Tuesday, November 14, 2023 Margi Stevenson

A Day at the Gym.  The End word of each theme answer is a Workout one might do at the gym.

16-Across. *   Device that crushes pungent cloves: GARLIC PRESS.

24-Across. *   Go swimming in one's birthday suit: SKINNY DIP. 

48-Across. *   Perm style popular in the 1980s and early 1990s: JHERI CURL.

58-Across. *   Very little, informally: DIDDLY SQUAT.

And the unifier:

38-Across. Come to a satisfying conclusion, and what the answer to each starred clue literally has: WORKOUT IN THE END.

Across:

1. Yahtzee cubes: DICE.   //  27Across. Domino dimple: PIP.  The dimples on the dice and dominos are both called PIPs.

5. Load to bear: ONUS.  From the Latin, literally meaning Burden.

9. Includes on an email: CC's.  A shout out to our wonderful Blog host.

12. Milky white gem: OPAL.  Hi, Kazie!  These gems are prevalent in Australia.

13. Exactly right: SPOT ON.

15. Barrister's field: LAW.  A Barrister is an attorney who specializes in trial litigation, as opposed to a 

Solicitor, who focuses on more transactional areas of law, such as contracts.  These terms are more common in the United Kingdom rather than in the United States.  In England, the Barrister in criminal court wears the iconic wig.

18. Unlock, in verse: OPE.

19. Shared values: ETHOS.

20. "Tag, __ it!": YOU'RE.

22. Puts on: DONS.

28. Flexible blackjack card: ACE.

30. Letters accompanying college apps: RECS.  As in Recommendations.

31. Maker of Calm + Restore skin care products: AVEENO.  We learned from a recent crossword puzzle that Aveeno products are also vegan.

I know everyone won't get the joke, but it made me laugh. *

33. Sheep sound: BAA.

34. Threesome: TRIO.  Ménage à trois?

41. Wild guess: STAB.

42. P-like Greek letter: RHO.  The Greek letters appear so often in the puzzles that we should have them all memorized by now.

43. Apple AirPod, e.g.: EARBUD.

44. Qatari leader: EMIR.  The letters also stand for European Market Infrastructure Regulation.

46. __ deco: ART.  We haven't seen our old friend Erté (né Romain de Tirtoff; Nov. 23, 1892 ~ Apr. 21, 1990) in a long time.  He used to make frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  He was best known for his Art Deco designs.

47. Some coll. degrees: BSs.  As in a Bachelor of Science degree, as opposed to a Bachelor of Arts degree.

52. Olympic sword: ÉPÉE.  A crossword staple.

54. Vampire teeth: FANGS.

My neighbor's cat that we renamed Fang.  He likes us better than his real owner.

57. Tot: KID.

64. "World of Dance" judge, to fans: JLO.  Jennifer Lynn Lopez Affleck (b. July 24, 1969) got her start as a Fly Girl on the television comedy In Living Color.  She is well known for her many marriages and relationships.  [Name # 1.]

65. Make a minister: ORDAIN.

66. Constellation bear: URSA.  I guess if you have a good imagination, you can see the Bear in the Stars.  It's easier to see the Big Dipper.  Can you find the 27-Down. Bear hands: PAWS?

67. << on a remote: Abbr.: REW.   The Rewind button.

68. Rapper Lil Uzi __: VERT.  Although I didn't recognize the name, when I saw his photo, I realized that Lil Uzi Vert (né Symere Basil Woods; b. July 31, 1995) has made appearances in the puzzles before.  Apparently, he had a $24M pink diamond imbedded into his forehead, until it was "ripped" out during a concert.  [Name # 2.]

69. Yellowstone grazers: ELKS.  We learned from last Tuesday that all Elks are Deer, but not all Deer are Elks.

Down:

1. "Best in Show" animal: DOG.  One of the funniest movies I have seen.

2. Hoppy brew letters: IPA.  As in India Pale Ale.  The real story of IPA's origin.

3. Sedan, e.g.: CAR.

4. Astronaut Ochoa who was the first Latina in space: ELLEN.  Not only was Ellen Ochoa (b. May 10, 1958) the first Latina in space, but she was also the director of the Johnson Space Center.  In 1993 she became the first Hispanic woman to go into space when she went on a 9-day mission on the Space Shuttle Discovery.  [Name # 3.]

5. Stand against: OPPOSE.

6. Scandinavian language, to its speakers: NORSK.  Norsk is one of two principal languages of Norway, but there are several others.

7. Native people of Colorado: UTE.  A crossword staple.

8. Distress call: SOS.  This is becoming a crossword staple.  It has appeared in several of the past Tuesday puzzles.

9. Sun block?: CLOUD.  Great misdirection.

10. __ pants: warm-weather wear: CAPRI.  Where did they come from?

11. Use a broom: SWEEP.

13. PTA meeting place: SCH.  The Parent Teacher Association meetings take place at the School.

14. "Bye Bye Bye" boy band: NSYNC.  [Name adjacent.]

17. "Hard pass": IT'S A NO.

21. Bivalve in a bed: OYSTER.

22. Golfer's gouge: DIVOT.

23. Rossini composition: OPERA.  Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) wrote 39 operas, as well as many pieces of music, including chamber music and sacred pieces.  He is probably best known for his 1816 opera The Barber of Seville.   [Name # 4.]

25. Tehran's land: IRAN.

 

26. Less of a mess: NEATER.

29. Journalist Katie who guest-hosted "Jeopardy!" in 2021: COURIC.  Katherine Anne Couric (b. Jan. 7, 19957) always seemed a little too cheerful for me.  [Name # 5.]

32. Actress Anita of "La Dolce Vita": EKBERG.  Anita Ekberg (née Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg; Sept. 29, 1931 ~ Jan. 11, 2015) was a Swedish actress.  In 1964, she became a permanent resident of Italy.  She is known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 film La Dolce Vita, which was directed by Federico Fellini (Jan. 20, 1920 ~ Oct. 31, 1993).  [Name # 6.]

33. Sci. course: BIO.

35. Yeshiva leader: REBBE.  Rabbi vs Rebbe.

36. Occupied: IN USE.

37. Betting numbers: ODDS.

39. Drive-__ window: THRU.

40. Trash-talking types: HATERS.

45. Bungle: MIS-DO.

46. Writing movement rooted in internet culture: ALT LIT.  Alternative Literature.

48. Jackie O's son: JFK, JR.  Tragically, JFK, Jr. (né John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr.; Sept. 25, 1960 ~ July 16, 1999) and his wife, Caroline (née Caroline Jeanne Bessette; Jan. 7, 1966 ~ July 16, 1999) were killed in a plane crash while on their way to the wedding of a Kennedy cousin.  After the death of President John F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy (née Jacqueline Lee Bouvier; July 18, 1929 ~ May 19, 1994) married shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis and became known as Jackie O.  [Names # 7 and 8.]

Caroline Kennedy, JFK, Jr., and Jackie Kennedy Onassis

49. Selassie of Ethiopia: HAILE.  Everything you wanted to know about Emperor Haile Selassie (né Täfäri Mäkonnän; July 23, 1892 ~ Aug. 27, 1975), but didn't know to ask.  When he became emperor, he changed his name to Haile Selassie which means Power of the Trinity in Amharic.  [Names # 9.]

50. Fund: ENDOW.

51. Storm-tracking aid: RADAR.

53. Arouse, as interest: PIQUE.

56. Author Rand: AYN.  Ayn Rand (née Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; Feb. 2, 1905 ~ Mar. 6, 1982) was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher.  She is best known for her novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, both of which I read when I was in college.  [Name # 10.]

59. Hip-hop producer Gotti: IRV.  I am not into the hip-hop scene, so am not familiar with Ive Gotti (né Irving Domingo Lorenzo, Jr.; b. July 26, 1970).  [Name # 11.]

60. 1950s political monogram: DDE.  As in Dwight David Eisenhower (Oct. 14, 1890 ~ Mar. 28, 1969).  [Name # 12.]

61. Bookmarked link: URL.  The Uniform Resource Locator has become a crossword staple.

62. Invite (to): ASK.

63. Prof's assistants: TAs.  As in Teaching Assistants.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

*  Avinu Malkeinu (Hebrew: אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ; "Our Father, Our King") is a Jewish prayer recited during the High Holidays.  Avinu is pronounced like Aveeno.

Monday November 13, 2023 Matthew Stock

  

Theme:            Testing the Waters

Hello Cornerites!

sumdaze here, back in the saddle, ready to chat about Matthew Stock's Monday puzzle. We mostly see Matthew on Saturdays so I braced myself for the plunge. We could dip a toe to test the waters...or jump right in!

Our four starred clues are:

5 Across. *Seasonal New England attraction: FALL LEAVES.  

So gorgeous!!
Has anyone taken a leaf peeping tour?

20 Across. *Show of affection made with fluttering eyelashes: BUTTERFLY KISS.  Here is a short history of the term.

32 Across. *Big name in cloud storage: DROPBOX.  DROPBOX is a file hosting service operated by an American company headquartered in San Francisco, CA. It offers cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud space, and client software.

44 Across. *Improvises over a beat: FREESTYLE RAPS.  

Amish Paradise is a 1996 single by satirist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the 1995 Hip Hop song Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio and Kylian Mash.

Truth be told, I am not sure if this is "freestyle" or not. Weird Al is on my mind because I recently watched his movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) while flying home.

Getting back to the theme...you will notice that we have two answers (5A & 31A) which begin with a synonym for the verb "SINK" (descend; drop) and two answers (20A & 44A) whose first words are the names of swimming strokes.

Then the reveal:

50 Across. Success-versus-failure metaphor, and what can be found at the starts of the answers to the starred clues: SINK OR SWIM.

I like it! The "starts of the answers to the starred clues" are either another word for SINK OR a way to SWIM. I especially liked that FALL and DROP flew under the radar (for me, anyway) until I made my way down to the reveal.  

Speaking of swimming, did you catch C.C.'s swimming videos on her Sunday, Oct. 29th (53A) and Nov. 5th blogs? She showed us her FREESTYLE and BUTTERFLY. I cannot believe she only started swimming lessons this summer. As usual, C.C. is amazing!!

     

Let's crawl forward to the other clues:

Across:

1. Balance __: gymnastics event: BEAM.  I do not think Matthew would have added the second part to the clue had this been one of his Saturday puzzles.

5. Theme park transport: TRAM.  It is how they move people from their massive parking lots to the multiple opportunities for spending money.  

9. Rave's opposite: PAN.  A positive review is a "rave". A negative review is a "pan". Today's is not a PAN.

12. Opposite of calor: FRIO.  Calor is Spanish for "heat". Frio means "cold".

Non-native speakers often confuse the noun calor with the adjective caliente.

13. Crustaceans eaten by whales: KRILL.  There are basically two types of whales, the baleen whales and the toothed whales. Baleen whales (including humpbacks and blue whales) have fibrous 'baleen' plates in their mouths instead of teeth, which help them filter and consume huge quantities of KRILL, plankton, and crustaceans. A Smithsonian study found that a blue whale can eat the equivalent of 8,800 quarter-pound burgers in KRILL -- in just one day!

KRILL
Click here for 2 hrs. of a relaxing KRILL aquarium video set to music.

14. Japanese wrestling form: SUMO.  Last September, 27-year old Takakeisho won his fourth career title in a come-from-behind victory.

17. Warmup exam for college-bound sophs: PSAT.  The Preliminary SAT is a 2:45 hour test of reading, writing, and math skills. The 'hint' here was "warmup".

18. Jousting spear: LANCE.  I used to have a friend named LANCE. We lost touch after I moved away. I hope he is doing well.

19. Entourage: POSSE.  This made me think of the HBO show Entourage (2004-2011). It is about a movie star and his POSSE of friends (freeloaders?) who go everywhere he goes.

Entourage trailer (language warning)

23. Hashtag on a social media post about gratitude, perhaps: BLESSED.  

25. Actress Sophia: LOREN.  She was born on September 20, 1934 in Rome, Italy. She made history in 1961 as the first performer to win an Oscar for a foreign-language role. The movie was Two Women.

Bellissima Sophia

26. Lollipop taste: LICK.  Not a flavor but rather how one tastes a lollipop. Nice curveball, Matthew!  

Classic Tootsie Pop Commercial (16 sec.)

27. Olympics sled: LUGE.  not for 31-Across

28. Feathery neckwear: BOA.

31. 2028 Olympics host country: Abbr.: USA.  After 44 years, the Summer Olympics will be returning to Los Angles! My running hero, Joan Benoit Samuelson, was the first Olympic women's marathon champion when the games were held in Los Angels in 1984.

35. The NBA's Thunder, on scoreboards: OKC.  OKlahoma City basketball team

36. __ Claire, Wisconsin: EAU.  

37. Experiment sites: LABS.  

38. Beneficiary of an exfoliation routine: PORE.  Are you a Popaholic? I am not making this up. There is an internet craze where people watch Dr. Pimple Popper do her thing. Apparently it is very addicting. This is not a link to an actual video because that would require me to first watch her videos. Sometimes you just have to draw a line....

39. Polish, as shoes: SHINE.  DH is a former Marine. He has skills in this area.

41. Pumpkin seeds: PEPITAS.  I often add them to recipes (breads, tagines, hummus). They are a good source of iron and magnesium. 

47. Polo, for one: SHIRT.  "SpoRT" was 60% correct.

48. Causing the heebie-jeebies: EERIE.  not an e-lake

49. Tickle Me Elmo toy company: TYCO.

55. Country across the Arabian Sea from Mumbai: OMAN.  

56. Opposite of chaos: ORDER.  On Get Smart (1965-1969), it was Control vs. KAOS.  

Max and Siegfried compete for loyalties from a kid genius. (4:30 min.)

Do you recognize Bernie Kopell (Doc from The Love Boat)?

57. "Hmm ... bad idea": UH, NO.

58. Writing implement: PEN.  and  53 Down. 58-Across contents: INK.

59. Join with heat, as metal pieces: WELD.  My uncle worked as a WELDer for PG&E for 35 years. He was built like a prizefighter.

60. __ fun at: POKE.

Down:
1. Closest pal, briefly: BFF.  Best Friends Forever

2. Pitching stat: ERA.  Earned Run Average

This is the number of runs a pitcher allows the opposing team per nine innings pitched. Since allowing runs is not a good thing, it is good to have a low ERA.  calculation deets

3. Have a bug: AIL.  Perhaps a misdirection attempt to make one think of insects as opposed to germs?

4. Clam or oyster: MOLLUSK.  Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals, after Arthropoda (insects & etc.). Around 76,000 extant species of MOLLUSKs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 additional species.  

This 2:26 min. video on MULLOSKs is full of interesting facts!

5. Tracked down: TRACED.  Relatedly, "skip tracing" is the process of locating a person's whereabouts, often for legal action purposes.

6. Water under the bridge: RIVER.  This was literally the best clue today! 😜

7. The "A" of IPA: ALE.  India Pale ALE

8. D.C. United's org.: MLS.  D.C. United is a Major League Soccer team. They play at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

9. "Shrek 2" character who occasionally succumbs to hairballs: PUSS IN BOOTS.  Antonio Banderas voiced this character. Eddie Murphy voiced Donkey.

 10. Accumulate: AMASS.

11. Written reminders: NOTES.  

13. __ cloth: Ghanaian textile: KENTE.  I found this article informative.

14. Bike wheel part: SPOKE.  You might expect that all of your spokes are the same length but it is typical to have three (or more) different lengths on one wheel.

16. Back muscles, briefly: LATS.

19. Oven-safe glassware: PYREX.  PYREX was launched in 1915 by a New York-based company when it produced a 12-piece line of machine-made glass ovenware.  more from Martha S. My oldest piece is 38 years old. I bet there are several Cornerites who can top that.

20. "Nothing's stopping me": BECAUSE I CAN.  It is not often I feel "meh" about an 11-letter fill.

21. Goof: FLUB.

22. Corporate symbol: LOGO.  I love this LOGO for the Kaua'i Marathon. It incorporates three images. Can you see all three? (answer at the end)

23. Color of UNICEF's 22-Down: BLUE.  

24. Salters of ESPN: LISA.  Born March 6, 1966, she is an American journalist and former college basketball player. I was surprised to learn that she is 5'2" tall. She has been a reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC since 2000. Previously, she covered the O. J. Simpson murder case for ABC and worked as a reporter at WBAL-TV in Baltimore from 1988 to 1995.

Who wouldn't want to answer all of Lisa's questions?

27. Vinyl records, for short: LPS.  "LP", for long, is Long Play.

29. Gumbo pod: OKRA.

30. Top poker cards: ACES.

32. Little-known celebs: D-LIST.  Examples include:

- Carrot Top ('90s prop comedian)

- David Hasselhoff (but not in Germany 😜)

- Lindsay Lohan (too many DUIs)

- Scott Baio (Chachi from Happy Days)

- Will Wheaton (the generally most-disliked character from ST:TNG who made several guest appearances as himself on The Big Bang Theory)

33. Wild speech: RANT.  

34. Comply: OBEY.

38. Speaks out: PIPES UP.  CSO to Splynter who keeps organ PIPES 'UP and running'!

40. "Great blue" wader: HERON.  I often see these elegant birds hunting in the little lake near where I walk my dog. When I watched this 2:21 min. video, I learned that they first stab their prey...and that Jeff The Nature Guy thinks they're so cool.

41. Took a quick look: PEEKED.

42. Goof: ERROR.

43. Two of a kind: PAIR.

44. Camera setting that affects depth: F-STOP.

45. Sound alike: RHYME.

46. Tennis great Ivan: LENDL.  Born March 7, 1960, he is a Czech-American former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in singles for 270 weeks and won 94 singles titles before retiring in 1994.

50. Go to seed?: SOW.  I like the wordplay here. When gardeners say a plant has "gone to seed", we mean that the plant, usually an annual, has directed its energies into producing seeds before it dies. Here, the clue is evoking a person 'going out' into a field to SOW seeds.   

This lettuce plant has "gone to seed".
You can see it is no longer putting energy into making tasty leaves.

51. Anger: IRE.

52. "__ cares!": WHO.

54. "The Simpsons" bartender: MOE.  CSO to our constructor Chairman!

Well, I've sunk enough time into this write-up. 😄 Here is the grid:

LOGO answer:  (1.) hibiscus flower, (2.) runner in center, and (3.) flower's outline is the shape of the island of Kaua'i  

Notes from C.C.:

 

Happy birthday to Big Easy (George), husband of Louisiana Tennis Hall of Famer Diane! George has had a few serious health issues, but he's still playing pickleball and riding his bike. 

Big Easy and his wife Diane

Sunday November 12, 2023 Lynn K. Watson & Will Nediger

Theme: "Wardrobe Makeover" - Circled letters are anagrams of clothing items.

23. 1977 Top 10 hit for Styx: COME SAIL AWAY. Camisole.

32. Problem-solve: TROUBLESHOOT. Blouse.

49. Instigators: PROVOCATEURS. Overcoat.

84. "Have our plans changed?": ARE WE STILL ON. Sweater.

96. Act like a chicken?: CROSS THE ROAD. Shorts.

112. Collectibles with baseball stars, e.g.: TRADING CARDS. Cardigan.

Reveal:

65. Switching outfits, and what can be found in this puzzle's circled letters: CHANGING CLOTHES

This is the third LAT collaboration between Lynn and Will, but Lynn's first Sunday. Congrats, Lynn! 

We don't often see one-word theme entries, but often there are just no workable phrases to hide those key letters, hence the exceptions here. All those clothing items have at least 6 letters. Amazing.

Across:

1. Happens again: RECURS.

7. Stares in wonder: GAPES.

12. Promising player in the minors: PROSPECT. Boomer bought a ton of these Mauer and Morneau Prospects cards.

20. Asimov classic: I ROBOT.

21. Catherine of "Schitt's Creek": O'HARA.

22. Sci-fi vehicle: HOVER CAR.

25. Even, as odds: ONE-TO-ONE.

26. Sixth sense letters: ESP.

27. "Belfast" Oscar nominee Ciarán: HINDS. Irish actor.

28. Pickle serving: SPEAR.

30. Secrecy contract, for short: NDA.

31. Impressionist Édouard: MANET. 53. NYC home of 31-Across's "Two Roses": MOMA.

36. Elite squad: A TEAM.

39. Comics dog: ODIE.

41. Adjust an entry on a time sheet, say: RE-DATE.

42. Topiary target: SHRUB.

43. Deceptive estimate: LOW BALL.

45. Root vegetable: TURNIP. Pickled with beets.

51. Tax agcy.: IRS.

54. Secret language: CODE.

55. Theater worker: USHER.

56. Comment made while dusting off one's hands, perhaps: DONE.

58. Industry giant: TITAN.

59. Wow: AWE.

60. "Blast from the past" hashtag: TBT. Throwback Thursday.

61. Fluffy scarf: BOA.

63. "Let's do this!": IT'S GO TIME.

68. "Big Five" film festival held in Germany: BERLINALE.  OK, according to Wikipedia, the "Big Five" film festivals are considered to be Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance."

71. Granola morsel: OAT.

72. Lip balm brand: EOS.

73. "The Bachelorette" network: ABC.

76. "Didn't we just have this?": AGAIN.

77. Gloom: MURK.

79. Nobel-winning Swedish poet Tranströmer: TOMAS. We had him a while ago.

81. Sportswear brand founded in Italy: FILA.

82. Wet weather: RAIN.

83. Wooden pin: PEG.

87. Purplish blue: INDIGO.

89. With a firm tone: STERNLY.

90. Ad infinitum: NO END.

91. Big name in convertibles: CASTRO.  I never heard of this brand.

94. Spanish kiss: BESO.

95. Build-A-Bear creation: TEDDY.

100. Art forms?: NUDES. Ha.

103. Corruption, metaphorically: ROT.

104. Indiana NBA player: PACER. 116. Places for Penguins and Ducks: ICE RINKS.

105. Baseball flub: ERROR.

106. Domino dot: PIP.

109. Solo: ACT ALONE.

117. Cut off from escape: HEM IN.

118. Early Ford: MODEL A.

119. Lacking intelligence, in British English: GORMLESS. Also new to me. I presume "gorm" means "intelligence" then.

120. Made a choice: OPTED.

121. Wows: AMAZES.

Down:

1. Basmati __: RICE.

2. Mythical matchmaker: EROS.

3. Provide for free: COMP.

4. Purple yam: UBE. Meaning "tuber" in Tagalog. Our Asian store only carries the purple sweet potatoes.

5. Rock, Paper, Scissors: ROSHAMBO.

6. OxiClean target: STAIN.

7. Shiny dental prosthesis: GOLD TOOTH.

8. Cries of epiphany: AHAS.

9. Bear foot: PAW.

10. Phase of an artist's career: ERA. Like Taylor Swift's eras. 

11. Authority: SAY SO.

12. "Fleabag" star Waller-Bridge: PHOEBE.

13. President after Jimmy: RONALD.

14. Ignores feelings of fullness, perhaps: OVEREATS. 70. Midnight trip to the fridge: RAID.

15. Gel: SET.

16. Big leaguer: PRO.

17. Word in budget-friendly brands: ECONO.

18. __ attitude: CAN DO.

19. Pay for everyone: TREAT.

24. Having four sharps: IN E.

29. Knitting stitch: PURL.

31. Violet kin: MAUVE.

32. Bay Area town whose name means "shark" in Spanish: TIBURON. Learning moment for me.

33. Bring up: REAR.

34. Pro wrestling patriarch Hart: STU.

35. Company boycotters?: HERMITS. 57. Crudely built places?: OIL TOWNS. And 58. Ten below?: TOES. Love those clues.

36. Pet rescue org.: ASPCA.

37. Lose on purpose: THROW.

38. Gradually wear away: ERODE.

40. More of a nerd: DWEEBIER. Spellcheck does not like it.

43. Application entry: LAST NAME.

44. Acid rock's acid: LSD.

46. "Moi? Never!": NOT I.

47. Islamic leader: IMAM.

48. Glazier's unit: PANE.

50. Caribbean native: CUBAN.

51. Gaga over: INTO.

52. "Relax, it's under control": REST EASY.

60. Svelte: THIN.

62. Past: AGO.

64. Secondary image: GHOST. I had to google: ghost image.

65. Treatment centers: CLINICS.

66. Guzzling sound: GLUG.

67. Like most wedding receptions: CATERED.

68. Italian port on the Adriatic: BARI.

69. Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer: EGAN.

73. Wasn't feeling 100%: AILED. I just told sumdaze that this bent elbow thing in freestyle just does not feel natural to me. My left arm recovery feels jammed, then I try to rotate my body more to the right to compensate, then it feels like I'm rolling over.

74. Light-haired: BLOND.

75. Sweet stuff: CANDY.

78. Actress Dennings: KAT.

80. Fruit discard in a compost bin: MELON RIND. Love these Korean melons.

81. Ocean sheets: FLOES.

83. Table: POSTPONE.

85. "Not That Fancy" singer McEntire: REBA.

86. Office buzzer: INTERCOM.

88. Argon or xenon: GAS.

89. Really ticked: SORE.

92. "I owe you one!": THANKS.

93. Intermission: RECESS.

96. Bond player Daniel: CRAIG. Oh, oh, Splynter would have linked a nice one for me.

97. Cookbook author DiSpirito: ROCCO.

98. Mudbank frolicker: OTTER.

99. Weed B-Gon maker: ORTHO.

101. Large planter: URN.

102. Matter taken on faith: DOGMA.

105. Actress Falco: EDIE.

106. Chief exec: PREZ.

107. Inactive: IDLE.

108. Awareness-raising ads: PSAS.

110. Shirt part: ARM.

111. Wee, for short: LIL.

113. Wear the merch of, say: REP.

114. Qty.: AMT.

115. "__ Twist, Scientist": animated series based on a bestselling picture book: ADA.

Happy Birthday to Rich Norris, the constructor for yesterday's themeless and the crossword editor for the L.A. Times before Patti. I'm thinking we'll have a Rich Norris themeless treat on November 9, 2024.

Rich and his wife Kim

Happy birthday also to Lemonade's beautiful wife Oo. This is a picture from their 2017 trip to Thailand. Lemonade and Oo just spent the October in Thailand again.