Friday April 12, 2024, Amie Walker and Wendy L. Brandes

Theme: "It had to be "U"

 

Puzzling thoughts:  

After solving this relatively easy collaborative puzzle (Amie Walker and Wendy L. Brandes) I did a quick head scratch:  what in the heck is the theme of this?  So, I looked at the reveal: 

40-across. "It was even funnier at the time," or a hint to making the starred clues match their answers: YOU HAD TO BE THERE

Was the word "YOU" (or the word "THERE") somehow connected to all of the three entries?  Let's examine them and see:

18-across. *Big moth: CHATTER BOX.  No, neither "YOU" nor "THERE" seemed to fit into this entry

24-across. *Theater debt: OPENING NIGHT. Nope, not here either, although "HAVING TO BE THERE" on OPENING NIGHT sort of makes sense

52-across. *Frozen state: ICE SCULPTURE.  Who, other than folks who live in the north and love the cold weather, would want to be "THERE" for an ICE SCULPTURE?  (well, maybe this guy - see video)

 

62-across. *Title bot: PRIZE FIGHT.  Maybe this one?  Uh, uh.  Nope

So what gives?  Well, look back at each of the four entry clUes:

*Big moth:  If the letter U is added to "moth" it becomes "mouth".  And a CHATTER BOX is indeed a "big mouth"

*Theater debt: If the letter U is added to "debt" it becomes "debut".  And an OPENING NIGHT is indeed a "theater debut"

*Frozen state: If the letter U is added to "state" it becomes "statue".  And an ICE SCULPTURE is indeed a "frozen statue"

*Title bot: If the letter U is added to "bot" it becomes "bout".   And a PRIZE FIGHT is indeed a "title bout"

And that, my friends, is how Amie and Wendy managed today's "add a letter"-themed puzzle! Adding the letter "U" allowed each of the clues to match their answers.  Well done, ladies!  

Here is the grid, and then we can tackle the rest of the "fill" ... 

 

Note from today's blogger:  If you would like to solve another puzzle today, please open the link below for one that's called "That's Heavy!"

 
Chris Gross Universal Puzzle

Across:

1. __ test: ACID.  BETA fits this, too, but I waited until I checked the other perps

5. Oft-poached pear: BOSC.  Strange clue but it works

9. With 9-Down, Thanksgiving dessert: PECAN (9-down. See 9-Across:) PIE.  PECAN PIE may not be the most popular Thanksgiving dessert (unless you're from the south) but it sure is tasty!

14. Arm bone: ULNA.  Moe-ku:

Some think the ULNA
Is the "funny bone". But that's
Not so humurus

15. Bar mixer: COLA. While the constructors did not choose to use a "clecho", it fits with (68-across. Fountain drinks:) SODAS.  Did anyone else flip these answers?  SODA and COLAS?

16. Fuming: IRATE.

17. Some baby shower honorees: DADS.  This must be a more "modern" answer; I had two kids and was not "honored" at either of their baby showers

20. "Da 5 Bloods" actor Whitlock Jr.: ISIAH.  This filled with perps and a WAG as I was not familiar with "Da 5 Bloods" movie - the trailer:

22. Cookbook writer Garten: INA.  She is fast becoming a part of crosswordese

23. Choose: OPT.

29. "Makes sense": I SEE.  What I may have uttered when I figured out today's theme

30. False front?: PSEUDO.  For some reason I initially spelled this "PSUEDO".  Across Lite (the puzzle software I use to solve these puzzles) does not have spellchecker installed

33. ETA provider: GPS.  Back in the day, GPS might have been clued: "Family doc's"

36. Parker products: PENS.  Moe-ku 2:

Spider-Man gave to
His groomsmen (as wedding gifts)
Peter Parker PENS

38. Made in Taiwan, say: ASIAN.

44. Cantaloupe, e.g.: MELON.

45. Close in anger: SLAM.

46. August hrs.: DST.

47. Beach city where Barbie's Dreamhouse is available for short-term rentals: MALIBU. This MALIBU resident had his fair share of "Barbie's".  For a show that was more than mildly misogynistic, it ran for multiple seasons on a major network ... this clip is from the Ashton Kucher years as being the star, and features MALIBU

50. Historic times: ERAS.

57. Toward the stern: AFT.

60. Spacewalk initials: EVA.  Not one of the Gabor sisters??  No, EVA stands for: ExtraVehicular Activity ... this, maybe (long):

61. Title with a tilde: SENOR. The tilde (~) is placed above the "N" in Se·ñor. It is an accent (~) placed over Spanish n when pronounced ny (as in señor) or Portuguese a or o when nasalized (as in São Paulo), or over a vowel in phonetic transcription, indicating nasalization

67. Falafel bread: PITA. Are falafel and hummus the same? [foodstruct dot com] says: "What are the main differences between Falafel and Hummus? Falafel is richer in Iron, Potassium, Vitamin B2, and Monounsaturated Fat, while Hummus is higher in Copper, and Vitamin B6. Hummus's daily need coverage for Copper is 30% higher. Hummus has 3 times less Vitamin B2 than Falafel. Falafel has 0.166mg of Vitamin B2, while Hummus has 0.064mg"

69. Char on a grill: SEAR. All you wanted to know about SEAR when grilling

70. "For real?": IT IS.

71. Setting for much of "The Mummy" franchise: EGYPT.  I may need to binge-watch this series.  "The Mummy" The movie "franchise" spans 8 decades 

72. Like a chimney sweep's clothes, maybe: ASHY.  Moe-ku 3:

Santa's ASHY coat
Caused sniffles. Was it 'cause he
Came down with the flue?

73. Wall St. index: NYSE.  NASDAC and S & P 500 did not fit into the four squares

Down:

1. Component of self-guided museum tours: AUDIO.  Who sells this?

2. Necklace fastener: CLASP.  I used to shudder when my ex asked me to help her put on or take off her necklace; I was never very good with THAT type of CLASP ... 

3. Nonstudio flick: INDIE.  As in, an "INDiEpendent" studio.  Last year's top Oscar-winner "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" was produced by INDIE studio A24

4. Fiji competitor: DASANI.  Not as in the island of Fiji (or a sports competition) but the bottled water.  But (off the top of my head; I did not research this) I believe that Fiji water actually comes from a source.  DASANI is bottled after reverse osmosis if I understand correctly

5. Secretly include, in a way: BCC.  Moe-ku 4:

When Johnny Hart sends
An e-mail, he will always
BCC BC

6. "I'm impressed!": OOH.  Your reaction to today's puzzle and/or blog??!!

7. Done in, as a dragon: SLAIN.  Here is the opposite (from a dragon's point-of-view)

8. Opposite of dogbane?: CATNIP.  Dogbane CATNIP

10. Add salt instead of sugar, say: ERR. As a kid, my older sister played an April Fool's "joke" on me by substituting salt into the sugar bowl.  Of course, unknowingly. I put a couple spoonfuls of this into my bowl of Cheerios ... 

11. Baja resort, familiarly: CABO.  CABO on Baja - things to do

12. Perched on: ATOP.  

13. "What else ya got?": NEXT.

19. Price points?: TAGS.  This reminded me of the 15 or so years I spent living in New England.  The term for offering things from your residence for sale differs in many parts of the country.  I had heard of "YARD SALE" and "GARAGE SALE", but when I lived in MA and CT, they called it a "TAG" SALE.  TAGS were required on each item to clearly mark at what price you were offering this

21. __ Heritage Month: September 15 to October 15: HISPANIC.  Why is it honored between two months? And those specific days?  Ides don't know ... can someone else help me?? 

25. Require: NEED.  When Margaret and I bought our house a couple years ago, we each separately wrote out our "wants and NEEDS; we matched on our NEEDS at 100%

26. Gallant guy: GENT.  

27. Products of thermal imaging: HEAT MAPS.  You know, if you add an "L" to MAPS and rearrange the letters, you get LAMPS ... which when placed behind HEAT gives a whole different product ...

28. Derriere: TUSH.  Ok, is it "TOUCH" or "TUSH" that ZZ Top is claiming they want to get when they are downtown ... 

31. Faded out: DIED.  I suppose this is a "kind way" to clue the word "DIED"

32. Sculler's tools: OARS.  When I was a member of the Jaycees (remember them fellow Boomers?) in MA, we helped sponsor an event on the Connecticut River for racing sculls.  Their ability to synchronize the OARS was amazing ... I couldn't find a video from that venue, but here is one you might want to watch 

33. Muscle building?: GYM.  Hah!  Muscle building in a muscle building!

34. Ada Limón work: POEM.  Unlike the Chairman, Ada chooses a much different kind of poetry than my haiku and limericks

Ada Limon

35. Toni Morrison's second novel: SULA. Fun fact:  SULA is also the name of a Russian river as well as the name of some Indonesian islands

37. "Help us!" letters: SOS.  And, an erstwhile hit song by the group "Abba"; both of which are answers often seen in xword puzzles

39. __ zero emissions: NET.  Can you be a climate hero?

41. Colorful Hindu festival: HOLI. This event has passed.  It was on March 25th. [Wikipedia] "Holi is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring. It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna

Moe-ku 5:

Radha and Krishna
Love to celebrate Spring with
Holly for HOLI

42. "Sacre __!": BLEU.

Moe-ku 6:

Camembert, BLEU, and
Roquefort were found on same plate.
A fromáge à trois?

43. Countess counterpart: EARL. What about the "duke of Earl?

48. Emmy-winning Ali Wong series: BEEF. A "Friday" clue, for sure

49. Certain travel doc.: US VISA. Don't think we will need one when we visit Italy later this year

51. Attempt to mediate: STEP IN. This sounds like something that would be more than to "mediate", IMO

53. Batting practice sites: CAGES. Could you make contact with this fastball? Not I

54. Harmony: UNITY. Does the Thesaurussaurus agree? Nope

55. Flatbreads made with atta flour: ROTIS. Not a word in my lexicon. [Wikipedia] "Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, and Southeast African countries. It is made from stoneground whole wheat flour, traditionally known as gehu ka atta, and water that are combined into a dough. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened

56. Wipe clean: ERASE. "Wipe clean" is also a phrase a parent of a baby or toddler might use. So basically, they are just ERASING the poo??

57. Recess on a Catholic school campus?: APSE. Another paraphrased clue. The APSE is a recessed area in a chapel. Recess could also mean "a period of time when school kids get a break from classes"

58. Mesopotamian symbol of fertility: FROG. Ribbit, ribbit ... this guy?

59. Neat: TIDY.

63. Cook in the microwave: ZAP. Time for another comic strip?

64. Rough fig.: EST. Or, winter hours in Washington, D.C.

65. "Shows you!": HAH. The phrase I uttered when I "got" the theme today

66. Attempt: TRY. Hope that your attempt at the puzzle was a positive one

And we are done! Look forward to YOUR COMMENTS below. Hope, too that you are able to try MY PUZZLE @ Universal. See you in a couple of weeks

Friday, April 5, 2024, Laura Dershewitz

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the Friday recap.  Our puzzle-setter today is Laura Dershewitz who, often co-authoring with Katherine Baicker, has previously created and published several puzzles for us to solve.

Today, things do not go bad .  Things do not go south.  Things do not go to blazes.  Things do not go to pieces.  Things do not go belly up.  Things do not go awry.  Things do not go off the rails.  They do, however, go sideways.  Although it can, and often is, applied to different types of situations, the definition of the idiom, as provided in today's reveal, will suffice:

31 Down:  Completely fall apart, as a deal, or an apt title for this puzzle?: GO SIDEWAYS.

In the grid, the reveal and the themed clues/answers are placed vertically.  This provides the opportunity/necessity to incorporate the word GO horizontally/SIDEWAYS into the answers.  Let's have a look at the grid before taking a look the themers.

Here are the three themed clues and answers:

3 Down:  Mid-March cry: ERIN G BRAGH.

9 Down:  Gentle carnival ride: MERRY G ROUND.  You are probably familiar with the tune but do you know the name of the song that Loony Tunes adopted as its theme song?  It was written in 1937 and reached the #2 spot on the "Your Hit Parade" radio survey.

The Merry Go Round Broke Down

24 Down:  Without a care in the world: HAPPY G LUCKY.

Here are the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Use a Keurig, say: BREW.  A coffee BREWing reference . . . and the first of (some might claim too) many proper nouns referenced in today's clues and answers.

5. Name associated with a philosophical razor: OCCAM.  I do not have trouble recalling the answer but I can never remember how to spell it.  The perps remind me.

10. Branded tees or mugs, maybe: SWAG.  SWAG is the name for the stuff they give you at e.g. conventions, symposia, reunions, etc.

14. Traditional wisdom: LORE.  As one of the oldest living people in my family, my word is LORE.

15. "I'm not seeing it": WHERE.

WHERE Wolf?

16. Follow: TAIL.  As in to follow a criminal suspect.

17. Bookworm: AVID READER.

19. Alan of "Marriage Story": ALDA.  With STACY and WALT being clued the way that they were, this solver did not know two of the names in that NW stack.  Alan ALDA helped out quite a bit.

20. Lunch option on the Shinkansen, say: BENTO.  Shinkansen (the Japanese bullet train) alerts us to think of Japanese cuisine.

BENTO Box 

21. Took away (from): DETRACTED.  Did you come across anything today that either added to or DETRACTED from your puzzle-solving experience?

23. "Who knew?": GOSH.  What did the fish say when the river stopped flowing? "GOSH dam it!"

25. With diffidence: SHYLY.

26. PD alert: APB.  Police Department.  All Points Bulletin.

28. Ingest: EAT.

30. In the past: AGO.  A few minutes AGO I came to the conclusion that tofu is overrated.  It's just a curd to me.

31. Dollop: GOB.  Given today's theme, that O after the G could be viewed as a bit misleading.

34. Sensitive subject: SORE SPOT.

37. Surname in a classic Styx song: ROBOTO.  Domo arigato Mister ROBOTO.

39. Meat in Hawaiian cuisine: SPAM.  How A Wartime Necessity Became A Hawaiian Delicacy

40. Teaser ad: PROMO.

42. Italian wine region: ASTI.

Asti Spumante Commercial

43. Divination: AUGURY.  This word does not appear often in our puzzles . . . but we should have seen it coming.

45. Head-scratchers: TOUGHIES.  Initially, I thought of POSERS but the word wasn't long enough.

47. Speedometer stat: MPH.

48. __ boost: EGO.

50. Twin set?: DNA.  A reference to the double-helix shape of the molecule.

51. Dr. of rap: DRE.  Née Andre Romell Young

52. French "Cheers!": SALUT.

54. Screwdriver, in a pinch: DIME.

56. Chewy candy bars introduced in 1921: BABY RUTHS.  Many people believe that the candy was named after Babe Ruth the baseball player.  It was, in fact, named after President Cleveland's daughter.

60. Full of the latest: NEWSY.  Current and/or topical.

63. Triumphant cry: I WON.   A big cat said this after every race that she ran.  She was a cheetah.

64. Fresh start: CLEAN SLATE.   A somewhat anachronistic figure of speech.

66. U2 singer: BONO.  Not Sonny BONO.  Paul David Hewson.

67. Little meower: KITTY.  It might have been clued with a "Gunsmoke" reference but then it would have been yet another proper noun.  Speaking of which,

68. Cannon of film: DYAN.

69. Toy on some holiday cards: SLED.

70. Matzo's lack: YEAST.  Exodus:  This day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the Lord, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.  For seven days you must eat unleavened bread.

71. "Last four digits" IDs: SSNS.

Down:

1. Say too much: BLAB.   Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Everyone I BLABbed to told me that they wouldn't say anything to anyone.

2. Wander about: ROVE.  We never know, initially, if it is going to turn out to be ROVE or ROAM but we can fill in the R and the O.  I sometimes wonder why this is rarely, if ever, clued with "Karl".

4. United with: WED TO.

5. Have loans: OWE.

6. African lake in four countries: CHAD.

7. Surrenders: CEDES.

8. First name in soul: ARETHA.

ARETHA Franklin - "Think"

10. Gwen __: Spider-Man's first love: STACY.  A Marvel Comics reference.

11. Sky's "Breaking Bad" spouse: WALT.  In times past, this might have been clued with a reference to Whitman or Disney or Kelly or Frazier.

12. Campaign staffer: AIDE.

13. Chuffed: GLAD.  New to this solver.

18. Bunch of romantics?: ROSES.  Not a group of impractical visionaries but, rather, a bouquet of flowers that a romantic person might give to their beloved.

22. __ gobi: South Asian potato dish: ALOO.  The first of two South Asia Subcontinent references in a row.

26. State in northern India: ASSAM.  The second.

27. Temporary, as a bar or restaurant: POP UP.

29. Publisher with a mountain peak logo: TOR.  We sometimes see TOR clued with just the mountain peak reference.  Self-published, as it were.

32. Marine mammal that uses rocks to crack shells: OTTER.

33. State capital in the Treasure Valley: BOISE.  In a recent Sunday puzzle, BOISE was clued as "the City of Trees".  With three vowels and an S it's a useful word for constructors.

35. Flightless bird: EMU.  Did you hear about the EMU who was taller than his friends?  He was ostrich-sized.

36. Word with tater or tiny: TOT.  At least we were spared the casserole reference (unlike last Saturday).

Tater TOT(s)                                                Tiny TOT

38. "Curses!": BAH.  How would a sheep say BAH?

41. Online admin: MOD.  MODerator

44. Bring up, or something to bring up: REAR.  Cute.  Raise your children or be in last place.  Alternatively, what you are sitting on as you read this.

46. Acquires: GAINS.  What does a doctor get from a urine test?  She GAINS whizdom.

49. Extend past: OUTLIE.

52. Church council: SYNOD.

53. Angle symbol, in trigonometry: THETA.  By definition, much as Delta represents a difference or Pi represents the ratio of a circle's circumference and diameter.

55. Merges: MELDS.

56. Lobsterfest wear: BIBS.

57. Missing GI: AWOL.  Absent WithOut Leave

58. Fillet's lack: BONE.

Fillet Minion

59. Coll. entrance exams: SATS.  

61. Superfan: STAN.  Current slang.  The term comes from a song on an Eminem album.   The song tells the story of an obsessed fan named, you guessed it, STAN.  Possibly, a portmanteau derived from "stalker" and "fan".

62. Strong desires: YENS.  YEN is the shortest of the bunch (URGE, ITCH, DESIRE, HANKERING, etc.) and was handy here because, including the S, only four letter could be used.

65. "The 1619 Project" publisher, for short: NYT.   New York Times  "The 1619 Project" focused on slavery and the founding of the United States.

That's it for today.

_______________________________________________

Notes from C.C.:

 

1) Chairman Moe (Chris) made Wednesday's Newsday puzzle. Click here to solve and let him know your feedback. 

2) Happy 83rd Birthday to dear Irish Miss (Agnes), the sunshine of our little corer. Thanks for the care and love you've shown everyone on our blog, Agnes! I'm so lucky to have you as a close friend and puzzle collaborator.

 

Agnes (right) and her sister Eileen, Nov 22, 2013

 

Friday, March 29, 2024, Lisa Senzel and Will Nediger

Theme:  Alphabet Soup

Puzzling thoughts:  

Will Nediger is a name well-known to crossword puzzles.  As the link describes, Will has done scores of puzzles in the NYT.  I also look forward to solving his Saturday and Sunday puzzles @ Crossword Club.  

Lisa Senzel may not be as well-known, but she has also been published in the NY Times.  Not sure if this is her debut @ LA Times, but if so, congratulations!  Also, I am not sure if she has done solo work, but the company she keeps (Will and Jeff Chen) are both solid collaborators

Today's puzzle uses a series of 4 phrases that are transformed into a play-on-words, of sorts, by adding another word which also contains a filler word ... capisce?  No?  Want me to explain?  OK.  Will do.  It's why I get paid the big bucks twice a month to help figure out what's going on in today's puzzle!! 😉

16-across. *Diner's entitlement to savory flavor?: UMAMI RIGHT.  Or is it: UM, AM I RIGHT?

19-across. *Reason yellowfin tuna are wallflowers at a school prom?: AHI CAN'T DANCE. Or is it: AH, I CAN'T DANCE?

36-across. *Pal who seconds whatever one says?: LIKE-WISE GUY. Or is it: LIKE, WISE GUY?

57-across. *Not-very-straight shooter?: ERRING CAMERA. Or is it: ER, RING CAMERA?

=================================================================

UMAMI = savory flavor; RIGHT = entitlement ... UM (a filler word) AM I RIGHT? (See below)

AHI = yellowfin tuna; (those who) CAN'T DANCE = wallflowers ... AH (a filler word) I CAN'T DANCE! (I dance similar to this person)

LIKE-WISE = same; GUY = pal ... LIKE (a filler word) WISE GUY (As a Stooge, I have to sneak in this image!)

ERRING = not very straight; CAMERA = (picture) shooter ... ER (a filler word) RING CAMERA (we have one installed but it's not active) 

 

The reveal:

61-across. Sound added to everyday speech, and what's been added to create the answers to the starred clues: FILLER WORD.  Not sure how else to explain it but to add this image:

Across:
1. Blue-green: TEAL.  AQUA would have been a fun word to begin with

5. Short form of a name that means "merciful": CLEM.  I had "no clue" and penciled in CLEO.  Guessing it's short for CLEMENTINE, but I'm not going to confirm

9. Lass: MISS.  I had HUGE in 9-down at first; that slowed me down in the NE corner

13. Jessica of "Sin City": ALBA.  And 26-across. NHL great Bobby: ORR.  Two crossword puzzle proper name staples

14. Eta follower: THETA.  The "ABC's" of Greek:  ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, DELTA, EPSILON, ZETA, ETA, THETA ...

15. Shape the narrative?: EDIT. Sometimes there are clues that are too clever, but sure, why knot [sic]?

18. __ therapy: GENE. 

21. "Easy-peasy": NO PROB.  Isn't the jargon used by kids these days just totes adorb?

24. In __ of: LIEU.  Moe-ku:

    They used stunt double

    In The Tiger's Apprentice,

    In Lucy LIEU of

25. Contacts list no.: TEL.  867-5309
    
27. Little dog: PUP.  Does anyone recall the expression "cuter than a speckled PUP"?

29. Michelin product: CAR TIRE.  This exact clue and entry were last seen at a WSJ puzzle in 2022

31. Planner division: WEEK.  Back in the day, this used to be my planner of choice:  

33. Q neighbor: TAB.  Oh, the "Q" key on a computer keyboard ... not the neighbor fellow who lived next door to the James Bond character ...

35. Yapped like a dog: ARFED.  The only dog I recall that said "ARF" was this one:

40. Lopsided: ATILT.  Like this famous tower??  

42. Cozy room: DEN.  Most new houses feature a great room (instead of a separate living room/family room), and an extra room without a closet is now used (mostly) as a home office 

43. The Emerald Isle: EIRE.  Moe-ku 2:

    Calling Ireland

    The Emerald Isle, not

    EIRE, gets my ire

46. Ill-fated: NOT TO BE.  The soliloquy in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "To be or NOT TO BE ..." 

49. "Need I go on?" abbr.: ETC.  Sometimes there are clues that are too clever ...

51. Sister: NUN.  SIB could've fit, I guess ...

52. Pump part: TOE.  Part of a pair of shoes for women (pumps) ... these: 

 [guessing that these might be open TOE??]

53. Said, informally: WENT.  [someone explain this to me, please ...]

55. Roamed freely: RANGED.  Moe-ku 3:

    "Home, home on the roam;

    Where the deer and buffalo

    RANGED. Where seldom is ... "

60. Half-moon tide: NEAP.  More crossword-ese

65. Intl. alliance joined by Finland in 2023: NATO.

66. First-year law students: ONE L'S.  [Wikipedia] "One L tells author Scott Turow's experience as a first-year Harvard Law School student. The book takes place in Cambridge, Massachusetts where Harvard University is located. First years, or One-L's as they are often called, all face similar issues their initial year of law school. Harvard, known for its reputation as one of the best law schools in the country, takes only about 12% of applicants". 

Didn't we just have ONE L this past Monday??

67. Sunburn soother: ALOE.

68. Pub pours: ALES.  Moe-ku 4:

    I've heard when a pub

    Runs out of an IPA,

    This is what ALES you

    

69. Gift on "The Bachelor": ROSE.  "The Bachelor" is not on my watch-list.  Are any of you ladies that post here fans of the show?

70. Gripe: BEEF.  As opposed to "tripe" which is just offal ... 

Down:
1. __ cross: TAU.  If Lisa and Will wanted a clecho of sorts they might have chosen: "Sigma follower" ... The "ABC's" of Greek:  THETA ... IOTA, KAPPA, LAMBDA, MU, NU, XI, OMICRON, PI, RHO, SIGMA, TAU ...

TAU cross

2. Bark beetle target: ELM.  Bark beetle blog ==> for real!!

3. Old hoops gp.: ABA.  American Basketball Association

4. Pulitzer-winning rapper Kendrick: LAMAR.  The video clip below is NSFW (or home, for that matter) ... 

 
5. Fashionable: CHIC.  (59-across. Fr. title for 9-Across:) MLLE.  (44-down. French street:) RUE.  Today's obligatory foreign words needed to fill in random places in the puzzle 

(in these cases, as Splynter would say, "Frawnche")

6. Pad size: LEGAL. [Blumburg dot com] "The term “legal pad” is a bit of a misnomer; it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the law. The defining feature of a legal pad is the 1-1/4" vertical margin on the left side of the paper. This margin, also known as the down line, was traditionally used for annotations or side notes.

Legal pads originated from paper mill scraps bound together and cut to legal size, hence the name. They were initially used by lawyers, which further contributed to the name"

7. Of a particular culture: ETHNIC.

8. Country singer Kathy: MATTEA.  This is the theme song for the country version of "The Bachelor":

 

9. Bigger than big: MEGA.  HUGE was my first thought ... yours, too??

10. Naming: IDENTIFYING.  Pretty common synonym, as my friend the Thesaurussaurus says: 

11. Heartfelt: SINCERE.  I tried GENUINE first; another mini-roadblock on my way to solving this in 25+ minutes, but I didn't cheat too much ... had to look up MATTEA 

12. Girded (oneself): STEELED.  [Merrium Webster dot com] defines STEELED (transitive verb) as:

2

a

: to cause to resemble steel (as in looks or hardness)

b

: to fill with resolution or determination (girded)

The video below defines how to "gird ones loins" [courtesy of Redemption Community Church]

14. Ozzy Osbourne album in memory of Randy Rhoads: TRIBUTE. [Wikipedia] "Tribute is a live album by British heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, featuring his work with hard rock guitarist Randy Rhoads, in whose honor the album was released. The album was released in April 1987 in the US and May 1987 in the UK, five years after the death of Rhoads"

17. "Let's put a smile on your plate" chain: IHOP.  IHOP Brand Campaign - 2022

20. Garment that preserves hair waves: DURAG.  I thought it was spelled "DOORAG" but I discovered otherwise: [Wikipedia] "A durag (alternate spellings) is a close-fitting cloth tied around the top of the head to protect the hair; similarly a wave cap is a close-fitting cap for the same purpose. Durags may be worn to accelerate the development of long curly/kinky hair, waves or locks in the hair ..."

21. This instant: NOW.  STAT and ASAP did not fit

22. Mine find: ORE.  Moe-ku 5:

    "49'ers" left

    CAL for their northern neighbor;

    They found ORE in ORE

23. Communicating with pictograms, perhaps: PRE-LITERATE.  My my, that's a big word for describing a stick-figure!!  BTW, this is a debut word for crossword puzzles.  Congrats!

Lasceaux Cave Painting

28. Dog's attention-getter, maybe: PAW.  

Covid Cartoon

30. Loyal: TRUE.

32. Scottish wedding garb: KILT.  This one is for the ladies here at the Corner ... I was told this was taken just before the wedding ... 

34. eBay action: BID.

37. Nabe that might have an H Mart: K TOWN.  I suppose that every puzzle needs to have an odd clue/answer or two these days ... K TOWN is an abbr. for "KOREATOWN" (as opposed to CHINATOWN, e.g.).  Nabe is an abbr. for neighborhood.  H Mart is a name for a chain of Asian food stores ... learning moe-ment, for sure

38. Get the picture: SEE.

39. Main courses: ENTREES.

40. Vehicle's shark fin, maybe: ANTENNA.  For modern cars, yes.  It's that fin-shaped device on vehicles that acts as an ANTENNA.  But the "shark-fins" on vehicles that I grew up with are shown below: 

41. Uncomfortably close to home: TOO REAL.

45. Sew up: END.  Good mis-directional clue

47. Request, as table food: BEG FOR.  I'm beginning to think that this puzzle has "gone to the dogs" 😀

48. Los Angeles neighborhood near Reseda: ENCINO.  Well, I have heard of ENCINO, but I haven't a clue where Reseda is ... maybe Art Fern does, but not today:

50. Quarterback Derek: CARR.  Erstwhile Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders QB, he now slings passes for the New Orleans Saints

54. Lore: TALES.  Tried STORY with no success

56. Muslim honorific from which "nabob" is derived: NAWAB.  I will let others comment about this entry ... I did confirm that this word has been used before in published crossword puzzles, but it's been almost a decade ... and only once before @ LA Times

58. Wall St. debuts: IPOS. 

62. Flamenco shout: OLE. 

63. Sushi topper: ROE.  Moe-ku 6:

    Sushi bar offers

    New roll shaped like a ship, called:

    ROE ROE ROE the boat

    

64. __ Jam Recordings: DEF. [Wikipedia] Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop"

And just like that, we are done.  At the end of the day, I, um, hope, er, that I, ah, explained the gist of the puzzle.  

Before publishing this blog I asked Margaret if she got it, and her response was "Like, totally"! 

So OK, like seriously, add some of YOUR comments below ... 

The grid: