Tuesday, December 12th, 2023, Kelly Richardson

Speed needed to reach your gate~?

 A clever, double-depth theme of not just words, but 'concluding' adjectives rephrased as nouns into a 'punny' answer; I missed the 'resulting' part until I went to use the word 'final' in one of my comments, and thought "I'd rather use 'last' here", and the "A-ha~!" moment occurred: see below.  I'm impressed, so I had to find an appropriate theme title, and I think I succeeded - the answer, if you haven't guessed, is below.  Several answers brought music to my mind, and I will now share those thoughts with you.  Two  ten-letter and two fourteen-letter theme answers; odd-numbered answers always seem to be more difficult to get into a grid, at least in my constructing experience.   Here they are; 

17. Spa for out-of-shape shoe forms?: LAST RESORT

33. Marking off the hours left to cram before the big exam?: FINAL COUNTDOWN - the first musical interlude

 

Europe - Ear-worm~!

41. Home-buyer's day-of-sale demand for a single window dressing?: CLOSING CURTAIN - I asked for nothing when I closed on my home here in CT

60. Effects of months of glute workouts?: END RESULTS - oh, so easy for me to add a raunchy photo here, but I will refrain....

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Sitcom pioneer Lucille: BALL

5. Taken __: startled: ABACK - can you be taken "A-forward~?"

10. Arthur __ Stadium: world's largest tennis venue: ASHE - crossword staple

14. "Titans" actor Morales: ESAI - crossword staple

15. __ Lama: DALAI

16. Great Basin people: UTES

19. Coffee brewing choice: DRIP - my preferred method, but I do have a one-cup K-cup coffee maker, and since I am hosting Christmas this year, I will suggest to my brother to bring his choice of coffee K-cups, just to be considerate.

20. French farewell: ADIEU

"Indiana Jones, Adieu" - @ 1:18

21. __ decorator: INTERIOR - I used to put in my dating app profile that I was looking for an interior decorator, but now that I am the sole owner of my home, it's a total man-cave...

23. Himalayan bovine: YAK - an oldie, 1958, before my time....

 

Yakety -Yak, The Coasters

24. Word with stone or marker: MILE

26. "Right now," in texts: ATM - Hey~!  A new clue for a crossword cliche - "at the moment"

27. Sit-up muscles: ABS - yesterday's theme

28. Ceiling metal: TIN - as interior decorating goes, I like the look, with the right tiles; might do this in my home - I plan on a pool table in the basement, and I like At Deco

30. Identity statement, briefly: BIO

38. Clenched hand: FIST

39. Major artery: AORTA

40. Writer Wiesel: ELIE - crossword staple

44. Animation frame: CEL

45. Commercials: ADs

46. Boat blade: OAR

47. Uru. neighbor: ARGentina

49. Spielberg film featuring a shark: JAWS

I SAID JAWS~!

51. Answer to an addition problem: SUM

54. Wore red at a wedding, say: STOOD OUT - if it ever happens for me again, I am totally hip to a red wedding dress ( my first marriage was a "medieval" one - in more ways than one.... )

57. Fluffy-eared marsupial: KOALA

59. Cancel, as a check: VOID

62. __ vera: ALOE -   ah, just for Hahtoolah....

63. Inbox message: EMAIL

64. Binary digit: ZERO - and - 32D. Binary digit: ONE

 65. Running with scissors, e.g.: NO-NO

66. Southwestern plateaus: MESAS - another Spielberg movie

 

It's not a MESA, but it's a "BUTTE"

67. Muscat's country: OMAN

DOWN:

1. Secure, as a ship's line: BELAY - as I've said in the past, I start with the DOWN clues, and I didn't know this answer, so not a good start

2. Carne __: steak dish: ASADA - but I knew this one, and we were on our way~!

3. Sharper image innovation?: LASIK - and then we weren't

4. Lo-cal: LITE - and I dropped in DIET here....sigh

5. Fruit drink suffix: ADE

6. Pesto herb: BASIL

7. Independently: ALONE

8. E-commerce icon: CART

9. Toy with a string and a tail: KITE

10. Sit in on, as a class: AUDIT

11. Calzone cousin: STROMBOLI

12. Beneficiary: HEIR

13. Telepathic letters: ESP

18. Afro-Cuban dance: RUMBA

22. Tirade: RANT

25. Manhattan, e.g.: ISLAND - cocktail wouldn't fit

27. CGI creatures in a superhero film series starring Paul Rudd: ANTS

28. Tulle skirt: TU-TU

29. Lined up: IN A ROW

31. Victorious cry: "I WIN~!"

33. Nail salon tool: FILE

34. Quarantine: ISOLATION

35. Gear teeth: COGS

36. Tolkien monster: ORC

37. Beloved: DEAR

38. Media-monitoring org.: FCC - I would link Eminem here for a musical interlude, since "the FCC" is mentioned in his rap "Without Me", but Google for yourself....

42. Shakespearean betrayer: IAGO

43. Assignments: TASKS

48. "This isn't my first __": RODEO

49. Biblical betrayer: JUDAS - another musical interlude, this time, JUDAS Priest

 

Judas Priest, Invincible Shield, 2024

50. Naturally lit courtyards: ATRIA

51. Capital of Oregon: SALEM

52. Extreme: ULTRA

53. Lawyer Perry of classic TV: MASON - another musical interlude:

 

Ozzy~! Perry Mason

54. Without help: SOLO

55. Judge to be: DEEM

56. "Lunch is __": "I'm buying": ON ME

58. Anise-flavored Greek liquor: OUZO - the "penultimate" musical interlude...

 

"I'd Like to See You in Black" - Blue Öyster Cult - ouzo @ 2:39

59. Vehicle with sliding side doors: VAN - I have a Dodge CaraVAN, and here's my LAST musical interlude, VAN Halen~!

 

Stay Frosty

61. Raised trains: ELs - <-- train, train ^

 Answer: TERMINAL VELOCITY 😁

Splynter