Saturday, May 7, 2022, Ella Dershowitz

 Themeless Saturday by Ella Dershowitz

Continuing our trend of new-to-the-LA Times constructors, today we greet our seventh new constructor in the last eight Saturday puzzles. All have all been very gracious and willing to share their thoughts with us. Our latest constructor is an actor (her IMDB) and here is  her lovely note to us:

Hi Gary,

When not sitting at my computer staring at tiny boxes, I am an actor. I’ve long been obsessed with solving crosswords, initially as a backstage activity and then as an always activity. I discovered constructing as a pandemic hobby and am now equally obsessed with the puzzle that is constructing. This is one of only three themelesses I’ve ever made. I was trying my hand at them, but I have since returned to the comfort of themed puzzles with their higher word counts and non-codependent corners. Major props to those who make lots of themeless puzzles - I find it so hard! 

The seed entry for this puzzle was lucid dreaming. I was talking about the concept with some friends and realized it hadn’t appeared in a puzzle yet (it has since I believe). One thing I love is when I learn a new word or phrase from my dictionary while constructing. That happened here with “baby moon” - I saw it was an option for the upper right corner and assumed it was related to the moon in the sky, so I looked it up and was surprised to discover what it actually means. I also love it when editors made puzzles a zillion times better, as Patti did here with so many awesome clues. One of her additions I particularly appreciated was the love for my hometown (Boston) in the Beacon clue! Hope the solve is as challenging yet fun for you as the construction was for me! 

Across:

1. Fit: ABLE.

5. Van Halen icon: HAGAR - The original front man David Lee Roth quit Van Halen to pursue a solo career and was replaced with Sammy HAGAR.

Sammy HAGAR.            David Lee Roth

10. Shortening in some cookie recipes: TBSP - Tablespoon is shortened to TBSP. 

14. "Keep talking ... ": TELL ME MORE 18. "Likely story": I BET- Yeah, I BET the kitty is interested

16. Fade: WANE.

17. House blends, e.g.: TABLE WINES - In the United States, the term primarily designates a wine style: an ordinary wine which is not fortified or expensive and is not usually sparkling. You're welcome.

19. Trap during January, maybe: ICE IN.

20. "Euphoria" actor Eric: DANE - I have never seen "Euphoria" but remember him as Dr. Mark Sloan in Grey's Anatomy

21. Nej : Swedish :: __ : Russian: NYET - Omaha - "Is the answer yes or no?" Stockholm - "Är svaret ja eller NEJ?" Moscow - "Ответ да или нет?"

22. Doesn't work hard: COASTS - What a senior does during the last six weeks of H.S.

24. Sabermetrics input: DATA.

26. Hosp. scan: MRI - New open Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines are better for claustrophobic patients

27. "The Boys of My Youth" writer Jo __ Beard: ANN - Saturday cluing 101

28. Jolly good: AOK - This event is why May 5 is also National Astronaut Day

30. Lock: SHOO-IN - House incumbents are virtual SHOO-INS for reelection

32. United in a cause: ALLIED.

35. Word with string or sing: ALONG.

36. Focus of a diary in some sleep therapy sessions: LUCID DREAMING During a lucid dream, you’re aware of your consciousness. It’s a form of metacognition, or awareness of your awareness. Often, lucid dreaming also lets you control what happens in your dream. You're welcome.

39. Campus group: SOPHS.

40. Yellowish pink: SALMON 

41. "And all that": ETC ETC.

43. Forrest player: TOM - Very devious, Ella! 😁

44. Bitey dog: CUR.

47. Unlikely to pipe up: SHY.

48. Buckwheat noodle: SOBA - With sesame seeds

51. Chemical synthesized in the liver: KETONE - Here ya go

53. Sail a zigzag course: TACK - Sailing into the wind

55. Résumé concerns: GAPS.

57. Put a handle on: NAMED - Mom's sister gave me my handle

58. Gardner of mystery: ERLE - Perry Mason's creator is a familiar cwd visitor

59. Chow from a halal cart, e.g.: STREET MEAT - More info

61. Caught up to, in a way: TIED - On August 11, 1951 the NY Giants were 13 1/2 games behind the NY Giants but caught them and TIED for the NL lead on the last day of the season. Bobby Thompson then hit the most famous home run in baseball history to win the 3-game playoff series.

62. Yoga class respite: CHILD'S POSE.

63. Covers up a plot?: SODS.

64. Five Pillars faith: ISLAM.

65. Taylor-Joy of "The Queen's Gambit": ANYA.

Down:

1. Aegean peninsula: ATTICA - ATTICA contains Athens and its suburbs. The rest of the peninsula is called, uh, Rest Of Attica.

2. Boston street where Cheers is located: BEACON - It's on the corner of BEACON and Brimmer Street in Ella's hometown

3. Retailer with Outdoor Discovery programs: LL BEAN - 114 miles NNE of Cheers in Boston

4. Golden Globe winner Tracee __ Ross: ELLIS - The mom

5. Fell: HEW.

6. During: AMID - Desiderata: "Go placidly AMID the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence."

7. Reproductive gland: GONAD.

8. __ rock: ARENA - Taylor Swift is in the picture somewhere 

9. Starts over: RESETS.

10. Either "Twelfth Night" sibling: TWIN - Gender bending comedy

11. Vacay for parents-to-be: BABYMOON - Cute.

12. Disdainful: SNEERING.

13. __ zoo: PETTING - Hey, as long you're PETTING us...

15. Experts who prefer open-minded people?: MENTALISTS.

23. "No need to convince me": SOLD.

25. Flashes of insight: AHA MOMENTS - Engineer Percy Spencer was working with this very radar device that emitted microwaves. Percy then noticed the candy bar in his shirt pocket had heated up and melted. AHA!

29. Ribs: KIDS.

31. "Chocolat" actress: OLIN - Lena OLIN is at the bottom of the picture and is on the left in the big picture.

32. Aleve target: ACHE.

33. Cy Young stat: ERA - The pride of Omaha had an incredible 1968 Cy Young-winning-season

34. Muscle worked by a reverse fly, for short: DELT.

36. Rake: LOTHARIO: LOTHARIO is a male given name that came to suggest an unscrupulous seducer of women, based upon a character in The Impertinent Curious Man, a story within a story in Miguel de Cervantes' 1605 novel, Don Quixote. You're welcome.

37. Repurposed creatively, as trash: UPCYCLED - Can be seen in your local Wal~Mart

38. Wildly: AMOK.

39. Elements of Petrarchan sonnets: SESTETS - A very famous Petrarchan sonnet by Emma Lazrus

42. Mind field, for short: COG SCI.

44. "That can't possibly be true": COME ON.

45. Weirded out: UNEASY.

46. Herbal brew: RED TEA - Also called...

49. Mikvehs, e.g.: BATHS - Jewish ritual BATHS

50. National Scrabble Day month: APRIL.

52. City across from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge: TAMPA.

54. Shoe brand with a Kate Spade New York collection: KEDS - When I was a kid and now

                        

56. Actress Ward: SELA - Frequently in our cwd cast

60. Genre that includes techno: EDM - Play as much of Electronic Dance Music as you'd like.

Friday, May 6, 2022, Christina Iverson

Title: Two themes for the price of one? 

We had the pleasure of C.C. blogging the first Patti V. puzzle since she became editor; now we have the first post-change puzzle from her new assistant. Christina has been a very active since she DISCOVERED crossword puzzles for fun and profit four years ago.  If you click on the link above it is an interesting and helpful introduction if you want to follow in her footsteps, or word steps. I became aware of her with the reading of the CROSSWORD PUZZLE COLLABORATION DIRECTORY   a Facebook group. Perhaps Moe will share his experience with them. Anyway, on with the puzzle.

This Friday effort jibes with the new style, with an emphasis on fun cluing.  The themers are a 9, two 11s and a 9. The longish CONDUCT, DISTANT,  I NEED IT, and VACUOUS are just 7 spaces, though we do have LIFE IS GOOD and MISSED CALL  in the down fill. But wait, there is more! There are also two ten letter fill clued as if they were part of the theme, but are they?

First, 

16A. NVS: GREEN EYED (9). If you have imagination you can see NVS = ENVIOUS, especially if you add IOU to the letters. Jealously is the green-eyed monster. 

23A. TDS: MIND NUMBING (11). TEDIOUS, exhibits an additional insertion of IOU and thus a punnish fill.  A ninety minute organic chemistry lecture was enough brain drain for me.

52A. DVS: UNDERHANDED (11). Ah, good; DEVIOUS = UNDERHANDED. The theme has emerged and is consistent.

65A. ODS: JUST AWFUL (9). ODIOUS is another IOU and completes the symmetry of the main theme.

Meanwhile, you see...

39A. IC: DISTANT. A curve ball as this is another sounds like clue (if you are icy to someone, you will appear distant) but there is no IOU? Then, 

41. MT: VACUOUS. The next clue/fill are exactly the same pattern; if you told someone that their friend was empty headed, they would be vacuous. Hmm.

I hope Christina comes by and unravels this mini-mystery.

Across:

1. Flows back: EBBS. A classic crosswordese clued differently. And 4D. Flow slowly: SEEP.

5. Sci. major: BIO. Many choices here, must wait for perps.

8. Fisher of "Wedding Crashers": ISLA. Goody, a fill that I am sure is correct. Isla Lang Fisher was born on February 3, 1976 in Muscat, Oman, to Scottish parents Elspeth Reid and Brian Fisher, who worked as a banker for the U.N. She spent her early childhood in Bathgate, Scotland, before moving to Perth, Australia with her family in the early 1980. imdb. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                           Photo by Richard Cartwright - © 2005 - New Line Cinema

12. Eight or nine on the Beaufort scale: GALE. I will try not to give a long winded answer. LINK

13. Twinge: PANG. Which sounds exactly like the Thai word for expensive.

14. Hijab and niqab, e.g.: VEILS.

18. Like Keebler's animated bakers: ELFIN. I hit a minor speed bump with ELVIN, the first name of a City Commissioner I know.

19. Daze: STUPOR. No, I was not in a Stupor, not then at least. 

20. Serpentine fish: EEL. CSO to C.C.

22. Toy company with theme parks: LEGO. This also is is in Mnnesota.

26. Bound: JUMP. Definition of bound (Entry 4 of 7) 1 : leap, jump cleared the hedge at a xinglebound.

30. Island chain: LEI. This is witty; we used to make all kinds of chains in schools. Then paired with the non-clecho...

31. Parts of an island chain: CAYS. This is pronounced and is another spelling of KEYS, which anyone in Florida is familiar with. 

32. Bagel flavor: ONION. I cannot think of any other five letter bagels.

34. Part of a flight: STAIR. Another nice deception, not running away or going in the air, just stairs.

36. Steve Carell voice role: GRU. I am not sure I knew he was the felonious Gru in the DESPICABLE ME movies.

43. "__ been a while!": IT'S. Did you miss me?

44. Place to have a ball?: DISCO. A cute clue/fill pair; literal but evocative.

46. Smog element: OZONE. Another layered clue/fill.

47. Sweeping: EPIC. The old CBS record company? 

49. Olive extract: OIL. Poor girl, she has had a hard life and they cannot even spell her name correctly. 

51. Some Neruda poems: ODES. A reminder of dear Clear Ayes, our initial poet in residence. The critics list these as his BEST. This is my favorite of his ODES.

56. Costa __: RICA. Female, Puerto Rico, male.

57. Pull the plug on: END. My mind jumped to the horrible choice made in hospice. 

58. Top 10 U2 song from "Rattle and Hum": DESIRE.

63. High-five sounds: SLAPS. A bit musical

67. Totally fine: ALL OK. Or if you want obscure and you are a techie nerd ALLOK

68. Cuatro y cuatro: OCHO. Spanish multiplication/

69. Resale warning: AS IS.

70. "Betsy's Wedding" writer/director: ALDA. Star...
                            

71. Sporty truck, briefly: UTE. Still the movie comes to mind

72. Zero: NONE. Nada.

Down:

1. What some layers cover: EGGS. See, I knew this was intended as a layered puzzle.

2. Toon boy known for chalkboard gags: BART. Young Mr. Simpson.

3. Flag couleur: BLEU. French begets French.

5. __ leaf: BAY. Now we are cooking...

6. "This isn't optional!": I NEED IT. You deserve it!

7. Nash who rhymed "Bronx" and "thonx": OGDEN. The Bronx? No thonx! This - one of the shortest poems ever - is the product of Ogden Nash (1902-1971). It was called a "Geographical Reflection" in his book Hard-Lines (1931). 

8. First-person contraction: I'VE.

9. Date stamp: SELL BY. Are they meaningful? Use By" Dates: "This date is put on by the food manufacturer as the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. "Expiration" Dates: "The "expiration" date is aimed at consumers and is the last date the product can be considered fresh. "Sell By" Dates: "This date tells the store how long to display the food product.

10. Apparel company with a smiling stick-figure icon: LIFE IS GOOD.

11. Set straight: ALIGN. This makes a line.

13. Grave danger: PERIL. Pauline where are you?

15. Love thy neighbour, say?: SNOG. Notice the "our" telling you that this is a British answer and snogging is just what you think it and you are not supposed to it.

17. Snarfing sound: NOM. Cookie monster again.

21. Saint __: only country named for a woman: LUCIA. What male world we have grown up in, no wonder they created feminists.

24. Sticky places?: NESTS. Sticks, not adhesion.

25. Venice's Piazza San __: MARCO.

                                                    

26. Novelist Picoult: JODI. Her list of books. LINK.

27. Peck, e.g.: UNIT. Of weak kisses?

28. Notification while in silent mode, perhaps: MISSED CALL.

29. Cauldron: POT. I do not want to stir up any contraversy, but...

33. Low point: NADIR.

35. Skirt: AVOID. I do not think you need to avoid all women...

37. Mythological character?: RUNE. Not a character in a story but  writing character.

38. Applications: USES.They were uses before other alhabets came along.

40. __ market: NICHE.

42. Aduba of "In Treatment": UZO. Uzoamaka Nwanneka Aduba is an American actress. She is known for her role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black, for which she won an Emmy 

45. Manage: CONDUCT. Another tricky syntax clue/fill.

48. Online grocer with green delivery trucks: PEAPOD.

                                        

50. Resulted in: LED  TO. People being healthy?

52. __ Major: URSA.

53. Wafer brand: NILLA. Two days in a row.

54. Short-necked pear: ANJOU. Poor guys, they are yummy, neck or not.

55. "Snowfall" law gp.: DEA. Snowfall is set in 1983 Los Angeles and revolves around the crack cocaine lords and its overall impact on the city’s culture. Thw DEA wants to catch them, maybe.

59. Graceful bird: SWAN.

60. "Assuming that's the case ... ": IF SO. Logic.

61. Mess up: RUIN.

62. Choice word: ELSE. Or else what?

64. Genre with Jamaican roots: SKA. According to Britannica this was pioneered by the operators of powerful mobile discos called sound systems, ska evolved in the late 1950s from an early Jamaican form of rhythm and blues that emulated American rhythm and blues, especially that produced in New Orleans, Louisiana.

66. __/her pronouns: SHE. What aperfect end to the new all female regime at the LA Times Crossword Puzzle.

The excitement is in the air as we get through more puzzles; you must admit they can be much fun. Thank you Christina and thank you all who read an write and support this blog, C.C. and Boomer and give me a place to hide. Lemonade out. 

 

 

Thursday, May 5, 2022. Ashleigh Silveira

Buenos dias, y feliz cinco de mayo, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here at the 19th hole.  That's a good place to be today as a cerveza or two would certainly help get through all the verbiage that follows.  I have tried to pare it down but this was a puzzle that I found to be more easily solved than succinctly explained.

The Northeast quadrant sets the stage for today's outing with a single pair of intersecting clues/answers.  Fore!

11 Down:  With 16-Across, 9-, 37-, or 71-Across, for any given hole: GOLF, and 

16 Across: See 11-Down: SCORE.

Apparently, as we fill in the squares, we will reveal themed answers, strewn about the puzzle, that riff on GOLF SCOREs .  Let's see how this plays.

At three places within the grid our puzzle setter, Ashleigh Silveira (in what may be her LAT debut), has placed answers that are terms for taking either more, or fewer, strokes than par to complete a hole of golf.  For the non-golfers among you, each hole in golf has a par determined by the course architect or by the golf course PGA pro.  This is the number of strokes you are supposed to take to play the hole.  This means that on a Par Four hole you are expected to hit a tee shot and then land your second shot on the putting green.  Your are then given two putts to make your par.  On a Par Three hole you are expected to land your tee shot on the green and then two-putt for your par.

Here are the three GOLF SCORE terms found within the puzzle:

  9 Across:  Term illustrated by the starts of 39- and 44-Across: BOGEY.

37 Across:  Term illustrated by the starts of 17- and 20-Across: BIRDIE.

 71 Across:  Term illustrated by parts of 61- and 67-Across: EAGLE.

At three other places within the grid we find the definitions of the above terms.  These definitions are given in a clever manner.

A BOGEY is the term, in golf, for taking one more stroke than par to complete the hole.  At 39 and 44 Across we see that we have the word ONE positioned directly above (over) the word PAR.

Therefore, we have: ONE over PAR =  BOGEY

A BIRDIE is the term for taking one less stroke than par.  At 17 and 20 Across we see that we have the word ONE positioned directly below (under) the word PAR.

Therefore, we have ONE  under PAR = BIRDIE

An EAGLE is the term for taking two less strokes than par.  At  61 and 67 Across we see that we have the word TWO positioned directly below (under) the word PAR.

Et voila, we have TWO under PAR = EAGLE

As the saying goes, one picture is worth a thousand words so let's take a look at how all of this appears in the finished puzzle:

Across:

1. Ewes' guys: RAMS.  An ovine reference.    Ashleigh, or Patti,  could have gone with a reference to the recent Super Bowl champions.  As it is, the clue is a nice riff on gangster movie slang.

5. Jazz great James: ETTA.  A frequent visitor.

14. Director Kazan:   ELIA.  A frequent visitor.

15. Some skinny jeans: LEES.  LEVIS wouldn't quite fit.

17. __ paper: baking layer: PARCHMENT.  Often used to prevent sticking and/or burning.

19. DuVernay film set in Alabama: SELMA.

Ava DuVernay

20. Diamond gems: ONE HITTERS.  Misdirection.  A baseball, not jewelry, reference.

22. Way, way off: AFAR.  Or a Dickens line.  It is a far far better thing . . .

23. Mood-stabilizing hormone: SEROTONIN.  Also known as 5-Hydroxytryptamine but that wouldn't fit the allotted space.

25. Ante-: PRE.    Both mean before/prior to when used as a PREfix.

28. Solidify: SET.  Hand up for GEL as an initial guess.

29. California's Big __: SUR.  A geography reference.  From the Spanish "el país grande del sur" the big country of the south.

A Three Minute (Not Three Hour) Tour

30. Place for a stay: INN.  The worst motel I ever stayed at was called "The Fiddle".  It was a vile INN.

33. Souvlaki meat: LAMB.  Do the "folks" at 1 Across know about this?

35. Put away the groceries?: EAT.  Colloquialism

39. Outwit: ONE UP.  Colloquialism

41. Cybergiggle: LOL.  Laugh Out Loud

43. Dirties: SOILS.

44. Package: PARCEL.  

46. Director Anderson: WES.  Among other films he directed: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, Rushmore and The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

48. Symbol on the Flash's chest: BOLT.  Lightning BOLT.  The Flash himself visited us last Friday.

49. Farm pen: STY.

50. Siete menos cinco: DOS.  Today's second Spanish lesson.  Seven minus five equals two.

52. Cable channel with a "superstar" wine club: TCM.  Turner Classic Movies

54. Univ. aides: TAS.  Teaching AssisstantS.  Yet another pluralized abbreviation.

55. Initiates legal action: FILES SUIT.

58. Red outside, maybe: RIPE.  See also 58 Down.  Nice cluing.

61. Complex units: APARTMENTS.  Rental units in an apartment complex.

65. Watchdog breed: AKITA.

Not Much of a Deterrent

67. Cheaters: TWO TIMERS.  To deceive or double cross.  Usually used with reference to infidelity.

68. Kidney-related: RENAL.

69. "__ cost you!": IT'LL.

70. Bog fuel: PEAT.  Sometimes PEAT smoke is used to stop the malting process.  This makes for  some very tasty whisky.  Just ask my friend Shaun The Sheep.

72. Kenneth of fashion: COLE.

73. Dessert brand: EDY'S.

Down:

1. Default action, briefly: REPO.  REPOsession.  That's what happens when the demon returns after the initial exorcism.

2. "Einstein's Dreams" novelist Lightman: ALAN.  Years ago I read a roadtrip book called Driving Einstein's Brain.  The title is self-explanatory.

3. Swampy land: MIRE.

4. Goldman __: SACHS.  Investment bankers.

5. Target of some bark beetles: ELM TREE.

6. Stay dry?: TEETOTAL.  Dry as in no alcohol.  

7. Core belief: TENET.

8. Team that lost the 2019 World Series to the Nationals: ASTROS.  Another baseball reference.  The team that won the 2017 World Series has been dubbed the Houston Asterisks.

9. Some coll. degrees: BSS.  We also saw this answer exactly two weeks ago.

10. "Channel Orange" Grammy winner Frank: OCEAN.

Frank Ocean

12. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.  I often forget if it's ERMA or EMMA.  Or, IRMA.

13. 2022, e.g.: YEAR.  Not EVEN?

18. Goes quickly: HIES.

21. Slight: SNUB.  Not as in "just a little bit".  A brush off.

24. Mystery writer Johansen: IRIS.  She has written many, many books.

25. Falls heavily: PLOPS.

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz

26. Charged: RAN AT.  One of those answers where you find yourself wondering, upon reviewing your work, what the heck is a RANAT?

27. __ board: EMERY.  First thought of SKATE.  PAROLE was too long.

30. "Canadian __": "Weird Al" parody of a Green Day song: IDIOT.  A parody of the Green Day song  "American Idiot".

(Some of) Weird Al's Greatest Hits

31. Nabisco wafer brand: NILLA.

32. Mouse pads?: NESTS.  Misdirection.  We were supposed to think of the computer peripherals.  What kind of work does a mouse do?  Mousework.

34. Tampa NFLer: BUC.  The BUCcaneers of the National Football League

36. Haul: TOW.

38. Corddry of HBO's "Ballers": ROB.  Not familiar with him.  Thanks, perps.

40. Mani-__: PEDI.

42. "Time to bounce": LETS ROLL.  The Urban Dictionary tells us that BOUNCE can mean "to arrive at or leave a destination".  New to this marine mammal.

45. 1970 Kinks hit: LOLA.  LOLA can be found at the 2:33 mark below.

The Kinks Top Ten Hits

47. Sink on purpose: SCUTTLE.

Scuttle A Captured Enemy Ship - 1947

51. __ tank: SEPTIC.  Today's let's-skip-the-visual-on-this-one moment.

53. "The Emancipation of __": Mariah Carey album: MIMI.

55. Prenatal: FETAL.  Note the prefix.

56. Took care of: SAW TO.

57. ASU's home: TEMPE.  TEMPE, Arizona

58. Red inside, maybe: RARE.  See also 58 Across.  Nice.

59. SUNDVIK baby furniture retailer: IKEA.  Never heard of SUNDVIK but what else could the answer be?  Please pass the meatballs.

60. __-pong: PING.  First thought of BEER

62. Requirement: NEED.

63. Highchair surface: TRAY.

64. Retired jets: SSTS.  Airplanes often seen flying around in crossword puzzles.  Yet another pluralized abbreviation (Four letters, three being S.  Quite useful for a constructor).

66. Flagon fill: ALE.

A Flagon To Be Filled

____________________________________

Wednesday, May 4, 2022, Ed Sessa

Theme: YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE.

Melissa here. And no, really. I have no idea what the theme is. Besides the Jekyll/Hyde thing, and all the pronouns - what connects these answers? Love to hear your thoughts. Theme answers below.

20. Dr. Jekyll, to Mr. Hyde: YOU ARE ON MY MIND.

42. Dr. Jekyll, to Mr. Hyde: I WANT TO BE ALONE.

48. Mr. Hyde, to Dr. Jekyll: IT'S NOT YOU IT'S ME.

25. Dr. Jekyll, to Mr. Hyde: I'M BESIDE MYSELF.

 Across:

1. Trudge: PLOD.

5. Deer dad: STAG. Nice clue.

9. Vexes, with "at": GNAWS.

14. Rumble in the jungle: ROAR.

15. Hourglass figure?: TIME. Great clue.

16. Roker of ''The Jeffersons'': ROXIE. Also mother of Lenny Kravitz and related to Al Roker (their grandfathers were cousins). Roxie died in 1995 of breast cancer. Lenny wrote this song for her. Sniff.

 

17. Blue-Emu target: ACHE.

18. "Never Have I __": Netflix series created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher: EVER.

19. Make amends: ATONE.

23. Ruminate (over): MULL.

24. One close to home?: UMP. Umpire. Tennis and baseball have umpires.

32. Mitchell who won a Tony Award for "Hadestown": ANAIS. American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright.

33. Tall shade trees: ELMS.

34. Robert McCloskey's "Blueberries for __": SAL. It's a children's picture book. Sal is a little girl who can't pick blueberries faster than she can eat them.

35. Slimy pest: SLUG. Really gross to step on one barefoot. Ew.

36. Piddling: DINKY. Small.

38. Passion: FIRE.

39. Sun shade?: TAN.

40. Locale: SITE.

41. Make one's case: ARGUE.

46. No longer cool: OUT. So yesterday.

47. Short holiday?: XMAS. Abbreviation for Christmas.

55. Means of entry: WAY IN.

56. Boaters and bowlers: HATS. A bowler hat, also called a derby hat, was created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849.  Worn famously by Laurel and Hardy.

A boater hat is a straw, round hat with a flat top, famously worn by Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins.

 

 

57. Denny's rival: IHOP. Both are known for their all-day breakfast items.

58. Say yes: AGREE.

59. Shallowest Great Lake: ERIE. Interesting bit of trivia.

60. Folk stories: LORE.

61. Sock away: HOARD.

62. Like audiobooks, once: ON CD. Most new computers don't come with CD drives any more, including my new iMac.

63. Device that helps a team pull together: YOKE. Must be very uncomfortable for the oxen.

Down:

1. Thank the goddesses, e.g.: PRAY.

2. "Un Poco __": song from "Coco": LOCO. "A little crazy."

3. Diamond Head's island: OAHU. The most iconic volcanic formation in all of Hawai‘i. 

4. Aim high: DREAM BIG.

5. Girds (oneself): STEELS. Brace yourself!

6. Copenhagen's __ Gardens: TIVOLI. Best known for it's wooden rollercoaster, Rutschebanen, or as some people call it, Bjergbanen (The Mountain Coaster), built in 1914. It is one of the world's oldest wooden roller coasters that is still operating today.

7. Revival meeting cry: AMEN. So be it.

8. Microbe: GERM. Or microorganism.

9. Beyoncé's 28: GRAMMYS. She's close behind the record-holder. Georg Solti (21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997), a British orchestral and operatic conductor, received 31 with his first being for Best Opera Recording at the 5th Annual Grammy Awards in 1963.

10. Policy that typically includes higher menu prices: NO TIPS.

11. Nerve impulse carrier: AXON.

12. Sailboat's need: WIND.

13. "That's how it's done": SEE.

21. Feels remorse about: RUES.

22. "Delish!": YUMMY. Or yum-o, as Rachael Ray would say.

25. Kin by marriage: IN-LAW. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “A phrase appended to names of relationship, as father, mother, brother, sister, son, etc., to indicate that the relationship is not by nature, but in the eye of the Canon Law, with reference to the degrees of affinity within which marriage is prohibited.”

26. Word in Hawaiian volcano names: MAUNA. Rising gradually to more than 4 km (13,100 ft) above sea level, Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on our planet.

27. Brightest star in Cygnus: DENEB. Cygnus contains six bright stars that appear to form a “cross,” the brightest of which being Deneb. Deneb is one of the three stars found in the Summer Triangle asterism and is one of the largest white stars in our sky.

28. Yellowstone grazers: ELK.

29. Complete, as a PDF contract: ESIGN. I feel for folks who don't use computers. So many things, like taxes, are mostly done online now.

30. Lash of old Westerns: LARUE. Larue (June 15, 1917 – May 21, 1996) was a popular western motion picture star of the 1940s and 1950s.

31. Get out of Dodge: FLEE. Let's blow this taco stand.

32. Italian wine region: ASTI.

36. "Same here": DITTO.

37. "How was __ know?": I TO.

38. With no warmth: FROSTILY.

40. In a daze: STUNNED.

41. Jai __: ALAI.

43. More of a busybody: NOSIER. We all know a few like that.

44. Rare and wonderful: EXOTIC.

45. Brought a smile to: AMUSED.

48. "Othello" villain: IAGO. Iago hates Othello and devises a plan to destroy him by making him believe that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with his lieutenant.

49. Supermodel Banks who coined the word "smize": TYRA. Smiling with your eyes.

50. Rossi of "Sons of Anarchy": THEO.

51. Knitting need: YARN.

52. "Buzz off!": SHOO.

53. Ork native: MORK. Played by Robin Williams in Mork and Mindy.

54. Olympic sword: EPEE. There are three fencing blades used in Olympic fencing - the foil, épée and sabre - each of which have different compositions, techniques and scoring target areas. The épée is the largest and heaviest of the three.

55. "Oh, cry me a river": WAH.