Saturday, August 23, 2025, Matthew Stock & Willa Angel Chen Miller

Saturday Themeless by Matthew Stock and Willa Angel Chen Miller

This collaboration was a real challenge and I was very happy when I got the Congratulations message. I cherry picked some fill, some of which took some real linguistic gymnastics, and then, as usual, the long fills were the key to finishing. I had no shot at Peter Pan BUS STATION but it had to be after I sussed out NEWB and INTERNET FAMOUS. 

Matthew told me he is still pursuing a Master's Degree in Florida. He said he made a connection with Willa through mentoring and he has enjoyed working with her on several puzzles.

Willa lives across the country from Matthew in the S.F. Bay Area and is a software managing engineer for Google. She listed Matthew, Robyn Weintraub and Erik Agard as great mentors.

This is a wonderful interview she gave.

 

Across:

1. Low growth: TOE NAIL 😀

8. Green party?: NEWB - NEWB, NOOB, NEWBIE, etc.

12. Shared loads?: INTERNET FAMOUS - I had never heard of this term but know there are people who are INTERNET FAMOUS. Matthew told me I was right in thinking it means these people get their post shared loads of times. "Loads is used as an adjectival phrase". Matthew said this was all Ella! 😀

16. Game that's over in the blink of an eye: STARING CONTEST 😀

17. Bit of sign language?: OLDE

18. Moves quickly?: RELOS.

19. Made a lap: SAT 😀 Yeah, I put RAN first too.

21. Small plates of fish: SCALES - Fish have these small plates called scales.

23. Argentine "other": OTRO.

24. "Watch this space" letters: TBA - To Be Announced

27. Oscar nominee Gladstone: LILY ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

28. Penchant: KNACK.

29. Go badly?: TRESPASS 😀

31. Fume: SEETHE.

32. Fried fish at the Minnesota State Fair: WALLEYE.

33. Long-haired cat breed: PERSIAN - Irish will love this picture. 

34. Minor keys?: ISLETS 😀 Keys and ISLETS are both small islands  

35. Curry and others: WARRIORS - No thought of a spice for me

36. Bob Marley's "__ Little Birds": THREE.

37. Macro type: CARB.

38. Medical discipline with a five-year residency, for short: ENT.

39. Round in a poker tournament: CHIP 😀

40. Tandoori flatbread: LAVASH - LAVASH cooking in a tandoor 

42. Lady bird: HEN.

43. Classic rock singer: SIREN - Below is a rock formation on the Rhine River from which the songs of the Lorelei or SIRENS lured sailors to their deaths as chronicled in Homer's Odyssey.

44. Literature Nobelist Tokarczuk: OLGA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

48. Not too dirty: AGE APPROPRIATE.

52. Paperwork to let someone go: PERMISSION SLIP - After 58 years in schools I've signed thousands of these.

53. Hungrily rummage through: RAID.

54. Class with a mean teacher?: AP STATS - Mean, median and mode

Down:

1. "Verily!": TIS.

2. Atop: ONTO.

3. Name-dropping abbr.: ET AL.

4. Bite on a rope or cluster: NERD 😀

 

5. First sign of spring: ARIES.

6. Holiday __: INN.

7. Pilates movement: LEG RAISE.

8. Some models with click wheels: NANOS - Here a click wheel is being replaced on an iPod NANO

9. AED experts: EMTS.

10. Rhyme of "Romeo" in the last couplet of "Romeo and Juliet": WOE.

11. Peter Pan's destination: BUS STATION ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Never Never Land? Not so much.

13. Immune system components: T-CELLS.

14. Matt who lived in a van down by the river on "SNL": FOLEY - Featuring the brilliant Chris Farley

15. Picture with a lot of space: STAR CHART.

20. Arcade handful: TOKENS.

22. They're fired before being sent home: CLAYS.

23. Pajama Day attire: ONESIE.

24. What a load of junk!: TRASH HEAP.

25. Salvation Army volunteer: BELL RINGER.

26. Out: ASLEEP.

28. Australian model Miranda: KERR.

Australian Vogue

29. Justin.tv successor: TWITCH - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If you really want to know more...

30. "Mayor __": national politics moniker: PETE.

31. Balkan natives: SERBS.

33. "Beau Is Afraid" theme: PARANOIA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

35. Has second thoughts: WAVERS.

37. Moans and groans: CARPS - We have been known to CARP about some words we see here. 

40. Oily compound: LIPID.

41. Animal butters?: HORNS 😀

43. Indigenous people known for reindeer herding: SAMI.

 

45. Bullet train?: LIST - Here is a bulleted LIST I use before I give my NASA presentation.

46. Blowout: GALA.

47. Grinding along: AT IT.

49. New __: cap brand: ERA.

50. Start to show: POP.

51. Short records, for short: EPS - 45's would work better for me than Extended PlayS although they are shorter than albums.

I am so proud to tell you that we attended our grandson's "White Coat" ceremony yesterday at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha. Hudson will be starting Med School at the prestigious University Of Nebraska Medical School where he was one of 145 candidates chosen from 2,300 applicants. 

 

    

Friday August 22, 2025 Brian Keller and Katie Hale

Phew! I just got Chairman Moe squared away, and now Malodorous Manatee is taking a few Fridays off. I'd better oil the RustyBrain, this could take awhile.

Brian Keller is an up-and-coming constructor who has paired with Katie Hale, a freelance crossword editor who moved to London so she could learn proper English.

20. Diamonds can cut glass, corundum can scratch most other minerals, et al.?: COOL HARD FACTS. I wanted COLD HARD FACTS for the longest time, which lead to 4D = SEA-something (like SEA-worthy?) and messed up the entire NW corner. The reason I wanted COLD HARD FACTS is it's a common expression, while COOL HARD FACTS is just a rather odd phrase.

34. Director's guidance to be more affable?: PLAY IT WARM. Got PLAY IT WARM quickly from perps, but again it's an odd phrase, while PLAY IT COOL is a very common expression. 

41. Stuffed animals that go viral?: HOT FUZZIES. Here we go again. The expression is WARM FUZZIES not HOT FUZZIES. At this point, I was looking to swap temperatures between these answers. Take COOL from the first one to replace WARM in the second, then take WARM and move it down to third to replace HOT. Then move HOT to...? And I got lost going down a rabbit hole.

55. Increase pressure, or an apt title for this puzzle?: TURN UP THE HEAT. The themers progressively increase in temperature: COOL → WARM → HOT. In my fantasy revision, the progression would be: COLD → COOL → WARM which would make all the answers real phrases. But I guess "Some Like it Hot" (a must-see comedy classic!).

Across:

1. Signal and Line: APPS. Signal and Line are both messaging APPS (applications) for mobile phones. Signal was in the news recently because of it's improper use by the presidential staff.

5. Is into: DIGS. "I dig your new DIGS!" 

9. Espresso or cappuccino, to Italians: CAFFE. Those Italians! It's like they have a different word for everything.

14. King's address: SIRE. 

15. Lot of land: ACRE.

16. Group calling strikes: UNION. Umpires also call strikes and are part of a UNION - the MLBUA (Major League Baseball Umpires Association). I betcha C.C. knew that.

17. Heartfelt request: PLEA. 

18. Plane section: TAIL. Plane sections are also common in geometry. In anatomy, the horizontal section is the "transverse plane."

19. Clichéd: TIRED. I'm sick and clichéd of this.

20. [theme]

23. Contented: AT PEACE.

24. Blanketed: COATED. I grew up in Williamsburg, Va. The occasional blanket of snow transformed the colonial area.

27. Crime lab evidence: DNA. DeoxyriboNucleic Acid - you can tell that I'm fun at parties.

28. Some Kellogg grads: MBAS. The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University is named after the inventor of Kellogg's Corn Flakes, due to hefty endowments from his son. My first son, when he was little, asked for "chicken cereal." Took us a while to figure it out.

30. "Breaking Bad" org.: DEA. Drug Enforcement Administration - the name sounds like they’re federally sanctioned drug dealers.

31. Quadri- doubled: OCTO.

34. [theme]

37. Staff leaders: CLEFS. We're all familiar with the treble and bass clef symbols, but that alto clef is just plain weird.

39. Colonial insect: ANT. Frequent visitors to Colonial Williamsburg. Uncles, too.

40. Take root: SET IN.

41. [theme]

44. Bottom of the barrel stuff: LEES. 

45. Brink: EVE. Brink seemed to be an odd clue for EVE until I thought of "brink of collapse," meaning something imminent. Suitable for a Friday.

46. Votes of no confidence: NAYS.

47. "The __ and the Pussycat": OWL. "The OWL and the Pussy-Cat" is a nonsense poem by Edward Lear, first published in 1870. In it, he made up a "runcible spoon," now commonly called a spork.

49. Listing agent's field: REALTY.

51. Baja breaks: SIESTAS. 

55. [theme]

58. Fast Amtrak train: ACELA. Although pretty slow compared to other nation's trains.

60. Euphoric feeling: GLEE.

61. Org. concerned with ergonomics: OSHA. The ever popular Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

62. Suddenly took interest: SAT UP.

63. Moon goddess: LUNA. The Roman goddess was often depicted with a crescent moon on her head. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, Sol, those aren't horns!"

64. Designer Cassini: OLEG.

65. Book maker: PRESS. Here's a book made for me by an old friend in Williamsburg's bookbinders shop (he needed the practice). The PRESS, however, was in the print shop. Pages were printed, then delivered for binding. Creating the marbled endpapers was yet another craft.

66. Dr. Frankenstein's assistant: IGOR. "It's pronounced eye-gore."

67. Tiny bits: TADS.

Down:

1. Pet welfare org.: ASPCA. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - but you already knew that.

2. Series opener?: PILOT. "What's our vector, Victor?" This one wasn't series-ous. (Hey, they all can't be good!)

3. Scrub-up stop: PRE-OP. I found this one hard to parse, especially with my COLD error.

4. Leakproof: SEALED OFF. And this one, too, for the same reason.

5. Fixed point in a mobile contract: DATA CAP. America OnLine, who is discontinuing its dial-up service soon (wait, they still have it?), once sent out promotional CDs offering 10 hours of free service! At 56 kilobits per second, you could download about two minutes of high-def video before hitting the DATA CAP. An entire movie in standard def would take several days!

6. "My thoughts are with you": I CARE. 

7. Calendar page, maybe: GRID.

8. __-control: SELF. 

9. Save on spending: CUT COSTS.

10. Singer Baker: ANITA. ANITA Baker is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter known for her soulful ballads and three-octave vocal range.

11. What one might Bumble into?: FIRST DATE. Fun clue. Hopefully, they've heard the "birds and the bees" lecture already. 

12. Cheetah, to Wonder Woman: FOE.

13. Wrap up: END.

21. Kylo's father: HAN. HAN Solo. In the Star Wars universe, Kylo Ren's real name is Ben Solo. I guess that's true, but it's like finding out Yoda's real name is Joe.

22. Berry in a yogurt bowl: ACAI. After years as a common crossword clue, I thought you'd might like to see some. ACAI berries are about the size of grapes and nutritionally similar to blueberries.

25. Uncanny: EERIE.

26. Consigns to hell: DAMNS. Confines to hall: DORMS.

28. Buffing and painting services: MANIS. I don't know about my nails, but my car could sure use the help.

29. Tera- finisher: BYTE.

31. Shade in the desert: OCHER. I'm always on the lookout for a twisted clue, especially at the end of the week, so I wasn't fooled into thinking oasis.

32. Orange studder, at Christmas: CLOVE. CLOVE oranges, also known as pomanders, release a pleasant, spicy scent as the fruit dries. I remember these festive holiday decorations from my youth in Williamsburg.

33. Private meeting: TETE-A-TETE.

35. Averse to work: LAZY. I know I should finish up my crossword review, but first I think I'll sit back in my La-Z-Boy and watch the late... night... mooovie... zzzz...

36. "Gosh darn it": WELL SHOOT. 

38. South-facing gardens, maybe: SUNTRAPS. New to me. A SUNTRAP is a location, often in a garden or outdoor space, that is strategically designed to capture and retain sunlight beneficial for plants.

42. "Pillowtalk" singer: ZAYN. ZAYN Malik is an English singer-songwriter who went solo after a successful career as part of the five-piece boy band One Direction. Yes, this is him as a child (tats added later - I hope).

43. "Rumor has it": SO I HEAR. Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" was released nearly 50 (!) years ago. I'm getting old...

48. Teeny-tiny: WEE.

50. Humdingers: LULUS. 

51. Dictation taker: STENO.

52. Physicist Nikola: TESLA. Few people know that he invented the TESLA coil while working as a "special effects" tech in early horror films. Well, that's what IGOR told me, anyway. 

53. Reacted to a laser show, perhaps: AAHED. Ooh, AAHED is bad.

54. Bambi and others: STAGS. STAGS usually refer to mature male deer, so including a fawn or young buck like Bambi is a stretch.

56. Knobbly citrus: UGLI.

57. Socket filler: PLUG.

58. Egyptian viper: ASP.

59. Token in The Game of Life: CAR. When Monopoly first replaced the flat iron with a cat in 2013, I was mad they didn't nix the thimble instead. Every other token was a miniature version of something, but the thimble was virtually life-size so should be the odd man out. Also, if lost, it could easily be replaced by a real one. 

End of rant.

Thursday, August 21, 2025 Sean Ziebarth

 Theme:  Let's make some NOISE!

Prolific constructor Sean Ziebarth is a high school English teacher, surfer, and DJ.  In today's puzzle, he gives us a push in the right direction with some good advice, and suggests we make some noise in the process, hearing a little snap, crackle, and pop in common English phrases.  The theme clues and answers are:

17-Across. "Turn that frown upside down": CRACK A SMILE.  

30-Across. "Get your head on straight": SNAP OUT OF IT.

45-Across. "Get on that stage and wow the crowd": KNOCK 'EM DEAD.

61-Across. Words of wisdom, and what 17-, 30-, and 45-Across could be called?: SOUND ADVICE.

In addition to giving these phrases a fresh hearing, Sean has placed the theme entries in symmetrical rows Across.  Neato!  I'll bet it's fun to be in his class.

What else can we learn from Sean today?  Let's look at the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Best effort: A GAME.  One's highest level of play or performance.

6. Fools: CLODS.  I wasn't fond of this one, thinking that a clod is an oaf.  When I looked up synonyms of FOOL and of CLOD for today's blog, neither word listed the other.  But idiot is listed as a synonym for both clod and fool, so I suppose that if A=C and B=C, then A=B.

11. Make a mend: SEW.

14. Like much of central Illinois: RURAL.

15. "The Raven" writer, briefly: E A POE.  Edgar Allan Poe.

16. "Better. Guaranteed." gadget brand: OXO.  Favorite crossword utensils.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Whopper: LIE.

20. Luau performance: HULA.

21. Medium ability: ESP.  Extrasensory perception is an ability claimed by persons who say they are mediums, able to facilitate communication between the living and the dead.

22. Notes equivalent to C sharps: D FLATS.  These notes are the same black key on the piano (between the white keys C and D), and produce the same pitch.  The note will be written one way or the other depending on the key of a musical composition.

24. Immediately following: UPON.  "Upon hearing the news, she burst into tears."

26. Earlier: PRIOR.

27. Word with shell or shore: SEA.

30. [Theme clue]

34. Late: TARDY.

36. Sleep acronym: REM.  Rapid eye movement sleep is the stage of sleep where most dreams happen.

37. Peel: PARE.

38. Naan flour: ATTA.  If we ever have a Crossword Corner party, we are going to make naan with ATTA.  And eat many varieties of Oreos.  What else should be on the menu?

39. Addresses timeline errors, perhaps: EDITS.

41. Timeline units: ERAS.

42. Like much 1980s fashion: NEON.

43. "C'est la __!": VIE.  French for "That's life!"

44. Fess up (to): ADMIT.

45. [Theme clue]

49. __ as a fox: SLY.

50. Brand of riding mowers: DEERE.

51. YouTube journal: VLOG.  Video blog.

53. Too: OVERLY.

55. Needlework on a sleeve, for short: TAT.  A tattoo sleeve.

56. Turkey neighbor: IRAN.

60. Burrito option: WET.  A "wet burrito" is served covered in sauce, and must be eaten with a fork and knife.

61. [Theme clue]

64. Melissa of "The Fighter": LEO.  Melissa Leo is an American actress, and the recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and two Critics' Choice Awards.  In 2010, she won several awards for her performance in the film The Fighter, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.  DNK.

Melissa Leo

65. Come next: ENSUE.

66. Moves closer: NEARS.

67. Cheap tix option: SRO.  Standing Room Only.  No seat for you!

68. "The Wild Swans at Coole" writer: YEATS.  "The Wild Swans at Coole" is a poem by Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), first published in 1917.

The first stanza of the poem:

The trees are in their autumn beauty,

The woodland paths are dry,

Under the October twilight the water

Mirrors a still sky;

Upon the brimming water among the stones

Are nine-and-fifty swans.

69. Selling point: ASSET.

Down:

1. Foot part: ARCH.

2. Hindu teacher: GURU.

3. North __ Sea: Central Asian lake: ARAL.  The Aral Sea was once the world’s third largest lake.  It started shrinking in the 1960s when the Soviet government diverted two of its main inlet rivers, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya, to irrigate the surrounding desert region. The North Aral Sea was separated from the South Aral Sea in 1987-88 as water levels dropped.  Independent Kazakhstan has addressed environmental degradation by again allowing the Syr Darya River to flow into the lake.

4. Hong Kong neighbor: MACAU.  Macau is an autonomous region on the south coast of China, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. A Portuguese territory until 1999, it is said to be the most densely populated region in the world. Its giant casinos and malls have earned it the nickname, "Las Vegas of Asia."

5. Utah's state animal: ELK.

6. General aviation company owned by Textron: CESSNA.  Textron Aviation sells Beechcraft and Cessna-branded aircraft, and supports older Hawker aircraft with parts and service.

7. Lava __: LAMP.  Lava lamps have been manufactured since 1963.

Cool array next to your water bed.

8. Maker of Talk to the Hand press-on nails: OPI.  OPI is a popular brand of nail polish, so this was an easy guess.

Hard to see, but the package says TALK TO THE HAND in the upper left corner.

9. Blues: DOLDRUMS.

10. Find appropriate: SEE FIT.

11. Green energy sources in some desert regions: SOLAR FARMS.

12. Way out: EXIT.

13. Heartaches: WOES.

18. Very long time: AEON.  Aeon is the more popular spelling in Britain.  On our side of the pond, a very long time is usually an eon.

23. Like a lasso: LOOPED.

25. Therapist's maj.: PSY.  A therapist's major course of study is psychology.

26. 68-Across, for one: POET.  Ah, yes, YEATS again.

27. Performed terribly: STANK.  Past tense of stink.  "The place stank like a sewer."  Or in slang, to be very bad at something.  "He stank at golf."

28. All gone: EATEN.

29. Luke Skywalker's loyal droid: ARTOO-DETOO.  Also written as R2-D2.

This vehicle with R2-D2 on the back was seen regularly in our neighborhood of Westchester, Los Angeles, when the kids were growing up.

31. Snooped around: PRIED.

32. Letter-shaped beam: I-RAIL.  An I-shaped rail.  Apparently used for things from curtains to trains.

33. On edge: TESTY.

35. Wearer of tap shoes: DANCER.

39. With no exceptions: EVERYONE.

40. Small coin: DIME.

44. Scene: ADO.

46. Plum who was the WNBA All-Star Game MVP in 2022: KELSEY.  Kelsey Plum is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star and was named the WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 2022.

Kelsey Plum

47. Sidesteps: EVADES.

48. Baja's opposite: ALTA.  Spanish low and high.

52. Caves in: GIVES.

53. Parliament birds: OWLS.  A group of owls is called a parliament, reflecting their perceived wisdom.

54. Suddenly shift direction: VEER.

55. Letter-shaped fastener: T-NUT.  T-nuts are threaded fasteners with prongs that dig into the material when tightened.  First I-rail, now this!  What am I, a gearhead?

57. Coastal inlets: RIAS.

58. Part of a plot: ACRE.

59. Small tree house: NEST.

62. Jenny Thompson's team: USA.  Jenny Thompson is a former competitive swimmer.  She is one of the most decorated Olympians in history, with twelve medals, including eight gold medals, earned in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer Olympics.

Jenny Thompson

63. Genetic blueprint: DNA.

Here's the grid:

How did EVERYONE do today?

Did you SNAP OUT OF your DOLDRUMS and KNOCK 'EM DEAD?

Or was the puzzle OVERLY difficult, so that success EVADEd you?

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ

Wednesday, September 20, 2025 Rebecca Goldstein

Theme:  Geography Lessons, and geography expansions.   As we travel through the locations, each located in the 2nd word of each theme fill, they get increasingly larger

16 A. Stop on a fall foliage tour?: LEAVES TOWN.  Ordinarily, this means departing from a TOWN.  Here, it suggests a TOWN with many colorful leafy trees.

30 A. Stop on a victory tour?: PARTY CITY.  This was a retail chain stocking a wide range of themed party supplies, plus costumes & holiday decorations.  It has gone out of business in the U.S., but is still active in Canada.  Here, though, it is a city full of revelry.  Note also, a city is larger than a town.

44 A. Stop on a wine tour?: DRY COUNTY.  This is a county in the United States where the sale and public consumption of alcohol is prohibited.   It's unclear why anyone on a wine tour would visit there, unless it's a place to stop drinking?  At any rate, a county is generally larger than a city.

58 A. Stop on an apology tour?: SORRY STATE.   This indicates being in a situation or condition that is poor, neglected, or unfortunate, often one that is deserving of pity or regret.  Here,  though, it is a place containing many counties where contrition is prominent.  

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here with a puzzling travelogue.  Let's embark, and see where it takes us.

Across:

1. Some cuff links: STUDS.  Formal jewelry worn at the shirt cuff in place of a button.  The stud portion is a short metal bar connecting a decoration to a fastener.

6. Passover mo., often: APR.  April.  Passover is a major Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

9. Genesis brother: ABEL.  He was murdered by his twin brother Cain.

13. Number of strands in a simple braid: THREE.  

14. Creative development: IDEA.   The thought before the brainstorm.

15. Proper partner: PRIM.  Stiffly formal and respectable; feeling or showing disapproval of anything regarded as improper.

18. Roman robe: TOGA.  A loose flowing outer garment worn by the citizens of ancient Rome, made of a single piece of cloth and covering the whole body apart from the right arm.

19. The upper crust: ELITES.   A select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society.   Or so they would have you believe.
 
20. Packers' pts.: TDS.  Touch downs.  The Packers are the team from Green Bay in the National Football League.

22. "Don't know her": WHO?   What or which person or people?

23. Shiny fender material: CHROME.  Chromium plate as a decorative or protective finish on motor-vehicle fittings and other objects.

25. "Critique of Pure Reason" philosopher: KANT.  Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central thinkers of the Enlightenment. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics have made him one of the most influential and highly discussed figures in modern Western philosophy.

27. "Well, shucks": AW, GEE.  Expressing genial self-deprecation or gratified embarrassment.

33. Epic battles: WARS.   A state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state.  In a war there may be many distict battles.

34. Section of a race: LEG.   A specific, defined part or section of the race. 

35. Call from a treehouse: UP HERE.  Telling you where to look
 
36. One day __ time: AT A.  To deal with each day's problems as they come instead of worrying about the future.

37. "Restore + Strengthen" shampoo brand: FINESSE.  Finesse shampoo, specifically the Finesse Restore + Strengthen Moisturizing Shampoo, is designed to rejuvenate dry, damaged, or stubborn hair by providing a moisturizing and strengthening treatment. 

39. Announcement makers in HS classrooms: PAS.  Public Address System, a system of microphones, amplifiers, and loudspeakers used to amplify speech or music in a large building or at an outdoor gathering..

40. Criticize harshly: REVILE.   Criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.

42. "Uh-uh": NAH.  Nope, no way, aint gonna happen.

43. Treadmill setting: PACE.  Consistent and continuous speed in walking, running, or moving.

46. Los Angeles restaurant with hot dogs named for celebrities: PINKS.

47. Overnight recipe: STEW.   A stew is a hearty dish that consists of solid food ingredients, such as meat, seafood, and/or vegetables, cooked slowly in liquid and served in the resulting gravy or thickened broth. 

48. Talk and talk and talk: YAMMER.   Talk foolishly or incessantly.

50. Shutterbug's initials: SLR.  Single Lens Reflex, a camera design where the photographer views the scene through the lens itself, using a mirror and prism system to direct the image to the viewfinder. This allows for accurate framing and focus, as you see exactly what the lens sees. 

51. Mule on the Erie Canal: SAL.  A reference to the mule featured in the American folk song, "Low Bridge, Everybody Down," also known as "The Erie Canal Song". The song tells the story of a mule named Sal who works on the Erie Canal, hauling barges filled with various goods. She is portrayed as a reliable and hardworking animal, and the song highlights the close relationship between the mule and its driver.

53. De-lightful time?: OUTAGE.  A time period when electric power is disrupted.  This is often due to storm-related infrastructure damage.  But not always. 

56. One struggling to face facts, maybe: LIAR.   A teller of untruths.  My universal theory of why this happens is that the truth is not compatible with the LIAR's agenda.

61. All-father of the Norse gods: ODIN.   A prominent figure in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism, revered as a god associated with wisdom, magic, death, prophecy, and victory in battle. He is often depicted as an old, one-eyed man with a long beard, wearing a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat, and carrying a spear. Odin is known for his insatiable thirst for knowledge, his role as the leader of the Aesir tribe of gods, and his connection to Valhalla, the hall where fallen warriors reside. 

62. Joint above an ankle: KNEE.   The largest and one of the most complex joints in the human body, connecting the thigh bone (femur) and the shin bone (tibia). It's a hinge joint that allows for bending and straightening of the leg, and it's crucial for weight-bearing and movement. The knee joint is made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, all working together to enable a wide range of motion and stability. 

63. Pamplona pooch: PERRO.   "Dog" en Español.  Pamplona is a city in Spain.

64. Implements in a lab coat pocket: PENS.  For copious note taking.

65. Vane dir.: SSW.  South, southwest, the compass point or direction midway between south and southwest.

66. Home to the annual Food & Wine Classic: ASPEN.  Aspen, in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, is a ski resort town and year-round destination for outdoor recreation. It's also known for high-end restaurants and boutiques, and landmarks like the Wheeler Opera House, built in 1889 during the area’s silver mining boom.  We missed this year's classic, but can try again next year.

Down:

1. Home of the Blues, for short: ST. L.  St. Louis, Mo. is home to the Blues, a professional hockey team.

2. You, once: THEE.  Archaic or dialect form of you, as the singular object of a verb or preposition.

3. Russian range: URAL.  A mountain range in western Russia that forms a traditional boundary between Europe and Asia. 

4. Tech gadgets: DEVICES.   Things made or adapted for a particular purpose, especially a piece of mechanical or electronic equipment.

5. Stay mad: SEETHE.   Be filled with intense but unexpressed anger, by analogy to a slow boiling liquid..

6. Big fuss: ADO.  A state of agitation or fuss, especially about something unimportant.

7. Alloy in some costume jewelry: PEWTER.   A gray alloy of tin with copper and antimony (formerly, tin and lead).

8. South African currency: RAND.  The basic monetary unit of South Africa, equal to 100 cents.  The rand takes its name from the Witwatersrand ("white waters' ridge" in English, rand being the Afrikaans and Dutch word for 'ridge'), the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. 

9. Fitting: APT.  Appropriate or suitable in the circumstances.

10. Dessert tray?: BROWNIE PAN.    A type of baking pan specifically designed for making brownies. It's typically rectangular, with a non-stick surface, and often features a removable bottom or a divider to help with even baking and easy removal of the finished brownies.   The clue is a misdirection, since it usually refers to a collection of sweet treats, typically displayed on a tray or platter, served at the end of a meal as a final course. 

11. Format before cassettes: EIGHT TRACK.    A magnetic tape format popular for music distribution from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. It's characterized by a continuous loop of ¼-inch magnetic tape housed in a rectangular cartridge. Each tape contains eight tracks of audio, arranged in stereo pairs, allowing for four stereo programs on a single tape. 

12. "Ur hilarious!": LMAO.  Laughing My Ahem-buttocks Off, maybe.  Cf. 31D.

14. "Come on in": IT'S OPEN.  Open door invitation to enter.

17. __ and estar: Spanish 101 lesson: SER.  In Spanish, both "ser" and "estar" translate to "to be" in English, but they are used in different contexts. "Ser" is used for permanent or defining characteristics, while "estar" is used for temporary states or conditions, location, and actions. 

21. Service replaced by Microsoft Teams: SKYPE.   An online platform that enables users to make voice and video calls, send instant messages, and share files over the internet. The name "Skype" is derived from "sky" and "peer-to-peer," reflecting its initial design as a peer-to-peer communication tool. 

24. Fuchsia relative: MAGENTA.   A light purplish red that is one of the primary subtractive colors, complementary to green.  Fuchsia is a vivid purplish-red color like that of the sepals of a typical fuchsia flower.

26. "Bah," in Berlin: ACH.  Expressions of contempt or disagreement.

27. Oscar, but not Elmo: AWARD.  The "Oscar" is the common name for the Academy Award of Merit, a golden statuette awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievements in the film industry. It's one of the most prestigious awards in the world of cinema.  Also Oscar and Elmo are Sesame Street muppets.

28. Way to make an entrance at a pool party: WATER SLIDE.  A slide into a swimming pool, typically flowing with water and incorporating a number of twists and turns.

29. Source of easy money: GRAVY TRAIN.   Used to refer to a situation in which someone can make a lot of money for very little effort.

31. Bottom: TUSH.  The buttocks - either of the two round fleshy parts that form the lower rear area of a human trunk.  Cf. 12D.

32. Green lights: YESES.  Grants permission or approval.

34. Stead: LIEU.  The place or role that someone or something should have or fill (used in referring to a substitute).

37. Streams: FLOWS.    Moves along or out steadily and continuously in a current or stream.

38. "I'm listening": SAY MORE.  Yes, I'm interested.  Keep talking.

41. Apply a cold pack to, say: ICE.  Use cold therapy on an injury.

43. Home team at PNC Park: PIRATES.  The Pittsburg team in the National League of Major League Baseball.

45. Pantyhose: NYLONS.  Clothing for women made of thin material that fits closely over the feet and legs and goes up to the waist.  Do they even exist any more?

46. Spot's grooming spot: PET SPA.   A grooming service that offers more than just basic bathing and clipping. It provides a range of specialized treatments designed to pamper and relax pets, promoting their overall well-being. These services often include aromatherapy, calming music, and gentle handling techniques to create a stress-free environment. 

49. Very, in Venezuela: MUY.   Literal translation from English to Español.

50. Unappetizing plateful: SLOP.  A derogatory way to talk about food that doesn't look very tasty.

52. Requests: ASKS.  Says something in order to obtain an answer or some information.

54. Irving character: GARP.   Protagonist in The World According to Garp.  I read this book decades ago and have only vague recollections of a few scenes.

55. 17-Down, in French: ETRE.   To be [or not, I suppose] in any language.

57. Some ER staff: RNS.  Registered Nurses.

59. VCR button: REWind.   It winds a tape or film back to the beginning.

60. Geologic age: EON.   An indefinite and very long period of time.

So, after all that time, we've reached our destination.  Travel broadens one, it's said, and this trip did grow on me  Hope the journey enlarged your enjoyment.  See you in September, a definite and rather short time period way.

Cool regards!

JzB