edge: TENSE.

59. "Ferrari" actor Driver: ADAM.  Ferrari is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Michael Mann and written by Troy Kennedy Martin. Based on the 1991 biography Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine by motorsport journalist Brock Yates, the film follows the personal and professional struggles of Enzo Ferrari, the Italian racer and founder of the car manufacturer Ferrari S.p.A.  What better actor to play the star than ADAM Driver?

62. Scepter top: ORB.

63. Director Anderson: WES.  One of my favorite directors.  Here's a trailer for his most recent film Asteroid City, which can best be described as -- "quirky".  The cast includes Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, and Adrian Brody ...

64. Gp. featured in 45-Down: USN.

65. Skosh: TAD.

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Thursday, February 22, 2024, Amanda Cook, Kelly Richardson

 

Someone's in the
Kitchen With Dinah!

Today's offering by Amanda Cook and Kelly Richardson reminds me of a puzzle by David Alfred Bywaters that I reviewed a few years back, all about things found in a Victorian kitchen.  In this case the constructors treat us to 5 punny clues loosely describing kitchen utensils (no stars, circles, or reveal) ...

18A. Reporters who cover the multiple-recalls beat?: LEMON PRESS.  Reporters (PRESS) specializing in faulty cars (LEMONS).  Here's an unpunned LEMON PRESS ...

23A. Championship match for competitive waitstaff?: SERVING BOWL.  The competitive waitstaff make their living SERVING and the BOWL doubles as either the final game in a series or the coveted award to the winner.  Here's a real bowl we use for serving salads ...

35A. Party where sparks really fly?: ELECTRIC MIXER.  A party thrown by the Mean Girls?

51A. Zero-star review that goes fully scorched earth?: ROASTING PAN.  I viewed a number of celebrity ROASTINGS for this clue, but they were all so HOT that I was a afraid that Blogger would PAN them.

57A. Professional purveyor of gossip?: TEA PITCHER.  One of my granddaughters taught me that TEA in her generation is synonymous with gossip.  The problem with this fill however, is that there is really no such thing as a TEA PITCHER in the kitchen.  Tea is brewed in TEA POTS, e.g.

Tea Pot

However in the summer we use a tea pot to brew very strong tea, add sugar, lemon, and ice to it, and use this PITCHER to serve ICED TEA ...

Tea Pitcher

Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Octopus octet: ARMS.  This rare octopus would have been clued "Octopus nonet" ...
 

Nine armed octopus found off the coast of Japan

5. Unmoored: ASEA.

9. "Ready or not, here __!": I COME.  I guess I'm IT!

14. Potting soil base: PEAT.  PEAT is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. Sphagnum moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most common components in peat, although many other plants can contribute.  Dried peat is still used in rural areas in countries like Ireland for heating and cooking.

15. Melodious cadence: LILT.  More than that, lilting is a form of traditional singing common in the Gaelic speaking areas of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, though singing styles like it occur in many other countries.

16. Opera star Callas: MARIA.   Maria Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sofia Kalogeropoulos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century.  Here she sings Schubert's AVE MARIA ...

Lyrics w/translation

17. Anti-cruelty org.: PETA.  SPCA fit as well, but didn't perp.  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia (CSO to Jinx) and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president.  PETA says that its entities have more than 9 million members globally. 

18. [Theme clue]

20. Country star Haggard: MERLE.  Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.  I don't think that MERLE and MARIA ever met.  Here he laments the passing of the good old days ...

22. In a clingy way: NEEDILY.

23. [Theme clue]

26. "Breaking Bad" law org.: DEA.  Drug Enforcement Administration.

27. Flounder and Scuttle's friend: ARIEL.  Would you believe -- Flounder and Scuttle are controversial now?

28. "Yikes": OOF.

29. Beanie Babies, Tamagotchi, etc.: FADS. 

30. The Masters gp.: PGA.

31. Kept in a barrel: AGED.  A CSO to Chairman MOE.  He had a birthday just last week. 😁

33. "Knives Out" actress de Armas: ANA.  This may look like a spoiler, but the movie doesn't actually end the way it looks like it ends ...

35. [Theme clue]

40. General on a Chinese takeout menu: TSO.  Natasha shows you how to make your own.

General TSO's Chicken

41. Stylish: CHIC.

42. Understand: GET.

44. Blanchett of "Thor: Ragnarok": CATE.   CATE has come a long way since she played Galadriel in Middle Earth ...

47. __ culpa: MEA.  Today's Latin lesson: "My fault" -- e.g. this review is MEA CULPA.
 
48. Soaring apex predator: EAGLE.  Or a member of this rock band ...

And CSO to this early poster.

50. Actress Longoria: EVA.  Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón (née Longoria; born March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, director and business woman.  Apparently she started off young and restless and then became desperate.

Eva Longoria

51. [Theme clue]

54. "Dinner!": LETS EAT.  May I suggest 40A.

56. Meted (out): DEALT.

57. [Theme clue]

60. Conceited: VAIN.  Cue Carly  ...

She says this song is actually about 3 men,

only one of which she has identified.

62. Finalize, as a comic strip: INK IN.  A heavenly CSO to Don Carlton, one of the greatest INKERS of all time ...

Don Carlton
December 28, 1936 – May 16, 2023

63. Hindu festival: HOLI.  Here's the filming of the Holi Scene from the Good Karma Hospital (one of the greatest series of all time) ...

And a CSO to Picard who has celebrated

many HOLI festivals

64. Desire: ENVY.

65. Nickels and dimes: COINS.

66. Bookbinder's tools: AWLS.

67. Mushroom part: STEM.  While looking for the diagram below, I noticed that almost all of mushrooms shown were poisonous, although only a small percentage of those in the wild actually are.  If you can tell an oak leaf from a maple leaf you can probably identify the edible ones.  When I used to collect edible mushrooms here's the book I used. The basic rule is: IF YOU CAN'T POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THAT IT'S AN EDIBLE SPECIES - DON'T EAT IT! (FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm not a mycologist, I just play one on the Corner 😀).

Parts of a Mushroom
This reminds me that my close friends in high school
used to call me Bilious Mycelium 😃

 

Down:

1. Oft-shared restaurant order, informally: APP.  And you may be able to order your APP ahead of time with your cellphone APP.

2. Surface again: REEMERGE.  Cicada's REEMERGE every 13 or 17 years depending on the brood and what part of the country they inhabit.  Here's everything you need to know, although it doesn't tell you how to escape them -- other than leaving your state for a couple of weeks.

3. Relevant: MATERIAL.

4. Treat a fever, per dubious folk wisdom: STARVE.  The bad news.  The good news is you can FEED a cold.  [Informal survey]: hand up if you've had all of your COVID vaccinations and haven't gotten a cold since.  Knock on wood, I haven't ✋.

5. "Grey's Anatomy" executive producer Debbie: ALLEN.  She's not only a producer of the show, but she also acts in it.  But those roles sound like the least of her accomplishments.

Debbie Allen
Kennedy Center Arts Honoree

6. "Sprechen __ Deutsch?": SIE.  Today's German lesson: "Do you speak German".  A CSO to our dearly departed Spitzboov.  I speak ein bishchen, but read it better -- most of which I learned by listening to German art songs (Lieder), an acquired taste.  Did you know that Franz Schubert wrote over 600 songs (not to mention tons of other stuff) in his short life of 31 years?  Here's the late, great Fritz Wunderlich singing Schubert's An die Musik (ODE to Music -- what other Lied would I play in a crossword puzzle 😀) ...

Lyrics and translation

7. Blight-stricken tree species: ELM.

8. Many, many: A TON OF.

9. Urge: IMPEL.

10. Penalize in soccer: CARD.  Or a CSO to Ray - O.  😁

11. Tater Tots maker: OREIDA.  A portmanteau of Oregon and Idaho, the great potato producing states.

12. Hoodwinked: MISLED.

13. GPA-boosting classes: EASY A'S.

19. Fresh: NEW.

21. Purple blossoms: LILACS.  An image from the Walt Witman poem When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed, an homage to Abraham Lincoln.

23. Tree product: SAP.

24. Movie trailer?: GOER.

25. Dress design options: BODICES.  A BODICE is an article of clothing traditionally for women and girls, covering the torso from the neck to the waist. The term typically refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century, or to the upper portion of a modern dress to distinguish it from the skirt and sleeves. The name bodice is etymologically an odd plural spelling of "body" and comes from an older garment called a pair of bodies (because the garment was originally made in two separate pieces that fastened together, frequently by lacing).

Bodice

29. Once-common office fixture: FAX. Short for "facsimile", a FAX uses the phone system to transmit an actual image of a document, especially useful for signed documents.  Some medical facilities require them, e.g for the transmission of prescriptions.

32. Classic Pontiac: GTO.

33. Bordeaux buddy: AMI.  French for "friend".  The grape varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc are also Bordeaux buddies.

34. __ Creed: church recitation: NICENE.  The NICENE Creed,  also called the Creed of Constantinople, is the defining statement of belief of Nicene or mainstream Christianity and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 and was later amended in 381.  It is recited by the congregation at every Sunday Catholic Mass, immediately after the scripture readings and the homily.

36. Avignon summer: ETE.  More French.

37. Catch up, maybe: CHAT.  Often done by texting these days or in Internet CHAT rooms.

38. Parmigiana choice: EGGPLANT.  Here's a recipe.  We used to make it, but now I'm on a low salt  diet and salt is required to de-moisturize the eggplant slices.  It's a lot easier to make with yellow squash or zucchini (particularly useful if you don't keep an eye on them in the garden and they morph into Italian baseball bats!).

Eggplant Parmesan

39. Second cousin, e.g.: RELATIVE.

43. Big __ Conference: TEN.  The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Most of its 14 member institutions are in the Midwestern United States. The conference footprint will expand to the country's Pacific coast in 2024.  Sounds like it's
 

and getting BIGGER

44. Like the Irish language: CELTIC.  Closely related to Irish are the CELTIC languages spoken in Wales, Brittany, Scotland, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man (see 15A).

45. Maker of Positively Radiant skin care products: AVEENO.

46. Japanese food prep method that translates to "pounded": TATAKI.  I thought it just meant "seared", as that's what Tuna TATAKI is advertised as in the sushi restaurants we frequent.  Perhaps Renee can shed some light on this.

47. Green tea ice cream ingredient: MATCHA.  I started adding a few tablespoons of MATCHA powder to my smoothies and within a few days my blood pressure was elevated.  When I stopped using it the BP went back to normal. Teri later verified that it has this effect on BP.

49. Mezcal plants: AGAVES.  Mezcal  is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave plant. The word mezcal comes from a Nahuatl word meaning "oven-cooked agave".  Agaves are endemic to the Americas and are found globally as ornamental plants.  Apparently agave is becoming a popular crop with farmers in drought stricken areas of California.

51. Harness straps: REINS.

52. Nondairy milk: OAT.

53. Elba of "Thor: Ragnarok": IDRIS.  I think Amanda and Kelly must have a "Thor" spot for Ragnarök (see 44A), which I just discovered is a Scandinavian word for "Doom of the Gods".  This is a blatant ripoff of Richard Wagner's Twilight of the Gods, the final opera in his epic Ring Cycle.  I hope Marvel Studios is paying his estate royalties! 😀

58. "No matter __ you slice it ... ": HOW.  No matter HOW you slice it, this review is just about finished!

59. Tetris shape: ELL. You can play this while the clock runs out (be sure to read the ABOUT TETRIS section on the addictive nature of this game before you start -- you may never make it to the comments section!)

61. Queens team, in box scores: NYM.  New York Mets.

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

Thursday, February 15, 2024, Billy Ouska

 

Today's constructor Billy Ouska's last visit to the Corner was on January 22, 2024 blogged by sumdaze.   Today he's here to fill us in on that ever popular topic, the vicissitudes of FATE (today's Latin lesson) ...

 O Fortuna!
Lyrics

(which didn't work out too well for Prometheus!)

And just like one hit wonder Carl Orff's  secular cantata Carmina Burana, Billy's puzzle is all about ...

60. Reversal in luck, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues: CHANGE OF FORTUNE.  I'm sure that some in our community will be delighted that Billy doesn't circle around his fill, but gets right to the point (which I've decided to do today 😀) ...

17. *Critical juncture: POINT OF NO RETURN.  In Prometheus' case it was after he had defied the gods and had given FIRE to humanity ...

27. *Record: CAPTURE ON FILM.  No one was around to capture his defiance on film, but Orff later captured it in music.

46. *Online discussion site: INTERNET FORUM.  Ours will begin immediately after (*the trailer to) this review.

Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:
1. Surge of adrenaline: RUSH.   If you really want to get your hormones up, try a little of Rush's Fly By Night (and a CSO to Tony for all of his help when I was away) ...  

Click CC for lyrics

5. Regent's order: EDICT.

10. Mil. branch with wings: USAF.  The United States Air Force.  See also 22A.

14. Tactical political research, for short: OPPO.  Prepare yourself for a blitz of it this year.

15. Birthplace of pesto: GENOA.  Also the birthplace of GENOA salami ...

16. Issue at the ATM: NOTE.

17. [Theme clue]

20. [New paragraph]: ENTER.

21. "Handling that now!": I'M ON IT.  This review.

22. Take to the sky: SOAR.  Fly like an eagle ...

25. Friend __ friend: OF A.  Is the enemy of my enemy my friend?

26. Midnight to midnight: DAY.  1440 is the number of minutes in a DAY; the approximate year that the printing press was invented; and a daily news site:  here's what they have to say today.

27. [Theme clue]

32. Not just some: ALL.

33. Kitchen scale button: TARE.  A TARE button zeros the scale to compensate for the weight of any containers used to weigh ingredients in.   When weighing ceramic glaze ingredients I use a triple-beam balance with a sliding TARE weight on a separate beam to compensate for container weights.

34. Frangipani garlands: LEIS.

Aloha!

36. Water taxi: BOAT.

38. Longtime "One Life to Live" actress Renée __ Goldsberry: ELISE. In addition to starring as Evangeline Williamson in One Life to Live,  Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) also created the role  Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical Hamilton, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Renée Elise Goldsberry

40. Red sign above a door: EXIT.

42. Mantis quintet: EYES.   Six astonishing facts about the Praying Mantis.

Praying Mantis
The three additional eyes are tiny and
are in the center behind its tentacles

44. Literary magazine contributor, perhaps: POET.  As this is the 400th Anniversary of  the printing of Shakespeare's First Folio I think one of his sonnets would be appropriate.

45. Status update fig.: ETA.

46. [Theme clue]

50. Fellow: MAN.

52. Tres menos dos: UNO.

53. As appropriate: DULY.   I guess appropriately is close enough ...

54. Garden container?: EDGING.

56. Isaac of "Dune": OSCAR.    Here's a father son talk between Duke Leto Atreides (Isaac) and his son Paul (Timothée Chalamet).  Dune Part 2 will be upon us soon.  I wonder if OSCAR will get an Oscar?

60. [Theme reveal]

65. Show up: COME.

66. Record company: LABEL.

67. God who took a bow: EROS.  His darts can be painful and sometimes even fatal.

68. Half of all blackjacks: ACES.

69. Did half of a biathlon: SKIED.

70. "Seasons of Love" musical: RENT.  Here it is ...

Down:

1. Tire swing line: ROPE.

2. Right after: UPON.

3. Doner kebab rod: SPIT.  Doner kebab is a dish of Turkish origin made of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Seasoned meat stacked in the shape of an inverted cone is turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical cooking element. The operator uses a knife to slice thin shavings from the outer layer of the meat as it cooks. The vertical rotisserie was invented in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire,  I guess it saves counter space in small kitchens ...

Doner Kebab
meat cooking on a vertical rotisserie

4. "No fooling!": HONEST.

5. Boosting target: EGO.

6. Dict. entry: DEF.

7. Airbnb alternative: INN.

8. Soft murmur: COO.

9. Trade hindrance: TARIFF.  A TARIFF is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods.

10. Biblical preposition: UNTO.

11. Audio engineer's equipment: SOUND MIXER.  A SOUND MIXER, AKA a SOUND BOARD takes multiple input signals—such as microphones, instruments, iPods, DJ turntables, etc.—and merges them together so they can be sent to speakers as one signal.

Sound Mixer

12. Heart duo: ATRIA.  The atrium (plural ATRIA) is one of the two upper chambers in the heart that receives blood from the circulatory system. The blood in the atria is pumped into the heart ventricles through the atrioventricular mitral and tricuspid heart valves.

13. Rihanna's fashion brand: FENTY.  Fenty Beauty  is a cosmetics brand by Rihanna, that was launched on September 8, 2017. Popular for its broad inclusivity across various skin tones, its Pro Filt'R foundation became high-demand upon first release. The original foundation launch included 40 shades, and has since expanded to 50. The inclusion of Fenty Beauty concealer includes 50 shades, offering a wide variety for all skin types.

18. Slangy britches: TROU.  "Cut offs"?

19. "Inbox zero" killer: EMAIL.  Inbox Zero is a rigorous approach to email management that aims to keep an inbox empty -- or almost empty -- at all times.  Digital OCD?
 
23. Collezione della galleria: ARTE.  Today's Italian lesson.  No English or French ART allowed.

24. Expert: REAL PRO.

25. Top rank in a tournament: ONE SEED.

27. __ franc: CAB.  Cabernet Franc is a grape varietal blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to make Bordeaux wines.

28. Plant with lace and soap varieties: ALOE.  Soothe your aches and take a bath at the same time.

29. Qualifying contest, perhaps: PLAY-IN GAME.  A play-in game is a game, usually played at the beginning of a tournament or just prior to the tournament depending on how the tournament is defined. In a play-in, the lowest qualifiers and/or participants who have earned conditional qualification compete for qualification to the main portion of the tournament.

30. Star-studded hunter: ORION.

31. Name sewn onto some jeans pockets: LEE.

35. In __: unmoved: SITU.  In SITU (Latin) is a phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position."  It can mean "locally", "on site", "on the premises", or "in place" depending on a wide variety of contexts.  My father, who was a carpenter, used to build cabinets, counters, and benches "in situ" (not his term for it) -- nowadays they're brought in prefabbed and then installed.  In fact today whole houses are prefabbed, trucked in, and assembled on site --  or even 3D printed! ...

Ugh!

37. Number of Canadian provinces: TEN.  A CSO to CanadianEh!  IIRC she lives in Ontario.

39. Caesar's rebuke: ET TU.  I think this is a myth.  Can you imagine Crossword puzzles using Roman numerals? 😁

41. Edinburgh topper: TAM.  This one's for you Lucina!

Scottish Tam

43. Wounded by a jellyfish: STUNG.

47. Marx collaborator: ENGELS.  Friedrich Engels (8 November 1820 – 5 August 1895) was a German philosopher, political theorist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He was also a businessman and Karl Marx's closest friend and collaborator.  It turns out that Engels continued to work in his Father's cotton business throughout his life and used a lot of his money to support Marx -- but then they do say that "the ends justify the means".

Friedrich Engels

48. __ de Mayo: Christmas orchid: FLOR.  There are several "Christmas Orchids", but Billy apparently wanted this one, Cattleya trianae

Flor de Mayo

49. Raw bar offering: OYSTER.  My favorite bivalve.  Chesapeake Bay sushi!

50. Muslim holy site: MECCA.  Mecca  is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia and the holiest city in Islam.  Mecca is revered in Islam as the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.  Visiting Mecca for the Ḥajj at least once is an obligation upon all able Muslims.

The Kaaba during the Hajj

51. __ committee: AD HOC.  Latin: "for this".  An AD HOC committee is formed for a specific purpose and upon completion of its mission is disbanded.

55. Spanish model Sastre: INES.  Inés Sastre Morató (born 21 November 1973) is a Spanish model and actress.  She studied at The Sorbonne in Paris, and in addition to Spanish, she speaks French, English and Italian fluently. In 1996, Sastre succeeded Isabella Rossellini as Lancôme's spokes model for its perfume, Trésor.

Ines Sastre

57. Medical research objective: CURE.

58. Quote book abbr.: ANON.

59. Have a nap: REST.

61. Tree on the Connecticut quarter: OAK.   The story of the Charter Oak.

25 cents

62. CBS crime drama: FBI. 

63. Service charge: FEE.

64. Played out: OLD.  This review is almost played out.

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

*Bonus trailer:  This is a short romantic comedy called Crossword (13 minutes).  We are certain you will love it!