Wednesday, July 8, 2026 - Jonathon Hales

 Theme:  "Quiet, please!"

 

 

Puzzling thoughts:

Greetings from Chairman Moe; or, as I learned last month when Miss Margaret and I toured the Iberian Peninsula for 3+ weeks, the local expression for greetings are: "Bom Dia" (Portuguese) and "Egun On" (Basque)

 

My crossword solving skills took a hiatus, too, as I did not travel with my laptop, and solving on a cellphone is not very practical.  Solving crossword puzzles was not even on my priority/to do list while on holidays.  Too many amazing things to see and explore.  If you've never visited Portugal or the Basque Country in Spain, do. Thanks, CED, for swapping Wednesdays with me this month as I returned back to the U.S. on 1 July and would not have been able to do my "assigned" day

On to the puzzle du jour:  When I googled the constructor's name, Jonathon Hales, I came up empty; other than a few people with that name (and exact spelling) on Facebook.  I found zero relatable "hits" to any so-named crossword puzzle constructor so my guess is that this is both his LAT and personal debut.  If this is so, congratulations!  If not (and he happens to stop by) please provide us with some more details about yourself and about today's puzzle

Jonathon's work is a combination of word play and factual phrases that one could relate to a (52-across. Community facility for researchers and book lovers) LOCAL LIBRARY.  For example:

17. Suggestion for a 52-Across patron who didn't finish a book by closing time?: CHECK IT OUT.  The word play ("check it out") could refer to examining or analyzing something; the library connection (literal meaning) is taking the book to the desk, showing your library card, and taking it home for a period of time

 

 

 

24. Reminder on a collection that can't leave a 52-Across?: READ ONLY FILE.  The literal and figurative meaning of this is a bit more vague than the other entries, IMO.  But, if you recall the "Reference" section of a library, items such as encyclopedias were "read only in the library"; not to be checked out.  A read only file [as defined by Microsoft Support] is: any computer file that you can open, view, print, or copy, but cannot modify, delete, overwrite, or edit. The operating system blocks any "write" operations to protect the document's content and maintain its original state

 

 

36. Sign near a door slot of a 52-Across?: RETURN TO THE FOLD. Another connection of literal and figurative as the word "return" is what you literally do with a book you've checked out of the library, and return to the fold is an expression that means to rejoin, return, or be welcomed back into a group, community, or organization after a period of absence. I suppose that a book that's been checked out of the library could be "missed" by the other books.  I chose another meaning of the word "fold" with the cartoon below:

 

 

 

 

64. Advice for patrons who borrow materials from a 52-Across?: DON'T BE LATE.  The cartoon below is a bit "dark" but it summarizes the theme! 😏

 

 

 

Perhaps my blogging "skills" took a hiatus, too.  Please add your thoughts to the comment section if you saw anything different than I 

Here is the completed grid.  This "felt" a bit more difficult than a typical Wednesday puzzle but I finished it without help and with very few write-overs ...

 

 

 

Across:

1. Seaweed on tobiko maki: NORI.  Moe-ku:

 

        Question on seaweed

        Sushi wrap: Do you eat it?

        If it's no, NOR I 

5. Trophy winner: CHAMP. 

10. Quaker grains: OATS.  

14. Sing the praises of: LAUD.  As in the lyrics of this hymn:

 

15. Striped Girl Scout Cookie: SAMOA.  Not sure that I agree that a singular cookie would be called a Samoa 

16. Tortilla sandwich: WRAP.  Moe-ku:

        Movie director's

        Comment after having lunch:

        "I think that's a WRAP!" 

[theme entry]

19. The Dalai __: LAMA.

20. Geena's "Thelma & Louise" co-star: SUSAN.  Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon 

That's Susan on the left / Geena on the right

21. Native Canadian: CREE. [from Wikipedia] "The Cree are one of the largest Indigenous groups in North America, with a total population exceeding 350,000. Their traditional territories stretch from Alberta to Quebec in Canada, with a few communities in Montana, USA. They are divided into distinct groups like the Plains, Woodland, and Swampy Cree, each adapting unique traditions to their specific regional environments"

23. Not great: BAD.  I typed in MEH before correcting it

[theme entry]

28. Former South African president Nelson: MANDELA.  

31. Slices and __: DICES.  Ron Popeil's invention of the 1960's: "It slices and dices and makes julienne french fried potatoes ..."

And its commercial was filmed in the Canadian Province that's the answer to (49 across. Home of Canadian curler Marc Kennedy:) ALBERTA. (and a mini-CSO to CanadianEh!)

32. Melber of MS NOW: ARI. [according to Wikipedia] "Ari Naftali Melber is an American attorney and Emmy Award-winning journalist who is the Chief Legal Correspondent for MS NOW and host of The Beat with Ari Melber. Melber won a 2016 Emmy Award for Supreme Court reporting and was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2020 and 2025 in the "Outstanding Live Interview" category"

33. Frequently, in poetry: OFT.

35. March 14 dessert: PIE.  Based on the fact that the mathematical number for "pi" is 3.14 (when rounded to two decimals) and is also a way of expressing March 14 (3/14)

[theme entry]

43. Look at: SEE.  

44. "Gangnam Style" rapper: PSY.  

45. Forever and a day: EON. 

46. Group of lions: PRIDE.  Moe-ku:

        A group of lions

        Who were homosexual

        Held a PRIDE Parade 

        (of course they did!!) 

 

 

[theme reveal]

56. The "A" of IPA: ALE.  As in India Pale ALE

57. __ fountain: SODA.  If the word "fountain" were capitalized, my answer would've been PETE

58. Greek fable writer: AESOP.  My favorite "fables" growing up were featured on the cartoon show "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle":

 

62. Healthy piece: SLAB.  As opposed to an "unhealthy piece" where I would have inserted the word FLAB

67. Prefix with phone: MEGA.  Anyone else besides me have TELE in this spot?

68. Twinkle: GLEAM.  A different spelling of this word was used as a brand name for toothpaste (that apparently made your teeth "twinkle").  P & G discontinued this brand about 12 years ago as part of a purging of under-performing SKUs

 

 

69. Raison d'__: ETRE. Raison d'être is a French phrase that translates to "reason for existence". It refers to the fundamental purpose, justification, or driving motive behind why a person, organization, or concept exists

70. Greek war god: ARES. Did anyone confuse Ares with MARS?  The Roman war god? Not I

71. County in southeast England: ESSEX.

72. Furniture wood: TEAK.  Moe-ku:

 

        Piece of furniture

        Shaped like Polynesian raft

        Is called: Kon-TEAK-i  

Down:
1. MLB playoff round: NLCS.  Short for: National League Championship Series - won last year by the LA Dodgers.  I'm old enough to remember when there was one "champion" of the NL and one of the AL and they contended for the World Series.  Baseball has expanded greatly since then (double the number of teams) and there are more playoff rounds before the World Series begins.  Now, there is a "Wild Card" round; a "Divisional" round; and a "League Championship" round.  Used to be that the World Series was decided in early October - with all the extra "rounds" it can spill into November

2. Diamond Head's island: OAHU.  A reference to the dormant volcano crater located on Hawaii's most populated island

 

 

3. Wants to take back: RUES.

4. Security checkpoint request: I.D. CARD.  During our Iberian Peninsula trip we had to show our U.S. Passport several times but never an I.D. "card"

5. CBS forensic franchise: CSI.  Short for: Crime Scene Investigation

6. See 34-Down: HAT. (34 down. With 6-Down, part of an Abraham Lincoln costume:) TOP.  This dude wore a top hat of sorts:

 

7. Corporation previously called Standard Oil of Indiana: AMOCO.  [per Wikipedia]: The majority of today’s largest energy corporations trace their roots back to the 1911 breakup:

ExxonMobil: Descends from the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (Esso) and the Standard Oil Company of New York (Socony).

Chevron: Formed from the Standard Oil Company of California (SoCal), which later acquired Standard Oil of Kentucky.

BP (British Petroleum): Acquired the Standard Oil Company of Ohio (Sohio) and the Standard Oil Company of Indiana (Amoco).

Marathon Petroleum / Marathon Oil: Descends directly from The Ohio Oil Company, an early Standard Oil production subsidiary.

8. Grieve: MOURN.

9. Dev of "Lion": PATEL.  A clecho of sorts as the word "lion" appeared for the answer: PRIDE

10. "Horned" bird: OWL.  We had a Great Horned Owl "family" build a nest in one of our community's Saguaro cacti a few years ago

11. Language of the Quran: ARABIC.

12. Snack steamed in a corn husk: TAMALE.

13. Small shovels: SPADES.  

18. Patella locale: KNEE.

22. Grammy winner Gorme: EYDIE.  Married to fellow singer/comedian Steve Lawrence

 

 

25. Like Kevin McCallister at Christmas: ALONE.  From the movie series "Home Alone"

26. Inane: DAFT. [according to Cambridge Dictionary] "Daft" is an informal adjective meaning foolish, silly, or obviously absurd. Commonly used in British and Scottish English, the term describes actions, ideas, or behavior that lack good sense and judgment

27. Feudal estate: FIEF. Moe-ku:

 

        Notable giant

        Became a vassal. His new 

        Phrase? "FIEF-fi-fo-fum"  

28. Feb. follower: MAR.  Might've preferred this answer to not be an abbreviation 

29. "Odds __ ... ": ARE.  'N' ENDS didn't fit; nor ON

30. Tiny issue: NIT.  See my response to 28 down

35. Kingdom divisions: PHYLA.  [according to Wikipedia] "Phyla" is the plural form of the word phylum. In biology, a phylum is a major taxonomic rank used to classify organisms. It sits below kingdom and above class. Organisms in the same phylum share a fundamental structural framework or a common evolutionary body plan

37. Food safety org.: USDA.  Short for United States Department of Agriculture

38. Film spools: REELS. 

39. Peter the Great, for one: TSAR.  CZAR also fits, but why tsar?  [according to American Heritage Dictionary]  "Tsar" and "czar" are simply two different English spellings of the same Russian title for a monarch or supreme ruler, with both words etymologically derived from the Roman title "Caesar"

40. Not 'neath: OER.

41. Spot with many spots: LOT.  As in a parking lot

42. Genetic material: DNA. So, is RNA a genetic material?  Would it have worked as an answer here? Yes, RNA is genetic material. While DNA is the primary genetic material for humans and most other cellular life, RNA serves as the sole genetic material for many viruses (such as HIV and Influenza). Additionally, all living cells use RNA to translate genetic information (code) from DNA into functional proteins [according to National Human Genome Research Inst]

46. Blood bank supply: PLASMA.  Moe-ku:

 

        What's the screen format

        Of Count Dracula's TV?

        Why, PLASMA, of course!  

47. __ skates: ROLLER.  ICE was too short here, but see the next entry:

48. Worldwide cold spell: ICE AGE.    

50. Scottish hillside: BRAE.  I had CRAG first, but after correcting I learned this about the difference between crag and brae: "Crag and brae both describe natural geographical elevations, but they differ in their appearance, composition, and regional usage. A crag is a steep, rugged, or projecting rock. A brae is a term from Scottish English and Northern English referring specifically to a sloping hillside, typically leading down to a river" [according to Merriam-Webster]

51. Shoelace hole: EYELET.  Whilst I still have shoes that involve tying laces, I really enjoy my Skechers "step-in" shoes.  The pair I wear most often even come with eyelets even though those are unnecessary

53. Mountain hangout: LODGE. Après-ski hangout

54. Role models: IDOLS.  A direct rejection of the second of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4) "It strictly prohibits creating physical, graven images or idols of anything in heaven, earth, or sea to worship them"

55. Curses: BANES.  My friend the Thesaurussaurus agrees

59. Fill until full: SATE.  This happened far too often when we were on our Iberian Peninsula trip - but I suppose that gaining just 3 pounds over the course of 23 days isn't too bad.  I swore I wasn't going to eat bread again for quite a while and my first "meal" after getting home was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich 

60. Other, in Oaxaca: OTRA.  We probably heard this word a time or two when we were in Spain 

61. Steal a glance: PEEK.  Moe-ku:

        The paparazzi

        Were rated 5 stars.  It was

        Their PEEK performance 

63. Humanities degs.: B.A.s. Another of many abbreviations used today - Bachelor of Arts

65. __ kwon do: TAE. Fun Fact:  "Taekwondo" can be translated as tae ("strike with foot"), kwon ("strike with hand"), and do ("the art or way"). Taekwondo (or Tae Kwon Do) Moe-ku:

        New martial arts course

        Features a "touchless" routine

        Known as TAE Kwon Don't  

66. Extreme sport with bunny hops: BMX. Not sure if this is AI generated or not but if I hadn't googled it I don't know that I could imagine it ...

As I conclude this blog, I am still wondering if there was another meaning to the collective entries, but I won't lose sleep over it.  Please feel free to comment below if you think otherwise or agree.  Obrigado y Eskarikosko (thank you in Portuguese and Basque)

See you again next month - Chairman Moe 

Wednesday July 1, 2026, Emily Biegas

 Anagram Mountains...

19 Across. "Well, not quite ... ": THAT'S A STRETCH (an anagram of Shasta)

Mount Shasta.

28 Across. "The gall!": WHAT NERVE! (An anagram of Etna)

Mount Etna.

43 Across. Move to the country?: LINE DANCE. (Anagram of Denali)

Mount Denali.

This clue/answer is very clever, but may cause a double controversy. It seems this mountain keeps changing its name between Mt. Denali and Mt McKinley. Line dancing is associated with country and western culture, but it is not strictly country. I am sure Yellowrocks could enlighten us to the difference between square dancing and this recent upstart...

And our Theme Reveal:

52 Across. Go to great lengths, or what this puzzle's circled letters do?: MOVE MOUNTAINS. Mountain names can be found in the circles, "if you move the letters around..."

Onward:

Across:
1. "A Christmas Carol" scoff: BAH.

4. Insta posts: PICS.

8. Discomfit: ABASH. I got discombobulated by these words... I am familiar with discomfort: The absence of ease or the presence of mild physical or mental uneasiness. However, Discomfit is a verb that means to make someone feel confused, embarrassed, or uneasy.  It can also mean to thwart or frustrate someone's plans. (Like my solving of this puzzle...) And Abash is a verb that means to cause someone to feel embarrassed, ashamed, or self-conscious. It typically involves breaking someone's poise or self-confidence, often as a result of an unexpected comment, mistake, or realization of inadequacy.

13. County seat of Hawaii County: HILO. 

14. Home of the Mighty Five national parks: UTAH. Everything you ever wanted to know about a 465 mile scenic loop, that will take 7 to 10 days to complete...

15. Bundled software collection: SUITE. A highfalutin word (yes, highfalutin is a word...) for a bunch of old junk software that nobody wants, tied up with a ribbon, in the hopes they can still make money...

16. Disapproving sounds: TSKS. (Sound I make when I see someone trying to sell me the above...)

17. Plumbing part: PIPE. (Oy, so many parts to choose from...)

18. Play a banjo: STRUM. Hmm, maybe a guitar, but...

Banjos require pickin' and a grinnin'...

19. [Theme]

22. Well-mannered: POLITE.

23. IRS form expert: CPA. Certified Public Accountant.

24. Catchy part of a song: HOOK. I asked my Daughters, and Google, to identify an Earworm I could insert here, and they all referenced songs I never heard before... so, if you can name your own personal  earworm, mention it in the comments...

27. Book part: SPINE.

28. [Theme]

30. Persona non __: GRATA. "Persona non grata" is a Latin phrase that translates to "an unwelcome person".

32. Worked for: EARNED.

33. Compass rose dir.: SSW.

36. Portuguese greeting: OLA. 

                              Ola (Spanish & Hawaiian Words)

• Spanish: Ola means a wave in the sea or ocean. It is pronounced just like "Hola" (hello), but the "h" is silent and the meaning is completely different.
• Hawaiian: Ola means life, health, to live, or to thrive.

37. Sch. in the smallest U.S. state: URI. University of Rhode Island. Interesting that the clue uses Sch.=School. Which may make this clue/answer somewhat contentious, because according to Google A.I. The Block island School, located on Block Island in New Shoreham, Rhode Island, is the only K-12 public school serving the state's smallest municipality. It educates roughly 125 to 160 students, making it one of the smallest unified public schools in the state. So, could this answer have two valid answers if you include B.I.S?

38. Some SAT takers: SRS. Seniors. And according to Google AI, In U.S. college admissions, SAT is a standardized test created by the College Board. While it originally stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test and later Scholastic Assessment Test, the College Board officially states that the letters no longer stand for anything.

39. Excuses: ALIBIS.

41. Fashion: STYLE.

43. [Theme]

45. Scope: AMBIT. An ambit is the scope, boundary, or extent of something. It most commonly refers to a sphere of influence, action, or authority.

49. Small whirlpool: EDDY.

50. Murmur: COO.

51. Smooth and suave: URBANE.

52. [Theme Reveal]

55. Share one's thoughts: OPINE.

57. Financing figs.: APRS. Annual Percentage Rates.

58. Skirt feature: SLIT.

59. Sweet, in Italian: DOLCE.

60. "Bro!": DUDE.

61. Goes out with: SEES. (Dates wouldn't fit...)

62. Stella who founded an acting school in New York City: ADLER. Name #1

63. Short railroad branch: SPUR.

64. Fabric store meas.: YDS.

Down:
1. Diagonal mover in chess: BISHOP.

2. High-pH substance: ALKALI.

3. In charge of Thanksgiving dinner, say: HOSTING.

4. Butterflies-to-be: PUPAE.

5. "Yep": IT IS. 

6. Bot blocker: CAPTCHA.

7. Tibetan people: SHERPA.

8. Exec's helper: ASST. Assistant. 

9. Mispronounce horrendously, as a name: BUTCHER.

10. Shock jock's sound effects: AIR HORNS. Technically Air Horn is two words, but is fast becoming simply "Airhorn" in the vernacular...

11. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU. Fictional Name #2

12. Tailored edge: HEM.

13. Part of an encrypted URL: HTTPS. HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure.

20. Anti-inflammatory choice: STEROID.

21. Restaurant: EATERY.

25. Finito: OVER.

26. "Comfortable. Confident." shoe brand: KEDS.

28. Elena Rybakina's org.: WTA. World Tennis Association. Name #3 - either you know it or you don't...

29. Finger painting?: NAIL ART.

31. Cultural territory in France's Grand Est region: ALSACE. Looks like a nice place to visit...

33. Realtor's success: SALE.

34. Made it home quickly?: SLID. (Baseball reference)

35. Image on Dutch Bros coffee cups: WINDMILL.

37. Sporty truck, briefly: UTE. Short for utility vehicle.

40. "Cowboy Carter" icon: BEYONCE. All you need to know:

41. Grab before anyone else can: SCOOP UP.

42. Diplomatic mission: EMBASSY.

44. Migratory people: NOMADS.

46. Helped (out): BAILED.

47. Concave belly buttons: INNIES.

48. Tries, as patience: TESTS.

51. Auto racing family name: UNSER. Name #4

53. Swerve: VEER.

54. Rawalpindi language: URDU. Rawalpindi is a city in Pakistan, where the national language is Urdu.

55. "Ghost" psychic __ Mae Brown: ODA. 

Whoopi Goldberg portraying fictional name #5

56. Okra or orca unit: POD.

The Grid

Emily Biegas has become quite prolific, publishing quite a few LAT puzzles, in addition to NYT...

Emily is on the left.

Well, did you have to move mountains to finish this puzzle? Or did you just ski around the moguls...

Let us know in the comments how your solving experience went. 

CE:D out

₍^. .^₎⟆

Wednesday, June 24, 2026, Sala Wanetick & Dena R. Verkuil

 

Good Morning, Cruciverblists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of a puzzle co-authored by Sala Wanetick and Dena R. Verkuil.  I recently (May 27th of this year) blogged one of Sala's puzzles.  Dena made her L. A. Times crossword debut in September, 2025 and has also had puzzles published in the N.Y. Times.

Today, they team up in the hope that we will all have a blast working out the answers.  Let's start with the unifier:

64 Across:  Finish dramatically, or what the answers to the starred clues do: END WITH A BANG.

Each of the answers to the four starred clues are comprised of two words.  In each case, the second word is, more or less a description of, well, as the clue put it, something dramatic.  Some are more dramatic than others but we surely get the gist of it.

Here are the four starred clues and answers:

18 Across:  *Time of financial growth: ECONOMIC BOOM.  

26 Across:  *What may follow kids in a candy store?: SUGAR CRASH.  . . . after the sugar high.  This one might have been linked to 18 Across.

40 Across:  *Handshake alternative: FIST BUMP.

Nares Bump

54 Across: . *Stressful contest?: POETRY SLAM.  In this case, stress refers to how poets create meaningful experiences for readers.  A SLAM is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges.

This is how everything appears in the completed grid:

Here are the rest of the clues and their answers:

Across:

1. Getting off the fence: OPTING.  Someone who is undecided as to how to proceed is said to be sitting on the fence.

7. Indian state known for silk and tea: ASSAM.  A place frequently visited in our puzzles.  Five letters and four of those are A and S.

12. Nothing special: MEH.  We can take it or leave it.

15. Subdued: LOW KEY.

16. High wispy clouds: CIRRI.  Plural of CIRRUS

17. 'Twas the night before Christmas?: EVE.  Not sure about that question mark.  The preceding night really is the EVE.

20. Antidiscrimination HR initiative: DEI.  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

21. Replace with a grawlix, say: CENSOR.  This solver had never come across the word grawlix although I was certainly familiar with the c0ncept.

22. Helping: AIDING.

24. Gush: SPEW.

29. Elixirs: TONICS.  What is a Genie's favorite drink?  A Djinn and TONIC.

32. "To __ is human ... ": ERR.

Paul Ehrlich

33. Past regulation, briefly: IN OT.  Regulation, in this case, refers to the normal length of a sporting contest (e.g. four quarters, three periods, sixty minutes).  It the score is tied at the end of regulation it goes INto OverTime.

34. Blooper reel bit: OUTTAKE.

36. Sounding shocked: AGASP.

39. TD's six: PTS.  A  football reference.  A TouchDown scores six PoinTS

42. Knight's title: SIR.

45. Italian scooter: VESPA.

46. Try to be like: EMULATE.

48. Eye ailment: STYE.

51. Puppy's bark: YIP.  Have you heard about the zoo where the only animal is a single dog?  It's a Shih Tzu.

53. Speechified: ORATED.

58. Antacid brand: TUMS.

 

59. "Let me check": I'LL SEE.

60. Someone who has a trying job?: TESTER.  One who tries things out.

63. Manicure choice: GEL.  More often clued with a reference to hair.

69. Andrea Gibson's "__ to the Public Panic Attack": ODE.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.  If you wish to listen to this ODE, here it is:

70. Oktoberfest mug: STEIN.  What's the smallest amount of beer you can order at an Oktoberfest gathering?  Ein STEIN.

71. Soul legend Franklin: ARETHA.

72. Craggy hill: TOR.

73. Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.  Supreme Court Justices often visit our puzzles.   We know many of them by their first names.  Samuel and Ruth and ELENA come to mind.

74. "Let's hear it!": DO TELL.  Gossip.

Down:

1. Fútbol chant: OLE.  Often heard at the FIFA World Cup games.

2. Abbr. that includes many racial identities: POC.  Person Of Color

3. Opinion: TWO CENTS.  There are several theories as to the origin of this expression.

4. "Didn't fool me!": I KNEW IT.   Yes, we did.

5. Gas in bright signs: NEON.

6. Fitness centers: GYMS.

7. Accumulate, as sick time: ACCRUE.

8. Sis or bro: SIB.  Abbreviations.  Sister.  Brother.  SIBlings.

9. "No seats" sign: SRO.  Standing Room Only

10. Like fans after great plays: AROAR.

11. Mirror: MIMIC.  Used as a verb.

12. Freeway divider: MEDIAN.

13. "And yet ... ": EVEN SO.

14. Progress that may be measured on a doorframe: HEIGHT.

19. Siri platform: IOS.  An Apple reference.

23. Coffee option: DRIP.   

24. "Quit it!": STOP.

25. Sulky look: POUT.  Y0u better watch out, you better not cry . . .

27. Snatch quickly: GRAB.  Trying to GRAB some toilet paper at Costco during the pandemic was quite traumatic.  I came away with TPSD.

28. Exchange words: ARGUE.

30. Bistro: CAFE.

31. Hits the slopes: SKIS.

35. Awards such as Best Play and Best Team: ESPYS.  The ESPY Awards (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, and often referred to as the ESPYs) is an annual American awards show produced by ESPN since 1993, recognizing individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding a given annual ceremony.

37. Paintballs, e.g.: AMMO.

38. Egg (on): SPUR.  The clue makes use of the idiom.

41. Long part of a comet: TAIL.

42. Drench: SATURATE.

43. Article: ITEM.

44. Cincinnati MLBers: REDS.

45. Doberman docs: VETS.  VETerinarianS

Not this Doberman

This Doberman

47. Dishonorable wager: LATE BET.  Considered to be dishonorable because the outcome may have been discernible before the wager was placed.

48. Faucet: SPIGOT.

49. Ohio city on Lake Erie: TOLEDO.

50. Loud person: YELLER.  Also the Labrador of movie renown.

52. Green film on copper: PATINA.

55. Actress Witherspoon: REESE.

56. Film starring Barbra Streisand as a woman who pretends to be a yeshiva boy: YENTL.

57. "Have we __?": MET.

61. Herring kin: SHAD.

62. Dim sum root vegetable: TARO.  If your book is made of root vegetables...You’re doing a taro reading!

65. Department head?: DEE.  The first letter of the word Department.

66. Finish first: WIN.

67. Org. emulated in "Heated Rivalry": NHL.  National Hockey League

68. Lass: GAL.  This one reminded yours truly of one of his favorite limericks:

There once was a GAL from Kilglass
Who had a magnificent ass
Not round and pink as you probably think
It was brown, had long ears and ate grass

On that note, it's probably time to haul outta here.  Everyone have a great rest of the week . . . and beyond.

___________________________________________________________

M M OUT
With A Bang