Wednesday, Apr 2nd, 2025 ~ Stella Zawistowski

CONTENTS MAY HAVE SETTLED

AFTER PACKAGING

Van Halen, Dead or Alive, Lyric at 1:15

I struggled with this one - while Stella masterfully gives us four theme fills that are all unique crossword entries, and none of the usual Wednesday construction attributes we usually see - bigger grids, circles, a plethora of names - I stumbled in the west, had to do an alphabet run to get the "red square" you see in the completed puzzle grid at the end of the blog, and the effort was not rewarding, IMHO - a bit of a let down, rather than a clever or funny theme.  Sigh.  The themers;  

20. Leg day exercises performed while holding dumbbells: SUITCASE LUNGES

A selfie - NOT

28. Rectangle-shaped football formation: BOX DEFENSE

46. Stephen King novel about a graveyard curse: BAG OF BONES - I did not read this book

54. Therapist's statement, or what can be said about the first parts of 20-, 28-, and 46-Across?: 

LET'S UNPACK THAT - I've heard the phrase, but I must be getting "brittle" as I age because I don't care for this "euphemism", as it were - nor do I care for 21st century-speak buzzords like "circle back" and the rest on this list - when one steps back from them, they do have a cringe factor

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Cloth that protects waves: DURAG - A "do" rag - this thing - that is more likely to be seen on a rapper's head than a "permanent wave"

6. Jazz pattern: RIFF - the master of the heavy metal riff - Tony Iommi

How the Black Sabbath sound was born

10. Future atty.'s exam: LSAT - crossword staple

14. Native people of Missouri: OSAGE

15. Campaign for Smart Justice org.: ACLU

16. Córdoba coin: EURO - Dah~! I always think "PESO", and even that's not right - peseta is better

17. Sired, biblically: BEGAT - there was a LOT of "begatting" in the Bible

18. "You __ me?": "FEEL~?"

19. Marching insects: ANTS

23. "Uh-uh": NAH

24. "¿__ te llamas?": "COMO~?" - I am IRON MAN~!

25. Pipe material, for short: PVC - actually stumped me - but then again, I don't work with "those" pipes any more . . . . PolyVinyl Chloride - the Wiki

33. "So cool!": "OOH~!"

34. Marvel's God of Mischief: LOKI - learned by doing crosswords, not from the movies

35. Breakfast or brunch: MEAL - I had breakfast with my brother on Saturday, which means I got to visit with my buddy Cooper again~!  I'm still looking for my four-legged friend 😞

Cooper~!

37. Close shave: SCARE

39. This __ up: END

41. Natural fence: HEDGE - if there's a bustle in your hedgerow....

42. Seize: TAKE

43. Not here anymore: GONE

45. In the style of: À LA

50. Homer's wholesome neighbor: NED 

PFFFT - Flanders

51. "In my opinion ... ": "I SAY..." - meh.

52. Not trans: CIS

61. Skip over: OMIT

62. __ bean: FAVA - Dah~!  not LIMA

63. Nest on a cliff: AERIE - crossword word - AND - 32. 63-Across nester: EAGLE

65. Santa Monica landmark: PIER - filled via perps

66. "That true?": "IS IT~?

67. Itty-bitty: TEENY

68. Site with handmade stock: ETSY

69. Crop-sharing orgs.: CSAs - also a unique crossword fill, but I had no clue; Community Supported Agriculture - the USDA website

70. Wipe data from: ERASE


DOWN:

1. Passport info, briefly: DOB - I do not have a passport, so I went with SSN - bzzzt~!

2. Avails oneself of: USES - the verb, not the noun

3. Rao's rival: RAGU - stumped; it was only after I had R A G _ that I WAGed the "U"

4. Excited toddler's cry: "AGAIN~!"

5. Not beyond one's solving skills: GETTABLE - I found a few clues "non-gettable" for Wed.

6. Nadal's nickname: RAFA - I thought it was "RAFI", so that didn't help

7. Coats with frosting: ICES - I started typing "RIMES", but it's not THAT frosting

I actually made a cake like this - simple, really - here's the website

8. Warm jacket lining: FLEECE

9. Stuffed with: FULL OF - e.g., BEANS

10. "When you're not strong" song: LEAN ON ME - a song that was #1 twice from two different artists - the Wiki

11. Like operas and oratorios: SUNG

12. Opere e oratori: ARTE - I did like the redundant, albeit foreign, cluing

13. Chuck: TOSS - the verb, not the Texas Ranger

21. Shoe designer Jimmy: CHOO - an internet connection (and a minimum of $750) will get you here

Get it~?

22. Japanese plum: UME - no clue, filled via perps - pickled

25. Drop in the mail: POST - not SEND, so this slowed me down in the west

26. Language learner's topic, for short: VOCAB - yeah, but meh

27. R&B singer Khan: CHAKA - now this I did know; name # - oh wait, never mind . . . 😜

29. Classic Jaguar model: XKE - the official model name of the "E-Type"

Gorgeous - the Wiki

30. Wild dog of the Australian Outback: DINGO

31. Car rental option: SEDAN

36. Head up: LEAD

38. Wedding couple's wish list: REGISTRY - my brother has set the date - July 12th

40. Get into: DON - Dah~!  Not DIG - this is the actual get into, as in clothing . . . .

41. Pause before deciding: HESITATE - PONDER was too short

44. Violin or guitar section: NECK - section~?  Meh; PART, more better-er.  I'm starting a Black Sabbath cover band

My latest acquisition - a Gibson SG - I'm a lefty, like Tony Iommi 

47. Columbus sch.: OSU - I distracted myself thinking of the school in NYC - that's Columbia

48. Genre with unofficial sequels, familiarly: FANFIC - Ugh.  Meh.  Period.  The Wiki

49. Skip over: BYPASS

53. See-through: SHEER

They're for "bloggers"

54. Easy running pace: LOPE

55. Give off: EMIT

56. Draw scores: TIES

57. Nike rival: AVIA

58. Sphynx and Siamese: CATS

59. Carpeting measurement: AREA

60. Sardine containers: TINS

64. Organ with a retina: EYE - a long way to go for a 3LW

Splynter

Wednesday, Mar 26th, 2025 ~ Zhou Zhang

HEAD to HEAD

This looks to be Zhou Zhang's solo debut for the LA Times - congratulations~!  I did some research and found he co-authored a WSJ crossword just last month.  We have just five (ish) names, no circles, no expanded grid, and three of his four themers are unique to crosswords.  So, too, is 33D - one of two 9-letter non-theme fills, the other being 3D, and that fill has only appeared in one other crossword.  Well done, sir.  The themers;

18. Chance to have a heart to heart?: ROYAL FLUSH

Suit of hearts

26. Spot to meet face to face?: MAKEUP MIRROR

I love the double image of this Def Leppard album cover

47. Professional who is willing to see eye to eye?: POTATO FARMER

website

61. Person who will go toe to toe?: PEDICURIST

I also found this

Better would've been having the answers in "body" order, "head to toe", but still a solid puzzle, IMHO

 
And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Crystal balls, e.g.: ORBS - ah. I do the downs first, so my 2D. was wrong

5. French cap: BERET - OK, to answer the oft asked question, "Frawnche" comes from this scene from the 80's movie Better Off Dead

And the water is from "Peru"

10. Greek earth goddess: GAIA - Crossword friendly 75% vowels; name #1

14. __ out: sing with gusto: BELT - I have been known to belt out a karaoke song or two

15. Quartz type: AGATE - I did not know this popular crossword fill was quartz ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

16. Branches: ARMS

17. Clever concept: IDEA - I am working diligently to finish one of my board games; I printed a prototype game board and showed it to someone I trust with the idea - and she suggested some clever and well-appreciated corrections for me

20. "Girl Crush" country singers Little Big __: TOWN - filled via perps - their Wiki, name #2

21. Cat's warning sound: HISS - Jonesy gave Brett - and the viewers - a heads up HISS that the full-grown "30A." was right behind 

22. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" playwright: ALBEE - name #3, needed some perps

23. Some saxes: ALTOs

25. Rewards for a good dog: TREATS - I am reading a book from Robert Crais called "Suspect" with a traumatized USMC German Shepherd as a character - still no news on my four-legged friend yet 😞

30. Unfamiliar: ALIEN - A what~?  A, a Xenomorph~?

James Cameron's 1986 sequel, Aliens

31. New prefix: NEO

32. Trip around the sun: YEAR - yup, that's what it is - and they're going faster, I've noticed

36. Beast of burden: ASS

37. Puts to work: EMPLOYS - AND - 66A. Puts to work: USES

41. Gibbon or gorilla: APE

42. See 43-Down: MOSS -AND- 43. With 42-Across, hanging growth in Louisiana swamps: SPANISH

44. Beverage suffix: ADE - Hi, lemonADE ~!

45. "__ love": "LOTSA"

51. Cocktail party appetizer: CANAPE

54. Dude ranch greeting: HOWDY

55. Solo: ALONE

56. Sound from a fan: WHIR

I'm a "fan"

58. Wax-wrapped Dutch cheese: EDAM

63. Subterfuge: RUSE

64. Parted partners: EXES

65. Scuffle: MELEE

67. Result of a bug bite, perhaps: RASH

68. Pot payments: ANTES - in card games like the hand of poker above

69. School orgs. that may sponsor fundraisers: PTAs - Parent Teacher Associations

DOWN:

 1. Somber bio: OBIT - we are getting Spinal Tap II the movie this year; here's a cut from bassist Derek Smalls solo album

"She puts the b***h in obituary"

2. Ctrl+Y action: REDO - ctrl + C is 'copy';....ctrl + Z is 'UNDO' - yet there's a "Y" in copy, but no "Z"  in undo and no "Y" in redo. . . . never mind

3. Expressed affection from afar: BLEW A KISS - 😘

4. Marvel Comics legend: STAN LEE - Ah.  The "real" side of comics, not the "super" side. Name #4

5. Go around for rounds: BAR HOP - them days are behind me

6. Self-interest doctrine: EGOISM

7. Sunbeams: RAYS

8. Texts from a chronically late friend: ETAs - text implies an abbr. in this clue, at least it's different

9. Contact no.: TELephone

10. Place for portraits and prints: GALLERY

11. Island near Venezuela: ARUBA

12. "No more for me, thanks": "I'M SET"

13. Symbol on the first day of Lent: ASHES

19. Once-popular casino game: FARO - Just watched a clip about the tunnels dug for the Faroe Islands

24. Melody: TUNE

25. "Iliad" city: TROY

26. Counterpart of sir: MA'AM

27. As well: ALSO

28. Small bay: INLET

29. __ Speedwagon: REO

33. "You can't catch me!": "EAT MY DUST~!"

34. Church recess: APSE - I'm in this article from The American Organist magazine for our work on the new pipe organ at a church in Lynchburg, VA - I'm the one with the bald spot in the last image 😜

This is that same console that did not fit through the door 😆

35. __ admiral: REAR - Not just in charge of the "aft" or "stern" of a ship; here's the Wiki

38. Chess ending: MATE

39. Cuddling in the park, for short: PDA - Public Display of Affection

40. Barbecue side option: SLAW - I prefer fries

46. Phrase often heard in a restaurant kitchen: "ORDER UP~!"

48. Oil cartel letters: OPEC - Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries; I just learned that Norway is now at the top of the NON OPEC list; the YouTube clip

49. "That makes sense now": "OH I SEE."

50. Strengths: FORTES - Forte is my accountant's last name; he's good with numbers- it's his "forte"😜

51. Escapade: CAPER

52. Word said with an Echo?: ALEXA - I have to link this again, it was just too good - thanks, MM~!

Uh-huh....uh-huh....

53. Connection points: NODES - get to the point . . . .

56. Small songbird: WREN - not the architect this time

57. Sword handle: HILT

59. Not on solid ground: ASEA

60. What a toddler might leave behind: MESS

62. Actress Thurman: UMA - name #5, crossword staple

Splynter

Wednesday, Mar 12th, 2025 ~ Rebecca Goldstein

 THE HOLY GALE

Pope Francis, 2018 - Daily Mail

Another Wednesday RG puzzle, another 15 x 16 grid, and another crossword with those sinister circles - but really not so bad this week - a handful of foreign words/phrases, and nary a name in sight~! Wow~!  ( OK, two. ) Right to the theme reveal;

59. "This may come as a shock," or an apt title for this puzzle: HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT - each theme answer "holds" ( within  the circles ) a type of hat 

17. Gym shorts, yoga pants, tank tops, and the like: ATHLETIC APPAREL - a CAP is a piece of athletic apparel, too

28. "Adiós, amigo": HASTA MAÑANA - the Scottish TAM

Why it's called the "Tam O Shanter"

35. Raise doubts: CALL INTO QUESTION - a chef's TOQUE

45. Concept in modern morality: CYBER ETHICS - Le Frawnche Beret

Oui~!

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Work Extra?: CHEW - clever start; Extra, the chewing gum

5. "Surely, you __!": JEST

9. Coral habitats: REEFS

14. Greek vowel: IOTA

15. Duel tool: EPEE

16. Heart chambers: ATRIA - my only goof; I had ETAS, but changed this to AORTA - yet I was already correct.  I went down to Long Island this past weekend to see my younger brother, who just had a scare - he was lying down with chest pains last week, and thank God he has a concerned fiancée - she insisted it was more than just a "pulled muscle" and it turned out to be cardiomyopathy - but I also discovered he takes a LOT of medications, and that's scary. . . .

I did get to see my buddy Cooper - no luck yet on finding my own four-legged friend, Irish Miss

20. Spotted wildcat: OCELOT

21. Butter squares: PATS

22. Distress signal: SOS

24. Mineral and metal mixtures: ORES - I like this alliterative alternative clue - I had to think about it

25. Alley-__: OOP

26. "Cut that out!": "STOP~!"

27. Served right?: ACED - an unreturnable serve is an ACE

32. Feathered neckwear: BOA - ah, the BOA shows itself this week - AND - 62D. Word of agreement: YES - Oh, so this week, it's yeS and not yeA

33. Unpleasant person: PILL - my mom was good for using this 'slang'

34. Name that means "my God": ELI - clued differently on Monday

42. Neuro scan: EEG - ElectroEncephaloGram

43. __ snuff: UP TO

44. Mexican Mrs.: SRA

50. James of "Misery": CAAN

51. Accomplishes: DOES

52. Humble abode: HUT

Goin' to the Jabba the Hutt hut

53. Fine feathered friends: FOWL

54. Tofu protein: SOY

55. Hieroglyphic bird: IBIS

57. Successful in a critical situation: CLUTCH - typically describing people in "athletic apparel"

63. Vegetable that may be white, yellow, green, or purple: ONION

64. Told tales: LIED

65. Fruity pastry: TART

66. In a weird way: ODDLY

67. "What __ is new?": ELSE

68. Put one's foot down: STEP

DOWN:

1. "Adiós": CIAO

2. Mugful with marshmallows, maybe: HOT COCOA

3. Exquisitely delicate: ETHEREAL

4. Like some ancient cities: WALLED

Do you recognize this WALLED city~?  Answer below

5. The Godmother of Punk Joan: JETT 

6. Prefix with pen or gram: EPI - EPIpen, EPIgram

7. Triple __ liqueur: SEC - I'm all too familiar with the "Kamikaze" shot

BONZAI~!

8. Service center?: TEAPOT - clever; the "central" element in a teas service set

9. Spellbound: RAPT

10. Airline stats: ETAs

11. Slip up: ERR

12. __ Bowl: annual game in Arizona sponsored by Vrbo: FIESTA

13. Watering hole with swinging doors: SALOON

18. Goddess of the dawn: EOS

19. Potato, in Spanish: PAPA

23. Place for a massage: SPA

25. Norway's capital: OSLO - OK, another name, but this one's a crossword staple

26. Hissy fit: SNIT

27. Block letters: A B C

28. Door opener: HINGE - my only nit; the knob/handle/lockset opens, the hinge "hangs" the door

29. Ctrl-__-Del: ALT

30. Track competitions: MEETS

31. Too: ALSO

33. Spot for a long walk on the beach?: PIER - funnier would have been to clue this "A SHORT spot for a long walk" . . . .

36. Wine bottle sediment: LEES

37. Throw in the towel: QUIT

38. Inventory tracking aid, briefly: UPC - Universal Product Code - and the 21st century QR code

39. "Nothing gets past me": "I SAW THAT."

40. Dental hygiene: ORAL CARE

41. Granny, to some: NAN

45. Music format stored in wallets: CDs

46. "Hello there!": "YOO-HOO~!"

47. Out of reach of: BEYOND

"Beyond " @ 1:15

48. Slim: THIN

49. Shake a leg: HUSTLE

50. Legal arenas: COURTS

53. Bug often observed in winter: FLU - Ah, that kind of "bug"

55. Adored one: IDOL

56. All elbows: BONY

57. Key for a smart lock: CODE - I have this Schlage smart lockset on my sunroom door

58. URL opening: HTTP

60. Pot topper: LID

61. Liquid in the story of Hanukkah: OIL - burned for seven more nights than expected; the Wiki

Very "theme" oriented

Splynter

ANSWER:

Firenze - Florence, Italy

Wednesday, Mar 5th, 2025 ~ Sala Wanetick & Emily Biegas

 COVER GIRLS

Emily and Sala - more here

Today's puzzle, from veteran constructors Sala and Emily, who appeared just last month as a duo as well, failed to hit the mark for me this time.  The theme is kinda weak, and the 20-something names, including a crossing where I had no choice but to do an alphabet run, just sucked the life out of this one.  We have two 8-letter themers, and yet two Down answers are longer; a whopping 28 4LWs, but at least there's only 9 TLWs.  On top of that, the only musical entry that I can relate to is the first - the others are just not my thing; sorry 'bout that.  On a positive note, 17A., 40A., and the theme answer are unique fills, so there's that.  The themers;

17. Fleetwood Mac hit with the lyric "I'll settle for one day to believe in you": LITTLE LIES - a LIE can cover the truth . . .?

26. Taylor Swift hit that features a sweater metaphor: CARDIGAN - usually covers a shirt/blouse . . .?

40. Elvis Presley hit about someone who only looks like an angel: DEVIL IN DISGUISE - disguise as a cover up . . .?

50. Rihanna hit about friends who stick together rain or shine: UMBRELLA - under cover from the rain . . .~?

63. Musical remakes, and what 17-, 26-, 40-, and 50-Across all are, in a way: COVER SONGS - "songs" that have something that covers; I guess.  As for an actual cover song, if it's a "tribute" band, then all you do is cover songs.  I feel that if an artist is going to cover someone else's song, then it should have some variation on the original, i.e., Run-DMC covering Aerosmith as a rap song - I couldn't narrow it down to one great choice, but here's an example;

Flamenco Led Zeppelin - Rodrigo Y Gabriela

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Update a historic home, say: REHAB - I am in the business of updating "historic", and we would never refer to it as a 'rehab' - rehab is where I spent six weeks after detox.  'nuf said.

6. Quick look: PEEP

10. "Dream on": "AS IF."

14. Enlighten: EDIFY

15. Crooner Paul: ANKA - I know him, but name #1

16. Novela introduction?: TELE - Telenovela, a serialized drama in Latin American TV

19. Jai __: ALAI - this used to appear in lots of puzzles "back in the day" - it's only popped up once or twice in a long, long time

20. Pro vote: YEA - My yeS had to change to yeA

21. Ingrid's "Casablanca" role: ILSA - Oops, I thought it was ELSA - that's the "Frozen" girl - name #2

22. Strenuous: TIRING - Crosswords like this are not enjoyable, just TIRING

24. Prefix with tech: NANO - nanotech

28. Milwaukee team: BREWERS - Great logo - I like it when the letters/name is cleverly embedded in the image - here's another great logo

The m and b in the glove~?  That to me is a well-designed logo

31. "The Daily" podcast producer, briefly: NYT - no clue, but I had _YT already; name(ish)

32. Special glow: AURA

33. Paul of "The Batman": DANO - name #3 - I looked it up; he played the Riddler.  I did not see the movie, and I don't care to link for every name today

35. Venomous snake: ADDER

43. Be of __: help: USE TO

44. __ Point, California: DANA - DANO, DANA - Sheesh - name #4

45. Summer getaway: CAMP - I was never 'enrolled' camp, but from what I hear and read, it was not all that fun for many - SEND away, now that's more like it 

46. Govt. intel org.: NSA - I could explain the abbr., but then I'd have to....

48. Gets to giggle: TICKLES - tickles my fancy

55. For fear that: LEST

57. Quite bright: NEON

59. Alley-__: OOP

62. Actor Alda: ALAN - crossword staple, name #5

66. Rare rocks: GEMS

67. Sinister: EVIL

68. Verdi work: OPERA - name(ish)

69. "Gotcha": "I SEE."

Dr. Venkman, @ 0:50

70. "The Voice" host Carson: DALY - name #6

71. Elevates: RISES - meh.  rAises is a better match, e.g. stress from crossword solving RISES blood pressure~? 

DOWN:

1. Depend (on): RELY

2. Actress Falco: EDIE - name #7

3. Touched on something touchy: HIT A NERVE - let me count the (names) ways . . . .

4. Back of the boat: AFT

5. Author credit: BYLINE

6. Buds: PALS

7. Pioneering computer: ENIAC - I had ATARI until it showed up three answers later; name(ish)

8. Scrape (by): EKE

9. Danish, e.g.: PASTRY

10. Pong platform: ATARI

11. Former baseball commissioner Bud: SELIG - I could not recall this name, # 8

12. Glazer of "Broad City": ILANA - name #9

13. Pretend: FEIGN - I think this puzzle is pretending to be a crossword

18. "Euphoria" actor Jacob: ELORDI - name # 10, 3 of the 4 previous clues - tho a unique fill

23. Pet collar attachment: ID TAG

25. Stand by for: AWAIT

27. Designate as a successor: ANOINT - meh.  aPPoint fits better.  Anoint to me is religious ceremony

28. Grammy winner Erykah: BADU - even if I DO know this one, ugh; name #11

29. Feels remorse: RUES - he rues the day he said he'd blog Wednesdays . . . . 😜

30. Flip-flop, e.g.: SANDAL

34. Confidentiality contract, for short: NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement - I am seriously considering spending the money to get my board games produced - I need a patent lawyer - anyone at the Corner who can recommend one~?

36. Dodges: DUCKS - this DODGE is not a DUCK or an ADDER - it's a VIPER

37. Landline sounds: DIAL TONES - the other nine-letter, 'longer than theme' fill

38. "Twilight" vampire Cullen: ESME - name #12

39. Gym count: REPS - now this is a good one - the singular count clue and the plural reps answer

41. Not a people person, say: LONER - I am definitely NOT a "people person"

42. Mariner: SAILOR

47. Prepared to serve, as pie: SLICED

49. Black out: CENSOR

50. With 56-Across, grilled eel dish: UNAGI - AND - 56. See 50-Down: NIGIRI - no clue, and when the clues are circumreferential* like this, it's even worse - and name(ish)

51. Odometer units: MILES - my car allows me to track gas prices when I fill up, but every now and then, the same buttons I use to adjust the price end up changing my MPH to KPH; I look down and I am doing "58" in a 30 - Yikes~!

52. Not one's best effort: B-GAME

53. Flush: RINSE

54. Blacksmith's block: ANVIL

58. Wriggly: EELY

60. Fantasy monster: OGRE

61. Unpaid ads: PSAs - Public Service Announcements

64. Egg cells: OVA

65. Maker of Lincoln Park After Dark nail polish: OPI - I've learned that the answer regarding makeup, etc., is either OPI or EOS these days - and name(ish)

* I made this word up, but it works for me, so there.

Splynter

Wednesday, Feb 26th, 2025 ~ Rebecca Goldstein

THE ENGINEERING COMEDIAN...

...was "technically funny"
Don McMillan - technicallyfunny.com

Another RG puzzle on a Wednesday, a standard 15 x 15 grid with no circles, 18 TLWs, seven of which are abbrs, along with three out of the 28 4LWs in the construction.  Lots of "quoted" clues and answers, too, only three(ish) names, but one still got me; I shoulda known via the crossing theme perp.  Sigh.  That said, the theme is a punny one with the opening line of 

At the amateur comedy night...

17. the omelet chef had the audience __: CRACKING UP - an eggs-cellent joke

24. ... the personal trainer had the audience __: BUSTING A GUT - I ABs-olutley loved this one

38. With 51-Across, ... the professional bowler had the audience __: ROLLING - AND - 51A. See 38-Across: IN THE AISLES - "Aisle" never see bowling the same way again

60. ... the tailor had the audience __: IN STITCHES - this one is SEW funny

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Mosque leader: IMAM - Crossword staple

5. Get ready quickly?: PREP - abbr, the "short" version of prepare

9. Tapioca pearls: BOBA

A recipe site

13. Zilch: NADA

14. Sweeping stories: SAGAS - palindromic

16. Russian mountain range: URAL - name(ish)

19. Deli spread: MAYO - I like mayonnaise, even for my fries - like in Pulp Fiction

** Note:34A. F-bomb coming **

20. __ facto: IPSO - Latin, "by the fact itself"

21. Hear about: LEARN OF - Did you hear about Van Halen~?

Hear About it Later - from the album "Fair Warning"

23. Industrious insect: ANT

28. Scented accessory: LEI - trying for some alternate cluing here

29. Oscar winner Stone: EMMA - name #1 - her IMDb

30. Guacamole or baba ghanoush: DIP

31. Vacay: PTO - I am enjoying some Personal Time Off currently, but not quite by choice

32. "And for my __ trick ... ": NEXT

34. Warning letters in a subject line, maybe: NSFW - Not Suitable For Work

37. Part of MYOB: OWN - Mind Your Own Business

40. "It just clicked!": "A HA~!"

42. Org. with ergonomic guidelines: OSHA - Occupational Safety and Health Administration

44. __ Liberty: LADY - La statue de Frawnche

The copper clad Colossus is French - more here

45. Neither/__: NOR - I neither speak Frawnche, NOR write it

46. Little devil: IMP

48. Stinger in a swarm: WASP - this one is NOT an abbr. 😜

50. CBS show with the theme song "Who Are You": CSI - Crime Scene Investigation

55. Pay stub letters: YTD - Year-To-Date

56. Home to the Hockey Hall of Fame: TORONTO

57. Dark side force: SITH - the "anti" Jedi

59. Word with deep or dive: SKIN - Skin deep, Skin dive

65. Silent performer: MIME

66. Edmonton NHL player: OILER - Hockey again

67. "I'm all __!": "EARS~!"

68. "No sweat!": "EASY~!"

69. One of Canada's First Nations: CREE - filled via perps, name(ish), but common in crosswords

70. Recipe that may call for a bay leaf: STEW - I have a crock pot and a bay leaf; I should make me a stew

DOWN:

1. Company abbr.: INC - Ever wonder what it means, exactly~?  More here

2. Helicopter carrying the Vice President: MARINE TWO - I knew it was named something similar to "Air Force One", but waited on perps; I found the history quite fascinating

3. Films that have been formatted to fit a smaller screen, e.g.: ADAPTIONS - this just sounds wrong; adapTAtions seems more common, and better yet, adapted to fit your screen

4. Apples that are inedible: MACS - I figured it was a computer reference

5. Tired initials?: PSI - I knew the gag, but could not think of a three-letter radial tire brand - turns out to be the recommended pressure in Pounds per Square Inch 

6. Aired: RAN

7. Caviar bit: EGG - I tried ROE - Bzzzt~!

8. Theoretical physicist Wolfgang: PAULI - name #2 - I knew we needed a name, so I tried PAULA

9. Negative charges?: BUM RAPS - "I was framed, I tell ya~!"

10. Chimp relative: ORANGutan

This one fits the "stalker" description

11. Boggy biome: BAYOU

12. Floating: ALOFT

15. Toss a coin?: SPEND - you'll need more than just coins these days . . . .

18. Region known for Wagyu: KOBE - took the "K" to remind me; everything Wagyu from Wiki  - name #3

"You're sick, Jerry~!  . . . Sick, sick, sick"

22. Growing old: AGING - I am definitely getting old-ER . . . sounds like I'm maturing, but not really

23. Beagle's bowlful: ALPO - I tried CHOW, but we were looking for a brand name(ish)

25. "Yeah, guess again": "UM, NO."

26. Catch a whiff of: SMELL

27. Withholding information?: TAX LAWS - I owe money this year, but I'm still waiting on a mess the IRS created two years ago

33. Current-ly?: TIDAL - Har-har

35. "Well, I'll be!": "FANCY THAT~!"

36. Question from behind a closed door: "WHO'S THERE~?" - AND - 51. Potential reply to 36-Down: "IT'S ME."

38. Japanese broth dish: RAMEN

39. Trading letters: NYSE

41. Dry as the desert: ARID

43. "I'm home, dear": "HI, HONEY~!"

47. Al fresco dining area: PATIO - eating outdoors

49. Soft "Hey, you": "PSST~!"

52. Early mobile phone manufacturer: NOKIA - I think my first cellular phone was a flip-open Nokia, and I had this one, as well

It had the game "Snake" on it

53. Haircuts that may not be noticeable: TRIMS - what's left of my hair takes so long to grow that it's hard to tell I'm into heavy metal

54. Type of chemical bond: IONIC - Such as Sodium and Chlorine = salt

58. Numbs, maybe: ICES - my knee is better, thank you for asking

61. High-end camera initials: SLR - Single Lens Reflex

62. Undershirt, for one: TEE

63. Fury: IRE

64. NNE opposite: SSW

Splynter