16. Brilliant artist beset by personal demons, say: TORTURED GENIUS.
21. Activities Rudolph was kept from joining: REINDEER GAMES.
33. Southern part of the Mariana Trench: CHALLENGER DEEP.
43. Leafy side: COLLARD GREENS.
52. Not conforming to traditional male/female norms, and a hint to this puzzle's circles: GENDER CREATIVE.
CREATIVE is a clue indicating an anagram, in this case for letters GENDER that stretch across the two-word theme answers.
Melissa here. Just like a dictionary documents newly added terms and definitions, so do crosswords. A recent NYT article, Will Shortz's Life in Crosswords, quotes Shortz as saying "I think the crossword should reflect the life, language, and culture of everybody who reads the Times, and that’s everybody from smart teens up to the oldest people." Here's another NYT article listing over 1,900 words that appeared for the first time in their puzzles last year.
Across:
1. Pinnacle: ACME. Wiley Coyote's favorite catalog.
5. Zither kin: HARP. All about zithers. Not to be confused with Blondie's Mr. Dithers.
9. Is profitable: PAYS.
13. Like a clown car's passengers: CRAMMED IN.
15. __ palak: dish of potatoes and spinach: ALOO. Did not know this dish. Here's a recipe.
18. Condition that may be treated with CBT: OCD.
19. Hand (out): DOLE. Perps kept mete at bay.
20. Coding shortcut: MACRO. A series of instructions in the form of code that helps automate manual tasks, thereby saving time.
24. Dudes: GUYS.
25. 2020 and 2022 WNBA MVP Wilson: AJA. Sometimes see this clued as an album by Steely Dan.
26. Sagan who hosted the original "Cosmos": CARL. Pale Blue Dot. A beautiful piece of writing by Carl Sagan about the earth.
28. Little red Corvette or little deuce coupe: AUTO.
30. "The French Dispatch" director Anderson: WES.
37. Certain sib: SIS. Not bro.
38. Engrave: ETCH.
39. With competence: ABLY.
40. "Don't __ me started": GET.
41. 20s dispensers: ATMS. My first thought, which didn't fit, was Pez. Created in 1927, as an alternative to smoking. History of Pez.
49. Unsettling, in a way: EERIE. My son and I were recently in the McKenzie River area (in Oregon) and witnessed the eerily beautiful forest, two-plus years after a raging fire. Over a 5-10 mile stretch of highway we saw hundreds of RVs where people were living while rebuilding their homes and businesses. The trees left standing were mostly black, and smoke still hung in the air, almost like a ghost.
50. Word on Irish coins: EIRE. Irish for "Ireland."
51. Issa of "The Lovebirds": RAE. Also known for her YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl.
55. Burn balm: ALOE.
56. Prison drama that was Jonathan Demme's directorial debut: CAGED HEAT. Have not seen this 1974 film. Looks kind of .... terrible.
57. Multitude in a pointillist painting: DOTS. Example: Le Clipper, Asnieres by Paul Signac, 1887.
58. Copied: APED.
59. Norway's most populous city: OSLO.
Down:
1. Person in a cast: ACTOR.
2. Jim who sang "I Got a Name": CROCE.
3. Time to celebrate with one's krewe mates: MARDI GRAS. Had to look this one up: A krewe is any
group or organization of friends who would like to band together to
host a Mardi Gras ball, ride on a Mardi Gras parade float, and
participate in social events throughout the year. In Southwest Louisiana, there are more than 60 krewes, a number that continues to grow each season.
4. First responder: Abbr.: EMT.
5. First responders, e.g.: HEROES. Clecho.
6. "Easy on Me" singer: ADELE. Mononymous is an adjective describing one who is known by just one name.
7. Rodeo contestant: RIDER.
8. GIF alternative: PNG. Image file types. Use PNG format for any image that needs transparency, or for images with text & objects with sharp contrast edges like logos. Use GIF format for images that contain animations.
9. Land on an isthmus: PANAMA. An isthmus is a strip of land that connects two continents, two different parts of the continent, or a peninsula to a continent. See?
10. Painter Neel known for nudes: ALICE. Did not know this American artist. 1900-1984. Wikipedia says she was "known for her portraits depicting friends, family, lovers, poets, artists, and strangers." This is a beautiful site to browse her art. The site is a little tricky to navigate, but you can hear Neel speaking about her work if you click on The Met (on the right menu), and then use the navigation buttons to go forward to 7/17, and click on the words "Neel speak."
11. "What's mine is __": YOURS.
12. Meh: SOSO.
14. In need of a doggy bath, maybe: MUDDY.
17. Key with four sharps: E MAJOR. F♯, G♯, C♯, and D♯
22. No longer valid: NULL.
23. Garden entrance: GATE. Here is a famous one.
27. Fish at a sushi bar: AHI. In Hawaii, “ahi” refers to two species, the yellowfin tuna and the bigeye tuna.
28. Anti-apartheid org.: ANC. Wikipedia: The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa, a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid.
29. "Gross": UGH.
30. Episodes on YouTube, say: WEB SERIES.
31. Fish at a sushi bar: EEL. Tastes like chicken. (Not really, but it's tasty.)
32. Hidden asset?: SPY. Nice clue.
34. Actress-turned-artist Sobieski: LEELEE. American artist and retired actress.
35. "__ Jones Sings Lady Day": 2001 album: ETTA.
40. Moves smoothly: GLIDES.
41. "Deal!": AGREED.
42. Traction aid: TREAD.
43. Gnarls Barkley singer-songwriter Green: CEELO.
44. " ... unless you'd rather do something else": OR NOT.
46. Mournful tune: DIRGE.
47. __ blockade: NAVAL.
48. Take care of: SEE TO.
49. Quaint oath: EGAD.
54. However briefly?: THO. Nice clue.
