17. Get-together with a sketchy vibe?: OFF[ICE] PARTY.
23. Marketer's blitz campaign?: PR[ICE] INCREASE.
37. Intercom call on Take Your Child to Work Day?: SON[ICE] TO SEE YOU.
51. Shake Weight and The Flex Belt, per their infomercials?: BOD[ICE] RIPPERS.
62. Cold Hawaiian treat ... or a directive followed four times in this puzzle?: SHAVE ICE.
For me this seemed a tad above typical Wednesday level, mostly because of the theme answers - but made easier once I realized the gimmick. Remove ICE from these phrases to reveal a different phrase. SHAVE ICE sounds awkward without the D, but I'll accept it.
Across:
1. Tool that can be a musical instrument: SAW.
4. Not berthed: ASEA.
8. Designated: TERMED.
14. Confidentiality contract: Abbr.: NDA.
15. Spider-Man co-creator Lee: STAN.
16. Prophecy source: ORACLE.
19. Beam benders: PRISMS. Nice clue.
20. Cookie-based dessert: OREO PIE.
21. Spanish "those": ESOS. Ayer esos besos eran por san valentin. (Yesterday those kisses were for Valentine's.)
22. Salon job: PERM.
28. Affirmative replies: YESES.
30. General on a menu: TSO. Who Was General Tso (And Why Does He Have His Own Chicken)? Recipe.
31. Sign of healing: SCAB. Always have to wait for perps to fill in the last B or R.
32. __ Cruces, New Mexico: LAS.
34. "Yeah, I guess": SURE.
36. Pickleball shot: LOB. From Wikipedia: Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/paddle sport where two players, or four players, hit a perforated hollow polymer ball over a 36-inch-high net using solid-faced paddles. Fun fact: It began soaring in popularity as the search for new activities during the coronavirus pandemic turned many people into “picklers.”
40. Mud bath spot: SPA.
42. Bash who co-hosts CNN's "State of the Union": DANA.
43. Mo: SEC. This one had me scratching my head - but fellow guest bloggers helped me out. Shortened forms of moment and second, as in, 'wait a mo,' or 'wait a SEC.'
44. The Buckeye State: OHIO.
46. WNBA official: REF. Basketball referee.
47. A few bucks, say: STAGS. Nice clue. Animal, not cash.
55. Heaps: A LOT.
56. Limo destination: PROM.
57. Jack up: ELEVATE.
59. Nut used to make vegan cheese: CASHEW. Never tried artificial cheese, but what's not to love about cashews? Can anyone recommend?
63. Understood by few: ARCANE. Not unlike many crossword words.
64. Despise: HATE.
65. Org. with seven teams in Canada: NHL. National Hockey League.
66. "This Is Spinal Tap" director: REINER. In the film, Rob Reiner plays a documentary filmmaker named Marty DiBergi who is wearing the same hat throughout the entire film that says "USS OORAL SEA OV-4B" instead of "USS CORAL SEA OV-43." The hat was made because the Navy refused to grant permission to use the real Coral Sea hat. Fun fact: Mark Knopfler told Reiner that he would only do the theme for The Princess Bride if Reiner put the hat into that movie. You can see it in the little boy's room when his grandfather is reading him the story (though apparently it was not the actual hat from This is Spinal Tap because that one had been lost).
67. Lyft competitor: UBER.
68. Game Boy batteries: AAS.
Down:
1. Beagle who pilots an imaginary Sopwith Camel: SNOOPY. The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917.
2. Like premium streaming services: AD FREE. That'll be extra.
3. Communion rounds: WAFERS.
4. Urgent letters: ASAP. As soon as possible.
5. Narrow piece: STRIP.
6. Foodie website covering 25 metro areas: EATER.
7. "__ takers?": ANY.
8. Arcade achievements: TOP SCORES. Anatomy of Arcade High Score Tables.
9. Bad move: ERROR.
10. Ups the ante: RAISES. The phrase originated in betting games like poker. The ante is the amount the player commit to before the game begins. When a player increases the amount, it is termed as upping the ante. The cost, risk, reward all go up as a result of upping the ante.
11. Telethon VIPs: MCS. From the abbreviation MC, which stands for master of ceremonies. Emcee is a less formal way of saying master of ceremonies. Both terms are used in the context of events like weddings, banquets, and awards ceremonies, but, of the two, emcee is more commonly used in less formal situations.
12. Blight-stricken tree: ELM. The disease is still a threat, but fortunately, several resistant American elm and hybrid elm selections are available or being developed. Two insect vectors are responsible for transmitting DED: the native elm bark beetle (Hylurgopinus rufipes) and the European elm bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus).
13. __ Moines: DES.
18. Grapefruit kin: POMELO. How to Eat a Pomelo: 5 Ways to Use This Giant Citrus Fruit.
21. Succeed: ENSUE.
24. "You can come out now": IT'S SAFE.
25. Rights advocacy gp.: ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union.
26. __ Tomé and Príncipe: SÃO. Uninhabited until being discovered by the Portuguese in the late 15th century, São Tomé and Príncipe is a tiny archipelago situated in the Gulf of Guinea. It became a outpost of the slave trade under Portuguese rule, with sugar cane, cocoa and coffee all prominent exports.
29. Hourglass stuff: SAND.
33. Draw for some pictures: STAR POWER. Ah. Pictures as in films.
35. Contact lens holders: EYES. Haha.
37. Uttered: SAID.
38. Hr. for an after-lunch nap, maybe: ONE PM. Tricky when it's spelled out like that.
39. Interval of eight notes: OCTAVE.
40. Cry noisily: SOB.
41. Soup with rice noodles: PHO. Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat.
45. Anne of Green Gables, for one: ORPHAN. Children’s Movies Have Too Many Orphans.
48. "Riverdale" actress Huffman: ALAINA. Canadian film and television actress.
49. "Caught red-handed!": GOTCHA.
50. Braces (oneself): STEELS.
53. Process that may involve PT or OT: REHAB. Physical or Occupational Therapy.
54. Roofing option: SLATE.
58. Of all time: EVER.
59. Subway unit: CAR.
60. "What __ those?": ARE.
61. Bio or chem: SCI. Sciences.
62. Moo __ pork: SHU. More Asian food! Apparently Moo Shu Pork is a very common home-cooked dish in China and the authentic Chinese moo shu pork recipe does not include any moo shu pancakes.
