Sunday, February 15, 2026, Tom Pepper and Zhouqin Burnikel

 Gift ideas

Here is a thoughtful gift from the Dream Team of Tom Pepper, and Zhouqin Burnikel. (Dynamic Duo was already taken.) For any newbies here, Zhouqin Burnikel is "CC," our "BFL" (Beloved Fearless Leader...) Of course, the dream team is incomplete without an Editor, but I am leaving her name out of this, because I am mad that she didn't publish this before Christmas, when I could have really used the Gift ideas...

22A. Shower gift?: RAIN JACKET.

24A. Money gift?: BREAD DOUGH.  Why do Bakers work so hard? Because the need the dough...

30A. Housewarming gift?: SPACE HEATER.

54A. Seasonal gift?: SPICE GRINDER. (Love this wordplay!)

68A. Thank-you gift?: GRATITUDE JOURNALS.

I really need one of these...

85A. Cheap gift?: PENNY LOAFERS. Sorry, the cheapest you can get these days are Nickel Loafers...

105A. Parting gift?: RAT-TAIL COMB.

Just one of many uses...

116A. Wedding gift?: RING BINDER. Yes, it's a thing! A.I. Overview

119A. Group gift?: BAND T SHIRT. 

I just listen to the music in my head...

Let's see how they fit "all' these theme answers into this grid!

Across:
1. Flyer with a stinger: WASP.

5. Punch sound: KAPOW.

It's louder in color...

10. Gather over time: AMASS.

15. __-mo: SLO.

18. Diez menos dos: OCHO. Spanish: ten minus two = eight

19. Red Velvet leader: IRENE. This was a tough one for anyone over 21.

Irene Bae Joon-Hyun 

Leader of the South Korean Girl Group

Red Velvet

(extra points if you can tell which one is Irene....)

20. Book with Judges: BIBLE. The Bible lists several leaders as judges of Israel, primarily the twelve mentioned in the Book of Judges...  hmm, no politics, no religion, trying to keep it lite here. For further information, consult your local Rabbi, (or spiritual leader of choice) for a pamphlet, on the Book of Judges, found within The Bible.

21. Shoe designer Jimmy: CHOO. (I wonder if his middle initial is "A.")

22. [Theme]

24. [Theme]

26. "Maybe a bit": KINDA. (Not sorta...)

27. Bone head?: OSTEO. Prefix from the Greek Osteon, meaning Bone. Follow link for examples...

29. Enjoys a trampoline: BOUNCES.

30. [Theme]

35. Head turners?: NECKS. This could have been clued differently, but still would have been a head turner...

36. ID sought by some hackers: SSN. Social Security Number.

39. "Origin" director DuVernay: AVA.

40. Bruins legend Bobby: ORR.

41. Commercial offer: REBATE.

43. Tailless primate: APE.

44. Trio of trios: NONET. A group of nine, like how many lives a cat has, or a musical group of 3 trios...

46. Knee-baring skirt: MINI. (They keep getting shorter, so MIDI might fit here now...)

47. Wrath: RAGE.

51. Park expanse: LAWN.

53. "How did they do that!?": WOW.

54. [Theme]

58. Risk getting bleeped: SWEAR.

60. "Sugar Walls" singer Sheena: EASTON.

Sheena Easton

62. Picking up on: SENSING.

63. Potts of "Young Sheldon": ANNIE.

The Best of MeeMaw.

64. Genre rooted in gospel: SOUL.

65. Pressurized garb: GSUIT. Yes, a G-suit is pressurized, but only when needed. It contains inflatable bladders that automatically fill with air, compressing the pilot's legs and abdomen during high-g maneuvers to prevent blood from pooling in the lower body, which keeps blood in the brain and prevents blackouts. 

67. Maker of POP kitchen storage containers: OXO. A brand name since 1990.

68. [Theme]

73. Focus of a skier's MRI, perhaps: ACL. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Anterior Cruciate Ligament connects the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). 

And, the reason an MRI might focus on one...

75. Solitary person: LONER.

76. Slugger Ty who holds the record for most career steals of home plate: COBB.

77. Critter in a eucalyptus forest: KOALA.

80. Paper alternative: PLASTIC.

82. Old __ die hard: HABITS.

84. Fudd who bugs Bugs: ELMER.

Can you tell which one is Bugs?

85. [Theme]

88. Soft toss: LOB.

90. Diet-friendly, in ads: LITE.

91. Pop in a glass: SODA.

92. Degs. for some composers: MFAS. Master of Fine Arts.

93. Italian city known for salami: GENOA.

95. Supermodel Carangi: GIA.

96. Cover image on an Amer. passport: U.S. SEAL.

99. __ Dhabi: ABU. Capital City of The United Arab Emirates.

101. Business letters: INC. (meaning Incorporated...)

102. Slip-__: comfy shoes: ONS.

103. Bamboozled: AT SEA.

105. [Theme]

109. Mrs. __ cow: O'LEARYS. Stop blaming the poor cow for the Chicago Fire. A.I. Overview

111. Egg-shaped: OVATE.

112. Adds slack, perhaps: EASES.

116. [Theme]

119.[Theme]

122. Oscar winner Blanchett: CATE. Incredibly prolific actress, you may know her as "Galadriel" from The Lord of the Rings. But she could be almost anyone... Her IMDB

In the Movie Hannah, she uses a body double to escape a teenaged assassin.

123. Intimidate: DAUNT.

124. Beauty mogul Elizabeth: ARDEN.

125. Solo with orchestral backing: ARIA.

126. Residue in an incense burner: ASH.

127. Columns with angles: OP EDS. 😀 An essay in a newspaper or magazine that gives the opinion of the writer and that is written by someone who is not employed by the newspaper or magazine.

128. Intel source: ASSET.

129. "That __ fair!": ISN'T.

Down:
1. Function: WORK. You have to scroll way down the list of definitions under the word "function" to find "work."  Perhaps it would be easier to look at it backwards, (or CrossEyed) and think of this as the definition for work. (=function)

2. Superfruit in a yogurt bowl: ACAI.

3. Leg part: SHIN. A favorite skier MRI focus as the ACL connects it to the thigh bone...

4. Lily pads' places: PONDS.

5. Carnival creator: KIA. Ever play the car name game on a long trip? Try to make it through the alphabet.  See an Audi or an Accura, and claim an A! A Honda for H, a Ford for F. If you can't find a Buick for B, a Bronco will suffice! A javelin may be hard to find, but I have been saved by a Jetta... (you may have to cheat if you make it to U, U-haul etc...)

6. Parenthesis shape: ARC.

7. Tea grade: PEKOE.

8. Happening a single time: ONE SHOT. (Never happens in bars...)

9. Holding more water: WETTER.

See 8 down above

10. Big brother?: ABBOT.😀

11. Orbiter until 2001: MIR.

12. Honest pres.: ABE.

13. Concrete section: SLAB.

14. Arizona city known for sandstone formations: SEDONA.

15. Prepare, as oysters: SHUCK.

16. Pricey theater boxes: LOGES.

17. Sounds of wonder: OOHS.

21. Worries: CONCERNS.

23. Only Asian member of the G7: JAPAN.

25. Piece for two: DUET.

28. Sweet corn serving: EAR.

31. Profess: AVOW.

32. Tippy transport: CANOE.🙃

33. NFL Hall of Famer Dickerson: ERIC.

34. Philosopher Descartes: RENE "I think, therefore I am." (Cogito, ergo sum)

36. Taco topping: SALSA.

37. Produce young: SPAWN.

38. Clam chowder style: NEW ENGLAND. (Manhattan wouldn't fit.)

42. Scenic region between Carmel and San Simeon: BIG SUR.

45. Discarded PCs, printers, etc.: E WASTE.

46. Hour pt.: MIN. (Or sec, or...)

Decisecond: One-tenth of a second (

$0.1$

 s).

Centisecond: One-hundredth of a second (

$0.01$

 s).

Millisecond (ms): One-thousandth of a second (

$0.001$

 s).

Microsecond (

$\mu$

s): One-millionth of a second (

$0.000001$

 s).

Nanosecond (ns): One-billionth of a second (

${10}^{-9}$

 s).

Shake: 10 nanoseconds (

${10}^{-8}$

 s).

Picosecond (ps): One-trillionth of a second (

${10}^{-12}$

 s).

Femtosecond (fs): One-quadrillionth of a second (

${10}^{-15}$

 s).

Attosecond (as): One-quintillionth of a second (

${10}^{-18}$

 s).

Zeptosecond (zs): One-sextillionth of a second (

${10}^{-21}$

 s).

Planck time: Approximately 

$5.39\times {10}^{-44}$

 seconds. 

48. "Later, gator!": ADIOS AMIGO. Could also be clued: Hasta LaVista! Or, Vaya Con Dios...

49. Group before millennials: GEN X.

50. "By that logic ... ": ERGO.

52. Depilatory brand: NAIR.

54. __ muffin: STUD.

Now Ladies, remember your diet...

55. Racer with an edge: POLE CAR.

Normally the car in 1st starting position,

but there have been accidents...

56. Bridle strap: REIN.

57. Output opposite: INTAKE.

59. Business with lots to offer: REALTY.😆

61. Like kimchi and umeboshi: SOUR.

65. Silk Road desert: GOBI.

66. Nuanced: SUBTLE.

69. "Double, double __ and trouble": TOIL.

70. Revenue: INCOME.

71. Positions: JOBS.

72. Emulate a couch potato: LOLL.

73. Snapchat and ChatGPT: APPS.

74. Egyptian queen, familiarly: CLEO.

What the real Cleopatra is believed to look like.

78. Grant admission to: LET IN.

79. Some geometry calculations: AREAS.

81. Dog treat portmanteau: SNAUSAGE. Supposedly Snack and Sausage...

82. Cock and bull: HE'S. (A likely story...)

83. __ boom: SONIC.

86. "... we traverse __": AFAR.

87. FDR pet honored with a statue in D.C.: FALA.

FDR and Fala remembered.

89. Pro __: gratis: BONO. 

(from 

pro bono publico, "for the public good") refers to free, voluntary legal services, whereas gratis means without charge;free.

93. Rock instruments: GUITARS.

94. High points: ACMES.

97. Belgrade native: SERB.

98. Get hitched: SAY I DO. Before adding the spaces, Sayido sounded like a thing. So I tried to look it up

99. Off-rd. rig: ATV. All Terrain Vehicle

100. [We're sheep!]: BAA BAA.

What they're really saying...

103. Misleading handle: ALIAS.😗

104. Final bowling frame: TENTH.

106. Legal wrongs: TORTS.

107. Gives temporarily: LENDS.

108. Faith founded in Persia: BAHA'I.

109. Black-and-white predator: ORCA.

110. Rice Krispies mascot in a chef's hat: SNAP. Pop quiz! What kind of hat did Pop wear? (Or Crackle for that matter...)

113. Gentlemen: SIRS.

114. "__ Brockovich": ERIN. A famous environmental activist.

115. "On the double!": STAT.

117. __ date: DUE.

118. Baseball : inning :: curling : __: END. Yes End,,, Here's the A.I. Overview

120. Barely passing grade: DEE.

121. Big bang abbr.: TNT. Also, Raj was short for Rajesh Ramayan Koothrappali.

Here's the grid:

CE:D out.

Sunday, February 9, 2025 ~ Tom Pepper & Zhouqin Burnikel

Theme: "H2O"

Today, Tom and C.C. replace Hs with Os. Get it? H to O? Fun ensues.
Let's dig in to the themers:

23. Destroying personal chicken pens?: BUSTING ONES COOPS. Busting one's chops is an idiom meaning to tease or criticized in a lighthearted way.

39. Spilling a drink or double-dipping chips?: PARTY OOPS. Party hOPS - goes from party to party. I've had to do this at Christmas time before I toned down my calendar.

58. Exuberant support for Polo?: MARCO MADNESS. March Madness - College basketball's championship series of games in March.

83. Attendee at an orca training center?: POD CANDIDATE. PhD candidate.

97. Cold comfort for a YouTuber?: VIDEO COAT. Video chat. You know, what we did during Covid.

118. Relishing every bite of a fluffy French dessert?: LOST IN THE SOUFFLE. Lost in the shuffle.

41. Grain for one who eats like a horse?: COWBOY OATS. Cowboy hats.

Toy Story's Woody complete with Cowboy Hat

46. Dirty film at a movie theater?: SCREEN SOOT. Screen shot - taking an image of your computer screen.

Wow!, Tom & C.C. - eight (8) fun, water-making, clues.

As Paul Harvey might say, "Now, for the rest of the fill..."

Across:
1. Taj Mahal locale: AGRA.

5. The Bee Gees brothers: GIBBS.

Jive Talkin'

10. 10% church offering: TITHE. Pop ponied up 10% so Bro & I could attend St. Joe's.

15. Proper partner: PRIM. Prim & Proper - too stuffy if you ask me.

19. Prepare, as water for tea: BOIL. Tell us if you have an electric kettle.

20. Zhou of China: ENLAI. No Clue. WikiP says he was a "Chinse statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as [... China's premier ...] from 1949 until his death in 1973."

21. Ventricles' counterparts: ATRIA. Heart anatomy.

22. 40th anniversary gem: RUBY. Oy!, I only have four (4) years to save up.

23. [See: theme]

26. Polish language?: EDIT. Ha! Who else was thinking Poland?

27. Classical theater: ODEON. Like really classical Greek / Roman.

28. Storybook baddie: OGRE. Try as he might, Shrek wasn't a real baddie.

He's got a heart of gold.

29. Mechanic's job: LUBE.

30. Get-together, casually: SESH. My cackles get raised when my co-worker says this.

31. Import tax: TARIFF.

33. Reduced to mush: PUREED.

Will it Blend? - SciFi edition

35. Inning sextet: OUTS. Three outs per side finish an inning.

37. Terrible fate: DOOM.

39. [See: theme]

41. Raven's cry: CAW. Who else thought Poe and wanted to enter "TAP, Tap, Tapping at my chamber door."

44. Impudence: SASS.

47. Snake in the grass: RAT.

49. Like some stories: SHORT. Isaac Asimov's are some of my favorites.

50. Island farewell: ALOHA. Out of context, it also means hello.

Beatles!

52. "Mayfair Witches" network: AMC. I think this is a show DW & Girls enjoy.

53. Like a pug's tail: CURLED.

56. Assent, in Paris: OUI.

57. Hawkish: PROWAR.

58. [See: theme]

61. Copa del Rey cheer: OLE.

63. Soccer icon Wambach: ABBY.

64. Shave sheep: SHEAR.

65. Internet rabble-rouser: TROLL. Don't be one in the comments below ;-)

66. Abruptly stops daydreaming: SNAPS TO.

68. Running time: LENGTH.

70. Nabe where one might find tteokbokki: KTOWN. K-Town is Korean Town a NABourhood where you can find tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes(?)). Houston has a small K-Town in the South Spring Branch area. I went there with my buddies for dinner - we had to cook our own meat :-)

72. Alcohol in windshield wiper fluid: METHYL.

74. Kenyan capital: NAIROBI.

76. Mountain, in Hawaiian: MAUNA.

78. Make slicker, in a way: REOIL.

80. The Beatles' "Back in the __": USSR.

Sir Paul lights up The Philharmonic

82. "Discreet Music" artist Brian: ENO.

83. [See: theme]

85. __ skirt: POODLE.

87. High-tech FX: CGI. FX == special effects; CGI == Computer-Generated Imagery.

89. Baggage handler: SKYCAP. The guy right outside the terminal that you tip $5/bag to get you checked in.

90. "__ in the Bed": classic counting rhyme: TEN. Does this have anything to do with monkeys jumping?

91. Large deer: MOOSE.

92. Alaska's 365 million: ACRES. MOOSE wouldn't fit (and we just had it :-))

94. Sashimi fish: AHI. Sashimi == fish & no rice; sushi == fish on rice.

95. "Hey, c'mere!": PSST.

96. Foraging insect: ANT.

97. [See: theme]

101. Salt Lake County ski resort: ALTA.

103. Quick-with-a-joke types: WITS. "And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke / But there's some place that he'd rather be" [Billy Joel - Piano Man]

104. Pickleball point starters: SERVES.

106. Swung up and down: YO-YOED.

110. Flip-flop, e.g.: SHOE.

113. Common blood type, briefly: A POS. ABO blood typing. A+ means you have the Rh (rhesus) factor and the antigen A in your red-cells (with the B antigen in your plasma). There are three antigens - A, B, & O. //My MOS was 92B [read: my army job was medical lab tech]

115. Per person: EACH.

116. Yoda's power, with "the": FORCE.

117. Prepare for takeoff?: TAXI.

118. [See: theme]

122. __ so slightly: EVER.

123. "OK, we're doing this!": ITS ON. It's on like Donkey Kong!

124. Turner of "Rivals": AIDAN. Irish actor.

125. Fuel fire suppressant: FOAM. Los Angels saw a lot of this in January :-(

126. Darn, say: MEND.

127. Seated twist, e.g.: ASANA. Yoga.

128. "Don't play" symbols: RESTS. Musical reference.

Notes and Rests

129. Hardens: SETS.

Down:
1. Man on a mission?: ABBOT. Ha! A mission like the Alamo.

2. Mild yellow cheese: GOUDA. It's a real gooda!

3. Choir platform: RISER.

4. Tin mints: ALTOIDS. When I quit smoking I went through a tin a day. I switched to sugar-free Ice Breakers to save my teeth.

5. Next-__ hardware: GEN. Next GENeration. I think we're up to the iThing 16 now.

6. Gerund suffix: ING. To make a verb function as a noun, add ING - in case you were askING.

7. __ single: BLOOP. In baseball, a bloop single it's a lightly hit fly ball that goes over the infield but not quite to the outfielders.

8. First-rate, as a job: BANGUP. Tom & C.C. did a bang up job on this grid.

9. Romeo follower: SIERRA. The NATO Alphabet.

10. Tic-__-toe: TAC.

11. "See!?": I TOLD YOU.

12. Slacks, slangily: TROU. TROUsers.

13. Half a pair of waders: HIP BOOT.

14. Relax: EASEUP.

15. Media coverage: PRESS.

16. "The disrespect!": RUDE.

17. Bird with a curved bill: IBIS.

Ibis

18. Prometheus, for one: MYTH. Greek mythical god of fire.

24. Dirt, so to speak: INFO. The skinny. The word on the street.

Jon Lovitz [L] & Phil Hartman [R]

25. Future readers: SEERS. Cute, Tarot readers SEE the future.

32. Message board: FORUM. Not an ODEON? :-)

34. Community spirit: ETHOS.

36. Pre-1917 autocrat: TSAR. We're back in the USSR. [See: 80a]

38. Race named for a Greek battle: MARATHON. Pheidippides ran 26.2 miles [40km, C, Eh!] from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of victory.

40. Constellation containing Betelgeuse and Rigel: ORION. Knowing this told me Party Foul (filled b/f I knew the gimmick) was wrong.

41. [See: theme]

42. Starbuck's boss: AHAB. Melville's Moby Dick rather than CEO of the said named coffee chain.

43. Cautious (of): WARY.

44. __ Club: SAMS. Wal-Mart's Wholesale club and competitor of COSTCO. In college DW & I "joined" Sam's hoping to save $$. We did but spent the entire grocery budget on 50 packs of ramen, a dozen burritos, 4 tubes of toothpaste, 40 rolls of toilet paper, and 3 lbs of beef jerky :-)

45. Menotti's shepherd boy: AMAHL. Waseeley probably knows Menotti's opera featuring Amahl and the Night Visitors.

46. [See: theme]

48. Letters before a recap: TLDR. Too Long; Didn't Read. Basically, a memo's Executive Summary.

51. Really hated: LOATHED.

53. Welsh herding dog: CORGI.

54. Mushroom in bulgogi hot pot: ENOKI.

55. Muscle used in lateral raises: DELT. Deltoids are the muscles on your torso's sides.

57. Cacio e __: pasta dish: PEPE.


59. Baseless rumors: CANARDS.

60. Replay effect: SLOMO. For our first anniversary, I purchased a VCR for DW so she could record her soaps. She claims I bought it for myself 'cuz it had cool features like 4x SLOw MOtion :-)

62. Don Quixote's home: LAMANCHA. Spanish Lit.

66. Moved stealthily: SNUCK.

67. Take it all off: STRIP.

Adam Ant

69. Grove growth: TREE.

71. Rolls of bills: WADS.

73. Lo-cal brews: LITES.

75. Lawn bowling game: BOCCE. When Pop & his wife go to The Hill in STL, they play bocce ball.

77. Dasani competitor: NAYA. Bottled water brands.

79. Time to give up?: LENT. The forty (40) days following Fat Tuesday "to give up" something (fast) until Easter. It's no fair giving up drinking if you don't.

80. South Indian semolina porridge: UPMA.

81. Any day now: SOON.

83. King or queen, in chess: PIECE. I'm so glad someone threw me a bone with the "in chess" bit.

84. Newspaper: DAILY. Clark Kent worked for the newspaper at the DAILY Planet.

86. Jeans pioneer Strauss: LEVI.

88. 2,240 pounds: GROSS TON.

92. Super Bowl commercials, e.g.: AD SPOTS. This year, 30 seconds will run you about $8,000,000.

93. Existentialist Kierkegaard: SOREN.

95. Bribes: PAYOFFS.

98. Torino locale: ITALIA. DW's first car, a Torino, was located in Shreveport, LA :-)

99. Incarnation of Shiva: AVATAR. An Indian (Asian, not Native American) god.

100. Gadget enthusiast: TECHIE. My reason for the 4x SLO MO feature.

102. Vegan protein: TOFU.

103. Bizarro: WEIRD. It's weird to me that the word doesn't follow the "I before E (except after C) unless it sounds like an A" rule. Bizarro!

105. Storage sites: SHEDS.

107. "Friend __?": OR FOE. Um, if foe, wouldn't they lie?

108. Brilliant display: ECLAT.

109. Considers to be: DEEMS. Seems to be that I deem it that way.

110. Originate (from): STEM.

111. "__ a nice day!": HAVE.

Blazing Saddles

112. Farm workers: OXEN. Serf fit too. Just sayin'.

114. Peak in Thessaly: OSSA.

119. Cookbook writer Garten: INA. Crosswordom's favorite foodie?

120. Warmed the bench: SAT. In my youth when I played baseball, I was not a bench warmer. Other sports are another matter.

121. Iron-__: heat-activated patches: ONS.

Iron On on a 86d LEVI jacket

The Grid:

The Grid

The skinny:
WO: PARTY foul -> OOPS
ESPs: ENLAI, AMAHL, LAMANCHA, AIDAN
Fav: Polish language == EDIT

Cheers, -T

 

Notes from C.C.:

1) Thanks for the great write-up, Tony!

2) Happy 54th Birthday to dear Splynter, our faithful Wednesday Sherpa. Splynter also blogged the Saturday puzzles for us for many years. May this year bring you joy, good health, a loyal four-legged friend and a special two-legged friend.

Splynter with Cooper on Christmas Day

 

Thursday, July 4, 2024, Tom Pepper & Zhouqin Burnikel

 

  YO YO YO YO

Today we are privileged to have with us constructors Tom Pepper and Zhouqin Burnikel.  By my count this is Tom and C.C.'s 7th collaboration.

The above clip was performed by Yo-Yo Ma's Silkroad Project and is their take on the Goin' Home theme from Antonin Dvorak's 9th Symphony ("From the New World").  I selected it for our intro as the first half of Yo-Yo Ma's surname is a homophone of the 1st syllable of the 1st word of Tom and C.C.'s 4 theme fills ...

17A. Hatha to Ashtanga?: YOGAS RANGE.  This is the only themer that is not pulling our legs.  I think RANGE here refers to the level of difficulty of the particular school of yoga, with HATHA being relatively easy, ranging through ASHTANGA which is the hardest.  I believe there are also other comparison schemes for the various schools of yoga.
 

Yoga Mandala

29A. Stuffed teddies that look like a green Jedi master?: YODA BEARS.  Actually there are such creatures, but they inhabit the Amazon, not the Star Wars Universe 😀.

46A. Tex-Mex snack that improves the performance of an Alpine singer?: YODEL TACO.  This was a stretch -- I don't think they're a Tex-Mex thing, but the following product might soothe a throat after consuming a TACO containing too many red hot chili peppers 😀...

62A. Dice toss style named after a "Hamlet" jester?: YORICK ROLL.  Or Scottish sushi made with stuff dug up from an old grave yard? 💀

 Here's the grid ...

Here's the rest ...
.
Across:

1. Cronies: PALS.

5. Bird in the National Audubon Society logo: EGRET.  Heron fit, but didn't perp.  Apparently there has been some controversy recently at the Audubon Society.

10. Above, in Augsburg: UBER.  Today's  German lesson: ABOVE.
 

Augsburg, Germany

14. With 43-Down, "M*A*S*H" star: ALAN.  See 43D.

15. Writer Mary who specializes in popular science: ROACH.  Mary Roach (born March 20, 1959) is an American author specializing in popular science and humor.  She in known for her offbeat titles, on curious subjects, e.g.

   Stiff          Bonk          Gulp        Spook

The only one of these I explored in any depth was the last: Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife.  As it turns out a copy of the entire book is available online at Google Books (see below).  This is a topic that I have read extensively about, and I expected that Roach would be skeptical about it, as most modern scientists base their beliefs on a metaphysics of  philosophical materialism.  However this was not the case.  During her research for the book she eventually encountered the writings of Dr. Ian Stevenson, a tenured Psychiatrist at the University of Virginia.   Roach's discussion of Stevenson's writings begins around page 24 in the Google books edition.  Her account of his findings concludes with this statement on page 30 -- "If you take the work of Ian Stevenson at face value, it would be hard to reach any conclusion other than this: Reincarnation happens".  If you're interested in this topic see the Stevenson link above for an extensive bibliography of his researches.

16. Party with glow sticks: RAVE.  Back in the 60's our RAVES used strobe lights and lava lamps. 😀

17. [Theme clue]

19. Change the locks?: SNIP.  You could change someone's locks (hair) by snipping it.

20. "I said ENOUGH!": STOP NOW. 

21. Insta, X, TikTok, etc., informally: SOCIALS.  Social media.  Although quite a few of them seem to be 31D-SOCIALS.

23. Runs smoothly: PURRS.  Like a contented kitty.

25. Wilson of Heart: ANN.  Ann Dustin Wilson (born June 19, 1950) is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead singer of the rock band Heart, which is still going strong.  Here she sings These Dreams ...

26. TMZ subject: CELEB.  TMZ seems to be updated hourly, but I'm sure you'll find a few "items" of interest today.

29. [Theme clue]

34. Anxious feeling: UNEASE.

36. Headlight part: LENS.

37. Toe bean locale: PAW.  Pawmestry: the art of reading toe beans.  And a CSO to Hahtoolah.
 

Toe Beans

38. Play things: SETS.

39. In flight: ALOFT.

41. Mother of Clytemnestra: LEDA. In Greek mythology the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces (make that RAPES) Leda, a Spartan queen. Leda bore Helen and Polydeuces, children of Zeus, while at the same time bearing Castor and Clytemnestra, children of her husband Tyndareus, the King of Sparta.  Clytemnestra would later marry Agamemnon, a Greek leader of the Trojan War.  Clytemnestra would subsequently die at the hands of her son Orestes for the slaying of Agamemnon.  All of this violence is powerfully compressed in William Butler Yeats' 15 line poem: Leda and the Swan.

42. Storefront sign abbr.: HRS.

43. Java spot: ASIA.  No, not a CAFE, nor a sweat where programmers write CODE, but an island in the Indonesian Archipelago.

Java

44. "Yeah, there is a resemblance there": I SEE IT.

46. [Theme clue]

49. Anaheim team, to fans: HALOS.  AKA the Los Angelos Angels.

50. Condition often treated with ERP: OCD.  Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy is a behavioral therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorders that gradually exposes people to situations designed to provoke a person's obsessions in a safe environment.

51. Flower at the center of a financial bubble in the 1630s: TULIP.  The crash of 1637 may have been more fiction than fact.

Tulip field in Holland

53. Marshy habitat: WETLAND.

57. Artificial surface sports injury: TURF TOE.  No, it's not an injury caused by artificial turf.  It can happen on any kind of turf.

61. "lol 2 funny": HA HA.
.
62. [Theme clue].

64. Dollar alternative: AVIS.  EURO fit, but HERTZ didn't, but both would have been wrong. 😀

65. Moved stealthily: SLUNK.  The past tense of SLINK.

66. __ Spunkmeyer cookies: OTIS.

67. Chaotic situation: MESS.

68. Mournful verse: ELEGY.  This is a poet's elegy for another poet, the one who wrote Leda and the Swan at 41A.

69. Unit that might be edited or spliced: GENE.  A GENE is a segment of DNA that codes for one or more proteins -- it is analogous to a set of records in a database.  However doing anything with that data, such as editing it or splicing it, requires the use of enzymes (proteins) and RNA (which also can function as an enzyme).  RNA is the unsung hero of molecular biology and in this book by Nobel prize winning biochemist Thomas R. Cech, he gives credit where credit is due for the vital role that RNA plays in catalyzing all that goes on in life ...

Down:

1. Is worth it: PAYS.

2. Tons: ALOT.

3. Italian lake: LAGO.  Today's Italian lesson.  In 1927 heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post built a winter retreat in Florida called Mar-a-Lago, but it has since changed hands. 

4. Stir-fry ingredient: SNAP PEAS.   You can either stir-fry them or just snack on them fresh from the garden.

Sugar Snaps

5. Overthrow, e.g.: ERROR.  OUST was too short, but an OVERTHROW is scored as an ERROR, at least in baseball.

6. Fall apart, as plans: GO AWRY.

7. Operated: RAN.

8. Heart charts, for short: ECGS.  Electro Cardio Gram --You're more likely to see this abbreviated as EKG -- this is why.

9. James of "The White Lotus": THEO.  The White Lotus is an American black comedy drama anthology television series created by Mike White for HBO. It follows the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose interactions are affected by their various psychosocial dysfunctions.  It must be a lot of fun to act in.

Theo James

10. Like Boo Boo and Smokey: URSINE.  Looks like they're both MINORS. 😀

Boo Boo                    Smokey

11. Slapstick prop: BANANA PEEL.

12. Not good at all: EVIL.

The Three Wise Monkeys

13. Gym count: REPS.

18. Gives the cold shoulder to: SNUBS.  Being SNUBBED at the Oscars is a term we've seen a lot of lately.  But the recognition of just receiving a nomination is considered a reward by some.

22. Semi areas: CABS.  Or some RED wines.

24. One-person project: SOLO ACT.  Here's one everybody knows ...

26. Like an easy job: CUSHY.

27. First calendario page: ENERO.

28. "Bring it on!": LETS DO THIS.

30. Dict. entry: DEF.  Hand up if you still use a paper Dict?

31. Start to matter?: ANTI.  The Big Bang should have created equal amounts of matter and antimatter in the early universe. But today, everything we see from the smallest life forms on Earth to the largest stellar objects is made almost entirely of matter.  So what happened?

32. Sirius business: RADIO.  Our new car came with Sirius Radio, but we didn't subscribe.  But we do donate $15 a month to WBJC FM.  You can too if you go to their website and click on the Blue Donate button. 😀

33. Whacks: SWATS.

35. It's right there on the map!: EAST.  And WEST is left there on the map!

40. NCAA champion swimmer Thomas: LIA.

41. Jump ahead of: LEAPFROG.

43. See 14-Across: ALDA.  Né Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo (January 28, 1936), ALDA did play a few other characters besides Hawkeye Pierce.

Alan Alda

45. Dodge: SHIRK.

47. Mercedes luxury line: E CLASS.  2024s starting at $63,350.

2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

48. Trip: OUTING.

52. Like the number eight, in China: LUCKY.  I wonder who came up with this clue? 😀

53. "Kapow!": WHAM.

54. Icicle holder: EAVE.

55. Big Board abbr.: NYSE.  New York Stock Exchange.

56. Woody of "Toy Story," for one: DOLL.

Woody

58. Reusable shopping bag: TOTE.

59. Lena of "The Reader": OLIN.  The Reader is a 2008 German-American romantic drama film about the events of the Holocaust and its aftermath.  The film tells the story of Michael Berg (Ralph Fiennes), a German lawyer who, as a 15-year-old in 1958, has a sexual relationship with an older woman, Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet), a prison guard in one of the death camps.  Lena Olin plays a Holocaust survivor named Llana. I found the plot of this film to be very difficult to understand (see Wiki article above).  Here is a scene that occurred many years later in New York, where Llana and Michael are discussing a secret he knew that Hannah took to the grave, but which he seems unwilling to reveal. Two great actors ....

60. "Anyone __?": ELSE.

63. Regret: RUE.  Could also be clued "French street" or "Bitter herb'".

Cheers,
Bill

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

waseeley

As you read this Teri and I will have left town for a  visit to Ohio for a week to be with family and friends and ending with a concert on July 6th at the Blossom Music Festival near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. And then we'll be Goin' Home.