On the Home Stretch. The circles are needed for today's puzzle. A circle is progressively added to each theme answer to slowly spell out the word HOME.
17-Across. Big spender in Vegas: HIGH ROLLER.
25-Across. Extremely volatile situation: HORNETS NEST.
44-Across. Southern breakfast side dish: HOMINY GRITS. I think Grits are an acquired taste.
60-Across. Sigh from a weary traveler, and an apt title for this puzzle: HOME AT LAST.
Across:
1. Tenant's payment: RENT.
5. "F" on a test, often: FALSE. Not a failing mark, but a mark on a True/False test.
10. One-named "Believe" diva: CHER. Cher (b. May 20, 1946), whose given name is Cherilyn Sarkisian, is a singer and actress. She is also known for her outlandish outfits.
14. "A Streetcar Named Desire" director Kazan: ELIA. Elia Kazan (né Elias Kazantzoglou; Sept. 7, 1909 ~ Sept. 28, 2003) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles. He was born in what was then known as Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey. He is also known for naming names before the House Un-American Committee in the 1950s.
15. Like days of yore: OLDEN.
16. In robust health: HALE.
19. Land in a lake: ISLE. I don't associate an isle being in a lake. I think of an Isle being situated in a larger body of water.
20. Had a dinner date: ATE OUT.
21. TV cooking competition hosted by Kristen Kish: TOP CHEF. Kristen Kish (b. Dec. 1, 1983) is an American chef known for winning the tenth season of Top Chef. She became the host of Top Chef:Wisconsin earlier this year.
23. Flat French hats: BERETS.
24. Loafer, for one: SHOE.
31. "You go, __!": GIRL.
35. Kanga's son: ROO.
36. Running total: TALLY.
37. Like two jacks in a deck of cards: ONE-EYED.
39. Drool: SLOBBER.
41. Ward (off): STAVE.
42. "I Like __": 1950s political slogan: IKE. Dwight David Eisenhower (Oct. 14, 1890 ~ Mar. 28, 1969) was the 34th President of the United States.
43. "No Ordinary Love" singer: SADE. Sade (née Helen Folasade Adu; b. Jan. 16, 1965), is a Nigerian-born British singer. Her parents began calling her Sade, a shortened form of her Yoruba middle name, Folasade, hence, that is how she is known.
48. Art hub in New Mexico: TAOS.
49. Desert that covers most of North Africa: SAHARA.
54. Item in a makeup bag: COMPACT. Some are very expensive.
58. Connect to a power supply: PLUG IN.
59. __ the hump: OVER.
63. Musical Auntie played by Angela Lansbury: MAME. Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (Oct. 16, 1925 ~ Oct. 11, 2022) was a British actress. She played Mame on Broadway in 1966 and was awarded a Tony for her portrayal. She is probably best known to younger audiences as portraying Jessica Fletcher on the television series Murder, She Wrote.
64. Levels in some subscription plans: TIERS. A tiered subscription provides different levels of services or products at different price levels. For example, some magazine subscriptions have one price for on-line issues, but a different price for on-line and hard copy issues.
65. To __: perfectly: A TEE.
66. Sound of a stone skimming failure: PLOP. We had a nearly identical clue in last Thursday's puzzle.
67. Celebrities: STARS.
68. Email button: SEND.
Down:
1. Post-surgery regimen: REHAB.
2. Crème de la crème: ELITE.
3. Chad neighbor: NIGER. Niger is a landlocked country in West Africa. Chad is not its only neighbor. It is bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. Its official name is the Republic of Niger.
4. Lake between the Silver State and the Golden State: TAHOE. Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the border of California and Nevada.
5. Tender after too much walking: FOOT SORE.
6. __-purpose flour: ALL. Everything you ever wanted to know about All-Purpose Flour.
7. "Bad" cholesterol, for short: LDL. Low-Density lipoprotein cholesterol, is the "bad" cholesterol. It is the type of cholesterol that can build up in your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. High-Density Lipoprotein cholesterol is the "good" cholesterol. HDL helps remove excess cholesterol from your body and lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke. Everything you ever wanted to know about your body's cholesterol.
8. Get hot under the collar: SEETHE.
9. Plant securely: ENROOT.
10. Hip and stylish: CHIC.
11. Corned beef __: HASH.
12. Fashion magazine with a French name: ELLE. Elle means She in French.
13. Big name in flip-flops and surfing apparel: REEF. I was not familiar with this company.
18. The "R" of the Supreme Court's RBG: RUTH. As in Ruth Bader Ginsberg (née Joan Ruth Bader; Mar. 15, 1933 ~ Sept. 18, 2020). She joined the United States Supreme Court in 1993.
22. Green sauce: PESTO. Yummers!
24. __-cone: icy treat: SNO.
26. Curtain holder: ROD.
27. Grabs: NABS.
28. Actor Idris: ELBA. In 2016, Idris Elba (né Idrissa Akuna Elba; b. Sept. 6, 1973) mad Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people.
29. Winter coaster: SLED.
30. One of four on a British car: TYRE.
31. Gentle expression of surprise: GOSH.
32. Division word: INTO.
33. Printer's package: REAM.
34. Strauss of jeans: LEVI. This is the third week in a row that jeans have appeared in a Tuesday puzzle.
38. Blabbermouth: YENTA.
39. Compete in a slalom: SKI.
40. "I don't think we want any!": LET'S PASS.
42. April 15 agcy.: IRS. As in the Internal Revenue Service.
45. America's Cup vessels: YACHTS.
46. "Get cracking!": GO TO IT.
47. Basic food preservative: SALT. Everything you ever wanted to know about salt as a preservative. Twenty-four years ago tomorrow (Nov. 20, 1980), an oil drilling company punctured a salt dome in Lake Peigneur in south Louisiana creating a massive sinkhole. The salt dome was being mined by the Diamond Salt company. Amazingly, all the workers in the salt mine survived.
50. Oahu dances: HULAs
51. Marble material: AGATE.
52. Out of the sack: RISEN.
53. Added a chip, say: ANTED.
54. Free ticket, casually: COMP.
55. Elongated circle: OVAL.
56. Note from the boss: MEMO.
57. Get ready, briefly: PREP.
61. __ culpa: MEA. Today's Latin lesson.
62. Make a mistake: ERR.
Here's the Grid:
