Thursday, December 28, 2023, Adam Vincent

 

 A Place for Everything

As this is the Thursday of the Octave of Christmas, I thought The Place Where I Belong by singer/songwriter Leroy Sanchez would be a good place to start ...

Today's constructor, veteran Adam Vincent, reminds us that there is a place for everything, or as he puts it, an "Apt spot to ...?".  He does this with 4 multi-level themers (2 Across and 2 Down) ...

46A. Apt spot to do the running man?: POLITICAL PARTY.  It could be a man running for election, or the title song from the 1987 dystopian film The Running Man, performed here by Ghost Town DJ ...

55. Apt spot to breakdance?: WRECKING BALL.  A contemporary torch song by Miley Cyrus ...

4D. Apt spot to swing dance?: GOLF CLUB.  If a ballet on the links doesn't get you in the mood, maybe this will ...

11D. Apt spot to do the moonwalk?: SPACE BAR.  Not just the long key on the keyboard that I just pressed 8 times, but a dive on the desert world of Tatooine during in the first Star Wars movie ...

No stars, no circles, no reveal.  Here's the grid ...
 

Here's the rest ...

Across:

1. Buck: STAG.

5. Condiment often applied with chopsticks: WASABI.  I think of SUSHI as a condiment to put on WASABI.

11. Out of harm's way: SAFE.

15. Quite: OH SO.

16. Howard who has two Oscars for Best Original Song: ASHMAN.  Baltimore born Howard Elliott Ashman (May 17, 1950 – March 14, 1991) was an American playwright, lyricist and stage director.  He is most widely known for his work on feature films for Walt Disney Animation Studios, for which Ashman wrote the lyrics and Alan Menken composed the music. His work included songs for Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.  Here's the trailer for the 1989 film, The Little Mermaid, based on the original Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale ...

17. Thank God, maybe: PRAY.  It really helps.  And a lot helps a lot.

18. Cut out early: BAIL.

19. Backless furniture: STOOLS.

20. Crop unit: ACRE.

21. Walking stick: STAFF.

23. Non-neutral particles: IONS.  This guy moves fast ...

24. Is sore: ACHES.

25. Actor whose final film role was in 1961's "The Misfits": CLARK GABLE.  Starring Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Montgomery Cliff ...

28. Piano exercise: SCALES.  ETUDES would have fit and they're a lot more interesting, e.g. Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 12 in C minor, played here by Evgeny Kissin.

31. Endows (with): IMBUES.

35. Refers (to): ALLUDES.

37. Hallelujah kin: HOSANNA.  As in the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's oratorio Messiah ...

38. Shallot, for one: BULB.

39. Boeing rival: AIRBUS.

42. Wedding invite request: RSVP.

43. Pro who wears a Star of Life emblem: EMT.  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) created the "Star of Life" and holds priority rights to the use of this registered certification mark.

44. Genuine: REAL.

45. Canon SLR camera: EOS.  Canon EOS (Electro-Optical System) is an auto-focus single-lens reflex camera (SLR) and mirrorless camera series produced by Canon Inc. Introduced in 1987 with the Canon EOS 650, all EOS cameras used 35 mm film until October 1996 when the EOS IX was released using the new and short-lived APS film. In 2000, the D30 was announced, as the first digital SLR designed and produced entirely by Canon.  In 2018 the system was further extended with the introduction of the EOS R camera, Canon's first full frame mirrorless interchangeable lens system.

Canon EOS R SLR

46. [Theme clue].

53. James Blunt's "__ Beautiful": YOU'RE.  A song by James Blunt that you can find on YouTube.

54. Helps in a bad way: ABETS.

55. [Theme clue]

60. Long hike: TREK.

62. __ of New York: photoblog with street portraits and interviews: HUMANS.  Brandon Stanton (born March 1, 1984) is an American author, photographer, and blogger. He is the author of Humans of New York, a photoblog and book. He was named to Time magazine's "30 Under 30 People Changing The World" list.

63. Afflicts: AILS.

66. River through Aswan: NILE.  Aswan is a busy market and tourist center located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the NILE at the first cataract. The modern city has expanded and includes the formerly separate community on the island of Elephantine.

Monastery of St. Simeon
Aswan Old Town

67. Respond impatiently: SNAP AT.

68. Gadget review site: CNET.

69. Let the cat out of the bag: TOLD.  Let's “Let the Cat Out of the Bag” about the origin of  this phrase.

Hi Hahtoolah!

70. Pre-MBA hurdle: GMAT.  The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer adaptive test (CAT) intended to assess certain analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in written English for use in admission to a graduate management program, such as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.

71. Like custard: EGGY.  Here's a recipe.

Vanilla Custard

Down:

1. Cries and cries: SOBS.

2. "How about __!": THAT.

3. Cambodia's continent: ASIA.

4. [Theme clue].

5. Used to be: WAS. 

6. Moving: ASTIR.

7. Trembled: SHOOK.

8. Mixed in with: AMONG.

9. Model wood: BALSA.  Today's Spanish lesson -- BALSA is the word for "raft". Ochroma pyramidale, commonly known as the Balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus Ochroma. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, due to its softness and its high strength compared to its low density.

Balsa Tree
Royal Botanical Gardens
Richmond, UK

 

10. __ and outs: INS.

11. [Theme clue]

12. Part of the St. Louis skyline: ARCH.  It's called the Gateway Arch because St. Louis is also called "The gateway to the West".  Hand up if you've taken the TRAM to the top and back down?  We did when we visited one of my sisters in St. Louis.  Definitely not for the claustrophobic.  The Arch was designed by the Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947, and construction began on February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965.  It uses a catenary arch design, the same as the first kiln I ever fired circa 1972. 🔥.

 

St. Louis Gateway Arch

13. Cost of a ride: FARE.

14. Spots on spuds: EYES.

22. Got the heck out of Dodge: FLED.

24. Poor offering: ALMS.  ALMS giving peaks around this time of year, but it is never enough.

26. On a cruise: ASEA.

27. "About us" blurbs: BIOS.

28. "¿Quién __?": Spanish "Who knows?": SABE. 

29. Not smooth: CLUMPY.

30. More than one would like: ALL TOO WELL.  A song by Taylor Swift about her memories of a  relationship long ago (short version) ...

32. Disturbing: UNSETTLING.

33. Official messengers: ENVOYS.  Apparently the US has a lot of them.

34. Weakens: SAPS.  Or a noun connoting marks for scams.

36. Apple virtual assistant: SIRI.

37. Much of a shipwreck: HULL.

40. Cam button: REC.

41. Easy for ewe to say?: BAA.

47. Stuck to the shadows: LURKED.  LURKING is also cyber-slang for read/only participation in social media.

48. Galway's isl.: IRE.

49. Some lab workers: TECHS.

50. Part of PBR: PABST.  Pabst Blue Ribbon, commonly abbreviated PBR, is an American lager beer sold by Pabst Brewing Company, established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1844 and currently based in San Antonio. Originally called Best Select, and then Pabst Select, the current name comes from the blue ribbons tied around the bottle’s neck between 1882 and 1916.

51. Lawyers' org.: ABA.

52. Do up again, as a corset: RELACE.  The jury seems to be out as to whether corsets are bad for women, or good for them.

56. "__ Fu Panda": KUNG.  Kung Fu Panda is an American media franchise that originally started in 2008 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, produced by DreamWorks Animation.  Here's the 2023 trailer ...

57. Quran scholar: IMAM. An IMAM (/ɪˈmɑːm/; ) is an Islamic leadership position. Like many things related to religion, the significance of the term depends on which sect one belongs to.

Imams discoursing

58. Wine-producing valley: NAPA.

59. Minute annoyance: GNAT.

60. Dynamite kin: TNT.  Trinitrotoluene (TNT) was first prepared in 1863 by German chemist Julius Wilbrand and originally used as a yellow dye. Its potential as an explosive was not recognized for three decades, mainly because it was too difficult to detonate because it was less sensitive than alternatives. This wily fellow seems to be able to detonate it with ease ...

61. __ Grande: RIO.  Just how grand is the RIO GRANDE?

64. Drumstick: LEG.  Yum Yum! Dark meat!

65. Hog's digs: STY.

Cheers,
Bill

And as always, thanks to Teri for proof reading and for her constructive criticism.

waseeley

And a Happy New Year to all!  🎆🧨🍾🥂🎇

Wednesday, December 27, 2023 ~ Amanda Cook and Katie Hale

Department of Transportation

Happy Wednesday, Cornerites. Today Amanda and Katie give us some common words/phrases where the last part in each is also a mode of transportation.

17. Transport for loudmouths?: VOCAL COACH. A vocal coach is someone who helps/coaches singers. Eldest, the opera major, had a vocal coach for years; DW & I would to drive her by motor-coach [car] to lessons.

26. Transport for nanobots?: MICROPLANE. A microplane is a grater with finer teeth.
 

Lemon zest for the win!

36. Transport for the army's best poker players?: SHARK TANK. A card sharp or card shark is a deft poker player; a military one would likely motor about in a TANK. //Or, if caught cheating, sleeps with the fishes in the TANK ;-)

51. Transport for rural golf instructors?: PROTRACTOR. This themer made me LOL; the image of the golf Pro out on his Tractor.

Hand-up: You had one in your pencil box.

60. Transport for seminary students?: CROSS-TRAIN. You cross-train staff so they can do each others' major functions. A seminary student probably doesn't need much training with the Cross but, if new to the city, would need commuter-rail train training.

A fun play on transports, I thought. Let's see how Cook & Hale round out the 15x15.

Across:
1. Parakeet's pole: PERCH. Roost fit but perps disagreed. //Perch is better fill anyway.

6. Margarita flavor: LIME. And tequila!

10. Roughly: OR SO.

14. Nebraska city: OMAHA. Hi HG!

15. "Make it snappy" letters: ASAP. As Soon As Possible.

16. 29-Across, for one: JOEY.

Kanga and Roo

17. [See: Theme]

19. Many 4WD autos: SUVS. Sport Utility Vehicles.

20. Fizzy fountain drink: COLA.

C-O-L-A Cola [The Kinks' Lola live]

21. Car loan figs.: APRS. Annual Percentage RateS.

23. Allow: LET.

24. Singer-songwriter Tori: AMOS.

26. [See: Theme]

29. Young character in Milne stories: ROO. The joey in 16a's image.

30. Not pos.: NEG. Negative.

31. Being tracked, in a way: ON RADAR. e.g. Santa by NORAD Sunday night.

32. Little sandwich treat: MINI OREO.

35. Express checkout units: ITEMS.

36. [See: Theme]

39. __-knit sweater: CABLE.

42. "Barefoot __": Ina Garten cooking show: CONTESSA.

46. Overdue debt: ARREARS.

49. QB stats: TDS. Quarterbacks stats: Touchdowns.

50. Beach ball filler: AIR.

51. [See: Theme]

53. Doomed: SUNK.

54. Rocker Vicious portrayed by Gary Oldman: SID.

Sid And Nancy [Trailer]

55. Bygone Russian ruler: TSAR.

56. Has a meal: EATS.

58. Hall of Fame catcher Rodriguez nicknamed "Pudge": IVAN.

60. [See: Theme]

64. Letter after epsilon: ZETA. It's all Greek to me.

65. Overture follower: ACT-I.

66. __ Carta: MAGNA.

67. Utopia: EDEN.

68. For fear that: LEST.

69. Exhausted: SPENT. Not yet, we've the downs to go...

Down:
1. Perspective, for short: POV. Point of View.

2. My Chemical Romance genre: EMO.

Watch 60 seconds and you won't forget MCR is EMO.

3. Critter also called a trash panda: RACCOON.

4. Complete disorder: CHAOS. Not KAOS.

We don't do za Holiday Partiez?

5. Edvard Grieg's "In the __ of the Mountain King": HALL.

6. Asian language: LAO.

7. "Foundation" series writer Asimov: ISAAC. In HS, I read everything I could find from Asimov.

8. Powerful Apple: MAC PRO. Apple Computers.

9. Filmmaker Nora: EPHRON.

10. Citrus drinks, for short: OJS. Orange JuiceS

11. French meat dish: ROULADE. Food. Specifically, rolled food.

Beef Roulade

12. Start time for some morning shows: SEVEN AM.

13. Shellfish served with mignonette sauce: OYSTERS. More Food!

Center red sauce: shallots, red wine vinegar, and pepper pickled for about 2 hours.

18. GoPro product: CAMERA.

22. Legs it: SPRINTS.

24. Common injection site: ARM.

25. Me, in Marseille: MOI.

27. Disney CEO Bob: IGER.

28. Hanukkah pancake: LATKE. Food!

30. Problem for the Tin Man: NO HEART.

Oz never did give nothin' to the Tin Man that he didn't already have.

33. Dot in the ocean: ISLET.

34. Thunder's city, for short: OKC. Oklahoma City Thunder is an NBA team.

37. "Africa" rock band: TOTO. If you listend to Monday's "Straight No Chaser" 12-Days of Christmas that sumdaze linked, you may have noticed at 1:57 they break into Toto's Africa rhythm .

[the "not from Kansas"] Toto - Africa

38. "We Feed People" chef Jose : ANDRES. He's a (burgeoning) Thanksgiving Tradition on Colbert.

A take on [6a's] Margarita

39. Flip over at sea: CAPSIZE. Not to be confused with your head's circumference.

40. Got somewhere: ARRIVED.

41. Night out for straight guys: BRODATE. Since our wives had no interest, BIL & I went on a brodate to see Facing Nolan #Baseball

43. Bangers and mash protein: SAUSAGE. Food!

Traditional(?)

44. Serious misdeed: SIN.

45. Biblical evacuation vessel: ARK.

47. Scamp: RASCAL. Imp.

48. Hardly plentiful: SCARCE.

52. Dressage paces: TROTS.

53. Interchangeable watch component: STRAP.

57. PIN points: ATMS. Personal Identification Number; Automatic Teller Machine.

59. Brit's grandma: NAN.

61. Command to a collie: SIT.

62. Travel stop: INN.

63. __ Geo Wild: NAT.

The Grid:

The Grid

WOs: ade->OJS but not before inking evaS(?) at 19a; ISLan -> ISLET
ESPs: HALL (as clued), ROULADE(sp)
Fav: ISAAC Asimov.

If I don't post before the 1st (we leave for SFO tomorrow), Happy New Year!

Cheers, -T

Tuesday, December 26th, 2023, Rebecca Goldstein

 PHYSICS 101

Hi there~! - A quick solve for me today, only four proper names, three of which I had no clue about, and a 'simple' theme/reveal.  Two each of 13- and 9-letter theme answers, with some chunky 8-, 9-, and 10-letter DOWN answers in the mix, again leading to several three-letter fills.  BTW, this puzzle featured many of what I think are 'typical' 4- and 5-letter answers, but with too many choices that potentially "fit".  The clues are marked "*", so you can see what I mean....

18. Make a real mess: SCREW THINGS UP

oops

33. Gymnastics rings position held with the body parallel to the ground: LEVER HANG - I will be able to do this by the end of 2024 - NOT~!

39. Feature of some espadrilles: WEDGE HEEL - I did not know an espadrille was a shoe; but I recognize them now~!

53. Force-multiplying device that can be found at the beginning of 18-, 33-, and 39-Across:

SIMPLE MACHINE - see the links in blue for examples

 
And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Finishes: ENDS

5. Spill the beans: BLAB

9. Chest muscle, for short: PECtoral - doesn't help with the lever hang....

12. In __ of: LIEU

13. Credit card user: PAYER - uh, well, not necessarily....

14*. "It follows logically that ... ": ERGO - THUS, too

15. Maintain: KEEP - I like this kind of KEEP

16. "Me too," more formally: "AS DO I"

17. State of mind: MOOD

21. Chillingly strange: EERIE

22*. "Pronto!": ASAP - or STAT~?

23. Many moons __: AGO

26*. Rightmost computer menu, often: HELP - HOME, FILE, EDIT, VIEW, DRAW - a great clue for a 'common' word - I had to think about the software I use before I could pick the correct one

 

AutoCAD

28. Cloak and __: DAGGER

30. Tortoise's fabled competitor: HARE

36. Norse god of war: ODIN

37. Collaborative sites: WIKIs

38. Another, in Spanish: OTRA

41. Witnessed: SEEN - I have SEEN images of guys wearing the next answer....

42. Swim team swimwear: SPEEDO - which brings to mind the word "UNSEE"....

43. Toward sunrise: EAST

46. Extra sports periods, briefly: OTs

47*. Per person: A POP - EACH, too

50. Chops, as an onion: DICES

57. Japanese noodle: UDON

59. Dog collar dangler: ID TAG

60. Notion: IDEA

61. Come to a stop: HALT

62. "You've got some __!": "NERVE~!"

 63. Shakespeare's mad king: LEAR

64. "Yellowjackets" network, briefly: SHO - No clue, but I had two-thirds via crossings

65. Mardi __: pre-Lenten festival: GRAS

66. Annoys: IRKS

DOWN:

1. Part of BPOE: ELKS - as usual, I started with the DOWNS clues first, and was on a roll quickly....

2. Nephew's sister: NIECE - check

3. Brand of riding mowers: DEERE - check

4. Ruins at Durrington Walls that once consisted of wooden posts, not stones: SUPERHENGE - ....but here I was denied STONE henge, so it had to be something else

5*. Giant party: BASH - FETE, GALA~?

6. Winona's "Beetlejuice" role: LYDIA - ya know, I have never seen this movie....and I don't plan to

7. Very long time: AEONS

8. Units led by colonels: BRIGADES - I'm not military, nor anyone in my family, but PLATOONS fit, as well; the Charge of the Light Brigade gives me a gratuitous opportunity to link Iron Maiden

 

The Trooper

9. Grow cuttings from a succulent, say: PROPAGATE - succulent~?

10. Alter __: EGO

11. Fish that may be black or blue: COD

13. Dev of "Lion": PATEL - perps

14. Down Under bird: EMU

19. Golfer Michelle __ West: WIE - perps

20. Practice in the ring: SPAR

24*. Bookstore section: GENRE - HOW TO was my first thought

 25. Liver, for one: ORGAN - I do have a "liver", but I deal with a different kind of "ORGAN"

Reinstalled six reed pipes, buried in a corner behind the chamber in the shot;

my 'boss' is packing up on the right

A pain in the a** to get to, I might add

 27. Ballet barre bend: PLIÉ

29. Pepper in extremely hot curry dishes: GHOST CHILI - no clue; the CHILI part filled in, but I WAGed the GHOST half

30. "Can you explain?": "HOW SO~?"

31. Skilled (at): ADEPT

32. Works alone: RIDES SOLO - meh.  Unless you're a cowboy~?

34. __ out a win: almost lose: EKE

35. Disgusting: VILE

37. Extraordinarily large: WHOPPING

40. Dutch cheese: EDAM

44*. "Better late than never," e.g.: ADAGE - AXIOM, IDIOM~?  I always forget which

45. [as per the original]: SIC

48. More mature: OLDER

49. Historic site in Jordan known as the Rose City: PETRA - Dah~! ( see 58D., below ) I shoulda known this from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"

51*. Duck down: EIDER -ha~! I read this clue as 'heads up'; AVOID, EVADE, ELUDE~? - Bzzzt~!

52. Go on tiptoe: SNEAK

54. Picked-off pass, for short: INTerception - football, which is a sport I do like....

55. Big D NBA squad: MAVs -  Thought it was the NUGgetS - but they're DENVER, not DALLAS - I am a total NON-basketball guy

56. Prominent feature of a fennec fox: EARS - I tried TAIL first

na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-NA - BATMAN~!

57*. Hesitation syllables: UHs - ERs, UMs~?

58. Lah-di-__: DAH - or, my clue, the "I shoulda got that" noise, like "D'Oh~!"


Splynter

Monday December 25, 2023 Barbara Lin

 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

sumdaze here. I wish you all joy, peace, & love today and always -- but especially today!  

I was hoping for a holiday-themed puzzle. My thanks to constructor Barbara Lin and the LA Times Crossword Puzzle editorial staff. You did not disappoint!

Today's puzzle has five themers, including a fun grid-spanner across the equator. Each is an in-the-language phrase that is repurposed to complete a sentence telling the story of Santa's activities on Christmas Eve. I like that the activities appear in chronological order -- not an easy feat. Well done!

Let's take a look:

17 Across. Santa and his reindeer landed __: ON THE HOUSE.  the customer does not have to pay for the goods/services

We've recently had this idiomatic phrase last Monday at 61-Across and the Friday before last at 5-Across.

27 Across. Before heading down the chimney, Santa __: GOT THE SACK.  to be fired from a job 

It's OK kiddos. Santa was not fired.

33 Across. Stepping out of the fireplace, Santa left a __: CARBON FOOTPRINT.  a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc.

(This one was my favorite because Santa's boots get ash (a carbon compound) on them when he comes down the chimney. Very clever!)

42 Across. After filling the last one, Santa hung the __: STOCKING UP. to amass extra amounts of something for future use  

58 Across. All in all, Santa had a very busy __!: PRESENT DAY.  current

Let's see what else Barbara left under the tree for us:

Across:
1. Saudi Arabia neighbor: OMAN.   

5. Protractor's measure: ANGLE.  

Gotta love an clue with a math ANGLE to it! 😜

10. Caustic chemical: ACID.

14. Forbidding word: DON'T.  OK, I won't.

15. President between Harrison and Polk: TYLER.  John Tyler was the 10th president of the U.S. What I remember from 10th grade U.S. History class is that President Harrison wanted everyone to see his fancy clothes at his inauguration so he refused to wear a coat even though Washington, D.C. is cold in January on a normal year -- and that was a really cold year. So #9 got sick and died just 31 days after his swearing in and TYLER took over as #10...or something like that.

Click to expand.

16. Writer Jaffe: RONA.  (1931-2005)  bio

19. Territory near the Mariana Trench: GUAM.  (Hi D-Otto!)

20. Actress/writer Issa: RAE.

21. Many Christmas trees: PINES. 🎄     and     53 Across. Editorialize: OPINE.

So when we sing O Christmas Tree around a PINE tree, do we O PINE?  

Aretha Franklin sings O Christmas Tree (1992)

22. Oklahoma city on the Arkansas River: TULSA.

23. Correcting myopia, maybe: LASING.  LASIK eye surgery

25. Stockholm citizens: SWEDES.

26. Small snack: BITE.  

30. App reviewers: USERS.

32. Length of TV's "60 Minutes": HOUR.  I hesitated, asking myself, "Is this a trick question?"

40. Quarter or pound: COIN.  

As of this writing, one U.S. quarter equals about 0.20 Pound sterling.

41. Like some garden lights: SOLAR.  CSO to unclefred!

48. "Children of Blood and Bone" writer Adeyemi: TOMI.  Goodreads link

49. On the up and up: KOSHER.  This adjective has a specific definition in Jewish law but is often used informally to mean "genuine and legitimate".

50. Homegrown: NATIVE.  This word comes to us from the Latin word nativus, as does another word often heard this time of year -- nativity.

52. Broad necktie: ASCOT.

55. Flight takeoff approximation: Abbr.: ETD.  Estimated Time of Departure

57. Old Russian leader: TSAR.

60. French 101 verb: ETRE.  to be

61. __ tot: TATER.

62. Like a red Red Delicious: RIPE.  

63. Diana of the Supremes: ROSS.  

Diana Ross sings The Christmas Song (1994)

64. Speaker of the house?: ALEXA.  Fun clue!  ALEXA is Amazon's virtual assistant technology accessed through a Wi-Fi bug, erm, I mean "speaker" in your house.

65. Beehive State people: UTES.  

If you've driven through Utah, you've seen their beehive signs.

Down:
1. Fragrance: ODOR.

2. Da Vinci portrait in the Louvre: MONA LISA.  

This famous painting is smaller than you might think.
It is 30 in. x 21 in. (77 cm. x 53 cm.)

3. Long-tongued insectivore: ANTEATER.  Did you know that a baby ANTEATER is called a pup?  Check out this 1 min. video of an ANTEATER pup at the Nyíregyháza Zoo in Hungary.  

4. Utmost degree: NTH.  Basically, the nth term is a mathematical expression that enables us to find the value of any term in a sequence. The 'n' stands for the term number. So if I have 5+n and if n=1 then it would be 5+1 = 6. Likewise, if n=2, it would be 5+2=7. And so on. Since there are an infinite amount of values we can give to n, the sequence can go on to infinity. That idea of "going to infinity" has given us the idiom "nth degree", meaning "as much as possible" or "extremely".

5. "I haven't __ to wear!": A THING.  I knew this one right away but I am not sure why. 

6. "Black Panther" star Lupita: NYONG'O.  Lupita is a Mexican-Kenyan actress born March 1, 1983 in Mexico City. In 2014 she won an Oscar for her work in 12 Years a Slave. Here she is in her Nakia role from Black Panther.

7. Sticky stuff: GLUE.  

8. More or __: LESS.  

9. "I heard him exclaim, __ he drove out of sight ... ": 'ERE.  🎄

This famous poem, originally titled A Visit or A Visit From St. Nicholas, was first published anonymously on December 23, 1823, in a Troy, New York (another Cornerite CSO!) newspaper called The Sentinel.  article from "The Parade"

10. Bickers: ARGUES.

11. May've: COULDA.  Woulda, coulda, shoulda  -- all three are colloquialisms that replace the verb "have" with "a". Likewise, the clue replaces "have" via the use of an apostrophe.  

another CSO

12. "Almost ready!": IN A SEC.

13. Fabric named for Syria's capital: DAMASK.  This fabric is named for Damascus, which is where this textile product originated. Known for its intricate and reversible patterns, DAMASK fabric is prized for its ornateness. These days, however, it is easy to make incredibly complex damask patterns with modern textile machines.  Read more here.

18. Prefix with center: EPI-.  Earthquakes come to mind. (Hi Jayce!)

22. Whippersnappers: TWERPS.

24. Croat's neighbor: SERB.  

25. Tightly closed: SHUT.

26. Tampa Bay NFLer: BUC.  

28. Havaianas shoe, e.g.: THONG.  

Click to expand.

Speaking of Hawaii, here is Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters with a Hawaiian Christmas song:  

Mele Kalikimaka (1950)

29. Additionally: TOO.

31. Lightbulb's place: SOCKET.  Did someone say that it's Sock It To Me Time?  

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967-73)

How many faces do you recognize?

34. Gritty film genre: NOIR.

35. Classic Cadillac feature: FIN.

36. Round flatbread: ROTI.

37. "Five stars!": I LOVED IT.  Answer to, "What did I think of today's puzzle?"

38. Personalized iron-on: NAME TAPE.  The "NAME" part filled quickly. Some solvers might not be familiar with the "TAPE" part. In the military, a NAME TAPE is a rectangle-shaped piece of fabric with one's surname stitched into it then permanently sewn onto one's uniform. It stays on through the laundry and the life of that uniform; whereas, a name tag is a metal pin that is attached when wearing the uniform and removed when laundering the uniform. Do other professions share this lexicon? Perhaps some of those professions use an iron-on variety. 

39. Bi- plus one: TRI.

42. Adam Rippon, for one: SKATER.  

43. Play catch with: TOSS TO.

44. Hollywood awards: OSCARS.

45. Washing dishes, doing laundry, etc.: CHORES.

46. Not gender-specific: UNISEX.  

47. Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich chain: PANERA.

51. Number of digits in a billion: TEN.  1,000,000,000

53. __ hygiene: ORAL.

54. Folk icon Seeger: PETE.  

Pete Seeger (1919-2014) sings The First Noel (1967)

56. Changes color, perhaps: DYES.

58. Org. that may support a school board: PTA.  "Organization" is abbreviated, so is Parent Teacher Association.

59. Hilton brand: TRU.  TRU by Hilton is an American chain of hotels owned by Hilton Worldwide.

Time to wrap things up. Here's the grid:

I hope you enjoyed today's puzzle, the CSO's, and the holiday music. I'm going to leave you with one more tune. It's an extraordinary version of The 12 Day of Christmas by the acapella group Straight No Chaser. It might not be what you are expecting so don't give up on it too early.  

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy birthday to dear Kathy (Yellowrocks). So glad you're back on the blog again.

 

Kathy (Yellowrocks), Dec 10, 2020

2) Happy Birthday to Lorraine (Fermatprime) also. Her good friend Malcolm reads our blog regularly and emailed me this: "She is still living in her house in the San Fernando Valley,  playing a Word Solitaire game, which she consistently gets the highest score of all other players, but every so often she gets  an even higher score before any other player.  Her feistiness and the peculiar rules of the game allow her to get the extra two points before any other player of the game does."