Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2024, Daniel Hrynick

 DON'T EAT THE FISH~!

 

Today's puzzle, I believe, is Daniel's debut, at least for the LA Times.  Way to Go~!  And - it's NOT from Rebecca, and NOT 16x15 - but still about food. Hey, I'm getting there, slowly but surely - "and don't call me Shirley".  Five foods, or "snacks", with movie title adjectives, and no reveal.  The themers: 

17. Wrapped movie snack for a Rowan Atkinson comedy?: BEAN BURRITO

23. Spicy movie snack for a Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze fantasy romance?: GHOST PEPPERS

38. Roasted movie snack for a Leslie Nielsen disaster comedy?: AIRPLANE PEANUTS

 

The best comedy movie ever~?   Airplane~! Trailer

50. Cold movie snack for a Disney princess musical?: FROZEN YOGURT

62. Sweet movie snack for an Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy?: JUNIOR MINTS

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Like a bad Goodyear: BALD - and, unfortunately, a "good" Splynter's fate, as well

5. Media network based in Ontario: THE CBC - the Wiki, and a shout-out to our friends up north

11. Tanqueray liquor: GIN

14. After-lunch sandwich: OREO - I really like BJs chocolate-chip cookies

15. Nickelodeon toon tyke: RUGRAT

16. Blackjack card: ACE

19. Not quite break, as a record: TIE

20. Seasonal mall worker: SANTA

21. Exam: TEST

22. Slough off: SHED

26. Monastery leaders: ABBOTS - I recommend the "Cadfael Chronicles" by Ellis Peters, Cadfael being a Crusader turned Benedictine monk, set in 1100 England, and a great set of mystery novels

29. Christian name?: DIOR - Christian Dior, designer, very clever

30. __ Lanka: SRI

31. "Very funny": HA-HA

35. Shasta and Fanta: SODAS

42. __ dish: lab container: PETRI - Spellcheck doesn't like this

43. Graph lines: AXES

44. Ready to go: SET

45. LP player: Hi-Fi

 

I don't think the music has the dog's attention

47. Eases: ABATES

55. Passed-down tales: LORE

56. Mower brand: TORO - Mine is a Massey-Ferguson, and I am getting better at driving it~!

57. On the open ocean: AT SEA - I ordered a piece of art from China, and the website supplied the tracking info for the vessel it was loaded on, then I found this site, which is incredible - the number of ships AT SEA. . . .

61. Not even: ODD

64. Itty-bitty: WEE

65. Apply a cipher to: ENCODE

66. "__ quote you on that?": "CAN I~?"  OK boys, let's get some pictures

67. Den. neighbor: NORway - sorta; Sweden is much more "neighborly"

top left corner - Norway is peekin' a teensy bit

68. Itty-bitty: TEENSY - Spellcheck doesn't care for this, either

69. Bridge distance: SPAN

DOWN:

1. "And __ your uncle": Brit's "Voilà!": BOB'S - my parents were born and raised in England; while I did not hear this phrase often, one that did come up on a day of thunderstorms was "It's a bit black over Bill's mother's" = more here

2. Field: AREA - think "expertise"

3. Favor one side: LEAN - like that tower in 25D.

4. "Stay!": "DON'T GO~!"

5. Hilton brand: TRU - On my first trip with the pipe organ company to Lynchburg VA, we had to stay at a different hotel for ONE night due to some convention at the usual place; the second spot was a "Tru", sort of like the "trendy", wacky color scheme, odd art, Millennial vibe version of Hilton

6. Causes pain: HURTS

7. Wading bird found in salt- and freshwater marshes: EGRET

8. Crunchy: CRISP

9. Swung for the fences, maybe: BATTED

10. Engineering exec at a startup, e.g.: CTO - Chief Technology Officer

11. Sit untouched: GATHER DUST - my drum set has been sitting untouched the whole time I have lived in CT; I am planning a music room in the basement - complete with pipe organ - once my new kitchen is done - but that can't happen until the side porch gets done, and so on and so on....

12. More slick: ICIER

13. Requires: NEEDS

18. Thai currency: BAHT

22. Sour cream utensil: SPOON - I prefer the newer squeezee bottle

A dollop of 63D.~?

24. Plant inspection org.: OSHA - the National Cathedral insisted on steel-toe boots for all who work with the pipe organ company, so we went shopping at Skechers last week, and I got some new, free kicks~!

25. Tuscan tower town: PISA

26. Rush job letters: ASAP

27. "The Marvels" star Larson: BRIE - no clue, filled via perps

28. Factor in sibling relationships: BIRTH ORDER - I am first born, have but one sibling, a brother, and he has some sort of inferiority issue with me - so he comes across as the Alpha male in most instances; it doesn't make any difference to me

32. The NHL's Ducks, on sports tickers: ANAheim - Florida could have hoisted the Stanley Cup last night, but they're going back to Edmonton

33. Bad spell: HEX - ah.  Missed this.  A "?" would have helped.

34. Large primate: APE

36. Fit to __: A TEE - Crosswordese

37. Old fleet fleet: SSTs - I am fascinated by the TV Show "Air Disasters", mostly because of how the show depicts the investigation progresses, and how a very tiny part failure can make a very big tragedy

39. Cherish: PRIZE - Dah~! not ADORE

40. Word with hack or coach: LIFE - Life-hack, Life-coach; I like watching the mini Life Hacks and carpentry tips on Facebook

41. Biblical twin: ESAU

46. Not sharp or flat: IN TUNE - Meh.  "Natural" did not fit.  Being musical, I am not entirely in agreement with this clue; e.g. Van Halen songs are all tuned a half-step down, or "flat", but they are "in tune"; pipe organs can be sharp and/or flat and still be "in tune" - the temperament Wiki

48. Gothic horror novelist Stoker: BRAM

49. Rooms that often have little room: ATTICS - Meh.  My attic is huge, and I plan to make it into a loft one day; I prefer the "top floor" kind of clue for this answer

50. __ the coop: escaped: FLOWN

51. Event with clowns and bulls: RODEO

52. Part of the Queen Bey song "Partition": YONCÉ - Beyoncé - her Wiki, and that's as far as I go

53. Hunter in the night sky: ORION - this is more like my musical tastes

R.I.P. Cliff Burton, bass player, Metallica - Orion

54. Merchandise: GOODS - I tried WARES first

58. Pic: SNAP - semi Meh.

59. Volcano on Sicily's east coast: ETNA - ah, trying to throw us for a loop with the whole "east coast" thing~?  I wasn't fooled~!

60. Q __ Quebec: AS IN - more Canadien, Eh~?

62. East Coast NFLer: JET - yes, us long-suffering NY Jets fans. . . . can we get a quarterback in here~?

63. Daisy Ridley's "Star Wars" role: REY - I am a huge Star Wars fan - saw the original at a drive-in when I was six - but the last trilogy was lacking, sadly

Splynter

And a Juneteenth to all~!

Good Luck, we're all counting on you....

Tuesday June 18, 2024 Susan Gelfand

 

Happy Tuesday, everyone! sumdaze here. For those of you keeping track, the enchanting Hahtoolah (our usual Tuesday blogger) is away this month so Anonymous T (aka, -T) has been covering the Tuesday puzzles. This week, however, -T and I switched days so he could review C.C.'s and my puzzle that ran yesterday.

Theme:  

Tomatoes just might be my favorite food ever so I loved, loved, loved today's theme! Constructor Susan Gelfand has cleverly STUFFED three varieties of tomatoes with other letters to form two-word phrases. Did you see the TOMATOES? Here are the three themers:

17 Across. Fondly remembered moment: CHERISHED MEMORY.  CHERRY

Close your eyes and one will appear.

30 Across. Netflix's "The Crown," for one: ROYAL DRAMA.  ROMA

The Crown is a TV series that ran on Netflix from 2016-2023. It followed the political rivalries and romances of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped Britain for the second half of the 20th century.

42 Across. Pretend to be asleep: PLAY POSSUM.  PLUM

There are many stories of people who were sure a possum was dead, went to get removal tools, then returned to find the possum had run away. Tricky, tricky!

The reveal was a fun surprise:

59 Across. Rice-filled appetizers with red shells, and a hint to the words that bookend 17-, 30-, and 42-Across: STUFFED TOMATOES.

Here is a recipe for rice-stuffed tomatoes.

"Rice" might be a red herring here for some. Instead, the focus is on how three types of tomatoes are spelled out in the bookends of the phrases.

Left to right:  CHERRY, ROMA, and PLUM tomatoes.

The remaining letters are the "stuffing", as seen in the grid below:

Great job, Susan! If your puzzle were a movie, it would get this Rotten Tomatoes score:  

Next we will ketchup on the other clues:

Across:
1. Change back to zero: RESET.  This works if you think of RESETting the trip odometer in your car.  

6. Aid and __: ABET.  Doing this could get you in trouble.

10. Elton John's "Bennie and the __": JETS.  Here you g-g-g-g-g-go!  

14. Playful furry swimmer: OTTER.

I am going to use this as an opportunity to tell you about Rosa, a beloved Southern Sea OTTER at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Rosa passed away earlier this month. At 24 years old, she was the oldest known member of her species. (Female sea otters in the wild live between 15 and 20 years.) During her time at the aquarium, Rosa served as a surrogate mother to 15 orphaned otter pups! This is a 1:35 min. video reflection on Rosa's life. You can see her teaching a pup important otter skills. If you would like to read more about Rosa, click here then read the post below the video.

15. Source of torment: BANE.  

16. She loves, in Latin: AMAT.  

20. Flesh and blood: KIN.

21. The whole nine yards: A TO Z.  I like how the mood of the clue matches the answer.

22. Spirited person: PISTOL.  My friend named her very spirited Goldendoodle PISTOL.

23. "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer Sinéad: O'CONNOR.  (1966-2023) She was a singer, song writer, and activist from Ireland.  

Nothing Compares 2 U was named the

 Top World Single of the Year by Billboard for 1990. 

25. Mongrel: CUR.

26. Summer in Saint-Étienne: ETE.  ETE means summer in French.  

Its sister city in the USA is Des Moines, Iowa.

27. Sense of self: EGO.

28. More miffed: SORER.

34. Noshes: EATS.  Nosh means "to eat a snack".

38. "I'm well __": AWARE.  

39. North Pole worker: ELF.

40. Egyptian peninsula: SINAI.

41. Internet phenomenon: MEME.  We know that a MEME is a humorous or interesting image, video, etc. that spreads quickly across the internet. This has led to the term meme stock to refer to a corporation that has a cult-like following on social media. GameStock is widely regarded as the first meme stock. Read more here.

44. Sci-fi robot: DROID.  Science Fiction is shortened, so is anDROID.

These DROID postage stamps came out in 2021.  
These ARE the DROID stamps you are looking for.

46. Reuben bread: RYE.  

47. Aliens, briefly: ETS.     and     56 Down. Sci-fi saucers: UFOS.

50. Winter hrs. in Boston: EST.  Eastern Standard Time

51. Quiet place to get a loan: LIBRARY.  This was my favorite clue today! A LIBRARY loans books.

55. Arouses, as curiosity: PIQUES.  Fun word!

57. Otherwise: ELSE.

58. Volcano opening?: VEE.     and     57 Down. Mediterranean volcano: ETNA.

V is for "volcano".  

I enjoy meta clues but I know some of you are not fond of them.  

Another word for a volcano opening is a vent.

62. Hodgepodge: OLIO.  a miscellaneous mixture

63. PlayStation maker: SONY.

64. Unsophisticated: NAIVE.  

65. Rx orders: MEDS.  "Rx" was a hint that the answer would be abbreviated.

66. Whole bunch: SCAD.

67. Agrees (with): SIDES.  When used as a verb, SIDES can mean "to align oneself in a disagreement".

Down:
1. Young wallaby in a Nickelodeon animated series: ROCKO.  ESP for me.  

This is ROCKO Wallaby.

2. Moral standard: ETHIC.

3. Courtroom fig. with a keyboard: STENO.  Figure, in this case, is a human STENOgrapher.  

4. Always, poetically: E'ER.  a contraction for ever

5. Musical instrument named for its shape: TRIANGLE.  

This guy is the Yo-Yo Ma of the TRIANGLE!  (1:55 min.)

6. Really hate: ABHOR.

7. Legendary folk singer Joan: BAEZ.

8. Wrap up: END.

9. Deep-fried Japanese dish: TEMPURA.  I first misread the clue as "fish" so I thought I was in deep water for a minute there.

10. Jazz sessions: JAMS.

11. Overact: EMOTE.

12. Medium's medium: TAROT.  Fun wordplay! An expanded version of this clue could be a spiritual go-between's materials.  

13. Fashion sense: STYLE.

18. Didn't ask for a card in blackjack: STOOD.  In blackjack, once you are dealt your first two cards, you must decide if you are going to hit or stand. To stand means you are satisfied with the cards that you have been dealt and do not want any additional draw cards.

19. Limerick's land: EIRE.  

24. Came close to: NEARED.

25. Warm and cozy: COMFY.  

28. Waldorf __: SALAD.  There are no TOMATOES in this SALAD. You can easily identify Waldorf SALADs at a buffet because they contain apples and mayonnaise.  recipe

29. "Stranger Things" actor Paul: REISER.  Paul is an actor and comedian. He was born in 1956 in New York, NY. You might remember him from the 1990s TV show Mad About You with Helen Hunt. In 2017-2022, he played Dr. Sam Owens in Netflix's Stranger Things.  I saw Paul's stand-up show a few years back. He was very funny!

30. Los Angeles footballer: RAM.

31. Need to pay: OWE.

32. Sweet tuber: YAM.

33. Kindled again: RELIT.  Def.:  to light again.

35. FAQ entry: ANS.  Frequently Asked Questions pages provide ANSwers.

36. Greek consonant that resembles a "T": TAU.  

TAU is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet.

37. __ card: smartphone insert: SIM. 

A SIM card, or Subscriber Identity Module, is a small, removable smart card that stores information about a mobile device's network plan, contacts, and other data. SIM cards are usually made of PVC and contain an embedded chip with integrated circuits (ICs) and semiconductors.

40. Protein-rich legumes: SOYBEANS.  

Soy in Spanish means "I am".

42. Have in one's hands: POSSESS.

43. Light refractor: PRISM.

45. Snorkeling spot: REEF.

47. English derby town: EPSOM.  I would have had this one quicker if it asked about the salts.

The EPSOM Derby is a horserace comparable in significance to the Preakness Stakes on this side of the pond in that it is the second race in the English Triple Crown. A three-year-old bay colt named City of Troy won the Epsom Derby three Saturdays ago.  

48. Sports championship: TITLE.  As in, "They won the TITLE".

49. Underwater ink squirter: SQUID.  why squids squirt ink

51. Fallingwater architect Frank __ Wright: LLOYD.  This is a 5:10 minute vlog (video blog) about Falling water. Listening to the water takes it up a notch from just looking at a photo.

52. Steer clear of: AVOID.

53. "Superman" actor Christopher: REEVE.  (1952 - 2004) He first played Superman in 1978. My friends and I had super-crushes on him.

54. Positive responses: YESES.

60. "What's up, __?": DOC.  

61. __ chi: martial art: TAI.  Does anyone on The Corner do this? I used to see groups doing it in parks in Hawaii -- very zen. I hope to try it someday.

That's all for today. See you next Monday!

Monday, June 17, 2024 ~ Renee Thomason and Zhouqin Burnikel

Day-O!

The Banana Boat Song

A downs theme grid. C.C. taught me about the pinwheel grid and gridded a down theme for me (I'm not sure it was published).
She's the best.

I wondered why I was pushed to Monday for this grid and, upon reading the byline,.. Sumdaze does it again!

We'll start with the unifier:
37. Head honcho, and a hint to the first word of 3-, 8-, 21-, or 24-Down: TOP BANANA.

The TOP word of each themer starts a BANANA phrase.

3. Features of dress slacks: BELT LOOPS. Banana BELT. Temperate swaths on the planet.

8. Disney pair who live in a big oak tree: CHIP AND DALE. Not the strip joint but wholesome cartoon characters. Banana CHIPs are delicious, sweet, potassium.

21. Fight to the finish: SLUG IT OUT. Banana SLUG - mascot of UC Santa Cruz.

24. Blink of an eye: SPLIT SECOND. Banana SPLIT. An over the top dessert to share w/ your honeybunch.
 

Across:
1. Credit's opposite: DEBIT.  Always use credit; debit cards have little protection against fraud. #PSA

6. Like many an irate text: IN CAPS.

12. Marjoram kin: OREGANO.  You'll notice when it's missing in a sauce.

15. Bright flowers native to Mexico: DAHLIAS.

(Army) Bro has these in his yard

17. Came from behind: RALLIED.

18. Do some video game design, say: ANIMATE.

19. On the topic of: AS TO.

20. Quick meeting?: SESH. Session. Kids these days.

22. Freak out: PANIC.

23. In need of a map: LOST.

25. "Copacabana" showgirl: LOLA.

Barry Manilow

27. Southernmost Canadian prov.: ONT. YYZ (Toronto, ONT) is home of RUSH.

28. Couple: DUO.

30. Lima's country: PERU.

32. Geico's business: Abbr.: INS.

34. Gp. that boosts military morale: USO. Paternal Gramps met Grams at a USO dance. She was 6'1" and he was 5'6". They'd giggle telling the story about where his head was when they danced.

35. "Auld __ Syne": LANG.

36. Newspaper bigwig: EDITOR.

40. Coca-Cola alternative: PEPSI.

42. Act immorally: SIN.

44. Aircraft banned in Washington, D.C.: DRONE. Good thing I live in TX. I got my FAA drone license earlier this year. And then, on my first test flight, crashed the damn thing into the side of the garage :-).

45. Like a knockoff purse: ERSATZ. Fun word I learnt at The Corner.

47. "Bye-bye!": TATA.

49. Gp. that boosts school morale: PTA.

50. Agcy. that X-rays bags: TSA.

51. October birthstone: OPAL.

52. Jazz genre: BOP.

53. Detectives like Veronica Mars, for short: PIS. Private Investigators.

56. Light brown shade: ECRU.

58. Land formation on "The Road Runner Show": MESA.

60. Bit of monkey business: ANTIC.

62. "__ girl!": ATTA.

64. Column to the left of a decimal point: ONES.

67. Outerwear that may have anchors on its buttons: PEACOAT.

69. Country band named for its home state: ALABAMA.

71. Group artistically, as flowers: ARRANGE.

72. Backs off: RELENTS.

73. Took care of: TENDED.

74. Rubbish: TRASH.

Down:

1. Bilingual cartoon explorer: DORA.

2. Chapters of history: ERAS.

3. [See: theme]

4. Yeti alternative in the cooler aisle: IGLOO.

5. Mai __: rum drink: TAI.

6. Western state with a panhandle: IDAHO.

7. Grandma, to some: NAN.

8. [See: theme]

9. __ mater: ALMA.

10. Chopin's instrument: PIANO.

11. Glossy fabric: SATIN.

13. AriZona rival: NESTEA.

14. Respectful poem: ODE.

16. Religious splinter group: SECT.

21. [See: theme]

24. [See: theme]

26. Falsehood: LIE.

28. Hoodwink: DUPE.

29. App downloader: USER.

31. Hosp. caretakers: RNS.

33. Knight's title: SIR.

37. [See: Theme]

38. "I'm __ your tricks!": ON TO.

39. Harvest: REAP.

41. Took a chair: SAT.

43. Short sleep: NAP.

46. Efron of "The Greatest Showman": ZAC.

48. Husk-steamed Mexican dish: TAMALE.

53. Bear with a too-big chair: PAPA.

54. Not active: INERT.

55. Look steadily (at): STARE.

57. Gave stars to, say: RATED.

59. Quite serious: SOBER.

61. Volunteer's words: I CAN.

63. Driveway goo: TAR.

65. Life-saving pros: EMTS.

66. Merit badge holder: SASH.

68. Grow older: AGE.

70. PC space bar neighbor: ALT.

The Grid:

The Grid

WOs:  N/A
ESP: DAHLIAS
Fav:LOLA alternative...

The Kinks

That's it from me in IL.
Cheers, -T

Sunday June 16, 2024 Katy Steinmetz & Rich Katz

Theme "Get Cooking" - Cooking phrases are rephrased as non-cooking.

22. Instruction for the host of a comedic takedown?: ROAST UNTIL TENDER.

37. Meditate ahead of a big tennis match?: CHILL BEFORE SERVING.

56. An icy winter?: SEASON WITH SALT.

65. Open a joint savings account?: MIX THE DOUGH.

77. Toss and turn all night?: STIR FREQUENTLY.

96. Defect to the prosecution midtrial?: FLIP HALFWAY THROUGH.

115. What the best mystery writers know how to do?: FINISH WITH A TWIST.

I like that the FINISH entry is the last of the set. Super consistent, all verb phrases, though 56A is re-phrased as a noun.

I just checked our blog Labels, this is the third collaboration from Katy and Rich.

Across:

1. Secret repository: CACHE.

6. Speed-of-sound ratio: MACH. Named after physicist Ernst Mach.

10. Overactors: HAMS.

14. More than a stone's throw: AFAR.

18. Buenos __: AIRES.

19. Nueve menos uno: OCHO. 113. Roman 19-Across: VIII.

20. Tyler Perry character: MADEA. Nice tweed jacket.

21. Wolfe of "Three at Wolfe's Door": NERO.

25. "Gimme a break!": C'MON.

26. 1980s sitcom ET: ALF.

27. __ board: SOUNDING.

28. Whole-grain cereal brand: KASHI. Boomer had to have Grape-Nuts on Monday mornings.

30. Andes lake: TITICACA.

33. Ballet __: FLAT.

35. Ford Field team: LIONS.

42. Washington's "Lilac City": SPOKANE.

45. Singers Green and Yankovic: ALS.

46. "I'm off": BYE.

47. "Leaping lizards!": I SAY.

48. Head, as a meeting: CHAIR.

49. Prestreaming devices, for short: DVRS.

51. __ House: "Jane Eyre" setting: MOOR.

53. Take effect: SET IN.

54. Gory, perhaps: RATED R.

59. Applies: USES.

60. Reuters peer: UPI. United Press International. Feels like it has faded away.

62. Sweltering: HOT.

63. Opposing vote: NAY.

64. The "B" of BFF: BEST.

69. Elemental unit: ATOM.

73. "Am __ the right track?": I ON.

74. Perch output: ROE.

75. Antidiscrimination inits.: EEO.

76. Used a snowboard: RODE.

84. Pleases no end: ELATES.

86. Furniture designer Charles: EAMES. The chair man.

87. Took legal action: SUED.

88. NBA star Westbrook, to fans: RUSS.

90. Australian mine finds: OPALS. 1. Measure for 90-Across: CARAT.

91. Singer Dua __: LIPA.

92. Feathery accessory: BOA.

93. Emer. message: SOS.

94. One way to analyze music: TONALLY.

101. Petal support: SEPAL.

102. Twain character: FINN.

103. Not mandatory: OPTIONAL.

107. Terrycloth wrap: TOWEL.

109. Compliment on the green: NICE PUTT. I love watching those pitch-ins from a greenside bunker.

112. "Sorry, it's __ from me": A NO.

119. Grace period?: AMEN.

120. East Coast rd.: US ONE.

121. Not on land: ASEA.

122. Barn nestling: OWLET.

123. Confused: LOST.

124. Sp. or Ital.: LANG.

125. Condé __: NAST.

126. Cybertruck maker: TESLA.

Down:

2. Garlicky emulsion: AIOLI.

3. Make paper bag puppets, perhaps: CRAFT. So cute.

4. Toms and drakes: HES.

5. Parts and labor fig.: EST.

6. Like Mr. Peanut: MONOCLED.

7. Honest-to-goodness: ACTUAL.

8. Facial feature unique to humans: CHIN. Really? Other animals don't have chins?

9. Callback alternative: HOLD.

10. Building with wings?: HANGAR. 29. Title of a medieval tale?: SIR. Great clues.

11. Join together: ADD.

12. Spineless: MEEK.

13. Big name in baked goods: SARA LEE.

14. Divisive pizza topping: ANCHOVIES. If you don't like anchovies, then you won't like fish sauce, then you won't like green papaya salad. Too bad.

15. Advocate para las mujeres: FEMINISTA. Spanish for "feminist".

16. One not into amorous love, briefly: ARO. Aromantic.

17. "Parks and Rec" character Swanson: RON.

20. __ Park: Meta site: MENLO.

23. Olympian Bolt: USAIN.

24. Small disputes: TIFFS.

31. Most foul: ICKIEST.

32. Leafy green also known as silver beet: CHARD. I never had chard before. Does it have edible root?

34. 2007 Heisman winner Tim: TEBOW.

36. Slug cousin: SNAIL.

38. Uncover: BARE.

39. Disney queen who says, "You can't marry a man you just met": ELSA. "You can if it's true love."

40. Vaccine tool: SYRINGE.

41. Ibsen's "Peer __": GYNT.

42. Go after grime: SCRUB.

43. Developmental period: PHASE.

44. Musical Hall partner: OATES.

50. Powerful engine: V SIX.

51. "I can relate," online: MOOD. What do you think this song is about?

52. Not bamboozled by: ONTO.

53. Prone to shrinking?: SHY. Shrinking violet.

55. A bit of tea, in a way: RUMOR.

57. Gloss: SHEEN.

58. Sierra Nevada lake: TAHOE.

61. Clorox brand: PINE-SOL.

66. HBO's "__ Detective: Night Country": TRUE.

67. Got into the weeds?: HOED. Garden weeds.

68. Turnarounds: UEYS.

69. Great Plains people: ARAPAHO.

70. Come to: TOTAL.

71. NFL star __ Beckham Jr.: ODELL. Dating Kim Kardashian now.

72. Like a toddler with finger paints: MESSY.

73. Uncertainties: IFS.

77. "Solitude is the richness of __": May Sarton: SELF.

78. Formal affair wear: TAILS.

79. Blasphemy and sacrilege: IMPIETIES.

80. Tap again, in a way: RE-APPOINT.

81. Big drink: QUAFF.

82. Dressage pace: TROT.

83. Like much of Hawaii: LUSH.

85. Sound heard twice in a lifetime?: LONG I. The sound in lifetime.

89. "Cut it out!": STOP THAT.

92. Sinister: BALEFUL.I did not know this meaning. Looks like baleful of hay to me.

93. Harmonize: SYNCH.

95. "I'm __ here": OUTTA.

97. Follower of hee and yee: HAW.

98. Schmoozing by boozing: WINING.

99. Ouzo flavor: ANISE.

100. Ways to go: ROUTES.

104. Aces: NAILS. Verb. Like I nailed it.

105. "Moon and Half Dome" photographer Adams: ANSEL.

106. Whole host o': LOTTA.

108. "Lady Tan's Circle of Women" novelist See: LISA.

110. Actor McGregor: EWAN.

111. Tuscan setting for novelty photos: PISA.

113. Actor Kilmer: VAL.

114. "FWIW" kin: IMO.

116. Part of enby: NON. Enby (NB) = Non-Binary.

117. Tater __: TOT.

118. Org. that maintains kayfabe during shows: WWE. OK, here's the definition of kayfabe: the fact or convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic.

C.C.