Saturday, October 22, 2022, Mary Lou Guizzo and Brooke Husic

 Themeless Saturday by Mary Lou Guizzo and Brooke Husic

Mary Lou and her retired  science teacher husband met at The University of Dayton and now live in Oakwood, OH which is a suburb of Dayton. Last time she told us: 

Mary Lou and Grandson

I am a retired medical technologist with a Specialty in Blood Banking (SBB). I’ve worked in hospitals, private labs and the Community Blood Center for many years. She further said she knew of C.C. and knows our moderator is a "rockstar constructor!" 

She told me how her collaboration with Brooke came about: I think I contacted Brooke via FB Messenger to let her know how much I enjoyed the Saturday, December 12, 2020 NYT puzzle she and Sid Sivakumar constructed. We chatted with each other and she asked if I’d like to co-construct a puzzle with her. She has exploded onto the cruciverbalist scene and is bursting with good ideas for constructing. She is a great person to collaborate with. I was honored that she asked me to work with her. Jim Horne wrote a nice piece about her here: https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/18/2022.

Brooke Husic is from Glastonbury, CT and is currently doing post doc work in Berlin in computational chemistry and machine learning work on molecular kinetics. I previously blogged a collaborative puzzle she made with Michael Lieberman last month. 

Across:

1. Address to a fella: BRO and 29. Address to a fella: GUV.

4. Lone star group?: PANS - Fun wording. A collection of restaurants or movies that were PANNED by getting only one star would be a group of PANS.

8. Green fruit: LIMES.

13. Marshmallow bird: PEEP - My teeth hurt just looking at them.

14. "Let Me Down Slowly" singer-songwriter Benjamin: ALEC - He has a very distinctive high voice

15. NAACP __ Awards: IMAGE - Marsai Martin won three this year

16. One hanging out along the wall?: EAVE - Did anyone else think of wallflowers at a dance

17. [Not again!]: SIGH

18. Colorful bulb: TULIP - The Tulip Festival in Pella, IA is worth the trip.

19. Achebe novel whose title comes from a Yeats poem: THINGS FALL APART.

The beginning four lines of the Yeats poem The Second Coming are referred to as a preface of the novel by this Nigerian author:

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,”

The centre is having trouble holding these days as it was in 1919 when Yeats wrote this poem.

22. Part of an opening line?: SESAME.

23. Rat tail?: TEE - raT

24. Sportswear brand: FILA.

25. Ain't equivalent?: AREN'T - You AREN'T Nothin' But A Hound Dog? That just ain't right!

26. Cosmetic invented for the movie industry in 1930: LIP GLOSS - The inventor Max Factor applies it below

28. Sondheim's "Sweeney __": TODD - The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street who seeks revenge for a terrible injustice.

30. Suffix with gazillion: AIRE - MillionAIRE, billionAIRE and then...

31. Masala chai, e.g.: SPICED TEA - What is masala?

34. __ Rub: anti-chafing product: CHUB.

35. Jazz intro?: NEO - A sample of NEO Jazz

36. Procedural that spun off from "JAG": NCIS - Two Saturdays in a row for NCIS

40. Mollusk considered a living fossil: NAUTILUS.

42. Comedian Cenac: WYATT.

43. Feature of a fitted blouse: DART.

 

44. On the __: LAM.

45. Cupcakes-to-be: BATTER.

46. Stadium cry: ICE COLD BEER HERE.

49. Dirty sort of person: CHEAT.

50. Himalayan cryptid: YETI - Disney's animatronic version of the YETI prowls the Expedition Everest ride at Animal Kingdom.

51. Vehicles that may roll over: IRAS.

52. Trunks: TORSI - Torso plural

53. __ queen: DRAG.

54. Makes: NETS - Can you find the NET pay on this stub?

55. Jennies, e.g.: ASSES - A Jenny and her foal

56. Dot on a map: ISLE.

57. Hurdle for a future Ph.D.: GRE - I took the Graduate Record Exam when LBJ was president

Down:

1. Come to the rescue: BE A HERO.

2. Amended: REVISED.

3. Court coup: OPEN AND SHUT CASE - We have the empty porridge bowl, the broken chair and she is still in one of our beds.

4. Not retro yet: PASSE - That outfit is so 2020 but at least it's not 1990

5. First letter of the Urdu alphabet: ALIF  - Since Urdu is read right to left, ALIF is in the top row on the right.

6. Figures whose squares are positive: NEGATIVE NUMBERS.

7. Haul: SCHLEP.

8. Ford whose debut album was "Out for Blood": LITA.

9. "No, really, you decide!": I'M UP FOR ANYTHING.

10. Lassitude: MALAISE.

11. Some zoomers with an emo aesthetic: EGIRLS - What are they?

12. Commuter syst. that crosses the Delaware: SEPTA - Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority 

13. Tended a lab?: PET SAT - DOG SAT clogged up this corner for a while

20. BBC clock setting: GMT.

21. Staccato opposite: LEGATO.

26. "Star Trek" captain Jean-__ Picard: LUC - We have one here as well at our site

27. Tell tales: LIE.

29. Benefits act of 1944: GI-BILL provided 34. Vocations: CAREERS for WWII soldiers

                  

  

32. Place: PUT.

33. Some French?: DES - Je vais acheter DES pommes (I'm going to buy some apples).

37. Hospitality professional: CATERER - A service used in fancier H.S. graduation parties.

38. Go over again: ITERATE 39. Go over again, say: STRESS.

40. Ballpark snack served in a helmet: NACHOS.

41. The People's Princess: LADY DI - A lovely person who got caught up in a loveless royal marriage which is shown so well on Netflix's The Crown

42. "All the Light We Cannot See" backdrop: WAR.

43. Judge-y remarks?: DICTA.

dictum noun

dic·​tum ˈdik-təm 

plural dicta ˈdik-tə  also dictums

1

: a noteworthy statement: such as

a

: a formal pronouncement of a principle, proposition, or opinion

awaiting the king's dictum

45. Neutral tone: BEIGE.

47. Redding who wrote "Respect": OTIS - This is a version of the song sung by OTIS that he wrote but playfully says, "A girl stole from him". I'm pretty sure we all know who that girl was.

48. Abbreviation for a name dropper?: ET AL  - Fun cluing for when you don't want to list all the names and merely say "and others".

Friday, October 21, 2022, Alexander Liebeskind

Theme: "Homophonic Daffynitions"

Puzzling thoughts:

So before I forget, might there be a couple more entries that somehow didn't make the cut? For example: Clue: "Legal recipient of an Irish estate?" LONDONDERRY HEIR. Or, Clue: "Legal wrong at a German bakery?" LINZER TORT

As the "theme" title suggests, today's puzzle uses a series of homophonic phrases as entries. What they all have in common - and what makes this puzzle unique - is that each of the phrases puns a legal term. Not as easy as you'd think ...

18-across. Legal entitlement to be invisible?: GHOST RIGHT. Plays off the word "ghostwrite"

24-across. Constitutional section on entering through the chimney?: SANTA CLAUSE. Who hasn't seen the Tim Allen movie, THE SANTA CLAUSE? Or its two sequeals? The original (1994) was cute; the other two, not so much. Well, it seems THE SANTA CLAUSES is due out this November, streaming on Disney+. I hope it lives up to its billing ... here is a trailer ...

38-across. Funds posted to free a rancher?: HAY BAIL. Hay bale. Cute

48-across. Legal advice from Yoda?: JEDI COUNSEL. The Jedi Council is a Star Wars reference. Click on the link for more info

59-across. Court statements from chess players?: CHECK PLEAS. Ha, Ha! Actually, this one works another way if the theme wasn't based on legal or court-related terms. How you ask? Well, how about this clue: "What restaurant diners never mean in Prague?" CZECH PLEASE

Alexander Liebeskind has two recent puzzles published at the New York Times, and now this one, his LA Times solo debut. For a "kid" from Brentwood, that must feel pretty cool! A Google Search reveals that he is a recent graduate of Columbia University

Here is the grid: You'll note a few words highlighted in red ... some interesting similarities ...

Across:
1. Branches: ARMS. LIMBS didn't fit

5. "Who wants my jellyfish? / I'm not sellyfish!" poet: NASH. Ogden NASH

9. Red wine on a white tablecloth, e.g.: STAIN. Use this to remove:

14. Water under the drawbridge: MOAT. Maybe the best clue of today's puzzle

15. Org. concerned with ergonomics: OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration

16. City known for cheese: PARMA. It's in Italy. PARMAsan Cheese. Also known for its ham. And you thought ham and cheese was an American concoction?

17. Prod: POKE. Be careful; might find a pig in one

20. Sound investment?: STEREO. One commodity that continues to be on the top of the price list for consumer items. And is usually powered by (1-down. Rock blasters:) AMPS.

22. __ standstill: AT A.

23. Writer Anita: LOOS. Her

27. Traditional 30th anniversary symbol: PEARL. Fun Fact: [jewelrywise dot com] says, "Although Pearls are also said to represent tears, one tradition says wearing pearls on your wedding day will ensure your marriage is happy and you won't shed tears during it. In fact, many brides get their first cultured pearl necklace from their mothers or mothers-in-law — passing down a tradition"

28. Hidden agenda: ANGLE. As in, "What's your ANGLE?"

32. Avenger with a hammer: THOR.

34. Chow down: EAT.

36. Many streams: VIDEOS. It's my TV choice. I broke free from cable or satellite dish about 4 years ago

37. "Okay by moi": OUI. Frawnch

40. __ jar: TIP. Fun Fact: TIP is an acronym! "The custom originated in Europe, and while its history is not entirely clear, it is commonly traced back to 17th century England. The word "tip" is speculated to be an acronym for "To Insure Promptitude," which was printed on bowls in British coffeehouses" [businessinsider dot com]

41. Fiction and nonfiction: GENRES. We had the singular, GENRE, yesterday

43. Pro's camera: SLR.

44. Wee: ITSY. Even an ITSY bitsy spider can be scary

45. Daisylike flower: ASTER.

46. Hide away: STASH.

53. Vineyard measure: ACRE. In France they measure by a hectare; one hectare = 2.47 ACREs; and one letter different than ACHE

56. "Kinda": ISH. As in, "I'll arrive around 7-ISH

57. How some stupid things are done: ON A BET. Stupid? Only in a casino, when you really think you can beat the house

62. Bust a gut: ROAR. LAUGH didn't fit

63. Part of Hispaniola: HAITI. Shares an island with the Dominican Republic

64. Ponte Vecchio river: ARNO. River through Florence and Pisa in Tuscany, and one letter different than ARGO

65. First-class: A-ONE. Also a steak sauce brand, spelled "A-1"

66. Young partner: ERNST. "Ernst & Young, which operates under the trade name EY, is one of the biggest accounting firms in the U.S. It performs broader professional services for international companies. These services include auditing, assurance, consulting, tax, and investment banking" [theforage dot com]

67. N.L. East team: METS. One of my highlighted words that goes with (13-down. N.L. East team:) NATS. The METS made the playoffs this year but lost in the first round

68. Site for artisans: ETSY. Goes with ESPN and ESPY, IMO

Down:
2. Miniseries based on a Haley novel: ROOTS. ROOTS. "Based on Alex Haley's family history. Kunta Kinte is sold into the slave trade after being abducted from his African village, and is taken to the United States. Kinte and his family observe notable events in American history, such as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, slave uprisings and emancipation" [imdb dot com]

3. Score when debating: MAKE A POINT. How do you make points in a debate?

How to Prepare For a Debate:

a) Be a Team: Work Together. Remember that you are on a team and that means you work together

b) Write Individual Speeches. Before you come together, break off individually and have each person brainstorm on their own

c) Analyze the Evidence,

d) Arguments for Both Sides

e) Prepare Your Speeches

f) Be Confident

4. Less forgiving: STERNER. I had a golf coach in HS whose last name was STERNER. His first name was "Mr."

5. Restricted zones: NO GO AREAS. "A "no-go area" or "no-go zone" is a neighborhood or other geographic area where some or all outsiders are either physically prevented from entering or can enter at risk" [wikipedia dot com]

6. Baseball bat wood: ASH. Maple and Bamboo are also used but didn't fit

7. Sandbar: SHOAL. I don't know why, but when I saw this I thought of: Muscle SHOALs, Alabama

8. "__ luego": HASTA. HASTA in English means "Until"

9. Time of yr. for new growth: SPR. Meh. Abbr for SPRing

10. Last bit: TAIL END.

11. Oscar-winning film about a fake film: ARGO.

12. Short "As I see it": IMHO. In My Humble Opinion

19. __ cross: TAU. "The Tau cross is representative of salvation and of life, due in part to its association with the sparing of believers in the Bible. As Tau is the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet, it symbolizes the revealed Word of God, its completion and perfection. It also can be said to symbolize the Last Day" [symbolsage dot com]

21. In-flight info, for short: ETA. When they expect you to get there

25. Paint-your-own-pottery supply: CLAY. For once they didn't use a proper name for this word; maybe Henry or Cassius was too easy?

26. Catamaran mover: SAIL.

29. Lose one's place: GET THE BOOT. As in being fired from work?

30. "The Giver" novelist Lowry: LOIS. Perps to the rescue

31. Arthur Ashe Courage Award, for one: ESPY. Another highlighted word in my solved grid; similar to 68-across

32. Senate wrap: TOGA. Could you imagine our US Senators wearing these?

33. Color wheel array: HUES. Here's one for wine:

35. "The Misery Index" network: TBS. Perps to the rescue

36. Expert musicians: VIRTUOSOS. A rarely used entry

38. Present: HERE. As well, an answer to a roll call

39. As well: ALSO. Oh, look! (see 38-down)

42. Turns down: REJECTS.

44. "The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl" star: ISSA RAE. This gal has become a crossword staple. Soon, she will be listed as "crosswordese"

47. __ Taylor Loft: ANN. They carry sizes that fit most average women

49. Tango move: DIP.

50. Major religion of Indonesia: ISLAM.

51. French term of endearment: CHERE. More Frawnch

52. Cants: LEANS. TILTS fit, too

53. Marathon aftermath: ACHE. I ran a half-marathon and afterwords had an AC

54. Go over well?: CHAR. Meh. As in, to CHAR a steak. That's when I would use A-1

55. Free __: REIN. What CC gives us bloggers when we recap a puzzle

58. Three-spot: TREY. This:

60. Baby skunk: KIT. This clue stinks!

61. Pantry pest: ANT.

Sorry there are no haikus/moe-kus; that didn't mean I disliked the puzzle, though. I liked it just fine. Margaret and I were in the process of a physical move to a new house when this assignment came to me, so I gave it a good shot, but an abridged version for sure. I'll try to be more creative next time ...

Thursday, October 20th, 2022 - David Alfred Bywaters

Going Down?

 

M.C. Escher's Relativity (1953)

David offers us descending phrases that literally go down the grid. Each themer is amusingly clued. Let's take a look.

All Downs:
3. Committee members parachuting from an airplane?: DIVING BOARD. Or BOARD members tanking their company. #Enron

9. Feathers during a no-holds-barred pillow fight?: DROPPING DOWN. Did you know there are no-holds-barred pillow fights?
//I learned about it from Ronny Chieng three weeks ago [The Daily Show]

21. Church steeple in hurricane-strength winds?: TIPPING POINT. Also a book by Malcom Gladwell.

27. Ball carrier on a wet football field?: FALLING BACK. The end of Daylight Saving Time. I think this is also a reference to football.

Football Positions - there's at least 3 BACKS on the offense.

Across:
1. Realm surrounded by the Styx: HADES. Styx is the mythical river between ours and the underworld. Being dipped in it will protect you. Just be sure to dip your son's Achilles heal in too.

Thetis dipping Achilles in the River Styx

Styx was also a popular band so the realm coulda been an 'arena'.

Styx - Renegade

6. Didn't release: HELD. Styx released Renegade in '78. I bought the album Pieces of Eight.

10. Preliminary race: HEAT. Royals would warm their steeds on the track before the final race. Now preliminary races are called heats. [cite]

14. Serving a purpose: UTILE. Useful.

15. Gulf States ruler: EMIR. A crossword staple.

16. Pennsylvania city on I-90: ERIE. ibid.

17. Piercing site: NAVEL. Ouch!

18. Plot-heavy work: MELODRAMA. Nothing mellow about it; just all drama.

20. Table protector: TRIVET. Protects your table or countertop from hot dishes.

Pretty

22. Swift: RAPID. Who else was thinking Jonathan the satirist first?   Misty?

23. Moral lapse: SIN. You throw the first stone.

24. Trivial thing: NIT. Sometimes they're picked here at The Corner.

26. Audit firm exec: CPA. Certified Public Accountant. I waited on perps to make sure it wasn't CFO (Chief Financial Officer).

27. Non-magical source of invisibility: FOG. Cute.

30. Sales meeting diagrams: GRAPHS. #DeathByPowerPoint.

33. Enter en masse: INVADE.

35. Udon kin: SOBA. The difference between udon & soba.  //The TL;DR - wheat flour (udon) v. buckwheat (soba).

37. "To __ it mildly": PUT. The harsh truth - GLOSSY'd over.

38. Affix with a hammer: NAIL IN. If your only tool is a hammer, every job is a nail.

Pete Seeger

39. MBA field: ECON. Master of Business Administration and Economics.

40. Choosing from a lineup: ID'ING. I'm not sure how to punctuate ID'ING. It's IDentifying the perpetrator from a lineup. A Dragnet staple.
 

Jack Webb & Harry Morgan

42. Fail to enunciate: SLUR. Elide is a letter to long.

43. Make tidy: NEATEN. Hide the mess; I hear Mom!.

45. Curtain holder: ROD. Yep.

46. News magazine since 1923: TIME. It's TIME they stopped Person of the Year, no?

47. Loose garment: SARONG.

Sarong

48. The 1973 Mets' "Ya Gotta Believe!," e.g.: SLOGAN. With Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Rusty Staub, Cleon Jones, et.al. managed by Yogi, "Ya Gotta Believe." They lost the World Series to Oakland's A's.

50. Finish: END. Sorry readers, I'm not even close.

51. Tailless simian: APE. I waited on the perps 'cuz I was thinkin' "man."

53. Leatherwork tool: AWL.  I call mine a pokie-tool.

Awww, these are real nice.

54. Controversial agribusiness letters: GMO. Genetically Modified Organism. While some folks are afraid of 'Franken Foods,' science feeds the world.

57. Treat with disdain: SCORN. Like some folks at me after my above comment? ;-)

59. "I've seen worse": NOT BAD. "I've had worse." [Monty Python - The Black Knight (@3:10)]

61. Words from the weary: I'M SO TIRED. Me on Friday afternoons.

65. Play group reminder: SHARE. #Mine!

From Finding Nemo

66. Midday: NOON.

67. "You've Got Mail" director Ephron: NORA.

Trailer

68. Political leader?: SOCIO. Prefix for 'political.' Sociopolitical is combination of of social and political factors.

69. Agrees quietly: NODS. Smile & Wave boys... Smile & wave.

From DreamWorks' Madagascar

70. Took steps: TROD. Cute.

71. Whitehorse's territory: YUKON. Whitehorse is the largest city in the Canada's Yukon Territory.

Down:
1. Looks (for): HUNTS.

2. Classic arcade name: ATARI. So much misspent-youth INSERTing COINS. APM's How I Built This: From Pong to Chuck E. Cheese. [47m]

3. [See: theme]

4. Alt.: ELEV. ALTitude / ELEVation.

5. Gomez of "Only Murders in the Building": SELENA. If you have Hulu, this show is a must-see.

6. Garment edge: HEM.

7. Like a retired prof.: EMER. Emeritus. Like Misty & OMK.

8. Amethyst hue: LILAC. A sweet lady on my paper route had lilac bushes. The smell of those in the Spring -- sugar in your nose.

9. [See: theme]

10. Bunch of buffalo: HERD. I heard that.

11. Pitching stat: ERA. Earned Run Average. This is the number of runs scored against a pitcher per nine innings pitched. i.e (9 x earned runs)/innings pitched. A good pitcher has an ERA below 3. An Ace's ERA is typically less than 2. #Baseball!

12. Objective: AIM. Pitchers AIM for the strike-zone; batters AIM for the fences.

13. Leaves in a bag: TEA. DAB didn't fool me but for 7 seconds.

19. "Outlander" series novelist Gabaldon: DIANA. Perps for the win.

21. [See: theme]

25. Impact sound: THUD. Who can't think of Wile E. Coyote here?

via GIPHY

27. [See: theme]

28. Intense dislike: ODIUM. ? Odium (n.) general or widespread hatred or disgust directed at someone as a result of their actions. Oh, OK.

29. Britcom or bromance: GENRE. British Comedies and (male) buddys who are close.

31. Wound up costing: RAN TO. Add the window-etching, under-body rust protection, extended-warranty...

32. Arouses: STIRS.

34. Panoramic view: VISTA. The views around Cinque Terre blew me away.

35. Intuit: SENSE. I feel this clue/answer has something going for it.

36. Setting for much of "Aquaman": OCEAN. He's a fishORman, right?
//Eat your heart out, Ray-O :-)

41. The Big Easy, for short: NOLA. A CSO to "you know who" and one of the best places in America to visit. The Bourbon Orleans hotel is *chef's kiss*.

44. Put on the books: ENACT. Oh, not a loss or gain | red nor black ink, but a law. As if we needed another...

49. Shiny print: GLOSSY. Arlo ran into problems with the 27 8x10 color GLOSSY prints with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one.
For being a litterbug.
Eventually, he was on the Group "W" bench. [See: Alice's Restaurant]

52. Mistake: ERROR. C.C.'s for letting me blog another crossword puzzle :-)
//Love to you, C.C. & Boomer.

55. NHL great Lemieux: MARIO. Thank you perps. Read more at Wikipedia.

56. Ancient Greek theater: ODEON. We disdain these 'cuz... Oh, not ODIUM. #Untie!

57. "I Will Wait" band Mumford & __: SONS.

58. Fictional Wolfe: NERO. I've never read the books but the TV show on A&E was good.

60. Second person of old: THOU. Thy was too short.

61. Travel guide listing: INN. One year, for our anniversary, we went leaf-peeping in VT. DW always finds the best places to stay.

The INN at Round Barn Farm

62. Dairy farm noise: MOO. On that same trip, we hit Ben & Jerry's dairy and creamery. They have real cows at the factory! But, the cows were lowing.

63. Landscaping layer: SOD. Also, derogatory UK slang.

64. Pops: DAD. Pop is my 2nd-best friend. DW is #1.

The Grid

My Recap:
WO: ODEOm
ESP: ODIUM
Fav: Hard to pick one. It was just a peach to break DOWN the puzzle for y'all.

Now it's your turn to do the same.

Cheers, -T

Wednesday, October 19, 2022, Doug Peterson & Christina Iverson

Theme: SHOP TALK

19. Items sold in a pop-up shop?: CHAMPAGNE CORKS.

24. Items sold in a pop-up shop?: TOASTER WAFFLES.

41. Items sold in a pop-up shop?: FOLDING CAMPERS.

46. Items sold in a pop-up shop?: JACK IN THE BOXES.

This is about as straightforward of a theme as it gets. Each theme answer is something that pops up. I anticipate some complaints about unknown or too many proper names. Melissa here, happy Wednesday! Pop-up shops are sure getting popular, even in my little town of 5,000. 

Lots of fun and colorful fill today.

Across:

1. Creature in the 2019 animated film "Abominable": YETI.

5. Break sharply: SNAP. We've got pop and snap, all we need now is a crackle.

9. Owlet's home: NEST.

13. Smartphone border: BEZEL. A guide to bezels.

14. Fine-tune over time: HONE.

15. German spouse: FRAU. Wiki: Fräulein is the diminutive form of Frau, which was previously reserved only for married women. Frau is in origin the equivalent of "My lady" or "Madam", a form of address of a noblewoman. But by an ongoing process of devaluation of honorifics, it came to be used as the unmarked term for "woman" by about 1800.

16. Aquarium decoration: CORAL. Not chest.

17. Kate Middleton, to Archie and Lilibet: AUNT.

18. Tree trimmer's target: LIMB. Ouch.

22. "Geez!": MAN.

23. "Insecure" actress/writer Issa: RAE. HBO comedy series.

32. Game with a numbered board: DARTS.

33. "The Fiddler of Dooney" poet: YEATS. William Butler Yeats.

34. Actress Mendes: EVA. Longtime partner of Ryan Gosling.

35. Stage award: OBIE. Off-Broadway Theater Awards.

36. Tigger's creator: MILNE.

37. Home of Iowa State: AMES.

38. Nemesis: FOE.

39. Corral, as cattle: PEN IN.

40. Floors: STUNS. Verb, not noun.

44. Post-ER place: ICU. Intensive Care Unit.

45. Animated Olive: OYL. POPeye's girl.

54. Many-axled vehicle: SEMI. When fully attached to a trailer, a semi-truck technically has five axles. If not attached to a trailer, a semi-truck technically has three axles.

55. Lawn care brand: TORO.

56. In base eight: OCTAL. The octal numeral system, or oct for short, is the base-8 number system, and uses the digits 0 to 7.

57. "I Dream of Jeannie" star: EDEN. She celebrated her 91st birthday this past August.

58. Nefarious: EVIL.

59. Take one's sweet time: TARRY.

60. Pizazz: ZING.

61. Start of something big?: MAXI. MAXImum.

62. Give a hand?: SLAP. 

 Down

1. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star Michelle: YEOH. Malaysian actress.

2. Old Testament scribe: EZRA.

3. One wearing a matching jersey: TEAMMATE.

4. "None for me, thanks": I'LL PASS.

5. Layered style: SHAG. Haircut, or carpet. This is Shaggy, from Scooby Doo.

6. Life or death: NOUN.

7. China __ McClain of "Black Lightning": ANNE. Actress and singer, 24 years young.

8. Sleeping spot for some dogs: PET CRATE. Dogs generally like their crates .... my cat Scout hates hers.

9. TD caller: NFL REF.

10. "The Devil in the White City" author Larson: ERIK. The movie adaptation is in development.

11. __ Club: Costco rival: SAM'S. Sam's Club vs. Costco.

12. Oleo container: TUB.

13. Email field: BCC. Blind carbon copy.

20. Tiny member of a collective: ANT. Cute.

21. Big galoots: OAFS. Clumsy people.

24. Party game "of unspeakable fun": TABOO.

25. Projecting window: ORIEL. An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground.

26. Looking over: EYING.

27. Shrine artifact: RELIC.

28. Sheryl Crow's "All I __ Do": WANNA.

29. Madagascar primate: LEMUR.

30. Makes true: EVENS. Sneaky clue. True as in, "exact or accurate formation, position, or adjustment."

31. Smart talk: SASS.

32. Tip: DOFF. Remove, or get rid of.

36. Restaurant option: MENU ITEM.

37. Had a farm-to-table meal, say: ATE LOCAL.

39. Guitar accessory: PICK.

40. Malicious trackers: SPYBOTS.

42. Prep cook's forte: DICING.

43. Oft-pranked Simpsons character: MOE. Proprietor and bartender of "Moe's Tavern," voiced by Hank Azaria.

46. Rey of the "Star Wars" films, for one: JEDI. Every Jedi Ever.

47. "Too true!": AMEN.

48. Stellar explosion: NOVA. A nova is a strong, rapid increase in the brightness of a star. The word comes from the latin for "new star," because often a star previously too dim to be seen with the naked eye can become the brightest object in the sky (besides the sun and the moon) when it becomes a nova.

49. Cereal whose flavors include grapity purple: TRIX.

50. Hindu spring festival: HOLI. Celebrated as a way to welcome in spring, and also is seen as a new beginning where people can release all their inhibitions and start fresh. It is said that during the Holi Festival, the gods turn a blind eye, and it's one of the few times extremely devout Hindus allow themselves to let loose. Also called Festival of Colours or the Festival of Love.

51. Tide alternative: XTRA. Brands of laundry detergent.

52. Surname at the O.K. Corral: EARP. Wyatt.

53. Artful: SLY.

54. "__ who?!": SEZ.

 

Note from C.C.:

 

Here's a beautiful picture of Melissa's granddaughter Jaelyn and Harper.