Wednesday, January 14, 2026, Jeff Stillman

 Films on the right...

 I wouldn't be CrossEyedDave if I didn't offer you my interpretation of the theme:

Nah, just kidding...

This pleasant 15x15 by Veteran Constructor Jeff Stillman has film titles on the right side of the starred clues as follows:

17. Across *Part of the bus that makes the wheels go round and round, round and round: DRIVESHAFT

You have all seen this thingie under a truck.

But have you seen this film?

(The first of five...)

26. Across *Part of the Blessed Trinity: HOLY GHOST

Image subject to interpretation.

Film also subject to interpretation.

36. Across *Folded flyer: PAPER AIRPLANE.

I flew the above style for several miles by throwing off the Eiffel Tower.

(Hmm, i guess i have also littered in France...)

This film has enjoyably littered movie screens across the world...

49. Across *Command aboard the USS Enterprise: WARP SPEED.

Faster then light travel

Faster than a bomb travel...

And the Reveal:

59. Across, Permission to adapt a novel, say, or what the answers to the starred clues all have: FILM RIGHTS.

14 three letter words (4 of which were names...) I also counted 14 names, but there are more depending on your interpretation.

Across:

1. In the thick of: AMID.

Not A-mud...

5. School attendee: PUPIL. (Are they called this because you have to keep your eye on them?)

10. Muscles above abs: PECS. Pectoral muscles.

14. Junction point: NODE.

One interpretation.

15. Father of Kartikeya and Ganesha, in Hindu traditions: SHIVA.

16. Feedback for a prof: EVAL. Short for evaluation.

17. [theme]

19. Frost: RIME. AI Overview

Rime ice forms from freezing fog (liquid droplets freezing on contact), creating dense, feathery, wind-swept ice, while hoar frost forms on clear, calm nights from water vapor directly turning to ice crystals (sublimation), resulting in delicate, needle-like, easily dislodged formations. The key difference is the moisture source: liquid fog droplets for rime versus invisible water vapor for hoar frost, and wind conditions: rime needs wind/fog, hoar needs calm, clear air

20. "Groovy!": RAD. 

• adjective. very good. synonyms: bang-up, bully, corking, cracking, dandy, great, keen, neat, nifty, not bad, peachy, slap-up, smashing, swell. good. having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified.

21. Leave slack-jawed: STUN.

22. Extend beyond: OUTLIE. (Or possibly out of bounds in Golf...)

24. Mass-mailing tool: ELIST. I presume this to be one word, like Email.

26. [theme]

28. Barbecue wipe: WET-NAP. The official copyrighted name has a dash, so it is not one word. This clue gave me pause, because I would have clued it "Lobster wipe." But i am not opposed to surf and turf.

30. Punster: WAG.

31. One of the Three Stooges: MOE. (There is only one Chairman Moe...)

32. At the original rate, in sheet music: A TEMPO. I was surprised to discover that this is two words.

35. Canasta combination: MELD.

Sets of 3 or more cards of the same rank.

(Learning moment)

36. [theme]

40. Ordinances: LAWS. The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread," was said by French writer Anatole France (1844-1924)      Also, 

The sentiment that 

"the more laws the more criminals" is commonly attributed to the ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi (Lao Tzu). 

41. Kolkata resident: INDIAN. I would post a map, but India is a big place, and you would still get lost...

42. Simile center: AS A. 

"Simile center" most often refers to 

an educational activity or station for teaching similes(comparisons using "like" or "as") in literacy, but it can also be a crossword puzzle clue, where the answer is often ASA, meaning "as". In education, it's a classroom setup with tasks like matching similes to their meanings or writing original ones, while the crossword answer highlights the key word in the comparison, as noted by sources like WordTips and USA Today. 

43. Long stretch: EON.

45. Lawn care task: EDGING. And seeding, and mowing, and thatching, and...

49. [theme]

53. Sing in a high range?: YODEL. (Very cute, I just groked this reading it now...)

54. Most peculiar: ODDEST. (Because i am the 53A comment)

55. Glorify: LAUD. (I am The Oddest!)

57. Farm-to-table program, briefly: CSA. (Community Supported Agriculture) is a farm-to-table model where consumers buy shares of a farm's harvest upfront, then receive weekly boxes of fresh, local produce throughout the season, directly supporting local farmers, reducing food miles, and getting peak-season food with fewer middlemen.

58. Golda of Israel: MEIR.

59. [Theme Reveal]

62. Novelist Tyler: ANNE.

63. Rubber-stamping: OKING. (Does it take a King to OK the dang thing?) Interesting that Google prefers Okaying, and thinks OKing is a popular South Korean YouTuber and Streamer...) 

64. Gets even with: TIES. (Ya cant get even with em unless ya beat em!)

65. Badgers: NAGS. (Like 64A vexes me...)

66. Witherspoon of "The Morning Show": REESE.

67. Agile: SPRY.

Down:

1. "Christina's World" painter Wyeth: ANDREW.

See Wiki for complete info

2. Booster target, perhaps: MORALE.

3. Victorious cry: I DID IT.

4. Actor Patel: DEV. (This clue/answer seems devious to me, thank goodness for perps.)

5. Sibilant summons: PSST.

6. Slangy affirmative: UH HUH.

7. Grand instrument: PIANO. (There is also a Baby Grand if space doesn't permit.)

8. Assisted reproductive option: Abbr.: IVF. In Vitro Fertilazation

9. Singer Jackson: LATOYA.

10. Capital of Western Australia: PERTH.

11. Really bad sign: EVIL OMEN.

12. Top with spaghetti straps: CAMISOLE.

Makes for an interesting outfit.

(Oh, straps, not scraps.)

13. Came down hard?: SLEETED. 

Strange name for a bird...

18. Grand property: ESTATE. Tried Manor first, wasn't grand enough...

23. Brand of fleecy slippers: UGG. Overgrown Fuzzy Slippers

25. Onesie closers: SNAPS.

27. Euphemistic expression of affection: L WORD. I just assumed this had something to do with "Love." However Google is less than romantic, and shows it by saying this is a TV show...

29. Each: PER.

33. Quebec neighbor: MAINE. I could say volumes about this clue/answer, but in our current political climate, it would get too political...

34. Brooch: PIN.

35. National fruit of the Philippines: MANGO.

36. Caltech locale: PASADENA. You would known this if you watched The Big Bang Theory.

37. Handing an Emmy to, e.g.: AWARDING.

38. __ chart: PIE.

39. Royal bride of 1981: LADY DI.

40. Doors album whose last track is "Riders on the Storm": L.A. WOMAN.

43. Pothook shape: ESS.

44. Select: OPT FOR.

46. Pet-locating device: ID CHIP.

47. Mama bird, for one: NESTER.

48. Like some stares: GLASSY.

50. French fathers: PERES. 

51. "Love Me Like You Do" singer Goulding: ELLIE.

52. Sends to eternal punishment: DAMNS.

56. Craving: URGE.

60. Actor Barinholtz: IKE.

61. Classic sports cars: GTS. I wanted MGs.

And here's the grid:

Jeff Stillman, name sounded familiar. So i Googled him and only found his NewYork Times puzzles, which led me to This Site which had an interesting compilation of his first time used words in NYT. Click on "Naples Florida" to see how easy you got off with this Wednesday puzzle. Scroll to the bottom for the matching Clue offered. Even more embarrassing than thinking this might be a LAT debut, was that not only was his LAT debut in 2014, I had actually used his LA Times puzzles from November to practice writing this Blog...

Well, before i forget, 

CE:D out...

Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - Joe Deeney

 Theme:  I wish it would rain

Puzzling thoughts:  Happy New Year Crossword Cornerites!  I know you've heard this said over and over the past week, but as this is Chairman Moe's first appearance as a blogger in 2026, I figured it was OK for me to reiterate

As C.C. mentioned at the end of December, I will be doing just one blog a month; the first Wednesday.  Today's puzzle is by none other than a noted crossword constructor, Joe Deeney.  I am not certain, but this might be the first Deeney puzzle that I have recapped

I am pretty sure that Mr. Deeney did not intentionally cast a cloud on the expanded 16x15 grid, but his goal was to have a bit of rain fall on us with four entries and a reveal.  60 letters make up the five longest clue answers, so trying to squeeze that into a 15x15 grid would be impossible

The reveal:  64-across. Perfectly satisfactory, or an apt description of 18-, 26-, 39-, and 54-Across: RIGHT AS RAIN.  All four of the entries have a type of rain on the RIGHT side of the phrase

18-across. 1991 operation that ended with the liberation of Kuwait: DESERT STORM

26-across. Celestial event such as the Perseids: METEOR SHOWER

39-across. Communication protocol for peer-to-peer file sharing: BIT TORRENT.  This was an unknown and filled in via perps

54-across. Sweet finish for fried chicken: HONEY DRIZZLE

STORM, SHOWER, TORRENT, and DRIZZLE are all terms associated with rain

Here is the grid:

On to the rest of the clues/words ...

Across:
1. Running sport: TRACK.

6. Thrown for a loop: AWED.

10. Lure (in): ROPE.

14. Moves like a fleeing deer: BOUNDS.

16. Sushi wrapper: NORI.

17. Rep on arm day: CURL.  There are such things as an "arm day"?  My idea of a curl with my arm is lifting a pint of IPA or a bottle of ________

[entry]

20. Molecule part: ATOM.

21. Focus to win a contest?: STARE.  I think I could out-stare most anyone if challenged

22. Flower bed tool: HOE.  

23. Sault __ Marie: STE.

24. Sushi option: AHI.  I tried eel before ahi

[entry]

30. "Succession" actor Culkin: KIERAN.  

Macaulay (left) and Kieran - the Culkin brothers

32. Steal from: ROB.

33. Prototype: Abbr.: ORIG.  Short for original

34. Basilica niche: APSE.  This word seems to find its niche only in crossword puzzles

35. __ economy: GIG.  I was an Economics major in college and don't recall this ... 

 

37. Structure whose roof begins near its foundation: A-FRAME.  I tried lean to at first

[entry]

42. Two __ and a lie: icebreaker game: TRUTHS.  Is this anything like truth or dare?

The rules

44. Leb. neighbor: ISR.  I tried SYR at first

45. Frittata need: EGGS.  Along with other ingredients

49. Lucky acorns, eventually: OAKS.  Just imagine if ALL of the fallen acorns turned into oak trees.  Want to try to grow your own?  Here is a brief tutorial, courtesy of YouTube

50. Superlative suffix: EST.

52. Balance sheet column: ASSETS.  DEBITS also fit but I chose to be positive

[entry]

57. Large load: TON.  

58. Cards, in NFL scores: ARI.  CSO to all of us who live in ARIzona, although the way the Card(inal)s have been playing the past few years none of us are probably following them as intently

59. "__ got it!": I'VE.

60. Freeze over: ICE UP. 

62. Make a bad impression?: DENT.  With all of the fancy cameras on automobiles these days, a simple dent still requires a lot of cash to repair, especially if it's on the front or rear bumper

[reveal and theme entry]

68. Puts away the dishes?: EATS.

69. Taiwanese computer company: ACER.  A decent, entry level machine

70. Stewpot with a conical lid: TAGINE.  Never used one

71. Chow for a sow: SLOP.  

72. Surrender, as territory: CEDE.

73. Stiletto alternative: WEDGE.  I tried HEELS at first

Down:
1. Up in the air, briefly: TBD.  To Be Determined

2. Fish-to-be: ROE.  I wonder if the same tutorial for growing an oak from an acorn would work for growing a fish from a roe?

3. Down Under denizens: AUSSIES.

4. Site with tech reviews: CNET.

5. Hwang Dong-hyuk's "Squid Game," e.g.: K-DRAMA.  We don't subscribe to Netflix (believe it or not) so this one had to fill in by itself

6. Hill worker: ANT.  SEN and REP also fit

7. Happy holler: WOO HOO.  I had YOO HOO at first

8. Representation of uncertainty on a graph: ERROR BARS.  A function of Excel

9. Assists, in hoops lingo: DIMES.  All you ever wanted to know about this phrase can be found in the hyperlink

10. Type of A/V connector: RCA.  The history of RCA cables

11. Best in a pool: OUTSWIM.  Not a commonly used word in crossword puzzles - according to Crossword Tracker it's been seen just four times, between 2008 and 2014

12. Mentee: PROTÉGÉ. Merriam-Webster defines this as: "one who is protected or trained or whose career is furthered by a person of experience, prominence, or influence"

13. __ Fudd: ELMER.  One of many Warner-Brothers cartoon characters voiced by Mel Blanc

15. Area of expertise: STRENGTH.

19. Good to go: SET.

24. Alias lead-in: AKA. William H. Bonney, Jr. - AKA, "Billy the Kid" Kind of resembles (67-across. Once called:) NEE.  

25. With it: HIP.  Moe-ku:

        Maynard G Krebs shaved

        His goatee, when prepping for

        A hip replacement

27. Conclusion starter: ERGO.

28. Beeper?: HORN.

29. Provides an address: ORATES.

31. Chew out: REBUKE.  Our Thesaurussaurus concurs

36. Hardware and software support: I.T. SERVICE.  According to Crossword Tracker, this phrase has been used just once before (in 2019) and was clued as:  PC support

38. Feline in an alley: FERAL CAT.  Moe-ku:

        "Talladega Nights" 

        Actor's known for being hip:

        A true, Ferrell Cat

40. Wee: ITSY.  As in the itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie-yellow-polka-dot-bikini

41. Nabisco cracker: RITZ.  Or, the last word in an Irving Berlin song, made famous by Dr. Frankenstein and the monster:

42. Painfully close to home: TOO REAL.  

43. Met by chance: RAN INTO. 

46. Make bank: GET PAID.  Not counting the theme entries, Mr. Deeney used a total of nine two-word phrases in this puzzle

47. Classic Pontiac: GTO.  One of many General Motors' A-Body cars of the 1960's

48. Oft-protected fig.: SSN.  Never give out your Social Security Number to a stranger; but since I know all of you through many recaps I've done, here's mine:  123-45-6789

51. Completely surrounded: SIEGED.

53. Move back and forth: SEESAW. A Moe-ku from the archives:

        Jacob and his twin

        Discovered the first fulcrum,

        Called:  Esau's SEESAW

54. God of the underworld: HADES.  More info on HADES

55. Nobel-winning physicist Paul: DIRAC.  

P.A.M. Dirac was an English theoretical physicist who was one of the founders of quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics

56. Skin blemish: ZIT.  Everything was going rather smoothly in today's puzzle until this one popped up

61. Encourage: URGE.  

63. Baking meas.: TSP.  

65. Ancient Eur. realm: HRE. Holy Roman Empire

66. Bank corp. with an orange lion logo: ING.

See you again on February 4th

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 - Rebecca Goldstein

CrossEyedDave here... When CC asked me to fill in, it was a Saturday morning, and i thought, "Great! I can do this instead of the Saturday Stumper!"  Well, right from the get go, 1Across just screamed out "Cube!" And with that, my Saturday turned into a Wednesday Stumper... I did finally work my way out of a DNF/FIW/TiTT, and was looking forward to reading the write up for someone to explain it all. (Wait! What! I have to splain this!! Aw nuts and dang it all...)

Well, at least Rebecca provided a title:

16. Intentionally delaying, or a punny title for this puzzle?: PLAYING FOR TIME.

"Playing For Time."

Now unless you can play Tetris blindfolded, i don't want to hear any complaints in the comments about circles. I would still be trying to solve this puzzle, if it were not for these life saving theme circles, that helped me discover all of the "off my wavelength" clue/answers that tripped me up.

The Reveal:

54. Constant reshuffling of one's schedule, or what's depicted in this puzzle's circles: CALENDAR TETRIS

The Calendar items circled included: Gala, Game, Work, Yoga, Call, Date, and Trip. You could possibly turn this into another puzzle by trying to find "another" calendar item that wasn't circled. Please let me know if you find any, I'm already too exhausted by Rebecca's offering to even try...

Here is a short Bio:

Link

Across:
1. Sugar serving: LUMP. My horse sense told me this should be "Cube." I mean, you don't give a horse a lump of sugar, you give him/her a sugar cube! Which led to disastrous stabs at the early downs.

5. Crockery flaw: CHIP.

Hmm, i wonder what was wrong with the kid "before" the spell?

9. Paper or plastic items: BAGS.

13. Microbiology lab gel: AGAR.

14. "__ that the truth!": AINT.

15. "At your earliest convenience," less politely: ASAP. (Not STAT!)

19. Error message?: SIC. Latin, literally ‘so, thus’. used in brackets after a copied or quoted word that appears odd or erroneous to show that the word is quoted exactly as it stands in the original.

20. NYC nabe near the Bowery: NOHO. (Not SOHO, or South of Houston, but North of...)

21. Added to the team: HIRED.

22. Kicking sport: SOCCER.

24. Actress Palmer: KEKE. The second K was a personal Natick with 9 Downs Batik, and caused and alpha run ending to this almost DNF/FIW/TiTT...

25. The Queen of Pop: MADONNA.

27. Network featured in "Good Night, and Good Luck": CBS. (3 letters awaiting a perp)

30. Low voices in a women's choir: ALTOS. (Really?)

33. Lav: LOO. (What?  Not Water Closet? Hmm, which reminds me...)

34. Sailor's assent: AYE.

35. Shabby: WORN.

36. Rare opening in 54-Across: SLOT. (A Clecho! Or Clue Echo...)

37. Screen writing?: BLOG.

38. Squeak (out): EKE.

39. Tom, Dick, and Harry, for example: MEN. (Not "anybody"...)

40. Name after peach or before toast: MELBA.

41. Mom, to Auntie: SIS. (I don't know why I wanted "Tia" here...)

42. "Be glad to": SURE CAN. Or put another Glad Bag in the Trash Can...

44. Image file format: JPEG.

46. Like the pick of the litter?: CUTEST.

49. Beefy, casually: SWOLE. Learning moment, i can't complain if it's legit...

51. Move like a hummingbird: DART.  (Not flit)

52. D-backs, in box scores: ARI. (A crossword fill staple...)

54. [Theme Reveal]

57. Shawkat of "Search Party": ALIA. (Either you know her, or you dont. Perps to the rescue...)

58. Team with a red-tailed hawk mascot named Swoop: UTES. (If you say so...)

59. California county with a wine train: NAPA. More info here:

60. Ran in the wash: BLED.

61. "__ there, tiger": EASY.

62. Gender-fluid pronoun: THEY. (Could have been Them, I could blame Them. But I can't blame They...)

Down:
1. Slurps (up): LAPS.

2. Uniq fruits: UGLIS.

3. Body shop franchise: MAACO. I must have misread this clue, because Maaco with lump and laps turned this corner into a nightmare...

4. Ask too much, say: PRY.

5. Paddled about: CANOED.

6. One regularly experiencing bettor days: HIGHROLLER. Not familiar with this, I wonder why...

7. IT part: INFO. (New to me)

8. Vacay from work: PTO. Paid Time Off (another tricky clue/answer)

9. Patterned fabric that originated in Indonesia: BATIK. I'll let A.I. explain this Learning Moment

10. "If memory serves": AS I RECALL. (Without the spaces, reminds me of nothing...)

11. Up for a challenge: GAME.

12. Went a mile a minute, maybe: SPED.

17. Quechua speakers who didn't have a written alphabet: INCAS. Not entirely true They used ropes!

18. Seehorn of "Pluribus": RHEA. (If you say so, but I say its just a smaller Emu from a different country)

23. "Please be serious": CMON. (I am serious about the Rhea/Emu's)

24. Twist into a pretzel: KNOT.

26. "Sounds like a you problem": NO ONE CARES.  (Ouch!)

28. Notation on an invite: BYOB. Bring Your own Bottle/Beer.

29. Sonic the Hedgehog developer: SEGA.

30. Leaves speechless: AWES.

31. Norse god of mischief: LOKI. Around long before The Marvel Universe took over his image on the internet. And is now invading politics?

32. "Ooh la la!": TRES JOLIE. It's French...

36. Self-satisfied: SMUG.

37. Good start?: BENE. Italian. Curiously, when I went to research, 

IT WASN'T Bene Nota?

(I get this confused with Bella Notte.)

40. Low-gloss: MATTE.

42. Checked out: SEEN. This nose wrinkle really gave me angst crossing 49A. Swole

43. Bow alternative: CURTSY. (Not bow,,, bow...  AhNuts!)

45. Be appealing?: PLEAD. (Cute)

47. One of the Torah's four matriarchs: SARAH. (Perped in, because i always leave off the H.)

48. Type of offal: TRIPE. (Anyone want a picture?) Offal is the internal organs and parts trimmed off an animal for food, although tripe has other meanings as well...

49. Sign of healing: SCAB.

50. Muralist's canvas: WALL.

51. Target of some mining: DATA.

53. "My word": I SAY. (Sounds kinda British to me, an I do say so myself...)

55. Expected any minute: DUE.

56. Explosive used in some mining: TNT.

Well, that about does it for this year. On to the next!

Happy New Year!

CE:D Out...

Wednesday, Dec 24th, 2025 ~ Leslie Young

NOT "16"

...and not "8" - she needs better math skills

Leslie Young, née (oooh, I got to use it for real~! ) Leslie Rogers, was part of this collaboration here at the LA Times, and has been published in a few other places as well.  I really liked the theme today - a solid, non-reveal type that has multiple examples of the common 4x4, "four by four" term we use day to day.  All the themers are unique, cosisting of always-hard-to-use, 12-letter fills ( or, 4x3 if you like ), in a standard grid, and none of the trite trappings - NO circles (yay), just a few names, a few abbrs, and nothing vague or "meh".  The FOUR themers;

19. Where to find a sturdy 4x4: THE HOME DEPOT - my "second" home; A 4x4 in this instance actually starts as lumber four inches by four inches square, but once dried and planed, measures 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" - and a judge upheld this "nominal" terminology.  I used a short one for the center leg of this table I made as a Christmas present for my brother.

My first try at epoxy, too

26. Where to find a caloric 4x4: IN N' OUT BURGER - there are no locations of this west-coast franchise beyond TX ( TN is next ) as of 2025 - a 4x4 is this mouth-watering construction

My trainer would tell me this is my entire daily caloric intake in one sa'mich

42. Where to find an adventurous 4x4: OFF-ROAD TRAIL - the "classic" definition of a 4x4, which is a 'truck' with all four wheels powered; nowadays, there's also "all-wheel drive" - A.I. says this is the original four-wheel drive - the Wiki

Great sales pitch imagery

51. Where to find an athletic 4x4: RUNNING TRACK - I had to look this one up, as I am not "athletic", per se; it's the 4 x 400 meter dash - more from this website

An'  A w
!          a
~         y
o G  eW


ACROSS:

1. Gift wrapping need: TAPE - For all those "last minute" Christmas types, of which I was once a part, you now have less than 24hrs to minimum safe distance . . . 

5. Sound in "The Addams Family" theme song: SNAP - Twice, preceded by; Du-Du-Du DUM

9. Dramatic haircut: CHOP

13. Jazz legend Fitzgerald: ELLA - name #1

14. Award presented at the World Science Fiction Convention: HUGO - name #2 - I am a voracious reader, and I switch between Crime/Detective/Mystery & Sci-Fi to change it up, so I knew what a "Hugo Award" was; can anyone recommend an author from any of these genres~?  I am looking to read someone new...

15. Origami bird: CRANE

16. Fortnite's company: EPIC GAMES - Learned by doing crosswords; more here

18. Noodle dish: RAMEN

21. "You __ to be there": "HAD"- wouldn't be Wednesday without a Monday dupe . . . .

22. Tug-of-__: WAR

23. Endless expanse: OCEAN - wouldn't be Wednesday without a Monday dupe . . . .

30. Shadowboxes: SPARS

33. Disapproving chorus: BOOs

34. Brew that may be hazy: IPA - getting to be a cliché fill now

35. Lines that are often blue: URLs - like this

36. Out of it: LOOPY - I have been there....

38. Glitz: GLAM - Two weeks in a row with "GLAM" for me

39. Stock quote?: MOO - cattle = stock, cows 'say' moo - clever clue/answer

40. Took a tumble: FELL

41. In one's __: emotional: FEELS - never heard this phrase; the "F" was my last "eff-in" fill

46. Drummer twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: STARR - Ringo, and I learned today the second induction was as a solo artist in 2015; name #3

And previously as the drummer for The Beatles

47. Subj. for an aspiring polyglot: ESL - polyglot = knowing or using several (English as Second) Language(s)

48. Faux __: PAS - Foe Paaah, Frawnche, "false step"

55. Baggage __: CLAIM - I have not been in an airport for over 20yrs, and I don't travel much anymore - two weeks ago, I had some questions from Cornerites; unclefred asked about the pipe organ job - I left in February as I felt I was not being given the chance to grow into the company - and then they changed owners in June, as well ... see also 31D.

58. Eight-sided solids: OCTAHEDRA - Dungeons & Dragons fans know . . . .

59. Provokes: BAITS

60. Backup camera's view: REAR

61. Send out: EMIT

62. Quick and nimble: SPRY

63. Blend together: MELD

64. Dull: FADE - the verb instead of the adjective

DOWN:

1. Pearly whites: TEETH

2. Omega opposite: ALPHA - it's all Greek to me . . . .

3. Practiced, as a trade: PLIED - I am learning much as I ply(wood) my new trade as a handyman member of Home Advisor on the Angi app; just finished this bar for a client 

Home Depot 1x oak boards and 3/4" oak plywood - a learned a few "bar" things, too

4. Per person: EACH

5. Spiritual healer: SHAMAN - good WAG on my part

6. Dos, por ejemplo: NUMERO - Español, 'two', but I didn't suss the 'No.' connection

7. Like black vinegar: AGED - I have never heard of 'black' vinegar

8. Billy Porter series about 1980s ball culture: POSE - name #4, totally unknown to me; "ball" refers to ballroom culture, the Wiki on that; here's Billy Porter's Wiki

9. Result of a blast from the past?: CRATER

That'll leave a mark....

10. Cordon bleu meat: HAM

11. End of a countdown: ONE - Give it a week, and "Yule" understand this clue/answer

12. Write: PEN - I am still gathering ideas for my own Sci-Fi book/screenplay

15. Early spring bloomer: CROCUS - I found out ASTER "comes up", er, short

17. Met Gala garb: GOWNS - Dah~!  Got suckered by the lack of  'plural' in the clue

I'm down with the gown~!

20. NOLA sandwich: PO'BOY - I am reading James Lee Burke's Robicheaux series - the main character Dave is an alcoholic cop who goes to AA, set in Lousiana. ( CSO to Big Easy & Hahtoolah ), name(ish)

24. Quick and nimble: AGILE

25. Annapurna's country: NEPAL - filled via perps

In the center

26. W-2 org.: IRS - Death & Taxes, or, phonetically, the "hearse and the irse"

27. Horseshoe-shaped fastener: U-BOLT

28. Spinner: TOP

29. Merino males: RAMS - Motorized Machines, too

I worked with a guy who liked to point out "Ram in front, Dodge behind"

30. Japan's national sport: SUMO - does make sense

31. Tenured employees, for short: PROFs - ...and Prof M asked two weeks ago why the "~"~?  It started waaay back in texts - I like to see an "!" stand out from a "1", "or an "l", and it just went from there

32. Floating in the air: ALOFT

36. Get the hang of: LEARN

37. Word before some language names: OLD - Old Enlgish, Old Norse, e.g.

38. Insole option: GEL

40. Subreddits, e.g.: FORUMS - should this be forA~?  Or am I being too forMAL~?

41. Sordid matter: FILTH - "I read this disgusting filth. Twice."

43. Triple play, for one: RARITY - Did C.C. know this fact~?

44. Vacation cottage, often: RENTAL - Ah.  Not  A-FRAME - but 50% correct letter-wise

45. Realm in Norse cosmology: ASGARD - that's the "A" word I could not recall; name #5

48. "Love, Loss, and What We Ate" memoirist Lakshmi: PADMA - no clue, filled via perps, and I WAGed the last "A", since I misunderstood what "DULL" referred to at 64A.  Name #6

49. Pungent: ACRID - but I nailed this one

50. Walk on water, essentially: SKATE - har-har....

NY Rangers and the NHL's highest-paid goalie, Igor Shesterkin~!

52. Convention: NORM - here's a simply complicated explanation

53. Slushy drink: ICEE

54. "Finding Nemo" setting: REEF - A-ha; OCEAN was in the grid already, and SEA was too short

55. Network with an eye on television: CBS

56. F1 unit: LAP - Formula One racing

57. Yoga ball filler: AIR - I think the girl in this GIF gets some air . . . .

Wednesday Splynter, Signing Off . . . . see you next year~! 

Grid Flow was a low 26.0

Merry Christmas, Festivus, and Happy New Year~!