Tuesday June 20, 2023 Kathy Lowden

Theme: Rhyming Trio - Each theme entry consists of three words ending with *ALE.

20. Rhyming term for a dead letter?: SNAIL MAIL FAIL.

27. Rhyming description of "Moby-Dick"?: PALE WHALE TALE.

45. Rhyming discount for week-old leafy greens?: STALE KALE SALE.

54. Rhyming hazard for cyclists on shared-use track?: RAIL TRAIL NAIL.

C.C. here. Hahtoolah has been in Texas to take care of a loved one. She'll be back next Tuesday.

Across:

1. Words before a start date: AS OF.

5. "The Sopranos" chef Bucco: ARTIE. Quite a few names for a 15X15 grids: 14. Eric of "Munich": BANA. 16. "The Simpsons" bus driver: OTTO. 23. Rat Pack member __ Davis Jr.: SAMMY. 31. Director Kazan: ELIA. 33. Storyteller __ Christian Andersen: HANS. 61. Baby-voiced red Muppet: ELMO. 63. Supreme Court justice Kagan: ELENA. 8D. "Vera Drake" Oscar nominee Staunton: IMELDA. 21D. Country singer Lovett: LYLE. 52D. Reality TV judge Cowell: SIMON.

10. Pen tips: NIBS.

15. Florida city with a Little Havana neighborhood: MIAMI.

17. Glamping shelter, maybe: YURT. Mongolian-style.

18. Bass staff symbol: F CLEF.

19. Pull: HAUL.

24. Canine checker: DENTIST.

32. Salami choice: GENOA.

 

37. Metric weights: KILOS.

40. Spreadsheet lines: ROWS.

41. Kept __: held off: AT BAY.

43. Fluttered down to a perch, say: ALIT.

50. Took up the challenge: HAD AT IT.

51. "__ luck!": LOTSA.

58. Mosque prayer leader: IMAM.

60. Traffic jam: TIE UP.

62. Sidewalk eatery: CAFE.

64. Detroit NFL player: LION.

65. Founded, as a co.: EST'D.

66. White-water transports: RAFTS.

67. Yin and __: YANG. Cucumbers & watermelons are Yin. Gingers & dates are Yang.

Down:

1. Deep gulf: ABYSS.

2. Steamy setting at a spa: SAUNA.

3. Freeway entrance: ON RAMP.

4. Shrine site in Portugal: FATIMA. Our Lady of Fátima,

5. Radio band toggle: AM FM.

6. Costa __: Nicaragua neighbor: RICA.

7. Anklebones: TALI.

9. Paris tower engineer: EIFFEL. Here's Picard at the Eiffel Tower, 2015.

 

10. Pitcher's dream game: NO-HITTER.

11. Lingua di Roma: ITALIANO. My sister-in-law Connie speaks Italian. She spent 3 years there. She just told me about this sun-dried tomatoes. So good.

12. HVAC meas.: BTU.

13. Pine-__: cleaning brand: SOL.

22. Rare blood type, informally: A NEG.

25. "__ and steady wins the race": SLOW.

26. Assam, Darjeeling, etc.: TEAS. Celebrated the church lady Margaret's 80th birthday last Saturday at the newly opened House of Kirin. Very authentic Cantonese food. Alas, something did not agree with me. Or maybe I talked too long with the waiter whose mom is from Guangzhou. I had sore throat immediately and started coughing on Sunday. Yesterday was bad at the oil change place. Gonna get some Robitussin after I'm done with this post. Important meeting later this morning.

Margaret & C.C., 6/17/2023

28. Large deer: ELK.

29. Nintendo game console: WII.

30. Islamic equivalent of kosher: HALAL. Also 36. Greeted with a respectful bow: SALAAMED.

33. Corned beef concoction: HASH.

34. "__ girl!": ATTA.

35. Selection process for Bucks and Bulls: NBA DRAFT.

38. World Cup cry: OLE.

39. Girl of the fam: SIS.

42. Cooler brand named for a mythical creature: YETI.

44. Like most basketball players: TALL.

46. Off-__: askew: KILTER.

47. Leader of the Huns: ATTILA. Attila the Hun.

48. Needing company: LONELY. I'm so comfortably alone. 

49. List-shortening Latin term: ET ALIA.

53. __ for the ride: ALONG.

55. Coral habitat: REEF.

56. Mom's sister: AUNT.

57. High-ABV beers, typically: IPAS.

58. Freezer cubes: ICE.

59. Some graduate degrees, for short: MAS.

Thank you so much to those who bought my little book and left an Amazon review. I'm so grateful that you took the time and wrote a feedback. This means a ton to me.

C.C.

Monday June 19, 2023 Susan Gelfand

Hello Cornerites! Today is the U.S.'s newest federal holiday, Juneteenth.

sumdaze here. I was happy to see Susan Gelfand's name on today's puzzle. I enjoy her positive puns, witty words, and clever cluing. Today is no exception. We were treated to a fun solve by an exceptional constructor! THUS, our theme is:

Please make an exception-al pun.

Today's puzzle had 4 themers with no reveal. The first and third were right-aligned in the grid while the second and fourth were left-aligned.

Each themed answer is a 2-word phrase such that the first word is a synonym for "exceptional" and the second word is another way of saying the remaining words in the clue. Together, they make up a common phrase.

Let's take a closer look:

18 Across. Exceptional lithograph?: FINE PRINT.  What everyone knows we should always read.

27 Across. Exceptional place to play tennis?: SUPREME COURT. Hmmmm.... what would be more fun, reading about 9 lawyers who constantly 'argue' or listening to Diana Ross' trio?

Click the arrow to watch one of The Supremes' 14 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

44 Across. Exceptional job vacancy?: GRAND OPENING.  Here is the job OPENINGs data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

55 Across. Exceptional plantain?: TOP BANANA.  

The Savannah Bananas are the TOP BANANAs of baseball entertainment.

There are more where those came from:

 

Across:
 

1. Stand-up comic's material: JOKES.  

6. Take down with a wrecking ball: RAZE.  to destroy to the ground; demolish.

Watch this video to see a Tokyo building being taken down in the most polite way possible. (1:29 min.) 

10. Lickety-split: FAST.

14. Similar: ALIKE.

15. Former flames: EXES.  "ashES" was too long.

16. Miscellany: OLIO.  You can select from this list of links on the Crossword Corner.

17. Professional parker: VALET.

20. Toward the stern: AFT.  

21. Therefore: THUS.

23. Mental picture: IMAGE.  "Mental" is superfluous. Rather than helping to narrow things down, sometimes an extra word can be something I trip over.

24. Dab with a tissue: BLOT.  Here is a Rorschach ink BLOT. What do you see?

25. Spread, as cream cheese: SMEARED.  Is it schmear or SMEAR? I am not an authority but I thought this explanation made sense:  

Click to enlarge.

31. Foy of "The Crown": CLAIRE.  CLAIRE's IMDb page

32. Heavenly headwear: HALO.  

33. Chitchat: GAB.

36. __ Spunkmeyer cookies: OTIS.

37. Sprang: LEAPT.

39. Gondolier's stick: POLE.  

Does he look authentic?
He works at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

40. Bundle of bills: WAD.

41. Destitute: POOR.

42. Weather map line: ISOBAR.  a line on a map or chart connecting or marking places of equal barometric pressure.

Those lines have a name???

46. Florida squad that was the first to win two World Series titles as a wild-card team: MARLINS.

FL has two MLB teams: Tampa Bay Rays and Miami MARLINS. So you really just need to count the boxes...but the trivia is interesting.

49. Modeling medium: CLAY.  I'm going with SNL's Mr. Bill on this one. (2:36 min.)

50. Language student's challenge: IDIOM.

Def:  an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as up in the air for "undecided") or in its grammatically atypical use of words (such as give way).

51. Hold on to: KEEP.

52. Abbr. in a high-rise address: APT.  AParTment number

58. Pro sports VIP: OWNER.

60. "Magic __ House": kid-lit series: TREE.  The TREE house is "magic" because it is a time machine that takes the children (Jack & Annie) to significant dates in history where they learn a lesson. These are terrific books for readers aged 6-10. So far there are 63 titles.

61. Plow-pulling team: OXEN.

62. Back in fashion: RETRO.  The past is the future.

63. Strong desires: YENS.  If you save your YEN, you can purchase your desires in Tokyo.

64. Summer shirts: TEES.  

This girl is wearing a RETRO TEE.

65. On edge: TESTY.

Down:
1. Morning cuppa: JAVA.

2. "Frozen" snowman who sings "In Summer": OLAF.  One of my FAVs, Josh Gad, voices OLAF.

3. Bagpiper's wear: KILT.

4. __ out a living: just get by: EKE.

5. Oregon Trail traveler, e.g.: SETTLER.  Between 1846 and 1869, approximately 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, and business entrepreneurs, along with their families, traveled its 2,170 miles from Missouri to the West. source

6. Prove wrong: REFUTE.

7. x or y, on graphs: AXIS.  

You can go 3D by adding the z-AXIS.

8. Extremely chill: ZEN.  I named my town bike ZEN because it is chill and because that was the name of the guy working at the shop where I bought it.

9. Opposite of WNW: ESE.  Nāʻālehu on the ESE side of Hawaii's Big Island is the southernmost community with a U.S. post office (within the 50 States).  

10. Layout: FORMAT.

11. "Are you calling me __?": A LIAR.

12. Burn the tips of: SINGE.

13. Lugged: TOTED.

19. Early Renaissance painter __ della Francesca: PIERO.  né Piero di Benedetto dei Franceschi, (1416-1492)

Piero della Francesca's  serene, disciplined exploration of perspective had little influence on his contemporaries but he came to be recognized in the 20th century as a major contributor to the Italian Renaissance. more info  

portrait of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino (1470-ish)

22. Mortgage, often: HOME LOAN.

24. Jewish ceremony for a newborn son: BRIS.

25. Suds source: SOAP.  We've recently had some conversations on The Corner about the dangers of dropping this on your foot. Perhaps a solution is to use hotel-size bars.

26. __-choice test: MULTIPLE.

27. Flat-bottomed boat: SCOW.

28. "The Possibilities Are Beautiful" cosmetics superstore: ULTA.

29. Picked up the tab: PAID.

30. Swiss __: leafy vegetable: CHARD.  

33. Asian desert: GOBI.  It is the 6th largest desert on Earth. 19 more interesting facts

34. "Succession" actor Ruck: ALAN.  Back in 1986, he was Ferris Bueller's best bud.  

35. Glacier chunk: BERG.  

38. Ages and ages: EONS.

39. Chincoteague horse: PONY.  I have seen these horses on Assateague Island in Virginia. You can read more about them here.

41. Ballerina descriptor: PRIMA.  

Svetlana Zakharova (born 1979 in Lutsk, Ukraine)

She is truly exceptional!

43. City on a harbor: SEAPORT.  Hand up for first trying to make a specific city fit.

44. Spinning classroom spheres: GLOBES.

45. Waters between continents: OCEANS.  You can find these on GLOBES.

46. "The Secret Life of Walter __": MITTY.  Yesterday we had 89D. Walter Mitty creator James: THURBER.

This short story was first published in The New Yorker in 1939. It was made into a movie in 2013 starring Ben Stiller.

47. Cherish: ADORE.

48. Reach peak flavor: RIPEN.  Cherries are finally in season. Yum!

51. Patella's place: KNEE.  a little alliteration

52. Targets of Terro bait traps: ANTS.  

53. Sassy: PERT.

54. Donald Glover's "Community" role: TROY.  

the cast of Community
In case you are wondering, Donald is not related to Danny.

56. Commandment word: NOT.  as in "Thou shalt NOT..."

57. Body spray brand: AXE.  a fav among teenage boys

59. Teeny-tiny: WEE.  PSA to teenage boys:  if you use AXE body spray, you only need a WEE bit.

Grid:

Wishing you all an exceptional day (in a good way)!

 

 

Notes from C.C.:

Our foodie Steve Marron and I made today's USA Today crossword. Click here to solve. It's edited by Amanda Rafkin. Congrats on your USA debut, Steve!

 

Sunday June 18, 2023 ~ Susy Christiansen & Doug Peterson

Human Resources

Happy Father's Day!

Today, Susy & Doug offer a simple theme with "in the language" phrases where the second word of each phrase is a body part.

23a. *Witch's dialect?: WICKED TONGUE.

39a. *Snowman's joint?: COLD SHOULDER.

44a. *Rocket scientist's trap?: SMART MOUTH.

66a. *Baker's digits?: BUTTER FINGERS.

87a. *Gingerbread man's chomper?: SWEET TOOTH.

92a. *Soda jerk's noggin?: FOUNTAIN HEAD. Fountain Head is a book by Ayn Rand.

15d. *Smurf's plasma?: BLUE BLOOD.

77d. *Comic's humerus?: FUNNY BONE.

112a. Nonverbal communication, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues?: BODY LANGUAGE.

Let's see what else we can get our hands on...

Across:
1. Puff up: BLOAT.

6. Brief survey: APERCU. (?) 1: a brief survey or sketch : outline 2: an immediate impression; especially : an intuitive insight.

12. Gestation location: WOMB.

16. Printer spec.: DPI. Dots Per Inch

19. Word of thanks: MERCI. French.

20. Holy scrolls: TORAHS.

21. Former sea in Central Asia: ARAL.

22. Geologic age: EON.

23. [see: theme]

25. French Calvinist of the 16th and 17th centuries: HUGUENOT.

27. Fed. benefits agency: SSA. Social Security Administration.

28. Unfreeze, as a plane's wing: DE-ICE.

29. Avian crop: CRAW.

31. Kid-lit character who says, "It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it": EEYORE.
 

EEYORE

32. Jazz drummer Max: ROACH. One of two leading drummers of the bebop era.

33. Slopes headgear: SKI CAP.

35. __ nut chewing: BETEL. Betel nutis the seed of an areca palm that grows in tropical parts of the Pacific, Asia and eastern Africa. It is chewed, usually in combination with other substances like tobacco, and is said to have both stimulant and relaxation effects. (wikiP)

36. Insect appendage: ANTENNA.

39. [see: theme]

41. Chimney residue: SOOT.

42. Organ array: PIPES.

43. Psych 101 topic: EGO.

44. [see: theme]

48. Accepted doctrine: ORTHODOXY.

54. Unfavorable renown: NOTORIETY.

55. Bill of fare: MENU.

57. Messing of "Will & Grace": DEBRA.

58. Breaks a commandment: SINS.

59. "Hamilton" creator: MIRANDA. Lin-Manuel Miranda.

62. Teller of tall tales: LIAR.

63. Umami source, briefly: MSG. Monosodium glutamate.

66. [see: theme]

70. "Danny and the Dinosaur" writer Hoff: SYD.
 

You remember this?

71. "Woe is me!": ALAS.

73. Marine creatures: SEA LIFE.

74. Greek campus group: FRAT.

76. Ariz. neighbor: CALIF. Arizona & California.

78. Smooch: KISS.

79. Sneaker strings: SHOE LACES.

84. Withdraws to safety: EVACUATES.

87. [see: theme]

88. Ultimate degree: NTH.

89. Preadolescent: TWEEN.

91. Actress Skye: IONE.

92. [see: theme]

97. Feline grooming sites: CATSPAS.

100. Outfielder Ramirez who won two World Series with the Red Sox: MANNY.
 

Manny Ramirez

101. Offend: INSULT.

102. Wine grape: PINOT.

103. Game-enhancing toy by Nintendo: AMIIBO. These are little figurines that can interact with video games. WikiP.

105. Traffic blocker?: NARC. Cute.

106. BLT part: BACON. BACON, Lettuce, and Tomato.
 

Yum!

107. Golfer's goal: PAR.

110. Oscar-winning film featuring a bunny named Judy Hopps: ZOOTOPIA.
 

Trailer

112. [see theme]

115. Pressure for payment: DUN.

116. Fit together neatly: NEST.

117. Hammed it up: EMOTED.

118. Crèche figure: ANGEL. Crèche == Nativity Scene.

119. Crèche figure: ASS.

120. Salinger title heroine: ESME.
 

121. L.A. suburb mentioned in Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'": RESEDA. At 0:48
 

Tom Petty

Down:
1. Some autobahn autos: BMWs.

2. Luau wreaths: LEIS.

3. Killer whale: ORCA.

4. "Yikes!": ACK.

5. Secured, in a way: TIED ON. I had TIED up.

6. Aegean region that includes Athens: ATTICA. Attica is an administrative region in Greece.

7. Doggie: POOCH. Pup.

8. Fish-eating bird: ERNE.

9. Dust cloth: RAG.

10. Laugh: CHUCKLE.

11. Login handles: USER IDS.

12. "Sad trombone" sound: WAH WAH. Anyone else listen to Market Place on NPR? When the market is down for the day, Kia will play the "Wah Wah trombones." He got corrected.

13. Christian sch. in Tulsa: ORU. Oral Roberts University.

14. 2023 Kentucky Derby winner: MAGE.
 

Mage breaks out

15. [see: theme]

16. Mean: DENOTE.

17. Not as prosperous: POORER.

18. Recon acquisition: INTEL. Reconnaissance : Intelligence.

24. Official at Oberlin, e.g.: DEAN.

26. Gave the once-over: EYED.

30. Runners in hot weather: Abbr.: ACS. Air Conditioners run when it's hot out.

32. Auxiliary rockets, for short: RETROS.

33. JV player, perhaps: SOPH. Sophomores play Junior Varsity level.

34. Verse writer: POET.

36. Focused gp.: ASSN. Association.

37. 1995 NL Rookie of the Year Hideo: NOMO. Pitcher from Japan.
 

Hideo Nomo

38. Perfectly: TO A T.

39. Map dot: CITY.

40. "That's just nasty": UGH.

42. "To __ it mildly!": PUT.

45. Chi-Town daily, with "the": TRIB. The Chicago Tribune.

46. Calculator button: MINUS.

47. Left, on un mapa: OESTE. Spanish for West.

48. __ annual basis: ON AN.

49. Ladder step: RUNG.

50. Argentine tennis player Juan Martín __ Potro: DEL.
 

Retired February, 2023.

51. Silk ties: OBIS.

52. __ vision: XRAY.

53. Cloth measure: YARD.

55. Annoys a little: MIFFS.

56. Empire State canal: ERIE.

59. Diagnostic pics: MRIS.

60. "Moll Flanders" author: DEFOE. Daniel Defoe (1660 to 1731) also wrote Robinson Crusoe.

61. Stop, in Strasbourg: ARRET. French for "stop."

63. Nutmeg spice: MACE.

64. Balkan native: SLAV.

65. Glitzy gathering: GALA.

67. Make off with: TAKE.

68. New Haven alumni: ELIs. Yale graduates.

69. Tots seasoning: SALT. Tater-tots, not tykes.

72. [Not my mistake]: SIC.

75. Disciple of Laotzu: TAOIST.

77. [see: theme]

79. Scand. nation: SWED.

80. 81-Down resident: HEN.

81. Structure with layers?: COOP. Is it also a co-op in there?

82. Italian rumbler: ETNA.

83. Billy Joel's "__ Got a Way": SHES.
 

Billy Joel

85. NFL stat: ATT. Attempt in football.

86. Asian cuisine with drunken noodles and massaman curry: THAI.

87. Boarding pass information: SEAT.

89. Walter Mitty creator James: THURBER.

90. Greet warmly: WELCOME.

92. Widely known: FAMOUS. There's an Amos that's Famous for cookies.

93. Kitchen bulbs: ONIONS. Cute.

94. Military group: UNIT.

95. Not learned: INNATE.

96. Wiretapping org.: NSA. National Security Agency.

97. Insect that resembles a locust: CICADA.

98. Soon, poetically: ANON.

99. Citizen of a Polynesian archipelago: TONGAN.

100. Miata maker: MAZDA. Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.

102. Grew ashen: PALED.

104. "See how the morning __ her golden gates": Shakespeare: OPES.

106. Mega- or giga- ending: BYTE.

107. Leaf (through): PAGE.

108. On in years: AGED.

109. Depend (on): RELY.

111. Doctrine suffix: ISM.

113. Tijuana pair: DOS. Spanish for two.

114. French article: UNE.

The Grid

WOs: TIED up, SKI hat, sICADA
ESPs: APERCU, SYD, HUGUENOT AMIIBO
Fav: NARC's clue

Hope you all had fun and enjoy the day ahead.

Cheers!, -T

Saturday, June 17, 2023, Christopher Bolduc and Matthew Sewell

 Themeless Saturday by Christopher Bolduc and Matthew Sewell

We have  constructors here who have occupations that reflect every walk of life. Today we add that of an opera singer, Christopher Bolduc who is now based in Germany. He has performed at the Met and 

here is a sample of Christopher's incredible voice from a crossword favorite: Cosí Fan Tutte.

Matt wrote of himself: I am a native of New York and a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Purchase College Conservatory of Music.

I have blogged six of Matt's previous Saturday themeless puzzles. Matt said: You can describe my job as being a professor of film and literature at Mankato State University. I've been doing administrative stuff in the dean's office for the last few years, but I'm resuming teaching in the fall.

Christopher  said of Matt: Matt is a brilliant guy; always thinking outside the box. He's also patient and kind. It was a pleasure to work with him on this one! 

Across:

1. Focus of a Stockholm museum whose slogan is "Walk In. Dance Out.": ABBA - One feature is to become the fifth member of the group and sing karaoke with ABBA images moving in the background.

5. Kindles: WHETS - Bakery aromas kindle a keen desire for goods to be 41. Taken in: EATEN.

10. Stock expert?: CHEF - 😀 Yes, a chef would prepare stock for a dish 

14. Do the honors, so to speak: POUR - If you have an expensive vintage, it is probably an honor to POUR it

15. Luau performances: HULAS - It's always great to get a gimme.

16. It may wind up on a fire truck: HOSE - 😀 I love the "wind up" part of the clue

17. Porch pirate deterrent, hopefully: RING CAMERA.

19. Foot part: ARCH.

20. "So I'm out of the running?": IS THAT A NO?

21. Fermented paste: MISO - Miso is a Japanese traditional paste produced by fermenting soybean with fungus Aspergillus oryzae and salt, and sometimes with rice, wheat, or oats. 

22. "Allez __ Bleus!": Coupe du Monde cry: LES - It literally means "Go Blues" for the French National Team who play for the Coupe du Monde or World Cup

.
23. Grammy: NANA.

24. Lose interest in: TIRE OF.

26. USN officer: CDR - The ENS and ADM stayed below deck

27. Phanerozoic __: EON - Yeah, I'm the only one who first put ERA.😏

28. R-V hookup?: STU - 😀 R S T U V

29. Question of motive: WHY EVEN BOTHER. 33. Iterative testing method: TRIAL AND ERROR.

34. Buy time?: SHOPPING SPREE 😀 A very fun use of the word "buy"

35. Egg layer: HEN.

36. Anatomical foot: PES.

37. "Succession" family name: ROY - The ROY family tree

38. Overwhelm: ENGULF.

40. Vibe: FEEL.

42. "Try me": ASK.

45. Impromptu screwdriver: DIME - Been there, used that

46. Summit result, maybe: PEACE PLAN - A very famous one in 1945

48. Best Picture of 2021: CODA - Reviews

49. Very loud, in music: FORTISSIMO - A nice long gimme for me

50. Gender-neutral possessive: ONE'S.

51. Wide-ly read works?: TOMES - 😀 Fun cluing for an old crossword standard

52. Tub: SCOW - I associate this vessel with NYC garbage transporters

53. Some read-athon fundraising gps.: PTAS.

54. Bellyache: WHINE.

55. Drinks with steep prices?: TEAS 😀 Yes, TEA is usually steeped for drinking.

Down:

1. New Beer's Eve month: APRIL - April 7th is designated as National Beer Day so... I had no idea but a five-letter month starting with an "A" was pretty obvious. 

2. Snake River tributary: BOISE.

3. Some sacrifices: BUNTS - The bunter gives herself up as she is usually thrown out to move a runner to the next base

4. Frustrated cry: ARGH - What this sacrifice bunter would say if she pops the ball up.

5. "Whew!": WHAT A RELIEF - Do you remember?

6. Like Peter Quill of the Guardians of the Galaxy, in part: HUMAN - He is said to be the progeny of a human and a "celestial" 🤔

7. Novelist Ferrante: ELENA - Elena uses a pseudonym for her novels and remains an anonymous Italian writer.

 

8. Oceanic staple: TARO - Mash these roots with steamed water and you have Hawaiian poi.

9. U.S. ID issuer: SSA - Grace D. Owen of Concord, NH got the first card from the SSA: 001-01-0001 in 1936.

10. Orchestra position: CHAIR - It's a coveted honor to be first CHAIR.

11. Classroom setup that facilitates group discussions: HORSESHOE.

12. Micromobility option: E-SCOOTER - In Lincoln, NE

13. Dismissive syllable: FEH - Not MEH it turns out

18. Red shade: CANDY APPLE - My dream car.

21. Spare parts?: MINOR ROLES - In honor of our dearly missed Boomer, I put MISSED PINS.

24. Exact words?: TO BE PRECISE - Well, what did you mean?

25. Faux __: FUR - Sure, I put PAS first

26. Unwanted crack in crackleware: CHIP - Ceramic ware with definite cracks in the glaze

27. Fades to black: ENDS - As the hero rides off into the sunset

29. Delusion: WRONG IDEA - Dr. Bailey had the WRONG IDEA about this crossword solve (a fun 2:21 video):

30. Triple Crown of Surfing sponsor: VANS.

31. Class that may be lit: ENG A list of possible books for this course

32. Small club, maybe: TREY.

33. "Fine, be lazy": THEN DON'T.

34. __ shed: SHE - Here's 26 examples

39. Sch. near Emily Dickinson's home: UMASS.

40. Physics Nobelist of 1938: FERMI - He and his team made the first self-sustaining atomic nuclear fission reaction which made the construction of the atomic bomb possible. 

42. "The __ Network": Kate Quinn novel about women spies: ALICE.

43. Island nation whose flag features the Southern Cross: SAMOA - Bonus: The Southern Cross by CSN, a favorite of mine.

44. Is hip to: KNOWS.

46. Bear with a "Thotful Spot": POOH.

47. "C'mere!": PSST.

48. "Blue Bloods" extra: COP.

49. Celebratory initialism: FTW - If you knew the Alka Seltzer tag line, you probably know, "I'll take Barbara Eden FOR THE WIN."