Friday, Jan 16th, 2026 ~ Alex Rohrer

 MANOR, CHATEAU, PALACE, [ CASTLE ]*

Gilette Castle, right here in my home state of Connecticut

This was a great crossword puzzle theme - a clever use of ordinal numbers and homonyms ( I also found the term "polysemy" - bank & run, e.g. ), words that sound and spell the same, but have two totally different definitions.  My research into constructor Alex Rohrer led me to some other pages of crosswords ( click the green "read" button ) but I cannot be sure who "they" are - if they be man or woman  - and I am not going to assume, as I made that 'foe pah' last year with "Dana" Edwards - sorry, man.  Anyway, this was Friday-level difficulty in a standard grid, no circles, just twelve 3LWs, but a tad too many names & abbrs ( at least in the clues; I'm looking at you 58D. ).  The themers;

17. [Math], science, gym, English: FIRST CLASS - the [ brackets ] are a hint as to the "position" required to finish the fill; here, "math" is the opening, or first, instance of four school "classes" listed - not the combination of the two words being 'posh section of an airplane'.  The "M" is capitalized just because it's the opening letter of the clue - which threw me at first.

30. Allegory, [fable], anecdote, parable: SECOND STORY - the word in brackets is now found in the 'second' place, one of four synonyms for "story" - not the 'level of a house'

46. Walkout, slowdown, [picketing], sit-in: THIRD STRIKE - the third word, in brackets, is a synonym for strike, in the 'union' sense, not the "yer out~!" of baseball, or say, convictions; ya know what they call manners in prison~?  Con etiquette, get it~?

62. Safari lodge, island property, destination spa, [all-inclusive beach hotel]: LAST RESORT - finally, we have four examples, or definitions, of places, as opposed to the ultimate act of extreme decisiveness, like nulcear war

* FOURTH ESTATE - known collectively as 'the press' - I did not know about the first three estates

Let's keep this theme going~!

sodium, carbon, lead, tin, [ iron ] - Fifth Element

Great movie, 1997 - about "love", not atomic structures on the periodic chart

But

Wait

There's

More

ACROSS:

1. Lemon piece: WEDGE - I do the Downs first, had SOAR at 1D., so I filled in SLICE;  Bzzzt~!

6. Shoe with a "Sport Mode": CROC - don't own, don't care

'dad mode', 'marriage material', uh, OK, kinda funny

10. Sunscreen ingredient: ZINC - I had - IN -, thought TINT at first 😜

14. Far from familiar: ALIEN - I knew this was the answer, but my NW corner was a jumbled mess

15. Off-white hue: ECRU - Ah. The Monday dupe.  On Tuesday.

16. "Pick me!": "OH, OH~!"

19. Simplicity: EASE

20. Start of a long drive, perhaps: TEE SHOT - the "H" my last letter to fill, highlighted red in the grid below; I was trying to parse this as TEES OFF, which the crossings denied

21. Available sans Rx: OTC - Over-The-Counter, Frawnche "without" prescription, but only avec argent

23. Craps cube: DIE

24. Journalist Katie: COURIC - name #1, knew this one

26. Formal expulsion: OUSTER

28. Well-suited: APT

32. Tasks: CHORES

34. Doja Cat's signature song: SAY SO - not my thing, but I listened and liked it - has a 70's disco vibe, and the video does, too; * warning *- the rap in the middle contains foul language, of course - name(ish)

35. Zipped, or ripped: TORE

36. "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" airer: Mtv - the channel ran its last actual music video in 2025, sorta

37. Kardashian matriarch: KRIS - name #2, no clue, tried "I-ris"

41. Sailor Moon headpiece: TIARA - Anime / Manga; it's her weapon - name(ish)

44. Benoit Blanc, e.g.: SLEUTH - name(ish)- more here; I have the DVD, haven't watched it yet . . . 

50. Pigpen: STY

51. Tried to improve one's score on, perhaps: RETOOK - think 'test'

52. Rat: SNITCH - I had PARIAH, as the "H" was in place

54. "__ longa, vita brevis": ARS - this helped me get a foothold in the SW; thanks to four years of Latin in high school~!

55. Cat seat: LAP - Here's my buddy from LI, now living in CT as well, at home New Year's Day

Matt "The Hat" and cat

57. Some bagels: SESAMES - I like mine Everything Egg - which a friend suggested were the bagels that got dropped on the floor in the kitchen . . . 

60. Masjid prayer leader: IMAM

64. "Bob's Burgers" girl: TINA - Watched the show for a while; I like Louise more - name #3

65. Redhead of classic TV: OPIE - I had LUCY, of course, but how can you tell hair color in Black & White~?  Name #4

66. Features of some lobbies: ATRIA - I would fly into Singapore just to see this one

More here

67. "Quit it!": "STOP~!"

68. Rain delay sight: TARP - a C.C. baseball clue - what, two months to Spring Training~?

69. Small: TEENY

DOWN:

1. Travel by air: WAFT - Dah~! Not SOAR; think of aromas

2. Lebanese fashion designer Saab: ELIE - Friday-cluing for name #5 - not the usual culprit, Mr. Weisel

3. Chloé Zhao, for one: DIRECTOR - name #6 - her IMDb, as I do not know any of her movies

4. Bas-relief medium: GESSO - Argh~!  My first thought, hesitated; learned about gesso from Bob Ross

I love Bob - I bought his paints and did this

5. Gush: ENTHUSE - Ah; think emotionally

6. Boston player: CELTIC - All I could think of were Red Sox and Bruins - I am no basketball fan

7. TV producer: RCA - a company that produced the actual appliances; who else remembers the TV repair guy using a mirror to see the screen while he adjusted the settings~?

I do remember the hardboard back panel with the holes in it, too~!

8. Ish: OR SO

9. Guardianship: CUSTODY - I was on the wavelength with "parentage"

10. Elmo's orange friend: ZOE - name #7 - Never heard of her

11. "Couldn't resist!": "I HAD TO." - due to inflation and the rising cost of crossword fill, there will be an upcharge for "Thwurds"; we also have  - 43D. Have high expectations: ASK A LOT - AND - 48D. "I'll have to pass": "IT'S A NO."

12. More likely to pry: NOSIER

13. Chipper: CHEERY - alliteration

18. Targets of some workouts: CORES - my "core" has gone south on me; I slacked off during the holidays.  But I did some fasting, and gotta get to trying those new dishes~!

22. Swear: CUSS - Ah.  CURSE didn't fit, but I was "correct"

25. People who get half the credit: CO-STARS

27. Stir up: STOKE

28. Do one's part: ACT

29. Soup with rice noodles: PHO - I pondered NAM, like we had last Friday

31. Pt. of USNA: NAV - meh.  U. S. Naval Academy

33. In vogue again: RETRO - I'm "retro" simply because I'm old, and never changed . . . 

36. B.A. Baracus player: Mr. T - from "The A-Team", 80s TV; name #8

38. Mount with southeast-facing faces: RUSHMORE - name(ish), but a gimme

What's the price of admission to this park, CandianEh!~?

39. Addams cousin: ITT - name #9

40. Reserved: SHY

42. Object of admiration: IDOL

44. One with two poles: SKIER - and here I thought I was clever filling in "EARTH"

45. Cry of hunger?: "LET'S EAT~!"

46. Qualities: TRAITS

47. __ crab: HERMIT

49. Foot part: INSTEP

Foot parts ON steps

53. Isabel Wilkerson's "__: The Origins of Our Discontents": CASTE - more here, name(ish) 

56. Dada: PAPA - a bit meh for Friday, IMHO

58. Former "DWTS" co-host Andrews: ERIN - I had no idea what DWTS is - Dancing With The Stars.  She & partner came in third, then she was one of the 25D. until 2020; name #10

59. Hotel visit: STAY

61. World view?: MAP

63. "Aaron Burr, __": "Hamilton" song: SIR - name(ish), and not needed for this 3LW

Splynter

Grid Flow 32.2

My Bob Ross painting

 

Tuning Iron

 

Friday, Jan 9th, 2026 ~ Rebecca Goldstein & Rachel Fabi

 EARLY ONSET CROSSWORDESE

( I fudged it; the cartoon actually said "the NYT...Sunday" )

Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi have paired up once more - I have blogged one other construction from the duo, back here - and now they only need a Thursday publishing to hit the "EGOT" ( or Grand Slam ) for all seven days with an LA Times crossword.  ALAS & SADLY, I seem to have the same snags whenever I solve one of their puzzles.  Today we have yet another non-standard, 15 x 16 grid, with prefix~? 'kickoff' clues and their 'dawning' definitions.  No circles, a few names and abbrs, a balance of 20 3LWs and 5-letter ones, but a lot of meh fill, IMHO - your mood may vary.  The themers, with no reveal; 

17. Pseudo?: FALSE FRONT - e.g. a pseudonym, such as Theodore Geisel *

25. Neo?: NEW BEGINNING - No, not Keanu

"Neo", from The Matrix

38. Mono?: SINGLE ORIGIN - Learning moment for me

54. Mega?: GRAND OPENING - I goofed; my original fill in the grid was "GREAT", and while 60% correct, still wrong.  I let the computer find my error(s), the black triangles in the solution below

64. Anti?: NONSTARTER - the only outlier, as this is not a two-word phrase

Ah -  I found sumdaze's first ruler of the colony, "Ant I" - get it~?

But Wait - There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. Framing pieces:  JAMBS - I do the Downs first, had J - - B -, and this is true from a carpentry point of view; windows and doors are, technically, framed with jambs

6. Layer under a tee: CAMI - T-shirt abbr, camisole abbr

10. Basketball commentator Rebecca: LOBO - filled via perps; name #1, and a self-shoutout for RG~?

14. Swings and misses three times, say: IS OUT - A poor at-bat in baseball - so many clunky two-term phrases in this crossword - and yet, none unique; I'm naming this type of fill "Twurds", #1

15. Nudge: PROD

16. Leaving less of a bad taste, maybe: RIPER - mmmmaybe~?

19. Annual EDM festival in 22-Down: ULTRA - no clue.  I actually like Electronic Dance Music - yet I recognize no one from the lineup at this "concert", held in 22D. -  I am surprised there was no circumreferential cluing here, being that it's Friday

Daft Punk was one of the artists I liked

20. Fashionably nostalgic: RETRO - I'm "retro" simply because I'm old, and never changed . . . 

21. __ the consequences: DAMN - Oooo, swear word

23. Evil act: SIN - Oooo, more badness

24. Lab coat?: FUR - Labrador, that is.  I have not given up on getting a dog - but I need a little more financial stability in the new year

Cooper tore up the pink octopus - but I had gotten him new chew toys for Christmas~!

29. Word of woe: ALAS - alas, I did not care for some of the fill . . . .

31. Biological pouch: SAC

32. Maxims: SAYINGS

33. Portions (out): METES

35. Covered in crystals?: ICY

37. Stalter of "Hacks": MEG - name #2, my total WAG crossing 28D; Sigh. Meg RYAN was Monday

42. Also: TOO - one too

43. Pair: DUO - "two twos, too" - not tu-tu; too many 'to's

44. Spot targeted by butterfly stretches: GROIN

47. Takes up a lot of space: SPRAWLS - I had SPREADS, which is 5/7ths correct, 71.42%

51. "__ been a minute": IT'S - a minute is an endless amount of time in our instant gratification world

53. Ibiza, por ejemplo: ISLA - Español lesson

57. Shade tree: ELM - crossword staple

58. Tax counterpart: TIP - think dining, not death 😜

59. Missing GI: AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave

60. Concession speech?: "I LOST." - "Twurd" #2 

62. Down in the dumps: MOPEY

68. Location, location, location: AREAS - Now this is a clever clue/answer - I'd like to see more of this, and less "Twurds". 

69. Transcript figs.: GPAs - Grade Point Averages

70. Racing shell: SCULL - oaring - not roaring - like, say, F1

71. Leave in the lurch in the church: JILT - even the word sounds unpleasant - is that a variation on onomatopoeia~?

72. "Abominable" character named Everest: YETI - Abominable 4-letter . . . yada, yadi, yati - YETI~!

73. Word of woe: SADLY - sadly, some of this puzzle's clue/answers . . . 

DOWN:

1. Peter Pan rival: JIF - semi-deceptive - peanut butter, not Disney & the original play - name(ish)

2. In general: AS A RULE - "I make a rule, not get involved with possessed people..."

"...Actually, it's more of a guideline"

3. "Naked" rodents: MOLERATS - "He's an ugly little spud, isn't he - I think he can hear you, Ray."  Stantz & Venkman, also Ghostbusters.  Interesting fact  about - and almost cute image of - this animal

4. Get three eights in blackjack, say: BUST - Another good clue/answer; the best hand is "21"; anything over ( in this case, 24 ), and ...

Bugs Bunny had a one-card win, remember~?

5. Unsmiling: STERN

6. Procedure practiced on mannequins: Abbr.: CPR -  Ah.  Not sword testing, Forged in Fire style

"It will kill" - Yeah, OK, it's a ballistic dummy, I know

7. Preferring platonic relationships, informally: ARO - Aromantic, a very common fill lately

8. Café du __: New Orleans shop known for beignets: MONDE - Nailed it.  It's a frequent location in the "Dave Robicheaux" books from James Lee Burke; name #3

9. Collar danglers: ID TAGS - Cooper only wears his when we go for a walk

10. Rapper __ Mama: LIL - name #4, her IMDb

11. Elects to participate: OPTS IN - "Twourd" #3

12. Strait off the coast of Siberia: BERING - geo name, #5.  A bridge~? More here

13. Indonesian apes: ORANGS - good guess on my part;  BONOBOS are "too big"

16. Over-easy serving: RUNNY EGG - strangely, this is a unique fill; I can only do scrambled eggs - otherwise, my tummy grumbles

18. Nemeses: FOES

22. Biscayne Bay city: MIAMI - Didn't know this - I once lived in Jacksonville, Florida; geo name #6

24. Sibs and 'rents: FAMily - Pa -rents

26. Make like a banshee: WAIL - Ah.  I tried YELL first; only 25% correct

27. Covertly included: BCC'ed

28. Sushi bite sometimes served on a model boat: NIGIRI - I have actually seen this in a crossword before - here - and I hit on the last letter "G" for the WAG; but then we have . . . .

30. Vegan protein option: SEITAN - Although I am not thrilled to see this in a crossword, I realize it's Friday.  I am intrigued to try using this as a pizza crust - which I currently make using ground chicken - more Seitan here

I will be happy again if it's yummy in my tummy ~!

34. Winter break?: SNOW DAYS - yeah, not so much as an adult, as CT DOT stays on top of clearing roads, so it's off to work I go 😕

36. "We doing this?": "YOU IN~?" - "Twurd" #4 - now it's getting absurd

39. Decline to take the high road: GO LOW - "Twurd" #5

40. Naan relative: ROTI - Asian "flatbreads" - the differences

41. Small bit of facial jewelry: NOSE STUD - of course I went with RING

45. "You won't get away with this!": "I'LL TELL~!" - "Twurd" #6

46. __ khao: Laotian crispy rice salad: NAM - Friday cluing for this 3LW;  my only resolution for 2026 is to completely shift my diet to healthy foods, and today's puzzle is full of some good choices

A recipe - looks good - I'ma gonna try it

47. High-ranking noncom: SGT. MAJ.

48. A __: literally, "from what is earlier": PRIORI - I have heard of this term

49. Climber's descent: RAPPEL - My first thought, but hesitated

50. Absorbent: SPONGY - also my first thought, also hesitated

52. Foul mood: SNIT

55. Have no reception, say: ELOPE - Hey - you weren't JILTed

56. Corning Museum material: GLASS - I knew of this place, in upstate NY, but I went with "PYREX"

61. Killer whale: ORCA

63. Have a snack: EAT

65. "Etc.," in Pittsburghese: N'AT - WAY too localized, IMO, even for Friday; I see no Cornerites other than 'oc4beach' in PA on HuskerG's map

The rest of the "dictionary" here

66. Fed. stipend for some people with disabilities: SSI - Supplemental Security Income; the website

67. "Srsly?": RLY - Seriously~?  Really~?  Textspeak, unique, and meh.  

* - Dr. Seuss

Splynter

Grid Flow was a high 47.8

Fri, Jan 2nd, 2026 ~ Nate Curry & Kevin Curry

 Café Au L.A.(IT)

or, the Times Crossword with your Morning Joe~?

Hi there~!  Splynter here, commencing my new day blogging.  Our first Friday puzzle of 2026 is a crossword from constructor Kevin Curry (alliteration), a regular, and what I gather is one of his three kids, Nate, who is 10(ish) yrs old - he and younger sister Kaela created a puzzle that made the NYT.  Today's grid, an oversized 15x16 to accommodate the center spanner, consists of four themers that drop, or "knock off" the I & T at the end of common phrases to create punny new ones.  A few too many names for me, a whole SLEW of abbrs, no circles, and a balance of 26 3LWs compared with the 24 five-letter ones.  The themers and the reveal; 

18. Warning on a note passed in a seminar?: NOT FOR PROF(IT)

more here

25. Crystal ball consulted atop Mount Everest?: HIGH EARTH ORB(IT)  - A.K.A. Geosynchronous Orbit

37. The discovery of the Lucy fossils, for one?: SIGNIFICANT DIG(IT)

52. Beauty school treatment?: LEARNER'S PERM(IT) - I got my learning-to-drive permit at 16yrs old

61. "Cut that out!," or an apt title for this puzzle: "KNOCK IT OFF~!"

Two other thoughts:

Unruly CanadianEh!~? - Bad Hab(IT)

Robinson with his musicians~? - Smokey and the Band(IT)

But Wait~!
There's More~!  ( all good, -T - Onward~! was my Saturday sign-in )

ACROSS:

1. Charges: BILLS - the contractor "charges" $$ for his time

6. During: AMID

10. House shower?: CSPAN - I wondered if this was "shOU-er", or shOH-er; I finally figured out it was the latter, with the channel that shows Congress, the US "House" of Representatives & Senate

15. More slick: ICIER - 'tis the season~! - I've cleared my driveway three times so far

16. 2024 NBA All-Star Game MVP "__ Time" Lillard: DAME - name #1, and I had "G-ame", since that made more sense at first, but I knew my "AD" at 6D. had to be correct - more about him here

17. In the loop: AWARE

20. Sew loosely: BASTE - I knew this 'cause my mom was a sewing master

21. Not gross: NET - weights and measures, as opposed to icky over sterile

22. Some Duracells: AAs - I'm an "AA" as well, but not a battery

23. Like many fiddle-leaf figs: POTTED - I had p-I-tted, which made sense at first - but figs have seeds, not pits - sigh.  

All(IT)eration

24. Land south of Eur.: AFRica

28. Hawaiian for "white": KEA

29. Highest seed: ONE - as of this writing, the Denver Broncos are the #1 seed in the NFL

30. Regret: RUE

31. Marble __: RYE

32. Up and about: ASTIR - if you have to ASTIR, you might need AWHISK - found at 60A.

34. Mother with a Nobel Peace Prize: TERESA - even if we all know who this is, still name #2

42. Agree: ASSENT - all(IT)eration

43. Soccer star Sergio who scored more than 100 goals for Real Madrid: RAMOS - no clue, name #3

45. Audible sighs: "AHs"

48. Long. crosser: LATitiude, the grid of the globe - all(IT)iteration

49. "Rugrats" dad: STU - name #4, learned doing crosswords

51. Tiebreaker periods, for short: OTs - OverTimes

56. Opposite of oui: NON - yes/no - ah, my first Friday Franwche fill - all(IT)eration

Oui~!  Oui~! Très Oui~!

57. Release: LET OUT - "who let the dogs out~?" woof, woof

58. Singer Carly __ Jepsen: RAE - name #5, we see her a lot in crosswords

59. Paramount+ partner, briefly: SHO - SHOwtime, streaming services - all(IT)teration

60. Batter beater: WHISK - what a whip~! - all(IT)eration

65. Like déjà vu: EERIE

66. Cry of dismay: "OH NO~!"

67. Leaves for dinner: SALAD - my first thought was the leaf sections when expanding the dining room table, but it's the 'other' leaf - lettuce, romaine, etc.

68. Freezing temps: TEENS

69. Large number: SLEW - Hercules "slew" a whole slew of heads off the - - -

70. Monster with regenerative heads: HYDRA

The 1960 movie "Hercules vs. the Hydra" - all(IT)eration

DOWN:

1. Recycling container: BIN - my blue recycling bin goes out every other week - my garbage, rarely once a month

2. Admission of guilt: "I CONFESS."

3. Well-read individuals: LITERATI - filled via perps

4. Not right?: LEFT - I am a LEFTY, so I nailed this one

5. Sold-out letters: SRO - crossword staple, Standing Room Only

6. Magazine income source: AD PAGE - I had figured it being "AD" something . . . .

7. Swampy habitat: MARSH - I had BAYOU to start; been reading a lot of James Lee Burke books that take place in Louisiana, so this 'hab(IT)at' was on my mind; I did get a David Weber Sci-Fi book, "Off Armageddon Reef", and finished "Hail Mary" from Andy Weir; great book - thank you all for the reading suggestions

8. Texter's qualifier: IMO - In My Opinion

9. Pt. of HDTV: DEFinition; High and TeleVision were too long

10. Novelist Meg: CABOT - name #6, had no clue, learned she is the author of "The Princess Diaries", and the "O" does seem more likely than the "I" that I had from p-I-tted

11. Broad strip: SWATH - as in a swath of destruction laid down by a tornado

12. Tacos al __: PASTOR - never heard of this, so the NE corner was messy; name (ish) - the Wiki

13. Aorta, for one: ARTERY

14. (If) necessary: NEED BE - in hockey playoffs, games 5,6 and 7 may be "if necessary"

19. Picnic spoiler: RAIN - I pondered "ANTS" first

23. Groom feathers: PREEN

24. Pseudonym preceder: A.K.A. - Also Known As

25. Features of orchestras and rhinos: HORNS - clever

26. Upright: ERECT

27. Spiritual glow: AURA - it was either HALO or AURA, and I guessed correctly

33. Four-time French Open winner Swiatek: IGA - name #7, learned doing crosswords

34. Window shades: TINTS - slightly meh; I think windows GET tinted - OR - treatments like drapes, curtains, blinds, shades, etc.

35. Play guitar: STRUM - well, that is part of the mechanics - there's also picking, fretting, tapping, bending, sliding - did I miss anything~?

Eddie would have turned 71 on Jan 26th

36. Org. for orthodontists: ADA - American Dental Assoc.

38. Key: ISLET - That kind of key

39. Dread: FEAR

40. Comment from someone listening to elevator music, perhaps: "I'M ON HOLD."

41. Push beyond acceptable limits: GO TOO FAR - "you've gone far, Ted" was a classic Benny Hill gag

44. ID with two hyphens: SSN

45. Totally wrong: ALL WET - I had heard this phrase before, usually from my mother

46. [Giggle]: HEE-HEE - I had TEE-HEE, so 5/6ths correct - and technically, our Monday dupe~!

all(IT)eration

47. Many a mockumentary: SATIRE - this ROCK-umentary comes to mind

49. Manatee, e.g.: SEACOW - Awww, this puzzle shoulda been blogged by MM~!

50. Taxing trip: TREK - All(IT)eration

53. Gymnast's gripping aid: ROSIN - Dah~!  Not CHALK

54. Zaps: NUKES - Ah.  I use this term all the time when referring to the microwave

55. Susceptible (to): PRONE - as in "prone to lying down while sleeping" 😜

59. "Don't go!": "STAY~!"

61. MMA stat: KOs - Mixed Martial Arts, a sport I do not watch, and Knock Outs

62. Kraken's realm, briefly: NHL - the 'briefly' should have clued me in to the abbr, but I went with "SEA" - yet this is also correct , as the Kraken of the National Hockey League hail from SEAttle

63. "Or so": "ISH." - I'll be over about nine"ish"

64. HHS agency: FDA - Health & Human Sevices, and the Food & Drug Administration; here's the hierarchy on the website

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.9

Wednesday, Dec 24th, 2025 ~ Leslie Young

NOT "16"

...and not "8" - she needs better math skills

Leslie Young, née (oooh, I got to use it for real~! ) Leslie Rogers, was part of this collaboration here at the LA Times, and has been published in a few other places as well.  I really liked the theme today - a solid, non-reveal type that has multiple examples of the common 4x4, "four by four" term we use day to day.  All the themers are unique, cosisting of always-hard-to-use, 12-letter fills ( or, 4x3 if you like ), in a standard grid, and none of the trite trappings - NO circles (yay), just a few names, a few abbrs, and nothing vague or "meh".  The FOUR themers;

19. Where to find a sturdy 4x4: THE HOME DEPOT - my "second" home; A 4x4 in this instance actually starts as lumber four inches by four inches square, but once dried and planed, measures 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" - and a judge upheld this "nominal" terminology.  I used a short one for the center leg of this table I made as a Christmas present for my brother.

My first try at epoxy, too

26. Where to find a caloric 4x4: IN N' OUT BURGER - there are no locations of this west-coast franchise beyond TX ( TN is next ) as of 2025 - a 4x4 is this mouth-watering construction

My trainer would tell me this is my entire daily caloric intake in one sa'mich

42. Where to find an adventurous 4x4: OFF-ROAD TRAIL - the "classic" definition of a 4x4, which is a 'truck' with all four wheels powered; nowadays, there's also "all-wheel drive" - A.I. says this is the original four-wheel drive - the Wiki

Great sales pitch imagery

51. Where to find an athletic 4x4: RUNNING TRACK - I had to look this one up, as I am not "athletic", per se; it's the 4 x 400 meter dash - more from this website

An'  A w
!          a
~         y
o G  eW


ACROSS:

1. Gift wrapping need: TAPE - For all those "last minute" Christmas types, of which I was once a part, you now have less than 24hrs to minimum safe distance . . . 

5. Sound in "The Addams Family" theme song: SNAP - Twice, preceded by; Du-Du-Du DUM

9. Dramatic haircut: CHOP

13. Jazz legend Fitzgerald: ELLA - name #1

14. Award presented at the World Science Fiction Convention: HUGO - name #2 - I am a voracious reader, and I switch between Crime/Detective/Mystery & Sci-Fi to change it up, so I knew what a "Hugo Award" was; can anyone recommend an author from any of these genres~?  I am looking to read someone new...

15. Origami bird: CRANE

16. Fortnite's company: EPIC GAMES - Learned by doing crosswords; more here

18. Noodle dish: RAMEN

21. "You __ to be there": "HAD"

22. Tug-of-__: WAR

23. Endless expanse: OCEAN

30. Shadowboxes: SPARS

33. Disapproving chorus: BOOs

34. Brew that may be hazy: IPA - getting to be a cliché fill now

35. Lines that are often blue: URLs - like this

36. Out of it: LOOPY - I have been there....

38. Glitz: GLAM - Two weeks in a row with "GLAM" for me

39. Stock quote?: MOO - cattle = stock, cows 'say' moo - clever clue/answer

40. Took a tumble: FELL

41. In one's __: emotional: FEELS - never heard this phrase; the "F" was my last "eff-in" fill

46. Drummer twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: STARR - Ringo, and I learned today the second induction was as a solo artist in 2015; name #3

And previously as the drummer for The Beatles

47. Subj. for an aspiring polyglot: ESL - polyglot = knowing or using several (English as Second) Language(s)

48. Faux __: PAS - Foe Paaah, Frawnche, "false step"

55. Baggage __: CLAIM - I have not been in an airport for over 20yrs, and I don't travel much anymore - two weeks ago, I had some questions from Cornerites; unclefred asked about the pipe organ job - I left in February as I felt I was not being given the chance to grow into the company - and then they changed owners in June, as well ... see also 31D.

58. Eight-sided solids: OCTAHEDRA - Dungeons & Dragons fans know . . . .

59. Provokes: BAITS

60. Backup camera's view: REAR

61. Send out: EMIT

62. Quick and nimble: SPRY

63. Blend together: MELD

64. Dull: FADE - the verb instead of the adjective

DOWN:

1. Pearly whites: TEETH

2. Omega opposite: ALPHA - it's all Greek to me . . . .

3. Practiced, as a trade: PLIED - I am learning much as I ply(wood) my new trade as a handyman member of Home Advisor on the Angi app; just finished this bar for a client 

Home Depot 1x oak boards and 3/4" oak plywood - a learned a few "bar" things, too

4. Per person: EACH

5. Spiritual healer: SHAMAN - good WAG on my part

6. Dos, por ejemplo: NUMERO - Español, 'two', but I didn't suss the 'No.' connection

7. Like black vinegar: AGED - I have never heard of 'black' vinegar

8. Billy Porter series about 1980s ball culture: POSE - name #4, totally unknown to me; "ball" refers to ballroom culture, the Wiki on that; here's Billy Porter's Wiki

9. Result of a blast from the past?: CRATER

That'll leave a mark....

10. Cordon bleu meat: HAM

11. End of a countdown: ONE - Give it a week, and "Yule" understand this clue/answer

12. Write: PEN - I am still gathering ideas for my own Sci-Fi book/screenplay

15. Early spring bloomer: CROCUS - I found out ASTER "comes up", er, short

17. Met Gala garb: GOWNS - Dah~!  Got suckered by the lack of  'plural' in the clue

I'm down with the gown~!

20. NOLA sandwich: PO'BOY - I am reading James Lee Burke's Robicheaux series - the main character Dave is an alcoholic cop who goes to AA, set in Lousiana. ( CSO to Big Easy & Hahtoolah ), name(ish)

24. Quick and nimble: AGILE

25. Annapurna's country: NEPAL - filled via perps

In the center

26. W-2 org.: IRS - Death & Taxes, or, phonetically, the "hearse and the irse"

27. Horseshoe-shaped fastener: U-BOLT

28. Spinner: TOP

29. Merino males: RAMS - Motorized Machines, too

I worked with a guy who liked to point out "Ram in front, Dodge behind"

30. Japan's national sport: SUMO - does make sense

31. Tenured employees, for short: PROFs - ...and Prof M asked two weeks ago why the "~"~?  It started waaay back in texts - I like to see an "!" stand out from a "1", "or an "l", and it just went from there

32. Floating in the air: ALOFT

36. Get the hang of: LEARN

37. Word before some language names: OLD - Old Enlgish, Old Norse, e.g.

38. Insole option: GEL

40. Subreddits, e.g.: FORUMS - should this be forA~?  Or am I being too forMAL~?

41. Sordid matter: FILTH - "I read this disgusting filth. Twice."

43. Triple play, for one: RARITY - Did C.C. know this fact~?

44. Vacation cottage, often: RENTAL - Ah.  Not  A-FRAME - but 50% correct letter-wise

45. Realm in Norse cosmology: ASGARD - that's the "A" word I could not recall; name #5

48. "Love, Loss, and What We Ate" memoirist Lakshmi: PADMA - no clue, filled via perps, and I WAGed the last "A", since I misunderstood what "DULL" referred to at 64A.  Name #6

49. Pungent: ACRID - but I nailed this one

50. Walk on water, essentially: SKATE - har-har....

NY Rangers and the NHL's highest-paid goalie, Igor Shesterkin~!

52. Convention: NORM - here's a simply complicated explanation

53. Slushy drink: ICEE

54. "Finding Nemo" setting: REEF - A-ha; OCEAN was in the grid already, and SEA was too short

55. Network with an eye on television: CBS

56. F1 unit: LAP - Formula One racing

57. Yoga ball filler: AIR - I think the girl in this GIF gets some air . . . .

Wednesday Splynter, Signing Off . . . . see you next year~! 

Grid Flow was a low 26.0

Merry Christmas, Festivus, and Happy New Year~!