Saturday, December 7, 2024, Rachel Fabi & Lewis Rothlein

 Saturday Themeless by Rachel Fabi & Lewis Rothlein

Rachel is a bioethics and humanities associate professor at SUNY. Lewis is a yoga instructor in Asheville, N.C.

Do you know how you can really make a connection with constructors and fly through their puzzles? Well, this was not one of those for me. I struggled mightily with foreign words, beyond obscure cluing for less common usage of common words and words that worked only in my imagination. I'll take a couple of bad cells and try to keep a stiff upper lip. You'll also see a few 😀's for some clever cluing.

Across:

1. Account shortcut: ETC ETC.

7. Subatomic particle in the world's largest collider: HADRON - This physics teacher had 13. [Shrug]: NO IDEA.

 

14. Mitigate: RELIEVE - RESOLVE fit but...

15. Not rare: NORMAL.

16. Beverage also called Silver Needle: WHITE TEA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

17. Michael Jordan's sch.: UNC.

18. __ wit: RAPIER - Robin Williams leapt to my mind.

20. Mouth-squinching: TART - Sour - not so much. 

21. Observation observation: I SAW 😀

23. Certain guest permits: VISAS 😀

24. Heat from a vent: IRE - If you are venting, your IRE may generate some heat 

25. Tweaks: AMENDS.

27. Extra-ordinary mark?: C-PLUS 😀 A C is an ordinary mark but I suppose adding a + makes it somewhat extra-ordinary. 
    
29. From both sides, in a way: STEREO 😀

30. Bring up: PARENT.

31. Spy glasses?: ONE WAY MIRRORS - I called this as a two-way mirror when I taught this concept

33. Some mats: SNARLS 😀

34. Doctors or nurses: TREATS 😀 -  Doctors and nurses are trained to TREAT whatever ailment you have. I remember Hawkeye saying to Father Mulcahy who had to help out in the OR, "Father, nurse is also a verb!" 

35. Best Play awards: ESPYS - Tonys did not get it. This is the award for best Play in sports for the year. 

36. Addresses: SEES TO.

37. Salsa, or a salsa move: DIP 😀

38. Vales: GLENS - Dells and Dales, uh, no.

39. "Open at your own risk" indicator: NSFW - No Safe For Work. Quick, switch back to that spreadsheet!! 

43. Protected, in a way: ALEE.

45. Like no films released to theaters in 2023: RATED-G - I attended many Disney RATED-G movies during my yute. and 2. Some in a cel block: TOONS 😀 This is now an obsolete art

47. DeLaria of "Orange Is the New Black": LEA - In character and in real life 

48. Plague in a Poe tale: RED DEATH ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

50. "Well, dang!": OH RATS.

52. Dramatic: INTENSE.

53. Thin: WEAKEN - Another word that can be used as two different parts of speech.

54. Skippers on a lake: STONES.

55. Youngest, as a family member: NEWEST - I guess...

Down:

1. Languor: ENNUI - Who else but Cole Porter could put this word in a lyric. Here's the intro to I Get A Kick Out Of You.

My story is much too sad to be told
But practically everything leaves me totally cold
The only exception I know is the case
When I'm out on a quiet spree
Fighting vainly the old ENNUI
And I suddenly turn and see your fabulous face

3. Dating convenience: CIRCA - Tokyo's Ginza CIRCA 1960's

4. Percussive genre, for short: EDM.

5. Make the rent?: TEAR - Anything you TEAR or rend has been rent. 

6. Día de los Muertos skulls: CALAVERAS

Day of the DEAD skulls

7. Whodunit suspects, often: HEIRS 😀 Where there's a will...

8. __ text: ALT -ALT text, also known as an alt attribute, alt description or alt tag, is a snippet of detailed information describing what an image shows. 

Bad - Skiing

Good - Add ALT text to a picture, which is what I try to do

SKIING!

9. Inflation reduction act?: DIET 😀

10. Chain components: RETAILERS 😀

11. Surpasses: OVERRUNS.

12. Clearest, as a note: NEATEST - People die every year from lack of neatness here

 

14. Large birds of the pampas: RHEAS.

16. Some molars: WISDOM TEETH.

19. Like the fragrance of many wreaths: PINEY 😀

22. Thin: WATERY.

26. Kitty litter sound?: MEWLS - Ah, it's from a litter of kitties not kitty litter! 😀

27. Ice mass unit: CARAT - Ice can be slang for diamonds

28. Element element: PROTON - Every science teacher has had kids make a Bohr model of an atom. 

This model has 6 PROTONS
and so it is Carbon - At# = 6

29. Abruptly became alert: SNAPPED TO. 42. "__ expecting that": WASN'T.

30. Triceps exercise: PRESS DOWN.

31. In a cell block?: ON SILENT 😀

32. Nobel laureate Joliot-Curie: IRENE - Irène Joliot-Curie (1897-1956) was a French scientist and, like her mother, won a Nobel Prize. 

                 

Pierre     Irene     Marie

Receiving her award

33. "Santaland Diaries" humorist: SEDARIS - Written after a stint of playing Santa at Macy's

36. Ticket: SLATE - A candidate can be put on the party's ticket or SLATE.

38. Rough stuff?: GRASS 😀 I tried DROSS, GROSS and DRAFT (I thought rough daft was clever at _ R A _ _)

40. Satisfy, as curiosity: SLAKE - Did anyone else SLAKE their thirst in this manner as I did as a child?

41. Honors in a big way: FETES.

44. Plot with a shameless beginning: EDEN 😀 Adam and Eve had no shame until...

46. Shelf-stable butter: GHEE.

49. Not quite 70°, for short: ENE 😀 This bedeviled me until it hit me! ENE on a compass is 67.5° which is not quite 70°.

51. Unbridled: RAW.

Friday, December 6, 2024, Joseph A. Gangi

Theme:  It's hip to be square

Puzzling thoughts:  Calling all nerds!   

The "reveal" today gives the solver the chance to look back and see how the symmetric quartet of "T's Squared" are the feature of today's crossword puzzle:  40-across. Drafting tool, and a feature found four times in this puzzle: T-SQUARE.  When you look below at the image of the completed grid, you'll see that I've highlighted the four "t-squares" 

I think this Joseph Gangi's debut puzzle @ LAT, but I could be mistaken

Here is a look at Joseph Gangi's NYT puzzle dates and his biography

Not sure that this was a "Friday-tough" puzzle, but it was fun to solve.  Several trite entries (ALOU, ALOE, EDIE, ODOR, EENIE, OLE, SLOE, EEN, ADO) but not a lot of proper nouns nor 3LW's.  Since there are too many word entries that intersect to form the "t-squares", I won't describe them in my intro

The Grid

Overall rating for the puzzle: ⭐⭐⭐ + 1/3 ⭐

On to the clues and other entries:

Across:

1. 2023 title role for Chalamet: WONKA. Actor Timothée Chalamet

 

 

6. Mournful sounds: WAILS.  CRIES was not mournful enough for this clue.  Odd to see that a word that is in a clue is also an entry today: 45-down. Grieve: MOURN.


11. __ of the land: LAY. Moe-ku #1:

 

        The free-range chicken

        Checked out her food source to get

        The LAY of the land

14. How zeppole are fried: IN OIL. Italian doughnut

 

 

15. Classified charge: AD FEE.

16. Fútbol cheer: OLE. Trite entry #1

17. Small brawl: SET TO. 

 

18. Folded fare: SOFT TACOS. My favorite way to order tacos is with a soft tortilla shell - nice clue

20. Glib pitch: PATTER.  Moe-ku #2: 

 

        Star hurler for Mets

        Threw an insincere fastball:

        The hitter PATTER

22. Rare-earth element whose atomic number is 39: YTTRIUM.  I was surprised to find that this word has been used quite often in crossword puzzles

23. Blackthorn: SLOE.  Trite entry #2

24. Run out of power: DIE.

27. Tree with serrated leaves: ELM.  OAK fits, too

28. "To victory!": ONWARD.

30. Activate again, as a tab: RE-OPEN. I do this often when I am blogging my recap.  A similar word was used in 38-across. Try again: REDO.

34. Western band?: POSSE.  Friday clue

36. French friar: ABBE.

39. Part of a valedictorian's address: EDU.  Cute clue.  As in their email address: valedictorian@pitt.edu

43. Clear (of): RID.

44. Average: NORM.

46. Like a schnauzer's coat: WIRY. This canine breed: 

 

 

47. Casual eateries: CAFES.

49. Cactus bump: AREOLE.  These:

 

 

51. Small lump: NODULE.

53. Federation in OPEC: UAE.

54. __-dried tomatoes: SUN.

55. Clicked pic: ICON. Moe-ku #3:

 

        A smart camera

        Uses a clickable app

        Called: Nikon ICON

58. Web-integrated den fixture: SMART TV.

62. Intermission follower, perhaps: ACT TWO.  In many puzzles we see this entry as: ACT II

64. Destined: MEANT TO BE. It is destined that in Moe's blogs there will be several "ku's"

67. Swimming mammal in Native American totems: OTTER.

68. "This is the worst!": UGH.  Glad this wasn't a five-letter entry that revealed "GROSS"

69. "__ Meenie": 2010 pop single: EENIE.  Trite entry #3

70. Narrow valleys: GLENS.  DALES also fit

71. Natural __: GAS.

72. Kept going, as a sentence: RAN ON.  I can be criticized for using many sentence that ran on but not this one ...

73. Impression: SENSE.

Down:
1. Strands of smoke: WISPS.

2. Oscar winner Tatum: O'NEAL. For her role in Paper Moon

3. On the fence: NOT TOO SURE.

4. Mini mewlers: KITTENS.

5. Lotion additive: ALOE. Trite entry #4

6. Once cost: WAS.

7. Hustle and bustle: ADO. Trite entry #5

8. Questionable: IFFY. Moe-ku #4: 

 

        Rudyard Kipling wrote

        A poem about courage. 

        It wasn't IFFY

9. Comic book writer?: LETTERER.  This was the image I saw: 

 

Stan Lee was Marvel-ous

10. Wrap up: SETTLE.  Not as a present; as an agreement

11. Centers of activity: LOCI. HUBS also fit

12. Outfielder Matty who played 15 seasons in the MLB: ALOU.  Trite entry #6

13. Quaint affirmative: YES'M.

19. Strong suit?: ARMOR.

21. Nutrition fig.: RDA.

25. Najaf native: IRAQI.

26. Writer/producer who frequently collaborates with David Simon: ED BURNS.

29. Sauced up, to a pitmaster: WET. A pitmaster is a person who oversees the barbecue.  When you "sauce up" the ribs, they're wet.  And now you know how this fits

31. Score for Comaneci and Retton: PERFECT TEN.  Olympic gymnasts

32. Actress Falco: EDIE. Trite entry #7

33. Dozes (off): NODS.

34. "Ant-Man" actor Michael: PENA.  

35. Distinctive feature of a corpse flower: ODOR. Trite entry #8

37. Ecosystem susceptible to eutrophication: BAYOU.  I wondered if SWAMP would also fit here.  Turns out that A bayou is a type of creek or river, while a swamp refers to low-lying land that is often saturated and spongy with water but can still have some species of tree growing in the area

 

  

41. Sugary Southern brew: SWEET TEA.  I'm not a true Southerner as I like my tea un-sweetened

42. Old French coin: ECU.  This could've been another trite entry, me thinks

48. Somewhat: A LITTLE.

50. Second of a pair: LATTER.  Moe-ku #5, and a pun on the entry word:

 

        Some firemen formed

        New religious cult called "Church

        Of Ladder-Day Saints"

 
52. 23andMe stuff: DNA.

56. Dana Elaine __: Queen Latifah's given name: OWENS.  Her
 

57. Like some gods: NORSE.

58. Like some gods: SMUG. Clecho

59. Huge: MEGA. 

60. Massage sighs: AAHS.

61. Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey: VONN.  Former Tiger Woods girlfriend

63. Machine parts: COGS.

65. Short life story?: BIO.  OBIT didn't fit

66. Poetic dusk: EEN. Trite entry #9

See you in a couple of weeks

 

Notes from C.C.:

Happy 87th birthday to Lucina! Here's a 2011 picture of Lucina and our old California blog regulars JD, Chickie, Clear Ayes and Garlic Gal and Dodo.

L-R back row: Chickie, Clear Ayes, Garlic Gal
   Front: JD, Lucina, Dodo (June 23, 2011)

Thursday, December 5, 2024, Amie Walker

 Lido Shuffle

Today's constructor Amie Walker treats us to a sans circles, embedded, scrambled word theme.  We'll start with the reveal ...

58. Boz Scaggs hit with the lyric "One more for the road," and what can be found in 17-, 23-, 37-, and 48-Across?: LIDO SHUFFLE.  The song was co-written by David Paich and was released on Scaggs' 1976 album Silk Degrees ...

 

Scaggs describes the origins of the work: "'Lido Shuffle was a song that I'd been banging around and I took the idea of the shuffle from a song that Fats Domino did called 'The Fat Man' that had a kind of driving shuffle beat that I used to play on the piano, and I just started kind of singing along with it. Then I showed it to David Paich and he helped me fill it out. It ended up being 'Lido Shuffle.'"  Among other things the title is a play on card shuffling or life on the road, but the word Lido has many meanings.

Here are the themers ...

17A. Petroleum giant co-founded by John D. Rockefeller: STANDARD OIL.  Not only was he the founder of Standard Oil, but he was also the founder the crosswordese ESSO, and a CSO to CanadianEh!

John D. Rockefeller
July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937

23A. Ambience setter, often: MOOD LIGHTING.  Back in the 60's we used Lava Lamps for mood lighting.  This clip lasts for 4 hours & 23 minutes ... 

... feel free to shut it off when you're finally in the mood😀

37A. Line for product placement?: NOT SOLD IN STORES.  Here is one of the original Not Sold in Stores products ...

48A. Martini garnish with blue cheese or red pepper: STUFFED OLIVE.  I'm not sure how I feel about blue cheese in my martinis ...

Stuffed Olives

Here's the grid ...
  

Here's the rest ...

Across:

 1. Strongly advised: URGED.

6. Slangy "Just say ... ": SPOSE.  I 'SPOSE that many Cornerites are not big fans of quote clues.

11. Sudden pull: TUG.

14. "Same!": SO DO I.

15. Ergo: HENCE.  Today's Latin lesson: "Therefore"

16. Prefix with tourism: ECO.  There's even a society for ecotourism.  It's okay with me, as long as they take hang gliders to get there. 😀

17. [Theme clue]

19. Noodle: NOB.  At NOB HILL I'm sure you have your choice of crosswordese UDON or SOBA.

20. Marina del __, California: REY.  Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles area. The port is North America's largest man-made small-craft harbor and is home to approximately 5,000 boats. 

Marina del Rey

21. "Here's an __ ... ": IDEA.

22. Actress Kendrick: ANNA.  Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. Known for playing upbeat and endearing characters in comedies and musicals, her accolades include nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Anna Kendrick

23. [Theme clue]

27. Wood finishes: STAINS.  What's the difference between a wood stain and paint?

30. Puts on ice: COOLS.

31. Rainbow shapes: ARCS.

32. Vinegary marinade: ADOBO.  Adobo is a marinade, sauce, or seasoning composed variously of paprika, oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance meats, poultry, and seafoods.  Here's a recipe for Filipino Chicken Adobo.

Filipino Chicken Adobo

34. Kissing in the open, for short: PDA.  Here's a PDA from Dawson's Creek ...
 

37. [Theme clue].

41. Farm pen: STY.

42. Laden deposits: LODES.  ORES was too short.

43. Cold desert in northern China: GOBI.  It's in the Steppes of Central Asia (Alexander Borodin) ...

44. "Killers of the Flower Moon" people: OSAGE.  Killers of the Flower Moon is a 2023 American epic Western crime drama film co-produced and directed by Martin Scorsese.  Set in 1920s Oklahoma, it focuses on a series of murders of Osage members and relations in the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on tribal land. It is based on true events as documented in the 2017 book of the same name by David Grann.  It was also the FBI's first big case ...

46. Historic events: FIRSTS.

48. [Theme clue]

52. "My __!": HERO.

53. Sneeze trigger, often: DUST.

54. "Eh, kinda": ISH.

57. Unit on a Taylor Swift tour: ERA.  The Eras Tour is the ongoing sixth concert tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It began in Glendale, Arizona, on March 17, 2023, and is set to conclude in Vancouver on December 8, 2024.  Running over 3.5 hours, the set list of the Eras Tour comprises over 40 songs grouped into 10 distinct acts that portray Swift's studio albums conceptually.  The first ERA was Country music, and here is her first big hit, written when she was 15 years old -- a story about her boyfriend, and a paeon to Country music star Tim  McGraw ... 

58. [Theme reveal]

62. Uru. neighbor: ARG.  Argentina is a neighbor to Uruguay. 

63. Like a good watchdog: ALERT.

64. American buffalo: BISON.  The American Bison and the Native Americans of the Western plains had a symbiotic relationship.  When the California gold rush began in 1848, Native American tribes were seen as an obstacle to America's "Manifest Destiny", the inevitable Western expansion of European settlers.  The latter adopted a policy of the genocide of the American Bison as a way to bring Native Americans under control.  This story has a lot in common with the one recounted above in 44A.

65. Slice with caraway seeds: RYE.  RYE bread without caraway seeds doesn't taste like RYE bread.

66. Make holy: BLESS.

67. Four-award achievements, casually: EGOTS.

Down:

 1. USA rival in the space drama "For All Mankind": USSR.  For All Mankind is an American science fiction drama television series created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi. The series dramatizes an alternate history depicting "what would have happened if the global space race had never ended" after the Soviet Union succeeds in the first crewed Moon landing ahead of the United States. The title is inspired by the lunar plaque left on the Moon by the crew of Apollo 11, which reads, in part, "We Came in Peace for All Mankind".

2. Learning by repetition: ROTE.

3. Greeting to an Aussie pal: G'DAY.

4. Long stretch: EON.

5. "The Year of Magical Thinking" memoirist Joan: DIDION.  The Year of Magical Thinking is a memoir by Joan Didion, an account of the year following the death of her husband John Gregory Dunne in 2003. Published by Knopf in October 2005, The Year of Magical Thinking was immediately acclaimed as a classic book about mourning. It won the 2005 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was a finalist for both the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. In 2024, The New York Times Book Review ranked it as the 12th best book of the 21st century.

6. Whit: SHRED.  Let's see ...

7. Ride a Peloton: PEDAL.  Actually, as of this past Summer Peloton appeared to be back pedaling.

8. Musician Yoko: ONO.

9. Chem or bio: SCI.

10. Long swimmer: EEL.

11. Ones who may give backhanded compliments?: TENNIS PROS.  Har, har. 😀

12. The Huskies of the NCAA: UCONN.  The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, with its main campus located in Storrs, Connecticut. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference.

13. Emergency kit: GO BAG.  You can buy one, or build your own with these comprehensive instructions developed by the public service campaign ready.gov.

18. Big fusses: ADOS.  Shakespeare wrote about one of biggest fusses in all of literature ...

22. NL East city: ATL.  The home of the Braves.

23. Fail to see: MISS.

24. Clickable images: ICONS.  Here's the ICON on the Blogger menu that I clicked to insert this image ...

25. Tons: GOBS.

26. "Give a __! Don't pollute!": HOOT.

27. Without: SANS.  Today's French lesson. "SANS = without", as the scrambled word in today's theme is SANS circles.

28. Leisurely gait: TROT.

29. "Be a grown-up about it!": ACT YOUR AGE.  I'm trying!  I'm trying! Sheesh! 😀

32. Chimed in with: ADDED.

33. Game cube: DIE.

Die

35. Money owed: DEBT.

36. Seller's caveat: AS IS.  This review is provided AS IS.

38. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF.  Meet OLAF ...

39. Seating level: LOGE.  A private box or enclosure in a theater -- the front section of the first balcony in a theater, or the boxes to the left or right of the stage.

Loge Box Seats

40. Fantasy monster: OGRE.  Not all OGRES are monsters ...

Shrek

45. NorCal airport: SFO.

46. __ and chips: FISH.  Today's English lesson: "chips" are Brit for French Fries.

47. Hosp. room hookup: IV TUBE.

Traditional intravenous (IV) infusion therapy set:
1-pole/stand,2-IV bottle/bag,3-spike, 4-air valve,
5-drip chamber, 6-piggyback port,
 7-IV tubing, 8-roller clamp, and 9-cannula.

48. Gather wool from: SHEAR.  This is how they do it in New Zealand ...

49. "America's Got Talent" host Crews: TERRY.  Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former football player.  Crews played as a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Washington Redskins.   He began hosting America's Got Talent in 2019, following his involvement in the same role for the program's spin-off series America's Got Talent: The Champions.

Terry Crews

50. Lingering scents: ODORS.

51. Yearns (for): LUSTS.  LONGS fit but didn't perp.  IMHO LUSTS is on the infrared side of the YEARNS spectrum.

54. "In that event ... ": IF SO. ERGO fit but didn't perp.

55. Card receiver: SLOT.  Nowadays you can TAP cards, but I still haven't got the hang of that yet ...

Universal Contactless
Payment Symbol

56. Female birds: HENS.

58. 9-Down class setting: LAB.  Science Lab.  I have some stories about adventures in our HS science lab, but I'm not sure the statute of limitations has expired yet. 😯

59. Under the weather: ILL.

60. Actor Billy __ Williams: DEE.  William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor, novelist and painter.  He is best known for portraying Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise, but he has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades.

Billy Dee Williams
 GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2023

61. Cookie fruit: FIG.  "If you don't care a feather or a FIG, you may grow up to be a PIG!" -- see last Thursday's puzzle -- 49A.

Cheers, 

Bill

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

waseeley

Wednesday, Dec 4th, 2024 ~ Jay Silverman

  TO GO

A bottle of anything, and a glazed donut - to go~!

This is my second Jay Silverman puzzle this year, AND yet another 15 x 16 grid on a Wednesday . . . . The "4LWs" outnumbered the TLWs today, just a handful of names - but I knew them - and no circles.  On to the reveal first; 

41A. Speedy meal option, and what the answers to the starred clues literally are?: FAST FOOD

18A. *Speedy dinner option?: INSTANT RAMEN

Ah - the connoisseur version

66A. *Speedy beverage option?: BRISK ICED TEA - a tad meh; I usually think "brisk" means chilly, bracing, refreshing - but there's more here

12D. *Speedy breakfast option?: QUICK GRITS

I almost had grits when I lived in Jacksonville, FL

31D. *Speedy side dish option?: MINUTE RICE

I have this product in my kitchen for when I make General Tso's Chicken

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Whisky, e.g.: SCOTCH

Indiana Jones is not particular about the type...

7. Business entities: FIRMS

12. HSN alternative: QVC

15. Santa's laugh: HO-HO-HO - a timely clue; three weeks til Christmas~!

16. Wide open: AGAPE - I started with APART, but thought better of it

17. Dubai's fed.: UAE - United Arab Emirates

20. __-at-ease: ILL

21. Prefix with natal: NEO - neonatal

22. Bodies of water: SEAS

23. Didn't make the team's final roster: GOT CUT

25. Somewhat ruddy: REDDISH

28. Tools for fall guys?: RAKES - Har-har

29. Pop in for a scene, say: CAMEO

32. Hip-hop's __ Clan: WU TANG - One of their songs comes up on my Pandora station, but I cannot think of the title - and it's not Hip-Hop

34. Dover landmarks: CLIFFS - while listening to the radio waaay back in 1990, I heard this song in my headphones working for Grossmans Lumber, and prayed the FM radio DJ would mention the artist's name, and he did  - Eric Johnson; I went out and immediately bought the record; here's the full track, and this is Juliana Wilson doing the ridiculously fast and difficult intro

Cliffs of Dover - note the finger stretches

36. Wistful sound: SIGH - I have been doing a lot of this lately

37. Singer Kristofferson: KRIS - sadly passed Sep 28th, 2024 ( on my hiring anniversary date at the pipe organ company ); I remember him most for his role as the big boss in the movie Payback

40. Forever, figuratively: EON

44. Texter's "No clue": IDK - I Don't Know - Ozzy & Randy can tell you more . . . .

From the album Blizzard of Ozz, released in the US in 1981

after he was kicked out of Black Sabbath

45. Two, in Trois-Rivières: DEUX - Frawnche

47. Tidy: NEAT - ah, our friend Tinbeni took his 1A. this way . . . .

48. Strength of character: METTLE - I'm into Heavy Mettle

50. Wall Street figure: TRADER

52. Checked out before a heist: CASED - usually with "the joint"

53. Suffix with home or farm: STEAD - homestead, farmstead

55. Moisturizer target: DRY SKIN - AND - 30D. Ingredient in some 55-Across treatments: ALOE

Never gets old, Hahtoolah

59. Skeptical about: WARY OF - like maybe my humor~?

61. "Just joshing!": "I KID~!" - I really do~!

62. Pampering place: SPA

65. Japanese sash: OBI

70. __-A-Fella Records: Jay-Z label: ROC - not the extinct bird

71. Goose-bumps-causing: EERIE

72. Minolta partner: KONICA - not just high-end cameras - their Wiki

73. Mama deer: DOE

74. Pedometer units: STEPS - I did a lot of dog walking while visiting my brother on Thanksgiving - his fiancée has an Australian Shepherd, and I want a dog now~!

Cooper~!

75. Makes catty comments: SNARKS

DOWN:

1. Lower leg: SHIN - or CALF~?  Had to wait on perps

2. Gelato receptacle: CONE

3. Exceedingly: OH SO

4. Little one: TOT - little tater

5. Drive away: CHASE OFF

6. Made sharper: HONED

7. Iranian tongue: FARSI

8. Polish tennis star Swiatek: IGA - recently busted for doping - probably before the puzzle was submitted for publication - her Wiki

9. Male sheep: RAM - and the Zodiac sign Aries

10. Video file format: MPEG - Moving Picture Experts Group - the format's website here

11. Spanish title: SEÑORA

13. Hold in esteem: VALUE

14. Boston NBA team, colloquially: CELTS - the Celtics - not a basketball fan, at all

19. Bit: TAD

24. Scuba necessity: TANK - I am thinking about installing an in-wall TANK for fish

Technically, a Fish Tank Media Wall....

25. NFL flag thrower: REF

26. Taylor who was Time's 2023 Person of the Year: SWIFT - I cannot watch the KC Chiefs because any broadcast of that team focuses way too much on her; I don't go to a Van Halen concert to see a football game on the big screen behind them . . . .

27. "Les Misérables" novelist Victor: HUGO

29. Included on an email: CCed

33. Yorke of Radiohead: THOM - Not a fan; the only song I know from them is "Creep"

35. __ dollar: SAND

36. Comic strip reporter Brenda: STARR - I did not know it was a movie with Brooke Shields

38. Not busy: IDLE - Dah~! not FREE

39. List of appts.: SKED - abbr for schedule

42. Beginning of an idea: SEED - I had the "seed" for a song in a dream last week - what I heard was the lyric "the horses in the barn"  

43. Opt for: DECIDE ON

46. Dentist's procedure: X-RAY

49. Khaki kin: TAN

51. Some haciendas: ADOBES - I never actually read up on what a 'hacienda' really is - the Wiki

53. Excalibur, for one: SWORD

Why Arthur is King, according to Monty Python

54. Beyond discouraged: TABOO

56. "Jeepers!": "YIKES~!"

57. Hit the slopes: SKI

58. Sneakers, informally: KICKS

60. Guitar part: FRET - body, neck, and head work, too

62. __ the pot: STIR - I have to restrain myself from "stirring the pot" at work

63. Brief kiss: PECK

64. Smallish batteries: AAAs - anything smaller, and we're into hearing aid/watch batteries

67. Wrath: IRE

68. Small intake: SIP

69. CSI sample: DNA

Splynter